Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Before we knew church was canceled.
The last few days the weather man has been telling us here in Oregon that it was going to snow. Well he was right! This morning as we were getting ready for church it started to snow. At first I thought it was just going to snow a little bit. So i continued to get the boys ready for church. After blow drying my hair. I decided to check and see if it was still snowing. Well, it was a whole lot of it. Thank goodness Linda saw us and told us that church had been canceled because it was snowing so bad. I have been told by some that it does not really snow in Portland. Well the last two winters we have been here there has been snow!
Jason and Matthew were very excited. Jason got undressed and put on his snow pants. So, I helped him get the rest of his snow stuff on. Then Matthew wanted to get on some snow stuff too. We really do not have anything for a toddler to play in the snow. So, we made use of what we do have and the two boys went outside to play in the snow. They really liked it more then I thought they would. They played outside for like an 45 minutes then when they were really cold they decided to come back inside. I have added some picture of our winter wonderland. Matthew helped sweep the snow off our deck. This is him sweeping the snow.

Thanksgiving

I just wanted to say that I had a great Thanksgiving this year... most of all I was grateful to spend it with my wonderful family! It was nice to take a short break from school and not do any studying for a few days, too. Surprisingly, the weather was pretty good in the Pacific Northwest. The funny thing is that it rained in Mesa and it didn't rain in Portland while I was at home in Oregon.

Since I flew in late Tuesday night, Stephanie and I thought it would be fun to surprise the boys by keeping it a secret that I was coming. Jason and Matthew went to bed as usual that night, and when they woke up the next morning, there I was! It was pretty fun to surprise them like that. Gavin wasn't too surprised (obviously), but I was very excited to see him and hold him. I do think he's the cutest baby I've ever seen! :)

When I got back to Arizona, I decided to add myself as an author of this blog, so I won't have to hack into Stephanie's account anymore. This will make it more convenient for me, and so you might see more posts from me in the future. Well, I'd better get back to studying!

My Dear Sweet Matthew

Over the last few days Matthew has shown me the wonderful side of toddler hood. Last Sunday the boys and I made some cookies. As we were waiting for the oven to heat up I walked away from the cookie dough on the cookie sheet. I came back and realized that maybe I had forgotten to completely fill the cookie sheet because a cookie dough ball was missing. So, without even thinking about it I added another cookie dough ball to the cookie sheet. A minute realized that Matthew was missing also. So, after calling him for a few seconds, I hear him laughing under the kitchen table with a half eaten chocolate chip cookie dough ball in his hand. He said "Mama more cookie". I thought it was so funny. Then, I don't know what I was thinking, but I walked away from the cookie sheet and he did it again. He is so sneaky he knows exactly when I am leaving and when he should run under the table as I am returning to the kitchen.
That was all on Sunday, then a couple of days ago I was feeding Gavin and I had asked Matthew to go and get me a diaper for the baby. He likes to be my big helper. Well, it was taking an awful long time to get a diaper. I went to check on him and he was cleaning the floor with our laundry soap. We buy our soap at Costco, so the soap is kinda big. Thank goodness the bucket is almost gone. But he had managed to pour some soap in Gavin's bathtub, the sink, and a lot all over the floor. It was such mess. But he was not done later that day he went back into the Laundry room and tried to clean the floor some more with our Spray and Wash. I am glad I did not wait too long for him to come out. He is our child that is into everything. (I know our heating bill should be less this month, he changed the temperature so it will go on at 58 degrees. I changed that back after I realized it was freezing in our home 63 degrees) Jason was so calm. Matthew is teaching me what a true toddler is all about. He keeps me going and laughing.

Finally time to blog!

