The Mog Blog

Don't Cry Over Spilled Cheerios... Eat Them with Your Brother Instead

2012-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

52:6

Grace spilled some Cheerios on the floor and was quite devastated about it; until Owen came speed crawling to the rescue. He started munching away and Grace decided to join him. All was well again.

And since I missed last week...

52:5

Yes, I am making a ridiculous face, but the expression on my daughters face makes it all worth it.

Highlight of Visiting Grandma...

2012-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Jumping on the bed.

Seeing Grandma and Papa is pretty cool too.

10 Months

2012-02-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

22.5 lbs

Makes the cutest "monkey" face

Is standing on his own

LOVES soup, and I mean screams if there is pause between the spoonfuls entering his mouth
Just got his second haircut
Very happy, content personality

Reality

2012-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

52:4

Just so you know, reality happens to be the picture on the left about 70% of the time. I like having a clean house. A place for everything and everything in its place. However, after my two lovely children were born, there wasn't quite as much time for cleaning, and a whole lot more messes. I do still love a clean kitchen/house, so every-once-in-a-while my kitchen looks like the one on the right.

"Good moms have sticky floors, messy kitchens, laundry piles, dirty ovens, and happy kids." - Lovely quote I found on Pintrest

I thought I would also share the lyrics of one of my favorite songs:
(I tried to find an audio version to imbed, but the only ones I could find had random family photos of people I don't know attached to them. And apparently, uploading my own copy of the song onto blogger is WAY too complicated and not worth the time.)

Sacred
by Caedmon's Call

This house is a good mess
It's the proof of life
No way would I trade jobs
But it don't pay overtime

I'll get to the laundry
I don't know when
I'm saying a prayer tonight
Cause tomorrow it starts again

Could it be that everything is sacred?
And all this time
Everything I've dreamed of
Has been right before my eyes

The children are sleeping
But they're running through my mind
The sun makes them happy
And the music makes them unwind

My cup runneth over
And I worry about the stain
Teach me to run to You
Like they run to me for every little thing

When I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
To feed the garden

Wake up, little sleeper
The Lord, God Almighty
Made your Mama keeper
So rise and shine
Rise and shine cause

Everything is sacred
And all this time
Everything I've dreamed of
Has been right before my eyes

First Snow

2012-01-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

52:3

This last week, Salem has experienced some crazy weather. Sunday, we woke up to snow. It snowed again on Monday, then proceeded to rain for the next three days. On Thursday, we woke up to major flooding. Most of Turner was underwater, and I saw some pretty amazing pictures of the parts of Salem surrounding Mill Creek (although I didn't venture out to see for myself).

Motivated by some unfortunate flooding in a friends basement, we decided to check our crawl space. When we moved into the house, there as a sump pump that didn't work. We purchased a new one intending to install it that first summer, which, of course, never happened. I kind of wondered why the pump was even there in the first place. Well, I now know.

Good news: we had a brand new sump pump in the garage. Bad news: the water in the crawl space was too high to install it. Since Joe and I are both rather clever and resourceful, we came up with a solution involving a garden hose and Gorilla Tape. Worked like a charm. We saved our forced air ducts and our garage from the impending doom.

Quite the week of weather. Now I think it's time for a warm, sunny spell.

Balloons

2012-01-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

My sister gave me a bag of balloons for Christmas to use as props for my photography. Grace found the bag while I was cleaning and asked if I would blow one up for her. I decided, "what the heck?" Of course Owen needed his own too (two year olds don't really like to share, and I had a whole bag). Since they were meant for photo props, I grabbed my camera and started shooting. Here are a few of my favorites:

I can't decide if I like this one better in color or black and white. So I'll just show you both.

I had a really hard time choosing my ultimate favorite for week two of Project 52, but I did manage to narrow it down. See my last post for the "winning" photo.

Play Time

2012-01-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

52:2
Yup, I'm already behind. It's okay though, I did take this picture last week. It was just living on my camera until tonight.

I love playing with my kids. It never gets old... Okay, maybe it gets just a little old when they are jumping all over me and it starts to hurt. But that only lasts a moment, and it doesn't change the fact that I love getting down on the floor with Grace and Owen.
And I kinda like that the rug needs vacuuming. C'est la vraie vie - It's real life.

9 Months

2012-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

21.5 lbs - 30 in

Has two more teeth (finally) for a total of four - His first front tooth showed up a few days before Christmas and the second one popped through about a week ago
Cruises all over the house getting into everything
Loves attention
Loves mama and his sister, and constantly looks for affirmation from his dad
Has recently been throwing his head back when laughing
Has utterly and completely stolen my heart

For proof of his mobility here is a sequence of events that took place while I tried to take his nine month picture.

Possibly My Favorite Time of Day

2012-01-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

One of my friends is doing something called Project 52; which, in a nutshell, means, she is posting a picture a week on her blog for an entire year. I thought it was such a cool idea I decided to join her in her endeavor. I have contemplated trying to take a picture a day for a month before (a year would be nice, but I am somewhat of a realist), but thought it would be easier to do a picture a week. Then if I miss I day, no biggie. Here is week one:

I think breakfast time may be my favorite time of the day. Grace, Owen, and I all sit down together and eat our chosen entree. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we sing, sometimes we act silly, and sometimes we do all three. I love starting the day like this. I am so thankful staying home with my kids makes moments like these possible.

Five Days and Counting...

2011-12-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

....till Christmas of course.

Merry Christmas

Grace's Singing Debut

2011-12-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday Grace sang "Away in a Manger" and "Praise Him, Praise Him, All You Little Children." She didn't actually sing, but she did all the motions. I was/am one proud mama.

And for your viewing pleasure:

7 & 8 Months

2011-12-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit behind on the monthly updates; which, I figure, is totally fine since in blogging land, monthly updates about your kids are not as interesting as other topics.

Owen's 7 Month Picture (isn't he cute?) -

Not sure how much he weighs since it had been a month since his check-up, but I'll just say:

Really Heavy

Got his first tooth around November 3rd, and his second one came through on 11-11-11.
Got his first haircut
Is busy following his sister all over the house
Still working on sleeping through the night. He's a lot better then a month ago, but things like teething and colds keep things interesting.

8 Months -

Still not sure how much he weighs, but it's even more... I'm fairly certain he only has a few pounds to go to catch up with his sister.

His favorite toys are the broom and a styrofoam sword. We play "cut-cut" with the sword: A game where he cuts mommy or daddy and we pretend to die. He thinks it's hilarious and I'll do just about anything to hear his laugh.
He would not sit still for this picture, but he doesn't really sit still for anything. I gave him Christmas lights thinking that would help. It didn't. But I'm a pretty gifted photographer, so I snapped this bad-boy and called it good. ;)
He loves his blanky.
He chews with his hands. This one is hard to explain. You really can't get the full effect unless you see it. But in an attempt to explain: He squeezes his little fists, which actually look like the sign for milk, for those of you who know some sign language, as if doing this will make the food go down faster. Trust me on this, it's cute.

Jingle On My Knee

2011-12-10T22:42:00.001-08:00

I caught Grace singing this beautiful song in the car the other day and I had to share: "Jingle bell, jingle bells, jingle on my knee..." Too cute.

She is also learning the motions to "Away in the Manger" at Sunday school. I might make her do it for me every day. Although, being two, she doesn't always comply.

And on a completely unrelated to Christmas note... Joe was shopping with Grace today when she informed him that all the milk was gone. Perplexed, he turned around and found her pointing to the jugs filled with distilled water. Yes, Grace it does appear that all the milk is gone. Love you girl!

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-09T08:49:00.001-08:00

I have such good memories of our advent calendar as a child. Our countdown was a green cloth calendar with pockets and a little mouse that helped you keep track of the days. My mom would fill each spot with a small candy or piece of gum (if I remember right, gum was Andrea's favorite). My sister and I would look forward to each new day and the candy that awaited us.
This year I decided, with a little help from Pintrest, to make an advent calendar for my family. It was quite the undertaking; mostly because I waited until November 29th to start the project. Needless to say, I stayed up way to late one night, sewing my little fingers off. The end product was well worth the effort.


Here I tried to capter myself slaving away at the sewing machine, but couldn't quite get the right angle. ;) So I took a picture of my sewing machine instead.

