2 Stories for you!!!

The first is in regards to Jaycee and her strong-willed mind of not wanting to eat new things. Its a continuous battle for us. Its definitely gotten a lot better. We haven't gone 20+ hours without food for a very long time. She definitely understands that we will stick to our guns and not allow her any other food until she eats what we have given her. Well, Monday night Byron started up the grill and made burgers and hot dogs. Jaycee and Jackson both protested eating the hot dogs! Seriously, hot dogs?! Jackson has just picked up on Jaycee's words and actions and therefore thinks he will protest right along with her now! We are cracking down on him right now in hope that by the time he is Jaycee's age he will eat anything we offer him. Jaycee did go off to bed that night with out dinner, actually she fell asleep at the dinner table. Jackson did eat his sweet potatoes, but wasn't allowed to eat anything else. The next morning, they were given a little bit of cereal, not anything like they usually get. So by lunch time, they were pretty hungry. Jackson actually fell asleep on his bedroom floor so he didn't have lunch yesterday. Jaycee finally decided to give in and she ate her sweet potatoes and hot dog. Of course, she loved it!!! We continue to tell her we have yet to make her eat anything that she wouldn't like. She is getting a lot better. She is now eating strawberries, pineapples, and watermelon. She eats all of the casseroles I make now, too. Jackson finally ate his hot dog around 5:00 last night. It was the only thing offered and after the first bite he told me it was good!! After he finished, I made up some mac and cheese. Mac and cheese is Jackson's favorite. Jaycee once again protested mac and cheese. What child does not like mac and cheese, one guess for the person in our house who says they don't like it. Was Jaycee your answer? She once again protested that she didn't like it.She hasn't had it, but she doesn't like it! After 30 minutes of sitting at the table we decided the kids needed to take a bath. Once bath time was over I pulled out the cake and ice cream. Jaycee melted knowing that she wasn't getting any. Byron pulled her to the side and said that if she finished her bowl of mac and cheese in 10 minutes she could have dessert. Without hesitation and complaining she ate all of it in 6 minutes! Guess what, she LOVED it!!! She also had it for lunch today! YAY!!! We are getting there!

The second story, Jackson and what he gets into! I was in the bathroom blow drying my hair when Jaycee comes running in to say that Jackson was in her cake. I was like what are you talking about?! I went into the laundry room, we have a 2nd fridge in there, the door was wide open and he was standing there. Standing there with his face covered in icing and sticky fingers!!! I couldn't believe it! He also managed to rub his grubby little hands all over the doors to my washer and dryer!!! I am thankful that he didn't grab the knife that was in the box with the cake! So yes, I will take scrubbing my washer and dryer and my son down instead of having to rush him to the hospital any day!!!

The wonderful world of parent hood! As exhausting as it may get sometimes I would never trade being a mommy for anything in this world! One simple gesture, look, or touch from my kids and my heart melts! I am so very blessed that God called me to be a mommy to Jaycee and Jackson! My world wouldn't be the same without them! They are my pride and joy!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, JAYCEE!

I can't believe that our precious baby girl turned 4 yesterday! UNBELIEVABLE! She is no longer a newborn, an infant, or a toddler, but is now considered a preschooler. Next year she will be a whole hand old and I only have 1 section left to complete in her baby book!

Jaycee Ann Lohrer, you are one amazing little girl! You have had your dad and I smitten from the first time we laid eyes on you! You have captured the hearts of so many people with that beautiful smile and loving eyes that you have. Your sweet spirit is so precious! Daddy and I are truly blessed with you being in our lives. Once again, God knew the best plan for our lives was to have you in it! I am amazed everyday by that! You are such a sweet little girl! You are such a wonderful big sister and you have always been! You have loved Jackson from the moment he arrived! Your Jackson Bear wouldn't know what to do with out you! You are such a big helper! You love to be involved with anything and everything that is going on! You can make friends wherever you go! You love singing songs and dancing! You are our little artist as well! You are very intense when you are busy coloring or painting. You tell the best stories, and you are so dramatic in telling them too! You are so very, very special to us. I am so excited to see what all God has in store for your life! He has created beautifully from the inside out. He has placed in you such special gifts. He has a purpose and a plan for your life. I continue to pray that God will direct Daddy and I as we continue to train you in the way of the Lord. Our hope is that you will learn how to depend and trust in Him more and more everyday! As much as I would love to have a button that I could hit to make time freeze and keep you little forever, I can't wait to see you continue to grow, change, and become the person God created you to be! Our family is so blessed to be along on this journey with you! We will be here for you always supporting and encouraging you! We love you and will always love you! Jaycee Ann, you are truly our precious wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father!!!

