Oh Woe is Me :)

Ok, so obviously I never posted all the NC pics I said I would...mostly cuz the one night I tried it took me 2 hours to post like 10 pics and I was FED UP! Anyway, I don't have the energy or time yet to tackle it again, but these pics to follow are a few of my favs that I had the patience to download today (and trust me there are more favs in the hundreds/thousands of pics we took, but this will have to do for now) and since I am still waiting for my current pics being that I am digitally challenged and rely heavily on my computer nerd hubby for that stuff....so you have to settle for old pics today....more good ol' downhome fun in NC...above are the girls and my cousin Celyn all decked out in their "girls day out" matching attire (courtesy of Aunt Terri...I love the outfits...complete with matching flipflops)....my mom took the best pic of them here at Ghost Town, but for some reason ALL her pics are sideways if I download them...so I am settling for this pic...

Here is our large Gritz extended family..unfortunately we took this picture right when the sun went down so it's pretty dark...but here we all are at the big cabin :)

Here is one of the many moments that Dylan just couldn't keep himself from kissing his great-grammy...so sweet! He sure loved doling out his wet kisses to her!
A sweet pic (taken by Candy?) of Hailey and her bro...they really have a special bond...and I have to say....my mom took this awesome pic of Dylan, but it too printed sideways, so I deleted it from this post :( Grrrr!

The above pic is my mom (Nina) with Dylan and Hailey in one of our fav. places...sitting in front of our cabin by the big ol' open field :) Wish I was there today! Ah, relaxing!
Here is our family of five on the 4th of July (as you can tell from our patriotic attire :))....standing on the stairs of our cabin ready to go the waterfall in Cherokee, NC...
Here's one pic of the girls (Hailey and Celyn) at Mingo Falls (waterfall, duh!) on the 4th of July...they actually walked up and behind the waterfall (with daddy as a chaperone)...what brave girls!
A sweet pic on the 4th of July of me and my baby boy :) He's a doll face isn't he?! And below is a lovely mother-son moment...my mom and her fav. boy...awwww!

All right, so many of you might have noticed I've been on a bit of a blog hiatus. It actually wasn't at all intentional it just kinda happened and I didn't force it not to, like I normally do (yes, sometimes I force myself to blog...I admit it). I've been totally bogged down with stuff lately...I can't even put my finger on it...it's been actual/physical stuff and then it's been emotional and spiritual woes too. Now don't go thinking I'm asking for sympathy or thinking my life is all bad...I'm just going through a bumpy path on the road of life. Really...the kids, Kev and everythinkg like that is fine...it's just my personal issues and a very cluttered brain that has me truly just wanting to pull my hair right out of my big ol' head! So, anyway...I just wanted to do a little quick post (which might turn into a big one if I get on a rambling rampage like I often do :))....but I wanted to assure my faithful readers that I am doing ok (some of whom have called and emailed to make sure I'm ok...I assure you I am and hugs to you, my sweet friends who have been thinking of me...I will call/email when I have a chance!)...so no worries...I have not given up blogging and I've not lost my mind (at least not completely yet)...I just needed (or was forced) to take a blogging "breather" and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things slowly.....

Ok, so that all being said...I'll try to post a few tidbits of info that have been going in our lil' fam :)

• I sit here today the mama of a sick little puking girl :( It's actually kind of a change of pace for me as usually it's our little pukinator Dylan who is upchucking...well, today it's lil Shelby :( I'm guessing she picked up something from our 3 hours at church on Sunday :( Go figure...we skip church for 4 weeks and go back only to catch some nasty vomit virus :( NO FUN! That'll teach us to skip church for 4 weeks! (or maybe it'll make us skip more often :)) But, seriously our little Shelby girl is not herself. She started to lose her pep yesterday (I'll go into that later), so I should have guessed something was up...this morning she woke up complaining of a fever (which she didn't have) and then halfway into her fav. show Calliou I heard Hailey screaming "SHELBY'S PUKING!" Ugh! Sure enough...ALL over herself and her blankies and ALL over our good couch! Not a great morning for us...so she had to skip swim lessons and Daddy had to come home from work to watch her (so I could go to swim lessons) and take care of the couch situation (thankfully it's under warranty and our furniture store actually has our receipt from 5 years ago so that was one bright moment in our day...we won't have to pay to get the puke smell out...and hopefully it WILL come out!) There is no worse smell that chunky, old curdled milk (accept maybe old, hot cat pee...that is another story for another day)....PEW! :( So, yes, our sickly Shelby has lost her spunk....it's been a long time coming and that'll teach me for thinking last week "wow, we've been so healthy this summer!"...I should have knocked on wood!
  
• Ok, so in relation to the previous post I'll remark on swim lessons. I think I mentioned in my last post all three crazy kiddos are in swim lesson at IU outdoor pool. We have 2 more days so the end is in sight. I say that like I'm relieved cuz in a way I am. Shelby has been a bear of a swimming student and I feel so badly for her sweet college student teacher, Miss Ruby :( Poor Ruby...she tries so hard with Shelby but most of the time she is so stubborn and just has this scornful look on her face...sometimes she's swims, but it's all for the glory of a treat (yes, we have resorted to bribery...shame on us!) :) :( Ugh! And yesterday was just the worst...she wouldn't even get in the pool the whole 40 minutes. Kev was ready to strangle her (ok, just an exaggeration for all you child protective people out there :))...but really...Kev hardly ever gets riled up by Shelby and he was NOT happy. He had a few stern talks with her, but she would not get in the water. I would have probably forced her in, but I was in the pool for the first time with Dylan (Kev swam with him all last week)...anyway...so maybe it was the change in routine as I was no longer sitting watching her...or maybe in hindsight she was already feeling sick....whatever the excuse, she was awful yesterday...Ruby even tried to come over and talk to her and she wouldn't even look at her. I was so embarrassed. We almost took a swift swat to her backside, but I'm glad we didn't now...as she probably was just getting sick and I would have felt horrible today if we'd spanked her. Instead she got all treats taken away yesterday, which if you know our sugar-snack-lovin' Shelby you know that is a HUGE punishment for her. Anyway...so yesterday was just bad...from morning 'til night. Today since she has puked she has been very mellow and very agreeable. Hmmm....maybe this "being sick thing" isn't so bad :)


• Ok, so what else...Oh...along with the last bullet....Hailey is doing spendidly in swimming...I really think she's pretty good...she's in Level 4 which is stroke improvement and I honestly think she knows much more about proper swimming than even I do. I'm impressed with her and she seems to love it. She loves it so much that we decided to sign her up for Diving for the next two weeks. She's very excited to learn how to dive for real! So, while I was looking forward to a couple weeks with not much to do we have yet again got more activities on the calendar. Never a dull moment. But, Hailey is very excited to try something new and do it with one of her best buds, Julia.


