The Bridges

Mother's Day

2011-05-23T08:05:00.004-04:00

Daddy and Brayden in their matching shirts

Aunt Brittany and Brayden

Reading with Cousin Michael

2011-05-22T22:29:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Tara and I went to meet Miss Blakely Marie Davis. Born at 12:23pm. 6 pounds 12 ounces, 19 inches! She's beautiful!

The Proud Mommy-Janet!

Strawberry Picking

2011-05-22T22:06:00.004-04:00

Easter

2011-05-22T21:16:00.006-04:00

Watching the horses with JJ.

Celebrating his 2 year old birthday with Joe and Peggy!

Easter lunch

Hunting for Easter Eggs on Easter morning!

Checking out his Easter basket

Looking for the Easter Bunny!

Easter Cookies

2011-04-24T21:11:00.002-04:00

Spring Break in a Photo

2011-04-24T21:09:00.001-04:00

Too much fun-We're pooped!

4 Day Event-Brayden's Birthday!

2011-04-24T19:25:00.011-04:00

Friday-Birthday with friends at MiMi's house
Saturday-Disney on Ice with mommy and daddy

Sunday-Brayden's SECOND Birthday!! Cookout with family

Aunt Brittany came to see me!

My new golf set!

He loved his truck!

Playing ball with daddy

Helping Travis and daddy put my sand table together!

Aunt Britt got Brayden puzzles!

Brayden's Cake for turning 2!

Monday-Monkey Joe's Birthday party with friends!

Icing on the Christmas Cake

2010-12-26T15:04:00.006-05:00

Today wasn't Christmas, but the fun wasn't over just yet! We had 2 GREAT surprises in store. 1-it snowed and Brayden had a BLAST playing in it! So did daddy and Cali...

And 2-Aunt Brittany got engaged!!!!!! They came over to celebrate with us for a while. Brayden is super excited about his "Uncle Logan!"

We played for a while, then went out for lunch so Aunt Britt could celebrate with her friends too!

Brayden sat with Jeremy and watched some football.

And Erica shared her phone.

What a great Christmas AND day after!!

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T14:40:00.004-05:00

Brayden couldn't put down the trains that Santa brought him! But we did manage to get him in his new football hat!

That night we went up to Great Grandma Millie's. Logan and Travis joined us for more gifts and dinner.

Then when we got home, we waited for the snow and Brayden played on his train table...again!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T14:05:00.003-05:00

After Christmas Eve service, we went home and Travis came over. He brought Brayden a present.

A roomerang...

A sticky dart...

And...

His first gun!!! A ping pong gun of course...

Then he went to bed and Santa came!!

Daddy tried his best to help Santa build Brayden's grill, but we discovered there were pieces missing!! So Santa will have to take a trip back to the Bridges' house next week after he gets it fixed.

We video taped Christmas morning, but as you can only imagine. His train table was a big hit! Thanks Santa!

JJ's Christmas Party

2010-12-20T12:52:00.003-05:00

This week I took Brayden to JJ's school. She was having her staff Children's party. Brayden had a blast!

Rotten

2010-12-20T12:41:00.002-05:00

I usually get some amazing gifts the day before break from my kindergarten students. This year, Brayden got some amazing things too. So thankful to work with such amazing people!

In his PJ's from Tillman, playing with his dump truck from Mrs. Cromer, and his school bus from the Scheno family!

Bedtime routine

2010-12-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

We have a new item on our bedtime checklist...
Looking for "ho ho ho" out the window!

PRICELESS!

Rainy Day Blues

2010-12-19T20:09:00.003-05:00

Watching the rain on his soccer balls outside.

A little train action in the window sill.

Still asking if he can go out.

A Kindergarten Students' Prayers

2010-12-15T20:25:00.001-05:00

"Dear God, Please hug my friend Omara. Please send her back to Earth so I can play with her one more time....Thank you. Amen"

From a precious little boy in my class. This holiday season has been particularly tough on my kindergarten babies. Prayers for them and their families.

