Almost Too Busy to Tell All

I didn't go weigh in this morning. I know I am probably up but I hope to have it back off by next Tuesday. Although, I am sad... I got a text from a friend in our meeting and our leader is retiring...I hope I "click" with her replacement as well!

I have company and it was a gorgeous day today for a trip to the zoo (70F)! I am so excited. We have our friends Brett and Rebeka and their two boys here staying with us for a few days. We haven't seen them in about 4 years because Brett is in the air force and they have been moving all around. Tomorrow we are having a big get together with lots of old friends. Our friends Jeremy and Ann are also in town with their 3 kids (also all under 5 years old)....they are missionaries in Africa and we haven't seen them in a long time either. Needless to say I am super busy playing hostess and I am on book 3 still of the Twilight Series.

No worries though. Rebeka and I went to the gym last night and plan to go again in the morning and then on New Year's morning there will be a big 2 hour group workout session to kick off the new year right! I may take Friday off to recover before the 5K on Saturday!

Oh and there will be pictures on the blog soon.... promise!

Not Right Now...

I have so many things to post from all of our Christmas fun...

but, I have been sucked in!

David got me the first two books for Christmas since I had mentioned it every time I read someone else's post about how much they loved these books. I don't think I have read an entire novel since I read the entire Left Behind series when I was on bedrest pregnant with Kirstyn and we didn't have cable! Anyway, I read the first few chapters on Friday night and today when David went to the store for a few groceries he was given instructions to bring home the other two books because in the past 48 hours I have read over 1000 pages and was ready to keep reading!

It works out really, because he has been playing his Wii non-stop! Guess it is a good thing that the kids are loving the Wii too!

I can't wait to show you my Christmas pictures and show you my favorite present... but not right now... right now I have to get back to reading...

So, tell me, have you been captivated by this saga yet?

Merry Christmas!

Just in case you aren't on my address list, I thought I would share my Christmas letter with you! This is not our Christmas Card picture but I liked this one of us in our matching Christmas pjs on Christmas Eve (I'm sure I will share some of our other family pictures in the near future)! We had a great day and I enjoyed my birthday. I hope you and your family enjoyed celebrating Jesus' Birthday too!

Now for my letter:

Wow, it is already that time of year again when I attempt to take the business that is our lives and condense it all into a one page summary letter to you!

James keeps us on our toes. He has made quite the transformation this year from our baby to a very busy 19th month old boy. So you know, there is actually no such thing as childproofing for James because he is both fearless and curious. He says a few words like 'LOOK', 'TOUCHDOWN', and 'Nan Nan' (Kirstyn) along with the standard Mommy, Daddy, and Pappy. He also realizes that it is not necessary to say much else because he has sister to do that for him. We are all rather trained, because when he starts walking around the house shrugging his shoulders, whimpering, and smacking his lips we start to help him find his favorite thing...the pacifier!

Kirstyn has grown and matured this year so much. She turned 5 in November and celebrated with a My Little Pony roller skating party. She loves to spend time at the office 'working' on the computer playing Webkinz. In her Tuesday/Thursday pre-K class she is learning to read and she also loves to sing. She has learned her 10 Commandments, the 12 Disciples, and the 50 States in alphabetical order, along with being able to spell all of her colors, and all to song. During the first part of the year she stayed busy taking Ice Skating lessons and is now taking both gymnastics and dance (tap/ballet). She is a very giving child and loves to create us crafted presents. She has also embraced her role as big sister and is a great helper with James.

David has been extremely busy this year growing our business. The economy has been hard on us lately but we are looking hopefully toward the future as I know everyone is. He is a very involved Daddy and is able to drive Kirstyn to pre-K on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They look forward to this time together singing and listening to music. He also trys to make sure he stops working from 6 to 7 every night so that we can have dinner as a family and he can do bath and bedtime with the kids. He often has evening appointments with clients and potential clients but he makes sure to schedule them around that important hour and I am very grateful for that. David just finished his 5th and final year on our church finance committee. He also attended his early Tuesday morning men's Bible Study again this year where they studied Exodus focusing on Leadership and a study called "Getting in the Game: Going from the Sidelines to Significance". This past fall our Sunday School class participated in a Bible study on integrity, and we were both able to serve as small group leaders.

