Christmas Cookies

These pictures are deceiving.  Sure, it is fun to make cookies with the kiddos, they sure seem to enjoy it.  I don't suggest doing it when you are pressed for time and the kiddos are a little grouchy.  What these pictures don't show is all the, "I wanted that cookie cutter!" or "It's my turn!" or "I don't have enough room!" or "Stop fighting kids or I am going to beat you with a hose!"  (just kidding, I absolutely did not say that last part but I can see how one might be tempted to threaten in that manner!)

I think the dog had the most fun.  He waited at my feet for all the cookie dough to drop to the ground.

On another note, want to know a tip?  Some might know this but some may not.  I learned this about 2 years ago and it has saved me time and money on sprinkles.

If you cut the cookie out and want to put sprinkles on before baking, to avoid a bigger mess than necessary, put the cookie cutter back on the cookie.  That way minimal sprinkles roll off and are wasted.  As you can see, it is not perfect, but we were just lucky to get through that night!

Slumber Party for Emily

Last Friday Gracey had her first sleepover party with a friend.  Of course Emily wanted to go and felt a little bad that she was left out.  Corky and I didn't have anything else planned so we got her all excited for a special night with just the two of us.  We took her to see the Muppets Movie, which she absolutely loved.  She was real excited about that but was still not okay with sleeping by herself in her bedroom.  The way she said, "Well who is going to sleep in my bedroom with me?" nearly broke my heart.  Am I being hormonal or is it normal to have felt so sad for her?  I don't know.  Either way, Corky ended up making her a sweet fort in our bedroom.  She and Buster slept all through the night in there and didn't make a peep.

The next morning when Gracey came home and heard all about Em's fun night, Gracey insisted on sleeping in a fort as well.  We moved the fort from the master bedroom to the girls room and that is where they slept again.

Will forts ever get old?

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andrew A. Rooney

I am a proud mom to 2, almost 3, daughters.  I am also a proud dog-mom to our dog Buster.  He is like all of my kids.  He can be messy, dirty, stinky, and naughty.  He also loves this family unconditionally.  The past few months he has made me want to pull my hair out at times.  We leave him in the backyard when we leave the house and he drags wood from the woodpile everywhere.  He noses through my craft stuff and has ruined a few pieces of fabric by his chewing. And just recently he chewed on, and ruined, the extension cord for our outdoor Christmas lights.  Luckily it was not plugged in, although I wonder if that would have taught him a lesson.   He is not even a year old yet so I tell myself that as long as we are consistent with our discipline, like with children, these phases will pass.

With all of that naughty stuff said, he is such a super sweetie.  He loves his kids (Gracey and Emily) and unfailingly loves me and Corky.  He is my side-kick all day long and follows me from room to room.  He doesn't always need attention, he just likes to be where the people are.  He is my co-pilot every morning when I take Gracey to school and the afternoons that I take Emily to preschool.  I swear he knows our daily routine as well as anyone in this house.  Just today I had someone ask me if I take my dog with me everywhere I go.  I said, "Oh yeah, as long as I don't have to get out of the car for more than a minute then he is usually with me." Here he is just today on our drive home from dropping kiddos off.

Last night he was cracking me up.  Corky had just gotten home from a trip to Georgia for work, and I had gotten home from the youth activities at our church.  The girls were in bed, the house was clean, and Corky and I just laid on the living room floor together to catch up and relax.  It didn't take long for Buster to want to join the party.  He kept creeping closer and closer, especially to Corky who is his favorite person ever.  I had my phone with me so I snapped a few photos of his progress.

Here is his please-let-me-snuggle-with-you-guys-I-promise-I-will-be-good pose!

A minute later, his pleading was a little less subtle as he kept nudging Corky with his nose and hands.

Finally, he did make his way to resting his head on Corky's chest with me.  I didn't get a picture of that but you can imagine that it was a little crowded.  

