Starting Out

Bed Time

2012-01-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

When Mommy does bed time with the boys, we do a nice calming bath, dress for bed then a book and bed time.

When Daddy does bed time, it consist of rough-housing, wrestling, running around and excitement. So much for a quiet bed time tonight.

Oh well, at least they had fun....

Brendan

2012-01-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

With my last real posts being from so long ago, I wanted to just document and update how much he has grown. Here is a picture of Brendan from my last post about Caleb's first birthday party the end of May.

Brendan is now 3 1/2 years old. He is finally on another growth spurt, growing taller than his pants can keep up with since he is still too skinny for his age.

Besides his size, he is growing and learning so much every day. I can't believe how quickly he picks things up, we are having to be a little more careful about what he is exposed to.

For example he sings Daddy's songs after listening in the car, so much where I have told Scott he probably shouldn't play certain songs around Brendan. The other day he came in singing the country song "Toes" by Zac Brown Band. For those of you not familiar with the lyrics: "I've got my toes in the water in the sand, not a worry in the world a cold beer in my hand life is good today, life is good today."

Brendan also LOVES puzzles, he is very good at them, I need to start looking for larger puzzles to really challenge him, he does well with the 25 pieces right now, but sometimes a little too good! The only downside is that I find puzzle pieces all over the house.

Other interests include building with blocks, playing outside, playing with Sammy (his best friend) and any other friend that will come over. His new interest thanks to Christmas presents are the little action figures and vehicles by Imaginex, one of my favorite brands for this age group.

We are working with Brendan on his letters, he can name about half of the letters right every time we ask, others I can tell he guesses.

Although he is still not a big eater, he isn't as picky as before. Some favorite foods include blueberries, "Jelly sandwiches", Pancakes, and any and all candy.

I am going to try to post more of his cute little sayings or quotes throughout the year, most are so sweet with as frustrating as he is sometimes, you just want to scoop him up and kiss him all over with his sweet little innocent comments.

Here is a picture from December (I stole these from a friend on facebook, I don't even have a close up of my own to share). While I was working before Christmas, Brendan went over to Aunt Tawni's house to play with Sammy when Miss Jenni came over with Gingerbread houses for the boys to decorate. They said Brendan was so meticulous in the placement and organization of his decorations.

2012-01-07T13:46:00.001-08:00

Part of the downside to taking a "break" from blogging is that I stop reading others blogs as well. So for the past week or so I have been catching up on everyone's life that I have missed while I was away. I figure now it is a new year, a fresh start. Time to get back in the swing of things.

Decisions

2011-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

So I decided to look upon my much neglected blog this evening and realized I had a decision to make. As it has now been almost 5 months since my last post, do I pick myself up, and push myself to start blogging again? Or do I call it quits and let people watch my life through Facebook (which I never post on either, luckily, friends tag me in photos they take). Blogging used to come so easy, and even still I find myself "writing" blogs in my head while driving to and from work, but actually sitting down to type them out takes effort.

Blogging can be my relief, my place to share little stories from our family, and a place for family to see and hear our family adventures.

Blogging can also cause frustration, and an opportunity to waste time better spent elsewhere.

So my decision needs to be made, do I stay or do I go?

Caleb's !st Birthday - More pictures

2011-08-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for picture overload???

Scott grilling up the food

My wonderful mother, she was an amazing help for the party!

Caleb's new found mischief

The Atkinson's with my grandmother "Mimi"

Mimi, my sis Bekah & My Daddy

The party!

Cupcake time!

Caleb wasn't quite sure what to think at first...

Maybe this thing isn't so bad...

Scott giving his mom in Idaho a play-by-play of the party

Okay, I like this thing!

Just don't try and take it away from me!

Mimi's birthday present to Caleb, a water table! It was a big hit...Until Brendan got wet and then cold.

'Pepa' with the birthday boy!

My Cousin Missy. I don't think there was much of the party when Missy or my Aunt Benita didn't have a baby in their arms. They just LOVE babies!

Mimi & Lily

Can you tell they are best friends or what?

Uncle Kevin with Caleb

See! What did I tell you.

The two of them with another baby!

Baby Nate.

Presents!

He was so proud of himself for climbing on that box!

I'm shocked there is no baby in this picture....

'Unka Jon' is by far Brendan's favorite Uncle.

Grami & her baby boy

Wow, that was a lot. But now you have the whole "picture" of what his big day was like! Surrounded by friends and family, passed from person to person, food, fun, presents & cupcakes. Thanks to everyone that came to celebrate with us and for my mom and sis for helping me put on a great party!

Caleb's Birthday Party - Part 1

2011-08-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am a bad blogger. You would think that with Internet at home now, I would be better. But actually I think that since I have Internet all the time, it just lets me procrastinate longer. I will try to be better (I hear my husbands voice in my head: "'Try' is just an opportunity to allow yourself to fail") So don't be surprised if I don't get much better.

Anyway, I know I am over two months late with this post, but I do want to share with you pictures of Caleb's first birthday! I worked really hard, we actually started thinking of ideas and "planning" his party while I was still pregnant! (We as in my sister and I, Scott had very little to do with the planning of it all.

We went with the Baseball theme for Caleb's birthday. Since the party was held during Memorial Day weekend, we went with the traditional Red,White, and Blue color scheme. Very Americana, very baseball, America's past-time!

Welcome to Caleb's Birthday!

(this picture makes me think I really need to clean my black screen door...)

Cupcakes with cricut made toppers, my mom bought marshmallow baseballs on a stick for the kids. Brendan loved it, to be honest they were one of the worst things I have eaten (kid's taste buds are certainly different than adults). Bekah made strawberries dipped in white chocolate and blue sprinkles (SO good!).

Our "signature" wrapped water bottles.

Being Memorial day weekend I planned a nice afternoon BBQ on our patio expecting nice Southern California Sun. In true unpredictable So CA style, it was cool and gloomy. The sun did finally come out after a while. Checked table clothes were a nice touch, compliments of my friend Di. Red, White & Clue pennant banner made my coverless-patio-cover a little less obnoxious.

For lunch I wanted simple and easy. So with sticking with the Baseball theme, Scott grilled hot dogs, and I served Nachos in convenient nacho trays with Hot Cheese sauce and jalapenos. Just like the ball park!

Also around for snacking was peanuts, crackerjacks, watermelon and Sunflower Seeds.

Caleb's highchair was dressed for the occasion with scraps left over from my big banner. The cupcake was a big hit. (You can see him enjoying his first cake in my previous post)

Every child got to take home a baseball bat & ball. Every adult got a BabyRuth candy bar. Who do you think got the better take home...

...Caleb's choice was the baseball bats...

I'll post the rest of the pictures of family, gift opening and other fun stuff next, Just wanted you to see the party decorations and view the overview and not be overwhelmed at once! :)

What is church?

2011-07-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

As we were driving down Arlington the other day we were pointing things out the window to Brendan. We passed by Fellowship Baptist Church. A nice A-frame church building with a steeple and and a cross. The typical church building from my childhood.

"Brendan, do you see the church?"
Brendan's response "That's not church!"
"No, not our church, but that is a church"
Indignant Brendan argued "No! It's not a church!"
With Brendan's stubborn demeanor lately, we dropped it figuring it really wasn't worth the fight.

After a long 10 hour drive later that evening, we pull off the freeway in Sacramento in an industrial area. Brendan just waking up from a late nap in the car excitedly points out the window at an industrial building and says:

"Look! A church!"

Sandals Church New Building

Grandpa

2011-06-24T18:01:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday was father’s day. It will be a day that I will always remember. On our way home from church on Sunday evening I got a call from my sister that my grandpa had passed. It hit me hard. Although we are blessed to know he is in a better place without pain and with his heavenly father on Father’s day, we will defiantly miss him. I have cried quite a few tears and I know there will be many more. I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa.

When I picture grandpa, I will always see him in his coveralls working in his shop, I was never really sure what he did out there every day, but that’s where he was, in that giant shop filled with tractors, parts, and junk. Although it is hard to pick my favorite memories with Grandpa, most of my favorite ones happen in the front yard of their farmhouse in Bakersfield. Many afternoons were spent on the giant tire swing that he hung on the large maple tree in the yard with a tractor tire that fit all four of us girls at once. Papa would push us as high as he could, two woven lawn chairs were set up on the side of the house where Grandma would watch while enjoying the light breeze.

If we were lucky and ask nicely, Grandpa would hold us on his lap and let us “drive” the big tractors across the field. My first time behind the wheel was driving Grandpa’s pick-up truck across their driveway; my little feet could not even touch the pedals.

Some weekends, Grandpa and Grandma would take Christy, Julie, Bekah and myself camping in their old Winnebago RV; Just us, no parents.

But my all time favorite memory of my Grandpa would be his large brown leather chair that sat in their living room. As soon as he would get up from his seat, we would all run to sit in his chair. There we would sit, and wait, and giggle. Sure enough, Grandpa would come back to his chair and we would giggle some more. He would growl at us, more giggles. Then he would grab us by our feet, sometimes two of us at once, and pull us from his chair followed by tickles and of course, more giggles. The next time he stood up, we would do it again!

So many great memories of our grandpa, so many stories to tell. There was one thing that no one could deny, Grandpa loved his grandkids, and we will always remember the time we had with him.

Love You Forever

2011-06-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, Scott was at Bible Study and so I had the pleasure of putting the boys down to bed alone. Since this has been a major struggle with Brendan lately I was trying to make it as simple as possible. When Brendan asked me to read “the potty book” I couldn’t understand which book he wanted. He brought me Love you Forever by Robert Munsch. We had never read this book before, but I think he was intrigued by the little boy throwing the watch down the toilet. So he crawled into bed and I started reading. (If any of you have not read it, I would encourage you to go read it now, great book, especially for mom’s of boys.)

Being that my child is hyperactive with an extremely short attention span, I was amazed that he actually sat through the entire book. I have read this book many times growing up and have it almost memorized. As I am reading the familiar lines:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be.

I can feel a lump in the back of my throat forming. I’ve known the words for year, but this was the first time these words had meaning, had depth. This stubborn, defiant, troublemaking son of mine that drives my absolutely crazy during the day was staring up at me with his big, beautiful, blue eyes, his little hands clasped ready to pray and I knew that no matter what trouble he caused for me, he is my baby and will always be.

Brendan,
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always.
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.

By the end of the book, tears were running down my face. This little boy is growing up so fast, I’m not sure if my heart can handle it.

Poison Control

2011-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

As a mom, you don’t “expected” it, but you know that at some point in your life you will end up calling poison control center because of something you child got into. It’s not something you plan on, but you have the number on hand just in case. I never imagined my situation from last night.
About 7:00 last night, Caleb came crawling to me from the back room where Brendan was watching a movie. I pick him up and can immediately smell that he was thrown up. He was extremely fussy last night, so we thought maybe he had a bug. I hand him to Scott to strip him down while I go search out where he had thrown up. When I find it, I also find my empty deodorant tube and chunks of deodorant on the floor. “He ate my deodorant!” I yell out to Scott, my husband’s next logical thought, “How poisonous is that?” I didn’t even think about that! So I read the label “Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help, or contact a Poison Control Center right away.”

So while I hold a still fussy (and probably sick) baby. Scott calls the on-call pediatrician, I call poison control.

After giving the woman all the specifics on the type, brand, and specifics on the deodorant, she runs it in her computer. Luckily, I can tell by what is left that he hasn’t ingested a lot of the stick. She ensures me that it isn’t “poisonous” but it is extremely irritating on the stomach. Hence, the throwing up.

When thinking about circumstances that I might call Poison Control for something my child has gotten into, I never dreamed I would be calling telling them my child has eaten deodorant.

Shoes

2011-06-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

We all do embarrassing things now and then. I'm not sure if it was the frazzeledness of yesterday morning, running around trying to get everyone ready to walk out the door, or my absentmindedness (not paying attention to what I was doing) or the dreaded "Baby brain" that seemed to disappear with pregnancy and I am still waiting for the return.

Whether it was one or all of these reasons, I was utterly embarrassed.

Yesterday morning, while walking to my office from the parking lot I glance down and let out a little scream! I am wearing two different shoes!

One black, one snakeskin brown.

I'm already running a few minutes late and have a ton of work sitting on my desk that I know I don't have time to go home. Luckily they are both somewhat dark (the picture doesn't show as much difference as they really are.)

I get to my desk and hide my feet under my desk, thankful that I don't have any scheduled meetings!

Caleb's 1st bday - Cupcake

2011-06-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Caleb's first birthday this weekend. I will be posting all about the party with lots of pictures. bUt until I get them loaded onto my computer, I thought you might enjoy a quck (4 min) video of Caleb's cupcake at the party!

How did the year go by so fast??

Kisses and Blankies

2011-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was pretty upset on my way home from work. I picked up the boys and drove home. On the way home, I broke down and just started crying. I hear a little voice coming from the back seat:
"You sad Mommy?"
"Yes Brendan, Mommy is sad."
"Aw! I sorry mommy, I kiss you get home."
"Thank you Brendan"
"Blankie make you feel better."

A smile breaks through my tears. He is such a sweet boy, I am lucky to have such a wonderful, caring son.

When we got home, Brendan ran to the back room while I tried to pull myself together. Suddenly I hear Brendan struggling and crying "it's stuck!" I find him in my room trying to pull my comforter off my bed. "Blankie's stuck!"

I fall to the ground and wrap the little guy in my arms. Because to a toddler, kisses and blankies make everything better.

These are my girls.

2011-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, I go to lunch with these girls.

They are my “lunch bunch”. But they are so much more than just my lunch friends. These girls are some of my closest friends, my coworkers, my family. They are my listening ears, words of encouragement, arms of love. They are my prayer warriors. These girls are there whenever I need them, to do whatever I need. They are a warm hug when I feel alone. Mom’s when mine is out of reach. Sister’s to rejoice with. Crafty friends to “scrap” with. They understand when I need to vent. A source of strength when I feel week. They are my support, my words of advice, my confidants. But the thing I value the most about them is their love. I know these friends truly care for me, and love me for who I am. When you ask these girls to pray, boy do they pray. And we have seen amazing things happen in our lives that can only account for that one things.

Thank you girls. Thank you for being there for me, for loving me, and giving me the opportunity to love you back!

Circumstances

2011-05-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things happen and we cannot understand why. Other times, circumstances in your life are a direct result of certain actions. Although we can’t explain everything that happens, it is life and we learn from every experience.

Whenever there is a break in my blogging it is typically a direct result of the time in our life. And I know when I am gone, many of you wonder what is going on, for some of you, this is the only way you keep up on what is happening in our life! I didn’t post this right away mainly because I like to figure things out before I post it for the world to see. I also wasn’t quite sure what to write.

Scott lost his job. It was a major shock to us both. So many emotions, so many thoughts, a lot of prayers. It happened a few weeks ago, April 29th. We are upset, but we both believe that God is in control and there are other opportunities out there for us.

I am without words today. Whenever I think about writing this blog post, I have so many thoughts. I could say this. Should I say that? How detailed do I go? The truth is, this is just a small piece of this road we are traveling. It may seem like a huge roadblock, but as the weeks go on, we begin to see it more as a detour in life. We are not stuck, waiting for this blockage to be moved by someone else, we are continuing to travel on, just in a different direction than we originally planned.