Here is one of the little bags after the sewing and ironing process was finished. I discovered he burlap is really hard to iron, but not impossible.

I decided to hand paint all the numbers to complete my rustic look.

Here is the finished product hanging in our dining room window.

Here is another one in the daylight. It was hard to get a good picture at night with all the glare.

... and a couple more close ups with all the goodies inside.

After filling my bags with goodies I also included a different activity for each day. There were some great ideas out there in interweb-land, but I had to pick and choose to make our activities two year old friendly. I imagine adding more and different activities each year as my kids get older. Here is a list of what I used:

Watch It’s a Wonderful Life or Elf, make spiced cider.

Make ChristmasCookies for friends.

Send Christmas Cardsto Costco

Read a new Christmasbook

Make a Christmascraft

Make Thick HotChocolate and Marshmallows

Have a picnic in theliving room – eat ham sandwichesand watch a Christmas movie

Put up a ribbon sashfor Christmas cards

Give neighbors apresent

Put up a wreath

Make a Gingerbreadhouse

Make a popcorngarland

Make hot chocolateand read a Christmas book

Sing (or listen) tofavorite Christmas songs

Drive around to seeneighborhood lights

Read Christmas storyfrom the Bible

Make a familytraditional dessert

Eat out at a festiverestaurant

Build a fire and tellstories of childhood Christmas

Have a candlelitdinner by the Christmas tree

Make sugar cookies

Have a fulltraditional breakfast while listening to Christmas music

Find snow to play in

Go to the Festival ofLights Parade: Keizer – 7:00 pm

Go to Target and pickout a new family ornament

Write a letter toSanta

Pick out ourChristmas tree

Learn about holidaysin another culture

Go see Santa

So far the countdown has been a hit. Every morning after breakfast we open another bag, enjoy the treat, and plan that day's activity. In fact, I think it's time to open another bag...

My Handsome Little O' Man

2011-11-15T22:31:00.001-08:00

First Haircut

Before:

After:

God's Provision

2011-11-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

I alluded to a bittersweet blessing a couple posts back and by no means meant to be cryptic. It's not my style to be secretive, but the reason I didn't reveal what was going on was because Joe had not yet told his students what was happening.

Our blessing was a new job for Joe. It was bittersweet because it meant leaving a great school and great students, but it was also an answer to prayer. For the past three years we have been monthly dipping into our savings just to survive. It's humbling to know that every month's paycheck is still hundreds of dollars short of your absolute necessities. I cannot tell you about many times we were blessed beyond our expectations in how God provided for our needs. While I would never choose to be in the situation we were in, I learned so much through it. Above all, again and again, we were shown just how good God is, and that when He promises He will provide, He will. But all that to say, after much prayer, we knew we needed to start pursuing other job opportunities.

This pursuit might mean having to move out of state to find a teaching job or having to work somewhere outside of the field of education. I was willing to move, but I love our church and we have an amazing small group we attend, and I hated the thought of leaving. I prayed and told God I was willing to leave, but if possible, could we please stay in Salem? Then one Wednesday night, two months into the school year, Joe got a phone call from a friend from church who told us there was a job opening at an online school, but it closed in three hours. So Joe jumped on the computer and finished his application just in time. It was a shot in the dark, but what's one more job application? The next day, Thursday, he got a call and did an interview over the phone. He was then asked to come in for a face-to-face interview on Tuesday. The interview went great, but the new school would have to wait a minimum of two weeks before Joe could start, so that his current school could find a replacement for him. Because of this, we were unsure whether they would want to hire him. However, later that night he got a call: they wanted to hire Joe and were willing to wait the two weeks. Since it was an online school, he would be working from home, and there would be about a $10,000 a year "raise." Joe's current school was amazing and agreed that it was a God thing, and not only let Joe leave, but sent him off with many well wishes. We couldn't have asked for a better reaction.

It has been three weeks now and things are going great. Joe is still working at catching up with all the grading he inherited coming in halfway through the semester, but so far he loves his new job. I am loving that he gets to eat lunch with us, and most days is off work before 4:00. He is loving that he gets to sleep in later and has a much lighter workload.

And because what's a post without some pictures:

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to let the kids wear their costumes all day. Grace loved it. Owen went through three costumes. Good thing I decided to go cheap this year and basically use what we had in the closet.

Costume #1 - Dr Who (my favorite)
Reason for change - Major spit-up

Grace's 1st and only costume - Ballerina
Costume #2 for Owen - Giraffe (Grace's old costume that was too small anyways)
Reason for change - Wet through diaper during nap time

Costume #3 - Football Player
At this point I decided to stick a jersey on him and call it good. He of course kept this one relatively clean until bed.

We stayed home for the night and I grossly underestimated the amount of candy we would need. We were out by 7:30. Sorry neighborhood kids. We however didn't have any incidents akin to this one. So sorry Lyndsey. Guess southerners are a bit more intense then the trick-or-treaters in the northwest.

Grace also tried her hand at Wii boxing for the first time. She's better than I am. :)

Look Who's Crawling

2011-10-25T15:25:00.001-07:00

6 Months

2011-10-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Now that Owen is only days away from being seven months old, I am finally uploading his six month picture.

17 lbs 7 oz (49th percentile)

27 in long (62nd percentile)

Loves playing with his sister
Working on sleeping at night - We've begun letting him "cry it out" which sounds so harsh, but was necessary. I am so tired of waking up 4+ times a night. Owen is a bit stubborn though. What took Grace three days to master is taking a bit longer with our dear son. *Since I am actually posting this almost a month late, I will let you know things are a ton better, but we are still working on it.
I think it's funny that I forgot to take his socks off in this picture.
Is still on the verge of crawling.
Loves baths - in an attempt at creating a schedule at night, Owen gets a bath before bedtime. He couldn't be happier, which makes the cranky time before bed a lot easier on mama.

Grace wanted in on the action when I was taking Owen's picture, so here ya go:

And finally... becuase when I saw this picture I couldn't stop laughing:

It's About Time

2011-10-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

My blog posts have been somewhat lacking lately. There are two reasons for this: this last month has been CRAZY busy, and my hard drive was almost completely full thanks to all my pictures. In order to add more pictures I had to clean off enough room to hold them. I'm still working on making room, but I can now start my computer up without it taking fifteen minutes and I managed to upload a few pictures.

A lot has happened in the last month.
Owen is now sitting up and army crawling all over the house.

Grace is almost potty trained although we are still working on staying dry at night and occasional accidents; well, sometimes more than occasional, but she's two.

Owen is eating solids now. It took awhile for him to catch on, but now he is following in his sisters footsteps and there are times I can't get the food in fast enough. We have a lot of fun during meal times, especially in the mornings when we sing songs while I feed Owen. Some of my favorite songs have been, "Jesus Loves Me Too Much," and "Don't Build Your House on the Sandy Land" where, after explaining that Jesus is the rock and we should build/give our lives to him, Grace told me, "I give Jesus my head." I told her that was a great place to start.

Sometimes my kids also let me do photoshoots with them and sometimes I have to bribe a certain two year old with chocolate chips in order to get the pictures I am hoping for. These were chocolate chip bribed pictures, and yes, Grace decided she would also find out what the lights tasted like:

Mom, this is the adorable coat I found for Grace. I am in love with this coat is. Thanks Grandma.

The weather has definitely changed and fall is here. That means it is coat season, and I found some adorable coats for Owen at garage sales this summer, one of them being this great little Elmo bomber jacket.

I also bought the a cute bear coat for him before he was born and wrongly assumed he would grow like his sister. Because of this, I bought it in a six month size thinking that's what he would be wearing during the fall. Nope, my six month old is wearing 9-12 month clothing, so I had to put the coat on him and take pictures before it didn't fit him at all anymore.

So that is the last month in a nutshell. I hope to soon put up Owen's six month picture, even though he is closing in on seven months, and let you all know about a huge answer to prayer that is both amazing and bitter-sweet.

Best Buds

2011-09-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Grace has a best little friend, Eloise Adams, whom she calls Elala. Whenever they see each other, they squeal with delight, and run and hug each other. So cute. Here are a couple shots of the two of them.

5 Months

2011-09-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Normally Owen is dressed in a white onesie for his monthly photo shoot, but my little boy is a heater and it being the end of August, it was just too hot for clothes.