Life has been so busy the last few weeks! The older boys had a wonderful time trick or treating with all their cousins this Halloween. Jason was Anakin Skywalker and Matthew was our duck. Unfortunately, Matthew's costume was a little too small and Jason's was too big. Oh well! I am glad they were able to go out and trick or treat with the other kids and Grandpa and Grandma. It seems that it did not take Matthew too long to figure out what he was supposed to do to get candy. We were also able to cut our pumpkin the day before I had Gavin. Wow, carving pumpkins is kinda hard especially with a dull knife. It was fun for the boys to be able to plant, pick and carve our pumpkin. Next year this will have to be Brian's job--at least the carving thing.Gavin has been such a wonderful baby. He is already on his own little schedule. At night he sleeps so well. He usually wakes up at 11:30 (I go to bed at 9:30), 1:00, 3:30 and 6:00 (which is perfect because I need to be up by then anyway). The older boys really like him. Jason knows he is there, but he just does not pay too much attention to him. And Matthew well, we love Matthew he is my big helper. He gets the diapers for me, throws them away, and always makes sure that Gavin has a pacifier. Even if he does not want one. We are all learning how to adjust to our new family member.

Gavin is one week old.

Well after taking a long break from blogging I have decided that I need to update. Last Thursday afternoon we had our third son Gavin Lee Grimwood. It has taken me a little while to get use to hearing his name, but now I think it is pretty cool.
I was induced at around 8:00 in the morning and by 11:30 I was in so much pain. My labor was going really fast. I asked the nurse at like 11:40 what time I could have an epidural. She told me that when I was in labor they would give me one. So, at 11:45 I asked her what time Dr. Scott was going to check me. She told me at noon. Well, 11:45 was close enough for me and asked her to check me. So, she checked me and I was dilated to 5. She asked me if I wanted something for the pain. I told her I did! So she went and called the epidural guy to get it all set up. Well, while she was gone the pain just kept getting stronger and closer together. I am so thankful that Linda was there with me. I know that I could not have done it without her. Then like 20 minutes later (i think is sure seemed longer) the nurse came back and told me that the doctor would be there in like 15 minutes to give me an epidural, but she thought she should check me again. So, when checked me I was had dilated to a 9, but my water had not broken. She told me that she was going to call Dr. Scott to see if she should break my water. Meanwhile, she gave me some pain meds. while we waited for the epidural. She was an awesome nurse! So, finally the anesthesiologist had arrived and was getting ready to give me the wonderful epidural. This gave my wonderful doctor time to get to my room. It took a while for the epidural to work because I was in so much pain and the contractions were coming so fast. But finally they were able to catch up to my pain. Even though the epidural slowed down the labor process it was worth it.
Dr. Scott asked me if I wanted Linda to cut the cord and I did. So, after like pushing for maybe a half hour Gavin poked his head out. Unfortunately the cord was wrapped around his little head so tight that Dr. Scott had to cut the cord himself. I was sad, but the most important thing is that Gavin was safe. After Dr. Scott cut the cord Gavin fell right out onto the table.
He is so cute. I am glad to have been induced, I was hoping that maybe we would be able to have the whole natural thing. But, the most important thing was that he was born safe and healthy.
Gavin is a good baby. His brothers love him so much. Matthew is getting use to the idea of having to share mom's time with another person.
I just want to thank everyone that has helped us. Especially all the grandparents. We could not have done this without you. I know I could not have.

Welcome, Gavin!

Gavin Lee Grimwood was born this afternoon at 2:10 pm. He weighs 6 lbs., 15 oz., and is 21.5 inches long. Looks like he might be tall and thin, just like his daddy! (Okay, just like his daddy should be if he managed to lose a few pounds.) Stephanie did a great job! We are so proud of her. Here are some photos... Enjoy!



(Blog entry written by Brian, who is filling in for Stephanie.) :)

A day of rest

Today the boys and I enjoyed a nice relaxing day. I decided that we would skip church today and stay home and just relax. We had stake conference and I knew we would have to sit in those hard chairs in the back because you have to be there super early to get the soft ones. And I being 38 weeks pregnant was not even going to sit for two hours on hard chairs. Also, since Brian is in Arizona it would be just me taking care of the boys for two hours. We have a hard enough time just making it to the sacrament before we have to get up and leave. Anyways, I had a little lesson here for the boys and then we just relaxed the rest of the day.

