Dear Becca & Grant,
                  We've been swimming just about every day since it got warmer, Becca. Yesterday we went down to Mamaw & Papaw's at about noon and we stayed down there until about eight that evening. We swam the vast majority of the time. You also jumped on the trampoline, dug for some worms, which you love to do and had a supper of pizza rolls, pudding and push up pops with Sissy and a friend of her's named Bethany. You love to get in the pool and swim around with the help of your bathing suit with the inner tube sewn in that Mamaw & Papaw got for you. I expect you might just learn to swim by next year. You have absolutely no fear of the water.
      We had a pretty fun day but it was not without it's share of stress and sadness. Granny went to the emergency room last night. Granny has indeed been diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer. It's a cancer of her plasma cells. It primarily attacks elderly people. She already had so many things going against her that this diagnosis is the worst possible thing. She is now in total renal failure which is a fancy name for kidney failure. She was very alert and cognitive the day before yesterday but yesterday she took a turn for the worse. She was unresponsive to everything and she was taken into the ER. Your Mom has read here on the internet that renal failure is a very peaceful and painless way to pass on. I hope they just let her final days be as calm and relaxing as possible.
      Becca, I want to thank you for bringing so much joy into her life the past few weeks. No matter how out of it she was she could look at you as you were doing some of your silly funny toddler shows and she would smile. She even enjoyed watching your cartoons with you as you sat right next to her with your head resting on her shoulder. Granny means the world to me and I am proud that you have been able to bring your sunshine into her life as she slips away from us. I will be forever grateful to you for putting a smile on Granny's face. Just the other day your Mom said that as Granny was lying in bed that you sat up with her in her bed and pretended that the bed was a crocodile and that Granny drifted off to sleep with the sweetest smile on her face. You my dear, are an angel sent from heaven.
      Granny will not live to meet you, Grant. I am almost 100% sure of that fact. I really wish you could have at least been held by her. You will miss out on knowing one of the most gentle and considerate human beings to ever set foot upon this earth. I truly am sorry for you that you will never know her. You really missed out.
      Grant, you have already cost us a ton of money. Friday night while Allison watched Becca your Mom & I went out to buy a few baby essentials. We ended up spending nearly $1,000 dollars. We bought you 15 onesies, 12 pair of socks, four hooded towels, 10 wash clothes, a starter set of bottles, a head supporter for your car seat, a bottle brush, a dishwasher box for bottle nipples, a changing pad, a changing pad sheet, 2 sleepers, a formula cup, crib bedding, a window valance for your nursery, wall hangings, a bouncer, a medicine kit and a ton of other things that people must have when a new baby comes to live with them. Before we went shopping we went to a new restaurant in Jessamine County called Red Robin. They specialize in burgers and it was really good. We then went to Wal-Mart and got some stuff but we were actually kind of disappointed in the baby stuff at Wal-Mart. We then went to Lowes so I could buy some stuff to put cable in Becca's room and in the kitchen. I need cable in the kitchen because my office, where our desk top lives will be your nursery so I reckon I'll have to move the desktop into the kitchen. We then went to Target at Hamburg. We bought a ton of stuff there. We never really shopped much at Target because I don't like some of their corporate stances on various issues but they had a whole lot of really nice stuff there so I will be back to Target. We then went to Office Max where we bought a small computer table to go in the kitchen. Then we went to Babies R Us where we spent the lions share of our money. After all of that we stopped off at Cracker Barrel because Granny had the taste for their fried apples so we stopped off there and bought her a jar. Nothing is too good for my Granny. We took the apples by her house and she had just gone to bed shortly before we got there so we missed seeing her. Your Mom & I had a real nice time buying stuff for you. There's a bunch more stuff that we need but we have the biggest part of it done.
      Well, I am going to close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Rebecca and Grant,
                     Right now Grant you are hanging out in my belly, where you will be until at least August 24 I hope. Becca, you are down to Mamaw's House with Daddy and you guys are swimming. Daddy got off work early today and he took youd own there.
