The Basement Reveal

The first room I always like to put together when we move is the playroom. It was seriously eating at me that I couldn't put the playroom together until 4 weeks after we moved in! After the flooding incident the day before we took possession, the basement had been unusable. Well, we did have the TV, futon and some of the toys we had brought to the house in early May when we came. But the majority of the toys stayed like this....

Until finally, July 2nd, the basement was finished! I couldn't wait to tear into those boxes and make a playroom!!! Of course, I'd been imaginary planning it since the day we looked at the house. I was a little bummed my mental plans didn't quite measure out how I had hoped. And after moving the furniture around a few- ok, 5- times I think I finalized the layout (for now).

 I couldn't believe how much bigger this room was than our OK playroom. Like twice as big, with twice as big of a closet (I didn't take a picture of that, although I'm kicking myself for not, because its just as awesome!). The boys looked at their toys like it was Christmas! So many things that haven't seen since April! Oh did they have fun!!!

Grant said he wanted to a place to display his creations, so I used this extra cubby shelf, and he now refers to it as his personal Lego musuem. I still need to hang wall art up- I have a few things, just need to figure out where- and I should be finished! I LOVE IT!!!

The rest of the basement looks good too.  We love the hangout space it gives us! The boys love the freedom to play all over the floor and watch their TV shows downstairs!! Now if only we could do something about the lime green walls, ick!

 And its hard to tell from the first picture, but this kitchen was hiding under all those boxes! It's the perfect place to set up a smorgasbord of snacks on pool party days or to spread out and do some craft projects!!

 It feels wonderful to have this space done and usable!!! We love hanging out down there!!! I can imagine the boys being teenagers and having their friends down there. I pray that our house becomes the cool hangout someday!!

ER VisitS

Notice, I made that a plural? Yep, since we moved here the end of May, we have made 3 trips to the ER for one boy or the other.

The first came the end of May, when Wyatt slipped on our hardwood floors and hit the back of his head and started vomiting a short time later. It was a Saturday afternoon, so we headed to the ER. They didn't do anything for him other than monitor him closely for a few hours. They didn't think he had a concussion, thank goodness! He still talks about how he "rattled his brain." Everytime we drive by OPR, he says, "Theres the hospital I went to!" I guess it was a proud moment for him!!!

And most recently, and I'm talking this week, Grant went to the ER twice. I couldn't believe it!!

So, Wednesday night, I was determined to get the boys to bed at 7pm. We'd had late nights, busy days, and cranky boys. So we were on schedule, brushing teeth and going to the bathroom at 6:45. While I'm brushing Wyatt's teeth, Grant is horsing around, as usual, pretending he's going to cannonball into the toilet. Well, he misjudged his cannonball, and actually wound up bashing his chin on the rim of the toilet, immediately busting his scar open (from his previous chin bashing). The second I saw it, I knew we had an ER trip in our future. So I called my mom and her meet us there, so she could bring Wyatt home and get him settled. Grant was very worried he was going to be poked with a needle, but we got good news when they said they could glue it back together. It did sting while the glued him, and he cried for a second, but he held it together. The doctors all got a kick out of him and his crazy story. Seriously, cannonball into a toilet? I don't think they'd heard that one...

And the next night, we returned to the ER. I kept saying, Levi won't believe this!!

So I was out to dinner with my dad while the boys went to the park with Mimi. They raced around the corner to the firetruck park, and when Mimi caught up and turned the corner, she saw Grant on the ground, saying, "I can't walk." He'd got tangled up in the little jungle gym letters- basically, his leg went through the bars and his body went over it, meaning his leg stayed straight when it should've bent. So once I got back from dinner, seeing how he couldn't bear any weight on it and the fact that he was shivering from the pain, I decided we needed to go to the ER. Again. Wyatt got an impromptu sleepover at Mimi's, so he was happy. When we got to the hospital, most of the same staff was there and joked with him, asking if he attempted another toilet cannonball. They did Xrays and couldn't find anything alarming. But after doing some motion tests on him, they recommended that we see an orthopedic specialist the next day to confirm. So they splinted him up and prescribed him crutches (since they didn't have any small enough). He felt pretty cool to have a "cast" on AND he got wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair. 

