Some of my Favorites: Apps Edition

I have 5 of my favorite apps to share with y'all today! A few are older but some are new. You are bound to love at least one of them. If you keep up with me on Instagram, you have seen this one that I finally downloaded this week.

Favorite app #1:

Waterlogue is an app that turns your pics into watercolors! I love to play around on this app. 

I wonder if I could print the watercolor pictures on cardstock and they would actually look like real watercolors? I'm going to give it a shot! 

Favorite app #2:

TimerCam is a self timer camera! I discovered this app when I wanted to take weekly pics of myself while pregnant with Isla. I figured that there had to be an app for that and there was. This is a great app! I had the setting on 10 seconds which gave me enough time to get to my spot and smile before it clicked. It also starts beeping when there are 3 or 5 seconds left to let you know it's about to snap your pic. 

Favorite app #3:

Workout Trainer by Skimble is a must app! It's full of quick workouts which are great for me since I am often time crunched during the day. There are lots of 10-12 minute workouts. Several have left me sore the following day! I have been trying to do at least one a day during the little ones' nap times. 

I got this ab workout in on Tuesday and it was a good one!

Favorite app #4:

Rowen loves this app! It is free this week so go and download it if you have a kiddo. 

It's an interactive app that shows lots of things that firefighters( police officers too )do to save the day and help out people and animals. 

Favorite app #5:

I have had this one for a while and love using it!

This app adds personality to your pics. It has lots and lots of designs, sayings, fonts, etc...to jazz up your pictures! 

Hope you you enjoy using one of my favorites!

weight loss weigh in-week 6

I lost 2 pounds again last week. 2 pounds seems to be the magical number of weight lost each week. Hey, as long as I'm not gaining weight, I'm good with whatever that number is! 

Weight loss goal: 120-125. Pounds left to lose: 8-13

Besides losing the weight, I have quite a bit of toning up to do. That actually takes longer than the weight loss itself. I know that I will get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight long before everything is toned back up. It just takes time! Last week I tried to do a workout from my workout app Skimble while the little ones napped. I discovered that this is a great time to get a workout in! I did lots and lots of jumping jacks( for cardio ) and got 4 Skimble workouts in. 

I did these 2 workouts one day. Top-to-Bottom was great! I was sore for 2 days after. And the plank challenge was well...challenging. I held it for a minute, took a tiny 10 second break then got back to it. 

I'm going for a 30 minute run tonight and will continue to do workouts during nap time this week as well. 

Valentine's Day weekend!

Valentine's Day was so fun this year...not only did I get to spend it with my love but I also spent it with some of my very best friends! My friend Robin got married on the 15th so her rehearsal dinner was on Valentine's Day! Valentine's morning Brent sent me off to get a manicure and a pedicure. I really can't remember the last time I got either! Ummm...wow! My feet needed a lot of work. I don't take as good care of them in the winter as I do in the summer for obvious reasons...they're always covered up in the freezing weather. 

The hour and a half of pampering and quiet was so nice and just what I needed! 

I got back in time to feed Isla and get ready for the rehearsal. I came home from the rehearsal and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. I saw a big red bag sitting on the counter in our bathroom. Sweet husband got me a lovely card and some great gifts. I wasn't expecting anything so this was a treat! He knows me well...he got me fun running socks, a Lululemon tank and a Lululemon running top! Mt first Lululemon apparel! 

We headed downtown to the Hilton for the rehearsal dinner. The banquet room was beautiful and elegant. The dinner was delicious and the slideshow they had made was full of memories! Robin and I have been friends since middle school! 

A little collage I made of Robin and Myself wedding day morning:

Wedding day morning, Isla and I headed to the Hilton to get ready with all the girls. There were 5 of us bridesmaids, Robin, and her mom in a suite all getting ready together. It was so fun and really relaxing. She hired a team of lovely ladies to come and do our hair and make-up. I love getting my hair and make-up done! 

