Happy Birthday Grant!

May 13th, Sunday was Grant's 3rd birthday. Since it was also Mother's Day, we had his party on Saturday instead. I had been stressing out about it for a while b/c we were going to try to have it at a park and we've been having non-stop rain for weeks now. But, thank the Lord, we had perfect weather and the party went great. Here are some pics...

Sorry, I wanted to put captions with these pictures, but I canNOT figure out how! For those of you who don't know...Amos is in the blue shirt. My big brother is the big guy next to Matt. The cute little old lady is my grandma with my brother. And in the picture of me with my friends, its Rachael, Me & Teya.

This first picture is of a picture that Matt's grandma did for Grant's new cowboy room. She did it with chalk! Isn't it amazing!!!

This picture is of a card I made for a friend of mine who is having a baby. It's not quite up there where Amos, Guru, Logzie and Nobody are...but I'm getting there.

We were all playing around the other night and I was taking pictures. The first one is just of me...I tried out a new hairstyle tonight by curling a few pieces of my hair with my straightening iron. The second pic is of Matt being the "DJ" with Brooklyn's Barbie microphone and then the 3rd is of her being the "speaker/singer".

Our little graduate!






Big Sis at Grant's graduation!







The proud parents!

Grant's last day of preschool was last Thursday, May 10th. To celebrate, they had a bike parade. The kids were allowed to decorate their bikes all up and so we had put this HUGE like 4 foot balloon on the back of Grant's tricycle. He was pretty excited about it but then it busted right as the parade started. He had a puckered up lip like he was about to cry when I saw him. He didn't really want to ride in the parade after that but I did have him stand by his bike so I could get a picture. I fixed his hair really crazy for the last day of school, as you can see. ha ha

Yet another creature....this time we actually named it! ha ha "Shelly". He/She hung around for several days before venturing off.

Silly Boys!

I was sitting at my computer the other day when I heard Grant just talking away in the other room. Since were home alone, I thought..."hmmm...that's weird. I wonder who he's talking to" so I went and checked. Turns out he was using my calculator as his "cell phone". Ha ha!

Welcome to Country Living! This is what I found when I opened my garage this morning. It was actually right at the base of my garage door when I first saw it but then our dog ran up to it and scared it, so it slithered into the grass but I was able to grab my camera and snap a couple of pictures first---so I could prove to my hubby that there really was a BIG snake in our yard and so those of you who think I am SO lucky to live in the country---well, this is what comes with it. Fun, fun! I've had quite an exciting day---at 6:30 this morning I found a mouse in our house and actually stared it straight in the eyes, then the snake and now just a few minutes ago, Brooklyn had her finger stuck in a soda can and Grant grabbed it and so it cut her finger very deep. She had blood running all down her arms! It was quite a sight. I called the dr. office to see if she might need stitches but they said if we could get it to stop bleeding, it'd be okay. Whew!

Happy Mother's Day! Hang in there...they'll be 18 some day! I love you all!
AND
Happy 3rd Birthday Grant! I Love You!!!

Bringing Baby Home-Chapter 2/The End!

