going back in [medieval] time...

ava's daddy steve, sherry, and uncle micah invited us to join them at medieval times a few weeks ago.  to be honest, i wasn't all that thrilled about going.  i'd been once before several years ago, and didn't remember it being all that exciting.  even ava wasn't too crazy about it.  all that changed when we got inside.  she was the perfect age for it.  she really got into the whole competition aspect of it. 

we were seated in the yellow knight's section, and proudly sported our crowns.

Micah and Ava were pretending they were guards :)



micah dressed up with a tie for the occasion, and ava tried it on ;)



steve and justin

girlfriend ate her chicken AND tomato soup!  she is a picky eater, so this was a BIG deal.  she thought it was crazy to not have silverware to use!

we went on a wednesday night, so it wasn't very crowded.  that meant we were able to sit two rows off the floor, and had prime seats to see/talk to our yellow knight.  ava was cheering for him and the two made eye contact.  ava gave him a thumbs up, and he gave her one right back!  she was in heaven. after he one his first challenge, he received flowers from the princess.  he kissed the flower and threw the first one right to ava!  she thought it was the best!thing!ever!



they also had a hawk that flew around during a part of the show.  i love this video because it shows just how happy ava was! i had so much fun watching her!

we even got suckered into buying the souvenir ;) 

if you have kiddos around ava's age, i highly recommend going to the dinner and show!



family fun on the fourth...

we headed to the in-laws on the fourth of july for some swimming, football, and a cookout. 

preston was ready to go!

his obsession with "gobbles" has continued, and this time he sported these gigantic blue ones.  priceless!

even though he took a time out from swimming to play football, he insisted on wearing his puddle jumper and goggles.  silly boy!



i'm pretty sure ava's only time to get out of the pool was to scarf down a hot dog.  she is a little fish :)

preston was insistent that he could swim all by himself.  little stinker :)

it was hot, so i think everyone was grateful for the pool fun!

this picture of brad and preston cracks me up! like father, like son...

these two pictures are absolutely precious!

one more from our day....the effects of wearing goggles for too long!

it was a great day :)

30 day challenge RESULTS [I didn't die]...

a month ago, i blogged about joining the 30 day/300 ab challenge that i learned about from Shannon over at life after i dew.  at the time, i was four days in, and honestly didn't know if i would/could complete the challenge.  i was sore, and so out of shape. 

here we are, 33 days into the challenge.  i am happy to say that i didn't give up.  but in an effort to be completely honest before showing you the results, i have a few confessions:

1.  the first 10 days, i could not do the scissors.  like, i physically couldn't get my feet off the ground after day one.  so, instead of completely throwing in the towel, i substituted leg lifts for scissors until my core got strong enough to handle the scissors. 

2.  i did not do the challenge for 30 straight days.  i struggled to get myself to do them on saturdays & sundays.  i know that might be pathetic, as it only takes 10-15 minutes to do the whole workout.  again, i wanted to give you full disclosure about my results.

3.  i only lost 2 lbs. during the challenge.  not anything really.  i told myself in the beginning that this challenge would not be a miracle worker.  i am overweight, and completely out of shape.  that being said, i think i had realistic results in my head.  i know that if i want a complete body makeover, its going to take more than a 10-15 minute ab workout.  baby steps, y'all. baby.steps.

4.  i was/am extremely nervous about posting the before AND after pictures.  as i noted on #3, my body is NOT a wonderland.  its defiantly a work in progress.  but i do think that this challenge was totally worth it, and i can definitely see the change. 

i think i have drug my feet long enough.  here is the photographic proof that i did, in fact, complete the challenge!

as i mentioned before, i still have a ton of work to do when it comes to my body and my ultimate goals.  but!but!but!  i am very glad that Shannon gave me the inspiration to do the challenge.  i am by no means ready to rock a bikini, but i do feel a little better that my muffin top isn't as ridiculous as it was before, and that 'the girls' are even a little smaller.  baby steps :)

if you are thinking about doing the challenge, i say GO!FOR!IT!  if you've done the challenge,let me know.  i'd love to see your results and hear your thoughts!

the goal is to keep this up for at least another month.  i've got a date with the beach, and want to feel a little better in the swimsuit, even if it is a one piece ;)