Second First Day of School for Gabe This Year!

Today Gabe started his first day of school in our new small town. He was so excited and positive about making new friends and having a "fresh start." I swear, I am the luckiest Mother in the world to have such a darling sweet boy! Major kudos to Eric for taking him on his first day, walking around the school with him to make sure he knew where everything was, paying his lunch money and getting the toothpaste out of his shirt (apparently Gabe had an "incident") and of course those things aren't noticed until the last minute ;) Plus, as you can see from the picture I took before leaving for work, Gabe wasn't excited in the least ;) ha ha ha
WE LOVE YOU GABE! YOUR MOTHER IS SO PROUD OF HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE!

Two Wonderful Things in the Past 24 Hours!`

So first of all, HAPPY TWO MONTH BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE BRYLEIGH GRACE! Your Nona, Pop-Pop and Uncle Gabe love and adore you more than you will ever know. Getting to spend time with you this past weekend was such a joy and one of the happiest times in my life.

Last but not least, Eric FINALLY popped the question yesterday and we are now VERY happily engaged! :) I've never been so thrilled in my entire life!

The Upcoming Weekend!

This weekend, Gracie Face gets to have her first sleepover with Nona minus Mama! I'm so excited to have her. I spent all night washing her new clothes and sheets, and of course fabulous Eric helped set up the pack and play. Of course I bought all the needed supplies for our house and you can forget just how much babies cost. She's worth every penny though and we are so happy that we will have our bundle of joy for the entire weekend! I am also happy that my beautiful, amazing daughter can have some "Hailey time!" She deserves and probably needs a little break. We are truly blessed, all of us!

Ski Day For GABER!

So today, Gabe is skiing for the first time (see picture to the right.) He is so excited and looked so awesome in his new ski gear. Of course, everything had to match right up to the sunglasses. He had the guys at the ski shop in stitches to, so much so that they are letting us keep the skis an extra day, free of charge! Heaven knows that is going to make my life easier! As always, thankful for Gabe and the love and joy he brings into my life on a daily basis!
Love you buddy!
Mom

Random Wednesday Blogging

So, Gabe has a field trip tomorrow for "ski school." He is way excited and I have to leave work to go and take him to get his ski's and other things he will need like goggles, gloves, a hat and he asked for a helmet, but I told him he wouldn't need one (bless his safety cautious heart!)

This weekend we get to babysit Bryleigh Grace and I couldn't be more excited for that! She is such a joy to be around and so much fun! She has found her voice and Hailey had her call her Nona (me) last night to talk to me and tell me stories. So CUTE! She gets bigger every day so I can't wait to see how much bigger she is this week verses last. I know, sad I only see her once a week :( But I buy her something new every day, so does that balance it out? I don't know.

Oh Gracie Face.......

I was able to spend my lunch hour on Tuesday with my Gracie Face and she is so big, beautiful and healthy. When I hold her, my blood pressure drops, I go into this zen like, peaceful state, and the world just goes away. Now if I could only get Hailey to put bows on her head every day............ ;)

Gabe-ism of the day!

"I SAW IT WITH MY BARE EYES!"

Blessings

I was sitting at home last night, right before bed thinking to myself, MAN I have SOOOO many blessings in my life. I have two wonderful, smart, healthy, gorgeous children, a perfect, sweet, hilarious, healthy Granddaughter, siblings who are willing to help eachother with no questions asked, a great, great job and awesome co-workers and friends, and the sweetest boyfriend in the world. Not to mention...well....I'm still alive. Life is great~ Thanks to all of you who are a part of it : )

My New Year's Resolution

"My resolution is to not put a question mark where God has put a period!"

Christmastime is here, snowflakes in the air....

My Christmas memory for today is of when I was 14 years old. Santa brought me a huge, oak hutch and I thought, what an odd weird thing to get for Christmas! Guess what? It sits in my bedroom to this day. Even though I have converted it into an entertainment center, it is still special to me 24 years later.

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style..

Every year since birth I am sure, my family has always gone to Christmas Street. It is this circle in the Sugarhouse area where every house gets lit up like a scene from Christmas Vacation. Some are more decked out than others, but you pull into the circle and then drive really slowly around the circle with your headlights off and look at all of the houses. It's so much fun! I still do this with my kids every year!

It Must Have Been Old Saint Nick

Today's Christmas memory revolves around Santa Clause. When we were little I remember our parents taking us to see Santa in historic Sugarhouse where Santa sat in a little cottage house on the corner for the town square. They have now ripped apart most of historic Sugarhouse, but the other day, I was happy to see that Santa's little cottage is still there and up and running! It's good to know that some things, never change.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer..

