Mar 2009
If You're Happy and You Know It...
Mar 14, 2009
Braxton turned one year old on February 19. I can’t believe how fast his first year went! Our little buddy had a great birthday party in Texas! Check out the new pictures. I am waiting for more from other cameras, so another round will come later.
On his actual birthday, he spent some time at Grammy’s house to get some birthday loving from her. Then, he enjoyed his favorite food, spaghetti, at Papa and Kaymi’s house for dinner. Then, the party day arrived. My best friend, Whitney, came over to help with getting everything ready. It was a smiley face theme since our little guy lives life with a big smile! He lights up a room with his smile and laughter. So, there were smiley face balloons and such. We made everything yellow and black to match. There was SO MUCH FOOD! I made Braxton’s smiley face cake and cupcakes...nothing too fancy, but I wanted his mommy’s hands to make it, like I made Ainsley’s first cake. I was amazed at how many people came to celebrate little Braxton’s life. It meant so much that they spent their Friday night with us. Family and very close friends were there, and it was good to all be together. My brother, sister, and Gran even drove from Austin! Braxton was very overwhelmed by the people at first. He likes the familiar and likes sticking close to his family, so it took him a while to warm up. But, eventually, he was his silly self. Once Braxton is comfortable, he likes attention. Of course, he had no idea that all that was going on was for HIM! Ainsley enjoyed opening his presents. He didn’t dig into his cake like I hoped. Neither of my kids wanted to get their hands dirty in the cake. One thing that I am sad I forgot to do at the party is pray over Braxton. I wanted to have a prayer time for him since we were all together. So, if you were at the party and are reading this...say a prayer for him, ok? It was a WONDERFUL party!
In honor of my little boy turning one, I thought I would list 12 things I love about Braxton (one thing for every month of his life). I want to celebrate all that I can see God forming in him already. Here they are:
1. He is very determined. I believe he will accomplish a lot in life because of this fierce determination.
2. Braxton has a sense of humor. This was evident very early in his life. He likes to make people laugh, and he knows how to accomplish that. For example, even when he is dead tired and I am rocking him, he will jerk his head off my shoulder with his eyes half closed and he looks at me and laughs or makes a funny face. Even when he is half asleep, he wants to laugh. After doing this several times, I finally have to say, “Ok, Braxton. No more laughing. Let’s go to sleep, buddy.”
3. His smile is big and his laugh is contagious. When Braxton is happy, the whole world smiles with him. Sometimes, he is sitting all by himself and just starts smiling and laughing to himself, and we wonder, “What is he laughing at?”.
4. He is very intense. Everything Braxton does is 110%. (which means if he is upset, you will hear about it!)
5. Braxton loves to snuggle. He takes breaks while playing to give me a hug. He desires to be in our arms, and he wants to be held close. He is a great hugger, wrapping his arms around you.
6. He loves brushing his teeth. Braxton enjoys his toothbrush so much. I even have a toothbrush in his diaper bag to pull out when he is needing something to calm him. This makes it easy for me, and I love knowing his teeth are always clean!
7. Braxton is a good eater. Braxton likes to eat and eats what we eat. He’s been on table food since 10 months old and we haven’t had too many food strikes since then. His favorites are blueberry waffles, sweet potato french fries, and casseroles.
8. He gives joy to his sister. Ainsley adores Braxton and loves having her little buddy around. She runs into his room to greet him as soon as he wakes up from his nap. She wants him with her wherever we go. I hear, “Come on, Braxton” a lot during the day! She loves to take him with her on her imaginative ideas. Ainsley’s world is even happier because Braxton is here. I love watching him bring a smile to her face. Her favorite thing he does is when he tackles her.
9. Braxton is all-boy. This is fun! It really is funny how opposite my boy and girl are. I’ve had so much fun nurturing his adventurous spirit. I know that when he wants to climb on something he is too little to be climbing on, or be rough, or get dirty, I need to let him. He is addicted to balls, cars, and all things boy.
10. Braxton loves music. I know music is loved by all kids. Braxton does seem to have a deeper sense of music than the norm, though. He loves to play the piano, watch and touch his daddy’s guitar, play with his instruments, and listen to music. He has a precious dance that makes me smile. Chick Fil A had live music one night, and he had the whole place laughing at his dancing. He moves his head back and forth, flails his arms, turns around, bounces, and more.
11. I love boy clothes! I am having fun putting cute outfits on him. The athletic ones, and the GQ ones. And his long pajamas are as cute as it gets! I could eat him up!
12. I love when he wakes up. His hair is sticking up, his eyes are groggy, and he wants to be snuggled in my arms with his milk. All he wants is Mommy, and all I want is him!
