Have You Heard?

Snow Fun!

2012-01-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

We finally had our first good snow. I guess I should say we are having it, since it is still currently snowing. We are loving it! We were outside yesterday afternoon and most of today. And when we are inside, we are still looking outside. It is so beautiful, peaceful, and freezing. I am currently sitting on an electric blanket with another blanket over the top of me. The low tonight is about 26 and we are suppose to get snow through Wednesday. I just saw on the news that we should get 8-12 inches of snow on Wednesday. It is so crazy! Curtis and I both keep looking out the window in disbelief.

We have all been having a lot of fun sledding. Yesterday Curtis and I tried going down the hill, just the 2 of us. We told the boys to move aside at the bottom. We came flying down the hill and whatever way we turned, Colby kept running towards us. When we reached him we had to slow down and I grabbed him. Colby looked at us and said "Don't worry, I caught you".

Sledding at the park.

The boys were exhausted from all of the sledding and needed a lift home. For some reason we have been exhausted too.

This morning Brayden was ready before the rest of us to go outside. He went to put something away upstairs and was back in 5 minutes ready in his snow gear. So he made a snowman while the rest of us got ready. The snow is really soft and hard to build with. So Brayden made a little snowman. Which worked out well since all we had were baby carrots.

The boys love to eat the snow! Yesterday Curtis gave them some to taste and now they are constantly asking.

Today we went to the tennis court at the park and nobody had been in there since it started to snow. Below is both of our boys licking the snow. Don't worry it is just the top layer. We stopped them before the licked the court.

Colby asked us to bury him in the snow. So we did. He is funny to watch in the snow. He loves to just roll around in it. He never gets straight out of a sled. He has to roll out of it, and he usually keeps going. He also spent a lot of time making Colby shadows, which are snow angels.

Snow snuggles!

Our Washington Christmas!

2012-01-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

The weather was beautiful the whole time my Mom and Len were here. We didn't even need jackets on Christmas Eve. I was disappointed, but the weather changed on Christmas day. It wasn't the white Christmas we were hoping for, but it did get colder, overcast, and very windy.

Brayden sang at church on Christmas Eve. He did great! The pictures didn't turn out great though.

After church we went to Snoqualmie Falls. It was so beautiful in the sunshine.

I made the boys fleece pillow cases. They love all things fuzzy!

Christmas morning. The boys were up early and totally forgot it was Christmas. We were able to rest in bed for a while before they realized that it was Christmas and Santa had come.

Our fun week caught up with Grammy and Colby. It was time for a nap.

These hats are awesome in our crazy wind storms. On New Year's Day the power went out twice. We were having winds of 30 mph with gusts up to 57 mph. The winds lasted for 3 days.

Cousin Abbi made these jammys and pillow for Brayden. He loves them and they fit him great. If they are clean, he has them on.

Preparing for Christmas!

2012-01-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun getting ready for Christmas. What a beautiful place to be at Christmas time. Between the cold weather and the snow covered mountains it really felt like Christmas.

Some excited boys!

We were very excited to cut down our own tree this year. Much more fun than shopping at Home Depot.

This was Colby's favorite tree.

This was my favorite tree.

Colby was trying to stand on a tree stump like Big Bubba. We tried to explain that Brayden was standing on 2 and he only had 1. But he was determined to do it.

Our tree and my cold boys.

I love getting out all of the Christmas decorations. There is always something new or something I forgot about.

We went to a little Christmas street party in North Bend on Curtis' birthday. We also got a family picture with Santa, which I love.

Sorry PaPa Heard, but Brayden has taken after me and loves to shake gifts. Very often I would find him under the tree shaking presents.

Of course we did a lot of Christmas baking. The boys helped a lot. Brayden rolled about a million cookie balls. Colby rolled quite a few also, and dropped his fair share too.

Grammy and PaPa Marks came on the 21st. I don't think Grammy got a moment to herself the whole visit. I thought that we were going to have to surgically remove Brayden from Grammy before they left.

We went to Seattle one day. We went shopping at Pike's Place. We watched them throw fish at the famous fish market. There is a fish being thrown below. It was something I have been wanting to see.

Next we went to the space needle. Since it was 2 days before Christmas the boys got to decorate cookies and see Santa in a space rocket. It was a beautiful day and the view was awesome.

So this picture has nothing to do with Christmas. It is just a beautiful picture of the sunset from our porch.

Catch Up, Monterey!

2012-01-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

I am going to attempt to catch up on a few postings. Here are some pictures from Monterey last September.

The boys were so excited to ride the plane, and they loved it.

First stop. In and Out!

The first night there Colby fell asleep in Annalise's arms. Our Little Momma Annafleece!

We had a pirate party for all of the September boy's birthdays. Pirate PaPa and his crew.

I love this picture at the aquairium. The big brothers pushing their little bros.

Happy to be together!

Jammy Cousins!

Strong like Daddy! That is an outline of Curtis' shadow on the sand.

The Ocean! Beach Fun!

The touch pools at the aquarium. Colby was not into them as much as Brayden.

Colby loved watching the sharks and big fish in this tank.

Our goodbye beach picture.

Snow!

2011-11-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we had our first snow! It was snowing lightly when we got up, it actually started the night before. All four of us were so excited. It kept starting and stopping. Every time it started again we would run outside. It was so cool (awesome and cold)! At one point the snow got pretty heavy with big flakes. Curtis was suppose to be leaving for work, but we were having too much fun. It snowed off and on all morning. But it never stuck. I drove the boys to play group in the snow. The boys know I have been worried to drive in the snow. When we got to church Brayden said we should call Daddy to tell him I drove in the snow. He was so proud of me!

I love this picture!

After one trip outside Colby asked Daddy for hot cocoa. Daddy said his voice was too sweet to say no to. Plus, It Was Snowing!

The week before we had two hail storms. The second one gave us a lot of hail. It started right when Curtis was driving home from work. It took him a long time to get home. Colby liked the hail. He kept trying to pick it up, but it would melt in his fingers

It is so cold that this is what my car looked like the next morning. The roofs were still covered in hail too. It is crazy how cold it is. I have never experienced these temperatures. And yes, we still love it here.

Jingle Bells!

2011-11-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Both of the boys have been learning a lot of new things. Brayden in the last few months has taught himself how to whistle, something I did not learn until I was 17, and how to tie a bow. I am impressed with his determination and abilites. He worked very hard at both and was so proud of himself. He also is getting awesome at reading. He impresses me every day with the new things he can read. I love his curiosity, his determination, his desire to learn, and the smile on his face when he succeeds!

Colby has been learning new things too. After a year of practing he has finally learned how to jump. He loves to jump! He sings all of the time and learns new songs very quickly. I didn't know he knew jingle bells. He sings with me, with the TV, with his toys. The other 3 of us will sit in the living room to relax. Colby will grab his saxophone or radio and walk around and around the room singing. He talks all of the time and we are starting to understand more of it. Both of the boys are at such a fun stage in their lives right now. I love to see all the new things they learn everyday.

I better go now. Our trash can is blowing down the street in the rain as I am typing this.

Halloween Cuties!

2011-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like Halloween, but this year it was a pretty fun weekend. We had a Halloween party at preschool and they were excited to wear their costumes. They look so cute!

Above they are doing the flag salute. They made jack-o-laterns with paper and decorated cookies. Colby is getting pretty good with the scissors. But his confidence sometimes scares me.

We carved pumpkins. I mean Curtis and I carved pumpkins and the boys told us what to do. Neither of them would even attempt to touch the inside of the pumpkin, and of course they are too young for the knives. Brayden's pumpkin is a moose.

Brayden helped make dinner on Halloween. He found a receipe for Banana slugs in one of his magazines, and had to make it. I thought Halloween was the perfect night to eat slugs. He made them by himself, and was very proud.

The boys went trick or treating for the first time. They were unsure at first, but by the 5th house we were chasing them to the next house. They had so much fun. There are a lot of steps when you live on hills, so the boys were exhausted by the end of the night. Brayden always got there first and knocked. But it was cute because when Colby got there he also knocked, very short and quite. It reminded of us of trick or treating when we were little, it was fun.

When we got home the boys left their costumes on to pass out candy. They loved that part of the night too. We got some cute pictures while they were dressed up and high on sugar.

Wildlife!

2011-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

We have been experiencing a lot of wildlife this past week. Yesterday Brayden was sitting on the couch and saw a deer across the street. Then he started counting, there were 4. By the time I got my camera they were over by the hole in the fence. It was awesome!

This morning Curtis called us in the living room during breakfast. The deer were also having breakfast, our bushes. There were 3 or 4 of them again. Brayden keep saying "this is so cool, I have never seen a deer this close." Curtis and I hadn't either.

