Hey friends!!
So many of you have written me and asked for healthy recipe and food ideas, so I decided I would just do a blog about what we've been doing for close to a month now!
First of all, this will take a lot of will power and total commitment on your part. If your household/spouse cannot do this with you, it is going to be much much harder. It also takes a lot of preparation and planning to succeed...we have learned this the hard way!
For the month of May we have committed to cut sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes from our diet. This is drastic and dramatic...I know - its not meant to be a permanent change, just a detox and friendly food habit forming. I must admit - we haven't really missed the "sugar" so much. In fact we've grown a custom to drinking only water and really don't miss our sodas at all! After May is over, we will slowly re-introduce some of those items back into our diet in a much healthier and moderate way.
I hope you like salads(spinach), because a lot of your lunches will consist of yummy green salads filled with all kinds of veggies and some meat. Skip the dressing or carefully make yours and use in limited quantities. Prep your lunch salad the night before to save time, preparing the dressing on the side.
Here are some of the things we've been eating for dinner:
*Flank Steak - broil 5-7 minutes on each side (season to taste) served with sweet potatoes (baked like fries, baked, mashed - however yo like it...just don't add junk!
The leftover steak is awesome on your lunch salad!!
*Grilled Chicken - try marinating in fresh orange/lime juice with garlic, salt and pepper and a dash of some kind of "season all" - grill enough to have slices for salads through out the week!
*crock pot roast minus white potatoes
*pork chops with any of the sides listed below
*Cornish hens
*lean steaks
*beef stew w/carrots, okra, cauliflower
*fajitas minus the cheese and tortilla
Short on time? Try a rotisserie chicken from the deli
We love eggplant, squash, zucchini, onions, peppers grilled or sauteed in olive oil (easy does it on the oil)
Our two newest favorite things are spaghetti squash and cauliflower - did you know you can mash cauliflower and it tastes very similar to mash potatoes? Its awesome roasted in the oven with fresh garlic and olive oil. This week I'm going to try cauliflower rice...just google it!
The other thing we are in love with is spaghetti squash - its great topped with marinara or a meat sauce - make your sauce with ground turkey for an extra lean protein packed meal!
Roasted or steamed broccoli
seared brussel sprouts
Fresh green beans - sauteed or grilled!
Asparagus - broiled, sauteed or grilled!
EGGS EGGS EGGS for breakfast lunch or dinner! Add extra egg whites for more protein!
Find amazing uses for avocado (its yummy when prepared with cucumber!)
Almonds and raisins are my new favorite morning snack!
Try a "Lara Bar" - just watch out for the ones with chocolate in them!
Coconut Milk (unsweetened in a can) over fresh berries
artichokes dipped in avocado or clarified butter
DATES! satisfies any sweet tooth
We buy bananas at least 2-3 times a week
Almond butter with apples or bananas
I'm also a fan of Shakeology - It jump started my weight loss and healthy eating,
Its great as a snack or meal replacement depending on how you prepare it. With hundreds of shake "recipes" you'll never get bored or have an excuse that it taste bad!
I can help you get started on this awesome product if you want to try! There's a 30 day satisfaction guarantee - what do you have to lose?
Use the farmer's market - you'll save tons on your produce vs. the grocery store!
lastly -EXERCISE - MOVE YOUR BODY SOME HOW EACH DAY!
Eat fresh, eat often, keep it clean and you should be good
If you have to have pasta or bread - make it 100% whole wheat and keep it minimal
Sorry for the all over the place blog with poor grammar - I'm typing with one hand, holding Lucas, and making sure AK doesn't destroy the house!
This blog is to help keep friends and family posted on the things going on in our life. Look for updates on AK and find out what we've been up to lately.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Every Inch Counts!
So, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote on our family blog! I started writing monthly posts for theuncontainabletruth.com and allowed this family blog to go to the back burner. I also had a baby in December 2011 turning our sweet family of 3 into a family of 4.
Needless to say after having my 2nd child, I was in major need of a total body makeover! I was motivated more than ever this time. With AK, the weight seemed to melt away like ice and within about 6 weeks I was back into almost all my clothes with ease. With Lucas, this was NOT the case. In fact the weight didn't completely melt away. I had to do something!. Lucas was born on December 21st, and on January 18th I started one of the hardest challenges I've ever given my self as far as personal goals go.
Today I want to share my journey to a healthier lifestyle, including diet and exercise.
The first step was to pick a program that would work for me. I chose to sign up with Beach Body. I used a friend of mine, as my "coach" and she helped me pick a challenge package that was fit for me, my current lifestyle, and my goals. I ordered the Chalene Johnson Turbo Jam at home workout program, and a one month supply of Shakeology.Please click on the links to learn more about these amazing products! For me to commit to drink a shake a day in place of a meal was a big deal! I love my food, I love to eat...all day! I started drinking the chocolate flavored shakes, and thankfully got "addicted" to this awesome product! I've been on the shakes for 3 months now.They have enough recipes for Shakeology that you will never get bored with your flavor, and its impossible to not find one that works with your taste buds!
I worked really really hard at working out daily while I was home on maternity leave, and I will admit that after I started back to work, it was much harder to find the "free" time to work out. I went from daily workouts, to a few times a week, to almost non-existent with the exception of the daily or every other day 1 mile family walk. But I stuck with the Shakeology, which by the way kept me full each morning until lunch. It also curbed my cravings for junk food throughout the day, and it definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!. Just recently my mother in law was diagnosed with a recurrence of ovarian cancer, and Matt and I decided it was time to make real changes in our lives! We have been on a mission to learn about food, and how it truly effects our body. We are just a couple of weeks into this learning process, but we have committed to "Clean it up" and give our bodies a fighting chance to live a long healthy life. I immediately turned to Chloe for advice and she put me in a test group for a nutrition plan she had been working on.
I am on day 6 of this 10 day Clean Eating Challenge, and broke through a weight loss plateau. That breakthrough was enough to get me fired up about exercise again and so I've been back at it daily.
Between the clean eating and exercise I can say I feel great, have more energy than the weeks before, and I have regained a sense of pride for myself. I had gotten so self conscious about my looks, weight, and shape of my body that I could not positively look in the mirror and walk away feeling content. Today I am so excited to share some major milestones!
I am not even half way to my weight loss goal, but I am 35% of the way there and I want to share my 100th day results with you today!
