The McMillins

Luke's FIRST Hair Cut

2011-02-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

We took Luke to get his first hair cut. I've been trying to decide if I want to get it cut but it finally came time since his hair kept getting in his face. I knew that once we got his hair cut that he would lose that "baby look" a little bit and I guess that's what I didn't want. I don't want my baby to grow up sometimes.

He did really well sitting in the seat for the lady. He was watching another hairdresser cut someone elses hair which kept him pretty still. He did wiggle a little. The hairdresser that cut his hair even said that he was one of the best clients. It didn't take long. I'm really glad it's done, tho. It is much easier to manage. He got his first hair cut before Leah did. lol

We also had to go to the dentist for Zach today. Corey and I don't usually go over Zach's teeth after he does them but now we are going to. He ended up having 4 cavaties in his baby teeth that he won't lose until he's about 11 or 12. So, we have to go get those done next week. Pray for us! I'm really scared of how Zach is going to react. However, his 12 year molars are starting to poke thru on the bottom. He's always been early for everything in life! lol

Life with 3 kids...

2011-01-21T00:21:00.000-05:00

Well, in the beginning, life with 3 kids was easy. It was really no different than having 2 children. Why, you ask? Well... because Luke slept all of the time. I was able to keep the house clean, keep up on laundry, do school with Zach, play with both of the kids, get the grocery shopping done with yes.... all 3 kids in tow.... Then, Luke decided that he didn't want to sleep any longer. He decided that he wanted to explore. Yet, he wasn't physically able to explore what he wanted. So, what did he do? He cried.... and cried..... and cried. Grant it.... it wasn't as much as Leah cried but with Leah I only had Zach to worry about. For some reason, when that third child starts to cry it seems like the other 2 want to make just as much noise, if not more noise, than the one crying. My days began to be days of trying to entertain Luke more which in turn took time away from many other areas in my life.

As the minutes turned into hours and the hours turned into days and the days turned into months..... Luke eventually was able to play by himself (after he started to crawl) so that I could give Zach more of my attention during school. However, my middle child started to feel neglected and made sure that she got the attention that she needed. lol In turn, the house got messier, the laundry got backed up and grocery shopping had to wait. These days, I feel very behind but have made it a New Year's Resolution to not let those things bother me and to enjoy the time I have with my kids. After all, they're not going to be this little forever. On the good days, I sometimes wish I could have another baby but then the crying comes and yes..... it brings me back to reality. lol No more kids for me..... at least right now. Three is enough! But.... I feel so blessed to have the 3 that I have! :)

More Home Improvements

2010-05-22T01:12:00.000-04:00

I painted Zach's room all by myself! It was a big job.... especially since I did most of it while Corey was at work and I was home with all 3 kids by myself. Zach is such a big help, though. I'm so happy that I painted his room. I got new curtains and a new light for his room as well. I would LOVE to build him a nice wooden bunkbed but that probably won't happen for a couple of years. He's been saving up his allowance money for a TV. He's just about ready to buy one. It will look so nice in his room. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy one of those semi-large dry erase boards to hang on his walls. It would be really good for school but kind of tacky looking w/ his decor.

We decided to go ahead and tile the downstairs AND the kid's bathroom. We are so glad that we did! It looks so much better. Plus, when you do something big like that, you end up cleaning your house real good. We went through a bunch of stuff and sold some stuff on ebay. I'd really like to paint Zach's bathroom but I'm kind of sick of painting after doing the downstairs bathroom and Zach's bedroom. I think I'll take a break for a while.... maybe. :)

My next big project is to get caught up on all of these photos that I have and to update both Leah and Luke's baby books. Yes.... I have a baby book for Luke as well. I can't leave him out just because he's #3!! :)

Beach.... Time

2010-05-13T23:41:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was our first time to the beach this year. We all love going to the beach and have been waiting for the weather to be warm enough to go. It's definitely warm enough now!! Unfortunately, Corey forgot to bring the sand toys but he did bring a shovel. So.... at least there was something to do in the sand! :)

We are thinking about investing in one of those beach carts. We go to the beach so much that it would probably be a good investment. You should see all of us carrying everything (including babies) to go out to the beach. Last weekend we ended up staying out there for about 3 hours. It's so relaxing to go to the beach, and then come home and take a shower. Then you want to take a nap when you get home!

We're hoping to go to the beach this weekend also but we've had a lot going on. We had tile put in in the downstairs (kitchen, hallway, bathroom, laundry room and foyer) as well as Zach's bathroom upstairs. We thought it would only take a couple of days but it's taken all week. Our house has been in disarray because of it. So, we are looking forward to putting it all back together again.

Along with the tile being done has come lots of cleaning! I've put lots of stuff on ebay and now have to go mail it at the post office (which is a huge job w/ 3 children by itself!). Glad we are getting rid of lots of stuff and even making some money on some of it! :)

Home Improvements

2010-04-26T23:03:00.002-04:00

Lately, I've (Gretchen) been in the mood to re-decorate or "improve" certain rooms of our home. I've actually wanted to do it for a while but am now getting the initiative. We just got our screened in back porch tiled which, I guess, has led me to get other areas done as well. We're VERY pleased how the back porch turned out. We put new tile in, a new fan, and a new light fixture. It's so nice to sit out there now. I can't wait for summer to get here and to have barbeques at our house. :)

Last week, I bought some new towels, rugs and art to go into the downstairs bathroom. I mostly bought it b/c it was on sale plus I had a coupon. :) I wanted to paint it as well. So, I went to Walmart and bought the paint. I started painting it. When I got to the "rolling" part, Corey stepped in and offered to finish the job for me. Of course, I'm not going to argue with that. :) Corey doesn't really get motivated to do these types of jobs but is so glad that it gets done after we finish them. The bathroom turned out pretty good.

We also went and looked at some tile. We're thinking about tiling our downstairs kitchen/ bathroom/ hallway and laundry room. It's all connected downstairs so if we decide to do the kitchen, then we really need to do those rooms as well. We're not positive that we're going to do it but thinking.

Next room that is to be worked on is Zach's room. We really want to paint his room.... well, I do!! lol Hopefully that will get done this weekend!

Luke- 2 months

2010-04-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

We took Luke to the doctor yesterday for his 2 month check-up. He weights 13 lbs 11 oz and is in the 89th percentile. He is 24 inches long and is in the 84.5th percentile. He is getting so big. He is very healthy and got 5 shots, although he only got "stuck" 3 times. He was a champ! The doctor said he needs to have more tummy time to strengthen his neck muscles. Gretchen's been really bad about that!

While we were at the doctor's, we asked him about Zach's allergies because his eyes have been really itchy lately. So, he gave us a prescription for eye drops for him. Zach's eczema also flares up when he has a lot of milk, which he has. We also got a prescription for some skin medicine to help with that.

Leah was fine yesterday, although she was just starting to get a cold. Last night she got worse. Poor thing was up coughing a lot last night and could hardly breathe through her nose. She wanted to suck on her paci so bad but couldn't because she couldn't breathe. We're going to put her in the sun today hoping that it will dry up. :)

Weight

2010-03-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

Gretchen is back on her "fat smash" diet to try to lose weight. She wants to be able to wear all of her pre-pregnancy clothes. Corey keeps telling her that she needs to be patient since it hasn't even been 2 months yet since she's had a baby. Her doctor even said that she was skinny at her 6 week check-up. She told her doctor that she was dieting and exercising and her doctor said that was fine as long as she drank plenty of water since she's nursing. Of course, nursing should help her get back into shape also. She wants to lose 15 lbs.

Corey, on the other hand, doesn't care about his weight. lol He just bought a "big green egg" grill and is LOVING it. Last weekend he cooked a boston butt, steaks and pork chops. Tonight he's going to make a homemade pizza on it. He's also looking forward to grilling veggies and even cookies on it!! Yes.... you read that right.... cookies! This grill is like a grill, smoker and oven all in one. Gretchen likes it because she doesn't have to cook as much! :)

Leah- 15 Months

2010-03-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

Leah had her 15 month check-up last week. She weights 25 1/2 lbs and is 33 inches long. She is 85th percentile for weight and 98.6 for height. We didn't realize how tall she is!!

Leah looks very healthy. She got 3 shots.... well, she got stuck 3 times. You know how they combine shots now. She shouldn't have to get anymore shots until she is 4 years old. YEAH!!

We went to the park with all 3 kids a couple of weeks ago when it was real nice outside. Leah went down the slide all by herself..... the toddler slide, of course! :)

Luke- 1 Month

2010-03-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

Luke was 1 month old on March 4th. We can't believe he's already 1 month old! The time has been going too fast!

At his 1 month check-up, he weighed 10 lbs 11 oz and was 23 inches long. He was 92nd percentile for height and 74th percentile for weight. He still has his "newborn rash" that we're hoping will go away soon.

Check out some of his 1 month old pictures.

Luke Alexander has arrived!

2010-02-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

This morning, at 9:10 A.M., Luke Alexander was born. He weights 9 lbs. 3 oz. and is 21 inches long. He has lots of dark hair. He was actually due on February 11th. So, imagine if he/ we waiting another week to be born. We think he would have been about 10 lbs.

Gretchen and Luke are both doing great. Corey is taking care of the kids and we look forward to Gretchen's parents coming down to help. They are expecting a big snowstorm this weekend so they decided to leave early tomorrow morning to get down here safely.

