OH BOYS!

He has graduated....

2012-02-14T17:02:00.000-06:00

to the blog...my little family journal. Our sweet baby Maddox turned one a week ago today and so now I am done with documenting everything in his "Baby's First Year Journal" and he has graduated to the blog where I hope to be diligent in tracking his milestones, memories, and moments that I just want to always be able to cherish. My hope also is that one day my boys will appreciate all the journaling I have done and view it as a resource for when they become Daddys (or maybe their wives will). If nothing else I hope it is fun for them to read through how fun - and funny - it was for their Daddy and I to raise them. And how DIFFICULT at times. Mostly I hope they gain the understanding of just how LOVED and cherished they were/are!

So, little man is now a whole year old....hard for Mommy since he is our caboose. No more babies for me...technically speaking, he is a toddler. I got to tell you, I DESPISE that word right now. I want him to be a baby forever. I know, I know, I know.....everyone keeps saying "He will always be your baby." No $#!%!! But we all know that it is not the same. They get bigger, they start whining, talking back, not able to sleep snuggled up against your chest, preferring others to you, not drinking breast milk (at least not from your breast....move over momma, there is cold cow's milk readily available and safe for your baby now). So many reasons to mourn the fact that I am no longer the Mommy to a baby...I am a Mommy to a TERRIFIC two-year-old, a FABULOUS five-year-old, and a TREASURED toddler, but not a BOUNCING, BEAUTIFUL baby!

So, how I am getting through this??? I am just enjoying the lingering babyisms...he is still nursing - although we have started the weaning process this past weekend, he will still fall asleep against my chest before nap and bed if he is REALLY worn out, he is not walking yet, he still fits comfortably and wonderfully (and likes it) in the Ergo, and he still seems to prefer me over anyone else....YEA!!! In fact, his first word - and still his favorite - is Momma.

Another way I am coping with this revelation? I am focusing on all that is to come with three boys as they get older. I look to the future as they get to ages where we can grab a couple clean pairs of underwear and a toothbrush and jump in the van and go on a trip (vs. now with monitors, pack n plays, pacis, sippy cups, diapers, etc.). I look forward to all of us relaxing together as a cozy family on a Sunday afternoon all laying around the den enjoying a quiet time reading and napping. I even look forward to when I can sit and have a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or a beer and have a grown-up conversation with my "~~men~~" boys.

Those are a couple of my "coping" mechanisms as I accept the fact that I do not have any "babies" and that I will not have anymore.

I am so blessed to call these three babies "mine"! Thank you, LORD!

Bye bye paci

2012-02-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

So Friday, January 13th - yes Friday, the 13th - was the night...Evan said "bye" to his paci. After sleeping with it for 2 years and 8 months, we closed that chapter for him. We did what we did with Brady and "celebrated" the fact that he is a big boy instead of just taking it away. So our sweet friends, Amanda & Stefan, let Brady come over and play with his best buds, Grayson & Olivia, while we made a special night out of "being a big boy". (We brought Maddox with us because he is quiet and not going to steal any attention or spotlight from Evan).

We took Evan to the mall, to Build-A-Bear, and let him choose an animal of his liking. He said goodbye to his paci and put it inside the elephant that he chose. He named him Pauly D, with his Daddy's prompting. After he chose his elephant, we went and rode the carousel (he again chose the elephant), and then he had an ice cream. It was a nice time with just our big boy, Evan.

I was definitely concerned with how this would go when sleep time came as that is the only time our boys have them so saying goodbye in the mall doesn't have the full impact that sleep time will have. We had a rough night that first night. As fiesty as Evan is, Chris and I were fully prepared to find Pauly D torn apart with stuffing everywhere and the paci in his mouth come Saturday morning.

The first night was rough....LOTS of tears and crying for many hours......then he finally quieted down but woke up on and off all night. Saturday at nap, some trouble and tears, but not as long. Saturday night more DRAMA and "I want my papi (paci). I get it out." as he grabs for Pauly D and examines him to see where his opening is. YIKES!! We have a much more stern conversation with him about things on Saturday night and it does not take as long as Friday night and Chris does not have to stay in there for the night. Sunday nap and night a little drama but not much. By Monday and Tuesday, he was over it. He would still ask for it from time to time with a knowing smirk on his face - testing me to see what I would say, but that is it. After a couple of weeks, there are no more discussions regarding the paci.

He is OFFICIALLY a big boy : )

Conversations with Brady

2012-01-23T22:35:00.000-06:00

While sitting with Brady waiting for guitar lessons, he was asking me question after question. Finally I said "why do you keep asking me so many questions?". He simply said: "because, mom, I am a question asker". So true Brady Mac, so true!

So Chris, Brady, and I were sitting around the table and talking about which of our kiddos may resemble me. I mentioned that Brady resembled me when he was younger and he said "No, mom. I look like Dad." So I asked him, "who looks like me?" He said: "Daisy did." I started cracking up. "What?" I know he is set on the fact that boys look like boys and girls look like girls so, in his mind, there is no way any of my children can look like me because I have all boys and I am a girl. Since Daisy was a girl (our yellow lab), then she must look like me. So - through my laughter - I say: "She didn't look like Mommy. Why do you think she looked like Mommy?" Brady - "Well, you both have eyebrows." I guess he has a point there. We both do/did have eyebrows.

"Mom, are we free on May 17th?" "I don't know, Brady, why?" "Because my friend in my class invited me to her birthday party." "Cool. I am not sure, Brady." "Free means available, Mom. That we are able to do something." Thanks, Brady. I need that clarification!

Observing my friendly little guy while waiting for his guitar lesson last Saturday...we were waiting for his turn when another little boy was there. He started small talk with him and then I overheard him say: "Do you want to be friends?" I love that about him!

So many thoughts.....

2012-01-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

This journal entry has taken me forever to finish. I need to allot some time more regularly to journaling because my kids are growing up too quickly : )

I really am wishing I had some sort of easy, convenient, mobile device right now for keeping up with my journaling. I have had so many thoughts, conversations, activities, etc. that I wanted to journal about but with everything in my world going on, I have not had the time or opportunity to open up my laptop and document the things that I have wanted to document. This is my attempt at just "dumping" all the things that I can remember out while I can still remember some of them.
Evan....the things he is currently saying that we LOVE.."I luh you" (I love you). When you say I love you to him; he comes back with: "I luh you moan" (I love you more). If you then try to come back with "I love you more", he retorts with: "I luh you mose" (I love you most).....I LOVE this most!!! (pun intended). I have always made my boys look me square on for a direct kiss when I kiss their sweet faces. In doing that, I have always said to them - if they looked away or turned to the side - "give me those lips". Now whenever Evan comes in for a kiss, he says to me "Gi me dose lips". The cool thing is that when he says it, he sounds just like me...inflection and all! I love it! He says costume - "costoon". "not ri-ghat now". This is one of his favorites, especially when he doesn't want to do something we have asked of him. "No fanks" so clearly and matter-of-factly. He sounds like a little man. He likes to say this when we ask him to do something; again that he does not feel like doing : ) "I got eeechee; I got eeechee" as he is scratching (I got itchies). "Awww, cah mon." (Awww, come on.) when things are not working. He also gets frustrated when things don't work out that he is playing with. He gets very mad and says, through gritted teeth: "It not wort!"; "It not wort!" (It's not working).

He is such a happy, fun child....and hilarious! He is also VERY passionate; he definitely starts to get angry when things don't "wort"...I wonder where he gets that from : )

Not Just Me

2011-10-20T15:51:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we finally pulled the big Graco swing out of Maddox's room. About a month ago it stopped working...the motor was trying - you could hear it - but it wasn't moving. After three kids...and almost to the point of Maddox being out of it....it conked out on us.

Chris was going to investigate and check it out; make sure it was not fixable before we put it to the curb for this morning's trash pick up. After careful examination, we pronounced the swing dead. I was sad...not very surprising for me. Was I sad because the swing was ~~dead~~ broken? No, not really. I was a little disappointed as I would have liked to pass it on to someone else when we were done with it. I was sad because of what the swing represents.....all three of my sweet babies have enjoyed the swing. There have been ~~millions~~ many naps in that swing....especially for Brady who would not nap in his crib FOREVER! I remember stressing out when he was little that he would still be napping in the swing when he was 5 years old.

Chris took the swing outside and then when he came back in he said "I am really upset." I asked him why he was upset and he said that he was sad about putting the swing out for the trash. I could tell by his demeanor that he truly was sad. I was surprised that something inanimate like a swing did that to him. At the same time, I found it very endearing and was glad that it was not just me.

He went back outside to take the rest of the trash out, when he did he informed me that he had to take the swing apart and put it in the can because if he woke up and saw the intact swing sitting there it would really sadden him and he might grab it and bring it back in, unable to let it go. Then he pulled something out from behind his back....the seat cover and headrest where our lil' angels sat. He looked at me and said: "I couldn't throw this part away." "This pattern, this material...I can't throw it away." Of course I could understand. It has nothing to do with the material or the pattern but - again - what it represents...that blue and brown plaid is our babies infanthood...their swing, their pack-n-play. I picked up the headrest and smelled it....awww...smells like our sweet Maddox.

So no more big swing in our house - and with Maddox being the baby - there will not be a replacement. This is the end of an era. I am just so happy - and touched - that it is not just me.

Brady at 3 1/2 months

Evan at 3 months

Maddox at 2 months old

Updates of my Kindergartener

2011-10-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

I still have times were it is hard to believe that I have a kindergartener...even though we are a good two months in. Brady is doing great. He has made friends, enjoys his teachers (and they him), gets his lunch in the cafeteria with his pin number like a big boy, and so many other big boy things. He is "reading". I use quotation marks because at this point it is still just sight words, but excites and fills me with pride nonetheless.

He is playing in his second season of soccer with Upward and it is amazing the difference in development in one year. He enjoys it so much. He is not one of the more competitive or aggressive ones in the group but he enjoys being a part of the team just the same. He still will tell you - when asked what his favorite part is - that snack is his favorite part! He has played in 5 games so far this season and has scored 3 goals (a singleton in 3 different games) - very exciting - last year he did not score any...not that it bothered him at all. He just enjoyed being out there and running around with his teammates.

We just signed up for basketball for the first time. It will be fun for him to try a new sport.

I was able to chaperone him on one of his field trips. We went to Old Baker Farm - we LOVE that place. It is where we go as a family every year to cut down our Christmas tree. My sweet husband took a vacation day to sit with Evan and Maddox so that I could join Brady as a chaperone on one of his trips. It was a fun time together....we rode in the very backseat of the school bus and Brady was a little nervous with how bumpy it was, he kept saying it was kind of like a roller coaster. I liked it because he held my hand or wanted me to have my hand on his leg the whole time to help him feel safe. I will take my cuddles where I can get them, especially now as he is growing up.

We can join Brady at school for lunch so today I am going to join him at 11:20 a.m. to have lunch with him. He was very happy when I told him this morning that I put a note in his backpack with my lunch choice. He and I have been talking for a couple of weeks about me coming to his school to have lunch with him. This is something that he has been wanting me to do for a little while so he was very excited to learn that today I would be joining him. Of course as a mommy that made my heart swell and I looked forward to the idea of that special time with him. He and I sitting at the family table enjoying lunch. He smiled big and gave me a big hug and then said: "I am going to invite Preston to join us." Apparently when the kiddos have a parent or guest come eat lunch with them they are allowed to invite one friend to join them if they want to. I guess I am having lunch today with my sweet Brady and his buddy Preston. That is not exactly what I had in mind but I guess this is the beginning of that stage of life....I had to hide my minor disappointment in not having the one on one lunch that I had envisioned. I am still looking forward to this experience with my big boy!
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Evanspeak

2011-10-13T09:45:00.000-05:00

Evan is such a sweet & funny little fella. He is at the delightful age where he is constantly saying new things....so fun and so cute! Our favorites - not necessarily for WHAT he says but rather, HOW he says it are (translations are in parentheses):

did ya heeya (hear) dat? (did you hear that?)
whew (pronounced where with a "w" sound instead of an "r" sound) aww (are) you?
hehwa (hair)
sawdee (sorry)
ahhh meenit (a minute, just a minute)
hode me, hode me (hold me)
wahh doin'? (what are you doing?)
ah lud you (I love you)
pop it (stop it)
pupcake (cupcake)

What a delight!

2011-09-08T15:35:00.002-05:00

So often I am struck by the differences in personalities between my two older boys. I had a little glimpse of it yesterday during lunch with my sweet Evan. We often take his shirt off when he eats thing that can stain and put on an "eating shirt" (old t-shirts that we don't care if they get stained), in lieu of a bib. I took off his shirt and as I reached for an "eating shirt", Evan says: "No mommy not eating shirt....my belly." Me: "You don't want to wear an eating shirt? You just want to eat without a shirt on?" E: "Yes, mommy. Just my belly." I just smiled and thought back to Brady's younger days - and even now - how uncomfortable he is without a shirt on. Swimming, eating, anything, Brady will ask: "Am I just going to - fill in the blank - in my belly?" He always prefers a shirt and has since he was very little. Evan, on the other hand, is completely comfortable being topless!

Sunday....Sunday....

2011-09-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

A couple of Sundays ago I had what I consider a perfect kind of day. I realized it at the end of the day when I was walking with my boys. I looked over at Chris as we were walking in our neighborhood with our boys and just felt this complete feeling of contentment. I realized that the day was the kind of day I enjoy most.

It started with working my new part time job in the nursery at Prince of Peace Catholic Church (working toward our cause of paying off our unemployment debt) for their first mass. Then I picked up all my boys and went to church. After church we had lunch as a family, all my boys napped/rested well and I was able to rest some and also accomplish things around the house to feel ready to start the week. When my boys woke up we enjoyed a great time playing outside and then a yummy dinner. Chris grilled and I cooked some sides inside. We had a great dinner and then enjoyed a walk through the neighborhood as a family. The overwhelming feeling of contentment was unmistakable. The reason this stuck out to me was the day was so ordinary. We weren't on vacation, we didn't win any prize or money, we didn't make any grand purchase or learn of any extraordinary news....it was just a nice, simple ordinary day but it was the kind of day I love. I thought this was noteworthy...so here it is, for me to remember that so many of my favorite days are ordinary days where there is fun, good food, a sense of accomplishment, a little exercise, great relationships, some rest, and an adequate amount of time outdoors.

Just something that I want to be able to remember and look back on!

Appreciating the Appreciation

2011-08-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

It is amazing what a heartfelt "Thank you" can do for one's soul, especially if your love language is words of affirmation like myself.

Tuesday night Chris had a work dinner to attend so he was not coming home after work. On his way to the restaurant from his office, Chris called me and said -- "I just wanted to call and tell you 'thank you'" He proceeded to thank me for taking care of his children, for staying home where he does not have to worry about their care or how they are being influenced.

It is nice to hear the appreciation. I would much rather stay home and raise our children full time than go to work outside of the home and leave them in someone else's care. However, hearing that you are appreciated for such a hard job is GREAT.

His heart

2011-08-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

that is where "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of GOD." That was the answer I received from Brady when we were reviewing this week's memory verse. After reciting his verse to me, I said: "Where is that?" - meaning where is that verse located in the Bible? He answered,in all seriousness, "my heart". LOVE it!!

That was not the answer I was looking for (Matthew 5:9) but it sure is THE answer...the whole reason we are doing this...in order to have GOD's word tucked away in our hearts. Awesome...thank you LORD for this boy and this little moment of clarity with him.

