Hello from Snowy Central Illinois

Yes I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged! I must apologize! Too busy with working, being mommy to 2 kids and TRYING to maintain a somewhat clean house! It is almost impossible for me to manage! Oh well- I don't want to miss a minute of the kids growing up so it can all wait!



We got about 15 inches of snow Tuesday night-biggest snowstorm in 20 years here! I love being snowed in at home. It was a treacherous drive home on Tuesday but we made it. Thank goodness work closed early or we would have been stranded because they closed the interstate. Bradyn and I spent some time outside Wednesday-only about 30 minutes because it was sooooo cold-only 18 degrees-brrrr! I was disappointed because the snow had a layer of ice on top so it was impossible to make a snowman and a snow angel. Bradyn prefers to "scoop" snow instead of sled riding. Santa brought him a sled and shovel. He's only been on the sled twice! Our neighbor plowed our driveway open for us or we would still be shoveling!



Brenna is growing like a weed. Time seems to go so much faster with the 2nd child. She is 6 1/2 months old and has 4 teeth already. She sits up pretty well and is such a good baby. She LOVES to watch Bradyn and snuggle with him. She started swim lessons The beginning of January and loves the water! I was really surprised! She is not much of a baby food eater. She prefers her milk! She was 16 lbs 3.2 oz (50%) and 27 inches (87%) at her 6 month check up. She is tall like her daddy!



Bradyn will be 4 soon :( He told me a few weeks ago that when he is 20 he will still be my baby! I am holding him to that! He loves his sis and loves to entertain her. Now that she can sit up on her own he loves to sit and play with her on the floor. He is the BEST big brother! He is learning so much at school and is Mr. social bug. Can't take that kid anywhere without him knowing someone and he's only 3 1/2! (He gets that from his daddy!) He also told me one day that he wants to marry me when he gets older! He cracks me up! Him and Bob went to the Monster Truck show last night and Bradyn LOVED it! It was good bonding time for the 2 of them. Bradyn's mouth ran a mile a minute when he got home to tell me all about it. I have never been to one. Next year we plan on taking him to the one in St. Louis! It is a much bigger show. He even got a monster truck at the show last night and that's all he's been playing with today. He has set up his race cars and is running over them with the truck just like at the show!



I hope that you enjoy the abundance of pictures and I promise I will TRY to do a little better with keeping up with my blog!

The time has come

The time has come for me to return to work. :( Since I did not win a million dollars while I was off I do have to return. Brenna is 12 weeks old today. So hard to believe-it sure has flown by! I have enjoyed every minute of my maternity leave (Even those first few weeks of sleepless nights!) It has been wonderful to spend the first 12 weeks of her life with her every moment of the day! She is a sweet and loving baby. She is very laid back and so much fun to be with. I really am going to miss her while I am at work.



I have also enjoyed the extra mommy and Bradyn time. It is amazing to see how much that boy has grown and changed. He is so sweet and kind and intelligent. He loves his sister and is so excited for her to start school with him this week. My first day back is Tuesday. When I told Bradyn that mommy has to go back to work and is sad, he said "well, you just need to have another baby mommy so you can be off work again!" He then says "Sissy is getting big so we need another baby!" O how I love that boy's thinking!



I love being a mommy! The joys that my children have brought into our lives is priceless. The endless hugs, kisses, snuggles and I love you's is so worth it all. I want Bradyn and Brenna to know how much I love them and how they have brought so much love to our lives. GOD definitely has blessed us with 2 beautiful children and I thank him each and every day for giving us the opportunity to be parents!



I really am dreading Tuesday-makes my stomach hurt to even think about it. I wish that we lived in a country where mommy's got a year off for maternity leave. I know that Brenna will be fine because she will be at a church daycare and will get the love that she needs while I am at work but it still makes me sad knowing that I will be away from her for so long. Bradyn has been there since he was 11 weeks old and I see how much that boy has learned and I know it is good for them but I just wish I could be with her til she was a little older.



We were able to make a trip to PA to visit family and attend a friend's wedding reception 2 weeks ago. It was nice to be home while the weather was nice. We usually are home when it's snowy outside. Bradyn got to enjoy the week with both sets of grandparents and spend tons of time outside playing which he loved. He even overcame his fear of dogs that week which I am so happy about. He was quite sad when we left the grandparents behind and cried several times on the way back. Both the kids were excellent travelers and never heard a peep out of either one of them.



We have a few fun things coming up this month with the start of fall. I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

Wow 8 Weeks Already!

I think that time flies even faster when the 2nd child arrives! Brenna will be 9 weeks old on Sunday-so hard to believe. She is a super good baby just like Bradyn was! She has only been getting up once during the nights and for the past week she's been sleeping thru the night. She still sleeps alot during the day but her periods of alertness have gotten longer. It is amazing to see how much she has grown and changed in the past 8 weeks. She has definitely gained weight because her clothes are fitting much better.

