House Of Hinze

It's About Time

2011-12-22T17:37:00.008-05:00

It's about time I updated my blog. I can't tell you how much guilt I have over this blog. I literally think about it every day but don't always get the chance to do anything about it. Well, In-laws are here so they can distract the natives for a few while I blog. Life has settled into a nice routine. Grisham amazes me every day with his improvement in school. He is learning to write, spell and read new words almost daily. He will be continuing speech therapy after the first of the year. I think he will enjoy riding the bus over to the public school with a couple of his classmates twice a week. Genevieve is still going to preschool in a different town. There are only three other kids in her class so lots of one on one attention from teacher. Carolyn is talking so much. It amazes me that she is not yet two and has quite the vocab. Hadley is sucha sweet sweet baby. I truly could not have asked for a better kid. She sleeps through most nights and gets fussy only when hungry. She is starting to make noises, laughs and giggles. She smile all the time. Big brother and sisters just love her. The dogs are great. Janey and Carly are getting old. Janey has difficulty doing up and down stairs and definitely shows her age when she gets up in the morning. Carly can surprise us by running and playing with Dolly for short periods. Dolly is the size of a small horse. She is filling out and starting to look like a Mastiff. Although she is sucha baby. Her own shadow or reflection in the window scares her. She loves to sleep on our king size bed and she takes up most of it too. Scott is staying busy at both hospitals and I believe is enjoying his job. He has been struggling with a lot of back pain over the last few months. Exercising and some physical therapy seem to be helping a bit. I am staying busy with the house, kids and laundry. I can not believe how much laundry I do. It literally never ends. So starting on the first of the year I am going to count all the loads of laundry I do in a month. I will have that answer for you in a few weeks. I haven't made too many friends. Friends never really stick around any way so I haven't made too much of an effort. We are still trying to find a church that fits us. I didn't think it would be this difficult but it is. I have found a couple churches in Sparta that I think we will try out. I really want to get established in the right church. We are really looking forward to this Christmas. Scott's parents are here and his sister and family will be arriving on Friday. We love having a house big enough to accommodate our family. Now that the kids are on break from school we are planning another trip to Iowa. My sister Sarah is having surgery on her back today so we are going to spend some time with her and of course see my new niece baby Emma. Of course the rest of the family too. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See Y'all next year!!

Beautiful Fall Days

2011-10-25T12:57:00.012-04:00

We have been enjoying some beautiful fall weather here in Southern Illinois. The kids and I went on a walk through our neighborhood and took some pictures of the beautiful fall foliage. I really do love fall!

New Pics of Hadley

2011-10-24T10:01:00.014-04:00

Hadley is now three weeks old. Hard to believe it was just a short time ago that she was born. Hadley fits in perfectly with our little family. She is such a great baby. The kids adore their baby Haddy (her nick name). Hadley is an amazing sleeper and eater. I am breastfeeding but pumping all the time. So she eats about 4 oz at a time and gets up once in the night. I am truly blessed. While we had family here Scott and I were able to go out on a date. It was wonderful having time with just the two of us. We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner and I had a lovely glass of Riesling wine. Yummy!! We are somewhat back to a regular routine. Life is good. God is good!

Introducing....

2011-10-11T13:01:00.021-04:00

Hadley Rebekah Jo Hinze!! Born Monday October 3, 2011 at 2:37 pm. Weighing in at a whopping 7 lbs 7 oz and 20 in long. We are so blessed and unbelievably happy with our new addition. Grisham, Genevieve and Carolyn love baby sister. I am sure the feeling is mutual. Life this past week has been a blur. It seems like Hadley has always been here. Grandparents have been very helpful with the older kids while I get to focus most of my attention on Hadley. This weeks goal is to get back into our routine (well as close as I can get with a new born). I will have more pictures of Hadley's first week home in the next post. So until then...

Time to Catch Up a Bit

2011-09-15T12:18:00.018-04:00

I am sucha a bad blogger!! I remember the days when it was so simple for me to sit down and blog just about anything. Well those days are long gone and don't think they will be returning anytime soon. It has been a great summer. The temperatures have finally cooled, school started for Grisham and Genevieve and Scott is settled into his practice. As for me I am just waiting on the baby to make her appearance. The induction is scheduled for Monday Oct 3. That is if she doesn't come on her own. I have a bunch of random pictures to share with you. Some of them are our new bedroom furniture and kitchen table and hutch. Grisham's first day of kindergarten, funny pictures of the kids and dogs and finally our first Friday night high school football. That was fun!! But what I think was more enjoyable was watching Grisham attempt to play football with some older kids. He just kept tackling anyone who had the ball!! We had to pull him out every now and then when it got a bit too rough. Eventually Grisham found some kids his own age to play with. Genevieve, Carolyn and I sat in the grass and attempted to watch the game. But the crowd was much more interesting to them. I believe that Chester lost that game and next time we go I will definitely plan better for bugs and remember to bring a chair. My bottom is still sore form sitting on that hard ground. Notice Scott is wearing Ohio State...Need to get him some Chester apparel for the next game:)

Dolly Dollerson

2011-08-15T10:11:00.006-04:00

That is what Scott likes to call Dolly. All the dogs have some sort of a nickname and Dolly landed this one. She is getting big. Hard to believe just a couple months ago I could hold her with just one arm. Now there is no chance of that. Here are some Dolly Dollerson pics!!

The Best Seat in the House

2011-08-14T17:31:00.003-04:00

One morning all three kids wanted to have their morning juice sitting together right in front of the T.V. Pretty cute, huh?

Iowa Trip

2011-08-11T13:49:00.025-04:00

As promised here are some pictures of our trip to Iowa. It was a very busy couple days with trips to Dows and Newton. We first drove to my parents house and I do have to say the trip up went very well. The kids did a fantastic job riding in the car. This was our first trip with me driving completely solo and it went well. We stopped a few times for lunch and potty breaks. It was late afternoon when we arrived at my parents house. Thursday morning I had a hair appointment and then we drove up to Dows for Corn Days. Aunt Heather, Gavin and Cali all arrived on Friday just before the festivities started. Grisham and Genevieve were excited to go play at the park. There was a giant blow up maze and a water balloon launcher. Friday evening was spent playing on these two contraptions. Saturday morning we walked down town for the pancake breakfast. The parade was a couple hrs later. I think the parade was the best part of Corn Days for the kids. They walked away with an entire bag of candy. Around noon we went back up to the park to enjoy more festivities. Later that afternoon we said goodbye to grandma and grandpa Hinze and drove back down to Des Moines for Bailey and Jenna's birthday party. My brother and his wife rented out the Newton public pool for the party. The pool was amazing. So kid friendly. Auntie Sarah was brave enough to get into the water with the kids. It was just too cold for me. So I stayed in the shallow end with Carolyn. It had been a very busy couple of days and the kids were tired before the party was over. So after cake we said goodbye and drove back to my parents house. Notice a theme here. Lots and lots of driving. We were planning on driving back to Chester on Sunday so I needed a good nights rest to do so. Sunday morning we woke up refreshed and ready to go home and see Daddy. We made even better time driving home. All three kids fell asleep after our stop for lunch and did not wake up until we were less than an hr from home. It was so good to be home and I think that Scott really missed us. I am loving the fact that we can take a long weekend now and drive up to Iowa to see family. It is so nice being close to home.This was probably my last long distance trip out of town before the baby is born. I will probably go back up when my sister in law Traci has her baby late October. Scott's parents and sister will be coming down for the Popeye picnic in a couple weeks. We are looking forward to having more family in our lives.

Finally....Settled In!!

