YES, I DID IT! I REALLY DID!

So as part of our Anniversary adventure we went to a weekend getaway that had a rope's course and a guest speaker for couples. We did crazy things like climb tall trees blindfolded and jump off to try to catch hold of a large black ring. (I refused the blindfold. It was a little much for me.) Although, Rob did do it blindfolded. I was really impressed and frightened at the same time. This little video is of me jumping after I had gotten to the top. Even though I was belayed it was still pretty scary. More later. Nancy

DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT!

My blogger is being stupid again. I had a couple of cool videos to post from our trip and it won't let me put them on right now. I will have to try and figure them out later, I guess because it's after midnight now and I've tried for over a half an hour.

We got up slowly this morning at our hotel and then went to eat lunch at a really good Chinese restaurant we don't get to very often. Then we came home. The kids were glad to see us and I'm pretty sure even Grandma and Grandpa were glad we came home. They were sitting outside planting some gorgeous flowers when we pulled in. They had been mighty busy from the looks of things so we jumped in and helped. It's really starting to look nice around here.

We are hearing that Harold Barnett is having some heart problems similar to what Dad had. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers everyone. I'm sure this is a stressful time for all of them.

Well, that's all I know for now. Good night all. Love ya, Nancy

WEEKEND FUN

Rob and I will have been married for five years tomorrow. It's gone so fast I can hardly believe it's been five years. We have taken a couple of days to ourselves this weekend. Thank goodness for Grandpa and Grandma and our teenager, Julie or we wouldn't have been able to do that.

Saturday, we went to a Ropes Course retreat for couples. It was great fun. We went canoeing together on a beautiful river. Then we got to do some exciting activities, and in the evening we had a guest speaker come talk to us about relationships. It was really good. Then we stayed at the same hotel where we spent a couple of our honeymoon nights before we left on our cruise. It's been a nice, relaxing weekend and we have really enjoyed it. 

Funny story. I didn't blog last night because when we got back from the retreat we were pretty worn out. We decided that we would take a couple hour nap--even though it was 7 pm. We thought we would nap and then get up and watch a late movie together. Well, we fell asleep and didn't wake up until 2:15 a.m.. Yah, so we looked at each other and said, "Let's just go to bed."  No movie. No blogging. I can't remember what the suggested gift is for the fifth anniversary--you know how they have a list of what each anniversary is and gold is the fiftieth. Well, I'm changing whatever the fifth is to Sleep. At least in our case it seems appropriate with a two year old and a nine month old who doesn't sleep through the night yet!

Here's a few more pictures from our retreat. Tomorrow I will make it even more interesting. Night all.

Rob climbing a tree blind folded with only my instructions Yikes!

Rob canoeing

Nancy canoeing (We were in the same canoe.)

TODAY

Julie's last day of school was today. Yay for Summer break! It will be so nice to have two more hands around the house for the next few months. Rob has been working another long day. It's 10:30 p.m. as I'm writing this and he's still not done. He has the next several days off though. Our fifth wedding anniversary is on Sunday so he has Monday and Tuesday off and we are going to do a little celebrating. We have some fun plans and he can have a nice long, non-working weekend!

We spent 5 or 6 hours on the flower beds today and made a ton of progress. Although, we still have a bunch more to do. Wow, I really dislike gardening. Don't get me wrong. I love the outcome, but I don't like the process at all. If it were just planting or a little bit of weeding, I could handle that but this having to get the hard dirt softened is too much! It's the kind of hard labor I picture prisoners in labor camps having to do for the rest of their lives. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little--but only a little. Ye Gads!

Well, I was going to go on but Jonathon just woke up and he's telling me off so I'd better go pick him up. More later. :}

PROGRESS IN THE GARDEN

I remembered why I don't like gardening today. We pounded at the hard dirt in our flower beds for about 3 hours today and made about four feet of progress. Mom, Julie and I took shovels and hoes to the dirt and tried to break it up as much as possible and smooth it out so we could add peat moss to it. It took us nearly the whole three hours to go four feet. But we did get that four feet planted with Zinnias and Alyssum. It looks really nice. If only there wasn't so much more to go. Yikes!

Carly came out and wanted to help but she had to stay on the porch and help Grandpa direct the project. She wasn't very happy with that. She wanted to play in the dirt instead. No dice. We had lots of complaints from the peanut gallery but we managed to stave them off. We finally had to get her some sidewalk chalk and let her draw on the steps to keep her from driving us and Grandpa crazy. (You know it's not very far in either case!) Anyway, we were having enough trouble with the dirt we didn't need a two year old in the middle of it!

Well, that was all there was to our day. Not much else got done--not even the laundry I started. Oh, don't remind me . . .

BUNCH A BLOOMING IDIOTS

Not really! I went with Dad and Mom today and we picked out some really pretty flowers to plant in the beds. We came home and Dad drew up a design for them. Now I just have to get some peat moss and get it worked into the dirt and then I can get the flowers planted. I'm so excited to have nice looking flower beds. Probably not near as excited as my neighbors will be, though! :}

RAINY DAY

It rained off and on all day today so I wasn't able to finish my weed work. I still have a little to do on the side of the house. I think Dad is anxious to get some flowers planted. I would love to have the yard looking nice, too. It's nice to have someone around who knows what they are doing because I certainly don't! I love flowers but I have just never had a green thumb and I have also never enjoyed working in the yard. Wish I did.

Jonathon, even at nine months, still doesn't sleep through the night. Don't know what I'm going to do with that boy. Keep hoping he will surprise me and do it. But he hasn't yet. He also doesn't usually go to sleep until really late. Sure makes for one tired Momma. I did get him to sleep about twenty minutes ago--so, about 12:30 a.m. Hopefully, he will sleep most of the night.

Think I'd better finish and get in bed so I can get some rest too. No real news here. More later. N.

I WORKED HARD TODAY

Now I'm tired and I want to take a long, hot bath but will my baby go to sleep so I can? No, he won't. He's just sitting here blowing raspberries and giggling. It's 11:25 p.m. and he's wide awake. Seriously?!

I pulled weeds for hours today. There were a lot of them. I'm not a gardener at all but we have this nice curbed in area in the front of our house that we haven't ever really done anything with (except grow weeds.) Well, I did plant a few things last year but it was minimal. But this year it just filled with weeds and before I knew it they had gotten tall. It's not like we've had good weather here for planting or even weeding yet. But I guess it's been warm enough off and on for the weeds to get through because they survived and were thriving. So, now that I've cleared it all out I can put Grandpa to work designing the front flower garden. He may not be able to plant it but he can design it and tell us what to do. I know he knows how to do that! Once we get it done I will post pictures.

WE REMEMBER--SOME GAVE ALL; ALL GAVE SOME

We had a fun time today watching the Indy 500 with Dad and Mom. Rob's brother came over, too and we had a feast. Mom spent most of yesterday cooking and part of today. Dad's tradition is to make homemade Lemonade on Memorial Day Weekend so he did that. It was great! We had some fun family time which is always nice. We were so full though it almost felt like Thanksgiving!

