Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Braxton,

One year ago today you were placed in my arms for the first time, a moment I will never forget.  I will never forget when they announced you were a boy and I immediately started crying and sent daddy over to be with you because you were sure voicing your opinion about being out of your comfortable living quarters.

This past year I have seen your first smiles, heard your first coos and laughs, watched as you rolled all the way over, and recently watched as you took your first steps!  Baby boy, and yes you will always be my baby, this past year has been the most amazing year of your daddy and mine's lives.  We can not imagine what our life was even like without you.  You have grown from the long and lanky 6lb 15oz, 21 inch long  tiny baby into a 24 pound toddler.  You are our big boy!

You are so loving and sweet.  Mommy loves your open mouthed slobbery kisses and the noise that you make as you lean in to plant that kiss right on my mouth.  I love listening to the sounds that you make as you walk around the house holding our hands.  I love the words (sounds) that you say repeatedly for no good reason.  I love watching you get excited, smile from ear to ear, and clap your hands as you let our a shrill.

Braxy, you have brought us such joy this past year and we love you to the moon and back forever and ever!

Love, Mommy

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

This post is going to be out of order considering I have not posted about Thanksgiving or Braxton's birthday party but I know ya'll will forgive me.  I am so excited for the Christmas season to be in full swing.  The day after Thanksgiving my mind immediately switched into Christmas mode!  We are so excited to start new traditions as a family of three this year and then as a family of four next year.  We are excited to be able to see our own children's faces as they come down the hallway, into the living room where Santa has left their presents.  We are excited to open the new toys/goodies and get to play all morning, just like we did as children.  So many things to be thankful for this year and so many things to look forward to on holidays now that we have a family of our own. 

Our tree!  I kept is really simple this year, mainly read and white snow flakes.  Luckily Braxton does not mess with it at all!



Our mantel.  Excuse the candle holders on the right that do not have candles on them yet. 



Thanksgiving

I thought about doing the 30 days of Thanksgiving but with all that is going on I knew that there would probably be NO way that I could/would keep up with it!  So I decided to write it all on one blog at one time-- these are in no particular order.
#1- I am thankful for the life that the Lord has blessed me with.
#2- I am thankful that we serve an amazing God.
#3- I am thankful for my husband.  He is such an amazing husband and father.
#4- I am thankful for my marriage.  Is it perfect?  No, but it is perfectly perfect for both of us.  The last 3/almost 4 years of marriage have been filled with compromise, communication, ups, downs, a LOT of laughter, learning, and love.  I am so thankful that we both learn from our mistakes in marriage and are able to grow as a couple and continue to love, honor, and respect each other through it all.
#5- I am so very thankful that the Lord chose us to be Braxton's parents.  I still have moments, like yesterday, when I sit and watch him sleep with tears in my eyes.  He is one of the most precious gifts that we have ever been given and I could not imagine life with out him.  The love for him is one that I never knew existed.
#6- I am thankful for our families!  We would not be who we are today with out them.
#7- I am thankful that we have a house to come home to every day.
#8- I am thankful for my job!  Yes sometimes it is hard to wake up and sometimes the kids get on my last nerve but I leave there knowing that in some way, shape, or form I have helped these children.
#9- I am thankful that we have food on the table every day.  I am also thankful that we (hubby, Brax, and myself) sit down together at the dinner table every night.  Love these family moments!
#10- I am thankful for my friends!  I have had the same best friends since 6th grade and I have added new friends along the way.  Thankful that even though we might not talk every day we are able to get together and catch up like no time has passed at all.
#11- I am thankful for my sister.  She is an amazing friend, support system, helper, and any other wonderful word that you can think of.  She is also an AMAZING mother to our precious niece.
#12- I am thankful for our parents.  My parents guided, supported, and have never given up on me! Thank you!!!
#13- I am thankful for my health.
#14- I am thankful for medical professionals, especially recently!  They have taken such good care of my mom and continue to do what is best for her.  They also helped our little Braxy out and were so good to him when he got his tubes!
#15- I am thankful for my car.  It is something that we often take for granted but I am thankful that I have a reliable car to get us around safely.
#16- I know I already said I was thankful for my friends but I am thankful for my best friend, who is also my sister in law.  We have been through a lot and now marriage and children!!  It's so fun!
#17- I am thankful for the patience that the Lord has blessed me with as a mother.  (Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect by any means)
#18- I am thankful for Braxton's sitter!  She, her husband, and her mom take such great care of him!
#19- I am thankful for the second little life I am growing inside of me.  Although it was not on our timing/plan it was HIS!  We are so thankful and I am already anxious, very anxious, to meet this little one!
#20- I am thankful for my little brother.  He is such a sweet, caring young boy and brings such joy to all of our lives!
#21- I am thankful for learning experiences.  Everything that has happened in my life has happened for a reason- even if at the time I did not think it was fair.  I am thankful that I have taken the time and opportunity to embrace these experiences and learn and grow from them.  "Your best teacher are your mistakes."
#22- I am thankful for my education.
#23- I am thankful for all of the open mouthed slobbery kisses that Braxton gives me.
#24- I am thankful for technology.  Email, telephones, etc.  It offers me the ability to keep up with all of my great friends and family!
#25-I am thankful for my time off this week and the extra time with Braxton.  We have played and played and played, walked around the house over and over, and even got to go eat lunch with daddy yesterday.
#26- I am thankful that I am able to enjoy the simple things in life.  Just this morning I was smiling from ear to ear as I walked Braxton around the house and he was holding on to my finger SOOOOO tight.  I will never forget little moments like this.
#27- I am thankful for our servicemen.
#28- I am thankful for clothes.  I do not like shopping so my clothes are not the latest fashions but I am thankful that I have clothes with no holes in them and warm clothes for cold days!
#29- I am thankful for washing machines, dryers, and refrigerators.  Weird I know, but think about what life with be like without these things.
#30- I am thankful for everything in my life!    

