Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Happy Birthday, Zachary!!!
Ok, so I figured out that doing this in complete order, i.e., starting 10 years ago and becoming current isn't going to work in my world. I have a hard time taking a shower in peace, let alone thinking I can chronicle 10 years of my life and get caught up just like that. So change of plans...I will post currently and then do the past in between. The past is waiting on me to scan before and after pics of our house, and that is going to take some time...so instead of getting completely behind and blowing off the blog completely, I've reset my expectations of myself. Here's the current post....
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Long weekend!!! On Friday, Max and I took Zachary to get his first pictures done at Open Shutter. He did awesome--once I order, they will post to FB but if you would like a sneak peek, go to openshutter.com, "maternity, children, and families", online ordering, password gavin1204 :). He did just as awesome as I knew he would, being the laid back little man that he is! And a big shout out to Max, who had to watch his little brother eat birthday cake while patiently waiting for his piece when the pictures were done! Small blessings!
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Saturday was Zac's official birthday, and would you believe I did not take one picture?! When Gavin was born, I was in his face from morning till night on his 1st birthday even though his party wasn't till a couple of days later..ha, so funny the difference from the first babe to the third! So even though I wasn't picture crazy, I was a little crazy about doing something special for his birthday even though his party isn't until June 3rd. Our lives are even a little crazier than normal right now because with all the rain, daddy can't plant corn which is making him more than a little grumpy..deservingly so, I get it, so I've just been trying to avoid him and keep him busy and his mind off of things. Add to that a birthday party that I always go a little overboard for (I keep saying I'm going to cut back, but a 1st b-day is not the place to cut back, right?), family pics June 10th (we haven't had professional ones done in almost 3 years), and leaving for the OBX the day after (for which Kyle, again, may not get to go if the corn isn't in the ground). Wow, talk about a run on sentence, but the point is we've been buuusssy, and a lil stressed....none of which is my little man's fault so he deserved something on his birthday or at least on his birthday weekend.
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The weather was a little crappy on Saturday, and Gavin and Max were spending the night with my parents so we decided to go get our flowers and mulch with the hopes of being able to work on that sometime this weekend. I thought it was a little weird to have Zachary's big brothers spending the night with Grandma and Papa on his birthday, but it ended up being nice to just spend some time walking him around the yard, letting him explore, etc. Sometimes I feel like he gets lost in the shuffle, dragged from one sport to the next for his brothers so it was nice to just really "BE" with him, if that makes sense.
*********************************************************************
Sunday my parents brought Gavin back (Max had come home at 10:30pm the night before with a fever) home and stayed and helped us mulch and plant flowers. This has become sort of an annual tradition where they spend a day helping me plant flowers, mulch, and help with the boys and it is such a huge help! We planted a whole crapload of stuff in the garden this year: the normal tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, squash, etc. but this year the boys wanted carrots, green beans, celery, and BERRIES--strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries! We aren't allowed to harvest the berries the first year, but I am excited to see how the rest turns out. If it goes well, we will be adding pumpkins (just for fun), watermelon, cantaloupe and asparagus next year.
**********************************************************************
Monday rolls around, I'm still not happy with the fact that we haven't gotten a fun day to celebrate Zac's birthday yet--I get a text from my mom at about 10:00 "90 today--VB?" SCORE!!! VB is short for Valley Beach and it pretty much sums up my childhood. VB is a huge pool, complete with 2 deep ends, 6ish baby slides, about 5 medium kid size slides, a couple docks to jump off of, a basketball hoop to play b-ball in the water...and that is just IN the water. Outside, they have swings, jungle gyms, a concession stand, cornhole, picnic shelter areas, teeter totters. It's like a kids summer dream. I grew up going there with my momma and I love watching my boys enjoy it there now. Last summer when I took the boys I took Zac's little newborn swing for him to nap in while I played with the older two, so I was excited to see what he thought of it this year. Well, I am proud to say I think I have a water baby...3 for 3, yay!! He chilled in his little raft forever and loved it--went down the baby slides, and lunged for the water before I was even ready to take him down. He was a very happy baby, and even when he got tired he just fell asleep in the stroller after all of about a 5 minute walk to get him to settle down. Here is a quick pic of the birthday boy and I:
We had a great day, and I felt my weekend was complete since we got a "fun day" in. Now, without further ado:
Zachary,
I can't believe you have been in our life for a year already! Thank you for being you--the most laid back, go with the flow, I'll nap when I nap, eat when you feed me, baby ever. You have fit into our world so seamlessly, it's hard to even remember what it was like before you were here. You love watching your brothersfight play, and are starting more and more to get in the mix with them. You can say momma, dadda, and thank you thus far as well as sign "more". You love your brothers, doggie, playing catch, snuggling, swimming, baths, eating, and of course, mommy and daddy.
