The Reynolds Nation

So, my title says it all. I don't have anything to say.  It's Monday.  Hello Monday.  Pleased to see you again.  May you return next week.  Glorious weekend put away...memories made.  Lovely days with my family.  But today, back to the grind.  Busy school day, after my early morning run.  Trying to cram five days of work into three days.  So, it was a busy morning. And now, preparing to head to the pool. Because as you must now by now, I live at the pool.  These kids! As you can see..I really have nothing to say.  God is good. Hope you are having a fantastic Monday.

Today I finished my fifth week of my 5k training! Can you believe how fast it is going? I am loving every bit of the training...I am so surprised.  This excitement is coming from someone who has never EVER run in her life.  Today I ran a consecutive 20 minutes...WooHoo! I took the challenge and ran for it (literally)!!! I feel the best that I have in my whole life.  God is so good.  He literally took me from dead and gave me a new life.  So thankful to my husband (who left me this message this morning when I left before dawn) for inspiring me to pursue this :)

As promised, I would show you some photos from the other day,  Just some intentional shots taken at Disney with ME in them.  Big deal here.  I am actually in the picture. Feels good.  Here is Esther and I waiting in line for "It's a Small World." Not my favorite ride, but always interesting.  My little beauty looked so cute that day.    Here we are waiting at the Hall of Presidents.  The kids were kind of bored of "shows" and wanted more action.  I think we headed over to Space Mountain after this.  They were so cute here.  Love having me in the picture  Matt and I behind the famous castle.  It's the end of day and I am tired (did you notice that my hair is now pulled back, a sure sign that I am tired). Love taking a picture with my love. Head over and see Emily and check her Embrace the Camera action.  See you next week!

Is this so my house or what???

Funny title, huh? I am trying to imagine a day that has ever been mellow here. At least since we had kids. Had a great weekend. Saturday we headed over to the Magic Kingdom and took Esther for her 9th birthday...with Mr. William accompanying us. It was William's first time, so that is always fun...just to see their sweet faces with the excitement. I have some shots to share, but I will do that later in the week. Yesterday we were laying low...really low. After being at Disney for 15 hours, we could barely walk yesterday. So, it was a stay at home kind of a day. Which is just what this family needed. And today? It's been busy as usual. Up at the crack of dawn...actually before the crack, 5:25 to be exact and that is way before there is a hint of light. Did my first run for the week at 6:00 with my buddies...we hit week 5 (for my 5K training) this week and I feel fantastic. I love running, flat out. Yes, I am not very fast, but that's okay. It feels fabulous. A...

This is Esther's flag for Jupiter. Can you guess what we have been studying in Science?

Here we are again! Oh Yeah! We love our Embrace the Camera, don't we? I am loving this. I am being forced (by myself) to get in front of the camera. Yes, me. The one who has avoided the camera. Give it a try...I dare you...and then head over and see Mrs. Anderson and check her sweet Embrace the Camera page. I made Bryn sit down with me this morning and snap a picture of us. She hated it. My hair! My clothes! Too bad Bryn...we need a shot of the two of us. Doesn't she look cute with her glasses on? She was in the midst of reading about the Roman civilization (doesn't that sound fun). I had to take a picture of my sticker. Judah is always giving me stickers...always. This morning he plastered this one on my shirt. Though it was from my Judah, I really think it was from God. Feeling a little down this morning, so I guess I needed to hear that "i rock!"

Today is a special day for my little Essie Roo. Today marks the day that she is half-baked...my little saying that tells me that I am half way to their adulthood. Some moments it makes me panic a bit. How can I only have a few years left before she is an adult? I remember feeling the same way with my first born...my how it goes so fast! So, what can I say about this angel on this beautiful 9th birthday. I could gush for hours. She is my little beauty. I still remember being on the operating table wanting to see her face. I remember asking Matt what she looked like...and he answered, "just like Bryn." Which was true. They looked so much like each other as babies. Though they have similar features now, they don't look so much like each other anymore. I also remember the doctor saying,"thank heaven for little babies." Those first moments were so sweet with her. And they have been ever since. Esther is the total opposite of me....plain and simple. Sh...

Yes, it's another shot of my little scientist. I can't stop snapping pictures of him. He is so adorable and soooo smart. Today, he is working on his time machine (and of course he must wear his new lab coat to be able to use all of his brain power). He has drawn pictures of it, talked about, dreamed about...and today he made his own Lego display of it. His mind does not work like mine, that's for sure. He really is my little scientist/inventor/genius. He actually remind me a lot of how my brother was when he was a boy...and there is a long line of engineers on my mom's side of the family...so it will be interesting to see what God does with this mind. Maybe build buildings and churches in third world countries...who knows, we will see?

When the creative juices are flowing, it's amazing what a seven year old boy can come up with when he has...an empty wrapping paper roll, printing paper and LOTS of tape. Love this boys' mind and how it works! Have a great Saturday, folks!

It's a boy day here at the Reynolds Nation...time with my special little ones. Head over to visit Emily and see her day with Embrace the Camera.

My husband sent me this picture this morning...reminding me of my funny habit. I love the smell of a new book....haha...a book store is quite delightful. I am just careful to not let anyone see me smelling the new books...aaaahhhh!

I thought I would post a picture I took the other morning on Easter Sunday of myself and someone very special to me...my mom. I titled this post, Consistent, because that is the word I can use for her. She has always been consistently there for me. Yes, we have had our mother-daughter arguments over the years...who hasn't? But she has always taken time for me...always been there for me...she always will give her wisdom when asked. I love her so much for it. She has been though more in a lifetime than most...and she has always been a hard worker. She basically raised my brother and I by herself. And sometimes that meant working three jobs at a time. And now she is enjoying the life of seeing the grand kids and enjoying her life...and that is nice to see. The last few months have been a struggle with some issues, but she has persevered and once again been consistent. She always has a positive attitude...always a glass half full personality. I know it's not mother's ...

How do you start a Monday after such a fabulous weekend? After weekends like this past one, it is hard to face Monday morning. Actually, not really. I am ready for the week. I feel rested and prepared for all that is ahead of me. Which actually isn't much out of the ordinary. I had a great weekend though. On Friday and Saturday I joined up with a couple other ladies and had a ladies weekend at a local condo on the beach. We have done this for four years and it is something to look forward to. Just us...the pool...the beach...shopping and the kids stay at home. It is wonderful. It feels good to have a break. Though there isn't much sleep involved, that's okay. It's good to stay up late and enjoy great conversation. On Saturday morning, I got up after three hours sleep and headed home to host William's "Mad Scientist" birthday party. I stayed for a few hours and then headed out shopping with the girls. And of course the weather was picture per...

From my family to yours...Happy Resurrection Sunday!

This morning I am super thankful for one thing...well, actually I am thankful for A LOT of stuff, but today is special. My husband completed his 60 day juice fast yesterday. Yes, that's right...60 days without food...no chewing, can you imagine? He did it. I am so proud and very thankful for a husband who is dedicated and focused. What a hard thing to do. Most wouldn't even try to do it, and if they did it is hard to complete. Especially when you are the only one in the house doing it. I have juiced daily and so has my daughter, but not completely like him. How awesome is that! I am so excited about this life that we are leading. Good health is oozing all out of us. It feels great to feel good...you know what I mean. So, this morning...I am very thankful for my darling husband, Matthew.

It's another week of Embrace the Camera. Last week was the first time I participated from my favorite blog... www.andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com ...and it felt good to see my friendly face on my blog page. You always see the shining faces of my kids...but you don't usually see my face. That's going to change a bit around here. Feeling really good about myself (down 42 pounds now) and full of energy because of my workouts...no reason to hide behind the camera...right? Here is my little Roo and I this morning when she was finishing up school. My beautiful girl. Doesn't look anything like me and is as quiet as a mouse (another quality that I don't have)...but she sure does have a special place in my heart. My little Essie Roo and me...love her.

