Bootcamp Repost and UPDATE

REPOST FROM JULY 25th,2011
so i started a 12 week bootcamp on the 4th of july. a week late, so really it's only 11 weeks for me. the first class was miserable. i ran to the bathroom 3 times thinking i was going to lose my cookies (i never did, though). i knew i was out of shape, but really didn't know just how bad off i was until that class. when i decided to do this, all i was thinking was "i just want to lose my ellie-belly". but after that first class, i changed that goal to "get through a class without feeling like i'm going to throw up". i thought i had reached that goal until tonight, but i'm sure there will be those days. i'm definitely improving in endurance, though. now i get excited for the challenge that each class brings. i'm still always last at everything, the MOST out of shape and a lot of times i'm the one holding everyone back, but everyone is always so supportive and encouraging to me, which motivates me to give my all. i often think of one of our family mottos we always are telling the boys "DAHLSTROMS DON'T GIVE UP!" and i won't. what i lack in self motivation i make up for in work ethic. if that makes any sense, anyway.

i'm really awkward still when it comes to meeting new people and trying new things scares the heck outta me, so i'm really really proud of myself for putting myself out there. it's a bit embarrassing that i don't know how to stretch properly, and that i have to copy others b/c i don't know the proper technique of anything really. BUT... i KNOW that i will only be better because of this, in more ways that just the obvious.

i'm being realistic about what the outcome of this session will be for me. it ends in september, right before my birthday. all i want is to NEED to buy new clothes by then.

my lowest weight ever-senior yr of HS- 120ish
when i got married-125
pregnant w/jax-130
9mos w/jax-160
pregnant w/ boomer-145
9mos w/ boomer-180
pregnant w/ellie-191
9mos w/ellie-222
start of bootcamp-175
end of bootcamp goal- i couldn't care less about my weight. i care about how my clothes fit me, and getting rid of this soft, round belly i've got. i should have measured myself to see if i'll have lost inches, but didn't. so i'm just hoping to have some jeans be too loose to look right anymore once i'm done.

UPDATE
right now is week one of our 2week break from bootcamp and i was struggling with how to find time for a workout. so i just bucked up during ellie's first nap and dusted off the treadmill for a run. i was happily surprised to find myself warming up at my old running pace! i used to "run" at a 4.5 for half an hour, that's uncluding my warm-up and cool-down walk. i tried running at a 4.5, and it was just pitiful that i was so out of shape that that used to be a good workout for me. today, i ran for an hour (including short warm up and cool down jogs) and i was comfortable running at a 6! i kept looking down at my speed, calories burned and distance and just grinning. i honestly surprised myself today!

i've been working out on a regular basis for 6 months now (only missing 2 classes-one i was literally kidnapped for), am so proud of myself for how far i've come in that amount of time. i feel great, have more energy for my kids, i'm less stressed, have better self esteem and am coming out of my shell a bit more, socially speaking. i don't know (or care, really) if i have lost weight, but i have lost inches for sure. i will find out soon just how much progress i've made during winter session. i have HAD to buy new workout pants, i was starting to moon everyone during my workouts! and i NEED new jeans for sure. my favorites FALL OFF if i don't wear a belt. so i've accomplished my original goal!! GO ME!! whenever i get down i tell myself, "it took you 7 years to get fat, you can't really expect to have lost it all in 6 months!" i AM improving, i AM losing fat, i CAN reach my goals, i WILL keep on! i'll never have a bikini body again, but i'm already starting to not HATE what i see in the mirror. baby steps, right?!

it would have been REALLY easy for me to quit between sessions. especially when jason decided he wanted to have a go at it. i mean, we don't really have $450 stuffed under the mattress. but we decided we will make our fitness a priority and i feel like that money is an investment into our happiness.

speaking of jason and xfit...he has improved by leaps and bounds since he started 3months ago. i beat him in EVERY one of the categories his first fit test except one. regular pushups. and that was only by 1! now he smokes me in everything. he has lost inches and weight, gained muscle and endurance. all during his 5AM class! he is amazing. and i love that we can share this experience together.

january 16th will mark the 1yr anniversary of my breakup with soda, which is a huge accomplishment for me. i was very much addicted!

all in all i'm so excited for what's to come in the new year. some of my fitness related goals are...

