Such a sucker!

The other day we went to McMinnville for a doctor's appt and that was when I was suckered. There were four parties involved in the ambush. Bad guy number one was my mother, she suggested we go look at some baby kitties in front of Petco. Bad guy number two was my sister who suggested we let Gabby hold one and take a picture with it. Bad guy number three was Gabby, who looked up at me with those sad eyes and said "oh mommy please." But I was standing strong, as many know we had a very bad kitty experiance last summer and I was determined not to repeat it. Last summer my husband brought home a stray cat that apparently was over run with ringworm and we didn't know it. Lets just say after two months of me, the kids, our friend's kids, and the dog covered in the ring-like rash. After several doctor appts, vet trips, and bleaching everthing I have been very weary of getting another cat. Enter in bad guy number four...my husband. My lovely sister(bad guy #2)texted the picture of Gabby and the cat and asked him if it was alright to get a kitty. I was confident that knowing how sketchy I was about cats, that he would back me up. Apparently not since we now own a kitten. With four against one I caved. I now have a cute little grey kitty with bright blue eyes. Hopefully the lord will watch over us and put a nice ringworm sheild over us. When you see the girls with Sammy(kitty) it is worth it. They love him so much! Here's Gracie with Sammy.

Our Weekend Getaway

This summer we have decided to do a few small trips as versus a big vacation. The decision was partly based on our hope of saving money and time. My husband is going to be starting his own business probably next year, so we are trying to build a nest egg, and my sister is getting married this summer. Needless to say I am very busy. So our first little weekend away was to Seaside, a beach town about two hours north of us. We went up Friday after work and had a blast! I think we tend to forget how many neat things are near us that we have yet to explore. We got a fabulous condo with a fireplace and jet tub...I was pleastantly surprised, and my husband let me enjoy a nice bath while we were there. Thank you honey! We tried to do all the tourist things we could in a short period of time.
1. We rode a surrey (those bikes with two pedals that look like cars) and almost died. I have forgotten how hard those things are to ride. My poor husband was sweating so badly, as the little hoodlums yelled "faster Faster".
2. We shopped the boardwalk and saw a lot of beautiful things.
3. Rode the rides (carousel-I had to litterally pry Gracie's hands off the golden bar!) (Tilt-a-Whirl: Gabby and I rode it right after lunch, luckily she didn't puke, I didn't even think about it until half way through-good mom huh?)
4. We took the girls swimming in a pool that was so cold, I couldn't even get in..good thing for tough skinned husbands!
5. Went to Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark set up camp after their trek to the Pacific. There was a very realistic replica of the fort and a lot of trails to hike and view.(Got to stick some education into your trips right?)
6. Of course we ate and ate well!!!!(Thanks Nick and Dawn you sneaky sweeties)
We were all sorry to leave and Gabby keeps asking when we are going to move back into our hotel, but I'm sure more wonderful adventures await us soon. I will at some point get my husband to look forward to vacation.He is such a home body,but each trip I see a few more smiles. Maybe one day.....

Gracie's surgery

On the fourth, Gracie went in to have surgery on her ears. She has been suffering from chronic ear infections for months now, so we were referred to an ENT who recomended we put tubes in her ears to help the fluid drain. It is a relatively simple procedure, so I jumped at the chance to help my little girl. It was scheduled for last Thursday at a hospital that is about an hour away and we were supposed to check in an hour early. Needless to say I was a nervous wreck! I was a little nervous about the surgery just because they all tell you how upset your baby will be when they wake up, but mainly I was stressing about the no food or drink thing. My daughter's first word every morning is EAT!! She is like her father and is always worried about where her next meal will be coming from, and she drinks like she lives in the sahara desert. Sooo that morning I get her up and try to distract her while getting her ready. She was doing alright until her sister began demanding a drink. So at five thirty in the morning I have two children screaming about drinks and we haven't even gotten out the door. Luckily since Jed wasn't able to come with me my mom had agreed to meet me there, so she helped me keep Gracie distracted until she had to go back. That child is so smart! She knew something was up the minute we got there. She tried to slap any nurse who tried to touch her and yelled no them. This was really a shock to me because she normally is really easy going and loves all people. When they came to take her back the youngest anethesiologist ever came to get her. I swear she was younger than me, but then I remembered we did graduate 10 years ago. Damn I feel old! They had to pry her little arms off of my neck and the whole way down the hall she screamed my MaMa!! I was a mess, my mommy nicely hugged me and dried my tears. She got out of surgery fairly quickly, but boy was she pissed when she came out. She didn't know what she wanted, she'd reach for the Jello and you would try to give her a bite and she'd hurl it across the room. Hug you one minute and head butt you the next. She reminded me of Jeckyl and Hyde. After about a half hour she finally calmed down. We got to take her home about an hour later, glad that it was over. No matter how big or small, no arent likes to see their baby in the hospital. Thank goodness my mom came with me, and thank goodness Gracie did so well. Now she is like a brand new lady! Her vocabulary has trippled in just three days. Here are some pictures the doctor took to show me she calmed down once they got to the opperating room.