A Word or Two

Duomo & Baptistry

2012-02-03T05:44:00.000-06:00

First Trip to Florence

2012-01-31T15:48:00.005-06:00

On Sunday, we awoke to complete another busy schedule. We went to church on Sunday morning-half of it was in Italian and the other in English. It was a unique experience to be among others who worshiped God with their songs and prayers in another language. The church was friendly and even the kids went to a "children's church" with the other Italian kids.

After church, the group walked down the block to eat two courses of pasta and meat. The Italians always eat a first course of pasta, then the second course is a meat, vegetable and/or salad greens (skip the ranch). Dessert has typically been fruit (dipped in Nutella if you like). They also eat lunch later - lunch at the villa is served at 1:30. Our stomachs have definitely had to adjust to different meal times!

After our meal, we boarded a chartered bus to be delivered to a lookout point over Florence at the church of San Miniato al Monte. We went inside this beautiful church which is said to have the bones of St. Minias and sat down and sang two or three songs. The acoustics were beautiful and it was very moving.

Later we walked down the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio and then to the Duomo.

It was again a full day. We are still adjusting to a new time zone and schedule. The kids are also in that transition as well. Grant is struggling a bit more with behavior, but we've been fervently praying for improvement and continued adjustment for him. They have both been troopers though and I'm blessed to be sharing this journey with them!

Next blog will be about our trip to the Duomo and Baptistery and the start of classes.

Arrived on Friday

2012-01-28T16:51:00.005-06:00

We arrived after about a 24 day of travel. The kids did remarkably well and we are settling into the villa. We live in an apartment right off of the Villa. It is perfect for our needs. We all have a bed and our own little nooks. Our first night here, we slept for about 12 hours. The kids slept for about 15 hours solid. They were some tired kiddos! Jet lag did hit about 4 hours after I woke up. I could have laid down to sleep forever, but we had a group trip to Scandicci.

In Scandicci, I think I was the only blonde person there! That was very interesting. The Italians all have dark hair and dark eyes. We walked the Saturday Market where they sell everything. I also learned it is not proper etiquette to touch the items in market. You ask to touch them first. I was sure glad I learned that prior or I would have picked everything up! We enjoyed a delicious bombalonie treat. I'll be eating more of those!

After we had a quick dinner in town, we came back for a party. It was like a bunch of camp games. I told Jim they must be keeping us busy so no one has time to even think or miss home! Today was full. Feeling blessed to be a part of such a fantastic group of people in a town rich with life.

Italy Bound

2012-01-24T08:38:00.005-06:00

We leave in 2 days. TWO DAYS! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time--a wide range of emotions and anticipation. We signed up to be the faculty on staff for this program when Grant was a baby. (Now my baby will turn 4 while we are over there!) It is just hard to believe that it is finally here.

I have been working on my "to do" list for about 3 weeks now. We will have four college girls staying in our house while we are away keeping things running and taking care of Annie. I am teaching 3 classes while over there and also homeschooling Laura. I'm excited to have small classes and also work with Laura.

I ask for your prayers for safe travels on Thursday and continued prayers as we are away. We return to the states on April 24th.

I plan to blog our family experiences (hopefully regularly) while we are gone, so stay tuned for more.

Until then, ciao.

The River House-Heber Springs, AR

2011-12-19T07:52:00.005-06:00

This is the second year that my parents have rented this lovely house in Heber Springs, Arkansas. It is truly a little cabin overlooking the river; nestled among the beautiful fall trees.
While we are there, we fish, climb trees, run in the huge front yard, go on boat rides, swim in the hot tub or just sit on the deck. Good memories.

Fall

2011-11-11T14:09:00.004-06:00

So life has happened since my last post almost 2 months ago!

Laura is a well-adjusted 1st grader. She is doing great-loving school, reading like a champ, and just occasionally pulling her card at school! We've got a strict teacher this year which is fine with me!
Grant has pretty much given up his naps. Every now and then, he'll fall asleep. I still require him to go to his room to play/read/sleep for one hour or more. He is doing pretty well with our new routine. He is going to school on Tues/Thurs and is also doing wonderful!
Jim is busy this semester. Seems like he has more responsibility, more grading, more this, more that....it is what HU does best-overwork their people! Tis a true fact. Despite the fact, Jim is really a respected and sought out teacher. He does it well and students like him.

I am loving teaching my one course at HU this fall. It is one of my fave's and I'm thankful to have the job! It works perfectly with Grant being in school and gives me usually a couple afternoons a week to do what I want.
So we leave for Florence, Italy on Jan. 26th. We'll be gone 3 months. Crazy to even think about. We are obviously excited and prayerful that our kids will adjust and do well on an unpredictable schedule.We've been meeting with the HUF (Harding University in Florence) students every Wed night and I feel very good about them. They are fun, funny, creative and sweet! I'm excited to spend our time in Italy with them. Jim and I will both be teaching and I'll also homeschool Laura. I don't know what Grant will do all day-I'm sure he can find something to destroy!!!!

Hopefully I won't let two months go by before I blog again....

First Grade

2011-09-15T21:36:00.004-05:00

Laura has been in school for a month now and she is loving it. She gets excited when she has homework and starts on it the minute we walk in the door after school.

She is in a sweet class with several of her friends from Kindergarten. And she has the best teacher ever-I am so grateful for Mrs. Mote. We've already had our parent teacher conferences and Mrs. Mote had Laura totally pegged. Laura is a pleaser, (yes!), reliable (yes!) and needs affirmation (yes! yes!). She is just like her daddy! ha!

Slumber Party

2011-08-17T14:00:00.005-05:00

Laura had been asking for an entire year if she could plllllllleeeeeaaaaassssseeeeee have a slumber party for her 7th birthday. So---I gave in. She asked 4 of her friends and 3 were able to come which made it pretty easy. Grant was actually in St. Louis with the grandparents, so I didn't even have to worry about him following Laura and her friends around!!

Laura decided on a "Pink Poodle in Paris" theme and I made her a sleepover cake.

At the party, we made pillow cases, ate cake, opened presents, watched movies, enjoyed sparklers and finally went to bed (although it was 1 a.m. before all fell asleep!!) I still can't believe they stayed up that late.

It was a lot of fun and Laura loves being "7" now!

Lake Palestine

2011-08-17T13:50:00.003-05:00

I am still playing catch up on the blog. In mid-July, we headed to Lake Palestine in Texas to meet my parents and my brother and his family for our annual get together. We stayed in a lake house with a great shaded backyard and a nice covered dock. We did a lot of fishing, a lot of lake swimming and a lot of playing. We always look forward to this time when all the cousins can be together.

Branson

2011-07-14T22:06:00.004-05:00

We started our summer with a quick trip to Branson for three nights. We rented a little house that had a pool within walking distance. We spent everyday swimming since the temps were pretty high that week. Both kids are doing great in the water. Laura is a good swimmer and really enjoys being in the water. Grant is fearless. He jumps, dunks, blows bubbles and paddles pretty well (all with his floaties on). I'm so glad both of the kids love swimming so much!

One night we went into town to ride go-karts and they had little rides the kids enjoyed. Since it was the last week of school for most of Missouri schools, there were no crowds. It was great!
Grant was pretty serious about driving his car. I was right beside him and we were dead last to pass the finish line. People were flying by us, but I was scared Grant was gonna fall out. He had a blast!Some sweet man offered to take this picture when we were at Bass Pro.
One morning, we went to Tablerock State Park for a hike. It was hot and Grant needed a lift at the end. We enjoyed looking at the lake. The lake was really high, so were had to stay on the paved path. All of the hiking trails were actually closed.

After our trip to Branson, Jim and I went to Malibu, California. He presented at the Christian Scholars Conference at Pepperdine, and while he was busy with work, I ventured around town in our Grand Marque rental car. I am cheap-just trying to save Harding a few dollars and get the deal which happened to be a very large Grand Marque! I met up with a couple friends some of the days and it was overall a nice relaxing time. I could definitely see myself living in California--the weather is fabulous. This was our view everyday--it can't get much better!

Trip to Nashville & Laura's Ballet Recital

2011-06-30T09:39:00.005-05:00

Laura and I joined my parents for a trip to see my 98 year-old second cousin in Dayton, Ohio, the last week of May. It was a long haul, but we know Kathryn appreciates the visit. After we spent a couple days there, we traveled back through beautiful Kentucky to stay in Nashville for a couple of nights. It was our first time to go to the Grand Ole Opry and it was certainly an experience. Vince Gill hosted one of the shows and we also got to see Lee Greenwood sing "God Bless the USA". Another new country star was there as well-Jake Owen. While I had never heard of him, the crowd enjoyed his music. It was a really neat experience and I hope to go again!

We also visited Opryland Hotel. It is always impressive!We also did a bit of shopping-sooo glad Laura loves to shop with me!

We visited the full scale replica of the Parthenon and the Athena statue. I was expecting this small statue, but she is 41 feet, 10 inches tall!

Desperately needing a haircut in this picture!

Laura had her ballet recital. She did a good job and as usual she enjoyed being on stage performing! This is her tap costume taken from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"-she is an Oompa Loompa.

Her ballet routine was so cute. All of the ballerinas were a Disney Princess and Laura was Cinderella.

April to May

2011-06-04T21:24:00.008-05:00

I am trying to catch up on my blogging. I am down with a pretty nasty strep infection which has confined me to bed with lots of chipped ice and ice cream. Everyone is steering clear of me to avoid getting sick!

In April, we did our Easter hunt at home after church. I failed to get a family picture of all of us this year! I always bring my camera to church and then forget to ask someone to take our pic. Oh well....
Laura received "Mail Call" for her Kindergarten class also in April. Every Friday, different children from various grades will get a special letter from their teacher. It is kind of a big deal-it is after chapel and they play music and it is really loud and call the children who received "mail" from their teacher. All year, Laura was very nervous about being called down for her mail-crying and such on Thurs night-begging not to go to chapel on Friday. So, we ended up making a deal that I would tell her beforehand when it was her turn. Even though it was not a surprise, she got a very sweet note from her teacher and Laura was proud.
This is a "self portrait" displayed after a Music program.Laura is dressed as a bunny.Moving on to May--this is always such a crazy month for our family. Jim and I are busy grading projects and getting our courses completed and then there is tons of "end of year" programs.

I was able to go to most of Laura's "Outdoor Education" field trip. Each class goes up to Camp Takodah, which is about 45 minutes away, for a day of learning outside. They had about 4 different stations to go to--I was there for the scavenger hunt and nature walk where the kids enjoyed catching tadpoles!
Laura also graduated from Kindergarten. They had a sweet little program where they performed some songs, called each child's name out and then a slide show. I was unable to contain my tears. We've had a good year and ready to move on to 1st grade!
Laura is sitting on the bench doing sign language for this song.And a quick Grant update: Well-he is still a mess-rough and tough, inquisitive, daring, but he can sure be a sweetie. He is quick to give kisses and hugs and hand out "i love you's". We are officially free of the pacifier and he is just about potty trained--two huge milestones at our house! Right now, his favorite things to do are to paint, play outside on his "playground" (as he calls it) and play with cars/trains. He is still taking naps--thank you so much as this quiet time keeps me sane. He loves Laura and they play pretty good together. Of course, there is quite a bit of refereeing going on, but he does love to be with her!

Grant Turns Three!

