Well....

We had planned on going to Holiday World on a whim this weekend, but this is the message I was welcomed with after visiting their website:

"Join us for fireworks on July 4! If you have flexibility in your travel plans, please try to avoid visiting on June 28 and August 2, as we expect those days to be exceptionally busy. Remember, we're on Central Daylight Time! "

Okay....I have flexible travel plans, and that message tells me DO NOT go if you are a crowd-a-phobic like my hubby. Also, with a 3-year-old...I don't think so!

So......

We decided to go back to St. Louis as we have for a couple years now. We are going to try to visit a few places Grady wasn't really big enough to fully enjoy in the past.

More to come...

BTW- Thanks Amanda for the water information! I didn't want to haul my boat with me!

EEEEWWWWW!!

OMG!!! This is what I pulled off of my son with tweezers yesterday!!

I know, it's just a tick. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just to think that they were on me, let alone sucking my blood!

Granny came over last night and asked when Grady had gotten this new mole on his hip. She said she noticed it yesterday morning when he needed help with his pants after going pee. I said I didn't know anything about a new mole. We proceeded to check it out closer and I saw legs on the mole! That's when I freaked out!

The picture makes it look like this thing was ginormous! But, the tick he had suck to him was no bigger than a pin head. TINY!! I would have thought it was a freckle if it was on my skin. Grady cried when I took it off... Poor kid.

I sure hope no more of those little boogers get by me for that long. I felt like I deserved the "Bad Mother of the Year" Award. Here's hoping nothing serious comes of this litte nasty thing.

Sorry Grady!

Some Other Random Questions Answered by Grady With Commentary by Momma

Your Name: Grady Sawman Bergbower - really Sawyer, but Papa has instilled the nickname to be the actual way his name should be

Favorite Person: Daddy and Gus - much to my disappointment

Favorite Thing About Yourself: my freckles

Favorite Thing About Your House: you momma - I feel better now

Favorite Food: Roni's - macaroni's that is

Favorite Drink: Lemonade - we seriously go through a gallon every 3 days

Favorite Number: 4

Favorite Letter: Z

Favorite Shape: Oval

Favorite Song: ABC's - although he does a mean version of Amazing Grace, which my Grandma, Great Mary as he calls her, LOVES to hear

Favorite TV Show: Tom and Jerry - Thank God it isn't Barney or something terrible

Favorite Movie: Lightning - AKA Cars

Favorite Race Car: Chick Hicks

Favorite Color: Green - Much to my disappointment again, due to the fact he says he now likes John Deere's and I am an International girl all the way

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up: I don't know - Hmmmm....he usually says a Police man like Enos, gotta love the Dukes

Where Do You Want to go on Vacation: Holiday World - I think that is due to the fact we are going this weekend, crossing my fingers for no rain. Usually he says the beach.


I would have loved to ask him more, but he ran away from me and shut the door in my face. I guess he felt like I was the paparazzi and he was famous getting asked all those questions!

The Random Questions Answered by Aubrey

Favorite person: Grady, by a long shot. Sorry to anyone I offend by saying this, but he is!! Unconditional love, from Day 1. He would probably say I was his favorite too, if someone asked!

Favorite food: French Fries and Pizza - Of course, not in the same setting.

Quirks about me: I have a real problem with people incorrectly pronouncing words. Maybe I should have been a speech teacher. I think it all stems from the fact that I grew up with a name that everyone, almost, wanted to pronounce wrong. A-u-B-r-e-y.... There is no D!!!

What can you NOT live without: Dr. Pepper/Mt. Dew - those could be in the same glass. Probably couldn't live without Internet for very long, or my own transportation either. Sometimes you just have to drive!!

Favorite blog: I have lots.... I don't want to single any one out.

Who do you wish had a blog: My friend Kate, who I met on BabyCenter when we were pregnant 4 years ago.

What job would you pay not to have? Fast Food, and Nursing home butt-wiper

If you could be a fly on the wall anywhere, where would it be? Ummm..... I probably better not say, I'm still hoping for that in the afterlife!!

Guilty pleasure: Frozen Hot Chocolate at Dairy Queen, I save those for really bad days

Favorite thing about your house: Don't know, I like the new floor in the bathroom - kinda boring answer, huh?

Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing and The Wizard of Oz

One thing you are bad at: Basketball

If you could change one thing about your current circumstances, what would it be? I would be able to stay at home with Grady and have another baby.

Who would you like to meet someday? Again, Kate. She lives in California and unless gas gets cheaper, I probably won't make it that far west.

What makes you feel sexy? When my clothes fit the way I want them to, and when Chris tells me I am.

What is the hardest part of your job? ALL OF IT!! I work for my dad doing a man's job. Physical labor is tough, but it sure helps out with the above question!!

When are you most relaxed? When a day goes by with no drama!! That seems to be hard to come by lately!

