Dinosaur

Mama and Papa Hinze sent Grisham a Valentines Day card with a few dollars in it. Well, we finally had a chance to go to Once Upon A Child to check out the toy selection. It took forever for him to finally settle on this dinosaur. He loves it. It goes everywhere with him. He tried to take it in the bath with him last night but I told him that the dinosaur would get sick and not roar anymore if he got wet. Well that would just not do. It is kind of scary looking when it roars. The eyes glow red and the roar kind of sounds like burping (which Scott pointed out this morning after coming home from work which instantly insulted Grisham. He was not happy with Daddy for insulting his new best friend). Thanks you so much Mama Betty and Papa Jay for the dinosaur!

Taylor

February is a short month and it is full of celebrations of birthdays, Valentines day and anniversaries. But for me February reminds me of the loss of my second baby. Two years ago today I miscarried. I know not many people talk about their miscarriages let alone blog about it, but for me it is all apart of the healing process. Yes, I am still healing from my loss. When I found out I was pregnant with this baby I was overjoyed, a little nervous but overjoyed. Grisham was just going to be a year old so these two would be very close in age but I was fine with that. I was already forming a close bond with the baby when she passed. I still don't know why God blessed me with this baby and then shortly took him away. I went on all sorts of web sites and blogs and message boards to help with the grieving and I noticed that a lot of the women named the lost babies, no matter how far along in the pregnancy. I thought that was wonderful. For me it really meant recognizing that this baby existed and that I loved him/her very much. So I named the baby Taylor. Since the baby was too young to know if it was a boy or a girl Taylor could fit either and I was planning on using it anyway. Taylor was Scott's grandmother maiden name. I like family names. Anyway, as this day passes it brings tears and sadness but I am also very happy and thankful. God has blessed me with a beautiful daughter and the experience of losing a baby has bonded Scott and I together unlike anything else. So until that day when we meet in heaven face to face. I love you Taylor. You were in my tummy for a short while but you have forever touched my life. There will always be a place for you in our family but God needed you more. I love you.

Party for Nita

Saturday night we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for our friend Nita's birthday. we tried to find a sitter but couldn't find one on such short notice so the kids came with us. Brennen and Nita didn't mind one bit (they love our kids). I was a little concerned because we weren't meeting until 8 and the kids are in bed at that time but I figured it was just one night and they would be fine. They were. It took a while to get our table. Grisham got a little antsy waiting but really wasn't too bad. Nita's friends loved holding Genevieve. Once we were seated I wanted to get food ordered right away so Grisham wouldn't have to wait too long. Thankfully we had quite a few distractions to keep him busy while we waited for the food to arrive. There was a wonderful balloon lady who made Grisham a dinosaur and Nita a beautiful birthday crown. Our waitress even got Grisham a nice big bowl of chocolate ice cream. When I told Grisham we were going to Nita's birthday party he immediately said "presents". Yes, Grisham there may be presents but they will be for Nita, because it is her birthday. "OK" and that was the end of that. It was a very late night for the kids. We all had a good time and I hope Nita had a good birthday celebration. The party was to continue at a bowling ally but there was no way for us to join them. Happy Birthday Nita!

To Help the Days Pass...

As you all know, this winter is dragging for me. And by seeing how often new posts are being put up by everyone else it is slow going for you too. Here are a few fun pictures of the kids hanging out. Genevieve has figured out crawling. She goes everywhere now. Now she is trying to climb different levels like climbing into my lap. I am going to have to watch her really close. I see her checking out the stairs. Grisham got the paints out again for another masterpiece. He asks daily to go out and play but I hate playing out in the cold but I hate keeping him cooped up too much longer. Spring can not get here fast enough.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Lisa. I hope you have a great day surrounded by those who love you and appreciate you (minus me). You are an amazing, giving person. You can do anything you put your mind to. You are a beautiful woman inside and out. Though we have been separated by many miles these last few years we will always remain close at heart because you are my sister. I love you so much and I want you to be deliriously happy on this special day. I wish you a happy happy birthday, dear sister. I love you!!

That Was Fast!

So we were supposed to get these huge storms that could possibly produce tornadoes and powerful wind gusts. So I turn on the news around four so I could watch the weather and prepare myself for what was too come. Yes, what they were showing on the radar did look nasty. It was to hit us and be out of the area around six. I go and move our trash cans to the side of the house and close the garage door and not five minutes later our house is hit by torrential wind and massive amounts of rain. Its lasts a total of 2-3 minutes. After the storm passed we were left with our patio furniture and Grisham basketball hoop rearranged in the backyard. In my younger crazier days (before kids) I just loved storms. I loved the intensity, the lightening, the thunder. Just about it all. Now after kids, this is my favorite part.

Favorite Spot

Now that Genevieve is moving around so much she has discovered the back yard. If she is playing on the floor and I put the dogs out back she will do her little army crawl over to the back door and watch the dogs.

Miss Kelly's House

Kelly was kind enough to open her house for story time this week. Yet one more week has gone by without Grisham joining the kids in listening to the stories. Where is he, you ask? Busy playing somewhere. Sophia and Genevieve hang out in the area of the story so at least they hear it. Grisham spent most of the time in Gavin's room playing with Sam. Sophia did find a pile of shoes to try on, that kept her happy for a while.

Rainbow Playground

Who knew? I sure didn't. This place is awesome. Outdoor play equipment indoors all year around. Erin mentioned going last night at Bible study and since I don't have Brenner this week, I decided to make a real effort and get out of the house. I am so glad we did. As soon as we got in the door both Grisham and Sophia bolted. They were running around , laughing, like they didn't know what to do first. They didn't let me take their coats. Too funny. Grisham climbed up on some of the smaller play structures and loved the slides. He found this really neat roller coaster. You push this cart to the top of the hill and sit on the cart and ride down the bumpy hill. He liked that a lot. Brenna, Erin's oldest daughter, liked the taller faster roller coaster. Sophia liked the open space. She ran around most of the time. They have those cars to ride in and she liked those. I tried to get her in a swing but she wasn't patient enough to wait in line. I did get Genevieve in one and she did like that. This place had trampolines too. Grisham was too busy with the trains and Sophia wasn't patient enough to wait in line and Genevieve too little for them but some of the other kids like Brenna, Ava and Sam had a blast. It was a fun outing and I think we may do Grisham's birthday party there( We will see what Scott says:)