When decided to get up off the floor and head to bed Buster interpreted that as playtime.  This game is one of his favorites.  We tell him to get his tail so he runs in circles until he finally gets it, and then we tell him to bring it to us.  It's a little confusing and he usually looks like he is dizzy trying to walk like that, but he always manages to bring his tail to us.

One of these days I will post a video of his tricks.  He is quite the pro and keeps us, and many others, pretty entertained.

Breaking in the new car seat!

We purchased a new car seat and stroller this week thanks to the smokin' deals of Cyber Monday.  The car seat we had used for Gracey and Emily expired about a year ago so we have been in the market for a new travel system.  I was hoping to buy a more neutral color of fabric just in case by some miracle we are able to have another baby, and by another miracle, it is a boy.  This hot pink car seat though was about $45 cheaper than the exact same model but with neutral colors.

The travel system arrived yesterday and Corky and the girls couldn't wait to to put it together.  It has already been put to use carrying baby dolls and diaper bags as the girls have been playing a non-stop game of "Babysitter."  

29 Weeks and 5 Days

Thankfully this pregnancy has been absolutely perfect so far but my regular OB has me see the specialist (Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor) every 6-8 weeks or so.  It's no big deal, and I am sure I will get more into why eventually.  Just with genetic history and our personal history we drive the two hours to Wichita for those appointments.

If the drive wasn't such a pain in the butt, not to mention absolutely boring, (not kidding... there is hardly anything but plains in between Independence and Wichita), I would love going there.  The MFM's office is wonderful and advanced, the nurses and staff are so nice, and it is right next to a Jimmy John's.  Need I say more?

Today I had an appointment there.  They called me into the back where they do the ultrasounds on a giant 52" LCD screen (it's as awesome as it sounds!), and told me their system was down.  While they were waiting they would do my weight and blood pressure.  It was taking longer to re-boot than expected but they kept me patient by feeding me cookies and drinks.  Not just cookies that somebody brought from home, although I would not have turned those away, these were the fancy bakery sugar cookies!  Then staff didn't leave me alone for a second, but I didn't feel it was because they weren't allowed or anything.  We just talked and joked, ate cookies, and talked some more.  I actually really enjoyed myself.

Finally they were able to start the ultrasound.  Baby Girl was balled up tight but was cooperative enough to allow all the measurements to be taken that were needed.  However, when it was time to take the fun pictures of her face and hands, she refused.  We couldn't get a single shot of even her profile.  What a little stinker!!  She weighs in at a whopping 3 lb. 6 ounces!!  She is up a whole pound and a half from just 3 weeks ago.  Plus, she is measuring a whole week ahead of schedule.  Even 3 weeks ago, and all the ultrasounds prior to today, she was measuring almost a week behind.  Apparently she really benefited from my Thanksgiving gluttony!

I have had 3 people tell me in the past week or so that by the looks of my suddenly protruding stomach, Baby Girl has had a growth spurt.  Today confirms that she really has.

This is the only picture worth showing today. (picture of a picture...how lame am I?)  She showed her foot and that is about it.  I normally get an image cd of the pictures and videos from the ultrasound but there wasn't any point today to burn one when her foot is the only thing recognizable.  Regardless....it sure is a cute foot, right?

And what is a pregnancy update without a picture of the protruding belly I spoke of?  This was tonight before dinner with my other two ladies!  They sure are excited to have a new baby soon.

This picture is taken at the funkiest angle.

Oklahoma City Temple

Last Saturday (November 19th) we had the opportunity to help clean the temple after it had closed up for the weekend.  The closest temple that we live by is the Oklahoma City temple.  It is about a 3 hour drive from Independence.  Corky and I were looking forward to doing some of the cleaning inside, and since going down and back home in one day makes for a really long day for the kiddos, we planned ahead to make a little weekend of it.  We used some hotel points that Corky has accumulated and drove down Friday night.  The girls always think it is super cool to stay at a hotel, especially if we get to eat the continental breakfast in the lobby the next morning.  After breakfast, we found some outlet malls and got a little jumpstart on our Christmas shopping before we had to head over to the temple.

