Tie Dye Time Part I

We made tie dye tees for the little girls for their first 4th of July, last night. Since we has some left over dye we made some for Brea & Leigh. You have to let the dye sit over night, so we'll be seeing what our "masterpieces" are soon!

Baby Shower

My sister in law just had a baby shower, (and no one told me any information about it, like time, date, or place). I was able to view some of the pictures online, and I was glad I didn't go because, just looking at the pictures made me cry.
You see, Heidi Anne is my 4th pregnancy. The other three didn't make it past 10 weeks. So when I made it to 12 weeks we were thrilled, she was going make it! I was told by family they would throw a baby shower for me to celebrate the first grandchild. They chose April, then pushed it back to May, and then June, and then Heidi Anne was born in July. I was told they would throw it after she was born, then pushed again to her blessing day. Nothing came of it. We had hoped that Christmas would be special, the first grandchild, but nothing what all of my friends said would happen. Christmas to me was always about Children and seeing the joy that they have in experiencing it, but Heidi Anne was once again left out while others got all the fun things.
It just hurts that not all life (even in the same family) is celebrated with the same joy. I just feel like Heidi Anne got royally screwed on this.
She is OUR precious baby girl, the only one I will ever have, she was my ONLY pregnancy I will have ever experienced. And I missed out on those basic and silly rites of passage and milestones. And I don't know why. But when another has all those silly and fun things done, its like Heidi Anne isn't a good enough grandchild. Or the grandchild that should have come later, or to the wrong person even. I know this seems petty and just jealous, but it hurts that no one cares about Heidi Anne, Heidi Anne has gone through a hard first year and has to go without. We have wanted to get her so much but cannot afford and it hurt because we know how much is spent on Heidi Anne verses the other grandchild. We are hurt, we feel hurt for Heidi Anne.

Little Home Improvments & Little Car Show

Char did some home imporvments today, put together 4 bookselves YEAH! I have a thing of not liking gold or gold colored metals, I am a silver or brushed nickle kind of gal. Well, we have a dresser and 2 nightstands with gold-ish nobbs. Since he was in the repair kick today he replaced the nobbs. I love it. Before is to the left side and after is the right. :) We also went to a little car show that was held at a local parking lot. It was pretty neat, however, there is going to be a big car show next week, which we will be going to. I believe this show was more of a preview of what there will be next weekend.

Tire Blow Out

I wasn't able to get this on last week, so I'll do it now. Last Sunday (Father's Day) we went to visit our families, since its a two hour drive back home we left at 8:30ish. Well on our way back our tire blew out. YIKES!
There we were driving down the interstate, we ran over road debris. Next thing we know we smell burned rubber. Char pulled over to the shoulder, sure enough we were missing a nice piece of tire. The inside center part.
So I called my sister at 9:00 pm, because, while we had a spare (doughnut) tire & a jack, we didn't have a tire iron--that's a whole nother story. At 9:15 my sister & my dad came to help. So Char and my Dad began to try to replace the tire, only to find the tire iron didn't fit the lug nuts.
AHHHHHH.
I called 9-1-1 for the highway patrol, then asked them for flat tire assistance and we were missing a metric tire iron. While Char was on the cell giving them info to find us, my sister had a brilliant idea. She suggested to my dad to ask if we had a weird piece of metal in our glove compartment. So he asked me, I check, and there was. It was the tire iron for our car!
(Turns out she had this same issue not to long ago). I cancelled the 9-1-1 request for help, Char and my Dad changed the tire in no time.
I followed my sisters' advice of not to look at the replacement tire. Well, once we were safely home in our garage (at 11:30 pm) I took a look. I am glad I listened to her, that tire was sooooo tiny compared to the other tires I would have freaked the whole drive home!

Art Show

We went to the local art show on Saturday, and walked around for 2 hours! There were over 150 artist there. I got visit my old boss Eric Dowdle http://www.dowdlefolkart.com/store/index.php which is now a tradition to visit him every year at the art show.
Another cool thing about this art show is the artist demonstrate their skills as well. So he as able to talk to the artist and ask questions and watch them do their work. Breadin really likes the artwork depicting wildlife or landscape shots. He loved the wood burning art as well as the carving. He has a thing for wood work I think. The woodworkers were super nice and explained to him how they do their craft and little odds and ends about woodwork. We got a few funny shots of Brea with some statues. And of him trying some stilts. It was fun just looking around and seeing what other people can create.
Brea Learning What Goes Up--Must Come Down, What A Good Sport He Is!!

