The Kennedy Family

Kindergarten

2010-09-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late, but I wanted to document Graham's first day of school. He is having a blast and loves every minute of school. I can't get him to tell me much about what he does, but every now and then he lets something slip! :) I can't believe I'm old enough to have a school age child! Here are some pictures of the first day. He really wouldn't let me take many pictures, so what you see is all you get!

Yes, I really did post something!

2010-09-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well....have you forgotten about us? I don't have an excuse except that i've been lazy lately! We have been doing well. Graham started kindergarten this year, and is loving every minute of it. Harrison is growing like a weed and keeps us laughing all the time. I'm still busy with work and Mick started a new job about 3 months ago and really likes it.

Not much else to tell....I'll leave you with a few pictures!

It sucks....

2010-03-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Cancer. It sucks. It really sucks when it affects someone you know. And it REALLY sucks when that person is only in her 30's. My friend Julie has breast cancer. Thankfully it's stage 1, but it's still cancer. She has a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful little girls. I can't even imagine what she is going through right now. I wish I was there to give her a hug and tell her everything's going to be okay, but she is in TN. What I can do though is ask for prayers, lots of prayers, that her cancer will repond to treatment like it's supposed to and that she will be cancer free forever. Click here to see her website and help in anyway you can. Cancer sucks!

Love you Julie!

2010-03-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Stay tunned.......more to come in the next day or so!!

Trunk or Treat #1

2009-10-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

We had the first of two Trunk or Treats with our church tonight. If you're not familiar with what Trunk or Treat is it is where everyone decorates their car trunks and then kids "trick or treat" from car to car. It is alot of fun and it's a safe way for the kids to trick or treat. Our church is hosting a couple at two different elementary schools and tonight was the first one. My small group decided to dress up as farmers (the adults) and animals (the kids). We had a great time until I turned around and saw Graham laying on the ground by our car. He had not been feeling well all day and had finally had enough about 15 min. after the trick or treating started. When I asked him why he was laying on the floor he said "I'm tired and want to go home". So pathetic!! So at that point we decided to head home. Maybe he'll feel better at the next one.

Here are some cute pictures of the farmers and their animals.....I had so much fun making their costumes (except for Graham's mask)!!!

Fall decorations....

2009-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd put out some cute fall decorations.....they just wouldn't stay put. Hmmmmm....wonder why?

Beach 2009

2009-09-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a week in Myrtle Beach, SC with my inlaws and SIL's family. We had a great time even though it rained and was cool most days we were there. We ended up having a couple of good days with sun so we took advantage of those days at the beach.

It took the boys a little while to warm up to the idea of the ocean and sand. Graham was SO concerned that Kennedy (his cousin) was going to get swept away by the waves that he could hardly relax....seriously he was almost in tear one time when Kennedy ran into the ocean. After he realized that we were not going to let the waves sweep him away he started to really like it. Especially after we got the boogie board so he could "ride the waves" on it. He thought that was pretty cool!! Harrison did not like the sand at first and really didn't want much to do with the water either. He enjoyed it more when the sun was out and things were a little warmer (as did I). Harrison attempted to eat the sand several times which he quickly realized was a bad idea. However it didn't stop him from trying it again the next day!

All in all we had a great time at the beach...the plane ride home was a different story!

Love!

2009-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Bubbles!

2009-07-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

"From Sea to Shining Sea"

2009-07-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Happy belated 4th of July! We had a great time this fourth.....didn't do much but we still had fun! We started the morning with a parade in our neighborhood. I decided the night before that I would make a float for the parade. I mean there were prizes to be won people, so who wouldn't want to make a float?? So on my way home from work I picked up my "supplies" that I needed to make this award winning float (remember, the night before). After we put the boys to bed my mother-in-law and I started this project....I think it was around 8pm. We worked for 2 solid hours, and the end product was just how I envisioned it.

No prizes were won...although I think we were jipped!! Our float rocked and I think we should have placed 1st in all categories...including the costume category even though my kids weren't in a costume...but hey, do they really need costumes when they're so cute?? Not really.

Ear tubes

2009-06-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Harrison finally got tubes in both ears 2 weeks ago. We are hoping that they will fix all of his ear problems. He did great with the surgery....we were at the hospital at 6:30am and back home by 8:30am. I was amazed! I remember the surgery with Graham being fast, but I don't remember us being home two hours later. Harrison was SO mad when he came out of recovery...screaming as loud as he can. He finally fell asleep in the car and after a long morning nap he was back to his normal self...so much that we met my sister for lunch at the mall.

My mom went with me so she was able to take some pictures to document the event. Enjoy!

"I'm just going to call Dad to see if he can get me out of here!"

"What are you doing to me lady?"

Happy Birthday Harrison!

2009-06-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Can't believe Harrison is a year old ! This year has flown by...... I remember this day last year like it was yesterday. It always amazes me how much kids change in their first year of life. Harrison is starting to walk now, has 6 teeth, says "mama" and "dada". He refuses to sign "more" (when I show him how to do it he just smiles and laughs), but I'm trying to be consistant and hopefully he will start to sign some words. He continues to have ear infection after ear infection (about 9 so far), so on Monday he will get tubes. Yea!! When he is feeling good he is a happy little boy....everytime I pick him up from the nursery at church they tell me how happy he is. He loves Graham and wants to tackle him all the time which is good and bad....at daycare last week Harrison tried to "hug" (aka "tackle") another little boy and bit him. Hopefully he won't turn into that kid who bites all the kids in class! All in all this year has been a wonderful year...I can't wait to see what next year holds for this little boy.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the birthday boy!

2009-05-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

We had some Easter pictures taken of the boys a few weekends ago. I think they turned out pretty cute. It's hard to get Graham to stop making his "silly face", so we only got a few good ones of him.

The end to a great season.

2009-05-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, soccer has come and gone. I think Graham really enjoyed it, but if you had asked him if he liked soccer his first game...he would have cried and said "NO!". He could not get past the fact that he would be playing on a different team than his team in Houston. He was very upset when he realized that his Houston friends were not here in Dallas. Poor kid. After the first game he decided that his team was okay and he enjoyed the rest of the season. He really liked playing goalie and ended up being pretty good at it.

"Graham, no hands"!

Running in my goalie shirt.

Random picture of Harrison, but I thought it was cute!

He did it!

2009-04-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

A little less than three years ago Mick received an acceptance letter to law school. We talked and talked about what we were going to do....should we stay here or should we move? You see the school was not in Dallas and would require us to move to a new city. Gulp. I had never lived anywhere else except Dallas and Abilene. Okay, if you count Grand Prairie as another city (I kind of group it with Dallas) then I've lived in only three cities in my life. I did not want to move away from my immediate family and move to a city where I knew no one. I loved my job and was very content with my life. However, I knew that this career change for Mick was something very important to him and in the long run would benefit our family. So...many, MANY tears later we had moved our little family of three to Houston, TX.

In August Mick started school and I started work at Texas Children's Hospital. The adjustment to a new city, new school, and new job was very overwhelming...for both of us. Graham was around 22 months old when we moved, so he had no clue what was going on. Lucky boy. Over the next couple of months we got more settled and found a church that we loved. The church led us to good friends for which I am so thankful.

Two and half years later Mick graduated and we moved back to Dallas. I could not have been happier to be back "home", although I missed the friends and job I had grown to love.

After the first of the year, Mick started studying for the dreaded bar. He studied and studied for the three day test. Then for the next two and a half months we waited for the results.....well, today we found out that HE PASSED! He did it! And I've never been more proud of him.

So our three year (almost) journey has finally come to an end. Yea!! I thought this day would never come.

I think we're ready for our next adventure....as long as it's in Dallas :)

Crazy.

2009-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

We're crazy. Definitely crazy for doing what we did. Plain crazy I tell you. We got a dog this weekend....and not just "a dog" but a puppy. We had been looking for a dog for a little while and stumbled across this one at an animal shelter in Rowlett. Isn't she cute?? She is a shepherd mix and her name is "Hannah"....not really the name I would name a dog, but it's kind of stuck. Graham calls her "Hannah banana". He likes her a lot except that she tends to bite at his ankles when she gets excited, which he is not to fond of! We are trying to housebreak her (not going very well), but she loves her crate so I don't have to worry about crate training problems. Yea! Hopefully she will be a great family dog!

Profound thoughts from a four year old....

2009-03-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

Graham and I were sitting in his bed last night before he went to sleep and this is what he told me (completely out of the blue)...

"You know mom, sometimes my underwear gets stuck in my bottom and I have to pull it out".

Crazy kid!

Seriously, NINE MONTHS??

2009-03-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this cutie is 9 months old? I can hardly believe it myself! He is such a great baby...except for that pesky little not sleeping habit he has! He smiles and laughs all the time (especially at Graham)! Loves to eat Gerber puffs and have his bottles, however he isn't too fond of his baby food. I think he prefers table food and not the mushy stuff...who could blame him? Not me!

