I know it won't always be this way...

but I am going to take advantage of it while it lasts! Over the last few days Kennan and Brayden have actually been playing together (and enjoying it)! I am documenting this to show them in a few years when they can't stand eachother.

Here they are building Mutsy (Kennan's lovey) a dog house...

Playing on the playground...
Digging in the dirt...

Playing in the house with Kennan's sack of goodies (he is pretending to be Santa these days)...

This was after Brayden had been spinning in circles and fell down into Kennan. I think she was trying to knock him over...

Something must have been funny!

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.

~Vietnamese Proverb

This, that, and the other

I have lots to say and many pictures to share, so here we go!!


~I don't think I have mentioned to blog world that I have gotten myself a little job. And by little, I mean little!! Our town is trying to start a Habitat for Humanity affiliate and I have become their secretary. I have been working on compiling all the pieces of the application, attending committee meetings, and fun stuff like that. What is so great about it is that I can work from home and get things done during nap time and at night when the kids are asleep. I am working with some really great people and have enjoyed learning more about Habitat. My hope is that once we get an affiliate this might turn into more of a part-time secretary/bookkeeper job for me. We'll see!!

~Kennan's school had a Thanksgiving feast last week and some moms (and dads) came up to help decorate and prepare the food. It was a lot of fun and I think Brayden had fun following Kennan around his classroom. Here are some pictures... Giving a little wink...

Yes, Brayden is trying to get water out of the pretend faucet. Not sure where she learned this one!
Eating pumpkin pie...his favorite part of the meal!

All the little Indians...kids...in his class!

~It is amazing to me how two children that were conceived from the same parents and raised in the exact same way can be so different! Brayden is a little pistol!!! We never had to "babyproof" with Kennan; Brayden has her hands in everything. Kennan loves to read and would sit still from a very young age to hear stories; Brayden could care less. Kennan responds to time outs, "NO!", and distractions; Brayden thinks it is all very funny. I love them both and have been challenged by them both as a parent. I am thankful for their differences and the opportunity to learn about their unique personalities!! (I am especially glad I payed close attention as Kevin and Alisa raised sweet Hannah for the first 3 years of her life...I think we have a Hannah in our house!!)

~Yes, we have become "THAT" family. We have decorated for Christmas already. Growing up we never did it until the weekend after Thanksgiving. But, for us this year it didn't work out that way. We are going to be traveling that weekend and Kenny isn't going to have much time between now and Christmas day since the Advent season has started up. (Did you know this time of year is very busy for a pastor??) We experienced a nice, warmer, not so windy day on Saturday so we took advantage of it and Kenny put up the outside lights. Go ahead, say all of the nasty things you want, but the point is...we are enjoying the lights, smells and sounds of the hoildays in this house! And don't you worry - I will take in all Thanksgiving has to offer! Bring on the turkey and dressing!!

Brayden is confused already...wearing an Indian headress while putting up Christmas decorations!! She loves this thing!

Brayden's contribution to the tree...

Kennan decorating the tree for his room.

Kenny was pretty excited about putting up the lights. Since this is our first real "house" it was a new thing for him. They look great...and it only took 7 strands!! "Helping" daddy with the lights

I love this face!

An impromtu leaf war...Brayden loved it!

~Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers about Brayden. We are so thankful that she is healthy and we were able to visit with a doctor who was kind and compassionate. We are going to continue to track her weight and height growth, but are no longer concerned about the more serious issues. Thanks friends!!

~Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! We are going to be with family this week and we are thankful for that. What are you thankful for??

Just do it!!

The holidays are here and who doesn't like food and something free??

Here is the deal: Go to my friend Kristen's cooking blog and comment to be in the running for a giveaway. She is giving away 2 one year subscriptions to Cuisine at Home. All you have to do is comment. It's that easy!!

And don't be shy...it's okay if you don't know her. I promise she won't bite AND she will give you some great recipes and cooking tips!!

Great News!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers about Brayden. They were definitely felt as we were meeting with the doctor on Tuesday. He was wonderful, soft spoken, and really great with Brayden. Kenny and I felt great about the appointment and the doctor's thoughts that she doesn't have what our local doctor thought. We went ahead and did a last round of blood work to rule everything out and were feeling God's peace throughout the morning.