Tubes

The day began at 11:45 last night, because the Dr told us Heidi Anne couldn't have anything to eat after midnight (and since she likes to be feed at 12 am, 3am, and 6 am we were a little worried). So we gave her 6 oz and prayed that would keep her happy. Luckily it did.

SO at 5:30 this morning, we got up, ready, Char took me to work by 6:15 and was in the hospital at 6:30. They waited in the waiting room where Heidi played "How close can I get to the trash can before Daddy gets me" game.
They called them back, got her prepped for surgery, and opted for gas anaesthesia since Heidi was fighting the heart monitor cords and there was no way she was going to put up with an IV. They put on socks, which she also fought with a vengeance, and a little hospital gown.
They took her into surgery, put tubes in both ears (which were sooo bad they we surprised they hadn't ruptured yet). 10 minutes later Charles heard some crying and knew right away it was Heidi. He went back and there she was super confused. The nurses tried to give her cold apple juice because "All babies love apple juice". Charles was trying to tell them not this baby, she tossed it away. He convinced them to let him feed her the soy formula she knows and loves, which they diluted so it was water with a hint of formula.
They came home, where is was between super cuddly and kind of cranky.
So Char gave her Tylenol and she became super active!

Busy Weekend :)

We had a busy weekend, which I think is more and more fun. On Saturday we set up the house a bit more (finally unpacked more things and hung up some pictures). We went and visit Charles' sister in her new house.
Then went to our company picnic. In the rain! It's okay, we were all dressed for the weather. Charles did a food relay, and his team came in second place. But it was getting cold and rainy so we left after that.
Next stop Heidi Anne gets Tubes for her ears on Tuesday. Yeah Surgery!

Airshow 2009

We went to the air show this weekend. It was soo fun. We (Char, Heidi Anne, Breadin, and I) meet up with Rhett, Rebekah, Kaikai (my favoritest niece) and Maleia at the Wendy’s near the Air Base around noon. We had some information that the Thunderbirds would be performing around 1-3 pm. Well they didn’t perform until 4:15. It’s okay, we had enough sunscreen packed, and apart from the crowds, (which I think got to all of a bit). We survived.
We took a tour of a Stratotanker (which took 30 mins, but was fun). We saw mock dog fights with World War II planes. A red World War I plane. A couple of really cool parachutes, a bomber plane do stunts, and few F-16s. We did a lot of wandering, just looking at different aircrafts.
After we starting getting to hot, we went and rested under some hangers. Rhett went to Popeye’s, (Yes, there is a Popeye’s on Base!!) Rhett asked us what we wanted to drink, we said Gatorade-since it was hot and we needed the hydration. Well he brought back Sprite; he thought we wanted Gatorade because we didn’t drink caffeine. So we gave him a hard time about that (I am a Coke-Cola girl though and though).
So finally at 4:15 just as it is getting stormy the Thunderbirds perform. It was AESOME!! They would get so close to the ground and go so fast that car alarms went off. The hanger was the perfect spot to watch too, we were away from the crowds, in the shade and had a PERFECT view of the show. It was amazing!

F.Y.I--There are tons of pictures of it on my Facebook.

Moving and ER Fun

Well we moved over the weekend! Woohoo. Still unpacking though. I just LOVE our house!! I will post pictures when its all (mostly) set up.
However, the real fun was when Heidi Anne had a fever of 104.5 with Motrin & Tylenol in her system. So at 1:00 am on Sunday I made a trip to the ER, we (Heidi Anne & I--since Charles was exhausted from moving and I told him to stay home) were there from 1:00am-5:00am.
Turns out she has yet another ear infection. As soon as her fever broke they let us go home. She is doing tons better now. We go see an ENT doctor on Thursday to see if we can get this little girl some tubes for her ears (because 7 or more ear infections in 10 months is a little to much for my taste.)

