My Life

2008-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a little overwhelmed with how my life has taken a turn for the better lately. My awesome husband bought me a computer (macbook, of course) and a cell phone! For so long I have felt so detached from everything, and now I suddenly have all this access into my OWN cyber/cellular world! How exciting!! Notice in the picture my cute pink phone (it was free, so its even cuter!). I found out Charis has the same one (in white). Sweet! That's cool. And, yes...that is my facebook page on the monitor. I finally have one. So come on...be my friend!!

2008-05-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Okay...so the coolest thing happened on Sunday!! We weren't able to meet at the school on Sunday night for church, so instead we had church at Brad and Becky's house. Becky and I were watching the kids inside, while Brad was teaching outside. There are a cute group of little kids whose families have been coming pretty regularly to our services. One little girl, Ava is a sweetheart! She loves Laney and Laney loves her! She needed to go potty, so I took her (and Laney followed) to the bathroom and she sat on the toilet and pee-pee'd. She and Laney were laughing back and forth and then Laney said "I paw-ee, I paw-ee." So, to appease her, I then sat Laney on the potty. To my surprise, SHE ACTUALLY WENT!! What?? I was so happy! We made a HUGE deal of it and she got a treat for going potty. Later that night...she went again on the toilet! And from then on, she has been going pee-pee in the potty. What a big girl! She stinkin' potty-trained herself. She even pooped in the potty today. To quote Jaye-day, "what the what?!?!" So, that's my cool story. I have the best daughter ever.

2008-05-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Hayden's birthday party. We played and ate hamburgers and cake at a park and then walked across the street to the beach to build sandcastles and swim in the water. Happy 4th Birthday, my SUPERHERO! I love you!!

2008-05-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Okay...it's been so long that I don't even know what to write. Really, so much has happened! But, if I were honest with myself, I don't think anyone even wants to read what I have to say, they just want to see pictures! So...HERE THEY ARE!!! (February until now!!)

2008-02-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Little Bit of This....Little Bit of That

We are gearing up for our launch day on Easter. Pretty exciting! Tomorrow, a guy from Portable Church is coming out to help us determine what we need for CrossChurch. They are the coolest! They supply everything you need to start a church...from the sound equipment to the staging and screens, welcome tables and signage, to everything you need for your children's ministry. Then, they create very organized portable units to store everything in and they deliver it all to you in a trailer with your church logo on it. How sweet is that?!? March will be quite the month! That's when all of our mission teams start coming. God is so good!

Yesterday, I stayed home and cleaned ALL day. I worked my butt off, but I rather enjoyed getting it done. I organized a ton. Living in my parents back house has been a blessing, but it really is too small back there for a family of four. We all share one closet, so needless to say, it needs organizing every now and then. I got rid of a bunch of the kids clothes that didn't really fit anymore to make room for all the ones we cant hang up (because there just isn't enough space). Laney is 18 months old and she is still in 12 months clothes. On Sunday I tried to get her to wear a little denim dress that is so cute...but it was too small! Her first 12 month outfit that she is too big for. My little girl is growing! And she is getting lots of teeth! She has 11 teeth and just yesterday three more popped through! She has a terrible diaper rash.

We had a breakthrough yesterday with Hayden...it was the first day he did not get his underwear wet! I know!?! He has had SO much trouble with this. He goes potty in the toilet good, but the problem has been that he doesn't realize he has to go until it's too late and his underwear is wet. So, we have been bribing him and it finally worked! He gets a new Hulk toy because he went all day without having to change his underwear.

We stayed up last night to watch the 10 million dollar cases Deal or No Deal. It was on from 9:30 - 11pm! SO long and she didn't even get the million dollars. What a waste of time.

Oh, here's big news...Scott auditioned to be on Jeopardy! I've been waiting for this day! He has all this useless knowledge...that boy has GOT to get on! He took the online test. Now we just wait and hope they call. (Only thing is, it could be anytime in the next 18 months....good grief!)

Becky's mom is coming into town today and tomorrow, the three of us are going to a taping of the Ellen show. Should be fun! Praying she gives away something good...

2008-01-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

Okay...so I know I haven't blogged since the beginning of December. It sucks not having my own computer! I can't keep up with anything. Scott's computer is a pain because it doesn't accept my camera, so it is incredibly difficult and time consuming to get my pictures on my blog. I am SO behind! I'll catch you up quickly and then post pictures when I can.

DECEMBER 25, 2007 - Christmas - Was great! This was the first Christmas we have spent with my family in 6 years! (Actually on Christmas day) The kids of course raked in the gifts. Hayden got his first computer (actually, he got two computers! -- what do you expect, we live with Dave Pollard now) and he loves playing them. I love it too, because they are all learning games and it keeps him occupied other than watching movies all day long. By the second day he had mastered the mouse! He is so smart! I think Laney's favorite present was the baby stroller. She pushes that thing around all over the place. Sometimes she pushes her little baby around in it, but mostly she pushes around her blankie (or bee-bee, as she calls it).

January 15, 2008 - My Birthday - What a hoot! I went to Hollywood for two days with Becky. She took me to the Dr. Phil show and the Price is Right. What can I say...it didn't all go the way we had planned. We made a lot of memories, some I think we both hope to forget. We arrived Monday night (Jan 14th) late. Our hotel was really nice...and really inexpensive for the location - we started off pretty good and super excited about the two days of fun we had ahead of us!...That is, until Tuesday morning rolled around. We were up and parked in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (parking for Dr. Phil) by 7 AM. We entered into the holding room where a woman was speaking to the audience about "saggy pants"...what? Could this possibly be the topic for the show? You have got to be kidding. Sadly, it was. We were supposed to be excited about talking about saggy pants. Woo hoo...?!? When we got in the studio, they separated Becky and I. They took me down to an empty seat and told me they were going to shuffle me around throughout the taping. They didn't end up doing that, but they did take me out before the show was over, so I missed the end. Just in case you were wondering, the show aired yesterday. I'm SO SORRY if you missed it...! (That was cyber-sarcasm, in case you couldn’t tell.)

After the show, we tried to get into the second taping, but it was full. For the next large portion of the day, we drove around looking for a hotel room for the second night (because our hotel the night before was sold out). I'll spare you most of those details except to say that "Hollywood" is not the beautiful place you think it is. When you walk into a hotel that looks creepy and still costs over $100/night and ask the Indian man behind the counter if it is safe and he, in broken english says, "I have been here for 27 years and I'm still alive...that is the best answer I can give you,"...lets just say, we would have rather slept in our car. We finally found a hotel where we felt reasonably safe and that was affordable. The rest of the day, we drove around and shopped in stores where scarves cost you $7,000 (Fred Segal). We hoped to get a glimpse of someone famous, but no such luck. On to bed...to rest up for a better, more exciting day on the Price is Right!

