Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time, Aaron was looking for a way to make some extra money.
He searched for random contests online.
He found a contest where you had to create something out of Gorilla Glue.
I said it was fake and gave him a hard time, naturally.
He made this floating bookcase:
I was a little frustrated that he bought the Gorilla Glue because it was something we wouldn't normally buy and it was almost 7 dollars!
Aaron got a check in the mail today
It was written in the amount of $500! Aaron got runner-up in the contest.
I will not be so skeptical in the future when Aaron has one of these crazy ideas.

Moral of the story- God provides for us in some very creative ways.

Azaylee's New Toy

We went to the Davis Lake Yardsale this weekend and found our little lady a new toy (just what she needs ;). It was a good deal and she is thoroughly enjoying it! I love that she 1 now. This age is so fun. She has been walking 10-15 steps all around the house, just hasn't quite "taken off" yet. Here are some pics of her with our yard sale find.

Hodges Dairy Farm

Today we brought Azaylee pumpkin picking for the first time. All of the Forsyth family minus Drew and Ason were able to go. It was lots of fun. Here are some pictures from our outing. :)

May Secret :)

Zucchini #1!

We had our first zucchini "pop up" today! We kill every plant, flower etc that comes our way, so we have been so excited about our little squash and zucchini plants. They come up so quickly. It's fun to peek out there everyday and see how they look. Hope it tastes yummy.

I don't really like my hair right now....it is too short and the color is brassy...I could go on and on and on. So I have been pinning it up almost everyday (like pic above) to make it more bearable in the growing out process. I never really wear my hair up, even when it's long and I have gotten so many compliments on my hair like this. Pretty funny since I think it looks horrible. I am glad I have about a million bobby pins from beauty school to be able to put it up like this til' it grows back out. ;)

1st blueberry muffin and 1st word- 2 major events :)

Last night was the 1st softball game of the year. Crossway won 17-12(quite shocking!). All day I was telling Azaylee "we are going to Dada's game tonight", "Dada's going to play softball tonight" At the game I said "Look, it's Dada", "Dada's going up to bat" etc. So later in the evening she started saying "Dada" and pointing to Aaron. This morning to see if it was just a fluke I pulled up pics of Aaron on the computer and she started saying "Dada, Dada" and pointing, smiling. Very cute! I think Aaron loves it :).

This morning for breakfast Azaylee had her first Blueberry muffin. She gobbled it down. I took some pics with the computer.

Popsicle!

After seeing Azaylee's friend, Damari with his popsicle the other day, I just had to make some for Zay! Good idea Brooke :). I took the pics on photobooth so they are not the greatest but I thought some of you would enjoy seeing the squirt. She loved the popsicles, but even more she loved the popsicle holders. ;) What a funny girl.

halfway there?? ;)

I have been blowing up this pool by mouth for 2 1/2 hours....At this rate, I will finish at bedtime tonight, possibly.

Zay Update

Here are some recent pics that others have taken of our girl. As you can tell, she is very happy baby. She is always smiling and laughing. She is a social butterfly and loves to "talk" She is crawling everywhere, getting into everything, and exploring everything she can. She is going through a stage where she cries every time I leave the room or walk out of her sight. She loves to eat yogurt and cheese and the only food she hasn't liked is carrots. She is pulling up and trying to cruise around the coffee table and couches. Azaylee loves music and veggietales clips on youtube :). Zay is 8 months old now. She is so much fun!

To be a good blogger I need this....

I have no camera whatsoever in my life right now. It is very sad. It has brought me to tears a few times, considering I take zero pics of my child who is growing like a weed. SO, you get no blog posts because without pics, blogs are pretty boring. Enough self pity, maybe I should return that beautiful necklace and get this camera ;).

My Beautiful Anniversary gift!

Aaron bought me this for our 4 year anniversary! Very shocking, considering there was no coupon or catch involved :). We went and picked this up and went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I can't believe it's been 4 years. Guess time flies when your havin' fun. Love you Babe!

DC

About a month ago, we headed to VA with Aaron's parents, Audrey, Kyle, and Leighra. We stayed in a cabin in Spotsylvania. Azaylee went swimming for the first time and pretty much hated it :(. Hopefully as she gets more used to it, it will become fun. I just thought that since she loves baths, pool would definitely be fun. We also went to visit the Campbells. It was so nice to catch up with them. We spent two fun days in DC. On the way home we went to visit Aaron's Aunt and Uncle in Lynchburg. We had a great time! Here are some pics-

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE.