16 lbs 7 oz

Close to crawling
Does not like to go to sleep at night - we're talking 10:30 or 11 pm every night and fighting sleep with every ounce of his little body
Gone are the days of him sleeping 7 hours straight; now we wake up every four hours or so for a snack - Awesome
Still very happy go lucky
Has a smile that just melts my heart
Loves peek-a-boo
After several attempts at eating cereal, he's not very interested in it, so we'll try again next month.

Time for a Little Owey

2011-08-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

So I've noticed lately my posts have been very heavy on the Grace pictures. Not a bad thing since she's so adorable and says really cute things. Just the other day Joe taught her to say Allons y (Let's go in French) which she repeated multiple times in her toddler voice. Speaking of Joe teaching her things, we've been working on potty training, and instead of hold it, he taught her to "clench it," so she tells us "I go potty, clench it."
But there I go again going on about Grace (I really can't help myself, she's at such a fun age for pictures and saying funny things.).
So Owen... Owen had his first bites of cereal this week. He's very involved in his eating and more cereal ended up on his body then in his mouth, but it was a first try, we'll keep working on it.

Keeping in line with firsts, Owen took his first swim earlier this month also. He seemed to like it. I think I may have two little water dogs on my hands.

He also fell asleep in our hiking backpack. I stuck him in there so I could get some stuff done around the house and have my hands free. Works great until my back starts hurting.

He is also a great laundry folder, or rather a cute distraction when I finally break down and fold the literal mountain of laundry I have sitting next to our dryer.

Lastly, I got a great picture of my grandpa and Owen. Love them both and love this picture.

The Aquarium

2011-08-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last spring I bought a couple of tickets to the Newport Aquarium at an auction put on by Joe's School. Last week we finally had the chance to go. I'd say it was worth every penny.

My Daughter

2011-08-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Grace is two - which really is enough said and should explain the following pictures and videos. But since this is as much a record for me as a place for the grandparents and friends to view what's going on in our lives, I think it pertinent to give a bit more information. She brings such incredible joy to our house and definitely keeps me on my toes. While looking through my pictures, I was surprised at how much of her personality shines through.

Here Grace is eating a "smoovie" specially made by Papa. We visited my parents for a week and every morning she would beg my dad to make her one.

Being at Grandma and Papa's is so much fun it is hard to go to bed. After some protest and several repetitions of, "You need to stay ON your bed," all was quiet. Apparently we should have specified how much of her needed to be on the bed.

Here Grace had dumped all her clean clothes out of her laundry basket and brought it to the couch so she could watch Dora while sitting in it.

The following video will be funnier if you're an Arrested Developement fan, but even if you're not, it's still cute.

She has also started making up her own songs. I love it when she sings. I recently heard her singing in the kitchen and when I brought my camera in, she put on a little show. I believe she is singing, "Bible is Gracie's," although it sounds more like "Bible wa Grac-y." She definitely loves her little New Testament and carries it around everywhere.

Up and Down

2011-08-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

We recently took Grace to the carousel at Riverfront Park. She loved it. I loved watching her, and it was a great picture taking opportunity. My heart was happy to see such joy.
Because I'm a mom and I love photography, I had fun capturing the event. Here is my favorite shot -

If you're wondering about the title, that's what Grace calls the carousel. There is something magical about the way a two year old sees the world.

Pure Delight

2011-08-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

First Real Haircut

2011-08-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

Grace has such thin, fine hair and it was really starting to look scraggly. So I decided it was time to remedy that. I figured it wasn't too early for her to look super stylish and decided on a cute little bob. My wonderful friend Shelby cut her hair for me and did an excellent job. For those of you in Salem looking for a new stylist, Shelby Maguire at Salon 554 is a-mazing. :)
Thankful Grace did much better than my I did for my first hair cut. My mom did the actual cutting, and there is an infamous picture in my baby book of me screaming and flailing about. Sorry mom.

Before:

During:

After:

Not the best picture of the actual haircut as you can't see the back, but someone was about done with pictures at this point.

4 Months

2011-08-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

14 lbs 15 oz

27 1/4 in

can roll from front to back and back to front
so far is a night owl (takes after his daddy)
wakes up once around 2 or 3 am to eat and again around 6 or 7 am
very happy mellow personality
smiles with his tongue out
loves his giraffe Sophie

Bridal Shower for the Beautiful Miss Heather

2011-08-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

I recently threw a bridal shower for my bestest friend Heather (and yes I know bestest isn't an actual word). I have known Heather for as long as I can remember. We did just about everything together growing up and were even mistaken for twins by a substitute teacher. Her name was Miss Hemp though, and just like her name suggests, she acted like she hailed straight out of Woodstock, but that's another story entirely. I still vividly remember making up dance moves to a Michael W. Smith song, drawing braces on our teeth with a marker, putting together our newspaper which we named Au Courant, always sitting next to each other on the many bus rides during high school sports, making mushroom soup, marrying our imaginary boyfriends over and over again, and so many more good memories. She is the type of friend that no matter how long we've been apart, we can always pick up right where we left off, and if we talk for less than an hour on the phone, Joe is amazed. Helping her get ready to marry Quincy was an honor. I couldn't be happier for the new Mrs. Lima. Heather, I love you and wish you all the best in this next chapter in life. I can't wait for all the new memories we will make together.

Here are some of the decorations; many thanks to my new obsession, Pintrest:

These were for a great game we played called Mustaches and Tiaras. I had the bride and groom answer the same set of questions and people had to guess who answered what by holding up a mustache for Quincy and a tiara for Heather.

And here are a few shots of the guests. I didn't get any pictures of our mustache game, but I know Ruby House did. Maybe I can get her to send me some so you can see what fun we had.

Mr. Mustache

2011-08-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Figuring Out My New Camera

2011-07-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

A new Canon T1i camera recently became mine, and I couldn't be more excited. As with anything new, there is a learning curve. Needless to say, I am still trying to figure out all the settings and playing around with different techniques. While far from mastering my new camera, I am loving it. Here are a few of my recent pictures (unedited). I do have some good looking kids which helps matters.

I will say 15 megapixels is way better than 8. :)

3 Months

2011-07-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Although a little late because of the busy weeks of the fireworks stand, here is Owen's three month picture.

He has mastered rolling over from front to back and is close to rolling over from back to front.
Is really ticklish and has the most adorable laugh.
He is fine tuning the skill of grabbing things.
Loves having his big sister "read" him books.

Fireworks

2011-07-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

God always provides for our needs. While I wouldn't choose to be in the financial situation we are in and have been in the past few years, I have seen God's hand in so many different ways because of our lack of funds. When He promises He will take care of us, I can tell you through experience that He will. I know God always keeps His promises, but it has been, and will continue to be, a learning experience on my part to trust in His promises. So in light of this, I wanted to share with you yet another one of God's provisions.

This summer Joe and I had the opportunity to run a fireworks stand. It was such a blessing to be able to earn a bit of money this summer without sacrificing all of Joe's time off. Basically, in two weeks we can make what one person would at a summer job. That's not to say it was easy. Nope, it was a brutal two weeks, but it's over and I am thankful.

My hardworking man. And yes, He really did work his keister off.

Oh the Frosty Mug Of Beer... Can't tell you if it's actually a good firework, but it looks cool.

My Two Favorite Guys

2011-06-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

2 & 2

2011-06-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

I thought it was important to document that my kids are two and two: Owen is two months and Grace is two years.

However, to acheive this blog worthy picture was quite the process. Most shots looked like this:

or this:

And then there was this:

I can still hear the process now, "Here Owen, eat this. Come on eat it... eat it. Okay, I'll just show you."

So actually the real importance of all this is that I got a two year old and a two month old to sit still long enough to actually get a decent shot.

Pool Time

2011-06-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

We have finally had some nice weather... at least we've had a few nice days mixed in between all the rainy/cloudy/kind-of-cold days. There has been enough sun to bust out the pool Grace got for her birthday - thanks Luke and Shelby, and check out her adorable bathing suit compliments of her Aunt Andy.

She's Two

2011-06-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but I haven't really stopped since Grace's birthday. We just finished our forth bbq in as many days, Joe finished school for the summer, and we will soon start our whirlwind summer. But that's for future posts.