We were lucky enough to have my in-laws here for Brenna's delivery so that they could watch Bradyn for us. This helped ease our minds as we were in the hospital. It is hard not having family close by. Bradyn of course enjoyed the time with them but on our last night at the hospital he had a melt down. He had fallen asleep in my bed for a nap and when I woke him so he could go home he cried because he wanted me to come too! Needless to say, wiht my pregnancy hormones being out of whack I cried too! Bama and Papa were finally able to get him out the door and when he was getting in their jeep he goes "I love my mommy so much" and had tears streaming down his face! He is such a momma's boy! Having the grandparents here instead of him staying with a friend made a huge difference for him so I am thankful they were able to come!

Big brother Bradyn has been SUPER! He has done much better than I ever expected! He is very attentive to her and is full of kisses for her. It is very cute to hear him talk to her. His voice is very soothing for her when she's crying. He tells her that she's cute all the time. So sweet that boy!

We took him for a fun outing a couple of weeks ago because he has been so good. We went miniature golfing for the first time with him and then enjoyed some ice cream after wards. He had a blast! Bob and I had fun watching him play.

My sister and parents were here recently for a visit which we were happy to see them. Bradyn loved having "new"playmates! I think he gets bored sometimes with just Bob and I. We went to Chuck E Cheese one night which was fun for all of us! That was the first night that Brenna slept through the nite and it was because she couldn't sleep while we were there because it was so noisy and bright!

My sister and I went to the mall one day which was fun because I hate shopping by myself. I got lots of good deals on kid clothing for this fall and next summer. Then my parents and us went to the Children's Museum over the weekend. There was a ton of stuff to do there and Bradyn had a good time.

Bob and I even got to go out one evening-thanks to my parents for the babysitting! We went to see "The Switch"- which was good. That's the first time out for us since last year so the babysitting was much appreciated!

Of course, we got a little spoiled by all of my Mom's homemade cooking-yummy! Thanks Mom!
We sure enjoy having the company!

We are back in the routine of things this week. Bradyn moved up to a new class at school so that is exciting for him! He has some new kids in his class so am sure we will hear lots of stories!

Enjoy the pictures!

Brenna is here!

More Pictures...

Soon to be Big Brother!

My dear sweet Bradyn is about to become a big brother! He is very excited and wants to help with everything- which I hope continues when sister actually arrives! He is full of questions and has been entertained by all of his old baby toys that we have gotten out.

It has been kind of emotional for me- I am excited about the upcoming birth of our daughter but also worried about how Bradyn is going to do. He is such a Momma's boy and I don't want him to think that he is not getting the attention that he deserves. (Must be my pregnancy hormones!) It is amazing how a child can bring so much additional love into your life which is exactly what he has done and that love is about to double with the arrival of our daughter and I am so anxious to meet her.

We have been so busy this past month with trying to get things done. We took Bradyn to Grant's Farm the beginning of June in St. Louis and had a fun time. It is a wonderful place for families. Then we celebrated Father's Day with brunch at the wildlife park and visited with the animals afterwards. This has become our family tradition since the birth of Bradyn and we look forward to it every year. That same evening we took Bradyn to his first movie- Toy Story 3D. He loved it and enjoyed himself so much he wanted to stay and watch it again! It was a fun experience for Bob and I to see how excited he was.

Since then we have been busy working on the baby's room and cleaning the house. Bob did an awesome job at painting her room and putting up trim. All we have left to do is hang up some things.


We took Bradyn to a baseball game this past weekend- our team is an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinal. They had fireworks after the game. It was a nice evening for a game and Bradyn of course loved it. He was full of questions about the game and field! He is very inquisitive and asks some grown up questions at times.

Bradyn was looking at a bride figurine the other day that sits on my dresser and asked me "Momma- where did you and daddy get married?" I told him in a church in PA. He says 'When I get bigger and older I am going to get marred." I asked him which cute girl at his school that he wants to marry and he said "I want to marry you momma!" Cracked me up!!


The teachers at school have been trying to prepare him on being a big brother too which I think is helping. They told him that soon Mommy is going to have a baby to carry so he will have to walk and he told them "I will always be Momma's baby!" Yes, Bradyn you will always be my baby!

I will keep you updated on the arrival of our new baby! I can't wait to see what she looks like and to see how Bradyn does.

Just for today

This is a poem that I read somewhere and wanted to share! It's a reminder to be thankful for the children in our lives and how fast they grow up in the blink of an eye. Cherish every moment!!

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you came to be my son and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that GOD has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and the mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank GOD for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day...