Waterparks, rainbows, fireworks and catching frogs. That what our summer is made of!

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like. We've been pretty busy here at our household! Jake and Grayson had their weekend getaway with their Yah-Yah and Papaw and had a ton of fun swimming with their cousins and hanging out doing crafts with Yah-Yah. We had a good time too, though I missed the boys terribly. Jason and I got to go have a nice dinner and go to the riverboat. We watched the fireworks and grilled out steaks and watched movies. We slept in and enjoyed our morning coffee together on the porch.

We have been busy visiting waterparks in Missouri. There are so many small parks that are perfect for the boys. We've been having play dates with friends and the boys have been fishing with Daddy and going to the racetrack (not gambling....watching the sprint cars! We've also enjoyed a few rainbows after some nice big rains. We spend our days at the pool while Daddy is working and the evening is spent looking for frogs and catching bugs out back. I do beleive this has been one fantastic summer and the best we've ever had.

We are awaiting a visit from Mamaw and Papaw. They are coming next weekend and will be taking Jake back to Indiana with them for a little bit of "spoiling" time for just Jake who has been anxiously awaiting this trip.

Grayson got his first big-boy haircut. He's had haircuts but this time we had it shaved and "styled". He was so excited.

Jake will be starting 2nd grade in August and Grayson will be going to pre-school this year. Both boys are looking forward to the start of school (and so am I)! Well, that is it for now. Enjoy the pics I am posting.

Not just brothers...best friends

Even though there is a 4 year age difference between Jake and Grayson they are the best of friends (99% of the time). They begin each day with a hug and kiss and that's how their day ends. The boys are getting their first weekend trip away from Jason and I. Yah-Yah and Papaw are meeting us halfway on Friday and the boys are spending two fun-filled days away from us (I'm not quite sure who will have more fun-Jason and I or the boys). I've had to talk to Grayson a little bit each day to prepare him, he's not used to being away from me. I have promised to pack a little suprise in their suitcases and Grayson has requested a camera so he can take pictures to "show me what he do".

Jason and I are excited to have some "alone" time but at the same time I feel my heart already aching. It's not that I've never been away from them, but never for two nights. We are planning to do some sightseening and have a "romantic" dinner. I imagine the conversation will turn into how much we miss the boys and then Jason convincing me that we are NOT driving 4 1/2 hours just to kiss them goodnight.

This trip also got me thinking about Jake's trip to stay with Grandma and Grandpa later in July. He's going for a whole week of alone time with them and is counting down the weeks. I'm glad he gets to have some special time and think he'll do fine but have a little bit of homesick but I think the rest of us back in Missouri will be lonesome. I'm not sure how Grayson will react because he's never been apart from Jake, except for some little over nighters here and there. I'm going to try to plan some fun just "Grayson and mommy" activities and some "daddy and Grayson" so he can feel like he is doing something special too while Jake is away. I think it will be a long week and alot of tears from Grayson because he will be missing his best friends.

What a month...root canal, a new dog and Jake has a "girlfriend" oh and throw in some friends visiting as well!

Sorry it's been so long since my last "blog". We've had quite a month. I had a root canal and don't remember them being so painful but that knocked me down for over a week and as luck would have it Jason was out of town!

On another note we got a dog. His name is Lucky Lou and he is a five-year old cocker spaniel. He is absolutley adorable and has blended right in with our crew. I will try to download some pictures soon.

Jake has a girlfriend, much to our dismay. He explained to us that at age 7 he is quite old enough to have one. We chatted briefly with him last night but Jason and I need to discuss this situation and figure out the appropriate way to talk to Jake about this. I am not ready to discuss the birds and the bees, as some friends of our had to, but I'm not keen on him calling someone his girlfriend. I know it sounds sweet but I don't want him trying to grow up any quicker and I want him to have fun and be a kid with no worries and no "heartbreak".

We had friends come to visit over the last weekend. It was a great time by all...4 adults and 4 kids staying up late and chatting and sightseeing by day. It was nice to have company. We miss them already. Well, it's almost 1:00 and I promised Grayson we would go to the pool so I must get ready. I'll try to blog soon and post some pics of Lucky Lou and the boys. Love you all.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY GRAYSON!