FIRST FAMILY VACATION

2011-08-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

as just our little family of five (never even happened as a family of 3 or 4)! It was a wonderful time and very cherished. It was just a couple days in Orange Beach, Alabama but it was just what we needed. Only a 4 hour drive, cute little house, steps from the ocean, 2 nights away, rest and relaxation....exactly what we wanted. Thankful for this memory of my little family of five!

highlights:

watching Brady crab "hunt" with Daddy
witnessing Evan's expression the first time he walked in the sand (he was 9 weeks old the first and only time he went to the beach before this trip)
experiencing my sweet lovey dovey (Maddox) sleeping in my arms on the beach listening to the waves
sipping ice cold beers with my hubby while marveling over our sweet little life

after school chat

2011-08-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

Brady cracks me up with the way he organizes and expresses his thoughts.

He completed his first week of school last Friday.

We have started a little after school chat time. We are very blessed that a neighbor is able to bring Brady home from school every afternoon. This has worked out great for a couple of reasons. The reason we did it was so that my lil' guys - Evan & Maddox - can get their afternoon naps, instead of spending that precious time in carpool line.

I have enjoyed this time with Brady where we can sit and talk and read stories, read the Bible....good one on one time. On Friday Brady and I are chatting about his day and I asked him about making new friends. He said that when he meets someone new, he "charges them" with do you know Star Wars? If they do, I ask them their name. Maybe I can ask them for a map to their house and we can go to their house mom to see if they have Star Wars toys at their house?

He is obsessed with Star Wars now! Chris decided that this past summer was the perfect time/age for he and Brady to bond over Star Wars...and now Brady is OBSESSED!

HERE WE ARE!

2011-08-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

I have had a lot of "okay they are growing up" moments lately. Letting go - however small these steps are right now - is always hard. Brady lost his first tooth last week - total shock to me as he got his first tooth later than average. He started kindergarten yesterday. This is BIG stuff....BIG school, all day, every day.

Evan is wearing big boy underwear and doing better sleeping in his big boy bed...after a short stint of putting him in his pack n play in his bedroom to sleep because he repeatedly got out of his bed...and sometimes climbed the ladder to Brady's bed.

Maddox is a half of a year old...........NOOOOOOOOOO! This is so hard for me to swallow. I don't want him to grow up...he is my caboose and I want him to stay a cute, snuggly little baby for a LONG time or FOREVER!!! I love having the sweetest baby in the world to cuddle and fall asleep on me and stare at me with an adoration that only a little angel has for his momma!

So here we are. I do not have a choice. Time is going to continue to tick by regardless of how I feel or what I choose to focus on. I am trying to enjoy the little moments and each little limb on each little tree in the middle of this forest. I love my boys immensely!

overstimulation

2011-07-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

I never REALLY understood "oVeRsTiMulAtiOn" until I became a Mother. Yes, I could comprehend - cerebrally - what it means to be overstimulated but I did not UNDERSTAND what it means...there was not empathy for the child who is overstimulated....."just relax"....what exactly does that mean??

Then I became a mom and I so often feel ~~like I am going to scream~~ overstimulated. I didn't know it was possible but with 3 little people in my care, that I am responsible for, I am OftEn overstimulated....the constant noise, the constant chatter, the constant NEED....WOWSERS!!! I so often feel like my nerves are tapped to the hilt.

So I wonder...is this me? the "job"? my kiddos?

I am working on figuring out how to "manage" this. Sometimes in my "peaked" overstimulation my solution is "okay, quiet time now. we are taking a bReAk....no talking..." I hope my overstimulation does not scar my sweet Brady but rather teach him some self control, some patience, some appreciation for the quiet pauses in life.

BLAST OFF!!

2011-07-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Brady, Evan, and I sitting around the table eating lunch a couple of days ago...

B - "Mommy, how will we (Evan and I) die?"
Me - "I don't know buddy. Hopefully that does not happen for a really long time; like when you are A LOT older."
B - "But how does Jesus come and get us?" "Does he send a rocket down here to get us and then we blast off with Jesus to heaven?"
Me - "Not exactly." "Our bodies are not going to heaven. Just our spirits. Remember when we have talked about that before. It is just our spirits that will go to heaven to be with Jesus."
B - "So in heaven we do not have any bodies...just our hearts go up to heaven."
Me - "Kind of." "It is hard to really explain and we do not know for sure exactly how that part will be because the only people that know are in heaven. They are dead do they can't tell us."
B - "Right, Right." "So I won't go there until I am a lot older."
Me - "I hope so."
B - "Are MiMi and PopPop old?"
Me - "They are oldER but not real old"
B - "Right. They are not REAL old, not that old yet. They are just a little bit old."

Oh the wheels are turning...I love these thought-out REAL conversations that we have. Most of the time we have the mindless chatter where it is obvious that Brady just wants to hear himself talk. These are the talks I know I will cherish. The talks I want to remember for a lifetime.

Evan at the end of this conversation contributes with a boisterous blast off motion and sound effect...love him!

"I don't wanta....."

2011-07-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Evan's famous words right now...even if it is something that he likes. "Evan let's go eat lunch." E - "I don't want eat lunch." "Evan, let's go pee pee." E - "I don't want go pee pee." Evan apparently is exercising his will in enjoying letting us know what he "don't wanta" do.

Evan LOVES Woody from Toy Story. He also like playing with the other characters, in particular Buzz Lightyear. Buzz Lightyear's famous quote is "From infinity and beyond". Evan has started saying that - this is his twist on it: "from insinitee an yon" with such enthusiasm and the best and brightest smile.

He now says EVERYTHING that we say, even if we do not understand it. Some in particular tha I like and are noteworthy: "nuk" for milk (he uses this word for wanting any drink, even if he is drinking water; "belbum" (you're welcome); "baf" (bath); "backboes" (crackers); "Un wich" (Uncle Rich); "samsich" (sandwich); "ine cited" (I am excited); "an wait" (I can't wait)....love toddler-speak...so endearing : )

LOVE Evan such a sweet and cool kiddo!

Sweet Words

2011-07-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

I sure do love when I receive unsolicited words of affirmation from my boys. Thursday morning before heading out of our house, Brady climbed into my arms and said "I wish I could marry you, Mommy." Very touched, I looked at him and said "Why do you say that, baby?" "Because, Mommy, I love you." Awww, thanks buddy!

After arriving in Atlanta for a visit, I asked Brady to help me with getting some things out of the van. He followed me outside and I told him that I was glad he was my big boy helping me and that I had him as my big boy. He said "I am happy that I have you as my mommy." I said, "Yeah, why do you say that?" "Because, mom, you are cool AND cute." How sweet!

At MiMi & PopPop's house, Brady's boo boo was starting to bleed again so he needed a band aid. We looked in the bathroom with MiMi and found one. I said that is great MiMi has a band aid for you. He said, "Yeah, I knew she would have a special one for me." Love it!

After having a stomach bug through the night, Brady and I prayed for his belly to feel better. He woke up and the stomach part of his illness was gone. I said, "Oh, baby, we need to thank Jesus for your belly feeling better." He said, "Yeah, mommy. We asked Jesus to make it better and he said 'Well, alright'." He said this all smiles. Precious!

BIG BOY NEWS!!!

2011-07-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

Evan is really taking to the idea of potty training (we introduced it over the past two weeks while Brady was in VBS) so I guess we are going to dive in now....full force : / That is my mixed emotions face. I have mixed emotions because, of course, I am so excited at the thought of getting Evan out of diapers....especially with another one in diapers. I also am sad at the thought of my sweet lil' Evee growing up : ( I am also not looking forward to the work involved! Let's face it...it is much easier to go out and about with 3 little kiddos when you don't have one trying hard to stay dry. Since he seems so ready I need to move forward with it before I miss the "sweet spot" when he is so ready.

Last night Evan moved out of his crib into his big boy bed. He will be sleeping in the bottom bunk of Brady's bed. This was quite emotional for me...he is only 2 - 25 months to be exact. Brady was much older when he moved into his big boy bed. Evan looked so tiny in that big, full size bed. My baby not in his crib anymore...hard for Mommy. With Brady's great bunk beds and large bedroom we had always planned for the boys to share the bedroom even if we had chosen to not have a third child. With Maddox here we are going to use the nursery again for him. With that in mind, we are moving Evan into his big boy bed a little sooner than we probably otherwise would have. He was soooo excited about sleeping in his big boy bed. One of my concerns definitely came to be...my fun-loving, loud, easily excitable little guy was very interested in the fact that his best buddy - his big brother, Brady was sleeping in the bed right above him. We kept hearing: "Baydee" (Brady), "BAYDEE?". We had to go in there several times and "threaten" him. We had to tell Brady to ignore him, hoping the novelty would wear out and he would tire of calling for him. Eventually it got quiet in there and he was out - so was Brady. Daddy slept upstairs to make sure he was okay all night and so I could get a good, full night's sleep (what a sweet hubby). At about 3 a.m. Evan called out because somehow in his sleep he got his arm caught in the slats of the bed above him. He woke up at another time because he could not find his paci. Then Chris said at 6:15 a.m. (he doesn't usually wake up until 7:30 or 8) he heard Evan again: "BAYDEE?" Not a great night sleep, but a start. Hopefully the novelty of sharing a room tires sooner rather than later. We shall see.

Hard for me to believe that my baby is potty training and sleeping in a big boy bed.

Update: about 2 weeks later....the "novelty" is wearing off - good and bad....it is wearing off for potty training (not good) and the big boy bed and sharing a room with Brady (good). With VBS over and us out and about Evan needed to be in a diaper, then being out of town for an entire week - I feel like we lost some ground with potty training. The novelty is gone so the "fun" of being a big boy and using the potty is over. So now - yea me! - I am working on reviving the excitement of potty training now that we are back in town. This is my second least favorite parenting responsibility to date (sleep trainig being my first)!

At least we can put both boys to bed in the same room at the same time and within 15 - 20 minutes they are quiet and asleep and we do not hear from them until - the earliest - 7 a.m. That, at least, is some progress so that is what I will focus on.

WELL, WELL, WELL

2011-06-28T23:24:00.000-05:00

We have had all three boys at the pediatrician recently for well check-ups. Evan's 2 year check-up...sized up at 34.5 inches (60th percentile) and 27 lbs. (40th percentile) with a clean bill of health. Brady's 5 year check-up.....sized up at 45.5 inches tall and 46.5 lbs. - 75th percentile for weight and OFF THE CHARTS for height!! I have never had a child measure off the charts. Dr. Anderson said he is the size of a 6 year old...wow! I felt so bad for Brady. The vaccinations end at the 2 year well check-up until 5 which is when they come back to prepare for school - 4 shots in the thighs...ouch!!! Chris came to this appt. with us. I was proud of how he handled it. He also received a clean bill of health. Maddox had his 4 month well check-up yesterday....5 vaccinations in ONE day! He did well and measured in at 26.5 inches tall and 13 lbs. 6.5 oz. - 95th percentile for height (my tallest boy at this age) and only 25th percentile for weight....LONG and LEAN! He also received a clean bill of health. I am a very THANKFUL Mommy - and Daughter of the KING - for having healthy, beautiful boys!

AMEN little love!

2011-06-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

Evan has started praying before his meals. He bows his head says: "Geejus"...speaks in tongues, then nods his head and says "Amen". LOVE it!!! LOVE him!!

Firsts and Lasts

2011-06-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

It seems much of my journaling regarding my kiddos and memories that I want to cherish is regarding firsts and lasts. I feel like we have had so many firsts and lasts as of late....

Brady had his last day of preschool...........FOREVER!

Brady had his last (first) t-ball game!

Evan turned two!

Brady got fitted and wore a tuxedo (oh, I teared up...so grown and handsome)! He was the ring bearer in Uncle Rich's wedding.

We celebrated Brady's 5th birthday with a fun fire station birthday party with his friends!

Maddox has stopped "needing me" in the middle of the night.
I registered my FIRST baby for the FIRST time for school (kindergarten is coming up).

Evan has been sporadically going pee pee and poop in the potty (the FIRST step toward potty training)! AND telling us when he needs to go poop.
Instead of just calling him "beebee" (which he still does : )), Evan has started calling Maddox by his name - "mannex" - so sweet!

Evan and Maddox had their first hotel stay (The Partridge Inn in Augusta for Uncle Rich's wedding) - this was also Maddox's first trip to Augusta.

My boys and I shared two firsts together...playing in the creek with friends (what a BOY thing to do) and we went strawberry picking...so fun!

So much going on....so many memories...May was quite full, especially with two birthdays, a graduation (Nicholas) and a wedding (Rich) so I have jokingly dubbed May of 2011 - "MAYhem".

TWOriffic!!!!

2011-05-14T21:55:00.001-05:00

My EvJ turned TWO today (5/12/11). I can not believe it. I clearly remember two years ago when I sat in the NICU rubbing your back while you were in the little plastic crib hooked up to all the monitors. I sat there for hours trying to not pass out from exhaustion as I did not want to leave your side. It did not seem right to leave your side. Finally Daddy came back from taking Brady & MiMi & PopPop home and encouraged me to say good night to you and head back upstairs to sleep. It is hard to believe that was only two years ago.

You are such a BIG boy…BIG fun, BIG personality, BIG laughs, BIG love. You fight fiercely and LOVE fiercely. You are always running – and always falling down. You always have a “boo boo” but are soooo tough!! You are a joy to all of us….the perfect addition to our family.

You have so many more words…your vocabulary is taking off! There is not anything that you will not say or try to say : ) You are starting to use the potty. Growing up so fast!

In honor of turning two I thought I would decide my top two favorite Evan things (even though it is so hard to focus on just two):

(1) Your nurturing, maternal/paternal way….such a LOVER…you will grab my face and give me such a yummy, big kiss.

(2) Your laugh…so sweet, so contagious…the best sound, the best medicine!

Happy Birthday, Evan! I love you!!!

Unsolicited LOVE!

2011-05-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night you went to t-ball practice with Daddy and Brady. You were having fun with Daddy as he was tickling you and playing while Brady was practicing with his team. You were laughing with Daddy and you looked up at Daddy and, while laughing, said “Daddy, I love you!” That is the BEST! It is one thing to hear “I love you” after we say it to you. It is quite another thing to hear it without first saying it. Unsolicited love is the BEST!!!

Kindergarten is Kicking Off

2011-05-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe it….we are here. We are wrapping up 4K and getting ready for our future as a kindergartner and a family of a kindergartner. A few weeks ago I registered Brady for kindergarten. I had never set foot into Bluff Park Elementary before. In fact when I went inside I had the realization that I have not stepped foot into a big school (not just a little preschool) since I was in school….WOW!! As I walked through that big school and filled out all the information needed for my Brady Mac, I got sooo emotional…this is the start of my baby’s school career. I got worried about so many things for him…mean kids, getting lost in that big building, using the big bathroom in the hall with strangers, figuring out how to get his lunch at the cafeteria, mean kids, getting abducted from the playground, mean kids……YIKES!!! I got emotionally, definitely teary. I kept thinking: “If I am this teary just registering you in April…how on earth am I going to be in August when I actually drop you off here?”

"Geejus"

2011-05-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

I have started reading this little "My First Bible" stories kind of book with Evan and, of course, there are several stories - and pictures - of Jesus in it. He has really gotten into this book as he grabs it and wants to look at it all the time saying: "Geejus", "Geejus" and reaching for it. Last night after brushing his teeth, the book was sitting on the bathroom floor and, when walking by it, he looked down at it, waved, and said: "Night, night, Geejus"...........love him!!! Too cute!!!

I DID IT!!!

2011-05-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight Evan pooped in the potty for the first time. He was sooo cute when he got off of the potty he and Brady were dancing around celebrating naked and we all kept saying: "Evan, you did it. You went poop in the potty!" He started saying (for the first time in the CUTEST voice): "I did it!" Soooo adorable...he was so proud and so darn cute!!!

BRADYisms!

2011-05-06T21:46:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we were going to meet some friends at the playground. Brady wanted to know which friends we would be meeting so I told him. One of those friends is my friend from Mom's Club: "Miss Paige". I told Brady this and he said: "Miss Paige?......like in a book?" (very seriously).

