You've gotta see these:

Apparently we have a little Shower Singer. He was in the shower and just started belting it out! For those of you who don't know the words to "The B.I.B.L.E", it goes: "The B.I.B.L.E, Yes that's the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B.I.B.L.E!" (just so you can interpret) Then of course we go through the ABCs.

Then the other day right before school, Dan Zanes from The Noggin Channel came on and Maysen just started dancing away!!! I couldn't help but stop and record it. Too darn cute.

Introducing ...

Griffin Vaughn

This is the picture that told us we were having another little baby boy today. Let me navigate this ultrasound for you. The two legs are in the top right-hand corner and they're bent toward the head which is half-way seen in the left bottom side of the picture. You can see "his defining" part in between the two legs. 2 fists are seen right above the two legs - on either side of the head. The only "not expected" news I got was that, according to the ultrasound, I'm showing almost 3weeks AHEAD of schedule. Today I am 23wks 5d and according to the various mearsurements of tummy, femur, head, brain, etc he is measuring 26w 4d (give or take a day). Also, a baby this age should be around 1 pound. My baby is 1lb 15oz, one ounce shy of being a whole pound over the norm. Maysen was 9lb 7oz when he was born and they say the first is usually the smallest. My doctors take: "Well, at least you're having a repeat C-Section and you don't have to _______!" Uhh, but I have to carry this thing around! Oh well, nothing like a chunky-monkey to hold. I love it! And maybe, just maybe, we'll get our 2007 Tax Deduction and a Christmas baby?

Today I went to the 2nd clinic they have which is farther for me to drive, but OH SO WORTH IT. The one I've been going to is part of the hospital here, and to get to it, you have to park in the parking structure, fight traffic, find a spot, watch for elderly pedestrians ... by the time you get there your BP is out the roof, you're sweating, you're greeted by the teenager-look-alike receptionists. Well, you get the drift. I go to the other clinic - brand new, mind you - and was greeted by mature women with smiles on their face, the parking lot had plenty of parking and the front door was 20ft from where I parked, the equipment was brand new (disappointed when we took our VHS tape to record the ultrasound - only to be told it only records on DVDs so she told me to call her and come back next week and she'd get 5-10min of recording for free done, how nice!), and all smelled like fresh paint. Totally refreshing! Needless to say, my BP was better this time and I felt better.

I had wondered deep down if I'd be a tad disappointed being told I wasn't having a girl. The truth is, is that the second she announced it was a boy, I thought of Maysen. Then I thought of Daddy. The fun he is going to have with his "boys" will be like the fun Nate's dad had with Nate and his brother. Camping, football games, wrestling ... all that Nate gets to experience with his own boys now. And that makes me happy. Watching Maysen growing up, he would just observe when Jurny or Jonas (older cousins) were over. He idolized them, watching their every move and trying so hard to copy it. He would eventually say the same things they would - if they were mad, he was mad. I am so excited that Griffin will have an older brother to look up to - to idolize - like Nate did with his brother. I am sure they will have their moments, fights, punching matches, and yelling competitions ... but what are brothers for? The bond they will share forever will make up for all that. With all that said, it's been a long day and I need to pick out crib bedding and paint samples!

Update: After re-reading, this is sounding completely anti-sister. We just so happened to be having a boy - so that is what went through my mind when she said "boy". Had she said "girl" I'm sure a whole different array of thoughts, emotions, ideas would have flooded through my mind. I would be excited and just as proud either way it went :-)

take two

Tomorrow we will attempt for a 2nd time to find out the main question we've wondered for 6 months now: Boy or Girl? Keep your fingers crossed this little one isn't as shy first thing in the morning tomorrow. Shall we take bets?

