the cottingham boys and me

happy second birthday stevie c

2009-11-13T15:58:00.002-06:00

i'm a week late on this post as his bday was last saturday. did i mention that i was not even in town for said bday?? so we celebrated when i got home on sunday evening, my fabulous hubby made a cake! i cannot believe its been two years since he was born. he has gotten so big and is no longer the baby that he was. to me he still seems like it. even through the words, the independence, the attitude. hes still that little guy that we brought home that i could not hold enough, rock enough, kiss enough. he is definitley not mommys little boy anymore, has taken alot more to his dad. (he finally realized that dad is the fun one!)
i love you stephen. you are such an amazing joy in my life, our lives. you fill my heart up. you are soo goofy and smart and silly.

ms mariam

2009-11-13T15:39:00.002-06:00

i went for a visit last week to see my sister becky and my fantabulous niece mariam. i had such a great time hanging out with my sister and holding her beautiful baby! mason kept asking me what i did while i was away (i went for 4 nights) and really all i could say was hang out and hold the baby. it was nice to not have to run around two little boys creating havoc!!
she is super cute and really a calm baby (lucky you sis, lucky you!) i didn't take as many pics as i should have but here are a couple. also big sister kate was coming for a visit as well and luckily we got to overlap for a day so the three of us could be together, which hasn't happened in, wow, a long time. i can't even remember! enjoy the cuteness!

i think i forgot to mention how freaking cute this town is that they live in. its about 20 minutes west of charlotte and has the quaintest little main street. LOVE it!

smell my feet

2009-11-01T06:19:00.003-06:00

we had a fantastic halloween. mason was a knight and stephen was, well he was supposed to be thomas the train. i'm suprised i got him to wear the hat to trick or treat!

and how could i forget........

2009-10-14T20:39:00.003-05:00

MY NIECE MARIAM!!!!! becky delivered this little angel two weeks ago today on September 30th. she weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and is 20 inches long. isn't she FaNtAsTiC?????? momma and baby are doing well :)
congratulations my sweet sister. you are going to be great at this! (you already are) she is so patient and loving and kind. i am so glad to be sharing this motherhood journey with her!

13 weeks to go

2009-10-14T20:19:00.002-05:00

went to the midwives yesterday and had a checkup. all is well in babyland, baby is measuring at around 28 weeks. his heartbeat is strong and steady. no news is good news, eh?
every day that goes by i get more and more pregnant. i feel as if i could not be any more pregnant but know that i am kidding myself. i've already gained a whopping 20 pounds (eek...that kind of snuck up on me). i'm having trouble staying asleep at night, which i partly blame on the lingering cold/allergies/??? but also the constant need to flip over and over till my back gets comfy. so i'm a little tired, which is also stephens fault as he has been waking up at 5 freaking thirty this week. WTF???? yeah, so tired and a tad grumpy. so i belive i am officially into the third trimester and i am getting nervous about this whole 3 kid thing. really its about having my two year old and a newborn. how is this going to work? i think i am going to have to work even harder at letting go of some of my "controlling nature". i am very much a person that is comfortable with and for my sanity relies on the idea that there is a place for everything and everything in its place. i.e. when its nap time a baby should sleep for the appropriate amount of time. hahahahahahahaha...... so where was i? oh yes: letting go. acceptance. these are the keys to a life of peace and serenity. go with the flow kb. (please do remind me when i'm blowing postpartum gaskets over here) so i'm freaking out a little bit :) but i cannot wait to meet this guy. i was watching the boys running around tonight with 'super speed' really enjoying how different and how the same that they are. pretty soon there will be another, brothers. what a beautiful blessing. this is going to be fun yall.
mason has been drawing a lot more lately, really creative detailed drawings. the last few days its been of piranhas eating other fish. i am loving watching his creativity flow more. for awhile he seemed really concerned with doing "it right". not wanting to make a mistake. but lately for some reason he has loosened up a bunch. also the tantrums are less so things are generally much calmer and happier here. stephen is a ham and a half. talking ALOT more. still train obsessed. i love these kids :) my three sons to come.....