Tomorrow we find out if I will need to be induced. Our baby is still really high and my doctor is worried that if we do not induce soon he could turn again and then we would be back to being breeched. At the starting of the pregnancy I was sure that they would induce me by the 37th week. But, here I am at 38 weeks and still going. I had Matthew at 37 weeks so I just thought that I would have this one at the same time too. My doctor has let me go a little farther then I thought. Now that I am almost completely term (really after 37 weeks the baby is considered to be full term) it has not been so bad. I was kinda looking forward to maybe going naturally into labor, but after carefully weighing my options I would rather be induced than to have him turn again and then have no other choice than to have a C-section. It is such a blessing to have these children in our family.

Fall In Portland

Last Friday my doctor was able to turn our baby. I am so thankful for modern medicine! It was a little bit painful, but I got through it. Now all we have to do is hope that he does not turn back to being breeched.
The boys and I were sad to see my parents go back home on Sunday. We sure enjoyed there stay here with us. I think I got really spoiled while they were here, now I get to take Jason to the bus stop and pick him up. I like doing it but it was nice to have a little longer nap during the afternoon. We are looking forward to the time when they can both move up here to Oregon.
The last few weeks have been so beautiful. We have enjoyed watching the leaves change colors as Fall has arrived. I really enjoy having the different seasons here. On Sunday, the boys went and picked their pumpkins from our garden with their cousins. I totally forgot to bring my camera and take pictures. It was fun to see them so excited to get those little or I should say big pumpkins. I think Jason picked the biggest pumpkin there was. It is so huge. Poor Matthew wanted to get in on the act too, but all the pumpkins were way too big for him to carry. So, I gave him a little green pumpkin that never changed colors, he dragged that pumpkin all over the place. It was so funny because at times he would cry for me to come and help him carry it however, I was dealing with Jason's pumpkin and I only have two hands. So, Matthew screamed as he dragged his pumpkin up to the big house.

What a week!

I know it has been a while since I last blogged so I decided that it was time to update. Two weeks ago my OB informed me that our baby is laying sideways. At first I did not think anything about it. If fact I told the Dr. "Oh,ok". Then, after coming home and probably doing too much research on the internet I realized that this is probably not such a good thing. Babies are not born naturally this way. So, we have been praying that he will decide to turn. Well, on Wednesday I went to my Dr. and we found out that he had turned head down. Oh, I was so excited! Well I guess our little boy did not like being head down because yesterday I went in for an Ultrasound and found out that he has turned back to being sideways. So, we have until this Wed. for him to decide that he does not like being sideways and would rather go back to being head down. If he does not then, the Dr. will try to turn him, which does not seem fun. So, we will just have to wait and see.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family to help me. The other day Matthew got his first sample of Umpqua's Chocolate Brownie Thunder,(this is ice cream made here in Oregon). He really liked it. On that same day Jason played outside and collected some wonderful bugs. I am so glad he left them outside instead of bringing them inside. I love our boys so much they make the stressful times not seem so stressful.

Visit with Grandpa and Grandma

On Friday my parents came to visit us for a while. The boys have loved having them here with us. Matthew has just adored spending time with Grandpa. Matthew showed him how to pick just the right blackberries. I am glad that Grandpa does not mind being put to work his first full day here. He watched the boys while my mom and I went to my baby shower and for the women conference. We will post more about their visit as the days go on.

