Squeak

Need I say more??

So, my dear mom got Hayden these beautiful pale pink shoes yesterday. However, whenever she walks, this loud squeak comes from them. These aren't the first adorable shoes she has gotten for her, nor are they the first squeaking shoes she has gotten for her. I put up with the other ones as she ran up and down the aisles at church between services just to hear herself make noise. I even put up with them while she ran back and forth on the balcony at Nic's basketball games while everyone looked as she ran by (oh, and Nic could hear her as he coached those games!). I put up with them yesterday while she squeaked around. The first thing she wanted to do this morning was put on the shoes and run around. I am watching her as we speak as she runs through the house as fast as she can in just her diaper and those lovely shoes on...she is watching her feet as they squeak, squeak, squeak, with every move she makes. The question is- how fast will it take for me to take these squeakers out? The shoes are ADORABLE...but the sound that comes out...only adorable for the first 2 squeaks!! Gotta love my mom!!!!

Well, my blog friends, tomorrow Nic, Hayden, Colton, and I set off for an adventure in Tennessee. Words don't describe how excited I am to be with my little family for a WHOLE week. With Nic working so much lately, we have barely seen him for more than an hour a day...so I don't know what we are going to do with him for 24/7! Oh wait...I do! HAVE TONS OF FUN!!!! Tennessee is one of my favorite places in the world. The first time I went to Tennessee was with Nic's family camping before we were even married. I fell in love with the scenery of all the mountains, waterfalls, little creeks, and even the little shops and shows. We won't be able to do a lot while we are there with the babies, but I am just so excited to get out of Indiana just for a little bit and spend quality time with my kids and husband. The sad news is...I don't know if there is internet so I might not be able to blog for an entire week...EEK! What am I going to do? Hey...I have another answer...I will journal about it there and then when I get home I will put it on my blog. Look at that-I am a problem solver!

If you read this before tomorrow morning (Saturday), please pray for our safety as we get there and back and for Nic and I to be refreshed! Oh...and maybe that the babies will enjoy themselves too!

This is normal, right?

My Day: Get ready for the longest run on sentence you have ever seen...

