Making Memories Of Us

Brooks' SUPER 5th Birthday Party!

2011-08-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Wow! My baby is 5! I can't believe it's already here. He is so big now :) His sense of humor and smarts have become him. He can outwit pretty much anyone and always has something to say that can bring a smile to your face. He is one of the most intelligent children I know! He is already reading and doing math that even I have forgotten how to do ha :) I am so proud of him and very proud to be his Mommy! I wanted him to have a SUPER birthday for his big 5! So we planned a superhero party, Kevin designed the invitation, it looked so amazing! My aunt and uncle provided the delicious and adorable cake and I was busy making superhero masks for all the guests and outfits for Super Brooks and his trusty sidekick Paisley. Kevin also designed a Poster of Super Brooks that was used for the game of pin the mask on the hero, where the winner (Brooks' friend Ryan) won a handful of heroes action figures :) My mother in law was kind enough to let me use her cricket to make Brooks a super happy birthday banner and Brandon made super (fruity pebble) rice krispy treats for everyone. I attempted to make a 3 layer jello (Red, Yellow and Blue) But that didn't quite turn out haha! I found Brooks some superman shoes from that GAP that went perfect with his outfit so I had to get them :) I got just about everything done in time for the party. It was the day after we got home from Powell, so I tried to have everything done before we left. But I forgot outfits for Super Mom and Dad! So I ran to the store and threw together our shirts, they were awfully crooked but hey it worked. Then I looked outside and it was RAINING!!! WTH the weather hates me :( but I was going to be optimistic, it poured for a bit and then stopped. We held the party at my Grandma's. The plan was to set up in their beautiful backyard! I got there and began to set up and my grandma just kept hounding me that it was going to rain and that we should just set up under the cover of the carport! I did NOT want to do that, but she wouldn't let up so I just gave in. It was musty under there and didn't have quite the ambiance that I was hoping for!! It hardly sprinkled and was nice and cool out back. So I was a little disappointed and pictures didn't turn out like I wanted, with the shed door and siding in the background :( Plus the lighting was awful but Brooks had a good time and got lots of fun toys and gifts! Thanks to everyone who came and had fun with us! Brooks and I appreciate it! Brooks I hope your 5th Birthday was everything you hoped it would be! I LOVE YOU

Lake Powell 2011

2011-08-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Every time my family has a vacation, I am pregnant! Even though I wasn't really able to do anything. But I wanted (and needed) to get away and relax. Now why exactly I thought roughing it for 5 days in the scorching heat Pregnant and with a 15 month old would be relaxing....I'm not certain :) We headed out extremely early in the morning (My parents idea) My kids I don't think have ever woken up before 7am but we were on our way to Powell by 5! Luckily Paisley slept just about the whole way but Brooks "couldn't get comfy" but he had his leapster to keep him occupied. After a long sleepy drive we were there! We were going to have to make two trips to the campsite because everything couldn't fit into the boat. since all of my parents stuff was already loaded, we would come back for all of our stuff. I ran to the bathroom and when I came out Brandon had left with the car....and all our things. As he was running back to the truck I had to yell to him to at least get the diaper bag!
We drove around the lake looking for a good spot to camp and after what seemed like forever, everyone finally agreed on a spot. we pulled up and unloaded. The boys and Mom got their tents set up and set up the anchors for the boat while I watched the kids. It was SO hot!! Setting up camp in that heat was awful and I didn't even really do anything ha! I chugged as much water as I could and made sure the kids stayed hydrated. After all that was set up the guys headed out for round two. Unfortunately we didn't have our food or swimsuits, so we were HOT and hungry!! Not to mention exhausted. That first day was pretty crappy until everything was finally done, we headed out on the boat and had some fun. We got back "home" and had some dinner and got ready for bed. As soon as we laid down, this houseboat full of partiers start blasting their music and screaming as they jump into the lake. I wouldn't have minded as much, if they had at least had semi-good taste in music. They kept playing the same awful song over and over and over, and the flashes of their cameras were coming through our tent. I just kept hoping it wouldn't wake up Paisley, but it seemed either way...we were in for a long night. Soon the flashing of their cameras was replaced by the flashing of lightening and the wind picked up with a fury. The party ended as quickly as it had begun and the storm took over. At least the dreadful music was gone but it was replaced by the whipping and flapping of our tents. The tent was practically laying down on top of us and the sand was pouring in from the mesh top as the cover wasn't doing it's job too effectively in the storm. Then, it began to rain. We coved the pack and play with a blanket so at least Paisley wouldn't be covered in sand and sheilded our faces with pillows while I tried to hold the tent off my face with my arms and legs. Eventually the wind died down a bit and I fell asleep waking up covered in wet sand. It rained the whole next day, but I just kept thinking at least it wasn't so hot :) The kids had fun playing in the sand and even though it was too cold for me to get in the water, Brooks dove right in and did some fishing. By sun down it had cleared up and we had a peaceful nights sleep that night. Luckily the party boat left and did not return. We woke up pretty early the next morning and had a fantastic fun filled day. We played on the lake and found some ruins from the people who once lived there. It was pretty neat. The next day was Kevin's Birthday! He turned 25 :) we had another fun day, Brooks LOVES the tube, while we were on it he said to me "If I had a magic wand, I would wish for a day like this one!" I thought it was the cutest thing. It was nice to just be able to play all day, no one could reach me...as we didn't have service out there. I didn't have to worry about anything, I was just sending time with my family at the lake!! It wasn't quite rellaxing though since I have two kids who are water babies and just want to be in the water 24/7. I had to watch Paisley like a hawk and Brooks rarely had his life jacket off. He probably spent about 75% of the trip in the water! The next day was Thursday and we headed off to the marina, we had to do the dirty work... and it was nice to get some air conditioning for a moment and enjoy an ice cream. Later that day the wind picked up again and broke my parents tent :( the wind didn't last thankfully and were able to rig the tent up! Friday was Brooks' Birthday!! He turned 5 at Powell :) He wanted to tube for his birthday but unfortunately it had a tear in it :( He was pretty dissappointed but he lived. There were some other kids there that he had become pretty good buddies with and they had a good time together! We pretty much spent that whole day exploring the lake, attempting to fish and Brandon and Kevin did some cliff jumping. I wanted Brooks to catch his first fishy, but it didn't happen. As the sun set, we had a little celebration for Brooks with a muffin :) and some candles and we gave him a little gift. I can't believe he is already 5!! But that's for another post :) It was a great getaway and even though everyone had their turn at being grumpy! We had fun! I think I used more sunscreen on my kids in that week than I've used in my whole life :) We all got a nice tan though, only Kevin got burned ( I don't think he'd seen the sun in a long while ha) I just want to thank my parents for inviting us and for everything! We all enjoyed our vacation, even thought I wish I could have boarded and did some cliff diving and all the fun stuff! Next time we go on vacation, hopefully I wont' be prego! :)

The End

Yuba

2011-08-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

We went to Yuba for my birthday again this year. I was really excited to go, unfortunately we got off to a late start and didn't get out there until about 7m. The water was SO high there was no beach on the North Shore. We had to camp up behind the bathrooms! But we set up camp had a nice little fire, roated some hot dogs and marshmellows and got to bed for a day on the lake the next day. Well it turned out to be a LONG night! We had brought the pack and play for Paisley to sleep in but I thought it would be a nice warm night so she only had a little blanket. After the sun went down it got pretty chilly!! She woke up when Mom tried to cover her with it and so we ended up just putting her in bed with us. All four of us on our little air mattress, in our little tent :) Paisley couldn't get comfortable and then she saw Brooks and just wanted to play.. it took her a while to get back to sleep and then I couldn't get back to sleep, it was a REALLY long night ha. As the sun came up Mom made us breakfast and we headed out on the boat. We had a great time on the tube and Brandon and Mom got out on their wakeboards. Then it looked like a storm was rolling in, so we got off the lake and headed to pack up camp. The wind was so awful it was blowing sand everywhere and it didn't let up. So we ended up just having some lunch and headed home. It wasn't exactly what I had planned but I enjoyed the time with my family and appreciate the time and effort my Mom and Terry put into the weekend :)

BMW X3 for sale $13,900 OBO

2011-07-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am selling my car! Please help me spread the word! We are needing something less expensive to maintain and something that has more room for three carseats! I am asking $13,900 OBO high blue book is $16500 with the miles at 112300. Thanks :)

(Sorry I didn't wash her before I took the pics, but she shines up real good!)

My favorite time of year!

2011-07-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is my most favorite holiday!! I just love everything about it :) We had a lot of fun this weekend! I was pretty sad that I couldn't go to the Riverton parade like we do every year. I took a wedding gig and was really depressed that I was missing out on being with my family. But I made Brandon take some pictures for me. We of coarse went to the carnival where Brooks rode all of the scary rides! He is definitely a thrill seeker, and their firework show was amazing this year! We had a little dun with some fireworks of our own, especially since ariel fireworks were made legal here this year! We went boating with my Mom and Terry out to Jordanelle and it was lots of fun. They got Brooks this littl kid waterski thing and he was the first one to get out on the water! Bradnon and my Mom had fun wakeboarding, and we all took a turn on the tube, Paisley loved the water :) Then we went home and had a good BBQ and some yummy watermelon! It was a great weekend I enjoyed every moment of it.

Three's company

2011-06-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

It seems like we're only just settling in to having 2 little ones around! Now we are having to get used to the thought of having THREE!! We knew we wanted another baby, we just didn't think it would be so soon! But as we all know, life never goes the way we "plan". So we are excited to make the announcement :) We are once again expecting another little person to join our not so little anymore family! Our new addition is expected to make a debut around January 29, 2012. I called to schedule an appt with my OB and to my surprise my Dr. has retired! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but he's been my OB since I was 16, and has delivered both of my kids so I was a little nervous about what to do! Finding a new OB is kind of a big deal, at least to me. (if you' ve ever seen knocked up, I believe I'm not the only one who thinks it's a big deal ;)) So I got some referrals from my friends and family and I think I've found a really great Dr. I've yet to meet her but I've heard a lot of great things :) After a little stressing and a bit of freaking out we are getting excited about welcoming a new baby and we can't wait to me them. As with the 1st 2 I'm exhausted and moody! I haven't had any specific cravings really, just everything I see; I want to eat and I'm hungry all the time! I cannot go near the meat department at the store without fear of vomiting and certain textures and other smells make me dry heave ha! But other than a little discomfort and sensitivity to nasty things my morning sickness hasn't been too awful. I have lost my mind again as prego brain has taken over, I can't find the word or anything for that matter. I just feel dumb :) at least I have an exuse I guess :) Really I can't believe I'm doing this again already :) since this is probably the last one for us, it's a little bittersweet that it came so soon.

When I found out I wanted to think of a cute way to tell Brandon, I got some take out from Panda Express and replaced the fortune in his cookie with a fortune that said "you will soon be the Daddy of three!" He was pretty shrouded. We waited until Fathers Day to tell our families. I put Paisley in a shirt that had said little sister but changed it to say middle sister, and put on their gifts that it was from Brooks, Paisley and Baby. It took them a but to catch on but when they did They were all VERY shocked and excited ;)

Up above it all

2011-06-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

part of my anniversary surprise had been rescheduled due to the rain. So this weekend once again we headed off to Park City. We had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to be there by 6:30. I don't know about you but I'm accustomed to sleeping in until about 9 on the weekends, so I was a little groggy at first. As we pulled off the exit to Park City I saw a van pulling a hot air ballon basket and thought "how neat!" We stopped for a quick bite to eat and headed farther into the depths of Park City. We pulled into a hotel parking lot and there was the Hot air balloon van! That was my surprise ;) I have always wanted to go in one! I was so excited :) they said it was pretty windy over the mountains in park city so we headed out to Heber where there was more open space. We pulled into this little airport and everyone started piling out. There were about six vans full of people, all the crews got out and started assembling the balloons. They were all so close to each other I wondered if that was going to cause issues but none of the crew seemed to care. They all tipped their baskets on their sides and pulled the balloons out and unrolled them like giant sleeping bags. They had these huge fans to open the balloons up, Brandon and another gentleman helped hold it open while the crew assembled the top of the balloon.( I don't know all the balloon piece names so pardon me) when it was mostly open they tipped the basket right side up and the pilot hopped in. He asked us to hold on so he didn't fly away. All the passengers climbed into the basket and up up and away we went! It happened so quickly it was frightening! Our balloon was the first up in the air, it was so amazing yet so scary! We were climbing higher and there is no way to steer it; there was nothing to strap you in or keep you from falling out!! Then as all the other balloons began to ascend the pilot mentioned letting him know if one of them comes up underneath us! I was like freak! We're going to die! But we soared safely through the sky over the valley and my nerves were calmed. Until it was time to land! The pilot said he was going to shoot for this open field and we got closer and closer to the ground. He told us to brace ourselves and fearing the worst I white knuckled what I could hold onto. We landed without a bump, everyone climbed out as they sprayed cold must into the balloon, it deflated and we had a cheers with champagne and orange juice :) it was a wonderful experience and a sweet surprise! Thanks babe!

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Happy Anniversary

2011-06-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Every year we switch off planning for our anniversary. This year it was Brandon's turn. He kept everything a complete surprise. I was excited to finally find out what we'd be doing. He told me to pack an overnight bag and we dropped the kids off at his moms to sleepover. Brooks was a bit upset that he couldn't come. We jumped in the car and were on our way. He even blind folded me :) it was kinda fun not knowing where we were going. I took a little nap and woke up when the car stopped. We were at the stillwater at Jordanelle reservoir. We were actually camping at jordanelle when Brandon asked me to be his girlfriend :) so it was really sweet! After we checked in we headed out to dinner at park city. Then we were going to see a movie but Brandon had put the wine in the freezer so we headed back to the hotel to get it out before it froze. It had been snowing since dinner and on the way back it was like a blizzard! It was extremely scary driving through the pitch black canyon in a blizzard. We couldn't see anything but the snow coming at us. We actually had to turn off the lights to be able to see the road. After what seemed like the longest drive, we decided to stay in and just enjoy eachothers company. In the morning we went shopping at the Tanger outlets and with it being memorial day weekend there were some great sales! We spent a small fortune on clothes, mostly on the kids. It's frightening how easy it is to justify over spending when it's for your kids ;) Brandon had another surprise planned for us but was rescheduled due to the weather. It was a great weekend and a fantastic anniversary! Thanks to my Hubby, my partner in crime and my best friend for the hardest most rewarding 4 years of my life! -Happy Anniversary XOXO

I have to tell you, when we got home on Sunday we went to diner at my Grandmas like we do every week . I told you hire brooks was upset that he couldn't come with us to our anniversary date. Well he told everyone at dinner "it's my parents anniversary! They went to a hotel...and they stayed there the WHOLE NIGHT!!" Ha It wouldn't have been as embarrassing if my great aunt and uncle didn't happen to be there ( we see them about once every other year lol)
Just thought I'd share another great Brooksism

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Brooks has loved his experience with Miss Denise's preschool! In addition to all the knowledge he obtained and fun he had doing crafts; he made some great friends and memories! He met his first crush and his first (not related) best friend. While he is excited about starting kindergarten and taking that big leap into big boy hood, he is very sentimental and is heartbroken about having to say goodbye to all his friends and his absolute favorite teacher! That's ok she's been his only teacher :) He has learned a lot this year, he has began reading and though he still struggles with some of the words he does amazingly! We are so very proud of him! A big thank you to everyone who helped with picking Brooks up from school! I know at times it was difficult for his grandma and Maranda was such a life saver! Brooks thanks you too he had a great time with Madden! At their Graduation ceremony they sang the cutest songs about what they had learned and they all got a balloon with a little gift and a certificate of completion. On Brooks certificate he said his favorite color is "rainbow" or in other words every color, he can't choose a favorite. When he grows up, he wants to be a firefighter. I know this is only preschool graduation, I know the day will come all to soon when he graduates high school and then college and although I anxiously await those bittersweet days, I want my Brooksy to know how proud I am of him today!

