Merry Christmas

Brayden is the best present I could have ever asked for...

Aren't these some of the cutest pics you have ever seen?!? I scanned them in so, they look a little weird, but I have been dying to post them all. I had to wait until I gave them as Christmas gifts to the grandparents first! I loved Charly's pics of Brayden, but still felt like I needed some more of just him in his Santa suit that JaJa bought him. I LOVE them so much!:)

Anyway, I totally set this post to publish on Christmas & I sure hope it worked out okay! I hope you all had a VERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS with your familys & I can't wait to report how wonderful Brayden's first Christmas was!

Sweetness

I can't believe it is already Christmas Eve! Gooodnesss! Time just goes by way tooo fast. Currently Brayden is sleeping...

& Bailey is at work, so I am just blogging. I've already cleaned up the apt this morning, so I don't really have anything else left to do besides take a nap! My parents are coming in town this evening & then we will go to my Aunt & Uncle's house to do Christmas with them. Tomorrow we will do Christmas as a family of 3 & then head to Bryan to be with Bailey's family! :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share this sweet pic of Brayden cuddling with his bear. I really don't have a good reason as to why Brayden is shirtles. He is a boy on the move & has places to go, so sometimes getting him dressed is a challenge- HA! :)

Hope y'all have a VERRY Merry Christmas!! :)

Christmas Pics & Card

A few weeks back we went & had Charly take some family pics of us. Charly & I both started our teaching career together at Bonham in Bryan & it was so nice to see her again!! :)

We had to cancel the first session because of the rain & we were afraid it would pour down on us at any minute during our 2nd session, but she managed to get some great pics of us despite the gloomy weather! Here are a few of my faves...

Look at his little curl in the next two... :)

She also designed our Christmas card for us & I am so happy with the way it turned out. And since I have finally put them in the mail I figured I could go ahead & upload it here....

Wal-Mart totally boofed up the margins when it printed, but I still went ahead & sent them out eventhough it nearly killed me to do so. Anyway- Thank you again Charly! :)

Tomorrow is the last day of school & then I get 2 weeks off with my boys- I can't wait!! :)

A Little Treat ;)

Just wanted to do a quick update...Brayden is in bed already & Bailey is studying annnd none of my shows are on(sad)! Anyway, this past weekend while I was getting Brayden's bath ready for him- he crawled over to the tub & started banging on it(as usual), but then he said 'Bah!' really loud. I totally am thinking he was saying 'BATH'! Bailey thought I was nuts, but I really think he said his first official word aside from 'mama' & 'dada'. It was really cute- that little boy loves his bath time! ;)

Annnd Brayden has not done much walking at all in the past few weeks. Just a few steps here & there when I am far away from my camera. BUT this weekend we were at the mall waiting for Bailey to come meet us at a store & this very nice lady started talking to him while we were sitting annnnd he walked to her! He walked a good 5-6 steps to a complete stranger- go figure! I just had to laugh- my little turkey!:)

Also, this weekend he would NOT nap for anything. 30 minutes here or there IF we were lucky...here is a video I got of him when he was SUPPOSED to be sleeping.

I turned the light on in the video just so the camera would actually pick up what he was doing. Before I walked in he was kicking his foot on the mattress & just talking & laughing away, so I had to go see what he was up to! :)

I have 3 more days until Holiday Break & I can't wait. I plan to play with Brayden as much as possible, sleep when I can, work on Brayden's 1st birthday some and of course blog- so make sure to check back! ;)

Most Wonderful Time of The Year

I LOVE Christmas time & this year it is so much more special since it is Brayden's FIRST Christmas! :) I have been going nuts trying to make everything as perfect as possible for him. I know he wont even remember this & that he doesn't even know what is going on, but I still want to make sure it is extra special this year. I posted a few pics of what our apt is looking like now. I ordered 2 ornaments for B & have gotten one in so far. One is his 'First Christmas' ornament & the other I just thought was too cool & had to get him. Have you found Etsy yet? I have & am addicted to it...it's where I ordered both of his ornaments from. Anyway, our tree is a little 'slim' this year because I forgot that we sent an entire box of ornaments & such to my parents & we wont see them until Christmas, sooo- we just made do. It kind of worked out for the best anyway, because now maybe Brayden wont be so drawn to the tree. So far he hasn't really paid much attention to it, but the tree skirt- he LOVES! :)