I wake up to Colton squirming around waiting for his morning feeding while listening to Hayden talking to herself down the hallway, nurse and talk with Colt before getting my little crazy girl out of her cage, change the babies diapers after chasing Hayden around the entire house 2 times, observed the black eye she acquired while pushing her baby stroller too fast and falling onto it, put Hayden in her chair to eat breakfast and turn on Veggie Tales in an attempt to distract her so I could get a quick shower in, jump in the shower, shave one leg and hear screaming, jump out of the shower, looked at the TV and found that you have to actually push the play button to start the movie, jump back in the shower and shave the other leg and shampoo the hair just in time to hear some more screaming, have to be done with shower time, looked to see why the reason for screaming and find Hayden dropped her toast and couldn’t reach it from her seat, get the toast, clean the mess, get dressed as fast as I can, put the shirt on, turn it around so it isn’t backwards, cuddle with Hayden on the couch and read her farm book while nursing Colt, put Colt in swing and attempt to fold laundry, put the laundry on the table, run to catch Hayden before jumping off the chair, forget the laundry, change diapers, play with Hayden, start to make lunch, get Hayden off the counter and away from the fish, defrost the chicken, get Hayden off the counter and away from the fish, get the veggies out and cut, get Hayden off the counter and away from the fish, get smart and MOVE the fish, forget the lunch, check on Colt (my quiet child), couldn’t figure out what was all over Hayden’s face and found the Desitin in her hands, get the Desitin out of Hayden’s mouth and clean her face, save Colton from his sister swinging him as high as she can, remembered lunch, cooked lunch, put Hayden in seat for lunch, nurse Colt while eating, look to see Hayden’s plate was cleared off, praised her for eating all her chicken and grapes, clean her off, step on grape, looked down to see that every piece of chicken and every grape I had put on her plate was actually on the floor and not in her stomach, make Hayden help clean up food, save Colt from the blanket Hayden put over his face and removed the crackers from his swing his sister tried to feed him, turn off the fire place that Hayden turned on, remember the laundry, fold laundry, clean ALL the CDs that Hayden got out from the entertainment center that were scattered across the floor (note to self-safety locks no longer work for Hayden), save Colton from his sister shoving his paci in his mouth, save Hayden from jumping off the gate after climbing it and standing on top of it (another note to self-gates=pointless), get Hayden off the counter, watch Hayden throw a temper tantrum due to me not letting her play with raw chicken, throw chicken away, Hayden still throwing tantrum, nurse Colton while snuggling with Hayden after she calmed down, looked at Hayden and realized I haven’t clothed her yet, have a whole conversation with my 1 ½ year old in which I didn’t understand one word of but she knew exactly what she was saying, watch Hayden run back and forth from the kitchen to the family room as fast as she can while laughing as loud as she could, watch Hayden fall, cry, get back up and start over, save Hayden from falling backwards in the chair in the kitchen, change diapers, watch Hayden climb into Colt’s swing and fall out of it, chase Hayden through the house just to hear my favorite giggle of hers, look at clock-12:16….NAP TIME! Put Hayden in bed, make a choice between cleaning my destroyed house or holding Colton and actually sitting down to breathe…I will do the second choice, start to finally doze off and hear, “mommy? Mommy?” Hayden is awake. Hayden lays on the couch for about 5 minutes, jumps off to runs around in circles, change diapers, nurse Colton while Hayden runs to the kitchen, opens the pantry door, and begs for food, get Hayden some crackers and cheese, she grabs chocolate, take chocolate and hide it, clean up crushed crackers from couch, watch Hayden as she undresses herself, even her diaper, put new diaper on, lay on the ground with my 2 babies, head to head to head with Hayden playing with my hair and talking to me in her own language as Colt lays there talking in his own language and smiling away (my favorite part of the day), sit on the floor as Hayden crawls and climbs all over me for 20 minutes, nurse, hold Hayden as she cries from running head first into the wall, hold Hayden as she cries from falling off her riding toy after she tries to stand on it as it moves, hold Hayden as she cries from jumping from that moving riding toy to the couch and misses the couch, sit on the couch to hold Bubby as Hayden climbs all over the both of us, change diapers, watch the storm from the window since the power is off and it is dark, watch Hayden’s face at every roll of thunder, listen to Hayden sing to her baby, watch Hayden throw her baby, play with Hayden while holding Colton, put Colton in the swing to clean a little only to come and find Hayden pulling him out of the swing, rescue Colton, clean the wet wipes off the floor that Hayden threw all over the floor, one wipe at a time, listen to Hayden scream because I won’t let her hold Colton in fear that she will throw him off the couch, hold Colton as he blows out his pants, think to myself, “maybe we need a break and just get out of the house for just a little while”, good idea, get kids changed and load them up in the car. Walk around Walmart to waste some time, walk up and down the mirror aisle as Hayden and I make faces at ourselves, play with the gigantic bouncy balls, look at a million other things, leave the store, get home and kids inside right before it downpours, get dinner ready, eat dinner, change diapers, chase Hayden around to wash her up, watch Hayden leap through the air from the steering wheel of that moving toy to the couch (she was successful), nurse, watch Hayden jump on the couch and land on the floor, rescue Bubby once again from the swing his sister is trying to swing as high as possible, read with Hayden, play with Colton, use the restroom for the first time today, look in the mirror only to find out I had never brushed my hair after my shower or put make up and I had gone to Walmart like this (great), rescue my camera from Hayden (I have no idea how she got to it), watch Hayden rub her eyes, get Hayden ready for bed, change diapers, listen to Hayden giggle like crazy as I tickle her, hold Bubby as he cries from his sister crawling on top of him, snuggle with Hayden and sing songs, pray with Hayden, search the house for her blankies, find the blankies, place Hayden and her blankies in the crib, pray with Hayden…again, close the door, walk to the couch, hold Colton, and thank God for getting me and the kids through the day in one piece. Oh…and breathe again.

Below is a picture of Hayden's little black eye...

Hmmm…and I only have 2 children, one of which can’t even move…this is completely normal isn’t it? Also, why in the world did we spend all that money for toys and make a playroom when she didn’t even step foot in it???

Although I felt like today was total chaos and I had no control, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. After all, I got to be with my babies.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me the strength and energy for getting me through the day. Thank you for giving me patience when I just wanted to scream. Thank you for giving me my 2 babies and a loving husband. Maybe tomorrow could be a little less crazy? Just a question.

Elkhart County 4-H Fair!

Believe it or not, I have never been to any fair in my life. Well, I went to one when I was in high school for like 5 minutes before it started pouring so we had to leave. Let me tell you, I LOVED it! Last night, my sister, Tim, Jaclyn, Nic and I went to the Elkhart County Fair. The main reason we went was to see Lady A (I don’t know how to spell out the whole thing!). So we rushed to find wrist bands right away that would give us seats in the grandstands. Well, that was easy enough. We were ablet o get them in the first 5 minutes! That gave us like 3 ½ hours to kill. That means lots of animals and lots of food!

