End of the Year... A LOT going on!!!

Well this is going to be a long post my friends, so please bare with me! Once again another year has come and gone! But this one has extra meaning to me! Of course most of it having to do with my son Brayden! I can't believe we just celebrated his 1 year birthday!!! This little man of mine has truly made my heart go soft! I love him more than words could ever express. I want to be a better person because of him. I love more, because of him. I cry more, because of him. And I laugh more, because of him. He is my little ray of sunshine just when I need it most! This last year has truly been a joy with him in my life and having a family with Gary. I love being a wife and a mother and I just feel lucky to be both and have 2 wonderful boys in my life!

Well not only did Brayden turn 1 this month but we also celebrated his first Christmas. So it was a double treat this month! And did he ever enjoy it! We started out on Christmas eve morning and headed over to Gary's dads house. Brayden loves Gary's sisters. They got him a new tricycle and he loved trying it out. It's so fun to see him trying new things and checking every little detail out. After Gary's dads house we went to Gary's grandma's house. We opened up some gifts and my nephews were there in rare form. So I snapped quite a few shots on the camera. They were modeling for me in front of the tree and totally cracking me up. That evening Gary and I did some Christmas shopping for ourselves and we bought a new cabinet for our bathroom and a new area rug for our living room. So much better and way more cozy with the rug! I love it.

Christmas morning we have Christmas at Gary's moms house. My father-n-law makes us breakfast and all the kids get to open up gifts. And oh what a mess they made! It was so fun though and Brayden loved his new toys! He doesn't quite get the whole unwrapping part yet but he loved it once it was opened and ready to play with.

This year we had special visitors! My dad and Lynn came into town to celebrate Brayden's firsts with us. They got in Christmas afternoon and we headed over to my moms house for dinner. We had YUMMY Italian food, Brayden got to open more gifts, and we played games and had a really great time! Besides Brayden being totally afraid of Santa this year... his first Christmas was a lot of fun!

Dec. 26th! Brayden turned 1! We had a big birthday party for him! Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us! THANK YOU to everyone who helped set up, tear down, and clean up! Brayden is very lucky to have all of you in his life. The love I feel for him when all his family and friends are around him, I KNOW he has got to know it and feel it too! We had a great time and he got so many fun toys and a lot of really cute outfits!!! Our little 2 bedroom condo is now busting at the seams! :) But it's so fun seeing him learning how to use everything and how quickly he his able to pick up on things. GREAT learning tools, a lot of the toys these days! I love it!

My dad and Lynn stayed until today. :( Brayden kept looking out the window for them and standing at the door as if they would be right back. Kind of sad... but we know we will see them soon again! We enjoy our time with them!

So here you go with lots and lots of pictures... again bare with me or just skim through if you want!

Happy New Year to all of you and may God bless you through this year and always!!!

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Fun w/Grammy

Last week my mom took Brayden to Children's Museum so I could work on a Birthday gift for my hubby! From the picutes you can see the fun they had! Thanks mom!!!

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New Camera Photoshoot

Ready... SAY CHEESE!!! If you know me at all you know I LOVE to take pictures! It's really one of my biggest passions. I take pictures I think at every function or heck even if there is nothing to take pictures for I am still taking pictures. For Christmas this year my dad and Lynn bought me a new camera. I LOVE IT!

My poor family has to endure the never ending flash in their eyes!

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December Fun

I love this time of year! From Halloween on is just so much fun with all the celebrations. I love the crazy hectic life of spending time with so much family and the hustle and bustle in the stores and on the roads. I love the decorations and spending countless hours driving around looking at lights. And of course with Brayden this year has made it so much more special! He is such a joy in our life! These past few weeks we have been getting ready for Christmas. Brayden loved helping daddy and mama decorate the tree. He loves the lights and anything with bells on it. Yes he loves to try and rip everything off to, but I have had my share of peaceful, no kid Christmas'. I am loving this new, don't take your eyes of your kid around the christmas tree ever!

Last night we went downtown for the Parade of Lights. I have grown up going to this parade and have so many special memories. So we took Brayden so he could have his own to. It was pretty cold last night, but not the worst I have been in. We got all bundled up and brought hot cocoa and lots of blankets. It was perfect. Some of Gary's family came along and my mom, sister, and Rick. It was so cute, everytime the marching bands would go by Brayden would start dancing. I think he really liked it and loved seeing all the colorful floats. He only got scared one time and that was when someone in costume came right up to him and try to shake his hand. He is not so much into anyone in costume. We had a great night anyhow.

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Thanksgiving 2010

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We went to my moms for dinner this year and had a very nice time. Brayden didn't do a whole lot of the Turkey goods as he has had a little bit of a stomach virus lately. So we stuck with pretty bland baby food. Poor guy, maybe next year! After my moms we went to Gary's moms and just visited for awhile. It was a very nice relaxing day. I enjoyed it very much!

He's walking... well sort of!

