March 20, 2011

It has been an interesting few weeks. We gave my daughter a key to the house so she could walk to and from school. Not a big deal. However, this past week I came home Monday at 5:30 and she still was not home. She gets out of school at 3:45. So, I start to walk to her school (which is only about 8 blocks away, and stop at all the places that she usually stops at and no one has seen her. Finally gat about a half of a block away from the school and I hear her playing. I could not believe that she pulled that stunt. I explained to her that I wouldn't have cared if she wanted to play at school, but she had to call and ask first. So then Tuesday comes around and I get home at 4:45 and again she is not home. So I grab Mr. Cooper and we take a walk up to the school, and yet again I find her there. She doesn't even act surprised when I yell her name. She just looks up and says COOPER!!!!!! Really! She knows that she is grounded and yet she still does not come home on time and does exactly what had gotten her grounded to begin with. OK, so now she is grounded for two months instead of one. Then here came Friday night. Gary and I were sitting in our livingroom when we heard this loud bang and a dog yelping. I put Shy in her bouncer and ran outside only to see Cooper running back trying to get in our back yard. I had Gary get Cooper to the front of the house only to find out that he had been hit by a car. He was bleeding so bad. I had managed to get the bleeding to pretty much stop, but he had some really bad lacerations to his hind legs. So when Michael got home we took him to the vet. We found out that he had no broken bones, required stitches because the laceration above his ankle bone was deep enough that we could see the bone, a severed nerve, so now he will have a permanent limp, road rash, and a bruised liver. The vet stated that the car must have been going pretty quick. Saturday, we had to take Gary out to Grand Island to stay the week with his Gramma, and so while we were up there we visited with family and looked at a few cars. See, we have a 2011 Ford F-150, a 1989 Chevy k-1500, and a 2003 Mitsubishi Montero. We get 13 MPG in the Ford, the Chevy we really don't know because it is Gary's truck, and the Montero we are getting 9 MPG. The Montero is a moderate car payment, but the Ford is kinda high, so we were looking to trade in the Ford for a car. This dealership showed us a Kia Optima, which was really nice, but they were only offering a very small amount for our truck. So then they brought out a 2010 Ford Fusion. We had one of these and I really liked it, but the one that they were trying to sell us they said had 24k miles on it and it was a "Program Car". Ok, now I know what a program car is, but when we got into this vehicle and I started it, the odometer read 35k, there were stains on the ceiling?????, and there was damage to the center console. It would have lowered our car payments, but we would like a bigger offer on the Ford. So we came back home with our pickup. On the bright side, Michael was looking online and he found a Mazda6 that I like, but we'll see. Last Saturday we had our family pictures taken and I think they turned out pretty fabulous. I can't wait to be able to do this myself. On top of everything that has happened this past few weeks, Jordan is leaving today for a week to spend with her father. I really hope she has a great time, I'm just going to miss her terribly. I don't like it when she is gone. So for the next week it is just going to be Michael, Shyanne and I. Gary will be home on Friday and Jordan on Saturday. I also get to pick up Michaels Nephew Steven. We will have him for a few days. I've uploaded some of the family pictures that we had taken. There are four photos that I did modifications to. The two that say Family and the one that says Gary and the other that says Jordan. Well, I hope that everyone has a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon.

02/20/2011

It has been an absolutely wonderful weekend. We went to our first Lancers Hockey Game and we did it as a family! It was awesome! The Lancers lost, but it was great. It was Michael and Gary's first time to a hockey game and it was Jordans first time for quite a while. The next thing that we are going to see is The Beef-Arena Football! I will be happy if we can do things for a decent price... I am so tired of just not doing anything as a family. Tomorrow the kids get to stay home from school and Michael and I get to go to work. UGH! I hate that four letter word. Shyanne gave her first laugh this weekend and I think she may be teething early. The poo

r booger is drooling and knawing at her hand like there is no tomorrow. Oh well. I am sorry to see this weekend end.

