Egg Protein

On the fitness note, I am down 7 lbs from January 1st, which I hope means a bit more because I know I am gaining muscle.  I'm still hitting the gym hard six days a week.  Now that track has started I'm getting in two cardio sessions a day twice a week. I added a large protein shake to my diet each morning which has helped me visibly gain more muscle.  The Vitamix 5200 is getting a major workout:)

It used to be hard for me to get protein shakes into my diet because most protein powder just tastes down right nasty.  Now, I crave a couple of shakes a day because I've found a powder that tastes great and does not make me bloated.  It is egg protein made by Vitol.  Seriously, this is the best protein powder I've ever had and it does not have fat, sugar, cholesterol, or artificial sweetners. I highly recommend this product to anyone who wants to add a protein supplement to their diet.  Right now I am hooked on my version one of Rich's concoctions which is a peanut butter shake. I drink one every morning on my way to school. 

Recipe:
-1 scoop of egg protein
-1 banana
-2 tablespoons of Light 'N Fit vanilla yogurt
-1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
-a small squirt of chocolate syrup

Easter Sunday

We got up bright and early to go to church this morning.  Before leaving for church the kids got to check out what the Easter Bunny dropped off.  The Easter Bunny must have had lots of fun putting together those baskets;)  Hailey stayed with us during the service and was actually pretty good for an hour of expected silence and good behavior.  After church Hailey, Rich and I met my parents at Outback for lunch.

Hailey got her second basket from Grandma and Papa's house.  She definitely made out with lots of loot and when Julie picked her up this afternoon she was off to see what the Easter Bunny brought to her house.

The Easter Bunny came!

Another basket!

Crayola colored bubbles....note to self: do not purchase!

The "cheese" face

Pumped to see Grandma and Papa

Smile!

New shades!

Do these two faces look similar or what?

Fun with bubbles.  Too bad they got red spots on everyone!

Chasing bubbles!

MountainSide Petting Farm

While Rich was off hiking and rockclimbing with his Outdoor Adventure class, Hailey, Grandma and I went to MountainSide Petting Farm.  It was a very short trip and such a small local place that it wasn't crowded at all.  The weather was perfect, overcast and warm, not too hot.  Hailey had a great time meeting all of the animals; a camel, a cow, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, a pot belly pig, peacocks, ducks, chickens, and an albino wallaby!

My favorite animals were the two donkeys that followed us around everywhere trying to get food and a quick pat on the head.  It was a toss-up between the donkeys and the miniature horse for Hailey, although this girl loves some ducks.  Chloe, the 3 year old camel, was a force to be reckoned with.  I'm glad she was behind the fence!  She was able to sneak up on you and steal the whole bucket of food in seconds! I'm not a huge fan of goats and I don't think Hailey or Grandma liked them much either.  Their devlish eyes freak me out!

Sorry for the picture overload, but Hailey likes to go back through the blog and look at the pics:)

Chloe the camel.

One of Hailey's favorites.

Such a friendly donkey!

Eye to eye.

Peacock ruffling his feathers.

The albino wallaby.  Kind of looks like a huge rat, don't ya think?

Roosters

One of the goats that kept trying to climb under the fence for food.

More of the scary creatures;)

Bbaaaaaa

Yikes!  How does this dude see?

Yeah, I know I took a lot of pics of ugly goats.

Ms. Chloe, aka Mrs. Pick Your Pockets

Hailey over having her picture taken.

Grandma about to get kissed by a camel!

Perfect size horse for Hay Hay.

Loud peacocks and ducks.

Chloe showing off her rear.

My favorite donkey trying to get to the Easter Eggs.

Being polite this time.

La Dee Da, the cow.

My what big teeth you have!

Excited!

My favorites:)

Regal

Mr. Rooster

Can I take him home with me?

Huge pig!

Love them!

Quick before Chloe gets us!

Saying goodbye!

We had to say goodbye to all of the animals and of course we forgot a few, so Hailey had to yell out the window goodbye to each of them five minutes down the road:)

No 1/2 marathon...

for now at least.  I missed 3 of the last long Sunday runs because I was sick and/or injured.  After getting sick and being out for a week, the shin splints and tendinitis came back and slowed me down tremendously.  There is no way that I'll be ready to run on the 30th, so I'm going to have to look for some shorter races for now.  I am still determined to do a 1/2 marathon in the future, just not now.  For those of you who know how competitive I am, you'll understand just how frustrated I am right now and how frustrated I would be if I ran it and did not do well. 

Sooooo, I am going to stick to 4 miles or so a day and find another training guide for a future race.  I really enjoyed having a guide to check off each day as I accomplished my goal.  Track practice at school starts this afternoon, so I will be getting in a couple of runs each Tuesday and Thursday with the kids.  I am planning a 30 minute long run with them this afternoon along with some speed drills.  The other coach is leaving me  high and dry because he has class, so I'll have 60 kids to organize all by my lonesome.  It should be interesting!

Washing them up

We spent a lot of time during my spring break doing spring chores.  We cleaned the garage, mulched the yard, and washed all three cars inside and out.  Hailey even got into it this weekend and helped with all of the washing, as well as washing her own car!  I LOVE these days....no plans, lots of sunshine, and getting stuff done with the kids.

The official interior cleaner.

Watch out for the man with the hose!

Hated the sunscreen at first, but then wouldn't put down the bottle.

One of many poses...trying to be like Uncle Rich.

This big girl now weighs 40 lbs.

Washing it up.