#thedertings

I can't wait to share this with the world, but for now I must be patient....I have decided to jot down a few things every now and again about our 3rd pregnancy. So here it goes! As many know we lost a baby the last week of September at 10 weeks, so the question we pondered was to try again or not....of course we gave it a try as soon as we could and it worked 1st time......again! Nov 25th: I found out that we had another turkey in the oven the day before Thanksgiving and shared the "turkey" news with Brooks Thanksgiving day. We immediately said that we were not telling anyone in fear of the unknown. Dec 7th: We went to the doctor to confirm what I already knew and we saw a baby blob aka turkey :) The doctor seemed shocked by our persistence and was impressed to see us so soon. He asked if I had been sick and I insisted NOT b/c I didn't feel the 1st thing with Bryson and I didn't plan on feeling anything with this one......wishful thinking..... Dec 13th: Mo...

Oh my......1/2 of our Christmas is over and I am soooooo tired! But it was overall, a fun, productive weekend. Friday night started the festivities for us at my dad's side of the families annual Christmas dinner. Everything went well we had the traditional holiday meal, but I was a little sad that there wasn't any of my grandmother's country style steak. She passed away 15 years ago and her sisters make the same amazing recipe as she did, but no matter how hard I try, mine never works out! It was good to see all the family that we sadly only see once a year. Once we got home the cleaning started and the guests began to arrive....... By 10:30 I was in the house with Brooks, Bryson....my brother Lane and his friend Caleb, my brother Walker and his friend Johnny.....and the 3 male animals, so I was a little outnumbered to say the least! All the beds including the basement beds were full, The Derting Inn had NO VACANCY! Saturday we prepared for Christmas with my moms family wh...

I am a little sad to see my Thanksgiving break come to an end mostly because I have not sat for more than 30 minutes since I got off of work on Tuesday, but that is okay because it has all been worth the memories. I have come to the conclusion that a good life is full of lots of meaningful, cherished memories and lots of yearly, family traditions. With the holidays now in full swing the Derting's are on the right track to creating lots of both of these treasured things :) Wednesday started out with cleaning, waiting on the delivery guys, a quick trip to Hickory, more cleaning and waiting on mom and the boys to arrive. Once mom and the boys (all of my brothers) got here mom and I began cooking for our Thanksgiving feast. However, no Thanksgiving (any occasion for that matter) would be complete without a last minute, late night run to Wal-Mart. That in itself is a tradition that never gets forgotten, we always need a couple of extra things once we start cooking, so we hop in the car...

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching which means I have lots to do before Thursday. We had a good (kind of) weekend, hope you did. Brooks decided last week that we needed a new washer and dryer...which means that we needed a new laundry room and 1/2 bath. We had talked about redoing the laundry room when we redo the kitchen and just make it one big project, but for some reason Brooks got the bright idea to do it the week before Thanksgiving. I of course didn't object considering the last load of clothes I washed on Friday night took 4 hours to dry, so I agreed with him that it was definitely time to retire the old Maytag. Not sure if you know, but THANKFULLY when my husband decides to take on a project he sticks with it from start to finish in a reasonable amount of time. He promised that if he started the project Thursday night he would be done by Monday and he didn't disappoint. Thursday night meant demolition of the 70s tile walls and the pinkish heart wallpaper. We all work...

WOW! The Islands in the Bahamas are breathtaking.....crystal clear, turquoise water, nice, white, sandy beaches, and ALL the fabulous food you can eat...at all hours of the day and night! I was thinking that such a short trip would be rushed and SHORT, but it wasn't at all. It was as if the island consumed us and took all the cares in the world away for 3 days that felt more like 10! I highly recommend a cruise as a vacation.....for the price it is totally worth every penny and more.  Mom and I left NMB at 2:45 am on Friday morning and headed towards 95 for the 9 hours that the GPS told us it would be. I drove 1/2 way and mom the other 1/2. We made excellent time and made it in only 8 hours not 9. We got there by 11:00 and changed from our pj's in the car before we went to check in. We were told to be there by lunch time, but we were not sure why because the boat didn't leave till 4:00...so we were trying to get there by the suggested time, but weren't too worried abou...

I <3 November! This month is such a GREAT month! We have the opportunity to show thanks and be thankful and I am very EXCITED to continue to do that :) I am so THANKFUL for the fantastic weekend that we have had. Brooks and I double dated with the Deane's Friday night. We had dinner and went to see the movie Life As We Know It. The movie had some sad parts, but overall it was so cute and sweet. Bryson spent the night with Grandma Dee Dee and slept till 9:30 for them. I do not understand this because he has NEVER slept that late for us, it makes me very JEALOUS, but I am glad that he was good for them and I am THANKFUL for the time that Brooks and I got to spend together as a couple.  Yesterday morning, I ACCOMPLISHED something that I haven't done in a while. Brooks and I participated in our 3rd Pumpkin Fest 5k. It was a little chilly and I was terrified that I wouldn't make it, but THANKFULLY I did. My 1st mile was 10:54, 2nd was 11:30, and the 3rd was about 14 minutes....