Gingerbread House

2010-12-06T20:33:00.002-05:00

Out of Routine

2010-12-06T20:10:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday we took Brayden out of his routine to have a little holiday fun! We did a bath much earlier than usual, all got dressed in our PJ's, and headed to JJ's house! Of course the first place Brayden went was to one of her Christmas trees!
He just couldn't help himself. The ornaments were too pretty.

JJ made Brayden some reindeer cookies!

He enjoyed passing them out to everyone.

And he never leaves JJ's without playing with her feather ball.

Then we loaded up in the car and headed to "The Living Christmas Story!" We had about a 30 minute wait. It was a "pass Brayden around" game between us all!

Once we got moving, Brayden LOVED it! He just stared and pointed the entire time! Great Sunday night!

1st Build a Bear!

2010-12-05T20:24:00.003-05:00

Playing in my PJ's

2010-12-05T20:18:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-05T19:54:00.005-05:00

We went to Aunt Meree and Uncle Joey's house for Thanksgiving. The food was great, but Brayden's favorite part of the day was heading over to his Great Granddaddy Joe's. He saved a watermelon just for him!

What a big boy!!!

2010-12-05T19:47:00.000-05:00

Where do I begin?

2010-11-22T20:30:00.002-05:00

This last month has been an emotional roller coaster. In all aspects of my life.

Brayden stayed sick for almost a solid month. He had so many test run on him, that he actually started to cry when we would pull in the pediatrician's parking lot! They did a flu test, mono test, strep test, auto immune system test, etc. Not to mention daily blood work to check his white blood count. The final conclusion: a strong, healthy, no problems baby boy who is adapting to day care. Yes...rip out my beating heart, it is daycare. His body is just spiking fever when he is exposed to germs. They said he isn't even really contagious when he has these fevers, it's just his way of fighting off the germs. So...some kids get snotty noses, mine gets a fever. We are over that hump finally and he is doing great! I couldn't even imagine having to remove him from his new day care because he absolutely LOVES it! He loves Mimi and all his friends at her house. He just needed to build up his immune system a little.

While dealing with Brayden I had a tragedy in my personal life. A beautiful, precious child in my kindergarten class was called to heaven this past week in the most horrific accident ever. Oh the emotions! I literally had my legs come out from under me when I got the call and haven't really gotten back to myself yet. The next morning I had to walk into my classroom and talk to 23 5 year olds about where their friend was and why she wasn't coming back. And in my profession, I was having to do it without the mention of God or heaven. Really....
I've come to this conclusion. You can't... You cannot have the conversation without looking at those faces and saying their friend is happy, running, and smiling in heaven. And God will take care of her now instead of her mommy.
I'm scared to let my son out of my sight. I'm scared of my students questions and my ability to answer them. I'm heartbroken for the family of my precious student. I'm heartbroken that my other students have to face this so incredibly young. I'm afraid this family won't ever get over this loss. I'm so many emotions for so many different reasons.

Please pray for this child's family to find a way to make it through this. Pray for the people that are left to live without this amazing child anymore. Pray that God finds a way to put the right words my way as I help these grieving children in my classroom. Just pray, because at this point it's all I know to do...

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T20:24:00.007-04:00

Brayden was so excited his friends could come trick or treat with him!!!

Had to do some playing before heading out.
We haven't had much luck with the bear costume, so we were a little worried. He did alright until...

we put the head on. Then he fell apart!

So we just let him leave the head down and he did great!

We stopped by our neighbors house. He has a haunted house every year. We thought it would be less scary in the day time!

Then we loaded up and were off!

Charlie led the way!

And Brayden followed close behind!

Merritt was a great big sister and helper!

Brayden learned very quickly how to get candy into his pumpkin!

We are so lucky to have such great friends to celebrate with!

Some neighbors gave LOTS of candy to our precious little bear! Who could resist him!?!

J.J. and Travis helped out by handing out candy while we were out. Then Brayden helped hand out the candy.

Charlie made a new friend!

Brayden did not quite understand why his friends had to leave.

After they left, we desperately tried to get a good bear picture for Nana and Granddaddy!

Halloween Morning!

2010-10-31T20:06:00.003-04:00

I got him to eat breakfast by putting it IN his pumpkin! He carried it everywhere!

Cali wants to join in the Halloween fun too!

