Celebrate!

We had Brady's birthday party yesterday. His actual birthday isn't until the 23rd but we have so much Christmas stuff going on we decided to have it a little early. We had a great day. I am not sure Brady really new what was going on, but I think he enjoyed it anyway.

This is the cake and cupcakes I made.

This is the cake table. I used balloons and seperated m & m's to decorate. It looked really cute.

This is Brady in his special Birthday outfit my mom and sister got him. He looked so cute and BIG!

"Bring on the Food"

YUM!

The next couple pictures are from the chaos which was opening gifts. I was surrounded by what seemed like a million little ones all trying to grab the gifts. It was really like 4 little ones. Ha! Brady didn't really care about opening the gifts. He would just play with the toy once it was open. It was a blast anyway!

I LOVE this picture!!! This is my friends little boy. He is 3 months older than Brady and they have just discovered they can play together over the last  couple months. They are really sweet together. UNTIL one starts hitting the other or taking toys. Hey, We are all learning right! But this was so so so sweet!

When it cleared out a little, Brady would pick a toy and carry it to each person still there to show them. So sweet!

Happy 1st Birthday Party Baby Boy!

A BIG Thank you to every one who came! We have such wonderful friends and family! Brady is so Blessed. We are so glad you could share this celebration with us! Thanks again!

Tacky Christmas Party!!!

We went to our first Christmas Party of the year this past weekend. Our friends had a tacky Christmas Party, where you dress in tacky christmas clothing. We had a blast planning what to wear and seeing what every one came up with.

Enjoy!!!

Those are cats on his shirt and the turtleneck is sown in. Ha!

Mr. and Mrs. Tacky!

All the babies wore pajamas. You can't make babies tacky!

Some of the homemade sweaters!

Merry Christmas!

From the Tacky Family!

We had a great time! We have already started talking about what we will wear next year!

A Little Bit of Christmas!!!

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love every second of it.  From the decorations, the music, the lights, the food, the parties, the time with family, the shopping, the gifts, the cards, Santa, to the ribbons, bows, and t.v. specials, I am always so excited for this time of year. I Love it!!!
 Now I have one more(very special) reason to LOVE Christmas. Brady was born just 2 days before Christmas. I am so thankful for that sweet baby boy and all the joy he brings our family. Needless to say, December will be a very busy month for us. But like I said, I LOVE it!!!

Here is what it is looking like around our house this time of year.

This is the "family" tree in the living room. I just got this tree this year. This tree has all of our family ornaments on it. It is mostly red and greens. I don't have a topper for this tree yet, because I haven't found one I like enough to buy.

I bought this skinny tree when I lived in the apartment before Caleb and I were married. We have been using it as our only tree until this year. Since I bought the bigger one, I decided to use this one in the kitchen. It is all silver and white. I love how it turned out. It looks so warm in the kitchen. I have initial ornaments on both trees. I think it gives a little personality.

This tree is new this year also! It is Brady's tree.  It is in his room and has colored lights with blue christmas balls. Because Brady was born 2 days before Christmas, we have TONS of babies first christmas ornaments. There are 2 on the family tree and the rest are on his little tree. It doesn't have a topper either, yet. I think I am going to get a blue santa hat to put on it. This tree is so sweet in his room.

My mother-in-law bought this wreath for us this year. It had a huge red bow that wrapped around it. I Loved it, but the door wouldn't close so I had to take it off. I want to get a giant wreath to put on the front of our house and use it there.

We have some other little touches of Christmas through out the house. Like I said, I love it! Brady has done pretty well with all the trees. He usually just crawls over to them and nods no.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great, but busy Thanksgiving this year. First, we went to my parents at noon for Thanksgiving. We have a HUGE crowd at my parents house. This year it was a little different, though. We have had two babies born since last year and we have had 2 little boys join our family. Until now, there has only been one little one, so needless to say it was a lot more eventful this year. But wonderful at the same time!

Then for dinner we went to Caleb's parents house. I didn't take any pictures there, maybe because I was so stuffed and tired. We had another great meal and Brady played with his aunts and uncles. He was the only little one at this Thanksgiving, so he enjoyed all the undivided attention.