January 16, 2008 – We arrived at the CBS studios at 6:30 AM ready to "COME ON DOWN!" When you arrive, you receive an “order of arrival number” and we were pretty high up on the list, so we were excited! We had to be back by 8AM to get in line. We kept asking people around us if they had been there before, hoping to find someone who would know what we were in for…but to our surprise, everyone we talked to was there for the first time, just like us. We soon figured out why. We had to wait in the cold, on cold hard benches until 3PM – for 7 HOURS! And, mind you, the whole time we had to remain in numerical order. We were stuck on the end of the bench next to this old guy who told me he liked it when I “vibrated” (because of the cold, my leg kept shaking). Every so often, they would come by and move us from one bench to another, but only to wait for several more hours. The worst part about all of this is you don’t know what’s happening next, so you have no idea how much longer you have to wait, and you don’t want to give up and leave because you have already spent ALL this time waiting! After we got our name tags, they lined us up for the audition process. We finally got through that and made it into the studio, only to be sat in the WORST seats possible. We were behind the production table, so we were pretty much blocked from seeing the stage or Drew Carey. We had to look up at the tiny screen above us the whole time, so our necks hurt terribly by the time it was over. At the end of the taping, they offered to have anyone stay for the second taping because they had plenty of extra seats. We were in no mood to stay for another taping, we just wanted out of there. The only good part about it was Drew…he really was a great host! If in like 10 years we ever forget how terrible this was and decide we want to go back again, we did figure out what we need to do to have a little bit better experience the next time.

The best part of this day was going to Sprinkles. It is a little cupcake shop that we learned about on Oprah. They have GREAT cupcakes. We got a box of them to take home. My favorite was the chocolate coconut…yum, yum!!

Becky, I love you and thank you for taking me to Hollywood for my birthday! Even though it didn’t go as well as we would have liked it to, I can’t imagine anyone else I would have rather shared those days with. I really did have fun making those memories with you (many of which I did not mention here…) I look forward to our next road trip together! Love you, girl!!

2007-12-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

Going, Going...GONE

Once upon a time Brad Graves had hair. He loved his hair and struggled with whether or not to part with it (though his wife and friends told him it was a good idea). Then one night, after much nagging from those surrounding him, he decided to seek the wisdom of the Lord and asked God to show him what he should do about his precious hair. He randomly opened his Bible and before him was Micah 1:16, "Go make yourself bald and cut off all your hair..." And he did. The End.

2007-11-26T21:45:00.001-08:00

Black Friday MADNESS

Well, I did it. It was my first time shopping the day after Thanksgiving…holy cow…it was so much fun! Becky and I decided a while back that we were going to go together. She is a pro and does this every year, so she walked me through the 101 of Black Friday shopping. We registered about a month in advance to receive the secret ads via email, so we had been planning our adventure for several weeks. They came over for Thanksgiving and together with my family, including Grandma and Thomas, we made a feast. We had an 18-pound turkey, butternut squash casserole, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans, cranberry sauce, home-made apple cider, biscuits, gravy, stuffing, pies and other desserts, and more I cant even think of now. It was great! Leftovers galore! Later that evening, we went to Brad and Becky’s. The kids and Scott spent the night there while Becky and I shopped. We left at midnight to hit the outlet malls (this was a last minute decision…we didn’t know they opened at midnight…woo-hoo!!) We were shocked at the amount of people there…it was unreal! Trying to find a parking space was nuts! But, God was looking out for us because just about every place we went, we got a great parking place! We hung out at the outlets for about 2 ½ hours to kill time before Kohls opened at 4 a.m. We ended our early morning there at Ruby’s diner with some fried zucchini and hot cocoa. We arrived at Kohls about 10 till 4, hopped in line and waited for the doors to open. They did and we were off…to find everything on our list before someone else snatched the last one up. Amazingly, we got everything we wanted and then some. After waiting in-line FOREVER to check out, we were on our way to Target. All in all, we caught the early-birds at Kohls, Target, Penney’s, Linens-n-Things, Wal-Mart, the Rack, and Ulta. We finished our shopping venture around 3:30 p.m. totally satisfied and surprisingly still feeling alive. I went to bed at 8 p.m. and slept till noon the next day! Ha! It was so much fun. Becky…we are definitely on again for next year!

2007-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

OUR FIRST NEW CAR!

God is SO good. We had connections with the owner of one of the largest dealerships here in San Diego and he HOOKED US UP! We were able to purchase a 2008 Acura MDX. It is black with black leather interior. Scott even surprised me and bought the navigation model (which comes with GPS and a back-up camera). It is beyond perfect for us! My favorite part about it is the 3rd row of seats, allowing for 7 passengers. It feels so roomy inside, yet really doesn’t look that big from the outside. We have yet to name her. Hayden calls it our “Batman mobile.”

2007-11-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

A WHOPPING 6 MONTHS LATER...!

Wow. I know. Where to begin.

For starters, we have moved back to California! Home again, home again… Oh God, please let this be it! I am so tired of moving, and the sad part is, there is another move in our foreseeable future. Our sweet little home is for sale in Arkansas. The market is TERRIBLE and we are just praying God sells it for us soon. Until then, we are shacking up with the ‘rents. Okay…that sounds bad. We are living in my parents’ guesthouse until we can sell our home in AR and find one of our own to rent here. Their “backhouse,” as we call it, is small (just one large room…a mini-kitchen, closet, bathroom and bedroom all in one). We have made the most of what space we have, using my dad’s old office cubicle walls to make bedrooms for the kids. We are rather fond of our little place and are quite content there. The only problem is we are far from where we need to be. We have moved back to this area to launch a new church called Cross Church San Diego in the ever growing and popular Carmel Valley area!! God has done an amazing work in our hearts and has called Scott and I to team up with our new awesome friends, Brad and Becky Graves. Together, we will begin a new work that we believe God will use to transform the hearts and lives of San Diego’s North County area! We have hardly begun and are already seeing the fruits of God’s blessing on this church! Check out our website at www.crosschurchsandiego.com!

I’ll try to fill you in on a few key things that have happened since I last blogged (a really, really long time ago)…

Hayden cut his hair. So sad. I loved his long hair, but it is no more. Scott found him with the scissors and a large chunk of his hair missing. I tried to cut it without buzzing the whole thing, but he cut it right to the scalp. So, we buzzed it off. He thought it was cool and told everyone, “I’m a buzz!”

Delaney is walking like a pro and has 8 teeth! (Four on the top and four on the bottom.) She has such a beautiful smile!

The road trip/move to San Diego was pretty uneventful until the last day. We went to Disneyland!! It was so much fun and Hayden ate it up! We bought him a Disneyland book so he could have the characters autograph it for him. He got Mickey’s, Pooh’s and Buzz Lightyear’s signatures. He loved the Buzz Lightyear and Dumbo rides and he went on his first roller-coaster (in Toon Town)! I was so nervous because I thought he would be too scared. It goes really fast! But, he loved it! He wanted to go again and again! It was SO cute! I was a proud mama!

