Most of you know my school struggles, graduated with my bachelors in Biology in 2009, was accepted into the local Physician Assistant program, failed one class (by 0.6%), and was asked to leave the program. It was devastating and I felt like a failure for a long time, in fact, I still struggle with "thinking" that I have failed in life. But that's another post...today I want to talk about how those struggles have gotten me to where I am now.
I knew after the PA program that my schooling was not finished...although my student loan amount repayment amount should have told me differently! I knew that I wanted to pursue an occupation in the medical field. So after a little break, I met with school advisors and determined that Nursing would be a great choice for me. There was an accelerated BSN degree through another local college, I applied, was interviewed, and was turned away because I "failed" (there's the blasted word again) an accelerated program before so they didn't think I could handle their program. Even though one person from my PA class who also failed was accepted into their accelerated nursing program. It was heart-wrenching. Old wounds were torn open again and me "thinking" I was a failure were replayed in my mind. But with the support of my husband I knew that I needed to keep trying. So I decided to apply for the regular nursing program, which I was accepted into. The only downfall with this program is that it would take 2 years to complete, whereas the accelerated would take 1 year. But I figured that it would be less stressful to take my time in 2 years as opposed to the 1 year.
The program was tough, there were many tears and late nights studying. But my nursing track was so supportive and awesome, we all became very good friends and that made it worth-while for those 2 years. And despite the tears and frustrations I made it! I graduated on April 27, 2013 with a 3.3 GPA.
My pinning ceremony was the day before, on the 26th and that is what I was most excited about. This ceremony is what I wanted my family to come and watch...this was more important to me than the graduation ceremony.
Some of my cohorts
Right after being pinned KK ran and jumped up into my arms...he was so proud
A couple of my closer friends from school
Her + I = LOTS of stories
KK loved playing with this curtain with Jordan
After standing and sitting for so long on Friday I was in so much terrible pain from my hips and pelvis that I had to take a sedative (hydroxyzine) to sleep because I was in SOO much pain, I was seriously on the verge of asked Mr H. to take me to the ER, but knew that they would just give me pain meds and all I needed was to rest my hips and pelvis. So after a nights rest, I knew that I couldn't bare to go through a graduation ceremony and risk hurting like that again. So I didn't go to graduation...and I'm not upset about it nor do I regret it.
I am grateful for my education and that I have FINALLY finished (for now). I can focus on my family and career without the nagging thought of homework or studying. So what's next for me!? My main focus is this baby. I want to have a healthy pregnancy and birth without the stress of finding a job or going to a job. The money would be nice, but we're surviving right now and can continue to survive until I feel capable of going to work. This baby and my family are much too precious and are at the center of my focus at this time.
As I walked into your room to check on you tonight, like I've done thousands of times for 6+ years I was overcome with the feeling of unconditional love for you. You were sleeping under a pile of stuffed animals and your blankets bunched at the foot of your bed. I tried covering you but you just kicked the covers off, like you always do, even though all you have on is your underwear. You've always been a little heater when you sleep, maybe that's why I enjoy sleeping with you on cold nights. Tonight is a cold night, however, mom and dad have been trying to encourage you to sleep in your bed the whole night so I will not sleep next to you, but I did lay down and just look at you. I put my palm on top of your chest as it had risen and fallen, my fingertips could feel your heartbeat...thump-thump thump-thump. I had to smile because that heart is so tender and loving, it's a good strong heart, don't let anything change that! My hand moved from your chest to your face and I traced the outline of your cheek and jaw with my fingers. I put my thumb on the very faint cleft on your chin and bent over to kiss those incredibly soft and warm cheeks, I think I have kissed those cheeks about a million times. I moved my hand again to your very soft straight brown hair and I brushed some off your forehead, you're in need of a haircut again! I love your nose, it's so perfect and cute. I noticed yesterday that you have a couple freckles making their appearance next to your scar on your nose from when the dog bit you. It's been 6+ years and until yesterday, I didn't think you would have inherited my freckles. This summer will help them become more noticeable. But until then, I will just enjoy the 3 little freckles you have. Did you know that you have very thick eyelashes? I look at them and wish that my eyelashes were as thick! As I am looking at your eyelashes I can see your eyes moving beneath your eyelids and I wonder what you could be thinking or dreaming about. I wish at times that I could just jump into your dreams and see what it is your mind thinks up. As I cuddled closer to you, I could tell that you used dad's body wash to clean your skin during your bath, you have a manly musky smell that isn't typical for a 6 year old! I hope this isn't a precursor to you wanting to grow up faster than your earthly age. But, honey, you are growing, you're growing so fast, and I love the time we have together...I NEVER want it to end, even when you're a teenager and it "isn't cool" to hang out with your mom anymore. But I won't worry about that for a while now, in the mean time I will continue to check on you every single night and watch you sleep.
