NIghts of Lights

During the Holiday season, Lake Lanier Islands always host a Night of Lights tour! This has been going on for years....we use to go all the time in Highschool....just to give us something to do! It is actually quite amazing how they can generate some many lights...it is crazy! When you get done with the tour of lights....there is a BIG gift shop and TWO HUGE fire pits where you can roast mashmellows and drink Hot Chocolate. There is also a mini carnival that most kids enjoy doing....pending the weather! We haven't been in awhile and went with a group of friends in an R.V. and toured the lights. It actually was pretty cool because the kids were able to sit at the windows and look at everything while the adults were in awe as well or just relaxing!

Picturessssss!

Hello Blog Family.....I posted pictures per your request.....ENJOY!

I have more to come but I will share those at Christmas time. Love to all and Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving

Hello, I know it has been a while and Braylen has changed so much but I/we have been so busy with her that I keep forgetting to document it....ugh! She is in a stage that is A LOT of FUN! All those crazy teeth have come through and she isn't as grumpy anymore. The chick...is very independent....loves to run and go up and down the stairs.....loves to walk Addie and LOVES to boss her around...ha! She is still very much a cuddler and has just entered the stage of saying "Mine"....not good...right? I am assuming she learned that word at playschool but we are definitely working on that! I have TWo favorite parts of my day with Braylen...when we wake up....she is really fun for the first two hours and then when she goes to bed, she gets really restless and wild and wants to do summer saults on the bed....just wants to goof off...but I LOVE it. I am considering putting her in gymnastics somwhere around town.....(if any of you have suggestions)....she just loves to jump and crawl on anything so I think gymnastics would be an excellent way to release some energy.

So...on to Thanksgiving. Our whole family went up to visit Elisabeth, Adam, and Bodie....it was WONDERFUL! Mom and Dad left the Sunday before and Hannah, Braylen, and I left the Monday before and Grant had to work so he flew up Thanksgiving morning....it all worked out perfectly! The kids really enjoyed playing with each other and that is where Braylen didn't want Bodie to play with her toys. Braylen is so use to playing with older kids and having them take toys away from her that when she realized that she could control lil Bodie....she did and would pull the toy right away from him. ANywho, us girls went shopping a couple of days....we all ate amazing food, and really just relaxed and enjoyed each others company! Elisabeth and Adam were wonderful HOST....she cooked us meals and took us out to a famous BBQ restraunt....Montgomery Inn....and we got to tour Cincinnatti! It really is a cool city.....!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving....we went to the City and went to a Pub and got to enjoy the downtown life....we did it in the afternoon with the kids and then came back and watched football and hung out with their neighbors. Elisabeth and Adam are truely blessed to have such fun loving neighbors.....it waas a GREAT time!

More pictures to come! We kind of had a photo opp in Kentucky but I want to wait just a little bit in case some of us choose to use them on the Christmas card.....I don't want to be the spoiler...ha! I still need to share Braylen's photo session with Santa...i will do that next as well!

Apples and Pumpkins

S0 I still needed to post pictures of our trip to the Apple Orchards! That was such a wonderful outing and us friends plan on making it a yearly event! Braylen ate an apple, rode her first pony, and got to look at the animal zoo...oh and she tried a Salt and Vinegar Pork Rine....her face was priceless.So for Halloween we have everyone over to our "hood" and all the kids get dressed up and go trick or treating and this was the first year we did a Hay Ride....it was so wonderful and so GOOD TO THE FEET! So the day started off with everyone coming over to Tailgate for Ga/Fl, we decided to make cookie cutouts for the kids to decorate to give them something to do while football was going on. By the time we were done with the cookies it was time for all the kids to get dressed up in their costumes. There were several other kids but I only got this one photo of the little crew... Braylen was a kitty cat and she did very good by keeping the hood part on. When we practiced with the costume she wanted the hood off, so I was so excited that she didn't even bother with it (even though it looks like she did in this photo!) So Halloween was a GREAT success minus the cold and misty weather! We look forward to next year....hmmm....I wonder what she will be? I also have to add in a picture of her and Hannah and her and Grant.....she is just getting so cute and personality.....man is she going to be a HANDFUL! We look forward to Thanksgiving, we are all going up to Kentucky to visit with Adam, Elisabeth, and Bodie....we are counting down the days! Hopefully I will have a POST before then though...!