While I was trying to fall asleep last night, my kids happened to be up...which is very unusual. They were screaming and laughing downstairs, having a grand time. And me... I am so crazy about my bedtime because I have to be up at five-thirty...was frustrated upstairs because of the noise. This is the result of all the laughter...Judah, above, looking just like his dad. Can we say Mini-me for Matthew? It is so funny. Other than the curly hair, he is the spitting image of Matt. And then there is my little Italian...haha! My boys look so different than each other. The boys obviously had a great time...and I fell asleep.

Happy Wednesday! Or Hump day as so many refer to it. Feeling fantastic this morning. Had my second run for the week and it felt soooo good. I love the challenge. I love stepping up my exercise level. And I feel so good afterwards. My energy level is beyond what I could ever imagine. I used to get so much done. It's a requirement with five kids. But now, I can get so much more done. It's an awesome feeling. So, what else is going on around here? Not much I guess. Quiet week. Trying to fit a lot of schoolwork in four days, because we take Good Friday off...thankfully my husband also gets the day off. Right now my kids got all their morning work done quickly so they are working on a word search for their lap books. And I get time to blog. What a fantastic morning. House is straight...my little bit of laundry is swirling in the washer...dinner is already planned out in my head. WooHoo! Anything else? On Friday afternoon I am headed to a local condo with three friends fo...

Here is my sweet boy, William Luke. Today, on this fantastic day, he was born. Seven short years ago. I can't believe it. He is growing up so quickly. I feel like yesterday he was a sweet baby in my arms, and now he is a tough, rough, tumbling boy. He was born at 1:03 in the morning on the second of April. God did that just for me. I hated the thought of having a child born on April Fool's day...so, he took care of that and had him born an hour until the new day. God takes care of the little things. So, what could I say about my boy. He is full of spunk. He loves to run, jump, climb...he is a total outdoors boy....completely physical. He loves to swim...this year he will join our local swim team for the first time. He loves to go to the beach, the springs, a pool...whatever has water. That sounds just like me. He is in the first grade this year and doing a great job. He is turning into a fantastic reader...he just moved past that point where reading is a chore t...

I snapped this picture the other night when Matt and I were on a date. Gone are the days of Olive Garden and big, juicy burgers. No, that doesn't mean I will never eat that again. But we are trying to change our scenery of eating here at the Reynolds Nation. This is one of my favorite little place to eat. It's a little cafe that promotes a healthy lifestyle. They sell fresh juice (which is right up Matt's alley since he has been juicing for the past 56 days), smoothies (which the kids love), and yummy fresh, plant-strong sandwiches. My favorite is a portobello panini...with extra avocado, hold the cheese please. It is super fabulous, super fantastic for your body...and of course, it is delicious. Our kids love eating here...instead of offering fries or chips with their sandwiches they offer a fruit smoothie. The kids love the strawberry/banana. So my thoughts here are...we are continuing to make a change. Change of mindset, change of the way we eat. And sometimes...

Yes, I know what you are thinking. Who am I talking about? A 5K??? What??? Crazy, I know. But this week I decided to take the challenge. The program is Couch to 5K. My sister-in-law told me about it last weekend and I looked it up. It seemed doable. It is a 9 week program that prepares you to RUN a 5K. Every week the program gets harder and harder and includes more running. The first week included this: For three days (taking a break between days) walk briskly for five minutes, then run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, run 60 seconds...for 20 minutes, then cool down walk for 5 minutes. Now let me tell you that 2 months ago I could barely lift my feet up to run. I have never been a runner, or even tried to be. It was not my thing...mainly because I was heavy. Well, I did it this week...I completed my three days, without too much trouble. It was more mentally difficult. How could I do this? Was going through my mind. But I broke through that and pushed through. And the cooles...