Thursday, July 27, 2006

Busy Week

Well, My computer has been REALLY wonky this week so I haven't gotten a chance to even get on my computer hardly this week. (it's amazing how addicted we get) Anyway, Hunter and I didn't hang out Tuesday like we thought we would. Instead, Mike dropped us off at Barnes & Noble at the mall while he was at Tae Kwon Doe. We had so much fun. We went to the kids area and read several books. There was also a train there that he got to play with. It was really nice quality time together and it was very special. Hunter LOVES to read and if you grab a book, he'll sit there forever! We did visit Burlington Coat Factory also where we got a yummy sugar cookie in the shape of Spiderman and we visited the books and toys. We found a new pair of pajamas and 2 new books. Wednesday, we went to Busch Gardens after work. We were going to go to Water Country but Mike wasn't feeling well. We were glad, though that we went. Hunter got to run through Land of the Dragons. It was fun trying to keep up with him. He is so fast...amazing he can make it to the top in SUCH a short amount of time:) He rode the Sky Ride for the first time and wanted to ride it "more". (Luckily, to get to Land of the Dragons, you have to ride it twice and then once on the way back:) It was nice all of us together, and even though Mike didn't feel well, he still had a great time. Mike was sick again today. Not sure if it was his skin or what but turned out he just isn't sleeping good and can't sleep at night. He's very tired but just can't FALL asleep. I know we have had alot on our minds and even though he's been concerned, he says that that is not what keeps him up. He has even cut down on caffeine but not sure if he had it late or not. Maybe, just a small bug or something. He took some Tylenol PM and is asleep already tonite. He felt better mid day today and cleaned our house:) (we usually clean on Thursday nights anyway) He made a beautiful dinner. Corn, Grilled Chicken and a fresh salad. I'm really spoiled and am enjoying every minute of it. I tell him all the time he should have gone to culinary school. He doesn't just COOK good. He makes the food LOOK good. Hunter was happy-he LOVES corn! We watched a new Baby Einstein movie with Hunter with some popcorn. Talked to some friends we have been playing phone tag with for a while and then put Hunter to bed. Guess I'll get ready to turn in. Gotta check my baby:) He looks so precious sleeping. I have to admit that he does wake up sometimes. I just pick him up and put him in bed with me for a few. He just cuddles up and my heart melts! Even Mike will turn over and kiss all over him. But then we put him right back in his bed and he's asleep again:) He goes to bed so well. Only when we are camping he might not fall asleep right away but for the most part, he's out pretty quick. We haven't made any camping plans yet for next weekend. A couple of our friends are going to one place they want us to go to but Mike doesn't want t pay the $40 to go over the Bay Bridge Tunnel:) ha ha Me either! Then our other friends can't go next weekend but can every other weekend. We may be camping the entire month of August:) Hope everyone has a good night.
*Mike can't sleep again, even with 2 tylenol PM's. It might be a long night. If he can't sleep,
neither can I:(

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Just another Dreary Day



Just another rainy, sleepy day. I could have just stayed in bed all morning. My dog seemed to sum it up. He's dressed in his rain coat and ready for the storm:) After putting Hunter's bag in the car this morning, I noticed him as I walked back up my steps. What a nice night to just stay home. Hunter and I are going to snuggle up and watch a movie tonite. Mike has Tae Kwon Doe. We started to watch an Elmo movie from the library last night but Hunter brought me a Veggie Tales movie from our cabinet. I guess he made HIS choice:) He likes the others but NONE can keep him mesmerized like the Veggie Tales. The Baby Einsteins do that also. Anyway, we watched that and had a little ice cream and then he went right to sleep. It's SLOW today at work also. I was looking for somewhere to go camping next weekend but so far, no luck. We're looking for somewhere by the beach. Just to get away, just to enjoy the water, and maybe some fresh seafood of course. We'll see. I just have some serious cabin fever and would like to go relax with the family, and maybe with some friends. I hope everyone has a wonderful day to relax, sit back and prop your feet up and enjoy the rain:)