Saturday we woke up at 7:15 to a noise. It turned out to be 4 bears digging through trash at the neighbors behind us. I saw my first bear, well actually 2. The problem was it was foggy. So I really saw 2 big brown blobs going through the hole in the fence. When we went down stairs we found bear prints coming towards our front door and back across the street towards the fence. They walked right along our house, probably pushed against our house. That is so crazy!

The view from our bathroom window. I usually stare out the window while I brush my teeth.

A picture of our park on a beautiful day. It was actually very windy, so we took a kite.

The boys love to chase the kite.

Colby walking, I mean flying the kite.

My wild animals! I love these blankets. They are warm and fuzzy and good entertainment.

So anyone up for a visit to our wild north?

Happy 5th Birthday Brayden!

2011-09-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little baby boy is 5 years old. Brayden was so excited to turn 5. He has already had 2 parties and is looking forward to a third next weekend. We had a Cars 2 party in August when Grammy and PaPa Heard and CJ were here. It was a lot of fun and Brayden loved that he got to celebrate with them.

We had to light the candles a second time because Colby got a little too excited the first time and blew them out before Brayden could.

On Brayden's real birthday we went to the Seattle Zoo. We had a great day and Brayden got to see some of his favorite animals, hippos and a jaguar.

The penguins were swimming right up to us.

They had a dinosaur exhibit while we were there. The dinosaurs moved and made noises. The boys were a little afraid but did okay until we got to the t-rex at the end. We walked very fast past the t-rex.

My little monkeys outside of the monkey cage.

We got to make elephant poo paper. It was fresh elephant poo from the zoo, that they had sanatized that morning, mixed with paper pulp. It was interesting and gross.

Since it was Brayden's birthday, we let him feed the elephant. He thought it was pretty cool. I feed him also. It was awesome to be so close to the elephant. Colby got scared and let Brayden feed the elephant again.

We had huge ice cream cones at the zoo. We were all a mess.

We had Brayden's birthday dessert the next day. Brownie sundaes! This time we put Colby across the table when Brayden blew out his candles.

Blueberries!

2011-09-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys and I went to a blueberry farm with our friends. It was beautiful and we had a great time picking blueberries. It was like an easter egg hunt, only the reward was healthier.

Colby had to taste them to make sure they were good.

We ended up picking a little over 4 lbs of bluberries. I froze them so we can have fresh blueberries in the middle of the winter, if they last that long.

So yesterday afternoon, we made blueberry muffins. The boys are so much fun to bake with. Brayden is getting very independent in the kitchen. He can measure things by himself. Colby is starting to be more of a help and less of a mess maker.

Yummy!!!

Watch out! Your next!

Curtis is Home!

2011-08-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to have Curtis home. This is our first weekend together in a month. Right now Curtis is on the couch. Colby is sleeping in his lap. Brayden is sitting right next to him eating a tootsie pop. They are watching monster truck races and cheering for their favorites. My three boys are looking relaxed and happy. It's an awesome sight! We are all soaking in our Curtis time.

Rattlesnake Lake!

2011-08-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys and I went to Rattlesnake Lake with our friends, Melissa, Grayden, and Annalie. We all had an awesome time. The kids played in the water and the mud. We had a picnic lunch. The weather was beautiful and just perfect. The kids were having so much fun Melissa and I were able to sit and relax for awhile. And we only live 15 minutes away. It is so crazy and wonderful.

The water was really shallow where we were at. It kind of scares me to look at this picture because Colby is so far out. It was awesome that he could explore and I didn't have to worry.

Before we knew it we had been there for 4 hours. The kids were soaked and Colby won the contest for muddiest. Colby almost fell asleep on the way back to the car.

The bears have been getting more adventurous and have come out in the afternoon a few times. They also made themselves a nice gate in the fence. I always check the gate from my front window before we go out. We have not seen any bears yet, but some of my neighbors have. Apparently it is a skinny momma bear and her 2 cubs. I took these pictures from our front porch.

Grand Opening!

2011-08-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

After 3 months of hard work, the Habitat for Humanity Store had it's grand opening today. It wasn't too busy, but they have had a steady stream of people all day. The store looks awesome! Curtis, and all of his help, did a great job.

They had a lot of fun events planned for the kids. Lots of bubbles, face painting, hula hoops, cake and donuts, and a coloring contest. The boys had a blast. We all had a good time.

I told Brayden earlier this week that he could get his face painted today. Right away he told me he wanted a Habitat for Humanity logo. I thought that was so sweet!

This was Colby's first time getting his face painted. We were there for an hour before he decied to do it.

Bubbles!!!!!

This morning before the boys and I went to the grand opening, we went to a fundraiser breakfast at the fire station. We had a pancake breakfast in the fire truck garage. Then we got to explore an ambulance and a fire truck. We had a lot of fun there too. The boys got balloons and firemen coloring books.

What an awesome day!

My Boy with the Blue Arm!

2011-07-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

Brayden officially broke his arm. He was very brave through the whole thing, and has only complained a few times about his cast. I am very proud of him. He is not in pain and only has a week left. He gets his cast off next Monday.

The weather here varies quite a bit. Yesterday, Curtis had a painting party at work to get the new store painted. It was a beautiful day. Brayden went to work with him in the morning to paint, and Colby and I picked him up after lunch. Later when Curtis got home we heard the ice cream man. It was getting warm, so we had ice cream out on the front porch.

Today we woke up and it is cold. It is 4pm and I am still wearing a sweatshirt. So this morning we had hot chocolate. Hot chocolate in July?!

The boys play firemen almost everyday. They don't have much firemen gear, so they use their imaginations. Here is Colby's firemen's outfit, firetruck, and hose (the coffee pot).

My Little Climber!

2011-07-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

No pictures today. Just a funny store.

Colby has gotten really good at climbing. One night Brayden came and got us because Colby was in his bed. He can now climb into our bed. And twice now I have found him sitting in the middle of the coffee table.

So tonight, Curtis and I were finishing dinner and the boys were playing in the living room. We heard a little whimper so Curtis asked what they were doing. Brayden replied in a concerned voice "Colby needs your help!" We went tearing into the living room to find Colby in an interesting position. He was standing on his dump truck, his hands holding onto the bookcase about 2 feet in front of his feet, and there was his big bubba holding his middle. Thank God for his awesome big brother! Not 3 minutes later I heard him in the kitchen with a chair. We went in there. He had pushed a chair up to the counter and was trying to climb up to stand on it. We told him no. He got down, then said "what can I stand on? Oh, a stepstool." Then he was off again.

Two times during his "naptime" I have heard Colby screaming and crying. I start to run and ask what is wrong. Colby yells "I need help, me stuck." I run up the stairs, my heart pounding. When I get to his room he is stuck on his bookshelf. He was climbing and can't go up or down. The best part is that the bookcase in his room is only about 3 feet tall, and both times one of his feet was on the bottom shelf.

I can't wait until this climbing phase is over!

We're not in Fresno anymore!

2011-07-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

We were driving home from swim lessons on Wednesday night. It was 57 degrees and down pouring. All of a sudden I realized, I'm not in Fresno anymore. The locals say it's a bad summer, but we think it's the best summer ever!

Our first Washington rainbow! From that Wednesday night.

Here are some adorable pictures of the boys sleeping. This has been the hardest adjustment for us. So, maybe they look twice as cute to me because they are actually sleeping.

Colby is starting to give up his nap. So he will play in his room. He is very good about going to bed if and when he gets tired. He is not so good about cleaning up.

The top of my sweet sleeping boy.

The bottom of the same sleeping sweetie. He actually is also sleeping on a bag full of fire fighter supplies. I found an ax under his arm, and a lot more under his pillow.

My adorable chef! Bubba got him all dressed up.

Washington!

2011-06-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from our first month in Washington. I will post more pictures later.

Our family at the falls.

Best friends! (Most of the time)

The view from the park by our house.

Right now there are yellow flowers all over all of the grass. I have been given many yellow flowers, much prettier than dandeloins.

We love to go out walking on the trails. We are out almost every day. The one below is actually a fire access road.

One of the few things I hate about Washington are the slugs. They are gross and give me the hebie-gebies. The one below actually turned my stomach a little. Most of the ones we see are very black and fat. The only thing cute about the banana slug is the way Colby says it. "NaNa Ug"

So you can understand how big it is. This is the slug next to Brayden's 12 1/2 shoe.

Brayden just proofread my blog posting and then said, "I love slugs!"

Snow Play!

2011-02-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we went to the snow. We had a great time! Both of the boys loved it. Victor, Stacey, and Joey went with us. We had some snow fights, made snow angels, and a snowman.

We had a picnic lunch. A good time to warm up and rest up.

After lunch we headed to the hills. Brayden loved sledding. I had to convince him to try it, then he didn't want to stop. Colby didn't want to sled, he had other plans. A nap.

Christmas Fun!

2011-01-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

Even with all of the bad germs flying around our house the past couple of months, we managed to squeeze in some Christmas fun.

