Long New Years Weekend

Long New Years Weekend

I had four days off work for the New Year’s weekend (well, I naturally had Saturday and Sunday, I took Monday off and Tuesday was New Years Day, so we were off work). We packed a lot into those 4 days.

We decided to take Remi to her first movie! A local spot was showing Frozen (and it was pretty cheap!) so we thought we would try. She made it a little over an hour (might have been more if she had more popcorn!) but then started moving around, wanting to potty/get up and being loud, so we left. But it was a fun experiment!

They had Elsa there to take pictures before the movie, and our girl jumped right in and loved on Elsa. Elsa also came out and sang Let It Go before the movie!

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Sunday, it was COLD, so we wore our matching red coats to church. She was pretty excited to match momma.

That afternoon, she FINALLY put on all of her princess stuff from her birthday. She’s played with pieces of it, but she finally wanted the dress all the way on and then she fully accessorized.

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Monday, we spent the afternoon working on her room so we can (hopefully) transition to a toddler bed soon. We needed to anchor the furniture and work on a few toddler-proofing things, and we got it all done!

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We also decided to hit up the park since it was in the 50s. We took her doll stroller and she LOVED pushing her babies around. ALLLLLL her babies. I think there are 5 things in that stroller.

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Monday evening after the park, we met up with some of our family for Mexican food and an early New Year’s Eve. Remi LOVES playing with Kelsey and Brad and Uncle White (Uncle Dwight…but he has white hair, so he gets called Uncle White). She shared their food and drinks and laughed a lot at their antics. We love family time!

Tyler and I were boring on NYE. We watched some Netflix and went to bed before midnight. He had to be up at 3:30 to go to work, so no crazy partying for us!

On Tuesday, she and I played at home while daddy worked. Then we went to my friend Brandy’s dance fitness class with my mom. I thought Remi would sit in her stroller like she does at 9Round. NOPE. She wasn’t sitting still for dancing.

She wanted OUT and she quickly got her confidence and danced around the room. To be honest, I was nervous because I didn’t want her to get hurt (we move around a lot) or inhibit someone else from fully working out, but the ladies were so nice.

She even helped Brandy at the front for a bit!

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It’s a bit strange to be back into normal routine after two weeks of holidays….but it’s back to real life (for a month at least, until our vacation!).


5 on Friday: Ultrasound and Other Fun

5 on Friday: Ultrasound and Other Fun

Here are 5 awesome things we did this week:

  1. We saw these tiny little feet wiggling at our 4D ultrasound.

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2. We saw this sweet smile and sweet cheeks.LEE, BRIT_9LEE, BRIT_14LEE, BRIT_28LEE, BRIT_30

3. We watched Remi be an acrobat. Feet right by the hands next to the face. Sister likes being squished up.

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4. We went to a NWA Naturals game last night with the moms. It was a fun evening. Ran a couple errands, ate way too much at PF Changs and then saw several home runs!

5. I stopped by to hug the necks of some of my Zumba girls. I love these 4. Ava (the one in the middle) is moving to the East Coast, so they had a little going away dinner for her. I was so glad they invited me so I could say hello and see you later. I don’t miss teaching, per se. I like my evenings and have enjoyed the slower pace. However, I miss the people.

 

So that was my week! How was your week?


Closing a Chapter

Closing a Chapter

Tonight is my last Zumba class. I’m not sure if/when I’m coming back. We have a new life to adjust to. And while I know I will want the activity and the outlet, the thought of working all day and teaching Zumba after (while basically not seeing my baby those days) hurts my heart….so I’m saying “See You Later” to my classes instead of a traditional maternity leave with a return 6 weeks after baby (which is what some other trainers at the gym have done).

I’ve been teaching Zumba for over 5 years. My classes started at just 5-6 people (one of which is still sticking around 5 years later!) but has grown to be a full class of 20+ most days. It’s been an honor to watch them grow in confidence, have fun, let loose, relieve stress, lose weight, and reach goals.

Teaching Zumba (most days) was super fun. Of course, like any job or obligation, there are days when you don’t want to be there…but those were few and far between. Most days I found such a release from dancing, smiling, having fun, and leading these classes. Part of me worries how I will find that without my regular classes – but I know I can attend classes, dance at home, or find another release entirely. I also know that I want to stay active, especially during the pregnancy. My main plan is to walk the dogs, walk with Tyler and mom, and maybe do some prenatal yoga. However after baby, I want to jump back into home DVDs. To be honest, some times teaching Zumba got in the way of other fitness goals I had. That may sound odd, but with the obligation of having to teach, I couldn’t fully exert myself on my own workouts (because I felt like I needed to save some of myself for my classes).

I’ve had some great highlights- Zumba brought me some of my best friends, gave me a local community when I felt like an outsider, allowed me to give back through Zumbathons, took me to convention where I had some fun times of learning and dancing.

I’ll still be subbing at the gym once in a while, so I’m excited to stick around some.

But for now, it’s turning the page on this chapter of my life. I’m hoping to get back to the shape I was a few years ago after baby (ha!) and I’m sure Zumba will be a part of that in one form or another…but I’m also excited to have my life back! I’ve been spending 2-3 nights at the gym for 5 years! I’m ready to enjoy going home after work and being with my people.

It’s a bittersweet goodbye, but I’m excited about where life is taking me!1149031_554956384552615_318560563_n.jpg


Weekend Recap: Fun and Sickness

Weekend Recap: Fun and Sickness

I didn’t have time to be sick…but on Friday at work, I went from stuffy to stuffy with a headache, chills, and warm skin….so off to Urgent Care I went. Two hours later, I knew I had an ear infection and sinus infection and a prescription. I didn’t want to miss everything for the weekend, but I knew I would have to rest in between.

Friday after work, I had committed to helping with a Zumbathon. Thankfully, she had me up first, so I taught and went home to rest. Tyler had to work…so I was in bed by 8:30.

But, I’m a “fake it till you make it” kinda gal…so I don’t look sick in these pics, even though I felt miserable.

 

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We had a big group helping out. I love our local instructors…we have so much fun together!IMG_8808.JPG

 

And it was Cece’s birthday! I hated to miss the celebration after, but there was no way I could do it all.IMG_8809.JPG

 

Saturday, mom and I headed out of town. Gram stayed with dad, and we we stopped at first to tour a Memory Care Unit nearby. The visit was good. The home is nice, the people are caring, and we know that when the day comes, we know where we want to take him. That was pretty tough…but we sloughed that off and headed to NWA for the day.

We did some shopping, ate lunch at PF Changs, and then saw “Camelot” at the Walton Arts Center. Somehow, I never take pics of mom and I…but I promise we were there. 🙂

Saturday when I returned, Tyler was still pretty tired…so we just stayed home. We had a snack dinner and relaxed.

Sunday, we got quite a bit of snow. We had to go to the police station for Tyler to do a piece of paperwork after church…and it started snowing on our drive home. Well, it was snowing pretty heavy south of town, and when we pulled into our driveway, we already had an inch or so. And it kept coming down!

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We just rested, cooked, and watched the Oscars Sunday night. I needed the rest, apparently.

How was your weekend? Did you get any snow?