That's Life

Last night when I got to Mom & Dad's to pick Grace up after work Dad was sitting out in the garage in his rocking chair working a crossword puzzle. This is very typical of him, he loves to sit outside in the quiet and work his puzzles. Anywho...I pulled up and we got to talking. Dad and I don't ever have the opportunity (or make the opportunity either I guess) to sit and visit for any length of time so last night we sort of played catch up.

Now, keep in the mind the fact that I don't even get off of work until 10 pm so by the time I got to the house it was about 10:15 and we stayed outside talking for an hour and a half! When I finally walked in the house Grace was passed out on the couch in front of Mom and she looked like she was about to pass out too. She said "Have a nice visit?!" Oops! I didn't realize we'd been out there so long, but she knows that Dad and I don't do that often so she didn't care!

It was nice. An eye opener and a reminder of how incredibly wonderful my parents are and have always been. Some know and some don't know about the history of my relationship with Gene and some rough waters we travelled after we first got together.

Suffice it to say, I was 20 years old at the time and Gene was 33. He was a divorced father of 2 pre-teen boys and my parents were initially NOT ok with it. At all. I had moved out for the first time into an apartment with my best friend Stephanie and one month later was when Gene and I began our relationship. I won't even begin to go into all of what took place because quite frankly if you don't already know the nitty gritty of it then it's just none of your business!! However, I will say that from September '05 to May '06 my life changed completely.

I was head over heels in love with Gene and knew that I was going to marry him the first time I saw him sitting up in dispatch in full uniform with his feet propped up on the desk eating a Subway sandwich!! I had been working at the police department for maybe 2 weeks and was still very shy and didn't really talk to anybody. Long story short, we kept seeing each other downstairs and then after I was moved to evening shift for my training (the shift he was working at the time) he began frequenting dispatch....a lot!! He was always friends with everyone in dispatch and would visit occasionally but he began coming up everday we worked together and would hang out for about an hour before he had to go to briefing. Oh how I loved him. Finally after some help from the girls I was working with at the time he got my phone number from one of them and called me. I remember it was a Wednesday night (September 21st) and I had just got home from work and I was talking to Steph about him. Then my phone rang. I already recognized the number because I had had to call him out the week before for a K9 track and remembered his number!! I was so excited and I'm pretty sure that we talked until 1 that morning when he got off work. Like I said, I was absolutely crazy about him. And he about me. Which was really nice. He was older and mature and didn't act like a typical "guy" because he was a father and responsible and instantly took care of me. Nothing has changed over the last almost 4 years.

Like I said, my parents were not ok with our relationship. I am not a rebellious person by nature and I sure as heck was not a trouble maker growing up. Tanner and I were really never in trouble, serious trouble anyway, just the picking on one another sibling rivalry way! I never acted out or fought with parents and always did what I was told. Except when it came to my love for Gene. I pretty much told them that I would be with him no matter what and there was nothing they could do about it. There was a period of time where we didn't speak much, especially my dad and I. I can not even begin to put into words how incredibly hard that was for me and for them I know too. We were a very very very tight and close family growing up. My parents protected us from the evil ways of the world and always made sure our home was a "safe harbor" in the words of my Dad. We had no idea the kind of hurt that was the world. I got a taste of reality after I started at the police department because obviously that's about all we deal with, is the evil.

So, anyways, our relationship (mine and my parents) was on a slippery slope downhill. This was all the first part of 2006. I must say, that Gene and I hit it off and were together all the time. We talked and talked and talked and he would still come up and visit and bring Aros (K9) up to visit. I first met the boys in November '05 while I was working one Sunday afternoon and they had just bought Bear (our rat terrier) and brought him up to the pd to see me. The boys were very quiet and very polite the whole time. It was a little odd but not bad. I didn't see them again until February '05, the first time I went to Gene's house. He and his ex wife had agreed when they divorced that they would not bring people they were dating in and out of their lives. I was more than ok with that. I told Gene I was ready when he was ready. So, the boys and I clicked right from the start. They are both such great kids that it's unbelievable. They were respectful and polite and we were instantly friends. My biggest thing was not coming into their lives as a "mother" but more as a "friend." That approach apparently worked because we have never once had a problem. I must also say to that Gene's ex wife is incredibly nice and she and I have never once had issues either. Thank goodness! That made our relationship that much easier knowing I didn't have to worry about that.