Dressed in his Halloween clothes and into everything!

Ready for some trick or treating with friends tonight! Just can't wait!

Boo at the Zoo

2010-10-30T11:45:00.004-04:00

I think Travis had as much fun as Brayden!!
Brayden loved the trick or treat trail!

He got the hang of it really quick!

Daddy and Travis at the Monster Mash dance party!

Not too sure about the conductor...guess Santa is not going to happen this year!

But Brayden sure loved all the lights!

Where's Brayden?

2010-10-29T20:16:00.004-04:00

This is usually where I find him

New Shoes!!!

2010-10-12T13:41:00.002-04:00

Brayden has been really enjoying himself at Mimi Sheilah's house everyday! She takes them outside for 1-2 hours everyday! This is Brayden's favorite thing to do. His crocs seemed to be holding him back because he is between shoe sizes right now. So we took the new balance shoes we bought (we were holding them until Christmas), and decided to exchange for his current size. He LOVES his new "shoos" and carries them around when he isn't wearing them!

Football Friday

2010-10-12T13:22:00.003-04:00

Tailgating and Watching the players come in

Walking around with daddy

His new personalized jersey

Watching the big boys warm up

Yummy yummy spaghetti

2010-10-12T13:10:00.002-04:00

Brayden has spaghetti for the first time. We've been working on using forks with him, so I thought this might work. But as you can see...in the end he resorted back to his hands! What can I say...he knows what he likes!

Enjoying the fall weather

2010-10-12T12:57:00.002-04:00

Fun outside

2010-10-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

Aunt Brittany's Birthday Dinner

2010-10-12T12:43:00.001-04:00

18 Facts at 18 Months

2010-10-06T19:38:00.003-04:00

1. Brayden loves to run his mouth!
He says: mama, dada, bye bye, milk (mil), shoes (soos), ribbit ribbit, moo, ssssss (snake), no no no, Elmo (melmo), book (boo), oh oh (uh-oh)

2. Brayden is climbing everything! The couches and chairs, his slide, the dog, the stairs, and he has even starting trying to find boxes to stand on so he can reach all the things I moved to higher shelves!!!

3. Brayden has 10 teeth. 2 molars are all the way through, and there are 3 working their way out. It was an ordeal to have 5 molars all at the same time, but at least we are knocking them out all at once!

4. Brayden is wearing 18-24 month clothes, 5.5 size shoes, and a size 6 diaper! I love my big boy so much!

5. Brayden can touch his nose, eyes, and ears when asked. And he can find mommy and daddy's belly button too...he's starting to find is own as well!

6. Brayden LOVES green beans, raisins, fruit snacks, turkey, vanilla ice cream and especially watermelon. He is also in love with candy corn which is crazy because daddy and I can't stand it! I keep telling myself one day he will expand his eating habits! Another crazy food fact is that he will NOT eat red meat....crazy!!!!!!!!

7. He loves to play with his shape puzzles, stacking cups, and toy cars. However, his most favorite toys still remain the remote control and our cell phones!

8. We are working on eating with a spoon and fork, and I must admit the reason he doesn't is all me. I'm all about "finger food"...and it has rubbed off on my son!

9. When Yo Gabba Gabba comes on you would think he won the lottery! He freaks out! Can't wait to capture it on video to enjoy forever!

10. Brayden LOVES to read! He runs over with books and plops in my lap. His favorites are Hug, Elmo, Are you my mother, and Richard Scarry's book of words. He turns the pages and points to the words with me. It's one of my favorite times of the day :)

11. Lucky for us, Brayden is a great sleeper. He goes 12 hours at night and takes one 2-3 hour nap a day. We have great bedtime routines so we read, put him down, and shut the door. If he ever fusses, we know something is wrong! And thank goodness he hasn't figured out he can climb out of the crib yet! We will milk the crib as long as we can!

12. Brayden is a dancing machine! He and daddy love to dance around the den together and stir up the dog!

13. He loves play dates with his buddies...and so does mommy!

14. Brayden drinks milk...only...no juice...no tea...no coke...no water...I've tried!
Milk only!

15. Recently, he discovered he knows how to flush the toilet. So he does it OFTEN! He keeps getting in the bathroom which makes me think he can open the door. I haven't actually seen him do that yet though.