We look forward to bringing Luke home this weekend and for Zach and Leah to meet him!

Couponing 101

2010-01-16T23:52:00.000-05:00

Gretchen has made it a New Year's Resolution to save as much money on everything that she can this year. One of those ways is to get better at "couponing" and sales. There is a website that she goes to everyday called, http://www.southernsavers.com/ . This website shows all the sales ads of grocery stores, drugstores, all kinds of different stores (including Internet sites) and then coupons that you can use on top of those sales (both manufacturer and store coupons). There have been several things that she's been able to get for free by doing this. They also have a link to a coupon if it is available to print online. It's been VERY helpful.

It is very time consuming but she has fun doing it. Plus, it gives her something to do late at night when she can't go to sleep and everyone else is in bed. :)

A minivan family

2010-01-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

We have both said that we will never own a minivan and yet here we are posting that we bought a minivan. lol It all started last year when we found out that we were going to have baby #3 in 2010. Gretchen really wanted to get a bigger vehicle than the truck (like an SUV) b/c she knew that we would all be cramped in the truck. The five of us could all fit in the truck but there wouldn't be a whole lot of room. Corey didn't want to get another vehicle b/c both of our vehicles are paid for and he didn't want another payment.... understandable! So, Gretchen became content with the truck and figured we could just get a cover for the back (to keep a stroller back there) and we'd make it work b/c she didn't want a car payment either. The only way to have no payment would be to sell the truck and that was NOT going to happen. lol

Corey started talking about a month ago about possibly buying another vehicle. Gretchen was surprised b/c she was to the point where they would just make it work with the truck. We started looking at SUV's. We didn't want anything older than a 2005. We really wanted a Tahoe. Both of us like the newer body styles better than the older body styles. BUT.... you couldn't get one under $20,000. Well, we didn't want to spend that much on a vehicle. Corey wanted something a little bigger than the Tahoe, like a Suburban or Expedition but again.... you couldn't get a used one under $20,000. Gretchen started thinking maybe we need to be open to looking at minivans but never said anything to Corey b/c he felt the same way she did about them.

The next day (after Gretchen thought about looking at minivans), Corey sent her a text asking if she ever thought about looking at minivans. How ironic was that?? One of his co-workers had talked him into looking at them and said that now his wife wishes they would have gotten a minivan over a Tahoe. The more we looked into minivans (and there ratings) and there prices, we realized they were more in our price range. There was only one van that we liked the body style of and that was the Honda Odyssey. Plus, we've heard that they'll run for like 300,000 miles. So, after a lot of research and looking, we decided to go test drive one. A 2006 Honda Odyssey.

We really liked it and after very little negotiating (b/c they posted a wrong price on the Internet and Gretchen printed it out, they honored it), we bought it. It's very nice. Some features that it has that we LOVE is a back-up camera, a built in navigation system, heated seats, a built in DVD player, a 6 disc CD player, a power sunroof, bluetooth for our cell phones, built-in window shades for the windows, a lazy susan underneath the floor for storage and the 3rd row of seats folds down for extra storage. Oh... and we love the leather interior.... makes for easy clean-up. Of course we love the power everything in it AND the steering wheel has the controls for a lot of things.

So.... we're officially a minivan family. We can't believe it but it really has been a good decision for us!

Happy New Year to everyone

2010-01-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are looking forward to a great 2010!

Leah

2009-12-19T09:25:00.000-05:00

Leah has a personality similar to Zach's. She's so funny and loves to make you laugh. Gretchen was giving her a bath and she kept tilting her head and smiling. It was too cute.

One thing she thinks is so funny is when she takes her paci out of her mouth and tries to stick it in your mouth. Why is that so funny? lol She also loves to be chased and loves to chase you.

She still has not gotten any teeth in. She's been kind of fussy lately and had a slight fever for several nights in a row. Hopefully that's because she'll be getting some teeth soon. The dentist said that she'll be fine unless she gets to be 2 years old and still doesn't have any teeth. Then, we'll need to worry.

We're having a hard time breaking Leah of always wanting Gretchen. Corey slept with her last night (instead of Gretchen) and she woke up every 2 hours crying for Gretchen. She's definitely a "Mama's girl"!! She likes to follow Gretchen into the kitchen and stay right by her side while she's cooking and/or cleaning. Needless to say, this next one will be in the crib from day one!

37 YEARS!!

2009-12-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 37th ANNIVERSARY

to Gretchen's parents!!

What a true example of committment you guys are to marriage!! We are proud of you and look up to you. May you have many more HAPPY years together! :) We love you!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Kelsey

2009-12-05T09:32:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY

to our niece, Kelsey!!

Zach & Leah check-ups

2009-11-30T23:28:00.002-05:00

Both Zach and Leah had their check-ups today with the doctor. Both are very healthy and on the right track. Zach weights 61 lbs and is 4 feet 1 inch tall. He is in the 96th percentile for both his height and weight. Leah is 23 lbs and 29 1/2 inches long. She is in the 86th percentile for her weight and the 63rd percentile for her height. The doctor said that could change, though.

We had pictures of the kids done over the weekend. We got Zach's 6 year pictures done and Leah's 1 year pictures done. We also got holiday pictures with both of the kids. It's been such a busy month for us. Ever since Halloween, Gretchen has been really busy.

We put the Christmas decorations up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Gretchen's parents came down to visit for Thanksgiving weekend. Then, her and her Dad went shopping on "Black Friday". That same day, we had Leah's 1st birthday party. We were able to squeeze in a date that night while her parents watched the kids. Then, we had pictures on Saturday morning and more shopping. Today was the doctor's appts for the kids.

The pregnancy has been going well. We're still scheduled to have the c-section on February 4, 2010. Gretchen failed her 1 hour glucose test and had to do the 3 hour glucose test 2 days before Thanksgiving. We haven't heard the results of that but are pretty sure she'll pass. She had the same thing happen when she was pregnant with Leah.

Gretchen has gotten all but 1 present completed and wrapped for the kids for Christmas. So, now on to baking. :) We'll try to update some pics and video on here as soon as we get a chance. We shouldn't be AS busy ESPECIALLY since most of the shopping is done. :)

Happy 1st Birthday to Leah!

2009-11-26T08:56:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

to Leah!!

She is such a blessing from God!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Many things happening...

2009-11-14T02:06:00.000-05:00

Well... let's start with October. Corey went on a hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina from October 15-18th. He went with a group of guys from another church. He had a lot of fun! Gretchen and the kids missed him so much while he was gone. Then, he had 1 day off of work after he got back and then they had "shut down" at his work from October 22nd-29th. This was one of the hardest shut downs for him. They had a REALLY hard job they had to do and Corey worked 12 to 13 hour days every single day. He is still recouperating from it. While Corey was hiking and working so much, Gretchen decided to do school with Zach to try to get in as many days as possible before the baby comes. Since Corey was going to be gone and we didn't have any plans, it just made sense to go ahead and do school.

Then, Gretchen's parents came down from October 30th-November 3rd to celebrate Zach's birthday. We had Zach's 6th birthday party at the Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun and so many of Zach's friends came to celebrate with him! He was very excited and had a GREAT birthday! We can't believe he's 6 already.

For halloween, Zach dressed up as Prince Caspian and Leah was a spider. :) We went to our church's "Hallelujah Party" and then decided to take Zach trick or treating for the first time with some friends. He LOVED it!! We really thought a lot about it and decided that growing up, it was just about having fun with friends and getting candy. So, we decided to take Zach this year. It was fun but VERY tiring for us. Plus, we had to go through all of his candy to make sure it all checked out ok, if you know what we mean!!

Anyway, Zach had his last soccer game on November 5th. Today (Saturday) is his "soccer party" where they will go roller skating and eat pizza and give out trophies to all the kids. It should be a lot of fun. Of course, Gretchen can't roller skate since she's pregnant and besides.... someone has to take care of Leah. lol We're hoping Zach will at least TRY to go roller skating since he's never been before. We'll see!!

Other than that, the weeks have been filled with homeschooling, church activities and Gretchen has been giving a lot of piano lessons. She's got 8 students now and possibly more soon. Not to mention doctor's appointments. Gretchen failed her 1st glucose test and now has to go back for the dreaded 3 hour one. Plus, the baby is leaning on her sciatic nerve, which makes it very painful for her sometimes.

Gretchen is getting the itch to start "Christmas decorating". So, it looks like we might start putting up some decorations this weekend. We've got Leah's birthday coming up on Thanksgiving and Gretchen's parents coming back down for that. So.... there is lots to do!!

Another BOY!

2009-09-26T22:30:00.003-04:00

Gretchen went to the doctor's on Wednesday for an ultrasound. Corey was so sweet to take off work and go with her. We found a babysitter, Mimi Connie, to watch the kids for us and we made it a "date day" together. We did the same thing when she was pregnant with Leah.

We found out that we are having ANOTHER boy!! It's funny because Zach wanted a baby sister when Gretchen was pregnant with Leah. So, he prayed every night for a baby sister and God answered his prayer. This time he's been praying for a baby brother. So, it looks like Zach gets his prayers answered a lot!!