I couldn’t get enough of it! I didn’t want to be brave and try the rides but I did want to try EVERY single kind of food they have. However, because of the insanely high costs of the food, I stuck with the most important foods. Before we stuffed ourselves, we went through and looked at all the animals. Can I just say I have never seen a cow up close and personal before last night? THEY ARE HUGE!!!! I knew they were big from what I could tell riding by them in my car, but I never imagined they could be so big! They also had baby cows, which were so cute! I kind of want one now! We also saw a HUGE pig. She was feeding her little babies. It was like Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web in real life! They were the cutest little things! Maybe I want one of those too!

Now for the food…There was soooo much to choose from I didn’t know where to start. But for some reason pizza sounded really good to me so I found a stand with pizza! After I gulped that down I was determined to get an Elephant Ear…which, by the way are a piece of heaven! My goal after that was to find those jumbo jellybeans that I saw a little girl eating. We searched and searched but had no luck. My heart was broken! Not really, but they did sound REALLY good! And for those of you who are wondering, NO I am NOT pregnant, I just wanted to try everything!

After walking around and looking at all different sorts of things, it was finally time for the concert! I was so excited I felt all giddy! I have seen Lady A before when they performed at Kenny Chesney’s concert last year and they were AMAZING! This time around was also amazing. We could still see them from where we were sitting. We still waited in our seats an hour before it all started. So I decided to watch people. I observed all the different styles of clothes, hair, everything. I think I could watch people all day long. Oh, and during this time my wonderful husband got me some icecream! Ha! It was incredible! When the time came for the actual concert to start, we were all 5 more than ready...and stuffed. It was a beautiful, perfect night for the concert and I enjoyed it so much! They are definitely my favorites right now! I loved every song they sang and was just amazed with their voices. Because I have never been a good singer, I marvel at others who can actually sing!

When the final song ended, we made our way to the car and then sat…for like an HOUR…in traffic…not moving. Great. My baby boy ran out of milk so I was anxious to get back to feed him…and so was my body (if you are a nursing mom, you know what I mean!). But…we got home in time and he was just fine! What a wonderful night!

Mom and Dad…thanks for staying with my babies and watching them! I know they love when they get to be with you! I so appreciate it!!

Night Time, Pies, and Bad Words

Well, I just got done bathing the kids and reading to Hayden before putting her into bed. Our nightly routine has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Hayden is finally sitting still through a whole book at a time now! Our routine consists of bath time, reading books as we snuggle, praying, and then singing before diving into warm blankets. Can I just say there is nothing like cuddling with a baby who smells so fresh from just having a bath and then covered in lotion?! It is best thing in the world!

Anyways, not much exciting has been happening at the Minder household. We have spent the last couple days (well, the kids and I) visiting Tara, Steve, and baby Hannah in the hospital a couple hours at a time. They finally get to come home tomorrow! Nic has been working like a maniac…I seriously do not know how he does it. I am so proud of him and am so thankful he is willing to work so hard. He is working his regular schedule as well as nights out at the fair.

Because of Nic working and not at home, I have been spending some time at my parent’s house…I appreciate them letting us barge in and for playing with my kids…I know it kills them to have to be with their grandchildren….HA! Sarah has also been a HUGE help!

Yesterday I got to spend some time with Tim and Sarah as they helped me finish clearing out the rest of my things from my classroom. I couldn’t have done it without their help! We also enjoyed lunch together as we tried to prevent Hayden from being smothered in salsa and ranch. I am going to miss that girl so much when she goes to college. Seriously…all of my siblings have totally left me!!!! Good thing I still have mom and dad!

Like I said before, Nic has and will be working a ton this next week so he got this morning off. We got to spend time as a family (which hasn’t happened for awhile). It was so nice to sit at breakfast and just talk with Nic. I am reminded everyday why I married this man. He is perfect for me. We are almost complete opposites, but we love each other and he is hands down my best friend. Yes, we do have our disagreements, some bigger than others, but at the end of the day we still love each other. We don’t try to change each other. He puts up with all my emotional girl stuff and is always there for me. He is such a gift from God.

Ok, enough gushy talk. After our morning together I went with my sisters and mom and dad to go visit little Hannah. On my way home the kids and I stopped by to see my grandparents. Before I left my grandma brought out a delicious sight (see below). She always takes care of me! From the time I was little she has made me these wonderful cherry pies and somehow my mother always seems to find a way to take part of the best part…the crust. You can see in the picture some of it missing! One time she tried to trick me with buying a store pie…I was not tricked!!!! I flipped the pie over in my hands and there was an imprint on the bottom of some words! I can tell now her real pies by the cinnamon and sugar sprinkled crust.

