12-13 Inches Later.....

 "Cousin It", after we cut her off!

 After & Before the cut!

Here's the new haircut!  When I told Brittany how I wanted it cut, she informed me I'd be losing at least 12 inches of hair!!!!  I DID NOT realize my hair was this long!!!!  It took me by surprise.  So, to start out I didn't have her cut quite as much off.  However, it ended up exactly where I originally planned on it ending up.  So, 12-13 inches later I LOVE my new haircut and the color turned out exactly as I imagined!!!  I am so happy I cut it off and so far, I have no regrets and am having fun with the new cut and the new color!!!!!!

MRI results, etc.

I had the MRI done and received the results the following Monday.  Turns out I have bulging discs in 3 different areas of my lower spine, as well as osteoarthritis in another area.  So, Monday I have to call the orthopedic surgeon I've been recommended to see and we'll see what he will have me do.  It could be cortisone shots, surgery, therapy of sorts.  Who knows?  I'm just ready to have this pain behind me!

I signed up for a 5k!  Holy cow, I know!  The only race I've ever ran was back in 4th and 5th grade at the famous Wellsville Mile.  I've never thought of myself as a runner, let alone a potential runner!  I'm more of the lift weights, play sports, punch things type of person!  However, secretly I've always admired and respected runners!  It takes SO MUCH discipline and motivation and effort to be a runner!  Well, my neighbor called me one day and asked if I'd sign up for the Color Me Rad 5K.  I was so excited and pumped up and I signed up that night!!!!!  Well, shortly after I began training my back grew increasingly worse to the point of numbness, extreme pain, and I couldn't move hardly at all without hurting terribly.  So, my training has basically stopped.  Well, tonight I'm sick of the excuse!!!!  I'm sick of just sitting around, feeling sorry for myself, and just getting more unhealthy and less motivated by the minute.  So, I vow to start up my training!  I have to and I don't have a choice in the matter!

Tomorrow I will be changing up my hair a bit.  Granted, it won't be a dramatic, above the ears, cut.  However, it will be dramatic for me.  I've been on a mission to grow my hair long for years now.  I wanted it to be as long as when I got married.  Well, its been that way for a while.  So, why cut it?  Well, there are many reasons.  #1:  I am ready for a change with my hair!  I hate my hair, it's heavy, thick, and just blah!  When I wake up in the morning, I have absolutely NO DESIRE to do my hair!  To me it's ugly!  #2:  While I was pregnant with Corie, my hair became EXTREMELY dry, brittle, and just so fragile!!!  This hasn't ever really been a problem of mine but, became a side affect from the pregnancy.  Now, while Corie is nearly 2, I still have leftovers of hair from when I was pregnant with her.  I just feel the need to freshen it up, make it alive again.  I was never one to be scared to cut my hair.  However, I haven't cut off a lot for so long that I've got jitters about it!  So, I'm anxious in more than one way how it will go but, excited!  I've wanted to cut it for a long, long time but, didn't want to just cut it to say I did.  So, I've been searching and searching for months to find the perfect haircut and color for me.  I think I've found the one I love and every time I look at it, I am assured that what I'm doing is the right thing for me!  Gosh, I sound like I'm making a big change or something, ha ha!  Anyway, so I'm stoked to see how it goes!!!!!  

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Ventings of Me, Myself, and I!

So, I started out the week totally pumped about the week!!!!!  I had fun things planned and was just feeling excited!  Monday was a great Labor Day!  We spent time as a family and LOVED IT!!!!!  Then, Tuesday hit and that's where it TANKED!  I got hit with the stomach bug BIG time!!!!!  I'll spare the details but, 5 days later and I think I have conquered that beast!!!!

On top of that, my back and leg (on the left side) have been in so much PAIN!!!  Unbearable pain!  Pain that when I play the organ in church, I wince each time I have to move pedals.  Or pain so bad that I'm up every 2 hours crying!  Just horrible pain!  I feel bad because my kids have seen me in bed or lying down more than they've seen me up and moving around.  They say, "Mommy, is your back hurting AGAIN?!?!?!", just so annoyed!  On top of that, poor Mike has had to deal with a whiny wife and has had to deal with me complaining of the pain.  In fact, so sick of hearing me complain about it that he told me to finally call the Dr., which is always a last resort for him.  Not to mention, I've been super irritable from the pain.  So, I called my Dr.  He had had me start physical therapy on my back and wanted to see if that would work before we did anything else.  Unfortunately, the pain has intensified and isn't improving.  So, he scheduled me for an MRI and it was performed that day.  I'm grateful to have the MRI done because I'm to the point where I don't care what they have to do anymore.  Just give me some relief!!!!!  So, Monday I should know the results from the test.  The MRI machine was a party!  Ha ha!  I can see why people who are claustrophobic can't do the MRI.  It's a tight space and I thought "the girls" might make me stuck in the machine.  However, it wasn't horrible at all.  I just found myself singing songs and making up little games in my head to make the time pass.

