The Newlyweds

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Originally uploaded by sarahgrace.

Here is one great shot of the Newlyweds. Aren't they just adorable. My cousin, Robyn shot this photo, Thanks Robyn!

The Wedding

Well, it is finally over. My littlest sister finally got married. All of us kids are married off now and life can go on, and begin anew.
Ariel's wedding was lovely. Everything went really well as far as weddings go. There was a little bit of confusion, and not quite enough chairs for everyone at the reception, but it was still great. The groom and his attendants walked in to the song Bad Boys, with aviator glasses on, which was a surprise to us girls, but a hit. Ariel walked down the aisle to a screaming rendition of Here Comes the Bride played on the electric guitar by none other than the fabulous Anthony (from my husband's band, 5fd, Thank you Anthony! That rocked! I especially liked the whistle in the middle of it.)I would have to say the high point was watching Ariel and Jeremiah after they lit their unity candle. They had to stand back there for a while during the music piece they had chosen for that section of the ceremony. They just stood there looking in each other's eyes and talking about their day, and since they are (were) both virgins, probably giddily saying, "We get to have sex tonight!" That seemed to be more of a prominate theme during the entire wedding, but when you've waited that long, what can you expect? They just looked so in love, and perfect for each other and that made me really happy for them. I've never seen Ariel so content and confident in herself before, and that is just a witness to the "rightness" of their union together. The low of the night, was when I had to actually run to the back of the chapel to get a glass of water during the ceremony because I was about to have a coughing fit. I figured it would be less distracting for me to just leave than to go into convulsions and really interrupt the entire ceremony. As it was, everyonge thought I went to go get a tissue for my sister, Hannah, who was having trouble holding back the tears. I told her she needed to not listen to the words of the song, that'll get you every time!
The reception was fun, but short, very short. Every little reception custom was performed and then they were outta there right at ten, and no later, once again the
"we get to have sex tonight" theme overriding everything. Apparently, (I didn't see this because I was shoveling lasagne down my throat)when Jeremiah went to pull the garter off Ariel's leg, he stuck his whole head under there and when he came out- he tossed like size 60 red lacy undies into the crowd. (Paying homage to Shallow Hal) That was pretty funny, seeing that Ariel is probably a size 2 or 4, and I wish I could've seen her face, but everyone else thought it was funny.

So now Ariel is a Mrs. and I still don't think it has hit me, probably wont until she gets back from her honeymoon. Weird.

I will have to post some pics as soon as I download them (I need to post pics of the bees too...)
Until then...

Lots O Poo (Warning this Post Contains words in, around, or about Poop)

So yesterday was an interesting day, even fun in some parts. We are all still recovering from "the sickness", so I decided to bring both boys to the Dr. to check their ears for infection. This is always extremely traumatic, especially since Drew hates to be looked at. I had my sister with me fortunately, and I warned her before we went in that this would probably not be, in any form of the word, "fun". Drew has particularly waxy ears, so his had to be cleaned out before they could be viewed, and the Dr. and I ended up having to hold him down while he was screaming- so we could clean them out. Like I said, NOT FUN. Poor Hannah thought she was going to cry. And yes, Drew does have an ear infection. Beau has probably a tiny one- so we get to start them both on fun antibiotics, which are also hard to get Drew to take.
Later, between various "wedding catch-up" as my sister aptly named it, I actually got to go get a haircut (thank you mom!) Fortunately my hairdresser is with-it enough to let me nurse Beau underneath the cape while she cut my hair. Well, he tooted under there and it was really stinky, and so I got him out of there. (Don't want him to be killed by his own fart!) I explained to my hairdresser that he hadn't gone poo in 3 days. Just as I am saying this I look down to see yellow coming out of the back of Beau's shorts. My hairdresser grabs me a towel, and it starts bubbling out the back- and then Hannah picks up Drew and runs out to the car to get the diaper bag. Well, Drew's diaper was full too and he just happened to be peeing- so Hannah too got wet. Meanwhile, Beau is bubbling. Hannah comes back with diaper bag and we transfer Beau to sink- and she holds him there for a little while so he can finish bubbling. My hairdresser looks down- and she had been tagged too by the poo when she transfered Beau from my hands to the sink. I, the producer of both children, remained untouched by any of their "goings." Funny thing is, my hairdresser happened to have a picture up on her wall of another little girl whose diaper exploded and got to use the same sink while her mommy was getting a haircut. Wish we had a camera!
Even later, back at home, Drew informs me that he needs to go poo himself. So we take off his diaper and let him sit on the potty chair. He fiddles around for quite awhile while myself and my sister are demonstrating how to push things out. He's in the buff long enough that he has his very first successful pee on the potty. Yeah! We were so proud- and little bit later he sits back on the potty and squeazes out a little turd. So, he's gettin' it. I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm pretty sure this is a breakthrough. Whew!