So I'll begin with the day you were born! Well, let's back up to before you were born. I can't imagine my life without you now. You bring laughter, joy and you completed our family. I'll admit, we were not planning on having any more babies. You were a complete suprise and I think I was in shock for a couple of weeks when we found out we were expecting you. Mommy found out on September 7th. I was sure you were going to be a girl. I had the name Gracie all picked out. You were a fun pregnancy (though I don't know anyone else would agree because I whined alot) but you were always moving and jumping around in mommy's tummy. We found out you were a boy when we had our ultrasound at "Before the Stork". I was so excited to know that Jake was going to have a brother and that day we decided your name would be Grayson Alexander Dominique Ketcham. We didn't realize just how well your name would suit you until you were born. You made your debut three years ago today. I woke up on Sunday morning, May 16th not feeling so great. I was having alot of contractions but not close enough together to go to the hospital. Daddy was working. Jake and I spent the afternoon at a park while he was riding his bike. We came home and I was still feeing yucky. Uncle Damon and Aunt Amy offered Jake and I to come stay over there if we wanted so we'd be closer to the hospital. I figured it was just a false alarm anyway and we stayed home. We still had one week until your "due date". Daddy came home and that night contractions were a little closer together. We called mamaw and papaw and yah-yah and papaw to put them on "alert". We went to bed and daddy and Jake fell fast asleep. It was about 10:30 p.m. I had just fallen asleep and I heard a "pop" and all of a sudden my water broke! I was so excited and scared. We knew it was time. We called the dr., called everyone. We loaded Jake up and took off for Bloomington Hospital. The contractions were rough and it hurt but I was so excited I could barely wait. We arrived at the hopsital and yah-yah and papaw met us. Papaw took Jake out to Aunt Kellan's to spend the night. Mamaw and Papaw got to the hospital about 11:00. The Dr. came in and thought it was going to be a while. Mamaw ended up getting sick so they had to leave at about 2:30. The nurse came in and me, daddy and Yah-Yah were all sleeping just a bit. I was feeling strange and when the nurse checked mommy, sure enough you were ready to head out of mommy's belly! It happened so quickly. You were born at 3:14 a.m. on Monday, May 17th, 2004. I can't explain to you what I felt when I saw your face. You looked EXACTLY like your brother Jake. You weighed 6 1bs and 7 oz and were 19 1/2 inches long. You were beautiful. The nurse placed you on my chest and you looked right at me. How amazing you were and still are. I don't think I slept at all that day just holding you. Your brother came to visit you at about 11:00 that day. You have the BEST big brother ever. He fell instantly in love with you and has been your buddy since the day you were born. He helped take care of you, giving you a pacifier when you cried. Stroking your face. He loved to hold you (with mommy's help). Even today Jake is so loving and gently with you and it melts my heart when I watch you two together. How did I get so lucky. Happy Birthday to my unexpected suprise that I thank God for every day. I am the luckiest mother.

Because that's How God made me...

The following is a conversation Jason and I had with Jake on the way home from the Ozarks on Sunday.

Me to Jason: I hope those weren't poisnous frogs you and Jake caught on the hike.

Jason: I doubt it.

Jake: No, mommy, there are two kinds of poisonous frogs. One is red/black and the other is green/red (I may have gotten these colors confused and Jake is not here at the moment to set me straight).

Me: Jake, how do you know so much about bugs, frogs and all those animals/reptiles?

Jake: That's just how God made me. Kevin knows alot about dinosaurs so that's how God made him.

Me and Jason look at one another and grin. God sure did creat two beautiful little boys for this world.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a really good mother's day this year, even though it was the first year I've never spent mother's day with my own mom, it was very enjoyable. We decided to drive to the Ozark's and go hiking. We stopped at a few parks, we hiked, we caught a minnow and two frogs. We stopped in a little town on the way home to eat dinner and as we continued driving we saw a little creek with a little bridge, something that looked fun to get out and maybe wade in a bit with the kids. The boys had a blast for about 15-20 minutes and then as Grayson and I were standing with Jason on a rock and Jake was off to the side splashing around Grayson says "wook, mama, a snake". Well, that did it. Jason cornered it in the water so I could get the boys out and we dried off and headed home! It was a fun and tiring day and a Mother's Day well spent with my hubby and kids!

Frogger...our pet frog

Well, we had a pet frog. Jake is known for "catching" frogs no matter where he is. He can spot them a mile away. Normally they escape after a day. This one lasted three whole days (but in Jake's defense, Grayson let it go). Jake likes to scare the bejibbers out of me with the frogs. I don't want them near me. It doesn't bother me that the boys hold them (as long as they are washing their hands after) but I don't want it jumping on me. Jake was almost grounded indefinatly once when a frog was "set free" in our minivan while I was driving. I got some great pictures of the boys and "frogger" before he was set loose.