Count Down to Baby P- Weeks 35 & 36 I'm going to be pregnant forever...

OMG! I am so excited to meet Miss Anna! However, I feel as if I am going to be pregnant forever...

Week 35-

This week I went to another class and guess what?!? I actually learned something in this class! It was all about breastfeeding! I know, I know, so enlightening! Really, it was incredibly informative. I learned how to prep frozen breast milk, how properly place the baby to she can eat, I learned that men are immature and laugh and awkward times (wait I knew this), I learned about how many diapers they are supposed to have and what normal poop looks like! For a girl who knows nothing this class was amazing! I could have taken a test and made an A+ that is how close I paid attention.

Plus! You know it's going to be a good class when you walk in and there is a boob laying out on the table! LOL!

TJ had come up with great excuse as to why he couldn't attend this particular class, but when I told him how much he missed out on he let me give him all the highlights when I got home!

My mom was in Africa for a mission trip during week 35. I have to say it was tough her not being close enough to call. I mean anything can happen and she couldn't get home and I couldn't get to her. So I didn't enjoy that added stress of the week. But she made it home safe and sound and Anna Banana stayed put! :)

The only other interesting thing that happened this week related to Baby Watch '14 was one evening TJ was dosing on the couch and I came and sat down. TJ woke up startled and asked me if I felt the earthquake... No honey, that was just me sitting down on the couch. Awesome.

Week 35 Kaytie Moment-

This week was actually all about Kaytie! Kaytie's Birthday Baby Baskets were assembled this week and prepped for delivery! YAY! We had so many wonderful things donated to the baskets. A few people sent us donations to help with the cost of the Loveable, Squeezable, Kissable onesies, and so many other sent wonderful items to fill the baskets! Here is what all we had:

1. Loveable, Squeezable, Kissable onesie
2. Fiddle Focus blanket
3. Handmade Thunder onesie
4. Handmade Thunder burp cloth
5. Crocheted Blanket
6. Baby Shampoo
7. Baby Lotion
8. A Cross
9. Thunder onesie
10. Bath Mitt
11. Hangers
12. Baby Blanket
13. Baby Blanket
14. Shoe Socks
15. A package of two paci's
16. Wipes
17. A spoon

I hope I remembered everything! Becky and I spent nearly all day Saturday putting them all together! It took FOREVER!!! I was exhausted after it was over. We wanted to make all 17 look just right! It was so fun to make them all and I know Kaytie would have LOVED this idea! It made the fact that her birthday was coming up okay. We had something more to look forward to then to just be sad. We were going to do something super sweet and fun in her honor!

Finally, the day came to deliver the baby baskets! Nick met Mom and I at Mercy and we loaded up all the baskets and took them to the administration office. The charge nurse let us know that there had been 3 or 4 babies born already that day who they would deliver baskets to! We were so excited!

Goodbye Little Baskets! We hope you make some babies and mommies very happy!

After we left we went to the cemetery. Mom has been making beautiful arrangements for Kaytie and putting them out there. This time she had made one in a gift box thing. She did a great job. The saving grace to all of this, was that when we were so sad and wanting to cry, the thought that new babies were being born at that moment and being given such a sweet gift filled with so much love made the deep sadness subside for a bit, and a little bit happiness shine through.

The next day Mom called to see if we could come pick up the extra baskets and guess what? Exactly, 17 babies were born on July 22, 9 girls and 8 boys!! The nurse said it was a God thing! 17 was a high number, we had included extra just in case! I think Kaytie was encouraging those babies to be born on July 22! She told them they would get a present if they showed up that day! :) One of the mom's actually posted on the Live Like Kaytie Facebook group a picture of her and her new baby with a Thank you! It was so sweet and wonderful! We also found out we had another connection to a little preemie baby born that day. That is one lucky baby to have Miss Kaytie watching out for her! It was a wonderful tribute to Kaytie, an amazing testament to the love she showed her friends and family and how much they love and care for her in return! We can't wait to do it again next year! :)