I was supposed to go to Vegas on Thursday to meet up with a long, lost friend I haven't seen in a few years. I was looking forward to this day for a long time.  Mike had moved court dates so that he could stay home with the kids and I could go to Vegas without the kiddo's. He also had new tires put on his car, got the oil changed, cleaned out his car so I could take his car down there.  I let my friend know I wasn't feeling well on Wednesday night.  She said she hoped I would get better but, she can't get sick.  So, the next morning I honestly felt 98% better.  I had more energy and was so pumped to go.  Well, my friend said she couldn't chance it and didn't want to get sick.  I was SO disappointed!!!!!  While I can understand her not wanting to get sick I still felt bad and rejected, if that makes sense.  I felt like I had this horrible disease!!!!  Then, something else happened later that day with someone that made me feel like I had a horrible disease and to stay away but, not once did they say, "Are you OK?", "What can I help with?", or "I'm sorry".  I know, I'm being dramatic, and a baby, and I'm mostly venting all this out because I know only a small handful reads this but, I just like to know that even though I have a yucky sickness and I wouldn't want them to have it EVER.....that they still care, want to be there for me, and/or help.  I will say that my in-laws were AMAZING!!!!!!  They came and took the kids Wednesday morning for me for 3 1/2 hours so that I could get some sleep because I had been up all night, the previous night, throwing up and in pain.  They even brought me soup and made my family dinner.  No questions asked, just cared.  It doesn't take much to make me feel loved.  Just a simple, "How are you feeling?" is all I need.

I was supposed to get a makeover on my hair done but, it's all good.  Next Saturday it will happen and I CANNOT WAIT!!!

It's just been a long week!  I hate how I feel mentally and physically.  I'm counting on this week to be better and I aim to make it better!  I'm hoping church with give me some oomf to my load and perk me up!  Heck, I even feel unmotivated to go to church tomorrow.  OK, I'm wayyyy too depressing.  I just had to get some of my feelings out.  So, here's to a new week (as I raise my glass of milk) and being perky and enjoyable!!!!!

First Days of School!

 Connor getting ready to go into school, for the first time, as a 2nd grader!

 Connor found his name under the tree!

 Connor and his teacher, Mrs. Campbell!

 Connor was placed next to a friend that he had in his class last year.

Rylie and her teacher, Miss Julie

 Rylie insisted I paint her nails before she went to preschool the first day.  She even chose the colors and in what order I put I painted her finger nails.

 Rylie getting ready to head to her first day of Preschool

At Rylie's first day of preschool, they made these cute mouse masks!

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School is back in session for Connor and Rylie.  Connor's first day of 2nd grade was on August 13, 2012.  It came really fast for us!!!  Connor was a bit nervous and not very enthusiastic about school starting again.  However, when the first day came he was VERY EXCITED and couldn't wait to go!  Connor's teacher is Mrs. Campbell!  We have really been impressed with her and Connor really enjoys her!  She's young, peppy, and VERY motivated and expects the kids to do their best at all times!  She is EXCELLENT at keeping the kids motivated to work hard and do their best!  Connor has improved so much since being in 1st grade!  I'm so happy with how it's going this year and his motivation!  He has especially been very excited about being able to read books on his own!  I hope he always has this same love!

This is Rylie's 2nd year in preschool!  She LOVES to go see Miss Julie, Miss Julie, and Grandma Smith!  She really missed them over the summer and couldn't wait for her turn to start school!  School started for her on August 21, 2012.  She goes on Tuesday's and Thursday's.  Aside from going to Watch Me Grow Preschool, she's also doing a specialty preschool program called UPSTART(http://www.utahupstart.org/).  I applied for her to get into this program a couple years ago.  Over the summer she was selected to be in the program.  Basically she is on the computer 35 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  They teach them about letter, what sounds they make, how to write both upper and lower case letters.  They also focus on reading, some science, some math, matching, rhyming, etc.  She has really enjoyed this.  I think she feels all grown up, sitting at the computer, doing her lessons.  She'll come to me and say, "Mom, it's time to do my school work!"  She is very proud of herself and loves to show me the letters, as she writes them.

I have LOVED watching my kids learn and grow so much!  It amazes me how fast they learn and the amount of things they learn!  I'm so very proud of them!  They are so smart and pick up on things so fast!  Corie loves to mimic them and try to act like they do, so I think she'll be the same way!  One of my favorite thing is watching them all sit on the couch, reading to each other!