Joey is 2!!

December 26th, 2006 Joseph (Joey) Christian Gregory was born at 10:40pm - I know this is a little late but I am not any good at blogging regularly so please forgive me.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures from when Joey was born. Kurtis looks so much like the proud older brother that he just became. Mom is so happy looking at her newest grandchild.

Most of you know the story of Joey's birth - he was in a hurry - to put it simply!! I was scheduled for a repeat c-section on Jan 3 (due date Jan 8) since my doctor was going to be out of town for the holiday. Christmas was simple and uneventful. Susan came over in the early afternoon on the 26th - still no labor pains. I planned a dinner I actually made (from scratch) so I began it at 6pm. We ate at 7pm. Susan stayed until about 8pm. After she left - I went to the restroom and had some spotting. Called the Ob office - they said, go to the hospital.

I called Aaron & Amanda. Aaron came to get Kurtis. By this time - it was 8:30pm. I had 2-3 contractions in those 30 minutes. Jeff & I got in the car to go to the hospital. Got there around 8:50pm. Contractions were up to about 5-7 mins apart. By the time I got into a room - they were every 2-3 minutes. Dr came in to check me around 9:30 and said - "We are going to go prep a room for you, NOW! He is coming really fast." They initially wanted to wait until around 1am when my stomach would be empty but Joey was not having any of that.

Anyway - they got me into the operating room & Joey was delivered without any problems.

Now here is my wonderful guy now:

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Well - The holiday is over - Time to share!!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. Here are just a few images from our holiday - enjoy!!

Our Christmas Tree on Christmas morning - before kids!

Kurtis doing his best to be good as he waits for his turn to open a gift at Jeff's Dad's on Christmas Eve. This year, Lindsey stayed with us before Christmas so she opened her gifts before she left us. Santa was only going to be coming to her mom's house - since that is where she was Christmas morning. We did allow the boys to open gifts from Mom & Bob at the same time - just did not feel it was fair to have sissy open something and the boys not too.

Here is sissy. Can you believe that she is almost 16! She has her learning permit and her grandpa is teaching her to drive.

Here is Jeff's Dad with Lindsey & Kurtis on Christmas Eve. Maybe next year dad will be with us on Christmas morning!

Jeff surprised me with a pair of pearl earrings for Christmas! Now we just have to get my pearl necklace restrung and I can where out my pearls!!!!

Both boys were so good on Christmans morning - Kurtis actually let Joey open his gifts by himself. Joey had lots of fun once he figured out that there were toys in the there!!

Dad & Dominick at Aaron and Amanda's on Saturday.

Kurtis decided it was a good day to become an M&M (Kenny & Jacob's Halloween costume).

I guess it is time to update...

I know, it has been quite some time since I last talked about anything on my blog. Honestly, I really have not been excited about doing it since I lost my job. But that is for another time - hopefully soon I will have some good news to report on that front.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some pictures from Halloween and a special event Kurtis got to enjoy through school. So here we go.

HALLOWEEN

Hilliard decided to have Halloween on Thursday Oct 30th this year. I believe it was for several reasons...statistically, having Halloween on a Friday or Saturday night is more dangerous for the kids but also because the Hilliard Darby & Davidson High School Football teams were in the playoffs and they did not want to make people choose between going to the game and Trick or Treating.

Since I lost my job mid-September, Halloween costumes ended up being quick & easy "Homemade" costumes. Kurtis was "Ben 10". This is a cartoon character that he really likes. As you can see, I just used a permanent marker on a white t-shirt and printed off a logo from the computer to glue on the shirt - voila! Joey's was even easier - he was a football player! No work involved there.

We went up and down the street with a new neighbor. Their son is 5, so he and Kurtis play together as often as possible.