13. (Ok, I could keep going, but I will stop at 13) The best one is--He is just like his daddy! That says it all! Braxton is a clone of his daddy in his appearance, personality, and attitudes. I’m so happy to have TWO Brian’s now!
On his actual birthday, he spent some time at Grammy’s house to get some birthday loving from her. Then, he enjoyed his favorite food, spaghetti, at Papa and Kaymi’s house for dinner. Then, the party day arrived. My best friend, Whitney, came over to help with getting everything ready. It was a smiley face theme since our little guy lives life with a big smile! He lights up a room with his smile and laughter. So, there were smiley face balloons and such. We made everything yellow and black to match. There was SO MUCH FOOD! I made Braxton’s smiley face cake and cupcakes...nothing too fancy, but I wanted his mommy’s hands to make it, like I made Ainsley’s first cake. I was amazed at how many people came to celebrate little Braxton’s life. It meant so much that they spent their Friday night with us. Family and very close friends were there, and it was good to all be together. My brother, sister, and Gran even drove from Austin! Braxton was very overwhelmed by the people at first. He likes the familiar and likes sticking close to his family, so it took him a while to warm up. But, eventually, he was his silly self. Once Braxton is comfortable, he likes attention. Of course, he had no idea that all that was going on was for HIM! Ainsley enjoyed opening his presents. He didn’t dig into his cake like I hoped. Neither of my kids wanted to get their hands dirty in the cake. One thing that I am sad I forgot to do at the party is pray over Braxton. I wanted to have a prayer time for him since we were all together. So, if you were at the party and are reading this...say a prayer for him, ok? It was a WONDERFUL party!
In honor of my little boy turning one, I thought I would list 12 things I love about Braxton (one thing for every month of his life). I want to celebrate all that I can see God forming in him already. Here they are:
1. He is very determined. I believe he will accomplish a lot in life because of this fierce determination.
2. Braxton has a sense of humor. This was evident very early in his life. He likes to make people laugh, and he knows how to accomplish that. For example, even when he is dead tired and I am rocking him, he will jerk his head off my shoulder with his eyes half closed and he looks at me and laughs or makes a funny face. Even when he is half asleep, he wants to laugh. After doing this several times, I finally have to say, “Ok, Braxton. No more laughing. Let’s go to sleep, buddy.”
3. His smile is big and his laugh is contagious. When Braxton is happy, the whole world smiles with him. Sometimes, he is sitting all by himself and just starts smiling and laughing to himself, and we wonder, “What is he laughing at?”.
4. He is very intense. Everything Braxton does is 110%. (which means if he is upset, you will hear about it!)
5. Braxton loves to snuggle. He takes breaks while playing to give me a hug. He desires to be in our arms, and he wants to be held close. He is a great hugger, wrapping his arms around you.
6. He loves brushing his teeth. Braxton enjoys his toothbrush so much. I even have a toothbrush in his diaper bag to pull out when he is needing something to calm him. This makes it easy for me, and I love knowing his teeth are always clean!
7. Braxton is a good eater. Braxton likes to eat and eats what we eat. He’s been on table food since 10 months old and we haven’t had too many food strikes since then. His favorites are blueberry waffles, sweet potato french fries, and casseroles.
8. He gives joy to his sister. Ainsley adores Braxton and loves having her little buddy around. She runs into his room to greet him as soon as he wakes up from his nap. She wants him with her wherever we go. I hear, “Come on, Braxton” a lot during the day! She loves to take him with her on her imaginative ideas. Ainsley’s world is even happier because Braxton is here. I love watching him bring a smile to her face. Her favorite thing he does is when he tackles her.
9. Braxton is all-boy. This is fun! It really is funny how opposite my boy and girl are. I’ve had so much fun nurturing his adventurous spirit. I know that when he wants to climb on something he is too little to be climbing on, or be rough, or get dirty, I need to let him. He is addicted to balls, cars, and all things boy.
10. Braxton loves music. I know music is loved by all kids. Braxton does seem to have a deeper sense of music than the norm, though. He loves to play the piano, watch and touch his daddy’s guitar, play with his instruments, and listen to music. He has a precious dance that makes me smile. Chick Fil A had live music one night, and he had the whole place laughing at his dancing. He moves his head back and forth, flails his arms, turns around, bounces, and more.
11. I love boy clothes! I am having fun putting cute outfits on him. The athletic ones, and the GQ ones. And his long pajamas are as cute as it gets! I could eat him up!
12. I love when he wakes up. His hair is sticking up, his eyes are groggy, and he wants to be snuggled in my arms with his milk. All he wants is Mommy, and all I want is him!