Fall is here (officially)

Happy 1st day of Autumn! Yesterday, as the Canadian breezes were blown in, I decided it was time to get my Autumn/Halloween stuff out and up. That required my lovely husband crawling up in the attic to search through the various boxes until he came to the box marked "Fall", the Halloween sign with the dagger at the bottom sticking out like a Tetanus-filled sword. On one attempt at getting the box down, he lost his balance and stepped off the board and onto the sheet rock, almost busting through the attic! But, alas, the decorations were found and now up! I'm feeling especially festive this year. Any good ideas for 3yr olds' costumes for Halloween?

Tomorrow Mase is going to Grma/Grpa's house all day. I had volunteered to work tomorrow and surprisingly I'm not needed so originially had just decided to take the quiet day at home. Instead I'm going to drive up to Portland (after I sleep in, of course) and spend the day with Jenn. We probably won't be doing "all" that much, due to her blood clot, but we'll hang out and watch movies. Who would have thought .. one whole day of not having to worry about who's doing what and where. It'll be a good time.

The other night, Maysen started bringing me various trucks and cars. He'd crawl up in my lap as we'd talk about the colors on the truck, what sound it made, or other various non-important facts about that vehicle. He'd jump down taking that car/airplane/truck with him, and bring back a different one for another game of "Name this Color". After about 30min of this, Nate says "Is he putting those cars back or what is he doing with them?" I assumed he had been putting them back. That is, until we got up to check. I then realized I had an obsessed son. He has always had the opinion that everything has a place and a certain way things go. This brought a whole new meaning to this idea:

Notice how they're arranged (mostly) in size from smallest to largest as the airplane and the helicopter at the end were brought to me about mid-way through this arrangement. He sure is proud of his line-up! I think, in a way, I'm going to be a lucky momma!

slowing down

I'm sure we all can attest to going about our daily routine without concerns for others, especially if we're tired or having a bad day. I think most just become so routine in their job, that it's just easier to go through the motions to get the day over with.

I am guilty of forgetting that, for example, in my profession, you can't just simply forget who you're dealing with. Sometimes (almost always) you're dealing with people who are scared, uneducated about what they've just been diagnosed with, and need that extra patience from you, whom they're looking up to for comfort.

Where am I going with this? My sister, who just returned from Kansas, was diagnosed with a blood clot yesterday in her leg. The inital drive to Kansas took her 2 days, basically immobile the whole time in her car. About a week after she was there, she experienced a horrible Charlie Horse during the night and continued to experience calf pain thereafter. I had initially advised it was probably due to the bad cramp, but if it did not clear up within a few days of drinking lots of water, to go see the doctor. She did that yesterday after noticing increased pain and eventually swelling. The doctor calmly advised her that it was "probably not" a clot but just to be safe would run a D-Dimer. She left feeling pretty confident things were fine, only to get a call from a very passive nurse later from the office stating her D-Dimer was "extremely elevated" and she needed a Doppler ASAP. That was all the information given to her as she was hurried off the phone, not explaining what any of that meant, but did add if she became short of breath it was a potentially deadly thing (basically) and needed to call 911. Uh. Yea.

That's when I get the frantic call of "WHAT?!" Granted, my sister has never been "very" calm when it comes to doctors in the first place (thanks to multiple ear-related surgeries we both had to have as a child), so this was rather alarming. I tried to reassure her that this didn't necessarily mean she had a clot, that's why they were doing the Doppler, but if she did ___, ___, or ___ would happen. I think the information was probably a bit overwhelming but at least she went into the procedure educated about the process and what would happen thereafter. Long story short, she had the Doppler and it is indeed a clot. They sent her back to the doctor where the Russian nurse came in and handed her 48,938 pages of information on her condition, and without a word was gone. They waited another 20min before having her come back, strap "a thingy" on her finger, nod, and proceed to walk back out ... all the while my sister had no clue what is going on. My sister's heart rate was "elevated" to say the least and the kind nurse did speak to her by saying she needed to "calm down". It wasn't until today that I explained to her what the "thingy" was on her finger and why they used it.

