"o" is fo OBSERVE

Observe: to become aware of/to watch attentively/to take notice

I know, I know, it has been awhile since I have posted anything.

I have been SUPER busy - but I am back!

Last week I was doing some cleaning and when I came into

the living room, this is what I found:

How cute is this??? My heart melted when I saw this!

I took a few pictures and then moved back

and quietly observed from afar. 

Adelynn just LOVES when Kaleb reads to her. 

Happy Monday!

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"n" is for NAIL-BITING

Nail-Biting: a bad habit (my definition)

I am a nail-biter. 

I have been one for as long as I can remember. 

Although it is not AS bad as it used to be, it is still a problem.

I used to bite my nails so short, they would bleed.

My bad habit has now also become Kaleb's bad habit.

We have made a deal to both stop, but it is really hard...for both of us.

I find that when I quit, it is easier for Kaleb...so I decided to quit for good (this time)!

My goal is to get my nails done before I leave to TN on June 11. 

I have only had my nails done once in almost 28 years (sad, right?).

Every time my friends get their nails done, I get a little jealous. 

I hope that by putting my "icky" bad habit out there, it will make it

easier to quit - because I have set a goal and told all of you!

Here are my starting pics...I will post my "pretty" nails after I get them 

done in June! : )

Do you have any bad habits?

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"m" is for MILE

Mile: a unit of length equal to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards

So a couple of weeks ago, my friend Adrian, talked me into

signing up to run Bloomsday. 

Bloomsday is a 7.46 mile run, that is a pretty big

deal in Spokane, WA. 

I have never been a "runner", but I decided to give it a try.

I have been doing short (1 - 3 mile) jogs for the last couple of weeks.

Adrian and I do "big" runs on Sunday - and yesterday we ran 6.61 miles.

Our time was 1:32:43 - we each brought 1 of our dogs with us, so our time was

a little longer. 

We were only going to do 5 miles, but we had to go potty SO bad, that we

jogged to Adrian's mom's house to use the bathroom. haha

I haven't been this sore in quite a while, but my body will adjust soon enough.

I hope.

Bloomsday is on May 1, so we only have a little longer to get ready.

My goal is to finish it in 2 hours.

Sorry - no pics this time!

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"l" is for LEARNING

Learning: the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill

This afternoon, Kaleb informed us that he needed

a lesson on riding his bike without training wheels. He has

had his bike for 2 or so years and hasn't been a big fan of

riding it. Well, Mike and I got bikes a couple weeks ago,

hoping that would make riding bikes fun for Kaleb. We were

right - we have gone on a few bike rides and Kaleb tells us how much

fun riding bikes is!!! 

Mike and I told him that it would not be easy to ride without

training wheels (we like to tell him the truth). We told him that it

would take practice. The 1st try went well - Mike even let go for a 

little bit (Kaleb did not know). Kaleb was leaning to the side a little

and got frustrated, so he went inside. Mike and I decided to stay outside 

and walk around with Adelynn. About 5 min later, Kaleb came out and 

said that he was ready to "give it another try". 

He did it!!! 

He rode his bike without training wheels on try #2.
He went down the street a little and then on the way back to the house,

he kept repeating while riding his bike (Mike was right beside him)

"I'M DOING IT, I'M DOING IT" 

He was SO proud - as he should be. 

He learned something new and did it faster than he thought possible.

As we were going back into the house, he told us that we could 

give his training wheels away because he no longer needed them!

I am so proud of him!

-Here are some pics that I took right after his big accomplishment-

~~~

"k" is for KALEB

Kaleb: the most handsome, sweetest, craziest boy I know (my definition)

We had Kaleb's parent-teacher conference today and, of course,

Kaleb is doing FANTASTIC in school. He is so

smart and is in the enrichment program in school, which proves

how smart he really is. 

Also, the teacher told us that Kaleb is so grown-up

for his age. As a mom, I am over the moon proud, but at the

same time, sad. He is growing up so fast and there is NOTHING that 

I can do to stop it! I was feelin a little sentimental when I got home

and decided to do a special tribute to Kaleb.

On the way to the hospital

1st Thanksgiving (2 months old)

Having fun with Auntie Amber

right after eating a lemon

At the lake with dad

at a baseball game 2009

best big brother in the world

We LOVE you Kaleb Hunter Blessing!

 

~~~

"j" is for JAPAN

Japan: a country of Asia

I wasn't sure what do do for the letter "j", 

until I read Amber's (my sis) blog. 

My heart goes out to the victim's of this devastating

situation. I cannot imagine what anyone over there 

is going through. 

According to a website that I follow, the death toll 

is near 13,000 and rising.

My sister found a unique way to help the victims, hop

on over to her blog and check it out! Or go here and

make a donation directly to the American Red Cross.

Please keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers!

~~~

"i" is for INSPIRATION

Inspiration: an agency (i.e. a person or work of art), that moves the intellect

or emotions or prompts action or invention

While Kaleb was at school and Adelynn was taking her afternoon nap, I was sitting on the couch and began reflecting on my life. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE my life, but have been struggling for awhile. I do not know what has been wrong with me, but I cannot seem to get it together. You would think that after getting married and  having kids, I would feel a strong sense of fulfillment, but that feeling has never overcome me. There are so many things that I want to change, but am doing nothing to make it happen.

I want to lose weight...but have NO motivation to do so. I have struggled with this since I had Kaleb...so for a total of 6 years. Whenever I complain to Mike, he just tells me "then do something about it". When he tells me that, I get so irritated - but he is right...if you do not like something about yourself - then you should do something about it instead of complaining! WELL.....I am going to do something about it! (Thank you honey for putting up with all of my complaints)

A big part of my struggle is not knowing who I am outside of being a wife and mother. I seemed to have lost sight of that. In the car tonight, Kaleb asked what I did for work and I said that my job is taking care of him and Adelynn. You know what he said to me? He said: "MoM, you really need to get a hobby"! My eyes got a little moist when he said that because it is SO true. There is 1 hobby that I have kinda started, but haven't given it my all, because of being afraid to fail. BUT....no more!!! (Tara - get ready to make some REAL progress) I will fill you all in at a later date!

A "light bulb" went off in my head today on the couch. If I want to be happy and feel good about myself and my life...then I need to make it happen!!! I am sooo excited to make some changes in my life and cannot wait to see how much better life becomes. Sharing this new journey with all of you makes it that much better! 

 Today's post is about inspiration. Here is my inspiration: 

What/Who inspires you???

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