I stay extremely busy with the kids doing playgroup and MOPS, but this year I have learned the importance of taking care of myself. One of the ways that I have done that is by joining a gym with a fabulous childcare program. I am able to take the kids to play while I spent at least an hour each day focusing on just me. I have also gotten very into blogging and have built a community of support around me of other moms from all over the country. It is a great creative outlet for me and is a great way to document the happenings around our house. Stop by and say hi at www.daviddickeyfamily.blogspot.com. I am still attending Weight Watchers and since I have added consistent exercise I am seeing results with my weight loss and I hope based on our picture you too can see that I am finally having some success and am getting healthy.

Speaking of getting healthy, during the first quarter of the year, we had to put tubes in both Kirstyn and James' ears. Kirstyn also had to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out. Since their surgeries, they have both been very healthy and we are so grateful for that. As a family we stayed busy all year using our Six Flags season passes. Kirstyn loves to ride the big roller coasters with her daddy. James likes talking to the characters like Scooby Doo and Sylvester so imagine our surprise when Santa terrified him! This summer we also went on our yearly vacation to the beach with my mom and dad (DeeDee and Pappy) and had a great time playing in the ocean.

As I type this letter, David and I are enjoying some alone time at home because for our 30th birthdays (David 12/20 and mine 12/25) DeeDee and Pappy have both James and Kirstyn for 5 days and 4 nights on the farm. Mom and Dad will be bringing them home on Christmas Eve and will be here to celebrate my Birthday and Christmas. Neida, Paul, Logan, and Bryton will also be coming to our house for Christmas dinner and my Birthday celebration. I am looking forward to us all being together for presents and a steak and shrimp feast!

We pray that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Towel Snowman

After spending a little while looking around via google, I came up with the perfect little gift for my WW leader and my group fitness leaders at the gym! I didn't really want to make them fudge to say thank you for helping me lose weight!

So, what do you think of my little towel snowman? The bottom layer is a bath towel with body wash and lotion hidden inside. The middle layer is a hand towel and washcloth with a loofah hidden inside. The head of my snowman contains a bottle of water and a snack size bag of candy!

I wanted to do something for these special people because they have done so much for me this year during my weight loss journey. I take lots of classes at the gym but I basically use the same three instructors all of the time. They have pushed me harder than I thought I could be pushed. They have encouraged me to come back the next day. And most importantly, they have taught me how to *gasp* enjoy exercise!

Oh and if you haven't read my last post then you don't know that I met my 20 lbs in 20 weeks weight loss goal for a grand total of 72.6 lost so far! My 30th birthday is Thursday, so will you please give me some Comment Love!

Thanks for stopping by my blog...please come back!

This post definitely qualifies for Wordful Wednesday!

Tell All Tuesday - Week 37

I know that all of you are just sitting there with your cup of coffee, pushing refresh on your reader, waiting on this post...the final 20 lbs in 20 weeks post! I know you are wondering if she did it!?!?! Well, I DID! Today I posted a loss of 3.4! So I met and exceeded the 20 in 20 goal!

Okay, here is a picture of me from 20 weeks ago and a picture of me last night about to go out with my hubs in my first ever 'little black dress'!

Okay, now that you have seen those pictures of the modern me.... I would like to introduce you to the 80s me! This is my 5th grade picture. I remember the school nurse lining us up and weighing us all. I remember her calling out all of their weights, 101, 99, 94, 106, and then we got to mine...186. That is a number I will never forget! And now that I am below it on the scale, a number I hope I never see again! Thanks for all of your support. I could not have met this goal without you!

Now, after my 30th Birthday (Thursday), I will be coming up with a new goal for myself. I will share that with you next Tuesday. I will probably have a confession that involves my Birthday cake too! I plan to enjoy the Christmas celebration and my BIRTHDAY and we will all get back to this battle of the buldge next week! However, I don't plan to sabatoge all of this work I have done. I will still go to the gym this week and I will still be eating healthy but I probably won't track on my birthday. I have been doing this for so long, my head will probably track even though I won't write it down!

