Brookie Boo & Molly Moo

WW - Week 1

2011-09-02T09:09:00.002-04:00

YOU'VE LOST 5 POUNDS THIS WEEK.

Seeing that makes me feel so good. I know that not every week will be this way, and that the first week is one of the biggest since you make such a drastic change in diet, but this still feels GREAT. I also lost 1.5 inches in both my waist and thighs, which seems impossible. I'm measuring myself so it could be off my a little, but I'm sure there is still some loss.

I love Weight Watchers because I can still eat most of the foods I always ate, I just have to track them now. It is amazing how aware you become of what you are eating once you start Weight Watchers. I have cut out almost all snacking and extra eating.

My favorite foods this week have been...

- Campbell's Healthy Request Chunk Chicken Corn Chowder soup: 3 points per serving. [6 for the whole can]

- 1tbsp. Peanut butter on a wheat English muffin: 6 points

- Eggo Chocolate Chip Waffles plain: 5 points for two

- Weight Watchers ice cream bars: 2-4 points

- Chips and salsa: 15 chips for 3 points and 0 points for salsa

Challenges: Eating late. I work from 5-9 most nights right now [my schedule will slow in the winter] so I basically have to eat when I get home. I find that if I eat before I go, which would be around 4, I am very hungry by the time I get home. And not just hungry where I can eat an apple and go to bed. Hungry to the point where I feel like I'm going to puke if I do not eat. So I have been eating a light snack before I go and then eating something small for dinner when I get home. I don't like eating so late but I have done it every night this week and still lost weight, so I guess as long as I stay in my points I am okay.

Work out: I usually work out 3-4 times a week but we didn't make it to the gym at all this week. I chose to focus mainly on just counting my points and figuring out a routine. Starting Saturday we'll be back in action.

Weekly goals: Start focusing on the "healthy checks". I need to drink more water, make sure I have at least one fruit and veggie each day, and start taking a multi-vitamin.

My plate is full.

2011-08-30T12:51:00.002-04:00

But my stomach is not. [more on that in a moment]

To say that I am doing a lot is an understatement. Being home with the girls is a lot on its own. They are at the age where stepping away from them for a minute can mean shampoo on the carpet, hot chocolate mix on the couch, cream of wheat on the dog, and so on. This means that every day chores don't get done like they used to. The girls naps start at different times and I have about an hour from the time Brooke goes down until Molly gets up, which means shower and lunch!

It is fun but busy!

Then we add in the Photography business, which has been great. I love meeting new families and babies and capturing special moments in their life. It has been an awesome experience. Here is a picture from a recent shoot.

Then we add in work. I got a job as a cashier/hostess at a local Amish restaurant. It has been a ton of fun and I really love what I do. I go in around 5pm at night and sometime do not come home until 9:30. I have been working four days a week, plus most of the day Saturday so there goes the rest of my time!

Check out my awesome uniform.

Then we add in my hobbies. I like to read and write and I refuse to give that up! I try to find time for at least one of those each day. It keeps me sane and happy.

So why is my stomach empty? That was a bit of an exaggeration, but I joined Weight Watchers on Friday. I have been in a weight loss slump for the whole year now, and have actually gained some weight. Enough is enough! These 20 pounds are getting kicked out the door. With inspiration from my friend Ashley at The Stauffer Shenanigans and Alyssa at The Heystek Family... I think I can do this!

Carolina Vacation Part 2

2011-08-30T10:51:00.003-04:00

The week was perfect weather wise. We had one morning of rain but it cleared by lunch so that we could still have some time on the beach. The girls loved the beach, which I was very thankful for. I have met babies who refuse to touch sand or who are terrified as water, which can be normal, but I just didn't want to deal with that! Getting them ready and down to the beach was a production, and then of course Molly kept getting sand in her eyes and would freak out. They mostly just played in the sand or in the baby pool under the cabana tent. Brooke went into the water with my cousins a few times but we never ventured that far with Molly.

I'm a kid at heart...

