So far....not too bad

So here we are on January 17.  A little over a week ago I posted about my goals for 2011. So how am I doing you ask?? Well, I am not doing too badly. I did manage to cook 2 meals last week, and have leftovers on Wednesday. I packed very healthy lunches each day for school and tried to drink more water than I would typically do. This weekend I definitely didn't do so well, but hey I knew that there would be setbacks. Today I was right back on track though. It is going to be a process and I know that there will be challenges, but I am excited about the prospect of seeing progress.

Ostyn is doing well still and is growing like a weed. I am amazed at his new tricks each day. I can't believe that on Friday my little man will be 5 months old! He is up to eating 2 meals with cereal each day and he seems to really enjoy it. He talks a lot and seems to be happiest when playing with someone else. We are noticing that he is developing some separation anxiety. When Blaine is around he will sometimes only want to be with him, especially if he can see him and he isn't with him. He sounds so sad when he is missing Blaine.

Well I'd better go....almost time for me to go to bed. School time is going to be early tomorrow. Hope you are all doing well! Take care!

A new year for a new me

So never in my life have I made a New Year's resolution.....so this is the first year that I will be doing just that. I guess in my mind it's more than just a resolution though. I want to try to make a lifestyle change. I need to make this change. Not just for myself, but also for my family and Ostyn especially. We started him on cereal while I was on break and so now when I am thinking about setting him up for good eating habits I am realizing just how terrible my habits are. I need to lead by example and practice what I preach.

So here are my goals.....

1. More vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. This is going to include a salad with my lunch every day. My school lunches will consist of a small salad, yogurt, and some other small item that is hopefully a leftover from the night before...which leads me too....

2. Planning my meals at home and buying the needed items at the beginning of the week so I have no excuses as to why I am not cooking. I am usually too worn at the end of the day to go home and figure out what to eat, which leads to a lot of easily made items that aren't very healthy. So that needs to change. I spent some time today going through one of my cookbooks and I picked out several new things to try and to try making. This starts tomorrow....we will be having Chicken Milan.

3. Leading a healthier. more active lifestyle. More movement.....more mental challenges....more fun family time....less stress. I think that this will be one of the tougher things for me to do. I already lead a fairly busy life, but I know that I need to be more active to be a healthier person. So I think it is going to mean an earlier start to my already early 5:30 to fit it in. I can't see giving up any of my evening with Ostyn and at this point he is not willing to play on his own and watch me workout. Losing weight falls into this category, however it will not be my focus. I am going to think of it as an added bonus. :)

I know that I have many more things in my head that I need to work on as a person, but this is going to be my starting point. As I look ahead to the challenges that will come along with these goals I know that I will struggle, but as I tell my students each day, when you struggle and make mistakes you become smarter and better at what you are doing. So when I fall short of a goal for a time I know that the next attack at it will be much better and eventually I will have these goals accomplished and be ready to set more.

I had decided not to share these things with anyone in the beginning of my thoughts, not even Blaine. I didn't want to feel as though people were studying my food and choices when I was out. After much thought I let Blaine in on the goal and was glad I did since he will be a part of it all. Then after more thought I decided that putting it out there makes it more of a real goal. I'm hoping that people won't be critical of me when I make a poor choice. I am allowing myself some wiggle room in the beginning....it's a marathon not a sprint after all. 

Wow....it is hard to believe that I'm going to put this out there. Who knows maybe someone who reads this will get inspired. I am looking for recipes or tips for cooking. The items must be easy and quick to prepare as I don't have a great deal of time when I get home before it is dinner time.  I hope you all have a great week! I would love to hear your thoughts on my goals...any tips or suggestions are welcome.

The 1st Christmas

It is hard to believe to me that a year ago my family was just getting used to the idea of my pregnancy. I was busy planning how to tell people, worrying about what they would think, and making sure most people heard it from me instead of someone else. This year Christmas was a totally different holiday for me and one that I know I will never forget.

The week started with my holiday show at school. It was again an hectic and stressful event for me, but I know that the families of the students enjoyed the show. The students also had a lot of fun performing for everyone despite how hot it was for them. I was proud of the work they had put into the show and happy that it all went well.

Ostyn turned 4 months old on the 21st and I can't hardly believe it. I was putting up clothes tonight and realized that a bunch really didn't fit him anymore. :( I now have an entire drawer of clothes that don't fit my little baby anymore!! I am shocked! He is turning into quite the cutie and flirt these days. I am really enjoying this stage of smiles and babbling that he does. There are a lot of cute 4 month pics to choose from that we took, but here is one of my favorites.

Christmas celebrations for us started on the 23rd at the Ketcham house. The Gellert family all gathered to exchange some gifts, play some games and munch on some snacks. Ostyn slept for the beginning of the celebration and then had a good time visiting with his family. Blaine and I enjoyed the exchange of gifts in which I got a Glee game, and a mega phone like Sue Sylvester!! :-) I was really excited. We played a trivia game as well that was a lot of fun. Here is the family pic from the night!

The next day (Christmas Eve) we headed to Gary and Lauras in the morning for brunch and gifts. We had a yummy brunch and a good time exchanging gifts. I got a coffee maker that I have been really, really enjoying the past 2 days. It is so nice to be able to have fresh coffee and I love the smell of the kitchen!! :) Ostyn enjoyed bouncing and playing in the exersaucer while we opened gifts. He got a cute hat that he liked wearing too. We got some cute photos of Logan, Levi, and Ostyn.