This desire to share my results all started when I needed to buy a pair of jeans that fit properly. When I started my journey I went to buy a "transitional" pair of jeans at Old Navy.I reluctantly bought a size 10 in the "sweet heart" cut jeans. On day 100 of my journey I went back to Old Navy to buy a smaller size. I walked into the store thinking I was going to get a size 8 in the same cut jeans, but to my surprise...the size 8 jeans were TOO BIG! For the first time in YEARS I was able to purchase a size 6 jeans! I was so pumped it made me wonder how many inches I had lost in my body.
Here's the break down:
1 full inch in my hips
3.5 inches in my right thigh
2.5 on my left thigh
4.5 inches off my waist
I have also lost a total of 8lbs...that's not some major "Biggest Loser" number...but I've been able to keep this weight off...which is huge for me! Like I said before...I am not even 1/2 way to my final goal, but I am so proud of myself today that I just had to share!
Now...I'm about to show you something I swore I would not share with anyone...my "before" pictures. This is taking a lot of courage so be kind :-)
You will see the pictures we took on January 18th, then again on February 23rd...just one month later...and then today April 28th...here goes nothing...
When the 10 day challenge is over, we are going to push our bodies a little further, and take on a 31 one day "detox" for lack of a better word. This time this is Matt's challenge that I will be along for the ride on. No dairy, no sugars or sugar substitutes, no grains, and legumes...we are going to challenge our bodies to tell us what it doesn't like that we've spent 3 decades cramming into it. I can't wait to see the results at the end and find out how our "cravings" change over this time.
I hope that this can inspire ANYBODY that has been "stuck in a rut" to get themselves out and take care of their body! Just remember to eat fresh, eat often, and most importantly eat clean! Stay off those grocery store aisles, and do your best to keep to the outter edges for you shopping!!
And, thank you for letting me share some not so pretty sides of myself with you today!
Needless to say after having my 2nd child, I was in major need of a total body makeover! I was motivated more than ever this time. With AK, the weight seemed to melt away like ice and within about 6 weeks I was back into almost all my clothes with ease. With Lucas, this was NOT the case. In fact the weight didn't completely melt away. I had to do something!. Lucas was born on December 21st, and on January 18th I started one of the hardest challenges I've ever given my self as far as personal goals go.
Today I want to share my journey to a healthier lifestyle, including diet and exercise.
The first step was to pick a program that would work for me. I chose to sign up with Beach Body. I used a friend of mine, as my "coach" and she helped me pick a challenge package that was fit for me, my current lifestyle, and my goals. I ordered the Chalene Johnson Turbo Jam at home workout program, and a one month supply of Shakeology.Please click on the links to learn more about these amazing products! For me to commit to drink a shake a day in place of a meal was a big deal! I love my food, I love to eat...all day! I started drinking the chocolate flavored shakes, and thankfully got "addicted" to this awesome product! I've been on the shakes for 3 months now.They have enough recipes for Shakeology that you will never get bored with your flavor, and its impossible to not find one that works with your taste buds!
I worked really really hard at working out daily while I was home on maternity leave, and I will admit that after I started back to work, it was much harder to find the "free" time to work out. I went from daily workouts, to a few times a week, to almost non-existent with the exception of the daily or every other day 1 mile family walk. But I stuck with the Shakeology, which by the way kept me full each morning until lunch. It also curbed my cravings for junk food throughout the day, and it definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!. Just recently my mother in law was diagnosed with a recurrence of ovarian cancer, and Matt and I decided it was time to make real changes in our lives! We have been on a mission to learn about food, and how it truly effects our body. We are just a couple of weeks into this learning process, but we have committed to "Clean it up" and give our bodies a fighting chance to live a long healthy life. I immediately turned to Chloe for advice and she put me in a test group for a nutrition plan she had been working on.
I am on day 6 of this 10 day Clean Eating Challenge, and broke through a weight loss plateau. That breakthrough was enough to get me fired up about exercise again and so I've been back at it daily.
Between the clean eating and exercise I can say I feel great, have more energy than the weeks before, and I have regained a sense of pride for myself. I had gotten so self conscious about my looks, weight, and shape of my body that I could not positively look in the mirror and walk away feeling content. Today I am so excited to share some major milestones!
I am not even half way to my weight loss goal, but I am 35% of the way there and I want to share my 100th day results with you today!
This desire to share my results all started when I needed to buy a pair of jeans that fit properly. When I started my journey I went to buy a "transitional" pair of jeans at Old Navy.I reluctantly bought a size 10 in the "sweet heart" cut jeans. On day 100 of my journey I went back to Old Navy to buy a smaller size. I walked into the store thinking I was going to get a size 8 in the same cut jeans, but to my surprise...the size 8 jeans were TOO BIG! For the first time in YEARS I was able to purchase a size 6 jeans! I was so pumped it made me wonder how many inches I had lost in my body.
Here's the break down:
1 full inch in my hips
3.5 inches in my right thigh
2.5 on my left thigh
4.5 inches off my waist
I have also lost a total of 8lbs...that's not some major "Biggest Loser" number...but I've been able to keep this weight off...which is huge for me! Like I said before...I am not even 1/2 way to my final goal, but I am so proud of myself today that I just had to share!
Now...I'm about to show you something I swore I would not share with anyone...my "before" pictures. This is taking a lot of courage so be kind :-)
You will see the pictures we took on January 18th, then again on February 23rd...just one month later...and then today April 28th...here goes nothing...
When the 10 day challenge is over, we are going to push our bodies a little further, and take on a 31 one day "detox" for lack of a better word. This time this is Matt's challenge that I will be along for the ride on. No dairy, no sugars or sugar substitutes, no grains, and legumes...we are going to challenge our bodies to tell us what it doesn't like that we've spent 3 decades cramming into it. I can't wait to see the results at the end and find out how our "cravings" change over this time.
I hope that this can inspire ANYBODY that has been "stuck in a rut" to get themselves out and take care of their body! Just remember to eat fresh, eat often, and most importantly eat clean! Stay off those grocery store aisles, and do your best to keep to the outter edges for you shopping!!
