Moments of Our Lives

11 Months of the Bean...

2012-02-11T11:40:00.001-05:00

Can you believe that in one month my little girl will be a year old?!?!??!?!?!

My New Adventure...

2012-02-09T10:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the most recent adventure we have started...

If you are in the Asheville area and need a chicken coop builder, I have the guys for you!

It has been a while...

2012-02-06T10:52:00.004-05:00

A while back (over the summer) I took a few months and took out my dreadlocks. I thought that some of you might be interested in the process and how it worked out for me!

I have had 2 sets of dreads, one that were truly dreadful because they were done extremely poorly and not sectioned by Adorn Hair Salon here in Asheville. I actually ended up with balding spots from where they didn't section the hair out, it was a mess. To fix that, I went to Eclipse Salon and worked with Jenn, who did a wonderful job with a dread perm. We were able to hide the bald spots, and I had exactly what I wanted for almost 5 years!!

This past summer, I needed a change, and decided to comb out the locks, it took me about 3 months, 6 combs, and LOTS of time. When I was done, I went back to Eclipse to see Jenn and after it all, I had a ton of hair left and was able to end with should length hair that was healthy and full of life.

During the process, I discovered a few things:

Dry combing to remove was better.
VO5 in the tube smoothed it out and helped keep it from re-tangling.
Go slow.
Don't expect to be done quickly.
A TON of hair comes out, and that is ok... I seriously think there was enough to knit a quilt, lol.

No matter the reason for, or how you start your dreads, they become a part of you; your energy, life and ... well... everything go into them, and when you brush them out, a lot of energy comes out too, it was really neat to feel the release of some negative energy and the good that came from the removal process.

Here was the process in photos:

Flying with the Bean...

2012-02-01T23:18:00.000-05:00

I flew out of Asheville without much incident. Our flight was cancelled, and I had to go through security twice with all of my breast milk, but it wasn't much of an issue. We got to IL in plenty of time for Grandpa's viewing.

The trip was as expected; it was wonderful to see everyone, but it was not the most wonderful reason to be there.

The flight back was... interesting. My mom decided to fly with us, which was a good thing because the Indianapolis Airport TSA decided that my breastmilk was cause for concern and I earned myself a full search of all of my belongings and a full pat down... It was quite a pain in the butt and it was sad that this is how they choose to use our tax money... it took almost an entire hour to search every item I had, take my camera apart, and to rub down everything in my bags for explosives.

Anywho... I grabbed a few quick photos of my mom and Evie on the plane, not the best, but cute nonetheless! (How could they not be cute with Evie and my mom in it?!)

Remembering...

2012-01-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

I am spending today remembering the long and beautiful life of my grandfather. I received a call yesterday morning letting me know he had passed over night.

I miss and love him.

Here are a few photos of him with my kids; he got to meet all but Everleigh.

She and I are leaving for his funeral tomorrow.

Thinking of ...

2012-01-16T16:30:00.001-05:00

My Granny Eva and Grandpa Lovett today. I am going to mail this photo to both of them.

Melt my heart...

2012-01-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

It isn't often that I think another baby is as cute as my own kids... (I think we moms can all honestly say we think our children are the cutest...) But this baby, oh my goodness! She is just the definition of beautiful! With those pouty lips and big eyes, she is going to be something else as she gets older!!

10 Months...

2012-01-11T16:38:00.005-05:00

How can this be? My little baby is already 10 months old!!!

She has started standing on her own unassisted (but of course only when there is not a camera on hand), crawling out of her walker and is just chatting up a storm! The child is still a camera ham, and love as much attention as she can get... I have no idea where she gets it... ;o)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:21:00.008-05:00

With the new year comes new promise, new life, and new ... well, everything!

2011 was a good year for our family. All of our children are healthy; Our marriage is stronger than ever; Carl's company is doing really well; My photography skills are slowly growing... but more than anything, our family is happy. I really couldn't ask for more!

Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope that 2012 brings you as much happiness as 2011 has brought us!

May your year be blessed.

Happy Brithday Rory!

2011-12-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

How is possible that my little baby is 8 years old already?!?! Happy Birthday to my very big boy!!!

Santa

2011-12-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

We saw Santa today... TWICE! Here we are at the Mall where we saw him first... I think we might have to take out a second mortgage just to cover photos if the prices for these goes up any more!

Our Christmas Decoration for 2011

2011-12-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

Years ago, when we first started having a tree together, I was particular about what went on it. All silver decorations, white lights, a dark red ribbon, and my angel (who is simple with a touch of dark red)... but each year we started being given decorations, more and more until I no longer have room for my silver balls, or any of those first decorations... But giving way to these ornaments has made our tree special, and unique... there really is something for everyone on it. There are 'First Christmas' ornaments, a family ornament for each year, and all kinds of milestone and special decorations.

Here is the decoration that we have for this year.

Happy 9 months Baby...

2011-12-11T11:31:00.000-05:00

Evie is already 9 months old and her first Christmas is approaching...

She melts my heart, and makes me realize every day how complete she has made our family, or rather how we weren't complete without her.

Christmas is approaching...

2011-12-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

Our gifts are bought, most are wrapped, and the parade season is here!

We were in Weaverville over the weekend and the shops and streets are decorated for the Holiday.

Check out this cute little dog that was hanging out on the street this weekend:

Holiday Parade, part two!

2011-12-03T14:51:00.005-05:00

Rory and Arden (and Cute Husband) were all in the holiday parade in Weaverville today. My handsome men were the hit of the parade! (Well, one of them anyhow!)

Thinking of My GrandPa...

2011-12-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my grandpa was one of the coolest people I knew. He could make anything, out of anything, and whatever he made was filled with love. He was a coal miner in his younger days, even broke his back in the mines at one point... even so, he was strong as an ox.

I loved listening to his stories, and looking back, he may well have been one of the best story tellers I ever knew, and one of the funniest old men. He was always in good humor with us kids, even if we weren't the best fishing companions.

In the past years his body has started to fail him and recently he has been admitted to a nursing home, which I assume is for good this time... I really miss him and wish we lived closer. I wish that my children had gotten to know the man I knew.

The only "lawn decoration" we have is something that GrandPa made for me...

Twin love...

2011-11-26T21:54:00.000-05:00

Just a few shots of the twins from my good friend R. Such sweet little loves!

Here are a couple of Evie today while I am at it...

Because he was left out yesterday...

2011-11-20T08:11:00.000-05:00

Here is Arden... the goof ball.

Holiday Parade!

2011-11-19T18:28:00.000-05:00

We went to the Asheville Holiday Parade for the first time this year, both Rory and Arden were invited to be in it!!!

I wasn't able to get a photo of Arden for the blog because he was on the wrong side of the street, but here are the other kids!

Have you ever...

2011-11-15T22:51:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen a baby this happy to be set down where she can eat all the sticks and dirt she wants??!! I swear she is would love to live on a diet of dried leaves and whatever else she finds on the floor if we would let her.

Duinkerken Homes...

2011-11-13T18:13:00.000-05:00

One of my good friends and her husband own Duinkerken Homes here in the Asheville Area, and recently, they re-did an 100+ year old home in Montreat.

From the way my friend told it, I was expecting a normal little house, nothing particularly special, and no real history behind the home... Brandon Duinkerken took me out to see this little house this week, and I was speechless! The amazing work, and restoration that was done, is just heart fluttering!

Brandon walked into this project after a less reputable remodler had come in and left the family without a finished project, and without the beauty that the home once held. The wood had been removed, things had been gutted and destroyed, and there was an amazing amount of work that needed to be done.

What Brandon was able to do was amazing! He dumpster dove through the thrown-out items, and was able to bring back some of these amazing parts into the home, and what he ended with was a beautiful home with a ton of love and history inside...

Brandon's little touches, things like making walls from old rescued wood from the home, using the 100 year old tub, leaving the beautiful floors intact and fixing them, and completely refinishing the outside of them home make this little house into something that is spectacular and beautiful. His ability to recognize and take parts of history and build them into the home is what makes him one of the best at what he does!

8 Months Already...

2011-11-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is already November, and my little bean is already 8 months old!!!

Happy Fall!!!

2011-11-06T09:19:00.001-05:00

I figure since I just posted about our summer, I should celebrate fall before winter arrives!

10 years.

2011-11-01T11:34:00.001-04:00

Wow.

10 years ago today, I met Carl, and my life changed forever.

10 years ago today, I stumbled out of bed after a night of Halloween Festivities, and drove the long drive from Kent State to OhioPyle to kayak on the Lower Yough. I didn't have anyone to boat with, and with the water levels being less than 10in, there were not many people to ask for rides.

After about 15 minutes, two men pull up in beat up pickup trucks and start pulling out old school kayaks and getting ready to run their shuttle. I asked if I could bum a ride back at the end, and they graciously agreed to give me a ride.

Carl and Ladd came back from the long shuttle run, and the three of us put on the river. Carl was quiet and sweet, following behind me and chatting here and there. Smiling at me, and just watching me...

I have a lot of fond memories from that day, and don't know why it stood out more than the other hundreds of days I have spent on that river. I remember running new lines in RailRoad, the crisp air and bright colors, the new moves on some of the surfing waves, and how beautiful it was... I still laugh whenever I see a pair of creek mitts, knowing that Carl's story about "conditioning his hands" really meant that he just forgot his mitts, and that he was freezing cold! I remember how red his knuckles were and how funny he was trying to pretend his hands were fine...