16. Has getting dressed down pat! He knows how to pull his arms through his shirt and knows to lift his legs for his pants. Although he isn't fully dressing himself, he certainly wants to! The he tries to put on his socks and shoes which is too funny to watch!

17. Brayden has a shoe fetish...is he mine or what!?! He loves to pick up daddy's shoes and hold them up and say "soos". Then if daddy says "not those", he goes and gets another pair. When we get Bradyen's shoes down to put them on, he plops on the ground and sticks his foot in the air!

18. Brayden likes to walk around the house and give all the photo's kisses!

Ashley's Baby Shower

2010-09-23T11:16:00.004-04:00

Brayden's new friend Landon Scott should be here in December! We can't wait!

Just Because It's Monday and I miss you!

2010-09-13T19:01:00.002-04:00

Cutest Little Cub

2010-09-10T21:21:00.001-04:00

We are ready to trick or treat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yummy Yummy

2010-09-10T21:14:00.001-04:00

Loves his slide!

2010-09-10T21:07:00.001-04:00

Family Cookout

2010-09-10T20:53:00.002-04:00

J.J. and Travis

Aunt Britt and Logan

We love our sweet Brayden

Helping JJ do the dishes

Fun with daddy

2010-09-10T20:47:00.001-04:00

Tractor Fork!

2010-09-10T20:32:00.001-04:00

Around the house!

2010-09-10T20:27:00.001-04:00

Last Zoo Trip of the Summer!

2010-09-10T20:14:00.004-04:00

Picking up the pieces

2010-08-29T14:01:00.002-04:00

I know...I know...It's been forever!!!!

Let me fill you in from the last 20 days of my life!

started teaching kindergarten
had to switch childcare providers
have a crazy 16 month old who is CLIMBING everything! I can't look away for 2 seconds!
got a tummy bug-ew
then daddy got a bug-really ew
Brayden got a cold-back to the doctor with him-started to turn ear infection but we caught it soon enough
had a pregnancy scare-yes SCARE! Didn't think it was in God's plan for me right now-glad I was right!
daddy started back soccer-TWO teams...
had 2 nervous breakdowns wondering if I can handle being a working mother
been to bed at 7:30 or EARLIER every day since school started
and have NOT had the time to figure out how to upload pics from my new camera

So......that's a little about what has been going on around here! When I can pick up the pieces of this craziness, and I can begin to find some sort of structure to my days, I will upload some new pics of the Bridges family! Until then....

We Love Chocolate!

2010-08-22T20:05:00.003-04:00

Fun out of the sun!

2010-08-08T12:10:00.004-04:00

Daddy and I have had to be creative about where to take our little one during these intense days of heat! Somehow we always end up walking around the mall. We have found that if we park at J.C. Penny, we encounter a screeching-hands in the air-smiling baby boy! Why---we have to pass the rides! He is in love with them!

The fire truck...

The ice cream truck...his favorite!

And the choo choo train!

Newest Addition

2010-07-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

The newest addition to the Bridges household!

It's coming...

2010-07-25T22:01:00.002-04:00

My body is already showing signs that it's coming..........

Not sleeping
Intense Anxiety
Stomach flips
Anxious to spend every waking minute with my boys
Not wanting to put Brayden to bed
Crying when I think of how much Brayden has grown the past 3 months
Crying...a lot!
Making cuddling times last much longer
Asking for more kisses than usual
The fear of missing something
A growing to do list

Yep...in just 2 short weeks it's coming. I know since I'm this upset now, it's going to be an extremely difficult time for me. But, whether I like it or not, the time has come to go back to work :(

Lakin' it!

2010-07-24T21:01:00.002-04:00

Today daddy, Brayden, and I spent the day on the lake with our friends: Merritt, Charlie, Tyson, and Anthony. Brayden and Charlie are just 2 weeks apart! We are so thankful that Brayden has such sweet friends. I'm dying that I missed capturing some precious moments of them! My favorite had to be Charlie sitting in Brayden's lap!! Thanks for a great day full of memories friends!

