I'm ranting

Since joining Pinterest, I've seen a lot of these floating around:

Posters showing some half naked woman with unbelievable ab-definition, with an inspirational quote about working out and being healthy. Usually, they're pretty harmless, but every once in a while, I come across one that is horrible. They use guilt and shame to motivate. And I hate them.
I understand that there are many people who are wanting to get in shape and may need something to get them going. But there is a difference between motivation and abuse. I don't think that self-hate is the way to go to get healthy; it only leads to problems. We all have our insecurities, but focusing only on them is a sure way to make us miserable. 
I think that as women, there is more pressure to look a certain way, wear a certain thing, weigh a certain amount. There are the supermodels, the actresses, and magazine covers to compare ourselves to. And when we don't add up, we sometimes obsess about it. I've been guilty of this myself. There was a time in my life that my self-esteem was so low that I couldn't look in the mirror and see anything I liked. I was so terribly unhappy. My low self-esteem was caused by some choices that I'd made, but instead of fixing my problems, my mind was transfixed on negatives. It wasn't until I started remembering what was good about me, that I started being happy again.
I think we sometimes need to remember that we are daughters of God. We are not, and will not be perfect anytime soon, but we all have beauty and worth. Being healthy is important, but being happy is part of that. The best kind of motivation is a good attitude. 

Guys, I love this show

I'm glad the new season started.



I think it's my favorite show on TV.

let's go!

Over the weekend, I had a dream that Ron Weasley was installing a pool in my backyard. I've contemplated this a lot, and I've come to a conclusion.
It obviously means that I need to take a vacation and go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal in Orlando.
Think about it. Ron Weasley clearly means Harry Potter, and the pool means near the ocean.
Orlando is near the ocean.
Harry Potter in Orlando.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I'll start packing my bags.

Color Run

The Color Run was awesome!

We woke up early and met Carrie, and went to the race site. There were about 10,000 people there, so we decided on a point to meet at when we all finished. And away we went!

The before:

Our shirts say "Can you run with all the colors of the wind?" Because we are cool.

Because there were so many people, they had several different start times. They would let about a thousand people onto the course every 10 minutes, so we didn't actually start running till about 8:40. There were "color stations" set up every so often, where volunteers would chuck colored powder onto us as you ran by. You could choose to have more color, or less. We opted for more.

The after.

After the race, there was a color throw by all the runners. We were all given packets of color that we could toss whenever we wanted, but most people waited until the color throw. Here's a video:

Carrie and I were right in the middle of that, and got a couple of lungfuls of color powder. But we aren't dead yet, so it must be safe! 

We headed over to our designated meeting spot and found Sherrie and Randy, but when we walked right up to Sherrie and said hello, she looked at us like we were nuts. She didn't recognize us haha! 

I don't understand why.

We look totally normal.

We headed home to wash after that. Carrie and I both scrubbed in the shower for a while before getting out, and still had color on us in spots. But it's starting to fade now.

We had so much fun! I want it do this again next year!

Have a colorful week!

i'm tooting my own horn

Haha. I said toot.
Can you tell I spend my days with a 3 year old?

Anyways.

Guess what I just did! I just went to the high school track and ran 3.1 miles without stopping! That's a 5k folks!
The Color Run is this saturday, and I've been jogging a few times here and there, but not as much as I would have hoped. I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't be able to make it without stopping to walk a lot, which is a problem. You see, my Carrie-sister and I ran a lot in high school, and though we weren't very fast, we always finished and we never walked during a race. I told Carrie that I may be walking during this race, and felt really bad that I was going to ruin our record.
So I went to the track to see how far I could go. And I ran. And ran. Aaaand ran. And I did it! It hurt so bad, and it was pretty slow, but I did it.

I think I sometimes don't give myself enough credit.
I'm pretty awesome!

Toot.

yes!

A few days ago, Portia wanted to watch a movie. I asked her what she wanted to watch, and she answered "Harry Potter."

Ladies and gentlemen, I will be giving classes on how to properly raise your children starting next Tuesday.

But really, in all seriousness, how awesome is my kid?

2 things

Margot really loves peaches

And this is what Portia looks like when she wakes up from her naps.

Let's go to London!

This summer is really exciting for me. It's the Olympics!! I'm so excited!

I love the Olympics! 

I remember watching the Olympics when I was a little girl. We would sit on the floor of the living room and watch Ice Skating and Diving and Beach Volleyball all day.

The last time the Summer Olympics aired, it was just a few months after Brandon and I got married. He worked during the day and I hadn't found a job yet, so I spent all day cleaning our little apartment and watching TV. When Brandon came home each night, we would eat dinner and watch the Olympics together.

My favorites are the Track and Field events. Probably because I'm familiar with the events, and understand how impossibly fast these athletes are. I also have a soft spot in my heart for Gymnastics, but what girl doesn't?

So from the end of July to the middle of August, you can assume that I'll be on my couch, cheering on the American Table Tennis team. Oh yeah.

things i'm lovin today

1. The full episodes of My Little Pony on Youtube. My girls LOVE this show, and after we got rid of Netflix, I was afraid we wouldn't find it.

2. This video:

How I love them.

3. A peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. You know that's right.

4. The fact that both of my girls took a long nap at the same time. I ate lunch, watched HGTV, and snoozed on the couch! It was marvelous!

5. The fact that we get to hang out with our families this weekend! We are going to a 5K, having a birthday party, and going to Brittany's mission farewell!

This is Brandon.

My wife is on the phone with Carrie.....

