Are We There Yet?

I'm still breathing...

2010-05-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still here. I am trying to get back on my feet and in the process, this blog has suffered! I got accepted into DBU and was so excited. But I have since stumbled on some other programs that I would like to do. But it all depends on the classes. DBU has a program that's 100% online. The other schools don't. So I have to see what I can do with 2 kids.

I LOOOOVE this pic of him. It's so hard to get a natural smile sometimes

Brody better watch out. He's always trying to play rough with Stinkers and now he's been

getting a taste of his own medicine!

Here we go....

sweet pic....

look at that belly!!!

I was sooo sick this day

at my mom's house

Easter!!

2010-04-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

February snow

2010-04-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is from our snow on February 11/12 It was unbelievable how much we got. When we drove around looking for snow boots and a sled, it didnt even look like we were in the same town!! We had so much fun. I will add pics of us sledding at my parents house.

Working hard

I love those rosy cheeks

me and the boys

He hates things on his head

He seriously loves these glasses

Being a sweet boy before covering my car in pooh

And this would be after

Newest pro pics

2010-03-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics we did for Braden's 1 yr birthday. they are the best so far!!!

love this pic!!

birthday cake!!

2010-02-10T12:02:00.001-08:00

Since we got a real cake for the party, I thought he could get a little practice on his birthday with this cheap cake from Krogers. He hated it!! He started screaming because the icing was stuck to his fingers. It was hilarious

This is after I made him dig into it!!

trying to figure out what this gunk is on him

Birthday boy!!

2010-02-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

For his birthday, we ate lunch with my mom at Boomer Jacks. Then for dinner we had a special "hands only" meal. Everybody had to eat like Braden, no silverware and sippy cups. It was fun but we shouldnt have done it because Brody is having issues acting like a baby lately. And this didnt help!! We had fun though.

CATCHING UP!!

2010-01-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Ok here are some pics I love. I'm way behind from all the bday celebrations!!

Another "pushing" video

2010-01-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

funny video

2010-01-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

This is of Stinkers using his walker and yelling at the floor when he gets caught up. He can't say the words but he gets the point across

cutie pie

2010-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

I love when the sun hits him just right in the parking lot of Brody's school. I get the best pictures of him everyday!! Those eyes just sparkle...

Jan 26, 2010

January 25

cold?

2010-01-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

We have a ritual every night. Brody puts on his big camo "onesie" as he calls it. Not 10 minutes into bedtime he changes because he's hot. Then he wakes up because he's cold. I've discovered why and since found a way to keep the covers on the bed!!

so so sleepy...

2010-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

After a long day without a nap, he passed out in his high chair!! I've never seen him do that!

It started with a big yaaaaawn

Reorganization project #2

2010-01-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

So here we go with the kitchen. This was so overwhelming. I made 4 trips in 2 days to the Container Store and we wont even mention the money I spent there on, you guessed it - CONTAINERS. Who knew those dry storage containers would cost so much??? I am so glad David was home to be another set of eyes (and hands). He really helped me out because once I get this overwhelmed, I shut down!

this should be embarrasing, but it's all better now!!

This was where our vast collection of tupperware was

I decided to put some of the boy's cups and plates, etc down there for them to use (or in Braden's case, play with)

I have NO clue what these dividers were there for. We actually used this space for baggies, wrap, etc but had already started moving things around and trying (unsuccessfully) other places

And here's the "pantry" (or cabinets in my opinion)

And afterwards...

I dont have a before on this, but it was LOADED with cups, plates, etc

This too was loaded with bottles and glasses. It's now my food prep area
I have a few more pics I'm super proud of and will upload later b/c I'm sure everyone can't wait to see it!!

Sick??

2010-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

So today I was sooo ready to get some things done around the house and for Braden's party. I dropped Braden off at 9:00 and when I got back to the car I had calls from Brody's school that he was sick with 102 fever. So off I went to pick him up and find him running around the school lobby acting perfectly fine. He wanted to stay but they swore up and down he had a fever. That kid wasn't sick AT ALL. So he ran errands with me! By the end of the day I decided we needed to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. So me, Brody and Stinkers went to Tabatha's, then the park. Here are some pics!

Real sick, right?

Yay! King of the playground

These two are gonna butt heads because they are both so strong willed! it's cute how they steal the same toys from each other over and over

the reason I took this is because when I'm laying down (especially if I have his blankie), he comes and cuddles with me. Not sure what made him turn into a cuddly little boy, but I looove it!

cute babies

my little soccer player

can't. touch. grass.

Mr. Jayden and those beautiful eyes

they were watching Brody upstairs

is it over yet???

2010-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

So I thought I was having a hard time with my back, last night I came down with a stomach bug. I threw up nonstop from 4:00 until I fell asleep. And of course David was out of town. But I made it and David seemed to catch it while he was in Beaumont. Today I spent most of the day laying around, as much as you can with a 1 yr old anyways. But God came through like usual and Braden took a 3 hr nap!
Poor Brody started feeling bad after school. By 6:00 he was having serious tummy issues, couldnt eat or drink. He even put himself to bed an hour early! Poor guy!!!!
I dont have any new pics but here is one from the car shop yesterday. This kid has such an attitude....

I made it!!!!!

2010-01-18T20:45:00.001-08:00

So I made it through the last 5, very rough days. Last Thursday I bent over to get some books and something happened to my back. I couldnt stand up all the way and could barely walk. I dont know if it was going to the gym and working with my trainer triggered my back to be worse than it was before. But it was miserable. Everyday has gotten a little better. Brody had a 4 day weekend so I was definitely worried about what we were going to do if I can't even get around very well. But all 3 of us went to my therapist, which gave me a little relief for about 2 hours. We used that time at a friends house so he could play with another kid for a bit.

I have decided to keep going to my physical therapist consistently for a few more months. He thought I was ok to be released, but it seeems like this is going to be a chronic problem. I'm also going back to acupuncture. It worked so good in pregnancy, so maybe it'll help this too. It sucks because I am only 28 (29 in 2 weeks!) and it's going to be a long life if I can't get this problem under control. But I know God will heal me and that's what I'm looking forward to!!

What makes this even funnier is that I had literally just put up the mop from cleaning the floors!

Stinkers hated the way grass felt. It was hilarious. reminded me of a dog with booties on. He'd try to crawl with just the very heel of his hand to keep from touching the dry grass

such a good big brother!!!

avocado face

scrapbooking outside during stinker's naptime

we had a picnic!!

nothing like laying outside and eating a pb&j samich!