Sunday, July 23, 2006

More Weekend Pix


These are some more of our weekend pictures. (Make sure you check out the previous post) This is my friend, Elaine and her daughter, Tabitha. She's due in November and expecting a baby girl named Naomi Grace. That's so pretty!! The name I want some day for a girl has Grace as the middle name too. I love "Hannah Grace". My son is "Hunter Glenn" and then they could have the same initials:) Ha Ha We'll just have to see how it works out though:) Anyway, Tabitha looks gorgeous pregnant and I'm so happy for her. She has that "motherly glow" already. The other picture is a shirt my mom found for me at the thrift store. It is SO perfect. I can't wait to wear it! I'm sure that some of you out there can relate. I hope everyone had a great weekend and Sunday afternoon. Because we were gone yesterday, we didn't get to rest as much as we wanted but today has been ausome! We've been home since after church and lunch. Hunter got up from his nap at -6:15- and I had to wake him up!! He went down at 1:30...WOW! He just loves his sleep! We've been hanging out in our den watching Discovery Channel on Demand. It's cool! We've just had ALOT on our minds this week and it's been nice to just hang out. We really needed the rest and time to just be together and not run all over town. Next weekend may be another story. (Just kidding) Mike is videotaping a wedding for someone we know and then we're going to our friends house for a cookout/party. We're looking forward to it though:) Mike went grocery shopping and we had a yummy dinner. (steak, mashed potatoes, corn and watermelon for desseret) Then we went on a bike ride through the neighborhood. Hunter had an ausome time. He was just laughing, and when he couldn't see me, he'd call, "Momma, Momma, Momma"
Anyway, I think I'm going to fold some laundry and pick out my clothes for work tomorrow. Have a great week:)

The Childrens Museum






Mike and I took Hunter to The Childrens Museum yesterday. It was SO much fun. It's been a LONG and STRESSFUL week so we needed a fun diversion. It was really great. Hunter and Daddy were INSIDE their own bubble. It was super slippery but very cool. It's so weird being in a museum that was really made for kids:) Hunter did really good. He walked most of it. We held him a little when he got kinda tired but for the most part, he was on his own. He went into the reading room and Mike read to him. Hunter could sit and be read to all day long. The room was decorated with so many cute characters. There was a very cute Elmo on the wall. I think his favorite was the trains. There was actually one tunnel you can crawl through so your head could be RIGHT beside the train as it goes by. You look like an astronaut because it's a bubble that sticks up:) The pictures were either too dark or a glare from the light though so I didn't post those. There was one whole section that was nothing but trains and Hunter was mesmerized. We may have to tell Santa this year:) hhhhhmmmm Even though he had so much fun, I bet within the next two years, it will be even more fun. They had a bicycle and family festival also so when we left we watched for a bit. There were several different races going on but one of them that won was a guy we went to high school with. ($150 from a local bike shop was the prize) Anyway, when we left there we went home, let Hunter rest for a bit and I made Five Cup Salad to take to a friends house for her and her husbands summer party. It was really fun. There were a couple kids there running around and they got in the pool. Hunter had fun chasing all the dogs. Between their kids and them, there were SEVERAL there. It was nice. She used to work with me at my office and now she works at another office but we try to stay in touch. Both her kids are married now and her daughter is expecting their first baby in November. I've got a cute picture of my friend, Elaine and her daughter, Tabitha but Blogger wants to be a real pain so maybe I can post it l8ter:) We went to church, El Mariachi's for lunch (We had a coupon:) and then came home. Mike fixed some stuff on our laptop and we've been hainging out in the den while Hunter took a nap. He went down about 1:30 and he is STILL in bed at 5:35..wow! That kid LOVES to sleep. We were watching some more specials on the Discovery Channel. We have become real nerds. We watched Extreme Engineering and it was really interesting. Hope everyone is having a great Sunday afternoon!

