The new us

Dear friends- It has been ages! I am slowly revamping my blog to better fit our lives. I will soon be changing my title and FINALLY updating our family pic. But I thought I would do a post that will describe some of our recent changes.

Most of you know that Ryan has been through a huge health transformation. He lost over 80lbs!!!! This March he ran his first marathon. He finished in 4 hours! He won the Biggest Loser challenge at work in March and is beginning his second Biggest Loser challenge today. It will go for 11 weeks. His goal is to be at 200 by the end. It has been so inspiring to watch him work so hard to achieve his goals. Here is a before and after pic of Ryan.

Ryan March of 2012

Ryan & now sister in law Ally; March 2014

 I have lost and gained the same 20 pounds over the time that Ryan has just LOST. I saw pictures from Adam's wedding and I was ABHORRED!!!!!!! Although my new red hair looked fabulous, I can truly say that was the only thing. I have started a Whole30 day challenge. This means I don't eat processed food, and I have given up all grains, all sugar (except fruit), all legumes (never liked beans so this wasn't a stretch) and dairy. As I write this I am on day 4. I have left the "I want to jump off a cliff if I don't have coffee with maple syrup now" phase and entered the more level headed, "I'm not going to die phase." One thing I read on the website was, "it's not hard like fighting cancer or something. It's simply a lifestyle change in putting food in its rightful place." Since I do have my brother in law fighting so mightily it put things in perspective. Andy's fighting cancer, I can make a simple lifestyle change. So much to my chagrin, I'm posting a before picture. I hate this pic, but it symbolizes my continuation to find complete health and wellness. Part of that is diet and weight-loss. 

                                                                                                                                 

Another part of my journey to wellness has been through essential oils. I had a friend introduce me to them a few months ago. While the oils have helped our family, the supplements are what have made the difference in my life. I take three supplements called Life Long Vitality Pack. One is all the amino and fatty acids we need, another is all the nutrients that we don't get from dieting, and the one that has made the most difference is to help repair damage on the cellular level. If any of you know my history you know I need all the repair I can get. For some reason my body isn't self regulating by synthroid alone. I have been functioning at like a 20-30% ever since I was 22 when it was removed. With the help of these supplements I am now functioning at a 60ish%. I know as I adjust my diet, exercise and continue with my oils regime things will change. I am excited for what the future holds for me and my health. I am a better wife and mother since I have started these. I take a few other things that are basic auto immune protocol from Chrones to Fibromialgia... Please let me know if you'd like any information on what dōTERRA can do for you. I will be occasionally posting on different ways dōTERRA has worked for us but it won't be overwhelming. I do want to share but not in an annoying down your throat sort of way. LIFE IS WORTH LIVING WELL!!!!!!!

Aside from our health journey, our parenting journey is taking me in a new direction that I didn't think I would do. We are homeschooling this year. Preschool is extremely expensive and was not an option for us this year. Charlie is smart and recognizes half her letters already, (thank you PBS Super Why)!!!! But she is craving fun things to do. She asks to do a craft everyday, and to go visit someone or have a friend come over. Her social desire grows everyday. We are doing Awana and a Thur morning Bible Study and everything we can to fulfill her social needs. But at least I can "make her heart happy" as Charlie says by doing crafts. Our curriculum for this year is called Little Hands to Heaven. I chose it for two non-heroic reasons. It was free because my friend used it last year, and there is no planning involved. Can you give me a Hallelujah!!!! I'm not organized nor good at thinking ahead/preparing in advance. I have always flown by the seat of my pants. So, this curriculum lays it all out. It is very easy, tactile for the kids and Biblically based. We go through all the letters and numbers 1-10. It goes from creation to Paul, and can be incorporated into our family worship time. Did I mention, its EASY!!!!!!! I open the book and 30 mins later school is done for the day. When I was an education major I had lofty ideas of writing my own curriculum for my kids. Oh the things we think we can do pre-children. I will be posting about our triumphs and failures as I venture into this new land of homeschooling. 

And now what most of you have been wanting. Updates on the girls!!!!