Oh and Merry Christmas to you!

Older Man!

Today is David's birthday. We have a joke that runs every year from his birthday (12/20) until my birthday (12/25) about how I am with an 'older man'. This year we are both turning THIRTY!

For our birthdays, my mom and dad are being very brave and are taking James and Kirstyn for 4 nights. Yes, that is right, we will have almost 5 days and 4 nights together without having to change diapers, wipe noses, or play referee! We took the kids to Arkansas yesterday and had Christmas with my grandparents last night. We spent the night at my mom's so that Kirstyn could make David a special birthday breakfast (with DeeDee's help) and then we drove home! We plan to watch movies, sleep in, and eat at restaurants that don't have crayons! Mom and Dad are going to bring the kids home on Christmas Eve and will stay a few days to celebrate my birthday and Christmas.


This will be James' first time to be away from us over night. Kirstyn has been spending time alone on the farm since she was 27 months. We started her on a 4 night venture too. Since then she has spent at least a week each summer and usually a few nights over the Christmas holiday or over spring break. Pray that James does well so that he will get to go back this summer! This is also the first time David and I have been alone overnight since October 2006 when his parents were in a car wreck. That was a stressful time and I was about 6 weeks pregnant so I spent much of my time in the hotel bathroom (sexy, I know) and David was in the ICU waiting area at the hospital across the street with his parents. Needless to say, we are looking forward to enjoying our birthday week this year!

Oh and so you know, I am blogging to pass the time because David is busy setting up his birthday present from his mom... a Nintendo Wii! He is so excited.

Thursday Thirteen - 18th Edition

My friend Christina did this meme last week over on her blog and I thought it would make a fun Thursday Thirteen this week! Feel free to play along!

The Real Mom Meme

1. Real Moms don’t flinch when they talk about boobs. They do make you laugh your brains out.

2. Real moms go on vacation. Real moms go on vacation and learn to play traffic cop.

3. Real moms brag about their kids

4. Real moms do not mince words when they present the truth.

5. Real moms juggle

6. Real moms “resist the guilt and embrace the journey”


7. Real moms don’t give a damn to media generated Mommy Wars

8. Real moms have kids with potty mouths.

9. Real moms sometimes forget about toddler-proofing

10. Real moms know poop happens (and sometimes you just think it does.)

11. Real moms learn the hard way to keep the spice cabinet under lock and key.

12. Real moms know how to take a complement!


The rules: Copy the above text to your blog, leaving all links in tact, and add in who tagged you. Add your ‘real mom’ contribution to the list. Tag as many moms as you can.And meme-ify!

No tags today from me, but since this is a Thursday Thirteen, I need a 13th entry. Please leave yours in the comments!!!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Ice Ice Baby!

Okay, I am in a better mood this morning and I wanted to share with you a little, er um, Christmas music.



Okay, did you watch the video?

I was a big fan back in the day. So was David. As a matter of fact, to this day my husband can sing every. single. word. of this song! (Back off, he's mine!) Anyway, one year after Thanksgiving he was making a few 'smart' comments about how many snowmen I had in my collection. Well, that year while doing my Christmas shopping I found a snowman for David to open. We all got a great laugh out of it and now....well, now Kirstyn knows the first verse of the song and if James would use actual words then he could probably sing it too! James is constantly going over to the table, pushing the button and dancing. He also carries him around all over the house so that he is never without his favorite Christmas music!

Now, for some more Wordful Wednesday go on over to 7 Clown Circus!

Tell All Tuesday - Week 36

I guess it is just going to be one of those days...

I got up early to get a few things done around the house before it was time to get David and Kirstyn out the door and before my little mister helper was up and in full force. I worked on cleaning up the kitchen since we have been busy making presents for Sunday School teachers, Gym childcare workers, and Pre-school teachers. Then I got myself dressed and ready to go, got David and Kirstyn on their way and then had to go open the door to James' room (I think he was awake but he was being very quiet so I usually leave him there until he calls me.) I got him dressed, packed him a portable breakfast and rushed out the door to Weight Watchers.