Week 36-

Mommy and Daddy need a getaway before this little girl makes her appearance! I put TJ in charge of making the plans, but I kept wavering on if I wanted to go. I was tired, I had been having contractions, and kind of in a fuddy duddy mood. So all the way up until Friday morning I was on the fence about going anywhere. Well he found one more place that wasn't booked for the weekend and said if you want to go I need to know now because everywhere else is booked. I asked if they had a pool and he said yes so I agreed to go! We ended up at Sequoyah State Park. Remember Dirty Dancing? This place reminded me of that! They had organized activities for the kids and families, a swimming pool, the lake activities, horseshoes, volleyball, hayrides, and golf course! It was adorable! We had so much fun! I played in the pool Friday and Saturday. The water felt so good! I wasn't sore anymore! It was a miracle!! TJ got up early and went fishing on his kayak. Then we hung out by the pool for a while longer. After dinner we walked around and attempted to play horseshoes.  I say attempted because a one legged man (TJ didn't wear his brace and just took his chair) and a VERY pregnant woman trying to bend over and get the horseshoes proved to be a comical sight! It was so nice to get away and just be with each other. We hadn't spent any time with each other really since all that happened in April. So it was much needed us time. I am glad we went.

Yes, my belly is massive. I am so ready for Anna to be here, but I got some not so encouraging news from the doctor today! Anna is comfortable and things are BARELY progressing!!!!! AND can I just say OMG to the cervical checks!!????!?!?!? What the HECK! SERIOUSLY! OUCH! Not a fan! Don't make me go back! There are no words other than instant tears to my eyes! Also, I have one word and a letter...Strep B! This has nothing, I repeat nothing to do with strep throat! WHAT?!?!?!!?!? How is it that this never comes up in conversation!? You know a nice "hey you are going to be violated in very strange ways so prepare yourself" would be nice! So...where is my epidural? To add to the weirdness of my doctors appointment, my hubby spent the whole time sitting behind the curtain so as not to witness anything unpleasant! Picture Oz the Great and Powerful. That was him today popping his head out occasionally to ask a question! Oh for the love this pregnancy is getting strange!

I was once hopeful I would have this baby early. There is no way she is hanging out in there until her due date. I now fear she wants to go past her due date. Little Miss is going to force me to try every old wives tale in the book if things start to head that direction! I am over this! Now, I will let her cook for the next three weeks, but if she thinks for one minute I am going to let her go past August 19, she is wrong! I will be googling "how to naturally induce labor at 39 + 6". Sooner if things are moving REALLY slow!

 Week 36 Kaytie Moment-

Kaytie and I were band geeks in middle school and high school. Well, really I was the band person and I think Kaytie just did it because I was and my parents had bought her a flute! Back in the day you started in 6th grade band where you would pick out your instrument, learn music, etc. Then you would progress to 7th and 8th grade band that was actually combined with the high school band!  Our parents told me I was going to play the clarinet since that is what my mom played and we wouldn't have to buy an instrument. Great. When Kaytie's turn came along she got to pick the flute which is what I wanted! :( But we didn't have any other extra instruments laying around the house, so she got a brand new flute while I used the gross hand me down clarinet (which I ended up loving by the way). Kaytie was two years behind me in school so by the time I was in 9th grade she was in 7th and finally mixed in with the high school band. This meant we would go on all our band trips together! At some point, I don't remember when, Kaytie decided to be a flag girl during marching season. Her sophomore year was my senior year and I was drum major. I always thought it was a miracle I was able to march and direct a whole season and not massively hurt myself marching backwards or totally ruin a show since really I can't keep time! Anyways, we had worked all summer and fall on this marching program for state competition. We drive all the way to Alva, OK for our state competition and we are getting changed and ready to rock this! Guess what? The flag girls forgot the flags. Yep, they ruined the whole show! I might be overreacting a little bit, but still it was State! I was a senior and drum major and my SISTER was a flag girl! That was crap! That was part of our score! The flag corp felt awful and I was mad as heck. I am not sure who's idea it was, but when we got back the flag corp actually bought me "We're Sorry" flowers, which was very sweet and Mr. Abrego found us another competition to go to and redeem ourselves. Still, in my head I was thinking, this isn't State, but whatever. We went and did very well and the program was awesome, flags and all!

Drum Major & Flag Girl! :)

Broncho Powder Puff! Watch out world!

Graduation Day!

