A Secret I've Been Keeping

This beginning of this story actually takes place in December. Like early December. One Saturday morning (December 8th to be exact) Eric and I decided to buy a 'new' (read used) car. I'm serious. We woke up that morning, Eric looked online and we saw the type of vehicle we've been wanting for awhile and it wasn't that much. So, we decided we'd go take a look.

After a whole day at the dealership and running to get emissions and safety checked at Jiffy Lube, we brought this home:

(Not our actual vehicle, Eric's gone and he's got it with him at the moment)

It is a Ford Expedition - Eddie Bauer model. Okay, so we really didn't care about the brand name, that's just what it happened to be. We loved that it was blue and it came with a HUGE monitor for playing videos for the kids. HECK YES!!! That was worth it in and of itself. It's been a huge lifesaver.

We waited an anxious weekend to hear back from the bank and we had some issues getting the emissions to pass, but after the weekend we heard that the loan was approved and a few weeks after that we finally got the emissions to pass. It was wonderful news and a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders.

Now maybe some of you think there's more to the story. There is.

The reason we rushed out that Saturday morning to buy a car was because of this:

(Top Stick - Friday Night Test, Bottom Stick - Sunday Morning Test)

I had been thinking I may be pregnant for a few weeks. Something just told me. So after I had gone to dinner with my sisters on Friday the 7th, I stopped at a store and bought a test. I went home and took it. Eric was asleep and so I didn't tell him.

It took me awhile to get around to telling Eric on Saturday morning. I wasn't sure how he'd feel about it. He could tell that something was on my mind, so I told him then. He reacted better than I expected. That's why we rushed to buy the car - it's an 8 seater AND it isn't a mini-van!

Eric didn't think the positive on the first test was positive enough and told me to test again. Because we were gone all of Saturday, I decided to wait until Sunday morning's first urine cause you know it's stronger...LOL!

Because of my miscarriage earlier in the year, I was very hesitant to tell people. I didn't even call the doctor for a few weeks. I finally decided I should call the doctor anyway and make an appointment. It was scheduled for January 16. I was on pins and needles up until that day. I knew that the appointment would give me some peace of mind one way or the other.

We go to my appointment and get all set up for a quick scan. My doctor does it every 1st visit, so I knew I'd be getting one. First words out of his mouth, "There's a nice strong heartbeat." I was so relieved. I hadn't said a word to my doctor about my anxiety and my mom had told me with her miscarriage that they couldn't find a heartbeat. So to hear those words was wonderful. We then got this cute little picture:

I love that because it's a couple weeks later than the 1st ones I've had with my other kids, you can see the head! It's so much more real than just a jelly bean shape.

My due date is August 16th, which is my maternal grandmother's birthday. I'd be okay waiting for the actual due date just this once. (I say that now, I may change my mind in a few months) I'm still super anxious and afraid that something is going to go wrong, but I think I think too much. 

What Happens Next...

Nebraska: Days 8 & 9 - July 8 & 9, 2011

We left Eric's grandparents around 10:00 on Friday morning. Our destination was Cheyenne, Wyoming. Traveling with kids makes it necessary to stop half way through or so.

It was sad to say goodbye to Grandma & Grandpa. Eric's mom keeps saying how sick Grandma is and that she doesn't think she'll live much longer. It's really kind of sad. This woman, though, NEVER STOPS WORKING. She was constantly on her feet - making meals, cleaning up the meals, preparing dessert, cleaning up dessert. Between her and my mother in law I certainly felt like a lazy sack of potatoes. Although, I felt it was probably best that I keep an eye on the kids.
Grandpa is amazing. His gospel knowledge is so amazing and his love of the gospel is even more amazing. He is also a hard worker and is constantly out taking care of his garden. I wish I had taken pics of the garden, but I didn't. He was so proud of his garden and always wants to show it off.

I am realizing now that we should've taken pics of each of the kids with Grandma & Grandpa, but we didn't. We almost had one of Ailey and Grandpa - but then I had to walk by and ruined that moment.

It was such a precious moment as well. Towards the start of the week Grandpa was just playing with Ailey and scared the crap out of her. The rest of the week, Ailey didn't want to go near Grandpa. She would talk to him from across the room and even blew rasperries at him a few times, but anytime he'd get close she'd run in the other direction. The day we were packing up the cars no one was around to hold Ailey and she wanted to be held. Grandpa just happened to be around and picked her up and she LET him! Mom went to grab a camera, but because I walked by we never got the picture. Eric and I are just glad that Ailey warmed up before we left. It made Grandpa so happy.