He saw them eat this on Berenstein Bears and wanted it just like this. No slices or smashed bananas. Just like this (he finally admitted he didnt like it, but he still ate it!)

random pics

2010-01-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Apparently Stinkers has issues with texture like me!!

haha mean mama

our life these days

2010-01-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things going on in the Harbour house-
Ithink I've mentioned the Love & Logic we have been using with the boys lately. It really wass hard, I mean H~A~R~D! I struggled with staying happy and calm while he's kicking the bed and walls. But now, when Brody has his meltodwns, though they are few and far between now, it's much easier to maintain my happy mood! He had a rough weekend, but is doing awesome in school Today he got an award for most improved behavior!! We are so proud of him!

As for me and David, we are going to Puerto Vallerta in May so I finally got that push to get the other half of my baby weight off! Unfortunately, that is still 30 lbs. I have never had this much to lose so it is overwhelming. But we have been going to the gym ever other day (for David, when he's in town) to see the trainer and do cardio. Today I was at the gym for 2 hrs. It feels so good to get back to working out. I wish I could run again, but my back is still not up to par even with all this miserable physical therapy. So for now, I will settle on the cardio I can do and get abused by my trainer!! I've also gone back to eating like I did before the wedding, whole, unprocessed foods, no meat. I know I can do it, I lived this way before (for the most part!!) So here it goes!

Here are a few pics from the best day ever for motivation!!

Brody was sooo tired at the wedding. That's the one thing I would change, we'd give him a nap! It got overlooked because we were so busy

me and all my girls

so beautiful. I cant wait to go back to the beach!!

babies!!

2010-01-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Carin Evans brought her two kids over to play. Jack was born 3 days before Braden, I dont know why it's taken us a year to finally get the kids together! He has been walking for months now. I'm pretty sure he was walking before Braden even mastered crawling! The boys had fun. I think Brody had a hard time playing with Annabelle, he wants boys he can tackle!! It's a good thing he has a little brother and not a sister or we'd have ourselves a huge tomboy!!

Today was the first time I have ever worked in our church nursery and I sure did chose a good day!! There were only 3 other boys there during first hour besides Braden. I hung around a little bit to help because they had 12 babies and many of them were SCREAMING!! Glad my time was over!

Snack time!!!

crazy Stinkers

2010-01-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

I am trying SO hard to get Stinkers to start eating some table food. He seems to prefer crunchy things and I can't get him to pick slimy foods up. Boys are supposed to get dirty! I fed him this ravioli and he hates it!

Here is a few pics of his moods. Using the Love & Logic method, we dont say "No", but "Uh-oh" in a singing voice. It has worked wonderfully. Anytime he is going somewhere he isnt supposed to or does something he shouldnt, I say that and he'll usually drop it or leave. Not always, but usually! In the pics below you see him smiling, playing peek-a-bo and then at the bottom I had just said "uh-oh" because he was pulling at his sock. You see how he reacted!! He's a little sensitive!!

Me and Brody's day at the museum

2010-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

Even though I have had Brody home with me for his winter vacation, I still felt like we hadn't spent much alone time together. When Stinkers takes his naps, I either pick up the house or lay down myself for about 30 minutes. So I thought me and him could go while David kept Stinkers. It was so much fun. It's always a good place to go since we have a membership. He had been telling me he wanted to see A Christmas Carol at the omni (Imax), so that's what we went to. Once the movie started it became very clear it was not the friendlier version I had grown up with. This was really dark and scary. I saw Brody start to squirm and it was even a bit much for me. So we left after about 20 minutes, got a refund and bought tickets to a much friendler "Animalopolis". A Dr Suess type show on animals. So we wasted some time around the museum until the next show. It was a great time!!

This is the "sculpture" Brody created

working hard at it

he loves dropping coins down this, but the stupid things always fall over and never make it to the bottom!

in the XTO exhibit

HIS NEW ROOM!!!!!! This is my first project in Operation Organization. I worked so hard on it! Me and my mom took a 6 hour trip out to Ikea to get all the stuff. I am almost done I just need to finish his walls.

I have since got pillows where he is sitting so it's a little window seat

Now, if the storage boxes would just pick the stuff up for Brody!! We are still working on him keeping things put up, but this is a good start!

gag reel

2009-12-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the many pics that weren't so perfect, but they are funny! Braden is such a little terror

This was at the end, look at Brody's face!

Seriously, I DIDNT LEARN TO CRAWL TO SIT STILL! He was going everywhere!

photo finatic

2009-12-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pics from our 2nd round of Christmas pics. Yes I see the pattern, I did the same thing with the Halloween pics. What can I say, I want quality memories =) I think these turned out much better. But I think I will go back to having a photographer come to the house for important pics. Braden just doesnt do good at studios.

the photographer described this pic as Braden saying "I finally conquered brother" haha

yes, we did red socks on purpose!

Braden loves clapping. He was behind on things like crawling but clapped and held his bottle at like 4 months!

Santa!!!!

2009-12-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

So Brody is getting very suspicious of Santa, but when it comes down to it he still believes!! Stinkers, was not so sure about the bearded guy, but he sucked it up for a picture. We kept having to get his attention because he just wanted to stare at Santa and figure him out!!

Pre Santa pic...

Pre Santa

Christmas pics - take 1

2009-12-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here are pics from the first session. It's not that the pics didn't turn out good. It's just that when we were choosing the pics they told me I wouldnt get them back before we went to Oklahoma (the pics were going to be gifts). So rather than buy the disc of all the pics and blow my picture budget, I bought my favs and made an appointment somewhere else. Braden was flipping out the whole time during these pictures. It was way to close to bedtime!

cute huh? Braden was screaming at Brody but it looks like he's laughing

this is my all time favorite pic of Brody. No fake smiles here

love this. Brody was actually upset because I forgot his white tshirt to go under. But he pulled it together and took a great pic

Oklahoma

2009-12-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

So we went to Oklahoma the week of Thanksgiving. Brody was only with me until Tuesday morning when I took him to meet his Grandparents (they live in Omaha). So unfortunately, he wasnt with us. But the good news is we get to have him home for Christmas!!! We are SOOO EXCITED!!! I took Brody to the skate park on Monday to spend a little time with him before he left. (Daddy was traveling with work) He didnt have his skateboard but somehow still managed to get a few war wounds!!!! We had fun hanging out that day.

This is how he gives kisses. A little sloppy, but it's the thought that counts, right??

The Perry skate park!

After banging his hip on the edge. OUCH!

trying to reach Bubba

I've missed my cuz!!!

2009-12-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

So Ricky, my cousin came to visit with his little boy. It's crazy because our boys are almost the same age difference and me and him are! I wish they lived closer, but he fell in love with Oregon...