13. (Ok, I could keep going, but I will stop at 13) The best one is--He is just like his daddy! That says it all! Braxton is a clone of his daddy in his appearance, personality, and attitudes. I’m so happy to have TWO Brian’s now!
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Latest News
Mar 06, 2009
Sorry it has been so long. Things have been busier than usual with a trip, birthdays, stomach bugs, mountains of laundry and Spring cleaning. I have too much to update you on, but I will try my best to hit the highlights from our Texas trip. They always do a better job telling the story! I am going to save Braxton’s first birthday and pictures for a later post. I want to devote a whole post to my one year old!
We loved our time in Texas (for 2 1/2 weeks) with family and friends. It was good to be home. We spent the first few days of our trip in Fort Worth with Johnny and Jess. We got to sleep on their super-comfy bed and see their world in Ft. Worth. We went to the Fort Worth Zoo, which is one of the best. We also ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Genghis Grille, with other friends in the area. Ainsley and Braxton had so much fun playing at their friends’, Eva and Bliss’s house. Willie and Emily are dear friends, and it is such a joy to watch our children delight in each other. We know that they will remain connected even though the distance between them is great. They are seeking out the call to move to Africa soon, so any time with them this year will be stored up to last a while! The highlight of our weekend was seeing Body LIfe Church. Johnny and Jess are fellow church planters, and planted a church in the area. They recently moved into a coffee shop. This was such a joy to see! The environment is perfect and the vision is exciting! Johnny and Jess are awesome hosts! We also enjoyed a kid-free Valentine date with loved ones. The kids enjoyed making Valentines and eating cinnamon rolls with Grammy while we ate and played games at Gregg and Tami’s house. I always love my time with Tami and wish I could see her more. So, that just covers our first weekend!
We then headed to Papa and Kaymi’s house (Brian’s parents). We were able to stay there for a week, then we stayed at Grammy’s house (my mom) for a week. The kids have SO much fun at their houses. Not only do they LOVE spending time with their grandparents, but they love all the toys they get to play with that used to be mine and Brian’s. It’s like a walk down memory lane when I watch Ainsley and Braxton play with the things that I treasured as a kid. The kids loved going to their grandparent’s places of work. My Mom (Grammy) is a principal at the best school in the world. The kids feel like they own the place. Braxton thought the gym with volleyballs was the coolest place on earth. He just walked around the place bouncing that ball and laughing. I love the people who work there and look forward to seeing them. Braxton was able to meet little Jack, who is 2 weeks older than Brax. Brax gave him a good head butt and hug to say hello. They also love spending time at the church Brian and I grew up in and David and Donna Kay (Papa and Kaymi) work at. Ainsley thinks the stage is hers...playing the piano and singing in the microphone. Braxton thinks the stage is his to climb up and down, up and down, up and down. They enjoyed time in the children’s classes playing with the toys. Braxton managed to find a ball there too--a basketball in the Lost and Found was such a treat for him. And there is a great playground that we were actually able to play on since the weather was surprisingly warm! There is SO much for kids to do where we are from because it is full of young families. It was actually voted one of the top 5 most family-friendly places in the U.S. Anyways, we did enjoy a lot of the fun they have to offer. We went to a great bounce house and a train store that involved riding a train, climbing, and more. Chuck E. Cheese and carousels, shopping, and a great toy store were also tons of fun! I was so glad to be able to head to good ole Anna, Texas to see my best friend’s house she has done some work to. We made the drive out there and enjoyed good time with Whitney. Her house is beautiful, and I was able to see the room that their little Ethiopian miracle will one day call his or her own. Whitney is INCREDIBLY creative, and she is almost done with Ainsley’s first scrapbook. I sent her the info. and told her to “do her thing”. She, as I knew she would, has done more than I could have asked! It is a gift that I will consider one of my greatest treasures forever. My time with Whitney is always wonderful...we have the most random tangents that no one else would understand but surely gets us laughing! Brian got to go to the Mavs game with his brother...Go Mavs! I know they had a great time and rode the train to get there.
I got to spend a lot of time with my family too...my Mimi and Chet, Aunt Shelly, Uncle Bill, Cousins Travis and Kate, Brother Zac, Gran, Sister Lola all traveled to see us. I love every moment with them. Every moment.
One thing I learned from our trip is that the sickest month of the year is PROBABLY not the best time to travel to a new place. Those new germs in Texas got the best of our little girl. She got a stomach bug while we were there. It involved a little bit of throwing up and a HIGH fever. This, of course, turned into an ear infection. We have a friend who is a pediatrician and was able to give Ainsley good care. This was a treat. Ainsley loved seeing her doctor at church later when she was well! I think she was amazed that her doctor didn’t live at the doctor’s office! Thank goodness, Braxton stayed sick-free, as full of life as ever.