WALK-A-THON PIZZA PARTY

Every year, to raise money for the PTO, the school holds a Walk-a-thon. This helps in two ways, it raises the money for the PTO but also encourages the kids to get exercise. Early in October, the school had the walk-a-thon inside the school (due to the weather). Kurtis walked 19 laps around the inside of the school in the 30-40 minutes that they were walking. The kids also go to enjoy snow cones on that day.

Well, as an incentive to get the kids to raise money, there were several prizes for the top children. Jeff took the pledge sheet to the bowling alley several nights one week and Kurtis joined him on another night. Kurtis ended up raising $625 for the PTO. This made him the child who raised the most money for the school!

As a reward, Kurtis got his name mentioned on the morning announcements and earned a $100 gift card to Toys-R-Us (we are making him wait to use it until after Xmas so he can get things he does not get during the holiday).

Along with the recognition, the PTO took the top boy & girl from each grade (k-5) and a friend to a Pizza Party at Iacona's in Hilliard. To get to the party the kids (and the principal - Mr. Spicer) got to ride in this...

A HUMMER STRETCH LIMO!!!!!

This is Kurtis with his best school friend - Will.

Joey, Jeff and I meet Kurtis at the school and followed them to the restaurant. Here is a picture of Joey at the pizza place:

Everyone had a good time and they were all well behaved. This was Tuesday November 25.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Talk to you again soon.

Well - He is off...

Today is Kurtis' first day at Kindergarten! This is what I call the first official day, when all the kids were going to be there at the same time. Hilliard has a staggered start for the Kindergarten class so they can do an assessment (again) to see what the kids had learned over the summer.

Kurtis is officially a Hilliard Britton Bobcat!

As you can see he is a little excited about going to school.

Daddy wanted to talk to Kurtis to tell him how proud he was of him and to let him know that daddy and mommy love him.



A little about how Britton Elementary is working the Kindergarten class this year...Kurtis did not have a teacher assigned prior to school starting. Instead, they wanted the kids to come in on a staggered start to do the assessment and learn a little about their personalities. Based on this assessment, the teachers would try their best to match the child to the teaching styles of the teacher. When Kurtis comes home tonight, we will know who his teacher is.





Before leaving today, the teachers said that they were expecting 46 kids. They also said that the majority of the kids this year where girls (unlike last year where is was the opposite). Kurtis already has a couple of friends in the school that are all older from the neighborhood. One, Nick, is in 1st grade and Kurtis got to see him at recess on Tuesday.





This picture is from Tuesday when Kurtis went to his first day (assessment).

I was ok dropping him off until I was leaving. Then it kind of hit me that my little guy was getting to be so big. I can't believe that my "baby" is in school. As most of you know, I am not the most emotional person. Things like this usually don't get to me but I did start to well up. Guess it is harder to let go then I thought it would be.


As a special treat for Kurtis, I will be taking him to Chuck E Cheese's for lunch after school is over. More on that trip tonight or tomorrow.

Great Bowling Game

Today I shot a 175 in the bowling league I am in with Jeff. This is the best game I have shot in a league - ever!

Now some of you may be asking if I also happened to beat Jeff with that score - unfortunately not today. I did beat Jeff last week in a game (he was really struggling).

Kurtis' Glasses

Well today was the day I had hoped would not come. Ever since I first found out I was pregnant I had hoped my children would have Jeff's fantastic eyesight. But that was not meant to be...

In the past, I had noticed times when Kurtis' left eye seemed to be slow or drag a little. On occasion I would even notice it being turned in some but it always seemed to be a time when he was tired - never when he was wide awake. Guess I should have had him looked at sooner because in May when we went for his Kindergarten assessment for Hilliard they did a vision test.

During this test, they noticed it too - saying that he tried to turn his head to look out using his right eye instead of the left (because the right was covered). Again I really did not think much of it because he was extremely tired (we had bowling the night before) and I thought that was the reason.

Well - they wanted him to be looked at by the pediatrician to see what he said when I took him in for his 5 year shot/check-up (see previous post for that visit). Nurse did a little checking but he really did not want to cooperate. That is when they referred us to the opthamologist.

