The Princess had her party...

Eden had a lot of fun for her fifth birthday! She took cupcakes to share at school thursday, her granny came from florida, and we had her classmates, and cousins over for a dress up party.

The princess were soo much fun. They dressed up, took pictures in front of the castle, ate lunch fit for a queen, made princess crafts, heard a story "Princess and the Pea" and played a game with that. We also watched a little of Cinderella 3. Here are some pictures from the day.

She also had our family over later on in the afternoon to have cake and ice cream with them :) She had a very fun day! :)

Sleep Study

Grayson needs to go for a sleep study. His appointment was last week but it was canceled due to a sick tech. So he will have it next week. The sleep study is one more step to see if he truly needs to have the tonsil surgery. He has very large (touching) tonsils. The dr the other day told him he won the prize that day for the largest tonsils.

If he has to have the surgery he will have it at the childrens hospital an hr away and stay 2-3 days, to be monitored. He will have to have the special meds fro the bleeding disorder. We were also told that he can not have any meds except Tylenol and sudafed (forever!). The list he gave us to stay away from was two pages long, with two columns on each page.

So I will keep you updated on the sleep study, next tuesday night.

It's Pizza Time

Today Grayson and I made pizza. Well I have been cleaning all day trying to get ready for the party this weekend. Eden's Big 5th birthday:)

SO after cleaning, and putting together the play tent and video taping Gray get his pillows and blankets from his room (he took 3 trips). We put things away in the playroom and read a book about pizza. I got a couple of book kits from the Library.

We sat down and read a book about a boy and his dads pizza restaurant. The we went in the kitchen to make pizza for lunch for mommy, daddy, and grayson. We had leftovers for the girls tonight too.

Grayson felt like a big boy helping in the kitchen. Almost everything was pre-packaged from the store, but we did add some cut up basil from the herb pot on the deck. When the pizza was finished it was about 45 mins later than his usual lunch and nap, so he was very tired and fell right to sleep

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Last Week

Last week Grayson and i had some fun while the girls were at school. I got out his magic wonders finger paints and let him play. I showed him one of his favorite books about moons and dolphins. I asked him to make a moon. He loves to look at the moon at night.

So here are a few pictures of my son the artist. He would love to sit and watch TV all day, so i have tried to do a few things during our mornings together. We are busy around here (like everyone else), but Tuesdays I will only have a couple of hrs before i go to work. I really need to get motivated about exercising. The gym is calling my name. Well maybe its just yelling at me to get my fat butt over there and get some exercise. Please encourage me about your workout routines?

My wild guys..

SO here they are. The pictures are from last year. The dread man and boy are from Eden's 4th birthday so they are almost a year old.

Grayson is sitting on my stepdads Harley. He loves motorcycles. Every time he sees one he says motorcycle vroom vroom vroom. Every single time. I am not sure if he thinks that its the name or what. But its really cute.

So tomorrow we go for his check up at the children's hospital here. He has a blood disorder that my mom had and they are deciding if she have the needed surgery of tonsils, adenoids, tubes, etc. With this disorder he should not have any unnecessary surgeries, but technically i think he needs it. He has sleep apnea and has slept through the night only about 10x since he was born. Yeah and that's getting old. We are also meeting with his hematologist to get the full info on his disorder. Its complicated, but hopefully we will better understand it tomorrow.

Thanks for listening. I will let you know what the dr says. :)

Bedtime sadness

Garrett is gone till tomorrow, so tonight it was bedtime routine all on my own. The girls did very well, Oli is always the straggler. It takes her so much longer to fall asleep. Eden is usually asleep before we leave the room. Olivia will read for almost an hour before falling asleep. Well tonight she came out to me (we have just earned 20 nights of not getting out of bed once tucked in) and i was trying to have mommy time and watch a show on tv, that i had been waiting for. I tell her goodnight and kiss her again and send her on her way.

Well last week two days in a row Olivia told me as we walked in to school that she did not like going to school because that meant she was away from me all day! Tear, tear. I know the saddest thing ever...so today again the story. I told her that i love to spend time with her, and we had this weekend. But that today was school. She often has these sayings for us when she needs to direct all focus back to her, like after getting in trouble, etc.

Okay back to tonight. She begins her angry walk back to her room and says i dont want to be with her, and i like the show more than her. Okay....so tv went immediately to commercial and i walk to her room. we have a chat, i lay on her bed, i kiss her and tell her that friday we will do something together after school just her and i .She agrees and i put a cd on for her. It is called Olivia. My mom bought it for her and one for eden for Christmas 2003. Olivia said where did we get it and i told her Grammy bought it for her. She said well where, i said i dont know. I told her that it was a secret between her and Grammy. She said well maybe grayson wants one. I said well, grammy didnt know Grayson.

We blew kisses and off i was. As i watched my show on tv, it was sad, and about death, i cried. I am not much of a crier these days, but i really cried. I laid on the couch with grayson in my arms (now snoring) and watched the show where they buried someone they loved, and the little boy tried to say goodbye.

My tears come from and for my children who never said goodbye, for myself and my sister and all who loved my mom who never said goodbye. this dec it will be 5 yrs since my mom died, and sometimes it feels like 10 yrs ago, others it feels like yesterday. I hate that grayson and bella will never be held by mom, and kissed goodnight. I have how eden was robbed on only having her for 2 1/2 mths. I hate how she was ripped from haley, olivia, and isaac... and how they have a hard time remembering her, even though she spent so much time with them! SO much, never.... never enough.

I am sad tonight because i had to tell my baby girl that you know this earth, this life sometimes sucks. And we will get mad, and cry, and be sad, and loose people who we love dearly. But that is this life! it will not hold me down, it will not defeat me... i know and love a God who is preparing a place for me and my babies, so that we will one day never feel this pain again.

Cry again, sure... laugh again, yeah i do all the time. Understand the last 5 yrs....never. My life has not been the same since that day in Florida when after (no sleep driving all night from VA) the love of my life, and the best Granny my three kids will ever know....told me that my mom was gone! But one day..... we will never have to share news like that again. We will be home, and sad no more.

Sorry for the long post, if you made it this far....hope it wasnt too crazy or confusing. Gotta kiss all those sleepy heads one more time before I go to bed :)

kids and their happenings

Well the other day Eden had a new "Eden claim". I would like to call them something, i just haven't thought of a good one yet. She came home from school and wanted to eat her snack. She usually eats snack at school, but it was a birthday and they had cupcakes. So after coming home, she realizes she still has snack in her lunchbox and decides to eat it. She sits at the table opens up the container filled with raising, goldfish, and mini marshmallows. She later comes into the living room where Garrett and i are sitting and says my head hurts. We said really, she said, "raisins make my head hurt!" She said i eat them in the car sometimes and it makes my head hurt.

She says funny things all the time, i like to share them when its a really good one.

Today i took Olivia and Eden to school. Eden likes us to walk them in, she is still transitioning into Kindergarten. So we are walking in and i tell Eden its going to be an easy drop off (yesterday she had a melt down when Garrett took her). Olivia leaned over and hugged me real tight and said, " I don't like going to school all day, because i miss being with you". I know said and sweet. But i was kind of laughing because she was too sweet, usually shes not like that, she was helping to overcompensate from yesterday. Anyway i loved hearing it, it was sad and i am glad that i wasn't already weepy that day or i would have lost it!

So the little man today was too cute. I ran all over town today getting groceries, while he stayed home with daddy. they went for a bike ride and played. I came home and played with gray and then we straightened up the playroom. I was trying to figure out what he wanted for lunch (after he had an snack of choc donut, also from being the only one at home during the day). I said hey you smell like choc. SO what do you want for lunch, he said " ice cream, chocolate". I was like what,no we don't eat ice cream for lunch.

So my kids are funny, amazing, loving, crazy, and of coarse having the cutest laughs you have ever heard!

The Letter B

Today the girls put on their new sundresses from granny and got ready for another day at school. They both looked so cute i took pics for granny to see!

Grayson and i walked them in to school and then headed to the grocery store. I told him on the way there, that we were going. I told him we needed to get Milk, he said "ice cream". then smiled realllll big!

So yes we did get ice cream, and he earned it after his lunch and preschool time. I have been trying to something with him every morning, it doesn't matter how small. If not he will want to watch dora and boos cues all day. (well and nap for 2- 3 hrs too). So today we talked about the letter B. I cut it out of scrap cardboard. he painted it Blue, we talked about the letter N, its sound, words that start with B. Blue, ball, blues clues, baby, etc. After painting i made his lunch and he had a Banana too. He did eat some ice cream after all of this and we read a book about babies before bedtime (nap). Here are some picture of our morning. Also there is a picture of my lunch (wrap w/ chicken, Cheddar cheese, carrots, cream cheese and spinach souffle) his was cheese quesadilla, banana, and raisins with apple juice to drink. He wanted to taste mine, but then decided very quickly he did not like it!

Pretty Princess

Pictures we are using to make her birthday invites....isnt she adorable. I know i am biased, but you have to agree, she has the sweetest face..... and a gentle heart!

Library Books

I just wanted all to see me children love books. I went to the library (for ten minutes today) to rush and pick up book for all, book kits, dvds etc. We came home and this is what happened next.

skateboarding family

After the girls first full day of school we took them to get ice cream at cold stone. We haven't been there in soo long. I don't think Grayson has ever been there. We had fun, he just wanted to eat his gummy bears and not any of the ice cream. Olivia wanted to eat hers and everyone else's. Eden enjoyed some of hers, she not a big ice cream eater... but she thinks she is.

We came home and went for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Eden, Gray, and I began walking and Olivia ran up to us a few minutes later. After we walked down the rode, we were heading back home and here comes daddy on the long-board. All of the kids were excited and took turn riding it. They fought over who got to ride it next.

Olivia also captured a picture of us, yeah i am not real thrilled looking in the picture, but she is still learning about all the right buttons and when to hold them and release. So your smile face, is usually gone before the picture is take. Oh well.

Gray's first day home along with mommy

So today we all woke up and took the girls to school for their very first day. We came home and had to drag the little man inside because he wanted to stay outside and play. We came in did a few things and then changed our clothes and went outside. Daddy left and went to work and Gray and i went for a walk. A nature hike (walk). Our neighborhood backs up to retreat center and we are allowed to visit there whenever we want. We often walk to their playground for a change and just to have somewhere to go, without driving. Their playground is small but the kids love it. So Gray and i saw a lot of leaves on the trees and picked on large one and one small one to bring home.





As we walked we discussed ALL of the mail boxes down the rode, their color, etc. We walked in the rocks (kicking our shoes and making dust), and listened to the birds and other things we could here.





When we got home we discussed the leaves. Color, sizes, bigger - smaller, pointy - rounded, etc. We also worked shading with our crayons and paper. Mommy did most of the work, but he enjoyed watching and the finished project. We took pictures of the leaves to show you.

1st day of K and 1st grade

Eden is a big Kindergartner and Olivia is no in 1st grade. They did a great job going to school and getting ready. It is only a half day today so it should be pretty easy. Here are a few shots of the family and of coarse the little man who is home free. No tears for mommy today, hopefully none tomorrow either. But not tears for and kids either all smiles.