Before we even thought about becoming pregnant Mr H. and I decided that we would wait to find out the gender until the baby was born. When I tell people this, their reaction is "Why!?" or "I could never do that...I don't like surprises!" Well, wouldn't it be an even BIGGER surprise to be told it's one gender after you've been planning for the opposite!? Ultrasounds are not 100% people! But anyway, I'll tell you why we've made the decision to wait...because we can! Honestly though, when a woman becomes pregnant everyone wants to know everything...when's your due date, what are you having, what are you naming him/her? Isn't a little surprise fun? And whether it's a boy or girl we will love it just the same, so finding out the gender isn't really a priority for us. We don't need to plan anything...the baby and KK will share a room and we'll need to buy clothes for either gender, so we're not worried about it.
We had our ultrasound yesterday and it was surreal. I think it's finally sunk in that I am actually pregnant and there is a baby in my belly. KK wanted to come to the appointment to see Nugget, he sat right next to me and wanted to hold my hand just in case I got scared. He's so cute.
Nugget was VERY wiggly. The tech had a very hard time in the beginning getting the measurements for the physician. So in the middle of the ultrasound, after she got most of the measurements, that she was going to plug the measurements in and maybe Nugget would settle down so that we could get some good photos. That did the trick because once she came back Nugget was more cooperative and we got some really awesome shots. She also told us that Nugget is in the 50th percentile and right on track, also that the baby weighs 11 ounces! So cool.
Profile -- Look at that perfect nose!
Another Profile Shot
Nugget Facing us
Little Footsie
Left arm and hand
It was so exciting to see the baby move and wave it's hands. The tech we had was super good, we told her we didn't want to know the sex and she moved along the screen explaining everything to us and being very brief when she needed to look at the baby's femurs. Mr H and I were trying very hard to find out the sex on our own, but with no avail. We have no clue, at times we thought was saw a penis, but then another shot would make me think I didn't. It was very exciting. KK thinks it's a boy because there is no hair! He makes me laugh.
Right after the ultrasound we had an appointment with the midwife and Dr. C was working that afternoon so Mr H. texted him. Did I mention that my OB is a good friend of our family? Mr H and him go flying every once in a while and we house sat his house last week while they were in Florida. His wife and I were pregnant at the same time and she gave birth to twins and 2 days later I had KK. We've known them for a long time. Yes, it's a tiny bit awkward to think he could be delivering my child and being in my business like that, but in the same token, I trust him and he knows how traumatic KK's birth was for me and how I LONG for a VBAC and if he told me, "Listen, we need to have a C-section!" I know it's not because he wants to leave to see his family or that he just wants to speed up the birth...it's because there is no other way and I will trust him. The other day, when we were at his house he asked me who cut me open for the C-section and I told him, then he said, "I promise you that if we have to go that route, your recovery will be much better than the last!" I thought that was nice of him to say...basically that he will take his time and not gut me like the last time. But I digress, while we were waiting for the midwife Mr H. texted Dr. C and told him we were here and Dr. C came to our room and looked at the ultrasound pictures and told us how good they looked and from a medical stand point, the reason they do profile pictures is to look for signs of down syndrome, which Dr. C did not see any evidence in our pictures. Which is great because Mr H. and I decided to forgo the AFP test, which would check for that.
