BlessedSpears

First Day at the Park '09

2009-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of AJ at the park for the first time this year. It was an unseasonably warm day for March. There are just days when AJ and I have to get out of the house and have some space. I'm sure all you mommies out there know exactly what I'm talking about. I love being an "at home mommy" but sometimes...we get on each others nerves! We just have to get out and regroup! LOL.
It was a great day. A little on the cool side but the air was fresh and it felt great to get outside after a brutally cold winter. It even warmed up for a while that AJ actually took his coat off. Then the wind picked back up and the jacket went back on.
The wind here is amazing. We warned those that moved here from MD and they didn't believe us until they experienced it themselves. It's crazy. Goes right to the bone. Miserable at times.

LOOK at him on the big boy swing!!!!!! Last year my little monster couldn't even climb the steps to the play area he was so little. This year, he owns those steps! Not a problem. Climbs right up the biggest slide without any hesitation. The only problem that arose was when I got on the teeter totter with him. Blech, AJ's little brother promply let me know that the motion of the sea-saw was NOT appreciated. We had to leave shortly after that for fear of ralphing all over the play equipment. AJ wasn't happy, the baby in the belly wasn't happy, and mommy drove home green to the gills! All in all, a super day ;0)

Catching up!!!

2009-05-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am going to try and catch up on the last few months. I know I've been a bad blogger and to the 2 people that read it, I am sorry. ;O) Anyway, lets begin with my Moosey girl. We travelled to TN for Christmas and my poor girl couldn't pee. Jason and I both noticed that she was wanting to go outside every 5 minutes. Honestly, that is nothing new. Our lab is a little psychotic. She gets stress UTI's every time we travel pretty much. This time was very different though. She was going outside and trying to pee but she would squat 10-15 times in one outing. It took me a while to realize that just because she was squatting, didn't mean she was actually peeing. I noticed that she would dribble just a little bit at first and then no matter how many times she squatted, nothing was coming out. SOOOOO, the next morning I told Jason we had to take her to the vet, something was very wrong. I was afraid of her bladder rupturing more than anything by this point. We packed up the van and took our little Moose to the ER Vet. $400.00 later we found out that she had MULTIPLE bladder stones that were blocking her urethra. In the process of taking the x-rays we found out that our 5 year old little girl has VERY advanced hip displasia. Broke my heart when I looked at the x-rays. I cried like a baby. Anyway, we came home, paid for a second opinion and then called around for the best and financially responsible surgeon. $800.00 later, my little girl is peeing like a champ. Here are some pics of the surgical incision.

Here's how my girl normally spends her days.....not rotten or anything!

Yep, that's my girl!!! She is such a good dog with AJ. I came out of the shower the other day to catch AJ sitting on her back yelling at her to "giddy up!" Of course he was ordered OFF the dog and I had to explain that she may be as big as a horse but she really wasn't. She just laid there and took the abuse! What a good girl. Yes, all 75lbs of her sleeps in the bed with me. She will sleep all day on the weekends just to be with me. She tucks her bum right up against mine and we sleep like babies. If I'm sick, she's right by my side. She even cuddles in my lap while we're watching TV. She is my baby girl. And with a third man soon to be in my house, I need all the girly support I can get!

New Addition..........

2009-02-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you that read the blog, just wanted to give you an update.

Jason and I are expecting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just found out a few days ago. We are very excited. Jason breaks out in a cold sweat just thinking about having a little girl and AJ keeps saying he wants a baby sister. I'd go for a girl this time but there's less of a learning curve if we have another boy! LOL I'm good either way! We just ask that you keep us all in your prayers if you will. We give all the praise to our Heavenly Father for allowing us this opportunity.

Love you guys!!!

First Snow Day Jan 19, 09

2009-01-20T02:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up this afternoon to a wonderful suprise. SNOW!!! Jason woke me up at 3 pm, like I asked him to, and I was very reluctant to get out of bed. Night shift does a number on your sleep pattern. AJ ran up and kissed me "good morning/afternoon" and I finally wriggled my way out of the covers. It was beautiful. Not much snow but it's about an inch. Enough to cover the ground and make things look beautiful. We all dressed up in our snow clothes and out we went. Poor AJ looks like the Michellin Man!! I dressed AJ up in the same snow suit when we had snow last year. It was so big on him then, if he fell over I had to grab the back of it to pull him up! LOL. This year it fits much better. He just looked so cute!!! Took him a minute to get used to the snow/cold but once he figured it out, it was ON!

AJ making his first Snow Angel:

Daddy taught him how to make a snow ball. After that, it was ON!!! We threw snowballs the entire time we were outside. We even snuck up on daddy while he was shoveling the sidewalk to bombard him with snowballs. In order for me to get AJ back inside I had to tell him "Two more snowballs then we're done!" After our last two snowballs, he ran back, threw one more at daddy then said "OK mommy, all done" It as GREAT!!!

I love this picture.

AJ left these tracks with his boots! He couldn't even lift his feet up all the way out of the snow and it was only an ince deep! I go a wee bit overboard on keeping him warm. I need to do something about the gloves though. Maybe tuck his shirt into them next time. These snow gloves kept his hands warm but snow got on his wrists.

AJ loving life!! Even after we went inside, he kept running over and flipping the blinds up to make sure the snow was still there. Can't wait until we get enough to make a snowman!

AJ went down the slide. It had a little bit of ice under the snow. AJ flew down the slide. Jason even tried it. I thought he was going to break himself the way he hit the ground! It was great.

AJ and daddy in full attack mode!

My little snow angel waiting for his hot/warm chocolate. He liked that. I had to convince him the Hot Chocolate wasn't hot, but once I convinced him I wasn't going to scorch his taste buds he finally tried it. "I like it" was his response.

He was worn out after all this. I was upstairs doing my exercises when Jason came up and told me AJ had fallen asleep. When I came downstairs, I found AJ sitting on the couch in a sitting position, sound asleep. It was precious.

Hopefully I'll get the holiday pics up here soon. I'm running out of room on the camera!!

First Christmas Train

2008-12-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Preface:
We put up all of our Christmas decorations up prior to Thanksgiving this year. The in-laws were up for Thanksgiving and my brother and sister-in-law were transfered back over to Germany the Sunday after Thanksgiving so we had Christmas early with them. While shopping for a new tree (ours was >12 years old and split right in half last year) we found one that had a train going around it. AJ fell in love with it. We had to have a choo-choo going around the tree. He loves his Thomas trains and tracks but we had to have on that went around the tree. AJ and I went to his Gym class this Wednesday and then went shopping at Big Lot's for some Christmas shopping. AJ was constantly talking about getting the train. I explained to him that "Daddy wanted to buy the train track with him and if we bought it without him it would hurt daddy's feelings." For the rest of the day he would say "want the train track but don't wanna hurt daddy's feelings." This went on A.L.L. day. Finally Jason gets home from work around 5:30pm and AJ was sound asleep on the couch. I was telling Jason how AJ was all day and he said that he would go ahead and get it that night. AJ woke up and I told him daddy was home. AJ sat straight up on the couch and exclaimed "TIME TO GET THE TRAIN TRACK!!!" Jason took AJ to Lowes and the beloved train track was purchased. I was cleaning the house when AJ comes barreling through the front door, runs into the kitchen looks at me and yells..."MOMMY, DADDY GOT THE TRAIN TRACK!!!" He was so excited it brought tears to my eyes. So that night daddy put the train track up for AJ. He was ecstatic. Well, then I had this train track and a hole in the middle of it. We decided to go ahead and put the tree up Wed. night and put the decorations up Thursday morning.

watching the train go round and round with his daddy.

This child was so excited.

Daddy and his buddy.

Chooo-Choooo

First year AJ helped to decorate the tree.

AJ hanging the Christmas balls.

He loved when Daddy would hold him up high.

Fixing the train track around the tree.

Mommy and her monster.

My two guys after a long night of tree decorating and train playing:

These two guys are my heart and soul. I love them both so so much. Some of my favorite times are watching the two of them together. Right now Daddy is AJ's buddy. He waits for him when he comes home from work and gets so excited. As soon as Jason comes in the front door they are running around the house. One of my favorite times during the day is when Jason first gets home. I'm cooking, trying to get dinner on the table, the dog is barking and AJ and Jason are running around the house. AJ's so excited because Daddy's home. The way the house is set up they run around in circles. They're both yelling, AJ is squeeling. That's the sound of a happy family. Those are some of the memories I will keep with me forever.

Kitchen renovations

2008-12-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post the hard work Jason and I both did for the kitchen. When we first bought the house, the kitchen didn't even have the island there. It's taken some time but the kitchen was painted, curtains put up, island put in, and my multi talented husband *with my help* did all of the tile work himself. I helped with the grout. This is the first time Jason has ever done tile and it looks professional. I was so proud of him. The next room we will be working on is the family room. Jason is going to build a fireplace mantel and we are going to paint the room. We're hoping that gets started after the New Year.

Here's a before pic of the kitchen without the tile. This was AJ's 2nd birthday. The island was already in but the tile wasn't started.

Settings....

2008-11-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

I think I have successfully fixed the comment security setting. I believe you can now leave comments on my blog. Sorry about that. I've had so many people write me actual e-mails. Now you don't have to do that. Let me know if you keep having trouble. Thanks!!

Halloween '08

2008-11-17T07:31:00.001-08:00

We had a great time this Halloween. Last year AJ was old enough to start grasping the concept of A) ring doorbell B) get candy.... This year AJ grasped the concept of A)go to as many houses as you possibly can to get as much candy as he possibly could. He was so excited. We spent most of October getting him used to the idea of "funny" monsters. Anyone that knows me knows that books are very popular at this house. Between GG and I, I think AJ had about 4-5 Halloween books. I also had a music CD that plays the Monster Mash and Dem Bones ect. AJ can sing every one of em. I want AJ to understand that Halloween is about dressing up and having a good time. I don't want a skittish little boy. Anyway, AJ is a trooper. He will shake the "monster's" hands in the store and tell them, "it's not scarey, it's funny" Even when he was looking to me for assurance, I would laugh and say, "they're so funny" He really did great this year. He's just scared enough to be cautious, yet he's not a screaming mimi either.
We bought his costume weeks in advance because I didn't want to be looking around at the last minute. He had already gotten a sword from Busch Gardens when GG, AJ and I took our vacation in August. I figured a "Knight" costume would be perfect. He was so cute!!! I just kind of threw a vampire costume together and AJ loved all of the scary masks at Wal-mart. He picked out Jason's scary mask and I can't believe I didn't take any pics of it. The only one in our house that did not like the mask was Moose. She hated it and subsequently tried to eat anyone that wore it around her. At least I know she's a good attack dog.

Mommy's vampire costume

This picture was taken at the gym parade but it shows his helmet.

AJ's knight Costume. Yes we did pull him around in his wagon. The walkways and driveways in the neighborhood are L.O.N.G.

The night of Halloween, my awesome husband whipped up a pot of chili and we had some of our friends over around 6 pm for fun and food. We left the house around 7 pm for Trick-or-Treat.

Bobby, Myself, Jennifer with her youngest Andrew

Bobby and Chase Man

Jennifer and her youngest Andrew

All the kiddos

Mike and Jennifer came over with their two boys Ryan and Andrew, Bobbie and Adam came over with Chase Man and Regie came over with Leah and Solomon. Regie came right at 7 pm and we didn't get to visit as much as we would have liked to but he had workers come to the house right at 6:30 pm. Amanda, Jason and their monster Landon could't make it. Landon apparently was givin his mama a fit that night. She did manage, however, to make the best crock-pot of hot apple cider we've ever had.

My Cape, Jason actually took this picture. I'm glad he did because it shows the silver on it. It was a spider web pattern.

AJ ringing another door bell. Note the Apple Cider in my hand. Perfect for a cold night and Oh So Delish

AJ Grinning like a possum

The Loot!!!

It was a good night and a good time had by all. We even went and visited with Mike and Jen after the festivities. We're so blessed to have so many friends here. I'm so thankful that AJ is going to have so many friends to grow up with.

Pumpkin Patch 08

2008-11-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

We went to a different pumpkin patch this year. I really thought it would be something because it had adds in magazines and boards on the street. Boy were we dissapointed. It really wasn't much and it was super expensive. We paid $7.00 a person to get in, AJ was free, and then you had to pay for your pumpkin. Needless to say, we stayed for the hayride, magic show, looked around and then went to our favorite pumpkin patch just down the road. It's free to get in. The hayride is only $3.00 a person and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. Plus they have billy goats that you can pet and feed.

The first pumpkin patch had live music. Well, it was live but I really wouldn't call it music. It was two guys trying to create music. They would seriously bomb at kereoke night. They were butchering some songs. AJ loves music and will actually force us to stay to listen to live blue grass. These guys, not so much. AJ was like, "let's go mommy". They did have this guy in a chicken costume. He was walking around amazing the little kiddies. AJ was fascinated. This guy even let AJ ride the chicken. It is one of AJ's favorite pics. Too funny.

They did have a pretty good hay ride. They had a lot of decorations set up and a guy on the wagon telling the story. It wasn't scary and was geared toward the little guys.

We attempted the corn maze but I think that kind of freaks my husband out. We went one way, got stuck and he took me right back out of the beginning. He kept saying "I thought that was the goal, to get out where you went in...." He knows better. I seriously think it freaks him out.

As we were leaving I took a bunch of pics of AJ with all of the decorations.

We left there and went to our favorite pumpkin patch. It's free to get in and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. You do have to pay $3.00 a person for they hay ride but I can understand that with what the price of gas was. Can't be cheap to run those tractors. AJ really likes this one because they have billy goats you can pet and feed. They are so cute. Jason keeps saying he wants one. This was the first year I let AJ feed the goats. I was afraid they would bite his fingers off last year.

After fun with the billy goats, we went to get our pumpkins.

Dad pulling our monster on the wagon.

AJ looking for the perfect "little" pumpkin

Dad and AJ picking the pumpkin.

Mom and AJ taking pumpkin breaks.

Dad pulling AJ out of the patch.

AJ playing on the hay maze. He had a ball running on that. I was afraid he would get the going too fast and fall off but he did pretty good.

The best story is the one of poor little AJ falling off the wagon though. He made it all the way to the check out counter fine. He got off and he and I were looking through the stands. I found this tiny tiny little pumpkin for .60 cents. He loved it so we got it too. He climbed back on the wagon so jason could pull him to the van. We were 3 feet from the van, Jason hit a pot hole and my little baby went flipping over the side. He sqealed but let me tell you, he did not let go of his baby pumpkin!!! He held onto that thing for all he was worth. So much so the stem broke off. Because I'm a good mommy and was trying to heal a baby's broken heart, I hot glue gunned that stem back on and I'll have you know that pumpkin is STILL in good shape. It has a rediculous amount of glue all the way around the top but hey, my two year old was happy. Isn't that all that counts?????