• Dylan is a little fish in the water also....for the most part he's been doing well. He hates being on his back in the water and mostly just likes to stand on the side and clap....hey, at least he's in the water and mostly compliant (unlike someone else I mentioned before :))


• The Big ol' VERY belated double b-day party for S&H went well this past Sunday. Almost Kev's entire family was able to attend and it was a smashing good time. Ok, so I was pretty busy the whole time just tending to party stuff, but I think many of the other members of the party were able to relax a bit. The weather was perfect....no rain (thank you, Lord!) and it wasn't too hot...so we used our "extra room" (aka the deck) :) and everyone sat outside for like 4 hours. It was great. Kev made a mean batch of burgers and hotdogs, which we are still eating (and will be for the next 4 days!) cuz he made all 24 of them (love you, babe!) But, the food was great....or at least everyone said it was and I made a couple easier cakes for the girls (Hailey chose a gift cake and Shelby had a pair of purple flip flops.....I admit I shed some tears over the dumb fruit roll-ups that would not cooperate the night before at midnight)...but other than that these were not very stressful cakes to make and other than adding too much dye to the purple one (which then tasted like dye)...they were pretty good and tasty. So, it was a fun afternoon. The girls got lots of great gifts from all our generous family....which they enjoyed. They are loving playing with everything and I must say it's been like Christmas in July and there is definitely something to be said for celebrating their b-days late (maybe we should do half birthday celebrations from now on....it just worked out so well to do it on our deck and have a big ol' cookout). So, thank you to all of you wonderful family members who came and graciously drove the long drive down to Bloomy and for all the amazing gifts! Shelby is loving her new real bike, her first Webkinz (which is now covered in puke...yay!), her Amer. Girl bath and body stuff and her new clothes and books, etc....and Hailey is lovin her two first Webkinz and her new earrings, her Crocs jewelry and her bath and body AG stuff, new clothes and books.....such wonderful treats! I'll have to post pics later as our camera hasn't been downloaded in about 2 weeks (can you tell we've been busy?!)


• I personally have been dealing with some lil' bits of stress here and there....not to go into all the gorry details, but I think I've gotten in a little over my head with "volunteer activities" this year :( I'm not gonna go and complain, because I think that part of having kids is being able to volunteer for their schools, the church, and other activities. I've always been that way....have always been involved. But, I've come to the point where I am having to say "NO" and believe me...it pains me terribly to say that. I am a person that likes to be as agreeable as possible and help everyone in any way that I can and while I don't think I'm "super mom" at all, I just feel that God gave me this body and mind and the gifts I have and I need to put them to good use. Well, lately I feel like everyone is asking for help with this or that and, of course, I've accepted most pleas for help. Well, no more! I am putting my foot down cuz now my "overenthusiam to help" has started to effect my own health and my own family life. I've been getting headaches again, having a hard time sleeping, having my right side pain...all things that go hand in hand with stress and anxiety. So, I've decided that after this year if I'm still feeling this anxiety that I'm going to back away from what I'm doing....this saddens me a bit, cuz it means "I can't do everything"...but I also see how my stress can weigh on my family and how it takes valuable time away from them and to me that's not worth it. So, for now I am still going to be Hailey's Girl Scout/Brownie co-leader and the PTO secretary...but next year I'm not so sure. Those are the two things that have given me pangs of anxiety lately (yesterday specifically)...and I'm not sure it's worth the stress. And I also must say....why do the same people always volunteer for everything? Aren't there more parents out there who have time/money to give? I mean I know I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I have 3 little kids...and then I see other stay at home moms with older kids and more money and they hardly are involved at all?! What's that about? Ok, I know I can't pass judgement...we all have our personality traits and our abilities...but I know I'm not the only one exasperated by "non-volunteering" parents who are able to volunteer, but don't. Ok, enough said...no more ranting! :)


• Our little man is just getting cuter and sweeter with every passing day. Not only does he occasionally say "I love you" (which comes out as one word Iyuyou)...but today he was actually singing to the praise music in the car and waving his hands around and clapping like he was actually praising the Lord! Ha! It was pretty funny :) And he's started copying everything his big sisters do (which is too darn cute!) This morning Hailey was spinning around in circles and falling down. Then Dylan started spinning around and fell down exactly the same way. It was a hoot! I've often said one of my fav. parts of being a mom is watching my kids interact with each other. There is no greater joy as a mom of 2 or more kids, I think. I often wondered when we only had Hailey and were going through infertility if we'd ever experience that sibling love and admiration....and now we are blessed by it daily....that and all the rivalry and bickering :) Ha....it all comes hand in hand and I wouldn't trade it for anything!


• Well, you might be proud to know that after 3 years I finally broke down and weeded and planted some flowers! Gasp! Well, it's been a long time coming and my good intentions last year finally paid off this year! We now have our landscaping (if you can call it that) all remulched and de-weeded and even a few flowers in our planters. Of course I'm sure it's all short-lived as my brown/black thumb always pulls through and strangles the life out of my foliage...but still....we put forth an effort and I'm proud of us. Of course it was all for show...we only did it cuz Kev's family was coming over and we wanted our home not to look like it's normal overgrown self :) Anyway...but I have to give credit where credit it due...Kev actually picked out the flowers...and the girls planted most of them....they were very excited to get out our dusty gardening supplies :) Of course, I took pics, but they are of course still on our camera! So, you'll have to wait in suspense. Also, we did find a yucky discovery in our weeding adventures...somehow crickets had laid eggs in our bushes where our bird feeder has showered it's leftover seeds...and there were hundreds maybe thousands of baby crickets hopping all over this weekend...yuck...I do not like bugs!!! And who knew crickets breeded in bird seed...hmmm... Oh, and if you read this, Jill....the girls made a few comments about your beautiful flowers as we were planting ours...making note to say that ours are not nearly as pretty as yours :) Welcome home, friend....and hope your trip was great! We missed you and we watched daily as your bunny family ate from your flower bed...better get that irish spring out again! :)


• We had a wonderful time with our good friends, Chad, Corie and kids (Gabe and Ella) this past Friday night. We have tried for months and months to see our good ol' Danville Friends...and finally we succeeded! It was a great night...the kids had a ball together doing flips and cartwheels and we enjoyed just chatting and eating pizza and Dairy Queen for dessert. Seriously...we love you guys...if you ever visit the IU campus let us know and we'll walk around with you!


• It's countdown to Shelby's big eye consult (next Monday). I actually sat up in bed this morning at 6am thinking "where in the world did I put all the paperwork"....can you tell I'm on edge lately? I sure can when something actually gets me out of bed EARLY! Anyway...I found the paperwork amidst the mounds in our room (it was a miracle I found it...if you've seen our bedroom lately you know what I mean)....anyway....but if you think of us next Monday afternoon just say a little prayer that the surgery will be scheduled soon and we can fit it in before our big Vegas trip and before she starts preschool in Sept. I'm not really nervous about the whole thing...but it'll be nice to have it over with!


