July Fun!

The month of July flew by so, so fast!  Because we crammed all of our travels into the month of June,  I thought July would be super laid back and relaxing.  Ummm... well that just didn't happen!  We were too busy having fun to relax.

We took Kia with us as we went to the zoo with our friends Ashley and Addison!  It was the perfect day, not too hot and not too cold.  The girls enjoyed acting like middle schoolers and hanging with each other.

Like last year, Grammy, Steph, Kia, Gracie, and I made it to Starlight for a girl's night!  We saw Cinderella this time, which was totally cool!  We all watched intently to try to figure out Cinderella's on-stage outfit changes.  It was well choreographed because it looked like magic!  In fact, Gracie said, "Mom!  I think that is real magic!"  

Matching necklaces and wands!

Gracie and I made good use of our time at home by getting some stuff ready for baby sister.  We washed toys (pictured below) and stocked her closet.  We still need to clean the big baby gear, but we're doing pretty good so far.  It's nice to have a big helper... seriously!  We washed all the plush toys we could and Gracie bent down to pick up all the toys and throw them into the washer.  Her little sister gets in my way when I try to bend down, so her help was awesome!  We washed the rest in the sink, with Gracie's Boba on!  She's a nut!

Vacation Bible School was in the middle of the month and I pretty much forgot to take pictures.  Gracie had a blast again this year and so did I.  It's always a fun week of music, crafts, and happy people!

"Angels bow before Him"
This is her favorite part of the song.

A few weeks after VBS was over, Gracie and I were riding in the car.  She says to me, "Momma.  Sometimes I like to pretend that my big toe is Jesus and my little toes are angels.  Then I try to have the angels bow to Jesus by bending my little toes, but keep my big toe straight.  Just like the song!"  

"Cool, Gracie!"  Seriously hilarious!

We finished out our Spotlight Club Coterie tickets by going to see A Year with Frog and Toad.  It was the best performance of the year according to all the adults, but Gracie liked Cat in the Hat better.  I just love taking her to see show at the Coterie... it reminds me of good times with the Cleary family when I was a kid.  Such a fun place!

Toad, Frog, and Gracie!

The birds even gave Gracie some feathers to take home!

Custard afterward... yum!

We took advantage of Daddy's day off and went to see a $2 movie, Rio 2.  Gracie found a unicorn to take her picture with on the way out.  

We also spent a few hours perusing Toys R Us finding too many ways to spend her Christmas gift card from Giermann.  She didn't choose the Sheriff Callie's cowgirl hat pictured below, but I kind of wish she had.  Super cute!  She selected ANOTHER baby doll and ANOTHER carrier for her baby doll.  We're beyond Duggar status over here at the Weaver house.  When she plays babies, which is all the time, she tells us that she has "Forty-one hundred kids".  Here are the rest of the details...

Gracie = Momma = Miss Rachel Aunt B Kreggard

Dada = Daddy = Joe Uncle Chad Kreggard

Family dog = Bentley Rescue Kreggard

Newborn baby = Rylee Annabell Kreggard

Momma = Grandma to the baby = Joe's mom (she believes we met at a wedding?!)

When you ask about the other 4,099 kids, she says all the babies are Rylee.  All the big girls are Annabelle.  And all the boys are Kyle.  Makes perfect sense.

I love every minute I get to spend with this lovely lady!  Our summer days have gone too quickly, but we've definitely had fun!

Gracie Talk...

Gracie has been fighting a head cold for a while now and she hasn't been sleeping the greatest.  She's got a cough and a super runny nose, which makes laying down uncomfortable.  She's been exhausted at night, going to bed around 7:30 for 4 straight nights, which is good!  But in the middle of the night, she wakes up coughing, or vomiting because of the coughing, a couple of a times.  Last night, around 1:45 am, she woke up crying and simpering.  I let her cry for a little bit, but then she kept going, so I went in to check on her.  She was in curled up with her legs under her and her eyes closed.  I bent down and asked "What's wrong, G?"  She answered, "I'm not having any fun.  No fun at all."  I had a hard time not giggling!  I'm not sure if she was referring to feeling so crummy, or if it was a dream.  But either way, she was having no fun!  I told her that we'd have fun tomorrow, but right now we should just be quiet and sleep.  She agreed and rolled over.  That kid kills me! 