Our house was awesome, as usual. We had a pool so we would come back from the beach in the afternoon and soak in the pool for a little. Brooke did really well swimming around in her puddle jumper, but Molly wasn't the biggest fan of the pool. Each family took a night to cook [we did a taco night on our night!] so we didn't eat out or anything. We did go miniature golfing one night and we took Brooke with us. She stayed up a couple hours past her bedtime every night like a champ.

Girl was a natural.

Then it came time to leave and we managed to make it home in seventeen hours this time. :: sigh ::

We'll see you again soon North Carolina. Til 2013...

Carolina Vacation Part 1

2011-08-23T15:33:00.001-04:00

I am officially back from my mental/blogging break. Between vacation [which is never vacation with kids], photography, and starting a new job... my mind is fried.

SO several weeks later I am ready to write about vacation. I say the CarolinaS because we started in Myrtle Beach and then moved north from there. Dustin had to work most of the day Thursday so I spent the day juggling the girls and packing the car. Amazingly I was able to get almost everything into the van before he got home, which meant we were able to leave shortly after. It's a good thing I saved us some time because the drive took 18 hours. 18 HOURS. The girls were unhappy for the part where they were awake so we had to stop a few times. Then they were crying off and on all night, which shouldn't have affected our time, but I'll blame that. Then when I was driving, around 5 in the morning, we got stuck in stand still traffic. It was rumored that the road wouldn't be open for another six hours so we turned around on the high way and a cop escorted us off. How many times will that happen again?

We finally got to Myrtle beach to Amy's house at about 11 in the morning. It was so nice to see her again! We all ate lunch together and then Amy and I took the girls shopping while the guys went home to relax. On Saturday Amy and I were able to have a girls lunch with just the two of us which was AWESOME.

Then Saturday afternoon we headed up to Emerald Isle, North Carolina to start our vacation.

We were the last ones to arrive but that meant everyone else was unpacked and ready to hold the girls for us! It was great to see my family. There were 22 of us, and then the 4 babies [my girls and my two nephews].

I'll write more about the week later but until then, enjoy some pictures.

Brooke enjoyed lots of this

We all enjoyed lots of this.

And this...

And this...

And of course THIS.... [the mint colored house was ours]

If I could keep you little...

2011-08-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

Fair Week

2011-07-28T11:50:00.003-04:00

This week is a big week in our county, the 4-H Fair is open! I grew up doing 4-H, but our fair back in Philly was NOTHING compared to the one here in Indiana. Elkhart has one of the largest county fairs in the country.

Sunday we went for free day [so basically no admission] and took the girls to see all of the animals. There is a little petting farm but we also went and saw the larger animals; like the pigs, cows, draft horses, and alpacas.

Last night we left the kiddos at home and just Dustin and I went. We met our friends Chad and Mandy there for the The Band Perry concert [Do you know how weird it feels to write 'the' two times in a row]. The grandstand seats are free and Chad and Mandy got there early enough to get us in the third row. It was awesome! We ate enough fried food to meet our calorie consumption for the rest of the week and sang our hearts out.

Well, I'm off to zip up our suitcases and throw them in the car. We are leaving for vacation tonight! I'll see you all in 10 days. :)

One Week

2011-07-22T08:17:00.006-04:00

You think I'm talking about this post, don't you? While I am super excited about that for many, many reasons... we will actually be there on Saturday afternoon. So where will we be on Friday you ask?

And no, that is not where our beach house is. Our beach house is about 3 hours north of this little piece of heaven in South Carolina. We are going there for a much more personal reason. My roommate and best friend from college, Amy, lives there with her husband.

Our story begins Freshman year when we were paired as roommates. I wrote about her in this post, if you remember.

Apparently we liked to do things like destroy signs from the opposing political party.

Sit in boxes.

Hide in corn fields.

Show school spirit.

And hang out our third story window, risking our lives for an awesome snow picture.

Somewhere during out second year at Taylor we drifted apart. I moved to another wing for Junior year to room with another friend, and she stayed behind. We didn't talk as much as we used to. But then...

We shared our engagements together.