While Corky and I were inside the temple, we set the girls up in the waiting room with our iPods where they could watch some movies we downloaded for them.  They behaved so well and I really enjoyed being able to be inside the temple with Corky, rather than having to take turns to watch kiddos.  We both realize that with a new baby coming, we are going to be having to go back to switching off in order to enjoy more temple trips.  We are for sure enjoying the perks of having older, independent children for sure.

Even though the girls were very well behaved, and complimented by so many on their good manners while waiting, they were getting pretty excited to get outside and run around....as you can see by their goofiness!

Sunday Walks

Before it got so chilly outside we really enjoyed Sunday walks together as a family.  It gets us out of the house and is a good little outlet for everyone our our day of rest!  Too much resting can be a little boring!  I had my camera with me this day and snapped a few pictures of our funny kids, dog included.

Buster is such a great dog.  He loves walks most of all and once we get going we often take him off of his leash.  When we give him the okay to run, he takes off in a sprint.  When we holler for him to come back to us, he does.  When he is off of his leash and a car is passing, we have him sit still so he doesn't run out in the road.  We also like to test his obedience by having him sit and stay while we move on ahead.  He has to stay until we give him the okay to catch up.

This day, he was getting happily worn out by all the coming and going.  This is a little collage of him coming back to me and Corky.

Emily got a little ahead of us on her bicycle and decided she would take a nap on the sidewalk while waiting for us to catch up. She thought she was so funny, and Gracey thought she'd help her by lifting her back up.  Miraculously this time, they didn't end up fighting about it and seemed to both get a kick out themselves.  

Gracey's Class Fall Party

Last Wednesday I was able to go into Gracey's classroom and help with her little Thanksgiving party.  Emily didn't have school that afternoon so she was a helper as well.  Before the kids started the party, Emily helped me pass out all the supplies to make apple turkeys.  She was pretty excited to be there and to be helping.  She was really excited when she got to scoot a chair next to Gracey and make one herself.

Gracey's class is funny.  I have become pretty familiar with most of the kids.  I try and make it to Gracey's school every other week or so to have lunch with her.  It is fun for Gracey and fun for myself to see Gracey during the day. I will admit that I have to brace myself every time.  With so many little kids eating in a cafeteria, the noise sometimes escalates and can definitely assault the senses, especially when so many little kids just isn't my thing. I think it is helping Emily get ready for kindergarten too.  Anyway, at this party the kids know who I am and are certainly not shy.  For example, they aren't too shy to ask how the baby is going to come out of my body. We have been pretty open with Gracey as to how babies normally are born, but I wasn't going to open that can of worms with other people's kids!  My response was, "Ummmm, I am going to the hospital and the baby will be born there!"  Total deflection fail but I hurry and changed the subject!  They can ask their own parents!

Can this be considered the official announcement?

I am pregnant.

It has been a long road to being able to have another baby.  3.5 years to be exact.  I spent a few days writing a very detailed account of what we have been done in our attempts to add to our troupe, but it is really long.  I don't mind sharing it, I just want to be able to take more time to edit, breakdown, and explain for our family's record how the last few years have been.

To sum it up though, here's a brief rundown.

-Emily was a year old, we started going for baby #3.  I had my IUD (intro uterine devise) removed.  It was not placed correctly and had to be surgically removed from my abdomen.  All seemed fine.

-10 months later I had my regular women's exam and brought up how we hadn't conceived yet.

-I took clomiphene (fertility drug that promotes ovulation) for 6 months with no success, even on the highest dose.

-I got a 2nd opinion from another doctor but again was unable to pinpoint what could have been causing infertility.

-We took a much needed 6 months break of worrying about it.

