News News News

First and foremost I'd like to ask you to continue to pray for Kayleigh. The doctors have told the family she for sure will never get her brain functions back, and if anything, she is going to slowly start shutting down her body functions as well as her mental ones. This little girl has never left the NICU except to go into surgery. She is 4 days older than Baby J (who is doing fantastic). I was just floored by the pictures they posted today as her brother and sister got to visit her for the first time since AUGUST. They would really love to be able to take her home to live the rest of her days. Please pray for their family...I can't imagine. http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/2009/05/5509-family-again.html

Next up is reminding everyone who lives in my lovely city of X_ _ _ _ (you know who you are) to GO VOTE today! And if I may be so bold....vote YES :o) Yep, my city name starts win an X...weird, huh?

News #3. My mom and dad drove down VERY late last night to deliver my Aunt's car that we will be carsitting...for the next four years. My parents are awesome, in case you hadn't ever picked up on that. #1 was going to drive the 10 hours round trip to get it/get rid of his terrible, horrible, no good less than reliable Blazer tomorrow. Now he doesn't have to, and working 12 hour shifts it is probably a good idea that he didn't.

Which brings me to our next bit of news, thank you to everyone who was praying for Aunt Jane to get back to Africa safely...she has arrived and is well. We can continue to pray that she gets the financial support she needs and that her ministry is blessed.

News #5 (see, I named this post "News News News" for a reason!) I have quit the softball team. Really, it was stressing me out. No feelings were hurt (that I can tell) and I feel 100 lbs lighter. I actually enjoyed watching #1 play last night (police league started) and am back to being the book girl. I really thought that having 2 kids would exempt me (although it didn't last summer) but the other girls would rather help watch my kids then fill in all the little spaces and keep track of what is going on. Snug likes to yell 'Go Rocky" at everyone who is playing. Our pitcher's name is Rocky, and evidentally that is a fun thing to yell...at everyone...both teams (except for daddy, then he cheers for him). He is an impartial cheerer. Everyone who bats gets yelled for...and if you don't swing or if you swing and miss he will stand up and say "It's ok. Try again Rocky".

News #6 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT DANIELLE

News #7 Some people have asked lately how #1 is doing with the Graves Disease. Most all of his symptoms have disappeared since he was radiated...but his thyroid levels are still too high. He gets more blood tests taken soon. Hopefully we are not in that 5% that have to have it re-done. But we wouldn't be super surprised if we were. I mean, we're the Drays.

News #8 I got to blog today! Because my parents were here so my house isn't too bad this nap time! yeah!

Not Me! Monday

Ah, Not Me! Monday where we can tell all the dumb things we have not have done. Please click the button above to participate or read other people's Not Me!s...cause theirs are better, I will guarantee it. I have gotten out of the habit of trying to remember dumb things I have done...better luck next week!

I did not contemplate for a few seconds this week going back to all disposable diapers.

This was not because Baby J rolls every time I diaper him and when he's had a BM it gets messy!

I did not start giving him a small smack on the thigh because it has got to stop.

Please do not call children's services. Speaking of which...

I did not get really nervous when I answered the door today and the health department lady was standing there. I had not forgotten she was coming...I did not think she was there to inspect my home because of Draycare! My table did not have crumbs all over it from lunch (just ending) and cheese bits on the kitchen floor and two small children fighting over soap in the bathroom as she arrived. Not here.

She was not actually here for me to sign some paperwork I had requested. I did not check recently to see if we qualify for WIC (which in all seriousness, we don't). This was not because Baby J drinks $35-$40 of PediaSure a week (more than 1/2 our budgeted groceries!) and I was HOPING to get some help with that.

I am not wishing I wasn't playing church softball this year because it is NOT fun. I am terrible. I signed up and now I don't know how to get out of it without hurting anyone's feelings. *sigh*

I am done. Not very exciting. Just what is not happening around here.

I ♥ Faces

Welcome to all of you visiting from I ♥ Faces! This is my 2 year old son. When I took this picture (down in our basement as he was goofing around) I was shocked to see what I had captured. I'd venture to say no one would guess he was 2 in this picture. I think it is a rare glimpse into what we will see in his later childhood years. This week's theme is "hats", please click the button or here to participate!

For everyone who reads normally, I know it is Sunday, and I ♥ Faces isn't until Monday/Tuesday, but I had to post early this week. Tomorrow is Not Me Monday, and due to Stellan being in the hospital there hasn't been an official one in over a month now. (Stellan is doing fantastic by the way) Plus, this week will be crazy for us because tomorrow #1 goes to 12 hour shifts...I will be alone with the Draycare kids. At least the first few days during naptime I will be rushing around even MORE than normal trying to put the house to rights and there won't be any time to blog! I will probably make my "Not Me"s tonight and schedule that post, but I really wanted to get this one up ASAP! I will definitely blog Thursday and let you know how Baby J's latest GI appointment goes(on Thursday) and what his EIS/Physical Therapist said on Wednesday. If you follow me on Twitter or if you look at the right hand side of my blog towards the top, you can also get updates...if I haven't misplaced my phone. That happens quite a bit during the day! Have a great week if I don't "talk" to you until later!