If only we could get rid of his illnesses. He has been to the doctor almost weekly for the past month. It is so frustrating! He has had 3 ear infections, impetigo, and now he has bronchitis. He started wheezing pretty badly so they started him on breathing treatments...let me tell you how much he LOVES that! He tries to push the mask away every 2 seconds when he's getting a treatment.

Graham started soccer again last week. This season he has practice once a week and a game once a week, so this is new to him (in Houston his age group had practice before the game and not during the week). I'll have to post about his first game experience...let's just say it involved alot of crying and running off the field.

We had my sister-in-law, Erin, and her two kids come to stay with us for a few days. They live in Virginia so we don't get to see them very often, so we really enjoyed their visit. My mother-in-law came in town as well so we had lots of good family time around here! Below is a picture of Graham and Kennedy (his cousin), don't they look like they could be brother and sister? The bruise on Kennedy's head is from her attempting to "fly"...obviously she was unsuccessful with her attempt. She told Erin that she couldn't fly because she didn't have "pixie dust"....silly girl!

Facebook....an evil word!

2009-01-31T18:49:00.000-08:00

Facebook is the reason I have been so bad about updating this blog! UGH! It is so addicting...and I only get on there 2 or 3 times a week! It's fun to see people I haven't talked to in 10+ years, see their kids (compare their cuteness to my kids :) just kidding!). Oh well, I'm sure facebook will get old and people will start reading my blog again...right??

We are finally settled into a routine here in Dallas. It's so fun to be back home. Work is great and at times it feels as if I never left. Mick is busy studying for the bar that he will take in 2 weeks. He's so ready for it to be over. Not much longer!

Not much else going on around here. Harrison was sick last week with fever and cough ...not much fun, and I stayed home with Graham today because he was vomiting this morning. Oh the joys of having children. Harrison will turn 8 months old in 2 days...crazy I tell you, crazy! He is really a good natured baby...except that he won't sleep through the night (go ahead and gasp in disgust!) . I tell you, my kids hate sleep. I think they do it on purpose because they know how much I LOVE to sleep! Just wait my dear children....there will be a time when you want to sleep until noon and I'll be singing the "good morning song" as loud as I can at 8am! I get giddy just thinking about it! He just started eating stage 2 foods and likes almost anything except green beans. He is "talking" and wants to stand up all the time. He may just go from sitting to walking and skip crawling all together. Graham is loving his new school. I've been really impressed at what he is learning. He came home the other day and pointed to a letter and said "that's lower case mommy..and when a letter is really tall that means it's upper case"....genius if you ask me! He is taking swim lessons every Saturday at the YMCA and will start soccer in a few weeks. I hope he likes soccer games as much as he did last season.

There's a little recap on our lives...hopefully it won't be too long before I post again.

Graham wanted to help me vacuum the other day!

We're Kung Fu fighting....

2009-01-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

...our way through the boxes! Will post more later.

On the move

2008-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Making sure I got the important things packed!!

Well, we have moved back to Dallas and are finally settling in our new home. It's hard to believe that 2 1/2 years have come and gone. I remember driving out of Dallas on our way to Houston like it was yesterday. I went there with my feet dragging, but am actually sad to leave my friends in Houston. The city I could do without, but we have met some of the nicest people there. We loved our church and will probably miss that the most. Graham tells me daily how he wants to go back to Houston and see his "friends at school". Houston is really all that he remembers in his short little life....he was only 20 months when we moved there! Here are a few things that I will miss and some things I won't miss about Houston.....

Things I will miss about Houston:

1. The diversity of the city. I rode the train to work everyday and on any given day you could hear 2 or 3 different languages (besides Spanish) being spoken.

2. How beautiful the flowers were...since the weather was warm and moist, everything stayed green and pretty. I will really miss that!

3. Our church, First Colony Church of Christ. We loved it! From day one we felt welcomed and accepted. This was also where I was baptized two years ago. Pretty special place if you ask me!

4. My job. At first I hated it. Cried alot at the beginning, but I grew to love it and the people I worked with. I became much more independent and confident in my role as a nurse practitioner.

5. Lupe Tortillas....best fajitas EVER!

Things I will not miss about Houston:

1. HUMIDITY. Enough said.

2. I45 headed north to Dallas. On Friday afternoons. With two kids in the car. Stopped.

3. No zoning. If you lived in the suburbs of Houston (which we did not) this would not be a big deal, but I hated that you had houses next to adult stores (get my drift?). Not good for my children to see.

4. Being away from family. We had great help with the boys (Thanks to the Martins and Brenna!), but it isn't the same as having family around to help out!

5. Humidity...did I mention that??

.....................................................................................................................

So needless to say, the past 2 weeks have been really crazy around here. We decided to move back before Christmas so we could be settled before Mick started Bar review courses. He will take the Bar in February, so he will spend the next two months studying. What fun!! :) I start my new job on Monday...I'll be going back to the same position I had before...working at Children's Hospital. I'm really looking forward to going back! I've enjoyed my time off between jobs, but there is a reason I work and don't stay home full time with my kids....I'm a MUCH nicer person when I work! My kids stress me out! I'm definitely not meant to be a stay at home mom! I think that is the hardest job of all!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the past few weeks. I'll post some from Christmas later. Hope you all have a great New Year! Until 2009......

Graduation

2008-12-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Mick graduated from law school yesterday....and I am so proud of him! I can't believe that it has already been 2 1/2 years since he started school....Graham was almost 2...now he's 4! The school had a small ceremony with just the law graduates last night, so we didn't have to sit through the big graduation (thank goodness!). There was a time when we were all clapping and Graham yelled out "Go Daddy"...everyone laughed! It was cute!

Here are some pictures from this weekend.

Congratulations Mick! You make us proud!

So thankful....

2008-12-03T14:33:00.001-08:00

For my boys! I heart them!

Just because....

2008-12-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

Confession

2008-11-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

I have a confession.

Squirrels scare me.

They look all innocent and fluffy. Makes you kind of want to have one for a pet.

Until they stand up on their hind legs and look at you like they want to attack your leg.

So when I see a squirrel running around a tree, I tend to walk a little faster and try not to make eye contact for fear they will think of me as a threat and attack!

2008-11-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

This pretty much sums up how Harrison felt about his first taste of rice cereal...

4 years, 4 months, Halloween and a Hospital stay.

2008-11-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a long post..you've been warned!

Graham turned four this past week! Hard to believe that he is that old! I've been joking with him and telling him he needs a walker because he's so old...he just laughs...glad someone thinks I'm funny!! We didn't do much for his birthday (because I'm not Martha Stewart), but he did have a party at school. He wanted an army themed party (thank goodness because I don't like character themes...I like simple), so I got camouflaged plates and napkins and made camo cupcakes. Should have taken a picture of them, but I didn't....however, they turned out pretty cute! He had a great time! We go to the doctor this week to see how big he is....which is not very...the kid's little. Good thing he's so cute! :) Unfortunately he also has to get his four year shots....not going to be fun since he really knows what a shot is this year.

Harrison turned four months (almost a month ago, oops!) and he's had a big month, to say the least. It all started about 3 weeks ago when he got his first fever...not surprising since he's in daycare, but I took him to the doctor anyway to make sure it wasn't his ears. His ears looked great, but she wanted to do a CBC to check is white blood count...well, that came back pretty high, so she decided to give him a shot of antibiotic, do a urine culture and see us again the next day. We did all that and the next day he was back to his happy self...no more fevers! yea! Well, then 4 days later he gets another fever, so I take him back to the doctor and sure enough he has his first ear infection. We started antibiotics and he recovered nicely from that...until last week when he woke up with a bug bite on his lip. It looked fine all day and night. I put him to bed the next night and when he woke up the right side of his face was swollen and he was running a fever. Again we go back to the pediatrician (who I love) and she took one look at him and said "time to go to the ER"....kind of what I was expecting, but still frustrating!

This is what his lip looked like before I took him to the ER...when we got there the redness and swelling was all the way up to his eye.

One of the perks of working at a children's hospital is that when you go to the ER they see you fairly quickly. I waited for maybe one hour before I saw a doctor. Pretty good if you ask me! He looked at Harrison and said "hope you packed a bag, because you will be spending a couple of days with us". He was admitted for IV antibiotics, but the next day they decided the now abscess was getting worse, so they consulted surgery to see about it being drained. Surgery came by and said that the antibiotics weren't going to be enough to get rid of the infection and that it would need to be drained. So off to the OR he went. When he came back he had two drains in his lip and cheek that would continue to drain the infection for a week. He was sent home the next day. He feels SO much better and doesn't even notice the drains. He will have them pulled on Friday and hopefully go back to "school" next week.

This is right after surgery. He was so sleepy!

It was very weird being on the "patient" side of things in the hospital. I now can somewhat relate to the things that our patients go through during their many hospital stays. Needless to say, I was very glad to get back home and sleep in my own bed.

We made it home from the hospital just in time for Halloween! Graham went as Luke Skywalker and Harrison was Yoda. They were pretty cute if you ask me! Graham really liked going trick or treating and dressing up. This was the first year we actually took him trick or treating in our neighborhood. He had a blast! My mother-in-law made Harrison's Yoda hat/ears (didn't it turn out great!!) and I made the robe and Graham's jedi robe....so don't look to close at those!