Freedom House Update

2009-09-28T19:01:00.003-05:00

after 10 months of being open we are FILLED TO CAPACITY PEOPLE!!!!!! and have a FREAKING WAITING LIST!!!!
just had to share that....

Goal!

2009-09-27T07:52:00.002-05:00

yesterday mason started on his soccer team at the ymca. they had a 30 minute practice followed by a 30 minute game. unfortunately i missed it, i was at my friends sons funeral. mike took the boys and said that it was really fun and mason really enjoyed himself. i was a little concerned about how the whole thing would play out (not just dad having to take the two boys on his own) but how mason would handle it. when dealing with the new & unfamiliar he has a tendency to be very shy and at times to get very frustrated. he's like his mom, he doesn't want to learn how to do things but wants to know how, already!! it sounded like it was a success. i can't wait to go watch for myself next week :)

6 months...really??

2009-09-23T14:16:00.002-05:00

i am now into my 24th week of pregnancy. i cannot believe how quickly time has gone by, although i know that the last trimester is when things start to move at snail pace. i've finally started to feel the limitations that my body has as a result of being pregnant. after cleaning the whole house yesterday AND going to the gym i realize i need to take it down, just a notch or two. really i have been feeling well physically, i like being pregnant. i started back to the gym for cardio a few weeks ago and i feel really great that my big preggo butt is working it. i was SO sedentary with my last pregnancies and i feel very empowered to be able to run for 30 minutes (and to still be fitting into size medium maternity clothes!!!) for those that witnessed my body changes with the boys i know you can appreciate this with me :) i got HUUUGGGEEE!! people constantly asked me if i was having twins...i was like no. just fat. thanks! i LOVE feeling baby getting bigger and constantly moving around in my belly. its such a beautiful thing to be able to be a part of. there is a person. growing. in. my. body. again!! wow. here are a few pics from my u/s last week. he is sucking his thumb :)

the boys are doing fantastic. mason is getting along well in school and some of the behavioral issues we were having as he got adjusted into his routine have been working themselves out. he has been really interested in letters & sounds lately, oh and star wars. gotta have the battle droids! he is eating like a horse and is continuing to grow, we always joke that he has a hollow leg. man that kid can EAT!
stephen is rocking and rolling as well. he talks so much and has been (with help and coercion) counting to three. he is obsessed with trains. did i say obsessed? OBfreakingSESSED. still will barely eat a damn thing and it makes me nutso. he just got over having what i think was the flu last week, poor guy. he is enjoying his mothers day out (as is mommy) and having daddy around more often (as is mommy!)
so things are as they should be at the cottingham home. freedom house is doing very well and after almost 10 months of being open, we are still here!!! with clients...that pay rent....wow! i am so grateful and i think in shock and denial that this thing is/has really happened for us.
in other news my first niece should be born within the next week or so. my sister becky who lives in n. carolina will be giving birth to her first child pretty soon here. i get to go for a visit the first week in november and am so excited for her :) she has been a rock for me my whole life and been such a good friend, i am so happy about the birth of her daughter. i love you becky!!
in other awful/terrible/gut-wrenching news.....i posted a few weeks ago about the birth of my friends son rhyder who was born with some health complications. he passed away on saturday afternoon after being with us for 3 1/2 weeks. i don't have words for this, they all seem stupid and pointless and empty. my heart is so very sad for my friends and their family. i have never been so close to such a loss before. it is.....awful. my heart aches for them and their loss.
i hate ending on such a sad note but there it is.

new beginnings

2009-08-28T16:10:00.003-05:00

mason started back to his montessori school this week. it is his last year of preschool before he starts kindergarten (wow!) and has done remarkably well transitioning back into the swing of things. mommy has been tired. i got used to not having to be anywhere at any specific time! i know, boohoo, i had to get the kids up and dressed and out of the house by 8:15, life is hard. mason is one of the oldest kids in his class so he really gets to be a leader this year. there are a lot of smaller kids than usual which i think will be good because he will get more attention from his teacher while doing afternoon work (which is where they work on reading, writing, etc).

