We now have a floor!!!!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early. Blake didn't like getting up and going out of the house before the sun was up but he survived. Our first concrete truck arrived at 6:40 and the day began. We had 11 friends there helping us for which we are so grateful for. They all gave up their Saturday to get up at the crack of dawn to put in a hard morning of dragging, screeting and finishing concrete.

The very first truck of the morning, there were 5 truck total and 51.75 yards of concrete poured

Blake thought it was cold out.

Nathan didn't mind the cold he loved watching all the people

There were so many helping I couldn't get a picture of all of them. But Kenny, his dad and brother are all in this shot. Its rare to get a picture of the three of them together.

This was about 2 hours in and they were almost done just waiting for the last truck

Blake helping Dwayne with the extra concrete that wasn't used. He thought he got to really work.

The finished floor its very had to get the whole floor in one picture. Seems so big right now but I am sure once the walls go up it will seem small.

Nathan enjoying one of Blake's chips.

7 years ago.....

I have now been married for 7 years and my husband and I have been together for 12. Some days wedding memories are just like it happened yesterday and other days they seem so long ago. Our wedding party was not large just a best man, maid of honor and a groomsman and bridesmaid. We could have easily had a large wedding party but chose not to. Our small church was packed to the brim with well over 120 guests who came to watch us get married.

I remember most of the events of the day like it happened yesterday. I spent the night with my maid of honor woke up and met the other bridesmaid I had my maid of honor call to be sure the guys wouldn't cross paths with us that day as our town is small. The guys spent the morning getting chairs set up for the reception at Mable's and then they washed and waxed the fourwheelers that the wedding party would ride from the church to the reception on.

My maid of honor and bridesmaid and I went to town to get our hair done and my step mom and mother in law met us there to get their hair fixed as well. After that the three of us went to our favorite restaurant Maid Rite yes I felt a bit silly having my hair all done my vail in and my tiara on but none the less we wanted to eat there. When we arrived at the church we began getting ready and I had tons of family coming down to talk to me and ask questions. It was also the time my mom found out we were riding four wheelers to the reception. We wanted to do something out of the norm and so far none of our friends had done fourwheelers as a wedding ride. The best man came down to get the boutiners and that is when I first got nervous, there is a picture of me trying to pin it on and you can tell I was shaking. Didn't help he said the parking lot was full and still had people filing in.

My dad walked me down the isle and it was the first and probably last time he ever wore a tux. I was happy excited but managed to never shed a tear. Although there were times I fought it, helped that our ring bearer who was almost 3 kept running back and forth from his mom who was a bridesmaid to his dad who was a groomsman. He then sat on the train of my dress and looked so cute but no one got a picture or video of it. The ceremony seemed to fly by and we were soon walking down the isle as a married couple. My uncle's friend took our photos for us and did a great job. I am upset that my mom wouldn't get a picture with my dad her and me, but we got lots of great pictures.

We had a cake and punch reception in the church basement then we went outside to head to the dinner and party. I knew it would be hard to get on the four wheeler with my dress on and I had a cancan under to make it fuller well my friend unzipped my dress right in front of everyone at the church and proceeded to get the cancan off so I could sit better on the four wheeler. I was embarrassed but makes for a good story now. We rode the 3 miles to the dinner and party and had a huge array of food, friends of our cooked fish and then friends and relatives fixed side dishes. I regret not having a guest book there because we figure there was well over 200 people there that night. Kenny and I danced two dances together I hardly saw him the whole time, as we were so busy trying to talk to everyone that came to the party. We did the bouquet and garter throw, dollar dance which paid off quite well. The entire wedding party changed in to regular clothes as it was super hot out and we were outdoors. I do wish I would have just wore my dress part of the night.

The reception lasted until well after 1am. The entire wedding party stayed with us that night and the best man ended up helping me take all the bobby pins out of my hair. Apparently I looked like I needed help as I was tugging them out or he was just needing the bathroom and was trying to hurry me up. The next morning we opened all our cards and gifts with our wedding party and fixed a huge breakfast before leaving.

Our wedding wasn't nothing fancy or extravagant but it fit us perfectly we had a great time and was able to share our special day with so many of our friends and family. I was no bridezilla and we had no major snafus other than the cake lady lost the book my cake was in so we made her give us a bigger better cake for the same price of the one I loved.

Five Question Friday

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?

 In High School I a few friends called me Shelley Bean not sure why.
Childhood my Grandparents called me posey which I never liked, had the nickname catfish at one point because I am a very restless sleeper and move constantly at night or so I was told. Umm Shell is a pretty common one that I only allow my friends to use, irritates me when someone I barely know uses it. Oh and in RTC my Junior year I got the nickname of Minnie Mouse.