Us( Beth-Me-Robin) with our hair and make-up done

Wedding time was at 6 at a chapel near Vanderbilt University and then it was time to celebrate at Belle Meade Plantation. It was a really fun day and I'm so so glad I was there to be part of this special day for my lovely friend.

weight loss weigh in-week 4 & 5

I have been slacking a bit on working out the past 2 weeks but I'm going to get moving this week and really go hard! Week 4( 2 weeks ago ), I hit the gym Sunday and did 30 minutes of cardio. I jogged at 5.5mph at a zero % incline and walked a few minutes at 4.0 at an 8% incline...that was more difficult than the run! haha. I only made it to the gym once. I was planning on running  Thursday night but I caught a little stomach bug and ended up throwing up a few times. And then Friday I spent the day whole day recovering. Brent got sick on Saturday morning( 1 am-ish )so I spent the day taking care of him.  Since I couldn't fit the gym in again that week, I did some workouts at home. This little half an hour workout was great! I did this 2 days that week:

I did each exercise for 30 seconds and did 3 rounds. 

I lost a pound week 4.

Week 5( last week ) I kind of slacked again. I was planning on running on Tuesday and Thursday but my clients cancelled at the gym and I should have just headed down the street to the other gym we are members at but I spent time w/Brent and the kids instead. I did go on Sunday and did some cardio and weights. For cardio, I ran( 6 mph ) 2 minutes then walked a minute...repeated this till I hit 30 minutes.  As far as weights go, I did seated rows, tricep pulldowns, leg extensions, and front punches. I also did this ab work out on Wednesday night:

I love the skimble app! It has some really good workouts. 

I lost 2 pounds last week and finally got a pedicure! 

So 10-15 pounds to go! Those are always the pounds that take the longest to shed! I said my first week that I wanted to return to 120 and I do...eventually but I would be happy with 125 as well. I don't want to loose too much while I am still nursing! This week I hope to get in 3 days of cardio and pick out some at home workouts on Skimble! We will see how it went next weigh in( Sunday the 23rd ). 

In 5 weeks I have lost 10 of my baby weight pounds!

Happy Valentine's 2014!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Easley's!! 

{a day late but oh well!}

Isla at 2 months!

Little princess, you are growing like a weed...why can't the term be growing like a flower?! Maybe they grow faster than flowers?? I don't know! Anyways, you are getting bigger. 

You had your 2 month check up Friday and did so good...even through the shots! 

Stats:

Height: 23 "( 75% )

Weight :10lbs 14oz( 50% )

Head circumference: 15.1"( 50 % )

The dr said you looked great! That's always good to hear. You had to get 3 shots and you of course screamed while the nurse was giving them to you but quite immediately when she was done. You were a champ! They did however make you really sleepy the rest of the day and your legs were a little sore. I could tell b/c you cried a little if they were pressed up against me too hard while nursing or carrying you. Poor thing. 

You are still eating really well. It's usually every 4 hours...sometimes every 5 hours. I try not to let you go longer than 4.5 hours during the day. You have slept "through the night" quite a few times in the last 2 weeks or so. If I feed you at midnight, you usually don't wake up till 6:30 or 7. Which is really nice! The only thing is, I still don't feel rested after the lovely 6-7 hours that you give me b/c I chase after your brother during the day as well which makes me extra tired at night! Oh well...sleep is over-rated( said me NEVER! I love sleep. ). I can't wait till you really start sleeping through the night. Your brother slept from 8pm-8am pretty early on! I'll have to go back and see exactly when that was...I'm thinking around 4 months.

You are still so smiley and I love it! You literally smile all the time. That makes me think that you are really loving life so far. You are such a laid back, content, pleasant baby. You still only cry when you are hungry and whine when you are getting tired. Last week you did great putting yourself back to sleep after your play/awake periods. Yesterday, not so much! I had to rock you to sleep every time it was time for you to go back to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I love to rock you but I don't want you to get use to being rocked every time you need to go to sleep. That would eventually be hard to break! 

You know the sound of mommy and daddy's voice and even big brothers. When you're crying and it's hard to calm you down, Rowen is the magic trick. When he talks to you, you instantly stop crying and smile and smile at him. It's crazy! You love him already and he loves you too! I know y'all are going to be best buds! You are also good at following things from left to right whether it be our faces or a toy, you follow with your eyes and turn your head as well. 

You love your play gym! Those dangly toys really amaze you. You have hit them with your hands a few times and that really surprises you! You're very active. You get your arms and legs movin' and a grovin' whenever you are unswaddled. 

