The Gregory Family

Yes, I'm alive

2011-04-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive I've just been a complete blog loser again! I've been so busy that when I have time to sit down at night I don't want to look at a computer and wait for pictures to upload and think of something at least semi-intelligent to write! Ha! I don't have any pictures with this post but I will try to update those later. We are taking TCAPs this week at school-Aggh! All the ones I'm giving are read-aloud~there's lots of reading involved in these things!

For my own future memories:

Ethan got hurt last weekend- Logan threw a three-prong hand rake in the pool and Ethan jumped in after a shoe Logan had thrown in and jumped right on the hand rake. We spent three hours at the ER. Fortunately it wasn't broken and because it was a puncture wound, it didn't require stitches. He's been on crutches for 4 days now and hopefully its his last day! He's tired of them!

Austin had his Kindergarten physical. He is off the charts for height and weight! He doesn't seem that big compared to Ethan (who is also abnormally large) but compared to kids his age, he is pretty dang tall!

Logan is still stubborn as a mule. He still likes to say, "I'm mad!" and cross his arms. He's been very snuggly lately (which I love!). But I think it's because he's been feeling yucky from allergies.

Speaking of mules: we experienced our first Mule Day here! It was fun-don't think I'll bother paying to do to the park again but we'll probably do the parade again. Although after about an hour of mules, horses and wagons, the boys were ready to go. Ha! The weather was beautiful though and I enjoyed getting to spend that time with my boys. We have less than 30 days of school until summer vacation! I can't wait!

Bye-just for now!

Amanda

So much since Christmas!

2011-01-20T19:22:00.001-08:00

We have been so busy since the Christmas holidays I just haven't had, okay made, the time to blog!
Long story short, since December:

I've graduated with my Masters in Education
We had a wonderful Christmas-our first Christmas we haven't had to travel and it was SO nice!
Brian and I got to go out on a date for New Years. Okay, so we were home by 9:30 like some old married couple but it was great to get out together, eat dinner and watch a movie.
I started by second semester of teaching. It still has it's daily challenges, especially in the Alternative School setting, but I'm learning more and more every day.
We've had lots and lots of snow. We've now used up all of our snow days!
Ethan is doing wonderful in 1st grade. He's being tested for the gifted program!
Austin is growing by leaps and bounds! In August he was the same height as one of his friends at school and now he's at least 4-5 inches taller than him! I can't believe he'll be 5 in two months!
Logan is talking more and more. "Mama" is his most favorite word. He literally says it 592 times a day! He's also got quite the personality. He is one funny kid! His current favorite thing to do is strip off all his clothes. AAAH! He then refuses to put them back on. He's no where near ready for potty training-he'll sit on the potty but never does anything on it. And we have carpet in most of our house so bare bottoms aren't a good idea. I also can't believe he'll be 2 in just a few weeks!
Brian and I continue to love being at Eastside. We are looking forward to many, many years here!
My best friend, Amanda, had a precious little boy, R. J., after several years of infertility. He is a doll and she is a great mom!
I've started the Couch to 5K running program. I'm currently on week 3 of 9 weeks. My plan is to run the Mule Day 5K in April.

That about sums it up for now. I've not been very good at taking pictures lately. We HAVE to go get a new family picture done soon-we've not had one done since Logan was 3 months old.

Christmas Picture Attempts

2010-12-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of the boys in quite some time so I decided I'd try to take some cute Christmas shots! HA! With three boys-really?! What was I thinking?

As you can see from my header, I did get one pretty cute one! If nothing else, we got to act silly and have a little fun while we did it.

Cheeseballs!

We had to take a little break to scream and yell!

Then, of course, we had to touch our noses with our tongue! Ethan's pretty good at it!

Austin tried but wasn't quite there!

Logan even tried too! But he got it a little backwards!
I am really looking forward to Christmas (okay, mostly just Christmas break) Ha! Hope everyone else is too!

Friends, A Wedding and Fun

2010-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Things continue to be as busy as ever around here! October ended with a couple Halloween/Fall parties and November swooped in with Ladies Day at Eastside, a visit from a dear friend and a wedding. I'm sure November still has lots in store - it ain't over yet! Ha! Especially with Thanksgiving and my graduation from Graduate school just around the bend.

Logan is now 21 months old. I can't believe he's going to be 2 soon! He is saying a few more words but still won't say "mama." (even though mama was his first word!) I tried and tried tonight but he'd just point to Brian and say "daddy." Stinker!! I asked him to say "nana" and "papa" and he shook his head and said "uh-uh." What a rotten little thing! Such a sweetie though!

My friend, Shelley, came for a visit two weeks ago. It's been just over a year since I've seen her and her kiddos. We had a nice visit and the kids had a a great time playing together. We're hoping Shelley and Britt will get to move back to the area once Britt is done with his fellowship!

This past weekend I got to enjoy some kid-free time and go to my cousins wedding. I had a great time, stayed up WAY too late but really enjoyed it. I think I'm paying for it now though because I've got a cold! My poor body just can't handle so little sleep anymore!

Deer season opens up here this Saturday so I'll be a hunting widow. But Brian and Ethan will get to enjoy Saturday morning together and hopefully I'll be able to post a picture of them with a deer soon! Eventually all the boys can go with Brian and I'll be able to have more kid-free days!

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Shelley, Little Miss "T" and Me

My mom, me and my aunt, Amy at Houston & Brittany's wedding

The Bride & Groom

Brittany & Houston
Wish I had time to write more and post more pictures but this cold has worn me down so I'm headed to bed!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

The boys, my dad (a.k.a. Papa), and I got the opportunity to go to the Gentry's Farm today to visit their pumpkin patch. It was all planned by Ms. Tammy (Austin & Logan's teacher) and two other childcare providers in Maury County.
We had a great time! It was a bit warm, especially since it's only been in the low 70's lately and today it was in the 80's!
My dad was such a trooper too! He's not had a lot of time around the boys since, until recently, we haven't lived close to them. He just threw himself right into it! The boys loved having their papa around, especially Austin-who talked his ear off!. I'm pretty sure he heard "Papa" said at least 497 times too! Ha!
Here are ~~a few~~ okay several pictures from our day.

My dad and the boys

Logan crawling through the hay maze tunnel

He was in love with these tractors! He tried out at least 4 of them (they were all the exact same!) I think I know of something he'll be getting for Christmas!

My silly Austin!

I don't know if I'll ever get a good picture of the three of these boys together!!

Logan was such a big boy and being a very good listener!

My handsome Ethan!

An attempt at a picture of me and the boys-it obviously didn't go too well!

Logan found his pumpkin!
Happy Fall!

Show Us Where You Live-Dining Rooms

2010-10-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Kelly's Korner Show Us Where You Live again this week. This week is dining rooms.
Let me just tell you, I love our new home but I HATED the dining room when we bought it! It was not the reason I fell in love with the house!

I started removing wallpaper at the beginning of August. It took me two days straight! (Even without the kids home!) I used the Wallwik system-it worked great for me but it's very messy (lots of water!).

This is what I was dealing with when I started out! AHHH!

