Santa Visit

So last Saturday was Grandmas work breakfast with Santa so we went. Italia went upstairs with Grandma to find Santa to bring him down to breakfast. And when Santa walked in the door he greated her with "hi Italia" she was quite shocked at how he knew her name.:) If you can't tell Santa is Uncle Paul
She held his hand the whole way down then was the first on his lap. She didn't really like him when all the other kids where around but loved him when she was by herself.

Christmas Eve

Just to let everyone know if anyone wants or needs a place to go for Christmas Eve dinner and/or activities is invited over. Lots of good food for sure. Dinner probably around 5 oclock.

Exercising....

So I am trying to change my exercise philosophy.

Before I felt if I can't do it all the way all the time for the right amount of minutes then why do it.

But now I realize that unless I completely stop eating or only eat lettuce I am not going to lose weight with just diet.
I can do a very restrictive diet for a short amount of time but I can't keep it up.

I just like food to much I also like cooking and baking so its not easy to totally avoid it.

I came to the conclusion I have to exercise. I have no choice in the matter if I want to lose weight and be healthy.
I also know most likely I won't be exercising 4 times a week for an hour. But I can try to do more than I did before.
I hate exercising when I feel pressured I can enjoy exercising but I have to get past all that past emotional issues I have against exercise.

So what have I done?
I signed up for an adult dance class. It is once a week for an hour and they provide the babysitter.
Some days I get a good workout. Somedays mainly just good stretching.

I also try to go to zumba...a latin style dance aerobics.
I love zumba, even if I feel like I can't walk afterwards :)
I am never sore in the morning though.
I really stretches my bad hips and that is why I feel like I can't walk.
The class is offered Monday and Thursday nights at 8pm.
I go when Donny is home. I seriously would go every night if I could.
I really need to find a babysitter for when he is not home.

Anyone know a babysitter in my area.
I have lost weight.
I am not exactly sure how much because I don't know for sure what I was at when I started.
I believe I have lost more inches than weight
I am in a size smaller pants.
I notice all my clothes feeling looser or fitting better.
I have even worn some clothes that haven't seen the light of day for more than three years.
I am not trying to get skinny over night.
I am trying to change my views and life style to a more healthy active one.
I also want my weight loss to remain with me not just to gain it back as soon as I stop thinking about it so I am doing it slow and stead...thats what wins the race right!

I won!!!

I won a ZHU ZHU pet. I randomly found a blog giveaway for a zhu zhu pet and signed up and won. How crazy is that. These are like the hottest holiday toy. They are almost impossible to find. Go here to see what they are.

Tummy Ache!

We have been having a lot of tummy aches in our house lately!

Its because this is what Italia uses to describe anything going on in her belly.

If she is hungry, full, needs to go number 2.

My favorite gassy, like when she drank a lot of rootbeer fast and didn't know how to make herself burp:)

My least favorite...apparently the word "nap" or "bed" causes tummy aches!

Trip to CA

Monday night Donny got home from work around 4pm and I left and took the dogs to the kennels than came home and we finished packing. Donny and I got the opportunity to go to California for his work. We were leaving early tuesday morning so we decided to spend Monday night at my moms since she was watching Italia while we were gone and we figured it would be easier. Italia new something was up all day and so she didn't take a nap until we left around 6 and she fell asleep in the car. So bed time was a joke. She ended up falling asleep in Grandmas bed around 11pm that night. Needless to say I did not get much sleep that night since we woke up at 4:30am.

Our flight left at 11:30am but since you are suppose to be at the airport 2 hours early we figured we would be hitting SLC during a busy time and wanted to plan accordingly. Anyone who knows me also knows I have to be way early. We were also planning for it to take longer to get going in the morning with Italia. Needless to say we got to the airport freaking early. We stopped and got gas, stopped and got breakfast and saw probably the least amount of cars I have ever seen in SLC. We ot to the airport at 8:30. Which wouldn't have been to bad except we were flying JetBlue and they don't have anyone at the ticket counter until 10:00 so we had to wait in the front part of the airport for an hour and a half before we could check in then were finally able to get into the airport so that we could walk around for awhile.

After we got to the airport caught a cab and made it to the hotel we grabbed a quick burger and just relaxed until it was time to get ready for the dinner. That night the dinner was in the hotel ballroom and it was a nice buffet dinner with many different things to choose from. Then we headed back up to the room and went to bed because the day was long and I had an even longer day ahead of me.




One of the wives was bound and determined to go to the price is right so we left the hotel at 4:15am and were in line at 5:30 where we were handed an order of apperance then we had to be back at 8:15 to stand around until they decided to let us in. We pretty much stood in line and moved from benches to different benches until they finally let us in at noon. The actual show was fun but I could have done with out the early morning and waiting session. None of us won:( but we didn't really count on it. But the two girls who made it to the show case where both seated near us so we will probably be shown on TV so look for me on Jan 21 2010. Then we headed back and made it back to the hotel with just a few hiccups. Then I got ready and headed to Dinner.
This night the dinner was at the Richard Nixon Library it was beautiful and the food was very fancy and nice. They had different buffet areas set up with some of the past presidents favorite food. I was trying to be adventurous and brave and give new foods a chance and not pick through everything:) It was very hard but I was semi successful in my goal. I even tried oysters on a half shell...it ended up in my napkin:)

The above picture is of the gardens at the Library I really wish my brain wasn't already sleeping so that I could have looked around and learned some neat facts and not just look at everything because my brain was glazed over:) They had the original house were Nixon was born and he and his wife are buried there. They also have an old presidental chopper and bullet proof limo.

The following morning I was planning on sleeping in then heading to the exercise room then get ready and find something to fill the day. That did not happen. Donny woke me up t 730 asking if I wanted to go to breakfast with Katie (another wife) I was so confused and outof it I kept asking Donny what he was talking about. Since I didn't want to be rude I got up. After breakfast I went back to the room and laid down then was woken up again to go to a shop with Katie. So I got up and went. Later I went with Donna(Donny's bosses wife and co owner) to Cheesecake factory it was pretty good. We then went to another mall. That night one of the Idaho Falls sales reps took us out to dinner to Roys. It is a hawaian fushion resturant. I decided to try sushi. I have always wanted to try it but was a little worried about trying it at some random place I figured this would be a good place. I have mixed feelings on it. Mainly it would be the textures I would have to get use to. Some I liked better then others. Donny had a yummy fish. Afterward we ran next store to Cheesecake factory I grabbed a red velvet cheesecake to take to our room. It was delish.
All the time I was off playing Donny was at an Automation Fair. He saw a lot of neat things for his trade and took a couple classes on controls and touch panels.

Friday morning we woke up at 5 to head to the airport. We got a limo to take us. We got to SLC around ten and headed home.

Halloween

On Thursday we did our pumpkins. We decided to have Italia paint hers but I think her hands got more than the pumpkin. :) She also decided she needed to cut it so I gave her a butter knife.


Grandpa came to join the fun.



Donny getting in on the action.
This is at Grandma's ward truck or treat. This is Italia "helping"


Halloween night. Italia was mulan and this is Donny's finished product of his pumpkin and Donny's gargoyle that is our only decor:) Italia had fun going trick or treating with daddy and getting lots of treats then we went to a little neighborhood family halloween party. Overall I think we had lots of fun. Oh and Friday we took her to trick or treat street and got more candy and another chance to dress up. We met up with Ben, Destinee, and Dreadyn.