My Christmas memory of the day is watching all of the Rankin/Bass Christmas classics as a kid. We never had them on video or DVD like we do now so I had to wait for them to come on TV. When they did, man I was so excited! Gabe told Eric this year that he should buy me all of them because I love them so much! ;) We own most of them, but I thought it was way cute of him to think of me!

It's beginning to look a lot like Chistmas.....

My Christmas memory for today is going to Anzack Park and going sledding down the biggest hills with my siblings and friends! We would go right after school and stay there until it started to get dark. Ahh to be young again.....

Christmastime is here.......

My Christmas memory for today is going to Uncle Doug's house almost every Christmas Eve and having Santa show up at the end of the party to talk to all of the kids and give us a small present and candy cane. On the ride home, I would always look to the skies to see if I could spot Santa and Rudolph. My parents encouraged this of course and by the time we got home, I was so excited to go to bed I couldn't open my Christmas PJ's fast enough!

Memories, like the corners of my mind......

So naturally this time of year, I start thinking back on Christmases past and I start missing Mom and Grandma. Hailey made a comment the other day that it won't be the same this year without them, which is so true. Holidays have always meant family and tradition on our lives. I am going to try extra hard this year to do all of the things I can that will instill those same traditions in my family and children. Even if it is something as simple as making my Mom's shortbread cookies and having each of my children pick out their own Christmas ornament as I did when I was a child. I have decided to log a memory every day if I can muster them up out of my old cobwebbed mind.
Today's memory is every year we would have a Christmas Eve party with our family. My Mother used to make this flaming rum punch which she would light on fire to burn the alcohol off. One year, she didn't quite burn it long enough and my Grandma got totally tipsy. It was awesome! :) For those of you who knew my Grandma, you know why it was awesome!

Make that Three Midgley's and a Pierce

On November 25th, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. our little Bryleigh Grace entered this world without a single problem. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz. and was 19 inches long. I am told this is the exact measurements as my Mother, which I don't think is a coincidence. We are so thankful to have her in our lives and she is the most beautiful baby on the planet, as you can clearly see. Perfectly healthy and happy. Hailey is an amazing little Mother, a total natural and I am so glad she is doing so well also. Due to illness, I was only able to hold her for the first time today, and my heart has grown into something that I can't even begin to describe or imagine.
Thank you Hailey for the most amazing gift you could have ever given me, aside from yourself!
I love and adore you both!
xoxoxo
Nona

Always be Thankful for Babies

Yes, in about one week (give or take) my little Gracie Face will finally be here. I can't WAIT!
I am thankful that I have such a blessing to look forward too in my life. Like my Dad says "you take your blessings where you can get 'em." SO true!

Giving Thanks

Today I am thankful that Gabriel doesn't have the "Swine Flu!" While I am not happy with the fact that he has a virul infection and asthma, I am thankful for the fact that it isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Hey, isn't that what my Grandpa Midgley used to say? "It's never as bad as you think it's going to be." Even when it's bad, it could always be worse.......right?

Being Thankful Today For......

The fact that in one week or less I am going to be a NONA (that means Grandma in Italian)!
This is what I yell at Hailey's belly all of the time and Gracie gets super excited!
"GRACIE FACIE, IT'S YOUR NONA! HELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Then she will kick her Mother really hard for about an hour. Hey, I'm just doing my part to help Karma out ;)

Being Thankful Even When You Don't Feel Like It

Today I am thankful for my few, close friends. You know who you are. I love you all.

Today I am Thankful For.........

My Siblings. Man I love you guys!

Thankful Thought

Today, clearly, I am thankful for Gabe! He is the light of my life and brings me happiness and laughter daily. GABE YOU ARE THE BEST!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABE :)

So today my baby turns 10! It's so hard to imagine but it's actually true, we are now in the double digits. Where on earth did the time go? Now instead of Elmo we are into documentaries, instead of hugs and kisses goodbye in the morning I get a wave and a wink. I am so proud of Gabe and how well he has turned out. He is such a rule follower and so smart. He thinks before he makes any decision and weighs the pros and cons. His sense of humor is second to none, and he makes me laugh out loud every single day of my life. He can sing and has fabulous taste in music. Basically, he's the best and if you know him, you know it's true.
Gabe, thank you for being such a wonderful boy and so sweet to everyone around you. You truly are my little ray of sunshine and you are a total miracle. Your mama loves you more than you will ever know!
xoxoxoxo
Mom

Being Thankful in November

So, I have decided that each day, I am going to blog about one thing I am thankful for, mostly for my benefit. They say you should keep a gratitude journal but let's face it, I have never been one for keeping journals (unless forced like at Beehive Camp.)

