Poor little blog.  Poor faithful blog readers.
I have neglected you all for far too long.
My life got a little crazy for a while, but
I promise that I will be back very soon
with a new post about my sweet Hannah
who just had a birthday - well, she had it
almost 2 months ago.  OOPS!  Until then,
I will share a cute story about Sam.

Yesterday he and Kelly left for a boys birthday
trip to Disneyland.  When it came time for
them to leave, Sam hugged the girls with all
his might and for a very, very long time.
On the way to the airport, we were talking
about what fun things he would be able to
do there, and I looked back at him and he was
sitting with his head down and a sad look on
his face. 
"What's the matter, Sam?  Aren't you excited
about your trip with Dad?"  I asked.
He started to nod his head yes, but then
paused, and said "Not really."
"Why not?"
And then, with a little tremble in his voice,
his reply,
"I'm just really going to miss the girls."

I am so glad to have kids that love each other like that!

Photos I Love

Meet my dad.  Little Eddy Fuller.  He was the same age in this photo as Sam is right now.  I cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, picture my dad acting like my son does!   It's fun to think about, though.

Was he mischievous?   Did he make his parents roll on the ground with laughter?  Was he sweet to his mother?  Was he independent?  What toys did he like to play with?  Was he good in school?  Did he charm all the little girls in the neighborhood?  I do not know all the answers, but I am certain that when his mother looked at that sweet little face she could not have ever been too angry with him, and that his smile melted her heart.  Whatever kind of little boy he was, I know one thing for sure.  He grew up to become a perfect father and the greatest example of Christ-like kindness, patience and love that I have ever known.  He is the rock of our family and I am proud to call him Dad.

p.s.  Notice the suspenders?  Even today they are a staple in my dad's wardrobe.  I guess if you find something that works for you, you don't mess with it!!

Photos I Love

I love this photo.  No further explanation is needed.  Just look at it.  Isn't she precious?  She was the tiniest little thing, and although she was only 2, the dance teacher at Lucy's ballet studio let her into the 3 year old class because she couldn't resist this cute little thing in her tights and ballet slippers.  She practically lived in this outfit....dancing all day long, spinning in circles and singing, leaving me with a perfectly perfect memory of my perfectly perfect little Hannah.

Follow Up...

So inquiring minds want to know what on my list from yesterday got done.
I wish I could say everything, but I am having trouble finding my motivation.
Kelly is out of town all week, so in my mind that means a week off for me too!
I did clean the kitchen first thing.  It is spic and span this morning!  I also got
all the laundry done and put away, but the closet still needs to be swept out. 
Garage sale stuff is on the list for today, and bathrooms can wait until right
before Kelly comes home on Friday.  That's when I'll make my mad dash around
the house trying to make it look as if I've been busy all week!!

(Don't tell me you don't all know what I'm talking about!)

It's a Dirty Job......

What I NEED to do today:



Clean my kitchen!! I haven't even put away
my groceries.



Organize the laundry room closet



Sort and price these items for a garage sale this weekend



Scrub this shower - it is gross!!




What I WANT to do today:


Make some more of these cute haunted bird houses. We
have been making them all week. I LOVE them!




Use these cute witches that I made...



And these fun things to make a Halloween garland for
my front door.




So I have gone to get my morning pick- me- up and I'm off to
get started.

Photos I Love

For the second installment of "Photos I Love", I present to you one that I don't so much love. This was me. A face only a mother could love, as she will readily admit. I think the story goes that after I was born I was so fat and had such a huge birthmark on my forehead that my mother was not eager for others to see me. She covered me with a blanket at the grocery store and when a lady asked if she could lift the blanket to see her baby she said, "Not right now. She's sleeping."
This is the way my life started out. At least, that's what my mother says. The good news: I think I turned out alright. Let this be a lesson to you all. If things aren't always what you'd like them to be, wait a few years. They will improve!

Not A Baby Anymore

So last month Lucy turned 12. My baby is nearly a teenager. As I reflected on this event, I pulled some of my favorite photos of her through the years and decided to tell the world all the reasons I am happy to have Lucy for my daughter.

1. LOOK AT THAT FACE! Could there BE a cuter baby anywhere? From the start she has had so much expression and personality written all over her.



2. She was the perfect baby from the start. No, really. She never cried or had tantrums, even when she was hungry. She would go to anyone and she was always happy.




