things that make my heart sing

Last night Zac asked me what I think about all the time. That is a hard question to answer. He proceeded to tell me the random stuff he thinks about when he runs. So, I proceeded to ask myself "what do I think about all the time". First, I started to think about what I think about when I exercise. Here are my thought from today.

I read a blog called Delighted Momma regularly, and she posts things often under Things That Make Me Say Yeay. So, I thought to myself that I need to start posting something similar. So, that's where I came up with things that make my heart sing. It will be a new regular post of mine to let the world and my own public journal know the different things in my life that make my heart sing - aka things that make me happy.

So, while exercising today I thought about all the things that have lately made my heart sing.

new dog collars and dog tags

brother <3 sister

where Mocha likes to sit as I'm exercising behind her

the girls in their chair

I love new dog collars and dog tags. My dogs have been going collar free for months, and every time I leave them outside in the backyard and drive away I think the worse. What if Winston gets kidnapped dognapped for being such a good looking dog. What if Mocha crawls out of the fence like she often does and gets ran over. What if Mocha wanders out of the fence and gets picked up by some stranger... and I never see her again. I guess those are most of my thoughts. I honestly don't worry too much about Coffee. Is that bad? She's the chunky dog that loves people. She's too fat to squeeze her way out of the fence and probably wouldn't go far if she did. Anyway, new dog collars and dog tags make my heart sing.

Another thing I think about that makes my heart sing is the fact that I have a healthy, beautiful baby. I praise God daily for the healthy baby boy He has blessed me with and am so grateful for getting to stay home with him for the first several months of his life. It is such an honor and a very rewarding experience.

snow on the 20th

tummy time

smiley baby

first shopping experience laying down in the cart
mommy LOVED getting to have the entire basket back for groceries

paci indention from sucking so hard during a nap

enjoying his new high chair

Yes, I know I have a problem. I just can't pick a few pictures to post.. so I post a lot of pictures.

Today it was a little brisk, so I decided to put Grady in his new dinosaur suit that I bought for the trip my mom, Grady, and I will be taking to Chicago in a few weeks. This outfit definitely makes my heart sing! And I think I get several cool mom points for having him wear a cute dinosaur outfit underneath his warm, fuzzy dino suit. I must say I have one adorable little boy!! (And yes it's a little big on him but six months is the smallest size it comes in.)

cutest little guy ever

Another thing I've lately thought about a lot as I exercise is the fact that I have the motivation and determination to get into the best shape of my life. Sometimes I may not want to eat healthy or go outside and exercise... or just get on the treadmill at home and exercise; nonetheless, I've never been this driven to improve my physical health as I do now. And the best part is once I'm exercising, I never regret it. Zac has told me this so many times, and I'm finally taking it to heart. It's true. You never regret a workout that you've already finished. The fact that I'm seeing results and making progress really makes my heart sing. I'm proud to say that I'm almost 15 pounds lighter than I was when I first got pregnant. I still have a lot more to lose, but the fact that I believe that I can do it makes me feel so much more confident in my ability to actually do it. Today, I did week three of couch to 5k, and I seriously said to myself "Wow, I'm already done?" That alone tells me I'm getting closer and closer to actually being able to run comfortably again. And I've got to say that I've never been so successful at losing weight in my life. I give most of that credit to the fact that I'm breastfeeding and the weight just falls off of me; however, I know a huge part of it also has to do with the fact that I'm keeping up with my diet through the application myfitnesspal. Although I'm not one of those moms that "loves" breastfeeding, I can honestly say I'm loving the benefits of it, and Grady definitely is too. That may sound selfish but it's the truth. I don't ever want to lose weight again unless I'm breastfeeding.

Another thing that makes my heart sing is the fact that I have such an amazing, determined, and passionate man in my life that when he sets his mind to something, he does it. Zac is the most dependable, dedicated man I have ever met. When he said he's running a marathon at the end of the year, that means he's training like a marathoner early in February for that race in December. He's already running up to 10 miles and hasn't skipped a run in about two weeks. As much as I've hated this personality trait previously, I've come to respect it. I can depend on him for anything, and I know without a doubt in my mind that he will stay by my side through thick and thin on the principle alone that he promised to love me and be with me forever (not that he'd have to rely on that principle alone to want to stay with me forever) ;). It makes my heart sing to know that I've got my partner for life - one that I love and respect above anything.

So, originally I was just going to have a brief list of things that make my heart sing and maybe a couple of pictures. That clearly didn't happening. I hope you've enjoyed hearing some of my thoughts as I worked out today. I'm sure the next post on things that make my heart sing will be shorter and more precise.

Much love,
Em

oh, the diaper blow-outs

you know those diaper changes where the first words you say are either "oh no" or some other unspoken words... ya, those are the great diaper blow-outs. those are the ones where you have to flip your baby on their bellies to start removing clothes inside out to avoid getting more poop on their head. those are the ones where your child is laying on his stomach sucking his hands as you use wipe after wipe after wipe after wipe to clean off the back poop. and i'm not talking about poop on the butt. i'm talking about literal poop on the back, the upper back. and have you ever taken a diaper off a baby backwards? yes, that's what i call a diaper blow-out for the books. welcome to mommyhood. it's not motherhood yet. it's just mommyhood. only mommies know what i'm talking about.

Belated Weekend Recap

Last weekend was really nice.

On Friday my parents came up to spend the day with us. Zac took the afternoon off so the weekend really felt like it started then. We went to the park for a walk and ate at a nice Thai restaurant for dinner.

like father like son-in-law...

Missy Lou

notice my dad had to take off his jacket :)

making little man smile

Instagram pics from the day

cutest parents award goes to them

my little razorback

kids at heart

Saturday afternoon, Hilda and Hilery came up to visit. They bought steaks on their way to our house. We had delicious steaks, pan fried potatoes with onions and peppers, and salad for dinner. It was really nice getting to spend the day with them.

hungry boy

Auntie lovin's

Instagram pics from the day

Sunday was beautiful!! I tried out the baby carrier with Grady facing the world. He loved it! Then, Zac and I took Grady to Carol Ann Cross Park for a walk. After that, we ate burgers and fries at Five Guys (not the best diet food... but sometimes you have to splurge!). Once we got home, I decided to head back out to wish Christian a happy birthday and let some friends meet Grady. Let's just say I need to be more prepared when visiting people even for a short time. Grady had the biggest blow-out to date. I went to the car two times to get everything I needed to clean him up.

Lori and Grady

no hands

Instagram pics from the day

It was a beautiful weekend spent with those we love.

- Em

p.s. - Here's my new favorite picture to date.