            Becca, you and I went to see Shrek the Third this morning. I reckon you went, too Grant being as how you have to go everywhere I do at this point. Rebecca, I was extremely proud of you and the way you behaved in the movie. You did a fabulous job. You watched almost the whole thing. You only got up once or twice, once to stand behind the seat and watch the movie and once to take a peek at what another kid was doing and his parents had to take their leave because he was still a bit young for such an adventure, just the way you were the last time. I swatted your hand and told you to get back in your seat and you climbed up in my lap and finished the entire movie right there. You were as good as gold and better. I am so very proud of you and so glad that you had a good time. You came home and told Daddy that you saw "Shrek Babies". We really had a good time, you and I. I love you so much and I treasure these last couple of months we have together just you and me and Daddy. I know that Grant will be a wonderful welcome addition and we will all love him dearly. I am so proud to have a daughter and a son and a good husband who is a great father. We are so blessed and you are a great big part of it.
             I just wanted to tell you about going to see Shrek the Third with you today. Mommy loves Rebecca! And Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
               You and Mom fried up some chicken yesterday, Becca. I do believe you went a little crazy with the seasoning salt. The chicken is good but it is a bit on the salty side.
      Papaw had to work over yesterday so I had you and Mom come out to the factory to get me. We went to Burger King for lunch because we were planned on going grocery shopping afterwards. We ate and then went to the Kroger on Alexandria Drive. We got our groceries but while we were there your Mom began experiencing intense pain in her lower abdomen and her back. We loaded the car with all of our new food and then your Mom told us she had to go to see the doctor. We went out to Central Baptist. We knew we would be there awhile so we called Mamaw & Papaw and ad them come up and pick you up. That's where you are at right now. Mom is fine. Her pain comes from something to do with ligaments stretching and other pregnant lady stuff. I really don't understand and the doctor we spoke to was in a big hurry because there was another lady who was having a baby as we spoke so he was kind busy. Your Mom and your little brother are fine.
      Thursday your Mom had a doctor's appointment with her gestational diabetes doctor. She came by the factory and I dropped her off at the doctor's office and you and I went to pick up a new set of frames for my glasses. You broke my old ones. Well, they weren't old at all. Just a couple of months but still, you broke them. After we came back to pick up your Mom we went to Logan's Roadhouse. We got out of the car at the restaurant and you automatically recognized it as the place with the peanuts. You are such a smart girl. We had a nice lunch and went home.
      This past week you have been spending a whole lot of time over at Granny's. Unfortunately she has been diagnosed with cancer. I hope the diagnoses is wrong. We have discovered that she just loves watching you be yourself. She will just stare at you and smile. You make Granny happy and we all want Granny happy so we take you over there as much as possible. Your Mom said that just the other day after a hard day of playing you climbed up next to Granny and laid your head on her shoulder and the two of you watched cartoons together. Yesterday as your Mom was trying to move Granny with a lift Granny cried out in pain and you told your Mom that she has to be easy with Granny. You really do love your Granny. I hope she gets to meet you, Grant. She will love you and I know that if some miracle occurs and you get to know her as well, you will love her too. I will miss my old Granny Grunt when she does home to be with Jesus.
      Well, I'm gonna close this post out and go to bed. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca and Grant,
               Becca, right now you are in the living room watching a Dora special about Dora and Swiper going around the world to return friendship bracelets to save Friendship Day. Grant, right now you are in my belly, more than likely sleeping, because I do not feel you moving at this very moment. I wish you would sleep at night, I really do, but what am I going to do? It's not like I can give you a bottle with some cereal in it yet. Ha!
                     Becca I want to let you know what a wonderful Mother's Day you and Daddy gave to me. I got off work a little bit early and you came flying around the car and said "Happy Mother's Day Mom! We got you a card! I wrote on it. And Daddy, too!" I will remember that day as long as I live, that was the best Mother's Day anyone could have ever gotten. I want you to know how proud I am of you growing up so big and strong and smart. I am so proud to have you for my daughter.