Brooks,
I want you to know that I think the world of you! You are an amazing person, you have such a sweet spirit and have always been so thoughtful and kind! You will continue to be great at whatever you choose to do with your life and I believe in you to make good decisions no matter how simple or difficult they may be. I know that your future is bright and I am proud to be your Mommy! You have so much talent and zest for life! Dream big and follow your dreams! No matter how big you get you will always be my baby! You make me happy and can always make me smile! Remember you promised you would always hold my hand :) I'm going to hold you to that! Don't ever change, you are perfect just the way you are! I love you!
love,
Your Mommy

Brooksisms

2011-05-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

"Mom, wouldn't it be cool it Justin Beiber was my big brother?"

"Mom, PLEASE tell me we're not going to the fabric store!"

His show and tell wouldn't fit into his backpack so he told me "We need to get some GLAD forceflex!"

I was asking Brooks what he wanted Breakfast and he says "How many calories are in oatmeal?" (He has been listening to my Mom ha)

"My bike speaks spanish!"

He wanted to use our toothpaste instead of his because "it fights cavities for 7 hours!"

Brooks, what's 1/2 of 5? "Fi.." You're right :) That is half of five!

He told me that before he graduates pre-school he needs to ask Gracie to Marry him when they get big. They are going to kiss and have two kids one boy and one girl ( Rhino & Ryder) :)

He came in the house crying a little and talking to himself. I heard him say "I'm so ashamed of myself" :( I asked him what he was so sad about "I'm so ashamed of myself, I killed a potato bug" (He accidentally smashed it with a shovel that he was trying to pick it up with)

"I need more attention!"

"I wish that I could go up in the sky and plant some candy and then it would rain candy. And it would rain once a day

he heard an ad on the radio that said, kids get in free... He says "Hear that, I get in free. That means I can just go by myself.

"Ew this one tastes like cafe rio" (we were eating jelly beans)

"I'm not going to discuss this right now"

On a walk: remember when summer met us right here (as if we found summertime in that exact spot before)

"is this my baby life?" (when the show teen mom came on tv)

"I'm gonna go outside and practice my skills"

I had gotten Brooks some nice dress shoes for my Grandpas funeral and when I put then on him he said "

Seriously mom, high heels!?"

"I didn't go to karate but I still know it"

I thought I'd throw in some pics of the kiddos too ;)

Dandelions

2011-05-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

I decided that we needed to get some new pictures for our walls! As I was driving home from the store the other day, I passed a field that was FULL of dandelions! I thought it would be perfect for a little photo shoot with the kiddos, turns out I was right :) I blew up my faves and put them up. I'm saving for some really cute frames but this will have to do for now :) Now if only I could get the family pictures done!!

The Year Blew By!!

2011-05-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our precious little baby has turned one!! She has really come into her sweet little personality! Her favorite things are Kitty cats!!, baby dolls, her stuffed puppy..Buckley, Violet(Her leapster doggy), Lights, FOOD! and trying on clothes. This is so funny, she will pick through the laundry until she finds something she likes and she will try her hardest to put it on! Most of the time it's just draped around her neck but she LOVES it! She loves anything sparkly ans is 100% girl!! It is funny how different little girls are, compared to our sweet Brooks, who is such a boy :) I can not even begin to express the joy she has brought into our lives! I am so blessed to have such a beautiful family :) I couldn't ask for more as a Mommy! This year really did blow by so quickly! So I decided to throw a Pinwheel party. Well after all of my planning and preparations, all the hours spent making pinwheels and banners and getting the balloons and streamers and compiling a few favorite photos of how she's grown this year.....It was the most blustery day!! The wind was whooshing around and none of my decorations would stay in place, my jars of candy were falling all over most of my balloons had popped the tablecloths and pinwheels were flying and nothing was going right :( Well I suppose I asked for it, it was after all a windmill party, we were celebrating the year BLOWING by. So I gave up on my plans and we layed out blankets and had a Big picnic! With a lot of help from my friends and family it turned out to be a success despite the strong wind! Paisley had a grand time and that is all that mattered! She got lots and lots of clothes! She got a pair of Silver Toms from my friends Jimmie and Steph and she loved them, her reaction was so cute! I'm sure she will be trying on all of her new outfits she acquired! She loved her cupcakes and she looked adorable in the dress I mad for her! A big thank you to everyone who came and helped out.Thanks for making Paisley's party a great one for her! Love you all

Tee Ball

2011-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Brooks played Tee Ball this year and he did so great! At first he was so scared that he wouldn't be good, that he wouldn't hit the ball or be able to catch it, and the other kids would make fun of him. But I reassured him there would be no making fun of anyone! That he needed to teach me how to play because I didn't know how, and he was all for that! It was so cute to watch them! At first none of the kids knew where to run or what to do. Brooks was so good at it right away! He looked so cute in his little uniform and he would turn his hat around after he hit because he thought it was "cool". I had so much fun watching him! There last game was yesterday and they got Tropheys, he thinks it's pretty neat because it says MVP on it! :) (Very much invaluable person)

Easter

2011-05-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

This year we had our annual Egg Dying Party, it was lots of fun and the kids had fun playing in the yard after we colored eggs! It was a beautiful day which was nice for a change with how cold it has been. Easter was little sad without Grandpa there. But the kids had loads of fun hunting for the eggs as usual! It was Paisley's last 1st Holiday! Being her 1st Easter, she caught on very quickly! She loved carrying around her little basket and being in her pretty dress! Brooks found lots of eggs and overloaded on candy as always. It was great to see everyone and get to spend some time with our family!

more :)

2011-05-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Christmas

2011-02-26T22:32:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving

2011-02-21T21:48:00.001-08:00

I have so much on my to do list these days that it’s hard to slow down and just enjoy life. As thanksgiving approaches I am taking a moment to really think about what I am thankful for and make sure that I am giving thanks where it is due. I thank God every day for my babies. They are healthy and happy and have everything that they need! No matter how bad of a day I am having or what struggles I am faced with. They never cease to make me genuinely happy! I am thankful to my love for teaching me what it feels like to really be loved! I don’t thank my Husband nearly enough for all he does for us. He is always so thoughtful and he makes sure that we are taken care of. Even though we might drive each other crazy, he works hard and does his best to make me happy. I am thankful for my Momma, she is one of the strongest people I know and has always been there for me when I needed her. I am thankful for my brother! He is one of my best friends and is always willing to help me out! I am thankful for my family, who has always supported me and are so loving and fun!! I am thankful for my in-laws, they are so helpful with my kids and take amazing care of them so I don’t have to worry. I am super thankful for my friends and the great memories we’ve made, they always help me and we have great a time together. I am especially thankful for Victoria who has been such a good friend over the years. I am thankful for my job, even though I complain and wish that I could quit, I am glad that I am able to work and make money for the things that I want and need. With so many people out of jobs and unable to support themselves and their families, it makes me extra thankful for that. I am thankful to be alive and well, able to do the things I need and have the opportunity to do the things that I want to do. I’m thankful for my home, half the time I want to pull my hair out because it’s so messy but I am happy that I have a warm place to be and a cozy bed to sleep at night! I’m even thankful for my mess because it means that we have clothes to wear and food to eat! I’m thankful for my car it gets me from A to B and enables me to go lots of places! You realize how big of a deal it is, when you don’t have transportation is. I am thankful for my struggles because they have taught me many valuable lessons and made me a stronger person; I know that I could always have it worse! I am thankful that my kidneys can keep up with filtering my Dr.Pepper addiction. I am thankful for my camera and my laptop so that I can do something that I am passionate about. I am super thankful for all the yummy food that I get to eat and the time that I get to spend with my family on this day! What are you thankful for? I encourage everyone to take the time out and really count your blessings no matter how good you have it or how bad you have it, things will change and we always need to keep in mind the things we are thankful for right now! I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!! May you stuff yourselves silly 

Happy 1/2 Birthday

2011-02-21T21:47:00.002-08:00

Paisley B is half way to being one!! She is just a little ball of sunshine; I love how she is so happy all the time. Although Brooks is starting to pester her! I think the jealousy is finally starting to kick in a little. Or maybe he just wants to play with her but she gets annoyed with him  I can tell he’s little like his Dad and likes to push people’s buttons and see how far he can get. It’s still strange to me that I have TWO kids! I am so blessed! Every time I look at them I can’t help but smile. Paisley loves her baby food and wants to eat everything! If you eat in front of her she’ll smack her lips together and reach for your food. I am so in love with her gummy little smile and her giggle, she is just so beautiful. I love to kiss her little head and snuggle her. I love her smell and to watch her sleep. She likes to reach up and run her fingers through my hair while she nurses, it’s so sweet. She is attempting to crawl but can only go backwards for now. It’s funny because she’ll try to crawl towards something and end up going backwards and she’ll get madder and madder as she gets farther and farther away from what she wants. Her favorite toys right now are her Dolly and her phone  she refuses to take a passi so getting her to nap is a chore sometimes and she still won’t take very long naps. She definitely prefers Mommas milk over formula and sometimes won’t take her bottle, which is frustrating for her sitters. But I’m too lazy to bottle feed her myself. It’s much easier to nurse her, I don’t have to mix anything or clean anything up and I hate pumping! I’m trying to introduce the sippy, hopefully she’ll catch on to that, but we’ll see. We need to get our family pictures done and it’s kind of stressful! Planning where to do them and what to wear and then praying the kids will behave and we’ll get at least one good shot of everyone. I’m usually on the other end of the camera so it’s strange to not be able to see how it’s going to turn out! I want to be able to set up the shot and make sure it looks the way I want. We haven’t had family pictures taken since Brooks was ONE! So this should be interesting.

Halloween

2011-02-21T21:47:00.001-08:00

This year brooks was a vampire, I had sprayed his hair with black spray. After his Halloween party at school I dropped him off at his grandma’s and she gave him a bath. She called me at work to tell me how it went. She said there was black everywhere, all over his face and hands, it was running down the sides of the shower walls. After he got out he told her “Grandma Shell, I don’t want to be a vampire anymore! It’s too much work” On the day of trick or treating this year (Since Halloween fell on a Sunday) I had my Mini shoot that I was doing for my photography business. I was there all day and it turned out really great. We saw a lot of cute costumes and got some really great pictures! But, didn’t have much time for anything else. After the shoot I took the kids trick or treating. We always hit up the grandparents so they can see the kids in their costumes, and they always have the best treats! My Grandma Beckstead always makes us the tastiest popcorn balls that have candy corn in them! And Brooks’ Grandma Trice, Donna and Michelle, all make him up special little Halloween treat bags and by the time we’ve hit all the grandma’s houses we really don’t need any more candy. But Brooks would disagree so we trick or treat at a couple of the neighbors just for fun. When I asked Brooks what he wanted to be for Halloween this year he told me he wanted to be a twin. Ha I was like what? He said Yeah I want to be a twin of twister (Twister is a ghost we have hanging in the tree) Oh so you want to be a ghost! Yeah. I thought that was kind of lame, like what do you do to dress up as a ghost? So then he wanted to be a dragon and then he ended up being a vampire. He had his Halloween party at pre-school the Thurs before Halloween and left his vampire teeth there on accident. We didn’t have any replacement teeth so I let him use mine for his pictures lol. With his hair sprayed black and his cape on him, he looked pretty spooky! He even got a bite tattoo on his neck that had blood dripping out of it. Paiserbey was a little lady bug. At first I didn’t really want her to be a lady bug because it seems like a lot of little girls are lady bugs but it didn’t really matter she was the cutest one  Her cousin even had the exact same lady bug costume. We got some cute pictures of them next to each other. Baylee is one month older than Paisley so they’re pretty close to the same age but Pais is just a little smaller. Normally, I throw a little pumpkin decorating party for the kids and we go pick out our pumpkins and take them back and paint them and decorate them with stickers and such (since most of them aren’t old enough to carve them and it’s a little less messy) But with everything I had going on I just didn’t have time this year. But I really wanted to take Brooks to at least get his own pumpkin. I don’t think I ever went to a pumpkin patch until I had Brooks (Thanks for depriving me Mom  jk) and I just really wanted Brooks to have those memories and it usually makes for great pictures. You know me a sucker for a picture op! Well it was like a day or two before Halloween and the only time I had to go was right after work. I wasn’t scheduled to close that night so I hurried to get the kids and get there before the sun went down. I didn’t really think this through very well, it had rained the day before and it was pretty muddy. I was still in my heels from work and trying to trudge through the mud carrying Paisley’s car seat and trying to maneuver my camera and a wheelbarrow haha! This woman even came up and offered for her son to push our wheelbarrow. I was so embarrassed; I must have looked like a crazy person. On top of that Brooks was in a mood and would not listen to me and was so uncooperative! I snapped a few pictures bought his pumpkins and got in the car just before the sun went down. As I buckled the kids in Brooks said look at the sky Mom it’s orange like a pumpkin  Sure enough it was! It was quite the adventure; I don’t think I’ll try to do that again though!

Cornbelly's

2011-02-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

Brooks had his field trip to Cornbelly’s again this year. This time I got to go along and can I just tell you, it looked like so much fun!! I so wanted to be a kid again  Brooks and his friends were running around climbing up and down this giant haystack that had slides on all sides of it and they had these great big bouncing pillows, a corn maze, pig races, hay rides, there were these swings that were made out of tires to look like animals I wanted to take a picture but Brooks was too busy running around and jumping to take a time out to swing! So I know that I’m kind of a freak and I always have my giant camera hanging around my neck when I take my kids out. But I saw a Dad there who was far worse than me!! He had two full size cameras around his neck and this telescope lense on one of them and was following his child around just clickin away! I was like Wow, I hope I don’t look that ridiculous haha! Oh well though, I’m sure he got some really cute shots  Brooks found a couple of his friends and made sure they went down a few slides together. He loves his friend Madden, he’s always a little shy at first but he warmed up pretty quickly and they ran around together for a while. Then on the bouncing pillows he met up with his other friend Jack. Those things can be pretty dangerous with how many kids are jumping around on them. An older boy was running around on them and ran into jack and made him fall over. Jack looked at Brooks like it was him who had knocked him over and said “It’s ok, I forgive you for everything” I had to laugh. We couldn’t stay as long as we wanted to because I had to get to work but we had a lot of fun in the short time we were there! We will have to make it a tradition to go every year, even when it’s not with his preschool. Pretty soon he can take Paisley down the slides with him!