I get sad when I see you growing up because I know you are my baby, but I also love to watch you learn new things every single day. When you began walking, my FB status on May 3rd (11 months, 6 days) said "Zachary took 5 or 6 unassisted steps tonight! Look out world..." um, if I only had known. Less than one short month later, you are running! You have a new bruise on a daily basis because you think you are a tad better walker/runner than you are, and you just can't wait to explore and see what each day has in store for you. Just yesterday, you dumped the bread crumbs out of the lazy susan--while I was cleaning that up, I heard you giggling in the bathroom. I walk in to find you had unrolled the entire roll of TP and were working on trying to get that darn toilet seat up. I roll that back up and not 10 minutes later, you have dumped a cup of orange Gatorade on the floor of mom and dad's bedroom (white carpet, what was I thinking?!)--it had been left there the night before when your brother Max was in our bed with a fever. Oh my goodness, love bug, you keep me on my toes!!!
I am looking forward to your monkey party on Friday where you will get another smash cake--how do all of my kiddos seem to end up with two? Just one week later, we get to take you to the ocean! I am a little anxious about the 14 hour drive, but my guess is that you will do just fine. I just can't wait to continue to help you explore the world, one adventure at a time. Thank you for choosing me to be your momma--I couldn't be more honored. Happy birthday, peanut--I love you so, so much!
Love,
Momma
********************************************************************
Long weekend!!! On Friday, Max and I took Zachary to get his first pictures done at Open Shutter. He did awesome--once I order, they will post to FB but if you would like a sneak peek, go to openshutter.com, "maternity, children, and families", online ordering, password gavin1204 :). He did just as awesome as I knew he would, being the laid back little man that he is! And a big shout out to Max, who had to watch his little brother eat birthday cake while patiently waiting for his piece when the pictures were done! Small blessings!
********************************************************************
Saturday was Zac's official birthday, and would you believe I did not take one picture?! When Gavin was born, I was in his face from morning till night on his 1st birthday even though his party wasn't till a couple of days later..ha, so funny the difference from the first babe to the third! So even though I wasn't picture crazy, I was a little crazy about doing something special for his birthday even though his party isn't until June 3rd. Our lives are even a little crazier than normal right now because with all the rain, daddy can't plant corn which is making him more than a little grumpy..deservingly so, I get it, so I've just been trying to avoid him and keep him busy and his mind off of things. Add to that a birthday party that I always go a little overboard for (I keep saying I'm going to cut back, but a 1st b-day is not the place to cut back, right?), family pics June 10th (we haven't had professional ones done in almost 3 years), and leaving for the OBX the day after (for which Kyle, again, may not get to go if the corn isn't in the ground). Wow, talk about a run on sentence, but the point is we've been buuusssy, and a lil stressed....none of which is my little man's fault so he deserved something on his birthday or at least on his birthday weekend.
************************************************************************
The weather was a little crappy on Saturday, and Gavin and Max were spending the night with my parents so we decided to go get our flowers and mulch with the hopes of being able to work on that sometime this weekend. I thought it was a little weird to have Zachary's big brothers spending the night with Grandma and Papa on his birthday, but it ended up being nice to just spend some time walking him around the yard, letting him explore, etc. Sometimes I feel like he gets lost in the shuffle, dragged from one sport to the next for his brothers so it was nice to just really "BE" with him, if that makes sense.
*********************************************************************
Sunday my parents brought Gavin back (Max had come home at 10:30pm the night before with a fever) home and stayed and helped us mulch and plant flowers. This has become sort of an annual tradition where they spend a day helping me plant flowers, mulch, and help with the boys and it is such a huge help! We planted a whole crapload of stuff in the garden this year: the normal tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, squash, etc. but this year the boys wanted carrots, green beans, celery, and BERRIES--strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries! We aren't allowed to harvest the berries the first year, but I am excited to see how the rest turns out. If it goes well, we will be adding pumpkins (just for fun), watermelon, cantaloupe and asparagus next year.
