Last Day of Preschool 2010

Alli Jo had her last day of preschool on May 20th. They celebrated by having class at the park. Mommy took off work 1/2 day so that I could join in on the fun! Here are a few pictures from that day!

Alli and Miss Angie

Riding on the the train with Christopher

She spotted mommy taking pictures

Silly monkey!

praying before eating lunch

Field trip to the Recycling Center

Group Shot of all 3 morning classes

Being silly!

Such a cutie!

Funny Funny

Had to post this on here cuz I don't want to forget how funny Alli Jo is =)

Saturday night Hunter had a friend spend the night. The girls were all playing upstairs and Alli Jo came down and said, "Hunter and her friend wanna be gay".

Joe and I looked at each other to see if we both heard her right. And asked her one more time what she was saying and she repeated, "Hunter and her friend wanna be gay".

Trying not to laugh and thinking Hunter and her friend were some how making fun of Alli Jo (teaching her bad things)....I yelled at Hunter to get her butt downstairs...

Then AJ went to the kitchen and got the 2 liter bottle and brought it to me..........

BIG K!!! Hahahahaha

be gay -- big k......sound the same!

16, 17,. 18, 19. 20.............

I thought I would keep these short and sweet!!! Why am I getting healthy...........

#16 - Because I want to be a better version of myself.

#17 - Because pain is weakness leaving the body

#18 - "Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right." -Henry Ford

#19 - Because when I run I feel more alive, even when it feels like I'm dying.

#20 - Because it will remove the words "I can't" from my vocabulary

Speaking of being a BIG girl.....

Stella had her 4 month ck up Friday 5.14.10. She is now 13lbs 6.5oz! Head is 15.5in. Length 25.25in!! Such a BIG girl =) Doc said that she is WAY advanced for a 4 month old! Exactly the words a mother wants the hear! She said all of her motor skills are like those of a 6 month old. I was kind of surprised. I mean I thought she was right on track, but advanced for her age caught me off guard. That's my girl!!

Some of the things she can now do are:

**Support some of her weight on her legs, and she loves to bounce

**Grabs her feet and pulls them up towards her chest

**Her hand control is developed enough that she can rake a small object toward herself.

**She now realizes where sounds come from, and she'll turn quickly toward a new one.

**Rolls from her stomach to her back

**She can raise her chest, supported by her arms, when she lies on her stomach.

**She laughs out loud

**She squeels when she's happy

Here she is at her 4mo ck up! See the paper...yep, she ripped it =)

Here she is trying some apples....YUUUMMMMYYY!!!!

Suuummmbody is a BIG GIRL!!!

Guess who started on cereal this morning??? You guessed it! Miss Stella! She LOVED it! She has been starting to be more aware of her surroundings and when we're eating she wants some! She just would STARE at us as we put the food in our mouths. And her bottles alone just aren't cutting it! Since she can sit up pretty good with support, I thought it's about time we start some solids! She ate about a tbsp of Rice cereal this morning.

Of course it was a family event =)

This picture cracks me up....I promise some of the cereal

DID go in her mouth hahaha!!!

Baby Names

No No, I'm not preggo! haha

Check out Kelly's Korner blog...she is talking about BABY NAMES! Who does like talking about baby names??? Well my husband I guess LOL I drive him nuts with baby names. Every time I ask him what he thinks about a baby name, he thinks I'm pregnant again haha =)

I remember growing up constantly coming up with names. If I wasn’t naming my Barbie’s I was naming my stuffed animals or my sister LOL Yes, I would tease my sister and tell her Megan wasn’t her real name…gosh I was mean! I think I was a bit jealous, b/c I loved her name, and disliked mine. I didn’t know anyone else named Leah….and there were probably 5 Megans in her class! Needless to say when I was in school I wanted to be cool and have the same name as someone else!

Hunter Love
So for years and years I would come up with names for my future children! I remember when I found out I was having Hunter, my hairdresser had named her daughter Hunter….Hunter’s dad and I thought it was really cool and unique for a girl…..so that’s what we decided. I wasn’t really sure what everyone’s reaction would be considering it’s a more common boy name. So we wanted an extra feminine middle name. At the time my favorite actress was Jennifer Love Hewitt. So I decided the middle name “Love”. It fits her so well I cannot imagine her with any other name!

Alli Jo
Well Alli’s name was pretty easy, with the help of her big sister! I really like the middle name Jo right away, named after her daddy “Joe” of course! But I was stuck between Alli or Aubrey. Hunter said it HAD to be Alli….so there you have it!

