Last Monday Quinnlyn started swimming lessons again! We haven't done them with her since she was a baby and heading into this summer with camp and the Lampards pool, and her getting so much more independant, we wanted her to go in them again. When I signed her up, they said she was an "Otter" and that otters are the transition out of parents being in the pool, so it was optional for me to go in or not. Well when I got to the pool, they informed me that she was the only Otter, and the rest of the class was "Salamander" and there were no parents going in the water. I had my bathing suit on just in case, but she seemed good to go with the class, so I just sat and watched. These kids were SO much bigger than her!! I started talking to the other moms and all of their kids were 4! Usually I think Q looks so big... here she very much looked like the 2.5 year old haha
But I was SO proud of her! When the class started and she went into the water with the class without me, I wanted to cry, let's be honest. She is so small and already she is doing things without me. IT HAPPENS SO FAST!!!!! When I realized she was the only one her age, I panicked a little bit, but I handled it well an kept my anxiety inside haha! But as soon as the class started, that feeling went away and I was just super proud of her. She did every single thing that the bigger kids did, and she didn't seem any younger than the rest, she just fit right in. She is very comfortable in the water and that definately showed. After the class I asked the teacher if this would be an okay fit with her, being the only one her age (because yes, I am 'that' mom) and the teacher right away said that it wouldn't be an issue at all, and that she is a stronger swimmer already than some of the other kids. It made me so glad that we have spent so much time in the water with her! She was dunking her head and going under no problem, and laughed when the boys were splashing around and she listened really well. The teacher did say she was pretty quiet, which doesn't surprise me, she is usually pretty quiet in groups where she is unsure, just like I am.
After the lessons, she says to me "mom, I go shower by myself please?" because she saw other people in the showers haha! So I took her pony out and she went and stood under the shower. Such a big girl!
After swimming we went to Alycia's house so that Q and Millie could have a playdate! Alycia grew up on a farm and is crazy for farm animals, and wants a bunch of her own, so they own two goats! They adopted them as babies from Beacon Hill... soo cool. Seeing how much Q loved them and how gentle they were, I immediately wanted a goat! One day maybe! I would love to live in a house that had a bunch of land where I could garden and own goats.
She was saying "Hi Goat! What's your name? You so cute!"
Alycia let the girls feed the goats which was totally adorable. Millie has never done that before either, so it was fun to watch both of the girls get so excited. Quinny was over the moon about the goat eating out of her hand! She talked about this for the rest of the whole week!
They also played in the backyard together - here Millie had said "I will watch you!" and Quinny responds with "Okay! You watch me! I show you how to swing so high like this!" Totally adorable. Millie just turned two so there's a bit of an age gap, and you can see it at times - there's certain things that Quinny can do that Millie can't quite yet, and Millie is just starting to talk in sentences. But they have a lot of fun together and are so cute. And I like visiting with Alycia so its nice!
Such cute little toddlers
Special package from Auntie Shayna and Uncle Ben! Shayna knew that Sky is Quinny's favorite Paw Patrol character, and that these little pups are hard to come by out there, so when she saw this she got it for her and mailed it out! So thoughtful and so sweet! Q kept telling people that "baby norah" bought it for her haha!
This pup has barely left her hands since she got it. She makes Sky and Chase kiss and its pretty funny
My poor car, at the car doctor. I sold both mine and Jon's old iPhone's in order to pay for this bill. Thank you Jesus for providing!
The HRM leaders talk a lot about doing a "vision board" - a bulletin board or poster board that you will look at daily to remind you of your goals. I thought it was a little weird at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me that what we are looking at is what is going to stick with us. My goals for this program are a bit different, because it really is for me a faith issue, and not just a weight loss or fitness program. There are so many things for me wrapped up in body image and weight and food and I really need to work on these things, between the Lord and I. Which sounds crazy to most people that I try to explain this to, but this is how it is for me. And this program is giving me the tools to do that. Anyways, so I went online and found the verses that are my anchor on this journey, and the reason that I am doing this. Treating my body as a temple, learning self-discipline (this is such a huge one... learning to not just give into whatever feels good or tastes good or just doing whatever I want. I am learning how to be more disciplined in many areas of my life - going to bed early so I feel good the next day, controlling my thoughts and redirecting them when they turn down a nasty path, building better habits with food, and being intentional with my time and not just wasting it - using that time to spend in communion and worship with God... this is all stuff that is really hard for me but I am working really hard on it), and understanding that my beauty does not come from a mirror or a scale, and that having a gentle spirit is beautiful and of great worth in the eyes of the Lord. All these things! SO many things! And I want to be reminded of them lots! So I made a little collage with those verses. And then the bottom right one is to remind me that change doesn't happen overnight. It is going to take time and patience and perseverance, but if my focus remains on these verses, I know that change is possible and that I am being made new, and that God is refining my heart. And lastly, there is a picture of a woman in a bikini with big boobs, which always catches people's attention because its a little odd, and that makes me laugh. But this is Ashley Graham - she is the first 'plus size' model at size 16 to be put on the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. I have seen her in a few different interviews and I totally creep her on instagram haha! She is really vocal about beauty coming from confidence and that size is and should always be an non-issue. She also doesn't allow her photos to be photoshopped, outside of lighting and that sort of touch up, and I just think she's gorgeous. She has a back roll and big hips, yet she just owns it and loves her body. I love that. I don't need to look like her (I never will because I am shaped totally different of course) but I want to love myself and my body like she does. I want to be confident in who I am, and not care about a scale. My motivation! So hopefully looking at this little collage all the time will be a positive thing for me, and help remind me why I am doing this. (end novel... ha! Sorry that was so long and such a rant... I just needed to get that out because when I read this in the future, I want to know the point that I am at now)
Evening walk.. this is usually how it ends up when she wants to bring her bike. She bikes and does great, but then just wants to run and then we have to carry the bike. Good thing its little and not that heavy haha
Amen. Exactly.