We stopped at the Air Force Museum on the way out of Nebraska since Dad wanted a new hat. Well the gift shop hadn't quite opened so the rest of us got out of the cars and Mom got pictures of us by the replica missiles and rockets. She didn't send any of those to me though.

We then decided it was a good time for a potty break, so we went into the museum long enough to go potty and wait for Dad to get his hat from the gift shop. Lex was amazed by the plane they have when you first walk into the museum. I don't know what it's called, but like Lex noticed - it's like the X-Men's jet. I laughed that Lex made that connection. Dad wasn't able to get his hat
as they were sold out, but Eric found a book about planes that he enjoyed and so he got that.

We headed back out on the road and after an hour or so Eric's parents called us over the walkie - talkie telling us they were having car trouble. The car would just kind of start jerking and making noises. They had to pull over to the side of the road for a bit and then restart the engine and it was fine. They found out if they kept the tank mostly full it ran a bit better. So we were stopping to fill up a lot more often than we would've normally.

Friday ended up being a long day for us all. The kids were all screaming and fighting. Ailey was DONE being in her carseat and Eric and I were just drained. We got to the hotel and Eric's dad got us checked in and then came back out and said we'd go to dinner first then come back and unload.

We had dinner at an Arby's and by the time we got back to the hotel, Eric and I were totally done for the day. The kids wanted to go swimming, but Eric and I just weren't up to that task. Taking 5 kids swimming can be quite the chore. So instead we just had baths, let the kids watch cartoons and then went to bed.

I didn't get to sleep until 2:30. Ailey went to bed FINALLY around midnight, but then because we were right by the highway - all I could hear was the traffic and it made it difficult to sleep. We woke up around 7 and got ready for the day.

Eric's dad had taken their vehicle to Walmart's mechanic to see what they could tell him. They thought it was just bad gas and told Eric's dad to buy a fuel cleaner something or other. He did that and we thought we were good to go.

Well the car still had issues the whole way home, but it made it home. It was another long drive and I think I was able to sleep a bit, just cause I was sooo tired. We got to Eric's parents around 7:00 and Eric's dad ran to get KFC for dinner.

We ate dinner, then transferred all our belongings to our vehicle and headed home. We got home around 8:30. After everyone unloaded they all just crashed. I would've too, but since it was Sunday the next day I decided I'd better unpack Saturday night. It was a good thing I did and come Sunday I was happy I had done it the night before. It meant that Sunday I could really relax and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

All in all it was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad we were able to go. Eric's grandparents are some of the most wonderful people in the world. They are so loving and welcoming. Opening your home to anyone is a challenge, but when you add 9 extra people to your home, I'm sure it's a bit stressful. Neither one of his grandparents acted like we were an added stress however. Grandpa even exclaimed that he was so excited when he heard we were coming!

I was glad Grandma & Grandpa had the chance to meet Ailey. They might never have had the chance in this life. Plus, Ailey grew extra attached to Eric's dad on the trip. Always such a sweet thing to see.

I sometimes wish we lived closer to his grandparents. They are just such terrific people and they enjoyed our company and I enjoyed theirs.

As for souvenirs, I got plenty. In the form of mosquito bites. They sure loved me out there. The kids got a few, Eric and his mom only complained of one. Me, I had 3 in one place on my leg, 2 on one foot, one on my inner knee of one leg, one on the other inner knee of the other leg, 1 on the other foot, a few on my neck, some on my face and one on my chest! LOL!

Grandma kept saying, "I hope you don't get sick." She was worried about West Nile. Is that even a threat anymore? Anyway, I told her not to worry and I feel just fine now.

We left a souvenir at Grandma's as well. We left our church clothes hanging in the closet! Oops. She has to mail them to us now. Guess it's a good thing we own a few different articles of church clothing.

What Happens Next...

We've Been Down This Road Before...