Our Stockings!:)

That is 1 of the ornaments I ordered- the pictures do not do its cuteness justice. It has his name written on it spelled with different 'Christmasy' themes. Anyway, I absolutely love it! I also put a little tree up in Brayden's room & hung little bear ornaments(thanks to Jah-Jah). We still are looking for a short string of lights to hang on it, so as soon as I find those I shall post a pic!

Oh & here is a picture of Brayden playing with the box that is holding his Christmas present in. If he only knew what was in there- haha!! :)

I am pretty sure that Christmas morning he will be more excited about the fact that he will finally be able to get inside the box than play with his new toy!

Anyway, this afternoon I picked him up from Mrs. Sandy's & he crawled as fast as he could over to me, I picked him up & he kissed me!! My heart melted & it warmed me up so much! Normally, he could care less when I pick him up- it is Bailey who gets the star treatment, but today it was me & I loved it! Also, I am the only one so far that he has been giving out kisses to! ;)

Well, this weekend we are planning on staying close by & picking up the last few presents we need to buy, mailing out Christmas cards & hopefully making a trip to the park if it is not too cold! My trashy reality TV shows are just about to start, so I better go....but aren't you so proud that I was able to blog again?! It's a Christmas miracle- HA! ;)

Big Ol' Blog Update :)

I can't believe I have been MIA for a month! Work is ruining my blogging life! :)

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Austin to go visit my parents & had a great time! Brayden loves spending time with his cousins, Aunt Lynn, Uncle Matt, Maw-Maw & Paw-Paw! In fact, he loves it so much that he refuses to sleep very much when we are in town visiting them- ha! :) We spent the time just being together, laughing & watching the cousins play together. Thursday we had a ton of family over & ate sooo much yummy food! I LOVE Thanksgiving & all the food that comes with it! :) Brayden took a 3 hour nap as soon as everybody got there & it was kind of nice because that meant we got to actually sit down together & eat!:) Normally me and Bailey eat in shifts since he is so much on the go, so this was a nice treat for us! We also let him enjoy some of the yummy food as well. Although, his most favorite thing was an Oreo! He nearly took us down to get another bite of it.

Uncle Cody came over & Brayden instantly fell in love

Brayden loves all his cousins- Matalyn is so great with him & Brayden just adores her! Aunt Lynn introduced Brayden to banana pudding- yum!
Uncle Matt is the best tickler out there!
Brayden LOVES his baths & literally would stay in there all day if we let him. His most favorite thing to do in the tub is to stick his face in the water!

We came home Thursday night because Bailey had to work black Friday & spent the rest of the weekend getting ready for Christmas. We put up our tree, hung the stockings & got Brayden's 'big' Christmas present! We aren't planning on getting him tons of things, but would like for him to enjoy opening a few presents Christmas morning. I know he will LOVE playing in the wrapping paper & the boxes more than anything else. I also plan on getting him a little box of his own tupperware, so I can get mine back! :)

Brayden will be 10 months on Saturday & I wish I could 'freeze frame' time! These past 10 months have flown by & I can't believe in just 2 short months he will be 1 & that means I am going to be planning his FIRST birthday here soon!! :(

Here are some things he is doing...

- took his FIRST STEPS 2 weeks ago & has done it a few more times since- I am hoping he doesn't really start until after Christmas...with all these decorations/trees up- I need him to be limited in his movement :)

- babbling non-stop & starting to use ma-ma & da-da in the right context

- attached to his pacifier BIG TIME

- his 'death grip' has gotten stronger & trying to pry anything from his hands is nearly impossible

- standing up on his own without holding onto anything for a few moments at a time

- cruising along furniture & crawling faster

- taking things out of containers & putting them back in

- drinking water from a sippy-cup

- banging on anything & everything he can- such a boy :)

This is right after he took a few steps to get the cell phone....