Scott’s birthday was a great day! We decided to go see a taping of the Dr. Phil show because it was an audience participation show. They were looking for audience members who had “strong views on everything from politics to religion.” That is so my husband! We filled out the request form on-line and they called us right away to say they wanted us to come be a part of the audience. We decided to go up the night before and staying in a dump of a hotel (that cost us over $100!!). Early the next morning, we made our way to the studio and got our VIP tickets. While we were sitting waiting for the taping to begin, a guy named Chunky B was revving up the audience and giving away prizes. He heard it was Scott’s birthday so he led the entire audience in Happy Birthday to Scott and then he gave him a Dr. Phil mug. Ha! The show was on extremely judgmental people. There were six in all and they have now become the new “Dr. Phil House.” During the show, Scott got a chance to speak to young woman named Kimberly, who had a very harsh way of sharing her faith. Here is a quote from the Dr. Phil newsletter (the ‘man in the audience’ is Scott)…

“A man in the audience addresses Kimberly. “Of all the attitudes I hear up here today, yours makes me most sad as a pastor, because I think that you fuel all the stereotypes that [Jason] has about people who follow God. They think they’re a bunch of airheads and just follow blindly, because of your judgmentality,” he tells her. “I just want to say that if you would exemplify what Christ intended, that people would be more receptive to your message.”   “You don’t really know me,” Kimberly says. “

Yes, my amazing husband is a star! I was so proud of him! This show aired on Tuesday of last week. The Dr. Phil house continues on Monday and Scott will more than likely be featured again. So tune in!

Of course I have to include pictures of the kids from Halloween. They had fun dressing up! Laney knew she was cute and loved showing off her little costume! Hayden had a blast being Buzz. They went trick-or-treating and helped pass out candy too!

Well, I guess that's it. I'll leave you with a few more pics. Love you all!

2007-05-19T07:19:00.001-07:00

Pictures Galore

Here are some extra pictures from the last 3 to 4 weeks...enjoy!

2007-05-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Wow…I have dreaded blogging again because so much has happened. I’m not sure where to begin. I guess I’ll start with this…

My Parents Come to Visit

Yeah! My mom and dad (a.k.a. Nana and Papa) arrived with all kinds of presents for the kiddos in hand. Mom made lots of clothes for both of them and brought material to decorate Hayden’s room. It was so great to see them and watch them interact with the kids. We miss them because they live so far away…

Dad brought his new awesome camera. I had so much fun using it while they were here. Most of the pictures on this blog were taken with it. I do miss it now that it’s gone.

Hayden’s Birthday

We decided to decorate Hayden’s room for his birthday. Bob and Larry are his favorite, so we Veggie’d his room out! Nana, Papa and I traced the characters on the wall and then we all (including Scott) painted. It turned out very cute. I had ordered some posters on line, along with a Larry Boy pillow buddy. Nana made him sheets and pillow cases for his bed and Aunt Jaye sent a Veggie fleece blanket she made. (Nana also is making curtains for his room…when they come I’ll take complete pictures.) Hayden loved his new room!

We had a big party for Hayden on Saturday. We rented a big Spider-Man jump house and grilled-out hamburgers and hot dogs. Nana bought one of those helium tanks and blew up tons of balloons. (That was a party in and of itself for him!) Among the guests were Nana and Papa, Grammy and Grandad, Mamaw and Papaw, Aunt Charis and Uncle Caleb, Uncle Blake, Cousins Morgan and Carter, and his friends from church Catherine and Easton, Dru and Belle and their families. He got all kinds of great gifts and had such a fun time. He was exhausted afterward and took a super nap! I’d say it was a success!

The Papa Projects

My dad is a force to be reckoned with. No one gets down to business like he does. Within 24 hours of them being here, he had pretty much mapped out his time – what projects he was going to accomplish during his visit, the tools he needed to complete them and then had purchased everything he needed. It was awesome! He did everything from installing towel racks and toilet paper rolls, to switching out door handles, to gluing our table together, to cementing our mailbox in the ground, to caulking our windows, to fixing our computer (that took hours upon hours in itself), and that was just day one! And how do I repay them? I back out into their rental car. Nice. We also got our fence installed while they were here! (Praise God!) It was a great two weeks for the Grimm household!

Laney is Eating!

I took Laney to her 9 month check-up only to find out that she had not gained a pound in two months. The doctor said to just skip the baby food and try table foods. She still wont eat much, but she does enjoy yogurt, the occasional mashed potatoes, crackers, pretzels and spinach (go figure). And, of course ice cream, but what girl doesn’t?

Mother’s Day

This was a sweet Mother’s Day. Hayden and Daddy went to the store and picked me out some gifts. I received flowers, chocolates and a movie, Just Like Heaven (I love that movie!). Laney was dedicated at the Mother’s Day service at church. The picture below was the one they used for the service. Isn’t she so stinking cute!?! Of course, we had an incident after church. Laney had fallen asleep in her car seat because she was so tired, and Hayden thought it would be fun to wake her up by reaching over and scratching the fire out of the entire right side of her face. She cried so hard she couldn’t even cry anymore. Her face bled and I had to wash it with peroxide and put antibiotic ointment on it. Hayden was, of course severely dealt with and really felt bad about what he did (I think). At least it all happened after the dedication and the family picture. Ugh.

Puzzle Man

Hayden’s new favorite thing is puzzles and he’s really good at them! He has several of them and he can do them all by himself. And he does them…over and over ALL day long! My boy is SO smart!

Fun in the Sun with the Slip ‘n Slide

Hayden got a slip ‘n slide for his birthday from his friends Catherine and Easton. We couldn’t use it right away because it was raining here for days. Finally, we got nice weather and we took advantage of it! We had a picnic in our newly fenced backyard, played with the bubble machine that cousins Gabe and Ella sent and then got drenched on our elephant slip ‘n slide. What a great day!

So, I guess that pretty much catches us all up. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but I think I’ve about written a book, so I’ll be done. I'll post more pictures later. Good night.

2007-04-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

George was Curious

We usually have to fight Hayden to go to sleep each night because he just wants to stay up and play. When I put him to bed, I do not let him keep any toys with him because the outcome is never pleasant. Scott, however remembers what it was like when he was a kid playing with his toys at night and wants Hayden to have fun like he did. So, he gets to deal with late night disciplines. Last night we actually were impressed because he had some toys in bed with him, but he was completely quiet once we tucked him in. I thought for sure he was asleep. Until about an hour later, his door slammed. Scott went in to check on him and came back out laughing. I of course grabbed my camera and headed in his room (you never know what you're going to find). He had gotten up to get his toothbrush out of the bathroom. George wanted to his teeth. He is so cute!

Another cute one was last night. We finished praying with him, tucked him in and were out in the living room when we hear Hayden shouting about something. I was trying to make out what he was saying. It's usually "DRINK" or "BLANKIE" or "MY BALL." But this time was different. Scott figured it out. He was shouting "JESUS FOR LANEY..." He had forgotten to pray for Laney. He opened his door and came running down the hall to where we were. "Jesus for Laney...Jesus for Laney." So, we went back in his room, prayed for Laney and then he went to bed. What a sweet brother!