At Kandyce's house visiting with Ricky

new cousin Christian

The Rickster

crazy hair

he claps when he gets excited

poor Stinkers

2009-12-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Stupid blogger. I had a whole paragraph typed and it deleted! So now for a shortened version... Stinkers had to get on breathing treatments to try and fix the cough. I hate the treatments!! They make him zoned out! Here are some pics of going walking with Val's boys, Brenden and Brett.

Brett was just lounging in the stroller

Out cold
Whaddya lookin at???

Friends...

Taking the treatments like a big boy

randoms

2009-11-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Mamaw and Stinkers

David had to travel A LOT this week and on Friday he asked me to put down the boys and while I was doing that, he cooked an amazing steak on the grill without me knowing!! He got the filets and some twice baked potatoes and a good bottle of wine at Central Market. The steak was as good as one from Silverfox! Oh and about $30 cheaper!!

He's so cute when he sleeps

Since Brody never had a baby book made, I did one the best I could and have turned it into a scrapbook him to have when he grows up (and when I"m willing to part with it!). Here is a simple, but neat page I did. I just have to add his favorite things with MY NEW CRICUT!!! woohoo. I love this page!

PARTY!!!

2009-11-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

So David woke up this morning wanting to have a cook out. I realize now he just wanted a reason to go buy a new grill!! But we invited some people over from church and the final head count was 8 kids, 8 adults. It was a little crazy but we had a great time!!! The pics are a little blurry b/c I didn't have my camera, but you get the idea!!

start the day out waking daddy up.

all the toys!!!!!

Jackson felt the need to hop in all the baby toys. Heck, he weighs less thank Stinkers and he's 1 1/2 YEARS older!!! haha chunky Stinkers

today...

2009-11-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Since Dave came down with the flu yesterday, I had to cancel my plans of going out, get over my disappointment (it's been a looong week with the boys), suck it up and find some things to do to get out of the house. We went to look at puppies and almost left with the little chihuaha, Nacho. Such a cool dog and I hate chihuahas! We also went and bought things to babyproof the house (which I ended up trying to install myself and poked two enormous holes in the wall!!). Then we grabbed some lunch. Braden was super fussy as the day went on, even with two long naps. But when you dont sleep all night, of course you're fussy! He's learned to pull himself up in the crib and pack n play. So he stays up all night playing and screaming. Oh how I miss my sleep.

I am only on day 2 of David's 5 day quarantine and this sucks. I'm sleeping on the couch, when I get to sleep and doing everything alone. I have a new found respect for single moms. Man it's hard. And Brody's out of school Monday, so there is no relief in sight. But this will pass and I know God will get us all through it, hopefully flu-free!

Me and Brody wanted this dog!

this is probably one of my favorite pics ever of him

Halloween pics - take 2

2009-11-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

So here is the second attempt at Halloween pics. I was hoping for a smile. Needless to say, I didnt get one. Well, maybe one. Oh well. The next pics will be of Braden and Brody in the next few weeks. They will be adorable!!

I'm really begging for a smile here.

what?

sooo cute

I still don't know why you're following me with that big camera.

(I'm holding the remote up trying to get a smile)

This is the only costume pic at this session. So much for the jungle background pic I wanted so bad.

Halloween!!!

2009-11-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ricky was determind to teach Brody how to smile without that silly fake smile. I think he did good!

Gotta be serious for the soldier pics!

Sick boy, he just went out for a minute

LOVE THIS!!

hospital time, again...

2009-11-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we had to make another trip to the hospital. But this time we visited the Perry hospital. After two nights of waking every 5-10 minutes and a nasty cough, we decided to run him up to the hospital to rule out the flu or pneumonia. We figured Perry hospital was better than down here because there wouldn't be as many people there with all kinds of sicknesses. In fact, the only other person there was his cousin that he got sick!! He tested negative for the flu, and they said it was bronchitis and two eye infections. But his cousin tested positive for the flu after 3 tests (apparently they are only 40% affective) So maybe stinkers did have the flu...

Does is get anymore pathetic than this?

Ok, usually I would not let him sleep with us. But it might have gotten us an extra 30 minutes of sleep, so it was worth it!

Yes, everybody was grumpy, but you can at least fake a smile!!!

Here comes trouble

2009-10-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

So here is our little crawler. He now gets into everything. Plus, he has started having 2 hour long parties at midnight mastering his crawling skills. So my bad sleeper has now become a HORRIBLE sleeper. And momma is exhausted.

There are two areas that make me nervous, the fireplace and the ledges of our lovely recessed living room. Of course this ledge is the only place he wants to be.

forget my play area, I want to get up this ledge

Grannie, here I come!!!

These are all blurry b/c the kid is never still!

This would have been SOOOO cute

This was in the early crawling days. He couldnt quite figure out if he wanted to use his knees or bear crawl

snot nose stinkers

This video is hilarious. It's also in the very early crawling stage. He squirmed more than crawled. I used the remote to get him to come, works everytime!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T16:11:00.001-07:00

I just realized I never posted those pics!!! It had been pouring all weekend and was super soggy out. But we went anyways since Brody was out of school. It was a mess but he says he still had fun and we got some good pics...

The big kid maze was closed so he did this one. I think it was a little too easy b/c he's so tall!!

Aunt Kandyce

This is HILARIOUS

Gimme the punkin!

On top of the world!!!

Not so much...

cousins...

Parker being shy

gorgeous day!!!

2009-10-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

Aside from the downpours we've had lately, it has been beautiful weather!! We are really enjoying our patio furniture, even though we are getting terrorized by mosquitos. Here are some pics of our week!!

Upgrades

2009-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

So everyone knows I've been buying and selling things for extra cash and make me feel like I'm working!! It is so much fun going to garage sales and getting my shopping fix in. I've actually done pretty good making money on Craigslist and at the JBF sales. Here are some of my recent buys. I'm so proud our house is finally becoming a home!! I am still working on hanging pics and the small details. But I'm getting there!!

The most recent, a patio table and chairs. I know it's hard to see it, but its the only pic I have!

A new table and chairs LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

We finally got a rug after talking about it for a year!

our new bedroom furniture (Ok my working did not pay for this!)

Daisy modeling our new bed. We obviously need to update the pillows!

Halloween pics

2009-10-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

Ok these pics didn't come out well because stinkers refused to nap all morning and was a complete grump. I'm thinking about taking both boys for another session next week..

Peter Pan

Sick of it all

My fav

WE GOT A SMILE!!!

Braden's 6 month pics

2009-10-21T21:03:00.001-07:00

Bad mom, I forgot to post these. oops!

FINALLY UPDATING!!