5 Months

2011-02-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

My baby is 5 months old already!! She’s able to sit up all by herself and she’s started eating baby food, she’s only had sweet potatoes and peas though  she’s got the grabbing thing down pat and she’ll try to scoot towards objects out of her reach. She does this little chicken flap thing with her arms when she gets excited and kicks her little legs. She loves to hear the sound of her own voice so she’ll just scream as loud as she can over and over. She especially loves it if you scream back at her. She and Brooks take turns screaming at each other. She LOVES her big brother! She will just watch him with this look of adoration, whatever he is doing and he can always make her giggle! He likes to hold her and it makes me nervous! Sometimes he’ll squeeze her really hard and I’ll get mad at him and he says but I just love her so much!! She loves it when you clap, sing, or stand her up. She likes to balance on Daddy’s hands---NOT my favorite thing. She has found her toes and likes to hang on to them when she’s lying down and she has just recently found her tongue which had got her making all kinds of new noises and she is constantly chewing on her pointer finger. I’m a little more apprehensive about getting her immunizations than I was with Brooks. This is weird because I was so over protective of Brooks with EVERYTHING. I’m way more relaxed with baby #2. I think the apprehension is because she’s not exactly on track with her shot schedule. Our pediatrician was on maternity leave when she was supposed to get her first batch of immunizations and rather than seeing a different doctor, we waited and she didn’t get them until a month later. I know there was concern about spreading them out and such. So I’ve been reading a lot more about them. I know there is a HUGE buzz about them and a link to autism; I’ve never really been worried about it but because the doctor told us there was no proof of a link to it but I never researched it myself either. So I looked into it and read up all I could on it, Now I will say I don’t have a child with autism and can't even begin to imagine how stressful and difficult that must be, but then again I don’t have a child that has had the measles or whooping cough and have had their qulity of life diminished or died because of it. Mumps and Haemophilus influenza type b cause meningitis, which can lead to deafness, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment. Measles can lead to encephalitis, blindness, and death. To me the benefits of vaccinating our children far outweigh the risks. I found on About.com: regardless of their beliefs about the nature of autism, the dangers of vaccination, and the proper target of funding, most parents recognize that immunizing children against life-threatening diseases is something worth doing. Many who get tagged as "anti-vaccine" really want to make vaccines safer, eliminating potentially damaging ingredients and amending vaccination schedules so that young immune systems are not bombarded. Parents on all sides of the debate see themselves as fighting the good fight for their own children and for all children -- and that ensures that the question "Do Vaccines Cause Autism?" will continue to be hotly debated, regardless of what science has to say on the subject. That’s pretty much how I feel. I know everyone just wants what’s best for their children. For me, I choose to vaccinate mine. (After I wrote this the scientist that claimed the link to autism came out that the whole thing was fraud?) What's your take? Here's my baby at 5 months :)

She was crawling backwards and getting stuck under the pack n' play

The Elk Hunt

2011-02-21T21:29:00.001-08:00

It’s that time of year again! The plan was to have the motor home ready for the elk hunt this year. But after a lot of procrastination and not getting the parts needed in time, once again we had to stay with someone else. Dustin and Brandy were nice enough to let us stay in their trailer with them. We went shopping got the kids some warm clothes since all they have that fit was summer stuff! Oh the joys of having kids and having to buy a new wardrobe every season!  We got all packed and headed up to the usual hunting grounds. It is always so beautiful up there! The leaves were changing and the air was crisp and cool. It was nice because it wasn’t too cold! The first night we got up there, got settled in and had a nice dinner. The following morning the boys all went out fairly early and of course woke us up in the process. Even attempting to be quite when you’re all in a one 40ft trailer there’s not much you can do. Paisley woke up sweet as could be like she always does and since Brandy and I knew we weren’t going to get back to bed so we brewed up some coffee, has a small breakfast and threw in a movie. Brooks had stayed in his grandparents motor home with them, so after our movie I went over there to get him dressed. He had a good ol’ time playing with the dogs and in the dirt. The boys came back with no luck and went back out after a quick bite to eat. That night a Draper family friend came up with his camper and set up his satellite so everyone could watch the game and dancing with the stars  That night we had a scrumptious steak dinner with all the works the sautéed onions and mushrooms with alfredo and lots of yummy veggies and deliciousness. That one great thing about camping is the yummy meals!! Hobo dinners and Dutch oven meals and desserts! While the guys went out, we had lots of fun with the kids, it was a little nippy on some of the days for Paisley to spend too much time outside. We watched some more movies and took the rhino and Polaris for a ride. Brooks and I went to the top and found the tree that Brandon carved for me the first year we met. After we got back together he added to it, Brooks noticed there was a crack down the middle of the heart and asked me “Is that because you broke Daddy’s heart and he broke your heart?” I told him that yeah that’s what happens when you love someone, you break each others hearts sometimes but you have to work at fixing it and making it better. Back at camp Brooks helped his grandpa split wood for the fire, it was pretty funny. He was hammering away and breathing so hard. He had to take a break and said “They should make one for kids! That one is really heavy” There were some other kids at the camp and Brooks had fun playing with them until they left. Brandon took Brooks out on the horse for a short ride and of course I caught some cute pictures of them. They didn’t have any luck seeing anything they could shoot this year but I was glad! I’m not one for shooting defenseless little (or big) animals but I go for the vacation. To get away with my family and enjoy the break in the gorgeous atmosphere! I love the mountains and camping it’s usually a great time. On the way home we stopped at the train burger that we always go to, Brooks loves the trains that go across the ceiling. The food’s not that great but it’s kind of a tradition. After almost a week of being gone I can’t say it was nice to go back to work but it was nice to be home and take a nice long shower!

Brooksisms

2011-02-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

It’s been forever since I’ve posted some of these! I just save them in my draft text messages so sorry if I don’t remember the story behind them since some of them are really old.

“All the girls are gonna come get me. Yeah cuz I’m hot!” ..”But Daddy’s hotter, yeah that’s cuz it’s a tie”

Brooks was painting and I told him that it was time to put it away and get ready for bed. “But I’m painting and my masterpiece is almost over!”

We were on our way out the door and Brooks was wearing a new shirt that his grandma had gotten him that had a dinosaur on it. He said to me “Do you think I look awesome?” Heck yeah! “I think so too”

I was on the computer (prob editing pictures) and Brooks was playing with Paisley and making her laugh and he looked up at me and said “Mom! You’re missing all the cuteness”

When Brooks went to Yellowstone with his grandparents his grandma asked him if he missed us, he said he did and he missed Paisley. Grandma asked him what do you think she’s doing right now? He replied “Probably at home suckin on Mom’s boob”

As usual we were running late and I asked him to hurry up please, as I was buckling up her seatbelt he asked me “Mommy, why are we always in a hurry?”

I picked Brooks up from school and he must have had a really good day because he said “let’s talk about what I did today” then he rambled on about his friends, it was pretty cute

Another day I picked Brooks up and he told me “There’s this guy, and he’s not a stranger. But he wants me to go over to his house” I was like WHAT? But I learned it was just a kid in his class, I told him that when they are little you call them boys not guys ha

We had to pick my Mom up from work and Brooks asked me “is this grandma Trice’s work?” yeah “Does she have two works?” No, what’s her other job? “To take care of me”
I woke up Brooks to get ready to leave and as usual I said Good morning Sunshine! He replied “Not good morning cuz I’m still tired!”

He had gotten into my nursing pads and stuck them to his chest and taped a popsicle stick to them to make like a bra and came in to show us. Brandon took a picture of him with his phone and Brooks told him “Put that on your saver screen!”

While we were driving he told me “I want to see a wishing star and then all my wishes will come true. Our house will be made of candy and I’ll be with Taylor [Swift]”

I can’t remember what we were talking about but I ended up being wrong and he was right and I said ok no you’re right and he said “Told ya! Smartest kid on the planet”

“You know why they call them slippers? Cuz when you step they make you slip” He was running around with his dino slippers on and fell

He was sitting on the couch with this blank stare and I was trying to talk to him but he was ignoring me and I asked him what’s wrong with my best friend? “I just love the TV so much” (Takes after his Dad)

Brandon has him convinced that he has a magic wand and can do anything so we were watching a shoe and Brooks asked me “Do you know where Daddy’s magic wand is? I just want to go in the tv and talk to Ruby”

“I love you more than 100ft giraffe”

Brandon found a knife in Brooks’ room. He sat him down and asked him how it got there. He said he didn’t know, Brandon said well knifes don’t have legs they can’t just get up and walk into rooms Brooks said “Nope they don’t have legs, but I wish they did have legs then I wouldn’t have to tell the truth”

He was helping me with something and I said thanks bud that’s really helpful! “I know; I do everything!”

He was getting ready for bed and I walked in the bathroom. He was sitting on the toilet brushing his teeth and says “Don’t cha know I can brush my teeth and poop at the same time!” That’s pretty talented I giggled “I know” He says

“I want a gun” What why? “I like guns and I really like shooting. So that’s why I want a gun”

He woke up in the middle of the night complaining that his mouth was on fire. I thought he was just dreaming so I got him a drink and tried to put him back to bed. But he was still in pain. It ended up being an ear ache and his eardrum ruptured. As we were driving home from the insta care he told me “My ear hurts better than a dinosaurs roar!”

We were jumping on the tramp and having a good ol’ time and I was acting like a monster and he told me he wasn’t scared. “The only think I’m scared of is dying young” ..where he got that I have no idea

My aunt had to evacuate when they had a fire near their home and her daughter that’s a bit younger than Brooks was throwing up from the smoke inhalation. He must have overheard me telling my Mom about it. Anyhow, the next day I was taking him to school and Miss Denise lives right by where the fire was and he told me “I stopped Rowan from throwing up.” I said oh yeah, how’d you do that? “I just asked heavenly father”
“And I wished the fire would stop, I think everybody was” (wishing for it to stop too)

I was in line at the pharmacy waiting for Paisley’s medicine and they were taking FOREVER! Brooks kept bugging me and asking if he could get a treat or get a toy… I kept telling him no not today “But Mom, I promise I won’t break stuff you like!” I said well that’s great hunny thank you but you’re still not getting anything “If I was big I would give stuff to my kids always!”

He had some kind of smoothie that his aunt had made and he didn’t really want it, he kept asking his Grandma if she wanted it but she wouldn’t answer him so he said “I’ll take that as a No”

I bought him these really cool rocker jeans they’re like a faded brown and he looked really handsome in them and kept getting lots of comments. The next time he wore them he told me “Everyone thinks I’m gorgeous in these jeans!”

“Mom can I leave on these Sketchers forever?” He loves his shoes 

There was a dog in the car next to us and it kept staring at me. I said Brooks do you see this Doggy! He keeps lookin at me! He said “Probably cuz it thinks your pretty!__Or it wants to eat you!”

We saw a little bus and Brooks said “That one’s a short bus, it’s like 5 inches”

“That’s silly that we do football with our hands!”

My Little Texas Tornado cam e on the radio and Brooks says “You know why they call them tornadoes? Cuz they tear stuff up and they’re shaped like O’s”
I thought this was quite perceptive of him!

He came into my room in the morning covering his eyes. He lay on the bed and told me “I thin k I might need some light looking medicine. Because when I wake up in the dark and look in the light I keep closing my eyes”

He was talking about having his own kids but it wouldn’t be for a long time. His grandpa asked him how long he said “In like 40 birthdays I’ll be a Dad”

My brother was coming over so I was cleaning off the table to eat, there was a Victoria’s secret catalog and I threw it in the recycle. Brooks said to me in an angry voice “Uh Mom that’s a hot girl magazine and Dad likes hot girls!” I told him that he had me to look at and he didn’t need the hot girl magazine!
Then after my brother go there I was getting him a drink, Brooks asked me if I was pouring it for him I told him no that it was for Uncle Kevin. Brooks said “Oh, Daddy thinks Uncle Kevin’s a doodoo head” I heard Kevin laugh from the other room

On another day when I picked Brooks up from school he was yelling “Bye Gracie”
As she was climbing into her Mom’s van, he turned to me and said “Madden and Gracie love me! They fight over it all the time” 

Brooks was telling his Dad how much he liked Miss Denise and asked Brandon if he knew who she was. Brandon said yeah I like her too, Brooks said “Why don’t you marry her then?”

He was at his aunts and she heard him singing I am a child of God but his version “I made a child with God” Ha and then he told his cousin “God is a bad word, I think because he’s dead” (Maybe we should go to church sometime hehee)

My aunt turned on a Barbie movie for her daughter and Brooks shouted “Barbie makes the world shine!” I have no idea where he go this from ha I’m thinking maybe Toy Story

We were watching “Super-size me” and they were talking about all the bad effects fast food has on your health and kept talking about how McDonalds is fast food. Brooks looked at me with this really sad face and said “Aw.. now I can’t eat at my favorite place anymore  I want to eat slow and they make you eat fast.”

I told him it was time to get ready for bed “But I’m not even remotely tired!” I giggled and said well it’s still time for bed. He got mad and yelled “Now you’re just torturing me!”

He’s into this new thing where he says “Good times, good times”

In cloudy with a chance of meatballs, in case you haven’t seen it  the boy invents spray on shoes that stick to his feet and the class bully says how ya gonna get them off? And starts bullying him about how he tries to be smart but he’s just stupid. Brooks says “That boy should spray that kids face with spray on shoes, then he would stop talking!”
He woke up in the morning and laid on the bed with his sister and sang her a good morning song, it was the sweetest thing “good morning little girl, you’re my favorite little girl, yes my favorite sweet girl, my only girl”

“You’re my darling Paisley”

I was headed out the door and he asked me where I was going. I told him I was going tanning; he asked me what that was. (He is in this super inquisitive stage right now and it definitely tests my ability to define words and explain things!!) As I was explaining that I lay in a bed that makes fake sunshine I realized how silly that sounds! He then asked where I go to do that. There’s a place called a tanning salon and they just have rooms with beds that make sunshine. Then he wanted to know why I do this…it makes my skin darker. OH?.....why do you want that? Mommy thinks it makes her look prettier. Then after I got home “Did you already lay in your sunshine bed? Oh yeah your skin looks darker 

I've got a little photographer on my hands, Brooks got a hold of my coolpix and here are some of the pictures I found on my memory card, He's quite the artist :)

4 Months

2011-02-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Paisy B is getting big so fast! She’s enjoying spending more time on her tummy since she can hold herself up for longer periods of time now. She’s getting better at grabbing for objects and holding on to them! She loves the TV and her baby Einstein movies and she really enjoys her nightly massage from her Momma. I love to rub her chubby little legs and feet! She has the chubbiest little knees ha and man does she have some thighs! I love it. She tried a little bit of rice cereal and she liked it. She did really good eating it, didn’t spit it back out at me or anything! She likes sitting in her bumbo but her legs always get stuck because they’re so chubby. She loves anything that she can grab on to easily and chew on, mainly her teething rings! She’s already kind of picky and prefers my milk over her formula any day! When I first went back to work she refused to take the formula but she’s gotten somewhat used to it now. I’m pumping but it’s such a pain in the butt that I usually only get like 8oz to take to the sitters, so she has both.

