June 2010

First things first, a little catch-up:

Cody is learning to swim and after two weeks of lessons is doing absolutely FANTASTIC! He's ditched the water wings and is swimming underwater almost the entire length of the pool. What he doesn't have down yet is treading water and getting his head high enough above water to take a good breath to keep going. But, those things aren't stopping him. His lung capacity is amazing.

Oh! And he's reading. HE CAN READ! Brilliant! He still has a year before he'll start school too!

Natalie is getting better about being in the water, but still isn't too thrilled with swimming. She prefers running and climbing right now.

She's the happiest baby until you do something that upsets her (like making her go to bed or get down from whatever she's climbed onto) and then she has the WORST temper. It's really interesting to watch her. I'm just glad that, even though she has a temper, she definitely is easy to please. People are always asking me if she smiles 24 hours a day. Yep! Pretty much!

She says: dada, doc doc (papa doc), ry-ry (ryan), duh-da (bubba), out, go go, die die (bye bye), hi, hey, hello, uh-oh, Pee-Pie (Peek-a-boo), da do (thank you), Di Dow (sit down), see and EAT! She points (this goes along with "See!", follows (some) directions, tries to dress herself, rocks her baby and asks for and gives kisses.

Okay, now for a couple of stories - I took the kids to see my mom in Sachse on Friday. She's the finance director for the city and recently the fire truck that she "bought" arrived, so we needed to pay "Grandma's Fire Truck" a visit. Cody was a little leery of it at first. (No hesitation from Natalie, of course.) I suspect that Cody thought the truck was going to drive away if he got in it. We eventually were able to convince him and I'm sure he's glad he climbed up in that huge truck!


Saturday, Cody and I had a date to go see Toy Story 3. This was the first time that he and I did something like this, just the two of us, and it was so great! He thought it was hilarious and I so loved getting to watch him giggle (so did the people sitting next to us). Afterward, Cody suggested that we have ice cream. Being the awesome mom I am - I, of course, agreed. So that was part of our lunch. Popcorn and Mr. Pibb at the movie. Ice cream for dessert.

Seems healthy to me!

The Wedding!

This one isn't about the kids...okay, maybe a little.

Of the three people who actually read this blog, I would guess that only two will be interested in this post...on the other hand, you were there...so maybe not.

LORI AND KYLE GOT MARRIED THIS WEEKEND AND IT WAS WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL AND SO EXCITING THAT I HAD TO WRITE THIS ALL IN CAPS!

Now, here's the "behind-the-scenes" perspective - shout out Theresa!

Thursday, we spent the afternoon and late into the night packing the U-haul with everything that we'd need to decorate at the wedding site. We rolled silverware and started making the first version of the programs (a second was designed, because we had no time to make anything complicated). By midnight, we were losing people and had only gotten 22 of the programs done.

Friday, we got up early, grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed back to Lori's house to drive the U-haul over to the Greenbranch, where the wedding and reception was held. That place was beautiful and I HIGHLY recommend it if you're having a wedding in the Bryan/College Station area - especially if it's outdoors! We got everything we needed to do that day done by about 3 and broke to get ready for the rehearsal that night.

After the rehearsal, we had a amazing dinner at Christopher's in Bryan. A lot of the guests spoke about Lori and Kyle and how great they are...I think Jimmy's was the best. He has the interesting perspective of having lived with both Lori and Kyle. Jimmy doesn't get nervous about talking in front of groups, he just doesn't like to, but always manages to have the right thing to say. I think it's funny that he seems to do better talking to large groups than small. My "speech" was just welcoming Kyle to our group of loud-mouth Brady spouses (it seems to be a pattern). It was a really late night. Jimmy walked the hall with Natalie almost the whole time. We probably should have left, but it just seemed too sad to leave your own sister's rehearsal dinner early!

Saturday came early, but I think we all had so much adrenaline that it wasn't too hard! Jimmy was going to go play golf, but we slept until 8 and thought he'd just go see if his mom needed help. THANK GOD HE DID THAT. There were a lot of things going on and she was really appreciative of having him there to put to work.

Lori's new sister-in-law, Sarah, and her family honored Lori with a bridesmaid's brunch and then we headed over to get our hair done. I'm always anxious about those sorts of things. I never know what to do and I'm always afraid I'll come out looking like I'm wearing a helmet. BUT - I was really happy with it. I had the girl cut my bangs and she curled it, doing her best to spray it enough to hold. Amanda (Queen Matron), Meredith and Laurie (two of my fellow lower-levels) had their hair done, as well and all looked really beautiful! Amanda and I were the last to leave the salon and we were really cutting it close. We were supposed to be back at the Greenbranch in 20 minutes and still had to go back to the Amanda's hotel to grab baby Grayson, Josh and their stuff. I still had to do my make-up and we both needed to get dressed. Of course, these things always work out and we got there with plenty of time, took pictures and then had about an hour and a half to just sit.