Hazeling....the weather was getting really bad prior to the tornadoes that came through Alabama. It was hailing and we were talking about it while driving in it. Brady later repeated what he thought I was saying and it came out "hazeling". I explained that I had said "hailing" not "hazeling". He said "you can say hazeling too if you want." Okay : )

Blessed!

2011-05-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

Tornado Alley....that is where I feel I live at the moment. This past week was intense with storms throughout central Alabama. More than 200 people lost their lives in Alabama. Tuscaloosa was hit very hard....so much of it leveled. There was so much devastation there that the University of Alabama has postponed graduation.

In our neighborhood - right around the corner from our house...a 2 minute walk - there are huge, 100 year old (or older) trees completely uprooted like a giant plucked them out of the ground the way I could pluck a weed. So many of these trees are on top of houses. I have never actually seen devastation like this in person, only on television. I drove down Park Avenue and a very small portion of Shades Crest Road (because it was blocked fully by very large trees going both directions) and just could not believe my eyes. It was like watching television, not my neighborhood. The sadness, relief, and joy I felt was insurmountable. I felt very sad for those with homes damaged (moreso fearing injuries, or worse, loss of life). I felt relief that this did not happen to us and all we had to worry about was power outage. I felt joy that I just dropped off my fully intact 4 year old at preschool and my 23 month old and 11 week old were sitting right behind me, SAFELY, in our van.

A fear went through me like no other when I thought about just how CLOSE this is to my house, how many HUGE old trees I have in my yard, how my two oldest children sleep upstairs while Chris, Maddox and I are downstairs in the basement, and how Chris and I had NO IDEA that this was coming, heard nothing during those early morning hours, and were doing NOTHING to protect Evan and Brady sleeping upstairs. I am certain the tornado went right over our house....thank GOD it didn't touch down on my sweet boys sleeping.

The fear started dissipating as I thought about the simple yet heartfelt prayer I pray over my children every time I lay them down in their beds: "Lord, please protect Evan (Brady), please keep him healthy and safe....." I quickly shifted from feeling frightened to feeling blessed. Thank you, LORD, for protecting my boys. Thank you for blessing my family and I. Thank you for these reminders of what is really important and just how much I have to be thankful for. Please, as I am blessed, help me to be a blessing to those in need at this time. AMEN!!!!!

23 months old!

2011-04-30T23:11:00.002-05:00

Evan is 23 months old and sooo spunky!!! He cracks me up and angers me everyday!!! He is on the move non-stop...ALL boy, ALL the time! He has the cutest laugh, the biggest, brightest smile, and has such a sense of humor so young. He loves to play with his big brother, Brady. He loves to "take care of" his baby brother, Maddox. He has so many new words, off the top of my head and some of my favorites are: "stawbehee" (strawberry), "sawdee" (sorry) - always accompanied by a hug, "choo" (bless you), "yesth" (yes, said very matter-of-factly), "boo" (blue, always pointing at the right color), "hep" (help), and we LOVE the way he says "hey" when he talks to Maddox...all high-pitched and old lady sounding : )....just like a little old grandma would!

With Spring coming to an end...and his 2nd birthday fast approaching...a lot of our activities for the year have wrapped up. We had our last story time with Miss Ne Ne this past Tuesday and we had our last music class last week. I am looking forward to some fun summer time activities with my spunky little guy.

He helped me wash the van last week before our trip to Georgia. He has his bathing suit and crocs on and took his job very seriously. He is a very determined little man...even when it comes to work.

HOMONYMS

2011-03-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

My last name was Dunne. Now my middle name is Dunne. I thought about this the other day in relation to the word "done". I am ~~obsessed~~ focused on getting things done. When I think about the homonyms "Dunne" and "done", I can not help but think it is quite interesting that "Dunne" is my given name. Mmmmhh...things that I think about it.

PEE PEE in the Potty!

2011-03-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

Evan went pee pee on the big potty yesterday for the first time. I am so excited! We are not really potty training right now but we sit him on the potty before bath and sometimes before nap. He seems to prefer the big potty with the Cars movie seat on top of it versus the little potty. I sat him on the Cars potty seat yesterday before his nap and then went into his room to get his clothes ready for his nap. Then I heard the sound of liquid hitting liquid and ran in there to find him sitting there with a wide-eyed surprised look on his face. It was obvious what his thoughts were: "What am I doing? What is this?" I was so excited and of course made a big deal about it, had Brady make a big deal about it, had Evan call Daddy at work about it and gave Evan a little candy. He was excited. It was very cute. We will see where this leads as I do not think he is really ready for full on potty training...nor am I with a six week old : )

First Field Trip

2011-03-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

Brady went on his first field trip with school today. I was nervous about sending him off with other mothers without me. I have not let him ride off with anyone else yet so I was a little nervous for him to ride on the interstate without me. While helping him with his shoes this morning I told him a few little "rules" to make sure he will be safe...regarding his booster seat, seat belt, using the restroom at California Pizza Kitchen (where his field trip was) by himself, etc. He was listening well to me and then as he hopped up to head toward the door, he said "thanks, mom, for the rules. On my next field trip you can come and watch on me." He is such a sweet young guy! He had a GREAT first field trip...touring the restaurant, making his own pizza, and, of course, enjoying the tasty food. I am excited for the next field trip when I get to tag along as a chaperone.

The End of an Era

2011-03-21T16:59:00.000-05:00

I had a moment at Babies R Us the other day. It was a small moment but big in what it represented. I hurried into Babies R Us while Chris and the boys were in the van. They were having a GREAT diaper deal that I could not pass on, so I ran it to grab two boxes of diapers for Maddox. Walking to the back of the store, I passed through the clothes. I have been keeping my eyes open for coordinating Easter outfits for the boys. As I passed some things I looked and had my MOMENT...the sizes stop at 4T!!! Brady will be 5 on May 30th but he has been wearing (and in some things, outgrowing) size 5 for a while. The realization I had in that moment....that just kinda snuck up on me in a weird way....is that I can no longer shop for my ~~baby~~ big boy at Babies R Us. It just hit me - BAM - unexpectedly, unprepared - in the retail world, at least - he is no longer a baby!

So Independent!

2011-03-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

Evan wants to be a big boy most of the time. He has quite an independent streak! He wants to do so many things himself. He gets very frustrated when he can not or when you try to help him do something. It is funny to me at times because I remember so clearly my mother telling me how independent I always was as a young girl and how much I wanted to do things "myself". Thursday we went to the Shades Mountain Elementary playground and Evan wanted to swing in the big swing just like a big boy. This was his first time in a big boy swing. I sure hope he doesn't push in to many arenas to be a big boy...I want to cherish this sweet toddler stage while I have it!

2 months from 2 years!!

2011-03-20T21:43:00.001-05:00

Evan is 22 months old!!! What a doll we have! What a true gift! He is a GREAT big brother...not a single moment of jealousy toward his little brother yet....hopefully it stays that way : )

He is continually adding to his vocabulary: Poppy (my dad), He continually says bee bee (baby) in reference to his baby brother, Maddox. He says: "hahiday" (holiday...a word Brady taught him). He is at the point where he will repeat most words you ask him to repeat. When Brady says: "Evan, say holiday" - or whatever word it may be - he always tries it...very cute.

He still enjoys anything related to sports/balls and Toy Story.

He met his Aunt Staci for the first time this past month and warmed up to her very quickly. He enjoyed playing with her and hanging out with her a lot!

He is very defensive toward his big brother, Brady. Whenever Brady is misbehaving and Chris or I have to get onto him, Evan looks at us and sternly says "NO" and sometimes even gives us the hitting gesture. I think he actually wants to whack us for it!

A week or two ago we were getting ready to pray before dinner and I asked him: "Are you ready to pray?" and I bowed my head...Brady usually prays before our meals....when we bowed our heads, Evan started right in...it was in tongues of course so we were not quite sure what he said but he was into it and then at the end he said: "aymeh". I loved it!

It is very hard for me to believe that he is going to be 2 years old in just 2 short months...I have already planned his birthday party...how did it get here so quickly?

22 months on March 12th...WOW!!! That sure snuck up on me!

Marriage

2011-03-06T23:32:00.000-06:00

A week or so ago we were all sitting at the dinner table and Brady asked me: "Mom, who am I going to marry?" I said: "I don't know, buddy. Who do you want to marry?" B - "I don't know." me - "Well, you don't have to know right now, you are still young. You will not get married for a while....until you are a grown up so you have time to figure it out." "Daddy and I did not meet until we were grown-ups." "It may be someone you already know but it may be someone you have not even met yet." "Trust GOD and pray about it and he will guide you to the perfect girl for you."

About 3 days later.........
I am sitting in the floor playing with Brady and Evan..tickling them and just having fun. Brady looks at me and says - out of nowhere - "Mommy, I wish you were the perfect girl." me - "what do you mean, Brady?" B - "I wish GOD sent you for me to marry."

What a sweetheart!!!

Evan at 21 months old

2011-03-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

I have been working on this entry for a few weeks now...making sure I capture it all. Hopefully I do. This 21st month has been quite full!

Evan is sooo much fun. He cracks us up...and he knows it! He turned 21 months old on the 12th of February. He has really expanded his vocabulary in the past month as well. He has added (I am sure I will forget some of them here): Pop Pop (Chris' Dad), Buss (Buzz from Toy Story), dane choo (thank you), i d'no (I don't know...which is ALWAYS followed by a laugh), shoes, socks, choo choo, see see (as he is pointing at something he wants you to see), otto (for Lotso from Toy Story 3), eye-eee-ah (for Olivia when the cartoon comes on Saturday mornings and he and Brady are soooo excited), nose, eye, wi-eee (for his little Winnie the pooh bear)

He RUNS everywhere...never walks anymore. When he is disciplined and we get on to him for something, his immediate reaction is to reach out and hug us...like it is his way of saying "sorry".

He is very into "helping" with Maddox and being a big brother. He brings Maddox his paci, he brings his blanket, he "swings" his swing for him, he squats down in front of him in the bouncy seat, swing, etc. to check on him...it is very endearing.

He has started sitting on his little potty before bath, just to try it out and get comfortable with the idea and start to incorporate it into his routine so it is not foreign or scary when we get ready to really work on it. He is so cute and eager to sit on the potty and be a big boy. He has not done anything on it yet...he sits on it, smiles big (like "aren't you proud?") and then hops up to get in the bathtub...not quite getting the fact that you are supposed to do something while you are there.

He is so full of life, love, and energy. I LOVE it!

Home Sweet Home

2011-02-18T22:36:00.000-06:00

We reluctantly left the hospital on Wednesday, February 9th. I did not want to leave as it is so nice to just relax holding my sweet baby and rest as much as possible while my nurturing nurses brought me grape juice (I think I drank my weight in it) and changed Maddox's diapers. It was GREAT! I was also a little nervous about figuring out the juggling act of being the Mommy to 3 boys.

The other side of me was anxious to get home and be with Brady and Evan for more of the day than we were able to get with them at the hospital. I missed my big guys and I know they missed Chris and I.

MiMi & Pop Pop drove the van up to the hospital with the bigger boys so we could ride home as a family. Pop Pop drove the Civic home for us since Chris and I arrived at the hospital separately on the 7th since I did not think I was in labor. They were very excited to see us and pick us up to take us home....it was a warm welcome!

I dressed Maddox up in his sweet coming home outfit and took a few snapshots and then we headed home.

We quickly turned around from home and went out for Mexican...Maddox's first outing at 2 days old...yummy Mexican food. He slept the whole time, having no idea that he was at a restaurant.

The coolest thing ever....driving home to take our 3rd boy home....it was SNOWING. It was so pretty. It was interesting how different it was....with Evan and Brady it was daylight and warm when we brought them home; with Maddox it was snowing and dark.

Welcomed with Love!

2011-02-11T13:41:00.001-06:00

Maddox entered this world at 3:17 p.m. and was welcomed with love by friends and family pretty soon after. Brittney was on her way to the hospital as I was pushing. She had packed her school work thinking she would get some things done with she waited in the waiting room for Maddox's arrival. She was sitting there for about 5 minutes when Chris came to get her...."Do you want to meet Maddox?" She could not believe he was here that quickly. She gave us the best gift...her photography skills. She came into the labor and delivery room so that she could meet Maddox and capture his first moments in this world. This is truly a gift!

While we were getting changed and Maddox was going through his tests, Nicole Sanders came by to say hello and visit me while I was laboring. She happened to have her own appointment that day so was there anyway. When she found out I was having Maddox a day early and she was going to be at Brookwood anyway for her ultrasound appointment, she said she would stop by if I was okay with it. I told her we were in labor & delivery room 8 so swing on by. She came by the room and knocked but because of security reasons right at that moment, the nurse said she couldn't come in just yet. We talked a little through the open door and she was wondering if it was almost time for me to start pushing. When I told her he was already here, she could not believe it. He was born so quickly. She made plans to come back the next evening to meet him and visit with us. She caught a quick glimpse of him through the door in Chris' arms.

A couple of hours later we were upstairs in our post partum room and Chris left to pick up his parents and Brady & Evan to come to the hospital to meet Maddox. We were very excited to introduce Maddox to his big brothers. They came in the room very excited to see him. Evan kept reaching out to him "Baby", "Baby" and patting his legs and wanting to pat his face. Brady wanted to hold him and know all about him. It was very sweet. Maddox had big brother gifts for both his big brothers; toy story toys. They were very excited to get these new toys and they came in with a sweet monkey lovey for Maddox. It was a real sweet time to see the boys all together.

The only time Evan got upset was when Brady sat in the chair to hold Maddox. Evan started crying and leaning in toward his Daddy. We were not sure if he was jealous or what was upsetting him. I then realized he wanted to be a big brother and hold Maddox just like Brady was. I told Chris to put him in the chair next to Brady so he could "hold" Maddox too. Once he put Evan in the chair he got very happy and started smiling and you could see the pride he had in being a big brother. It was AWESOME!!! priceless!

So much love for such a little guy on his first day of life! I know I could not possibly love him more...I think the rest of his family feels the same way!

MiMi & Pop Pop were just excited to meet him and love on him - their 8th grandchild - as I have seen them with all the others.

I could not fall any harder

2011-02-09T12:41:00.001-06:00

in LOVE with this GOD-given gift. He is just so perfect. He is such a snuggle bug. He has not spent even a minute in his little hospital crib except to have his diaper changed. I have held him and cuddled him every minute he has been on this earth unless I have had to go to the bathroom or unselfishly let a visitor hold him. I am enjoying holding him and I have been trying to figure out a way I can freeze him in this moment...at this size and stage. I have not figured out a way yet....if I do I will document my remarkable idea here!

I love you Maddox Christopher. I am so very thankful for you!

I thought I would be on my way....

2011-02-08T05:40:00.000-06:00

to the hospital now for my scheduled induction at 6am. Instead I am snuggling you, Maddox in the dim, quiet of our room while you eat and I just stare at you in amazement....so perfect, so beautiful.

I want to add some pics of you from soon after entering the world to capture here in my journal:

Postpartum Room

2011-02-07T18:32:00.000-06:00

We hung out in our delivery room until 4:45pm and then we were wheeled to our postpartum room....room 210. He nursed really well after birth and again about 30 minutes ago. My food just came....thank you LORD...I am starving!!! I have not eaten since jello last night at about 10pm.

He came quickly....everything so similar to Evan...the same amount of time from when I got settled in the labor & delivery room until he came as the amount of time Evan took from when they started the induction until he arrived. 3 pushes for both of them...a VERY fast arrival and they weighed the EXACT same...9lbs. 5.4 oz. The differences....Evan was 21.5 inches long and Maddox is just 21 inches long. Evan was an induction with pitocin; Maddox decided when he was going to enter this world and with zero pitocin. Evan was one day late and Maddox is 8 days early.

