Bryson's Pictures from Today

Here are some of Bryson we took TODAY at Sears. The little stinker did not want to smile. Pardon the boo boo on his forehead, but I figured if I waited any longer for him to not have a boo boo to take his 18 month picture then he would no longer be 18 months. lol This is a wild child with no fear that is tough tough tough, so he always has a boo boo somewhere or another. lol

BRAYDEN DID IT!!!!! He is a BIG Kid now...

Brayden has shown zero interest in potty training. He has all the signs of being ready, but just not wanting to go. Sowe talked Monday night about how he looked so grown up and was ready to go in the potty. He acted excited and picked out big boy underwear and slept with them (not on, but in his bed with him). Then he woke up yesterday and off we went. At first he would sit on the potty and then immediately get off. I thought I had made a mistake, but in about an hour he came running in saying he needed me. I thought he spilt his cereal with milk, but nope he needed to go potty. He went potty, we got all excited, he got candy, we called Daddy at work, we called the grandparents. He went ALL day yesterday without an accident. He even pooped a little in the potty. We celebrated by taking him to Chuck E Cheese last night, and he even used the potty there. He insisted on wearing his underwear to bed and NO accident!!! I can't tell you how proud I am of him. I guess he just needed somebody to tell him he was ready. I have been waiting on him to tell me, which is how Brandt did it at 2 1/2. I guess each kid is just totally different. We did have 1 small accident today, we had just gotten home from the mall and were eating lunch. He was distracted about eating, and got down to go but didn't make it in time. Although, it was so small it didn't even get on the floor. He also started going poo in his pants today, but stopped and went on the potty instead. It didn't even get on his underwear. I can't get over how much easier this was than with Brandt. 2 days ago we weren't even talking potty training, and now he is using the potty himself, and coming to tell me when he has to go. My big big boy!!! 2 down 1 to go! lol

Phew, glad that is behind us!

Brayden's surgery went well. Most of the kids had to be carried to the back and then they would take the bed back later. But he actually rode the bed back there. The dr said it went well, he had a lot of mucus like fluid in the right ear that he removed. In a little while I can hear Brayden screaming coming down the hall. I open the door and I can't see him, he is just being so loud I can hear him perfectly. lol Anyway he screamed and kicked for about 45 minutes and then was back to his sweet self. They said it is the medicine he is reacting to, and it isn't him that is doing it. They said some adults do that, and it will probably be something he always does and that he is not in control. He just has a bad reaction to being put under (he has done the same with an iv and with gas).

We survived the car ride. It was raining so hard coming and going in Dallas that we were driving 30 mph for a while. That was fun, but other than that is was good. My grandmother was being oh so very cranky, and if the kids were in the house she was fussing at them that they *might* hurt something. So thankfully both of my cousins and their families live there so we hung out mostly with them and stayed with one of them. Overall it was really good. I just hate that we couldn't see my grandmother longer, but oh well. It wasn't worth her fussing at my kids, and they were actually being VERY good. For instance Brayden was sitting at the bar eating a go-gurt. He eats them all the time and he was sitting at the table for crying out loud. She hovered over him fussing the whole time that he better not drop anything. omg It didn't seem to bother him, but it did me so we just went outside and played. For the record, he didn't spill a single drop. lol and it is yougurt and can be wipe doff the table/tile even if he had.

Please pray for us tomorrow...

We just got off the phone and Brayden is scheduled for his 3rd set of tubes tomorrow (Friday, May 25th). We have to be at the hospital at 6 am and his surgery is scheduled for 7:45. He has a really rough time waking up after surgery, and pray he does ok tomorrow. We are also really praying that this will FINALLY do the trick, and relieve him of the constant pain. If this works well, he should start closing the gap in speech as well. A wonderful friend has volunteered to watch Bryson during the surgery so we can focus on Brayden, which will be unbelievably helpful.

Right after his surgery, we are driving to Hot Springs, Arkansas to see my grandmother, aunt, and cousins. It should be 7 1/2 hours of driving time, plus stops along the way. Please pray we get there safely and Brayden does well. Everyone thought he would be fine to go, and after the other 2 surgeries he has slept most of the day so that would be good for the car ride. We will be there until Monday, so I am praying we will have a nice visit and the boys won't be too much for my grandmother who is not in the best health.

Sleeping Angels

Brayden fell asleep watching cartoons tonight, and when I went back in there to check on him, this is how I found him. Don't they look so cute when they are sleeping. lol
That is our puppy Shelby and our cat Smokey

What a Fun Day!