That's when Lori's nerves kicked in. Not too bad though. But it was just the typical "okay, now it's happening, everyone will be watching me, woohoo" kind of butterflies. Kyle seemed a little on edge, though I know he'll never admit to it. He just seemed anxious and not his usual smooth self. No worries though.

Ceremony time! It was beautiful. I teared up and let my chin quiver. It was just so great to finally see them get married! I mean, these two have been dating off and on, secretly and openly for at least 10 years! I think we all had some nervous excitement going on because we've been anticipating it for so long!

The reception was the best! (I even danced - well, my version, anyway!) I really enjoyed getting to see everyone and having a really great reunion of "the guys" from Beaumont. The core group of guys have all gotten married and started having kids and it isn't often (hardly ever) that we all get to see each other. It's fun how things never really seem to change. Those guys are so sweet and have always made me feel like I have a bunch of big brothers.

All four of us were in the wedding and Natalie and Cody were great! All night we kept hearing about how adorable our babies are and stories about what they were doing during the ceremony. We're so proud of them!

Well, as you can see, I don't have any pictures at this point, but I so wish I did. I can't wait to see them!

Quite a month!

This month, we've had two trips to the hospital with our babies. Natalie's was a couple of weeks ago when our pediatrician said "She's dehydrated and we need to admit her to the hospital." I wasn't really worried, knowing that getting her hooked up to an IV would solve that problem. I was very distressed about how sick she was though...she couldn't stop throwing up and she just kept looking up at me like "Mommy, why is this happening? Make it stop!" We cried together during the car ride. She stayed for two days and finally, after a week, got her appetite and ability to keep food down back.

Then, Saturday night, Cody woke up at 10:30 crying...screaming for us. He said his arm hurt and he was scratching like crazy. I lifted his shirt and his whole body was COVERED in hives. So many, that on his right side, under his arm and across his chest, it was just one, big, swollen mass. With the lights on, we could see that it was all over his face, arms, scalp, ears and down his legs. Now, this one, had me scared. We gave him Benadryl and after Papa Doc came to stay with Natalie, took him to the ER. This may have been over-kill, but we had no idea what had caused the reaction and worried what would happen if we did nothing and his breathing changed. So, we went and they gave him a steroid and sent us home. He woke up the next morning completely fine...and we still don't know what caused it.

Both of my babies are healthy now...PHEW!

Happily, we went to buy Cody's T-Ball gear this weekend. He got his first pair of cleats and batting gloves, a new (metal) t-ball bat, socks, pants and a bunch of practice balls. He is so happy! He wants to wear the gloves and cleats all the time. Jimmy told him that he was going to wear his shoes down, but how much damage can he really do at four years old?

Speaking of - CODY WILL BE FOUR THIS MONTH!! Wow! And let me tell you, if he only understood the concept, he'd be counting down the days. He has big plans for when he turns four - riding a motorcycle, skiing, snowboarding...every other sentence out of his mouth is "when I'm four...." Grandad freaked him out a bit the other day. He said something about Cody being four and Cody said "I'm not four. I'm three." I pointed out to Grandad, that Cody is obviously concerned that he may have missed the BIG DAY and assured him that he's not four - YET!

We've decided for his b-day to take him back to Great Wolf Lodge. He's been twice and talks about it all of the time. We were going to go sometime soon anyway, so decided that, instead of a party, we'd knock-out both birds. He doesn't know that he'll be going...we've decided to wait until the day we're going and give him a new swimsuit and a card telling him about the plans. He's going to be so excited and we can't wait!

Now, Miss Nattie - she's saying "Dada", "Ry-Ry" (Uncle Ryan), and shaking her head when we tell her no. We think she's also picked up "Hey" and she waves hello and goodbye. Oh! The best is when she blinks her eyes to show you her "pretty eyes" - taught by Nana - and dances every time she hears music. She's still giving me kisses - grabs my face with both of her hands and pulls me to her mouth - and she's started making a kissing sound. So sweet!

She loves food and smacks her mouth after every bite! She'll eat anything and we have to distract her to get her to stop eating. Still a big girl. At 9 months old, she's 28 1/2 inches and 22 pounds...still above the 90th percentile, but seeming to slow in her growth. Thank goodness, because she's been in 12 month clothing for 2 months already! We have a closet full of adorable summer outfits that will never have the tags even taken off! Boo!

Well, those are the highlights - lots to do coming up...hope we can get some sleep!

Sweetheart Angel Girl & Goofy Goober Boy

aka Nattie Bug and Cody Bear

Natalie is almost 8 months old and within the two weeks prior to Christmas she decided that she was tired of sitting around, so she learned how to: Sit up, Crawl, Pull-up, Walk along the furniture, Clap and Wave. She is now letting go and trying to balance herself. This only lasts seconds, but it seems that success in this arena happens quickly. We wonder if she'll be an early walker like her Aunt Lori and Grandad (both at 7 months). Cody walked at 11 months, so technically he walked early too, but she has even more motivation to get to wherever her big brother is! She definitely loves to go for assisted walks around the house.