2011-08-01T10:12:00.019-04:00

Wow is all I can say. It has been an amazing month. We are so happy to finally be here in our new home. And the amazing thing is, is that it really feels like home. We have been in the new house for about two weeks. We are 90% unpacked. I still have a couple boxes in the basement to go through. Now we are trying to get the walls painted and new furniture ordered. Scott has been back to work for a week now and is enjoying it very much. He has a ton of new numbers to memorize...grrr. Pager number, two office numbers, OR numbers..it just goes on and on. We have met a ton of very nice people and I am so looking forward to the start of school. So Grisham can start making friends. There are a few kids in the neighborhood but we haven't meet them all yet. Grisham and Genevieve have been enjoying the massive backyard and the freedom of playing in the driveway without mommy getting worried about traffic. We have this perfect little hill on the side of the house that makes a great water slide area. So we have been spending a lot of evenings out there. It is amazingly hot right now. Like most of the country we have 100+ degree temperatures with stifling humidity. I do enjoy the beautiful countryside. Living in a small town has its advantages and disadvantages. In Columbus we got used to going to Target or Sam's club that was just down the street. Now they are events. We drive about 50 minutes to the nearest Target and Sam's club. I don't mind the driving but I think I will doing more shopping on the Internet to save on gas. The kids and I are planning a trip back to Iowa this week. We are going to Corn Days in Dows and then to Bailey and Jenna's birthday party. The first we have been able to attend in 7 years. The house in Columbus has not sold yet. We did receive an offer but it was just way toooooooooo low and we would have to bring an insane amount of money to the table. We tried a hundred different ways to make it work but it just wouldn't be possible so the offer was turned down. So now the house sits. I am going to have cleaners and carpet guys there in the next couple weeks so maybe we will have it rented soon. Thank you all for being so patient this summer. It has been so busy with the move and now that it is done I will be more consistent with the blog posts.

Until Then....

2011-06-05T14:38:00.002-04:00

Ok, Ok, OK!! I know that I have not updated this blog in forever. Dolly is the size of a small horse now. Carolyn is talking a bit and so much is going on right now. In fact too much that I don't have the time to update the blog. Sooo it is going to have to wait until after graduation and then the big move to Illinois. I will be back. I promise with lotsa new updates on our lives. Pictures of the new house and many more pictures of the kids. So until then my friends...

Dolly Pics

2011-05-09T12:34:00.007-04:00

Just some cute pictures of Dolly. I have discovered that she likes to sleep in some odd places.

17 weeks

2011-05-08T16:23:00.003-04:00

It's not the greatest picture but here I am at 17 weeks preggers. I feel much bigger this time around.

Catching Up

2011-05-08T16:04:00.015-04:00

I really dislike these kinda posts. The kind where I haven't put anything new on the blog in sucha long time that I feel the need to cram all the goings on in one post but here we go. Easter came and went, Genevieve turned three, we got a new puppy and the weather has turned a bit nicer. Genevieve is turning out to be just as stubborn as a three year old then she was as a two year old. We have taken her bed out of her room and now just has a mattress on the floor. Too many attempts to "fly" off her bed at 10pm. Grisham is enjoying his preschool class. Still hard to believe he will be on summer break in a couple weeks. We started another session of zookids. So that is another fun thing. Oh..did I mention that I am no longer babysitting. I am so happy to finally be done. It is so nice to just worry about our schedule and plan things on our time. It is very freeing. We feel very blessed. Dolly is fitting in nicely. She has started to really mesh well with the other dogs and kids. She is growing like a weed!! Still has a few accidents in the house but it gets better every day. Scott is getting so close to graduation. It is sooo close but still seems so far away. We are so anxious to start that new chapter in our life. Right now we are just enjoying life here in Columbus, trying to get all sorts of fun things packed into the next month.

Silly Dog

2011-04-20T10:02:00.003-04:00

Silly Carly! I found her on the table yesterday. I am thinking she was going after Carolyn's breakfast plate and then just couldn't get down. We have found her in compromising positions before. And it usually is over something to eat. Silly dog!!

Genevieve's Birthday Pics

2011-04-20T09:45:00.010-04:00

Genevieve's birthday was great but low key. She got to pick our meals for the day. Daddy got home early and had to run up to the mall. Genevieve got the rare chance to go with him by herself. Such a treat to spend one on one time with daddy! Scott bought her a new pretty princess dress. She loves it. After they got home from the mall we opened presents. Then had dinner, pizza of course. After dinner we sang Happy Birthday and had pink cupcakes. To top of the evening we had a family dance party in the living room. Everyone including Carolyn got into it. It was a great day:)

Happy Birthday Genevieve!

2011-04-19T09:07:00.015-04:00

Happy Birthday Genevieve Elizabeth Ascherin Hinze!! Three years ago today you came into our world. It has been an adventure! You are such a combination of sugar and spice. I love you dearly for that. I thank God everyday for you. I love you beyond measure:)

Hello Dolly!!

2011-04-18T07:44:00.011-04:00

Hello Dolly!! Yep!! We got another dog. She is an eight week old English Mastiff. I have wanted one for a long time and didn't think I would be getting one for a while. Surprise, Surprise!! Scott found a breeder near us with a litter and we decided to check it out. Now we knew going to look at the dogs meant that we were more than likely to come home with a new dog. We accepted our fate. The breeder had four dogs left from eight puppies. 1 boy and three girls. The first dog we were drawn to was of course the most expensive because she was a perfect specimen of the mastiff and could be used for showing a breeding. The second little girl was a bit high strung for us. She was constantly chewing on stuff and wrestling her brother. The boy was automatically out. We like the girl dogs. Then there was Corona, I know what a name, she was hiding behind the couch trying to sleep. She was so sweet. I knew she was the dog for us. Now if Corona was not there I think we would have left with out a dog. I wanted to make sure that her personality would mesh well with out other dogs, Janey and Carly. We paid the breeder and got all her AKC approved paper work and left for home. Scott said that this dog was my graduation present. He is soo sweet and thoughtful. Anyway, we had a few potty accidents in the car (two poops) oh well. I spend my day cleaning up poop from other kids and dogs. What is one more:) We stopped at Petco to get more dog food, a doggie den, and some treats for the older dogs. We couldn't go home with a new dog and not have a nice treat for the girls! Janey and Carly reacted very well to the new dog. Oh by the way, we changed the name form Corona to Dolly. I could not call my dog a beer for the rest of her life. So we all agreed on Dolly. Dolly's first night went very well. She slept in her doggie den with no issues. I got up around 1:30 to let her out. We have had a few accidents this morning but not too bad. We are so happy with this dog. I know most of you think we are crazy. Three dogs and three kids and baby on the way. I wouldn't have it any other way:)

Ultrasound Pics

2011-04-09T12:25:00.003-04:00

Baby Hinze #4 at 12 weeks. Isn't he/she beautiful! So excited for this baby:)

Grandparents

2011-03-31T09:36:00.012-04:00

My mom and dad were able to come out for a visit a few weeks ago. Scott was planning a business trip and didn't want me to be alone so it worked out perfectly. It was so nice to have them here, not just for the help with the kids but just to have around. I love talking to my parents and hanging out with them. I truly believe that you never appreciate your parents until you have your own kids. Now I feel like I have always valued my parents opinions and tried to do as they wanted me too. We never really had these moments where we butted heads but I guess I never really knew their love for me until Grisham was born. It is indescribable!! Anyway, we did a few fun things while they were here. Grisham and Pop Pop built a wooden train and painted it. We went up to Delaware to Rainbow play area. We went on a school field trip up to Sports Ohio and Grandma had a chance to read to Grisham's class. It was a good week that went by fast. They helped out so much. I am so thankful. I can't wait to be closer so I can see them more often.