Belated Baby Shower Post...

2008-11-06T08:50:00.001-08:00

We all know that one of the best things ever is a baby being born. My neighbor has been pregnant since I've known her. They moved in the house beside us around July. Gary and Angie have been the best neighbors in the world. Their little girl Sophia is one of AJ's best buds!!! They have a blast playing together. I wanted to do something nice for Angie so I called all the women in the neighborhood and we agreed to cook for them for a few weeks after the new arrival made her appearance. I originally planned to have her shower on Oct. 12. However, Little Lucy kept trying to change the plans on me. She really wanted to be at the shower with us but thankfully she held on a little longer. Have to love those modern drugs that keep those babies in the bun cooking just a little longer. She is now a beautiful, healthy little girl.
We surprised (I think) Angie that night with a gathering of the ladies to give her the card explaining our plans to cook for them. My mother wrote a really precious poem introducing our gift.

Much more than neighbors
We're a community of friends,
Wishing you happiness and joy
That never ends.
We decided amongst us
To celebrate this way...
For a month we'll each bring you
A dinner a day!
Hope this will help you
Hope this makes you smile,
Hope it gives you more family time
If just for a while.
"Welcome home, Little Lucy",
Is the message this sends,
One more little heart
In our community of friends!

I made this punch that was supposed to be pink. It ended up blood red because I didn't thaw the vanilla ice cream enough. It eventually ended up a real pretty pink. I also made an ice sculpture to go in the middle. I put water in a circular cake pan and placed sliced strawberries in it as well as these plastic mini baby bottles. I thought the bottles would sink and eventually be at the top of the sculpture...wrong. As the ice melted the baby bottles fell out into the punch. Amanda was given the strict task to warm everyone not to choke on a bottles as they drank the punch. The punch was really good and thankfully no one had to receive the Heimlich maneuver!!!

It was so nice getting everyone together that Angie is now working hard on getting a woman's neighborhood Bunco game started every month. We played two games ( I tried to keep it simple)I was able to use some of my baby stamps that I haven't been able to use in years.

We had a wonderful time and I have to thank my other neighbor Amanda for helping me decorate and being ready right in the nick of time!! She helped with that crepe paper decorating that makes me want to pull my hair out. She did a beautiful job and I couldn't have pulled it together without you!!! She and Jason were also the joint taste tester club to make sure all food was presentable!! :0)

Little Lucy made her appearance about 2 weeks later on Sunday around 8 pm. It was a very quick birth without epidural. Angie is a champ. I think her labor was a little over 2 hours. Lucy doesn't play. All 8lbs 9oz of her.
Thank you God for allowing us to still witness miracles here on earth!!!

HIGH SPEED INTERNET!!!!!

2008-11-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

I HAVE HIGH SPEED
I HAVE HIGH SPEED
I HAVE HIGH SPEED.
Oh my goodness, you guys are in trouble now!!!! You are SO going to be picture logged. I'm so excited. Can you tell????
Please keep my friend Marie and her family in your prayers. Looks like her father-in-law is in the hospital. They are looking at a possible brain tumor. They will hopefully have more information in the AM. Thanks!!

~Lessons in Thievery 101~ From my 2 year old

2008-10-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

This should make your day!!

My friend Amanda came over today with her 5mo old, Landon. We were watching "Meet the Browns" by Tyler Perry. Jason does not like watching my Madea movies so I have to find someone as warped as me to watch them with. I can laugh til I cry watching these movies, but I digress. Throughout the movie, AJ was playing in the living room, on the couch, in the floor, in his playroom. He was all over the place. In the middle of the movie AJ comes over with a sucker in his hand. All of the Halloween candy is located under the island in the cabinets. I told him "no" because he had already eaten a brownie and some smarties. We were going to be making dinner soon and in all my mommy wisdom figured he'd had enough sugar for the time being.

Well.........

Baby Landon started getting fussy near the end of the movie so Amanda got up to put some water in the bottle. She came back to the couch laughing. She told me she had "caught my sneak" I looked at her like she had two heads. Caught my WHAT??? "I caught your sneak" I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she proceeds to tell me that my son, my little angel is sitting in the cabinet under the island chowing down on suckers. She said as soon as she walked around the island he threw the sucker into the cabinet. I thought I would die laughing. I walk around the island and my little baby was sitting in the cabinet, door half way ajar with one leg sticking out waiting for me to come. He was looking for me.

I walked around and asked him what he was doing and he just grinned the biggest grin with those dimples. It was SO hard not to crack up. I got him out of the cabinet. Told him
"don't tell mommy stories, I need you to tell me the truth. Were you eating suckers???"
"I'm sorry mama"
"thank you for your apology but were you eating suckers when mommy told you no?"
"Yes ma'am"
"Go sit in your chair"
"I'm sorry"
"Thank you for your apology but go sit in your chair"
So he goes and gets in his chair while I get the sucker out of the cabinet. Did I say sucker?? I meant suckerS. Yes suckerS, plural. Twenty suckers to be exact. I'm really not sure how long this kid had been up to this but there were 20 suckers in the cabinet.

Here's the cool thing though.

1) He knew he was in trouble to begin with. As soon as Amanda saw him he threw the sucker.

2) After he was caught, he didn't go right back to eating the sucker because somehow he knew I'd be coming.

3) He would pull the wrapper off of the sucker and then hide the evidence in the back of the cabinet UNDER boxes!!

4) He was smart enough to hide this practice from me for who knows how long.

I believe at 2 years and 4 months I have a little genius and it scares me to death!!! I called my mother today to tell her this story. She cracked up at first, marvelled at his complex little brain, and then proceeded to tell me that my son is JUST LIKE ME!!! Great, just great. I do believe that I am going to have my hands full!! After thinking at great length how to handle this particular situation, I decided that I would talk him through the first offense and threaten him with a sore hind end if he ever pulled this trick again. Of course I did this all biting back pure hysteria. I wanted to laugh so hard I couldn't stand it. I explained to him that when mommy says no, I mean no. Sneaking candy is not nice and he is not to do it again. I received the mandatory "yes ma'am" of understanding and that was that. Hopefully the end to the criminal thievery. Too freaking funny. I just had to share. Hope you enjoyed another story from the Spears household!!!

We made up and all is peace and love again.

Slacker

2008-09-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've slacked off. I am really good about updating snapfish but I'm terrible at updating my blog. I want to be better. I want to be sure that I log these memories so I can return to them and feel the joy I feel now. When my son puts his hand on my cheek and says "love u mommy", when he's tired and he HAS to hold my cheek when he gets tired. All these things I want to cherish forever. I never want to forget.

About 2 weeks ago, AJ started adding to our nightly prayer all by himself. We always pray "God thank you for this day that we've had together, thank you for getting Daddy home safe from work and be with him tomorrow too, thank you for (whatever we've done today) but most of all, we thank you for baby Jesus. Please be with us tonight as we sleep and keep us safe and wake us in the morning with your beautiful sunshine. In Jesus name we pray, Amen." We have prayed this prayer since he was little little. He began speaking with me in certain parts and the "In Jesus name, Amen" is so precious it brings tears to your eyes.

About a month ago Jason bought a seat that you add on to the back of your bike. He went out, bought the seat as well as the helmet and that child of mine absolutely adores the nightly "ride bike daddy-o's" Jason takes him down the *big hill* and AJ just laughs! It's so cool. Anyway, one night AJ and I were saying our nightly prayer as I was tucking him in and as we got to the part "thank you for this day we've had together", AJ promptly added in "thank you for ridin bike with daddy-o" I literally couldn't speak. Tears welled up in my eyes and I thought my heart would burst!!! It was the first time AJ understood to thank God for something that meant something to him. Those nightly rides with his daddy are special to him. They are so special he's added them in his prayers! What a wonderful milestone. To think that my son is developing a relationship with my wonderful God is just too amazing for words. I can't even express the emotions that flooded through me.

About a week later we were once again engaging in our nightly prayer when AJ added "thank you for bike with daddy-o, and GG"!!! GG (my mother) had spent a week with AJ and I while we were on vacation. AJ added her to his prayers!!!

Tonight, we spent a wonderful evening with our neighbors for dinner. They have a 4 year old daughter named Sophia. AJ pronounces it Sochia and he absolutely adores her. They really interact and play well together. He watches her so intently and attempts to copy evertying she does. Even if he can't do it well he will try his darndest. The other night he even picked her a flower (weed) out of our yard to give to her. I thought that was saved only for GG and myself. Tonight as I was tucking him in, after his book, during his prayer he added "thank you for bike with daddy-o, thank you GG, thank you Opa (Jason's dad), thank you Oma, thank you Sadie Mae, thank you Moose, thank you Sochia, thank you Percy (a thomas the train character), thank you Thomas (the main character).... This went on for about 5 minutes. He would stop and think of something else that was near and dear to his heart. Once he had something in mind he would say thank you for it, look at me and I was expected to repeat the thank you. He even thanked God for Chocolate. Now....does anyone doubt this child is mine???? LOL God has blessed me greatly with this amazing child. I wish my prayers were as simple as this greatful 2 year old.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Mt 19:14

Sometimes the words for my prayers are difficult to find. The one prayer that is never hard to utter is the prayer of thanksgiving for my family, my mother, my husband and my mini soul running around outside of my body, my child. Thank you Heavenly Father for these blessings you have bestowed upon me. Amen.

AJ's first fish.

2008-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Back tracking a little bit. AJ cought his first fish with Daddy during the 4th of July reunion. Uncle Pete has a reunion at his house every 4th of July. This means the world to me because after Grandma and Grandpa passed our get togethers have become far and few between. My childhood was nothing but a plethera of family get togethers. Most of my childhood revolves around all of my Aunt's, Uncle's and cousins. The older we get the farther apart we drift and I hold onto those memories like a vice. I want AJ to experience what I experienced as I was growing up. I digress.

Ever Since AJ was in my tummy, Jason has talked about a "fishing buddy". Jason fishes with his dad to this day. As we were leaving for the reunion, Jason had his and AJ's fishing agenda down. We had to make sure all of the fishing poles/tackle boxes were in place. After we arrived at the reunion and Uncle Joe and Aunt Marlene promptly stole my son to go on a paddle boat, Jason retrieved all of the fishing material. Jason had AJ all over the place with his little scooby-doo fishing pole (hook and sinker in tact). I didn't see the bass that Jason caught and I also didn't see AJ *KISS THE FISH*. Yes my son, AJ Spears, kissed a bass. I love fishing and can handle the gritty work that goes with it. Never been much of a *girly girl* but even that is just too much for me.

AJ and Daddy at the tackle box

The next thing I know, Jason and AJ come running up the bank with rod/reel/ and fish in hand. AJ caught him a little blue gill. He was grinning from ear to ear. (daddy helped him pull it in) He was not afraid of that slimy, squirmy, floppy fish at all. We had to make sure he didn't get his fingers caught on the gills. He held that fishing string and was SO proud of that fish. He didn't even cry when daddy took the fish off and set it free back in the lake. AJ helped. It was amazing to watch. Not only was AJ so proud of that fish, his daddy was so proud of him!!! Nothing makes my heart melt more than to watch Jason with his son and the looks of pure proudness and joy that cross his face. Brings tears to my eyes. AJ has a wonderful daddy and for that I am thankful to God.

Look at that face!!! I (heart) him....

Look at those two faces!!! I (heart) them BOTH!!!!

New posts

2008-06-13T09:06:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let you know there are two new posts and I'm doing my best to catch up. Thanks!!!

30th Birthday Surprise

2008-06-13T08:35:00.001-07:00

Yes folks, this year I turned 30. I made a promise to myself that I will never begrudge age. I will never be resentful of the years I have been blessed with on this earth to share with my friends and family. It kind of came as an epiphany when I read another blog about a 23 year old mother. She had leukemia and desperately wanted to grow old watching her infant son grow. She was not granted that wish. I know I am blessed to have had 30 years to love, cherish, and share in the lives of those I love.

Every year on my birthday Jason takes me to 220 Seafood. It is a WONDERFUL restaurant here in Winchester VA. Jason and I were unable to go home and my birthday fell on a Thursday so I knew no one would be able to come share with us. Through chance I found out that 220 had closed down d/t inflation of prices. I was HEARTBROKE. I only get my all you can eat crab-legs once a year because I totally embarrass Jason with how many crabs I eat. Jason even makes me watch "The Deadliest Catch" on TLC so I can be thankful of the feast I eat. I digress, I called Jason on his way home from work that day and told him to "fix it!!!" I was in a state of total panic. I didn't want anything for my birthday but my family and my crab legs. i didn't think that was too much to ask. Jason co-horded with the guys at his work and told me he found a place. I was so excited. The day of my birthday I had AJ bathed, I was dressed and we were practically ready as soon as Jason walked through the door. We were getting ready to go and I was putting AJ in the van when I noticed we had a lot of trash sitting right there. I was going to go back into the house to throw it all away when Jason snatched it from my hands and went into the house. I thought I was irritating him because I was taking so long (how long does it take to throw trash away???) Anyway, we got in the van and started going. We were all they way down 360 getting ready to pass Charles Town when his cell phone rang. I didn't pay much attention, his cell phone always rings. My ears perked right up when I heard him say "The alarm is going off?? We're heading out to eat do we have to be at the house? The password is blah blah blah. I was SOOO MAD. I knew no one was in the house. We had been having trouble with one of the doors shutting all the way and I knew that was why the alarm was going off. We were farther enough away that I was afraid the cops would bust down the door. I was furious. ALL I wanted was my crab legs. It was already 6:30pm by the time we got back to the house, turned off the alarm, and dealt with the police it would be too late to go back out. I pouted all the way home. All I truly want anymore on these special days is my family to be together. When I can't have that it's upsetting enough, now I couldn't even get my traditional crab legs. Then it hit me....the dog. Those officers better not hurt or let my dog out. "Jason, do you think they busted the door down or are they just walking around the perimeter? You don't think it's too loud for Moose's ears?? They better not have hurt my dog or it's going to hit the fan. I really hope they didn't bust down the door, that's just more money right over the trash can. I'm never using the alarm again, blah blah blah. When we drove through the neighborhood enough to see the house I was really freaking out. OH NO!! They've called out the whole police brigade!! Jason, did you leave the lights on when you left??? They've busted the door!!!! Don't hurt my dog!!!!! AHHHHHHH!! It wasn't until we drove up to the stop sign right by the house that Jason said "Shannon, how do you spell surprise???" I was like "HUH??" It wasn't until I saw my Aunt Piss on the porch and my mom in the driveway that I knew what was going on. JASON GOT ME!!! He pulled this whole thing off!!! He had been working for weeks on my surprise party. That morning I woke up to a note by the coffee pot. He told me he wasn't going to be at his desk most of the day (not unusual) and told me to page him if I needed him. He actually took the whole day off and camped out at the old house. He went out, changed the oil in the car, put meatballs in the crock pot, got my cake, got the food. He was amazing!!! He had invited a bunch of people from work too. They were all waiting for me as I came in the house. My cousin met Jason at the old house and he was the one that placed the phony alarm call. Jason had given him keys to the new house and as soon as we left he went over and got the house ready for company. It was AMAZING!!! I had a wonderful night with my family and friends. How blessed am I to have a husband that would go through all that trouble to surprise me like that???? I know it's a long story but it's just to awesome not to share. Jason really didn't want me to post this because he actually forgot to invite some friends of ours and he felt really bad about it but I just couldn't not post this. It's too cool and I wanted to brag on my husband. He's such a good man. I may not have gotten my crab legs that night but I got my family and friends and that means more to me than anything. Here are some pics of that night

Walking through into the kitchen to a house full of guests

My beautiful birthday cake

Piss, Mom holding AJ, and Uncle Michee

Eva, Roxanne, Me, Lisa, Vanessa, and my boss Peggy
These are all girls I work with at the hospital.

AJ enjoying mama's cake and ice-cream. It was a wonderful night and just re-affirms how blessed I truly am. My family travels upwards of 4 hours to get here and they came, stayed the night and left out the next morning. It was WONDERFUL. I love Jason for thinking of me and going out of his way to make me happy. That took a lot of work and a lot of planning. Thank you Jason for everything!!! I love you BBMB, for eternity.com and with all my heart.

Catching up

2008-06-12T11:14:00.001-07:00

Well, now that the weather is finally warm/hot I am sitting outside with my monster as he swims in his little but bigger than last years pool. I am going to back track a little to update some things that have happened in the recent months. I am really going to try to be a better blogger because this is the only written "journal" I have. I'm going to start with Easter 08. This Easter was a little different from last because of me having to work the 2/ 12 hour shifts on the weekends. I came home from work around 0745 and Jason and I waited for AJ to wake up. They didn't make it to church that morning because I was being a little selfish. I wanted to see him wake up to his Easter surprises and we played and played until mommy just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.
Jason and I were sitting on the couch watching the morning news waiting to hear his little voice come over the baby monitor. I was so excited when we finally heard him stirring around. We went upstairs "empty" Easter basket in hand. That morning I had placed the plastic Easter eggs all around the house. We had to do it inside because it was so chilly...COLD, that day. Anyway we ran upstairs, gave him his Easter basket and told him the bunny had been there. He took his basket and on the way down the stairs he started finding his first eggs. He was so excited. He would spot one, look at me open mouthed with his eyes wide open. It was PRICELESS!!!
He went all around the house looking for them and of course we had to have some special "Lightning McQueen" eggs. Those were "special" eggs that had candy in them. He picked up on that real quick.

We finally made it into the kitchen where his Easter basket overfloweth with child diabetes aiding paraphernalia and toys. Mama goes a little nuts at the dollar store. Who doesn't love that place???? Anyway. He and Moose both seemed to have a great Easter morning.

AJ on the other hand not only had an Easter morning he had Easter DAYS. Yes that is right. With two sets of Grandparents that live out of town, every holiday is an extended affair. Oma and Opa came first. They stayed a few days with us and they were so excited for AJ. The child makes out like a bandit. A whole package of cars/trucks that the child still has everyone today, "Lightning McQueen" sunglasses, clothes.
AJ at that point was beginning to really understand what a pretty wrapped package signifies. As soon as Oma brought the package in AJ was ready to look in it.

A pic of Oma and Opa

AJ playing with his beloved cars/trucks.

The last of the Easter festivities wrapped up when GG came over. His Easter basket was an Elmo suitcase to house all of the many many cars this child owns. More Candy more Lightning McQueen sunglasses, Lightning McQueen hat,

Lightning umbrella from Uncle Michee,

Lightning blanket from Aunt Piss and Uncle Rick,

and finally Lightning McQueen TATTOOS from GG. Yeah, thanks for that one!!!I don't' know who had more tattoos by the time GG left, the baby or her!!! AJ is so blessed to have so many people that think of him and want to do things to make him happy. Because so many people take time out to come visit him, yes him, Jason and I just happened to have him, he doesn't even cry when people leave. He kisses them goodbye and knows they are going "home" I believe he knows that everyone will come back to see him because everyone visits so often. With gas prices the way they are right now, I know in my heart that this child is truly blessed.

Potty Trained!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

First off, sorry I haven't updated in forever. Again, we still have dial-up and I just don't have the patients for this. Plus AJ has to give me a minute to actually update. Anyway, WARNING, this is definitely a brag post.

Now for the important part, the update!! AJ, in my opinion, is officially potty trained. He is 23 months and 3 days old. Last night he took his first poop in the potty. We were thrilled. Of course we went all crazy jumping and laughing and singing. I am so proud of him. He has been sleeping in his "Lighting McQueen" under-roos for the past 3 nights without any accidents. (He didn't even have the plastic pad under him, do not panic, I went to K-mart yesterday and found one big enough for a full bed) He had been going through the night without a wet dipe for a while now. He still has his occasional accidents during the day when he's too busy to pay attention but for the most part he'll look at us and say "pee-pee potty mommy/GG" and off we go. Running for the potty. We've even taken him out this week only wearing his underwear and he's done fine. He's waited until we got home to potty. I am taking his little seat with us though. One time last week mom and I went to Bob Evan's so we could eat breakfast. AJ had to potty and that big potty FREAKED HIM OUT. I was so worried about him peeing himself and the fact that I forgot to pack extra clothes I forgot I had diapers in the car. (DUH) After mom and I had alternated about 10 times attempting to take him to the potty a lady across the aisle so graciously offered to give me one of her daughters diapers. It was then, and only then did I realize I had diapers in the diaper bag. Good grief. I ran to the car and got a dipe and the poor thing was so confused. He knew he was supposed to pee in the potty and I hated having to tell him to "go ahead and pee, you have a diaper on." Anyway, from that point forward I do have extra pants, underwear, and diapers in the diaper bag as well as his potty seat in a bag. I figure I can place it on the public toilet (even though that seriously creeps me out) and when we get home I'll dunk it in straight vinegar.
I do have to tell ya though, I learned real quick that you do have to help aim Mr. Peter. One day I was sitting in front of him while he sat on his potty seat. All of a sudden it was like a water hose let loose. I was soaked. All over my arm, all over my shirt and pants. It was crazy funny. AJ didn't know what to do with my reaction and I was stuck between praising him for peeing in the potty(or attempting rather) or being totally grossed out my kid just whizzed on me. Praising won, I got him off the pot and raced upstairs to clean up. From that point forward I do help aim Mr. Peter DOWN so it goes where it needs to go.

Just to help give you a little better visual, AJ has a little ring that goes on top of the big potty seat. He does not use the "potty chair" because the one I bought has a little plastic pee guard that sticks up and is supposed to help catch the boy pee-pee. Every time he tried to sit down on that chair that little hard plastic piece would squish Mr. Cock and Balls. AJ did NOT like that one bit. Made me cringe a time or two but hey, live and learn right??? He likes little Sesame Street potty ring much better.

Well, I guess that's all the hoop-la I can possibly spring for pee/poo. :0) I'm so proud of my little man. Can't believe I'll have a two year old on my hands. I will attempt to update more a little later. It's 78 degrees at 1145 and I'm going to get my little man a little dirty. Time to go play outside in the dirt God gave us!!! Have a blessed day guys.

Random News.

2008-02-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

AJ is in the dining room watching Mater so I have a few minutes to update my blog. This is just a random post so I'll remember some of the cool things AJ is doing right now. We still have not sold the first house, albeit, we have had showings out the wazoo. Getting financed at this point is a trick for some. Everyone so far has liked the house. A few have not liked the nieghborhood, but for the most part, the problem is not with the house. I have picked up a few more hourse. I'm doing 11p-7a and 7p-7a on Fri and Sat night. That way Jason is still home with AJ and we do not have to worry with day care. We're very blessed to be in the position we are in. The new house is coming along. Slowly but surely we're getting it decorated. The main thing I want to do is paint but we're waiting on that until we sell the first house. This house is just so much bigger that we are actually going to hire painters to do the foyer. If we did it we would have to worry with scafolding and everything else. I've got a color consultant coming to the house on Tuesday. I figured if I'm going to paint this house, I better do it right. It would be more expensive if I picked the wrong shades/hues and had to go right back over and do it again. I'd just as soon do it right and make sure the colors blend correctly. It's exciting but it would be even more so if that first house would sell.
AJ is amazing me every day. He is very good with his manners. Covers his mouth when he coughs, says "scuse me" when he burps or toots. We're still working on the potty training thing. He's pooped in the potty 3 times but I think it freaks him out. After he does something good on the potty, it takes a miracle to get him to get back on. We were watching the show "John and Kate plus 8" one night and they showed the boys potty training at 3 years old. AJ kept saying, "babies poo-poo in the potty" He kept saying it and you could tell he was thinking about it. About an hour later he grabbed my hand, took me upstairs and he pee-peed in the potty. Hasn't done it since, but he did it that night. I am currently looking for a potty video.
He is counting to 5. He says "thank you mommy" "thank you daddy" routinely. He uses 'please' appropriately. "juice pease mommy, truck pease mommy" His newest kick is the movie "Cars". That movie plays from sun up to sun down. Even if he's not watching it, the sound has to be on. He loves his Bible class. He routinely sings "Mi Mi went walking, to see the world God has made" He's very social, interacts well with others when I can find people for him to interact with. I think I'm going to try a mommy group this Thursday. We'll see. We found a perfect church with many kids his age, but then they all got bumped to the two year class. AJ doesn't turn two until May so now he's all alone with a 6mo old. Not much interaction there. It's very frustrating in that aspect.
He is still sleeping well for the most part. He sleeps in his double bed with Mickey mouse and puppy dog. Many nights we have to take his trucks and place them on a pillow so they are with him through the night. We read a book and then we read our prayer book. He says 'Amen', closes his eyes, cuddles up and goes right to sleep. Many nights it's not an issue. The only time it's an issue is when he gets too tired. We also have a really neat lullaby music CD from his Uncle Matt and Aunt Claudia. Just last night I forgot to hit play and he rolled over closed his eyes, rolled back over and said "music pease mommy" I had to get up and turn it on for him. It's very soothing.
He sits at the table and makes sure we say grace. He folds his hands and listens to his daddy pray and promptly ends with "Amen".
He knows the words to his favorite songs and sings them with all the passion he can muster. He can't pronounce all the words but he sings right along with them. He loves his "Go Fish" CD. The main song we listen to over and over again is "I like to sing, sing, cause I've got the joy < repeat x2 > I've got the joy of the Lord in my heart" We listen to that one song in the kitchen over, and over, and over and over and over....well you get the point. He also likes country music.
He just broke every one of the 4 incisor teeth at the SAME time. Motrin has been our friend. He'll come to me and say "Motin mommy, Motin" It's too cute. I've had to work with Jason as far as medicating the baby goes. Jason saw AJ chewing on his fingers one night and "just thought he was being weird" I had to explain to him that when babies teeth, it tends to hurt so they do stuff that massages the gums. Give him some medicine to help him out because he doesn't understand to tell you "Hey dad, this hurts a little, care to help me out a bit" Since then, Jason has done better ;0)
He is full of personality. Head strong. Stubborn. He's throwing his little tempers. He cracks me up when he throws him self on the floor, very dramatically I might add, puts his head on his hands and fake cries. It's a trip. It's very hard not to lose composure while disciplining.
He loves his peanut M&M's (thanks again to daddy), Love his cookies (ok, that's my fault)
He helps me out all the time with cleaning and cooking. He throws things in the trash for me and helps me sweep the floors. He really wants to help vacuum but he's still a little too small for that task.
Well, as soon as I got started I think a bomb went off in little man's diaper. Time for the dreaded diaper changes. I shall update and post pics at a later date.

Happy New Year!!! 2008

2008-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. We are currently on dial-up Internet vs. high speed. I HATE it. We will be switching back to high-speed as soon as we sell the second house. Yes, we have been in the new house a little over a month and still have not sold the other house. Ouch. I tell ya, I'm not sure how people get along without faith in God because I tend to get a wee bit nervous even knowing God is going to take care of me. Seeing two mortgages come out of the bank account at the first of the month can make your heart palpitate a wee bit. Please keep this in your prayers.
We are officially in the new house. It took a while to get used to it but we are turning this house into a home. We all had a wonderful Christmas. I have a feeling the year 2008 is going to be a GREAT one!!! AJ is now sleeping in his big boy bed and I am happy to report is sleeping through the night. Jason and I finally moved him out of our bed. He has his double bed decorated with balls of course. He is completely weened. He nursed for 18 months. He seems to have transitioned well. Anyway, I will be posting many, many, many pictures and stories as soon as the high speed is re-established.m I seriously can't handle dial up. As many of you know, one of my weaknesses is my serious lack of patience. ((((snicker)))) Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. Love you guys. Shannon

It's gonna be a while

2007-11-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

We had the walk through for the house. It looks fantastic!! It's so exciting. We then travelled home for Thaksgiving and had a BLAST!!! I was finally allowed to go Black Friday shopping with my Mom and Aunt. I am officially now part of the Ya Ya sisterhood!!! The trip home was heart wrenching as usual. We are now back home and steady packing, cleaning, preparing, you name it, we're doing it. There's so much to do now. I've got pics to post but it's gonna be a while until we're settled enough for me to actually sit down and download. I pray you all have a blessed holiday!!! I'll be back soon!!!

Aggravating but not Devastating.....

2007-11-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

Jason and I spent a wonderful Saturday and Sunday with his brother and his wife. Matt and Claudia graced us with wonderful company and delicious food. We spent all day visiting War Memorial hospital, where Matt works, and gallivanting around downtown Springfield MD. We walked all around the outside mall there. Went to a REALLY crowded grocery store and learned how the "city people" do it. Today we went to a really awesome park about 2 minutes away from their apartment complex. It had the coolest park equipment. AJ really loved kicking around in the leaves with his Aunt Claudia or "Audia" as he says it. (I SO wish I had taken the camera!!!) AJ didn't even want "da da" to catch him when he went down the slide, he kept yelling for "Matt, Matt" Only Matt could catch him. Matt played the guitar for AJ so he could boogie down, and Audia played endless hours of "ball" with her new found admirer. AJ was very gracious with his hugs for those two. AJ had a really good time, as did Jason and I. We really appreciate Matt and Claudia opening up their home so we could visit. How great to be able to spend time with family.

THEN, Jason decided that before we went home, he would drive by the new house. OK, no problem. We drove by the front of it and it looks like they've put top-soil on the yard. Looks like they've cleaned up a bit. Still need to stain the brick on the outside and do the landscaping. Then we drove by the side of the house. As we proceeded to drive by something caught my eye. Looked like a splash of something on the side of the house that dripped all the way to the ground. Jason and I were praying it was mud but......it wasn't. It is stain or paint of some kind. Whom ever splashed it, splashed it about 1/3 of the way up the side of the house and it dripped all the way to the ground. Jason got out of the van to check it out and yes, it is permanent. Jason drove up to where our Realtor Tyler works and I went in to speak to him. He has been so wonderful to us. I went in smiling and asked him if he'd seen the house. He said yeah, wasn't it exciting. I responded with a yes, except for the large splash of paint running down the side of the house. Apparently this happened last night or today because he wasn't aware of it yet. He assured me that they are going to take care of it. He was adamant for me to "not freak out" they would fix it, whether that means a little paint thinner to get it off, or replacing the siding" As the header states, it's aggravating but not devastating. To be honest, I did not and am not freaking out about it. I know Tyler will get it fixed and that's that. We have our final walk through in 2 days and we're going to closing in 9. Can you believe it??? This house is just about packed up. I'm going to tackle the bathrooms for the next couple of days and then we're on to the Holiday's!!! I can not believe Nov. is almost gone already. When we have our walk through I'll be sure to take some pics and post em so you guys can see.

Almost Time!!!

2007-11-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

My best friend Kisha was up for the weekend for our annual Christmas shopping trip to Hagerstown, MD. On our way home I figured I'd swing by the new house to see if any progress had been made. I went up to the windows on the porch and guess what!!!!! The house was lit up like a Christmas tree!!!! All of the light fixtures are in. The outside ones as well as the inside ones!! The carpet is in. The stairway is in. I even could see the toilet and the sink in the downstairs bathroom. (Yes, Kisha has already informed me that we need to buy GOOD window shades for that particular room) It is so pretty. I can't believe we have our final walk-through in 9 days. Nov. 21. I just can't believe it's really coming to an end.
Seriously though, the closer it gets, the more weirded out I get. It's so exciting in one way and so sad in another. The house we're in now is the house I made a home for my family. We worked so hard to get this place into what we wanted it to be. So much time, effort, money. It's the first house we owned as a married couple. It's the first house I brought my first child into. It's the house that AJ rolled over for the first time, smiled for the first time, took his first steps. It's a house full of memories. I am the person that could stay in the same house for 50 years and feel perfectly fulfilled. I am the big Oak tree that grows strong firm roots. Jason comes from a band of gypsies. They build and sell houses for a hobby. I know that as a wife of a Christian husband, I have to have faith that God is leading Jason to do what is best for our family. It's so hard to let go of that control though. I pray that a life of packing up and leaving is not what we're in for. I absolutely despise packing and moving everything. Jason has always used that phrase that I like to "sit on my egg" Well, I guess I do. I just have so many emotions right now. I can be laughing one minute and crying the next. I dunno, guess I'm weird like that. It's so neat to be able to drive by the new house, but after we look at it, we come home. If I could ask that you all keep us in your prayers. Especially me, that I listen to what God is saying and see what He is doing for our family. Pray that I keep finding the joy instead of the sadness that seems overwhelming at times. I'm still very homesick for VA so I know that doesn't help things. Anyway, I rambled more than I intended to. It helps to talk it out I guess. Thanks guys.

Bruise of many colors

2007-11-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

This update is for my mother. She asks me everyday how my bruise is looking and let me tell ya, this thing is the bruise of many colors. It's nasty lookin. There is still a lump under the skin. Even AJ looks at it and says "ouch" It was so funny the first time he did it. I don't ever recall pointing at one of AJ's many boo-boos and declaring it an official "ouchie". This thing just looks so bad he deemed it an ouchie all by himself. He pointed at it, looked at me and said "ouch". He'll even "kiss it and make it better" (I heart him)
I'm scared to death to run in the house any more. When I run around the bed I have flashbacks that make me sweat! Pee-wee football is not for the faint of heart!!!!! I'm tougher than a tonka truck though, so I guess it will be OK eventually.

Multiple Updates

2007-11-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

The house is almost done!!! We went through it about a week ago and they had all the appliances in, cabinets, counters, sinks, floors (except for the carpet). All of it's in. They only thing they didn't have in was the carpet and the stair rails. We peaked in the window last Sunday and the stair rails are in too. They still have to put the gutters up. I can't believe we close in less than 4 weeks. It seemed like forever ago we bought the land. Here's the pic of the house on the outside. I didn't get to take any pics of the inside Sunday because they have locked the doors and our realtor didn't have keys to it yet. Oh well, maybe this weekend. I L.O.V.E. the front porch. Can't you just see the garland with Christmas lights covering the railing??? I'm getting so excited!!!

These pics are mainly for my mother. I called her yesterday in tears because a friendly game of football with my 17mo old ended in this HUGE hematoma on my leg. AJ loves to sit on my bed and throw the football while mama chases the ball yelling "Go go go!! Run Run Run!!!" Well, my dorky, clumsy self ran straight into the chest I have at the end of the bed. It's only been there for 4 years, but I managed to forget about it yesterday and run straight into it. I did a flip over it and landed on my knees. I have never wanted to curse so bad in my life, but something about a toddler in your face saying "mama, mama, mama" tends to keep you from spouting pure filth out of your mouth. It was one of those "just rock back and forth" moments. Just a few hours later, the lump on my leg was so big, you could feel it through my pants. This morning, it hurts to walk. Here are the beautiful pics of my pee-wee football battle scar.(roll eyes)

On a happier note, my 17mo old pooped in the potty Sunday night. He has been looking at me and hitting his diaper saying "poo-poo" for a while now. Sunday he did it but he hadn't actually gone yet. I picked him up, ran to the bathroom with Jason in tow and we sat in the bathroom for about 20minutes trying to get AJ to poop. He was running around the bathroom diaperless. Jason demonstrated twice how to sit on the baby potty and finally AJ followed suite. Unfortunately the first log hit the floor. He was standing on the leg of the walker and before I knew it....plop. I real quick scooped him up and put him on the potty and he proceeded to poop another log.. IN THE POTTY!!!!! We did dances, we high fived, we called G.G., Oma and Opa. Twice since then he has said "Poo-Poo" and in my Olympic style sprint to get my son to the bathroom so we can rip off his pants, undo snaps, and finally take of the diaper, AJ will sit on the pot, gave me a high five and get back up. (roll eyes). Yesterday, he said "poo poo" and went before we could actually get to the bathroom. He hasn't gone today but I've been on Poo alert. We did have one of those false alarms today. Makes for fun stories though. His newest thing you ask?? Froggy has to pee and poo in the potty. Jason taught him these wonderful sound effects and now froggy gets to be privy to them.Here's a pic of froggy tonight in all his glory.

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-11-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we took AJ Trick or Treating for the first time this year. He had a BLAST! I bought his scarecrow costume from "One Step Ahead" and it came in about two weeks ago. I tried the costume on and was so happy he liked it. Because AJ has to wear a hat like daddy, he didn't mind the "costume hat" at all.

The day before Halloween, AJ and I pulled the pumpkins inside and we carved one of them. Too much work with a toddler but I HAD to have at least one carved pumpkin. Anyway, AJ was my big helper and helped me to gut the big one as well as draw on his baby pumpkin with magic marker and highlighter. The child doesn't want crayons. No, that's too silly. Too childish for my kid. He wants the big guns. He did, however, wait until I was looking down, carving my pumpkin before he took the highlighter to the inside of his beloved kitchen cabinet. I almost had a stroke. 409 is my hero! It is my all time favorite cleaner. Thankfully, the skillful art came right up. (whew, breath a sigh of relief!)

GG came up to be with us for his first "Trick or Treat" outing and we all had so much fun. AJ HAS to be with his G.G......ALL THE TIME. He would only come to me or Jason when we were at the door getting ready to ring the doorbell. After he got his candy, he would reach for GG again. I'm tellin you, that child is getting lead in his behind. He's a heavy little thing anymore.

We went trick-or-treating in the new neighborhood this year because I thought it would be a good oportunity to meet our neighbors. They were all so WONDERFUL!! Everyone we met was so nice and I've actually already met another mother who has a 17mo old little girl. We have already discussed play dates and everything else. I can't wait! I'm going to take pics of the new house soon. We're down to the count down! Only 4 more weeks until we close!!!!

Sling Shot

2007-10-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

I finally figured it out!!!!! I figured out how to download this video! It only took me ALL DAY! This is a video of Mikie and I in Myrtle Beach. This was his first time doing the sling shot. I've done it before with my mom. Excuse my loudness. I didn't realize I screamed the whole time. Watch Mikie's face on take off, it cracks me up. You can tell it completely took his breath away. We had a blast!! I think it said we pulled 3 G's. Now all I have to do is convince my husband to do it with me. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we took AJ to the pumpkin patch for the first time. I'm not sure who has more fun on these outings, him or me. GG was able to come up for the festivities so she went with us. We had a blast. AJ helped to pick out his pumpkin, was able to pet the billy goats (now GG and OPA are threatening to buy him one!!!), go on his first hay ride, and walk on the "hay maze" for little ones. We had such a good day. I'll post a few pics here but the rest as you know.....are on Snapfish. :)
After we left the pumpkin patch we went to a little fair up the road. It was "Middletown day" It's a quaint little town that was trying to raise money for restorations for historical sites and such. We went, ate some hot dogs, AJ had his first pony ride, and AJ watched the live bluegrass show. That child was FASCINATED with the live band. It was only three guys. One played the fiddle, the other a banjo and the other a regular guitar. I was going to take AJ to see the firetrucks but he couldn't take his eyes of the musicians. I guess the kid gets it honest. We had to sit on the hay stack and watch the guys play until they were through with their set. AJ never took his eyes off of them. It was the wildest thing to watch. We had a blast.

AJ and Daddy walking side by side. One of my favorite pics

AJ "bonk bonking" the pumpkins

AJ, Mommy and Daddy on his first Hay Ride.

AJ loved the Hay Ride but he would not move away from his Daddy. He knows Daddy will keep him safe...

AJ petting the Billy Goats. He cracked me up. He wanted to give them kisses like he does Moose. They kept trying to eat him!! Too funny. AJ finally succeeded in giving one of them kisses though. He was happy after that.

AJ and GG. Best Buds forever....

For some reason this pic came out grainy and it's one of my faves. AJ and GG are looking at each other while GG leads the way on the hay maze. It was so cute!!

AJ on his first Pony ride. He had a death grip on GG's shirt. Don't you just love the little helmet???

AJ is going to be a little scarecrow for Halloween. I can't wait for it to be delivered to the house. Yes I am one of those dorky moms. I have always loved watching the little kids come up to the house all decorated in their costume. They have such a good time. I really get irked with the older kids though. If they're in costume, it doesn't bother me. I just don't want them knocking on my door for free candy when they can't even dress up and have fun. Last year it was so hot, AJ was dressed just in his costume and nothing but a diaper on underneath. We had all the windows open and sat outside on the porch while we handed out the candy. Hopefully this year it will feel like Halloween.

Prayers Please....

2007-10-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure how many people actually read my blog. For those of you that do, I have a huge favor. We found out Sat. night that a lady I work with, her grand-daughter was in a horrible car accident over the weekend. The baby girl is 5 years old. She was visiting her daddy in NY and they were going to visit some of his friends when he passed over the yellow line. He and the guy he hit were killed instanly. This baby girl had both of her arms fractured as well as her pelvis. She was in ICU and they weren't sure how bad the injuries were. As of yesterday, they were taking off the c-spine collar and pulling her out of ICU. Her CT scan of the head was negative...Praise be to God. I understand that physically, she is doing pretty well, sans the fractures, however, mentally she is really struggling. She is 5 years old, so she is old enough to know what happened. I'm not sure of everything that she can recall but it breaks my heart thinking she saw her daddy take his last breath. Sam and her mommy are still in NY. The lady that I work with is keeping the little brother here and trying to keep things as normal as possible for now. I will post further updates as I recieve them. Please just pray for the whole family. What a terrible loss, tragity and scare.

The second prayer is for the Weigratz family. I grew up with Danielle but his younger brother, 27 years old, Russell was also in a fatal car accident. He was on life support and they had his funeral this past Monday. He has a wife and two small chiildren, 2years and 1 year, that he has left behind. He was a Richmond City Police officer. Please just pray that the Lord can grant this family the peace that passes all understanding right now. The more prayers these families recieve right now, the better. My heart just breaks for them.

As a human being, I am selfish. I pray that the Lord watch over Jason daily as he travels daily back and forth to work. I pray that He encamp his angels around the car and help to guide Jason to work and back to me again safely. This is a prayer I say fervently. Daily. Nightly. I can't imagine the loss these families have encountered. I just pray that the peace that only God can give is granted them. Thanks guys.

What life is made of.....

2007-10-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

This past Monday, to me, is what life is made of. Jason was off for Columbus Day. He always wakes up first and gets the coffee going. Sometime later, AJ and I woke up. I didn't even have time to go to the bathroom or brush my teeth because the first words from AJ, every morning, are "Da Da?" Normally the response is "Da da's at work today baby", but this morning I hugged him and said "da da's here! Wanna go see him?" AJ jumped up ready to go. We didn't brush our teeth, potty, or change the first diaper of the day. We made our way down the hallway to find daddy sitting on the couch watching TV, drinking his coffee. AJ absolutely LOVES it when we are both off and at the house. He went straight to his dad and I was able to go get my cup of coffee and start fixing breakfast for us. After a morning of just spending time together, Jason went to cut the grass. Normally this is my task but I just wasn't feeling it that day. Jason goes outside to do the infamous poopy scoopy and he took his little man with him, who faithfully followed his daddy around the yard as he raked up Moose's excrement. I stayed inside in hopes of getting the bed made, laundry started and the kitchen cleaned up. Jason had finished his first task and was bringing AJ inside and the poor boy started freaking out. He wanted to be with his daddy. I changed out of my PJ's and took AJ back outside so we could watch dad mow the lawn. AJ, ever so faithfully watching his dad, had his own lawn mower out. He would lean up against the fence and just watch his dad go round and round. Dad would make his round and as they crossed paths, they would raise their right arm to each other in a "Right On" kind of way. Of course, daddy had his hat on so AJ had to have his on too. We had to watch daddy mow and weed whack the whole front and back yard. AJ wants so bad to push that big lawn mower like his daddy. He wants to be big so bad. Little does he know, in a few years, he will be pushing that mower with the best of us (wink, wink) Anyway, after we mow and weed whack, we always sweep off the walkways. AJ just can not stand the fact that someone has a broom and he does not. I told Jason I was going to run up to the dollar store and get AJ his own broom. I found a very skinny, light weight broom but it was still the regular height. Jason was able to take his Chinese saw and cut it in half and the two swept the walkway together. Dad and son. Side by side. AJ decided at some point that his hat wasn't good enough, he had to wear daddy's hat.

As we were putting the equipment in the shed, Jason picked AJ up and let him push the mower all the way inside. AJ just thought he was something. After we did the yard work, I gave AJ a bath and put him down for a nap. Jason changed the oil in the car and ran by the grocery store. I finally was able to shower myself. I did have to go into work Monday evening for my 4 hours but all in all, it was a wonderful day spent with my two favorite men. To me, this is what life is made of......

Talk about loved, Well... maybe spoiled.....

2007-10-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Had to post these pics of the pup. Moose will be 3 years old next May. She is our baby girl. She was our first baby. We figured we'd give a dog a whirl and if we could feed/water/ and keep a dog alive, we'd be shoe-in's for being good parents to a human baby. Anyway, I was cleaning the house because we had a showing scheduled for the evening. I was running through the house. I had just made the bed, I was dusting, turned around, and this is what I saw.....

She can't lay at the end of the bed....NO, Puh-lease, she has to bat my pillows around just right and curl up right in the middle of them all. She's just a wee bit rotten, ya think??? But I love her so much and she's so much fun to cuddle with. She's a good girl. Even if she does bark too much. We're working on that though. She does make for one heck of a guard dog. NO ONE can come up on our porch or ring the bell without them knowing who's boss around this house.

Squirt Monster!!!

2007-10-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

So much has been going on the past few weeks!!!! I'll start with last Friday. My husbands brother was stationed in Germany for approx the last 6-7 years. He married and served 1 year in Iraq. He is currently out of the service but still working for the government. He currently accepted a job in Maryland and is now back in the states for 1 year. AJ was able to meet his Uncle Matt for the first time Friday night. Unfortunately I had to work so I was unable to watch the meeting myself. From what I understand and from what I've seen, the two hit it off very well.

His Uncle Matt decided to teach little man a new trick. He didn't figure AJ was as smart and able as he really is. What in the world did he teach him to do you ask??? Well....he taught AJ how to squirt a squirt bottle. My in-laws use this method (as did we to no avail) as a behavior modification method for their dog. AJ thought it was cool so Uncle Matt showed him how to do it. Less than 24 hours later this is what we encountered.

These are only two pics of a weekend of wetness. We were all given baths as AJ saw fit. He can now squirt that thing all the way across the room. However, here in lies the problem... He now thinks the 409 cleaning bottle, the windex bottle and the bruces hardwood floor cleaner as well as the tilex cleaner are all squirt bottles. THANKS MATT!!!!!

The other thing AJ liked to do is give you the squirt bottle and he would run away giggling and squealing. He liked for you to squirt him too. This is AJ and Oma as they are hiding under the blankets from the big bad mama with the squirt bottle! It was so cute I just HAD to get some pics of this.

By the way, I do not ban my mother-in-law to the couch when she visits. My father-in-law and their lab do. :0) I will post more later but my monster is now awake and calling for his mama.

House

2007-09-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

I finally have a little time to download some pics of the new house. This is the house we left when we went on vacation....

This is the house we returned to....

It's really getting exciting now. I even took the camera with me inside when we walked through it the first time and I was so excited, I forgot to take any pictures. It wasn't until we were outside that I realized it. At least I remembered to get the outside pics. We have our first official walk through on Monday. They call it the "pre dry-wall" walk through. They have no idea we're bringing my Father-in-law with us. He's been building houses forever so he knows quality work, or shady work, when he sees it. We're going to be inspecting the plumbing and electrical as well as the actual frame of the house. So far though, from what we've seen, they've done a good job. We just need to sell the house we're in now, and we'll be good to go. I feel in my heart that God is going to allow this house to sell when it needs to though. I'm really praying and trying to give it to God so I don't get all freaky. If you don't mind, just keep us in your prayers. Please pray that the house we're in now sells in God's time and pray that I continue to "give it to God" and keep the heart and spirit I'm supposed to have. There are so many "what-if's" and if I focus on them I get all weirded out. I really have to stay focused right now. I want to have His heart and getting angry, anxious and lashing out isn't quite what he describes as "His" heart, KWIM??

Love you guys!!!!

Some pics of Myrtle Beach

2007-09-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm just posting pics on this thread. I've already done the journaling on the post before this one. Enjoy!!

This is the famous Uncle Mikie and AJ.

This is the "priss pot" Sadie Mae just barely putting her paw in the water. She was a trip to watch

My baby girl LOVING the water.

This was our first family pic on Broadway at the Beach

Mama and her Moose

AJ driving his car all by himself ((sniff sniff))

Mr. Independent

Mama and her monster, this is one of my favorite pics

And the last one, this is my favorite pic of the in-laws. It's a side view but I think I'm going to turn in into a black and white for them.

The rest are on Snapfish and I'll be sending out the invites soon.

Myrtle Beach

2007-09-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!! I'm back!! I've got so much to do and say it's rediculous!!(I am currently uploading photos as I type. I will insert some pics and video as soon as the uploading is done.)

We started out last Sat morning at 0620 to head to the beach. I seriously do not know how I'm going to accomodate more children in the van because there was enough room for Jason and Moose in the front seats and AJ and I in the middle seats. The back seats had to be folded down and it was packed to the gills. (((rolleyes))) I seriously need a crash course on packing. I'll tell ya though, we used everything we packed. Anyway, we arrived in Colonial Heights, VA around 0915 and we met my mom and cousin Mikie at McDonalds for Breakfast. We finally packed up and headed out around 1020. After a few "U-do it's" d/t some missed turns and exits, I finally pulled into the parking lot of the condo around 1600. It was a long drive but certainly worth it. Jim and Vicki got there around 1700 and we all went out to dinner and we came back and put on the bathing suits and out to the pool we trotted. The water was so WARM!!! It was so nice! AJ is a little fish I kid you not! He loves him some WA WA. He woke up Sunday morning and the first words out of his mouth were "Wa Wa Wa WA"
We all ate some breakfast, put on the bathing suits and out to the ocean we went. It was the neatest experience to see my son take it all in. The sand, the sun, and the wa wa. He was a little leary of the water at first but it does not take my kid long to get brave. Seriously though, I'm not sure who had more fun....me, the kid, or MOOSE!!! That dog was water logged by the time we got home! She was literally jumping the waves and everything else. She had a blast. From that day forward, every time we would start heading towards the beach, she had this real excited whimper and bark she would do all the way to the beach. She was wild. Everyone loved watching her. We attempted to get the in-laws lab into the water but that priss wasn't even about to get her paws wet. She's the best dog in the world but the biggest chicken you've ever met!!! She sun bathed the whole time but never once could we convince her to get in the water. We couldn't even take the lead off of Moose because we were afraid she'd swim out too far and we'd loose her in the tide. It was great. AJ loved playing in the sand with his GG. Oma and Opa went with us every day to the beach. They sunbathed with their priss pot Sadie May. Mikie, Jason, Mom and I would pass off the dog and kid to ride some waves and get sand in places sand should never be. Mikie, who forever has me laughing, and for that alone I love him to death, starting this "Bay watch" thing. We would run into the ocean yelling "Bay Watch on Crack!!" We're just not as fit as those on TV so for some reason I would laugh so hard I'd swallow water. I couldn't believe how fast the ocean wore me out this time. I remember when I was a kid, I could fight those waves for hours on end. Ten minutes and I was breathing hard. I couldn't believe how strong the current was. One time I laughed so hard was when Mikie was riding the waves and he was right where the waves were crashing and all these fish started jumping out. He was screaming and running like a little girl. I thought I would fall out!!!
AJ loved standing in the water and letting the waves crash against his legs. He didn't like for you to let go (not that we were going to anyway) but as long as we were holding him, he'd even start chasing the waves as they receded. He really loved when GG and I sat beside him the last day and he was throwing shells back into the water. I seriously can't believe how warm the weather was. We went to the Aquarium and AJ was trying to pet the sting rays, he rode a carnival ride (cars) all by himself for the first time. My heart was pounding when they were strapping him in, the cars started going around and it only took him about 5 seconds to realize he LOVED it. I was so proud and so sad at the same time. He did it all by himself, without mommy. Argh, he's getting so big!! We went to the Dixie Stampede and the look of pure wonderment on AJ's face while watching all the horses and buffalo had me in tears pretty much the whole time. It was so neat to say that this was a place that my mama and daddy took me to while we were growing up and now my son had the same experience. It was amazing. God blessed us with BEAUTIFUL weather the whole time. There was only one day that we had a pretty good rain but we went to the aquarium and by the time we got out of there the weather was perfect and that was the night AJ had his first carnival ride by himself. We walked aroudn Broadway on the Beach and the Boardwalk. My cousin Mikie and I did the slingshot. I'm hoping I'll be able to post that video soon. That was WILD. I love the adrenaline rush. My mother-in-law asked me (right before take off) If I had lost my mind. It was great. My mom and I had done the same thing on a vacation to TN when I was still in high-school. Thanks mom for giving me the courage to have fun with life!!!! I hope I can pass that onto my son as well! I think Mikie really liked it. His face on the initial blast off has me cracking up every time I watch it, the funniest part was when he was....wiping his eyes!!!!! It was great. We did and saw so much that I really want to get it all down as I remember it. I'm going to post a lot of pics and hopefully the video's as I figure that out. The last night, Mikie, Jason and I went to play some Lazer Tag. I haven't played that since I was a teenager in the youth group at church. I thought I was going to wipe them out. Go figure, Jason's army training came in very handy. He scored like a bandit. We wore ourselves out! We played 2 games and were exhausted by the end of it. It was so much fun though. I would jump out at Mikie from behind a wall just to hear him scream. He would always shoot me because I was laughing so hard. Seriously though, at one point, I had to find a corner and sit down to catch my breath! When did I get old again??? Jason kicked our butts. I bet he was army crawling and everything else. He was stealth like. It wasn't until after that I remembered he once had his "sharp shooter" thingy in the army. (((rolleyes))) Oh well, we had a blast running around like a bunch of nuts. Jim and Vicki got to see the "All you can eat Crab leg Queen" in motion. I was literally ill from eating so much but it was SOOOOO good I couldn't help myself. Jason's only brave enough to take me to the all you can eat crab leg buffet once a year, my birthday. He promised me he was going to let me go on vacation though. He's such a good daddy!!!!
What a blessing to have everyone together for a vacation. We all had a wonderful time, the dogs did great, and we have memories that will last us a life time. Thank you God for being with us on the drive down, the drive around, and the drive home. Thank you for blessing us with beautiful weather and the opportunity to show our son just a little bit more of the wonderful world you have blessed us with. The whole time we were there a song kept playing in my head

"Have you ever looked at the sunset,
With the sky mellowing red
Seen the clouds suspended like feathers,
Then I'd say you've seen Jesus my Lord.

Have you seen,
Have you seen Jesus my Lord
He's here in plain view
Take a look,
Take a look open your eyes
He'll show it to you

Have you ever stood in the ocean,
With the white foam at your feat,
Felt the endless thundering motion,
Then I'd say you've seen, Jesus my Lord
Have you seen,
Have you seen Jesus my Lord
He's here in plain view
Take a look
Take a look, open your eyes
He'll show it to you"
God is truly amazing. I give all my praise. Jason and I were able to bring both families together to spend quality time with our son. In a world where families do not spend much time together anymore, this has really touched my heart. It's very important to me that AJ knows his grandparents and learns to love and respect them for who they are, differneces and all. I want AJ to know that his family will be the wind to help him rise to the top, and the cushion to comfort him when he falls. We will all be his biggest supporters and cheer leaders, as well as his biggest hugs and comforts and shoulders to lean on when he needs. Thanks you guys for loving my family, and for loving my son!!! We love you all!!! (Even if I did try to suffocate you in the van Vicki ***wink, wink***)

Well, I'm off to caption the photos on Snap fish. If the baby doesn't wake up from his nap, I'll try to post some here. We shall see!!!

Whoo Hoo

2007-09-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

Finally, I have an update. There's really been so much going on I just have't had a chance to actually sit down and do this thing. OK, so last week was beautiful weather and we drove by the house every day and they didn't do a thing to it. Sunday after church I told Jason to drive by the office because I wanted to talk to our guy Tyler and find out what the heck was going on. There was no movement in the neighborhood for 4 days straight. Monday was labor day so we didn't figure there would be any action that day, but Tue, Wed, Thurs, and Fri we figured someone would be out there doing something!!! We got to the office and Ben was there and I just kind of asked him casually how it was going, let him know we'd been driving through the neighborhood, worried everyone had gone on strike, you know, the usual. They kindly assured us everything was fine. Some of the crew had gone on vacation but would be back this week to get things going. Jason got back from work Monday and we drove out to the lot and guess what..........THE FLOOR JOISTS ARE DOWN!!!!! They couldn't do any work today because it was raining but it looks like God is going to bless us with beautiful sunny weather for the rest of the week. They will probably have the whole outside framed come this weekend. I'm so excited!!!! It seemed like such a lull between the basement to now. Anyway, I took a few pics. Hope you enjoy!!! The house in the corner of the cul-de-sac is the same model as ours. Ours is going to have the country front porch and the 2ft extention in the back. We went through that house and let me tell ya, we are SO glad we got the 2ft bump out on the back. It makes all the difference in the world as far as square footage is concerned. The bump out goes all the way from the basement to the top floor. It even rearranges how the gues bathroom is laid out. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We have 2 potential buyers for this house. We believe it will sell in God's time but I can tell Jason is getting a little antsy about it all. Two mortages would really stink. We'd be OK for a while, we just don't want to have to do it at all, KWIM???

More house stuff....and a busted up van :(

2007-08-29T21:21:00.001-07:00

AJ and I went by the house today, after visiting the repair shop. We are waiting for them to start framing the house any day now. Ohhh, it's getting so exciting to see the progress. Since the last pics, they have back filled in the dirt, poured the garage and basement floor. They have poured the steps leading into the basement. They have filled in the area with dirt that is going to be the porch. They are putting up 4 other houses right now. The last one was getting the roof put on today. We're thinking they are going to start the framing of the house tomorrow. I can't wait. Here are some pics from today..

Now that you've seen the happy part, time for the :::sniff, sniff::: part. I was at the bank last Friday before going out of town. I had to pick up some paperwork to fax to the mortgage company. Anyway, I was backing out of a parking spot and felt "THUMP" I got out of the car fully prepared to appologize when the man was shouting "You hit me!!" I looked and HIS car was embedded in the side of MY car!! The whole back side (not the back of the van, but the side of the van towards the back) of my van was smooshed. Thankfully, the baby and I were alright. That's what really matters but it just burned my gizzard that this man kept saying it was my fault. I told him not to move the car until the police showed up because I wanted the officer to see how the cars were placed. Unfortunately the officer could not place blame, or write a ticket being it was private property. Seriously, when the officer told the man to move his car "strait out of the side" of my van, the whole van rocked back and forth. He nailed me. It's really heart breaking. Sooo, my little girl will have to go into the shop on Sept. 25 to be fixed. I seriously hate driving a busted up vehicle but I guess there could be worse things to contend with really. I did ask the officer if my insurance company would be able to obtain pics of the accident. He said yes. I made the statement that the pics would tell the whole story and he said "yes ma'am it will, but I can't do anything because it's private property. Anyway, here are some pics of my smooshed van.

Pretty sad huh??? Hopefully she'll get everything fixed up and looking like new again soon enough. Everyone, just be careful out there!!! Love you all!!

Little Feet

2007-08-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

You know, it's the little things in this life that just make my heart melt!! We were outside playing in the "wa wa" this afternoon and AJ was running up and down the walkway. I noticed the little wet marks his feet were leaving and my heart just swelled right up. How is it you can love a little person ::this:: much???? Oh, thank you God for this huge blessing you have allowed to come into my life.....

OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!!

2007-08-20T09:48:00.001-07:00

OK ladies. I just had to post this one. A friend sent this to me and I just can't stop looking at it! Jason was thoroughly grossed out. (hehe) From here on out the dishwasher will remained locked AT.ALL.TIMES!!!! Poor baby boy. I hope none of you (or myself) EVER have to deal with this!!!

They poured the walls today!!!

2007-08-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

I had to be out of our house on 8/14 so they could do a "Tour of Realtors" through my home. I packed the dog and baby up and just drove around a while. We drove out to the lot and I got sooo excited. They had the forms up to pour the walls for the basement!!!! :o) I was so happy. I drove out there tonight after work and the forms are already down. Our basement is in! They'll start throwing this thing up in no time now. It was midnight when I went out there so I didn't take pics but I will post more soon. I can't believe it's really happening!! It's so exciting!!

(Jason took pics so I'm posting those today. I went out last night (8/17/07) and there wasn't anything new. Hope you enjoy. Our basement is now poured. Sump pump and plumbing for the rough in bath are all in. It's so exciting. I can't wait to see if they've done anything new today!!)

The top three are pics of the front of the house. The two car garage is to the right and my country front porch is going on the left. I'm hoping to put some fans out there but we shall see. The last 2 are of the back of the house. Note the double entranceway into the basement. My man fought for that and won!!! Yeah dad!! It's going to be so much easier getting furniture in there now

This is a side view

These two are of the inside. The first one has the sump pump and the rough in for the third bath and the last is where the main support beam is going to go.

My First Mei Tie

2007-08-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!! Took me 3 hours but I stuck with it and made my first Mei Tie. What is that you ask?? Well, it is a carrier so I can carry AJ either on my front or on my back. I already use a ring sling with him and it makes it so much easier to have both hands but he's starting to get too heavy for that.

With this carrier, I can put him on my back while I'm cooking. He likes to be in the action but I don't like him near the hot stove and all. Plus when we go out, I can just throw him on my back and be done. I took a set of practice pics with Pooh Bear last night. I suppose I'll get brave and actually put my child in it at some point today. AJ found the cover fabric that I used. We were standing in Wal-Mart and he starts screaming "BAWS BAWS BAWS" (balls) I had to buy it for him. His dad likes it too. Jason likes to wear AJ while we clean. ( The wet spot on one of the straps is from where I peed myself I was so excited!! Actually it is a wet spot from the iron)

Retired High-chair

2007-08-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gents. It is official. AJ is becoming more and more independant as the days go on. Let me explain. AJ has really been giving me fits lately when I put him in his high-chair for dinner. Don't know why, he just has. Tonight I put him in my chair for a second so I could get his plate ready. He had pork chops, corn and grapes. He was going to have apple sauce but I gave it to science to make antibiotics. (blech, I just bought it too) Anyway, before I could put him in his high-chair, he started eating off of his plate. I picked him up to put him in his high-chair and the child FREAKED!! He went berzerk! I asked Jason to get his little booster seat that we take with us to restaraunts and Jason hooked it up to a regular chair and I want you to know my little monster sat at the dinner table with us, folded his hands in prayer and then ate like a champ!!! He just wanted to sit with the family and eat like mommy and daddy do. Jason said "It's time to retire the high-chair and use it for the next one." I almost cried at the dinner table.

AJ is a copy cat from the word go right now. He wants to do everything mommy and daddy do whether it's put something in the trash, brush our teeth with a big toothbrush, or eat at the dinner table. He's so smart!!! His vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds. I almost fell over the other day when I told him to put his foot in his shorts hole so we could get ready to go and HE DID!!!! I thought it was a fluke so I asked him to put his other foot in....AND HE DID!!!! It's such a blessing and so amazing to watch this child grow from day to day. I'm going to make a section to put all of the words he says soon. My all time favorite though is when I walk through the front door and the sweet sound of "MAMA MAMA MAMA" is ringing through the foyer. I just love that little man.

How many teeth do you need anyway???!!!

2007-08-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

Good Grief!!! Just this past week AJ has popped his 9th, 10th, and 11th tooth. He popped the 9th Aug 3, I found it when we got to TN and were in the restaurant with the in-laws. He popped the 10th on Aug 7th, I found it on the way home from TN. I just found the 11th tooth today. They are all the top molars. No wonder he's been so pissy/fussy/clingy. I kept thinking it was going to be his bottom sides that were going to come in. The sides of his gums are all white and shiny. It never dawned on me that the top molars were coming in. I thought they were the last to show?? I dunno. Infant Motrin/teething tabs, here I come baby!!!!

Eruption Sequence of Deciduous Teeth (Baby Teeth / Primary Teeth)
in months after birth

central lateral
incisor incisor canine 1st molar 2nd molar
Upper 8 9 18-20 14-16 22-24
Lower 6 7 16-18 12-14 20-22

If you're looking at this pic, he's got the top 4 middle, bottom 4 middle and then he's got the top last 2 on the right side of his mouth (the left side of this pic) and then he's got the next to the last on the top left of his mouth. My poor grumpy angel. This may explain why he was up from 2230-0300 this morning thinking it was daylight. He's NEVER done this before. I thought Jason might have slipped him something while I was at work. Anyway, just thought I'd let y'all know. :o)

Comments

2007-08-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just real quick, I edited the comment section so anyone can leave them now. I didn't realize there was a special setting for that. Sorry. Now anyone and everyone can leave a comment. Hope that helps!!

So much going on!!!!

2007-08-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Before going into the details of the last week, I would like to lift one of my sisters from church up in prayer. I'm asking that you all lift her and her husband, as well as the drunk driver that hit her on 340 on the way to pick her husband up from the train station, up in prayer. Maryann is in Winchester Hospital tonight. I just found the e-mail when I got in from work. She apparently was in and out of consciousness but from the sounds of it might have (praise God) come out of this with only a concussion and bruises. I'm sure she'll feel like a Mac truck hit her come tomorrow but the drunk drivers around here are horrible. I was almost in a really bad wreck a few weeks ago (see a few posts back) by a drunk driver. I admit people in the hospital all the time for driving drunk or getting hit by someone who was drunk. This really has got to stop. Thank you for the prayers.

Onto the weeks events.....

OK, I'll start with news of the lot first. As I said in the last post, they finally broke ground on July 31. As of August 2nd they were digging out for the footers. The first 5 pics are the digging out of the basement.

These pics are the men digging out the footers. There was about 15 men digging out the bottom of the basement. It's so exciting!!!

All that to say, we're firing our Realtor!!! We notified her today. We sent out a certified letter with a list of reasons why. I am really disappointed because she seemed so sweet when we invited her into our home that first evening. We're not sure if we want to go For Sale By Owner again or if we're going to go ahead with another realtor as well a different company all together. First it took a few phone calls to even get her to print off flyer's for the house and then a few more to get her to put them on the signs in the yard. She said she would have the signs up by a Fri, but she didn't get them out there until the following Wed. She wouldn't have done that had we not stayed on top of it. Then she gives us all of the wrong dates that our house will be listed in the realtor books. The biggest thing was that we scheduled an open house with her for Sat. Aug 4th. Jason tried to reach her all week just to verify the plans. We have e-mail confirmation from her about the date, but she never will answer her phone. It goes straight to voicemail. EVERY TIME. Anyway, Jason finally gets someone in the Martinsburg office on Fri. morning (we were on the way to TN) and she says that our Realtor was on vacation and she didn't know anything about an open house. EXCUSE ME???? I spent 2 days terminally cleaning that house. I cleaned every nook and cranny so that house would look like a model home for the people coming through it during the open house. Even had 2 little girls from the church come over Thurs. to help with AJ so I could clean and have everything packed and ready to go by Fri. morning. Anyway, She said that she would call our realtor and find out what was going on and she would call us by 2pm. Jason called her back at 1:30 and this woman said that our realtor was having a family emergency and would call us later that night to explain. (Even if she was having a family emergency, shouldn't the open house been advertised anyway? How long in advance did this emergency happen???) Anyway, of course she didn't call. The only call we received was from her assistant approx 50min prior to the proposed start time of the open house. Jason and I both were livid. I don't know if you guys know how much these guys get paid for selling one stinking house but it's freaking ridiculous!!! I am not going to pay her for a job she didn't do. When the assistant called the house Saturday to leave a message, she said that our realtor would call us either Mon. or Tues to reschedule (as if). Of course, she never called. My thing is, what if Jason and I just assumed this woman was going to do her job??? We wouldn't have known anything wasn't going on until we returned home Tuesday night. Plus while we had it FSBO we showed the house approx 5-6 times. She's had the house the same amount of time and hasn't shown it not even once. Another realtor showed it once but not our realtor!! It's so frustrating. I found a saying that I really just fell in love with tonight and I'm going to use it as I close this post. I will write about the TN vacation in a day or two. I'm getting tired. It is 1:30 in the morning right now. Everyone is snoozing but me. Time to join my two men..... Now for my new mantra....

If God has led me to it...God will get me through it!!

(Don't you just love it?!?!?!?)

It has begun!!!!!

2007-07-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies and gents, it has begun. The building of our home has finally begun!!! I drove by the lot today after a meeting with my boss at work and my belly started getting butterflies the closer I got. There is a big hole where the basement is going to go!!!!! They finally broke ground. I really didn't think I'd get this excited over a big pile of dirt but I am giddy with excitement right now. Within the next 60-90 days we will have our new home. A new slate for me to start painting, decorating and making our home. Whew, I didn't think we'd ever get here. I guess now all we need to do is sell the house we're in now and we'll be good to go. I will give this to God, I will give this to God, I will give this to God. Can you guys tell I'm really working on my control issues??? :0) Keep us in your prayers!! Our new house is starting to go up!!!!! Jason's going to run by there tonight so I will have him take pics and I'll start my house diary tonight!! Love you guys!

Fantabulous Week!! :0)

2007-07-30T11:43:00.001-07:00

I just have to tell you that I have had the best week EVER!! First off, my mom (currently known as GG) started her vacation Friday night (the 20th) and honored me with wanting to spend it with me. Ok, maybe it was to be with her grandson, but I was present too. Mom and my cousin Mikie came up on Fri. night and we all headed to the Washington Zoo on Saturday. It was such a great day. I've got some really great pics to post on "fish". (I've already had some weirdo/freak post an awful comment on the Scared to Death thread. It has since been erased but there will definitely NOT be any pics of my kid on this thing, it's just not private enough) We were all wore out by the time we got to Cracker Barell for dinner. AJ slept in my lap the whole time we ate. He was so cute. It's not often that the little man cuddles to sleep anymore. Anyway, we watched movies, talked, and played pretty much the rest of the week. Mom finally convinced Jason and I to go out just the two of us. On Tuesday night we left our little monster for the first time EVER. One or the other of us is ALWAYS with him. It's just so hard to have him out of our sites. Anyway, mom finally convinced us to loosen our heiney holes a wee bit and let her watch him while we went out to dinner. Jason and I were a little weirded out at first. We both kept giggling in the car like 12 year olds. I think Jason got a little sentimental on me when a couple brought their new-born into The Outback. Anyway, Jason and I had a WONDERFUL night together (wink wink)and Jason told me that mom could stay as long as she wants after that. Mom called my Aunt Piss on Wednesday night because she was going to head out and spend the rest of her vacation with them at a campsite. Well, mom called them and verified the arrangements and asked Jason to look up directions for her. Jason pulled up the web-site and that was it. It was beautiful!! I curled up next to him and all but begged him to be spontaneous, this one time, let's just go and not make plans. Let's just head up to the camp site and camp out for a few days. I remember camping as a kid and it was so much fun. I love the feel of the morning, the sound of the birds, the stillness of the morning when you first wake up. I love the smell of eggs and bacon as everyone starts waking up and cooking outside. I love the night time when everyone is out with their lanterns, campfires, and friends. It was such a great time. Well, Jason finally gave in (after some persuasion, wink wink) and I went Thursday afternoon to walmart (after AJ slept for a 3 1/2 hour nap d/t GG) and bought us a tent (17ft by 11ft) and 2 sleeping bags and a little lantern. I packed up all the bags, got the house cleaned up and we were on our way by 7:30pm. We went to Paradise Lake in Appomattox, VA. It is about 3 1/2 hours away from here. It was just the best time. We made some WONDERFUL memories. My Aunt Piss and Uncle Ricky had bought themselves a 5th wheel to start travelling in and mom stayed with them. Jason, AJ, Moose, and myself stayed in the tent. It was great. We got to the campsite around 10:30pm and pitched the tent in the dark with the help of Uncle Rick. That thing is HUGE!!! It was perfect though with the dog and all. AJ did fantastic! He loved every minute of it. He slept like a dream in the tent. Loved walking around in the tent. He just thought he was something. On Friday we went down to the lake and it took AJ some getting used too but GG did her magic and by the end of the day AJ was out in the water like it was nothing. They even have the 8ft slide and diving board in the middle of the lake. It was sooo much fun. Moose got to go swimming for the first time in her 2 years of life. We felt a little guilty that our Lab (a swimming dog) had not been swimming before this. She absolutely loved it!! She matched the color of the water and she looked like a beaver swimming around. She was chasing the Frisbee and having a blast. We even tried to get her to jump off the pier but I think that is going to take some work. She was a wee bit chicken of that one. She loved swimming with her daddy though. I don't know who had more fun, Jason or the dog :0) AJ loved the swimming pool too. By the end of our trip, GG had got him jumping off of the edge of the pool into her arms. On Saturday, he would sit on the side and scoot in, go under water, and GG would grab him and pull him back up, he was having a blast!!!! Jason looked so sweet with AJ in his arms in the pool. It's so neat to see the absolute trust AJ has in all of us. Sat afternoon Jason and I packed everything up and I mean we got everything in the van in the nick of time. We shut the trunk door of the van and I mean the sky opened up!!!!! The sky let loose with the rain. We were very thankful for Uncle Rick and Aunt Piss' trailer. During the nights we would all sit outside, chill, spend time together. Mom and Piss had some really good YA YA moments. After AJ and Jason would go to bed, I would get my PJ's on and go back to the camper and stay awake as long as I could. I felt like a little kid again. I just didn't want to miss a minute of it. The only bad part came when we had to leave. It is always so hard and sad to leave my family. It's been 5 years and I'm telling you, the home sickness just never goes away. They are just the best people in the world and my family and I are so blessed to have them in our lives. I have thanked Piss and Uncle Rick over and over again for allowing us to crash their party. I just love them so much. They are such great people. Anyway, Jason, Moose, AJ and I all left on Saturday evening and Mom left Saturday night. We all got home safely and Piss and Uncle Rick got home Sunday afternoon sometime safely. It was a beautiful and blessed time all the way around. I am so thankful for these times that we are able to make such wonderful memories. It was fun and it was busy. This coming weekend we are going to go to TN to spend time with the in-laws. It's going to be a packed weekend too. We're going to hit Dollywood and from what I'm being told, Opa (grand-pa in german) has perfected his cookie recipe just for AJ. My kid's not loved and spoiled rotten at all!!! Love you guys!!! AJ just woke up so I'll update Snapfish later!

Bad Blogger!!!

2007-07-29T18:04:00.001-07:00

We have been so busy this last week and we have another busy week ahead. Trying to get all the travelling in that we can!!! I am going to cuddle with my man for now but will try to update "Snapfish" and the blog as soon as I can. Love you guys!!!

Shannon

Priase God, Baby Ethan is on his way!!!!!!

2007-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of those that are keeping baby Ethan in your prayers. I have some good news to share!!! I checked his blog site this afternoon and the blood test came back that 100% of the cells in his body are Ben's (his dad). As of this moment there are NO lukemia cells in his body!!!!! It's still going to be a road for them so please continue to keep them in your prayers. I truly believe that God will heal this baby if it's His will. I know that Ben and Becky have touched SO MANY people through their son's struggles. So many people have come to God through them. It's so exciting to see this thing start turning around!! I'm in tears praising God right now. Keep fighting baby Ethan, we're all praying for you!!!!!!!!!!

The most scared I've been in a long time :(

2007-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to work on Tuesday night. Left the house early so I could pick up the hammock swing I had on hold at Lowes. (Love it by the way) Anyway, went on into work, it was a really good night. I had a hall of 6. They all behaved. Gave report. Left around 2345. I stopped to get gas in the car so Jason wouldn't have to this morning. Pulled out of the Sheetz and on my way I went. I was driving about 50mph rounding a curve under a bridge on a 4 lane section with a median inbetween. I was just about through the curve when I saw them. 2 headlights coming right at me. I couldn't believe it, I had to look again, yep, they were in my lane coming right at me. I didn't have time to panick. I was in the fast lane and there was a car beside me. I swerved the car to the right, pushing the car beside me into the emergency lane, and I mean the car coming towards me barely missed me. I'm shaking even now just writing this. He never slowed down, he was FLYING. I can not even begin to describe to you how this scene really played out. It was so fast, he was so close. It was by God's hand that He guided my car. Looking back at the episode, there was no plausible way for me to swerve the car like I did and a) not hit the car beside me and/or b) lose complete control of the car and hit the wall of the bridge. I was able to pull the car completely off the road as all the other cars passed. (there was only 3 others around me at the time) I looked in my rearview mirror and this guy was still barreling down the road, on the wrong side of the median going the wrong freaking way. There was no place for him to get onto the right side of the road for a ways either. It's about a 3-4 mile stretch of road that has the median. Anyway, I really was fine, just in disbelief until I got the car stopped. Then all the what if's started rolling and I thought about my husband and my little monster. I fell to pieces. I was shaking so bad I kept missing the send button trying to call 911. It took me a good 20 minutes and a call to my mom to settle down. My legs were shaking so bad they were jumping off of the floor board. They felt like jello. I'm telling you, this was so close. God truly had his angels around my car last night. After I finally calmed down I drove home very carefully, pulled into the driveway,(called mom per her orders to let her know I was home safe), walked into the bedroom, grabbed my monster and just bawled all over again. I woke Jason up, scared him half to death the baby woke up, but I didn't care. I have always said that it is important to kiss your loved ones goodbye and tell them you love them because you never know. Jason and I make it a point to do this before he or I either one leave, even if it's just a trip to the grocery store. I am also very aware of the fact that there are numerous drunk drivers out there during my drive home because of all the (I'll be polite here) ninny bars around. I have always said that there is always a chance that a drunk driver will get me so I make it a point to tell my men I love them. NEVER would I have EVER have thought that particular piece of road was going to be an issue. It's a 4 lane road with a MEDIAN in the MIDDLE. You would think that if you saw the MEDIAN on your right, that you might be on the wrong side of the stinking road. This guy never once hit his breaks and he drove the whole length. It was wild. AJ has been squished to the point of eyeball's popping out mode. It was wild. I have prayed a prayer of thanksgiving all day. If you read this, grab your loved ones and tell them you love them. Just one more time. Also, if you know anyone that drinks and drives, anyone that has previously had drinks and drove, do me a HUGE favor. PUNCH THEM IN THE NOSE. HARD. I have no tolerance for that. NONE WHAT-SO-EVER. There's absolutely NO excuse. NONE.

Ethan needs prayers NOW

2007-07-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family. I know I have asked in the past but baby Ethan needs prayers right NOW. As of 0445 this morning he started having really bad breathing issues and his heart rate was "through the roof". Please say some prayers right now that God be with this precious soul as well as his family. You can read the updated posts through his blog site. You can hit the Ethan Powel link to the right of my blog to get to it. You can hear the urgency in Ben's words. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks, love you all!!! Shannon

What I love

2007-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

I love my husband. He loves me, he loves his son, he changes diapers (poopy and pee), he plays football with him, he knows how important staying home with my monster means to me. I love the fact that when I came home from work the other night that Jason had the baby in bed with him. He was laying on his side with his arms protactively over his son. I crawled into my side of the bed and was laying on my stomach and in his sleep, Jason reached out to grab my hand, two seconds later AJ reached out and held my wrist. My two mean reaching out to hold onto mama. I teared up and wished someone was there to take a picture or paint this moment in time forever. I pray to God that when I'm old and grey, and my mind isn't working like it used too, that God will re-implant these memories in my head and make me happy again. I love the sound of the "fwap fwap fwap" that AJ's feet make when he's walking on the hard wood floors. I love the cheeky grins he gives me when he either knows he's doing something he shouldn't or when he knows he's done something amazing. I love the open mouth, wet, full on tooth kisses he gives so freely. I love when he's playing by himself and makes a mad dash to his mama to give me a big hug or cuddle and then off he goes again. I love the look of his butt as he's waddling around the yard. I love the look on his face as he explores something new. I love the tone in his voice when he's telling Moose what is what. I love the little lip that sticks out when he's not happy. I love that he furrows his eyebrows just like his daddy. I love it when he's examining something and he squats to inspect it. I love that I can witness this little infant that can do nothing by himself, grow into a very commpetent, (thinks he is bigger than he really is) little man. I love the personality that is developing daily, even if it is more like his mama. I love how peaceful and content he looks while he's sleeping. The rise and fall of that little chest. I love every second, every minute, every hour and every day that God blesses me time with this precious little soul. It's so neat to know that your heart can actually fill up with this much love and it really doesn't just pop out of your chest. I'm feeling a little sappy lately. I just had to let you guys know that I am very well aware of how blessed I have been and that I am going to soak up every minute with my little guy. Time flies by all too fast. I will cherish these memories. I am very well aware that there will come a time when he doesn't think mama is so cool but I will love him this much always!!! I love you little man. You have my heart.

8th tooth

2007-07-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

July 3, 2007. My little monster's 8th tooth FINALLY popped through. His little gums look like ground beef they're so red and inflamed. Couldn't you just kiss the person that made infants Motrin and Hylands teething tabs???? They are the miracle cure. Poor baby has just been really pissy and fussy the past couple of days. Now at least we know why right??
AJ thoroughly enjoyed the firework display kindly set off by our neighbors last night. He loves watching the pretty colors and they actually gave us a sparkler so AJ could watch. I let AJ hold the end of the stick with me holding it too of course. He did really well. The fireworks up the road went for about 3 hours. They were beautiful. AJ did well sleeping through it all. I finally put him to bed around 10pm. I didn't know how that was going to work but thank goodness for humidifiers and their white noise huh??? Happy Birthday America the Beautiful and thank you God for allowing us to live in a country where we can worship you on any given day/hour/muinute without persecution. Thank you to the many men and women that fight for our freedom and safety on a daily basis. Without you and your sacrificing families, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the freedoms we so greatly take for granted. Love you all, Shannon

Night out with 7 friends.

2007-06-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were invited to eat dinner with some friends up the street. We attend church with them and they are just the best. We went over around 5:30pm and all 9 of us (the tenth one is on the way :0) sat at their table and had a WONDERFUL meal. Yes I did say 9 of us. Jason, AJ and I sat with Michelle, Eric and their fantastic children Lauren, Grant, Faith, Lance and the little girl that is on her way. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by such warmth and love. I know we're not to be envious of those around us, but how can you not be with all those wonderful children. Her house is filled with the sounds of happy, secure, loved children. They are so happy. We were all outside after dinner and my little AJ was having a ball. Literally he was playing with the ball all night, but the girls were so good with him. AJ and Lance would toddle around. It's just the most amazing site. Michelle is the most precious pregnant woman you have ever seen!!! Eric has built the most gorgeous flower garden that surrounds them in the back yard. The flowers were beautiful, the weather was perfect, and Jason and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We sat and talked for over 4 hours. The kids played in the pool, swang on the swing set and picked black rasberries from the vines. That's what being a kid is all about isn't it?? After all that we were invited onto the front porch to watch the fire-works. AJ did really well. I don't know if he was a little nervous of the actual fireworks or the screams from the excited children after they started popping off. He sat in my arms and watched the whole thing and did FINE!!! I covered his ears some and he seemed to do a little better. He furrowed his eyebrows a little before I did that. It was too cute. He's in his bed all tuckered out now. He had a packed night. God is so good to bless us with such wonderful people in our lives. I just really enjoyed myself. Tonight, I make it a special point to thank God for allowing me to have such wonderful relationships in my life. I'm such a dork though, I took the camera with us to take pics of all the kids having fun and the fireworks. Of course, I left the camera in the bag ALL NIGHT LONG. SOOOO, no pics of this night out. Go figure. Oh well, maybe next time.

Ethan needs prayers NOW

2007-06-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Below is an excerpt from Ethan Powell's website. This precious little soul has gone through so much in his tiny little life. I have found this web-site through a dear friend fo mine and I have praying for Little E ever since. Right now, they really need prayers. They have rushed the little guy down for chest x-rays and are now drawing blood cultures. Please pray that God sustain them and rid his tiny body of any infection. The chemo that he is about to endure is going to be pretty severe in the next couple of days and an infection right now could kill him. Please please pray. He's such a little fighter. Thanks guys.

3rd update/ 8:53pm [Ben] I just posted an update with pictures a few minutes ago, but since there has been a major prayer request. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW QUICKLY THINGS CHANGE AROUND HERE. While resting tonight his respiratory rate has dropped considerably low. In addition, he is sleeping very very hard. You can poke him, and I even sneezed pretty loud and he didn't budge. From what we were told, one of the first issues to look out for are breathing problems. Please pray for Ethan's lungs. ITS BEEN AWHILE SINCE I'VE SAID THIS... BUT THIS IS URGENT! PLEASE RALLY THE PRAYER TROUPS... ETHAN NEEDS PRAYERS NOW! BELIEVE. PRAYER WORKS!!!

4th update/ 10:02pm [Ben] We just rushed downstairs for a chest X-ray and now they are going to take blood cultures. This is how they check to see if he has an infection. If I get any news, I will post it. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ETHAN'S LUNGS. The last thing that we need is breathing issues. However... BELIEVE WITH ME THAT THIS WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM. PRAY AND BELIEVE! PRAYER WORKS!!!

Pic of the lot

2007-06-27T12:12:00.001-07:00

The first pic is looking straight onto the lot. You would be facing the front of the house. The second pic is (from standing on the porch) looking left to the scenery. I wasn't able to take really good pics d/t my fussy little monster but anyway, this is where our home will be built. They should break ground within the next couple of weeks. You can't really see the markers with this pic but the lot itself is over .5 acres. It doesn't seem like a lot I know, but with all of the constuction going up everywhere, we actually have one of the bigger lots in the neighborhood. It's d/t the influx of people moving in from DC. Everyone wants these bigger homes for less so they're all moving here and the builders are lovin life. The lot will be big enough for AJ and Jason to throw and hit some baseballs without the fear of taking someone out. The lot we're on now isn't even 1/4 of an acre really. We'd love to have some real land but with Jason's commute being 60min to and 75 min back we just can't do it. This new house is going to add 15 minutes both ways for him. Yuck. I feel like my anxiety about it all is getting a little better. If we do have to get a rental (we're going to try to work out an agreement to rent this house from the new owners if we sell it for a certain amt of time) but if we do have to rent, it will only be for a short while. I was thinking we would be in there for months. I'm steady praying and I thank you to those of you that are thinking of us as well.

LAST MEETING!!!!

2007-06-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

We had out last meeting today!!!! Once the permits come in, they're going to break ground. We met with the construction manager today, whew, he seems like a rough and tumble one. I'm glad I'm not working under him but hey, if he gets the job done... On the blueprint and the house layout that we were shown, it was showing that our basement would have double doors leading out, making it a wider entrance way. While we were talking, they were saying it was only going to be a single. Jason got em. He said since it was on both the blueprint and the layout that they had to give it to us because nowhere on the thing did it say that was an option. A $2,000.00 option no less. Whoo hoo, score one for dad!! Anyway, the construction manager was telling us that we will probably not break ground until the end of July now. A little disheartening but what can ya do.

We met with Nikole yesterday from the real estate agency. She's such a doll. I think she's really going to help us out. The money that we are going to be paying her kind of makes me queasy though. Good grief, we could use that money to put down on the new house and drop our payments a little more. I'm not real big on crunching numbers but that amazing man of mine can. He says we'll still be OK and that I will not have to go back to work full time. Nikole really helped put me at ease about people being in this house. She took a lot of pics to put up so people can see it. She seems to think she's not going to have that hard of a time selling it because of how we've upgraded so much and kept the house nice. I'm tellin ya, for the price that people are asking for houses around here, it would amaze you at the condition of some of them. It's pathetic. I'm excited though. Still a little nervous as to where we'll go inbetween houses but if Jason tells me we're going to be OK, then I guess we'll be OK. I'm still trying to convince him to hire some help to move the heavy stuff. I'm afraid one of us will get hurt moving some of these heavier things and if that happens we're really going to be up the creek. KWIM?

AJ went to bible class again yesterday. They learned about the good Samaritan. Anyway, one of the little tykes fell off the chair and scared my monster, and then he fell out of the chair too. The first one got away unscathed but poor AJ has a pretty good goose egg. Dena said that she was so sorry he fell out of the chair, but she was excited too because when AJ bumped his head, the other children rushed over to him and placed a bandage around his head. She was excited the kids were actually listening. He came out of class looking like Tonto. :0) He's no worse for the wear though. He's a tough little monster. I guess he has to be. Dad pinches his legs in the car seat and today I pinched his little finger in the car door handle. Like I said, he has to be tough.

2 of my 3 kids in Sunday school completely memorized their 3 verse memory verse!!! I was impressed. I figured we'd be doing a verse a week or something like that. They are hard, I couldn't even recite it to you yet!! Anyway, Matthew and Kenneth both were able to spit it back out at me. Kenneth even repeated the King James version. Talk about being impressed!!! They seemed to really like the letters I sent out to them mid-week. I'm going to do that again this week too.

AJ took a 2 hour nap today (in his crib) so mommy took a 2 hour nap today too!! (on the couch) Gotta love that!!!! I took a pic of the land today so I will post that a little later. I don't think monster will let me get that done just yet. Sorry, I know you're all dying to see it. (haha) Love you guys!!!!

We've gone with a Realtor

2007-06-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Nichole just called me back. We are going to meet with her on Sunday at 5pm. We are going to list with her for 90 days. I'm a little nervous. The thought of strange people in my house without me here just kind of gives me the creeps. I don't like it. When she talked about putting a locked box on my front door it made me a little queezy. I feel a little better knowing that she is good people. We are meeting so late on Sunday because she also attends church and wants to be able to go home, feed the kiddo's and get in naps. I dunno. Pray pray pray. Guess I'll be hitting my knees again today....don't they make knee pads for this sort of thing?????

AJ's first bible class

2007-06-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

AJ is 13 mo old come the 20th of this month. He's at the age now where he's too mobile to want to sit still during services on Sunday. He knows he can move and knows he's on the move 24/7 while at home so he gets really upset when mommy and daddy tell him to sit still for an hour. We've put him in the nursery at church just for services the last 3 Sundays. He was doing GREAT. I figured, it was time to start taking him to bible classes now. He needs to start learning. I am now teaching the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Sunday morning so we all got up early yesterday morning and off to church we go. Normally dad is the one that drops him off. It just works out easier that way. We left dad at home yesterday because he was still in the shower at 0915 and I had to get my class set up. Well, Mrs. Dena was there and she just took AJ right out of my arms and into the classroom they went. She never came to get me so I figured they did fine. After my class I went and met up with Jason and AJ in the auditorium and I was handed AJ's first craft. It was a little circle piece of paper with hands on it and it says "we are helpers" Dena told me that when she starts class they sing "If You're Happy And You Know It" and by about the 5th time AJ was actually clapping along. She said they looked at the picture book together and AJ followed along. When I was given that little circle piece of paper with his little scribbles on it with his name written in the middle by Dena, I cried. My precious little boy is starting to really learn about Jesus. I play all the CD's at home, we pray at home, and he actually holds his hands together to pray,we put Go Fish in the van and it automatically gets put in or AJ pitches a fit, but it was the first time my little boy went to "bible class" That little piece of paper is something that will forever be cherished by me. I thank Dena so much for thinking that my son's soul is as precious as I do. Aparently Dena wore him out because he fell asleep in my arms and was still for the first service in over a month. These are the memories life is made of. I just want to bottle them up so when I'm old and grey and I open that bottle up and feel all these emotions flood over me again. Have a good week guys.

End of June.....

2007-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Jason and I recieved all of our official paperwork for the new house in the mail. We were going over the check-list of "to-do's" and we noticed that before they break ground we are supposed to have a pre-construction meeting with the builder. We hadn't heard anything about this previously so we were kind of confused. We call the office and of course, can't get anyone that knows anything and Tyler's out of the office. He finally returned the phone call today and told me that we will prob have this meeting at the end of June. He said we're looking at breaking ground come the first of July. He had previously told us that it will take approx 6mo to get the house built. My heart sank. I was going, 1)Aug. 2)Sept. 3)Oct. 4)Nov. 5)Dec. 6)Jan. I told him, "so, we're not even going to be in the house before Christmas then??" He relayed to me that we will most def be in the house before Christmas because it only really takes them approx 90 days to build the house. So as long as nothing "major" happens between now and then, we are looking at being in our new house by the end of Nov with the closing and everything. I'm excited again. Wow, what a roller coaster ride this has already been.... I will take a pic of the lot and post soon. Take care all!!!

Whew, what a month!!!

2007-06-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya'll!! Soo nobody liked my lily story huh ;) Anyway, this has been a wild 4 weeks. We had AJ's birthday May 20, the in-laws left for Germany for 3 weeks, we've shown the house 3 times, and we've had the in-laws 70lb yellow lab ( Great dog but a shedding machine!!!) The In-laws came back Sat night. Sun. night they saw the realtor that sold their house across the street so of course we had to talk to her, Then SHE WANTED TO SEE THE HOUSE!!!! It was Sun night around 8pm. We had been to church, then a meeting, then we had gone out to dinner after AJ woke up from his nap. We hadn't been home so the house was a mess. Jason signaled to me that she wanted to come over and I liked to had a stroke. Did you know a bed can be made in less than 30 seconds if you're really motivated??? I was throwing all kinds of stuff under beds and in clothes hampers. I was a freaking wild woman. I was screaming Vicki's name. She couldn't get the guest bed made fast enough because she was too busy laughing at my freaking out self. I was flying. By the time she walked across the street to the house, it wasn't sparkling but it was better than it was, and I was out of breath!!! I showed her the house and she gave me a few pointers. (take down the boarder in the kitchen,,,,NOT.) but anyway, she said that 3 showings in less than a month at this time was really good. We didn't officially ask her for her services but she is soooo nice and she can advertise the house in areas that we can not soooo. We're thinking about it. Monday was busy too. I mowed the lawn, cut the bushes back, got a pretty good tan in the process. AJ played in his pool. Jason and his dad were taking stuff to storage. It was just busy. Well, today Jim and Vicki left. They told their sleeping grandchild goodbye. Vicki was in tears. You could tell they really had a good time and they absolutely LOVE their grandchild. I think AJ missed not having Opa to make all over him first thing this morning. He went into the living room looking for him too. AJ's being really clingy, like he's afraid I'm going to leave him too. We had such a great weekend. AJ was spoiled just a little bit more, (thanks, appreciate that!! ;) It was really great. We even had Dairy Queen last night and AJ went between Oma, Opa, mom and dad getting his fill. They were cracking up at him. He's such a clown anymore. In a way, it's nice to have the house back, but really, I hate the quietness after the visits. It's almost too quiet, even with Blue's Clue's in the background. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... it's been busy, but it's been great!!!!

Lily of the Valley

2007-06-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

MY LILLIES ARE IN BLOOM!!!! I planted bulbs for the first time ever and they are BLOOMING!! I'm so excited. It's only one so far but the buds are on the rest. It is so pretty!! I planted the Lillies because I love the hymn.

I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.
Refrain:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal.
He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
From His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll.

It just has the most reassuring words to it. "I've found a friend in Jesus, He's everything to me"...."In sorrow He's my comfort, in sorrow He's my stay"....."Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal"..."He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here"....."Where rivers of delight shall ever roll"....It's just so beautiful. Hope you guys are having a great day!!!

No Dirt Yet. :(

2007-06-05T10:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I drove by the lot again today. They are tearing up some dirt across the way but haven't touched ours yet. Our lot is still full of greenery. No dirt yet. I guess this is pretty normal for those of you that have built houses in the past but I was hoping they'd get started by now. They said it will take 2-4 weeks to process the permits because they're building so much around here. Kinda sad if you ask me but anyway. It's only been about 3 weeks. When they do break ground I'm going to take pics along the way so I can keep you all updated on the progress. We've had a lot of people take fliers from the box outside but hardly any callers. I had one lady call Fri. saying she would call Sat to leave a time she could see the house on Sun. She didn't. I think that's rude and aggrivating. I'm really excited but I'm also very anxious. I'm very excited about the house. To this little country mouse it's a monster! But then I have all these fears...What if we sell the house but don't have a place to go. Where ever we rent has to allow dogs because my baby girl isn't going anywhere without me. What if we sell too late and end up with 2 morgages? We'll be ok for a while if that happens, we just don't want it to happen, KWIM? God says "do not worry" I ask that you all pray for me that I can give these anxieties and worries to our God and feel safe and secure in the fact tht our Father will take care of EVERYTHING. Thanks guys, love you all.

Zoo pics

2007-06-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pics from the zoo. Sorry it took me a few days to upload them. The rest of the pics are on "fish" You guys know how to get there. I'll probably get in trouble for posting the first one but there's no faces to be seen and I just LOVE that pic. It was taken at the Panda Cafe after we ate. I was getting everything together and I looked up, AJ was giving dad ALL these kisses. It was precious. Dad loved the monkies and AJ really liked watching the sea lions. We were exhausted by the end of the day but we really had a great time!!!

The Zoo!!

2007-06-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, today we went to the Washington Zoo for the first time. We got started about 0830. We travelled to the metro station at Shady Grove and then rode the metro for approx 30 min to the zoo. We originally went to meet some of my on-line friends from La Leche League. We have been setting up a meeting date for about 3months now. It was so great to finally meet them in person. Karen, Anthony, and their baby Anneliese, Lynda and her baby girl Lorelei, Kelly Ann and her baby girl Emily, Wendy, Ed, and their son Aaron and finally Leslie and her son Shilo were all there. It was really neat to meet the people that I have been talking too fro about a year now. They were all super nice. Jason and I did kind of sneak away at one point because we really actually wanted to see the zoo. They all went to get something to eat and we just kind of went on our way. We saw all kinds of neat creatures!! Isn't God neat?? He has such a personality. You go from these majestic Lions and tigers to the goofy looking hipo to the little prairie dogs. It's just amazing. The zoo was really nicely kept and fairly easy to get around. It was more walking than any of us had done in a long time. AJ really liked watching the sea lions. There was a place where you could watch them swim underwater. They were playing with each other and goofing around. They would come real close to the window and AJ would hit his head every time trying to get close to them. He was able to look at all the animals and he would study them pretty good but I don't think he was really able to understand yet what it all was about. Jason liked the monkeys. He was able to get some really good pics. I loved the toucan but Jason wasn't able to get a good pic of them. The lion was amazing. I just wanted to go down and scratch his belly. He was rolling around on the ground just as sure of himself as he could be. We saw some beavers too. Those things are freakin huge!! I didn't realize they were as big as they are. AJ only took him about a 10 minute power nap on the way to the metro and he did not go to sleep until it was time to leave. We were actually going to take him to the kiddie zoo and on the way he finally crashed. So we just turned around to leave. He slept all of 30 minutes while we made our way back to the metro and then he was up and ready to go again. He did not go back to sleep until 8:30pm that night. My little energizer bunny. I'll download the pics on fish and let you know. It really was a great day. We were worn out. My new friends (well old considering how long we've been talking to each other) but anyway, it was really so neat to be able to meet these people in person and Jason, AJ and I just had a good day in general. Little man is finally down for a nap today. Church really does wear him out. :)

2007-06-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few question in the regular e-mail I figured I'd post the answers here.

a) Why are we moving:

Jason wanted a bigger yard for his little man. He said he wanted to teach AJ how to hit the baseball without the fear of taking someone's house window or car window out. Plus we're tired of being right on top of neighbors. We NEED some space!!! The new lot is over 1/2 an acre. It's still not as big as we want it but it's one of the bigger lots in the area. It's actually one of the bigger lots in the new neighborhood.

b) Where are we moving:

We're moving to Quail Ridge. It's still here just about 15 minutes away.

c) When are we moving:

The new house hasn't even broke ground yet. We're still awaiting the permits. It should happen in the next 2-3 weeks.

Here's a pic of the house we're in now:

Here's a pic of the new house:

Lil Mrs. Betty Crocker....NOT

2007-05-31T19:24:00.000-07:00

OK, well I was going to make a peanut butter pie for the neighbor behind us today. One of her dogs was killed yesterday when it got out of the house. :( AJ was being particularly inquizitive and I figured, hey, we'll have a mommy/son moment. I pulled a chair up to the counter and placed him in it after I got all 4 of my ingredients ready. The trash can was on one side of him and I was standing on the other side. No problem right??? WRONG. I leaned across him to put something in the trash and the nosey child had to see what it was. In the process he tumbled out of the chair and proceeded to bonk the back of his head right on the floor. He was majorly POed and I felt HORRIBLE!! I scooped him up and we walked for about 10 minutes for him to calm down. He had a nice red bump to show for his tumble too. Anyway, once I patched his feelings all up I finally figured it out. I pulled the back of another chair up to the side of the first chair and put him in it again. I knew he'd like watching what was going on if only I could convince him I didn't shove him out of the chair. He was not too enthused to be placed in the chair of torture again. I started juggling ingredients and he started to focus. He tasted the PB, cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipped cream. Anyone that knows my child knows he loved every taste. He loved watching the blender work and giggled everytime I added the sugar and the little puff cloud came up. I poured the batter into the pie crust and thought....why not??? I put AJ in the floor and gave him the mixer part. That child sat in the floor and licked that thing CLEAN!!! He even went as far as to lick the floor when a glob made it's way off the mixer thingy. Of course many pics were taken and will be passed along to you all soon. It had to be one of the most precious days. It's a day I'll remember always. He had PB from his hair all the way down to his toes and he LOVED IT.....as did I.

Today's my first

2007-05-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, today if officially my first blog. I kind of liked the idea of an on-line diary if you will. It's a neat way to share my thoughts and the goings on of the Spears family here. The main news for today I guess would be that we are attempting to sell our house. I just saw another lady get out of her car and get a flyer. We've only shown the house 3 times and so far no bites. I have to admit that I'm ok with that for now. The new house hasn't even broke ground yet so it makes me very anxious to think that this house will sell and we'll have no where to go. I should have rug burns on my knees from praying so much but I have to admit, I was praying very vigilantly at the beginning and telling God that I would trust Him fully and whole heartedly. Well, He hit me with all He had. I failed Him again. I freaked. Now I'm actually scared to pray. I will get back to it. I'm going to have to suck it up because whether I want too or not, we're moving. Change is comming and I just have to accept that and rely on our God. Period. Please pray that I can apply what I know to my life.