We are hoping to pull weeds and turn over some ground tomorrow and get a garden put in. That would be really nice! My husband actually has the holiday off. Yay!

Finally, I want to say thanks to all those who are serving and who have served in the armed forces. I'm especially mindful and grateful to those who have given their lives for our country and our freedom. We remember that you gave all. Thank you to those of you who are serving and protecting us now. You honor us and we are grateful. You have our unending gratitude. We will always remember.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

Grandma has been busy today preparing an Indy 500 feast for tomorrow. Turns out we can actually watch the race here on TV.  This will be the first time Mom and Dad have ever been able to watch the race without being in the stadium so they are excited. We have some family coming over and we are going to eat and watch the race together. We think it will be a really fun afternoon.

Today we've pretty much been playing catch up for all the things we didn't get done the rest of the week. Nothing much to tell. We still haven't been able to plant our garden yet, though. It's either been too wet or too cold to prepare the ground. Hoping that will change soon. It was a nice day today and we sure hope we have more of those coming.

Took this picture of Dad with our pup Sadie. Mom thinks it looks a little like the RCA dog (just in the posing). Can't tell who spoils the dogs can you? Or should I say, can't tell who's the sucker? Lol!

COUPLE THINGS

I got up early today and went to a funeral. One of my really close friends lost her sister this week to Cancer after a long battle and hard fought battle. I took Jonathon with me and left Carly with Grandma and Grandpa--you know, divide and conquer. Anyway, the funeral was a very sweet, touching tribute to a lovely woman and her loss is going to be keenly felt. We'll miss you Vickie.

Rob actually got home from work at a normal time tonight. It was nice to have him home for dinner with the family. He's put in a bit of overtime the last few weeks so we had kind of forgotten what he looked like. Lol! Hopefully, we can have a long, slow weekend together as a family and watch the Indy 500! That's right! Mom, checked it out and found out we can actually watch it out here from the comfort of our living room. Ya'll stop by now!

MY LITTLE GUY IS GROWING UP

I found him just gazing out the window this morning. And I thought, isn't he adorable? So, I got out the camera and took a couple of photos. Then I went to put the camera back on the shelf and by the time I got back he was sitting on the floor chomping on a piece of dog food. Gag! Woof! Dang, he crawls fast! Don't worry, I got it out of his mouth. Although, he didn't know what all the fuss was about. He just wanted something to eat and he was helping himself! Boys!

LITTLE MAN IS DOG'S BEST FRIEND

Carly and Jonathon were both having some crackers this morning. Carly is a little more adept at hanging on to her food than Jonathon is. By that I mean that we have two always hungry dogs who love to follow anyone who is toddling around dangling food from their body. Jonathon, as you might guess is an especially easy target. Sadie, our puppy with the new haircut, got ahold of one of Jonathon's crackers and ate it. NowJonathon didn't seem to mind at all but it made Carly darn mad. The next thing I heard was "NO SADIE! TIME OUT! TIME OUT SADIE, YOU TIME OUT! NO EAT JONANAN'S CACKER, TIME OUT!"

Carly was not successful in getting Sadie to sit in a timeout but it wasn't for lack of trying. I'll bet you can't tell what kind of discipline we use at our house, can you?

KISS MY BOO BOO MOM -- NO MATTER WHERE IT IS

It's a Mom's job to kiss boo-boos and make them feel better. And frankly, I don't know of any medicine or surgery that works better on a wound than a mother's kiss. It heals them instantly--even the perceived ones. Carly has definitely bought in to the whole "kiss a boo-boo" miracle medicine only Mommy can give. She comes to get that kiss for every injury. Although, I must say she did stump me a couple of days ago when she came running with tears in need of a boo-boo healing kiss. Yep, turns out the boo-boo was on her tongue and she wanted Mommy to kiss it. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't a really good idea but that only made her cry harder. I told her I would kiss her face and that would make her tongue feel better. That wasn't good enough either. "No, Mommy kiss tongue! Make better."  Hmmmm. Dilemma. Yuck! Darn. I tried again. I suggested that maybe Mommy could kiss lips and that would make tongue better. "No. Kiss tongue. It hurt."  I grabbed her by the face and smooched up her lips and gave her a kiss and just as I thought I was about to conquer the situation and say "There, all better" out came that little tongue and sure enough, I kissed it! Yuck! Darn! EW! GROSS! THERE, ALL BETTER! (And it was.)

I have a crazy two year old--or haven't you noticed?! But then, she has a crazy mother, too! Lol!

BUCK NAKED SADIE

I love dogs but I hate the dog hair! Once a year or so we treat ourselves to Sadie's haircut. It's a beautiful thing. We have her shaved buck naked bald! She loves it because she doesn't have to pant so hard to cool herself off and we love it because we don't have to follow her around with the vacuum cleaner. It's the darndest thing with her, though. When the groomer shaves her fur off all her color comes off, too. Now she still has a layer of fur on her. That is to say, that's not her skin you are looking at. But, all the color you see in the "before" is in the grown out length of her hair. The shorter her hair gets, the less color there is in it. I've never seen anything like it before--and I've had other dogs shaved. It's just kind of unique.

Without further ado, here's Sadie before her shave:

and Sadie after her shave:

and yes, those are little pink bows on her ears. I didn't do it, the groomer did. Lol! I do think it's kind of cute, though. Don't you?

She doesn't even look like the same dog, does she? Mom and I didn't recognize her when we walked in to get her. I never do when she gets shaved. It's just such a different look for her. But she's so much cooler for summer this way. It's a good thing for all of us.

SPAGHETTI BOY

We had Spaghetti with meatballs for dinner. This was Jonathon's first time to eat Spaghetti. I think he did pretty darn good. He seemed to get the hang of it right away. I'm just glad we started him out slow with no sauce and no meatballs. I think we would have had a real mess on our hands had we given him the whole sha-bang! As it was, when I pulled him out of the high chair he was covered with noodles all the way to his toes! No kidding! Don't know how he did it--but he managed!       

                                     

By the way, Grandma and Grandpa did get back safely from their trip to Sarah's and are no worse for the wear!                     

HE JUST CALLED ME MOM!

Just as I was starting to write this Jonathon said "Mom". Yay! My baby said "Mom"! And it's not a fluke because he keeps saying it over and over. That is the best sound in the whole world!

O.K., now for what I was going to write. Mom and Dad took a trip up to see Sarah today. We've all been pretty worried about her and with her just getting out of the hospital they were pretty anxious to see how she was doing. They spent the afternoon and part of the evening with her and her family. They are about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from here and are going to spend the night there and then head back tomorrow morning when they wake up.

I talked to Mom a few hours ago and she said Dad was pretty worn out from the trip but had done okay otherwise. Well, that's the news from here for now. Night all.

GRANDPA AND THE KIDDOS

Grandpa had just gotten back from his doctor appointment the other day when Jonathon decided he wanted to sit on his lap. It suprised all of us to find him because Grandpa's shoulders hurt him so much he usually can't lift him. But sure enough he had  actually pulled him up shoulders hurting and all. He said he couldn't have done it if Jonathon hadn't really wanted up there. I believe it too because Jonathon really loves his Grandpa!