And, thank you for letting me share some not so pretty sides of myself with you today!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Trying to Play Catch-up
WARNING : THIS POST IS PHOTO/VIDEO FREE. I HOPE TO HAVE A PHOTO/VIDEO ONLY BLOG POST SOON! happy reading :-)
Goodbye 1st Trimester!! What a wonderful phrase to say!!! In case you’ve wondered where I’ve been with all my cute AK updates and Damato family business - I’ve been SLEEPING! I certainly do not remember being as tired when I was pregnant with little AK - but then again we tend to forget the hard parts of pregnancy and childbirth after they are over.
The “morning” sickness hasn’t really been bad at all - there is the occasional day that I just don’t feel my best - but overall I have felt great - except for the pure exhaustion! Somewhere around week 10.5 I began to get my “energy” back - or should I say I felt less tired than before.
Poor Matt and AK had to eat at lot of take-out in the past several weeks, and walk on dirty floors, and dig around in the laundry room for their clothes - I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to do anything but sleep! These last weeks have made me so grateful to have a child that naps 3-4 hours in the afternoon! I’m not sure what I would have done if she wasn’t a good napping baby!
In the last 12 weeks my baby bump has certainly become just that - a nice bigger than I expected BUMP!
I had always heard you show faster the 2nd time around, but I guess I didn’t think it would be instant! I tried to wear the largest size of regular pants I had the other day - I did wear them, but when I got home from work I quickly changed and committed to never try that again! I’ve pretty much been in my maternity clothes for about a month now! Its going to a itchy belly summer with the heat and maternity pants stretched over my bump this soon! Oh well -its par for the course - and I do admire my own little bump (at least in the beginning stages anyway). It a great badge of honor to carry around - it proudly proclaims that the Lord has blessed me!
I’m sure you are wanting a picture, and by the time I actually post this blog I may have one - but for now I have no photo of the growing bump - sorry to disappoint!
There are probably so many funny and cute AK stories that I need to tell you since its been so long since my last post. She has had a developmental growth spurt in the last month or two - she is quickly growing out of “baby” mode and into toddler/child mode. It’s so hard to comprehend when you look at her because she is still so petite and pretty much bald. She does have beautiful strawberry tinted blond hair rapidly growing on her precious head - but in comparison to other girls her age she is still lacking. I love her precious “baby” hair though - keeps her looking younger than she is.
AK’s vocabulary has increased exponentially in the last weeks. These are just a few of the words she uses regularly: Nut-nut (the dog), Lucy (the other dog), Princess (the neighbor’s dog), Dog (can you tell she loves dogs?), Hi, Bye-bye, Daddy, Mama, Yum Yum, Night-Night, Tickle -Tickle, Thank You, Please, Milk (her version anyway), More, No, No-No, Ball, Baby, Hot, Oww, Bubble, Jesus, Bath, and Diaper.
She can imitate the sound to the following animals : Dog (but of course), Cow, Tiger (she gives a mean growl LOL).
She can point to her head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, belly button, toes, and wiggle her fingers.
She can “sing” Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (sometimes with hand motions), she loves to dance and keep rhythm to music.
She has amazing facial expressions and a great sense of pure humor!
We moved AK from the crib to the toddler bed which is essentially the crib without one side of rails. After a rough couple of nights that landed her in our bed for the duration of her sleep - we decided it was time for her to have a bigger bed! She is now in a full size bed! Granted its just the box spring and mattress on the floor so it is not too high off the ground - but still! I can’t believe my tiny girl is sleeping in such a big bed! We originally planned to move her to a twin bed, but my mom worries got the best of me and I decided the full size bed gave her less opportunity to roll off onto the floor because it had so much more surface space!!
She has done amazingly well with the transition! Its worked out fabulously since AK is not into being rocked to sleep anymore. She just wants you to lay near her while she falls asleep on her own, another reason why the bigger bed is better for us! We can all pile in her bed as a family for bed time! Its been such a sweet time for the 3 of us. The best part is, she has yet to escape her bed (it does have a small guard rail on it to prevent roll offs). She does not attempt to get up in the middle of the night and explore her dark room. Maybe we’ve just not gotten to that stage, or hopefully that’s just how it will be - either way - right now it’s great!
There are so many thoughts and stories running through my head - I don’t know where to begin or when to stop! Its been amazing to notice AK’s own fascination with babies! She doesn’t even grasp or understand what we are saying when we tell her there is a baby in mommy’s tummy - but she sure does know what a baby is, and that babies ride in baby carriers and strollers! She can spot a baby carrier in the grocery store and aisle away! She loves to sit and stare at the babies. This is strange to me because she is not even the slightest bit interested in any of her own baby dolls - just real life babies!
AK moved up in her age group at school to a new class room. The first day of “summer” school they did art. I had to walk down the preschool hall for my job, and I noticed coloring sheets outside her classroom door. Each sheet had a child’s name on it, so naturally I looked for my child’s sheet. All the sheets were brightly scribbled on - except one - AK’s!! I got so tickled at this! Very typical of my child - she wants to eat the crayon not draw with it! She would much rather turn on music and sing and dance than write or draw!
Ever since summer started I went to a 4 day a week work schedule, which has turned out to be such a blessing. Between this new pregnancy, and a desire to spend more time with AK - having Fridays off has been a dream come true! We haven’t ventured out too much since I’ve been so tired, but we did visit the zoo once. We try run a few fun errands before afternoon nap time -but mostly we just enjoy snuggling and giggling!
Matt got a great reward at work this week! He was given a brand new company truck! This is an answer to prayer in so many ways. First of all its so rewarding to see him honored for his hard work and dedication at his job. Secondly and most excitingly it gives us an opportunity to eliminate a car payment - helping us get to our goal of debt free driving that much faster! We are going to sell his car, which has been such a great car for us - but thankfully for Matt he is now in a brand new truck! I am so proud for him and so proud of him! He works so hard to provide for us and make sure we have almost anything we want. This is why for Father’s Day I me and AK splurged and bought him a road bike! Now to the average person this means nothing at all - you probably don’t even realize that there are different types of bikes out there or that they could cost much at all! Think beyond the bike rack at walmart or even your local sports store - think LANCE ARMSTRONG - racing bike!
We surprised him by purchasing the bike early - he had been saving up overtime money and selling things on eBay, as well as doing handy man jobs on the side to earn this money. I splurged and spent the rest of the money he needed to make his cycling dreams come true! So I guess really Matt got 2 brand new rides in 1 week! We’ll just call it even since he splurged and let me get the mini-van I really wanted.
