Last night and this morning

Here is my sweet little ladybug. Or, as she referred to herself, "badabug". She wasn't too sure about putting the outfit on at first. I informed her it wasn't going to kill her or bite her (her daddy thinks ladybugs bite) and then I told her after she put it on, we could look in the mirror. This brightened her spirits. She was a fan. We went to our church's Harvest Party. The children play games and earn stickers on their game sheet. When the game sheet is full, they turn it in to receive their bag of candy. Jaylee is still a little young for the games, so basically we stole the stickers and ran! :)

Today has already proved to be more interesting than yesterday...see these beasts?
These are my neighbors pets. Over the course of the eight years we've lived here, we've woken up to them peering in our bedroom windows, or seen them in our pasture, or standing next to our car in the middle of the road. It's always been okay. Because I've been able to call and say, "Hi, Kathi, it's Sarah. Thumper is under the carport." And she's come over and taken care of the issue.

It didn't work like that today. I look out and see Nick. Nick is the overgrown goat. And Nick is standing in their backyard eating their rosebushes. I see the gate wiiiide open. I'm thinking, "it's okay, only Nick got out, I can handle this."
Why do I have to handle it you ask? Because the neighbors moved. They moved. But not their animals.

So, I do what must be done first.

I put on a bra.

I open the gate that separates my backyard from their pasture. I look around and see that only Thumper remains. Thumper is the cow. Which means Keiki, the horse, is somewhere. After a few minutes of coaxing the goat who is almost as big as the horse, I get him in the gate. Wasn't easy, as I had a cow bumping my back the whole time. I find the oats. Scoop 'em up and here comes the horse. They look so much smaller when I'm IN my house.

He comes up.

I pray he doesn't try to kill me.

And after some time, all is well with my world.

Animals are safely in their pen.

There is a reason I own a Beagle and not a horse.

I got a laugh

the other day.

I've said before how I have a MySpace account and I can't tell you how much I love it. If not for MySpace, well I wouldn't have had dear ol' Amber to keep me company this last year.

Anyway, MySpace has allowed to get in touch with friends from High School that I haven't talked to, well, since High School. Most recently I found a friend from youth group.

My display picture was of my dad and me on my 17th birthday. He sends me a message, asking about life in general and then says, "That's a good picture of your dad on your profile. How is he?"

I laughed so hard. I mean, it wasn't really funny, but it really was. How do you break it to someone that your dad drown eight years ago without making them feel like a donkey? So, I just replied that he was fine, I suppose. And that he had drown.

Really how do you break that news? I didn't know how to say it. He replied with an apology, saying he felt like a jerk and wondered how he could have not known. It's been a week and I'm still getting a good laugh out of it.

'Cause I'm sick like that.

Geeeesh!

I had a doctor's appt. today. I dropped my child off with my mother and went alone. The last trip with her-horrible! I vowed to never do it again if I don't have to.

They call my name. And then the favorite part...weigh in. She weighs me, charts it, then says, "I think I should check it again." I told her it was right, I had just weighed myself before coming in. She looks disturbed.

She hands me a lil plastic cup and sends me into the restroom. I freeze up. Sorry, can't do this. There was this really loud banging noise going on upstairs of the office and it totally threw me off.

Anyway...

We go into the room, she takes me blood pressure and then we get to listen to the heartbeat! Yeah, this thing that's trying to kill me really is in there!

She tells me Debbie will be in shortly and leaves.

I hear my midwifes voice in the other room and I can tell she's on the phone. I lay on the paper covered bed, staring out the window into the beautiful day and pray that she's on the phone forever. Why? Because it's peaceful in that room! No clingy, whiny toddler. No dog. No smells that get to me. Just me. All by my lonesome.

Of course it came to an end.

She comes in.

She's mad.

"Is this right? You've lost 15 pounds!?"

I nod.

She's still mad.

Tells me that I must gain weight from here on out or she's sending me back to my GI doctor because she thinks something could be wrong with me. UGH! I have to go back in 2 weeks instead of 4.

I asked her for a C-section, she just looks at me.

Part of me was serious.

Obviously I didn't get my wish. I'm still 11 weeks 5 days pregnant. Sick as a dog and now worried too since she thinks something is wrong with me.

On the way out she made me get on the scale again. She thought the nurse messed up.

The nurse didn't mess up. She hummphs and tells me, "Gain some weight, I'll see you in 2 weeks."

So, Jaylee and I went out to lunch and so far I've kept 'er down!

Dancing on Streets that are Golden

My grandma passed away last Saturday.

It's sad that she's not here anymore, sad that Jaylee will never know her. But really, how exciting is it that she's in Heaven?! She's no longer in any pain. Her body works perfectly. She's with Jesus!

It helps me to not be as sad when I think about how much better her life is now.

