Catching Up....July (Part 1)!

July was a really fun month for us!  I had a great July 3 event...Addison went on her first airplane...We took a little family trip...my nephew was born...

And we found out the sex of our baby (stay tuned for July Part 2!)

The Independence Day event I run was a HUGE success this year.  We had a bigger crowd this year than we ever have.  It was amazing...and our fireworks are low level so they are literally in your face and beautiful.

I went home about 2 am July 3 and got up the next morning at 5:30 am to hop on a flight down to Houston and Galveston for the holiday weekend.  Our friends rented a condo down in Galveston and invited us to come stay with them...heck ya!  Mike couldn't leave on July 4 because he had to work so Addi and I decided to fly down and then he would drive down and meet us for the weekend.  She had never been on an airplane before so she was super excited.

She was being goofy...but was REALLY good on the flight.  Granted it was only 45 minutes.

My good friend Rachael picked us up from the airport and we hung out that day and let the girls play.

We headed to Freedom Fest in Houston that night.  The lady that books the talent for me for our festivals also runs that one so we were able to get into VIP with free food and drinks.  It was really fun and we left the kiddos home with a sitter so it was nice and relaxing.

Martina McBride - Independence Day (Up close and personal)

Addi was still awake when we got home from the concert so we let her play with sparklers and she loved it.

The next day Mike got in and we headed down to Galveston!  

We stopped for lunch before we headed down to Jamaica beach.

This was the view from our beach house in Jamaica Beach!

We literally stayed on the beach the entire weekend...Addison LOVED jumping waves.  

Addison and Daddy

  

The friends we went with...plus there were a few more not pictured.  There were 13 of us total!

Morning walk on the beach while everyone else slept in.

Ms Priss

These two cuties were inseparable...they loved playing together :)

Our last night on the beach

This girl was worn out and slept a good 2 hours of the trip home.

We got home on Sunday and about an hour after we walked in the door, my nephew came over to spend the night because my sister was being induced the next day!!!  She got to the hospital that morning and by 11 am they called and said she was close to pushing.  We rushed to the hospital so this proud big brother could meet his new sibling.

My sister did not find out before what she was having...so Cody brought a girl and boy blanket to give his new sibling.

Cody telling us what sex the new bundle of joy was.

It's a BOY!  The proud new parents!

Addison loved her new baby cousin!

Sorry again for the SUPER long post...stay tuned for July Part 2...It's A _______!

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Catching Up...June!

Almost totally caught up...Sorry - I want my blog to be in order...so my OCD self won't write anything current until I'm 100% caught up.

So June - 

June entailed lots of relaxing, fun in the sun and family time!  I missed my family soooo much.  I was so crazy busy in May and didn't get to spend nearly enough time with everyone.

Mike went on a boy's camping trip the first weekend in June so Addi and I had a mommy/daughter weekend.  It was so nice to spend time with my girl.

We went and saw her first 3D movie...Epic!

And went to a fireworks show - which she HATED!  We ended up having to leave after about 2 minutes of fireworks.  

June 14-16 was full of excitement!  We thought my sister was going into labor on June 14 :)  So my nephew came over to play and the kiddos played outside in the sprinklers.  They had a blast...but WOMP, WOMP false alarm on the new baby.  She was just dehydrated and it caused her to start having contractions - when she went in they pumped her full of fluids and sent her home.

And June 16 was Mike's birthday and Father's Day.  We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, June 15 with with his favorite home cooked meal (Blackened Chicken Pasta), a Nothing Bundt Cake carrot cake and some gifts.  Addison set the table in our "nice" dining room for family dinner and we even drank out of wine glasses (with juice for me or Addi).  

Yummy cake!

And Presents!

Then father's day started out with Dad's favorite breakfast - Biscuits, Homemade Sausage Gravy and scrambled eggs.  And of course...more gifts!

Addison wrote a special message inside his card and was reading it to him - so cute!

She loves her Daddy!

And then we headed over to my parent's house to swim and celebrate with my parents and family!  My dad's birthday is June 13 too...so there was a lot to celebrate!