2009-10-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ok I am so far behind, but spent 2 hours on new posts and I should be up to date. We have really had some bad weeks and it's finally looking up. Me and my mom went to Austin to go shopping at the end of September and I didnt think we were going to make it. First Braden got SOOOO sick with 103 fever. Then Brody spent all night throwing up. THEN the day before I left David stayed home sick with a bug. But it all worked out and we went and had an AMAZING time. Until Sunday when I got sick. Miserably sick ALL WEEK. The following weekend David went out of town and the poor guy came down with something his 2nd day there. So much for a guy's getaway!! But finally, everyone is healthy. Braden is still a fussbucket like always and is even worse when cutting teeth.
We are trying so hard to get Brody out of Nightime pull up things. So we stopped buying them b/c he was doing so good. And he went about 1 week without a single accident and now we've been having them every night. It costs $20 to dry clean his comforter!! We cant keep doing this!! But we think he will get back on track. Between teething, waking Brody up to take to the bathroom and cleaning up Brody's bed, I AM SO TIRED!!But I figure I'll get sleep when the boys are older!!
David is still having to travel and that isn't going to change as long as Epic is expanding, but I think me and the boys have adjusted nicely. I will say that I can't wait until me and David get a much needed date night. This Friday we might take the boys to church's parents night out...
The only other update is that Braden is trying to crawl. As you'll see in the pics, he is so close and has even started getting in the bear crawl position. He SHOULD be crawling by now according to charts, but when they are this big is takes a lot more muscle!!!

This is the table Brody set up to celebrate our "Mexican anniversary" Can you believe it's been 2 years since we were in Mexico getting married???

lunchtime on the back porch

Playing football with Terri

Giving Haley kisses. I see a romance in our future!!!

Chasing the stupid geese

I swear they smell fear. They were lining up and coming towards us

(have I mentioned I HATE geese? HATE THEM it goes way back to a

goose attack when I was a kid. It involved a few pecks on the head)

Mid Sept pics

2009-10-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

they love eachother

This is what we decided to use for the pro pics

This was NOT a winner

Neither was this, but he thought it was funny

Naked baby!!!

This is what he does when I"m trying to change his diaper, it's IMPOSSIBLE!!

After a long day...

Rain, rain, and more rain

2009-10-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

It has rained SO MUCH in the past month. So much I actually said to David "It is getting into tornado season" UM IT'S NOT MAY!! I cant remember the last time we had so much rain this time of year. Well, we finally decided to give into the downpours and play in it!! I got Brody rainboots and he has had so much fun with them!! I also got him a raincoat for Christmas but I have a feeling he will be getting it much sooner!! As you can see, Braden loved watching Brody putting on a show for him!

Hi!

Seriously, this kid cant stay on his feet!!! He falls more than he walks! We go through a pair of school pants A WEEK from him ripping them!

Making a fool of myself

2009-10-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of me making a fool of myself to get stinkers to laugh. Totally worth it!

Mr Army man

2009-09-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I got Brody this set of army gear. It's so real. When he puts it on, he goes into character immediately. He's going thru a phase right now where he loves to pretend he's someone else. I got him an army guy outfit for Halloween and he is so funny in it. I also got him a Cats apron (the FW baseball team) to help me cook. The first time he put it on, he kept saying "I need to smash something because that's what fesh's do" "I'm a fesh, let me smash something" He kept saying Chef backwards. It was hilarious.

Another HILARIOUS story this kid came up with - We are reading the childrens Bible. And the first night was obviously Adam and Eve. He proceeded to tell me the story he remembers from church. The story was pretty accurate, he mentioned Adam and Eve and the "mean 'ol devil" being a snake. Well Adam and Eve ate the apple God said not to eat. So God told them "they had to crawl on their bellies the rest of their lives" WOW Where does he come up with it?? It was sooo funny.

We are all doing ok. We're on the mend. Braden was sick last week, then David got sick Thursday. I went out of town w/my mom Friday, came back sick Sunday. Then Brody threw up several times last night!! He seems to be much better today. Doesnt have much of an appetite though. Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon too, I hate feeling like this!!

Laughing at big brother

Misc pics Sept 10ish

2009-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ok I have some serious updating to do. Here are pics...

One of my "finds" Except this one isnt to sell. Braden LOVES it.

Sing it Baby!!!!
Me and Brody found this at a garage sale. Braden hates things on his head,
but he is more tolerant of things when big bubba is around. Thats how I pulled off
this awesome pic of the two boys

GET THE KITTY KITTY!!

These flowers play beautiful, calming music. I love em!

Brody's chef outfit. I got it for him. He was pretending to be spongebob (I hate that show!)

He kept saying "Give me something to smash, I'm a fesh (Chef backwards) and that's what they do!" HOW FUNNY!!!!

OUR NEW CAR SEAT!!!!

love...

After a big sneeze

Labor day!

2009-09-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day we went to Mikki and Jia's house. Bradens first real swim. We put him under water and he did really good! Brody hit golf balls with Jia and Caleb.

pics

2009-09-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

These pics are all from the same day. I caught a glimpse of Bradens eyes and couldnt believe how much lighter they've gotten. Maybe they wont turn brown like Dave thinks!!

We have our first tooth!!!

2009-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after 3 months of speculating, we finally have our first tooth!! We knew it was coming b/c we could see it under the skin. And he's been SCREAMING (more so) for days now. He's had a cold to top it off. I've been pulling my hair out by the end of the day. I feel like we're back in the first few months where this is all he did. Target, screaming. Central Market, screaming. Car ride stuck in construction late to pick Brody up - screaming, well until RIGHT BEFORE I pulled into the school parking lot, then he fell asleep and I had to wake him!!

Luckily, me and some girls from church are going to a girls ranch in Abilene this weekend for a Mommy's getaway!! WOOHOO

Brody is doing wonderfully in school. We are having some problems talking but its getting better. BUT there were 3 cases of swine flu today so I'm really really trying to trust God and pray about it.

Me, my mom, Brody and Braden went to a local farm to pick peas. It was so much fun!! See all the pics below...

After a long day, why not make a mess??

PEAS!!

Showin some love

YUM YUM

Brody always wants to help me make secret recipe mixes and baby food, so

I figured this was a good chance to keep him busy w/o the stupid tv!

Ya so he loved it till Elmo started moving side to side.

So this'll stay on the "to sell" list!

The bib my parents got from Alcatrez

quick post

2009-08-24T17:16:00.001-07:00

So this is super quick, I have a lot to do but I wanted to post the pics of Brody's 1st day of first grade. And he loved it!!! yay

catchin up...