The great news is that the doctor's office called today and said Brayden's blood work came back normal!! Now we are just waiting on the urinalysis results which will hopefully be normal also!!

Thanks again!!

Wedding Weekend!

An event occurred on Friday night that was 15 years in the making...Jarod and Beth got married!! We have all been friends since 7th grade...dating did not occur until many, many years later, but Jarod's patience paid off in the end! Beth was a beautiful bride and Jarod made a pretty handsome groom! Here are some pictures from the wonderful celebrations!!

Courtney, Thrasher, Beth, Jarod, Jill, Me and Chad at the ribbon tying party

With the bride to be!
With Lauren and Josh at the Rehersal Dinner

With Anna and Beth

Jill and me at the rehearsal dinner

Lingerie Party!! Jenny, Me, Thrasher, Jill, Courtney, Anna, Beth and Stacy

Stacy, Anna, Jill, Beth, Courtney and me at the Bridal Luncheon

The stunning bride! (and Maid of Honor, Stacy)

With Reagan at the wedding

First Dance!

Courtney and me

ACU friends!

SCS Friends!

Kenny and me with my mom and dad

With Chad at the wedding

I hadn't seen Ryan since my wedding 5 years ago!!

And they are off!

Stacy, Courtney, Anna and me

With Thrasher!

Thanks friends!

Thank you everyone for your sweet, supportive comments on my last post. We have rescheduled Brayden's appointment with the specialist for November 18th...until then, we will wait and pray for patience, wisdom, and most of all healing!

We are heading to DFW tomorrow after church for a week with the grandparents! Kenny is going to Colorado for a few days of continuing education and the kids and I get to play with grandparents, uncles, and friends. Posts will be few and far between...but I'll have lots of great pictures when we get back!!

For now, here are some pictures of my silly kids...

taking a nap in the leaves!

Brayden walked around with her hands on her hips, full of leaves!
Today during "nap time", Kennan played in his room and his toyroom. He pulled every toy out of his toyroom (the closet) and destroyed his room. After "nap time" I told him he couldn't come out of his room until he cleaned up all the toys. Well...he did! He threw everything back into the toyroom and closed the door. This is Kenny upon finding what was behind the closed toyroom door...

And this is Kennan after being caught...

What a mess!!!! But, his room was clean!

Silly kids!!!

A worried mommy...

So Brayden has always been small. When it comes to the growth chart she has always been in the 1-5% for her weight. Our doctor in NJ wasn't too worried, but it seems as if we have picked a worrier for our new Texas doctor. When Brayden went in for her year well visit she weighed in at 16 lbs 3 oz. He had us get her blood drawn because he was concerned about her growth and wanted some tests run (we heard back from them a few days later and they said everything was normal).

So fast forward to Tuesday for her 15 month well visit...she weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz. (I thought this was great! 2 pounds in 3 months is great for her!!) He then informed us that when we had her blood tested in August there was 1 test that came back on the low end of normal...the bicarb count. So he wanted her retested to see if that number is up, lower, or the same. He is concerned that she could be having kidney problems because of the weight gain issue and the low bicarb number. We went through another blood draw (they had to use both arms because they couldn't get it in the first) which Brayden and Kenny and I hated. Poor baby.

Anyway, fast forward to today when we get a message on the machine saying that they scheduled an appointment with a Pediatic Critical Care Specialist for next week!! What??!!?? You don't call and tell me the results, don't consult with us as her parents to see if this is what we want to do, and you go ahead and make an appointment...and to top it off, we are going to be out of town next week!!

So I call to talk to the nurse and find out that normal bicarb levels are between 20 and 32. Brayden's is at 15. So maybe there is a problem and if there is they say medicine can fix it easily. I don't know....for now I just worry that there is something wrong...and we won't know for a few weeks.

Sweet baby girl!

It finally feels like fall!

First, for a flashback!!!

Kennan in the leaves, November 2005

November 2006
With Hannah and Katie, November 2007

November 2008

This year, Brayden got to play in the leaves too!! She loved it!