Awe the Memories....

As many of you know I am having a hysterectomy on Friday(Thank God!).
It so happens its at the same hospital Mom and Dad were after the accident.I was there the whole morning doing pre-op.Man at the memories that come flooding back.From the time I first drove into the parking garage that horrible week was so fresh on my mind.Passing the spot outside where Shawn and I must have smoked a million cigarettes that first day to the E.R. where we all gathered before we knew what was going on.The one memory that stands out in my mind now and forever was the dam family room in the I.C.U..Sitting there with our little family hearing that more likely than not Dad was going to die.I'm positive not one of us in that room will ever forget that.Shock is an understatement.The words the nurse was saying couldn't possibly be about Dad.I remember thinking how I was going to explain to my kids that there was no Papa anymore , I could not do that.I believe our dear friend Clint said it best.After an I.C.U visit in the early days he was so stunned, he said it was so hard to see a man who he always thought of as larger than life lying there like that.I can understand the sentiment.
I don't want to relive old hurt but all those memories from today remind me how truly blessed
our family is.I give thanks to God because without him I believe Dad would not be here enjoying his gran kids and being the best Papa that he can be.Just a reminder that we never know how short life can be and we MUST enjoy it and love our family without condition because we never know what another seemingly ordinary Sunday may bring..
On a lighter note. As I passed the McDonald's I wondered if there is even 1 Goulding who wouldn't vomit just looking at it! HAHA

Day With Nana...

What a great day! Today we spent the entire day with Nana.It was long over due.
We started at craft class where the kids painted ceramic bugs.They really got into their art work.Gage of course nibbled on the paint brushes but eventually started to paint.
After we headed to lunch at Chick Fil A ,where the kids ate good and got to play on the slides after lunch.Wal-Mart was next and oh boy was that a mistake!Every idiot was there to save their $8 today! HA
When we got home Nana put together Austins new race track for his Hot Wheels.All the kids had fun with that.Gage was so cute clapping after each race!
After all the races we took the kids outside and made garden stones for Mimi for her birthday next weekend.Nana is being brave (and very helpful!) and taking all 3 kids to Oklahoma next weekend for Mimi's birthday.
We decided to take the kids to the park after that and let them run.The day was not to bad so it was a good activity.I will say they wore us out at the park! I don't know how many times we put Gage down the slide! Alex and Nana played King and Princess at the top of the playground,their little imaginations fascinate me.
Home for pizza and cookies then a bath.Man,it was a busy busy day! Austin sure did not want Nana to leave but he allowed it once he found out she had to get home to PawPaw!
I'm beat but the kids of course are still going strong,go figure.
Thanks Nana for a great day!

Day At The Parker Farm..

Today the whole Goulding clan loaded up and went to the country.Papa and Grans friends were brave enough to invite us all out for the day.They have a beautiful place.The kids ran around everywhere! That's exactly what the six of them need,open spaces! Their were lots of bird dogs out there because Papas friend Pat trains them out there.Those were a hit with the bigger kids.Pat was so great with the kids and really seemed to enjoy them.He took each of the three bigger kids to pet the horses and they were thrilled!After some exploring and 4 wheeler riding Gran brought out the pools and that entertained them for awhile.
Linda made us some homemade peach cobbler and man that was good! The peaches came from their trees there on the property.What a dream , to live on land with no one around and eat peach cobbler from your own peach trees! Way cool!
After swimming Pat took the kids to the pond and he let them help him feed the fish.Daddy caught a few baby frogs for the kids to see too.
Pat let Daddy take some of the kids for a ride around his land in his gator and they had a blast.
Austin told Linda that her place was beautiful and he did not want to leave! He loves the outdoors!
The kids were so exhausted by the time we all headed home.Gage was asleep before we hit the highway!
Thank you to Gran,Papa and their friends the Parkers for a truly wonderful day.

Busy Day...

What a busy and fun day the kids had.
This morning was our last Cousin Day for the summer.Its sad because the kids have had so much fun each week playing together.Today we met at Aunt Taryns and got to enjoy the yard with swimming,slip n slide and the sand box.When it started to heat up the kids happily played in Kyler and Mandy's play room.All the kids had fun and were ready for naps at the end.
After nap time we picked up Kyler and we went to Nana and PawPaws for pizza and swimming.The three of them had a blast in their swim rings.They were so cute in floaties and rings kicking around the pool!Gage was a Daddies boy tonight (much to my relief!) he swam with Daddy and did lots of waterfall jumping! He is getting really brave in the water these days.
After I gave all 4 a shower in Nanas big double walk in shower.Boy,that was fun! For them that is!
Everyone fell asleep on the way home except for Kyler.Now Austin is the only one up! Great a little cat nap at 8:30pm,might be a long night.

Extreme Make Over...Turtle Edition!

I found a wonderful web site called The Happy Turtle.It has really helped me in caring for Miss Frankie.Well last night I was reading about their ideal habitat.Apparently fish gravel is not a good choice for their tanks because they try to eat it.I was not to convinced until we had to stop her about 5 times last night from eating the gravel! If they eat it it can cause an obstruction in their digestive track and its fatal.So first thing this morning off to Lowes I went and got a bag of river rock.It took about an hour to get it all clean but was worth the time because the pet stores charge about $30 for it , I paid $2.25 and still have over half the bag left!
I also took the other decorations out because sharp edges can harm their shells.Instead we have greenery that is durable and she cant eat(Yes , she has already tried!).
She seems pretty happy with our remodel.I think I may actually be done now!

Meet Franklin!

Yes its true we have added yet another thing to care for at our house!
Ever since seeing Jungle Jim and the turtles at the library the kids have talked about them and I thought it would be cool for them to have a turtle to watch and learn about too.
Boy I had no clue what I was getting in to! I have been to school now on how to care for turtles! You wouldn't think they require much but in order to ensure health and longevity there are certain things they need such as uv and uvb rays.Long story short we have a $200 and something turtle! Daddy was thrilled!
It was worth it because the kids are in love with her.They want to see her right when they wake up.Alex named her Franklin before we got her so we kept it but we call her Frankie for short.
Special thanks to Aunt Taryn for answering my million questions and helping set up the terrarium for Miss Frankie.

Splash Station!

We had an awesome time at splash station on Saturday!Aunt Taryn , Uncle Kyle , Kyler ,Mandy Papa and Gran all came so it made it that much better.
First we played at the park across the street to kill some time before they opened.After the park we had a picnic lunch that was really nice.
This was our first time there and we were really impressed.The kids and us had such a great time.There was a river area that we swam all the kids through and that was a hit.The bigger ones loved the play area in the middle that they climbed up and shot water with the toys.
Gage passed out after 3 hours so we headed home. We will for sure be back though.