Grisham's Birthday Pics

2011-03-27T20:10:00.012-04:00

Grisham had a pretty good birthday. He had school first thing in the morning. He brought a treat to share with the class. Still kinda hard for me to believe he is five. When he was four we talked about how he would go to kindergarten when he turned five. Well the other day he realized that he was five and was a bit upset because he didn't want to leave his preschool class. Oh sometimes he has such a tender heart. I quickly explained that kindergarten wouldn't start until next fall, after we move into our new house. He seemed quite satisfied with that answer. After I picked him up from school we went to McDonald's for lunch but we did not go in. I am still fighting the nausea and certain smells i.e. fast food odors make me gag. He was still happy to get the super hero toy. After yet another nutritious meal of cheese pizza for dinner, Grisham's choice again, Scott came home and we were able to open presents, sing Happy Birthday and have chocolate cake. Thank you Grandma and Pop pop Amerson for the spider man costume. Huge hit with the birthday boy. Thank You Grandma and Papa Hinze for the birthday money. Grisham chose to spend it on a new super hero seek and find book. He was very proud to count out his dollars to the cashier and get change back!! It was a great day. One that I am sure I will never forget:)

Happy Birthday Grisham!!

2011-03-24T09:49:00.016-04:00

Can you believe it!! Grisham is five years old today! There is so much I could say about how much I love this little boy, about how proud of him I am, or about all the special things he does to put a smile on my face. Here are a few pictures to take you back. Happy Birthday Grisham Scott Alexander Hinze. Mommy, Daddy, Genevieve and Carolyn love you so much. We are so blessed to have you in our lives:)

Rash Update

2011-03-21T10:22:00.002-04:00

Today the rash is much better. Thank You Lord! Scott texted my OB yesterday along with a picture of my rash. So I got a call from the office early this morning to come in first thing. Scott was able to come home to stay with the kids. I got to the office at eight. I thought I would be in and out really quick but things never go the way you think they will go. It ended up being an hr and a half appointment. I had an ultrasound, blood drawn (to rule out parvo), a second opinion from the other dr. It was decided that the rash is just an allergic reaction to something. So I will be on Claritin and topical benedryl for a few days. I am so glad that it is not the pregnancy rash. I can't imagine having to live with this itchy rash for the remainder of the pregnancy. I am so thankful for having such amazing support here at home from my husband. And Dr. Roncone has been the best. I am not looking forward to having to find a new dr. in Illinois. I just want to pack her up a take her with me.

Rash

2011-03-20T15:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I noticed a bit of a rash all over my body. It wasn't too bad and did not itch. So I took some benedryl before bed and didn't think anything of it. This morning when I got up it was much worse. It covered everything, from my head to my toes and it is itchy. Scott suggested that I go to urgent care so I did. The doctor there was not sure what to make of it either. She said to continue the benedryl, it was probably viral. I am supposed to call my OB in the morning to see what she wants me to do. I took some benedryl late morning but that just made me supper drowsy so not sure if I will take anymore today. It doesn't seem to be helping anyway. Hopefully it will just pass, we will see what Dr. Roncone has to say tomorrow.

First OB Appointment

2011-03-07T14:17:00.002-05:00

This morning Scott and I went to the Dr. We had our ultrasound first and got a good look and the peanut. He/she looks great. All the important part were there. The ultra sound lady had a hard time catching the heart beat because the lil stinker kept moving on her. It was so nice to see that heart pumping. Can't wait to see him or her again. After the ultrasound we saw Dr. Roncone. I wish I could pack her up and move her to Illinois with us. I am a bit nervous at finding new doc. Anyway, all went well with the dr. My due date is October 5, 2011. Thank you Keren for watching the troops for me. Not sure what I am going to do for my other drs appointment at the end of the month and beginning of April. Guess I should start looking for a sitter.

Wishing for Spring

2011-02-23T17:35:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you but I am totally wishing for spring right now. I am so done with winter!! I just get so excited to think about warmer weather, green grass, buds on the trees, flowers popping up out of the ground. I could go on and on about all the things but it just makes me sad because spring is still a couple weeks away. I catch myself looking out the window so many times during the day willing it to be spring. The kids are climbing the walls and desperately need the spring air. I can't wait to go to a park and sit in the sun while watching the kids play!! Oh spring won't you come soon!! We really really miss you:)

Look What the Dogs Found

2011-02-18T12:53:00.005-05:00

One morning Scott let the dogs out early morning and they just would not leave the grill alone. They were barking and pawing at it. So Scott turned on the back patio light and saw this. A scary looking creature was huddled under the grill. I think it was an opossum. By the time I got up, it was gone. I really didn't want to deal with a "wild" animal.

Update on Mom

2011-02-15T19:41:00.004-05:00

Hey Blogger friends! Just wanted to give you an update on my mom. She fell first of the month and broke her arm. When she fell she also injured her knee. The week after her surgery on her arm she went to see the Dr. about her knee. An MRI was done and discovered the she had broken her tibia in two places. Vertical breaks!! So her right side in now pretty much useless. Her arm is now in a cast and her leg is in a full leg brace. I tease my mom by calling her Crash:) Don't know if she just has really bad luck or if she just does things that she shouldn't be doing. I am thinking it is the latter. She is doing fine, not too much pain. That is if she takes it easy and doesn't try to do too much around the house. I wish I was closer so I could clean for her, fold her laundry, do dishes (yes Mom I would do your dishes) walk the dogs and just about whatever she needed done. I am just so glad that Daddy is there for her.

Ice Storm

2011-02-14T18:50:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks back we had an ice storm roll through town. It was pretty bad and thankfully we did not have to be out traveling in it. I was able to get a few good pictures of the ice collecting on things outside. I am just so thankful we never lost power!

Please Pray

2011-02-01T09:03:00.003-05:00

Hey friends! Please keep my mom, Carol in your prayers. She was at work last night and fell. She broke her right wrist. Surgery will be later this week after the swelling goes down. Also, while she fell she somehow hurt her knee so moving around is quite difficult. Please pray that the pain meds will take the edge off of her pain and that she is able to get some rest. Oh how I wish I lived closer!! Thanks so much:)

Happy Birthday Carolyn!

2011-01-30T10:49:00.022-05:00

Can you believe it, my baby is 1!! This year has gone by the fastest out of all of the kids. The entire journey of Carolyn seemed to fly by. Being pregnant with her, her first few months of life and then you get to the point of when you don't really remember what life was like before that child. I mean you remember but it just feels so natural and right to have that person in your life. I think that has got to be the best feeling ever. You just feel good, your heart is happy! Carolyn has been an amazing baby. Very patient and happy. She adores her brother and sister, and the feeling I believe is mutual. I am so glad that Genevieve has a sister to grow up with. Having a sister is so awesome! Carolyn is a mommies girl most of the time. She is my cuddle bug. But when Daddy is home she only has eyes for him! Then she is his cuddle bug. For her birthday we invited some of our friends over for some homemade pizza and birthday cake. I always laugh when there are more adults then children at a kids party(don't worry, the kids were not drink all that wine). But really how many friends does a one year old have? It was a lot of fun. Carolyn enjoyed lots a fruit and pizza. Then it was on the the main event. The CAKE!! Carolyn did like to squish the cake more than eating it. After thoroughly squishing her piece of cake it was bath time. Carolyn partied so hard she was asleep before 7:45.

Leah is 4!