This picture was taken while the previous owners lived here.

These pictures are not the best because I took them with my IPhone
AFTER:
I love it SO much more now! Our kitchen is a gray/brown color and this paint has just enough gray undertones that they blend together well. I still haven't gotten rid of the brass light fixture but, in time, I will!

The other side of the dining room. I have since taken the roman shade off the window. I eventually want to get drapes and a rug to go under the table but again, in time, I will!

That's all that is in our dining rooms for now. It still needs lots of accessories and a buffet of some sort but it's a work in progress. It is already a huge improvement over what it was!

Thanks for stopping by!

Show Us Your Life- Master Bedrooms

2010-09-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in again on Kelly's Show Us Your Life again. I did this last year when she did rooms through the house and really enjoyed it. I guess I'm a little nosy too and like seeing the inside of other peoples houses also! Ha!
Here is my post from last time we did Master bedrooms. It was in our house in KY.
This is in our new house in Tennessee.

The view into our room from the bedroom door. I am wanting a new comforter & pillows but haven't found one that I love that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!

Our bed frame and long dresser were hand-me-downs from my sister in law. The cedar chest at the foot of the bed was given to me by my dad for my high school graduation.

The left side of the room. I want a big mirror or picture to go over the long dresser.

The standing jewelry box was a Christmas present from my hubby last year- I love it!
Looking out into the hallway.

Thanks for visiting! Can't wait to see everyone's Master bedrooms!

Whew!

2010-09-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last time I posted, we were in KY but now we are in TN! We've hit the ground running since we've been in TN! We moved almost 9 weeks ago and three weeks after moving, Ethan started first-grade, Austin and Logan started going to a childcare provider, and I started teaching full-time (on top of trying to finish graduate school-just one more class left!).
Now you can understand why it's been so long since I've done any blogging!
Below are a few pictures of the past few weeks:
Our new house-we LOVE it!

Logan's room-I haven't managed to snap a picture of Ethan and Austin's room while they're clean! Ha!

The dining room-All painted and pretty. Boy, it was straight out of the 80's before with mauve wallpaper and a matching balloon valance. Eek!

My kitchen-which I love! It has more cabinet and counter space than any other house we've ever lived in.

The other side of the kitchen-pantry on left and laundry room on right, door to back porch.

Part of our backyard. We love the pool. Brian refers to it as "his best friend" because he spends so much time with it. Ha! It's a sports pool so it's only 4 feet from end to end. It's really nice with the boys-Ethan can touch, Austin won't go in without his life jacket and Logan's not real interested in it yet.
This picture is from Labor Day weekend when my sister-in-law and her family came over.

Logan is quite the ladies man since we've been here. There are lots of teenage girls who LOVE him and he just eats up the attention!

All my boys- it was a BIG challenge to get all of them to look at me for this picture!
I'm hoping we can get a new family picture sometime soon. We haven't had one made in a while!

Also, my friend, Charlotte, over at The Logbook, awarded me with The Sunshine Award. I really appreciate Charlotte giving me this award! It was very kind of her to think of me! It's been quite a while since Charlotte and I have seen each other but, once upon a time (way back in middle school), we were inseparable. I love being able to keep up with her now through Facebook and her blog.
The Sunshine Award is for those blogs out there that add a little sunshine to your day, so I'm supposed to do three things upon receiving this award:

1) tell you 10 things about myself
2) spread the Sunshine to 10 other blogs
3) let you know you've been awarded!
For now , I'm just going to tell you 10 things about me. I'll have to find a little more time to give the Sunshine Award to others later.
Let's start with 10 Things About Me:

1) I'm 29 and holding, baby (Just like you, Charlotte). Next year will be the first anniversary of my 29th birthday!
2) I will have a Master's in Education in December, with a concentration in Expectional Education for Learning and Behavior Disorders.
3) I have been working on my Masters for 2 years. During this time I gave birth to my youngest son and became a mother to three boys!

4) I teach special education at an Alternative School-yes, the school were they send all the "bad kids."

5)I used to cook two to three meals a day but now that I'm teaching full-time, I feel like I never cook and it's more of a chore now.
6) Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday-it can't be commercialized, you're going to eat anyway!
7) I love Mexican food!
8) I love my IPhone!

9) I've been married for just over 8 years.

10) I love my three boys DEARLY but still wish I had a little girl too :o)

I hope I can start blogging a bit more, especially now that we're starting to get settled into a schedule a bit more.

Love to all,

2010-05-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

I am such a blog loser! I was doing so well for a while but fell off track. Well, now I'm trying to get back on but I can't promise anything!!
My last post was just after Austin's 4th birthday. . . way back in March. Is it really May already? Hard to believe!

Gregory happenings since March:

Easter:
We spent Easter with my family at my Granny's house. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed time with my parents and aunts, uncles and cousins.

Cousins waiting ever so patiently to hunt eggs. I remember doing the same thing in the same room when I was little! It's amazing to me that my kids are now enjoying the things I enjoyed as a child.

Hunting eggs with Daddy

Logan playing at Granny's
My sweet boys on Easter morning

Austin swinging on the rope swing

Ethan got his first black eye. Surprisingly, it wasn't Austin who gave it to him either. He and a little girl in his class collided on the playground at school. Her head hit his eye! It was pretty black/blue/purple/green for a couple days. And Ethan lost his first tooth!

Logan just seems to get cuter and cuter (just like his big brothers!)

We took the boys to the local science museum in Owensboro.

Ethan celebrated the Kentucky Derby at school

He had to have a "Derby Hat" so we came up with this!

I finished up this semester of Graduate school! WaHoo! and turned 29 on Mother's Day!

Logan turned 15 months old yesterday!
And our biggest news: No, I'm NOT pregnant! We are moving back to TN!

Brian has accepted the position of pulpit minister at the Eastside church of Christ in Columbia, TN. We will be moving the week of July 11th-yes, that's only 8 weeks away. We will miss everyone here at Lone Star SO much but had to do what is best for our family. And being close to our family is what's best. We will be about 20 miles from my parents and 70 miles from Brian's parents. More info to come on the move. . .

Happy Birthday Austin!

2010-03-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

My sweet Austin- my poor middle child :o)- turned four years old today!

We celebrated with a Lightning McQueen party because the boy is CRAZY about Lightning Mcqueen!

Here was my precious little guy four years ago today!

Shortly after Austin was born. We were getting to know each other!

The first time Ethan got to meet his baby brother

Going home

He wore the same outfit me, my sister, my two brothers and Ethan wore home from the hospital. Logan also wore it home last year too!
Austin's birth announcement picture

And here is was today:

Painting his racecar

Austin and his Lightning McQueen cake

Mommy, Daddy & the birthday boy

Happy 4th Birthday Austin! You are an amazing little boy! We love you so much!

A Heavy Heart

2010-03-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

I had a heavy heart all weekend and it has carried into today. My cousins, Matt & Jennifer, lost their little girl, Hayden Elizabeth, just a few short hours after her birth on Friday, March 12th.
I have read so many blogs of families dealing with similar issues but it hasn't hit so close to home before, and I pray it doesn't ever again.
Please pray for Matt & Jennifer and their other two children and the grandparents, great-
grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Today is going to be a hard day for us all but the Lord can help us through it!

