{Matt and Me, Babies and Kids}

{ONE:} Matt
Matt has been working so hard for our family and I couldn't be more proud of his hard work.
Legislative Session has begun at the Capital Building so Matt has to be to get to work by 7:30am or else he won't get parking spot and then he works fairly late so he doesn't get behind on his daily responsibilities along with his new requests from the Governor.

Lots of changes have happened that impact him. He has been handling the stress well and if ever he brings it home, Matt is really good at recognizing his attitude and changing it so we never feel the after math. We are so blessed by his positivity and kindness, even when he's struggling with being such.

Matt hasn't helped his friend with his remodel in the past couple weekends, which has been a blessing to have him home. We miss him immensely when he's gone and to be honest, the extra money he brings home isn't worth it to me. Yeah, it helps pay off our debt quicker but I would rather Matt be home with us. Zeplin and Arrowlyn agree! We are all so much more refreshed having him home, even for a few days!



{TWO:} and Me
Matt and I have been super active lately. I try to get my workouts done during the morning/day when he's at work and the kids are resting/napping. Matt tries to get a workout in during the evening after the kids go to bed at 8pm. And we are going to bed around 9:30pm. Completely different from our schedules prior when we would go to bed between 11pm-1am. We were always so tired, a little grumpy and unmotivated. It's amazing what a quick workout does for the mind & body.

I have been doing well. I love working out and I just completed an entire series for Chalene Extreme and I will start my next 4 week series on Monday. I've never made it this far in these videos so I'm actually doing this new series for the first time. Next week, after I've done the sets, I'm going to start going to the gym and using their heavier weights. I have a free membership to Axiom until April 1st. It's just not close to home.

I'm so proud of myself in my endurance too. I shaved an entire minute off my mile in just a week. I went from 12.59 to 11.58!!! Still a long ways from getting back down to 6 minutes.

My back still hurts a little but mostly when I'm just sitting or standing for too long. If I'm active, the pain is minimal. But my sciatica is causing me the most pain. I can't even walk right without wanting to cry. I'm trying to really focus on lots of heat and ice. If that doesn't help, I will take a pain reliever.

My hair is getting incredibly long. It's been long before but never THIS long. I refused to pay $20 for a hair cut/trim that I cut over an inch off the bottom after getting out of the shower. I want to get it colored again but I can't swallow the price of it. So, for now, I'm just going to grow it out to my natural color and continue to trim the ends ... at least until my birthday when I always seem to treat myself to a new hair color/style. I can't decide if I'll chop it off or even color it. I've got months to figure it out though.

I did get a phone call from my old manager at the gym. The manager that I got into a fight with and was the ultimate reason why I quit, well, he quit before the New Year so my old manager who hired me is back and wanted to know I could come back. I ultimately told him that I enjoy my duties at home but I wouldn't mind helping out. I even offered to help with the scheduling again and getting the kids club in order for trade of a membership to the gym. Nothing has come of it but it would be nice to have the gym accessibility.


{THREE:} Baby Girl McFarland

My best friend, Kaycee, announced this week that she is expecting a baby girl!!!! She's due in early May. Kaycee and Erik have been trying for another baby for years. We would talk often about the struggles of getting pregnant and both end up in tears. 

Before she had even told anyone, she sent me the picture of the positive test. I cried tears of joy for her. I'm so happy for her and her family and I can't wait to hold that sweet baby girl!!!! 

{FOUR:}  Zeplin

Zeplin is really into games right now. He loves to play Pop the Pig, Hungry Hippos and Air Hockey. He's also really awesome at puzzles!! I've been so proud of him learning how to write his letters. Matt and Z have been working on writing his letters while I've been focusing on his phonics. We hope that by the time he goes to Preschool this next fall, he will be rocking and rolling with his reading!!!!

Earlier this week, Zeplin colored some paper and had me make him an airplane. After repeatedly telling him not to throw it at people, he threw it right at my face. I ripped it up and he started to cry. When I tried to talk to him about it, he said, “Well, you know what. You just made me really sad.” Then ran to his room crying. I made me sad for him but there wasn't another way of getting through to him. He played quietly in his room, making cars out of his legos, until he came back into talk to me about what happened.
I love my son and I'm thankful for his growth and understanding even when he (and I) have our moments of insanity.

Z is starting to really love his sister more. Zeplin gives her hugs and kisses and asks about her often. He loves to go into her room when she first wakes up so he can say hi to her. I'm so proud to call them mine.

Karate is going well. This week, Zeplin fell asleep just before we had to leave and almost missed going but as soon as we got there, he loved it. I left immediately after Matt got there so I could go grocery shopping, but Matt sent me updates of how he was doing. At one point, Matt get me that Zeplin had gotten hurt trying to spar with an older girl. He got 'Scorpioned' and obviously was hurt but after some coaxing from his master, he got back into it!!

{FIVE:} Arrowlyn ➸ 46 Weeks
Arrowlyn is an excellent little eater. She loves all fruits and veggies. Especially broccoli, tomatoes, blueberries and bananas. For lunch she loves PB sandwiches, and for dinner she's all about spaghetti. Of course she eats other yummy foods but for now, these are her favorites.
This week was probably the finale for nursing. She wants more food at meals and drinks about a 6-8oz bottle when she wants one. I'm actually okay with it. Besides having to clean bottles all the time, it's nice to quickly make her a bottle, lay her down and go about my thing while she feeds herself.

Arrowlyn is starting to do more fun things like giving kisses and waving to EVERYONE. She says Hi, and Puppy. She's trying to say Thank You. She really loves wrestling with her daddy and snuggling with me.

We are feeling a little like first time parents though. Zeplin was such a quick learner and good listener. Arrowlyn... well, she likes to test the boundaries.
She took her first spill down the stairs on Wednesday. I was in her room putting away her laundry. She crawled out of her room and headed towards the theatre room, so I went back to her room. Then I heard the thudding sounds and her scream. I dropped her clothes and ran to her, picking her up and looking her over. Fortunately, our floor plan is such that there are three stairs down to a landing then it turns right into a flight of stairs. If she had rolled right, it would have been disastrous but she was okay. She snuggled into me and fell asleep.