A few funnies!

Before I forget to post them...

Two weeks ago at preschool, Gracie didn't earn a sticker. When I asked the teacher what happened, she explained that the kids could earn a sticker for knowing their full name.  When she asked Gracie for her full name, G replied,"Gracie Louise" very matter-of-factly. Mrs. Greene was confused because her enrollment card said Grace Mackenzie. So she asked Gracie if she'd ever heard of Grace Mackenzie. Gracie said she has heard that name before, but only from her mom. Aunt Steph calls her Gracie Louise. So that's her full name. What??!!  So I told Steph that missing her sticker once was okay, but I'll hunt her down if it continues!  Too funny! Needless to say, we've cleared that up now. 

Another funny happened tonight. She was stalling bathtime by working on her easel. So I said that I didn't appreciate how I was a sweet Momma by letting her watch a show and eat a junk food snack past her normal bathtime, but when it was her turn to be sweet, she wasn't obeying and getting ready for her bath.  So I left the room to get on my jammies and she followed me into my room to say, and I quote, "Honey. That's just how some kids are."  What??!!  I said, "Well, you have never been that way, but I guess you're not my sweet girl anymore."  She repeated, "Well, that's just how some kids are" while she started undressing herself for bath. Geez, this kid!  She's called me 'honey' a few times lately. It kills me!  

I can only imagine the stories she tells at school. 

Only in Arkansas

I'll blog more about our vacation to Arkansas later, but I had to write this down before I forgot. 

On our way into the Walmart in Clinton, Arkansas these cute teenage dancer girls  were selling raffle tickets to raise money. One of them walked right up to us and asked, "Wood y'all lack to buy a raffull ticket to we-yun a guhn?"  After saying no thank you, Ryan, Steph, and I all looked at each other asking, "Did she really say a gun?!"  Only in Arkansas!  

Silly Gracie!

I'm telling you what, Gracie is hilarious!  She's got a great sense of humor for one thing, but she also has this way about her that is just plain funny. You know people like that, I'm sure. The way she holds her mouth, or the way she puts words together... it just gets me giggling. Here are two recent examples. 

She has this thing about vacuum cleaners. It's a love/hate relationship. She doesn't want me to vacuum because she's afraid I'll "get her" with it. But at the same time, she's obsessed with the vacuum, both my real one and her play toy.  Tonight I was vacuuming downstairs, and by the way she calls it vak-in-you-min (she is notorious for adding extra syllables, right Natalawie?!). So she gets out her toy vacuum and walks behind me, doing everything I do. Pulling out the wand, moving toys out of the way, stepping on her vacuum to engage the brushes (I didn't know her vacuum had that feature!). And then, before bed when I asked her what song she wanted me to sing, she replied, "Sing the one about me and you vakinyoumin."  Oh yeah, everyone knows that one, G!  She's a nut!  And in case you didn't know, I have discovered I'm very talented at making up songs about regular mundane activities. They usually rhyme and everything. I'm serious!

So the next funny Gracie thing might be something you have to experience to see the humor. I'm not sure. But it revolves around the Sound of Music. The Carrie Underwood live version was on TV the week after Thanksgiving. And my daughter and neice and nephew loved it. We DVR'd it and fast-forwarded to their favorite songs a thousand times. But then our DVR deleted it to open up space. Annoying!  So Ryan and I actually bought the poor acting, fabulous singing Carrie Underwood version at Walmart for our darling daughter. But the very next night, ABC Family showed the original Sound of Music, which G refers to as "the old vizzion" and we DVR'd it. She then informed us that the old vizzion is her favorite.  Which is only a half truth because she never watches the longer more drawn out scenes that make the original like four hours long. She really just likes the puppet show during Lonely Goatherd. She knows all the words to most of the songs by now because we have the soundtrack in the car. So then just a few days ago, I showed her a VHS recording of the Sound of Music production my summer Adventure Club kids put on back in 2003. It's hard to hear and see and the actors are 6-10 years old. And now that has become her favorite vizzion. But that version has also led to some confusion for G. She now assumes that at some point in her life, in everyone's life, that she will be in her own vizzion of the Sound of Music. She's decided that she will be Leisl and practices 16 Going on 17 in the bathtub at night (except she says 16 going on 18). She asks who I want to be and Daddy. Tonight before bed she asked who Piper (a new friend) wants to be and shared that, "Kia wants to be a pink Leisl, but I told her there's only a blue Leisl.  I told her she could be Gretl, and someone could carry her to bed!"  This is what I'm talking about. The stuff that comes out of her mouth just kills me. I have to stifle my laughter sometimes because it makes her self-conscious when I find her hilariously funny!  But she's seriously witty and thoughtful with really good delivery and timing.  It's so funny!  