2011-04-19T16:48:00.007-05:00

So my baby turned three on March 17th! It is so hard to believe!

For his birthday, he decided he wanted a "Car's" cake, so I googled it and came up with this race track design. I really am not a big baker, but I do enjoy making my kids birthday cakes. He loved it and was very excited about it.

Meme and Don-Don were also able to share Grant's birthday this year. This is the first time they've been able to be here on his actual birthday since his birth!

For his presents, he got a "Cars" race track which he really enjoys playing with and a new back pack for school (or as he calls it a pack pack).The one thing (and there are a ton) that I love about Grant is that he is funny. He makes me laugh a lot and I'm so grateful for his sweet and funny personality.

January and February

2011-03-03T08:49:00.012-06:00

I am a horrible blogger! Once school kicks back into session, I find that my time is limited for blogging. Despite the busyness, we've had a great January and February. I'm glad the warmer weather is right around the corner.

We sure got the snow this year. I enjoyed it for about one day and after that, it was a wet mess! The kids had a great time sledding down some of the big hills. Next year, I will definitely invest in outdoor snow clothes.At the end of January, I surprised Laura with a trip to American Girl in Dallas. We met my mom, my aunt and her grandaughter for a weekend of fun! I told Laura we were going to Little Rock for a girl's night out and she quickly bought into that idea. On the way down, I told her I needed to make a quick stop at the airport to go to the bathroom. She was very concerned because you could only go to the airport if you were flying somewhere. Laura is a major rule follower! Once I popped the trunk to get our luggage, she knew we were going somewhere. When we got to Dallas, I told her we needed to go outside to get "our car". She thought it would be a limo! Ha--my mom's van pulled up and out popped Aunt Judy and we told her we were having an American Girl weekend! We shopped at the AG store and ate dinner there. It was a great memory and I enjoyed spending time with just the girls!

Laura has been doing great at school. She is an awesome reader and I find her many days after school laying in her bed reading. I love it! This is a picture from her box car derby at school--she won the race for her heat. It was a super cute event.

She also did Upward Cheer the past couple of months. I really am a fan of Upward programs. It is nice to incorporate scripture and being a good team player while you do a sport.
Grant turns three in two weeks! Crazy to think that he is that old! I will have to say that "two" was a very challenging year! He tested all limits. I have noticed in the past two months that he is so verbal. He can talk in complete sentences and he is a really really funny kid! We are just now starting potty training and that is going decently well. He is doing great at MDO on Tues/Thurs. He got moved up to the older 2's in January and that has been a wonderful move! He is not getting into time out and just doing much much better. Love my sweet boy, Grant! Annie: She is a puppy still and we are working on not digging in the yard right now-which is killing Jim b/c he loves his yard! And the snow and rain make her a huge wet mess. I've been cleaning her paws several times a day! We still love her though--she is an excellent play mate for Grant! They get along quite well!

Catching Up on November

2010-12-18T13:26:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am behind again......so here is a recap of our November. My parents rented a cabin in Heber Springs (about 30 minutes from Searcy) for 10 days in November. We were able to spend several nights up there with them and Jim and I stayed up there one night w/o the kids. The cabin was perfect because everyone was able to have their own room. It had a huge deck overlooking the beautiful Little Red River and the leaves were gorgeous. There was even a little loft room (like Laura and Mary's bedroom in Little House) that Laura slept in each night.

One day we drove up to Mountain View and went to a little old-fashioned soda shop.

We then headed to the Ozark Folk Center where they have a little school house and other shops. Laura went dressed as Laura Ingalls and played school! She was in Little House heaven!
One of the stops was a doll shop. Since it wasn't crowded, the sweet lady helped Laura make a corn husk doll. Very neat!
The cabin had a hot tub and the kids enjoyed many squeals and splashes.
This was Grant's first time to fish and he was much more interested in the fact that he had a "Cars" fishing pole than actually fishing.
We wrapped up November by spending Thanksgiving in Dallas with the Looney family. It was a fun time and this year we remembered to get a picture of the group!

Halloween & Other News

2010-11-02T18:34:00.006-05:00

I seriously am becoming a terrible blogger.

Since my last post, about a month ago, we have been busy.

I went on a field trip with Laura's class to the zoo. It was great fun together. I love being with my girl! She is doing great in Kindergarten-very adjusted, secure and smart. I am super proud of her.
Grant is being a boy...busy, active, but oh so sweet. I love his kisses and "wuv you, mommy". His sweetness makes up for his stinker tendencies. He goes to preschool two days a week and his time away from me keeps me sane. He is doing pretty good at school---he gets a good report about half the time. He likes school and never cries; he is learning to share, not hit, sit in a circle and listen. He isn't not always stellar in these areas!
Last week was Laura's "superstar" week at school which meant she got to bring a snack, share a book with the class, and dress up as her favorite character. We decorated a "star" with her five favorite things and sadly I didn't get a full picture of the final product. If you look at the picture of me showing pictures to her class, you can see the star. Jim and I went to her class to read a story to her class and talk about her star. She dressed up as Laura Ingalls--her all time favorite character!
Halloween was full of trick or treating and hyper children! We had a good time going door to door in our neighborhood with Laura's friend, Ann-Clayton. Ironically me and A-C's mom purchased the same prairie girl outfit off of Ebay! The girls wanted to be Laura and Mary Ingalls and we both bought the outfits at separate times. They are very sweet friends and enjoyed having the same costume. I know we will get a lot of good use of it as Laura loves to play Little House all the time. Grant was a fireman and he was so hilarious trick-or-treating. At the first house, Grant went right up to the door and said "trick-or-treat" and then walked in their house. I guess he thought this is what you were supposed to do. He is a funny funny boy! We had a good time and I'm glad we didn't get an overload of candy since I like to eat it too!

This post is way longer than I intended, but I now have my 2 readers caught up to date on our happenings. I would love to blog more than once a month...we shall see....

Annie

2010-09-21T21:02:00.005-05:00

About a month ago, Annie, joined our family. She is a goldendoodle who is now 6 months old. Jim and I had been talking for quite some time about getting a dog. Both Laura and Grant love dogs and are very comfortable around them, so we wanted to get one for them to enjoy as they grow up.

We found out about Annie through a college friend who "rescues" dogs. Jim and I drove out to see her one morning and she came home with us. It was as simple as that! Laura and Grant had no idea that we were considering getting Annie as our dog, so it was a very big surprise to them to find her in the backyard when they got home from school. Grant discovered her first and Laura kept thinking she was a statue. It was a really fun to witness their reactions.

Annie is the PERFECT dog for us. She is a playful puppy, but also very chill and not hyper. We are still working with her on house training, but she has made huge improvements.

All in a Day

2010-09-05T08:46:00.005-05:00

Grant is wearing me out! He is either awake and very much "on" or asleep and "off". There is no down moments for him (or me either). Jim and Laura were gone all day yesterday together, so this is how my day went with my boy.

Yesterday kinda went like this thru the eyes of Grant:
5:15 A.M.--Time to wake up! It is still dark outside, but hey, I am going to wake up the entire family by spilling Laura's water cup in her bed and taking down 2 pictures on her wall and also pulling the lamp down.

7:00 A.M.-I think it would be fun to open all the kitchen cabinet drawers. Oh, look, there are some knives in the back. I think I'll run down the hall and show mommy.

8:00 A.M.-I want to pull the dog's fur and climb on her out on the deck. It is fun to throw the water bowl at her and climb under the deck with her. I love to get dirt under my nails and all over my feet. Why would I wipe my feet off before I come outside?

9:00-11:00 A.M.-Mommy has to leave to attend a memorial service, so my good babysitter, Della, comes over to entertain me. Yay! I am sure I can get away with a lot of stuff now.

12:00-3:00 P.M.- It is time to turn it "off"--good night! (Mommy is sooooo thankful for a long nap today after an emotional morning at the memorial service.)

3:00 P.M.-I think I'll climb out of my bed and then demand a snack and juice. I want to play trains and cars, but I'm not gonna do it without mommy by my side the ENTIRE time.

4:00 P.M.-I see Daddy's screwdriver lying out. Let me see what happens when I put it in the electrical socket. (not kidding! Jim saw him about to put it in the socket and he quickly intercepted...agh!)

5:00 P.M.-Laura is trying to watch a movie; I'm gonna try to irritate her by turning the tv off and on.

6:00 P.M-Ouch, I burned my leg on the grill, but I hardly even cried over it. I am tough!

7:00 P.M.-I am gonna take a shower with Laura. It is so much fun to throw all the shampoo and soap bottles down.

8:00 P.M.-I sure am tired. I only want my mommy to put me to bed and she is gonna sing "Jesus loves me" and say a prayer. I love this time of the day (and mommy does too!!)

I don't want to count how many times he got a spanken yesterday. I've resorted to just carrying the spoon in my pocket so it is with me at all times! While Grant is a super sweet boy and actually pretty funny, he is a little rascal too. I do love his kisses, hugs and "wuv you's". I just hope I can survive the two's!

Laura's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

We are now entering into our second week of school. Laura has done great with laying her clothes out, getting up easily and being ready on time. I sure hope this trend continues!

I was a mess the week before Laura started Kindergarten. It isn't like I'm not use to her being in school b/c she went to Pre-K last year. But this milestone was big and I was teary every time I thought about her starting her school career. Alas, the day came! She was excited and scared. The week before school started, she told me a few times that she was afraid she might cry at school or that she'd miss me. So, I was a bit worried we might have some tears.

We walked into school and I'm fighting back my tears (which I did until I got to the car). Laura was confident and just ready. I was so proud of my girl! She shed no tears and at the end of the day, she said "mommy, it was awesome! I only had the shakes a little." When she gets nervous, she calls it the "shakes".

My tradition of red plaid on the first day of school had to be changed to just plaid! There were a lot of cute plaids out there, but no cute red ones!

What might you ask do Grant and I do all day long? I am usually fetching him from the sink or picking up his messes...
But, on Tues/Thur he goes to MDO so I can teach my class at Harding and have a few "me" hours. He started going to the Methodist school this year and I'm much happier with him being there. They have a fantastic playground and they have more educational activities and Bible stories and songs. He has done great so far--happy, enjoys participating in the songs, takes a nap, and so far no timeouts! (He majorly needs a haircut in this picture!!)

Summer Wrap Up

2010-08-15T07:47:00.005-05:00

Finally...a few moments to blog....

Summer is officially over in our house. School started back for Laura on Friday (that post is soon to come). Grant starts MDO on Tuesday and I have one week to finalize my syllabus for the two courses I am teaching this fall.

Here are a few highlights from July.
Laura and her good friend Ann-Clayton having a good old fashion lemonade stand outside of our house. They had two customers---me and a sweet lady passing by who gave them $5! They were pretty thrilled!
Laura took "cheer camp" for a few mornings one week. The last day they did a little program and it was very cute!
We spent the 4th of July in St. Louis with Jim's parents. We went to a carnival and watched the fireworks. Grant would only watch the fireworks with glasses on and in Grandpa's lap. It is funny because if we ask him about the fireworks, he says "loud, glasses, Grandpa hold me".Laura turned "6" on July 22! Wow! Hard to believe my 6 lb 4 oz baby is now in Kindergarten and growing up (and has lost 6 teeth--we foresee braces in our future). We decided to have a smaller birthday celebration this year and just invite one special friend. Her choice was of course Ann-Clayton. We went to Toy Story 3, Build a Bear and then A-C spent the night. It was a fun-filled day for everyone. Laura requested a "Belle" cake this year, so I searched the internet and came up with this cake. She loved it and I was proud of the end result!