We had two trees this year. The first one was perfect for a week, then quickly went downhill. Our second tree was just right for our simple Christmas we had this year.

Brayden was checking for chipmunks!

We went to the zoo lights again this year for Curtis' birthday. It was bigger this year and we had a great time.

Hot Chocolate and cookies!

It was right out of a movie. Colby went right up to Santa and pulled his beard. It was funny, and yes, Santa's beard was real.

Brayden's Happy Birhtday Jesus party at preschool.

Brayden got to sing on the stage for Preschool and church. He loved it! He said he wanted a solo, so he could sing into the microphone. He did really well and we loved watching him. Most of the pictures turned out bad because of the lighting.

Go Horsey!

Colby loved to kiss these Santas. It was so cute!

My snuggle bugs!

The cutest reindeer ever!

My happy family!

Brayden was very excited about Santa coming. He put out cookies and milk, the boy's letters to Santa, and opened the fireplace. He was sooooo excited!

Colby was excited to see his stocking filled. He knew just what to do with it. He tore throught it. He opened the presents and took a bite out of every treat he found.

Santa brought Brayden his microphone he has been wanting since his birthday. He loves it!

We got Brayden a new bed. He is in it all of the time.

I got Curtis something he has always wanted, a marshmallow shooter!

I can snuggle in my snuggie!

Colby's Big Boy Bed!

2010-10-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

Colby's Grammy and PaPa brought him a toddler bed and he loves it. He still sleeps in his crib but loves to hang out in his bed. The first morning he had it in his room we woke up to him crying. Curtis went in to get him. Colby raced across his crib and pointed to his bed. Curtis got him out, Colby grabbed his lumpy, and climbed into his bed.

This is a cute video with some of Colby's favortie animal noises, and a big brother who wants equal attention.

Brayden's 4th Birthday!

2010-09-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

Brayden got to celebrate his birthday 3 times. Once at Preschool, once with our family, and once for his big party. He had a great time at all of the parties. He is loving preschool and was very excited about turning 4. He loves to ride bikes, he loves animals, and he loves to play trucks with Colby. He is growing so fast and I can't believe the words that he says sometimes.

It was fun to have a preschool party. I got to vounteer in his classroom all morning. It was awesome to watch him and meet all his new friends. We made cupcakes and brought juice boxes. I can't believe he is old enough for all of this. He got a certificate, a special sticker, a birthday crown, and he got to pick out of the treasure box (pink playdoh). He thought that the whole morning was a party just for him. This is a picture of him with his teacher, Mrs. Missy. I love it because it reminds me of a picture I have of myself with my preschool teacher on my birthday.

Brayden put animal sprinkles on his cupcakes. He got to pick his first and hand out the rest. He was very popular that day.

They have a road at school for the kids to ride bikes on. This is what Brayden does outside everyday.

In the picture below all of the kids were waiting for gas. What a traffic jam. I figured I would wait that long too for free gas.

The next day was Brayden's real birthday. We had cupcakes for breakfast, we had a busy schedule. For dinner we went to Chick-fil-a. He was insistent thats what he wanted, even though he had never had it before. We all really liked it.

Brayden in his new fuzzy wuzzy moose jammies!

Brayden was very excited to have a big boy swing for the front yard. He loves it!

On Saturday, Brayden had a San Diego Zoo Party. It was hot, but we all had a great time. Lots of family, food, and fun!

Some of the animals at the zoo!

I planned an obstacle course. I did not plan the heat. I think the adults had more fun than the kids!

I caught Brayden giving nose snuggles to the hippo on his cupcake. Very cute!

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

Brayden's 1st Day of Preschool!

2010-08-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

This past week our Moose started preschool. He was a little timid on the first day, but he is already adjusting. He is most excited about singing songs, playing outside, and snack. There were no tears the first week, his or mine.

Colby is having trouble understanding what is going on. Thursday we dropped Brayden off and he just kept repeating "Bubba, Bubba" in the car. I tryed to explain that I didn't forget Brayden, but I think he wanted to remind me to pick him up. Like I needed any reminding, I checked my watch every 5 minutes. I think it will take us all a few weeks to adjust.

I was so proud of Brayden. He was excited and even though I could tell he was a little nervous, he did what he was suppose to do. I can't believe my baby boy is starting school.

Silly Colby!

2010-07-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures and videos of Colby. He is growing so fast, and moving just as fast. He loves to run, hide, play with his big brother, and never wants to sit down. He only says a few words, but he is very good at communicating. He makes up his own sign language to get his point across. He loves to make everyone laugh, and is good at it.

This picture makes Brayden laugh every time he sees it.

The video below shows something that Colby learned from his big brother, even though I tried to stop it. I guess this is just one of the joys of having a big brother.

Colby loves to climb. He can climb up and down good, its the inbetween that scares me. He loves to sit in his rocking chair. He climbs up, reads a book, climbs down, then up again for another book. Even though he can reach the books from the chair.

Colby loves to be in his brother's bed. He loves to play in it and mostly hide under the sheet.

I can't get over how big Colby is getting. He can see on the kitchen table and reach everything on it. He just looks huge, and adorable, in the next picture.

I was trying to take a video of Colby feeding himself. Instead he was too busy entertaining his brother, who was trying to get him to say HO HO HO. Yes, Santa in July. I think the video turned out better than I planned. Make sure you can hear them.

On another note, I love having a garden. Everything in the pan below was from our garden. Bell Peppers, poblanos, jalopenos, and onions. I just added some steak and it was awesome. Yesterday I didn't know what to give Brayden for snack, so we went into the garden and picked a carrot and some strawberries. We have all enjoyed taking care of it and get quite excited about the harvest. We can't wait to try our watermelons. We have some huge ones, but they aren't ready quite yet. Yesterday Brayden found a watermelon that is growing inbetween a boulder and the fence. I am interested to see what happens with that. I will post pictures of it later.

Outdoor Fun!

2010-07-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

The boys and I have been having lots of fun outside the past few months. Here are some pics of all the things the kids and I have been enjoying. The kids are in their jammies in most of the pics because they have a hard time staying dry outside. So they don't get dressed until we come in later.

The boys love their new giraffe tent. It provides some shade and they love to just hang out in it.

Our Garden! We have now enjoyed poblanos, jalapenos, onions, carrots, strawberries, green beans, and we have some big watermelons growing on both our plants.

The boys have also been spending a lot of time in their pool.

Colby learned that it is messy to play in the dirt after the pool. But apparently he liked it because he kept going back in the dirt.

My Moose!

2010-04-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Angry Moose

Happy Moose

Sad Moose

Excited Moose

My Smart Boys!

2010-04-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, both of the boys did something that made me think, "Wow, he is really smart and knows how to think out of the box!"

At dinner last night we were having some pasta. Colby is getting good at using his spoon to feed himself, but still having trouble getting food on it. I could tell he was getting frustrated and put down his spoon. He then put his fingers in his pasta. I thought "Okay he is tired of trying". Then he picked up some pasta, put it on his spoon, picked up his spoon, and ate it. Colby had a big smile on his face, and I could tell he was proud. And so was I.

Later that night while in the bath, Brayden apparently got an itchy nose. His hands were covered in soap. It didn't even look like he had to think about what to do. He used his toes to pick up his washcloth. Then he raised his leg to wipe his nose with the washcloth. He then put the washcloth back down and proceeded to wash himself, as if this was normal. Was I proud this time? Yes maybe of the brainpower that went into it, not so much the toe power.

On other note, both of the boys have been impressing me lately. One night at dinner Brayden randomly started counting in spanish. He made it up to 6. Then later when I said a bowl was red. He said " no Momma, it is rojo". I then questioned him about some other colors and he knew several more. Colby is getting very good at communicating with us. He will sign more and say "cup" or point to what he wants more of. He is always saying "this" and "that". When we went for icecream the other day we had to wait in line. Everytime someone passed by with their icecream he would point and say "this", then he would sign more. He was very excited and never cried the whole time we waited. It is an awesome time when babies start to understand.

By the way, have I told you all how much I love my boys!

Hail Storm!

2010-04-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today we had a major hail storm. It was awesome! Curtis was home from work, and the boys had just got up from their naps, so we all got to enjoy it together. We kept looking out the back door, then we would run out front, then again to the back. We were all very excited.

Brayden was excited to see all the hail in his hole he has been digging.

When it slowed down I braved the storm and went and filled up some containers with hail. We brought them in the kitchen and let the boys play. Someone, Curtis, started a hail fight. Colby got bored, or cold, and found something else to do. The rest of us got quite messy. But it was just ice, and cleaned up easy.

After the storm, it was beautiful! The air was clean and crisp. There was an awesome rainbow! The sun was shining, yet there was still hail all over. And there was steam coming off of everything. It was an amazing site!

Happy 1st Birthday Colby!