I had purchased everything to make Easter Eggs, and our Easter didn't go as planned. Brandt ended up in the ER early, and we had to really squeeze in the Easter egg hunt before heading back to the hospital. Brandt begged to color Easter eggs and so that is what we did today! lol Nothing like 6 weeks after Easter, but heck they turned out cute & had a great time so who cares. Here are their creations:


This afternoon a friend called and wanted to take her son to get snowcones and go to the park. I suggested the splash pad since I could already invision what my kids were going to look like after eating a snowcone, and I figured that would be a fun way to clean off. So we went over to the splashpad, and had a great time. This was our 2nd time to go this year, and I am just surprised how much Bryson likes it. He is only 18 months old, and is not scared of the water at all. Last year, Brayden had just turned 2 and it took some real coaxing (and about 3 trips to the water pad) before he would get in. Bryson only needed to watch the other kids for about 2 minutes and realized it was ok, and off he went. Here are a few pics from today.

Brayden loved standing in the water and having it splash on him.

Bryson kept trying to figure out a way to drink the water. Again notice how completely NOT afraid of the water he is.

He also loved walking under the water and having it fall on him.

This is Brayden, Brandt, and Brandt's best friend Clayton. This bucket fills with water and then dumps over, and usually there are a ton of kids there, so it was neat to get a picture with just them. Bryson was standing there and at the last minute decided to move. lol

Bryson was enjoying his snowcone. He decided it was easier to reach in and grab it, than to use a spoon. By the end his shirt was covered with blue snowcone, but thankfully all the playing in water got it out before we left.

We had a really fun day today. The kids were all well behaved and used their manners. Brandt laid on the sofa and snuggled with me for a while tonight, and it has been a while since he has done that. It was really nice. Of course, Brayden snuggled for a while too, but he is my snuggle bug.

Another Year Older and Another Year Done

We are now officially in summer. We are done with Inneract (My Bible Study), MOPS, Mother's Day Out, Preschool, AWANAS, and even Brayden's speech therapy until the fall. All of the boys enjoyed their classes this year.

Brandt's preschool graduation was last Friday. It is amazing how quickly time flies. As the kids came in to sing, they had baby pictures playing on a slide show. This is Brandt's picture that was playing. He was exactly 2 months old to the day in this picture (his 1st Halloween)


This is Brandt singing and doing the hand motions to the song

He is walking off the stage to line up so the teachers can call each child individually to give them their godly trait

This is his teacher, she was so good with him this year. She is due with a baby any day now. She was already 3cm dialated when this picture was taken. Brandt got the godly trait of "inquisitiveness" If anybody knows him, you know this is a PERFECT trait for him. lol He has to know why and how everything happens. Even when he was in the hospital he wouldn't leave the nurse alone until she opened up the IV machine so he could see how it all went together and worked.

My birthday was Saturday, and my sweet husband made me banana nut muffins and brought them to me in bed. We spent the rest of the day putting trim & chair railing in our bedroom. Everyone laughs at me that I chose to spend my birthday doing that, but my parents had the baby so we HAD to take advantage of baby-free time to get work done. My youngest sister's birthday is the beginning of May so we always celebrate our birthdays together. So Sunday all of our family came to our house and we had a nice time. Dustin gave me a new click & shoot digital camera (as our other one didn't survive a game of duck, duck, goose in Mexico. lol). The boys gave me 2 dozen roses. They are beautiful! Dustin said it was 100% Brandt's idea, and he even picked them out and brought them to me. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Brandt's face when he gave them to me. He had them hidden behind his back and he looked so proud of himself. He was such a cutie! Here is a picture of them on our entryway table, pardon the unpainted wall in the background (a future project yet to come. lol)

Another Eventful Morning!

Bryson woke up at 7 and I went into his room and his leg was stuck in his crib. Everytime I touched his leg he would scream. I sprayed it with cooking oil, but it didn't budge. His knee was being pushed in 1/2 way, he is just so chubby that I couldn't get the thigh & knee back through the bars. I tried and tried and he kept screaming and I just couldn't get it out. I ran next door and to the house next to that and no one was home. I kept trying to call Dustin at work and after about the 8th time he finally answered. So he came home and with us pulling on the wooden bars and him pushing we got him out. He cried and cried, but he was finally free. He has some pretty nasty bruises now, but considering everything that was the best outcome. Now I am scared to put him back in there. The crib makes into a toddler bed, but it has the same bars on the sides and back. I am totally not ready to put him in a toddler bed, so I am not sure what to do. Ack! He is only 18 months old, and into EVERYTHING, so I can't even imagine if he was free to roam around while he was suppose to be sleeping. It is never boring at my house. lol

It is hard to see, but the nasty bruise that is on top is also on both sides. Plus it is red all the way around.