She really is an angel and LOVES to cuddle and give kisses. She's given kisses since the day we left the hospital (seriously, I have a picture and she wasn't trying to suck my face off!) She will now grab my face and pull it to her mouth. It is the most slobbery, sweet thing ever!

Cody is getting WAY too big too. He's still a little guy compared to other kids his age, but seems to be so smart and wise. We can already see that he's going to be a challenge for us. He will live up to our dreams of him being smarter than us. He's been writing his name for a few months now and has tons of fun at his school two days a week and "Nana School" on Wednesdays. He knows all of his letters and numbers and Nana is now teaching him how to read. They're in the early stages of that, but he's definitely learning to recognize words. He got a LeapFrog Tag reader for Christmas and has really impressed us with all that he knows! The games on it are great for reading comprehension and word and letter recognition. (That's my little mom product plug.)

Everyone who meets him loves him - recently, one of his teachers told Jimmy that they love when he comes to her class because he'll go behind the other kids to clean up, saying that they didn't do it right. He can't stand for things to be put in the wrong place!

He's also ALL BOY! He still loves sports and usually won't wear anything but football jerseys. He likes talking about gross boy things and I've had to start telling him "Cody, we don't talk about those things." It's not a big deal except when he goes on and on....

Natalie and Cody love each other so much! Cody told me today that "For Christmas I prayed to God, Thank you for my baby sister." He loves buying clothes for her too...it's really hard to take him to a store because he just runs around grabbing clothes to show me! (He loves buying for himself as well - at least he's not selfish!) Natalie enjoys watching him play and when he gets close enough to her, she'll reach out to him for a hug. It is so sweet...she'll just lay her head on his chest and smile really big. Of course, Cody gets a kick out of her adoration.

So far, my babies are off to a great start! I know they'll have rough patches in their relationship, but I hope that we will always have a special family bond!

Oh yeah - and Jimmy and I are great too! Our 5 year anniversary is this week!! It's gone by so fast!

I still want a Hula Hoop!

It's over again. This is the saddest time of the year, isn't it? Luckily, I have TONS of photos and some great new cowboy boots to enjoy!

This Christmas was the first one that I've ever woken up in my own house. EVER. Seriously, we moved to Beaumont when I was a baby and went back to Abilene every year for Christmas. There were a couple of years that I was in Beaumont and couldn't leave, but I stayed with Jimmy's family then too so that I wouldn't be alone. Then, we moved to Dallas and started alternating Christmas between Abilene and Beaumont. This year, now that Jimmy's parents live up here, they decided to have Christmas in Dallas! God must have been happy about this too, 'cause he sent us SNOW! A White Christmas in Texas? Global warming, schmobal warming....


Natalie's first and Cody's fourth Christmas were pretty great. Cody even told me "It was the best Christmas ever!" Not sure where he heard that, but cool! Santa brought them a kitchen with lots of play food and pots and pans. Cody also got the Batman Cave and all of Batman's "friends" (you know, The Joker, Penguin, etc...his poker buds). Natalie got cute clothes and lots of things to chew on.


Jimmy and I decided not to exchange gifts this year...saving to pay off my car and our 5 year anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks...we didn't miss the gifts at all! I thought it was funny on Christmas Eve, because I couldn't decide if it was better to be a kid waiting for Christmas or a Mommy. They felt the same to me! So great!


So, now, 2010 has begun. The only event we anticipate this year is Lori & Kyle's wedding in May and perhaps a ski trip with the Brady Bunch next Christmas. (Please, oh please???) I'm happy to have my beautiful family to spend time with and make me laugh. I pray that your new year is as blessed as I believe mine will be!

Talking and Tickling

Well, Natalie's 3 months old now...and she's changed so much! I'm really trying to cherish everything that's going on right now. Looking at how big our Cody is reminds me of how fast it goes. (It's okay if I say it...but I don't need anyone else reminding me.)

So, in this video, you'll hear me laugh at the beginning. Of course, she was talking up a storm and then, as soon as I turned on the camera, she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Does that mean anything? Am I seeing into her future?

She eventually went back to talking to her doll. And then she let me get her laughing on video too. She's already REALLY ticklish!

It's so great!

2008 Complete!

I just finished up my 2008 photobook. Actually, when it comes in, I'll be adding stickers and captions to some of the pages, but at least all of the photos are in and it's on the way!

I love Blurb! I just realized that I can customize and create layouts...I think I'll be abandoning Picaboo...if I can figure out how to put in better backgrounds! Blurb is WAY cheaper!

Woohoo! Please take a look, if you'd like - WARNING! It's 156 pages....nevermind, you can only view the first 15 pages...UGH!

The Brady Family

2008

By Cody - age 2

Book Preview