Squash

I should be updating about Christmas, which the kids had a good one by the way. But, instead I'm hear to tell you that last night Grayson ATE squash. I put half a jar in his bowl, gave him a taste, which he made a face about. lol But, after that, he ate! I then gave him the other half of the jar this evening and he didn't make a face but proceeded to eat it all gone! I'm SO happy. The boy actually likes something!! YAY! I can only hope and pray that this is just the beginning of him wanting to eat solids. ;o) Just had to share!

Six Months Old Already

Say it isn't so!!
Well, it is. Grayson Leon is just 6 months shy of his first birthday today. Truly unbelievable. He's getting so big, and demands attention at all times. lol He likes to sleep on his tummy now. He seems to sleep a little better since he realized he could do that. Not sleeping all the way through the night still though. He is scooting backwards, rolling around, playing with his toys and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. His favorite of which is my finger. He goes in for his check up later this week. I need to make sure when tomorrow. He still isn't big on eating baby food, I was trying to feed him some pears again this morning and he just pursed those lips together and blew them right back at me! LOL What a mess. ;o) This little baby boy brings me so much joy each and every day. I just love how he looks around for me when he hears my voice, he knows I'm there somewhere! And watching him interact with his brother and sister is an amazing site in itself. He truly loves them and will reward them with great big belly laughs. They in turn, adore him just the same. He enjoys his daddy time as well. Daddy will get down on the floor and spend tummy time with him. They talk back and forth and daddy will try to help him learn to crawl. lol He can sit up with his hands in front of him, so it should not be long before he sits unsupported. Then I'd like to get his pictures done. I can't believe it will be 2009 when I write about another month gone by!

BOOMER SOONER!

Gators beware!!!

Looks like we'll be playing the University of Florida for the BCS National Championship game on January 8th!

Here are my little Sooners. ;o)

Five Months Already?

Yes, five months already. ;o) Grayson is rolling around now, has found those feet, can't quite get them to his mouth though. lol He's smiley, giggles alot, and loves to be cuddled and talked to. He can do raspberries, I guess you call them and that is one of his favorite passtimes. I gave him some oatmeal tonight and he seems to like it better than the rice. He still isn't that fond of food in general though. Which is fine, it will come soon enough. Here's a couple of pics and a too cute video ;o) :

Happy 8th Birthday Raylee Jo!

I can hardly believe that 8 years have gone by already. My beautiful little girl is growing up and there's nothing I can do to stop it! I just pray that I am raising her to have a great head on her shoulders and to be kind and compassionate.

Raylee was born by a natural birth at 5:07 am, on November 14th in Muskogee Hospital. She weighed 7lb. 7oz. And was just beautiful. I remember the dr. telling me to push one more time and when I yelled at him, " I CAN'T! " He replied with, "You just did." I was shocked and amazed at this small bundle he laid upon my stomach. I'll never forget seeing her for the first time. Daddy said she had my mouth, it was always in a pout. lol My water had broken at 9:30 am on November 13th. It woke me up and I woke up Joel and he insisted that I had just wet myself. ROFL When I finally convinced him it was my water, he jumped up and got dressed real fast. He was ready to go. I wished I would've stayed home longer too. We got to the hospital around noon and I was barely a two. It seemed to take forever to get to an eight. But, when I finally did, it wasn't very long and I was at a ten and ready to go. I hadn't eaten anything since that morning before. So after I had Raylee and they had taken her to the nursery and all was quiet. My DEAR MOTHER fed me some cheerio's with some milk and a small packet of sugar. lol They were THE best cheerio's I think I'd ever eaten. ;o)

My beautiful daughter:

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 5th Birthday Brayden!!

Brayden Kole turned 5 years old today!
He had his class field trip to the Pumpkin Patch which Grayson and I attended. It went from 9-11:15. They all had so much fun. Then in the afternoon I took some cupcakes and the treat bags we'd made up, to his class. They are some of the cutest kids I tell ya. ;o) After school we went out the kids' Nanny's (grandma) house. We took her to go eat with us at Chili's. The kids' two cousins and Aunt joined us there as well. The wait staff even sang to Brayden and gave him this big chocolate shake with whipped cream and sprinkles on it. He so kindly shared with the other three kids. What a MESS! LOL They thoroughly enjoyed that shake though. Then we dropped Nanny off, came home and opened some presents and had some special Firetruck cake that mommy had made him. He really liked it and it turned out cute, if I do say so myself. Simple to make. I'm sure he's having great dreams last night. I'm surprised he was able to fall asleep after all the sugar he had today. Ah well, you only turn 5 once right? ;o)

Some birthday photos...