Scott has taken this opportunity to go back to school and get his teaching credential. He is also focusing more of his attention on teaching in higher education. Although this is a difficult time to find a job, and History Professors are in no means in a high demand.

We are actively waiting to see what will come of this situation.

I will try to keep you updated more on our life, and what opportunities are presented to us. Until then, please keep us in your prayers. It is too tempting to become discouraged, disheartened, or doubt. That is not what we are called to do, and we just have to trust that there is a plan for our lives.

Birthday

2011-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I was really able to think about my life and getting older after my birthday party this year. I have the best Best Friend ever (I'll have to write more on her later), but Tawni has a wonderful husband and a good friend to me. When Rob found out that Scott was going to be away on my birthday, he felt terrible. So he decided to throw me a birthday party. Through no fault of his own...no one came.

However, it will be a birthday I wont soon forget because I felt truly loved and appreciated. No politics, no acting put together, or worrying about my children being disruptive, no games-we-all-play-at-parties, no stress.

It was just me, my children, my two friends and their children.

Rob made dinner; just for me. We had steak with a homemade steak sauce, twice baked potatoes, and asparagus with a Benedict sauce. I got to spend time with my best friend, have great conversation, and just enjoy being me.

Our boys played (and fought) with their toys. We had Cookies and Creme Ice Cream Cake. And I was presented with a small packet of letters from friends. I loved them all...especially Shanda's (who lives on the other-side-of-the-world). It made me cry at the memories (I might retype it so you call can see how much we have been though together) and remember that this is what has made my life what it is. Building friendships and memories with friends that are like-minded, supportive and share a common faith with me.

I put the boys to bed and spent time with adults (something that can only really happen after 8:00 at night). As I was driving home that night at midnight with my two sleeping kids in the back seat, praying for the safety of my husband in another country, I had to stop and really thank God for how blessed I am with my friends and my family. Who cares that I am now 28? So what if I "feel" old.

This is my life, and the older I get, the more I learn about myself. I don't want to go back to the days of staying up until 4:00 am every night, or wondering if Mr. Cool is into me or not, or studying all night for the final just to sleep through my alarm the next morning. I am happy being in my late twenties, happy knowing that my husband loves me, happy that I have found a job that I love and am good at, happy with my children, and happy with the best friend (and her husband) anyone can find.

Happy 28th Birthday to me!

(still dreading 30, but I still have a couple years...)

28

2011-04-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

This year I turned 28. I'm not really one to focus on age, especially not myself. It seemed silly that I always forgot how old I was when I was only 22, but somehow 6 years later, it is much more convenient. I love celebrating birthdays, just not ages. So when my birthday grew near I was thinking about how old I was, thinking I was turning 27. Except I know my lovely sister is having her 30th this year, which would make me 2 years younger. Dang, how can I be that old already?

I feel old.

Sometimes I still feel like I am fresh out of college, still a newlywed, starting out on this journey. But in reality, I have been married for almost 6 years now, at the same job for just as long and on my second promotion. We are happy with our little family and out two beautiful children. This is where we are, this is life, I am no longer "Just Starting Out"...maybe I need to change my blog?

I watch my student workers, still in college, being trained for a full time job after graduation. With late nights, Denny's study breaks, first dates, final exams...I know that! I was there! Not long ago. And yet, I feel so removed, I'm not one of them. We go to bed at 9:30, Denny's is for breakfast now, and we are lucky if we get one date night a month. I'm their boss, married with two kids.

I feel so old.

Please don't get me wrong, I am happy with my life. I love my life. But 28 is hard. I'm now in my late 20's. We have traded in our life of late night movies, spontaneous weekends, cheap Hyundai's traveling all over southern California, parties & clubs, fake nails, and Saturdays at the mall for early morning feedings, a house with a mortgage, minivans, kid birthday parties, Costco memberships, playgrounds, and full-time jobs.

I am old.

And yet...I love my life.

Caleb Baby Dedication

2011-04-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 3rd our church had baby dedication. Although Scott was out of town during the actual dedication, we decided we were still going to participate. The way Sandals Church does baby dedication is actually pretty cool. In the weeks before the Sunday dedication, they gather the families together one by one and video the family and have a short clip of the parents sharing something about teaching their child about Christ and our belief. (I have a clip of the video that I don't feel comfortable posting here if you would like to see it let me know and I can e-mail it to you.)

Scott was able to share in the video what we are most excited to teach our child about Christ. We discussed it and decided that we want first for our child to understand Christ’s love. Once you understand how great his love is and are able to love others in a Christ-like way, everything will fall into place. His patience, forgiveness, grace, everything starts with love.

Sunday was a crazy morning, rushing to get both boys ready and out the door early for church, I knew I was pushing it but I was still going to make it. That is until I went to walk out the door and I couldn’t find my keys. No blaming the kiddos on this one, it was all me and my forgetful brain. As I am searching the house with Brendan following me around "Keys Mommy? You need keys?" and Caleb crying because I keep passing him without picking him up...I finally find them and we race out of the house to church. I quickly park the car, grab the kids and rush in the door barely making it to the front row just as the movie starts.

My original plan was not to have Brendan with me during service but to drop him off to his class. But with no time, he stayed with me during the beginning part of service. He was so excited to see himself and Caleb up on the big movie screen. Brendan stayed with me up front and was very well behaved, clapped and cheered when the audience did, folded his hands and prayed when the pastor prayed with a loud AMEN at the end. He did ask me a few times when he got to go to “church”. The church gave Caleb (and us as parents) a nice certificate as a reminder of our commitment to raise our child in Christ. He was also given a wonderful Baby’s first Bible with thick board pages easy on baby’s hands.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of us up front at church. But both boys behaved nicely and looked adorable in their matching shirts. I got a few pictures after for you to see.

Sunny Days

2011-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

I know I have been absent for a little bit. For those of you that didn’t know, Scott was gone for 11 days on a Mission Trip to Belize. My hands were a little full and blogging was not on my top list of priorities. So much was going on, I’m not sure where to even start!

Scott left for his trip late Thursday (March 31st) night, but we didn’t see him after he left for work at 6:30 in the morning. Shortly after Scott left for work, I got a call from Marion saying she was sick and couldn’t watch the boys. This was the first time in the 2 ½ years we have been with her that she called me unable to watch the boys. I called around for childcare and luckily my sister agreed to watch the boys for a few hours while I went into to work to wrap things up on my desk. I did what I could in the morning and went home early to relieve my sis. I visited with Bekah for a bit and then the boys and I spent the afternoon and evening with Tawni and her boys.

Marion called again Thursday night saying she was still sick, I took the day off to be at home with my boys. My sister ended up needing to go to work for the morning, so I got to watch my beautiful niece for half the day on Friday. After the morning nap, my mom called me asking how things were going. She mentioned that usually watching an extra kid for her was a reminder she didn’t want more kids, and asked me if I was ready for number 3? I told her that it was a piece of cake and that I was supermom! Three is no problem, not much different than two, not that I am planning number three… At one point I was able to get all three kids down for a nap and have time to take a nice shower and watch (most of) an episode of Biggest Loser! We spent a lot of time outdoors on Friday, and most of the weekend actually. We hit potty-training pretty hard since the weather was warm enough to not wear pants :-) Both Caleb and Lily enjoyed the sunshine on a blanket, and Brendan ran all over soaking up the sun. Later that afternoon Tawni and her boys came over and we let the big boys play in the water while the sun was out.

Saturday I drug the boys around on a few errands, on our way home I picked up McDonalds to bring home. I told Brendan we were going to eat lunch outside for a picnic. He thought this was the best idea ever and since then has asked several time for “lunch outside”.

I realized that I am not a good housewife.
I spent 3 ½ days home with my kids and didn’t clean at all.
We colored outside,
walked to the park,
had a picnic in our backyard,
built castles with blocks,
played on a slip-and-slide,
cuddled on the couch for the 257th viewing of Monsters Inc,
and just enjoyed each other.

It was on Sunday night I looked around at the
blocks on the floor,
crayons on the kitchen table
and dinner dishes still in the sink.
I decided right then that
I.didn’t.care.

I’m not a stay-at-home mom, and if at the end of the day (or week) this is how my house looks, I’m okay with that. Because at least I enjoyed the time I had with my boys.

(P.S. I’m sorry for the way some of the pictures turned out, my camera is dying and I’m not very happy with it. It is time for a new one. Psst, Scott, that was a hint! Luckily Tawni took a few good pictures for me to use)

2011-03-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

Now I'm confused, is it "Butt-Naked" or "Buck-Naked"...Can a buck be naked? Oh well, you got what I meant.

Not Again...

2011-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I was home with the boys waiting for Scott to get home from work.
I was getting the boys ready for our bed-time routine with bath-time and everything else, nothing out of the ordinary.

In throwing away a pretty stinky diaper,
I realized our trash cans were still at the street and decided to bring them in.
Brendan (being the ever curious toddler who wants to be in the middle of everything mommy does) began to follow me outside and I instructed him to stay in the house.

But as I go to bring the cans in,
Brendan is standing in the doorway with the door open and with Caleb,
also trying to follow me, and now screaming/crying.
I can just see it now,
Brendan runs off,
the heavy garage door slams on Caleb.

Deciding to be the muti-tasking mommy,
I pick Caleb up and carry him
since I really only need one hand to bring in empty trash cans.
Brendan (of course) follows.

As I tell him (yell at him?) once more to get back in the house,
I go to open the door…
Brendan has locked us out.

I ever-so-calmly walk to the front door.
Locked.
I had of course locked the deadbolt
since I was home alone with the boys.

Locked out.
Again.
This is the 3rd time in a month…
you would think I would learn!

No keys.
No phone.
Nothing.
Just me and the boys.

Oh, and did I mention Brendan is naked?
Butt Naked.
Nothing on but little white socks.
(It was bath time remember?)

I remind myself that at least Caleb is in my arms
and not locked inside the house.
I look around, Scott should be home fairly soon.

Nicely placed in our garage is the rocking chair,
removed from Caleb’s room when the in-laws came to visit.
So I have a seat.
Now what to do with Brendan’s bare-bum so our neighbors don’t think I’m a terrible mother.
For some reason (not quite sure why)
there are a pair of 2T shorts lying on the ground.
At least his private areas are covered and our garage is now a G rating again.

So we sit.
And wait.
Brendan finds a baseball and practices his overhand pitching,
just in time for baseball season.
Daddy would be so proud.

Scott pulls up about 15 minutes later with the most confused look on his face.
“Why are you just sitting outside on a rocking chair while our son runs around without a shirt on?”
Because I thought,
"Hey!
It’s a Tuesday night,
I have nothing better to do.
Let’s just sit outside until Daddy gets home.
It should be fun!"

At least I haddn’t started the bath water yet…

At the Park

2011-03-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

My boys love the park

Especially Brendan.

He must ask to go to the park at least once a week,

Luckily we have a park in our housing community,

perfectly within walking distance.

I can make my kids day just by saying 5 simple words:

"Let's go to the park!"

While Brendan HATES the swing,

Caleb is still at the age where anything outside is fun.

"And if it means playing with Mommy and big brother, I'm in!"

The slide is of course a big hit with Brendan,

This was first time they have gone down together,

Surprisingly,

Brendan did not protest helping his brother go down the slide,

As long as we are at the park,

he is a perfect angel

"Please don't make me go home!"

The wagon is the easiest way to get to the park.

Brendan likes to be Mommy's-little-helper and pull Caleb in the wagon.

If only he knew it would be easier on Mommy to just ride with brother. There is nothing better than an afternoon at the park with my boys!

I guess we aren't perfect parents...

2011-03-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday night was one of the worse parenting moments for me. We put Brendan to bed a little early since he was so fussy for the day, as I was in the kitchen I heard him cry a little and cough. So I went and stood outside Brendan’s door trying to listen, I didn’t want to go in his room and wake him up if he was sleeping. I didn’t hear anything so I went back to what I was doing. As Scott and I were crawling into bed a little later, I decided I would sleep better if I just went and checked on this boys. As I open Brendan’s door I am almost knocked out by the smell. He wakes up and looks at me, the poor kid had thrown up in his bed and then gone back to sleep in the filth because he was so tired. So here he was sleeping for an hour and a half in this gross bed!

I felt like the worse mother ever!

I hollored for Scott who jumped in right away and we were able to clean him up, change his sheets, start a load of laundry, change pajamas and get Brendan back to bed as quickly as possible. He was so miserable, all he wanted to do was to sleep.

I just knew Brendan had thrown-up, why didn’t I just check on him when I heard him fuss? This was one major parenting fail for me!

*******
I also want to add to this post Scott was a very supportive husband through the entire thing. He took time off work, stayed with Caleb in the hospital, held a sick baby for hours, was thrown up on, and did everything he could to help our sick kids, even while I was out of town. Of course having his mother there during it all was a huge blessing that I know Scott (and I) appreciated. I am lucky to have an amazing husband and father. He is now suffering his own stomach issues from being such a great dad and sharing germs with his kiddos!

Sickness Part 2

2011-03-24T16:46:00.001-07:00

Did that last post feel like it just ended? It did to me, probably because I just got tired of typing and I figured you were tired of reading, but really my story didn’t end there.

After spending the night (awake most of the night) in the hospital with Caleb I could tell he was starting to feel better. He only threw up on my once but was eating more consistently. The doctor came by the next morning to check on Caleb’s progress and let us know that as long as he continued to eat/drink for the morning, and his diapers were normal, he would release him at lunch time (lunch time translates to 3:00 in my mind). Sure enough we were released from the hospital about 3:00-3:30 on Thursday afternoon.

As we were leaving the hospital, one pediatric nurse looked at me and said “You look familiar. Have you been here before with another boy?” I replied that we had been here in May of last year with Brendan’s hernia surgery. This is one place I do not really want to be recognized at!

When we got home all was quiet. Caleb went right down for a nap in his room, and being that I had been away from home for almost a full week from my conference and then the hospital stay, all I wanted was to shower in my own shower. So I took a nice long, hot shower hoping to relax the tensed muscles from stress and sleep in a hospital. As I got out nice and relaxed, I realized I had a voicemail on my cell phone. It was Marion (Day Care Provider), Brendan was sick, he had thrown up all over her house. Great, just great.

Luckily, my MIL had gotten the message from Scott and by the time I got out of the shower, they were already on their way to go pick Brendan up.

I didn’t go to work again on Friday, I stayed home with two sick kiddos.

Caleb was starting to feel better, but Brendan pretty much stayed on the couch all day.

All he ingested was Gatorade for 3 days. He would ask for food like crackers, cheerios, or a banana, but the poor thing would just sit there holding it, not taking a bite.

By Sunday we figured that both boys were on the mend but it was probably safer to just stay home from church. I had a really bad sore throat and Scott stomach was off. So we let Brendan crawl in bed Sunday morning and decided to just take it easy. Brendan actually laid there which was highly unusual. Suddenly, we figured out why he was so quiet as he threw up in our bed and all over us. Guess we are up for the day! So Sunday was a day of laundry, sick kids, and as much rest as possible.

By Monday, we were all on our way to recovery. I am happy to say that we are all just about back to normal! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this sickness, we are all much better!