She's doing okay - and admittedly better than I would imagine considering she's completely needle-terrified and having to give herself Tinzaparin injections twice a day. She's on daily Coumadin as well and will chronically need to have repeat blood work to make sure her blood is not too thin. I briefly gave her a rundown yesterday of the dos/dont's of coumadin, which she ran by the doctor who said "Oh, I don't know". Thanks to the Anticoagulation Clinic who is managing her coumadin, they did affirm my explainations. This will be a 6 month ordeal for her.

My point is this: My sister was literally "terrified" by this. No one explained what they were doing, why, and what was going to happen. She fell into learning all of this as her 8hr day progressed. By the end of the day, I listened to an exhausted, frustrated, scared 30yr old and realized her day didn't have to turn out that way. All it would have taken was a few extra minutes on the explanation of things, a reassuring squeeze of the hand, a smile or wink, or even an offer of a glass of water. Any of that would have calmed a visibly-shaken person down. I know I learned a personal lesson how to slow down, because most likely they don't know even a fraction of what is going on and how you treat them during that traumatic time will effect their healing.

I love you, Jenn.

school daze

On Wednesday, Maysen started school. Nate went to the office late that morning so he could go too, which was nice. We had told him the night before that he was going to school because I never really thought he'd "get" it. He was super excited, not going to sleep until about 10:30 that night. Thinking we'd get to sleep in at least until 7:15am, you can imagine our surprise when we heard pitter patter on the kitchen floor at 6:45am "Go to school?!"

He was a trooper when we got there, going right over to the toys without a missed beat. We kissed him goodbye and left without a second thought from our little boy. I was to pick him up at 11:25 and got there right on time. I think I was just as anxious to get there as he was for me to get there! I walked down the hall and was met with the classroom door shut. "Hmmm" I thought, as I knocked quietly and walked in. All the other kids were quietly sitting wide-eyed as I walked in, my child's seat empty. That is, because, he was being comforted by Miss T as he cried his little eyes out. Talk about making your heart break! She assured me this had JUST started as they headed in from recess about 5 minutes prior. It was probably a mix of missing mom, having to come inside from recess, and an awkward transition-time for lunch.

He goes Wed, Thurs, Fri as the director told me that it's easier on kids to go three days in a row. It was, in our case, as he knew exactly what was going to happen the next 2 days. I dropped him off the next morning and was met with no tears, but a protruding bottom lip as I left. I again arrived right on time at 11:25 and was met again with my little Bean being comforted as he cried away. Friday was very predictable, as when I arrived again he was crying. It was then decided that I would pick him up just prior to them coming in from recess to divert this upsetting time for him. No biggie, as it means I will go 5min early. Otherwise he is loving school and brings home various colorings, paintings, and stories. It was neat hearing him repeat the story of Noah by saying "Momma, there was a weewy big boat ... then *gets a scary voice* a WEEWY BIG STORM". Very fun.

On another note, Nate got a job offer from the Weyerhaeuser/Denver office the other day! When Nate's Software Developing contract ended at Weyerhaeuser he had told the Denver office he'd be willing to relocate if a permanent job was offered - this was back in February. He of course found another job in the interim and is Web Developing for RealPro Systems. To keep his name alive in the Weyerhaeuser company, he continues to work from home (or work) on a Weyerhaeuser laptop about 10hrs a week for which he makes a very nice hourly income. So weighing all the options, I don't think we'll be moving to Denver. We'd be giving up a lot to move away from here. I can't even imagine moving 6+mo pregnant. It was very flattering for Nate to get that call - as they had just learned about their software developer leaving that day - and it wasn't even posted on the company's listing yet.

Fall was in the air last night as we sweatshirt'ed up and went to the local varsity high school football game last night. It was a lot of fun watching Maysen get excited for touchdowns - he'd clap when the crowd would clap, enjoyed popcorn, and LOVED it when the ambulance turned it's lights on during a good play. I never realized how football symbolized fall. I loved it.

mommy's gift

As I've talked about before, Maysen starts school on Wednesday. It was going to be 96 today, so I decided that he and I would take a drive over to the ocean for a Mommy&Mase day. It was amazing because we left here and by half way to Florence, it was 91 over the pass. We get to Florence, park the van and it was 55. It's usually so windy you can't keep the hair out of your face. Today there was absolutely no wind.