22 Things Brayden learned at Nana and Granddaddy's!

2010-07-21T20:36:00.014-04:00

1. Hospital rooms can be super fun!!! I liked going to visit Papaw Moss. He let me play with his walker!
2. Nana has 1 million teddy bears...and I was intent on playing with ALL of them!

3. Nana and Granddaddy have lots of rooms for me to explore.

4. Granddaddy has the best truck books!

5. With a heat index of 114...I can get away with wearing my cutie booty's every day in Louisiana!

6. Burger King makes the best straws!

7. Nana's fridge isn't as easy to open as mine! (He was NOT happy about this!)

8. Granddaddy makes the BEST homemade ice cream ever!

9. My cousins, Dylan and Jacob, are a lot of fun!

10. My Aunt Kelly sure knows how to pick a Birthday present!

11. The best part of any present is the paper!

12. Louisiana has the coolest double decker carousel EVER!

13. Raising Cane's chicken fingers might be tied at first with Zaxby's!

14. Pulling out all of Nana's bears is fun!

15. Weddings are a whole bunch of fun!

16. My Nana sure can dance!

17. Granddaddy makes a great dance partner too!

18. Not even daddy can keep me off the dance floor!

19. I get my good looks from the Bridges men!

20. My cousin Jacob is crazy!

21. Nana and Granddaddy's tub is just as fun as mine!

22. I get my pouty face from my daddy.

I miss you already Nana and Granddaddy!!!!!!!!!!

EdVenture Fun!

2010-07-09T15:11:00.007-04:00

Brayden had so much fun at EdVenture today! I know he loves getting together with his friends...
They shopped at the grocery store...

Dressed up as firemen...

Played in the car...

Changed a tire...kind of...

Built with the blocks...

Walked through the jungle...

Played on the drums...I think they liked this best!

And pet the camel...

And before we left the boys went fishing!

After all that fun...Brayden and I went home and he had a GREAT nap! Counting down until our next playdate guys!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T21:29:00.003-04:00

We had a great 4th, and hope you did too!

Daddy and Brayden in their matching red, white, and blue!

Taking a break from all the fun!

Cutie Booty

2010-07-04T21:22:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago I ordered Brayden some "Cutie Booty's"! Today they came in! I love them-they are perfect to kick around in on these hot SC days!

Family Time

2010-07-02T20:10:00.004-04:00

Today daddy and I took Brayden to the zoo.

We had such a great time being together.

Brayden enjoyed riding around in his wagon.

He didn't sit down much! There was just too much to see and do.

We pet the giraffe's, watched the gorillas, and at the penguin feeding we ran into our good friend Piper!

Piper and Brayen stopped to play for a little while.

And my precious little boy dug his book out of his diaper bag and found a nice spot in the shade to read.

We had a great day at the zoo!

The difference a year makes

2010-06-27T20:37:00.002-04:00

Currently...
This time last year...

Still unreal to me. I sure love this sweet baby boy!

Lake Day!

2010-06-27T19:58:00.008-04:00

Today we took Brayden on the lake for his first time!

Emma came with us too.

He wasn't too sure about his life jacket, but I was a wreck without it on him!

Travis let Brayden drive the boat for a while!

And Brayden shared his snack with Emma.

We stopped at "Sandy Beach" to swim for a while.

Grandma JJ and I enjoyed the noodles, Brayden had fun in his float, and Travis swam with Emma. Daddy sayed on the bank with his toes in the water :)

Then Brayden took a break in the shade with daddy while we swam a bit longer.

Brayden thinks daddy is soooooooooooo funny!

We all got hungry so we started packing everything up.

Brayden couldn't get enough of looking at the water and all the beautiful islands around him.

Travis drove us around the islands looking for goats and birds.

We had so much fun on the boat! We took Brayen home for a nap, then we sat in the garage and watched the rain.

What a great day!

Like father, like son

2010-06-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

Grandma JJ has been in Greece that past two weeks. She brought daddy and Brayden home a special surprise!

I just love these two boys to death!

Life's a Beach!

2010-06-21T20:26:00.011-04:00

This past weekend we took Brayden to the beach for the FIRST time!!!
I got him a puppy pillow for the ride hoping he would nap with it...

he napped, but not with the puppy!!