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fun little weekend. We were going to have a wienie roast, however, the weather didn't let us. (I hear a rumor that metal & lightening don't mix). So we had hot dogs inside where the weather is a bit more under control.
Breadin was funny this weekend. Just asking questions like "How do you get a cousin removed? And who decides whose the first one removed and then the second?" It made us laugh.
We have a tradition of putting flowers on the graves without any flowers on them. We tend to go in the afternoon, so we don't freak out any surviving family that might come. This year we got some pink carnations and put them on the graves of little children that didn't have any flowers or that looked like they have been completely forgotten about over the decades. We cleaned up a few that were almost completely obscured by the mud and grass as well. It's a nice way to remember those that don't have anyone around anymore.
Afterwards we went and got some ice cream to help us cool off. Yeah ice cream!!

Fun Run

Breadin got to do the Logan Fun Run. He was in 1st Heat against about 50 other boys from a couple other schools (including his own). He came in 4th place and ran a mile in 7 mins 11 seconds. He's a fast little guy!!

It started at 10:00 am with the 4th graders. His turn should have been at 11:00, however, they got 1 hour behind. They made sure everyone crossed the finish line, the high school track teams ran with the kids and gave them encouragement along the way.
So I ended up being outside for two hours. He got a nice tan and I got roasted. But it was well worth it!

Rock Hunting

So we went rock hunting this weekend, and we actually found something. Well, Breadin did. We walked the trail, it was really pretty. It was so green, and warm, I just loved it. However, as far as cool rocks and fossils go there wasn't much there. So he had him climb up a nice steep hillside. Mostly in hopes of tiring him out. :)

You can see he is the tiny spec in this picture. Right by the bushes.

He surprised us by finding some seashell fossils up there, he brought back a big handful.

Even Heidi Anne was having playing with the rocks.

Afterwords (like hour and half of basically wandering) we went to Angie's and got some onion rings (which were awesome) and shakes. Heidi Anne and Breadin both crashed at 9:00 that night, super early for both of them. All in all I think it was a really fun day!

Sweet Potato Pie

All Heidi Anne will eat right now is Sweet Potatoes. We now call her Sweet Potato Pie!!
We try to get her to eat other foods, banana's, apples, you name it we try it. And she promptly spits it out. Even at daycare, they told us this story of how they tried to feed her applesauce and rice, but after the first bite she wouldn't have anymore of it. So they gave her a bite of sweet potatoes, and then tried to get her a bite of applesauce, which Heidi Anne wouldn't even try. She's just too smart.
Lucky for us, there are a lot of sweet potato mixes out there. Sweet Potato Puffs, Sweet Potatoes & Corn, Sweet Potatoes & Turkey, Chicken, Apples, Ham, you name it we mix it or it comes
pre-mixed. Hmmm at least there is verity. If not maybe we can make some up. Sweet potatoes and pineapple pears anyone? No?

Snake Scare

Well we had a little snake scare yesterday. Milkshakes wasn't shedding properly, (which can kill them because it suffocates them). So we were researching what to do and letting him soak in a cup of water. Char took him out to check on him and Milkshakes BIT him. Touchy! It wasn't a hard bite, but enough that Char dropped the snake, and then promptly picked him back up.
We've have Boots for nearly a year, and never once has he tried to even snap at anyone of us. Then again, he's never had a near death experience. Anyhow, it was still a shock.
All is well with Milkshakes, we (and by we, I mean Char, while the rest of us watched) helped Milkshakes, and pretty much saved the snakes life. He's still a young snake, or at least that's what the boys keep telling me.
So much for "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Mother's Day

It's been a bit of a busy weekend. We went and visited Char's mom on Saturday to give the Mother's day present to her. I made a scrapbook of Heidi Anne. It was super cute in my opinion and took a long time to make. But well worth it I think.
Got to visit my sister, her husband, and my favoritest niece ever! I love my KaiKai!! Sadly, it was short visit. Normally, its a blast to watch Heidi Anne and Kaikai play together.
We did go to the Ikea store for the first time. That place is HUGE!! We just went in thinking we would just go in look around and come out. That place is a maze! There are some really cute things there, a lot I would never use and most way out of my price range. We did get some nice organizing ideas for Heidi Anne's room and shelving ideas for the living room. Some things were really cute, a few unique and then there was the just plain weird to me. We did get a wood step stool, super sturdy, and looks nice, and within our price range. (1 hour later) Woohooo! And we barely made a dint in exploring Ikea (can't really call it just a store).
Heidi Anne has been super sick, she is on her third round of antibiotics with her 7th ear infection. She goes to the doctors again on Monday. To say the least she is not her normal happy Heidi.
We just did a little barbecue at the park. It's finally warm enough! We thought we had such an original idea to have a barbecue on Mother's Day, we went to three parks before we found an open pit to use. (So many people had the same idea.) It was fun, but short, Heidi Anne was just not having it. It was nice to have some barbecue though, means summer is finally here!

