Happy Birthday, Sweet Brynna!!

My baby is 2 today!! Her night was a little rough. She coughed and coughed all night and was up at 3:30 and 5:30. Of course, I had to sing Happy Birthday to her at 3:30am while I was up with her! :) She woke up this morning with a smile though! Braylee and I sang Happy Birthday to her again as she watched the little flames dance on her two candles...stuck right into a donut. She seems very excited about her big day. I just hope we can keep the sickies away.

I know...this is bad, but she said "please" so sweetly and it IS her Birthday!! ;) Just a sip though..

Looking back...my pregnancy with Brynna was uneventful, and on 9.20.06...being a few days over due and already 5cm my doc asked me if I wanted him to go ahead and break my water. I was hesitant because I really wanted to do things naturally. We had planned the induction for Monday the 25th if I wasn't delivered before then, but my doc wasn't on call for the weekend...and like most pregnant women, I really wanted my doc to be there. (For those who don't know, this is also the doc I work for.) After discussing it with Alex, we realized it would be convenient for us to go ahead...meaning we'd take her home on Friday and Alex would be home over the weekend with us. But, doc and I decided to have lunch first ( A drug rep was bringing it...who wants to miss out on a free lunch?!), and then I headed across the street to the hospital to get settled in. He came over to break my water around 2:30pm. By late afternoon/early evening, our parents and sibs had arrived to support us and help welcome the baby. After just a few pushes, Miss Brynna Annabelle arrived at 9:48pm. I was excited to see her dark, dark hair because I've always loved my dad's black hair...but of course, her hair has lightened over the years. She was such a good little thing from the very beginning...a great nurser and a great sleeper. Two years later, she is still as sweet as ever, but I'll admit she's quite stubborn at times! Brynna started out being my little "chunky butt" as you'll see in the pictures...and then she thinned out and has shown her true "peanut" genes, thanks to Aunt Tracee. We truly hope her soft, caring heart accepts Jesus' amazing love at an early age and she lets her light shine for Him. We know God has great plans for her, and we're so very thankful He has entrusted her to our care.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A long time ago, I found this song, "Brynna's Aire" online. If you like classical or folk music, you might be interested in it. If you go to this website, you can preview the song.
http://cdbaby.com/cd/profeta

Last night, Braylee went to Elle's Rockstar Party! The girls all looked so cute dressed up. They were definitely rockin' it in Elle's living room. I was amazed at how Elle knew every word from the Hannah Montana and High School Musical CDs!

Braylee before the party
Braylee and Birthday-Girl ElleJesse, Logan, Braylee, and Elle

Two Little Peanuts

The yard sale was a success. I made $355. Considering I just had a yard sale in May with a similar turn out, I'm almost embarrassed to say I still have leftovers in my garage. I was hoping to maybe join in with Abbie at her yard sale on Saturday, but with the girls' party, I don't think I can swing it.

Sunday, the aftermath of Ike came through. We were without power for about 10 hours. Not really a big deal compared to what others have dealt with. It was actually a little bit fun (since it didn't last long). We spent the early evening picking up limbs and sticks all over the yard. Then, Alex got us Chinese take-out and we had a picnic in the family room floor. Without TV, the girls kept us entertained by taking turns singing their favorite songs...which really consisted of Brynna singing Jesus Loves Me each time and Braylee singing her own made-up songs.

After working 5 days in a row (I had picked up shifts at Quick Care on Sat. & Sun.), I was thankful for the day off yesterday. We went to Wal-Mart so Braylee could pick out toys for her birthday buddies. Elle's party is on Friday night, and Sydney's is on Sunday. With the girls' party on Saturday, I have a feeling we will be exhausted...and a few pounds heavier thanks to the cakes...by Sunday night. I let Braylee pick out the girls' gifts all by herself so I hope her friends like them.

Today, our little friend Emma came over to play. She and Brynna helped me make pancakes this morning. I have a feeling these two will be best buddies growing up. They are both little peanuts. They played dress up too. You can't tell in the picture, but Brynna has on piggy slippers and Emma has on high heels. :)


Elle is having a Hannah Montana party on Friday. Braylee was practicing her rockstar-ness in this picture.

I'm not even sure what day this was from...but I remember it seemed to be taking Braylee a while to get quiet in her room for nap time. I went to check on her and this is what I found:

Mama Bear? Here!

No time for pictures tonight, but I figured I'd update on what we've been up to the last few days.