One thing that my midwife did check on me was my pubic bone, which I explained to her felt like it was being split open. She felt around, which hurt like heck, and she said, "I don't feel any separation...oh wait, yup, yes I do." I have diastasis symphasis pubis, which means that my pubic bone is separating WAY earlier than it's supposed to. This is why I have so much pelvic pain and why I can't sleep. I was given a prescription for a sleep sedative, well it's an anti anxiety that will knock me out. Also I was told to see a chiropractor, physical therapy, and possibly massage therapy. So I have to call around and see who takes my insurance and start that process. It will be something that I need to manage during my whole pregnancy, it'll only get better once I deliver and get rid of the relaxin, making everything loose.
But we're very excited to meet Nugget and find out if it's blue or pink. Here's Nugget's ultrasound. It's about 11 mins and I know most of you won't watch all of it, it's mostly intended for the family that live out of state. So enjoy!
Thursday was a busy day for us. Mr H. had to go back to work after taking a couple days off to supervise the contractors working on our house because of the water damage. I had to go to class, but since KK is on Spring Break, we needed to wake up early to drive him to my sisters house. After class I went to pick up my baby. My sister and I started talking about random things and KK's tooth came up in our conversation, it's been so wiggly. He just wiggles it with his tongue, but wont let me near it. So my sister suggested we tie floss around it and pull it out. I was game...but KK was scared and nervous. He was crying on the couch with the floss dangling out of his mouth. He settled down, watching Sponge Bob and the opportunity presented itself and I yanked the floss and out came the tooth. KK started crying and smiling at the same time. There was a lot more blood with this tooth than the bottom two. We gave him a popsicle to suck on. That helped...but made JEM mad. She threw herself on the floor and cried that she couldn't have one too. So KK shared.
It's so funny to hear him talk and say some words...it sounds different. He is getting to be such a BIG boy! I love him so much! After that ordeal with his tooth we left my sisters place and as we walked down the stairs KK saw one of the neighbors and went running to him to show him his missing tooth. This neighbor is really awesome, we call him Big Mike. Last October KK invited him to church and he actually came. Big Mike was so excited to see KK's missing tooth that he ran inside and gave him $5 from the tooth fairy. It was very nice and thoughtful. I had to run some errands and we made another stop to Nannies house and KK was given another $5. My mom also gave KK $5 from the tooth fairy. We are surrounded by wonderful people in our life. The tooth fairy, that night only gave him $3, lol
KK was so funny about the money, he turned to me and said, "I have a great idea mom! I can just keep losing my teeth and I will get a lot of money, than I can help pay for things and we won't be poor anymore!" It melted my heart...but made me sad at the same time. Our family has been struggling horribly financially. Work has not been good to Mr H., but to hear KK want to help melted my heart. He is such a wonderful and thoughtful person.
As mentioned above, we were having work done on our house from water damage and we couldn't live there while they did it. Thankfully, our friends needed someone to housesit their house while they were in Florida for Spring Break. So it worked out for us. They have a beautiful house that was built around 1820, they have lots of property, a barn, hen house, garden, tree house, etc. It's been fun to explore. They even have chickens! The chickens were KK's favorite part. We have an animal lover on our hands, he loves to help water, feed, and chase them around!
KK also liked climbing up the ladder to the tree house! A couple of the times, though, he would get scared because he was up so high...he might have his mothers fear of heights, lol.
Once Mr H. came home from work KK was begging him to go outside and shoot the BB gun some more. Mr H. has been teaching KK the proper techniques and safety measures associated with guns. We do have unloaded guns in our house and we thought it was a good time to talk to KK about the use of guns and how they can protect our home. We have been stressing the importance of only being able to touch the guns when he has permission from us. We've taught him about what to do if he comes across a gun or if his friend wants to show him their parents gun. He as been very attentive and excited to learn.