So with Eric's new found obsession, he had a friend tell him that he had a pistol that he rarely used and didn't really like that he'd sell to Eric for $100. Of course, Eric was all over that! It was a good $150 less than what he was looking into spending. And again, Eric couldn't wait and HAD to get the gun on Friday. Friday we drove up to Layton (which is where his buddy lives) in the rain/snow/slush. Because of the weather Eric decided to flip the 4-wheel drive on. After a little bit, we started smelling a burnt smell (Which we've smelled before - just stay with story) so Eric pulled over and turned the 4- wheel drive off. We got to his buddy's home with no issues to speak of. Eric got the gun and visited with his buddy for a few minutes and then we were headed home. After 5 minutes of driving the wheels completely locked up. Luckily Eric could feel it going and was able to pull off to the side of the road. And just a luckily we were in a fairly residential area so the speeds weren't horrific and we weren't stranded on the freeway. We are both very ticked off. This 4-wheel drive issue has been 'fixed' 3 or 4 times in the last 2 months. The first time it happened we were one the freeway and started smelling the burning, it wasn't until a day or so later that Eric realized it was the 4- wheel drive. The next time it happened we were on our way to a family event around New Years and this time the wheels did lock up. The third time Eric was on his way home from work in a bad storm and the wheels didn't lock up but it was burning again. I won't tell you how many thousands of dollars we've put into repairs and had it supposedly fixed. HA!

Anyway, we would normally call Eric's dad with this issue, but his dad had been in the hospital all week with some health problems. So Eric tried calling his brother's cell phone. Well his brother never answered. So Eric decided to call the home phone hoping his brother would answer. To his surprise his Dad answered. Eric just tried to get his brother on the phone without telling his Dad too much (His Dad had just gotten out of the hospital, remember). I am not totally sure of what happened next as I was on my phone trying to get the older kids taken care of, because I KNEW we wouldn't be home by the time school got out.

Somehow Eric got talking with his brothers girlfriend and the next thing we knew Eric's dad was calling him back. His Dad (Who HAS to help out when he can) told Eric that AAA would be a better service than Roadside Assistance. But to get AAA's help, the card holder (Eric's Dad) has to be present. We were so hoping not to get Eric's dad involved because of his health, but we failed. While we waited the 45 minutes or so for our rescuers, we had lunch at Arby's and totally loitered in the building. We got back to Eric's parents around 6:00 and then borrowed his Dad's van to get up back home. We didn't get home until close to 8:00. In and of itself the car issue stressed us out. But then it was also the Pinewood Derby night. That started at 6:30. Luckily our good friends - who took the kids for us all night - also had to go to the Pinewood Derby, so they just took our kids as well. Eric and I had done some of the last minute things getting Tanis' car ready before we left so all Tanis had to do was put stickers on it and the weights on it. Eric was going to do all the weights and last minute fixes when we got home after getting the gun. Well that didn't happen and because of that Tanis' car didn't even cross the finish line his first two races. :(

I was so sad to hear that. And I was even more upset that I wasn't there for him and for his last Pinewood Derby race in Cub Scouts. Thankfully Tanis didn't hold it against us and posed for a picture with his car and 'award' when we all got home.

We decided that we needed a way to blow off some stress. So we decided that Saturday morning we would take the kids shooting. (I told you Eric is obsessed!!!) There is an outdoor place about 20 minutes from our house where Eric had gone shooting the first time. He took us there. It wasn't crowded and we found a nice, secluded spot. The kids had fun just running around outside. Eric and I were able to shoot off some stress. The 3 older kids even got the chance to shoot off Daddy's rifle, which some enjoyed more than others. We also brought Daddy's little bb type gun for the kids to shoot off while Daddy and Mommy were shooting the real guns. And yes, there was one parent keeping an eye on the kids at all times. Eric even redeemed himself by getting a picture of me with the pistol.

After shooting we had to run a few errands and go to a few stores. We had a yummy dinner at Cafe Rio and afterwards we headed to my parents house to celebrate my Dad and sisters birthdays. It was a nice family day and much needed after the Friday we had.

What Happens Next...

Talking Tunes Thursday

It's back and this one is a bit close to the wire...

I didn't figure Thursdays would be so busy when I started this all, but apparently they are quite busy lately...

Hopefully that will change or else I will be smart enough to write it earlier in the week and set it up to post on Thursday...

Read about Talking Tunes Thursday here.

Today's Song: 409 - The Beach Boys

--- I'm pretty sure this song is about a car. The guy saves up money to buy a new car and is pretty excited about it. ---

I grew up listening to the Beach Boys because of my Dad. Some early music related memories I have are Beach Boy songs. I guess my Dad really enjoyed them. But all they talk about are cars and the beach...Luckily the sound pretty darn good.