Charlie makes life fun. She is dramatic, super outgoing, artistic, smart, impish and is most of all, an entertainer. She is also super strong willed, which is rearing its ugly head most through potty training. She knows what to do and how to do it but refuses because, "its not fun" she says. I have tried all kinds of things from nakedness, forcing her to sit on the potty, holding her hand and cheering for every little brown bit that comes out, treats, etc. So I'm doing my best and not giving up. Ryan is afraid she will be 6 and still in diapers. Many have reassured me that it will eventually click and she'll get it. Until then, I do a lot of praying for a calm voice and a joyful heart as I clean poopy underwear. (Sometimes I just throw it away, when I feel its okay to be wasteful)

Sam is my delight. She is sweetness personified. She loves to cuddle and loves ME!!!!!! She is a mommy's girl. Its nice to have one now. She is part boy the way she jumps into things physically and how she plays. But she still loves to sing and wear her princess dress just like her sister. She copies everything Charlie says and does and it is helping her language development. She is quieter by nature and has never had an opportunity to talk with Charlie around, but now they can play and have conversations. They understand each other better than I do sometimes. Sam is quiet but smart. She will answer any question you ask and understands everything we say. She is also a lover of music and dance. Our home is never quiet. I am living Les Miserables in a non-sensical toddler version, or with Sam, the wordless version. Everything is dictated through song. Did I mention that I am raising my sister? They really do love playing together and can play for a couple hours with little refereeing. Its a joy to watch them play and love on each other. Charlie sings a lullaby to Sam before nap time. When they are laughing together its contagious. So here are some of their recent adventures together. 

                                                                                  

                                                                             

                                                                         

Princess day at Chick-Fil-A. Every princess needs a sword!

And that is a LOT to take in so we will leave you with a night, night! Will post again soon. We love you all and thanks for following us on this wonderful journey of life.

Happy New Year

Hello all-

I could spend countless words apologizing for neglecting a blog but I'm not going to. Out with the old and in with the new. Now that the girls are a little older I am pretending attempting to be more organized. With this new me is supposedly coming a cleaner house, more organized activities with the girls, and a maintained blog. And I didn't even mention my health goals and starting a sewing business. Yes I know this is all too much but maybe if I set high goals somethings will actually get done.

December was a blur. I crammed for a craft fair with my new-found hobby/business, had a company Christmas party, got very ill, and once we had recouped, fixed Christmas dinner for 156 people from 27 different families. Ryan cooked and my main job was to keep the kids out of his hair. I also did all of our Christmas shopping in 1 week. This is the third year our family has cooked for needy families and was our biggest one yet. It seems that as time progresses so do the needs of others. It gets harder and harder to draw a line. Only the Lord knows how far He will go with this. Ryan's desire is for our family's Christmas to be about sharing the good news of Christmas in a tangible way. This is wonderful but makes our holiday kind of a blur. So this year we postponed Christmas till Nana (Ryan's mom) came to visit. We face timed all grandparents so they could watch the girls open gifts. Christmas was a multi-day affair that way. Technology is wonderful when you live so far away.

Our most recent family photo

We spend our days going to parks, the gym and various play dates with friends. The girls are very active and love to be outdoors. This is not a problem since we live here in CA. In fact it was 83 on Christmas day.

Charlie is 3 now. She loves singing, dancing in her tippy tap shoes, and generally performing whenever possible. She has never met a stranger and no matter where we are when we leave she always needs a hug and kiss from everyone in the room. Even from random strangers who stop to talk in the grocery store. Encouragement is her main love language. She demands it, and gives it freely. When she has sung me a song she will say, "say good job Charlie" or "clap mom". She also will give lots of encouragement to Ryan, Sam, or myself, for the most menial tasks. She loves pirates and princesses. Captain Hook is her favorite, and Ariel is slowly catching momentum. Her interests grow and change everyday. Charlie will eat anything you put in front of her but is a very distracted eater. She makes art and stories with her food so it takes lots of coaxing to finish a meal in a timely manner. Even though she is VERY dramatic and loves anything art related she also has a cerebral side. She is like her father in the fact that everything has a place and will keep fixing it till its right. There is never a dull or quiet moment with Charlie around. She is very caring and extends grace to others at such a young age.