What a Beautiful Day

2010-03-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! I spent the morning getting bloodwork done and going to a doctor's appointment but then enjoyed a sushi lunch and some shopping time with my grandmother and my aunt, Susan. When I got home in the afternoon, Brian and I took the boys to a park that's just down the road. It's a really nice, newer park and we were the only ones there so it was quite pleasant. And the perfect opportunity for me to take some pictures of my sweet boys!

That's one handsome kid!

Austin still had some bed head from his nap :o) Oh well!

Logan stood here for a while fussy at me about something! ha ha!

Look at those eyelashes~ they don't get them from me!

He is so photogenic! and such a cutie!

He thought he was such a big boy with this big stick!
Hope you all got the chance to enjoy some beautiful weather too! Looking forward to lots more!

If you have time, leave a comment to let me know you stopped by~Thanks!

Firsts

2010-02-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

I've been through so many "firsts" with my babies! Logan has put me through many "firsts" that I hope are "onlys": only baby of mine to be in the NICU, only baby to have his pinky cut off in a door, only baby to have 8 teeth before a year old (you understand why I want it to be an only if you've ever breastfed a one-year-old with 8 teeth!) Ha Ha!
I enjoy the many "firsts" I've experienced with all of them though: First cry, first time to roll over, first time to crawl, first steps, first birthday and first haircuts!
Tonight we got to experience Logan's first haircut! He did so well for me (yes, I cut all my boys hair! It saves LOTS of $$) I've been cutting Brian's since 2005 and have just done each of the boys since they came along too. I didn't do Ethan and Austin's first haircuts but I've learned to feel pretty comfortable with scissors and a moving head!

BEFORE:

BEFORE: back view

DURING:

AFTER:

He looks like such a little boy now!
AFTER: back view

I'm so thankful for all the "firsts" and even the "onlys" I've been through with my sweet Logan along the way! I wouldn't be the same without them!

Boys!

2010-02-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

The day began like any other "normal" day, except Ethan had an eye doctor appointment. The appt. went really well~no glasses needed and no other eye issues! Before I got home, Brian warned me that Logan had a fever and was incredibly fussy. Oh joy! When I arrived home, YES, he was cranky and remained that way all day. Finally, after lunch, I got Logan and Austin down for their naps! Woohoo! I had just sat down in a chair with my laptop in hand to start on schoolwork that was due tonight and then. . . the phone rings. Not too interesting any other time but today was no ordinary day! It was the school nurse, calling to tell me that Ethan's eyes were red and draining green mucus (sorry, TMI) I called the doctor's office and they suggested I go pick him up sooo I did. And his eyes were awful looking! I called the doctor, again, and they said to bring him on in. Sooo, I did. Turns out he probably had a mild bacterial infection before the eye exam and the exam caused it to flare up. Now he's on antibiotic eye drops 4 times a day for a week. He's also been running a fever off and on and his lymph nodes in his neck are swollen. I'm pretty sure that he has a sinus infection but we are headed to the doctor in the morning to get him checked out. I did FINALLY get my school work done and am enjoying some quiet time!

I found this poem today & just had to share it! It completely describes my life

(and probably the life of every other mom with a house full of boys!)

So, since today has been such a crazy dayI thought I needed to end it on a lighter note!

Boys in my House
Author: Erin Jo Kilmer
There are boys in my house - and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, and Travis, and Muck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud - oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise -
There's love in my house shaped like two (in my case, three) little boys.

Such a Bad Mommy

2010-02-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

My baby turns one I'm just now blogging about it! How pitiful am I?! We've just been so busy that I haven't had time to sit down and collect my thoughts. We celebrated Logan's 1st birthday last Saturday with a party at our house. His actual birthday was the 10th.

*Notice-his hand is bandage free! He went back to the hand specialist on Friday and everything is looking great! We go back in three more weeks then six months after that. Just so they can make sure his nail grows back properly, etc. It looks so good though!

The theme was Cookie Monster. I found some great party banners on ETSY and found most of my other ideas from the internet too.

The cookie/cupcake buffet and a slideshow

plus Ethan's artwork

C is for Cupcakes!!

Logan's Smash Cake

I had a great time planning the party and also had a great time at the party! We had some family come in from out-of-town and some friends and family, from not so far away, join us too.
I think Logan had a great time too! He really enjoyed the cake and all the extra attention

(as if he doesn't already get lots anyway!)

Could he look any happier?! What's better than a cake-covered face?!

He was pretty full by this point!

Mommy & Daddy with the birthday boy

Ready for a birthday bath!

All cleaned up and opening gifts. $= the important stuff :o)

I've been thinking over the past week about how blessed we have been by Logan. Not that we haven't been equally blessed by Ethan and Austin too but Logan's birth was so different. His birth taught me to appreciate my babies more, especially while they are babies! It's still amazing to me that just a year ago he was so sick, to the point we could have easily lost him, and now he's a healthy, walking, babbling, one-year-old! God is good!

Feel free to leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!

Thanks for visiting my little blog!

Simple Pleasures

2010-02-03T06:47:00.001-08:00

Last night, over at Kelly's Korner, she made a post about Simple Pleasures. This got me to thinking~what are the simple pleasures I enjoy and sometimes take for granted?!

Here's my list, in no particular order:

Clean sheets~the first nights sleep after putting clean sheets on my bed is always the best.

Listening to Logan laugh and talk to himself while he's laying in his bed in the morning~it's the sweetest sound.
Ethan and Austin playing together nicely~even if it's only for a minute or two.

Having a sleepy little boy climb up into my lap to snuggle~this doesn't happen very often anymore.

When nursing Logan, he stops, looks up at me and smiles & giggles! It's priceless!

Getting to drive somewhere by myself and listen to songs I want to listen to, as loud as I want them!

Vaccum lines in the carpet

Hearing my children pray. It's always extra nice when they say, "Thank you God for Mommy."

Beautiful pictures of my family taken by my friend, Denise. All photos done by Skelton Photography

Much better week than last!

2010-01-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

This week has been so much better than last week! *Not wanting to jinx myself though, this week isn't over yet*

Logan has gotten a good report from his pediatrician. He's no longer concerned about the cut not healing or any infection setting in. If it were going to do that, it would have done it by now.

Here's my little guy with his hand all wrapped up still. It will have to stay

this way at least until we see the hand surgeon on Feb. 5th.

He was working so hard to get this container open.

Bless his little heart! Some things are just hard/impossible to do with one hand!
He had adapted amazingly well to only having one usable hand. I think this may push him more toward being left-handed. That's okay though because Brian is left-handed.
We are looking forward to having some snow starting sometime tomorrow! Right now the weather stations vary between us getting 3-5 inches or 6-8 inches. I'll take whatever we can get! The boys love the snow! And my kitchen is stocked with plenty groceries!

It Might Be a Crazy Life. . .

