Easter Pic and so much more!

Yeah, so obviously i've been a bit busy with my many things that i do and with kids and working out and what-nots. I've been re-connecting with ton of old friends from college and making new ones sporadically. I know i have the gift of gab but the people have just been coming out of the woodworks lately. I've met all kinds of great peeps and i'm so grateful that they been put in my life to teach me something( i must need a lot of teaching:) Anywho, Easter was great and Brielle and Aria got cute toys

and Brielle loved egg-dying and finding all the plastic eggs with treats that fling everywhere b/c she would shake the living daylights out of them. Or just stop during the Hunt and eat out of one. 

She is doing great at using the Big girl potty with no extra seats and things and she tells us when she's went and 50% of the time she asks for Shocklit, the other time she forgets. So, it's becoming very routine. So, i won't mention it much anymore unless it's funny or crazy or something. Enough Potty talk, right! 

Aria finally army man crawls forward, which is great progress since she used to crawl backwards. She is doing so good with foods and getting around and all that fun baby stuff. She still has her two teeth and her hair is getting way lighter, almost Brielle's color. She's still small(16 lbs.) and she still wears her newborn shoes and booties and 3-6 month onesies or smaller if they are Gap or Children's place( not many of them in her wardrobe) I stick with the general stores that run good for the girls- Old Navy, Dillard's( baby gap runs skinny and a few other brands there), Target, Nordstrom, and H&M on occassion. I went to one of my favorite shops when I was up in UT two weeks ago. I found it when Brielle was about 6 months old, when i was up to visit my sister, It's called Naartjie (nar-chee). It's a New Zealand/ Australian brand that has such fun styles. colors and lots of fun layers. Aria will have Brielle's hand me down's from last summer to wear this year from there, as well as all the new stuff i got last trip. They have two stores up in Sandy and salt lake and other than that, i haven't seen them other than online. 

I'm still busy as ever and i decided to start doing a bit of Photography (a couple families and baby pics)again and i took on a wedding cake client for May. I just don't want to be too busy with all my many artsy things. So, i'll do a little here and a little there now and again. I made a sling for my girlfriend and some boy burps for another girlfriend and a nursing cover for me. It was a good week for sewing! 

Brandon has upgraded in his career. He's now working for Luxury Mortgage Group!

He interviewed with them a few weeks ago and now it's official- he will be handling Jumbo and Super Jumbo Loans- primarily! He's so determined and driven and i respect and love Brandon for his ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. I love it that he supports me in my hobbies and interests and the fact that he'd do anything, if he had to, to make sure i could stay home with our kids- even work multiple jobs, if he had to. Thankfully, he doesn't have to and he continues to amaze me daily. He's an amazing daddy and we have so much fun together.

This last weekend we went to the Monster Truck Finals with Joey and Cachay and we had a blast! I've never seen trucks like that before and such a diversity of people as well. i only saw a few mullets and bad hair cuts- the rest were tolerable. The air was filled with dust, gas fumes, burning rubber and beer. The Sam Boyd Stadium was full to the brim and we even sat a few seats down from one of Las Vegas's local celeb-reality stars from A&E's KING OF CARS!  Chop ( the man with us) took his two sons there and a most kids, they were eating it up. I never knew trucks could jump like that. Also, a CHICK won the freestyle round- Dawn Creten who drove the Scarlet Bandit! she made the boys cry, she was amazing and she looks like a kid! btw she's a mother of THREE! Beat that!

Anywho, it was a great time had by all. 

*Thanks Cachay and Joey for the tickets and Gma and Gpa Christian for watching our girls. We'd rather have you watch them than anyone else. We love you! 

What a weekend!

Hey everyone! So,we had an event filled weekend attending the Mountain West Conference Finals Men's Basketball games, watching Brielle and Aria in a mini fashion show at Nordstrom, and trying to get our stuff together at home.  Here's a few pics. (Thanks to Kylie,Stephanie, and Betty and Clair for watching my girls! we totally appreciated it!)

 And YES i am glad BYU lost! UNLV has been rebuilding and has worked hard and both teams will play well in their brackets(hopefully). Sorry, BYU fans that you won't have much to talk about this sunday at church! Also, the annoying guy sitting next to me on Saturday- I hope you learn to not argue with everyone around you and keep your unwanted thoughts to yourself!!!

Brielle did great in the little fashion show and I held Aria down the little runway. Both had cute outfits on that i did not purchase! ( i got other clothes though) Brielle did a few ballet style leg lifts and a threw her arms in the air as she kinda sorta walked down the runway with her friend Evan P. They were both adorable. 

The down side is, it was at 8:30 in the morning and the store wasn't even open so the show was just for those whose children were already in it. And they only took a crappy Polaroid when i was thinking they were going to do some portraiture. And the SILVER frame that we were supposed to get for being in the show, was no more than a piece of matting board with a silver trim on it!LAME! The kids all got balloons and cookies and I got 15% of my purchase that day but, I don't think we will do that again!

