What we have been up to~

I think we have finally gotten back into the swing of things around here! YAY! Actually, it wasn't too bad adjusting back to life in Oklahoma. We have had some pretty hot weather, though. I am ready for September to arrive! This past week we puppy-sat for our neighbors. They attended a wedding in Bannf, Canada. Their lab dog had babies a week before they left. It was quite the week to say the least. The lab is an outside dog so she isn't use to being confined into places. After the first day of our neighbors being gone, we knew for our sanity we had to move her into closed quarters. So we took our kennel over to the neighbors' shop and moved her and the 7 puppies indoors. We did loose one puppy! I was heartbroken, but there wasn't anything we could have done. The little puppy was smaller then its siblings and therefore was a little weaker. I think Gracie, the mom, smothered the puppy when she crawled in the kennel to feed the puppies. Our neighbors were totally fine and just thankful we were around to help. Still, its sad to find a little puppy dead. I was just thankful I had went over in the morning while Byron was still home so the kids didn't have to see it. The 6 remaining puppies are doing very well! I can't wait for them to be a few weeks older, we will be able to get some really cute pics of them with the kids!!!

Its been nice that we haven't had much to do since we got home from Washington. Jackson had a problem at first with sleeping in his room. While we were in Washington I slept with the kids every night. So he thought that would continue at home. He is getting better. The past 2 nights he has slept all night in his bed. He usually falls asleep in his floor and then I move him to his bed. I always put him in his bed to start, but he thinks he needs to be a little independent and decide where he falls asleep. Parenting is a lot about picking your battles and that is one I don't feel like picking!!! He goes to sleep so that is all that matters!!!

The kids had gotten off of their eating routine while we were away. They got to eat on the run the whole time. Jackson didn't have to sit strapped into to a chair. They got lots of treats and snacks. That is what vacation is for. For us to do things out of the ordinary and have a good time! So we have cut out all snacks now during the day. They eat breakfast and get one sippy cup of milk in the morning, no refills. They can have water. They eat lunch. Then after they eat dinner then they can have snacks. It has been working great. They have both been cleaning their plates at lunch and dinner!

We also have a new niece! Baby Gwendolyn arrived in the United States on July 11th. She is now with her forever family! YAY!!! She is such a little cutie! She is doing very well adjusting to her new life! We are praising Jesus that she is here and that the transition for Phil and Amanda has gone so well!!! We look forward to meeting her! Jaycee and Jackson are super excited to have another cousin! I think her official name forever in our house will be Baby Gwendolyn. I get corrected anytime I say her name without having "Baby" in front of it!

I still need to post pics from our trip! Maybe I can do that some time today! We will see!!! Have a great day!!!

Blogging-I think I forgot how?!

I truly apologize for the lack of blogging!!! I really have good reasons though! Our internet is still pretty hit and miss. We have been debating what we should do. The company we are with is really bad as far as customer service. We keep hearing rumors of them adding more towers around here, but haven't seen any evidence of that. We have looked into other options that would work probably a lot better, but its just pulling the trigger on it. We want it, but we don't want the higher price!!! UGH!!! The one we would really like to have is $30 more a month then what we are paying now. That is the lowest plan they have. I know that we would definitely get our money's worth because, I could blog a lot more, it would be dependable, we could actually Skype with Nana and Papa, but its still hard to fathom paying $70 for internet service!!! At the moment, we have decided to hold off just a little longer from making the decision. Byron is working so much right now he isn't really home to use it. With it being summer we are busy outside a lot more. Maybe by Fall either our service provider now will have fixed their problem or we will pull the trigger on paying more money!!!

On to other stuff! We had a great time on our vacation to Washington! It was fabulous seeing all of our friends and family! How we miss you all so very much! We are so thankful that you all took time out of your busy schedule to see us. You all have such precious and beautiful families!

The kids are adjusting quite well from our trip. I think we are finally settled back into our everyday routine of life. Wednesday was a hard day for us. I was exhausted. Jaycee had a really rough day. She is now of age that she comprehends how far we are away from our family and friends. She cried a lot that day! She just kept telling me how much she missed everyone! It broke my heart to see her that way. So we kept it pretty low key around here that day!

Thursday, I mowed at my grandparents' house. The kids played there for a while and then spent the afternoon at my parents. Which was lovely for me b/c I was able to go grocery shopping in peace! I think I was in Wal-Mart for an hour and half! HA!!! I just took my sweet precious time!!! My mom brought the kids home that evening and Jackson had fallen asleep on the ride home which was around 6:30. He slept til 7:30 the next morning!!!

Yesterday, we hung around the house and then went over to the Garrett Family's house last night. It was so wonderful to see them! They just got into their new home! Its beautiful!!! The kids had a great time playing with the 2 Garrett boys!!!

I will do my best to post more frequently! I am really embarrassed I only had one post last month!!!

Sorry!

I have been quite the slacker in blogging! Please, forgive me! To let you know its not because I haven't wanted to, its because our internet has been horrible. We have had lots of problems with it for the past month. We are looking into other options to solve this problem. At the same time, there aren't a ton of options to look at it, it just comes down to do we really want to spend a ton of money on installation and all of that fun stuff. Just one of the down sides of living in the sticks! Anyways, here is a quick update of what we are doing these days!!!! (Hopefully, at the end I can get it to post!)

We are all doing well! Last week I had gotten a stomach virus and was down for most of the week. Thankfully, I am 100% better now and can actually enjoy my food again! Jackson had eye problems last week. He had stayed with my parents and gotten sand in his eyes. All last week he had blood shot eyes and gooey stuff coming out! Definitely not fun at all and every morning it took several minutes before he could see. We are glad to have all that stuff over with now.

Byron has a second job. He has been hired by some friends at church to wire their house. Its just a temporary job, but its nice to have the extra income. We miss him like crazy though around here. He usually goes over there at least 2 nights during the week and then spends all day Saturday there. This week and next he will pretty much be over there every night since we leave on June 26th for vacation. Vacation will be extra special for us being able to be around Byron everyday for 11 days!!! The first week of Byron working the second job was pretty hard on the kids. They are doing better, but they still miss him a lot. They both take naps during the day now since the sun drains them, but also that helps them to stay awake longer at night so they can see their Daddy when he comes home. Jaycee refuses to go to bed without seeing her Daddy. He always puts her down and she will not give that up at all!!!

This week we are taking care of my parents and grandparents' places. They are both gone to Arkansas, but are in different locations. My parents took Kiley and Keely to church camp and Ma & Pa are going to a Bluegrass Festival. So we are in charge of gathering the mail and keeping plants and flowers alive!!!

Next week we will be busy getting everything together for vacation!!! YAY! We are so excited about going to Nana & Papa's house. We can't wait to spend time with our family and friends and just relax. I know Byron is really looking forward to just hanging out and relaxing. He definitely deserves that since he has been working a lot lately.

Well, I think that is it for now. Just wanted you all to know that we are still alive in Oklahoma. Sorry, that I haven't been able to leave lots of comments on all of your blogs!!! Its very frustrating! I know that in a week and half I will see many of you and get to chat face to face! I so can't wait!!! Have a blessed week!!!

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?!