This picture is my new favorite lately. This guy is AMAZING. I know I say it a LOT but it's never enough. He has jumped on this clean eating and exercise routine with me and is my biggest cheerleader and is so supportive. On this day, he knew I needed to get a power walk in but it was rainy and I didn't want to because I'm a wimp when it's raining. He bundles up Q and gets out his own rainjacket and says they are coming with me. That instantly gave me the energy and motivation to get outside, and it was so fun! Since then, he's being doing all the workouts with me, and we have been power walking all over Crofton 4-5 times per week. It is awesome and I feel SOO lucky. It's so nice to have someone who is cheering for me and is so encouraging and is eager to do with it me. Awesome.
This is always what Tuesday night dinner looks like for us - I try to make something easy and still healthy at lunchtime, so that Jon can come home, grab the food and grab Q and get back to the church to continue prepping for youth night while I go to work for a few hours. She loves these nights, helping daddy and eating her dinner on the go. I am constantly so thankful that she is such an easy kid that we can take anywhere and she's content (typically... there are off days sometimes!) and that she is such a good eater and just eats what we give her. Makes our busy life so much easier!
Swimming again! Right in there with the big kids. She is really loving swim lessons which is great
Through my kitchen window, so sorry about the screen that makes it blurry! But this made me laugh. she was kneeling down and drawing on the chalkboard, but her legs must have gotten tired because when I looked up again, she was carrying this chair up the ladder! She struggled to get it in, having to twist it to figure it out, but I watched her the whole time, ready to help if she needed it, but she didn't once call me. Eventually she got it up there, and sat down and kept drawing. She is so good at figuring things out and problem solving and she is also pretty determined and can rarely be side tracked from what she wants.
Helping me vacuum after dinner because we had rice and she was being SO FUNNY at dinnertime which resulted in a big rice mess. She was just being so silly and talking non stop and saying funny stuff and being super goofy and hyper, but still eating her dinner, so it made us laugh. But at one point she shoves rice into her nostril and pushes on the other nostril and snorted hard, sucking the rice up into her head! Both Jon and I just stared at her, shocked at what she just did. She instantly started laughing so hard, and then coughing, and saying it tickled her nose and was stuck in her throat. WHAT! She is so crazy. She then did it again and was just laughing like a maniac! We put a stop to it after that, not wanting her to become a rice brain :) She was also eating like a dog at one point and just being all around goofy. So after dinner when I told her she needed to vacuum, she happily agreed and helped me clean all the rice up. Such a good kid.
I worked again Thursday, so her and Jon spent some time down at the beach and he sent me this. It boggled my mind with how big she looks here!! Those long legs and hair and just a cute smirk on her face. TIME, PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!
First time eating outside! I was sad that I was stuck at work, but happy that they were enjoying the new BBQ, the new backyard set up, and the sunshine
Playing with her friends in the sunshine at Mom's Morning Out
This was another really funny moment. I was cleaning the kitchen and I told her she had to clean up her toys that were in the living room. She stashes her "treasures" all over, in the cracks of the couch and under pillows, and just in random spots. So I said she had to collect them all up and put them away. She wasn't too impressed with me, because her treasures were "hiding" and she wanted them to stay that way. She eventually listened. and grabbed her new easter basket from Taylor to collect all her stuff. I could hear her grumbling and talking to herself the whole time, so I start walking over and I say "Quinnybear, you better be cleaning up" to which she responds "MOM! I IS cleaning!" and I come into the living room and this is what she looks like and the look she gives me. She found her bunny ears and sunglasses so apparently she wanted to wear them, and look at that unimpressed face. Oh man I laughed!
So then she started laughing too. Cute little bunny girl! (also notice how full that basket is! Just FULL of stuff. She is so funny like that, hiding stuff in weird spots. No wonder we can never find anything!)
This was my "swelfie" (sweaty selfie) for the HRM group on Friday - I had a migraine on an off all week and it was annoying, but I still got all of my workouts in, and I was pretty stoked on that!
Feeding me 'food' at her drive-thru window haha!
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