We headed to the zoo on Saturday... along with the entire city of Portland. I had been planning this trip for about a month but it also happened to be the first really nice day in a LONG time, so about 50,000 other people thought taking their kids to the zoo would be a good idea too. Despite the crowds and the heat, we had a great time. Grace's favorite animals were the elephants and she was mesmerized by getting to watch the bats eat. Owen slept most of the time.

My apologies for this random woman's choice of attire, but with the bear right up to the glass, this is an otherwise great shot.

We then headed home and picked up some pizzas (and the house) and had a little party with the Horton's, Ea (Andrea), Joel, and Luke and Shelby Todd. Grace requested a Boots cake (as in Dora and Boots). Here is what I whipped up. And yes I did make and decorate the cake myself, although I didn't exactly just "whip" it up.

Grace calls it her "poop cake". She tries to say Boots and it come out sounding like poop. So cute and really funny. I may ask her to say it all the time.

Oh The Love of Ice Cream

2011-06-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Grace's birthday fell on a Thursday this year, so we decided to celebrate it on the weekend. However, we did take her out to ice cream to celebrate her actual day of birth...

...she was pretty excited about it.

Presents

2011-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

This year's birthday is the first time Grace has really understood the idea of receiving and opening presents, and it's quite fun to watch. She received her first present in the mail today from Papa and Grandma Everest. I couldn't resist letting her open it a day early. Take a look for yourself.

2 Months

2011-06-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

11 lbs 6 oz -- 24 in

Loves to smile and coo
Sleeps for 7 hours at night :)
Loves his swing
Only takes naps when he's being held

Tea for Two... or Three, or Four...

2011-05-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Grace and I had our first tea party. She invited Violet, Elmo and Baby. We had a grand time looking at Better Homes and Gardens magazines, eating banana bread (which Grace calls cookies), and drinking juice. Okay I had Pepsi, but Grace had apple juice. Not tea, I know, but I'm not really a huge tea fan.

In Love

2011-05-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

Grace

2011-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Overnight, it seems, Grace's gibberish has become more and more decipherable. She has stopped calling daddy ka-ka, and two recent favorite words (besides no) are flower and battery. However, some translation is still needed. A few examples: Slides are "weee," and Dora the Explorer, whom she adores, is "Hey, Hey".

Me: Grace, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?
Grace: Boots (as in Dora and Boots)
Me: What do you want for your birthday dinner?
Grace: Cake
She's definitely my little girl.

Oops

2011-05-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you go on a walk to calm a fussy baby and forget you are sterilizing pacifiers and bottle nipples by boiling them. Oops.

I needed a new pan anyways.

One Month

2011-05-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

My baby boy turned one month old, well, almost two weeks ago. This past week was hard. He was cranky, I was cranky, Grace was cranky, and poor Joe had to come home from work and we made him cranky.
I had been battling Thrush for over three weeks now and was getting pretty discouraged. For all those who don't know what Thrush is, I will just say it is very painful. After trying multiple prescriptions I finally went on a diet if no carbs or sugar and tried a recommended topical antiseptic called Gentian Violet (which happens to stain everything it touches a bright purple, so my son looked like he had eaten blueberries for a week). I think I finally have it on the run and can now concentrate on healing. So all that to explain the delay when I know all I needed to say was, "I have a newborn."

Owen is now smiling at me and it melts my heart.
His sister absolutely adores him and loves giving him kisses. She is a great helper and whenever I need something she runs to get it saying, "Help, help." So cute.
He has slept seven hours straight twice and is consistently going five hours every night before waking up for a feeding. This tired mama is so thankful he is such a good sleeper. I also think God gave me a gift of those two nights of seven hours sleep, as those were the hardest and most painful days so far.
He pees and poops and cries, and does all the normal newborn stuff, like hit himself in the face with his flailing arms and fart more than you think should be possible for a human being.

I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and have learned this week that God's grace really is sufficient, though it doesn't necessarily take away the pain.

Some outtakes from his first month photoshoot:

Tulip Festival

2011-04-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Saturday. Gorgeous Flowers. Good-Lookin' Kids.

How it All Went Down

2011-04-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

My son is asleep on my chest, and I couldn't be more content. As I sit here, I realize it's been almost four weeks since his birth. Maybe it's time to share the birth story. I am always so intrigued to read others' birth stories, so it seems only fitting that I tell mine.

Like with Grace, my water broke before I started labor, well before any of the real contractions started. Only this time it felt more like I peed my pants then the gush of "water" I had felt the first time (tmi? too bad, this is a birth story). Only I have never peed my pants over and over again so I figured it must be the slow leak that can sometimes happen if your water breaks higher in your uterus. We called Joe's sister, who came and picked Grace up, then we headed to the hospital. After being admitted, my midwife came in to check on me and I was told my contractions weren't strong enough or close enough together to do anything yet, and that I was only about 3 cm dilated. She told me I should try walking to see if that would start my labor. Funny, but I thought the contractions (which still hurt by the way) I had been having for the last four hours or so was labor. Apparently they don't count labor until active labor begins. Whatever, labor starts when it hurts in my opinion, and labor had started. Anyways, Joe and I did some pacing around the halls, but carrying around a nine and half pound baby apparently makes you tire really fast, so I didn't last long before I had to get off my feet.

After three more hours of walking, then resting, then walking a bit more, I was still at 3 cm. This was all beginning to seem so familiar. Almost the exact same thing happened with Grace, and as with my first delivery, I was told I should start pitocin. I was given the option of waiting to see if I would go into active labor on my own but was told it could take hours for this to happen. I hated the way I felt on petocin, but had to weigh the possibility that after all that time I may not have enough energy to deliver when the time came, and I really had no idea how long my body would take as it didn't seem to be in the same hurry my brain was to get this baby out.

So I decided to go ahead with the petocin and politely asked for my epidural. I loved my nurse who told me, "Why would anyone not take an epidural. Would you get a root canal without novocaine?" Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those who labor naturally, but it made sense to me and it made me laugh.

Ah, sweet relief. I had to wait to get the epidural until my contractions were two minutes apart. By then they were hurting, and I mean really hurting, so when the wonderful drug worked its magic, it was like pure bliss. Okay maybe not exactly bliss, but the relief was much needed and welcome. I did however get the shakes really bad. I guess it's a common side effect to the medicine used in an epidural.

Fast forward four hours and it was time to push. I went from 3 cm after nine hours to 10 cm in less then four. Petocin may hurt, but it sure did speed things up. Unlike with Grace, who took over an hour and half to push out, Owen came out in eighteen minutes. Awesome. Before delivery, my midwives guessed Owen to weigh about seven pounds. Ha ha ha. The kid was a woppin' 9 lbs 7 oz. Even being as big as he was, this labor was so much easier then the first. Joe got to cut the cord and I got to hold my baby boy from the very beginning. When Grace came out, she wouldn't breathe on her own, so they quickly took her off me and over to the corner where they were prepared to intervene if needed. It probably took less than a minute for her to start breathing on her own, but it felt like an eternity. Glad I didn't have to repeat that again.

We spent another two days in the hospital because I could, then headed home to begin life with two kids. After my crazy pregnancy (ovarian torsion, a terrible sinus infection, shingles, and severe discomfort from carrying a nine pound baby around), it was great to have such a positive birthing experience. Now I have a beautiful son, who, by the way, now weighs 10 lbs 9 oz, and I am loving being the mother of two. So welcome to the world and our family, Owen Joseph Mogford.

Newborn Photoshoot

2011-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Tim came over last weekend and took some newborn pictures of Owen. Thanks Tim. Here are a few of my favorites.

Owen's First Week Home

2011-04-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

This past week and a half has both flown by and seemed like an eternity at the same time. My little man has completely captured my heart, and I can now say with confidence that you really do love the second one just as much as your first.

Owen is doing great. He pretty much eats, sleeps and poops. Ya know, typical baby stuff. He has already surpassed his birth weight and my "little" man has grown an inch and a half since birth. Grace loves being a big sister, most of the time. She is completely taken with her brother, whom she calls Oey, however, she seems a little mad at me for sharing my attention. I've been told it just takes time for her to adjust and before I know it she won't even remember what it was like before Owen, but I miss my sweet Grace. I am admittedly a bit nervous for Joe to go back to work next week. Grace chooses feeding times to act out the most. I have a feeling a lot of prayer and patience will get me through the next couple of weeks.

And now for some pictures, because I know that is what most people who read this blog care about anyways.