we went today to meet stephens childrens day out teachers, i've been calling it mothers day out which apparently is very 20 years ago? it is now CDO, just so ya know. they seem fantastic and i LOVE his new classroom! he starts back next tuesday and i think he is really going to have some fun.

an update on baby rhyder who i wrote about my last post. they are currently being discharged from the hospital to go home. from what i know they have gotten a lot more information about his health and issues that he has, which can all be worked on once he gets a little bigger. soooo we continue to hope and pray for strength for him and his parents!

miracles in the making

2009-08-25T17:01:00.003-05:00

this morning at 7:20 rhyder anderson was born weighing in at 4lbs 13oz and 15" long. when he was 2o weeks old in utero he was diagnosed with trismoy-18. if you do not know anything about this genetic disorder just know that statistically the babies have a 50% chance of not surviving until birth, the ones that do survive have a 50% chance of living for 24 hours. today he was born via cesarean birth, blue, not breathing, with a very low heart rate. after being given to mommy & daddy and getting some oxygen he began breathing and pinkened up! he has been able to relieve his bladder and has eaten at two seperate feedings (these are things that most tri-18 babies have trouble with). so already he is beating the odds, minute by minute, prayer by prayer. he will stay in the nicu for now so michelle & dave are staying with him as much as possible. it was important for me to share this on here because of how i LOVE this family and how close to my heart michelle & dave and their children are. please think of them, pray for them, send good energy their way (however it is that you may roll!!)

he is a handsome, strong little man!! i love you rhyder! see you again soon!!

20 weeks

2009-08-22T09:11:00.005-05:00

i have not been writing on here as much as i have wanted to. i really wanted to document this pregnancy and the changes going on with the boys, but for some reason haven't been able to get it together.
i went yesterday for my 20 week ultrasound and midwife appointment. baby is growing well and looks very healthy. we are having another BOY as you can see in the photo below. he didn't cooperate and give us any face shots so at my next appointment i get another scan, darn. i am very excited to find out that i am having another son. i really was pulling for a daughter, but god knows what he's doing and knows what i need way more than i do. i keep thinking about my house full of boys, and though they can be handfuls how FUN they are. three brothers, what a gift :)

Mason went with me for the appointment and was really excited and on his super best behavior. poor thing was VERY disappointed when i told him he was having another brother. he crossed his arms & pouted. he really wanted a baby sister. he came around though and got to tell mike the news & stephen that he was going to be a big brother, to a brother just like him! mason told him that he would get to show his little brother how to play with trains. (stephen is OBSESSED with trains right now. obsessed.) it was really cool.

so i'm feeling well lately. baby is moving around a bunch. i've actually been feeling him since about my 15th week which has been different this time around. another difference is the change in my breasts?!?!?!? i know this is very common iin pregnancy but WTF? never for me before! other than an aching back, sore boobs and difficulty sleeping this pregnancy has been wonderful. i don't think i've been too difficult to live with (ask my husband, he'll tell you the truth!)

mason starts school back monday and i'm actually really sad about it. he will start going monday through friday instead of the three days he did last year. i am going to miss him. i know i will enjoy the time but i am so used to him being with me. stephen starts his MDO on the 1st. so in a week i will have two days a week to.... hell i have no idea what i'm going to do!