So anyway, if my daughter asks you who you are/were/want to be in the Sound of Music, humor her and reply with something logical... Captain Von Trapp, Maria, Marta, Louisa, or Freidrick. 

Shampoop!

Last night at bath time, Gracie and I decided we'd shower together.  When we do that, we shower in her bathroom because the the shower in the main bathroom is bigger than the one in our master.  Before I headed down the hallway to grab my shower stuff, I said, "I'll be right back!  Momma's gonna get my shampoo and stuff.  Tell Daddy to get you naked!"

She replied (as always) with, "I come, too!"

I didn't realize she'd followed me to grab my things, but when I turned around,  Gracie was saying something about poop.  I was all confused, thinking she was poopy.  I asked her, "G?  Are you poopy?  Tell Daddy to clean you up so we can shower." (Yes, tell Daddy!)

She responded with, "I get shampoop, too!"

I still wasn't sure if she was poopy or what, so asked again.  She replied again with, "I want shampoop, too!"

By this point, I'd figured out that it was another Gracie-ism and just died laughing!  Ryan said she'd been saying all the way down the hallway... "I come, too!  I want shampoop!"

So we did... we showered, and shampooped our hair together.  It was a slippery-good time!

Gracie Says...

So I think I've mentioned that Gracie is extraordinarily verbal. Like, mind-blowingly articulate (after all, I make up big words and she is my daughter!). But seriously, I think some of my amazement over her language development is rooted in the fact that it feels like just last week she cooed and smiled for the first time, but I also have to say that she's just ahead of the game in the area of speech right now. And it's really, really fun having a 21 month old discovering new things all day long, and as she does so, explaining her thoughts and feelings right and left. It's hilarious, endearing, and just plain amazing.

The thought crossed my mind a few weeks ago that I wanted to write down some of these phrases she continues to repeat, or the words she strings together that simply blow my mind. I knew I'd never remember them as long as I'd like to remember them... and I was right. So here are a few of the Gracie-isms I can recall right now.

"Hode on, Mommy!" Or Daddy. Said all the time now when she feels like we're rushing her.

"Good yummy dinner, Mommy!" and everyone else at the meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all 'dinner'). I think she says that because before sitting down to dinner she sometimes asks for "kanny" and I always tell her, "Be a good eater and we can have candy after dinner." So I think it's her way of convincing/reminding us that she was a good eater. She says it even if she won't try the food. Makes me giggle every time!

"Beast no say sorry still. Beast in time out." I'll have to find time to write about Gracie's struggles with time outs... obviously the issue surrounds her lack of willingness to apologize. But the other day, all on her own, she put Beast (as in Beauty and the Beast, you know, Belle's better half?!) in time out. She marched him upstairs and went back time and time again, each time she returned saying the same thing, "Beast no say sorry..." We finished the whole time out in perfect Supernanny fashion, with a hug and a kiss, but not until Beast complied! I will say she's been more willing to say sorry herself since the incident with Beast!

"I play Mommy's puter?" That's computer. And 'play' to her means 'Watch YouTube videos of my favorite princesses.' Mostly Tiana, Snow White (although its Dopey she likes), and Ayell (ie. Ariel).

"My got it. My do it myself!" Miss Independent says that All. The. Time.

"Tysie no licky me."

"I tell Daddy sum-ting." It's the way she says 'something' that I love.

"Good song. Good song." Usually said while I'm singing her songs before bed. My voice is that good! Hehe!

I know I'm forgetting some of my favorites. I'll post them later as I remember them. This phase is just so much fun! She's becoming quite a big girl. I just love spending time with her!