*workout between classes at home with the ball and treadmill
*be able to keep up during field trip runs
*have more fitness related family outings like hikes, trips to the rockwall, swimming...
*do WAY better on my situp fit test
*maybe smoke jason again in at least SOMETHING!

i would love to post a before pic, but i can't seem to find a good bad one. i was really great about deleting any unflattering pics of myself. i regret that now! oh well...

Christmas Program 2011

All us Dahlstroms got gussied up and ready to go to Jaxon's Christmas program at school. We made sure to get there an hour and a half early this year since last year we had to stand. Yep. FIRST ones there. The music teacher was so kind as to give us books to read and free reign of the stage for pictures to keep us occupied for so long. We managed to get through the night with only one minor Ellie-meltown. Maybe by the time Jax is a 5th grader we'll have the right timing!

Boomer, so cute in his little vest



Jax was the lucky microphone tester. I think this made his night!
Lovin' this new tongue-filled smile of hers.

Grandma and Grandpa came to watch the show.

Jax was so cute up there singing. This year they sang Frosty the Snowman and All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.

Jaxon's first cavity

whattayaknow... a week after halloween he's complaining that his teeth hurt!

i thought for sure they'd do laughing gas for him, we talked all about it before so he wouldn't be surprised..but nope. straight to the shot. he didn't even flinch really! i couldn't believe how awesome he did the whole time!!


Dr. Scott is the absolute BEST! we love him around here. he's so good with kids. (he treats me with kid gloves too, which is a must at the dentist!)



This didn't really hurt, just looks like it.


on top of choosing a prize from the treasure box, Dr. Scott has a koi pond out back, and lets the kids feed the fish when they're done!

A better late than never halloween post

So, some of our family say Hal-loween and others say Hall-oween, but we all love it just the same. It's not about the candy or the scares, it's that we all get to dress up as a family unit. We have a new theme every year, which we started doing in 2008. Yes, a few years into actually having a family to dress up. I'm totally planning on getting a photo printed of each year to display at Halloween time each year. Here is us as far back as I have digital photos... i have no idea where '05 and '07 are. I can tell you that those are the boys' first halloweens, so I KNOW i have pics somewhere. They wore the infamous monkey costume their first halloweens, and jax wore a lion costume in '07, so actually the theme-ing stared that year, just Jason and I didn't participate. well, we dressed up but Jason was a ref and I was a fairy. anyway...
Halloween '06-Pirate Jax with Keira and Scharae
Halloween '08 "Occupations" cowboy sheriff boomer, nurse mama, lumberjack daddy, and train engineer jax

Halloween '09 "Insane Clown Posse"

Halloween '10 "Wizard of Oz" (pic taken the day before Elle was born)

Halloween '11 "The Jack-o-Lanterns" baseball, basketball, cheerleader, coach & ref

I know it's a long-shot, but I really hope they never tire of this tradition. I love it so much!

BelleWood Acres

Today we took a little trip to BelleWood Acres. We have ICU Family Pass, and this month's freebie was an apple from this apple farm. We were happily surprised with all they had to offer there.

the boys had fun checking if these sunflowers had any seeds yet


We took an awesome train ride tour around the orchards. There were beautiful views and their trees are pruned all twisty, which was fun. The boys had a good time trying to spot the biggest apple, which was hard because there were so many gigantic ones!

the boys always love a good train ride!



cool shot of the apples being washed before being pressed into juice (glad we got to see this as we missed last weekend's apple pressing festivities in kennewick!)

the boys learned to play checkers while we were there

Jaxon surprised us by wanting to ride the horse. he just walked right up and got a helmet and picked the horse he wanted to ride. he's usually so apprehensive about trying new things, but this time it was Boomer who was nervous! Jax got right up on the horse and didn't look back! By the time Jax's ride was over, Boom decided he was ready for a ride of his own! I'm so glad he changed his mind. It's not everyday us Dahlstroms get a chance to ride a horse!

jaxon waiting for his horse, carrie.

he had a really good time, and afterward even grabbed some long grass to feed her.


so brave, Boomer!

"hi guys!"

little miss ellie even got in on the action. her horse was named flower.

all the dahlstrom boys on our second go round on the train tour

Ellie got stung by a bee on the train ride. we were really worried she might be allergic, so the tractor operator called a golf cart to get us outta there faster. she ended up being okay, as long as she had a yummy apple to munch on, thank goodness!


eating our free apples thanks to family pass

little cutie

mmm...