He didn't like his first bath at home very much.

Didn't think I could love two human beings as much as I love these two.

See Grandma, he does have eyes.

Grace was being nice and tried to share her peanut butter with Oey. We had a little talk about how sharing is good, but Owen only needs milk right now.

Proud big sister

He's Here

2011-03-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Little Owen Joseph Mogford has arrived safe and sound; all 9 lbs 7 oz of him. He even came on his due date, March 27th. I don't know anyone who has had their baby on his or her due date. I know it happens, but not often.

I am in love with my little man.

A Peek at the Kids' Room

2011-03-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of all the work I've been doing on the kids' bedroom to get it ready for Owen and de-girlify it a bit. There are still several things I would like to do, but for now it is complete enough.

Since I love before and after pics... here ya go:

Before

After: These are the curtains I sewed. I am also working on a quilt that will go on Grace's bed. Not exactly sure when that will be done. :)

Before

After

A wider view

Before

After: We are planning on changing out the bedding for some with blues and grays once Grace transitions to her big girl bed (Owen will be sleeping in our room for a while).

A closer look at the pictures above the crib

Before


After


After: Sorry no before pictures of the closet because I forgot to take any.

Before

After

On this wall we want to add a new bookshelf/toy storage to look something like this:

A Date with Grace

2011-03-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday I decided to celebrate one of the last days it would just be Grace and I at home. So I told her we would do what she wanted (within reason of course) and just enjoy mama and Grace being together. Here is a little peek into our day:

We woke up and had pancakes, with chocolate and peanut butter, of course. After pancakes, it was time for some bubbles.

What do you think an almost two-year-old asked for after bubbles? Why some kackoons (cartoons) of course. Mama may have sneaked a little snooze in during Barney (shhh, don't tell Grace).

What better way to watch cartoons than with a silly face?

After my nap... I mean our cartoon watching, Grace wanted to play blocks. Blocks also means mama needs to be on the floor building towers and structures to take apart, so this VERY pregnant woman got down on the floor and played with Grace. It was her day after all, and the hard part really isn't the getting down; it's the getting back up that poses the real challenge.

After blocks, it was time to get ready for our lunch date. Where to, you might ask. McDonald's, of course, for some bok-boks, or as the rest of the world calls them, chicken nuggets. She even got them in a happy meal this time because, one, mommy is a sucker, and two, McDonald's knows their stuff and puts displays of all the current happy meal toys right at the entrance. Funny how I never thought much about this until I had my own kid.

And you can't leave McDonald's without playing in the play-place.

It was definitely time for a nap after lunch, so we both hit the hay once we returned home. Yes, this pregnant mama took two naps in one day. It was glorious. Before I could get her down though, she spied the leftover bok-boks she was too excited to eat because of the slide. After asking for and receiving a chicken nugget and stuffing the whole thing in her mouth, meltdown number one began. It went something like this, "Bok-bok... bok-bok...BOK-BOK." This was accompanied by some huge crocodile tears. May I remind you, she had a mouth FULL of chicken nugget. I decided to forgo the rest of the nuggets in favor of the nap and told her they would be waiting for her when she woke up. Sure enough, about an hour later I woke up to cries of, "Bok-bok." I took her in the living room and told her she would have to stop crying before she could eat her nuggets. Meltdown number two. Thankfully it didn't last long, and she fell asleep on my shoulder for another half an hour. I didn't mind the cuddle time. When she woke up, she instantly shot out of my arms and said, you guessed it, "Bok-bok" - this time without the tears. So we had a little picnic on the floor, and she finished her nuggets.

After the nugget incident and before Daddy made it home, we decided to go on a little walk.

Here Grace is telling me she wants to walk all by herself.


Mommy caved and let her push the stroller.

Thursday also happened to be Joe's and my fourth anniversary, so my sister came over to watch Grace. I heard they had french toast for dinner, while watching a new Veggie Tales movie. Grace was one happy, tired little girl, and I sure enjoyed myself too.

March Madness

2011-03-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a family that was all about basketball. I even played for nine years as a kid. My career ended when I went away to college and decided I wanted to pursue other adventures. I do often wonder if I would have made the team or how well I would have done, but I don't regret my decision not to play ball after high school. Someday I hope to be able to coach, but for now I will be content to grow and raise my babies. However every year when March rolls around I get excited all over again about my beloved sport. That's right folks it's March Madness time. I filled out my bracket. Have you?

Joe and I have a tradition picking our winners and posting the bracket on the fridge where we highlight winners and cross off losers. Pretty sure Joe won last year.... Butler killed my bracket; but I do love a Cinderella Story so I wasn't too crushed. I'm also toying with the idea of filling out a bracket based solely on preference of team colors. Might be fun... we'll see if I get around to it.

Balloons

2011-03-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Project Update

2011-03-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

With two weeks left until b-day, my list of projects is s..l..o..w..l..y being checked off.

Finish painting the kids' dresser - DONE
Finish Grace's quilt- on hold until a later date
Sew together curtains out of some great fabric I bought. - DONE (or rather nearly done as I had a little paint mishap, but that's another story)
Organize the kids closet - On to do list for this weekend
Hang up picture frames in the kids' room - DONE
Make Owen a mobile. - Haven't even started this one

Here are a few quick pictures of the progress:

You can see a glimpse of the curtains in the corner.

Grace even helped with the painting.

I would also like to send out a HUGE thank you to my dear friend Jessie who came over and cleaned my house for me. What would I do without friends like you? And as an added bonus, Grace had a blast playing with Elala. Check out the two in action last week at our small group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=511928285695

Baby Bump

2011-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

36 weeks

So I am definitely looking a little pregnant. I am 36 weeks and feel big enough to be carrying a 12 lbs baby although I am seriously praying this isn't the case.
I am now visiting my midwives every week and at my appointment yesterday they told me I was 1 cm dilated but my cervix was still pretty think. Translation - Owen could come tomorrow or he could take his sweet time and come five weeks from now, we really can't tell. Any guesses on when he will decide to make his grand appearance?

Faces

2011-03-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Lately, every time I try to take a picture of Grace this is what I get:

Attractive I know. I have to try and sneak pictures or seriously distract her to get anything good. It's funny, but I also hope it is a stage that passes quickly. I don't even know who taught her how to make this face.

Projects

2011-02-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have now reached 35 weeks and "they", whoever they is, say my little guy is now the size of a honeydew melon...

But I'm thinking he's more like a pumpkin... this pumpkin:

Five more weeks to go (unless Owen decides to take his sweet time like his sister did), and I still have a list of projects a mile long. I decided for my own sake I would make a list. Yes, I am a list maker; even to the point of actually drawing little boxes next to the items on my list so I can make a neat little check mark when I'm through with it. So here is my list of "to do's" before baby arrives:

Finish painting the kids' dresser
Finish Grace's quilt
Sew together curtains out of some great fabric I bought today.
Organize the kids closet (which can't actually begin until I get the dresser finished)
Hang up picture frames in the kids' room
Make Owen a mobile similar to my dear friend Sarah who made this adorable one for her son:

Now to be reasonable with myself, considering I am the size of the fore mentioned pumpkin and have to take breaks every hour or so, I really only have to finish the dresser and the closet. But I also know once baby comes, there will be little time or energy for much of anything, so I want to get as much done as I can.

So there you have it. I will try and post pictures of my accomplishments when they are through. Again more for myself than anyone reading my blog. It's a good way to look back and see all that I accomplished.

Life, Love, and Chocolate Milk

2011-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks have been a little on the stressful side, to say the least. So my wonderful hubby and I planned a little trip to the coast; to get away, relax, enjoy some time before the baby, and celebrate our anniversary (which happens to be very close to baby time)/Valentines Day. However, it was not to be. Friday night my sweet little girl got the stomach flu. We're talking four loads of laundry, three outfit changes for me, one for Joe, and lots of Febreze. This is the third week in a row I've had a sick girl. Trust me, summer and the end of cold and flu season can't come fast enough.

When I look back on this winter, I can honestly say it has been a doozy. And not just the, ho-hum winter blues, I'm so tired of the rain and ick, when is spring coming kind of winter. But an emergency surgery, sick with a sinus infection for three weeks, family crisis, stress at work, feeling tired and sore because I am really pregnant kind of winter. I'm not exactly sure what God is trying to teach me. Maybe He's not trying to teach me anything. Maybe that's just the way life is sometimes.

