Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Can You Believe? Alexander is 3!



My Sweet Boy is Growing up Fast...


Alexander's 3 Year Stats - 31.25lbs and 36 inches tall


He has totally started coming out of his shell. Although he is still pretty shy around new people, he has been talking much more...in complete sentences...since the summer.


Alexander is a great big brother and genuinely a delight.




Sunday, August 08, 2010

It's Official, I'm a P90X Grad!



So, I finished P90X. It was great! So amazed that I was able to stick to it... And I lost all of the baby weight!



At 90 Days: (August 1, 2010)I have lost a total of 18 lbs. 5 inches off my hips, 3 inches off the chest and 4.5 inches off my waist. There actually isn't much difference between 60 and 90 days. But, I think the extra inch in my waist is a little noticeable. Either way, I feel great and am really proud of myself!!!






At 60 Days: (July 2, 2010)I have lost a total of 13 lbs. 5 inches off my hips, 3 inches off the chest and 3.5 inches off my waist.





The best advice I can give if you're really trying to transform your body and/or lose weight is to be sure to follow the nutrition suggestions/meal plans and the tracks explicitly! I know a lot of people who JUST follow the workouts...others who randomly do the workouts. Seriously, you are not going to look like the folks in the infomercials unless you do what Tony Horton tells you! (Heck, I don't even, because I didn't follow the nutrition guide to the letter.) Regardless, the point is, it will work.

Another thing is that it really isn't for everybody. I honestly wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is not already working out/in some kind of decent shape. Not that it's impossible to do, but I think to see results will take a little longer. The best part of the program is that you "Do your best and forget the rest." So, most of the workouts are designed for you to do as much as/as hard as you can and TAKE BREAKS if you need to take them. Not everyone can get through the workouts. I had been working out on my own since November '09 and was in fairly good shape and it took me a week to get through some of the routines without feeling like I was going to die. The ab workout took me 10 times to do it before I could finish without taking a break. So, I'd imagine it would take a novice even longer to get through some of them...and by the time that happens you're already at 30 days.

I plan on moving on to something different and coming back to P90X next spring and following the Classic Track. My husband is following the New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and is looking phenomenal. I'm going to get the New Rules of Lifting for Women and see how much stronger I can get.

Thanks, Tony Horton, for an amazing plan and getting me back into shape FAST. :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

R.I.P. Uncle Bill

On June 15, 2010 the world became a little less sweeter place. My Uncle Bill passed away after a long struggle with illness.




Moses Locatee Moody, III (Bill)
September 6, 1952 - June 15, 2010


I suppose my deepest regret was that I did not know him better and we lived 2 hours away! What's that about. My fondest memories of him are all of his humor, wit and generosity. Uncle Bill would always send us cards on our birthdays and Christmas and address them as "Master" or "Madame." We always looked forward to those letters... And the visits! They were as random as they come, but welcoming, just the same. Literally, we would find out he was coming within a hour before him showing up at the doorstep. My cousin Colleen could attest...she said he'd even do that when visiting Lynchburg. He always had great stories from their childhood and from present day. I loved listening to him talk. Pretty sad that he was always the one that had to take that initiative...

The funeral was hard. So much harder than I had imagined. All of the memories and regrets of time lost came flooding over me all at once. Particularly when reading this poem my sister wrote:

Why cakes don’t fall (In Tribute to my Uncle Bill) 06/17/10

Eggs, water, oil, and a simple cake mix. Time, patience, care and a little love; memories stirred and memories bound. It is forever these moments that will cake my mind like batter coating a pan.

Warmest on a cold blustery day, come birthdays and such, when being called madam or master was such a treat. A card had come addressed just to me, like I was so special, like I was being honored.

A tear slides down my cheek.

His smiles always lit up a room, with a careless wit that was somehow flippant at times but was always genuine.

And there sits my cake, mixed and poured, filling the pan, it has bubbles. So as I have been taught, and as my mother was taught by her baby brother, I gently tap, tap, and tap, till the bubbles rise to the surface.

My heart begins to ache for all the missed moments.

As the bubbles rise I realize that, his face has come to mind, his smile, his mannerisms, and his rough laughter.

His hugs, those were so warm even though, he was always so thin. Yet he could wrap you in care with one of those hugs no matter how many years it had been.

I wipe cascading tears with the palms of my hands

The bubbles have dissipated and the cake is oven ready, my tears have mixed with the batter but I don’t want to discard the cake. I wait while I watch stories and memories that float past my mind’s eye.

I watched him from a distance, so strong, confident, such a caring father, devoted son.

As the cake slides from the oven, perfect, as it has been so many times before. A glossy surface, perfectly springing back.

I watch the cake. Wanting all the memories that flood me, knowing how I’ll miss the hugs, the crossed leg, how wise a face he had. All the things he’d seen, experienced, loved, know, carved into that face.

I think the cake has captured me, twenty minutes has gone by and I have not moved. And as that perfect cake lay upon the counter, I know that every cake will have a piece of him in it for the rest of my life.