**********************************************************************
Monday rolls around, I'm still not happy with the fact that we haven't gotten a fun day to celebrate Zac's birthday yet--I get a text from my mom at about 10:00 "90 today--VB?" SCORE!!! VB is short for Valley Beach and it pretty much sums up my childhood. VB is a huge pool, complete with 2 deep ends, 6ish baby slides, about 5 medium kid size slides, a couple docks to jump off of, a basketball hoop to play b-ball in the water...and that is just IN the water. Outside, they have swings, jungle gyms, a concession stand, cornhole, picnic shelter areas, teeter totters. It's like a kids summer dream. I grew up going there with my momma and I love watching my boys enjoy it there now. Last summer when I took the boys I took Zac's little newborn swing for him to nap in while I played with the older two, so I was excited to see what he thought of it this year. Well, I am proud to say I think I have a water baby...3 for 3, yay!! He chilled in his little raft forever and loved it--went down the baby slides, and lunged for the water before I was even ready to take him down. He was a very happy baby, and even when he got tired he just fell asleep in the stroller after all of about a 5 minute walk to get him to settle down. Here is a quick pic of the birthday boy and I:
We had a great day, and I felt my weekend was complete since we got a "fun day" in. Now, without further ado:
Zachary,
I can't believe you have been in our life for a year already! Thank you for being you--the most laid back, go with the flow, I'll nap when I nap, eat when you feed me, baby ever. You have fit into our world so seamlessly, it's hard to even remember what it was like before you were here. You love watching your brothers
I get sad when I see you growing up because I know you are my baby, but I also love to watch you learn new things every single day. When you began walking, my FB status on May 3rd (11 months, 6 days) said "Zachary took 5 or 6 unassisted steps tonight! Look out world..." um, if I only had known. Less than one short month later, you are running! You have a new bruise on a daily basis because you think you are a tad better walker/runner than you are, and you just can't wait to explore and see what each day has in store for you. Just yesterday, you dumped the bread crumbs out of the lazy susan--while I was cleaning that up, I heard you giggling in the bathroom. I walk in to find you had unrolled the entire roll of TP and were working on trying to get that darn toilet seat up. I roll that back up and not 10 minutes later, you have dumped a cup of orange Gatorade on the floor of mom and dad's bedroom (white carpet, what was I thinking?!)--it had been left there the night before when your brother Max was in our bed with a fever. Oh my goodness, love bug, you keep me on my toes!!!
I am looking forward to your monkey party on Friday where you will get another smash cake--how do all of my kiddos seem to end up with two? Just one week later, we get to take you to the ocean! I am a little anxious about the 14 hour drive, but my guess is that you will do just fine. I just can't wait to continue to help you explore the world, one adventure at a time. Thank you for choosing me to be your momma--I couldn't be more honored. Happy birthday, peanut--I love you so, so much!
Love,
Momma
Thursday, May 19, 2011
How it all began...How I met Kyle
Ok, so it was the end of my college career..I had made some bad decisions and was feeling really lost in my life..a post for a different day..maybe, when I'm ready...
I had just received my bachelors degree in speech pathology but I just didn't feel I was mentally prepared for graduate school just yet. I decided to move "home home" for a year with my parents...remember when home was your current living space in college and "home home" was where your parents were? I moved home, quickly determined that I couldn't live with my parents (mom and stepdad) anymore...I had just been out on my own for too long and my step dad and I were too different. I love him to pieces but he is a bit OCD and I am a bit, or more than a bit, not. I do not consider myself a messy person, but I also can promise you that the TV remote will not be put back where I found it last, my laundry will not be promptly removed, folded, and put away the second the dryer buzzes, etc. So the search for the perfect apartment began...