He even got a "bullseye" It was a very proud moment for us. For 6 years old, he has been doing great, with a pretty good grouping. He is excited to go to the range with us. Mr H. is planning on becoming certified as an NRA instructor over this summer, so we will have plenty of times to go to the range.
We had an exciting and busy day on Thursday, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it any differently. I love spending time with my family and I love building memories.
The last post was a downer so I thought I would end my night with what we've been up to. We've been very busy and I usually fall asleep around 10pm so I've had no time to blog.
Mr H. is still working and taking 3 college classes. That has been keeping him very busy. He hasn't been able to go flying as much as he's wanted to, the weather hasn't cooperated and when it does, it's on a day he is busy with work, homework, or night classes. He's very adamant about taking a break from classes over the summer, which will be like a breath of fresh air. It'll be nice to have him around more often. KK loves him so much and he is such a great dad to him. When he comes home, KK takes his hand and asks him to play GI Joes, Army guys, or Pirates with him. So Mr H. plays with KK for about 20 mins before doing anything else. It makes my heart happy to see KK loved so much by a GOOD man!
I have been working 12 hour shifts at one of the local hospitals in the Emergency Room. I LOVE it. I can see myself being an ER or trauma nurse. The 2 things that I have learned and value are that I love to see outside and I love getting a lunch. I was assigned with one preceptor and we never got lunches or got out on time. It was annoying and hard for me especially being pregnant, I needed to eat and have that rest period. Than right after my spring break she told me that the next day was her last and I was in a panic because I NEED a preceptor in order to be at the hospital and I only had 5 more shifts left. Luckily I was assigned a new one quickly and she is awesome, we ALWAYS take a lunch and we get out on time. Now I only need 3 more 12's and I am finished at the hospital. I have a paper to write but after that, I'm pretty much finished and will be able to graduate in 33 more days! Not that I am counting down or anything!
KK had a concert on Monday. I recorded it, but I haven't uploaded it yet. It was so special, they have been working on those songs this whole year. At the end of the concert I cried. He is getting to be such a big boy and he is growing up and that makes me happy and sad at the same time. I love this boy so much.
IDK what that face is for, but the theme of his concert was, "It's not about you, it's not about me, it's about we!" There was a photographer who took 2 photos of each and every child, showing their personality, in their school and these were the 2 photos of KK. That bottom one cracks me up.
Moving on, KK had part of his filling come out yesterday when we were flossing and he said, "What's this rock doing in my teeth!?" Oops! So we got him into an urgent dentist office today and they fixed him up. He got a palate shot and cried for a bit. He wanted me to hold him while it took effect so I held him for about 10 mins...man that boy is getting so heavy. He did great though. He told me that he liked that place better than he regular dentist, so we might be going there from now on for him they also use composite rather than amalgam so it's not noticed as much which made me happy. He was a tough boy and he even said he wants to be a dentist! So it didn't scare him away, which I am glad for.
While both Mr H. and I were finishing up some homework KK came to show me what he did. It reminded me of Mel Gibson's character in Braveheart. I told KK to go to the kitchen, where Mr H. was and yell, "They can take our lives, but they can't take our freedom!" He runs out there and says, "They can take our lives but they can't take our....what!?" And ran back into the room...I was dying laughing.
Nugget is 17 weeks today. I feel good besides my pelvic pain. My right hip and pubic bone hurt. I'm sure it will get worse. I have been feeling the baby a lot and the baby is becoming stronger and bigger. Currently it's the size of an onion. KK is so happy and excited for the baby, he kisses my belly and tells it, "I love you" He is so sweet. Mr H. is the same way. He has to kiss and rub on my belly. I'm just surprised by how big I have gotten the 2nd time around. April 11th is our dating ultrasound. We're not finding out the gender so we're just making sure that the baby is still on track for a due date in the beginning of September.