I knew I was going to be up a little because my Crohns is bothering me some so I wasn't looking forward to looking at a sticker in my book that said +1.2 and realizing that I now need to lose 1.8 this week in order to officially make my 20 in 20 goal. But, all that was okay because I would find encouragement in the meeting....but, today, because of the weather and the leader not driving in from another area, there was no meeting. Just facing the scale and leaving... I am frustrated. I have so much I need to get done that I should welcome the extra time added on to my day, but no, I am aggravated. Had I known there would be no meeting I could have gone to the gym this morning instead of waiting until tonight. I would have been able to watch the season finale of Biggest Loser live rather than on the DVR.

Okay, now to face the week ahead. I have to get lots of exercise in. I have to eat clean. I have to save my flex points for David's 30th Birthday on Saturday. I have to get off of my butt right now and get busy on all of the to-dos that are stressing me out. What is your plan for the week?

I need a t-shirt!

I have decided that I need a shirt that has a warning on it! That way before you say something to me or in front of me you will be fully aware that it might appear on my blog!

I think my shirt should say:

WARNING: Anything you say can and will be held against you on my blog!

What do you think? Maybe I could make some shirts and sell them.

Moving on... now I bet you want to know why I am in such a mood. Well, today was so much fun for my kids as we attended both Breakfast with Santa and Winterfest and I too was having a great time until.... Until a rude lady pointed out that since I was "with child, I should find somewhere to sit down and rest" (We had been standing in line for a while for Kirstyn to get in a bounce house.) I immediately told Kirstyn to stay in line and I walked over to the baby bounce house where David was monitoring James and told him he would have to go stand with Kirstyn so that I didn't hurt the woman in front of us. Then, not 30 minutes later another lady asked me when my baby was due! Agh. Really?


The only thing that made those two comments more tolerable was the at least 5 people that told me that "you are really shrinking" and "wow, you look great" and "look how skinny you are getting" and so on. Those comments mean so much to me so please keep them coming!

So, hopefully the last 15 lbs I have to lose will all come from my muffin top (which by the way, I have even when naked!). Now, I am off to find something to keep me from eating chocolate or drinking a big margarita! Thanks for listening...

Snowmen in Texas!

In spite of the fact that we almost never get snow in Texas, I adore SNOWMEN! As a matter of fact, the last time there was enough snow for me to build a snowman, I was in elementary school! This Christmas I didn't put out all of my snowmen because of this little darling but I still put out most of my favorites. (Little bugger looks really innocent there doesn't he...)

My tree is covered in non-breakable Snowmen this year. I have at least 30 more ornaments that I chose not to put on my tree this year so it looks a little bare to me but makes me smile every time I look at it.

This year my favorite part of the decorations are the kid's stockings. The giant snowmen stockings actually look like a boy and a girl. I bought two of the 'boy' looking ones last year before Christmas because it was James' first and I had to have matching stockings. And then this year while running errands for my MIL, I found the girl one that was the exact same size as James' stocking. Kirstyn was thrilled to see her Snowgirl stocking had hearts on her cheeks!

Speaking of Kirstyn, yesterday was her Christmas musical at pre-school. She was so excited to sing all of the songs and wear one of her pretty Christmas dresses! She did a great job and we enjoyed it too!


We have a weekend filled with Christmas activities....

Breakfast with Santa, Winterfest, and Dickey family Christmas!

What will you be busy doing?

Do you want to see more Christmas trees or share yours? Head on over to We Are THAT Family and join in!

Jiggle Butt Run!

Well, I am officially registered for my very first 5K run! I can't wait. So, if you are local...get on over to their website and get registered. I just hope I have a little less to jiggle by then!

What are you going to do to improve your fitness and health in 2009?