2010-01-24T19:22:00.001-08:00

Okay, there's no 'might' about it, it is a crazy life at our house! With 3 boys there really is never a dull moment. Not even when they sleep because Austin often wakes up with night terrors when he has to go potty!
Last week was the final week of my three-week, winter session course. Therefore I had LOTS to do to finish up. However, on Wednesday, while working on school work, Austin decided he would get a jaw breaker. Now, he doesn't usually pick jaw breakers from the candy basket. He usually likes chewy stuff. But he picked a jaw breaker and came into our office and was talking to me while I worked on school work. Suddenly, he got choked and couldn't breath! I immediately got up and did the Heimlich maneuver and got the jaw breaker dislodged from his throat then carried him to the bathroom where he got it out the rest of the way.
As if that weren't enough to make the day stressful, just 1 1/2 hours later, Logan was playing in the doorway to Austin's room and Austin wanted to close his door to keep Logan out. As he closed the door, we heard an awful shrill from Logan. Upon further, very quick inspection, we found that the tip of Logan's pinky was partially amputated!! We rushed to the ER, which is at least 15-20 minutes away, where they later sent us to Kosairs Children's Hospital in Louisville (1 1/2 hours away from home). We were in the ER there until 11:30 pm EST, when they decided to keep Logan overnight and do surgery first thing Thursday morning. Brian took Ethan & Austin home and I stayed with Logan.
They started surgery around 8:00 am EST on Thursday. The hand surgeon said everything came together well and he should have full function again and a normal nail in about 9 months (3 nail growth periods). We finally got home around 2:30 on Thursday afternoon! Whew!
I did manage to finish my school work too. Luckily I had until midnight on Friday night!
As a friend of ours said in a card, "Sometimes life just sucks!" This past week was one of those times!

On a good note. . .
Last weekend, our friends, Denise & Wesley Skelton, came to visit us on their way home from visiting friends in Louisville. Denise is a photographer- an awesome photographer!
She did some Lifestyle pictures for us while she was here.
Here is the link to her blog with our pictures and the slideshow she put together for us.
I love the pictures!!

I also have a special prayer request that is weighing heavy on my heart. My cousins, Matt & Jennifer Keller, are expecting their 3rd baby soon (she's 32 weeks) however the baby only has one functioning kidney and has had little to no amniotic fluid during the pregnancy. She is being transferred to Cincinnati for the duration of her pregnancy and they will take the baby if she shows any signs of distress. The baby will immediately go on ECMO (life support) after she is born because her lungs are no where near developed enough. Please pray for their family during this very difficult time. They also have 2 other children (3 & 1). They have a very long, difficult road ahead of them!
After Logan was born, he almost had to go on ECMO, so I know some of what lies ahead for them! My heart just hurts for them but I know, with lots of prayer, their precious baby girl will make it through!
Hope you all have a great week ahead! I just hope ours is accident free!

2010

2010-01-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've put it off for long enough! Every day since Christmas I have thought, "I need to make a post on my blog." But I just haven't found the time or the words I wanted to put into it. So finally, today is the day! I just decided to sit down and do it.
Boy, I've made it sound like blogging is such a chore but it's not. Really, I do enjoy it but I can never decide exactly what I want to blog about or what pictures to post, etc. I've really got to stop overthinking it so much!
So, to recap the past month I've been away from blogging. . .
We had a wonderful Christmas! We were very blessed with lots of time with family and gifts. I won't go into all the details (we had four Christmases all together) but here are a few pictures to recap our holiday.

Christmas Eve @ my grandmother's house

Austin-Christmas morning

I had to get a picture of them actually getting along and playing something together!

Logan wasn't so sure about everything that was going on!

But he got more into it later!

Ethan was very excited about his new Clone Trooper Gun!

Logan's First Christmas

New Year's Eve/Day was nice! Brian and I got the opportunity to go out on a date. Something that doesn't happen very often, at all! (Our last one was almost 2 years ago) We went to a Japanese restaurant (so did everyone else b/c it was WAY crowded) but had a nice dinner (~~without any children~~ without our own children-everyone in the restaurant seemed to have their children with them) then we stopped by a get-together a couple from church was having. We were home by around 9:00 and in bed, asleep by 10:30. Gosh, we sound like an old married couple!
On New Year's Day, we started out the morning with breakfast at the Rough River State Resort Park Lodge. This is a tradition held by several local Falls of Roughians. The Lodge has a really good breakfast buffet and it's so wonderful to get together with other locals/church members and enjoy the start of a New Year!
Now, with the start of the New Year, I've started back classes to finish my Master's. The class I am currently taking is a 3-week course-it's intense but once I'm done I'll have 3 more hours out of the way. After this course, I have 2 in the spring, 1 in the summer and will have to start teaching to complete my last course in August. When I think about it in those terms, I realize how close I am to being done and how worthwhile it will be when I'm finished!

Ethan has started the second semester of his Kindergarten year. He still loves school (although he won't admit it) and is doing exceptionally well!

We are hoping for snow tomorrow! It will be Logan's first snow so I can't wait to see what he thinks of it (and take lots of pictures). Also coming up is the planning of Logan's first birthday. I've picked out a theme and am working on finding/coming up with some fun ideas for it! I can't wait for it but I'm dreading it all in the same moment. Hard to believe almost a year ago he was struggling to live and now is a busy, moving (alot) little boy! But more on that later!

Hope everyone continues to have a wonderful 2010!

Smile!

2009-12-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

Such a simple thing to do: Smile!

Not hard for one person to do for a picture but getting three boys to do it all at the same time is nearly impossible.

First, it was trying to convince Austin to even be in the pictures. Then there was bribery used to try to get Austin to smile. Then there were tears from Austin because he didn't want to smile. During all this, Logan kept crawling to me to grab the camera and Ethan was trying to get everyone to cooperate but was just adding to the noise and chaos.

Then trying to get everyone to look at me!

I'm sure I will one day think back to these memories and look back on these pictures and not remember any of this craziness or laugh at it.
Here is the best one out of the bunch:

Or maybe I'll just use this instead! I'm sure they'll be completely embarrassed by it one day!

Happy Holidays!

Fall Days

2009-11-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love those cool, crisp, sunny fall days?! We do!

We took advantage of one of those days recently and went to a nearby playground. It's a new one we hadn't been to yet and it was wonderful!
It's located at The Green Farm.

Brian and Logan

Logan enjoyed trying to eat the leaves!

One little monkey

A Birthday, A Wedding and A Chili Cook-Off

2009-10-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Last week was full of events (as you can tell by the title). Mid-week we celebrated Ethan's 6th birthday. It's hard to believe my oldest baby is 6! I just can't be old enough to have a 6-year-old, can I?! He is such a great kid too. He's funny, very smart, and as handsome as can be. We'll leave out the couple not-so-good traits he has because we all have our downfalls, right? He is Star Wars crazy. I would say just for right now-you know how kids go through their phases of cartoons and characters but I have a feeling this will be a life-long love. Brian really loves Star Wars too and is definitely handing down that torch to our boys. (Okay, I admit, I'm a Star Wars fan too. I've seen every movie at least a handful of times! And when Brian and I got married we left the ceremony to the theme song of Star Wars!)