October 15th

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism. Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still. On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979. Action Steps: Step 1. Use Your Blog to Enlist Others -Copy the contents of this entire post and publish it on your blog immediately. GOAL: Enlist 10 of your readers to spread the word Step 2. Use Your E-mail to Enlist Others -E-mail 5 bloggers and ask them (nicely and in an unspammy way) to publish these action steps on their blog. Consider contacting celebrity bloggers, political bloggers, medical bloggers, or bloggers who are not part of your reading community. GOAL: Enlist 3 bloggers outside of your normal blog sphere to spread the word in other online communities. Step 3. Help Pass the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act -By October 15th, publish a post on your blog supporting H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act.

It is also Grayson's 4 month birthday. And I found out one year ago today that I was pregnant with him. ;o) He brings me such joy everyday. I just love going in and seeing his smiling face first thing in the morning. He's so beautiful and special I don't know how I possibly had any part in making such a remarkable little person. God has truly blessed me with 3 healthy, wonderful children.

Here's my little man.

I got tagged!

This is a fun tag! Misty tagged me...What you do is get your 6th pic in your 6th folder and post it! :) I tag Rebekah and Amy.

My picture is actually me when I was little on one of my birthdays! Can't remember which one, though. lol I was a summer baby so our county fair was always right around my birthday time, and I would always get one of those hats. ;o)

It's October already??

Time has just been passing too quickly lately! I never have time to get here it seems. We had Parent/Teacher conferences, daddy came back home off of his job (YAY), we went here and there, got new furniture and it's just been crazy some days. ;o)
Let me just say that I love my new furniture. It doesn't hurt my back like my old sectional did so that means I can actually SIT on it. Which is always a plus when it comes to furniture right? lol Now I just need to get some new curtains, a rug, and a coffee table and I'll be good to go! I bought some mums for my outside my door as well, along with a harvest wreath that says Welcome on it. Raylee said she thought she was at the wrong door when they came in on the bus that day. Hee hee.

Joel is going to be heading to a different job on Thursday, so that's kind of a bummer. It's a good thing, but you know. He'll be gone for longer this time too. It's always hard when he's away and you'd think I'd be used to it by now. But, I probably never will be. It may get worse because the kids really miss him and talk about it as well.

Grayson finally has started to roll over from his back to his tummy, which is exciting to watch! Sometimes he'll get hung up and flop back onto his back and it scares the poor little guy and he'll start to cry. lol We tried cereal but he just spits it back out at us. So, we'll try again on his 4 month birthday and just let him take it from there. I'm in no hurry. ;o) He slept through the night 4 nights in a row a few weeks back and is still waking to take a bottle once or twice a night. Not sure what to do to get him all the way there. But, I do know the other two started STTN around 3 months so I'm hoping his time is coming. He has a well baby on the 20th I think it is. I need to double check that. SO not looking forward to it at all. And Brayden's birthday is coming up on the 21st as well! I'll probably just have a little cake here that night with just his sister, brother and me. And then have a small extended family party that following Saturday. I need to get some treat bags together for his school and order the cupcakes. They won't let you take any homemade treats to school which is a huge bummer. :o( I was so looking forward to that when Raylee started school only to have my dreams dashed! lol I haven't even started birthday shopping for him yet either. UGH! Guess I better get a move on that. We do have Halloween costumes for them though, which is a relief. Usually we're running around last minute trying to pull everything together. Not this year! I planned ahead for once. Being prepared is actually a good feeling, imagine that! ;o)

Here's a picture of Grayson in his crib with his lovee.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

I want to start off by saying that since Raylee has been going to school, she has never gotten into any trouble. She started with all day Pre-K and is now in the 2nd grade. So, 3 years of nothing but good things from her. And I also want to say that I don't try to compare my children, it's just amazing to me how different they can be at times. That being said, I got a phone call at 2:49 this afternoon from the kids' school. It was Brayden's teacher. She said that there had been an incident on the playground and Brayden was in so much trouble that he was having to call me and tell me what he had done. So she puts my almost 5 year old on the phone. "Mommy?" "Yes, Bubba." "A boy pushed me." he said. I hear in the background his teacher saying, "Nooo, bubba, tell her what you did." So, he proceeds, "Mommy, I bit a boy." "You bit a boy??" I said. I really couldn't believe it. He has never been a biter ever! He's a pretty laid back little boy and it takes quite a bit to make him mad enough to do anything. So, I tell him that biting is not okay EVER, and that he needed to apologize to the little boy and to his teacher. Etc, etc. His teacher got back on the phone and told me that she couldn't see exactly what was going on because they were at the top of the playground equipment. She stated that she started to walk towards the slide and here they both came flying down it. When they got to the bottom, Brayden grabbed the little boy and to quote her, "bit the mess out of him. And there was a pretty good mark." She also said that Bray had told her that the other boy had shoved him and that is why he had bit him. I felt SO embarrassed because biting is just terrible and I know how mad I would be if I was in the other parents shoes. His teacher said she would fill in the other boys parents in on what had happened. She told me not to feel bad because Brayden is a good little boy for 95% of the time. Which did make me feel better. She stated that it was policy for them to call parents when biting occurs and that next time he would be sent to the principal's office. *SIGH*
So, when Brayden got home, we discussed what had happened again, and I made him promise me that he would never bite again and that if someone was being mean to him, he was to either walk away from them or go and tell the teacher. So, he promised and we called his Memaw (my mom). I heard him tell her that they were standing at the bottom of the steps to the slide and Brayden went to climb them and the little boy tripped him, then pushed him and then he pushed Brayden's bestfriend. So he chased him up the steps and down the slide and bit him!! Goodness, what drama for a bunch of 4 and 5 year old boys, huh? lol So, just a little over a month into Brayden's first year of school and I get a call from the teacher. My mom says, "Boys will be boys." I suppose that's right. ;o)