We had such a wonderful day with all our family and friends. We are so thankful for each of them. We are so very blessed! Hope everyone had a very special Thanksgiving Day!

Black Friday!!!

Caleb and I got up this morning and met my sister at to pass off Brady. She offered to watch him while we shopped. We usually shop on Black Friday, but on our own time. We DO NOT get up at 3 or 4 a.m., but we do shop. We are usually able to get Great deals and this year was no exception. I LOVE it and I don't mind the crowds. I am prepared for them, so that makes it easier to tolerate. We also plan out exactly where we are going and what we want. Then we loosely stick to it, but welcome changes. It was very non-stressful day. And we are almost completely done with our shopping. YaY!!!
We finished shopping around noon so we grabbed some lunch and decided to catch a movie before picking up little man.

If you haven't seen this movie, then What are you waiting for? It is an excellent movie with an even greater story. Sandra Bullock is AMAZING! Both Caleb and I loved it. We both left inspired. There was even an applause when it was over. I think everyone should see it, so go!

And Happy Black Friday!

I am thankful for...

11 months with this little guy! That is right! Brady is 11 months old today. He is such a big boy these days. He is completely weaned off the bottle and breast milk. He drinks whole milk or water out of a sippy cup. He is eating pretty much anything we eat. He LOVES yogurt, bananas, mac and cheese, and green beans. He does NOT love peaches, pears, or pineapple. He has 4 teeth and 4 coming in. They have all broken the skin, they are just little nubby teeth. He is still taking steps, but prefers crawling. He thinks walking is hilarious though!  He is a HUGE momma's boy! It is bad, ya'll! I can not put him down if I am around, but I secretly love it. He says ma ma, da da, book, and hi clearly and regularly. He will sometimes mimic my words, but it usually only happens once. He waves bye, shakes his head no, and dances all the time. He will give kisses and love and if you are lucky he will blow you a kiss. His favorite songs are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Roll the Gospel Chariot, and Old McDonald. He hates being told no and throws a little temper tantrum when I tell him. He is still a huge flirt and loves to play.

 He is so much FUN!

Each month brings new and exciting elements to his little life. I love watching him grow and  develop. I can not imagine my life with out him. I hope and pray to have many many more months and years to watch him grow.

We love you little monkey and thank God for you each and every day!

Baby Steps!

Brady took two little steps last night for the first time on his own. I thought I would be a little sad when he did this. I wasn't at all! It was so sweet!!! He stood up and just took two little giant steps towards me. Of course, I screamed and he fell right into me. But he took two steps!!! He has been pulling up, cruising, and standing on his own for a while, but when it is time to go some where without holding on, he would rather crawl. I mean he is a speed demon with the old faithful crawl, so I don't blame him.  He is still perfecting the steps and it will probably be a few days or weeks before he really gets it down. I am so proud of him! I am so thankful to have a healthy baby boy!

Happy Fall Sunday!

Trick-or-Treat

We took Brady out for his first trick-or-treating on his first Halloween. It was A LOT of fun, but a little stressful too. We drove most places, so getting a sleepy dinosaur in and out of a carseat was challenging at times. But is was worth every minute! And Brady made out pretty good on gifts.  Every one was so excited we came by. This little boy doesn't stand a chance. We may need a bigger house come December. Ha!

Happy Halloween! Brady in his Halloween pajamas!

Getting ready to leave. We didn't put his costume on until we got to the first stop. He wasn't thrilled with putting it on, so we didn't take it off until we were finished.

We went to Caleb's parents house while it was still daylight, so we were able to walk to some places. It was really cold. When I put the covers over Brady's hands he would sit so still. He didn't move his arms until I took them off. So funny! He got tons of goodies, just for him!

We loaded up and made a few more stops. We didn't get Brady out at my sisters because he was sound asleep. I just couldn't! But she spiked his hair back up. It had fallen on the walk. Then we went to my parents. Brady had a bag of goodies waiting for him there, too.

Then my mom and I loaded up and drove around her neighborhood. My grandmother and uncle live in that neighborhood so we had some special stops to make. We left Caleb and my dad at my parents house for this trip. UT football was on and we were winning, so they were over the trick-or-treating!