It is funny how little the BIG brother seems now...only 7lbs. 4 oz and 19.75 inches long at birth. He is a big boy now in the 80th percentile for height and weight; but compared to his LITTLE brothers he sure did enter this world smaller.

We are settled in our room and bonding. I am going to eat while my food is still hot and before the big brothers and MiMi & PopPop get here to meet him....they are on their way. That will be exciting; from what I hear Brady is VERY excited to meet his baby brother!

I'm Glad I didn't order the cheeseburger.........

2011-02-07T15:29:00.000-06:00

He's here.........really quickly......

My corndog is still in my throat.......

Stats:
9 lbs 5 oz

21 inches long

Momma and baby are doing well.....

Um....ok

2011-02-07T15:15:00.000-06:00

So as I am on the way back from grabbing something to eat I get a call from Kat....."I'm pushing...where are you?.......I AM RUNNING....

Movement

2011-02-07T13:56:00.000-06:00

Kat just got checked and is now dialated to 7......she's resting and waiting....

Update #2

2011-02-07T13:48:00.000-06:00

Got a boost of drugs because my body absorbs medicine soooo easily and quickly and I was hurting bad....this was at 1:30 pm so I am going to rest.

Update on Maddox

2011-02-07T13:17:00.000-06:00

Dr. Ross came in at 11:25 am to check my progress and I was 4 cm. dilated and completely effaced. He went ahead and broke my water……OWWWW!!!

Once I had my first contraction without my water, I thought I would lose it. So at 11:45am, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural...thank you, Jesus!!!!

So now I am trying to relax and let my body progress...first time doing this without pitocin....new experience...Maddox is coming on his own and 8 days early!

Can't wait to hold him and show him off!

He's Coming!!!!!

2011-02-07T13:02:00.000-06:00

7:30 am I headed into the hospital to go to my doctor’s office to be checked since I had lots of cramping and contractions yesterday. I was awake and calling the doctor’s office early this morning, at about 4am. My doctor, Dr. Adcock was on call over the weekend so he is who I spoke with and he told me to come in to be checked and if the contractions got stronger or closer together to go ahead and come in.

I saw Dr. Ross as Dr. Adcock’s call schedule ended at 7am. He checked me, all the while I was having contractions. I was 3 cm. dilated, completely thinned out, and he told me to head downstairs to Labor & Delivery as I was going to be having a baby today rather than tomorrow.

WHAT???? I called my in-laws who were loading up their car to head to Birmingham to sit with our boys to tell them to get on the road NOW rather than later as Maddox was going to come today.

I then immediately called Chris to tell him “I am not coming home”. He definitely was in shock to hear that. We then had to scramble for childcare…who is going to sit with the boys until MiMi & PopPop arrive? I called Brittney at Samford who was more than willing to come to the house but she does not own a car. Chris’ car only had the carseat for Evan in it, not a booster seat for Brady so he was unable to leave the house to go pick her up. She was scrambling to get friends on the phone to borrow a car while I tried to call neighbors who could run to Samford to pick her up for us. She finally got in touch with a friend who let her borrow her car so she could come to my house to stay with Evan and Brady.

THANK YOU LORD…..CHRIS CAN COME UP HERE AND DO THIS WITH ME!!!

So I then felt like I could head to Labor & Delivery as Brady and Evan were going to be taken care of and Chris was going to be able to join me in welcoming Maddox to the world.

I headed to L&D and was welcomed warmly as they were expecting me. I was taken to L&D room 8 and made to quickly change into my gown. That was at 8:50 am. I was hooked up to an IV and monitor by 9am. My contractions were monitored at 5-6 minutes a part. Nurse Joan (who was my nurse when Evan was born) told me that Dr. Ross wanted to come and break my water after we had my IV all hooked up. I asked her if he would wait until my husband got here as I did not want to do this alone. She said she would wait to call him until Chris got here. Chris arrived at about 9:45am. We were informed that there is an emergency going on so Dr. Ross has not been in to see me or break my water yet. We also got a new nurse with this change, Mary Lee.

Precious Preparations

2011-02-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

We have been busy bees getting things ready for Maddox Christopher to arrive (scheduled induction at 6am on Feb. 8th). I have been trying to finish projects and cleaning around the house....knowing time for such things will not exist for a while. I have scheduled Maddox's newborn portrait session....so excited for that! Evan and I went ahead and took our Mommy & Me swim class because I will not be able to get in the pool with him for quite some time. We turned our office/craft room downstairs next to my bedroom into a temporary nursery...this turned out much nicer and "finished" looking that I had envisioned. I ordered and have the cutest "Biggest Brother", "Big Brother", and "Baby Brother" t-shirts ready for the boys to wear when they meet. I have Maddox's sweet outfit purchased, monogrammed, washed, and packed. We have the infant car seat washed, installed, and inspected. The boys took the Big Brother class at Brookwood Medical Center. They have Maddox's gift to give him when he is born (his sweet lil' lovey). Maddox has done his shopping so he can give Brady and Evan their big brother gifts when he meets them in the hospital. We have so many things ready for him that now we are all just ready to meet him, hold him, love on him!

I have wondered how Evan will react to a little baby in our home, how he will react to his Mommy being so needed by someone other than him. He is a lot younger than Brady was when he was born. He will be just shy of 21 months when Maddox is born (Brady was just shy of 3 years old) and, as we all know, we are all different. I have an idea how Brady will react because we have done this before (although things can always be different this time) but I have had no idea how Evan will react or how much he understands or will understand. I feel like I have gotten some glimpse of it lately..not sure if this is a taste of how he will be or just wishful thinking but he has a real interest in babies...real and dolls. Whenever there is a baby doll around...at our Moms' Club Christmas party, at MiMi & PopPop's house, at other friends' houses...he goes to it and holds it and loves on it, saying "baby, baby". A couple of weeks ago, we were at story time at Whole Foods with our friends Alli, Eli, and Shephard Nations. I held Shephard (about 7 months old) for Alli and Evan was watching me. I purposely held him close, snuggling on him, loving on him to see how Evan would react. Would he notice? Would he get jealous? Would he care? He was SO SWEET!!!! He watched me hug on him and patted his leg and his little feet so sweetly and just continued to sweetly say "Baby, Baby". He leaned in to hug him. It was so sweet. I was so happy to see this hoping that this is how he will respond to Maddox.

Then just this past week, we were at Chick-fil-A and in the play area again with the Nations and her sister Melissa and her kiddos. There was two babies that day for him to notice - or not - both Shepard and John Whitten. He noticed and was enthralled and "in love" with both of them. It was so cute to watch. So in less than 2 days, I will get to see first hand how my sweet Evan responds to being a Big Brother.

I still have a hard time with this notion, my sweet little baby is a "Big Brother"..that just doesn't seem right...it seems WAY too soon, too young, too early....he is still my baby!! I hope the adjustment is not too hard for Evan, but I also hope this adjustment is not too hard for Mommy...I do not want to miss out on this sweet age and stage with my Evan. I want to enjoy Evan, not mourn his babyhood.

I am praying hard for a smooth transition for us all.

Sweet Prayers

2011-01-22T00:38:00.003-06:00

My dear Brady was praying with me today before his nap and I prayed for Grandpa Dunne to be at peace as he has been in the hospital for more than a week now and the doctors are turning the oxygen off tomorrow. As we were praying he said "if Grandpa Dunne doesn't get better in the hospital and goes to heaven, I pray that he has fun with Jesus."

What a sweetheart.....such a sweet, kind spirit! I am so thankful for his heart!

*just as I posted this, I got a call at 1 am to have me say goodbye to my grandfather as they don't think he is going to make it through the night...."have fun with Jesus, Grandpa" We will see you again!

20 Months Old...ALREADY!!

2011-01-16T23:03:00.000-06:00

There are so many fun things with this fireball (Evan) at 20 months old. He is “talking” a lot…in what we call “mandarin”…isn’t he so smart? He totes his Woody (“Wooeee”) doll around with him and will say the things Woody says…”yeehaw” and “hello” and he will laugh like Woody at the times Woody laughs.

We are still so in love with his affectionate side…he pats your back when you’re holding him, if you rub his back while hugging him, he reciprocates on yours. When he wants to be picked up, he reaches up his arms high for you to pick him up.

He has added some words to his vocabulary: “MiMi’, “sue me” (excuse me), instead of the previous “bye bye” we used to get, it is just the very succinct “bye” now. He says “eyes” now and points to his eyes. He says “ah-knee-en” (alien) when he sees the alien toys from Toy Story 3.

What a singer I have!! So adorable. He sings ALL the time…driving in the car, around the house, in the bathtub…I absolutely LOVE that!!!

Some recent firsts as we have approached this 20 month mark is sitting on the potty and sitting on the time out stool. We pulled the potty out with Brady at about this age …just to introduce it…so when the time came it would not be a new, scary thing. We decided to do the same with Evan. We have him sit on the potty before nap, before bath…just to sit there and get used to the idea, used to the habit. Often, Brady will be on the big potty next to him and say things like: “Here that, Evan? That is the pee pee. You could go pee pee too. Do you want to try it? Did you hear that, Evan? That is the poop splashing. Did you hear that?” Then we he gets up, he says: “Come here, Evan. See…See the poop in the potty. You can do that too.” All of this is said in such a sweet, parent-type tone. It is so cute. Evan seems to listen and nod and watch Brady.

The time out stool….so sad. Evan has already had his first time out. We would just put him in his room and shut the door. Well I figured it was time to introduce the time out stool in the hall and for him to have to learn the restraint and self control and discipline of actually having to sit there, without getting up, until we come to get him. We put him on the stool for the first time last week and it was so pitiful. His sad little face crying…breaks your heart!

He has the big "oooooo" face when he sees something he likes or something that is exciting to him!! It is such a dramatic long "o" face that distorts his entire face as he points at whatever it is and says "ooooo". We went to the McWane Science Center not that long ago and with everything he enjoyed seeing (which is a lot there), he just kept pointing...elbow up against his body, index finger pointing at the object from right against his cheek saying "ooooo".

He has also managed to impress us with stairs. We have never really taught him how to go up and down stairs because we live mainly on one story. The first time I noticed it was at the playground. He just walked right up to the stairs to the play area, grabbed the railing, and walked himself right up to the top of the play area...no problem. When it was time to come down, he did the same thing. He did not do the typical climb up on your knees, come down on your bottom that most little ones do when they are first figuring out stairs...just walked right up them and right down them. Pretty good...especially for someone who had only been walking at the time for less than 3 months and does not encounter stairs in his day to day life at home.

Sweet Christmas Snippets

2010-12-29T20:57:00.000-06:00

It is, of course, ALWAYS fun to watch your children get excited about what comes with all the Christmas fun....what did Santa bring, the fun and excitement of driving around looking at lights, discovering new toys, talking about Santa flying in his sleigh to our house, opening our Advent boxes after celebrating the coming of Christ...so exciting, so fun!

We enjoyed all the typical Christmas joy. Some small Christmas highlights that I would like to remember are:

After nap time on Christmas, I had started to close my eyes and rest on the couch. Brady had woken up from his nap and came into the den where all his new toys were still laid out. I rolled over at some point and caught a glimpse of his still half asleep look staring down at one of his favorite gifts with a huge smile and his eyes saying "good, I did not dream it...this is real. it is all still here."

Yesterday, I sat down with Brady to teach him how his Leapster 2 works and he was engrossed in it and how it works and what he can play on it. At one point while sitting on the couch with him while he was playing, he bent down and kissed the screen. I said "what are you doing, buddy?" as I was thinking: did he not understand the instructions that the Leapster just said? He looked up at me and said: "I just really like this, Mom." How cute?!?!

On Christmas morning after the boys saw what Santa left them, they enjoyed going through their stockings. Evan had Woody hanging out of his...which is ALL he cared about. He held Woody and just kept saying: "Wooeee", "Wooeee" and then "ooooooo", with his little mouth in the shape of a very dramatic "o"....he was so delighted with this Christmas morning surprise!

Evan gave Brady the DVD of Toy Story 3 for Christmas (it was definitely a Toy Story Christmas around here). Brady was VERY excited to receive this. He leaned in, gave him a hug, and said "Thank you, Evan. You are a good little child." LOVED it!!!

WOODy....Affinity and Beyond!

2010-12-23T23:04:00.002-06:00

So this has been an interesting new area of parenting for me...first it started with Brady a couple of months ago with his affinity with his male parts and how they change at times. He has started noticing this change and likes to discuss it and comment on it every time there is a "change". This is new territory for me...(1) I am a girl (2) I have not had to "parent"/teach on this matter before (3) I only have one brother and he is older than me...so this has been brand new for me! In one way it is cute...which sounds weird I know but it makes sense. The part that is cute is the innocence of it all. The comfort and ease in which he can talk about this with his mother...not something that will exist, of course, when he is older. It is a little awkward for me....being a girl and being his mom...I just don't want to know, deal with it, or think of him EVER growing up!!! It is funny at times though too...with his choice of words. "Mommy, look at this thing...it is growing...it is huge!" Not exactly what I want to hear from my sweet 4-year-old but funny nonetheless in an awkward kind of way!

Evan...this has been a new area of parenting for me as well. Evan has this immense LOVE for Woody from Toy Story. Brady never attached to any one character/toy, etc. like this at this age...actually not even at his current age. The funny thing to Chris and I is that he only has seen Toy Story in a clip or two here or there when Brady has watched one of the movies on trips. He first saw a "doll" of Woody at Grayson Kim's house (Brady's best buddy and our next door neighbor) several months back and just loved him...picked him up and did not let him go the whole time we were there. Evan has the average - or a few more - number of words for a child his age and since Brady received a Toy Story toy set from Noah at our family Christmas that included a little Woody...he has now added "Woody" to his vocabulary. He says it constantly as he walks around, sleeps with, plays with, etc. this little toy. "Wooeee, wooeee, woooeee" He gets sooo excited...truly loves him....immense affinity "and beyond"!!! Hopefully Santa includes this in his stocking this year!

19 months old!

2010-12-23T22:30:00.000-06:00

On December 12th, Evan turned 19 months old...the past month flew by. He has gone from walking to RUNNING...which surprises me not at all! He has learned to flex his muscles, which is absolutely adorable! He is trying to blow the candles out for Advent every night. Just two days ago, he learned how to blow his nose...like REALLY blow his nose. That seems like a funny....even silly... thing to journal about but at 19 months being able to truly blow your nose is a BIG DEAL. It usually takes a child quite some time to figure out this concept. These little things sure do make parenting a lot easier as well. He is so smart. His vocabulary is average but his comprehension BLOWS MY MIND!!! He follows 3 & 4 step instructions so easily and thoroughly. He pats you when you are cuddling him....so sweet, so affectionate. He seems to be coming out of the separation anxiety stage, which is such a relief for his mommy, especially with a little brother coming soon. The last couple of Sundays at church he has not clinged onto us or cried at all. He also went easily from relative to relative at MiMi & PopPop's house during our extended family Christmas celebration and gift exchange. He LOVES to build...he enjoys K'nex, wooden blocks, and Brady's legos. His fine motor skills are AWESOME! He is still a fiesty little guy...very passionate, when he is happy, he is VERY happy. When he is angry or frustrated, he is VERY angry or VERY frustrated!!

Still hard to believe this little cutie pie is going to be a BIG brother...in just 2 short months!

AMEN!!!

2010-12-22T21:59:00.001-06:00

My sweet Brady sure has made Advent extra special for me this year.

