My brother in law is a genius

My brother in law is one of those people that always makes me feel better about life. He is awesome. I'm not sure he knows it but things he says sometimes are so powerful that they stick with me. (Scary)

He was staying with us over thanksgiving and we had a long talk about health and fitness. He has recently made an incredible life change and looks amazing. He picked up crossfit and changed his diet and has never looked better. 

I am in no way a fitness expert and it is in no way my hobby. But I exercise to look and feel better. Since I've become a stay at home mom I've really tried to step up my health as fitness. I can honestly say I eat more healthy now than I ever have. Exercise is still a challenge for me. When it is warm out I was running a lot but I have asthma and my lungs don't work well when it is cold. I was going to Zumba a few times a week but then Ryan's schedule got crazy and I haven't gone in 2 weeks :(. So I did a burpee challenge in November and try to do what I can at home. Regardless it is always a struggle. I focus on the scale a lot even though I know I shouldn't. I get depressed when I've had a really good week of exercise and eating and step on the scale to see I've gained weight and then I will go eat some crap because I figure what does it matter! 

My brother in law and I talked all about this and  this was his conclusion: He said I'm trying to weigh what I did when I was in college (this is true) and I'm not the same person I was then. I've had a kid and I'm a mother. I'm a much stronger person than I was then both mentally and physically and I can't focus and expect to be the same person and body. He also said with me still not getting a full nights sleep (Colin has regressed on his good sleeping) that is most certainly affecting me and my metabolism. 

While he isn't a doctor or fitness expert he sure made me feel better about life. I sure would love to be in the 120s but I honestly am not sure I will ever get there again and I need to learn to be ok with that. I am not 19 anymore. 

(Maybe when I'm able to sleep like I did when I was in college! Oooh to have sleep and a flat tummy again one can dream!)

It's so nice to have someone talk sense into you when you are feeling down and my brother in law always seems to be able to do that! Love him!

2013 in review

2013 was a pretty crazy year for us.  When the year started we were living in Grants, NM and we were both working full time. 

By the end of January we were packing up and moving to Farmington, NM. I was in a debate of whether or not I wanted to continue working or stay home and ultimately decided I would have the least amount of regrets if I stayed home. 

Ryan started working for BHP and Navajo mine the first week of February as a Maintenance Field Superintendent. It has been a good challenge for him here with more equipment to manage but he is enjoying it! 

Our biggest hurdle moving here was having the house we were supposed to move into fall through on the day of closing (with all of our things in a moving truck and no clothes or place to go). 5 weeks in a hotel seems like just a small hurdle now that we are in our new home that we love more than the first. Everything happens for a reason!

I've throroughly enjoyed staying home with Colin. Life is much less stressful. I can be a full time mommy and wife! My house is cleaner, we eat almost every meal at home and we eat so much healthier. Staying home has taught me to appreciate the simple things in life more and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

I am also still technically working too! I started freelance writing for the newspaper in our old town and then this fall the newspaper here asked me to write for them too! At first I was only doing a story a month for each but it has turned into a story about every other week for the newspaper here. It has been a fun way to get to know both my community and the people in it while still being able to stay home with Colin!

Speaking of Colin! He has had an exciting year as well! He basically learned to talk this year and is constantly jabbering and went from unsteadily walking to running and jumping. He makes us laugh everyday and keeps me on my toes! It is so amazing watching him learn and grow and discover the world around him. So far two hasn't been all that terrible (knock on wood!!!) He loves anything with wheels especially trucks and trains and is very mechanical just like his daddy. 

Living in the four corners and so close to Colorado has been awesome! Our town has 3 rivers running through it and two lakes less than an hours drive! Durango Colorado is less than an hour from us. We have had a blast exploring and Ryan got to buy a boat... Something he has wanted for many years! (But I wouldn't give in because we didn't live near water!)  We bought it this fall and only took it out twice but we are already anticipating many more trips out on the water next year! 

Of course life isn't always rainbows and butterflies. We've had our ups and downs. Perhaps our biggest struggle this year has been the fact that we've been unable to sell our house in our old town. Hoping the new year brings us some better luck in that department because we are pretty tired of paying two mortgages! 

2013 has been a year of change, but in a good way. We've done a lot of exploring in our new environment and learning our new town and redefining who we are. We became closer as a family when we moved. Along the way we've had many family visits and good memories that I wouldn't trade for the world!  But I'm excited to see what 2014 has to offer us!!