We've already scheduled the c-section for February 4, 2010. It's really neat, though, because this baby (Lord willing) will be born on February 4th, Gretchen's Dad birthday is February 6th and Gretchen's birthday is February 8th. So, we'll have 3 birthdays all within a couple of days of each other!

HAPPY 34th BIRTHDAY, Corey!

2009-08-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 34th BIRTHDAY to COREY!!

Gretchen's skin

2009-08-19T15:35:00.002-04:00

Within the past month, Gretchen has gotten a pretty bad skin rash from scratching so much. She has scratched so much that she has scabs all over her. It started on the back of her neck and the elbow of her left arm along with part of her forearm. It has now spread to her chest and is starting to go to her shoulders. The doctor thinks she's allergic to the new hormones going into her body from the pregnancy. The doctor told her to take benadryl or zyrtec, as long as it isn't a de-congestant, and to put hydrocortizone on the areas 3 times a day.

The benadryl seems to make her drowsy and the zyrtec doesn't seem to work as well as the benadryl. She bought the strongest hydro-cortizone cream possible but it makes the areas sting b/c of the open wounds from scratching and it seems to make her itch even more after it's dried. She bought some Gold Bond medicated anti-itch cream that seems to be giving her some relief so far. She goes back to the doctor next week to see how the rash is doing. If it's not better, the doctor plans on sending her to the dermatologist.

Please pray that this will go away. She is miserable and we don't want to spend more money going to a dermatologist if we don't have to.

New school hours

2009-08-11T09:42:00.002-04:00

Gretchen just found out from a friend who is also homeschooling that she doesn't HAVE to teach for 4.5 hours per day. You only have to do that if you are going through the public school system to homeschool. Since we're apart of a homeschool association, we're apart of the "third option" which means as long as we have 180 days of school and certain subjects (which we're doing all of them) then we don't have any stipulation as to how long or short school has to be. Gretchen was so relieved of that.

So far, she likes homeschooling. We're thinking of putting Zach into school next year since we'll have 2 little ones but Gretchen doesn't want to make that decision until she has to. As of now, she wants to homeschool next year too and already has most of the curriculum anyway. So, it only makes sense.

Busy Summer

2009-08-04T22:37:00.003-04:00

We have had a VERY busy summer. We've either gone to the movies, the library, the Children's Museum, out with friends, to a barbeque, to the beach or to church all summer long. Plus, Gretchen started homeschooling Zach last week. So, add that to the list of activities and school HAS to be AT LEAST 4.5 hours per day or it's not counted to be a school day by law. So, Gretchen is keeping records of the time that she does school with Zach.

Zach is doing such a good job in school. Gretchen is staying very busy with teaching him and planning for the school days. She's got all of her lesson plans done for the year but it looks like a lot of them are going to be changed b/c he's already been taught most of the material in the curriculum. However, she is making sure that he knows it before she goes on. He's just a VERY smart kid. Intellectually, he is probably more in 2nd grade. We just don't want to rush him.

We went to the beach last weekend. It was so much fun and so much easier with 2 adults rather than 1. Gretchen went to the beach with the kids by herself a couple of weeks ago. They had a lot of fun but she said it was a lot of work being by herself.

We will try to update more often but with school going on, it's been hard to find the time. Enjoy our pictures from the beach.

A First...

2009-07-07T20:57:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day that Leah stood all the way up by herself to her feet. Here is the evidence.

We're having...

2009-06-26T16:09:00.002-04:00

ANOTHER BABY!!! Yes, we can't believe it either but we're excited!

Gretchen is due February 11, 2010. We don't know yet if she'll have to have a c-section or if she'll be able to have a VBAC. We'll see once she goes to the doctor's. We'll try to post some pics of our trip soon. Sorry for the delay. Gretchen has been really tired lately!!

To OUR Dad's....

2009-06-21T21:39:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day to both of our Dad's!

We appreciate and love both of you!

Thank you both for all you've done for us!

Zach's sickness....

2009-06-17T09:50:00.003-04:00

Last week we had a pretty scary thing happen with Zach. Gretchen was upstairs and Zach called for her to come down to the bathroom where he was at. Zach had just gone pee and right afterward his penis started bleeding. So, Gretchen took him to the doctor immediately.

They had to do a urinalysis and they had to draw blood. The urinalysis showed blood in his urine, but not visibly only by testing it. The drawing blood part was a horrible experience. He watched them put the needle in his arm, which made things so much worse. Then, it obviously hurt and he pulled his arm back which jerked the needle out of his arm. He screamed so loud and then was crying so hard that he couldn't breathe. Leah started crying with him. He told Gretchen that he didn't want to do it but Gretchen told him that he had to and that she was right there with him. So, he ended up sitting on her lap. She kept telling him not to look at the needle but you know how curious kids are. Finally, she got him calmed down after he starred at the wall and didn't look at the needle. He was still shaking when he was getting in the truck to leave. What a little trooper!!

The doctor went ahead and put him on an antibiotic that afternoon b/c he figured it was some kind of infection. When he pressed on Zach's abdomen, Zach felt some pain. So, the doctor's office called on Monday and said that his bloodwork came back positive for strep infection. They said just to continue taking the antibiotics and he should be fine.

We are so thankful that his body showed some sort of sign so that we knew something was wrong. Sometimes, people don't show any signs of strep infection and it can be fatal infection. We're so glad he's on the mend now. Although, he thinks just b/c he's not bleeding anymore that he doesn't have to take the medicine. Boy is he wrong!!! lol

Vacation and Sickness

2009-05-23T16:03:00.002-04:00

Back at the end of April we went to Phoenix, AZ for a week. Gretchen's parents have timeshare out there so we met them and their friends out there to vacation together. Plus, it was nice to have a free babysitter. ;)

Over the next few days/ weeks we'll share things about our vacation but for now, we'll start with what happened on our journey home and when we got home.

We were scheduled to leave Phoenix, AZ to go to Dallas, TX at 12:40 p.m. but didn't end up leaving until 3 p.m. b/c of the bad weather in Dallas. Anyone remember all that bad weather they had when the dome collapsed? Well... that's when we were traveling there. Once we finally landed in Dallas, our connecting flight home was delayed. They finally decided to cancel our flight around 9:30 p.m. So, we had to stand in line for over 2 hours to try to get a flight back home for the next day.

To make a long story short, by time we finally got a flight scheduled for the next morning it was already after midnight. So, we got cots and blankets from the airport and stayed the night with 2 small children at the airport. Oh.. and Corey had the flu during all of this with a 103 degree fever. Well, Gretchen and Zach stayed up all night and Corey and Leah got some sleep.

So... the next morning we go to get on our flight but they tell us that our tickets are invalid. They had dropped our seats and only had 2 available seats. Well, that wasn't going to work. So, they ended up getting us on a flight at 1 p.m. that afternoon. It was a LONG journey home from Phoenix. We won't ever fly American Airlines again b/c of the horrible service that we received through all of this.

When we got back home, we picked up dinner and went to our house. After we ate, about 20 minutes later Zachariah started vomitting. Zach and Corey went to the doctor the next day and found out that they had the flu. Zach tested positive for it but Corey tested negative. The doctor said that Corey probably tested negative because he was on the back end of it. Gretchen ended up getting a bad headcold later that week but was fortunate enough to escape the flu. WHEW!

So, we are all FINALLY feeling back to normal and now are enjoying spending time with Gretchen's parents and her Aunt Debbie this Memorial Day weekend! We will tell more about our vacation later and will post pictures!! :)

Happy Easter '09!

2009-04-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

HAPPY EASTER to everyone!!!

We are so thankful that Jesus did what He did so that we can go to heaven!

Leah- 4 months

2009-03-31T17:14:00.002-04:00

We took Leah to the doctor for her 4 month check up on March 26th. She weights 17 lbs 2 oz. and is 27.5 inches long. She is in the 99th percentil for her height and the 98th percentile for her weight. She had to get the same set of shots again that she got for her 2 month check-up. She is VERY healthy and right on target for everything. The doctor is keeping her on Zantac until she is 6 months old. He said she shouldn't need it after that.

She has been doing much better with taking naps. She usually takes 4 hour naps. However, she has reverted back to her old behavior when it comes to sleeping at night. She likes to sleep next to Gretchen whereas she used to go to sleep fairly well in her crib. Zach continues to be such a good big brother to her and loves her so much.

Leah- 2 months

2009-02-11T14:14:00.003-05:00

At Leah's 2 month check-up, 2 weeks ago, she was 13 lbs 13 oz. and 25 1/4 inches long. She is in the 95th percentile for weight and 99.8th percentil for height. The doctor said that she is not a fat baby (even though we think she is) but that she is a long baby.She's definitely going to be tall.

The doctor gave her a prescription for Zantac for her reflux. That seems to be helping a lot, with the exception of today and yesterday. She's been extremely fussy the past couple of days. Gretchen went to worship team practice last night and Leah cried the entire 2 hours that she was gone. We think that might have been because she's attached to Gretchen, though, b/c as soon as Gretchen got home she stopped crying. Corey is much more understanding of Gretchen, now, when she tells him that Leah has been fussy or crying all day.

This picture is a frequent face that we see from Leah. lol It's so cute though. :)

3 Year Anniversary!

2009-01-28T11:33:00.002-05:00

Today is our 3 year anniversary! We can't believe it!

Corey sent Gretchen red roses while he was at work today! Gretchen gave Corey the movie "Fireproof" along with the book "Love Dare".