Hey! Hope you had a GREAT weekend, we sure did! The Derting threesome spent a lot of quality time together this weekend and made lots of memorable moments that won't soon be forgotten. My blonde boy transformed into a howling, hairy werewolf for 2 nights in a row! We had planned on only dressing him up Saturday night, but like always we didn't accomplish everything and every place that we had hoped to, so we did it again Sunday night too! I made his costume and Brooks did his hair and make-up so it was a family affair to create the scary wolf. We decided to go to the Statesville Mall on Saturday night and they had a Halloween Costume Contest, so of course we entered him. We were all proud that Bryson went on stage by himself and actually stayed up there without either of us and it paid off because he took 1st place out of 37 kiddos!! He was proud and excited that he got a trophy! We visited MANY friends and family both nights and took lots of pictures to treasure his 5th...

My goodness what has happened to my week! Monday feels like ages ago and Friday still seems like a dream! Let's start with the BEST news of the week........Bryson ended his soccer season with a BANG! 2 goals in the net tonight with a total of 4 for the season!! I am sooo proud of him and all of his Blue Dog teammates. I wish the season wasn't over because he has grown so much in the last few weeks and I hope he is able to maintain his new found skills till the Spring. Also Congratulations to the Warrior Soccer Team....pretty sure they came in 2nd in the Conference tonight!! I feel like I have only accomplished running around all week.....for instance we just walked in the door at 9:15. I know a couple of weeks ago I wanted to be busy and not sit around and boy did that dream come true. I feel like work has not been productive or successful all week with multiple meetings, field trips, testing, and the health fair. And tomorrow holds more meetings and the Fall Festival, so it ...

What a weekend to be in the GREAT state of North Carolina! There are a few heavenly treasures buried right around us in and near Statesville! We have experienced a few of the highlights this weekend. Friday kicked off the annual Balloon Rally in Statesville (they now call it a Festival, but that is not what I grew up calling it). This is an event that is one of Statesville's finest and the weather cooperated beautifully, so that it shined even brighter when the 1st balloon arose! Bryson and I parked across the rode from the airport's runway so that we had a perfect view for the 40+ hot air balloons that were in flight. Bryson was very anxious because he couldn't remember exactly what they looked like from last year and I of course made a big deal about because I have many cherished childhood memories from this event and I hope he will too. They floated right over our heads and some onto Interstate 40! My mom met us at our look out spot to capture the floating wonders as wel...

Oh my, I am not sure why I thought this was going to be a slow week at work because for the past 3 days I have looked at the clock and it has been 2:00 or after! Grades were due today for me, so that has been a MAJOR on the to-do list, but they are thankfully posted and off of my list! MAYBE tomorrow and Friday will be a little slower, I can only hope. I should be cleaning the house instead of writing, but I need a minute to sit! My sweet boy played an EXCELLENT soccer game last night with a last minute goal for the Blue Dogs. He had an EXCELLENT cheering section as well. He really listened to Brooks about playing defense. I see him starting to grasp the concept of soccer more each game, which makes me very happy.....considering I am not sure if Brooks would be able to handle it, if Bryson doesn't pursue soccer. As most of you know Brooks is the JV Soccer Coach for West and LOVES the sport with great passion. I am proud of him though because he said he doesn't want...

Another Fall, October weekend has come and is quickly going. Another weekend at home and I must say....I can't take it much more! I told Brooks this morning, when we were ALL grumpy, that I think we have had a little too much down time at home. We have not been to the beach since Labor Day and for us that is VERY unusual and I think it is starting to take its toll on my nerves. Please know that I realize how fortunate we are to have some where fun and free to go on the weekends. Although when we are at the beach we don't do much, it's still a break from home and I need a break SOON!   The boys went to the race Friday night and Bryson slept after about lap 30, but it was still fun for him to be able to experience that type of race. I went out with a friend to the Olive Garden and we had a fun time catching up on some things. Yesterday, the boys got haircuts, we went to a party at the park, and we went to the soccer complex to see o...