After a day of boating, a quick dinner of some bacon cheese fries (minus the cheese thanks to Ladd) and beer, Carl and I agreed to meet the next day and boat again.

I don't know what it was, but that day was the start of something.

A few months later we were together almost all the time, and I was even driving from WV to OH on days I had college classes, and staying with him the rest of the time.

My life has changed in so many ways; four children later, I can still look at Carl and feel that confidence and comfort that he gave me the first day we met... I know when he stares at me, that he still sees the young 20 year old girl on the river that day, and it makes me feel special to know how much he loves me.

We have become very different people then we were that day on the water, but somehow, we have gotten to where we are together, and grow closer all the time.

I love you baby, and hope for many more years together and more growth and love to come. The changes we have made are amazing and I am thankful for them everyday.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2011-10-31T21:04:00.007-04:00

Happy Halloween from our gang to yours!

Summer 2011, better late than never...

2011-10-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

Here some mementos of our summer vacations this year now that I have them on the computer.

We went here and there, all over the eastern states. As soon as school let out, we headed to the beach, to WV, MD, and everywhere in between!

First stop was my mom and dad's house at the beach...

My mom is looking beautiful as she regrows her hair now that her chemo is backing down:

Rory became a "maji" at Magic Quest...

He caught a minnow in the waves:

We hung out at the pier...

The boys fished with their PaPa...

And caught a shark!!!

Arden was an awesome buggie boarder...

Rory too...

We took a state park class on the nesting turtles...

And just played...

Then we went to the lake with Grammy and DadDad...

Visited my Granny Eva...

And made it home to Asheville.

Somewhere along the way, Rory learned to catch a chicken!

Cub Scout PopCorn Sales...

2011-10-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

I know that many of you were in the Scouts, wether it be Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, etc. You know the value of the scouting experience, and you also know the cost... well to offset the cost, there are fundraisers, and for our pack the only one is the Fall Pop Corn Sales.

Over 70% of the proceeds from the popcorn sales goes straight to our scout pack and dens. It helps pay for things like Space Camp, Summer Camps, the badges, and all the costs through the year. These popcorn fundraisers are what make cub scouts affordable for everyone, and prevents our Pack from having dues.

That being said, you should click here and order a few boxes of popcorn or other goodies from Rory... if you don't like popcorn, you can order popcorn for our military troops over seas!

Here are a few shots of our den marketing this awesome fundraiser:

http://www.trails-end.com/estore/scouts/email_referral.jsp?id=17295228

Sleeping Piggy...

2011-10-12T21:59:00.001-04:00

Today Rory's class did a rendition of Sleeping Beauty which they both wrote and starred in! His part was the King, and if I do say so myself, he was a show stopper! After reading Charlotte's Web, the children fell in love with pigs, so the play was based around pigs for the characters rather than humans. It was cute and creative!

7 Months Old...

2011-10-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

My little Evie Bean is 7 months old! Can you believe how fast this has passed?! In the past week she has cut a tooth, and pulled herself to standing. I can't believe how big she is already.

Happy Birthday Jedi...

2011-10-08T21:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to G! We all had a great time at his StarWars themed celebration!

Fall has arrived...

2011-10-01T13:45:00.002-04:00

Fall has arrived here in WNC. The first of the leaves are changing and falling, and the first cold spell of the season has arrived.

Changes are all around us, and it is a joy to sit back and watch the world change around us.

To some the change of the season can be a sad thing, but to me, it is wonderful. It is the beginning to the cooler weather, to the restful nights, to the smells and activities that the season holds. I love camping and sitting in the foggy mornings with a cup of tea, taking in the peace and beauty.

The only down side is that the season and the colors don't last long enough.

The WNC State Fair...

2011-09-21T15:22:00.001-04:00

What can I say? We went, spent a gazillion dollars, ate fair food, rode rides, and puked...

My Cub Scout...

2011-09-13T21:23:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we are already at this point. It doesn't seem like he should be old enough for this, but somehow, he is.

Halfway to a year...

2011-09-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Halfway to a year..., a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Can you believe it?!

Puppy Love...

2011-09-10T23:56:00.002-04:00

Check out this precious puppy (and super cute family)! I'm glad I already have dogs, and kids, or I would want more!

LAAF

2011-09-03T15:14:00.003-04:00

LAAF, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

I need to edit this one, but this is my little fairy queen at LAAF today <3

The worse the wedding, the better the marriage...

2011-08-30T08:56:00.003-04:00

Right?

So, believe it or not, it is true, I am actually old enough to have been married for 8 years, and to have 4 children... HOLY CRAP when did that happen?

Today marks 8 years of marriage for Cute Hubs and I. It really has been quite the journey, and an interesting ride. Any plans we had are long gone, nothing is what we expected, but it has turned out better than we could have imagined (I think!).

Things got off on a really rocky start for our marriage, looking back it was humorous, but at the time, it was just overwhelming!

Carl and I chose Valley Falls State Park for our wedding. Since we are both fairly low-key people and we weren't looking for a big wedding, it was perfect. We planned on getting married at the water, rented both pavilions, and were excited that the children were going to have a playground to play on while the adults enjoyed time together...

Well, if you know ANYTHING about us, you know that nothing we ever do goes as planned. It really is true that God laughs whenever we make plans for something.

About 5 days prior to the wedding, I find out that the caterer decided not to do our wedding... the best thing was, he never told me! I found out because he wouldn't return calls, nice huh? So I rushed around, found a buffet restaurant that was in my budget, and fixed all of that. I figured, that was the worst of what would happen and we were all set.

Wrong.

Two days prior to our wedding I got a phone call from someone who 'claimed' to be the park ranger about a horrible storm that had ravaged the park, knocking down hundred year old trees on the the playgrounds, killing the electric grid, and leaving the park a disaster. I assumed it was a friend of ours, Dave K., who is known for his practical jokes... so I made a crude comment, hung up the phone, and made a mental note to try to figure out how to screw with Dave the next chance I got... Well then the phone rang again... it really was the Ranger, and the park was really a disaster! But being the people we are, we decided it was not a big deal, the prison workers were cleaning it up, and really, we didn't need electric for a day-time wedding.

We had a wonderful cook-out style rehearsal dinner with Carl's parents and our friends and family the night before the wedding. It was great, even my Granny and GrandPa from Illinois were there, which was quite the trek! Things were fairly uneventful, other than a cheese shortage, which went undetected by almost everyone, and we all had a great time.

The next morning came with heavy fog, and a forecast of rain... I went to the salon to have my hair done, and then went to my In-Laws' house (which is a half mile from the park) to dress. I got to spend some really special time with Frank (my mother-in-law's father) that morning. I had been sitting with him daily for months and really become close with him.

Then, as I sat there, it began to rain.

It rained the hardest I have ever seen it rain, and I am not kidding. Finally it stopped, or so we thought, and then it began again. I was so glad I had rented both pavilions! There was no way with all that rain, that a wedding standing on the side of a waterfall was going to happen.

I was driven into the park, the rain had stopped and then I noticed that only one pavilion was set up, that the buffet tables had been pushed apart to allow for the flowered arch... My Aunt (the florist) came running to me, dripping wet, in her 'work' clothes offering to move it all back out to the water edge, and explaining what had happened.

She had set everything up riverside when the first rain came, so she quickly moved it all to the second pavilion, where the rain all of a sudden caused a small mudslide into said pavilion, rendering it unusable for the wedding ceremony or for the meal afterward! Our only option at that time (since it was pouring rain) was to move it into the dining pavilion and make the best of it...

My poor aunt was so wet, and tired, that I told her she had better not move anything, it was perfect, and would be fine! So, my dad walked me to see my soon-to-be husband, and all of 4 minutes (maybe 5?) later, Carl's father had finished the ceremony, and we turned to our guests (who were sitting at their meal spots) and said, "Well, now we are married... Let's eat!"

It did clear up for some pictures, and really, what mattered was that all of the people we love were there to be with us and celebrate our love for one another... but man, that day was a disaster!

Now here we are, 8 years and 4 children later, and stronger than ever. I guess "The worse the wedding, the better the marriage" is true... because our wedding couldn't have been much worse, and our marriage couldn't be much better.

I love you Cute Hubs. I can't wait for the next 8 years of our lives, and to see where they take us.

More of Baby G...

2011-08-29T18:15:00.003-04:00

Isn't she adorable?

For the love of G

2011-08-24T17:20:00.004-04:00

For the love of G, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

So this past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited into the lives of a wonderful couple.

They have just given birth to their first daughter, and I was blessed enough to be asked to share in those sweet moments that the first days of parenthood bring.

Baby G is beautiful and perfect in every way! I can't wait to take more photos of this gorgeous and fun family in the future... I'm already planning her 3-month session!

Sweet little M...

2011-08-23T17:02:00.001-04:00

Sweet M, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Don't you think she and Arden would make the perfect little couple?

It isn't too early for an arranged marriage, is it?

I have been waiting for...

2011-08-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

someone to let me try to get this shot! I wanted to have it while I was pregnant, but it being February and all, that didn't happen! (Although I did try, and succeeded in getting in the creek -this is a link to the blog with those shots-, I couldn't bring myself to float in it, lol).

R was kind enough (and brave enough) to bare her belly in the cold creek to let me indulge in my need for this shot. Thanks Love!!

More from a Beautiful Mama...

