4th of July 2010

It turns out our little community has one heck of a fourth of July celebration! And lucky for us it is all held very close to our home! We went to the parade in the morning, and then over to the park for some festivities. AJ got two swords, he was in heaven being able to hit and not get in trouble! Griffin took it all in stride riding around in the stroller.

Later that night we sat in our driveway, had rootbeer floats, lit sparklers and watched a GREAT firework show! Mom and Dad Hislop and Chris & Sallie's family came over to join us. A great time was had by all! When AJ would get tired of the sparkler he would go hand it to Grandpa Hislop.

Boat

Kurt found a boat on KSL and bought it. Yes, we now own a boat. When I married Kurt I thought we would have some kind of camper or trailer and maybe a 4-wheeler or two, but I NEVER envisioned us having a boat! It is a rather big boat too, it has a place to sleep & a stove. My question was can it pull a water toy like a water weenie. The man we bought it from laughed and assured me it could do that. It is a 23foot Sea Ray. Kurt, his dad and I took it out on July 3rd to Willard Bay to try it out. It was a lot of fun when the engine was working, but when we got out a ways and switched over to the trolling motor to try it out (it wouldn't work above idle)and then tried to switch back to the engine Kurt couldn't get it started again, so we came back in to port using the trolling motor on idle. It was quite an excursion! Good thing Kurt is a handy man! He already has the parts to get it up and running for good! Here are some pictures of our dandy day! (The boys couldn't come because we need to buy little life jackets.)

Happy Birthday AJ!

Our boy turned 2! It is hard to believe we have been parents for two years. The joy AJ and Griffin bring to our lives is unbelievable! I can't envision our lives without them! AJ LOVES balls, any kind of balls. So we decided to do a ball theme for his birthday. It was on a Sunday so he brought "baseball" cupcakes to nursery. That evening we had a little birthday bash and he received a basketball stand, a ball table with matching ball stools, a bathtub basketball hoop with balls, a chuck car station and cars along with a whole backpack full of balls! He was in heaven! After a while I think he was in party overload because he took his cars and went back behind the bar and played on the floor all by himself. He was one happy birthday boy!

Back to back problems!

I had a great time learning and helping out on doing my home makeover, but I guess I did a little too much. On the morning of the 24th when I went to get out of bed I couldn't without A LOT of pain! My epidural had worn off. I went to bed feeling pretty good and by the next morning my back was in so much pain I cried when I got out of bed. It was pretty bad. I didn't help much the next day, I could barely lift Griffin up to feed him. Kurt was out of town at the time so at night I was on my own. Before Kurt left he and I had moved Griffin from his crib to the bassinet because we could prop it up higher and it was easier for me to reach Griffin.

On Thursday night I was sleeping when I heard a crash and then heard Griffin crying. I knew immediately that what we had propped Griffin on must have moved and the bassinet must have fallen over and he had fallen out. My first thought was to get to Griffin, but when I went to stand up I immediately fell to the ground. The back pain was just to much to handle. All I can say is my motherly instinct took over and I knew I had to get to my baby! I crawled on my hands and knees down to his room and found him and loved him, I could not stand up to turn on the light so I felt around and could not feel any blood. I calmed him down and had barely enough strength to lift him into his car seat that happened to be in his room at the time. I knew I needed help. I crawled back to our bedroom and it took me a couple of times to pull the phone down to the floor where I could reach it. When I finally got the phone I called my mom. It was about 5:00AM by this time. My mom said she would be right over. (My Dad was also out of town.) Being at home alone I had locked all of the doors except the one from the garage to the house. I gave my mom the garage code and sat there and prayed Griffin would be alright. Being so early in the morning, my mom could not see the key pad to put in the right code, but then she used her phone as a flashlight and was able to come in, she came to check on me and I told her I was fine, but to check on Griffin. She went in and picked him up and brought him to me. He was fine. I was thankful! For those of you who don't know my mom has had back problems and uses a cane to get around so coming over to help me was not easy for her! THANKS MOM! Mom stayed with me until I could get up and walk around. The next night I had my niece stay overnight with me, but all was well. Then Kurt was home, I was SOOO happy to see him! Next step, call to see when I can have another epidural. UGH!

Home Makever

I have many talents, but knowing how to decorate a home is not one of them. Kim and Sallie came to my rescue! They helped me hang-up pictures, refinish furniture, add rugs and cute accessories. Our house now looks more like a home! I LOVE IT! We re finished a couch table, a bench and our dining room table! THANK YOU Kim & Sal! I love our new look!

Peek-a-boo

AJ hiding his eyes for peek-a-boo, he still thinks this is a GREAT game!

On Hold

As a matter of protocol, when Griffin was born the adoption agency applied for medicaid for him. We have received several letters asking for various tidbits of information from us. I called the Department of Workforce Services once and explained we would NEVER use this because he had double insurance coverage through mine and my husband's work. Well, we are still receiving letters requesting information. I decided to call again to explain our situation. I listened and went through the different automated options and finally reached the business department. I was told to please hold and the call would be answered in the order it was received. After about 2 minutes on hold a computer voice came on and said, Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Your expected wait time is less than 1 hour and 14 minutes, you are caller number 32. ONE HOUR AND 14 MINUTES? I hung up and giggled. I thought that was hilarious!