Big Boy hair cut in pictures

Watching Diego

Still doing ok.... 

Excited about driving! 

I am not so sure about this anymore 

Let's try the paci

"Mom, Dad, I don't like this" 

Not happy 

Poor baby

Distracted by Diego.... this did not last long

THIS IS TORTURE! 

All done and looking like a big boy

Thank you Heather!

Thank you Heather for my early Christmas present and new blog design!!!!  I love it!

So much to say, so little time

I know I have been MIA for quite some time.  I did manage to get Braxton's 11 month post up but that is about all.  Let's see what has been going on:

• My mom had her double mastectomy on October 18th.  Everything went well.  The biopsy of her lymphnodes on her right side were clear but the biopsy of the lymphnodes on her left side came back positive for cancer.  This just means that while they were in surgery they took out the lymphnodes under her arm on her left side.  I went with her to the appt where they had the pathology reports back and it was such a relief to find out that out of the 16 lymphnodes they took out, the cancer was only ONE lymphnode.  Praise the Lord!!!  There have been many many appts since then, which eventually will all lead up to her treatment.  She is scheduled to start chemo the Monday after Thanksgiving and then radiation will follow after chemo is completed. 
• We found out October 7th that we are expecting our second child.  This was a complete shock but a completely welcome blessing.  It took me about two weeks for my nerves to calm down and to fully wrap my head about the fact that we are going to have two kids under two but we are 100% ecstatic!  Children/parenthood is such a blessing and we can not wait to welcome baby number two. 
• We went to the ENT yesterday for Braxton and he is scheduled for tubes next Tuesday.  I know a lot of people say "poor baby" but we are so thankful that something is finally being done about his ear issues.  Poor thing has battled ear infections since he was three months old, and what is sad is that they said that his very first ear infection probably never cleared up 100% and it has been continuous.  This last month was HORRIBLE.  He had an ear infection, a round of antibiotics that did not even touch the infection, turned into a double ear infection, a three day shot treatment, cleared up one ear but the other one remained infected, another round of antibiotics.  All the while the fluid on both of his ears has never drained!!!  So for a month (that we know of) Brax has had fluid sitting on both ears.  Needless to say the ENT said he has a definite plumbing problem (plumbing of the ears that is).  So I know people think "poor baby" but this momma and daddy are jumping for joy that he will have relief and we will not be seeing our doctor so often!!!! 
• Braxton turns one on the 30th!!!!!!!!AHHHH, where did our baby go?  I love love love parenthood and I love love love my little boy!
• I have ALL week off next week and I am super excited about two days worth of Thanksgiving food. HAHA.