2011-08-18T08:18:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to get some more photos of R. this week as she grows closer and closer to the arrival of her twins.

Here are just a few, I have many more to edit and choose from (think close to 400!). It is amazing how few "bad" photos I got! She is very photogenic!

It's the End of the World as We Know it...

2011-08-17T18:46:00.002-04:00

What are we going to do now?!?!

Changes...

2011-08-17T09:57:00.002-04:00

Life changes so fast. I can't believe Arden headed off to school with his big brother today! It seems like yesterday that I was laying in bed holding him, feeling the love that only new motherhood can produce.

Rory - 2nd Grade, First Day

2011-08-16T07:58:00.003-04:00

Rory - 2nd Grade, First Day, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

My little boy is growing up!

I am a Procrastinating Mom...

2011-08-14T10:14:00.003-04:00

10:10AM:

I have been putting off going to the grocery store since the week before we went to visit Grammy and DadDad.

At first it was because I didn't want perishables in the house when we were leaving; once we got back it was because I was too tired to go; this week the cute hubbie has been out of town and I didn't want to take all 4 kiddos to the store. Alas, I am officially out of my basics and have worked my way through most of my stash of food. There is no sugar, no brown sugar, no bread, and pretty much besides a half jar of peanut butter, some canned salmon, lentils, and a few condiments, I am out of food.

Now, since I procrastinated, I am looking at the grocery trip of all grocery trips.

Please pray that I make it back in one piece... and with just one cart of food...

1:15 PM

I have successfully made it back from the store; Everleigh went with me, she made it back as well... it only :insert sarcastic eyeroll here: took 1 double sized shopping cart to complete the shopping, and then the trunk of the van, front seat, and all the floor space to get it home.

There is food in the house, and if I hear one complaint that someone doesn't like what I bought, well, they can start cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Have I mentioned that I hate going to the grocery store?

My Kindergarten Boy.

2011-08-13T00:08:00.000-04:00

Arden is in kindergarten this year, can you believe it?! I am amazed at how big these kids are getting. I don't know that I am ready for all of the coming changes.

Arden seems excited about starting school, has already met some friends and has all of his supplies. His first day will be this coming Wednesday!

5 Months Old...

2011-08-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that the bean is already 5 months old! It seems like it is going much faster this time, and really it kind of is because she is hitting her physical milestones much faster than the boys did.

Beautiful Mama...

2011-08-10T12:02:00.002-04:00

Pregnant women amaze me; they are beautiful and curvy, and have this sensuality about them. I just love to see the babies moving in their bellies and to see the joy that is pregnancy.

I have been lucky enough to photograph my good friend R. She is currently 32 weeks pregnant with twins and still rocking the skinny jeans!! I wish I was so lucky!

Baby Feet.

2011-08-08T16:15:00.003-04:00

She sees toes..., a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

I think that little baby feet might just be the cutest thing ever. Evie seems to try to get her feet into her mouth at every chance! She even tried to eat her toes through the tutu!

The Crew

2011-08-08T15:39:00.003-04:00

The Crew, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Here is a quick shot of all of the kids while we were on a mini vacation at Grammy and DadDad's house on the lake.

And here is another of the kids this past week:

2nd Grade already...

2011-08-07T15:04:00.001-04:00

I can't believe Rory is already starting 2nd grade!! When did this happen?! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was cuddling him and toasting the New Year in the hospital...

Oh my darlin...

2011-08-07T14:30:00.003-04:00

Isn't she just perfect? I can't help but take photo after photo of her! Her little mouth and eyes are just yummy!

Evie Sitting, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Oh how I have waited...

2011-07-28T15:58:00.003-04:00

for the moment I could dress one of my children in a tutu...

my love , a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

I know...

2011-07-28T10:28:00.001-04:00

I know it has been a while, I know I owe you all photos from the last few months, and they are coming, I promise. Right now I am without a working computer, and have no way to edit photos.

In the meantime, enjoy this one. Bean is already sitting unassisted... oh boy (well, I guess in this case 'oh girl').

a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Oops!

2011-05-22T10:38:00.002-04:00

We had our very own wardrobe malfunction yesterday! It just goes to show you that our picture taking doesn't always go smoothly!

Smile!

2011-05-20T23:07:00.003-04:00

How can you not smile when you see a grin like this?!?!

I am such a lucky woman...

2011-05-19T17:29:00.002-04:00

Today, not only did I get to hang out with a good friend, but I also got to take a few photos of her adorable baby boy! He is 5 weeks old, which as most of you mamas know, is not an easy age. When you say that a baby only has eyes for his/her mama, I learned what you mean today. I can't wait to get a few more shots of him soon, and to hang out with his mama again!

Here are a few unedited photos of Baby "A":

And here is a shot of Everleigh:

And one of Canyon (who thanks to Marissa, is now obsessed with air planes and rockets!):

2 Months Already?!

2011-05-11T18:03:00.027-04:00

Believe it or not, Everleigh Pearl is already 2 moths old! I cannot believe how time is passing by. She is getting so big and so strong. Each day that goes by shows us what a true blessing she is. She may well be one of the happiest babies I have even seen, more so then even Rory. She doesn't fuss often, sleeps well and loves to see her brothers. Her brothers can't seem to get enough of her. They fuss with one another to see who gets to hold her first, or to kiss her, or to make her smile the most... it is an amazing dynamic.

Here are some recent photos from about a month ago until now: (Remember these are not edited and not as crisp or nice as they should be.)

Happy Birthday Baby Boy.

2011-05-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

3 years ago today was a day of joy, healing, love and life.

Canyon Leigh was born at home, surrounded by friends, family and love. Here is a photo of my sweet baby's first seconds on Earth:

My little baby is now 3! I don't know where the time has gone... all of the little milestones we look forward to are passing me by and becoming bittersweet memories.

In the last year Canyon has weaned, become a big brother, potty-learned, gained his own opinions and begun to talk non-stop. He is growing into quite the little man.

I love you baby boy; you are a wonderful, goofy, perfect kid!

Do Super Heros...

2011-04-18T09:00:00.014-04:00

Randomly appear at your house too? Because over Spring Break, they did here... I'm not sure of what they called themselves, but they sure were helpful (if you count cleaning the mess THEY made as helpful...)!

The boys are getting so big!! Rory and Arden have lost their toddler bodies and are looking like "big kids". It happens so quick! I still think of them as babies, but the reality is, they aren't anymore... Arden is actually quite muscular...

Here are a couple of CanMan, who isn't far behind his brothers, he is actually almost as tall as Arden. Don't mind the ketchup, mustard, and chocolate cake on his face, we were at a birthday party:

One Month of the bean

2011-04-14T17:21:00.003-04:00

So, I can't believe it, but one month has come and gone since the bean graced us with her presence... Things have been crazy, she can't nurse- so we pump every feeding- this has been eating up all my time, and I am not online much... I'm trying to get lots of photos,the boys are loving her, and we are adjusting to the new version of "normal"... She is a happy little thing, smiles a lot, sleeps well, and doesn't fuss much.

Here are a few recent photos:

On a side note (because he is so excited about it) Arden won us tickets to the opening season Asheville Tourists' Game this week with a photo:

Today is a Day for...

2011-04-13T12:31:00.003-04:00

Remembering, Accepting, Forgiving, and Embracing.

Today is the 8 year anniversary of the death of a dear dear friend. Jeffrey Allen Mayfield passed away on 4-13-2003; that day and those following weeks are something I will never forget and something that will haunt my thoughts for as long as I live.

8 years is a long time. Enough time that I am finally gaining perspective and accepting what happened.

At 21 years old, Jeff's death was the first I had ever dealt with. I had never lost a grandparent, a family member, or any other loved one. That day, I lost someone just as dear to me as a family member, someone who was a part of my life, and someone who I never expected to lose. It was something that I didn't know how to deal with; I didn't know I could hurt so much, or that I would carry that pain for so long.

8 years, and I am finally gaining some perspective, forgiving God/nature/the river/the rock, and accepting that while he is gone, part of him is still here in all of us who knew him. For the first time I am seeing things differently.

Carl and I moved not long after Jeff died, we gradually lost touch with many of our friends and those who we mourned Jeff's death with... and I regret that. We were a community who shared a loss together, who leaned on one another, who embraced, supported, and shared our love and pain together. Each year as the weather turns warmer, and Spring comes to us, I think of those people who were there over those weeks. I think of those friends I haven't seem or heard from, those we all have lost contact with, and those I still connect with... I remember the pain of 14 days of searching, I remember the relief and hurt after the recovery, and most of all, I remember Jeff.

Jeff was someone who embraced life in everything that he did. He very rarely wasn't smiling or laughing. He truly saw joy in everything about life. He could make anything funny, and make anyone feel wonderful.

The last two days I have been thinking about that trait of his, and I realized today, that I don't embrace life they way which Jeff showed us. I need to. If nothing else, his legacy to me, and my family, should be one of joy, smiles, and loving life for all it is.

Here is my promise to both myself, and the memory of Jeff... I will set aside time each day to smile, reflect, and embrace the day. I will look for the good in everything, no matter how hard it is to find, and at sometime each day, I will make time to do something that I love.

I love and miss you Jeff. The gift of life is something that I realize cannot be taken for granted, and your death/remembering your life showed me that... Thank you.

Thank you for being my friend.

Thank you for being who you were.

Thank you for showing all of us what life should and can be.