I feel like I am living in a very exhausting stage of my life right now. With Brady being a very demanding....not in the stomp your feet, yell, pitch a fit kind of a way....4 1/2 year old and Evan being a very strong-willed "typical" toddler, and being pregnant...I am pretty wiped. Add the rest of life, COO/CFO of household responsibilities, outside organizations, friendships, Priddy Stiddy business, etc. and you make a very worn-out, low-energy old broad!

We started celebrating Advent as a family 3 years ago and have truly enjoyed the time as a family to pause after dinner and come together for Christmas as we should....for its true meaning. It has been a blessing to watch our boys learn and grow in the true meaning of Christmas and Jesus.

Two nigths ago, Brady said the prayer for us after our Advent reading and filled my eyes - and I think his dad's eyes too! He bowed his head and in his own words....we did not talk about it during Advent said: "Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and giving us life. Thank you for your birth, for dying, and for coming back. Thank you for hope and peace (the two candles we are currently lighting). Amen." So sweet..the whole gospel right there....so touching, so meaningful....I LOVE it! It was a nice pause to the busyness, to my frustration and fatigue. The perfect reminder of WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!!!!

He exhausts me, wears me out, often makes me crazy but MAN he is a GREAT kid that is so sweet and has an amazing HEART!!!!

Our Sweet Brady has a wise man in his Christmas program at school!

Out of the Mouth of Brady

2010-11-24T09:59:00.000-06:00

Brady says some really awesome things that either warms my heart or cracks me up - or BOTH! I think I will never forget them, but the reality is as he grows and the list of things he says grows with him - and Evan and Maddox follow with their funny and cute ways - I am sure I will not remember every single thing. Here are some of late that I want to always remember!

Last Friday night we went to the annual Lighting of the Summit parade which concludes with Santa and Mrs. Claus on a fire truck, the whole shopping center being lit up for Christmas and an awesome fire work show. We always are able to secure a good spot on the sidewalk to watch that also strategically puts us in line to see Santa in a really cool sleigh right outside of Belk where we can take pics and we receive a free pic from a photographer. We knew Evan was going to have a hard time since he is in the separation anxiety stage so we put Brady on Santa's lap to tell him what he would like first before we added Evan to his lap for the pic. While "chatting" with Santa and telling him all he wants, he had his finger on his cheek in the "thinking pose" and after going on and on and on.....Santa says "I think you have your self a pretty good list there, Brady". It cracked Chris and I up that Santa felt the need to cut Brady off!

This past Monday I took Evan and Brady to Portrait Innovations for Evan's 18 month portraits and I was going to get one Christmas shot of Brady and Evan in front of the Christmas tree to use for our Christmas card. I had Brady dressed nice in something "Christmas-y" and he knew he would be having his pic. taking as well. While he was in the bathroom going potty before we left our house I heard a drawer in the bathroom open. Making sure he wasn't getting into something he shouldn't I called into there: "Brady what are you doing in the drawer, bud?". He yelled back: "I am putting some deodorant inside my elbows so I can taste good for my pictures." I LOVE it!!! He will "use" (with the lid on) Chris' deodorant from time to time, copying his Daddy.

In the car yesterday, quietly (rare) riding along, Brady says from the back: "Mommy I am thankful to GOD for all the cheeses from around the world and for bread." I said: "That is GREAT, buddy." Apparently he was sitting there thinking about what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving season. Then about 5 minutes later - again, after silence, he says: "Mommy I am glad that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins." I thought I would CRY....I said: "Brady, that is a great thing to be thankful for....the GREATEST thing.".

Oh, I sure do love what this guy says (well, most of the time!).

18 months old!

2010-11-23T23:20:00.000-06:00

Evan turned 18 months old on November 12th....so hard to believe most of the time but, then again, he is so into being a BIG boy and doing what his big brother does that it often seems like he is a "big boy" other than his cute little self obviously being so little. I wish I could freeze him at this age....so adorable and bright-eyed, I don't want things to change! He is a very playful, cuddly little man with an arm that amazes all who are "lucky" enough to have whatever can pass as a "ball" thrown - with accuracy - directly to them.

At his 18 month well visit, he weighed in at 24 lbs. 10 oz. (40th percentile), measured 34 inches tall (90th percentile), with a head circumference in the 90th percentile (it is because he is so smart!).

I love all the open and generous displays of affection Evan gives to his loved ones. He often walks up to Brady and gives him a big hug. He will come up to me with lips puckered and say "mmmmm" while coming in for a kiss. He will walk up to his "Daayeee" (the way he says "Daddy") with his arms extended out to be picked up for a big, bear hug.

He is definitely fully emersed in the separation anxiety stage. Whenever we have to leave him...MOPS nursery twice a month or Church, he cries so hard with big, alligator tears and clings to your clothes....so sad! Luckily, he is a typical child in this stage and within 5 minutes of us out of sight, he dries up and is fine.

We took Evan for his first haircut at Sport Clips on Sunday afternoon and he did GREAT. I thought he might cry with the whole separation anxiety stage, but he did not. He smiled the whole time and sat VERY still with his smock on and was so still.

I took Evan for his 18 month portraits yesterday and, of course, they are GREAT!!!

Evan has just recently added a new word to his vocabulary...."no". Luckily it is not in the obstinate, toddler way....just in the literal way to answer a question. It is really cute how he says it....with two syllables and a little lift on the second syllable. LOVE it.

So many firsts....SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Evan Updates

2010-11-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

Now that Evan has been walking around for a couple of weeks that is definitely his preferred mode of travel....no more scooting around for this little fella! He looks so cute, low to the ground, walking around all bow-legged. His way of "telling" me that he wants a snack is to pull Brady's booster seat off of the kitchen chair and put it on the floor, sit in it, and look at me longingly with his hands out waiting for me to give him something. When it is time to brush his teeth, he steps up onto the stool in the bathroom like Brady does and holds onto the edge of the counter for Chris or I to brush his teeth...his eyes just barely over the edge of the counter visible in the mirror....he likes being a big boy! The funny thing is that since he is still just a little boy, he can climb up onto the stool but he cannot climb down...he needs our help. He follows directions VERY well. He likes to help when we clean up the playroom. I can give him a specific toy and tell him where it belongs and he will go right to that bin or place and put the toy away. I am often impressed at his young age that, although his vocabulary is still limited, he clearly understands most of what we say and can follow directions so well. He had his first piece of candy last Wednesday when he went "trick or treating" at a nursing home with our Mommy & Me music class...skittles...he really enjoyed that! He has added another word to his vocabulary..."duck"....the funny thing is he says it just like Brady first did "dut"...very clearly and with the emphasis on the "t". I LOVE it!!! He is a ball of energy and wears me out but he sure is a fun, affectionate little guy and I am very honored to be his Mommy.

WALKING

2010-10-23T13:25:00.002-05:00

Evan took his first steps without holding on last Saturday, October 16th. I was very excited!!! He is 17 1/2 months so I thought this day would have come a lot sooner. We were at Brady's soccer game and during the practice time he stood up in the grass and walked back and forth between Chris and I. He was so proud of himself.....the sweet smile and the big-eyed "WOW....look at me" expression was so precious!

Since then he has been practicing a lot....standing himself up, walking around the house, falling on his fanny, etc. When he figures something new out, like turning himself around to change directions, he gets so proud...so excited! I LOVE it!!! I get a little teary-eyed each time I watch him stagger around.

IMAGINATION!!!

2010-10-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Brady's imagination is amazing to watch. He is so much fun to watch play and act out so many stories and scenes that he has experienced. Whether it is a cartoon episode he has seen, a Bible story he has read, a book we have read....he just loves to act it out and "play" whatever it is he has seen or heard. His imagination inspires me. A couple of weeks ago I overheard him playing with Evan and Chris and he said "Daddy, I am Jesus, you are GOD, and Evan is the Holy Spirit"....what an imagination this little fellow has.

17 months old

2010-10-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

My sweet Evan is already 17 months old. He is such a HANDFUL! He is definitely a fun handful but, nonetheless, a handful. He exhausts me.......it probably would not be as exhausting if I was not pregnant so I try to keep that in mind as much as I can as it is not sweet Evan's fault that I am "with child"! He is still just cruising vs. walking on his own, which adds to my exhaustion. Carrying my 20 extra pregnancy pounds and his 24 1/2 lbs. around is HARD on my old bones!

He is saying more words and those he was already saying he is saying much more clearly. He is saying "ky" (sky) now. He is saying "good job". He is saying please "pease" a little more clearly.

He is in a stage where there is so much that he wants to do regardless of his ability to do it yet. I am constantly amazed at what he is able to do, especially in regard to his fine motor skills. He enjoys building with blocks of all kinds and is good at even the little things you have to put together...like some of the kinex pieces. When he tries to do things that he is physically unable to do he gets REALLY frustrated! He likes to have things in order...he will take all the little matchbox cars and line them up along the windowsill in the playroom in a perfect uniform line.

He is a VERY playful, mischievous little boy. He LOVES to be chased. He LOVES to get into things he should not get into and all the while he laughs and giggles with the cutest smirk on his little face.

Evan and I have really been enjoying our Mommy & Me music class. He seems to have a crush on his teacher, Miss Stephanie.

Firsts

2010-10-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

This evening while enjoying the fall weather out in the yard with the boys and then on a nice walk with Brady and Evan riding in their wagon, Evan pointed up to the sky and said "ky" (sky) for the first time. I love his little voice and watching as he learns new things.

Tonight was his first time in the wagon with Brady...they had so much fun riding and LAUGHING together. I love watching them have so much fun together and enjoy one another's company as much as they do.

16 Months old!!!

2010-09-19T21:40:00.002-05:00

Evan turned 16 months old on the 12th. He has gotten more sure-footed in this past month but still is not walking on his own, just cruising. He is more clearly and frequently saying Daddy, he says "Daaayee"....so cute! He is voluntarily kissing more....which I love! He leans in and says "mmmmhhhh" with his lips leaning in for a kiss. He says please now, "deese". When we finish a prayer and say "Amen", he says a quick "yeah" and nods his head with emphasis. He says "whoa" and "wow" a lot....when he sees something out the window of the van as we drive by or something happens that he finds interesting out in the world or the playroom.

He knows how to turn on the charm....so cute!!! He will say over and over again: "Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma" and when you look at him he has his pretty little head cocked to the side looking at me, what a charmer! He "talks" on the phone. When he gets his hands on Chris' cell phone or one of his toy ones, or actually any thing that vaguely resembles the shape of a phone he holds it up to his ear and starts "talking" away....hilarious!!

Very, very interested in any and ALL balls. He will spot the soccer/baseball/tennis/football/softball/plastic ball, any type, across a room and scoot FAST across the room to get to the ball to throw it, kick it, get some kind of handle on it.

I still can't believe this little sweetie is going to be a big brother in just 5 short months!

I LOVE my sweet Brady Mac!

2010-09-15T16:25:00.004-05:00

My Brady Mac yesterday while in the carpool line at preschool...obviously after some thoughts went through his mind....says to me: "how are we going to have three daddys in our house?" Trying to catch up with where he was in his thoughts, I said: "What do you mean three daddys?" He said: "When I get big and Evan gets big we will have three daddys...me, Evan, and Daddy." I said: "Well bud, when you and Evan become daddys you will also have wives, who are the mommies, so you will live in your own houses with your children." He asks: "Well, where will you be?" I said: "I will be in my house with Daddy." His eyes start filling up with tears: "I don't want you to be gone. I don't want you to leave me, Mommy." My heart was so full (of course knowing that it won't be too long before he can't wait to move out!). "Brady I will come to your house as many times as you will have me and I will visit with you and your wife and your children as much as you will let me. I would LOVE to visit you guys at your house a lot." Brady (tears drying up): "You will?" Mommy: "Of course, I will Brady. I love you and will want to see you as much as I can." Brady: "What about Daddy?" Mommy: "Daddy will want to come visit you as much as possible too!" Brady: "Okay, that sounds good!" LOVE him!! He always manages to warm my heart at all the right times...just when I need it the most!

Labor Day weekend, Chris and I had the opportunity to take Brady to the movie theatre for the first time together. We were in Atlanta visiting Chris' family so we had the opportunity to leave Evan, while napping, with Pop Pop so we could take Brady to see "Toy Story 3" Mimi, Zachary, Aunt Mi, Uncle Kevin, Maegan, Callie, and Ashley went with us. We had a GREAT time until the end. I was emotional with the whole Andy growing up and moving away...of course that made me think about my boys...although I have a while to go I was crying pretty hard. As we are walking out of the theatre, all of a sudden Brady starts falling apart, crying hysterically. We try to talk to him, but he can't talk. We try to get him to express why he is so upset. We can not get him to express himself....it was like he was unable. Finally when we got back to Chris' folks house and Chris sent him to lay in his bed for a little bit to get his emotions together, he was able to talk to me. He said he was very sad because of the bear being mean to the baby in the movie. There is a part where the baby (a doll) wants his momma (a talking doll that says that) and the bear (a stuffed toy) is really mean to the baby saying that his momma doesn't want him and chose to leave him. It was pretty harsh as I remember thinking during the movie: "yikes, that is pretty hard core." Anyway, Brady was crying and just kept saying: "How could that bear be mean to that baby? He just wanted his mommy." It was so sensitive and compassionate, that I was proud but I also felt bad for him and his little tender heart. Something like seeing a fun movie, affected him so strongly. Poor lil' sweet fella!

15 Month Well Visit

2010-08-27T08:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Evan's 15 month well check-up with Dr. Anderson. He weighed in at 23lbs. 4oz. (30th percentile) and is 32 inches long (75th percentile) and his head was 19 inches in circumference (75th percentile). Another long and lean boy in our house! He did great at his check-up and has lots of teeth (some molars) about to bust through the gums. He had to get 3 vaccinations which is always sad to watch as that bottom lip started quivering just before the sound erupted! He is tough though....it was not but a minute or two after I picked him up that he stopped crying and then while we were in the van he ripped the three bandages off of his thighs. My little guy is growing up!

Bradyspeak

2010-08-23T22:20:00.002-05:00

A couple of noteworthy things Brady has said lately:

(1) yesterday while brady was napping, i rearranged a few MINOR things in our den. when he woke up he commented on a couple of them and then while walking to his playroom in complete SERIOUSNESS says "this is not our house anymore" - completely straight-faced and serious. chris and i fell out hysterical because - it was HILARIOUS but also because he and his brother, jeff, are the EXACT same way if their mother changes ANYTHING in her house...even the placement of the kitchen trash can. i guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.

(2) today i overheard brady talking to chris while he and evan were in the bathtub. he was asking questions about when he was born, in my tummy, etc. he then said to chris: "where was evan when i was born?" chris said: "he wasn't born yet." brady then says: "he was waiting in heaven?".........how sweet is that, especially since moms always call their sweet lil' babies "angels" and everyone always refers to lil' babies as "heaven sent". i loved it.

3 new teeth

2010-08-23T22:12:00.004-05:00

I just journaled about Evan's 15 month progression which included one of his one-year molars starting to come in and then today I am feeling around in his mouth and BAM!!! Not only did the molar that was budding break through his gums, but two other teeth have as well.......I believe this will make 11 teeth total. As fast as he chomps on food with 8 teeth, I am a bit frightened to see how fast he will be with 11!!!

Brady started 4K

2010-08-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

Brady had his first day of 4-year-old preschool last Wednesday on August 18th. He was excited and ready to start the new school year. He is attending Green Valley Baptist again and we learned at open house on Tuesday that two friends from last year, Caelan and Mae, are in his class again. He also has his best buddy -and next door neighbor - Grayson in his class. I am excited for the two days per week that I will be able to enjoy some one-on-one time with my little guy, Evan, before he becomes a big brother in February.
Here is my big guy during his open house on Tuesday, checking out his seat in Mrs. Mara's class:

Here is Brady the night before his first day of school....all his fun surprises from Mommy and Daddy - new pj's (Cars movie, of course), new backpack (Cars movie, of course), and a new fun book about going to school for us to read to him. He still LOVES books sooo much!