Then for sure Carly had to join in because not only does she absolutely adore her Grandpa but anything Jonathon does

Carly must do also!

A SHORT UPDATE

Dad's appointment went really well today. His doctor thinks that his blood pressure has been changing a bit too much. He takes it everyday and it has been up and down a lot. So, she is putting him back on one of his blood pressure meds. He had managed with his cardiologist to get off all of those meds just after his surgery but it seems like maybe going off all of them was a bit much. His body seems to need just a little something to help regulate his blood pressure. The doc thinks that will help increase his energy level. Hopefully, we will see that happen soon.

As far as Sarah goes, she is still in the hospital but there is a good chance they will let her go home tomorrow. They still haven't figured out exactly what is going on. They are now thinking she may have some auto-immune problem. She is still not feeling very good and can use all the prayers you can spare.

That's the news from here for today.

A FEW THINGS FROM MY BRAIN

Sarah is still in the hospital. It did not end up being what they thought it was yesterday. The infection in her kidneys is fairly severe. They have her on some pretty strong antibiotics she will need to continue for about six weeks even after they release her. The did further tests today to see if she might have a heart valve problem but we have not heard the outcome of those tests yet. Please, please keep her in your prayers. I will update this if we learn anything new tomorrow.

Dad has the appointment with his regular doctor tomorrow--you know, the one he was supposed to have last week. So, I will give you and update from that as well. He has just been wearing out really quickly. Other than that he is fine. :}

My two year old has mood swings, but then so does her mother! That's probably not news--especially to those of you who have or have ever had a two year old--so I will just leave it at that. It was nice to get her in bed tonight and I will be happy when she wakes up in a good mood tomorrow. That always starts the day off nicely.

Well, if I say any more I could incriminate myself. So, good night all!

A LITTLE NEWS . . . SOME GOOD, SOME NOT SO MUCH

Took Dad and Mom to the shoulder surgeon today. Mom got some great news! The doctor thinks her shoulder can be good as new in no time with a cortisone shot! So, he gave her one right there on the spot! Actually, it can take up to a week to work. The numbing medicine in it helped her arm feel a little better right away but we should know something within a few days. He said if this one doesn't work they will do an MRI to check for a tear but he really doesn't think there is one. She can always have a second shot in 2-3 months, also if this shot works but just needs a little refresher. He also told her she could quit going to physical therapy but just continue the exercises at home if they were helping.

Dad got all his questions (at least the ones he has at the moment) answered for his surgery. He's scheduled to have his left shoulder done in late August. They took a couple more X-Rays of his shoulder from different angles just to be sure they had the best look at it possible. So, everything looks like it's a go for August.

I didn't write this news in here yesterday because we had no idea what was going on yet. Sarah, my younger sister is in the hospital. She thought she had the flu off and on for about a week. Her temperature would spike for a day or two and she would get really sick. Then she'd have a day or two when she'd feel better and it would start all over again. A couple days ago her temperature got really high and she got sick again so she went to the doctor. The doctor hospitalized her. They are running every test they can think of and she has been through several "possible" diagnoses but nothing firm yet. It looks (fingers crossed, knock on wood) like she could have an infection in one of her kidney's that may be causing all this rukus. They are going to start her on some IV antibiotics to see if that starts to help. In the meantime, they are still sleuthing for the problem just in case that isn't it. I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers. I know we all would. I will keep you posted on her progress.

Well, I'd better get some sleep. It will be morning before I know it!

OH-DO-DOKEY!

That's how Carly says her latest word Okey-dokey! I don't even know who she heard say okey-dokey but that's how she says it. Kids really are the darndest thing!

I just had my second ten minute conversation with her trying to convince her that the doors on matchbox cars do not open. (At least the ones she has don't.) She keeps bringing them to me and asking me to open the doors and then getting mad at me when I won't open them.) I explain it's "can't" not "won't" but she doesn't believe me. Silly mommy! Of course car doors open! I mean, how dumb are you? Seriously, Mommy?

I am amazed at how quickly Jonathon is picking things up from her. He is doing his level best to stay one step behind her, or is that one step ahead. She colors--so he loves anything to do with coloring. The paper tastes good. The crayons taste good. The coloring books rip apart really nicely! You get the drift. It annoys Carly and keeps Mommy on her toes!

Tomorrow Grandma and Grandpa both have appointments with the shoulder surgeon. They see him just a few minutes apart. I'm pretty sure that means they see him at the same time. I am going with them to make sure I get all the scoop and all the questions asked. I will be sure to report back here tomorrow what we learn. OH-DO-DOKEY?!

ISN'T SHE LOVELY . . .

ISN'T SHE WONDERFUL . . .

This little girl is so full of life and fun! She sure keeps our world moving and shaking! She is such a precious miracle in our lives! We absolutely adore our sweet Carly! Love you little girl!

SPEAKING MOSTLY TO ME

Yesterday a wedding. So of course today would bring a funeral. It so happened that one of my dear friends lost her father last week and the funeral was today. It was a very sweet, touching service. Her father had lived a very honorable, good life and had made a solid contribution to the world. My friend gave a Life Sketch (Eulogy) and her brother spoke as well. Their father lived 85 years on this earth before he heard a doctor tell him he was going to die. He got the news less than 3 weeks ago and his response was simple. He said; "Well, I knew I would have to leave here someday. I guess I know now, when and how." He'd been given a diagnosis of advanced Pancreatic Cancer and it moved extremely rapidly. He was blessed not to suffer much pain with it before he died.

One of the stories his son told was how he'd been working on his life history and when he got the diagnosis and learned how little time he had left he was worried he might not be able to finish it. He asked his son to get him a mini-tape recorder so he could tape record the rest of it instead of write it out. His son did so but the disease moved so quickly his Dad was unable to even speak for most of the two and a half weeks before he died. This man had lived such a good life and worked so and do for his family and serve others and write his history that I'm certain one of his children will finish it for him. I write that part of the story only because it made me think once more not to put off the things that are important until tomorrow.

I have another friend whose sister is dying. She probably has only a week or two left at most. She has raised her kids--well, her youngest is 19--so almost raised them. I get updates from her almost daily. They are not just about what her sister can't do anymore but about the blessings her sister finds in the smallest things. They are about what her sister values most. They are about the people she loves, the relationships she nurtures, the things she spends her time on--the moments when she feels good enough to do something. Those precious few moments of each day she has left. Her note today talked about how in a conversation with her sister she learned that until her sister got the diagnosis of terminal cancer--until it came back the second time--she felt she had not really begun to live her life. She had already been through breast cancer and that had not done it. It was this second, terminal cancer that really made her understand what it meant to live life, to see and count every blessing, to not take anything for granted, to love every breath you take.