2009-08-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have really slacked on the blogging. But it has been real bad around here. Braden has decided to quit sleeping and we've been trying everything to keep from having to do the cry it out thing. BUT after 2 weeks of 3-4 hours of sleep each night, we realized it was just as hard on him not sleeping as it was on us. So we have gone 2 nights with the cry it out, but of course we still go in there and let him know we havent abandoned him. Last night was better than the first night and he's napping better also!
So we have had our 2 year anniversary and David's 32nd bday! Brody wanted to dress up for the anniversary dinner, that was so sweet. But it was very last minute so I look pretty rough!!

Brody took this

Bowling night with church!!!!! There was a better pic, but I think the candid

pics are always the best!!

Happy birthday!! Brody helped with the cake!

mommy you suck!! I forgot to send an extra set of clothes to mothers day

out and all she had was girls clothes!! it was HILARIOUS!! but he was PISSED

Hi! Just learnin about the ocean

He was copying me stick my tongue out. It was so funny

San Antonio Part II

2009-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

So here are the last pics from San Antonio. We had such a good time and loved our hosts and their awesome house!!! We cant wait to go back!

Bad attitude in Luckenbach (that's ROOT Beer by the way!!)

Down in Luckenbach, Texas with Willie and Waylon and the boys....

Getting the tour from Doug at Sister Creek Vineyard...

GET OFF ME, I have friends here and want nothing to do with you.... =)

One final hike....

San Antonio trip #1 - part I

2009-07-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

So trip #1 to San Antonio down! I made it all 4 days without Braden and it wasnt as hard as I thought. Leaving him was the hardest part. Especially since he had just started sleeping thru the night. But he stayed with my mom and I'm glad, because it was good to get some sleep. We had such a good time with David's friends. They had a boy that was 8 and a 4 yr old girl that Brody played with, they all got along great!! They also have an adorable 18 month old little girl, Riley.
The day we got there, we noticed a fire when we went into town. But thought it got put out. When we were outside, all of a sudden there were 4 helicopters and a plane. Two helicopters were getting buckets of water and dumping them on the fire. It was crazy, we felt like we were under attack!! Doug said in Arizona they will actually come and get water out of your pool during a drought!! How'd that be for a story??

On their porch. Apparently the cats aren't earning their keep.

This was the first ride they went to on Sea World. I opted out because I wasnt ready to be soaked that early in the game... So I went and fetched popcorn and pretzels for the Shamu show

Here we are at the Shamu show. I have to admit, once we got in the show I struggled with this. I hate that I paid to go watch an animal be caged up and made to do tricks for loud screaming people. It used to just be the zoo that bothered me so much. I dont know how or when I became this person, but it happened somehow...

Brody's down there getting soaked!

Fun Day

2009-07-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

(ok here's the disclaimer - there's something wrong with the formatting on here and I cant fix it. Obviously Brody didnt take the pic of himself. All the captions seem to be off - just try to figure it out!)

Today has been so fun!! We started out running to get our new dvd player put in the Expedition. Then saw a garage sale where we stopped and snagged some awesome toys!! The plan was to wipe 'em down and sell them at the big consignment expo that comes around in two months. BUT Braden loves them, so I'm thinking some other toys will go and these will end up staying until a later expo... Here are pics of all the toys and the ones that were already in our house, it's pretty funny b/c our small house is overtaken by these big things!!!.
(red teeth from a sno cone!!)

(Brody took this pic, it's great!)

So CUTE!!!

These 4 toys I got for $16!!! They are all worth $258. Crazy huh?? Ya that stupid sun walker, $89!!! And that lion walker - $45!! The table in front of him is worth $45 and the walkaround he's in si worth $79! All you that know me, know my recent coupon addiction, so I'm pretty excited about this. Especially because when I sell these I will definitely make all my money back and more!!!

lovin it!!

So while Dave and braden were napping, me and Brody decided to set up a tent in his room. I am so proud of myself!!!! I'm a city girl and look at my skills!!!

Check out that dresser I remodeled!! Ok but ignore the legs that I forgot about, I need to get those!!!

WOOHOO!!! He put his new sports bean bag in there (we are re-decorating in sports stuff)

while we were doing this, a lady called about my craigslist posting and me and Brody sold her all his Spiderman stuff so we can get him a sports comforter for his room!! He was so excited to sell his stuff!! The lady didnt have enough money for everything, so we just gave her the rest anyways, her little boy was so excited!! Andwhat a big boy Brody was to let go of these things he loves. I totally gave him the choice of what to sell and what to keep. He doesnt know it, but I didnt sell them his favorite Spiderman throw, he loves it...

Such crazy hair...

Well, about to call it a night, Brody's asleep in his tent, Braden's asleep in his crib and hopefully wont wake up for an hour or two. So g'nite!!!

More first foods....

2009-07-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here are more food pics. We are moving slowly (too slow as Brody tells me), but I add a batch of one new food each week because I want to make sure he isnt allergic or it doesnt upset his tummy like rice does.

This is sweet potatos, but when I dont thin them out enough, this is what I get. When I'm having a bad day I come take a look at this pic b/c it makes me laugh. Is that bad???

CARROTS!!! A big hit!

More please (he's slamming his hands down because we arent moving fast enough)

Avacados - I havent actually added this regularly, I was just eating one and thought I'd share

Applesauce, I guess these apples were a little tart...

Green beans!! He loves em! And they are so easy to make!

Peas! He actually likes these, dont be fooled by the pic!!

We have also made peaches and pears and both we love!!!! Sweet potatos are the only ones I have to add applesauce to in order for him to eat...

Not another blog??

2009-07-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I decided to start a public blog to share with family and friends. The other was causing problems with people signing on and I dont really want to make it public. So we'll just start from scratch!! Over the next few days, I will add pics from the last year (and pre-date them) and if I can, I will just copy and paste some recent posts from my other blog. Thanks y'all for keeping up with our ever so exciting life!!

Court and the fam

lazy day...

2009-07-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I have been working my butt off around here (literally I wish) to try and get this house organized and I decided that me and Braden would have a somewhat lazy play around the house day after getting some shopping done. Well, we had a mini meltdown at the book store so I brought him home for a short nap which has become a 3 hour nap!! So looks like it'll just be a lazy day!! Here are some pics!

Here's his first taste of peaches (I made these, no bragging here though) =) -

There are frozen peaches in this thing for his gums.

I kept Brody home from day camp and we went to Tab's and played all day. Good times!! This is a pool I got at Walgreens for $10, isnt it great?? Anytime Braden would fuss, Brody would jump out of the big pool and run over to him! Braden lasted about 10 minutes til he did a face plant and sucked in some water! Oh and I learned an important lesson- I brought him over in swim diapers not knowing they dont absorb pee. So whats the point of those things??? notice he's in his normal diaper, I think it worked better...

We are trying to master holding a bottle

but we have gotten pretty good at sitting up!!