Canada Pics

2009-08-12T17:02:00.005-05:00

here are pics from our trip to my moms a couple of weeks ago. i'll write soon about the trip.

at regina beach

with bailey in moms backyard

more beach

cuties

pickin strawberries at grandmas

chillin with grandpaw

stork

riding in the convertible

harvested from their backyard garden

at the expo - we sw a birds of orey show. this is a golden eagle

rides at the expo

at a local park

vacation - florida

2009-08-06T16:57:00.004-05:00

last week while the boys and i went to visit my mom in canada mike went to florida with a couple of buddies (who got the real vacation??) he got to do his favorite things : sleep in, smoke cigars & fish. he only took a few pics because he is a LOSER, but here they are:

i think this is a grouper?

nurse shark. he caught two of these and supposedly a very large sting ray. i see no picture for proof....

on the way. smoking a stogie. in my truck. yeah. (can you see the ghetto fabulous mirror? someone hit it the day before he left town)

I'll write and post pics from our canada trip soon.

update

2009-07-21T13:53:00.002-05:00

i am pleased to report that the utterly awful, terrible FATIGUE that accompanies the first trimester of pregnancy has passed. i have some energy back although the getting up in the middle of the night and pressure in my pelvis has begun. i am really excited about the journey of pregnancy this time, i've always liked being with child (even when i'm a hormonal psychopath) but this time i am really searching to have a spiritual experience, or i guess allow myself to connect with the experience, and be an active participant in whats happening with me. i've started to read a book that was recommended to me from a couple of different women and am enjoying so far. its called birthing from within and i think it is going to be very helpful because i have never been in labor. meaning having been induced & taken an epidural with both babes, i have never labored non medicated, not in a hospital bed. so i have no idea what i am doing and am a little nervous, but mostly just excited. its all so new because with the boys i just didn't care really, as long as they were born healthy, it really didn't matter to me how. i'm not sure where the change came from, well that's not true. i think its had a lot to do with meeting some women that have had really empowering and also terrible birth experiences. they have given me the courage and belief in myself that as i woman i am made to do this, that i am capable of doing it and that i am worthy to fight for it. so more will be revealed on that front.
emotionally i've been pretty well, its been kind of tough at home because mike is so busy with school this summer and really feeling the pressure & stress, so after he gives to the boys he doesn't have too much energy left to deal with my pregnant ass. this too shall pass. he will graduate in may (yippee!!!) and take some time before he starts his masters. i really am so proud of him and the perseverance he has practiced with school. he started back when we moved in together EIGHT years ago, i am so happy for him that the end is in sight.
i'm really looking forward to the trip the boys and i are taking to visit my mom this weekend. Canada here we come. i will not have to cook or clean for one week....thanks mom, the queen is coming! i am only a little apprehensive about traveling alone with them, especially with the amount of "emotional outbursts" mason has been having lately. but really there is not too much i can do but try & plan well. i'll let you know how it goes.
the boys are awesome. mason has been having a rough couple of weeks, i think he is just bored and ready to go back to school. next summer will be filled with camps people, a lot of camps. i think stephens vocabulary has tripled in the last couple of months. he understands absolutely everything and can and does say pretty much anything. if you ask him where mommas baby is he pats his own belly then pats mine. such a sweet boy. i am so grateful that i get to enjoy them!
oh and congratulations to my old boss christa and the birth of her daughter. so happy for you, can't wait to meet her and hear what dawson thinks of his little sister.

bebe update

2009-07-17T12:19:00.003-05:00

i went back today to the midwives to have an ultrasound to determine a more accurate due date. it turns ourt i am FOURTEEN AND A HALF weeks along! due on january 11th. baby looks good. the only potential issue, whiich my midwife assured me was a non-issue, is that i have a low lying placenta. she said it is not previa, nor is it marginal or partial, just low lying. (which means it is close to my cervix. if the placenta covers the cervix at delivery it means a c-section would be necessary as the baby could not get out) but she assures me she is not worried, just wanted me to know to watch out for any spotting after certain "activities".
i go back in five weeks for my checkup and anatomy scan in which we will hopefully find out gender :) i am sooo relieved to be this far along. its easier to breathe and really get excited. its been strange because we've known for so long, just told everyone a couple of weeks ago, and now i'm in my second trimester. moving fast it feels like.