Saturday, we also had a really busy day. The morning started with a trip to Walmart-never a good idea on a Saturday- then making chili and getting ready for a small wedding at our church. Then back home to feed Logan, get him down for a nap, then back next door to get everything ready for the chili cook-off. We had a good turn out of about 40 people and 10 chili entries. And guess what!?! I WON! No, it wasn't rigged! We had three judges and the scores were added multiple times. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because my camera batteries were dead from the wedding but I got a trophy and everything! WooHoo!!
All and all, we had a great weekend!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!
(And a great week, now that it's taken me almost all week to get this posted ;o)

Parade and the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the Caneyville parade was last Friday. The weather that morning started out rainy and nasty but cleared out through the morning and turned out quite nice. The boys (including Brian) enjoyed it because everyone in the parade throws out candy, and we always leave with a huge bag full of candy!
The Kindergarten class had a Johnny Appleseed float but Ethan didn't ride because he had been sick at the beginning of the week and just in case he was still contagious, we didn't want anyone else to get sick!
Here are a few pictures from the parade!

Logan and Me~it was really windy out so I was trying to keep his head covered and warm!

Austin ready to catch some candy!

Ethan still wasn't feeling too great!

We also made quick trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Monday. Our weekends are so full that I knew there just wouldn't be a chance to go any other time so since Ethan is out on Fall Break we took advantage of it.
We had a great time! There was no crowd to deal with and the weather was beautiful!

He had no interest in looking at me so I could get a good picture!

Okay, finally he looked!

All my boys!

Ethan and Austin really enjoyed this hay pyramid

Such a cutie!

Busy Busy!

2009-09-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

We've had lots of goings on around here lately!

I had my first Pampered Chef party as a consultant. It went pretty well! I was quite nervous about it because I didn't want to screw anything up or say anything wrong but, of course things, did go wrong but I think I handled them pretty well and didn't panic too bad. One of the major things that happened was that the Chewy Nutty Caramel Brownies I made burnt to a black mess! They weren't even in the oven the full amount of time but I think the thermostat was going out on the oven. Fortunately the host, Melinda, had another box of brownies and I hadn't used all the ingredients on the first batch so I quickly mixed them up and we watched them VERY carefully. They ended up only taking 10 minutes versus the 20-22 minutes they were supposed to take but were very good! I will definitely always remember that party!

I also had my 10 year class reunion this past weekend. It was great seeing people who I hadn't seen in 10 years! It was a quick trip down to Tennessee and back because Brian had to be back here to preach on Sunday morning but the boys enjoyed spending time with their nana and uncles (papa was out of town) and Brian and I enjoyed a few hours out without the kids!

Brian and I before leaving for the reunion

My friend, Tiffany, and I. We had lost touch over the past few years so it was great to catch up with one another again. Hopefully we'll both try harder to keep in touch with one another!

And lastly, here is one of my new favorite pictures! My with all of my little boys. I know they won't be little forever and one day I will miss all the chaos: crying, yelling, fighting over toys, taking care of sick babies, having an extra little body in my bed during the middle of the night, tripping over toys, getting fussed at for moving blankets and destroying their tents, cleaning up squished up Cheerios and/or Playdough off the floor, and the list goes on and on. . . But I wouldn't change it for the world!

Uggh! Sickness!

2009-09-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past two weeks someone in this house has been sick. Ethan started it all-I blame him because he was the first one sick and Kindergartners are full of nasty germs! Then Austin and Logan, then Brian had, what I am hoping, was a mild case of the stomach bug, then I got it early Sunday morning. Not fun at all! Fortunately, I think we are all healed now and getting back to normal (whatever normal is around here!)
This past Friday, Austin, Logan and I went to Ethan's school for Cowboy Day. It was so much fun, tiring but fun! All the Kindergartners were dressed up like little cowboys and cowgirls, they got to have outside centers that were all cowboy themed (square dancing, horseshoes, stickhorse racing) then they had a snack of cowboy beans (baked beans with cut-up hotdogs) in a tin pie pan.

Here's my cowboy!

I've also started a new business with The Pampered Chef! I'm so excited about it because I love their products and I get to host parties and tell other people about their great products too! If anyone wants more information about The Pampered Chef or is interested in hosting a party or starting your own business too, please let me know!
Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend and has a great week!

6 month pictures

2009-08-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

I finally got Logan's six month pictures done! He's now actually 6 1/2 months but who's counting?!

He did so great! He was so tired but held strong until we got the pictures done!
Isn't he just the cutest?!

So Much Going On

2009-08-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

and So Little Time!
I have been such a bad blogger lately! We have been so busy around here I just haven't had time to update much.
Ethan started school almost two weeks ago. Hard to believe my biggest baby started Kindergarten! He loves school, although he won't admit it. Every morning is a fight to get him out of bed. This is the same kid who, just months ago, was up at the first sign of light! He is learning so much and loving being with friends every day.

Home from his first day of Kindergarten!

He thinks he's so big now!

Austin is such a good boy, especially when his big brother isn't around. When Ethan is home they fight like cats and dogs but with Ethan at school, it makes my day SO much easier. We have fun during the day running errands, playing games, cleaning house and doing laundry (okay, he doesn't like the last two but I must do them!) And he is a big helper with Logan too. He also likes the one-on-one time he gets to spend with his daddy now that Ethan is at school. He really enjoys going to the office with Brian!

Reading his new favorite book- "Actual Size"

Enjoying playing with his Legos by himself!

Logan is getting SO big and doing SO much! This past weekend he really started sitting up well by himself. And then, just today, he went from laying on his belly to his side then sat up all by himself! He is ready to start crawling too. Right now he does the soldier crawl on his belly but he gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. One day he's just going to take off! I can't believe how much and how fast he is growing!

Ready to take off!

So BIG!

I love this little face so much!

He had is 6 month check-up on Friday. He hasn't grown a whole lot since his four month appointment but because of the way they were scheduled they were really only 6 weeks apart. He's 26 1/4 inches long and weighs 16 lbs. 1 oz. He also has his two bottom teeth and I have a feeling more are quickly following behind. He's like a faucet with all the drool!

His two teeth!

That's all from us for now! I'll try to do better next time!

Happy 1/2 Birthday

2009-08-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Logan's 1/2 birthday! I've never actually celebrated a 1/2 birthday for any of my children. Just do the normal 6 month check-up and picture thing I assume most parents do. Although, with Logan, I feel like I should get to have a party. I've never shared Logan's birth story on my blog before so I thought I'd take some time to do that.

Logan was born at 9:40 am on Tuesday, February 10th.
He weighed 8lbs. 6 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long.
After having some breathing difficulties shortly after birth, the doctor decided to send him to St. Mary's hospital in Evansville, IN which has a level 3 NICU.
There, he was diagnosed the Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN).
The neonatologists said on a scale of 1-10 (1 being happy, healthy newborn & 10 being worst case, difficult to take care of baby) Logan was at a 7-8. So he was pretty sick!