Favorite phone pictures of 2013

Looking at these pictures boy did we have a blessed year! Lots of fun visits with grandparents and great grandparents and just a year with lots of wonderful memories. 

Going backwards:

My favorite pictures from 2013

These are just a few of my favorites from my camera during 2013. I may need to go through my phone and pick 10 of my favorites from there! Ha ha!  I LOVE the pictures of Colin playing with the garden hose and I can't wait until it is warm again and we can spend our afternoons watering the grass... er playing in the water! :)

Snowy Family Pictures

I REALLY wanted to get family pictures done this year. We haven't had them taken since Colin was 7 months old. I LOVE pictures and my husband despises them! Lol  So he wasn't exactly on board. Plus, with our 2 mortgages our money is a little bit tight and he didn't want to throw several hundred dollars on pictures.  Sooo.... we did them ourselves!  No tripod.. good ole redneck throw it on the hood of your jeep in auto timer mode and snap! I must say they didn't turn out half bad all things considering and I even ordered a few prints to hang up in the house. PLUS they are our Christmas card photos! :)

Anniversary weekend

This past weekend was our anniversary! 11 years together and 5 years married! I still can't believe we've been together so long!! Such a crazy journey. I was explaining to my brother in law over thanksgiving that what is crazy is how much we have both changed in 11 years but we've changed together and not apart and that is the cool thing! 

My hubby is my rock and I don't know what I'd do without him. And the fact that we've created an awesome kid together and watching eachother parent just makes life that much neater!

Here are some throw back pics of our wedding and how we spent our 5th anniversary... In a little Colorado mountain town with below freezing temperatures all warm in a hot spring hot tub!  

Thankful list

So that whole thankful list people do on fb... Well I did it. Just didn't post it on fb. And now I give to you my 30 random thankfuls!!! Lol 

1: I am thankful for making new friends in my new town. It is enjoyable to go places like the children's museum and meet up with people you know and actually talk to people while your kids play. Soo refreshing to call people friends here!

2.) I am thankful for my husband (everyday) but today he let me sleep in, cooked breakfast and took Colin on an errand so I could get ready in peace! True love right there! 

3. ) I am thankful for old friends that stopped in to see us while they were traveling through! I sure miss living in the same town as them! 

4.) I am thankful for DVR. Hey don't judge... It is the only way I can watch tv and watch it in less time than I normally would by fast forwarding through the commercials and boring parts! 

5.) I am thankful for a break. I got an hour away to exercise by myself. It isn't often that I get any time to myself and when I do it is much needed!

6.) I am thankful for my part time job of being a free lance writer. I enjoy the challenge and get to take my monkey with me to explore the great outdoors!

7.) waiting until the 7th day for my Colin cause today is his birthday! So incredibly grateful to this sweet boy who calls me mommy!

8.) thankful for grandparents! They all called Colin yesterday for his bday and my folks are coming in early to help me get things ready for his party!! 

9.) thankful for everyone that came out to Colin's bday party (or wanted to but couldn't)!! This kid got soo spoiled with presents from our friends and family!

10.) thankful for a day of rest! I was beyond exhausted after the party and needed a day to relax and not leave the house!

11.) thankful for our service men that service and sacrifice for our country! 

12.) thankful for a patient child! Between a newspaper meeting fore and a work dinner for his daddy he spent 3 hours in restaurants today and was good at both occasions!

13.) I'm thankful for the opportunities that our new town has to offer for Colin. He loves his music classes and children's museum that help him learn and socialize.

14.) thankful for our old town and the wonderful people and memories we met and made while we were there!

15.) thankful for small wonders. Staying at our friends house while at our old town and Colin gets to feed horses and chickens (Neys and ducks) and play with their puppies. He thinks he's in heaven. 

16.) I am thankful for a partner who shares in parenting duties... Like helping me change a million diapers for a poor baby who is cutting 2 year molars! 

17.) I am thankful for understanding people at church... Like when my child decides to growl at the people behind us... Yeah....

18.) I am thankful for cars attached to shopping carts. Genius! 

19.) I am thankful for a day at home doing nothing... But playing with my monkey. Those are the best days! 