If she would have turned out to be a boy, we had picked out William (my last name was Williams) Allan (my step-dads middle name)

Stella Alyse
Stella’s was a little harder. I was stuck between Stella, Sophia, and Savannah. It ended up being between Stella and Sophia. Then I asked the entire family one night and we all agreed Stella! So she was pretty much Stella most of my pregnancy =) Her middle name was not chosen until the very end of my pregnancy. My full name is Leah Rose Alice Robinson. I wanted something unique…so I figure turn Alice into Alyse (uh-lease).

If she would have been a boy, we had Wyatt picked out. Not sure of a middle name.

11-15

If you've been following my blog for a while, you will know that I've recently starting exercising to lose weight....I started to liste 100 reasons why....and here are a few more....

# 11 - Thinking people are ashamed of me
I recently found a letter written by Joe when we first started dating. It was a very sweet letter, telling me how much he loved me and how much I mean to him. In part of the letter he had written how much he loved to show me off. How he loved that other couples were envious of our love for one another. When I read that my heart just sank into my stomach. I hardly think that he would even be close to proud of how much I’ve let myself go. I know that he would NEVER admit it, or show it….that’s one reason I love him so much. He has stuck by me literally through thick and thin. I guess our wedding vows meant a lot to him, b/c he has had to deal with a lot from me! He is my strongest supporter right now. He wants me to be happy with myself again!
Society is all about first impressions. What do we think about when we meet someone for the first time? Well it’s certainly not their personality if they haven’t even spoke yet LOL We instantly judge a person based on their outward appearance. Some of us make opinions right off! If someone is dressed badly, they’re poor. If they’re dressed nice, they’re rich! If they’re skinny, they’re worth befriending…if they’re fat, well they’re not. Now not everyone thinks like this, but I’m sure it’s ran through some of your heads at one time or another. Think back to high school days….when you want to be popular, so you hang out with only the popular kids. It’s a vicious cycle that goes on through adulthood.

I am constantly thinking my oldest daughter will be ashamed of me. I hate that. I don’t want her to be embarrassed to walk into school with me or have a friend over. I know at this age, she isn’t…but kids are cruel! I don’t want her to get teased about having a fat mom. It’s constantly on my mind…when we go to a school program, softball game, etc. I want her to be proud of her mom and show me off…I know that sounds shallow, but it’s the truth.

#12 – Celebrity Weight Loss Shows
I love them! I hate them! You know the shows, like VH1's Celebrity Fit Club or NBC's Biggest Loser, and a host of others. Honestly I do love to watch these shows. Something about watching these shows makes me feel better about myself. What is it? Is it because I see people even worse off than me and that makes my life not seem so bad? Is it because I take pleasure in others misery? Or is it just because it feels good to see people in the same situation as me, thereby making me feel not so alone? I don't know. But I do like to watch them. At the same time, I TOTALLY hate these shows! The biggest reason I hate these shows is that it perpetuates the myth that get-thin-quick schemes work and are healthy. I think most doctors would agree that losing 20 or 30 pounds in a week is NOT healthy! The thing I have taken from the huge number of diet and healthy eating programs I have been on is the idea that you should be losing about 1-2 pounds a week for healthy weight loss. Studies have shown that the faster you lose, the easier it is for your body to regain the weight. Sure, we all want to be thin TOMORROW, but it didn't take a day, a week, or a month to gain all this weight, it took years! I guess you give your body time to catch up with the idea of being thin or something. I suppose it's physical and psychological: you shrink both your physical stomach and your psychological cravings at this pace. But 30 pounds in a week??? I would imagine these people need EXTREME self discipline to maintain their loses. I would imagine they have to fight serious cravings to keep the weight off. OK back to the subject: weight loss shows. Why have these shows become such a phenomenon? I suppose it is just another topic that fascinates us in the long line of reality-based programming we all seem glued to. I suppose it does have something to do with the fact that we love to see other people in our same situation, we can relate. Some studies have shown that as many as 120 million Americans are overweight (maybe even more!). That's over 65 percent of Americans!!! And I think the rest of world is not far behind us! So I guess watching these fat shows seems very familiar to us. We like to see other people like us on TV. The one good thing going for these shows is that they are doing it through diet and exercise, showing us that it CAN be done without pills or surgery. That I like!

#13 – Dressing Rooms & the 360
Who doesn’t hate that dreaded 360 degree mirror??? UGH!! I think I'm so used to looking at myself from the front, you know, the full length mirror shot that when I get to the 360 it’s like wow…really I look like that? They have that oh so flattering fluorescent lighting that leaves nothing to the imagination to contend with, basically amplifying every single flaw times ten. I remember at one point of my life, I didn’t mind mirrors. In fact I couldn’t wait to get in front of the mirror to see how I looked and to show off my body in front of others! Boy has that changed! Now I have chosen to just shop online. At least I can try the clothes on in the comfort of my own home, and then just send them back if I don’t like them.