Charlie with some of her princess and pirate booty from Christmas

Sam is 20 months old. She is part boy. Moves around, and wont stop till she drops. She is very quiet, but is starting to talk more and more everyday. She LOVES animals, and dogs are her favorite. Dadda, Momma then came doggie as her third and most frequently used word. She now says, uh-oh, up, and will sing round and round, all-from the wheels on the bus. She says Nana, thank you and peek-a-boo is our newest word. But her first love, even more than dogs is Elmo. He is her favorite friend and says his name all day long, and whenever we see his face on tv or a book. Her melmo is the apple of her eye at the moment. Sam's love language is touch because she is a cuddlebug. When she wakes up from sleep she must be held for a time that she deems appropriate. If its not enough time she will get jelly legs and fall to the floor crying. When her hug quota is filled she will squirm down my legs and run for food. She is a little pickier than Charlie but her favorite veggies are broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Meat of any kind is what she craves the most. However she loves sweet cheerios and snacks. The most memorable thing about Sam is her God-given sweetness. A warmth that I know God will use for His will in her future.

These two fill our lives with adventure, love, challenges and so much more. We are so blessed to be their parents. God entrusted them to us and we are forever grateful. So here was your quick update. We actually are going to update so stay tuned. Happy New Year from the Detigs

Sam I am

Samantha Mae Detig was ushered into the world at 4pm on Sunday April 15th with great joy. She was 7 pounds 14.5 ounces and 20 inches long. We are so blessed to have our brood of four. Ryan is greatly outnumbered by the amount of estrogen in the house he welcomes another "daddy's girl" which I have no doubt that Sam will be. We went into the hospital around 3am and a short 13 hours later she was born. Don't worry only 2 of those were without an epidural. We can't say enough about all of our nurses and great care we received at St. Joseph Hospital. We will definitely be going back with our next one. Sam has her own personality but was born with the face of her sister. Ryan and I were shocked at the resemblance. She is a hungry little girl and anxiously awaiting mom's mil to come in (hopefully tomorrow). She is a squirmy wormy and wants to scoot and roll all over. This makes changing her diaper a challenge but I enjoy each wrestling match already. We are overjoyed. I could go on but its late and you really want pictures vs words. So here is our Sam

Mommy didn't feel great after her birth. With a fever and the shakes I apologized to Sam for the earthquake and welcomed her to California

much cleaner

all clean and wrapped up for her first sleep home.

her hair is so soft and sweet, I really hope it stays!!!!

thought her face was so cute I would sacrifice and show my towel head on the internet

Charlie is actually pretty gentle with Sam, when she takes time out of her day to notice her

Showers of blessings

We were blessed by our friends both at Ryan's work and from our home group to have them celebrate the arrival of Sam with us. Our Bechtel buddies gave us a shower in an hour. I am humbled that they would shower us because of their friendship with Ryan. It was a time of food and fun. And as you can see from the pictures Charlie was the star of the show. We have visited the office a few times and have attended a softball game last week. The whole office loves her despite how little we come around.

Bob Fosse look out

She LOVES balloons

Rachel is one of the women who helped put on the shower for us. She and her hubby love spending time with Charlie

Our hostess with the mostess Mindy

I chose this because I look "skinny"

 At our next shower we didn't have any pictures but I will share my devotion with you. My friend Candice wrote a poem about my life. It was very touching and shows where I am at in my current life stage.

Year's ago, before you were Mom,
God called and you listened, He sent you abroad.
"To the mission field" He said
"This house is no longer your home."
You packed your bags and boarded the plane,
You set out in faith on your own.

As the time went by God grew you and shaped you
He molded and worked in your heart.
He was working then, to bring about now
The wife and the mom that you are.

From before time began,
He made it His plan
To grow a strong man fit for you .
He laid out your lives,
Had you live them just right
Til dinner that very first night.

Beaming and gazing you stared at this man,
You knew who he was,
You saw how God had,
Worked in your life from childhood til now,
To bring you here,
To this place and a vow.

So quickly it came ,
Your love then a kiss.
On August 21st
You enjoyed wedded bliss!

Now here you are
Married to the man of your dreams.
Two precious daughters as gifts,
And you know what that means.

New seeds to be sown,
Now it is in your home
Your missions no longer abroad.
It's inside your walls ,
It's the way that you call
Your family to rest in your arms.

The sweet love that you show,
To all whom you know .
Speaks  of Christ straight into their hearts.

You heard Him again
God had you listen,
To Him when He said
"Here it is."

"Have self control, be pure, and be kind
Submissive and working at home."
"Remember to love them,
The ones in your home.
It's for them that I died and then rose."