After the apple fun, we stopped by a fundraiser at the country store for some hotdogs and bake sale treats, while we were eating jason went in and bought a little toy horse for ellie that looked just like the horse she rode. i thought that was the sweetest thing ever. he's such an amazing daddy. she LOVED it!

ellie and flower

FAIR 2011 recap

our family LOVES the fair! we go every year. most years we even go twice. we were smart and planned ahead, so this year was one of those years! we bought tickets early from woods coffee at a discounted price, since we KNEW we'd be going to the demolition derby...it's tradition. PLUS we won admission tickets/ride armbands for each family member from our bank, so we were all set to go two different days!!


monday was demo derby day. our seats were okay, but pretty high up... next year i'll be sure to remember to ask for our dream seats. section E, row 17, seats 1-whatever. that's the first row with backs, has plenty of leg room, and is right next to an aisle which makes it easier when you've got wiggly little ones! we brought earplugs and muffs for the kids, which was great. the show this year was under new management, and wasn't as good as years past... but it's tradition, so we'll be attending next year anyway.





just look at those cheeks... i could eat 'em!!


we gave ourselves a $60 budget and actually stuck to it. not an easy task what with feeding 4 people. but we remembered water bottles. i want to note NOT to get a burger from the ferndale booth next year. i keep eating there because all i remember is that i ate there the previous year, and don't remember that the burger is lousy. also, the lemonade stand under the grandstand is the best, but the ones inside the carnival is cheaper. also, i need to remember to bust out the souvenir cup i saved from this year, b/c they'll refill them next year, and refills are cheaper.

we of course had to visit and play on all the tractors. ellie even got in on the action. we've been sure to get a pic of a boomer tractor every year since we were pregnant with him.



obligatory annual boomer tractor pic




saturday was the FUN day... we packed a lunch and left early. only to realize while unloading the van that a certain 6yr old forgot his shoes. of course the parking people don't let you leave and come back, so we decided to just carry baby and let him ride until we got into the knock-off croc booth i remembered seeing on monday. well... wouldn't you know, knock-off crocs are more expensive than the real deal?! cheap-o mama wouldn't go for spending $17 on them, so we got stamped and left out the front entrance and walked a few blocks to a consignment store and bought $5 sandals 2 sizes too small for him to wear. mean? yes. frugal. heck yes! (he was fine. no blisters) by the time we got back into the fair, it was lunchtime and nana met up with us to help wrangle kids while on rides. she was a great help. oh, how we love nana!

finally. time to ride! the boys did great on the rides. they were hesitant for some, and ended up conquering fears and having a blast!

they rode the "big" coaster over in the "in-dult" part of the fair... they rode it twice they loved it so much!

daddy rode the ferris wheel with them and got some great pics. GO DADDY!



nana took the kids home around dinnertime so we could have a fair date for our anniversary. we ate and then rode our hearts out. well... 30 year old hearts seem to not need too many rides to get going, so it was more like 5 or 6. we had so much fun. we only had $7 left from our budget and at the fair, that doesn't buy much, so we cut out a bit early for some good 'ol DQ.

and lucky we did, because about an hour after we left, there was a gang related shooting there. thanks, douchebags for tainting our fun fair memories. they caught at least one of the bad guys, a 15 yr old kid. i hope the poor people who were hurt recover quickly.

could it be....???

so everyone's been asking me if i've noticed a difference since starting bootcamp, and my answer has always been "not in the mirror" or "physically yes, but bodily no". well...NOW i'm noticing!! i still have my ellie belly, but apparently it's shrunk some!! i have a sweater i wore ALL the time, thinking it was hiding my fat...it now fits without the buttons popping!!! like i can actually wear something other than a black cami under it b/c now you don't notice the color popping through the button area! THANK YOU CRUMMY SUMMER WEATHER FOR MAKING ME TRY ON THAT SWEATER!!!!!

i'm totally gonna do before/after pics when this session is over! if i can manage to find a fat photo from before...like, if i can manage to find one i didn't delete!