We had a Hello Kitty party yesterday for Jaycee! It was lots of fun! The weather was great! We ate cake and ice cream, opened gifts, and headed outside to play in the water! It was a great day to be with family and friends. Jaycee was so excited to know that it was finally her birthday. She was so cute in telling me that she wasn't 4 until after her party was over! She got all of her candles out in one blow! She wasn't quite sure about Byron telling her she was getting birthday spanks either, but after it was done she didn't mind it at all!!! All in all, the day was a great success!!


Jaycee Ann

Daddy and his baby girl!

Momma and her pumpkin poo!!!

Hello Kitty Birthday Party!

The Birthday Girl!

Waiting so patiently!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

YUMMY!

Littlest Pet Shop toys-from Aunt A and the girls!


Lots of clothes!!! YAY!

Her adorable new swimsuit! She did a fabulous job modeling it for us too!!!

Let the fun begin!

2nd swimsuit of the day! Typical little girl!!!



Jaycee's 1st Birthday!

Jaycee's 2nd Birthday!

Jaycee's 3rd Birthday!

Jaycee's 4th Birthday!

Family Fun Night!

Friday May 15th we took a trip down to Arlington, TX to watch the Texas Rangers play baseball!!! Boy, did we have a fabulous time!!! It was not planned at all and it was great to do something spontaneously for a change. (Thank you Honey for the awesome idea!) Byron got off work early. We got tickets online to guarantee that the 2 hour drive was worth it! We arrived at the game in the bottom of the first inning. We got there right as Josh Hamilton was up to bat! He got a triple. YAY!!! Our seats were in center field. We were on the back row which was perfect b/c we could come and go as we pleased by jumping over the back of the seats. We also were right next to the Angels' bullpen. Once the relief pitchers started warming up, Jackson didn't leave that area! Jackson didn't take his eyes off the sky too much that night either! He didn't miss a plane that flew over the ballpark! The kids did spectacular! We actually made it through the entire game. The kids never once had a meltdown, maybe that is due to all of the junk food they were allowed to eat at the game! After the game, they had a fireworks show! It was incredible! The kids LOVED it! Jackson at times got a little scared, but was definitely intrigued. As we walked to the car, Jaycee squeezed Byron's neck and said "Thanks Dad this was a lot of fun." Jackson kept saying "Fun!" Both kids fell asleep on the way home. It was a great night full of awesome memories!!! The Rangers won 10-8. Josh Hamilton also had a home run to the upper deck and he threw out a guy at home plate from center field!!! That play was #6 on the top plays of the day on Sportscenter!!!


Jackson doesn't like the sun! If its on his side he says "No like sun in my eyes!" Thankfully, we remembered his shades! He was a little happier when he got to wear these! Papa this picture is for you!!!

Jaycee just a little excited about our trip! (More b/c she knew that she would get lots of junk food!)

Jackson getting his first taste of a pretzel with cheese! He LOVED it! He didn't eat another piece of pretzel without it!!!

Jaycee giving us the peace sign! She learned this from her cousins!!!

The kids with their foam finger souvenirs!

Daddy with his baby girl!

Jackson looking into the Angels' bullpen!

Momma with her baby boy!

Last Post for the Day!

Jackson LOVES NASCAR!!! Well, we all do, but its so amazing to see his little face light up when we watch it. He brings all of his NASCAR cars out and lines them up in front of the television. He stands in awe of the cars and the sounds they make. Its so fun to hear him say "Let's go racin' boys!" During the NASCAR they usually have a "crank it up" session. This is when the announcers are quiet and you can only hear the race cars. Byron cranks it up for the kids.(for us too!) Jackson stands directly in front of the television and does not move until that session is over!!!

We were quite impressed with his identifying skills, too. During the race, Jackson grabbed his Jeff Gordon car and pointed it out on the screen. Byron and I looked at each and said okay he just got lucky and about 5 seconds later he held up his Kevin Harvick car and spotted it as well! He knows his cars for sure! I can't wait until we can take both kids to NASCAR. Hopefully, that won't be too far away!