They love their Grampy!

My nephew and sister

My Grandpa

And of course we had to have cake and sing to the Birthday Boy!  

June ended pretty uneventful with lots of playing in our little pool and family time :)

Pregnancy - 14 weeks:

Weight Gain?  +4 pounds

Sleep?  Catching up on sleep from May...finally being able to rest without having to take a unisom.

Best Moment this month?  The 14 week appointment was the first one that Mike was able to go to.  Typically I wouldn't have a sonogram until 18-20 weeks but since Mike was there and we were the last appointment of the day she said come on let's go take a peek at that baby :)  It was great for the peace of mind to get to see our little muchkin.

Also, I finally told everyone at work that I was expecting!

Miss Anything?  Not really...trying to be good about eating. 

Exercise?  Nope...wish I could say yes.

Movement?  Not yet

Size of the Baby?  Lemon - 3 1/2 inches

Belly?  Just getting chubby but still in regular clothes.  No baby bump yet.

Food Cravings?  Fresh fruit...my newest obsession - strawberries and grapes dipped in lite cool whip and vanilla yogurt mixed together.  YUM 

Gender?  Too Early

Pregnancy Symptoms?  Starting to get my energy back - I finally managed to stay awake past 10 pm!

I am so relieved to be out of the first trimester.  Now just waiting to feel that baby move.  

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Catching Up....May!

May was just plain insane....between being in my first trimester and pulling off the biggest event I plan all year with over 15,000 people I was CRAZY tired.

There was tons of working from home...sleepness/stressful nights....and trying to get as much time in with my girl.

Work...work...work!

Our new nightly ritual became sharing Nutella and graham crackers!  Yum-O!

We told our families over Mother's Day weekend that we were pregnant!  They were all totally surprised...my mom seriously thought I was not going to have another baby.  Here is a video of my parents and sisters reaction!

The next weekend Addi went and stayed with my grandparents in Corsicana so we had a little break :) We went with some of our friends to a festival to see some live country music.  It was a fun date night until I lost my iPhone...and it SUCKED!  One week before my biggest event and I had no phone.  I luckily have a great friend who has let me borrow an older iPhone so I didn't have to spend $500 on a new phone.

This was before I lost my phone...and no those aren't my beers :)

And the next weekend was my big event!  And this is why I work day and night and do what I do....15,000 screaming people and smiles on faces :)

And I also snuck my little munchkin backstage to snap a Meet and Greet photo with Easton Corbin.  She has no idea who he is but one day she'll think it's cool :)

And the rest of May I was in recovery mode...I literally worked 18 hours straight then took a 2 hour nap and was back at work the next day and then off to a Memorial Day pool party.  Yep I'm crazy!

Pregnancy - 10 weeks:

Weight Gain?  +2.4 pounds

Sleep?  I had horrible insomnia...between the stress of my event and the having to get up to pee every 2 hours I ended up having to take a half of a unisom to stay asleep all night.

Best Moment this month?  Telling our families about our pregnancy!  

Miss Anything?  Sleep and my iphone :)

Exercise?  Trying to get a run in but not very successful...exercise took a backseat to work this month.

Movement?  Nope

Size of the Baby?  Kumquat, one inch

Belly?  Not showing yet

Food Cravings?  Not that I can remember :(

Gender?  Too Early

Pregnancy Symptoms?  Insomnia and headaches.

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Catching Up...April! Our BIG News!

April was an exciting time at the Dowdy household!

We found out that we were expecting again!!!!!  Addison was so excited that she was going to be a Big Sister :)

I took a pregnancy test on April 16 and honestly I really didn't think I was pregnant.  But much to my surprise it was a big fat positive.  I had even made a bet with my hubby that if I was actually pregnant that he would get to name this one (which I'm now seriously regretting).  We had started trying on our vacation in March but we weren't planning out days like we did with Addison.  

I totally had symptoms leading up to the positive pregnancy test but like most women I thought maybe I was just making it up in my own head.  My boobs were sore the week before, I had some very light spotting and I had a yeast infection (sorry TMI) which I haven't had in like 5 years.  