We are looking forward to many more to come! :)

Leah- 1 month

2008-12-29T22:00:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it's been a month already since our little girl has been born? WOW! She is VERY healthy. Gretchen took her to her 1 Month check up today. She weights 11 lbs 13 oz and is 22.75 inches long. She is in the 92nd percentile for her weight and 94th percentile for her height. So, basically she's going to be a tall girl.

She's got some baby acne that keeps spreading but that's normal. The doctor gives her a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, she has to get shots at her 2 months check-up. There were no shots this time, hoor-ray!

She's been very fussy for several weeks now because of gas. We got something called "Colic Calm" that is made up of all natural ingredients and regulated by the FDA. Gretchen asked the Doctor about it, just to make sure, and he was fine with it. This stuff works instantly and really helps Leah with her pains.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone!

We love and miss all of you!

Leah and Christmas

2008-12-22T15:49:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we noticed Leah's eye starting to ooze and become real watery. At first, Corey thought it was pink eye but it's actually just a clogged tear duct. Poor thing wakes up with crusty eyes. We keep putting a warm wet cloth on it and massaging it downward to try to open it up. It seems to be helping.

So far, she's been an okay baby. She's definitely not as good as Zach was as a baby but she doesn't have colic, so we're thankful for that. She tends to get fussy when she's really tired and fights her sleep. Once she's asleep, for the most part, she stays asleep. Some nights she even gives Gretchen almost 5 hours of straight sleep. She's a BIG eater and has definitely grown already. Her 1 month check-up is next Monday. Gretchen thinks she's at least 11 lbs already.

Gretchen has been trying to get ready for her parents coming down for Christmas. She LOVES for the house to be clean and organized whenever we have guests but it's been harder for her to do that with having Leah recently. Fortunately, Corey has been helping out a LOT! She's very thankful to have a husband like him.

Leah ~ 2 weeks

2008-12-16T14:34:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday, Gretchen had a full day of Doctor's appointments. In the morning she went to her Ob Doctor so that they could check her incision. Gretchen is healing well and can finally drive again. She has lost 30 lbs from when she went in to have Leah until now. She gained 50 lbs with her though.

In the afternoon, she had to take Leah to the Doctor for her 2 week check-up. She has gained 1 lb and 1/2 inch. The Doctor was impressed because most breast-fed babies lose weight the first 2 weeks but she gained. She now weighs 10 lbs 4 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. She is very healthy and chubby! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kelsey!

2008-12-05T17:32:00.001-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our niece, Kelsey!!

We miss you!

Leah Elisabeth

2008-11-30T12:16:00.002-05:00

Introducing Leah Elisabeth. She was born on November 26, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. by c-section. She weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. Gretchen went to the doctor's office for her scheduled appointment on Wednesday, 11/26. They did an ultrasound that said the baby looked healthy along with everything else. However, it showed that she weighed 9 lbs 12 oz and that she had a larger abdomen & shoulders. The doctor was afraid to have Gretchen give birth to her naturally, fearing that her head would come out but not the rest of her. After her doctor consulted with another doctor in the office, they decided to do a c-section that day.

Fortunately, everything was in place when we went to the doctor. Gretchen thought she might have a big baby and decided to drop off all of Zach's things with our friends who were keeping Zach just in case she decided to send us to the hospital that day. So, Zach was where he needed to be and Gretchen had her overnight bag. The doctor sent us straight over to the hospital to go ahead and get everything done so that when the doctor got there they could do the c-section immediately.

Leah is a good baby. Although, Gretchen's milk hasn't fully come in yet and so we've been giving her formula as well as breast milk to keep her full. Here is a picture of her taken today after her bath.

Due Date Today

2008-11-24T15:21:00.003-05:00

Well, there was no baby this past weekend and still no baby today. Today is the due date. Next appointment is Wednesday. Corey has off so he can go with her, unless of course she makes her grand entrance into the world tonight or tomorrow. Gretchen is wishing that it would be soon. She feels like she can't get any bigger.

Procrastinating Baby

2008-11-21T19:58:00.003-05:00

Gretchen went to the doctor on Thursday. She's only dilated 2.5 cm. Her due date is this Monday, the 24th. She has an appointment with the doctor this Wednesday to do an ultrasound. On Wednesday, they'll go ahead and make an appointment to induce her on December 2nd, if she still hasn't been born.

We're really hoping for the baby to be born this weekend but obviously we have no control over that. Gretchen told Corey that this must be his baby because she's procrastinating until the last possible moment, which many of you know Corey is the same way. lol (of course that should be taken light-hearted) Anyway, we'll keep everyone posted!

No baby yet

2008-11-18T21:55:00.003-05:00

There's no baby yet. Gretchen is wishing it would happen soon. Her due date is this Monday, November 24th. We'll see what happens in the next few days. Her next doctor's appointment is this Thursday, November 20th. We will keep you posted! :)

Ready and waiting....

2008-11-14T10:21:00.004-05:00

Both of us have been so busy lately. Corey just had shutdown at his worked and worked the past 10 days in a row but worked 14 hour days the last 9 days in a row. Fortunately, they gave him off today. So, he has a 3 day weekend. We're hoping the baby comes this weekend since he has off of work. Wouldn't that be ideal?

Gretchen has been busy getting last minute things done before the baby gets here to make it easier on herself. Her and Zach have gotten all the Christmas decorations up, with the exception of the outside lights. She cleaned the house yesterday and did laundry just in case the baby comes this weekend. She has also cooked meals and put them in the freezer so that she doesn't have to cook after the baby is born. Corey keeps insisting that he can cook too. The nursery is ready and waiting. She also put up the pack n' play downstairs to use with diapers and wipes already in it. The car seat is in the truck and the overnight bags for both Zach and Gretchen are packed.

On top of all of this, Gretchen has still been apart of the worship team, taking Zach to the library to get books, still teaching Zach piano and going to the Doctor's once a week. She is dilated 2 cm.

Here are Zach's 5 year old pictures that we picked up yesterday.

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY, Zachariah!

2008-11-01T08:31:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY to Zachariah!

We love you so much! Look how big you've gotten!

Doctor Visit- 35 weeks

2008-10-22T06:34:00.002-04:00

Gretchen went to the doctor yesterday. She is measuring normal. The baby is head down (ready for delivery) and Gretchen is 1 cm dialated. We went to the hospital last Sunday just to make sure we knew where to go. It's VERY easy to get to but does take a little time to get there.

Gretchen is trying to get everything cleaned up and organized before the baby gets here. She's planning on putting the Christmas decorations up the first week of November (just in case the baby decides to come early).

We have Zach's 5th birthday party coming up on Nov. 1st. We have his party at 10:30 AM in the morning and then the church is giving Gretchen a baby shower that same day later in the afternoon. So, it will definitely be a busy day.

We have FINALLY decided on a definite name for the baby. Anyone want to take a guess? (those of you that don't know)

34 Weeks

2008-10-12T14:09:00.002-04:00

Gretchen is 34 Weeks pregnant and waiting! The excitement is building but so is the uncomfortableness for her. Here are some pics.... her belly has gotten bigger!

33 weeks

2008-10-08T10:30:00.003-04:00

Gretchen is 33 weeks pregnant now. She is really having a hard time sleeping still. She can't get comfortable and the baby seems to be VERY active at night. We can't believe how fast time has gone but we are getting so anxious to meet her. We're pretty much prepared for her. There are still little things on her registry at walmart.com and target.com that we need, but other than that we have the big stuff. The nursery is ready. It just needs the baby now!

There's nothing really going on this month. We are going to a wedding this weekend that Gretchen is playing the piano for. Then, Halloween night we'll be going to our church's "Hallelujah Party". Zach wants to dress up as Batman. Of course, the next day is his birthday. He wants a Batman party. We can't believe he's going to be 5 already!!

No New House

2008-09-26T23:49:00.002-04:00

After doing a lot of praying about buying a new house, we've decided that right now is just not a good time for us to buy a new house. Besides everything that's going on in the economy, Corey's job isn't doing so great with orders, which affects his pay, as many of you know. We feel like between those two things, we really need to be smart about our own finances (especially with a new baby coming).

As far as the baby is concerned, Gretchen went to the doctor yesterday. Everything is normal and the doctor said that Gretchen looks great. She lost 1 lb from her last doctor visit, which she is VERY excited about. The nursery is done and we've got a lot of the basics that we need for the baby, in case she arrives early. The only things that are really needed are the travel system, a diaper pail, and bottles. We're not sure if there is going to be a shower for her but just in case, we registered at walmart.com and target.com. If nothing else, it's a good way to help remind us and keep us organized of what we still need for the baby or for nursing. :)

31 Weeks

2008-09-22T15:25:00.002-04:00

Gretchen is officially 31 weeks. Here is a picture of what she looks like right now. She is getting pretty miserable. It's hard for her to move, to breathe and she's having a really hard time sleeping at night. She's tries to do her pre-natal exercises but her hips are hurting real bad as well. Technically, she could have the baby anytime after 36 weeks to be considered full term. However, if she goes to her due date, then she still has 9 weeks left to go.

To hear about a funny story that happened with Zach over the weekend, check out his blog. :)

New Home??

