I wish I could have just one more baby...

Just one more baby, one more pregnancy, so I could have one of these....

The Placenta Teddy Bear

What's more cuddly than a placenta? Not only must you cut, cure and emulsify the organ, you have to actually sew it into the teddy bear using this kit.

Raise your hand if you threw up in your mouth a little, as I just did.

Here's a link to the rest of some out-of-the-ordinary baby/parenting products...have a giggle! And I must confess to owning one of these, but I'll let you guess which one.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/a-crystal-pacifier-22-ridiculous-parenting-products-2071432/#photoViewer=7

Day 90 Pics on about Day 120

I had every good intention of posting all 30, 60, and 90 day P90X picture results because it really annoyed me when I went searching for Before/After pics for the program and everyone slacked off on their progress pics! So, although not at all pretty and totally late, here are a few of the highlights.

We both definitely grew in strength, stamina, and flexibility. During the first week, Yoga and Plyometrics (cardio) were pretty intense, but somewhere along the middle, they become one of our favorites (except Chris didn't love the yoga, but he was waaay more flexible than at the beginning).

The most obvious improvements for us came in the way of pull-ups. Pull-ups are part of three different workouts during the week (Back & Biceps, Legs & Back, and Chest & Back). For example, in Legs and Back, you alternate leg exercises with four different types of pull-ups (two rounds of each). During week one, I did 4 total pull-ups (2 Reverse Grip Chin-ups and 1 + 1 Closed Grip Overhand Pull-up). I could not do any Wide-front pull-ups or Switch Grip Pull-ups without pushing up on a chair. In the same way, Chris was able to do 8 total pull-ups during week one (also a combination of 4 different pull-ups, two rounds each).

During week 12, our last week of training, I was able to do 52 unassisted pull-ups in a one-hour workout and Chris was able to do 51. From FOUR to FIFTY-TWO and from EIGHT to FIFTY-ONE. That's some proof that we both DID get so much stronger!

We finished up about a month ago, but when we ended, we had no definite plan of what we wanted to do next...Continue with the same program? Try something a little different (I really want to try Insanity; Chris does not)? Order some of (cute) Tony Horton's One-on-One workouts? We couldn't decide or come to an agreement, so we're big slackers again. I have big plans for next week, after I can bend my elbow again...I'm totally back on the workout bus, for sure!!!!

All in all, P90X is an EXCELLENT program. It seemed intimidating at first, but I am convinced anyone can do it. Tony Horton keeps it fun and challenging, and the workouts are interesting and diverse. Chris has become the unofficial spokesperson for the program at work and has handed out his DVD's a few times for pilots to try on their overnights. I'm so proud of him and how far he's come!!

CHRIS, DAY 90

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Day 1, Day 30

Day 90

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Day 1, Day 30


Day 90

MICHELLE
Day 1, Day 30

Day 90
How's them abs for a mom of three?! Best part of doing P90X!

And as for that Man-Back.........

I was SO self-conscious of my gargantuan back, so I had Chris take a pic of me in regular clothes flexed....

...and then "normal"....ahhhh...My muscles don't bulge when I'm just being regular :) :)

So there you have it. If you've ever watched the infomercial and thought you might be interested in trying it, DO IT. Just give it a try. Chris and I both think it's well-worth the effort and beats a gym membership any day of the week, for sure!!!

Little Fish

He's got it this summer!

Klutz

What a week...

They don't call me "Smooth" for noth--
Oh wait, they really don't call me "Smooth"...

Knee
Already mostly healed, although the babies LOVE seeking it out and pushing it to get a reaction out of me. It feels fine unless baby fingers are poking it.

Back-side
I think this one still has some color to make known over the next few days. I'm sitting on the couch VERY sore.

Elbow
I almost passed out. Twice. Not exactly a moment of dignity.

And because my elbow keeps wanting to gush every time I bend it, Mr. Sad will be accompanying me through the night.

The bright side is that instead of picking up the house, I've got my boo-boo body plopped down on the couch to indulge in the series finale of The Hills. I can admit to that because with all these ouchies on my adult body, I don't have much dignity left to grasp at tonight.

Goggles

She felt cool in them until we laughed and called her nerdy

This is how we roll

I used to despise the "big" carts and pretty much wrote them off...they are always so gross and sticky and germy....NO THANKS!

But I've changed my tune...the big carts are the BEST! I can't believe how happy my kids are to sit in the car cart, and happy kids means more chill shopping. AND, I no longer have to push the double stroller while pulling the shopping cart behind me. Yay!



And there's nothing 5 or 6 Anti-bacterial Wet One's can't take care of....

So much for camping....

We got rained out of our camping trip AGAIN this week! That's twice this week....but a little rain didn't steal our fun!

Back inside, all dried off and watching a movie

The girls looking longingly at the boys' popcorn...ha,ha!

The Yellow Dresses

My sweet Babunya ("Grandmother" in Russian) was supposed to make a trip out here with my mom a few weeks ago. For the first time since our family started flying stand-by, they couldn't get a flight out of LA, despite hanging out at the airport all day, running from gate to gate, trying to get an available seat. What a sad day! Bunya had treats for us all (tea for me, JellyBellies for Chris, a Transformer for Ethan, and dresses for the girls). We received them a couple weeks ago by mail, and I want her to see how darling Audrey and Norah are in the little dresses she picked for them:

Super Mario Beatbox

In honor of the many hours of Super Mario Bros. Wii played in our home, I present to you this Japanese guy's Awesomeness:


And because Chris says beatboxing is the coolest party trick ever, he is going to invest in some Beatboxing for Dummies tutorials. He totally has the lips for it. Great for kissing, too ;) We'll throw a party for everyone to check out his skillz after he's practiced for awhile, but I'm the only one who gets to kiss him!

Happy Fourth of July!

So far...what a FUN 4th!!! Ethan had a buddy spend the night last night and they stayed up laaaaaate giggling in their room, so I thought for sure today's plans would be a bust. I was wrong!

The boys were up and ready by 9:00 this morning, but then Thatcher had to leave before 11:00. We usually attend our local Fourth of July celebration in the evening, but to fill in the day and to keep Ethan busy, I decided to go during the afternoon this year.

We were out the door by noon and I was so surprised at the low crowds at the city celebration. In years past, we have parked far away in a field and fought crowds to get through booths. This year, we parked up close in the parking lot and spent all day talking to different families, visiting booths, and playing in the KidZone with bounce houses and water slides. Today is overcast and cool, so the weather was PERFECT! No crowds, lots of free samples, free watermelon, pickles, water, plus a few other treats. I only expected to be out for about two hours, then home to put the babies down for a nap, but with the ideal conditions and happy kids, we ended up staying until 4:00.

We've just gotten home and the girls are down for naps. I'm trying to decide if it will be worth it to get everyone fed and bathed and head back out for the fireworks show at 9:15 tonight. I'm not sure I'm up to braving it alone, but we're hoping to meet our friends up there, too...so I'm up in the air...

A nice guy took a couple pictures of us on the bounce house and emailed them to Chris for me: