The Grantham Family

Poor baby!

2009-06-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

So our big boy has now been riding a bike with pedals and no training wheels for about 2 weeks, and had his first major wipeout today. Reminds me of one of the Olsen twins when they were little! He's been such a good sport about it and seems to be fine, hopefully nothing wrong with his teeth! I need to post about our trip to Mexico a couple of weeks ago, but I've been so unmotivated lately. I'll get around to it eventually. Things are kicking into high gear with the swim team, so I'll have my hands full with that the next several weeks.

Funny random things

2009-04-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

The boys have been saying some pretty hilarious stuff lately.

* Reid after I came home from swim practice: (indignantly) "MOM! You were supposed to be here to make my Daddy's food!"

* Colin to me: "You're sumtin (something), Mom."

* Reid to me while I was getting ready to go somewhere: "Mom, you're beauty!"

* My conversation with Reid:

Me: "Reid, you're getting too big! You should stop growing up so fast."
Reid: (thinking)"Well, you can just hammer me back down if I grow too fast."

* Reid's conversation with me:

Reid: "I don't want to grow up, Mom."
Me: "I think being little is more fun than being a grown up. You shouldn't grow up!"
Reid: (exasperated)"But the growing won't stop!"

Our 4th Anniversary!

2009-04-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our engagement at Josephine's, February 2005.

Walking down the aisle.

Our wedding!

April 9th, 2005

April 9, 2009

Yesterday we celebrated four years of wedded bliss! =) I love having this time every year to spend some quality time alone to reflect and reminisce. We went to Josephine's, a cute little restaurant in downtown Flagstaff (where we got engaged), and spent 3 hours talking and eating and drinking! It was so nice and relaxed. Then we went up to Lowell Observatory to look at the city lights at night. Perfect! =) I'm so happy to be married to this man, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. =) 4 years, 3 cats, 2 kids, and 1 house....that's a LOT!

Little victories!

2009-04-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

So on Monday our trash gets picked up, and I went to empty the garbage can in the garage, but it was almost EMPTY! That's our infamous poopy diaper garbage, and this was the first week ever that I didn't have to throw any poopy diapers into it! I didn't realize that I hadn't changed a stinky diaper in a week....potty training is going great! =) Sweet victory!

Reid back in the day...

2009-03-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Both of these are from November 2006 (Reid 14 months old). So sweet! =)

Colin's ABC's

2009-03-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

My 24th birthday weekend!

2009-03-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Usually I really don't care about my birthday, but this year was really fun. The swim team had a swim meet in Scottsdale (about 2 1/2 hours away from us, outside of Phoenix) that weekend (March 14/15), and we decided that it would be fun to be in the Valley for the weekend (and give the other coach a break!). Joey's dad and his girlfriend were staying at the Phoenician hotel (REALLY NICE!) for her birthday (day before mine) just about 10 minutes away from us, so we spent most of Saturday and Sunday with them. A lot of my time was spent at the swim meet, at a Jewish community center, but not too much! =) The weather was GORGEOUS, and the kids had a blast swimming, bike riding, playing at the park, visiting friends, and the zoo again! On my birthday I decided I REALLY wanted to go to PF Changs (my favorite!) for dinner, but we were having too much fun at the pool and didn't want to leave! We were driving back to our hotel at about 8:30pm, and all the kids wanted was macaroni and cheese, so we drove around until we found KFC, and wouldn't you know it they were out of macaroni and cheese! Reid almost had a nervous breakdown, but we consoled him with biscuits, corn, and mashed potatoes! They sell chocolate cakes there, so that ended up being my birthday cake. =) It was such a great weekend, and thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! Makes getting older a little bit easier!

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

2009-03-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Go to www.arbys.com/arbyscoupon to print a coupon for a free Roastburger sandwich from Arby's with the purchase of any size drink. Good until Saturday, March 14th!

Go to http://coupon.hangintherejack.com/fry-drink.php to get a free small fry and drink from Jack in the Box for one day only, tomorrow Tuesday, March 10th.

Reid & Colin's 1st dentist appointment!

2009-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little late in posting this, but we took the kids to the dentist for the first time the first week of February. They actually LOVED it! It was a pediatric dentist, so they're used to dealing with little people. I've been brushing their teeth while they lay down for a long time now, hoping that they would adapt and be ready for the dentist's chair, and it seems to have paid off! Everyone kept commenting on how great the boys were, and so comfortable, which was really nice. Reid even got xrays! We decided it would be cheaper to pay for their dental expenses with our pre-tax health spending account rather than pay co-pays and premiums, but I almost peed when I heard how much it was...$330!!! Geez, we were there for all of like 20 minutes actually being treated, and really all they did was brush their teeth and look at em! When they lady told me "It's $330 today" I was like "No, you must be mistaken, it's only 11:30!" I thought she was talking about TIME, not how much we owed! Yikes. Reid had one cavity that needed to be filled, so that was another $185. They actually took him into the back all by himself, and he was so big and grown up about it! Until he walked into the door handle and started screaming! Poor kid. He did great though, no tears other than that. The dentist said that they would probably both need palate expanders and maybe braces, and they might want to start Colin with one when he's 4!!! I don't know about that, that seems so young! Overall, a really good experiences, but I'm feeling a little empty in the pockets! =)

Busy weeks flying by...

2009-02-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Colin finishing his messy cupcake in the sink at Addryanna's birthday party.

Flipping sausages at the pancake breakfast (TONS OF IT!).

FLipping pancakes...9 huge bags of pancake mix in 4 hours!

Pancake breakfast.

Mommy & Daddy snuggling by the creek for a picture while Reid gets into the wagon.

My handsome Colin. My, oh my, how we love this kid!

Warming my baby's hands in the Sedona twilight.

Reid being a good big brother and covering up Colin with a blanket before taking him on a wagon ride. They're so sweet.

Pretty Elle at her birthday party and her pretty mommy, Paige.

On our way to Elle's birthday party.

I can't believe how time gets away from me. Joey left on Saturday, February 7th for Orlando, and then on Thursday he stopped over in Colorado for a few days to visit his best friend, Matt and his wife, Carlie. He'll be returning here to us on Sunday evening. It's been a long week! All this snow sure does make me miss him! =) Of course, that's not all that I miss! Luckily, I've had my brother Erik here with me helping out with the kids which is really nice.

So, after Colin's birthday party on Saturday, January 17th, we attended his buddy, Elle's 2nd birthday party on Sunday. The following weekend was a swim meet hosted by the Snow Sharks (the team that I am assistant coach for), so I was away Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for most of the day, and Erik and Joey shared responsibility for the kiddos. Next weekend, we stayed in Sedona on Saturday night for some quality family time, and then came back on Sunday to spend the Superbowl with the Stanleys, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they moved away to Anthem (just outside of Phoenix) a couple of days ago, and we miss them! It's so weird not having them here anymore, but we look forward to visiting soon. The weekend after that I dropped Joey off at the airport, went to our swim team's biggest annual fundraiser, a pancake breakfast held at the American Legion, and then over to a swim meet held by another team in Flagstaff on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night we attended one of the swimmers (and our friend of course), Addryanna's 13th birthday party. Add nightly swim practices and tons of snow to my normal cooking, cleaning, kid entertaining routine, and you understand why I don't post very often! =) Ditto for returning calls, emails, etc. =)

Colin's 2!

2009-01-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

No one ever accused him of being un-enthusiastic about cupcakes! =)

Presents for the birthday boy.

Group shot at Colin's birthday party.

Cake.

Contemplating the fate of that cake!

I know, I know, Colin's birthday was on January 19th, and his party on the 17th, but what can I say? I'm busy ya know! It was fun and I think he really enjoyed himself. We just had a small party for him, which I don't think he minded at all! I think all of the kids had the most fun with the balloons that my dad brought, and of course the cake.

It seems to be a good time to reflect when birthdays roll around. I can't beleive it's already been 2 years with this little one! I definitely wouldn't use the word "sweet" to describe him....he's more like "spirited"! He has such a drive and motivation to try to be like his brother, and daddy, or whoever else is around at the moment. He is also more mischevious and devious than his brother. It amazes me how good he is at communicating (mostly verbally). He is also more confident than Reid. He does NOT like to be cold, and cries almost every time we go out in the snow, regardless of how many clothes he has on. I think it gets easier as they get a little bigger so we'll see.

Happy birthday kiddo, we love you!

Happy Birthday, Joey!

2009-01-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit delayed in posting this, but we celebrated Joey's 27th birthday on December 27th! It was a pretty uneventful day (which is a GOOD thing!). Joey's mom came up from Phoenix and watched the kids for us so that we could go to dinner. We went to Altitudes and it was really nice. Unfortunately they started playing some live music right behind us in the middle of our meal, so it was really loud. I think it was more annoying for me than for Joey since he's used to reading lips anyway! =) While we were gone the boys made cupcakes with Grandma Jo Ann. Coming up soon, Colin's 2nd birthday on January 19th! =)

Christmas through the years...

2009-01-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

2002

On our way to a romantic dinner. =)

Jeez we were so young! We'd been dating about a month. Can you see his class ring around my neck? How funny. =)

Dad's side of the family (the women, anyway), on Christmas Day.

2004

My oh my, me and Vanessa before going to the dental ball Christmas party in Flagstaff. Little did I know what the new year had in store for me! =)

2005

Before Joey's company Christmas party.

Cutting down our Christmas tree (Reid is in his car seat sleeping inside the truck).

Joey's building's family Christmas party. A picture with Santa!

My friend Alina and I with our boys, born 3 weeks apart.

Joey giving Reid a bottle at Tanya's wedding reception in Flagstaff.

Sweet sleeping baby.

2006

On our way to Joey's company Christmas party.

Our Christmas/maternity photo shoot.

Snuggling our Reidy!

Just a few more weeks until Colin was born!

Dinner alone in Phoenix...complete with a ride in a classic car! (I'm more inclined to just call it an old car.)

Reid opening presents.

Celebrating Christmas with my Dad's side of the family.

2007

The boys on Joey's shoulders.

The whole bunch of us before going to a Christmas party.

Joey and I at his company Christmas party.

Opening presents under the tree.

And finally, this year: 2008

The kids got to open a present on Christmas Eve from Grandma Jo Ann and Aunt Ellie....face paint! They love it!

The kids making cookies for Santa. My kids look like hooligans with their war paint on!

The Stanley's: Justin, Elle, Paige, Drew (Elle is so photogenic!)

Our fireplace mantle, complete with stockings (even for the cats!)

After Santa visited....and then turned into bed around 2am!

Colin's favorite present. He sat in the dump truck and ate treats from his stocking, and pretty much gave up on unwrapping anymore gifts, which was fine with Reid!

Reid on his new dirtbike bicycle.

The aftermath.

We really did have a great Christmas. The kids had so much fun. Joey's mom and sister came up from Phoenix on Christmas Eve so they could wake up with us in the morning and open presents together. We had our friends, the Stanley's, over for dinner on Christmas Eve, and the kids made cookies for Santa. It gets more and more fun as the kids get older, but I can anticipate that as they start to get older and really greedy about things, it'll get less and less fun! Of course, I hope that doesn't happen!

I'm exhausted just looking at all of these Christmas pictures, and thinking of all the Christmases to come! I didn't even put up half of my decorations this year because it was just too much! And having to decorate our dang tree twice because it fell over once is probably what did it. Luckily, I have a whole year before I have to do it again. =)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

My mind can scarcely contemplate the happenings of my day today...

2008-12-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

OH my lord. I cannot believe my children today! I'm tired, and I need to go to bed, but before I do, a short list of their (mis)adventures.

1. Hilighter ALL over our upstairs walls, windows, COUCHES, carpet etc. It looks like they just held it out and ran around the room, drawing lines across as they went. I could cry, I'm not even kidding you.

2. Colin put soap in his eye while I was on the phone.

3. They threw tomatoes at the wall and on the floor.

4. They rubbed soap on their tent.

All of that in addition to their usual dumping all of their toys into one big pile so that I can have the joy of sorting them. Reid said they were delivering presents. I delivered him swiftly to bed!

Polar Express & Christmas Tree Cutting

2008-12-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I was more excited than the kids to ride the train this year. I'm so excited just to see the first look on their faces when they see Santa, or the way their eyes shine when they see Christmas lights. I know I'm being sappy but it's really true! It makes my whole life to give them fun experiences like that. So Joey's mom, JoAnn, & sis, Ellie, came up from Phoenix on Wednesday to take us on the train. They even got fun Christmas pajamas! For those of you who don't know, the Polar Express train ride is based on a book (and now movie) about a magic train that comes and picks a boy up from his house at night (when he's in his pajamas, get it?) and takes him (and other kids) to the North Pole. When they get there Santa gives the boy a bell and only people who believe in Santa can hear it ring. So the train rides out to the "North Pole" and picks up Santa who boards the train and gives each of the kids a bell like in the book. We also drank hot chocolate, ate cookies, read the book, and sang Christmas carols. It was FUN! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I left my camera on the train, but thankfully we got it back! I didn't have it while we were in Sedona with my mom and Grandma.

Me & Reidy

Reid & his hot chocolate. He's gotten back into making all sorts of funny faces like he used to when he was a baby. I LOVE it!

Joey & Reid

Me, Colin, & Joey

What you get when you give your camera to a 17 year old girl. =) (Joey's sis, Ellie)

I LOVE this picture! I think it really captures that awe that I was hoping for.

This was SO funny! I was going to take a picture of Ellie and at the last second she made that silly open-mouth face because she's allergic to smiling in pictures, and Colin stood up and did the same thing right as I took the pic! He didn't see her or anything so it was just so funny.

Reid getting his bell from Santa.

Colin gave Santa a high five!

JoAnn, Colin, and Joey

Then on Sunday we went out to cut our Christmas tree (for the 3rd year). It was Colin's first time! Last year he and I stayed home to prepare for our Christmas party while Joey took Reid. We had so much fun. We ended up getting a juniper this year, so we're trying it out.

Hunting for the perfect tree.

Colin said he was going to take a nap....on the ground.

Colin fell down and scraped his hand so the boys decided it was probably best to hold hands from then on. =)

Joey balanced the camera on a fencepost to get a shot of all of us. We said "hot chocolate!" instead of "cheese!"

Joey & the boys driving in the forest

Sedona, Thanksgiving, wedding...oh MY!

2008-12-02T11:52:00.001-08:00

The boys with their gigantic leaves by Oak Creek in Sedona.

Me, Colin, and Colin's owie!

Vanessa and her bridesmaids at the bridal shower/bachelorette party. I couldn't find any pictures without something inappropriate in them! =)

I had to have MY blood drawn and the KIDS got suckers! I snapped a pic of them trying eachother's.

My mom and I with the kids. I really like how Reid is throwing up a peace sign! Uncle Erik must have been sending him signals.

The most beautiful bride!

Daddy and mischevious Colin.

Taking advantage of the dance floor!

Reid & Colin made a friend who loved to play with them at the wedding. He has four kids, all grown up of course.

Me & Reidy at Vanessa's wedding

Yikes, we've been so busy! My Grandma Jan (Dad's mom) came out to AZ for November from Minnesota, so the kids and I spent a long weekend down in Sedona with her, my dad and my brother. The weather was really nice and it was a fun trip. Colin had his first major owie while we were there, a nice 1 inch long laceration on his forehead courtesy of tripping and falling onto the brick fireplace hearth at the Hyatt. I stayed at the hotel with just the kids on Saturday night, and we had been in the hotel room maybe 2 hours when that happened, so I had no other grown ups around to help me (which was probably best anyway). Colin was really upset about all of the blood running down his face and into his eyes (not to mention the pain of course!), and Reid was pretty upset but trying to maintain his composure seeing Colin so miserable. He asked me, "Who's the fixer, Mom? Who fixes Colin?" =) I decided to have my mom come up from Phoenix in the morning and watch Reid while I took Colin to the ER because it seemed pretty apparent that he'd need stitches. We were in and out of the ER within 15 minutes, and all they did was glue it shut with Dermabond, which was REALLY nice. Stitches would have been really difficult.

Then came my friend Vanessa's wedding in Phoenix the day after Thanksgiving, which I was matron of honor in! Her bridal shower/bachelorette party was one week before the wedding, so I left Joey & the kids in Flagstaff and went down to the Valley for that. It was a lot of fun! =) I came back up on Saturday after stopping by a swim meet in Goodyear (where we grew up) that the team that I coach was participating in. It was really neat to get to see the kids swimming in a competitive atmosphere instead of just in practice like I have been. On Wednesday (before Thanksgiving), we headed down to Phoenix again for the rehearsal dinner, which was soooo yummy! The boys had a blast playing with the kids of the other two bridesmaids. Unfortunately Reid was sick at the time though and had been running a fever for about a day that didn't really come down a whole heck of a lot even with tylenol or ibuprofen, so he pretty much just stayed sitting with one of us the whole time (or laying on us!). Poor baby. I currently have the cold that he did, so I'm pretty sick of having to blow my nose every 2 minutes. Ugh. Anyhow, we went to my dad's house after the rehearsal dinner and stayed with him. Thanksgiving day my brother and the kids and I went over to our mom's house and then came back to our dad's for little afternoon siesta before going over to Joey's mom's for Thanksgiving dinner in the evening. I left from there to go stay at a hotel in Scottsdale with one of the other bridesmaids and Vanessa the night before the wedding. We all shared a bed and I rolled over and hit Vanessa right on the nose accidentally in the middle of the night, so we were all really thankful that she didn't wind up with a broken nose because of me! =) Friday was a busy day making final preparations for the wedding and getting all dressed up, but it was a LOT of fun. I love weddings. Joey and the kids came and they had a really good time too. It's the first wedding that the kids have been to that they remember, and it was a good experience because Reid was really confused about what it meant to be married (I'm sure he still is, but now he has some frame of reference).

This month is basically a repeat of last month: Sedona, bridal shower, wedding, holiday. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we'll be riding the Polar Express train in Williams with Joey's mom and sister, which we're really looking forward to. His mom even got us all pajamas to wear! Then Thursday morning through Saturday morning the kids and I will be in Sedona visiting my mom, Grandma Kathie (from New Hampshire) and my brother. I will go straight to Phoenix (from Sedona) on Saturday to go to my Aunt Lynnie's (dad's sister) bridal shower while my brother or Joey take the kids back to Flagstaff. Jeez Louise. I just know that someday I'll have time to think again!

Halloween and Colin's 1st haircut!

2008-11-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Reid during his haircut.

Colin during his haircut.

A good example of Colin's hair before his haircut. YIKES!

Reid on Halloween.

Colin with Uncle Erik on Halloween. I need to get some better pictures of the kids from my brother's camera.

Swim team spaghetti dinner.

Me, Joey's cousin Michelle, and Reid on Saturday morning.

A group shot of us and Joey's Aunt Sue and Cousin Shelly at dinner on Friday night.

Micah's birthday party.

The whole gang at Dino's celebrating with Grandpa Bob's girlfriend, Gail.

Grandpa Bob and his grandsons

Reid was so excited for Halloween this year. He said he wanted to be a policeman, and Colin was a fireman. We just trick or treated in the neighborhood and it was fun (and thankfully not too cold!) My brother was up here with us from Phoenix. The day of Halloween we took the kids to the mall and I decided that it was time for Colin to get his first haircut (which I was really nervous about)! He did so well, and it turned out great. Reid also got a little trim.

We have been sooo busy, with no end in sight (at least for the next couple of months). On Wednesday we hosted a spaghetti dinner for some of the families on the swim team before a swim meet in Albuquerque. Then on Friday Joey's cousin Michelle and Aunt Sue suprised us with an overnight stay at our house on their way out to LA. Michelle just got an awesome new job doing autism research, so it will be quite an experience living outside of Michigan for the first time! It was so nice to see them. It's not often that we see Grantham's out this way! Then yesterday (Saturday) Reid and I went to the Swim-A-Thon, which is a fundraiser that the team does every year where the kids get pledges from sponsors to see how many laps they can swim in 2 hours. After that we went to Micah's (a friend from playgroup) 3rd birthday party, and then drove down to Phoenix while the kids napped to celebrate Joey's dad, Bob's girlfriend Gail's graduation from University of Phoenix. It was busy and I'm exhausted and I'm sure I'm not the only one! It was a lot of fun though. On the way into the restaurant to surprise Gail (who we haven't met before), Reid was like "I want to see Grandpa Bob's little girl." Everyone thought that was pretty funny. We ate at their favorite restaurant, the one they met at, which serves excellent Greek food. I was so full it felt like Thanksgiving and I was pretty sure I was going to throw up, but I didn't, thankfully!

Colin has been stringing lots of new words together now, which is really neat. The other day the next door neighbor girl, Rachel had a pretty bad wipeout on her bike while we were playing outside with them. I took Colin in to eat and get ready for his nap and as I was putting him in his bed he said, "See Rach-oo Ban-daid." I thought it was really cute. Reid really wants to learn how to read (I know, I know), and the other night when I got home with groceries he asked me to read what a coupon said. It was pretty late and so I said, "It says 'Reidy needs to go to sleep right now.'" He said, "No it doesn't! It says 'Buy someting at da 'tore.'"

Election!!!

2008-11-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

So I decided that it would be a great experience for the kids to come with me to the poll, to start their lessons of civic duty off early! heehee I told them to say "Election!" instead of "Cheese" before the picture before we headed off to vote. Reid has spent quite a bit of time with me watching the debates, so he knows who the candidates are. Today I explained to him that there are a lot of states (like the one we live in, Arizona, as well as Indiana and California and lots more), and today is the day that we get to pick who is in charge of them. After I said that he enthusiastically said, "ME!" haha I told him when he gets older that would be great if he wants to do that but that you have to be a grown up first. As we were driving I asked Reid who he wanted me to pick and he said, "McCain. JUST KIDDING! I really mean Obama." Once we were at the poll and I explained that now I was choosing who I wanted for President he said, "Choose Obama please Mom!" The election volunteers were just cracking up and said, "Hey, you're not supposed to influence voters!" What a cutie. Well, look out for my name come next election, since I'll finally be old enough (25) to run for Congress! =) heehee

I got a JOB!

2008-10-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

That's right! I'm going to be assistant swim coach of the Flagstaff Snow Sharks, a year-round, competitive swim team here in Flagstaff. It is a paid position which will be so great, but mostly I'm excited to coach again and work again. I'll only be working 2 hours a day in the evening, and some weekends for swim meets, so it is totally manageable and Joey will get to spend some quality time with his kiddos on a regular basis. I'm so excited! =)

After the final debate I have decided...

2008-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

That Obama has my vote! I am disappointed with McCain after that debate. He was downright rude, completely off topic, and grasping at straws, which I am sad to see. "Joe the plumber" (who makes over $250,000 per year)? What a joke. C'mon McCain, you're better than you've shown throughout this campaign. Stop playing dirty and continuing to spread misinformation to get a leg up on Obama, who is clearly going to win this election. I believe Obama will make changes that this country needs. As Obama said, "Let's disagree without being disagreable". Amen and happy voting!

By the way, I also noticed that they are both left handed! Did anyone else notice that?

I can hardly keep up!

2008-10-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

With all the funny things they say and do, that is! Yesterday I was washing Reid's hands in the sink and the water was falling onto a fork inside a tupperware container, and Reid said, "The fork is having a bath!"

And YAY for Colin, who pooped on the potty last night (after starting to go on the carpet...)! I've been letting him run around the house bottomless, so I guess we're potty training now!

Las Vegas was fun, and it was great to spend time with my dad, brother, uncle, and granddad (who met the kids from the first time). The weather was awesome and we did a lot of swimming (I need to get those pictures from my uncle!). None of us were too lucky (or at all) in our gambling ventures, but you win some you lose some right? Joey met up with us on Friday and we spent most of our time swimming, and had one night alone for dinner together at P.F. Chang's which was nice! I'm glad we don't have anywhere else to go until November! It's been nice being home and we're getting so much done around here, organizing, storing wood for winter, etc.

The things kids say...

2008-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, I desperately need to post an entry about our trip to Las Vegas that we just returned from on Sunday, but the kids and I have been sick with a nasty cold (you can tell by the looks of my house!) and I haven't had the energy to do anything! But Reid has been saying the most hilarious things lately so I just have to post them before I forget.

1) I was attempting to clean up our office yesterday (despite a 3 day long headache which causes my head to throb even worse whenever I change positions) and was frustrated with starting the task in the first place given how I felt and the fact that the kids were awake making any task requiring thought almost impossible. Reid came in with his arms folded across his chest and said (very grown-up and defensively),"Are you just mad, Mom?" And I told him that yes, I was mad because of all the reasons I mentioned earlier. He said, "Well you just need to start being nice or else I'm just going to leave." Haha, trying to give me a timeout (which I wouldn't have objected to!)

2) Yesterday Reid and Colin seemed to be interested in Legos and Reid built a "snake" (just a very tall stack of Legos) which he was very proud of. Later on the two boys were fighting over a chair upstairs (while I was lying down on the couch and trying to yell at them) and Reid pushed Colin off of the chair. I stood up and spanked Reid which of course made him cry. After he regained his composure he came over to me, still pouting, and said, "Can you say sorry to my snake? You broke him." Awwww! I apologized for getting so angry at him and of course for breaking his snake (which was not intentional), and then he said, "Mom, you should just say 'Reid, can you please get off the chair?' (using super-sweet sing-song voice). I told him I had done that and it wasn't working which is why I had to yell at him before he did what he eventually did anyway (push Colin off the chair). Later that night we were over at the next door neighbor's house and Reid threw a fit about having to leave there to go to bed at home. I apologized but told him that we had to leave anyway. About 30 minutes later when I was getting him dressed for bed he said "I'm sorry I said no when we had to leave Brice and Rachel's house to come home, Mommy." =D WOW, a completely uncoerced apology! All my plans for this one to be polite and even tempered (just as his mother...ha!) are falling perfectly into place! (once again, just kidding!)

3) It takes me a while to come around in the morning and begin to function, so the kids generally pick some books out and bring them to my bed and we spend about 20 minutes reading and talking before we're ready to face the world. This morning we were looking at a picture book and Reid spotted an orange kitten. He said, "That's baby Sunny!" (the name of one of our three adult cats, who is orange of course). I said, "Wow Reid, that's very smart of you. Maybe it is." Then Reid said the most adorable thing, "I want to climb into that book so I can be with baby Sunny." Cracked me up!

Fall is in the air...

2008-09-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year where regardless of how it looks outside, you just can't tell if it's going to feel hot or cold until you head out there. The leaves are just starting to turn yellow a little bit, and we feel like we're in the mode of planning for our "survival" throughout the winter! =) haha Have to stock up on wood for our fire place and get any projects done outdoors that we don't want to be doing when it's 25 degrees with 2 feet of snow on the ground! This weekend Joey and his dad are putting epoxy on one side of the garage floor and then after a week of letting it cure moving the stuff from the other side to the newly painted side to paint the rest of it. So much work. I'm glad I'm not doing it! I'm inside typing fun messages such as this while the kids sleep! =)

This week has been pretty ordinary, but ordinary is fun to me. I had a garage sale on Saturday in Flagstaff with my friend Lindsey which was very successful! I sold (literally) a whole car load of stuff which was a huge relief. Most of it was infant things like the swing and bouncy seat, so it was a little sad for me too! Then we had playgroup on Monday for the first time since we've been back from Indiana, which was really nice. It was fun to see everyone again and the kids did so well playing together. Everyone is growing up! I had a garage sale in Flagstaff with my friend Lindsey which was very successful! I sold (literally) a whole car load of stuff which was a huge relief. We got together with some buddies in the neighborhood a couple of times, Drew (4) and Elle (12 hours older than Colin, born in the same hospital, same doctor!). And on Thursday evening Paige and I left the little ones at home and took the big boys (Drew and Reid) to the circus in Flagstaff. That was pretty fun! Reid was fascinated and didn't quite understand the whole thing but liked it anyway. We ended up leaving early because Drew said "I don't belong here, and I DON'T love it here!" It was funny. =)

We're heading to Vegas on Monday and staying until Sunday, so wish me luck! ;-) Kidding (partially)! My dad and brother will be there for the week with us, Joey will join us on Friday, my Granddad will be joining us from New Hampshire (his first time meeting the kids!!!) on Tuesday, and my uncle Michael will be coming on Friday. Lot's of people. Funny how Vegas has become our hot spot for family get togethers, isn't it? =)

I got a new camera this week which I am THRILLED about, so hopefully taking and uploading pictures won't be such a big ordeal the way it has been with my other one.

Oh, and happy birthday to Joey's cousin Matt! We're thinking about you today! =) And good luck and best wishes to our friends the Lovekamp's who are in Phoenix figuring out when they may deliver their 24 week old twins!!! Our thoughts are with you guys!

It's been a while....

2008-09-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I didn't blog once while we were in Indiana, but then again I know that there was no time or way for that to happen, so I'm gonna let it slide. =) You better be prepared for a long post, because there's a lot to say!

First of all, Reid turned 3 on August 31st, which has been so emotional for me (as all birthdays are since I've had kids). I just can't beleive how quickly the time passes and that my baby is growing up and that his whole second year is over! He matured soooo much while we were gone, just being around older kids really pushed his language development and social skills in a noticeable way. We had a little party at Joey's cousin Matt & Kristin's house, and we made fajitas and ice cream cake. I bought him some small presents that would be useful on the plane trip home, and the one he loved the most was his Crocs (a kind of slide on clog type shoe), because his buddy Thomas had some too. His second favorite gift was a set of foam letters that are sort of like a puzzle (it's hard to explain), but he is very descriptive of what the letters look like (like letter H he says is a ladder), which I think is pretty cool because he'll be able to recognize them sooner by making observations like that to himself. He loved having attention given to him for his birthday, and loved the happy birthday song (at his second birthday party he ran away and cried, so big change this year!) and eating cake of course! And I must mention that he blew all the candles out by himself. He also picked up plenty of undesirable habits while hanging out with Ben and Thomas, such as when I call his name he says "What Mom?" in a very annoyed voice and he tells me "No" a LOT. But dont't worry, I'll fix that now that we're back home! =)

So, about our trip. The flight to Indiana was a little bit hairy, but we made it (obviously). Three days before we left Colin got sick with a flu bug that turned into an ear infection, which he then passed on to Reid 2 days before we left, and I started coming down with it on Saturday (the day of our flight). Joey waited to get it until we had arrived at Matt & Kristin's house. Oh, and did I mention that Colin was also cutting 4 teeth!? Yikes. As a result of that sickness I lost my voice completely for 4 whole days (couldn't talk louder than a whisper!), which was a real drag what with needing to yell at the kids all the time and everything. And fifteen minutes after we got to Matt & Kristin's house Reid got stung by a wasp! A few days later Colin was refusing to eat any solid food or let me brush his teeth, and Ben (Matt & Kristin's 8 year old) noticed a large white spot behind his two top front teeth. It looked like it was another tooth coming in behind the other two, so we made an appointment with a dentist and he figured out (after making some calls) that it was his first herpes infection (the virus that causes cold sores), and that in 1% of cases the first time someone is infected their body just has a really bad reaction to the virus, and so basically he had cold sores all over the inside of his mouth (which is REALLY painful). The upside was that he stopped using his pacifier and hasn't wanted it since, so that's one less thing for me to think about! =) Somehow Reid developed a ringworm infection under his chin which I am still treating. I think that about sums up all the major health obstacles we encountered on our trip!

Colin has changed a LOT too! He is talking up a storm! He talks in 3 word sentences and is pretty easy to understand by most people. He will repeat everything you say, or try to say anything you ask him to, which is really fun! Reid was always so shy about doing any new task that he wouldn't do it on command, but when he was good and ready! On that note, it just occurred to me that Reid has started putting his whole face and head underwater! He started doing that in the bathtub while we were in Indiana.

We saw many of Joey's extended family which was really nice. We went up to Lansing for a pool party at Uncle Dave & Aunt Merit's house on August 23rd which was a lot of fun! I also went up to Kalamazoo for a half day visit with Joey's cousin Michelle and her brother (also Joey's cousin of course) Mike and his wife Jenny. They have a two year old daughter named Ella and an almost 8 week old named Josiah. We went to Pizza Hut for dinner which was fun (and MESSY, for my kids anwyay, as all meals with them are). It was a great trip!

I have been thinking about what to do for preschool for Reid, since many of his buds have just started. I am going to try to homeschool him, but I'd like also do have him in some sort of one or two day a week homeschool group with other kids and moms so that he can have the experience of socialization and learning from another adult. I'm gonna have to figure this out soon!

We're off again!

2008-07-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

So we just planned a very last minute trip to Indiana/Michigan, and we'll be leaving on Saturday! Me and the kids will be there for 5 weeks (returning on September 5th) and Joey will be there for just over 3 weeks (returning August 24th). We will be visiting Joey's extended family and primarily staying with Joey's cousin, Matt and his wife, Kristin. He is the one who was in a car accident in June. We're going to help them out with watching their kids, cleaning the house, cooking, selling a bunch of things (to bring in some extra cash), and doing projects around the house (making their barn and horse pasture bigger). We're soooo excited to spend time with them and see the rest of the fam. After this our boys and theirs will have lots of memories together which is what we want since we aren't able to live closer. Kristin's Dad and Joey's Dad helped us out by donating their frequent flyer miles so we could all fly for free, so THANK YOU!!! We'll be taking lots of pictures! =)

2008-07-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

Back from SF!

2008-07-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

We're back from San Francisco and we had a blast! Joey was very busy working, so most the of time the kids and I spent with my brother Erik and my Uncle Michael in San Francisco. It was pretty exhausting but well worth it! Colin called Uncle Michael "monkey" which was pretty cute. We hit the beach in San Fran and Santa Cruz, multiple parks, the Wharf (twice), Ghirardelli Square, the San Francisco Zoo, and Golden Gate park. I had to narrow down the pictures, and so there's roughly 200 pictures that made up the following four slide shows. That'll keep you busy for a while! I couldn't figure out how to get the slide shows to show up right on the blog, so you'll have to visit these links to see them. Any fellow blogging friends, please let me know what I'm doing wrong! Thanks!

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm194/naukristen17/?action=view¤t=85e48732.pbw

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm194/naukristen17/?action=view¤t=427aa836.pbw

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm194/naukristen17/?action=view¤t=40eabbba.pbw

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm194/naukristen17/?action=view¤t=f60ef7a1.pbw

Memories of Us!

2008-07-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

A fun memory game!

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. And if you're just a "lurker" or someone that I don't know very well, please use this as an excuse to comment and say hello!

4th of July!

2008-07-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th with the Deguires (Ben & Liz and their 4 kids) who live in our neighborhood (Joey plays softball with Ben). We had a GREAT time! Lots of yummy food, fun conversation, and plenty of entertainment for the kids! It rained earlier in the day and was overcast the whole time, so it was perfect: not too hot or sunny! When it started to cool off later in the evening Ben made a fire in their fire pit, so we stayed warm & cozy! I have to get back to packing before we leave tonight, but I just wanted to post some pictures before I do! Hope you all had a great 4th of July as well!

I made the boys take a picture as soon as we got there before they got all dirty; this is what I get for making that my plan! I contend that all those happy, smiley family pictures you see involve a LOT of bribes; this is what real families look like when they take pictures! =)
You should have seen Reid chasing Colin down trying to hug him because I DID bribe him with a cupcake if I got a picture of him hugging his brother. He would have had a cupcake anyway, but hey if I can get something out of it why not?

Pick me up Daddy!
Joey & I! He usually has a hard time coordinating his smile and his eyes with the picture being taken, but this one turned out good!

Eating their (vegetarian) hot dogs! =)

Ed played this game with Colin where he'd hide a beer top in one of his hands and Colin had to guess which one it was in. He LOVED it! Ed was a big hit for Colin at the party.

Off to San Francisco/Sunnyvale, CA!

2008-07-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention (P.S.! =) that I haven't blogged in a while. We've had pretty routine days around here lately, but I probably won't be posting again for another couple of weeks because we will be leaving on Saturday night (July 5th) to California! We'll be returning sometime on Saturday, July 19th. Joey is going there for work to fill in for the IT Support guy in Sunnyvale who is in the Phillipines for 3 weeks. We will be driving, and it's no secret that my nerves get frazzled just thinking about a car trip with our two hooligans, so I may need to have a drink or two or some anti-anxiety meds to calm me, but somehow we'll make it. We plan on driving at night to see if the kids will sleep in the car, so I have my fingers crossed that it works! I need all the help I can get: prayers, well wishes, ambien, rum, whatever you've got send it my way! =) My brother Erik will be coming with us, so it will help a lot to have him to help me with the kids. And we're excited to spend time together! We will also be visiting my Uncle Michael who lives 40 minutes away from Sunnyvale in San Francisco, and we always look forward to that. Joey plans on seeing a baseball game, and we'll probably visit Santa Cruz, spend some time on the beach (of course), surf a little bit, and visit an aquarium. I can't wait! It will be soooo fun!

Catching up with what's been happening the last couple of weeks, I got my hair cut on Tuesday, and I decided to get bangs this time. I haven't had those since I was, I don't know, 8 years old maybe, so it's interesting. I just got a trim on the rest of it, so it's just above shoulder level. I'm ready to grow it out again. I know, exciting stuff, right? My brother always makes fun of me when I call him to tell him my version of "news" which is pretty silly these days: "Reid pooped in the potty!" "We went out and got groceries today!" "Colin said Mama!" etc. He thinks I need to get a life of my own, but there's plenty of time for that; I've got my kids lives for now! =)

On that note, I do hereby resolve to establish a regular routine of exercise when I come home from vacation. I'm sure spending most of those two weeks in a bikini will be enough to convince me all on its own, but it's time to use my gym membership for what it's worth and start swimming again.

We have also begun our search for a minivan. I'm wondering if I can get by with a car until we decide to have another baby, but I think we'll just head straight for a used minivan with lots of roadtrips in our future.

Next time I post (in a couple of weeks probably) I'll have some pictures of our trip. Stay tuned! =)

Our week so far...

2008-06-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

Harkins Theaters does a $5 movie pass for 10 kids movies, spread out to be once a week. We go on Fridays at 9:45am, and today was our second movie. Last week I took Reid by myself while Joey ran errands with Colin, and I'm glad he did because Reid needs a lot of reassurance in new situations. We got there REALLY late (about 30 mins. after the movie started) so it was dark and loud inside the theater. Reid told me he wanted to go home several times, but he toughed it out. =) The movie was called Surf's Up, which is about a professional surfer (who is a penguin) who finds his way out of surfing because he thinks he'll never win, but then a young, optomistic little penguin gets him back into it. It's really cute! Today we saw Shrek the Third, which I think we maybe could have done without. Reid really likes Shrek, but I think it was a little bit over his head and scary to a little person. Between him getting eaten by the chairs (the fold him up), and the gigantic screen yelling at him unpredictably (that's how he sees it anyway!), I'm sure he's still getting used to the concept. On a positive note, he told me that he had to go pee in the potty during the movie, so we raced out and he did a great job! He is scared of public toilets though because he's been to the ones that flush automatically and are really loud (like airplane toilets), and he can't handle the unpredicatability of that. I assured him that these toilets were manual flush ones, and he got over his fear. =) He for the first time seemed to recognize where we were driving, because as we drove up the hill to the movie theater he said "This is the way to Abby and Sarah's house!" (twin girls from his playgroup) and he was right! It's amazing to see the things they understand.

I have been part of a group of women who meet once every other week (Tuesday's 9:30am) to talk and socialize, and of course for our kids of similar ages to play! All of our husbands work at the same company, which is how we know eachother, and it has been such a blessing for me and the kids. We all equally look forward to it. We have been meeting since the summer of 2006, just as all of our first children were turning 1. Then we all overlapped being pregnant with our 2nd children, and it was really fun to swap stories and ask how everyone is feeling, and it was crazy to see our group double within 6 months! Now the second batch of kids is turning 1, some of the firstborn kids will be heading off to preschool in the fall, and the dynamic has changed a LOT! When we first started out, we all had infants, so playgroup was more about breastfeeding and diaper changing, and now it's a kid wrangling, snack attack! It's sooo much fun though, and we do plan on continuing anyway in the fall, come who may. There has also been talk of when the 3rd wave of babies is going to join the group! For now, I think we all feel content with managing 2!

Tomorrow (Saturday) is a company wide 50th anniversary celebration for Joey's work. There are 2000 employees in Flagstaff, and they are all invited, families included, so it is going to be HUGE! They are hosting it at Fort Tuthill, which is where they hold the fair and large concerts. So that's where we'll be from about 12-5pm tomorrow! The kids will be missing their naps, so I am gearing up for dealing with cranky, tantrum prone monsters. =) Hey, it's a special occasion, I'll stave em off with cotton candy (which they've never had before)! We are expecting Joey's dad, Bob (ba-ba-ba, according to Colin) sometime either Saturday or Sunday. He will be making his annual trek to Michigan for "Brother's Weekend" (which has now turned into almost a week of drinking, card playing and cigar smoking!), with 7 of his brothers and 1 brother in law. I'm not sure how many years they have had this tradition, but it's been a long time! He was the only Grantham out of his 10 brothers and sisters that has wound up outside of Michigan, until his sister Sue recently moved to Colorado. On that front, Joey's cousin Matt, who he is very close to, was in a severe car accident in the early morning hours of June 6th. He was coming home from doing a landscape lighting job with one of his employees, Josh, at about 3am and somehow lost control of his truck and hit a tree. His passenger (a great friend) lost his life. Matt was airlifted to the hospital where it took him 4 hours to put together his wife's name and phone number. He suffered mostly internal injuries, and came home after a couple of days. Their two boys, Ben & Thomas, spent a week with Grandma Honey (as they call her), Matt's mom, while Kristin (his wife) and Matt's sister Michelle sorted things out from the crash. My eyes well up just thinking about how differently things could have turned out, and I cannot express how thankful I am that their family was not ripped apart and that we won't be heading to Michigan for his funeral. We are so close to them, even though we are far apart, and so happy to have them in our lives!

Anyhow, more later! Here's some pictures as I've been promising!

1) Our visit to Michigan/Wisconsin in November of 2005, when Reid was 2 months old. From the left: Erik (my brother), Reid, Joey & me, Michelle & Dustyn, Jenni & Michael (who are expecting their 2nd baby in July!), Kristin & Matt (who was in the car accident).

2) Our visit to the Jacoby's house for dinner in February. Joey grew a beard for about 4 months, and I was soooo relieved when he shave it! This was the kids' first experience on a farm. They saw a horse, chickens, roosters, and a turtle! They loved it, and now we get our eggs from them!

3) Our 3rd anniversary dinner with Matt & Anita at the wonderful restaurant, The Cottage Place. Our friends moved to Delaware recently, and are hoping to have a baby soon!

4) The kids doing their funny faces; they do this on demand and it is HILARIOUS!

5) Our trip to Phoenix over Father's Day weekend. The kids got their fill of water, between Nani's pool, Grandpa Bob's pool, and Aunt Lynnie's pool!

I've finally done it!