On a different note, Nic and I have come to realize these past couple of days that we really need to watch what we say and what we do around our little girl. Hayden is at that age where she copies EVERYTHING we do and is starting to copy what we say, which can be fun….but sometimes not so fun. Now, please don’t judge my child on this next story. The other day she was playing with something and she dropped it. As soon as she dropped it I thought I heard something come out of her mouth but I thought to myself, “no way she said what I think she said.” Then, when we were at the hospital, she was trying to climb on Steve’s chair and she almost fell off. Out popped that same word. SERIOUSLY? Where did she learn this word? How did she know to use it in the right context? Nic and I have never said this word around her (well we never use this word period). Now I am worried to put her in the church nursery!! Does anyone else have 1 1/2 year olds that cuss? Or is it just mine?? Oh Hayden, what am I going to do with you?!

Baby Girl Spivey

First off….HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW BABY GIRL SPIVEY!!! Around 11:30, Baby Girl finally came into the world to meet her parents! It was no easy task though for Tara! She had her OB appointment around 1:30 yesterday afternoon. I waited at home in anticipation to see what would happen next (I am telling you, you would think that it was me having the baby!). Anyways, around 2:30, I got a call telling me they were headed to the hospital. The doctor had done a non-stress test and saw that Tara was having quite a few contractions and when she was on her side, the baby’s heart rate went down a little. So…the doctor wanted to send her to the hospital to start things!

So I waited and waited, my phone never leaving my hand. Around 8:30, there was still no progress, but I got a wonderful picture of her smiling in bed!

The next couple hours they checked her and she was still 3 cm. Around 1:10, I got another text that they were broke her water and called for the epidural! So now we are getting somewhere! They started pitocin (spelling?) around 5:40am and she was 4 cm. Around 8:00am she was at 7 cm. I then got a call from Kelsey around 10:50 saying that because of the slow progression, they were going to do a C-section. Luckily, my dad was able to come be with them in the room. So, I headed off to the hospital. Thanks to Sarah and my mom, I didn’t have to take my babies.

As I waited with their families in the waiting room, I just kept praying that everything would go smoothly and that God would bring this baby into the world healthy and perfect. I prayed that He would calm Tara’s nerves and keep her strong…I knew this was one of her fears from the beginning of the pregnancy.

Finally my dad came out to the waiting room and said everything was fine and baby and mom were doing great!!!!!

People, I am telling you, this baby is gorgeous. I know this isn’t my news to tell, but it is my blog! Hehe! Baby Girl (I am caller her this because we don’t know her name quite yet!) was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20 inches long. She has some long feet and fingers and is just perfect. Her hair has a reddish tent and her eyes are very blue (at least they were when I saw them!)

This little girl is already sooo loved by all her family and friends. Tara and Steve are like my sister and brother and I love them so much and am so happy for their little family. I can’t wait to hold that little girl again!!

Isn’t God good?!

My Boy is 3 Months

Dear Precious Colton,

Today you are 3 months old. I am amazed by all the new things you have learned this month. You are still a very content baby. You smile all the time and every single time it melts my heart! I am very blessed to have a baby like you. You are now sleeping from about 10 pm to 5:30, eat, and go back to sleep until around 7:30. You are still a fabulous eater, and a quick one at that. You have also started to laugh about 2 days ago…it is the most precious sound. You are fitting into your 3-month clothes now, which is so fun! You are one chunk of a hunk! Your eyelashes are growing longer and longer it seems. You still love to be held and cuddled. Most of our bonding is when Hayden goes to bed and I just hold you. You stare at me with your beautiful eyes and smile. It is almost like you are trying to talk to me with your little voice and noises. Another accomplishment has been that you have found your hands. You have them by your face most of the time. With this new accomplishment you have been able to hold on to the hanging toys. You no longer cry at bath and diaper time. You are growing so fast and I am afraid I will miss something! You are my precious, sweet little boy and I love you more than you will ever know.

Love you sweet boy,

Mommy

Waiting for Baby

Well, I am still waiting for Tara to have her little baby. I haven’t been able to fall asleep easily for the past couple nights in fear that I miss that one important call! I can't wait to hold her and love on her!

Here are some events that have happened the past couple days :

Sunday my grandma invited me and the kids over for some DELICIOUS lunch. She made my favorite…mashed potatoes! It is amazing how I get so excited over food! Once again, it was a nice visit with my grandparents! We then headed to a baby shower where the kids were complete angels. Later that evening we had some friends over for a cookout. It was nice to catch up with the girls while the guys hung out in Nic’s hangout corner in the garage (which by the way looks awesome now that it is all clean!). The kids all played around the house. It is finally nice to have a kid-friendly house with a playroom! It is a total lifesaver!