2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
Just me! Well when I was 10 my dad remarried and I have a half sister.

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?

Jeffrey Donovan

4. What is currently your favorite song?
Its actually Blake's favorite song but every time I hear it he sings the whole thing and makes me smile. Its Big Green Tractor by Jason Aldean. He can even sing it now without the music, told me its his and April's song :)
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
Both, I am deciding to upgrade to a new smart phone as soon as I save the 100. We are saving for things on our new house all that we can pay for out of our pocket will save us money in the end not financing as much. Oh and I am planning a Maurices shopping day either Sept 2 or 3rd.

Play Time

Monday night we stopped by our land to meet with Dwayne, Connie and April. Of course both boys were happy to see them! This was the first time Nathan got to crawl and play in the grass and he loved it.

Blake tried to be a dare devil and ride his bike down the gravel pile lucky for me he chickened out.

Blake took Nathan in his log cabin. He wasn't sure what to think but soon decided he loved it. What I loved is he hasn't mastered escaping it yet.

He did figure out how to open the windows but couldn't figure out why that one wouldn't stay open all the time.

Wish I would have got a picture of Blake on the roof, since April showed him how to get up there.

Gasconde Bridge

I am not one to be super adventurous or do crazy things. However things that I thought were normal when I was a teen scare the bejibbers out of me today. When Kenny and I had our first date he and his friend took me to see a railroad bridge. We drove up the road and in the dark night I could see this massive bridge in the sky. I had never seen anything like it before and was nervous but had to trust that they wouldn't let me die. His friend had walked and ran the bridge several times and so had Kenny. We park up on the tracks (mind you I had no clue it was not a functioning railroad and had been abandoned years ago) I am scared but didn't want to show that on my first date. We walk out a ways and I tell them let me know when we are no longer on solid ground I am not going any farther well we ventured out a ways but no where near the river. The bridge is over half mile long and is 300+ feet up above fields and the Gasconade River.

We didn't cross is that night but part of me wanted to just so I could say hey look what I did. A few months later we were riding around with a group of friends and went out to the bridge and they talked me in to crossing it. Which was totally stupid but at the time I didn't realize how dangerous it could be, you would be walking and would come across a spot with 2 or 3 railroad ties missing and you would have to jump to the next one. I have no clue how long it took us to cross it that night but I did it.

A few years back Kenny and I decided to go see the bridge in the daylight as both of us had only ever seen in at night or from the river below. We walked out on it and right then I thought how on earth had no one fell off or thru this thing. Ties were rotted and missing or almost gone. There are no rails nothing to hang on to you are just out there on railroad ties way up in the air. We wanted to get some pictures of the bridge from the ground and then up on it but the people who own all the land around the bridge fenced the road off and you can no longer get there only by water. Today I was looking on line to see if I could find any pictures and I found some...

This is the view from the field below the bridge. I so wish there was a way to get a picture of it at night with a clear sky because its breath taking to see it.

Very nice view of the whole bridge, river and surrounding farms.

Here is all you can see as you are crossing the bridge, however at night its a bit more frighting this looks to be about halfway across.

Here you can see how deteriorated the bridge has become over the years. I was always worried if the tie we were jumping to was sturdy enough to hold us.

And here is the plaque that states when the bridge was constructed and who built it. Apparently its the longest railroad bridge in Missouri. There isn't much online that talks about this particular bridge guess since its no longer in service.

Pictures

Blake learning how to use the controls on the backhoe

Pretending to drive, good thing he can't reach the pedals or he would have been driving it all over the field

He had to have sunglasses on like Brent so he could work better, he sat on the backhoe for several hours digging the sewer and water lines.

Nathan loves watching Blake and loves watching the equipment work

Then he decided he wanted to play in the dirt and loved it, however I didn't love trying to get his clothes clean after his playtime.

First day of School pictures

Blake before we headed to his first day of school

Yes I meant to take the picture crooked.

Blake seems to really like school and even likes the bus ride. He likes to sit by himself since he don't know any of the kids. This morning I noticed he sat with the boy that gets on at daycare with him. I hope that he finds friends on the bus and good influences not older ones that will try to get him in trouble.

He said the lunchroom is super loud and nothing like eating lunch at preschool which was more quiet and calm. So far he has wanted to take his lunch each day which is fine with me but I think he will find the school has some things he wants to try so we go over the school menu each night.

Adjusting to having a kindergartner was tough last week but today seems to be much better. Blake is super excited to play soccer and asks if he will know anyone on his team. I hope that some of his friends are on his team as he would love it even more. I know nothing about soccer and trying to buy his soccer socks and shin guards yesterday left me even more clueless. Thanks to a great friend who helped me out via text he is all set and ready.

