HALLELUJIA!!!

This day has been 3 years in the waiting. Daniel saw his surgeon this morning and was cleared to no longer wear braces! His feet look fantastic and he is expected to do well long term. He doesn't need to be seen for another year or 2. I am all smiles and beyond happy. This has been such a long journey and to see it end is thrilling. Of course will still have issues to deal with (mega wide shoes, low muscle tone, etc.) but that is all nothing compared to where we've come from.

Take a look at the before and after of his feet.

1.5 weeks old

3 years old (taken today trying to recreate baby pose)

sitting normally

And to top it all off, my brother called me on Monday and while he and his family were in Brazil they learned that Vanessa's cousin has an infant born with clubfeet and they are struggling to pay for the shoes/braces and clothes to fit him. Plus, they are using the old style Dennis Brown Bar and Daniel had the far superior Ponsetti style brace. So I am going to donate Daniel's shoes and bar plus some of his baby clothes to this family. It makes my heart happy to know I'll be helping out another mother going through this journey and making life more comfortable for her little one.

Can you think of a happier ending?! We've had so many prayers on our behalf along the way that have helped lift us up. To be at the end vs. the beginning of this is an incredible feeling and I couldn't be happier on this day.

24 weeks Preggo

Hey everyone. I've had several people ask me for a preggo pics so I had Brent take these of me this morning. I hadn't put on makeup or done my hair yet... so just look at the belly. :o) I am in my 24th week (6 months along) and for those who don't know yet, we are expecting a girl. I'm feeling good and all is well. Can you believe I still have 3 more months?! I'm going to get as big as Jupiter I'm sure.

Almost a year?

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted. Sorry for the long, unintentional, hiatus. SO much has happened in a year. I guess I'll just bullet point some of them.

*I reached and exceeded my weight loss goals. I lost a total of 50 pounds and for the first time in my life I was in the 170's, a size 12, and at a healthy BMI.
*I completed my first half-marathon in October and my second half-marathon on April 23, 2011. Both were fabulous experiences!
*Jacob had his tonsils and adenoids out in December. Thank goodness my mom was here over the holiday's to help me.
*Jacob finished his first year of preschool (a co-op I did with some friends in my ward). He loved it. He is so excited to be going to a "real" school this fall for pre-k.
*Daniel completed one year of early intervention speech therapy and has improved so much he is no longer eligible for services! YAY! He is such a fun 2-almost-3 year old.
*We have owned our home for one year now!
*We have lived in Oregon for 4 years and Brent is still enjoying his job.
*I was released as Compassionate Service leader last August and am now the Primary chorister. Brent teaches Elders Quorum. Jacob is a CTR4 and Daniel still attends his beloved nursery.

and the biggest news of all...

*We are expecting baby #3 - due in December!

For all the ladies...

because the guys wouldn't get it.

Yesterday I put on a size 14 and it was comfortable - not too tight! I haven't worn a size 14 since I was 15 years old.. that was half my life ago!!!! So I'm very proud to say that I've put all the size 16 items in the closet.

One more pound to lose before I hit another big milestone - 40 pounds lost.

I am beyond excited about it and had to share.

Major Milestone

So most of you know how hard I have been trying to lose weight. Well, last night I stepped on the scale and was delighted to see that I have finally reached my wedding weight! I was so excited about it that I was unable to go to sleep until after midnight. I have lost 36 pounds since I started on this journey in January 2009.

I didn't expect to reach this goal before summer so now I am thrilled that I can reevaluate and make a new goal to reach by end of summer. I want to reach the weight I was at my lightest which is when I lived with my grandparents when I was 15 and a sophomore in HS - that is 8 pounds away. It doesn't sound like much, but with how hard I have to work to lose even a single pound, it is a lofty goal.

To help with that goal my neighbor and I are training for a 10k. This morning I jogged 4 miles, the farthest I have ran in a single run since college. I am seriously flying high right now and it feels GREAT!

To top it all off my father in law will arrive tonight to help us with some larger projects we need to do to get our new home ready to move in. I am very excited to see him and so are the boys. Good times people. Good times.

Life is good...

I know some of you have seen this on facebook already, but I wanted to put it here anyway. I am down exactly 32 pounds from January '09!! (When I started on my journey to reclaim my body and lose weight). I'm closer to my goal and getting there faster than I thought I would. YAY! I have worked so hard for this and I'm so thrilled. I am finally down to the weight I was before ever getting pregnant and I have about 4 pounds to go to reach my wedding weight. Then I might even try my wedding dress on again! After that I'll have to re-access and pick a new goal.

I am in a great place in my life right now. I love love LOVE singing again - I'm an alto II in the Portland Mormon Choir and Orchestra and we are close to our Easter concert. I love rehearsals and I love the music and the spirit I feel every time I sing it. It is such a boost to my spirit every time I go. I'm almost done reading the Book of Mormon and I'm in my favorite part (3 Nephi). I usually get a full night's sleep, my body is my own... life is good!

We just bought a house (see my last post for pictures).

We have our fair share of challenges too (like the crappy hair cut I got last night), but nonetheless I still feel good about where I am. And with that I will close my little epistle.

Kind of freakin' out...

We put in an offer on a house on Monday, got mutual acceptance yesterday, and signed papers today. Our home inspection is next week (so we still have time to back out if we want to or if major issues are found). I'm more nervous than excited, which worries me. Brent is really excited about it, and it is not easy to get him excited about anything so it makes me feel better to see him. This has been quite a learning experience!! We will get the $8k tax rebate, which is going to help us out so much! The house needs a lot of TLC and work and I can view that as being a fun adventure or just extra time and money. I'm trying to think positive and keep the vision of what the house will look like when done.

I am a bucket of mixed emotions. Excited one minute, apprehensive the next. :-/

I've attached the pictures we took on our second walk through (I don't know how Brent had our camera settings, but the pictures turned out grainy and blueish). As you can see the place needs TLC, but let me know what you think anyway. :o)


- front of the house -

- tile in entry way - (try to imagine how nice it will look after the grout has been scrubbed)


- living room -

- kitchen, it is large but needs some major work (it is so brown and ugly - 80's hideousness!!)-

- can't tell here, but that is a huge beautiful garden window -


- a wall unit someone built poorly and just place in the kitchen. Looks like it belongs in the garage as a workbench -

- uck! -

- maybe paint would help it?? -


- looking into the kitchen from the dining room -




- fireplace in family room, we call this the beast - (Brent loves it. I hate it.)


- closet in family room -


- looking into the dining room and family room from the living room - (I love the archways)


- main bathroom -


- master bedroom (window area, the room is actually very large)-


- a section of the ugly orange garage. First thing I'm going to do is paint over this -


- our covered deck in the back, we both really like it -