Monday/Bridal Shower Report

Aaah...Monday, Monday. The count is 6 days until my little sister's wedding. The last little girl in my family is growing up. We will all be married off now. Time really flies. I remember thinking about this moment for me when I was about 12, but it never occurred to me that my sisters would be getting married too, and that that would make me feel really old. And I'm not really old. It's kind of a bittersweet time. It's sad that our childhood is really gone forever, but exciting to look to our future as adults and parents. Life is an interesting and strange thing.

Well, I am still suffering from this bug- which I think may be a genetically altered cold bug, but I'm not sure. I was feeling pretty decent Saturday morning, then my ears started hurting again and then I lost my voice. It still hasn't returned. My dad told me I should sing "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. (Have no idea if that is spelled right or even the correct title of the song, but I think most of you will get the jist) My sore throat has just migrated to different parts of my throat throughout this whole ordeal, and now I have a nasty gross cough and green sludge coming out of my head. So I just hope, and pray, that this is all cleared up by Saturday or tomorrow is good too. Sigh.

The shower was a hit. It took 6 of us women to get it off the ground, but we did it successfully and had a blast. The highlights of the party were probably the video we taped of Ariel's fiance answering questions about himself and Ariel, and the cake from Coldstone. (mmmm, yummy) Ariel had to guess how Jeremiah would answer the questions- and she did pretty good, got just about everything except his year of birth. He he. We should of put some wackier ones in there, like: When was the last time Jeremiah picked his nose in traffic? Then the bachelorette party was a lot of fun too. We ate at the Olive Garden and then headed out to a super nice house, owned by Ariel's Aunt-in-law-to-be. Just for grins, we made Ariel take a "Blow Job" shot, which is a no hands shot. She was having much difficulty and she quickly said, "I can't get my mouth around it!" To which we all had a really good laugh and she turned red in embarrassment. We got her a "Honeymoon Survival Kit" and joked around by putting things like a pregnancy test in there as well as some No Doz, and a copy of Kama Sutra. Then I went to bed early (well, earlier than everyone else) seeing as I had only had three hours of sleep the night before, and we got up the next morning and drove home in our pajamas. Oh and did I mention we had a stripper at this party? Yes, my son Beau, I had to change his diapers...

Saturday, the Morning Of...

So here it is, almost 6:30 a.m. and I am awake, really early for me because why? Well, because the starlings outside my window were making a racket, but actually because I am too excited about this shower! Ha! After this week, that was the last thing I thought would happen. But fortunately, and I deserve it, I must say, things have really come together nicely, and this should be a lovely shower, and I am happy about it. Just wish I could've gotten some more sleep...

Now before I forget: I have to tell you about the bees. Yes, bees. Thursday morning I was in my living room reprimanding Drew about something when he was distracted by something outside and said, "What's out der?" I thought he was just trying to change the subject because he didn't want to listen to me, but he persisted and so I looked "out der." Low and behold there was a swarm of a million bees in my backyard. Seriously. I've never seen that many bees. Of course, then Drew asks if he can go jump on the trampoline and I of course laugh and say no way! The bees seemed to be moving to the east though, which eased my mind and the days events made me quickly forget about them. A few hours later, my backdoor neighboor shows up asking if I had noticed the swarm of bees earlier. I of course said yes, and he told me he thought they were in a tree in my back yard. Turns out they didn't go as far east as I thought. He said he had called some guys to come take care of them- if they were still there. So we go check, and sure enough, there was about a 2 foot by 2 foot ball of bees in this tree! So these guys show up to take care of our little problem and they turn out to be bee-keepers and they are going to capture the bees- not exterminate them. Unfortunately while they were carefully trying to cut the branch off the tree, the last snip jolted and half the bees fell off the swarm. One of they guys got stung a couple or four times and then they had to wait aroud for about 2 hours while the rest of the bees found their way into their new hive. So, crazy story, happy ending. Thank God they're gone! I did get some pictures of this- I will post them ASAP.