We went to that appointment about 2 weeks ago. During the visit, the nurse did the initial vision screening & when that was over - all hope of him not getting glasses was gone. He would get some of the answers correct but there was no real consistance to his results. So without any further ado...

The glasses are a metallic blue with Spiderman web designs on the arms. The biggest problem right now is that he is looking over the top of them to see the TV when he is sitting about 8-10ft away from it. He says he can't see the TV. I am hoping that it only a temporary thing. Maybe I will call the doctor tomorrow to ask.

For those of you who want to see a recent picture of me & the boys...

Joey is not feeling well right now - summer cold. Both boys have really enjoyed spending most days at the pool with the babysitter. I am glad I found her. Other than a few issues she has worked out well.

Well that is all for today hopefully soon, I will have more to write about on a regular basis - my baby will be starting school.

Boy's Checkups

Finally have something to write about...


Today we had the checkups for both boys, Joey 18 month & Kurtis 5 years.


First the update on Joey - he is 29 lbs (90%) and 32.5" tall (60%). He had 2 shots with no major issues. Actually, he hardly let out a cry when he got the shots. He is such a tough little guy.


Now Kurtis. He is 43.5" tall (60%) and 43 lbs (70%). Nice & even just the way the doctor likes. He did get 5 shots (3 in one arm, 2 in the other). He was not so easy on the shots. On our way to the doctor, he asked me if he would be getting shots today. Being a person who does not want to lie to her child, I said yes. He then cried all the way to the doctor's office. He settled down when Jeff showed up and we went in. He then told Dr Muresan that he did not want any shots. The doctor told him why he needed them (so that he would not get sick) but he still did not want them. Well, we all know how that ended up...He screamed during all of them. I think that if Jeff was not helping by holding him he might have tried to kick or bite the nurse who was giving the shots.


Next we spoke to the doctor about the results from his kindergarten assessment. During the evaluation, they perform an eye test and noticed that he seems to be favoring his right eye (much like I did - I believe). His vision is 20/30 in the right & 20/50 in the left but according to Ohio law, he has to be 20/30 in both eyes or he must be evaluated by the optometrist. Dr Muresan asked if we had noticed anything. I had seen times, when he was tired, where his left eye seems to drift behind his right eye. Because of this, Dr Muresan is referring us to an optometrist for Kurtis. Hopefully it will be an easy fix that does not require glasses.


Both boy's spent last Friday at the pool with the babysitter. Joey got red on the shoulders but no real burn (never hurt him) but Kurtis was a little different. I had provided the babysitter with sunscreen for both boys (60 for Joey & 15 for Kurtis). She says that she put it on several times for Joey but I think she only put it on Kurtis once. Anyway, I have provided her with shirts for both boys, if they go to the pool again before their current burns are healed. Kurtis did get blisters over the weekend - which were a lot of fun dealing with (see the shot story from today & you will get the idea). According to her - Joey is a little fish - he LOVES the water. She feels really guilty about Kurtis' blisters.


This week she is taking the kids to Vacation Bible School. Kurtis is really enjoying it. Today he sang me a song that he sung in Bible School. I am glad that he is enjoying it.


Anyway, that is all for now.

Amanda's Tag...

Ok, so here it goes...

1. Age at next Birthday:

2. Place I would like to visit:

3. My favorite thing:

4. My favorite place:

5. My favorite food:

6. My favorite colors:

7. Where I live:

8. Past pet:

9. Nickname I have had:

10. College Major:

11. First job:

12. Goal for this year:

That was kind of fun. Hope everyone enjoys.

Kurtis' Birthday Party

Yesterday, we had Kurtis' Birthday party. Due to the fact that our place is small, we went to the local bowling alley and had the party there (did not hurt that Jeff spends every Wednesday there in the winter for his bowling league).