We stopped at Zaxby's for dinner on the way there. Brayden managed to rub french fry grease all in his hair. But it was a cute hair-do....

This is where we stayed!

And we even had our own golf cart.

Riding in it was Brayden's favorite thing to do at the beach!

Before bed daddy watched the World Cup...

And Brayden had dinner!

Bright and early the next morning, we headed to the beach! Brayden liked the sand for about .5 seconds.

And then we got to the water....and it went downhill from there!

He started grabbing for daddy...HARD!

He just wasn't too sure about the waves.

Daddy tried to reassure him, but he wanted up!

So we thought maybe we would try just walking in the wet sand for a bit and let him get used to it.

But he didn't like that either!

So we went back to the golf cart and he immediately calmed down! The beach was just too much for him this year!

So daddy let Brayden help drive....do you know where he took us???

To the pool!!!!!!

So we played there for a loooooooooong time.

After pool time we went back and cleaned up. Brayden played "peek-a-boo" while mommy made lunch.

Then Brayden went down for a nap. When he got up we headed to Broadway at the Beach. We had an early dinner on the water and did some shopping.

Then of course we had to ride the golf cart some more!

We stopped to feed the geese.

and the swans...

and the mommy and baby ducks came too.

We left the next day during Brayden's nap time. He was pooped from all his fun!

When we got home, he helped me unpack. What a sweet boy!

Until next year...

Playdates :)

2010-06-16T20:45:00.003-04:00

This week the mommy's decided to try the Splash Park! We even had some new mommy's join in our fun! You would think with a heat index of 104 that this would be a PERFECT place to meet up. However, our children showed us that the grass was a lot more interesting! But we still had a blast chit chatting and watching out little ones get muddy. Take notice...Brayden was NOT one of the children playing in the mud. My little man was kicked back in his chair the WHOLE time!!!!!!!! Is he just like daddy or what!?!

So excited!

2010-06-16T20:43:00.001-04:00

Brayden is so excited about his first beach weekend....he could hardly wait to help mommy pack!

Not exactly what we had in mind

2010-06-16T20:34:00.004-04:00

Brayden has been showing every sign of wanting to feed himself. Being the clean freak that I am, I had to find the easiest way to let him. So...we bought a plastic picnic table that can easily be hosed down. Since the weather is so nice, we've been eating out on the back porch. We put it together, and Brayden showed us he had other ideas for using this picnic table!

Summer in SC

2010-06-14T21:32:00.001-04:00

This is what people in South Carolina do when the temperature gets to 100 degrees!

To do...or not to do!

2010-06-14T21:29:00.002-04:00

I've been fighting the turn around battle for weeks now! Poor little (26lb) Brayden has had his feet all scrunched up in the car for quite some time. So this week, after consluting the feedback of some other mommy's, I made the decision to turn him around! Safety is always a first for me, but he's such a big boy, he just couldn't handle being backwards anymore. And he seems to be a lot happier facing front!

Taking off

2010-06-14T21:20:00.003-04:00

Brayden has been a very adventurous walker...in our house. But when we try to get him walking other places he seems to get very nervous. So this week we tried getting him to walk in the yard. This is BIG people! This little boy HATES the grass on his feet. But...since I bought him his first pair of crocks (which I'm super excited about!) this week, we thought we would give it a try. We thought these shoes would keep him from having the grass on his feet like he hates. And he did pretty good! Some unlevel parts of the yard left him reaching for daddy to help him get up, but he would quickly get up and try again! He will be walking everywhere before I know it!

Evolution

2010-06-14T21:15:00.004-04:00

This past 2 months I feel like I have watched Brayden really evolve. Not only is he becoming a more accomplished walker, he is really getting control over his body. For example...this chair! When we got it, he didn't like it because he would fall out of it, or was too scared to move around in it. Now I find myself running over to it because he wants to JUMP out of it and onto the floor.
But now...he is laying across the arms and grabbing things off the floor, standing up in it, and able to gently get out of it with ease. It's just been the most fun transformation to watch. My sweet little boy is growing up too fast!

Zoo Day!