oh baby oh baby....oh baby

2009-07-08T09:30:00.003-05:00

i started this post a few weeks ago and am finally wiling to share it. so the big news is that i am pregnant. yes, again. yes, with number three. yes, i am crazy. mike says he will hold me solely responsible for whatever chaos ensues as a result of having another child. we are super excited! i am anywhere from 9ish to 11ish weeks along, which puts me due sometime in january or february. i will know more definitively next friday once i have a more high-def ultrasound. we went monday to our first appointment with the midwife group. (which is a change i am going with on this pregnancy. i have done the "dr. route" twice before, both times induced, both times with an epidural. i am looking for a completely different birth experience) so she was AWESOME. she did do an ultrasound and i never cease to be amazed at how much they form so quickly. it was low-resolution so she couldn't say for sure how far along i am. but we got to see/hear babys heart beat and he/she was SO active. below are some notes i've made over the last couple of weeks:
_____________________________________

because i know i'll forget if i don't write it down. because, yes, i have PREGNANCY BRAIN..... ALREADY!!! YAY!!!!!!

i think one of the reasons why i have not been blogging is because i have had this super big news that we weren't sharing yet so most of what i have to say is related to that and would have given away my current status. like "i'm tired, i feel like i'm going to puke, i'm tired, my back hurts, i am worried something bad will happen with this pregnancy, i'm tired" ...etc....

we found out we were expecting again of course immediately because we have been trying. well and when i say trying i mean i got my iud taken out in april and we conceived within a month. man, we sure can make kids! so its a long road from conception to a comfortable time to share the news with the world.

i took my preggo test on memorial day and got an immediate verification to something i was pretty sure about, i was already feeling tired and light headed so was pretty sure. we told mason that afternoon and he was so excited. he has been saying he wants another baby, a sister to be precise. so i asked him what he would say if i told him there was a baby in my belly and he said "cool" so i said "well, there is a baby in my belly" and he looked up at me and smiled really big and said "nuh-uh" and i said uh-huh. and he said something along the lines of awesome. since then he asks me if the baby is moving yet, is the baby coming soon, will rub my belly, etc. i am so looking forward to this journey with him because he is old enough to GET what is happening, and can experience it with us. to add on to this thought last week we were laying in bed and mason asked where the baby came from. now we have had conversations about how babies are made, that they are in mammas belly, etc. but he has never asked such DETAILED quiestions. he wanted to know how baby will come out of my belly. so i told him. he looked very thoughtful and said "but it is so small" and i told him yes dear it is small but it stretches when baby comes. he did a little butthead laugh from beavis & butthead and said "unbelievable". yes, unbelievable.

i have not been to the midwives yet so am not sure when my due date is. it will either be in january or febuary (long story as to why i'm not sure but has to do with iud removal and questionable ovulation) so i am either at 6 or 9 weeks and have already gained 5 pounds. argh. i have not been going to the gym because, well i'm tired and don't want to. i can see the battle is already in progress. i keep telling myself when the boys go back to school in august it will be easier to go. we'll see, we'll see.

PREGGO OBSERVATIONS:

#1 i have a certain way i apparently like to sleep when pregnant as it started almost immediately again this time. on side, top leg thrown over, snuggling pillow. while not pregnant this makes my back hurt, but is sooo the way i sleep knocked up. (wow, knocked up. that was charming)

#2 i am a man hater at the moment. i am reading these books that are based in the middle ages and all of the fictional-yet-based-on-truth truths about women have been really pissing me off. really. even though i know its 2009 people but.... anyway. my hormones are being channeled into being pissed off.

#3 i cannot live without coffee. but though pre-pregnancy i drank it cold with a splash of milk and agave the thought of that makes me want to puke. so now its warm with a bunch of milk and sugar. weird.