Braylen's stat's

I so forgot to let you know what Braylen's stats were when she went to her 1 year check up. Our fierce Braylen is 20lbs 10.8 oz. and is 30 inches tall. Girl is growing so fast and changing like crazy! She walks everywhere and sometimes wants to turn it into a run...which is funny because her little feet just get swept right out from under her....and yes...she really does have little feet. Anyways, that doctors appt. was good, she did well with the shots and the doctor checking everything out but what she didn't do well with was the doctor getting her to open her mouth. I had asked them to check her teeth because on her upper left gum she has had this bruised looking spot (still there) and we were concerned about it being infected by the tooth/molar trying to come through. They said it was fine and gave her a NASTY persription to help push it through. Speaking of the persription...it was so gross....it was taking BOTH of us to hold her down and just quirt it in her mouth...it was awful and I ended up not giving it to her for the whole length of time because we couldn't handle it...ugh! Anyways....so as I said previously her left Molar has not come in but her vampire (I9) teeth are coming in along with the upper right and bottom right molars have broken skin. So I am thinking that perscription pushed all the other teeth out except for the one we wanted...haha! Braylen has a mouth full of teeth...I hope they turn out pretty one day. Oh and since I am touching on the teething...I can honestly say we had a ROUGH, ROUGH...and did I say ROUGH....3 weeks or more of teething. I just didn't know if we were going to make it. It was tough on her which made it tough on us.....shhishhhh....I am glad we are somewhat done with that...she was a MONSTER.....not exaggerating!

On another note...Braylen is a wonderful little girl and deals with people VERY WELL! However, she is fiesty and can throw a temper tantrum like no other....she is definitely testing me.....for sure! Sometimes I feel like I don't have a sweet little kid or a chill kid (and I don't) but I just want her to be fun, calm, loving (and she is)....I guess I am just having a hard time explaining it! I know she needs dicipline and we are trying...trust me....and I know she is a SUPER BUSY BODY....but why can't she just be content sometimes....?!?! Hopefully this is just a stage and when she can talk more and tell us what she wants or needs...it will become less stressful.

Geez...I feel like I have just unloaded on all of you and I know I have so much more....but I will hold off till next time! My next post will be on the fun Apple Orchard we went to (with pictures) and the Pumpkin patch which we are doing this weekend...so readers....much to look forward to! :)

And the pictures: the one is the chair is at her friend Pierce's house....all he kids love his rocking chair and the second one is why I HAVE TO KEEP MY EYES ON HER AT ALL TIMES.....at least I didn't take a picture of her drinking it...not good!

Braylen's 1 year pics

Our normal photographer was on a leave of absence due to her just giving birth to baby boy Asher.....so we were referred to a lady who was coming to take Baby Asher's photos from out of state. After looking over her info, which is amazing, Grant and I both decided that we just couldn't afford it so we decided to pass. After several weeks passed by, the photographer ended up contacting me because she was in need of a toddler/baby to do a session for her while she trained up in coming photographers. I had to jump on it because I knew how wonderful her work really was and she wasnt' going to charge me a sitting fee or a minimum order...! So I arranged for my mother in law to take her down to Buckhead for her photo shoot since Grant and I had already planned on being in Athens that day for the fist UGA home game....Go Dawgs! Anyways, it wasn't a full shoot but they managed to get just a few that were okay. Keep in mind this shoot was dead smack in the middle of Braylen's nap time so she wasn't 100% but all in all some of them turned out! Oh and SUPER GREAT NEWS....we definitely have a FULL TIME WALKER...she is EVERYWHERE! I will post videos of that next!

Happy 1st Birthday Braylen

Well...it is official...our little girl has turned ONE YEARS OLD TODAY...whoa! This past year has been full of life changing memories and a beautiful, wonderful, special little baby! We are so blessed to have her in our lives and to be able to have familyand friends around to share our little joy with. So as I promised I would post some pictures of Braylens birthday party! I don't have many, my sister Lis has those so I am waiting for them because I don't have a camera anymore....I know, I know....it is on the list to get! I also have several videos of her birthday party...but those take a little while to upload so I will post those in another blog. So the birthday party was at Central park...a park close to our home....and Braylen invited all her friends to come play with us. The weather was perfect....we played on the playground for a while then we came back to the tables and had a picnic. Braylen asked me to make all her friends, PB &J's that were in shapes of flowers or butterflys and then they had goldfish, animal crackers, swisscake rolls, and a fruit cup...yum, yum! After lunch was eaten up, we then decided to sing Braylen Happy Birthday and let her dive into her smash cake. At first I don't think she knew what to do but then once she realized Grant or I weren't stopping her...she went for it....and I think she LOVED it! WHile she played with her cake....everyone else had a piece of the big sheet cake....which was DELICIOUS...or at least the icing was...which is my favorite part!