2011-01-27T12:52:00.016-05:00

Can you believe it!! Leah Elliott is 4!! I hardly can....I remember when she was born. Holding her in that enormous blanket. The blanket seemed heavier than she was. She has been so endearing and sweet since the day she was born. She also has been a fighter!! After learning her diagnosis of Down Syndrome there was so much up in the air. She could have problems with her heart, her eye sight, hearing, physical disabilities and mental disabilities. She has never stop to amaze me with her abilities! I don't see a child with disabilities here. I see a child that has every possibility before her and she is going to do it. She is the light on a rainy day. Her smile can warm your heart, she has a purpose in this world. I can't tell you how much Leah and her family mean to me. They are amazing examples of how to persevere even when the world is against you. I love you Elliotts!! Anyway back to her party!! It was held at the World of Bounce..Awesome!! We played in the bounce houses for about an hr and then headed to the party room for pizza and cupcakes and candy. Mary! You did a fantastic job on the decorations. I don't know how you do it!! The kids jumped right into the food. After everyone was thoroughly stuffed we sang Happy Birthday to Leah. Presents were opened next. Leah is so sweet...she really lets you know if she likes or dislikes something. I love the honesty! All three of my kids were exhausted by the end and were in much need of a nap. We said our goodbyes and headed home for some shut eye.

Oh Boy! or Girl!

2011-01-27T06:13:00.002-05:00

Yep, here we go again!! It is still pretty early but the test says I am pregnant. We are so thankful for this blessing no matter how long it lasts. The baby is due early October.

Dilemma

2011-01-14T19:19:00.002-05:00

Ok so here is my dilemma. To Facebook or not to Facebook? I have decided that FB can and probably does take up too much of my time. I mean it is crazy how obsessive I can get with it and it is starting to bother me. I was first introduced to the crazy world of wanting and needing to know every ones business by Blogger. Blogger was a great way to help the family see pictures of the kids. I have been enjoying my blog for three years:) And then I was introduced to Facebook (thanks Carrie, Erin and Janessa!). All of a sudden I am able to find people that I knew years ago. I mean now I had the ability to make up for all of those years and it just got down right addictive to see what people were posting. Now I must say that I am very proud that I never got into the whole Twitter thing. I draw the line there!! So now I have come to a point where FB has lost its great appeal and now I think we have to break up. I could spend more time with my first love, The House of Hinze. I think my real issue is that on FB I can load 30 pictures at once and be done in a matter of minutes. Blogger can take me hours to post my pictures. I have never been one to only post a couple pictures. I have to post at least 10 and when they get up into 20 -30 it can take me days to post. I wish blogger would let my upload more than one picture at a time!! So, I have been going back and forth on this issue. To Facebook or not to Facebook? What do you think?

So much to say...

2011-01-10T11:28:00.042-05:00

Well I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and an uneventful New Year. Christmas was nice and quite here in the House of Hinze. Scott was post call Christmas day so as soon as he got home we opened presents and then he went to bed. The kids played with new toys and I watched Christmas movies. Thank you family for all the wonderful presents. We are so thankful for your generosity. The Monday following Christmas we packed up the car and headed west to see our Northern Iowa family. The trip out was not too bad just a little long. The kids did very well, watching movies, looking at books and playing with toys. We arrived in the big city of Dows around 11 pm. The kids transitioned will into bed and a good night of sleep was much needed. Scott's parents were so excited to see the kids. Scott's dad Jay broke his heel in April so he has not been able to travel out to Ohio to see us. It was a much needed trip. The week was full of visiting friends and family. Of course a trip downtown to my favorite store the Mercantile. I stocked up on some yummy jams. My sister Sarah and her husband Joshua came up for dinner one night. Grisham had a blast wrestling with him. And I enjoyed spending time with my sister. Friday night, New Years Eve was spent at a friends house. I went home a few hours early to put the kids into bed. There was noooo way the kids nor I would have made it to midnight. Scott had fun and won a couple games. Go honey!! Saturday we said good bye to Scott's sister Heather and her family. I can't believe how big her kids are now. Later that day my parents came up to visit. It was great seeing them and the kids were so excited to have both grandmas and papas in the same room. We started to pack the car for our trip back home on Sunday morning, when all of a sudden Carolyn started to throw up. At first it just seemed to be a passing thing but she started to throw up every 20 min. Around 10 Scott decided it was time to take her up to Belmond to the ER. The doctor on call was very nice. He ordered some lab work which meant Carolyn had to be stuck. She was pretty dehydrated so it took a couple attempts. I really really hate to see my kids in pain and if God would have let me I would have taken her place. After an hour of trying to place an IV, I asked to have her transported to Blank, if she was going to spend the night in a hospital I wanted her to be someplace that was used to dealing with babies. The doctor agreed and we were transported by ambulance. Scott followed behind in a car. As soon as we got to Blank Carolyn seemed to be doing much better. She was able to take some pedialite and kept it down. The nursing staff was amazing, and so kind. Carolyn slept a little, drank a little and by morning was almost herself. She still needed to have wet diapers and keep some formula down. We were discharged by two in the afternoon. It could have been much worse and thank God He was with us. After leaving the hospital we went to my parents house. Grisham and Genevieve were waiting for us. The next morning we packed the kids up and headed home. We did have one more little bump in the road but later proved to be no big deal. As we were loading the last bit in the car early Monday morning we discovered a nail in the front right tire. We decided to fill the tire and go as far as we could on it and fix it somewhere down the road. We stopped at a Firestone just over the Illinois border. We were in and out in 20 min. We actually made really good time on the trip back. Grisham later said that he doesn't want to go back to Grandma and Papa's house because it was too too too too very very far away. I tend to agree with the boy:) Thankfully our new house is half the distance!

Merry CHRISTmas

2010-12-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

Hello friends. I know it is the Eve of our Saviors birth but I decided that today was better to leave our Christmas greeting. We hope that you all have a wonderful celebration and are able to spend the next few days with those you love. Please remember the true meaning of this season, Jesus Christ! If it wasn't for Him we wouldn't have the season to celebrate. Please tell your children the real Christmas story and maybe just maybe sing Happy Birthday Jesus. We love you all and will be back after the New Year with lots of pictures and possibly video. Merry Christmas!!

Greg's Sixth Birthday

2010-12-15T12:34:00.018-05:00

Grisham's good friend Greg turned six!! Wow, when we first met Eric and Mary Greg was just a baby and now he is sucha big boy. The theme for the party was a circus or carnival. Matt the balloon guy was there. He is aamaaaazzzing!! He can do anything..really he can. He made Grisham a T-Rex and it had teeth! Genevieve got Ariel the little mermaid. Mary had games set up in her dining room. She moved all her furniture out to make room. Dedication people!! Genevieve went around to all the games and just grabbed from the goody bags before playing the game. After the games hot dogs and nachos were served and on the side gummy bears and sour worms!! To top it all of a pinata. Crazy!! Everyone had a chance to hit it and when it finally broke open watch out. Candy and kids everywhere!

Going Once..Going Twice...Sold!!

2010-12-15T11:55:00.008-05:00

Last Friday night Scott and I went to a charity auction put on by the ICU at Grant Medical Center. Each year the ICU picks a family that has experienced trauma and spent time in the ICU. The money raised at the auction by selling off the staff is given to the family before Christmas. I am so happy that we had a chance to go. Scott was being auctioned off and he was hoping to go for more than $25. Before the auction started there where hors devourers and drinks. I had the chance to meet a lot of people that Scott works with daily. Super great people. And for some reason I have the nick name of Saint Laura. Never met these people and they are calling me a saint. Hmmmm...maybe this has something to do with my husband:) The auction started and the MC was a nurse named Jason only Jason did not show, his alter ego Summers Eve showed up ( THE RED HEAD IN ALL BLACK). Yep that is a guy!! Scott was #7. I am happy to report that he went for much more than $25. He was auctioned off for $150!! A nurse named Luis bought him. I guess I should tell you that there is no obligation with this auction, it is strictly for charity. But Scott did buy Luis' drinks the rest of the night. The auction went on and on. We had our babysitter until 11 and needed to get going. Later that night we found out that a total of $4000 was raised. What a great night!!

Ohio State and UNI Sweatshirts

2010-12-08T09:07:00.010-05:00

When my parents visited they brought the kids sweatshirts. Two Ohio State and one UNI. Scott has become quite the Ohio State fan while living here in Ohio and will always be a die hard University of Northern Iowa fan. Now the kids can too.