Now the  field looks  a bit different
And yet still the same.
Hardened hearts that are in need of a change.

Your missions at hand ,
Be bold and stand
At the foot of your Saviors throne.

By Him you can,
Be Mom
To Charlie and Sam,
That God intended for you all along.

By His strength draw near,
Listen close and you'll hear
The Holy Spirits sweet prompt in your heart.

When the days get so hard
And life tosses you far
From one place and then to the next.
Remember Gods call,
He's there when you fall.
He guided you right from the start.

Although we miss our family and friends, God has provided so much here and we love our home here. Praise God for the holes he has filled. 

On a side note a few people have asked what we need. 
We put together a registry at babies r us
Detig registry

Target
Detig registry

My next doctors appointment is Monday. I have had several contractions and discomfort but nothing to call the hospital about yet. We will keep you posted. Would appreciate prayers because I am definitely ready.

Till Monday

Our Growing family

Hello all, It has been forever. There are a number of excuses reasons why I haven't updated but there are more important things to get to. We are a 13 days or less away from the arrival of Sam, our newest addition to the family. Many (Mom and Cari) have requested pictures of my budding belly. When they last saw me in January I was still quite small. Not to toot my own horn but I have had many people say that I don't look big toot toot. I will say that these pictures will completely counter this statement but you will just have to trust me that in person, I am not huge. There is much to say and share over the next couple of days but for today I will just leave pictures. These were taken TODAY, THE SAME DAY I AM POSTING (you should be impressed with my promptness for once). My husband took the day off, let me sleep in and catch up from the sleepless nights of late. Then he surprised me and took his girls on a picnic (with packed lunch in tow) and we had some pictures taken while we enjoyed the sunshine and ocean and food. It was great to get out as a family. These moments are fleeting till life calms down after Sam.
And then there were almost four

we can't always be happy about being dethroned

My attempt at a kiss

Dancing with daddy

she loves these rats puppies

 

 

 

 

 

Don't be deceived folks, we don't have a walker yet. This photo took a lot of strategery to make it happen.

Our view from the picnic table

 

 

This is a horrible picture of me but a good one of her. The sacrifices mommies make.

So here is me in my pregnancy glory

Tomorrow's post: Showers of blessings

Disney Princess

A POST OF PICTURES PAST

So there are some who believe that we don't take pictures of Charlie. I must say that is absolutely not true. In the last week I have taken four videos and over 350 pictures since my in-laws have arrived. You will not be seeing any of those today, hence the title. Over the next few weeks posts will be alternated from past to present so that I can post the pictures taken months ago but have never made it to the blog. So here are some pictures taken in March of Charlie's first trip to Disneyland. She was approximately four months old. She was a champ. There was only one ride she didn't like because it was loud intermittent sounds and it scared her. It was a Pinocchio ride and to be honest it was a little creepy for me too. She slept through the Pirates of the Caribbean with its cannon sounds and water. We sat in the front row and got very wet. PS what ride attendant sees a sleeping baby in a carrier and thinks the front row is a good idea, I digress. She also enjoyed about 2 minutes of very loud fireworks/pyrotechnics and then was down for the count and slept through the rest of the show. My thoughts on Disneyland. Not near as fun as Disneyworld. Much less to see and after two trips realized the characters don't walk around, you have to go to them. LAME. So we have yet to get a picture with Mickey and with the passing in policy it will likely be a while before we do. BUMMER :(  

First monorail ride. It actually stalled for 20 minutes but she didn't mind

Sleeping Beauty's Castle. No wonder I couldn't see it from the highway.

And the cutest picture of all!!!! Thanks Grandma Barb for our special Disney outfit.

  I have a couple pictures of her smiling from Aunt Ashley but have lost them. We are going to play more with Nana and Papa. All for now

Our Dinner Entertainment

Charlie has a new toy that she really loves. It is a vintage ring stacker that is very similar to the toy I used as a baby. We were at a friend's house for the Fourth and she saw it and was mesmerized. So I splurged the nine bucks for it and it has provided hours of entertainment. I must say she doesn't quite get the concept but plays with it in her own unique way. I will let you see for yourself. 

 

As you can see everything goes in her mouth. Her tongue plays with it more than anything.

She balances things quite well

I hope this is not a glimpse into her future as a circus performer. 

Which leaves us with one question, "What do you do at your dinner table?"