bootcamp

so i started a 12 week bootcamp on the 4th of july. a week late, so really it's only 11 weeks for me. the first class was miserable. i ran to the bathroom 3 times thinking i was going to lose my cookies (i never did, though). i knew i was out of shape, but really didn't know just how bad off i was until that class. when i decided to do this, all i was thinking was "i just want to lose my ellie-belly". but after that first class, i changed that goal to "get through a class without feeling like i'm going to throw up". i thought i had reached that goal until tonight, but i'm sure there will be those days. i'm definitely improving in endurance, though. now i get excited for the challenge that each class brings. i'm still always last at everything, the MOST out of shape and a lot of times i'm the one holding everyone back, but everyone is always so supportive and encouraging to me, which motivates me to give my all. i often think of one of our family mottos we always are telling the boys "DAHLSTROMS DON'T GIVE UP!" and i won't. what i lack in self motivation i make up for in work ethic. if that makes any sense, anyway.

i'm really awkward still when it comes to meeting new people and trying new things scares the heck outta me, so i'm really really proud of myself for putting myself out there. it's a bit embarrassing that i don't know how to stretch properly, and that i have to copy others b/c i don't know the proper technique of anything really. BUT... i KNOW that i will only be better because of this, in more ways that just the obvious.

i'm being realistic about what the outcome of this session will be for me. it ends in september, right before my birthday. all i want is to NEED to buy new clothes by then.

my lowest weight ever-senior yr of HS- 120ish
when i got married-125
pregnant w/jax-130
9mos w/jax-160
pregnant w/ boomer-145
9mos w/ boomer-180
pregnant w/ellie-191
9mos w/ellie-222
start of bootcamp-175
end of bootcamp goal- i couldn't care less about my weight. i care about how my clothes fit me, and getting rid of this soft, round belly i've got. i should have measured myself to see if i'll have lost inches, but didn't. so i'm just hoping to have some jeans be too loose to look right anymore once i'm done.

BUSY BODIES

we've been keeping VERY busy so far in the month of july.

my cousin cory got married to his high school sweetheart, whitnee. it was a very beautiful wedding, i loved their entrance. he came right up to the aisle in the old truck he built with his dad, and her in a horse drawn carriage. so sweet. i can't believe that he's old enough to be married. which means my baby brother is, too! weird.


the fourth of july this year was jam packed. i started Xfit, a 12 week bootcamp that morning. it kicked my butt, but there was not rest for the weary. our tradition of watching fireworks at maritime heritage park was broken this year. i was sad to not spend the holiday with our best friends like every year since forever, but had a great time with family instead. i made ellie this hairclip and sweet dress (without a pattern) the night before, and i LOVE it. having a girl is so fun!

we had planned to go to the waterslides anyway, but our bank had a deal going on where if you take pics of your family participating in all their deals for the month on the 8th, then they'd give each family member admission and wrist band for rides at the fair for free. what a deal! so we went to the waterslides a day early. it was a spontaneous and super fun adventure!


yesterday was the relay for life. it was nice to spend a short amount of time with our team. next year we'll walk at night so we have more time to be there and be more involved.

this kid is an amazing inventor! he builds legos like none other. here he built a videotape. how he knows what a videotape is? i have no idea. sad, that makes me feel old. please excuse the crazy face.



little miss is getting to big for her britches. she loves to stand up and hold onto things. she didn't pull herself up into this position. i put her there. but she did stand up for a really long time, i have about 20 pics of her standing there to prove it! she's scooting all over the place now. not crawling yet, but girl gets to where she wants to be!


boomer is mr personality. as always. this is his newest trick, he says he learned it from uncle andy. i tell him "your face will get stuck that way!" it is my job, afterall to say motherly things like that, right! i also tell him "just look at uncle andy, you want to have a permanent goofy face like him?!" which is my sisterly duty ;)


next up on our busy schedule...birthday party BBQ for jason, more bootcamp, picking berries and making freezer jam, some other fun adventures while daddy has this week off, denson family reunion...and who knows what else july'll bring!

