puddle stompin'

Yesterday, when I checked the mail there was a special treat addressed to Miss Ellee!  Auntie Emily & Uncle Jason had sent her a package!  Ellee got so excited!  Inside she found a new rain coat and a Nike fleece jacket! SO CUTE!  She was especially excited about the rain coat!  She LOVES playing in the rain!  So of course we had to put the rain coat on and take it for a test drive! : )

Headed out!

 Stomp, Stomp!

 Having so much fun! : )

 LOVE my Ellee!

Here is some video!  It is hard to hear her, but she is singing, "I can playing my puddle, I can playing my puddle"!

giggling "boinks"

Tucker's BIRTHday story.

I started having mild sporatic contractions Thursday night (June 9th).  I didn't really think much of them because I had been having them for the past couple weeks off and on.  When I woke up Friday morning they were still there so I started to get hopeful, although they were still pretty sporatic.  Because they weren't painful I decided to go to work.  They stayed pretty sporatic and not so painful through out my shift at work.  I kept telling my co-workers that I just had this feeling I would be headed to the hospital that day!

After work I went to pick up Ellee from my Mom's and we decided to go to this garage sale that I heard had some baby items.  (I found a changing table for only $30.  It is in great shape!) While my Mom and I were there the contractions started to get a little stronger and more frequent.  After we left we went back to her house and Ellee and I headed towards home.  Before I left I told my Mom that I had this feeling that we would be calling her later to head to the hospital!  On our way home we stopped at a friends house where Shayne was helping them with some side work.  Ellee and I hung out while Shayne worked.  The contractions started getting closer and closer and begining to be a bit more painful!  Around 6 pm I told Shayne it was time to go!!! We rushed home and Ellee and I waited in the car while Shayne took a quick shower...we didn't want him all stinky while I was trying to deliver!

Finally we headed out.  We dropped Ellee off with Greg and my Mom rode with us to the hospital.  Contractions by then were about every 3 minutes and I think painful would describe how they felt!  We finally made it to the hospital and I got all checked in and settled.

I'm really bummed that we didn't get any pictures of us with Ellee before we headed into the hospital, but by the time we had gotten to my Mom and Greg's Ellee was passed out and we didn't want to wake her.  Oh well.

 The view from my room.  Not that I enjoyed it much...haha! : )

I think this was still pre-epidural.  It had to have been between contractions!

Because I was Group Beta Strep (GBS) positive at the begining of my pregnancy I had to have 2 rounds of antibiotics before I delivered Tucker.  Thankfully they were able to get both rounds in before delivery.  It saved him having to get a round of them!

By the time I was halfway through the 1st round I was really ready for that epidural!!!  I should have gotten it before they started the 1st dose of antibiotics, but I was trying to be tough...mistake.

After the epidural I felt much better!  (I really recommend the epidural!  For me it made the experience much more enjoyable!)

It seemed like it wasn't to much longer and they told me it was time to push. 

Here we are with my nurse just before delivery.  When she checked me for the last time she was so surprised she could see Tucker's head!!

I gave 1 big push and 2 little ones and Tucker Joshua Gray was born at 1:16am on Saturday, June 11, 2011. 

Words cannot describe!♥

My Mom did the honors of cutting the chord.

Proud Daddy! 

7 pounds 12 ounces, 19-3/4 inches long. 

 Grandma Katie and Tucker.

 Grandpa Scott and Tucker.

 Grandmom Lane and Tucker

Putting aside all the pain from the contractions, giving birth is the most amazing experience I think I will ever go through!  Words cannot even describe what it feels like to carry a child for 9 months and then after all that waiting to see their sweet face!  Tucker Joshua Gray is such a blessing and we are so blessed that God chose him to be apart of our family! ♥

missing socks?

Just thought I would share this great idea I came across.  I'm not even sure where I heard about it, but it is genius!
I don't know about you... but, I don't know how many times I have washed Ellee's clothes and gone to fold them and the washer or dryer (not sure which is the culprit) has eaten one or two or three of her socks, leaving only one of a pair.

I have discovered a solution! 

LINGERIE BAGS!!!

As you throw the dirty clothes in the hamper, just put the socks in a lingerie bag!  When you do the load of laundry throw the bag in with and WALLAH! ALL the socks are in one place!  The washer or dryer can't eat them because the are trapped! : )

Last night I put 11 pairs of socks in this handy lingerie bag and when the laundry was done I had, count 'em, 11 pairs of socks!!! : )

I wish I had discovered this idea sooner!!!  I might have been able to rescue more pairs of socks! Hehe! : )

saving gas $

Part of my job is shuttling 2 of our residents to work Tuesday through Friday. It works out great because after I drop them off I drop Ellee off at my Mom's. I had been driving my own car because we didn't have an extra car seat and I didn't want to transfer the one from my car to the house van everyday. This doubled my gas usage each week and with gas prices being so high it was getting a little spendy!

We didn't have the extra money to go and buy another of the same car seat, so I decided to do some research on "cheaper" car seats. I didn't want trade cheap for safety! I ended up finding a car seat on Amazon with great safety reviews and it was only $39! Probably what I spend in a week driving my own vehicle to take the residents to work. I procrastinated in buying it and then ended up finding it at Target for $35 on sale!! I snagged it! I was excited to find it a few dollars cheaper and I didn't have to wait for it to be shipped! :)

Let me tell you, I have already saved money from that purchase! :)

And Ellee LOVES riding on the "Ban"! A couple times this week as we were getting ready to leave she got upset as we were walking out the door because she saw me walk to my car so I could get my purse...She kept fussing and pointing to the house van saying "Ban, Ban!!"