Back to School

2010-09-12T10:44:00.003-07:00

Brooks was so excited to go back to Miss Denise’s! He LOVES her. I have to do a little bragging about how some of the other pre-school Mom’s wanted to make sure their kids were in the same class with Brooks. It will be sad when he goes to kindergarten next year. None of those kids will go to his school since we live in a different area. He asked me about it and if her would go to Miss Denise’s still and when I told him no, that he’d be going to a bigger school. He began to cry and told me how sad he was about it. But I reassured him that he would make lots of new friends and he eventually settled down.
Their 1st day they learned about being special and individual. Miss Denise asked them all what color their eyes and hair are and what their favorite foods are. Brooks said his eyes were blue and his hair changed from brown to blonde and his favorite food was Olive Garden Salad.
Brandon told him that his hair color was called dirty blonde; Brooks said “I should wash my hair so it can be clean blonde!” He loves Dinosaurs and his favorite shows are Dora, Diego, Phineas and Ferb, Max and Ruby, I Carly, Wow Wow Wubzy and pretty much any other cartoon on Disney or Nickelodeon!! He had his well check up and his vision is perfect and he’s very healthy. We decided to get his 5yr immunizations out of the way. He is such a baby when it comes to pain, they gave him two shots in the arm and the whole rest of the day he cried. He thought they left the needles in his arm and that we needed to go back and get them removed. I tried to explain to him how it worked but he insisted they were still in his arm. He continued to baby his arm until all the soreness was gone. We did our back to school photo shoot and this year I found this really cute letterman type jacket for him and it gave me some fun ideas to take them at the high school and use the football field. They turned out really cute and he’s such a ham! You know I love it.
SAFETY:
They went to the firehouse for their safety week field trip. They got to watch the fireman get in his protective uniform and tried to find any parts of him that weren’t covered that could get burned. He put on his helmet and let all the kids bang on it to make sure that it would protect his noggin’  They got to see all the tools on the fire truck and go through it while they told them all about safety, what to do in case of a fire and how they put the fires out. Then we went to the ambulance and then inside the firehouse and they showed us where they stayed and they got a call over the intercom that lets them know when there is an emergency. It said “test for ___ station only…Denise Jones pre-school, remember kids stop drop and roll” They all thought that was pretty neat. After that we went back outside and they got to spray the fire hose. The EMT talked a lot about making sure that the children know 2 ways out of the house and that we practice the escape plan with them and that we have a meeting place outside the house. They went over the importance of not going back in the house and how it takes away from all of them saving your child/pet to dividing their efforts and having to look for both of you, so you cut their chances of getting out safely in half. I think that would be the hardest thing, and it got me thinking about how we’ve never really talked to Brooks about where to go. He knows to get low and all about stop drop and roll but we need to go over what to do in case of a fire or earthquake! They also talked about when to call 911 and the importance of having our address posted where he knows it’s at or have it memorized. So we put our address on his level on the fridge and planned our escape routes and meeting place. I think he’s got it down pat! We learned a lot and made good use of our new knowledge!

3 Months

2010-09-12T10:44:00.001-07:00

Paisley has passed her 3 month marker and is right on track for her development. She had her well check and is in the 75% for height and 50% for weight. She started to show excitement when Brandon or I walk into the room or talk to her. She’s smiling and giggling and I love it! She’s rolling from her back to her tummy and is still mastering the use of her arms it’s pretty cute to watch her try to reach for something! She still really enjoys lying under her activity center and bouncer. I don’t know if you remember when I was pregnant they thought she might have some kidney issues. Well when she hit two months old they had me take her in for an ultrasound and they found that her left kidney was still enlarged and there was fluid around them. So they sent me to a Urologist and told me that they needed to do some x-rays on her at Primary Children’s. So I scheduled the appointment thinking it was just going to be some simple x-rays and took Brooks along for the ride. We got there and they inform me that they would be giving her an IV and a catheter! I was pretty upset, if you know me you know I don’t do good with needles and I wasn’t really prepared for this. But I sucked it up and we went into the room. They laid her on the x-ray machine table and put these soft weights on her arms to hold them down  the Dr. said he saw a vein in her foot they could use for the IV. I let her hold my finger with her tiny little hand as they put in her catheter. She did ok with that, she gave a little grimace but wasn’t too fussy about it which surprised me because I know what it feels like. Then they stuck the needle into her itsy bitsy foot and she began to squeeze my finger and scream  I started to get queasy! She was crying her little heart out and squirming around and her little face was bright red. It seemed like he was digging around in there FOREVER! He finally stopped and decided that her foot wasn’t going to work. He proceeded to turn the lights off and shine a little flashlight under her hand to see her veins and again poked her. She tightened up again and kept screaming; I was stressing out so bad but trying to calm her down with kisses and running my hand through her almost non-existent hair. While Brooks was whispering to her “It’s ok sissy, it’s almost over” Both the Dr.’s were holding her down and complaining how wiggly she was being. I was thinking to myself.. ”You work at Primary Children’s Hospital. You think they would know how to put an IV in a baby and that she’s not just going to hold still for them to do it!!” After another eternity of them digging around in her baby hand they finally got it in. I think all the screaming wore her out because she fell asleep right after and they said they didn’t giver any kind of sedative. I had to lie down before I threw up or passed out and they brought me some juice and a candy bar to help my light headedness. They put some kind of fluid that has radioactive particles in her I.V. and put her under the machine. I was informed that the nuclear scan expose a child to about the same amount of radiation as a conventional x ray. At times, it can be even less. They said it was so that her body would try to flush it out so that they could see how her kidneys were functioning. She had to stay under the x-ray for 45 minutes and then they gave her something else that I was told would make her have to pee to flush out the remaining radioactive stuff. Then we had to have another test done. In the waiting room there were kids coming and going and one of the mothers who was waiting with her daughter to was talking to me and some of the other mothers about why we were there. There was an 18mo old boy that had a scar down his entire chest, his Mother told us that he had a heart defect and had already had 3 open heart surgeries; the first being the day he was born and that he still needed to have another. He also had a feeding tube in his abdomen that he kept picking at. I can not imagine having to deal with that! It was so stressful just hearing about it let alone being his mother it made me feel so scared and sad for her! There was another little boy that came in screaming as he went into one of the examination rooms with his Dad his Mother sat down in the waiting area and began to sob. We could still hear his muffled cries and screaming. She told us that he has a rare blood disorder and he had gotten into a basket of things and swallowed a tack. It got into his lung and they were trying to figure out what to do for him, since he would most likely bleed to death if they tried to surgically remove it. I felt terrified for her! It’s always a parent’s worst fear for something to happen to their child! And pretty much every parent there was living their worst nightmare. It made me take a minute and really thank God and count my blessings.
The next test they did was pretty short and sweet. They just filled her bladder with contrast and had her empty it out and took some pictures of the process. Then we went to meet with the urologist. Ultimately it was discovered that she has vesicoureteral reflux. Urine normally flows in one direction—down from the kidneys, through tubes called ureters, to the bladder. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureters. So this causes bladder and kidney infections. The goal for treatment of VUR is to prevent any kidney damage from occurring. So she was place on an antibiotic that she has to take every day until she’s one year old. To help prevent infections, then she will be re-evaluated to see if she has outgrown it. If she still has it then they might have to do surgery to correct it. I didn’t ask too much about the surgical procedure, I figured I’d cross that bridge when we came to it and I just hope that we don’t have to!
She’s a little trooper and just has the sweetest demeanor. She is just a happy little baby; her only fusses are an empty tummy and a messy diaper. She prefers to nap in a noisy room, like if the TV is on or there’s music playing. If it’s silent she doesn’t sleep as well. Brooks loves her to pieces; it’s so cute to watch him with her. And she loves him! She looks at him with such admiration in her eyes it is the sweetest thing! I know I will love watching them grow up together!

Yellowstone

2010-09-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Since you last heard from me we took a little trip to Yellowstone. I had never been before and was excited to go. We were staying with my In-laws in their motor home. It’s a fairly roomy motor home so it wasn’t too bad but I’m praying that Brandon gets our motor home up and running for next year! It would be so nice to have our own place to stay for once. Especially with the baby (finding a place for her to nap and feed her) Brooks wanting to jump on everything and worrying about him breaking things, and getting a little privacy! There’s nothing worse than everyone knowing when you’re doing your business…I don’t care if we are family ;)
Brooks went up with his grandparents a couple days before us, while we finished up the work week. They ended up seeing a Momma grizzly bear and her cubs, he was really excited about it! I on the other hand was a little scared. It happened to be the same time that fugitives were supposedly hiding out in Yellowstone. So I was glad when we finally got up there to be with him. We were supposed to take the In-laws suburban up there so we could all drive around together. But I had to get my car door fixed and this was the only time I would be able to be without it for a few days since we’d be gone. So I drove it to the shop to drop it off and Brandon picked me up in the burban. By the time we got home, the overflow reservoir was way above the full line, boiling and there was antifreeze all over the driveway. I’m glad we discovered this problem before we were stranded in the middle of nowhere!! But now we didn’t have a vehicle. We had barley made it in time to drop off my car before the shop closed for the weekend and Brandon’s car still wasn’t working (Even if it was, there’s no way I’d take it on a road trip!) So Brandon’s grandparents let us borrow their truck and we were on our way. Upon arriving we found out that they (Brandon’s Mom, Dad, Brother and his wife) had been pulled over while driving around the park. Since they didn’t have Brooks’ car seat (You can imagine how pleased I was to hear this!) they hid him under a blanket while the police officer came up to the car. My brother in law always has a gun in his truck (He’s a manly man) so they informed the officer there was a firearm in the vehicle as you are supposed to. They all had to put their hands in the air or hang them out the window and the officer called for back-up. After the officers did their thing, they ended up giving them a warning and sending them on their way…all the while Brooks is still hiding under this blanket in the back seat. As they drove away and Brooks sat up he was so proud he had stayed so quite as to not get his grandpa in trouble. He said “I didn’t even chew my gum!” Now he is quite aware when there are police men around when we’re driving and always tells me to slow down or be careful. Poor kid 
The first day there, we went to Old Faithful. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, it’s a lot of driving!! Everywhere you go is like miles away, it took us about 45 min to get there from where the RV park. Brooks had nodded off by the time we pulled in to the parking lot. I picked him up to get him out of the truck and he had peed!! He has never done that before, we had no change of clothes or anything we had just driven forever to get there and it was forever to get back. Plus it was overcast and chilly. Brandon ran over to the souvenir shop to see if they sold pajamas or sweat pants or something. He came back with these long winter socks; they went all the way up Brooks’ legs. We put one of Paisley’s diapers on him.(a size 1) Surprisingly it fit him haha scrawny boy  and just put his wet pants back on him. He was really upset that he had to wear a diaper and cried for a bit but got over it as soon as we go to the geyser. They have a webcam set up there so we called my Mom and had her log on to see us which Brooks thought was pretty neat. Right after old faithful went off there was a pretty rainbow in the sky and there was a cool view of all the steam coming off the hills!

The next day we saw the Mud Volcanoes and drove around the park some more taking in all the beautiful scenery! All the buffalo were fun to watch Brooks switched back and forth between our truck and his Uncles truck and we talked over the walky talkies. There was a lot of driving!! I’m not sure what we were thinking going on this trip with an infant but luckily she was an angel and pretty much slept the whole time we were driving. The last day in Yellowstone we got up a little early and watched the wolves running around in the morning, it was neat to see them even though they were very far away. We headed to the Grand Tetons in the pouring rain. We set up shop at camp and headed to Jenny Lake. Took a boat ride and hiked up to a waterfall. It was very pretty! The next day we headed off to Jackson Hole for dinner, did some window shopping and stopped in this really fun candy shop! Took some pictures at the Elk antler arches and enjoyed some really tasty ice cream cones. I think by the end of the trip Pais had had enough of being in the car, she was so good the whole trip and then she cried non-stop for almost 3 hours on the way home.  All in all it was a nice little family get away, but I don’t think we’ll do Yellowstone again for a while! I’m putting my $ away for Disneyland!

(This is what I looked like the whole trip ha)

Finding Time

2010-09-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

(BTW I wrote this several months ago ha I'm just now finding time to post it)
Yes, I’m still alive!! I know it has been WAY too long since I’ve been able to update y’all on what we’ve been up to and I know you are all heartbroken ;) Sadly I have no time to get anything done, let alone blog. I’m actually writing this while I have some downtime at work! In the past when I do write a post, I normally keep it pretty short and sweet and let my photos tell the story. But that’s mainly because I’ve never had time. I thought I was busy before baby #2 but since having her I’ve gone back to work fulltime at Cyprus. I get up get myself ready, on school days I get brooks bathed and get him a quick breakfast, take the baby to the sitters around 8:30 take Brooks to school, get to work then I have to pick him up on my lunch hour and take him to the sitters. Get off work around 6:15 or so pick up the kids, and get home around 7, figure out what to eat for dinner (Brandon helps out a lot with dinner. Thank God he likes to cook) We usually don’t get around to eating until 8 or 9:00 once dinner’s ready. Talk about our days and go over what Brooks’ favorite part of his day was and what he learned about. Help him with his homework if he has any (I can do this yes, maybe up until 3rd grade ha) get Brooks to brush his teeth, go potty (which can be an ordeal, he insists most nights that he doesn’t need to go and cries when we make him try. But if he doesn’t he will without a doubt wet the bed!) and get him into his jammies. All the while feeding Paisley and getting her ready for bed so I can put her to sleep by 9:30. We try to read Brooks a bedtime story, and luckily he’s pretty good at getting into bed and going to sleep without a fight by 10:30 after exchanging our kisses and sweet dream wishes! (Don’t judge me ha I know this is late but I don’t get to see him all day!) Catch up on our tivo’d shows that I enjoy watching (CSI, Cougar Town, Tosh.O, jersey shore, Teen Mom you know the really good ones haha) watch a redbox or Brandon watches his shows (Anything on “How it’s made”, Discovery or the History channel, Blah) while I edit some photo’s. Then get myself ready for bed and hopefully dose off before midnight. On top of that I’ve been booking up to 6 shoots on the weekends with my photography. So I have very little down time! I’m lucky if I have enough energy to lie on the trampoline while Brooks tries to bounce me around. As you can imagine my husband doesn’t enjoy that I’m either gone or on the computer all the time! (Yet he won’t let me quit my day job, I say “he” but really we need the insurance) I don’t get nearly enough time with my kids and our house is always a mess!! I wouldn’t call myself a clean person by any means but I would love for my house to stay organized. It just doesn’t happen. Any time I try to pick up Brooks re-discovers all his toys and as soon as I can put them away he gets them back out again! It’s like he follows me around and gets out every little thing I just put away. So I gave up on that and now he just has giant toy boxes that everything gets thrown into. Who wants to walk the extra 10 feet to the bedroom to take off their shoes and coat or put their things down? . Don’t take this as complaining!! I’m just giving you a little insight as to why it’s taken me so long to make a post , if I could only quit my day job I would be SO happy! I just need to find affordable health insurance first so if anyone has some suggestions PLEASE comment or let me know! It is super scary to dive into your own business but that’s what I want to do and you don’t get the reward without the risk. I have so many things I want to do with my photography business but since I don’t have the time I have to put it aside and it’s depressing! Not to mention all the fun things I want to do with my family!!