Laney got her first splinter today...and a mother of a splinter it was! Ouch!

2007-04-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

I had such high hopes of getting cute Easter pictures of the kids, but it just did NOT happen. They looked so cute in their outfits. Laney was wearing a sweet little dress that my mom made her and Hayden had on a little black velvet jacket with a purple tie to match her dress. Hayden was in a crazy mood (maybe from all the Easter candy) and he would not behave for a picture. Laney was screaming because her brother was annoyiing her. As soon as as I went to take the picture, this is what I got...

Here are some other Easter pics of the family...

And just for laughs, I'll add this one...

2007-04-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Of Course It Would Happen This Weekend, Right?

We have been preparing for Easter for quite a while (I say we, really I mean Scott) and I am supposed to sing the lead on this big song with the choir. We have services on Saturday night and Sunday morning and yesterday, I lost my voice! What?!? I never lose my voice like this. Anyway, I went to the Doc this morning and he put me on some quickie meds. He said they should help and hopefully I will be alright by tomorrow night. We will see. I am praying he's right.

Here's A Sweet Story...

We pray with Hayden every night and recently, he's started praying too. He thanks Jesus for ALL of our family and friends. He'll say, "Jesus for Mommy...Jesus for Daddy...Jesus for Laney...Jesus for Uncle Micah..." and so on. Really, we do ALL the family and friends. Then, of course, we thank Jesus for Bob and Larry...his frog...his blocks...you get the idea. Well, the other night, Scott was praying with him and he was very distracted because he was holding his little toy horse (which is actually a rather large fox). Scott took it from him and told him it was his turn to pray and he could have the horse back when he was all done praying. Hayden folded his hands, closed his eyes, waited a few seconds and then boldly said "AMEN!" Ha! So funny. He's a smart boy!

Since I Last Blogged...

Laney got two more teeth! She cut one on top and her second bottom one. And, she's not been too happy about it. She is very clingy and just wants constant attention. When she's getting it though, she is very sweet! She still will not eat for me. She's a stubborn one, I'm afraid.

We Finally Got Our Couch!

Well, here it is. I love it! And it matches the chair perfectly. We have yet to find pictures to go on the wall above it...but we will get there. Here is a picture of my favorite chair...

Here are a few pictures...

This was a day last week. We were not having a very good day, so I decided to throw the kids in the bath for a while...and it worked! They came out happy and still (probably because they were cold). They love their towels that Aunt Jaye made them, and I do too! They are so cute!

I thought I'd try to get a cute picture of the kiddos. Well this...

turned into this...

which turned into this...

Ok, I give up.

2007-03-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

A Day With the Doc

Ever since Hayden was a little baby he has sometimes gotten a croupy sounding cough during the night. The last couple of nights however, it has gotten significantly worse. Last night, he woke up around 3:30 am with a horrible sounding cough. I heard him crying and coughing, half asleep trying to make it to our bedroom. When I brought him in bed with us, he was gasping for air. It was a horrible loud sound that scared both Scott and I. It reminded me of how I used to sound when my asthma acted up as a kid. For several hours he sat with me. We tried everthing to get him to calm down and go to sleep but every time he would try to lay down, his coughing and breathing would get worse again. He sat in front of me on the bed and lifted up his shirt so I would tickle his back. It was so sweet! He finally fell asleep at the foot of our bed and I called our Pediatrician this morning. After a visit to the Doc, we are on steroids twice a day for 5 days. Hopefully that will help to clear his airways and rid the inner barking seal. I only wish his medicine tasted better. It is not fun trying to get an almost 3 year old to swallow something he doesn't want to swallow!

A sweet little moment during the day...We were in the car on the way home from the doctor visit and I started singing the itsy bitsy spider song to keep him awake until we got home. Only, he corrected me. It is NOT called Itsy Bitsy Spider, the correct title is Bitsy SpiderMan. We laughed and then proceeded to sing about the itsy bitsy spiderman who climbed up the water spout!

2007-03-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, Mmmm...Good!

I knew there was a reason we don't do chocolate pudding very often!

2007-03-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Naptime is Over!

Both Hayden and Delaney took good naps yesterday. We timed it perfect and they both slept at the same time - that is the best! I heard Hayden making some noise in his room, so I knew he was up from his nap. I waited a few minutes and then went to his room to check on him, only he wasn't in there. I found him in Laney's room, in her crib. They were both smiling and playing together. It was so cute, I had to snap a picture. Nice tushy, Laney!

2007-03-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

My Guestbook!

I should have done this long ago...I added a Guestbook to my Blog. It's right below the picture of Hayden and Delaney. I put it on there so those of you who visit my site that don't have a blog of your own can still leave me a message. And for those of you who do have your own blog, well you are welcome to sign it too! Thanks! I look forward to reading your notes to me!

2007-03-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

An Evening Walk

We went for a walk this evening. Laney has not been feeling good the past couple of days and I thought we ALL could use some fresh air! It was nice. It was about 67 degrees out and so quiet. I love our little neighborhood. Not a lot of people live here yet, so it is very peaceful. This was the first time Laney got to ride in the wagon and she did great! We will definitely be doing this a lot!

A few weeks ago, Hayden planted some grass seeds in a little pot and decorated it with stickers in his Sunday School class. We have kept it in a window in the dining room and have been watering it every day. I was shocked, it actually grew! He is very proud of it - he loves to show off his grass!

2007-03-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

She's Crawling?!?

What a big couple of weeks this has been for Laney. She got her first tooth, started sitting up and scooting around and now SHE'S CRAWLING! She has been changing so quickly, we can hardly believe it! She loves beinig able to get around by herself. And, I love it too because she stays content for much longer...although, now I really have to make sure I pick everything up because it ALL goes in her mouth!

Grandma made this sweet dress for Laney. She has become quite the smocker...we look forward to many more clothes made with love from her! There is a little bonet that goes with it. It is so cute! And yes...that is a barrette in her hair! I know she's not quite ready for them yet, but it's so fun having a little girl!

I tried getting a cute picture of both the kids and this is as good as I got. Hayden was in a very goofy mood and did NOT want to pose for a picture. Every time I sat her next to him, he pushed her over, face forward into the carpet. He is quite the character these days! He was such a nice big brother last night, though. He was in his room for the longest time and we kept hearing loud crashes of toys falling over. Next thing we knew, he had a bunch of his little toys that he brought out and piled up next to Laney for her to play with. It was so sweet!

2007-03-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Tragedy Strikes!

It is a somber week in the Grimm household. Tears have been shed, sleep has been lost. How will we go on? Yes, it's true. Wednesday, the beloved Captain America died a tragic death and now all hope seems lost.