I don't think you can really tell by this picture, but Jackson has Dale Jr. in the lead on his line up! The boy has great taste don't you think, Papa?!

My Little Helper!

Jaycee is definitely mommy's little helper! She isn't quite crazy about cleaning her room yet, but one of her favorite things at this point is to fold laundry with me. She is very good at it, too. When doing towels she wants all of the wash clothes and hand towels. She hasn't mastered the big towels yet, but I don't think it will be long before she does. Our biggest trouble at this point is keeping Jackson away from the folded laundry. The little guy loves to destroy things, but above all else he loves to tease his sister! Thankfully, Jackson didn't destroy all of Jaycee's hard work in these pictures!!!

Snack Time!

The new favorite of the house for the kids is chocolate or oreo pudding with graham crackers! They can't seem to get enough. Jackson's reason might be do to the fact that in the end he has more on his face then in his tummy! He sure enjoys putting in the work to eat it though!!! Jaycee LOVES it and would probably eat it all day everyday if I would allow her to. For me, it gives me a good 20 minutes to do things around the house while they are chowing down on their snack!!! Enjoy the pics of snack time at the Lohrer house!!

Fires and Floods!

The beginning of April was extremely dry. On April 9th many parts of our state was hit by wild fires. On that day, we had wind out of the West gusting up to 40 mph. Many of the wild fires started from electric lines smashing together and sparks flying to the ground. The community of Velma, which we are about 2 miles from lost around 20 homes due to the fires. It was a very chaotic and stressful day. They evacuated the entire town of Velma. We were encouraged as well to evacuate from our home. The state trooper stopped by to inform us that there was a fire West of our house, which we could see the smoke and he said they were having trouble getting it under control. Thankfully, they did and it didn't get close to any of the homes on our road. The kids and I took off to my Aunt's house. Loco, where my parents live, had fires to the North and South of it. So we weren't able to go that direction and stay with my parents. Byron stayed behind with neighbors to keep watch on the situation. The firefighters and the oil trucking companies did a great job that day. My aunt Retha works at a local oil trucking company. She said they didn't perform a single oil field job that day. All of their trucks were used hauling water to all of the fires along with about 3 other trucking companies in the Velma area. The trucks were taking water from lakes and ponds. There was actually a guy that was filling his truck from his very own swimming pool. My dad even said that by the wee hours of the morning they were getting water from the sewer lagoons! Disgusting I know, but they were using everything possible to control these fires. April 10th, they were able to bring in helicopters to help put out the fires. The day before it was too windy and the helicopters couldn't get off the ground. For several days, it was quite scary. My grandma, my mom's mom, did loose her house though. Thankfully, she wasn't there at the time of the fire. The dogs were rescued, but all else was lost. I do have to say Nannie is doing quite well for loosing everything. I can't imagine being in your early 70s and loosing all of your possessions. She is currently living with my parents. As devastating as the fires were we are very thankful that no one was seriously injured or lost their lives. So thank you Lord for keeping everyone in our community and surrounding communities safe!

The end of April ended in flooding! We got 7 inches of rain on Wednesday! It was very much needed though. Now the ponds are full to the brim. The lawn mowing season will officially begin once the rain has totally soaked in. Its amazing how quickly things change. The grass and trees are such a vibrant green now. All those areas that were damaged by the fires now have signs of new life. What a month it has been!!!


East of Loco

East of Loco

Smoke from a fire still burning!

The remains of Nannie's house!

Digging for Nannie's jewelry! They were her prized possessions! We had little success unfortunately in retrieving the jewelry.

This is South of our house on the road that we take to my parents' house.

Same area as the above picture

This is South of my parents' house. As you can see the power line pole laying in the road! There were many many power lines that were down. So to add to all of the fires many were without electricity too!

This was our rent house the first time we lived in Oklahoma! It got ridiculously close to it. Actually the people we rented this from actually lost one of their horses to the fire! They couldn't get to him in time!! SO sad!!!

The Flood Pictures!


This is the road in front of our house!

This is the North side of the house! We have a river!!!

Front porch view of our road!

Our river! This is looking out of Jaycee's bedroom window to the North!

Our backyard!

Another view of the backyard!

And another!

River Rapids anyone?!