While the cats away the mice will....play?

2011-03-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I was gone for a conference at work. We left early Saturday morning, and I left my two little boys home with Daddy (and Grandma & Grandpa) for the week. In preparation for my absence, I left them with easy meals to cook for the week, a daily schedule (3 ½ pages long) of instructions and the boys routine, enough frozen breastmilk and ice cubes of baby food to last the week and a few emergency numbers, just in case. Nothing I could have done would have prepared them for the week they had.

Scott told me on Sunday afternoon that the boys, especially Caleb had just been off since I left. I figured the boys were off their routine, nap-time was messed up and they were just missing their mom. But on Monday, it was obviously more than just missing mom. Caleb threw up a few times, Scott immediately called the doctor on call, which luckily was our own doctor. They were told that if he throws up again, they needed to go to ER/Urgent Care. Sure enough, not long after, Caleb throws up again. (You can imagine how this mama felt over 1,000 miles away in another state, this was the first time I had left Caleb and here they are in the Urgent Care.) The Urgent Care doctor diagnosis him with an ear infection and prescribes two medications.

The next day Scott knows something is not right another call to the doctor and they decide to bring him in for a visit on Tuesday morning. Our doctor takes one look at him and quickly checks his ears and tells us he does NOT have an ear infection (there was $30 wasted), Caleb has “gastroenteritis” (stomach virus, our doctor always uses technical terms that sound much worse than they are). It is very common, very contagious, and usually passes after a few days. However, a small percentage a babies get this and refuse to eat or drink. Hello, Caleb. He gave Grandma until 3:30 to try and get liquids down him. After struggling with a ten month old all day to try and eat in any way possible, including an eyedropper, a defeated Grandma calls the doctor back and they figure most likely Caleb will be admitted to the hospital.

I was holding it together pretty well all day Tuesday until I get the call that he is going to be admitted, I almost lose it. I know he was in good hands, we love our doctor and trust him, Scott was there and is a great dad, especially with the help and support of his parents…but as a mom far away, it was hard.

Caleb was finally admitted to the hospital late Tuesday night and after searching, pricking and holding down a screaming baby for almost 2 hours, he was hooked up to an IV and receiving fluids. Scott stayed the night at the hospital with Caleb on Tuesday night and most of Wednesday. Although exhausted, he makes it to his meeting at work Wednesday afternoon and my mother-in-law stays with Caleb at the hospital.

Although I know that Caleb is in good hands, I am very anxious to get home. Luckily we had an easy flight back to California. My boss’ parents kindly pick me up from the airport at 9:00 at night and take me straight to the hospital where I am finally able to hold my sick baby (and send my MIL home to get some sleep).

As I am in the hospital, I can tell Caleb is already feeling a bit better. I am told that after being tested, it was confirmed that he has Rotavirus, extremely contagious among children. After spending 5 days in Seattle away from my kids, this was the homecoming I received.

Estree Lauder taste on a Covergirl Budget

2011-03-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is nothing more than my thoughts written down “on paper”

Today as I was doing my make-up my mind began to wonder. As we get older, live through different struggles and times in our lives, we are shaped, molded and blessed, with each experience.

I am a snob. A make-up snob that is. I was introduced to make-up at about 13, and I was started off with “the good stuff” – Estee Lauder. I have never known another kind of blush, eye shadow and rarely use another mascara. I have my “signature” scent of Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise. My make-up habit has come from a long line of expensive make-up wearers, from my great-grandmother, my Mimi, my mother, sister, aunt and cousin.

But with two babies in childcare there comes a time to make economic decisions. Huggies or Luvs? Store-bought or homemade baby food? Eating out or eating in? Fast food or sack lunch? Starbucks or Keurig or Folgers? Estee Lauder or Covergirl?

These seem trivial, even as I write this post I think “is it really worth writing about?” But sacrifices come in all shapes and sizes. One of my most recent changes was my purchasing of make-up. I thought about it this morning as I opened my brand new daily moisturizing crème that my grandmother got me for Christmas. It felt so smooth compared to the “Clean & Clear” I had been using, so refreshing. I felt spoiled that I was able to use the expensive moisturizer, I reminded myself to use sparingly to make it last, “Once this is gone, It’s back to the lotion from your teenage years.”

This is not really about make-up though. It is about making cuts in every area. My family was money-conscious as I grew up. I never had the “cool” shoes, we wore Payless. Soda was a treat. My mom made her own bread, jelly, pickles, even yogurt at one time. She would even make “lunchables” for us kids and pack them in Tupperware. I was taught how to live tight. However, years of two incomes and no kids quickly makes you forget how one can live in such a way.

I am thankful for the opportunities Scott and I have for our family. We are blessed with a house for our family of four, a great day care, two good jobs and a little extra at the end of the month. We are happy and together, isn’t that what really matters? Making little sacrifices here and there are worth it in the end. While I will mourn the loss of my expensive habits, I will delight in the knowing that God is still providing for all our needs (and still a little extra!)

So I will enjoy my Estee Lauder crème while it lasts and remember that every cut made to our once “extravagant” lifestyle is all worth it for our two boys and our strong family.

Caleb 9 months pictures

2011-03-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

Last week we took Caleb to get his picture taken at JCPenneys. I think they did a great job this time with their pictures. Unfortunately, Caleb was teething with a runny nose and hurting gums so his smile isn't as big as usual, but I got a few cute shots! Although is wasn't my absolute favorite picture, a got the second pose as a 10x13 to hang on our wall. He is smiling and it is a snapshot of his development at this time in his life, about to take off crawling. Plus, he looks so grown-up in his polo shirt and blue jeans!

We brought along Caleb's fire truck and his book for the picture. One of Caleb's favorite toys and it matched the fire truck shirt so well! I love the 2nd pose, his little bare feet and him holding on to his truck! I am just so in love with these big blue eyes!

1st Tooth!

2011-02-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

After my blog post on Friday about Caleb not yet breaking a tooth yet, I was feeding caleb his cereal for breakfast on Saturday, and low and behold...a tooth! I actually had a feeling that one was comming through. He has been having a watery/runny nose all last week and was VERY cranky on Friday, Marion told me that he wouldn't nap at all on Friday and my mom noticed that Claeb had a slight fever on Thursday when we picked him up.

I mentioned to Marion on Friday afternoon that I thought he might be teething. She disagreeed saying that wasn't the problem because he was eating fine, just cranky and not sleeping well. But there it is, one little tooth poking through the skin!

It just goes to show you that I mother knows her child. 2 1/2 years of Mother's intuition is stronger than 42 years of childcare experiance!

Caleb is Walking!

2011-02-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, not quite by himself, but we are defiantly, getting closer! We are experimenting, discovering, and working up to the big day!

A few evenings ago when my parents were visiting, Caleb was playing with a car at Aunt Bekah's house. He was able to pull himself up and push the car, my dad quickly pulled out his phone to catch it on video. This was the first time he was successfully able to push a toy around. I think it helped that the toy obviously had wheels and kept rolling away from him on the slick tile, and it forced him to walk to keep up, but he now has the concept!

Just a quick, 31 sec video that Dad was able to get on his phone. Enjoy my growing, developing baby!

Caleb @ 9 months

2011-02-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby is already 9 months old! Caleb hit the official day last Friday, so technically he is 9 months and 1 week. I know you probably get tired of moms saying this but it really does go too fast! I took Caleb to get his professional 9 month pictures with my mom last night (another past next week) and I might be a bit biased, but he is adorable!

Caleb started crawling at 6 1/2 months, and I took this video at 7 1/2 months, just now got around to posting it. It isn't much, and it turned out darker than I thought (guess we do need to turn on more lights in our house) but it shows him walking and of course my irritating whiny voice. I guess I know now where Brendan gets his voice from. Anyway, just a fun little video in honor of Caleb @ 9 months!

In honor of Shanda this week, I have included a "numbered list"of Caleb's recent (relatively speaking) development:

Caleb learned to pull himself to a standing position on our ottoman at about 7 months, now he stands wherever he can, ottomans, cribs, mommy's legs while she is cooking.
He loves to play with toys in big brother's room, especially since toys are always all over the floor. Even if Brother is not in the room, he knows exactly where they are and helps himself. My favorite part is walking in Brendan's room and finding them actually playing "together".
I am not getting my hopes up that they will be best friends just because they are close together, but my hope is that they will at least occupy each other for a few years.
Of course they crawling stage is still fairly new, although to watch him crawl towards the door when Daddy gets home from work, you would think he had been crawling since birth.
Still no teeth. Brendan broke his first tooth at 9 months and 3 days. Caleb is now 9 months and 7 days...oh well.
He is eating everything he can get his little hands on! I think his favorite is potatoes. I usually mix them with carrots, peas, or chicken, but no matter what it is accompanied with, Caleb will eat it. I don't think I have come across a food yet that Caleb doesn't like.
He is still not interested in the sippy cup. I have introduced it to him a few times with juice, but he just slams it on his tray and makes a mess.
Caleb is a talker, he jabbers away in his low raspy voice. Seriously, I have never heard a baby with a voice like his. I will have to get a video so you can hear his little voice.
We still do at least 2 naps a day (sometimes 3 depending on our schedule) and we are finally back to sleeping through the night. We stopped for a few weeks when fighting the bad sickness that was going around.
Caleb's growth has slowed a little, he is not growing quite as rapidly as he was for a while. No official stats, that will have to wait for the drs appointment next week. We are wearing 9 month clothing, just packed up all our 6 month clothing to pass on, but no where near ready for 12 months. He is chubbier than his brother, but not too much bigger like I expected.
I just love this stage in his life. He is such a happy-go-lucky baby (most of the time) and loves his brother, wanting to be in the middle of it all. I just love what out family of 4 has become!

Potty Training Brendan

2011-02-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

This is how we are now spending our weekends. Potty Training. I dreaded this from the first time we went up a size in diapers. I had been warned, "potty training boys is so hard!" So I avoided it...until it was obvious it was time to move on to the next step. With my mother's help along with support from Marion (our Day Care provider) Brendan began sitting on the potty and actually going when asked around his second birthday. Then with the hernia surgery, baby brother, mom off work, and all other schedule changing events, potty training came to a stand still.

He will go pee-pee on the potty anytime asked, he does not EVER tell us when he needs to go, and will just pee in his pants when he needs to go. Our biggest challenge is getting him to actually sit down long enough to go poo-poo on the potty.

I have done all sorts of research on the subject. Everyone has their own opinions on the best way, best age, and best reward system in potty training. We even bought a book "Being Potty-Wise" or something like that. Our plan was to potty train in a weekend, just like the book and always trustworthy Internet said. That obviously didn't work for us. I thought about using the approach, "He'll potty train when he is ready" but then I thought maybe I was being a little bit lazy with that one. For now, we are just trying what works best for us right now, we encourage it when we can, explain to process, show him the process, make him help clean up the mess so he learns, eventually it will catch on (I hope). I am not too worried yet, he just hit two-and-a-half so we still have a little time. I would like him to be trained by the time he hits his 3rd birthday.

We decided that from now on when we are home on the weekends (and when we are able to on weeknights) we put Brendan in real underwear (Mickey Mouse of course!) and talk about being a big boy and using the big-boy potty. He stayed dry for almost all of Saturday, only one accident (pone Sat, 2 on Sun) which thanks to the Big-Boy-pants, he knew instantly that he had wet and should have gone to the potty.

I guess you can say we are making progress, I just need him to understand when he has the urge he needs to go sit on the potty.

Below is a video of Brendan as we wait to go on the potty. I'm sure this borderlines child abuse as inappropriate pictures/videos that will scar him in his teenage years that his mother showed the world (and I can only imagine what Scott will say when he sees the post) but I just think he is so adorable, and this is a milestone that every child goes through, so why not share?

You have to listen closely at his little voice, but he is learning to count to 20. Usually we do pretty well to 13, but then all the teens sound the same, he is better now than in the video (taken a couple weeks ago).

Feeding Baby

2011-02-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

I waited until Caleb was 6 months old to start feeding solids. He turned 6 months on November 18th so we started Caleb on Rice Cereal at Grammi's house during Thanksgiving. Caleb loved food from the beginning. We were still struggling to get him to take milk from a bottle at this time and so we would mix whatever milk was leftover with cereal and feed it with a spoon in order to get him to eat it.

Now, Three months later and you would think that kid had been on solid food for a year now. He still loves to eat. In January, Scott and I mad some tough financial decisions, cutting all bills as much as we could. It was then that I realized, I could not afford to continue to feed my baby as much as he ate! (Or rather, I did not want to afford it.) So what started as an experiment, turned to a necessity. I now make my own baby food. I don't do it to be organic, or because I don't trust Gerber's products, I have just found that making my own is SOOOO much cheaper!

My new friend is the Magic Bullet. With my bullet, I can puree foods in seconds and pour them into 1 oz ice cube trays to freeze for later use. I did this a few times with Brendan, but we mostly fed him store bought food. With Caleb though, he is pretty much solely on homemade baby food.

For many of you, this may not seem like a big deal. A lot of moms go with homemade over store bought. But being a working mom, I am always impressed with myself when I am able to do these "homey" types of activities.

I can find Gerber baby food on sale for $1.00 most places for 2 3.5 oz containers, which is not a bad price. But when my son eats usually about 3 of these a day, sometimes more, the 1 pound bag of carrots for $0.99 is a whole lot better. Without all the preservatives. And Caleb really seems to enjoy it!

I puree the food, freeze it in Ice Cube Trays and then store them in Zip Lock bags. I only make food once sometimes twice a week, and it is a huge payoff in the end. Plus, we can mix-and-match different foods together to give Caleb more variety. Currently in the freezer we have: Mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, apricots, apples, bananas, peach-apple, and squash. Next time we go to the store I would like to get some new flavors to expand his food intake, like blueberries, mango, avocado, the options are limitless!

Beside the pureed baby food, Caleb is starting to really enjoy finger-foods. Soft foods that he can gum to death. Like soft-cooked carrots cut up, cooked zucchini, bits of potato, and his favorite-Cheerios. I'm really enjoys experimenting with food with him, as we learn and experience together!

Caleb KEYS

2011-02-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Keys to Mommy's heart...

My boys defiantly have the "Keys" to mommy's heart. When Brendan was about the age of Caleb, my best friend bought me this onesie which I just adored. (Look back to see Brendan in the same onesie.)

They Defiantly brothers:

Brendan:

Caleb:

Biggest difference at this age is that Caleb's smile is much bigger, much more "smiley" and happy baby. And I didn't really realize it until comparing pictures, but Caleb is defiantly chunkier than Brendan was!

Remembering Disneyland

2011-02-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

So I know I talk about our Disneyland trips a lot, but when you have little ones, each trip marks feels like the first time as develop and discover new things with each visit.

Disneyland has been our place. We spend many dates there, Scott proposed there, we even went close to my due date with Brendan with Scott’s hope of delivering at Disneyland and having passes for life (a rumor we have heard and thought it would be fun).