I am so thankful we went to a small school and that Kaytie and I were only two grades apart. We got to share so many experiences in school together from pre-k on up! For example, when we were at SNU School for Children (pre-K to 5th grade), Kaytie was in love with a boy a named Josh and we all had the same recess so I could make fun of them! :) You know kissy faces and noises, since that is what mature elementary school kids do! Then there was the day at recess she accidentally got hit in the face with a baseball bat and I was right there for her to turn to when she was crying and gushing blood! I even knew my mom's work number so I could tell the office when it all happened. It is really the best having a sister so close in age and being able to grow up and experience all of what life is about at all ages. I really hope and pray that my kids can have that some day.

I miss her and I am still struggling with the fact that she is not here to experience this part of life with me. :( I have so much I want to tell her everyday and even when I do tell her, I really just want her here to talk to me back.

I think from here on out I am going to post once a week in case I am wrong (which I don't think I am) and Anna shows up early!

So see you next week!

With Love,
Leigha Denee

Countdown to Baby P- Weeks 33 & 34

Week 33-

Happy hot 4th of July! I dislike being pregnant in the Summer. It's hot. Being hot makes me cranky and I don't want to wear clothes, but being a decent human being of society I need to wear them. :(

Several of my family members came over for a Fourth of July deep fried festival! It all started with some catfish that we asked TJ to fry up, then progressed into fried pickles, french fries, onion rings, hush puppies, and fried green tomatoes. Poor TJ and Russell were outside in the heat all day frying stuff! I woke up early that morning to clean house which made me cranky and I was so hot and uncomfortable that I cleaned house without my pants on! Yep! So sue me! It's my house and I HATE PANTS! I finished picking up then got ready. As people arrived I politely told them "I am pregnant, hot, and cranky. Tread lightly! :)!" We had a great time visiting. I did notice that at lunch no one would sit next to me. I think they were a little scared. Oh well! I ate my hot dog (no it wasn't fried, yes it was nitrate free) and felt much better after I plopped down on the couch for awhile!

Once everyone left we spent the rest of our evening watching our latest show addiction called Call the Midwife on Netflix. It's pretty good! You should check it out! The BBC has great programming!

The next day I set out early to head to Durant to host my cousin Brandy's baby shower for Miss Everly. It was a sweet party and I think she got several of the things she needed. The cake was delicious! We got it from Uptown and they did a great job!

My butt and belly are in a race! It's a close race!

On Sunday, TJ and I hit up Target since they were having a baby sale. We managed to get several things checked off the list for Miss Anna. We stocked up on some diapers and wipes and got the last few things we really needed for her arrival. Other than getting sick for a little bit at Target it was a very productive trip!

On the way home I had a crazy hot pregnant lady moment and within the 35 minute trip from Target to my front door I stopped once for a cup of ice, once for a sno cone, and then one last time for a 16 pound bag of ice. I just don't like to be HOT people! I don't like it!

My Kaytie moment's- Week 33

Kaytie's birthday is July 22nd. We have known since she passed away that this day was going to be rough, so we started to think about ways to take some of the sadness away from that day. Originally, back in June, I mentioned to my mom that I might take three cards with gift cards in them up to Lakeside on Kaytie's birthday and have them give them to three new babies born that day. Nothing much, it was just an idea. Well, mom took that idea and ran with it! By the next time I talked to her she wanted to buy every baby born on July 22nd in Oklahoma a gift! She then found out how many babies that would be and scaled back to just trying to get Mercy on board since that was where Kaytie was born. It's prefect really, since Kaytie loved babies and she loved her birthday! In fact the whole family was banished from having any babies in July since it was her month and she didn't want to share! :)

We started to discuss what we could do and mom decided on a onesie, but coming up with what it would say was proving to be hard. She had found someone who we could pay to print them, but we needed approval from Mercy and words for the onesie. Finally, on July 3rd through the help of friends, Mercy gave us the okay and let us know that between 9-15 babies are born on average everyday at Mercy. So we decide to make 17 baskets. The baskets started out with just the onesie, a Fiddle Focus blanket, and a crocheted baby blanket. Then we decided to let Kaytie's friends know what we were doing and see if they would like to help or donate something for the baskets. This turned into the Live Like Kaytie Facebook Group. We created this group to keep everyone updated on what we are doing to honor Kaytie's legacy and also to create a place that her friends and family could share notes and stories about her if they would like.