-We consulted with a fertility specialist, did lots of testing and analysis and finally figured out that I had significant amount of scar tissue from my misplaced IUD.  The scar tissue was preventing my fallopian tubes from being capable of pick up embryos.  Surgery could not correct the problem.

- 2 years after our first attempts to conceive, we attempted in vitro fertilization.  We did two attempts, both  ending unsuccessfully.

- We got news we would be moving to Kansas.  We decided it was the perfect time to end the chapter of trying to conceive and move on, grateful and so thrilled with our two healthy daughters.  We honestly couldn't have been more happy and had complete assurance that it was all apart of Heavenly Father's plan.

- June 2011, I was late.  I had been late before but didn't put too much weight into it.  Since attempting IVF, my cycle is unusually long.  About a week longer than the average woman.

-June 28, 2011.  I showered and noticed tenderness in my chest.  That only ever happened during puberty and when I was pregnant with my girls.  I still wasn't convinced completely but decided to spend a dollar at the dollar store to get a cheap pregnancy test.  I take the test, sure that it will be another negative (I have NEVER gotten a positive result while taking a pee test).  I was in complete shock when it was positive!

Complete shock, you have no idea!!!

--------------------------------

Here we are now, I am 28 weeks pregnant with another precious girl.  We told nobody (other than doctors of course) that I was pregnant until I was out of my 1st trimester.  I can probably name all the people on one hand who I told after that.  We didn't start telling people until we knew she was a girl (at 18 weeks) and that things were going super smoothly.

We are so so so incredibly blessed.  Before becoming pregnant this time and after all the difficulties we faced, Corky and I were blessed with the peace of knowing that Heavenly Father's plan is ultimately the plan we want.  Our plan for so long was to add more children to our family, but we realized that if that was not part of Heavenly Father's plan, we were okay with it.  We felt guided throughout the whole process and believe that we were guided to make the decisions we made simply so that we could learn the lessons we did.  Now though, we are incredibly grateful and absolutely thrilled that Heavenly Father's plan does include another child for us.

Here is a picture of me 2 weeks ago.  I was 26 weeks along.  I can assure you that this little girl has had a growth spurt since then.  I wore that belt 2 days ago and had to wear it looser than when this picture was taken.

Guilty!

I had a doctor appointment today in the afternoon, during the few hours that both of my girls were at school at the same time.  I dropped Emily off at school at 12:30 then came home and had a light lunch, knowing that I was going to be weighed soon.....and it probably wasn't going to be pretty!  I must say, I rarely drink soda pop.  If I do, it is usually a drink of Corky's.  If we have it in the house, it is not because I bought it.  It is usually purchased if Corky goes to put gas in his car at night or something.  We happened to have a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi in the fridge and for some reason I decided to have a  little.  When I say a little, I am talking about 5 ounces.  I used one of the girls drinking glasses, that is how little I had.

I go to my doctor appointment about 2 hours later, get weighed (151 lbs....8 pounds up from 4 weeks ago.  Oopsie!) and I also give a urine sample.  As I am waiting for the doctor in my exam room, I am thinking things are going pretty good.  The doctor and nurse walk in at the same time and the nurse asks, "What in the world did you have for lunch today?"  I was shocked and confused by her question.  She said, "You have SO MUCH sugar in your pee!"  My sugar level was so high that the nurse wondered if I was in the middle of doing the glucose test.  I did that about 2 weeks ago by the way and things were completely normal, thank goodness.

Pepsi!!!  Dang it!  I got caught red-handed.

Immediately I tell the doctor what happened, how I don't even really like Pepsi, and that I rarely have soda!  I was preparing myself for a lecture from my usually over-cautious doctor, instead I got a sarcastic, "We are going to put you on a diet, young lady!"  She was clearly joking, and I was clearly embarrassed.

I learned two lessons that day.  First lesson was reminder to me of why I don't drink soda pop regularly.  If 5 oz can spike my sugars that significantly, imagine what even more does.   Second lesson, if I am going to indulge and subsequently be caught for it, I might as well not waste it on Pepsi.....I will take the Mountain Dew!!!