This was just taken, he woke up from his nap so I brought him in here to feed him and he passed back out. You see him smiling in one of the pics. He is still out 45 minutes later...

rough day at the office

NEW RIDE!!

2009-07-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's our new vehicle. We needed something ASAP b/c Braden was literally cooking in the back of my Murano with his backwards facing car seat. And we figured we might as well get something with a third row because Brody will start wanting friends over and we need more space. But we do still have the other two cars until we sell David's Tahoe. It's definitely not as elaborate as the Armada we had, but we swore we'd never have another new car and this will be paid for by August, so we cant really complain. Plus, Brody loves it b/c there's a dvd player in the back!!

So here it is.

randoms

2009-06-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics. We tried peas and I was ready for a funny face but never got it. turns out he loves loves loves peas!! We have stopped trying new foods for now b/c he was so sick but stay tuned for new ones!!

Here's a batch of my homemade sweet potato baby food. he's not a big fan of mine b/c its so much thicker than most other baby foods I make or buy.

HI GUYS!!! This is him slamming down his hand to tell us he wants more!

Sick baby

2009-06-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had our first official sickness with baby. His temp naturally runs in the 99s (he's a little on the chubby side) so when it was 100 on Thursday I didnt think much of it. But he slept terribly that night and Friday and Saturday he had such a bad day. At the end of the day I took his temp and it was over 102 and kept climbing. He seemed to get worse and wouldnt stop screaming when we held him, so I finally called the dr's after hours. She said we either had to take him to Cooks ER or the Cooks hospital in Hurst b/c they had an Urgent Care center. So we opted for that b/c its cheaper and hopefully quicker. I went and picked up my grandma and away we went...

Here he is before I knew he was sick, this was all I could do to

keep him quiet for a little bit

In the hospital bed. I only left him in it for the pic, it was too sad.

And here we are on our second trip to Cooks on Sunday. Poor guy.

He had just been held down by three people to have blood drawn, they couldnt find

a vein in all the fat! Then they tortured him forever to try to

get him blood pressure taken and never got it. After 45 minutes we refused anymore tests

b/c the poor guy had been thru enough, as you can tell.

We are obviously feeling better and no hard feelings for all the torture the night before.

A Midsummers Day Adventure..

2009-06-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I usually try to go walk/jog when Braden's at Mothers Day out, but since I was recovering yesterday from Six Flags I didnt go. And I have to get in my few workouts a week. With all my issues going on, my workouts are limited and I want to get in the ones I have set for myself so I thought I'd load up Braden before it got too hot and test the waters. I will preface this by saying we did not have a good night and the day has followed the same way so far...

Here we are at the end of the walk, very excited as you can tell.

Cute baby pic!!
Overall, he never screamed so I have to assume he somewhat enjoyed it! yay!

Brothers

2009-06-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some adorable pics of the boys from yesterday. I picked Brody up at 3:00, right after I got Braden from Mothers Day out so we could all spend some time together. I swear Braden doesnt laugh at ANYTHING OR ANYBODY but Brody does the same thing I do all the time and it's hilarious! They love eachother so much and it is the most precious thing ever...

Ok, I'm not as Texan as I used to be...

2009-06-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

So I went with Brody's day camp to Six Flags and THE PLAN was for me to go, make sure they were going to keep up with him (since I've been having problems with him hiding lately) and then leave. Well, we woke up at 6, got to the school at 7:30 but didnt even enter the park till 11:00. By then, Brody was hungry, thirsty, hot, tired. And that's not even mentioning how his 30 pounds heavier than last year and out of shape mom was feeling... So he rode one ride with his group -

His first "roller coaster"

After this ride he quickly decided he was tired of messing around with the big group and I was not comfortable enough to leave and didnt feel like they would push enough water down the kids for 105 degrees. I also didnt think he'd have fun with them. So away we went to this, where the seats are not made for booties that had babies recently, ouch...

(still in Looney Tunes land listening to Brody say "I wanna ride the Titan")

On the Mine Train, his favorite I think. We loved it, and rode it several times. But it hurt! He'd look over at me and scream "OUCH MY NECK" I'd yell "YOUR SIX, I'M OLD!!" =)

This was our last ride. I used to love it, but while it was going I had to close my eyes and just pretend I had a fan blowing on me. Not sure when I turned into this old person, but unbelievable.

We left at 1:30 and the car said 104! We went home and cooled off, I took a shower, then we went to Jessi's and fetched my fussy baby while Brody and Trystan played in the water outside. All in all it was a good but very exhausting day. Me and Brody had a fun time. I am so glad I have at least lost half my baby weight but I have a long way to go and will enjoy it a lot more next year when I'm back to my normal weight (and we dont go when it's 105 out!). I'm wondering if all those chocolate chip cookies were worth it.... =)

braden's first foods

2009-06-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

well rice was not a good first for Braden. Big surprise. The all around, "you can't go wrong, first food" never worked with our little guy. So after a few tries, we moved on to bananas ("nanners") Enjoy...

And here is his first taste of my first batch of homemade zucchini from my dad's garden!!

not really a fan of the zucchini. It kept coming back up to gag him

And we have a first grader!!!!!!

2009-06-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here's our big first grader!!! He finished off his kindergarten year and did great!!! We are so proud of him!! You can spot him by the awful red shoes!

June 3

2009-06-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

So as I sit here waiting for Braden to wake up from his 2 hour nap (he's been asleep in his car seat THAT HE HATES!!) I thouht I'd update the blog... Braden has officially started Mothers day out and loves it (as does mommy). the lady there, Doris is so sweet and you can tell she really loves the little babies. She calls him, Brandon, but it could be worse. She wrote Brandon all over his stuff, kinda funny, especially since thats what Brody wanted to name him. She said he just watches all the other kids. Here is a pic from his first day...

And the minute he saw me walk in the door to get him he passed out.

We are really trying to work with Brody to teach him the value of a dollar (good luck, right?) so we had him pay for something he really wanted and then were explaining how he could earn money. And in the process of all this, he gave Braden a dollar, which gets us to the following pictures. I also have to say that Brody and Braden have this bond that is just the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Braden will watch Brody and just laugh and laugh. When Braden's having a bad day, we tell Brody "Go stand in front of Braden and look at him" works everytime!!!

yay two days in a row!!

2009-05-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Braden's got so good at jumping on his little bouncer deal!! He goes crazy. And he grew out of his tub that was supposed to last thru the 1st year so we're trying this ducky tub. Apparently it makes a pretty good lounge chair also!! Brody suggested we take it to the pool!! Great idea! My dad came over the other day and when he would clear his throat Braden would crack up, so in these pics, I was clearing my throat making him laugh. My throat was seriously sore for a day after but it was totally worth it!!!

4 months old, I think....?