Reunited Senior year for student teaching.

Tried on wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses together.

Shared in my wedding together.

Had visits at TU.

She was one of the first to know that I was pregnant with Brooke.
And in turn [the second picture is just foreshadowing] she recently told me that SHE is pregnant.

We graduated together.

I shared in her wedding, 25 weeks pregnant with Brooke.

Had visits in South Carolina. The first picture is from Wilmington, NC, where One Tree Hill is filmed. We share a mutual love for that show and HAD to make a visit.

And then I surprised her at a Panera Bread in Ohio on the way to Philly for Thanksgiving this past Fall.

Amy is one of my best friends. No matter how far apart we are, or how long it has been since we have talked, we can always pick up where we left off. We can be serious together, cry together, and laugh together. Amy is my most honest friend and always held me accountable, and I know that I can call her if I ever really just need to talk.

To say I can't wait to see her would be an understatement.

So I repeat.

ONE WEEK.

Inspiration

2011-07-18T14:06:00.004-04:00

Just when I feel like I am out of things to post about for the week, Brooke says "Hey mom, let me help you out!"

That my friends is a purple permanent marker. The thing is, I'm not sure where exactly she got it. My best lead at this point is that she smuggled it into the house. We have ONE marker we keep in the house, a fine point Sharpie for writing on CDs/DVDs. It is also kept well out of sight and reach in our bedroom. All other writing utensils are kept high in a cabinet. We learned the hard way from a pen incident involving the couch, the TV, and Molly.

I did not manage to get pictures of the girls faces, legs, arms, and other parts of their bodies that were colored on. I also did not take a picture of the marker on the TV, just to keep my husband's blood pressure low.

You are probably thinking, "What did you do? Go for a run and leave them home alone?"

Um, nope. The first damage was done while I changed Molly's diaper. She then went back to the family room to see Brooke [and become part of her art project] while I ran to get dressed so we could go to the Post Office. Brooke had a busy 4 minutes by herself.

Happy Saturday!

2011-07-16T09:49:00.002-04:00

This morning I had big plans to sleep in. And when I say sleep in that means about 9 or 9:30 in this house. As luck would have it, fighter jets decided to circle our neighborhood and "play" in the air for about 15 minutes and boy are those suckers loud.

But why is this Saturday happy?

Last night Dustin and I were able to go on a date. We rarely get to go anywhere together with out the girls so it was quite the treat. We went to see Harry Potter and I'll be honest, I dressed up a little.

See? Just a little.

The movie was amazing though. I'm sure some of you are thinking "Harry Potter? No. That's for kids." But it isn't! The theater was full of all ages and [fun fact] the first book was published when I was in 5th grade. True story. The story lines and creativity that the author displays in the books is phenomenal. If I could sit down and pick the brain of any author, she would be it! I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for a new series to read, and I have ALL the movies if you want to borrow them. ;)

I am going to reread the series again pretty soon here and I'm looking for to it.

J.K. Rowling: Thanks for teaching me to imagine again. It's been a good decade.

It Starts...

2011-07-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today I am starting a modified version of the Paleo diet. I am hoping that it will bring back my love for lean meats and veggies and wean me off of carbs. I plan to still eat carbs, and continue to eat carbs after the diet, but I need to focus on getting other food as well. I'm hoping this will also help me lose some weight. I have been stuck at the same weight for MONTHS now. I'm talking... more then half a year. I work out three to four times a week so it has been pretty discouraging.

My first goal is to lose 5 pounds before July 30th, and I think just with a drop in carbs and an uptake in water, that is possible. Baby steps. My ultimate goal is 20 pounds, but I'm not setting any time limits because I want to have patience.

If you have an advice or good recipe blogs, let me know!

:: raises glass of water ::

Is this thing on?

2011-07-12T10:26:00.003-04:00

July is probably our busiest month of the summer, so that is why my blog may seem neglected. We have had BBQs and days at the lake. We spend our days outside swimming and sunning, and the Nook has been getting lots of use. In just over a week starts the local 4H fair, which is one of the largest in the country, and we already have two nights planned to be there. The weekend after that we leave for vacation. Where are we going you ask?