Sunday evening, we took Brynna to Gramma's since she was still sick and we had small groups. I had forgotten how easy it was to only have one child. ;) I was actually able to eat a hot meal and pay attention during the discussion! Sunday evening, Brynna's temp was slowly going down and at 3am, I heard her crying...figuring the fever was back up. Nope! It was down to 98.1...she had woken up because she was hungry!! :) After some trail mix, she was back off to bed. I thought we were over it, but she still ran a low grade temp on Monday. Poor Brynna had to miss out on Monday evening's activities too. But I don't think she minded since she got to play at Great Aunt Sue's house while we were at church for the Dave Ramsey series.

Yesterday, we went to story time at the library. Thankfully, my friend Rose went too because when we were walking out, I realized I had locked my keys in my car! Ugh! But, we had already decided to go to McDonald's for lunch with Rose and the girls, so our Hero Daddy went home to get the spare keys while we enjoyed lunch! ;) My friend Krista and I decided at the last minute to have a yard sale on Saturday...which meant I spent the afternoon and evening digging through closets and labeling things for the sale.

Brynna still isn't up to par, but she's feeling much better and cracking us up more and more. Oh- I forgot to say that she said, "I love you!" for the first time on Monday!! It made us very happy!!! I got out her baby book this evening so I wouldn't forget to record it...and I realized her book is almost completed. :( It's just another reminder that she's not my little baby anymore. *sniff*sniff* Their birthday invites went out yesterday...I'll try to post a picture here soon. And I made the final plans with the bakery today on their cake! I love this birthday stuff...just wish they didn't actually have to grow up! ;)

This evening was the official kick off for another year of Awana. Awana is our Wednesday night program at church for the youth...it's kind-of like year-round bible school. Alex is teaching the 5th & 6th graders again, while Greta and I are teaching the 2-3 year olds which are called Puggles. Braylee moved up to Cubbies this year. She was practicing her verses this evening before Awana with her Daddy and it was cracking me up.

Remember how I said my Gramps would need surgery soon? His surgery is scheduled for Sept. 25th at 5:30am. The surgery is somewhat experimental in the fact that the pump they are wanting to put in to help his heart isn't even FDA approved yet. They may have to use a larger, older pump though...which we really won't know for sure until shortly before surgery. The surgery is risky, but it's his chance at living a more productive life...like getting back to work. He's a retired accountant who absolutely LOVES his job as a greeter at Wal-Mart. He is such a softy and loves to talk to anyone. The docs said he'll be in ICU for a minimum of 1 week after surgery and probably in the hospital for 4-6 weeks. Please be praying for him, our family, and the surgeons and nurses who will be taking care of him. I know he knows the Lord, so I'm not worried about that. I just want to know he's covered in prayer during this difficult time.

A cute story to share about Braylee before I get ready for bed... Yesterday while we were going through totes in the garage to pull out yard sale stuff, I showed the girls some of my old Precious Moments dolls...not the porcelain ones but the soft collectible dolls on stands. I'm planning to sell them, but I told Braylee she could pick two to keep. She picked my favorite two...all on her own... which makes me think she has good taste! ;) I said, "Now, take good care of them, okay?" She said, "Did you take good care of them when you were a cub?" lol. I'm thinking we read too many Berenstein Bear books!

Turkey Trot

Yesterday morning, we went camper shopping. We didn't find anything we were interested in then, but later in the day we found out one of Alex's friend's parents are thinking about selling their camper. We checked it out...and it's exactly what we are looking for (although a little longer than we had hoped for). But, we'll see what happens. There are also a couple on ebay I really like.

In the afternoon, we picked up cousin Trista and headed to the Turkey Trot. It's a local festival held in Alex's home town and hosted by the Ruritan Club. Since Alex is on the Ruritan board, he's spent a lot of time out there this weekend, but 4 hours was enough for us. ;) The girls rode rides, pigged out on festival food (lemon shake-ups, chili cheese nachos, and cotton candy!), and watched the mud volleyball tourney and turkey races. When Brynna saw the mud volleyball, she pointed at them and said "Eww!" ;)

Braylee and Trista watching mud volleyball.