Scott Grimm, reportedly Captain America's greatest living fan made this official statement:

"The incredible sorrow I feel as an American and avid comic fan is impossible to describe. Just when we need him most, our beloved Sentinel of Liberty has been taken from us. Who now will find Osama Bin Laden? Who will defend American ideals abroad and at home? Who will convince Americans that Hillary and Barack Obama are lousy choices to run the country?

I hope to visit the capitol rotunda where he will undoubtedly lay in state before his body replaces John F Kennedy's at the eternal flame in Arlington National Cemetery. I call everyone to fly their flags at half staff for the next year or until the new "Captain America" movie comes out, whichever comes first."

So that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is it. We bid farewell to this great leader and defender of our nation. Goodbye old friend...we will miss you.

2007-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Delaney's BIG Week!

My little girl is growing up SO fast! On Friday, she got her first tooth! It didn't seem to bother her at all. I wouldn't have even known except she started gnawing on my finger and and I felt it. She chews on everything these days...and hard! And, this week she started sitting up...what a big girl! She is so happy now that she can sit up. She likes being a part of all the action! She'll sit by herself for a long time and play with her toys. Hayden is so cute...he loves to be a helpful big brother. He likes to bring her toys to her...only, then he realizes her toys do cool things and wants to play with them too.

She doesn't always like that too much. But, she does love him. He can make her laugh just by looking at her! Altough...some days he can make her cry just by looking at her, too. They are a good pair...and who can resist their cuteness?

2007-02-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hungry??

Okay, I need some help. Delaney is 7 months old and still will not eat. We went for her 6 month well-check and the Pediatrician said I could start feeding her anytime, if I wanted. So, I have tried giving her cereal three times and every time, she tightens her lips, rears her head back and uses every method she can to get that spoon away from her mouth. She hates it! Hayden was NOT like this. He loved to eat and was always ready with his mouth wide open! Is she just not ready? I think she is because she is waking up during the night hungry. I want her to eat...mostly because I want my sleep. Any ideas out there? I have tried giving her a bottle and she will not take that either. Anything that is not ME is not good enough for her and I don't know how to change that.

2007-02-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

A Few Pics...

Hayden and his friend, Jessie Stanbery playing the keyboard in Daddy's office after spending the day at Kids Day Out

The Family all together on the couch (a.k.a. mattress) in our new living room watching TV after a long day

Our Little
Princess

Am I a good wife or what?!? Yes, I bought these for my sweetie...

2007-02-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

Perfect Day!

It is a beautiful day today! Around 70 with clear skies and no wind. Hayden, Delaney and I took a stroll over to the park and Hayden played for a while. How nice to get outside! Laney took a sweet little nap and I just enjoyed the feel of the sun. I look forward to more days like today.

2007-02-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

Finally!

Good grief, where does the time go?!? I have to think about what has happened since I last wrote. We are slowly settling in our house...and I do mean slowly. We still have a mattress on our living room floor that we use for our sofa. It was fun for a little while, but I am ready for a real couch. Although, it comes in handy when I make Scott "sleep on the couch." Not so bad for him. Ha! Just kidding. But, he did sleep on it last night because I've been sick and he didn't want my germs. Love ya, too! We did finally get our chair, which I love. Our couch will be red to match the red in the chair. We still do not have a fridge. (We have our old one in the garage, but the freezer in it is broken.) Our oven does not heat. I tried baking salmon (yes, I know...I tried to cook), and after an hour in the oven, we were still able to take the cookie sheet out with our bare hands. Now, it wasn’t my fault that meal did not turn out. Our washing machine does not work. We thought our dryer was going to be the big problem because we had to change the plug out (from a three prong to a four), but that was easy compared to the problems our washer has caused. It was just one thing after another with it. We'd fix one problem and then something else would go wrong. And those of you who know us well, know that neither Scott nor I are really "fixer-upper" people, so really, it's amazing we've done what we've done.

I bought a dimmer switch for the dining room. I really wanted one because the house we were renting when we first moved here had one. I thought it would be no problem switching the old one out, boy am I a moron! Scott and the kids were in the living room watching a movie and I was in the dining room thinking I would get this all hooked up and Scott would be so proud of me. And he probably would have been...until he heard me scream from the sheer trauma of an electrical shock running up my arm. Yes, I'll say it again, I am a moron. #1 on the directions says MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE POWER SOURCE. I did not do that. I let the switch hang from a thread for a couple days before I got up the nerve to try it again. Actually, I was on the phone with my dad (the genius) and he talked me through it. It works perfectly now. Thanks, Dad!

Last Sunday, Scott and I took a trip with Josh and Angela to Orlando for the Metro One Music Conference for Worship Pastors and their wives. Delaney came with us and Hayden got to stay here with family. We had a good time and met some great couples that I'm sure we will keep in touch with. It was really helpful for us to meet other couples who are doing what we are doing. I know Scott really enjoyed just brainstorming and bouncing ideas off all of them. I enjoyed talking with their wives and getting to know them and what their life is like. By the end of our trip we were sure missing our little boy. It was good to be back home with him.

2007-02-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

Blog, Blog, Blog

So, I wasn't going to blog today. Not because I didn't want to, but just because I really don't have anything to say. But, then I read Nobody's last blog and decided not having anything to blog about isn't such a bad thing! And really, I have a lot to blog about - we are in our new house! Praise God! Finally, we have a place of our own to call "home!" It is so nice...even through all the MESS at the moment, I still love it! Hayden had a rough couple of days while we were moving, but he has been doing great lately. He loves his new room, which at the moment is just toys, toys and more toys! (No wonder he LOVES it!) We haven't gotten any blinds or drapes on the windows yet (luckily there is no one living in the houses next to us, so we don't have to worry about peeping Toms) so Hayden is sleeping in our closet until I can get something up on his windows. Otherwise, he'll be up with the sun and anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a morning person. If he'll sleep longer in the closet, than that's where I'll keep him for now. And Laney finally has a crib! Uncle Blake and Aunt Sandy loaned us theirs...and what a deal, it matches all her furniture! We don't have bedding yet though, so she has yet to have her first night in the crib. I am looking forward to that! It's been hard keeping her on a normal schedule while she's been in the same room as us. But, it's time!

I love my little boy. Yesterday, he was playing by himself in the living room while I was making his lunch. While he was in there, I heard him start to sing. He was singing Jesus Loves Me. It was so sweet, and he knew the whole song. It was completely recognizable and he even sang the tune very well. It was a proud mama moment! I wished he never stopped. I love listening to him! Of course, once he finds out I am listening he gets embarrassed and starts goofing off. It’s those sweet little moments when he's off in his own little world that I love to spy on him!

Back to the house...we bought a dining room set! I am excited to get it. It is so nice! We still need to find living room furniture. Right now, we have our extra mattress on the living room floor and sit on that to watch our TV. It actually makes for a fun little transition time...we have it piled with pillows! It is the only piece of "furniture" we have in there. I think we might try to brave the cold and snow tonight and go look for some furniture. I can't wait to get his house in order! Once I do, I'll post pictures. It may be little while though...

2007-01-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

What Are You Doing Up There??