This IS my costume!

2008-10-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

I wish Harrison had a shirt to wear that said "This is my costume". We spent the past 2 days in the hospital with a bug bite infection. So here is a picture of the drains he had to have put in yesterday to drain the infection. More to come about our hospital stay....until then...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

Bye-Bye Abby

2008-10-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

So is it wrong that I cried like a baby when Abby left ER? I feel like I know her and that we have been friends for the past 10 years! I'm really going to miss her!

Why?

2008-10-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Why did Mick eat 15 donuts yesterday?

Was he in a donut eating contest?

No.

Did someone dare him to eat that many?

No.

He ate 15 donuts simply because....

"they tasted good".

Gross!

Watch out for the Beavers!

2008-09-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is the name of Graham's soccer team....I know, very intimidating! GRRRR! We have been talking about soccer for about two months now and the day finally came to play his first game! I wasn't sure how he was going to do...but he LOVED it! The score was 3-2 in favor of the Beavers....and did I mention that Graham scored all 3 goals for his team? Mick was a little proud!! Here are a few pictures...stay tuned for a video of his game! Exciting stuff!

Icky Ike

2008-09-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Ike made its appearance here in Houston a few weeks ago and things are just now getting back to normal. Graham and Harrison's daycare just got power back on Friday, so last week they went to work and school with us (fun for them, not for us). The traffic lights around our house are still blinking red, and then some aren't even working at all. Trees are down everywhere and billboards are blown to pieces. It's like something out of the movies when you drive around the city. The news said the other night that Ike left 93% of Centerpoint customers without power....the largest power outage in the city's history. We were lucky to only lose power for 24 hours (according to our neighbors)....we actually evacuated to Dallas for a few days. I kept thinking "No lights + no air conditioning + 2 kids = MISERY", so we left the day before the storm. My sister asked me what valuables I chose to bring with me and I told her 1) my family (of course) 2) my camera and 3) my frozen milk that I had pumped (liquid gold as I like to call it)...for those of you who have breastfed, you can probably see why that was on my "valuables" list.

Here are some pictures of our backyard...it took us (mostly Mick) 3 days to clear our yard. We are so fortunate that our house did not have any damage and that we got power back very quickly...some of our friends still don't have power today. Please pray for those families that lost their homes and/or loved ones. I can't even image what they are going through right now.

Evidently.....

2008-09-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

...in order to get presents from Santa, you have to pray to Jesus, and then he talks to Santa.....

Duh!

Labor Day Fun

2008-09-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Then the next weekend, after the lake, we went to Dallas to see Mick's parents and grandparents...and of course to see my family! We had a great relaxing weekend! Here are some pictures of the weekend! Enjoy!

I know, I know!!!

2008-09-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

I've been a terrible blogger lately (started back to work..more to come on that later), so let me update everyone. About 4 weeks ago we went to Cedar Creek Lake with some of our good friends from college. The girls in this group have gotten together every summer for the past 5 years, but this year we decided to make it a family affair! We had SO much fun...it was a little crazy with 6 kids under the age of 4, but we managed to find time to catch up. Graham absolutely LOVED the lake. We've been to the lake before and he had a good time, but this time was different...he was less afraid of the water and did not want to leave. On Saturday morning he of course was the first one awake (my children do not know how to sleep late!)and the first thing he said was "can we go on the boat"...he then proceeded to put on his life jacket and wear it all morning until everyone was ready to go swimming (probably 3 hours later). It was really funny!

I owe my mom and sister a BIG "thank you" for keeping Harrison on Saturday night while we were at the lake. I met them half way on Saturday morning so that they could watch him for a day and we could enjoy our time with Graham on the boat without a 2 month old! It was our first night away from him....it was nice, but I missed him alot!

We are so blessed to have such a good group of friends from college! I love these people and know that we will be friends forever!

Growing boy!

2008-08-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Harrison had his two month check up last week and he is growing like a weed! I have a suspicion that he will be bigger than Graham...shhhhh, don't tell Graham that just yet...let him figure it out when they start beating each other up (which I'm sure won't be long)! Harrison weighed just under 12 lbs (50 %) and is 50% for height and 75% for head! He is starting to smile more and "talk". He sleeps about 4-5 hours at a time each night...something Graham didn't do until he was close to a year old! The BEST news is he is going to bed around 7:30 or 8pm and sleeping until I feed him at 10:30pm.....this is HUGE! That means Mick and I get an evening to ourselves! Yea!

I go back to work next Thursday...I think I'm ready, but we'll see when the day actually comes. I miss my patients and my friends at work, but I hate that I have to send Harrison to daycare so young. Graham did it and has turned out okay, so I'm sure Harrison will do just fine!

Mick started school last week and is working two mornings a week at the nursing home. So far everything is good with him. He just sent his Bar application in today and will take the Bar in Feb.

We are headed back to Dallas this weekend to see family...we had a GREAT weekend at the lake with friends last weekend (more to come on that)....so until then have a wonderful Tuesday!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens....

2008-08-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

....these are a few of my favorite things!

My boys!!

Working out- Ha! Not really! I think it's funny when people put "working out" as a hobby! I know maybe one person who loves to work out...everyone else(including me) hates it!

Reality TV- I'm a sucker when it comes to reality TV....The Hills, The Bachelor, Biggest loser..you name it!

Chi hair straightener- my life saver! Seriously, this is the best thing ever for people with curly hair who want to have straight hair sometimes!

Naps- I am a nap person...enough said!

Tulips- I love spring when the tulips are blooming! They are so pretty!

Wintergreen lifesavers- I could eat my weight in these. I love them!

Vanilla coke- I try not to drink too many of these, but they are greatness!

Fall- I love Fall...cooler weather, pumpkin spice candles, Halloween...

Dallas Cowboys- The Fall also brings NFL football! I love to watch football on Sundays!

Pedicures- Just lately I've started really liking to have my toenails look nice...it makes me feel girlie! I guess being around 3 boys will make you want to be more girlie!

Not sure what to think about this...

2008-08-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

I was getting my stuff together to pump the other day and this is what I came back to...Graham was saying "Mommy, where's my nipple so I can pump my milk"...I promise I don't say "where's my nipple" each time I pump.

My friend Libby's son thought her pump was a trumpet...so Graham's not alone!!

A day in the life of Harrison....

2008-08-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

After I wake up I have a little play time in my bed...my mobile is so cool!

Then I check my blogs, email, etc.

Then I'm off to the spa with my mom for some relaxation...ahhhh, so calming!

I then call my friends and family to say "What's up!"

Hang out with my bro!

Soooo tired from my busy day...

You know who you are!

2008-07-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Alright blogger people! I am the worst blog stalker around...at least Mick thinks so! He thinks it's so weird that I "hop" from blog to blog. Yes, I'm guilty of reading people's blogs and not commenting, so I'm curious to see who "hops" to my blog every now and then.....SO, if you're a blog stalker please leave a comment so I know who you are! I'm very curious to see if people blog stalk as much as I do! And I promise to leave a comment the next time I visit your blog! Happy stalking!

Good days and bad days

2008-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

We went to check on Graham the other night and this is what we found...he had put his woobies (or lovies as some people call them) on his feet! Silly boy!

"Tummy time is soooo overrated...I think I'll take a little nap"

Yesterday was not a good day. I think that Harrison is having a growth spurt because he isn't lasting 3 hours between feedings...which is frustrating at night (especially since last week he was sleeping almost 5 hours between feedings at night). Then to top it off he was awake 80% of the day, so I didn't get a nap. And those of you who know me well, know that I don't do well with little sleep. I keep telling myself that he's only 6 weeks old, but it's still frustrating. On a positive note, our evenings have been better the past couple of nights...not nearly as much screaming! Yea! Harrison is starting to smile and "talk". I've been trying to get a picture of him smiling, but keep missing it! I'll try again tomorrow.

Graham has said some funny things lately. Last night we were talking about camping and he said "that's where you make sNores". I said do you mean sMores? He said "yes, sNores". Everything lately is "yesterday". If it really happened 2 months ago he will say "remember when we went to see Mimi yesterday?" or "remember when I played with that toy yesterday"...the boy has no concept of time! Mick has started letting Graham watch Star Wars...and boy does Graham like them! Mick can't wait until the boys can play "Star Wars" with him. I am so out numbered! What about Strawberry shortcake and My Little Pony?

I am officially half way through my maternity leave. I will be ready to go back by the time September comes around! I love my children, but I also love my job. I think working makes me a better mom....especially because of the type of job I have....I'm very thankful for healthy kids.

Yesterday started "Operation Bye-Bye Baby Fat". I went to the doctor and she gave me the "OK" to start working out again, so yesterday I went to the gym for the first time in what seems like a year. I only did 30 min. of cardio, but it felt more like 2 hours. And I'm a little sore today...(this might be a slight understatement)

Mick is finishing up his internship and will start school again in about 3 weeks...I can NOT believe this is his last sememster! Crazy! I thought this day would never come!