2010-06-09T20:39:00.004-04:00

Brayden and I were so excited to meet our friends at the zoo today! A train gave us all a long dramatic begin to the day...but we all finally ended up at the zoo together!
We all sat and talked while waiting for the tram to pick us up. Beau, Luke, and Brayden hung out in the shade.

And the girls played by the fountain!

Once the tram FINALLY got to us, we met Banks and Will at the monkey's.

Our favorite place to play was the aquarium! Brayden has never been around stairs before, so I was quite shocked when he started climbing them like a pro.

Will and Brayden stopped long enough for mommy to take a picture!

And it was quite entertaining trying to get them all to stop for a picture...but we ended up with some cute photos.

When we got to the penguins, Brayden wanted to try out his walking skills. He was done with the stroller.

I'm so blessed to have such amazing mommy's to get together with! And their children are equally as great!

When I got married I went through a huge transition with friends. And again...another transition when I had Brayden. I remember mom telling me: "When you have children, you will meet women in the same place you are...it's then you will meet the women you will be friends with forever." I can see how true that is now. It was so nice to have a day to talk about Brayden and my fears/concerns with him. They helped me realize I AM doing things that are best for my baby boy, and I'm so thankful I have them to talk to. It's also nice to just get together with other people who are in the same place as I am. I am looking forward to MANY more play dates with these amazing mommy's!

Eating out with mommy!

2010-06-09T20:34:00.001-04:00

Wonder Pets

2010-06-05T18:53:00.004-04:00

While I cleaned the house today, daddy took Brayden out to the toy store!
They came home with the Wonder Pets. And when the Wonder Pets came on today, they sat and watched with Brayden! Although...I think daddy may have enjoyed them more :)

Brayden loves his new Wonder Pet friends! Thanks daddy!

First Hair Cut

2010-06-05T18:31:00.004-04:00

This Friday we took Brayden for his FIRST hair cut!!!
At first, he sat up on the booster like a big boy!

He liked when she pushed the button to make him tall :)

But then....she put on the cape...

And the tears started falling!

So we just decided to take his shirt off and try to hold him still!

He just wasn't too sure about this whole hair cut thing.

My poor baby boy!! After about 2 min he started to calm down and stopped crying. Hopefully next time will be better!

The final product...

I hate he was so scared, but the hair cut was MUCH needed. The wings that had formed from his hair had me worried he was going to fly away!! I put off his hair cut because I was so scared he wouldn't look like a baby anymore. I was right...he doesn't look like a baby now...but he sure is one precious toddler!! We love his new hair cut, thanks Mrs. Ronda!!

Objects in Camera may appear SMALLER

2010-06-01T21:39:00.003-04:00

I got a panic phone call from daddy when he got home tonight from soccer. Seems there was a mile long snake laying across our front steps, so he wanted to come in through the gate in the back. It ended up being quite an entertainment for the men of the neighborhood. Thankfully our brave friend Jarret picked him up and took him into the woods. MAN!-I've just looked over the pictures-the snake looked longer and bigger in person!

Making the best of it!

2010-06-01T21:10:00.007-04:00

Our nice long weekend ended up a rain out! We decided there were only two options. Stay in and dry, or go out and get wet!!! We decided to just get wet!! On Sunday we went to a cookout at an old friends house. There were some baby boys Brayden's age and he had a blast playing with them! He even shared his toys!

On Monday, we ventured into the storm! We went by Dicks, the mall, and Toys R Us! We went in hopes of finding "Wonder Pet" stuffed animals for Brayden....but came home with 2 more trucks and a lawn mower!! Brayden just loves his newest toy! However, he would rather turn it over and play with the wheels than push it! He loves wheels!

Daddy tried showing him how it worked...he still doesn't quite get it, but that's okay!

We also went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. We stopped by the kids section, as usual, and found a pair of shorts that match daddy's!! I couldn't resist them!

After all our running around we had family time in the den while it stormed! Brayden was so excited to have mommy AND daddy home to play with!

What a great Memorial Day weekend we had!!

What I love about my job...

2010-05-25T09:28:00.002-04:00

This is the cake I bought for my classroom "Celebration of Learning" tomorrow....