I remember the day I found out I was pregnant for the 2nd time. I was having a garage sale and it was the first day of my missed period. I had been trying to get pregnant for 2 months and I just had a feeling this was it. Even though it was technically too early to really do a test (I should have waited a few more days), I couldn't stand the suspense so I did one. Sure enough, it came up positive. I immediately changed out of the shirt I was wearing into a maternity shirt! As if I was "showing" already! Ha Ha. Actually, during the previous 2 months that I had been "trying" to get pregnant, I had gained 20 pounds!!! I guess I figured since I was going to get pregnant anyway, no sense in watching my weight anymore! Ugh! What a DUMMY! Anyway Matt happened to be at work that day so I called his cell phone to tell him the news but he ddn't answer so I hung up and called my parents. My dad answered so he was the first to hear. Little did I know, HE would end up being the one to tell Matt! Before I got ahold of Matt, my dad had to go to work..(they worked at the same place then) and so dad walked up to Matt and said, "Congratulations!!" Matt was like, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Dad said, "About the baby." About that time I called Matt again and when I told him the BIG NEWS...he said, "Yah, I already know. Your dad told me." Like it was no big deal! Ergh! Men!
So...skip ahead 8 months to D-day. Again...my due date came and went with not so much as a single contraction. My doctor decided to induce if I hadn't gone into labor by that weekend since she was on call and would be at the hospital anyway. Turns out I started having contractions the day I was scheduled for induction so I ended up just going in at my assigned time (7 pm) and they went ahead and hooked me all up. I was progressing at a wonderful rate and I was breathing through the contractions and having nice little conversations in between. Everything was good and I was feeling very strong and determined that I would NOT get an epidural this time. I consider myself to be a VERY strong woman and I felt/feel like if other woman can do it...then by GOLLY I for SURE can do it! When I got to 6 cm, my doctor decided to break my water and see if things sped up any. Well, one thing for sure sped up...the PAIN! By the time I got to 8 cm, I was in so much pain I honestly think I was "losing my mind". It was like this threshold of strength had been broken and suddenly I felt helpless and weak and I started bawling. Immediately I wanted an epidural and I mean NOW ladies! ha ha Once the epidural was in place, everything calmed back down and slowed down. It was the PERFECT epidural. I had feeling and sensation everywhere...just no pain. Absolutely what I wanted. Instead of an intense cramp when I would have a contraction, I would just feel a strong tightening and maybe just a teensy twinge of pain...but I could totally handle that. Eventually it was time to push and after about an hour of vein-popping, teeth gritting pushing, Grant Harrison arrived. May 13th, 4:44 am, 7 lb.s 7 oz. He had lots of dark hair and beautiful skin. I fell in love with him immediately (very unlike my first birth where it took me several days to really feel an attachment--sounds bad but very normal). Anyway, it was love at first sight and I didn't want him out of my sight. I slept with him in my arms, ate with him in my arms and felt a twinge of jealosy when anyone else held him. Crazy and completely ironic because I thought the bond between a mother and a son wouldn't be nearly as strong as between a mother and daughter. Now, here we are almost 3 years later and I am still as infatuated with this little guy as I was back then. I probably smother him with all my hugs and kisses...but I just can't resist. His sister, who I'd love to snuggle and hug and kiss has NEVER liked that kind of thing and still pushes you away if you hold on too tightly or too long.

THE END
Most of you already know...but while I was pregnant with Grant, my doctor discovered I had the beginning stages of cervical cancer. It was a cluster or group of pre-cancerous cells basically. Anyway, they monitored it and did biopsies throughout my pregnancy and then afterwards (when Grant was about 3 months old) I went in and had surgery to have it removed. At my post-op doctors visit, I asked for an IUD (intra-uterine device) which prevents pregnancy for up to 7 years. She tried to put one in for me but couldn't because I had too much scar tissue from the surgery. I came back a couple of months later for them to try again and with several nurses and two doctors, they finally got the thing in, albeit through a very unconvential way. So...that is where I am now. I haven't taken any permanent steps to ensure that I don't get pregnant again because it just seemed like we were too young to make a decision with such finality at our young (ish) ages. However, now that it's been 3 years, we are more sure than ever that our family is complete. I don't know if one of us will get "fixed" or if I'll just keep getting IUD's every 7 years...but I'm fairly certain that we are done.

So that's it...the story of my babies. Hope you enjoyed and will find time to tell your story (ies).