One thing's for sure.....

2008-07-24T11:31:00.001-07:00

....I will NOT win the Mother of the Year award! Every night Harrison is fussy, so I decided that I would try to take him for a walk in the stroller (hoping it would put him to sleep)....Plus I thought it would also give me a chance to start working out again. Well, last night after Graham went to bed I got Harrison ready in the stroller and headed out for our walk. Before I left Mick said "I'd probably take an umbrella in case it starts to rain" (see where this is going?). Due to Hurricane Dolly we have been getting alot of rain, but when I started the walk it didn't look like it was going to rain....SO, I didn't bring an umbrella. Wouldn't you know it, about 15 min. into our walk it started to rain, Harrison is crying, and I don't know exactly where I am (I was walking in a new neighborhood and got turned around). Now mind you I haven't worked out in about 3 months...but I couldn't just stand there, so I decided to "run" (more like jog slowly) to avoid getting drenched. People driving by are staring at me...I couldn't decide if they were staring because they couldn't believe I had my 6 week old out in the rain, or if it was because my "running" was funny to watch. Finally we got home wet, sore, and awake! Oh well, maybe we'll try again tomorrow.

See ya!

2008-07-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

We're headed to Dallas this weekend to visit great grandparents and my family! More pictures to come later!

Harrison's super excited about the visit! Can't you tell?

Graham's idea of packing!

Visit from family

2008-07-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Erin, Kennedy and Anderson were here from Virginia to visit for a few days this week. We had a great time...the kids were challenging (to say the least), but I enjoyed the company! Here are some pictures of the kiddos!

What you really want to see....

2008-07-06T17:36:00.001-07:00

Colic = good birth control

2008-07-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

So I have officially labeled Harrison as a colicky baby. The past 4 nights he has screamed bloody murder for 2 or more hours straight at night. I think he might have a little reflux that is causing him to be colicky, so I called in a prescription for Zantac this weekend and hopefully that will start helping. The only positive thing is that he will cry like that before we go to bed, then he will sleep pretty well through the night. I would rather him cry before we go to bed then at 2am! So in honor of my colicky baby I thought I would give you my top 10 list of "How you know you have a colicky baby".

1. You look down and realize you have been wearing the same shirt for the past two days.....and you don't care.
2. You ask your husband at dinner "did I take a shower today?"
3. You pick sleep over eating.
4. Your three year old asks "Why is Harrison crying again?"
5. You fall asleep nursing in the middle of the night and wake up an hour later...child still latched on!
6. You wonder if caffeine can be given in IV form.
7. You frantically search on line for "treatments for colic"
8. Your husband says to you "your the one who wanted another child!"
9. You avoid leaving the house after lunch for fear your child will have a melt down and make a scene.
10. Your favorite part of the day is when the baby is sleeping.

I know things will get better, but it's so hard when he screams for hours and there is nothing you can do to console him.

Too cool for school!

2008-07-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Graham thought that Harrison needed to sport some sunglasses....you know how the Houston sun can be!! The first picture makes me laugh out loud....he looks like he is laughing, but really he is crying...maybe because we were laughing at him!

Graham the "baby"

2008-07-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is what I found Graham doing the other day....he thought it was so funny! All I could think of was how glad I am that I'm not having to carry him around in that all day! Of course it might be good for the waist line!

Splish Splash

2008-06-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Thought I would include some pictures of my other son....since the last few posts have been about Harrison. These are pictures of the new slip 'n slide that Nanny bought for him! He had a blast!

Two weeks old

2008-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that two weeks have passed since Harrison was born. So far he is a good baby...better than Graham was! He is sleeping about 3 hours at a time at night and really only has one or two times a day when he screams, but thankfully that only lasts about 20 or 30 min each. He is eating well and starting to be awake more during the day. Still not sure what color eyes he'll have, but they look very dark...so maybe he will have brown eyes like me! Here are some pictures from today.

First bath and new mommy

2008-06-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Harrison had his first "sponge bath"...as you can see by the pictures he was pretty wet from the bath thanks to my three year old assistant. oh well, i'm sure his cord will still fall off, right? Harrison absolutely hated the bath....maybe next time will be better (when I bathe him alone!).

The other night I was laying in bed with Graham when he asked me if I would hold him. By that he means me standing up holding him in my arms. Well, I tried to explain to him that I couldn't hold him like that (since I had a c-section) but that I could hold him in my lap sitting down. As I was holding Graham we had a conversation that went something like this:

Graham: Why can't you hold me?
Me: Because my doctor said I can't hold big boys like you until my tummy gets better.
Graham: (sighing) Well, I guess I need a new mommy.
Me: (trying not to laugh) A new mommy like who?
Graham: A new mommy like Nannie (Mick's mom).

Harrison William Kennedy

2008-06-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Harrison was born on 6/11/08 at 11:27am. He weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20 in. long. He was exactly one pound bigger than Graham was and almost a whole inch longer! Graham better watch out...he's little brother may be bigger than he is! We are doing well here. I got to come home on Saturday from the hospital so we are still adjusting to being a family of four. Graham has done surprisingly well...only a few minor meltdowns, but he has been doing well overall. Thankfully my mother in law is here to help distract him!

Here are a few pictures to leave you with....

Harrison's Birthday

2008-06-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Love you forever...

2008-06-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will become a family of four. I cannot believe that the time has come for me to meet my second child. I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm excited....

To my baby boy: Your Daddy and I love you so much already and cannot wait to hold you and see your precious face. You are truly a gift from God, and we feel so blessed that God chose us to be your parents. I know that He has great plans for you in this world. We love you more than you will ever know.

To my Big boy Graham: Tomorrow you will become a big brother. I can hardly believe that! Your Daddy and I know that you will be a GREAT big brother. You can teach him so many things and I know that one day he will look to you for guidance. Thank you for making us laugh and for being such a wonderful boy. We love you more than you will ever know.

Heaven on earth, baby update, and other things....

2008-06-03T15:33:00.001-07:00

What is heaven on earth to a VERY pregnant and uncomfortable lady?? Well, that would be the pool! We have been to the pool for the past 2 weekends and it has been so nice to feel weightless in the water! I have loved it....and so has Graham. He has jumped to us from the side about 500 times which gets really old, but he has so much fun doing it! We need to sign Graham up for swim lessons this summer...I just haven't gotten around to doing that, so I'm sure all the classes are full. I guess we'll see.

This is how I feel at the pool in a bathing suit, but I don't care...it feels too good in the water!

------------------
Well, we are getting closer to having a baby. I am scheduled to have a c-section on June 11th! So at least I have an end date! I was beginning to feel like I would carry this baby in my stomach for the rest of my life! I am not sleeping well, so then I'm not in a very good mood during the day...poor Mick! He has to put up with it! He's such a good husband!

Below is a picture of Graham when he was born. I can't believe it was almost 4 years ago! I can't wait to see what this baby boy looks like. I'm thinking dark brown hair and brown eyes...like his momma! What do you think??

This and That

2008-05-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately! Just can't seem to get motivated...maybe it's the 95 degree (should feel like it's over 100 with the humidity) weather we're having today and the extra 30 lbs. I'm carrying around! Makes you just want to lay around and do nothing! Or could it be that I'm just lazy these days??? Nothing much going on around here. Mick is trying to finish his summer classes before the baby gets here....he has this week left and then finals next week. After the baby is born he will start his internship with the DA. He is really excited! He got two new suits when his Dad was here, so he will look extra handsome at work! As for me and my job...trying to wrap things up before I go on maternity leave. It will be nice to have a break from my job...even if it means less sleep and adjusting to having 2 children!

Graham is....well, Graham! He is testing his limits with us daily and wants to do everything "by myself"....which is great except that it takes a lot longer to get dressed, get out the door, etc. I'm very interested in seeing how he will be with his baby brother. He still tells me that he wants a sister and not a brother and that he wants to name the baby "pants". I guess that's as good of name as any...seeing we still haven't decided on a name!

Below are some recent pictures of Graham. Mick bought him some new legos...the "big boy" legos that have all the small pieces! Fun times! I don't know who is enjoying them more, Mick or Graham. Well, the first picture is what you get when Mommy tries to build a truck like the one in the picture....obviously Graham did not like the way I built it. He was so mad that I couldn't build it just like the one in the picture....I thought I did a pretty good job.

The way I built it....

The way it should have been built according to Graham

Graham's new "summer haircut"

We're back!!

2008-05-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers the last 2 weeks....we needed them! My back improved greatly after about 5 days of rest. I still couldn't move much, but at least I could walk upright. I know Mick was glad I could help out with the move...even if it was only a little bit. My father-in-law came into town last week and helped Mick move the furniture. I don't know what we would have done without him! He was a life saver! I took a day off of work to clean our old house so we could hopefully get our deposit back (which we did!). Now we are trying to settle into our new house...unpacking boxes and getting the baby's stuff put out. No, we still don't know a name! Suggestions are welcomed! Graham started his new daycare and has done really well with the transition. He has a girl in his class named "Ella" who latched onto him the first day and now they are "best friends" according to Graham. He talks about that girl all the time! This weekend he wanted to go to school so he could see Ella. I just hope Ella doesn't move before he gets used to the new school. He would be crushed! I can't say he had as easy of a time transitioning to the new house as he did the daycare....he cried alot and wanted to go back to the "pink house". I think part of that was his scheduled was SO messed up and he was tired! I just hope he does better when the baby arrives!