You're still sleeping in our room in your sleep-n-play rocker. Love that thing! You sleep so well in it that we probably won't try to move you to your crib for another couple months. Your brother slept in the sleep-n-play till he was 5 months old! You are sleeping great. Napping 4 hours at a time during the day and for the most part, sleep around 6-6.5 hours through the night. You play for about 30-45 minutes after you eat and then back to sleep. 

You don't mind baths at all and actually seem to enjoy them. Mmmm...love a freshly bathed baby! Your scalp is still very very dry and mommy has to gently scrub it every 2 days or so to try to clear it up. It's ok though, lots of people have dry skin in the winter! 

A few pics of you and your brother:

Our little sweet princess, we love you more than you could ever know and are so thankful God chose us to be your earthly parents! He couldn't have given us a more perfect baby and for that we are very grateful! 

Isla at 1 month!

Isla is 2 months old now so I am a little behind on the one month post! Oh well! 

Isla, at month month old you are so alert and are loving life! You love when mommy and daddy talk to you. You flash smiles constantly and coo and coo back at us. You don't go back to the doctor till 2 months so I'm not sure how much you weigh but I know that you are gaining weight b/c I can tell you are getting heavier. 

You are a good eater and have never had any problems in that area( or any area on that note ). You are eating at every three hours. Sometimes you can stretch to 4 hours but it's usually every 3. You haven't "slept through the night" yet but I can tell it won't be long. You have had a few nights where you have slept 5 straight hours but nothing consistently yet. Speaking of sleep, you are a great sleeper...a little different than your brother but still good. You don't like to be put down drowsy, instead you like to be put to sleep by me rocking you or swaying you side to side. It's not fun at 4 or 5 in the morning but you are so precious and sweet that I don't mind ;)

I mentioned that you are very alert and you really are. That's one thing you have in common w/your brother at this age. You love to look around when you are awake. I always wonder how far you can see and what you are looking at! They say you can see 12-18 inches but I really think you can see farther than that. You love to look at our faces and watch our expressions. You have a few expressions of your own! When I make noises that are strange sounding to you, you look confused and raise your eyebrows. It's pretty funny! When I sing to you or call you "sweet girl", you ALWAYS smile. It's precious. You only cry when you are hungry or tired. When you are tired it's more whinny. I know some mothers say they never could recognize their baby's cries but we can peg yours for sure. You don't cry when you are wet( I like to change you often anyways )but you do fuss when you are dirty. I guess it's a different feeling! 

You're doing well with tummy time. I really hate making you do it b/c you can't stand it. You scream and cry something awful but I know it's good for you and your neck is getting stronger and stronger. Soon you will be able to hold your head up on your own! 

Your brother got hit with baby acne at one month old. You missed that but you did get hit with a mild case of cradle cap( at 6 weeks old actually ). Your scalp is just dry and flaky so I have to keep it scrubbed and moisturized all the time. This awful winter air isn't helping either! It doesn't bother you, it just looks bad! 

{playing and learning some things from big brother}

Our little sweet princess, we love you more than you could ever know and are so thankful God chose us to be your earthly parents! He couldn't have given us a more perfect baby and for that we are very grateful! 

weight loss weigh in-week 3

The baby weight weight loss is going well. This past week was my third week to be working out and I did quite a bit of cardio! I absolutely hate running on the treadmill. It's the worst things ever...haha. I go so so so much farther and for longer when I run outside. There is so much to look at and your scenery changes constantly but when you are stuck inside, it's so boring. I lost 3 lbs last week.

Total weight loss so far: 7lbs

Weight loss to my goal: 18lbs

Last Tuesday and TR I ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes then went and did a few circuits. Most of the exercises were without weights...just body weight exercises. To check out some of the exercises I did, go to THIS POST from Friday. After the circuits, I went back to the treadmill and ran another 10 minutes and after the run, an 8 minute fast walk at an 8% incline. And last Sunday( Jan 26 ), I went to the gym and did cardio for about 5 minutes alternating with 2 upper body exercises, then back to the treadmill for a 5 minute jog, then back to weights. And I did that little circuit till I had reached 25 minutes on the treadmill( 5 circuits ). This Friday and Saturday it's suppose to get up to the high 40's so I am planning on getting outside for a long run on one of those days.