Happy Mother's Day!

Words cannot describe how incredible it was to celebrate my very first "official" Mother's Day as a new Mom! Last year I was 5 months pregnant, so it was kind of "unofficial". I'm not going to lie, I was emotional all day long for some reason. I would just stare at Saije and be overwhelmed with the most intense feeling of love that I have for her. She is such a joy and such a blessing in my life. I don't know what I would do with myself if it weren't for her.

The day before Mother's Day, Brogan sent me the most BEAUTIFUL flowers! He knows pink lilies are my favorite flower and he made sure and tell the flower people that hot pink is my favorite color so they tied a hot pink bow on the hot pink vase and put hot pink accent flowers in the bouquet. He is such a Sweetie! The card read: "You are the best Mom a child could ever have. Love, Brogan". It put me into tears! One thing I really love about Brogan is that he stands behind me as a Mom and is constantly helping me out and pushing me to be even better. Having that kind of support is so great. I love you Honey. Thank you so much for making my day with these gorgeous flowers! MUAH!

We started off the day going to church with my friend and her sister and Mom. Saije and I have been going on occasion to church with them to the First Baptist Church and I really really love it. I feel so welcomed there and so loved. Complete strangers will approach us and give us big hugs and ask how we are. They have a really nice child care program too that I use during the big meeting where Saije can nap or play or whatever. Of course the worship service and worship band was based around Mothers and we even got little goodie bags from the children of the congregation. I cried during parts of the service because it made me realize how important Motherhood is and how badly our world needs good Mothers who will love their children no matter what choices they make or where they go in life. A Mother cannot make her children's choices for them, good or bad, but they sure can love them regardless and make sure they know they are loved and not make them feel any less than loved. It's a rare quality alot of Mothers possess these days and I just hope and pray that my children ALWAYS know how much I love them. No matter which direction in life they go, I want them to know they always have a Mom who loves them and will be there to wrap my arms around them.

Girls Day!

I've said it a million times, but I'll say it again: I LOVE THIS GIRL! Her contagious smile and sweet personality is something very rare in this world nowdays. As her Mother, I can only hope and pray that these qualities last throughout her life and she uses them to better everyone around her. She is such a special spirit and I know God gave her to me for a reason. Mommy loves you baby girl! Muah!!!

Saije and I had another Mommy/Daughter date at the park. Saije still loves the swings more than anything, but she's becoming more and more amazed with watching the bigger kids go down the slides and climb on the monkey bars. She is such a "Monkey See Monkey Do" kind of baby so it won't be too much longer until she's doing the same!

She's so cute. I sat her on this bench and let her play with the x's and o's and it looked like she was really playing tic-tac-toe.

I look at this picture and realize how fast she is growing up...TEARS!!!

Such a good little eater!

I have officially tried all different flavors of baby food and she likes them ALL! She love all the fruits...surprise surprise...but she also loves all the veggies too! Peas, green beans, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, etc! I really hope this carries over because there isn't a single thing she doesn't like. YAY!

She is such a messy eater. It goes everywhere from her nose to her fingers, from her pants to her hair, from her ears to her shirt...Bathtime always shortly follows! :)

Xander's Birthday BBQ 5.6.12

One of my best friend's son, Xander, turned 5 years old on Sunday the 6th and invited me and both kids to his birthday BBQ. Since it was in Twin Falls and that is where Channing lives with his Mom, I asked her if I could take him for half the day so he could come. It was nice having Channing even though Brogan wasn't home. Saije tried out some orange and she LOVED it! She must really like the taste of citrus because she also really likes lemons of all things!

Mia, Xander, and Channing playing on the trampoline.

Both kids playing in the grass together. Channing had the whole backyard to play in with a bunch of other kids and half the time he chose to play with his sister on the blanket and make her laugh. He sure does love her. It's very obvious

Echo, Saije, and Channing. Channing and this little girl were connected at the hip the whole time. She is my friend Caitlyn's daughter and she is just from February to July younger than Channing. Everything she did, he was right behind her. We were sitting at the table talking and eating hot dogs when all of a sudden Channing grabbed Echo by the face with both hands and pulled her in for a big 'ol kiss smack on the lips! OH MY GOSH! We were laughing so hard because where did he learn that!? Oh wait, every time me and Brogan kiss he goes "Ewwwwww!" Ha Ha Kids are hilarious...