#14 – Bikinis
I was looking at my not so tight tummy (ok, let's be honest, my flabby tummy) and wondering if I will ever look good in a bikini. I've lost almost 40 pounds since I’ve had Stella, and I'm cursed with some loose skin. I think it's one thing to be a bit over weight and expect your skin to pop back into place, but when you've been overweight for a long period of time your skin stretches quite a bit to accommodate the fat. I'm probably being impatient, I know it might firm up a bit over time, but I worry that I'm stuck with it. I really do hope I can firm up my stomach over time. Because I know that I'll feel like a total success the day I can wear a bikini.Why do we hold the bikini on such a high pedestal? We are always talking about getting in shape for bikini season, or losing weight to someday fit into that elusive bikini. It seems that the bikini has become the socially accepted symbol for the pinnacle of health or thinness. I have had times in my life when I wore a bikini. I wasn't tiny skinny or anything. I really did love the way it made me feel, very pretty and sexy, so I guess I do understand all the hype. I guess the bikini is just another way of saying you are at a healthy weight for your body, cause you would only wear a bikini if you were comfortable wearing one, meaning most likely you are at a pretty healthy weight and have a relatively flat tummy (at least no rolls lol). Why do I have such a desire to wear a bikini? Is it one of those "I can't have it so I want it" kind of thing? If I was naturally thin, would I be wearing a bikini anyway?

#15 – Afraid to go to my high school reunion
I got an email not too long ago about planning for our 10 year reunion. I actually would love to go see people from high school, see what's become of everyone, but honestly I'm totally afraid. I still fear what those people think of me. Isn't that ridiculous? When I graduated high school I was about 130 pounds. Needless to say, I have gained a lot! I am really scared to let those people see me. You would think we'd out-grow all that silliness, but I guess not. I guess no matter what age we are we just want to fit in and be liked. You know, that is what really attracts us to people and makes us want to be friends with someone…. Confidence. It really can take you far. With a healthy dose of confidence we feel like we can accomplish ANYTHING! Low self-esteem probably made us use food as a tool to cope with life in the first place. The only way to get out of that vicious cycle of feeling bad and eating more is to reverse it - get confident. Don't feel confident? Fake it. I think if you tell yourself you are confident enough, the confidence will follow. Sometimes when I'm feeling really self-conscious, I just remind myself of something great I've done. That shuts my inner demons right up. The little voice that tells me "you suck" is replaced with the other voice that says "na uh, you rock!". We all need to give ourselves little pep talks now and again. I know I sure do!

Busy Week

Wow, last week was one busy week! Seems as though we had something going on every single night! This week is just about the same.....Hunter has her dance recital Saturday, so she will have her last lesson Tuesday, then dress rehearsal Thursday, recital Saturday. I still have to sew part of her costume, so I guess I better get that done soon or have gma do it =) I meet with Jodi tonight for weigh in #2. I'm really not sure I lost anything with it being such a busy week....who knows!

Here are a few pictures from this week...

Thought this was hilarious! AJ strapped in Baby with her

bottle and rattle =)

Here are the munchkins watching TV
Oh and our neighbor's are selling their house. So email
me if you have any questions or if you're interested!
lrobinson@rtccom.com
They are selling By Owner. They built the same time we
did, so it's practically brand new.
Hunter had opening day for Softball yesterday....
as you know it was nothing but rain. But they held the
activities in the school which was nice. And the rain held
off for a bit, so that they could all ride the fire truck!

Please check out my blog post below, keep Jocelyn in your prayers!

Prayer Request

I want to ask for prayers for this sweet
baby girl Jocelyn Shae! You can read about

Jocelyn's story on her website: Jocelyn's Journey

Jocelyn is a 7 month old cousin to my daughter Hunter.

Her mom Courtney is like a sister to me, being

that I've known her since she was 8 years old

and watched her grow up and into a wonderful

mother!

Jocelyn was born with Unilateral Open Lip Schizencephaly,

which means that she has an opening in her brain on

the left side. Schizencephaly is a very rare condition

that is categorized by slits in the brain. It can cause

blindness, motor delays, seizures, and many other things.

This past Friday, she had her first seizure. They took her
to the hospital and they ended up lifelining her to Riley's.

Her heart rate and BP were dropping.

They did surgery to relieve pressure on her brain and to

put a shunt in as well. The surgeries went GREAT! PTL!

Yesterday she got moved out of intensive care and into

a regular room. Thank God! Hopefully she'll be able to go

home in a couple days! Please keep her and the family in

your prayers! Jocelyn has a 2 year old brother Nicholas.

Here are a couple pictures of JoJo that I took for

her fundraisers...