Daddy & Brynna
Eating cotton candy and watching more mud volleyball with Jamie and her kids
Ready for the turkey races

The Turkey Trot is where I first remember meeting Alex, back in 1995. (We have a picture of us together at church camp when we were 11, but neither of us remember it.) He was working the Jr. class booth where they were raising money for post prom. Other than that, the only thing I remember about him from that night was that he had a really cool car ('65 Mustang) and was flirting with some girl from Springs Valley. Alex wasn't my type back then. ;) Then about 2 years later at college, I got to know the real Alex and I fell head over heels for him....and didn't even realize it at first! One of my friends had to point out to me that I had a crush on him! Anyway, that was back in Jan. 98 and I've been in love ever since. :)

This morning, Brynna woke up with a fever of 102 and thick green snot. I'm afraid her cold from last week may have settled into a sinus infection. :( So, Daddy and Braylee went to church without us. I wasn't too worried about her fever since she was acting fine and has a tendency to run really high fevers, so the 102 didn't seem like a biggy for Brynna. By noon, it had been 3 hours since the ibuprofen and she refused to eat...sooo unlike her. I checked her temp- 104.8. Again, I wasn't too worried since she gets high temps easily and seems to tolerate them pretty well. I gave her Tylenol and she went down for a nap soon after...and is still sleeping. I checked her temp about an hour into the nap and it was down to 102 again. Please be praying it's a 24 hour thing and she's feeling much better tomorrow.

New Kids on the Block

Thursday was the girls' first day at their new daycare. Braylee was excited from the moment she woke up...mostly because she gets to go to daycare with her best friend, Sydney now! Brynna on the other hand...she wouldn't walk in the door! I had to carry her in, and then she buried her head into my shirt for the first 5 minutes. I finally convinced her to get down while I was going over paperwork with Lori. Next thing I knew, she was handing me her bear, said "Here mom!" and off she went. Once I was done going over things with Lori, I gave Braylee a quick kiss and tried to head out before Brynna got upset again. Sydney ran to the door to tell me goodbye too. :) So then Braylee decided she wanted a hug. I said, "Hurry before Brynna gets upset." When Brynna saw what was going on, she ran over for a hug...it was a tight one, but then she ran back to her toy! Yeah! The first morning was a success!

Thursday was an extra busy day. After I picked up the girls from daycare, we grabbed some dinner and headed straight to dance class! Braylee has been talking about it ALL summer. Last night, she picked out which leotard and skirt she wanted to wear. Then she said with sad eyes, "But mom, I don't have any tap shoes!" I assured her we could buy some at class. I asked her if I could put her hair up in a cute bun...no go on that one. But, she still looked so sweet in her ballet outfit. It brings back lots of memories for me. I remember when I first found out I was having another girl, I thought about the days when I could take them to dance classes together...imagining the day went a little better than reality! While Braylee had a fabulous time, it was a little overwhelming for me. With it being the first night of class, everyone was trying on shoes and trying to register. The girls were all excited (And we all know Braylee can become quite spastic when she gets hyper!). ;) At some point, Brynna came crying to me with blood dripping down her knee. She was very unlike herself and fussy the entire evening. When class was over, both of the girls were upset/crying and I practically dragged Braylee down the stairs trying to get out of everyone else's way. I was stressed. I was disappointed I didn't get any good pictures of her on her first night...not really something that could have been helped though. As we made it out to the car, I was ready to throw in the towel and head home. But, Alex's cousin and her family are moving away and their going-away party was that evening. I really didn't want to miss it, so we drove over to my in-laws for a cookout in the rain. One of Alex's aunts even asked me during the party if Braylee was having a rough night...that's how bad it was. She cried several times and I yelled several times...I was so thankful to get home and go to bed. Sorry for anyone who had to bear the actual events of our rough evening! :)

Elle, Braylee, and Lillie

Today seemed to be another successful day at daycare. Brynna still took a little coaxing this morning, but they said she had a great day. When I was picking up the girls, Braylee jumped into Lori's arms for a hug goodbye, so I'd say she likes it there. :)

We had planned to go to the Turkey Trot this evening to watch Lillie race her turkey, but the weather was dreary and chilly. We might go tomorrow afternoon if the weather is nice. We're also planning to go camper shopping in the morning!

BTW, I guess the holiday must have thrown me off because Uncle Adam came to visit on Monday...not Sunday as I put in my last post!? I don't know why, but I have been out of sorts all week...feeling just a bit off. I'm happy to have the next 4 days off, surely that will do me some good! :)

Oh- I don't think I've mentioned how excited I am about my work schedule changing after next week!! Alex and I have been discussing since probably February about me cutting back to only 2 days/week. I've been wishy-washy about the decision ever since then. Then when we found out how expensive my braces/orthodontics were going to be, I just forgot about it and decided it would be better for me to keep working 3 days/week for at least the next year. Well, over the last month, the opportunity was actually brought up to me...I was excited yet still a bit hesitant. Then I realized this was the little push I needed of reassurance from God that this is His plan for us right now. Braylee is elated to have another "at-home-day" with her Mommy! The wonderful thing about my job is that even though I work in doctors' offices, I am employed by the hospital. This allows opportunities for me to fill in at any of our hospital's clinics when needed. So, even though I will only be scheduled 2 days/week, I will have opportunities to work more if I want to. I am very thankful for my job as I realize most jobs are not as flexible as mine has been.