On Monday, Nic, the kids, and I met Steve, Tara and Jaclyn for lunch! I haven’t see Jac for awhile so it was nice to catch up. All I know is I am ready to go out to lunch with baby Spivey! That night we took dinner over to the Sears’ and watched a little of the Bachelorette. All I know is the kids are slowly taking over us adults! It is a little bit more crazy now with adding the 2 babies! We will get the hang of it though.

Now…back to waiting for that phone call! Come on little baby…you can do it!

Pictures of Rori Pearl Ferguson

This is for all those that don't have Facebook but want pictures of my little niece, Rori Pearl Ferguson (Grandma...this is for you!)

Little Moments that Mean A LOT

Today was just a good day. Hayden was just perfect today from the time she woke up at 7:30 until she went to bed tonight at 8:30. Colton was great, as always. I had a list of things I knew I needed to do today-laundry, clean the floors, vacuum the carpet, clean the kitchen, do the dishes, pick up the bizillion toys scattered throughout the house, and keep the kids in one piece. I should know by now that making lists and expecting EVERY thing on the list to be done is a no-go…not gonna happen. But, I am a list person…I can’t help it. I think it is the satisfaction of having a goal and getting to cross it off with a pen. Unfortunately I haven’t used that pen much! Ha! I did, however, get the kids bathed and clothed and fed before 9…and to me that is a major accomplishment. Hayden has a new found love of yogurt…doesn’t matter what flavor. She is also becoming very independent, which means she holds the spoon and attempts to get all the yogurt in her mouth…well…today it ended up scattered on the floor…but it is getting better! She just looked at me with those eyes and I can’t even get mad!

After scrubbing the yogurt from the floor and searching for a dirty diaper that Hayden decided to take and hide in her room, we headed out to Grandma and Grandpa’s. My mom was there as well and asked if I would go with Grams to the store to get some things she needed and she would watch the munchkins. I value my time with my grandma and today, even though we just ran to Walmart, it was special to me. She makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. She brings a smile to my face when she believes EVERYTHING my dad says and when she gets totally embarrassed. Anyways, we went back to her house and Sarah and Tim were there so we all ate lunch together. Grandpa is doing so well and looks fabulous. Now, if Grams and Gramps and I can just get through these next few days that my parents are gone it will be a miracle! I just hope Grams and I get all the medication straight with Grandpa. But I think we can do it!

Because my parents will be gone, Nic and I get the joys of babysitting little Jo Jo…aka Hayden’s best friend! I am telling you…they have been inseparable. He is a Shi-Poo and just the right size for Miss Hayden. It is amazing what that dog can withstand from her. She loves to kiss him…right on the mouth (great). She pulls his tail when he doesn’t go the right way, lays on him (whether he wants her to or not), and drags him by the head. Thanks mom and dad for giving us a playmate for Hayden! She also loves to feed him, piece by piece. I also found out that she shares food with him…his food. That means she feeds him one piece and then she gets the next piece…which explains why she has dog breath. Oh, and don’t forget about the water bowl…without the water because the water is on the floor.

After cleaning all that, I finally say, “let’s go outside in the pool.” And with eyebrows raised and her mouth in an “o” shape, we change into swimsuits and head outside. Thanks to the wonderful water, we didn’t have to worry about getting overheated. We then played in the rocks for a long time, throwing one rock at a time. But hey, she was fascinated by it so I just went along with it. During all of this time, Colt lay in his basinet that we took outside watching his sister. I am telling you, he doesn’t stand a chance with her! Haha!

Hayden is getting to that age where I don’t necessarily HAVE to watch her every move…so I let her roam around the house finding toys I didn’t even know we had, watched the gate fall on her (she was ok, don’t worry), watched her drag the a stool out to the family room from which she would climb and jump off of, watched her drag the rocking horse out the family room from which she would climb and fall off of, and watched her undress herself only to redress in PJ’s, watched her climb the stool to get to the rocking chair and jump up and down and up and down until she fell off, and watched her laugh her head off at Jo Jo licking her.

Somewhere in between all this, she scarffed down dinner and guzzled down a while gallon of milk (not really, but it sure seemed like it!), and got ready for bed. I am pretty sure she wore herself out because she didn’t say a word when I was walking her to bed…I put her in, we prayed, she smiled and clapped after we said Amen, and she was out.

It was now Colt time. We snuggled and stared at each other for about an hour. I listened to his coos and his attempts at talking.

Do I even need to mention that the list I made didn’t get ANYTHING crossed off?? You know what? I don’t even care! To watch my baby girl smile and laugh all day long is all that mattered to me today…not the chores around the house.

Not So Exciting Blog

Well, my parents and sister leave tomorrow to see my brother, sister-in-law, and beautiful niece. It almost feel wrong not all being together for this special event! Oh well…I guess I hope they have a fun time without me! I know they will but still…

Anyways, nothing too exciting has happened the last couple of days but the kids are in bed and Nic is working so I am going to write.