Nathan has cried the last 3 mornings I dropped him off and I think because he got so used to Blake being with him all day he hasn't adjusted yet, plus we are up a lot earlier than normal. The sitter said Nathan lights up when Blake walks in from the bus and is excited and goes straight for him.

First Day of School

I was a bit anxious last night as I was getting everything together and worried I would forget something and sleep didn't come real easy. This morning I woke up calm with no knots in my stomach I got everything done and ready just as if I had been doing this for months. Blake woke up happy and eager to leave for school, I was worried that once we got to school his attitude would change. I was pleasantly surprised that he was ok being left at school he was a bit sad and confused as he was unsure of his surroundings but he gave us each a hug and kiss and sat down to play with his friend.

I managed to not shed a tear, well not yet anyway. I came to work and have been continuously busy all morning, but looking at the clock counting down the hours until I get off to pick him up from the sitter and hear about his first day. I am a bit sad that the sitter will hear about his day first, wishing I would have scheduled today off so I could pick him up and hear all about it. A friend of mine said she would send me a text or picture when she picks her girls up on how their day was.

Blake is officially no longer a toddler or a preschooler, he is a kindergartner and seems pretty proud of his accomplishment. I am going to ask him if he would like to play soccer this fall, he really wanted to play t-ball and I should have let him but I hope he thinks soccer is fun as well. This is a whole new experience for me being the mom of a school age child who will want to have sleep overs with friends and go to birthday parties of friends. Will be an adjustment but I am sure we will manage and in 4 short years I will be doing this with Nathan.

Hope to get pictures uploaded of him this morning before we left.

One of those days......

Today has been one of those days where I question why do I put myself thru the stress of this job? To leave at 5 in a horrible mood stressed to the max to pick up the boys and then to try and stay calm and level headed the rest of the night. I like my job or should I say used to but I am getting burned out I have been working overtime stressing over it day and night and on weekends. Our live is super busy without me stressing about the files sitting on my desk at work during the evening night and weekends.
Days like today make me wonder am I in the right place right career or is there something that would suit me better? I am not one who likes to change jobs nor have to be the new person in the office, but I don't know how much longer I can take the stress level I have now.
I am not a happy person anymore and it shows at work and at home, no matter how hard I try to put on that happy face something small will set me in a tailspin and there goes the happy face. I don't like how I feel and that Blake told me that I am a grouchy mommie, but I am not sure what to do anymore.

The economy is not the greatest to be looking for a different job in such a small town, or to find a job that makes close to what I make now. With building a new house I have to keep a job to be able to pay extra on bills and to have money to pay for the kids and myself health insurance. Keep thinking to myself if I would have done something differently years ago would I have been able to work part time and stay home with the kids to save money and stress on finding good childcare.

Maybe tomorrow will be better and maybe not but I have to put on my happy face and go get my kiddos and enjoy their company while I cook dinner and do bedtime routines.

Survived Open House

Last night we went to Blake's school for open house and for him to meet his teacher and for the parents to fill out piles of paperwork (or should I say moms because there were way more moms doing the paperwork than dads) Anyway filling out papers in a crowded room with a child on your lap has gotten easier so I just blocked everything and everyone out and went to it.
Blake was excited that he knew a girl in his class and I looked at several names of students as I put away his art box and I am pretty sure there will be kids in his class that I know the parents which is a relief to me. He of course wanted to play on the playground but it had rained and everything was wet and yucky.
He was not shy at all while in they gym he wanted to go over and say hi to a boy who goes to his daycare and he went right over, now if that would have been me at that age oh no I was stuck like glue to my mom or grandma.

But yesterday around 2 I thought I may just get sick, I had myself so worried about last night and about Thursday morning. I couldn't think straight give good answers to questions at work, my stomach was in knots. So I emailed a friend and thankfully she was able to respond quickly and helped me talk it out which was so very nice of her. By the time we got to his school I had calmed down enough to think straight and be sociable. Now if I can just hold it together tomorrow morning when I take him to his class for the first time and have to leave. I know he will be ok I am not sure my nerves will be and I am sure I will shed a tear or two on my way back to work.

I am also very glad to have great friends who love Nathan, and Blake and love to spend time with them. April picked Nathan up from me in Rolla and took him home to play. He must have had a good time he was wore out and slept good all night only woke up once to eat. Not sure what we would do with out our friends who are just like family to us.

I may make a post tomorrow sometime and I may not depends on how I cope with leaving Blake for his first day of Kindergarten. I may wait until Friday so I can post on how his whole day was and how riding the bus to day care goes.