2008-09-14T23:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we went driving around because we were bored. Fortunately, Gretchen filled up the truck before all of this mess with gas prices and shortages. So, we went down this road that neither one of us has been down before just to see. When we drove down this road, we found this really nice new neighborhood. So, we decided to drive back through it just to "look". We weren't thinking that we would actually be serious about buying anything. After all, we're happy with the home we have right now and feel very blessed to have it.

It looked so nice and had the homes that both of us like, the "Charleston style houses", that we decided to stop by the sales office just to see pricing, even tho we figured it was out of our range. Well, the pricing ended up being fairly moderate and within our range. Here is a picture of the style house that we like. It's GORGEOUS! We both love it so much. The neighborhood is really nice, too. They have a pool that just opened 2 weeks ago and a new playground for the kids. We heard that they will be putting in tennis courts soon. So, we think we're going to try to sell our house and see if God allows everything to go through. If he does, we will be elated. If he doesn't, we are very happy with the home he gave us. So.... we'll see.

Some good things about doing this..... it wouldn't happen until after the baby and after the holidays (at least the moving part) and it gets you to really clean your house so that it's almost spotless. So, if things don't go through the way we would want them to, at least we'll have a VERY clean, organized house. lol

As far as the glucose testing.... everything came out normal. Gretchen does NOT have Gestational Diabetes.

Glucose Testing

2008-09-04T19:55:00.002-04:00

Gretchen had her 1 hour glucose test done last week (Aug. 25th). She failed it, so she had to go back today to get her 3 hour glucose test done. That meant, she had to go to the doctors (with Zach) and get blood drawn. Then, she had to drink this "sugar water" (which is basically what it is) and then wait for an hour and have blood drawn again. Then, she had to wait another hour and have blood drawn again. Then again, another hour later she had to have blood drawn again.

This time the glucose stuff made her feel light headed, dizzy, hot and a little nauteous. So... they let her and Zach go back into a room and had her lay down. That made her feel better. Zach was so good and ended up doing so many pages in his Kindergarten book. He also read her 2 books, got to play on his leapster for a little (until the batteries ran out.... which wasn't very long) and got to play with some of his Star War figurines.

Then, we came home and Gretchen has had a headache the rest of the evening. So, we're just relaxing and doing nothing for the night.

Happy 33rd Birthday to Corey!

2008-08-24T14:44:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 33rd BIRTHDAY to COREY!

We love You!

Nursery peek

2008-08-21T20:31:00.004-04:00

Gretchen's been working so hard on getting the nursery ready. It's not 100% completed but it's getting pretty close. She still need to finish the "window decorating". Plus, there's a picture up on the wall that still has the paper in it from when it was bought. We're going to leave it like that until after the baby is born. Then, once we have a definite name, we're going to order her name to go in that frame. So, if you look real close, it might look a little strange but now you know why. Anyway, here are a few of the pics to see what it looks like so far.

Busy, busy Summer '08

2008-08-19T13:27:00.002-04:00

This summer has been soooo busy for us. In July alone, Gretchen and Zach had Vacation Bible School for a week. Then, Gretchen had some bleeding and had to go to the doctor's a couple of times. Everything is okay, tho. At the end of July, we met Gretchen's parents' half way to drop Zach off with them for almost a week. The following weekend, Gretchen's parents' drove down here and stayed with us for a couple of days. While they were down, Corey & Gretchen's Dad went to a men's conference, Promise Keepers. They love going to those things together. They always have fun and get their "guy time" together. :)

While the guys were at Promise Keepers, the girls and Zach got to just hang out. Although, we did do a lot of work. Gretchen's mom helped Gretchen (or basically did it all) sew a bunch of matching things to go in the nursery. She did an EXCELLENT job! It really helped the baby's room look so much nicer.

The next 2 days after they left, the beginning of August, Gretchen painted the nursery all by herself. It was hard work but it is done! We then had a Sunday School get together/ barbeque at our house. For those of you that don't know, we started teaching the young adult sunday school group at our church. So, we had a "kick off" to try to get to know them better. With that came Gretchen having to clean the house, figure out what we were going to have to eat, going to the grocery store and actually making or cutting up the food. Corey did all the grilling, tho. :)

Gretchen is now 26 weeks pregnant and everything looks good. The picture is from last week, her being 25 weeks pregnant. We are getting more and more excited about meeting our daugther. (that's so weird to say, lol)

Happy Birthday to Russ!

2008-07-19T11:52:00.005-04:00

HAPPY 34th BIRTHDAY

to Gretchen's brother, Russ!

We hope you have a great birthday!

Baby Girl!

2008-07-07T20:28:00.002-04:00

We found out today that we're having a girl! We prayed last night the God would allow us to see the gender of the baby during the sonogram today. The first part that the camera saw was the crotch area and her legs were wide open. After those first 3 pictures, she curled up in one corner of Gretchen's stomach. We were very fortunate to get the pictures that we did get. There is no doubt, from the pic, that it's a girl. See for yourself and don't forget to look at Zach's blog for more pics. :)

Hard Rock Review

2008-06-28T21:11:00.002-04:00

We went to Hard Rock Park yesterday for Corey's company picnic! It was pretty fun. There weren't a whole lot of adult rides, which was fine with Gretchen since she wasn't allowed to ride any of them being pregnant. There were several "kid" rides that Zach liked to get on but his favorite were the "swings". I'm not sure we would go back unless it was for the company picnic again but at least we got to go and see what it was all about.... and for free! :)

Fever and No A/C

2008-06-26T07:41:00.002-04:00

Zach has had a fever since Tuesday. It's finally starting to come down, thankfully. Especially since we're suppose to go to a theme park tomorrow. This will be the first time that Zach can ride the rides for the kids. Last time we went, he was only 2 years old and couldn't get on a whole lot of rides. Now, at 4 1/2 years old he's 45" tall and will be able to ride a lot more! He's excited about it and so is Corey. We get to go for free since it's where Corey's "Company picnic" is being held.

Our upstairs A/C unit stopped working last Tuesday evening. Fortunately, we have 2 seperate units, one for the upstairs (where all the bedrooms are) and one for the downstairs. While upstairs gets to be around 88 degrees, we still have A/C downstairs. So, we all "camped out" downstairs on the couches. Someone is suppose to be coming today to fix it, hopefully. :)

Last week, Gretchen spent a whole day JUST cleaning the kitchen. She went through every single cabinet and sanitized it. She went through all the food and threw out the stuff that's expired and re-organized everything. She sanitized almost everything in the kitchen. Aren't pregnant women suppose to "nest" and "clean" when it closer to the birth? lol

The Beach!

2008-06-16T18:46:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, Gretchen and Zach went to a local beach with their friends Kim, Kacie and Madison. It was a lot of fun! We stayed at the beach for 3 hours and then came home so Gretchen could give Kacie and Madison a piano lesson. Zach doesn't even look like he got any sun and Gretchen got a little burned.

Today, Gretchen and Zach went to Myrtle Beach to see one of Gretchen's friends from up north, Tracie. We had so much fun! We got to play on the beach/ in the ocean and in the pool at the resort that they were staying at. Gretchen got a little burnt on her back, but otherwise it was nice to catch up with an "old" friend and just relax by/in the pool. We were there for 6 hours.

Zach fell asleep on the way home. He didn't want to leave when it was time to go! What a nice day!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

2008-06-15T10:43:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Rearranging

2008-06-10T15:21:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we sold our "guest bedroom" set. So, we moved Zach into that room which is bigger. It's also the hottest room during the summer and the coldest in the winter. So, we let Zach go pick out his ceiling fan. Here is a picture of his new room. He LOVES it! He has been in his room a lot more playing with his toys. Of course, we kind of like hanging out in there now too. It's so "cozy".

We went ahead and put the crib up, too. Gretchen arranged the nursery like she wants (although that might change a time or two, lol). We've got the crib, the changing table, the dresser and the glider (all matching) in the room (all of it Zach's old set). It looks really nice. We just can't decorate until we find out what the baby will be on July 7th! :) Zach prays every night that we'll have a girl and Corey prays that we'll have a boy. Although, Corey said the other day that he is starting to want a girl. Gretchen doesn't really care anymore. As long as the baby is healthy! (although, boys are MUCH easier) :)

Today, Gretchen and Zach went to see a pirate Veggie Tales movie at the movie theatre where they started the "free family film festival" today. Zach had a blast! He loved the movie and of course eating popcorn! :)

"Shocking" Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-30T11:09:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, Gretchen's parents' came down to visit us. They drove down on Friday and arrived around noon. Around 4 p.m., we left to go out to dinner as a storm was coming into town. When we got back from dinner that evening, Gretchen noticed that our security system was off, along with our house phone. Corey checked the breakers and found one switched off. When he switched it back on, Gretchen heard a noise in the kitchen. She unplugged something from the outlet of where the noise was. When she did, smoke started coming out from the outlet. That's when we knew that lightening had struck our house.
We ended up finding SEVERAL things "fried" in our house, even through the rest of the weekend. Here is a list of everything that was affected in our house by the lightening strike:

1.) The A/C unit transformer had to be replaced (which Corey and Dad fixed)
2.) The thermostat had to be replaced (Corey bought one that weekend)
3.) The GFCI had to be replaced in the kitchen (Corey bought one that weekend)
4.) The Security System doesn't work (That will be replaced in a few days)
5.) The Garage Door opener doesn't work (we're still looking into that one)
6.) The surround sound system doesn't work (we MIGHT get one if we can sell our hardwood flooring)
7.) The xbox 360 doesn't work (we ordered a power supply brick on ebay, hoping that is our problem and not the console)
8.) The Internet modem had to be replaced (Fortunately, the cable company took care of that)
9.) Zach's TV doesn't work (still undecided if we're going to replace that)
10.) The loft TV doesn't work (we might just give that to someone and see if they want to fix it... won't be replaced at least in the next year)
11.) The Nintendo Wii doesn't work (we ordered a power supply brick for this too on ebay, hoping that is the problem as well)
12.) The HD/DVR box in our bedroom didn't work (The cable company just replaced that today)
13.) The DVD player in our room doesn't work (we have the DVD player from the loft TV, so we shouldn't need to get another one of these)

God really was looking out for us when this happened. My parents were down and the only A/C unit that didn't work was the downstairs one, NOT the upstairs one where all the bedrooms are. Fortunately, we have 2 seperate units so that was a blessing. The TV's that got "fried" were the older TV's and not our newer, more expensive ones. The computer ended up being fine (since it's only a year old). Not to mention, we are VERY thankful that our house didn't burn down b/c of this AND that we weren't here when it happened. It certainly made for an interesting weekend. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT DEB!

