Happy Halloween Ya'll

I bet you haven't seen a Raggedy Ann as cute as this one! Braylen was ADORABLE and LOVED her costume.....! This Halloween we had our friends over again to all go trick or treating together. Our friend Tara was the only adult that dressed up with the kids...what a great sport!

Carsen didnt have a costume to "sport" but she was there dressed in her (not so girl) Halloween clothes.

Grammy and Poppy came to hang out that night also.

Some of the crew on the Hay ride ready to set out and get some candy!!!

Since Elisabeth doesnt blog, I had to share the cutest doggy ever on Halloween! Check out Bodie, is he just not Adorable....love my nephew and miss him terribly!

Next update will be on our growing Carsen...

Sneak Peek...

So yes, Braylen is Raggedy Ann this year for Halloween! She looked so adorable in her outfit, the only thing missing is a Raggedy Ann doll for her to hold....! Elisabeth and I grew up with a Raggedy Ann and Andy, too bad Mom didn't hold onto them for us. Anywho, Braylen doesn't know who Raggedy Ann is but the costume was handed down to us and it is too cute not to use.....! It is on my list to get a Ragged Ann doll, hopefully I will have one before Halloween Night. Our family was invited to a Halloween Barn party this past Sunday. I stayed back with Carsen and Braylen and Grant went. Braylen is OBSESSED with horses (she talks about them daily....this might become an expensive Obsession.....) but anyways, she got to ride the ponies while at the party.....she LOVED it!

And Carsen is GROWING and doing wonderful! She had a COLD last week and the doctors suggested she come in since she had a SMALL fever.....! I "NURSED" her back to health but while at the doctor she was weighed and she was 7lbs 14oz., exactly 2 FULL pounds since she was FIRST born.....that is awesome! Carsen is doing wonderful...sleeping and eating great....can't complain....YET.....ha! The picture below doesn't do her justice....ORANGE isn't her color but I have so many Halloween onesies that I am trying to get use out of them! Happy Halloween everyone!

2 weeks down....and she is growing

Just the other day I couldn't wait for Carsen to be here and now it has already been 2 weeks of her life.....goodness! Carsen is such a sweetie, she just sleeps and observes when she is awake. She loves to cuddle, as did Braylen, and is still just a tiny little bug! She went to the doctor her first week of life and she had gained a few ounces that put her back up to 5lbs 10oz. She goes tomorrow (monday) for a weight check! I am almost positive that she has gained weight because she pees and poops VERY REGULARY and even looks like she has gained!



I keep telling myself that the girls look different but there are times that I look at Carsen and think I see Braylen, as a newborn, all over again! They definitely have differences but I haven't figured out their similarities....but they are there.




When Bray wakes up from her nap, we all go outside and walk Addie and just enjoy the AMAZING weather. THis is good for Bray to get out and run around and play, this is really good for Carsen to get some Vitamin D, and then this is especially good for me because if I sit in the house too much longer, I might have a break down.....ha!




Elisabeth and Bodie came in town and stayed with us the first week of Carsen's life. It was definitely a trying week with the older kiddos....! Braylen is in the stage of everything being HERS and not knowing how to share! And Bodie....doesn't understand yet about others toys and really just picks up toys for two seconds and then is done with it. Elisabeth and I were doing MORE parenting over them TWO than us focusing on the new baby! It was a great week but SUPER exhausting! I love having them around and I LOVE being around my nephew but we ALL needed to get out of the house and it just wasn't as fesible this go around....maybe next time! Anyways, they got a bath together a few times during the week and Braylen LOVED pouring water on Bodie....and Bodie was such a good sport....because every time I looked up....another flood of water was going down Bodie's face! We had to keep reminding Braylen to keep it on his back and on the back of his head! They were super cute though and I have always wanted a cousins picture in the bath tub....well now I got it! Can't wait till all FOUR of them are in the tub!




Last weekend us four had to get out of the house so we went and did our annual trip to the Apple Orchards and then to the Pumpkin patch. It was another BEAUTIFUL day so it was nice to be outside! Braylen loved picking out the pumpkins and sitting on them and she also enjoyed the animals at the Apple Orchard. And well Carsen, well, she just slept the whole time...go figure! We collected our pumpkins and got some baby ones that Braylen picks up on the front steps on a daily basis and we also got lots of apples from the Orchards! I was a baking fool this past week. I made Homemade Applesauce (in the crockpot...who would have thought,) apple cake with sugary iceing, and then an amazing upside down Apple pie....! I am not appled out yet but getting close!
Enjoy the update!

Carsen Faith Schmeelk has arrived...

