Test your RESOLVE.

Every year I go on a sweet, treat, soda pop, sugary snack break for 1-2 months. I always invite friends, family and blog stalkers to join me. So here's your formal invite. Join me and see if you have the resolve to do it for two months. Last year Aaron lasted 3 days. He's going to try again this year. I don't do this necessarily to lose weight (especially not while I'm pregnant) but that is always a benefit and natural consequence. I figure I might as well reverse all the effects of the crap I eat during the holidays. 

Although I'm not Catholic, this is like my 'LENT'. I think they've got something there, those Catholics. From what I've researched, once a year they have lent. It lasts about a month and ends on Easter I believe. Anywho, they give up a vice for a month and some of them replace that vice with something good. Like, oh I don't know, going to church, reading your scriptures EVERY DAY, keeping the house clean, not raising your voice, writing in a journal, exercising, not watching t.v., whatever it may be. I've never replaced my sugar with anything good so maybe I'll try that this year. Perhaps I'll grow sprouts and eat them instead or read the BOM faithfully everyday or keep my voice down, I don't know yet. I've heard it takes 30 days to start a good habit, so by the end of 2 months it should be well established for sure.  

So if you're not a pansy then do this with me. It's really hard at first. It's amazing how addicted to sugar we all are and you will go through withdrawals in the beginning. But after it's over, the first time you drink some pop or have some sugar it will be so strong and way sugary. Our bodies don't need as much as we eat. I personally don't eat that many sweets and hardly ever drink soda pop but it's still a fun thing to do every year and I know it's beneficial as well so it's win-win. Test yourself and see if you can do this with me. I always lose 10 lbs when I do it, but like I said, being pregnant that's not my goal. In the next 2 months I'll have gained at least that much but my body and baby with thank me for giving up junk food for awhile. 

I'm starting this on February 1st and ending on on April 1st. Don't be a wuss and do it with me! :)

Makell turns 5 today!

My sweet Makell! You have been so fun to have in our family. This year has been especially fun because we've been able to watch you grow and learn. You've been going to The little Redd School House where you've been learning how to read. I've loved being a part of that and seeing the confidence on your face when you read to me. This is the year you learned how to kneeboard too. You flip the handle of the ski rope around and around as you go, it's your own little trick you made up. Makell is flitty and flighty, always dancing around, playing with sisters, friends or by herself. She's got quite an imagination when she plays and is constantly singing little songs she's made up. Makell is tedious and likes to get things just right, she doesn't ever hurry. Sometimes that tries my patience but I see how meticulous you are and love you for it too. You are always fun to be around, always giving hugs and kisses. You are very smart and it's been such a joy to watch you bloom this year. You are beautiful with your big brown eyes and your sweet models-would-die-for big lips. Happy birthday Makell, we love you and can't wait to see what you'll do during this new year!

Makell's 4th birthday.

The next 4 pictures are all in the same year. 2006. You were about 2 1/2 years old.

Daddy used to do your hair every sunday morning.

Flower girl at aunt Mandi's wedding.
In the playhouse Daddy built for you...that was too big to get out the driveway so we had to leave it Ogden. So sad. It was the cutest little house.
5 1/2 Months at Lake Powell. Getting in the spirit of the 4th of July. 
Makell on her blessing day. Olivia got a little overzealous on the kiss! Looks like CPR to me. :) She sure was in love with her little sister!

Our brand new little Makell...

21 weeks belly shots

I've never documented any of my pregnancies but I saw my sister-in-law Mandi do it and she inspired me. Now the world wide web can watch me grow and grow and grow.  Here I'm about 21 weeks along so, roughly halfway. This is nothing folks. As you will see my butt likes to play catch-up with my belly, and they both get very, uh voluptuous. Ha, ha, ha.  I think it's helps me to not fall over frontwards! :) Enjoy the freak show over the next 19 weeks...and then enjoy the transformation back to myself, assuming I've got the stamina to lose 35 lbs for the 5th time!

Jocelyn turns THREE!

Jocelyn had her 3rd birthday on Jan. 6th while we were in Las Vegas. I wanted to post a few other pictures of her as a baby. She has been so fun to have in our family. You'd think that when I saw that we had had another girl that I'd have been a little disappointed. It was the contrary. I was so thrilled to have another little bundle of pink in our home. I love my girls! Jocelyn is a good helper around the house. She loves dolls and puppies. All of her teachers have told us she's the best in her nursery class. She loves to be outside and wants to do everything her big sisters can do. She has been a typical two year old this past year. She has to do things her own way and loves to learn new things. She gets frustrated when she doesn't get what she wants or can't express herself. She is very funny and I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being a class-clown someday. We're so glad you came to us Joci. We love you more than we can even describe! 

Aaron came into the kitchen to find Joci and Macey making hot chocolate for the entire family. Aw, thanks girls!

This is Jocelyn on her second birthday.




Ice cream mustache. Thanks Daddy!


Our brand new little Jocelyn!


Happy 3rd Birthday Sweetheart! We love you!!!!!!!

Our spur of the moment trip to Las Vegas

We have a time share with Worldmark that lets us go pretty much anywhere. We love it because it allows us to go on spur of the moment trips like this for cheap. My parents and April and her family came with us. We had so much fun. It was still a little cold but anything beats Utah in January! We swam and hot-tubbed and went around Vegas and saw so many fun things. Aaron and I went to see Mystere at Treasure Island. It was one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen. We saw lions and tigers and statues that move, waterfalls, volcanoes, light shows, pyramids, castles, the eiffel tower...the list just goes on and on. It was funny to see people's looks when we showed up with 6 little girls and two pregnant women (April and I). I've never felt like we have a TON of kids until I was there. There was a child for each adult! The only down side was all the smut there too, although they have kept all the men handing out cards to one side of the strip so we just avoided them but we'd still see billboards and ads. Our girls would say, "That girl is dressed immodest." I'm sorry that they saw that stuff even though we avoided it as much as possible. It was a teaching time for us though and we took advantage of telling them how inappropriate it is and how sad Heavenly Father is to see his daughters dress like that. The trip was a great success and the girls are still talking about it!

At the Luxor.
Joci and Brooklyn and Hannah with the M&M.

New York, New York.
Excalibur or more commonly know as "The Princess Castle".
Joci turned 3 in Vegas and we let her believe the whole trip was all for her. :) I even made her a cake in the condo and she got a pretty Barbie that was a hit with her and her sisters and cousins.
We went to Circus Circus and saw fun Circus acts.
Here's Macey freezing in Las Vegas. We were walking outside a lot but luckily she was bundled up in the stroller. (Thanks again Ryan and Jess!)
This was outside at The Flamingo. There are really neat exotic birds there. The girls loved seeing them and chasing them. 
This guy was a cool street dancer/robot. He was so realistic. 
This was at the Bellagio. The music/water show is fantastic. This was one of our favorite things.
At the Silverton there is a huge fish tank and once in a while the mermaids come to feed the fish and visit with the kids. As you can see all the girls loved them. Olivia asked if mermaids were real and we told her they weren't. She was devastated. That would be my dream job, seriously, I love being in water.