Today, I am thankful for my job. I am thankful that I work with and for such wonderful people. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Our Halloween Party

So my cute sister Mindy threw the BEST family Halloween party ever. Her house was totally decked out and the food was amazing! Bertha brought the best cake ever and even the dogs were dressed up! :) Comet was a turtle and Baxter was a rooster! I've posted a few pictures of those things but the best part of all was just being with my siblings and kids. Hailey had never watched "The Shining" so she and I watched part of that but then it was time for bed. ;)
Thanks to Mindy and Dave for a great party and for getting my bah-humbug attitude to go away about what is normally my favorite holiday.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So this year our family costumes consist of
Gabe: Old Man
Hailey: Painted her pregnant belly like a Jack-O-Lantern
Shelly: Hermione Granger

The kids outdid me of course, but I'm hoping for Gabe to dress up for at least another two years......sad that he is going to lose interest in Halloween. He already thinks he is too old to trick or treat. The big plan for this year is he and Savannah are going to scare the trick or treaters.
YIKES!
Pictures of the kids will be posted. Not sure about me, as you all know I hate to have my picture taken! ha ha

EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :)

Gabe Saves the Day!

So yesterday afternoon on his way home from school, Gabe happened across a lost dog that was dodging cars on our street. He asked the crossing guard to help him get the traffic out of the way so he could safely go in the middle of the street and get this dog. He had noticed a police car parked a few yards away, so he went and knocked on the officer's window and asked him to please call the phone number on the tags. How could you ever turn down a request from Gabe? So the officer called the owners and told them he had their dog. After hanging up with the owners he told Gabe what a great thing he had just done by saving the dog and thereby serving his community. Gabe's response: "Well I know what it's like to lose a dog!" The officer gave him a community service sticker and Gabe went on his merry way. He informed me that he is now just going to wait for his good karma to come around ;)

I'm so proud of him! He does something amazing every day!

Love you Gabe!!!!!!!!!

Any Day Now.........

Well Hailey is threatening to take Castor Oil, so I guess that means she is ready to have this baby! Technically she has about three weeks left, but I think that labor is upon us at any moment. You can bet that I will be posting pictures and all sorts of information about it when it actually happens, but it's pretty hilarious when she calls me threatening to drink the most nasty invention in human history which wouldn't even end her suffering, just make her feel worse. Poor lass! Hang in there Hailey Face! You will make it, I swear ;)

Being Sentimental

This song is currently not on my play list, but the words speak what my heart cannot.
Hailey, your Mother is so proud of you and know that you have turned into this beautiful "butterfly" and you will be the most amazing Mother to your little caterpillar!
xoxo
Mamamzedubadah

"You tucked me in, turned out the light Kept me safe and sound at night, Little girls depend on things like that. Brushed my teeth and combed my hair, Had to drive me everywhere You were always there when I looked back.

You had to do it all alone Make a living, make a home, Must have been as hard as it could be. And when I couldn't sleep at night, Scared things wouldn't turn out right, You would hold my hand and sing to me; Caterpillar in the tree How you wonder who you'll be? Can't go far but you can always dream. Wish you may and wish you might, Don't you worry, hold on tight I promise you there will come a day.

Butterfly fly away Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away Flap your wings now you can't stay. Take those dreams and make them all come true! Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away, We've been waiting for this day All along and knowing just what to do Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away Butterfly fly away Butterfly fly away."

Quote of the Week

“Sad are only those who understand”

Gabe-ism of the week!

"My weight is my weapon!"

Quote of the Week!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

Mama Bear's Slogan

“You will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!” Ezekiel 25:17

Oldies but Goodies

So my Sis, (Mindy) found and posted a bunch of old and not so old pictures of the Midgley grand kids and man they are keepers. I have enjoyed this entire afternoon, looking at them, remembering when they were that small, and wondering where the time has gone. Mostly though, the feeling of how truly blessed my crazy family is to have these four wonderful kids in our lives (soon to be five), and how we would all be lost without them.
Anyway friends, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have :)
Shelly

Time to Buck Up!

I am so down in the mouth with the latest medial news regarding myself, that I have decided to make a list of things that make me happy, so here it goes:

The way Gabe sounds when he is in the throws of hysterical laughter!

The fact that my Gracie Face will only kick and get excited when I talk to her!

That I have two beautiful, healthy, happy, smart, amazing, hilarious children!

That my siblings and I are all close despite losing the two most important women in our lives within seven months of each other.

Chris, and the oddball things he says to me to make me laugh so hard I cry.

That even though my Dad is far, far away and I miss him immensely, I can still feel his closeness.