I have alot to blog about, but we will start with this topic since this is where I left off. I have lost 12 lbs total now. It has involved hard work and some major changes in my life. I am no longer counting points because I was just gaining and losing the same 6 lbs over and over! Now I have cut out additives, preservatives and most things with food coloring. I have felt so much better! I haven't had any soda or junk food. This means lots of trips to Trader Joe's and cooking lots of foods from scratch. When you actually start looking at the labels it is amazing what is in the everyday foods you eat. I haven't had nearly as many headaches and I have had alot of energy. I have been walking on the Greenway, jogging in our neighborhood, and doing the Shred. It is nice to have some variation in work outs and the weather has been beautiful to get outside in! SO 12 lbs down, 38 to go!!

Goal Update

So I am on week 2 of my goal of losing weight and eating healthy. I have lost 6 lbs (which is a pretty good start). 44 to go! I haven't weighed in this week, but I will try to tomorrow. I haven't worked out much this week bc both Zay and I have had a cold. Also, my grandma baked me a strawberry cake with strawberry icing (MY FAVE) and I do confess to having a couple pieces....BUT now I am back on track. :) I have learned a couple things about myself this week. I eat sometimes when I am upset or avoiding something overwhelming. (like 5 loads of laundry) I never realized I did this, so I am going to pay more attention. I seem to be quite the sweet tea addict. I have missed it and thought longingly of sweet tea at least a few times a day. BTW, tea with splenda is just not the same so don't even suggest it! ;) I also expect to have something sweet every night after dinner. I don't know when this happened but I am trying to change my mindset. I don't NEED sweets. I did make some whole wheat chocolate chip cookies the other night. They were 110 calories each, which is much better than your avg cookie plus they were delicious. My husband has been very helpful; not complaining about the lack of sweet tea or soda and downed 4 choc chip cookies right away( he said that was how many it took to begin forgetting they were wheat). He even memorized every word to the "30 day shred" and says what Jillian is gonna say before it comes out of her mouth, which is oh so helpful. (not!) Thanks for all of ya'll's help and advice!

3o day shred and yummy pitas

I am on day four of the 30 day shred. It is getting easier each day. I am still sore and feel challenged by the workout. I am eating healthier and haven't felt like I've missed out on much. Yesterday, we had pita burgers. I made the whole wheat pita pockets in my bread machine and they were delicious! I have become quite the bread machine fanatic. I really don't know how I survived so long without one ;). Anyway, they must've looked pretty good because Aaron actually ate one. (And only 1 point according to weight watchers!) Here's a pic below.

4 months old- No pics yet

Yesterday Azaylee had her 4 month appointment. She was 13lbs 15 oz( 75th) 24 1/4 inches(75th) and her head was 16 1/2(50th). Seems she has slimmed down alot from her 90th percentile weights! The new pediatrician said she was doing great and that she was a good size for her age. She did great with her shots. She didn't cry at all until the 2nd one and that lasted only a minute. I really liked the new pediatrician's office and felt comfortable there. I hope this is a better experience! Azaylee kept smiling at the doctor everytime he talked to her. At the other office she cried most of the time. I don't know what the difference was but she was happy to be there.

4 month facts:
* Azaylee no longer takes the soothie! After all that attachment she decided to be done with it and now just sucks on two fingers.
* She rolls both ways and if I leave the room for only a moment she is laying on the cold hard tile off of her rug and blanket, but she doesnt seem to care.
* She is loving rice cereal and seems really excited when I get it out for her to eat each day.
* Azaylee likes to play in the exersaucer. Sometimes when I take her out when she isn't ready to get out she will start crying.
* She is still miss independent, and doesnt like sleeping on us. If we lay her in her crib she normally falls asleep within a few whimpers.
* She is not a very talkative baby. She prefers to just listen and watch everyone else talk.
* She has a few fave toys that she really enjoys and gets excited about. (one is that bumblebee frog you got her, russ and em! Thanks)
* She still loves baths and sometimes squeals when I turn the water on for her bath.
* She loves to swing outside and ride in the stroller for walks. If only it were warmer outside!
* She always wakes up smiling!
* She has slept 12 hours straight everyday this week!

Goal- Plan

Thank you for all the comments and emails! I appreciate all the advice/sympathy ;). My current plan is to do the "30 Day Shred". I started yesterday and boy am I sore! Day 2 of level one was much easier! It is only 20 minutes, so I can do that easily during naptime. I read lots of reviews and it seemed like a good way to start. I am also counting Weight Watchers points without actually going to meetings. I think this will help me get back on track with portion control and make me aware of everything I eat each day. So far, since my last post I have done pretty well. I will keep ya posted on any results that seem to come about from this plan.

