New Landscaping!

~Throwback Thursday - November 2011~

When we first bought our house (3 1/2 years ago!) our front yard left a lot to be desired... and we actually haven't changed too much about it. Landscaping and upping the curb appeal was always low on the totem pole of things to be done. Other then cleaning up the flower bed to the right, everything has pretty much stayed the same. But you guys - this spring/summer is finally the year for making some big changes to the front of the house.

The first to go? The big, ugly, overgrown, boxwood shrubs under the windows!

Digging the stumps out was 100,000x harder than we anticipated. We had to dig and pull and saw and shake those babies to get them to reluctantly let go of the earth! It was ridiculous. I tried to talk Mark in to renting a backhoe to dig them out but He didn't think it was necessary. So with blood, sweat and tears (just kidding, but I did kind of want to cry at one point) we finally got them out!

After the roots were out, it was smooth sailing! We tilled up the ground a bit, shaped a new bed design, filled it in with some new soil and planted some new (much smaller and prettier) foliage!

We want to plant a pretty bush (maybe an Azalea?) between the two windows to give a little height dimension back to the area. Also, do you see the enormous Arbor Vitae at the corner? If you look back at the first picture you can see this thing has grown a couple of feet since we've moved in! We want to have that removed as well. But... we're going to need a professional for that job, and we'll probably have that done in the fall. Once that comes out, I want to wrap the flower bed around the corner and down the side of the house, and then plant a pretty flowering tree for Reaghan's first birthday. ( A Dogwood maybe?)

It might not look like much, but I'm just so thrilled to be able to see the brick under the windows! I feel like it adds new life to the house. 

I'll be sure to take another picture when the plants have grown a bit. :)

Next up on the curb appeal project - painting the shutters, front door, porch railing and all of the trim! 

Salty Air

We had our first beach day of 2015 today and of course this was Reaghan's first beach day ever in her life! And she loved it.

Okay, maybe love is too strong of a word since she can't really appreciate playing in the sand and water just yet. But she certainly didn't mind the sand on her toes when I put her feet down in it. :)

I was definitely paranoid about keeping sun screen on her! I cringed at the thought of introducing any damage to her silky smooth white skin!

Despite her best efforts to remove her floppy hat, my resolve was stronger and the hat stayed on about 90% of the time that we were down there. :)

First time using our new shelter umbrella! I only used it for her nap though because it really wasn't hot down there and when the clouds covered the sun it actually got a little chilly. 

Hence the towel covering her ;)

She's so sweet.

Meanwhile my brother kept a close eye on the navy jet planes that were putting on quite 

the show for us. #welovejetnoise #thesoundsoffreedom #navytown ; )

We are also enjoying a visit from my mom's mom, who isn't a real big fan of the beach but loves us so much that she came with us today! My mom, on the other hand, sees the beach as an absolute necessity and is looking forward to passing on her love to a future generation of beach babes.

Monday Workout {3}

Seriously, I can't get enough Mondays around here.

The day just goes so smoothly. We stay on a nice schedule; Reaghan gets to take great naps in her crib, I get a run in, I get dinner planned/prepped, and various household tasks done. I think I love it because it is our day to just be home. (minus the 3pm-7pm that I'm at work). Almost every other day of the week I end up taking Reaghan some where, and its so nice to have the freedom to go and do, but it's also so nice to just be home!

I did a 2 mile interval run again today. I started my run a little late so cut a mile out of it and didn't do any additional core work or anything so I could get home and shower before Reaghan got up from her nap. I'm totally in to these speed work runs I've been doing! I come home super out of breath and sweaty and its awesome!

I've made a new goal for myself to lose 10 pounds by the June 19th. I'm in my cousin Emma's wedding and would love to be a couple of inches thinner! So I got this app called my fitness pal...

You can set goals for yourself and then track your calories, water in take, and log your workouts. I'm really using it to track my calories. It's amazing how much I'll want to eat without realizing it or taking into account how many calories I consume by snacking here and there or sipping on sugary drinks. It's definitely helping me be more mindful. The tricky thing is not cutting calories so much that I affect my milk supply, so I'm definitely still eating! Recording what I eat also helps me choose healthier foods, because seeing a list of processed, sugary carbs on my "snack" category makes me feel pretty crappy about myself! haha. 