Heidi Anne & Breadin at the parkHeidi Anne playing while we barbecueBreadin tossing a football while we barbecue

Facemasks are for Faces!!

I took Heidi Anne to the Instacare yesterday, she had a fever of 103.4 with Tylolal and was pulling at her ears. Turns out she had a double ear infection with one ear close to rupturing. This is her 6th ear infection in 9 months (unoffically the 7th). So they gave her some stonger antibotics.
Well today she had hives. Lovely, turns out she was allergic to this antibotic. So they gave her a stonger one, and if she isn't better in 7 days we need to get her shots of antibotics every day for three days. Then go from there. We visit the doctor again on the 11th to discuss getting her tubes.
I did notice something at the Instacare. Many people were wearing facemasks, however, when they coughed and sneezed they would take OFF the masks!! Doesn't that defeat the purpose of wearing a face mask to prevent illness? It wasn't just the kids it was the adults as well. So I put a face mask on Heidi Anne and Me. She kept trying to take it off, but then I started to make silly sounds and animal noises. So she kept hers on after that.

New Pet

Well my brother wanted a pet of his own, and being like all little boys it couldn't be cute and furry. No, it has to be scaly. His been wanting a snake for three years now, and since we already have one, (Boots the corn snake) its hard to say NOOOOO to a snake.
So he picked a Milk Snake, which is now named Milkshakes the milk snake, it looks like a poisonous coral snake which he LOVES even more.
Boys!!
The good news for me is it's kept in his room and this breed of snakes loves to hide. As you can see in the picture. Heheh no picture of it yet, since it hides soo much.

This isn't Milkshakes, but this is what he looks like, if you could get a picture of him. So this is close enough.

April SNOW???

Well, we were planning on taking Heidi Anne for her first fishing experience this Saturday, but it SNOWED!!! I've heard April Showers bring May Flowers, so what does April Snow bring??

I've Got Helmet Hair

That's one of my favorite lines from Shrek (one of my favorite movies) and since January it's reminded me of little Heidi Anne. Because when you take of her helmet her hair sticks up all funny like.
Well we had her head doctor appointment today and she is almost all better!! She wears the helmets on nights and weekends now. So when Charles took her back to day care all the kids wanted to know who the new baby was and commented on how pretty she looked. One of the teachers told them it was Heidi, and the kids clapped their hands and cheered because she is all better. So naturally Heidi clapped and giggled too.
What was also funny is one of the afternoon teachers asked the kids who the baby was and they giggle and said it was Heidi Anne.
I have realized one thing, she has super light colored hair, almost an exact match of her cousin Kaikai. I hope she has the curly hair to go with it, I love Kaikai's curly hair!!

Made It To Arlington

My Granny was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery today. I wasn't able to go, however, my Aunt Deb and GrandDad were there. My Aunt sent me an e-mail afterwords. Here is some of what it read:
The service was so much more than I had expected. Mom got full military honors - a 21-gun salute, taps were played, and an honor guard. You would have thought she left the Army yesterday not 57 years ago. The Army chaplain did a very nice talk based on things we told him about Mom. Dad placed her box of ashes in a wall where her place is covered with a marble rectangle that will be engraved with her name. It was a bit difficult for him but he was determined to do it himself. There is enough room for Dad when it's time. The grounds are beautiful and shut off from the general public, but family members can go in her section. Aunt Mary Lou & Uncle Marvin and Uncle Don & Uncle Bill came. Uncle Marvin video taped the service; I'll burn CD's when I get one. Dad did really well, but was extremely tired.

I've heard a saying, "I wasn't a hero, but I served in the company of heroes". This has always made me thing of my family, I come from a family were military service is practically family tradition. I always knew my Granny was a hero (and my GrandDad too) I am so proud that she continues to be in the presents of greatness, and that now everyone else knows she was a hero as well. But knowing them, they most likely see themselves as just having serve their country and are honered to be among other American heros.