Mid June '05 I was due to start my period and was a week late. Honestly, I didn't think anything of it. I had been cramping and just knew I would start anyday now. Well, at the time I was working with Stephanie (another Steph) and she and I had been on the same cycle for a while and we were both late. She kept asking me if I had started. Nope, not yet. So, one night at work we're sitting there talking and Kara (another co-worker) says we should take pregnancy tests. What? I wasn't pregnant, but whatever. So, Kara sent Christina (her trainee at the time) to Wal-Mart to by some pregnancy tests. She gets back. I go first. I know longer pee on the silly thing and the "pregnant" sign pops up. Holy moly. I didn't believe it. I just walked back into the room laughing. Steph went next. Same thing.

I wanted a second opinion so we sent Christina back to Wal-Mart for another pregnancy test. This time the digital one. I didn't want just a little line, I wanted it to say either "pregnant" or "not pregnant." Well....guess what that one said...."pregnant." I was excited. Not scared. Not freaked out (ok well maybe a little freaked out). I was excited. Gene and I had already talked about having kids together and I know what you're thinking and no, we were not married.

Another big deal. I was a Christian and had grown up in church and youth group and going on mission trips. I loved the Lord. I still do, more than anything. Now, obviously, that is not the way it was supposed to happen. Cart before the horse so to speak, but that's the way it was. Gene was excited also.

Once again, I won't go into the nitty gritty of what happened over the next couple of months because I don't want to re-visit some of that. But, my parents came around once they realized Gene (and the boys) weren't going anywhere and that we had made them grandparents.

So...I got pregnant in May and Gene and I were married that December. Grace made her beautiful appearance into this world the following February!! I sit here and look at her now and do not regret one step or action that I made because if something were different I wouldn't have my sweet girl!!! I am so completely consumed in my children and my role as their mother and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way!

Ok, back to last night and the talk Dad and I had. The relationship between Dad and Gene has been cordial since our marriage and they have never once been cross or nasty towards one another. They both love me enough to not do that. Anyways, Dad told me last night that he had no ill will towards Gene and that he wanted to have a good friendship with him and that he wanted Gene to know that he totally respects him as my husband, as a daddy, as an officer, and as a man. Melt my heart. He also told me he was proud of me. I almost cried. Now, don't think for one minute that it was the first time he'd ever told me he was proud of me because that is SO not true!! He's told me that on hundreds of occasions, but last night was different. I wasn't standing there as a high school graduate or a new hire at the police department or as a little girl who just learned how to ride a bike. I was standing there as his daughter, as a mother, as a wife, and as a grown woman. He told me he was proud of me and the life I had created.

He told me that he and Mom don't have to worry about me because he knows that Gene and I stand on our own two feet and take care of what is ours and that we are responsible and mature. We laughed because he told me how he always tells everyone how I "hit the ground running" as far as growing up goes. I moved out at 20, pregnant and married at 21, and financially responsible and grown up now at 24 (well sometimes grown up...when I'm not goofing with my kids)!! I told him that's because I was taught how to be a responsible adult. My parents took good care of us but they didn't hand us everything we wanted/asked for. We had to work for it.

I am forever grateful for my parents and for my husband and the relationship I have with each. My life has changed dramatically over the last 4 years and though there were some really rough patches I survived and I'm a better person because of it. God has blesssed me in ways I really don't deserve and yet here I am. I am eternally grateful to Him for that!!!

Daddy - I love you more than anything and you are the perfect daddy for me!!!!

Hodge Podge

That's pretty much what this post will be...hodge podge! It'll basically just be an overview of the weekend and I don't have any new pictures to post from the happenings.

Gene had dropped his motorcycle off at the shop last Thursday to have his rear tire replaced and a 10,000 mile service done. He told them before he dropped it off that the only way he would bring it to them was if they could have it done and ready by 9 am Saturday because he was planning on riding to Tulsa. They assured him it would be done. Well, that didn't happen. We showed up right at 9 Saturday morning and there was nobody there. Finally one of the owners showed up a few minutes after us and opened the business. However, Gene's bike had not even been touched yet. They told him it would be done between 2 and 3 that afternoon. So, he didn't get to ride to Tulsa. He was not a happy camper.