And here he is on his first day of school...such a BiG GuY!!!!

enjoying all the fun back to school decorations I put up while he was sleeping

getting ready to head to school

walking into school

"Good morning, Mrs. Mara"

He is looking so grown up!

He reported that his first day was good and he liked is new friends and teacher. We are praying for a great year for him and very clear direction as to whether he is ready to start public kindergarten next school year or if he will need another year to mature. We are so proud of our Brady Mac.

15 Months oLd....wow!

2010-08-22T16:04:00.000-05:00

15 months sure has gone by fast. Here is Evan's sweet face.....

he is so much FUN. he is WILD. he loves to TALK (in his own language). he SCOOTS faster than any child i could ever imagine scooting. in his 15th month he has started CRUISING...around the coffee table, the couch, the train table, whatever he could pull himself up on. he is getting one of his first year MOLARS in. he LAUGHS all the time, out loud and BOISTEROUSLY. he SMILES at everyone with the biggest open mouth, tongue-between-the-teeth smile you have ever seen. he SMILES so whole-heartedly and big that it takes over his whole being and his EYES smile too. he has NO FEAR and wants to do "big boy" things all the time. he is constantly trying to put Brady's SHOES on and gets frustrated when he can't figure it out. he instantly starts DANCING his little body about as soon as any kind of music comes on. when you ask him a question, in which he wishes to answer yes, sometimes he verbalizes the yes, sometimes he doesn't but he always he NODS passionately.

We have adored the last 15 months with this little guy and are excited to see what the next 15 months brings!

I am such a stereotype!!!

2010-08-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

I have not had too many strong cravings yet. As of yesterday I have had the overwhelming need for pickles. I have bought the stackers....for my sandwiches AND the regular lil' kosher dill ones for snacking....seriously??? what a stereotype!!

A strong opinion already for lil' Evan!

2010-08-08T13:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent a lot of the day going through Brady's and Evan's clothes organizing and packing away things that they have outgrown. I was trying some pants and shoes on Brady to see what still fit and what did not. Evan came scooting over to where Brady and I were sitting and kept holding his foot up in the air "talking". I put one of Brady's flip flops on him so he could be a part of the trying on process. When I took it off, he got upset. I went to his room and grabbed a pair of his shoes. When I left the room, he cried because I did not put shoes on him as he apparently wanted. When I came back with his shoes in my hand he started "talking" again and holding his foot up in the air. I put his shoes on him and he just smiled and then scooted into the kitchen where Chris was. When he saw Chris he held his foot up in the air and "talked" away. He was so happy to have his shoes on.......

We are GROWING again!

2010-08-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

The Stidhams are adding a new family member....come February there will be another lil' Stidham in the family! I found out on June 15th..........and to say I was in a state of SHOCK is an understatement. But the proof was there....

We had two ultrasounds to figure out how far along I am and to make sure everything was good. The first one, there was not a baby to see just yet so the doctor guessed I was just shy of 6 weeks. We all went as a family the second time...July 2nd....with the hopes of seeing a baby and a hearbeat. We got to see the little nugget and a healthy heartbeat. With a heartbeat, we decided to let Brady know that he will be a big brother again.

He was so cute....."Cool!" he said and then, with a puzzled look as he looked at Evan, "but we already have a baby??" I told him that we do have a baby but GOD decided we needed another one. He has been so sweet...he will kiss my belly: "I love you, baby." and when I don't feel well (which is ALL the time), he will look at me and say: "Mommy, it is because you have a baby in your belly." Such a smart, young man. Evan is unaware of what is going on at this point. I am trying soooo hard to suck up all his cuteness and babyness while I can; before I have another baby. I am due February 15th, which will make Evan 21 months when he becomes a big brother....hard to believe my baby is going to be a big brother!

I went from unable to get pregnant to a "fertile myrtle" at 35 years old!!! What is up with that???

So, here we grow again! I am excited to grow our little family and see who this new baby will be and have the opportunity to snuggle a little wrapped up lovie one last time.

Evan is pulling up!

2010-07-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Evan pulled up to a steady standing position yesterday....July 27th....all by himself. He pulled himself up at Brady's train table in the playroom to see the cars and play. It was awesome! He was even able to stay there for quite some time and play! He is 14 1/2 months old now so I wonder from this step, how much longer it will be before he is walking. He actually locked his knees and was flat footed. YEA!!

Evan is 14 months

2010-07-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Evan is growing, growing, growing. He is still scooting VERY quickly. He is not walking yet. He has pulled up a couple of times....not with an intent to walk but to go after something he wants. This month he pulled up on the side of the bathtub to get a toy that he had thrown in it. The little guy fell right in. I felt terrible and was so scared because our tub is HARD. Our house is old so our tub is ceramic over steel. I was standing right there fixing my hair when it happened. I did not even think about it or have it on my radar because before then he had not pulled up before - on anything. So he can pull up and stand, he just has to want to!

Evan saw his first fireworks in his 14 month of life. We spent the holiday weekend with Chris' family so we went and parked in a lot near Chateau Elan to watch their firework display. He really seemed to enjoy them! He kept pointing up in the sky and smiling.

Evan's new thing is his fist raise. He always points toward things with his fist as if he is hailing something. That is his way of drawing your attention to something either he wants or wants you to see.

He is constantly in the pantry. He opens boxes of crackers, etc. and reaches in and just helps himself. He LOVES to eat!!! I thought teenage boys ate you out of house and home....I think my 14 month old is going to. He is not one to sit still while you read him stories. He grabs the book and LOVES to turn the pages himself. On each page he points at the pictures and "talks"....like he is telling the story. It is great! He is mimicking what he has learned....pointing at the pictures and saying what they are.

His ninth tooth has started breaking through....another tooth on the bottom.

He is a very playful little guy. He loves to "run" away...scoot away. He will take off and laugh so hard and if you call after him "come here, Evan." he scoots away faster, just chuckling.....loving being chased.

We sure do love our little Evan and watching all the new things he is doing and experiencing.

REAL

2010-07-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

Mommyhood has been HARD lately! As sweet as my boys are I am just feeling WORN

D
O
W
N!!!

It is contantly "no touch", "soft touches", "no scream" to Evan and I am constantly the manners police to Brady. And he is talking......NONstop!!!! It wears me out. The crazy thing is....he gets it from ME.......GREAT! By the time they take a nap in the day and go to bed at night, I am ready to crash!!

Surely, this too shall pass!

LORD, please give me the patience and wisdom to get past this season with the joy and fun I know is sandwiched in between all this other JUNK. Amen

2010-06-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Brady went to his first Vacation Bible School last week. It was four days - Mon. - Thurs. and he loved it. I was a little nervous dropping him off somewhere new but he really enjoyed it and learned some great things. They had a singing program the last day and Chris, Evan, and I went up there to watch him sing....it was so cute. He was really into it and did a GREAT job. One of the songs he sang has this line: "every day I'm growing up a little bit, a little bit more". I actually teared up...how cheesey am I?!?! After his program, we went out to eat chinese food and after lunch, as Chris was heading back to work, Brady said "Daddy why do you have to go to work?" Chris said: "Brady why does Daddy go to work?" Brady: "to make the money." Then Brady looks at me, IN ALL SERIOUSNESS and says: "So Daddy makes the money and Mommy you make the milk?" Too cute!!! Of course he asks this in an outside voice inside this little chinese restaurant FULL at lunch time. I just looked at him and said: "Sure, buddy. Something like that." Too cute!!

Evan's 13th Month

2010-06-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my lil' baby is 13 months old already!!! He is sooooo active...in his little scootin' way. He gets into EVERYTHING!!!! He definitely keeps me on my toes....or face (as he wears me down...sooo tired with him)! He cut a new tooth this past Monday...the bottom right one, next to the center right one...if that makes sense! Today I noticed the opposing tooth is starting to break through as well....this will make tooth number 8. He says "yeah" in context with a nice, little nod. "Do you want milk?" Evan: "Yeah" with a big nod. He has a VERY passionate personality...when he is happy, you know it; when he is angry, you know it! He laughs a lot!!! A very fun, out loud, belly laugh....it is GREAT!!! He loves to give his Mommy kisses. He leans toward me and says "mmmmmm" and then plants one on my lips....usually with his mouth open. He has these adorable curls at the nape of his neck....love them. Chris thinks we need to cut these "strays" but since they are sweet lil' curls, I don't want to. He is such a cuddler. When you hold him he tucks his arms up underneath himself and snuggles in against your chest...I LOVE it!! He LOVES playing with his big brother so much.....he laughs at Brady's silliness constantly. It is so fun to watch them enjoy one another. He is LOUD!!! When he wants something, he lets you know it and if you don't get what he is wanting quickly, he SCREAMS...oh my, some days I am afraid I am going to be deaf from the screaming - or insane!

Latest in the Stidham Household

2010-06-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

Weaning ....has turned to WEANED!! We are done....Evan did fine with dropping his last feeding and finally my boobs are not hard as a rock, about to rip open, and unbearable to be even brushed up against. That was unbearable!!! I have no idea why it was so bad this time. It was not like that when I weaned Brady. So glad that pain is gone!

BRADY MAC a couple of weeks ago before Brady was going to bed (we were hanging out in his room as he waited for Chris to come in and read and pray with him....he was getting Evan in the bed) he said "Mommy, will you sing me a lullaby?" "Of course, buddy, I will sing you a lullably" In my mind I am thinking.....do something with my sweet boy that is getting to cuddle him and him be my baby??? YES, PLEASE!!!
So I put him in my lap and rocked with him and sang a lullaby and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!! After Chris put him to bed, about 5 minutes later or so, Brady called for me in his room. I went in there and he said "Mommy, thank you for singing me a lullaby. I love you!"

Oh, Brady! I LOVE you too!!!

Good Mommy Day!

2010-06-17T07:38:00.000-05:00

Last Friday was one of those GREAT Mommy Days. Both boys were enjoying their days, behaving well, and just in great spirits overall. We had a fun day together playing, enjoying the pool, and spending time together. I LOVE these kind of days and wanted to take a minute to note such a wonderful mommy day with my boys.

2010-06-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

Weaning...So Sunday morning when I got Evan up I decided that was going to be the last time I nursed him as I would have given my body an entire week from the previous feeding that I dropped. Of course, this was all going to depend on how he reacted. So Monday morning, I didn't feed him and, other than changing his diaper prior to taking him to the kitchen to give him his food - ~~which of course angered him~~ - which he felt the need to communicate his hunger with me, he was fine. So...that was it....no more nursing. I am not exactly sure how I feel about it all. There is a part of me that is RELIEVED to be finished, there is part of me that is wistful about my baby not "officially" being a baby anymore, and then there is part of me that is SAD as I may never experience that bonding ever again. Chris and I do not know if we want any more children or not....so that may have been it!

Last week Evan started pulling up some. He threw a toy into the bathtub while hanging out with me when I was trying to get ready and then he started pulling himself up to look over the tub to see the toy. While sitting in Chris' lap this weekend, he started pulling on the back of the chair and a half to stand up. Growing up too fast, if you ask me!

"FOUR"hand

2010-06-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Today, Brady had his first tennis class. They worked on both forehand and backhand. After some time on backhand, Mr. Glenn wanted to go back to forehand. He said "Alright, Brady how do we get in position for our forehand?" He looked at Mr. Glenn, in all seriousness, and said (while holding his hands up) "how can I do that? I don't have four hands."

LOVE IT!!!!

2010-06-02T15:59:00.000-05:00

Weaning.......so today will be day three of not nursing Evan after his afternoon nap. We are now down to just one feeding per day...when he wakes up in the morning. On Monday I decided to see how he would do after his nap without nursing so instead we cuddled and I gave him a sippy cup of milk. He did fine so I decided to drop that feeding and so far, so good!!

On Sunday, we witnessed one of Evan's firsts...just a cute lil' thing I want to remember. When I went to get him up from his nap he was sitting up in his crib, just looking around. He, of course, has been sitting up on his own for a while but this was the first time that he was sitting up in his bed waiting for us when we have gone to get him out of bed.

Bruiser........Brady went today for his 4-year-old well check-up and, luckily, everything is a-okay!! We are thankful for that....very thankful!! He is a BIG boy!!! 90th percentile in height and in weight at 42.5 inches tall and 41lb. 2 oz.

2010-05-26T20:01:00.000-05:00

"mmmmmmmmmhhh".....the sweet sound I hear as my lil' angel, Evan comes toward me for a kiss......love it, every single second of it, ~~especially when~~ even when he forgets to close his mouth and it is slobbery. This is Evan's newest "word".

He is getting so expressive. Chris and I are eating it up! His "favorite" word right now is "uh-oh" after he has catapulted something across the room or overboard. We are having ~~a time~~ fun trying to teach him that "it is not an 'uh-oh' when you throw something, Evan."

Today, when Chris came home from work at lunch, Evan looked up at him and said "my dada"....so clearly, it melted Chris' heart!

Evan is scooting ALL over the place and FAST, it is amazing!! It is very interesting to Chris and I that we have babies that don't crawl, just scoot on their bottoms....I guess they prefer to face the world upright and head-on....I admire what that can mean!

Weaning.......not as methodical as it was the first time....with Brady I knew I was going to nurse until he turned one or it didn't work out for all involved anymore, whatever came first. With that in mind, things worked out fine so I planned on wrapping it up at one when it is "safe" to replace breast milk and/or formula with cow's milk. I gave my body one week for each of the four feedings he had at that point to adjust and dry up so I would not be in pain or get an infection or anything. With four feedings, I started a month before Brady turned one...dropping one feeding per week. I nursed him the last time the morning of his one-year-old wellness check-up, which was the day after his birthday, then discussed introducing milk with his pediatrician and we did it that afternoon and DONE...nursing was over....methodical, neat, orderly, ~~just like I LOVE things~~ and with no resistance from Brady! I went into the arena of breastfeeding with Evan with the same mindset...."if it ain't broke, don't fix it", right? Feeding has gone wonderfully with Evan, no formula needed. He eats whole food GREAT!!! I did not start the weaning process 4 weeks out as planned for a variety of reasons, things going on, etc. but I did start 2 weeks out thinking: we will end up about 2 weeks past turning one, big woop! I dropped the afternoon (after nap) feeding first, gave it a week. Then I dropped the late morning (after morning nap) feeding, gave it a week. This was going fine..he was turning one and I had two feedings to drop....after dinner/before bed and first thing in the morning. First thing in the morning feeding was going to be last. Just as I was planning to drop the before bed feeding he started having a REALLY hard time with not nursing after he woke up from his afternoon nap....he would cry, like REAL TEARS not just fussing, and dive his head toward my chest with his mouth open, so sadly. It broke my heart...this was new to me....too sad for me. I thought he was just hungry as he was used to eating at this time of day so I increased his snack, that didn't change anything. He sat in his high chair eating while crying with tears streaming down his face looking at me so sadly....it was like I was rejecting him or something. I decided to nurse him after afternoon nap in place of the bedtime feeding...it is working. It is still just two times per day and it is not associated with sleeping, since it is the two times per day when he wakes up...in the a.m. and after nap, this is good for later weaning...not needing nursing or ME to sleep. He eats whole food so well that he seems to get plenty to eat at dinner to sleep fine at night and still sleep his 12 hours per night. So for now, at one year and 2 weeks old, he is still nursing two times per day. This is not exactly what I planned - "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" Proverbs 19:21 - but it appears to be what he needs right now and it is not harming him, myself, or others in my family so I am still "doing my job" here in the Stidham household! There is something sweet about him needing that special time with just his mommy still, I must admit!