2008-05-20T13:51:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT DEBBIE!

New Trampoline

2008-05-14T07:10:00.002-04:00

Check out the video of our new trampoline! We've had it for a couple of weeks now. We're just now posting the link to the video. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjZDIgGqkrs

Zach's learning

2008-04-28T14:08:00.004-04:00

Many of you know Zach has been reading since right before he turned 4 years old. His teacher told Gretchen last week that she started giving him harder words, to try to challenge him, and he was reading them with no problem. The only one he got stuck on was the word "Shoe". She also said that him and another little boy in his class are the only ones in the class that can read all the numbers from 1 to 100. Corey has been working on Zach with reading numbers in the 1,000's. He's been doing so well. It's just a shame that he can't start Kindergarten until next year with his birthday being right after the cut-off date. Gretchen is definitely going to take advantage of the time with him next year and home school him. She's hoping to get him to the 1st grade level by time he starts Kindergarten.

Zachariah has also been taking piano lessons from Gretchen since January 1st of this year. He has been "flying through" the books. There are some weeks when Gretchen doesn't get a chance to give him a lesson but Zach does so well. He's on the last page of his 3rd book and then will be going into his 4th book. The picture is the song that he is playing right now (the last page of his book). Talk about a smart and gifted 4 year old.

Gretchen has been slacking on working with him on memorizing verses. So far, these are the bible verses he has memorized: John 3:16, 17; Phillippians 4:13; Romans 8:28; Romans 6:23; and Psalm 23:1, 2. She's hoping to work with him more this summer when she doesn't have to teach at his school anymore. Then again, with being so tired from the pregnancy.... we may just "veg" a little. lol :)

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma!

2008-04-24T08:17:00.003-04:00

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY, Grandma!

We hope you enjoyed your surprise party! :)

First Ultrasound

2008-04-18T08:37:00.003-04:00

Gretchen went to the doctor yesterday, the first one since finding out she's pregnant. She is officially due November 24th. What is it with these November babies? lol

Everything is normal. The baby measures perfectly. As of today, she is 8 weeks and 5 days. She got to see the heart beating on the ultrasound monitor. There is only ONE baby in there. We were both praying for twins and were a little disappointed to see only one but God definitely knows best.

We're so excited about this new journey. Fortunately, Gretchen saved most of the baby items from when Zach was a baby. So, we don't really need a whole lot. The big things that we need are a stroller (or travel system), maybe a travel swing, a high chair and we'd really like to have a baby video monitor (although it's NOT a necessity).

Gretchen has already started to do a baby registry list at both target.com and walmart.com. She keeps an eye out on craigslist to find people in the local area selling baby items real cheap. As she buys things, she will be deleting things off of the baby registry.

The pregnancy, so far, has been great. No sickness.... just being tired and hungry a lot. She gets nautious when she gets hungry but fortunately hasn't gotten sick.

Fence is finished!

2008-04-05T09:56:00.002-04:00

Our fence is finally finished. After several months of trying to get a fence put up, it's done. We love our privacy and we love how big our backyard looks. We are looking forward to the summer when we can play in the backyard and be outside more. It's VERY exciting! Also, now that we have a fence we can get either a swingset or a trampoline.

Gretchen has been feeling very tired lately. She used to have problems going to sleep but now she's tired all the time. It will pass, tho. :)

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T07:47:00.003-04:00

Spring is in the air! Not only have we had "Spring Cleaning" fever inside of our house but we've had it on the outside of our house too. This weekend, Corey and Gretchen dug up their tree and all the shrubs that were planted. We then planted a new tree (a red maple tree), 3 Sago Palms and actually put flowers in our flower bed instead of shrubs. It looks sooooo much better! Everything still needs to grow up and we need to put down more mulch but otherwise, it's pretty much completed.

We're suppose to get our fence put in this week. They were suppose to do it last week but didn't and we don't know why. We are VERY anxious about that!

Happy Easter, everyone.... and Happy Spring cleaning! :)

Happy Bday to Larry!

2008-03-20T09:13:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Corey's Dad, Larry!

We hope it's GREAT!

UPDATES!!

2008-03-12T14:35:00.002-04:00

Ok.... so it turns out Zach and Gretchen BOTH got the flu. Zach seems to be doing MUCH better. Gretchen is too but is still battling a very "juicy" cough. Looks like we'll be back at school tomorrow. FINALLY!

We just got news that Gretchen's mom did well in the surgery. However, while they were originally going to do laproscopic surgery, they ended up having to cut her open (bikini cut) totally. While the Doctor was removing the ovary AND the cyst he found stones that had been dropped in her when she had her gall bladder out years and years ago. They have been sitting next to her Ovary this whole time. They found another stone that was connected to her colon. The surgeon decided not to take that one b/c he didn't want to damage her colon. So now she will have to recover for 3 weeks instead of 1. Please continue to pray for her.

Sickness strikes again...

2008-03-09T10:48:00.002-04:00

Zach had a fever last Tuesday of 103.6. His fever came down by 1 degree everyday. Gretchen started feeling ill Thursday evening. Friday, it got worse, but her and Corey went out on a date anyway. They went out to dinner and a movie. Then on Saturday, Gretchen woke up with a fever of 103.7. It hurt for her to get up and walk. Fortunately, Corey was off work and was able to take good care of her and of Zach. She is starting to feel somewhat better, at least the fever is gone, but her throat really hurts from coughing so much and from having to breathe out of her mouth. She wishes she had some chocolate to soothe her throat. :)

Prayer

2008-02-29T09:25:00.002-05:00

There have been many people in our lives that need so much prayer b/c of hard times.

The first is Gretchen's mom. She called us yesterday telling us that the doctor's found an ovarian cyst the size of a tangerine in her sonogram. She has to have laproscopic surgery on March 12th to have it removed. She is very worried about it being cancerous. Please pray that it will be benign. Also, please pray for comfort for her mom.

One of Gretchen's friends, Alissa, is 29 1/2 weeks pregnant and her water broke Wednesday night. As of yesterday morning, she was having contractions. Please pray that the baby will be okay. They tried for 2 years to have a baby.

One of Gretchen's piano students' great grandmother is in the hospital on a ventilator and they are going to pull her off of it this week. It's very hard on the grandmother. Please pray for Terrie for comfort. She's really upset about it.

Gretchen Sick!

2008-02-20T12:19:00.002-05:00

Gretchen hasn't been able to take Zach to school or teach at his school for the past 2 days. She's been really sick. She had to cancel piano lessons yesterday and isn't even going to praise team practice tonight. Her and Zach are going to the doctor to hopefully get some antibiotics this afternoon. If you've talked to Gretchen, then you have heard how sick she is. She has a lot of pressure in her sinuses. Hopefully she'll feel better by the weekend. :)

Laundry & Cleaning...

2008-02-18T13:26:00.002-05:00

Gretchen has been very lazy for the past couple of weeks. She hasn't done much cleaning OR laundry. So, today is "catch-up" day. She cleaned the whole house including dusting, washing floors and washing EVERYTHING!! She has to have a clean house in order to feel "productive".

It was raining this morning and the power went off for about 30 minutes. So, Gretchen and Zach went over some music stuff for a bit. When the electric came back on, tho, it was time to start cleaning again!

Corey and Zach were sick over the weekend. Zach still has a cough, even though he tries not to cough. It's very loose. We might take him to the doctor if it doesn't clean up within the next couple of days. Corey is feeling better. Gretchen is starting to feel sick now. Hopefully it's just a little cold and that's all. The "stomach bug" has been going around at school and Gretchen is REALLY hoping she doesn't get that.

A Big Kiss

2008-02-14T13:48:00.002-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

A big kiss from us to you!

Gifts for Gretchen's Bday...

2008-02-09T10:49:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your warm birthday wishes and gifts that were given to me. Thank you, Larry and Brenda, for the beautiful flowers (see picture). Thank you, Mom and Dad, for the money and card (see picture for card). Thank you, Grandma, for the card and money. It was very thoughtful of all you and I feel very blessed!