As far as baby news goes...I went to the doctor today and I'm 1cm dilated. I know that's not much, but it's something. I've been having what I thought were contractions for the last two days so the doctor wanted to make sure I wasn't dilated more. Luckily I'm only a 1!! I'm not ready for this baby yet! Mick still needs to finish his maymester class, and I need to get his stuff put away! So hopefully he will hold out a few more weeks.

I'll try to post pictures of Graham and the new house soon! No belly pics....I don't think my belly will fit in a picture!!

"When it rains, it pours"

2008-04-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

How that statement is so true for our family today!! I stole the picture above from Andrea's website b/c I thought it was so fitting for how I truly feel these days! Things started to fall apart Saturday when we were at Target just looking around. We get a phone call from our landlord saying that someone wanted to lease our house (the one we're in now) starting on May 1st. Sounds good except that we now have about a week and a half to move! UGH!! But Mick and I thought to ourselves "no problem, we can do it"....that was until we woke up Sunday morning. Mick was sick so we decided to stay home from church and pack a little. I went to Starbucks to get my coffee (yes, I'm drinking coffee while pregnant! Yes, it is decaf! And yes, I know that decaf still has caffeine in it!) and I picked Graham up the wrong way....and you guessed it! Threw my back out! Fun times! So we decided that I could still pack up the car with little things and take one load of stuff over to our new house. I wish I had taken a picture of how pitiful we looked moving. I could barely lift a blanket without my back hurting and Mick looked miserable. Thankfully Graham was so good and played with his toys while we packed. So we got one load of stuff over to the house and decided to take the rest of the day "off" so we could relax and get better.

Monday comes around and my back is worse, Mick is somewhat better, and we still have to move by May 1st! My back is hurting so badly that Mick has to put my socks on because I can't bend over to do it myself...and being pregnant doesn't help either. Yesterday Mick and one of his friends from school take over 2 loads of stuff from our house, so that is progress! I call my OB to see if there is something stronger I can take for my back pain besides Tylenol and they called me back to say "you can take Extra strength Tylenol". Wonderful (sense the sarcasm?) ! Today we get up, get ready for work and go out to move our cars and my car is having trouble starting. Great! This is all we need. Luckily it started after a few tries and Mick took it to a mechanic on his way to work to have it looked examined. The "damage" is still unknown...hopefully it is a minor thing.

Oh, and did I mention that Mick starts his finals next week? I think Mick is a little stressed! He's having to pack us, move us, study, and now deal with a car that is having problems. I can only think of a few things that would make this situation worse...1) If it were August and 2) If this baby boy decides to come early!!

Please keep us in your prayers. We need all of them this week! I am getting a massage today, so hopefully that will help my back, and Mick will have time tonight to study for his finals. Oh, and Mick's Dad has graciously offered to come down next week to help us move! What a life saver! If we can just make it through this next week......

Hodge Podge

2008-04-12T18:34:00.001-07:00

Where to begin, where to begin! We have been busy lately and have a lot of changes occurring in our lives soon. One of them being a baby! Surprise...I'm pregnant (in case you didn't know)! We still have not decided on a name, so any suggestions would be appreciated. He may just be "baby boy Kennedy" for awhile until we can come up with something we both agree on. I'm feeling good, just getting pretty tired by the end of the day. I'm soooooo glad this baby will be born before it gets really hot here in Houston. The heat tends to make me grumpy these days....not to mention I sweat in places I shouldn't sweat! YUCK! Below is a belly picture for those who care. I went to the doctor last week and everything was great...now I start going every 2 weeks. The plan is to have this baby the first week of June...unless he has other plans!

Mick is finishing up his semester of school. I have to brag on him for a minute...he made the Dean's list for this semester! I'm so proud of him! I know he's worked really hard and it's paying off. He has accepted a position at the DA's office again this summer....good thing is it will be a PAID internship! Yea! Last summer he worked there for free, so it'll be nice for him to learn and make a little money! I can't believe that he will finish school in December! We are both very excited and can't wait to see what the next few years have in store for us.

Graham is doing well. He is having some "terrible three" moments, but I'm learning to practice my patience. He has started to tell us everyday that he doesn't want to go to school...last week he threw the covers over his head and told me "I don't want to go to school, Mommy". Seriously, he's three...Somehow I think this is a glimpse into my future when Graham is a teenager. He is completely potty trained and is finally sleeping in a regular bed! Just in time for the baby to arrive. Graham understands that there is a baby in my tummy, but he doesn't understand that the baby will one day come and live in his house. I'm sure we'll be having more "terrible three" moments when the baby is born.

Finally, the thing that will keep us the most busy in the next few weeks....we're moving to a new house. Exactly the thing I said I would not do again until we move to Dallas. Well, this offer is too good to pass up. A lady that Mick works with owns a Hospice agency and she bought a house (close to ours) to have her business in. Well, she gutted the house and had the whole inside redone. She had moved all of her office staff in the house and had been working out of it for 3 weeks when the HOA told her she couldn't have the house be an office (unless someone stayed there at night). So she decided to move the business and lease the property until she decides to sell it at some point. Well, long story short...she offered for us to lease the house until we move back to Dallas. And here's the kicker...she only wants enough each month to cover the taxes on the property. this means our rent will be less than half of what we're paying now. CRAZY! The house is double the square footage as our current one and much newer! We are very excited! The house does have some downfalls, but we can deal with them...especially since this is a temporary move. Below are some pictures of the house. Our big obstacle right now is finding new day care for Graham. So say a little prayer that we find something soon. I would love to move before I get any bigger (or it gets any hotter!).

Worst pregnancy symptom by far.....

2008-04-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

I have two little words to describe my most annoying and embarassing pregnancy symptom....stress incontinence. If you don't know what that is...google it for a good laugh! Sorry if that's too much info for some of my readers, but seriously this is the main reason I'm ready to have this baby! I feel like a 90 year old woman!! UGH!

Visit with family

2008-03-25T18:37:00.001-07:00

We went to Dallas for Easter and to visit family and friends! Mick and Graham went up to Dallas on Wednesday(since he was on Spring Break....NO FAIR!) and I flew in on Friday morning. We had such a good time....it was just too fast! Mick's parents came in town from NM to visit, so we tried our best to split our time equally between everyone. It's funny, no one cared about seeing us...they just wanted to see Graham!! I don't know why? Mick and I are pretty cute! :) Needless to say we were all very tired when we got home. I ended up driving home while Mick and Graham took a nap. What's wrong with that picture? Making the pregnant lady drive!! Oh well, I could go as slow or as fast as I wanted!

Here are a few pictures of the weekend...unfortunately we don't have any pictures of Nanny and Papa. Next time I'll be better about the camera. Sorry guys!

Want a good laugh?

2008-03-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine me, almost 7 months pregnant, doing an exercise class called Zumba! If you're not familiar with Zumba check out this video here

I'm not a good dancer to begin with, then you add a pregnant belly in the mix...fun times! I got some stares in the class tonight! Oh well, it was a work out! Enjoy!

Ye Haw!

2008-03-11T18:14:00.001-07:00

This time of year around Houston is "Rodeo time". This is a big deal for Houstonians. The rodeo comes once a year, stays for 3 weeks, then packs up again until next year. So, needless to say we had to experience the rodeo and feel like we're part of all the "fun"!!

Graham had a good time seeing all the animals, especially the bees. I liked the baby animals (the baby pics below are for you, mom and Brooke!) We stayed about 3 hours and rode a couple of rides and ate some good food!

Graham loved the tractors!

I love this picture for two reasons...1) the goat is eating my pants 2) I can still see my feet!

I love my boys!!

2008-03-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Concrete meets forehead!

2008-02-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

This is what I came home to tonight after work. Graham and Mick were outside playing "chase" when Graham tripped and fell flat on his head....not on the grass, but on the concrete! I don't know who was more traumatized, Mick or Graham. Of course my cell phone was dead, so Mick couldn't call me to ask me what he should do...but he did exactly what he should have. ICE, ICE, ICE! His poor head looked terrible, but after a little ice the swelling went down. So I thought I'd share the trauma that occurred at our house this evening. And yes, I did give him some Tylenol because I'm sure he has one heck of a headache!

Makes me smile...

2008-02-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

I was in Graham's bed reading him books last night and in the middle of the book he looks over at me, grabs my hand, smiles and says "Mom, you're my best friend"! It just made me smile!

I will remind him of this when he is 13 y/o and I'm having to drop him off around the corner from school because he doesn't want anyone to see his mom kiss him goodbye!

Watch out!! Here comes a belly shot!