Paisley's blessing

2010-08-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Our Uncles and Grandfathers had the honor of giving Paisley her blessing. It was nice to get the family together and have some good eatins! She looked so beautiful in her blessing dress and was so sweet the whole time! She didn't' make a fuss the whole day :) What a sweet baby girl!

My Baby boy is 4!!

2010-08-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been 4 years since I brought home my baby boy and I love him just that much more :) He is still the light of my life and can always make me laugh! I thank God every day for him and all the joy he has brought to my life! He is so bright and always so happy and full of energy and curiousity. He loves to perform and be the center of attention. He is also so sensitive and careful about every one's feelings, he always makes sure that everyone is included and having fun.He helps me be a better person and I thank him for that. He had a great birthday party with his friends. He wanted it to be a rainbow dinosaur party, so my uncle made him a rainbow dinosaur cake. It was really cute! He made away like a bandit with a bunch of really cool gifts! Including a new bike! He really wanted a trampoline, every time he made a wish it was for a trampoline, so his grandpa brought his tramp they got him last year and put it up for him, He was very excited! :) Happy Birthday Baby, I hope it was as fun as you hoped!

More projects...

2010-07-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

I made my other aunt a car seat canopy also, but this one was for a girl :) I like how it turned out it's really pretty material! and I finally finished Paisley's car seat cover. I was holding out for a certain material in pink but I found it in green and decided to just go with that. all our baby stuff is green anyhow ha. But I decided since I had made the cover for her car seat I didn't want to hide it with another canopy that laid over it, so I sewed buttons onto the front and just added a flap to it to cover her. I like it a lot, it's nice to have keeps the wind germs and sun off of her when I want it on and I can take it off if I need to. I know I am not good enough to sell these yet but when I get good enough I kind of want to look into etsy and custom make them for people. I think it would be fun, I enjoy sewing and the satisfaction of having a finished product that you're proud of!

My 1st sewing project

2010-07-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

So I've always wanted to learn how to sew. My grandmother is an incredible seamstress, she is AMAZING! She made dresses for us when we were little and she makes dolls, and she makes all of the dolls clothes. She made me a bride doll for my wedding and the dress matches mine exactly with all the beading and everything. She really is so good! Well I got a sewing machine from my beautiful aunt and my best friend showed me how to use it so I decided I would just dive in and give it a shot and if I needed I could call grandma for help :) So I made some car seat covers. My aunt just had a baby so I made her one that matched her car seat and I picked out some other material that I thought would be cute for my friends baby. I just looked at the cover that I have and kind of made my own pattern from that. So here is how they turned out. Not perfect but I'm pretty proud of them I hope they like them!

Goodbye Grandpa Vet

2010-07-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Brandon's Granada; Daniel Kravet turned 90 this year. My mother in law had planned him the most extravagant birthday party. It was to be a Hollywood themed black tie event. Sadly the morning of his big party he passed on. He was found in his tuxedo ready for his big day, I guess he had a different party to attend that day. This was a little difficult for everyone, we all wished we had just gotten to spend that one more day celebrating his birthday. Fortunately he had family in town for the party and they had gotten to visit with him the day before! Brooks was named after his grandpa Vet (his middle name is Daniel) and he had a lot of fun with him! Brooks knows about heaven seeing as his grandpa and aunt are there, but this was the 1st time that he could really understand that going to heaven meant they were once here but now they're gone and we won't see them again until we too go to heaven. It's hard for a little one to grasp, he thought we could go visit him. I asked him how he thought we could do that and he said we could take the stairs in the sky :( At the funeral Brandon gave a beautiful talk about his grandpa. He was an Air Force Veteran so he had a 21 gun salute, it was very touching. Goodbye Grandpa Vet We will miss you!

My favorite holiday weekend

2010-07-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

I love the 4th of July! It's been my favorite holiday ever since I was a little girl, I remember going to the fireworks with my family and sitting with my Daddy it seemed like they took up the whole sky and the sound of the booms and the smell of them. And going to the rodeos and BBQ's it all just makes me smile. I would like to say THANK YOU to all our soldiers who've fought to get us here and continue to fight to keep us free! With out their sacrifices we could not enjoy the things we do! so thank you. This year Mom and I took Brooks and Paisley to Cowabunga, it was a lot of fun. Brooks had been looking forward to this FOREVER, so it was fun to finally take him. He loved it and so did Paisley. I took her in the wading pool and she just smiled and kicked her little legs it was pretty cute! Brooks was playing with this little Hispanic girl and he came up to my Mom and said "I have a friend of a different color" My Mom said yeah and that's ok :) Then Brooks says "Yeah, she has a yellow bracelet and I have orange" Ha Mom totally thought he was talking about the color of her skin, but you have a colored wristband that shows how long you can be there since we only paid for 4 hours of play. It was just so cute. Then we went to the parade and Brooks made off with a big bucket full of candy. Paisley slept through the whole parade, sirens and all. We went up to the Brighton breakfast the next day, it was a lot of fun they had a little parade and lots of good candy. The breakfast was really yummy and we took a mini hike, it was so beautiful up there! Later that night we hit up the carnival, Brooks had tons of fun on the rides. He rode just about every ride he could. There was one ride that we went on together because it was a bigger kid ride, it gave you a lot of butterflies! Every time it went around Brooks would say ouch ouch ha I'm not sure he'd felt that. But then he wanted to go on it again and said I won't say ouch this time :) So he liked it. We had a little picnic in our backyard and did some little fireworks at home before heading over to the big fireworks show. They were really good they're definitely not the same as when I was little, they didn't seem to have the same kind of magic until I looked at Brooks and saw that same awe in his eyes. It was a good weekend and I loved spending it with my babies!

(I'll have to post the parade pictures later)

Monkeying around

2010-07-02T09:17:00.001-07:00

Brooks, Paisley and I took a trip to the Zoo & met up with an old friend of mine and her little family. It was fun but super hot and pushing the stroller up the many exhausting hills while feeding Paisley a bottle and trying to keep track of Brooks was a little overwhelming! But I got in some good exercise and some quality time with my kids, so even though I sweat my butt off and stressed a little... or a lot, it was a good time!

A mohawk & a smile

2010-06-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Paisley has begun to grow out of her outfits :( I tried to put her in one and couldn't do up the last button cuz her neck was too fat, she's getting chunky. It's pretty cute. But she is also growing into all of her other cute clothes and shoes! I got her the cutest little sandals and they almost fit her. I went to this store called Sunday's Child with my aunt to get our babies their blessing outfits. She had her little boy about 2 weeks after I had Paisley :) It was such a cute store! I got the most beautiful dress for her... it's kind of simple not real lacy or anything but I love it! And my aunt bought her a tiny little bracelet, it's so cute. They also had some peel off nail polish that had a little bitty size brush for her tiny nails. It's nice that it just peels off, then you don't have to use nail polish remover!!

She also has started smiling :) it's so precious and it's funny how you find yourself doing crazy things to get her to smile for you ha things that you would never do otherwise and prob be embarrassed if anyone else saw you. She had the biggest smiles for her Daddy, takes after her Momma and is a Daddy's girl already. She is sleeping well at night as long as she's next to me in bed. She only wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat. But you can rock her til she's fast cute asleep and the second you lay her down in the bassinet she starts to stir and within a few minutes she wakes up crying, so we're working on that :) kinda... mostly I'm too tired and just let her sleep with me. It's funny though because she's fine all day sleeping wherever.

We cut brooks hair and he looks pretty cute. We gave him a Mohawk and he rocks it! It's funny though he threw a tantrum at the store and it made him seem like an even bigger brat. He really is such a sweet little boy though, he is always looking out for every ones feelings. He was playing at the park with his grandma and she noticed that he was watching over this little girl. They were sitting on a spinning toy and she didn't want to go too fast and he made sure none of the other kids got it going fast, and there was another boy that was a lot older than him but was a little slow and afraid of the other kids and Brooks got him to play with him. He always has to pick me a dandelion whenever he sees one :) and he's always been so helpful especially now that his little sister is here! I am so grateful for both of them, I am so blessed!

Beep...

2010-06-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

Funny story, We were going for a walk last night and Brooks was lagging behind and kept bending down and saying beep beep beep. I kept telling him to hurry up and he said but Mom I have to push the buttons or I can't go. He does stuff like this all the time, I think he has a little OCD because he can't step on the cracks (they have poison in them) and he has to line all his toys in a line and so forth.But then again it could just be that he's a kid and has a great imagination and likes things to be neat :) but I didn't really think anything of the "buttons" until I saw what they were. It was bird poo! Ha I was laughing so hard and said "Dude do you know what that is? It's bird poo" He just looked at me like he was going to cry and smelled his finger lol SO freakin funny! Needless to say he stooped pushing the buttons with his finger...but started with his foot.

1 month

2010-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

My little sweet pea is already a month old!

I got her announcement made up, it turned out pretty cute!

she is pretty solid now too :) she's gaining weight like crazy, she weighs 8lbs 14oz. Her poor little face is so broke out with baby acne it looks like it hurts, it's all red and crusty it makes me sad! She's also losing the hair right on top of her little head, she has a little bald spot :) But she's still just as beautiful as ever! I still can't tell what color her eyes are going to be sometimes they look really blue then green then brown so who knows. They'll prob end up being brown though, with how dark she is. She looks like she has a little suntan all the time. Brooks is still just as smitten as ever he loves her so much. I am loving my time off with them, it's tough at times juggling two munchkins now and it definitely takes more effort to get out of the house, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Paisley is a total night owl! She will sleep in until 9 or so but she is wide eyed and awake until around mid-night. She is such a good little baby, I love her so much and feel so amazingly blessed when I look at my babies faces! They are the reason I live :)

Pretty little lady

Nesting

2010-06-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm not the only one at our house that has been nesting. I didn't know that ducks nested in trees, but this one sure has. Brandon has been wanting to cut down our beautiful shade tree in our backyard and I've been trying to talk him out of it. It does shed branches all year long that have to be raked up before he can mow and makes a mess, but it adds character to our yard and provides shade and I just love the tree so maybe this will be another reason to keep it. Since Brandon is not so secretly a softy for animals. She got a bit defensive when I went down to take a couple quick pictures, I wonder how much damage a duck could do. That would be somewhat entertaining to see me being attacked by a duck ha. But I do worry about the duckies when they hatch we have a lot of cats in our neighborhood. Including our cat so I hope they make it

Paisley's 1st 3 weeks

2010-06-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 weeks since we've welcomed our precious baby girl into our lives. It is so amazing how one tiny person can bring so much love into your heart. I just stare at her all day and think of how blessed I am to have such beautiful and healthy children! She is such a good baby! It's funny though how tiny and dainty and girly she is but she is so gassy and it's so loud and smelly haha. Brooks is smitten with her, every time she opens her eyes he gets so excited and yells Mom she's awake!! He will just lay next to her and talk to her. It definitely makes me smile, I just love being a Mom. It is such an amazing feeling, it is so rewarding. At the end of the day when I feel like I just can't do any more I look at my babies and it makes everything worth while. Paisley is such a strong little baby from the moment she was born she was lifting her head and she's so smiley :) I love it. She can even roll over from her tummy to her back, she'll be sitting up in no time jk :) but she really is so strong for only being 3 weeks old! We are moving Brooks downstairs so he can keep his own room. He's pretty excited about it but he was showing it off to his uncle Ben and he told him it was "kinda creepy" lol so I'm not sure how well it's going to go. But I'll have to post pictures of his room and Paisley's nursery once we get them finished.

My Preschool Graduate

2010-06-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

As you all probably know, I have a genius for a son! He amazes me sometimes at how much he knows and I would love to take credit for it but we all know I'm not that smart lol :) His teacher Miss Denise, his grandma Donna and somewhat the TV I think all have aided to his genius. He can count as high as 30 without needing any help and can also count to ten in Spanish, he knows his colors and a bunch of other words in Spanish as well. He also knows all of his body parts in Italian and about 50 other words that I couldn't tell you. He is a math wiz (....so did not get this from me) he can solve math problems adding and subtracting. He can read by sounding things out and spell, he always wants to type words on the computer when we go to grandma Trice's :) He has always had an amazing memory and just seems to understand how everything works, he loves to build things and do puzzles. He even knows his left and right and knows about half of the united states on a map. He's also a bit of a perfectionist and might have a little OCD, everything always has to be in a neat straight line or organized by size or color. He is a great little artist and always colors in the lines :) I just couldn't be any more proud! The other day he graduated from his preschool class and it was so cute. They had a little program and sang about everything they had learned. At the end of the program they got their certificate and Brooks' said: His favorite color - Green and blue and the rainbow colors and purple. His favorite food - Pizza and Macaroni and cheese. When he wants to grow up he wants to be a Teacher. I thought that was so cute! We asked him what he wanted to teach and he said "I wanna teach kids how to sing and how to splash in the water" Haha what a cute kid! I thought I would take a minute to brag about my babe, he is my pride and joy and I just love him so much I hope he continues to enjoy learning and goes far with his talents! Congratulations on graduating Preschool Brooks I love you more than anything!