So after Cake, we then cleaned up Braylen and started opening all her fun gifts from her friends and family! She helped a little but wasn't super interested in just sitting there. Who could blame a child who is now all sugared up...geez! All in all the party was a success and I think everyone was pleased!

Since today is the real birthday, Grant and I decided to take Braylen to a pottery place and paint some pottery with Braylen...we plan to make this a tradition.....we will see how long that last. Since it is raining that is truely the only reason we chose to do it but I think we all enjoyed our time there and will do it again. I left the fun plate at the pottery place so they could fire it....when I pick it up I will take a picture and share her birthday tradition with you all. We then had some icecream at coldstone.....I thought to get the birthday cake flavor...but she didn't really go for it and neither did Grant or I....it was floury tasting...no lie!

So much more to share but I will have to do it later when I have more pictures to post....you know everyone would much rather see the picture....! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAYLEN......love you!!!!

Overwhelmed

Braylen's party was a SUCCESS....I was so excited how it all turned out and Braylen had so much fun with all her friends. I will share all the pics and details in a later post. But first, one of HER favorite, I mean, OUR favorite gifts that she received is her FOWARD facing Carseat...wahoo! Grammie and Poppie (my parents) gave that to her along with some fun clothes and books! This picture completely explains how she was feeling about it...overwhelemed...confused.....scared......! She just stares at me and watches everything I do. I think she has adjusted to it now but at first I am not sure what she was thinking....I think she was like "whoa, this is a whole new world!" We are excited about her getting to see the world facing forward now and I think she is getting excited about it too...especially not being mushed in her other carseat.....her feet were touching the seat.....it was definitely time!

The pictures below was Braylen's first day at PLAYSCHOOL! She was so cute with her bookbag and all....I just wish it would stay on her shoulders so I could get a picture! I think she likes playschool and having the teachers love on her. She loves to sit in laps so I am assuming she has already got the teachers doing that for her. I have had good reports on her except she crys every time they vaccum after lunch....I think that is so weird because I don't vaccum....so I guess just a new noise that scares her.

It just seems like in the last two weeks Braylen has transitioned into a Toddler. Her hair is longer and she just looks like a toddler and not a baby anymore. I just am completely amazed! Her REAL birthday day is this coming up Saturday....wahoo! I will post her party on that day! This past week her new thing is walking back and forth...about 8-10 steps and then she falls down. She is so funny....she gets so excited when she is doing it and then that is why she collapses. The walking phase is almost here....it has to be. I feel that her balance has completely changed! I will keep you all posted on that though. I do have videos but will post them later!

Almost 1 years old...

Well the time is almost here....Braylen is about to have her 1year birthday and we are celebrating her party this coming up Saturday! We chose to have it a little early because my side of the family all would not be able to attend on her actually birthday date....bummer! However, I would rather change the date to have everyone come....so we can't wait! More details to come on that!

The day Braylen turned 11 mths was the day I started the weaning process from breast milk! At that time I was only nursing twice a day, morning and evening. I decided to drop the evening feeding first, based on the fact that she usually falls asleep while I am nursing her and has become dependent on that putting her to sleep....most of the time she hardly even finishes her milk. So the process wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I tried putting her STORAGE milk in bottles and give it to her before she goes to bed but she wouldn't take it from me at all and then we learned quickly she didn't want the bottle at all either no matter who was feeding it to her. So then I switched the STORAGE milk to her sippy cups and started giving it to her before dinner and let her have it till she finishes.....this has WORKED WONDERFULLY and has been a success! As for me, it only took about a good 3 days for my breast to realize that I didn't need milk in the evenings anymore!

So I do still feed her in the mornings and plan on dropping that a week before she actually turns the BIG ONE! I think it will be more difficult on my part than hers but I am SO READY to be done! Once I run out of my STORAGE milk then I will start giving her Whole Milk...well actually I am going to start putting a little in her sippy cup with the breast milk so the taste isn't a complete shock to her.

That has been the big change thus far, still no walking....just pushing items and standing....she might take a step or two but that is it! She is defining more words and definitely is starting to mimick what we do. She holds the phone up to her ear, she trys to brush her hair with the comb, she just copies me or Grant....it is hilarious! We look forward to her party and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Pictures from our Beach trip!

Just a few photos of my sweet family! I love them all so very much!!