Cap Agoo

So we went out for Chinese after church. And Gracie LOVES Chinese food. She also loves this lady that works at North Dragon (she hates a different lady, but we won't go into that). So as we were looking at the menu, Gracie says, "I want cap agoo!" I looked at her and she repeated, "I want cap agoo!" I just giggled because I seriously cannot believe this child's vocabulary! Any guesses on what she wanted to order?!

She is definitely Momma's girl! We're both chatterboxes and big fans of cap agoo!

Boating Indoors

All the kids have been asking to get in the boat, so this morning as the temperature dropped 20 degrees outside, we stayed in and set sail (in the garage). All the kids took turns being captain while the others scouted for the best seat in the boat. Kyle even asked if he could take his nap in there sometime!

I snapped a few pics to share and without trying I got my current favorite Kia picture. This pretty much sums up Kia's explanation to most of the questions I asked her today. Including, but not limited to, "Why is your shirt backwards and inside out?" "Whose pants are those?" "Where did you get them?" "Are there clothes all over Gracie's floor?" "What have you been up to?" I never got a straight answer to any of the above questions. But when I asked her to go find her pants, she ran to Gracie's dirty clothes basket to retrieve them. Kia has this thing for comfy cwoves, that's Kia talk for comfy clothes, so I'm guessing Gracie's pink fleece pants, a size too small, and put on backward were more comfy than her jeans?! Never a dull moment!

Yum! Yum!

Earlier this week we had spaghetti for dinner.  Because Gracie is such a good eater, she has really enjoyed eating table food.  She still eats purees (although they aren't her favorite anymore) but as often as possible, she eats what we're eating.  Some of her favorites include chicken, rice, cheese, hamburger, yogurt, and crackers.  She's also beginning to eat fruits and steamed veggies that aren't pureed.  It's pretty fun watching her try new textures and foods!

Here is a video of Gracie's newest trick!  It's toward the end of the video clip. 

Enjoy!

An eventful month

It's been about a month since I last blogged. So much has happened in that time, so I'll try to fill you in as best I can.

As for a baby update, I'm 38 weeks now and things are progressing just as they should. I've been going to weekly appointments since 36 weeks. The baby's heartrate has fluctuated between the 140s and 150s, but always super strong and steady. At our appointment on Tuesday, the doctor checked to see if I am dilating at all. She said I might be just a little bit... a very little bit. My cervix is thinning, although the baby's head is still high. She said that I've dropped about 3 cm, which is good, but the baby isn't "engaged" yet. Not to worry though, she assured me that you can be dilated for weeks or you can go from zero to fully in a matter of hours.

These last weeks haven't been too bad for me. I'll admit that I get uncomfortable with the swelling and my joints seem to fill with fluid, which makes me stiff, but other than that, it hasn't been too bad. I can't paint my toes anymore, which is why I'm going for a pedicure this afternoon. I took today off work because it's Field Day today... normally one of my favorite days of the year. But I figured it might kill me to be outside for an entire day on my feet. Either that or send me into labor. I wouldn't mind the labor option, so maybe I should have just done it!

I feel really ready to have this baby. I think I'm a little more gung-ho about it than Ryan, although I can tell that he's getting antsy, too. We're both excited to start the next phase of our lives and meet our son/daughter. The nine months has gone quickly, but I think we're as ready as we're going to be. Our bags are in the car and we've pre-registered at the hospital. The car seat is installed, baby swing is assembled and in place, cradle and crib are ready. The only thing we have left to buy is the boppy and a boy and girl outfit for hospital pictures. We're going to Babies R Us tonight to finish that up and then we're officially ready.

So for the events I didn't have time to blog about...

#1 Easter

Easter this year was super-fun! We had my family over for kabobs and an egg hunt on Easter Sunday. Kyle was just the perfect age for a fun egg hunt. The Easter Bunny hid eggs in our backyard and Kianna even got to find a few. Inside one egg, the Easter Bunny left a clue as to where he hid the kids' basket. One clue led to another and another and another, until finally Kyle was able to find their Easter basket in the dryer! After the egg hunt, we all watched Tangled, but all the ladies in the house fell asleep. Ryan, John, and Kyle thoroughly enjoyed the movie though!