Bringing home Baby-Chapter 1

I was 22 years old and working full time at a local bank. My due date was January 5th and I had already planned to quit my job on that day whether or not the baby had come yet. Sure enough, January 5th came and went with not even so much as a contraction. I went to my doctors appointment and found out I was 1 cm dilated and that if I still hadn't had her in a week, that they would schedule an induction. Ugh! Another WHOLE week! 5 days go by and then all of a sudden at about 2 am, I woke up with a cramp in my tummy. It was really mild though, so I thought oh, I won't bother Matt just yet and I started watching the clock to see if maybe this could be labor. After 2 hours, I decided to wake Matt up and see what he thought. My "contractions" were coming about 4 minutes apart and very regular, but not painful. We waited until about 6 am and then decided to get up and get showered and head to the hospital. Once there, they checked me and said I was still only dilated to a 1 but they did show that I was having contractions so they sent me home to rest and gave me some VERY STRONG sleeping pills. We decided to stop at Carl's Jr. on the way home and get some breakfast. We just ran through the drive through and ate in the car. By the time we pulled up in the driveway, I was so drugged I couldn't even get my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit to my mouth but was hitting myself in the nose and cheeks with it! Matt ended up having to carry me in the house and to the bed because I couldn't even walk! Since I was in never-never land, he went ahead and went on to work and we called my mom and told her it was safe for her to go ahead and go to work too (she worked in another town 30 minutes away). So, I stayed home all alone all the while progressing further and further in my labor. At lunchtime when I woke up, there was no question I was "in labor". Still though, it was more discomfort than pain so I just went through the afternoon alone getting things "prepared." Finally at 5 o'clock when Matt got home from work I told him I really thought it was time to go to the hospital so again, I got all "ready" (full make up and hair, painted toenails and fingernails) saying hee-hee-who all the way through. At 6 o'clock that night when they Finally got me into a room and got me all hooked up and checked out the doctor said I was dilated to a 5-6!! She suggested I go ahead and get an epidural because if we waited too much longer it might be too late. (They said they wouldn't give me one if I got to an 8) so I went ahead and did it. Getting the epidural was one of the most painful parts of my whole labor. They had to "dig" around in my back several times to finally find the right spot--but boy when they did...it worked! You could have cut my legs off and I wouldn't have felt a thing. Now I know to some of you, that sounds like a good thing--but I HATED it! I never did feel another contraction and never felt the urge to push--I just had to go off of what everyone else was saying. "Oh look, you're having a really strong contration now!" hmmm? Really?!
Anyway, finally at 2:38 am on January 11th, Brooklyn Kate was born weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. When I first saw her all I could think of was that she had RED hair!!! My doctor, whom I had become friends with and who knew I wasn't fond of red hair, assured me that it wasn't red hair..but just blood from the birth and that it would all wash out and she'd be a cute little blonde. HA! As you all know...she's 6 years old now and her hair is as red as ever. The only thing that has changed is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I would NEVER want it to be any other color! Anyway, back to my story...I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days, had tons of visitors and gifts and then went home, where I was in for the rudest awakening of my LIFE! Our first night at home ranks among the worst nights I've ever had EVER. I actually called my mom and the hospital in the middle of the night crying because I was so upset. My sweet little girl was screaming her head off and had been for hours and even the dogs were crying. I was getting no sleep and yet I was so exhausted I was delirious. It was awful...but we made it through. I ended up not being able to nurse like I had hoped. Turns out my boobs were so GIGANTIC that I was suffocating my poor kid! I ended up pumping/nursing till she was 3 months old while supplementing with formula. It's hard to believe that was all 6 1/2 years ago! In some ways, it seems like just yesterday, but then in other ways, I feel like I have become a completely different person than I was then. Now if I could go back and do it all again, I'd know what to ask for and what to say no to. I'd be so much calmer and less stressed out with every cry and whimper. But then...that's the beauty of your first child. No one can tell you these things...no matter how many books or magazines you read beforehand...NOTHING prepares you for the change you're about to encounter.

Mother's Day Memories

Did you guys read the post I did about "lets tell our childbirth stories" in honor of Mother's Day? I was just wondering since no one has commented on it. I really hope you girls will do it. I think it will be so fun to read about everyone else's experiences!

Somebody help me!