• And although I'd like to keep avoiding this subject I'm just gonna put it out there that we are still dealing with a baby food/stubborn eating boy issues :( I know it's partly our fault that he's still eating like a 9 month old (and he'll be 18 mos old on Monday)...sooooo, it's time to get down and dirty again and face the puke. It's gotta happen now or it's back to occ. therapy next month after the doc sees him and frowns at his lack of eating :( Kev and I are down right convinced our boy just has some mental issues and some food aversions (and I am also partly blaming that on some crazy Steg genes...apparently Kev was a gagger and texturely-challenged too :) Go figured...so if I can I'm gonna blame this all on Kev (for now :))...but seriously...how long can a toddler eat baby food? And the sad thing is the boy can eat a big ol' solid cracker in one bite...but when it comes to a miniscule noodle or something healthy like a veggie or fruit.....up it comes and it's "tossing cookies time" :( Ugh...so, that's gonna be our dirty work for the month of August...fun times to look forward to!
• On a funny Dylan note...this past Saturday Kev was downstairs eating his cheerios and he got a call on his cell phone upstairs...so he left his bowl on the table and went up to get the phone...well, a little while later I went down there and there Dylan was standing up on our table eating the cheerios with the spoon...it was very funny...and later it got VERY messy as he discovered how fun it was to splash the milk in the bowl with the spoon. So now our boy is constantly checking the table to see what goodies we have up there when he's hungry :)
  

• And as a last bullet point of the day I'm just gonna say that someone I love VERY much and couldn't live my life w/o turns the big 32 this Friday! So, it'll be a big b-day weekend for him....maybe a trip to our state fair (he loves the junk food there and maybe the demolition derby)...and then Benihana's for dinner on Sat. with his family and the the big Brickyard race with all the Steg guys this Sunday....he'll have a great weekend, I hope?! And maybe I'll be "over my hump of self pity" by then :) J/K....I'm really doing ok...and I can say that mostly cuz of this fav. person in my life! :) Love ya', Ol' Man! It's great being married to an older man...makes me feel so young :)
  

Well, that's all I'm gonna take the time to post today. Cuz believe it or not I still have dishes to do from Sunday night and a pile of laundry that is larger than an elephant sitting on our ironing board in our room (yes, I have it all strategically placed so I have not had to fold it in 3 days :)). To those of you who made it through this painfully long post....hats off to you! And I've missed you all...hopefully blog hiatus won't happen often, but it was a necessary evil in this case. Hope you all are doing ok and hanging in there. Love ya!

Getting rid of my burdens...

Ok, so it took forever to download these...and I might only keep them on the blog for a few days...I think they are taking up lots of space...but I know my parents have never seen them and maybe Candy and Jeff (my bro) want to relive the experience....so, here we are...white-water rafting down the Pigeon River in TN with our good ol' happy boy guide, Clay :) It was a good time and if anyone is ever in this area I'd recommend it highly...look at those treacherous white waters almost engulfing our poor raft with water! Oh my...heart be still! So, here's proof of our daredevil experience!

Ok, so it's been a downer of a week for me (and,yes, I know it's only Tuesday)...and this following a downer of a week last week due to post-vacation blues and mostly due to the passing of a dear friend's mom who just touched my life in a special way. So, I think that along with just the everyday "stuff/stress", extra kids in the house, my grandma and her up and down health issues, "the poop incident" and some vacation "woes" and some VERY late nights/early mornings....well, it's all just accumulated to be a burden that is almost too much for me to bear today. I don't know why I'm so very down....I'd like to chalk it up to being tired and hormonal, but I'm afraid that's just a "cop-out" excuse. So, I'm just gonna put it out there that I'm weary...worn out...and have been taking on too many burdens that I think I need to let go of today. So, I decided to post that today and then pray about it after this and let "God carry that burden"...goodness knows I can't carry it on my own...nor do I need to... and it's been effecting my family the last couple days as I've been teary and just on edge. Anyway...so I don't really have a point to all this...just wanted to lay my heart out there...ask for prayers...not really prayers for me...but prayers for my friend who is very much in the midst of mourning for her mom. My heart it so very heavy for her. I think about the possibility of ever losing my own mom...and well, that just becomes a burden on my heart as well...I just can't imagine how my friend is coping and how there will always be this void in her life now....of this wonderful mom who was just a light in so many lives...and now will miss so much of a life that she should have been around to live...she'll miss her grandson growing up and all the joys that come with that. I don't even know how to put all that sadness into words. I've just been thinking a lot about that and it weighs heavily on my heart....I don't know why sadness has to be such a way of life lately. It doesn't seem fair.

And to add onto that true grief I am just dealing day-to-day with trivial little things that have all amounted to me being in an emotional state right now...a state of turbulence, which I would rather not be in.

So, many of you (although no one, except Wendi, dares to comment) have been wondering what became of the "poop incident"....well...I may as well lay it on the line about all of that......so...."the apology" happened yesterday. I admit, it was something I put off and was very much NOT looking forward to. If you know me I don't like confrontation and I very much don't like awkward moments...and there was just no way around it...this was both of those. But, I had some good advice thanks to Wen and my Mom and I was armed with that and ready. So, this girl's mom and I had emailed off and on all day yesterday...I think it just made her feel better to know I didn't hate her for what had happened and she got a lot off her chest as far as how her daughter was feeling and how mortified she was about all that had "gone down" :( Anyway...so she showed up at our house after work with her daughter in tow...and she ("the guilty party") could not even look me in the eye...hre head was bowed as far down as she could have it....and all she could mutter to me was "I'm sorry" and then she lost it...she was shaking and sobbing....and I just wanted to scoop her up and say "it's ok"....so, I pretty much did.....I didn't really plan to hug her or say much, but I stood down at her level and said, "thank you for coming over to apologize...I know that was a very hard thing to do and it took a lot of courage".....I then contined with something like "we all make mistakes and sometimes that's how we learn...even adults make mistakes and it's hard for us to apologize...but the right thing to do is to forgive and forget....and that's what I've done". Anyway....I know I said more and it probably didn't all come out right cuz I admit I was nervous too...I justt didn't want to say the wrong thing and I didn't want to hurt her feeling either. I had it on my heart to really act and say things in a Christian way...like the saying says "what would Jesus do"...so I kept that on my heart the whole time. I think it really helped. She had written me an apology also and it was so heart breaking and I can tell she is being punished greatly by what occurred....just the way she wrote it was soooo remorseful. My heart just went out to her. Anyway....I have never seen this child like this so I know in she felt very guilty and embarrassed. So, that is the "lowdown" on our poop episode and the apology that ensued :) I'm glad it's over and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got a nice note from her mom on email a bit ago saying thank you for yesterday and for making them both feel at ease and for being extra kind. So I'm feeling ok about the whole incident. It doesn't change the fact that I still don't want that kind of influence around my child(ren)...so I will still at some point have to deal with that...and how I really don't want her coming over to our house anymore or Hailey going there. But, it's tough cuz Hailey could still be in her class at school and I'll probably be their Brownie co-leader....so that's all still gonna be awkward. But, I do feel for this girl and her mom...no one wants to have this kind of experience happen or to have the embarrassment...and I know this mom is worried Hailey might spread the word about it (which I'm hoping she will not and she's been instructed to not do)...cuz I would hate for this all to come out one day at school or for kids to find out....we all know how cruel kids can be. Anyway....so the short of it all...it's been forgiven...and hopefully some day it'll be forgotten :) We just had a good downpour so hopefully an remnants of the incidence that were left after my "hosing down" are gone.....good riddens!