Rest in peace friend, know that you were loved, and will never be forgotten... and know that while I wrote this, while the tears roll down my cheeks, that I am smiling at your memory and remembering your smile.

Acceptance and Patience Paid Off...

2011-03-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

After coming to terms with a late term pregnancy, and accepting the fact that my body, and the baby, know what is best, the bean decided to grace us with an appearance on Friday, March 11th. She was earlier than her brothers, and her appearance was quite quick. My entire labor was only about 2.5 hours!

Please excuse the typos, run on sentences, and outright mess this blog post consists of! The bean is currently having nursing issues so we are exhausted. I wanted to get this all down before I forget due to lack of sleep and passing time.

On Friday morning, March 11th, I got up at 6:30, to the normal routine of getting 2 of the boys out the door to school, one more boy tagging along, and Carl off to work. Canyon and I took Rory to school, picked up our car-pool friends along the way, and dropped everyone off at school at 8:30. Afterward, I had a chiropractic appointment, and was a little early, so I decided to sit in the car reading with Canyon for a while. While we were sitting there, I realized how tired I was, so I called into the office, and let them know I wasn’t feeling great, and was going to cancel the appointment, I was actually falling asleep in the drive waiting.

I got home around 9:30, did a few dishes, made some snacks for Canyon and then my father showed up. He lives 6 hours away, but decided to drop by on his way home from a visit to my grandparents in Illinois. After he left, I decided to take a nap while Canyon watched a movie. At 12 on the nose, Canyon woke me up wanting lunch, so we made him PBJ and pickles, (who knew, but apparently, this makes you the “best mommy ever”).

After going to the bathroom, answering a few phone calls, and laying back down, I realized that I had some bloody mucus here and there since I had woken at 6:30, and that it was continuing. I decided to text the doctor, David, to let him have a heads up, just in case something happened (I have never had bloody mucus before, so I figured it might be a sign). I don’t know why, but I felt uneasy so I called and asked Carl to go get Rory from school and to come home. I started filling the birth tub, although I didn’t have a reason to, there were no signs of pending labor, and nothing was happening.

When Carl got home, I realized I was having a few contractions here and there, nothing much. Rory didn’t understand why we had gotten him from school until I told him we thought that today might be the baby’s birthday. At 1:45 or so I realized the contractions were consistent, so I sent out a text to let people know not to call me and that this might be time.

At 2:15 I started to throw a fit because the birth tub was cold, and I needed in… in hindsight, I realize that I was in labor at that point, but in the moment, I wasn’t thinking clearly and must have looked like a lunatic, lol.

Carl offered right there to call David, and I told him no, that I wasn’t in labor yet, that I wanted to wait and see. Being the wonderful husband that he is, Carl just raised his eyebrows at me and said ok. I decided to get into the cold tub anyhow, and Rory staked his claim on the bed next to the tub. Canyon decided a bit later to get on the bed too and to sit and watch mom. In the meantime, Carl began boiling water and adding it to the tub.

At 2:30 Carl decided that he was going to call David, whether or not I agreed, which at that point I decided that maybe he should start making his way to us. It didn’t take long after that call for the contractions to start stacking, and we realized this birth wasn’t going to be as lengthy as the others. I called my photographer friend to come, but she couldn’t until her DH came home from work.

At about 3, things were getting intense; Carl, who was boiling water between contractions, and holding me during them, decided to call David again and said, “Hey David, how about coming to catch a baby? I think you should get here, pretty soon.”

At 3:30, my neighbor Tracy brought Arden home from school, and thankfully took Canyon to her house. Labor had gotten intense and Canyon’s energy (and jumping on the bed/being loud) was not allowing me to relax or concentrate like I needed to.

The contractions were stacking on top of each other, Rory had been laying in the bed trying to time them, but was having a hard time since I wasn’t telling him to start and stop, lol. He kept asking when to hit the button, and I finally told him it didn’t matter, that once they were this close, they didn’t need to be timed.

At 3:45 David arrives, and much to my pleasure (and surprise), he brings Ann, one of my midwives from my last birth, in with him! She had been in his office for an appointment and when she found out it was me, was delighted to come out to the birth. When she came in, I told her "this is a lot more intense than last time!"

The contractions were no longer giving space between them, and I am going to leave out a few of the grosser parts of what happened here, but things were really progressing and intense. I do have to say, that while I gave Rory and Arden every detail I could think of in an attempt to prepare them, I had left out a few

At just about 4, I started to push. First her head came out into my hand, and then I remember feeling her slide gently through my hands, and at 4:17 my beautiful little girl, Everleigh Pearl, was born into my hands, underwater, while her brothers watched from the bed and her father supported me.

My water didn’t break right away, and broke on my last push, so when she came out of the water, she didn’t have the “clean” look her brother had, she was white and slimy. The boys thought this was interesting and had a lot of questions.

She cried about 30 seconds later, and was perfect. She pinked up quickly, and was beautiful.

This is a photo from about 12:30 that day: My last belly shot that I took on a whim:

Here are some photos from my "birth photographer" (my 7yo son). Sonya (the real birth photographer) missed the birth by a little over an hour or so.

This shot is during the last minutes of labor, Rory and Arden were sitting on the bed watching:

This is just seconds after lifting Everleigh from the water:

A few moments later:

After about an hour and a bit, Arden cut the cord, and then he and Rory took turns holding their new sister:

Here are a few shots Sonya took after she arrived, about an hour and a half after the birth:

And here are a few more that I have taken over the last 2 weeks:

Just Waiting...

2011-03-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are again... 40+ weeks and we have a bean that is still baking rather than gracing the world with an appearance.

I think that one of the most ironic things about pregnancy for me is that I go over my "estimated due date" every time, and am always "late".

Why is this ironic? Well, I am a chronically early person; someone who is always on time/punctual, and cringes (maybe even panics?) at that thought of inconveniencing someone by not being on time, (I get that from my mother). So these children, waiting for weeks after we are "ready" for them, is just... well, ironic.

I love being on time, keeping a schedule, and having things in order. My children on the other hand, have taken their view on timeliness from their father... My Darling Husband, whom I love dearly mind you, is never on time. He is always punctual for work, and for meetings, but when it comes to family commitments or dining with friends, or parties, he is ALWAYS late. It drives me insane. I know his schedule is crazy, and changes by the minute, but it still doesn't make me feel better when we arrive late to events.

While I know that our pregnancy due dates, even when we know conception, are estimates, and I know that the bean needs to cook as long as it wants/needs, it would still be nice to (for once) not see my due date come and go with "no end in sight" (although there is an end somewhat in sight, and I know that no one has ever been pregnant forever).

I am enjoying these last few weeks/days/hours of pregnancy, waiting on pins and needles to meet and hold our new bean, to see her take her first breath, cry for the first time, and to hold her on the outside. I am loving feeling these kicks and movements, and although I have been complaining, even the pain is a blessing in some ways.

One of the recurring themes at my blessing way was acceptance and patience. I know that I am 'right where I am supposed to be', and that the longer the wait, the more sweet the reward will be. I really don't mind that I go longer than a lot of women, and I don't mind waiting until the bean is ready on her own. This will be the last time I get to experience this and I am embracing that.

It just is ironic that the mom who is as punctual and timly as I am, has children who run on their father's schedule (or lack there of), starting from birth. I wonder what I am in for as they grow older?

Why we chose home-birth, and why midwives and access to care are important...

2011-02-22T11:29:00.002-05:00

We have 3 beautiful children, and one more on the way... we are loving parents who make the best choices we can for our kids, from the foods they eat, to sitting rear-facing in the car as long as possible, to the people we allow around the kids. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for our children, and each choice we make is something that we weigh and research, and are informed about.

One choice that Carl and I have made for our third birth, and have made for this fourth child, is the choice to homebirth. With Canyon, we had what in NC is considered unassisted birth because we did not use an OB. We had 2 "uncertified" midwives attend our birth, and we even had our child in a hot-tub in the middle of the living room, at HOME. Most of our family and friends thought we were insane, making a dangerous choice, and didn't understand. After getting facts in the forms of numbers, and safety statistics from all over the world, most understood our choice. But what most don't know and don't understand is what lead us to make this choice, and to KNOW that for us, it is the safest and best choice.

In 2003, Carl and I were expecting our first child, Rory. We were beyond excited, and all I knew was that I wanted to have a "natural" birth, to breastfeed, and to have a healthy baby. As my due date approached, I switched from the OBs in my practice to the nurse midwife, and was happy and comfortable with that choice. On Dec. 30th I went to my weekly appointment, where I was pushed by one of the OBs in the practice to schedule an induction, even though I was just at 40 weeks or so. She proceeded to do a cervical exam, which was very painful. Turns out, she stripped my membranes, and didn't tell me that she was doing it. A few hours later, I found myself "peeing" in my undies, over and over. It wasn't a lot, but it was constant. I called the midwife, she suggested seeing if my water was broken, so we headed off to the hospital, even though I was not having contractions. It turns out, the OB had broken my bag of water, and I had a leak. I was admitted to the hospital about 11pm/12am and my midwife (who was in the hospital with her husband at the time) told us to rest, and relax; I was 2cm, and had lots of time. As the hours past, my contractions started, and the first contractions were more intense then we had anticipated. At 4am, I sent Carl to get the nurse. I was vomiting, shaking, pushing, and hurting. The nurse comes in, does NOT do an exam, and tells me that I am overreacting, still only 2 cm, and this is just normal. At this point, I can't handle it, ask for an epidural, and abandon my plans for a natural birth. Afterall, if I have another 12+ hours of this, I need something... They put the IV in my hand, put the large needle in my back, and as the Anesthesiologist is about to give me the meds, the nurse yells out "Don't give it to her! Don't push!!" and runs to the hall to grab the first OB she sees. I had crowned, was pushing, and had the baby moments later. She didn't listen to me, or realize the obvious cues that I was in transition and ready to have a baby. We just assumed things had moved so fast, that this couldn't be the norm and it was no big deal that both Carl and I had been ignored.