Goal

I would like to lose weight.... like 50 lbs....I know, I know that's a lot and is pretty unrealistic. But I have to. I can't continue to gain weight or stay at my current weight. None of my clothes fit. Here's the problem, I love to workout. I went to the gym several times a week before Azaylee was born for dance and yoga classes. Why is that a problem you might ask? Because even if I work out 7 days a week, I never seem to lose weight. I have lost weight once in my life. It was when I was doing weight watchers and running on a treadmill hardcore. I can't afford Weight Watchers...AND I have no idea when to go the gym now that Azaylee's around. When she first came home from the hospital I was going to the gym after her 4AM feeding, but that was SO exhausting. I am also a fairly healthy eater. Sweet tea is probably my main problem. I am considering using my Christmas money to purchase Wii fit, Wii Biggest Loser game, the 30 day shred, pay for some weeks of Weight Watchers or anything else that would work. Why should you care? Because maybe something has worked for you. Maybe you know the secrets? Or maybe if I post this on my blog I will magically lose weight? :) I don't know. It's worth a try. Any suggestions?

My dear husband said to eat lots of sour patch kids. Oh and don't forget the Coke and nutty bars. So N-O-T Fair!

What a day.........so far......

I was really looking forward to Azaylee's 4 month appointment at the pediatrician this morning. We haven't been since the 2 month mark and I am really ready to know her weight, height and all that good stuff. Somehow I managed to get the first appointment of the day at 8:30. I got there at 8:20 and the door wasn't unlocked yet, so I waited with Azaylee for about 25 minutes until the door finally opened at 8:45. This wasn't a huge deal, plus they did apologize for running behind. After that I went up to the desk to sign in and they said I had to wait and they would call me up when they were ready. I watched a couple of people go up and pay their co-pays and one lady who's daughter appt was at 8:35 came and went. I was getting a little frustrated and Azaylee was also. (I had given her Tylenol right before we left home since she was getting shots.) Finally, I went up to the desk again around 9:15 and was told I couldn't be seen because I had an outstanding balance. I knew that our insurance was trying to charge us for two visits in September while Azaylee was still being covered by me, but assumed if I paid my copay and we got down to the bottom of this after talking with the pediatrician after my visit today that things would be fine. Besides, we don't actually owe the amount they are trying to charge us for. The guy at the front desk called Blue Cross and Blue Shield per my request and decided that if I paid the copay they would let me be seen as long as I fixed the balance within the week. At this point Azaylee was crying and I was having trouble even hearing over her. So I paid the copay and got ready to go back. After 5 more minutes the guy at the front desk called me back up and said they had changed their minds and Azaylee couldn't be seen. SO.....after 1 and 1/2 hours of sitting in that place, we couldn't be seen? And when you called to confirm my appointment why didn't you tell me? I am normally pretty even tempered, but at this point I was mad. Mad that my child had Tylenol for no reason. Mad about getting Zay out in the cold and making her sit in a flu-ridden waiting room for nothing, and mad that after all this they had already taken my copay and said they couldn't refund it then, but had to apply it to the account instead. I finally walked out, with no apology, an upset baby, and with tears welling up in my eyes. I cried all the way home. I just kept praying to have a good attitude and that this would be a lesson in patience and self control. Aaron called this afternoon and took care of everything, is going back to get our money back, and straightened things out with BCBS. Praise God for a wonderful husband!

On a more positive note, after Azaylee got up from her Tylenol induced nap we tried some rice cereal! She has been grabbing food off my plate lately, trying to stick my fork in her mouth and opening her mouth in a chewing movement while watching us eat, so I figured it wouldn't hurt even though she just turned 4 months yesterday. She loved it. She kept using her fingers to shove more and more into her mouth. It was so funny to watch. She licked the spoon then her fingers and then opened her mouth for more. I was really thinking, "has someone secretly been giving her food? She acts like she's a pro at this." Here are some pics. They are a little blurry, because they are from my video camera.

National "de-lurking" Week

Supposedly it is national de-lurking week, which sounds just plain weird to me. BUT, I want to know if you lurk around here and read my blog. So leave me a comment if you do. I don't really see a point in continuing if I'm the only one that looks at it. (Besides, I know I don't post that often post-Zaylee =)

My sister made this video of Azaylee :)

"McBailey's" gettin' big!