*02/11 3:30 a.m.: just before being transported to St.Mary's*

*My first update was not until Feb. 15th because those days from early morning on the 11th when he went to St. Mary's until the 15th were the hardest. I just didn't have time to sit down and process it all and write it. It was so overwhelming having two children I had to be there for also and worrying constantly about Logan too! From the 11th to 15th, Logan was the sickest. It was during that time he was almost transferred to a Level 4 NICU for ECMO. We were/are so thankful that he did not have to go through that though!*

Here are some notes I used to update friends and family during this time:

We've had lots of ups and downs since Wed. (02/11). He's on a oxygen & a ventilator, meds. to keep his blood pressure up, antibiotics, Nitric Oxide, IV nutrients, and a sedative. His initial oxygen needs were 90%, in order to keep his levels safe, now they are around 45%. His breathing is about 38-48 breaths per minute (the ventilator supplies 35 of them) versus the 80-90 breaths he was taking just 24 hours ago. (I've only held him for 30 min. since he was born and that was just right after he was born). We still aren't able to touch or talk to him, since this can cause over-stimulation and speed up his breathing.

02/15: UPDATE*
This morning they had lowered his oxygen level to 40% and he is maintaining a respiratory rate of around 40-60 breaths a minute. The ventilator is doing 30 of those breaths. They've also lowered his Nitric Oxide to 10 - half of what it was initially! We are so pleased with any progress he gives us!

*02/15: Evening UPDATE*
The Doctor and nurse are very pleased with how Logan is doing. He is still maintaining good levels on everything. I even got to hold his hand for a little while!! They are going to clamp his chest tube tonight and possibly remove it tomorrow. They may start giving him breast milk through his NG tube tomorrow too. If he handles that well for a day or two, then they'll start trying to give him a bottle. Once he can take a bottle then I can start trying to nurse him. It takes a lot of oxygen to suck, swallow and digest food, so we aren't taking any big steps like that just yet.
I may get to hold him in a couple days too- after they remove his chest tube.

*02/15: Another Evening UPDATE*
They have clamped his chest tube and will do another chest xray in the morning to make sure fluid hasn't built up again. If it hasn't, they will take out the chest tube! They've also lowered his ventilator to 20 breaths a minute and he is breathing a total of 48-60 breaths a minute. There is a possibility the Dr. may pull his ventilator tomorrow too!!!!! They still aren't going to do too many things at once though so they don't overwhelm him and in case he starts to decline, they'll know why.

*02/12*

*02/16: UPDATE*
Logan's numbers are about what they were last night, except his Nitric Oxide has been turned down more to 4 - so he's still stable. They did get to remove his chest tube this morning b/c his chest x-ray looked really good! They've now turned him over to lay on his belly so he'll be more comfortable- he's been laying on his back since Tuesday.

*02/16:AFTERNOON UPDATE* Logan is almost breathing room air (room air is 21% and he is on 23%) They are hoping to pull his ventilator tomorrow!! They've also now given him a total of about 1/2 oz. of breast milk through his NG tube also and he seems to be handling it well.

*02/16: EVENING UPDATE*
Logan is doing so well this evening! He is now breathing a room air oxygen level (21%) and is down to 3.6 on the nitric oxide. They are planning to remove his ventilator tomorrow as long as his blood gas levels continue to be good. I finally got to see him with his eyes open tonight, for the first time. His face is quite swollen but he's still so precious. And he seemed to look at me with a familiar eye :o)
He is also taking a soothie pacifier at times and is sucking well on it so hopefully when they decide to try him on a bottle, he'll do well with it too. He is still taking breast milk through the NG tube well and is up to about 15 ml. through it.

*02/17: UPDATE*
Today was a big day for Logan! This morning he had his ventilator, Nitric Oxide and tubes in his umbilical stump removed. He is also breathing regular room air. The only things left are his NG tube, IV, and heart/O2 monitor. He is getting 30 cc. (1 oz) of breast milk every three hours. Once he is taking 60 cc (2 oz) every three hours, they'll remove his IV. His weight is up a little to 8lbs, 9.5 oz. too. He is also under lights for jaundice but they'll check those levels again tomorrow.
It was also a big day for me! I got to hold Logan for about 20 minutes! When I first arrived, the nurse knew I wanted to hold him but said it would only be for a few minutes b/c his respiratory rate was up a bit (70's). Well, once I got him situated and comfortable, it lowered. Nothing like mama's touch! It was a wonderful, precious 20 minutes! The nurse even took several pictures for me.

The Dr. said today that it would still be a few days before he started bottle feeding b/c that takes so much more oxygen and right now his lungs/heart need to continue to do as little as possible. He also said he would be here at least another week b/c now is the time when they move really slowly with him b/c he could possibly rebound and we don't want any setbacks!
Thank you all for the continued thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming because they sure are working!!

*02/19 UPDATE*
Yes, I know, I skipped a day...sorry! It was just too late and I was too tired. Logan is doing very well! They removed his IV today b/c he is now up to 60 cc (2 oz.) per feeding. Tonight he was actually at 66 cc, so he's quite the eater! He is also getting a bottle every other feeding, instead of just the NG tube feedings. They say he really likes taking a bottle. His bilirubin levels are down, so he's no longer under light therapy. They've moved him to the intermediate section of the NICU now. He got evicted from the critical care area, but we were glad to say goodbye! His respiratory rate is still a little high (70's) so he's got to work on that (except for when I hold him, he still calms down) This morning the nurse said I just needed to sit and hold him all day b/c he seemed to enjoy it so much. If I didn't have two other children that needed me, I sure would do it. But I think Ethan and Austin would resent me even more than they probably already do at this point. They are more than ready to be back home!
As far as I know, we are still looking at next week, midweek, before he will get to go home. I pray it's sooner though if Logan is ready!

Ethan and Austin did finally get to see Logan (through a glass door). They both were smiling from ear to ear! Neither of them completely understand why they can't hold him~ they both even said they weren't sick and they'd wash their hands! So innocent & sweet. They can't wait to get their hands on him!
Please keep praying for a speedy recovery from Logan and also for Ethan and Austin. They seem to be having a more difficult time with this every day!

*02/14*

>*02/20 UPDATE*
Lots more good news today! Logan got his NG tube removed today and is on full bottle feeding and nursing (when I'm there to do it). This evening I got to give him his bath then nurse him for the first time. He did a wonderful job but was worn out when we were finished!
I met with his Doctor today. He said Logan does still have some damage to his lungs (nothing permanent) but it will take time to heal. We have to be very careful over the next couple months because of RSV season (it lasts until early-mid April). He is VERY susceptible to it and if he did get it he would be back to the point he was last week (as the Dr. said, "critical, life threatening condition") and back in the NICU. We DON'T want that to happen, so we're just going to have to be overprotective for a while! Right now we are looking at getting to go home on Tuesday! So we are counting down the days!
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers! They mean so much!

