My boys

Saturday was a good day.  Tara invited all of us to go with her and Drew to the Razorback baseball game that day.  As much as fun as that was going to be, Shane had to be at a church convention all morning and Owen had a superhero (no girls allowed) birthday party to attend. Owen was NOT going to miss that party, not even for baseball or the Hogs :).  Being the good auntie she is, Tara still wanted to take the girls (Mom and Jake went too) and then we were to meet up with them after the game and all three kids were going to spend the night with her.  Now, I could agree to that.

Of course, the minute it came time to send the girls with Tara, I was sick with Mama guilt.  I had worked all week and here I was sending them with someone else.  Now, mind you, both girls were jumping off the walls in their Razorback apparel, excited to go. Shane told me to get a grip I should not be upset and let them go.  I said a quick prayer, asking the Lord if I was doing the right thing when they left.  About that time, Owen came up to me and said "So, I get to spend the day with you and Daddy, all by myself?!".  Melt.my.heart.  Thank you Lord!

His friend's birthday party was later that afternoon, so I went to lunch with just my two boys.  I realized we never get to spend time with just Owen, just three of us. It was hilarious.  He definitely had much more to say without his older sister interrupting or talking for him :).  If Claire is not around, the baby definitely is and if he is by himself, it is usually with either just me or just Shane.  It was so nice to just focus on him, both of us and hear what he has to say :).

He said a ton of funny things, but my favorite by far:

We were driving home and we pass a police car and Owen says:

"Mama, aren't you so proud that I have never been in jail?"

Yes son, we are so proud :)...

Happy Monday!!! 

No pictures please...

Yesterday morning, I was flying solo getting the kids to school (Shane was traveling).  We were running late, but we were finally making our way out the door, Bree included to go to Nonna's with a large purse and play-heels.  When Owen asks "What's on the tray today?", I remember I need to make Owen a lunch (God forbid the boy has to eat Cheeseburger mac from the school lunch).  I turn around, go back into the house, with him hot on my heels asking if he can have pudding in his lunch box.  I tell him yes and start throwing junk in loading said lunch box.  I go to get the pudding from the fridge and it is gone.  I look at Owen and ask him is he already got it out, he says no.  I start moving things around in the fridge and say "Where is the brand new box of pudding cups?".  Bree then comes around the corner and says "Right here Mama, they in my pursh!"...she removes the ENTIRE brand new package of 6 pudding cups from her purse, and says "I take them to Nonnas!".

She is a mess - this is her "Please mama, no more pictures..." pose:

Woo to the hoo! It's Friday!  Have a great weekend!!!

I LOVE PEEPS!

Thank yall so much for all your kind words on my last post! It means so much and I really appreciate your support!  Blogging may be full of mama debates and bullies sometimes, but the support that is out there makes up for all of it!

I got a couple questions lately about what I eat and other stuff so here are some answers :)...

What am I exactly doing to lose the weight? Diet? Exercise?

I am counting calories using the MyFitnessPal all on my phone.  I put my weight in, how much I want to lose and how fast.  It then calculates how many calories I should eat a day. I input my food in the diary and keep track of it that way.  My exercise is my life. I chase three kids and run around until I am tired every night :).

What do I eat?

I do NOT go without. I may WANT sometimes, but overall, I feel very satisfied.  Here are some examples of my favorite things to eat for each meal (obviously not everything I eat, but you get an idea):

Breakfast:

Special K Fruit Crisps in strawberry
Greek Yogurt with Sugar in the Raw "bruleed" on top
Oatmeal from McD or Chicfila
Chicfila chicken minis - 3ct
Bagel from Einsteins
Bananas
Schwan's Turkey Sausage English Muffin Sandwiches
COFFEE with Creme Brulee Creamer
Subway flatbread breakfast sandwich
One biscuit with a small amount of strawberry jelly

Lunch / Dinner:

Chicfila Nuggets
Smart Ones Chicken Broccoli Rigatoni Alfredo w/ Lean Cuisine Spinach dip mixed in
Lean Cuisine Chicken Fajita Spring Rolls with 100 calorie guacamole pack
Amy's Brand Frozen Mexican meals
Crockpot roast, pork or chicken (I just keep a close track of added ingredients)
Arby's Regular Roast Beef with baked lays
Subway Turkey Sandwich
Soups from Panera, Chicfila, etc.
WW Gravy Potato Soup
Schwan's Chicken Egg Rolls
Grilled Chicken and Veggies from all steak restaurants
Back yard Burger Plain Turkey burger
Salad with grilled chicken and many veggies, light ranch on side (sometimes I can get away with no dressing if I add a ton of banana peppers)

Snacks:

PEEPS!
Potato Straws
Apple Straws
Popcorn (Light)
PEEPS!
Marshmallows
Tbsp of nutella
PEEPS!
Sonic Tater tots
Bananas
Baked Chips
Betty Crocker Mini Molten Cake desserts
Coffee drinks (non fat from Starbucks)
Carrots and Celery
Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwiches
itty bitty candy bars
Did I mention Peeps?:)

I probably don't eat the healthiest things, but I feel SO MUCH better!  These things work for me, maybe not for yall, but it is just a sample of my meals.

As always, comment with any more questions!

So how about some random pics? :)

All the Browns went to dinner this weekend and we took a picture of our little family :)

We went on a date :)

Bree posing it up :)

Sadie and Ruby posing it up :)

Cooper and Oscar NOT posing it up :)

Group of us girls went out for Fat Tuesday :)

Have a great day!!

"Slimmer" Tuesday :)

Happy Fat Tuesday!