7 great years of Gracey

Gracey is 7 years old today.  I am still trying to wrap my head around that.  When I think of seven year olds generally, I just imagine little kids.  When I think of Gracey though, I see a little person that is kind, caring, fun-loving, and mostly obedient.

She has been looking forward to her birthday for months.  When she got her ears pierced last year for her birthday, we told her that she couldn't even consider changing her earrings for at least a year.  She remembered our little deal and has been hoping for some new earring for a long time.  Grandma Joyce pulled through for her and got her some sweet little flower earrings that she can change out with my help.  (Call me controlling, but I don't want earrings to get lost or dropped down the drain.  With her sensitive ears, those quality earrings don't come cheap!)

Some fun things to remember about Gracey right now is how much she is learning to love books.  She has become a great reader and absolutely loves the accomplishment of finishing a book on her own, no matter how big or small it is.

She loves her family very much.  She loves the family hug that she initiates each night before bed.  When I talk about an upcoming weekend and ask if there is anything she wants to do, she often says, "Oh, just do something as a family!"

She is a great student.  At her last Parent/Teacher conference, her teacher told us that she is well liked in the classroom.  She says that when Gracey finishes her assignment, she is eager to help other students when she is allowed.  If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, as of 1st grade, she now wants to be a teacher.

She is becoming pretty good at popping wheelies on her bicycle.

She is a sensitive soul.  Just last night, shortly after getting Gracey and Emily to bed, Gracey came out to me with tears in her eyes.  When I asked her what the matter was, she said, "I like birthdays, but they make me kind of sad because it means I am getting older and almost going off to college."  It made me want to cry too, because I know how fast time can actually go and I know I will be a mess when my children moves on to bigger things!  I assured her (as much as I was assuring myself) that we don't have to worry about that for 10 more years, so we can enjoy birthdays as much as we can.  It was so sweet.  Gosh!


Corky and I are so blown away with this little person.  Her enthusiasm is not only contagious, it is entertaining.  We say to her multiple times a day, beginning in the early mornings, "Gracey, stop making all the noises!"  Whether she is tapping her feet, drumming on the table, or making all sorts of noises with her mouth, she is ALWAYS making noise and being excited about something.  It drives us nuts often, but makes us laugh mostly!

Happy Birthday to our Gracey-girl!

Happy Halloween 2011

Neewollah 2011

This town puts on quite the party.  If you remember from last year, we had some friends visit to share in our first Neewollah experience.  This year we were lucky enough to have visitors again.  Grandma Joyce, Bailey, and Skyler all got some good deals on flights that happened to coincide with all the festivities.

The highlight of Neewollah is the food, unfortunately.  Vendors from all over line the main street downtown to serve up their greasy, fried, too-expensive, but oh-so-tasty food!  The smell of the town for 4 days straight is enough to bring your cholesterol levels up.  I save my calories all year long for these few days!  At the Neewollah headquarters here in town, they sell a shirt will a checklist of all the classic foods that are sold.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the food that we devoured.  I think between all of us, we pretty much had it all.

Bailey was the first to try the deep fried Snickers.  If I hadn't already be overly stuffed, it would have tasted so much better.  It was surprisingly delicious.  It had a "s'mores" flavor to it, but it definitely cannot be considered a light snack.  Here is a picture of Bailey and Grandma Joyce watching her fried snickers be prepared.  They were captivated!

Look at that menu of just ONE of the vendors!

(not pictured: Jaffle, Corn Dog, Indian fry-bread, Peach Cobbler, and Homemade Rootbeer)

The girls had a lot of fun choosing a couple of rides and games to play at the carnival.  Only a couple though.  I wasn't in the mood to go bankrupt because I wanted to purchase outrageously priced tickets for the kiddos.