Anyway...on to better subjects. My grandma (who is back in FL) is doing better it seems. This is such an answer to prayer, so we are all celebrating. It looks like much of her disorientation may have been medication-related??!! We are still waiting to see...but she seems better than she was at least a week ago and it has been helping to keep her on some doses of Ativan (good ol' Ativan...we used to give it to NICU babies like candy...it's an amazing drug!) I am going to try to post an email my mom sent to my church family at home in FL...it was sent a few days ago, so my grandma is doing better now...but I just thought my mom's email said it just perfectly....and I believe that extra prayer helped! I myself have just had my grandma on my mind constantly...just not even able to put into words even on my blog how sad I was about all she was experienceing and about how emotional this has been for all my family and how hard it is for me to be so far away from it all and unable to help...it was like experiencing my other grandma's last days...and that was a difficult thing to remember....so that has all been another burden I am bearing and that I need to "turn over to HIM" :) Today I am sending up a praise that my grandma is doing a bit better...and praying her first day alone tomorrow goes well....

Here is my mom's email:

"Please be praying for Tom's mom, Bonnie. She was in the hospital in NC for almost a week (while we were up there) due to a severe electrolyte imbalance brought on by a chronic lung condition. Since her release she has displayed dementia-like symptoms, which we are just praying will be temporary. The Dr feels this was brought on by a very strong antibiotic and that it will be reversible. In the meantime she is back here in Ft Lauderdale (in her condo which she shares with her daughter Mary) and she needs round the clock supervision.(and also is on oxygen 24/7) She is very frustrated as she knows well enough, that her mind is not functioning properly.She loves to play cards and do cross word puzzles and now is unable to do either! Please pray for peace for her, for patience as we wait for her brain to go back to normal AND that it in fact, it DOES go back to normal. She has had such a rough time accepting her hubbys death(it's been one year) and she continues to grieve. Please pray for Mary as she takes the brunt of caring for Mom, and for our family who cares so deeply for her and her recovery. I thank God each day for my wonderful prayer warriors at New Hope! Love, Nancy

I think that email says it all...it's been a hard time for my family with this guessing game of my grandma's health and trying to be by her side constantly. Praying it gets even better....

And.....since I'm kind of out of time I'll just touch on a few other things going on....

• It's Swim lesson time! Whohoo...all three kids started yesterday at IU outdoor pool...it makes for a busy time trying to keep track of three kids in different pools. First day went pretty good...second not so great....Shelby said after her class yesterday that she did NOT want to go back...ugh...I knew that meant for a bad day today....and then it rained so that just made it worse (yes, they swim in rain as long as there is no thunder/lightning)...anyway...so it was a long 40 minutes of swimming today. Shelby has a really sweet teacher named Ruby and she's very patient and good with her. It took about 25 minutes to get Shelby in the water today...she basically just sat on the side with a very stubborn/scornful look on her face...I had a few talkings with her and even used bribery (treat), which didn't work....but finally she got in...phew. Dylan is loving the water....he was in heaven yesterday with daddy who has to swim with him....it was fun to watch...today was not so good as they made him lay on his back and the rain was smacking his face...he was not thrilled...can't blame him. Hailey is, as always, doing great with her "stroke improvement"...she loves being in class with her buddy, Julia too. Anyway...so that's all going well. Hopefully things improve for Shelby or it's gonna be a long two weeks in the pool :)c
• We are booked and ready to go to VEGAS!!! Whohoo....to make a VERY long story short....let's just say Kev and I have both spent hours upon hours online looking for Vegas deals...only to buy a package...then find a better one, return the old one, were unable to get the new better one (cuz it "timed out on us"...I was NOT happy)....only to have NOTHING again this morning and finally a few hours ago we found another deal and grabbed it....and now we are NOT looking anymore....I think that was my mistake in all this....after I buy a ticket on travelocity or somewhere I like to keep track until my trip and make sure I did indeed get the BEST deal...so silly! I have driven myself nuts the last few days doing all that...such a waste of my valuable resting time (which I have had none of lately...thus why I am stressed out...duh!)....anyway...tonight is gonna be my night to sit in bed again and watch tv before bed and to get in bed before 1am which has been a rarity the last 4 days. So, wish me luck relaxing....oh...and we're staying 3 nights in Vegas on the strip at the Paris (I've heard it's a pretty good hotel with a half scale replica of the eiffel tower and hopefully it'll be our romantic European/City of Lights getaway all in one great package :)...since we know we'll never get around to going to the real Paris :))! It's gonna be great...we're gonna see the Producers (a comedy show) and gonna maybe go to Hoover Dam and just tour the city! Can't wait....only one more month and we go!
• And on a final note we spent all of Sunday going to Ohio and back with Kev's parents to see Kev's grandma in Ohio....I think I had mentioned that he was not doing well a couple weeks ago and had a pacemaker put in a week ago. Well, he is doing better, I guess, and it was good to see him (although briefly). I will say that Dylan must have a huge heart for elderly or maybe it's sick people...cuz he saw his great-grandpa sitting in his recliner and walked right over to him and laid his head down on his lap and then looked at him and did it again...then walked around and came back and did it again...he just couldn't give him enough "lap hugs" :) He did the same with my grandma in NC with kissing her face...it's so sweet. Can we say "future nurse?" Ok...maybe future doctor would be better?! But, how sweet is our little boy?! It was good to see grandpa though and have him see the kids....and fun to travel with Kev's parents and have them give us helpful hints on Vegas :) Oh, and Happy Belated 90th B-day to Kev's grandpa...I think he turned 90 when we were in NC....wow!

Well, I know I had more to share, but this is a long enough post as it is....and I might not have time the rest of the week to post as it is....with swimming and other stuff going on....plus we are finally getting around to celebrating the girls' b-days with Kev's whole family this weekend...so I really need to think about that and clean for that! :) Well, with that I think I'll leave you with our white water rafting pics...they came in the mail yesterday.....love ya'll and hope you're not all as burdened as I am today.....time to say my little prayer.....

Happy 30th, Ol' Dinger Bud, Lein!

And now for a "Leina trip down memory lane" :) Here is Lein and I in March 2006 when she met Dylan for the first time at my parent's house in FL....awwww, look at the joy in Dylan's face...he loves his Auntie Lein :) :)
....and above is Lein and I and the girls at her house in FL when I was big and prego with Dylan :) And below is good ol' Lein and the girls at her fun b-day condo in 2004...this condo on the beach was actually her 27th b-day present from her parents, I think...right Lein? She got to stay here for the weekend and she invited us over to enjoy it and use the pool. All I remember is that it poured down rain that day...go figure.