 And since he couldn't walk, I had to carry all 49 pounds of him from the car all the way upstairs. I decided that since he couldn't walk on his own, he needed to be in my room in case he needed anything, so I pulled his mattress into my room and got him all settled. It was almost 11pm by the time we got settled, so even though the splint was uncomfortable, he crashed til 8am the next day!

And yesteray, after dealing with Tricare, a trip to his new pediatrician, and multiple phone calls with Tricare, we did go to the orthopedic specialist late afternoon, and he took HD xrays and he concluded that there is nothing torn, broken, or fractured. Its just sore and swollen and he should get better and better each day! He was walking a little bit on it this morning, bearing a little weight on it. I'm hoping tomorrow he will be even better. I just thank the Lord for keeping him safe, because I know this could've gone a different route for sure! I hate seeing my little guy not be able to walk/run/play like usual! Although don't think for a second this has slowed him down- he's relearned the art of crawling! 

Now, I need to start shopping for life helmets and padded walls. 

Lots and Lots of Swimming

Having a pool in our backyard might be the best thing about this house!!!! We went to the base pool nearly every day the past two summers. We'd load up the swim bag, throw the life jackets and swim rings in the trunk, pull out the towels, and drive to base....just to unload it all and carry it all the way across the parking lot through the entire pool area just to get to the kiddie pool. It was kind of a pain, although worth it to swim for a few hours. But to just walk out our back door and get in the pool is pretty amazing!

Never in our wildest dreams did Levi and I think we would be pool owners, but we are so so thankful we are! Although this summer hasn't been scorching hot (yet, I'm sure) the pool has been used just about everyday, and many days- multiple times a day! 

Since the day they jumped in for the first time, until today, they have made major swimming progress!! Grant was hesitant to swim around without his life jacket and certainly wasn't eager to play with diving toys at first. But now, his favorite thing is to dive down to the bottom, swim across the pool floor, and do it all again! He is quite the swimmer. We did start private swimming lessons last week, and he has been working on swimming in the deep end without his life jacket too. He's doing amazing! Wyatt is still fearful and cries most times his face gets wet. He loves swimming and loves to be in the pool with his life jacket. He will go anywhere in the pool with that on, but the second that comes off, hes got a death grip on whoever he is with. Swimming lessons have been good for him though. He's learning how to blow bubbles, swim with a noodle to the deep end without his life jacket, back float, and his teacher has even dunked him a few times. He cries about 1/2 the time, but after each session, he says how much fun he had! So I know he wants to do it, he's just stubborn! Glad I'm not the one teaching him!

We love the pool and I feel so fortunate to be able to enjoy it with my boys!!

It's Time To Go

We knew the day was coming, as its been in the back of our minds since February. It's one thing to think how the day will play out, but its always different when it becomes real. I mean, we've done this a few other times, so you would think I knew how I'd be feeling. But since the end of April, we've had so much time together to just enjoy each other, work on house projects, and just be a family. Something we didn't get a lot of in Oklahoma. So being in our new house, it was so great with Levi being on leave, just enjoying our time together. Which is why saying goodbye was that much harder. 

A few days before he left, we went on a final date. Well, it seemed like a first date really because neither one of us could really remember that last time we had a true date night together. We dropped the boys at my parents in the afternoon, enjoyed soaking in the pool together, and then went for a couples massage! Then we came home and got all dressed up and headed to Hereford House, where we shared a bottle of wine and ate until we were completely stuffed! It was amazing! 

We spent the next two days packing, last minute shopping, swimming, and snuggling!

