A Weekend to Remember

Shortly after graduating from college, Brandon and I ventured to the north suburbs of Chicago to start our careers in our first post-college jobs. We settled in Gurnee, found a church we loved, and soon after formed friendships with many people at that church. We only stayed in Gurnee for two years, and have been gone for five years, but still value those friendship dearly.

Brandon and I decided a while ago that we wanted to venture north and visit with our friends that have never even had the chance to meet our girls. So, we scheduled some personal days off from work, booked a hotel, and off we went.

We had a fantastic weekend! Aside from a hotel nightmare that included us switching hotels in the middle of the night with two sleeping little girls, we really enjoyed ourselves. We ate plenty of good food, did lots of shopping at outlet malls, and reconnected with our friends. Looking forward already to the next reunion!

Dinner at Rainforest Cafe was a big hit

Checking out the fish with her friend

A lot of money went down here this night

The fondue tradition has been successfully passed on to the next generation

She means business!

10 Months

I can't believe that we are only two months away from Brayla's 1st birthday. It's time for somebody to get planning (ahem...me)! Here's what you've been up to in the last month:

"Oh, I'm 10 months old? Great!"

-You still go to sleep about 7:30-7:45 every night. You generally sleep until we wake you up at about 6:15, but occasionally you are ready to party earlier than that. This weekend's time change made your Sunday wake-up time a little later and it was much appreciated.


-You are still wearing a size 3 diaper.


-At your 9 month check-up you weighed 16 pounds 10 ounces. I'm guessing you are somewhere around 17 pounds now.


-You are still wearing 6-9 month or 12 month clothes. There are the occasional 3-6 month pants, though, that we are still holding onto and getting great use of for a very extended amount of time.


-You take 4 6-ounce bottles a day. You are not nearly as addicted to milk/formula as your older sister. You normally don't get all excited to drink your bottle and getting you to drink even 6 ounces is sometimes a challenge. I have a feeling you will be an easy one to wean from the bottle, but getting you to continue to drink milk as part of your diet may not be so easy.

They kind of like each other

-You eat 3 meals a day. You just tried a cereal bar for the first time last week and loved it. We are experimenting with yogurt for breakfast as well. You love the squeeze baby food. If you refuse all other food, I can count on you eating something so long as I get out the squeezable baby food. Modern conveniences sure are nice sometimes!

-You have enough hair that you occasionally wake up with bed head! This is a new concept to us and I am so excited that hair is visible on that cute little head of yours :)


-You now have 4 teeth. You got two top teeth this month. Unfortunately, they are not your front teeth. I'm hoping those come in soon or you will be sporting the vampire look. I don't think too many babies can pull this look off well, and I'm hoping we don't even have to find out.


-You are crawly almost always off of your belly. If you need to go somewhere in a hurry, you'll drop to your belly and move that way. You are still cruising along furniture and last week you stood by yourself for the first time! Once you realize you're standing, you inevitably fall down, but you're making progress.

Always on the move

-We are still waiting on that first word. I try daily to get you to say "momma" and daddy tries to get you to say "dadda" but so far all we hear is "babababababa" and shrieks that are traded back and forth while you "talk" with your sister.


-You do not like your car seat much at all. Once you're in it and the car is moving, things are fine. But you put up quite the fight when you know you're headed there.

-Things you love: clapping, playing patty cake, playing peek a boo, "talking" with Brynlee, bouncing up and down, trying to eat Turner's dog food, playing with the fridge toys, climbing, opening the entertainment center and eating the DVDs :)

Praying the next two months slow down a little and I can enjoy my "baby" for a little longer. We love you, Brayla!

Three-Year-Old Theology

Brandon and two other colleagues started a transportation company last summer. Things have been going well for them, continually growing their business. However, as with any company, there are always a few hiccups. Yesterday, Brandon had a half day off from his normal day job and spent the afternoon at the transportation company. He called me in the afternoon to let me know that 10 of their RVs had been broken into during the night. 8 TVs stolen, 2 broken, and some other miscellaneous damage.