The kids each got to bowl one game. I think the highest score was around 60 but they all had fun which is the most important thing. Two of Kurtis' friends from the old babysitter (Theresa) were able to come out to spend some time with Kurtis - he really misses those two (Ryan & Jacob).
Steve & Anny brought Zoltan and Hannah. Hannah loves to cozy up to Joey...

Once all the kids were done bowling, it was time for cake & ice cream. Kurtis decided that he wanted a cake & he wanted to help make it - one of his current lifes ambitions is to be a chef. Here is a picture of the cake that we made together.

You might be wondering what is on the cake. These are Kurtis designs and requests. The two things that look like ghosts are really Backyardigan characters (Tyrone & Uniqua in the "Tale of the Mighty Knights"). You can see that they have shields next to them. I did learn something - if you are going to write on the icing - wait for it to harden some before doing it.



Next it was time for gifts. Kurtis actually walked in on me wrapping his presents yesterday and he thought he was getting a bunk bed but this is what he actually received:

For the budding artist...it is actually two sided, one side is a chaulk board, the other is a dry erase board. Now we just need to get him supplies. Kurtis was upset because he thought that we did not get him what he really wanted - a SpeedRacer hotwheels track set (but I did get it for him, along with some more cars to drive on it). He got Ben 10 figures, Star Wars figures, a baseball glove, and many other great boy toys. He also got a subscription to "ZooBooks" from Mom & Bob in which the first edition came last week.

Kurtis also got a lot of Birthday money that he is now itching to spend. He asked me today if he had to give the money to the cashier at the store. I told him yes - otherwise that is stealling.

Anyway, thanks to all who were able to make it to the party. See you again soon.

Happy 5th Birthday, Big Guy!!!

5 years ago today, Kurtis Robert Gregory came into our lives after 21 hours of labor and a c-section.

This boy is the love of my life. Everyday he says something that just amazes me. I can't believe how smart he is - I know in a couple months when he starts school, the teachers will be amazed as I am.

He is very set in his ways. He will tell me that he does not want to do something for me becuase I did not give him what he wants - but then, he will do it. He is a Superhero to me.

I love you Kurtis and think about you everyday. Have a great birthday, Big Guy!!!

A tribute to a mother who is no longer here...

April 3, 2008 the Gregory family lost their Mom or "Grammy" or "Meme" (Yvonne "Bonnie" Croxall) depending on who you are. Mom was very important to me. She was there to support Jeff & me through all kinds of times - good & bad. She did not judge and loved me because I loved her son. I was one of her adopted daughters since she did not have any hereself.

That made for a very difficult Mother's day. The first one without her. We love you Mom & miss your smiling face. All the Grandkids and Greatgrandkids miss you. Those to come in the future are surely going to miss having you in their lives.

Holding a baby is what mom loved to do. This is how I will always remember her...

Here we go.

Here are the boys. Kurtis & Joey from late last year. As you can see - Joey looks so much like Kurtis it is not even funny.

These two boys are the most precious things in my life. As much as I get upset at the things that Kurtis does (never being quite, always asking for something to eat), I don't know what I would do without them.

Kurtis will be 5 in a week. Kindergarden is coming this fall. What an adventure that will be. Some days he is ready to go to school - others he wants nothing to do with it. Kurtis loves to draw. Everyday he is drawing a new picture of some cartoon character (or movie character). This week - everything is IRONMAN. Next week-???

Joey is growing like a weed. Everything he can get his hands on he is throwing. I wonder if he will be a pitcher or a quarterback??? Maybe he will not even like to play sports. We will have to wait to find out.

Well that is all for now.

Giving this a try

I saw Amanda's Blog and thought it might be fun to try. I think I will start out slowly, by giving information about the family & what is going on in our lives. Hopefully, I can make this another creative outlet for me as well.

Soon I will post pictures of the family and give a decription of them & what they are doing.

Enjoy.

Sarah