Princess Saije just doing her thing!

Most of the time we were just watching the kids play in the backyard and trampoline while talking and eating hotdogs and chips :) Because of the direction I am looking, I was watching Channing go down the slide. I would turn my head for 2 seconds and he would yell at the top of his lungs "Mama! Mama! Mama!" until I looked and watched him go down. He wanted me to watch EVERY SINGLE TIME! I love that little boy and I love that he calls me Mama. I don't tell him too either he just does. His Mom tells him I am "Mommy Jayne" though so I guess we are all on the same page. :)

Our handsome little boy! What a stinker, but we sure do love him!

Bath time!

Something about a baby in the bath tub makes me smile. Saije loves her rbber duckies and froggies :)

She can almost climb out of the tub on her own! I gotta keep my eyes on this girl!

We've set a date!

We have FINALLY picked a date and the special day is going to be August 11th! We booked the venue yesterday and plans for everything else are starting to come together! We have been engaged since September 29th so it's about time we pin pointed the exact day to tie the knot. We are more than thrilled! By the way...We are no longer getting married in the Bahamas. We booked our Bahamas cruise a couple weeks ago for 3 weeks after our wedding as our Honeymoon. We are getting married here at the Rupert Elks Club and then having a dance reception afterwards with lots of music and treats! Brogan's family begged us not to do it on the cruise because they all really wanted to be a part of it and witness such a special day in our lives. No one could go on the cruise. We happily agreed and so that is that. I will start collecting addresses in a few weeks for invitations. We are scheduled to take our engagement pictures in 2 weeks from today when Brogan is home next, and I just bought my wedding dress! It is absolutely the dress of my dreams! It was only the second dress I tried on, but when I saw it I just knew it was the one for me! PLUS when the lady went to order it in for me (the dress in the store is more or less a model) she came back and said that the dress was discontinued so she couldn't order it in, BUT I could have that exact dress off the rack for 50% off! I was going to pay $600 for it and only ended up paying $300 AND THEN she threw in a matching mini dress for Saije for only $20 more! The dress was already in my size and needs zero alterations. All I have to do is dry clean it and get it pressed! It couldn't have worked out any better! I got the dress of my dreams for half the price and I didn't have to wait 3 months to get it in. It was definitely meant to be. Hallelujah! Yes I have been married before, however I never had a wedding. If that makes sense. All this planning is so much fun, yet stressful at times, but it will all be worth it on that special day. I am doing all this on my own so wish me luck!

I can't wait to marry my best friend and love of my life. I can't wait to start our forever babe! I love you and our kids so much! Muah!

My little scare!

As I mentioned in an earlier post tonight, I had been attributing my constant red left eye to seasonal allergies. That was until it would never go away and it started affecting my vision. I noticed my vision getting worse and worse when I was up in North Dakota and then it got to the point where I couldn't even wear my contacts. THEN it got so red it looked gross and it was constantly runny. The last straw was when we got home and I couldn't even open my eye because it was so runny and it felt like something was in my eye. Brogan demanded I go to the eye doctor so I made an emergency appointment. I went in the next morning and Dr. Zarbyninski examined it for about 5 minutes before pulling away and saying "Bad news. I am sending you to a micro surgeon right away!" My heart sank in my chest. He continued to explain that I had been suffering from some sort of allergic reaction in my left eye and it had overtaken the blood vessels and they were now 5x their normal size. Because they were so enlarged and growing, they would continue to make my vision worse and worse until I eventually woke up completely blind in that eye. I almost started crying! The only thing I could think of was my eyelash extensions. I was due for an eyelash fill that day, which I obviously cancelled, and he said that could definitely be what caused it to begin with because around the time of my last fill is when it all started. My eyelash lady probably got a drop of glue in my eyeball and my eye reacted really bad to it. He said NO MORE EYELASHES and I quickly agreed. As much as I love my eyelashes, I love to see more. I couldn't get into the micro surgeon in Pocatello for a few days so I waited it out. I went just a few days ago on Monday and got good news! My eye was healing on it's own and it was 90% better than even five days previously as my regular eye dr appointment. The micro surgeon said that as long as I don't continue to get my lashes done, I shouldn't have a problem. I am now safe to wear contacts again and my eye hasn't been red or runny anymore. I am soooo grateful! The thought of "micro surgery" on my freaking eyeball had me so nervous I about peed my pants several times just thinking about it!