And here is his latest trick...he pulls open the ottoman & crawls inside. He was so proud of himself the first time he did it! :)

This is my most favorite pic of Brayden & Bailey! They both warm my heart so much & fill it up with so much love & joy! They are the 2 things I am most thankful for & the only presents I need ! :)

Happy Halloween

We had such a great time in Austin this weekend! Brayden looked so stinkin' cute in his monkey costume & pictures really do not do the cuteness justice! I think I may put him in it a few more times before he outgrows it just for fun! :)

On Saturday we made our trick-or-treat bags, played outside in the beautiful weather, went shopping, played some more & then went trick-or-treating! Brayden LOVES being outside and it worked out so nice that the weather was amazing.

We got so many great pictures that it was hard for me to narrow it down to just a few for the blog, so I made this cool collage using picasa. If you click on the image it will 'enlarge' it, so you can see the pics better.

Anyway, Brayden had the perfect 1st Halloween & we are looking forward to many more years of trick-or-treating with our little man! :)

Quick Update

There is not too much to report on here other than Brayden now has 4 teeth and I left work early today to take him to the doctor...he has a double ear infection & an upper respiratory infection too! :( Not to mention, the horrible cough that just makes my heart sad! Although, you would never guess from this picture taken tonight that he was sick ....

He is our little trooper & man, do I love him! :) Can you believe in just a week or so Brayden will be 9 MONTHS OLD!! Holy moly! Okay, I know I freak out like this every month, but still- I can't believe it. Where does the time go?! Anyways...here are a few new pics of my little man...

Playing peek-a-boo...his new favorite thing! :)

This just cracks me up...haha...

My handsome boys! :)

I got some super cute pics of him tonight in the bathtub, but they were a little 'x-rated' & I really don't feel comfortable putting his naked self out on the internet. Sooo...you will just have to come to my place to see them!:) He is doing this new thing in the tub where he lays on his tummy & puts his face in the water...then he sits up & has made himself a bubble mustache...all on his own. He really gets a kick out of it..its pretty funny- I promise! :)

Anyway, this weekend we are headed to Round Rock for some fun Halloween festivities with my fam! Brayden is going to be the CUTEST monkey you have ever seen! :) Annd you can guarantee yourself a big ol' blog update after this weekend filled with pictures, so make sure to check back in on us!

3 Day Weekend

This weekend was wonderful! I had 3 days off to spend with my boys & I enjoyed every minute of it. We were also able to spend time with friends & family too. Saturday night we went to my SNL's house for some amazing smoked chicken & ribs and then on Sunday we had another bbq with my team. I seriously think I work with the best group of ladies possible! :)

Bailey had class today, so I just stayed home with Brayden & we played until we both were so tired that we each took a 3 hour nap- amazing! :) He is so much fun to play with, but he sure does make me tired with all the crawling, pulling up & falling over- whew!

Anyway, this is what he is doing now though...

I guess you can say he is 'semi-walking' now. He can move all over the apt as long as he is pushing something & it was so funny to see how proud of himself he was when he did it for the first time! I guess those first TRUE steps are not too far away now. Although, I really do hope they come later than sooner.

I am also SO excited that fall is here. I love everything about this time of year & I can't wait for Brayden's 1st Halloween in just a few more weeks!! :) I also can't wait for fried turkey & then Christmas music- woo hooo!! :) I hope Brayden loves it as much I do.

Here are a few pics from our weekend...

He kept making this face when I would try to take the burp cloth..ha!

I hope you all had a great weekend & have an even better week! :)

It's time for an update

My Goodness- being back at work sure does take away from my blogging life! I did so good this summer at blogging all the time and I hope to get better at picking up the slack here.

There is not too much going on except for Brayden working on getting over being sick. We took him to the doctor on Friday because he was running a low fever, congested, coughing & just not his happy go-lucky self. He also had some green goop coming out of his eyes & I was concerned it may be pink eye. Turns out he had/has his 1st ear infection & the green goop was just a TON of congestion & it was backing up into his eyes...poor baby! We got some antibiotics & he is starting to get better. He finally got his appetite back today, so that was good.