Such Blessings

2010-11-21T19:12:00.004-05:00

Recent events have made me more aware of how fragile life is and how we have no control over it. I praise God for my wonderful family. A husband who loves us and works so hard for us. Children that I adore and am so amazed to have in my life. I am so thankful that I get to stay home with them and see them grow daily. Thank you God for all my blessings:)

Mr. and Mrs. Jump

2010-11-21T11:20:00.027-05:00

Last night we went to a wedding. Mark is chief surgery resident with Scott and Sarah is now an OBGYN attending. She did her residency at Doctor's hospital. Side note.. Sarah was also in on Carolyn's delivery. I was happy to share this moment in my life with her. We met Mark and Sarah way back in medical school. They would come over for our all night poker parties. Anyway, they started dating a while back and now they are married. It was a beautiful, to the point ceremony. Appetizers and drinks were served after the vows. Dinner was served shortly after. It was a wonderful celebration and we had a blast at the reception. Mark and Sarah seem very happy and we only wish the best for them as they enter into this new part of their lives together. We are so honored that the shared their day with us. Now they are off to the Dominican Republic for their honey moon and we are recovering from our bad ending. See previous post.

Hit By A Drunk Driver

2010-11-21T10:47:00.013-05:00

After the wedding Scott and I were on our way home and were struck by a drunk driver (West Broad and Alton and Darby Creek Rd). We are ok. Scott went to the hospital and checked out ok. Just a lot of muscle soreness and stiffness. The driver hit us while we were stopped at a light. I saw the lights in the side mirror coming up fast and yelled out to Scott. Then we were hit pretty hard. The truck hit us and continued down the road about a quarter mile. Her front driver side wheel was in the middle of the road along with our bumper and other car parts. Scott ran after the truck because it appeared that she was trying to run. He called 911 and got her plates. The sheriffs dept. ambulance and fire truck were there within minutes. We called our friends Michelle and Alan to come pick us up. The kids were at home with a babysitter and I needed to get home to relieve her. Scott stayed on scene to wait for the tow truck. After he got home I encouraged him to go to the hospital to have his neck checked out. He agreed and Michelle drove him to Doctor's. He got home around 2:30. Still in pain and very tired. We talked to the insurance company Sunday morning and hopefully we will have this all worked out in a few days. We are just so thankful that we are ok. I can't let myself think about what could have been. It could have been so much worse. I thank God we were able to go home and see our kids sleeping in their beds. I thank God that Scott is still here with me. I thank God that no one else was involved and that this drunk driver was stopped before she got further into town where she really could have done much more damage.
Explanation of pictures- The first picture was taken right after the accident, damage to rear passenger side. The second picture is of the truck that hit us. It is that small object in the distance next to the ambulance. The car in front of us was just a kind bystander who stopped to see if we were alright. The third picture is of the intersection we were hit and pushed trough. That small dark object in the road next to the cop car is the trucks front wheel. Sorry they are all so dark. It happened around 10:30 and it was pretty foggy. This morning we took the kids out to show them the car. After we assured them that we were fine Grisham said that Daddy needs a new car...a racer one:)

San Francisco

2010-11-15T14:46:00.016-05:00

Scott went to San Francisco end of October for the AOA convention. He was gone for five days, longest five days ever! He was able to get out do a bit of sight seeing.

Ava's Birthday

2010-11-07T12:25:00.006-05:00

Once again I am so behind on my posts. The first of November was Ava Ross' birthday. We met at Steak n Shake for shakes and presents. Ava is such a sweet little girl and we loved being able to join her on her special day.

Boo at the Zoo

2010-11-07T12:07:00.015-05:00

We went to Boo at the Zoo on Halloween. We went straight over to the Polar Bear exhibit so Scott could see them. I think this was the first time he has been to the zoo all year. The treat stations always seem few and far between and the people are so stingy with the candy. I understand that they have to hand out thousands of pieces of candy so it is more economical but it just seems stingy. We stopped at the polar bear play area to play before continuing our trick or treating. Grisham was kinda tired of wearing his costume so he didn't wear his Transformer chest piece or mask. Genevieve didn't want anything to do with her Snow White costume. We stayed for about and hour and half before calling it quits. It was getting cold and dark. Grisham wasn't too happy to leave with his bucket only half full of candy (and no chocolate pieces too). Sad to say but this was our last Boo at the Zoo here in Columbus:(

Birthday Flowers

2010-11-07T11:52:00.006-05:00

My 31st birthday was on Monday. Both my parents and husband Scott had flowers delivered to me. I love flowers!! I would love to have fresh flowers in my house daily, it's just not economical. So I just love it when I get fresh flowers on my birthday, anniversary or Valentine's day. They just make me smile:)
Mom and Dad, your flowers are the top two pictures.

Buddy Walk

2010-10-30T12:29:00.017-04:00

I am so behind on my posts!! The first of October we had the Buddy Walk at Crew Stadium. I think this was our fourth year to participate. This was the coldest day of all. It was raining and miserable. The one thing that is most amazing about the buddy walk is if you feel down you won't be there long. The gathering is so uplifting and positive. We started the mile walk with our group For Love of Leah. Through out the walk there were groups of cheerleaders who would cheer for the person the group represented. Leah absolutely loved it. She would smile and cheer and dance when they cheered for her. After the walk there is always fun activities for the kids. Music, clowns, fire trucks and police cars. This lasted only a few minutes for our kids. We got our balloon animals and headed back to the tent for lunch. While we were waiting for the hot dogs to grill Genevieve had an accident so we decided to head home. The walk was so much fun....cold, tired cranky kids. Not so much.

Pumpkin Patch with Playgroup

2010-10-29T15:04:00.020-04:00

The weather was so much better this time around. The kids and I met our friends from playgroup at another pumpkin farm. They also had a hay maze and fun things to do. I think the kids liked the corn boxes the best. We also had the chance to go out into the field and pick our own pumpkins. The kids liked this very much. Grisham wanted to find the biggest pumpkin out in the field. He was very proud of his find. I always enjoy going to this farm. We also go there to pick strawberries in the summer. With admission to the pumpkin patch we get coloring books, yummy snacks for the kids and access to the hay maze and corn boxes. After we picked our pumpkins all the moms gathered the kids for a picture. Some liked and some not so much.

Pumpkin Patch with School

2010-10-23T17:14:00.026-04:00

Grisham's preschool class had a field trip to Kuhlweins farm. We met his class and teachers there. It was a very very cold morning with chances of showers. Thankfully it did not rain but boy was the wind bone chilling. The farm had a bounce house and hay maze for the kids. We went on a hay ride out to the pumpkin field. I did not have my camera with me when we were out in the field. Not enough hands for pumpkins, Carolyn and camera. After the hay ride we enjoyed a snack of donuts and fruit punch. Why people buy the red juice is beyond me. They are preschoolers people!! They will spill it! After we did the bounce house picked our pumpkins, ate lots of sugar, played in the maze, looked at the baby cows and rabbits it was time to head out. I sat the kids down to take a picture of them with their pumpkins and at that moment the sun came out. Pretty funny huh?

Zoofallistic!

2010-10-23T16:16:00.012-04:00

Friday mornings Grisham has been enjoying Zookids. It is a program for preschoolers put on by the zoo. I wanted to put him in this summer but it filled up fast and we missed the deadline so I signed him up for October. He has been loving it! While he is in school for three hours the other kids and I walk around enjoying the zoo. Now that the zoo has its fall/winter hrs we get the zoo to ourselves for an hour. Last week Genevieve, Brenner, Carolyn and I spent most of the time in North America visiting the bears, wolves, moose, otters and petting zoo. The pictures posted to day are from the first day of zoo kids at the beginning of the month.