There are many things running through my mind. Nothing in particular that sticks out as good, great, terrible or bad. Its been a good week thus far. Work has been steady and productive and IEPs are in full swing! The house has managed to stay straight, laundry caught up, and we have cooked every night (that's impressive for soccer season). Bryson and I went for a swim tonight and I must say, I love watching him swim underwater like a BIG boy. I still can't believe how far he has come since the middle of June and I am so proud that we set the goal to teach him how to swim and that we have been able to maintain all he has learned by swimming weekly. I just put him to bed and read him a story. It was a short Halloween book, but he was able to reread most of the book to me, which again makes me sooo happy and thankful for that blue eyed, blonde headed boy. So this is where I think I am suppose to go with this.......Zahra Baker is heavy on my mind and heart an...

FINALLY! We have had a BUSY weekend and everything seems to be back NORMAL! We have been running all weekend, which is exactly the way I like it! We got up early yesterday to go to Carowinds, to get a little more use out of our season passes. Bryson asked as soon as we got up...are we going to Bojangles for breakfast, like we always do? So yes we went for our normal breakfast trip before Carowinds. We got to the park when they opened and I walked straight onto the INTIMIDATOR and it did not disappoint! It felt GREAT riding the 3 minute 33 second ride with the brisk fall air hitting my face so hard that I had tears! I also, got to sit in the front row, one of the perks of being a single rider, I guess. Then we went to Snoopy land and rode everything there including the wooden roller coaster. I even have to say that Brooks rode the wooden coaster twice and the little yellow coaster, which is HUGE for him because he usually gets sick. Bryson and Brooks did the haunted house and...

This blog is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Micah Deane on their 5th Wedding Anniversary!!! Where to start? Well, let's go back about 10 years ago before Micah met Emily. Micah was mine and Brooks' boyfriend (I called him the 3rd wheel). Micah went everywhere with us......out to eat (we really liked HOPS), he went to Charlotte with us to look at car audio stuff about every weekend (you should ask Micah about some of our drives through Charlotte), we took several trips to the beach, and the boys always played with their RC cars in Stony Point on Friday nights. And then Micah meet his love at the RW! He spotted her through the big glass windows and it was love at first sight. This was sometime in April 2002 (I think)...Micah went with us to the beach for Easter that year, but couldn't wait to get home to see Emily. So our three-some turned into a four-some!!! We share many memories with the Deane's since they started dating.......our favorite restaurant was Rock Ola (E and...

I am very glad that this 1st week of October is almost over, that means that we are closer to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I am HOPEFUL that the next few weeks will go as smoothly as this one and maybe as quick too! The week has been good and very productive at work. Home is a little different since we have been on a soccer field, of some sort, every night, but I am HOPEFUL that my house will get back to normal this weekend when I clear the piles of clean clothes and put away the clean dishes. I am looking forward to a FUN weekend with the boys....we decided to stay home and go to Carowinds!! I am HOPEFUL that the  Intimidator  will not disappoint! We went to the doctor today, just for a final check-up and it makes me very HOPEFUL that this is pretty much over and it will soon be time to evaluate whether or not to do it again ;) The doctor seemed very positive and HOPEFUL that everything will be fine, if we try again! My mom makes me very HOPEFUL because ...

What a great, fun, exciting, fantastic day!!!!! I had my 1st of the year, formal observation, this morning and my kiddos did GREAT!! We ordered lunch, as a staff, from Chick-Fil-A to support the Sherrill family!!! Almost cleared my to-do list today (it will be clear tomorrow)!!! Went to Bryson's game to find Brooks waiting for us with a new Vera Bradley pocketbook!!! Bryson scored, his proud mommy, a GOAL and I don't think I have ever been more excited!!! It's pizza night with the Deane's!!! And Teen Mom at 10!!! WOW! Look what a week can do! I am going to make it short and sweet today.....I am so glad that we are a week beyond this sad time in our lives. I have realized with everyday that goes by, I become a little stronger. Although there are still a few times that I have caught myself questioning and wondering why, I just have to keep moving because time is the only thing that is going to make this sad time fade. Very thankful and grateful for a fantastic day an...

It all started 13th years ago on a Friday, mid-afternoon, standing on the 2nd floor of West Iredell High School near the (what use to be) computer labs, our junior year. Brooks was at the end of the hallway and I was at one of the classroom doors...I think that he was about to be late for class and I was about to go into my class....he said to me, "I know your phone number" and I said "yeah, what is it" and he recited my home phone number because (as hard as it is to believe) cell phones had not made their HUGE technological debut at the time. My reply to him was, why don't you use it sometime. So that night a friend and I went to the football game at Bunker Hill and on the way home I, for some reason, stopped by his house. When I left that night he hugged and kissed me goodnight...and I still can see this scene in my head, I had butterflies that night, and something told me that it was meant to be. So that night he used my phone number and called me, we ta...