I know that if I need an escape I can throw in any one of my movies and become totally engrossed and escape for as long as I need too.

Having a small number of friends that truly care about me.

The season changing to fall.

This is all I can think of now, but I might add too it later. Thanks for letting me vent the positive.

Quote of the Week and how I am feeling right now!

"I wish none of this had happened."

"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

The Countdown Begins

As you can see from the picture to the right, Hailey and Brylee keep growing like weeds and are both healthy. Hailey is pretty tired but she looks amazing and happy (until I start talking to my Gracie face who immediately goes into kick mode, just a little of my Karma on her Mother!) I am so excited and can't wait to meet this little angel! Only 10 more weeks! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote of the Week

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.--" Buddha

This Month's Playlist

So this month, I thought I would switch it up a bit and add a new playlist that consists of some songs from my favorite movies. You may be asking "does Shelly's life hobby revolve around movies?" Why yes, yes it does!
ENJOY! :)

Just a little note......

I just have to say, that I have THE MOST hilarious brother in America. If you have a facebook account, you can read my wall and see why. He is always making me laugh so hard I cry.
Love you Christopher! a.k.a. Mama Ris!

Quote of the Week!

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."
~Jane Austen

A long lost TREASURE!!!!!!

Years and years ago, (dare I say seven?), my ex-husband Bryon recorded this video of our little Gabriel singing and dancing to his favorite artist of the day, Britney Spears...He hasn't changed much...just a little taller and fewer curls.....he's still a singing dancing fool! He would be mortified if he knew I put this on the Internet page but, Gabe, Mama loves you :)

New Playlist

So I decided to try and remember all of the songs I can play on my guitar and post them on our blog. One of our favorite things to do as a family (Hailey, Gabe and I) is to sit around and sing while Mom plays. Brylee likes it a lot too as she won't stop kicking poor Hailey during the jam session! :)

BLAST!

I hate summer colds, but worse I hate summer bronchitis. Yes I got it AGAIN, but the good thing is it has been 8 months since my last bout. Not too shabby. It used to be every other month. Maybe that stupid sinus surgery really did work!

Lagoon for Gabe :)

So Gabe was happy to be able to go to Lagoon before the new school year begins (4th Grade!, Holy Cow!). He loved the speedway cars the most and made Eric take him twice. He wanted to go a third time but by then it was time for the work party. He also won five dollars at BINGO. The best part of the day was his playing the games to win stuffed animals. Now not only do I have Gabe in my bed, but a monkey, a snake, a penguin and tweety bird. Good grief! Eric got some great pictures so I will post them as soon as I get them :)

It's done.......

Grandma's funeral was yesterday and I must say, it was wonderful. Different, but wonderful. Everyone did an excellent job and the musical number was amazing, beautiful flowers, touching speaches, but the loss is something none of us will ever get over. I know we all go when it's our time, and I know that she would have loved to stay. I think that is why she fought so hard to stay alive as long as she did. I know everyone will miss her, but another hole has been placed in my heart, that can never be filled. My only comfort is that she has been reuinted with my Mother.
Love you Grams!

Goodbye Grandma, a.k.a Grandma Great

My beautiful, wonderful, hilarious, spunky, sweet, fantastic Grandma passed away last night at 11:45 p.m. It goes without saying that we are all heartbroken and can't make sense of this awful year for our family. Within seven months, having to bury my Mother and then her Mother, is almost more than one can bear or tolerate.
When Hailey was born, my Grandma refused to be called a "Great-Grandma" so Hailey started calling her at age two, "Grandma Great" which has been what all of her Great-Grandchildren have called her.
I can't make sense of this, am in shock but because I am a movie freak, I keep thinking of a quote from a movie that I'd like to share:
" I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away."

Grandma

I am supposed to be writing down a memory or story or something for my Grandmother's memory book and I have no idea where to start or what to say. I think I am still in shock, even though I have accepted that she is going to pass away, and soon. So until I can sweep out the cobwebs and come up with something, I have put together a short playlist in her honor. All songs have relevance to my relationship with her and/or remind me of times spent with her.
More to come friends......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A MIDGLEY

Yes, I made it another year, which will come as a shock to most. On this birthday, I am thankful for my two great, hilarious, beautiful children. I am thankful for some of the most thoughtful friends, a wonderful family, the greatest siblings one could ever hope for and am so looking forward to my new Grand baby come November. I am thankful for a Father who loves me and offers his support, even though it's from a long distance. I am thankful that my sweet Grandmother has made the choice she has to go peacefully to the other side and for all of the things she taught me in this life. I am a better person for having her for my Grandma.