A short while later, Carl and I decided to have another baby. We had moved to Asheville, NC and decided to go with a highly rated local practice because I had some odd blood issues. I used the same birth plan with Arden as I had with Canyon, although I did decline the quad screen over and over. The office was taking so much blood each week to track my issues, that I didn't know, but they ran the quad screen anyway without my permission. At 36 weeks, I gave the doctor my birthplan. This particular appointment was interesting because I was seeing the only OB in the practice that I hadn't met yet. When she read my birth plan she started yelling at me. Literally yelling. Over what, me not wanting an heploc or IV unless I needed it. I don't like needles, they limit my movement, and make me uncomfortable. No one had issues with birth #1 with my choice, and I was blindsided. I was told how many women hemorrhage, and how women die b/c there are not anistiologists on call 24-7 to administer IVs, etc. I went home, scared, and did some research with the CDC. Not only did the OB lie to me, but she was bullying me. I was not happy. I went back the next day, armed with stats, only one out of HUNDREDS of thousands of women in my status levels hemorrhaged, and our hospital does have the staff to place a central line if needed... I was promptly fired from the practice. At 36 almost 37 weeks, I had no prenatal care. I was able to get into the hospital practice, (mostly b/c they can't refuse you) and never got to see the OBs who deliver. At 41weeks and 6 days I went into labor around 10am. At 9pm or so I went to the hospital with contractions 2 minutes long and 5 minutes apart. I was told that I was not in labor, and needed to go home. Carl and I had been told that this is common, and decided to go downstairs, walk, eat, etc. At 11:30 I went back, and was told again, to go home and go to bed, that I was not in labor. At 12:30 we called back again (after having stayed in town b/c we were afraid of having the baby at home) and were told "not to bother coming in, she isn't in labor, I told you to go home and take a bath". So we did. As soon as I ran the tub, I got out, and told Carl we needed to go back, that the baby was coming. I couldn't walk, was feeling a lot of pressure, and had a difficult time riding in the car. So it is now about 3am and we are heading back. When Carl called to let them know we were coming, he was yelled at, and he responded with "I am not ASKING you if we can come, I am TELLING you we are coming back to have a baby". When we arrived, they saw us in a private room so that we didn't make a scene in the triage area. I refused to leave. Over the next 20 minutes we argued and finally pissed the OB off to the point she told us we had an hour, and we were either being induced or going home. I had the nurse fill the tub, and got in. I remember her telling Carl I wasn't in labor because I wasn't in pain, and was sleeping. She left the room, and I told Carl I needed to go to the bathroom, and then push. The nurse came back in, told me I didn't need to push, that I was (again) 2cm and she laughed. Carl yelled at this point "LAST TIME SHE SAID THIS WE HAD A BABY IN MINUTES, SOMEONE NEEDS TO LISTEN TO HER!!!". The nurse called the OB back, who proceeds to roll her eyes, tell me that my water wasn't broken, I didn't need to push and wasn't in labor. She turned, walked out of the room, and I delivered the baby on my own in the tub as Carl hit her as she walked out. Arden was taken from us for almost 45 minutes, and I was treated like crap by the OB and the rest of the staff. It was a horrible experience.None of my after care plans for the baby were followed, we were begging to get him back, but because I had #1 birthed in the tub and #2 birthed without monitoring, the wouldn't give him to me. No one listened to me, watched me, or even acknowledged me... which placed both me and my baby in danger.

A year later when we found out we were pregnant again, I had a panic attack over what to do. I couldn't go back to the hospital. I could barely drive past it without getting upset and crying. I knew that going there was not an option at all. I was lucky that my local support group consisted of moms who had homebirths and connections in the "underground" birthing network here in NC. Carl, well, he was less then thrilled and not very accepting of my birth choice... We decided to meet with some midwives, and decide after that. The first midwives we met, ended up being the only ones we met with. They were wonderful, and exactly what I wanted and needed. Both were Lay Midwives, one was taking her skills tests as a CPM as a choice, but that didn't matter to us. These women were so calming and wonderful, that by the time that they left, Carl was 100% on board and couldn't imagine going back to the hospital again.

At 41weeks and 6 days I went into labor again. It was perfect. Everything was calm, we were surrounded by family and friends, and there was no stress. Carl and I went for a walk, ate what we wanted, held each other, and played with our kids... a few hours in, I decided to get into the tub, and start pushing. Canyon was born moments later, into a perfect peaceful home, underwater, right into my arms. It was one of the most healing things that we could have imagined.

We made the choice for that birth because we knew that someone would be with me, the whole time, and would listen to us. The midwives were wonderful, cared for us, came back each day for a few weeks, and were wonderful.

These two women risk everything to be who they are, and to do what they do. They can be arrested and risk their homes, children, livelihoods being taken from them. Why? They were more competent, more caring, and more devoted then the OBs and nurses at my previous two births. While it is legal for us to use the midwives, it is illegal for them to practice in NC, while it is legal in all of our surrounding states.

We will be having a homebirth again this time, with different attendants (not because of an issue with the midwives, but because my blood issues have gotten worse and need more monitoring). There was never any doubt that this would be our choice again. Carl and I plan on another waterbirth, in our bedroom, with Rory and Arden in attendance. Canyon too if he is awake.

Now, you are probably wondering why I am telling you about this, well, I got this email last night, and am furious; this is a horrible slippery slope, and puts moms in NC in danger. Please read this, and take action. Call the legislators, do something! Without access to trained and competent care, more and more moms will make the decision to have births without attendants, with c-section happy OBs, and with an uncaring hospital staff, all of which put everyone -mom, baby, and family- at risk. Laws and arrests like this are systematically taking away the rights and safety of the mothers. Please join NCFOM, and if you can, join in the action.****

Dear Friends,

We all were hoping today would not happen. We were hoping we would pass our legislation this session and prevent this. Well, we haven't yet and it has happened.

Our beloved Amy Medwin, CPM has been arrested. They are closing their practice.

Many women now have a problem. What will they now do?

Below is our press release to get out in front of the media with our message. We are formulating our near term plan to both

Protect and support Amy
Use this to our advantage to pass legislation.

Please prepare yourself for dramatic action. We will head up to Jones St. Wednesday, March 2nd to make it crystal clear to the legislators that this ain't right. If we can't turn this around, we will open the door to other prosecutions.

Amy is healing with people who care very deeply for her and trying to figure out where she stands. I will keep you posted. I can assure everyone that we will step up for Amy.

Get mad folks. Get angry. Nurture your outrage and cultivate it for useful purpose. We must turn this around, Friends. Stay tuned.

Yours,

Russ

Russ Fawcett
Vice President
North Carolina Friends of Midwives

RALEIGH, NC – On February 19, a Certified Professional Midwife who would be licensed and regulated in neighboring states was arrested for performing the duties for which she is trained. Charged with practicing midwifery without a license, her practice is in jeopardy. Should it close, dozens of pregnant women will face a crisis of care. “Our focus is on the mothers,” says a fellow Certified Professional Midwife. “This is an unfortunate day for mothers in North Carolina.” It is also an unfortunate day for the taxpayers of North Carolina, as they face the potential for a huge bill as the case winds its way through the criminal courts.

Unlike the laws in Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida, North Carolina law denies childbearing women access to legally practicing Certified Professional Midwives, who are specially trained as experts in the provision of out-of-hospital maternity care. Because North Carolina does not license CPMs, they remain open to criminal prosecution for unlicensed health care practice, despite the fact that they are the primary care providers for women all across the United States who deliver their babies in private homes and freestanding birth centers.

CPMs are legally recognized in 27 states, but North Carolina is one of a handful of states that explicitly prohibit their practice. The arrest of one of the state’s most experienced and well-respected CPMs has sent shockwaves throughout the home birth community, leaving pregnant women across the state wondering if their midwife will be next.

“Using the police and the criminal courts to investigate and discipline health care providers is the most costly, inefficient, and ineffective form of professional regulation possible,” said Katie Prown, PhD, Campaign Manager of The Big Push for Midwives Campaign. “If this proceeds to trial the taxpayers of North Carolina are looking at hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars wasted, when a simple case review is all that is indicated.”

Despite a groundswell of grassroots support from across the state, the North Carolina General Assembly has repeatedly declined to pass legislation to license and regulate CPMs, thanks to entrenched opposition from the North Carolina Medical Society.

“It is time we stop rolling over to the bullies and special interests, manage our house the right way, and let democracy and common sense prevail,” said Russ Fawcett, Vice President of the North Carolina Friends of Midwives. “In this economy we simply cannot afford to waste resources on prosecuting midwives when we have a simple, cost-effective solution at hand—enacting legislation to license and regulate CPMs, just like our neighbors have done.”

North Carolina Friends of Midwives is a grassroots organization of advocates dedicated to promoting, supporting, and protecting access to midwifery care in North Carolina.