Working Together

Yesterday grandpa had Jason help him carry boxes that were left from the new furniture down to the fire pit. Matthew decided that he would help too. It was just so cute watching the boys work together. It reminded me of when I was growing up and my grandparents would call my mom and tell her that they needed our help to pick fruit in their orchard or to help them plant their new flowers. I am glad our boys are having this chance to help others. During the summer Jason and Matthew, mainly Jason helped grandpa with our garden. I know that he will remember these times and tell Matthew all about them, just like my older brother told us.
I guess fall is truly here the leaves are starting to fall and it is starting to get dark sooner, which makes is easy for the boys to go to bed. It was hard during the summer time when the sun did not go down until like 9.

Update from Brian

Well, now that I actually have some free time I thought I'd give everyone a little update on my life at school. We just finished our first module (Principles of Medicine) with two full days of exams last Thursday and Friday. It was a lot harder than I anticipated, and I'm still waiting to find out how I did. It was definitely a humbling experience--at the beginning of the term I thought I'd probably coast through the first few months of medical school, thanks to my background in health care. However, I learned that it does not matter what your background is... medical school is going to be tough anyway! Now I'm just hoping that I passed all of my exams! I'm confident that I did, but still, I can't be certain until my exam scores are released. The good news is that most of my classmates felt the same way I did about the exams. They say that trying to learn everything in medical school is like trying to drink water from a fire hose... I would say that's pretty accurate. They admit that it's impossible to know everything, but we are still held accountable for it.

Tomorrow we start our next module (Musculoskeletal). I anticipate I'll have a slight advantage over my classmates in this department, but then again, after what I experienced the first six weeks of school I'm not going to slack off in my studies.

One thing I still can't stand here is the heat. I don't like it. It makes me feel tired and lazy for one thing, plus whenever I drive my car in the afternoon I can't even grip the steering wheel. Thank goodness I don't have leather seats!

By the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to update some information on the previous post: as it turns out, Jason did not eat deer poop. It was a clump of dirt from what I understand... but I still don't know why Jason would eat that. Oh well, I remember doing strange things as a kid, too (and don't you dare mention any of those, MOM)!

Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know that I'm having lots of fun learning how to be a physician (even though studying all day isn't that much fun)--it's really a lot of fun when we discuss various cases as a small group and come up with diagnoses and treatments. This is really a great school and I'm proud to be a part of it!

What a day!

I have decided that this blog should also include the trials along with the fun stuff. I am so glad that this weekend is OVER! Yesterday was so horrible. Jason and I had a rough day. It all started out early too. Jason and Matthew both woke up way too early 5:45 am. Later that morning we went to Albertson's to get some milk. My wonderful Jason thought it would be nice to clean the freezer doors with his tongue. Can you say gross!
Well, later that afternoon, I let him play some gamecube because he had not had an accident for a couple of days. We have been working on stopping what you are doing and going to the bathroom. Well, I guess he forgot why he was able to play the gamecube, because he had an accident. Brother!
Thank goodness for Grandpa. Grandpa had Jason go out to the garden and help him harvest the potatoes and pears. Well, there are some potatoes that grow with like these little ball like things on the plants. Matthew has tried to eat them before and they are hard as rock. Well, while Jason was out there with grandpa he decided he would try some deer poo. Double Yuk. He asked grandpa what deer poo would taste like and he was told like crap, but Jason thought he said like crab so he ate one. Deer are cute but they have so many diseases. I pray that he will be okay. I called his doctor and the doctor on call (who was very rude) told me that he should be fine if he just ate one.
One thing that both Jason and I learned from this wonderful day is that it is so important to say our family prayer in the morning. I realized we left the day without one and boy did we have a crazy day. I love my Jason he keeps me busy along with his little brother Matthew.

Summer is truly ending

On Friday the boys and I went to the grocery store and saw all the Halloween candy. As we were checking out the cashier commented that "you know summer is over when they start bringing out the Halloween stuff". She was right the weather is starting to get colder and the sun is going down earlier. Time just flies by.
If weather permitted I might have Matthew go as Spider-baby. Of course he would need some pants.