As June comes to a close and turns into July I’m excited to see what the rest of our fun summer holds. We are headed to Chicago in August, while AK goes to visit her BeBe for a week. This should be a lot of fun for us, with the new baby on the way I’m sure travel, especially long distance travel will come to a halt for about a year, just as it did before with AK.
Sorry if this post seemed to bounce all over the place - I shouldn't let a month go by in between writing my blogs! I hope to get some time this weekend to upload some pictures and videos for your viewing pleasure!
Until next time - Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Goodbye 1st Trimester!! What a wonderful phrase to say!!! In case you’ve wondered where I’ve been with all my cute AK updates and Damato family business - I’ve been SLEEPING! I certainly do not remember being as tired when I was pregnant with little AK - but then again we tend to forget the hard parts of pregnancy and childbirth after they are over.
The “morning” sickness hasn’t really been bad at all - there is the occasional day that I just don’t feel my best - but overall I have felt great - except for the pure exhaustion! Somewhere around week 10.5 I began to get my “energy” back - or should I say I felt less tired than before.
Poor Matt and AK had to eat at lot of take-out in the past several weeks, and walk on dirty floors, and dig around in the laundry room for their clothes - I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to do anything but sleep! These last weeks have made me so grateful to have a child that naps 3-4 hours in the afternoon! I’m not sure what I would have done if she wasn’t a good napping baby!
In the last 12 weeks my baby bump has certainly become just that - a nice bigger than I expected BUMP!
I had always heard you show faster the 2nd time around, but I guess I didn’t think it would be instant! I tried to wear the largest size of regular pants I had the other day - I did wear them, but when I got home from work I quickly changed and committed to never try that again! I’ve pretty much been in my maternity clothes for about a month now! Its going to a itchy belly summer with the heat and maternity pants stretched over my bump this soon! Oh well -its par for the course - and I do admire my own little bump (at least in the beginning stages anyway). It a great badge of honor to carry around - it proudly proclaims that the Lord has blessed me!
I’m sure you are wanting a picture, and by the time I actually post this blog I may have one - but for now I have no photo of the growing bump - sorry to disappoint!
There are probably so many funny and cute AK stories that I need to tell you since its been so long since my last post. She has had a developmental growth spurt in the last month or two - she is quickly growing out of “baby” mode and into toddler/child mode. It’s so hard to comprehend when you look at her because she is still so petite and pretty much bald. She does have beautiful strawberry tinted blond hair rapidly growing on her precious head - but in comparison to other girls her age she is still lacking. I love her precious “baby” hair though - keeps her looking younger than she is.
AK’s vocabulary has increased exponentially in the last weeks. These are just a few of the words she uses regularly: Nut-nut (the dog), Lucy (the other dog), Princess (the neighbor’s dog), Dog (can you tell she loves dogs?), Hi, Bye-bye, Daddy, Mama, Yum Yum, Night-Night, Tickle -Tickle, Thank You, Please, Milk (her version anyway), More, No, No-No, Ball, Baby, Hot, Oww, Bubble, Jesus, Bath, and Diaper.
She can imitate the sound to the following animals : Dog (but of course), Cow, Tiger (she gives a mean growl LOL).
She can point to her head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, belly button, toes, and wiggle her fingers.
She can “sing” Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (sometimes with hand motions), she loves to dance and keep rhythm to music.
She has amazing facial expressions and a great sense of pure humor!
We moved AK from the crib to the toddler bed which is essentially the crib without one side of rails. After a rough couple of nights that landed her in our bed for the duration of her sleep - we decided it was time for her to have a bigger bed! She is now in a full size bed! Granted its just the box spring and mattress on the floor so it is not too high off the ground - but still! I can’t believe my tiny girl is sleeping in such a big bed! We originally planned to move her to a twin bed, but my mom worries got the best of me and I decided the full size bed gave her less opportunity to roll off onto the floor because it had so much more surface space!!
She has done amazingly well with the transition! Its worked out fabulously since AK is not into being rocked to sleep anymore. She just wants you to lay near her while she falls asleep on her own, another reason why the bigger bed is better for us! We can all pile in her bed as a family for bed time! Its been such a sweet time for the 3 of us. The best part is, she has yet to escape her bed (it does have a small guard rail on it to prevent roll offs). She does not attempt to get up in the middle of the night and explore her dark room. Maybe we’ve just not gotten to that stage, or hopefully that’s just how it will be - either way - right now it’s great!
There are so many thoughts and stories running through my head - I don’t know where to begin or when to stop! Its been amazing to notice AK’s own fascination with babies! She doesn’t even grasp or understand what we are saying when we tell her there is a baby in mommy’s tummy - but she sure does know what a baby is, and that babies ride in baby carriers and strollers! She can spot a baby carrier in the grocery store and aisle away! She loves to sit and stare at the babies. This is strange to me because she is not even the slightest bit interested in any of her own baby dolls - just real life babies!
AK moved up in her age group at school to a new class room. The first day of “summer” school they did art. I had to walk down the preschool hall for my job, and I noticed coloring sheets outside her classroom door. Each sheet had a child’s name on it, so naturally I looked for my child’s sheet. All the sheets were brightly scribbled on - except one - AK’s!! I got so tickled at this! Very typical of my child - she wants to eat the crayon not draw with it! She would much rather turn on music and sing and dance than write or draw!
Ever since summer started I went to a 4 day a week work schedule, which has turned out to be such a blessing. Between this new pregnancy, and a desire to spend more time with AK - having Fridays off has been a dream come true! We haven’t ventured out too much since I’ve been so tired, but we did visit the zoo once. We try run a few fun errands before afternoon nap time -but mostly we just enjoy snuggling and giggling!
Matt got a great reward at work this week! He was given a brand new company truck! This is an answer to prayer in so many ways. First of all its so rewarding to see him honored for his hard work and dedication at his job. Secondly and most excitingly it gives us an opportunity to eliminate a car payment - helping us get to our goal of debt free driving that much faster! We are going to sell his car, which has been such a great car for us - but thankfully for Matt he is now in a brand new truck! I am so proud for him and so proud of him! He works so hard to provide for us and make sure we have almost anything we want. This is why for Father’s Day I me and AK splurged and bought him a road bike! Now to the average person this means nothing at all - you probably don’t even realize that there are different types of bikes out there or that they could cost much at all! Think beyond the bike rack at walmart or even your local sports store - think LANCE ARMSTRONG - racing bike!