3. She has always been independent. She takes great pride in being able to do things on her own. Although there were times I wish she needed me a little more, I know that this is a trait that will serve her well throughout her life.



4. She is good conversation! Her teachers always commented that she was fun to talk to and very friendly. One of her teachers (2nd grade I think!) said that she enjoyed talking to her so much that she had to move Lucy's desk to the other side of the room so that Lucy could get her work done. They spent so much time talking during the day that her work wasn't always getting finished!



5. She has always had respect for her parents. She has never talked back to me or said hateful things to me, and as a mother of little girls, I know that doesn't always happen! I am very grateful for this!!



6. She is helpful. From an early age she has has been helping me do things that sometines made me have to stop and remember just how young she was. I depend on her for a lot and she always rises to the challenge.




7. She knows exactly what she wants. She has always had lots of input for exactly how she wants her birthday parties to be run, just what she wants to wear, just who she wants to play with, and just what she wants to do (or not to do!) Another word for this is STUBBORNNESS! At times this makes me crazy, but at least she has a mind of her own. I don't have to worry about her caving in to peer pressure!




8. She is the first grandchild on both sides of the family. This has given her a special and unique relationship with her grandparents. She has a great sense of family and who she is.




9. She is confident in who she is. She is an individual and doesn't feel like she needs to follow the crowd. This gives me great comfort and also is a good example for her siblings.



9. She is very talented. She has musical ability, athletic ability, artistic ability and academic ability. I know this sounds like I'm boasting, but I am genuinely proud of all the things she can do. She is good at just about everything she tries.



10. She is my friend. We have fun together and I truly enjoy her company. I am so proud of the young lady she has become and I appreciate being able to talk to her about silly things or things that matter. I know that she will be a good mother someday, and that she can be anything she wants to be.




I don't know what I did to deserve such a good daughter. I hope she always wants to talk to me and confide in me. I am proud to be her mother.

Photos I Love

I was looking through my huge box of old, un-scrapped photos last night, and came across several pictures that filled me with instant and vivid memories and emotions. I thought about doing a blog post displaying all the photos, but there were too many for just one post. So I have decided to post one every week, on a Friday, and write about why I love these pictures. Here is the first installment:

My mother. Obviously I do not remember her at this time in her life - she most likely didn't even know I would be born yet. I see this picture and I can imagine her life when she was young. I can hear her singing with her sisters and practicing her viola for her orchestra performance. I can picture her joy when she heard about and accepted the Gospel and changed her life forever by joining the church. I can imagine what it was like for her to meet my dad and how he must have instantly fallen in love with her. I can see all the things she thinks she wants her life to be written on her face. This is where my family began.

A Boy and His Bear

When Sam was a baby, he had a teddy bear. His name was Daddy Bear. It was very soft and squishy, and everywhere that Sammy went, Sammy went, Sammy went....everywhere that Sammy went, the bear was sure to go. (He even made his way into our photos!!)





It followed him to the park one day, which was against the rules. You can imagine our dismay when we returned home and Daddy bear had not made it back with us. Sam cried and cried for Daddy Bear, and no suitable replacement could be found. No matter how similar, how soft or how squishy the new bears were, they were just not the same.

Then one day, our wonderful neighbor Michelle came home from the Cincinnati Zoo and had found a miniature version of Daddy Bear!! Sam ran to her and hugged the new bear, and immediately named him Baby Daddy Bear. Once again, he went out into the world with his new companion always by his side.




Given that Baby Daddy Bear was a tiny little thing, he proved even harder to keep track of, and he, too, was lost. Sam asked if he went to live at the park with Daddy Bear, and we would tell him stories about Daddy and Baby Bear hiding in the trees until all the children went home from the park, and then coming out at night and having so much fun playing on the swings and going down the slides, loving the fact that they had the park all to themselves! Hannah tried to give him her bear, Skeeter, but he was pink - not good for a boy like Sam.


So he gave Skeeter back, and his mood didn't improve for a very, very long time.




So Sam learned to live without his beloved bear. Since no other stuffed animal would do, he moved on to big boy toys. Spiderman became his new favorite thing. He got so into Spiderman that he told his new teacher at church that his name was Peter Parker!!
After a while, the Watson family moved from Cincinnati to Iowa. Sam was now 3 1/2 and had long forgotten Daddy and Baby Bear, much to his mother's dismay.
Sam is now the ripe old age of 5 - super heroes and Legos are his favorite toys. He plays computer games, loves SpongeBob and can name the artist behind every song on his iTunes playlist! He plays "Eye of the Tiger" and "Livin' On a Prayer" on Guitar Hero and can whip his mom's behind at wii Tennis. Baby toys are a thing of the past. Until.............