North Carolina Friends of Midwives - www.ncfom.org - Copyright 2011.

5 minutes...

2011-01-06T17:38:00.001-05:00

Now that the boys are back in school, and I have the house somewhat back to normal, I finally have five minutes to sit down and give a little update as to what the Gittings Clan has been up to these past weeks over the holidays. Please excuse the fact that this post is as long as a novel and probably slightly less exciting ;)

Just before Christmas break for the school, we got snow. It was enough snow that schools were closed off and on, and things got all messed up here in WNC. Rory's ballet recital was pushed back a few days, and unfortunately, Carl had to leave town and missed it, but we have it preserved in photos! Rory was quite the gentleman and took his part VERY seriously. It was adorable. (About this time, my laptop blew, and I am currently without my own computer or a way to edit and play with photos... I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone will find one for me soon.)

Straight from Rory's recital, in an attempt to avoid the next round of snow coming in and up the coast, we left and traveled to Maryland for a few days of time with my parents. Carl flew to DC from Texas and was able to spend the time with us. Most of the time we were there, my mom was feeling pretty good despite her treatments. She took the boys to see Santa, and at Rory's request, she took us all to Washington DC, and to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and then to the National Christmas Tree.

It was quite a full day. As evening set in, it was pretty cold, but we did get to see the tree at night, and enjoy the burning yule log. The boys' favorite part was the trains that are set up along the base of the tree. Although it really wore my mom out, she was thrilled that the boys got to enjoy it. Every year growing up, or nearly each year, my mom took us girls to see the tree. I remember the excitement and beauty of it, and love that my boys get the chance to share that with her too. My dad normally got to go with us, which always made the holiday feel complete.

My dad was a trooper and took the boys and I to cut down a Christmas tree at a local tree farm, and the boys had such a wonderful time picking a tree and playing in the snow. Rory even took home extra branches to make a wreath from.

While we were there, we got to see my older sister and her crew, I can't believe how big they all had gotten! Together the kids and my mom decorated the tree, and got the basement ready for Santa to come to MaMa Ann's house. Both of my sisters and their kids spend the holiday at her house, and it is quite the spectacle!

We got back to WNC a few days before Christmas and spent the time enjoying being together and the boys being off of school. The went fishing with dad one day, and spent a lot of their time gazing longingly at the growing mountain of presents under and around the tree... It seemed like every day the UPS man showed up with more and more brightly colored boxes to taunt them.

Somewhere this week Rory pulled out his own tooth! His front tooth had been wriggling for a while and was bothering him. Dad and I tried to get it, so did a few friends, but Rory had the honor of being the one who pulled it! He is still getting used to taking without anything to block his tongue, and still looks weird to me, but I am getting used to it too.

Christmas came, as did Santa, the boys got everything they could have, and did want. Rory got a real grownup camera, Arden got 2 StarWars costumes, and Canyon, well he got "Lucky". Lucky is a horse on a set of springs that he gets to bounce on and ride. He loved it... but now that he has fallen off of her a few times, he is less keen on riding. I figure he will get over that pretty soon.

Carl and I were equally blessed this year. My darling husband finally replaced my camera that was broken, with what we will call a much anticipated upgrade! Carl got the fishing gear that he has been wanting, and more exciting then that, we were given a new television and a Wii!! Both of those items are things we would never have spent the money to have, but absolutely are excited about and love to death!

Christmas morning also came with another gift from Mother Nature... snow. At 6:30 when we got up, the snow had lightly began to fall, dusting things with a beautiful white gloss... an hour later, the dusting was becoming more pronounced, and by that evening we had over 10 inches. When it was all said and done, we had 14 inches of snow on the ground, and much more in the drifts. According to the news, this was our first "white Christmas" in WNC since 1981.

The snow, while beautiful, had me a bit on edge remembering the snow from last year, so we made sure to fill tubs and water bottles, and prepare as the electric started to flicker. Luckily, the electric stayed on and we had a warm house to enjoy with our new gifts.

Rory's birthday and New Years followed Christmas, and was a wonderful day. He turned 7, I just can't believe we are 7 already... He had a great day filled with friends, food, and fun.

The pregnancy is going great, overall other then the HG (and subsequent kidney stones) things have been easy. I think my main and only real complaint is fatigue, although I think that would be an issue not pregnant with all of these boys in the house.

We found out a while back that we are having a girl, which makes this birth even a little more anticipated. Rory is thrilled. He wants nothing more then a baby sister to love. He is even asking and volunteering to change diapers for Canyon, so that he can learn it for the baby. We were given a really cute baby onesie with a tutu on it, and he got so excited! He is already planning a photo shoot with him in his ballet clothes and holding the baby. It doesn't get much cuter then that.

I hope that the Holiday Season found all of you friends and loved ones in good health and happy. I hope that you were able to celebrate the New Year with friends, and those you love, and that 2011 will be wonderful for us all.

Here are a few photos of our time in the past few months (from photog friends and straight out of the camera since I don't have an editor):

Christmas Trees and Memories...

2010-12-07T13:51:00.001-05:00

Carl and I were married in 2003, and had our first Christmas as a married couple at our "new" 100+ year old home we had been working on. We had been working on restoring the home room by room, and by Christmas, we had the living room finished and were just starting to move things into the home.

A week before Christmas, one of the dogs had gotten into something and needed a bath, so we decided to use the bathtub for the first time, (the only bathroom in the house was on the second floor). As we emptied the tub and were done washing her, Carl sent me down to the living room to get something to dry her with, as I came down the stairs and rounded the corner, I started screaming for him to stop the drain!!

The water was pouring out of the newly refinished ceiling; it was like a waterfall in the middle of the living room. It came down all over our new rug, freshly painted walls, and the Christmas Tree. Apparently the leaking tub had never been fixed by the previous owners.

The rug was ruined, the wall was repainted, and we had to fix the ceiling, AGAIN, it was a mess... but the tree survived, some of the ornaments made it through unscathed, others ended up stained and ruined from the rusty water... I kept those ornaments, and to this day smile when I see the rust spots on the globes.

Here is a shot of one of those ornaments on this year's Christmas tree:

Here are a few other ornaments on this years tree, one from my first year as an Aunt, and the other is our 2010 family ornament:

First Snow-day of the school year...

2010-12-06T19:55:00.001-05:00

Today was the first snow-day of the school year here in WNC, Rory had a 3 hour delay, and still had ballet practice (which is good since it was the last before his recital,) but Arden's school was canceled, so he had to hang out at home with mom and Canyon all day.

Here are 2 shots we took sitting on the couch together. Of course they are as goofy as ever...

Just Us.

2010-11-26T20:12:00.001-05:00

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!

Just a few recent photos...

2010-11-19T18:49:00.001-05:00

Just a couple photos of the CanMan from our day; we went out today for a fun time with a few friends. With the holidays fast approaching, expect lots more photos to come over the coming weeks!

Le Bump #4 at 18 weeks.

2010-10-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

The kids and I are all fine, Cute Hubbie is working hard and doing well. Other then pure exhaustion and the HG, things are great!

Rory is taking ballet now, and is loving it! He has a recital in a few months and is very excited. Arden is in preschool and learning a ton, and Canyon is talking up a storm (and repeating everything, so be careful with what you say).

Here is the belly at 18 weeks, ignore the bathroom shot and dirty mirror :O) I haven't gained any weight yet, and am still pretty sick. Ironically, even without a "big belly", I am measuring really far ahead (by almost 10 weeks), not sure what is going on there, I will find out more next week.

Without further to-do, say hello to the bean.

Life's changes, surprises, and going ons...

2010-09-12T14:15:00.001-04:00

I have totally slacked on the blog, sorry about that everyone! I really don't have an excuse other then I haven't been up to blogging. Ever since my nephew ruined my camera in June, I just haven't had much to post since I mostly do photos! I haven't been able to replace it, and likely won't be able to anytime soon.

Well here is what is going on in the land of "us":

*We had a huge surprise come up, Baby #4 is estimated to arrive March 9th 2011, (although I predict a good 2 weeks later- mine like to ripen a little later then most). I have been suffering from HG (go to www.helpher.org for more info), and have lost a good bit of weight, and am wicked tired. I am almost 15 weeks today, so I hope to turn the corner and feel better soon! I am at least holding my weight at this point, am still in my normal clothes, but can feel the little bugger moving around all over the place. We are on team green for this pregnancy and won't be finding out what we are having. The boys seem excited, but doubtful since all they see is a sick mom and no big fat belly, lol.

*Rory is in the First Grade and having a blast, and we got Arden into a local preschool with a friend, and he loves it! Canyon is taking advantage of being the only little person in the house and spends his days helping mom and cuddling with me <3.

*Rory went on his first back-country backpacking/camping trip with Carl a few weeks ago, and had a great time!

*I have spent what time I can, which isn't much with how I have been feeling, doing our canning and making food for this winter. I have quite a bit of pesto, jelly, juice, and more set aside.

*My Aunt Laura lost her battle with cancer a few months ago, and the boys and I drove out to Illinois to visit my grandparents and cousin, and to support my dad through the loss. We will miss her dearly, and I was glad that the boys got to see their Great Grandparents for the first time (well second time for Rory).

*Arden and Rory have turned into bike riding fools! Arden is riding like a little pro, with no fear!

Other then that, we have just been here, we hope to go to the Mountain State Fair this week with friends, and miss all of you we haven't been able to see recently!

Blackberries, jelly, and prickers...