My grandma, Brady's great grandma, got him an extra special treat!

He LOVED it!

He started to cry when I took him off of it! Ha!

We finally made it home with a ton of treats and a very sleepy little dinosaur. Thanks to everyone who got Brady something for halloween. It really is too much. He is such a blessed little boy to have so many people love and spoil him! I guess Caleb and I will have to eat all the candy so he doesn't get too spoiled!

Happy Halloween!

Safety!

One of the most important roles we have as parents is to protect and comfort our children. We are their safety, we are their home. When Brady is scared, he wants his mom or dad. When we are there he is comforted and safe.

But...

 How do you provide security to your child, if you yourself do not feel secure?

Well, that is exactly how I have felt over the past couple of weeks. You see our home was broken into a little over 2 weeks ago. Our home, on a quiet street full of houses, was broken into. We aren't exactly sure what time it happened. We think it was mid-day. We aren't sure how many broke in. We think it was a couple. We aren't sure how long they stayed. We think it was a matter of seconds. We aren't sure why they choose our house. We think it is because no one was home. We aren't sure why they didn't take more. We think they got scared. We don't know a lot, but we have a lot questions. Questions that are likely to never be answered.
They kicked in the back door, breaking the door frame. They didn't break anything else. They went through our drawers, cabinets, rooms, and closets. They moved our mattress and took 4 items we are aware of. My camera, a radio, a shotgun that was my husbands grandfathers which had been left to him, and a box of bullets.
We are so thankful that nothing more was taken, that no one was injured, nothing other than the door was damaged, and that we weren't home.
However, something was taken that I am not sure it will ever return. They took our security. They took the feeling that this is our safe place. Our place of rest and relaxation after a long day has been comprimised. I no longer feel as safe as I once did. I feel naked! I feel as though I will never really be able to come home without feeling the need to look over my shoulder. There has been a lack of peace in our home over the past few weeks. That is such a horrible thing to have to write. Your home should be filled with peace. It is where you rest, eat, stay warm and dry, relax, laugh, and so much more. We have fixed the door and done a few other things to try to bring a feeling of peace back into our home, but it has not fully returned. I am not sure it ever will completely. I know it can, will, and did happen to me.

I have avoided writing this post. It could be because I didn't believe it or didn't want to believe it. But it did happen and we are recovering. We are sleeping a little better and beginning to be less on edge at every noise. We have done a lot of praying for peace and comfort. We are thankful and blessed in so many ways!

10 Months!

(I have no 10 month pictures, I will post why later!)

Yesterday, Brady turned 10 months! WOW!!! He is doing so great! He is pulling up on everything and cruising around tables, chairs, couches, etc. He can let go and stand without support for several seconds. He is very proud of himself when that happens. We are working hard on using a sippy cup, but still have some work to do. We have started one glass of whole milk a day and will gradually switch him over. He is also transitioning away from baby foods. He can say mama and dada. He can dance, wave, clap(sometimes), pat the Bible, high five, and give love(hugs). He is such a momma's boy and follows me every where I go. I can't believe he has been in our lives for 10 months! He is so sweet and fun! We cherish each and every day with that sweet baby boy!

A Great Saturday!

Today, we all loaded up and went to Disney on Ice! We met my sister, her husband, and their nephew there.  I went a few years ago with a few friends. We absolutely LOVED it without kids! So, I knew this would be something I would have to experience with children.  That year it was Disney Princesses.  This year was Celebrations! It was so great to get to take Brady. He is still a little bit too small, but I think he got it. He would get excited every time a new character came out. It was a little long for him to stay interested, but he did really good. I just made sure to have plenty of snacks. Oh how I love puffs! If you ever get a chance to go to one of these, I highly suggest you do it. It is SO fun!!!

My sister, BIL, and Brady

Some of the Pricesses!

Minnie in her Valentine's Dress!

Brady watching the show.

Mickey and Minnie at the end of the show.

Oston and me

Brady in the baby backpack. Caleb loves that thing.

Afterwards, we all went out to eat and made a special trip to Super Target to look for Halloween costumes and such. It really was a great day!

Disney on Ice, good food, Super Target, and time with famly = Awesome day!