Yesterday was a pretty normal day. It was the first day in a long time that the kids and I just stayed at home. We played outside and completely destroyed the inside of the house once again. We are getting quite good at that. My dad stopped by after a meeting around mid-day and took Hayden with him to mow my grandpa’s yard. What a little blessing! She absolutely loves to ride on the mower thing. It was a nice little break to try and clean the house a little and hold my little boy. By the time they returned, it was time to start making dinner. Can I just say it isn’t very easy to nurse and cook at the same time?! It is especially fun when your 1 ½ year-old is climbing on the bar stool to get to the top of the counter. My mother-in-law came over for dinner and during the entire dinner Hayden was talking in her own language…we were cracking up (SCROLL DOWN TO SEE VIDEO OF HER TALKING)!! I think she was talking about her time with Papi! We then headed to the softball field to watch Nic. Hayden had fun playing in the dirt…she is one girl who is not afraid of getting dirty. And of course we couldn’t leave until she skinned up her knee. I think for the past month she has constantly had scabs on both her knees from running and falling. But…she gets right up and starts running again…silly girl! Nothing keeps her down…except herpangina!

On a TOTAL other note…because this is my blog, I am going to be completely honest and vulnerable. These past couple of weeks have been stressful. Nic is working his you-know-what off every day and almost every night. He has been under a lot of stress with trying to work and trying to help with the children and the house. I know that all of this working is wearing on him and he needs my help.
As you know, I am at home with my babies now. I resigned from teaching at ECA right before I had little Colton. I believed and prayed for that decision. All I ever wanted to do was stay home with my babies and raise them…and I know almost all moms want that. But in today’s economy, it is almost impossible. Of course I would like to go back to teaching when they are old enough to go to school. Nic and I would love it if I could stay home but we are finding that maybe that can’t happen right now. Actually we know it can’t happen right now. This is a partnership and now I need to do my part.

I have been searching around for part-time jobs but haven’t had any luck. I tried looking for tutoring jobs, but still no luck. I tried First Steps, went through all the paper work and trainings and of course, there has been an overabundance with DT’s so I had to remove my name from the system today, which was very hard to do. I have looked at openings at all the school around me but of course no one is hiring. I think I made a mistake by quitting my Pre-K job.

I know God has a plan through this…at least I pray He does. But what is it? It is hard sometimes when you think these wonderful doors open only to be shut. I don’t know what God’s plan is…I don’t know what He wants me to do. I have been on my knees praying for God to guide me and show me what it is He wants for me to do. I don’t want to make the wrong decision thinking it is the right one. So I will continue to pray.

I know most of you that read this could care less about everything I just wrote but please, if you think about, send up a little prayer that God will show me His plan and that He will open the door He wants me to go through.

I AM AN AUNT!

So it is official…I AM AN AUNT!!! Last night (around 9:30) I received a phone call from my mother. She told me that Jamie, my sister-in-law, thought her water broke so they were going to head to the hospital. I was seriously so excited and anxious that I just lay in bed waiting and waiting to hear something. I told Nic it was kind of nice not being the one in labor…hehe! Around 11:30 I received a text from my dad that Jamie would have to have a C-section due to Rori being breeched. Because of the time difference, Rori was actually born July 13, 2010 at 8:55pm Arizona time and is 7 lbs 14 oz and 20 in long!!! She is absolutely perfect and so beautiful!!!

Ok, now, in case you haven’t realized…my brother is now a father…SERIOUSLY?!?! I am so excited for him and Jamie. They are going to be wonderful parents and I can’t wait to meet my precious little niece. I am a little jealous…ok…a lot jealous that my parents and sister get to go visit them this weekend. I wish so bad that we lived closer so our kids could be close!

Adam and Jamie, if you are reading this please know that I will be praying for your sweet little family…that God will guide you and give you wisdom as you raise this precious child. I know I don’t have to tell you that parenting is hard…but it is the most amazing reward. It will bring you tears…both tears of joy and tears of trial. I will pray that you will come together as the wonderful couple I know you are to guide Rori as she grows into a little girl and then a woman. I love all three of you (whoa that is weird to say…the three part, not the I love you part!). Enjoy your time as a family and soak in EVERY SECOND…it flies by fast!!

Now for the rest of our day. We had a very good morning…which was nice considering Hayden has been very challenging the last few mornings. She had her normal yogurt, which she is now wanting to feed herself…quite the little independent child. We were supposed to go to a pool with Brittany, but there was a swim meet so we just stayed home. I took the kids outside and Hayden pointed to the slide and said, “slide”!!!! I was so proud of her! It’s amazing how I get so excited over words!