Anywho, i got to hang out with My friend Sharlin, on Friday and i got my craft room cleaned(thanks Shar) and i made some cute flower hair clips, hung out with my hubby, put stuff in the attic(brandon did it)and started a few new projects ,like making a highchair seat cover for Aria!

Here's a failed attempt at a family picture. I think i'm cross-eyed in it!

Now, i know how all my friends feel with 2 or more kids. It's nearly impossible to get a good one. My friend Sarah C. will be taking our new family pics in April. I'm stoked because she took our engagement photos! She has her own site now too so just go and click on lvcecils and her blog will pop up as well as a link to her photography site! 

Well, that's what we've been up too! BTW Brielle is still doing good on the potty! She trained in about 3 days and she just does it on her own and has about 4 accidents the whole week.

I'm going to UT on Tuesday, so, if i haven't called you yet, Call me and lets hang out! I'm there till Saturday morning!

Here' s the real deal!

Hey everyone, So here's the real deal... I totally thought i only gained 40lbs when i was pregnant but i gained about 48-50!!! Yep. that's the truth. i'll not do that again and i know what i can do better next time. I'm just grateful i don't have a controlling, jerky, critical husband like some peoples men. Brandon was along for the ride with me carrying Aria and all and i'm so lucky to have such a wonderful man. About 5 weeks after Aria was born we had a family reunion in San Diego and here's me then. Mind you, i had already lost 12 lbs from the day she was born. Look at Aria's little foot and see where my belly is sticking out(b&w Pic). Look at my face and arms and just all of me.

I hate looking at these pics but it's a good reminder of where i'm not going again! I wouldn't normally show ANYONE this at all. but i just want you all to know my starting point.

Now, this is me currently. I 've Lost 55 lbs or so( the numbers keep going down so fast i'm sure i'm off b/c i weighed myself last week). I achieved  my weight loss by eating better, getting a good night sleep and SWEAT! (also, stay busy- you'll eat less, even if it's just cleaning or crafting!)I work out all the time_ i mean 4-6 times a week. Sometimes i work out and feel so sick, like i'm going to loose my breakfast! but it's been so worth it. Nora is an added boost to helping me lose it and i'm grateful for her and her experience and encouragement. She's a killer and i love it. I do my homework and eat right- just ask Brandon!

So, needless to say it's a drastic improvement. AND i'm not even close to being done. This pic is now my new before pic! Yep, I'm currently already in my regular size pants/ clothes and such but i plan on being even smaller- like when i was first married! I'm not giving you all numbers of what i currently weigh but i will tell you, i'll be 20 lbs. lighter than i am now and have better body fat %. So, ladies and friends, If you're struggling with your weight... this is what it all comes down to... Are you so disgusted with your body that your willing to do something about it every day? Sacrifice is everything. Your body and your Spirit are worth the effort! If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!

~C

Update on the Potty Training!

Brielle is doing GREAT! She goes all the time in her potty and on the one upstairs too! Yesterday, she was sitting on the potty chair and i told her she could go poopoo too and she said "i did, Mommy" I was shocked! She had no hesitation, sure enough, she totally did her thing! She doing great and i am so proud of her and she loves doing the potty dance.I will post more on MommaSassy about Potty training and i hope you moms will put your two cents in too!
~C

P-day (another meaning!)

Okay, so it's not Prep. day for us, it's Potty training day!(or Pee day, take your pick!)

So, Today i had the novel idea of giving it a test run. So, after Brielle woke up from her nap i decided to put big girl panties on and see what she would do. When i first put her in them, she said"we going swimming?" I said no and she ran into my bedroom and hid behind the curtains. It was cute and i imagine in her little mind she was a little confused as to why she was wearing such weird bottoms. 

Throughout the rest of the day, I gave her tons of liquids and she just would stand there and pee the first few times and as she was going, would tell me. She didn't like the feeling and she didn't seem to care too much at first. So, after three panty changes and letting her run around without some on but, with a dress on, She started to pee a bit and then said' mommy i gotta go potty, now" so , we ran to the potty chair and she WENT! We of course were so excited and she got a Chocolate(which she has developed into not Clock-lit but, Shock-lit!). She also got to wear her tinkerbell ones b/c she was doing pretty good. After that time she peed again on the rug and one of her chairs.
 It was crazy but, so far i think i'll stick with sundresses and bare bum it b/c she seems to be more aware of her urges that way (and maybe we will spare a few more home furnishings). She's getting there and I think we will go half days until i the 16th. let's see what happens.   p.s don't click on these words, i can't get it off the link to the picture on the right, of Brielle. weird, i know.

As for the rest of us, Aria learned to say Mama and she is still little and fits in her 3-6 months clothes(which are now too hot to wear). Brandon is closing MaNy Loans, Thank Heavens! And i'm getting thinner, doing my mommasassy blog, i started my ETSY store and i will tell you more about that the next time i post. Aria crawls backwards and she is such a giggly girl. I love my little family- pee days and all!