Sicker than...

Oh my goodness. I am sooo sooo sick now. That aching I complained about a couple of days ago, well, it came back, with a vengeance. I don't think my body has ever hurt this bad, and there are things that hurt that I didn't know could hurt. My whole family has been stricken with this curse, along with half of the rest of the valley I hear. This is some weird virus that seems to have taken over, unfortunately for us. I hear though, that it only lasts for 3 days, so I am really hoping that is true- and if it wants to leave me sooner, I will be just fine with that. I am almost through day one- and there are three days till the big ol' shower. And yes, this week did get crazier, but not like I wanted it to! Oh well, those of you out there who pray, please say a prayer for me and my family- this crap needs to go!

Freaking Out!

Well, it's just about 5 days until the big ol' bridal shower and I am trying really hard to contain my urge to scream in my overwhelming freaking-outed-ness. My husband is really sick, Drew is recovering, and I am trying really hard not to give in to being sick, and meanwhile, Beau- well, he just needs to eat. A lot. Guess I'd better stock up on the echinacea and the vitamin C. So my best friend called me and wondered if she was invited to the shower because she didn't get an invitation, which I am absolutely sure I sent to her. So now I'm wondering if the mail system failed or her husband just mistakenly forgot to hand her that piece of mail. But if it was the mail system, I'm wondering how many other guests didn't receive their invitations. Fortunately we've got the food situation figured out, thanks so much to my wonderful sister, Hannah. You're a life-saver! Can't wait till you get here on Friday! So now, hopefully all the other little details, being taken care of by each little bridesmaid, will be taken care of in a timely fashion- and we can breathe by Sunday- and have a nice Father's Day. Hopefully Kev will be feeling back to normal by tomorrow, because he has a gig he has to drum his little heart out for. So that is what's up- more later... and lets hope this week doesn't get any crazier, which is probably a wish in vain seeing that it's only Tuesday.

Pooped Out and Feeling Like Poo

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Originally uploaded by sarahgrace.

I feel like poo! WAH! My whole body aches, and I wonder what kind of bug I've got. Unfortunately Drew seems to have it too- but I think Beau is doing okay. Why doesn't my breast milk help me too?
Well I was unable to go to yet another concert of my husband's last night due to nasty weather. As it was, they ended up playing inside as a result of it, and it would have been way too loud for baby's ears. Today, my husband has to go work in the evening and tomorrow he plays drums for a church here in town and has a recording session in the evening. So much for family time! I guess if I felt better I'd be a little more upset about it, but I'm no fun to hang out with right now anyways. But it would be nice to have someone take care of me for the evening. That's what I miss about being a kid: having your mom take care of you and rub your back when your not feeling good. You know, I bet I could get a back rub out of my husband...

There are now 14 days left till my sister's wedding, and 7 until her shower (which I am putting on) And in honor of that, I give you the above picture: This is her and her fiance...

My Second Photo

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Originally uploaded by sarahgrace.

Here's a shot from 2003, me with my son Drew when he was about 10 or 11 months old.

My First Photo

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Originally uploaded by sarahgrace.

So here is my first ever photo. This is my husband Kevin and 3 month old Beau. Yes- he's a big boy! But he's really cute!

Baked Bean, Corn, Lime- Water Anyone?

Last night we had hamburgers for dinner, which Drew calls "hangerbers." Lately my husband and I have been putting a slice of lime in our water and Drew wanted his own slice of lime- so we gave him one and he wanted to put it in his sippy cup full of milk. We didn't want waste perfectly good milk, so we gave him a little cup of water to put it in and he was perfectly happy watching his lime slice float there. Then he decided he wanted to add more ingredients to his lime-water, like baked beans, ketchup, A-1 sauce and corn. I looked at him and said, "if you're still doing that when you're five, I'm gonna make you drink it." He pleasantly ignored me, but my husband was giving me heck for saying it, telling me he was just having fun making something. So we continue on with dinner and look over at Drew and here he is taking a drink of this lovely concoction. We wanted to stop him, but we also wanted to see his reaction, which wasn't too bad. Then, when we thought it couldn't get any better, he stuck his hamburger in it, then took a piece out and ate that. Eeeeeew! Just had to share.