Ok, so I have to put a special post on the ol' blog today to wish my bestest dinger bud a Happy 30th! Whohoo! Many of you who read my blog from FL know good ol' Lein, but I still thought I'd post a few lovely fun pics of her over the years, since I know she'd appreciate that :) And she is one of my "secret blog readers"...ya' know...that silent kind that read and never comment...j/k...ya' know I love ya' Lein. I was a silent blog reader for many years...so I can't razz ya' too much :) Anyway....but those of you who don't know Lein' be rest assured she's this grand and wonderful gal who've I've always loved. I am trying to think of the first time we met and began our friendship...but like I told her tonight when I talked to her...I have blocked so much of my earlier childhood/school days out that I just don't remember. I think she came to FLCS (my ol' FL school) when I was in 4th or 5th grade? But, I really don't know....I'm guessing someone like Wendi would remember for sure. But, Leina and I became good friends in middle school and high school and have remained friends since our graduation in good ol' '95. It's funny cuz she really is the only person I still see almost every time I go home to Ft. Laud...so you know she must be pretty cool if I take the time to see her :) She's been a great friend over the years. She's been like an Auntie to my kids and they love her like family...and she's been at all the birthday parties and get-togethers at our FL home. I love her to death. She's given me lots of laughs over the years and we always have good times whenever we're together. Many of you might not know my crazy years when I was a wild child...but Lein sure does...she can tell you some stories of me chasing a guy named Girbaud on the beach and wearing a dog collar and thinking it was cool. Yes, I was strange back then, but I have tamed down a bit in my old age :) Ha! Anyway...so this one's for you, Leina Beana Jo....for all those crazy times and for all the crazy ones to come in the future. I'm glad you have joined the rest of us oldie goldie 30 year olds finally! It's great being over-the-hill! My wish for you in this new decade of your life is...happiness....and maybe love and marriage and some babies...ok, so no rush on all that...but really...I just wish you joy. You deserve that! I love ya', my ol' dinger bud (and yes, there is a story behind the dinger nickname...but I won't bore you with all the details...something about me thinking real bells had two dingers when they only have one....yes, I was weird back in the day....always having crazy names for everyone....) But, ya' know I luv ya', Lein. You're an awesome person and I'm blessed you are my friend and that we have remained friends. See ya' in December hopefully! Have a great 3 more hours of your b-day!

A trip to Big Creek...

Ok, so finally after like an hour these are downloaded...ugh...it has not been a good night (which has now turned morning)...for some reason these pics did not want to be on my blog. But, here they are...our pics from our annual outing to Big Creek in NC right near the TN border. We love this place and we always spend a whole day here and have a little cookout. Here's our family of five on one of the big rocks...so beautiful here!

Nina and Pops with the grandkiddos on the rocks :)
Pops and his boy taking a walk over the bridge and sporting Pop's fav. hat :)

Dylan getting a taste of the frigid creek water....he's lovin' it!

Splash, boy, splash!

Dylan's discovers he LOVES 50 degree water :) If you can't tell he is covered in creek mud from splashing sooooo hard in it! He was soooo happy!
Good ol' almost Aunt Candy and lil' Shelby on the rocks...
A self portrait of me and my honey vegging on the rocks...
A look down from the big bridge at the crazy kids who went in the water....Shelb and Hail and my cousins Eric and Celyn...the water was so low this time they could sit on these rocks and play which was so neat...usually the water is MUCH higher and more dangerous...
Pops and Shelby sporting their bugs....if you can't see inside the bug catcher...there are two big butterflies...or maybe it was one...and then two moths (that mommy caught) and a neat BIG centepede :) We were bug catching fools and that was right up Shelby's alley :) She was so proud of her new pets and we had to take them back to the cabin with us :)
A bigger panoramic view of big creek and the bridge...it really is so, so pretty and picture perfect....you can see my bro and Candy on the bridge on the left and the kids under it...
Hailey on "her" big rock collecting lil' stones from the creek :)
A close-up of my bathing beauty :)
The kids and their blue lips...brrrr

A somber moment for Shelby :)
A shocked moment for Shelby...I think she loved the water rushing over her as she sat on this rock and collected stones...

I actually didn't witness this above event...but it's my brother jumping off the big ol' rock. My mom and Candy and Jeff and Harry found this neat watering hole on a hike they went on...next year maybe we can all make the hike and bring the kids...looks fun...and look at my buff ol' bro :)
Lil' Dylan having more fun in the creek :)
I love this shot my brother took with his camera...he set the camera almost in the creek to get a neat look of Dylan...

My Bro and Candy near that neat watering hole area they found....and below is another panoramic view from the bridge of Kev and the kids in the creek....it was such a fun, relaxing day!

Ok, so I've been feeling very blue the last few days. Sad about my friend's mom who was also a dear friend to me and just sad that I can't be there in person to support Susie and her family and to honor her mom tomorrow and celebrate her life. So, when I don't know what to do when I'm sad I usually just dive into some pictures and surround myself with happy thoughts and smiley pics of my family having good times. This is one of those times. Plus I admit I'm still a bit bothered by my last "poop" post and I think I need to get past that whole ordeal so I'm gonna move onto happier thoughts of our time in NC. It's rare that I do Saturday posts and even rarer that I post twice a day...but so be it....I guess I'm daring to be different today. So, without further ado....here are more NC memories and some happy smiles to end the day.

Very Sad News...

Sadness overcomes me today as one of my best friends called to say her dear, sweet mom passed away last night. Those of you who read my blog know that I mentioned my friend Susie's mom earlier this week and how she was very sick. I guess she was more sick that we all knew as she just could not fight the diseases inside her and she peacefully passed away last night in her hospital room. I don't even know how to wrap my mind around something like this. It's one thing to lose a grandparent...that is sad and difficult enough, but to lose a parent who was young and to have to deal with that grief. Well, I can't even really imagine what that must be like. So, if you think of it today and in the coming weeks and months just say a little prayer for my friend Susie and her family. My mind has been flooded today with wonderful and happy memories of Dee....she was just this vibrant, happy, easy-to-talk-to person. Yes, she was my friend's mom...but she was more than that...she was like a friend to me. She loved us girls and loved having us over to house during our crazy high school years. I still remember so many of the fun times and all the laughs she had over how crazy Sue and I were together. I loved Dee for so many reasons...but mostly cuz she was just a REAL person...she never hid how she felt, she was honest and she was down-right funny and had an awesome sense of humor about everything. She was a great mom and a great friend and I know without a doubt how so many loved her and will miss her. I am a better person for knowing her. I know that sounds so cliched...but she was a great support to me at a time in my life where I needed a fun, honest person to talk to. I don't know why bad things like this happen to good people like Dee. I wish I knew that. But, I've come to realize lately that life is full of unpredictable things and that life has a bad way of drastically changing in the blink of an eye. But, to Sue, her brother Joe, her step-dad, Brad and all her family...I send hugs and lots of love today. Please know we're thinking of you and how much Dee meant to me. She will be missed.

A View into our lives in NC

Well, here they are...some more pics...hopefully none of you held your breath last night waiting for them to be posted...due to lack of time/energy I wasn't able to post them til this morning :) Anyway...here is the infamous lil' creek that runs right by our cabin...the kids love playing in it...here are the girls (and my cousin Celyn) that first day we were there...
And here is my cousin Eric showing Shelby how to catch salimanders (she loves bugs and so does Eric...he was the perfect "guide" for her :))
She got a big one here...can you see it?! She was so proud!
And here we are at Queen's stable with our whole little gang on the horsy (for the life of me I can't remember the horse's name...but it's the same horse we've ridden for years...what a good sport he is :))
Lil' Shelba showing off her equistrian skills...and doing it ALL by herself! :)

Dylan just chillin' in his stroller and watchin'...what a cutie!
The three rugrats on Mr. Horse...
Ok, if you look close you can see how red Dylan's face is...he was a bit hysterical over riding the horse...it wasn't his "cup of tea" :)
Later on her gave in and smiled a bit :)
Then Pops took him to shoot some hoops at the b-ball hoop :) Way to dunk it big boy! :)

Poppi taking his girls for a walk around the field...
Hailey struttin' her stuff and proud to be doing it all on her own
Look at our little lady :)
My parents (Nina and Poppi) posing with their fav. grandkids :)
Shelby doing some dunking with Pops (oops her shoe fell off...)