We were super excited but kept the great news to ourselves throughout all of April and part of May.  I had a Doctor's appointment on April 30 to confirm the pregnancy and everything was great!  We are due with Baby #2 on December 24 (but crossing our fingers for an early appearance).  

We told Addison after the Doctor's appointment!  We surprised her with a Big Sister shirt and told her that mommy had a baby in her tummy.  As you can see by her smile...she was ecstatic!  

So...this is another big reason why I haven't been blogging.  I have been TIRED...and night time is when I typically have time to write.  But instead of writing I was in bed as soon as Addison was in bed.  My energy is finally coming back (I'm 21 weeks now) so I'm going to try and catch up a little bit at a time.    

Pregnancy - 6 weeks:

Weight Gain?  Starting Weight 142 lbs

Sleep?  Could sleep all. day. long.

Best Moment this week?  Finding out that the pregnancy is viable and seeing the sonogram.  Telling Addison she is going to be a big sister.

Miss Anything?  Wine, wine, wine!

Exercise?  Still running 

Movement?  Nope

Size of the Baby?  Lentil, .25 inches

Belly?  Not showing yet

Food Cravings?  Fruit and healthy foods.  No food aversions this time either.

Gender?  Too Early

Pregnancy Symptoms?  Just plain tired and sore boobies

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Catching Up....March

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Wow!!!  It has been 5 months since my last post.  Unfortunately, life got crazy and this momma had to prioritize and blogging became last on the list.  But...I'm back and catching up.

March Rundown:

NOLA and the Cruise!

After the LOOOOONNNNGGG drive from Dallas to New Orleans...we settled into our first vacation night with this!  

It was spring break and NOLA was crazy!  And I also learned that I'm too old to start drinking at 4 in the afternoon and trying to hang all night.    

The next morning we had breakfast in NOLA then boarded the boat and did a lot of relaxing and drinking!

Although the cruise was fun...this momma really, really missed my baby.  We had only left her before for a long weekend.  I was a total party pooper for about 24 hours and then got out of my funk and had a really good time with my hubby and our friends.  Here are a few more pics of our first adult vacation since we had Addison.

I total rocked the Bikini in Cozumel!  Best. Feeling. Ever. 

  

There was lots of yummy adult beverages and food that is BAD for you.

Me and the Hubs in Cozumel

Our party crew!

  

Formal Night on the Cruise

It was a crazy, fun trip and was definitely well needed for me and my hubby.  But I was really ready to get back home to my little girl.

Easter!

Addison really loved Easter this year.  I think this is the first year she really enjoyed coloring eggs and hunting Easter eggs. 

Spring Fun!

And we also took a trip to the Grapevine Botanical Gardens for some cute spring pictures and fun.  

And that was our busy March!  

Also...a big, huge thank you for all the positive feedback on me hitting my goal weight.  

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GOOOOAAAALLLLL Weight!!!!

Yep!  This happened this week....

I can not tell you how excited I am!  I started this weight loss journey last year when I looked like this...

I was weighing in at 165 pounds last February...ugh!  And I have to admit a majority of this was lingering baby weight that I never managed to take off due to a crazy work life and just trying to figure out life all over again with a baby.  But last February I hit the highest weight I had been (without being pregnant) ever.

I was miserable in clothes and my self esteem was shot.  My husband (who I am super proud of) lost close to 100 pounds prior in 2010/2011 and I just kept on gaining.  I started a new job last January and in February there was a "Get Healthy" program that I joined with a team.  This was the motivation I needed to get my butt in gear and start losing weight.

I started off by just adding in exercise.  In February 2012 I did Insanity (and it was insane) - I only made it through 30 days of the 60 but that was just the push I needed.  March hit and Mike and I started running outside again.  We did 2-3 miles about 4 times a week and continued this throughout summer.  My motivation was to lose 15 pounds by the time we went to Galveston that summer so I could wear a swimsuit without being totally embarrassed :)

I yo yo'd throughout the fall.  I did the 30DS.  I ran.  But I didn't really eat healthy.