Brendan is beginning to share our excitement and love for all things Disney. This last trip is the first time that I think he is actually remembering Disneyland. We took the boys on Sunday, January 23rd. Since then almost every day (maybe every other day) Brendan will begin the conversation:

“I fun at Disneyland”
Me – “Oh? You had fun at Disneyland?”
B – “Yeah. And gicky (Mikey) house”
(This is where I now repeat everything he says or he will sound like a broken record until I acknowledge him)
“…and Dale’s house… ” (Chip and Dale’s Tree House)
“…and Donald’s boat…”
"...and slide..."
“…and Choo-choo train…and tracks…”
“…and monsters and doors…” (Monsters Inc.)
“…and cars…”
“…and dolder-doaster…” (this one took me a bit to figure out what he was saying, he went on his first “roller-coaster” with Daddy!)
"...and turn..." (not sure if he is talking about the turns on the ride, or that he had to wait his turn to get on the ride, or something completely different. Not sure how his mind works all the time.)
“…I fun at Disneyland!”

I love that these memories are forming in his little mind and that he continues to talk about it. As you can tell, his favorite part of the day was Toon-Town. I think we might take him back again this weekend since he loves it so much!

Here are some pictures to go with the story!

Mickey's House:

Meeting Mickey:

(this is the first time we hugged Mickey instead of clinging to Daddy's leg)

Caleb Just wanted to eat Mickey's nose,

but Brendan insisted that Caleb needed to meet Mickey,

"Caleb's turn!!"

Mickey's Car:

The playground at Goofy's House:

And the famous first Roller-Coaster ride, with lots of turns!

(you may have to click on the picture to make it bigger but you can see Brendan & Scott in the second to last car. Brendan enjoyed himself but wasn't ready to go back on right away.)

Our Valentine Plans

2011-02-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day has never really been a big deal for me and Scott. And once you have kids, it pretty much gets thrown out the window.

From the time the store start putting out the red & pink hearts the beginning of January my husband constantly reminds me "I hate valentine's Day". It is defiantly a constant reminder not to expect anything or talk about plans for the day.

Usually he will end up doing something, giving me a card and usually a few flowers, but never anything extravagant.

Looking back at our relationship, I remember our very first Valentines Day together, I tried to do something special, but it just didn't turn out and after I realized how much he hated the "holiday" I gave up.

Don't get me wrong, I am not bitter or upset. I have never been a really huge fan of the holiday anyway. Growing up, my mom used to try and make it special with serving pink malt-o-meal and strawberry milk for breakfast, little valentines in our lunches, we would pick out the cards and exchange them at school.

My worse Valentine's day was probably my junior year of high school when I actually had a boyfriend. I never really knew what to give a guy in high school, but this boyfriend got me this embarrassing large display of a dozen red roses and gave them to me in front of everyone...we had barely started dating.

This Valentine's Day we didn't really discuss doing anything until the night before, then again on the day of while I was still at work. Chili's had a Valentine Day special, but with money the way it was, we decided to not spend any money, but to just stay in instead.

It was actually a nice evening. Scott made hamburgers for dinner for us, we spent time as a family, sent the kids to bed a tad bit early, and just enjoyed each other...and a history channel special on Chocolate.

It was nice, easy and simple, but nice.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

This was a truly rare moment this morning as both boys sat side by side for a picture, with bother actually looking at the camera. Is that Brendan's arm around his brother?? They were defiantly showing the love today!

Well, that of course did not last too long...

Going....

Going...

GONE!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Caleb's First Valentine's Day.

Cousins

2011-02-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite part of having my sister close by is having our kids grow up together. Growing up, we were always very close to our cousins and I wanted the same for my kids. One of my cousins, Mikey, was 11 months younger than me. And while you will still hear stories of how unhappy I was for him to come as a baby, how I would hit Aunt's belly and I would scream at him sleeping in his crib, but we still grew up very close.

I have been waiting for my sister to have a baby so our kids can be close in age. When I found out she was three months behind me in pregnancy, I was super excited! Now with such close ages, we will be able to do all sorts of things together as our kids get older. During Christmas, we got all three kids dressed in their Christmas outfits together on the couch. I Love that we will have these types of pictures for years and years to come, and as the number grows as Bekah and my brothers have more babies, the holidays and other events will become that much more fun and hectic. I can't wait!

No while this photoshoot wasn't perfect - the only way to get Brendan to sit there was to give him a present to open, and Caleb was so enthralled with Lily's dress (hairbow, shoes, ect) he kept trying to eat her, it was perfect having the three babies together. I will never forget these times we have.

More Park Pictures

2011-01-25T12:00:00.001-08:00

I meant to add these on to the Park post yesterday but got distracted...

Park pictures from Saturday, January 22nd. We are getting good use out of the wagon! A trip to the park two weekends in a row? Brendan is as happy as can be!

Just a few more pictures, nothing special. A real post should be coming soon...but I wouldn't hold my breath for it...

Walk in the Park

2011-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, Mimi (the boys Great-Grandmother) bought Brendan & Caleb a red wagon. A wagon for us means an easier trip to the park! Last weekend for the 3-day holiday weekend, I took the boys to our community park to play and have lunch. We met my sister and a few of her friends there as well.

Since the weather was in the high 80's (I know, in January), it was a perfect day to go and play. Brendan has gotten to the age where I can sit and watch him play and know he is capable of playing on the big toys. Caleb got to play with Uncle Kevin. Both boys had a great time!

Happy 2011!!

2011-01-20T15:25:00.001-08:00

My husband mentioned to me last night that I needed to update my blog. I realized that if he noticed I hadn’t posted in almost 7 weeks, then it must be bad. I skipped the entire Christmas season. Don’t get me wrong, I am far from a scrooge, just go busy the past couple months and fell behind. I guess it is time to get back up to speed. Prepare for posts with pictures overload (since that’s what most of you skim my posts for anyway *cough*cough*Bekah*) . I am excited for 2011, as with most other Americans, it is a fresh start, although we begin the year holding onto the baggage from 2010, it is a time to say, I making things right, beginning again, a new hope.

Unless I have confided in you recently and regularly since December 3rd, most of you are probably feeling a little lost/confused. Either way, I have a slew of “Good Intentions” and “New Year Resolutions” 24 to be in fact. If I can accomplish, or at least start 2 a month, I will be on track. Hopefully the countdown will continue through December and I can actually finish a blog series that I began (a mournful look is glanced at the other unfinished post series, Friendship Friday, Featured Family Member, Month-by-month updates of baby’s growth…) but like a said, a fresh start with a new hope!

I want to thank you all for being loyal blog followers even when I have long absences or when I ramble on about things you don’t understand (and/or care about) or spill my guts with what I am thinking/feeling. I say that I write for myself, but I wouldn’t ever write if no one read it, so thanks to you I will continue on! Happy 2011 everyone!

Family Photos

2010-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

This year, since my parents had all their children & grandchildren all in one house for Thanksgiving, we took a few nice family photos. If you are Facebook friends with my parents, and/or follow my dad's or sister's blog, you may be a little tired of seeing these photos over and over again. But they turned out so well, I thought I would also post the family pictures for viewing. Currently, there are 11 of us all together. I can only imagine what the picture will look like in 5-10 years!

The Keys Family: Scott, Caleb, Myself & Brendan

The Atkinson Family: Kevin, Bekah & Lily

(Whats left of) The Reed Family: JT (Bud), Dad, Mom & Jon

The Family Picture

Grammi & Pepa with the grandkidsBrendan was defiantly done with pictures at this point. We were using candy to get a semi-decent shot.

It is nice to have the documentation of the family all together. I will give a Thanksgiving post soon! Just need to gather all the pictures into one spot...

Grandparents: Grandpa Keys

2010-12-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Scott's Dad lives not too far away from us and loves seeing his grand-kids grow. Scott and his Dad get together once in a while to watch Football all day. Usually Scott goes to his house, but every so often, he picks up his dad and brings him to our house for the day. This gives the boys an opportunity to spend time with their Grandpa Keys and still go down for a nap in their own bed! (Nap-time is very important at the Keys' household).

Since Brendan hardly ever stops moving...I wasn't able to get a good picture with him. But I got an adorable picture with Caleb!

Maybe I'll have more luck with Brendan at Christmas...

Caleb at 6 months old

2010-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Caleb is actually half a year old! I tell my husband, that means it is time to plan his first Birthday Party! (Bekah and I are already putting together ideas). 6 months is a fun time, it is when I begin to see my baby have his own personality and start to really be Fun instead of just nice to hold & cuddle. So let's see where he is in his 6th month!

Caleb can now (and has been able for a while) to roll over from front-to-back and then back-to-front. Caleb spends most of him time on his belly, it is easier to play and get around that way. And blankets on the floor have become useless as he never stays on them anymore. I defiantly have a mover on my hands! Caleb also prefers to to sleep on his tummy, it is rare that I walk in to see him sleeping on his back where I placed him.
Unfortunately, we are still pretty dependant on the pacifier, we have them everywhere in the house. At this age Brendan had given up the pacifier on his own. Caleb seems to need/want it more. Even after he is done eating sometimes he wants to continue to suck, but doesn’t shows signs that he is defiantly not hungry. I give him the pacifier instead and he is happy. I’m not too worried about it, we will give it up when it is time.
We are still breastfeeding! I find this a huge accomplishment, originally I didn’t think I would continue after returning to work, it is a struggle but I wanted to at least make it 6 months.
Caleb has been able to sit independently for a couple weeks now. Many times he flings himself forward so he can get to where he wants to go, but is able to sit up for a while if the toys are within reach. Last night I noticed he was able to get into the sitting position on his own after laying on his tummy, this morning he was sitting up and laying down whenever he pleased. He is growing so fast I just cannot believe it!
Caleb’s movements are now everywhere. I can guarantee that if I put him somewhere, he will not be in the same place 5 minutes later. I thought he would be crawling by Thanksgiving, but we are not technically crawling yet. Caleb get up on his knees and then flings himself forward until he gets to the toy he wants. He is still learning to move his arms and legs at the same time but he has no problem scooting around the house. (This means I need to mop more often if my baby is going to be moving around the floor.)
Interesting enough, in the same way that Caleb flings himself forward to reach objects on the floor, if there is something on the table he wants while sitting on my lap, he will throw himself back (into my chest) and then fling forward as if to get a running start in order to reach the object (usually my dinner plate).
Caleb has now been started on “solid” foods. We tried rice cereal for the first time last Thanksgiving week. He really gobbled it up! He would open his mouth anytime the spoon came near and was not too messy. He really mastered the skill of moving food to the back of his mouth quickly.
Caleb's fingers are always in his mouth, everyone tells me, "oh he must be teething!" But since Brendan didn't break out his first tooth until 9 months, I'm not holding my breath!
I honestly believe that Caleb is the happiest baby I have ever met. Much happier than his brother was. He smiles at everyone and is rarely fussy. When he is fussy or cries, you know there is something wrong or he isn't feeling well. Otherwise, he is pretty happy-go-lucky. Although lately he is happiest in the middle of the action. Yesterday I went to go feed him at daycare and I walked in to find the entire front room covered in toys (dinosaurs, cars, blocks, you name it, it was out since it was too cold to play outside) and there was Caleb, right smack in the middle of it all, playing with the big kids.
We have his 6 month check-up tomorrow and his 6 month pictures appointment on Saturday. Updates from both of those will come later.

Brendan's 2-year-old Pictures

2010-11-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

Although it was late, I finally took Brendan to go get his 2-year-old pictures. I think it was so late because I was procrastinating taking him in for pictures. My kid hardly ever sit still and so to take him to a new place and ask him to sit and smile, just didn't feel like a good idea. But we went anyway.

Almost 4 months after his 2nd birthday, I finally took him to JCPenny's Portrait Studio. The woman was nice, she had a kid of her own (and one on the way) but I think that her little girl was more used to taking photos than my hyper Brendan. She kept asking him to "sit on the light" which was not going over well. Then she tried to spell out "T-W-O" with Brendan, which I thought was a waste of time since I told her I was only purchasing one shot. It was pretty cute, but you can see she was only able to get the "O" and "W", never the "T". So much for that! She did make an adorable Thank You card, but I didn't need any of those...

Finally she got him to play with some boxes, she stacked them up and told him to stand next to them...umm...hello? He's two! You just stacked boxes, what do you think I 2-year-old is going to do with those? He tried to sit on the bottom box and they all fell over, this was a fun game for Brendan! She re-stacked them and he knocked them over about 6 times. I finally asked her for a stool or something that he could sit on so he had a defined spot. This is the shot I ultimately ended up with, as you can see I didn't really have many choices. It was this one (with the random Orange box on top) or the first one with his cheesy half-smile (although I really do love the picture of him in the "O" it just didn't seem to be the right pose to choose!)
My mother says, some years are better than others. Here's hoping 3 is easier than 2!

Great Grandparents: Mimi

2010-11-26T11:24:00.001-08:00

My mom's mother has always been refereed to as "Mimi" by her grandkids. She was named by her first Grandchild, Bekah. Now she has 7 Grandchildren and 3 Great-Grandchildren. On Labor Day weekend, she was able to come down to Southern California to see her 3 Great Grandkids and spend some time with them. Especially her newest and first Great-Granddaughter Lily.

Since we were all around, we took the opportunity to take some pictures of the group. Caleb was less than thrilled and Brendan fought us a bit, but we were able to get a few pictures worth keeping.

Myself, My Boys and Mimi

Mimi with all Three Great-Grandchildren:

Brendan, Caleb & Brendan

The proud Grandparents with their first Granddaughter

More pictures of our family.

Scott with Caleb

Uncle Kevin & Caleb, Scott & Brendan

Great-Grandparents: G.G. Pat & Poppy

2010-11-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

Scott's Grandma & Poppy live not too far away by the Salton Sea (near Palm Springs). A couple months ago we were able to take the boys down for a visit to see the Grandparents and spend some time catching up with Family. As always it was a nice visit. But my favorite part was watching G.G. Pat play with her great-grandchildren. Brendan ran right into their house and made himself at home. Although nap time was a struggle at their house as he can now crawl out of the pack-n-play, but overall it was a very nice visit! (Please excuse my pictures, my camera flash has not been working well so the pictures came out grainy).

G.G. Pat with her Great-Grandchildren

Poppy with Caleb

(Grandma said I was lucky to get this picture,

defiantly holding onto this one, too bad Caleb wasn't smiling!)

Halloween Adventure 2010

2010-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

This year I found Caleb's Halloween outfit fairly early. I knew I wanted something soft and warm and preferably Carter's much like Brendan's first Halloween costume of the Monster. So on a trip to Macy's I found a cute lion Carter's costume at 50% off. Done!

A couple weeks before Halloween, Bekah asked me if I had a bear outfit that Lily could borrow. Lily would be an adorable teddy bear...and she was! (Although a little tired and not quite digging the picture taking.)

The next problem was Brendan's costume. I kept looking around, but nothing ever jumped out at me. I thought about a lion tamer, but there was no way I was going to give my 2-year-old a whip, and I just couldn't see spending money on a top hat for him.

We threw around some other ideas (or rather I threw them at Scott and his response was "I don't really care what he is" - helpful). With Lily being a Teddy Bear, I thought it would be cute to get Brendan a Tiger costume so we could have a Lion, a Tiger and a Bear! OH MY!