The tears have stopped but the ache remains.
~Candace Yvette Johnson-Hardy



We love you Uncle Bill. Thank you for always keeping in touch...thank you for always making us smile. You are dearly missed.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

P90X - DAY 30!



So today marks the 30th day of my P90X adventure. I am so proud of myself!

I have lost 9lbs and dropped 2 pants sizes. 3.5 inches off my hips, 1 inch off the chest and 2.5 inches off my waist.

The first workout, Core Synergistics, about kicked my butt... I seriously thought I was going to die. When I was done, I was lying on the ground, breathing hard, barely able to move, thinking, "I thought I was in better shape than this...Leonard is going to find me passed out on the floor here in a moment..." LOL But, honestly, the hardest part for me so far is the TIME it takes from my life. I lose close to 2 hours of my night (yes working out after the kids go to bed) doing the DVD and showering...and some times can't go right to sleep. I guess I most proud of my dedication to pressing play every day. That's seriously the key, making sure you press play.

Here is the serious of workouts I just completed with the Phase 1, following the Lean track:

Phase 1 Lean - Weeks 1, 2, and 3

Day 1 – Core Synergistics
Day 2 – Cardio X
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

Phase 1 Lean - P90x Workout Week 4 Recovery Week to Rest the Muscles Some

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Cardio X
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

Monday, May 03, 2010

My Cousin's Recent Art Show...

So my cousin, Sean, is an AMAZING artist out in the Seattle area. I swear I'm going to get out there to see one his shows one day. This was the most recent. Found this really cool article linked from the gallery's site. Thought I would share... If you are ever in the area, seriously, check him out. Some really good stuff...

Sean M. Johnson - object ballet as memory - Another Bouncing Ball

Posted using ShareThis

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

"Lia is 1"...says the Easter Bunny



Happy Birthday, Lia! My sweet girl turned 1 on the 3rd of April...the day before Easter.

At her year appointment she weighed in at 21lbs 2oz and 28.75 inches tall. As always, Lia is a happy baby. She quit nursing around St. Patrick's Day... Yep, just up and quit. So no weaning for her...it was I who needed some time to adjust. It was good because that was shortly after the teeth started coming in. ;) Lia has 2 on the bottom, so far. She's still eating her homemade purees and drinking soy milk and formula. (Yes, she's still allergic to milk.) So far her vocabulary consists of "Mama," "Hi," "Bye,' "Uh-Oh," "Dog", "Duck" and the occassional, "Dada.' She can sign "Milk" and "Eat." I've even heard Milk come out her mouth once, too. lol And according to Mary Ann and Gene (the baby-sitters) she has said, "Mary Ann," "Bella" and "Alexander." Lia is really fascinated with reflections and images of herself... If you walk by a mirror, (or a picture of herself) she'll say, "Hiiiiiiii!" As far as motor skills...she's really good at putting things into other things and taking them out. She even put the lid on her milk bottle the other day. Mary Ann just taught the girls how to blow kisses as well. (It's really cute.) She's been crawling since 9 months and pulling herself to standing since a little after 10 months. Lia is nearly walking and can stand on her own effortlessly...she even can sway her hips while standing when music is playing! Right now, she's crusing on everything and broke her 3-step max record the other day...taking 4 steps on her own.

We had a small party for her on Saturday and Alexander helped me make her Bunny Cake and Color Eggs the night before. We even did a mini Easter-Egg Hunt...it was a blast!:














And we can't forget my sweet Alexander... :D
Alexander hit is 2.5 year mark on March 18th. He's become such a BIG BOY. At his appointment he was 28 lbs and 33 inches tall. (Yes, Lia will be catching him in no time... lol) Alexander's vocabulary continues to grow each day and he forms more and more sentences. Just the other day he asked me what I was doing...in a whole phrase, "What are you doing, Mommy?" It's crazy to think that 18 months ago he was like Lia. :) His "Aww Man," "Awwwww" and "Oh, OKkkkkk..." responses when he's just settling for your terms are comical. He continues to be a good big brother. He can help me feed Lia with very little mess and is really quite helpful. However, the fights have begun! The two of them can be seen pulling on toys and I've even seen them hit each other. I didn't think it would be so soon... Really need to start potty training...but he's still not quite ready. (Diapers still pretty wet over night, etc.) We'll see... Alexander has been becoming more independent too. He has mastered putting in DVDs, feeding himself and tries more and more each day to dress himself...putting on shoes, jackets, etc.

We spent a wonderful time in Lisbon for Easter and were able to get this cool "family picture". :)




I am truly in love with my family!

"NO PANE! NO PANE!"

This is the story of the worst traveling experience ever! Through this we have decided that we will NEVER fly with our children under any circumstances...

We were slated to travel to Mississippi for my dear friend, Annette's wedding. We opted to fly instead of drive as we didn't believe our 11 month-old and 2 1/2 year old would fend well in the car (or even us for that matter...) What a bad decision that turned out to be...