I'm not sure if it's her new car seat or the van she likes so much. :) It was pretty funny though! Oh and her cup HAS to be in the cup holder... not sure why because half the time when I put her cup in the holder in my car her cup ends up on the floor! She's to funny! :)

YAY for saving money!! :)

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frappy hour "Foffees"

Yesterday we made the walk down to Starbucks from my Mom's house for a frappy hour "Foffees" (half price frappaccino!).
I love how Ellee says coffee! It's one of my favorite words that she says! :)
Little did she know her cup did NOT contain caffeine! She shared a Strawberries and Cream Frapp with her Grandmom! She still has a bit to learn about sharing, she drank most of it and kept saying "mine!" :)

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In our backyard!

Okay, so technically this Bald Eagle wasn't in OUR back yard, but he was pretty close!  I was driving home on Friday and just after our driveway I saw something flapping around.  I passed our driveway to go check it out.  And there was a Bald Eagle eating away at a dead possum that had been there for a few days.  As soon as I got close enough to him he flew up into the tree.  The last picture was as I was driving up on him.  It was with my cell phone so wasn't so great.  Luckily I had my camera with me so I was able to get a couple better shots of him.  I have never seen and Eagle this close up! : )



love.

I loved you the minute I heard you were coming.

I loved you the minute you were born; then I saw your face and fell in love some more.

You were only a minute old, but I knew I would die for you and to this day I still would.

When you choose to have a child, you make a conscious decision to allow your heart to walk around outside of your body. ♥

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forever behind update.

I feel like I am forever behind on posting to our blog.  But, it's okay.  I used to stress myself out about it, but lately I have felt okay about it.  I have a toddler, a baby on the way and I work full time!  I've come to realize that sometimes I just don't have time. : )

So, here are the events of the past month and a half!!  We have been busy! : )

(February 12, 2011)
Ellee loves the outdoors!  Especially when it's spending time with her Daddy!  She is a true Daddy's girl! 
For some reason Shayne was outside in the freezing cold rain and Ellee wanted so desperately to be out with him!  So we bundled her up in her raincoat and rain boots and sent her out for a wheelbarrow ride! : )

She spent a good 20-30 minutes out riding in the wheelbarrow!

And Charlie had fun following them around! : )

 "Hi Mom!"

 Knock Knock, "Mom, I'm ready to come in now!!"

 Let's just say Ellee got lots of use out of her 1st pair of rain boots this year!

(February 14, 2011)

Ellee on "love day"
Trying to get a good photo of her is kinda hard these days!  She has a mind of her own!  So this is the best I could do, LOL! : )

 Valentine's Day Oreo Cookie!

Ellee refusing to look at the camera.



(February 22, 2011)

Now that I am almost 29 weeks pregnant with Mr. Tucker, I guess I should share my 24 week prego pic!

(March 4, 2011)

Ellee has discovered she likes the window sill in our living room.  She is so funny, she will climb right up into it all by herself.  She is become quite the little adventurer!

(March 6, 2011)

My 2 Aunts and Uncle live about a hour North of us.  We thought it was time to go visit!!! Especially because Emily was in town!  We don't get up there enough to visit and I wish that wasn't the case!!  I love spending time with them and Ellee seems to also!  We had a blast catching up!

Ellee was supposed to take a nap while we were on our way up there, but that didn't happen!  So shortly after we had lunch she was out for the count!  Good thing she has always been a good sleeper and will pretty much nap anywhere!! : )

 Auntie Sharon, Me, Ellee, Auntie Marylin and Emily

 Auntie Sharon, Sarah, Me, Ellee, Auntie Marylin and Emily

(March 14, 2011)

My Mom and Greg took a 3 week trip to New Zealand this past month.  Since my Mom was gone my sister watched her for the 1st week and a half, but Ellee got to stay with me at work the 2nd week and a half.  It was challenging to have her there the whole time and let me say, I am thankful my Mom is able to take her for the majority of the time!  It was fun to have her though and the girls at work really enjoy her!

My co-workers enjoy Ellee so much that they are constantly bringing her treats! My co-worker Amy got her this outfit!  I love this color on Ellee!!

 (March 16, 2011)

Another day at the GAPP house

 Trip to Target, Ellee's favorite place to ride!

 Avoiding the camera again!

(March 17, 2011)

St. Patrick's Day is so much more fun now that we have Ellee!  We really got into it this year!  I made her a shirt and leg warmers to wear on this fun filled day of green! : )

Fabrics I used for Ellee's shirt!

(Picture quality isn't the best because I took it with the camera on my phone.)

 Finished shirt and leg warmers.  At Target they were selling knee high socks for adults so I got the idea to turn them into leg warmers!  It was super easy!  I just chopped of the foot part and took some of the extra material and sewed it to the bottom of the leg warmers!

Adult Knee High Socks + Sewing machine = Toddler Leg Warmers!! : )

 Ellee's handmade hair bow!

 GREEN pancake batter...

 equals SHAMROCK pancakes!!! : )

 St. Patty's Day wouldn't be complete with out GREEN fingernails!!

 Here are some of my favorite shots of Ellee in her shirt!  I found a cute skirt at the local consignment store to complete her outfit! : )

Mommy and Ellee (I'm 27 weeks & 2 days here!)

You can find all the rest of the photos HERE!  You can also see how cute she was last year!! : )

(March 22, 2011)

Here is Miss Ellee "helping" Daddy rake on one of the rare nice days we have had! : )

Well, I guess that about wraps it up!  I told you we have been busy!! : )  I have a few fun videos that I want to post, but those will have to be later. : )