2010-04-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our baby bear is one year old. He is starting to talk and is learning how to get his point across. He is walking more and more everyday. Just today he got up and walked right out of the living room. He is about 25 lbs and 32 inches. He is so much fun and is already doing things on purpose to make me laugh. He puts everything in his mouth and will pretend to eat something off the floor and then start to laugh. The past year has been a hard one for our family, but Colby being born has made it one of the best years. He has been my sunshine through it all.

Here are some pics from Colby's birthday party. It was a great bear party and the weather was beautiful. We actually moved the last part of the party outside.

The picture below was taken while Colby was opening gifts. I think Colby was telling his Bubba to back off his new toys. How cute is he?

On Colby's real birthday we went to the zoo and then had a little party, just the 4 of us. It was raining, but we had a great time.

Off To Work!

2010-04-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

This morning Curtis has some work to do at his office, and then needs to walk a neighborhood handing out flyers for an open house. He asked Brayden if he wanted to go to work with him. Brayden was totally excited. He went and got dressed. He put on his tan pants and collared shirt, just like daddy wears to work. Then he asked Daddy if he would match him. So off went 2 of my boys to work. Looking so cute and matching!

Fun in LA!

2010-03-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

At the begining of the month the boys and I went to LA. Besides being tired we had a great time. Brayden loved having Andrew to play with. And Colby has always had a special bond with Aunt Cheri. I loved seeing the kids, and Cheri and I got to have some alone sister time. We went to an awesome kinda park thing. I won't try to spell it. It was relaxing and the kids loved exploring there. We will defintely go back again. To LA and the park.

I asked Brayden what he thought of our trip. He said " I loved it. Can we go again please?"

Happy 10 Months Colby!

2010-02-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

Today Colby is 10 months old. I can't believe he is almost a year old. He is now 30 inches and 23 lbs, 12 ozs. He loves to move, be outside, and play peek-a-boo. Colby can walk holding onto just one of our hands, but he really wants to hold both of them. He is starting to talk. He can say up, hot, out, this, mama, dada, and bubba. He loves to copy what we say, and is starting to copy his brother too. I love his smile and can't get enough of his laugh!

The last time we went to the beach, Colby loved it. I though we could let him crawl in the sand, but all he wanted to do was sit there and play in the mud. Oh, and eat the mud. He loves being outside. Now whenever we say outside, he says "out", and starts crawling at full speed for the door. No matter why he is cranky, outside always make him happy.

I think this picture is funny. Its a great picture of Colby, and the football player in the background. Colby is getting to the age where it is hard to take pictures of him. Every time I get the camera out he wants to play with it, instead of me taking his picture.

Colby has always loved the bath, but lately he has gotten into splashing. He will splash as hard as he can. Brayden and him always have a great time in the tub.

Curtis says cut the mohawk. I refuse. Anybody eles have an opinion? How could I cut his hair? He is so cute!

My Sweet Boy!

2010-01-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

Brayden is silly, but also sweet. In the past couple days he has told me some of the sweetest things.

We were talking about a new reward system we are starting, which includes him getting MnMs.
B- I will like you if I get 10 MnMs.
M- Will you still like me if you get 0 MnMs?
B- Momma, I love you more than MnMs!
It was a silly statement, but I felt so loved.

The next day Brayden was watching TV. I came and sat next to him on the floor. He leaned over, gave me a big hug, and said " I want to be with you all day and night long. I love you Momma Pie!"

Brayden is such a sweetie!

Christmas!

2010-01-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. Within 2 weeks, all of our California family came to visit. It was busy, but awesome!

It was great to be home Christmas morning. Brayden was totally excited that Santa came. He could not wait to look in his stocking. We all climbed into our bed to open our stockings. Then we sat under our tree and opened gifts. It was awesome to be together as a family. I loved making all these special memories and starting our own family traditions. I've always loved Christmas, but I love it even more now that I have my boys to share it with.

Brayden the Crack Up!

2010-01-18T21:39:00.000-08:00

Brayden says the funniest things. He constantly has me laughing! Here are a few of my favorites.

Today it was raining and Curtis called to say he saw a rainbow. The 3 of us rushed outside and looked all over, but we couldn't find it. We were in the backyard and Brayden saw a bird on the telephone wires over our back fence. He said " Excuse me birdy. I was wondering if you see the rainbow can you please tell us where it is." Then he stared at the bird, waiting for a reply. How could the bird not reply, he was so polite.

When he gets frustrated he says " How Exasperating!" A quote from Donald Duck.

I was singing a song and Brayden said " I know a song and it cracks me up all day and night long." Then started to sing a song he had just made up, laughing the whole time.

Often he will be talking and say " I was like...." Something I say which drives myself crazy.

He will call Colby, son. Because that is what Daddy does. He understands that Colby is not his son, but it slips out anyway.

I love to listen to him explain things to Colby, especially why Colby can't play with his toys.

I love the next picture. Colby is really getting into wrestling with Brayden and Curtis. Any time Curtis sits on the ground both of the boys come running. Luckily he loves it!

Preparing For Christmas!

2010-01-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

December was a busy, but fun, month. We had a great time getting our tree, decorating the house, making presents, and baking Christmas treats. It was awesome to enjoy Colby's first Christmas and our first Christmas as a family of four. We made a lot of special memories and I took tons of pictures. Here are a few of the best ones.

Zoo Lights!

Sorry this posting looks weird and took a long time. The new editing system was giving me a lot of problems. Hopefully I can figure it out soon because I have a lot more pictures to share.

By the way, the above picture is our first fire in our house. Not in our fireplace, but our indoor grill. We enjoyed it while we worked on Christmas presents in the dining room.

Our Backyard!

2009-11-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Our backyard has been a work in progress since we bought the house. We have filled up many trashcans and sweated a lot. We will continue to work on it, but now we are starting to rebuild it instead of tearing it apart. We have enjoyed all the work and are looking forward to enjoying our backyard.

This is a reminded of what the yard looked like when we bought the house.

We have torn out many plants and trees. We have moved lots and lots of rocks. And Curtis has torn up and moved a million pounds of concrete. He has the slimmer waist and bigger muscles to prove it!

Curtis and I actually moved the piece of concrete below. It took us a couple hours but we got it where we needed it. Thank goodness for nap time!

Curtis rotatiled the whole backyard and tore up all the weeds. Then I raked all of the junk out of our dirt filled backyard.

Next Curtis played mule and pulled a handmade plow with giant pieces of concrete on it all around the yard. Our backyard had many different heights, but not after Curtis was done with it. Brayden helped, as he did with most of the yard work. We have a great video of Curtis pulling Brayden around the yard on the plow.

Fun Break!

Curtis put in the sprinkle system and it works great. He dug all the trenches by hand and put a lot of hard work into them.

We got a new tree for our yard. It is my favorite tree, a Chinese pistache. Brayden named it Bob. I got the pleasure of planting it. It was fun to go outside and get a little muddy.

These are some of the beautiful leaves that fell off of it while we were planting it. It will look beautiful next fall and give us lots of shade in summers to come.

Finally, the sod arrives. We were all very excited!

Curtis and two of his friends, Charlie and Albert, laid all of the sod. It took them a whole morning. They did an awesome job!

We had 2 pieces left. Since we can't walk on the lawn until after Thanksgiving we put one of the extra pieces on the patio and enjoyed it.

Below is a picture of what our yard looks like now. We still have a lot planned, but it is now at a point where we can go out and begin to enjoy it. I am so excited to watch the boys run around and play. Thanks Curtis for all of your hard work! We love you!

Brayden's 3rd Birthday!

2009-11-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby turned 3 in September. He is getting so big and changing so much every day. He is now 40 lbs and 40 inches. He is very smart and very silly. He always wants to be the big boy and do big boy things. He is an awesome big brother. He helps with Colby and loves to make his baby brother smile. Which he is great at doing. He is very cautious, but get him on wheels and he loses all his fears. He loves to learn letters, math, and the united states. He loves Mickey Mouse, playing in the dirt, animals, fuzzy things, and his cousins. He copys a lot of things we say, which sound funny coming out of a 3 year old's mouth. He is a fun and very loving little boy and we thank God every day that he blessed us with Brayden.

We had a little family celebration on his real birthday. We had pancakes, strawberries, and whipped cream for dinner. For dessert he choose MnM cookies and neapolitan ice cream.

It was so hot outside bu we couldn't get him to take off his new fuzzy wuzzy moose jammies.

Brayden choose to have a dirt party. It was a great party. We ate, played games, and the kids played in the dirt. I was very impressed with the sign Curtis made him and very proud of the cake I made him.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween. Curtis' parents came and brought us a special Halloween treat, Smith's cookies. Yummy! For those of you from Bakersfield you know what I am talking about. At night we went to our church. We had the cutest pumpkins there!

Carving pumpkins. Brayden still doesn't like the inside of the pumpkin. Colby loved it. We had to take it away from him. He apparently liked the taste because he kept sucking his thumb while he was playing.

