Mother's Day weekend

Trying to update you on our life, however I am out of free storage.  Looks like I have to by monthly space to continue blogging.  Any thoughts or help on this matter?

Wow, its March madness

Can you believe we are well into March? 

 Do you feel like the days, weeks and months are getting shorter? 

Remember about 1 year ago, I partially retired? Well, retired no more.

Yep, thats right back to work I go.  The girl I hired to replace me quit.  Her husband was laid off and they decided to send her back to Oregon and he would live with some friends in LA while looking for work.  Anyway, She left 2/22/12.  I started back to work 2/27/12, I told doctor I would work 3 days a week.  So he took it!  Luck for us, Kent's parents offered to watch the girls those days!  Thank you, mom and dad Cozart!!  Without them I am not sure what we would have done.  Daycare is crazy expensive and the girls DID NOT want me to return to work.  However, when they heard they could go to g'mas and g'pas they decided it would be okay.  We have definitely had to adjust to the new schedule.  I just completed my 2nd week and I am off until Tuesday, woot woot!  I forgot how hard it is to have healthy meals 3 times a day when you work. I have to think about the menu even more now.  I want healthy without eating to late at night, so healthy, quick and easy =  Hard to find?  

Kent and I are still living our new lifestyle according to the 17 day diet.  He has been able to maintain his 85 lb weight loss and I have kept off the 65 lbs but really have another 25 lbs to go.  I am looking forward to daylight savings so I can run again at night after work.  It really helps to clear my mind.

We have been busy with a few camping trips to the usually spot of Ocotillo.  We really enjoy that family time with amazing friends! Its so good to get away from the house.  At home you get into your normal routine you forgot to spend quality time with your family. Kids grow so fast!  So by camping we can forget about the worries at home and just enjoy each other.  Great times making amazing memories.

Do you remember when I boiled eggs and forgot about them?  

Well, my cook top has not been the same since.  It burns the bottoms of all my pans.  So two weeks ago we bought a new KitchenAid cooktop and I love it!  It lights without me having to get a flame thrower and my pots and pans are not burning!  

Happy Thursday to you and I will post some pictures of the new cooktop, camping and maybe even some foods we have been eating.

New friends

As you know, Hannah goes to gymnastics.  In her class it has been just her an a little boy.  Well, the little boys mom and I started talking.  We found out that they live just around the corner from us.  Then we chatted some more and found out that we knew another girl and her boys up the street.  Small world, right?  So we decided to have a play date at the park last Monday. Anyway, the girl we both know, I have only met through blogging and FB.  So we were cyber friends.  However, our two worlds collided and we are now real friends!  You can check her blog out here. Anyway, it was really fun to meet her and her boys in person. The kids got along great and so did us moms. ;)

 Amy thought this thing was really cool.

 Hannah was watching Ashton.

 Gavin

 Amy and Addison.

 They really played well together.

 Water break.

 Haha, Amy took this picture.

Fun park date. we will do it again soon.

Snow Day

Last Saturday we took the kids to Big Bear to play in the snow. 

 Sled Races.

 Hannahs feet were freezing and wet, so we took of her boots and socks and put my gloves on her feet to warm them up!

 Check out the flippers on her feet, at least they were warm!

Fun day of playing in the snow.

What a difference a year makes

and the 17 Day Diet!!

Kent and I started a weight loss journey February 4, 2011.  (He actually started a week before me).  We both were at a point in our life where we were just FAT!  We needed to change and changed we did!  We have both changed so much in our lives and we feel GREAT! The 17 day diet isn't so  much a diet as a LIFE change.  You have to change the way you eat, the things you eat and you MUST exercise to get thin and stay thin.  There is NO easy fix!  So we set out to change the food we eat and continue that for a life time.  So if anyone is interested in a great book to motivate you and get the weight off, I highly recommend the 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno.  However, you have to want it!  Its not easy to change the way you eat.  We live in a fast food nation.  You can pick up almost anything on every corner on every street.  You have to change the way you look at food and what you want to put in your body.  We are now eating to live instead of living to eat.  We both are big eaters and we love food, GOOD food.  We ate BIG portions and comfort type food.  Now we eat healthy choices and small portions.  I still cook some of those comfort foods but I change up the directions to use a better choice of ingredients.  We eat a lot of fish and veggies and less red meat and carbs.  Are plan is to live a long healthy life and watch our children grown and hopefully be around to see our grandchildren. 