I love this pic...Pops and Dylan kicked/threw the soccer ball around for a loooong time...to know our Dylan is to know he's a bit crazy about anything round and is able to be thrown!
My Bro and sister-in-law-to-be, Candy...aren't they a cute couple?!
Dylan on the steps of the big cabin sorting his rock collection...this was also a favorite past-time of his at the cabin :) Then he'd throw them all...
Pops and Shelby catching fireflys....and they made no qualms about showing us who found the MOST at the end of the night...could they look any more proud in this last pic?? Thanks for rubbing it in our faces guys! We all made a valiant lightning bug effort though! :)

Well, I'm still begrudgingly doing the blog thing...still in a slump-of-sorts after the post NC return :( So, pardon my bluesyness (I know that's not a word...but I'm using it anyway :))... my dear, sweet wonderful man of a husband did indeed transfer some of our 1000 pics to our computer this morning so my goal is to daily post like 10 of them (at least for the next week). We'll see how that goes. So bear with me...I might not actually have time to post them right now as I'm due to go to a "spa/pampering party" in a half hour for my good friend, Kim's b-day (who you might remember turned 40 over a week ago)...since we were all on vacation for her actual b-day we are doing a post-celebration at a salon here in town...it's gonna be great...we're treating her and her mom to manicures/pedicures and the rest of us are getting our nails done. I can't remember the last time I pampered myself so I hope it's fun (I say hope cuz I kinda cringed spending money on my nails that I know by tomorrow after changing a dozen dirty diapers will not be looking so good anyway) But, hey...it'll be fun to drink champagne and munch on snacks and hang with some girls and relax for a few hours! Anyway...all that to say I don't know if I'll have time to post the NC pics, but hopefully I can do them later tonight so if you read this and there is nothing interesting to look at above be rest-assured they'll be something tomorrow morning :)

And with that I'll just post a few other tidbits of info that have been going on in our "interesting" lives......

• Kev and I are VERY excited about our anniversies coming up...ok, so it might seem funny that I say that in the plural, but that's the down right truth.....we have been surprisingly and generously gifted by both of our parents to TWO big anniversary gifts/trips....one this year for our 9th anniversary (which is coming up next month already) and also next Aug for our big 10th! We are more stoked than you can ever imagine to have TWO big trips to look forward to. Now, without spoiling too much of the surprise let's just say that this year I think we are going to Vegas for 3 days next month. We're hoping to stay at one of the big hotels on the strip and do some touristy things and eat some good food and just tour the city. Kev has never been and I've only been as a child (to visit my aunt who lived there and does again now). Anyway...so we are still planning the big trip, but excited to have a real (kidless) vacation and VERY excited to do something we've never done before and to fly instead of drive (to know us is to know we HATE driving!). Anyway...so we'll keep you posted on that! And our next anniversary Kev's parents have gifted us with a big ol' Caribbean cruise!!! Whohoo! We always said we wanted to go on one for our 10th anniversary, but 3 kids later and lots of debt we never thought it possible til we were in our 90's :) We are so excited...we get to go for 7 days...first getting to see my family in Ft. Laud, going to Miami and the port there, and then off to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and then Mexico :) It's gonna be on the Carnival Liberty, which is supposedly very nice and we even get an ocean-view room with a balcony...SWEET! We are so excited...now it's like we get to celebrate our anniversary for a whole year with two BIG trips to look forward to! We are so very thankful for our parents who are blessing us with these trips and who just did this out of the kindness of their hearts! We haven't had an annivesary trip where we weren't pregnant, nursing or trying to get pregnant EVER! So, this is much-needed and something we will relish! AWESOME!!!


• Well, we had our first run-in with sleepwalking last night. And of course it came from none other than our infamous Shelba girl :) It's funny cuz I just assumed when I heard her crying that she was having a night terror cuz she missed her nap yesterday...well, nope...I went in her room and lo and behold she was standing up in her bed and walking into the wall over and over again saying "I can't see". Anyway...I really thought she was just awake and confused so I tried to get her attention, but she was indeed asleep/eyes closed and all. I never was able to wake her up...but I laid her down and she was quiet after than. Kev was bummed he missed the whole thing...he's never had a run-in with a sleep walker, I guess :) I think I was an avid one as a child...or so my parents tell me :)


• Well, we had another "bad luck" day at the pool yesterday...ho humm! It's just been how my week's been going...no good luck. We had just gotten there...the kids were all excited the kiddie pool was poop-less, clean and open...we were just getting our lotion on and wham....some kid pukes and poops in the pool right in front of us! You have got to be kidding! So, yep, they closed the whole thing....we had to yet again resort to the big pool with me holding Dylan and Shelby and trying to keep them both happy for 2 hours....the little pool was due to open again at 3pm and about 10 minutes before that a HUGE storm cloud rolled in and sure enough...thunder and lighting and the whole pool was shut down and we had to run for shelter...we gave up and went home in the pouring rain. By the time we got home the sun was shining again. Go figure...I really am going to veto the pool from now on! GRRRR!
  

Well, I had more to write but I'm out of time. Gotta go get pampered :) Hope ya'll are having a fabulous week...I'm sure not, but thinking of our possible Vegas trip might get me through til August! More later...and pics to follow tonight....

We're back!!! :) :(

Well, I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles for me to return to the blogging world and I must admit I am having mixed emotions today about typing again. I always seem to get the post-vacation blues/slump/funk after wonderful, long, relaxing vacations and this "return to the real world" has been much the same. Even writing this I'm wishing I was back on the mountain, listening to the creek, playing with the kids on the grassy lawn. I'm not at all wanting to be back here in Indiana in the heat and humidity. Ho hum. But, I thought I'd drag my non-motivated self over to the computer to at least tell you we're home.

We had the most incredible time in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of NC. I can't even begin to explain all the fun times we had with my family. There was just so much joy that it's hard to put it all in one simple blog entry. Luckily we have maybe 1000 pictures to document all that fun (no joke...we really do...but don't go thinking I'm the only psycho picture taker in the family...my Uncle Harry and sister-to-be Candy, and mom also are picture phenatics like me :)))....anyway....so be rest-assured I will be sharing MANY of those down-right awesome pics with you later in the week (I say later cuz all of them are currently on Kev's laptop which is safely by his side at work)...so if he can muster up enough energy/time to transfer them this week hopefully I can share them with ya'll! :) (so, yes, for now I have NO pictures to even post...gasp!).