Her graveside service is today. I think the hardest part of all of this is watching my two aunts and three uncles grieve the loss of their mommy. The family has been through a lot of grief and I understand that it's part of life but sometimes you wonder just how much a family can take.

Thank you to everyone who's been praying for my family and me.

When there is something serious that needs to be talked about, I am not the person for the job. I make light of everything, trying to find humor in the worst of situations. Like when I had cancer or any time I talk about my dad drowning.

I get uncomfortable and find it easier to be funny than put on my Big Girl Panties and deal with the situation at hand.

This last week I haven't been able to be funny. I've had to deal with a serious situation like a big girl. For once.

My grandma is dying.

I don't like death.

I don't like assisted living places.

I don't like these Big Girl Panties I'm having to wear.

But I'm dealing. Jaylee and I have been going almost every day to spend time with her. She's not had any nourishment in nine days. Her body is shutting down. She's so skinny.

I've never been this close to death before and it's not that it freaks me out, at least not with my grandma, it's just weird to watch it happen. I'm thankful that she's a believer, I have peace knowing that soon she'll be with Jesus.

My thoughts about all of it are so jumbled. It's just been a very sad and tiring week.

Another Hiatus

Since I can't think of a gosh-darned thing to blog about these days that anyone would be interested in reading, I think it's time to hang up my blogging hat for awhile.

This time it's not because I need a break from the computer. I barely make it up here these days. It's the fact that I have nothing to say that wouldn't revolve around morning sickness which in my case is all day sickness. I'm tired of it. And if I blogged about it on a daily basis, you'd be tired of it, too.

So, we're going to take a little break from each other and hopefully this junk will be gone soon.

I figured out why my husband is so great

He learned it from his dad.

I've always thought I have the best father-in-law, ever. But today he made it even more clear to me.

He calls around 8:45 this morning and asks if I'd like him to pick up Jaylee for awhile. He has errands to run, he says, and would like some company.

Heck yes, I'd like him to pick her up!

So he does. After they'd been gone for an hour, he calls to see if I need anything from the grocery store. I do, because I can't go there. The thought of a grocery store right now sends my stomach over the edge...of the toilet. So, he picks a couple of things up for me. He's gone for two and a half hours! I had the house to myself all that time! I got to lay down without being pestered, I got to puke in private, I was even able to consider doing the dishes by myself. (Don't worry, I didn't do them.)

When he brought her home she was so worn out, she slept for two and half more hours! It was amazing!

I feel so blessed.

Bound with Fear

On Saturday we had a young girl stop by our house. She's only a few years younger than I am but I still see her as a kid since she was in a youth group Josh and I were "adult sponsors" for. Our involvement was brief but in the short time this girl took a liking to us.

We'll call her Mary.

Mary stops by our house every few months out of nowhere. She talks about her boyfriend, her job, life, etc. while she's here.

I've never met said boyfriend but he sounds like a winner. *Rolling my eyes*

She informs us they are living out of her car and have been for the last two months. While sleeping in their car, a semi-truck backed over the hood. I'm dying while she's telling us this. I'm sitting in shock. She's laughing about it, too, but I can tell she's embarrassed. We feed her lunch and sit in comfortable silence for a bit.

Mary says she's just had a run of bad luck. I nod. But inside I just want to tell her that it's not bad luck she's living, it's a sinful life with consequences. I want to tell her to turn her heart back to Jesus and get right with Him. I don't want her to suffer anymore than she already has.

But...I sit quiet. I say nothing. I'm bound by fear.

After a couple of hours, she's heading out. I tell her to bring her boyfriend next time otherwise I'm going to start thinking he's imaginary.

She laughs. She leaves.

It's been four days and still I'm kicking myself for not being more bold.

A Case of Too Much Information from a Pregnant Girl

Two things I learned today...

1. Oatmeal looks the same going in as it does thrown up.

2. Quesadillas...do not.

Bike Adventure #1

I think "adventure" is the wrong word here, but that's okay.

On Saturday, we load child in the bike trailer and we get on our bikes. I'm none too thrilled we're going for a ride because I haven't been feeling so great all day. But I'm sure my sweet husband is sick of hearing about it, so I agree to the bike ride.

We ride about, ohhh a half mile or so when I hear, "pshhhhhh" look down and sure enough...I have a flat tire. Uh huh. I did. After a half mile of riding. Blasted goat head anyway. And I'm not sure why we call them "goat heads" because I don't think they look anything like a goat. They're just poky and mean. Is a goat poky and mean?

Anyway, I tried to pretend I was sorely disappointed that our ride was over so soon, when really I was thanking the Lord for His little blessings. :) Luckily Josh's grandparents lived a little ways from where I broke down, so we walked over there and Josh went back for Holly, our Suburban, while I waited with them.

I can tell this bike riding stuff is going to be great!