Special Delivery

2010-06-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

On Monday May 10th I woke up really early, I had been really anxious ever since I hit 37 weeks and every day seemed like the longest day of my life! I couldn't sleep and was so uncomfortable and I had a few false alarms already of nights that I had consistent contractions for hours but they didn't ever get worse and I didn't want to go in just to be sent home. But this morning I felt a little different, I went to work like normal but all morning I was having contractions. They weren't painful but I had nightmares about my water breaking at work and actually having to deliver her at work!! I couldn't work there anymore if that happened ha I don't think I could face those people again after seeing that lol. So I left work. My contractions continued for a while but still didn't hurt at all, it had been a few hours so I asked my boss if she wanted me to come back to work, she said it was OK for me to take the rest of the day off so I changed into some more comfy clothes when Paisley stuck her foot out, it was hurting so I pushed on it a little hoping she'd move it. Well I felt a little trickle...not sure if my water broke and was leaking out or if I had just pushed pee out ha. But they always say if you have any question about your water breaking you should go in. My momma Amy was in town and had come over hoping Paisley would come before she had to go home, so she drove me to the hospital and my Mom met us there. I got checked in and they took me straight to a delivery room, which was different...normally you go to a triage room unless you're in true labor. The nurse checked me and I was at a 4 but my water hadn't broke. But they wanted to monitor me for an hour. So I hung out with my Mom and Amy but only had a few contractions, nothing painful so I was sure they'd send me home. After the hour she came in and checked me again and I was at a 5, and my Dr. was actually the on call Dr that night so she had him come in and talk to me. He decided to go ahead and break my water and get the show on the road. I called Brandon who really didn't think anything of it when I told him I was going in to get checked and told him that we were havin a baby in the next few hours. It was about 6pm when they broke my water and it was a lot different then with Brooks. I was on a putossin drip with Brooks and this time I could get up and walk around because I didn't have to be hooked to the monitor the whole time. And I loved my nurse...with Brooks I hated every nurse I had . My nurse had also done her delivery natural so she understood and helped me through it. It went by fairly quickly and after a few pushes, at 10:07 she was here :) I was a little worried when they laid her on my chest she looked really blue and she wasn't crying. But turns out she was just bruised from coming down so fast. Brooks was so cute when he came in to meet her, all he wanted to do was rub her cheek with his finger. he said he was tickling her it was sweet. The pediatrician said that because of her bruising she would probably need to be on the billi bed for jaundice and it was sad because we couldn't hold her for two days! But she got all better and is just so precious!! Brooks has been an amazing help and is such a good brother he loves her so much and always sings to her and loves on her. He gets so excited when her eyes are actually open :) Here are a few pictures from the hospital

They have a photographer at the hospital come in and takw pictures, I thought geeze why didn't I think of that..they're prob making bank! But she took some cute pictures, here are a few

Presenting Paisley...

2010-05-26T10:46:00.001-07:00

Paisley made her debut on Monday, May 10, 2010 at 10:07 pm

She weighed 6lbs 2oz and was 21 inches long

I will post about my delivery and everything as soon as I can!

And definitely put up more pictures :)

Social Butterfly

2010-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Brooks recently went on his "vacation" aka field trip :) When we go there Gracie (Brooks' crush) was there. She came right over to Brooks and started talking to him. Her Mom asked her...is that someone from your class? she told her yeah that's Brooks...Oh that's Brooks her mother said :) She must talk about him a lot. Her Mom came over to me and said It's funny in the car she told me I hope Brooks is there because he wasn't in class last time. How cute is that :) Gracie followed him around like a little puppy and Brooks is kind of shy so he would kind of ignore her. I overheard her say " I like you Brooks" Brooks said nothing ha breakin hearts already. He had said something about kids being naughty in class sometimes and I asked him if he's ever naughty or gets in trouble in class. He told me that he does, I asked him what for..."For not stopping talking during show and tell" He is such a little social butterfly now which is so cute! He loves having friends, he is still pretty shy but it's so cute to watch him interact with other kids!!
He told me on Tuesday when I picked him up from school that he didn't get a stamp on his hand because he was trying to tell Miss Denise that his baby sister was coming but she kept saying no it's not time to talk right now. And I told him well, you need to wait until she's done talking. He told me "Well I just couldn't control myself" :)

Full Term!

2010-05-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ah those two beautiful words :) I am 37 weeks and officially FULL TERM! Now let the anticipation REALLY kick in! at my weekly check up I was already dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced so yay she's gonna be here soon! After 5 hours of consistent contractions on Sat night , they weren't getting any worse so I knew it was just a false alarm but it was pretty upsetting. The last month is the worst ha I really just want to have her already :) I know it's only 19 more days until I'm actually due but that seems like a lifetime right now as every day is dragging by! Brooks was so excited to hear that it was finally May! He's ready to be a big brother and I can't wait to see how he will be with her, C'mon sister!! We're ready to meet you!!!

Sick day

2010-04-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

It's beautiful outside but, my sunshine is feeling under the weather today, and it made for a VERY cloudy day at our house! He was up all night with fever of 102, chills, body aches and he threw up a couple times. It's so sad when they are sick! He cries and says he hurts and I can't really do anything other than hold him and kiss him. :( He's been sleeping a lot, but every time he wakes up his fever comes back. He frightened me a bit today after he woke up from a nap, I'm not sure if he wasn't really awake or what; but he just kept looking at me with this confused look and his body was all stiff and he just kept squeezing my hand. I asked him what was wrong and he acted like he couldn't talk and started crying for a few minutes. I sat him up and he stopped then laid back down and fell asleep again. The look in his eyes was just freaky it was like he wasn't there. You know your child isn't feeling well when he doesn't want a Popsicle and he asks you to turn the cartoons off so that he can fall asleep in quiet. I hope it's just another 24 hour bug and won't last long! It breaks my heart to see him like this

I love you baby! Please feel better soon!

5 weeks

2010-04-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well , 5 weeks to go and she is quickly running out of room, I can feel every little movement and it's a little less cute :) as my insides are squished and it feels a bit like she's tearing me apart now. This morning she got the hiccups for a long time, after a while I could tell they started to bother her because she really started to move around I think to try and get them to stop. Surprisingly though I've been sleeping through the night! It's been very nice. I got over my cough and feel much better, I'm a little worn out but that's expected. I also have a little morning sickness again but it's not bad as long as I don't eat too much or get too hungry. A few weeks back my friend Ashley Scott did some maternity pictures for me and I just noticed that I never posted them, so I'll put some of them up now :)

Thanks Ash!

Star of the week

2010-04-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last week Brooks was the STAR of the week! He got to be his teacher Miss. Denise's special helper and the 1st to do everything in class. He got to make a poster with pictures of him and his family on it and he wanted a night fury dragon and green dinosaurs on it too! Brandon made him the dragon it turned out really cute :) He also got to take his favorite book for Miss Denise to read to the whole class. He took "who stole the cookies from the cookie jar" book and his favorite game; which right now is a game called toot and otto, it's like connect four but you try to spell toot or otto and block your opponent from spelling their word. It was fun for him to have a week where he was the special star at school. He always get to be the star at our house though, I really need to video him performing and put it up on here. He is such a character I love it. I wish this spring weren't so busy with me working full time and doing pictures and preparing for the baby, I wanted to get him into tee ball or something fun but I'm sure he'll get the chance later. At the beginning of the month Brooks gets a calendar for school that tells us what he'll be learning about and any special things they'll be doing that month. At the end of April I saw that they have a field trip to the discovery gateway and it was all of her classes combined. His cousin Alastair is in her 4 yr old class so I knew he'd be coming, I told him that we were going to go on a field trip to the museum and that Aunt DeAnn and Alastair would be coming along too. He was so excited! We had gone there once before and he remembered playing with the giant beehive they have there, you put balls into tubes and they go through the beehive. Well when I picked him up from class he said that he told all of his friends he was going on Vacation, I asked him where he told them he was going on vacation and he said....to the beehive!! I explained to him that they were all coming too and he was shocked :) I felt kind of bad and told him that we would plan a real vacation. So now I need to figure out where we're going to go! Maybe we'll just plan a quick get away before the baby gets here. It's funny because he can't wait for his sister to get here but he's most excited that after she's here the pool will open :) Or maybe later this summer we'll go on a short little trip. Either way it will be fun!

45 days and counting

2010-04-06T20:05:00.002-07:00

Wahoo! I only have 45 days to go!

As I'm counting down the days (literally) until my sweet Paisley Pea gets here, I have developed this NASTY cough! UGH it's been absolutely awful...Every time I cough it kills, it feels like my ribs are broken and someone is punching me. Brooks is so sweet, every time I cough he comes running over and rubs my belly cuz he knows that it hurts me. OH and not to mention I pee my pants like every time :( And I will have cough attacks all day and night. NOT fun, finally I called my OB and they called me in an prescription for it and it's been helping. But being sick while you're prego sucks!! Other than that I really look forward to seeing this every two weeks! (Totally kidding)

Good thing is I haven't gained too much weight :) Yay Dr says it's mostly all baby.
And she is doing fabulous! She weighs around 4lbs now and is growing perfectly, at my last appointment I had an ultrasound and her kidney looks the same as last time. Dr says that it doesn't look bad but he wants to take another look in two more weeks. Brandon's cousin just had her baby girl this morning and it definitely got me a little anxious! But I'm trying to be patient

Easter

2010-04-06T20:05:00.001-07:00

W e started our Easter festivities at home Brooks woke up excited to see what the Easter Bunny had left for him, he was worried because he realized he left his some of his toys out. He said "Oh no I left my train tracks out, he probably hopped past our house" :( It was pretty cute. But then he saw his basket and was happy! Then we went over to my Mom's for a scrumptious breakfast and played the wii for a bit.

The Hunt Is On!

Then Brooks and his cousins enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Beckstead's! They all ran around and found all the eggs they could and then when they were finished they sat and compared how many they found and what colors and sizes they wereElliott was pretty proud of his findings :)As was Brooks :) He got away with LOTS of goodies! They each found their special egg that had their name on it with $ inside! Then Rowan and Brooks played ring around the rosies and then Brandon, Brooks and all the cousins had a snowball fight with the little bit of snow that was left over from the storm the night before. I was glad it mostly melted and wasn't too cold for the hunt! It just wouldn't have been the same if we couldn't have the hunt outside :)After that we went over to Brandon's Mom's and had dinner. She had made him a rabbit cake and he and Brandon had fun decorating it's face with melted chocolate chips :)
It was a great Easter Sunday with the family :)

Decorating eggs

2010-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

We set up a couple tables in the backyard with different colors of dye and paints, crayons, markers, chalk, stickers and decorations for the kids to go crazy with. They had lots of fun with it but couldn't help but run around the yard and play on the swing set

All the boys would chase Jaycee and she would get her monster eggs and scare them away. They had a blast and burned off some of that endless energy children are blessed with!

After a while we brought out the s'mores!

The kids thought it was really fun to roast their marshmallows and have a toasty little snack!

Rowan waited patiently with her tongue out for her tasty s'more :)

Brooks had a great time and wanted to thank all of his friends who could make it and missed all of the ones who couldn't!

Photography Bootcamp

2010-04-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

I had a great experience at Photography bootcamp. I learned a bunch and had a great time! Check out my Photography blog to see more about it :)

http://www.shailynnphotography.blogspot.com

Thanks again for all the support I receive in my passion for photography! Love you all

My little man

2010-03-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Brooks LOVES the water! He loves it so much that he begs me to do the dishes. The kid stood there for almost an hour washing the dishes :) Another day he cried because he had to wait until tomorrow to do the dishes and then first thing when he woke up he asked me about doing them. It was funny too because as soon as he turned on the water he says " Oh I shouldn't do the dishes without going potty first" and ran to the bathroom :) I have to monitor him when he washes his hands after going potty because he'll sit and play with the soap and water. He can not wait for summer to get here. He went outside the other day and said Mom look it's sunny we can get the sprinklers out! It's been a while since I've posted some quotes so I think I'll do that now ...

Maybe next time we can have candy for dinner!
Mom don't worry about me eatin, I already had some bacon.
(He'll come up with any excuse to not have to sit down and eat!)

He was playing with a gun I had given to him and he said "You gave this to me, yeah you give me everything I want. But not Santa, he didn't give me what I wanted for Christmas." He didn't? "No he gave me different stuff"

"Don't spill it or Mom will be furious"

"To make hot chocolate, you have to speed up the water"

I asked Brooks if he knew how much I love him and he said "yep" I said good and don't you ever forget it, then he told me "Ok, but if I get a bump on my head that means I lost my memory"

We were watching TV in the living room and Brooks went to the potty, Brandon heard him fart and was giving him a bad time and said "Woah what was that?" "It was just a toot Dad, yeah toots can happen sometimes!"

"Witches put you in castles"

Lately he's always saying "We have a very serious problem" and "Oh, you were right, my mistake"

and he'll say "I can't stop laughing" whenever you try talking to him about something he doesn't want to talk about...like getting ready for bed or eating dinner

All of his grandparents and his aunt and uncle went to Vegas for Nascar. Well he heard someone on the radio say Vegas and he goes "Mom, he said Vegas! Yeah, that's where Nascar lives"

We were at dinner with my parents and this lady at the table next to us was cracking up and Brooks giggled and said "She laughed like a witch" I couldn't hold in my laugh and my Mom was dying , I'm pretty sure the lady heard him so I felt kinda bad but it was too funny

"Whoa Mom your belly is getting REALLY big!"
How many are you Mom?" 25... "Whoa...that's a lot!"

Brandon had a day off and was going to take him to Chuck e cheese and he says "Dad, didn't you know what you can do with a Chuck e Cheese report card"

And I love how every time we get out of the car he has to look at it and say "We really need to go to the car wash"

One of his toys was broken and he tells me "We need an electrician who can fix this! Mom, who's an electrician...he's big and he says he's the boss?"

"When baby gets as big as you, she can wear perfume"

GG asked him if he wanted to see the quail in her backyard and he said "Yeah, but Grandma I don't have my gun"

"Poo starts with P, that's funny huh"

Before bed I always tell him I'll see you in my dreams and one morning he woke up and said "Sorry Mom I didn't dream about anything last night"

Only 10 more weeks!!

2010-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am 30 weeks pregnant today! Before long I will be holding a tiny baby girl in my arms!! She weighs almost 3lbs now and is already batting some little eyelashes. I am so not prepared though. I need to get her room set up and I've been starting to nest. I'm needing to get everything done and I'm wanting to fix everything in my house!! I'm also having crazy dreams again! I'm trying to enjoy the end of my pregnancy and relish in every little movement she makes. It is an amazing feeling and I know I'll miss it. My backaches aren't as bad as they were which is GREAT because I thought I would be miserable the rest of the time! Brooks is getting very anxious to meet her. He told me the other day "Mom!! It's almost Easter!! You know what that means?...baby's gonna be here" :) I have my 30week check up on Monday (a week late since my Dr's out of town) and I will have my follow up ultra sound to check on Paisley's kidney. I'm hoping that the problem has corrected itself!! But we will see. My Braxton Hicks are getting more painful and the other night they were pretty consitent. I was starting to get worried because I could hardly walk but I took a bath and layed down and that helped.

Melynda

2010-03-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today is my big sister's birthday! She would be 29 years old today! That is so CRAZY to me seeing as how I can't see her past the age of 16. I always wonder who she would be today, she was so smart, driven and witty :) I hope she knows how much I love and miss her and that I think about her all the time!! Happy birthday sissy!!