Cuteness

2010-10-23T16:10:00.004-04:00

Just some cute pics of my baby Carolyn. Janey ,the yellow lab, also cute:)

I Wonder

2010-10-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

I find myself wondering about many things these days. Mostly about the future. I wonder what the kids will be like. Being the mommy to three kids is the most amazing job. I wonder if they really know how much I love them and want the best for them. I wonder if they will make the right decisions and if I will be ok when the do make some poor ones. I wonder if my husband knows how much I love him. He has so much stress at work I wonder if he enjoys being a surgeon at all. I would love to be a fly on the wall and be able to watch him in action. I wonder if he will ever be able to relax and enjoy things. Our kids will be grown and gone before we know it and I don't ever want him to wonder if he was a good daddy or a good husband.I think he is amazing for balancing the roles of resident surgeon, husband and father. I wonder what I will be like when the kids grow up and move away. Since becoming a mommy my world has become consumed with kids and kid things. I have no time to do something for myself. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade being a mom for ANYTHING. I just find myself wondering if I had a few hours to myself without the worry of kids and house work, what would I do. Hmmmm! I would love to become a runner again. I would love to learn to ballroom dance. I have no hobbies whatsoever. I would love to take an art class. The idea of finishing college has crossed my mind but no desire. Maybe get my EMT license again and volunteer. Maybe do volunteer work at the hospital or local women's shelter. I think it is nice to sit and ponder the future and dream about what we would like to see. The one thing that really helps me not to start to worry (sometimes wondering turns into worrying) is to believe that God is in control. He has the ultimate power in my life. He has written my future for me. Mathew 6: 25-34 really speak to me in my time of wonder.Vs 33-34 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." Hmmm. I wonder....

Apple Picking

2010-10-05T19:28:00.017-04:00

Every year we drive an hour south of Columbus to a fruit farm to pick apples. They have this wonderful apple festival that has horse rides, petting zoo, carriage rides and just about anything that is made from an apple. The only thing that was really different this year was the types of apples available to pick. They usually have about a dozed different types to pick but they just had two. Spring came a bit early and the summer was so hot that the apples ripened about 2-3 weeks early. The apples available to pick were not our favorites and we didn't feel it was worth waiting and hr in line to ride up the hill and pick apples we weren't crazy about. So we went to their market and found our favorite, the Melrose. Walked around a bit more and then packed the kids up and headed home. I was really looking forward to doing this one last time before we moved next summer so I was a little bummed about the day. But the kids did have fun and it was nice see start of all the beautiful fall colors. We are hoping to continue our family tradition when we move to Chester.

First Day of School

2010-09-21T15:41:00.004-04:00

Like promised Grisham started school as soon as we got back from vacation. I was preparing myself for some tears when I left but there were none coming from him and surprisingly none from me. I knew he would enjoy himself immensely. I also knew that I would be back in 2 1/2 hrs to pick him up. His teacher said that he did a great job listening and was very patient. I am so proud of Grisham. I want him to have a great time and really enjoy school. Let's hope for the best!

More Vacation Pictures

2010-09-21T13:06:00.031-04:00

Vacation

2010-09-13T08:44:00.030-04:00

Last week we finally had a real vacation. I have a few friends that vacation in Myrtle Beach every summer so we decided to try it out. I booked a condo right off the beach. It was considered off season so we saved a bundle. We drove to Charlotte North Carolina and stayed the night at a hotel and then continued the rest of the way on Labor Day. We were so surprised to see the traffic coming out of Myrtle beach. The other side of the high way looked like a parking lot for miles. Glad we were going in and not coming out. The kids did great..really! Grisham was happy to have his movies and Genevieve had her backpack full of toys. Carolyn slept, played and stayed content. The dogs slept the whole way:)When we finally arrived in Myrtle Beach we could smell the ocean. Now along with the smell off babies and fresh cut grass, the ocean is my favorite smell. We picked up the keys to our condo. We were meeting some friends who were going to share the condo, Michelle and Alan Wood. Michelle is a surgery resident with Scott. After lunch, unpacking and grocery shopping we finally made it down to the beach for a walk. I was able to get a great picture of the setting sun. For the whole week were out on the beach by 10 and stayed until late lunch. Then the kids took really long naps in the afternoon. We ate out almost every night. One night we went to the restaurant called Dick's. Not my favorite. The people are rude and the food was gross. The waitstaff makes hats for you and then writes an insult ton it. Most of the time it is crude. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Most of our days were filled with beach and sun. Grisham eventually loved getting in the ocean. It took him a few days. Genevieve never liked it unless you were right there next to her. Carolyn was our little beach bum. She would take a nap every day under the umbrella. Thursday night we went to the circus. It was amazing. Hot!! and Sticky!!! but great. the kids had a blast. They loved the music, animals acrobats...all of it. I don't think I have ever seen so much joy in their eyes. The circus was over a little after ten so as soon as we got on the road to go back to our condo the kids were sound asleep. Our final day was spent at the beach and then dinner at a Japanese steak house. The day went by too fast. After the kids were in bed Scott and I were able to take a nice walk down the beach. I can totally see us retiring to a place like this. The week went by fast, next time maybe a two week visit will do. (MORE PICTURES TO COME)

Preschool Open House

2010-09-02T19:22:00.006-04:00

Before vacation we had Grisham's open house at school. I think I was more excited than Grisham. But he got super excited once he saw his classroom. We found his cubby with his name and went over all that would go on during his day. We found the circle time area, play house area, books and so much more. He was very disappointed to leave that night. But we reassured him that as soon as wee got back from vacation he would start school.

Gymnastics

2010-09-02T19:06:00.014-04:00

Monday night was Grisham's first night of gymnastics. I was a little nervous for him, not sure if he would like it or not. There is only four kids in his class so the teacher could spend quite a bit of time with each kid. They started off with sitting against the wall for the rules and directions then they did some stretches. Soon the teacher had them up on the balance beams hopping off and rolling. Then they got to tumble down the wedge and run an obstacle course. The class went by super fast and Grisham LOVED it. He said it was super fun and couldn't wait to come back.

Speech Appointment

2010-08-31T14:16:00.003-04:00

When Genevieve was 18 months old our pediatrician recommended that we take her to a speech therapist. I was pretty floored at the time. I mean seriously just because my 18 month old doesn't have as many words as most of the other 18 months old kids doesn't mean there is something wrong. Why do we have to put everyone in boxes!!! Anyway...I scheduled the appointment for sometime in January and we all know what happened in January. Little Carolyn was born. So I canceled the appointment and decided to wait to see if I saw any improvement in the next few months. Well summer rolled around and I was still a bit concerned so I made the appointment. That appointment was this morning. The speech therapist was wonderful. She had a whole bunch of toys and fun books with pictures. I just sat back and let her do her thing. Every now and then the S.T. would ask Genevieve a question that I didn't think she would know and then Genevieve would blow me away by responding correctly. The evaluation went by quickly and the therapist said that she was in the normal range for her age ( 2yrs and 4 months). Her comprehension was above average. Her expressive speech was right at average. Here's the kicker...if she was two months older she would be deficient in her expressive speech. So the therapist would like to evaluate her in 3-6 months to make sure she is improving. If she shows little improvement then we will do some therapy. The S.T. is going to send me her evaluation with some homework in the mail. I am relieved to find out that Genevieve is fine and hopefully she will show improvement at her next appointment.

It's Fairtastic!!