               Last night you fell out of bed and Daddy came in to put you back in. You said "Dad, I fell out of bed. Can you put me back in?" So Daddy did and then you said "That's better," and you went right back to sleep. You are such a funny monkey. I think we are going to have to get some rails for the side of your bed. Of course, I don't know how good that will do because you have a tendency to sleep sideways, just like your Mommy.
               We haven't done much of anything except laundry this morning, other than cleaning the kitchen up a little bit and killing us a 'itsy bitsy spider', as you call it, making the beds and generally picking up. Of course I did most of this. You played with your new remote control truck that you found in the top of the closet and watched Dora & Oobi. I cleaned the fridge out and prepared the chicken I had thawed out to fry. I was heating up the oil in my new electric skillet Mamaw got me while I was getting a bowl down to roll my chicken in the flour and I busted a glass in my oil and had to dump it all out and start over. Oh well, that's life. You wanted to help though and I was having difficulty keeping you out of the raw chicken and skins. You just didn't believe me that chickens were poisonous when they were raw.
               Well you are in here now because you have apparently grown bored with whatever you were doing in the living room so I am going to take you back in there and check on the chicken and laundry then we're going to go to the grocery store I do believe. Mommy loves Rebecca and Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  We had a nice day together, you & I, Rebecca. You got up early, as you always do; we began setting up the new pool we bought at Toys "R" Us last night. We put the hose into the pool and turned the water on and then we came back inside and had some breakfast. I fixed you some oatmeal because that's what you said you wanted and then I fixed some sausage, eggs and toast for myself. You decided that you wanted my breakfast instead. I shared with you but you ended up eating neither your oatmeal nor my sausage & eggs. You didn't even drink your strawberry milk or pink milk, as you refer to it. We watched some television and then went outside to set up the pump and filter on the new pool. We also covered it up with a solar cover. We came back inside and got ready to go down to Mamaw & Papaw's. We stopped off at Taylor Manor and visited with your Mom for a few minutes. We then went to McDonalds where you got a chicken nugget happy meal. Their featured theme for the happy meals right now is Shrek 3. It comes out in theaters pretty soon I believe. I had a Big Mac value meal. We got us a shake and an ice cream cone just before we left. We went down to Mamaw & Papaw's where they where getting their pool ready for the summer. Their pool is 20 times bigger than ours so there's a whole lot more work that goes into that pool than ours. We hung out down there for awhile and then we went to K-Mart and bought some chlorine tablets for your pool. We went home and jumped in your pool. We had a grand old time. Even Mom got in when she got home from work.
      Once again this is going to be a short post. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
               Once again I have neglected posting on this blog. I was planning on posting Sunday morning, real early but you, Becca, called out to me that you couldn't sleep and you stayed awake for hours. I never got around to posting one. It's been so nice outside this past week that you and I, Becca have been hanging out in the backyard until nearly bedtime most days this week. Mom stays outside with us as much as she can but with her being pregnant with Grant she can't stand too much heat.
      I got a new riding lawn mower, well it's not really new. Uncle Rodney bought a new zero turn radius mower so I bought his old one. This is just the third summer it's been used and I know that if Uncle Rodney had it it has been well taken care of so while it may not be brand new it is as good as new. I also got a new leaf blower from General Electric for my twenty year service award. I've been doing a lot of yard work this past week as well. The yard is starting to look pretty nice but I just wish it would green up some more.
      Your Mom went to bed early tonight because you, Grant, are making her very tired. That's why I am able to post this quick blog post. I hope to be able to do a nice long one this weekend and then, Becca I will tell you all about how you have graduated to the big girl swing and how you still can't say your "L" words. Lunch still comes out Yunch and Lynn is still Yinn. Grant, I really don't know what's going on with you because Mama is carrying you around inside her belly and I have no idea what's going on in there. I reckon your Mom will have to fill you in on that. Well, I'm gonna close this midweek post out. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!