Between these two situations--my mind has been working all day. I hope it doesn't take something as serious as one of these situations for me to really see the blessings in my life, to show gratitude for all that I've been given, to pick up the phone when I'm thinking of someone and tell them I love them, to learn to never leave anything important unsaid, to stop holding grudges, to be anything except loving and kind--BECAUSE life is too darn short! And we never know when we will see someone for the last time. We never know when our ride is up. We simply need to take greater care with and of each other.

If there is someone out there you've been meaning to call but haven't gotten around to -- PICK UP THE PHONE NOW! If there is someone you need to forgive--DO IT. It won't get any easier! Just do it! If there is someone you need to ask forgiveness of DO THAT TOO! That won't get easier either! Don't miss your opportunity to do what's right, what's good, what you should do, what you want to do, what you came to do. I love you, N.

NO KISSY FACE HERE

We went to a wedding tonight for someone we don't know extremely well. It was not the first marriage for either the man or the woman. One is widowed, the other divorced. They seem well suited to each other. It was a very sweet, dignified ceremony. The Bishop pronounced them husband and wife and then turned to the husband and said, "You may now kiss your bride." The husband turned to his bride and she jumped (literally) a good six inches away from him and said "Don't kiss me in front of the Bishop and all these people" and put her hands over her mouth!  Everyone burst out laughing but she wasn't kidding. She smiled but didn't let the groom kiss her. The Bishop said, "This isn't anything I had on my agenda" and everyone laughed again. She grabbed his hand and they went to the reception but he still didn't get to kiss the bride. Now we aren't talking kids here. These two are in their late 50's. It was the oddest ending to a wedding I've ever been to. I'm hoping the marriage goes much better than the wedding! Lol!

THE DOCTOR IS NOT IN

So, today's doctor appointment didn't actually end up being TODAY. Yep, that's what I said. The girl who scheduled it misunderstood what Mom asked, which was if the doctor could see Dad today or tomorrow. She told Mom "Yes," to bring him in Thursday at 11:30." When Mom and Dad got there today they found out the doctor is out of the office for four days and the appointment had been set for next Thursday. Oh well, stuff happens. They got some running around done while they were out so it wasn't a total loss. At any rate, we will all have to wait for a health update on Dad until we actually get one! Lol!

Well, the report from our family today is that Bubby is doing a lot more standing up any and everywhere he can hold on to something. He and Carly both think Grandpa's walkers are their personal jungle gyms. (Grandpa has 3 different walkers around the house.) They love to climb them and try to do tricks on them. We are constantly pulling them off so Grandpa can actually use them.

Rob took his brother Steve golfing today for Steve's birthday. They got rained out on the last nine holes. I think it was okay since Steve tells me Rob was losing badly. Of course, that's just Steve's version. I have yet to hear Rob's. He'll probably tell me he was letting Steve win for his birthday or something like that. Hee, hee, hee!

Well, as you can see it was a pretty non-eventful day here. As they say, no-news is good news. Love ya, N.

REPORTING IN AND LIGHTS OUT

Dad is heading back to the doctor (his regular one) for a check-up tomorrow. Nothing serious but it just seems like he's not moving as quickly as he was a few weeks after the surgery. We think it's time for a lube and oil and maybe a quick tire rotation! Lol! Seriously though, Mom talked to a physical therapist she is working with today and their thought was that maybe Dad should have kept on doing PT after the home care ended to keep his strength up. He's also off a ton of medications (which is a good thing in our book) so that could be changing things up a bit as well. It just seems he is wearing out a bit quicker than before so we need to see what's going on.

Next week Dad has a meeting with the surgeon who will be doing his shoulder surgery. That is scheduled for the end of August. Mom is going to see the same surgeon on the same day to have him look at the shoulder she has injured helping lift Dad. Hopefully, it isn't serious enough to need surgery but we are starting to think it's a rotator cuff tear. Yikes. She has been hurting for quite some time so it would be great to find out what is going on and get her out of pain.

I didn't get a lot accomplished today. (Do I say that a lot? It sure feels like it.) Although, I did have a fun day with the little ones. I went over to my friend Robin's with Carly and Jon. She was doing a craft day for the neighborhood toddlers--about 10 of them. So, I helped her with that and then the kids got to play outside and have fun. It was the first day this week nice enough to be outside. They all had a great time. Robin and I got to chat and just enjoy each other's company, too. I didn't take any pictures today but she has a little girl that is a month or so older than Jon. It's their first girl after 4 boys and Jon, of course, is our first (living) boy after 5 girls. So it's kind of fun for both of us to compare. Below is a picture I took last month of our two youngest together. They really adore each other. Her little girl's name is Ellie. She's a real cutie!

Well, not much else is happening here--that is except for the fact that Rob has tomorrow off so he is letting me go to bed EARLY tonight and he is getting Jonathon to sleep. So GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE! It's only 8:20 p.m. here and this tired Momma is going lights out! Yay!

SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO WATCH THAN LISTEN

Jonathon actually said "mom" today. I didn't capitalize it because it was just a sound Megan coaxed him into saying. He has no idea it means me. But it was fun to hear him say it. He's been saying Da' Da' for several weeks now and I think he's beginning to get the idea that it means Rob. It's fun to watch those associations start to take place.

I let Carly have her friend Isaac over today to play. I was busy feeding and taking care of Jonathon so I had them play in her room. I wasn't more than 15 steps away from the room so I could pretty well hear what was going on. Every few minutes I would stick my head in to make sure they weren't destroying the universe or killing anything living. The first time I stuck my head in they were each standing opposite ends of Carly's bed. Issac was on the headboard frame and Carly was on the foot board frame getting ready to jump into the center of the mattress so they could jump up and down on the bed. This is a two and three year old. How do they learn these things?! Anyway, I told them "NO", got them down and got them busy playing with toys again. Then I went back to feeding Jonathon.

A few minutes later I noticed something strange. It was too quiet. They were't making any noise. I went to investigate. They had removed one of her small drawers of hair clips and barrettes and were playing with them in not so hair-friendly ways. They had already been forbidden to touch these drawers on more than one occasion (especially Carly) and were even told today right when they went in the room to play not to touch them. Plus, the last time Issac visited, Carly and another friend, a girl, put lots of the pretty clips all through his hair. It was surprising, yet adorable when we opened the door and found him looking so pretty. :)  But I digress. I took these away from them; put them back in drawer and reminded them not to touch them. I then drew their attention back to the toys and I went back to Jonathon.

So Dad and I are both in the living room with Jonathon when the next thing happens. I hear a funny sound. It's a shhh-shing sound. I hear it three times coming from Carly's room. I think--"Are they sophisticated enough to make that sound with their mouths?" (Silly mommy. I am slow on the uptake today.) Of course not! I put Jonathon down and run toward Carly's room. I get there just in time to see Carly with an almost empty can of Coppertone Water Babies (Aerosol spray sunscreen for kids) which had been almost full aimed directly at Big Tom, her huge white Teddy Bear and her Giant Raggedy Ann. Some of the sunscreen had run down into her hand when she sprayed it and she looked up at me and said "Mom, sticky." Yah, so let's suffice it to say that Big Tom and Raggedy Ann can go hang out at the pool all summer long if they want and won't get sunburned any time soon.