We surprised him by purchasing the bike early - he had been saving up overtime money and selling things on eBay, as well as doing handy man jobs on the side to earn this money. I splurged and spent the rest of the money he needed to make his cycling dreams come true! So I guess really Matt got 2 brand new rides in 1 week! We’ll just call it even since he splurged and let me get the mini-van I really wanted.
As June comes to a close and turns into July I’m excited to see what the rest of our fun summer holds. We are headed to Chicago in August, while AK goes to visit her BeBe for a week. This should be a lot of fun for us, with the new baby on the way I’m sure travel, especially long distance travel will come to a halt for about a year, just as it did before with AK.
Sorry if this post seemed to bounce all over the place - I shouldn't let a month go by in between writing my blogs! I hope to get some time this weekend to upload some pictures and videos for your viewing pleasure!
Until next time - Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
One Damato, Two Damato, Three Damato, FOUR!
In case you haven't heard - we're expecting the 4th member of our family - our second child!
We have experienced so many emotions since May 2nd when I found out I was pregnant. We have gone through shock, excitement, overwhelmed, joyful, and even fear. But we could not be more excited about this new addition to our family.
We immediately got to work on making room in our little house for another person. We have a garage sale fast approaching to eliminate some "extra" furniture that we do not need and do not have room for!
Next we immediately got to work on researching bigger cars! Yup that's right, I let go of my "dream" car for the comfort and SAFETY of our growing family. I'm not even 30 and I bought a mini-van! Laugh now, but then come experience all that my van has to offer and you may be trading in and up before you know it!
Today I had my first ultrasound to see the tiny baby and hear his/her heartbeat. Its always such an amazing experience to see and hear your child's heartbeat for the first time. Today was even more special as we rushed in 2 days early in fear that something may or may not be wrong. Thankfully all is well and our baby has a strong little heart beat at 142 beats per minute.
I am 7 weeks along in my pregnancy, meaning this little Damato is due in the beginning of January! Yup that's right, January is The Month of the Damato! New baby is due on the 10th, our 7th anniversary is on the 15th, and AK will turn TWO on the 21st!!!!
I guess we will spend all year saving for January for the rest of our lives!
We are so proud to say that we accomplished this pregnancy without the help of one doctor, without the heartache of one failed attempt, and without the pressure of fertility problems! The Lord really showed himself to us through this go 'round!
I will always be grateful for the journey it took to get AK here and the testimony of her existence. She is a miracle in her own right, proving to the world that modern medicine was not necessary after all and that God truly would receive all the glory. This new baby is also a miracle on its own showing us that God will bless those who wait upon him. The conception and birth of each of our children now have their very own victorious testimony of overcoming, defeating, and accomplishment. We are so excited about the journey ahead of us. We are still trying to fully wrap our minds around this idea that is really a reality and are so thankful for all those who have supported us over the past 5 years in our journey to become parents. Please pray with us that this will be a full term healthy pregnancy. We had some minor blood pressure complications at the end of the last pregnancy and we do not want to experience that again! Please pray that we can smoothly make the transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4. Pray that AK will easily take on her role as big sister and that our marriage will only strengthen as we increase in number.
God is so good and we can't wait to see what the next year will look like for us!
We have experienced so many emotions since May 2nd when I found out I was pregnant. We have gone through shock, excitement, overwhelmed, joyful, and even fear. But we could not be more excited about this new addition to our family.
We immediately got to work on making room in our little house for another person. We have a garage sale fast approaching to eliminate some "extra" furniture that we do not need and do not have room for!
Next we immediately got to work on researching bigger cars! Yup that's right, I let go of my "dream" car for the comfort and SAFETY of our growing family. I'm not even 30 and I bought a mini-van! Laugh now, but then come experience all that my van has to offer and you may be trading in and up before you know it!
Today I had my first ultrasound to see the tiny baby and hear his/her heartbeat. Its always such an amazing experience to see and hear your child's heartbeat for the first time. Today was even more special as we rushed in 2 days early in fear that something may or may not be wrong. Thankfully all is well and our baby has a strong little heart beat at 142 beats per minute.
I am 7 weeks along in my pregnancy, meaning this little Damato is due in the beginning of January! Yup that's right, January is The Month of the Damato! New baby is due on the 10th, our 7th anniversary is on the 15th, and AK will turn TWO on the 21st!!!!
I guess we will spend all year saving for January for the rest of our lives!
We are so proud to say that we accomplished this pregnancy without the help of one doctor, without the heartache of one failed attempt, and without the pressure of fertility problems! The Lord really showed himself to us through this go 'round!
I will always be grateful for the journey it took to get AK here and the testimony of her existence. She is a miracle in her own right, proving to the world that modern medicine was not necessary after all and that God truly would receive all the glory. This new baby is also a miracle on its own showing us that God will bless those who wait upon him. The conception and birth of each of our children now have their very own victorious testimony of overcoming, defeating, and accomplishment. We are so excited about the journey ahead of us. We are still trying to fully wrap our minds around this idea that is really a reality and are so thankful for all those who have supported us over the past 5 years in our journey to become parents. Please pray with us that this will be a full term healthy pregnancy. We had some minor blood pressure complications at the end of the last pregnancy and we do not want to experience that again! Please pray that we can smoothly make the transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4. Pray that AK will easily take on her role as big sister and that our marriage will only strengthen as we increase in number.
God is so good and we can't wait to see what the next year will look like for us!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
First REAL Trip To The Beach
So, last year little AK visit the beach about 4 times from the month of April through January, but none will compare to this first interactive day at the beach!!
We drove down to FL to visit all my parents. We stopped to see my Dad first and enjoyed some much needed catching up. We took AK over to see her Papa (her great grandfather) and that is always a sweet time.
After that visit we headed down to land of emerald green waters and white sandy beaches!! We did a little retail therapy on Saturday - and attended a great worship service at Destiny Worship Center. The best part about attending Saturday night church on a your traveling weekend is that you get more time to enjoy your Sunday before you have to head home on a 3+hour drive!
We rolled out of bed Sunday morning, ate waffles and put on our suites. I must say I probably really had no intention of actually getting wet or really staying long. Since this was AK's first "real" trip to the beach I didn't know what to expect. We stopped at one of those beach junk stores and got AK a set of sand castle bucket toys - you would have though we had given her a million dollars. She was so proud to carry that bucket around the store. We bought her a tourist t-shirt that said "Destin,FL" on it and then headed towards the coast.