2009-05-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Braden is offically 4 months old! I was a little confused on his age, but I just counted weeks and he'll be 17 weeks Tuesday. I'm lucky to know my own name, much less what day it is. It has definitely gotten harder lately. He's tested me a LOT. He screams, and screams and screams. Then he'll do something like put his hand on mine while he falls asleep or when I go to hand him a toy, he'll grab my finger instead of the toy and it reminds me just how much this little guy loves me and needs me. No matter how close to the edge he pushes me, I can't take it personal. I get stressed out, no doubt. But this too shall pass. Luckily, I've had family around and my girlfriend from church who went thru this has really helped me thru everything I'm feeling and talked me off the ledge =) But we're doing pretty good other than the (almost) daily struggles with Braden. Brody graduates Kindergarten June 8 and we're going to Oklahoma for a while yay!!! Here are some pics!!

My doula, Katherine. She was awesome. I couldnt have achieved my completely

drug free birth without her. she's the best!!!!

I dont even recognize myself right now...

STINKY BOY!!

my punkin pie

long time...

2009-05-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

So I realize it's been a long time since I've updated this (thanks Mandy!!). It's really been a great month. We went to Oklahoma and had an awesome time. Braden got really sick w/salmonella poisoning and now we're keeping him home because of all the swine flu mess. Well that doesn't sound like much but we've stayed pretty busy!! Braden now smiles a lot, grabs things and "talks" a lot!! If I can upload video to here, I will. Here are a lot of pics....

Not so much, the minute I took this off he stopped screaming

This bunny sings Jesus Loves Me, awwwwww!!
He went thru the house and made everyone take a pic in the bunny ears!

10 weeks

Easter Weekend (11 weeks I think)

12 weeks

2009-03-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

So Braden's new thing is smiles and a little noise with it, I'm taking this to be an early laugh. Call it chasing, but that's what I want to believe!! He'll just sit there and talk and laugh at his mobile and hands. Here's 2 pics....

At his 2 month appointment, he was 23 3/4 inches long (85%), 13 lbs 14 oz (95%) and his head is in the 55 percentile (this was something we have an ongoing bet on b/c of Brody's 120% when he was a baby!!) So we got us a big chunker!! But we love our little chubby bunny.

As for Brody, he's doing so awesome. He's a great big brother that is (usually) pretty patient with Braden's extreme fussiness (thank goodness). One day when Dave was working late, I had to cut Brody's bedtime book short because Braden was throwing a complete fit and Brody sucked it up and took it like a big boy. When David got home he went to kiss Brody goodnight and he had been crying. Awwwww, so I went in there and finished the book while Dave took the screaming chunk.

funny sidenote ----- the other day we were going to my parents house for our Sunday date (they watch the kids while we go grab a steak, yummm) and there was a dead skunk that stunk up the car. I heard Brody in the back seat saying, dead serious, "Does anyone have any fresh air? Do you have some fresh air I can smell?" Maybe you had to be there but I was cracking up!!!!!

Can you tell we havent slept since FOREVER?????

misc

2009-03-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Not sure about this thing

Eat, Pee and Sleep, oh wait forget the sleep part

2009-03-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Mr. Stinky is almost 7 weeks old!! You always hear that time flies when they're little and now I understand it. The first few weeks creeeeeped by b/c we were really having problems getting his eating schedule down and keeping him happy. Now we just have come to expect that he only takes 20 minute naps during the day time and when the kid gets hungry, FEED HIM!! Regardless of how long it's been since his last feeding! I have learned a few tricks on getting him to sleep, but he usually wakes up 20 minutes later. Luckily though, he has a good routine at night and goes right back to sleep after his late night feeding. But unlucky for Dave, when Braden wakes up for the 4 or 5:00 am feeding, he's up for the day. But David prefers that feeding, so have at it!!!

Here are some pics!
Grumps...

This is what we do all day....

Modeling our new furniture

nothing special

2009-03-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

So I have totally slacked on this blog, but there's not enough time in the day!! A few things I've learned in the past 6 weeks:
- showers are more important than eating, sleeping is more important than showers, EVERYTHING is more important than cleaning!
- the bouncer is a life saver
- sleep is a thing of the past
- what baby says, goes.

Here are a few pictures our photographer did recently and two I took...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

we had a nice Valentine's day at our house. I got roses and a stuffed animal from the boys and me and David enjoyed a nice dinner alone from an italian restaurant we love around here.

Here are some cute pics of Braden in his V-day outfit (ignore the messy house and old furniture!!)...

Our birthdays

2009-02-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

So Monday was my 28th birthday and David outdid himself! He surprised me with breakfast from our favorite place in the morning and that night came home with Silver Fox, our favorite restaurant EVER!! It was awesome!!! Since we couldnt go out to dinner, he brought it to me! awwwwwwww And that night he ended up taking the 3:00 shift for Braden, but it wasnt planned. I was so exhausted that apparently I told him Braden was hungry and rolled over and went back to sleep! oops, maybe he shouldn't have given me that glass of wine.
Tuesday was Braden's 2 week birthday and we have since had many sleepless nights and our new thing - SPIT UP!! here are a few pics....

I think I live in this chair (if you cant tell. We parted with it a few

months later and it was very, very hard!!!)

He looks innocent, but has he got some lungs!

And he isnt scared to use them ALL THE TIME

(mainly at night)

one week old

2009-02-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

So Braden is officially one week old as of yesterday! To mark his one week bday, I thought I'd review what all has happened in the last week - The first night we were here, we had a rough night because he wasnt nursing so he was real hungry and cranky. David was checking his diaper on the bed and all of a sudden a perfect stream of pee goes straight onto David and he just had to sit there and take it so none got on the bed! Since then, at least once a day, while changing Braden, I hear "oh no, wait, hang on. AWWWWW COME ON!" and I know that means Braden has either a) peed on David, b) peed all over the wall or c) pooped on David (this has happened twice). It's HILARIOUS!!! Then tonight Braden threw up ALL OVER ME. And not just spit up, he puked on me. He has also had his first bath and first bottle. Another big thing was on night 4, he slept for 8 1/2 hours! Now he just wakes up once a night. So here are some pics from his one week birthday!!

he's here!!