I have wanted to talk about this for a long time now, but just don't know how to bring it up or exactly what to say. Until a comment a friend made last week really made me think about my struggles as a single mother. Her comment was that she felt like a single mother...but was happily married.
That statement offended me. And I'll tell you why. If you've never been a single mother you DON'T know what that feels like so you can't possible feel like a single mother. You could have a lot of stress, domestic work, rearing children with a husband who is gone a lot. There are a TON of mothers here whose husbands are residents or in active duty military and they're not able to see their families very often for days to even years. But those women still don't know what it's like to be a single mom. They still have an income to manage the house, medical insurance for illnesses, and other benefits through their husbands. A single mom has to manage that all by herself, there is no one to help you provide benefits for your child or an income for your home. Most single moms I know have to work...there just isn't any other way. To say a person "feels like a single mom" is obviously coming from someone who has (thankfully) never been in those shoes. A single mom cannot "feel" like one, because she "is" one. She doesn't have time to complain...there's too much to do.
I remember once when I was talking to someone and complaining about being a single mother and how it's not my fault but I feel that I am being punished, there was a woman who looked at me and told me that "I was the one who chose X as my husband" and basically I made my bed and should lay in it. That half the blame was because of my choices. I was shocked and stunned by her ignorance. We all need to "think before we speak". Sometimes when we say things we don't realize can offend others. It's just like saying to someone who lost their mother, "I know how you feel" when your mother is still alive...you have NO idea what that person is going through.
Why do I feel I have authority to talk about this subject of single motherhood? Because I was one. Most of you know that Mr H is my 2nd husband...this is my 2nd marriage. Before I met Mr. H I was a single mother taking care of a child not even 17 months old when my 1st husband kicked us out of our home. Luckily my parents let us stay with them but KK and I were on our own. My parents didn't have room for us so they partitioned part of their room off so that a crib and a twin size mattress could fit, it was a tiny space and that's where KK and I called home from May 2008-November 2008 until we could rearrange the dinning room so we could move in there. This picture shows how little room we had. On the other side, by KK, was the partition.
We stayed in the dining room until I married in July of 2010. There are a lot of memories associated with that dining room, such as this:
And maybe this is a good time to confess that I nursed KK until he was 3 and a half years old. And I am not shamed of it. That was something that both him and I needed. KK needed that comfort and I in turn also needed that comfort of him close to me, needing me. When Mr H. and I started talking I nursed KK for another 15 months! He knew I nursed him and guess what!? He supported me and thought it was fine. Gotta love him for that.
That dining room saw me through graduating from college as a single mom with a bachelors in Biology!
That dining room also was the place that Mr H's and my first kiss happened. OMG look how red my cheeks were...I was so shy about that whole situation.
My experience of being a single mom wasn't all smiles. I STRUGGLED! I went through a divorce, I had to split time with X, I had to put KK in daycare, I had to work, I hardly had a break, I had to pay for EVERYTHING because X refused to pay child support, I didn't have time to be depressed because KK needed me. But all I wanted to do is get in bed and never leave. It was the most difficult time of my life. But for me, I'm lucky. I met Mr H. soon after KKs 2nd birthday. He lived in Arizona so it wasn't a normal courtship, until he moved to Ohio at the end of 2009. But I think I will leave our "courtship" to another blog post.
So Mr H. and I finally went public on facebook with our very exciting news. We're Pregnant! There, I have finally said it. I am 12 weeks today and feel great. I've known since early December. I had an feeling a couple days before KK's birthday that I was pregnant, but the tests were negative, but in my heart and boobs (Gosh, those suckers are sore), I already knew. So I finally brought Mr H in the loop at Christmas (had a positive test on the 23rd), and what a great Christmas that was. We let our whole family know by placing a bun in our oven and wrote a note that said, "Done Baking Sept 2013". We face-timed with Mr H.'s mom first and it took her a while to get it. But once it registered, she started jumping up and down and screaming and crying. Then it was Mr H's youngest sisters turn. Once we opened the oven, she knew exactly what that meant and was screaming. We weren't able to tell his older sister until later and she knew exactly what that was and it was really awesome to see their reactions. We also called my sister RR, in Utah to tell her the good news. Before I even got to the oven she blurted, "Are your pregnant!?" She was hoping for it more than her guessing.
