It's been a while...

Oh, my goodness, I don't even know where to start.  It's been a year and half since I've posted anything, that's how fast time flies by I guess.

Oh well, lemme see if I can catch you all up to speed...

Chris got a coaching job with the Angels and spent the summer in Cedar Rapids, IA.  After a couple trips to AZ during spring training and school was out in June, the kids and I spent the rest of the summer with him.  Boy was it HOT!!!  This year the boys were old enough to go to the field with him.  They went every single day!  Brooke and I always found something to do.  Whether it was going to the public pool, there was a park near by that had a "splash pad" water feature which she loved.  We did a lot of mother/daughter bonding.  And she is the best person to watch a baseball game with.  She sat with me, fairly still too, for the duration of the most of the games.  Going on looooong car rides too.  All the kids did really well just going with the flow.  After living in a hotel for 3 months we were very ready to get home.  We even got to enjoy some sunny weather at home!

Christopher is 9 and in the 4th grade.  He had a really good little league season at the "kid pitch" level.  He really likes his teacher (not so much last year) and is learning how to juggle in class.  He is absolutely loving it.  He gets really excited when he gets to do these timed multiplication worksheets.  The goal is to get 100 correct in 5 minutes and he's been getting 150+.  The next goal is to get to 200 in the same amount of time.  He is a true competitor!

Zachary is 7 and in the 2nd grade.  He likes his teacher too.  Dance and P.E. are is favorite "subjects".  His teacher says he is "relatively quiet in class but has a lot energy when he's at recess or outside structured learning.  He gets along easily with his classmates and peers.  He is goofy and silly with his friends but makes good choices, avoids conflicts and is able to leave the play on the playground."  He has such a tender heart, you can't help but to love him.

Brooke turned 4 in October.  She is going to preschool a few afternoons a week.  She too loves school always asking when she gets to go.  She does gymnastics one day a week and after the new year she'll start ballet one day a week.  She has just as much energy as her brothers.  On Halloween she hung in there with her brothers and few of their friends.

I have a few clients for the personal training I do out of our house.  And the rest of the time I'm doing regular "mommy" stuff.

We have decided to spend a little more time as a family during the 2013 baseball season.  We will take the kids out of school and homeschool them the last couple months of the school year so we can be with Chris for extended spring training in Tempe, AZ and Orem, UT June-Sept.  It's definitely uncharted territory for us, homeschooling, but we're going to give it a try.

The kids LOVE having Rick and Paula next door.  And my parents have moved back to Vancouver, yay!  Now they get to spend more time with their grandkids.  Not something easily achieved living an hour away.  So glad to have them so close.

We interrupt this family for baseball season!

Like many families this spring we were busy busy busy with baseball baseball baseball. Zachary got his first taste of team sports. He had a blast with his first season of t-ball playing on the Angels. It was a lot of fun to watch him. He bats right and throws left and has plenty of "lefty" to go around ;]

Christopher was such a joy to watch this season. He played on the NW8 Angels, it was "kid pitch" this year. We've got an athlete on our hands people. Everything about the game of baseball is like second nature to him. His favorite position is pitcher but as long as he's in the action he's happy. He also finished his third session of Hot Shots basketball. He really blossomed after the first session, it was so much fun to watch his confidence grow. He's quite the little baller on the court.

Miss Brooke didn't miss one second of the action. She hasn't entered into the world of sports yet but she was there cheering her brothers on and playing with the other kids there watching their brother or sister.

Chris has been busy at Extra Innings giving lots of lessons. Since it's still so new we're excited to see what the winter has in store for the business.

And I (Rachael) have been busy with the kids, lots of end of the year activities for school. I have some regular clients I'm training. I'm really enjoying it and hoping to get busier and take on more clients.

We're excited that it's finally summer, YAY sun! We also have an addition to our family...Buster. He's 3/4 Poodle and 1/4 Yorkie. We've had him since Saturday, so 4 days now, and Christopher has had NO allergic reaction to him. Poodles are hypoallergenic and I think Yorkies are too to some degree. He's going to stay pretty small too, not weighing any more than 10 lbs. He's kinda tall for being so small so he's not a tiny little "toy" dog but, for us, he's the perfect size. Everyone is in love with him and he's loving all the attention.

Until next time, we hope everyone has safe and fun-filled summer :-)

The Gissell Family

Christopher is 8!!!

Christopher is such an amazing little boy. So intelligent, such a kind heart. I can't believe he's 8 already.

We had such a fun day. It started with a surprise breakfast of scrambled eggs and Monkey Bread. One of our favorite treats passed down to us by Chris's mom.

Followed by a baseball game with cupcakes afterward while the team and parents

sang "Happy Birthday".

His party was immediately after his game at our house. Lots of kids, lots of laughter, lots of chaos - the good kind. During the gift opening there was a treasure hunt for the much anticipated plasma ball.

Christopher made a special request that he get a "giant cupcake" cake and that everyone else get a regular cupcake. It was a day full of smiles and lots of baked sugary goodness.

