Busy Summer

We have stayed super busy this summer.  Between the pool, the backyard, movies, friends, Birmingham visits, Muscle Shoals visits, and VBS we have hardly had any downtime!  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Ice cream pit stop at Bass Pro Shop on our way to Muscle Shoals.

Livee always has to have chocolate!

Yogurt during our Muscle Shoals visit.

Carley Grace and Livee at Carson's baseball game during a May visit to Muscle Shoals to celebrate mine and Carson's birthdays.

We visited the Hoover Public Library in June for the Roger Day concert.  Our friend Katie came with us!

This is our friend Sam.  We watch Roger Day with him every year!

My parents came over in June and we went to Senoia to see the Southern Living Idea House.  Of course the kids had to have an ice cream cone since it was a little hot that day!  Senoia is where they are currently filming "The Walking Dead" and where they have also filmed numerous other TV shows and movies.  It is a quaint town with lots of neat stores and places to eat. 

When my parents left our house in June, they took Hayden with them to stay for a whole week!  We met up with them the next Friday in Birmingham to pick him up.  We ate lunch downtown and visited the McWane Center.

Livee loved playing on the Dora exhibit!

Livee and Dora and Boots

Hayden is a lot like Boots-they are both big monkeys!

She was in heaven!

Hayden got to slide down to the second floor.

It's a twister!  This is the tornado machine.

Checking out the fish at McWane.

Back track!

I need to get caught up on everything, so I will break it down into several different posts.  First off are Hayden and Livee's end of the year programs from way back in May!

Livee doing the "Washing Machine" with all of the other 2 year olds.  She loves performing!

Mr. GQ and Livee after her program.

Hayden got to ask everyone to silence their cell phones at his program.

Hayden with 2 of his friends.  The little girl in the middle is his girlfriend.

Hayden with his teacher. 

Hayden's last day of Kindergarten!

2 Pounds down, How many more to go?

That's right.  Since stopping my sugar intake on Monday, I have already lost 2 pounds.  I'm not really sure how much more I want to lose, but "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels."  I haven't really felt like I've missed out on that much when I've done this in the past.  I hope to make this a more permanent change for the future.  I just make the decisions each day as to what I will eat and try not to get all bent out of shape if I mess up.  

The truth is that I feel better when I don't eat sugar. 

I can still have fruit, but I will more than likely limit myself to once per day.  As for refined sugar, I don't know if I'll ever go back.  I didn't drink sodas that much anyway and if we have tea, it is unsweet.  My main problem was closet eating at night.  After everyone was in the bed, I would eat cookies or ice cream or whatever dessert we had at the house.  Even though I knew better, I was really thinking that if no one saw it, it didn't happen.  Then I started indulging mid-morning.  I eat an egg every morning for protein and since I was doing that I felt like it was okay to have a mini-scone with my Starbucks after I dropped Livee off at school.  After a while, it was adding up to be more sugar intake than I realized.  Before May, I was also attending Zumba classes two to three times a week so I felt entitled to have sweets every day if I wanted.  Sugar is like a drug to me.  Once I have a taste of it, I crave it and feel like I can't live without it.  It takes a couple of weeks, but after that I don't miss that sweet taste any more.  I started at 126ish.  My weight goal for now is 118.  My current weight is 124 - my pre (Livee)-pregnancy weight.  I'm not sure that I can make 118, but I can try to get there!  In all honesty, I will be happy if I can get to 120.  

My challenge for you is this:  add up your sugar intake for one day.

I think you will be shocked at the amount.  

Our bodies are designed to handle only teaspoons of sugar a day, not cups.  The AHA recommends 4 to 6 TEASPOONS per day for women.  Once soda contains 8.    Check out www.sarahwilson.com.au.  She has lots of great information!  

Hope everyone had a happy Cinco de Mayo!  

A new day is coming in the LaVecchia household. 

Easter baskets!  Loads of goodies for this sweet boy a girl - including a Magic Slushie,  and megazord sword, and princess everything!

This girl is a choco-holic.

Hayden moved to orange belt in karate.  We are so proud!