After we were inside for awhile and Hayden attempted a nap, we had lunch and snuggled on the couch reading books…and throwing them. Then something that I always feared happened…I dropped my poor little boy…that’s right…dropped him right on his face. I thought I was going to throw up right then. He screamed until I picked him up and then just looked at me as if to say, “what the heck did you just do to me?” I checked him all over…no blood, no bruising, and nothing was broken. His pupils were not dialated…I think he will be ok. Of course I called my mom and Nic in tears and in a panic…Mom calmed me down and Nic…well….I think he wanted to kill me! I did not want to take another trip to the hospital. But, all is fine and he is smiling away as we speak. My sister had to call me and text me to calm me down as well and tell me that kids are resilient and it will be ok.

After bouncing back from that incident we cleaned…and what I mean by that is I followed Hayden around as she tore the house up and I cleaned after her. It is amazing the mess she can make in such a short time.

I then took the kids and went to visit little baby Ethan. I finally got to hold him…he is so cuddly and just so precious…good work Kara and Kyle! I have a feeling this will be a whole new ball game when we get our 2 families together…the kids are going to take over!

On our way home I talked to my mom on the phone and she told me that Grandpa got to come home today!!!! So, we ventured over to their house where we enjoyed visiting with grandma, grandpa, mom, Sarah, and Nic. I am telling you, Grandpa looks fantastic! He was looking quite handsome as always!

All-in-all it was a splendid day…except the whole dropping my child on his face thing.

Prayer Request

Today has been quite an emotional day. I woke up today wondering what we, as a family, were going to do. I knew Nic had a funeral to go to, SE he was going to work, and he had a meeting at some point. I thought maybe I would take the babies on a walk, go for a swim in our new little pool, play outside, and snuggle before nap time. I started thinking about what I would cook for dinner...if I needed to lay out meat, run to the store for ingredients, and so on. Hayden had slept in until 9:45, which was a total blessing. When she got up, we started our morning like we do every morning, getting Hayden milk, changing diapers, and getting dressed for the day. Nic got ready for the funeral and headed out the door. SO...I started to walk to our room to get Bubby and maybe fold some laundry (ok...a lot of laundry).
Little did I know that the day would make a turn in a blink of an eye.
I got a phone call from my mom. She told me that my grandpa (her dad) called her that morning and told her he thought this was it...that he felt like he was dying. He said he had a bad spell Friday and another one last night. He wanted to call her to tell her how much he loved her and how he felt like God was calling him home. Could you imagine getting a call like that from your father? The man that has raised you and loved you all your life? The man that has taught you so much and would do anything for you? I can't even fathom what my mom felt in those couple of minutes of the phone call.
So, my mom headed over to his house to check on him and just visit with him. My grandma was at work, luckily with my dad and sister Sarah. As she arrived to her house, she sat at the kitchen table and he sat on the couch after getting ready. As they were talking, my mom looked at my grandpa and he was slumped over, shaking, and his eyes were rolling back. Panicked, my mom tried calling me, Nic, dad, and 911. She later told me she could barely dial any of the numbers and all she could do was yell at my grandpa to not do this to her. By the time the ambulance came, he had come to but didn't remember a thing.
As this was happening, Nic had left the funeral to come home. We packed the kids up and headed to my grandparents to pick up my mom and go to St. Joe hospital. As we arrived, my sister, Tim, and my grandma were in the waiting room. One look at my grandma and I knew she was falling apart. She immediatly went to my mom and they wrapped their arms around each other. As I watched them, I knew that I needed to be strong for not only them, but for my sister as well. Not long after we got there, dad came out and had my mom and grandma go to where my grandpa was. While they were back there, grandpa's heart stopped...which they call "a very long pause". They determined that he had a heart attack earlier (which probably happened Friday). When my mom and dad returned to waiting room, dad told me I needed to go back and be with grandma and grandpa so mom could make some calls.
I didn't know what to say when I went to the small little room. What comforting words do you say in moments like these? I gave my grandpa a kiss on the forehead and just stood by grandma, rubbing her back. It was hard to look at grandpa and see all these tubes coming out of him and him just laying there. So I just prayed. I prayed that God would give the doctor's wisdom, that he would heal grandpa. I prayed that He would give me the words to say. While I was in the room, grandpa was acting like his old self. He is not a man of many words, but when he does talk, he brings a smile on my face and makes me laugh.
I know that people go through things like this all the time. I know people get old and it's just a part of life. I know people die every day. I know that he is still alive and that things are ok for the time being. I know that it could have been more serious. I also know that this could have ended in a very different way. But he is my grandpa, my mom's dad, my children's great-grandpa. If you know anything about me, you know that family means everything to me. I know that a lot of people aren't too close to their grandparents, but I am very close to my grandparents. If my mom wasn't with my grandpa today, he could possible not be with us.
Here is where we at now. They put a stint in his artery. 2 arteries are 100% closed and another that was 90%, which they opened up. They will put in a pacemaker tomorrow morning around 7:30 am.
So this I ask from you, please pray that God's will be done throughout this whole process. I know that my grandpa has asked Jesus to be his Savior and he will be going to heaven, but I hope that is not right now. I want and need more time with him. Please pray for wisdom on the doctor's part and that He will guide the doctor's hands in surgery. Please pray for strength for my grandma and mom.

