Friday, August 29, 2008

Ward Party

We had a back to school/end of summer Ward Party at the Hermann's house. I am now the Ward Photographer and deicded since Tyler would still be at work - we would not be swimming. There was not way I could hold her in the pool and take pictures of everything. When we got there, they had a baby pool set up and within five minutes Annagrace's clothes were soaked. I gave up the "not swimming" battle and borrowed one of Savannah's swimsuit and ler her jump in. Everyone had a great time swimming, playing volleyball and horse shoes, and of course EATING.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

First Night

So, last night was my first night returning to the workforce in TWO years!! It was actually really nice. The job is a lot of paperwork, as expected for a secretary position, but I really like doing paperwork. The twelve hours actually went by pretty fast and I even had a little down time in the middle - long enough to finish the book I've been reading!
BUT .... this morning I came home to a little girl with a BLACK eye (due to a play date yesterday) and a green snotty nose (thanks to our first trip to the nursery on Sunday)!! She looks so pitiful! So, now I don't know if tonight is going to be so fun for me. It was okay last night, leaving her with her Daddy to put her to bed. But, if she's sick - I just want to stay home and cuddle her. We'll see, she isn't acting sick yet and I hope it stays that way so I won't feel so guilty leaving her!

Monday, August 25, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I want to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Carol. She is a wonderful, fun, supportive Sister and now an even better Aunt!
Happy Birthday "roal" (as Annagrace says)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Peaches

So, this is totally gross .... but Tyler spotted a mouse in our house a few days ago. (I thought he was just hallucinating on Vicotin) But, then he saw it again the next day in his office. I didn't know how important Hunter was until now. (Our cat, Hunter, died unexpectedly in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. I still haven't posted about his passing.) Well, we couldn't decide what to do - traps and poison aren't exactly great around a 16 month old and a dog. But, when I went to put Annagrace down for bed I saw the dreaded mouse poop - IN HER BED!!! I freaked out, stripped the bed and drove straight out to my Mom's house to pick up her cat. Annagrace ended up staying at her house for the night and Tyler and I spent the next hour or so looking for any places they could be getting into our house. We patched a few little cracks and so far so good! I don't know if it's the patch or the cat that's working. But, I'm putting my money on the patch because this is what Peaches did the majority of her stay with us:

One of the boys

John and Angie came over to hang out - the boys and Annagrace played XBox while Angie and I did scrapbooking

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Carol's Birthday Dinner

We all went to Logan's for dinner tonight for Carol's birthday. I'm glad she was able to come down for the weekend.
She just loves this guy. Even as I'm typing, she is clapping and screaming "cris-ton" (Triston)

Friday, August 22, 2008

Bigler Dinner

The Biglers invited us over for dinner - it was fun and delicious!! Erin recreated Cafe Rio's salad, I've never been to Cafe Rio before, but I loved it. The kids all had fun playing together and eating Tabitha's chocolate cookies.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Grits, Flowers, and Swings ... These are a few of Annagrace's favorite things!

I am painfully aware that it has been an entire week since I last blogged! I have a fabulous post in my head, just dying to get out. But, this particular blog includes a video that my techie husband has not uploaded/edited for me yet. (I know I should just do it myself, but Tyler said I need some cord, that we don't have, to upload it to my laptop. And heaven knows I'm not allowed to touch his precious computer!!) So, in the meantime I have let everything else build up ... until now ... so here goes:

A few of Annagrace's favorite things - Grits, Flowers, and Swings

I found this recipe in a magazine during Tyler's surgery and it is delicious! Grits with corn and vidalia onion - can you get any more southern? Even my grit-hating husband said "these aren't too bad." (that's a compliment in his book) I think they work better as a side dish for dinner than the normal breakfast dish.
One of Annagrace's jobs/activities at my Mom's house is watering the flowers. And, she is a very hard worker! She lugs that big water can around the whole yard and tries to water anything that isn't moving.
And round 2 of our Ward Playdates - only two of us showed up! We had fun anyway. Tabitha and I NEVER run out of stuff to talk about! And the kids had fun on the playground.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Totally Grossed OUT!