2010-08-27T15:41:00.019-04:00

It's Fairtastic was the theme for this years fair. It is also our last Ohio state fair. We had a great afternoon, walking around seeing all the animals, eating way too much and people watching. We stopped at the lego land for the kids. Grisham was being a great lion! We tried to convince Grisham to go down the giant slide with daddy but he did not want anything to do with it so Scott took the older kids to the petting zoo while Carolyn and I took a break in the grass. She also had a major explosion so I needed to get that cleaned up. Of course while we were waiting I had a chance to watch the fair goers. Sometimes it interests me and sometimes it grosses me out. Ok...so people watching at the fair mostly grosses me out. Not as much as people watching at a water park but is right up there. After a few hours we had our fill of fairtastic things and went home.

Summer Time Pictures

2010-08-27T15:05:00.007-04:00

FINALLY!!! I got my pictures on the computer. So we have a lot of ground to cover. Pretty much the entire summer. First I will start of with random pictures of the kids. Eating, playing, being silly! That is what kids do best, right! Genevieve tried on a pair of my heels and did a pretty good job of walking around in them. One morning Grisham decided to stuff his socks with his blankets...I know silly right! Carolyn is now eating in her high chair. So cute:)

Still working on it

2010-08-26T17:12:00.003-04:00

I always hate to post something with no pictures. I like to let the pictures tell the story instead of having you listen to my blabber. Since I still can not get my pictures to download I have to post something. It has been a very busy summer and it has gone by too fast. We had some really warm days and have enjoyed going to parks, splash pads, pools, the fair and the zoo. We put the house up for sale in June. So far no luck with the house. Not even one showing. It does make me a bit nervous but I am hopeful that we can get another incoming resident to buy it. After all we are less than a mile from the hospital. I think the thing that annoys my the most about having the house for sale is trying to keep it in clean mode all the time. I have never lived like that and I find it so stressful having to make sure all is picked up at all times, just in case we get a showing. Most of the kids toys have been banished to the basement so the toys somehow creep back upstairs and I have to start all over again. Sometimes I just want to pull my hair out. God is in control and I know that His timing is best. So we wait....
The kids have grown so much this summer. Grisham starts school on the 14th. He is going to our church for preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I also enrolled him in a tumbling class for Monday nights. I don't know who is more excited, Grisham or me! Genevieve is becoming the most independent little girl. She likes to pick out her clothes and dress herself in the morning. She goes through at least two outfits a day. She says " I doit!" I think we are very close to potty training. I would do it now but we go on vacation in a week and we will be in the car for a long time. I cant ask her newly trained bladder to do that so we will wait until we come back. Carolyn is sweet, smiley, mild and talkative. She is rolling over and looks like she might crawl soon. I am in no hurry for her to reach these milestones. I wish she would stay a baby a little while longer. Right now she is really enjoying her solid foods. She loves anything you put into her mouth, except cereal. I have tried rice, oatmeal and mixed and she is not a fan but give her any veggie or fruit and she is in heaven. Almost daily I sit back and I am in awe of how God has blessed me. I wonder "What did I do to deserve these three beautiful children?" I don't have an answer to that but I do know that I love them very much and I try to be the very best mommy for them.
Scott is now in his final year of residency. So far it hasn't been too bad but there have been many days that the kids go without seeing him. We are so very excited to move to Chester, Illinois. Scott can't wait to start his practice and I can't wait to move to small town and start some roots. I know that the next 10 months will go by quickly and I need to live in the now. Focus on what is going on now but I just can't help but dream about our new life outside of Ohio.
Well that is all for now. Hoping to get the pictures, the oh sooo many pictures, up soon.

trouble again

2010-08-11T14:33:00.001-04:00

I am once again having issues getting the pictures to download from my camera to the computer. So as soon as I figure out what is up, I will have some new posts. Until then...

Chester House Hunting

2010-07-26T12:52:00.007-04:00

Scott and i had the chance to fly to St. Louis and then drive to Chester last weekend. The idea for the trip was to house hunt. Scott went in June on his own and saw quite a few houses. He narrowed it down to around three or four for the trip we would make together. Steve Hayes, the CEO of the Chester Hospital picked us up in our rental car. We then drove about 45 min to the town of Red Bud. Scott will also be working in this town but we are choosing to live in Chester. We met Connie, Steve's wife, for dinner at this amazing little Italian restaurant. The food was so good. The restaurant is in the downtown area and occupies an old opera house. It is the neatest little place and I know we will be frequenting it often. After dinner we drove to Chester and checked into the hotel. Saturday we slept in:). After a leisure filled morning we went to see Dr. Carr's house. As soon as we walked in I knew this was the house for us. It was absolutely beautiful and homey. I can really see us raising the kids there. Four bedrooms plus a guest suite upstairs, four full baths, two kitchens, three car garage, a shed in the basement (I say shed but really mean an enormous extra garage that can fit three cars end to end) and room to add on. I could go on and on but I won't. We really love this house and can't wait to move in. After spending a couple hours at the Carr's we met up with the realtor to see some houses. I made the appointment a while ago so I felt obligated to see the other houses even though I knew that I wanted the Carr's house. We saw two others that didn't even come close. I am already decorating the house in my mind:) The rest of the weekend was fun. We went to a BBQ at a friends house and went golfing on Sunday morning. Before we left town we stopped at the St.Louis Arch and went through the museum and saw the movie on how it was built. We didn't have time to go up in it. Some other day. I was very excited to get home to my kids. I missed them very much while we were gone.

Splash Pad

2010-07-09T15:10:00.015-04:00

We have discovered a new park and we love it. It is part water and part playground. To help take the edge off of the heat we went up to the splash park in Powell. We got there just as it opened, 9am. We had the park to ourselves until just before 10. By 11 it was packed so we got some serious play time before it got crazy. The water was so enjoyable I even got in on it. The water fountains are so refreshing. Genevieve and Brenner spent most of the time playing in the water. Grisham didn't like it so he spent most of the time at the playground. He is crazy, it was soo hot out there and he just wanted to run around. I would of brought a lawn chair and set up shop right in the middle of the fountains if it was aloud. We found a perfect spot under the tree. Carolyn slept most of the time so I wanted a cool place for her to nap. After a couple hours we were all spent. Great naps were taken by all!

Catching Up

2010-07-06T15:05:00.036-04:00

I am so sorry I have been off the blog lately. Partly due to laziness and frustrations with the computer. So it is now time to catch up on what we have been doing this summer. Father's Day Scott was on call for the first part of the day then after he got home from the hospital we had some friends over to grill. The kids and I got Scott a bike for Father's Day. A few weeks after we moved to Columbus Scott's two mountain bikes were stolen off our patio so it was about time I got a replacement for him. He is looking forward to riding his bike to work. We are going to get a couple trailers so we can go on bike rides as a family. Can't wait!!
To take break from the heat the kids and I made water balloons (Thanks Tamera). The balloons were really tough to break open. Genevieve discovered if she bit it they would pop. Grisham just tried trowing the balloon over and over until it popped:)
Fourth of July came around so fast this summer. This was the first time Scott has had the holiday of in four years so we wanted to do something fun. Scott is a HUGE fan of smoked meat. Last Father's Day I got him a little smoker but that bit the dust a few weeks ago so we got a bigger smoker, hopefully it will last longer. He started the smoker a little before 8am and the meat was on before 9. He was so worried that the meat would not turn out right. It cooked for over 9 hours. It was a labor of love. Not only was the smoker HOT but it was stinkin hot outside. Scot was constantly going out to check the meat and the temperature. Who knew it was that complicated to smoke meat. Apparently it is...Anyway some friends come over to help us consume the monstrous amount of meat. Our neighbors grand kids are in town for the summer so they have been spending some time over here playing. Gavin is a kindred spirit. Dirt+water=fun!! After dinner Scott got out the "fireworks" that we bought at Sam's club. They were all smoke bombs of sort. Except for the little poppers that you throw on the ground. A little after eight we packed up and went to the Hilliard fireworks. We were going to get close to the park but the traffic was a you know what and decided to park along the street. Great view and it didn't take long to get home. All three kids were exhausted. When we got home the neighbors were out shooting their own fireworks, of course Grisham perked right up and wanted to join. Now way, Man!! Mommy was ready for bed. It was a long day of fun:)

Something Funky

2010-06-28T16:35:00.001-04:00

Something funky is going on with the blog. I usually can go to the cutest blog on the block and pick a background, highlight it, copy and paste. A cute background. But now it has gotten to complicated!! Why? I ask. I just want it to be the way it was!!!!!