We somehow managed to find amazing public parking and access that lead us straight to private beaches! We squeezed in between the two resort signs and set up our chairs, our tent, and all our bags and toys. AK was very unsure of the dry white sand under her toes. I'm sure it was because the sand is almost fluid and not a solid surface. I went straight to the water, which had a red flag(dangerous rip current) to test out the temperature. Being May 1st I knew it would probably be chilly - it was a little cool at first touch, but as I found out later - it was really quite nice!
Since AK wasn't a fan of the dry sand I thought I would take her down to the harder wet sand. This was more pleasing to her sense of touch - but once she saw that water we were done for. I think I must have a fish for a baby b/c she went straight for the waves breaking on the shore! She loved the splash of the cool water onto feet! Next thing I knew I was having to hold her tight as she treaded further into the red flagged water!
I insisted on taking a break b/c I was so overwhelmed by her excitement of the water and I was honestly not prepared for her desire to dive right into the roughest ocean I had seen in a while. We headed back to our spot on the sand, this time we laid the beach sheet out giving AK a more solid surface to stand on and this seemed to do the trick. Mom packed a lot of snacks (such a good grandmother!). We gave AK a baggy of goldfish and I'm not sure I have ever seen such delight in my baby's eyes as she ate that snack - sandy hands and all! Like any curious baby AK did have her fair share of sand eating that day -but mostly by default of playing in the sand, nothing compared to the day we discovered she liked to garden!
Matt went back to the car and got his good camera, so we headed back to the water for a little memory catching!
Keep in mind that I never intended on getting wet. In fact I never even took my swimsuit cover-up off b/c I just didn't see the need....
Over all it was an amazing experience, red flag, and all! I cannot wait to get her back down to that water on a much calmer day.
My favorite part of her excitement was the high pitched scream of "WOO" every time a wave washed up on shore and splashed us. I fall more in love with my special gift from God everyday. She truly amazes me. From the moment she wakes up, she is the most joyful child I have ever seen. She loves to play "tickle" and even says in her best sneaky voice "tickle, tickle" when she wants to play! She dances even where there isn't music! She sings her own words when she hears a tune on the TV or radio. She gets excited like a kid on Christmas when she discovers a round object in public and scream "BAALL" as loud as she can until we acknowledge that she is correct! She loves to eat, whatever is on my plate (even if it's the exact same food) and she loves to drink, from my cup instead of hers! When she sees any animal she calls them over by making kissy sounds and patting her leg as if to say "come here, come on..." She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily. I thank him for the journey it took to get her here - She is an answer to prayer in every way!
Until next time....
BE BLESSED and BE A BLESSING!
We drove down to FL to visit all my parents. We stopped to see my Dad first and enjoyed some much needed catching up. We took AK over to see her Papa (her great grandfather) and that is always a sweet time. After that visit we headed down to land of emerald green waters and white sandy beaches!! We did a little retail therapy on Saturday - and attended a great worship service at Destiny Worship Center. The best part about attending Saturday night church on a your traveling weekend is that you get more time to enjoy your Sunday before you have to head home on a 3+hour drive!
We rolled out of bed Sunday morning, ate waffles and put on our suites. I must say I probably really had no intention of actually getting wet or really staying long. Since this was AK's first "real" trip to the beach I didn't know what to expect. We stopped at one of those beach junk stores and got AK a set of sand castle bucket toys - you would have though we had given her a million dollars. She was so proud to carry that bucket around the store. We bought her a tourist t-shirt that said "Destin,FL" on it and then headed towards the coast.
We somehow managed to find amazing public parking and access that lead us straight to private beaches! We squeezed in between the two resort signs and set up our chairs, our tent, and all our bags and toys. AK was very unsure of the dry white sand under her toes. I'm sure it was because the sand is almost fluid and not a solid surface. I went straight to the water, which had a red flag(dangerous rip current) to test out the temperature. Being May 1st I knew it would probably be chilly - it was a little cool at first touch, but as I found out later - it was really quite nice!
Since AK wasn't a fan of the dry sand I thought I would take her down to the harder wet sand. This was more pleasing to her sense of touch - but once she saw that water we were done for. I think I must have a fish for a baby b/c she went straight for the waves breaking on the shore! She loved the splash of the cool water onto feet! Next thing I knew I was having to hold her tight as she treaded further into the red flagged water!
I insisted on taking a break b/c I was so overwhelmed by her excitement of the water and I was honestly not prepared for her desire to dive right into the roughest ocean I had seen in a while. We headed back to our spot on the sand, this time we laid the beach sheet out giving AK a more solid surface to stand on and this seemed to do the trick. Mom packed a lot of snacks (such a good grandmother!). We gave AK a baggy of goldfish and I'm not sure I have ever seen such delight in my baby's eyes as she ate that snack - sandy hands and all! Like any curious baby AK did have her fair share of sand eating that day -but mostly by default of playing in the sand, nothing compared to the day we discovered she liked to garden!Matt went back to the car and got his good camera, so we headed back to the water for a little memory catching!
Keep in mind that I never intended on getting wet. In fact I never even took my swimsuit cover-up off b/c I just didn't see the need....
My favorite part of her excitement was the high pitched scream of "WOO" every time a wave washed up on shore and splashed us. I fall more in love with my special gift from God everyday. She truly amazes me. From the moment she wakes up, she is the most joyful child I have ever seen. She loves to play "tickle" and even says in her best sneaky voice "tickle, tickle" when she wants to play! She dances even where there isn't music! She sings her own words when she hears a tune on the TV or radio. She gets excited like a kid on Christmas when she discovers a round object in public and scream "BAALL" as loud as she can until we acknowledge that she is correct! She loves to eat, whatever is on my plate (even if it's the exact same food) and she loves to drink, from my cup instead of hers! When she sees any animal she calls them over by making kissy sounds and patting her leg as if to say "come here, come on..." She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily. I thank him for the journey it took to get her here - She is an answer to prayer in every way!
Until next time....
BE BLESSED and BE A BLESSING!
Friday, April 29, 2011
It's Not TOO LATE
We had blast at the trunk show yesterday - the jewelry peices are amazing!!! With Mother's Day and Graduations fast approaching I know you all could use some good gift ideas!!