Long Overdue

We went to Michigan a couple of weeks ago, you know, when I had my "Adventures in a Suburban". I got some fun pictures with family we don't see very often, but never posted them due to my lack of computer access. I never had enough computer power to get them all downloaded ON the computer and then uploaded ON to Blogger.

Ok, so this one was today...he was so tired after pulling most of the stuff out of the diaper bag that he fell fast asleep on the floor.

This is also from today. Snug enjoys a good rain and was out in it tonight. I personally think he is just looking for an excuse to wear his raincoat and boots, but who could blame him? Grandmommy gifted the coat for Easter. Would you believe it is from Aldi?

Ok, so back to the trip. This is my Aunt Kim holding Baby J and my cousin Melissa's baby Grayson. Grayson shares his mommy's milk with Baby J everyday. Isn't that nice of him? I don't think he'll want to hear about it when he is older though :o)

Growing up Melissa and I were good friends and even though we live 5 or so hours away from each other we really would like our boys to be friends too. Snug and Jayce definitely have been able to meet up more than Baby J and Grayson-this was only the second time they've been together. My kids are "older", Snug by 3.5 months and Baby J by 2 months, but really that is SO close in age.

I love this picture of the boys together...and it makes me remember....

Left: Jayce Right: Snug This was their first meeting in December 06This is their second meeting in March of '07. Again left is Jayce and right is Snug.

I know in a couple years we will look back at this and say "wow" look how little they were!

Holding both of these guys was really hard. I posed and then gave them up. See? I DO exercise...I hold 2 babies at once!

Aunt Kim had some "Bob N Warry" books, so Snug was very happy to be there.

Mitt, I may have to submit this with some edits for I ♥ faces sometime!

Trading babies is always fun. Now that the "big" boys are older they don't necessarily want to be held like this for pictures, but these two don't seem to care.

So as I was driving home from my adventure with the CILTS* my family met in a local park where we used to play softball and have picnics. This is my cousin Crystal, and I don't think she is grouchy no matter what her t-shirt says. She is my "baby" cousin...the youngest of 10 on my dad's side of the family.

This is Crystal's oldest, D. I won't write his name out because when she used to blog (hint hint to her!) that is what she called him. What a cutie!

And this is her daughter G. She makes me laugh, she was hamming it up for the camera. I miss seeing all of my cousin's kids grow up, so this was a special evening. Do you see the Nalgene behind Snug? Yeah, I miss that thing. He left it at a GARAGE SALE last weekend and I didn't know even where to start tracking it down. It even had his name band from inchbug and that hurt. *sigh*

Just a cute boy in the park that I thought I'd photograph...or not.

Reading stories with Aunt Jane. We are really going to miss her.

Finally a fun bathtub picture. Here is another milestone for Baby J. This was taken two weeks ago. He needed that blue ring to support him in the tub. He now sits independently in the tub and plays. We do have to watch him like a hawk though because he wants to go from bottom to belly IN the water. Yikes.

Anyway, it was a nice trip to Michigan and I hope next trip I will get to see my cousin's on the other side of our family too!

*CILTS Campers In Leadership Training (I work with them for my camp)

Alphabitty Moments

Alphabitty Moments was created by Mama Bear to help us capture the little things in life that we might otherwise forget about our lives as mommies. Click here to see what everyone else is doing.

This week it is going to be more difficult to get mine up. I use Storybook by Creative Memories to create my post each week with my letter. Our old computer died...so I am using our new one but there is no software loaded on it yet...and it doesn't have a CD drive to even load it. It may be a couple of weeks before we can piece it all together.

Letter J:

J is for Aunt Jane! She is returning to missions work in Africa in May, but the boys got to spend time with her in the past few months while she was "home". We will miss her very much, but we know the Lord is using her there. You can be praying for her in the next couple of days as she finishes packing and for her trip back.

J is for Jumping! Snug loves to jump...and jump...and jump. I call him "Norma Jean, Jumping Bean" (a book I used to read to my first graders) as he is always running or jumping or moving. Snug was jumping before he was even born. He kicked a visible bruise on my stomach before he was born, and he has never stopped moving. This shot was last fall jumping into a pile of leaves.

Now, Baby J moves quite a bit these days, but I find it interesting that Snug was extremely active in the womb, and is very active still. Baby J I had to lay very still to ever feel him while I was pregnant and I don't think that #1 ever got to feel him kick from the outside. Interesting that he is a "low tone" baby and never (until quite recently) wanted to move or do much. I've heard it said that personalities are set by the time a child goes into kindergarten...I venture to say it is earlier than that :o)