So our newest addition arrived yesterday!!! This is how is all went down:

So I went to the doctor on Thursday for my ultrasound and regular doctors visit. I had a feeling I was either going to be induced or she was going to let me go on to my due date but I didn't know for sure it all just depended on if Carsen had grown or not. So in the ultrasound while doing the measurements they realized that she hadn't grown really any since her last ultrasound that they took measurements at....so really in two weeks.....I mean....I had grown but I guess they wanted a significant growth to have happened. Anyways, my midwife said, "well you ready to go have a baby, she hasn't grown any and you are past 38 weeks so we need to go ahead and get her out of you, she will grow better outside the belly!" I actually was okay with it at that point, I was ready to meet her and not be uncomfortable any longer. So I left the doc's office and made arrangments and called all the family. Grant met me at home and we packed out bags and then my Dad met me there also to get Braylen, etc. We left to head down to the hospital around 1:30.....got checked in around 3:00 and then the midwife came to check me out and just decided to give me the cervidal and let my cervix ripen over night. I was already dialated 2 cm, but she felt like the process would be easier if we went that route....we were okay with it considering if she went straight to induction, it would have been a late night. So....my best friend Lauren brought us dinner and Grant, Lauren, and I just hung out Thursday evening.......letting everything sink in.

They woke me up at 4:00am took the cervidal out, gave me an enama and then I did my business, showered and was back in bed at 5:00.....! Grant and I slept for another hour and then they gave me the pitocin in the 6:00 hour. By that time I was awake and ready for things to start happening. Grant left the room around 7:00am to go get breakfast and walk around and do some business (as usual...ha) At 7:00 is when I first started to feel contractions and as time went on they were getting stronger. The doctor came in around 8:30 to check me and said I was 3cm...so I was SLOWLY progressing, so they uped the pitocin. During the 9:00 hour contractions were getting heavy and were every 2-3 minutes....the nurse (who we LOVED...Shanda) actually came in and knocked the pitocin down a little because she said I was contracting TOO much.....I was thankful....because I was starting to debate on when I was getting some meds. I then started setting mini goals in my head....just make it to 10:00 and see how you feel....which then turn to 11:00. The 10:00 hour was full on contractions and I was hurting.....breathing and humming through them. I kept telling Grant, I don't want to be a woose but this hurts and I don't know how long I am going to last....lol. So I waited till 11:00 and they ordered the epidural and it was administered between 11:00-11:30. At 12:00, the doctor came in to check me and break my water....I was 5cm at that time. And the epidural kicked in just in time for her to break my water....which I wanted to be on meds for.....considering last time it hurt SO BAD! But anyways....during the 12:00 hour, Grant and his mom went to lunch and I rested and then my mom showed up about 12:30.......! The nurse then came in and said....are you feeling any pressure and right when she said that I said...actually I am....and she said let me check you, I think you might be ready to have this baby! So she checked me and I was 9cm...she went to get doctor, they set up shop at 1:00 and then at 1:20 she was born.

How the process went down: They told me to do a practice round of pushing during 1 contraction...so I pushed 3 times during 1 contraction and then she said you will have this baby on the next contraction......I was like WHAT.......that quick....so I laughed.....the doctor said.....don't laugh, she is about to fall out. So next contraction, i pushed once and they said...don't push anymore because her head is out...we have to clean her up and pull her out........so all in all....it really was like 5-8 minutes of pushing Carsen out......it was CRAZY! And what was more crazy is that I went from a 5 to a 9 in less than an hour. I will say, the doctor had two surgeries before she came to break my water so we think Carsen would have been here sooner if the doctor would have come in earlier.

So Carsen was born at 1:20pm on September 24th 2010. She weighed 5lbs 14 oz and was 17.5 inches long! She is so cute and we think she has more Bodie in her than Schmeelk but time will tell! We are in complete aww of her and are truely BLESSED. GOD is AMAZING and has given us an amazing miracle who is PERFECT in our eyes! We can't wait to share her with the world!

*** Oh and Braylen did excellent with her....she loved on her and wanted to hold her.....she loves that she has a LIVE babydoll....lol! More updates to come!

HAS IT REALLY BEEN 2 YEARS...?

Braylen had her 2 year birthday yesterday (Sunday the 19th) and she is SUCH A BIG GIRL! Grant and I couldn't be more proud of her and how she adjust to change and shows us how BIG she is daily! She challenges us daily and we accept with pride, we are so in love with Braylen and she is the BEST thing that happened to us!