2008-06-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, I've been meaning to do this for so long, but I have finally created our family blog page! It will be so nice to keep everyone up to date at the same time, and then I won't have to feel bad that I never remember to email pictures to everyone! =)

Right now, things are going well. We just got back from Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, and we had a fun time there. We went to all of the attractions at all of the major casinos, but I think the (long) hallway of the hotel was the boys' favorite! They could run up and down and chase eachother! We also got to spend time there with my dad Scott, brother Erik, and uncle Michael. I'm sure staying in the hotel with two young kids was an experience for all of them! We will be heading to Phoenix for Father's Day weekend in a couple of days, and it will end up being a very busy trip like every one to Phoenix is! We are not looking forward to the heat, but we are looking forward to visiting Matt & Carlie (high school friends) before they head off to Colorado for good, spending Father's Day with our dad's, and visiting Joey's mom Jo Ann & sister Ellie. Of course, the kids will have the MOST fun swimming! =)

Reid and Colin are getting more fun by the day it seems like. Reid will be turning 3 on August 31st, and I CANNOT believe it! I can't believe what a mix of emotions his growing up brings to me. He is incredibly insightful, and often I feel more like he's raising me than the other way around. He knows my weaknesses (impatience, yelling) and trys to encourage me to be better, and that is something I definitely didn't expect my own baby to do for me. Yes, he will always be my BABY! =) For instance, when I seem to be getting frustrated completing a task, he says, "You can do it, Mom, you can do it!" And when he declines to do something that he knows I want him to do (but not something that he must do), he says, "Just don't be mad, Mom, be nice!" And if I smack Colin's hand for touching something bad and it upsets him, Reid says, "Mom, give Colin a hug and just don't hit him." My goodness, that child is amazingly sensitive and intuitive. He honestly is such a good role model for me! We love our time together. He loves the Channel 8 show "Caillou", "Curious George", and "Thomas the Train." He is getting GREAT at riding his new bike! Joey got him a bike with no pedals, so that he focuses on balancing and not on pedaling, and so they propel it with their feet and eventually want to pick up their feet to go faster, and before they know it they are balancing! Then he could move right over to a regular bike without ever having to use training wheels. He has only had it for about 2 weeks, but he is doing AWESOME! He picks up his feet for about 5 seconds at a time when he picks up enough speed. I'll let you know how it goes and if it works for him!

Colin is my little devil/angel. He can be cute as can be, but boy can he cause mischief! He has been talking up a storm, including: Mama, Mommy, Dada, Daddy, bike, HI!, truck (cuck), bath (bat), cup (bup), Grandpa Scott (Ah-Ah Ott), Grandpa Bob (Ba-Ba Ba), candy (tandy), kitty (titty), eat, sleep, ow, owie, yucky (gucky), slide (sly), Reidy (ee-ee), bye bye, drink (gink), Lightning McQueen (La La Lee)-a character from a kids movie that Reid loves. He will try to say just about any word that you ask him to; he is very vocal! That hasn't impacted his physical abilities though, he is an excellent runner/walker who likes to challenge himself (by walking on very unsteady rocks whenever possible), and his favorite activities include riding Daddy's bike and motorcylce with him (just around the block), driving toy trucks and cars around, and above all EATING! You wouldn't know that this kid is only 10th percentile for weight by the way he eats. In fact, he eats more than Reid on almost every occasion. He is a pickier eater than Reid, and he always has been. He had an extreme distaste for just about anything orange when he was a baby, including sweet potatoes, squash, and peaches. He has since come around to liking peaches when he's really hungry, but it's nearly impossible to get him to eat vegetables unless I smother them with cheese and salt. I'm pretty stubborn though, so I'm not giving up on this one yet! And of course I can hide just about anything in lasagna, burritos, and quesadillas! He has wild curly hair that everyone seems to love, and is sooo friendly. He has been known to stand at the end of our driveway and literally yell "HI!" to passersby. They never would have guessed that such a noise could come from something so small! He has also refused to do sign language (except for tree, which he did all the time), although Reid LOVED sign language and used it beyond his 2nd birthday.

Reid has also been getting to an age that he LOVES to spend time with Joey. He really appreciates the attention of his Dad, and strives to please him. They are also getting much better at communicating. For those of you who don't know, Joey is almost completely deaf as a result of an infection that his mom contracted while she was pregnant with him (Cytomegalovirus or CMV). It is not genetic, but is the leading cause of birth defects in babies. It has left him with no hearing in his right ear, and minimal (about 10% of normal) hearing in his left ear. He wears a hearing aid that allows him to hear almost normally, but talking with children is difficult. He relies heavily on reading lips, and so when a fidgety child who is uncomfortable making eye contact and doesn't enunciate speaks to him, it's very difficult. But Reid has learned that he has to get his Dad's attention before he speaks to him, that he can't hear without his hearing aid, and that he must look Joey in the face when he talks. It's difficult because I feel like we have had to nag him all the time about it, but he's getting used to it. The scary thing about his hearing loss is that the virus recurs sometimes and he loses his hearing completely, and has to go on very high doses of steroids for 2-3 weeks to try to get it back. In the past, he has permanently lost significant portions of his hearing that never comes back even after treatment, so we never know if he'll get back all the hearing he had before, a portion of it, or none at all. These recurring losses have happened 3 times in the past year, which is the most frequently that it has happened in his life. That is difficult for us to handle and we just hope we'll have a break for a while!

Joey will be changing commitments at W.L. Gore, where he works. He has been the IT Support Associate for Woody Springs, a building of about 450 people, for about 3 years now. He will now be doing IT Support for specific group of engineers, which he is excited about. It will allow him to focus more on becoming proficient with the few software programs that they use and free up time for other commitments, projects, and teams. He has been stretched thin having to support so many various software programs and trying to meet the needs of everyone from manufacturing employees to engineers to sales force to leadership. He generally likes his positition, and has come to love Flagstaff (although he is still tempted to try out life in Colorado!). Gore has been a great company to us, with so many benefits, and we are grateful to have such a solid company to depend on.

As most of you know already, we were planning on starting to try for our third baby in January of this year (when Colin turned 1). The new year did not start off well for us however, when on January 3rd Reid overdosed on aspirin and had to be air-evac'd to Phoenix Children's Hospital. They thought he may have to go on dialysis and they were not capable of doing that in Flagstaff. It was an extremely traumatic experience, more so probably for me than for him. It was so hard to have to watch him be poked and prodded and to have to deny him things like food and water. After that I wasn't too sure that we should be having any more kids so soon, because obviously something is awry if our kids are popping pills. Well, lo and behold, I was already pregnant! We announced this news at Colin's first birthday party on January 19th, and I was mildly amused that so far I have always been pregnant again at my kids' first birthday parties. We went for an ultrasound at the beginning of February and discovered that there was no hearbeat or development past 6 weeks (when I should have been 9 already). We were pretty shocked and let nature take its course and I had a miscarriage a couple of weeks later. That was pretty difficult, and compounded by the fact that we had already told everyone we were expecting, and especially Reid, it's difficult to say, "Nope, just kidding, we're not having a baby anymore!" But we certainly have a full life as it is, and anything additional is just an added bonus, but we're content where we're at. So, don't be offended if you don't find out right away if we get pregnant again. =)

Well, hopefully I will get to posting some pictures soon, but in the meantime, I need to work on getting some shut-eye! =)