First Day of School

Jason getting ready to leave for School (Matthew wants to go too)
On Tuesday Jason started his first day of school. He is now a big first grader. He went to school on Tuesday and Wednesday for like a little orientation then he will have the next two days off. The school is having them go in groups so it will not be too overwhelming. Jason is very proud of the fact that he gets to eat lunch at school
It seems weird to have Jason gone all day, I guess this will be a new thing for all of us. On Tuesday when we returned from dropping Jason off at school Matthew looked all over our house for him. He misses his big brother.
Thank goodness that Caleb came over yesterday to play and that Matthew was able to go to their house today for a little bit. They are the best buddies.
Matthew and Caleb playing light sabers

Feed the ducks

Yesterday the boys and I went to the bread store. The bread store is in front of a little creek where ducks like to hang out. Anyone would agree that these ducks are very smart bread=food. Well, before we left I let the boys feed the ducks. They loved it and I know those ducks loved it too. After we were done helping the ducks eat breakfast we went to the shoe store. We bought two pairs of shoes for the price of one. We bought a pair of vans for $29.00 that were originally priced at $45.00 and a pair of Sketchers for $29 which were actually price at $45 as well, but then Famous Footwear was having their Grand Opening sale and we got half off a pair. These shoes should last all year including summertime (maybe even for Matthew) just like last years pairs of shoes. I was so surprised that we were able to get some good quality shoes at such a good price(I like saving money). We have finally finished all of our school shopping. I never realized how long it takes to get all the shopping done with two boys. They are typical boys they do not like to shop especially for clothes. It was worth all the crying and screaming. We got all of Jason's school stuff including some winter wear (long sleeve shirts and a fleece) for around a $105, that includes shoes, clothes, lunch box, school supplies and a winter coat for Matthew. We still need to purchase a winter coat and maybe a sweatshirt or two. But, I think we did pretty darn good, some people spend just $100 on clothes. We save all of Jason's clothes for the younger boys so it makes it worth it.We shopped around and waited for the sales then when we saw the sales we took advantage of them. We also went to DI they have such good deals and some of their clothes look new, including the Old Navy fleece we bought Jason for $2.00. Thank you Grandma for all those sunday newspapers.

Oregon State Fair

Well first of all I have to say that I writing this post at 9:15 which is a little late for me. So, I hope what I post will make sense. We had a wonderful weekend! On Saturday we went to the Oregon State Fair with Grandpa and our aunts, uncles and cousins. The boys had so much fun. They really liked looking at all the different animals at the fair. Brian and I took the boys last year to the County Fair. Matthew was really too young to enjoy it, but Jason had a lot of fun. This year we were able to all enjoy it. Matthew loved looking at the chickens. I think it is because he can actually say bird so every time I checked on him he'd say "bird" and I told him "yep those are birds". Jason went with Grandpa to the petting zoo. He saw a baby deer that he really liked. Which is kinda funny because we see deer almost everyday in our backyard. I guess just the fact that he actually got to pet one and not chase it away is what he liked. We are so glad that Grandpa was able to go with us to the fair. The boys and I had a wonderful time. I know that we would not have been able to enjoy ourselves as much, if Grandpa had not been there to help us out. He pushed the stroller almost the whole time we were at the fair which was so awesome. I am glad our boys are able to be so close to their grandparents. We look forward to my parent s moving up here so we can spend time with them too.

Little Artists

On Saturday we got to have Caleb and Kaylee come over to our house and play for a while. The boys had so much fun. They really enjoy playing with their cousins. During their stay we decided that we should color and paint a little bit. All the kids enjoyed art time. Caleb and Matthew seemed to enjoy eating the crayons more then coloring, but Jason and Kaylee worked hard on sharing the paint brush (we only have one). I think the four of them will be friends for a long time. Caleb and Matthew are only a week apart and Jason and Kaylee are two years apart, but enjoy playing with each other.
The last few days we have enjoyed spending time at home because the suburban is in the shop. We are so thankful that Grandma has let us use her suburban while Brian is in Arizona. So, if Grandma reads this blog. We want Thank you so much!