A few fun things about Braylen: she loves to have melt downs (throws her self on the floor...can be quite entertaining,) she loves animals....more so DOGGIES, she loves to talk my ear off, she is a complete mini me (when I spray perfume, Bray wants perfume; when I put on chapstick, Bray wants chapstick; anything I do she wants to do too,) she is more of a tom boy than a princess (she loves the outdoors and loves BOYS); Braylen loves to be a mommy to her babies (hoping this tactic will help when Carsen arrives); she is still a cuddler and loves to be held and or loved on; she absolutely loves her daddy; she is obsessed with all the family members but won't leave Hannah's side when she is around; her laugh melts my heart; she is really into Elmo and Barney; she still gets Cheeries (cheerios) and milk every morning; she has small feet; she loves to get dirty; she is my favorite 2 year old in the whole wide world and I LOVE HER MORE THAN SHE WILL EVER KNOW!!!

So onto the BIG Birthday party......

Well since Carsen's arrival is so close to Braylen's birthday date, I wanted to have something low key, at the house, and where we didn't have to feed everyone lunch or dinner! So I decided to throw Braylen an ICE CREAM party.....yay! It started at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon! Grant and I spent most of the day preparing for the party and getting everything ready for Braylen to celebrate with all her friends. Braylen had a special outfit to wear that had a fun Icecream Cone on it...how appropriate.....and she looked very cute in it, might I add. Anyways....so the party begun with everyone arriving, saying hey and socializing. We set up an icecream bar on the inside and all the toppings were outside. So you had a choice of vanilla, chocolate, or swirl in a bowl or a cone (or use both) and then all the yummy toppings outside...which included....SPRINKLES, nuts, cherries, m&m's, butterfinger, oreos, cookie dough, and every flavor of syrup. The kids were in heaven and I think the adults were too....what a nice treat for a HOT Sunday afternoon....and yes it was actually quite toasty. I also provided a few salty snacks to take the edge off of all the sweets.....pretzels, chips, the famous Cheeze Its, and a nut/raisin, m&m snack mix. So everyone helped themselves to icecream and continued to socialize while the kids ran around and played with Braylen's toy or played outside. We hired a BALLOON MAN to come out and do a small balloon show for the kids....he was running late....so we jumped right into Braylen blowing out her birthday cupcake (I made an extra large cupcake so she would have something to blow out.) She loves blowing out candles and singing Happy Birthday....she was a GREAT sport. We then dived right into opening gifts while still waiting on Mr. Balloon Man......while half way through the gift opening, the man arrived....FINALLY...whewwwww....I was getting a little worried. Anyways, he did an excellent job....especially for TWO YEAR OLDS....I couldn't imagine it being any more elaborate or boring.....the kids LOVED it and thought he was really funny, which made it SUPER nice that eveyrone enjoyed it! So once he did his thing, we finished up the gifts and guest either started eating icecream again or collected their partying gift and headed out for the evening. Grant, Braylen, and I agreed that the party was a success and was easy and simple...just what we wanted. We do wish some of her other friends could have made it as well but sometimes things happen and not everyone can come.....it was still nice to have all of our other friends around to enjoy the celebration. Braylen got HOOKED up with the gifts.....she is in heaven and doesn't even know where to begin when she wants to play....! I need to get it all organized for her, but right now.....her toys are EVERYWHERE!

So that is the update on our little girl turning TWO! She is amazing in every single way and we are so excited that we have been able to share TWO amazing years with her. I can't wait to see how she is as a BIG sister. She loves to help out so I hope she will enjoy Carsen and like helping mommy with baby, but we will see! Enjoy the pictures!

Labor Day Weekend...

This is way late but I wanted to post about it anyways! Labor Day Weekend we decided to take Braylen to Chestatee Preserve (or something like that) up in Dahlonega. She got to see several animals and we especially got to see the Zedonk (Zebra Donkey...it made national news....and he is SO CUTE!) Braylen thoroughly enjoyed herself but was skiddish around certain animals! Below are some pics of our day!

Braylen has also done extremely well with her Potty Training. I am going to have to brag on her because I never thought we would have made it this far or had done this well! On a personal note....she even loves to POOP on the potty....lol! She has started back her Mother's Morning Out program (school) and is doing okay in it. The teachers have really wanted her to be in pullups, and I said NO....so we have all sat down and talked and worked out a schedule where they take her every 30 mins and document whether she went or not. Since they have started to do this....she has had ZERO accidents. In fact, since she started school.....she has only had ONE and that was on the playground.....she didn't know where to go potty at...poor thing! She is the oldest in her class though, which is a tad bit frustrating because we are working so hard with her for her to know that she is a BIG girl not a baby.....! I think she will be okay but time will tell on how quickly she wants to be a baby again when Carsen arrives. Below are some pictures of Braylen just being SILLY!

My next post will be about Braylen's birthday...wahoo! She turns TWO on Sunday and we are having her an IceCream Party that very day.....she is VERY excited and we are too! Then after that.....hopefully I will be posting about our newest addition,, Baby Carsen. Our family of THREE is soon to be a family of FOUR....we can't wait to meet her!