My belly on Easter... somewhere around 33 weeks

#2 Weaver-Side Baby Shower

Brandi and Tena teamed up to throw me a Dr. Seuss baby shower with all the friends and family from Ryan's side. We had such a good time at the shower and the decor was super-cute! See for yourself below. The theme was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Brandi made the cake herself, which turned out perfectly adorable and YUMMY! So many friends and family showed up to spoil us. I don't get to see many of them very often, so getting time to catch up and visit was so nice.

It was quite funny because several of Ryan's lake friends didn't know we were expecting. This all happened in the 'off season' so they were all surprised! There a group of them that'll be down when Ryan and I make our first trip to the lake with the baby. I already warned them that they may get a late-night knock on the door from me!

Super-delish cake and table decorations (The diaper cake had about 5,000 diapers for us!)

More decorations!



We got several homemade blankets at the shower.
Tena even crocheted a shawl for the baby.

Again, I was just floored at everyone's generosity and kindess at our shower. Ryan and I are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives!

#3 My 30th Birthday

On May 7th, we celebrated my 30th birthday! At this point the tired phase had set in and I wasn't feeling like partying too hard, but I still wanted to do something fun! Luckily the Royals had a home game that night, so my whole family headed out to the stadium. We had such a good time! It was a perfect night and the Royals won in the 9th inning. The other great thing about my 30th was that I got an iPhone! Those of you who know me well know that I never answer my cell phone and it takes about 3 days for me to reply to a text. But not anymore! The iPhone is super-cool and I use it for everything now! Grocery list, to do list, checking email, calendar, etc. I figure if we're spending $30 a month for me to have internet on my phone, I better use it A LOT! So I have been!

My birthday weekend was made even more special because my first Mother's Day was the following day. Although there is some controversy as to whether I should have the privelege of being called a "Mother" yet... I made the decision that I have earned the title this year. Ryan spoiled me by getting me a manicure and pedicure. Always a good choice!

#4 Ryan's Grandpa

The biggest downer of the past month was the passing of Ryan's Grandpa. This was Ryan's last living grandfather and they were really close. Ryan grew up spending Saturday nights at their house so his parents could be in a bowling league. Over the years he has maintained a close relationship with both grandparents, so losing Grandpa was really rough for Ryan.

We were fortunate enough to visit with his Grandpa on May 7th for quite a while. He passed away almost a week later on Friday, May 13th. We were thankful that he went quickly and didn't have to suffer down the road that many of his illnesses would have taken him.

Spending a week with family was good for Ryan and helped to make everyone feel better. Many stories of Grandpa were told, which always make us laugh! He was always a quiet observer, very patient and easy-going, but his family knew how to push his buttons. And trust me, Ryan's family is all about getting-a-rise out of people! We will miss his Grandpa and trust that God will help the family to make it through this tough time.

#5 Ryan's Fainting Spell

Wednesday morning, Ryan was up and beginning to get ready for the day. I was still in bed watching the news when he called out from the bathroom, "I don't think I'm okay. I think I'm going to..." and then all of the sudden he fell out of the bathroom. Literally, he FELL OUT of the bathroom headfirst. He had passed out cold.

Me and my pregnant belly jump out of bed (as quickly as you can at 38 weeks) and I rushed to his side. He was breathing, but completely out of it. When he came to, he was talking and whining, but not making much sense. As I was trying to figure out what happened, I noticed he was sweating profusely and had no color in his face. Then all of sudden, he started convulsing on the floor. All his muscles were shaking and Ryan was literally flopping on the bathroom floor.

By this point I was completely scared, but keeping my whits about me. I grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911. Just before I could press 'Send', Ryan came to and said, "I'm okay, I'm okay." I decided not to call 911, but rolled him onto his back and put cold washcloths on his head and neck. I took his blood pressure, which was 96/46... very, very low. I also had him drink a big glass of orange juice.

About 5 minutes after the episode, his color was coming back and he was able to sit up. I wanted to take him to the ER, but of course, Ryan Kanan would have no part of that. We ended up at the doctor a few hours later and they determined that he probably passed out because of low blood sugar, coupled with his phobia of medical procedures.