I just finished a good book recommended to me by a friend and the last chapter is about loving life, and about choosing to look at what is good instead of wasting my time wishing for something else. How much of life passes us by while we fixate on all the things that aren't going right? How many little details of God's brilliance do we miss? Well I decided to sit down and make a list of the simple little things I've noticed today that say "It is good."

Little breaks of sunshine between all the rain
Living on Summer Street instead of Winter because summer is such a happier time full of so many good memories.
Grace's laugh - her straight from the belly laugh where you can't help but laugh along.
My baby boy getting the hiccups and making my belly look like an alien is inside me.
Good friends and a small group who lifts each other up in prayer
A wonderful husband who does two loads of dishes in one night
Cute shoes when I don't feel the slightest bit cute
Ducks, crackers, and Elmo
A good book
Chocolate milk, which for some strange reason I can't get enough of right now.
Using my baby as an excuse to eat more chocolate
Not having to go grocery shopping for another few weeks because I just went

Oh and Happy Valentines Day :)

Recent Happenings

2011-02-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

What's happening in the Mogford home?
I am still growing a baby and have officially hit the I'm-uncomfortable-no-matter-what-position-I-am-in point. Joe is basically sleeping with 15 pillows + little ol' me sandwiched amongst them. Seven more weeks to go. That is if everything goes according to schedule, which we know never happens. Here is a picture of me at 33 weeks. I really like this dress, but was also told by I think seven different people at church yesterday "wow, you're looking big". Which I heard as "You look ginormous. Could you get any bigger?" I'm telling myself it was the dress. I was also told I look great by about as many people, so it all evened out. ;)

There is also an odd smell in our house that I can't find the cause of. I pray something didn't crawl under our house and die, but I took out all the garbage, did all the dishes, cleaned out the fridge, did all our laundry and looked under both couches. I even got down on my hands and knees, which is quite the feat now a days, and smelled the vents. But so far I have been unsuccessful in determining its source. It wasn't a total loss: the house is a lot cleaner after today.
Grace appears to be returning to her happy self after a long stint of sickness. While helping me in my find the unidentified odor quest, she carried around the broom and "swept" the whole house for me. It was quite adorable and made my heart happy. I have also come to treasure our time together in the morning when we get to cuddle together on the bed. Not sure if this is going to be able to happen after Owen enters the picture, but for now I am savoring each morning. She brings so much joy into our house. While motherhood is one of the most challenging things I have ever done, I don't think I have ever done something more rewarding or joyful.

I have also tried to introduce the idea of the toilet to Grace. We are not ready to start potty training yet, but I thought it might be helpful to get her used to the idea of going on the big girl potty. I know she gets the idea but also has no desire to actually do anything about it. So I was a little surprised to find this in the bathroom the other day:
Yep that's her baby next to the toilet with a bunch of toilet paper by her... um head. It definitely brought a smile to my face.

Words, Lovely Words

2011-02-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

To somewhat steal a blog post from my dear friend Jessie, I thought it would be fun to document some of the words (and their translations) that Grace is now saying.

goo or goose = juice
bo = pacifier
kackoo = cartoons
booball = football
elalala = Ella
dakoo = thank you
kacka = cracker

More recently, thanks to her dear friend Elalala and her mom's blog, Grace is in love with Elmo. Her favorite episodes are the booball one and "qack qack" or duck song. I get asked to watch these all day everyday. To be honest, most of the time it is really hard for me to say no because she is so cute about asking. I know, I know, I'm a softy.

And that is all for today folks because lately I have been feeling like this:

Books I Want to Read

2011-02-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

I know with a new baby coming I will have limited time to read, but I love books. I thought if I made myself a list maybe I would be more apt to make time to read. So here goes...

Books I want to read this year:

God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Affliction by Edith Schaeffer
The Hidden Art of Homemaking or What is a Family by Edith Schaeffer
Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef

Anyone have any more suggestions of must reads?

New Dress and Boots

2011-01-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

Cravings

2011-01-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

I have a sweet tooth. A big one. If you want to know just how much of one, you can ask my husband about it. I actually blame it on my mom's side of the family who all blame it on my Great-Grandma Fritchie. Thank you Grandma Fritchie. However, having a child growing inside me has multiplied my sweet tooth about ten fold. So lately I have been craving these yummy treats:

I know they are bad for me, but I have truly been taking to heart the saying, "You only live once." I'll worry about all the "baby" weight later.

I've also been craving strawberries, but they are out of season and not worth the $10 a pound you have to pay for them. So unfortunately for me, my sugar cravings are winning.

30 Weeks and Counting

2011-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

So now for a real belly picture. Here are Owen and I:

And what blog post wouldn't be complete without some pictures of Grace?

Belly Picture

2011-01-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

I realize I have been slacking in posting pictures of Owen, or rather my growing belly. So for those of you who are wondering what I look like now, here ya go:

A Girl and Her Doll

2010-12-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year I was very excited to find a little girl play set complete with a doll, a stroller, a crib, and a highchair. Thank you Costco. I am very pleased to say that Grace LOVED IT! We put together the stroller on Christmas Eve and here was the result:

Christmas Dress

2010-12-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Surprise Surgery

2010-12-23T19:11:00.001-08:00

As stated in an earlier post, life never turns out like you think it will. Joe gave you all a quick update on my surprise surgery, but I thought I might add a little from my perspective. I will try to give the brief version.

I went to bed Saturday night with no idea what was about to transpire later that night. At 1:00 am, I awoke feeling very uncomfortable. The pain was different than anything I had felt before, and after trying a trip to the bathroom, some Tylenol, and multiple different positions, I decided to check out webmd. My search yielded absolutely nothing helpful. The pain continued to increase and within an hour I woke Joe up and we decided a trip to the ER was necessary. Normally I would have waited longer, but didn’t want to take a chance with the baby. So we loaded Grace into the car and drove the mile or so to the hospital. Being pregnant gave me a free pass right into triage in labor and delivery. They quickly ruled out kidney stones and kidney or bladder infection. At this point the pain was getting worse and I was now nauseous and unable to even stand/sit/lie still. The nurses and my midwife decided to look at my appendix, and an ultrasound was ordered. They never did find my appendix (due to the fact that everything moves around so much when you are pregnant), but they did see something on my right ovary. The midwife reviewed the ultrasound and within three hours of arriving at the hospital I was told I may have to have surgery.

I had a condition called ovarian torsion. There was a cyst on my ovary, the weight of which had caused my fallopian tube to twist cutting off all blood flow to my ovary. The only way to fix it was surgery. Normally they would go in orthoscopically through my bellybutton; but since Owen was in the way, they would have to make an incision and move my uterus in order to get to the ovary. The worst-case scenario was that we could lose the baby. Another possibility was that I could go into early labor and deliver a 25 week-old baby. However, the chances were slim, and there wasn’t really an option about having surgery or not (the ovary would die and rot). So about 3:00 pm Sunday, I went into the operating room. I woke up about 40 minutes later to the wonderful words, “Your baby is fine.” I remember such relief and joy hearing Owen was fine, and my first thoughts were, “Thank you God! Thank you God!”

Joe was by my side through the whole thing and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him. It was so comforting to have him there. I can’t even tell you how blessed I feel to have such an incredible husband.

God’s hand was also so clearly in every little aspect of the whole ordeal. My midwife just happened to be there delivering another baby and the best doctor in hospital for my condition just happened to be on shift for the critical 24 hours before and after my surgery. They also found out what was wrong very quickly. I did a little research after going home on ovarian torsion, and it is common for this condition to go undiagnosed for days because it is so rare. I had great nurses and was in the new part of the hospital, so we had our own room with a bed for Joe and plenty of room for visitors. He protected my baby boy who seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal, judging by all the kicks and somersaults going on.

I am also so thankful for our church and Joe’s school. They took such good care of us, and we didn’t have to make a single meal for over a week. Several good friends and family members also took care of Grace during our hospital stay. Thank you so much Bethany and fellow teachers at Willamette Christian. We feel so loved.

And I can’t forget to mention our awesome families. Pam, Joe’s sister, took care of arranging childcare for Grace during our entire hospital stay. I didn’t even have to give it a thought. My sister took Grace at 5:00 am from the ER and watched her again the next night. My mom came up Tuesday night and stayed till Friday to take care of Grace and me so Joe could go back to work.