After we got back home I sent Mom a text asking if she wanted to meet at the mall and help me spend the rest of my gift certificate to Arty Crafty because I wanted to find some stuff for our bedroom since I'd re-arranged. She, of course, said yes so we planned to meet at noon! The kids ended up going with me and Gene just dropped us off at the mall then went to hang out with Steve until time to get his bike. I was able to find a couple of things for my bedroom, that I'll share at a later date because it's still not done, and it was too big to fit in my car so we loaded it up in Mom's and then the kids and me piled in! I called Gene when we finished at the mall and he was fixing to head down to the shop. So, Mom just took me down there to get my car. Gene ended up having to sit and wait there for almost 3 hours because his bike still was not done. I had run back into the mall and then down to the grocery store and right as I got home he called and asked me to come get him because it wasn't going to be done until the next morning. Oh, he was sooooo mad! They ended up putting a front tire on the rear and were going to have to fix it. The owner wasn't there most of the day Saturday and kept apologizing because he wasn't there watching what they were doing.

He promised Gene that he would be up and at the shop by 8 Sunday morning and Gene told him we'd be there sometime between 9 and 10 to get it. We got up, drove in, got there right at 9 and nobody was there. Shop was all locked up. So...we went back home. Gene tried calling him....straight to voicemail. We were supposed to go riding with Steve and Jennie too. Gene ended up going back up there by himself at 10 just to make sure and so he could say he was there at both times, but still no one was there. Right after he got home Steve called him and they were talking. While he was on the phone the owner tried calling him so he clicked over and he told him that he was now up at the shop and he could come get his bike. It was 10:30 by now.

I went and changed clothes and got ready really quick and Gene got Grace dressed and her stuff together because I was going to drop her off at Mom and Dad's to stay the night with them. The boys had gone to their mom's right after they woke up so we all loaded up and went back, yet again, to the shop. It was...finally done. Gene left for Steve and Jennie's and I headed for Mom and Dad's. I got Grace dropped off and then met everyone else at Steve and Jennie's house. When I got there Jennie met me at the door and told me that after Gene got to their house Steve was doing an inspection of it because he used to work on motorcycles and knows just about all there is to know about them and saw that his saddlebags were all scratched up. Jennie was able to buff and polish some of them out but they still didn't look great. It was seriously one thing after another and Gene called and left another message with the owner, who quickly returned his call. He was very apologetic and told Gene to bring it back up and he would take care of it. It was an absolute mess and I'm so glad that Steve decided to take the day off for us to go ride because it was exactly what Gene needed.

We finally got on the bikes and our first stop was Rogers and we ate lunch at Texas Land & Cattle at the Promenade. It was yummy!!! None of us had eaten there before but we were all impressed! After lunch we headed out Hwy 94 West and went to the Beaver Dam lookout. It was so pretty and there were tons of people out swimming and boating. I was jealous of that...I would loved to have been in the water! We hung out there for just a little bit then we drove on over to Eureka Springs and sat downtown for a while, ate snow cones, and just people watched. It's usually really packed on the weekends but it wasn't as busy as I expected it to be. We loaded back up and headed back to Fayetteville. There was a benefit BBQ dinner for the blind that night that we were invited to so we got there about 6 and hung out for about an hour but Gene and I were worn out so we came home, took showers, and settled in to watch Gran Torino. It was such a good movie! I had not seen it before but I'm definitely glad I got it for Gene for Father's Day because it's one I could totally watch again!

Overall, it was a really great 4 day weekend for me! Although we had the little situation with the motorcycle the good still outweighed the bad and I was able to just relax and spend some great time with both friends and family!! I did go back to work last night and I was soooo not ready for that! It was really slow though, especially for a Monday, so it wasn't too bad and now it's already almost my weekend again!! Gotta love that! I'm hoping to take the kids swimming again on Thursday because the boys are going to be with their mom Thursday and Friday night but then back hom for the 4th. I, of course, will have to work the 4th but about the time I get home is when they usually start the fireworks at my house. We live up on the top of a mountain and it's a dead end so we always get together with some of our neighbors and shoot off a ton of fireworks up here!