The Frog

Oh the joys of having boys. Last night I was in the kitchen fixing dinner while cleaning up, feeding Nathan and helping Kenny decide what to do about our house construction. Blake comes in and says he needs to go to the bathroom, I am like so just go. He rarely asks he knows how to go alone and then he said he couldn't there was a frog in the toilet. I was like oh yeah right how on earth would a frog get in the toilet. So Kenny went in and checked came out and said you need to go in and see. I still thought they were joking or that Kenny had somehow brought the thing in the house and put it in the bathroom to scare me.
Anyway I went in and yep there was a tree frog in our toilet, Blake wanted to flush him down but was afraid he would jump out and land on him. So we got a bowl and a lid caught him and took him back outside. Blake was scared of the frog even though it was a small frog compared to the ones we had for the frog jumping contest.
I am still not sure how the frog got in the house and in the toilet with all of us in the kitchen, then my mind starts thinking oh my how long has it been in the bathroom hiding I could have almost stepped on it at night or not noticed it in the shower. I hope the frog decides to stay outdoors where it belongs.

Weekend + Manual Labor =Very Sore Monday

This past weekend wore me out! Not only was it super hot humid and yucky out I was outside working with my husband the whole time. Saturday he asked for my help in the afternoon so I dropped the kids off with my in-laws and headed over to our land. We raked, shoveled and leveled 1 inch white chat from 3pm until 9pm. Then I had to go pick the kids up and head to town so we could buy another rake and some more water and ice for the cooler. I was sore and didn't sleep much at all that night got up early the next morning.
Sunday Blake was faced with a tough decision to work with me, daddy and Chad or to go with Nathan's to Aprils. Being the smart boy he is he asked if he could work with daddy and Chad while Nathan and I went to church then for me to pick him up and take him to Aprils. So that is what he did. Needless to say it was hot in the shade I was sore we were all tried and we dug for hours trying to find one pipe that was "supposed" to be there and wasn't. We quit right before dark drove an hour to borrow a concrete saw then picked the kids up and headed home.

Today I am more sore than I think I have ever been, even my Jillian Michaels workout videos have never made me as sore as I am now! Guess it was a good workout but one that I will try and pass on the next time. I am all for hard work and helping build our house but finding out the second day we were going about the whole thing in a way that was ten times harder than it needed to be frustrated me a bit.

So now we are waiting on the plumber to do his thing and then the concrete guy to finish his job and boy will I be glad when his part is finally done and over with!

I am very thankful for friends who are willing to watch our kids while we build our house and enjoy every minute with them and for the friends who will give up their Sunday to come help us work. We are really starting to see who are friends are and who we can count on very quickly. Glad to know that all but one we were right about they are true friends and willing to help a friend out.

Its nice living in a small community where you do work for someone and then they return the favor by helping you with a project, in fact there are several houses we know of that was built the same way all with in a few miles of our new house. I don't think I could ever give up small town country life where you always know your neighbor.

Compliments and Patience

I have a hard time taking compliments not sure why but I do. Example someone says you look great and have lost weight, my immediate thought is to say well I still need to lose x amount instead of saying thanks. I have been working on this for quite sometime and while its hard to retrain the thought process in my head I am making progress.


Yesterday in church it was just Nathan and I, Blake wanted to ride the backhoe and help daddy work so he went with him. Nathan is a great baby but as he is learning some independence he is getting stubborn. When he gets off track on his normal routine it takes a couple days to get back on track. While I had thought that I had him back on track for sleeping and naps I was wrong. The entire service he was crabby would play then start crying and fighting a nap. He pushed every last button I had and I was on the verge of losing it. Don and Brenda tried holding him which would work for a few min. Then the last 10 min of the service I could take no more nothing made him happy. So I got up grabbed him on one hip got the diaper bag and carseat and proceeded out. As I got almost to the door Don was there offering to carry something. I knew he could tell I was about to lose it. As soon as we got outside Nathan was happy and laughing. Don told me he was proud of the mom I was and that I did great even though he could tell I was at my wits end I didn’t lose my patience. It was the first parent related comment I have received from a non family member in quite sometime and it couldn’t have came at a better time. Not to mention I don’t consider myself one to have lots of patience, but somehow I held it together yesterday.

I know I need more patience not sure how to get more but I think I am gaining on it slowly. I am also getting better at accepting compliments on parents and my kids. While I may be at my wits end thinking that they are being horrible and acting out others see them as great kids who are just kids. I think I expect to much sometimes and I don’t want to be that parent with the child who screams and throws fits in public. So far neither child has done that but it’s a fear I think all parents have.