Strawberry Pickin'!

Thank goodness we were able to go strawberry picking before the big storm. We are still holding out hope for one more "good pick" before the crop is over. We'll see. I wanted to be able to take the boys too. We'll see. Here are some pictures of our little trip to pick berries with Kate and her kiddo's.
Lily and Jake starting to pick!

Searching for the perfect spot!

Here's some good ones!

Look Mom! I have 3 in my bucket!

Delish!

Kate's Daughter Parleigh

Parker

Preston

Paisley

Cute Lily enjoying the yummy strawberries!

The boys

Mamma picking like crazy!

Open wide!

Delish!

Strawberry drunk

Me and half my kiddos!

Parker making Lily laugh!

Parker took this one of me and Kate! He did a great job!

Father and Son Campout

Darren got back just in time to take the boys on the father and son camp out! They had a blast. And Lily, Jake and I, chilled at home and went to bed early in our nice, warm, temperature controlled, soft, cozy, beds! ;) The boys had a blast and I'm thankful to a very tired daddy after being gone training for 3 weeks (camping out for 90% of the time I might add) who got home, and turned around to take his boys camping......AGAIN!

Their sleeping quarters!

Ashton trying to roast his hot dog or marshmallow without getting smoke in his eyes!

gathering firewood

Ethan chilling

Nothing like the hypnotizing campfire

I love how dirty Ashton's face is! So cute!

Looks like Ethan has a stick in Ashton's ear about to mame him, but he assures me the stick is behind Ashton's head!

Seasoned campers!

Thanks again Daddy!

Farewell to a friend

Niesha Paul was here for such a short while, but while she was here we loved having her! She is such a kind sweet person and we were so sad to tell her good-bye! We had a little playgroup/lunch to say good-bye to her and her sweet kids! You will be missed Niesha! You better stay in touch!!! ♥

Niesha

Grady

Cassidy

Lunch!

Cyndi with her cute baby Avery

Debi with Ada

Talisa and Niesha

Our gift to her

Portable dvd player for the LONG drive to Montana. I'm sure the kids will/did enjoy it! ;)

Niesha and Kate

Niesha and Robin

Lily and Kate's baby Parleigh. (Lily adores this baby and loves loves loves to hold her! Any chance she gets, she takes it! Good thing Kate is good about it!) ;)

Me taking a picture of Kate

Kate taking a picture of me! Ya, we're corny! So what! ha ha

Good luck on your new adventure Niesha! We miss you tons already! The people of Montana are lucky to have you and your family!

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

I can FINALLY say I'm done! What a journey this has been! "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" doesn't even begin to describe it! Besides giving birth 4 times and raising children the best I know how, this has been, hands down the hardest thing I have ever done in my LIFE! But so rewarding and fulfilling!
I started out at a whopping 323lbs (which does not count "baby weight"). And after about a year and a half I'm now at 153!!! That's 170 lbs GONE. Almost mind blowing. Several months ago I did a post you can see it HERE. But I'm proud to say I'm done, and now just focusing on staying healthy and maintaining what I have accomplished! Here are some Before and After pictures of me!
The person I think I have to thank the most is my husband Darren. NEVER once did he call me fat, never once did he find me unattractive, never once did he not say I love you every day. He has loved me and somehow found me attractive through it all. He is amazing and I love him dearly. He has been so supportive and kind through this all. I treasure him and his love for me regardless of how I look/looked. He truly loves me through "thick and thin" and I'll always cherish him for it!
Now prepare yourself for some mind blowing pics! I still can't believe I was ever this big! But it's okay. I love me and all I was going through and am proud I've learned to overcome and not turn to food for love, comfort, etc.....

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I saved only 1 pair of pants. Size 28! Now I'm in a size 8!

Yep, both legs fit into one leg of the pants.

Good bye forever pants!

Here is a chart I made and kept it up through the whole thing! I think I'll keep this thing forever! Oh, and I never made it to my "goal" that I had selected so long ago. But I think where I'm at is good. I haven't lost weight in over a month and a half and this is where my body is happy. Being 5'11" I don't think I need to get to 150 to be happy! ;)

And that's all she wrote!

Thank you everyone for your love and support and kind words! I really appreciate it! Loves!