I "should" take credit for this rockin' sand castle, but I just can't. It was the coolest amateur sand castle I have seen around - complete with palm trees and drawbridges. It was abandoned when we got to it - as the beach was pretty empty.

It didn't take long before we were wet - starting with Maysen running full speed through the castle's surrounding "river".

Annnnd ... here's ours, complete with flagpole (aka: stick). We had a blast, though. We threw sand balls, found sea gull feathers, looked for sea shells, buried each other's feet/hands (complete with whipping that extremity full blast out of the sand, getting it everywhere on the human body), laughed, and a couple of times I caught him just sitting there ... smiling. What I wouldn't give to hear those thoughts. I said "Did you have fun?" while sharing McD french fries before the drive home. He simply replied, "MmmHmm. *long pause* Fanks, Momma". What did I do to deserve this?

my little fish

We went swimming today. What a little fishie I have! My camera died in time to miss he and Nate along the side holding on. Nate would go under and pop up and Mase copy-cat him, going under water willingly! He thought it was a blast. He start swimming lessons again in a couple of weeks.

No matter how careful anyone is, I think moms are still super sensitive to their little ones getting hurt. In this clip, I freak out just a "tiny" bit while watching him go underwater accidentally. And what do you know ... he pops right back up.

fall cleaning

What a handsome boy, if I do say so myself. His poor lip, though. Luckily the wounds sustained in last weeks crash-and-burn session are healing nicely. Maysen *hates* scabs and have managed to try and pick them all off, which I can't stand. What can ya do, though?

This weekend has been nice - filled with watching University of Oregon smear Michigan (GO DUCKS!), brownie making (Maysen apparently loves fists full of brownie dough - which then is followed by a sugar high like no other!), and we got the garage cleaned out. We backed Nate's truck up to the garage and if we hadn't used it or thought about it since we moved in, we pitched it! Felt so good! We've never had so many free shelves since we moved in. We'll fill them soon enough, as the garage will soon be becoming the storage area. Right now the spare bedroom is filled with all the wrapping paper, Christmas bows/boxes, and we'll see be cleaning all that out and filling it with baby booties and sleepers. I need a bigger house. We hope to be building within the next couple of years.

Today we're going swimming. It's amazing - as fall nears it is getting warmer and warmer! This coming week will be the warmest it's been all summer I believe - highs in the mid 90sF (we've been lucky this summer). One thing I have been noticing is we're getting the winds from up north at night. So, around 7pm it's almost chilly outside from the northerly breezes. Some of my "I really like it hot" flowers are fading away and my next weekend-consuming plan is to winterize my yard. I usually do it in late October/early November but I have a feeling as I get bigger and bigger with each day I'm not going to be want to bend, pull, heave. So, within the next few weeks we'll get that done. Does it ever end?

I realized I've been doing a lot of ('s so I'll close to end the wrath of parentheses. Have a good coming week ...

late bloomer

I was outside with Mase today getting some fresh air from being cooped in the house the last 2 days with Mase running a fever. I then noticed that my clematis was blooming again, a welcome sight as fall approaches. I have to admit though, that I am ready for fall. I am looking forward to darkness falling at 5:30pm and the sound of never ending rain. I am such a "cozy" person, meaning I love the coziness of darkness, curling up in a blanket listening to the rain with cold breeze blowing through the window. Or opening my bathroom window, lights off and candles lit as I lay in my hot bubble bath. I also can't wait to go on walks with Maysen in the late afternoon as darkness approaches looking for multi-colored leaves. I love that stuff. Just the same, by March I cannot wait for spring/summer.

The temp Mase has been running is better today. Last night at 11pm it was 103.1F. Talk about a momma getting no sleep! I was checking on him every 3hrs just knowing it was going to be 105F at some point. Today he has cooled off, very low grade, but running a steady 99.7 - 100.9 all day, unmedicated.