Off to the Doctor!

We just got home from Mother's Day Out and Preschool, and the baby is napping. The older boys are laying on the sofa, suppose to be watching Animal Planet and relaxing. The house is eerily quiet, but not for long. Brayden comes running in screaming that his ear hurts. Brandt has taken a small play sword from his Ninja Turtle and jabbed it in his brother's ear. Yes the one who has had 2 sets of tubes, his adneoids removed, and is scheduled for his 3rd set of tubes on May 25th. Has he lost his mind?!?!?! He claims Brayden asked him to, but regardless, he is intelligent, he knows that is horrible idea. So I put his drops in and called the drs office, and they seem concerned and asked to see him at 4:15. Great, now I'll get to wake the baby and take 3 kids to the drs office, and try to keep them quiet while we wait, for probably at least 30 minutes to an hour...the ENT's office is always so behind. This is a time when I hate I don't have any close neighbors anymore that could come hang out while the baby finished his nap. He is going to be oh so cranky for the rest of the evening since he is going to get up before he is ready. Please pray they didn't do any major damage to his ear.

UPDATE: After waiting 45 minutes, although Dustin did get the message I left him and met me there after about 15 minutes, the Dr said he had a lot of irritation in his canal. He said there was blood, but he thinks they missed the ear drum, he would like to see him in a week after the swelling and irritation of the canal has gone down to make sure the ear drum is ok. However, since we already will be in surgery in 8 days, he said they would just check it over really well then and no need to come back.

Aggieland

A friend sent me this song, and to disagree with David Allen Coe, I think THIS is the perfect Country & Western song...



I was at A&M when Bonfire fell. I was a sophomore and Dustin and I were just starting to date. My roommate and I were taking Dustin and the guy she was dating (Rusty) back to the dorm. It was around midnight, and Rusty said does Bonfire look like it is leaning to you? I was driving, so I didn't look over, but those words still haunt me. Was Bonfire leaning, 2 1/2 hours before it fell?!? We got a call at 4 am from Rusty that Bonfire had fallen. We turned on the radio and listened in horror as the death toll continued to rise. We then got a call from our other roommate who was in Houston trying on her wedding dress, that her sister was MIA and was at Bonfire. I worked at home for a company in Austin that I used a phone line all day to connect to the internet. The lines were full of parents trying to call their kids to make sure they were ok, many couldn't get through. So I called into the office to tell them I would not be working and tying up a line all day. Another Aggie answered the phone, and I as I said the words outloud that Bonfire had fallen, I broke down. My roommate and I decided to try to do something so we went and stood in line for 7 hours at the Red Cross to give blood. Yes, 7 HOURS!!! The line wrapped around the building. Businesses were bringing food and drink donations and dropping them off for the people in line. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to stay in College Station and make my life here. The community rose to that awful day, and to watch this communtiy as a family was amazing. We went to an impromptu prayer vigil/memorial service that night at Reed Arena. We walked over there with literally thousands of other people. I read the Battalion in disgust as they had a picture on the front of Tim Kerlee still stuck in the bonfire with his body twisted, he would later die at the hospital from internal injuries bringing the death total to 12. Dustin and I went to the memorial service Central Baptist church held, with George W Bush in attendance. It was at that service that Dustin leaned over and grabbed my hand, and we went from casually dating to a new couple. We drove to Austin and attended the UT prayer vigil that was held, and in that moment I realized that it was not only the A&M campus that was hurting. For as much rivarly there is between the schools, there was also a lot of pain and shock on that campus as well. We went to a prayer vigil on campus several weeks later and prayed earnestly for the last victim still in the hospital, he was in very critical condition. He would make it and we would later see him out at a store, he lost a leg and a lot of function and would remain in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he was alive! I saw a highschool friend who had been on top of Bonfire when it fell, and I listened to him tell about how he rode it down and walked away with only a severely injured hand. All of these events deepened my love for A&M, and it was only fitting that when Dustin & I got engaged the next year, he proposed under the Century Tree. It has now been 6 1/2 years and I remember the events like yesterday.