One day as Toys-r-Us, shopping for a bday gift, we found something incredible. Something EXTRA soft, EXTRA squishy and EXTRA large! It was as if the heavens opened and a light rested upon the shelf in the middle of the store to reveal........

GRANDPA DADDY BEAR!!!



Before our eyes was an exact copy of the treasured original Daddy Bear - supersized!
The happiness of a boy and his bear being reunited was a thing of beauty. Sam was so, so happy!
Grandpa Daddy Bear is so big and fluffy and to be quite honest, Sam's mother was just as happy to see him as Sam was. Because when Sam holds that bear, he doesn't have to be big. It's ok for him to still be a little boy who loves a bear.

Now, even though he is not a baby anymore (as he quite often reminds us) he remembers his love for his very first Daddy Bear. And as long as it will last, his mother will hold onto the memory of her little boy, clutching his Daddy Bear, and his Baby Daddy Bear, and his Grandpa Daddy Bear - because he will always be that little boy, no matter how grown up he becomes.

Firm, Fit and Fabulous!

Ok, so not quite - but I'm on my way! Final testing day at Farrell's this morning. After
10 weeks.....
cardio kickboxing.....
resistance bands......
diet......
5:45 am 6 days a week....
daily homework assignments....
a fair amount of murmuring and whining....
THE RESULTS ARE IN!!

Weight: 171
Body fat: 36.1 %
Chest: 38.25 in
Waist: 33 in
arm: 11.5
Thigh: 22
Hips: 41.25
push ups/min: get ready for it.......here it comes.......brace yourself........60!!!
sit ups/min: 38
Mile run: 10 min 7 sec

Now for those of you who may be thinking "Those are some big measurements - what is she bragging about?" Let's gain a little perspective. This means that I have lost 8.5 inches over all. I think that's pretty good. I'm not so happy that I only lost 4 lbs, but my body fat went down 3.5%!! And let's just take a minute to reflect on my incredible upper body strength. I went from 16 push ups to 60. SIXTY!! the big SIX-OH!! I almost didn't believe it myself.
Thank you very much. Oh stop it! You're too kind! I know - Thank you!

So what have I learned during this Summer of Fitness?

I have learned that nobody should be awake at 6 am - much less exercising at that time!
That I can live without sugar every single day.
That cutting out diet coke did not help me lose weight - so It's back in!!
That exercising like a dog does not help me lose weight - so I don't have to do it anymore.
That I still love Laura Barlow even though she made me do this, and now I'm confident that we can do hard things and still be friends. Bring on the salon!
That I can endure just about anything, but I will never run again unless my life is in danger!
That losing weight is ALL about what you eat, so I have signed up for Weight Watchers, which was very successful for me in the past.
And finally, that I can do whatever I set my mind to do - even if I don't want to do it!
Would I do it again? Um, NO! Again, all I want is to be skinny. I don't care about building all this muscle that no one can see because it's hiding behind the fat. But I do feel stronger and will appreciate even more being able to sleep in each morning!

I will not be as bold as my partner in crime Laura, and will not be posting my before and after photos. The world is still not ready to see me in a bikini! But I will be content enough with myself, knowing that I made it through a very trying summer....and may even admit that there were some fun moments (Ab ripper!!!) Private joke - LB, will you ever be able to look at me with a straight face again??

So now, I am happy to announce that Fun Julie is back!! Who wants to grab a bite to eat?

Can It Be Done?

Here is my To Do List for the next 2 weeks:

This week:  Practice Piano for church

                  Prepare talk for church

                   Feed the missionaries on Saturday

                   Start cleaning for In-laws' visit

                  Farrell's every day

         Make wedding shower invites for a friend

 Next week: Continue cleaning for In-laws' visit

     Practice cello for church

     Prepare lesson for Young Women

     Make Visiting Teaching appts.

     Make B-Day gift for Young Women

     Help friend frost 200 cupcakes for wedding reception

     Take the girls to tennis clinic every day

        Entertain in-laws (who I love, by the way!)

     Go to Nauvoo

     Cheer for Hannah at her triathalon!!!

     Farrell's every day - 1 WEEK TO GO!!!!