So not a favorite song of mine in any sense of the word. Not even sure why I am including it in my 'list.' I guess I could say it has a nice enough 'beat' and that's what keeps me listening to it.

On the table for next week: 7 Things - Miley Cyrus

If anyone else would like to join me in doing Talking Tunes Thursday - I would love for you to join me. I will email you the little 'siggy' (or feel free to create your own) and I can link to your blog at the end of each 'session'

What Happens Next...

Oh Where, Oh Where Have I Been?

Okay, so technically I haven't BEEN anywhere. I just wasn't in the mood to blog because of some stuff that came up.

Yes that is odd, but I was just trying to deal with it as best I could (which for me means, not thinking about it) and didn't really feel the desire to blog about it...

However, now that all is said and done I shall share.

Around the end of January/beginning of February the brakes in my Suzuki pretty much died. I didn't drive the car for quite a few days (obviously) because of how bad they sounded and because the brakes had slipped on Sunday heading to church.

So Eric takes my car in on Thursday the 5th to get the brakes repaired. It's an all day process, but the brakes get fixed and my car is as good as new.

(Not my actual vehicle, just a random pic of the model.)

The next day Eric heads to work (driving a friend). I get a call from him around 7:30. He says, "Guess what?" I say, "What?" His reply.... "My car broke down on the freeway."

So, after figuring out where he was and piling all 4 kids into my "fixed" car, off we go. We find Eric, his friend and his broken down car around 8:00 and we head off to take his friend into work.

We then head to Eric's work so that he can get his work laptop and work from home. This is around 8:30 and I realize the kids are going to miss school. So I call the school and we then head to get a quick breakfast from Burger King.

Eric had called his dad as he is a member of AAA so that we could get the car towed for free. So we head back to Eric's broken down vehicle to wait for his dad. His dad arrives after 10 or 15 minutes and then we still had to call for the tow.

The AAA people say it'll be about 15 - 20 minutes, so I am dreading this...I hadn't packed a change of clothes for the baby because I just figured we'd go rescue the guys and come home. I didn't know that we would be running all over town. So, the baby needs a clean diaper and is sick to death of the carseat and another 20 minutes was gonna kill us both.

Luckily the guy showed up in about 5 minutes and off we were to the auto shop. We then head home and wait and wait for the news.

The guy finally calls Eric around 4 and tells him that it could be a quick and cheap repair or a long and not so cheap repair depending on how much was broken. (I am not exactly sure what happened to the car except for something with the timing belt and such).

(Again, not the actual vehicle, just a random pic)

We were hoping it would be a cheap (less than $500) repair. Well on Saturday we get the bad news that it is going to cost A LOT more than $500 to repair. So, Eric's car is in the shop for a week and we are down to my car. (Good thing Eric got the brakes fixed, eh?)

On Thursday Eric gets the call that his car is ready and it's going to cost a little less than $2,000.00. Yeah, lucky us....

Good thing we are getting a refund for taxes!

The good news is that now both cars are running well and we had the tax refund coming to cushion the blow...

So that is my stress for the month.

Onto happier news:

On Thursday the 11th, the kids and I decorated our new "traditional" V-Day cookies. The kids had fun, although Shaylyn wasn't feeling well.



On Friday night Eric and I were able to go see the movie, "PUSH" thanks to my little brother who was willing to babysit at very last minute notice. I enjoyed the movie and can't believe how quickly Dakota Fanning seems to be growing up. It was a nice night out.

Saturday we went to pick up Eric's car and then I headed to Walmart to pick up some formula while Eric took my little brother home. I was glad Eric did that because I was able to wrap his VDay gift while he was gone. I made a little photo book for him at Shutterfly. It was nothing extravagant, but what I really wanted to get him was out of the budget after the car trouble arose. It may not have been an extravagant gift, but it brought tears to his eyes, so that to me, was a good thing.

When Eric arrove home, I got a very welcome surprise gift. The new Karaoke American Idol 2 game. I love it and there are so many recent songs as well as some awesome oldies that I am loving. Thanks babe!

In more news, and more reason why I've been MIA - I decided to restart the family website. Blogger is great for explaining day by day happenings, but it isn't so good at letting me post all the cute, cute pictures I like sharing.

So if you are interested the link is www.hardyfamilyscrapbook.com.


That's all there is from me today.

What Happens Next...