At that time, I was traveling back and forth to the restaurant every day until I found something more local. I didn't know how long that would last so I really needed a lease that was not binding. I got lucky and found something just one tiny little town away from my parents. It was a house, too--a HOUSE! This would be the first time I would be completely on my own...no parents, no roommates, just me. I knew this was something that I had to do. At about the same time, I got the job as a dispatcher for the phone company (where my mom had worked my entire life and from where she ultimately retired)--I had to work weekends and crazy overtime. My coworkers all hated it, but I kind of loved it--I was single, had some college and credit card debt that this was helping me pay down, it was all good. I signed for the apartment in July 2000 and started working for the phone company/quit the restaurant in Toledo in August 2000. Life was good--a little boring maybe, but good. I distinctly remember thinking once, "Ok, this is what grownups do? I just go to work all day, and then come home and I'm just home? Home, by myself, till the next day when I start all over again?" Um, yeaaa. There were not a lot of people from high school that had moved back yet, and my co workers were all older, so it was a little bit of an isolating couple of months for me. But, I really needed it. I needed to step back from the "going out every night" scene--it was just becoming the same old, same old, it was expensive and there is something to the saying "nothing good happens after midnight" (man I am old for typing that).
I met my parents for dinner at the bar/restaurant right around the corner from my house one night, and saw an old high school friend of mine, Tonia--she was bartending. We were really close at one time, but both went off to college and had drifted apart. We talked and hung out most of the night after my parents left, and I figured out she was in a tough position in her life...she had just suffered a breakup with her then live in boyfriend and her parents had moved to Louisville years before for her dads job so she was looking for somewhere to live. Perfect!!! I offered her to move in with me and she agreed. Life was grand, not all that exciting, but not quite as isolating anymore.
Tonia started dating a guy shortly after she moved in with me, and the 3 of us hung out a lot. A few weeks into this, I asked him to introduce me to some of his friends. He pointed one of them out to me and said "I think you two would get along" and I'm like, "No that blonde over there"...ha, the things you remember! "That blonde over there" is now my husband, the father of my children, my forever.
January 24, 2001 is the day that we started "dating". A quick 2-3 weeks after that is when Tonia and her boyfriend (who ultimately introduced Kyle and I) broke up, a month or so after that Tonia moved to Louisville with her parents, Kyle and I got engaged that September and married the September after (9/7/02). It is so so crazy to me that pretty much the only reason Tonia came back into my day to day life for that year (give or take) was so that she could bring Kyle and I together. I'm not an overly religious person, but if that isn't God working to line up the stars, I don't know what is! Don't get me wrong, Tonia and I ARE still close...its just a different kind of relationship now, we keep in touch via Facebook and do get together when she comes home twice a year. I hope that makes sense, I wasn't trying to discount our friendship but I definitely think there was a reason she came back into my life when she did.
I really wanted to post a wedding picture, but don't have a scanner and I got married before digital cameras (what?!) so here is a more recent picture of Kyle and I...
I had just received my bachelors degree in speech pathology but I just didn't feel I was mentally prepared for graduate school just yet. I decided to move "home home" for a year with my parents...remember when home was your current living space in college and "home home" was where your parents were? I moved home, quickly determined that I couldn't live with my parents (mom and stepdad) anymore...I had just been out on my own for too long and my step dad and I were too different. I love him to pieces but he is a bit OCD and I am a bit, or more than a bit, not. I do not consider myself a messy person, but I also can promise you that the TV remote will not be put back where I found it last, my laundry will not be promptly removed, folded, and put away the second the dryer buzzes, etc. So the search for the perfect apartment began...
At that time, I was traveling back and forth to the restaurant every day until I found something more local. I didn't know how long that would last so I really needed a lease that was not binding. I got lucky and found something just one tiny little town away from my parents. It was a house, too--a HOUSE! This would be the first time I would be completely on my own...no parents, no roommates, just me. I knew this was something that I had to do. At about the same time, I got the job as a dispatcher for the phone company (where my mom had worked my entire life and from where she ultimately retired)--I had to work weekends and crazy overtime. My coworkers all hated it, but I kind of loved it--I was single, had some college and credit card debt that this was helping me pay down, it was all good. I signed for the apartment in July 2000 and started working for the phone company/quit the restaurant in Toledo in August 2000. Life was good--a little boring maybe, but good. I distinctly remember thinking once, "Ok, this is what grownups do? I just go to work all day, and then come home and I'm just home? Home, by myself, till the next day when I start all over again?" Um, yeaaa. There were not a lot of people from high school that had moved back yet, and my co workers were all older, so it was a little bit of an isolating couple of months for me. But, I really needed it. I needed to step back from the "going out every night" scene--it was just becoming the same old, same old, it was expensive and there is something to the saying "nothing good happens after midnight" (man I am old for typing that).