A few highlights of Laura at age 6:

Favorite Color - Pink and purple
Favorite Food - dessert
Favorite Book - Laura Ingalls
Favorite Toy - American Girl doll
Favorite Restaurant - Wendy's
Favorite Place to Go - Swimming Pool
Favorite Dessert - everything chocolate
Favorite Movie - Laura Ingalls
Favorite Day of the Week - Sunday because I want to think of God
Favorite People - Ann-Clayton, Kaslynn (cousin), Briley, Mommy, Daddy, Grant

Family Vacation-The end

2010-07-13T19:50:00.005-05:00

We headed back to Lakeway, TX, to finish up our trip. My brother and family live in Austin, so they took day trips out to the "lakehouse". (It isn't really a house on the lake--it is a near a lake.) It has a great pool where much time was spent! Actually Laura spent so much time in the pool, that the week we got home she had a bad case of swimmer's ear!

One day we took a pontoon boat on the lake to enjoy jumping from the side, a picnic lunch and seeing the sights.
And this is how my children travel on LONG car trips--Laura is totally in tune with her movies and Grant has to have every single car/train/toy in his lap!!

Family Vacation-Day 1-3

2010-07-01T12:29:00.006-05:00

On the first part of our big family trip, we met my parents and my brother and his family in Glen Rose, Texas. Heard of it? I doubt it. It has a population of about 6,000. It does however offer two neat attractions.

The first place we visited was the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. You can either drive in your car or take a guided tour in an open-air safari truck to see all kinds of animals-giraffes, zebras, emus, deer and much more. We opted to drive our own car since it was a pretty hot day and it was cheaper!! You are able to feed the animals that come up to your car and there were plenty that wanted to eat. You could even feed the giraffe out of your hand since they don't have teeth. It was a pretty cool experience.
The second place we toured was called Dinosaur World. There are 100 life-size dinosaur, a fossil dig and museum. It was a super hot day, so we walked quickly through the dinosaur area. I mean if you've seen one dinosaur you've seen them all, right!
After our weekend in Glen Rose, we all packed up to head to Austin for more fun in the pool and on the lake!

Summer Days

2010-06-21T13:15:00.002-05:00

It is beyond hot in Arkansas-uncomfortable, sweltering, and humid. I have a feeling we'll be spending more time inside this summer. This is a rare, but very precious moment of Laura reading to Grant. I just wish they were this sweet ALL of the time because they sure can drive each other crazy!!

A Trip to Dayton, OH

2010-06-16T08:53:00.004-05:00

The last week of May, Laura and I took a road trip with my parents to Dayton, OH, to visit my 3rd cousin, Kathryn. She is 97 and still going strong!
On our way we stopped in Lexington, KY, to visit the Kentucky Horse Park. It is really a neat place to tour. They have tons of horses to view and learn about. Laura loved every minute of it and even enjoyed riding a pony.
We covered about 1300 miles in 5 days. It was nice to spend some one on one time with Laura. She was a perfect traveler and enjoyed her time being the only child!

Ballet Recital

2010-06-13T08:07:00.003-05:00

Laura had her ballet recital a few weeks ago and it was full of entertainment. She did a great job remembering her two routines and was smiling the entire time. She is very much an entertainer and LOVES to be on stage! Meme and Don-Don traveled up to see her perform and we were very glad they were with us to sit through the almost 3 hour recital!

Wrapping up the School Year

2010-06-03T07:14:00.007-05:00

We are in our second week of summer and so far doing pretty good. Laura and Grant are learning to be around each other more which means more "refereeing" for me.

Right before school was over, Laura lost her other front tooth. She looks so different now and I'm a bit sad to see her smile change. But..she does look pretty cute! Laura had a great year in Pre-K and is more than ready for Kindergarten. I don't regret our decision to let her wait a year before going to school. She is reading quite well and I know will do great come August!

Here is a comparison of the first day of school to the last day of school.

Grant sure has changed a lot! He has more of a big boy look and definitely more hair! He loves to sing right now and certainly talks a lot! His daddy is teaching him all about Star Wars--check out the video below. I still have Laura's recital and a quick trip to Ohio to blog about. I am hopeful to be better about blogging this summer since I am not working.

Easter Time

2010-05-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

I finally got my pictures off the camera to upload to the computer! I didn't want to forget about Easter, so better late than never.

We had a really great Easter day. Started the day off with a quick egg hunt at home and then off to church. The Watson's (Zearl and Betty) were so wonderful to invite us over for lunch with another family and to take place in an egg hunt. There was soooo much yummy food to enjoy and the egg hunt was over the top. Seems like there were over 90 eggs to hunt for 4 kids!

My two sweet kids!

A Little Behind

2010-04-24T21:20:00.002-05:00

My camera charger is missing; therefore, I haven't been able to upload any pictures. Here is a quick recap of our last few weeks. I'll have to write about Easter when I can get the pictures on the camera.

The first weekend in April, Jim and I traveled to Atlanta for a long weekend. He was part of a Student Leadership conference, so I went along for the ride to enjoy some quiet kid-free time. Jim's parents were more than happy to watch Laura and Grant. So while Jim was speaking during the day, I went shopping. It is a rarity for me to browse through stores at a leisurely pace, so I enjoyed every minute of it! We ate out at yummy places, saw a movie and slept every morning till almost 10. Even though Jim was working part of the time, it was a nice getaway.

Laura is continuing to do awesome at school. I started a "chore chart" a few weeks ago and that has been a huge success. It is amazing the effect of a little star sticker has on the girl. She went camping last weekend with Jim and another daddy and little girl. It was 24 hours of playing "Little House on the Prairie"---much fun was had! On Wednesday, I surprised her with Disney on Ice tickets. We went with another friend and mom and she was beyond excited! It was so much fun to tell her at the last minute.

Grant is well, still a toot. This past week, he had an ear infection and cold sores in his mouth, so he was not a happy camper. It was a rough couple of days. He is back to himself now in full swing and full "go" mode. He doesn't slow down and is quite the talker. We went to Walmart on Friday, and he pointed out everything --milk, egg, juice, yogurt, cheese, chips, breakfast bar, banana, car, balloon........I was so ready for naptime when we got home. It still amazes me that both of my kids are so talkative!

Well, there is a recap for those who are interested. Hoping to locate the camera charger or buy a new one in the near future!!!

Grant turns 2!

2010-03-24T12:52:00.011-05:00

Somehow the time just flew by and Grant is now two years old! He is very into cars, trucks, and trains. It is fun to listen to him make all the sounds and point to them as we drive or if he hears a siren he chimes in "whoo whoo".

I decided to try again to make a birthday cake this time with the train theme. I thought the end result turned out pretty good.

Grant got several new Thomas trains to add to a new track.

This is the life for Grant! Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Latest on Laura

2010-03-11T21:39:00.005-06:00

Since my last post was about Grant (who turns two next week!!!), I thought I'd share some interesting tidbits on Laura. Currently we are with my parents while Jim is in Florence, Italy. He is teaching a spring break course for HU for a select number of journalism students. Thank goodness my parents were able to help me out with Laura and Grant or I'd be on my last legs by now!

Laura is doing awesome in Pre-K. She will be SO ready for Kindergarten next year! I am really proud of her accomplishments in reading. She loves to read!!

She is also doing excellent in ballet and tap. Her recital is in May and I know she'll be so excited to be on stage. Speaking of the stage, my mom took us to see "South Pacific" last night. Laura was glued to the stage and enjoyed all the songs. It was Kid's Night, so they had a few activities before the show started. Here are a few pictures of her dressing up into costumes.

Laura is also an amazing big sister. She is so sweet to Grant who also adores her. It is neat to see that sister/brother bond. Don't get me wrong, she can get pretty irritated with Grant being in her space, pushing or pulling her hair, but most days she is a pretty good sport.

Laura has a very sweet disposition and is very tender towards others. Love my Laura!

Grant-23 Months

2010-02-10T20:57:00.004-06:00

My almost two year old boy is a mess! He is always into something. In this picture, he climbed into Laura's dresser drawer to reach her jewelry box and snow globes. Thankfully I found him before any serious damage was done. I did have to run and grab my camera before reprimanding him though!Since this next picture, we have removed the small chairs that go to the child's table because Grant was constantly moving them to different parts of the house to clean out the drawers. In this picture, he enjoyed taking all the movies out and throwing them on the floor. Laura and Grant love to play the piano! If Laura is playing, he will always try to cover the keys and smash her fingers. He is learning that this is a "no no". Speaking of Laura (Wa Wa), he loves her so much. When we go get her from school, he gets so excited and runs to her when we go to her room shouting "Wa Wa". It is sweet.
Cars, cars, cars...seriously, the boy loves cars. We sleep with them, we ride in the car with them-they go everywhere. He is also into trains "choo choo" and our new favorite show is "Chuggington". He will line his cars up and just lay on the floor and play. It is adorable. I love it!

Wanna wrestle...come on over because Grant will knock you down. He is rough and tumble. He is forever pushing Laura, pulling her hair or hitting her. The last couple times at the gym nursery, he had to sit and time out for hitting other kids. He's my one to get into trouble.
His vocabulary has really expanded lately. He knows all of his animal sounds and can name all family members (although still has trouble saying his own name). He calls himself "G-G" some. Despite his stinker tendencies, I love his quick cuddles, his hanging on my legs and sitting still to listen to a book. Love my Grant boy!

Winter Fun for Some

2010-02-02T20:14:00.004-06:00

Jim and Laura enjoyed building a snowman with the several inches of snow we received on Friday. Pretty much everything was canceled or shut down for a good two to three days. This is partially because our town does nothing to clear the roads or even prepare them. I can't complain because it was nice to have a reason to stop with responsibilities and be "snowed" in.

Making snow angels...

This is about as far as Grant ventured in the snow and later decided he would enjoy watching from the window. And I guess my son takes after me because I don't do snow. I don't like being cold and wet, so we bonded while Jim and Laura froze outside!

A Question

2010-01-29T10:11:00.004-06:00

We are all home today getting snow/sleet/ice. How many more days till Spring??? I'm thankful that January is almost over and we are headed hopefully to warmer and sunnier days!
I've been thinking about how much television our children should watch each day. I've been questioning if we watch too much. So..for all my 4 readers, share with me your guidelines for watching tv at our house.

Christmas

2010-01-19T19:36:00.004-06:00

So I finally am getting around to blogging about Christmas. We did have a blessed time together spending time with my family in Houston and then with Jim's parents for New Year's Eve. Grant wasn't loving Santa this year!! We didn't make him stay too long in his lap. Laura had written her letter and hand delivered it to Santa. We took our annual trip to see the Nutcracker. After the show, Laura danced all the way to the car. I love this tradition we started two years ago!
Christmas morning was full of surprises. Santa brought Laura an American Girl and lots of trucks for Grant.

Meme bought the cousins matching sweaters! We had our first annual cousin sleepover at Meme and Don Don's house. It was fun for everyone. The kids played great together and the adults were ready to hit the hay around 10.