*02/17*

*02/18*

*02/20*

*02/24*
*All ready to go home!*

That's the end of my updates I sent to friends and family during that time. Logan did go home on Tuesday, February 24th. Two weeks after he was born! I am thankful that I have these updates now because there is already so much that I don't quite remember. And I know that one day Logan will appreciate having this story and he'll probably think it's pretty cool (when he's a teenager). Today, Logan is a happy healthy six month old! Fully recovered from all his struggles in the beginning. I thank God every day for such an amazing little boy and for my two other amazing boys and my wonderful husband! I couldn't have gotten through it all without them!

*I just want to eat him up~he's so darn cute!*

Thanks for letting me share!

Psalm . . .

2009-08-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

I know most of you out there aren't preacher's wives too but I found this today from a fellow preacher's wife and had to share it. If nothing else it can give those who go to church a view of the life of a preacher's wife. It's funny, yet so true!

Psalm of the Preacher's Wife

The preacher is my husband I shall not complain.
He maketh me to teach Sunday School and the young people's meetings,
He causes me to head the women's ministry.
He entices me to type the bulletin so he does not have to.
Even though I walk through the attack of the hypocrites he stands behind me, I will fear no gossiping tongue. They cannot harm me.
I must stand at all dinners in the presence of those who attack me.
The food I prepare will stand the test.
Surely patience and longsuffering will follow me all the days of my life as I dwell in the house of the parsonage wheresoever my husband shall be called to go.

Weekend Happenings

2009-08-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend around here. Saturday the boys and I went Owensboro to run a couple errands and visit my grandmother while Brian played golf. Luckily and thankfully, my grandmother went with me to run the errands so she stayed in the car with them while I went into Sam's and Krogers. It was so nice to not lug in three boys to every store! I got my shopping done in a 1/4 of the time! We got back home around 1:00. Then Brian and the boys all took a nap. It was some nice quiet time for me and I dozed off a bit too.
Saturday evening we went down to one of the campgrounds to visit a group from the Portland church of Christ. We had a great evening meeting new friends and watching the kids play.
Sunday morning was great!! The Portland church of Christ brought their group to our church and assisted in conducting worship services. We were trying to break our attendance goal of 136- that was set at least 25 years ago. And... WE DID! We had 164 people in attendance! Needless to say, we were thrilled. We had chairs in the aisles and on either side of the pulpit and even behind the pulpit. It was awesome!

Here are a couple pictures:

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Show Us Your Life: Wedding Dress

2009-07-24T07:22:00.001-07:00

Things have changed a bit over at Kelly's Korner because we all ran out of rooms to share in our homes. Today is wedding dress or your dream wedding dress, if you aren't married.
My hubby and I have been married for seven years now.
I don't have any digital photos from our wedding because, even just a short seven years ago, digital photography was not very popular.

My dress was purchased at David's Bridal and my veil and tiara at Hobby Lobby.

Here is more of a close-up of the top part.

None of these pictures show much of the detailing on the dress but they are so pretty! The bottom had a sheer overlay with embroidered flowers and beading with a satin trim at the very bottom. I knew it was the dress as soon as I tried it on!

Me and my family

McLinky Blog Hop-Recipes

2009-07-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a favorite of mine and everyone who has ever eaten it! It's very yummy and so easy since it all cooks in a crock pot. Clean up is easy if you use a crock pot liner-I highly suggest it!

Crock Pot Creamy Hash Browns

2 lbs. Frozen hash browns
2 C. (8 oz.) shredded cheese
2 C. sour cream
10 ¾ oz. cream of celery soup, undiluted
10 ¾ oz. cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
(I often use the bacon crumbles in the salad aisle. They equal 1 lb of cooked bacon)
1 large Onion, chopped or medium according to your taste
(or 2 Tblsp dried onion - that's 1/3 cup)
¼ C. butter - melted
¼ t. pepper

Place potatoes in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine remaining items. Pour over
the potatoes and mix well. Cover cook on low 4 to 5 hours or until the
potatoes are tender and heated through.

Makes 14 servings

Enjoy!!

Great Weekend

2009-07-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took a little day trip down to middle Tennessee to visit some dear friends, The Little's, who we haven't seen in two years. In 2007, they moved to Alabama and we moved here, to Kentucky, and it just hasn't worked out to see each other since then. Their son, "H", was having his first birthday (it was our first time to meet him and their first time to meet Logan). I babysat their daughter, "T", while in Knoxville, and I still can't believe how big she has gotten! She certainly isn't the infant I took care of just a couple short years ago! We had a great visit, and the kids had a blast just running around and getting dirty.

Here are a few pictures from our day.

"S" & "H": the birthday boy

Austin getting eaten on by Millie the Mule

"H" enjoying his cake

One of my favorite pictures of the day. Little Miss "T"- she's such a cutie!

Me, Logan and "S"
Let's make sure it's not two more years before we see each other again!

Way Back Wednesdays

2009-07-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this topic on another blog recently and thought I would give it a try for a while.
This week, since my hubby & I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary on Monday, I thought I'd put up a few of our wedding pictures. Sorry, the quality is not great because they are scanned pictures.

Enjoy!

We chose to do all of our pictures before the wedding
and this was the first time we saw each other.

Blog Hop-Favorite Picture

2009-07-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

I figured since I have three children I couldn't just choose one favorite photo. So, I chose one of each of them!

Ethan- in 2007

Austin- in 2008

Logan- in 2009

Thanks for stopping by!

July 4th

2009-07-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July here! We started a tradition 4 years ago of having a cook-out on July 4th. It started in Knoxville while Brian was at the East Tennessee School of Preaching and continues on here in KY too. We had about 25 people this year. The weather was not very cooperative but we all fit under the carport well and had a great time. I cooked the burgers and hot dogs and the other ladies brought the side items and desserts. I wish I had taken a picture of all the food-it was so wonderful! We had everything from baked beans to homemade banana and peach ice cream!!
That evening we drove down the road to the State Park to watch the fireworks. It was a bit chilly out from all the rain but it was nice. Once the finale started we hopped in the car so we wouldn't get stuck in traffic. Our house is only a half a mile from where we were parked but it would have taken us an hour to get home if we had waited around!

Here are a few pictures from our great Fourth!

Show Us Where You Live Friday- Yard

2009-07-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

So it's that time of the week again over at Kelly's Korner.
This week is yards and garages. We don't have an attached garage and our detached garage is nothing worth writing about (purely functional), and we don't have a fancy outside living space. . . But I do have a great flower garden that I can't wait to share.
It's come so far since we moved here almost two years ago.

So here's what we had to start with. I know, not the most beautiful house on the block! But it is the parsonage and was vacant for a year before we moved it. The roof was replaced after this picture was taken. It's a dark roof now and looks much better!
We've come a LONG way since then!

This is a picture from 2008~ just after putting in the flower garden.

A close up (2008).

This is the area we put in next to the carport.
My hubby was changing his oil that day so it was a bit messy outside.

This is now (2009). We just mulched it again last night. Everything has grown so much!
I've been thinking about painting the front door but I'm undecided as to which color to choose. Our neighbor has a red door so I don't want to do red also. Any ideas?