After lunch one of our neighbors brought the boys some candy. Brayden did a good job sharing. I'm assuming things will be different next year when Colby can eat it.

My Cute Pumpkins!

I totally love this picture!

I asked Brayden what we should type on this post. He told me to type, "I love Uncle Brad!" When I asked him why he said "because Uncle Brad loves us." So here's a shout out to Uncle Brad.

My Cute Baby!

2009-10-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

I had to post these adorable pictures of Colby! I love that smile and to hear him giggle! I can just watch him all day!

Chicken Pox ?!?

2009-10-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Our home and family is under quarantine. Brayden has the chicken pox. Colby got his second pox today so we will see where that goes. Brayden got vaccinated for the chicken pox when he was one, this past February the doctor thought he might have had a mild case of the chicken pox. Now we are pretty sure he has them. The doctor is doing a blood test to see what is going on with his chicken pox antibodies. He has no fever. Just about 30-40 itchy bumps. He is still getting new ones today so we will probably be stuck at home all week.

To keep entertained this morning we made cupcakes. We had no powder sugar so they have no frosting. Brayden was able to help since we don't have to worry about Curtis and I getting sick.

I think Colby is feeling okay but he has been extra snugly today. I couldn't get him to let go of his blanket this morning. He is just like the rest of his family and loves his fuzzy blankets.

The boys were funny to watch while they were playing together today. Brayden was mooing in Colby's ears and Colby kept trying to catch him. I love Colby's face in this picture!

Monterey!

2009-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we went to Monterey for Len's 77th birthday. We had an awesome time! We got to spend a lot of time with family, and all the cousins had a blast. And us big kids had a blast too! We went to the beach every day and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We also went to the aquarium. Brayden loved it! He still talks about it all the time. One of his favorite parts was the touch pools. He would only touch the starfish, but he touched everyone he could find. I think Brayden and I could have spent the whole day there. Colby liked watching all the fish and had a great time too. Curtis had to drag us all out when it was time to leave. Colby went swimming and played in the sand for the first time. He loved both! Ever since the pool he spends his whole bath time every night splashing me. None of us wanted to leave Monterey!

Brothers!

2009-08-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the cute brothers. It is awesome that they are starting to be able to play together. This picture looks like they are telling secrets, but really I think Colby is trying to eat Brayden.

Brayden loves to hide. He is very excited that Colby can hide with him now.

Another game they like to play is horsey. Brayden is a very fast bronco! I love the last frame of this video.

Now some solo pictures. Brayden trying to get some camera attention and being silly.

Colby's first food, sweet potatoes. He is really liking eating, not that we're surprised.

A cute picture of Colby and Daddy!

Brayden recently spent the night with his Aunt Sara, Uncle Brad, and cousins. He was so excited and had an awesome time. He called and told us he loved us and good night in his sweet little voice. Curtis and I decided he is not doing that again until he is at least 12.

My Mickey Mouse lover!

Cute Pictures!

2009-08-23T22:47:00.001-07:00

I just had a few pictures I wanted to post. Colby now has 2 teeth and is rolling all over the place. He is starting to scoot a little also. He usually wakes up happy, which is awesome, and we never know where to find him in the crib.

Colby is getting a head start on the football season. Go Big Blue!!!

Brayden is in love with his Panda. I got up this morning to find Panda having breakfast with Curtis and Brayden. Well at least he didn't take my spot at the table.

Honesty!

2009-08-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

We have been working on teaching Brayden to tell the truth and what a lie is. Several times I explained it to him and he learns pretty fast so I thought he understood. I think he was testing the waters a bit for a few days, and he is not a very good liar.

Me- Brayden you need to go get dressed, then you can watch Mickey Mouse.

Brayden- okay, he then went down the hallway and came back a few minutes later ready to watch tv.

B- Momma can I watch Mickey Mouse now

M- Did you get dressed?

B- Yes

M- Remember do not lie to me, we then had a quick refresher on what a lie is, now Brayden did you get dressed

B- yes

M- you took off your jammies and put on clothes?

B- yes

M- Brayden you are lying to me

B - no I 'm not

M- yes you are, you are still wearing your jammies

He then looked down at his jammies as if he just realized this was not going to work.

A couple nights later at dinner he had something in his mouth turned to the side, facing Curtis, and spit it on the floor. I'm still not sure why, this is not normal behavior for him. Curtis asked him if he just spit on the floor and he said no. I reminded him not to lie. He then said in his sweetest voice, I honestly did. This was followed by him then cleaning the floor.

Brayden's Wish List!

2009-08-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

Brayden's 3rd birthday is fast approaching and people have been asking him what he wants. He has come up with a wide selection of choices and tells everybody something different. His PaPa Heard told me he was helping to prevent duplicates. The biggest problem is if you ask him what he is getting for his birthday he has the same list. I have tried to explain to him that just because you ask for something doesn't mean that you will get it. He just thinks that is silly! Here's the list.

Dirt Party
Jack in the box
Blueberry Elephant
Goofy and Pluto
His own House
Blue Car
Trampoline
A sink that turns on and off by itself, like in a restaurant bathroom.
Computer
Wii with a remote controller
Turtle for the backyard

Ice Skating!

2009-08-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Bakersfield my dad took a morning off and took us ice skating. Brayden loved it, and so did I! He went right out on the ice with my dad and I. And every time we took him off, he wanted right back on. He actually skated all around the rink with us. Even Colby tested out the ice, but no skates this time.

Okay, so I got an awesome video of Brayden skating. The problem is that some blonde, who is still tired from having a young baby, and just finished a long car trip filmed it. ( Any of those excuses good enough?) I turned the camera just like I did for the above picture, too bad the videos don't rotate. So just have a little laugh at my expense and turn your head!

Colby Update!

2009-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Colby had his 4 month appointment last week. He is 17 lbs 10 ozs and 26 inches. He is doing great and the doctor suggested that we start him on solids. So Colby now eats dinner with us and loves it. He didn't even spit out his first bite, and now a week later he finishes his whole bowl full, minus the mess on his bib. He is wearing size 12 months and is getting very strong. He loves to stand! He is laughing more now, which is awesome! He can sit by himself for very short periods of time. If that isn't enough, he is just adorable!

One other thing about Colby is, he loves his brother!

Colby Busts A Move!

2009-07-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Just a funny video I wanted to share. Colby is already a great dancer. These are some of his best moves. Make sure your volume is up.

The Fourth in LA!

2009-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

We went to LA to visit the Barbers for the 4th of July. We had an awesome time! The fourth was filled with cookie decorating, swimming, BBQ, and some child friendly fireworks.

We were trying to get the boys together for a picture, this is as close as they would get. I asked Brayden to touch Andrew. So he reached out, poked Andrew, and then pulled his arm back. They are two silly boys and had an awesome time. Cheri got some pictures of all 4 of the kids together, I will have to post one when I get them. By the way Cheri, will you email me some cute ones?

Colby has been busy growing and learning new things. He can grasps things, including my hair, and roll over from his back to his tummy. As you can see below he is still figuring out the rolling over thing. He finds himself in odd places. He loves to sleep on his side now, the problem is when he falls on his tummy and gets his arm stuck. Not a problem I enjoy fixing in the middle of the night.

When we got back from the library on Thursday I went to get Colby out of his car seat, but Brayden stopped me. He wanted to read his new books to Colby. It was so sweet! I love watching them together. Colby talks to Brayden, then Brayden starts to laugh, so Colby will talk more, then Brayden laughs harder. It can get pretty loud and Curtis and I love it!

June Fun!

2009-07-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Brayden loves to match his brother. I think it is adorable. I couldn't wait to dress them alike, but I didn't know that Brayden would be so into it.

Brayden loves to help me in the kitchen, and can cook up some great pretend food in his kitchen. He was so cute with his friend Sadie. They had a whole meal setup.

Cute picture!

Brayden was in blueberry heaven!

Colby's first trip to the beach. He slept pretty much the whole time, and we were there for hours. He was the only one who did not get a sun burn.

My birthday!

2009-06-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

This month I started my last year in my 20's. I can't believe it! But it got off to a great start. The weather was beautiful and we had an awesome day. We went to a big church yard sale where I got a yard game with balls, hoops, and mallets. Okay I know what the game is called, but I have absolutely no idea on where to begin to spell it. Yeah my husband is sitting here with me and he has no clue either. Any way we went to Zoobilation that night with the Edwards. We had a picnic and then walked around the zoo. Brayden even got to feed the elephants, which are his favorite animals there. The picture below is not very good but is memorable. The big shadow in the back is the elephant and Brayden looks funny because he is making his elephant noise.

Our first family picture. We are in the elephant barn, which basically looked like a big, very tall prison. It was awesome and scary to be in there!

This was Brayden's favorite thing about bedtime while Curtis was working nights. He loves to snuggle with Colby! Every night he would ask me if Colby could sleep with him.