Corey took me and Zach out to dinner last night. I got my favorite cheesecake from one of my favorite restaurants along with some peel and eat shrimp. Then, we came home and watched an animated movie with Zach called, "The Ten Commandments". It was a pretty good movie (very biblical).

Gretchen's 28th Birthday!

2008-02-08T00:32:00.000-05:00

Today is Gretchen's 28th Birthday! As the years go by, it just becomes another day. lol It seems less exciting the older you get. Anyone else feel that way?

Never the less, she's grateful that God has allowed her to live this long compared to those who never even reach the age of 28. Time to celebrate!! :)

Happy 55th, Dad!

2008-02-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Don't forget to claim your "senior citizen" discount now! lol

Hawaii pictures!

2008-02-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here are just a FEW of our pictures from Hawaii. Gretchen is still working on the rest!

TAXES DONE!!

2008-02-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

Gretchen stayed up late last night doing our taxes. She loves doing that sort of stuff. She finished them pretty quickly, tho. We printed them out today. We're going to just review them over the weekend and send them off on Monday! We like to have our taxes done early so we don't have to worry about it.

Happy tax season to everyone! :)

Celebrating 2 Years!

2008-01-28T15:03:00.001-05:00

It's our Anniversary!

Wow... it's hard to believe it's already been 2 years that we've been married! Time flies when you're having fun! :)

Safe and TIRED!!

2008-01-25T19:58:00.000-05:00

We are back from Hawaii!! It was a long couple of flight rides home, staying up 24 hours, but we are back safe and EXTREMELY tired!! Between the time change and not being able to sleep on the plane (except for Zach), we are definitely "jet lagged".

Zach was so great to travel with. We had NO problems with him. He only watched his "Star Wars" movies not even half the time, he slept another part of the time and the rest of the time he either played his leapster or practiced reading his books. All in all, he was very close to being the "perfect child" (especially on the plane rides).

We had a LOT of fun (the best vacation all of us have ever had) but this weekend is going to be time to rest and catch up on our "lack of sleep". While we want to show you all of our pictures and tell you all about our trip, we are just going to sleep all weekend, unpack and do laundry. We will post more later. :)

Sickness right before our trip!

2008-01-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Both Corey and Gretchen are sick. Corey started feeling bad at the beginning of the week and now just has a cough. Gretchen started with a slight stomach virus last night. Corey told her NOT to clean today and to just relax. She has only picked up around the house, did some laundry, did dishes and made the bed. She has a piano lesson this afternoon and she just wanted to make sure the house looked "decent". She feels a little bit better after taking a shower but her head hurts.

Many of you know that Gretchen was trying to lose weight. When we went to Maryland last year she was 138 or 139 lbs. Her goal was 135 lbs. Well, she surpassed it and with being sick last night she's now down to 131 lbs. Corey and her both want to see what she looks like at 130 lbs but she's pretty happy where she's at. She'll probably gain some of that weight back on the trip, tho. :)

Gretchen has given Zach 4 piano lessons since the beginning of the year. She has to hold him back from learning so much at one time because he likes to keep going. He's now finished his whole first book of piano lessons (47 pages). He's moving on to the next book. Amazingly, he loves taking piano lessons. Gretchen's taking advantage of it while she can. :)

Cleaning and Packing

2008-01-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

From the day after Christmas, Gretchen has been doing a lot of cleaning. Although, don't let her fool you because she loves cleaning. She took down all the decorations (except the trees), the day after Christmas. Both her and Corey were starting to feel like their house was "cluttered". Then, she cleaned out the "Guest Bedroom" and moved our book shelf out in the family room upstairs. She went through all the books and organized them according to category. Then, she took down the Christmas trees on New Year's Eve.

Now, she has a big pile of "stuff" that needs to be sold and/or given away. She still needs to take pictures of everything to put it on ebay or craigslist.

Last weekend she went through Zach's summer clothes and got his clothes ready for Hawaii. Then, she went through both Corey's and her own summer clothes and washed the ones that needed to be washed. She's got our clothes all layed out and ready to be packed. She's afraid to put them in a suit case yet, tho, because she doesn't want them getting wrinkled. There's some stuff that can't be packed until the last minute. You probably know what those are tho, huh? :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2008

2008-01-01T11:50:00.000-05:00

So, how many of you actually stayed up to watch the ball drop? I know we did. This is the first New Year's that we have been together for. The past 2 years, Corey has had to work on New Year's Eve. This year, since it was our first, we decided to stay up and watch the ball drop. It was nice but we were very tired this morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007!

2007-12-25T10:09:00.001-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! We love and miss you all!! Thank you all for the gifts. We love them! :)

Can you Guess??

2007-12-23T20:38:00.000-05:00

Here are the things that Gretchen wanted for Christmas: a guitar, a flat surface stove, and a microphone to record vocals on the computer (so she can start recording her own songs).

By Corey's wrapping, can you guess what he got her?? :)

Early Christmas gift :)

2007-12-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

Corey and Zach went shopping the other day to get one more gift. When they came home, Corey put what he bought in a box and went upstairs where Gretchen was. He asked for the wrapping paper, scissors and tape. Gretchen said, "Well, since you have another gift that I can open on Christmas morning, are you sure you just don't want to give it to me now?". It didn't take much thought for Corey to say, "Yes". He is always anxious to give his gifts to Gretchen. Plus, it saved him from wrapping it (Corey isn't the BEST wrapper, lol).

He gave Gretchen a Garmin StreetPilot (GPS) for the car. Now, some of you may be laughing thinking that a "woman needs it" but Corey really likes this gift too. You can plug in addresses to save and it can tell you h0w to get there (directing you each step of the way), how fast you're going, how many miles to your destination, averages of almost everything (speed, miles per hour, etc) AND you can look up things in the area like restaurants, lodging, entertainment, intersections, etc. Gretchen wasn't expecting him to get that for her but she and him are both glad that he did. Wasn't that so sweet? :)

"A Weekend To Remember"

2007-12-06T08:14:00.000-05:00

We went on a marriage treat over the weekend in Charleston called "A Weekend To Remember". Originally we weren't planning on leaving Zach with anyone and just going to the day sessions but God worked it out so that we could stay in the hotel and Zach was taken care of. Some friends of ours offered to keep Zach for the whole weekend. We hope someday we'll be able to re-pay the favor.

It was nice to have a weekend of just the two of us but we did miss Zach terribly by Sunday evening. We were able to go out on a date Saturday night and just spend the weekend talking and working on "us" with NO distractions. We bought several books to keep us motivated and even bought a "Couples Series" with hopes to start a home bible study of couples at our house. They also had a game called "Spoueology", which looks like a lot of fun, that we bought. We're hoping to have a few couples over soon just to play that game.

This week has been pretty busy. We have Zach's school "Christmas program" tonight and then our church's "Christmas play" this Sunday. It's a pretty busy week.

Coughing, coughing & more coughing...

2007-11-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

Zach had a really good birthday party turn-out. There were 17 or 18 kids plus their parents that showed up. It was a lot of fun!

Gretchen's parents left 2 days after the party. Her mom got sick while she was down here and now Gretchen is sick. She woke up with a sore throat last Thursday and then came the cough on Sunday. That's all she has been doing since Sunday. It got so bad that she hasn't been able to sleep the past 2 nights. She went to the doctor yesterday. The doctor says that she thinks Gretchen has a sinus infection that is turning bronchial (sp?). So, she is on an antibiotic & a cough suppressant. You should see these pills. They are like "Horse" pills.

Corey had shut-down week last week. He worked almost 80 hours in 6 days. He got a little sick towards the end of the shut-down. He's coughing some but not as much as Gretchen. Hopefully he won't get what she has.

We set up our Christmas tree yesterday. Gretchen's parents are coming down for Thanksgiving and we want to have our Christmas decorations already up so we can just relax all weekend. Plus, this will be the last time we see them until we go to Hawaii in January.

Zach's birthday and more

2007-10-31T06:41:00.000-04:00

The past couple of months have seem to flown by. Our lives has been extremely busy. Anytime that we do have, we either are trying to do something as just a family or just want to relax.

Zach's birthday is coming up and we should have a lot of fun. A lot of his friends are going to be there, both from school and church. Gretchen's parents will be visiting for the weekend. We're looking forward to them coming down and visiting. Gretchen's even gotten some Christmas shopping done to send back with her parents. She's hoping to get it all done by the end of November, at least for our extended family, but she can't until she finishes getting the rest of the Christmas lists.

The next couple of days will probably go by quick. Gretchen always likes to clean and organize before her parents come down. So, that will be her goal along with running all the errands for Zach's birthday party. Corey's only responsibility is helping Gretchen with Zach and picking her parents up from the airport. :)

We just had our pictures done on Sunday along with Zach's pictures. We'll let you all see them once we get them. :)

Mi's on our Wii

2007-10-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

Corey has been working hard. He's been working about 50 hours a week. Although, Gretchen has been so busy with teaching at Zach's school, worship team practice, bible studies, making food for the bible studies, working with Zach, cleaning the house, paying the bills, and filling in at church for the pianist that she doesn't even notice how many hours he works sometimes, even though she still misses him when he's gone. :)

We have found time to play our Nintendo Wii, a lot. We LOVE playing it. You can make your own characters called "Mi"'s. Let's see if you can guess from the pictures which one is suppose to be who. Can you tell? (these pictures were taken on the TV, that's why they aren't very clear)All three of us love to play tennis and bowling. Both Corey and Gretchen have "pro" status for both of them. We like to compete against each other. We're hoping to get hooked up to the Internet with it soon. Both of our arms have been hurting the past day or so from playing it so much. It's definitely an interactive game. LOL

We're still trying to have a baby. No news right now. Gretchen is already picturing how to decorate the "nursery", which right now is Zach's room. Gretchen is hoping to move Zach into the guest bedroom and make Zach's room a nursery. She's hoping we'll be able to store the bunkbed so that we can use it in the future. Only time will tell what will happen. :)

Corey's 32nd Birthday!