What stresses you out? bills in the mail and waiting on food at a restaurant when the people beside you came later and are already eating

Why do you blog? Mainly to share my pictures of Grady and to keep others updated on our family.

----If you read this and have your own blog, please consider yourself to be tagged. Do like I did and eliminate the questions you did not like, just make sure to replace them with another question you came up with.

Oh, Baby Baby!

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - They aren't America's heaviest newborn twins on record, but they certainly tip the scales: Sean William Maynard and Abigail Rose Maynard weighed in at a combined 23 pounds and 1 ounce at birth this week, a North Carolina hospital announced Friday. The boy weighed 10 pounds, 14 ounces; the girl, 12 pounds, 3 ounces. Springs said both babies are in excellent condition after their birth to parents Joey and Erin Maynard of Winston-Salem.

Dear Lord!! I only gained 22 pounds with Grady - I couldn't imagine 2 babies putting twice that much stress on my body. What a trooper that woman is - She deserves an award! But, she will quite possibly be getting quite a bit of free stuff, since the media has gotten wind of these whoppers!

Jon & Kate + 8

Does anyone else watch this show?? I am hopelessly addicted!! She has it together for having that many kids too! And they are only a few years older than I am!! CRAZY!! I couldn't handle that many kids!!

I just love that little Maddie. Attitude, attitude! Gotta love her, she just wanted one sibling and got 6. Anyway, that is my fav for the moment. I'm sure some other reality show will replace it sooner or later, but for now it'll do!

Ooooh, wouldn't it be awesome if the Duggar's got their own series??

WOW!

I started this blog so that people who I used to know, or family who lived farther away could see how Grady has grown, and to keep them updated on what goes on in my life.

I am in shock to see how fast my hit counter is moving!! And the places that visit my blog!! It's unbelievable to me that people, other than my family, are interested in what goes on with the Bergbower's!

So, if you are a visitor, leave me a comment. I would love to know who you are and what keeps you coming back!! Especially those of you from Ohio.... I don't know anyone from Ohio!!

Oh, by the way, THANKS for stopping!

Monkey on the Loose!

This tree is in my parents backyard. It was planted there before I was born. Grady now thinks he needs to climb it. Talk about giving a mother a heart attack!! He even took my camera and got a shot from above. Doesn't that look up high for a 3-year-old??

My Big Little Boy

I took Grady to the Doctor today. He has an allergy issue that's causing him to have stuffy nose, "boogery" eyes, and an ear infection.

I thought that he might put up a fight when we went. He usually is not a happy camper when I bring up the doctor. It used to be a fight just to tell him we were going to see Kara at work (his buddy Dawson's mom, who works @ Marshall Clinic) because he knew what that meant.

To my surprise, we went in and he sat in one of the waiting room chairs just as patient as could be. He kept asking when the doctor would come get him and when it would be his turn. When we did get back to the room, he plopped his little butt up on the exam table and waited patiently again!! What the heck??!? Is this my child?? He asked what I thought the doctor would do to him and if she would check his reflexes. For some reason, he is fascinated by the reflex checker thingy. I told him no, but she would look in his eyes, ears, and mouth. He still wanted her to check his reflexes.

This is where I tear up..... He looked at me right before the doctor came in and said, "Momma, you didn't even have to hold me. I did this all by myself. I'm a big boy, aren't I?"

WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! He is a big boy and I hate it!! He is getting big so fast and I still want a pause button or something to make it stop!

Well, needless to say, he did great and didn't fight when the doctor checked him out. He got their trademark sticker and sucker when we left, along with a dose of antibiotics. Fun, fun...at least he isn't fighting me on taking medicine anymore either!!

Okay, that was my daily pity party, boo-hoo, I don't want my son to grow up rant...... maybe I'll post something better later.

Yipes!

Do you have Triskaidekaphobia?? I have mixed feelings on this one. I think if you think something bad will happen on this day, it probably will. Anyone have a 13th story to tell?

Tan Lines

Did you know that you can get a tan line around a temporary tattoo??

I sure do now!

What Happened???

Last night we went to check out how far the water from the recent floods had went down. It was still out in many of the places that we had been over the weekend, but not as bad. When we went down in the Crooked Creek bottoms this past weekend, you could barely see the railroad tracks sticking up out of the water.

We decided to take a walk down the tracks and see what kind of damage there was. I know, kinda dumb to walk down train tracks, let alone half broken ones, with a 3-year-old. But, we knew one thing, we weren't going to get hit by an oncoming train!!

What a shock we found when we could see them......

Yes, that is a big hole under the tracks where rock used to be!

Don't think I would trust that set of tracks either!

Even some carnage! Grady spotted this catfish first, and I had to look close to figure out just what it was. Something sure was hungry. I think it was Heathcliff!

Yum-O!

We had our first corn on the cob this past week - boy, was it good!! I didn't know if Grady would like it or not. He ate it last year, but since then he has gotten a little picky with his eating. He sure did demolish that ear of corn - I did too, but I will save you and not post that picture!