Anyways, I'm down 1 pound, so here's to continuing my never ending journey of trying to get "in shape"! 

See Reaghan Grow! {7 Months}

The 17th of this month came and went and with it, another month of growing and reaching milestones for Reaghan! Here is what she's been up to since our last update!

• No drs. appointment this month, in fact we don't have to go back until her 9 month appointment, but I stepped on the scale with her and she weighs around 16.5 pounds.
• She is wearing anything from 6-9 months clothes but 9 months are still a bit big on her. She fits nicely into size 3 diapers.
• She sleeps through the night for the most part! She goes down between 8:30-9 every night and will usually wake up around 7:30. Every once in a while she'll wake up in the middle of the night and needs help getting back to sleep. I try to get her to fall back asleep without feeding because I know she can sleep a good 10 hours without eating. But if sleep just isn't happening after about an hour of going in and out patting her back than I'll go ahead and feed her. 
• She usually takes 2 naps a day: 1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon. Depending on how early our day starts, she might squeeze in a 20-30 minute cat nap in the evenings.
• She is very vocal! She has started babbling sounds like mama, dada, yaya and baba. "baba" was first followed by "mama" and "dada" is a more recent sound. She also loves to squeal and grunt!
• She's started to use her own fingers to make sounds with her mouth. She'll open and close her fists so her fingers pluck at her bottom lip! Its ridiculously adorable.
• She started army crawling and can go forward and turn herself around! We were so excited when all of a sudden one night (4/7) she just started scooting forward! I have to keep a close eye on her now and can no longer sit her on my bed while getting ready in the morning. Our whole routine is starting to change! 
• Reaghan participated in her first race on the 11th. We tested out our BoB stroller and Mark and I ran a 5k with her along with Ann, Jason and Brooklyn.
• She eats solid foods 1-2 times a day; every night for dinner and I'm starting to include breakfast. Surprisingly she likes veggies more than fruits! Sweet potatoes and Squash seem to be her favorite. I did let her gnaw on a pear I was eating the other day though, and she loved it.
• We celebrated her first Easter with her and enjoyed worshipping with her at Church, dressing her up in a pretty dress and taking pictures with her Easter basket. 
• Her hair is growing in nice and fuzzy. She looks like a little fuzzy chick.  
• She met her Great Grandma for the first time! We are so excited that we're getting to spend a little time with her before she heads back to Ohio.

She is always looking for something to do with her hands!

It is getting harder and harder to take her monthly pictures! Today she was interested in just about everything except for looking at me and smiling.

She obviously has way more important things to do than pose for a picture... 

like eating her blanket for instance. ;)

I finally got her to look right at me and of course it turned out blurry! But her little pose is so cute I had to share it. 

Mom, may I please get down and play with my toys now???

I said no. So this is what happened. Which meant she did in fact get to get down and play with her toys because she was over sitting still. 

 I couldn't blame her! Her brain and body seem to be on super development mode these last few weeks! Keep growing baby girl. We are so blessed that you are healthy in mind and body. 

:::Behind the Scenes:::

No pictures mama! I just want to roll around!

(Still not rolling from back to belly on her own though. She can do it with a little help!)

Piper tried to help me out again this month, 

but all she succeeded in doing was wrinkling up the blanket ; )

Wednesday Morning

As great as Monday morning was, Wednesday is starting off the exact opposite. I woke up with the cold that Marks been fighting the last couple of days and I'm feeling pretty tired and yucky. 

So I brought some toys to my bed and my sweet little girl was content enough to entertain herself with her toys while I laid beside her. 

And since we're still in bed and it's time for her morning nap, I think I'll just take one with her. 

I hope your Wednesday finds you healthier than I am! 

Monday Workout! {2}

I don't know whats happening over here, but Mondays are starting to become a favorite day of mine. I  know what you're thinking... Really?! Who actually likes Mondays?! I'm with ya. I never really have. But last Monday and today were such fantastic starts to my week, so if next Monday follows suit, well, happy Mondays may just become a trend here at the Poindexters!