Growing

Grayson rolled over today. From his tummy to his back. I set him down on his stomach so he could have some tummy time. He immediately started grunting and fussing, not wanting to be on it obviously. He started rocking himself, I looked away and when I looked back he was rolling on over! Raylee was excited because she was right there and had seen it too. He smiled and looked proud of himself. Here's a picture of him on his 3 month birthday.
Daddy went off on a job last Friday, so it's been just a little over a week and we are really missing him. He should be back in a couple more weeks though. Grayson talked to him on the phone today. At first he smiled and then it was like he started griping at daddy for leaving. He wasn't crying, just griping! It was really cute. ;o)

Blogging...

I'm starting to wonder if I have enough time to blog! LOL I like to do so, but never can seem to get around to it. I am going to have to make more of an effort.

Grayson had his 2 month shots on August 18th. He got 3 sticks and an oral vaccine. He did pretty good. He cried for a bit, but when I got him back out to the car he was giving me smiles. Cute little stinker. ;o) He weighed in at 14.14 lbs and a little over 24 inches. He's my biggest baby of the three. He was a little stuffy this last weekend, and seemed pretty well miserable Sunday. He's much better now though. I think it's this weather we have going on. It was hot, then it turned rainy and cooler, it's putting all our sinuses through good times. Here's a pic of Grayson after we got home from the Dr.

We also recently had a sleepover with our two nieces. So we had all five of the kids at once. Grayson, 2 months, Peyton 2.5, Caydence 4, Brayden almost 5, and Raylee almost 8. It was quite the experience. The kids had the best time ever of course. We did it again 2 weeks later so that my BIL could go play with his band, and SIL could go watch. They seemed to be worse this time, LOL. It was total chaos. Fun, but stressful. I was able to get a picture of all five of the Granchildren though. ;o) From left to right: Cay, Pey, Gray, Ray and Bray. And no we didn't plan on ALL of their names rhyming. lol

I can't think of much else that's been going on lately. Grayson has been talking more and likes spending time on his tummy now, so I took some pics of that and I'll share a couple of my favorites. I really like the one with Raylee, it's too sweet, and in the last one he just looks kind of irritated. LOL Enough pictures mom!

School + Birthdays = Busy

Raylee and Brayden started school last Tuesday. Raylee is in the 2nd grade now and Brayden is attending full day Pre-K. They go to the same school which is a good thing. They were both SO excited for school to start it was ridiculous. I don't think either one of them got hardly any sleep the night before. School seems to be going well, though. Brayden has gotten stickers everyday so that means he's behaving himself! He comes home so dirty though, and has more bruises than ever it seems. Raylee, of course is doing well. Completing her work and behaving well. Hasn't had to bring any homework home yet. She is disappointed that they don't have snacks in 2nd grade anymore, however. LOL Today is picture day, so I'll be having to get her up a little earlier to fix her hair. Here's a pic of them on their first day!

My mom came in for a visit and to help with the start of school. It's always nice having her around and I miss her a lot since she moved last year. She really enjoyed the kids and especially getting to spend some time with Grayson, who really seemed to favor her. ;o) Her birthday was the 12th (the first day of school). So we went and got some BBQ and I baked her a cake. My birthday was on Saturday the 16th. I turned 29 this year, my twenties are falling away from me!! lol It was a pretty good birthday, we went over to the in-laws and had cake with them. My BIL got his guitar out and sang and goofed around, which was great. Then my mom and I, along with my BIL and SIL went out to a local Country bar and enjoyed some drinks. I watched them dance as I don't really know how! LOL It was still fun though. It'd been a LONG time since I'd done anything like that. It's always nice to have a break. My mom left yesterday which was a bummer. Hopefully she'll be back soon. My mom and I on my birthday. ;o)