Neewollah Kiddie Parade 2011

The kid's parade is for any kid in town to participate in.  They are separated into age groups, from infants to toddlers, all the way to 5th grade (I think). Most of the kids just walk, luckily for mine though, Emily's preschool always has a float that allows the students and any of their siblings to ride on.  They have a lot of fun doing this each year, especially when it means they get more chances to wear their Halloween costume.

Here is Gracey as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz"

Emily is Little Red RidingHood, particularly Little Red from the movie "Hoodwinked!" (the boy digging for gold is Emily's best buddy Josh.)

The kids riding the float and having a great time!

Hula

Gracey and Emily joined a Hula group at the beginning of October and already have a performance under their grass belts!  Talk about adorable.  I die a little every time they dance the hula, it is the cutest thing ever!

They performed at the Neewollah bandstand!  Gracey, Emily, and their friend, Elizabeth performed the Hookey Lau all by themselves and really stole the show.  They were quite the performers.  I can't wait to get the video imported onto the computer so that everyone can see!

Prayers for a squirrel

This evening as we were driving home, Gracey and Emily were telling me about a dead squirrel that was in the middle of the road just a couple of houses down from us.  Roadkill in this area is absolutely common.  Not a day goes by that I don't pass, or nearly kill with my own car, a squirrel, armadillo, or racoon.  Upon noticing this squirrel, they hopped off of their bikes to examine it a little further.  Gracey said that it had a couple of acorns surrounding it so she assumed that it was taking the acorns home to eat.  She then said the squirrel was cute even though one of it's eyes was bulging out.

Emily also described the scene as well, retelling me about the eyeball and the acorns.  Then to my suprise, she said, "Then we kneeled down a said a prayer for the squirrel."

I was taken by complete surprise.  I asked, "You knelt down in the middle of the road and said a prayer the squirrel?" 

Emily and Gracey both said "Yep!"

Of course I think that is so super sweet of my girls.  It shows their gentle hearts, kind spirits, and strong love they have for animals.  However, if I would have actually seen my two kids, or any kid for that matter, kneeling in the middle of the road praying over some roadkill, I would be the one they would be praying for next...simply because I would DIE laughing! 

This simple story really made my night.  I wish I could have seen them out there, or better yet, heard what was said in this particular prayer for the squirrel.

I love my girls!!

POST EDIT:  Just to be clear, I did not laugh or make fun of the girls for praying for the squirrel, my laughter was all in my head.  I am actually quite happy that they chose to do so.  We have been praying as a family lot this week for another family that we know that tragically lost a loved one.  I am grateful that they are learning the importance of praying, even if it over a dead squirrel. 

A little camp trip

Friday night, on a whim, we decided to go camping.  We packed up our stuff and drove the whole five minutes to the Elk City State Park.  Our next door neighbors were going to be there too, and since we could only spend one night, we just shared a spot with them.  We beat them up there, plus it was already dark, so we had just enough time to set up our tent, build and fire, and make some s'mores.  I was surprised at the pictures that I took.  Like I said, it was really dark so they turned out okay for my sweet little camera. 

 

We took Buster along, once again, and he was in heaven.  There are so many things to smell and explore for a dog! 

The next morning we hung out with our friends some more, at breakfast, and packed up.  It was the quickest, easiest, camp trip we have been on.  We love living so close to such a great place to stay.  I know there are a lot of great places to camp in this part of the country, but you can't beat living only 5 minutes away.  It is a cinch to pack your bags and go, knowing that if you do forget something (like, I don't know, camp chairs) you it is easy to hop back in the car and run home and grab it.  While it is close enough to be convenient, it is far enough out of the regular routine that you still feel like you enjoyed a little get-away!

On our way home, the weather was gorgeous and so we had the windows down and Buster couldn't have been more happy on Gracey's lap.  For the life of me, I could not get a picture of him with his eyes open until I took the camera out of his face. 

I loved it, Corky loved it, Buster loved it, and the girls really loved it!  Happy Camping!