2009-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

So our little guy finally arrived, late, but at least he came. And I must say, he made quite an entrance. To begin with, he decided to come during the only ice storm we've had in centuries (ok, that's how it seems) so we had no family or friends there at all. Luckily we got there right before the ice hit and got released right when it melted!! The labor was pretty long when I think about it, but the only part that was so bad was the last 3 hours when I was struggling and a little unsure about this whole drug free thing!!! But I made it and upon arriving into this world he squeezed his big ol head thru my you know what and was plopped onto my belly, slime and all. When they threw him on me the nurse ran to the speaker and called for help because he had meconium (he pooped in the birth canal) and he was all purple. The midwife said he wasnt breathing and I said - get him off me and fix him!! Right then he started screaming and let everyone know he was just messin around. Then they handed me a towel and we start cleaning him and he peed on me!! So all this really wasnt that dramatic but those 3 minutes were pretty eventful. They also told us there was something wrong with his rib cage and it either had a little deformity or was "assymetrical" but it turns out the poor guy was just all squished up from coming thru that tiny birth canal. So that is our birth adventure, I will spare the details of labor other than it was a somewhat long birth and he was OP (backwards). I did make it without drugs and am real proud of that but I"m not sure I"d do it again!! I will post more adventures of our first few nights soon!

All about Brody

2009-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

i've been wanting to post what happened the Sunday before last at church. I went to pick him up from his class and he pulled me over to the teacher. She told me that during story time they used a certain story telling block to show the story of Jesus and mentioned how we get eternal life. But rather than calling it "saved" they tell the children to ask Jesus to be their best friend and to ask for forgiveness and so on. she said 4 students wanted to say the prayer asking this right away. She tried to get them to wait for the parents so they could talk to them about it, but the kids were adamant at doing it right then. So Brody asked Jesus to be his best friend! Me and David were real excited but we also realize that Brody is only 6, so he can really only understand so much. Then yesterday we read a kid's book on being saved and it had a prayer in the end that he said. It was funny, during the prayer it mentioned "please forgive me for breaking your rules" Brody looked up and said I DIDNT BREAK ANY RULES! it was funny. But regardless of how much he understands, it's still a huge leap in his walk with the Lord and we are so proud of him!!
Another exciting thing in his life - we are putting him in (ANOTHER) school next week. Primrose is awesome, but this opportunity has been thrown in our laps and allows us to stay in this house for 5-6 more years without worrying about school. God hooked us up. Brittany explained it best - he blesses me in my ignorance. I filled out an application for what I thought was first grade, at this new charter school (like a private-public school). I got a call that I had actually filled out a Kindergarten app and they have an opening. And the reason we are switching now is b/c it ensures him a spot for 1st grade. If we wait until open enrollment, they only have about 10 spots and their chosen on a lottery system. So by my complete ignorance, we stumbled on this awesome opportunity and get to stay in this house until the market gets better and we have money saved to move!!! YAY!!

Almost to 39...

2009-01-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm now one day away from 39 weeks. I am HUGE. I just want my body back. My face is all puffy, I dont recognize myself sometimes. And I cant even use my hands in the morning b/c the joints are so sore from retaining water. And these are just the NEW complaints!! I keep having more and more real contractions, I think. But they stop when I lay down, which means it isnt real labor. BUT I'm hoping it's getting me closer to labor. I'm drinking a ton of Red Rasberry tea and taking primrose oil to get my uterus working. And I'm gonna look into accupuncture once my midwife okays it. I just dont want it to come down to having to be induced. They already told me they would induce on January 30th if he isnt here by then. I think they might suggest "stripping my membranes" which sounds so incredibly painful. OUCH
Its ok though b/c I have so much fun playing with him. If I sit anything on my belly he immediately starts pushing back. Like he's telling me to get outta his space. It's hilarious. I seriously do it on purpose and sit there cracking up!!! Well, I"ll update again after my appointment Tuesday!!

Here are some pics of the boys today. Brody got this

Cowboys get up from Santa while he was in Omaha

He took this pic just for his grandparent in Omaha!!

2008-12-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

STILL PREGNANT

Happy thoughts, it's almost over -

Lake Tahoe

2008-11-13T04:03:00.000-08:00

So here are some pics from our trip to Tahoe - our "babymoon"! It was so beautiful out there. We stayed in Truckee, California. A small little ski town that was soooooo nice!!

The Stockyards

2008-10-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

We went to the Stockyards this morning. Our days are split up b/c we to take him to meet Crystal for a few hours, so we decided to get out around 9:30 and spend some time together. It was real nice out - we had some ice cream, soda in a bottle and he even got to ride a horse around the rodeo ring!! Here are some pics:

Belly love

It's a HE!

2008-08-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

So here is the debut of our little Braydon Cooper. And they put an arrow next to his goodies so everyone knows where to look!! Poor guy, doesnt even have a say in the matter. So these pics don't do it justice b/c at the office we could actually see his face with his hand up by his head - like he was waving. and every few seconds his body would flinch. It was funny. Right when the dr said it was a boy David yells "Yes, poppin out champions!" Wow, ok well glad you're excited - the tech promptly threw a towel on me and turned the tv off. I think David scared him. I am counting down teh hours to tell Brody, and praying to God that he doesnt ruin it by having a bad report when I pick him up. Yesterday I got the lovely surprise of finding out he spit on someone that pissed him off. GOOD TIMES!!!

this is actually his face, and you can see his little arms.
One is tucked under his face and the other is next to it. AWWW
Like an angel sleeping!!!

This is his face again and his big 'ol belly!!!

So, I'm taking a poll - spell it Braydon or Brayden? I think I might be leaning towards "on" but I'm not sure...

This is all so exciting, I honestly had no idea that 5 minutes in front of a little black and white tv screen could make me so happy!

2008-07-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd post a few pics from July 4th and the last few months

Brody being my dream child -

I love this pic of him and Chloe

Working hard in Oklahoma...

Aidyn is obviously the model of the group, posing already

this is seriously the cutest pic ever (Kandyce and Parker)
See any resemblance in the fake smiles?

I dont think the kids are supposed to be scared on the Fourth, but that's what happens when you catch your neighbor's lot on fire!!

It's Alfalfa!!!!

So Much For Sleeping In...

2008-06-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am, kidless and up at 6:45 anyways. Recently my wonderful husband has decided to take up snoring. So last night I told him either he's finding some miraculous cure for this new found hobby or one of us is sleeping in Brody's room. Turns out he kinda fixed this problem (allergy meds, decongestant and those lovely nose strips that are always good for a laugh), but do I sleep late? Of course not. I get woke up by this hunger that is so strong it feels like if I dont eat something quickly, my stomach might start eating itself. So, as I sit here inhaling my bagel and orange juice I realize that my fantasy of sleeping all day and night while Brody's gone, is not going to happen anytime soon. But on a better note, I had my first sonogram Wednesday. And we got to see its little heart beating like crazy. 160 beats per minute! No wonder I feel sick, it's like I have a little butterfly in there! I am amazed at how much this little alien in my tummy resembles a baby. It's so much more real to me now that I've seen it. If I can figure out how to post a few pictures, I will.