A Few Pictures

2009-12-14T13:57:00.005-06:00

Grant checking out the tree. The boy LOVES his paci (he calls it a baba). Laura has now lost her two front bottom teeth. She looks like a different child!!! (sniff sniff)

Decorating snowman cookies

Carriage ride at Harding among all the white twinkling lights

Short Post; No Pics

2009-12-05T08:12:00.002-06:00

I just realized I hadn't blogged in a month. Sadly I have very few pictures from this last month and none of them are even uploaded to the computer yet.

A couple weeks ago we visited Knoxville to see friends and go to a UT football game. It was more than wonderful to see our friends and spend Sunday morning with our Laurel church. We spent one night in a hotel in Nashville which was quite memorable as Grant was still screaming his head off at midnight. He finally gave up and slept all night, but I was worried that the entire hotel might wake up beforehand! The other two nights we stayed with our good friends, Sara and JJ and their son, Carter, who is six weeks older than Grant. Laura spent the night with her friend, Haley and quickly reconnected with her other sweet friend, Mackenzie.

Knoxville, as many of you know, holds special memories for me. It is easy to go back and quickly catch up with our friends. The church is warm, welcoming, and just easy. I'd move back in a heartbeat!

Laura also lost her first tooth in November. It was quite the drama as it scared her at first, but she was giddy with excitement once the tooth came out! Thankfully, I had just bought a tooth fairy pillow so we were prepared for her visit!!

Grant is still my rough and tough boy. On my one day off from teaching this month, I was so looking forward to a day to myself while both kids were at school. That lasted about an hour as his school called telling me he had fallen on his head on a non-carpeted area from a 3 foot slide. I guess they were worried because the spot on his head did not swell out. Not knowing much about head injuries, I took him to the pediatrician where he checked out fine. Now I know that any abnormal signs after a head injury occur within an hour and your head does not have to swell out when it hits something. He is a bruiser!

Christmas is up in our house. However our tree looks ridiculous as all of the ornaments are out of the bruisers reach. Three glass "balls" have already been thrown at the fireplace. I thought about decorating the lower half of the tree with a popcorn string, but then realized he would just eat the food. Oh well....

Jim and I are eagerly wrapping up our semesters. I'm ready for an extended break from planning and grading.

Hope to get some pics loaded of our recent events. It might take a month though!!

On a Roll...

2009-11-03T14:42:00.003-06:00

The weather was finally perfect and our trick or treating night was fun! We headed to the big Searcy square to trick or treat with some friends and then on to Harding to trunk or treat. Laura and Jim hit a few neighborhood houses on the way back.
Laura is always ready to strike a pose!
This was the best shot I got of both kids. Grant is so wiggly right now. As you can see, Laura was Ariel and Grant was a skunk.
The reason Grant was a skunk is because like the little heart says he is "a lil stinker".Laura's school had a carnival on Friday. It was games that the 6th graders made for the Pre-K students. It is very cute to see the older students cater to the younger ones.
Grant got to ride in the stroller and eat marshmallows! He was actually pretty content to be still!
Showing off their face paintings!
Grant was done taking pictures and Laura was just ready to get into bed with Stella!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-30T21:26:00.002-05:00

Lately

2009-10-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

The last month has been exceptionally crazy busy. I figured out that in the past 28 days my grandpa passed away; we took a trip to Disney World; spent time in Houston to bury my grandpa; took a weekend girl's trip to Memphis; hung out with my mom while she visited us in Searcy last week; and drove to Norman, OK, with Jim to see a U2 concert. In between all of that, classes have to be prepared and oh yeah I've got a family too who likes to have clean clothes and a warm dinner!!

Disney World was awesome!! Laura LOVED every single moment (except the Snow White and Pirate ride) and we just had a ball with her. One of the highlights was eating dinner with Cinderella in her castle. I thought I was gonna cry when Laura met her for the first time. Big moment! Meeting and getting autographs from the many characters was Laura's favorite part. Another highlight was trick or treating in the Magic Kingdom after the park had closed. It was a "special event" so there weren't as many people and there were more characters roaming around. We enjoyed all the parks from the rides, parades to firework shows. It was as they say "magical".

We spent the next few days after Disney in Houston with my family. While it was a sad time for us to lose Papa, we also are at peace with his passing. He'll be missed greatly.

Once I returned to Searcy, I had a couple of days to recover and get ready for my college girl weekend trip in Memphis. I love my friends, Andrea, Maria and Cara. It amazes me how time passes, but our friendship is still solid. Of course now instead of talking about our "guy prospects" as we did in college, we talk about our babies, our gray hairs, the medicines that we take and droopy body parts. We had a wonderful weekend of shopping, eating, pampering ourselves and talking.

My mom visited us last week. I did not take ONE single picture, but we did have fun having a shopping trip to LR and having a "girls" day with Laura. I think we wore my mom out pretty good!

This past weekend, Jim and I drove to the U2 concert in Norman, OK. We have a fabulous babysitter who watched Laura and Grant over night. They did great and we had a fun time enjoying Bono. Jim is a HUGE U2 fan and therefore I enjoy his music as well. The concert was amazing and it was good to get away even for a short period of time to talk and just have fun.

I am enjoying so much watching Grant start to talk. His verbal skills have really picked up the last couple of weeks and I just love hearing his little voice! We took him to the allergist a couple weeks ago where he had no reaction to 18 different allergens. It didn't really help explain his rashes, but he is on a daily antihistamine which has seemed to help in the constant runny nose department.

And the Disney pictures....

Remembering Papa

2009-10-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, September 19th, Heaven welcomed a wonderful man. My grandpa, "Papa", who was 93, went to meet his Savior. Papa had gone into the hospital the first weekend of September after he fell in the shower. He wasn't really hurt, but they did find out that his cough was really pneumonia. He was in ICU for a week on a ventilator, but seemed to be getting better each day. The recovery was going to be long for him, but we remained confident that he could pull through. So we were all surprised when he gave his final breath. But, my heart swells with joy to think of his reunion with his wife, Betsy as he entered the gates of Heaven. He joined so many other loved ones including many of their dogs! (Yes, I believe dogs go to Heaven.) As I am sad that he is no longer here and will no longer call me "sweetheart" or kiss my cheek with his bristly mustache, I know with confidence that he is so much happier.

As I've been thinking about his life the last week, my greatest memories of Papa are his kindness, generosity and wisdom. He was truly a remarkable man.

His graveside service was on Monday and it was really an inspiring day to hear of the wonderful ways in which Papa touched the lives of others. He was extremely giving to so many people. Papa was a "no nonsense" kind of guy. He called it like it was, but he was also a real softy. I could pretty much get what I wanted from him. I am the only granddaughter, so I was often catered to quite a bit. He never made it a secret of how much he loved little girls! When I was younger, we took dates out to dinner and a movie. There have been so many times that he has sent me money just to do something for myself.

He also loved to give advice! He would always ask on each visit on how Jim and I were doing financially and he wanted to make sure I knew that Jim should always come before the kids and to make time for each other.

I could go on and on about my special memories of Papa. He will be greatly missed and it is really hard to believe he is gone. A friend of the family sang "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me and it was so neat to picture my Papa with Jesus. Wow!

"I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!"

These are two pictures of Papa with Laura when she was a baby and one where he was meeting Grant for the first time.

September

2009-09-16T12:48:00.000-05:00

I think I might be turning into a monthly or bi-monthly blogger. In between two busy kids, a busy husband, teaching two classes and maintaining a home, life is just going going going.

1. Jim, Laura and I leave for Disney World in one week. Jim is going to a conference in Orlando and we'll all spend time at the Magic Kingdom. It was a very last minute trip and I'm so thankful we were able to book a "value" resort and get meals with Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse! If you are going to Disney, book well in advance. I had to check the computer several times a day to find openings for these character meals. Laura is VERY excited! In this picture, she is holding up her "countdown" to Disney chart!

2. We are finally plugged into a great small group. Actually, we've been in this small group for several months, but it is very comfortable and I enjoy the couples very much. The wives get together quite a bit for movies, dinner or just hanging out. We feel very very blessed by our friends!

3. This is how I found Grant eating his lunch today. I walked to the living room to make a phone call and when I came back, he was sound asleep.
4. I turned 35 this month. I found out that this is the year of mammograms and I am now higher risk for pregnancy (not that it matters--no more babies!). But, boy that made me feel old!

5. The stomach bug has visited everyone in our family. It started off with Laura last week and moved on to Jim. We had a break for a few days before it hit me and Grant. I am praying we stay healthy now.

That is a quick recap of some of the latest happenings.

Grant-17 months

2009-08-30T08:26:00.004-05:00

I realized that I haven't posted any "milestones" for Grant since he was 11 months. He has changed a lot in the past 6 months!

1. Gotta keep sayin' it, but he is all boy!
2. He has tons of teeth. I think all of them are in finally. It took 2 months to get the eye teeth to fully poke through the gums.
3. Climbs everything...not out of the crib yet though......
4. He loves his paci (pappy).
5. He loves Laura; he follows her everywhere and she is usually a good sport about it. Although I do feel like a referee most days.
6. His words include: mama, daddy, pappy, lala, melmo, doggy...
7. Grant is not as verbal as his sister was at this age. I usually know what he wants because he points, goes to it or "agh" for it, but not a lot of words and some sign language.
8. He can point to his nose.
9. He loves Elmo!
10. He loves to ride or push anything.
11. He sleeps 12 or 13 hours each night. It took ONE year for that to happen. He naps good too.
12. He is going to MDO 2 days a week while I teach my class at HU and have a couple hours of "me" time. The first day of MDO, he walks into class and pretty much pushes a sweet little girl out of a riding toy, so he can get on it. Great first impression!!!
13. He weighs 24 pounds.
14. He has now entered the stage of throwing fits. (insert smile)
15. He really knows how to make a mess of anything.
16. He likes to read his books. I love to find him sitting on the floor going through his books!
17. The name Grant means "a gift". I thank God everyday for my Grant!

Home Repairs Completed

2009-08-25T14:46:00.004-05:00

About 5 months ago, our dishwasher mysteriously leaked causing damage to our kitchen floor. It really wasn't noticeable damage, but the floor would need to be replaced when we someday sell our house AND we have always disliked our white floor! Let's just say it never stayed clean and could be mopped daily.

Thankfully the insurance gave us a check and we were able to replace our floor with no out of pocket. The decision of what type of floor to put into our kitchen took MONTHS of looking at samples, comparing costs, thinking, rethinking and finally we had made our decision. We decided laminate tile would be the best option for our family.

We also were never crazy about the color of our kitchen. Last fall, we paid to get it painted what Jim calls a "split pea" yellow/green color. It wasn't great. After 5 pints later of possible colors and 5 walls with different colors, we decided on "Stratton Blue".

After Jim painted the kitchen, he ripped out the floor. His dad came down to help install the new kitchen floor which was a very tedious task and we had to hire out a bit of help for that. Jim and his dad also replaced our front landing to hardwood. It was a week with lots of mess/noise/confusion and my attitude reflected all of that! But, the end product made it all worth it.

BEFORE:AFTER:

WOOD FLOOR LANDING:

First Day of Pre-K

2009-08-15T13:57:00.007-05:00

Laura started Pre-Kindergarten this past Tuesday. This year she is going to school Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Unlike last year, Laura is very happy to be at school and much more confident in herself. We also feel very good about our decision to have her start Kindergarten next year when she is six. It will give her one more year to mature and she will always have the advantage of being the oldest in her class. It is what works for our family.