We booked a cruise (which is next week!!!) and I decided at that point I wanted to be smokin' hot by the time we left.  My new year's goal was to lose my final 10 lbs in 10 weeks!  I knew that in order to do this I had to change my eating because we all know you can not out train a bad diet.  I got on My Fitness Pal, tracked calories, ran a half marathon, kept moving and I freaking did it!!!

So bye bye 25 pounds and hello new me! I am now swimming in clothes that haven't fit me in years and I am confident!  I still have some toning to do but I am happy at this weight.

And to reward myself...today is a Me Day!  I am going shopping for new clothes and for the first time in a long time I can't wait to try them on.

I hope you all have a great weekend :)

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2013 Goal Recap!

I can't believe it's March already...where in the heck have the past two months gone?  Since we are in March, I thought I'd do a little recap on how I was doing on my 2013 Goals:

My 2013 Goals Were...

1.  Run a 1/2 Marathon - I'm still in it...February 24th is the day and I am going to rock the Cowtown Half. 

Whoop! Whoop!  Goal #1 can be crossed off the list.  I ran my first half on February 24th and finished in 2:26 minutes which I was VERY proud of.

2.  Get my life reorganized and get things accomplished that I've been meaning to do for a long time.      Another post with a plan on this at a later date.

Have not touched much of this yet...but still planning on doing some serious reorganizing this Spring.  I love the 40 bags in 40 days and may have to try this.

3.  Turn off technology at night and on the weekends and spend quality time with my girl and hubby.  I am an iPhone addict and I need to learn how to put it down and focus on my family more.  

I wish I could say I've done more of this...but hate to say I'm still on my phone more at night than I should be.  I really am trying to put the phone, chores and "mommy" duties aside until after little Miss goes to bed so that we have some play time at night.

4.  Lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks - I've been running but I've been eating like CRAP and I haven't been doing any cross training.  We have a cruise coming up in 10 weeks...eek!  This means that my butt has to be in a swimsuit on March 7.  So the plan is to try and lose 10 pounds in the next 10 weeks.  And this will put me at my goal weight...yay!

I am uber proud of myself on this one!  I can't wait to show you guys the results this week.  Our cruise got moved to March 14 due to the crazy fire on the Triumph.  But this girl will be rocking a bikini :)    

5.  Pay off all debt!  We will be debt free by 2014 :)

One car down and one credit card down.  I love seeing $0.00 :)  We are on our way to being debt free thanks to this debt snowball calculator.   

6.  Continue to build on my small business Cuddlebug Cards.

I'm gradually working on adding cards.  It's a slow process with everything else but I love getting orders and doing custom work.  Check out this cute card I recently did for a friend's little girl.   

  

7.  Learn how to use my new camera!  My friend Carrie did something called Project 365 last year and I love the idea.  I am going to do my very best to take a picture everyday for a year.

Big Fat Fail!  I have to give Carrie lots of kudos...I couldn't rise to this challenge.  I love my new camera but Project 365 is not for me.      

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So 2 months in and I'm doing pretty good...I've checked off a few and realized I'm not a SuperWoman.  I have very lofty expectations for myself but sometimes the couch (and wine) gets the best of me.  

How are you doing on your 2013 resolutions/goals?  Anyone else have some big fat fails?

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If you knew me!

If you really knew me, you'd know:

• I love Tex Mex and could it eat for every meal, every day.  Chips & Salsa, Queso, Enchiladas, Fajitas, empanadas, chili rellenos...yum!
• I love cooking but hate baking.
• I have an obsession with my iPhone - it goes everywhere with me (even the bathroom)
• I am a wanna be crafter.
• I am not a dancer (no Zumba for this white girl).
• I would wear jeans, a tshirt and flip flops every day if I could. 
• I just completed my 1st Half Marathon!
• I love the feeling of clean sheets.
• I hate putting away laundry and dishes.
• My car is ALWAYS dirty.
• I love copying things from Pinterest...love all the ideas. Follow Me!
• I do not like shopping, except for Black Friday.
• I wake up thinking about food and what I'm going to have for all 3 meals...my hubby thinks thats so weird.
• I love festivals and events!  Hence my job as an event planner.
• I can not put a cute outfit together to save my life...I am not a fashionista.  I stick with solids and black or gray most days.
• My running mix is a combo of country music, pop and old school rap..."Give me that donkey butt and them big ol legs" :)
• I love EXCEL!  
• I dabble in graphic design and love doing custom cards (check out my Etsy shop - Cuddlebug Cards)
• Vacations are always pool and beach driven!  My favorite is a cruise (14 days until we leave!!!!).
• My favorite thing at Christmas is the stockings!  
• If you don't know what to give me for a gift...you can be sure I'll love a pedicure, massage or wine.
• I hate scary movies...I even turn the commercials on mute or switch channels.
• I love blaring music and dancing with my 3 year old (even if it is Dora).
• My favorite scent is vanilla.
• I think the things my daughter says are hilarious (even when they are wildly inappropriate)
• I hate mustard juice...gross!
• My favorite date with my hubby is sitting on the patio, having a glass of wine (beer for him) and just talking.
• The thing I'm most proud of is being a great mom and wife!  I love you Mike and Addison!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

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16 weeks of training...and it was totally worth It!

Half Marathon has been checked off the bucket list!  I'm super duper proud of myself and really tired :)

I was so nervous leading up to today.  I did my best to fuel, hydrate and rest this week.  And last night we went out for pasta (yum-o) and I came home and was in bed by 9:30.  My alarm went off at 4:45 am and I was not ready to get up but I had an hour drive ahead of me.

I finally got there a few minutes before it started, used a disgusting port a potty and got in my corral.  The Cowtown is a ginormous race and there were 6870 half marathon finishers.  I did this race 100% solo...it was me and my music (which explains the lack of pictures).  The weather was perfect for a race...40 degrees, sunny and no wind.

I started off at the back of the pack (Corral 4 out of 5) which was a 2:30 finishing time.  Even though I said I just wanted to finish I really wanted to make it under 2:30.

The first few miles were weaving and bobbing through the crowd.  It spread out around mile 3 and I was able to get into a groove and just run.   And I also did a ton of people watching...and I have to make a PSA.  Ladies-not all tights are created equal, please check out your ass before running in them in public.  I saw WAY too many cheeks peeking through tights that were waaaay to thin.

I hit mile 6 through which took us through the Fort Worth Stockyards.  Sorry for the picture quality I tried to take it with my iPhone armband camera.  And I passed the 2:30 pace leader...score!

Right before mile 9 and a ginormous hill there was a refueling station with goo and fruit.  I grabbed some goo and decided to walk the hill instead of run which was the only time I actually walked the entire race.I hit mile 11 and heard all the people around me saying the huge tower is the finish line.  I could finally see the end!  I decided to take a quick selfie.

Mile 12 is where I had to really stay focused and talk my way to the end.  Everyone else around me started walking.  I was dodging walkers left and right and I just kept telling myself "Just don't stop"  "Just don't stop."

Thank god for the finish line crowd and all the crafty signs.  I knew I was close when I saw finishers with their medals walking to their cars (which was also discouraging).  I finally hit mile 13 and the final straight away which was a glorious feeling!!!  I went total dork mode hands in the air crossing the finish line.I gulped down some water and was rewarded with this awesome medal.  

Then I got this text...

I finished in under 2:30!!!!  I forwarded this to my husband and was almost in tears.  The 16 weeks of training all led up to this amazing moment!!!  I can't even explain the pride I felt.

I stretched, grabbed a banana and my finishers shirt and headed home on Cloud 9.Not sure if I will ever run a half again but I'm so glad I completed it.  This had always been on my bucket list and it can now be checked off.

The rest of the day was filled with Gatorade (I didn't want this to happen again), relaxation and eating way to much. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend and thanks to everyone for the support and sweet messages.

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