So, tonight, while giving Annagrace a bath, I noticed tiny black things floating in the water. I looked closer and it was MOLD! I searched for it's source .... it was coming from her squeezable bath toys! I guess the water gets stuck in them and started Molding!! I was so grossed out and I can't believe that I've been letting her bath with mold. I got her out and dressed and passed off to Tyler on the couch and then went back in with bleach and soaked all of the toys for a half hour. When I went back to rinse them, I started squirting all of the water out of them and I almost vomited at the amount of CHUNKS of mold coming out of them. I threw them ALL OUT! Her once full basket, now houses three ducks (that don't have any holes) and five matching frogs (they have big holes and no sign of mold). SO .... buyer beware - don't buy squeezy bath toys that have tiny holes - the water never gets out!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

First PT

They took off the brace! But, when she removed the bandages ... Tyler almost passed out!
After a few strength re-building exercises, he got iced down and we got a surprise visit from Dr. McGrory.
He has been awesome. We chose him for the surgery because we are friends with the whole family, but he has gone above and beyond. Immediately after the surgery he made sure that I had his cell phone number in case I had ANY questions. Then, he called on his way home from work to check on Tyler and then popped in again today during PT. We love him and the whole McGrory Family!

Monday, August 11, 2008

With a swig of whiskey and leather in his teeth

Tyler had his knee surgery today. And against the advice of John, he opted for the anesthesia. He did really well and is now on a long 6 month path to a perfect knee! They gave him an awesome gown. It has air vents running through it and it can be hooked up to the heater/cooler that is hanging on the wall behind him.
He got his leg shaved!!
And then they marked the correct leg, they didn't want to make any mistakes!! This is post-surgery. He said he was fine, he was totally alert and talkative. But tonight he said: "You never told me what the doctor said after the surgery" (I had told him every detail) and "Did I talk to my Dad?" (Yes he did)

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Trip to Aunt Carol's

Carol got a new home so we drove up to help unpack and decorate. Of course, we did a little shopping as well. What's a girls trip without shopping and eating out? We ate at a local deli and ordered a hot dog, I never imagined it would look like this:

We enjoyed strolling around this Mayberryish downtown.

We snagged this awesome beanbag chair that Annagrace enjoyed riding around the store on.

I didn't even know that I wanted one until I saw these adorable ones: beanbag

But, I had to pick myself up off of the floor when I saw the $130 price tag. (And that's just for the cover, you still have to purchase the filling separately!!) So, when I saw this hot pink one for $5.50 in a consignment shop, I quickly grabbed it up. I figured, if I get tired of the hot pink I can always make my own adorable cover, for a fraction of $130!! And it looks like it's already doing a great job of being a good nap spot.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Crazy Girl Cont'd

I guess, if you are finished eating ... you are supposed to wear your leftovers and dishes! No, her hair isn't wet from the sprinkler, or even sweat ... that's plain-old oiliness from the macaroni bowl (Yes, these were taken on the same day!)


Thursday, August 7, 2008

Crazy Girl

When I pulled out the camera today, Annagrace ran right up to the lens and did this:
This is at Olive Garden the night we found out I got the job I wanted - she was silly and flirty all night.


Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Triston is a blast!!


He is such a sweet boy. Annagrace just LOVES him!!

Ward Playdate

We decided to take our play date to the next level and make it a weekly WARD play date. Today was our first one and we had a blast at Double Churches Park. Each week we are going to rotate to a new park, but it will always be on the same day and time. We were thinking we might even rotate to a couple of people's homes (like the ones with pools!!), but we will see.

What a bunch of cute kids - I'm going to have a lot of fun photographing them during all of these play dates!!!