They love each other so much already!

No explanation needed for this video, right Cheri?

Colby is a chatterbox! He will talk and talk. Even when he is sad he does not cry a lot, he just complains. I love his voice!

By the way, at Colby's 2 month appointment he was 24.5 inches and 15 lbs, 10 oz. He is healthy, happy, and big. Just the way we like our babies!

Smiling, Sleeping , and Mother's Day!

2009-05-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Colby's first on camera smile. He smiles and talks a lot. I love it! When he smiles his whole face smiles!

No need to swaddle this baby!

Brayden sleeps in funny positions when he is trying to fight off sleep. I am not sure how he got in this position.

Brayden and Curtis made this shirt for Mother's Day. It was so sweet! Good thing we had purple duct tape.

Me and my boys on Mother's Day!

Momma's Post

2009-05-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

I picked out these pics. I want to do more now, but I can't. Colby is happy, Brayden is watching Mickey Mouse, but now there is another member of the male species who wants my attention. Which sounds nice to me! We have to talk while we can.

Doesn't Colby look like a little doll. This picture is freaky looking and makes us laugh! I think part of the problem is that Brayden's head is as big as half of Colby.

This is something Brayden did while I was feeding Colby one afternoon. The problem was how he got it out of the top of his closet.

Michigan Boys!

Sweet sleeping baby! He loves to be on his tummy.

This is the last of Colby's size 3 month clothes. He is working on his third chin and is very long. Most of the clothes are just to short for his long torso.

Brayden's Post

2009-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Brayden picked out these pictures. We were going to do more but Colby is hungry. We'll post more later. Enjoy my cute boys!

Heeeeerrrrrrreee's Colby

2009-04-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Colby Dean Heard. Born monday 3/30/09 at 8:49 pm. He was 8lbs, 4oz and 21 in long. Joleen and Colby are doing well. Here are some pics for those of you who are not lucky enough to live in Fresno.

Big brother holding his new little bro.

Mom and colby

Colby's first pic

My Silly Boy!

2008-12-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Brayden says the funniest things. Here are a couple stories from today.

My mom and Len were here today. Brayden was playing with the snaps on Grammy's jacket. He asked Grammy to help, they were hard snaps. When Grammy was having a little trouble he took it from her and gave it to PaPa. He said "PaPa do it. He's the man!" My mom wanted to know what kind of sexist ideas we were teaching him.

This evening Curtis was holding Brayden while I was brushing his teeth. Here is the conversation they had.

Brayden- Sorry Daddy

Curtis- What?

B-Sorry

C- Why are you sorry?

B- Your tail

C- What about my tail?

B- It fell off. Sorry Daddy.

C- That's okay son. It didn't hurt.

I still can't stop laughing! He is such a funny boy. I never know what he will say next.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

This was the first year in a long time that I was actually excited about Halloween. We went to Cobb's Ranch to get our pumpkins. Brayden loved it! We walked around the animals twice, walked through the pumpkin patch, had a picnic dinner, and played in their play area until it was dark. We all had an awesome time!

Brayden was not into carving the pumpkins too much. He loves to get messy, but his hands must stay clean. So there was no way he was going to stick his hands in that nasty pumpkin. But he did tell me what shapes to use on his pumpkin's face. Curtis got a Disney design book for ours. It took us hours to carve them, but they turned out awesome. Mine is Pluto, Curtis did Mickey.

Brayden picked out his own costume and was very excited about it. I think he wore it 4 or 5 times before Halloween. It will still fit him for Christmas too! Curtis and I decided to get dressed up too. Brayden was excited all day and ate almost no dinner. We finally went out to 2 neighbors houses and he wouldn't talk or even smile. Then we went to church and he did much better. We had a great time. He got candy, handed out candy, did art projects, and played with his cousins.

Brayden sang the whole Happy Birthday song to Uncle Gabe while I was getting the camera. Once it was on, this is all I got!

It's a boy!

2008-11-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

My home is quickly being taken over by boys, and I love it! First I met the man of my dreams, how could I not make him a part of my life. Then he gave me our awesome son, Brayden. I never knew I could love anyone like the way I love him. Yesterday we found out that this new little baby of ours is a boy. I can't tell you how excited I am. I can't wait to hold this new baby and be surrounded by all of my boys. I always wanted a house full of girls, but now I can't imagine life without my boys.

It's a boy, It's a girl, no it's a Wolverine!

2008-09-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't heard, I am pregnant. I am about 11 weeks now and the baby is due on April 11, 2009, which is the day before Easter. We are all very excited!!! Brayden is an awesome big brother already. He loves to kiss, zerbert, tickle, and snuggle with the baby. The other day he put his play phone on my tummy and then the baby and daddy had a conversation. He gets excited when I call him big brother. As seen above he likes to swaddle his stuffed animals. (I won't put the picture in where he put the swaddled wolverine on the couch and rolled over him.) It is interesting that most of the time he calls the baby his sister, although I'm not sure if he understands what a sister is.

Speaking of siblings. I took these pictures this morning and it is very weird how similar Brayden and his cousins look. Curtis thinks that Sara and Brad must have stole some of my DNA.

Happy Birthday Brayden!

2008-09-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today our little boy turned 2. He is growing up so fast. Everyone told me he would, but you can't understand until you experience it. He is learning new things every day and becoming more independent, which is both exciting and a little sad. He now takes naps in his big boy bed, drinks from a big boy cup, and wants to do things on his own. Tonight before his bath he used the potty all by himself. He took off his diaper, got his step stool, and when he was done he flushed, and put the lid down. I was in awe and he looked at me like, what's the big deal mom. He can recognize all the letters, counts to 8, and knows a lot of colors and shapes. He is talking a lot and starting to make sentences. It is so awesome to have a conversation with my baby boy.

Tonight the 3 of us had a little birthday celebration. We had one of his favorite meals, biscuits and gravy and bacon. Then we had cake and ice cream and a few presents. It was a fun but quiet party today which is good because both Brayden and his daddy have a cold of some sort. Brayden is currently sleeping with his daddy on the couch with a temp of 103. Luckily he enjoyed his day and the fever didn't hit until bedtime.

On Sunday we were all healthy and we had his big birthday party. It was a Mickey Mouse Club House party. Everyone had a great time and Brayden really enjoyed himself. We made cupcakes with toodles on them. For those who don't know toodles just looks like a mickey mouse head outline. Brayden helped make the toodles and when he finished every cupcake he got excited and would shout toodles or mickey mouse.

Curtis drew a giant mickey mouse and we played pin the tail on mickey mouse. Everyone played and did a pretty good job. Brayden had a few turns, once with just a long piece of tape he had impatiently ripped off.

Cute Brayden Sayings!

2008-07-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am copying my sister Cheri's blog. She just did a posting of Andrew's cute sayings, which are adorable. Just remember Cheri that copying is the best form of flattery, or something like that.

So anyway, Brayden has been saying and doing the cutest things lately, so I thought that I would share some of them with you. I really can't believe his verbal and communication skills, or the fact that he is almost 2.

1. This morning we were cleaning the couch and Brayden found a fishy cracker, who knows how old it was. I asked him to throw it away. He proceeded to run to the trash can and then was gone a little bit too long. I went looking for him and found him in the pantry area by the trash can. I asked him if he threw it away and he said yes and started to look in the trash can for it. I asked where it was and he looked at me, opened his mouth, and pointed into it. I asked him if he ate it and he said no, yes, yes. Well he hasn't gotten sick yet.

2. The other day I was making dinner and Brayden was in his room playing. He started saying help so I went down to his room. When I got there he looked at me, waved his hand signaling for me to leave, and said I'm fine.

3. On Tuesday we were in the office and Brayden went in the closet and found his Easter basket. He got very excited and yelled Bunny Cookies, which is what was in his Easter eggs, and then went running into the living room. When he came back asking for the bunny cookies I had to break the news that the Easter bunny only comes once a year, not every time you find your basket. But that would be nice.

4. I believe this is Brayden's first joke. We were eating dinner and I asked him what we were having and he said elephant. I said ewww, and he replied giraffe. We went through a few more animals and a dinosaur and then he said moo moo. You can imagine his disgust when I said yes that is what we are eating. How do you explain to a 1 year old that you can eat a cow, but not an elephant?

5. Brayden is learning to share and for the most part he does a good job. If somebody is doing something he will say Brayden's turn, or Momma's turn. Or if he wants something he will say Brayden too. It is very cute and great for him to learn but sometimes Momma doesn't want a turn or to go too. Like using his toothbrush or eating his carrot, yuck. But I am a good mom and take a little bite of carrot to set a good example, but yuck.

I'll post some new pictures soon!

Polka Dots and My Special Gifts!

2008-07-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Brayden had Roseola. It was a hard week for all of us. My poor baby had a very high fever and then got the rash. The rash didn't bother him but he was very cranky, not eating, and exhausted. But now he says polka dot very cutely.