I kept the "red plaid dress" tradition alive again this year. And Laura was insistent to sleep in sponge rollers so her hair would be curly for her first day of school.
Jim and I have one more week before Harding is in session. I am frantically using every spare minute on prepping for a new course this semester. I am teaching the same Monday night course as last year and was asked to teach a Tues/Thurs course from 10-11 a.m. Grant is going to MDO on Tuesday and Thursday while I teach a course at Harding. It all fell into place perfectly. We are thankful!!

End of Summer (Part 1)

2009-08-06T09:30:00.001-05:00

This has been a busy summer with fun memories. Here is quick recap of some highlights that I haven't blogged about for those of you who are interested.

Jim's parents along with Jim's sister, Aunt Jeanne, came the weekend before Laura's birthday. We spent one day at Heber Springs lake enjoying the awesome weather. It was a perfect temperature with no humidity! We enjoyed our nights outside grilling and playing baseball. Grant returned to St. Louis for 5 nights with the Grandma and Grandpa. I didn't think I'd be able to survive without Grant at home, but I managed to really get a lot done and enjoy some one on one time with Laura.
My parents came for Laura's birthday and took her on a special trip to Mountain View, Arkansas. Laura had a really good time with her Meme and Don-Don. I'm pretty sure she got about anything she requested! On their last night, they attended a folk music show where Laura went up on stage with a clogger to show of her clogging moves and the waltz! The girl can really dance pretty good! This is definitely a trait she did NOT inherit from her daddy! My parents have the pictures from this weekend and I'll need to upload the ones of Laura on stage!!

Since Grant was already in St. Louis, Jim and I enjoyed two days with no kids at our house. We cleaned and organized closets, talked, went out to dinner and just enjoyed a quiet house for a couple of days. It was nice. The picture pretty much sums up Laura. She is wearing sponge rollers (b'day present) and her hair looks soo cute with the curls. That will have to be another post!
While my parents were in town, we went to Heifer International in Little Rock. It was educational and I learned some news ways to be more "green". We also headed over to the Peabody Hotel to watch the march of the ducks.
We also rented a pontoon boat for a day at the lake. The weather looked promising, a friend was watching Grant, and our lunch was packed. We enjoyed about an hour of jumping off the boat, swimming and eating. Jim, our captain, decided it was time to try a little fishing, so we head over to a spot on the bank. The anchor is down and about that time a very fast approaching thunderstorm moves into the lake. We quickly decide it is best to get to a safe place, but our anchor is stuck. After many attempts to pull the anchor, we cut it off and try to race out the storm. Unfortunately the pontoon boat is not that fast, so the storm is upon us and we are getting drenched with flashes of lightning and thunder all around. Laura was a bit scared (as was me and my mom). We made it to the marina in time to get to our car before the next storm rolled in. Luckily the boat rental did not charge us for the lost anchor since we were caught in the storm. It was fun nonetheless and hopefully Laura will still get in a boat after that experience!! Of course I forgot my camera, so I'll have to get those pictures as well from my mom's camera.

Lastly, I took Grant to get his first haircut. If you notice from the above picture with Jim's dad, Grant is sporting a pretty good mullet! He did great for his cut and now looks more and more like a little boy. (sigh)
We are in the middle of home improvement in our kitchen. Well, Jim is in the middle of it!! Stay tuned for before and after pictures...

Star Princess Birthday Party

2009-07-22T21:44:00.005-05:00

Laura turned 5 years old today. Like all us mommas say, it is hard to believe when your child keeps growing up! Laura is delightful, sweet and just so fun to be around. She is always up for a good time and a good time was had at her "star princess party" today! She thought of this theme months ago and I was lucky enough to score a princess pinata in the shape of a star at the party supply store.
We had six little girls over today who all came up dressed up as of course a princess. We made crowns, painted nails, played dress up and ended the party with cake and a pinata. Laura loved every minute of it and thoroughly enjoyed her birthday all day long. I think I heard "I'm the birthday girl" about a bajillion times today.
Laura is so fun to watch open her presents. She gets really excited about each and every gift. I've heard stories on how Jim was like this as a child! This afternoon she was saying "my wish came true because Mackenzie sent me play make-up for my b'day present." Side note: it is not "play" make-up, but real sparkly eyeshadow which was put on immediately! I'll be paying you back, April...you just wait!! This is the first birthday cake I've ever made and I'm pretty excited about the way it turned out. Laura loved it and that is all that mattered to me!

Vacation Highlights

2009-07-15T20:52:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago, we headed to Houston and Austin, Texas, to visit with the family. We spent 4 nights in Austin where we saw my brother and his family. It was a fun time having all the cousins together! My parents rented a "lake" house meaning it was near Lake Travis not on the lake. Instead of the lake, it did have a fantastic pool which we used everyday all day long!

My brother and his daughter Reve' share the same birthday, so we celebrated that occasion together.

The cousins playing duck duck goose.

A picture of ALL the cousins! We LOVED that Joe (the oldest one) joined us in Austin for the fun. He is a blast to be around. We teased him that his was the "manny" for the kiddos.

Lots and Lots of swimming

Laura absolutely loves to swim. And after this second round of swim lessons, she is officially swimming using her arms and everything. I think swim team is in our future.....

Grant on the other hand is still not sure of the water. He likes it, but he prefers to be like his sister and not use floaties.

Father's Day

2009-07-03T21:56:00.004-05:00

I'm just a couple weeks behind on writing about Father's Day, but still wanted to share my thoughts!

We were all in Houston this year for Father's Day, so it was extra nice to be with my dad as well as my grandpa. Based on Jim's expression, I think he was genuinely surprised to receive binoculars as his gift. Every man needs binoculars, right!
I appreciate Jim so much as he is a father to Laura and Grant. He works hard for us at his job and also continues to work when he gets home each day. He is the best playmate and doesn't turn down a chance to play chase, Monopoly or throw the ball to the kids. Above all, he teaches our children about how to live like Jesus. Happy Father's Day again, Jim!!

Sweet Reunion

2009-06-25T11:34:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago we spent an afternoon with the Watson's. We had a great time visiting, catching up and watching the kids play. Since David's parents live in Searcy, we get to see them a couple times a year as they visit their family in Arkansas.

Mackenzie and Laura are still such sweet friends! I think this was the best the girls ever played together. Usually they fight like sisters some of the time!! By the end of the day, they were calling each other "sisters".

We love the Watson family! April is one of those friends where the miles in between us doesn't distance our friendship. We can catch up easily and our friendship is just easy! Thank you for letting us spend an afternoon with you.

Swimming, Softball & Mosquito Bites

2009-06-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

Laura is into her second week of swim lessons and loving every minute of it. She wakes up every day asking when we get to go to lessons. She is not afraid to jump in the water from the side or diving board. Since I'm a big fan of swimming, I'm glad Laura is enjoying the water so much. I have been teaching swim lessons while Laura is in the water, so I'm also having a good time!!
We signed Laura up for a 4 day softball camp that started on Monday. I was a bit worried that it might not go over that well for her as she has never played before and the girl doesn't like to get hot and sweaty. But, we thought it would be good for her to try out a team sport and sweat a bit! She has done really well being the youngest at the camp and she was delighted to find two other little friends there as well.

The kids are definitely enjoying more time with Jim since he has been more free to be at home. Hide and seek, chase, playing outside and reading books have been the favorite activities with Daddy! It is nice to have him home more, although, it is probably a good thing he is teaching in the month of July. Jim gets a little stir crazy if he doesn't have enough "stuff" going on!
Grant is up to the usual....being a stinker! He is cutting about 4 molars which has him fussy some days, but overall, he is a happy camper. He loves being outside, getting dirty and playing with balls. Unfortunately, he has sensitive skin which has caused him to have allergic reactions to grass and mosquito bites. Last week, his eye was swollen shut from a bug bite and he had huge welts on his legs. The doctor said it is something he will outgrow, but in the meantime, this is what he looks like on occasion:::

The Start of Summer

2009-05-28T14:08:00.006-05:00

I'm working on my blog layout, so it will be "under construction" until I have enough time to get it completed.

Last week, Jim went on a fishing trip with his dad for three days. I was worried about being alone with the kids for so long, but we did great. Laura and I had a slumber party each night so I had a warm body in bed with me. We stayed pretty busy playing in the sprinkler, going to the park and seeing the motorcycle entry at the Special Olympics. That was really neat. I love this picture of Laura and Grant waiting by the window for Jim to return.

Laura finished up school last week. It was a great year for her with a lot of maturity gained. I'm proud of her academic accomplishments as well as developmental growth. She went from crying her eyes out when we dropped her off to entering school with a skip in her step. We decided to delay Kindergarten one more year due to her late summer birthday and other reasons, so she'll go to Pre-K again next year on Tuesday and Thursday.

First day of school picture

Last day of school pictureThe past two weeks we have enjoyed watching our caterpillars grow into butterflies! Laura especially loved watching them form into cocoons and coming out a butterfly. We fed them sugar water for a few days and released them this morning. I think we'll order the caterpillars again later this summer. Goodbye ButterfliesGrant was only interested in getting in and out of his car while we released the butterflies!

Catch-Up

2009-05-19T09:27:00.005-05:00

We've been busy at our house wrapping up the school year and all the activities that entails. This past weekend Laura had her ballet and tap recital. She did a great job and I really think she has talent in that area. My parents came up for the event which made it even better. Thursday is her last day of school and I know she will miss it over the summer. She has made great improvements both socially and academically.

Jim and I have both finished up teaching for the school year. We have about 5 weeks before Jim teaches in Summer 2. June is already looking pretty busy with a trip to Houston and a few days in Austin at the lake with my parents. Laura is taking swim lessons and also going to softball day camp. I am teaching swim lessons at Harding and also spending 4 days in training to be a teacher assessor for the Arkansas department of Education. Jim is going to work around the house on jobs that get neglected during the school year. And that is just our activities for June!

Grant is all boy. He likes to climb, follow Laura, and eat. He has an enormous appetite and is constantly wanting to eat. His name for food is "nana". Grant is always sporting a scrap, bruise or bump. He is super sweet and cuddles after waking up. Since being weaned, he won't let me or Jim rock him to sleep. I hope that changes because I really love rocking my babies! He is pretty constant and keeps me busy.

Amazing Vegas

2009-05-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, Jim and I boarded a plane to head to Vegas without our kids. Jim had a journalism conference he was attending and presenting at, so I went along for the ride. I was a bit nervous on how I would handle the whole separation from the kids (especially Grant since it was my first time away from him), but I really didn't miss them too much. I think I really really needed a break and I was completely confident in Jim's parents taking care of them!

Our flight to Vegas was something I haven't experienced in awhile...restful. I read a book, listened to my Ipod and graded papers. We stayed at the Trump Hotel (thanks to Priceline) and attempted to act like we fit in at a 5 star hotel. It was a really awesome place to stay. Our room overlooked the Vegas strip which was a sight to see at night. This room was a studio complete with a mini-kitchen, flat screen tv, two phones (one in the toilet room), jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower and tv in the bathroom. It was posh!
The pool was pretty nice too with big lounge beds. It was super windy the day we were out there so we didn't stay too long.While we were there, we walked the strip a lot and toured and shopped in the huge hotels. Once while Jim was in meetings, I treated myself to a massage, manicure and pedicure. It was great!!!!!! At night, we ate at some great restaurants and viewed the sights. Thanks to www.restaurant.com, I purchased $25 gift certificates for $3! If you haven't checked out this website, you must do it. We ate at Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian and RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay as well as the Cheesecake Factory.