You purchase comes within 2-3 days and it's already packaged for gift giving!!
I bought some great pieces, so I know you will find some too!!
If you aren't too much into jewelry or you would rather make a donation straight to the Godwin's you can send your tax deductible check per the instructions below:
Lifesong has graciously set up a fundraising account for us to raise funds to help pay the "ransom" to bring Zoe home. If you would like to be a part of God bringing Zoe to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Zoe's behalf, and will pay the adoption expenses out of fund received. They truly are amazing people and a God send!
Steps to do this:
-Please make checks payable to: "Lifesong"
-You should write "Godwin/#1549" in the memo section.
-You can then mail your check to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Att: Godwin/#1549
Post Office Box 40
Gridley, Illinois 61744
Thank you for supporting this great cause! We can't wait to meet Zoe Grace!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Holy Week, Birthday Parties, Egg Hunts, and Easter Sunday
You can tell by the title that this last week has been BUSY!!
Just like many of you, our week was filled with many church activities celebrating what we call "Holy Week". This is the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the week that seals what we believe in our Christian faith. Its a celebratory week for followers all across the world. We are reminded of Jesus' preistly role, his brotherly role, his human role, and his sovereign role in all of our lives.
The week started like any other Holy week, a blow out excitement filled service Palm Sunday experience, then on Maundy Thursday we experienced a traditional seder meal at church. It was a very enlightning experience to say the least. A well known scholar, Dr. Jim Fleming, visited our church to walk us through the reason behinds the traditions. He taught us many things that just reading from the Bible would not teach us. He has done all his homework and literally brought the stories of the New Testament to life.
Friday was Good Friday, we opted to not attend the Good Friday service at our church, we typically have not attended this service through the years. I'm not sure why we choose to not attend, but its a service remembering Jesus' death experience on the cross.
We hosted a birthday party at our house in honor of a dear friend who moved away last year. His birthday fell on Good Friday this year and they were in town to celebrate Easter and his birthday with family. It was such a wonderful feeling to have our home filled with great friends and sweet baby girls running around everywhere! Its moments like that reminded you how much the Lord has blessed us in our lives.
Saturday was the big 1st egg hunt for AK! We decided Friday night that we would get up head to Old Navy to take advantage of their "One Day Wonder" sale on Polo's for just $6 each, and then go for special breakfast out with our last stop being the church for the big Resurrection Celebration and egg hunt! What we discovered was that on special sale days our Old Navy opens super early! I had Matt call the store when we woke up at 7am to find out what time they opened. We were expecting a recording to give us the hours, when much to our surprise the store clerk answered the phone!! They were already open at 7am!! WHO KNEW?! So we decided with the sale being so good that we shouldn't wait - we hopped out of bed, rushed to put on some comfy clothes, grabbed a sleepy AK and went shopping. We of course never intended to end up at the church without going back to shower and clean up and we never ever intended to run into people we knew!
We scored huge at Old Navy, not just on the polo shirts for Matt (this is his work wardrobe), but they had a grown up version of an egg hunt in the store. They had bar codes hidden throughout the store that you had to scan with your iPhone or droid - when you scanned the bar code it entered you for a chance at $50,000 but it also gave you chance for an instant win of several thousand dollars or coupons.
There were 15 bar codes to find in the store, I think we gave up after 12 - we didn't win big money, I'm sure that since we didn't find the last 3 codes they were probably instant 5K winners, but oh well! We did each score a great BOGO coupon. We also found an amazing clearance rack that had blue jeans in Matt's size for just $6! We walked out of Old Navy with 6 polo shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, and 2 t-shirts for less than $100 - in fact we saved over $100 from all the sales and coupons. This amazing shopping experience of course took us longer than we thought it would so we rushed over to Chappy's Deli for a special family breakfast out.
Just as we got settled into our booth (which is our new trick to keep AK satisfied out to eat) we see some friends from church walk in the door. Being the sweet friends that they are they asked if we wanted to join them for breakfast. Much to our surprise 2 more families were joining us that morning. They were all heading to the church after breakfast with their baby girls for the egg hunt as well. The only difference is they were all dressed up and ready to be seen by the world. Remember we hopped out of bed to run an errand and didn't shower before we left! We were so unprepared for the entire breakfast experience. All the baby girls were dressed so beautifully in their smocked bunny dresses and then there was my sweet AK literally still in her PJ's! We had no highchair cover b/c we originally intended to seat in a booth! AK does not sit in the highchair for more than 5 minutes so this was a bad scene from the get go. Matt and I ended up passing AK back and forth from one lap to another. Anything to keep her happy - all the other sweet baby girls were behaving so nicely, seating in their highs chairs and not making any sort of scene! My child was literally climbing across the table to get to things out of her reach! She wouldn't drink her own drink but rather insisted on drinking from my cup or worse yet her daddy's coffee mug! She saw the packet of creamer and was immediately entertained by this plastic yet squishy object. I tried to tell Matt discretely that he may feel a trickle liquid run down his arm b/c she was gnawing on this creamer container, but he was talking and I couldn't seem to interrupt him. Before I could say a word or give a warning "POP" she burst the container and liquid creamer sprayed everywhere! "OH NO" I was so embarrassed!! Not only did creamer run down Matt's arm, but it sprayed across the table touching every nicely dressed person in it's path. It was sort of funny until I realized the bulk of the cream landed square on the forehead of one of this precious, well behaved little girls. I was so upset that my insatiable child caused this major commotion at the breakfast table. Our food came and she refused to eat, making it hard for us to enjoy our meal and fellowship with these other families. We rushed out of the restaurant realizing that our time had really gotten away from us now that we ate with a large group of people. We needed to be at the church like right that moment to fully enjoy the activities of the day. We rushed home, changed clothes - which was inspired by those other young couples at breakfast and dressed AK in her bunny dress I sewed a month before. We did make it to the church just in time for the egg hunt.
The egg hunt was so much fun. We had tried to practice hunting eggs for a couple of weeks before, but in true toddler fashion AK was only interested in breaking the eggs apart. She did collect quite a few eggs - but eventually gave up on the egg hunt. They had inflatable eggs and balls for the little ones to hunt, and those were the biggest hit when all was said and done.
That afternoon AK had her first experience with Easter candy. She tasted smarties for the first time, and then accidentally discovered the jelly bean!