The first trip, we (Leonard) forgot the garmet bag with my bridesmaid's dress and Alexander's tuxedo in it. So we missed our flight and couldn't get out again 'til the next day... We were charged about $250/seat to change our flight from Friday and Saturday. Worst part was, Alexander didn't have a seat anyway! It was overbooked and had Leonard magically found the garmet bag when he went back to the car, he would've had to sit on one of our laps ANYWAY!!! >:| This caused us to miss the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. :( The next flight went as expected, and the children actually did very well in the airport and on the plane. However, aiport transistions were hindered by the fact that we were basically carrying both children with our carry-ons as we opted to not take our stroller. (another fatal mistake.) Once we arrived in Jackson and got our rental and headed to our hotel in Forest, MS. (Now the wedding was actually in the small town of Louin, about 45 minutes from Forest...and Forest was about an hour from Jackson.) We had to drive to the church straight from the airport in order to make it in time for the wedding. And guess what? We got lost getting there (tried putting the address into 3 different GPS systems and they all took us to the same WRONG address.) We eventually got there, because my brother (who was singing in the wedding) found someone to get us...only to find out that we were 3 minutes away. :( ((takes breath))

Alexander, who was the ring bearer, and I quickly were brought up to speed on our roles and everyone got dressed quickly. The wedding went on...without a hitch.

On the way back, when we got to the airport at 5am and we were told that we had unconfirmed seats onto our connecting flight to Columbus and there were no other flights available on any airlines to get us home on Sunday. Seriously? Apparently, (which I find out much later,) when we missed our flight and had to change from the Friday to the Saturday,it cancelled our reservations?! The only way home THAT DAY was to fly into Dayton, arriving 12 hours later. Luckily, my brother was in the airport with us at 5am and was able to get on his flight back home....so we decided to give him the keys to our truck and some cash to get it out of long term parking...and come to Dayton to pick us up...at 6pm. He made it to Columbus by 11am. We missed our flight into Dallas, so we spent 2 hours in the Jackson airport that morning and then another 6 in Dallas once we arrived. I had little food and milk for Lia as I packed it all in the check-in luggage and it was struggle to get through the day. We were blessed to find a "play area" in the Dallas airport that we hung out in most of our layover. By the time we boarded the last flight all you could hear from Alexander was, "No Pane, No Pane..." We laughed, but totally felt his pain...

We flew into Dayton at 6:30pm and by the time we drove back to Colmubus and dropped off my brother, we walked into our house 9pm.

Airlines are horrible. Overbooking flights, left and right and charging people an arm and leg to reschedule and unable to offer you anything in way of compensation for your hardship. I tried...called all the airlines involved and Orbitz and everyone was blaming everyone else. I just gave up...

Offically boycotting air transporation unless it's for business and someone else is paying.

Here are a few shots from the airport adventure...





Saturday, February 06, 2010

Winter 2010...Where has the time gone?

It's Winter 2010. Seriously, where has the time gone? I feel like I just had Lia and she will be a year old before we know it.

Here's a brief update on Lia's 9 month stats:

19lbs 2oz and 27" tall

In addition to pulling up to standing and crawling, Lia has learned how to wave, (a skill I'm certain she picked up from her cousin Bella :)) and give kisses. She's still working on saying Da Da, (it slips every now and then, but never intentional,) but still continues to say Ma Ma. I'm still making Lia's baby food and she's now eating pretty much everything and is really good at letting you know what she doesn't like. Have yet to do eggs... Will try in a few months.

Our little girl is already out-doing her big-brother. (Must be a girl thing...) To compare:

Alexander at 9 months:

17lbs 5oz, 26.5" long
Didn't pull himself up until nearly 12 months
Didn't crawl until 13 months...

And as you've seen in the previous post, my son is doing quite well with the "Your Baby Can Read" program. I think it's helping him with his vocabulary as well. If only we can wean him off that dang pacifier...

I'm so proud of my little munchkins!

Here's a recent pic of the kids with their Daddy. Couldn't get all 3 to look at me at once, but 2 out of 3 will do:




The weather has taken a turn for the worst. It's been quite snowy these days and the foreseeable future does not show any signs of letting up. And when I say "snowy" we're talking about 6-8 inches a couple of days ago. "Fun to look at/play in...not fun when you have to work..." It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

And sadly, Leonard's Grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago. We attended his funeral on Sunday, January 24th. Dan wrote a beautiful "eulogy"...and I say it in quotes, because it was more so a narrative a his great life. It was so touching that it made me feel cheated that I didn't have a chance to meet him before his stroke. The blessing that was before us was that he was finally able to be with his beloved Jane (Leonard's Grandmother who passed in 2003.) R.I.P. Samuel Campanelli...

(Most Recent Professional Photo of Sam)
(Sam and Jane on their wedding day...)

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Crawling, Standing, and Reading...Oh,My!

It's the New Year already! 2010. I can't believe it...

So here a couple of pictures and videos of the kiddies showcasing their milestones. Alexander has been doing the "Your Baby Can Read" series at the sitter's and Lia has just pulled herself to standing...shortly after figuring out how to crawl. They are growing up so fast...