I met my parents for dinner at the bar/restaurant right around the corner from my house one night, and saw an old high school friend of mine, Tonia--she was bartending. We were really close at one time, but both went off to college and had drifted apart. We talked and hung out most of the night after my parents left, and I figured out she was in a tough position in her life...she had just suffered a breakup with her then live in boyfriend and her parents had moved to Louisville years before for her dads job so she was looking for somewhere to live. Perfect!!! I offered her to move in with me and she agreed. Life was grand, not all that exciting, but not quite as isolating anymore.
Tonia started dating a guy shortly after she moved in with me, and the 3 of us hung out a lot. A few weeks into this, I asked him to introduce me to some of his friends. He pointed one of them out to me and said "I think you two would get along" and I'm like, "No that blonde over there"...ha, the things you remember! "That blonde over there" is now my husband, the father of my children, my forever.
January 24, 2001 is the day that we started "dating". A quick 2-3 weeks after that is when Tonia and her boyfriend (who ultimately introduced Kyle and I) broke up, a month or so after that Tonia moved to Louisville with her parents, Kyle and I got engaged that September and married the September after (9/7/02). It is so so crazy to me that pretty much the only reason Tonia came back into my day to day life for that year (give or take) was so that she could bring Kyle and I together. I'm not an overly religious person, but if that isn't God working to line up the stars, I don't know what is! Don't get me wrong, Tonia and I ARE still close...its just a different kind of relationship now, we keep in touch via Facebook and do get together when she comes home twice a year. I hope that makes sense, I wasn't trying to discount our friendship but I definitely think there was a reason she came back into my life when she did.
I really wanted to post a wedding picture, but don't have a scanner and I got married before digital cameras (what?!) so here is a more recent picture of Kyle and I...
Virginia vacation 2009..my 6 y/o (4 then) took this pic of us..pretty good, I thought!
Next posts will be starting the remodel (before and after) and Gavin's pregnancy and birth story...I'm writing out current day blogs too but kind of want it to go in order so will post those all at once once I get caught up!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Finally!!
I finally started my blog! Yayyyy...I really am so excited to have a place to document my every day life. There are days when I feel like I am drowning in laundry, housework (like now..I really do embrace the whole "my kids will only be little for a short time, the house will be clean in 18 years theory" but GOOD LORD it is a bit out of control right this second!), child raising, working wife and momma routine. I plan to use this space to remember how very lucky and blessed I am to have a happy, healthy family. I've never wanted anything more than to become a mommy and I love that role more than anything else in my life. There is a certain bond between a mom and her sons and I plan to NEVER take that for granted.
I have a lot of catching up to do to get this blog caught up and where I want it. My plan is to document the everyday while also documenting things that my kids did that I still remember but don't ever want to forget. In addition to this, my husband and I have been remodeling an old farmhouse for 10 years now and I want to get some before and after pictures uploaded. High hopes I have for myself, but that is the plan as of this moment.
I wanted to take a minute to thank a few friends whose blogs I have followed for several months and who have inspired me to start my own. So thank you to Kristy, Joanna, Anne, Sarah, and Jenny! Stay tuned for tomorrows post and blog redesign but first, here is my current favorite pic of my kiddos. This was at the Toledo zoo on Mother's Day....
I have a lot of catching up to do to get this blog caught up and where I want it. My plan is to document the everyday while also documenting things that my kids did that I still remember but don't ever want to forget. In addition to this, my husband and I have been remodeling an old farmhouse for 10 years now and I want to get some before and after pictures uploaded. High hopes I have for myself, but that is the plan as of this moment.
I wanted to take a minute to thank a few friends whose blogs I have followed for several months and who have inspired me to start my own. So thank you to Kristy, Joanna, Anne, Sarah, and Jenny! Stay tuned for tomorrows post and blog redesign but first, here is my current favorite pic of my kiddos. This was at the Toledo zoo on Mother's Day....
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