I guess that's about it for now, I need to get off of here and get the boys upstairs so we can workout before I go to work! Have a great week!

Overdose of Cuteness

I'll just go ahead and warn you now that you're about to overdose on cuteness!! Today the boys and I have been cleaning house all day and I ended up going a little overboard in our bedroom cleaning and rearranging! While I was working on that Corey and Grace were playing beauty shop!

You can't say I didn't warn you.

This morning while I was cleaning out Grace's toy box she found the little barrettes Granny bought her and she played with them literally all day! She kept trying to put them in Corey's hair but she kept pulling his hair!

I know...precious.

"Ok Mom, enough with the camera."

Trying to sneak up on him.

He's got a new look! I think they go great with the pink barrette!

She is determined to get it in his hair and he's determined to NOT get his hair pulled!!

Back Where They Belong

The boys are back home where they belong! They didn't make it in until about 5 this morning and we were all in bed but I smiled while lying in bed this morning when I heard Corey in Grace's monitor talking to her!! She slept until almost 9 and Corey heard her first when she woke up and went to get her. I was the last one up and Gene was making us breakfast. As soon as the boys walked downstairs all was well again because my whole family was home together!!

They were both getting irritated with me because I kept snapping pictures of them! And while they were gone Colt cut off all of his hair!!

Corey bought Grace a Little Mermaid toy set and she had a blast opening and playing with it! He also got her some Scooby-Doo stickers that have her name on them!! She was waaaaaay excited about those since Scooby is now her absolute favorite thing to watch and we literally watch it all day long!

Remember when I posted about my laundry baskets being empty here? Well, that is no more! I should have taken a picture after they had emptied their luggage and before I started their laundry. Both baskets were heaping and overflowing onto the floor! I got it started and that will be their chore for the day!

Beethoven is on one of our movie channels and since Grace loves dogs so much she's been very intrigued by it. Colt was up in his room playing his piano because he had dearly missed it and the minute Corey sat down in the recliner Grace was up in his lap!

Colt came down to join us and watch the movie. Gene had to go to work so now it's just me and the kiddos...at least until I have to go to work. :( It is my Friday though!!! And my day is so much better now that my boys are home!!!!!

My Girl

Grace amazes me everyday with how smart and intuitive she is. It's amazing the little things that she picks up on that you wouldn't think about. She always speaks in complete sentences and understands when you talk to her like an adult and not like a baby. Although, sometimes it's not always a good thing. I was cleaning house all day today and I had just swept and mopped the hardwood floors downstairs and washed the kitchen rug when I walked into the kitchen from my bedroom to find a white powder on the freshly washed rug. Oh boy. Grace had managed to reach the carpet deodorizer that I used on the area rug off the counter and proceeded to pour it onto the rug. I called her in there and got onto her for it telling her that I had just cleaned these floors and she was not supposed to be messing with the cleaners. Uh huh. She gave me a sad look, turned around, and proceeded to say EXACTLY the same thing I had just said to her....to Layla....our dog. Oh Lordy. I laughed. But I walked away from her before I did it.

When I was born I was given this pink teddy bear in the hospital. I have no idea who by! Anyways, I started sleeping with Teddy (that is her creative name) at a very very young age and continued to sleep with her until I was married at the age of 21! Anytime we travelled...she went. I even took her to sleepovers, at least until I was about 19 and then I think I started leaving her at home. She was definitely my "security blanket" and I loved her so. Well, now Grace has developed a love for Teddy as well! I love it. She had been in the mix with the rest of the stuffed animals in Grace's room until a couple of weeks ago when Grace discovered her. I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight. ha! Ahem. So, Grace plays with her quite often now and I just so happened to snap some pictures of her loving on her the other day! So precious!

I guess I've done a few things right in regards to motherhood because my child does know how to put on a diaper. On her baby dolls anyway. She got really quiet one afternoon and I walked into our bedroom to find her caring for her baby doll! Of course the diaper is as big as the doll, but ya know.

I guess she decided the baby was ready for some potty training because the next time I checked on her she had upgraded to a pair of panties! ha! I just giggled and grabbed my camera!