Iowa Vacation

2010-06-04T13:19:00.084-04:00

The kids and I went to Iowa for a little vacation mid-May. Scott wasn't able to join us. His vacation was scheduled a few months ago for June. I am hoping that some day we will be able to take vacations together. Wouldn't that be nice? Anyway, My dad sis not want us to drive out by ourselves so he drove out on a Friday and then drove us to Iowa on Saturday. I am sure I would have been able to drive the whole way with the kids but it just would have taken a whole lot longer. The trip out was great. All three kids did a fantastic job. Grisham was so happy to be able to watch movies all day long. Genevieve was happy to play with her dolls and watch movies. Carolyn slept most of the way.When we arrived at my parents house the kids were so excited to see Grandma and Auntie Sarah. I was just tired and looking forward to going to bed. Sunday the kids were up way too early but I knew it would be an adjustment. We went to my parents church and then later the rest of my family came over for a late lunch. My brother, his wife Traci and their two girls Bailey and Jenna. My sister Lisa brought her dog Wanton. We attempted to get a picture of all the kids together but of course Genevieve was being a little difficult. Bailey and Jenna thought it was hilarious. We eventually got something. I also got a picture of my brother's neck. He had a neck injury last summer and had to have surgery, so this is what his scar looks like. Over the next few days the kids and I went to the the zoo, visited Des Moines University, played at the Art Park in downtown Des Moines, visited with friends, ate at restaurants that we don't have in Ohio and hung out with family. One of my favorite things I did was golfing with my dad, sister and brother in law Joshua. We went to Toad Valley in Runnels. This was just my second round of golf ever and I love it. Golf is so much fun. I may not be good at all but I do enjoy the game. Our visit with my family was quickly coming to its end. I packed the van and headed north to Dows to see Scott parents. About two months ago Scott's dad Jay fell at work and crushed his heel. He had surgery to repair the damage and is in a cast now. He has to be in bed or be sitting in a recliner at all times. Since we were just going to be in Dows for a short time I tried to fit in all of my favorite things to do. We went to the library to see the librarian Gloria, ate Casey's pizza (my favorite) walked up town and down town, went to the mercantile for a little shopping, visited the one room school house, played at the school, went downtown for ice cream and visited with family. Side note..I took a picture of that old car. I have often wondered about it. I asked mom how long it has been sitting there. She said a few years. I asked a decade or so and she said about 25 yrs. That car has been sittng in that same spot for 25 yrs! Why? I ask you. Any way.. Scott's sister Heather drove over from Auburn to see us. It was great to see the kids, Gavin and Cali. I can't believe how big they are now. Gavin enjoyed sitting and reading with Grisham and Genevieve just loved being around Cali. I wished we had more time to spend with the family but we were short on time. Saturday afternoon we drove back to my parents house. Early Sunday morning we left Iowa and headed back to Ohio. Once again my dad was so nice to drive us. Once again the drive went great. The kids were so excited to get home and see Daddy. I think I was a bit more excited than them. I really don't like being away from Scott. Plus, earlier in the week Scott fell and hurt his back. He ended up going to the ER because the pain was too much. He ended up with a horrible muscle strain and was given pain meds and muscle relaxers. He spent most of the week in bed recuperating. I really don't like being away when he doesn't feel well. It was a great week and I am glad we were able to see the family but like I said I am hoping that we will be able to do whole family vacations in the near future.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T18:38:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before
you were born, I loved you. When you were born, I saw your face and
knew I was in love. Before you were an hour old, I knew I would die for
you. To this day, I will!! That about sums it up. Yup!!
Flowers from my parents!
New mixing bowls and towels!
Baseball gloves for the whole family!
Sleeping in and a hot uninterrupted shower!
Time with my family!
Could not ask for anything more!

Clippers

2010-05-10T16:43:00.022-04:00

The first Sunday in May was spent at the Columbus Clippers game. We have never been to a baseball game here in Ohio so I was so excited. I was a little sad that the forecast for the day was rainy and cool. We decided to give it a shot anyway. The day was sponsored by Grant Medical Center. We arrived a little after 12 and found our designated area. Great views of the field. The food was great..traditional baseball food. Michelle and Alan met us there and shared the table with us. I think Genevieve and Grisham think they are now apart of the family since we spend so much time with them. I don't know about Michelle and Alan but the kids sure do love spending time with them. Our seats were along the right field. I really do love to watch baseball. Some may think it slow and boring but I think it is exciting and fun. The kids..well not so much. It did take a lot to keep them entertained. It started to rain shortly after the second inning. So we went up into the concession area until it stopped. We had to do this every now and then. By the time the seventh inning rolled around the kids were exhausted and I was freezing. Ready to go. Maybe next time the weather will be more cooperative.

Landscaping and New Fence

2010-05-06T15:01:00.026-04:00

As you all know we are trying to sell the house. I use trying loosely. We have a for sale sign in the yard but it is not in the MLS system yet. I wanted to get a few things done before showing it. New landscaping and a new fence were on top of the list. Now they are done. Hurray!!! The front landscaping had started to look sad over the last year or so. The bushes were overgrown and dry, pretty depressing. Then when we had all that snow this winter I think it was the straw that broke the camels back or branches in this case. The snow pretty much just pancaked the bushes. I had about five landscapers come out to give me a quote on the job. After seeing the drawings and plans we went with a company called S.A.T. Landscapers. They did a fantastic job. One Thursday morning I was putting laundry away. Both Brenner and Genevieve were upstairs with me. They both went quite in her room and we all know what that means...Yeah trouble. They were both looking out the window. I peeked through the blinds and saw the landscapers taring out the bushes. It was a surprise! A good one but I didn't know they were coming that day. I ran down stairs to talk to them. I wanted to get a picture of the before and bush removal. But I was too late. So I got what I could get. The landscapers worked very hard and finished it all within a few hours. I am so happy with the results. The house looks so much better. You can actually see it from the street now.
Our next big project was the neighbors fence. It was awful! It falls down with any kind of wind so we were really nervous to have the kids playing in the backyard. Our friends Michelle and Alan were wanting to put in a fence in their yard so we decided to all go in it together. The neighbors decided to pay half of the cost. Both weekends that Scott and Alan worked were rainy. It was amazing that they got as much done as they did. The first weekend they demolished the old fence and cleaned out the original post holes. Then they placed the new poles and put in the concrete. Later after more rain they went over to Alans and dug all of his post holes. Thankfully they rented and auger to do the digging. I think the thing weighed about 200 lbs so they both were sore from wrestling with it. The next weekend the fencing boards were placed and Alan did the gates. Now our neighbors want to hire Scott and Alan to do the rest of the fence. We just have to see. I think they both had enough of hard labor to last a while.

Carolyn's Bed

2010-05-06T14:53:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago I finally got Genevieve moved into her toddler bed and Carolyn's stuff moved into the crib. I bought this crib set just after Genevieve was born. It was so cute and on sale so I decided to save it for the next baby. There I go thinking about the next baby after I just had one. Can't help myself! Any hoo, Carolyn has been sleeping either in her swing or in the pack n play in our room. So far I haven't slept both girls in the room together. Carolyn has just been napping there. I want to wait until she really is sleeping through the night so she does not disturb Genevieve.