At 1:30a.m. this morning, I awoke to the screams of a 2 1/2 year old little boy. I ran over to his room, only to find that he wasn't in his room. He had climbed the shelves of the pantry and was screaming because he could not get down. I carried him into his room where I saw "The Mess." Yes, it deserves its own title. He had emptied out every snack and cereal (with-in his reach) all over his bed. (No, I did not take a picture. I was way too tired and upset.) I had been having a terrible dream that he was destroying this house and no one could stop him. Little did I know that while I was sleeping, my dream was actually taking place just a few feet away. We have decided that in our next house (which we get to move in to on Friday!!) we are going to put locks on all the doors that are lockable. I do not know what else to do to keep him out of stuff. He is becoming sneakier and sneakier...and he is only two. Oh Lord...what is next?!?

2007-01-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

The Last Few Weeks...

Okay...so it's been a little while since I last blogged. Here's my story in a nut shell...

Christmas was great! We celebrated it about a week late because Micah, Jaye, Gabe and Ella were coming to town and we wanted to wait for them. We had a great time. It was so much fun watching the cousins play together. Ella was so sweet with Delaney (and a big helper too!) It was great to see Jaye. I love spending time with her...I do wish we were closer.

Other than that...it's been houses, houses and more houses. But praise be to God...we found a house! It seems like it all happened so quickly! Tuesday, I went to our monthly staff wives luncheon and mentioned that we were struggling to find a house and only had until the end of the month to be out of the one we are living in now. Well, God is good and he prompted one of the sweet ladies there to tell me about her son who had two houses he was desperate to sell. Later that afternoon, we went to see one of them and fell in love with it. Short story even shorter, today (Thursday...two days later) we made an offer and he accepted! It is totally a God house...I am in awe of how amazing it all is! We owe it all to Him (and to the sweet builder gentleman who undoubtedly gave us an incredible deal...and to our realtor for everyting he did!), but especially to the Lord for this awesome gift of a beautiful place to call home.

2006-12-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

Goofin' Off!

Hayden some how got a hold of this weird looking hat thing. He thinks he's pretty funny when he wears it on his head. What a hoot! Of course, Delaney had to get in on the action too!

2006-12-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

On the Move Again...

Well, the beautiful house we are living in has sold. Nobody thought it would happen so soon but they close on this one the 29th of January. So, for the last three days we have done nothing but look for houses. We haven't had too much luck yet...feeling the pressure of having to find a place ASAP doesn't help. We've found a few possibilities, but its hard to know if they are the right place for us. We are just praying for direction and wisdom. We know the perfect home is out there, we hopefully we find it soon!

2006-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Good Night Sweetheart

Scott didn't think I should put this on my blog...but it is so cute, how could I not?

Poor Miss Delaney has been without a bed of her own since we moved. The crib we used for Hayden broke during our first move to Lubbock so when Delaney came along, we used a cradle that some friends let us borrow. We really need to get her a crib, but until then, she is sleeping in our room in the bottom drawer of the dresser. She doesn't mind...she's quite cozy in there! And cute, too!

Hey Jen, recognize this blanket? I think it's yours! I found it in one of our boxes...sorry!

2006-12-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Lovin' the Veggies

Hayden’s biggest wish came true last night. We spent the evening with Bob and Wae-wee (i.e. Larry)! Yes…we went to see the Veggie Tales Live tour. We had awesome front row seats! We were so close in fact, that Hayden was terrified at first. The veggie characters were huge and came right to the edge of the stage, I thought Hayden was going to climb right over us. He slowly got used to them and by the second half of the show, he loved it! By the end, he was out of our laps in front dancing around. I was surprised he knew all the characters names (even some I couldn’t remember!). Afterwards, we had a backstage pass and got to meet Bob and Larry. He didn’t enjoy that part too much. He was very scared. The rest of the night he called him “Scary Bob.” He must not have been too scared though, because this morning he woke up asking to watch the “Bob moo-ee.”

2006-12-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Last Month...

I feel like it has been so long since I've been able to get on-line! Finally I can write an update for my lonely blog. Although, I’m not sure where to begin…I’ll just give the long and short of the last month.

November 8^th – We loaded up the BIG truck and said goodbye to our friends in Lubbock. It was bitter-sweet, but we were looking ahead to the exciting future God had prepared us for in Arkansas. We didn’t arrive to Springdale until the 9^th, so one the way, we found a cheap hotel to stay in (you know how those can be). Hayden was very sick that night and woke up the next morning with an exploded diaper ALL over him and his bed. Not fun.

November 9^th – We arrived at our new home in Springdale and it is beautiful! A sweet family in our new church here has been trying to sell their home and in the mean time has offered to let us rent it from them. It is a very nice four bedroom home and the best part about it is they left it completely furnished. We could have come with just the clothes on our backs and been perfect. God is so good! And the best part, the worship ministries from both churches filled our fridge, pantry and gave us a gift card to Wal-Mart! Thank you! P.S. I told you that Hayden had been sick the night before, right? Well, we were so excited to see the inside of our house for the first time and right when we walked through the front door, Hayden threw up all over the floor. Nice. Luckily it was not carpet, so the clean up was easy.

November 14^th (Five days after we move in) – Hayden woke up around 7:30 am. One thing about this house is it has the handle door knobs that you push down to open the door. They are very pretty looking…they are also very easy for Hayden (who is two, remember) to open. I did not know he was awake until he came into our room and said “messy.” I then chased him out of my room to a pile of white mess on the carpet. Once I put my contacts in, I realized the extent of what “messy” meant. Hayden had gotten into the pantry in the kitchen, grabbed a bag of powdered sugar, carried it into the living room and dumped it all over the carpet. He had obviously been playing in it for quite a while because he was covered from head to toe and it was packed into the carpet. Here’s the best part, the day before, our vacuum broke so I had no way to clean it up. For two days we had to avoid a pile of powdered sugar in the middle of the living room until we could borrow a vacuum from a friend.

November 22^nd – Charis came over and spent the night because I was home alone (with the kiddos, of course). Scott went to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game with Josh…don’t worry, I’m not jealous. We had a great time cooking Thanksgiving food ALL NIGHT! We made pumpkin cheesecakes, apple pie, cranberry salad with a cream cheese middle layer, turkey sausage stuffing with apples and cranberries, butternut squash casserole (always a favorite), apple orchard punch and two cheese balls (wink, wink to Charis). YUM-O!

November 23^rd – We went to Mamaw and Papaw’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a lot of fun and a lot of good food! Hayden had the best time wrestling around with his cousins! I think he has a new best friend!

November 25^th – Scott and I were on our way to do some Christmas shopping when we came across a garage sale. I bought a 7.5 foot pre-lit (white lights) Christmas tree ($5.00!), a large wreath ($1.00!), a box full of new-looking books for Hayden ($2.00) and a chandelier ($1.00). I know…I don’t need a chandelier, but who could pass it up? It was beautiful, just like new and only a buck!! All that stuff for under 10 dollars. That never happens to me!