#4 i am mean. to my huband. at night.

caldwell pics

2009-06-27T07:43:00.005-05:00

with fathers day last weekend and the anniversary of my dads passing in a week or so i find myself thinking a lot about him this time of year. since its ben ten years since he died i think a lot about the past, what things were like for me and in my family at that time. it was not a good time for us then, any of us really. so over the years its been a lot of grief and saddness which over time has healed little by little to where i think more about the happy times than the sad ones. they say time heals and i think that is true if i am open to the healing and forgiveness. now the sadness i feel is about not having my dad here to know my boys, and for them to not know him. of course i want him for me too. its interesting how the pain/grief/saddness whatever you want to call it has changed over the years. it is also interesting how sometimes it can hurt almost like it did at the beginning. so mike fixed (well he said it wasn't broken) the scanner so i uploaded some of my favorite photos i have of my dad. enjoy!

surfside beach

2009-06-16T09:08:00.005-05:00

mason and his buddy caeden taking a break

braving the water like big boys, holding hands, too cute....

yes that is my child trying to drink saltwater

look at how blue the water is!!!!! NO this is NOT florida! wow....

We had so much fun on our trip a couple of weeks ago. i thought it was going to be ruined b/c when we got there the mosquitos were RIDICULOUS!! luckily they sprayed friday night and all was right with the world. the water and weather were insanely beautiful. mike got to do some fishing and stogie smoking and we all had fun playing on the beach. our friends the andersons came to hang out on sunday and the boys had a blast swimming and making sand castles. we were so suprised to see how clear and clean the water was. standing in waist deep water you can see your feet. unbelievable. i forget how lucky i am to live so close to the ocean.

we have had a great summer so far. we have spent a lot of time at the pool. mason is really getting more and more comfortable in the water and is learning to swim better on his own. stephen is FEARLESS and loves it - a little healthy fear would be nice :) i am adjusting to having the boys home without my normal 2 day a week break (thank you preschool & MDO) last week was a little hairy. i was tired & grumpy and really struggling with a bad attitude. MUCH better the last several days. thank god, i was really getting tired of hearing myself complain. i'm finding it increasingly difficult to consistently blog, not because there is a lack of fabulous things that the children do. i think i'm just fealing lazzzzyyyyy....

summer, again?

2009-05-23T20:46:00.005-05:00

hello summer 2009. although we've had a couple of "cold fronts" come through its sure is getting hot, right? although i do have to give mother nature credit, its been pretty nice having the highs be in the 80's.
school ended last week for both of the boys so we have 3 fun-filled months ahead. not that we have a lot going on, our only big thing is going to see mom in canada at the end of july which i am really looking forward to. i know the boys are going to have a blast and its been since when i was pregnant with mason that i went to visit them. (i know, i suck as a daughter) so we've started the summer off with haircuts, i know UBER exciting stuff.....i don't know where my little 18 month old baby has gone, he looks like such a big boy now. sniff.

and the end of the school year wouldn't be what it is without the annual SMMS year end program. its so cool that mason will actually go onstage without whining, crying, running, etc. AND he SANG some! can't wait to see what its like next year .

Mason and his buddy ryan

so stephen is 18 months old. his favorite word is NO. go figure..... he LOVES books. almost to an annoying degree. he wants to be read to all the time. which is great, really. sometimes i just. don't. want. to.
mason i think has grown like 2 feet an as many weeks. i have also been noticing some emotional maturity in him (which i am sure i will eradicate over the next 3 months!!!)
so basically my kids ROCK. i have been so enjoying spending time with my family lately. that is such a good feeling. sometimes i can go through periods of time, long periods of time, when i just don't feel connected like this. things are good!

Mothers Day

2009-05-16T09:03:00.003-05:00

mothers day was last weekend. the fam and i went to smithville for a long weekend. mike rented a cabin on the colorado river. it was a MUCH needed vacation. mike just wrapped up another semester and with work, school & the halfway house he has been really busy. the boys really enjoyed having him to themselves with no interruptions. and everyone got along, even the grownups :)

we hung out, went fishing, swam, hunted grasshoppers, made smores, and were just lazy together. thanks honey for a FABULOUS weekend! i put more pics up on facebook b/c its easier to upload there.