I have had a stressful day today. It's mostly because I agreed to do some extra work for a friend and I've known about it for 2 weeks now and I've been dreading it ever since. It's nice to make some extra money but I knew it was going to take me most of the day today and it's pretty hard work. Just knowing I had it to do put me in a serious mood when I woke up this morning...meaning I had no tolerance for silliness or time-wasting (which is what kids love to do). So basically, in the words of my kids, I woke up a "grouch." Regardless, I set out to get this work done and had gotten a good start on it by 11 am when I had to go get Brooklyn from school. After we picked her up, we ran to Wal-Mart to grab some milk--and then the "fun" began. And I mean "fun" in the most sarcastic way possible. It was nothing big...just the constant bickering and fighting and whining from both of them that was putting me in a tizzy. It was only supposed to be a quick 5 minute trip to the store...but instead, they were jerking the cart back and forth, running into people and yelling loudly---which ended up making it more of like a 15 minute trip. By the time I was ready to head to the check out with my stuff, I was pretty irritated. Apparently it was obvious on my face too because an old woman walked up to me and out of the blue (in a very serious tone) said, "They are JUST kids!" and walked off. I just stood there dazed. Like huh? What? All I could figure out was that I must have looked really mad or something or maybe she had been watching from a distance while all the chaos had been going on. I don't know but it really got me to thinking...Man, I don't want to be like this anymore! The JOY of the LORD is my strength, right? Hmmm...that adds up..I don't feel like I have any strength or joy in me right now.
Why oh why do we have the answers available to us...and yet still continue to struggle with the "test" trying to figure it all out on our own? In other words, why do I insist on being superwoman with super-human strength instead of just letting go and letting God...!!?! It's so much easier said than done when you're a control-freak like I am. Hmm..I've never referred to myself as such before...but I can see the truth in it.
Anyway, the last thing I should be doing right now is sitting here at my desk blogging but I just had to for a few seconds. The poor kids have been begging for some attention all day and I still have work to do besides all the normal daily housework I should do and plus now it's dinner time and I need to figure out something for us to eat. Somebody please remind me HOW I qualified for this job?

My sweet hubby putting hooks on our fishing poles. I was going to make fun of him for wearing tall socks and boots with his shorts this day...but I found out he was the SMART one! I had on short shorts and ankle socks with tennis shoes and we ended up having to walk through lots of TALL grass and weeds. Ugh! GrOsS! Who knows what all was on my legs that night!

Grant was standing by this tree and I saw a good picture opportunity.

The kids with the country performers at the park.

Our happy little family!

Man, how'd I get so lucky?

Here they are in the doorway of this cute little house.

The kids were having fun playing in this little minature house. I couldn't resist taking a pic of them through the window.

Buddies!

Brooklyn figuring out how to drive her bumper boat.

Grant in the bumper boats. Hopefully by the time he learns how to really drive a boat...we'll own one!!

My little kiddos on the canoe ride. Matt did all the picture taking of them and he did a pretty good job!

Grant, Nana and Brooklyn waiting in line for a ride. It was SO fun to have Matt's mom and her fiance, Duane and his son, Tyler there with us. It was much needed Nana-time for the kids. They just can't get enough of her!

Matt and I at Frontier City. For some crazy reason, this picture is blurry. Sorry!

Our old babysitter, Kendra, was in town this weekend so we met up with her early Saturday morning for breakfast. The kids were SO excited to see her again! (and so was I). We miss having her around SO much!

Matt holding the fish I caught this past Friday night when we went out fishing at a little pond behind our house. The kids weren't too sure about getting very close to the fish! Ha Ha (notice the look on Grant's face).

This is a test of the Emergency Blogging System...

This is only a test.
Yep, my blog still works. I just don't have time to type anything these days.
HOWEVER
I have had a note on my calandar for months now that says "MAY-Let's all blog about our childbirth experiences in honor of Mother's Day"
So...that is my proposition. I would LOVE to start a little chain across the blogging world of women sharng their childbirth experiences with each other. You know we all LOVE to talk about "our stories" so get your fingers ready and let's do it! okay? I promise to make time in the next week and a half to get mine typed up. It was so fun when we all shared our "love stories" in honor of Valentines Day. Now it's time for "A baby Story" (you know what I mean if you ever watch TLC-ha ha) For those of you with more than one kid...I guess you'll have to do chapters. Brooklyn-Chapter 1 Grant-Chapter 2
I can't wait to read them!!