Blueberry Ever After

I know I am several weeks behind on this Christmas post, and it is barely still January, but humor me! We spent Christmas out in Nevada with my parents and sister and even got to spend some time with my Aunt Chris and Uncle Claude too, who are wintering in AZ. We covered more ground than you'd expect in 7 days with a 7 month old, squeezing in a trip to Laughlin, NV and also a night in Lake Havasu, AZ where we got to see the original London bridge...who knew?

Luke did great on the flights out and back. We really are lucky to have such a mellow kid. The only time he got fussy was on the landings when his little ears hurt. But as soon as we gave him a bottle he settled right down. And the time change didn't throw him off too much in NV either. He let us sleep until almost 7am most mornings and the best part was the morning after we arrived home, when he slept until 9:30am. Score!

His Nana & Grandpa did a good job of spoiling him for Christmas but we did manage to fit everything in our cases to carry home. Luke's favorite toys so far have been a jack-in-the-box and spinning top, both of which he finds mesmerizing.

It is hard to believe his first Christmas is over and we have started a whole new year. 2009 was packed full of amazing surprises for us. It started out a little rocky but quickly turned into the best year of our lives. I look forward to seeing what 2010 brings for us!

The London Bridge, all decked out with holiday wreaths:

Luke was very serious that day, taking in all the sights:

Posing by the fountains:

Hey does this thing work?

Luke had lots of fun playing with Grandpa Tim:

And he loved hanging out with Great Aunt Chris:

As you can see, Uncle Claude was really impressed with all of us:

Grandpa, how does my hat look?

Jay was formally initiated into the family this year with an Inch-style stocking:

Of course, Luke had to have one too:

Waking up Aunt Becky Christmas morning:

The tree with a crapload of presents underneath!

Luke got lots of nice gifts that morning:

But of course, playing with the paper is always more fun!

Modeling his new outfit from Aunt Courtney:

We have adopted the English tradition of Christmas crackers, they are so much fun, especially after a few mimosas!

Forgive my sad interpretation of Ms. Jackson--Week 2 of Bikini Quest 2010 has been a huge success! I am down a total of 3.6 pounds this week. Woot! I am finally under the 20 pound mark that has been hanging over my head for the last several months and it feels great. Take that, baby weight! I feel empowered, in control of my body and I am even starting to notice small changes in my waistline...hopefully I am not being too optimistic but after this week's weigh-in I feel like I'll be able to finally meet my goal this spring.

A few things I have learned in the last two weeks:

• Apples really aren't that bad of a snack. (Even though chocolate would taste much better.)
• Salad is my friend. (Get in my belly!)
• Willpower is hard. (But doable.)

That's it for this week...hoping the trend continues!

A Bikini Quest 2010 update...

So far, so good! I am down 1 pound as of yesterday, which isn't a whole lot, but at least it is something. I kind of blew it at lunch yesterday when I went for the grilled cheese sandwich and soup combo. But it was chilly, I was starving and that just sounded like the perfect little lunch. Until I watched them put about 4 slices of cheese on my sandwich. I knew I was in trouble, but I couldn't cancel the order at that point. I decided to go with it and get back on track today, which I am succeeding at so far.

I just got back from a lovely 3 mile run and I have to say, my running life has significantly improved since I recently splurged on my replacement iPod. Allow me to pay a brief tribute to my new running companion:

Oh iPod, how I love thee...you came back into my life and have already shaved almost a full minute off my mile pace. Where would I be without you? Probably still running now...

So that is where I am at. Overall, feeling positive about the choices I made this week and hoping this time next week I will be able to post that I am down another pound. Until then, the quest continues!

I am working on catching up on holiday posts. Here is a quick preview of Luke's first Christmas. As you can see, he really loved tearing up all the paper more than seeing what was inside it!

Luke has recently been upgraded to a big boy tub and just discovered he can splash his hands and toys in the water, making bathtime his new favorite activity. Check it out in the video below.

Like most everyone in blogland, I have some goals for the new year. Some of them are big goals, including my enormous, priority critical goal to be hot again in 2010. Sure, it is all wintery now and I have been able to camouflage my extra fat layers under big bulky sweaters and hibernate in front of the fireplace so as not to be seen or photographed too much in my current enlarged-version-of-Heather state, but come springtime what will happen to me when it is all tank tops and shorts again? I can't stay hidden under sweaters forever, and especially not in NC. It is time to get down to business. Behold my shiny new half marathon training schedule!

Week of 1/9: 4 miles
Week of 1/16: 5 miles
Week of 1/23: 5 miles
Week of 1/30: 6 miles
Week of 2/6: 7 miles
Week of 2/13: Run for Water in Africa race (5K)
Week of 2/20: 8 miles
Week of 2/27: 9 miles
Week of 3/6: 10 miles
Week of 3/13: 11 miles
Week of 3/20: Race Day!

But wait, there's more! Along with my fabulous new training schedule and countless miles of running comes you guessed it, healthier eating habits. I will be eating a lot more salads and a lot less bread and processed foods. I will use my new camelback water bottle to ensure I am taking in the recommended amount of H2O daily. I am putting it all out here for you to read, so I can keep accountable for these goals. If I am going to complete Bikini Quest 2010, I will need your support! Please help me stay strong...that means no offering of baked goods when you see me in real life. I am on a mission people.

What are your goals this year?