This is the left side of the flower garden (2009). The wind chimes were a birthday present from my hubby. They sound beautiful. They are tuned to the key of E, and I would love to get the ones in A and C also so they could harmonize!

Here is the garden on the side of the carport (2009).
I have a white peony, a purple hyacinth, daylillies, irises, lavender, basil, and sage.
Please ignore all the toys, garbage can and recycling bins. There's just no where to put them!

Thank you for stopping by! I love having visitors!
Please leave a comment so I know you came by!

Prayers

2009-07-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

I just read about a dear little girl named Kate over at Kelly's Korner.

On Monday - her parents took her to the doctor for some hand tremors she was having and now they are faced with a very aggressive, malignant brain tumor that is wrapped around the major blood vessels that feed the brain.

She is having surgery tomorrow. They can not remove all of the tumor because of where it is.
If you would like to send an encouraging message to her family or keep up with how she is doing, you can do so at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-06-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

I just had to share what Ethan said to me last night! I don't remember exactly how the topic came up but he said, "Mommy, you are a cow. . ., because you make milk like a cow. Thank you for all the chocolate milk, Mommy!"
Oh the things children say! I guess he thinks Logan gets chocolate milk during his morning nursing just like Ethan and Austin get cups of chocolate milk in the morning.
So much comic relief around here!

Show Us Where You Live Friday-Master Bedroom

2009-06-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little late this week but we were at the lake this weekend. We had a great time but I am so worn out! I'll post picture from it later!

The hallway into our master bedroom. The closet is on the left and the laundry room, which I showed last week here, is on the right. I know, you shouldn't have a tv in your master bedroom but we have three kids, so I don't think it causes a problem for us! Ha!

Here is our room. I really love our room. I love the shades of brown and tan. I just recently put the wording on the wall above the bed. I thought it might add a little romance ;o)
In the corner is the glider with the best ever shiatsu back massage. My hubby got this for me for Christmas, while I was pregnant with Logan, and it is wonderful!

The unused treadmill, the space heater that hasn't been stored in the garage (as I write this it is 95 degrees outside), and my favorite picture of Austin.

The other side of the room.

Since we showed our bathrooms here, I finally redid our master bath! I was so sick of the magnolia border that one Saturday I just started tearing it off! Here is the new and much improved master bath.

And my hubby likes the ladybug stuff in here for decoration, so now my remaining ladybug items have a home!

So much better!

Thanks for visiting again! Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by!

tvkhsiyb4e

Show Us Where You Live Friday- Laundry Room

2009-06-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

I really considered not participating in Show Us Where You Live Friday this week because I don't have a bonus room or a play room. But I figured many other brave women would be sharing their laundry rooms, so why not me too?! My laundry room is not like most other laundry rooms because of its location. It is a room off of my master bedroom, not the kitchen like most homes. Having the laundry room off my bedroom is the BEST thing ever! If we ever get to build our dream home, I will most definitely put the laundry room off of our bedroom again!

This is entering my laundry room. Nothing fancy! The table on the left used to be my sewing table but then we got a cat and his litter box got put under it so then I just started stacking totes on top of it because I didn't want to sew with my feet in kitty litter. Oh well, I don't have time to sew anymore anyways! You'll also notice the stack of socks in the left hand corner of this picture. These are my mate-less socks. Eventually some do find mates but most of the time they don't, so this is where they live.

I LOVE my washer and dryer! The ones I had before these were about 18 years old (hand-me-downs from my mom) so I was so glad to get these and be able to do twice as much laundry in half the time.

Also, I missed out a couple weeks ago when everyone showed their nursery's.

This is the room of my youngest, Logan. I actually haven't taken any recent full-room pictures so these are a couple months old and BEFORE paint.

I love this built-in shelf. There actually used to be a window there, before the house was added on to about 10 yrs. ago. It's really handy!

AFTER paint!

We were very brave with this green color but I love it! Green is my favorite color and I didn't want another blue room (E&A's room and the bathroom is enough).

This is part of Ethan and Austin's room. They love their bunkbeds!

We spent a lot of time on this room after we moved it because there was 4 layers of wallpaper and paint on the wall behind their bed and border that had been painted over around the room in the middle of the wall (it's also in Logan's room but I wasn't messing with it again). We managed to get down most of the wallpaper but then had to re-mud a huge portion of it so with all of our other rooms we said, "Forget it!" So we just painted over the wallpaper and border like everyone else had!
Oh, the life of living in the parsonage!

Hope you enjoyed this week! Come back to visit again!

Couponing

2009-06-16T13:34:00.001-07:00

I've become a recent addict to coupons. I guess of all the things I could be addicted to coupons aren't so bad, right?! I've used coupons out of the Sunday paper for several years but never on the scale that people are now. It's quite amazing how much money can be saved! I'm going to try to start posting how much I've saved with coupons every week but bear with me if I'm not always on top of it.
I thought I'd start by sharing some of the websites I use to find good deals.
Hot Coupon World
Deal Seeking Mom
A Full Cup
Money Saving Mom
Baby Steals- doesn't have coupons but has great daily deals on various baby items
Baby Cheapskate- also, no coupons, but shows great deals and reviews on baby items
Coupon Mom
Southern Savers- If you haven't discovered the world of CVS this website tells you all about them and how to get the best deals there!
Also, for online deals, check out Slickdeals, Spoofee, and Deal News

Hope these websites help each of you to save too!

Also, I had to share these pictures of my cuties playing outside.

Show Us Where You Live Friday- Bathrooms

2009-06-12T04:18:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying participating in Kelly's Corner-Show Us Where You Live Friday. I get lots of great decorating ideas from all the other participants! I'm hoping to find some interesting ideas for my master bathroom because, as you will see, it's not completed and needs a bit of help!

I have not had the chance to paint our master bath since we moved here, nearly two years ago. I've purchased the paint, a very pretty gray, but haven't gotten to this room yet. Unfortunately, there is a border in the middle of the wall I have to deal with too. Sorry if you like magnolias, but I hate this border!

We've had this over-the-toilet cabinet since we got married. Originally the glass in it was clear but I decided to frost it so all the stuff in it could be a bit more hidden! The ladybug stuff doesn't match anything but, in college, I collected ladybug things. I had hoped I'd one day have a little girl so I could decorate her room in ladybugs but with three boys, my ladybug items have either been sold at yard sales or banished to the bathroom.

This is my shower curtain, which doesn't match the bathroom at all right now. However, once I can get it painted it will. The walls will be a light gray to match the silver swirls on the curtain.

This is the boys bathroom. Much cuter than mine.! We got the rubber duck stuff as baby gifts before my oldest, Ethan, was born. I think it is too cute! This bathroom was remodeled about 9 months ago-new paint, tile floors, vanity, and toilet!

The shelf over the toilet and the rose topiary were both wedding gifts.
If you've noticed, all of our trash cans are up high in our bathrooms. This is because our dog, Riley, pulls things out of them when we leave the house. Not a fun mess to come home too.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my bathrooms. I can't wait to see all the other bathrooms too!