Melynda Beckstead

03/10/1981 - 04/07/1997

I want a different family

2010-03-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

Poor Brooks has had pnuemonia so he has missed school the past few times. He said "I miss Miss Denise (his teacher) Madden (his best pre-school buddy) Gracie and the one girl with the yellow backpack." LOL I asked him if he knew her name and he said "Oh it's Katie" Silly kid. I stayed home from work with him one of the days and since I was home I figured I'd get to putting my Christmas stuff into the storage we have under our stairs. There's a little miniature door and of coarse Brooks thinks it's pretty neat and wanted to play in there. So he kept getting in my way (Let me remind you I am 7 month pregnant) and I had to keep asking him to move please and please get out of the way and frustratedly Hunny please get out. He says "Fine....I want a different family!" And then he started singing "No one in my family is nice to me" All I could do was laugh. Then someone came to the door and Brooks went running to open it I yelled at him to not answer the door. I hadn't gotten ready for the day and didn't even have a bra on. He was so mad that I didn't answer the door. I told him that I didn't have to answer the door for anyone! I don't normally get the door when I'm home alone anyhow I watch too many of those CSI shows ;).... later that night someone came to the door and Brooks yelled "Dad, you have to get the door because Mommy won't" I was laughing and told Brandon about him singing a song that we're not nice to him and Brooks then started singing "My Daddy hits me all the time" ha I was like great now we're gonna have child protective services knocking at our door. It reminded me of a story my Aunt told me about her son. He was the star in his primary class and he had to get up and tell something about himself. He got up and said "My mom holds my head under the water in the bathtub" LOL because she makes him wash his hair hah funny kids!!

Rock a bye baby

2010-02-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

This morning Brooks started rubbing my belly and singing "rock a bye baby" It was the cutest thing ever! And every now and then he'll just come up and hug and kiss my tummy. He's going to be such a good brother. He is so excited, it makes me smile :)

Heading into my 3rd Trimester

2010-02-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

Well I'm at week 27 now. Paisley weighs around 2 lbs and is about 14 1/2 inches long. She is sleeping and waking at regular intervals and maybe sucking on her fingers. I'm continuing to get braxton hicks all day long but I started to feel crampy and felt some pressure which worried me a little but the dr. said that the cramping is more normal with the 2nd baby but wanted to check me for the pressure. Everything turned out to be OK, no signs of pre-term labor so that's good!As much as I would love to have her here I definitely want her to be healthy when she does make her appearance! I asked Brooks what # day he thinks she'll get here and he said ..."Ummmm 10 and 6" Oh 16? "Yeah" And what day of the week? "Sunday!".......I checked my Calendar and May 16th is a Sunday! It will be interesting to see if his prediction is right :)

Chickens come from eggs?

2010-02-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what happened to my last post on Brooks' quotes :(
But here are some more and I'll put up the ones that I can remember were on the last one too.

We were at grandma's for Sunday dinner and she had prepared some rotisserie chickens, he looked at them and didn't want to eat them because they looked like chickens(He takes after his mother) He told grandma that he wanted eggs instead. She told him didn't you know this is just an egg all grown up to a chicken? He laughed and said "That would be funny if eggs grew into chickens" We were all laughing she asked him where do you think chickens come from "The farm!" He made sure to tell her he just wanted regular eggs, not the kind that grow chickens :)
I would explain it to him but I don't know if he'll eat anything if he knows he's eating animals

I asked Brooks: Do you know how much I love you? He smiled and nodded yes. Don't ever forget it I told him ."Ok but if I get a bump on my head then that means I lost my memory"

"To make hot chocolate you have to speed up the water"

"Don't spill it or Mom will be furious"

Brooks was playing with a gun I had gotten him and he said "you got this for me" I sure did "Yeah you give me everything I want. But not Santa. He didn't give me what I wanted for Christmas" He didn't? "No he got me different stuff"

"Maybe next time we can have candy for dinner"

Brooks' grandpa got him a toy that happened to be orange, He looked at his grandpa and said "I don't like orange, next time you get me something it needs to be green" Little Brat ha

I think he might watch too much TV ha He asked me if we could get a touch and brush for our bathroom to dispense our toothpaste. He made a point to say "Roll and press, now you're bathroom's all a mess, but with touch and brush you just put your toothbrush in and it's nice and clean"

The commercial came on for 'my baby can read' Brooks said " Mom those kids can say the words on those cards, yeah cuz they have big brains. it goes in their ears and then goes up and stops right here" (pointing at his brain)

"I think I broke my arm from all that wind" ?? ha

If you remember back when Brooks colored all over the walls and dishwasher etc.. with permanent marker he noticed a little art he had put on the fridge. As I was cleaning he sprayed the Windex on it and started to scrub it.. he yelled "Look Mom, it's working! It's stain refighter"

"Mom, I sure like it when you're home!" :) Made my heart very happy, I like it when I'm home with him too!!

I poured brooks a drink and he said "oh yummy orange juice" I asked him what color it was and he said "yellow" :)

We pulled up to the park and Brooks got really excited. As we were getting out of the car he said "Everybody here is gonna want to play with me, yeah everyone in this town is gonna be my friend" :) Sadly it was still a little nippy out and no one else was at the park

"I like girls, I hate mans"

"Mom, I'm getting so tired! I'm gonna finish this drink and then I'm going to bed"

I picked Brooks up from the sitters and he asked.. "What are we gonna do now?" Whatever you wanna do ..He smiled and said " Oooh make a cake? lets put sprinkles on it"

"I'm happy cuz you're layin down watching the show with me" :) Proof it's the little things that count

"Mom, can I play with your phone?" No hunny I just wrote a message and I'm waiting for them to write me back "A message? like with a pencil?" I had to explain how I could write a message and send it to someone elses phone and they would read it and write me back and send it to my phone...he thought it was pretty neat

Are you ready for school bud? "I'm bored of school" lol get used to it kid :)

Brooks' Grandma told him he had nice shoes "They're not shoes, they're boots!"

I got some spicy chicken nuggets at Wendy's and got Brooks a kids meal with nuggets. He took a bite (of his regular/not spicy nuggets) and said "Mom these are SO spicy! I can't even believe it"

another time we got some chik-fil-a nuggets and Brooks asked me "Did you get these from Wendy's ? Oh cuz they're spicy"

It was a cloudy day and we were on our way to the sitters when owl city's song Hot air balloon came on Brooks said "This song scares the clouds away! cuz it's happy" I thought it was pretty cute

"Mom are we in space? Is this whole world in space?" How do you explain space to a child anyhow ha I probably only confused him :)

I was making dinner and Brooks was watching toons, apparently king of the hill had come on he came in to me and said "That show's way stupid" haha

"My nose is hot Mom" Why hun? "Cuz I've been pickin it"

"Lucky I didn't crack open!" He tripped on the stairs

Brooks woke up one morning and giggled "I woke up in my pajama's isn't that funny"
I'm not sure what he was expecting to wake up in...

"This is yummy soup! and even it's good for your body"

I was in the tub when one of Brandon's friends came over. Brooks said "Don't let your friend see Mommy naked in the tub, cuz then he will want to take her home with him"

Brooks was eating a hot dog and Brandon asked him how his puppy was tasting Brooks said "We don't eat animals! They have blood in them" So he asked him what he thought he was eating and Brooks replied "We just eat regular food"

"Mom it's ok if we make a mess cuz Santa won't come again until next year"

"I'm a cowboy, I can rope stuff up!" He was using my belt as a lasso

Brandon likes to give Brooks a hard time and tease him. Brooks was getting really mad so I told him to just ignore him that he was just being silly and Brooks told me "I wished I didn't have ears! But I do so I have to listen to him"

Brooks was making funny noises with his nose in the back seat of the car, since I was driving I couldn't look back so I asked him what he was doing "Gonna eat a booger" he said

I asked Brooks to hurry because I was going to be late and he told me "That's your problem, not mine"

"Mom, I'm really getting a fat belly like yours!"

My Valentine's very 1st crush

2010-02-15T18:55:00.001-08:00

My sweet little man was a good sport and posed for some pictures for me. He looks like such a little stud. It makes me worry about the lady killer he's going to be when he gets older! His Aunt was asking him about his friends in pre-school and he was naming off a few of them and then he came to Gracie..... and got a devilish little look on his face and covered his little grin with his hand. She teased him a little about having a girlfriend. When I dropped him off I saw a little girl walking in and asked who she was he said "Oh that's Annie, Gracie's already inside" :) I asked him what she looks like and he says she has blond hair and blue eyes and she says "I'm sitting by you Brooks!" and plays with him at play-time.
I know I overload you with pictures but you'll just have to get used to it :)

Brooks had a really good Valentines week. (Until he got sick) They were on the letter P and got to wear their Pajamas to school. He was pretty stoked he stayed in them ALL day, then we made some cupcakes for his grandparents and he made his sissy a card. I wrote down what he wanted to say to her. The card says "PAISLEY (he writes all in caps) I can't wait to meet you I love you baby I like to share my toys. I want to share cupcakes and when you're big you can make them yourself." He wanted to say Happy Birthday Pirate haha but I threw in a Happy Valentines Day. Love BROOKS! He decorated it with Valentines stickers, He asked me what the stickers said when he was putting them on. One of them says Love spell...he says OH I love spelling :) It was pretty cute! Then they had their Valentines Party and he gave little Valentine cards with Tattoos and got a valentines and treats from all of his little friends. For his show and tell her wanted to take some of those bubble things they use for packing because they Pop. lol

Another silly story, We were at Walmart and happened to go in the aisle where they have all the balloons ..all the strings were hanging down and Brooks grabbed one of them. He played with it the whole time we were shopping until we were about to check out. He accidentally let it go and FREAKED! He started balling and screaming MY BALLOON!! If I can't get my balloon I'll never stop crying!! I'm gonna cry forever! He just kept on like this. I wasn't about to get him another balloon..he knew what would happen if he let it go and I'm not one to give in just because he cries. He told me that he was so sad that his balloon was gone and it was an accident. I told him I understood that he was sad but he knows to hold onto balloons and that he needed to stop crying. He told me " I want to stop crying but the brain inside of me won't let me!" Then that night he woke up in the middle of the night balling because he had a dream about losing his balloon. He was really beat up about it haha.

Friday night fun cut short by the tummy bug

2010-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Last night we took Brooks out to dinner and then went to play in the kiddie cove at Boondocks. He always has a great time there running around and playing the games. He had been playing for quite a while and came running over to tell us he found a fun tunnel to play in, when out of NOWHERE he just started puking. All over Brandon and then all over the floor! All the moms were just staring at us and I had no idea what to do! I was just like what the hell? haha I rushed him to the bathroom and washed him up and he seemed to be feeling fine. I thought maybe he just ate too much and mixed with all the running around it made him sick? I went to pick up his shoes and the place was empty haha everyone cleared out as fast as they could! At least he wasn't inside the actual play place that would be nasty and difficult to clean up! EW Well he acted alright but we decided to go rent a movie and relax instead of play games. So we got home popped in the Loin King and 1/2 way through the movie he started vomiting again :( And all night long. He'd start to stir and I'd get him the bowl and then he'd have a little water and fall asleep and then he'd stir again all night. He had to change Jammies 3 times. It was so sad he would cry for me the whole time he was throwing up and I couldn't do anything to stop it or make him feel better. Throwing up is the worst :( I felt so bad for him I just wanted to trade him places! One time after we changed his jammies he told me ..."make sure you take care of everything Mom!" I asked him "when do I ever not take care of everything" He replied "On Sundays, Mondays and Saturdays" haha He hasn't eaten much today just a few bites of a nana and some sprite mixed with pedialite and now he's taking a nap. I think I'll join him now since neither of us got much sleep last night!

Paisley

2010-02-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Looks like Paisley wasn't just my favorite (according to the poll) :) Well I'm 25 weeks along now! And she is getting bigger and squirming around a lot! It's fun to watch my tummy move all over the place! I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable with back aches and she's getting into my ribs, trying to get comfy in bed is a little hard, but it's not too bad! I just worry because I'm only going to get bigger haha. I'm so glad that the sun has been peeking out lately, I can not wait for spring!! I'm so over the winter. Brooks told me the other day " MOM! It's getting warmer. Soon we can take baby to Cowabunga" He's so excited for her to get here and for the summer :)

Brooks is getting so big! He's grown out of all his clothes and buying new clothes for him means going into the children's stores where I can't help but look at all the baby girl stuff! It's all so cute, the little sun dresses and onesies and shoes and bows and headbands! There is always WAY more stuff for the girlie's than the boys! But we got Brooks the cutest little outfit for Easter! He looks like such a stud! I'll be sure to make him model for me and post the pics.

Taking it all in

2010-01-30T19:53:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking, with this new baby coming. How quickly time really passes! It's so crazy to think Brooks is really as big as he is! 3 years have FLOWN by! I remember worrying that he wasn't talking and thinking about speech therapy. Which looking back was crazy since he speaks so clearly and is so bright and amazes me with almost everything he thinks about and says! I have somewhat been going through the motions the past couple years and not really enjoying the things that make me happy. Like genuinely taking the time to take it all in and just enjoy things! I've been a little numb and sad and I don't want to feel like that anymore and I especially don't want to look back and miss enjoying my babies while they were babies! And I also want to make sure I remember the little things that made me laugh, so here are more quotes and things from Brooks. I hope you enjoy them too!

Right after Christmas Brooks told me "Mom, it's OK if we make a mess. Cuz Santa won't come again til next year!"

"Try one of these, it'll make you happy" (I had been crying and Brooks offered me a gummy bear :) it helped...a lot)

My grandma told him he had some pretty cool shoes and he replied "They're not shoes, they're boots!"

We had been to the dentist and when we got home he kept looking at the ceiling... "Mom, we should put some pictures up there so our house would be cooler!"

"I'm not having this conversation anymore!" (Brandon was trying to tell him not to do something)

In pre-school he was learning the months of the year and according to him it's "Cemetery, February, March....."

Brandon watched Van Helsing and a few days later Brooks was telling me "Mom, you know that movie with the flying bat ladies? Yeah Jesus made that movie." ..........Haha um ?

" Mom I'm gonna move our hose next to Autumn's. Yeah cuz I'm sick of that spot"

I was in the tub and Brandon's friend came over, he told Brandon "Don't let your friend see Mommy in the bathtub naked, cuz then he'll want to take her home to his house"

"This song is making my brain come out, can you change it"

Brooks had a chocolate snack that his grandma gave him, but I didn't want him to eat it in the car because it melts and gets all over him and the car and he looked so sad and said "but MOM I can't wait to taste it!"

I picked Brooks up from school and he told me "Miss Denise gave me a gummy bear but I'm a lot a hungry!"

"We're gonna be like Penguins, cuz they live in the freezing cold"

"Mom I'm really getting a fat belly like yours"

I told Brooks to please hurry because we were running late "That's not my problem, it's yours"

We were driving and he was making these funny noises with his nose, I looked back and asked him what he was doing "Gonna eat a booger"

Brandon has a tendency to tease Brooks and he was giving him a hard time about something. I told Brooks to just not listen to him that Daddy was just being silly and Brooks says "I wished I didn't have ears! But I do so I have to listen to him"

He was playing with my belt and says "I'm a cowboy and I can rope stuff up"

We were eating hot dogs and Brandon asked Brooks how his puppy was tasting "We don't eat animals! They have blood in them!" what do you think you're eating then he asked? "It's just regular food"

"This is yummy soup! And even it's good for your body"

"I woke up in my pajama's, isn't that funny"

"Lucky I didn't crack open!" He tripped on the stairs

"My nose is hot" why? I asked him "Cuz I've been picking it"

I was making dinner and he had been watchin toons, he came in and says "Mom that show's way stupid!" I guess his show got over and King of the Hill came on haha

"Mom, are we in space? is this whole world in space?"