My sister is taking a sabbatical from her life and heading to our childhood hometown of Dighton, Kansas for a couple of weeks. She left yesterday and it is a 3,000mi journey and is already there. This last year has been a very trying time in her life and I'm hoping that she will get some things figured out for herself while there and away from everything here. I pray for her often.

No, this is not food

Sorry if the picture is a little grainy, but I took it on my new BlackBerry phone. No, I don't mean to use this as propaganda to advertise that I have a new phone, but it is a super cool phone.

So, yes this is my "I gotta keep up with the big boys" picture. He was playing chase and took a nose-dive in the street after failing to catch a 12yr old. Considering all that this has entailed, he's doing alright. This beating took place last night and this afternoon he starting running a fever. It got to 102.7 before I gave him Motrin but was sneaking up again at bedtime. I suspect that this is just a response to fighting off infection in his face - poor boy. He's asymptomatic otherwise and not cutting teeth right now that I can tell. Besides being groggy and whiny, he's doing good.

My baby was to start pre-preschool today, but due to a mold problem in the gradeschool next door school was postponed a week. I understand this is just pre-preschool and he'll only be going 3 mornings a week for 3hrs at a time, but this does mark the official start to his "school days". A week from today he'll be starting the routine of being in school, with a teacher, with fellow students - a journey that will last him from next week until the day he graduates highschool/college. It really is a big milestone. I think Nathan is even going into work late that day so he can drop him off with me as I try not to cry the whole 3hrs he's gone!

I was a bit ambitious with my day today and am feeling the effects of not listening to my body say "Are you crazy ... STOP" so I am heading for the couch. Until next time ...

boy conversation

First, you must look at my ultrasound pictures below. If you've already seen them, take another quick look at them. Of course you know what they are, but to a 3yr old, I guess it can be confusing. Tonight I had my blog up and Mase came in. I lifted him up to the desk, he got real close to the computer and loooooked at the ultrasound pictures.

Me: What is that, Mase?
Mase: Uhhhhh, Oooooo! It's a *gets quiet* .... a dark cave. Shhhhh, owls are sleeping.

I busted out laughing. Ahhhh, the imaginations they possess.

It's A ......

.... we don't know. The Scovil black clould has once again loomed over our heads and Baby II was very shy about things. That mixed in with the ultrasound tech totally SUCKED! First we walked in and at our old OB office they video'd the whole thing. This tech said she'd tape AFTER she got the pictures for the doctor. 90 seconds left of the hour-long ultrasound, she popped the tape in and got a whopping 90 seconds of video in, after which she takes the tape out and says "Oh, I'm not sure if that even recorded or not. Oops." Out of the 42 pictures she took for the doctor, she gave us THREE. I got about 2 pages worth of Maysen.

So, long story made short, the baby is healthy, proportionate, and on track. According to this ultrasound I am about a week further along that originally thought, stating 20w4d today, with a due date of January 12th. It will change probably every time I go in, but that is what it said today! My blood pressure has been elevated on past visits (today was explainable!) so I am having another ultrasound in 4 weeks! Hopefully this one will show a bit more!

Bedtime Memories ...

I know it wasn't even a year ago that we redid Maysen's room for his birthday. However, upon learning of this new baby we knew we'd need the crib mattress, etc from his room to prepare another nursery. So, at 1:45am last night I decided that today we'd remodel Maysen's room, including moving him to a "real" big boy bed (I love my husband very much. He just said "Okay" upon asking him his thoughts because he's learned to just go with my manic random ideas). So, that's just what we did today! Nate got this bed out of the attic, which we inherited last summer from his mom -this is a part of a set of bunk beds he and his brother, Josh, slept in about 20 years ago. It was neat putting it together for our son, knowing the memories it held for Nate. We went to Costco and got a new Twin mattress and then went to Target and got new sheets, quilt, bedside table, and curtains. I put it all together and then we let Maysen in who's reaction was all worth it. "OOooooooooo!! New bed!?" We'll see how he does tonight.