new do

2009-05-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

2009-04-23T16:13:00.004-05:00

i haven't written in awhile. hello, state the obvious. last week i was dealing with a sick kid and husband. stephen had the ear infection and continued to run a fever for several day after starting antibiotics. then i noticed a couple of sores on his tongue, we thought it was hand, foot and mouth disease. but it turned out the little girl in his class that we thought he got it from didn't have the hand, foot & mouth, but some other weird thing. long story short, too late, he's better now. mike in the meantime got sick as well with whatever stevo had b/c he had swollen gums & a huge sore on his tongue. he's better (thank god) i love you honey. but am i right when i say that men are such babies when they are sick? can i get an amen? amen.
during the sick kid/husband drama i managed to get into a car wreck in the parking lot of stephens school. good times. it was my fault. damn suv drivers that try to call their pediatricians office & then proceed to reverse from their parking spot without looking in their rearview. all i can say is thank GOD that the family was in their car and not on foot!! so needless to say i have heeded the warning and am paying better attention while driving.
i am oh so completely bummed out this week. an acquaintance of mines daughter passed away on monday. Dylan was just over four years old and has been battling a brain tumor since she was 6 months old. i only met her a few times, so we were not close, but i am so sad for her family. for her. that she didn't get to grow up and live life. didn't get to go to school, learn to swim, dance ballet, fall in love, see her baby sisters grow up. her parents seem so strong, so connect with God and Jesus. i am in awe of their grace. the second thing that has my tummy in knots is about my friend Michelle. her third son, Rhyder, is due in september. they have found out through a series of tests that he has trisomy 18. they are 99% sure about this. this is where there is an extra 18th chromosome, so instead of there being 2 there are 3. here is a link that has more info on it if you are curious: http://www.trisomy18.org/site/PageServer?pagename=whatisT18_whatis. so for a lack of better words, this sucks. please pray for her, her baby, and her family. michelle and dave are such lovely people. kind, loving, present, compassionate, REAL. REALLY real. i am so blessed to have met them a little over a year ago.

p.s.

2009-04-13T08:55:00.002-05:00

yeah.... i had masons dr look into my ear, and i have a hole in my eardrum (this is from stephen banging me in the ear last week) i was instructed to go to an ent immediately so that they can track my healing progress, or fix if it does not heal. so i am not completely paranoid, it was as bad as i thought. obviously not bad enough that i've rushed to the dr yet. yes mom, i will make an appt.....

easter

2009-04-13T07:31:00.003-05:00

we had a lovely easter weekend (although it started with me rushing out of my coffee group, that i was hosting, to take stevo to the dr. after i spotted goo in his ear, to find out he has an ear infection). we worked in the yard saturday and dyed easter eggs. had some family and friends over on sunday to hunt eggs and eat yummy honey baked ham. here are some pics:

hallettsville, tx

2009-04-04T19:53:00.002-05:00

so we just got home from a visit with some family that lives down in halletsville (about 2 hours south of here). we went to see mikes niece haley(his brothers daughter) to celebrate her birthday that is next week(which we happen to share, the 9th). i am so glad we have finally gotten our stuff together to do it, we've really blown it on like every other of her previous birthdays. it was a blast! i forgot how much i like to be around her mom alicia, and how sorry i am for my own sake - not hers - that she and kelly are no longer married. mason got to fish and caught, with mikes help, about 6-7 bass :) both of the boys got to drive a golf cart, yeah thanks aunt alicia! mason promptly asked me when we got on the road if he could drive home. i can see that he's not letting go of that one so easily. we got to see a wild hog that got caught in one of their traps, which was kind of scary looking and stinky. it was so nice to hang out and watch the cows, oh and i saw 2 dear prancing by when we were driving out through the property. mason LOVED being out in the country!! stephen also enjoyed himself. it was a great day trip, and the boys did suprisingly well on the road. mike wanted to bring the car dvd player, and i guess a 2 hour drive is justifiably long enough for it. but for some reason i said no, i mean WE never got to watch tv, right?!?!?! we just had to shut up and deal with it. so i realized i really do like the country, but could not live that far out. maybe on the outskirts of a small city or LARGE town.
of course i forgot my camera, luckily mimi took hers, but wether or not i get pics from her is another story.