It's been too long!

So, I finally remembered I actually have a blog! I'm so much better with Facebook, so if you want more timely updates on all things Sieburg, then please friend me!
Well, Aram is now 25 months old. He is a laugh riot. He is ALL BOY in every sense of the word. Loves to yell and jump and climb and be loud and he is soooo smart. I guess every parent says that, but he actually says his entire ABCs and can carry on a conversation with just about anyone. I don't know where he comes up with some of the things he says. He is 37 lbs and 38 inches tall and already going into a 4T this fall. Most of his shirts are just too short for his tall stature. He's gonna be just like his daddy!

Well, the newest news since posting last is that we are expecting our second son, Ethan Auren, right around Oct. 15th. The pregnancy has been pretty uneventful and the baby seems to be just as big as Aram. We got a 3D sono this time and he is VERY long and skinny just like Aram was when he was born. We still have 8 weeks to go, but I think we have an Aram #2 in the works! We are very excited to add this new addition to our home and it's especially nice that we have everything we need from our first child! I will post some pics soon, but just wanted to get these blog updates started.

Tomorrow we are having a second sono to measure baby and see why I'm measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule. This didn't happen when I was pregnant with Aram, so not sure what's going on... but would love it if Ethan came 3 weeks earlier:)

Fifteen Months and Another Wedding

It is amazing just how fast time seems to pass. Yesterday, my son turned 15 months old and my husbands youngest brother, Giles, got married. When Peter and I started dating, Giles was only 9 or 10. It was a great wedding and we are so happy for Giles and Molly. Even after such an eventful week (hospital visit, no sleep, both Aram and I getting sick from something we picked up at the hospital, etc) Aram was still the life of the party. Enjoy a few pics from our great day!

An Esther Week

This week started out with a wheezy child, an emergency room visit and then a sleepover in the new Children's hospital. All the while, I was missing my 3rd day back at work and wondering what God was doing in my life. Surprisingly, I was completely at peace during the whole ordeal.
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will," ~ Ephesians 1:11
" for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." ~Philippians 2:13
I felt "worked out" this week. In my study of the book of Esther, it's so apparent that even though God's actual name is not used in the whole book, His hands are all over it. He worked out everything to keep His covenant to His people and fulfill His Kingdom purposes. He chose Esther "for such a time as this" to prove His love to those who were His. He showed me this same thing this week. The 'peace that passes all understanding' was all over me on Monday and Tuesday and I knew my God was with us. God is always on time in his workings even though I felt like the timing couldn't be worse. I had already been so tired and now I was down 2 nights' sleep and worried about my beautiful son. But God is faithful and gave me peace and rest even in the midst of the storm.
Aram is recovering well and continues to improve daily and God continues to show me just how hard He works in my life to transform me into His image, even if it's a little more painful than I deem necessary!

Accountability Update

Hello all...well, all 4 of you who read this... I have been doing great and am continuing to move forward in my plan for health. I'm officially on the week 5 workout (posted below) and have lost 10 pounds. I am following the Weight Watchers plan of eating which has really opened my eyes to all the junk that needed to be cut out of my diet. I'm progressing slower than I planned, but my goal is still to finish the "9-week" plan by Nov 13th, which happens to be my 30th birthday. If you see me, keep asking me about my workouts and keep me accountable to reach my goal!

A Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks

My husband just sent me a link to the most ridiculous, right-up-his-alley, unnecessary baby product I have every seen(http://playgrounder.com/stuff/
a-young-mad-scientists-first-alphabet-blocks/). With a description like this, how can you go wrong?:

"Maybe you have high hopes that your baby will someday take over the world. Or maybe you’re tired of the old standard “A is for apple, B is for balloon, C is for cat”. Either way, A Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks ($40) might be just what you’re looking for. The entire alphabet is represented on five maple wood blocks by laser engraved replicas of original pen-and-ink drawings. With “N for nanotechnology, T for tentacles, and Z for zombies”, these blocks will stand out in any nursery."


Needless to say, if you know anything about my husband, you know that these will be under the Christmas Tree this year... but they might have Peter's name on them, not Aram's.

Enjoy!

Running the Race

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

I continued on my journey last night in becoming healthy. I successfully finished my running schedule as well as an extra 10 minutes of stair climbing. I finished off my workout with some ab work and some stretching. I was totally exhausted yesterday, so it took everything in me to get to the gym... and blogging about it really helped in keeping me accountable. Thanks to all those who are praying for me and checking up on me. It really helps to keep me motivated.
Now, I need to work on eating a little better. Anyone got any easy, healthy recipes that they want to share?? Comment on todays post with any ideas. If you know me well, you know I don't love cooking, so something simple, tasty and healthy (and also something my husband would eat) would be great!
Blessings!

Accountability

So, I need some accountability in becoming healthy and taking care of the Temple God gave me. Over the past 5 years, God has burdened me to deal with my stronghold of overeating. He has done a miracle in my life in that regard, and now I need to get my body where it needs to be. So, I joined a gym in April and started an 8-week running plan about 8 weeks ago. I'm on week 3 of the program; need I say more. So, all you blog readers out there, you are my accountability partners now! Each week I will track my progress and share my successes and failures. I need much prayer and support in this, so feel free to comment or even try out this running program with me. My goal is to run 3x/week and in the next 8 weeks, be able to jog/run for a solid 30 minutes.
Here's the plan (I stole it from http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml):
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The schedule (each 3x/week unless indicated)
Week 1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Week 4: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week 5:
Workout 1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Workout 2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Workout 3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

Week 6:
Workout 1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Workout 2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Workout 3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.

Week 7: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

Week 8: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

Week 9: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).
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So, tonight, I successfully finished a week 3 workout plus 10 minutes on the stair climber. I also worked abs, biceps and triceps using cable equipment. I plan to do the same thing on Thursday evening and Saturday morning. If you see me, ask me about it.
While I'm writing I also want to stress that this is a God thing. This is not my need to look like Barbie or be something I'm not supposed to be. Nor is it an attempt to be a certain size. I really do want to set a healthier example for my son, Aram, as well as make sure I am the woman God created me to be no matter what that size ends up being. I would like to lose about 25 pounds, but am willing to let the Lord lead in that area.
Here are some scriptures I'm trying to memorize as well to keep me motivated:
Romans 12:1-2 " Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

1 Corinthians 6:12-19 "12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

Pray for me, check up on me, and keep me accountable. Forward this blog to as many people as you wish.
Blessings