The baby baskets will not be a sad thing. The notes inside simply say:

Once Upon a Time…

On July 22, a tiny bundle of joy arrived in the land!

With hugs and wiggles,

Love and giggles,

Happiness flowed forth through the grasp of a sweet little hand.

This gift is given in celebration of love experienced and hope found through new life and new beginnings on July 22!

~The family and friends of Kaytie Lenée Joiner

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.~ John 1:16 from NLT

On the back of the card it will have the web address to the Facebook group if the parents want to know more about where the gift came from. We have had so much interest from friends and family wanting to donate money or items to Kayite's birthday baskets. The money will be used to help cover the cost of getting the onesies printed and the cost of all of the basket supplies and of course any items will go in the baskets for the sweet babies!

So far this is what the basket has in it:

• Loveable, Squeezable, Kissable custom 0-3 month onesie with July 22, 2014 on the back
• Fiddle Focus Blanket
• Crocheted blanket
• Thunder Onesie and Thunder Burp Cloth
• A Cross
• Baby Travel Lotion and Soap
• A Bath Mitt

These are just the items I know what are. I have had a handful of others tell me they would mail me something for the baskets or meet up with me this week. Plus, I have had two people send a check to help with the cost. I am so excited! These babies are going to have such a special basket filled with so much LOVE! They are so lucky to be born on July 22nd!

The only weird issue with all of this is...we are doing such a happy and sweet thing, for such a sad reason. I am so excited to put this together for Kaytie. As you all know, I loved doing stuff for my sister. And no matter how old I get, I will always, always, find ways to do things for her. She is my baby sister, my best friend, and anything I can do to help her memory and legacy not fade to black I will. 

Week 34-

We went to a birthing class...

This was a giant waste of time and I wouldn't recommend it! I felt like everything in that class I had already read online or in a book. TJ fell asleep, awesome, and I really just wanted to take a nap!! We saw a couple of videos of live births, which was fine, but really I don't need to see that. That's just disturbing. Plus, I had just seen the video that went viral last week of the dad with the GoPro camera rushing to the hospital. Pretty much the same thing. Sorta of. The class talked a lot about using an epidural and while I have nothing against having an epidural versus a natural birth versus a c-section, I don't like to be told what to do! Now, please take note of my mindset during this class:

• I was hot
• I was really really tired
• I was mad that there were cute pregnant women in there with their tiny baby bumps and 22 weeks along and still had the energy to look adorable. While my butt is in a competition with my belly on which one can stick out the furthest! 
• I was traumatized by all the talk of tearing and at one point TJ asked me if I was okay since the color had drained out of my face! 
• AND we didn't get to do the relaxation stuff since our class was too big! :(

So birth class annoyed me. It bothered me and I felt my time would have been better spent taking a nap! :)

On Sunday, I had a mini panic attack, because it was like it had all finally sunk in that we are having a baby!! Our lives are changing forever, there is no going back, she is almost here and we don't have everything ready! Or at least up to my standards of ready! I need to pack a hospital bag, I need to wash her stuff, I need to clean my whole house, I need to put up the Pack & Play, I need to install the carseat, I need to put together one more piece of furniture, I need to take a nap! :) Really, when I say I, I mean we, and when I say we, I mean TJ! :) And mommy and daddy need to run away for a minute! I just feel like we are running out of time!!

Have I mentioned the cranky pregnant lady may just need a good long nap? :)

My Kaytie moments- Week 34

I have found myself getting upset and mad this week about so many things. It was like one day I came out of this fog I had been in and realized, I'm pregnant and we are having a baby. I got mad. The reality of having this baby without Kaytie is becoming real now. I have known for the past three months that she won't be there, but now I have to face that. I actually have to have Anna without her. I am mad. I am upset that I got robbed of the first time mom/pregnant experience. It's not fair. It's not fair that everything related to Anna has been a mix of joy/heartbreak. I am mad that for the last three months I have been so consumed by all of this that TJ and I haven't been able to take time with just each other. I am mad that Kaytie is not here and that we have to experience all of Anna's first's (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) as our first without Kaytie. I AM SO MAD! I'm mad that people are having bachlorette parties and getting married, I am mad every time I see a cute onesie that says something cute about an Aunt. I'm just MAD. It's not FAIR! This is dumb and I want to rewind. I told my doctor about this today and she said it was okay to be mad. It does suck. She said my pregnancy experience has been a lot more like a second time mom's experience. Life got in the way and I didn't have the time to be as caught up in it as many first time mom's. I'm glad she understands, but it doesn't make me any less mad/sad/angry/hurt. I just want Kaytie back and since I can't have that, right now, I am just going to feel all those things.