TEETH

she's working on popping out her fourth tooth already!

sleep update

so moving ellie to her own room has proven to be successful. for the last week ellie has been sleeping like a champ. we put her down at 8:30 and she'll sleep until 4:30 to eat and go right back to sleep until 7:00 or 7:30. and last night she slept all the way through until 6am! and now i've got my two babies napping at the same time. it's silent. well, other than the hum of the dishwasher. i should be cleaning the house but i'm choosing to do absolutely nothing but document this free time.

yesterday we washed and detailed our cars for the first time in forever, set up the kiddie pool and mowed and weedwhacked. we were outside soaking up the sunshine ALL DAY long. we were sure to slather up the kiddos with sunscreen, but did i remember for myself? no. and i've got quite the red back and shoulders to prove it :( boomer got a bit too much sun i think, too. so we're hanging out inside today, even though the sun is summoning us. we'll probably go play in the pool when jax gets out of school today and pool is in the shade.

WARNING:

MAY INDUCE CANNIBALISTIC INSTINCTS!!

ellie's first swimsuit 7mos old *swimsuit size 18 mos!

seriously, though?? how much do you want to eat those knees?!

wish us luck!

today is a momentous occasion in the dahlstrom household. we are moving ellie into her own room tonight. i really hope this helps. i started missing her when i was moving the crib pieces into her room. let's hope i don't end up sleeping on her floor!

4 Generations of Anne

4 Generations of firstborn daughters

Patricia Anne Denson 70
Linda Anne Denson 48
Crystal Anne Dahlstrom(Denson) 29
Ellison Anne Dahlstrom 6months

Wow, writing out our ages just made me feel really old. My mom had me when she was 18, grandma had my mom (her 3rd child) when she was 22. I can't imagine having 4 kids by the time I was 24! You sure are a superwoman, grandma! I'm so thankful that i have my mom and grandma in my life, and that they are so young and spunky! Today was a great mother's day!

6 months already!

miss ellie is 6 months. it seems like yesterday she was a teeny little newborn. she's such a good baby. she loves her big "protectors" like crazy. every morning around 6:30 or 7am she wakes up, we snuggle and coo at eachother, then i ask her if she wants to go see the bubbas, and she flails all around excitedly. it's super cute. whenever she fusses, one boy or both are right at her side ready with the slapstick trying to make her happy. she's only belly laughed for me or jason a few times, but always yuks it up over something the boys are doing.

this is the longest i've ever been able to breastfeed a baby. YAY for not having to work this time around! we've been doing rice cereal every now and then for about a month or so, but in the past 2 weeks she's tried apples and peas and she's already a pro! i also started giving her a sippy cup of water to practice with. she got the hang of that on the first try, too! such a baby genius!

she still won't take a pacifier. instead she sucks on her blanket, burpcloth or one of the many doilies my grandma has made for her. she loves to be able to stick her fingers through the holes of the doilies, so that's our go-to when she really needs comforting. she's also a little outside girl. if she's fussy, i can take her outside, even if it's just on the porch to play with the windchime. she's an explorer.

ellie has yet to sleep through the night. there's been one or two really good nights since she's been born. we've got a good routine, though so it's not totally miserable. i wake up with her at night every night and on the weekends, i get to sleep in a bit. i know it's all up to me to train her, but when she wakes up in the middle of the night i tend to not be thinking in terms of the long run. maybe she'll sleep through the night when we finally move her to her own room. which probably won't happen b/c i don't want to sleepwalk up and down stairs a hundred times in a night. oh well. someday.

ellie is starting to sit up on her own. she's able to get up on her knees, but never stays long enough to figure out what she can do with them. and just today i caught her pushing her belly up off the floor with her arms. she's going to be crawling so soon. time to babyproof! she's a rolling champ and can turn her body while on her belly to face a new direction.

we had ellie's 6 month well baby this week. she's a whoppin' 18 lbs(90%) and is 26" tall (55%) she's following her big brother boomer's stats.

ellie of course loves daddy and the bubbas and lets them know it all the time, but she's still a mama's girl. i SO love it. i know it won't last forever so i bask in it every chance i get! she thinks new people are interesting as long as mama is right there in her sight. she is totally in awe of one of the office girls at jaxon's school. she lights up everyday when she sees her. it's super cute to see. if she reaches out to grab your face it means she really likes you. it's like her little baby hug and it's so sweet.

i'm so excited with every new thing my sweet baby girl learns and love to watch her grow. don't get me wrong, if i could stop time, you know i would! she may be our last baby, so i'm in no hurry at all for her to grow up.