On our last night, we went to the Blue Man Group. It was totally entertaining. During the entire show, I kept thinking to myself that I am watching bald men with their heads painted blue do some really bizarre activities! I do recommend it though.
The BEST part of the trip was being alone with Jim. It was soooo wonderful to have meaningful conversations, stay up late, sleep in, and just enjoy quiet together. It was really really nice and also much needed for the both of us. It had been two years since we'd been on a vacation alone and I won't let that much time go in between a vacation again. Granted I didn't have much control over it with being pregnant and nursing. But, we both realized it is important to our relationship to spend time together without the kids. Honestly we didn't even hardly talk about Laura or Grant the entire time we were gone. We called them several times a day though.

Speaking of Laura and Grant, they had the best time with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm pretty sure they were spoiled the entire time. Everyone took naps good, went to bed easily and of course obeyed all the time. Grandma even had to take Grant to the doctor for a rash! Grandpa was so concerned over Grant's medicine that he called a personal friend who is a pharmacist to double-check the prescription dosage. I just don't worry when they take care of the kids.
All in all, we had a great trip and are already brainstorming our next vacation together!

Her Calling....

2009-04-28T21:35:00.003-05:00

Do we have the next Spring Sing hostess blooming in our home?

Easter Fun

2009-04-19T21:42:00.005-05:00

Finally I have time to post our Easter pictures. Chasing Grant around all day and keeping him out of mischief (mainly the toilets) certainly has put a damper on my computer time!

Our church had an outdoor egg hunt and picnic. It was a beautiful day. Laura thoroughly enjoyed hunting for eggs while Grant was entertained with finding sticks.

Later that afternoon, Laura and I made a bunny cake for the first time. I hope to continue this tradition each year. I think it turned out pretty cute!It was raining on Easter Sunday so after church we did our family egg hunt inside. Grant was snoozing already, but enjoyed his basket when he woke up from his nap. Me & my girl!Laura took this picture of me and Jim! I forgot to bring my camera to church to get a family picture.Grant is awake and looking thru his basket!
This is the best picture I got of the kids. As you can tell from the last picture, we were pretty much done trying to get a good shot!

Ha! Ha!

2009-04-14T13:34:00.004-05:00

I'm still working on my Easter pictures, but I had to post this video of Grant. He has a really hilarious laugh!

Cousin Time

2009-04-03T16:49:00.006-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I journeyed back to Houston with Laura and Grant. This trip was different because my brother's 7 year old daughter, Kaslynn was going to be at my parents house for "cousin time". Laura and Kaslynn had so much fun together from bike riding, playing in the water at Kemah, making "pinkalicious" cupcakes, having meltdowns and sleeping HARD at night! Grant of course was just trying to keep up and not get left out! He follows Laura everywhere. It is cute, but I know the time is coming where it is gonna drive her more crazy than it already does! We all had a good time!

My St. Patty's Birthday Boy

2009-03-24T21:32:00.006-05:00

So, I'm a week late in posting pictures from Grant's birthday. Seems like life is just busy right now keeping up with the house, kids, and my one class I teach at Harding.

It truly is hard to believe that a year has gone by since Grant came into our life. Have I said how much I love having a little boy? He is SO different from Laura in many many ways. He is all boy and she is all girl!

Jim's parents joined us for the big celebration and thankfully my parents were with us via "skype". Grant did not hold back at enjoying his cake.
Jim and Laura thought it would be fun to get their faces all messy.
Grant LOVES his Playskool Busy Gears toy. We also got him a baby activity walker. I am hoping that he will push this around instead of the kitchen chairs.

Happy 1st Birthday, Grant!

Going Down Memory Lane

2009-03-14T16:16:00.007-05:00

It is hard to believe that a year ago, I was two days from giving birth to Grant. I remember the feelings of anticipation, nervousness and excitement. We wondered if we were having a boy or girl and how Laura would react to being a big sister. We also were in the midst of selling our house in Knoxville and Jim finishing up his dissertation. It was a crazy busy time to welcome a newborn baby!!!

The morning of my c-section, Jim took this last picture of my pregnant belly. I definitely got much bigger with Grant so it wasn't a big surprise, when he came in weighing 9 pounds!!

Oh it was a shock to hear the doctor announce that it was a boy! I had felt all along that I was carrying a girl. Tears of joy streamed down my face as I listened to his first cries and finally got to see his sweet face. One of the downfalls of a c-section is having to wait to hold your baby until you get back to the room and I felt very nauseous before, during and after the birth, so it was a rough go for awhile. But once I got to check Grant out and make sure he had all his fingers and toes and touch his soft head, I was in love. It was so fun to introduce him to our family and let Laura see her brother for the first time.

I took this picture of Grant the day after we moved to Searcy. Grant enjoying his bath at 6 months.My little stinker at 9 months!So as Tuesday approaches where my St. Patty's baby will turn one year old, I find myself going down memory lane . It has been a fun year; a challenging year as well learning to juggle two kids. I thank God everyday for blessing my life with Grant. I never thought I could love a little boy so much, but I sure do!

(*Birthday pics to follow on Tuesday......)

Latest Trick

2009-03-09T21:09:00.003-05:00

Can my baby boy already be walking?

Grant Look-alike Meter

2009-03-06T11:16:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

From the Mouth of Laura

2009-03-02T08:49:00.004-06:00

I got this idea from Facebook and it was fun to do with Laura. She knows me pretty well!!

1.What is something mom always says to you?
yes and no

2. What makes mom happy?
playing with me

3. What makes mom sad?
when I am naughty

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
tickle me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
She looked like Grant. I never saw you.

6. How old is your mom?
31

7. How tall is your mom?
I better count...29.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
go out

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
play with Grant

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
singing (ha ha!!)

11. What is your mom really good at?
reading

12. What is your mom not very good at?
making a mess

13. What does your mom do for a job?
teach and mommy

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
ice cream

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
playing with me forever

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Minnie Mouse

17. What do you and your mom do together?
play

18. How are you and your mom the same?
we have the same eyes

19. How are you and your mom different?
lips

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
kiss and hugs me

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
he can sing

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
to school day

11 Months

2009-02-19T09:08:00.004-06:00

In less than one month, Grant will celebrate his ONE year old birthday! It just isn't possible that an entire year has already gone by!

Here are his latests:
1. He likes to try and pull the plug protectors out of the socket.
2. He likes to play in the potty. And with a sister who doesn't always remember to flush or shut the doors of the bathroom, this isn't the best!
3. He has 8 teeth. I can't believe how many teeth he has!
4. He says "mama" and it melts my heart.
5. He loves to play with balls.
6. He loves when Laura climbs in his crib each morning after he wakes up. She is a good little entertainer and gives me a few more minutes of time in a warm bed.
7. His favorite song is "tick tock". He bobs his little head from side to side.
8. He pushes the kitchen chairs all over the kitchen.
9. He can take about 2-3 steps without assistance.
10. He is definitely a mama's boy. I wouldn't want it any other way!
11. He is all boy! He eats more, poops more, weighs more, plays rougher and is more mischievous! I do love having a little boy!

Home

2009-02-12T08:04:00.005-06:00

We arrived back in Searcy last night after a five night trip to see my parents in Houston. Thankfully the return home was totally uneventful in comparison to our first leg of the trip.

Our trip in numbers:
0 pictures I took :(
1 fun afternoon for Laura at the park with Meme & Don-Don
2 shopping trips minus kids with Mom, thanks to Don-Don
3 new medicines for Grant (shot, thrush oral medicine, antibiotic) after a trip to the Dr.'s office
4 new toys for Laura. She really knows how to work her Meme.
5 mornings I slept till 8:30
6 spills of the dog's water dish by Grant
7th ear infection diagnosis for Grant
8 stories read by Meme each night
9 times I picked up dropped toys or books on the airplane
10 phone calls to Daddy who was missing us, but appeared to have a "mini-vacation" in our absence!

Laura is so tender-hearted and usually tears up when we leave the grandparents. This trip was no exception. As we were driving in our neighborhood, I look back at her to see big tears and a quivering lip. "I miss Meme and Don-Don", she says. We make a quick call to them and all was better in her world. I'm so thankful for loving parents who love my children with all their heart!

Traveling

2009-02-07T08:43:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I boarded a plane with two children minutes before the main cabin door was closed. Traveling with children is always an adventure and it never fails that the night before a trip, I have a sick child in the night.

Grant woke up at 5:00 a.m. hours before our departure with close to 103 fever! I gave him medicine and slept on the couch with him till I heard my alarm go off at 6:30 to get ready for our 9:00 flight. Needless to say, it was a rush morning trying to get kids fed and dressed and out the door at 7:30! I probably should have gotten up earlier and I always forget the Jim moves about as slow as the children in the morning.

We made a mad dash to the airport and upon check in the Continental representative informed me I needed to be at the airport between 7:30 and 8:00. She "rushed" our bags and I then found out that I had to pay $15 per bag. I was uninformed on this new rule that charged for your bags..what a scam! Thankfully they allowed Jim to help me thru security with both the kids.

As you all know, you practically have to strip to your birthday suit to make it through airport security. Strollers have to be collapsed, shoes off, pockets emptied, etc...And on this occassion (in which I was rushing), security decided to do a "check" of the waters that I had prepared for Grant and Laura. And at that moment, Laura has realized that she left her Ariel doll in the car and proceeds to crying!

We make it to the gate where boarding is in place. I convince Laura to go to the bathroom one last time with an ultimatum that I would NOT take her on the airplane. I collapse the stroller with my 22 lb son dangling in my arms. We are the last people on the plane.

We proceed to our seats which is of course the last one on the plane. I see the faces of the other passengers sighing in relief that we won't be sitting my them! As we sit down with immediate demands from Laura that she wanted snacks, drinks, colors, books, etc, I realize that I didn't check Grant's diaper. And guess what, he pooped! Great..it is always interesting changing a poop diaper on the airplane seat on a wiggly little boy.

Thankfully, it is an extremely short flight and since Grant was not feeling 100% he was pretty tame. Laura has finally reached a very easy age for traveling so she was good as gold. We made it safely and spent the day taking naps and playing. I'm glad to be home for a few days!

Side note: Grant is going to the doctor this morning as he has still been running a high fever. I really really hope he starts to feeling better soon.

Spinning

2009-02-01T15:44:00.002-06:00

I know I have done a lot of posts about Grant lately and here is yet another one. This is the easiest way to share videos with the grandparents.

Lord, Help Me!

2009-01-26T07:59:00.004-06:00

I think I have my hands full. What do you think?

10 Months

2009-01-21T14:15:00.002-06:00

It is so hard to believe that Grant is 10 months old! I LOVE this age and if I could I'd freeze him right now when he is cute, cuddly and sweet!