And maybe take a nap! ;)

Until Next Time,
Leigha

#27actsofkindness

Kaytie was an amazing young woman, a great daughter, the best sister in the world, a fabulous fiance, and a best friend to so many! She didn't waste the time she was given and loved and lived more than most people do in 80 years! At Kaytie's Celebration of Life we passed out programs. These were not your typical program, on the back we challenged everyone to Live Like Kaytie! We now want to challenge you. Here is what we wrote:

"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go.  It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us." Hebrews 6:19, The Message

In remembrance and celebration of Kaytie's life, we invite you in this year to please consider the following:

1. Complete 27 Acts of Kindness, representing each year of Kaytie's life, and then post them on Facebook or send them to us, so that we can celebrate the ways that the world continues to be positively impacted in honor of Kaytie

2. Kaytie placed her relationship with Jesus Christ first, above all other relationships.  We encourage you to read the Bible all the way through this year, since this became one of Kaytie's passions, and cultivate your relationship with Jesus Christ.

3. Love others intentionally and actively, in the way that our Heavenly Father loves us

4. Take good care of yourself by eating well and exercising

5. Seek help and support when and as you need it

6. Be authentic

7. Enjoy life, take risks, and be adventuresome

8. Laugh much and dispense hugs often, freely, and tightly

9. Connect with and support others

10.Forgive quickly and completely

11.Go forth into the world with joy and encourage, teach, and love others

12.Dance, Sing, Learn, and Celebrate

13.Fear Not!

14.Be spontaneous and enjoy all of your life

15.Rejoice over the big and little victories on life's journey

16.Remember that God is Good and we can trust in His love for us, even now, in this moment, and always 

17.This year send us your Kaytie pictures, Kaytie stories, Kaytie videos, and tell us what her life taught you or why you loved her. We want to write about her this year either in a blog or in a book form. 

Please know that your loving kindness and this process of honoring Kaytie will assist in our healing. 

If you decide to Live Like Kaytie or complete the the 27 Acts of Kindness please share them with us on our Facbook page Live Like Kaytie and use #27actsofkindness and #livelikekaytie!

Thank you for taking the time to find out more about Kaytie and the love that she had for all of us! Yes, even you! :)

Links to other information about Kaytie:
Kaytie's Blog
Kaytie's Wedding Rap
Kaytie & Nick's Wedding Website
Holly's Blog about Kaytie
Kaytie's Obituary
News 9 Story about Kaytie

Count down to Baby P (AKA Anna Banana)- Weeks 31 & 32

Week 31- Baby Shower!

Two major things happened this week.Gentlemen please skip to major thing #2.

1.  I had to buy the most enormous underwear on the face of the planet this week! I couldn't handle it anymore! I was SO uncomfortable! So I said to heck with it and now I own underwear large enough to ensure the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria all would make it to the New World safely! :)

2. I had the most amazingly wonderful baby shower! Several of my sweet friends put together a wonderful celebration for Miss Anna. It was a really sweet day. We had a very girly tea party and so many great people came to be supportive not only me, but of my mom and of Kaytie's memory. Anna has so many things to get her little life off to the right start. She is so loved and that makes her mommy so thankful!

Mom & I

Tea Party

Lauren, Monica, Me, Janelle, and Christine

Jana, Vicki, and Mom

Kimberlee Sue friends since Sophomore year of SNU!- *Side note: She moved to Seattle and I miss her! :( 

Surrounded by Friends and Family

Boston was the only dude at the party, but it was okay because he was cute! :)

Jane & Deb

My beautiful hostesses, some of who had to break out of their shells and became quite crafty when it came to decorations! :)

Lauren & Christine- The four (me, Christine, Lauren, & Kaytie) of us have been friends since we were little girls and have managed to be there for each other during life's big events all these years later. Not everyone gets to experience that in their lifetime.