Friday, July 21, 2006

A New Start

Sometimes it's just easier to say forget the past. We ALL have a lot of forgiving and forgetting to do. I KNOW I certainly have done some things that I wish I could take back. The bottom line is Dave's accident should have reminded us that you NEVER know when God will call you home. I can't live with my conscience knowing something could happen to a close family member or friend or someone I love and they didn't know I loved them. Or there were hard feelings with them at the time. It may take some time but you adapt to the situation. You have to learn to just swallow your pride and say, "So what...I got my feelings hurt. I'm sure I've hurt some other people's feelings. I can't take it back. I can only change my actions from today on. I may not agree with everyone's opinions or ways of life. I just need to be supportive and take care of myself". I just might need to hear that someone cares or they DO love me and my family sometimes. That's part of our problem..We have this pride and we just can't drop it. I do love EVERY member of my family and I have never wanted to be a part from them. We just need to draw the line from today on and never look back. Is anyone with me?

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Prayers Answered

Well, yesterday was my appointment with the plastic surgeon and it went VERY well. He looked at my nose and found the hole to be on the bottom of my nose with 1 cm on each side of it. That makes my nose very structurally strong and it would take a very bad infection to make it collapse. (he calls that a saddleback) I'm so happy. The surgeries are very major and there are 2 ways to do it. The first way would have him going through my mouth, cheek, sinuses and then back up to my nose. The second way he would have to go through my skull. Both ways, he would have a piece in there holding it up that would have to be removed 3-4 months later. He said I am very lucky because the hole IS very large but it is in the perfect place. I just have to take care of it and see my ENT once a year to make sure it's healthy. I asked him what happened to the cartilage that is now gone. It was actually dissolved through a nose bleed. That is why it is so dangerous when my nose bleeds. It can make the hole bigger and make it weaker. When I asked him if this was probably caused by nasal sprays, he said absolutely. I wish more people knew the dangers of those sprays. The steroid in it is what is SO strong. He said that he sees it every day but a hole my size is very rare and is usually found maybe 1 in 10, 000. WOW! The moral of this story is that I called on Jesus and he was with me every step of the way. I KNOW that he physically changed something in my nose to make it ok. God is so good. He really blessed me and I hope he blesses you this week:D

Friday, July 14, 2006

A Prayer Request-Nasal Septum Damage

Well, today I am starting to get a little nervous. My stomach feels very heavy. Monday, I have a 9:30 appointment with a Plastic Surgeon, who is also an ENT. (Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor). I have a large hole in my septum believed to be caused by strong nasal sprays burning a hole right through it. (The septum is the cartilage in your nose separating the two holes.) I never even knew I had this condition until last year. I went to my regular ENT, because of continuous sinus infections. I had sinus surgery last August to correct a deviated septum, which was wonderfully successful. I had a large blockage on one side that was corrected, as well as a large bone spur and several benign polyups that were removed. This particular doctor I'm going to see was referred to me by another ENT I went to for a second opinion. I had heard he knew of someone who could CORRECT this hole in my septum. (My ENT doctor is wonderful but didn't know of anyone who would want to correct it. He does a great job of seeing me every several months to make sure that my nose is still healthy.) I know it must sound so weird. I feel so strange to have this condition, like this is so rare and can anyone else relate to me? Basically, I am only 30 years old and someday, my nose will collapse if not corrected. Both ENT's have agreed my nose is already showing signs of sagging and infections only make it weaker. I use saline spray frequently to keep it clean and keep the risk of infection down. Luckily, after this spring, it has been doing great. I had a bad staphe infection in the spring, which was very concerning to my doctor. When I called to make the appointment and spoke with the nurse, I felt very optimistic. She said that he has DONE this type of surgery and even though I have a LARGE hole, they are almost sure they can fix it. He only sees special needs patients and when he does sees you, he gets everything he needs to get done that day. (Ex-rays, insurance information, etc) She said by the time I leave, I will have a clear understanding of what my prognosis looks like. You don't KNOW what that means to me. My biggest fear was my nose eventually collapsing and no one knowing what to do about it. This is something I have prayed about. Just thinking about it, I could just cry to think that someone may be able to correct this condition. Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and concern. I know that God is with me. Although I'm scared, I know that God has given me a peace I could not have without him. Just be careful if you are using those nasal sprays. The one I used was not used by me repeatedly or irresponsibly. I was instructed to use it as needed and that's what I did. (occasionally, with allergies or temperature changes) The problem is not how MUCH you use them. It's just HOW you use them. It has a steroid in it, which makes it very strong. Your septum is not bone, but cartilage and so, cannot take the stress of something so strong. Even if you point it in the right direction, towards the outer part of your nose, it's still going to get in there. The best thing to use is saline spray. The salt is very healing. I just think that this is an important message. I wish I knew that several years ago. God bless you and Good Night:)