What a Surprise

On our eight year anniversary my wonderful husband surprised me with these beautiful flowers.
I was so excited to receive them. The boys were also very surprised they loved opening the box and seeing what their Dad had sent. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Brian's and my eight year anniversary. Time really goes by too fast. It has been a wonderful eight years. Brian I Love you.
A couple of days ago I gave the boys some blackberries to munch on while I made dinner. They loved them in fact they loved them so much that they decided to decorate their hands and faces with the juice. Matthew usually makes a mess when he eats but, Jason just did it to have fun. We have been so lucky because it has not been too hot here in Oregon City. However, by the end of the week it is suppose to be in the high 90's. TOO HOT!

Ice cream!

Yesterday Matthew had his first ice cream cone. Matthew and Jason both loved it! I thought what Jason said was cute so I thought I would add it to our blog. Yesterday I asked Jason what was his favorite thing he had done he said, " playing at the pool and eating ice cream cones with my little brother, what else could be better." He is such a funny kid. He says the darnedest things sometimes. We love him and our younger son Matthew.
We feel so bless to have two wonderful boys and one more on the way. We love them so much.

Brian's School

Note: the following entry was written by Brian Grimwood.

Since some people may be curious to know what has happened to me ever since I left Oregon, I thought I'd go ahead and post a few things on the Grimwood blog here. On the way down to Arizona, I got to stay at the home of Stephanie's aunt and uncle near Sacramento, her parents' home in Lancaster, and the home of an old friend of mine (Moses Nasser) in California. I also was happy to hang out with Jennifer while I was down there in Rancho Cucamonga, and we ate at an old family favorite Mexican restaurant, Don Jose. Moses was my best friend in elementary school, but since we went to different junior high schools we lost contact for many years... until he treated Jennifer at a clinic in Rancho Cucamonga! As it turns out, he became a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine), and that is exactly what I will be in a few years. For those who may not know, D.O.s are medical doctors just like M.D.s; the only difference is that D.O.s receive additional training in the musculoskeltal system and can do manipulations. D.O.s and M.D.s share equal rights and responsibilities in the world of health care, and both can be found practicing in any medical specialty. So really, there is practically no difference between the two. At the present time I am considering going into Family Medicine or Internal Medicine, although I have also thought about doing Radiology. Any one of them would be very interesting and lots of fun.

The school I am attending is called A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. (Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O. was a surgeon in the state of Missouri. He noticed that the musculoskeletal system played a key role in health and as a result he developed osteopathic medicine. He founded the first D.O. school in Kirksville, Missouri in 1892--just three years before chiropractic was discovered by D.D. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. The Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine is a very reputable school, and I am honored to be a part of their relatively new sister campus in Mesa, Arizona.) During orientation last week, our class of 107 students was informed that we were selected out of 2800 applicants. It's amazing to think that for every seat in the class, there were 25 applicants competing for that seat, and I was lucky enough to get one.

Aside from the reputation of the school, one of the major reasons I chose this school was that I had the possibility of returning back home to Portland after the first year to start clinic. The school keeps us in Mesa for one year, and then sends us out to various community health centers (CHCs) to start clinic--the school is affiliated with eleven CHCs scattered across the country, and one of them just happens to be in Portland! Fortunately, I was able to get into the Portland CHC before it was full (since there are only 10 seats per CHC). I'll be glad to return to Portland once this first year is over... although I'm excited to be in school, it will be nice to be back with my family in beautiful Oregon.

The Fruits of our labor!

After two hours of picking Boysenberries we decided to make our boysenberries into jam. The boys are always so excited to make jam even though they really don't help. We made two batches which was more than I thought we were going to get. I was hoping we would be able to freeze some berries but we did not pick enough. I guess we will just have to wait for the blackberries and freeze them for our smoothies for the winter.