HIS show!We're all going to lose some weight - Mom, Dad, Jennifer and I. Here are pictures of all of us from this past week. There's an extra one of Jennifer from before she started her diet back in October to give you an idea of how far she's come in such a short time. I'll post monthly updates so you can see how we're all progressing and to give those of us who need it a little more accountability.
Goals:
Jennifer - 96 pounds - 1000 calories per day and lots of walking
Valerie - 115 pounds - low carb diet & lots of walking
Mom - 49 pounds - low calorie, low fat diet with biking and possibly water aerobics.
Dad - 85 pounds - low calorie, low fat diet with walking, biking, free weights, rowing machine and traditional calesthenics
Here's a picture Jennifer sent me that was taken in April 2007. She started her diet in October 2007, and has been making great progress. She's already lost 54 pounds. Way to go girl! I hope we can all live up to her example... she's been an inspiration to the rest of us.
The trail is a loop, and it's not too terribly long, but I had my camera with me so it took quite a while. We found all kinds of abandoned objects for me to photograph. You can see some of the shots at my Flickr page (the link is over to the side...)
Here I was off the trail taking pictures of a freezer chest that had "FRESH FISH" painted on the side of it. While I was doing my photography thing Brandon was practicing his Limbo skills under a vine. Eventually, Jennifer came over and pushed the vine lower to make it more of a challenge for Brandon.
Nick was showing off a potential walking stick to Brandon. It was actually a long piece of vine, so we called it a jiggle stick. Brandon found a Brandon-sized one for himself too. It wasn't very sturdy though, and pretty soon it broke in half -- much to Brandon's dismay.
Brandon did get tired a couple of times and Nick had to be Super-Daddy. It's much easier when we're using the stroller because Brandon can ride on the front or on Nick's shoulders. Obviously that's not an option here... and he's getting HEAVY!!!
Check out this cool vine "swing" I found along the trail. Brandon had a great time swinging once he got the hang of how to hold on and not slide over the side!
Well, he was having fun until Nick looked up and wondered how much weight the thing could hold. Then Brandon became concerned & was ready to move on. No one else was willing to test the weight capacity of the vine, but it was pretty sturdy. I pulled on it pretty hard before putting Brandon on it in the first place.
Look at the poor baby...she was leaning over the whole time to see around Nick's head. eventually she fell asleep that way and her nose dripped snot all over the backpack. YUCK!!!
We finally couldn't stand the sight of her all tilted over with her neck at such an angle, so out of the backpack she came. Jennifer carried her for awhile, and then I took her. She fell asleep while I was carrying her. Finally she got too heavy for me, and Nick took her again - but not in the backpack ... Brandon had taken that seat for himself immediately upon Laedyn's vacating it! We've all agreed to stash the backpack back up in the attic until Laedyn's a little older - maybe she'll be ready by early March. Then we'll go looking for some more off road trails to explore.
Mark brought Taz along too- needless to say, Taz was very happy to be there. He must have felt like he was back in his element even if he did have to be on a leash. He behaved very well as long as there weren't any other dogs coming along posing a threat to his little family. Luckily the portion of the trail we were on was relatively deserted.
We had one bit of excitement when the front wheel fell off of Brandon's tricycle. Jennifer and Brandon retraced our steps and found the missing parts and then Nick improvised and used his keychain to tighten the screw. The fix held up for the rest of the afternoon! 
As you can see, Jennifer was rather pleased with herself having found the vital missing pieces of Brandon's wheel. Hahaha - just kidding. Doesn't she look great? Her secret? About 1000 calories per day and alot of walking. She should be pleased with herself! Way to go JG!
Brandon brought along his tricycle and actually rode it the entire walk. I don't know how far we walked but it was more than 3 miles. He's such a trooper!
Of course, he didn't have to ride unaided. Nick found a big thick stick that propped very neatly into a notch on the frame and made it really easy to push. All Brandon had to do was steer. By the time we got back to the car and he got off of it though, he complained that his bottom hurt. I told him he was probably saddle sore from riding the tricycle so much - he thought that was really funny and proceeded to tell everyone we met for the rest of the day...
Laedyn's cold weather gear...Audrey sent her the little snowsuit. I bought the coat. For our walks the snowsuit has been much more effective. Laedyn is a Hudini when t comes to footwear. With the snowsuit she's out of luck as far as getting her feet bared. When she wears a coat, she can reach socks & slippers which then regularly fall on the ground. It's a miracle we haven't lost any. Luckily, Brandon is very observant & keeps a close watch for fallen footwear.
Santa brought Laedyn a Lamaze flower garden. When she pushes on a blossom it plays music & lights up. She's been having lots of fun with it.
Brandon LOVED opening gifts. In fact, he wanted to do ALL the opening. The first package he found that was for someone else made him rather grouchy. He came around eventually though & got into the spirit of watching others open their gifts too.
Here's a cool puzzle Nick's Mom sent for Brandon. It was one of Nick's when he was a kid. She sent a bunch of Nick's old things for Brandon. He liked them all & it was fun for Nick to revisit his childhood favorites too.
Brandon's all about Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars these days, so he was happy to get some story books about them too.
Laedyn liked the ribbons and paper as much as what was in them. As you can see, she's doing pretty well with the sitting now. We put her in the middle of the Boppy pillow & she's fine for a long time. Without the pillow, though, she topples over within seconds...
She REALLY wanted to help Nick rip the paper off one of his packages.
Aren't these neat? It's a set of 3 and they connect together magnetically at the hands and feet. They also have different sounds (squeeks, rattles and crinkles). Of course, Laedyn had to taste them. She put EVERYTHING in her mouth - very different from Brandon as a baby.
Mamo (Val's Mom) got Brandon the shirt he's wearing in this picture. It's a kids running shirt. He was SO excited when he opened it, he stripped out of his PJs instantly and put the shirt on. He really loves to run with Nick, so now he can dress like his Daddy too. The backpack he's wearing is full of toy food & kitchen stuff. He loves to pretend to cook for everyone.
Dad oversaw the other end of the unloading, passing boxes and pieces of furniture out of the truck. He kept two piles ready for pick-up - a girl pile & a boy pile... hmmm
Brandon had a great time helping too. He carried in all kinds of lightweight stuff and refused all assistance. He thinks Mark's house is his to with as he pleases now (ie opening cupboards, closets and drawers...and playing with anything that catches his attention). Hopefully he won't bother Mark too much when he visits...
Mark & Nick teamed up to carry in the bigger/heavier stuff that Dad designated as the "boy pile."
Taking a breather while things were being more suitably arranged in the house to make way for the mattress & box spring.
Laedyn was doted on while Mom & Dad were here.
Brandon was too.
There were no complaints to be heard, since Laedyn got picked up at the slightest whimper. Not that she whimpers much in the first place. Look how happy she was to be right in the middle of all the action. She's happiest when she can see everything that everyone is doing. At a minimum, she requires that Brandon be in sight. She just LOVES watching him.
Even Jennifer came over to help out.