“Happiness isn’t something you experience; it’s something you remember” — Oscar Levant

02/13/2011

It's been a pretty great two weeks. We celebrated Jordans 11th Birthday which turned out fantastic. She had gotten quite a bit of things including some new clothes which she loved. And then today I took her out to get the rest of her Birthday things. The funny thing is, is that Jordan wanted to get some lipstick, so I let her pick out what she wanted. BIG MISTAKE!lol We had to drive over to Gamers which is like half a block from where we were at, she managed to get out one of the lipsticks that she bought and put it on. We walked over to the store and paid for a game that she had wanted, I turned around to give her the game and I see this BRIGHT RED lipstick on her lips. OMG!!!, I was just in shock. Luckily she was a good sport about it and I told her that I didn't care if she wore it in the house, but she could not leave the house with it on. It was so funny. So I got my taxes back and it was a nice refund. However, we had a lot of bills that needed to be paid and remodeling that needed to be done to the house. So my nice little refund is now gone :( So not happy. Thursday we had Gary's Parent/Teacher conferences and he's not doing to bad. All of his teachers have the same concern...His organization. When he turns in his assignments he is acing his homework. But it is a matter of keeping him organized. He said that he was losing some of his assignments because of his backpacks zipper being broken, so today we went out and bought him a new backpack. $30!!!! are you kidding me! On the bright side it does have a lifetime warranty, so I shouldn't complain. I tried to talk him into getting this Justin Beiber backpack, but he just wasn't having it. lol. I'm so mean. Shyanne is doing really well. She is almost 3 months old and is a complete joy to have around. She is almost always a happy baby. She's actually gotten to the point where she wants to talk, smile, and try to laugh. She's such a cutie. We had to buy her a new swing because her old one broke, then Gary and I went to Toys R Us and got her a belly time floor mat that has things hanging down from these arches. She loves it! We are so blessed with everything that we have in our lives and I have got to start keeping that in mind. Michael and I were able to send our two oldest kids with my sister for the night yesterday and Shyanne over to her Grammas for a few hours. This allowed us to have some much needed quiet time. We decided to go out to Anthony's which is an awesome restaurant! I had the Chicken Parmesan and Michael had Prime Rib. Yum! It was crazy though, because it is Valentines Day Weekend and everyone was there. Lol At least that's how it seemed. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive, otherwise we probably wouldn't have found anywhere to park. I've taken a few more photos and played with them a bit. Let me know what you think. Comments about the pictures are always welcome.

01/23/2011

Today has been a pretty good day. We ended up getting about another 6-8 inches of snow. Michael and I had woken up around 2AM to feed Shyanne only to find out that our pipes upstairs had frozen. Fortunately, Michael had opened up Shyannes closet door to let some heat into the crawl space and 3 hours later we had water upstairs again. Well as I had said before in one of my prior bloggs, I had finally learned how to accent images or colors in a photo. I have attached a few more that I am very proud of on this particular blog. I'm still trying to figure a lot of things out when it comes to altering photos to make them better. This upcoming Sunday is my little Angels 11th Birthday. It is so hard to believe that my little munchkin will be that old. It seems like yesterday that I was bringing her home from the hospital and learning how to be a mom for the first time.I am so proud of her. She has her struggles, but we are working thru them together and we are both learning how to be great. I finally realized that she is really into Dinasours. She watched Paleontology shows all day today. She has decided that she wants to go to College to be a Paleontologist and then also get a degree in Zoology. I told her that I think those are wonderful careers and I am behind her 100%. I can't wait until Shyanne starts to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. I am so proud of all of my children. Even the two that aren't actually mine. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.
“Cherish all your happy moments: they make a fine cushion for old age” — Christopher Morley

01/17/2011

This has been a wonderful weekend. My soon to be Nephew that was born a month after Shyanne was dedicated to God. Afterwards we went out to lunch and had a wonderful time. I had also found out that a co-worker from my prior job had passed away due to an overdose. When I left the company, I thought that he had his problem taken care of, but obviously sometime in the last year, he had regressed back to drug and alcohol use. He was only 27 years old and it just breaks my heart that his life was wasted. Shyanne has been wonderful the last few days. We have found a bottle that does not give her as much gassiness, nor spit-up. It has been bliss. Last night she slept from 11pm to 4:30am then she ate, and slept again until 8:30am. The sad thing about this weekend is the fact that this is my last day off. Tomorrow I have to return back to work. My maternity leave has ended and I must go back. :( Michael and I are talking about selling one of our vehicles and paying off the loan. If we do this then I will be able to stay home from work. I think my hormones are returning back to normal. Which is awesome. Everyday this weekend my family and I have had an awesome time. It will be sad to see it end. In two weeks my Little Girl Jordan turns 11. It's hard to believe that 11 years ago, she was entering into this world and she has grown into a beautiful young lady. I am so blessed to have the family and children that I do.

“Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.” — Burton Hills

01/13/2011

Today was a pretty good day. Shyanne had decided that she wanted to wake up at 2:30am and pretty much stay awake until 4pm. Not enjoyable at all. She was very fussy and cranky. Had to go into work today to inform them that I was coming back on Tuesday. It's sad really, because I would love to be able to stay home with my kids, but that just isn't in the cards for us right now. Which is ok. I enjoy working as well. Gary is so excited about his truck. He has been online since he got home from school and has been looking for parts. I'm excited for him, but scared at the same time. Most of our family thinks that we are insane for letting him get his vehicle right now, but oh well. I think I'm crazy for letting it happen as well. On a brighter note, I'm posting some new photos to my blog. These are photos from two of the 3 wedding that I had shot.


“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go” — Mahatma Gandhi

01/12/2011

Today is my first actual blogging of Insanity and Happiness. My Fiance's son will be 15 in May and is already looking for a vehicle. At first he was only wanting to get a Mustang or a Camaro, but thankfully we ended up with a snow storm that produced about 8 inches of snow. Michael needed to go over to his Grandma and Grandpa's house to shovel their walk and driveway, so he asked if Gary wanted to go with him. Fortunately enough he wanted to go. When they got home, Michael was nice enough to inform me that Gary decided he didn't want a car, that he wanted a truck. I was so happy to hear this. Well today I had my last prenatal appointment and everything looked good, so now I get to go back to work. I had been suffering from mood swings and depression since I had gotten pregnant with Shyanne and now that I am nolonger pregnant, they have gotten worse. I used to smoke cigarettes and quit because I had gotten pregnant. Now that I am nolonger pregnant, I still have the cravings and they are worse now then they were while being pregnant. Anyway, I leave my Doctors appointment and I get a text from Michael asking me to call him. So I call and he tells me that he has found a truck for Gary, but we have to go to West Point to get it. So of course we go and pick up the truck.
The thing that set me emotions into a tailspin was the fact that I had to drive home with Michaels Step-brother. All he does is talk, and all I wanted was piece and quiet on the way back. Unfortunately for me, I did not get my piece and quiet, and it made for a very long hour and a half. My moment of insanity arrived when I had finally gotten home, sat on the couch, and just started crying. I have Jordan, Gary, and Michael all staring at me like a I something from another planet. Michael realized what was going on and was trying to console me. I had to make myself realize that even though Gary is not my "son", I love him as my own, and he was getting older. Soon he would be dating and off to college before I knew it. Then Jordan would be right behind him and it was as though my heart was breaking. Michael took our children over to his mothers and then took me out for some one on one time, which was greatly appreciated. My moments of happiness today are quite obvious... Gary just got his FIRST vehicle, I have been released to go back to work, and Michael and I had time to ourselves. It has definitely been a day with its ups and downs, but I will be more then happy to have more days like this, as long as everyone has arrived home safely and we are all together. I have uploaded a few photos of my first solo wedding as a photographer. The bride is the daughter of one of my closest friends and it was my honor to do this for her.


“Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have” — Unknown

A little more about me.

I'm hoping that if you are reading my blog then you have already read my introduction at the bottem. My name is Micki and I started this blog as a way for me to deal with the things that life has handed my direction. I am 37 years old and recently became a new mom again. It has been absolutely wonderful. My fiance and I had prayed for our little one and even went thru thousand of dollars in fertility treatment to get pregnant. After 7 months of trying to concieve, we decided that we were happy with what God has given us. Instead of the fertility treatments and trying to have a little one, we decided to retire early and to purchase the dog that we wanted. Well in February of 2010, we purchased Mr. Pooper Cooper AKA Cooper Jack Taylor. He is now a 13 month old German Shepherd. Also in February we had decided to get our bathroom remodeled and updated. Our house is over 100 years old and we still had the old fashioned claw foot tub. No shower!!!! So the remodel started in March and finished the first week in May. I love our new bathroom. We had purchased all of the supplies and did the demolition ourselves, then we had someone come in and put everything back together again. On May 13th 2010, I decided to take a pregnancy test because I was over 45 days late for my cycle, and the next thing I knew, the test came back positive. Needless to say, I was lost for words. I took a picture of the test and sent it to my fiance. The only thing he asked me was "What did you send me...it looks like a picture of the inside bowl of the toilet." I explained to him what was going on, and we both were speechless. We had given up this dream of having a child together and now it was happening!!!!!!!! Six months later we had given birth to our dear daughter Shyanne. Her delivery was not an easy one. They ended up taking her via c-section, due to her heartbeat dropping. It was very scary. Shyanne was due on December 22 and she was born on November 27th. Even though she was a month early, she was 7lbs 4oz and 20 3/4 inches long. We are so blessed to have the people we know and even the people we don't know in our lives. Please read on and I hope you enjoy what you see.