On the Second Day of Christmas

On the Second Day of Christmas my trainer said to me... 2 weeks without Diet Cola!
And a 1 whole day without sugar.

Yep, that's right, no Diet Coke, no Diet Pepsi...ugh! It's been over 7 years since I have gone a day without diet soda. I am that bad! I love the stuff and a long with my running, it helps me keep my chi, my balance, my sanity, whatever you want to call it. I had a neighbor, Becky, who would go to the grocery store with me when they were advertising 5 (12 packs) for $12. We would make multiple trips to stock up on the stuff, as it wouldn't last long in my house. So I am taking the plunge and trying to really cut back. So between no sugar and no diet coke, today is going to be interesting.

First Day of Christmas...

On the first day of Christmas my trainer said to me...a whole day without sugar.

Yes, a whole day without sugar!

The 12 Days of Christmas

I am going to start the Twelve Days of Christmas a little early this year and with a little twist. My 12 Days of Christmas will be exercise and diet related. When I put on my "fat pants" before heading off to Thanksgiving dinner at my cousins, I realized that my fat pants were a little tighter than I would have liked. For the next 12 days, each day I will announce a new challenge on top of my previous ones with hopes that I will physically and emotionally feel great before the holidays. So let the 12 Days begin...

Little Molly

Little Molly was born early, Wednesday morning (November 17, 2010). Molly was born 3 months early. My sister in law went into labor Tuesday night. The doctor's were unable to stop the contractions. So just a few hours later, Molly was born. She is 15" long and 3lbs. She has since undergone multiple procedures to keep her alive and well. We are so thrilled she is here, but are so grateful for the medical care she is receiving at the NICU in SLC, where she will stay until she reaches full term at the end of January. We were told that Mandy was able to hold her this week for the first time. I know how important and incredibly special that is with a new baby. I can only imagine the feelings Mandy and Adam were feeling. Just like the Unsinkable Molly from The Titanic, we have our Miracle Molly here in the Ford Family.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Our first Thanksgiving as official residents of Washington was spent here. My parents-Aly's parents-were supposed to come visit, but we had a very early arrival of a new niece. Adam's wife Mandy went into early labor (try 3 months early) and delivered their baby girl. (See above post on that.) So their trip to Washington for the Thanksgiving Holiday was canceled. And to make matters worse, the PNW was hit with one of the worst snow storms in over a decade. Roads shut down, schools closed, buses weren't working, Microsoft employees couldn't get to work. That I didn't feel too bad about, as Darrin just worked from home for the week, which is nice. Any who, a nightmare for a very busy time of year. Fortunately, by Thursday, roads were clearing up and were able to head out to Chimacum to spend Thanksgiving with Aly's cousin and family: The Ejde's. We had a wonderful time. We just adore Maggie and her girls. Sadly, with all the bad weather, Chris was out working. But we understand that, as so many people were still without power.

Nanny sewed these dresses for the girls. This is the third day that Megan wore hers. She even woke up this morning (Friday) and asked to wear it, yet again. hhhmmm, in the hamper by now!
Thursday, November 25, 2010

Our Megan Turns 5 today!

Megan, You're Five Years Old and growing with each passing day...

This week has been a super crazy week, especially since Daddy has been in Iowa. We knew of his departure and so celebrated your birthday a little early-quite early in fact. First, you found the pink scooter hidden in our closet 2 weeks ago. You just HAD to open it, so you did. With Daddy traveling to Iowa, we allowed you to open your presents on Sunday, October 31 (yep, Halloween) morning because he wasn’t going to be able to make it back until after your birthday. You were thrilled to open Polly Pockets, Barbies, Barbie movies, and clothes for school.

This morning, you brought cupcakes to share in your preschool class. It seemed like they were a hit. After preschool, you, Surrey, and I drove to Costco, where you picked out new PJs. You can see them in your picture with your new doll from Nanny and your new doll bag and hamster from Grandma.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! Daddy and I surely love our precious preschooler.

November 2010

Happy Halloween 2010

Our Little Trick or Treaters: Megan, Jack (as Indiana Jones), and Surrey

Surrey and I stayed home, as Darrin took the children trick or treating with several children (and their parents) from the neighborhood. Surrey had been sick all week, and was still congested and coughing, and so used her help in passing out candy. She wanted to be a part of the "big group," as Surrey thinks she is bigger than she is...but it seemed to work out best with her at home. We enjoyed seeing the various children from the neighborhood, wearing their costumes. It was fun, as I think there were more parents and grandparents than actual children trick or treating.

As usual, Jack and Megan brought home plenty of candy. Jack's new favorite are Kit Kats and he managed to wrangle in more than 20! Megan seems to like anything that doesn't have nuts in it, especially peanuts. But as long as it's sugarcoated, she's thrilled! We had several neighbors pass out full size candy bars...hhhmmm, Darrin do you remember which house those came from? Last year, we had a neighbor in Utah that passed out JW Religious pamphlets. Needless to say, they were blacklisted by the various children this year, as I was told. Halloween is about the candy and tooth decay, not religious literature! Someone apparently didn't get the HOA newsletter memo that year. ;)