Fast forward a few hours to last night. I had put Brynlee to bed, and as was custom, asked her what she wanted to pray for. Her favorite answer lately has been "I don't know." So, I suggested we pray for her daddy's work. I explained that some mean people had come and taken TVs that didn't belong to them and that the police were hoping they could find them. This story and explanation seemed sufficient enough for Bryn. But, as soon as we finished praying, Brynlee said to me "Tomorrow, Daddy go to work and he fight those mean guys." Oh my. How did she ever come to that conclusion from the story I told her?! I explained that we forgive the mean guys because Jesus forgives us and we just have to pray that they will feel bad and do the right thing in returning the TVs. Again, this seemed to satisfy Brynlee. We continue to talk about Jesus' love being like Mommy and Daddy's love. Jesus loves everybody, but still is unhappy when we do something wrong and disobedient. We love her, but are still upset when she does something wrong. To this she responded, "Yes, we go cut those mean guys with a knife!"

She was still at it again this morning, insisting that Daddy had gone to work to fight the mean guys. We never even use the word "fight" in our house, so I'm assuming this was picked up from somewhere else. But apparently, we've got some work to do in the way of teaching grace, forgiveness, and resistance to fight :)

9 Month Love

Though this post is a little belated, the pictures were actually taken close to Brayla's 9 month birthday. We've been passing around a cold/sinus infection in our house so poor thing was just not up for pictures on her big day. Nevertheless, lots of big things going on for our littlest princess in this past month:


-You go to sleep about 7:30 every night. You are getting to be a little more difficult to put to sleep for some reason. But once you are asleep, you're out for quite a while. If you're left to wake up on your own, it's usually between 7 and 7:30 when you get up. Yesterday, it was 8:30 before you got up...hallelujah!

-You are wearing a size 3 diaper.

-We had your 9 month checkup last week and you weighed 16 pounds 10 ounces (15th percentile), 26.25 inches long (10th percentile), and a 17 inch head circumference (25th percentile). That length sure explains how you fit into 3-6 month clothes still!

-You are finally wearing more 6-9 month and 6-12 month clothes. There are still some 3-6 month pants that will fit your short little legs :)

-You are taking 4 bottles a day along with 3 meals. You are still a picky eater. One day you'll love something and the next day hate it. I have to be creative about the way I feed you in order to get you to eat much. But you're growing and that's all that matters.

-You got your second bottom tooth this month. Your teeth come in so slow and make you so miserable. I'm hoping we can take a little break from teething and get you back to your happy little self again.

-Your hair is really starting to grow. It's coming in pretty dark and you've got a little baby chick fluff on the top that usually sticks up :)

-You are still crawling like a wild woman. You mainly army crawl, but will occasionally get off your belly and on to all fours. You are "cruising" everywhere. I don't think it'll take much more time for you to be off and walking (though I'm not really ready for you to be this big yet!)

-You just started signing "all done" when you don't want to eat anymore. It.is.adorable.

-You are starting to be a little more possessive of your belongings. Brynlee pretty much thinks all of your toys are hers, and when she takes one you throw a minor fit. It's short-lived, but you definitely show us how you feel.

-Things you love: chewing on cords, playing and reading with Brynlee, clapping, crawling up the stairs as fast as possible, and giving open mouthed kisses.


Can't believe it's about time to start thinking of and planning your 1st birthday. Slow down, little one! We love watching you grow up and seeing everything you're capable of, but we'd still like you to stay our "baby" for a little while longer!

A Magical Weekend

A few months ago, one of my Facebook friends posted something about a Disney on Ice show coming to the area. As soon as I saw that post, I knew what we were going to be doing for Brynlee's birthday. After telling our families about our plans, Brandon's mom was all-in and suggested an extended family weekend to see the ice show. She LOVES ice skating and did not want to miss this. So, we headed out last Saturday with Brandon's parents to Indianapolis and met my parents there. We got a fantastic hotel deal on Priceline and we ended up having the.best.weekend. We were able to check in early to the Hyatt, get settled in our rooms, headed out for lunch, and then straight to the show! Here is a barrage of photos from our weekend that highlight all of the fun we had!