All this in addition to feeding, clothing, teaching and entertaining the children.......

ANYONE WANNA HELP????

    

 

When Life Gives You Lemons......

This is Sam's 10th day alone.  His sisters are in New Mexico without him, and he is very, very lonely.  He got tired of being bored, and asked me if I'd like to meet his new friend.  He then brought out from behind his back Mr. Lemon - which he created to keep him company until the girls return!  (His original face came off because he used a pen, so I helped him re-do it with a sharpie!)

Here they are sharing a nice cold beverage together.

And playing in the doghouse.....

And watching tv....

All in all, he has learned how to make the best of a bad situation.  Good job, son!  Don't worry, the girls will be home soon!

p.s.  the text in this post has gone all wacky and I have no idea why! Why is it underlining things and turning them blue???  And why is the spacing different between each photo?  It didn't look like that in the preview.  I guess I need another tutoring session from Shanna.

Success...AT LAST!!!

Well, as many of you know, today was our 5 week testing at Farrell's.  The big half way point.  I had every intention of walking out the doors when the scale didn't move in a downward direction. ( The coaches, however had NO intention of letting me do that!!)  So here are my results:

Weight:  SAME!!!  Not one pound lost in 5 WEEKS - ugh. 

Body fat:  36.3 %  -  That's DOWN 3.3 % !!!!!!

Inches lost:  4.25  -  2 of which was from my waist, 2 from my hips!

Push ups:  35 - more than DOUBLE what I could do 5 weeks ago!!

Sit ups: 28 - nearly TRIPLE what I could do 5 weeks ago!!!

Mile run: 10.5 minutes - that's ONE FULL MINUTE LESS that 5 weeks ago!!!

All in all, success.  The weight thing still boggles the mind, but all the trainers assure me that it's normal, especially in women.  But with all the other numbers going in the right direction, I have decided to stay on for the full 10 weeks, and do so with a much better attitude! Something is working - and I will choose to believe the staff when they tell me that from this point on things will happen much faster and that the lbs should start dropping.  So do I feel like Wonder Woman yet?  Not quite, but I know that I'm a lot closer than I was 5 weeks ago.   

p.s.  I'm glad I didn't have to heat Laura's big speech that she had all prepared for me - something about "how could I commit to our salon if I couldn't commit to a 10 week gym program...?"   She may have had a point!

How Do I love Thee?

You are looking at the greatest tennis player of all time, my secret boyfriend, Roger Federer.  Isn't he beautiful?   Today he won the French Open and as I watched the emotional trophy presentation ceremony,  I became a little teary-eyed, as if I knew him personally.  Here are all the reasons I love Mr. Federer:

1. He is so smooth!  Just look at this photo...yummy!
2. He is the most graceful player I have ever seen.  He makes it all look so easy - never even breaking a sweat as he faces hours long matches.
3. He always keeps his cool. He never has outbursts (like McEnroe or Djokovich) and even when things aren't going his way he presses on until the tide turns in his direction.
4. He accepted the French Open trophy today in a speech given in both french and english, and could have thrown in some swiss-german if he wanted.  Again, smooth!!
5. His backhand is a thing of beauty.
6. He is not afraid to cry.  He cried when he lost Wimbeldon to Nadal.  It was heartbreaking! He has cried when he has won too, including today. I cried a little too.
7. He is now tied with Pete Sampras for 14 major slam victories - the most of any player ever.  
8. He has now won all 4 majors  - French Open, Australian Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon, on all surfaces.  He is a machine!!
9. He accepts defeat with incredible dignity - always giving props to his competetors and giving them the credit they deserve.
10. And last but not least....HE IS BEAUTIFUL!!  I will watch him play any day, in any match.

And now, I will leave you with some photos for your viewing pleasure.  Ladies and Gentlemen, Roger Federer.

I'd Rather Stab Pins In My Eyeballs!

So, the question I've been asked is, "How is Farrell's going?"  

For those of you who don't already know, Farrell's (FXB from now on) is my 10 week exercise program that is sheer TORTURE!!

Here we are at the end of week 2, and I am desperately trying to see some results....is my butt still as dimpled?  Are my arms still flabby?  Do I still have boobs on my back?  

And the answer is - YES to all!!   No measurable progress at all!  WHAT IS THE POINT?????