I don't even know where to begin with all our vacation fun, but I think I just want to start by saying....my favorite part was just seeing my family...and spending a whole week with them. As most of you know my grandma was in the hospital there in NC...for a scary electrolyte imbalance and also some difficulty breathing (she has pulmonary fibrosis...a chronic lung disease). Anyway...we actually thought she was in a hospital in Asheville, but turns out she was in the local hospital, which was much closer and easier for us to visit. We got the honor of seeing her the day after we arrived...she even got special permission to go outdoors in her wheelchair and most of our extended family was gathered there to support her and give her hugs. It was so good to see her and she looked so good (which was a great improvement from her admission to the hospital). To make a long story short they still are not completely sure what is wrong with her. Her sodium level was at 100 when she went into the hospital (the normal is 135-145)...it is amazing she never had an seizures as levels that low often put people into coma-state. Anyway...so the Lord was watching over her and we are so thankful she got help when she did. They diagnosed her with possible SIADH (which I told you had to do with Sydrome of Inappropriate Andiuretic Hormone)....but the tests were inconclusive so they really are not sure that is the reason for her electrolyte imbalance. Anyway....so I know that's getting all a bit medical for those of you who are medically-challenged. But, the good news is that they released my grandma on July 3rd and she was able to spend most of the week and the 4th with us back at the cabin. She is on oxygen all the time now, is being fluid-restricted, and is also using a walker (or assistance) to walk, but she is doing much better. Her sodium was 124 when she was released and I'm interested to hear what her bloodwork showed today (my mom took her blood this morning...it's so nice having a lab tech in the family!). So, things are better with my grandma. She is definitely not herself anymore and to be honest I'm not sure she will ever be. My mom and I wonder if she lost some brain function due to her dangerously low sodium levels. It's not easy to see my grandma this way as she used to be such a sharp and smart lady. While she still has some of those qualities, some of her short-term memory seems lost. Anyway...but I am thankful for the recovery she has made and the time we spent with her at the cabin. Dylan had a great, great fascination with her....every time he'd see her he'd lean in and try to kiss her...it was the cutest thing ever and I think it meant a lot to great-grandma :) So, please if you think if it...just keep praying for her and for my Aunt Mary who is caring for her every day (and for the rest of my family too who care for her). It is very possible my grandma's issues were caused partially by the increased elevation of the mountains, so it will be very sad if she is never able to go back to the cabin she loves so much.

Well, with that said...I'll tell you a little bit more about our vacation....I'd really rather the pictures do the talking, but since that's not possible today, I'll briefly highlight a few things since I don't have the pics to share. We did most of the "usual" things we do every time we visit....

• We made a day of going to Big Creek...that's the big ol' creek just over the border of TN in NC..it was a great, great time. You cannot even imagine how much lil' Dylan LOVED the water. To me it was icey cold, but to him...just pure enjoyment. He splashed till he could splash no more (and until his lips were blue and he was shaking :))...it was the cutest thing...he was covered in mud and just lovin' every minute. It was just fun for me to watch his simple joy over one of his favorite things...water! The other kids (my cousins, Eric and Celyn, and Hailey and Shelby) just spend the whole afternoon wading in the creek, collecting stones, swimming...it was just nice and relaxing (and, yes, they were all shaking like leaves and blue from the cold afterwards :)). Shelby and I and Pops collected some bugs and butterflies and that was a huge highlight for our bug-loving girl! :) Hailey just mainly loved playing with Celyn...she was with her every moment she could...I'm thankful to have a cousin who is so close in age to my daughter :) It works out great for family events! Anyway...so Big Creek was a BIG hit as always. We cooked out and had a grand ol 'time. Part of the fam. even found a new trail and water hole for us to use from now on....I didn't see it firsthand, but the pics make it look awesome!
  
• The kiddos enjoyed horseback riding at the usual place and on the same ol' horse :) Hailey actually got to the lead the horse around all by herself, so she was VERY proud of that! Lil' Shelby wanted to do the same, of course. Dylan wasn't so sure about the horse....or maybe he was just in need of a nap...he and Poppi just enjoyed kicking a soccer ball around while the girls rode...
• Kev and I had a wonderful dinner to ourselves at our fav. new place to eat in NC (the Jarrett House)...if you ever get to go to Dillsboro, NC...we highly recommend it...it's this great family-style place...actually it's a VERY 0ld hotel, which also has a restaurant in it. We've been there for 3 years in a row now...my grandpa recommended it way back when we took the train ride when I was pg with Dylan and we've loved it ever since. It's the first time we've made it in time for the pot roast (they are usually out by the time we get there :()...so Kev was in heaven eating that...and I had my fav. chicken and dumplings. Then Kev ordered me up my own personal chocolate pound cake to go....it was awesome! I usually never get chocolate stuff cuz no one else eats it but me...so it was heavenly and I was having a major gut ache by the time we got back to the cabin. Kev and I also stopped at a lil' chocolate store and got a few things...yumm! I definitely pigged out this vacation! But, I must say it was nice to have some alone-time with my wonderful hubby! Thanks to my parents who watched the kids so much!
• We had an amazing 4th of July. We took our annual trip to Mingo Falls (the waterfall in Cherokee, NC)....always a good time. My mom even took the long trek up the hundreds of stairs (and I was so glad she did and glad her heart allowed her to do so! :)). It would not have been the same w/o her there! It was a great time. Celyn and Hailey (and daddy Kev) even went up under the waterfall by scaling the treacherous rocks. I stayed on dry land and mostly just watched Dylan as he enjoyed throwing rocks in the creek as he stood there in the frigid water with only his diaper on (brrrr!). Of course, Shelby decided she had to go pee right when we got to the top of the stairs, so luckily I had an extra diaper for Dylan and she and Kev found a secluded place where she could pee in that (phew!) I still remember the same thing happening to Hailey when she was that age but I had no diaper then...and she ended up peeing on her shoes as she tried to pee in the grass :)). Oh the joys of having potty-trained kids :) But, the waterfall was beautiful as always and we found almost all our old carvings on the bridge. Poppy even made a new "secret" carving that we were not allowed to see til next year (hmmm...all I know is that it was about my brother :)) The rest of the 4th was just spent relaxing. Of course every night we spent dinners with my whole family gathered up at the big cabin...and the 4th we did the annual big Gritz fireworks display. It was most impressive and the guys always put on a good show! Thanks to my dad for getting all those. It was quite a sight and the weather was great for it! I will say Dylan wasn't too thrilled about the whole firework thing. He liked the light part of it...but as far as the noise...well, it pretty much scared the crap out of him. He was hysterical after/during every one. It helped to put my hands over his ears, but not enough where I'd say he "enjoyed it". So we spent part of the fireworks display in the quiet indoors watching from there :) Maybe next year he'll like them more?! Shelby enjoyed them this year and I know she had issues when she was younger, so there is hope for our boy :)
  
• I'm excited to say we (Kev and I) had a very fun excursion with my bro and sister-in-law-to-be. We went whitewater rafting on the Pigeon River. It was a great time and I'd love to do it again. It was my 3rd white-water excursion, so I think I'm an ol' pro by now! We're still waiting for the pics to be delivered. We ordered them on CD so hopefully they come this week. Maybe seeing those will tide many of you over til I do my slip-n-sliding adventure :) Then again I'm sure I'll get very little credit from some people who are just not taking my excuses anymore (ahem, Amanda :)). But, really...there was some treacherous white-water and there were a couple times where I almost fell out of the boat (and onto poor Candy :))...and I even got to voluntarily jump out and float in the river. It was a good time. I think even Candy liked it since it was her first WWR experience :) Go, Candy! :) Next year Hailey can join us if she wants...so that will be interesting. So, that was a highlight...and we hope to do it again sometime...our raft guide (Clay) was great....he was a funny ol' Southern guy with a full beard and just the typical mountain guide person...we joked about him possibly being "high" on something, but I think he was just "high on life" Ha! Good times! :)
• While we were rafting the girls (Celyn, Hailey, Shelby and my Aunt Terri) were having their own adventures on their annual Girls' Day Out (something the girls started a couple years ago)...they go out on the town....and shop all day and get all kinds of fun (matching) clothes and dollar store goodies, they eat at Taco Bell, go miniature golfing and just have a good ol' girly time. I'm never invited to attend as I guess I'm the party pooper mommy....but the girls look forward to this fun time every year and this year was no exception. They came home with all kinds of stories, loot, darling clothes, etc. Thanks, Aunt Terri for spoiling them and for the special extra money from Aunt Mary, Great-Grandma and Max and Debbie. What a fun day that was for them (and also a fun night for Hailey the night before...as she has sleep over with Celyn :)) BTW...I think this was Hailey's fav. part of NC :) (or at least spending time with Celyn was). Shelby's fav. part was catching bugs, I think :) She even caught some salimanders with my cousin Eric :)
  