Finally, on the morning of the 30th, I realized I better hurry and get a costume for my toddler, there was no more time to procrastinate. I ran into Target, now, out of time, ideas, and short on money. I found a cute little Zoo Keeper (which looks a lot like a Safari hunter, but again, no weapon for the 2-year-old) on sale for 25% off. I'll take it! Unfortunately, I got the wrong size and the costume was too big. But with a pair of khaki pants from home and a safety-pin, we were dressed. At least he is only 2 and wont remember any of it!

Our church put on a Trunk-or-Treat that I wanted to take the kids to. We didn't make it last year and thought it would be fun for Brendan. My sister brought Lily over to take pictures of the Grand kids together for my mom. Taking pictures of three kids is quite a challenge. Luckily we started taking pictures of Caleb & Lily together and Brendan said "my turn" so once we got all 3 kids on the couch, Bekah & I started snapping away hoping one of us got at least one good picture. Looking back, some of the pictures are quite comical of the three of them! By the end you can tell all 3 were done with the picture taking.

Once we were done with the pictures, Bekah and I took the kiddos to the church parking lot for Trunk-or-Treat. Scott & Kevin were both already at the church dealing with the parking for the event, unfortunately for us that meant not much help with the babies. With two of us, we managed pretty well.

Brendan had a good time, but he never really grasped the concept that every car was going to give him candy. Every piece of candy (thankfully it was all wrapped) ended up in his mouth, I then had to take it out and explain to him (again and again) that the candy goes in the bag. He was very polite, said please and thank you over and over. By the time we were half-way through the line of cars, my sister and I decided he had enough candy and he wouldn't know any different. So we started just walking back through the line of cars back to our car. Every once in a while, Brendan would realize someone was handing out candy and would stop to get a piece, but the second half went a lot faster.

By the end of the night my back hurt from leaning over and carrying Caleb, I was exhausted and Brendan was quite content with his stash of Dum-Dums, Smarties & Tootsie Rolls. Luckily, by the time we were done, so was Scott, so one more stop by the fire engine for Brendan to drive and we were on our way home!

One last family shot of the Atkinson's and a picture of father and son, I was hoping for a nice picture of Scott and Brendan...this is as good as it gets...

Halloween Flash-back

2010-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Ooops! I totally skipped Halloween! I was so excited to get onto my next "series" of Grandparents, that I forgot to post about our actual Halloween adventures!

Before I post pictures of this year (2010) I wanted to take a look back at Brendan's costumes the past couple years:

2008 - Brendan's first Halloween, 3 1/2 months

2009 - Brendan's second Halloween, 15 1/2 month

Great-Grandparents: (Grandma (G.G.) & Grandpa)

2010-11-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

My Grandma & Grandpa, my father's parents, live in Sacramento, just down the street from my parents. They first got to meet Caleb in July on our long road trip to Idaho. We stopped for an extra day in Sacramento for the sole purpose of getting to see my grandparents. It was really nice letting them hold Caleb, seeing how much Caleb looks like Brendan and having Brendan play at their house. It brought back so many memories for me of Playing at Grandma's house. There was the same red couch that Bekah and I used to play on, sleep on, and Dance around, the same set of beads we used to string into necklaces, the same picnic basket we carried around, and the same metal trucks we would drive all over Grandma's house.

It's not the same house that Grandma lived in while I was growing up, but there was still the familiar "Grandma's House" feel that brought a flood of memories watching my son run around with these "new" toys and my Grandparent's Ooing & Awwing over my new baby.

The boys got to see my grandparents again in October during our trip to Sacramento. I love being able to watch my grandparents interact with their Great-Grandchildren, and their baby (my dad) become a Grandpa, or better yet, Pepaw!I'm excited to see them again for Thanksgiving, it will be a wonderful (and full house) Holiday season!

Thankful for Family (Especially Grandparents)

2010-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

My kids are very lucky to have 3 sets of Great-Grandparents. I grew up very close to my G.G. (My mom's Grandmother on her mother's side) and we saw Grandma Wilson (My mom's Grandma on her father's side) pretty regularly. I am glad that my children get to meet mine & Scott's grandparents and more importantly, that they get to meet my babies!

Brendan & Caleb also have 5 wonderful Grandparents (not to mention the many Aunts, Uncles, Cousins & other relatives).

So in light of Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to post how thankful the Keys' family is family and for the Grandparents in our kids lives.

Apples & Pumpkins

2010-11-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

On October 30th, my friend Jenni (and husband Dave) hosted a Apple Dipping & Pumpkin Carving party at their home. Scott had a meeting at church so I fared the party alone with 2 little boys. It was a fun evening but a little overwhelming for me. Some things even I can't do alone with 2 boys!

Brendan really enjoyed decorating the Carmel Apples. I do believe his favorite part was eating his creation. Jenni noticed the boys were eating their apples before dinner, I told her there was no way we could let 2 year olds decorate a candy apple and explain to them they couldn't eat it yet...some battles you just choose to loose!

Pictured below:

Jenni, Myself, Tawni (and Caleb) and Robyn after dipping apples, before the decorating.

Brendan making (and enjoying) his creation.

Sammy eating the M&M's off of his nicely decorated Apple.

And Tawni with her sparkly apple (33 weeks preg, can't wait to meet her new little guy that will create all sorts of trouble, I mean adventure, with the other 3!)

After pizza, we went outside to carve pumpkins. Now typically I am pretty ambitious and I want Brendan to get the most out of holidays, but being without my other half, I decided to wait for next year when Daddy could help carve the first pumpkin. Besides, 3 is a much better age to understand pumpkin carving. So we took the boys outside, and I helped Brendan draw a face on his pumpkin with a permanent marker. I thought a permanent marker was ambitious enough for a 2 year old!

Pictured Below:

Dave helping Brendan with his sweatshirt.

Brendan with his pumpkin that he picked out at the pumpkin patch earlier that day.

Tawni & I with our 3 (and a half) kids. We look exhausted in this picture!

I decided to keep the kiddos inside for the rest of the evening. We didn't actually last much longer. Caleb wouldn't sleep and it was getting close to bedtime for Brendan, so we took off early. Still I am glad we went. We had a good time, and I love watching the kids run around and play with each other. They sometime get loud and crazy and crash cars into each other, but they have fun, and I love watching them play together. Anytime I can share that type of community together with friends and their families I do!

Jenni (preg 18 weeks) with Caleb & Myself. Jenni just found out she too is having a boy, oh what fun they will all get into!

The Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-11-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Warning: The following post contains graphics that may be overwhelming for most readers. Post has been published for the viewing of Grandparents; none related persons may become sickened by the amount of pictures posted of two boys at the pumpkin patch. Please proceed with caution.

For Halloween this year, Scott and I took the boys to Tom’s Farms for our traditional pumpkin patch outing (I can now say traditional as this is our 3rd year in a row visiting the farm! This year Brendan got to pick out his own pumpkin to “carve” (or just decorate, we will get to that later). We usually visit Tom’s farm mid October, but this year October was packed full, and busier than ever. So we finally made it to the pumpkin patch on Saturday, October 30th.

Caleb, of course, couldn’t really care less about the pumpkins, except the one that he tried to eat. But Brendan enjoyed seeing all the pumpkins, sitting in the wagon, and running around exploring everything. I enjoy watching life through the eyes of a 2 year old!

So for your grandparents out there that have been missing pictures of your boys, I have given you enough to fill you for today, 14 to be exact! And that isn’t even all of Halloween…more will come next week, can you handle all the adorableness? (Hey, I’m their mom, I can think they are the most adorable children out there!)

The Hat

2010-11-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

During our family trip to Boise last July, Scott bought Brendan a Boise State hat for him to wear. Brendan has never been a big hat wearer but Daddy always wears baseball hats, so Brendan got one too.

Brendan loves his Boise State hat. It goes with us to all sorts of places, and whenever Daddy's wears a hat, Brendan needs one too!

The other night I went to tuck Brendan in and check on him after he had gone to sleep and I found him sleeping peacefully...hat and all!

Breaks over...back to work!

2010-11-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

"Excuse me, are we on a coffee break?"

"We don't drink coffee"

"Then I guess the break is over! Get back to work!"

(Ten points to those of you that can name the movie...Bekah, Dad, I know you know the answer already.)

Well, that was a nice month break from blogging. :) Although, I admit, it was an unplanned break. Life just got...busy! My mother has recently been giving me grief about my lack of postings. I told her I dind't have time to write lately. Her response was "just post the pictures". So for the Grandparents out there...here are a few pictures of life in the Keys' household. Actual written updates are coming...

21 weeks old

2010-10-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now 21 weeks old. I keep procrastinating in writing up on update on his development because I feel like there is so much to share!

We finally went to the doctor last week for his 4 1/2 month check-up. We waited there for an hour and a half and still didn't get to see the doctor. I finally told them I would reschedule, Caleb was hungry and tired. Apparently there was a little boy that broke his elbow and the doctor was trying to get him into a surgeon that day. Totally understandable, we would just come back.

So on Tuesday morning, Caleb and I headed back. Caleb now weighs 15 pounds 12 ounces. The doctor took one look at my baby and said "Well it doesn't look like you are missing any meals!" Although he defiantly has some rolls on him, Caleb is at about the 35th percentile on weight and 50th for height.

Caleb has just started wearing 6 month clothing of Brendan's. It is crazy to me that when Brendan was wearing these clothes he was sitting upright.

Caleb certainly is growing and developing. He rolls over both ways and loves to sleep on his belly, almost every time I lay him down to sleep, he flips over onto his tummy. Caleb loves to sit in him Bumbo and see the world. He is still as bald as can be, but is such a happy baby. He smiles at everyone and his laugh is so contagious. On of his favorite trick is pulling his feet up to his mouth, otherwise he just held onto them, they are the cheapest toy around.

Currently he has a cold, the worse on he has had yet, it has been 4 days but it doesn't seem to bother him too much, he still smiles away between his pitiful little coughs.

I could keep going on and on about his development, but instead I think I will just give you recent pictures of our cute little guy!

Happy Boy!

In the Bumbo while Mommy gets ready in the morning

Playing with toes!

Everyone needs naked baby pictures!

The Train & Meeting Mickey

2010-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, Scott got up on Sunday morning and announced we were going to go to Disneyland after church. A little surprised, but ready for anything, I got the boys all ready to go. Brendan has been really interested in trains lately, so Scott wanted to take him to ride the train around the park. With that being our only goal of the day, it was a pretty laid back day.

Waiting at the Train Station for the train to come.

Waiting is not easy for a 2 year old, we had just missed the previous train,

which mean he saw it roll away without us.

But he managed, it was worth the wait!

When we got off the train we saw Mickey, so we decided to wait in line.

Brendan watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse all the time,

so getting to meet Mickey was VERY exciting!

...that was until it was time to actually go up to this giant mouse...

"A bump? Okay, I can give Mickey a bump...but I'm not getting any closer!"

"Shake? I guess I can shake his hand...but that's it..."

"You want me to stand next to this thing? No way am I looking at this camera, I'm not taking my eyes off of you, who knows what you are going to do if I turn my back."

We did end up with a pretty decent family picture with Mickey. It was fun to watch Brendan's expression. Caleb had no idea what was even going on.

Next Daddy treated to Ice Cream. Brendan's favorite.

We rode a couple of rides, including It's a Small World. Then headed home.

That's the nice thing about having a pass, you only spend as long as you want,

because you know, you'll be back!

Picture That! Unka Jon!

2010-10-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Brendan has a great time with all of his relatives. But out of everyone, his favorite is my littlest brother, "Unka Jon!" Whenever my brother comes to town, Brendan gets so excited.

"Jon? Jon?" is all I hear. I love seeing my brother and my son bond.

No question about who the favorite is!

October Beginnings

2010-10-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

October 1st!
I have been looking forward to October for a while. I am not sure exactly why, but it just feels like a new beginning. Perhaps it is due to the stress at work at the beginning of the school year that I feel “If I can just make it through September…” Either way, I feel refreshed and excited! It is a fresh start!
Here are the reasons I am ready for October:

As stated before, October is just less stressful at work after we get through the push of September. There are fewer deadlines, for October.
Along with that, I have two weeks off from work this month. 2 more weeks of “Family Bonding” that I desperately need.
My MIL comes to visit this month, although she is mostly coming to see my SIL, it will be nice for her to spend some time with my boys. Unfortunately, we do not get to see her as often as we like, so anytime we can is much appreciated.
October brings my new nephew! My SIL is due October 12th. Talk about new beginnings!
And speaking of more family bonging, this month I am taking my boys to Sacramento along with my sister and new niece. We will get to spend a week with my parents, see my grandparents and both my brothers! As well as catch up with a couple friends that I do not see too often.
On our trip to Sacramento, we will take Brendan back to the train museum and hopefully get to ride the train. He has really been on this train kick lately!
A friend of mine just received 2 precious children for adoption this week. I am so excited for her and her family. What a fresh start for her and these children! We are also having an adoption shower for her this month; I know she defiantly needs it!
October brings the start of Christmas shopping for our family! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to shop, especially for presents for others!
Scott turns another year older this month, which means a cause for celebration, and for 6 more months he is older than I am!
Brendan will *finally* get his 2 year picture taken this month, as long as we can keep him, bump and bruise and black-eye free for at least one weekend to have pictures taken…
And speaking of pictures, I want/hope to have a family portrait of us taken this month to be ready before the holidays are upon us. Anyone want to volunteer to snap a few photos of our family? Could be fun…(or a lot of work to get two kids halfway decent…)
My sister and I are throwing my best friend a baby shower this month, we love throwing parties, and I love my best friend! Exciting new beginnings…
This month our church will finally (hopefully) be able to move into our new building. An actual church building for the first time.
October brings “Fall” (Southern California style) with pumpkin patches, the outdoors, caramel apples, new Disneyland decorations, and experiencing new things that go along with the season with a toddler.
And OF COURSE October brings Halloween! While I was never a huge fan of the holiday, I get to dress the boys up cute, and Scott just loves Halloween! Especially when he gets to take his son out trick-or-treating.

What an exciting month! God is defiantly blessing us and those close to us. We are going to be busy but have oh so much fun! Wont you join us as we experience this journey? What a month!

Fitness Challenge

2010-09-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have reached the point in my post-pardum cycle in which I have decided it is time to lose the baby fat. I am in full acknowledgment that it is not all due to the baby. Unfortunately, I have a sweet tooth. I almost always have candy in my desk drawer at work (in fact, as I type this I have a Hershey's bar staring at me, sending subliminal messages "EAT ME").

When Scott went back to work, he decided that he was going to get into a routine, eat healthier, and go to the gym before work. I began to feel slightly guilty for my bowl of ice cream sitting in front of me. but working out or going to the gym is difficult for a mother of two. With Brendan, I always used the excuse that I had no one to watch the baby while I went to the gym.

Along came the CBU Fitness Challenge. What it really provides is an opportunity for a Kinesiology student to gain internship credit by leading a fitness course to Staff on campus. However, it also provides an opportunity for staff to join a fitness course in their place of work and get back in shape. The class meets twice a week for 1 hour each day. At the end of the semester we will be tested to see how much we have improved.