For my birthday Curtis got me a different kind of gift. I got my nose pierced. He told me about it a few days before I went. My friend Angie, who has her nose pierced, took me out to lunch and then to the tattoo parlor. We had a lot of fun and I was glad she was there with me. It's been over a month now and I still like it, which is good news.

You can't see it in the above picture so I will have to post a picture when I get a good one.

Happy Father's Day Curtis! (And My Birthday)

2008-06-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Only on Father's Day could Curtis get away with this. After I made homemade biscuits, gravy, and sausage for breakfast, Curtis and Brayden went to watch Mickey. I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and when I went in to check on them this is what I found. Curtis got a good nap too because there were 2 episodes of Mickey on that day. But he deserves it. He is the best dad Brayden could ever have. Thanks for being an awesome husband and daddy! Brayden and I love you!!!

That afternoon my dad came to visit. It was great to spend some time with him, especially on Father's Day. Brayden had a lot of fun with him and we had a great afternoon and evening.

For my birthday I got everything I love. Family, friends, the beach, and awesome food. My actual birthday evening was spent with family, friends, teppanyaki, and cheesecake. Wonderful people and wonderful food. On Sunday the 3 of us spent the day at the beach. We had a blast. We had a picnic and Brayden played in the ocean for the first time. After the beach we went to a local farm and picked cherries, Brayden slept in our arms the whole time. Then we went to my mom's for dinner, yummy!

Brayden loves to eat whole pieces of fruit now! It is cute to watch and it seems he can down a peach in 5 seconds flat.

Sandy feet, what an awesome thing!

I think Brayden is now addicted to his PaPa's ribs too!

Little Red Caboose!

2008-06-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is a video I took in March after Keira was born and we were in LA. Andrew's Nonnie taught him this song. Andrew then taught it to Brayden, with some mommy help of course. It became one of Brayden's favorite songs. Brayden and I love to watch this video!

Brayden's sweet voice!

2008-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is my first post with videos, so hopefully everything works right.

Brayden has started singing and I love it! He is like me and will sing just about anytime, expect when we ask him to sing on the phone. I love his singing voice!

In the first video he is singing the hot dog song from the Mickey Mouse Club House. He is becoming a big Disney fan.

Brayden can sing bits and pieces of the alphabet including the last line. I love his expressions here! Sorry for the close up at the end, but he loves the camera. The only reason I get to take his picture is so he can see it on the camera.

New home additions!

2008-06-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Curtis and I spent another weekend reseeding our lawn and dirt where there was no lawn. This time we used a very stinky topsoil, and it worked. There is grass starting to grow all over the front yard. Now we have to do something with the backyard!

I am excited to say that we finally got dual-paned windows. They installed them yesterday and this morning and due to some problems they will finish the patio door and the last two windows next week. I can already tell a difference. It is quieter and cooler. I am sure the patio door is going to make a huge difference.

Happy Mother's Day and Thank you God for Annalise!

2008-05-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you mothers had a great Mother's Day. Mine was interesting. Brayden was getting over being sick and being the crankiest he has ever been and I was in the middle of being sick. That part was not good. But I got breakfast in bed. Which included some muffins that I bought and Brayden stomped on during one of his cranky days. They must have some good preservatives because they looked good as new. My in-laws and my mom and step dad came for lunch and we enjoyed a fun and yummy afternoon. Brayden fell asleep in the middle of lunch and we had to wake him 3 1/2 hours later. Then I spent the rest of the day on the couch half asleep. Luckily it was just a cold/flu bug and didn't last long. Curtis and Brayden brought me home this balloon on Mother's Day. I think it is a cool balloon and Brayden has got a lot of fun out of it.

So on one of Brayden's cranky days Annalise came over. For a couple hours I had my normal Brayden back. I was babysitting her for a little bit, but I asked Sara if she could move in for a few days. Brayden loves all of his cousins but there is a special place in his heart for Annalise.

A couple days later we were praying at dinner and Brayden wanted to pray. Curtis was not home so he wanted to pray for daddy, but next on his list was Annalise. I thought that was a great idea. We should definitely thank God for Annalise!

P.S. After all the crankiness Brayden now has 2 of his eye teeth. Wow! I can't wait for the other 2 to finish coming in!

Ivy, Junipers, and Daisies

2008-05-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

If you want plants that will never leave and will never let you forget them plant some ivy, junipers, or daisies. We had the junipers cut down. Then we dug up the trunks and we thought most of the roots. Well a couple weeks ago we decided to reseed our lawn and look what we found. They were dead roots, but they were all tangled up and some were over 12 feet long.

The ivy and the daisies we keep killing and ripping out. But they continue to come back again and again. The daisies are growing in the middle of our lawn, which was a weird placed planter before. At least the daisies are pretty!

On a brighter note, we are loving having our yards. We spent several hours in the backyard this morning. We picked the first batch of loquats off of our tree. We have been eating them off the tree in the evenings and they are pretty good. Brayden loves them!

Anyone want some loquats!?!

Keira Charis Barber!

2008-03-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Keira was born on March 13, 2008. She was 7 lbs 4 ozs, and 19 inches. She is adorable and a good snuggler. When I held her she just cuddled up in a little ball. She is beautiful!

We had a lot of fun hanging out with the whole Barber family. Brayden had the most fun with Andrew, he stills talks about him everyday.

While we were in LA we decided to make it our first family vacation. We stayed in a hotel which actually went okay and we went to Knotts Berry Farm and Downtown Disney. The 3 of us had an awesome time! Brayden rode his first amusement park ride, twice as you can see below. We also rode a couple different trains and just enjoyed the weekend. It was Spring safari at Knotts and Brayden got to collect some fun toys. That safari hat is the only hat he will wear, well except for his daddy's hat.

Elijah Stephens Edwards!

2008-03-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our new nephew was born yesterday morning. He is 9 lbs and 8 ozs and 21 1/2 inches. He is a big boy and adorable. You can't see in the pictures but he has big dark blue eyes and very strong calve muscles, which I can only assume he got from kicking poor Sara for the past 9 months.

Elijah's big brother and sister are very excited for him and Mom to come home!

Now we are patiently awaiting our new niece to be born in LA. Go Cheri! Go Keira!

The House, Christmas, and a Cute Puppy!

2008-01-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the house. It was a good time for me to take pictures but the lighting was bad. I will add new pictures as I take them, or a month later, whatever.

We enjoyed our first Christmas in the house. Although, it was the first time I was happy to put away the Christmas decorations. We never got to decorate our new home before Christmas and I was excited to open those last few boxes and put up our pictures and other belongings.

Curtis got me one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever. He got me a tetherball for our backyard, I am so excited. We have been having a blast with it, but we have been a little rusty and sore. No, I will never grow up!

For those of you who don't know Curtis plays the saxophone, so they were both excited with this gift.

Is this not the cutest puppy you have ever seen!!!

Life Besides the House!

2007-11-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

I was going to post new pictures of the house, but I realized that I do not have any good pictures of it currently. I will take some soon and then post them. Until then here are some pictures of the rest of our lives.

We had a fun Halloween! Brayden trick or treated at one door and then we went to our churches trunk or treat. He loved when people put things in his bucket, he did not care what it was. He also loves pumpkins!!! He played with the little one from church all the time.

Everybody was kung fu fighting!!!

Brayden's first haircut. Daddy decided it was time for the baby curls to go. I think I cried more than Brayden.

Brayden cut all four of his morals at the same time. It has been a fun time!!! His fingers are now regularly in his mouth. He also has begun to enjoy stickers, look at his shirt.

Brayden's first homemade chocolate chip cookie!

Home Sweet Home!

2007-11-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Here I am sitting in our new office surrounded by boxes and half way on the floor because we have not put the feet on our desk yet, and it is awesome. We are all loving our new house! We have been very busy with cleaning, unpacking, cleaning, unpacking, and cleaning some more. We have pretty much been ignoring the outside world and living for our house. We are about half way done unpacking and I will never be done cleaning. It is a wonderful feeling to wake up in our own home and look out in our backyard. This house was well worth the years of praying and hoping. Curtis and I often look at each other and say "Wow, God does know what He is doing!" I have no pictures to post today because I am lucky the computer is even working. I do have a list of why Brayden loves his new home.

He is now walking and can roam everywhere in the house without having to be carried up or down the stairs.
There are boxes everywhere and he has unlimited toys. ( Another reason to unpack faster!)
The door knobs are lower and Brayden has learned to open them. There is no spot untouched by Brayden.
He loves the backyard. Now he hasn't played in it yet, it's a mess, but there are a lot of cats and squirrels to watch through the window.

An Exciting Weekend!