 The first picture of me is from the first of January 2011.  I should have taken a picture of me the day I started my diet, but I hated pictures of me and I usually cropped every picture to more of a head shot.  So this is what you get.  Anyway, I was at 222.4 lb  when I started 2/4/11, and 1 year later I range from 160.0-163.0 lbs.  I am not done yet, I still have another 20-25 lbs to go.  I am still a work in progress.  During the last year I participated in the Mach 1 5k mud run and the 10k Santa Run.  I have NEVER been a runner and probably will never have the runner high.  However, I will say I felt Great after each of those accomplishments.  I think my next goal is the Disney 1/2 marathon next January 2013. Its amazing what a little determination will do for you.  

Now look at this guy, would ya?  H-O-T!!!  Yep, he looks better now then the day we married.  I am so proud of him.  He was 260.0 lbs in February 2011 and now is 172.0-174.0 lbs.  Amazing!  He will be doing the Mach 1 5k Mud Run with me this year and I am so excited to do this together! He has some personal goals this year as well.  Some of which are to really start exercising and building muscle. and tightening.  He has reached his goal weight and now is on to maintaining and strengthening. 

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

Ocotillo

Hi!  Wow, February is almost over and I have so much to share with you!

I have been way out of the blogging loop. Hopefully, I can get my blog groove back and keep you posted on whats happening over here at the Cozart Connection!

February 10-12, 2012 we were suppose to go to the King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley.  However, the race was Friday and we were not able to make it for that.  so we decided to enlist some friends and head to Ocotillo.  We had wind again, that was not so fun on Saturday. However, Sunday was great!  Most of the group pulled out pretty early Sunday morning.  Unfortunately, Cal Trans was working on the 10 and had 2 lanes closed.  So most of the people that left early ended up getting home very late!  We decided to leave at 5:00 p.m. and still hit the traffic and Cal Trans work but we were home in 4.5 hrs. unlike some friends that took 7.5 hrs.  

Here are a few pictures from Sunday.  I didn't take many pictures with my camera.  i took some with my iphone and posted those to FB already!

 Hannah is really getting the hang of her quad!

 Hannah was telling daddy he was going to fast and she wanted him to stay closer to her or something!

Stayed tuned for more updates!!

Father/ Daughter Dance

This year the Father/ Daughter Dance was a hoedown! 

We bought Amy a new dress and a cute jean jacket to go with her boots.  

She looks forward to this dance every year!  Daddy took her to dinner and then to the dance.  

I am assuming that she had a great time, since she went home with a friend after the dance to have a sleep over.  

(Haha, Kent must not have been a good date he got ditched!)

 I don't know if you can see them, but I glued some fake nails on her fingers.  She was so excited.  I couldn't wipe that smile off her face if I had too.  Kent said all night she would tap her fingers on everything. ;)  She is so big!

 Hannah all day said she was going to have a date night with me.  Because she is my baby.  Well, with all the fuss over Amy and Kent someone was getting jealous.  When they left she cried!  I said where do you want to date mommy?  She said Rodrigo's, so we met my Friend Michelle and her daughter Gabbi there. (Michelle's husband and other daughter Carly were at the dance too). It was a nice low key dinner/ night of just talking and relaxing!  

Check out this picture!

What a difference a year makes.  

Last year we were trying to find something that fit Kent!

Now 85 lbs lighter, he looks great and more importantly he feels great!

So very proud of my hubby!

We are on a great journey together to live a happy, healthy and long life for us and our kids!

A little organization

Since being off of work,  I have had plans to work on things around the house.  Things to keep me busy and things that would be inexpensive. I have my old roll top desk from when I was little, probably in Jr. high.  I have keep it because it was always a nice piece of furniture.  We had it in the kitchen and it has always just collected stuff!  At times you could barely open the roll top because inside was stuffed with, well, crap! And a lot of it! So I decided to clean it out and put it in Amy's room.  She likes to do her home work in there and usually sits on the floor or her bed.  So Last week while she was at school, I cleaned it up and moved things around.  She loved it!! 

This is in the kitchen area. (Now I want to paint the wall and maybe put some type of rolling butcher block or small counter there. 

 After!  In Amy's room all ready for her to study, play school, color, read or what ever she wants to do.  

I gave here a stapler, tape, calculator and all kinds of desk stuff.  She was trilled!!

Now to keep Hannah out of it!