I would also just like to say now that Grace is pretty much potty trained and has been for a couple of months but I hadn't mentioned it because I didn't want to be jinxed! She wears a diaper only at nighttime and wears panties all day long! It happened so quick and the minute we put her in panties it was like she just got it and knew what she was supposed to do. She really didn't have that many accidents either. So...she's a big girl now!!

just a tuesday post

I don't really have anything brilliant to blog about so I'll just share a few pictures with you! This week at work has actually gone pretty fast considering I was off for 9 whole days and really did not want to go back! I only have 2 more days this week and then Thursday I'm going on a float trip on the Illinois River with Crystal, Stacy, and all the patrol officers that work B shift with me! All of us dispatchers could go too but me, Crystal, and Stacy were the only ones that ended up really wanting to go. The officers are having a shift change on Sunday so this is just a way for us all to hang out before some of them have to change shifts. We're supposed to leave by 8:30 Thursday morning and just float and relax all day long! We have one female officer on our shift, Allie, that we're good friends with and we're all using rafts instead of canoes and they fit 4 people so all of us girls are sticking together!! I'm really afraid we'll be picked on the whole time though! It'll be a nice change of pace anyways! And actually tomorrow we're having a food day at work and those are my absolute FAVORITE days to go to work!! Haha! I'm making a 7 layer dip and probably brownies and I can't wait to eat all the yummy food.

Ok, on to the more important stuff....like my kiddos! Here's my little artist coloring her Mama a picture! This was before I got her bangs cut so she wanted them pulled back out of her face and Gene fixed her little headband for her!

Corey got his braces taken off last Friday and he was very very excited about it! We made shish kabobs for dinner that night so Gene and the boys were putting them together. They didn't turn out quite like we wanted them to but they were still pretty good. If you have some suggestions I'm all ears!!

Grace is giving her Daddy either eskimo or butterfly kisses! Every night that I'm home and put her to bed she always has to give him a regular kiss, butterfly kisses, and eskimo kisses and then after I read her a bedtime story and turn her light off she has to give me all 3 also before she goes to sleep! It's precious and I so cherish those sweet moments with my baby because I know she won't always want to!

Say "CHEESE!!" Corey and Grace played outside Saturday morning quite a bit while I was doing stuff inside and he loves taking the camera out and taking pictures of her and of random things and this one was one he took! Isn't she so darn cute?

Have I mentioned that I love my husband and that he's amazing?! Well, he is. Just so you know. First of all, he built our whole house pretty much by himself and he built this corner entertainment center out of oak and behind the doors is our satellite, dvd player, stereo, and used to be all of our dvds squeezed in there. I had been telling him that I wanted him to build us a dvd rack because 1) we don't really have a good place for a big enough one on the floor anywhere and 2) I hadn't found one I liked. So, on Sunday afternoon he and Colt went to Lowe's, bought some oak, and came home and built this!!!! Oh I was so excited...and proud! It looks good and is out of the way, plus it's high enough up that Grace can't reach them! He's debating about whether or not to make doors to put on it. We'll see.....

Gene just got back from picking Colt up from school and he is now officially done with his sophomore year!! Corey has to stay the whole day but at 3:20 he will be done with his 8th grade year. It's so crazy to believe that Colt only has 2 more years of high school. I'm very proud of him because he's become very much more aware of his grades and realizing that they are now counting towards graduation and also for college and Thursday night I quizzed him for almost 3 hours for his Civics test. We have already ordered his class ring and before we know it we'll be ordering his cap and gown. I don't even want to think about it. :( When Gene and I first got together he was 12 and now he'll be 16 this year. It goes way too fast. Corey stands almost a whole foot taller than me and I can't believe that he'll be in high school next year. Next thing I know Grace will be starting kindergarten, and that is most definitely something I'm not ready for. I've been praying that God provides a way for me to go back to school and get my degree in education so that I can start teaching by, if not right after, Grace starts school. I've already got several credits, I just need to finish. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for us!!

I think that's about it for now. I need to work on some laundry and spend some time with my cute dimple-cheeked husband, musically inclined son, and blonde headed toddling daughter before I have to go to work!