Movies, Shopping, Eating...Rough Life!

What a day! Can I just say some mom/sister time is just what I needed? My dad must have been feeling brave because he offered to watch little Colt and Hayden while my mom, sisters, and I shopped around town. Thank you, dad, for allowing me to have this time and for taking such great care of your grandkids. They love you, that’s for sure! You and gammy are so special to them! So, like I said, us girls went out for some shopping. Nothing in particular, but mostly just to walk around and get out of the house. But we were successful and had quite the afternoon with lots of laughs and fun…Thanks mom!!!! You know what I’m talking about! I am telling you, I can’t get enough of my family! Mom and dad thought that since I was married and graduated from college that they were rid of me…not so much!! I just keep coming back! Oh but wait, the fun is not over. Since Kris was home for part of the weekend, dad treated us to a nice dinner at Carrabbas. However, because of my sweet little Hayden (that was sarcastic for this sentence) I had to take the kids home early. That’s what not a lot of sleep does for a 1 ½ year old. Oh well…it was still a great dinner.

Now, guess what I saw AGAIN last night? That’s right…ECLIPSE! I know, I know, I am a little obsessive over the whole thing, but that’s ok. My dad hadn’t seen it yet so Kris and I thought we needed to take him (actually he took us!). Tara and Kelsey went as well…it was a dandy old time! This was after eating dinner with my best friends at my favorite restaurant…HACIENDA! Steve and I thought Tara needed some spicy food to help start some labor…but it wasn’t spicy enough and we were unsuccessful...BOOO!! Oh well…we will keep trying.

So there you go. My weekend so far backwards…ha! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Zac Brown Band Concert

Did you know that even when you go to bed REALLY late that your kids STILL wake up at the same time because they go to bed on time??? Yeah…not so fun! But the part leading up to going to bed really late was a total blast!! One of the guys that Nic works with, his wife, Nic and I got to go to the Zac Brown Band concert last night. Sarah (the wife) had a great idea to get tickets and give them to the guys for their father’s day present. Needless to say both the boys were excited! So, late afternoon we ventured out to Fort Wayne. I wasn’t sure what to expect since it was an outside concert. I had been to many concerts before but they were all inside and soooo loud and I could hardly see who was singing. Ohhhh but not the case with this concert! It was at Parkview Field (I think), which is a baseball stadium. You could sit wherever you wanted and were free to walk around. Let me tell you…it was AMAZING!! I absolutely loved the way it was so laid back and it was beautiful outside…but hot. We had many laughs as we looked around seeing everyone’s shirts and pants soaked with sweat! And yes, ours was too! Anyways…the concert was one of the best that I have been too and we had lots of fun! I loved and laughed a little as I listened to Nic sing along! He was lovin’ it!!!! We couldn’t have had such a great night if it weren’t for my mom. She was such a trooper and said she would watch BOTH of the kiddies. I know she has raised 4 children herself but I was still worried that my kids were going to be a handful. She was brave and even took them to a baby shower! Way to go mom! I can’t tell you how much I appreciated her willingness to watch Hayden and Colt until the wee hours of the morning! THANK YOU MOM!!!!

Then of course sleep was short for both Nic and I. He had to work at 6:00 am and for me…both the kids were up bright and early. But I didn’t mind when I saw both of their smiles! Since it was raining, we all stayed in our PJ’s and just had a very relaxing morning. We even watched a movie and snuggled on the couch…boy do I love my babies. Hayden is totally over her herpangina and is just a totally different little girl. She is back to being herself…making faces and running through the house laughing like crazy. All in all it was a great day to spend inside.

NOW…GUESS WHAT?!?! Remember in my last blog how I said babies were going to be born soon?? Well…Kara had a little BOY!!!! Ethan Sears. I am so ecstatic for them! Now Payton has a baby brother! He is 9 lbs and 2 oz and 21 in long. He is so precious and handsome. CONGRATULATIONS KARA AND KYLE!!