As for Mom, she's getting a time-out. Lol!

SOME MORNINGS WHEN I LOOK IN MY MIRROR . . .

I FEEL THIS WAY TOO!

Isn't this funny? He climbed his way up and held onto the mirror all by himself. I think his distress actually is that once he got ahold of the mirror he wasn't quite sure how to let go of it and sit down again. The mirror is just leaning against the wall and I think he realized it would probably come down with him if he didn't do it just right. No worries, Momma saved him but not until she took the shot! Lol!

JONATHON ROBERT STEVEN IS ALL OFFICIAL AND EVERYTHING

And ain't he cute? Aren't they all cute? Julie had just finished Carly's hair and shot this photo of Rob with Carly and Jonathon right before Church. Carly is camera shy lately. We have to catch her unaware to get her real smile!

We had a really nice lunch after church with Susan and her family. This next picture is of Susan's two girls Ashley and Alyssa. Ashley is 15 and Alyssa is 18. Sarah's family was also going to be here but Sarah got really sick so they weren't able to make it. We hope she is feeling better soon.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Today was a beautiful day. It was about 65 degrees out and felt like shirt sleeve weather. It was surprising given that when we went to bed last night it was freezing. I was sure we were going to wake up to snow today. Thank goodness we didn't. We really want to get our vegetable garden planted. I don't want when we will stop having freezing weather but I do hope it's soon. I'd also like to plant some flowers soon, too. The only ones that seem to flourish at this moment are dandelions. Yuk!

Tomorrow on Mother's Day Jonathon is going to be blessed at church. We call it giving him a name and a blessing. It's something that is normally done in our church when a baby is first born. However, the schedule changes when a baby is adopted. We have to wait until everything is legal which in our case took eight months. (I say Legal Schmegal!) Once the baby's adoption is finalized in the court system then we can be sealed to him and have him blessed. We had Jonathon sealed to us on the 24th of April and tomorrow he will be blessed. For those of you who have never attended a blessing Rob and some other family members and friends who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood will lay their hands on his Jonathon's head and then Rob will formally gives him his name and a blessing for his life. It's a pretty neat experience.

Now in case you don't know Jonathon has a lot of names. When you are the only son (after 5 daughters) there is a lot to live up to. Jonathon is named after his Dad, both Grandfathers and his favorite uncle. Thus, Robert Jonathon Steven. In the beginning, he was a pretty tiny guy to have such a big name but trust me he is growing into it quickly and nicely. In fact, if he gets as big as we're thinking he is going to we may need to add a couple more names! Lol!

In closing, let me just say Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother who is one of my best and closest friends. I love her so much! Thanks so much for everything Mom. You're the best!

Also, Happy Mother's Day to all of you. Thanks for the mothering you do for your own children and others. You make this world a better place. I honestly believe the saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Love you all, Nancy

OH YAH, WE HAD VISITORS!

I completely forgot (which is SO unlike me--yah right) to mention that we had some Greencastle visitors about a week ago! Bob and Martha Sechman stopped by on their way home from their Winter sojourn in Arizona. Yes, they took the long way around (but it was worth it!) Mom and Dad had a terrific visit them and were so glad to see familiar faces! If any of you are ever in the area be sure to stop by. We would love to see your face!

Well, I did a little better today. I even got on the treadmill. Yes, I did. I thought it would kill me but I stayed on it. My stamina seems to be gone but I tied a rope and hung on. I walked for an hour even though it wasn't very fast. I managed to walk just over three miles. It's the first exercise I've pulled off in about two weeks. Yikes! I need to do more. Hope I can keep it up. Hate this time of year when pollen pulls me down!

Jonathon is determined to walk soon! He pulls himself up a little better each day. This little punk is strong and determined. His just bigger than him sister had better look out and be a little softer with him. One of these days if she isn't nicer to him he is going to clock her! Crazy girl!

Well, it's late and I'd better get myself in bed. Yay, it's Julie's night with Jonathon. I get to sleep tonight. :) Thanks Julie!

I GOT UP TODAY

I showered, gave the babies a bath, watched cartoons with them, fed them, put them down for a nap, put on makeup and did my hair and by the time I was done it was only 6:00 p.m.. Ever feel like you are functioning in a fog? Yah, me too. Hey, but at least today I was functioning!

Hubby was working more overtime so he didn't get home until almost 9:00 p.m. Poor guy has been putting in tons of hours. He is training a new guy and when that guy is up to speed he won't have to put in so many hours but it takes about three months to know what is going on.

Jonathon's front bottom teeth are almost all the way in. He looks cute with them. I've never seen a baby drool as badly as he does. I keep a bib on him all the time but he soaks the bib, too. He is always wet! I wish he would get past drooling stage. I'll bet he does, too. He crawls fast now and he is already standing himself up by grabbing onto things like the table or the couch. This little guy is going to walk early. We are in real trouble. Two toddlers = constant surveillance! Lol!

I need to get my mind and my energy back. If any of you run into them, please send them my way. :)

ALLERGIC TO TIREDNESS?

I hate this time of year when the pollen count is sky high and my energy level is SO low. It always takes me awhile to figure out what is going on, too. My migraines get worse and I can't find the energy to get out of bed, my eyes ache and itch and all I want to do is sleep. The last two days I have spent the majority of the day in bed, not necessarily asleep mind you. Part of that time I've had little ones crawling all over me but anytime I could get them to take a nap at the same time, I was out. Thank goodness for Grandma because she watched Jonathon when Carly took a nap so I was able to get a nap on Tuesday, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten one. Today, I actually got them down at the same time. Woohoo! My poor house, though. YeGads! It is suffering. Hopefully, I will feel better enough to get a handle on it sometime this week. Of course, it isn't helping my fatigue that Jonathon still doesn't go to bed early and isn't sleeping through the night yet. We are working on that.

Well, I did just get him down so I had best get in bed myself while I can. Love you all. Night.

AN AMAZING TRUE STORY

This is a video of a woman who along with her husband survived a small plane crash in 2008. The pilot, a good friend of theirs was killed. She writes a blog called the Nie Nie Dialogues that is really inspiring but I ran across this video yesterday and it was so powerful and inspiring to me I knew I should share it with all of you. She is an amazingly strong woman. I can't imagine being able to do as well in her shoes. Wow, what a woman! May God bless Stephanie Nielsen every day of her life with every ounce of strength, faith and hope she needs to be all she wants and needs to be while she's here on earth. Click on the link below to watch this story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E

TEACHER'S CONFERENCE, BABY FOOD AND BITING--OH MY!

Rob and I went to parent teacher conference for Julie tonight. It was hardly necessary as she is a really good student and her teachers like her really well, too. She needs to do better about turning in her assignments and can improve a little here and there but overall she's an excellent student.