And yes, that is the beach right on the other side of it. When I stand on the beach and look back, I'll see this.

We also have a pool and hot tub

A nice kitchen

And entertainment...

There are also 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. There are beach chairs, game systems, kids stuff, and even a huge sandbox underneath the house. There will be 22 of us going and I have been looking forward to this since we booked it this past Winter. Now on to making myself look good in a bathing suit...

31 Days of Photos

2011-07-02T12:24:00.002-04:00

I am doing this Photo challenge on FB, and I guess here too. :) I don't think I'll update every day like I will there, but I might include them in other posts or post my favorites.

So today's... who in their right mind asks a girl to pick ONE pair of favorite shoes? I think if you met me in person and got to know me, you would be shocked when you walking into my closet and saw my shoes. I have a lot of shoes, A LOT. And the majority of them are heels. So I couldn't possibly pick my favorite, so here are a few. I wear flip flops when I'm out with the girls, but for nights out or at church, I love to wear my heels. I like feeling tall. :)

Photography

2011-07-01T10:48:00.002-04:00

See that over there? That is a POLL.

I know I have been vague about this photography thing and more of just "plugging" it. I think it is time I went a little deeper.

I have spent almost two years practicing, researching, and studying photography. I think that the beginning of a photography comes from a natural skill, something deep within you that knows just the right pose or that creative angle. You have to have it. But there is also skill building after that, which is what I've done. I had family and friends constantly encouraging me to taking it further that just my own girls and free sessions for friends. I decided that this summer would be THE summer.

I started a blog and a FB page, and have been working on my portfolio. The natural name for a photography business seems to be after the name of the photographer. I have a very common name, especially in my town. I changed it up a little with J.Miller Photography.

As I was building my portfolio I noticed that there is one specific door downtown that I am pulled to doing shoots. A simple, red door that I think might lead to an insurance agency, but I'm not sure. Here is a picture taken with that door, and I hope that there are many more to come!

The Sugar & Spice idea came from the fact that I have two girls and they pretty much define me most of the time. It is hard to remember that I am not only a mom 24/7. I have interests and passions and I matter. It is a cute name idea though.

Molly's 1 Year Pictures

2011-06-30T22:05:00.002-04:00

I meant to post these a few days ago, but things got in the way. Specifically, my new photography business. If you haven't already, go check out my new blog and follow me! If you happen to be a local reader, let's chat. :)

Miscellaney Monday

2011-06-27T09:23:00.005-04:00

one. If you haven't started following my photography blog yet, you should! You can also follow me on Facebook, just sayin'.

two. The Flying Rat Part II. Dustin caught the first flying rat, which looked suspiciously like a moth. I've decided it was a decoy placed here so that we wouldn't find the true culprit. This baby...

I swear he followed us to my ILs house. With this picture it is hard to capture the horror that is this thing because there was no way I was getting closer than ten feet. Trust me when I say that this baby was probably bigger than my hand.

three. The second horror at my ILs house.

Sugar used to have a personality that lived up to her name, or so I've heard, but old age has turned her wicked. It probably has something to do with her lack of hearing, bad eye sight, aching joints, and missing teeth. That pink around her mouth? Yeah, toothless gums.

four. I didn't inherit my mom's green thumb. Has anyone else managed to kill all of their flowers this summer? Because I did. I have tried to be diligent about watering them on hot days and making sure they are placed in the correct amount of sunlight/shade ratio. This is my first year planting flowers and maybe my last. I meant, I just spent $50 on something that died a week later. That is 50 goldfish I could have had the privilege of naming and then flushing.

five. Molly still isn't walking, but she can push herself up to standing from the floor with out holding on to anything around her. I think that if she just tried she would take off running, but she is content to be carried. My aching back hopes she learns to walk before Kindergarten. At least the elementary school is less than a mile away.

six. Speaking of Molly, I took her one year pictures on Saturday, here is a preview. :)

seven. One month until we leave for the Carolinas. One month until I need to spend the majority of my time in a bathing suit, bent over none the less as I chase toddlers. SO that means one month to achieve some sort of weight loss goal. Hello gym, we are about to become great friends.