I've already told you that Mark works from home on Mondays, so that is a nice plus. In some ways it feels like the weekend is extended just a bit. But instead of treating it like another lazy day I've started to take advantage of the fact that he's home and get in some runs! Running, or working out in general, really lifts the day and sets me on the path to being motivated and productive!

After I put Reaghan down for her morning nap, Piper and I headed out the door! We ran 3 miles this morning and did another interval run. Interval runs are super tough for me, mostly because I rarely do them. I'm trying to incorporate them into my running routines a bit more since I'm not really doing long distances right now and its a faster way to burn fat and calories!

My 3 mile run looked pretty much like this: 5 minute light jog warm up and then alternating between 1 minute at a 5k pace and then 3 minutes at a 10k pace. I'm not a fast runner so right now my 5k pace is about 8:45-9:00 minute miles and 10k pace is about a 9:30-9:45 minute miles. Hopefully doing more interval runs will help speed up that time! My total time for todays run was 3.00 miles in 28ish minutes. Not bad. The quote below is one of my favorite motivational mantra's to repeat to myself when I'm out running! It's especially needed when I'm trying to do speed work because MAN! I get tired before I'm even halfway done.

After the run I came in and did some core work:

I had also planned on repeating last weeks trend of making a smoothie to take to work with me... but I ran out of time...

Work.

Ugh.

The only draw back to my Mondays.

Ministry Meal: Chicken Taco Dinner!

The women of our church are fantastic about setting up meal trains for members that are sick or for new mommy's. Mark and I were blessed with meals for a little over a week after Reaghan was born and it was so nice not to have to worry about what to make for dinner during that time. I love being a part of taking meals to others too because it is such a tangible way to reach out and say "Hey, I care about you, I'm here for you, and I'm praying for you." You know? 

One of the favorite meals Mark and I got from a family from our church was Chicken Tacos, so when the time came the other day for me to sign up and take a meal to another new mommy, (and no one had already put down that they were bringing tacos!) I decided to take a few pages from said family's book and bring them this yummy meal!

So what makes this such a great dinner?

I think my favorite thing about this meal is that it is all broken down into little components that gives the receiver of the meal the freedom to assemble it just how they like their tacos to be made.

What did we include in the dinner? 

• Shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning. (I just cook mine in the crockpot - 4 chicken breasts, 1 can of chicken broth and 1 packet of taco seasoning on low for 4-6 hours!) The chicken keeps so well in the fridge and tastes just as good heated up! Which is great if you have to drop off dinner before its actually dinner time and also for any left overs!
• Soft Tortillas 
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Shredded Lettuce
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Avocados
• Tortilla Chips 
• Salsa
• Taco Sauce
• Homemade Chocolate Chip cookies for dessert
• Simply lemonade - because you need a refreshing beverage to go along with tacos!

The family receiving the meal can use all of it on their tacos, or if they're like my husband, just the meat and cheese! And if they don't want to use it on the tacos, or if there are left overs, the toppings can be used on other dinners. (Like tomatoes on a salad or sour cream on baked potatoes!)

All of this fit nicely in a reusable grocery bag (that I got from a birth expo, ha!) and I make sure the bag is one that I won't mind never seeing again!

Some other things I've learned from receiving meals and taking meals to others:

• Put everything in disposable or plastic containers that you don't expect to get back.
• Make sure to add sides - pasta dish? Be sure to bring rolls and butter or salad. Chicken dish? Bring veggies. Taco dinner? Chips and Salsa or guacamole! :)
• Add special touches - something for dessert, drinks for dinner, or even something for breakfast the next morning if your budget allows.
• Paper plates/utensils for easy clean up.

I'm definitely not trying to toot my own horn here. This meal was given to us by a good friend and I loved it so much I just wanted to pay it forward by giving this meal to another family and by sharing the ministry meal love here as well!

Do you have any tips for taking meals to friends who are in need?

What is your favorite meal to share?

Monday Workout!

I had to do something today to work off those extra Easter calories!

I ran a 1 mile interval run first (love getting to run when Mark is working from home!) and then completed the following...