While recovery has been slower than I would like, I have so much to be thankful for. God is so faithful and good.

Quite the Sunday for the Mogfords - as per Joe

2010-12-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

-Status updates-
1am- Ashley wakes up with sharp pains in her stomach and lower back
2am - pain getting worse
3am - to the ER
4am - ...waiting and wondering
5am - Andrea picks up Grace from the hospital... waiting and wondering
6am - making calls to get nursery covered (for Ash) and for someone to lead worship (for Joe) at church... waiting and wondering
7am - ultrasound shows "something;" we move from triage (uncomfortable) to a delivery room (much better)... waiting and wondering
8am - "something" is an ovarian cyst causing ovarian torsion (ouchie twisting) - need surgery
9am - Pam visits...waiting
10am - ...waiting
11am - Brad and Andrea bring Grace to visit...waiting
12pm - ...waiting
1pm - Second opinion agrees with first opinion - need surgery (cut open and dig surgery)
2pm - Jason and Pastor Kevin visit, prepping for surgery
3pm - Ashley is in surgery; I am waiting with Jason, trying to be distracted by Seahawks game (would have been nice if they had at least tried to make it interesting)
4pm - Ashley is in pain but awake, baby Owen is safe, surgery was successful (doc even saved the ovary)
5pm - back in delivery room trying to manage pain
6pm - ...pain management
7pm - Pam and Lexy visit ...pain management
8pm - Ashley's pain is manageable with meds and I pass out on the little window seat bed
-status unavailable-
7am - I wake to find Ashley hasn't needed pain meds for a few hours and is getting antsy to start moving around

Conclusions
#1 - God is good - he preserved my wife and my unborn child.
#2 - I love my wife - she's one tough cookie.
#3 - We have a great family and a great church. Thank you so much for your support and prayers.
#4 - Apparently, Grace is adorable - 97 people offered to take care of her.
#5 - God has great timing - according to our nurses, the doctor we had is they best they have ever seen at dealing with the problem we had; most don't even try to save the ovary.

Driving Miss Gracie

2010-12-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Lately, before I put Grace in her carseat, she has been insistent on driving. When I open the driver door to unlock the rest of the car, she is right there, underfoot, making vroom-vroom noises. Now, mind you, these are little girl car noises, not little boy car noises. They sound nothing like an actual car, but I think this makes them even cuter. So if it's not raining, or we are not in a hurry, I usually let her sit in the driver's seat and push buttons to her heart's content.

And since I am kind of proud of my first real crochet attempt, I wanted to include another picture with a better view of Grace's hat (the one mentioned in my last post); and because it so captures her little personality that I can't help myself.

Dreams of a Perfect Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

I have again come to the realization that life is never as you expect, and so much of how much you enjoy life depends on your attitude. I had envisioned today to look something like this: After church, we would enjoy some relaxation while Grace took a nap. Then, as a family, we would head out to pick out the perfect tree. Once located, the perfect tree would come home, where Grace would "help" me decorate as we all enjoyed hot chocolate or maybe some chocolate milk. All the while, Christmas music would be quietly playing in the background.
However, it looked much more like this: After church, Grace went down for her nap and the Seahawks game came on (now mind you, I enjoy watching football on tv with my husband). The game, however, lasted till 4:00, which meant daylight was fading fast. Grace also woke up from her nap a little grouchy, and I was so intent on finishing a hat I was making for her so she could wear it during our tree outing with the hopes of getting a Christmas card picture, that I failed to notice this important detail. Nonetheless, we jumped in the car and headed to the Christmas tree farm. Upon arrival, we were met with a closed sign even though we should have had 20 minutes till closing time. The owners told us to go ahead but to make it fast. In the dwindling light, all my pictures were blurry because I hate the flash on my camera. But it didn't matter, because in just about every shot, Grace is crying, trying to get me to pick her up. Joe had also suggested that I go grocery shopping while he took the tree and Grace home since we had NO food in the house. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite activities, but I knew he was right. So instead of heading home to hot chocolate and decorating, I headed to a crowded WinCo. I ended up decorating the tree by myself after all the groceries were put away and Grace was in bed, while Joe finally got to the work he brought home this weekend.

Despite all this, I think I will look back on today and smile. It is comical if you stop to think about it. Just about everything I had hoped for didn't happen. In the end though, I had a very relaxing night decorating without any interruptions or helping little hands, and yes Christmas music is playing in the background.
So maybe a little attitude adjustment was needed. Maybe I need a little reminder about what this season is truly about. Maybe I learned a valuable lesson again today: Being able to laugh at life is a irreplaceable gift.

Cheese, Santa, and McDonalds

2010-11-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

What do cheese, Santa, and McDonalds have in common? Why, my adorable little daughter.

Grace named a penguin Christmas ornament she picked out in Walmart, Cheese, and has been carrying it around the house kissing and hugging it. Today, when Joe asked if she wanted some cheese, she brought him Cheese.

I got out our Christmas decorations this weekend, and with them came a Santa dish towel, which I hung on the oven door. Today, I caught Grace tickling Santa several times, to which I would reply, "Ho Ho Ho." She thought that was pretty funny.

Yesterday, at a mother-daughter date to McDonalds, Grace waved to everyone who left the restaurant, ate three chicken nuggets, told me she loved me, and cleaned her high chair when she was done. And no, she doesn't quite say I love you yet; we taught her how to sign it.

And now for some visual cuteness:

I am Thankful For...

2010-11-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

My husband of almost four years. I am so blessed to be married to such a godly wonderful man:

My absolutely adorable daughter:


She is "eating" her stuffed watermelon toy that Grandma bought her.

Our new baby boy, growing and moving (constantly) inside me:

A soon-to-be brother-in-law:

A warm house (and Oregonians being wimps when it comes to snow so my husband gets a snow day):

Note: This picture was taken two years ago during a time it actually snowed.

...the thought of all the yummy food about to be consumed in a few short days, Christmas is on it's way, crafting, a sister who likes to craft with me, good family and friends, and so much more.

Thanks you Lord for all the many, many blessings in my life.

It's a Boy

2010-11-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't heard yet, the Mogfords are having a boy. According to Joe, "We may be few in number, but the Mogford name shall endure to a new generation."
I usually like to include a picture with my posts, but the ultrasound picture of our little tyke isn't exactly G rated so we'll just stick with this:

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Adorableness

2010-11-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

A few pictures of my adorable daughter. I know mom's are biased, but seriously...

Photo Shoot

2010-10-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I took some engagement pictures for my sister and her fiance, Brad. I have done a few engagement shots for friends in the past, but it was fun to get to take pictures of my little sis. She is so beautiful. This of course made my job easy. Take a look for yourself.

She's Beginning to Show

2010-10-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken a little over a week ago and I meant to post them right away, but time seems to get away from me with a 16 month old in the house.

I was just looking through old pictures from when I was pregnant with Grace and I think I looked this big at 20 something weeks, not 16. Guess that's just what happens with your second. Sometimes I think my body is happy to be returning to its larger shape and I am just happy there is a good reason for it.

Only a few more weeks till we get to find out the sex... I can't wait!

My Little Monkey

2010-10-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a little preview of Grace's Halloween costume. Hope you enjoy.

Twirls

2010-10-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Baby #2

2010-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

I figure it's about time to post some pictures of our second child. Mostly because my blog is a great way for me to look back and see the past happenings of my life. Well, that and I think it's only fair for my second child to also have a record of his/her prenatal growth right? Though I guess it completely depends on whether our new little one is a boy or girl as to whether they will care. If we are having a boy, it won't matter one little bit. But since I don't know yet....
This pregnancy has gone a lot faster than my first but I think that might have something to do with keeping an eye on a 16 month old. Just as with Grace, I am almost 15 weeks and finally starting to feel better. Fifteen weeks also means in a little over a month until we get to find out the sex. I thought about keeping the sex a secret for, oh, about 1.5 seconds. But I know myself too well. I don't want to wait. I can be surprised at the birth of our child, or I can be surprised at 20 weeks and have 20 more weeks to get more accurately prepared.
I have also already felt the little one (at around 12 weeks), which is exciting. Still only little flutters, but considering how small he/she is, pretty amazing. We have also been having a harder time coming up with names we like this time. Our "list" is a small one, but since we still have over half the pregnancy, I'm not worried.