20.) I am thankful for play dates with our best friends! Not only does Colin have fun but I get to talk to another adult and hold a cute baby!

21.) I am thankful for my sister in laws and brother in law. I am so glad I inherited siblings and don't know what I would do without them!

22.) thankful for new friends and fun lunch dates!

23.) Thankful I married someone with such an adventurous nature. Always up for a drive to the mountains when his wife wants snow! Lol

24.) I am thankful for perfect Sundays. Sleeping in, church, lunch and lots of football!

25.) I am thankful for a few things, new friends, people understanding of a cranky 2 year old who is past nap time and Nap time after a long day!

26.) I am so incredibly thankful that Colin is sleeping better. It is so refreshing to get 7 or even 8 hours of sleep a night! 

27.) I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to learn how to cook and bake from my grandma. This time of year always reminds me of her because I would help her make pies for thanksgiving. This year I am making all the pies myself and wish she was here to help me. 

28.) I am thankful for the holiday to bring my family together. We shouldn't need a holiday to spend the day together but it sure helps make it happen and for that I am thankful. Love my big crazy Italian family!

29.) I am thankful for this nice roof over our head and this place we call home. You really appreciate it after you spend a night in a crappy hotel! :) 

30.) I am thankful for sushi and being open to trying new things! I tried sushi for the first time a month ago and now I am hooked! Soo soo yummy! Ha ha! Yay for new experiences! 

Winter Bucket List

I had fun doing my Fall Bucket List so I thought I would do a Winter one.


1.) Build a snowman.

2.) Go Sledding.

3.) Throw Snowballs

4.) Drink Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

5.) Visit Santa.

6.) Spend time with Family

7.) Show Colin what Luminarias are.

8.) Go look at Christmas Lights.

9.) Bake Christmas cookies

10.) Sing Christmas songs

11.) Do a Christmas art project

What am I missing?  I will add more as I think of them!

Update on my Fall Bucket List...

I did pretty well my fall bucket list..

1.) Go to a pumpkin patch. (Colin's first one!)  Soo much fun at the pumpkin patch! 

2.) Rake a big pile of leaves and let Colin play in them!    Colin LOVED playing in the leaves! 

3.) Make homemade apple cider  (Also... spiked cider is really yummy. ;) )

4.) Make apple pie or apple crisp ( Just made a crisp this weekend! But I cut up extra apples from our neighborhood and froze them to make another!)  Made an apple crisp and an apple pie from scratch. 

5.) Plan a trip up the mountains to see the leaves changing colors.

6.) One more camping trip?? (Not sure this will happen, but maybe!)  This didn't happen..

7.) Do an art project with the changing leaves. Neither did this! Lol

8.). Make some pumpkin yummies! (Via Pinterest I have pumpkin pies, bread, cookies and even rice crispy treats to make!) Lets see, Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes... oh and pumpkin pie!! I did it all!

9.) pumpkin pie blizzards from dairy queen!!! I'm disappointed they haven't served them yet, they are missing out on money!! It is the only time I will shop there!   I actually didn't have many... maybe 3?? But they were very good! :)

10.) Go for a walk and stomp on every leaf we see! 

11.) Fall also means soccer season and I'd like to catch one more game this fall!   We caught one more high school game and go to see one of the girls I coached score her first high school goal as a freshman on the varsity team! :) 

12.). Caramel apples!  I either need to find a place to eat them or make my own! Mmmm!   I made them... they weren't as great as fairs and places that make them. 

Funny boy!

I have some catching up to do, but I will start with a funny story!

Yesterday Colin was not wanting to nap. I was trying to get him to lay down in his room when I got a work phone call. I left him and did some work hoping he would fall asleep while I was gone (yeah right!) I got off my phone call and noticed he was awful quiet so I thought maybe he had fallen asleep.

I quietly open the door to his room and I hear, "Elmo go poop!"  I look up and Colin is sitting on his changing table and there is butt paste all over Elmo's butt and the entire box of wipes is empty in an attempt to get the paste off Elmo. 

Poor Elmo will never be the same...

And in the same day this happened. I was trying to do laundry and I come into the laundry room and find this. "Hi mommy! Night night!"  I guess he thought it was a comfy spot to rest. My mom freaked out by this picture but I was right there doing laundry and no children were harmed in the making....  ( plus our washer door is really hard to shut)