I find it so interesting to watch the regression of my two year old as Jonathon progresses. He is crawling full speed now and can say "Da-Da." You will probably be just as impressed as I am to know that Carly can now do those things just as well as Jonathon, if not just a little bit better! Lol! Everytime he says "Da Da" and gets praised for it she says it several more times a little more loudly so we can praise her too. If he crawls, she crawls. If he eats baby rice with baby food bananas, that's what she eats. Nevermind the fact that I couldn't get her to eat much of that stuff when she was his age! All of the sudden, whatever baby does, Carly does. It's rather hillarious and pitiful at the same time. And trust me, it's not that she lacks for attention! This is one little girl that gets PLENTY of attention. She just likes the attention brother is getting. I just have to smile at it and give her the praise and attention she apparently thinks she needs. Otherwise, I think baby brother will get punched or bitten more than he already has. Oh, have I forgotten to mention that?

Yah, we have had a few incidents where big sister was checking the sharpness of her teeth on her baby brother--once on his toe and once on his finger. She did it to me once as well. Trust me, they are sharp and she got in BIG trouble. She has also just turned around and punched him or smacked him for NO reason at all. Well, no reason we could ascertain -- other than pure jealousy. So, we don't leave big sister alone with little brother even for a few minutes--even when they are getting along famously. That's usually when something happens, when all is well.

And really those incidents have been rare compared to how loving Carly usually is with Jonathon. She really does seem to adore him and he, her. They delight in each other's company and giggle and play together really well. Jonathon just lights up when she comes in to see him when he first wakes up and she just dances around and laughs and teases him. It's really a very cute relationship they are building--one based on much more than the sharing of baby food. Lol!

HOW CAN YOU NOT

FALL HEAD OVER HEALS FOR THESE TWO FACES? AREN'T THEY JUST SO ADORABLE?

Jonathon

Carly

STOP COLORING MY WORLD, I MEAN WALL!

I ran errands again today and left Julie to watch the babies. (Note to self--stop doing that! lol!) When I got home AGAIN baby girl had made Crayola her God and the wall her Canvas. Same exact spot; same exasperated sister. Only this time baby girl had been grounded--that's right grounded from coloring for the rest of the day. Good job big sister! Carly still doesn't understand what she did wrong. That is, she asked to color for the rest of the day and we would remind her that she colored on the wall and so she was not allowed to. She just looked at us confused. I imagine to a 2 year old those big white walls do look just like a huge canvas that need a splash of color. She probably thinks she is creating a mural for us and that we will be so thrilled when we see her artwork. Imagine her disappointment when we don't react the way she expects. :(

Oh, to be a two year old and to have such innocence again. It's so easy to get frustrated with her when she acts out but there are lots of moments when it is equally easy to stand back and look at big walls and see them as canvasses in a two year old mind. I love being a Mommy! I love trying to imagine what is going through her little mind. I love seeing her see something for the first time, hearing her say a new word, watching absolute glee come across her face because her little brother crawled over and kissed her forehead. I love the excitement on her face when she sees me for the first time each morning. I love the way she says M-O-M-M-Y! I love everything about this little girl--and I love Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power! Don't ever stop coloring my world sweet Carly--but please, stop coloring the wall before you give Julie a nervous breakdown! :}

WILL COLOR FOR GUMMIES!

Went to visit my mother-in-law today who had her knee replaced. She is doing really well. When we got home Julie was quite exacerbated, Carly was in a time out and Jonathon was just crawling around not quite knowing what to think. Turns out Carly had decided to use the hallway wall as her canvas. You know, have crayons--will color! Julie had been working feverishly to remove the Crayon from the wall. Carly was crying hysterically in her room (Not because she was sorry because she wanted to come out and color some more.) Poor Jonathon just looked terribly confused when we walked in. I think Julie might have thought she would get in trouble for the wall but I just looked at her and said "Julie, she's two. She's going to color on walls. Don't let it get you so upset. It comes off." She looked a little bit relieved at that point--though I think if I'd taken her pulse or blood pressure they would have both been high. Carly's too. I'm not sure you should leave a 16 year old sibling with a two year old sibling for longer than two hours and expect them both to be thriving when you come home. I think it was a darn good thing Grandma was in the basement or we might have come home to some serious carnage.

MY DAY

So, today we had sunshine, rain, snow, sleet and itty bitty hail. I am not sure whether to be confused about what month it is, what season it is, where I live, or whether the earth is warming or cooling. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.

MY ADORABLE BLESSING

I have the cutest little boy. I was just sitting here holding him trying to get him to go to sleep and he got the giggles. No kidding. He made me laugh and when I laughed he giggled even more. So, then I started laughing just to get him to giggle.  He has the sweetest, funniest giggle. He is a happy little guy and I love him so much. I feel so blessed to have him, and to share moments like this with him. He is the most amazing little blessing!

DIE DANDELIONS DIE ALREADY

What is it with Dandelions anyway? Rob fertilized the lawn with Scott's Turf builder and put down Weed B Gone (however you spell that) and those darn things are still there. They got a little sickly and then they perked right back up and kept coming. My dad thinks they need to be cut out of the yard but I personally don't have the energy, time or desire to do that.

Instead, I think I would rather switch than fight. In fact, why don't we all just stop fighting! I think we should make the dandelion our national flower! Then we could all sit back, relax and stop stressing when those mangy little things flood our yard! Instead, the more yellow buttons we have in our yard the more pride we can be filled with! I not only first that idea--I second it! I mean, think about it--we are killing off flowers in one area of our yard only to plant them in another area. How crazy is that?!

O.K. seriously, someone tell me how we kill these monster strong dandelions without killing the yard and without digging it up? They will not die! Arrrghh!

MY PRECOCIOUS LITTLE TWO YEAR OLD

We have a glass coffee table that gets lots of little finger prints all over it. I had just finished cleaning it when some little hands found their way back onto the table top. I asked Miss Carly to please remove her hands because I wanted the table to stay clean and I re-cleaned where she had just put her hands. As soon as I did that she put her hands back down and continued moving them all over the table. I repeatedly asked her to stop putting them on the table but she clearly did not want to do what I was asking. I even demanded that she stop it a couple of times in a really firm voice. She ignored me. Finally, I told her to stop putting her hands on the table or I would swat her bum! To my surprise she stopped immediately and I took advantage of the moment and began cleaning her hand marks off the table. I hadn't gotten very far when she returned with one of her dollies; picked up the dolly's hand and placed the dolly's hand on the table! Can you spell B-R-I-G-H-T, D-E-F-I-A-N-T, T-W-O- Y-E-A-R O-L-D? Yah, we're in for a bit of a turbulent ride for the next couple of years. I always heard the terrible two's but now people are telling me that two is nothing compared to three. Thanks a lot!

To finish off the story, though--I didn't let that dolly get the best of me. After the dolly's hand touched the table, Carly went and laid her down on the floor. I went over and picked the dolly up, swatted her rear-end and said, "No, No! Dolly! Don't touch the table with your hands! I want it to stay clean!" I decided not to look at Carly's face for a reaction but I'm pretty sure she got the point! She didn't try touching the table after that. Um, Carly--not the doll . . .