BRADY MAC finished his first year of school......I can not believe it. Tuesday was his last day of school - the 25th - and we all went up there for a picnic outside his school with his class. It was fun but hard to believe his first year is already over...what a quick 9 months that was! Our very first summer vacation is here...so many fun things in mind for summer. Last night Chris gave Brady his "summer cut"...we did it last year for the first time. It makes him look so "grown" to me...he is so handsome!!!

May Daze!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-23T15:50:00.001-05:00

May has been busy, busy, busy - and FUN for our family. We had Evan's first birthday party on the 8th - in Atlanta so we traveled to the ATL on the 7th, had the party on the 8th, enjoyed some semblance of Supper Club that night, celebrated Mother's Day with a breakfast date at the Waffle House with my boys while Chris enjoyed church with his mother and then we celebrated the occasion with Chris' family on the 9th and then headed back home.

The 12th - Evan's ACTUAL birthday.....my lil' angel is a whole year old..........WHAT??...Chris took the day off so we could have a whole day about Evan for his birthday....so fun!!! We took him out to breakfast at the Ranch House after we dropped Brady off at school, then we took him to the mall to enjoy his first carousel ride...the carousel conductor played a special b-day song for him so we got an extra long ride. He really seemed to enjoy this. Then we brought the little fellow home and just gave him some undivided attention from BOTH parents and just played with him and had lunch with him before picking Brady up from school. After his nap, we took him out to eat to the same Mexican restaurant we went to the night he was conceived....I know he is going to read this one day and think - thanks, mom, that is way too much information!!!....and they sang to him and gave him some sort of special cinnamon/sugar tortilla dessert. When we got home he had a cupcake waiting for he and Brady that I made and we put a candle in it and sang to him. We had a GREAT day celebrating the littlest Stidham!

Brady started his first ever one-on-one swim lessons. We signed up for these lessons with Mr. Chaz at the YMCA. I have been VERY proud of how much progress he has made with him. Evan and I did his first Mommy & Me swim class...which was GREAT. It was nice having an activity for just he and I and having that one-on-one time with him. Such special time for Evan & I.

We have had a few fun end-of-year things going on at Brady's school...one of which was celebrating his "pretend" birthday. Since his birthday is when school is out for Summer, his teacher gives us the opportunity to do a "pretend" celebration. She makes a sweet little crown for the birthday boy or girl to wear for the day and the parents can bring something "special" for that day's snack time if they want to. I brought some yummy chocolate chip cookies and juice boxes in for the class for snack time and then I read a fun book to the class. It was nice to be a part of my big boy's school day!

I had lots of fun preparing personalized thematic party favors for both the boys' parties and getting family together to pool our money for one big gift that they will enjoy for years to come. I finished up Evan's one year journal and now am going to commit to doing my best to keep a great journal of his doings, growing, and updates via my blog. On the 13th, I took Evan to his one year well check-up and he received a good bill of health. He is quite a big boy - 90th percentile in height at 30.5 inches, 30th percentile for weight at 21 lbs. 2 oz. and 95th percentile for his head circumference at 18 3/4 inches!! Such a big guy!

On the 13th we had Brittney photograph the boys for their 1 year and 4 year portraits. She, of course, did a GREAT job!

Evan added another word to his vocabulary "uh-oh"...so cute the way he says it with inflection. He nows says "Momma", "DaDa", his version of Brady "Bray-ee", "bye bye", "night night", and now "uh-oh". I love it!! We had a blast at Brady's birthday party. We had a fun, cooking birthday party for Brady on the 22nd at Super Suppers. What a wonderful time! Each little chef decorated their own chef's hat, wore aprons and made little personal pizzas, decorated yummy strawberry cupcakes (Brady chose strawberry everything), and then birthday boy, Chef Brady, made a yummy, homemade strawberry ice cream. They had a fantastic time and proved to be quite talented in their cooking skills. MiMi & PopPop and Poppy traveled from Georgia to enjoy the festivities.

It was very exciting to see Brady's face when we arrived home from his party with the surprise gift in the backyard for he and Evan. We - along with MiMi & PopPop, Nonnie, Uncle Rich, & Poppy - bought Brady and Evan a great wooden playset for the backyard and had it delivered and assembled while we were at Brady's party. He was VERY surprised...it was awesome!!I have to be honest now that May is coming to a close in the next week......WOW!!! While we have had a lot of FUN, it is nice to just be laying on my couch at the moment with my feet up and catching up on my journaling while my babies rest. It has been hectic and busy and I am ready for some down time (funny with a one year old and almost four year old to write that) and regular routine stuff. I am excited about summer vacation for Brady...his last day of preschool is Tuesday....and all the fun things that I am looking forward to doing with he and Evan this summer.

2010-04-28T10:55:00.000-05:00

Things I want to remember about my sweet Brady:

he wants to be a fireman when he grows up
Chris and I were hugging in the kitchen and Brady comes running in saying "got room for one more?" and started hugging on us... LOVE it!!
he is very into the weather....in the morning when we have the news on in the kitchen and he is eating his cereal, he gets very excited when the weather comes on and watches it intently. When the 7 day forecast comes on the screen he is looking for which days have the sun graphic on it and which days have rain clouds on them. After he intently watches, he broadcasts it to Chris and I. This morning he informed us: "There are 5 clouds in the weather. One in the West, one in Texas, one up North, one in America, and one uh....somewhere else." Chris asked him if he was going to be a weatherman when he grows up and he said: "I would love to do that, Daddy." So we discussed how maybe when he grows up he could be a weatherman on t.v. and he said "how can I do that? I can't fit inside the t.v." gotta love it! we then continued to explain how it works and then he said he would practice downstairs with his "weasel" (his art easel)
he is wearing flip-flops for the first time....and he LOVES them and feels like quite a big guy in them. we were running errands a couple of weeks back at Big Lots and he found a Batman pair he wanted so now he is a big guy in flip-flops.
he is wearing sunglasses with purpose this spring as well. Chris bought him a pair of Disney Cars sunglasses at Dollar General the other day and now he has to have them on when he is outside or in the van...looking at him in the mirror with his shades on is awesome.
he is obsessed with the word "SERIOUSLY?" he says it OFTEN and with the right inflection and the right timing. We discovered he picked it up from his Daddy.
some of his favorite people right now are the Kims (are next door neighbors and dear friends). Grayson is 7 months older than Brady and Olivia is 6 months younger than him....a true blessing for Brady and his parents as Chris and I really enjoy Amanda & Stefan's company as well. We are constantly discussing how Brady is a Kim stalker because he has to know what they are doing and where they are at ALL times and he is ALWAYS asking about them. "where are the Kims?" "what are the Kims doing?". Our favorite is when he referred to them a couple of times as his Kims. "Mommy, I want to go see my Kims." How endearing. Then one day before nap while we were praying I was thanking GOD for friendships and Brady interjected with "yes, GOD, thank you for my Kims." I guess it is official....they are HIS Kims!!

2010-04-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

Some of the latest comments from my sweet Brady:

every time he sees a cross now - since learning about Easter - he says "look, Mommy, there is the cross where Jesus died."
we practiced riding his bike in front of our house the other day and he gets real nervous thinking he is going to fall, even though he, of course, has training wheels on. I was trying to encourage him by telling him how to pedal and I said: "See bud, you are doing it...that is great. When you know how to pedal and ride you can go wherever you want....you have the freedom to ride, to go...isn't that cool.?" He said: "Yeah, Mommy, I am going to ride to the beach." I LOVE it, a man after my own heart!
after doing my usual tasks around the house with my dear boys...Brady looks at me and says: "Mommy you are doing a great job. You are my best Mommy."
praying before his snack yesterday after school, unprompted, he says: "Thank you Jesus for my day. Thank you for our blessings. Thank you for my snack. Thank you for dying on the cross for me." PRECIOUS!!!
Tonight at dinner when Brady was playing with his fork I said: "Brady put your fork down please." with a bit of an annoyed voice (this is something that has to be said OFTEN). He said: "Mommy I need it. Stop being grumpy, Mommy" without even skipping a beat or being funny. Chris and I had to hide our faces to not laugh in front of him.

LOVE this boy!!

Easter Blessings

2010-04-04T21:31:00.003-05:00

Easter is amazing to me. I mean I LOVE Christmas...who doesn't? How could you not? The season is joyous, magical, festive, and just plain fun! The reality of Easter is tough...thinking about what Christ endured - what HIS Father, our Father endured on GOOD Friday for US ME is phenomenal...absolutely phenomenal! What Christ did on Easter Sunday for is nothing short of miraculous...I mean who else do you know that has risen from the dead? Me....no one, just Jesus....just the son of GOD, just the Savior of the world, just MY Savior....Really??? "just"? "just" doesn't cut it...."just" indicates "justice" and where is there justice when you consider all that Christ endured...blameless, HE who was without sin?

This Easter season while we had fun with Brady with all the parties, festivities, crafts, egg hunts, etc. I really wanted to focus on what Easter is....what this day represents. I had a hard time with the wording...it is not pretty what our LORD suffered through...there is nothing romantic, magical, or mystical about being flogged, beaten, or crucified. Explaining this to a 3-year-old is tough...you question yourself as to the extent of the details, the depth, how honest....but again, I don't want to romanticize it. We had a few conversations come up as we discussed the fact that Easter was approaching.

Brady - "I don't want Jesus to die"
Brady - "He came back to life?" "When I die will I come back to life?"
Brady - "Why did Jesus have to die?"
Brady - "Jesus is in heaven? I thought Jesus was in our hearts?"

Then we had a cool dialogue after Brady came home one day from preschool the week of Easter. He told me the story of Easter. "Mommy the bad mans killed Jesus and put a crown of thorns on his head. This gave him a boo boo and he had circle boo boos on his hands. They hurt him Mommy and it was very sad then they put him on a cross and he died. The good guys rolled away the rock in front of the cave and he wasn't there, Mommy. His friends couldn't find him because he rose from the dead....Jesus rose from the dead!" I was so impressed by his knowledge and his retelling of what he learned from Mrs. Janey (who was thrilled to hear that he retained it and it made sense) and the toddler picture Bible that she used. This led to great conversation in which we talked about Jesus, sin, inviting Christ into our hearts - in which he clearly stated "I have invited Jesus into my heart, Mommy" - I am not sure he is quite capable of truly understanding that yet so we will continue to have this open communication, prayer time, Church, and his Bible teaching in school, of course. That is something only Christ will truly know. Perhaps my prayer of Brady coming to a saving knowledge of Christ at an early age will come to be...perhaps sooner than I ever imagined.

It is not enough to say Thank you, Lord, but without any other words - Thank you!!!

I DID IT!!

2010-04-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

I ran a half marathon.......13.1 miles!!! It was hard as h#!! but I did it!!! I committed to this back in November and after a long 3 1/2 months or so on Sunday, May 7th I did it....completed a half marathon. The training did not go as I would have liked....bad weather, no treadmill, injuries, illnesses, breastfeeding, work, nap schedules, husband's work schedule, preschool schedule, not having the schedule match-up with anyone to have a steady partner, etc....but I did it!!! Did I mention that I did it??? I am still in shock at times!

It was a great location...Seaside, FL....GORGEOUS!!! A pretty flat terrain...perfect time of year for Florida...early March...perfect sponsors....Vera Bradley and Jim 'N Nick's BBQ......the best ladies anyone could ask to do this with and enjoy a weekend at the beach with:

Deana, Kerry, Brittney, Leah, Christine, & Dara.........love these girls!!! I would have NEVER done this without them!

Sweet Brittney....a collegiate cross-country runner who encouraged me all along and came WAY down to my level to do this with me and, figuratively speaking, "carried me across the finish line" (although not long past mile 10 I thought she might have to literally carry me across). What a GREAT girl, wonderful cousin, and - more importantly - fabulous friend!!! Love her!!

Did I mention it was at Seaside, FL....the GORGEOUS beach!

We finally did it!

2010-03-09T23:59:00.000-06:00

After 4 years, Chris and I finally went away over night by ourselves and it was MAGICAL!!! We attempted this a couple of times since Brady was born but life kept getting in the way....moves, lay-offs, pregnancies, breast-feeding, money, you name it! I surprised Chris for Valentine's Day weekend by booking the perfect bed and breakfast...The Forsyth Park Inn in Savannah, GA. We stayed there once...before we became parents and absolutely loved it and, of course, Savannah is one of the greatest cities in the country! I arranged for the boys to be with Chris' parents. I talked to his boss in advance for him to have Friday, February 12th off and I kept it all a secret. He had no idea. The Tuesday before I told him that we were heading to his folks on Thursday to spend the night and get the boys settled and then heading out of town for our first overnight trip without our kiddos on Friday morning. He was definitely surprised! We had so much fun....yummy food, great atmosphere (it even snowed on Friday night...first time in Savannah in 14 years), beautiful accomodations, relaxation, and PERFECT COMPANY! I hope and pray it does not take another 4 years to go on a fabulous getaway with my man!

The best Valentine's Day EVER!!!

Some things that I want to always remember...

2010-02-16T15:09:00.000-06:00

My sweet Brady always amazes me with the things that he says and does. These are a few of the recent ones that I do not want to forget...

a week or so ago, Evan was fussing in his car seat waiting for us to head out the door to Brady's school. I turn around from inside the kitchen to see and hear Brady leaning over him, praying for him. I almost cried! After Brady said "Amen" he said, "Mommy I prayed for Evan so he is all better now" How sweet!!
With Evan teething, he has been fussier than usual and - frustrated from constantly hearing it, I said out loud: "Oh, Evan, you keep fussing. PLEASE stop fussing!" Brady, without missing a beat...very calmly, said "Mommy, he is a baby, babies fuss. That is what they do." So wise!
After getting Brady up from his nap, I told him that I was tired. He asked me why I was tired so I told him because I had stayed up too late the night before. All groggy and sleepy-eyed, he says "Mommy that is what grown-ups do, they stay up late. They just do." I said "Oh really, they do?" Brady - "Yes, Mommy; they do. Grown-ups stay up late and kids go to bed early."
Always encouraging, my sweet Brady Mac always has an encouraging word for me...some of my favorites lately...."Mommy, have I told you lately that I am proud of you. You are doing a good job, Mommy. You are doing good work as a Mommy." and another...."You rock it out, girl!"
Brady and Evan have quite a bond. Ever since Evan has come home I do not think Brady has ever wanted - not even for one second - to have Evan somewhere different from him nor he somewhere without Evan...even in one of his most yucky moods, phases, etc....these have never been directed toward Evan. A couple of weeks back, when we were in Atlanta visiting family, Pop Pop & MiMi were discussing having Evan stay at their house with them, without missing a beat Brady said "No, he can't stay here. He has to go home with me, he's my baby brother."

Sweet & Sour

2010-02-16T14:22:00.006-06:00

My sweet Brady is being so sour!!!!!!!!! It amazes me how complex a 3 1/2 year old can be. One minute he can be the sweetest child I have ever met and then the very next minute he can be so ugly....whew!! I guess this is all part of growing up but it sure is EXHAUSTING!!! As a mother there has been a lot of teachable moments lately...

trying to encourage the sweetness while discouraging and disciplining the sourness! I LOVE you, Brady, even when you are being sour!

GREEDY, GREEDY GIRL!!!

2010-01-07T15:36:00.013-06:00

This past Tuesday it hit me......a major conviction...I am a GREEDY, GREEDY girl!! I have known that $$$ was an issue for me for quite some time...not in the typical way...I don't LOVE it, in fact, I think I actually may despise it. I despise it so much that I don't want to stress about it, fight over it, owe any of it, or focus on it. Therefore, I have always tried to make decisions that would, hopefully, keep the above from happening. I would rather make less money, have less money, etc. if I have a plan and can manage the little that I have rather than having lots of money and lots of debt, stress, burden, LOVE of the green stuff that can happen. What is wrong with this??? How does that make me GREEDY if I don't really even want much of the green stuff?!?!