News

2011-06-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

You should click on this button and become a follower! ETA: Apparently my beautiful link doesn't work. The one on my sidebar does. So we'll cheat a little. ;) http://jmillerphotos.blogspot.com/

Big things happening in the Miller household.

Hobbies

2011-06-24T08:29:00.004-04:00

As a stay at home mom I feel as though I need to have hobbies to hold on to any semblance of my sanity. Of course, the majority of my time is spent playing with the girls. Or rather, watching them play with each other while I follow behind and clean up their messes. But sometimes during naps or if they are with their grandparents, I find some time just to sit and do something for ME.

First, I LOVE to read. My goal for 2011 is to read 150 books. I have been keeping track of my progress on Goodreads and so far I have read 74 books! One more until I'm halfway. I get a TON of messages for book recommendations so I might start a mini book review blog here in a couple weeks, just so people can go there and see what I am reading. I LOVE to talk about books so feel free to email me anytime.

Another hobby I have is writing, which kind of goes hand in hand with my reading. The more I read, the more I want to write. For me, writing is just like reading and falling into a story. The imagination, the characters, the possibilities! I have started three books this year. I am pretty good at getting the story part out, it is the editing that gets me. I have two books that need to be edited and I am currently working on writing a third. I am not sure what I'll do with them. I could make them eBooks with Barnes and Noble and Amazon, so look out for that!

Lastly, my biggest hobby is probably Photography. I would LOVE to do this semi-professionally some day. I don't think I could handle shooting weddings or huge events, but I love doing families and children and just portraits in general. I am hoping someday in the near future I can take a few photography courses, but for now I take pictures for family and friends. Here is some of my work...

Be prepared for a lot of pictures in this post!

The Flying Rat

2011-06-22T10:16:00.004-04:00

I'm convinced that there is a flying rat in our bedroom. Dustin however, refuses to believe that and assures me is it a moth. I still don't believe him.

Late last night I was sitting at the desk in our bedroom, the only light coming from the glow of the computer monitor since Dustin was trying to sleep. I was happily minding my own business, working on my soon-to-be best selling novel, when something zipped past my head. It was silent of course, but I caught site of it's large body as it bounced off the computer screen. I was thinking, Just your imagination Jess, you're tired.

Back to typing I went.

A minute or two later something straight out of a horror movie landed in my lap. And since I don't wear pants to bed, your welcome for that little tidbit of information, all I felt was a large, furry body on my thigh.

I froze.
It started to crawl up my leg.

I squealed and knocked it away, pulling off some inept dive move to jump into bed and landing on top of Dustin. Since he can fall asleep in a matter of seconds, he started moaning and grumbling, wondering why the heck I was jumping on top of him.

Me: There is an evil bug/rat thing over my the computer.

Dustin: What makes you think it is evil? Because this would be anyone's natural response.

Me: It tried to crawl up my shirt. I was whispering at this point in case the flying rat could hear us.

Dustin: Maybe it is just perverted.

After I smacked him once or twice he got out of bed and turned the light on. Nothing.

Me: I swear there is a flying rat over here. Notice this time I gave up on the bug theory.

Dustin: Or maybe just a moth?

Me: Doubt it

If you read my rabbit post, you know that we have a history with evil creatures.

I was standing close by his side during this, doing my own searching, when he thought it would be a great time to joke and start searching my hair for this flying rat. Not cool DMill, not cool. Eventually he turned off the light and crawled into bed. I followed, but chose to plant myself in the very center of the bed and clasp my arms around my legs. I was going to sit and watch for this flying rat, but alas, it never showed.

I finally laid down and told Dustin that if I woke up with a bug in my mouth it was his fault to which he responded. "Then don't sleep with your mouth open."