Tasty Sheep

Sunday, uncle Adam stopped by. The girls just love him. When Braylee was being (extra) hyper, Alex told her to calm down. She replied, "But, I'm so excited Adam is here!"

Monday, Alex had the girls help him wash my Envoy. I told Alex to just strip them down since they would get wet. He said, "They won't get wet." Really?! :) Brynna was completely soaked, but they had so much fun!

Later, I found them playing quietly in Braylee's room. They were just chatting away to each other. I'm hoping their close relationship continues as they get older.
Today wasn't the best day for me. I hurt my foot (Yes, I know for all of you out there who know I am so not clutzy are surprised! ;)). It throbbed all day. I went to see the oral surgeon in the afternoon...a wasted trip. I guess he didn't have all of the x-rays/info he needed, so he said I will need to come back for another consultation prior to surgery. I had been hoping to have the surgery at the end of Sept/early Oct, but it looks more like end of Oct/early Nov. I'm worried I'll still be feeling miserable when we go on vacation in November, so please be praying the process goes quickly and I can have the surgery sooner. I felt so defeated. So, I went shopping. :) I picked up a new outfit for me and fall dresses for the girls.

The entire day wasn't bad...The girls and I did have fun during Story Time at the library. They sang songs, listened to a story about sheep (which Braylee told in detail to Alex during dinner), and then made sheep with popcorn-wool. :) I had forgotten my camera, but I did get a picture of them with their sheep after naptime. I hung the sheep on the fridge...and the popcorn was too tempting for Brynna! Elmer's glue is non-toxic, right?! :) Needless to say, the sheep were tossed in the trash after I took these pictures.

Poor sheep!

BTW, Brynna has had a cold in her eye, which is why her right eye looks yucky.

Big Day for Brynna!

Guess what Brynna did on Saturday?! She wore panties ALL day, except for nap time. When she woke up that morning, she used the potty and I put panties on her. We went to town for lunch and spent about an hour in Wal-Mart...all in panties! After nap, I put the panties back on her. She did great until about 6:30. I knew it was about time for her to use the potty again, but Alex had just gotten home. We all got a little side-tracked...and she had her 1st accident of the day. :( Still, I was soo proud of how well she had done all day. Unfortunately, yesterday was a "bad" day to try panties again. Between being in the nursery at church, coming home just in time for naps, and going to a cookout an hour away, I figured we'd skip messing with panties yesterday. And, as much as she's been begging to wear panties lately, she decided she didn't want to this morning...I guess they're old news now. We'll be gone every day this week, besides starting a new daycare. I'll probably wait until the weekend before we try again. Braylee was potty-trained by this point...I was hoping for the same with Brynna. Oh well.

Friday was the girls' last day at Danyelle's. Since it was the last day and few rules applied, they enjoyed cookies for breakfast! :) They also took a final field trip to the park. Danyelle did a great job of making it a happy, fun day instead of a sad day for the kids...although I was still a bit sad when we left.

Was the cookie good, Brynna?!

Elle-Belle & Braylee

Jake, Braylee, and Addison

Addison, Lauren (Dominic's mom), Brynna, and Dominic

Saturday after our trip to town, Krista and her girls stopped by. Brynna slept through the entire visit, but the other 3 girls had fun. We took a walk, which in our subdivision offers little shade. I was pushing Braylee and Sydney...and I'm so out of shape! :) It was hard pushing ~70 pounds up the hill!

Braylee & Sydney played dress-up.

Yesterday evening, we went to my Grammy & Gramps' for a cookout. My sister Tracee was home visiting from S. Carolina too! Gramps is doing "ok" after being in the hospital for 3 weeks, but it's just a matter of time until he will have to go back for surgery. We were so thankful for our family time together though. Please be praying for his heart to be healthy enough to undergo the surgery and recovery. The kids spent the evening playing on the Gator and riding trikes.

My girls with Gramps and Grammy.

Today is a BIG day for my SIL, Heather! Happy 30th, Heather!!

And this is totally off topic, but check out how long Brynna's hair is getting!!