Girls Night Out

These girls are just my favorite! Janel, Melinda and I finally got together for a much-needed girls dinner!! Janel and I play tennis together every week and Melinda and I are doing our weight loss program together.

We realized that we have lost a combined total of over 80 lbs, and we are kicking ourselves for not taking a "before" photo together.  Losing weight is so much easier with a friend and now a spouse too! Matt has joined the lean and green movement! 

He's Here! Baby Everett!

We got to hold sweet Everett Daniel Coontz for a few hours before heading home - he was born on May 27th and is as cute as can be! I just love holding these straight-from-heaven new babies. Everett is the 12th grandchild for my parents. He looked like McKinley to me at first, but then kind of like a mix between her and Gabe... babies change so much in the beginning, it's hard to tell. But he has those super cute Becky lips :) Can't wait to see him again soon!

Baby Coontz Watch 2016

The kids and I drove up to Cedar City once we heard Becky was in labor - we had to meet this new little cousin, and we figured we could hang out with May and Grandpa before he got there. So, we hit the road! 

We went swimming in the hotel pool, hung out at the park and played games, and checked in with Becky and Danny to see when they were coming home. 

Recognizing Myself Again

So that title may sound a little melodramatic, but it's how I feel about my weight loss progress so far. I don't think I need to be a certain size to be happy, but I just wanted to feel like myself again. I wanted to not catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror or a photo and think - is that really what I look like?

I am convinced that a friend and I were both led to a health program at almost the exact same time, by different people, so we could lose this weight together. We ultimately brought it up hesitantly with each other and were so excited to find out we were both looking into the same program - it sounded like something we could do! Eat 5 small meals a day plus one lean and green meal, low carb, low fat protein, natural fats like avocado, olives and olive oil, plus a ton of water...  we could do this!!

I have liked this program so much in fact, that I have decided to become a health coach in order to cement these eating habits by teaching others, and to continue to lose weight in the process. When I first started, I said I wanted to lose 60 lbs. Well, I am now down 40+ lbs in a little over 3 months and I am feeling so much more like myself.

I have energy - I actually WANT to walk to the kids to school. I am loving tennis again and even feel faster (maybe it's my imagination, but I know I can get to the ball much quicker now. 40 lbs off my knees is no joke). And it makes me want to start up basketball again - I have missed it so much since being pregnant with Henry and moving far away from our group of women who I played with every week for more than 12 years! I felt sad at the thought I might never play again... Now maybe I will start my own women's group up here in North Las Vegas.

Here are my 3 month mark before and afters - I just look happier in the afters, even though of course I smiled in the befores, taking those photos and measurements were torture!

I am now officially down 43 lbs and I have lost an entire four-year-old! I weighed Penelope today and she weighs 42.8 lbs. That just blows my mind! Where was that weight? It's scary to think about, honestly. You can tell Penelope was very happy to be in this photo with me... little stinker. Maybe I can convince her to take a better one with me for my birthday. :)

Penelope's Birthday Party - My Little Pony!

I used to love My Little Ponies when I was a kid - so this is a trend I can get behind! Penelope loves her ponies, knows all their names, of course, and will play with them quietly, acting out scenes and doing their voices. It is in a word, adorable.

Mema made the cutest decorations, food and cards for the party with the family! 

She opens her presents and kisses them - even clothes! My Grandma Ray would thoroughly enjoy watching this girl open presents. I was always too calm for her taste when opening gifts. She wanted us to be ecstatic to get her gifts! :)


My Little Pony!! from Shannon Hiller on Vimeo.

Penelope is also into Play Dough - but she is NOT into putting away Play Dough. That's a tough combination... we have already had some dried up dough to throw out. Live and learn I guess....

Latest Kid Quotes

I got Penelope some new flip flops and when I got home from Old Navy I held them up her to see. She looked at them for a second and said, "Cute, but not adorable."

Claire was sitting in the front seat- a new perk. Feeling like a big kid I guess, she said, "Who are you voting for in the presidential election?" I said I wasn't sure and maybe I might not vote at all. Her mouth dropped open and she said, "Are you ALLOWED to do that???"

I asked Penelope what she wanted for a snack. I gave her two options. "You choose," she says.  So I chose one. She said, "Choose again."

This is how Penelope says eeny meeny miny mo: "Eeny meeny miny mo, tackle by the toe. Red light blue, I choose you!" And then she chooses whatever she wants :)

Mother's Day - Realistic Expectations

I've learned to just look forward to a nice card and homemade gifts on Mother's Day - not a complete break from my mom gig. Megan told me that Erick says, it's not "Don't be a Mother's Day" - so true!

So, despite the craziness of getting ready for church and sitting alone with the kids at church (the new norm), it was a pretty good Mother's Day. Sunday is just a stressful day at our house for me anyway.

We had a nice dinner at Jonelle and Ken's house - the guys did the cooking and clean up and we just got to hang out and enjoy the good food. We had a lovely taco bar - my favorite!

Missing the heart necklace I gave to Betty, but I wanted to remember the sentiment 

Frame from Miles and letter from Claire

 

Penelope's Fourth Birthday Questionnaire

1. What is your favorite color? Pink and purple

2. What is your favorite toy? My Little Ponies

3. What is your favorite stuffed animal? Apple Jack My Little Pony

4. What is your favorite thing to sleep with? My Pillow Pet (unicorn)

5. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries

6. What is your favorite cereal? Mema's cereal

7. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Breakfast burritos

8. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Luncheables

9. What is your favorite dessert? I usually like ice cream

10. What is your favorite drink? Soda

11. What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? McDonalds

12. What is your favorite animal? Leopard cheetah

13. What is your favorite book? It's about animals and I like it.

14. What is your favorite song? The rainbow song that I maked up

Penelope and her "No P in Your Name" signs

15. What is your favorite game?  My Little Pony match game from May

16. What is your favorite TV show?  Team Oomi Zoomi

17. What is your favorite movie?  I give up... I just like Team Oomi Zoomi

18. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Look at our tortoise

19. Who is your best friend?  Usually Ivy

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Be a vet

Church Talent Show

Claire sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow for the Activity Day Girls' Talent Show - she practiced and practiced, and it paid off! This is a song we have been singing to her and with her since she was a baby. She did a great job and didn't even seem nervous. I would never have done something like that as a kid!


Somewhere Over the Rainbow from Shannon Hiller on Vimeo.