But today on "Fat Tuesday", I am feeling slimmer!  I am finally starting to feel the fruits of my labor and my prayers answered in my weight loss journey.  The Lord has blessed me so much and answered my prayers over the last few months of my desire for HIS help to lose this weight!  If you remember back in December, I posted this post on my plan to lose weight.  I started right after Halloween.  I have read that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice the weight loss, 8 weeks for your friends and family, and 12 weeks for everyone else.  This past week, 14 weeks later, I have been bombarded with everyone telling me they can tell!  Yall, I was starting to get discouraged.  Heck, I was not even being that diligent with my food choices and was starting to feel myself slipping, but I prayed hard for Him to not let me fall off like I always do... and then everything changed and I cannot tell yall how grateful I am!!!  I am not posting these pics for compliments and please don't see this as bragging, I just want yall to feel like I do!! 

Yall.  Trust in the Lord, He will always fulfill your prayers, maybe not on your timing, and maybe not what you are even asking, but He is listening and will aswer!

This is my before and after picture!!  The left is Halloween and the right is the weekend before last!

I have lost 20lbs in 3 months!

I was traveling last week and I thought I would post OOTD pics since I was getting dressed up everyday :)...I did not even see the difference until the best friends a girl could ask for told me they could see a huge difference!

I was home on Friday and was taking my usual picture of my outfit to survey it :)...and Bree totally photobombed it, dancing in the background!!

Shane and I had a date night for Valentine's Day Friday and wore this cute shirt :)

I feel great.  But you know what?  Yeah, I feel great because I am not dying in my jeans or because I love the smaller size.  I feel mostly great because I can feel the Lord shining through me and giving me this opportunity to tell yall all about it!  Don't get on the Diet Train, get on the LORD'S TRAIN!! 

Disclaimer: I feel funny posting this and really hope yall see this as encouragement and not me bragging.  I am much more comfortable bragging about these three :)

Have a great day and please leave me a comment if you have any questions!!

Our Love Story

Seen this on many blogs, so I thought I would do it too!!  I just scattered some older pictures of us through out. If you know this stuff, well just move on to the fun bday post below :)!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

I met Shane when I was 15, just a month shy of 16 in December 1996.  We have been together for just over 15 years!

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}

I was not allowed to date yet.  My friend was and she went out with a group of guys from a neighboring town with a few of our other friends.  When I get off work, she called me to come over.  I could not drive and she did not have a car yet. Shane, not really into the other girls, volunteered to take her to get me. I met him when they came to get me.  We flirted that night, but didn't exchange numbers.  I never thought I would see him again because he went to a different school.  The next night, I was supposed to go on a blind, double date with the same friend (I was NOT supposed to be dating!).  She and our dates were going to pick me up. She called me and tells me that the other guys have not shown up, BUT Shane and a different buddy of his showed up at her house and want to take us out.  What I found out much later, was that Shane went completely out of his comfort zone and came back to her house, hoping I would be there or he could at least get my number from her.  The rest is history.  I love that story and it still gives me butterflies. I know Shane so well now, he would NEVER do that!!!!

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We have been married for 10 and half years!!! Married on July 14th, 2001

 4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

I guess it was medium/large 200 people, local country club for ceremony and reception!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

I always call him "my Shane" to everyone else but not to him.  I guess we call each other babe.  Not much for us!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

He is hilarious!

He is hot!

His commitment to us and the Lord is un-matched. 

7. Tell us how he proposed?

He surprised me at my office on Valentine's Day with lunch.  I did not even think we were going to celebrate v-day (as he called it) and he had me fooled that he was not going to propose for awhile.  He had me put the "special dessert" in the fridge, a "sweet carrot". I was really not sure what in the world we were going to have for dessert!  When it came time, he got the dessert.  It was a bunch of lettuce (apparently there needed to be lettuce around the carrot???) in a clear container.  I started to get the carrot out, when I quickly saw that it was in fact a ring box and he was proposing!!!!  I was so surprised and so excited!!! He then says "Well, do you wanna?"...love that man!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Shane loves to give jewelry.  God bless him!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Movie and couch!  Heck, I will take any quiet moment alone with him these days!!

10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

We would both love to go to Greece.  Seriously, I don't really have a place in mind.  Just a vacay with him relaxing anywhere. 

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day?

I will be traveling with work. Boo.  We have been too busy to even plan anything else.  I am sure we will try to sneak in a date sometime this month.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?

Not really.  I am sure he will make me happy :)

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Always put each other first. Life is only going to get harder and it is real easy to put your marriage on your back burner.  Jobs will come and go. Your kids will even leave one day.  Your spouse will be there forever.  Take care of them and love them unconditionally.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Week after B was born :))))

Go link up too!!

Birthday should be every day!

As I have made everyone within a 10ft radius at all times aware, my birthday was last week! Shane was out of town Monday -Thursday, not even home on the 30th, which sucked.  Claire's competition was the weekend before, so we waited until this past weekend to celebrate.  Last Wednesday though, Mom had a bunch of my girlfriends come over to her house for dinner for my bday.  It was fun and I love my girls...

Saturday night, we had a party with a few of my favorite couples!  Tara and Mom threw me this amazing party and I LOVE going back and looking at the pictures over and over!  Tara took care of every detail, making it a "Glam Chevron Party", knowing I love me some chevron!!!  Mom made the gorgeous arrangement on the table and other decor.  Tara even had the most fabulous chevron shoes as the favor...OMG!!!  Boni got a fab cake and it was amazing.  It was a fabulous night and one I will always remember.  Travis (Bon's hubs) even gave me something I have been wanting for a LOOOONG time, deer antlers!!  Yall.  I am blessed way more than I deserve.  Here are a bunch of pics taken by the fab Tara...

Good times!!