Green Goodness

I found this recipe at www.bodyrock.tv and HAD to share. It's a great way to get an amazing amount of nutrients into your body (especially if you're not a big fan of veggies) with minimal effort. You can enjoy this green awesomeness any time of day, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

Recipe:

4-5 kale leaves

4C (or 4 handfuls) baby spinach

1 Tbsp Flax oil

1C berries

1 banana

1 kiwi fruit

This recipe is not set in stone. You can use any fruit you like to suit your personal taste. I also like to add Advocare Muscle Gain in Vanilla. It helps sweeten the shake a bit but it also adds high quality protein. Adding the protein really does make this a complete meal.

I hope you like it as much as I do :]

Busy, busy, busy...

Well, there has been a lot going on with us, where do I start?...

Chris worked for UPS over the holidays and was offered a full time position. But Extra Innings Vancouver opened and we decided to decline the offer from UPS. Chris is now full time at Extra Innings helping to run the business and giving pitching lessons. He's MUCH happier there than delivering packages all day.

I am now a certified personal trainer, YAY!

We have turned the space above

our garage into a fitness studio (Studio 48). I am able to train clients there. It's a beautiful space. I love being up there helping people get in shape. Finally, at 34 yrs old, I found what I wanted to be when I grew up. Oh wait, I'm already grown up, haha.

The kids are growing like crazy. Christopher will be 8 next month. He plays basketball and baseball and is loving both sports. It's a little crazy keeping track of the practice and game schedules. Thank goodness for the iPhone :]

Zachary is really enjoying kindergarten, has lots of new friends and play dates.

He is playing t-ball this year. He's finally old enough to play something.

Needless to say he is ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT. Queen B (Brooke) is, well, how do I say it...She's definitely 2! She keeps everyone on their toes. She's potty trained. YAY, no more

diapers!!! She gets to start preschool next year. I am so excited for her. Like Zachary, she is very social. I am not worried at all though, she will thrive. Lastly, we are still growing our Advocare business. It's such an amazing company. Financially it really has helped keep us afloat since Chris retired last year. And as for the products, let me just say this...I was out of my pink lemonade park for about a month and was NOT happy :] The products will forever be a part of our lives.

On a rather sad note, we lost my Grandma early in the year. She lived a full life and was loved by all. She will be very missed.

Happy Birthday Brookie!!

I can't believe that two years ago my little Brooke was born. We got the surprise of our lives that day in the operating room. We had two boys already and having NOT found out the sex of the baby while I was pregnant I was sure it was going to be another boy. And I was totally fine with that. Being the only girl surrounded by three loving boys and their father didn't sound half bad. But I now realize, well a while ago actually, how badly I wanted a girl. There's just something about little girls.

Happy Birthday to my little angel. I love you sooooo very much. And, one day, when you have a daughter of your own you'll understand. Just as my dad said to me when Christopher was born "now you know...". I truly do know. I now know that there is no greater power than the love a parent has for his/her child. There is no greater instinct to teach, protect and care for. I probably sound like I'm rambling. But that's what happens when I try to articulate how much I love my children.

Happy birthday Brooke.

Love, Mommy

The Process

Just this last Saturday (10/2/10) I competed in the Washington Ironman figure competition, bikini class. What a process it was...

First of all I never even considered competing in any kind of competition ever. I've seen them on t.v. and watched in awe at how amazing these women's bodies looked always telling myself "man, it would be so cool to do that one day, too bad I'll never look like t

hat". Great self talk right? And that was before having my three kids.

I don't want to ramble so I'll get right to it. After reaching my personal level of disgust with how my body looked and how I felt Advocare found me and my family. And through proper nutrition and training (thanks Angie *wink*) I was able to lose about 30 lbs, 10% body fat and gain some pretty serious lean muscle mass. I'm no she-hulk but now my body has shape instead of sausage arms and legs and a thick, undefined waist. I'm also healthier than I have ever been.

Not only was my journey towards the competition a learning process but the competi

tion itself was so amazing. Everything from getting my spray-tan (hello Loompa-land), to wearing the clear plastic "hooker heels", to having so much adrenaline surging through my body I felt like the floor was vibrating my legs were shaking so bad. Then, I stood on stage with a bunch of 20-somethings and strutted my stuff. Chris was beaming in the audience. For the first time ever he was "the fan" and I was in the spotlight. It felt kinda good. I didn't place (no trophy). Now, I have to be honest, it's a little disappointing. But the knowledge I've gained and the experience was absolutely amazing. DEFINITELY going to do more competitions. In fact, the NW Naturals is April 2, 2011. I am sooo there. And even if I d

on't leave with a trophy from that one I'm still gonna rock it.

I've never been satisfied with how my body looked, struggling with low self-esteem, experimenting with some pretty extreme diets, postpartum depression, etc. But now I can say (with no ego) that I'm satisfied. I will never go back to looking or feeling how I once did. I'm not sure if/when I'll ever get to a point where I feel there are no further improvements I could make but the days of trying to hide certain areas of my body, avoiding the camera or trying to sit a certain way in photos to hide any bulges are over. I'm a woman. I have hips and thighs and "lady lumps". I have 3 beautiful children that came from this body, I am strong (no Chris, I will not flex). I'm happy :]

Take a look at the video here.