SUNDAY STUFF

Today was a pretty normal Sunday around here. We got up and went to church. Came home, took a nap and fixed dinner. Then we had some family over tonight and watched Avatar. It was pretty good. (Okay, well to be honest. What I've seen so far was pretty good.) Carly and Jonathon started acting up the last half hour so Rob and I each took a child and put them to bed and missed the ending. Guess we will catch it together later. Oh, the joys of children! Lol!

Dad over-did it a little bit yesterday. He didn't feel good at all today and was really worn out so he spent most of the day resting. Hopefully, he will have a better day tomorrow after having gotten some rest. Mom is doing really well. She is still doing PT on her shoulder and I think is making progress.

Jonathon is so active now that he is all over the place. He loves to hear his own voice, too. It is really funny! He sounds almost like a lion roaring. And he's constantly hungry--he is going to be such a BIG boy! And I thought Rob's feet were big. Ha!

BREAKING NEWS!

JONATHON IS CRAWLING! It's actually his own version of crawling which is pretty close to the real version of crawling but it's so close I think we have to count it. Plus, he moves quickly from point A to point B so regardless our lives have now changed FOREVER! He actually started doing this yesterday but for some reason I had the bouillion story stuck in my head and forgot to mention the crawling which was actually the bigger story! Geez!

Today was a really special day for us. Jonathon was sealed to us in the Provo LDS temple! For anyone who doesn't know what that means, as Latter Day Saints we believe families are forever. When we are married we are sealed to each other for time and all eternity. If Jonathon had been born to us he would have been born under that same covenant. Since he was adopted we needed to have him sealed to us. It's a very special blessing and it was such a neat day today. Here are some pictures from our day.

                     Megan, Rob, Jonathon, Nancy, Julie, Carly


 
                                  Megan, Julie and Carly
                              Daddy, Mommy and Jonathon
 

SWEET MAMA THAT AIN'T NO SUGAR

Carly has a sweet tooth that goes all the way from her teeth down to her toes. In fact, if she thinks something looks the tiniest bit like candy she has to have it. Sometimes what she thinks looks like candy isn't actually candy--but no amount of talking will convince her of that. She has to find it out all by herself.

A couple of weeks ago we went through this and I thought she had it figured out but tonight we had a repeat of the exact same situation so I'm thinking this two year-old's memory may need a re-boot! We have a couple of the big containers of bouillon--both chicken and beef. They are in pretty red and yellow foil. They look like candy. They don't taste like candy. Convince a two year old of that with only words. No way! Trouble is -- as I said. We let her prove to us two weeks ago that it was candy. She didn't win and she didn't much like it, either. Today, she had to try it again. Same result. Icky! I wonder how many times we will go through this before her eyes and her tongue connect. Hmmmm. If it happens again I'm taping it for posterity. Lol!

SUCH A HANDSOME BOY

OUR CUTE LITTLE GUY

MR. SANDMAN WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?

I used to let Carly stay up fairly late because she would sleep until 9:00, 9:30 or sometimes even 10:00 a.m. which was great for me since I have NEVER been a morning person. All of the sudden though, she is wide awake at 7:00 a.m. every morning. Gah! I don't know where Mr. Sandman went--but there is a hefty reward for his return! Luckily Jonathon still sleeps pretty late so I get Carly from her room and give her a sippy of milk and lovingly coax her into bed with me. Then I turn on her favorite cartoons and I can close my eyes for a bit longer. It may not be sleep but it allows a bit more rest. Since Carly is waking up so early now I am not letting her stay up late any more. Nope! She goes to bed between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. now. It's harder with Jonathon, though. He still doesn't allow us to go to sleep very early and he's not sleeping all the way through the night yet, either. I get up and get him a bottle 2-3 times a night still. I think he is just one hungry little boy! He's definitely in charge--and unfortunately, I think he knows it!
Babies--whatchagonnado?!

NOT A WHOLE LOT

To say tonight. Rob is sick after working two days of huge overtime. He's got a fever and chills and will have to go in tomorrow regardless of how he feels because he is helping train a new hire. Yuk. I don't feel well, either but it's mostly migraine and being over-tired. The kids (the little ones) have been especially demanding today so I suspect they aren't feeling well either. Hopefully, a lot of rest and some tlc will help this blow over quickly. Gotta hurry into dreamland if I'm going to start on all that rest. Night all.

WHAT'S JONATHON BEEN UP TO?

Have I mentioned Jonathon can say "Da Da" now? Well, he can and we can get him to repeat it. He doesn't know what he is saying but it is something he says regularly--now if we can just hook it to Rob in his mind! He has also started to shake his head "No". It's really funny when he does it. I remember when Carly started doing it. We taught her to say "Uhn-uh"--like "no". It was really funny when she would do it. We are having just as much fun trying to teach him to do the same thing. Although, he is dang cute just having a good time shaking his head back and forth with a veangeance.

 

On Saturday, we went to a blessing for a little boy who is ten days younger than Jonathon. His parents adopted him from the same agency we used and we became friends on Facebook. We met for the first time at his blessing and got some cute photos of his family and ours. I'm posting a few of the pictures on here. The little boy's name is Liron and he's an absolute doll. He and Jonathon were not quite sure what to make of each other but that didn't keep me or his mom, Miki from trying to get them to make friends.

                                 Miki holding Liron and me with Jonathon

Liron and Jonathon

Brand new best buds

MILESTONES

Jonathon's bottom front tooth broke through yesterday and the one next to it isn't far behind! Finally, all the drooling and oozing is starting to pay off. I don't know though. I'm a little sad about it. Having been through this once now with Carly, I know how fast this growing up thing starts moving. I love his little toothless grin and it seems like it's only a quick hop, skip and jump from the first tooth to a mouthful of teeth and the terrible two's! Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Hee hee!

Then, on top of beginning to get his teeth in Jonathon started sitting up on his own today! Yup! Two milestones in two days. This little guy is going for a record! It's fun to see him start to hit these milestones so easily after being so sick this past Winter. He's such a happy, fun little guy. We are so blessed to have him and be a part of his life.

AUNTY EM, AUNTY EM . . . AUNTY EM . . . AUNTY EM

Today was going along just fine until I got in my car and looked at my dashboard and noticed someone had stolen my sense of direction. That's right, most of you may have been born with a sense of direction and a lot of those other OVER-RATED QUALITIES but unlike the rest of the world, me, the tin man, the cowardly lion and a few other not so well known characters have had to aquire certain of our qualities from other sources, i.e. Ebay; the Sears and Roebuck Catalog; Radio Shack and The Great and Powerful OZ.

Seriously though, I was not amused at all to realize someone had stolen my GPS unit. My husband gave it to me as a gift about three years ago when he realized how seriously F- my sense of direction was. I had taken a part-time job about a half an hour from home in a bigger city and from time to time had to run errands in the city. I would call him for help finding my way around but I think the real clincher was the four or five times I got lost on my way home. Somehow I would get turned onto the wrong freeway and get totally lost. I would call him crying with no idea where I was. I would have to give him mile markers and land marks to identify where I was so he could get me turned around and back home. It's a really frightening thing to find your weak spot--especially when you are lost and you don't have a sense of direction and no way to figure out which way to go. Thank goodness for cell phones because I was on a desert freeway with no places of business or phone booths and no friendly faces. That's when hubby bought me a GPS. That's when I got my external sense of direction!