Kaytie Lenee's girlfriends came to the shower to be my little connection to Kaytie. I love them all so very much and I am thankful they were there for me & Anna.

Laureen & Erliiene treated me and mom to a wonderful lunch at the tea room prior to the shower! It was so sweet and so fun to catch up with these two ladies my mom loves!

Beautiful UCO Ladies plus Boston and Anna technically! :)

I refer to these girls as the Galveston Girls. Our lives will forever be connected because of that experience and I will hold them close to my heart forever because of that. I love that they came to celebrate Anna and to spread some of Kaytie's love to her niece.

Kristen & Madison- I have known Kristen since kindergarten. She is another friend that has been there all along the way through life's triumphs and tragedies. We've gone to school together our whole lives and even lived together in college. I am very thankful for her and our sweet friendship.

Kelly and I go way back to Middle School and High School days! :)

Goodness! Renee and I go way back as well! Our friendship was really solidified when we had to work on our Oklahoma History Day project and went to Elk City with Miss Hall. 

Go Bronchos! :)

Aunt Sally & Aunt Becky

Sally, Derice, and Becky

One little funny gift I received, was a book called Anna Banana & Me. I read it when we got home and it turns out Anna Banana is a little stinker in this book! It made me laugh, because I can only imagine the trouble my little Anna Banana is going to cause some day! :)

As you can tell, the shower was so pretty and there were so many people there from all parts of my life, mom's life, and Kaytie's life. Some of Kaytie's sweet friends purchased our stroller. I had wanted a jogging stroller because I do want to continue that part of my life and in the card they wrote that this was something Kaytie would have gotten for Anna and they are giving it to us in honor of Kaytie. It made me cry, for so many reasons, because Kaytie should have been there, because all of her friends loved her so much and she loved them, because the day was amazing, but so hard. Words will be never be able to fully describe the love and kindness and thankfulness that I truly felt and experienced that day. Thank to everyone who made that day special for my family.


My Kaytie Moment- Week 31

It's interesting how most of my shower blog was about Miss Kaytie, but it was hard for it not to be when her absence was so noticeable. It wasn't but a few months ago that we were celebrating her with her wedding showers. She was on cloud 9 and was surrounded by the same people that came to my baby shower. I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions that filled that tea room. So many of those people there were touched by Kaytie. So many of them were on the same wedding train we were on celebrating the marriage of Kaytie and Nick and now they were at another shower celebrating her niece without Kaytie there. It is astounding to me the emotional roller coaster that life is. It is filled with such highs and lows that all can take place simultaneously.

I miss Kaytie. I miss my best friend and partner in crime. She should have been there and in the big middle of all of this. She should have been the excited Aunt talking about how she was going to spoil Miss Anna and steal her from me. She should be here to celebrate this life with us.

Katyie's Wedding Shower in March. Anna was barely a bun in my oven. Kaytie told me this day she thought I was having a little girl. :)

Christine, Casslyn, Kaytie, and Me-Friends since we were little.

Here is a link to my blog from the day of her shower. In my true big sister fashion I was complaining about her. :) I wish I had explained more of that day and wrote down all of the little memories.


Week 32-Mill's Family Reunion

It's time once again for the 2nd annual Mills Family Reunion! I drove my big ole pregnant self and my mom down to southeast Oklahoma for the weekend. Who are the Mills you are wondering...come on I know you are. The Mills are my Grandma Norma's side of the family. She was born a Mills in the hills of southeast Oklahoma. My Aunt Mary is the only one who remains out of all my Grandma's brothers and sisters and Mary still lives in the hills! A long time ago my Grandma and Grandpa Calfy have purchased a trailer home on top of a hill in this part of the world. Back in the day when my family (me, mom, Kaytie, and Jacob) didn't take vacations to places like Disney World, Ireland, or Hawaii we would go stay at the trailer in southeast OK. We had a blast! We would be forced to make our own entertainment because TV was non-existent. This resulted in many hours playing in the lake, mom telling us crazy Super Delilah stories where she had to continually save baby Becky, and visiting all of the surrounding family.

