Bryson's First Christmas

This was Bryson's first Christmas, and my favorite Christmas yet! What more could anyone ask for that the two greatest gifts........Brayden and Bryson.

Santa Cookies

This is the first year we made cookies for Santa with Brayden. He had a blast!! There were just crumbs left on Christmas morning, so I'm sure Santa approved!

A Weekend at Nana and Papa's

This past weekend we went to visit Nana and Papa!! Brayden was "Nana's Boy" the entire time and Papa was referred to as "The Baby Hog". As you can see, Bryson is hard work.........lol. It was a great time! I got to visit a close friend on Saturday while my boys were being spoiled at their grandparents house. Brayden is still talking about the train ride in Creekmore park!! We can't wait to see you again on Christmas Eve! Thanks for such a great weekend!

My Rockstars!!

My babies love to rock out....lol. Brayden on the guitar, Bryson on the drums!!

Brayden's First Dentist Appointment

Brayden had his first ever dentist appointment last week. He did better than I expected. Dr. S was able to count his teeth (he has 20), clean them, floss them, and look for "candy bugs". As you can see in the second picture.......Brayden had a few "candy bugs". Mommy is definitely going to help Brayden more with brushing his teeth.........not a pleasant event around our house! Another exciting occurance.......since we are on a teeth subject.........Bryson got his first tooth on December 5th. He constantly sticks his tongue in the way every time I try to get a picture, but hopefully soon I will get one!

Go Tabor Go!!

I was so excited that I got to see Amanda and her family on Saturday. Her husband is the head basketball coach of Tabor College. They were playing a team in Claremore, Oklahoma, on Saturday so I took the kiddos. It was a great time. I have to say, taking two children by myself to a basketball game was not the easiest time I have every had. I'm not sure I could tell you two plays in the whole game. The important thing is that we had fun. I loved getting to see you Amanda, although I wish it was a longer visit. I guess our visits are never long enough though!

skater boy

Tonight was the funnest night I have ever had with Brayden! It was just us two and I took him skating for the first time. Our friend Sara and her boys invited us to the local skating rink for a fundraiser for their school. I'm so glad and grateful they did. Brayden did pretty well considering it was his first time. He held my had the whole time. However, as you can see in the last picture, I let go just once and he fell........hitting his cheek. He's a tough little guy though! A quick little cry and we were off again. My absolute favorite part was at the end. They had all the kids take off their skates and do the "Cha Cha Slide" and the "Chicken Dance". Brayden was so adorable!! He danced the whole time. I have videos that I will post, but I had technical difficulties tonight. I'll try again. Thanks again Sara for the invite........WE HAD A BLAST!!

You Can't Prove It!!

I didn't give him chocolate, and you can't prove that I did!! Don't my boys look mischievous together?!

Superheros Unite

A few months back, there was a Chick-fil-A that opened in Joplin in addition to the one inside the mall. We are all big Chick-fil-A fans!! This Chick-fil-A goes above and beyond customer service! They always have great events for families. This event was "Superheros Unite". They had all the main superhero characters, free food for the kids, a monster truck, balloon characters, and party favors for everyone. Brayden refused to wear his ninja turtle costume once we arrived, but he still decided to use his sword on a few of the superheros. His favorite part was the moster truck. He had a hard time leaving it.......yes, there was bribery involved. Bryson LOVED the superheros.......as you can see in the picture. We all had a great time.

Fabulous Fall

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year!! I love everything about it. I love the beautiful colors of the leaves, the cool crisp air, and the introduction to the festive holidays. This tree is so beautiful. It is on the street in front of our house and I can't help but stare and comment on it everytime we pass by it. Just as the fall brings about changes in the scenery, this fall has brought about many changes for our family! We FINALLY closed on our house we have been trying to sell for a year!! We love the area we are in. Our life is much fuller and happier than it has been in a long time!! We have found a church that we enjoy and look forward to attending every Sunday. We are blessed with two healthy, gorgeous, joyful boys that make our hearts smile everyday. Our hearts are filled with love, gratitude, and hope. We have been blessed in so many ways and we are so thankful!!