Time with Santa

I decided to go ahead and take James and Kirstyn by to see our favorite Santa. I love this Santa because they let you take pictures with your own camera in exchange for a donation to A Wish With Wings (a local children's charity). While we waited on the one child ahead of us to finish talking with Santa, James and Kirstyn enjoyed checking out their train display. Kirstyn was very excited about talking with Santa. She told me that she wanted to make sure that he knew that she had been good because she didn't want to be crossed off of his list. She also wanted to make sure that he knew that she would really love to have the Barbie laptop that she saw at Sam's and a new wiener dog Webkinz. I am loving this time of year combined with her age. Now, if she isn't listening, all I have to say is, "don't forget that Santa is watching..." and she immediately becomes my little angel again!

After Santa and Kirstyn had talked for several minutes, I decided to put James up there with her to try to get a cute picture. ummmm... no such luck. James was pointing and saying 'Anta'... 'look! anta'. However he apparently just wanted to look at Santa, not sit on his lap. What really cracks me up is that James having his major fit didn't even cause Kirstyn to stop smiling!

Well, like I said.... this Santa is the BEST Santa! This Santa always has a little gift to give the children that come to see him that his elves have made. This year they were fabulous little wooden cars. Check it out. The elf gave it to James and he was so focused on his new little car that he didn't even really realize that I had put him back in Santa's lap. They were playing with the car together while the elf, Kirstyn, Mrs. Clause, and I all yell James' name to get him to look up. I had just enough time to snap this one picture before James realized that he was once again in Santa's lap!

If we have another free afternoon we might try again...

Happy Wordful Wednesday!

Tell All Tuesday - Week 35

I am so excited to report that I am down 1.6 today! Two more weeks to go to reach my 20 lbs in 20 weeks goal and I have officially lost 19.4 in the last 18 weeks, so if I behave myself this week I should reach my goal with a week to spare!

I am off to a good start because WW launched their new Momentum Plan today and learning the new plan should help me to stay really focused. I love it because it is really the best of both worlds when it comes to the old Flex and Core plans all in one! I also like that it makes me use my 35 weekly points before I use any of my activity points. That will keep me from trying to "justify" eating something even when I am not that hungry just because I worked out extra hard. Do you ever do that? Anyway, it can't hurt to be excited about learning something new and hopefully will be just the kick in the butt I need to get me through Christmas and *gasp* my 30th Birthday!

Okay, now I have another question for you my faithful reader. Tell me, do you drink hot tea? See, I am a good southerner and I drink all of my tea iced but it is cooling off today (yesterday it got up to 70F but is supposed to be down below freezing by tonight) and I decided it would be a better choice to try some hot green tea rather than drinking a cup of diet hot chocolate. So, I'm thinking of adding some teas to my Santa list...does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Our Star

Kirstyn's dance team participated in Arlington's Parade of Lights on Saturday night. Kirstyn was very excited to get to be in a parade! And since it was a Parade of Lights she got to hold her very own flashing lights while riding on the float!

When we got there she was very excited to be in the parade but a little sad that she wasn't going to get to watch the parade. Not to worry, James watched everything very close!

We did get to walk around and see all of the floats while we looked for her float so she thought that was pretty neat. There were horses, dogs in Santa hats, High School bands, and even Captain the Texas Rangers mascot.


We were waiting for her to come by toward the end of the parade route and by the time she came by us, it had been about an hour since the start of the parade. She seemed very excited to finally be seeing us. The girls were all singing along with the music and playing with their lights on the float. The older girls were marching behind the float with a light in each hand performing a routine. (I tried to take a picture of it because it looked really cool but it didn't turn out). They all did a great job! And well, we now have a celebrity in our house that was in a REAL parade!

Oh and a few weeks ago, Kirstyn danced on a REAL stage at Holiday Magic!


I am so proud of how brave she has been getting on a stage in front of lots and lots of people and then being in a parade after dark. She is really growing up and I am very proud of her! We really do have our very own little star at our house!

Warm and Toasty

Look what is happening at my house today!