You see, Ryan had been researching hernias (because we thought he might have one) when the fainting feeling set in. But he said he couldn't shake it and just passed out. The doctor said the low blood sugar probably made it worse. We had eaten an early dinner the night before and Ryan hadn't eaten anything for over 12 hours. I guess the shaking is fairly common, it's your brain's way of re-setting itself. I have no idea, but it was super-scary to me. Turns out, he doesn't have a hernia, just swollen lymph nodes in his abdomen. The doctor is going to take blood (hopefully doesn't cause Ryan to pass out again) and do an full physical in a few weeks. He said this whole episode is nothing to worry about, unless it happens often. And let's just pray that it doesn't!

Here is the battle wound left by the bathroom floor!
Looks like I beat him up, huh?!

So I think that's the end of the updates for the month of May. It was a crazy-busy month, which made it fly by. We're looking forward to next month. Several great things are happening for us. We're getting new windows, going to a good friend's wedding, and most importantly - we're finally going to meet our Little Weaver.

We'll keep you posted!

Knock-Knock

Dinnertime conversation at our sleepover Thursday night! Aunt Nerned is obviously hilarious!

One for me, one for you!

Kyle came over today for a few hours. We decided to give Tysie some treats (Cheerios) in her treat ball. Kyle was in charge of filling it up, but here's what happened instead.

Looks like Cheerios are a treat we can all enjoy!

Gymboree

Saturday was a busy day. I helped my sister organize her house to get ready for baby Kianna to arrive in November, while Ryan helped John lay new kitchen flooring. As a way to say thanks, Steph took us out for dinner and ice cream (side note - Yogurtini in Zona Rosa is a really yummy and fun place to visit).

Afterward, Steph wanted to run into Gymboree to look at little girl clothes. So Grandma, Kyle, Steph, Ryan, and I all perused the clothes in the store. I found several cute outfits (not that I have a reason to buy them... yet!) but the prices were high, in my opinion. Ryan, on the other hand, didn't think too much of the newborn clothes.... in fact, he found them to be very confusing.

Exhibit A:
Stephanie found this sweet little girl's outfit. Pink zebra print with the face of a zebra in the middle of the shirt (pictured here). Ryan said, "Why would you put your newborn baby girl in a cow shirt?" After we finished giggling, we had to explain that it was a zebra face, not a cow face and that the zebra print was super cute! He still disagreed.

Exhibit B:
Later, while Steph and Grandma were checking out, I showed Ryan this cute little outfit in the back of the store. It was a white/sage green set with 3 elephants down the front (pictured here - minus the cardigan). Here's how the conversation went down.

Kristy: Since we won't find out the gender when we're pregnant, we'll have to buy a few outfits like this. Isn't this little green one cute?

Ryan: With the little piggies? Seriously, I'm not putting my kid in an outfit with green pigs on it.

Kristy: Umm, they're elephants, hence the trunks, and this is cute!

Ryan: [steps closer and whispers] I don't like this store. I can't even tell what the animals are in this place!

I started laughing hysterically! He was half serious/half joking, but it was so funny to me. First the zebra - cow, then the elephant - pig. I think we'll have to work on our animals before we get pregnant!

Talking in my sleep

Because I love to giggle and laugh, I've decided to start writing down the things in life that have made me laugh really hard. So here goes...

One night last week, while Ryan and I were asleep, a funny thing happened. I should preface this by saying that crazy/funny things seem to happen a lot while Ryan and I sleep. I tend to be a heavy sleeper, while Ryan is the opposite.

So... as usual, I'm sleeping heavily and having a somewhat reoccuring dream that I'm being attacked or abducted (I know... I have issues). In this dream, I am always paralyzed with fear to the point that my body feels numb and I can't even scream. Well, on this particular night in this particular dream, I decided that I wasn't going to be paralyzed with fear. Instead, I started screaming as loud as I could (in the dream, of course). But I guess my dream-screaming sounded like a "wounded cow" to Ryan in the middle of the night. He lightly shook me with a frantic voice saying, "Kristy, Kristy, are you okay?" By this point, I was awake and mostly aware that my dream-screaming wasn't just in my dream. In my tiredness, I tried to explain everything, but Ryan just thought I was nuts.

I found the whole episode quite hilarious! I spent the next 20 minutes giggling uncontrollably, while Ryan tried to go back to sleep. That's always the worst because when I giggle, the entire bed shakes and I feel like he can't get back to sleep. But it's just one of those things you can't control.