Spring is finally here!

Hi, everyone! I don't know about you, but we're loving the warmer weather! We've been spending more time outside. Avery is doing wonderful. She is having a ball playing with her new kitchen and food and pots and pans that she got for her birthday. We signed her up for preschool in the Fall and I think it will be really good for her.
Mark started coaching track a couple of weeks ago and he really loves it. The other coaches said that he has re-energized the track program. He runs with the kids and is really good at motivating them. He had most of them when they were in grade school so he's got a good rapport with them. He's also getting ready to starting batting practice for softball, which will be starting in about 6 weeks.
I've been busy at work and busy with my sister's baby shower, which was last weekend. It turned out really great and everyone had a good time. Now we just sit back and wait for baby Caroline to get here! I'll be going down to Birmingham when she's born. She's due May 23rd. Mark, Avery and I will be going down to Birmingham the first week of July to spend time with Caroline and Katie and Eric. We're really looking forward to that.
We're starting a vegetable garden this year and I'm so excited about it! If anyone has any advice for me, let me know.

I hope you're all doing well.

A New Year

Hi, everyone! I said I'd do better at updating this, and I intend to stick to it! A new year means new goals and I've set a few for myself this year:
1. Be stricter with Avery (I keep reminding myself that it's for her own good!)
2. Lose the rest of the weight I want to lose
3. Cut back to 1 diet soda per day or eliminate it all together
4. Eat at home more and cook healthy meals
5. Become an exercise lover

#5 was the most daunting one and I think I found the secret to success. I bought a DVD called "Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone" and it's a great workout and so fun! It's a 3-mile power walk that you do in your own home and you use 2 or 3-lb weights. It's lots of kicking and side-stepping so it's not boring at all. I've walked 20 miles in the past 9 days and I really look forward to doing it every evening after Avery goes to bed. Try it out if you're looking for a fun exercise that truly does burn a lot of calories. I've lost 2 inches off my waist in 2 weeks and 5 pounds. I bought it at Target for $13.

Thanks to everyone who came to Avery's birthday party. It was a lot of fun and it was so good to see all of you. I still can't believe she's 3. The time goes too fast. She's having a lot of fun playing with all of her new toys.

Mark's basketball team is still undefeated and Saturday is their last game. I think they can pull it off. He loves coaching and he's really good with 6th graders. They're just learning the fundamentals and Mark is so patient with them. He'll get a month or two off until track season starts. This will be his first year coaching track and he's really looking forward to it. He's also in the process of getting a Nintendo Wii at each of his schools so the kids can do fun games that involve a lot of movement and sweat! I'm really proud of him and the great things he's doing at his schools. He really cares about physical fitness and the battle against childhood obesity.

We finished our kitchen last month and I love it! Here's a before and after picture.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Well, I'd better go for now. I'll write again soon! I hope you're all doing well.

Love,
Kaci