All is well and I still haven't had any problems. My vision is slowly coming back too so I should be golden. It sure game me and Brogan a good scare though!

Growing kids!

I took this picture on Sunday, 4/29, and think it's one of the cutest pictures of Saije. She is a crawling fool and sometimes when she crawls she makes funny faces :)

I love my beautiful baby girl! She is such a joy and brings so much happiness into my life! To those choosing not to be a part of it, YOUR LOSS! All the more smiles and giggles for me!

Saije's favorite toy right now is this squishy basketball of Channings. She crawls around chasing that dang thing all day long. If it rolls uder the kitchen table, she's right there trying to roll it back out. She tries to throw it to us but she's not that coordinated quite yet. Do we have a baller on our hands?

Stunna Shades like Daddy! Brogan is ALWAYS wearing his sunglasses outside the house. He has this one pair of super nice Oakley's that he keeps at arms length at all times and Channing is always trying to get them, which he has several times. Brogan decided to try and find some that look like his for Channing and we ended up finding them at Walmart for like $5. He wears them so good and thinks he's so cool now! lol

I took this picture earlier today because once again, she looked so cute. My Mom bought this 9 month outfit for Saije long before she was even born and then I had a bright yellow flower that matched it perfectly. With Saije's haircut, I can actually style her hair down and put flowers in it without having to wear a band. The bright yellow fits her perfectly because she is our beautiful little ray of sunshine! I can't believe she will be 9 months on the 21st of this month!

We will NEVER forget. RIP Dad!

While Brogan was home last week, we took time to remember his Dad on the 3 year anniversary of his death. It was such an emotional day for the whole Gransbury family, but especially Brogan. I see him get emotional all the time on regular days, but on the actual anniversary of his Dad's death hits him 10x harder. The love Brogan has for his Father is something I wish I had. Me and my Dad don't get along and never really have. We view things different and our personalities clash because we are so much alike. I am to blame for alot of things, but so is he and I just don't think that will ever change. It breaks my heart to think my Dad lives 5 minutes away and we don't speak, yet Brogan would give ANYTHING to have one more conversation with his. I wish me and my Dad were on better terms because that would also give Brogan the opportunity to have a "Father-in-law". Oh well. No one but me and my Dad really know what's happened between us, and if you think you do, just know you don't. Trust me. End of story.

I never got the opportunity to meet Brogan's Dad, but I feel like I have because I feel his presence almost daily. I know he watches over me and Saije always and of course Channing and Brogan while they are away from us. Ronnie led a troubled life, which ultimately led to Brogan and his younger sister being raised by his parents, Brogan's grandparents, yet Brogan has the utmost love and respect for him and has never blamed his Dad for anything. When Ronnie had his work accident that triggered the onset of his progressive MS, Brogan changed his whole life on a dime to care for his Dad and do whatever it took to keep him going. From start to finish, Ronnie battled MS for 9 years, 7 of which were spent in an assisted living home where he eventually lost his battle in 2009. At such a young age, barely entering high school, Brogan bathed him, fed him, took him to the restroom, cleaned up his accidents, picked him off the floor after he had fallen, cooked, cleaned, raised his younger sister, paid the bills, etc.  Not many 15-18 year old can say they were their parents primary caretaker all the while staying in school to later graduate and holding a full time job. To be honest, most kids would have dropped out of school or been so bitter about the situation and developed a bad attitude about everything. Brogan didn't. Brogan doesn't regret any of it either. It was hard. The hardest thing he's EVER had to do. He says that if he had to go back and do it all over again, though, he would in a heartbeat. He just wishes he could have done more to keep him alive longer. He misses his Dad each and every day. I only hope my children love me even half as much as Brogan loves his Dad. Ok...getting teary now....

Incredible right? If this isn't a tear jerker I don't know what is! We kept telling Channing that was Papa and to go ahead and talk to Papa and give him loves. This is what he did. He got down on his hands and knees and kept kissing Ronnie's headstone over and over again. It brought Brogan to tears and I was shortly to follow. Staci and Brogan got pregnant with Channing a month after Ronnie passed away so Channing never got to meet his grandpa nor did Ronnie get to meet his first grandchild :( I truly believe Ronnie played with Channing up in Heaven for those 10 months until he was born into this world tho! 