Here are his latests:

1. He makes a pretty good motorboat sound.
2. He likes to flap his arms when he is eating.
3. He has 7 teeth.
4. He has suddenly enjoyed taking a paci.
5. He just got tubes on Monday.
6. His sleep was AWFUL this past month, but since tubes (two nights), he has slept till 5:30 a.m. This is HUGE improvement. Ideally, I'd like him to sleep longer, but for now, I'll take it. Not sure what I'll do once he is weaned??? I don't really want to start my day at 5:30!!!
7. He likes to eat about anything..peas, carrots, pears, avocado, cheese, yogurt, meat, spaghetti, chicken.....He also likes to eat paper, cords, crayons. We call him a goat.
8. He loves to cuddle!
9. He likes to get into things and climb into the dishwasher. The other day I was cleaning his highchair tray and I left him in there (unbuckled). I turned my head for a second and yep, he had turned his body and was standing up his chair!
10. He has found his weenie, weiner, doodle, whatever. But, yes, like any other guy, he's found it and he likes to play with it. Oh boy!

Free family fun

2009-01-13T16:39:00.007-06:00

We enjoyed our last day of Christmas break on Friday doing free activities in Little Rock. Our first stop was at the Old State House. It was really interesting to see the different ways this old building was used. FYI, it is the oldest surviving state capitol west of the Mississippi River! Of course, this didn't interest the kids all that much, but they were more than happy to ride in the stroller. I think the highlight for Laura was getting to ride the handicapped elevators since we were in the big double stroller!
We then went a few doors down to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks. Grant squealed at them and Laura loved that they dunked their heads under water. We rode the glass elevators to the penthouse and looked out over Little Rock. We finished the day off with some ice cream. It is amazing the fun things you can do for free!

Listy List

2009-01-08T19:40:00.004-06:00

I got nothing to blog about, so I borrowed this list from my friends, Holly, April and Cindy.

Bold=I've done it. Italics=I want to do it.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (who wants to do this????)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Given blood, plasma, platelets
65. Go skydiving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (twice)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
101. Swam with Dolphins in the wild
102. Visited Japan
103. Been hugged by a child
104. Been kissed by a child
105. Fed chickens and gathered their eggs
106. Ice skated on a frozen pond
107. Walked across a stage in Graduation
108. Earned a scholarship
109. Slept till noon
110. Spent a semester overseas
111. Been in a wreck
112. Stood where Paul stood in Ephesus or Corinth
113. Been homesick
114. Been in love
115. Visited all 7 continents
116. Received an award
117. Won a Spelling Bee
118. Been a Secret Admirer
119. Had a Secret Admirer
120. Visited Alaska

Christmas Wrap Up

2009-01-03T11:20:00.007-06:00

Finally after two weeks of Christmas, I am able to sit down and recap the events.

We spent Christmas in St. Louis with Jim's family (aka Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Jeanne and Truman the dog). Laura especially loved following Jeanne everywhere. If you know Laura, she usually attaches to someone. In St. Louis, Aunt Jeanne was her pick and it was pretty constant.

We spent one afternoon at the Arch. Laura loved it! I am quite impressed that I went up in the small elevator since I am not a fan of small enclosed spaces. But, I wanted to watch Laura experience the fun, so I had to make myself do it. We had a great time together!

Christmas morning was filled with squeals, bright eyes and smiles. Laura loved her dress up, vanity table and cute little fluffy stuffed white dog!
On our return to Searcy, Jim had a cold and Grant had another ear infection. Two boys who weren't feeling too well didn't make for a real happy household. I won't share who is the worse at being sick!!

Thankfully by Monday, everyone was feeling better for my parents arrival. We had another fun week with my parents. My mom helped me finish up decorating the house. Jim organized the garage. Dad fixed our printer. Laura and Grant enjoyed their new toys. It was a good time and it was over way too fast.

Now, it is 2009. One of our goals is to embrace Searcy this year. (Did I just say that?) We are going to place membership at church and try to be involved. I also am gonna hit the gym again after a LONG hiatus. Two goals is enough for me!

I'd love to hear your 2009 goals if you have made any.....

Pictures with Santa

2008-12-21T22:21:00.003-06:00

We visited the "Santa Hut" on Friday. It was a warm day, so Santa ditched the red coat and was sporting the Hawaiian shirt. Laura quietly asked for Tinkerbell, a mirror (vanity table), dress-up (like she needs anymore of this!!!) and a sleeping bag. Grant was at first enthralled with Santa's beard, but later changed his mind that he didn't look so jolly! Laura thought it was pretty cool that Santa knew that her last name was Miller (one small perk of living in a small town).

My Prayer Warrior

2008-12-18T21:09:00.002-06:00

I went to Laura's Christmas school party today. The kids rotate different jobs each day (line leader, caboose, lunch server, etc..). Today it was Laura's turn to be the "prayer warrior". Let's just say I'm so proud of my little girl.

The room was packed with parents and all her classmates and when called to say the prayer for lunch, she proudly walked up to Ms. Renee and led the class in prayer. I pray my daughter will always be a confident warrior for God!

In case you can't hear her real well, she says, "thank you for mommy, daddy, Grant and all my friends, in Jesus name Amen."

9 Months

2008-12-17T09:37:00.002-06:00

Can it be that nine months have already come and gone in Grant's life?? Seriously, slow down Grant, stop growing up on me!! This past month Grant has been learning so much!

1. He is crawling and pulling up on anything and everything. Keeping up with him is wearing me out!
2. He claps his hands.
3. He waves "bye bye".
4. He has exhibited some separation anxiety. What can I say, he is a momma's boy!
5. He had graduated from baby boot camp a couple weeks ago, however after a double-ear infection 10 days ago, his sleep pattern got messed up again. So now that he is 100% healthy, he is once again enrolled in camp and I anticipate that he's figuring it out and will be back on sleeping thru the night in a couple more days.
6. He weighs 21 pounds and is in 18 month clothes!
7. He likes to eat. He hasn't refused anything I've given him. We are almost on all table food. Yay for no more babyfood!
8. He laughs when he watches Baby Einstein. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein or I'd never get a shower around here!
9. He is such a pleasant fellow and gives some good cuddles when I rock him at night.

We like to train our kids early to do chores!!

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-14T20:54:00.008-06:00

I love that I can buy matching clothes for my children! Here are some shots taken either by me or Portrait Innovations.

Impressed

2008-12-10T21:51:00.004-06:00

Take note..I'm impressed by an event we went to in Searcy on Sunday night. Yes, right here in my home town, I have finally been impressed.

The First Assembly of God puts on a Live Nativity (check out the link) where you actually drive your car through Bethlehem. It is soooooo cool! While we waited in our warm car to proceed through, we ate a pizza and watched some Christmas movie clips they had projected on big screens. We were then given hot chocolate and CD to listen to as we drove through Bethlehem. There were real animals (horses, camels, sheep). It was awesome. Laura was sitting on my lap and the wonder and excitement in her eyes was priceless.

4th Picture

2008-12-08T09:10:00.005-06:00

I was tagged by Cindy to post my 4th picture in my 4th picture folder.

This was taken in St. Louis with Jim's parents when Laura was about 3 months. Wow, time has flown by!

Week in Review

2008-12-01T14:41:00.000-06:00

We traveled to Houston for Thanksgiving to be with my parents. As usual, our trip went way too fast and it was packed with lots of fun activities. The kids traveled great on our 468 mile trek with 8 hours in the car.

We took family pictures at Portrait Innovations where everyone cooperated! Yay!! Taking pictures is so stressful and exhausting. I am so glad it went well. Here are a few pictures. I have tons more, but can't figure out how to rotate them.
We had our Thanksgiving meal with the "Looney" family and they are always a blast to be around. Laura was enamored with the 5 dogs at the house. I think getting a dog is in our very near future. I am very excited about this idea as I've missed not having a furry friend in our house.

Friday night we went to my favorite mexican restaurant Pappasito's and afterwards drove down to Discovery Green where Jim and Laura attempted to ice skate in 70 degree weather. It was a nice evening!

Laura, Meme and I went to the Nutcracker ballet on Saturday afternoon. The music and dancing were fantastic. This is our yearly tradition dated back to when I was a child. Let's just say that after the show Laura danced and twirled as we exited the theater to find our car. She loved it! We made our gingerbread house before the ballet and it was quite a production with LOTS of directions!

Now it is time to get ready for Christmas and to get geared up to make yet another 8 hour trip in 11 days to Knoxville to watch Jim make his doctoral graduate walk!

The Thinker on Being Thankful

2008-11-24T21:34:00.005-06:00

Lately I have not found much to be thankful for in my life. It seems like someone in our house has been sick for the last month. My discontentment with living in Searcy remains. The search for a church home and being the "visitor" each week is on-going. And to top it off, making friends in a small town is hard! I've really had to dig deep to find joy and thankfulness in my life.

You know what I'm thankful for: Jim, Laura & Grant. I love my family. I love that Jim is very patient with me. I love how he loves our kids! I love that Laura is so smart and witty. I love that Grant smiles when he sees me and how he claps his hands when I say "yay!". I'm also thankful for my house that provides shelter and comfort, a secure job for Jim, a decent paying very part-time job for myself and cars that run. I am thankful for old friends. I am thankful because I know God has a purpose and a plan. And despite my "woes", I am thankful that I have a God who loves ME and I'm thankful for all the lessons I'm learning in this journey.

I am thankful and blessed beyond what I deserve. Your turn..what is one thing you are thankful for?

I'm throwing in some pictures for fun. Grant didn't enjoy the leaf pile all that much!

Eight Months

2008-11-19T08:47:00.000-06:00

Monday marked Grant's eight month birthday. I ask myself each month how can time be passing so quickly. Wow! Grant has been picking up new skills by the day lately. Here are some of his latests:

1. He is getting into the crawl position.
2. He now has 6 teeth. Four new teeth came in just this past month!
3. He is saying "da da da da" and making motorboat noises.
4. He can pick up finger foods and feed himself.
5. I probably have said this before, but he loves his big sister, Laura! He always responds to her with squeals of delight and is always looking for her when he hears her voice.
6. Speaking of squealing, he has found that his vocal cords can go quite high.
7. He is currently enrolled in what the Miller family calls "baby boot camp". Hopefully by the time I write a "9 Month" post, he'll understand that he will no longer be fed during the night and will be sleeping without waking up!
8. He is really a happy baby, however I've seen some fierce stubbornness this past month. I told him, we've already got one stubborn child in our family and I don't need another. I hope he gets the message!

Sleepless in Searcy

2008-11-17T08:49:00.007-06:00

Baby boot camp isn't going so well at the Miller household. We started on Friday night. The first two nights, Grant was up at 11:00, so I nursed him in hopes of him sleeping longer. If he woke up after that, he was on his own. He cried for 30 minutes on Friday night and Saturday night he actually slept till 4:30. My goal is for Grant to sleep uninterrupted from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Right now, it seems his pattern is to want to eat every 5 hours during the night.

Last night was the test and we failed miserably. Grant was up at 1:00, so I went into his room made sure he didn't have a dirty diaper and offered him a sippy cup of water. Yep, he was real happy about that. Twenty minutes later of crying, he was asleep. I thought, wow, that was easy. Nope...he was up 20 minutes later crying all over again. So, I'm mentally prepared to just let him cry. Well, my sleeping husband doesn't feel the same way. He is moaning and groaning about how he has to get up for work, etc., etc. (love ya, Jim!!)