Trick or Treat!!

This year was definitely our most exciting Halloween ever!! We were so excited that Nana and Papa could share it with us!! We started the day at Brayden's preschool where the kids did a parade in their Halloween costumes. Brayden was a ferocious dragon and Bryson was a sweet pea. Brayden was so excited to see his Nana and Papa that he left the line and came charging for them. Of course, Nana had to hold his had and walk in the parade with him or else he would not have budged. After the parade, we went inside for the Halloween Party. Brayden and his Papa was BIG BUDDIES!! They colored pictures, played games, dug for bones in the corn graveyard, and played spooky golf. Brayden and his Nana got matching pink cats stamped on their hands. They had a train for the kids that Brayden spent most of his time riding......it was a great time!! Halloween evening we went to our church for a hayride. Brayden LOVED it!! I think his favorite part was door to door Trick-or-Treating. Brayden got enough candy to last him until next Halloween. Thank you Nana and Papa for sharing in this exciting event with us!! It wouldn't have been the same without you there!!

Cabin Fever

Our family has all been sick with a nasty cold for the past few days. Unfortunately this caused us to miss a much anticipated camping trip to a cabin with my aunt and her family. We had already bought all the food and supplies we needed for the trip. Brayden was very disappointed, as were we that we could not go. After being stuck in this house for three days, we were all bored and stir crazy. We decided we didn't have to miss all the fun of camping even if we couldn't actually be there. We got out all our supplies we had bought to make s'mores and had a marshmellow roast and s'more making date in the middle of our living room. They were so yummy and Brayden had a blast. However, we believe he likes fire way more than he should. Thank goodness it's fire safety month at his preschool. Although Bryson slept through our s'more making event, he didn't miss all the fun. Mommy took him for a wild and crazy ride in the Lego wagon today. He loved every second of it!! We made the most of our evening at home!!

Pumpkin Patch at Fredrick Farm

Brayden and I had a wonderful time today at the Pumpkin Patch. Bryson stayed with a friend so I could have one on one time with my big boy. We learned all about pumpkins, had a hayride pulled by a tractor, and got to go into the patch and pick our very own pumpkin. Brayden has such a big heart that he wouldn't leave the patch until he could get a pumpkin for Bryson too. It was a great morning!!

VBHS Class of '98 Reunion

It is hard to believe I am old enough to have a ten year reunion. Time seems to fly so much faster the older I get. It was great to see old friends and reconnect with classmates we haven't seen in years.

Mmmmm.....tootsies, cereal, and Cubbies!!

I just thought this picture was too cute of Bryson eating his tootsies. We also had cereal for the first time. As you can see, he is already establishing his independence. He took the spoon right out of Mommy's hand and fed himself.....what a big boy!! He's growing up way too fast, so sad. Brayden's Daddy took him to his first Cubs game as part of his birthday present. His great grandma Donna, which is where our love for the Cubs all began, and his cousin Jordan went with them. They all had a great time. And..."CUBS WIN"!! Also, Brayden wanted to make his Papa proud by showing off his new Titan uniform. I think he's quite adorable. Pretty sure they will be scouting him soon!!

Too Big Too Fast!!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I have posted. Shame on me (Sorry Casey!! hehe), I'll get better. We have had lots going on since August. Brayden has started a new Christian preschool which we absolutely ADORE!! He is doing so great there!! He also turned 3 on September 1!! We are in the process of potty training........wish me luck folks. If you notice in the picture with the birthday hat that Brayden is the proud owner of 2 black eyes and a bruised nose.......courtesy of a slide at Kangaroo Gym. He's doing much better now. Bryson.....or squeaks as we like to call him, is going fantastic. It breaks my heart that I'm losing my baby more and more every day. He is already trying to crawl when you put him on his tummy. He isn't the biggest fan of cereal, but we are working on it. You hardly see him without both hands in his mouth....such a cutie. These two boys are our world. We are so blessed.