Monday, August 4, 2008

John is the QUEEN

So, John has been our home teacher for a while but we didn't realized until his last visit how much we really have in common. So, I stepped out of my shyness shell and invited John and Angie over for dinner. And ALL I can say is - OH MY GOSH, why didn't I do it sooner?? We had so much fun. We ate, talked, laughed, and played cards. The time just flew by and before we knew it, it was after 11:oo! Annagrace fell in love with them too. She enjoyed shaking John's hand and asking "how do you do?" over and over. She went back and forth between Tyler and John, just shaking hands. Then, while playing cards, she could not get enough of Angie. She just kept giving her hugs:

Saturday, August 2, 2008

I GOT THE JOB!!

We recently decided, due to many different reasons, that I need to return to work for a year or two. I dreaded the thought of leaving Annagrace, missing all of the daily cuteness. I applied at several places and called anyone I knew that could pull any strings for me. After a couple of weeks, I got a job offer from Blue Cross for a customer service rep position. It pays decently with great benefits, but the hours are 8-5 Monday-Friday.
So, while day-dreaming the ideal job/situation, I realized I should look for a 12 hour night shift job. So my train of thought took me through any companies that are open at night, this list included hospitals. I started making lists, in my head, as I was driving, of the websites I needed to visit when I got home. Then it hit me ... I am friends with an Orthopedic Surgeon who just BOUGHT a hospital with a few of his clinic partners. I immediately called his wife and we all started on the pursuit of getting me a job. It took several WEEKS for my application to make it into the right hands. But, they called me in for an interview on Wednesday. It wasn't a normal interview - she was asking me what I wanted to do so that she could find the right job for me. She sent me on a second interview with another HR rep the next morning. This interview, again, wasn't what I was expecting. There weren't any past experience questions, no "what is your best asset?" questions. She took me on a tour of the entire hospital, telling me what a wonderful facility it is. Immediately after the tour she took me up to the 4th floor of the hospital to interview with the RN Supervisor who was hiring for the position that I really wanted. AND AGAIN - no normal interview questions. Honestly I don't think I said more than 10 words to her. But, after she quickly glanced over my application, she said without experience she couldn't offer me a job b/c she is too short staffed to train me. She said there was a possibility that a secretary position might be opening up soon. But, there was nothing definite yet. I was getting a little discouraged. But, right as we were both about to stand up and say our goodbyes. She said "wait, you are willing to work nights ... why didn't I think of that earlier. There is a position open, I need to call someone and I'll call you back this afternoon or tomorrow morning." My spirits lifted again and I eagerly awaited her phone call. When I hadn't heard anything by 4:45 Friday afternoon, I called them. I didn't want to wait the entire weekend to find out. I talked to the HR lady and she offered me the job!!! I was so excited I cried, I screamed at the top of my lungs, I was even shaking! (I waited until we hung up of course.) I will be the floor secretary, on 12 hour night shifts - 3 days a week!! It is so perfect, it even pays the same amount as BCBS! (Tyler and I had already discussed the lowest amount we were willing to take to have the ideal hours) I will still be able to be with Annagrace almost every day. And now she will be able to have her Daddy at home at night!
This whole job hunting experience has been a huge testimony builder for me in the power of prayer. I jokingly told Laurie, the night before I got the job offer, that I have prayed so much and often for this job, that I have rug burns on my knees. But, seriously I could see Heavenly Father's hand in every step of the way. Through all of my recent interviews, I got the impression that they had already planned on hiring me, they were just trying to find the right position for me. In my last interview, she miraculously remembered an open, unlisted, position. A position that is SO much better suited for me than the original one that I applied for. And the fact that it pays way more than I ever imagined it would is just icing on the cake! I have gone through a roller coaster of emotions lately, but couldn't be happier with the end result.
As a side note, I have to say ... I've never had TWO job offers at the same time - it's kinda nice to know that people want you!!