I am not sure today! It's not a bad day, but it's not the best day, maybe just a blah day.....do you ever have those days? Nothing stands out as great, but nothing as terrible either. Brooks and I had fun last night. We went to the Melting Pot and it was delicious!! If you have never been, I highly recommend!! Also, I recommend that you don't do the whole meal....the past couple of times we have gone we have only gotten a salad (which they have the BEST dressing that I have ever found), then we do the cheese fondue, and then we get the chocolate fondue. We have found that this way you are not stuffed by the time the chocolates come, but yet you are still full when you leave. This is also, $50 cheaper than getting the "Big Night Out"....I don't like meat that much anyways, so Brooks usually eats most of the meats when we do the whole meal, so it is well worth just getting 3 for us. Afterwards we went to Concord Mills and did some shopping and Brooks even tried ...

I did and I don't like it! I don't like going to bed with bad things running through my mind. I don't like thinking that 10 weeks ago everything was fine and another child was just a question. Is it bad that I want to turn back time and erase this whole thing? I think, in my thoughts, last year at this time we were happy without a care in the world, then winter, spring, and most of the summer went the same way and now this. My problem is I can't stop questioning why we did this....were we 100% sure that we wanted another baby, I can't answer yes to that because I don't know if we were. Were we trying so that Bryson would have a sibling because we thought he needed one, maybe. Did we do it because I was tired of the questions....when are you going to have another one, perhaps. Did it happen because having more than one is the norm, you tell me, is it? Was there anything wrong with the way we were before, NO! Were we happy, YES! Am I sad now that 10 weeks has dras...

I experienced many firsts today on this 1st day of October. I should start by saying that I am very glad that I have turned my calendar over to a month that looks better and brighter than the last. For some reason September has never been my favorite month and right now it's falling at the bottom of the list.We are entering one of my favorite times of the year and I am very optimistic that it will bring fun times and great memories just as the last few months of the year always do. I went to work today and I am happy that the 1st day back is over....I will never face this day again. It wasn't a bad day, many people shared their thoughts, shared their hugs, their love, their smiles and that was all ok! This morning I had my 1st breakfast of champions since finding out....I have been eating fruit loops and drinking orange juice every morning since school started, so today I had it for the 1st time (go figure it tasted the same). I wore a long sleeve shirt for the 1st...

WOW! What a week! I would like to dedicate this blog to ALL THE POSITIVES in our lives!! First of all, I need to say a HUGE thank you to our wonderful co-workers, close friends, facebook friends, and our families! I truly believe that this week has turned out to be an ok week because of you all. To everyone that has sent sweet notes, given thoughtful grins, been there to listen, been there to read our story and MOST of all to EVERYONE that has said a prayer for us this week! No matter if it was one prayer or many YOU are very responsible for my positive mood and attitude today and for days to come. I would also, like to thank you God for listening and answering all of the prayers that you and we have sent him! I am very humbled and appreciative for everything this week. Please know that I never doubted for once that we were not loved and cared for, but this week has shown us that we are more blessed than I ever imagined and we will never take that for granted! So we went to the d...

I've been thinking because that is all I have to do.......I like numbers and I like to make things make sense in number form. I don't like math, so it's odd that I have this obsession with numbers, but I do. My favorite, I guess you could call it lucky number, is 44!!! Love this number, this number has been around for me for a long time. It's in my license tag, it was my teller number at the bank, it just follows me everywhere. I am not sure why, but if I see this number somewhere I know it's going to be a good day. So anyways enough about my number, here are some more number thingys that I find in my life to be interesting....in 1995, October to be exact I lost my grandmother, then in December (same year) I lost my grandfather and great grandfather. This was a tough year, it was my freshman year of high school and it started out really bad and my mother still continued to make me play in the stupid band, which sticks out as something terrible from that year too. ...

I was soooo looking forward to this week....2 days of teaching and finishing up a whole unit, that we have worked so hard on for several weeks, then 2 days at a workshop, which are always fun because its something new and different and you get to go out to lunch like adults do, instead of eating in the school's cafeteria, then on Friday was a scheduled doctors appointment to hear the baby's heartbeat and then we were off to the beach for the weekend. Something told me not to post my status for FB as: "Looking forward to a fun week" because that same something told me my week was not going to go as planned and how I wanted it to on my calendar. On Monday, I started having some complications and by Tuesday I knew that there was a problem and I needed to go to the doctor now, not Friday. Well, we went to a new doctor (because mine would not see me and acted as if I was crazy for even calling, I will not mention names, but that is no longer my doctors office), I was calm ...