Christmas Eve we went to church at Dover with the family. I sang in the choir again this year and had a good time doing so. After church we headed out to my aunts house for the Hountz Christmas. We had a blast there of course too. The exchange there gets a little crazy, but this year I got a full bottle wine glass and a bottle of wine to go with it! Perfect for me! Amy took some pictures of my grandparents with Ostyn, but I don't have a copy yet. I will post it when I do. It was great to have pictures of them together.

Christmas morning we started the day here at our house. Ostyn woke up really happy and seemed to enjoy sitting in his little chair and with Blaine to open his gifts. He got some really cute toys and a couple of DVDs to watch. Ostyn got his daddy a game to play and he got his mommy an iRobot Roomba!! I was sooo excited! I absolutely despise the sweeping the floor so this was perfect for me. As an added bonus, Ostyn really enjoys seeing it move.

Our next stop was my moms house. We had muffins and mimosas for breakfast and then opened gifts.
It was a great time of course. Amy got Ostyn a ball pit the looks like a turtle. He isn't quite ready for it yet, but I know that he will love it when he is ready. He was worn out from all the excitement and fell asleep when Amy was holding him. He was actually sitting up all leaned forward and was out. Silly boy.

Our final stop on Christmas day was in Brookville at my grandma Ratz's house. We started the day with a yummy meal and then went on to gifts yet again. I must say that Ostyn definitely has things to play with and wear now! He is sent for the next month or so at least! It is so nice to see how loved he is! We played games, hung out, and snacked of course for the rest of the night. I am always sad to see the day end. It is so much fun to spend time with all of our family!!

If you haven't been counting along with us we totalled 6 Christmas celebrations in 3 days. While it was all very very fun and we can't wait till next year all three of us felt the same way by the end of it all. My last picture says it all. :)

I hope you all had a blessed and fun filled Christmas! I know we did!

The beginning of the giggles....

I haven't been here in awhile and I am sorry to disappoint you all! Life has been crazy still here at our house...I know it seems like we will never settle down!! I have spent time not feeling well the past 2 weeks and finally went to the doctor and get some medicine to hopefully kick the cold.  I can't believe how cold it has been the past few weeks! My morning duty outside has been quite miserable.

Ostyn is doing great these days! I can't believe he is almost 4 months old!! He is growing like a weed and we are going to have to shop sometime soon for some new clothes for the growing weed. He is now able to play in his jumper seat and loves it. He can't spin himself around yet, but still likes to bat at things and play. He is almost ableto sit in his bumbo seat too! I can't believe how quickly he is growing! The video below is showing him sitting and playing with Blaine this week. He is almost starting to giggle and laugh! :) It is all really fun to watch.  I hope you are all doing well!! Take care!

Soooo Thankful

I am sitting here in my living room this morning enjoying the quiet before the craziness of the day gets started. I know that this day will be so much fun and I can't wait for Ostyn to get to see his family and meet some new family too! He is sleeping peacefully still with Blaine for the moment, but I will be getting him up in an hour or so to start getting him ready to go. I have sooo many things to be thankful for! I was thinking about that this morning and the list is so long that it would have to be its own post. The list is topped with my beautiful, sweet baby boy and my fantastic, supportive husband. I am so fortunate to have such a great little family!

I hope you all take some time today, tomorrow, or sometime this weekend when you are with your family and look around at all you have! Be thankful for the people in your lives and love them dearly.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Where does the time go....

I can't believe that it is already the middle of November. My little man will be 3 months old in one week which is crazy to me! I always heard people say how quickly life goes, but wow are they right! It is unbelievable that Ostyn is getting so big already! He is smiling at people all the time and is talking a lot too. We are treated to smiles, the beginning of laughs, and lots of coos each day. He is so cute these days and I am always happy to see him and his smiles. There is nothing that perks me up more at the end of the day than a smile from my little guy!


Blaine is doing awesome with Ostyn every day. They are becoming quite good buddies and I think they are both enjoying it a lot. They spend time each day reading, playing, having tummy time, and playing the piano and hanging out. Ostyn is getting pretty strong these days. His legs are strong and he is often using them to push him self around when we are holding him. Tummy time is still a struggle every day. He definitely isn't enjoying it and sometimes spends it crying hysterically and just laying there not even moving. That isn't really the point....hmmmm how to change that...

Ostyn enjoyed his first trip to a craft show last weekend. :-) He enjoyed most of it while sleeping in the carrier. Aunt Amy was happy carrying him around and then when he woke up we turned him around so he could see all the great things at the show! He was very friendly and happy to look at all the people who stopped to look at him.

Last night Blaine and I went to dinner with some good friends. They have a one year old and we love seeing them! We headed to Red Lobster for dinner and hoped that things would go well with both boys. They both were quite patient with everything and did a fairly good job. I did have to escape with Ostyn in the middle of dinner, but he just wanted to be up and moving in the middle of his dinner so I took him for a walk around the restaurant. Once we headed back he was quite alright. After dinner we headed back to our friends' house and we hung out with the 3 of them. Their little guy is soo cute and so much fun! I can't wait until Ostyn is big enough to play with him! He seemed excited to see Ostyn, but bummed when he didn't really do much. Ostyn was great when we got back to there house. He even took a catnap!

It is hard to believe that it will be Thanksgiving in less than 2 weeks! Christmas will be here before we know it too! Time sure is flying by! I hope you are all doing great! Here is a picture of my cutie. :-) Just in case you need a smile.

Okay well maybe 2....in case one wasn't enough. Ostyn is 10 weeks old in these photos . Check out the cutest skeleton on the block!! :)

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Hope you have a "spooky" day! :)