Weight Loss Goal #1

Today I hopped on the scale & saw a number I haven't seen in a while! I now weigh the same as when I got pregnant with Keller!!!

About another 10 lbs & I'll be at my pre-pregnancy Chapel weight, another 10 to pre-Rylan, & then another 10 for pre-Brady!!!

You might be wondering why I need to lose Chapel's weight after Keller's when he is older than her...

After Rylan was born I was able to be a stay at home mom & not having a schedule to tell me when I could eat like I had as a school teacher, I began eating sporadically & not healthy. My idea of health was pre-packaged "diet" foods. Of course they didn't fill me up so I would binge a lot at night. During this time I felt very stressed to be the mom who had it all together like the other stay at home moms I knew & I ate my stress along with my feelings of inadequacy.

By the time I got pregnant with Keller I was 20 lbs heavier than when I got pregnant with Rylan & 40 lbs heavier than I was when I got married. With the various things life has brought me like homeschooling, ministry, etc etc, fitness & health were on the back burner, yet always on my mind. Thoughts of not being able to succeed made me feel guilty & kept me in the cycle of bingeing. 

10 weeks after I had Keller I began Couch 2 5K & ran my 1st race. I lost some weight running, but then we had to move out of house for 6 weeks while it was repaired of foundation issues. We ended up living in a small bedroom at a friend's house & eating out a lot. Shortly after this, a best friend completely shut me out of her life & it broke my heart. Like always, food was there to comfort me.

Years later when God revealed I'd be pregnant in October 2012 I tried to start getting healthy & lose weight, but it's seriously a hard battle for me! Food addiction is triggered by almost anything. That year I was able to lose around 15 lbs before I got pregnant with Chapel. 

Now that's my next goal...

 I have an amazing support system with this battle in my husband & my friend Emily! I track my food & exercise on my phone, & my Fitbit helps push me to be more active. Over the last couple years I've learned what healthy food is & it doesn't come in the freezer section at the grocery store in the form of a prepackaged meal!! Slowly yet surely it's coming together.

Hopefully in the next month or 2 I'll be at my pre-Chapel weight! 

Blessings friends!! Be healthy & give me some encouragement!! ;P

Summer Schoolin

We have thoroughly enjoyed the summer so far, but we have continued to do some light schooling as well. Rylan is finishing up My Father's World K, without the extra crafts & stuff, & continually works on his math & phonics skills. Brady continues to read whatever books he chooses for fun, reviews multiplication & division skills, & does a reading & language sheet each day. Both boys also play educational games on the iPad & neither have complained about doing any of it. YAY momma! :)

I work with Keller as I can...he just wants to play & that's totally fine by me...after all he's 3! Besides his lack of interest I've been busy with other "life" things, but I am slowly integrating more "school" for him in hopes to do more when we start back full time next month.

Little by little all of our new stuff is trailing in & I feel like a kid at Christmas!! :) I've changed my mind a couple times on what I want us to do, but it's all panning out...I think :)

I hope your summer has been going great too! Blessings!

Chapel turns 1

I can't believe the 1st year of her life is over & her 2nd is beginning! I think the older I get the faster time flies! :( regardless of my sappy state, I've had an incredible week celebrating my lil Cha Cha! 

On her actual birthday her brothers & I took her to the Splash Pad & she crawled  all over the place! I was worried it would hurt her knees, but she didn't seem to mind one bit! When her daddy came home Chapel opened her gifts from us & then we went out for her birthday dinner. 

On the 4th we went to my daddy's to celebrate Independence Day, but is also had cake to celebrate the July birthdays in the family. 

As you can see, Chapel LOVED the cake!  She also enjoyed the pool & NEVER stopped kicking her legs when they were under the water! She's a lil fish like her momma! 

We wrapped up her birthday week with a small party back at the Splash Pad with my husband's side of the family. She was given LOTS of super cute smocked dresses & some girly toys. I cannot wait to see her in each dress!!

I'm incredibly thankful God blessed me with this feisty & sweet lil gal! Here's to hoping this next year of life slows down!

No Coincidence In Freedom

Two important dates in my "outted" post abortive journey also coincide with two very important dates in Chapel's life.

October 31, 2011 I had my "Esther Moment," which you may have read about. That was the day God surprised me & a room full of people at a personhood press conference to speak out about my rape & abortion. It was huge moment of freedom for me! 

The following July 2, 2012 The Lord asked me to stand in front of the abortion clinic in Jackson, MS with a sign that said "Women Do Regret Abortion."

That was a crazy day, yet another huge moment in freedom & healing for me. I was pushed, bullied, & even had the cops called me...all for holding a sign! Shows you just how afraid the pro abortion side is of the truth!

Fast forward a few months to October 31, 2012 when God once again surprised me & I found out I was pregnant with Chapel! He had already told me I would be pregnant that month & had promised me I would have a daughter, but nonetheless, it was a joyful surprise! Especially since it was on the anniversary of my "Esther Moment!"

And just like our Heavenly Father, He showed out big & Chapel was born on July 2, 2013, the one year anniversary of my stand in front of the clinic. 

You may believe in coincidences, but I don't. These dates will forever hold a special place in heart! They signify incredible growth in The Lord & strides of freedom from my past shame. Jesus replaced that shame with courage to stand up for truth no matter how hard it is. He also fulfilled a promise in Chapel. 

Redemption & birth. Life & love. 

How wonderfully blessed am I!