We actually named our GPS unit. We called her Emmy, after Aunty Em in the Wizard of Oz. So, it's kind of sad that Aunty Em is really gone this time and no amount of calling out her name is going to bring her back! Stealing is a bad thing. It's not that we can't replace the GPS. It will be costly and it's not a convenient time to do it. More than that--what they took from me was my personal safety. My ability to move around with ease. They took my external sense of direction. They took what has made me feel more normal and more like everyone else than anything else I've ever owned and that is a real drag. Danged thieves.

JUST FOR FUN (Double click on the picture below to see the full screen video.)

SISTER SARAH

My sister Sarah came today with her two kids. They drove here after Sarah got off work and are spending the night. We had a fun evening together. Mom, Sarah and I went shopping for some things for Sarah's new home (for Sarah's birthday) which is coming right up. Then we came back to the house and had pizza together and just talked and laughed and caught up.

Rob had been on a two day work trip and got back home this evening as well. I'm always so relieved when he gets home safely. It was a really nice day here. I think it got up to about 65 degrees and it wasn't too sunny or too windy--just right outside. I wish I had realized it earlier because I would have taken the kids outside and spent more time out there. I spent about an hour outside with them at a friend's house and they both really enjoyed it.

I think it's supposed to be a nice weekend so I hope we can spend some more time outside playing. I guess we had a small earthquake somewhere in Utah or nearby here yesterday and people have been asking if we felt it here. No, we didn't. I guess some people here did, but we didn't. I'm glad. Not something I want to experience!

IT'S OVER!

Grandpa's house arrest is over. He was officially released from home healthcare today. He passed his test and they checked him out of the program which means he can now leave the house for "other than emergencies and doctor appointments." Yup, if you are in home health care you are pretty much married to the house. They may as well have an ankle bracelet on you. Well, with the exception that you don't much feel like leaving the house, either. I guess that's kind of the point isn't it. Hmmm.

I got in a cleaning frenzy today and got quite a bit done. I just wish I had the energy to do it more often. Still, as much as I accomplished there is still so much left to do. Isn't that always the way, though. I need a personal assistant. No, I need a WIFE! That's what one of my bosses (a woman) used to say. It's so true, though. If we all just had a wife running around helping us we could get so much more done!

Have I told you how cute my little boy is? No, well, he is such a doll! he is at the cutest stage. He just grins and laughs and coos. My mom says he sounds like a turtle dove. He has the sweetest smile and he is such a little cuddler. He loves to be held and talked to. He is such a little grinner; he will just steal your heart away!

He is only a move or two away from crawling. I thought he was going to do it tonight. He got up on his knees and moved a couple of inches and then went down on his tummy. I was kind of glad because Rob wasn't here and I want him to be here when he crawls for the first time. I think it will happen tomorrow. Wait for it--if it happens it will be BREAKING NEWS--right here!

WHAT A DAY!

Grandpa saw two doctors today. We saw his Cardiologist and his knee surgeon and he had great reports from both. He was even able to get off the Coumadin! YAY! Also, Grandpa had his left shoulder x-rayed and it still wasn't there! :) No kidding! So, as a bonus we set a surgery date for late August to have that sucker replaced! But don't worry . . . you will get to see him at least once more before he has his new shoulder. Grandpa is doing his Bermuda shorts tour through Indiana in mid-August to show off his brand new knee. So, keep your eyes peeled for those tour dates. Coming soon to a reunion near you!

Jonathon had a very good doctor appointment today, too. (Does it sound like I went to a lot of doctor appointments today? I did.) He got a good report from his allergy specialist and doesn't have to go back for a check-up for three months! While he isn't going on any tours in the near future he can be found daily pulling himself up on his knees and trying to crawl, drooling and trying to break through his first teeth and making wild noises like he's trying to talk!

NOTHING MAJOR . . .

Happened today. I got less done than I intended to, so I guess in that regard it was a normal day. I finished laundry, paid bills, fed kids, cooked dinner and even made cookies but I had a lot more planned than that. Jonathon is getting very close to getting up on his knees. I don't think it will be long before he is crawling. He's also getting close to having teeth break through. I think it will be a week or two still but you can feel ridges in his mouth now on top and bottom and you can see white through his gums. He is such a little mover and shaker--always, always going somewhere. I thought Carly was busy. This little one is going to keep me moving.

Rob's Mom can't even get into her surgeon until the 27th of this month. She is going to see her regular doctor on Thursday and hoping he can pull some strings to get her in sooner. In case you missed it, she blew her knee out and needs a total replacement as soon as possible.

Dad is still doing really well. He was tired today but other than that he is still making really good progress. He sees his heart surgeon tomorrow (Wed.) So, I will let you know how that goes. That's all the news for now. Night all.

WE'RE IN SUCH TROUBLE NOW . . .

It was cute when she took her first steps, said her first words, gave her first kiss. Yes, all the firsts were cute--O.K. maybe not all of them. Yah, well along the latter line of thinking. Carly climbed out of her crib for the first time the other day and boosted open the not-so-kiddie-proof lock on her door and came walking out from her nap before it had even started. She was genuinely surprised that we were upset about it. I think she thought we would be outside the door with an audience clapping wildly at her feat! She was madly disappointed when we put her back in bed and shut the door again.

She repeated the same episode with identical results the first two attempts I made to give her a nap today. I finally wrestled control back but not before I was almost convinced that the inmates were running the asylum! The third try stuck but I'm afraid I'm in for a whole lotta trouble now that she knows she can climb her way free. Yikes!

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT THE DRAMA WAS ABOUT TO END . . .

Finally, we think we are getting everyone well and healthy again and we get a phone call on Saturday and find out Rob's mom blew her knee out and has to have a total knee replacement! Poor woman! We went to check on her today and she is in a lot of pain but has to wait until she talks to her surgeon Monday to see how soon they can get her in to do the replacement. Hopefully it won't take long. She's been through a lot lately.

Grandma (my Mom) made a yummy dinner tonight. We had chicken and dumplings and homemade mashed potatoes. Then for dessert she made a homemade Apple cobbler. Delish! None of us could move afterward. We just rolled from place to place the rest of the evening. Lol!

DID I MENTION . . .

Jonathon was not at all happy about having his picture taken?!



Nope, he sure wasn't! But ain't he a cute little mad guy? Hee hee hee! :)

BIG SMILES - GROWING BABIES

We went and had some pictures taken today with the little ones. I don't know why picture time always turns into screaming and crying time but sure enough right when they are supposed to pose for the camera both Carly and Jonathon were pouting or in tears. It took a ton of clowning around, begging, pleading and pulling our hair out to get a few good shots. So frustrating! Especially since most of the time at home they are fairly easy going and happy kids and easy to get a smile out of! Gah!

GRANDMA AND GRANDPA WITH THE BUBSTER

So Sweet.


(Yah, he was probably on the phone with you!)


Grandma's Boy!