To My Readers

Well, I should be balancing my checkbook, but here I am writing for my blog again. Just wanted to say I put a post on my friend pretendingsanity's blog about thinking she was the only one who read my blog, only to discover that I have at least two other readers. Hi Brooke and Jill! Thanks for reading my blog too, that makes me feel special...sheepish grin...

Soccer Mom Status

It's official! I've become the first class soccer mom, except that my kids don't play soccer. Ha ha. Why am I calling myself this? Because we did it, we finall bought the family truckster, the "muscle man car" as my son calls it, the much needed bigger vehicle, yes-The Suburban.

I'm really excited about it, and since I don't leave the house that much- it shouldn't be too bad on gas. There's just so much space to put stuff and I can fit all my friends and their kids, and their moms, and sisters, and brothers. Plus I feel pretty badass driving the thing on the road. Now I'm the high profile vehicle shining its blinding lights in your rearview mirror. Ha! It also will double really well for a good band vehicle on band excursions- (and the band pays for gas on those.)

So yes, I guess it wont really be official until I start shuffling my kids off to their various sporting events etc, but I'm pretty darn close to being a soccer mom. Hip Hip HOoray.

High Speed Chase... Sort Of

Notice: Name's have been changed to protect the innocent...

Last week my husband played a gig all the way on the other side of the state and I was at home with the boys by myself for two days. I went out both days to avoid the insane feeling of being totally alone and did a little bit of necessary shopping for our upcoming vacation to Mesquite. On the second day I left the house about 2 p.m. and noticed that one of the band member's Chevy Blazer was parked down at the end of our street. "That's weird," I thought, "I wonder why he parked all the way down here, or maybe his wife has another friend up in this neighborhood. That's funny though, because I thought she would have mentioned that. Hmmm. " And I thought nothing else of it, even though it was still there when I came back. Later that night my husband came home and played with our son for an hour before we put him to bed and then we started talking about the trip. Unfortunately this was a dissappointing trip for him and then he came to the part where he said, "and to top it all off, Pooky's Blazer got stolen..." at which point I said, " I saw his Blazer, it's parked down at the end of our street." At this time, Kev walked out the front door, and down the street while dialing up Pooky and said, "So, any update on the Blazer?" To which he glumly replied, "No." Kev said, "Well, there's a Blazer that looks just like your's at the end of our street. Your Blazer has a band sticker on it, Right? Wait, I don't see one." Then he walks closer to the Blazer and sure enough, there's the sticker, and he says, "Dude, this is your Blazer, I'm not kidding!!" Then he read off the license plate and it was in fact Pooky's Blazer. Pooky jumped in his non-stolen vehicle and drove up to our place and called the police. The police told him not to go near it, it was too dangerous and he said no way, it's my car, I'm watching it. Fortyfive minutes go by and no cops, so Pooky calls up dispatch again. While he's on the phone with the dispatcher a car pulls up flips a u-turn, a guy jumps out while the car is still moving, jumps in the Blazer and takes off. Pooky then informs the dispatcher that he's following them, turns out of the neighborhood and lost them. The dispatcher says to pull in to the nearest gas station and wait for the police. So Pooky does this and then the Blazer comes wipping around the corner and he pulls after them again and follows it to another neighborhood and loses them again. Well, fortunately, his Blazer has a dome light that stays on a minute and a half after closing the door, and he looked down the street and could see it on. He pulls over and there's the Blazer again with nobody in it this time. The dispatcher tells him the cops are on the scene but not to contact them. He will be contacted by phone by one of the officers. He hangs up with her and recieves a call immediately and the officer asks which way the Blazer is facing. Pooky says, "South" and five squad cars appear out of nowhere to surround the vehicle. Their K-Nine unit was able to find the thief hiding under another car. They hauled him over in handcuffs to Pooky and asked for a positive ID. Pooky said he was about 75 percent sure it was the guy and they said that was good enough and they booked him. And now Pooky has the Blazer back and an amazing story to tell!

Looking back at the night we marveled at how everything had worked out perfectly, from myself not calling Pooky's wife to see why her Blazer was up here to the police being late. Had my husband not played with my son for an hour, the thief probably wouldn't have been caught. So all in all we decided that God must have really wanted that guy to get caught and it worked out well for us too! Thank you Lord for showing us how you work every once in a while!