Sunday again! You know it's spring/summer when weeks fly by like this.

Yesterday we had an extremely rare weekend day where we had nothing planned. We talked about several activities we could do but my letting Gary sleep in and the kids needing naps limited us. We ended up going to the nature center near us which was a lot of fun. The kids both loved the turtles in the pond and we all enjoyed the walk and the fresh air. It was a great change of pace to do something free and educational but still be together and having fun. We rarely do things just the four of us and it was a special time. We came home and napped while Gary went to work then ran off to the Bush's to watch what would turn out to be the final Cavs game of the season. When we got there Pops had the tractor charged up to take the kids on a little ride around the yard- arguably Tyler's favorite part of the entire day. They rested/slept well while the game was on and when it ended we returned home to bed.

Today was cousin Brandon's graduation party out in Columbiana which was fun. We got to see and even meet a lot of Pop's family which meant a lot to us. Now Gary's at work with Tyler (who is watching TV i'm sure) and I"m entertaining Grace. We've played with many toys, puzzles, food, dishes, colored and used the "little grace potty" so mommy's taking a quick break. :)

There isn't much news to share but it's been a wonderful week. The rain we expected to go on for days only came twice, and primarily at night. We spent many days playing in the sandbox and in the yard. Tyler's preschool work is going well. He's listening better, and his fine motor skills have greatly improved. I"m confident that another year of maturation and pushing his academic skills will be very valuable to him when he begins Kindergarten. Based on most lists i've come across he's at or above where he should be to begin Kindergarten already. Until next time.... God Bless!

Grace playing dressup on her birthday- new shoes, purse, gloves and necklace!

GO CAVS!! I really hope they win! We don't have cable anymore and we watched the last two games over at Gary's parents. It's exhausting though, bringing hte kids home at midnight and getting them back in bed before i can get ME in bed! Tonight Gary wanted to watch so he's at work watching I think... or at his parents. I'm enjoying peace and quiet. I got the kitchen cleaned up and while I SHOULD do laundry, I thought now would be a good time to catch myself up on life here.

We got Grace a sand and water table for her birthday and it's been a big hit in this great summer weather we've had. So has the picnic table my mom got her. They want to eat every meal out there and since it keeps the kitchen floor cleaner, we eat at least lunch there when we can! I don't know what i'd do with out a nice back porch to send them out on!!

Last Wednesday we met my dad at Chuck-E-Cheese's. He's been begging to get to go with us since last October or so and I finally gave in. It was a really fun night and the kids, of course, loved it. It was another reminder of what a big girl Grace is getting to be.

Friday night we went out for haircuts and I let Tyler get a buzz. I hate buzz haircuts but I know they are good summer cuts and they sure are practical for the hairwashing time of day. Saturday we went to Penny's in an attempt to get a good family photo. We got lots of good ones of the kids and a couple good ones of the four of us. I"m anxious to see if they look as good on paper as they did on the computer screen. Grace has had a runny nose pretty bad and I fear that's going to show. eek!! I think she might have allergies and am kicking myself I didn't ask the doctor about it Wednesday at her 2yr checkup. The nurse measured her at 35 inches and 25 pounds. I know the pounds are right but the Dr and I both agree the length is a bit generous. She's growing at a good pace and healthy and fully on target for development.

For Memorial Day we went to the parade in Alliance and then to the Bush's for a cookout. it was a beautiful day and we stayed outside and the kids just ran and ran most of the day. It was supposed to rain today but so far it has only sprinkled. We've loved getting outside so much but the grass and the flowers sure need the rain we're supposed to get!

Seems like there should be more to share but we live a nice, quiet, boring life and I'll leave it at that. We love it. Blessings!

Tyler blowing bubbles at our house Monday Grace resting on Grandma's couch... this one shows how big she's getting!! Grace got VERY excited when the Carnation Queen's came in the parade. The kids and their flags.

   We went and got pictures taken today at JC Penny's.  It went really well.  Here are 3 of our favorites!      

Grace is TWO today!!

We had her birthday party yesterday and it was so much fun. I was so excited to have the whole family and some of our friends here for the big day. We definitely do NOT have room to have family and friends as the kids get older and get more friends though! I made her a Winnie the Pooh cake which she loved. Saturday night Grandma Sandra came after work to stay over and she helped me get things cleaned up. Amazing how many dishes i dirty when making and decorating a cake. We had a good day at church and she wore her birthday dress and her new favorite accessory- her sandals. We went to McDonald's for lunch with mom and the Bush's which was fun. We talked a lot about our upcoming beach trip and, believe me, we're all getting more excited by the day! Grace napped well but Tyler didn't. Guests began arriving a little after 3 and we just had a wonderful time. We ate and then did presents and then the cake. She blew out her candles and it was TOO CUTE! It could be months before I get good photos because Gary and I focused on getting video and so i'll be waiting for grandparent photos. Thanks to everyone who helped clean up all the food and do all the dishes. After everyone left we cleaned up the toys, vacuumed the cake out of the carpet and got the furniture back in place. Then we bathed the kids and all four of us were in bed by 9:30!

Today is her actual Birthday- May 18th. I can't believe that only two years ago I was getting admitted to the hospital ready to have her. She's been such a blessing in our lives and we are so excited for what the Lord has for her future. She's been such a good girl and she's my princess for sure. She's a girly girl through and through. She loves to wear shoes, dresses and have "pretties" in her hair. She loves to read books and color, play dishes and carry things around in her purse. She's also VERY active! She can climb up on the table and will stand on the chairs (before getting caught and diciplined), she LOVES to be outside chasing her brother and playing in the dirt. She loves to swing and can do her slide all by herself and loves balls of all shapes and colors. She talkes constantly and can hold a crayon and pencil better than her brother. :) She's a girl through and through! She's so very fun and loving and her smile can cheer anyone up. We love her so much!

Happy Birthday Armandina Grace!

Mothers Day Weekend

The days are flying by for us! Last week on Friday we had the Kelloggs over which was SO much fun. They brought Grace a birthday present and cupcakes and princess gear so she and Faith could celebrate. I thought we were celebrating Josh and Jackie but Josh would not wear his tiara. :( bummer! Sometime I'll have gary post pictures because we got some cute ones. I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how to post pictures on this site the way I want too and the stress and screaming at the computer is really not worth it. :) Saturday I drove Jackie to Amish Country to meet Connie and we spent the day shopping and gabbing. It was heavenly. What a wonderful Mother's Day present- my THIRD Saturady off! Jackie isn't likely to ever ride with me again since it was only because of her GPS that we got there and back. I'm a pretty cautious driver so I hope she did not have elevated blood pressure all day. :) When we got back she and Josh and Faith headed home and Gary's parents came over so Gary and I could go out. We had no idea where to go or what to do with ourselves. I"ve decided we need to write down what we want to do on nights we talk about it but cant' so that when these date nights DO come around we can have suggestsions of our own.
Sunday I got the surprise of my life when I opened my mothers day gift and it was A CRICUT!!!! I refused to open it and threatened to take it back, then had a major meltdown because I can't find Grace's white button down sweater anywhere (still can't- have you seen it?) and I HAD to have it to go with her white summer dress (we've now officeally grown out of all winter clothes so summer better hurry on up and get here!!!!!!). We made it to church "on time" but argued the whole way about the expense of my gift on top of dinner and a day in Amish country and how the kids need socks and shoes and I've been out of conditioner for two weeks. The way we spend our money is often a source of contention but through it all Gary stood firm that he wanted me to have it. I finished getting me and the kids ready and fed while Gary had worship team practice. The service was so nice and Tyler sat fairly well through the part he had to be there for. After church we went to lunch with the Bush's and Pap which was very nice. I'm at the point in my pregnancy that buffets are a good thing because I need the options and can actually eat enough to make it worthwhile. :) We "discussed" Gary's generosity most of the way to my mom's and I gave in. I've wanted one of these for years, I love it and I KNOW I'll get a lot of use out of it. Plus now I can have people over to use it and give myself some more scrapping time (once I figure out how to download and print photos of course). The visit to my mom's was very fun and it was SO nice to just eat pizza and not have to cook or clean up after a large meal. It was so nice to spend time with family too.
Monday Hannah and her kids drove down from Cleveland and they had a blast. The boys played in the dirt in teh back yard (and there is not much of it!) for hours and the girls napped well so Hannah and I actually got a lot of good visiting time.
I spent yesterday trying to motivate Tyler to do his schoolwork faster than a snail, ironed about 8 tuesdays worth of stuff and tried to recover from my weekend. Today my dad was here for lunch so not much other than school, and additional ironing and landry has been completed. I"m gearing up for a big weekend again though! Saturday we celebrate my Grandma's 75th Birthday and Sunday we celebrate Grace's 2nd Birthday. Lots to do!
Today our baby is at week 16. I've been asked a lot lately if I"m feeling anything. I"m in that 'I think so but i'm not sure (so i'm saying no)' stage. I'm sure (s)he is moving around a lot but i'm too busy to feel it. I know usually it's easier to feel in bed when you are resting but I keep forgetting or I try to feel and freak myself out. I"m starting to look pregnant so that's a good sign. The baby is now the size of an avacado. Hopefully my uterus around it is much bigger because it's pushig all my lovely belly fat out. I can wear my regular clothes a size or two up but they just don't fit right so i'm mostly wearing smaller maternity pants and my own shirts or small maternity shirts. I"ve not gained anything yet but my body has most definately changed. Last week I was tickleing Grace's belly and poking her and she said, "Stop touching me. Me baby in belly." oiy! I said no my dear! The Baby is in MOMMY"S Belly! There won't be a baby in your belly for many many years! Let's hope/pray at least 18 more years and post-wedding band!!! it was cute though. She says it a lot and sticks out her little tummy. Once i correct her though she'll pat the reall baby and kiss my tummy. Tyler tells everyone we're going to have another baby- mostly people who already know but he's caught a couple off guard at church. It's kind of fun to be approached and asked if it's true. I ask how they heard (assuming Gary's parents) and they say Tyler. Apparently my hands are going to be full.... which apparently means right now they are empty? ;)

http://mecuriorealestate.com/?mls_number=9009252&content=expanded&this_format=0

Our house is for sale and listed online! Tell everyone you know and PRAY!!!

I had my 14 week Dr. Appt today. My group of doctors opened an office right here in the town I live in which is SO much more convenient! It was also very relaxed as an atmosphere because there were about 4 people in the whole building as opposed to 400. The doctor I met is new sice Grace was born and was wonderful. I like her a LOT. My belly is measuring just right and the baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. It was so nice to get to hear it again. She had a hard time following it for long because Tyler was talking her hear off and the baby was "swimming all over the place." :) Active is good at this point but i hope (s)he isn't TOO active! :) We discussed my history and she thought i might be able to be induced again if I want to at 39 weeks. Something we'll definitely consider and pray about. Ultimately I need to talk to my preferred doctor (who induced me and delivered Grace) to see what she says. I figure she knows me "best" and I want to get her input. I've gotten this from the nurse practitioner and a doctor now though so I think in the end it will be up to us. This past couple weeks I've felt much better and stopped losing weight. Getting out of the weight loss mindset is very hard when pregnant! You go through those months where you can't eat anything and after 4 years of steadily losing weight (with a break to have Grace of course) and increasing my health, I can't deny that seeing the number go down gave me mixed emotions. It's a thrill to see it, but immediately fear enters- is this good for the baby? I've finally got my appetite back so it's nice to just be in "control" mode. I also like that if I want to cheat (a little) I can without paying for it in the gym! Assuming I don't cheat every day! So with my new ability to eat more than just crackers and bagels and apples I've also got glimpses of energy and the sunshine has been a huge help. So last week we traveled to PA on Wed. for Lori's birthday, I took Grace shopping with me while the boys went to the Tribe game, I went back to PA to have a girls day with Lori on Saturday and we played outside a LOT the next few days! This week I took the kids to Galion to see the Pierce's for the day and tomorrow I head to Mansfield to have another girls day out! It's nice to be human again. :) Wednesday was so much fun. The drive was a little under 2 hours and very easy from here. Bethany has 3 boys including a 3 month old baby. It was a nice treat to have a baby in my arms and encouraging that I enjoyed it so much. :) Her boys played really well with Tyler and Grace and we even got all 5 kids in beds and quiet for 2 hours so we could visit! We left around 8:15 and got home a little after 10. I wonder if i need my eyes checked because I had a harder time than usual seeing in the dark. I think it was the headache of listening to the kids sing along with our Elmo CD combined with just being exhausted. :) In other news we've contacted our realtor again and put our house up for sale. We ask anyone who reads this to please please commit this matter to prayer. It's the Lord's house and wish for Him to do with it what He wants, but in our human desires we want it SOLD. We want to break even and be able to begin saving so we can buy a house someday that we can actually live in. We don't feel at this time like God has any major location changes ahead for us so we feel ready to 'put down roots' so to speak. However if He keeps us mobile it could be for a reason. We need to have complete trust in Him and his timing. Have a great weekend!