After putting flowers and a few pinwheels around Ronnie's grave, we let both kids just play around on it. Brogan thought his Dad would love that.

Saije obviously never got to meet Ronnie either. Outside of Heaven that is :)

Papa Ronnie would be so proud of you Channing! Papa looks over you each and every day. Just know you will always have a guardian angel with you at all times and if you ever need him, he is always near. Live your life to make him proud, Channing. He loves you just like me and your Daddy love you. Carrying on the Gransbury name will be the most noble and honorable thing you may ever do in your lifetime. Make Papa Ronnie proud. We love you Channing!

First Haircut at 8 months!

Saije's hair was wayyyyyyyyyyy out of control! She was born with a head of hair, but it's just gotten longer and longer and longer by the day and it just became completely unmanageable. It was so heavy on top that when I would try to curl it, it would just lay down and wouldn't do anything. I'd been pulling up into a "Pebbles" hairdo but even that was getting too wild. So....we cut it!

We took a good 1 1/2" off! She sat there holding my hand thru the whole thing, which only lasted like 2 minutes, and stared at herself in the mirror watching her curly locks disappear. She thought it was funny apparently because look at that face. This picture is absolutely priceless. Brogan snapped the picture at the most perfect time! Now I can style her hair curly again with headbands like I used to when she was alot smaller. Yes, I did keep the hair we cut off and I plan to put it in her scrapbook I may or may not end up ever making at the rate I'm going! lol

Saije's first time in a pool!

Char and I planned a day to take the kids to the Rec Center and go swimming! I know Saije loves the hot tub because she's been in one twice, but a pool is kind of different because it's colder and bigger so I didn't know how she'd like it.

She is soooooooo cute in her little pink polka dot swimming suit!

Needless to say, she LOVED it! She sat in Ryan's little floaty thing for a few minutes and liked it, but she definitely preferred to be held by Mommy in the water instead.

She liked me to hold onto her hands and let her body float while I walked around. I could not believe how uch she loved it. She was giggling and laughing and smiling the entire time and when I would stop moving she would get mad!

Saije and Ryan are only 5 1/2 weeks a part in age so they get along really good. Saije is way more outgoing than he is, but it's still fun to see the two socialize with each other and watch what each other does.

The rest of our ND trip

I had to post a picture of Saije in this cute outfit because she looks absolutely adorable! Everything from her hair to her levi mini skirt, from the pink tights to her silver shoes is her to a "T". She is such the little diva already and has an attitude to go with it!

How could you not love this little face!?

DANG! Seriously...my man is SMOKIN' HOT! MMM MMM MMM! He has the most beautiful eyes, which are even more sexy in person than in this picture, and he has the yummiest lips! This picture was taken after a few days of not shaving due to a few long days and no time to shave while we were up there with him, but he still has it! We're gonna have some good lookin' babies! lol

We went out with the guys two different nights when we were there and shot some pool. Lately, it's been mine and Brogan's obsession. He is super good too so it's fun to just watch him if I'm not actually playing.

Soooooo happy!

My friend Char and I made the 90 minute drive to Bismarck, which is the capitol of North Dakota, for the day and went shopping and then had lunch at Hooters. She had never been, but I'd been a couple times in my life and LOVED their food. It was pretty funny when two women each holding a baby walked into a restaurant full of men being waited on by girls in little tanktops and booty shorts! Ha Ha It was absolutely delicious though! Saije can officially say she ate at Hooter's for the first time at 8 months old! lol 

Cool dude!

Road trip!

Saije totally mastered crawling while we were up there and then a few days after that already started pulling herself up on furniture! This is her standing up to the coffee table in our room.

Such a big girl already!

I had to wear my glasses most of the time while up there because my allergies were really getting to me in my left eye! (or so I thought it was allergies...I'll tell you more in a later post above) I look like such a nerd!

Also, I did go see my friend Lindsay's new baby, but little Miss Harper was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her up to hold her so I didn't get a picture. She was so precious tho and I am so glad I got to meet her so early in her life!

We made it home safe and sound and had a much better driving experience this time! lol There is no place like home!