BALL FAMILY: August 2014

Seattle Wedding

Morgan's cousin got married last week. It was so fun to be able to go and visit with family! Carly got to see the temple and now she keeps talking about it :)

My handsome man.

Carly loves to kiss Baby Boy's hands. Our attempt to sneak in a family photo while waiting for the Bride & Groom to come out.

Bride & Groom

Carly's new BFF :) She was sweet to watch our kids during the wedding.

The life-size stand in for Taylor while she's serving a mission for the church.

Ok these two pics are a little random because they're not from the Seattle trip. But they are really cute :)

In between the wedding and the reception, we visited Snoqualmie Falls. It was gorgeous!

We may have been a tad bit overdressed... everyone else was wearing workout clothes :)

Carly tried to pet every puppy she saw along the way.

The last time we were at the Seattle Temple for a wedding, Great Grandma Joyce & Grandpa Stan took a picture with Carly. I guess that was the start of a new tradition and this time, Benson gets to be in it!

The reception was right by a lake. It was beautiful.

If it were up to Benson he would be eating the dirt and rocks. He is all boy.

Carly found a duck to chase and soon after got in the lake. We probably should have taken our swimsuits.

This girl cracks me up. For the past month, every time she wears a dress to church or wherever, she puts on a skirt underneath. We'll get to church and realize she put a skirt on, so she's wearing a skirt & a dress. She did the same thing for the wedding. I pulled it up to keep her a little more modest instead of just being in the lake with just a diaper on lol. I don't know, maybe it could be a new trend :)

Kid updates

Some more of Carly's "smile" for the camera. I would say it's a work in progress, but I really haven't seen any progress. It seems to be digressing lol.

Having a girl is so fun. I have been loving Carly's long hair. I love to put a bow in and put it up in a bun.

Benson loves to "drive" the car. Actually he's just thrilled anytime we've been driving and he finally is free from his carseat. Can't wait for him to be forward-facing.

Did a session at the Seattle temple finally! Oh the things you look forward to about your baby getting older :)

One of Benson's favorite books. He loves looking at himself in the mirror. He also loves seeing pics of smiling babies. (From Grandma Barb) Don't tell Carly it's her book. She has trouble sharing as it is.

Going down the slide with Daddy.

Carly is getting so big! It's so weird to see her on a "big swing".

This boy loves to hang upside down.

Pool time with the kids.

I love these two.

Daddy doing pushups and this is how Carly helps him. Apparently she thought she needed her shirt off too...

Our bonus room is no longer baby proof (as of a month or two ago). This guy learned to climb over the ottoman. We need to find another solution...

This guy loves to try putting the whole binky in his mouth.

Carly update: We are working on potty training. Actually it's probably termed "pre-potty training". I really haven't put her in panties or training pants lately. I have made a sticker chart though and give her treats for going to the bathroom on the potty. She doesn't seem too interested, but she's catching on more and more as time goes on. She is a great helper and has started showing interest in "helping" in the kitchen. She loves to read and is getting better with counting, shapes & ABC's. We're starting "homeschool pre-school" this week and I plan to work on one letter of the alphabet each week with her. Grateful for pinterest and all the ideas I have found online. Carly has recently started going down the covered/tunnel slides. She still loves playing in the sandbox and has recently enjoyed walking across the "tight rope" at the playground. When Benson wakes up and she hears him, she'll run to his room, climb into the crib and jump on his bed and talk to him. It's really cute.

Benson update: This boy has been walking for a month now and getting more and more independent. Sundays are hard - to keep him contained and be able to listen to the lessons, but it's really fun to see him walking around. His favorite things at the playground: the swing and the monkey bars. He loves to hold onto the monkey bars and just hang there. He can hold himself there for about a minute. That's my strong boy! He also likes to sit on the animals that rock around. Benson likes to pick on Carly a bit, by pulling her hair any chance he gets and trying to bite her. Typical baby beating up on his toddler sister :) Benson has been saying "Mama" for a few months now, but that's all he has said so far. I'm ok with that. It took Carly so long to say Mama that I am a very happy Mommy right now.

Both kids do really well in the double jogger when I have to take them running with me. Carly always insists on running, so I let her run at the end of my run - about 100 meters to the playground. She makes sure she has her watch or she asks for mine (since apparently a watch is required to go running). They keep me busy. It's a really fun stage of life.

Catch up Summer 2014

You know when you are so far behind, you are afraid to get started on something because you realize all the catching up you have to do? That's how I feel about blogging. This summer has been so busy and we've been having a grand time. I cannot express enough how much I had missed the sunshine and how alive I have been this summer. The timing could not have been more perfect with a baby boy who is getting more and more mobile and independent. I am loving life. My Heavenly Father is so good to me.

I have found a lot of joy in exercise, healthy eating, and outdoor activities this summer. I am happy with my body and I honestly didn't think I would be for a long time. Having a baby really has a way of packing on the pounds and it's really hard to get rid of that weight. I noticed that even when I was exercising 5 days each week, I wasn't noticing a difference. The secret? It's no secret. Weight loss, maintenance, or gain is all about calories in vs. calories out. It wasn't until I changed the way I ate, that I really noticed a difference. I'm not going to call it a "diet" because I'm not on a diet. As I have used Myfitnesspal and analyzed what I normally eat, I have slowly made changes. I incorporate more veggies and fruits into my diet. Snacking really gets me, but I've worked to identify healthier snacks in advance: fruits, veggies, nuts, greek yogurt, and I've been dehydrating a lot of fruit to eat as snacks - it really satisfies my sweet tooth. I've lost between about 20 pounds and feel great. Everything is awesome! (Lego Movie quote)

I'm really sad now that summer is winding down. I'm not ready for all the rain and gloom that comes with fall/winter in the northwest here. I'm trying to gear up to keep myself busy & stay active and productive during the winter. I'm going to stay optimistic!