Testing out the comfy hotel bed

Somebody was a little tired

Trust me, Bryn was more excited than she looks

Somebody suckered her Mamaw into buying her a princess light

Enough pictures, bring on the skating!

Little one's nap didn't last long...she wanted in on the action too!

Mickey and Minnie getting things started

She's in the zone now

She spent the whole first half of the show asking for Rapunzel. She just loves her!

All the princesses for the finale...a fantastic experience and great weekend with our families!

8 Months

Brayla, you are 8 months (and 1 week) old! This has been a busy month developmentally for you and you are definitely keeping us on our toes.

-I have no idea how much you weigh right now. I think you've definitely started to gain a little more, even with all your moving around. My guess would be about 15-16 pounds.

-Though you are gaining weight, I don't think you're getting much taller.

-Food has not been your friend lately. I can get you to eat a decent amount of food about one time every 3-4 days. You don't seem starving at all, I think you just don't have a huge appetite.

-You still wear a lot of 3-6 months clothes, which is just crazy to me. You can wear some 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes, but they don't make up the majority of what you wear.

-You still sleep great at night, usually about 11-12 hours. Given the chance, you will gladly sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00 some days. Heaven!

-You balance out your awesome night sleeping by not taking such great naps lately. I think part of this is teething (yuck) and I'm hoping it remedies itself soon. Most days your older sister sleeps more in her one nap a day than you do in two. Ugh.

-You finally got your first tooth this month! Last Monday (January 8), the day before you turned 8 months old, your lower right tooth made an appearance. You weren't grouchy leading up to that, but you have been not such a happy camper since then which makes me think tooth #2 might not be far behind.

-You are still an army crawling machine, but you've recently started to pull yourself up on EVERYTHING. It's much harder to get you to sleep since you can now stand up and entertain yourself that way. I anticipate you will be walking early just like your big sister.

-This month you have started to notice Turner a little more and think he's great. Every time you see him, you smile and giggle like crazy. I'm sure Turner will be thrilled to soon have two girls chasing after him :)

-You adore playing with your sister. You are both enjoying having someone else to entertain with all your tricks. Your favorite toys are your Sophie the Giraffe and your grape vibrating teether. Most of these toys get ignored, though, in favor of computer cords.

Two peas in a pod

During our photo shoot, Brynlee said "Take my picture."

Definitely still likes being the center of attention.

Smiley girl

Brayla, you are growing so fast and we are enjoying watching everything that you are accomplishing. You are the perfect baby to balance our family and we just love you to pieces!

Happy 3rd birthday, Brynlee!

Today, our sassy, spunky, crazy Brynlee turned 3 years old! We have had warmer-than-average temperatures lately and today was no exception. Quite a change from the blizzard that was occurring when we first laid eyes on our teeny 5 pound 14 ounce baby girl three years ago. What a joy it has been to parent this lively girl for the last three years. We have learned so much about ourselves and life in general through this parenting journey. We can't wait to see what the next year holds for our big girl!

Here are some of the highlights of Brynlee's life as a 2-year-old:

• This year you became a big sister. It was a struggle in the beginning as you learned to share your mommy with Brayla, but you have turned in to a GREAT big sister for her. You sing to her if she's crying, you get her toys so she can play, and you love sitting in her crib and reading with her.
• You have changed from a semi-petite 2-year-old into an above average height 3-year-old. I think you've grown about 7-8 inches this year alone. You are wearing 4T and even XS 4-5 clothes! Your feet have continued to be huge (like your daddy's) with you wearing a size 10 already.
• Your favorite things to play this past year have been baby dolls, kitchen, dress up, and tea party. One of my favorite memories is you taking your "mothering" of your baby doll to the extreme by consistently breastfeeding her and using my breast pump :)
• You have really taken to watching movies recently. I'm pretty sure you can recite all the words to Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast.
• Your favorite cartoons to watch are Max and Ruby, Dora, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We had Brynlee's party yesterday with our family. Of course it was a princess theme and she loved everything about it. Here are some pictures from her special day!