Tomorrow I have my 20-week ultrasound in which we get to find out the sex. People ask what I want and I truly don't care. A girl would be nice to round out the sexes - but just as equal it would be great for Maysen to have a little brother. I'll definitely be posting what I find out, so stay tuned ...

*sigh*

Ahh, pregnancy. My favorite part is peeing my pants when I cough or sneeze and when you've got a cold, like me, you're screwed.

Chaos

One 2.5yr old + One black permanent marker + One 5min phone conversation with a mom thinking he was playing "Fred and Bob" = 2hrs of Magic Eraser, Goof Off 2, hurt shoulder, aching back, fumes, and inside laughter.

And just when I sat yesterday afternoon thinking "I should blog. But about what?" Be careful what you wish for. What amazes me, is that in my stir of "OH NO" I actually thought to grab my camera and capture the "I'm sure this will be funny one day" moment. What you don't see is the string of marker all the way down the hall along the wall, on my kitchen lower cabinets, and one streak on our carpet. I'm just very very thankful that Nate came home and helped and the majority came up by 11:00pm. I still have to do another coat of paint on my walls - and more scrubbing on my floor with the Magic Eraser, but that should do the trick.

Thank the LORD Bonnie is gracious enough to let me bring the monster over to her house so I can finish it up, and maybe sneak a nap in. Oh, did I tell you I mowed, weeded, pulled bulbs, and winterized a few plants yesterday? Then when the boys went swimming I swept my pre-marker floor, windexed my windows, and dusted. So, the growing baby wasn't too happy with me by the time I went to bed last night - so I thought I'd be nice and give me ... 'er, IT a nap :-)

Life Race

This last week has been the Lane County Fair here in Eugene. Do you know a funny little tidbit? I grew up in Lane County Dighton, Kansas. Nathan grew up in Lane County Eugene, Oregon. When we met eachother we lived near a cross section of streets. One side was Leslie, the other side was Oregon. Just little things like that that make you go "Hmm." Anyway, we took Maysen to meet Uncle Bob and Aunt Bonnie yesterday. Bonnie is an artist and had a booth of her paintings at the fair. We bought one of her open paintings from the Creswell Christian School auction in March. We finally found the perfect picture for her to paint of Maysen, which she'll start this winter.

We spent the day riding kiddy rides, which Maysen was apprehensive at first. Then we couldn't get him off the rides! He was Mr Hotshot and there was nothing getting him off the rides .. until $20 of tickets ran out - which was quick, believe me!

Along side riding kiddie rides, was of course the gotta-have bag of the aired pure sugar we know as Cotton Candy. Can you believe this stuff is legal?

I'm not sure what causes most people to sit back at a given moment and make them count their blessings. Lately I don't think I have done that enough. However, yesterday while watching the pig race, I glanced over to Bob, who had tagged along with us while romping around with Maysen. Bob and Bonnie watched Maysen ever since I went back to work when he was 3 months old. They had him at least one whole day a week until June 15th when I hung up my nurses hat temporarily to stay home with my small kids while they're still ... small. Ever since that day I can honestly say that I never realized the impact it had on them that he wasn't there like normal - nor the impact it had on Maysen. Both Bonnie and Bob are cancer survivors, and when Maysen was born were both feeling the effects of illness and age. Having admittedly not known Bob and Bonnie very well prior to Maysen's birth, I didn't realize who they were. It was after the first year of watching Maysen did people start telling me and I really realized how much Maysen meant to their lives - and them to his. They share a special bond that I don't think anyone will understand except for them. They have their own routine, games, language when they're together. And it's not until I saw them together yesterday did I realize, in a way, I had taken him from them.