Nothin' to Say

I'm here. I'm alive. Sorry I haven't posted for a coupla days. Hate when I go to certain blogs that haven't been updated, so here I am. Updating. Ahem...Amber...

Nothing new to share really. Haven't posted 'cause I haven't been feeling so hot. Even though I'm not thoroughly enjoying being pregnant at the moment, I'm thankful.

Looking forward to the weekend. Nothing is planned and I'm excited for it. Basically I'd just like to sleep the entire time. That'd be fine-ola by me!

I got a bicycle today. That's big news! I'll have Josh take my picture and I'll show ya later. Hopefully I still remember how to ride. :)

Have a great weekend, hopefully I'll have something exciting to blog about come Monday.

Take Care!

Out of the Mouths of Brats...er...Babes

This morning, my sweet daughter and I were laying on my bed. She has a book with a bunch of different animals on it. I start asking her what sounds they make.

What does a cow say? Moooo

What does a kitty say? meeoooww

What does a dog say? wuff wuff!

What does Mommy say? oink oink



She's lucky I let her live.

Our Poor Neighbors

I've come to the conclusion that my husband and I are just weird people. And that's okay. Because you are, too. Don't try to deny it, in some way, you're weird.

Just face the facts.

I had to last night...

Last night when my husband was dancing around on our bed in his underbritches, swinging a towel around trying to kill mosquitoes.

Here's the deal. We've become infested with skeeters and I don't know why or how but they have taken over our bedroom and it's making me insane. I cannot stand to shut the light off and hear them buzzing around. So, as soon as I hear them, I turn on the light and my poor husband has to try to find them and kill 'em.

Last night I was sooo exhausted that I put the lamp in bed with me so I wouldn't have to reach for it to turn it on, I could just have it right there.

I shut it off. And the buzzing started.

I flip it on and Josh jumps up, towel in hand...he's armed and dangerous. We did this several times until finally, finally there was no buzzing. It took approximately 43 minutes to kill them all.

Did I mention we don't have curtains or blinds on our bedroom windows?

He Really is Amazing

Yesterday Josh calls when he gets off work to inform me he's going to deposit his check and run some errands and asked if Amber was still at the house. I told him she was. Normally I get sad when he doesn't come home right away but I had Amber there to keep me company (and clean my house).

When he finally shows up, he gives us these. A bouquet for each of us. No reason. Just because. He really amazes me sometimes. I mean, I know he's a great guy and all...but this was really amazing. Don't ask why I have a hat on my head, I really don't know. Maybe I was cold. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. Most likely the latter. Here's a picture of the sweet man himself. He's so adorable. Yesterday I realized just how much I take him for granted. He goes to work without complaint. He takes out the trash without being asked. He brushes my hair. He changes diapers without being asked. He can fix stuff. By stuff, I mean anything that is broken. I don't know how he does it but he can fix just 'bout anything. He's really good with directions. He has the most amazing smile. I just love him.

I really do.

Shaving is Overrated

Today is a day of miracles. Of sort. How? Why? You ask.

I shaved my legs.

This may not seem like a miracle but I'm thinking the last time I shaved them was back in July, so for the razor to whack down the forest of hairs growing on my legs is indeed a miracle. Of course I equipped the good ol' girl with a new blade but still.

I tried to take a picture of my legs beforehand but seeing as how they haven't had much sun this summer, the glare was too intense for the camera and it turned out to be just a picture of a very bright light.

So, why today did I shave my legs? You might be thinking, "Oh, it's Friday, maybe she has a date with her hot husband tonight?" If you're thinking that, you're incorrect.

No, I shaved the bad boys because I had "the" appointment today. You know the one. The one us humans with female genitalia just luhuhuhuv. The entire time I was shaving I was worried Jaylee had gone outside, run passed the pasture and into the road. I keep yelling, "Jayleeeee!?" and she keeps yelling, "whaaat?!" She'd come in and say hi then return to whatever it was she was doing. Most likely something she's not supposed to do. Also while shaving, I'm reminded why I don't do this on a daily or weekly basis. It takes forever. I could have been doing dishes, reading a book, blogging, folding laundry, knitting...okay, I don't knit...but still. You get the picture.

Shaving my legs is torturous to me. I get bored. I drift off into LaLa Land. And this time I almost fell asleep during the second leg. The results could have been quite dangerous. I just realized yet another reason it's beneficial for me not to shave my legs. You know how "they" say that wearing black is slimming? Well...my legs did look much skinnier before I stripped 'em.

Poor lil buggers, now everyone will know I have cankles.

Feeling Loved

I love, love days like today.

This morning I take Jaylee to the park. At the beginning of the summer, we'd go for coffee (no, I don't give her coffee) and then to the park. The first few times she'd cry as we left and I'd explain to her little self that she needs to thank mama and be glad for the time she got to spend with the toys. Pretty sure she heard blah blah blah toys, blah blah.