I had no excuses for this one. My Childcare provider offered to watch the boys for the additional time with no extra charge while I do the class. Scott agreed to join me so I have some accountability and company. This is our second week of the course and already I feel sore. But I know that it is healthy for me. It is also a reminder to eat better. Of course I still eat my sweets, but I focus more on water instead of soda, I pack my lunch in the morning instead of buying fried food from the On Campus cafe, and I don't eat nearly as much dessert as before.

My goal: First, to gain my ab muscles back (which my husband does not believe me when I say I was unable to use my ab muscles while pregnant, he doesn't understand why I have no strength in my abs anymore and just says "wow you're really out of shape aren't you" Thanks hunny). Second, to lose 5-10 more pounds. And Third, to just feel better about myself.

We will see how I feel in December when the course is over!

Brendan and the Puppies

2010-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Remember these cute little puppies my sister got a couple years ago for Christmas?

They were so cute! They loved to sit in your lap, and they were so playful...

Now...they aren't so little...

But still like to sit on your lap, very lovable and still love to play!

You know who else likes to play?

Brendan.

Especially with the puppies.

It doesn't matter that they are the same height as he is, he runs back and forth across the back yard chases them, being chased by them. He loves the puppies.

The other day we were at Aunt Bekah & Uncle Kevin's house and I see Brendan "helping" the boys with their water bowl.

There was Brendan standing there holding the boys water bowl up so they could drink out of it. And they were! They wouldn't touch the stale water just sitting the ground by itself, but as soon as Brendan held it in his hands, they were happy to slurp it up!

Brendan also likes to hand feed them their dog food when it is out, and they are more than pleased to be hand fed!

THAT mom

2010-09-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

I am now THAT mom. The one with the "double wide" stroller that walks around talking to herself.

Okay, maybe not doublewide, but double long....

I know that when having two children close in age, it is expected to have a double stroller. And believe me, I defiantly did my homework when looking at double strollers.

***Looking back 5 months***

There I stood in the middle of Babies R us very much pregnant. By myself with a toddler just staring at the wide variety of double stroller options. I had registered for a stroller, but did I really want that one? Was there I better option. I took each one off the shelf, and while 9 months pregnant folded each one up, picked it up to feel the weight, strapped Brendan in and out of each one, took a car seat similar to mine at home, and buckled it in and out. Then stood and contemplated each one.

"This one is smaller" "But this one is prettier" did I want a side-by-side? Front-to-back? Sit-n-stand? Umbrella style? Jogging stroller? So many options! So many decisions! Finally, I ended with the double stroller I had originally registered for. It was veritable, plain, light (relatively speaking) easy to fold/move, and converted to a sit-n-stand as my children get older.

******************

I am very happy with my purchase, we use it all the time! It is quite convenient as it holds Caleb's seat and has a nice seat for Brendan to see where we are going. I use it for shopping the mall, taking a walk to the park, our family vacations, even a quick trip into Target. And yes, I am the crazy mom that talks to herself. But luckily, I can disguise it as talking to my children! There defiantly are some perks to parenting!

Picture That! Sunglasses

2010-09-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Just me and the boy. Goin' places in style!

Sports

2010-09-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

While dating, we never sat down to a football game, never went to a sporting event, never even talked about the score of a game or favorite teams even though we don’t pay attention.
But our first year of marriage Scott made friends with Baseball fans. Much to my dismay (as I was not raised on sporting events other than my brothers AYSO soccer games) Scott began to become interested in sporting events again. This interest from his childhood that had become dormant was now very much active. Like a volcano, suddenly he was bursting with a desire to watch and follow baseball. At first, I thought this was just a phase, “It will be over soon” I thought/hoped “then life will resume as normal.”

Life was never normal again! :) Baseball season lasted longer than I ever would have thought (April – October not counting spring training). Therefore, we became Angel fans. It turned out to be fun, something we could share together. We went to games, picked favorite players, talk about the score and just enjoy this activity together.

3 years ago Scott started becoming friends with football fans…This is where I draw the line! I hate football; I was putting my foot down. We will NOT follow football, we will NOT become USC fans, baseball is my limit! I don’t like football, I don’t understand football, I spent too many Friday nights sitting on the bleachers in a marching band uniform watching football games that I did not understand drag on.

I resisted. Scott hung out with our friends to watch the USC games without me. Once in a while I would come just to hang out with the girls but I was NOT there to watch football. They would try to explain football to me saying the reason I did not like it was that I did not understand it. I have given in (slightly). My husband watches college ball on Saturdays and I will sit on the floor and craft or do other things while somewhat watching the game.

Today, Scott’s dad is coming over all day to watch football with his son and see his grandkids. I plan to leave the house most of the morning, but know that I will end up watching football with them for some of it. *sigh* I give up.

But I defiantly will NOT watch Nascar, that is final!

Baseball Game

2010-09-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Our trip to the Quakes Minor league Baseball park in Rancho Cucamonga.

As a last minute weekend plan, we packed up the boys, invited some friends, and went to watch a laid back baseball game. The Minor league is a great option for us since it is much cheaper than taking the boys to an Angels game and leaving 3 innings into the game. For this game, we were able to stay through more than half of the game.

I bought Cotton Candy and shared it with the boys, Brendan loved it, Sammy wasn't quite so sure. In the end, I was the one who consumed most of it! (To see a video of the boys with the Cotton Candy and Tawni's post on the night go to her blog at Life with the Websters)

Scott took Brendan down to see the Mascot "Trimmer" (I think). Brendan gave him "bumps" and a high five, but he felt safer from afar.

We had a great time. Another successful family outing!

Caleb 3 month pictures

2010-09-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

Wow, I am really bad at blogging this year. I could blame it on the kiddos, or stress at work, or the fact that my "spare time" is sparse. But if I was honest, the real reason would be that I just haven't done it. Call it procrastination, call it lack of drive, but either way, I have been slacking. I will try harder (must husband reminds me that when you say you will try, you are allowing yourself to fail.) Either way, lets move on!

Caleb is almost 4 months old! 17 weeks! Crazy how fast the time goes! We went to JCPenney a couple weeks ago and took his 3 month pictures. 3 months is not really my favorite age to take photos. Newborn they are fairly moldable to the pictures you want, and 6 months they are sitting up and able to look cute. 3 months is somewhat of an awkward stage, the hold up their head pretty well, but they just lay there. They are learning to smile but have multiple chins while doing so. Baby acne is still somewhat present, baby is fidgety and not very cooperative and the pictures just never turn out as cute as I would want. Don't get me wrong, I think my child is simply adorable, these pictures just never show what I see in my baby.

Nevertheless, 3 months is the tradition, and so here you are:

More updates to come...I promise!

Picture That!

2010-09-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

With yesterday's post of stress and desired alone time, I just can't help but to post this picture. One of my favorites, just me and my boys. I know it is old, Caleb is still pretty new in the picture, and Brendan still has his long hair, but I love it. This is what is important, not a clean house or laundry, but these beautiful boys, sitting in my lap.

I just love these boys! Even if they never leave...

2010-09-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

This week was a little stressful for me. For one, it was the first week of school, which always creates a lot of work (and stress) for me as we try to wrap up the previous semester and start a new one, all while students, staff and faculty breathing down your neck for something they need "Right NOW!". **sigh**

Beyond the stress at work, Scott was sick all weekend and into the week, which meant that I was trying extremely hard not to get sick (not a good time to miss work) and keep my boys healthy and away from dad as much as possible. This also meant a lot more work for me of dealing with the boys myself as well as trying to be sympathetic to a sick (and whiny) husband.

Meanwhile, my house is in disarray and I have limited energy to do anything about it.

Like I said, stressful week for me. I called my best friend on my way home from work one day to complain to her (she always has a great listening ear). "I just want to be home alone, without the boys, just by myself for just a few hours."

And then it dawned on me, I am never alone. The closest I get to being "alone" is when Scott works late or is out with friends and both boys are asleep. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, LOVE having two young boys...but sometimes I just desire for it to be me...

A Baseball Family

2010-09-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think that a little over 2 years ago we were this:

Just the two of us starting out with a brand new baby boy. Scott was thrilled to be able to take his son to baseball games, he was so little, but we were so proud!

And now, two years later we are here:

A family of 4. Two wonderful sons, on a family outing to more baseball games!

And to think, it all started 5 years ago...

Baby Curls & Boy's short hair

2010-09-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

In May, I took Brendan to get his hair cut at one of those fancy children’s salons.
Monkey-Dooz.
It was such a cute little shop, bright colors, a jeep for him to sit in while they cut his hair, a little toy when he left, and it was discounted price for Toddler Tuesday. The problem was, they did not really cut his hair. She trimmed it a little, I told her that it was too long, it curled in the back and tangled easily. So she trimmed a little on the top and very little from the back. When she was done, I asked if she could trim it more, she stared at me with a blank look and asked, “Where do you want it shorted?” Umm…All over! But Brendan was getting fussy at this point and I could see she didn’t really know what she was doing cutting a toddler boys hair.

That was when I decided I was done paying other people to cut my sons hair, I just couldn’t afford for other to cut it just short enough that I would have to be back in 2-3 weeks to get it done again. (To give you an idea, I only pay to get my haircut about every 9 months to a year.) I certainly was not going to pay for my son to get a haircut 17 times a year.

Son in July, when it was well past time for Brendan to get a haircut. Soctt said he didn't like how long Brendan's hair was for a little boy, too many people still thought he was a girl. It was time for a "man's haircut!" So Scott and I pulled out the clippers and did it ourselves!
Brendan was less than thrilled with the process.

And in the end, I lost my baby, those long curls on the back of his head are gone, and in their place I have a handsome boy (with tangle free hair I might add).

Random thoughts on Blogging

2010-08-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

Blogging has been a funny thing for me.

Sometimes it is my release, sometimes a burden.

Being an introvert, it is not always able to put myself out there; this is a way for me to discuss my life and thoughts to others without pushing myself or my views on them. Readers can choose to read, comment, skim or just look at pictures.

Usually I blog for myself, sometimes it is for others to be caught up in my life, for grandparents, friends, family, long lost friends, and some perfect strangers, to see pictures and updates of my family.

I go through stages where I blog a lot
then I get burned out.

Does anyone even read this?
What is the point?
I want to document our lives; I want to post pictures so everyone can see my children without sending mass amounts of e-mails.
I don’t want to bore my readers, I don’t want to offend with my thoughts, I just want to share.

Admittedly, it is a struggle at times, there are things I think about and want to share, but become afraid of saying the wrong thing or exposing too much of myself.

Do others want to read my thoughts or should I just post pictures to look at?
Do I share too much of my life?
Not enough?
I have to find the right balance for myself.

Ultimately this is my outlet,
This is for me.
I must remember my purpose.

This is my blog,
this is my family’s journey,
open for viewers to see.

This is my life.

Brotherly Love

2010-08-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

When Caleb first entered the world, Brendan was very curious of this new baby in his life. He didn't understand the strange way this new baby ate, or why Mama hurt and why he couldn't climb all over mama and the new baby or even why Mama was in this strange place called a hospital. Once we brought the baby home, Brendan was quite intrigued. He held the baby for the first time. Held him, gave him kisses, loved him. When Grammi tried to take the baby away he exclaimed "No! Mine!" and would hold out his arms and say "here" wanting to hold the baby longer.

The next day, Brendan realized the baby was not going away, Mama & Daddy are keeping this thing "Ee-ya" (that is Caleb in Brendan speak). Brendan would no longer sit with his little brother, in fact if you were to put Caleb in the couch next to Brendan, he would push him away. "No!" The only way to get a picture of both boys together was to have someone hold Caleb and Brendan would (barely) sit on the couch next to his brother.Mama even went on a craft kick, making cute shirts that said "I am Big" & "I am Small". Still not sitting next to that kid. (although it is difficult to see in the picture with their big cousin Elyse, Brendan is actually pushing Caleb away from him).

The Boys also had, Big Brother/Little Brother shirts. "I'll sit here only because I am watching Mickey's Mouse Clubhouse, but I'm NOT happy about it!"

I hear my mothers voice ringing in my ear from my childhood. "I had you girls close together so you would be friends and all you do is fight!" I guess what goes around comes around.

Finally, the fourth of July, in matching shirts (again) the boys *somewhat* cooperate for a picture together. Brendan is becoming a nice big brother, reading him a story, helping with his pacifier...

The other day, I hear Caleb crying and walk into the living room to see what my boys are up to...uh oh! I caught you being nice to your brother!

Baby Watch 2010

2010-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more exciting in life than Babies? 2010 has been the year of babies for me and my friends. I had 7, count them SEVEN new babies in my life for 2010. Who doens't love all these new babies??

It started when our cousin (okay, Scott’s cousin’s wife, but I call her my cousin) called me up last October and told me that she was pregnant and due only 2 days after me (May 17th). I was excited that our babies would be born close together. This was her first and I am very excited for Kevin and Holly and their family. I did tell everyone that she would have her baby before me. Sure enough, Holly went into labor on my last day of work. Beautiful Owen was born on May 8th. I never did get a picture of us pregnant together, and forgot to get a picture of our boys together, born 10 days apart. But I did steal a picture off her facebook for you to see Owen.

Next of course was Caleb, born on May 18th, only 3 days after his due date. Much better than his brother born 12 days late.

My sister’s best friend, Bethany, was due with her second baby. She was one of the lucky few who actually had her baby on her due date! (Although the many days of labor (contractions) before delivery I am sure did not make her feel lucky.) Deacon, born on July 3rd. I got to see him for a very brief time last night, and he is really growing! What a cutie!

Our friend Robyn was due with her first baby this week (August 4th), however, Ivy made her appearance a little early and arrived on July 22nd. I got to hold her again this week during my lunch break. Seriously, one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen.

Probably the pregnancy that I am most excited about is my Sister. For one, because they tried for a while before getting pregnant, two, it’s my sister, and three, they aren’t finding out the sex and I am on pins and needles waiting to find out if I have a new niece or nephew! Bekah is due on August 26th and I can hardly wait three more weeks!

My Sister-in-Law Brianna is also pregnant, and I am so excited for my new nephew due October 14th (I think). I have her baby shower next weekend and I am excited to be buying cute little boy things for her. I know my niece Elyse (8) is also excited to have a new little brother, she is going to be a great help to her mom! Pictured is Brianna on her wedding with her new husband and their kids (Elyse, Lily & Jonathan).

Finally, I believe the last baby watch of 2010 for me is my best friend. Tawni is due on Decemebr 21st, although there is a good chance her baby will be early. We just found out on Wednesday that she is having a boy I really couldn’t be more excited! We are going to have so much fun with our four boys together!

Matchy-Matchy

2010-08-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mother used to always dress my sister and I (19 months age difference) in matching outfits. For Christmas, we would get the same outfit in different colors. It never really bothered me too much, but I know Bekah wasn't always fond of it. Now, we buy matching outfits in different colors all the time because of our similar taste in clothes, we just try not to wear them on the same day - which has happened a few times.

I'm sure that I told my mom I would never dress my kids in matching clothes, although I don't really remember. But now that I have 2 boys, I just can't help it, I think they are so cute! This is my first matching outfits for the boys.

Caleb here is 3 weeks old, and Brendan is 22 months dressed for church. Unfortunately, Brendan would not sit very well with his brother for a picture. Oh well, they are still cute.