2010-07-04T09:33:00.000-04:00

This whole week I have been picking wild blackberries and trying my hand at canning. I'm having a great time (aside from a few thorns here and there!) I have cut paths into the best bushes across from the house, and it has made the instances of prickers stuck in my hands and the kids hands drop drastically.

So far I have picked about 18lbs of berries and made jelly from about 15lbs of them! I am making my jelly with only sugar and lemons, and it is working great! The kids love it and we have eaten about a pint already! Needless to say, I have been busy with that and not online too much.

We have a few more weeks of blackberries, and then it will be time for blueberries! I can't wait.

Other goings on:

The boys seem to have gotten over the death of Houdini, and there is talk of a new hamster soon.

Cute Hubbie is almost done the closet and I can't wait! I need somewhere to put all of these canned goods. Arden is the designated helper and is constantly under foot with his toy tools, waiting for something to "help" with.

The weather, while beautiful, has not produced any rain here in over a month, and our poor gardens are starting to show the signs of it.

That is about all I have for updates! I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful 4th of July!

Goodbye Houdini.

2010-07-01T22:42:00.001-04:00

This evening we found Houdini the Hamster dead. He was up and about last night and this morning when I checked his food and water. We assume that he fell asleep sometime midday and didn't wake up.

We were his second family after receiving him from a family on freecycle. He was loved by many. He was quite the escape artist (ergo the name), and was found many times running around the house and on the bathroom counters.

We held a funeral for him this evening and buried him in the yard. Rory is understandably upset, and Arden seems to have taken it well. Canyon is just to young to get it, and knows that Houdini is "all gone". Arden and Rory both petted him one last time and helped us bury him and said goodbye. Thanks to our neighbor, Deb, for her support and presence at the funeral.

So, rest in peace dear Houdini. You were well loved and you will be missed and remembered.

An Action Packed Sunday!

2010-06-27T23:52:00.001-04:00

Today was busy and interesting to say the least.

We think Rory is having food allergy issues again. He has been having rashes again, and has been eating a good amount of dairy which I think is the culprit. He actually ate way too much yesterday, and as we pulled into church my darling son began to cry and say he didn't want to go in (which is really weird for him), and then he proceeded to vomit... EVERYWHERE in the van, on his seat, on himself, on the back of my seat, just everywhere. Cute hubbie took the other boys in while I took Rory home for a shower and to wash the van out. (Why was I the one to get the wonderful chore of cleaning it? Well, as wonderful as cute hubbie is, the one thing he cannot do without making more of a mess, is clean vomit, lol). After that though, Rory was fine.

We then went to Lowes so cute hubbie could get some parts to work on our water/well/plumbing. I wondered about halfway through our little project what the divorce rate for that kind of thing is, but thank goodness the project went well (and fairly quickly) and there were no violent outbreaks or threats of divorce from either of us, (although I do have to admit the thought of both crossed my mind for a few fleeting seconds, lol).

After that, the boys and I (and later cute hubbie) spent a few hours picking black berries and black raspberries from the wild vines around our house. They are just in the beginning of the short season, and there are a ton more to pick, but we got just about 4 lbs of berries!

After a nice (but all too short) thunderstorm passed, we decided to make jelly with the berries. I made it without any "sure-jell" type products, just lemon, water, berries and sugar. I'm proud to say that my jelly came out perfect and on my first try :) I ended up with about 5-6 pints (although I canned it in half pints). I'm guessing that I will end up with about 10-15 more lbs of berries over the coming week or two. I hope to make enough of these and of blueberry jam (and maybe strawberries too) to get me and my neighbor through the year without buying any... (and between 5 kids, us moms, and 2 cute husbands, that is a lot of jelly and jam to need!)

I made a few batches of fresh pesto this week too from our herb garden! It is wonderful and I froze a lot to have over the winter.

All the wonderful families at our church have been donating their old canning equipment to me to try my hand at canning. Cute hubbie and my mother think I might be insane for trying my hand at being as self sustaining as possible, but I am wanting to can as much homegrown food and local produce as possible. I am really looking forward to it! It isn't a matter of the cost (which really isn't always better), it is a matter of the health of the food and subsequently our family!

My darling hubbie will have to knock out a closet wall for me soon so that I can make a canning pantry (we have a closet that backs up to the stairs, so I want that under-stair space for storage), I am excited and hoping that happens soon! Our current kitchen space is great, but our storage is minimal. This closet extension will help a TON!

Maybe I will leave that job for next Sunday...

Local Asheville Peeps (and others)

2010-06-25T17:09:00.001-04:00

I just thought I would throw this out there, we are looking for a few items around the house for free or LOW cost...

1.) Air Purifier - We had an Ionic Pro which we loved, but it has finally died and we are having allergy issues like CRAZY!

2.) Working TV - our bedroom TV bit the dust...

3.) Working AC unit - Poor Carl needs this for when he is in the shed, which is a lot.

Let us know if you have these items to pass on! Thanks!

Father's Day Fun

2010-06-21T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, after our week at the beach, my camera is officially on the fritz. There was an incident with my camera and my nephew pouring water into my diaper bag (where said camera was well hidden and away from all water). It is still turning on, and still taking a few photos, but I don't anticipate it lasting much longer. The shutter release, auto focus, buttons for the flash, multi-shot function, macro function, focus choice, white balance, and other settings aren't working. So it looks like you folks may be getting more text then photos until I can afford a new camera.

Here are a few photos from father's day, which may very well be the last from my camera. We headed out to Looking Glass Falls, the National Forest, and the Davidson River. It was a blast! (None of the photos of Carl or myself came out...)

Arden on his bike for the first time...

2010-06-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

Here are a few quick videos of Arden riding a 2 wheel bike (no training wheels) for the first time. We got him the bike for his birthday while we were at the beach. He did great and loved it! What a natural!

The past few weeks...

2010-06-18T23:40:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have been full of fun and changes for the kids. Here are a few shots of what we have been up to (including Arden's birthday, Arden's first bike ride, Rory's Kindergarten Graduation, and our mini vacation to the beach). In case you can't tell, we have been BUSY!

Trout Fishing

2010-06-05T23:16:00.022-04:00

Today we got up at the crack of dawn to go fishing with the boys on the local delayed harvest streams here in WNC.

The cool thing about this is that these streams are catch and release only for months and stocked a number of times, and on the opening day only children are allowed to fish until noon. Children should be pulling in fish left and right. That wasn't the case today, while we did have a great time, only Rory caught a trout after hours of fishing. Carl had been fishing this stream routinely and catching (and releasing) fish (sometimes 30 in a day) over the past few months... this pretty much means that poachers have been taking the fish out over the last few days leaving very little for those that follow the rules. It is sad that the large numbers of children we saw on the river didn't get to experience the thrill of catching fish the way they should have.

Anyhow, that being said, here are a few photos of the boys having fun down on the river... (I couldn't for the life of me get them to all look at the camera at once, lol).

I just don't understand Better Homes and Gardens...

2010-05-24T09:42:00.007-04:00

I'm a fan of breastfeeding. I do it. I have a kid who is over 2 years old and still nurses. I do it in church, at restaurants, school events, and honestly, anywhere that I need to. I don't think twice about it.

I know that here in the US, public nursing is deemed a incredibly taboo thing, but aside from the health benefits, emotional benefits, and the support from medical groups (like the World Health Organization), the plain and simple thing is, it works for us.

Recently Better Homes and Gardens author Heather W. wrote a blog about the 10 commandments of dining out with children. She is admittedly not a parent, nor does she really have a clue what it is to be one (as shown in her article.)

The entire article was arrogant, condescending and offensive, but what REALLY set off the readers and subscribers of Better Homes and Gardens, was the tenth commandment. "Thou shall not breastfeed at the table". She didn't suggest feeding a child with decorum, or even something like positioning yourself away from other diners. She didn't even say for moms to go to the car or waiting area. She took it as far as to say,

THOU SHALT NOT BREAST FEED AT THE TABLE
Yes, I have seen table-side breast feeding at a four-star restaurant. If at all possible, take it to the ladies room. (Note: most upscale restaurants have really nice restrooms!)

WHAT? She actually said that? While working for a magazine whose entire base is women who stay home and work on their homes and families? Really? What is even worse is that the editors ALLOWED this to be published! The first commandments (as condescending and rude as they are) were something I could ignore and pass by... but the last one?

Here in the US it is illegal to force a mom to go to the bathroom to nurse. I have talked about how I think women should act with some decorum for the sake of those that are uncomfortable, but I have never thought a woman should remove herself from her meal (that she is paying for) to go to a bathroom to eat, or to feed a child. The thought is absurd, and quite honestly, it turns my stomach. I don't care what class of restaurant you are in, if someone takes a crap, it stinks. People change feminine products in restrooms, have sex, miss the bowl, squat-n-go, all leading to the point that a restroom can never be "clean enough to eat off of".

As for Better Homes and Gardens. A few different apologies have been written, but the article still stands, as the 9 commandments instead of 10. They admit that it is offensive, and that the article was not sent through the proper editorial steps before publishing.

The first apology was this:

Editor's Note: We sincerely apologize that this blog was posted! It was not vetted by our editors, and it reflects poor parenting advice and an offensive tone. We have removed the most patently inappropriate sections. We support breastfeeding moms -- and all moms -- in their desire to include their children in their public lives.