 And then the morning came to head to the airport. It was hard knowing the long journey was about to begin, and knowing the boys were oblivious to what they were about to embark on. As Levi went to check in for his flight, the boys and I sat down to wait. This nice old lady asked the boys if they were getting ready to go on a trip. Grant replied that his dad was leaving for a deployment for one year. Up until that point, my eyes had stayed dry, but then I lost it. The lady walked over to me, held my hand and said that her husband had been in the Army for over 20 years while she stayed home and raised 3 boys. She knew my pain. And then she said, "The good Lord will see you through." And then she prayed for me and the boys. She was this little angel God had waiting for me at the airport to help me through this time.

As we walked down to Levi's gate, I just couldn't imagine how this next year will be. Without my best friend, my other half. But Grant kept saying, "Don't cry Mom. Dad's done this three other times already. Its going to be ok." My little rock- well really, people showing emotions makes Grant really uncomfortable, so really he wanted me to stop crying for himself- but I used it as a sign to be strong for my little fellas.They snuggled Levi one last time, happy as could be- oh to be blissfully ignorant! After I watched Levi walk through the gate, I had my moment, and then I picked myself up and the boys and I started our journey in strength and faith. 

Because like my angel said, "The good Lord will see us through." And I know that to be true!

Our Dear Friends

I remember the first time I met them. It was summer 2012. We were hanging out at the Enid Public Library. A spunky little girl with blonde pigtails and an inquisitive little boy with red hair were bouncing around. I instantly wondered if they were going to go to Grant's preschool in the fall. I didn't introduce myself to their mom like I usually would do, but they were with other friends, so I didn't want to intrude. But I remembered them. And then I saw them at Grant's preschool orientation two months later and I was so happy to finally meet that little girl with the pigtails, Gracie Beth, and her mom, Lori!! 

Grant and Gracie seemed to have an instant connection. Grant didn't talk about too many people from school early on, a few names here and there, but one name I heard more than once was Gracie. He liked that their names sounded and looked similar and he LOVED her braids, or "brains" as he called them.  I took their first picture together, by Grant's request....

And somehow, I can't even explain how it all unfolded, but Gracie's mom, Lori and I became instant friends as well. I don't even remember the moment we exchanged phone numbers or anything like that. It's just like we were friends from the start. Maybe it was the fact that Lori and I had sooooo much in common- I mean, her middle name is Beth, she was a former teacher, scrapbooker, blogger, family photo taker, our kids are the same age, love a good holiday theme, and I could go on and on. And the best part is- both our kids were instant friends too! And over the last 2 years, we've been enjoying lots of playdates!! 

And not only did Grant and Gracie form an instant friendship, but Wyatt and Luke did too!! They could literally play together ALL DAY LONG and never get bored or tired of each other!!! 

And once little Jace came along, he fit perfectly into the bunch as well!! 

I knew moving away from Enid was going to be hard. But leaving these friends was unimaginable, for all of us. Although, we are so fortunate to only live a quick 4 hour drive from them, we know the playdates can continue for years to come, just not weekly like we got accustomed to. We are truly blessed by their friendship, faith, and fellowship. Knowing that Lori is just a text away makes it easier to get through the distance! 

We love you W family!!!!

The 4th of July

We knew from the day we looked at this house, that if it became ours, we would be hosting a 4th of July party! And we did just that!!! 

After running a few errands that morning- because you can't have a 4th of July party without a working water slide and an DQ ice cream cake- the fam all gathered together about noon to enjoy the beautiful day!!! Sun, fun, music, and food makes a good day turn into a great day!!

 We swam and ate the day away, blue frosted cupcakes included!! Everyone started parting ways about 6:00, which was ok! The boys were exhausted and we knew they weren't going to last much longer anyway. We started hearing lots of firecrackers around the neighborhood, so we assumed that even though there is a strict "no fireworks" rule, they didn't mean it that much. So we went to the driveway to do a few little things we had leftover from the night before- sparklers, light up spinny things, and a small fountain or two. Just the perfect way to celebrate the good old USA!!!