Now to the blessings part. I grew up as a kid in a big family. Big in the sense that I had lots of cousins, lots of aunts and uncles, lots of loving people around. Unfortunately family chaos arose, my family broke up, and I haven't spoken to mostly all of them in many, many years. It truly is a shame and I wish things were different, but unfortunately they're not. Even my immediate family is not what it used to be, although I love them very very much. My own mother and I have a strained, frustrating relationship and she lives in North Carolina (whole other story there), my sister is close in Portland but has her own life, and my wonderful dad and stepmom are semi-retired and travel all over the US. They are closer to us geographically than they ever have been but are still an 8hr drive one way. I shouldn't complain, as it could be much, much worse. That is the extent (to a small degree) "my family", or what is left of it. When I married into Nathan's family I never realized how blessed I was marrying into such a great family. What family was lost has now been somewhat recovered and I am back in a loving, caring enviroment. What is more important to me however, is that Maysen is surrounded by a group that is accepting, loving, caring, close, secure, and most importantnly - bonded. I could have never imagined that I would get that ... and so much more. The bond he shares with Bob and Bonnie will forever be there and that is something I would never change. It truly is a special gift from God.

Pools, trains, tractors ... OH MY!

Saturday night we got home from our trip to visit my dad and Jo in California. Jenn ended up going also and we all had a great time! Nate was in Seattle at a conference, so why stick around here alone?! What I hadn't really grasped, I don't think, was the driving down there. They are near Lodi, CA and it took us 8.5hrs to get there. Maysen did pretty well, but I think the bigger obstacle was the fact we decided to take my 80lb basset hound, Bailey, with us. She stayed with grandma and grandpa in their 5th wheel, thank goodness!

We went swimming both full days we were there. Maysen actually insists that he do this himself, only holding on to the noodle. Of course I'm right there, but he doesn't want to be touched, and actually does rather well!! He kicks and moves his arms and he scoots across the pool like no one's business!
"Prapa" still had to work while we were there. They manage this KOA park in Isleton, CA.

Near Isleton is this train museum. It seems sort of out of place, and although we were skeptical, decided to go. What a fun place that was! They had a *HUGE* metal shed that held all sorts of antique train cars you could walk through. There was basically no one there and we had the place to ourselves. Check out Jenn's blog for some really awesome pictures! Anything trains is A-OK in Maysen's book so he had a good time. We took a trolley/train car ride about 4 miles down the tracks and they actually gave you a ticket.

I don't know if many of you have seen Polar Express, but I have a son who is absolutely ADDICTED to that movie, and all he could do was sit and stare at his actual ticket! The conductor actually came by with a ticket punch and said "Ticketsssss pleeeease" just like they do in the movie and Mase looked at me like "DID YOU HEAR THAT!?" Here he is staring at his just-punched ticket, not letting go for anything!

Here's one more of the pool ... I had forgotten my bathing suit, so thanks to the clearance rack at Walmart found a cheapo tank top, which worked just fine. Maysen was getting so excited sometimes he'd forget to wait for me to jump. But he's warming up to the water just fine! He goes to swimming lessons with daddy on Wednesday nights (that's their thing together since Nate isn't around all day - they both love it and it gives me an hour alone!) and he's becoming quite the water bug. We've had a great summer so far ... I just can't believe he starts school next month...

Trainin' Him Right

We did some yard work today. Well, Nate did. I cleaned windows and cut part of our dogwood tree down. I know - are you crazy pregnant lady!? Yes, I think I am. It's amazing when you get rest how much you can do! Maysen helped me clean windows until I was re-washing them. So, Nate put him to work cleaning his own window on his playhouse!

This one was trained well, too!

Maysen has reverted back to getting up late at night. I know, what's up with that!? Over the last week he's been getting up at 3am, then 4am and so on until Nate finally goes in and lays on the ground until he falls back asleep. The only good part is that he's so tired he falls back asleep late and sleeps until 9am. But, I'd rather he just sleep through the night again. So I feel like we're starting over with trying to get a full night's sleep out of him. The challenges never cease.