Float Nite





Tuesday night is Float nite at the pool and we went this past week. We had a blast. Hunter loves the floats but doesn't necessarily like to play with them IN THE POOL:) He likes to jump off the side to us. He's funny...he won't jump until you're JUST close enough to touch him. He's so silly! He loves this round float. In fact, he wanted to hold it the ENTIRE way home. It made seeing out the back window a little tough for Dad but he managed fine. He was really tired when we left. Needless to say, he didn't need rocking to sleep THAT night:)

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Having a ball at Busch Gardens






Well, I've been trying to get these pictures on here for a while but these are from last Friday. I went to Busch with Hunter, my mom, my "Nanny Arnette" , "Papa Bill" and "Aunt Kitty". My Nanny and Aunt both got a fun pass for Busch so they can go all summer through September. We had a ball! It's hard to believe my grandparent's age the way they stay active. We saw a couple shows and watched Hunter run through Land of the Dragons. We ate lunch at the Festhaus while Pop and my mom were dancing away! My mom loved it...this picture was the back of her but I thought it was really funny! Pop looked awesome...he really seemed to enjoy being part of the show:) The weather was wonderful. It had been horrible weather the day before but it must have helped Friday. It was sunny and beautiful but NO humidity; even a nice breeze. I don't know when we will get them all there again...Needless to say, I really treasure the pictures I have. It was a perfect day.

Monday, July 10, 2006

A Very Special Message

I wanted to share with you a very important message. Jacob David Baker died in his sleep October 30, 2005, very suddenly from a rare condition called SUDC. (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood) This is similar to SIDS, but affects children older than twelve months. He was a BEAUTIFUL little boy who is missed very much by a host of family members and friends. October 22, 2006 will be the 1st Annual Jacob's Run for a Reason at Mount Trashmore Park in Va. Beach, Va. There will be a 5k run, a 1 mile Family Fitness Walk and a Silent Auction. All proceeds will fund SUDC research, create awareness and help in providing SUDC support services to bereaved families. Please check out the SUDC website and make a donation if you can. There are SO many parents out there who need to be aware of this horrific silent killer; My family didn't know about SUDC...how many others out there don't know either? Thanks for your time. Below, you will find Jacob's website and also the SUDC's website. Please check it out. God bless you, Jacob...

Jacob's Run for a Reason

SUDC

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

More July 4th Weekend







These are some more photos from this weekend in North Carolina. Hunter had a BALL in the water. Uncle Jeff held him for a long time and they had fun:) He even jumped to him from Grandad's boat. He could hardly wait and wanted to jump in as soon as he could. Uncle Marvin sat with him on the jet ski. He's just getting him comfortable so he can ride next summer with him:) Uncle Mark was laughing at him with those new duck goggles on! Pop sat with him and read some books, which made Hunter VERY happy. My grandfather, Uncle Marvin, cousin Caleb AND Hunter all share the middle name, Glenn. I often say when they are all together their eyes look so much alike and it must be a GLENN thing! They looked cute on the pier fishing. Hunter got a NEW fishing rod from Grandad and he couldn't wait for him to use it. Nanny and Aunt Kitty love to swing with Hunter. There's a swing on the front and back porch and we use them all the time. It's so peaceful; only the sounds of the frogs. We really enjoy it there. We were only there this time a day and a half but regardless of the time, it was WELL worth it. We had a ball and can't wait until Labor Day. Well, I'm signing off. Its about 11 PM and I'm watching the news. But, I'm going to bed. It's TERRIBLE thunder storms here. I'm very frightened of the lightening since I watched a tree get struck by lightening and fall into a home across the street from me. I was standing at the door and watched the entire thing when I was a little girl. I do respect God's work; I just pray for his safety while being near it:) Good Night:)

