Time Flies

"What we love to do we find time to do."
-John L. Spalding

It's been such a busy year so far! I've been on a rollercoaster learning curve going from being a stay-at-home mom for the past 11 years (gasp!) to now working in the fitness industry. Crazy! Where has the time gone? The last several months have been spent going to classes, trainings, studying, reading, learning, absorbing, memorizing and growing! I now look forward to getting into a rhythm and enjoying the process. I am so thankful to have found such a great place with 24 Hour Fitness to express myself and to change peoples' lives, it rocks! I have a great set of classes lined up - come find me on the schedule and join in on the fun, plus you'll get a GREAT workout!

"This time, like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring Break has come and gone - whew! It was such a busy week for the Gang, we did manage to make one family trip out to Dublin, Texas to visit the Dr. Pepper Factory - which was a little corny but sweet and we did have fun!








"Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like bananas."
-Groucho Marx

In other 'news' - Big Sister got her first cell phone - yay! and Miss C lost BOTH of her front teeth in the same weekend, pretty darn adorable! That's about it for now, but check back - you never know what the Gang will be up to next! :-)

Ace King Suited

Best hand in Texas Hold em' - it also refers to the new King of the Stevens Gang.... Meet Ace.



Yes, he sure does look precious - and he is - but he's also a feisty little beast who has, without a doubt, taken over! He has even shown our dogs who's boss and he's only been here a week! Both the dogs just love playing chase with him, he has NO fear. With the children, he let's them know whether or not he's in the mood to put up with their antics - most of the time, he is all too eager to play or let them carry him around like a little rag doll. Rescued from the local Humane Society for Valentines Day, Ace is the perfect, crazy little fit to our Gang.




"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." ~Author Unknown




We spent our Valentines Day weekend by getting Ace, going out for pizza, opening Valentines from the kids school friends and the special ones from Grandma in the mail. We also ate lots and lots of candy and then had our traditional Valentines dinner: A heart shaped meatloaf covered in ketchup and a heart shaped chocolate cake. It's a little corny, but the best traditions usually are!

These are a couple of cute pics from the day - Big Brother tells Little Brother a secret and Miss C gets a big pink gumball from the candy machine...




"Maybe part of loving is learning to let go."
~From the television show The Wonder Years


This was a big day. Big Sister gets to go to her first school dance. She gets her first bra, wears one of mom's dresses and jewelry. My heart breaks, melts and gets all blubbery - my baby is growing up!

...and so we woke to find this on our front door this morning....

"An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have but that he - for some reason - thinks it would be a good idea to give them." ~Andy Warhol

Happy Sunday!

Coraline

Be careful what you wish for.

A little bit 'James & The Giant Peach' and 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' with a pinch of 'Alice in Wonderland'. I LOVED this movie! Scott took the day off Friday and there was no school, so went out to the movie grill and had lunch while we watched Coraline for my birthday. Not everyone will think it's a great kids movie, although mine enjoyed it just as much as I did. Without giving away too much, it was just the right amount of sassy, scary punch with a superb moral to the story! Such a great time!

Trees

When a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?

Well it does in our house! The Gang went down one right after another, like falling trees in the forest. Only, the sounds weren't of limbs breaking and animals scurrying - no - it was more like... sounds of snot blowing, lots of coughing, some various spew like sounds and a whole mess of toilet flushing! Yep, we were hit with the Plague. Ugh.


"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' "
— Robin Williams

Oh, come on Spring! Hurry up already!

Moments of Wonderful

“I'd rather have a moment of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”
-Julia Roberts, Steel Magnolias

This week was kind of awesome as far as ordinary weeks go..... and when you have a busy week, you get lots of pics and stories to go along with it! Enjoy the ride with The Gang...

“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public”
-Author Unknown

Last weekend, I taught my very first Pilates class. I was SO nervous, but learned a ton! When I went to teach my second class, I felt like I rocked it! A true growing experience for me. Afterwards, we took the kids for some celebratory ice cream - it's 'almost' too cute to eat!