(I think this is my favorite picture of Caleb to date, he just looks so happy!)

Mud Puddles in San Diego

2010-08-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

While I was still on Maternity leave, my roommate from college came to visit us before moving far away. We don't get to see her too often, so my best friend Tawni and I packed up the boys for a trip to San Diego to spend the day with Shanda before she left.

San Diego is always close to our hearts. We have many memories through college and after of spending time together at the beaches in San Diego. So it only seemed right that we would visit the beach one last time before Shanda's move.

Unfortunately, the day we picked was quite over overcast, but the boys enjoyed playing in the sand. You can see pictures and Tawni's take on the day at her blog Life with the Websters.

Before we even got to the beach, we had a picnic on the grass. But boys will be boys...they found a mud puddle to splash in. Shanda of course, got it on film! My son loves, dirt, mud, and anything in between! Oh well, it'll wash...

Independence Day

2010-08-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

This year we experienced our Independence Day in Star Idaho (just outside of Boise) with Scott's parents. I bought us all Old Navy Flag Tees which I love, Scott humored me enough to wear it for the day!

My mom bought Caleb a bib to wear for his 1st 4th of July. The bib was a little big for him!

In the evening, we went next door and had a neighborhood party. Caleb, being the newest grandbaby, at only 6 weeks old, was passed around from grandparent to grandparent. Brendan was excited to run around and play with other kids and new toys.

This was also Brendan's first experience with fireworks and sparklers (the video was posted earlier). He really was a little nervous and couldn't decide if he liked them or not, but we did about 3 sparklers, all the other kids loved them.

Unfortunately, it does not get dark until about 10:00 at night. We gave Brendan a late nap hoping that he would be able to make it. At first he started to get fussy, but he settled down on Grandma's lap and watched the fireworks. Much different than California, Idaho allows you to have actual fireworks that shoot up into the sky. It was quite an experience for me, I had never seen fireworks like this shot off from someones driveway! We started with some floor fireworks, move to bottle rockets, and then had the real, large fireworks in the sky. Brendan was the only kids who stayed awake through the entire show. He wasn't too fond of the loud noises, but got used to them and as long as he was held, he was fine.

Caleb on the other hand, slept through the entire thing, noises didn't bother him a bit!

What a Ham!

2010-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Brendan is learning the concept of smiling for a camera, except he says "Smile" and looks away. I tried the other day to get a good picture of him smiling.

I give up...

What a HAM!

It's a good thing I think he is so cute in the mornings...it makes up for the stressful night before!

Sleeping Update

2010-08-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your advice, sympathy and support with Brendan’s sleeping habits. From friends, to aunts, parents, and co-workers. It seems that most parents have been through this or a similar situation with at least one of their children. It’s nice to know we are not alone and this too passes.

I am happy to say that last Tuesday night was the worst of it. However, we are not through it yet. Going to bed is still hard, but Brendan is getting more used to the idea that bedtime means bedtime. We have been consistent with our bedtime routine every night. Bath at about 8:00, brush our teeth, get dressed for bed, get a drink of water, tucked under the covers, say a prayer, sing a song, and off to sleep. Unfortunately, he is still testing us by getting out of bed a couple of times each night, but the first time we take him by the hand, lead him back to bed and cover him back up. After that, we don’t get up but just tell him to go back to bed so as to not encourage him to think that if he keeps getting out, he will get more of attention from Mom and Dad.

We really do appreciate your advice; the biggest thing we got was to be consistent. Spanking does not work in this situation. It makes no difference to him if he is spanked or if we just send him back to bed, we get the same reaction either way, so we just sit there and send him back to bed so that he doesn’t get a rise or extra attention for misbehaving. Others advised to lock him in his room until he learns he has to stay in his bed. Unfortunately, Brendan’s door is “broken” in that it does not latch all the way, so we would have to install a new door handle and/or lock on his door. Instead, when he really isn’t getting it and settling down, we will lock our door. Since Brendan only wants to get to us and not other places in the house, locking him out of our room seems to work. He will cry, knock on our door and eventually go back to his bed and fall asleep.

This process seems to be working for us. Every night gets a little easier as well as nap time. I hope that he will get used to this routine soon and we will not have to play this game anymore. Until then, we have learned to be patient; there is no point in getting upset, angry or stressed about it. Eventually he will go to sleep!

Sleep

2010-07-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last night was probably the worst night for sleep that I have ever had. If not ever, at least in the past 2 years.

Brendan is now two. Which means he is starting to really test us and get into his “terrible twos.” With this new “stage” in his life as well as being on vacation for three weeks, his sleeping has been completely altered. Brendan has decided not to stay in his bed any more when we put him to bed. This has become such a challenge for us the past few days. We started last night about 7:30, knowing this was going to be a battle and we were hoping by 8:00 he would settle down and go to sleep. By 8:00, we decided perhaps he wasn’t tired and allowed him to sit on my lap for half an hour before starting again.

This may have set us back, but this is quite a challenge for us. As you may remember when we first transitioned to his own bed, it was a rather smooth transition and he would just stay in bed, never getting out unless you told him he could, this included getting up in the morning. I guess now his two-year-old mind has decided he can get out of bed whenever he wants.

By 9:30, after 2 ½ hours of this nonsense, I was in tears struggling to keep him in bed and to go to sleep. Scott told me to come to bed, and he closed our door. Brendan passed out from exhaustion I am assuming and went to sleep, in his bed. However, at 2:00 am, Brendan got his second wind, he came into our room, which woke up Caleb who decided he then wanted to eat. We put Brendan to bed, again. I fed Caleb. After I was done feeding Caleb (now 2:30), and Scott had put Brendan back to bed at least 4 times, I got up and took Brendan to bed once again. This time I stayed in his room to ensure he did not get up, assuming it would not be long before he went to sleep. I laid down on the twin bed in his room waiting. About every 10 minutes, I would hear “Mommy?” “Go to sleep Brendan.”

After what seemed like forever, I quietly went back to my own bed. As I look at the clock (now 4:00 am) I hear little footsteps following me. You have got to be kidding! Once again, I burst into tears, I’m tired, I’m stressed and I really need sleep! Scott puts Brendan back to bed again, and locks our door. We hear Brendan get up, try to open our door and start crying and knocking. I’m so frustrated, yet it breaks my heart to hear him knocking to get to us.

After 15 minutes of us ignoring his cries, he gives up and goes back to bed. I finally get back to sleep about 4:30/4:45. Morning came early as you can expect.

I’m not sure if it is the lack of sleep I have had lately, the hormones still out of whack, the return to work after my leave or what, but I have been on the verge of tears the past few days. I’m easily upset, exhausted when I get home from work and don’t have much of a desire to do anything.

Any advice from veteran parents? Scott thinks there is something wrong with Brendan, I’m pretty sure this is a stage that many children go through. Thoughts? Ideas? HELP!

4th of July 2010

2010-07-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Brendan Turns 2!

2010-07-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Our little baby is no longer a baby... He is now 2 years old! To celebrate this major milestone in his short life, we have actually had 3 birthday parties!

Birthday Party 1:

Our first celebration for Brendan's birthday was on July 11th while in Idaho visiting Scott's Parents. The day before we left we had a small celebration. Scott's mom made a chocolate cake for Brendan and he got to open his presents. He received an Elmo shape matching game and a bubble blower-mower (although we haven't yet gotten the bubbles to work). Brendan calls his mower his "race car" and pushes it all over the house, the back yard, any where he can. A new favorite toy.

Brendan's 2nd Birthday - Take 2:

On Brendan's actual birthday, we were in Solvang at the end of our vacation. My mom bought Mickey birthday items which Brendan just loved! We had cupcakes, Mickey suckers, and all kinds of fun toys. My parents bought Brendan a Tool box so he can help daddy around the house and my brother got him a cute little outfit with a handyman on it. Surprisingly, Brendan really liked the shirt and asked to put it on after he opened it.

Brendan's Birthday Party (number 3):

On Sunday, we had Brendan's actual birthday party with his friends. We had a BBQ on Sunday afternoon and the kids had a blast playing outside. We had bubbles, a sprinkler, a kiddie pool, sidewalk chalk and all kinds of cars, bikes and other outside toys. The weather was nice but not too hot. I know Brendan had a great time.

We made a huge BBQ dinner, with way too much food. BBQ spare-ribs, pulled pork, chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, Mac-and-cheese, watermelon, and sourdough bread. Too much food, but it was a lot of fun.

We did cupcakes instead of cake with blue sprinkles and a sour gummy banana on top (since the party was monkey themed. Brendan liked the banana, when I turned my back he stole mine off of my cupcake! Since this was his 3rd party, he understood the concept to blow out the candle, this was the first time he was actually able to blow it out on his own!

Presents were a lot more fun compared to last year! He really enjoyed his toys, were opened all of them and Brendan played with all his friends. Scott and I bought him a Tonka race track with extra cars, it's a good thing because the cars were a big hit with all the kids, they had difficulties sharing 10 cars between 4 of them. Uncle Kevin & Aunt Bekah bought him a tunnel and bubble machine that they let him open earlier so the kids could play outside with them before dinner. He also received a wagon with sand toys, a Handy Manny doll, and a Mickey Mouse tub toy. He really did love them all! It was so fun watching his excitement!

Caleb basically slept through the evening and was passed around a few times, he was as happy as could be.

Due Date Pedicure

2010-07-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

Although they say that a baby is considered full time after 36 weeks and not really considered “early” I knew that my baby was not coming before the 15th. We did have a few scares with my constant contractions, high blood pressure, and hospital visit. But my baby was not coming early.

My due date came and went. On my due date, Saturday, May 15th, My mother took my pregnant sister and me out for pedicures. Scott stayed home with Brendan so that we could really enjoy ourselves. It was so nice to have a good foot massage and pretty toes. “I really needed this,” I thought to myself, “it has been way too long.” I began thinking back to the last time I did have a pedicure. It was last year for my sister’s birthday. We went away for a girl’s weekend and on Saturday, August 15th, we all got pedicures. How ironic. I lean over to my sister and tell her that exactly 9 months ago today was my last pedicure!

During delivery, my husband told me later that he noticed my perfectly painted toes. “While you were stressed out, sweating, in pain with fluids everywhere, your feet were up on the stirrups perfectly prim.” And that is why I got a pedicure right before having a baby, at least part of me looked good!

Pictures of Caleb

2010-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

One of the problems of not blogging for 10 weeks is...an overload of pictures!

Are you all ready? You will be so sick of seeing my kids by the end of this...well, except for Grandmas, I have a feeling they never get sick of my pictures! :) So if for no one else, I will post the pictures for them!

Starting with Caleb. My friend Janelle came over when Caleb was still brand new and took a bunch of pictures for me! I was so excited since I didn't get any of these type of pictures with Brendan. I think she did such a wonderful job that I had to share her work (and my adorable kid) with all of you!

Pool Time

2010-07-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

After almost 4 weeks after Caleb was born, I was starting to go a little stir crazy from being in the house all the time and Scott still working. So when my parents came down to Southern California for Vacation in Indio (if you have ever been to Indio you will wonder who the heck vacations there…my parents). Although the heat was intense, I decided to tag along, there is air-conditioning and a pool so I figured it couldn’t be that bad.

Brendan of course had a great time, especially because he got to spend time with his “Unka Jon” I told my brother that he is Brendan’s favorite right now. I didn’t get any pictures of Brendan (luckily my mom sent me pictures to add) he had a wonderful time in the “water” and asked to go over and over again.

Caleb did some sun bathing while everyone else played in the water, he couldn’t have been happier. Less than a month old at his first trip to the pool.
You will also notice his wonderful onesie he is wearing with his initials on it. My friend Casey made it for him at my babyshower.

Brendan's Surgery

2010-07-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

I know it was so long ago, but Brendan did have his surgery on May 12th, and Caleb cooperated nicely by staying in my belly at this point. It was a tough day for a 22-month old who didn't really understand what was going on.

Our morning started really early as we had to be at the hospital at 6:30 in the morning. Luckily for me, my mother was in town to help me through it all. We packed ourselves breakfast to eat during surgery, but Brendan was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight.

When we got to the hospital, they weighed and measured Brendan, then gave him a gown to wear. The gown was purple, and with his curly hair grown out in the back and his pretty long eye lashes, everyone thought he was a girl. They let him play in a play-room with toys while waiting. His nurse brought him a stuffed bear with scrubs when they took his blood.
The hardest part of the morning was not getting anything to eat or drink. It was 9:00 before they finally took him to the operating room. He was very unhappy, screaming crying, all he wanted was his milk! Finally, the anesthesiologist came in to talk with Brendan; he saw how upset he was and ordered some medication to “calm” him down. Everyone was very caring; another nurse brought Brendan a Ty Beanie Baby Kangaroo for him to take into surgery with him.
Half an hour after ordering the medicine, it was finally brought in. Brendan, who usually takes medicine fairly well for me, spit out most of it. I was afraid it wasn’t going to work since I couldn’t tell how much he got, but sure enough not 5 minutes later he was not longer screaming. We were doing the itsy-bitsy-spider and he would sway on my lap and laugh when he would almost fall off. He would spin in circles and not be able to walk; my kid was giddy and drunk! When the anesthesiologist came back in to check on him, Brendan went to him easily, gave him hugs and had no problem leaving me, I’m not sure he even knew who I was at this point!

My mother and I went a bought a cup of coffee and waited in the waiting room for the surgery to be over. I was called back when they were done and I was able to hold him but he was still pretty out of it. Once he was stable enough to go back to recovery in pediatrics, they wheeled him off. Recovery took longer than expected; Brendan had a really hard time waking up. He only wanted me to hold him, Grammi would not do. Of course, I am very much pregnant at this time and have to pee almost every half-hour. I noticed a few hours into recovery that he was feeling warm and getting a fever.
Our pediatrician was so great and came to the hospital to check on him even though he was technically another doctor’s patient at this time. Turns out Brendan was sick going into surgery, we did not realize he had a viral infection. Luckily they sent us home and didn’t make us stay the night.

Brendan recovered well, after two days he was starting to be back to himself again. Although he didn’t feel up to running around, we could tell he was feeling better. Now his scar is healing well, the hernia is all gone and we have a two inch scar in its place.

Life as a mom

2010-07-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

You know that you are a mother of boys when you reach into your purse and in the place of lipsticks, you find crayons and three small "Race Cars".

At first it was frustrating because, well I really needed lipstick this morning, but then my heart was softened. I love playing cars with my boy, and who really needs lipstick anyway? The cars are totally worth it.

Back to Routine

2010-07-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well my Maternity leave is over. Back to work, back to a schedule, back to routine, back to life. I must admit, it is nice to just have a "break" of sorts once in a while and do what you want, to an extent, but I am happy to be going back to my normal life.

With the return to "life" I am also returning to the blogging world, which I have really missed the past 10 weeks. I have so many thoughts of posts I wanted to do, updates to give, funny stories to share with many more yet to be experienced.