Now that is sleepy!

Grady wanted to watch one of his cartoons, probably Tom and Jerry to be honest. I turned it on and went to get some laundry to fold, came back and this is what I found:

Water, Water Everywhere

What a terrible amount of rain and strong storms we have had! It is pretty much like clockwork that in the spring we get a good deal of rain and then, as we say it, you can't go through the bottoms. This year's weather has been unreal - cold until the end of May, and the thunderstorms not coming until June. The flood waters have come out everywhere!! This is quite possibly the worst our little town has seen. Here are some photos from my in-laws house.

This first one is taken from the top of the hill over looking the "bottoms" and what used to be farmground. The other is at the bottom of the hill (where the road that turns off beside the river bridge used to be gravel, if anyone remembers that) and the water had since come up higher today when we were there, but I didn't bring my camera to compare. Let's all pray that the rain they are calling for this week misses us!!

I just looked at Sarah Sez and Tracie - if you read this - Do you remember the water being this high at Finn's? I took this from the truck on our way home from Newton today.

If I had only known....

Am I the only Illinois resident that didn't know about this??? You can go online to Jesse White's homepage and put in your request for your personalized plates and see if they are available before you send in your money and get rejected like I did!! It was fun just to play with and see what the plates would look like before you decide what personalized ones you want. I might have to do this when my random, less than memorable plates expire. I didn't know there were so many different varieties of plates to choose from either. I feel so dumb - and underinformed! Thanks to my neighbor, Lori, for letting me in on Mr. White's big secret!

SafetyTats

I saw these in Parents magazine. They are temporary tattoo designs that you can personalize with your phone number in case your child wonders off while on vacation.

I thought they were pretty cool! There were ones for boys or girls. And even ones that said "I am allergic to..." or "I am diabetic." Neat! And what kid doesn't like to have tattoos all over?

:)

On a brighter note.....

Isn't that precious???

:(

I know to most this just looks like some mom took a crappy picture of their child.

To me, it is sad. My little guy is growing up too fast. He has had so many firsts: tooth, steps, sleeping all night, etc. This first isn't as obvious.

This was his first little pair of Levi's. This was the first pair of jeans with those adjustable straps for his scrawny little butt to stay covered. This was his first hole in the knee of his jeans.

All of those things wrapped together makes me so upset. He is not a baby anymore. He is big enough and plays hard enough to get holes in the knees of pants. I remember my brother wearing out jeans long before he outgrew them. I really thought Grady would be like 5 before that happened.

Time has sure snuck up on me. I wish life had rewind!

I almost forgot...

About the fishing trip mentioned last weekend.....

Grady said the funniest thing while we were on the water. I know I was thinking it, but his daddy would have gotten mad if I had said it.

And I quote... "It smells like fish crap out here!"

It's Pool Time!

Finally, it is warm enough to set up the swimming pool!! I could hardly contain myself! The water was freezing, but Grady got right in and splashed his little heart out. Me, just until it hit me at the knees, any further up and there would have been pee in the pool!

I just hope we can keep him from going in the darn thing without us. He has no fears right now. Is that a 3 year old thing I should have found in the instruction manual he came with??

Fishing & Weenie Roast

Saturday was quite a busy day....no cleaning or cooking at home, just a fun summerish kinda day. Chris had wanted Grady and I to come fishing with him for some time. Me, being a little hesitant about the whole fishing thing, was a little resistant and would have made every excuse not to go. But I gave in. We hooked up the boat and went to Sam Parr. It was nice on the water, and we had a good time as a family.

Here are my boys with the one lonely ole fish we caught. Chris was kinda sad about that, so he threw it back.

After the fishing trip, we went to the Dogwood section of the park. Those playgrounds are awesome!! Not to mention the tire stuff they have underneath! We roasted weenies and marshmallows and played until 9 o'clock.

Great Weekend Fun!! And all close to home so we didn't have to burn that $4 a gallon gas!!

I.....Love a Parade!

Our Posse:

Dawson, Tristan, Lexie, Grady, Clayton & Ashley

Granny and I took the boys (Grady & Tristan) to the Stawberry Fest parade. We also took my niece and nephew and met up with Dawson & the rest of the Deitz family. We took in the playground at St. Thomas pre-parade. Grady liked it until there were other kids he didn't know and then he wanted to leave, immediately.

Candy was the highlight for all. Grady loves to chase it, but once he gets something he likes, he wants it open NOW, and doesn't care if there is a bucket load right at his feet. Tristan finally caught on that you were supposed to get up and get the candy. Boy when he got it, he got it!!

We also took in some of the rides. You can't very well have any festival fun without the rides. Grady & Tristan tried to get me to puke on those darn big strawberry things!

Two out of the four I brought fell asleep on the way home. I could very well have been one of them, but I restrained myself from napping. Thanks goes out to Granny for volunteering to drive all of us and enjoying our sunny Saturday afternoon!