Other than that, the kids hung out and played, enjoying their last moments of freedom.....
Here, Miss C and Boy J play their regular game that they invented: "Molly and the Justice League". Not really sure what's all involved, but it keeps them happy for hours with no fighting so to me, it's right up there with the world's greatest games!


Monday, the kids went back to school. This was an event worth its own party! It's great to get back into a routine again. That night, I gave in and let the kids eat one of their favorite meals - good ol' ramen noodles.


Tuesday, I taught my permanent Aqua class. I think it was a good success. I have never sweat so much in all my life! Not only am I teaching to full capacity, but the conditions in the pool/spa area are muggy as all get out. My face was truly as red as an apple by the class end!

Wednesday, we named Big Sister "The Dog Whisperer". She's always had an innate love for animals, but our dogs are especially blessed by her calming and loving presence. Here, she's teaching them to High 5 and it worked!


Thursday, we went to Miss E's house for pizza and the OU game. I ended up leaving to put the kids down and Scott stayed and hung out all night with the dudes. He had such a great time just hangin' with the guys!

Friday, I hung out with the neighborhood crew and played LCR. Didn't win a dime and I think I still actually owe people some money. But it was a lot of fun to get out and laugh all night.

Yesterday, I taught my Pilates class, did the grocery shopping for the week while Scott coached the Shooting Stars into a HUGE win!


Last night was right up there with one of the funniest nights in history. I laughed so much, my abs STILL hurt. Now THAT is a class they should include in the gym - Amped Animated Abs.




“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
- Buddha

Today, I made our traditional Sunday Brunch which included some very kick ass breakfast burritos then the ol' man and I took the 'other' Miss E's Everlast Shadow Boxing class and that kicked our booty's! We are spending the afternoon reading, watching football and chilling out. Whew! What a wonderful week!




“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”
- Oprah Winfrey

....once again, good advice Oprah.

Fresh Starts

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." ~Mark Twain

Everyone loves to receive second chances, new beginnings, a fresh start! We let go of the past a little bit more, hold optimism for the future and at all times try very, very hard to remain present. And this leads us to New Years Resolutions... I won't go into a long list of things we promise to ourselves, rather, relish in the moment of the here and now. What's done is done and the future looks bright! Woohoo!



We ended 2008 with the Chicken Pox AND pneumonia, so we figure it can only go uphill from here!

Never having the Pox before, Scott took it on at the age of 40 and it was NOT pretty! Poor dude was quarantined to the bedroom for two weeks and I took to the office/guest room. He was on 72 hour 'death watch' as the Pox is dangerous in adults. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much and spent a LOT of time reading instead, which was actually kind of awesome because I LOVE to read and plan to do much more of it in 09.


I was going to post a pic of the ol' man with the Pox, but they were just too gross so this one is MUCH better. He and Miss C made a promise to each other. This was just a few days before he got sick - it took us by surprise!


We certainly do take advantage of good health, we don't realize how good we've got it until we are laid up like this. On the same day Scott was diagnosed, Boy J was coughing like a barking seal so I took him to the doc. They ordered a chest X-ray stat! I was thinking it was just a rough dose of a cold till they showed me the X-ray. He had pneumonia. Two of my dudes down at once on Christmas break? No way! Way!


"Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past." ~Henry Ward Beecher

We went out for a celebratory dinner (pizza and beer, my fave!) as I got my first job after being a stay-at-home mom for ten years! I'm super excited to not only change my life and my body, but to help others change theirs for the better as well (not to mention a paycheck!). I teach both Aqua Aerobics and Pilates at 24 Hour Fitness and will soon be adding more skills to my repertoire. I could not have found a better fit for my life! Hooray to good things.



Welcome 2009!
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." ~Oprah Winfrey

Jinger Bells

Boy J started singing 'Jingle Bells' as Jinger Bells and so the Gang has adopted that as our saying for the season, so here's wishing all our friends and family a very Merry Jinger Bell Christmas! Hope your holidays are as fun and loving as ours has been!