*Side bar: I feel I need to expand on Super Delilah. Mom would told us she used to Super Delilah and baby Becky (my Aunt/her little sister) was always getting into trouble. Super Delilah once had to save baby Becky from a falling grocery store shelf! If she hadn't baby Becky would have been squished! Super Delilah was so Super that one Christmas, when all of her family was staying at the trailer in southeast Oklahoma, Santa even brought her a special pin that said SD that she could wear! :)

ANYways, we loved going to the trailer, but my Grandma Norma had her sights set on the cute a-frame house that was sitting next to the trailer on top of the hill. She told Grandpa Frank she wanted it. It was the best house. It had a tree swing, a wishing well, a balcony, it was two stories and didn't smell like moth balls!! One day my Grandpa bought it for her and to this day our whole family still uses it a couple of times a year to go and relax and get away from the craziness that is the big city life and we have a place to stay and visit with all of our Mills family.

The reunion was fun. Me, mom, Tim, Becky, Derice, and Kenny all stayed in our little a-frame. We got up the next morning and went and claimed our spot down by the lake. Last year it was stolen from us! We staked our claim and hung up signs and someone else decided they would have their party there. How rude! Not this year!

This year we had right around 25 people, small children and babies included, come to the reunion. It was so nice. I got to meet Kalea and Chet. They will be two of Anna's cousins who will be almost exactly l year older than her. I am excited for them to get to play together at future reunions. It was a nice time to come together as a family and catch up. We need each other and I don't want to lose sight of that. There aren't many of the Mills family left.

Other than my massive baby mountain (we have graduated from a cute bump) showing up in pictures, the pregnancy part of the trip wasn't too bad. I did feel bad for mom since we shared a bed. Getting up and down all night to pee isn't a good way to get any sleep for the person next to you. I did have some contractions on the way down! That was fun, but they were in-frequent and I pretty much have this part of pregnancy down now. I know what a real contraction feels like and I know what braxton hicks feels like and as long as I don't have 5-6 in an hour we are good to party! :)

Back Row Left to Right: Gary, Gayla, Tim, Derice, Jimmy, Carol, Becky, Kenny, Emily, Kalea, Alfred, Chet, Summer, Mark
Front Row Left to Right: Leigha, Anna, Delilah, Matthew, Chance, Aunt Mary, Doris
Not pictured, but they were there: Renee, Pansy, Allen, Preston, Jase

Baby Cousins Picture! I'm only in it because without me there Anna wouldn't be in the baby cousins pic!

Mom and Cutie Chet!

The New Moms Club: Emily, Me and Summer

Kalea and Mom! Next year mom will have Anna the whole time!

Pansy, Me and Becky

My Kaytie Moments- Week 32

Welp you guessed it. Kaytie was at the reunion last year. So my Kaytie moment is that Kaytie was missing. The whole way down to southeast Oklahoma there would be little things that would bring us back to reality. When we passed the Cracker Barrel we had lunch at on our way, when we stopped to get a dipped cone at that McDonald's, when we stopped to get sno cones in Rattan and Kaytie taught them what a Salty Dog was, when we stopped at the Amish store and got a ton of fudge. We apparently like to eat every few minutes when we are on the road. :) Then we got to the cabin. Mom and Kaytie had shared a bed last year, so that was hard knowing the last time we were here, she was here. Seeing people for the first time since Kaytie passed away is also hard. The look of sadness in their eyes when they see us, the hugs, the tears. It's a hard moment to get through. It was also hard seeing all of the babies and potential babies. Kaytie should be here, be married, and talking about her potential babies. Her babies should be part of the cousins. She wanted to be a mommy so bad. It's not fair. She would have been a great mommy.

Years ago when my grandparents were still alive, we had a notebook that we would leave messages for the next people to read when they came to stay. So in this book you have a mix of my family members leaving notes to the "Weary Traveler". Some in my grandma's handwriting, some in mine, some in Sally's or Becky's all writing about their trip to the cabin. Last year I wrote about our family reunion and how Kaytie got stung by a wasp and took too much benedryl and nearly fell asleep at the reunion. I also talked about being excited about babies at the next reunion and how mom cheated when we played Speed. I am so thankful that it was tradition to write stuff in that book. I had forgotten what game it was Kaytie had taught us to play or that she got stung by a wasp.

I love Kaytie. I love that we got to experience life with her. As this blog goes along, it becomes more and more evident that we lived. We didn't sit back and wait for life, we made life happen. The hard part now is continuing to make life happen, to continue to laugh, and enjoy moments, to experience this life without Kaytie in it. It's hard to do things when you have a missing piece to the bigger puzzle.