MY birthday

2011-06-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

Sunday, June 12th, was my 25th birthday. I didn't make a post because Molly's birthday kind of out shined it, which is okay. Plus, my birthday kind of turned into a week celebration so I wanted to wait until it was complete to make a post about it. On Sunday my parents were still here so we headed out to lunch with my family and Dustin's, to my favorite restaurant Granite City. I mean, you really can't go wrong with that place.

With Jena and Kathy, my mother-in-law, outside Granite City!

With my parents

Sometime during lunch Jena gave me two cards. The first had a paper with a picture of an iPod on it, saying that for my birthday gift from them and Dustin, I got to go to the Apple store and pick one out. SWEET! The second was a poem from her.

Get ready for a Special Day
with your favorite sister, Jena Rae

A bunch of places we will go,
what they are you will not know

Brush your teeth, I'll do your hair
I'll even tell you what to wear

So be prepared to laugh and play,
I hope you'll enjoy your Special Day!

So this past Saturday we headed out for my Special Day. Jena picked me up around Noon and we were both armed with our wallets and dressed in pretty sundresses. We went to lunch at a cute sandwich and salad place, and then to this store called Charming Charlie. If you have never been, find one nearby and GO. We spent almost two hours in there, and we probably could have shopped some more. Then we headed to the mall to do some damage. It was so nice just to be able to look through racks and try on clothes with out a two year old pulling on my pants or a one year old crying to be picked up out of the cart.

From there we headed out to dinner, which was a surprise until we actually arrived there. We went to Bonefish Grill! I had never been there so it was a nice surprise. Also, when we got inside Dustin and Jena's husband, Wes, were waiting for us! I also had my first martini that night, which was super yummy.

Dustin and I. Hello forehead shine!

Jena and Wes

Outside Bonefish

Our matching sun hats!

Afterward the next location was a surprise as well, and we ended up at Strikes and Spares, a cosmic bowling place. They also had indoor mini golf and go-karts. We did the black light mini-golf first, which went fast, and then moved on to a round of bowling. We had a great time dancing and just having fun. Jena and I went to Old Navy after that and then ended the night with Ritter's ice cream.

We liked posing with the statues in the mini-golf course

Jena: Where are you? Me: Down here!

This guy obviously needed some help...

So as you can see, I had an AWESOME birthday. It was nice to have a relaxing day out and just laugh and play with Jena and our husbands. I don't get to hang out with Jena very much so it was a nice change of pace of the hustle and bustle of a life with two toddlers.

With the poem :)

Happy 1st Birthday Molly Moo!

2011-06-15T15:59:00.004-04:00

Our sweet little Molly Moo turned ONE today. Can you believe it? Time really does fly faster with the second baby. And the fact that Molly is one means that Brooke is coming up quickly on her third birthday. My babies are no longer babies! Molly is quite possibly going to be our last child, and there is something upsetting about watching her leave that baby stage knowing that there will probably never be another one in the house [that is ours].

This time last year I had already had Molly and was recovering in the hospital, probably receiving visitors. Oddly enough, it was raining on June 15th last year and it is raining again today. Something I remember. Today we are just relaxing and watching movies. I backed some cookies with pink sprinkles and tonight we'll have a birthday dinner with Dustin's family.

Molly is not walking yet, unlike Brooke who walked at 11 months, but she is talking up a storm! She had a pretty decent amount of words for a one year old; Mama, Dada, Papa, Breh [Brooke], Dog [sometimes she makes a G sound which might be Jake], What's this?, What's that?, Buh-bye, Ball.

Molly has started with this ridiculous laugh that almost sounds cynical, and it seems to happen when she is getting food that she finds particularly yummy, like Eggo chocolate chip waffles. She LOVES to climb. On everything. Just this afternoon she climbed up on the chair of her table, and then up on top of the actual table. She also likes to get up on Brooke's toddler bed and jump.

I am not sure of her stats yet, since I forgot to make her one year appointment until today and we have to wait a couple weeks for an opening. I do know she is already much taller than Brooke was at this year, but possibly thinner. So I'm interested to see how their stats match up!

Happy Birthday Molly Grace! We love you!