In attempts to keep sanity without a full fledged argument at 2 a.m., I go and nurse Grant, however he still wakes up 30 minutes later. At that point, baby Tylenol is given thinking the child must be ill. Of course, Grant is all smiles to see me and wants to cuddle and rock. You get the picture. I just lay him down and I guess he went to sleep because I closed my bedroom door, turned the monitor off, and put a pillow over my head. He didn't wake up again till 7:00 and fell back asleep for 2 more hours.

So....I'm in a predicament. Jim's theory is that Grant is just not ready. He still needs to eat during the night. My theory, he is 8 months old and according to the textbook, he should be able to sleep a 9 to 10 hour block of time. I'm very tired (literally) of being up one or two times each night for the last EIGHT months. I'm run down, my patience is short and I just want a good nights sleep. And last week when we were at the pediatricians office for Grant's ear infection, he told me it was time to let him cry it out because he was old enough to sleep through the night.

I need some "been there done that" tips that worked! Should I expect him to be up off and on during the night? How long will this last? Should I wait?

C'mon, help a mom out!

Installing a Husband

2008-11-10T13:46:00.003-06:00

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
· Romance 9.5
· Personal Attention 6.5,
and then installed undesirable programs such as
· NBA 5.0,
· NFL 3.0
· Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

· Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate.
***************************

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind,
· Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while
· Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
· If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend
· Cooking 3.0
· Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck Babe!

Tech Support

The Halloween Post

2008-11-01T22:16:00.005-05:00

We had the Star Wars theme going on at our house. Jim has Laura hooked on Star Wars, so it was no surprise when she requested to be Princess Leia for Halloween. Grant was the perfect little Chewbecca.

The odd thing about trick or treating this year was that our neighborhood is apparently a "hot spot" for all the nearby rural areas. Therefore, we had a bunch of trucks with a crew of kids in the back riding to trick or treat. Aren't you supposed to walk when you trick or treat? Isn't that half the fun? So we had to be extra cautious walking the streets and we found that not a lot of houses had their lights on for trick or treaters.

Regardless we still had fun and Laura enjoyed herself immensely. The funny thing about Laura is that she really isn't that into candy. I think she's had maybe two pieces of candy from her bag. She has enjoyed "playing" trick or treat today handing us her candy, but she hasn't really been interested in eating it! Crazy child!

Recent Read

2008-10-29T21:47:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle". I first heard about this book when Oprah introduced it for her book club. While I don't always read the books that she endorses, this book caught my attention because it involved dogs. I am a sucker for a good dog book. When I received the book from the library, my first thought was that I'll never finish this book because it is about 600 pages. But, once I start a book, I rarely will stop reading even if I'm not totally into it. So I pressed on.

The beginning of the book was slow, but I really started enjoying it after about page 100. In brief, it has mystery, family dynamics and relationships, and a boy who loves dogs. It is interesting and has some amazing themes throughout, so I recommend it!

Help a Mom Out!

2008-10-28T08:26:00.006-05:00

Warning: This post is about nursing and might not want to be read by the male gender!

I am a nursing momma in need of some tips! Grant and I have been moving along quite nicely with breastfeeding until the emergence of his top teeth. He has one top tooth that has broken the gums and the other top one is on the way.

I had originally thought I would nurse Grant until he was a year old. Now, I'm not so sure. His tooth is making me extremely sore. He is not biting me; the tooth is just scraping on my now tender skin. I am feeling it might be time to wean him although I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for that.

Does this period of pain end or is this gonna be the new norm while nursing? Anyone been there and done that and have any advice??

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T20:24:00.007-05:00

On Saturday after two days of being homebound with a sick family, we needed some fresh air. So we headed off to the pumpkin patch in the big town of Cabot. Laura talked or sang the entire way there while Grant played with a toy not making a peep. Jim and I were talking wishfully about a possible vacation this summer without kids.

The hayride was through the pumpkin patch which was really quite neat to see all the different types, colors, and shapes of pumpkins growing. The only drawback we sat right behind the tractor and got to inhale fumes the entire ride.

They had some neat "photo op" spots which we took advantage of. Laura was especially in the mood to do some poses. We went through a few corn mazes, played in the sunflowers and picked out our two pumpkins all for the low price of $15. On our way home, we stopped at Sonic (our favorite place) for happy hour drinks and headed home. It was a fun day by all.

Seven Months

2008-10-16T20:02:00.004-05:00

1. He has two bottom teeth.
2. He is sitting up great.
3. He weighs 19 pounds and is 27 1/4 inches long.
4. He is doing better sleeping at night with one waking between 4 and 6 a.m.
5. He takes two naps each day.
6. Sadly, he has been a sick boy this week with his first ear infection. :(
7. He wakes up happy and greets me with his big smile.

7 Random Facts

2008-10-08T21:48:00.001-05:00

I am at a loss for a new blog topic, so I tag myself to share seven random facts.

1. There are certain combinations of foods that I just love. One of them is drinking a diet coke and eating a peanut butter cup. (In case you'd like to have a nice 2 point treat, Whitman's makes a fantastic Weight Watcher peanut butter cup.)

2. I do not like the texture of cotton balls. I cringe thinking about them.

3. I like to read a magazine from the back to the front.

4. When I was in my elementary years, I put on several home productions of "Annie". I was of course the producer and assigned parts to the neighborhood gang. I am pretty good at being a boss!

5. In high school, I was the "Feature Editor" for the weekly newspaper.

6. I have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth.

7. My foot grew 1/2 a size while I was pregnant with Grant. I am just realizing this as I'm trying to fit into my fall shoes. I guess it is time to buy new shoes!

Kid's Rooms

2008-10-03T09:05:00.003-05:00

Grant finally has a nursery. Actually his nursery has been done for a couple of months now, but I'm just now getting around to posting pictures. We moved Laura to a queen bed so we can sleep guests comfortably. Hence we had to buy new bedding!!

Singing Swinging Laura

2008-10-01T10:28:00.002-05:00

Since most of my recent posts have been about Grant, here is one of Laura!

Sleeping Baby

2008-09-29T10:03:00.003-05:00

Grant has up until a few nights ago been a pretty decent sleeper. He takes good naps during the day and goes down easily at night. For the past couple of months, he is still waking up between 4 and 6 to nurse, but he usually would always go back to sleep without a fuss. While I'm ready for him to sleep till the morning, I can typically handle one feeding in the middle of the night and feel pretty rested the next day.

Starting three nights ago, Grant has been waking up between 4 and 6 and deciding he wants to stay awake and be social after nursing. At 6:00 a.m., that is an acceptable request even if it is too early for me. At 4:00 a.m., it is not acceptable. I am totally on board with letting him cry it out except I have a sleeping child who shares a wall with his squeals and cries. Another issue is that he is rolling onto his stomach and can't roll back over to his back. So if this happens he for sure will cry out loud.

Last night, I nursed him at 4:15, rocked a few minutes, and put him in his bed. He immediately started babbling and squealing. He is not crying; he is just awake. After about 20 minutes, I go back and do the same routine and again 20 minutes later where he did fall asleep. By now, it is 6:00 a.m.

Thankfully Laura didn't have to get up for school, so I could continue to sleep till Jim left for work. BUT, I do not want to start bad habits and I certainly don't want to be up for two hours each night.

Should I just let him babble, squeal and cry and not worry about waking Laura? Any advice is appreciated!!!!

Bathtime

2008-09-24T20:58:00.004-05:00

Warning: Video is of naked little boy enjoying a bath. (This post is mainly for the grandparents since it is the easiest way to upload a video.)

Before I became a mother.....

2008-09-22T08:34:00.001-05:00

*I thought 8:00 a.m. was early. Now I consider that to be sleeping in.

*A flat firm stomach was easy to maintain. Now, flat and firm are not part of my vocabulary.

*A mini-van was a vehicle for my parents. Now I love my mini-van and even choose to drive it when the kids aren't with me!

*A good night sleep was 10 hours of uninterrupted solid REM sleep. Now I consider 7 hours with one interruption to be not so shabby.

*Quiet time was spent reading a book sipping a diet coke. Now quiet time is trying to read a book while telling Laura to go back to her room every 10 minutes until the "quiet time" timer goes off.

*I actively participated in worship. Now I'm lucky to hear the sermon.

*I could spend 15 minutes taking a shower. Now it is a good day to be showered by noon.

*I had cute clothes. Now I sport black athletic pants way too often.

*I had no idea how it would change my life. Now I see how it changed my life and wouldn't change a thing. (well...maybe a little more sleep would be good!)

Six Months

2008-09-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

My boy is 6 months today. How is this possible? It is so fun to watch him grow and develop. Here are six new things about Grant.

1. He has one bottom tooth which he has used a couple times to be very mean to his momma. He laughed about it too when I said "no". He's already a character!
2. He is eating fruits and veggies with delight.

3. He is almost sitting up without assistance. He has a big ole booty to keep sturdy, so we are still working on it!
4. When he is tired, he gets very loud with "ba ba ba ba".

5. His baby fine hair sticks straight up.

6. He has the most hilarious laugh. Aunt Jeanne calls him a "pigeon".

Go away, Ike! (Update)

2008-09-12T09:45:00.003-05:00

UPDATE:
My parents lost several tops of their trees resulting in 5 holes in their roof. With the help of some neighbors and drive by entrepreneurs, the tree has been removed and the roof is patched. They will get a new roof, but that could take weeks.

My brother drove down from from Austin to help them with the clean up. Since it could be 2 or more weeks until there is power, my brother was lucky enough to find a generator in Austin. He literally bought it off the truck at Lowe's. Atleast now they can run a fan, the fridge, and a t.v.

It was a scary experience for them and we are all glad it is over with minimal structural damage.

Thanks for the prayers lifted on their behalf and others.
___________________________________________________________________

Since my parents, grandpa and aunt live 75 miles north of Galveston, Texas, they are in preparation right now for Hurricane Ike.

I'm worried as they are.

The winds are estimated to be 100 mph. Since their home is surrounded by lots of trees the main concern is down trees. Loss of electricity is gonna happen.

Please pray for all of those in harms way.

Bananas

2008-09-09T08:34:00.001-05:00

Do you think he likes them?

Photo Update

2008-09-04T21:13:00.002-05:00

Yes, my house looks like a toy store with all the lovely plastic. I think we are close to being done with the swing and bouncy seat, but of course we added the HUGE jumperoo that my brother passed on to us. And no, Grant is not always sitting in these pieces of plastic...we love and hold him a lot! He is the sweetest baby boy!

Do you love the mohawk and squash face? This boy loves his veggies. Well, he just loves to eat!

Sister and brother love

Lovin' the new jumperoo

How much bigger can these pieces of plastic come?

Always putting on a performance

Out to dinner for my forever 29th birthday

Mission Complete

2008-09-02T19:45:00.006-05:00

I am 8 inches lighter (in hair that is). I only wish 8 inches of pregnancy weight could be disappear after 2 hours at the salon!

For the last two years, I have been growing out my hair. I felt attached to my long hair, so I had to remind myself today that my hair was for someone else and not for me. I was nervous, however, it was time. My hair was hot, a pain to blowdry, my hairstyle was a ponytail and Grant was always grabbing it. It was time to let it go.

Tomorrow, my hair will be in the mail to Children With Hairloss. I hope it is well used and loved by someone else.

So I write all of this not to get pats on the back or "job well done" comments. I write this to get you thinking. What small way can you give back? I'm ready for a new challenge!

BEFORE

AFTER