Brayden Kole

Brayden was born October 21, 2003 via emergency c-section. I had lost my mucous plug the night before and was seeping fluid for most of the day. I went in to see my dr. and he tested me and then told me to go pack a bag and get up to the hospital for monitoring. It was indeed amniotic fluid. My mom and I went shopping for a take me home outfit for the baby. I wasn't due til November the 4th, so I wasn't totally prepared. My husband, Joel was out of town working, so we called him to tell him to start heading home. We got to the hospital around 1 something, if I remember right. I started having some contractions shortly after that. Around 3 pm my water broke fully on its on. The pains started to become more intense. I was unable to talk through them. At some point later that afternoon, my dr. came and said that the baby was experiencing fetal stress, and that he was going to operate. From that point on everything started happening so fast. Nurses came and went, prepping me. My mom was there, but Joel was still on the road. No cell phone, no way to get ahold of him to let him know he'd be missing the birth of his first son. :o( They wheeled me back to surgery, gave me my spinal. I remember laying there, scared to death. Repeating the Lord's Prayer over and over again to myself. Finally, he was out, 7:11 pm, and I finally heard him crying. He weighed in at 8.2 lbs. (my biggest of the three.) They stuck his little head around the sheet that was up in front of my face, and he was so beautiful and precious. Had little plump cheeks! She put him by my face so I could give him a kiss and those cheeks were the softest thing I've ever felt. My mom went with Brayden, and they sewed me up and sent me to recovery, where I remained for an hour and a half. After returning to my room, I found it empty. My mom came in about 5 minutes after I got there, and she went and got the baby for me. The first time holding him was just wonderful. I didn't want to set him down ever! I don't remember what time daddy got there, I just remember the look on his face when he saw me and the baby, realizing that he had missed the birth. He just kept saying, "Uh-uh, no." Then he cried. My mom snapped a pic of him holding Bray and looking at me. It will forever be one of my favorite pictures. I was so sad for him that he had to miss the birth. But, it all worked out in the end. :o)

One of my biggest joys in life is my son, Bubba as we call him. Or Boobah, as mommy calls him. Bray is funny, so smart, adoring, adventurous, and independent. He's the sweetest little boy and gives the best hugs hands down! I will miss him when he goes to school. :o( His greatest love in his life since birth has been his big sister! He is so crazy about her, and has been her shadow since he learned how to crawl. She enjoys him some of the time, but I think it mostly just drives her nuts! lol

So that is the "short" story of how my middle child arrived in this world. He will forever be his "Momma's boy." ;o)

Letters

Raylee and Brayden received letters from each of their teachers a couple of days ago. Well, Brayden got an actual letter, Raylee got a postcard. ;o) They are both SO excited for school to start next Tuesday. We have meet the teacher night on Monday, and we'll take our school supplies in that night. We went school supply shopping just last night. It is so frustrating to find everything. We weren't able to get scissors for either of them or pencil top erasers. My mom got some for us where she lives though so we won't have to worry about it. :o) Raylee is literally counting down the days. She told me this morning, "It won't be long now!" So, we have their backpacks all packed up and ready to go.
It was nice here today. Instead of being in the triple digits it was only in the 80s! Joel took the kids out for a little bit to play some ball. I know they enjoyed being able to play outside for once. Grayson and I stayed inside though. He is able to track a toy back and forth now. He doesn't just follow it with his eyes, he turns his whole head back and forth. He'll be 8 weeks on Sunday already.

5 am Smiles

This is my first post on my brand new blog! I'm going to start off talking a bit about my youngest son, Grayson Leon. He was born June 15th, Father's Day. ;o) So, he's seven weeks old now. This morning when he got up at 5 am almost on the dot, he didn't want to eat, but he wanted to talk with me. Against my better judgement, I engaged him. lol He was so happy and just smiling away at me. Sometimes he would coo, other times he'd just gaze at me like I was the best thing to come along since his bottle. Each day he steals my heart once again. Just like the day he was born when the nurses handed him to his daddy. I saw those plump little cheeks and the look of pure love on my husband's face was just undescribable. He doesn't look just like either of my other two, but maybe a mixture of them both. Brayden was so dark when he was born, dark hair, dark eyelashes, even his skintone was darker. Grayson is more like his sister in that department. Light skin, you can't even see his eyebrows or eyelashes because they are so light. He has his daddy's long toes just like the rest of them though. Poor kids! LOL

I remember the day we brought him home from the hospital, I took a picture of him in his carseat and he just smiled away as he was sleeping. "So happy to be home," I said. Although I'm sure it was just gas. ;o)

I still find myself in disbelief at this new little person I brought into the world. My whole pregnancy I could hardly believe it was happening. Even with hearing the heartbeat and seeing him on the U/S. It was just amazing. So, now he's here, proof that I really was pregnant. As if the huge belly wasn't convincing enough, right?? He's a miracle just like my other two children.

I always wondered how I'd have enough love to go around for three kids. But, I realized that your heart grows bigger each time your family does.