OBX 2007
The Wednesday before we left the Lambert's and Connie Troyer came to visit. The Lamberts were in Ohio for a couple days before the annual Collective Camping Trip. It was amazing to see their two children and I loved watching Tyler and Lance play together! Lance is about 2 months older than Tyler and I was amazed at how similar they were! Tyler loved having two other boys to play with and Caleb was sweet as could be. He sure is a climber though! I've not seen a kid climb like that in a long time! Since working the toddler room at church I suppose! They all played well in the backyard, the living room and the playroom and we also had a pizza supper.
Thursday I spent the day finishing packing so we could take our HUGE suitcase full of clothes to the Bush's for them to take it in the van and for us to get Grandma Bush's car to drive since it's bigger than ours and much more comfortable! I was amazed that even though I'd been thinking about the trip and making lists and cleaning and organizing all week I still had SO much to do! It was a good thing I got about 4 hours of work in on Wednesday before company came! We had lots of shopping to do as well so we were out late and up past midnight but in the morning we were able to leave more than a half hour early! That's even with me showering!
We hit the bank and post office and Louisville Library before we really got going. We stopped in Columbiana to eat lunch meat sandwiches and feed Grace. We ate at the little gazebo near the Inn there and let Tyler run around in the grass. Since we didn't hit a bathroom there we stopped in Chippewa PA as well to hit the potty and change Tyler at the Wendy's there. :) We arrived to our hotel in plenty of time to check in, get settled and feed grace as well as do some swimming and sit in the hot tub. It took us awhile after the swimming to get us all put back together and re-loaded but we did and headed off to Shawnee State park. Of course there was construction going on which caused major traffic on this random road in the middle of nowhere so what was a 10 mile trip took us about an hour so we were freaking out because we had Friday's dinner! We got there expecting everyone to be standing around starving and complaining that we were late (as usual thanks to me) and only Curt was there! We hung around with him awhile and in the meantime Brian and Mike arrived. Later the Lamberts and the Wright's came. It was so fun to see everyone and I could not believe how much we had all changed over the years! I think I was nostalgic due to it being Gary and my anniversary weekend. We all looked pretty much the same but 3 of 'the guys' had kids there! We had to leave when it got dark to get Tyler back and to bed at a reasonable hour. Even with the shorter drive back, and a quick bath he still was up past 10! He finally was settled in his bed (not yet sleeping of course) and Grace in hers (we actually all had baths!) Gary left to go to Walmart to see about getting the last Harry Potter Book. He got there a little before 11 and found that it would be a waste to drive back to the hotel so he got an arm band and hung out waiting. I had him be sure to call Marie to let her know they had them there. He also got me a couple posters and bookmarks. We figured the Walmart had about a thousand books and they had arm bands you got to reserve your book. Of course Gary wandered around walmart for an hour and when he went back to get in line there were lots of people in front of him even though he'd been over an hour early and they were in the first of 4 bags of bands. He says he kind of slipped in line which helped him get back to me earlier but probably irritated quite a few people behind him! Anyways, I got it! I wanted SO badly to start reading it but i was also afraid. I was SURE Harry would die and really didn't want him to so I felt the best way to keep him alive was to not read. Plus I knew I'd never have time in the next day to read because I get carsick when I read so I refrained. I made Gary hide it across the room even. :) We were in bed around 1:30 and let me tell you Hampton Inn has the absolute best rooms and beds. The bed, pillows and even bedding were WONDERFUL!!!! The best part- FREE ROOM!!! We decided to consider this our anniversary present. :)
Saturday morning I woke to Grace needing to be fed and I did. Then I got her dressed and re-settled in her bed, showered, got ready -makeup even! - got Tyler up and pottied and dressed, and took him to breakfast before Gary showed signs of life! We got on the road around 9:30 and made good time till our stop for lunch, had lunch meat sandwiches again, and kept on trekking. We were starting to think we'd make it before dinner when things started going a little haywire. We hit some major traffic and Gary's patience began to loosen and we tried getting off the highway and 'winging it' I was half asleep and in asking what was going on must have confused Gary because we went the wrong way. In finding our way around Tyler FINALLY surrendered to being tired and we stopped at Wendy's for a sandwich saving his till he woke up. We got back on track and figured we probably just wasted time instead of making up time but at least Gary felt we were moving and his mood improved. We made one last stop a the last rest area before the bridge to the Outer Banks so I could feed Grace and go to the bathroom and Tyler could eat. We figured we'd make it to the house in another hour but having Grace miss a feeding and scream for that hour would have been a disaster. Thankfully we stopped because even though there had been SO little traffic since the detour we suddenly, within a mile of the rest area, were in stop and go traffic all the way to the bridge, across the bridge and up to Carolla. It was miserable. That stretch took us almost 3 hours. (On the way home we did the same miles in 64 minutes) Grace cried most of the time from the rest stop to the house. We finally got to the house around 8:30 which means we were in the car almost 12 hours with two kids under 3. Yeah us! Thankfully we both kept our patience for the most part.
We got to the house, unloaded, fed Grace and let Tyler relax a little and then we made a really fast trip up to the dune to see the Ocean and the beach for the first time. It was getting dark and as always, after climbing the 30 or so stairs to the top of the dune it just takes my breath away. The Ocean. There's just something about the beach and ocean that is Holy to me. I feel most connected to God and his creation there. Across that Ocean is whole other countries full of people living and working, thinking and believing.... in that Ocean are beautiful animals created by God, many we know about and I dare say most we don't. Waves that move to his hand, each drop important, each grain of sand important... the romance of it.... I just love it! I wanted so badly for Tyler to love it and the next day would prove God had answered that prayer! We went to bed early because even though we had sat all day, we were exhausted!
Sunday morning we got up and ate and got unpacked and organized... some. Gary hit the store for milk and checked out the new coffee and smoothie shop (something for both of us!) where they apparently had one worker and a line out the door. He said as he was entering a man left mumbling something about “a half hour later” so we didn't get anything that morning. That was our first sign we were officially in the Outer Banks! The concept of time and deadlines is completely lost. You only need to know what time it is if you are going somewhere that might be closed! Tyler and I were playing in the sand and on the swing under the house when Gary's parents arrived. Tyler was SO excited!!! We helped them unload, had lunch and Tyler got his nap and then we went out to dinner at The Tomato Patch. The Haywoods got there late that night after fighting traffic as well and Tyler and Marta got right into the spirit of vacation by playing hard! Tyler was very overtired and very wound up and overstimulated so it was a nightmare getting him to bed. He screamed and threw a tantrum, something he does so rarely it completely unnerves us! Finally, with help of Tylenol, he fell asleep.
In the morning we managed to get up and eat breakfast and get to the beach for a full morning. We came back to the house for lunch and naps, then back after nap to the beach, and back to the house for dinner! We did this most days. Wednesday we went to Manteo to visit the Aquarium which Tyler really loved too. That evening the Bush's watched the kids for us so Gary and I could go out. We find a little sandwich shop with literally no one in it and we got meals and a drink to share, walked around the shops and got a small Thank-You gift for the Bush's to thank them for bringing us and for allowing us to use their hotel points to get that room on the way down. We finished the night with coffee for him and a smoothie for me from that shop Gary visited the first day.
Tyler is an official beach bum. It was too hot for Grace to be out very much but three mornings she was out with us, under the shade in her car seat. She slept mostly and ate a little from a bottle when she was thirsty and I thought she did just fine. Gary's more concerned about her getting hot than I am. Most days I stayed in with the kids while Gary went back to the beach to keep his dad company. Some days we went back after nap, some days we didn't. We tried to go out for walks but most nights it just didn't happen. Tyler was really good about wearing his water shoes all week as well as a t-shirt, a hat and his life jacket when he was in the water. He rode the boogy (sp?) board a few times but mostly just like to sit on his bottom in the sand and let the waves come up over his legs. Sometimes he sat in a chair and did the same. He LOVED to push his dump truck down on the packed sand looking for rocks and shells, sometimes saving them, mostly throwing them back in. He loved digging in the lose sand up by the umbrellas, making smaller castles with us but mostly castle work was too tedious for him. Sitting still, I think, made him realize how tired he was from all that hard work! By the end of the week he was jumping into the edges of waves (3-4 inches deep) face/tummy first, looking up and yelling with laughter. He was always upset to go back to the house and the first one, other than Pops, to ask to go in the morning.
I think by the end of the week he was ready to come home. He slept well all week in his Thomas bed and on Thursday night began asking about his house, his big boy bed, his other toys and his backyard with grass. Thursday afternoon and Friday he had to be carried a lot more because the walk to and from the beach, the stairs, and the sand walking was finally getting to him. He was So good all the way home too. He seemed to enjoy the quiet of the car and when he got tired of it was content to yap our ears out and didn't want to get out and run much, which was such a blessing! The Bush's had decided to do the trip home in two days and let us stay at a hotel with them. What a blessing!!!!! We made great time even though we hit some traffic. At the hotel we went swimming which Tyler loved and then out to eat, to a grocery store and then back to the hotel. Tyler played so nicely in the room with his cars and other toys. He didn't fall asleep until after 10 but when it was time to get in bed, he did stay in bed, and he stayed quiet.
Around 1 in the morning Grace woke to eat and while I was feeding her I felt a small something on the back of her head near the neck and thought it was apiece of dirt or something and tried to slide it out of her hair. It didn't slide so I thought it might be a scab and immediately wondered how on earth she could have a scab and me not know she's been cut or pierced enough to have one so I looked at it and scraped it a bit with my fingernail and realized that the majority of it was moving, but at one point it was securely stuck to her skin. My next reaction was TICK! I ran to the bathroom and threw on the light and sure enough, it was a bug. It wasn't' all ballooned like a tick that had been sucking but it was a brown round mass with 6 little 'legs' on it. I FREAKED! I tried to act calm but inside I was terrified. I woke up Stephanie, which in God's great humor was hard to do because for the first nigh tof the entire vacation she was actually sleeping soundly! Finally she woke, couldn't tell what it was but pulled it out while I held Grace. Gary woke up in the commotion as did Tyler. Tyler's cries woke up Pops who came to check as well. Gary got Tyler back to sleep pretty quickly and came in too. It would have been hysterical with the 5 of us in there had I not been backing out and getting hot flashes and nauseas. Pops checked it and thought too it might be a tick because he had had one on him earlier that day! Then Stephanie and i were both FREAKING that the hotel was infested and they were in the beds and crawling all over us. Every time someone in the room moved the rest of the night, especially Grace, I was wide awake, Stephanie said she was up for a few hours before falling asleep again too. (A check at the Doctor Tuesday would indicate everything was fine with Grace by the way. Most likely I found it just in time to keep it from getting anything into her or out of her.)
The next morning we got up and left for the final leg of our trip. This was the worst because it made it a reality that we were going home, tomorrow Gary would go back to work, and vacation would be over. We made decent time home stopping only a couple times, hitting only one detour and me getting sick mostly only in PA and over the Ohio line. I was struck, as i was on the way down, at how many people's houses we were literally minutes from and didn't stop. That made me so sad. Maybe someday we'll make it a several week trip and stop along the way at friends and families houses and see some of the historical places along the way... battlefields and such which I am sure Tyler will like since Gary's into all that. It won't be long before Tyler's playing war right? As I finally finish writing this it's Friday which means we've been home 5 full days now. I'm still recovering, Tyler's still re-adjusting and there are still clothes in the suitcase! How embarrassing! I'm sure there is so much I'm forgetting (believe it or not)!!! Our 7th trip together to the Outer Banks and even though the trip has changed drastically since the beginning, it still was wonderful!!

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Seven Years
Gary and I celebrated our Seven Year Wedding Anniversary on Sunday, July 22, in Carolla, North Carolina. We didn't do anything fabulous or special but it was a wonderful day and it was fun to sit down together and talk about the last 7 years, remember our wedding day, our honeymoon on the beach and review together the great blessings we have. Gary is the love of my life. He's worked hard to make our family strong spiritually, provide for us, love us and care for us and meet all the needs that he can. I thank God every day many times for him- even when he irritates me.

Our marriage is not perfect, we're not perfect, but we've been through so much together and we'll go through so much more in the days and years ahead.

Gary- thank you for 7 years of yesterdays and a lifetime of tomorrows.

Jon MohrII

Timothy 4:7-8

We're pilgrims on the journey

Of the narrow road

And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift though all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful!

Weekend Recap Friday Grace turned 8 weeks. I'm sure we did something but darned if I can recall that far back.... oh yea, I packed! Saturday we did all we could to get up early and head out to my dads. We left about 8:35. Pretty good for wanting to leave by 8:30 at the latest. We had to stop at the bank and since Gary had one of his "wide awake thinking about work all night" episodes he had to stop and get a gallon of coffee and a king size Resses cups and THEN we were on our way! We went a 'new' way and go there in good time. We hung out, played with Tyler and visited and went down to the lake. Tyler learned how to throw rocks into the water from Pops so we did that, we played with the new sand toys my dad got him too. mostly Tyler just pulled his little sand wagon all over the beach. Keeping his tennis shoes on turned out to be a good move! We also had lunch and then Tyler went down for his nap. Patty came over around 2:30 and Tyler woke shortly after. Grace also needed to eat and we had to get dressed for the Angelo Family reunion at my grandma's house (mom's mom) so it was pretty hectic there for the next hour! We finally got it together and headed out taking only one toy from Papa's house with us. Tyler does not at all understand the concept of keeping toys there for next time! :) We made good time getting over to grandma's and I was shocked at how many people were there! I helped grandma get the appetizers out which included Gary's favorite-- cheese sticks! Grandma didn't want to make them figuring the quiche and crab cakes were enough. We had leftover quiche and crab cakes but no stix! Never underestimate the power of fried cheese over children, and Gary. LOL! My grandma was one of 7 and 5 of them were there. Her, Sis, Toots, Dick, and Jim. Dolby passed away while i was in college and Joe from Chicago coudln't make it. Philip who took my senior and wedding photos came and did some pix of everyone who was there, pictures of the cousins, the siblings, and we did some of our family including my mom and grandparents, some the 4 of us and a 4 generation with me, mom, Grace and grandma. I can't wait to see how they turned out considering Grace cried when we stood still or took her paci out and Tyler was so tired he didn't know which end was up. We left at 7 because Tyler was just at the end of his rope. We got to my mom's about a half hour later and Tyler and Gary showered (this new endevor of showering is going pretty well and will certainly help when we are at the beach! It's also MUCH faster than taking a full on bubble bath with toys!) and when we got Tyler's jamies on he started playing well with his cars and so we let him do that to wind down a bit. he started getting a little tipsy and I realized it was approaching 9 so into bed we went! He sleeps SO well in his Thomas air bed- I highly recommed those toddler take along beds! It has sides that are like bumpers so he doesn't roll out- LOVE IT! He slept till 9 the next morning! Grace too passed out and slept till I had to wake her up at 11 so I could feed her and go to bed myself! Church the next mornign was packed for the 175 anniversary service. Pastor Kelly's sermon was, as always, wonderful. Tyler and Gary ended up down in the "nursery" together because the "Nursery" is a carpet remant in the corner of the sunday school room that has toys for kids to play with. In the times we've been there that Tyler has been not an infant we've never really known an actual adult to be down there watching them. They have sunday school teachers on the other side of some chalkboards but as far as we can tell, their focus is on the older children. Last time, when Gary went to get Tyler, all the kids-older and younger- were runing around swinging things and arms at each other and Tyler was in the middle of it and got scared. I guess when he spotted Gary he just started crying and begged to leave. So, when we do go there to church, one of us will go down with him. Gary said there was an older girl, maybe 12 or 13 watching them a little but she threatened to spank one for doing nothing at all and Gary thinks maybe they were siblings and she was just annoyed at having to watch him. Gary said he enjoyed playing with them which I thought was sweet. I know it's a small country church and there are probably only 2-5 kids that need watching on a regular basis but we still worry about Tyler's saftey and we also know that Tyler can get carried away, as all boys do, when he's not kept busy and we'd hate for Tyler to hurt another child when we could have prevented it. We had the catered lunch afterwards which was very good but Tyler was crabby after his long day with a short nap on Saturday and the craziness of the new church and excitement of being at Grandma's. He didn't eat much which has always, for Tyler, been a sign of exhaustion or illness so we got out of there close to 12:30. Tyler fell asleep after we had been in the car only 20 minutes! We got home about 2:30 and we put Tyler down for a nap, I fell alseep after I fed Grace at 3 and Gary called when he was leaving the golf course... at 5 and woke us all up! Gary's brother was dropping by on his way from Lia's house home so we went over for pizza and to get to see him a little bit. Tyler ran around and used up all his energy. He also made up for not eating much lunch by consuming 2 slices of pizza, an applesauce, a yogurt, some salad, jello and 2 cookies. I guess he's not sick! He was in bed by 9 again which I think we'll just make his new bedtime until it starts getting dark earlier. He'll be up that late most nights on vacation anyways. So that was our weekend in a long nutshell! How was yours?ps- if this blog is a little choppy it's because i get interrupted about every 10 words or so... :)

Life of a new mom... I'm totally ripping this off of a friend's blog, who ripped it off of her friend, who got it out of American Baby Magazine. It bears repeating. The Fantasy Life of New MomsBy Kayt Sukel Sure, you once fantasized about romantic getaways, becoming rich and famous, or perhaps just finding that perfect pair of shoes on sale. Now, however, fierce Mommy love, hormone surges, and sleep deprivation have led you to daydreams made of grander stuff: 1. Your husband lactates, so he can never again say, "I'd love to help you out, babe, but I haven't got the equipment"-as you rise for yet another 3 a.m. feeding. (I'd settle for one who doesn't take as long to awaken from slumber as it does to just feed the baby yourself.) 2. Your baby tells you exactly why he's been crying for more than 15 minutes and exactly what he needs. 3. Your child, upon winning the Nobel Prize, tells the entire world in his acceptance speech that his genius is all due to his beautiful, intelligent, and caring mother. 4. Your husband begs you to let him do the piled up laundry and the stack of dishes in the kitchen. (Gary does this actually...) 5. Eight uninterrupted hours of sleep. Writers note: I'm sighing with desire as I type this. 6. You wear a flattering, slimming material that repels all spit up, mud, dried cereal and other stains. 7. You pee and shower with the door closed, and no one watches, barges in, or screams for you. (If we're really dreaming let's talk a bubble bath long enough to shave, bathe AND read...) 8. Scientists discover the amazing (and immediate) fat-burning power of the cream-cheese brownie. 9. A robotic vacuum not only sweeps the floors but also sorts and stashes toys, Tupperware, and clothing. 10. Finding dependable, flexible and afforable child care is a simple task. 11. You find a nursing bra that doesn't pinch, pop open, chafe, or let you down on the supportive side. And if you're really dreaming, it's also sexy and attractive. 12. Your mother-in-law (and mother) gushes about what a fabulous job you're doing raising her grandchild. 13. A vengeful goddess turns Tom Cruise into a pregnant woman. Let's see of exercise and vitamins will do the trick for him then! (Woohoo!! Amen, sister!) (let's see him give birth in complete silence too!!!) 14. Your husband says, "You look like you've had an exhausting week. Why don't you go to the spa tomorrow and the baby and I can spend some time together." 15. You buy a toy that doesn't make noise, sing songs, or vibrate and your child actually likes to play with it. 16. Your husband tells you your post partum hair loss only makes you look more beautiful. 17. Your child decides on his first birthday that he is too old for diapers and potty trains himself on the spot. (Oh, goodness, yes. Dare to dream.) 18. Lightning strikes anyone who tells you, without provocation, that you look tired, should sleep when the baby sleeps, or should put a sun hat on the baby. (These are the same people who repeatedly ask when you're due, are you sure you aren't having twins, and do you think you'll make it to your due date.) (SO TRUE!) 19. The baby goes down to sleep after only two stories, three minutes of belly rubbing, and one round of lullabies. 20. Stay-at-home motherhood is declared a respected and appreciated career, with base pay, full benefits, and a bonus.

Photo's of Grace taken today!

Our Beautiful Family

Tim, Sandra, Grace, Heather, Gary, Tyler, Stephanie, Gary

On Sunday, July 8, 2007
Armandina Grace Bush
was dedicated at
Grace Community Church
by Pastor Dan Michaels

This past weekend my mom came down and we took her to the cabin with us. She and I got to ride in the car together and visit and to be honest, it was nice to not have to talk over Tyler! I was sure to apologize to my mom for the way I talked nonstop when i was little!!! Tyler's wonderful and I love that he can put major sentances togther, can be in a conversation and even leads a conversation but sometimes I crave a little peace and quiet!! Friday I was of course not ready when my mom got there but we did get things together finally and left. The drive down was uneventful other than i was a little worried Gary would run the old farm truck going 20 mph off the road into a ditch. (teasing!!) The man kindly pulled over after a few miles and let our two cars pass. We got there and shortly had supper and cleaned up and then went out on the boat. It was so fun to show my mom everything! It was also fun to get to have Gary be the driver, he did a wonderful job! After we got Tyler into bed we sat around the living room visiting until bedtime. Saturday we got a slow start which was nice because no one cared! My mom took Tyler on a long walk, the Bush's came and we spent some time sitting around, visiting, eating lunch and getting ready for the afternoon party. At 3 people from the Bush's bible study began arriving and we had dinner. My mom and Tyler went on another walk, threw more rocks into the lake, and right at 7 we left for home. Tyler slept in Grace's room so Grandma could have his bed which he thought was SO cool. :) We watched Harry Potter and went to bed. It was fun to go the cabin and get to enjoy it with my mom. It was also nice to just get to visit so much!

I already have over 100 photo's for July! I'm sure none of you are all that surprised though. :) On the Fourth of July we drove down to the Cabin and had a cookout with Gary's parents and family. Lot's of Kandray's telling stories and we got to learn some about Grandma's family, the Wagners. It was so nice to get to spend some (rare) time with Uncle Josh. Of course he was hesitant to hold Grace but I made him because her other Uncle Josh won't even get the chance till October at the soonest! :( Do you think I managed to get a photo? nope. BOO! Enjoy some I did get!

I watned Tyler to have the Thomas laptop in time for vacation so he'd have something to do while strapped into a carseat for 15 hours so my dad got it for him. Turns out that on this particular toy when they say 3 and up, they mean it! *sigh* Here's a pic of him playing with it... minus pants.




Aunt Mary Kandray got Grace an adorable little pants outfit so I took this for her benifit. Thanks Aunt Mary!! (And unfortunately I don't have time to do this for everyone who got her clothes! Sorry!)

One of my mom's close friends threw a "Meet Grace Bush" party for us in June. Several families who are friends of ours as well as family came including both of Grace's Great- Grandma's on our side! It was SO fun to get to see everyone and show of my princess. :) She wore a beautiful dress that Linda gave her and of course I did not get a picture of just her! I'm learning though at each event to remember what kind of pictures to take. This event taught me that just because you are pointing a camera at a person does not mean they will stop and smile. I got lots of action shots that included people eating and talking. Oh well! Here are a few I wanted to share of the good ones! I especially like the one of Tyler and Alceo. I can only hope they get along as well as we do with his parents!!! ;)

Auntie Lori Reda came to visit us and we got a couple really cute pic's of her! Of course we didn't get one of just her and Heather. BOO!

These pictures were taken Mid- June. I'll try to update photos more- I just forgot I could! Thanks for the reminder Hannah!

Grace is 6 weeks old! Unbelievable! We're all still here! This also means, for those who care, that I've been nursing for 6 weeks. Grace gets a bottle of pumped milk occasionallyand goes back and forth just fine which I am VERY thankful for! It allows me to be less tied down and allows for some flexibility since she still eats ever 2-3 hours... occasinally she'll go longer but mostly only when we're in the car or she's fallen asleep in her swing. When she gets to that 4 hours though and wakes up WHOO_HOO she's frantic! I think she likes the more controled flow of the bottle better so i'm really trying to limit the bottle usage. We've given up limiting the paci usage though. :) As I re-read babywise in the past few weeks I realize that most of the really regimented stuff in there I didn't do for Tyler and I'm not doing with Grace. I'm sorry but when you have a toddler it's just not as easy to put a 4 week old down alone in her crib, awake and walk away and expect her to fall asleep on her own. You also really can't let them cry too long for fear of waking the other one! We'll do more "cry it out" stuff when she's much older but for now, i'm enjoying rocking her or letting her sleep in her swing- what difference does it make? Maybe i'll pay later. :) Tyler LOVES Grace. She can definately get on his nerves but he really loves her. It makes me so happy when he tries to help or comfort her. His methods never work and usually cause more distress right now, but he's trying. He likes to stand by her head when she's in the playpen and sing her the ABC's or Wheels on the Bus or hum the Thomas tune. He also tries sometimes to give her a paci which would be fine if he was a little more gentle... and didn't try to do it while she's dead asleep in her seat or something. He likes to hold her too and so often times I let him just becaues I know it's 3 minutes he'll sit still!! His volume has been on high pretty much since she came home and even higher lately so I wonder if his cold and congestion are causing him to not hear well. (my mother-in-law's suggestion) We are working on our 'talking voice', 'inside voice', wisper voice'... whatever you want to call it but to no avail so far. He loves to ask why and pretty much demands that when he's talking to you that you turn and look at him and repeat what he's said or answer him right away. It's funny when I'm not tired and short tempered... unfortunately i'm most often the later. He's so independant about some things but so dependant about others. I like feeling needed but I wonder what Ishould be pushing him to do on his own more. We're not sending him to preschool this fall so I do'nt worry about it... i do wonder though. He's also developed an instant crying skill since Grace came home. I htink he feels if she's crying he must also... and louder. he's not near as bad when Gary gets home b/c he usually can get the attention of one or both of us, but when it's me alone forget it. "use your words" is my new most often said phrase. Our least often used word has suddenly become "crap" becaues Tyler has picked it up and uses it well, and in context. His car wheel falls of: "oh crap" he says with a tilt of the head and roll of the eyes. You can laugh. it's quite funny but of course i can't encourage it. He's also started saying Gosh which he got from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I don't like it but it's better than crap and I try to ignore it. The new neighbors are hoodlums and say every bad word in the book so on nice days when we open the window you can hear them all... I know one day Tyler's going to trip and fall and yell out "Oh F---" (fudge... except I didn't say fudge... ha ha! Great Christmas Story line!). Then what do I do?!?!?! The landlady was over th eother day and the skateboarding guys were next door conversing with thier four letter word vocabulary and she acutally yelled at them. I wonder if it's in our lease not to use profanity at the top of your lungs... i could SO get them evicted! LOL!! So the past two nights Tyler has done the CUTEST thing- I'm seriously going to get it on video one of these days... not that I'll know how to share it but still.. Anyways a long time ago I got Goodnight Moon from the library and as boring as it is, he loved it. He demanded it every night for the 4 weeks we had it and so shortly after we returned it we got it for him. I can't remember what event it was for but for some reason we bought it and we've read it before bed almost every night since. Lately I've been also reading him a section out of a Precious Moments Bible stories book i had when i was little. I'm sure he doesn't get any of it but i'll do until we decide to buy the story bible i saw at the bookstore a few months ago. So the night before last I had him try to read goonight moon to me and he 'read' the ENTIRE thing minus like 5 words! I was so impressed and it was so cute! So last night he started again and I yelled for Gary to come listen and Tyler did it again! Right now he's dancing around the house to "his music" which is a mother goose CD. Let me just say that these things are not all that uplifting. Right now he's listening to Pop goes the Weasel. The little one is stirring so i'm off! Happy Monday!

I think I should be blogging daily. So many new and exciting things happen every day with a baby and I know I'll forget it all too quickly. I"m not visiting my journal near like I did with Tyler so this will have to do. This past weekend was so much fun. Thursday we went out to dinner at Applebees with Gary's parents to celebrate Father's Day. I had a very yummy salad and I think Grace didn't like it b/c she was a bit fussy all night. :) Friday Jenn came over with her kids and they played with Tyler while Jen and I visited. We also went through all those clothes I had gotten from my mom so that her daughter Aubrey could use them. I see no point in hoarding them for 3-4 years waiting for Grace to grow up while there is a girl I know who can use them now. I also know Jen will take care of them and appreciates them. We had "Donalds" for lunch as her daughter calls it. Tyler just calls it "I want a cheeseburger please" ;) Then we actually managed to take all four kids for a walk. Nothing major for Jen who runs her kids all over town but for me- it was a major accomplishment. (my mom is rolling her eyes as she reads this i'm sure) That night we probably did something but it's not written on Grace's calendar so it's forever lost... Saturday was the big "meet Baby Grace" party at BA and Lou's house which was SO much more than I imagined! We had Tyler napped and wrote in our HOT car getting there plenty early for me to change, mom to change Grace and to get to visit a little iwth my grandma before more people arrived. Tyler had a blast playing with Alceo and Daniel- two of his favorite people- and visiting with all this "aunts" and "grandma's"!! *Side note- the new neighbor kid just came over and he must be about 3 years old and I could not understand a thing he said. I feel so bad! I think maybe he wnated Tyler to come over and swim with him inthe little blow up pool. I'm kind of surprised his mom let him come over alone- is this common? I've never even met them- i need to get some cookies or something over to them. Gary was out golfing yesterday and I guess the little boy came and wanted to play with him too he said. So the party was wonderful and it was So nice to get to see everyone all together. I wish I would have made everyone get together as a group for a picture. I hav elots of pictures but most of them are "action" shots meaning people are either talking or eating. I need to do better warning people i'm taking pictures I guess!!! After the party we went to my mom's house to get the kids put to bed and Tyler, thankfully, went down with no fuss! It was way past his bedtime and he had been in th ehot car or running around outsdide since he got up from his short afternoon nap so i was worried! Grace ate adn went to sleep too allowing mom, Gary and I to visit for quite awhile! Grace idd well allnight in the basement with us in the crib my mom has and Tyler must have done well upstairs b/c my mom never said anything and I never heard him! We got dressed and off to church only a few minutes late. After church we went to Berardi's in Huron to eat lunch and they have the BEST hamburgers and fries. Not the best in the world, but they are really good. Tyler was overtired and fussy and Grace must have had gas or was just tired from being held the night before or something b/c she was fussy too. Thankfully my mom and Grandma didn't care and only a few people in the restaurant gave us dirty looks. Most gave us "awww! Your family is so cute compassionate smiles". After lunch we went over to my dad's new place which is really nice. Tyler, again, practically begged to go to bed so we blew up his Thomas bed (that thing was SO worth the money!!!) and he napped. Several family members stopped over which was nice, including my aunt Vickie who i missed on her last trip home from California because we were IN California! Later on my dad, Tyler and I walked down to the lake and on the beach which Tyler loved. I think once he got uesd to the water he would have wanted to play in it which encouraged me since we are going to the ocean in a few weeks. Won't it be fun to teach him to not go in alone! He's got a lot less fear than a year ago when we went... We had dinner with my dad and then went back home. It was fun to get to spend Father's day with him like that just relaxing and sharing Grace and Tyler. I"m so blessed at how much my parents/family love my family!! The 2 hour trip home was rough with no air for Tyler but thankfully Grace slept the whole time. Tyler went straight to bed while I fed Grace and then Gary and I went to bed too b/c we were both so tired. It was all worth it to get to see family and friends!

Hi! I've been blogging on Myspace and neglecting to post them on here so below are several i've written recently. Enjoy! (Amy if you read this and don't check your email b/c school is out - we have a new phone number- you have an email with it.)

generosity, amazement, ignorance and frustration. Wed. June 13


Generosity- so my mom came yesterday to give me my old dresser for Grace. I'm excited to get her clothes organized the way I really want them and get some things put away away and not just in boxes and piles everywhere. :) She also took it upon herself to bring me the headboard and night stand that go with it plus a bike, a slide (YEA!), a kitchen and THREE huge garbage bags full of clothes, and one full of shoes. She got them from a lady she knows. I put everything out to organize it and ready it for bins or loaning out and took a picture.



...it's a lot. Clothes to last her till she's 4. It's mostly winter stuff so i'm guessing she sold her summer stuff in a garage sale (there were stickers on everythign which Tyler is having great fun with) I just can't get over the generosity of people sometimes! God uses even people we don't know!

Amazement- simply put i'm astonished and amazed at how stupid people can be. Just plain old selfish, stupid sinful people all over this freaking earth. It's a wonder God has not just thrown our little planet at the sun and let us all fry in there. It's clear to me that God's love is beyond the comprehension of my peanut brain.

Ignorance- People are also clueless. Gary is contracted as a teacher (but he does not teach) which means that like all other teachers he should have been able to go home last friday and not HAVE to think about school for several weeks. He's also contracted some extra days- this years days have yet to be determined and start 1 July. THEREFORE PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE HARASSING HIM!! He's been in every day this week and probably will be in every day this month VOLUNTEERING HIS TIME (translated nto being home helping me!). So last night we, as loyal Cleveland-ers stayed up till today watching the Cav's full of hope and ready to see the team "rise up" and get a win. I mean it's a home game, the first ever NBA championship game in our humble city and do you think we could get a freaking bucket?? That's a whole other tangent... sufice to say that Thursday could mean heartbreak and Friday most of the city might just not show up for work. I am NOT ashamed though! For us to have gotten this far is nothing short of a miracle and to be the Eastern conference champs is good enough for me- for this year. I must admit it would be a bit frustrating to not win ANY games against the Suns though... any-who- since we stayed up so late and Grace wanted to eat AFTER the game Gary thought he might sleep in and go in at 9am instead of 5:30 like monday or 6:30 like the rest of the year. Report time is like 7 or 7:15 maybe? Not too much to ask since he's not even supposed to be there right? 9:05- THREE voice mails on his phone. Yup. three. Three people who cannot live without my husband and think that i shoud have to so he can run in and solve thier woes. Now to be honest I don't know who called or why but I do know he did not stop to eat breakfast or anything. After he saw the three messages (and most likely more missed calls) he threw on a hat, hugged the Tyler Monster, threw me a kiss and was out the door and sped down the road as he listened to his messages. he also told me in somewhat of an exasperated voice that he would NOT be home for lunch "apparently". SIGH I"m jealous of Jennifer who has her hubby around all the time and gets to go all over town doing fun things with her family... but I also like that Gary brings home a payckeck so if this is what it takes... i'll swallow it... but I get to vent too!!!!

PS- Grace is holding her head up more and more! She also coo's and grins at her brother when he comes over to talk to her!


June 18, Monday
One Month!


Grace is one month old today! We are doing well, tired, but well. I'm loving having a baby in the house again but am struggling with Tyler. I think my expectations of him are too high and the poor guy can't win. He's still a good boy, he just needs some more attention and I just simply don't have it to give sometimes. Grace does not nurse as well as Tyler did and seems to be much more sensitive. She also loves being held where he didn't so it's been neat how different they are. I've also loved getting to hold her a lot, although it leaves less one-on-one time for Tyler. Thankfully it's been nice weather and Gary can relieve his frustration out on the golf course. :) I'm enjoying my last 2 weeks of not being "allowed" to excersise. LOL!!!

Thanks to everyone who have posted messages and comments! If I'm not getting back to you soon enough, I apologize!!! I"m trying! It's amazing how little i"m online anymore!!!! I pray you are all having a good week! July is almost here!! Can you belive it?!?!?!?




Tuesday June 19
Tyler's first movie


So Jennifer (do you ever go by Jen?) wrote me last week and included a nice list of all the theatres in the area that do kid movies in the summer including dates, shows, times, and price. She makes it so easy for me to continue to be lazy. Anyways, today was the Clifford movie so yesterday when I found out she was going I decided to pitch it to gary and just see what happened. He actually decided not to go into work today and to go with us!! Summer has officially begun! This is totally how I pictured summer- going out as a family doing stuff like this at least twice a week!!! yea!! We got there a half hour early b.c we were SURE it would be packed and we'd be struggling to find seats. I think also Gary had little faith that we'd get out of the house in time to make it for even the beginning of the movie. I shocked us all by being ready on time for once! Of course this was only because he completely got Tyler and himself ready which included breakfast for both of them. My boys are no good until they've eaten. We got Tyler the little booster seat adn sat down and he was really good the entire time! Before the movie I went to the bathroom and took him with me just so he could have a little less sitting time. That helped I think. I also had some grahm cracker things in the diaper bag for when he got fussy. That helped too. He was good through the entire thing and I have to be honest and say i was really surprised. Gary took care of Grace who barely made a peep that I noticed so i actually sat back and enjoyed the movie... holding Tyler's hand for some of it. (all together now: aawwwww!!!!) Then we decided that since we were in Canton we ought to head over to the Target b/c we had a HUGE gift card from friends back in Mansfield to spend. We got 2 packs of diapers for each of the kids, wipes, razor refils for me and some odds and ends and still had $$ left over! I love those target brand diapers. Then in the process of finding said gift card Gary found that we had a Chili's gift card from Christmas (yea, we've not gotten out much this calendar year..) so we drove around trying to find it. We did- pretty much back where we started and we ate all three of us and still have a little under $2 left on the card. Now why, i ask you, do they leave that little bit on that card? Why can we not have the change? Rediculous. Grace sat in her little seat, drank her bottle, and then went to sleep! (Daddy held her some too and of course Tyler wanted held...) So it was a great family day. Now both kids are napping, Gary went into work (the whole building could spontaniously combust if he's not there at least a little bit you know) and instead of resting, I'm writing you crazy people! :) It was a really fun day! Thanks Jen!

Too Fast!! It's going too fast! I just got a packet from Huggies in the mail. It's full of "information" and coupons... coupons that allow me to get thier products at more than generic prices but less than outrageous price. It says in big bold letters "your baby is one month old!" SAY WHAT?!?! So I look at the calendar and sure enough, the 18th is 10 days away! Funny how when you are pregnant 10 days seems like an eternity. Especialy when you feel about to implode and you still have 10 days until you are full term... or due. When you are a senior and you have 10 days of school left, it feels like an eternity. When there are 10 days until your big birthday bash- eternity. 10 days until your baby is one month- goes by in a flash. Today she is 3 weeks old. THREE WEEKS! Seems like we brought her home yesterday. She's growing for sure. She's so much bigger than she was before... but she's still like an eighth the size of Tyler. Tomorrow Tyler will be 31 months old. How did that happen? Where was I? That's roughly 930 days or 22320 hours. how many of them did I spend on the computer or cleaning? How many of them were spent reading and running and cuddling? I'd have to say too many and not enough respectively. I've been thinking alot about life these past few weeks as you can imagine. How precious it is. How important it is that we make each moment count. How valuable time really is. God has us here but for a moment. We are a mist the Bible says. A mist! I think about that every time I spray perfume on myself. That spray or mist is like life- only here but a moment, but the lasting affects can either be beautiful or horrible. Sometimes I feel like I"m not making a bit of difference in the world as I sit on my couch nursing my daughter, or race cars with my son but some time with the Lord reminds me that I am. In fact, the job I'm doing might be one of the most important in the world. That's a lot of pressure! How I spend the days, hours and minutes with my children will help shape the people they become and they will shape and mold the lives of others they come into contact with. There is nothing I'd rather be doing with my time. I mean God's time. Life is a challenge for sure. Someone wise once told me that the people we are in contact can either cause us to grow or to wilt. Am I helping my children grow? My friends? My family? Sometimes I seriously doubt it- but I"m trying. I'm trying to surround myself with wise and wonderful people who will love me for me- unconditionally. People who will challenge me out of love. People whose mist of life will make my mist stronger and more beautiful- and hopefully the lives of Grace and Tyler too.