Oh & he is getting his 3rd tooth in. He has his 2 bottom teeth, so this is the 1st of the upper front teeth!

Brayden will be 8 months old in a week & I can't believe it!! I am going to be planning his 1st birthday here pretty soon...okay, who am I kidding?! You all already know I am planning it now- hehe! Anyway- this is what he is up to now...

B is into licking people, screaming when he is happy, saying everything except ma-ma(okay I'm being a little dramatic there...he is just saying ba-ba & da-da, but still!) crawling extremely fast now, pulling up & cruising along the furniture. I originally thought he would be walking on his own by now since he started crawling awhile ago, but I am thinking he is perfectly content with crawling & I am PERFECTLY happy with that! The longer he can go without walking- the easier our lives will be! He is already into everything & everywhere now...I can't imagine the damage he will do when he can walk & run-eeee!!

Anyway, Brayden is also doing this new thing when he smiles....he closes his eyes super tight & grins sooo big! It's sooo cute! We have also been giving him an afternoon snack of water in a sippy-cup & those Gerber melt-aways & he LOVES it. It took him a day or two to figure out the whole idea of grabbing something so small & actually getting it into his mouth, but he has it down pact now & can shovel several into his mouth at a time without dropping too many on the floor! ;)

Here are a few pics of my prince charming...


I love how he sleeps...butt in the air!

Here is his new smile...

He LOVES Elmo & we will often hear him talking to Elmo in between dragging him around the apt & chewing on his eyes! :)

Well, I better get to bed before it gets too late! I hope to post a new video soon, so keep checking back!

Video Time

Wow- I have been out of the blogging loop for awhile now...well awhile for me!:) I don't have too much to say, but I thought I would update you by showing some videos of Brayden & that way you could see what he is up to now...

We think this is too funny...he really loves his baths & literally does this everynight...

He is also doing this a lot...

You know....pulling up on everything....cruising along furniture...moving from one piece of furniture to another & still putting anything into his mouth that he can! He is also screaming, smiling & just being soooo adorable & cute! :)

I know I am bias, but you have to admit...he is probably one of the cutest little boys you have ever seen, right?! :)

Puppy Dogs

Anybody who really knows me knows how terrified I used to be of dogs & how sometimes that terror still comes out! I am thinking this fear is not genetic because apparently Brayden LOVES dogs & thinks they are the funniest thing ever...literally! Don't believe me? Take a look...

All those smiles are from the puppy dog running right past him. I have never heard him laugh as hard as he did when he saw the puppy. I thought he was about to jump out of paw-paw's arms & onto the dog.

I guess this means that one day we will be getting dog. I mean seriously...how can I say no to that smile?! Could you??

I am Lovin' Life

The other night I was holding Brayden & he wrapped his little arms around my neck & HUGGED me! My heart melted ... I mean totally melted. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love this little man anymore than I already do...he proved me wrong!

He has also found his tongue & loves to stick it at out you, lick your face & actually he just likes to lick anything now, ha! Oh & he is making this face all the time now...

We took Brayden to the park for the first time yesterday!! He swang some, sat by the lake, looked at the ducks & then swang some more!:)






Isn't his little 'Brayden' shirt too cute?! I LOVE it! I tried to get Bailey to agree to all of us having matching shirts like that, but I couldn't get him to budge on that one. Apparently, wearing a shirt that says 'dad' or even 'Bailey' was by no means appealing to him, lol!

Brayden sure is getting fast at this crawling business & he enjoys tackling you if you are laying on the ground, haha...

As sad as I get about the fact that he is growing so fast- I have to admit he gets more fun as each stage comes! It is so fun to watch his little personality mature & develop.

Oh & my first week of school went GREAT & I am very excited for this school year. I have an awesome team of ladies that I work with & the kids are great. I miss Brayden like crazy during the day, but I know he is in good hands & is having a blast playing with his friends at Sandy's!

We've got a 3-day weekend coming up & I can't wait! 3 whole days to spend with my boys!!! :)