Then it was time for my family to find out the surprise. I had bought Mr H. a Willow Tree figurine of a pregnant woman that he brought over to the big house. Once everyone was gathered around, he said that he wanted to show everyone this awesome gift I gave him and he brought it out and I could hear my brother, JW, say "Are you pregnant!?" My mom clapped her hands around her mouth. Everyone was so excited. Probably more excited than I was at that time. I am excited, I'm just nervous/scared. There's a lot that can go wrong with the pregnancy and birth and I want this birth to be a healing one after the birth I experienced with KK.
I haven't been sick, I have not experienced morning sickness with this baby at all, HALLELUJAH! I just have an extremely sensitive nose, and especially at the hospital I have gagged over smells more times than I can count. BO, urine, and feces I just can't do, I start gagging so badly it's embarrassing. In the beginning of pregnancy I had a hard time eating anything, nothing sounded good...only fruit. I also couldn't make food because the smell of it made me gag. Another thing that made me gag was the dirty dishes, just seeing them in the sink made me gag...isn't that weird!? But now I'm good, I can do dishes and cook now. Besides the BO, urine, and feces, I hardly gag anymore. And the only thing that I crave is water, I am always thirsty. I get up in the middle of the night to drink water, I always have water with me. I'm just so thirsty, it makes me nervous about the diabetes screening...I hope I'm not positive.
So this was the announcement I made to let everyone know that we were expecting. We announced it on Valentine's Day after our 2nd OB appt. We've had about 150 people like our status and about 60 people comment on our status. We have a lot of people who love us and support us and for that I am grateful.
Our 1st OB appt last month was the usual, ask a million questions, annual, and feel on the boobies. But the coolest thing that happened was the Midwife was able to capture the heartbeat on the doppler, only for a few seconds, but we heard it. It was like music, that has always been my favorite part of the visits. So when on the 2nd visit she couldn't capture the heartbeat, I was feeling pretty nervous that something was wrong. So, the same midwife took us in to do an ultrasound. I was pretty much holding my breath until I saw the little heart fluttering. KK was with us and got to see his new brother or sister on the ultrasound screen. He thought it was really cool. And Mr H. was just in awe. The baby was bouncing and wiggling EVERYWHERE! No wonder the Midwife couldn't find a heartbeat. The baby had its arms and legs moving (waving a couple times) and was just going crazy in there. Makes me nervous for when it gets bigger!
The ultrasound picture isn't the best. A couple times we had a great picture of the baby, the print button was hit and the baby would move and we'd lose the picture. But so far there only looks like one baby in my womb and the baby looks healthy! I sent the ultrasound picture to Mr H.'s mom and she told me that Mr H was very busy in her belly. He kicked her so hard in the ribs and sternum that she had bruises! Yikes...I hope this child doesn't take after its dad!
I am hoping to document this experience better than I did with KK. I started blogging when he was about 9 months old and I want to be able to remember these precious moments.
In December for for KK's birthday the Primary Presidency at church asked us to write down some things that we loved about KK and they read it aloud during sharing time, this is wht we came up with.
Some of the things we love most about KK
10. He loves everyone especially his family.
9. He is very silly and says the funniest things
8. He is very smart and loves Math
7. He loves to play with his dog, Zero
6. KK is the best helper, especially working on the cars
or helping dad fly a plane
5. He is a very good friend and loves everyone
4. He always does his chores without complaining
3. KK is one of the very best artists we know
2. KK is very obedient
1. He always reminds us about family prayers and scripture
study
I can't believe how much time has flown. I have been meaning to update the blog but there just never seems to be enough time in the day. We have made a lot of special memories the last couple of weeks since being on Christmas break.