2008-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

After several requests I decided I would post a belly pic for the world to see! This is me at 23 weeks! As you can tell, I have as much "belly" in the back as I do the front! Why is it that when I gain weight it goes to the back end....I don't think "junk in the trunk" is hot! And I'm pretty sure Mick doesn't think it's hot either! All it does is make finding clothes harder.....oh well, I'm pregnant right? This will all go away the minute I deliver...right??? :)

almost 23 weeks....

2008-02-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I'll be 23 weeks pregnant tomorrow! My stomach is huge (yes, mom I will send you a picture!!) and people can definitely tell I'm preggo. I'm feeling much better these days and can feel him move all the time. Graham still calls the baby a girl and we keep reminding him that it is a boy! So we'll see how it is when this baby is born and Graham realizes it is not a girl! We are in the process of looking for a new daycare....the one Graham is in will only take kids 18months or older, so we are looking for someplace to take both the boys. I had one place tell me there was a wait list until 2009....I couldn't believe it! It's only the second month of 2008! I know we'll find a place, but I've forgotten how expensive newborn daycare is...thank goodness I don't have twins!

Not much else going on here. The weather has been beautiful lately, so we've played alot of soccer and baseball outside! It's been fun to not be stuck in the house with a 3 year old!

I did want to mention that Graham has come up with some new names for the baby...

1. Duck
2. Little Bear
3. Duck....I told him he already said Duck and he corrected me by saying "no, Duck 2"

Maybe he's been watching too much TV lately!!

TAG...I'm it!

2008-02-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

My friend Heather tagged me a couple of days ago, so here you go!

The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. or Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list. or Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

5 things I never pictured being in my future when I was 25 years old:

1. Living in Houston!!
2. Working as a nurse practitioner.
3. Being pregnant with my second son!
4. Going to bed at 9:30!
5. Did I already mention living in Houston???? :)

I tag Erin, Ashley, Lindsay, Amy, Suzanne.

Motivation

2008-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

I have always struggled with motivation....or at least struggled with it for the last 5 years or so. I find it hard to motivate myself to do things around the house or at work. It's hard to motivate me to "get out and do things" sometimes. And all of this frustrates me to no end. I know that part of this lack of motivation is due to my ongoing battle with depression, but lately I don't know why I can't get motivated. I don't feel depressed, but I can't seem to get myself motivated to get things done. This applies to things I want to do at work and at home. I just feel lazy. I know that my lack of motivation is very frustrating to Mick, and I hate that he has to deal with it by helping out more around the house. I don't know what I would do without him.

For example, right now I have a list of things (in my head) I want to get done before the new baby comes (I know I have awhile), but that's as far as I've gotten on my "to do" list. It is so frustrating! I know that I need to do them, but I always come up with an excuse to not do anything.....mostly my excuse is "i'm tired". UGH!

So I'm going to try to do better in February. I'm going to try to check off some of the things on my "to do" list and get ready for this baby! Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Ice skating

2008-01-26T17:08:00.000-08:00

We (maybe I should say Mick) took Graham ice skating last weekend. Graham had a blast! The only thing is he wouldn't put his weight on his skates, so Mick had to basically hold him up by his arms the whole time. Needless to say Mick was extremely tired after about 5 laps around the rink! I just stood on the side because I didn't think it was the best idea for me to skate pregnant! Especially since I haven't skated in probably 4 years. Mick has been wanting to take Graham ice skating since he could walk, but he is still too young to understand how to move his feet with skates. Maybe in another year or so. Below are some pictures of the fun outing!

Not much else going on around here, Mick is busy again with school and I'm busy as usual with work. The weather here last week was rainy and cold, so we tried to enjoy today outside as much as possible (it was 65 and sunny). I'm feeling good these days and my stomach is definitely getting bigger! I had the maintenance guy at work ask me if I was pregnant.....you know your stomach is sticking out then when a guy you probably see twice a week is noticing your belly! Oh well, I just smiled and said "oh yes!"

Hope you all have a great week!

No worries....we have a name!

2008-01-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well for all of you who are dying to know what we're having......we are having a healthy baby boy! I have to be honest and say that I was a little disappointed when the tech told us "it's a boy", but now I'm excited! I'm just very thankful that he appears to be healthy! I'm still on target for June 13th, but will probably have a c-section the week before since I am not going to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) since I want my tubes tied at the same time.

I was asking Graham what we should name the baby and he thought about it for a minute and said "baby Jesus". Well there you go! We don't have to keep looking for a name! :) I told him that I was pretty sure that name was already taken and that we're going to have to pick another one!! Silly kids!

Sorry for the delay....

2008-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

I had to change my sono appointment to next Tuesday the 15th! I have an opportunity with work to go to California for a meeting, so I had to cancel my Friday appointment. I figured the sex of the baby won't change in 3 days...so why not have fun in California!! Keep Mick in your prayers he will be all alone with Graham for 4days! Hopefully Graham won't drive him too crazy!

Until next week....keep your votes coming!

17 weeks

2008-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm 17 weeks pregnant and feeling better these days. I still have my moments of nausea and fatigue, but overall I'm feeling much better! The only thing that bugs me is how sort of breath I get....it is so frustrating to walk up one flight of stairs and feel like I just ran a marathon. My OB says that it is due to my vascular system expanding to pump more blood through my body which can cause you to be out of breath! Whatever it is, it is annoying! Oh well, it is worth it!

We find out what we're having this Friday! We are very excited and really don't have a feeling about what this baby could be. I have had 2 girl dreams so we'll see if they're right! Graham thinks that I have a flower in my stomach and refuses to say whether he thinks it is a boy or girl! Every time I ask him what he thinks the baby in my tummy is he says "a flower"....so that doesn't help! I think he's going to have a rude awakening when the baby is born and it's a human and not a flower! I put a poll to the right of my blog so you can vote on what you think our baby is!

I'm starting to feel him/her move more...I was trying to describe the feeling to Mick so I told him it feels like little popcorn popping in my stomach. Kind of weird, huh? I can't wait for Mick and Graham to be able to feel the baby kick! I'm curious to see what Graham thinks about it. I'm sure he'll just laugh and tell me I'm funny!

2007

2008-01-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Where did 2007 go? I can't believe it has come and gone! CRAZY! This has been a year of growth and change for our family. Mick finished 1 1/2 years of school and hopefully only has one more year to go. He has done so well and Graham and I are very proud of him! Work for me has been a growing experience....I have learned so much and have grown more confident in my nurse practitioner "skills" each day. My job this year has taught me patience, kindness, compassion, and has helped strengthen my faith. Graham has become much more independent this year and is really starting to act like a little boy and not a toddler. He keeps us laughing (and crying)all the time!

I've been thinking about 2008 and what I want this year to bring for me and my family. I hope for good health, love, wisdom, and spiritual growth.

Here are a few pictures from Christmas for you to enjoy.

Graham being "attacked" by my grandmother's dog, Muffin

Graham on Christmas morning

Christmas card rejects

2007-12-19T18:10:00.001-08:00

Even bribing him with M&M's didn't work.....

Human coloring book!

2007-12-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

The other day I was getting ready to go to work and Graham runs up to me and says "Look Mommy" and lifts up his shirt. He had decided to draw on his belly before school. This was my reply "Are you ready to go to school?" and Graham said "Wash it off mommy".....I really did not want to because I wanted to teach him a lesson so I said "No, I think we need to go to school". Well, he about flipped out!! We went to school and he was so embarrassed that he would not show his teacher. Hopefully he learned his lesson!

Thanksgiving parade and the return of "Steve"

2007-11-27T16:43:00.000-08:00

We took Graham to the Thanksgiving parade downtown this year since we live so close now! It was fun, but cold! I haven't found a jacket that I like for Graham yet, so he had to wear the one from last year....it kind of fits....if you like 3/4 length sleeves on a jacket! We rode the train down to the parade, which was nice not to worry about parking...probably Graham's favorite part. He kept yelling "Train..yea, train" when he saw it coming! Overall, he enjoyed the parade...I asked him what his favorite part of the parade was and he said "the street sweepers"...now let me explain for those of you who are thinking "I don't remember street sweepers being a part of our Thanksgiving parade". Now every time they have a section of horses in the parade they have street sweepers behind them to clean up their "mess". Graham thought these were the coolest things ever! He kept asking to see more street sweepers. Forget the big balloons or the clowns....bring on the ever so fun street sweepers!!

Well, "Steve" has made a return to our lives (see previous post on 8/3/07 if you're confused)! For the past couple of weeks Graham has corrected us every time we call him Graham. This morning he woke up and said "I awake mommy, I Steve". At school they told me that he corrects them as well! What is going on with my crazy boy? Any thoughts???

Baby #2

2007-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, if you couldn't guess from the comments on my last post....we are expecting baby Kennedy #2 in June. We are very excited and can't wait to meet this new little one. I am now 10 1/2 weeks along. For the most part I have felt pretty yucky....nauseated all the time, however, I have not thrown up, so that is a plus! Other than that I have felt good. With Graham I was not sick one day, so this is all new to me. I had my second doctors appointment last week and everything looked great! I can't believe that I'm already starting to have a baby belly! UGH! I remember with Graham how excited I was to wear maternity clothes....with this one I'm trying to wait as long as possible. I'm still in my regular clothes, but my stomach is definitely sticking out. This time around I'm going to try not to gain
50 lbs like I did with Graham. Needless to say I was miserable at the end!