For now, we are all doing well, working back in a routine and starting a new routine at the same time. Caleb is growing like crazy and developing like you wouldn't believe, coo-ing and smiling just to melt your heart. Brendan is in his terrible-twos, yet a wonderful big brother. Just when you think you cant take it any more and you are going to go through the roof...he walks up and gives you a "big hug" and you just cant be mad any more. Scott was going crazy being on vacation and having life so unpredictable, so he is defiantly glad to be home and me back to work. Now he has time to "Schedule" his life away without interruption from me. As for me, I am enjoying my larger family and excited for all the adventures we will have together!

Enjoy the ride!

It's About Tme!

2010-05-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in forever and many of you are probably wondering what is going on. Maternity leave will do that to you. My due date, May 15th, came and went as I expected, so my doctor scheduled an induction date for May 20th. But instead, Caleb decided to come on his own. I will give the full story soon, when I have more time.

For now, here are a couple pictures and the stats!

Caleb Joseph,

born Tuesday, May 18th at 6:12 pm.

7 pounds, 8 ounces,

20 inches long.

We are doing good, still getting used to the new addition to our family. Brendan especially is having quite the adjustment to a new baby around.

Thank you all for your thoughts are prayers for our family, I will try to get back into the blogging scene again soon!

An Apple a Day

2010-05-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Brendan has found a new love for apples. Which is actually a nice thing, instead of the Goldfish which was our previous crave, and apple is a nice mom approved snack. I usually cut it up and peel the skin for him.

But yesterday, I threw an apple in my purse for a mid-morning snack for myself. While waiting for the doctors office to open the other morning, Brendan found my apple and started biting away. his little mouth doesn't get much at once, but it didn't seem to bother him at all! He just loves his apple!

What a big boy, no longer a baby!

Later that evening after Brendan went to bed, I made another discovery. I told Scott that we have a little mouse in the house! :) Looks like I can't keep apples on the kitchen table anymore, as long as Brendan is on this Apple kick!

For those of you that can't see it, all three of the top apples in the bowl have a tiny bite taken out of them!

Tractor Baby Shower

2010-05-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 10th, my sister threw me a wonderful Baby Shower. It was a country theme with John Deere Tractors. "Come celebrate Rachel's new little 'Deere'." Was the invitations. We had perfect weather for an outside Shower in my backyard. A friend lent us some red checked table clothes that worked perfectly for the shower. On each table was a mixed bouquet of flowers and mason jars with fresh vegetables to snack on, and of course, a John Deere tractor!

Lunch was pulled-pork sandwiches, deviled eggs, pasta salad, homemade Strawberry Lemonade from fresh lemons and for dessert, individual creme pies. My favorite, Coconut and Chocolate! We also wrapped water bottles with personalized labels for that extra touch.

For the Favors, Bekah made sugar cookies, and wrapped them up with a small Smuckers jar of jam. I thought they were adorable!Instead of a Game, Bekah had each guest make a onesie for our new little boy. They were super easy to make, and will be a great memory for me every time I dress my son in one of these cute outfits! The example onesie my sister made was of course a tractor!

The party consisted of mostly family with my few closest friends. Not very big, but perfect for my second baby.

My mom and Grandmother

Scott's Aunt Cindy, Cousin Karen, Mom, and Grandma

Opening Presents. The gifts were very generous, the new baby is defiantly taken care of!

5 Years!

2010-05-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended a Faculty and Staff awards banquet for work. Unfortunately, Scott had to work and was unable to join me. But this year I received a pin for my 5 years of service. I can't not believe I have been working at CBU for five years now (technically I have been working here for 9 years, but they do not count the 4 years of being a student worker). I started on July 25th, 2005.

When I first took this job, I was right out of college. To be honest, I was not really thrilled to be taking this position. I had been told I would receive a position in a different office on campus upon graduation. A couple weeks or so before graduation I was told that I would not be hired in the position I thought. I still had the summer to work as an Intern and find a new job for after the summer and after getting married.

I was recommended by my boss to another office to work as a Data Technician in the Office of the Registrar. The position did not really interest me, but I was getting married in a couple months and I needed a job. So I interviewed thinking that it would be a job for a year or so until I really figured out what I wanted.

As it turns out, I'm pretty good at my job! I was promoted and stuck around. I now work as the assistant Registrar doing much more than simple data entry. I love the problem solving of my job, and the variety of responsibilities. I am so thankful that I did not get the job I originally applied for and was given a recommendation to be hired in the Registrar's Office. Although sometimes my job is frustrating and stressful, I do love my job and look forward to 5 more years in this office!

38 Weeks Pregnant.

38 weeks!!

2010-05-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am officially 38 weeks along, 12 days to go, it's crazy! Right now I am doing really well, I went to the doctor on Thursday and she said that everything looked good, my blood pressure was fine, weight gain was still on track, and I am not dilated at all! Great! Wait...38 weeks and not even a centimeter? This could be bad news....

Although I am not quite ready for a baby this week, I would like him to come on or around the 15th. Things could change in a week, but if I go in for my next appointment on the 7th and nothing has changed, I'm going to start to worry. I don't want another late baby! That really messes up my plans!

Don't worry, I am kidding (slightly) I know babies come when they come and you can't schedule these type of things, so we will just have to wait it out to see.

Here are a couple more belly shots for those interested. These are from my 37th week. The baby is now the size of a watermelon! I Know that I feel huge, but really I think that I am smaller than I was with Brendan. I also don't feel quite as uncomfortable. When I was pregnant with Brendan, I would have a constant pain in my ribs from him kicking me, while with this pregnancy, I don't feel that pressure. As I type he is pushing against me, as if to tell me he is out of room, but he needs to stay in for just 2 more weeks, then he can come!

Easter pictures

2010-05-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few more pictures of our Easter this year. We started the morning at church, it was a great service, not your normal Easter Sunday sermon but we really enjoyed the service. We then loaded up the car in our new 2nd van and drove out to the Salton Sea to have Easter lunch at Grandma (G.G. Pat to Brendan) & Poppy's house.

After lunch, Brendan got to open his Easter Basket. I think his favorite part of the basket was the bubbles. We also had an egg hunt for the kiddos in the front yard, and then an egg hunt for the adults. Every adult had one egg they needed to find with their name on it. Overall it was a very nice afternoon. The pictures speak for themselves! Sorry there are a lot of them, I have a hard time picking my favorites!

Big Shoes to Fill

2010-04-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

The other night I walked into the living room to find Brendan playing with Daddy's shoes that were left laying in the middle of the room. I just had to stop and watch him, and of course take a few pictures. It is amazing how little kids watch their parents and other adults around them and imitae their actions; wanting to be just like them.
The next day, on the way to work I was listening to our new Brad Paisley's CD with his new song "Anything Like Me" it made me tear up to think of how my son is growing up so quickly, one day he will grow up and head into the world on his own. I thought about the day we found out Brendan was a boy and how excited Scott was, I remember Scott taking Brendan to his first baseball game only a few weeks old, how proud he was to show off his son. Now that Brendan is a little older, he has become quite attached to his Daddy, he loves to wrestle with Dad and run around with him, anything to be just like him.

I pray that God will guide us as we raise our son to be strong, independant, and capaple of living life on his own. I pray that I am reminded daily that I have two little eyes watching my every move and that as parents, we will be setting an example for our children to follow after to be "anything like me."

I remember sayin' I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm ok
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said "Ya see that thing right there well ya know what that means"

And I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if hes anything like me
He'll probably climb a tree to tall and ride hes bike to fast
End up every summer wearin something in a cast
Hes gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street
Hes gonna get in trouble oh hes gonna get in fights
Im gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It safe to say that im gonna get my pay back if hes anything like me

I can see him right now knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass tryin to melt the Tonka truck
Wont he be a sight with his football helmet on
That'll be his first love til his first love comes along
He'll get his heart broke by the time hes in his teens
And heaven help him if hes anything like me

He'll probably stay out to late and drive his car to fast
Get a speeding ticket he'll pay for mowing grass
Hes gonna get caught skippin class and be ground for a week
Hes gonna get in trouble we're gonna get in fights
Im gonna lose my temper and some sleep
Its safe to say that im gonna get my pay back if hes anything like me

Hes gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by I already dread the day
Hes gonna hug hes momma hes gonna shake my hand
Hes gonna act like he cant wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry hes eyes out
If hes anything like me,
There's worse folks to be like,
Aw he'll be alright if hes anything like me

Updates and a few pics

2010-04-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

I know I said I would update you all on the happenings of the Keys’ Family. And then I disappeared. So instead of trying to type out a million posts to get caught up, you get bullet points, unfortunately, the post will still be very long, hold on, and feel free to skim. No, I did not have my baby, I know that being absent could leave some with that impression, but as of now, I am still very much pregnant. With that, we shall begin:

Easter was a blast, with this being Brendan’s 2nd Easter, he enjoyed his Easter basket and packages from both Grandparents very much. As well as his very first egg hunt. I am going to post pictures although I am VERY late, we had a wonderful Easter at GG Pat & Poppy’s house.

We had way too much drama with the van purchase. Oh, remember that van I posted pictures of? We do not have it anymore. Instead, we have a white Dodge Grand Caravan. It was a long story with the conditions of our original loan not being accepted as promised, a break recall, and too much time spent at dealerships.
o After driving the new van for one day, we get a message about the tire being low (brand new tires just put on the car the previous morning). So we took the car back the next weekend to have the bumpers fixed and asked them to make sure to look at the tire as we had to keep filling it with air. We were without the car for 4 days, but when we got it back, the bumpers were nice and fixed.
o But, the light telling us the tires were low was still on. The tire began to go flat. We took the car back in, this time, we sat at the dealership for 4 hours waiting to replace one tire. We finally got a new tire on our van.
o We also have a minivan to cart our family around, despite the drama that went into it.

Brendan had a bad flu a few weeks ago, throwing everything that he ate up. Unfortunately, I did not really realize it was the flu as he never ran a fever. However, after my husband and mother-in-law both came down with the throwing-up flu, I realized my poor kid really was sick. I am so thankful I never caught it, I am not sure what I would have done to be sick on top of everything else!

While Brendan was throwing-up sick, we realized that something was not quite right as we changed his diaper. After taking him to the doctor it was confirmed, Brendan has a hernia on his genitals. So after a few doctor appointments, we finally have surgery scheduled to have it removed. May 12th. (Just in case you guys didn’t catch that, my due date is May 15th). Luckly, Brendan doens't seem to be in a lot of pain, but I am looking forward to getting this taken care of.

I turned the big 2-7 on April 9th. Nope, I don’t feel any different. My birthday was spent with my son at the doctor’s office in the morning, but I had a nice breakfast at Mimi’s with my mom & sister. We then started preparing for my baby shower and running a few errands. Scott and I were supposed to have a nice evening together, but he was still sick, so we had dinner out, he went to bed and I went to my sisters.

My sister threw a wonderful baby shower for my on April 10th. This one does deserve it’s own post to come.

Work has been absolutely crazy the past couple of weeks. Especially with me missing a couple of days for “bed rest” and then not know from day to day if I will be able to come into work. This week is our busiest, hopefully by next week things will calm down a little more and I can prepare my desk for my absence. A week and a half left before I start Maternity Leave!

Everything really seems to be going well for right now, there was about 2 weeks where I felt that I could not catch a break, it was seriously one thing after another. But things seem to have calmed down and I feel as though I am starting to feel ready for our new little one…not quite… but almost!

Hospital visit - Week 34 & 35

2010-04-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

My pregnancy complications began on the morning of April 6th, 3 days before my birthday. I knew it was a busy day at work and I needed to be there that day, however, I had a doctor’s appointment at 9:00 that morning. Scott was out of town, so I took Brendan to day care, went to my appointment anxious to get to work.

Our plans never go as planned. My blood pressure was higher than it had been at my previous appointments (probably due to the stress of the morning) and my doctor wanted me to go next door to the hospital’s Labor & Delivery ward (L&D) to be checked out. I knew it would make me that much later to work, but it had to be done. An hour later, I am still waiting in my doctor’s waiting room waiting for L&D to approve me to come over. Finally, I get approval, and wait in the Hospital’s waiting room for 45 minutes for them to process paperwork and send me down the hall. Once I get to L&D, they take my weight, have me pee in a cup and hook me up to machines. One monitor for the baby’s heart rate, one to monitor me, and one for my blood pressure. At this point I am just annoyed, I would like to go to work, I am all alone, and I hate being hooked up to machines. I am still thinking they need to hurry up so I can get out of here. I text my sister to let her know where I am, she immediately decides she is coming to the hospital to it with me. I tell her it is not necessary, I should be out of here soon, but she comes anyway. It was probably a good thing!

I text my husband to let him know what is going on. “I’m in the hospital hooked up to machines.” His response? “Liar.” Umm, no, pretty serious here. He tells me to let him know if he needs to come home or if I think I am okay. Of course I think I am okay, I am ready to go back to work people!

When my sister gets to the hospital, I confess to her, “just so you know, I’m having a few contractions, I haven’t told anyone yet because I don’t want anyone to worry.” Sure enough, the monitor is tracking my contractions at every 3 minutes. I realize, I am not going to work today, I will be lucky if I even get to go home. They continue to monitor me all day, I have ultrasounds taken to check on the baby, and eventually they hook me up to an IV to try to hydrate me enough and see if the contractions stop. Great, more for me to be hooked up to.

Around 2:00, my sister heads back to work and calls my husband in Vegas to let him know that he should probably start heading home; he is already on his way. The nurse tells me there is a chance I will have to stay overnight in the hospital, so we start arranging for someone to pick my son up from day care. They also give me a shot in the rear to help with the development of the baby’s lungs just in case he does come early.

Luckily, around 6:30 the contractions have pretty much ceased. They send me home, but tell me I am on Bed Rest for tomorrow, no work. I am also on “pelvic rest”, instructed to stay well hydrated, and have to come back to the hospital at 2:00 the next day to see where I am.

The next day I tried my best to sit with my feet up, my husband cleaned the house while I just sat around. I had no contractions while at the hospital for my check-up. I get another shot to finish the series for the lung development, and they tell me I can go back to work if I want to. YAY! (Still on pelvic rest).

I still have contractions every now and then, Monday at work they were coming pretty often, but I figure when my water breaks, I should probably head to the hospital!  Otherwise, I am doing well. I try to drink LOTS of water to stay hydrated, and I didn’t realize, but a full bladder increases contractions! Interesting! So I take more trips down the hall instead of holding it for when it is convenient to go. I do take it a bit slower and I sit with my feel up more often, you can defiantly see the impact this has taken on my house. But I’m not ready for a baby yet, so anything I can do to prolong the birth!

Where have you been?

2010-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well a lot has gone on in the life of the Keys’ Family since I last posted on Wednesday, March 31st (over 3 weeks ago). I apologize for keeping you in the dark and will try to catch everyone up on what is going on. It really has been one thing after another, at times I feel like I cannot catch a break and things just pile on top of each other. However, for right now, it seems as though things are slowing down, I am able to catch my breath and prepare for the next thing without worrying if everything is going to crash down. Instead of trying to explain EVERYTHING that has gone on in one post, I will be spreading them out by topic. Some of you may have heard rumors of the pregnancy, so I will probably start with that one. I hope to have you all updated on our life before the end of next week, as long as nothing else happens! I am praying for a quiet and relaxing weekend…

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Bathtub Fun!

Brendan at 20 Months Old. I just love those Big Eyes!