Yes, that is right, we are having a brand new heating and ac unit installed by Max from IAQ Experts! Kirstyn has been documenting the process by taking pictures for me. She took this one of Max out by his truck in our driveway. This was a good way to keep her busy and out of their way. See, when she is busy she doesn't ask 432 questions!

Now, let me tell you about how we met Max. God decided to show me that his timing is perfect and when we decide to patiently seek his wisdom and direction he provides the answer! We had not yet signed with anyone to replace the unit because we just didn't have peace about the decision yet. Now I know why. Let me tell you all about how God orchestrated it all out for us AND gave us a total peace about the money we were spending!

Yesterday, our regular pest control guy, Johnny, from Savior Termite and Pest Control was scheduled to come out around 3:00 to do his normal service and to check to see if our little furry friends in the garage attic had been required to move out. We have known Johnny for several years now and he has been an awesome Christian friend for David. We actually met Johnny because both of our businesses were supporting our favorite Christian radio station Power 89.7 FM.

Anyway, usually before Johnny comes out, the kids and I leave so that we aren't in his way (if you have social toddlers, you know what I mean). We trust Johnny and he just calls David and gets our garage code if we aren't home. So I knew he was coming out and I was planning to leave in time but as we were about to walk out of the house, Johnny and his wife Jax rang the door bell. They had decided to stop by before going to get lunch. When they walked in the house they realized how cold the house was. Johnny started giving me a hard time about saving money by freezing so I told him that we were in the process of getting quotes to get a new American Standard unit installed. Johnny immediately said, I have a friend of mine that does heating and ac work, let me see if he sells American Standard.

Johnny called Max's office, his wife Katie answered (gotta love anyone that has their wife as their office help...ahem, right honey, right!). Anyway, Max called right back and I talked to him for a few minutes on Johnny's cell phone. I then emailed him the other quotes and he was able to save us even more money AND was able to install within 24 hours! Oh and now we have an awesome Christian friend in the heating and ac business.

I am most excited that we didn't have to go with "one of the big guys" in the business in order to get a better price. Since we are also a small business we prefer to do business with other people that are fairly new in business and willing to work hard while still being ethical in all they do. Plus we have been working very hard to build ourselves a "referral network" of other small businesses. Oh and another God thing that has come out of all of this is that it looks like in the next couple of weeks, we will be Max's new insurance agents! Speaking of insurance agents, my husband is one of the best and if you live in Texas you should give him a call!

Oh and if you read all of that and you clicked on any of those links you can consider yourself my bloggy BFF! And maybe now you will be able to tell that I am out of my stressed out mood and back to happy posting!

Stress be gone...

About a month ago we had a company come out to do our annual heater service and well, we got some very bad news about our heater. It seems our heat exchanger had/has a crack thus meaning that the pilot light had to be turned off and the entire unit has to be replaced.

I don't know about you but we find it very overwhelming and hard to spend the kind of money that it takes to replace our heating and ac unit. We got our third bid today for the job and will be signing with a company very soon. I just wish that "times" were better. It seems that when the economy gets bad that people stop paying their insurance right after they stop going out to eat. Thus making our income drop...not good when we need between 7 and 8K to keep our kids from turning into popsicles!

It is starting to get cold in Texas tonight so please send warm thoughts our way while we break out the fleece...oh and I have been looking for an excuse to bake something. We might have to have muffins for breakfast in the morning so we can huddle around the warm oven while they cook! I guess if all else fails, the kids and I will just spend more time at the gym (probably a good idea with the baking I want will NEED to do!!!)

Tell All Tuesday - Week 34

Okay, so considering it was Thanksgiving and it is the time of month that I usually have a little gain, I am proud to report that I was only up 0.2 today at my weigh in at WW.

We had a great holiday with lots of family, food, and fun. I promise I will get back to regular blogging and show off some of my Thanksgiving pictures. I just have to feel just a little more "caught up" if you know what I mean. I am also proud to report that Santa has finished his shopping and so have I! Now if I could just get Elf #432 to do the wrapping I could be done. Well, I still have to decide what to do about a Christmas card but that won't be too overwhelming if I can just get a decent picture to use (pray for a miracle on that one).