Brayden has taken a few steps here or there. He's still a little wobbly but this was so cute. The other day he was laughing and just wanted to be let go but didn't realize he wasn't all that stable and still needed help. He will get soon enough I'm sure!

More Pictures

I forgot to add these pictures from Halloween. He was just too cute and loved wearing his costume... well for the most part!

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Braydens first Halloween

We had a great start to our Halloween weekend! Saturday morning we met my cousin and their kids at Boo at the Zoo. Brayden loved it and just stared at everyone in their costumes. He got lots of candy for mommy and daddy too. It was great! So many adorable costumes and Brayden was the cutest Nemo ever!!!

That evening we went to Trunk or Treat in my moms ward. So fun. They always have a chili cook off and then games for all the kids and costume contests. The kids love it but I think the adults like it more since they don't have to walk from house to house all night long they can just go to one parking lot and the kids go crazy and run as fast as they can to each persons trunk for their treat. I love it!

Halloween we woke up and wanted to get an early start since we had so much family and friends to go visit. Unfortunately Brayden got sick at lunch. I thought he was actually trying to perform a scene from the Excorcist but really he did just have the flu. Poor baby boy. We weren't able to go out and visit anyone. He enjoyed all the kids coming to our door though and would smile everytime he heard them knocking!

So all in all it was a great Halloween celebration and we are just glad we were able to make it out a day ahead of time to get him dressed up!

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Carving Pumpkins

NO Brayden didn't get to carve his first pumpkin - yes sometimes I am a good mom and I don't let him play with knives, usually. There is that off chance sometimes when he helps clear the dishwasher and of course the first thing he grabs for is the knives. Doah!

My mom came over to help clean and carve pumpkins with me and Brayden. Unfortunately Gary is allergic so he wasn't able to do much. We had fun though and just did the good old fashioned, draw your own face and go with it! It was fun and I can't wait till Brayden can get his little hands in them and help clean them out next year!

YAY... only a few more days till Halloween! Lovin it!

Chicago in October

My sister, Brayden and I just got back from a fun-filled trip to see my dad and Lynn in Chicago. We had a great time other then the fact that they were having an Indian Summer and it was HOT HOT HOT! Okay so no we didn't have to deal with humidity this trip (thankfully!) But it was much warmer than I thought it would be.

For 2 of the days while we were there we took a mini vacation. My dad rented a house in this town called Galena. It was so beautiful and the colors were so pretty. We had so much fun and they had this cute little old town to walk through. It was a nice relaxing get away!

Right across the street from my dad's house is this place called Sunny Acre Farm. And every year they have a Harvest Carnival/Festival. It was so cute. They have rides for all the little ones, a petting zoo, haunted barn houses and a hay ride. We took Brayden and rode some of the rides. Also rode a pony for the first time and got to feed some animals. He did so good.

Thank you dad and Lynn for another great trip! Can't wait to see you in a couple months for Brayden's first birthday!!!

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He's 9 months... already!!!

I LOVE MY SON!!! I never knew it would be this hard but so much fun and rewarding at the same time! One smile from my son erases 1000 bad days! He is my joy and my light and I am just so truly grateful for my boy Brayden.

I know we have bad days and there are days when it just seems Brayden can't cry more than what he already is. Or why does he have to cling onto my leg all day and not play with his toys while I try to clean house. Sometimes I feel so inadequate and wondering to myself, why did I think I could do this. But then I realize... why do I think I need to be perfect at this? I grow and learn everyday how to be a mother. Some things just come natural and some things definitely don't.

I am grateful to Brayden for teaching me patience. For the first 3 months he CRIED. I was with him 24/7 so to me it was nonstop. I thought he hated me. Now I know he was just a fussy newborn and we made it thru it and I loved him even more when it was all over. :)

I am also grateful for how needy Brayden is, because just maybe when he is a teenager he will think he doesn't need his mommy anymore. And I will be grateful for all these times I get to hold him and get to constantly be right by his side.

I am grateful for his LOUD shrill screams for I know he has a strong voice. And again one day I hope he uses it to stand up for himself and to speak out for what he believes in!

I am grateful for his sleepless nights, it gives one more moment to be with him and hold him and to look at his beautiful little face one more time!

Brayden is growing so fast. We just had his 9 month wellness check done. He is now 18 lbs. 14 oz., 29 1/2" and has his 2 front bottom teeth. He did really well getting 2 more shots. Screamed for maybe 30 seconds! I think he was more mad that he had to be held down. He hates that more than anything else it seems. So now you can only imagine how diaper changes go. ha ha

I took Brayden and his cousin Ravyn to the park the other day and took some pictures! Enjoy the slideshow!

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Montana bound

Labor day weekend we were able to take our first road trip with Brayden. We headed up to Montana to see my Aunt Lori. We left Friday evening thinking it would be best so Brayden would sleep most of the ride. It took us 12 hours and Brayden only had 1 breakdown during the ride that only lasted about 20 minutes. We arrived about 6:30 on saturday morning. Our first day there we stayed pretty low key because, yes, