Baby is getting back

This morning I was feeling great about myself and my  progress so I decided to snap a picture before heading off to the gym. I am kind of glad I did because seeing my booty in this picture really makes me smile. I have always, always, always been the girl with the flat ass. This time around in my weight loss journey, I have been focusing more on my squats and booty workouts and they have been paying off for sure.

The picture of me in the pink top is from right around the time of my wedding
(March 2014), before miscarriage and before Dax. I was the smallest I have ever been (around 160ish) and was in a size 6-8 pants (I am 5'10, so that is TINY for me). Right now I am in size 10-12 pants (and weighing around 178-185, it fluctuates so much) and I am kind of loving my body now more than I did then... I mean look at that booty!!! Casey says he loves it too, haha!

Do yourself a favor, focus on those squats and booty workouts!!!

Lift. Those. Weights!

I am SO ready for the freakin' weekend!!! This week feels like it is dragging on, probably because next week we will be gone on vacation. I have so much to do before we leave but I know it will all come together perfectly!

I really wanted to go to New York this summer but some things didn't pan out like I thought they would money wise... and then our cousin's (who we went on our family vacation with last year) said they wanted to join us so we decided to make it a road trip and stay closer to home. We looked at the map (the one we have been blacking out states we have already visited) and realized we haven't been to Arkansas or Missouri yet. So, early in the morning on Monday the 4th we will be driving to Little Rock and spending the day at their 4th of July celebration (Pops on the River). Then on the 5th we will have lunch in Little Rock before heading to Branson, MO to check in around 4pm to our condo.

We rented a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo on the app "Home Away" since there will be 7 of us. It has a full kitchen (which I am going to use a lot) and a beautiful big balcony with a nice view. It is also very close to Silver Dollar City!! We are excited to explore the city and have a fun time with family away from home. The only downfall is the condos do not have a gym... womp womp! Yes, I still plan on working out on vacation. I am taking weights with me and I will be doing morning workouts and sprints on the tennis courts instead of hitting up a gym... I will make do with what I have.

 

 

Daxy hasn't started walking yet. He will hold on to things and walk but the minute he lets go, he sits down. The doctor said that he will be ready to walk on his own when he holds one hand and will walk next to you... well, he is doing that now. He still isn't brave enough to let go though, which cracks me up because he has no problem climbing on top of our big bed and throwing himself off. He hasn't worn shoes to this point yet, because he is always at home, but since we are going on vacation we decided to buy him his first pair of real shoes. Gosh, he is growing up too quickly.

I hope you guys have a wonderful Wednesday! I will be over here counting down the hours until lunch time on Friday when my vacation will start... 

Monday again...

Why must the weekend go by so quickly?!

Dax has gotten to the age where he LOVES to snuggle in bed with us after he wakes up in the mornings. Most mornings he snuggles with Casey while I head off to work, but then the weekend comes and I get to enjoy his snuggles too! I mean, isn't he so stinking adorable. Don't let that face fool you though, he is our little stick of dynamite!!!

 

Saturday morning, Casey took the boys from 10-2, they went to the local library and hung out with Batman! Caleb was in heaven (if you can't tell) and Dax hated it... It was the best 4 hours of the weekend because it was 4 hours of total quietness at the house ALL. BY. MY. SELF!!! Thank you Case for giving me those 4 hours and for spending quality time with our boys!

 

That afternoon I had this urge to try on one of my favorite pair of jeans. I tried them on about a month ago and they wouldn't go up over my thighs. Today I was able to pull them up, button AND zip them! They were tight, gave me major camel toe (lmao) and not to mention the flab hanging over the top... but I am a work in progress and I am getting there! I cant wait to be able to strut my stuff in them one day soon.

 

Sunday I woke up in a mood. Not a bad one but just in a mood. I stayed up until 2am the night before so I could finish OITNB and I paid for it on Sunday morning when Dax woke up wanting to snuggle. Barf! Casey told me I needed to go workout and bring back the happy Jordan. HAHA!!!

When I arrived at the gym, I walked in and saw my stupid ass hat of an ex fiancé... you know the one who would weigh me in weekly and tore me down... I was hoping the first time I ran into him at the gym was going to be the last time, but sadly it wasn't. Luckily, he didn't come up and talk to me (he is the type of guy who would). I did notice as I left, he watched me (with a dumb ass look on his face) leave. Yeah buddy, go ahead and watch this badass woman walk out of your life again!!!

 

Sunday was my cheat meal day. Not my cheat day, just one meal... but I always include dessert with my cheat meal and I always LOVE to have dessert first. So me and the boys hit up Yogurtland and I enjoyed some strawberry yogurt topped with chocolate, fresh strawberries and cinnamon toast crunch!!!

 

 

Then my nieces came over and they are staying over until Tuesday!!! Those girls light up my life so much and I just adore them. I love how they entertain my kids but at the same time they can carry on a meaningful conversation with me. They make me laugh too, gosh they are funny little girls!! Maddy and Audy, I love you little girls so very much!! 

 

It was time for my cheat meal and I decided on Fuzzy's!!! I am in love with their nachos and in love with brisket so when I noticed they had brisket nachos on the menu, I knew exactly what I was ordering. And you better believe it, I licked the plate clean... YUM!!!



And to top off the weekend... THE Ashley Horner commented on my IG account (Jordashflowers)!!!! I was totally fan girling hard. She is a total badass and her Transform You challenge is exactly what I needed this time in my life. I am on fire to win this challenge and transform my body... 

Steel City Pops

A day at Steel City Pops... in pictures!!!

When you walk up, you see this awesome steel sign (and construction in the front, boo)

Then behind the sign is a sitting area/patio with tables (with umbrellas because after all this is Texas) and some wooden benches in the corner. We had to sit on the benches because the tables were all full... This is a picture from when we were leaving and they were empty by then. Just our luck...

You walk inside and there is a small space to order and over on your right hand side, you see the popsicles being made! I forgot to take a picture because it was kind of hectic and crowded in there... crowded because the popsicles are amazingly yummy! The line moves rather fast so don't fret. You can also pick up a punch card and a free sticker (Caleb loved that part).

They hand you your popsicles (and even cut the package open for you, this mother thanks you for that) and you head outside to enjoy. You can stay inside but the seating is very limited.

 

Casey - Coffee Brownie (cookie pop)

Me - Strawberry Shortcake (cookie pop)

Caleb - Pina Colda (creamy)

Dax - Watermelon (fruity)

*The cookie pops just mean that there is a cookie and the popsicle is around it. Casey had a brownie and a coffee popsicle around it, mine was a shortbread cookie with strawberry popsicle around it. It requires more chewing than a normal popsicle but nothing to crazy.

 

I had to feed myself and feed Dax, while Casey taught Caleb how to eat a popsicle... LMAO! It was dripping everywhere and all over his clothes. Casey had to teach him to lean over and let it drip on the ground. He was a MESS!!! (Caleb not Casey). I would wish they would offer hand wipes instead of napkins. We had to clean up the kids using Dax's diaper wet wipes we had in the car.

 

Luckily, I was smart enough to take Dax's shirt off because he was a sticky mess too! He hates cold stuff in his mouth so I would bite a piece off, suck on it for a bit (to warm it up) and then put it in his mouth to chew. He ate the entire popsicle though!

 

The patio also has cornhole (there was only one set, so we had to wait our turn to play, but it wasn't a long wait... once the popsicles are done people leave)! The beanbags are stars and stripes (#Merica), the perfect little touch. Caleb and I played a game, he beat me, while Dax and Casey cheered us on.  

 

Dax was excited when we let him try it out too. We would hand him a beanbag and he would chunk it. This kid has a GREAT arm on him!! 

 

We made it home after running errands and decided to grill out some burgers and have a nice night swimming in the pool. Casey helped me make turkey burgers... Dorito ranch burgers for the boys and zucchini turkey burgers (recipe from Ashley Horner) for me.

 

All together, it was an amazing day and night! I love Thursday's and Friday's (Casey's days off)... today we plan on taking the boys to Melt!!! I will let yall know how it is!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your beautiful summer weekend!

Steel City Pops!

I apologize in advance for all the pool pictures in my blog recently and will go ahead and apologize for the future ones I will post this summer. I am just a little bit in love with having my own pool. I always dreamed of having a pool and living in a house on a court... and now I have both! It really is a dream come true and all thanks to Casey for making it a reality for me.

Yesterday, my niece, Audrynn, came and spent the night with us. I love that little girl to a million pieces. My boys love hanging out with her and she helps out a lot with them both... she also LOVES to clean my house so its a win win win!

Then one of my best friends, Sam, came over with her girls and we swam the afternoon away. Poor Casey had to go to work so he was only in the pool long enough to take a picture. Today is his day off so we plan on swimming a lot longer.

 

Aren't these sweet babies so cute?! Dynamite Dax is SO brave and loves to try and jump out of our arms so he can swim on his own. He HATES sitting in his baby float but loves to sit in mine. I swear this kid is so much more of a handful than Caleb ever thought about being. Anyone else's 2nd child the wild one?!

 

Since we swam the day away, Dax didn't take a nap until really late which meant his 6:30pm bedtime was out of the question. Since Audy was over (and I had an extra set of hands to help me) we decided to head downtown and surprise Casey at work. Doesn't Dax look amused?! HA!! I love being able to make my husband smile... seeing the boys always puts a HUGE smile on his face!!!

Last night I was really nervous I was going to oversleep and miss my alarm again for the gym that I set 3 more alarms! HA! Well at 3:59 am (1 minute before my first alarm was supposed to go off) I woke up in pain from a damn Charley Horse. I had to spring out of bed and walk it off... I laid back down and then my alarm went off. Fun times!! The best part to having Charley Horses are eating bananas to help with the cramps. I love bananas!!

Today we are headed to Steel City Pops after lunch... I am STOKED! I have never been before but I have heard amazing things. Best part, it is a treat but it can also be healthy!!! I will blog about our experience tomorrow.

Sleeping In

 Like I said yesterday, I really didn't want to go swimming and get my hair wet because I knew I could go one more day without washing it (how many days do you go without washing your hair?)... Caleb has been begging for a family swim day and I told him Wednesday it would happen. My friend, Sam, and her girls are coming over then and then that night I would wash my hair... yes my life revolves around when I wash my hair. Ha!

Then yesterday Casey said, "since we aren't busy right now and I don't have to go to work for 2 hours, lets all go swimming..." Fine! We put on our suits and jumped in. Well, I didn't jump in... I got in really carefully and made sure they knew NOT to splash my hair. No I am not a princess, I am the QUEEN!!!

 

I decided that I would use the pool time to get some color on my skin. When it was time to flip over, I took my top off and laid belly down on a float... one of the perks to having your own pool and a huge privacy fence!! Caleb kept making fun of me for having my top off, but oh well. No one could see anything and the best part, no tan lines!!!

(me at work today & me at home before I left)

This morning I was supposed to meet my friend, Julie, up at the gym or a near by park and get in some light cardio (today is a rest day on the Ashley Horner program I am doing) but I must have turned off my alarm when it went off at 4 am instead of hitting snooze because next thing I know, I woke up at 6:18 am!! Oops. I guess my body really needed the rest day. It sucks I missed my workout this morning but the feeling passed as soon as I realized I could fit back into this size 8-10 skirt!!! Holla!!!

Tomorrow is a new day and I will make it to the gym then! Until then, I will stay on top of my eating, keep myself in check, drink my water and get a fun workout swimming in the pool with great friends this afternoon!

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday afternoon!!!

To cut or not to cut...

Today is day 2 of #TransformYou by Ashley Horner. It is going good so far, but to be honest it is a LOT of work. The workouts are full body workouts instead of breaking them down by muscle groups each day. I have upped my workouts from an hour to an hour and half. I am trying to lean out some and so that means I am doing more cardio... cardio = sprints! I love to hate them BUT they work!!

Food wise, I have been doing good. Not GREAT but good. I have been logging and hitting my macros the best I can. Ashley provides a menu for you when you buy the program. I have been trying to figure out how to use her menu and make it fit my macros. I am hoping in week 2 I will have a better handle on it all. In the meantime, I will keep pushing forward and eating... after all, food helps grow muscles!!!

 

Now, lets talk about my hair... It is SO thick and this is the longest I have ever had it. I love it being long and healthy BUT it is hot outside and it is a bia to wash, dry and straighten. Granted, I only wash it every 4-5 days, but still... I am debating on cutting it.

My hair is naturally curly, so when I do dry it with a blow dryer, I have a huge fro! It is intense and very comical to say the least. Drying this hair gets hot and I have to take breaks. Then when I straighten in, it usually takes 30-45 minutes and I have to do it in sections and I still don't get it all straight. If it was shorter I could cut down the time for sure...

The reason I don't want to cut it, PONY TAILS!!! When we swim, I can just throw it in a pony. When I work out, I can just throw it in a pony. When it is dirty and I don't feel like washing it, I can throw it in a pony. But it is also a con because I feel like my hair is always in a pony!!!

Speaking of swimming. I washed my hair on Sunday night, Caleb asked if I could swim with him yesterday afternoon and I turned him down because I didn't want to get my hair wet. HAHAHA!!! I promised him I would swim with him Wednesday because by Wednesday I will need to wash my hair again on Thursday so it will work out perfectly. Poor kid!!!

So I am left with the question... do I cut it or not?! What would you do?!

New Exciting Things!

Happy (late) Father's Day to all the dads and single moms out there! You guys are rock stars and I am sure the women and children in your life really appreciate you! Keep up the great work!

Casey had to work 12 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Sunday, so we decided to celebrate Father's Day on Friday night. The Fort Worth Symphony host a Concert In The Park every summer and Friday's was "Star Wars". I am NOT a fan of Star Wars but Casey is, so I decided to get him tickets for Father's Day. He decided since I am doing something I don't like, he would reward me with pizza!!! I think that is a fair trade... Pizza is my love language!

Then on Sunday, after Caleb came home from his Dad's house, we went downtown and surprised Casey at work for dinner. I hated that he had to work but seeing his smile when we walked into the building, it made it all worth it. Case, thanks for being a wonderful dad to both of our boys!!

I signed up for the Ashley Horner Transform You $3,000.00 challenge! It is a 10 week challenge and the first place winner wins $3,000 cash!!! I am a competitor and love to win. I have really been slacking and looking for a challenge to compete in to help bring the fire back. This came at the perfect time. I took a weekend off, ate my heart out, didn't workout and just chilled... today I am back 110% hardcore.

I know I said that during the summer I was going to sleep in and go to the gym on lunch... well now that I have this challenge, I am back to 4:30 am workouts. They are brutal but like I said, I am in this to win this!

The challenge ends in 70 days.. I will post some progress photos halfway through. There are only a few obstacles I have to face the next 10 weeks...

1. Vacation - We are going to Little Rock for 4th of July and then heading to Branson, MO for the 5-9th. We have a condo with a full sized kitchen so I will be able to prep my foods. I do plan on having a cheat or 2 while on vacation and I am bringing my workout clothes to get my workouts in.

2. My 31st birthday! My birthday is August 22 and we are celebrating August 19th with a big group of friends. The contest ends August 28th. All I can think about is cake, cake and more cake. But I am pretty sure $3,000 is going to help me stay a way from the cake...

I've got this!!!

And I will leave you on this note... how cute are Dax's table dancing skills?!

Dax is ONE!!!

As you all know, my goal of wearing a bikini at Dax's first birthday party became a reality for me this past weekend! I felt so confident and excited to be able to walk around my house and pool in my bikini. The party was hectic though so I didn't get much swim time but you better believe I had that bikini on the entire party...

 

Dax had such a great Uno Fiesta! Thank you to all of our friends and family who made him a priority in their lives and came out to spend the day with us. I know some of you had to juggle a few things that day and I am so happy and honored that you were able to make time to come celebrate with us!

 

I was really nervous how Dax would do with a metal baseball bat and a piñata but there is a reason we call him Dynamite Dax. He was in LOVE with beating that thing open. Kind of scared me how much he loved it... oh Dynamite Dax, I love you kiddo!

 

When it was time for cake and candles, he wasn't shy! Actually this kid DUG in... the picture doesn't even do the mess justice! He had THREE cupcakes (2 blue and 1 red) and a little bowl of ice cream. His sugar high lasted for about 2 hours and then he crashed HARD!!

 

This kid, he melts my heart every time I look at him. His baby blues and those curls... he is everything I prayed he would be and more. Happy Birthday buddy!

 

After the party was over, my nephew Tristan stayed with us. He actually came Friday night before the party and will leave Friday morning. Him and Caleb are just a like and even look kind of alike. I have been asked a couple of times now "how old are your twins?". Tristan doesn't have any brothers so he is pretending Caleb is his "bro" it is adorable. The bickering just started yesterday and it is a tad bit annoying but to hear them laugh and have little conversations makes it all worth it.

 

Yesterday morning was Dax's actual 1st birthday! He slept in and when he woke up he went right for his birthday present. This little ride on toy has a little radio and Dax LOVES to dance. He sits there, turns on the radio and just dances... he wont actually ride it just yet.

 

Then we celebrated with donuts!! The boys both had 1 donut while Dax put away TWO!!! I think it is safe to say he got my love for sweets. Sorry kid!
 

Then we headed over to Bicentennial Park in Southlake. Let me just say this, if you are ever in Southlake, Texas and  you have your kids with you... GO TO THIS PARK!!!! It was hands down the best park I have ever been too and all of the kids LOVED it. I even caught Casey acting like a kid again on some of the toys.

 

We then stopped in at Uncle Julios in Grapevine, Texas and had lunch. We picked this place for the chocolate piñata! Best $20 dessert we have ever ordered and there wasn't much left after we all attacked it. Inside is churros and fruit and then you use the dipping sauces on the side. The whipped cream alone was amazing!!

 

We have had a BLAST celebrating little Daxy, Dax-a-roni, Daximus, Dynamite Dax, Dax Marshall!!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to be surrounded by 3 loving guys. Happy First Birthday little guy, Momma LOVES you!!!