Me, Aunt Mary, Kaytie & Mom-Mills Family Reunion 2013

I encourage you to live your life. Don't waste it. Be thankful you are here and that you have your family. Be healthy and take care of yourself and realize that life isn't about how much money you make or having the next biggest and best thing. It's really about family and the experiences and memories you create with them, because that is all you have when they are gone. I look back at mine and Kaytie's relationship and I don't have regrets. I wouldn't change anything, because we talked nearly everyday, we lived together, laughed together, fussed and fought together, we cried together, and loved each other. The only thing I long for now is to have her back and to have that relationship back. I want it to continue, not to end. And if you think about it, write about the moments of your life. Kaytie and I have so many moments that were written down throughout growing up then later on. It's a treasure to go back and look and read in her own words and my own words how we saw each other and our relationship. You don't realize how incredibly invaluable those words are until someone is gone. I am so thankful we were blessed to have such a good relationship and that I can look back and smile and laugh through this sadness. Don't waste it. You don't know how many hugs, texts, and phone calls you have left.

A story: 

I am going to end this blog with a funny Kaytie story. I was blessed to be given a silly sister and spend 27 years with her. I have so many stories! So, I want to write some of them down separately if they don't fit into the topics I am writing about at the time. Plus, I want Anna Banana and her siblings to be able to look back and read about her!

Rewind to the year 2000ish. I was 16 and just spent the whole summer working at a sno cone stand to help buy my first car. The super awesome green Honda Accord, that for the record I drove until it died two years AFTER I started work at UCO. Anyways. I am 16, Kaytie is 14, Jacob is 10. It's Halloween. Kaytie and I want to use Jacob as an excuse to go trick or treating! We want CANDY! We are much to old for this activity meant for young kids but...now we are teenagers up to no good.

It doesn't take us long to realize that Kaytie's short stature will actually help us in this situation. Candy with one little brother is great, but when you have two people getting it, that is even better! We dressed Kaytie up in some of Jacob's overalls and a scary mask. They were about the same height and with her mask on no one would know she wasn't a kid! Genius!!

We set off on our adventure. The honda only had two doors, so everywhere we went Kaytie had to let Jacob out. In order not to be discovered we went to neighborhoods where people wouldn't know us or my car. Well, we are going along our merry way, checkin out all the candy we've gotten, having an all around great time ripping off the grown ups and small children the treats were meant for!

We pull up to the next house and I get out this time. You know, so it looks legit. Like I am the responsible older sister taking her two younger siblings trick or treating. Knock on the door, trick or treat, get candy, head to car. If only that was all that happened. I start walking back to the car ahead of Kaytie and Jacob. I unlock the car and turn to see Kaytie running towards me, poor Jacob trailing behind. The door fly's open and she is stuffing poor Jacob into the back seat and all she is saying is "PPPiiggg! Pink Piggg!" She is laughing so hard I can't get her to tell me what is happening. She is in hysterics and finally I get the story out of her. She said there is a giant Pink Pig trick or treating! It has to be our age and it just oinked at me!! She then proceeds to point out this huge Pink Pig to me. By this time I am rolling laughing because she is laughing so hard and poor Jacob is just wanting to get out of the car. So we are sitting there laughing and laughing and next thing I hear is "Oh no! I am peeing!" That's right folks, Kaytie peed her overalls...in my car! This leads to more hysterical laughter and a rush to get home. I make her dump out her candy and sit on her sack. Still laughing all the way back to the house. Randomly saying "Pink Pig" in between laughs and gasps for breath. Mom was shocked to see us back so early and honestly that Kaytie had peed her pants, Jacob was mad that we ruined his trick or treating, and Kaytie and I just kept laughing and laughing.

This "Pink Pig" story would be referenced often throughout our lives and would always result in a fit of laughter. Kaytie even made this sign for me:

I signed this picture like I had made it. That's a lie! She did! Luckily, I had saved it and put it in our sister scrapbook all of those years ago! 

This photo isn't from that night, but it is from around that time frame. I had a crazy perm around the time I turned 16...I thought I was cool! :)

Until next time,
Leigha Denee