November 28^th – We put our tree up! It looks so little in this big house of ours…but finally it feels like Christmas. And, I bought Febreze that smells like Christmas…yum! I love this time of year! We thought we would check out the after Christmas sales to try and get a good deal on a bigger tree for next year.

December 1^st – We got our first snow today! It wasn’t much, but it was pretty! Boy, is it cold! Scott and I went to Hobby Lobby today and got some fun stuff for Christmas. Everything was half-off! We picked up some stockings (a pink one for Laney, of course), cute stocking hangers for the mantle, some retro lights for Scott’s tree downstairs and a tree skirt. I love when Hobby Lobby has what I want on sale!

December 3^rd – We had our Christmas concert this afternoon. Because the church has been without a worship pastor, they decided to do music they already knew this year. There were several songs and Scott and I have been listening to them NON-STOP so we could learn them for the big day. It was a lot to learn but we did it and the performance was great! Everyone did a fantastic job and we had a great time!

Well, that sums up the month I’ve been away. I’ve missed you all! It’s good to be back!

2006-11-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Trick-Or-Treat

Despite the packing madness going on around here, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go out and get some pure hype-you-up, make-you-bounce-off-the-walls, sugar-filled candy, right? Just what we need around here. A two year old who can’t sit still. We dressed up in our favorite character (Superman) and hit the streets. Scott took Hayden over to the house of a sweet family in our church and they loaded him up! He decided to hit a few more houses in their neighborhood until he came to one house where a guy wearing a demon mask jumped out from behind his door and scared Hayden so bad, Scott had to chase him down the street! You know, that just ruins it for me. Its fun until somebody has to take it to the next level, dress like a demon and scare my little boy. What’s with that?

2006-10-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

What's Up, Chuck?

Hayden has had a bad infection in his eye, so he has been on antibiotics. He loves to take his medicine, or “mae-sin” and usually is the one to remind me that he hasn’t had it a while. Last night, he decided he wanted some more. He pushed the chair to the counter and grabbed the bottle of amoxicillin. Somehow (not sure how because it’s supposed to be child-proof) he got the lid off and drank the rest of it. He then ran to Scott (who was on the phone), gave him the bottle and said “gone-gone.” Scott immediately got off the phone and we called poison control. They said he would be okay, that he had only had about a fourth of what they would consider a “dangerous amount,” but that his stomach would probably be upset. Well, they were right. At about 1:00 am, it began. Diarrhea, throwing-up…the works. It’s the first time he has really “thrown-up.” It was all over! All over me, the bed, the carpet, the bedroom door…everywhere. Scott got up and helped me. He took the bed sheets and blankets to the wash, got several wet towels for me and then held Hayden while I cleaned up the mess. Hayden let loose a few more times until it was all out of his system. He laid down on Daddy's lap and slowly fell asleep while Scott stroked his hair. It was a long night, but it's over and we all made it through. This morning, he woke up hungry for cereal with “mlk.” What a trooper!

2006-10-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Picture Day, Again

Well, we got the proofs back from our family pictures. The ones of the whole family turned out pretty good. However, the ones with the two kids and Laney by herself didn’t turn out as good. The photo place offered to retake the pictures at no additional charge, so we tried that. Yesterday we went to have them redone. Laney was in a sweet mood and making some cute faces, until…

Everyone was trying to get her to smile and Hayden thought he would try too. He accidentally scratched her face and she started screaming. She had a big red scratch from her forehead, in-between her eyes and down her nose. It started to bleed a little. I picked her up, calmed her down and then was able to sort-of cover it with make-up. By this time Hayden was getting tired and restless. (He hadn’t been feeling very well, anyway.) We were going to do one more picture of the two of them before taking the ones of Laney by herself. So, Hayden was seated in a big chair and Laney was supposed to sit in his lap. Only, when she got close to him, he took both hands, grabbed her cheeks and started quickly scratching over and over again. I have never seen him be so defiant while purposely hurting her. She started screaming inconsolably. Hayden was taken to the bathroom for a spanking from Daddy. Needless to say, after that we were done taking pictures (since our poor baby girl had scratches literally all over her little face). And I had to reschedule, yet again. Now we are going back on Monday to get hers done, once her face has had time to clear up a little.

Here are some of the proofs we received...

2006-10-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Photo Fun

We got family pictures today. For those of you who know me…that is a BIG deal! I haven’t gotten the proofs yet, hopefully I will be able to post them. Hayden did so well the entire two hours we were there. I was very proud! I was sure he wasn’t going to want to sit still, especially when the lady kept putting him in different positions…but he responded really well to her and did everything she asked. And then, on top of that, he actually smiled! Now Delaney…she wasn’t so cooperative. She would not smile at all! We tried everything. Then, after the first hour she started to cry and did not want anything to do with sitting or laying anywhere. I tried to feed her to calm her down and make her happy but all that did was put her to sleep…and she was OUT! We could not wake her for anything. Oh well…you just never know when it comes to taking pictures, I guess. I took a few shots of her when we got home (after she woke up from her coma) because she was in a cute mood (of course…now she is!). It was nice to have her out of her brace for a while today. She is only supposed to be out for up to one hour each day. Okay…so we went a little long today. I’ll be so glad when she doesn’t have to wear it anymore. For her sake, too…she does not like that thing!

Oh, by the way...can't you really see her red hair in this picture!? I told you it was turning red! Ha!

2006-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Next Chapter

What a day today was. Hard to put it into words, but here it goes...

About three months ago, Scott received a call from Dr. Ronnie Floyd, the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. They are without a worship pastor and he was interested in pursuing Scott for the position. After much prayer and discussion, we decided that not exploring the possibility of it would be wrong. So, Scott traveled to NWA a couple times and then last month, our whole family went.

This has been a very long and difficult journey for me. (For Scott too, but this is my blog...so I'm sharing from my heart my own experience.) In the beginning I agreed with Scott that we needed to pursue this opportunity until we felt God telling us no. Who are we to determine it is not God’s will for us to move to Springdale. However, after Scott came back from his first visit, something inside me closed up and I became very negative about the whole idea.

I was struggling with several things, including the fact that we have not been here in Lubbock long. It feels like we just got here. Why would God take us away so quickly? And, I love Pastor Brad. I feel such a loyalty to him. I admire him and his leadership abilities. For so long we prayed for an opportunity to work beside Brad and Stephanie and it finally happened. Why would God separate such great partners in the ministry? And, Victory Life is so exciting! God is doing amazing things through his people here. This church is on its way to becoming a mega church here in Lubbock. The new building plans are awesome. The people are so generous and loving. Why would God take us away from all of this?