So this is our great news this holiday season! We are so thankful that we will be a family of four this next year. We're also thankful for good health, good family, and good friends!

Can you guess?

2007-11-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

3+1= 4

What I'm Thankful For....

2007-11-14T06:04:00.000-08:00

Conversations with a 3 year old....

Mom: Graham, what are you thankful for?
Graham: God.
Mom: Me too. What else are you thankful for?
Graham: Trucks.

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Happy Birthday!

2007-11-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

I know I am the worst blogger ever!! We had Graham's birthday "party" a few weeks ago. And when I say party I mean it was just me, Mick, and Graham at home with a cake and presents....oh, and we went to Chuck E. cheese's for lunch! What kind of mother am I? I don't even let him have a birthday party with his friends? I did bring cupcakes for his classmates at school! Does that count? I figure he will have many, many more birthday parties, so why should I stress over this one? He's too young to know the difference! He did get a lot of neat toys....as if he needed more toys!

Here are some pictures of his cake that I made...oh, wait...I didn't make it but I let him pick it out at Kroger! Like I said, he doesn't know the difference! The day after his birthday Mick was asking him if he wanted cake for desert after dinner and Graham said "yea, cake"....but the funny thing is that he made Mick put a candle in it and sing Happy Birthday before he would eat it! Silly Boy!

Playing games at Chuck E Chesses....don't they look like they're having fun??

ACU Homecoming

2007-10-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

I'm so behind on my blogging! As a request from my sister, here are some pictures of my boy! We went to Abilene a couple of weeks ago for ACU homecoming. We hadn't been back in several years, so it was neat to see how the campus had changed. We felt old...but I loved being back in Abilene. Mick will tell you I'm a big ACU fan!! I loved my college days and the people I met there!

We could have done without the 6-7 hour car ride, but it was managable. Graham did surprisingly well during the trip...I think I did worse than he did. I HATE car trips. It makes my anxiety rise to the top. Thank goodness we had a DVD player in the car....what did we do before we had those?? They are a life saver!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. We ate dinner with Kedra and Josh on Friday and then ate at Chris and Rachel's on Saturday. Below is a picture of all the kiddos at Kedra's. Funny trying to get everyone to look at the picture!

Tagged again!!

2007-10-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

1. Who is your man? Mick
2. How long have you been together? Mick thinks it's funny to say that it feels like we've been married for 20 years, but we will have been married 6 years in December. Total we've been together for 9+ years...I can't really remember!
3. How long dated? about 3 years
4. How old is your man? He will turn 30 (finally!) in December! I'm tired of being "the old one" in the family.
5.Who eats more? I don't know...that's a toss up. I can eat alot! If it's pizza or donuts, then Mick hands down!
6. Who said "I love you" first? Mick did, and I didn't say it back for at least a couple of weeks....Mick loves to give me a hard time about this!
7. Who is taller? Mick. I'm only 5 foot even.
8. Who sings better? I do.
9. Who is smarter? With computers or government issues...definitely Mick. Otherwise we are probably the same smartness (and yes, I know that's not a word!).
10. Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. Mick hardly ever gets mad..
11. Who does the laundry? I do, but Mick helps out alot of the time.
12. Who takes out the garbage? Mick mostly, I usually get it all together and he will take it to the "big" trashcan outside on trash days.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me.
14. Who pays the bills? Mick. When we first were married I would pay them, then Iit just stressed me out too much....now Mick pays them, and I'm not as stressed!
15. Who is better with the computer? Mick for sure.
16. Who mows the lawn? Actually, we both take turns. I hate to weedeater because it throws things up at you, so he usually does that part.
18. Who drives when you are together? Mick.
19. Who pays when you go out? Mick. I never carry a purse or a wallet when we're together.
20. Who is most stubborn? For sure me!
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I think I'm the first to admit it, but Mick is pretty fast also!
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Lately it's been his parents, but overall we usually see mine more.
23. Who kissed who first? Mick kissed me first.
24. Who asked who out? Mick asked me out when we were Juniors at ACU.
25. Who proposed? Mick.
26. Who is more sensitive? That may be a tie! I'm probably a tad bit more sensitive, but Mick definitely has a sensitive side....and that's one of the things I like most about him.
27. Who has more friends? I think I do, but we have alot of friends together if that makes sense.
28. Who has more siblings? Mick does, he has 2 sisters, and I only have one.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? I think I do....mostly because Mick just lets me get my way!

I tag Sarah J., Lindsey, and Kristen.

Tag!

2007-10-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Meredith (a long time ago) to tell you 8 random facts about myself....so here we go!

1. I absolutely HATE things between my toes. I'm talking no fingers, no flip flops, no pedicure foamy things, Nada! It's so bad that Graham now knows that I hate it and thinks it's funny to put things between his toes and say "mommy, look" and laugh hysterically. Not funny! Makes my toes curl under just thinking about it!

2. In high school I was on a country and western dance team. Are you done laughing now? It was pretty neat. We got to perform for George Bush, the Dallas Cowboys half time, the Mavericks half time, and were featured in the "God Bless Texas" video. Who's laughing now, huh?? :)

3. One time in college I had 10 cavities at once! I've never had good teeth, but seriously, how gross is that? I had to drive back and forth to Dallas to have them filled...I only go to one Dentist because I don't like going to the Dentist and this guy is awesome...and rich from all my dental work!!

4. I bite my fingernails. Terrible habit! I've tried to quit many times...no luck!

5. I have a half sister and brother. My half sister, Lori, lives in South Africa and has lived there for over 10 years. We don't have much contact, but it's neat to say that I have a sister who lives in South Africa!!

6. I didn't get my drivers license until I was 17 because my mom drove a suburban and my dad drove a truck and I refused to drive either one of those cars! And no, I didn't get my license because I got a new car....it was because my friends gave me such a hard time about not having it!! One friend gave me 50 cents to ride the bus to the DMV to get my license! Very funny!!

7. I love mushrooms! My sister calls them "the devils food" because she can't stand them, but I on the other hand love 'em! The only time I didn't like them was when I was pregnant with Graham, but as soon as I had him I liked mushrooms again! Go figure!

8. I am not a reader....unless you call reading "looking at magazines". I have never liked to read much, probably because I'm not very good at it. I'm very slow when I read and my vocabulary isn't very good (so I sometimes don't know what words mean)...probably becuase I don't read much!! Vicious cycle!

OUCH!

2007-09-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Mick was trying to nap, but this is what he had to deal with. What a great Daddy...he didn't even cry when Graham pulled them off!

Hello again!

2007-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I know it's been a LONG time since I blogged, but I've been busy with work and too tired at night to post. So let me update you on our lives lately. Mick has finished his first month back in school. I can't believe that in a couple of months I can say that he has one year left!! Greatness!! I've been counting down the months! He is enjoying his second year, but seems to be busier this year than last. He still works about 10 hours a week at the nursing home doing social work and he is tutoring this semester for one of the first year law classes. He laughs because he has to have office hours each week. Hard to believe that this is the same person that in college went to maybe half of his classes each semester. I'm really proud of how he's done the past year in school.

I have been busy with work lately. It kind of comes in spurts...some weeks I'm really busy and some weeks I'm not that busy. I think I'm finally getting comfortable in my job, so that makes life more enjoyable. It's nice not to leave work and think "what did I miss" or "what did I do wrong". I really do like my job and most of the time I feel really good about what I do....however, there are still days that I wonder how I work in Oncology...especially now that I have a child. It never gets easier to tell a family that their child is not going to be cured of their disease. I thank God everyday that my child is healthy.

Graham is growing like a weed....well, not really but he is talking like crazy. Everything is "what's that doing mommy?" "where's that truck going mommy". He loves to change the words to songs and throw the word "truck" or "cement mixer" into songs like "twinkle twinkle" or "ABC". He thinks he is hilarious when he does that. I'm afraid that we might have a class clown on our hands. I can just see it now... being called by his first grade teacher because he won't listen in class and wants to change the words to the songs they sing. He also likes to call us different names, like point to Mick and call him "papa" or "aunt brooke". He again will die laughing when he does this. My favorite thing he does lately is say "stop kidding guys" and "you silly goose". It always makes me laugh when he says that.

We went to the beach this weekend with Mick's parents and sisters. We had a great time!! The weather was perfect and it being the "off season" at the beach, there was no one around us! We swam in the ocean and the pool, ate great food, and laughed alot. I think everyone had a good time.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Punishment

2007-08-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm going to use when he gets in trouble....do you think it'll work better than time out?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Finally pictures!!!

2007-08-23T18:26:00.001-07:00

110 degrees and Fall!