We pledge to do better in the future in both the tone and content of our posts. We will be posting our positive parenting tips for eating out soon. Send us yours at http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=72571226018&topic=13849.

--The editorial team at Better Homes and Gardens

Then that was retracted and a shorter, less "real", more watered down apology was issued.

I for one will not renew my subscription to Better Homes and Gardens for no other reason than this: the editing staff allowed this article, allowed the comment about feeding children in a bathroom, and obviously doesn't find the entire thing offensive enough to remove.

A facebook group calling for the boycotting of Better Homes and Gardens has been started, and there is a lot of support for them on various breastfeeding and natural parenting sites... which is funny seeing as how these women are the target audience for Better Homes and Garden.

It is amazing that someone would put their job on the line and be this offensive to the millions of women who read their publication. I just don't understand.

Happy Birthday Canyon!!

2010-05-10T13:27:00.000-04:00

Today Canyon turns 2 years old! I can't believe it. He is still my little baby boy, but he is getting so big, and fast!

Canyon is talking up a storm, and is my most adventurous child! I swear he has no fear what-so-ever. He chases his brothers everywhere and tries to do everything that they do. He is genuinely funny, and he can make anyone laugh. His smile is bright and beautiful, and it melts my heart.

It is such a bittersweet day for me to see him growing up.

I'm very glad that he is growing up, and while I love babies, I am thrilled that we are out of those baby stages. As a friend of mine said "I'm a great mom to babies, but an even better mom to little boys." I totally agree with her, I much prefer the moments now, and the interactions we get to have as the kids get older!

I will always love the moments of holding them close, and cuddling with a baby who still has that "newborn smell", but there is nothing like those first bike rides, trips to amusement parks, and talks that you get to have with them as they get older.

I'm happy to say that we have made it 2 years nursing. While a lot of people don't understand, it is a wonderful thing to have a child extended nurse, and there are a ton of wonderful health and mental benefits to it. While he is 2 years old, he is still a baby, and still needs those benefits.

So, without further-to-do, here are a few shots of my (no so little) baby boy over the last 2 years. Some of these photos are take by Sonya Stone an awesome local photographer and wonderful friend. Others were by me.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends!

Today we had a picnic to celebrate Mother's Day, and Canyon's birthday. Tomorrow Canyon will be 2-years-old! Can you believe it?!

It was a beautiful day (although a bit chilly) and we had a great group of friends come celebrate with us!

On a side note, our bird nest is now empty, apparently it was time for the littleones to be kicked out of the nest. We hope they all thrive and do well!

Here is a shot of Canyon and one of Arden, I should have more from a friend soon. It was great!

Another Bird Photo!

2010-05-07T21:07:00.003-04:00

Edited to add: This turned out to be our last shot of the birds! We checked in on them over the weekend, and they had left the nest!

5-6 photo

2010-05-06T21:08:00.000-04:00

5-5 bird photo

2010-05-05T09:33:00.000-04:00

5-4 bird photo

2010-05-04T19:52:00.000-04:00

Baby Birds 5-3

2010-05-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

It rained today, so the robins look totally different. Amazing what they look like without all the fuzz!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...

2010-05-02T15:31:00.001-04:00

We decided to cut off Arden's long flowing locks.

This past week, Arden began asking if he was allowed to get a hair cut, so today, after church, we took him to get his first cut in almost 4 years... I think I will cry tonight.

Here is the cut, preserved in photos:

Birds 5-2

2010-05-02T10:26:00.000-04:00

Today's Bird Shot...

2010-05-01T12:50:00.001-04:00

Rory is going to do a story board for class for his show and tell. I figure he can do it a few weeks in a row and teach his classmates about them :)

They Hatched!

2010-04-30T09:05:00.000-04:00

So of course, I didn't get a photo yesterday, but I did get a phone call from the neighbor late last night telling me that the eggs had hatched!!

I don't know who is more excited, me, the boys, or the mama bird!! Without further-to-do, here are the new little ones!

No babies yet...

2010-04-28T13:49:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure if the eggs have hatched, Mama Bird doesn't want to get off of them, and didn't seem to mind me taking a few shots.

More from the Bird Eggs

2010-04-24T10:13:00.001-04:00

The eggs haven't hatched yet, and from the looks of the weather report, we might not get photos for a few days. Lots of rain headed this way (which I am looking forward to). So, here are a few photos of the eggs from yesterday and today. Mama was on them today, so I tried my best not to disturb her.

Life Lessons...

2010-04-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

So yesterday, while he was playing in the yard, Rory came across a bird's nest in one of our trees.

We decided to make a lesson about birds and how they grow, so we are going to take photos of the birds and/or eggs each day until they hatch and fly away. I just hope no little critters get to them since they are so low to the ground.

Here is a shot from today:

Those unwanted, but needed visitors...

2010-04-17T22:41:00.000-04:00

Today we had a snake slithering around the yard, he was in the side garden along the house, and looked like he had been eating well. I'm glad to see that he was plump and looked like a mouse might have been his last meal.

While I will never get over the first jump when I see a snake, and they will always scare me a little, I am glad they are here. I hate mice more.

So here is the little (or not so little, depends on how you look at it) snake that held my van hostage for an hour or so.

Moments that change our lives...

2010-04-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

There are moments in our lives that change everything.

Some of those moments are the most joyous things we will ever experience, others are the darkest and most devastating moments that we could ever go through.

Jeffrey Allen Mayfield died 7 years ago today.

While I have come to terms with the loss, I still feel the harrowing pain I felt that day. The loss of Jeff was huge not only for me, but for so many people; losing him had a ripple effect which left emptiness across an entire continent. His death effected everyone from his family to his friends, to his colleagues, and even his students. We were all spread from one side of the country to the other, yet we all felt this loss and pain together.

If you want to read more about Jeff's death, and the struggle, I wrote about it a year ago today here on the blog: http://lmgittings.blogspot.com/2009/04/6-years-have-passed.html ; here is a thread from boatertalk.com from the first responders: http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/372350

A few months after his death I had this dream where he came to me... it was such a vivid, raw, emotional dream. Jeff came to our house, like he always had. He walked in the door without knocking, into my living room where my mom and I were talking. He introduced himself to my mother, chatted for a few moments, smiled at me, and walked out. In this dream, I looked at my mother and began to cry. She looked at me like I was insane, all I kept repeating was, "Mom, that was Jeff." After I had said that about 10 times, she said "I know, he introduced himself." To which I responded, "But mom, he died, he is gone. That was JEFF!" I was doubled over in unbearable pain from the tears and grief, I couldn't breathe. I heard the door open and looked up to see Jeff walking in the front door, into my living room again, he walked over and hugged me. He held me close and told me "I'm OK, it is all OK. I'm OK." Then he left again.

I woke up from that dream a mess. I was barely able to breathe, my chest was contracting in spasms from my cries and screams; I was crying and choking, my pillow was soaked in tears... and I was able to feel his arms on me still. Somehow, even with the agony I was feeling, I knew it was all okay, and that he was fine, that we would all be fine.

I have thought of him a lot through the years, but I have never dreamed about him again.

Where has that 7 years gone? Why did something that brought us all together, something that we all found so fun and uplifting have to become tragic and deadly?

Our lives have changed dramatically since then. Some of the changes are directly related to his death, while other changes were indirectly related. The biggest changes are because of that day.

His death caused me to question my faith for a long time. I just didn't understand. I still don't, and probably never will. Carl has been my rock, and explained faith, God, and how it all ties together in a way that brought me back to my faith. His view and strength has given me some clarity and as much peace as is possible.

The wounds aren't as open and raw as they once were. I can talk about Jeff with a smile, I can remember more of the good, rather then just the tragic end. But I miss him. His death changed so much, for so many of us. Honestly, I don't think it is ever far from my mind.

I need to go back out to the Big Sandy, out to Splat, and to the Rock.

I haven't been back since the year after it happened. I took Rory (who was 3 months old) with me the first anniversary. It was a stark contrast to the days following his death. Rather than the sun and warmth, it was cold, and pouring rain. I went out early, to have time to be on the Rock by myself. The river was high, the highest I had ever seen it. Many of the rapids (including some 10+ft waterfalls had disappeared and were deadly river-wide holes and not "falls". As I hiked the path, the creeks began to come up quickly. I didn't stay long, I said my goodbyes and prayers quickly... and it was a good thing. I was hiking back to my Jeep when I came to the last creek. It had gone from ankle deep to knee deep and rushing. I fell twice with Rory on my back while I was crossing. Another 20 minutes and I wouldn't have made it back to the Jeep. I passed Jason on his way in as I was on my way out... they slept on the rock that night, in the rain and flooding.

My last memories of the Big Sandy were of a violent turning river... I want to see it again, with smooth clear green water, not the brown mud and white foam it was that day.

I want to remember it peacefully running, as something fun and beautiful.

I want to remember it the way it was before. I want things like they were before...

God, I miss him so much.

So much.

From Moments of Our Lives

My Granny ...

2010-04-11T17:44:00.001-04:00

On our way back from vacation, we stopped at my Granny's house. Here are a few shots of her... Canyon didn't want to leave!

Zippiddy-Do-Dah...

2010-04-10T00:00:00.004-04:00

Man, these kids are lucky, not only do their grandparents spoil them, but so do the neighbors! This past week the boys were lucky enough to get to ride on a neighbor's zip line and tire swing. It was so neat for the kids to get to experience something like that! We are even thinking about making one at our house now, it can't be *that* hard, right?