Webster defines greed as having or showing a selfish desire for wealth and possessions. It doesn't say "a lot of". It is not about the amount. It is all about the desire of my heart and if that desire is for my own benefit, my family's benefit, my peace of mind, my easier life, anything me-focused then it is greed and greed is sin!!

I am GREEDY because I am always focused on how I can save money, how I can make more money, how I can sell something.... focused, focused, focused on MONEY....one way or another I am focused on MONEY and it's affect on MY life!!!! This is GREED because it is all about I, my, and me!!! My focus should be on GOD, you, and them!

As I work to be a good steward of all I have been blessed with...I need to remember the why, the drive, the focus......stop looking inward and start looking outward....start looking at HIM...the one - and only - who never thought of HIMSELF as HE stretched out HIS arms and laid down HIS life for little old, selfish, sinful me!!

"Many are the plans in a man's heart....

2009-12-26T09:34:00.012-06:00

but it is GOD's plan that prevail"!!!! Proverbs 19:21

One of the verses that I am constantly reciting to myself. Inherently being a planner, I have to remind myself that planning is wise, has many benefits, almost necessary for someone wired like myself but LIKE ANYTHING can become an obsession, an idol, or even a religion if it is the key to my happiness, but most importantly if I am am not open to hearing GOD's prompting, unwilling to follow HIS will, HIS plans.

This week is easily my favorite week of the year...starting with my anniversary - it fell on Monday this year - and wrapping up with Christmas (on Friday). Brady was out of preschool this week, something I was excited about with this being his first year in preschool. I had secured a babysitter for Monday night so Chris and I could go out on a nice date to celebrate our 7th anniversary. This is a BIG deal because, without family in town, securing a babysitter and going out on a date are a really big deal for us! Being a planner I always strive to have all my shopping wrapped up by Thanksgiving so I can just sit back starting on Thanksgiving Day and soak up all the fun, festivities, family time, and reasons for the season.

So this past week was going to start with a weekend at home (after MUCH travel this fall) as a family of four enjoying being home, enjoying some festive Christmas activities, enjoying one another. Then on Monday we were going to start this much-anticipated week with a GREAT anniversary date as we roll into Christmas week.

So this was the plans in this "man's" heart..........but, apparently not the plan, not the WILL of my wonderful, almighty GOD!

Friday, while I was working at a gold party...the last of 6 I was working that week before a nice break leading up to Christmas week....Chris got the boys down for bed and suddenly - like a mack truck out of nowhere - BAM!!!! hit with the flu......fever, chills, body aches...the whole package deal. He laid himself down on the couch and that was it until Sunday night when he felt a smidgen better to join the family for our B'ham tradition of Zoolight Safari...then back to the couch. All the while I was hoping and praying he would be well enough to enjoy celebrating our anniversary. Monday he seemed another smidgen better. So maybe we won't spend the money for a nice dinner like we would probably have done because if you don't feel great, food is not the same. Maybe we can just go to a movie - that is not tiring, is relaxing, we are out of the house...just the two of us and we have only seen about 3 movies since Brady has been born (3 1/2 years old) because that is not something we can do with the kiddos.

Late morning while Evan is taking his morning nap (I was pretty much single parenting all weekend as to not expose the kiddos to Daddy's illness....please LORD no sick children for Christmas!) Brady and I head out to run a couple of errands with plans to be back for lunch and to be there when Evan woke up to feed him. Chris is home from work - taking a sick day - NOT a common thing for him! Brady and I are at NTB waiting for the tires to be rotated on the van when all of a sudden I start feeling HORRIBLE!!! Muscles, joints, BONES hurt....everything....I start getting chills.....NO!!!! I just made plans on the phone - while sitting in THIS same waiting room with my neighbor to meet up at the park after lunch as it is a beautifully mild, sunny day (actually reminded me a lot of 7 years prior, on the day I married my best friend). This will be fun for Brady...get outside, run around, take advantage of the beautiful sunny day while we have it and enjoy the day with Mommy and Evan as we start the first day of Christmas break. GREAT!!!! Am I really getting the flu on my anniversary and FOUR days before Christmas?!?!? My sweet baby Evan's FIRST Christmas??

The tires are finally done, I am all but crawling into the van, call Chris and cry telling him how horrible I feel...my teeth chattering so bad with fever that while talking I am biting my tongue...it is BLEEDING! So I get home crawl on the upstairs couch, take my temp. 101.5, try to fall asleep but the body aches won't let me and think about how my 7th anniversary date is not going to happen. Later I discover that my flu-like symptoms are the result of a severe case of mastitis, not the seasonal flu or H1N1 again. I have an antiobiotic called in to kill this bacterial infection in my breast.

So that evening Chris and I are counting the moments until are boys will be in their beds...not because we don't love them or because they are misbehaving but because we feel like we are GOING to DIE...maybe even want to! About 10 minutes after Brady is in the bed and I think I am at the peak of feeling bad, I begin vomitting...........30 times before the night is over.........SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?

What a pity party I had for myself....Happy Anniversary to Me! Merry Christmas to Me! What a miserable first Christmas for My Baby!

So my earnest prayer became......please keep my boys well for Christmas, please help Chris and I feel well enough by Christmas Eve to be able to go the candlelight Christmas Eve service we always go to here in B'ham and out to dinner at the restaurant we have gone to each Christmas Eve we have had here and PLEASE let us feel well enough to truly enjoy the joy and excitement Christmas morning is going to bring to our sweet buddy, Brady. I even ranked the importance of these requests (1) keep the boys well (2) have Chris and I be well enough to enjoy Brady's joy Christmas morning (3) well enough to take our boys and our sinful selves to Christmas Eve candlelight service (4) well enough to enjoy a yummy Christmas Eve dinner at Surin West.

We spend the 23rd taking Evan to the pediatrician as he develops congestion and a cough....GREAT...this is what I planned...a sick baby for his very first Christmas!! He wasn't that bad sounding...no croup, no fever, etc. I normally would not have taken him to the dr. at this point...but this is not normally - this is two days before his VERY first Christmas...this is my sweet baby stuck in a house with a bunch of sick folks - Brady had a cough and congestion for about a week that was finally drying up. He is fine...a cough, congestion, nothing major - as we knew. Dr. Anderson did inform us that his gums are about to bust with teeth...very full! He wrote us a Rx for a steroid in case he got croupy and it was Christmas with the only option being the ER...thank you Dr. Anderson of eliminating that "what if?" for us...for me and my "this not how my Christmas week was supposed to look" self!

Christmas Eve we had to run around doing a few little errands - a lot of the ones I did not get to do on Monday after the tire rotation - so we did it as a team...pull the van up, I run out get a few things done with Chris driving around in the van with the kiddos; pull up the van and it is Chris' turn, etc. NOT how I PLANNED to spend my Christmas Eve but the first day we have been able to leave the house without feeling like we might collapse amongst everyone - and in the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we probably would have been trampled with our poor innocent children standing by forced to witness this tragedy that would forever change the course of their lives! So as I am reciting my verse in my head, thinking about how this is not how I pictured our Christmas Eve, I am thankful that we are well enough to attend Christmas Eve services and - is that hunger for real food? - I think I am up for Surin West!!!

One of Chris' errands involved a run into Academy. So while he was in there and I am trying to drive around a fussy Evan - ready for his afternoon nap so sitting still in the parking lot was not working - and Brady in a very crowded parking lot that shares a LARGE shopping center with Walmart on Christmas Eve, with very CHRISTmas -spirited last minute shoppers (that last phrase is dripping with sarcasm) I decided to drive around to the back of the shopping centers....maybe no one is back there and I was very excited when I saw a large, empty open area so we drive back there and just as I decide to turn around to go back the way we came, I think why would I go back to where the unhappy crowds are so I turn the wheel again as I am thinking of "where to next?" now we have made a circle. I think this is a big enough area to turn circles, so I do it again...woo hooo, and again....woo hoo, and next thing you know I am turning doughnuts in the middle of the day behind Academy on Christmas Eve with my two boys in the back seat...one cooing, no idea what I am doing..just happy the car is moving and one - as I can see in my mirror....head angled to the side by the g-force, laughing with the biggest, happiest smile on his face. This is when I recite the verse to myself again and think my week has not looked AT ALL how I thought it would or even, for the most part, how I wanted it to look

but turning doughnuts behind Academy on Christmas Eve with that look of fun and excitement on Brady's face in the mirror - especially after being stuck inside the house all week with sick parents - was AWESOME and a Christmas Eve memory, not real significant on face value, that I will NEVER forget!!!

We worshipped at a beautiful candlelight service at Green Valley Baptist Church, pigged out (so good to eat really good food that first time after not wanting much) on a tasty meal at Surin West, drove around and looked at some more Christmas lights on the way home, and had a most joyous day watching Brady revel in Christmas, be sooo incredibly thankful (so much I can learn from my three-year-old), and smile serving others in need.

Evan was a bit sick, and a bit fussy at times as he had a hard time napping but I held him, comforted him and just thanked GOD for that sweet baby and that, relatively speaking, we are VERY BLESSED that he is healthy.

So my plans for this week.....I think Brady and I will make some New Year's cookies while he is out for his second week of Christmas break since I bought all the stuff with PLANS to make Christmas cookies with him last week, I will recite my verse and keep my heart and mind open to HIS plans....as they will PREVAIL; I will try to secure a babysitter for Chris and I to celebrate our anniversary a little bit late, and I will

thank GOD for doughnuts on Christmas Eve!

How did they do it?

2009-12-24T10:55:00.003-06:00

As I enjoy my sweet angels during this most wonderful time of the year I have been really pondering what an UNBELIEVABLE sacrifice was made for all of us....even little ol' pathetic, sin-ridden ME! I have a sweet baby that I love to cuddle as I am sure Mary cuddled Baby Jesus. I nurse my little guy as I am certain she nursed Jesus. I smile non-stop at Evan's non-stop smiling, I light up at the sound of his laughter, my heart warms when he says "Momma", and I want to do ANYthing and EVERYthing in my power for his happiness, well-being, and safety - all things that Mary, as Jesus' Mommy did!

So how did they do it?!?! How did Mary - Jesus' MOMMY and GOD - HIS FATHER do it? It is something I can not even imagine....one who created HIS son knowing the final outcome and one who carried HIM in her womb, birthed HIM, nursed HIM, cuddled HIM, raised HIM, and loved HIM unconditionally and then watched as HE was sentenced to death on a cross. As much as I love my boys and know I could not stand by and let them suffer in such a horrific way, I am utterly amazed at GOD's love for all of us...HIS children, that HE could do that, was willing to do that for little ol' pathetic, sin-ridden ME! I am equally in awe of Mary's obedience and understanding of her role in such a gut-wrenching outcome for a MOMMY!

Thank you for your sacrifice...such trite little words for such a HUGE gift, but sincerely Thank you!

"I Don't Want to Dive"

2009-12-09T21:56:00.008-06:00

Definitely the quote of the week......out of the mouth of Brady. After reading his devotion before his nap yesterday, we were talking about trusting GOD for taking care of us; that HE is always there for us - no matter what!

ME - Isn't that great, Brady? We can trust GOD to always love us and take care of us!
Brady - I don't want GOD to take care of me!
ME - Why not Brady?
Brady - I want you and Daddy to take care of me!
ME - Well, Daddy and I will take care of you but GOD is always with us...all of us, me and Daddy too, taking care of us.
Brady - HE is not taking care of us...HE is in heaven.
ME - HE is in heaven Brady
Brady (VERY concerned) - I don't want to go to heaven, I want to stay with you and Daddy. I don't want to "dive" (die) I don't want to go to heaven with Big Granny (Chris' Grandma Stidham)
ME - You don't have to go to heaven right now, Brady. GOD is in our hearts too, Brady...the Holy Spirit is...that is how GOD is always with us
Brady - Right, Right....Jesus is in our bellies!

LOVE these conversations in which I hope we are closer to my daily prayer...."LORD, I pray Brady comes to a saving knowledge of YOU at an early age"

Along those same lines...we have been celebrating Advent in our home and, therefore, talking a lot about celebrating Jesus' birth. In talking about birthdays Brady, of course as a typical three-year-old, associates birthdays with parties and birthday cake.

Brady - "Mommy, how are we going to celebrate Jesus' birthday in our bellies?" Sweet Brady knows that Jesus lives in us...we have taught him that HE lives in our hearts but he continues to view Jesus as living in our bellies.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-09T21:42:00.006-06:00

NO!!!!!!!!!
I want to scream "NO"!!! often these days! My sweet little Evan is growing up right before my eyes and way too fast! I can't stand it. He is eating baby food now...has been for about a month...he will be 7 months old on Saturday...he is saying "hey" and "Momma"....he has cut his first tooth (about a month ago), although it hasn't come out yet (a slow one)...he is just growing up way too fast and I can not stand it. I want to freeze him so badly...keep him at this sweet, smiling, cuddly, easy going, "Momma" chattering stage FOREVER!!!! How rich would I be if I could invent and patent that formula?!?!?! The cute thing is....Brady feels the same way...so cute from a three year old. He looked at me a couple of days ago and said: "Mommy, I don't want Evan to get bigger; I want him to stay little!" "He is so cute"

So these days, I find myself admiring my sweet little bundle of joy and screaming "NO!!!!" in my head - OFTEN and LOUDLY!!!! Unfortunately no one is obeying my ear-piercing NO...he is growing up anyway....right before my very tear-filled eyes!

Thankfulness

2009-11-19T21:54:00.002-06:00

Chris and I got to experience our first preschool function today. Brady's teacher cooked all her little "indians" a Thanksgiving feast and the parents were invited to drop in to witness it. Chris and I enjoyed observing Brady in "his world"...his little world that exists without us. They were all so cute in their native American head dresses and their necklaces that they made. They each made a laminated placemat with a turkey on it for Thanksgiving. On it, Mrs. Janey added what they were thankful for..she obtained this from asking them individually early in the week what they were thankful for...so each placemat said "I am thankful for_______." In Brady's blank it said "My Mommy"..........awwww, I melted!!! What a sweetheart!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-19T21:31:00.009-06:00

My boys made Halloween such a fun day for me!

Big dressed up as Handy Manny...one of his favorite Disney shows:

Little dressed up in the costume that Brady wore his first Halloween....a red hot chile pepper

I LOVE these boys!!!! They make everything more fun and the fact that I get to be their Mommy is just another small example of how "GOD is GOOD!"

Super Sweet 6!!!

2009-11-19T21:08:00.002-06:00

I am starting to think they should call 6 months old the "Super Sweet 6" instead of calling 16 "Sweet 16". My dear sweet Evan is the sweetest baby in the world!!! I just adore him. He is that baby that makes you want another...in fact, I don't know how I am going to stop myself from wanting another little angel. I don't write much about my sweet baby on my blog because I journal about him and his firsts and development in his First Year Journal but I wanted to write a little update about Evan for those that keep up with us via my blog. I am his momma after all, so if I don't brag about him, who will?

6 months old on November 12th and as sweet as can be

26.5 inches long (60th percentile), 16lbs. 13.5oz. (50th percentile), 17 1/4 inch head circ. (50th percentile)

at about 5 months we started introducing baby cereal to prepare him for food, spoon feeding, etc. so he would be ready by 6 months to really eat...not a big fan of the cereal at first, but then warmed up to it

on November 13th he had his first veggie...squash...he was okay with it; then after a few days...sweet potatoes....liked them; today he had carrots for the first time and he liked them

he has started vibrating his lips...like motorboating...so funny

he laughs out loud, often, and it is the best sound on the planet

he absolutely ADMIRES his older brother...always watching what he is doing and smiling and laughing at him

he has started sitting up pretty well so he has been taking baths with Brady and it is so fun to watch them enjoy each other's company so immensely