The next morning she woke up to a stuffed Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies. Crayons, bubbles, toys, and peeps!! We dressed in our best Sunday clothes and pearls and headed to church to celebrate our Risen Savior.
I had put a roast on and when we got home I put the finishing touches on our meal. Roast, potatoes, carrots, a side of pineapple casserole, and roasted asparagus. While the casserole was cooking, Matt hid a few of the Easter eggs in the front the yard flower beds - AK went out in her Sunday best and hunted eggs. It was such a fun day filled with first time memories!
Just like many of you, our week was filled with many church activities celebrating what we call "Holy Week". This is the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the week that seals what we believe in our Christian faith. Its a celebratory week for followers all across the world. We are reminded of Jesus' preistly role, his brotherly role, his human role, and his sovereign role in all of our lives.
The week started like any other Holy week, a blow out excitement filled service Palm Sunday experience, then on Maundy Thursday we experienced a traditional seder meal at church. It was a very enlightning experience to say the least. A well known scholar, Dr. Jim Fleming, visited our church to walk us through the reason behinds the traditions. He taught us many things that just reading from the Bible would not teach us. He has done all his homework and literally brought the stories of the New Testament to life.
Friday was Good Friday, we opted to not attend the Good Friday service at our church, we typically have not attended this service through the years. I'm not sure why we choose to not attend, but its a service remembering Jesus' death experience on the cross.
We hosted a birthday party at our house in honor of a dear friend who moved away last year. His birthday fell on Good Friday this year and they were in town to celebrate Easter and his birthday with family. It was such a wonderful feeling to have our home filled with great friends and sweet baby girls running around everywhere! Its moments like that reminded you how much the Lord has blessed us in our lives.
Saturday was the big 1st egg hunt for AK! We decided Friday night that we would get up head to Old Navy to take advantage of their "One Day Wonder" sale on Polo's for just $6 each, and then go for special breakfast out with our last stop being the church for the big Resurrection Celebration and egg hunt! What we discovered was that on special sale days our Old Navy opens super early! I had Matt call the store when we woke up at 7am to find out what time they opened. We were expecting a recording to give us the hours, when much to our surprise the store clerk answered the phone!! They were already open at 7am!! WHO KNEW?! So we decided with the sale being so good that we shouldn't wait - we hopped out of bed, rushed to put on some comfy clothes, grabbed a sleepy AK and went shopping. We of course never intended to end up at the church without going back to shower and clean up and we never ever intended to run into people we knew!
We scored huge at Old Navy, not just on the polo shirts for Matt (this is his work wardrobe), but they had a grown up version of an egg hunt in the store. They had bar codes hidden throughout the store that you had to scan with your iPhone or droid - when you scanned the bar code it entered you for a chance at $50,000 but it also gave you chance for an instant win of several thousand dollars or coupons.
There were 15 bar codes to find in the store, I think we gave up after 12 - we didn't win big money, I'm sure that since we didn't find the last 3 codes they were probably instant 5K winners, but oh well! We did each score a great BOGO coupon. We also found an amazing clearance rack that had blue jeans in Matt's size for just $6! We walked out of Old Navy with 6 polo shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, and 2 t-shirts for less than $100 - in fact we saved over $100 from all the sales and coupons. This amazing shopping experience of course took us longer than we thought it would so we rushed over to Chappy's Deli for a special family breakfast out.
Just as we got settled into our booth (which is our new trick to keep AK satisfied out to eat) we see some friends from church walk in the door. Being the sweet friends that they are they asked if we wanted to join them for breakfast. Much to our surprise 2 more families were joining us that morning. They were all heading to the church after breakfast with their baby girls for the egg hunt as well. The only difference is they were all dressed up and ready to be seen by the world. Remember we hopped out of bed to run an errand and didn't shower before we left! We were so unprepared for the entire breakfast experience. All the baby girls were dressed so beautifully in their smocked bunny dresses and then there was my sweet AK literally still in her PJ's! We had no highchair cover b/c we originally intended to seat in a booth! AK does not sit in the highchair for more than 5 minutes so this was a bad scene from the get go. Matt and I ended up passing AK back and forth from one lap to another. Anything to keep her happy - all the other sweet baby girls were behaving so nicely, seating in their highs chairs and not making any sort of scene! My child was literally climbing across the table to get to things out of her reach! She wouldn't drink her own drink but rather insisted on drinking from my cup or worse yet her daddy's coffee mug! She saw the packet of creamer and was immediately entertained by this plastic yet squishy object. I tried to tell Matt discretely that he may feel a trickle liquid run down his arm b/c she was gnawing on this creamer container, but he was talking and I couldn't seem to interrupt him. Before I could say a word or give a warning "POP" she burst the container and liquid creamer sprayed everywhere! "OH NO" I was so embarrassed!! Not only did creamer run down Matt's arm, but it sprayed across the table touching every nicely dressed person in it's path. It was sort of funny until I realized the bulk of the cream landed square on the forehead of one of this precious, well behaved little girls. I was so upset that my insatiable child caused this major commotion at the breakfast table. Our food came and she refused to eat, making it hard for us to enjoy our meal and fellowship with these other families. We rushed out of the restaurant realizing that our time had really gotten away from us now that we ate with a large group of people. We needed to be at the church like right that moment to fully enjoy the activities of the day. We rushed home, changed clothes - which was inspired by those other young couples at breakfast and dressed AK in her bunny dress I sewed a month before. We did make it to the church just in time for the egg hunt.
The egg hunt was so much fun. We had tried to practice hunting eggs for a couple of weeks before, but in true toddler fashion AK was only interested in breaking the eggs apart. She did collect quite a few eggs - but eventually gave up on the egg hunt. They had inflatable eggs and balls for the little ones to hunt, and those were the biggest hit when all was said and done.
That afternoon AK had her first experience with Easter candy. She tasted smarties for the first time, and then accidentally discovered the jelly bean!
The next morning she woke up to a stuffed Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies. Crayons, bubbles, toys, and peeps!! We dressed in our best Sunday clothes and pearls and headed to church to celebrate our Risen Savior.
I had put a roast on and when we got home I put the finishing touches on our meal. Roast, potatoes, carrots, a side of pineapple casserole, and roasted asparagus. While the casserole was cooking, Matt hid a few of the Easter eggs in the front the yard flower beds - AK went out in her Sunday best and hunted eggs. It was such a fun day filled with first time memories!
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