2007-10-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

We just had an awesome and tiring weekend! Not only did we start renovation on the house but my brother, Jeff, and his wife, Teresa, came to visit from Oklahoma. We have not seen Jeff since our wedding, 7 years ago, and Teresa even longer. It was great to visit with them and now Brayden has officially met all of his aunts and uncles. They even helped with the house while they were on their vacation. The Edwards also helped us out and Nathan even tore down some wallpaper. Curtis has been working hard on the house and with all the family and friends helping things will get done even faster. Curtis just keeps telling me that he will sleep in 2 weeks after we move in!

Uncle Jeff, Aunt Teresa, and Brayden!

We were sad to learn that the dining room had 2 layers of wallpaper and the nursery had 3!

Teresa tried to clean some of the drapes. As you can see they were very, very dirty. The bad thing was the dirt was apparently the only thing holding them together. The cleaner they got the more they fell apart.

I was very excited to use a sledge hammer. I started tearing down the brick planter, Brad finished it up. I love the picture below of Curtis, Sara, and the kids hiding outside from the flying brick.

Curtis and Brad started ripping up the carpet. It is weird but all the concrete is painted red. I guess they use to use paint as a sealer.

I will keep posting updates as time allows. Also there will be a post from Curtis' trip to Michigan when he has time. Hopefully he can do it before Christmas!

The Wait is Over!!!!!

2007-10-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Curtis and I just picked up the keys to our first home. We are very excited!!! We had a picnic lunch in the living room today. Besides the spiders it looks good. We can't wait to get started on it. Curtis is going to take care of the little pests, the spiders not Brayden, tonight and tomorrow we will start making it our home. We will be moving on Nov 3. We will be moving in just in time for the holidays which is the best time of year! I am still in shock and can't believe it is finally our home. My mind is all over the place so excuse me rambling on about random things. I am just soooooooo excited!

Waiting!

2007-10-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting here waiting. And as most of you know I have no patience. It has been over 2 months since escrow started on our house. The process has been a roller coaster. We have been up and down and right now I feel like we are on that last huge final drop. Any moment now we should receive a call to go and sign the loan documents. Now I have been waiting for this call since Thursday, so the excitement of the ride is wearing out. I know it will happen but the waiting is killing me. Did I mention that I have no patience.

Here is what keeps me smiling!

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

2007-09-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Brayden turned one on September 3, 2007. He is growing up so fast and we are loving every minute of it. Brayden is now 24 lbs, 10 ozs, and 30 1/4 inches. He is getting closer to walking and will succeed any day now. He takes a few steps here and there but still likes the security of our hands. He is also starting to talk more. Most of it we can't understand but my favorite word he says is Turtle. It is soooo cute! Here our some pictures from his birthday.

Update: We had a snag in the house buying process but we are now back on track. Escrow is scheduled to close on Sept 30, but it might take one more week. We are getting even more excited and a little stressed. We will keep everyone posted, in our spare time.

Our First Home!

2007-08-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Curtis and I are excited to say that we are in the process of purchasing our first home! We are a week into escrow and everything is moving along great. We wanted to share some pictures of our house with all of you. It is 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. It was built in 1958, and as the pictures will show, not much has changed since then. We love the house and it is in a nice neighborhood. We are looking forward to moving day! Any volunteers?

The front of the house is very Christmassy, which is awesome!

I love how the brick continues off the house and it has a matching gate!

The huge oak tree, we think, out front.

The kitchen is a little small but it has a huge dining room. The appliances are from 1958, including a push start electric stove. But all the applicances work so they will do for awhile. But the chickens on the wall will be leaving before we move in.

The next picture is an indoor grill in the dining room. They apparently have been using it as a bag holder, but we will hopefully be cooking steaks in the rain!

The living room has a nice fireplace. I don't like brick much but I feel at home in this living room. I can just picture our stockings hanging on the mantle.

This will be our office, until Brayden moves out of the nursery.

The nursery, Brayden's current room. Right now it is my favorite room of the house, no explanation needed.
Our bedroom, not much to say other than soon it will not be 3 shades of green.

This is the full bathroom, which is big and has a seperate tub and stall shower. Curtis loves the colors in this room and is hesitent to let me change it. Okay, really he said that he doesn't have enough estrogen to use this bathroom.

It has a nice size backyard. Once we clean it up there will be plenty of room. It has a fig and a grapefruit tree. There also seem to be some interesting features hidden under the greenery and we are excited to see what we can find.

We can't wait to show all of you in person!

Happy 65th Mom!!!

2007-06-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

For my mom's 65th birthday my sisters and I planned a surprise for her. She thought that she was going to spend the weekend with Cheri in LA but instead we all went. Debbie came from Wisconsin and Sara and I from Fresno. She was actually speechless, which was the first time in 65 years.

On her birthday the 5 of us girls went to a day spa. We did a clay mud bath, relaxed in spas and pools, and did an underground moisturizing treatment. It was an awesome day for all of us!

My mom had an excellent birthday as you can tell from the picture below.

The next day we took some pictures while we were all together.
Our awesome nephew let us borrow his room and even lent his crib to Brayden. Brayden loved waking up and seeing Curits and I on the floor next to him.Here is Brayden and Andrew. Andrew gives us hope that one day Brayden will have hair too!

Father and Son Hobby!

2007-05-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Curtis has been waiting a long time to share his hobby of collecting sports cards. He has been buying Brayden cards since we found out he was going to be a boy. It was so cute to see them sharing this together.

Brayden showed Daddy a few things to do with the cards that he has never tried. Apparently the cards taste good and stick to foreheads well. Yes, they both have cards stuck to their heads!

Morro Bay

2007-05-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

On April 28th we met Curtis' parents and our nephew, C.J., at Morro Bay. It turned out they were having their kite festival. We had an awesome time! We had lunch, enjoyed the kites, and played at the beach. It was a great day!!!!

C.J. and I walked on the beach under all of the kites. Some of them were huge! My favorite was the giant purple bear.

I just thought that this was a cool picture below.

Daddy and Brayden in front of Morro Rock.

Okay so my son is now officially a beach bum. He played in the sand for a long time. When we washed him off, using ocean water because we forgot everything else in the car, he just got dirty again. He loved putting his hands and feet in the sand. He is definitely my son.

It was so cute to watch Brayden play in the sand with his cousin. Although C.J. did about 99% of the digging they had a lot of fun.

My happy beach baby!!!!!

Another Great Picture!

2007-04-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

I know he looks good in all his pictures but this one makes my heart melt. Now I might be a little partial since he's my son, but oh my gosh he's adorable. I have this picture on my desktop and I seriously have trouble turning off my computer because I can't stop looking at him. Let's see if any of you have the same problem.

Easter Weekend

2007-04-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

We spent Brayden's first Easter in Paso Robles with my mom and step dad. We had a great time. Curtis and I decorated eggs on Saturday, while Big Grammie was forced to play with Brayden. The green egg in the corner is a replica of Len, done by Curtis. Yes I was the nice wife who made the Michigan egg, it was the only egg I made without glitter.

Saturday night we tried to play uno attack. Somebody, who shall remain nameless but is related to me and lives in Fresno and was playing the game with her son, left the game on and the batteries were dead. Len searched the house for new C batteries and found some in a box that apparently has not been open since he moved to California. He was upset that these new batteries didn't work. Finally he looked at the box and read that they expired in Jan of 1993. We then proceeded to play dominos.
Easter morning the Fresno Easter Bunny brought Brayden a bucket full of toys and a new bunny book. His favorite thing in there was the free shovel that came with the bucket.
The Paso Easter Bunny brought Brayden his first Easter Basket filled with fun things. Actually it was half empty because Grammie Bunny had a hard time waiting until Easter morning.
Brayden went on his first egg hunt, with a little help from me. We found them all except one which Papa had to find for us. It was hidden to high for us.
I thought I should include a picture to show you that we didn't spend the whole day in our jammies.

Happy Easter!!!

2007-04-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter from all of us Heard Bunnies!

Does this look like a sleeping baby to you? It was the end of his nap and he was in his crib talking so I left him to play for 10 minutes. Now a days I never know how I will find him.

Food, Food, and the Zoo!

2007-03-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Apple slices make Brayden smile. He could only gnaw on them with his 2 teeth but he enjoyed sucking out the juice.

We tried giving Brayden some homemade tators. He thought they were okay. We were letting him play with them on his tray. He would not eat them off his fingers, but he had no problem licking them off of the tray.

We finally found a food Brayden doesn't like, he will still eat it, he just doesn't like it. It is adult applesauce. He likes baby applesauce and won't eat cereal without applejuice, but this was not good to him. He kept making the silliest faces while he was eating it, but then he would open his mouth for more.

Brayden went to the zoo for the first time. He didn't care about the animals all that much but he loved being outside all afternoon. We went with Sara, Nathan, Annalise, Jodie, and Kyle. We had a picnic and then walked around the zoo. We had a great time!

I finally got a picture of Brayden with his Aunt Sara. He is 6 months old and she lives 2 minutes away and this is my first picture of the 2 of them together.