I ordered some spicy chicken nuggets at Wendy's and got him a kids meal with regular chicken nuggets. After he ate one he says "Mom, these are so spicy!! I can't even believe it!" (He wasn't eating the spicy ones)

I picked him up from his grandma's when I got off work and he asked me what we were gonna do now, I said whatever you wanna do. He smiled and said "Make a cake?" Absolutely I said "let's put sprinkles on it" :)

"I'm getting so tired! I'm gonna finish this drink and then I'm going to bed"

"Mom I like girls, I hate mans! I like girls"

What's in a name?

2010-01-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

Still trying to decide on a name, I've been thinking that I want to wait until she gets here to name her. But I kind of want to have something to call her now rather than just "baby". Help me decide by voting on my poll and if you have any suggestions please comment!! Maybe I'll find something to stick and make a decision :)

Shailynnphotography.blogspot.com

2010-01-21T20:59:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've put anything from my photography up on here. Just wanted to tell everyone thanks for all of your support! Love you all!! :)

Preparing for a sister

2010-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

My lovely Aunt DeAnn helps me with Brooks every so often and he LOVES going over there and playing with his cousins. Normally he's playing superhero's or trains or cars or whatever with the boys but this time he was all about his cousin Rowan :) DeAnn said they followed each other around the whole day like little shadows. She snapped a couple pictures with her phone of Brooks doing her hair an her dolly's hair haha! She also over heard him telling Rowan that make-up is not for babies, it's for Mommy's and big boys. lol And that he snuck into his mommy's room and put on some of my lipstick the other day! It's true too haha he came in with lip gloss all over his mouth .What a funny kid, I thought it was cute and wanted to share :)

No more candy at our house

2010-01-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Brooks had a dentist appointment and he had been complaining about his cheek hurting so we thought it might be due to a cavity or something. Apparently he had 4 cavities!! We brush his teeth but I guess it's because he eats so much candy! Especially fruit snacks, the dentist said those are the worst thing for kids teeth because they get stuck in there for a long time. The dentist and I agreed we didn't want to numb him and try to work on them with him awake because of the fact that you don't know how much of the Novocain his little body will absorb and that he'll probably fight him the whole time and it would be traumatic. And with the way I react to Novocaine I just didn't want to risk it. So we had to put him under anesthesia. It was really nerve racking thinking about it and I was so worried. As many of you know when I was younger I had to go under anesthesia for an appendectomy and in the recovery room my heart flat lined. And the fact that we don't know for certain what caused it, is scary. I've had Dr.'s tell me that it was probably because the anesthesiologist overdosed me. So I was just a little on edge. They explained everything to me and I expressed my concerns to the anesthesiologist and he reassured me he would be very cautious and would be with him the whole time. they were very good about it He sat on my lap and picked through the treasure box while they gave him a quick shot. He cried for a brief minute and then I could tell it was starting to kick in...he got really quiet and looked a little confused. He looked at me and got heavy, his eyes were glazed and it was really freaky! They then took him back and about 45 minutes he was done. We went back and waited for him to wake up. He woke up fine and had a Popsicle. He knew it was his favorite color green :) I felt a little like David after the dentist ..he was very slow and his eyes were bothering him he hit himself in the eye a couple times and said he wanted them to stop. He's doing alright now he's still a little silly and can't quite walk without stumbling.

Also I heard back from the doctor about baby's ultrasound, they said it's a moderate case of hydronephrosis, meaning there is a blockage in her left kidney. But my amniotic fluid was normal so it should be fine throughout the pregnancy. He scheduled me for another ultrasound at 30 weeks to take another look at it just to make sure everything is still alright. Then after she is born they will do an ultrasound on her to find out the cause and what we need to do to fix it..if anything. I feel a little better now, knowing what it is and that she will most likely be just fine!

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Brooks got to stay up all night with his friends to celebrate the new year! .

Here's a picture of him and his little friend Jaycee making nosie:)

Half way!!

2010-01-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm officially 1/2 way through my pregnancy! YAY

I can feel her kickin around a lot now, she's very active! She now weighs about 10 1/2 ounces and is 10 inches long, about the length of a banana and the size of a cantaloupe.
In my ultrasound I could see her swallowing and smacking her lips it was really cute!

Everything looked good, she has a nice strong heart and healthy looking brain and all of her insides and measurements looked good. Except they were a little concerned that her left kidney was enlarged. The Dr. said it didn't look like any of the serious concerns from what she could see but they sent the ultrasound to a radiologist to look at it more in depth and make sure. We also scheduled a follow up ultrasound in 4 weeks to take another look. I am a little worried, but I'm trying to stay positive and hopefully it's nothing but after doing some research on the Internet about it I am really frightened! It could mean that she has cysts, they develop in the kidneys which make them less able to filter blood effectively and ultimately causing kidney failure or it could be hydronephrosis, where there is an obstruction causing the kidney to be unable to pass urine. Urine blockage may damage the developing kidneys and reduce her ability to filter. The blockage may also raise the risk that she will develop a urinary tract infection (UTI). Recurring UTIs can lead to more permanent kidney damage. In the most severe cases of urine blockage, the amniotic sac is so reduced that the lack of fluid threatens the baby’s lung development. Or it could mean nerve disease; urination requires coordinated nerve signals between the bladder, spinal cord, and brain. Spina bifida and other birth defects that affect the spinal cord may interrupt nerve signals and lead to urine retention in newborns. I'm probably freaking myself out with all this but I am REALLY worried now :( I did find this though! So this is what I'm hoping for!! Most problems are minor. The most common finding is dilation or
widening of the central kidney area where urine is collected. In many babies it
fixes itself before birth and in others, it gets better in the first year of life without treatment. I'm really trying hard not to worry too much about it until we find out what it really is

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T19:49:00.001-08:00

Every year at the Beckstead Family party for as long as I can remember we've had a nativity with all the kids while grandma or grandpa tell the story of Christmas. I don't have to get dressed up anymore but now it's Brooks' turn :) This year he was a donkey!

On Christmas Eve we got Santa's cookies and milk ready for him and tucked Brooks into his nice warm bed :)

Santa brought lots of presents for Brooks!

And in the morning he couldn't wait to see what he got!

He got a lot of fun things! But he did notice that Santa didn't bring him a helicopter that flies in the house like he had wanted :(

Then we went to Grandma Trice's and Papa Terry's to open more gifts and play the Wii. Brooks loved it! He had a blast playin on the wii fit, there's a penguin game where you catch fish and try to balance on the iceberg but his favorite part was falling in the water!

Then we headed over to Grandma Shell's & Papa Tracy's where he made out like a bandit with lots of fun stuff!!

In pre-school Brooks made us this ornament for our tree, it was my favorite present! :)

Brooks Helps decorate

2009-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday while I was at work, Brooks decided he wanted to help decorate for Christmas. Daddy didn't realize that Brooks was runnin rampant with a PERMANENT marker all over the walls!! He made sure to color in the light switch ever so nicely and every button on the dishwasher! He also colored on the couch pillows, the coffee table and the fireplace! Oh the joys of parenthood :) All I could do was laugh. Brandon's grandpa had some kind of a grease remover that helped smear it haha we tried the goo gone and magic eraser but nothing is really working, we're going to have to re-paint I just love that it's the 1st thing you see when you walk in the front door! You should have seen his face when he told me why he did it it was priceless. I asked him what pictures he drew, the top one is a square with lines in it...On the dishwasher..circles! And on the living room wall a robot! :)

Sincerely, Brooks

2009-12-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post more of Brooks quotes:

"Oh, I like people to be old! Cuz they're really cute!"

"I'm not having this conversation anymore!"

"She's hot with her boobs up there"
(Victoria's Secret)

"Mommy, we should take this movie back to the store because it's old"
(while watching Snow White)

"You little stinker! You got it on my pants!"
(to his.....while going pee) haha

"If she's not gonna love me, I'm not gonna love her!"

"Did you know bees make connector? yeah that's honey"

"Mommy I'm brave when I go downstairs in the dark! If I see a monster I'll kick him in the fancies"

"I like it when you give me food!"
(I promise I feed him)

"I can't eat while the TV's not on!"

"But I didn't want to wash it! Now my hairs all soft :("

"Tell Santa I'm a great big boy and I only take out one toy at a time"

"I gave you those cuz I was sick of them"

"What are these? I want them to come out but there's no way to get them out"
(after discovering his family jewels)

It's a ?

2009-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

We went to Fetal Foto and baby's legs were crossed. The ultrasound tech spent the whole time trying to get a good picture of the sex of the baby. She got a side view of the baby's bum and what looked like a boy part poking out. She said she was 90% sure it was a boy but gave me a free voucher to go back just to be positive. Brooks was a little disappointed he was sure he was getting a sister not a brother! So we spent the week getting used to the thought of having another boy and thinking of names! Then today I went back for my follow up and a different tech was working this time. She we looked at baby a little bit and then she paused it and said ok.. are you ready for this? ..YES! It's a girl she says. What?!? She spent the rest of the time getting different angles and we got a few CLEAR shots that she is a GIRL :) I didn't get any pics of the follow up visit but here are the pics we got from the 1st visit. She said that when baby's privates are forming they can swell and stick out and that's what the other tech had seen. But she was 100% sure that it's a girl! Brooks was right all along!

180 days to go!

2009-11-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Well I'm at week 14! Only 1 more week until I get to find out what baby is! :) Baby is now the size of a lemon and is making all kinds of faces, baby can squint and grimace, suck it's thumb and wiggle it's tiny little toes! Brooks loves to listen to my belly and he always says baby is telling him things :) It's so precious! He is going to be such a good brother! I am a little nervous about him being jealous when baby gets here. My friend just had her baby and she has a 2 year old. He refused to talk to her for a few days haha. I hope I can find enough time and energy to give him the attention he needs when baby gets here! And that he'll know that he's always my baby :) but I'll just have 2 babies now :) I think he'll mostly be a great helper and enjoy having someone to play with and fight over toys!

The new ride!

2009-11-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

So I went in to Willey Ford because I found a Ford Edge that was in my price range. We got there and I showed him the picture I had printed off of the Edge, he go the keys and started it up. We noticed a weird click in the engine that was a little worry some. We asked him to get the keys to another so we could hear if it had the same click. He also brought the key to another crossover he thought I would be interested in. I asked him what it was and he told me it was an X5. I was like you've got to be kidding me!! It ended up being an X3 but it's so cute and nice with leather seats and a panoramic sunroof. And of coarse all the perks of a beemer! Heated seats and steering wheel back up sensors and the best part...4 doors! :) And if I could get the BMW for the same price as the Edge and without a click in the engine, why not? When Brooks got in it the first time he looked at me and said "I liked our other car!" with tears in his eyes. Until I showed him the sunroof...then he thought it was pretty cool . I think we will really enjoy it, and I'm going to do my best to take care of this one!

Baby Bump

2009-11-18T20:54:00.001-08:00

Here's my baby bump

At night I can feel baby moving around :) I can't wait until I can feel it all the time!

Week 13

2009-11-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

I am now entering my 2nd trimester! Feeling much better, not so queasy and I have much more energy. It's still pretty hard to carry Brooks up the stairs without running out of breath but that could just be because I'm out of shape! Baby is almost 3 inches long about the size of a peach and weighs nearly an ounce. Teeth and vocal cords are forming and baby now has fingerprints on those tiny little fingertips!! Baby is approaching normal proportions, with it's head now only one third the size of it's body. I'm on the lookout for a new car! The Scion just isn't going to cut it! Two doors was hard enough with just Brooks but having to literally climb in the back seat to buckle him up with a giant belly just isn't going to work! Also having two little ones to deal with is just too much for me, it will be much easier with 4 doors! Not sure what to get right now I really like the BMW X5, but I know that I don't have the best record when it comes to cars and the parts and repair on those things are ridiculous! I like the Ford Edge, it's a little like the X5 but more practical! I just hope I can get enough out of the scion on trade in cuz I really don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to sell it!

I'll take some pics of my little baby bump and post em soon :)

Boy or Girl?

2009-11-10T14:41:00.001-08:00

Take the poll ------------>

What do you think baby will be?

12 weeks

2009-11-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today I am 12 weeks along. This is the most dramatic development week for baby, it's developing reflexes! Baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and it's mouth will make sucking movements. Baby's face no longer looks alien ;) it's eyes have moved from the sides to the front of it's head, and ears are right where they should be. The baby is just over 2 inches long about the size of a lime and weighs half an ounce. My belly is starting to show....especially in the evenings after dinner!! There is little room for my extra large appetite and I'm starting to feel the stretch! I think it might be time to pull out the ol' maternity pants a lot earlier than last time but I hear you get bigger faster after the 1st baby. I feel guilty eating the junk I normally do so I am definitely making some changes. I now drink Caffeine free Dr.Pepper! And most my snacks have switched from chips and crackers to fruits veggies and cottage cheese...They all sound much more tasty anyhow! Junk food does not appeal me at all right now!! Thinking about fast food actually makes me queasy!

I've also set up a poll to see what ya'll think. Is baby going to be a girl or a boy?? Only 3 more weeks until I find out!

*Making Memories Of Us*

Brooks' SUPER 5th Birthday Party!

Lake Powell 2011

Yuba

BMW X3 for sale $13,900 OBO

My favorite time of year!

Three's company

Up above it all

Happy Anniversary

Preschool Graduation

Brooksisms

Dandelions

The Year Blew By!!

Tee Ball

Easter

more :)

Christmas

Thanksgiving

Happy 1/2 Birthday

Halloween

Cornbelly's

5 Months

The Elk Hunt

Brooksisms

4 Months

Back to School

3 Months

Yellowstone

Finding Time

Paisley's blessing

My Baby boy is 4!!

More projects...

My 1st sewing project

Goodbye Grandpa Vet

My favorite holiday weekend

Monkeying around

A mohawk & a smile

Beep...

1 month

Nesting

Paisley's 1st 3 weeks

My Preschool Graduate

Special Delivery

Presenting Paisley...

Social Butterfly

Full Term!

Sick day

5 weeks

Star of the week

45 days and counting

Easter

Decorating eggs

Photography Bootcamp

My little man

Only 10 more weeks!!

Melynda

I want a different family

Rock a bye baby

Heading into my 3rd Trimester

Chickens come from eggs?

My Valentine's very 1st crush

Friday night fun cut short by the tummy bug

Paisley

Taking it all in

What's in a name?

Shailynnphotography.blogspot.com

Preparing for a sister

No more candy at our house

Happy New Year

Half way!!

Merry Christmas!

Brooks Helps decorate

Sincerely, Brooks

It's a ?

180 days to go!

The new ride!

Baby Bump

Week 13

Boy or Girl?

12 weeks

Making Memories Of Us