I still have questions and a great deal of confusion swarms all around me, but I know in my heart this is the right move for our family. A good friend reminded me that it’s okay to not have all the answers. It is in those difficult times that we have no other choice but to trust in our all-knowing Jesus. (Prov. 3:5-6) Scott has always been wise in knowing God’s plan. If he knows this is the right thing, I know it too. I will always be beside him and supportive of him. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to leave here…

Today Pastor Brad announced that we were leaving. I knew it would be hard, I just didn’t know how hard. I was afraid that people wouldn’t understand. That they would have a lot of questions and not find solace in the answers we would provide. The people at Victory Life were unbelievably gracious. They loved on us, told us they would miss us, but that they were very happy for us. God is so good. I hate to leave, but I feel comfort in knowing I am leaving family.

We are here two more weeks and then it’s on to the next chapter in our lives. God’s blessings are evident. Jesus, lead on…

2006-10-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Attention, Please...

I was trying to take pictures of Delaney today because she was in such a good mood and smiling so big. Everytime I would give her attention (trying to take her picture) he would do everything he could to get my attention back on him. He kept laying down next to her and being silly. He even went as far as to pull down his pants and start "crying." So, needless to say, I never did get a good picture of Laney by herself...they were all about Hayden! And, Hayden learned how to do a summersault today. I took some video of it. Maybe when I get brave eough to update and re-post my slide show, I will add that video to it.

Also, just for laughs...Hayden insists on calling me "honey" today instead of mommy. I was going to the bathroom he came running down the hallway calling "honey, honey..." So cute!

2006-10-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

Let It "Snow"

So I woke Hayden up early this morning (or I guess its yesterday morning now) hoping that he would be more tired once his nap time rolled around and he would actually sleep. Well, needless to say that didn't work. I had put all of his toys (and anything else I thought might cause him to be distracted and not nap) into the closet. Apparently that just made him more bored and look for other ways to keep himself busy. We don't have anywhere else to keep this little blue love seat in our small home, so it stays in Hayden’s room, which has never been a problem...until now. When I went in to get him after his supposed "nap" this afternoon, I opened the door to find him grinning from ear to ear. He had created a masterpiece of white "snow" all over his bedroom floor. The cushions from the couch had been unzipped and the stuffing strewn about the room. What a mess! What am I going to do with him…I just can’t keep up!

2006-10-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Mouse in the House

Two days ago I was cleaning out our bedroom closet and found mouse droppings all over the carpet. Talk about giving me the willies! Everytime I picked something up off the floor, I hesitated knowing I could come in contact with him. Last night we were lying in bed and could hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet in the bathroom under the sink. Needless to say, tonight we are going to buy mouse traps. Squeek, squeek little mouse...you're a gonner!

2006-10-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

Slide Show Nightmare!

What an ordeal getting that video on my webpage! If anyone is thinking about putting a slide show up, don't use the site I used. What a joke! Or maybe I am the joke...I just don't know anymore. My mind is fried. I thought I was at least a little computer literate...?! From now on, I need to only use websites with customer service 800 numbers. Ugggh!

2006-10-07T13:24:00.001-07:00

Christmas List

Alright, so I know it's early but I thought I'd go ahead and post Hayden's Chrismas list. We were at the mall today (Toys 'R Us) and saw several things that he was VERY interested in. So, for all you friends and family who are early Christmas shoppers...this is for you!

We've seen the commercial several times for the "GeoTrax Road and Rail System." Everytime it plays, Hayden says, "a-gain...a-gain," meaning that he wants us to rewind the TV and play the commercial again. It's pretty cool, actually (cool...yet another cute word of Haydens). There is a core system you can get and then expansions to go along with it. The expansion pieces include Rail, Construction, Rescue, Elevation and Air/Sea. We didn't see all of the accessories, however Hayden loves the different trains (the "Rail" expansion packs) and the "Elevation" pieces. Daddy is very excited about this System, too. (He's really just a big kid at heart.) He thinks they'd have a great time playing GeoTrax together!

Only Scott's son would know who Superman, Spider-Man and Captain America are at the age of 2. Hayden is so cute when he sees anything of either of them. He can say "Superman" and "Spider-Man" pretty good. "Captain America" ends up sounding something like "Ca-ma Ca-Ca." We saw this and he thought it was great. It is the "Spider-Man & Friends Super Hero Playset." It doesn't come with the figurines (you have to purchase those seperately). There is also a "Superman Junior Laptop" (made for ages 3 and up) that we saw at KB Toys. He played with it for a long time and did not want to give up. (He loves computers!)

We have decided that Hayden is, without a doubt, Curious George. He thought this "Tickle 'N Giggle Curious George" toy was a hoot. Also, I'd love for him to have the new "Curious George" DVD. I think he would really love watching it. (Hopefully he wouldn't mimic that funny monkey!)

We were at church one Wednesday night and Hayden was playing with a Magna Doodle. He enjoys coloring and really thought this was fun. He also loves cars, so we saw this and thought it would be a hit. It is by Fisher Price and called the "Cars Doodle Pro."

A Grown-Up Christmas List

Now, for those of you who know my sweet husband well, you know that we can't go into a toy store without shopping for him too. Of course, we found some pretty awesome Captain America figurines (not toys!) that he had never seen before. So here they are...

"ICONS Marvel Legends Captain America"

Scott couldn't decide whether he liked the one with or without the mask. He loved them both.

This is "Marvel Legends Face-Off" between Captain America and the Red Skull.

2006-10-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to You

Today we celebrated Scott's 33rd birthday! He won't be around for his actual big day, so we got a babysitter (something we rarely do) and went to a movie and then out for dessert. I can’t remember the last time I was in the theatre to see a movie. We saw Facing the Giants. What a good movie! And to think everyone in the film goes to the same church (Sherwood Baptist in

Georgia

) and the entire movie was shot with only one camera. Impressive! What a testimony the movie was! I definitely recommend everyone see it! Scott and I had a good time. It's the first date night we've had in a while. After the movie we went to Lujans and had their "Big Cookie" dessert. Man, was it goooood! YUM-YUM! Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you!

2006-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Time-Out

Okay, so the cutest thing happened today and I decided Jaye was right, I need to keep a blog.

Hayden is almost two and a half. There are several times each day where (being the sweet little two year old that he is) he gets in trouble. Sometimes he gets spankings, most of the time he gets “time-out.” When he is asked to go sit in time-out, he knows to go to a special designated place where he is to sit against the wall and be still until he told to come to mommy (or daddy, as the case may be) and say sorry for what he has done. Well, today, he decided that his toys were naughty and needed to be in time-out. One by one, he picked them up and gave them a spanking. While carrying them over to time-out he said (in a very firm voice) “No, Hayden! Time-Out!” Bob the Builder, a favorite of his, was picked back up after a few minutes and given a hug. Later, Bob fell off a chair and onto the floor. Hayden picked him up, gave him a hug (and a pat on the back) and said “Awww, Hayden…you okay? Go ni-night.” He took Bob into his bedroom, tucked him in bed, said “ni-night” and shut the door. How cute! This is the first time I have really noticed him “interacting” with his toys. Of course, when it was time for Hayden to take a nap, Bob had to be tucked in right next to him!