One Year

It has been a year since Alex had weight loss surgery.  So much has changed in our lives because of his surgery.  If I had known then what I know now I would have encouraged him to have the surgery a lot sooner.  They say hindsight is 20/20.

Alex has lost upwards of 150 lbs.  150 POUNDS!  That is equal to about 3-Lorennes or 5-Michaels or 1-Katy and a 25 lb bag of flour.  He has dropped 14 sizes in pants and gone from an XXXLT in shirts to an XLT.  The weight loss is great but that is just the cake.  The frosting on the cake is his overall health.

Alex no longer has to take medicine for gout.  It has been several months since he has had a flare up.  He goes to the gym six days a weeks and does a two hour work out session.  For the first time in years he is running again.  My kids know what it is like to have their dad play with them because now he has the energy to do so.  We are hoping that when he sees the sleep specialist in December that they will be able to adjust his cpap for his sleep apnea.

Alex's weight loss journey has benefited our whole family.  As a family we eat so much better now.  I seldom buy white bread, which is my major weakness.  We eat very little red meat.  Salad is a regular on our dinner menu.  A lot of our meals don't include meat.  I had a small garden this year and it was so much fun to pick produce out of the back yard to eat. 

I will be eternally grateful to the one who provided this opportunity for Alex.  I have my husband back and he is in better shape than when we got married.  He even had to exchange his wedding ring because it had gotten so big. One day his ring caught on a door knob at work; it flew off his hand and across the room. That was when he knew he needed to get a new ring.

Alex would never have been able to lose weight with out the surgery.  He was born with an extra large stomach and then had stretched it out.  By the time his body told him he was full he had already way over eaten. 

While weight loss surgery isn't for everyone it is a good option.  But surgery is just a tool to help lose the weight.  It really takes a total life change.  I am so proud of Alex for all his work and determination over the last year.

Before (Sept. 2010)

After (Sept. 28, 2011) 
He looks HOT and he is all mine!

Hot Dog Roast

Our awesome hot dog roast!

Last Saturday we took the time to get away from it all and have a hot dog roast.  I have been taking care of Lorenne's piano teacher's yard occasionally this summer.  One of the perks to that is being able to use her fire pit.

Sister Allen has a beautiful yard.  It is right off a busy street but you would never know it when you are in "The Glen."  There is a beautiful stream that runs through her yard and it is nicely secluded in a bunch of trees.  It felt like we had gone up the canyon to have a camp fire when really we were right in the middle of town.

We had a fabulous time.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  We ate fresh fruit, potato salad, chips, hot dogs and s'mores.  I tried something new with the s'mores.  There are these Nature Valley Granola Thins with chocolate on one side.  For my s'more I used two of the granola thins instead of graham crackers.  It was so YUMMY!

It was so nice to have time with our family and just relax.  It seems like the simple things are the best things in life.

Karen and Mocha

Alex, Katy, Lorenne and Michael

Lorenne and Maya, her best friend

Nate and Nicole

Facebook Status

If any of you happened to catch my Facebook status today you might be wondering why I would say, "I love my kids! They bring so much joy to my life." It isn't anything big just the little things.

Last night Lorenne went to a play with a friend. There was some confusion over how long the play was and she ended up not getting home until almost 10:30 pm on a school night. What could I do at that point but just get her in bed and tell her I would let her sleep in some in the morning? So that is what I did.

Lorenne was really quite good getting up and getting ready for school. Since I let her sleep in I drove her to school. I parked at the house next to the school, got out with her and told her to run in to school so she wouldn't be late. I hollered at her a few times to run. Just when I thought she had made it in a car moved in the parking lot and I saw her standing there watching as the sixth grade kids raised the flag.

I guess I could have gotten upset but it really just brought a smile to my face. No matter how hard I try Lorenne is going to be just who she is. For those of you who know him, I think Lorenne has a lot of my dad in her. She loves talking to people and gets easily distracted by things she finds fascinating, like raising the flag.

But that is who she is and I love her for it!