TALKING ABOUT THE THUNDER GAME!!
THAT'S A SPONTANEOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT SPORTS, AND I DIDN'T START IT!

A MIRACLE!

This is the way I feel:

What a spectacular Anniversary it turned out to be.

4 years and going strong!

Dear Brandon-
Happy 4th anniversary! I am the luckiest girl alive to have such a spectacular husband! You are the best man I've ever known! In the past 4 years, you have:

-taught me the joys of red meat
-helped me make 2 beautiful baby girls
-smooched me everyday
-helped me finish school
-lifted me up when I needed it
-made me a fan of football (almost)
-provided for our family
-made me laugh
-put up with my weird bedcovers issues
-introduced me to video games (Plants vs. Zombies mainly)
-supported me in my goals
-made me a Trekkie
-inspired me to be better
-made my knees weak with your stinkin good looks

And the list goes on and on. I love you with all my heart, and I am so grateful to you for 4 wonderful years!
Love, Kathleen

Guys. This is the stupidest song ever.






But this is pretty funny.

week in review

We have had a lot going on! I know you're dying to know everything, so I'll give you a rundown.

Ready? Here we go.

Portia had a birthday! She turned 3! Can you believe it? Me neither. (Fun fact: I started this blog just a few weeks after she was born.) 

She has 3 cousins with birthdays around the same time, so we have planned a joint birthday party with them later this month. But on her actual birthday, Grammy and Papa and Brittany (Brandon's parents and sister) came down for the day, and we had a princess party. She was so happy. 

As you can see, she got all things pink and girly! 

Since Brandon's parents would be out of town all week, Brittany hung out with us! We spent the week being lazy! It was awesome! We stayed in our PJs, watched movies, and ate a bunch of food.  

Brittany is going on a mission in July; Tucson AZ, Spanish speaking! Cool huh?

Last Thursday night, we headed up to Tulsa to drop Brittany back home, and visit OSU Tulsa's med school. They had an applicant's day and tour on Friday morning, and that's one of the schools Brandon is applying to. We woke up early that morning and headed to breakfast. We went to a little ma and pop restaurant in Claremore called Hugo's. I am a big fan. They bring you upwards of 10 strips of bacon with your plate. It's magical.

We headed over to OSU Tulsa for the morning, and were really impressed with the school! 

That afternoon, I met up with my sisters while Brandon headed back to his parents house to hang out for the weekend. My sisters and I drove down to OKC to see Fun. in concert! You know that's right! We got there a little early, so we got pretty close to the stage, but it was SO hot. . 

Fun. was amazing! We had a blast!

After the show, we found our car (eventually), and headed back to my apartment for the night. The next morning, we went  to the Temple together for the first time ever! It was great! 

We ate lunch, and headed to the outlet mall here in OKC. And we shopped. And I mean shopped. By the end of the day, Carrie and I were begging to go home.

The sisters went back to Tulsa, and Brandon and the girls came back home, and I am still trying to catch up on sleep.

What a week!

potty time

I know, I know, I've been terrible. It's been a crazy past couple of weeks. Blogging has been on the absolute bottom of my to-do list. But, I'm back!
If you aren't a fan of bathroom-related talk, stop reading here, because we've been potty training! Portia has been ready for a while now, but I haven't. I've been waiting until Margot was a little happier to play by herself. Now that she's crawling, she can entertain herself while I am in the bathroom for half the day with her sister.
We went to the store one morning and I let Portia pick out a bunch of treats and stickers. She got Cheetos, Skittles, Zebra-cakes, strawberry soda, and a sheet of zoo animal stickers. These are things she never gets. She was so excited! We got home and made it a party! If she went potty in the toilet, she got a sticker and a treat. She was thrilled. We gave her lots of juice and water to keep her hydrated, and took her to the bathroom every 15 minutes.
She stayed pretty dry the first day, only having a few small accidents where she didn't make it to the bathroom in time. I think she took to it so well because she has started potty training several times, but I chickened out before it got anywhere. Like I said, I wasn't ready. But this time has been different. Portia has been wearing panties for about 2 weeks now, and I can count on 2 hands the amount of accidents we've had.
I can't tell you how awesome it is to have only one kid in diapers! Portia is doing so well, and we are so proud of her! I can't believe how big she's getting!

the real world

In the third grade, we learned how to write in cursive. My teacher told us time and time again that in high school, if your teacher sees that you didn't write in cursive on an assignment, they would simply throw it in the trash. She said she was preparing us for the real world.
In high school, I had a tendency to be late to class. My teachers reprimanded me, and warned that in college, if I was late, the professor would kick me out of the classroom without even asking for an explanation. That's how the real world is run, they said.
The "real world" seemed so harsh and unforgiving; no second chances! One mistake and you're outta here! But it's not like that at all. Sure, there are instances where those principles apply, but not when it really matters.
I've made lots of mistakes in my life, some not so big, some huge! So have you, I'd wager. But want to know something wonderful? I have always been able to fix them. I've always been able to recover and move on.
I love that I am able to repent of my sins. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a marvelous thing! The Savior bled for us in the Garden, died for us on the cross, and rose again, all so that we can fix our mistakes and return to Him. What a beautiful plan! What a true manifestation of love! 
2 Nephi 10:20 says "let us remember Him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off". My friends, we are never cast off from the Lord. He is not harsh or unforgiving. We are His children and He will always provide a way for us to return to Him.
In high school, no one cared that I never mastered cursive. In college, no professor dismissed me from class. And in the "real world," I have never been denied the opportunity to correct my wrongdoings and feel my Heavenly Father's love.