                                                                   

http://pinterest.com/pin/200480620885007071/

The only thing I changed were the crunches. Instead of doing straight up crunches I did TA draws with heel taps, dead bugs, oblique crunches, reverse crunches and froggy leg lifts! Still being careful to strengthen my core in a way that will improve my diastasis and not make it worse!

Afterwards I had a delicious smoothie! Filled it with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt, chia seeds and granola! Yum! 

                                

Easter Sunday!

Some pictures from our families Easter gatherings yesterday:

We went to my parents right after church to enjoy a delicious lunch of ham, rolls, potatoes and green beans! 

Yes. We color coordinate. It's a tradition that I love carrying over from my family and Mark happily goes along with it!  

Reaghan is loved beyond words.

My parents bought her an Easter Basket!

Nothing like a grandparents love!

After leaving my parents we headed to the Poindexter family gathering at Mark's Granny's. There we put the babes back in their pretty dresses to get some more pictures! 

Aren't they just the sweetest?!

These girls love their daddies!

Recreating a picture from last Easter where Mark's mom placed her hands on our growing pregnant bellies!

Isn't it crazy the changes one year can bring? We are so blessed to have our baby girls this Easter. 

I'm so thankful that our families are bonded by more than our blood, they are bonded by the blood of Jesus. It makes Easter celebrations so sweet knowing we  will all be together for eternity. 

....And I'm thankful that the weather was beautiful yesterday! :D

Happy Easter {2015}

Friends, this is such good news.

This makes all the difference.

Not only did Christ willingly die in our place, he conquered death by rising from the grave! He took away the sting of mortality and made a way for us to be with him for eternity. 

This is a reason to celebrate.

This is how I get through the sorrows and uncertainties of this life. Because for me, one thing is certain, one day I will be in Heaven with Christ and there won't be any more sorrow.

Do you know what your eternity will look like?

Today is a perfect day to decide.

Easter Basket for Baby

 At first I wasn't sure if I was going to do an Easter basket for Reaghan{see the end of this post}... Obviously she's way too young to enjoy some Reese's peanut butter eggs (my personal favorite) and while she definitely know when she gets a new toy, I knew putting a basket together would be more for me than for her.

But... she did actually need some new outfits since she is outgrowing most of whats in her closet and she could really use some new toys... So I decided to go for it! But what exactly do you put in a 6 months old Easter basket??? I'll share what we put together!

Toys!

I asked Mark to pick out a few items. Reaghan loves to grab for our phones and tv remotes, 

so he got her her own. 

(Honestly, we're not always in front of our phones or tv! But when we are, she notices and wants it!)

Books!

One to celebrate the true meaning of Easter and one with just a spring time theme!

Clothes!

As I mentioned, she needed size 9 month spring/summer clothes!

Sippy Cup!

She is just the right age to start filling a cup up with water and start teaching her how to drink from a sippy cup. This is a transitional sippy cup and I can even put her bottle nipples in it and just get her used to holding the handles.

Summer Gear!

We're going to be spending more and more time outdoors so sunscreen is a must and I just couldn't pass up these adorable flip flops from Old Navy for $4!

All Assembled!

Here is what her basket looks like put all together. 

I'm glad I decided to go through with it. She might not remember, but I know I will, and I'll be glad to have pictures of her first Easter to look back on. My parents always did Easter baskets for me and my siblings and I have sweet memories of those early Sunday mornings checking our baskets before getting ready for church.

Other Ideas!

(Things I thought to get her but she didn't really need or I just decided to get at a later date!)

• Pacifiers
• Bows/Bow ties
• Bibs
• Beach toys
• Beach Towel
• Bathing Suit
• Baby foods
• Stuffed animals

{I certainly haven't forgotten my Easter Post from a couple of years ago. I'm no less irritated by the Easter bunny this year than in years past, but as I mentioned then, we are going to enjoy celebrating Easter with baskets and eggs just as we celebrate Christmas with gifts. But we will keep the true reason for the celebration the focus above all else. Tonight I read with Reaghan the story of the cross and resurrection from her Jesus Storybook Bible at bedtime (a shortened version ;)) and this is something I plan to continue to do with her on Easter's Eve!}