Well, this is too long, I know. This doesn’t even cover everything. Can’t wait to tell you all about Braxton’s first birthday! It was perfect. :) What a guy!
We loved our time in Texas (for 2 1/2 weeks) with family and friends. It was good to be home. We spent the first few days of our trip in Fort Worth with Johnny and Jess. We got to sleep on their super-comfy bed and see their world in Ft. Worth. We went to the Fort Worth Zoo, which is one of the best. We also ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Genghis Grille, with other friends in the area. Ainsley and Braxton had so much fun playing at their friends’, Eva and Bliss’s house. Willie and Emily are dear friends, and it is such a joy to watch our children delight in each other. We know that they will remain connected even though the distance between them is great. They are seeking out the call to move to Africa soon, so any time with them this year will be stored up to last a while! The highlight of our weekend was seeing Body LIfe Church. Johnny and Jess are fellow church planters, and planted a church in the area. They recently moved into a coffee shop. This was such a joy to see! The environment is perfect and the vision is exciting! Johnny and Jess are awesome hosts! We also enjoyed a kid-free Valentine date with loved ones. The kids enjoyed making Valentines and eating cinnamon rolls with Grammy while we ate and played games at Gregg and Tami’s house. I always love my time with Tami and wish I could see her more. So, that just covers our first weekend!
We then headed to Papa and Kaymi’s house (Brian’s parents). We were able to stay there for a week, then we stayed at Grammy’s house (my mom) for a week. The kids have SO much fun at their houses. Not only do they LOVE spending time with their grandparents, but they love all the toys they get to play with that used to be mine and Brian’s. It’s like a walk down memory lane when I watch Ainsley and Braxton play with the things that I treasured as a kid. The kids loved going to their grandparent’s places of work. My Mom (Grammy) is a principal at the best school in the world. The kids feel like they own the place. Braxton thought the gym with volleyballs was the coolest place on earth. He just walked around the place bouncing that ball and laughing. I love the people who work there and look forward to seeing them. Braxton was able to meet little Jack, who is 2 weeks older than Brax. Brax gave him a good head butt and hug to say hello. They also love spending time at the church Brian and I grew up in and David and Donna Kay (Papa and Kaymi) work at. Ainsley thinks the stage is hers...playing the piano and singing in the microphone. Braxton thinks the stage is his to climb up and down, up and down, up and down. They enjoyed time in the children’s classes playing with the toys. Braxton managed to find a ball there too--a basketball in the Lost and Found was such a treat for him. And there is a great playground that we were actually able to play on since the weather was surprisingly warm! There is SO much for kids to do where we are from because it is full of young families. It was actually voted one of the top 5 most family-friendly places in the U.S. Anyways, we did enjoy a lot of the fun they have to offer. We went to a great bounce house and a train store that involved riding a train, climbing, and more. Chuck E. Cheese and carousels, shopping, and a great toy store were also tons of fun! I was so glad to be able to head to good ole Anna, Texas to see my best friend’s house she has done some work to. We made the drive out there and enjoyed good time with Whitney. Her house is beautiful, and I was able to see the room that their little Ethiopian miracle will one day call his or her own. Whitney is INCREDIBLY creative, and she is almost done with Ainsley’s first scrapbook. I sent her the info. and told her to “do her thing”. She, as I knew she would, has done more than I could have asked! It is a gift that I will consider one of my greatest treasures forever. My time with Whitney is always wonderful...we have the most random tangents that no one else would understand but surely gets us laughing! Brian got to go to the Mavs game with his brother...Go Mavs! I know they had a great time and rode the train to get there.
I got to spend a lot of time with my family too...my Mimi and Chet, Aunt Shelly, Uncle Bill, Cousins Travis and Kate, Brother Zac, Gran, Sister Lola all traveled to see us. I love every moment with them. Every moment.
One thing I learned from our trip is that the sickest month of the year is PROBABLY not the best time to travel to a new place. Those new germs in Texas got the best of our little girl. She got a stomach bug while we were there. It involved a little bit of throwing up and a HIGH fever. This, of course, turned into an ear infection. We have a friend who is a pediatrician and was able to give Ainsley good care. This was a treat. Ainsley loved seeing her doctor at church later when she was well! I think she was amazed that her doctor didn’t live at the doctor’s office! Thank goodness, Braxton stayed sick-free, as full of life as ever.
Well, this is too long, I know. This doesn’t even cover everything. Can’t wait to tell you all about Braxton’s first birthday! It was perfect. :) What a guy!