December 15 - KK turned 6! Can you believe that!? SIX YEARS OLD! I interviewed him on his birthday and this is how it went:
Favorite Food -- Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite Sport -- Baseball
Favorite Color -- Red
Favorite Song -- Gangnam Style by Psy
Favorite Snack -- Scooby Snacks
Favorite Toy -- Stuffed Animals
Favorite Fruit -- Watermelon
Favorite Outfit -- Scary ones
Favorite Game -- Mario Kart
Favorite Drink -- Sprite with Cotton Candy
Favorite Cereal -- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite Animal -- Dog, Lizard, and Gorilla
Favorite Season of the year -- Winter
Favorite Holiday -- Halloween
Favorite TV Show -- Ninjago and Wizards of Waverly Place
Coolest person EVER -- Jesus
Favorite thing to do outside -- Swim in pool
Favorite School Subject -- Counting
The thing do most awesomely is -- Run Fast
If I could go anywhere in the world I would go -- spend the night at King's Island
When I grow up I will be -- a Ninja
Book I'm loving right now -- The Gingerbread Girl
3 Words that best Describe me -- Cool, friendly,and playful
When I was little I used to -- Blow out the candles
Best thing about camping is -- Making Smores
One food I dislike is -- Fish
My Best Friends are -- Evan Schroeder and Titus Steck
If I had one wish it would be -- More wishes
Best memory is -- Virginia and Arizona vacations
What do you sleep with at night -- Lightening and Snowflake (his horses)
What do you want for your birthday dinner -- Cake
I wanted to make a bookmark for the family like I did last year but I never got a chance. Oh well! This half naked picture of KK is at 8:04am on his birthday. This is the exact time he turned 6 years old and this is what he was doing.
KK also had a birthday party on his birthday. At the Americana festival this year on July 4th KK won a pizza party for 30 of his friends at this karate place. We decided to make it his birthday party. The institution did everything, sent invites, decorated, did the activities with the kids, bought pizza, and made goody bags. The only thing that I had to do was provide the cupcakes. KK ended up with a ton of gifts. So many that he couldn't open them all during the party and we had to take them home still wrapped.
All of the kids had fun. KK wants to do this the next time for his party...we'll see. I almost forgot...not only did KK have a grand birthday party...but his grandparents from Virginia came over and celebrated it with us. Both Grandma and Pop Pop. He was spoiled rotten and was able to stay at a hotel and go to the mall to pick out a Christmas ornament, he even got to sit on Santa's lap. KK loves his Grandparents. Thank you for making the trip and helping us make memories.
December 25 - Merry Christmas! We video taped opening gifts and I only took one picture...but today was an awesome day. KK got a drum set and he has not let it rest yet. We opened up gifts at our house then X wanted him by 11 until 6:30 and kinda through a fit because the original plan was from 1 to 6:30 but he said that wasn't enough time so we compromised at 11. We were waiting for 6:30 when X texted at 3:30 and said we could pick him up at 4. I told him that he was the one bickering for more time and was he sure he wanted us to pick him up? He told me he was just trying to make a point. I don't know what his point was and besides that fiasco, this Christmas was VERY memorable. We were able to video chat with family in Utah and Arizona, it was nice seeing them but would have been nicer seeing them in person. The babies are getting bigger and I wish that I could squeeze them! Everyone is doing great and everyone is healthy which is awesome!
December 29 - as a family we flew to Coumbus to see some old friends. While there we went sledding and this dog came out of no where and jumped on KK. Mr H. didn't know if he needed to shoot the dog. I was so scared. There were other kids with us and the dog chased them too. It was freightening until the dog stopped and took off with our sled. Mr H. and the dog played tug of war with it. It ruined the sled, and we had just gotten it and this was the first time we were using it. The owner finally showed up, in shorts! He offered to pay for the sled, which was a nice gesture. So I made Mr H. follow him up to his house. KK cried, "my brand new sled is ruined..." he had a hard time seeing his sled all chewed up. The next day we bought a new sled and all is well!
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