Here is a summary of the events of the last 2 weeks:

Fitness Testing Day nearly killed me.  "Before" photos taken in a bikini, sit ups and push ups were counted, and the dreaded one mile run was timed.  Weight and body fat percentage were recorded as well.  My stats are as follows (and I am ONLY posting these numbers so that at the end of this hellish journey hopefully you will all be witness to the incredible progress I have made):   Weight:  175.5     Body Fat:  39%      Sit ups/min: ???  I think the number was around 12, but Laura and I got the giggles pretty bad, and you cannot do sit ups while laughing uncontrollably.    Push ups/min: 15    Again, this number is questionable.  I got down to the ground many  times and collapsed.  Although I got back up eventually, I don't think I did but 2 or 3 real push ups.   Mile time:  11.5 min

Armed with these tragic results, we began the journey that will last for the next 10 weeks.  Mon, Wed, Fri is cardio kickboxing.  If you have not yet tried this, I highly suggest that you avoid it like the plague!  It is hard, it makes me sweat like never before and it makes my face turn a deep reddish purple color that does not go away for hours.  Highly embarrassing! (This was also the cause for our case of the giggles during the sit up test which came AFTER the mile run on testing day.)

Tues, Thurs, and Sat are resistance bands.  I see these days as a break.  While it is still very hard, and definately responsible for most of my soreness, at least my face remains a normal color and there is very little sweating going on.  We rotate between upper and lower body on these days.  Legs KILL!!  Arms KILL!!  I was unable to lift my arms above my head or walk up the stairs without whimpering - and still am for that matter.  When does all this get easier?

Then there is the diet plan.  6 small meals a day, with equal parts of protein and carbs at each meal and all the veggies you can eat.  No sugar or artificial sweetener (hence my breakup with Sonic) and 100 oz. of water every day.  I feel like I'm drowning.  Water makes me gag - literally.  I hate it.  And just as I get a bottle down, it's time for another one.  UGH!

So my coaches assure me that it's normal not to lose weight right away.  There are several factors that lead to this.  ONE - I have gone from NEVER exercising to hard exercising 6 days a week.  My body is in shock and it will take a while for it to get with the program.  TWO - I have gone from drinking NO water at all to 100 oz. a day.  I am retaining it until my body learns to flush it out.  THREE - after a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits, my body thinks I'm trying to starve it and is storing every bit of food I put in it for fear that it won't get enough.  After a couple of weeks this too will change.  They have told me not to weigh myself every day (but I can't help it!  I'm looking for any small drop that may come!) and that by the 5 week weigh in I will see significant changes.  It takes time to adjust to all this at once.  Plus, muscle weighs more than fat, BLAH, BLAH BLAH!

Here is my plan.  If at 5 weeks I don't see changes that make me happy, like baggier pants, smaller numbers or smaller body parts, I will QUIT!!  This is waaaaaaaaay too hard to do just for fun.  When I was on Weight Watchers, I lost nearly 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks, and I wasn't exercising at all.  So the plan would then be to get back on Weight Watchers and walk every night.  Easier, cheaper, and probably better results. 

In conclusion, I think my body is rejecting this kind of severe program, and I am more than a little upset at the lack of results.  I hope that I have the power to stick to it until the end, but I'm not making any promises.  I just want to be skinny for our cruise in September - and I hope I find a way to accomplish that goal! 

Dear Sonic,

This is the hardest letter I have ever had to write.  I never thought I would have to say these words to you, but I'm afraid it's over.

There are some things I just have to say to you before I walk out of your life forever.  First I want you to know that it's not you, it's me.  I have to make some changes in my life right now, and I can't be dependant on you while I do that.  You are the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning, and sometimes even the last think I see before I go to bed at night.  Your styrofoam cups and crushed ice have become a part of me and it kills me to think about what my days will be like without you.

Your sausage breakfast bistro has been at times the only "real food" Sam has eaten during the course of the day, and I have to say that this break up will be just as hard on him as it is on me!  But for the sake of our health we just have to make a clean break.

I will miss seeing Rashelle, whose smiling face appears through your window each morning, as well as all the others who know me by name and cheerfully pass me my Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper each day, sometimes twice!

If it's ok with you, we can still have a few days together so that our parting will not seem so sudden.  I'm sure that from time to time our paths will cross - you will always be my weakness and I know that I cannot live without you forever.  But for now I have to do what's best for me, and that means exercise and a healthy diet.  I'm sorry!

Thank you for all the hunger you have filled and the thirst you have quenched in me.  I will miss you more than you know......