2007-08-29T08:25:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was Corey's 32nd Birthday. He had to work but Gretchen arranged for a friend to keep Zach so that when he came home all we had to do was get ready and go out, just to two of us. Unfortunately, he got out of work a little earlier than Gretchen expected and beat her home. She didn't tell him where she was until she got home. He asked where Zach was and she told him that he was with Kim and her 2 girls.

Gretchen was planning on taking him to a movie and dinner. We got ready and went to see "Bourne Ultimatum". We had just finished watching "Bourne Identity" and "Bourne Supremacy" the week before. We really wanted to see the sequel. We think "Bourne Ultimatum" is the best. It's probably one of the best movies we've seen in a while.

Corey wasn't real hungry after the movie and he missed Zach. So, we picked Zach up and went to Chik F'ila and went home. Zach had a card for him and we had a message cookie for him when we got home.

We've made it a tradition in our family that if someone's birthday falls on a Friday or Monday that we make it a "Birthday Weekend". So, Corey got spoiled all weekend..... not that he doesn't all the other weekends also. Sunday, we just spent time playing games together all day which was a lot of fun.

Promise Keepers

2007-08-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Gretchen's parents came down to see us last Thursday. They had a chance to look at some houses that they were interested in. They are "thinking" about moving down here in 2 to 5 years, after Gretchen's mom is able to retire. Then on Friday, Corey and Gretchen's Dad left to go to Promise Keepers.

As soon as the guys left for PK, Gretchen, her mom and Zach went shopping. They stopped and got milkshakes and rented a movie. They ordered in pizza while they watched a movie. Then, they all got in Gretchen's bed and went to sleep early. The next morning they went to Walmart to do some more shopping and get some donuts for breakfast.

The guys had a good time being by themselves, too. They had some really good talks to and from the Center. They had to drive 2 hours to where PK was. They went to the conference Friday evening and then back to the hotel where they stayed. They went back to the conference the following morning and then came home. They both had a REALLY good time together. Corey definitely wants to go back to PK with Gretchen's Dad again. We think Gretchen's Dad loves being called "Dad" by Corey.

It's always good to see Gretchen's parents but it's definitely especially good that they spoil us by taking us out to eat. Of course, we'll probably do that to Zach when he gets married too. :)

Painting, Painting and MORE Painting...

2007-07-24T18:48:00.000-04:00

Gretchen started painting the master bedroom on Friday morning. She painted all day Friday, part of Saturday and part of Sunday. Corey helped her finish a little bit on the last wall but otherwise she did everything by herself. She taped everything off, painted all the trim, and painted 2 coats over the dark blue. It was a tough job but it's FINALLY done. After the picture was taken, she dusted everything in the room, went through any and all junk that was on the floor, went through the filing cabinet and clothes that don't get worn anymore. The room looks great. The picture is the new color that was painted on over the weekend.

Corey has been working hard on the garage all weekend. He got done all the dry walling and sanding. Then, Gretchen helped him paint the garage yesterday (including the ceiling). Corey says he wants to go back over some of it just to make sure it's got a thick coat of paint on it but after that, the hardest part will be done. Next will be putting fluorescent lights in. That's probably the last of what the money will allow us to do for right now. Corey also wants to put flooring in, a base board and some shelving in it, which should ultimately complete it, but that may not happen until fall or even next year.

You would think we were doing "spring cleaning" right now. Both Corey and Gretchen have been going through EVERYTHING and are in this "THROW OUT" mood. lol We're both just sick of accumulating "junk". Gretchen is going to try to sell some of the stuff on ebay or craigslist. She's done a good job of making some money in the past doing that. :)

What a Summer!

2007-07-16T11:37:00.000-04:00

This summer has been.... interesting. After going to Maryland, we had to go to Missouri. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant trip for us so we'll skip telling that part of our summer.

Even though the summer didn't start off being the best, it's turned out to be a pretty good summer. We've been going to a bible study called "the TRUTH project". It's a video series that asks you very logical questions to get you to think WHY you believe what you believe and HOW you know what you believe is true. It's VERY good! It's also been nice being around our friends so much. We've really been enjoying the fellowship as well as the videos.

Gretchen started giving piano lessons about a month ago. She's got 2 students that she really enjoys giving piano lessons to. She's also beginning to give Zach some lessons, though it's not every week. This week she's teaching at Vacation Bible School. She's teaching 3rd and 4th graders. Plus, she's going to start teaching at Zach's school this year.

For the fourth of July, we sat in the back of the truck on our "beach chairs" in a parking lot and watched them. We had so much fun just sitting there as a family watching them together. It was our first year together as a family b/c last year Zach was with Gretchen's parents. So, it was pretty special.

We've been going to the beach a lot this summer. We both LOVE the beach. We only go once a week since Corey works Monday-Friday now. We usually go Saturday morning when the park opens before most of the people get there. Then, we stop and get milkshakes on the way home. It's become a nice family tradition. We don't get to do it EVERY Saturday, but most Saturdays.

We're currently working on finishing the garage and planning on painting our master bedroom. Corey painted it a navy blue color and Gretchen doesn't like it and doesn't think it matches the decor of the room. So.... Gretchen has taken it on as HER project to paint the room while Corey's project is the garage. Gretchen's hoping to get the painting done before her parents come down the first weekend in August.

Missouri

2007-06-01T23:44:00.000-04:00

It's been 3 days since we've been home from Maryland and we are back on the road to Missouri. We were originally planning on going out there the first week of July but Corey's grandfather passed today. So, we decided to go out now instead. Fortunately, we have awesome friends who are watching the house and cats for us. :)

It's pretty hard to pack in one night for one week. We actually did it, though. Corey is driving so hopefully Gretchen can sleep some. So, we're off..... yet again. We traveled 8 hours to Maryland and 8 hours back. We're traveling 12 hours to Missouri and 12 hours back. We'll let you know when we get back. :)

Traveling 8 hours

2007-06-01T09:20:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we made a trip to visit Gretchen's side of the family. We had a really nice time. We got to see Gretchen's grandmother, Aunt's and Uncle, cousins, her brother & Sister-in-law and our 2 nieces. We met our one niece for the first time. She's only 6 months old. Corey actually held her, too. It was really good to see everyone, especially since we only get to see everyone once a year. Hopefully some people will come down to visit us. :)

We also got to see Zach's Aunt Janet. She didn't really know Corey, so it was nice that she got at least a glimpse of who Corey is. It sounds like she might come down to visit sometime, which will be really good for Zach. :)

We were at Toys R Us with Gretchen's parents and ran into a friend of Gretchen's, Elesha. She really liked seeing her and her son, Elijah. Then, we went over to one of Gretchen's friend's house, Vanessa. All in all, we had a really nice time. There was only two people that Gretchen wanted to see that she didn't get to see.

While it's always nice to visit family, it's even better to be back home.... especially in our own bed! Our next trip will be even longer.... a 12 hour trip to Missouri to visit Corey's family. Then, we're done traveling for the rest of the year..... at least we think. :)

Zach's Fever

2007-05-21T10:06:00.000-04:00

Saturday, Gretchen & Zach met up with some of Gretchen's friends from church up in MD. They were down on vacation. So, we met up with them downtown and had lunch. We walked around quite a bit and tried to show them around downtown, even though Gretchen isn't real familiar with it. Then, they came back to our house and we got to fellowship for the evening. It was such a nice evening.

When we went to put Zach to bed, he was really cranky and wouldn't listen (which is NOT like him at all). He felt really hot. So, we got the thermometer out. The first reading said 102.3 F & the second reading said 102.8 F. Both of us were really concerned about him. Gretchen was suppose to lead worship at church the next day but had to call the Pastor and tell him that she couldn't be there since it was the one Sunday Corey had to work. The Pastor was very understanding, though.

Zach ended up waking up a couple hours later, he was crying & couldn't tell you what was wrong. We think he was just hurting all over & so tired, especially from a busy day. Gretchen was up with him until 2:30 AM. He finally went to sleep for good for the night. The next day, his fever was down to 100.5. Gretchen took him to McDonald's for his favorite pancakes and then had to go to Walmart for groceries. He seemed in a pretty good mood when we got home. He played his video games for a little bit. Then, Corey came home & wanted to go out to eat. While we were out, Zach just looked really tired. We could tell he was sick b/c he didn't eat but one bite of his mac & cheese and when we asked if he wanted dessert he said "NO". That's when you know kids are sick.

He's feeling better today. His fever is probably down to 99. He's developed a cough, now. Gretchen gave him some medicine and he seems to be fine now. We'll see how he does the rest of the day. Keep him in your prayers! :)