The park is small and full of orange clad inmates. Seriously. They clean the park in the morning. And honestly, I go in the morning because I feel safer than later in the day when more people are out. We say hi to our inmate friends and Jaylee plays on the toys.

This morning was no different. Coffee. Inmates. Toys. We haven't been to the park in a couple of weeks and I was just sure we'd have drama as we left.

Me: Okay, Jaylee, it's time to go home.

Jaylee: getting off the toy Thank you, Mama for toys. Byyyye tow-weeees!

And off we go. No drama. Just a sweet lil girl who warmed my heart and made me realize maybe, just maybe she'll turn out okay.

Then, I come home. Check my email and the blogs I love. And come upon Melissa's post for the day. Made me one happy Sarah, I tell you what. Melissa designs and creates cards and then sells them. One card is about me. And I feel honored beyond honored that "You...are a kick in the pants" is about me. Go check her blog out and go check her Etsy as well.

Have a great day!

How many pairs of BGP's can one girl own?

I promise you the next nine months (or as Halle Berry believes, 10 months) will not be me complaining about my pregnancy.

I promise.

But today I'm going to ask for your prayers. While I absolutely loved being pregnant with Jaylee, I was sick. Sick beyond any sickness, ever. I worked at Pier 1 for the first few months of my pregnancy and I'd just lay in the boys' bathroom for most of the day. It wasn't fun. And I wondered what the heck I was getting myself into. After three and a half months, the life inside me stopped trying to take mine and I actually began enjoying being pregnant.

I've felt pretty good so far. You know, the whole three weeks I've been pregnant. :) But this morning...not so much. I started to have a panic attack about it because I remember three years ago and how I wanted to just die. So, I ate some toast, and asked the Lord to just help me endure the sickness if I had to be sick but that I'd really enjoy if He'd just make it go away altogether. :)

It's been over an hour and I'm feeling much better. He is so good to me.

Anyway, I'm just asking that you pray that I'm not sick this go-around and that if I am, that I'll put on my BGP's and deal with it.

To Chad and Treena

Congratulations, you guys! Love ya!

Details details

Camping trip: It all boils down to the fact that I survived it. There was nothing forgotten, whew. There were no bugs, praise the Lord. And amazingly, it never rained. We were up at Mt. Rainier, you'd think I would have taken pictures. You'd think. But I just realized that I take for granted the fact that I only live 2 hours away from this magnificent creation that I didn't even consider taking pictures of it.

Let me check photobucket...maybe they have some photos. I could step outside and probably snap a picture, but there may be some trees in the way. Photobucket is so much easier. Oh forget it, I'll find one later....

The couples who came were great. It was alot of fun to meet new people, even though that is my least favorite thing to do. Seriously, I'd rather pretend we know each other than have to shake hands and be introduced. Yeah, I know...I have issues.

We had great food, awesome fellowship and I even endured a hike. Maybe it was only 2.2 miles, but still! I hiked!!

Out of 12 girls that attended, five are pregnant. Three of them named Sarah, one of them being....yours truly. Uh huh, I am. Wow. Kinda crazy to say it, er...write it out loud. But I am and we are thrilled!!! My wonderful husband wanted me to keep it a secret until November!!! Yeahhh, right! Could hardly talk to my SIL for the week after I found out because he didn't want me telling her and I couldn't talk to her and not tell her, so I hardly called or emailed in that time. (Did you notice?!)

So, after the camping trip, Josh decides to head to his sister's house. Seriously, three hours south, so we can tell her in person. He says he just wanted to do something crazy but I think he knew that I'd want to tell her in person and he was right.

We get there, we chat for a bit and she asks, "do you have something to tell me?" Yeah, she already knew. I guess we have been friends for almost 11 years, I'm probably not too hard to read anymore. They're excited for us and it was fun to go down and hang out, even if it was just real quick.

My younger sister is due to have a baby any day and my mom has been bugging me that she doesn't want six grandchildren, she wants seven. So, I was able to tell her that she'll now have seven. Pretty thrilled that lady was. Three daughters and seven grandkids in three years. She loves it.

Anyway, there's my super long post of America. No bears, just lots of pregnant girls. It was a good time and we'll probably go next year...baby and all.

Sigh...

I'm home!!! I'm home!!! We got home from the ever so lovely camping trip and decided at around 9 pm on Sunday night to drive to my SIL's for some random fun. This wouldn't be such a big deal but she lives 3 hours south of us. So, I ran back in the house, repacked our bags and off we went!

We had a blast, even though the trip was extremely short.

I'm getting reading for Amber to come over, so I must go now. I'll fill ya in on all the juicy details of my weekend later, I know you're just dying to know.

Happy Tuesday!!!