We got the boys in bed shortly after 8, so Levi and I enjoyed the pool to ourselves, and then watched the neighborhood fireworks from our deck. Neighbors to our left and right were both lighting off some pretty good displays, and we could see the Great Mall fireworks right between the trees in the backyard! It was a great way to end our wonderful day. 

The 4th of July will always be a special day for Levi and I, as we consider it the day we started our relationship- back in 2004. So this was our 10 year anniversary of us being together as a couple!! We were so happy to be spending it together!!! We should have taken a selfie to commemorate, but we failed...darn!

The 3rd of July

We were shocked when we found out we couldn't even do sparklers on the 4th of July. How can you celebrate the USA without sparklers? It just wouldn't do for us. So we headed out to Old Papa's farm on the 3rd of July to blow up some fireworks!! We used to do that when we were younger, so it felt right to let the boys in on the tradition as well!! 

We met Sara, Eric, and the boys for dinner at Red Robin before heading down to the farm. After a few stops along the way to stock up on fireworks, we made it to the farm just before dusk. The boys couldn't wait to start blowing stuff up, so we started with sparklers and smoke bombs to ease the ants in their pants. 

 Eric and Levi coordinated the fireworks, while Sara and I sat back and watched. Mason and Luke did their fair share of lighting off their own fireworks. Wyatt loved the sparklers and ooooohhing and aaaahhhing over everything. Grant loved sparklers too and he loved watching the big fireworks, but he spent alot of time doing this....

 We did lots of parachutes, fountains, light up-and-spinny-on-the-ground thingys, and lots of things that went pop. It was a great show and alot of fun!! 

 The farm is one of my favorite places to be, so being there with all the boys, my family, and being with Levi on his favorite holiday, was just a great time!! This picture I got of Grant just makes me smile!! Such a happy place with lots of happy memories and I'm so happy we got to make more on the 3rd of July!! I think I see a new tradition in the making!!

New House Stuff

Well, its now mid-July and we've been in our house for almost 2 months, 3 months if you include from the time we closed. We are pretty much settled in and loving our space!! We still have alot of things to hang and have to decide on final resting places for some pieces of furniture, but it feels like home! We've made a few changes/additions- as I'm sure we will be doing for the next 30 years- but a few touches that have changed the house dramatically!

We got this air hockey table someone was selling on FB. When we went to pick it up, they wound up giving it to us for free, as it was given to them, they wanted to pass it along. It's not a perfect table, but its perfect for a 4 and 6 year old boy!! We've had some fun tournaments already!! It was the perfect addition to our "game room" part of the basement....which is going to be a whole post in itself! 

 I changed out all the existing hardware in the main floor kitchen, bathrooms, and living room built ins. I replaced 48 handles!! And it made SUCH a huge difference!

We planted lots of baby trees in the back yard and up by the pool. So in twenty years from now, we will have some privacy in the back!

I learned how to mow the grass! I have to admit, I was scared to DEATH to use that riding mower, but after a few times I feel like I'm a semi-professional! Nevermind it takes me 4 hours because I have to stop and check on the boys every hour, and the fact our yard is ginormous. They've been so good though, never once coming out to interrupt me!  

 One of the biggest changes in our garage doors. The old ones were the worst- the little one didn't even open. And it had a dog door cut out of it. The big door was so saggy in the middle, everytime I opened my trunk in the garage, it would scrape the bottom of the garage door. I knew this was something I could not wait any longer to take care of, so it was our first major purchase for the house. And it was so worth it! Look at those beauties!!

And last but not least, we got new living room furniture! Once we got our basement finished up, we knew we needed furniture down there, and since our existing couch and chair were quite old, we figured it was time to retire them to the basement and get some grown-up furniture upstairs. After 6 trips to NFM, we finally bit the bullet and took these guys home with us! I've since moved the furniture...twice...because I'm just like that. But we love it and it makes our living room feel so warm and cozy. Now, if I could do something about that paint...

...and by that, I mean the paint in the rest of the house we have yet to paint...because really, I want to paint every square inch!