2007-08-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Has anyone noticed that it is starting to get darker earlier and staying darker later in the morning? Hard to imagine Fall is around the corner when it is 110 degrees here....yet, it still makes me a little excited to think about going to pick out pumpkins!

"Steve" you're the best!!

2007-08-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Steve? You're probably wondering who I know named Steve?? Well, that would be my son. What you're probably thinking is...I thought his name was Graham? Funny story this weekend....the 3 of us were driving to Target on Saturday and I asked Graham what his name was (I just like to hear him say "Graham Hunter Kennedy")and he said "Steve". I looked at him kind of funny and I said "Steve Hunter Kennedy"? "NO, just Steve" is what his response was!! Hilarious!! He just cracked up laughing! Then everytime I called him Graham he corrected me and said "Steve".

Mick and I got to thinking about this later and got kind of nervous....what if this is another personality? What if sometimes he will be "Steve" and other times "Graham"? We're a little worried!! What will he tell his teacher at school on Wednesday? What do I put on his lunch box? Do I get "Steve" or "Graham" monogramed on the backpack? Oh the things you have to think about when your son has multiple personalities!! Just being a two year old gives you multiple personalities....I just didn't think most kids have other names for them!! :)

Whoever he is today, I love him so much!! We had to take him to a "backup" daycare today b/c his new school is closed for a teacher inservice. The backup daycare is offered through my work and it is sooooo nice! He just walked right in and said "I want to play". The teacher looked at me and said "is this his first time here?" When I told her yes she was SO surprised that he wasn't screaming and kicking when I left. He just said "I want a hug and kiss mommy" (our little ritual every morning when I drop him off at school). What a big boy he is!!

Graham, Steve, whoever you are today....I love you more than you will ever know! I am so proud of the little boy you are becoming. I am so happy to be your mommy! (of course last night when you were screaming in the bath I wanted to give you away, but today I want to keep you).

I think we survived our move......

2007-08-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been busy around here lately! We moved this past weekend and are still trying to unpack everything and get settled in the new house! What fun! Overall the move went well...except for a few things....First of all, the movers were 4 hours late!! Can you believe it? We were so mad...at least they could have called to say they were running a little late, but no, we had to call and see where in the heck they were. Then the movers got to the apartment and one of them asked Mick if he could use our bathroom...Mick said yes, and the guy clogs up the toilet....now there is water all over the bathroom floor! GREAT! I thought Mick was going to come unglued at this point. He was fumming!

When they got to the house the guy gets out of the truck, looks at our porch, and says "there are stairs..that's going to cost you more". What??? I look at him and say "NO, There are TWO stairs and we told your company about them when we called, so why don't you call your company" I was fumming at this point!! We were hot, tired and Graham had not had a nap! You can imagine how much fun we were having at this point! I was thinking "you're the one who clogged up our toilet, and now you want more money to go up two stairs?" The mover comes back after talking with the company and he says that it won't cost us anything. That's what I thought...now move in our stuff!!

Finally, we got everything moved in and got Graham in bed. The next day I had to go clean our apartment so we could get our deposit back...I cleaned (I mean on my hands and knees cleaning) for over 4 hours. I was exhausted to say the least. Mick had to do the same thing on Tuesday. The good thing is that we are getting most of our deposit back! YEA!

That's about it...I will post pictures soon! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Week 2

2007-07-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Another 1.8 lbs gone!! Total 5.6 lbs lost! YEA!

You're so big!!

2007-07-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Things not to say to someone who is on Weight Watchers! Tonight I was on the scale and Graham saw me and asked if he could weigh...so I put him on the scale and I said to him "you're so big" .... then I stepped back on the scale to finish weighing and Graham proceeded to yell at me "YOU"RE SO BIG, MOMMY"! Great! Thank you very much Graham! I'll have Mick teach him to say "No, that doesn't make you look fat"!! Oh the joys of having children!

Bye, Bye I-10

2007-07-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

We are moving next weekend and are so excited for this day to finally be here! When we moved here almost a year ago no one warned us about the worst highway in Houston...I-10. And where did we end up moving? Right off I-10 about 1 hour away from work and school! We are moving into a little house in an area of Houston called "The Heights"...it reminds me of Lakewood in Dallas...older homes with lots of character. We will be about 15 min. to work and school! YEA! We found a great daycare about 3 streets away from the house...it is in a church, and I think Graham will really like it.

Below are some pictures of Graham "helping" me with the packing. He started coloring on the boxes and it actually worked our really well...it kept him busy while i could get some real packing done.

I'll post pictures of the house next week.

Week 1

2007-07-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in my weight watchers update (if you even care :>)! I've been busy packing for our move (see the next post for updates)! I lost 3.8lbs this week....can you say WATER WEIGHT? I already feel a ton better now that I'm drinking 60-80 ounces of water a day! I haven't had a real coke in almost 2 weeks (that's HUGE for me)! I kind of cheated yesterday......oh well, today's a new day! Off to drink more water...until next week....

Weight loss

2007-07-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, after looking at some pictures of me at the lake this weekend I joined Weight watchers last night. Mick and I have done the program before with great success, so I'm going to try it again! Over the past 6 months I've tried to do WW at home, but I've always cheated b/c I wasn't having to weigh-in each week, so no one knew I wasn't losing any weight! No more cheating!!

So now that I've told everyone in blogger land, I actually have to do it! :> I'll keep you posted on my weight loss each week! However, I will not tell you what my starting weight is.....do you think I'm CRAZY!!??

Must go drink my water....UGH! Coke tastes so much better!

Lake Weekend

2007-07-09T18:33:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend! On Friday we headed to Cedar Creek lake near Dallas to go to Lindsey and Nathan's lake house. Luckily we had sunshine all day on Saturday so we got to go out on the boat and ski, tube, and swim! Graham had a blast...but it wore him out!

It was so nice to see Heather and Lindsey and catch up on each others lives. Their little girls are adorable!

Enjoy the pictures below...to view them all you have to push the arrow button on the bottom right hand side of the slide show once the music starts....so turn up the volume!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Weekend fun.....well, most of it!

2007-07-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Graham and I went to Dallas this weekend to visit my mom and sister. We had a great time...except for trying to get through the airport by myself with a 2 1/2 year old. I had bought tickets on Southwest for $32 each way which is a great deal...the only bad part was the flight I could get was at 8:30pm. I thought that I would try to get an earlier flight so I had Mick pick me up at work on Friday at 4:30 so I could get to the airport early! Well, we get to the airport and I can't do curbside baggage check b/c I'm going to try to fly standby on another flight (mind you it is only 5pm a this point). I have Graham in a stroller with the carseat attached to the back of it, a backpack to carry on the plane, and 2 bags to check. So I have to get all of that stuff to the check-in counter inside....interesting to see, but we made it up there...only to find out that it will cost $71 a piece to fly stand-by for an earlier flight (b/c we bought such cheap tickets they won't let you change the flight). I said "no thank you" to the stand-by idea and headed to the security check point. Remember my flight isn't until 8:30pm and it's around 5:20pm at this point. I get Graham's shoes off, the backpack and my shoes on the conveyor belt, but I didn't think about having to put the stroller and carseat on there also....so I proceed to go through the medal detectors, but I'm stopped by the rude security guard who says "kid out...and put the stroller and carseat on the belt"...I almost start to cry...I've lost my place in line by the conveyor belt and now I have to try to put the rest of the stuff on there...by this point I am sweating and about to cry...Graham is trying to run away from me and he is not listening to me at all! I'm thinking to myself "i will never do this by myself again!" Finally we get through security and head to the gate.

what do you do with a 2 year old in the airport for almost 3 hours? Well, we ate dinner, watched Dora the Explorer, and watched airplanes take off! The cookie picture is when I had to bribe him with 2 cookies to be good...I think it was around 7:30 at that point. We were bored!

Then we decided to take pictures of ourselves!

Then, we finally get ready to pre-board...mind you I've been waiting in the airport for 3 hours doing NOTHING...and the flight attendant looks at the stroller and says "you need a stroller tag".... "A what???" I say.....a stroller tag you can get at the check-in desk around the corner...so I head over there to get the stinking stroller tag. There of course is a huge line of angry people trying to find out why their flight has been delayed...all I want is a simple stroller tag! I finally get it and go to the pre-board area....The flight attendant holds out his hand for my boarding pass...I realize that the lady hadn't given me our passes back....so back to the line I go! Again, there are tons of angry people in line ahead of me...I don't want to cut in line, so I wait....not realizing that they are waiting for me to board before they let the general boarding start! Everyone is group "A" is looking at me, waiting for me to board! Finally, the flight attendant comes over and gets my boarding tickets from the lady and we board.

We get on the plane and sit, and sit, and sit......only to find out that a lady behind us had let her luggage fall on her head from the overhead bin! In come the paramedics....ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Seriously? Did she not realize that a HUGE piece of luggage was not really a carry on item? So we have to wait for her to be checked out and get people's stories of what had happened. 30 minutes later we are ready to leave. Graham did really well on the plane...considering that he was up at 10pm and he normally goes to bed around 7pm!

all in all we had a great time! Thanks mom and Brooke for having us!