You would never know we just had Christmas with all those presents!

First present of the night...a princess cup!

Little sister wanted to help unwrap too

This princess alarm clock has been played with over and over and over again already!

Feeding her new baby (baby #837 in our house)

A rare shy moment when everybody was singing to her

Mamaw got to help sing too...even in Illinois!

Attempt #1

Finger in the cake deterred her the first time...try #2

What a great day for our little princess. God has richly blessed us with Brynlee and we are thankful for the life that we get to enjoy because of her!

7 Months!

Thanks to the craziness of the month of December, I'm a little behind on Brayla's 7 month post. This has been a busy month for our littlest lady, so without further ado, the update:

-You are still sleeping pretty great at night. You usually go down at about 7:30 and then I get to wake you up bright and early at 6am.

-Napping has not been going so well. Of course you nap a ton while you're at the sitter's in the morning, but most afternoon naps this week have been 45 minutes. You've been a little under the weather, so I hope that's the cause because your mommy could use a break!

-Still wearing a size 2 diaper. You are different from Brynlee in that you can still wear a normal diaper at night and not soak through it. Hallelujah!

-Thanks to your first "sick" doctor's visit today (it was just a cold), I know you weigh 14 pounds 12 ounces. You've gained almost a pound in the last month alone.

-You're still wearing mainly 3-6 month clothes. I think 6-9 month outfits will be coming out of storage soon, but we're not quite there yet.

-You eat 3 (food) meals a day. Cereal and a fruit in the morning, with cereal and a veggie in the afternoon and evening. You are somewhat of a picky eater. One day you like something, the next day you spit it out at me. One of these days I will figure you out!

-Still a bald beauty. I'm preparing myself for at least another year of baldness and bows.

-I have been expecting and anticipating the arrival of your first tooth for weeks. You have been in full-on drool mode. But, alas, we are still waiting. I'll take that gummy grin any day though!

-Within the last few weeks, you've started army crawling. You do this just.like.your.sister. Funny how different and alike you are all at the same time. You do get up on your hands and knees and rock quite a bit, so I think you'll start crawling "normal" pretty soon.

-You are such an easy going baby. Unless you are tired or want held (which is mainly after you've been playing a lot) you are so relaxed. You absolutely LOVE to watch Brynlee. I don't think anybody can entertain you or make you laugh as much as she can. You two are becoming fast friends and it melts my heart. You still enjoy playing in the exersaucer and though you can crawl, you really still like to roll. A lot.

We are so blessed to have not just one, but two sweet little girls in our life. We just love you to pieces, Brayla!

Winter Wonderland

Last week, we got our first dose of Midwestern winter. In a matter of 24 hours, we got about 4.5 inches of snow. While Brynlee's parents are not huge fans of the white stuff, Brynlee was thrilled to wake up from her nap and see it flying. I will admit that Christmas and winter in general are much more enjoyable when being able to witness a child's perspective. The day after our snow fell, I picked Bryn up from the sitter's and she was insistent that she wanted to build a snowman. How she knew that with the snow we had we could build a snowman, I have no idea. I was able to postpone her snowman wishes for a while, but once Brandon got home,

there was no stopping her. The girl had waited months and months for snow and she was ready to play! The snow ended up being too hard to really do anything with by the time Brynlee

was able to get outside, but she had the time of her life anyways (and looked pretty cute while enjoying it!)

Cracks me up that she felt the need for sunglasses while playing in snow. At 6pm.

While the snow has since melted, I'm actually looking forward to getting out myself with Brynlee for some winter fun once Mother Nature decides to "bless" us again :)

Not to be Outdone

Brynlee crawled at the age of 6 months, 5 days and I thought that was incredibly fast. Brayla decided she wanted to follow in her big sister's footsteps, albeit a teensy bit slower, and do it at 6 months 21 days. Why can't these babies just stay adorable little inanimate objects for as long as possible?! Can't believe I'm going to have two little girls on the move!