Football Fun

2010-09-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Our church has started an Upward flag football and cheerleading league this year and today we went to watch my niece cheer and my nephew play. Go Team Power and Razorbacks. :)

Max making an interception.

2010-09-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Having a toddler in the house sure keeps me on my toes. The girl never stops moving unless she is sleeping. And I am loving it.

And for those of you wondering where Grace has been in my recent posts... Here ya go:

Berryer

2010-09-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

BERRYER: Yiddish word which denotes a woman who has excellent homemaking skills. Considered a compliment in the pre-feminist era.
While on a walk with Grace, who was adorable with her sunglasses and snack cup full of goldfish and raisins, I had a thought, "I am finally doing my dream job. I am a homemaker."
I grew up like girls today who are told you can do anything, be anything... the sky's the limit. This often means pick a good career, i.e. teacher, lawyer, doctor. Being a stay at home mom was never on the dream career list, but it never mattered to me if my chosen profession wasn't highly acclaimed. However, one of the lessons I have learned is that life is never what you pictured it would be. My dream job looked something like this:

Notice the husband comes home to a neatly dressed wife, dinner is ready, and though not pictured. the whole house is clean and the kids are waiting in the background being little angels. Well, like I said, life is never how you pictured it. I haven't been caught up on laundry since the beginning of August. I try to at least have an idea what we are going to have for dinner, but sometimes hot dogs and apple slices is the best I can come up with.

Another thing, I have been soooo tired lately. I figure it has something to do with growing a human being, but dishes still have the audacity to pile up despite my noble endeavor. So instead of the perfect homemaker, I feel like this:

Despite my seeming lack of skills, or rather motivation in my chosen profession, I wouldn't trade it for anything. My daughter brings such joy to my day, and I couldn't have married a more wonderful man. Before too long I will get to meet our new little one and begin a whole new adventure. I thank God every day for so many blessings.

So after passing through the kitchen and ignoring the pile of dishes that is now overflowing from my sink and covering all my counters and doing a single load of just underwear because I am officially completely out of clean ones, I can still feel i did my job well because I made my daughter laugh and hey, sometimes hot dogs just taste good.

True love stories never have endings. -Richard Bach

2010-09-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

My little sister is getting married. I can't believe it. I think I've dreamed about this day almost as much as my own. Getting to help with all the planning. Going dress shopping and helping her find that one dress that makes her eyes sparkle. Being the maid of honor... you get the picture. I can still remember the days we would play house with our baby dolls and imaginary husbands. We were two lucky girls too, because my dad built us THE COOLEST playhouse EVER. All you girls out there would be jealous if you could have seen this thing. It was up on stilts in our front yard, had a dutch door, a real glass window and a loft. I mean can it get better than that? Even just writing about it brings a huge smile to my face. And I had the perfect playmate. Oh we had our share of fights, like any siblings, but I loved having her around. Brad you are one lucky man. Andrea is going to make you such a great wife. She is funny, knows how to cook, loves adventure, and is one of the most beautiful girls I know. We are lucky too I guess :) to add such a great guy to our family. So congratulations Andrea and Brad. Here's to counting down the days till you say "I do".

Goodbye Summer - I Shall Miss Thee

2010-08-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost over, and while I think I've had enough of the heat for awhile, I will miss being home with my husband all day. It is always a hard transition for me when Joe returns to teaching every fall. I know, I am very lucky my husband picked a profession where he gets two months off every year; but let me tell you, he makes up for it the rest of the year with how hard he works. To make matters worse this year, I have been experiencing the extreme emotions that accompany pregnancy.

That's right folks, Joe and I are expecting our second little one in early April. That makes us about nine weeks along. I'm told our little tyke, whom Joe has so lovingly been calling Uzeburt (somehow I just can't get myself to follow suit), is about the size of a grape. He/She looks something like this:

Amazing how something so small can make a girl feel so sick.

So, goodbye summer. I look forward to seeing you again next year and introducing your joys to my new little one.

She Loves the Water

2010-08-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

And because Grandma Mogford still hasn't seen Grace walking, I thought I would post a video of some of her fist steps, taken back in June.

Wondering what we've been up to?

2010-07-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

If you've been wondering where we've been lately, check out the following posts to see what we've been up to for the past month.

Mariners Game

2010-07-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Grace and I got to go to our first Mariners game this past week. So much fun. The only thing that would have made it better is if they had won.

Eating a hot dog before the game.

Camp Fircroft

2010-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last week the Mogford family headed to my old stomping grounds where Joe spoke to 100+ junior highers during a week of camp. He did a fantastic job and I couldn't be more proud of him. While there, Grace perfected her walking skills by traversing on uneven ground all week. Uncle Jonathan also came up to play drums and help me watch Grace.

Summer Activities: Pool Time, Softball, and Redecorating

2010-07-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Watching Daddy


This is what the living room used to look like

With a few minor adjustments totaling around $250 here is what it looks like now:

Included in the $250 is some artwork I finally added to our wall: some of my own photography.

I am very pleased with the result.

The 4th of July

2010-07-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

For dinner Grace had some yummy red, white, and blue pancakes.

Then we went outside and Daddy helped with her first sparklers. It would have been cooler to do it at night, but when bedtime is 7:00 and it doesn't get dark till after 9:00, it's just not worth the wait.

Please Pray

2010-07-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

My brother Jonathan, who is 16, was in a four wheeler accident on the 4th of July and hit his head. He was wearing a helmet, but gave himself a concussion. A few hours later, he couldn't remember anyone or anything except his girlfriend and brother Joel (who he was with right after the accident). Cat-scans show no signs of significant damage, but he still can't remember anything. Doctors say the brain needs time to heal, but they have no idea when or if his memory will return.

Summer Days

2010-06-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Mogford clan has been having enjoying the beautiful sunshine that finally decided to show its face. It is great having Joe home for the summer. We have taken advantage of both in the last few weeks and have started a huge project of re-making our backyard. This includes building about 100 ft of fence that we have been planning on building since we bought the house. We are still far from being done, but have made great progress. Here is some proof:

We have also been busy playing and going to the park whenever we need a break.

And I love having a one year old. It is so much fun. This is the age that is making me want to have another one.
For the grandmas, my own records and anyone else who cares, Grace has also:

Learned to walk. I still swell with pride when I see her toddle and wobble her way across the living room.
Has gotten better at communicating what she wants.
Loves being outside. She even says outside. Often after getting her out of bed in the morning, she will point to the front door and say outside. I can usually distract her from this idea by offering her a banana.
LOVES bananas. She eats one every morning for breakfast and would eat one for lunch and dinner too if we would let her.
Finally signed please two days in a row. I am hoping this is a trend that stays.
Has transitioned to drinking cow's milk. She never would take a bottle and didn't like sippy cups. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to stop breastfeeding as she also hated formula, but once she was a year old and the doctor gave us the green light, I decided to try cow's milk through a straw and voila. No problem at all.

Cranberries and I ♥ Faces

2010-06-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite photography blogs, I ♥ Faces, has weekly photo contests, and this week's theme is "Celebrating Teens". I had a great picture of my brother during cranberry harvest that I thought would be perfect.

You can check out more enteries by clicking on this button:

Strawberries... YUM!

2010-06-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the strawberry festival just west of Woodburn with Grace's cousins Max and Lexy. This weekend has brought some of the first sunshine of the summer and we intended to enjoy it fully. Thanks to Uncle Jason we got in for free since he was going to take some pictures of our lovely daughter for his paper. There is a chance our daughter could be famous. Joe did most of the picture taking today and I have to say he's not too shabby. ;)

A Trip to the Coast

2010-06-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my brother Joel graduated from high school, so we made the journey down to Langlois. I can still remember the how excited I was to meet my little brother for the first time. That was 18 years ago. I love you Joel. Congrats buddy!

We also celebrated Grace's birthday with my family. Lucky girl, got two cakes this year.

I also made a trip out to the Bandon lighthouse to take some pictures. Here are two of my favorites.

Happy Birthday Grace

2010-06-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Do you notice anything different about Grace?

I'll give you a hint...

She got her ears pierced.

And she only cried for a few seconds. What a brave, beautiful girl I have.