The Unadventures of Tracie

Pretend I posted this yesterday because it was supposed to be. So my family is doing a 9-week "Healthy Habits" challenge. We're participating as teams and there's hopefully going to be some kind of prize at the end for the person and/or team who gets the most points. I'm pretty excited about it. The healthy habits are Exercising for 30 minutes Having "self-control" (sweets, junk food, fried foods, etc.) Drinking 64 oz. of water daily Eating 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies Eating 3 servings of grains (preferably whole grains) Avoiding eating after 8 p.m.  You get points for each "habit" you complete every day. You get one freebie in each category a week. At the end of the 9 weeks, you get bonus points for each 1% of body weight you've lost. What I like about this is it focuses on a positive goal instead of a negative goal. That is, instead of focusing on losing weight, it focuses on being healthy. Which means you could ...

Today is a very special Father's Day. Today my husband celebrates Father's Day for the first time as an actual father. It's only been three days and already Austin is such an amazing father. Morgan loves being held by his daddy and sucking on his finger. I am just so impressed with how Austin loves his son. I married a wonderful man, and he's going to be such a wonderful father. I'd like to make a shoutout to my own father. Fahja has been such a great dad to me. I'll always be my daddy's little girl no matter how old I get. He's been supportive over the years and always ready with a hug. I know I can always count on my dad. He's never let me down, and I know he never will. I didn't get to see him this year on Father's Day as I was at home with my brand new baby. So since I didn't get to say it before, I'll say it now: Happy Fahja's Day!

This is an interesting day for me. This is the first time that I can kind of celebrate Mother's Day. Morgan's still in my tummy, but to me, he's my baby already. I love my baby, and I'm sure I'll love being a mom once he finally gets here. I wanted to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life. I have to first and foremost thank my own mother who brought me into this world. I am so lucky to have such an awesome mom. She loves me, and I love her. What more could you ask for from a mom? I am so grateful for my mom. I can't imagine anyone else who would've been better. She's such an amazing example to me. I'm appreciative of everything she has done for me. I wouldn't be the person I am today without my mom. I'm so glad to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. I'm so lucky to have married a man who had such a great mother and did such a great job raising him. I always wanted to marry into a family in which I could feel a part ...

Lilyan Mae McNeil was born on August 22, 2008 at 6:01pm. I'm so excited to have a new niece! She's utterly precious. Austin and I visited baby and parents in the hospital on Saturday and took them dinner yesterday evening. You can check out "Trent & Jess" under my blog list for more pics and information. Congrats to Trent & Jessica for the new addition to their family!

In honor of Father’s Day, (yes, I know it was yesterday, but better late than never.) I have decided to write a list of the TOP TEN reasons why my dad is so great/why I love him so much: 10. He gives good hugs and is always quick to give me one when I need it. 9. He’s taught me to be a hard worker and to be the very best I can be. 8. He’s the most persistent, resilient, ambitious person I’ve ever known. He doesn’t let anything stop him or get in the way of what he wants to accomplish. When obstacles or challenges come his way, he just finds a way around them. 7. If I need help with something, he’ll “make it happen.” 6. He loves my mom. 5. He’s a great example of charity and service, always willing to step in and help others when he can. 4. His family is the most important thing in the world to him and he’d do anything for us. 3. He’s a man of integrity. 2. He loves the gospel and listens to and follows the spirit. 1. He loves me! I love you, Fajha. ...

Grandma Great died today. She was 91 years old, and she was my dad’s father’s mom. She was a happy person who had a lot of love to give. She always smiled. She used to hand-make gifts for all the grandkids. Growing up I received purses, toys, pillows, and various other items. Grandma Great was really talented at the harmonica. She used to play it at the family parties and get everyone to sing. I was never extremely close to her, but I loved her and I know she loved me. I’ll miss you Grandma.