Yet another example of how VITALLY IMPORTANT teachers are!

Image Change

2010-05-23T20:14:00.002-04:00

So I was pulling out summer clothes and looking through bathing suits recently...then it hit me! What in the world was I thinking when I bought some of these things!?!?

I have one bathing suit that I bought right after having Brayden. I was so desperately wanting to feel pretty and attractive for my husband, and wanted to believe nothing about my body had changed...so I did it. I bought a $60.00 bathing suit that now I would be ashamed to put and hold my child at the same time!!! It is definitely going to go in the "when we take our 2nd honeymoon" pile.

Then I pulled a couple of shorts and dresses out to try on. One by one they went into the "give away" pile! It's amazing how everything has changed since I have had Brayden...and now I feel like my image is having to change as well.

It's not that I dressed like a hoochie or anything!!! It's just now I feel there's a way I want my son to see me-and it's not in a low cut dress or too short shorts. And some of the items in my closet just don't seem appropriate for now. Like ANYTHING dry clean or hand wash only! I have actually found myself checking the cleaning labels first when I'm buying things. I get Brayden's food spit on me at least twice a day, so dry clean is just not going to do it for me right now. And anything strapless I wear lasts about 30 seconds before Brayden is trying to pull it down!

So...the next big check I get this summer (i.e.-no childcare take out), I will be making my way to the mall to buy a couple of new essentials for my closet!

Brayden's First Pool Day!!!!

2010-05-22T21:32:00.003-04:00

Mommy and Brayden playing in the pool! Brayden's first pool experience!

Had to stop for a snack! He LOVES his mini nilla waffers.

What a great time we had!

2010-05-22T21:27:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we went to Greer's birthday party at the splash park. All the kids made tye dye shirts to take home and Brayden got to make one too...isn't it precious!??

A New Chapter

2010-05-22T21:21:00.003-04:00

This week we had our team dinner for work. This is the last year I will be teaching first grade. Next year I get to teach Kindergarten! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. My mother has been an amazing Kindergarten teacher for over 32 years. I feel like I grew up in her classroom. It seems to be such a natural thing to plan for me. My mom has taught me so much-I feel like I have been raised to do it-I can't wait! So my team got together and had a goodbye dinner for one colleague who will be retiring...and to my surprise they had some special things for me, since I won't be on their team next year. We had such a great time closing the year together :)

Around the house

2010-05-22T21:13:00.001-04:00

Laid Back

2010-05-22T21:07:00.003-04:00

This week we got the inserts to Braydens pottery barn chair! It is so BIG!! The pictures just don't capture it, but the chair is huge. Brayden isn't too sure about it yet...
But he will sit in it long enough to have a sippy of milk and watch wonder pets!

Ahead of the game

2010-05-17T19:38:00.002-04:00

Everyone likes to tell me this is how I always am! I just can't help it! I like to be prepared. So...

I have two major trips coming up. One in June, and the biggest in July. I'd love to have some advice about traveling with a 15 month old (that's how old he will be for our big 12 hour drive!). So if you have any tips or stories PLEASE share! :)

Splash Park!

2010-05-16T14:52:00.004-04:00

Our good friends the Worley's had a birthday party for their middle child yesterday. Since Piper and Brayden are so close in age, they invited us along! We had so much fun at the Splash Park! Of course my observant little boy had to check everything out, but soon he was brave enough to get in!

He preferred the light sprinklers of course! This was his first experience with water other than the bathtub!

Grandma JJ came along to play too! Brayden held on tight when we got close to the big sprinklers!

And of course he had to put the grass in his mouth...like everything else at this point in time!

My precious walking little boy! He's just so much fun!

And can you believe mommy forgot a TOWEL!!!??? So we just stripped him to his diaper and let him air dry :) He didn't seem to mind. I can't wait to take Brayden back to the Splash Park again!

Lunch with daddy

2010-05-16T14:48:00.002-04:00

Brayden and I are sooooo excited soccer season is over and we can enjoy more time with daddy!

Enjoying the sun

2010-05-16T14:46:00.001-04:00

Trying to avoid bath time...

2010-05-13T20:22:00.001-04:00