We're heading to the coast tomorrow to spend a "family" day together. Nate is going to Seattle on Wednesday and Maysen and I are going to California to visit my dad and Jo. It'll be Sunday before we see eachother again, so we're going to spend the day together. Maybe hit ChuckECheese on the way home.

Bailey worked hard today ...

Beautiful "Home"

What do most people think of when you hear the word "Beautiful"? I'd like to think that some people think of flowers, clouds, butterflies, or even frogs. Unfortunately I was reading a poll the other day in a magazine that said 83% of American people (surprising statistic!) think of blonde, tan, diamonds, and white teeth as "beautiful", all geared mainly toward vanity or money. Let me tell you about my earliest memory of "beautiful".

I grew up in a small Kansas town with a population of 1,100 people. My most vivid memories of beauty came from my summers growing up there, particular during the summers of 1986-1991 when I was 6-11yrs old. Summers today are not what summers back then used to be. Those days (and location) held innocence, freedom, security, comfort, "home". Most summer days were filled with walks (barefoot of course) "downtown" to get the mail. Yes, folks, I really thought that mail carriers in the movies were fictional because in my hometown we had one central post office where the whole town went and had personal mailboxes. In fact, to this day, you can still address a letter to: Mr & Mrs So-and-so; Dighton, Kansas. Believe it or not, that is all you need, because the mail people know exactly - by heart - which box was yours. Up until I was 16yrs old, you only had to punch in the last 4 digits of the phone number to reach who you were calling. For example: if your number is 555-2222 you only needed to dial 2222. Our number was 2223, and incidentally the "emergency" number you dialed was 2222 (911 did not come around Dighton until my last year of high school). We frequently received calls for fires, wrecks, or lost dogs. It was sorta fun to get the gossip first hand!

Summer evenings were spent with our neighborhood friends (about 10 of us total) playing Gray Wolf, Capture the Flag, or whatever game entailed running around our neighbors' yards within a 3 block radius chasing one another. Often times, we would stop at random neighbors' houses along the way and get lemonade, cookies, or whatever that person seemed to have baking. Our parents just knew we were "outside" and that suited them just fine.

Summers also meant the Lane County Fair was coming to town. Every single person from Dighton met on Main Street and waited for the parade to start. You sat in lawn chairs beside people from the "other side of town" but were like your brothers because you had known them your whole life - or had known their mother, father, brother, sister, or babysitter! I can still smell the breeze as it rolled in off the wheat fields ready to be harvested - or just harvested. That time of year usually meant that a hint of rain was in the air and you looked for developing thunderheads nearby.

With anticipation you waited for the first firetruck to round the corner onto Main Street as kids gathered in flocks with their candy-collecting sacks in full grasp. Laughter, chatter, and smell of cotton candy filled the air as the each float passed with streamers of all colors waving in the breeze.

The parade would end on the west side of Main Street (which was just a mile long) and cars would follow it out to the fairgrounds which was just off of Main. As evening set in, the sun and parade faded, and the sky was filled with a new light - the light of carnival rides. Once at the fairgrounds, the air was filled with the same aroma - but add corn dogs, nachos, and funnel cakes to the mix. The sounds were the same as on Main as well, but now carnival music and the sounds of popping corn were now present. We would search for friends not seen since school ended 2 months prior and, of course, looked for cute boys to play "eyes" with. Our parents would drop us off and give us our $10 for rides and junk, never to be seen again until curfew. Abduction was not any word in the Dighton vocabulary.

Today I looked up the word "beautiful" in the dictionary. This is what I found:

beau·ti·ful : 1. having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.

You see, I don't have a materialistic noun I say or think of when I hear the word "beautiful". Instead, I close my eyes and I see the blue, white, red, and green streamers waving in the muggy breeze that has a hint of rain to it. And shortly after that breeze, the smell of cotton candy, freshly mowed grass, wheat fields, and funnel cakes envelopes my sense of smell. Then, lastly, I hear the chatter and laughter of the people I knew ... back home. It's then that I hope, just for a minute, that my kids will find the same meaning of the word "beautiful".