Pillow Pleasures



Well, Hunter got a good suprise this weekend. We bought a new pillow for his bed; his FIRST BIG BOY pillow:) He has an adorable dog pillow that Grandma bought him but his head falls off it at night and he REALLY likes to lay on Mom and Dads pillows in their room. He was so excited!! He loves "Mater" too from "CARS" so he was even happier about that! When we brought it home, he carried it around the whole house with him in every room. He walked in the kitchen where we were and layed right in the floor and laughed profusely! He's such a silly boy:) He couldn't wait to grab it last night when we got home. We went to Busch Gardens for the fireworks show. It was really nice but we all had a case of "lead butt". We did some work around the house during the day and then took a nice nap while Hunter slept. I think we would have all been just as happy watching fireworks on tv but we still had a great time just being together. They had fireworks for the last 3 nights so it really wasn't that busy. It was just HOT so we went on the Log Flume and got wet. It felt WONDERFUL after that. It's nice we have passes and can go just for a short time and still get our money's worth. It's so close and Hunter has a ball. Well, hope you enjoy the cute photos of my Hunter Man. Too cute not to share. Have a great day and hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th. This year is just FLYING by!!

Monday, July 03, 2006

Birthday Bliss


This is our niece, KMT and today, we celebrated her 1st birthday! It's hard to believe a year has gone by! She looked so cute...and cool. Today was a real broiler and thank goodness for indoors! It was in the upper 90's! She got lots of adorable outfits and some cool toys. Mom and Dad got her an ausome wooden swing set. We're so full..we didn't even eat dinner tonite. They had LOTS of chicken tenders, cheese, crescants and fresh fruit. Her
cake was yummy too...cream cheese frosting! MMM! She had her own little cake but wasn't quite sure what to do, at first. She got the hang of it though... I think she'd rather just take her time and lick the frosting. Happy Birthday, Little Miss ...we can't wait to watch you grow!

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Nite Nite Routines








We spent our July 4th weekend at my family's home in NC; "The Lake". We're there almost every holiday weekend in the summer and it's great... boating, swimming, shopping, watching the Nascar race and LOTS of good homemade vegetables that "slept in the garden" the night before. Hunter got a few goodies from the ladies shopping day. They go to the "dime stores" and thrift stores, finding LOTS of "treasures". My little Duck...He was modeling his new Duck Goggles! He is so funny! He didn't mind them, even though they were a little tight. Then, Uncle Jeff offered to read him a bedtime story. (The Wheels on the Bus is his favorite) He loves to read books. We read every night before he goes to bed and have since he was a newborn. Mike and I love to read and he seems to share that same love for books. He has really learned so much by the books he enjoys. He's sat for over an hour before, just looking at books:) He likes his bedtime routine. We play, get a bath, brush our teeth, read about 2 books and then I snuggle with him in the rocking chair. Just by turning the lights out, he puts his head right on my shoulder and closes his eyes. I put ATLEAST one afghan on my shoulder for him to lay on and say his prayers. Then he says "BED" and I know he's ready to lay down. I love our routine and look forward to it every night. I take a quick peek before I go to bed, just to make sure he's ok and sometines I catch an adorable photo. He looks so peaceful and sweet. We just love him so much and can't thank God enough for him :)

King of the Castle

Hunter got a new Castle Bouncer...He doesn't know WHAT to think:) Well, we got it last week and I was really excited to get it out of the box. It had been pretty out but by the time I got home from work, it was raining. SO, we made the executive decision and blew it up in our living room. (Normally, of course, it would be outside but what we do for our kids! We had to let him try it out..LOL!) We got a great deal on it, as it was on sale at Walmart.com. It was much lower in price than the huge ones they also have. BUT, after several minutes of Mike trying to blow air in in with his mouth and looking like he could use his inhaler, we called on our wonderful neighbor, Tom to lend us his air compressor. Ten minutes later, he was ready to bounce! It's cool; 2 scords, 24 balls, and a huge round area to bounce away all that free energy. It was fun...I think he was a bit nervous about going through the entrance at first but he managed fine. I think he enjoys putting the balls in the holes in the wall better than anything. He's such a silly boy...gotta love those eyes !!