• And finally our last day in Maggie Valley was spent at the newly renovated Ghost Town in the Sky. Now I'm sure none of you have ever heard of this place, but it's like a mini amusement park set up on a mountain. The view from up there is just amazing. Anyway....it used to be a fav. place to visit when my brother and I were little and since then in closed and was out of service for many, many years. Well, it reopened in May and we were so looking forward to revisiting it. You take this fun chair lift all the way to the top to get to the park and I think that is one of the best parts. Even Dylan got to sit on the lift with Poppi (very cute)....Anyway...it was a great time. Some of the rides were not yet open so that was a little disappointing for the adults, but the kids had a great time....the kiddie rides were so fun (even Dylan got to ride a few on his own...what a big boy!)...and we grown-ups even got to do a few scary rides (like the drop zone thing...me and the guys all went on that!)...and the wild west show was cute...Dylan wasn't so sure about that either...the guns going off and whatnot...can't blame him....I hear that even brought my little bro to tears when he was a young lad :) Ha! But, it was a fun day. The girls got some really neat necklaces with their names written on pieces of rice and then put in a charm of oil...very unique (thanks to Pops who bought those!). It was a fun day...the kids loved it and are still talking about. It unfortunately started to rain so we couldn't take the chair lift down and had to resort to a very scary bus ride down the wet mountain...but we all survived and it was a fun day. We missed my brother and Candy who opted to go the Biltmore Estate instead that day...which looked amazing from the pics they took! :)
• And what else can I say...it was just a down-home good time in the mountains and in the valley (we also did some fun shopping, ice-cream eating, more miniature golf, ate lots of awesome food thanks to my mom and her gourmet breakfasts and dinners)....just lots of fun stuff. I think some of the best times were just spent at our cabin (Kev, I think, agrees as he said his fav. part was the "down time"....which there was not much of...but he just likes to sit and read and veg out so that's always a highlight for him)....and if I might speak on Dylan's behalf I believe his fav. part was just playing in the big open field in front of our cabin. He could (and DID) sit there for HOURS and just play with balls (we had brought a few and bought a few more while we were there)....but he'd just walk all around and throw balls and fetch them. He was in heaven and just so happy to have a big place to play. It was so fun to watch him. The girls loved that area as well and had picnic there by the creek and just ran around and had fun. We all enjoyed my bro's ATV and I know he and my dad were like little kids riding it all over the mountains exploring. We also enjoying shooting off the guns. I was pretty proud of myself. I actually hit the clay pigeons (fyi those are NOT birds...just clay discs)....but I don't think I've ever been able to hit them...this year I hit three! Whohoo! I even have a gun wound on my hand to prove it! What a brave girl I am! :) And the kids just had a great time running all over, exploring, catching lightning bugs, playing in the creek by the cabin. All just superbly awesome times and I just can't really do the good times justice with only words. I think I'll have to let the pics do the talking later on. HUGE, HUGE thanks to my parents for providing us shelter, much food, good times at Ghost town, among many other things....if I haven't said so before our family of five is so very blessed by two sets of thoughtful and generous parents...thank you for everything in NC, Mom and Dad!
  

Anyway....so that's our "brief" vacation adventure. I didn't mean to get so long-winded about it, but it was such a great time and so hard to be back from reality now. I hate the post-vacation blues :( But, it is good to be back home and be in our own bed (which thankfully does not sink in the middle like the one in the cabin :))....and we're thankful that Shelby is back to her normal quiet sleeping patterns (she got very few naps on the trip and therefore had MANY night terrors and was up screaming a lot....it was awful...and I'm sure the rest of our cabin and those up the mountain will agree with :)). And you will be glad to know that Dylan has cleared himself out and is high and dry and clean again! Ok, so most of you don't know the "fun" adventure in "pooland" that we had on our car-ride home, but let me reassure you it became quite comical to us. Let's just say that Dylan had a poo blow-out like no other in the first leg of our trip...it was so bad that about a 1/2 cup of it spilled onto his carseat and he then proceeded to put his hand in it, wipe it in his hair, put his hand back in it and then wipe it in his face (and, yes, we were mostly unaware of this :)) It was like no other poop we've ever seen or ever want to see again (and have no fear...we have pics to prove it! :)). After we pulled off on Stinking Creek Road (no joke) to change it...he then proceeded to poop 3 more times (blow outs) that day/night....let's just say we were out of clean clothes by the time we got him and out of wipes as well. It was a poopy afternoon for us! Maybe it was that new yogurt he had that morning??? Hmmm....no more fruit on the bottom's for you, dear Dylan! :)

So, now it's back to reality and back to our humm-drumm summer. Next up is our trip to WI for my grandparent's memorial. We are looking forward to that and to seeing my parents again and my Aunt Sue (who has never even met Dylan and only seen Shelby once)...it'll be a good time seeing family and remembering and honoring my grandparents whom I loved so much and miss dearly.

Well, my dear friends and family...I have missed you all, but I've been having a great time the past week or so. But, I guess it's good to be back in the "real world" or at least I'm trying to convince myself of that today. I hope you all had a great week and a great 4th of July holiday! I have a couple prayers before I sign off. First of all, we got a call yesterday that Kev's grandpa M. in Ohio has been having heart problems and has been in the hospital. He is having a pacemaker put in today. I don't know many other details as Kev's parents are on vacation and only called briefly to let us know that. But, we are praying he does ok with the surgery and praying we are able to see him this Sunday in OH. He is a dear, sweet man. And also I ask prayers for my friend Susie's mom. I won't go into all the details, but she was recently admitted to the hospital with multiple problems and is not doing well. My friends Susie and her family are currently in NC on vacation visiting her....so if you think of them and their family just say a little prayer for them all. I have always loved Sue's mom...she was a great support to me growing up and really like a friend to me. She is just a wonderful, down-to-earth, funny and honest person. Why bad things happen to good people is still a hard thing for me to grasp among the fact that so many loved ones of mine are sick lately. Just praying for Susie and her mom and their family.

Well, I'm not sure when I'll post again, but be rest-assured it'll be to post some awesome NC pics! I love ya'll and miss ya! Oh, and before I forget....special thanks go out to Dave and Heather and fam for keeping our fond fishy friend Phil alive and swimming while we were gone and to our awesome neighbors Jill and Ross and fam. for keeping our flowers and Shelby's sprouts alive and green! We owe you guys! :)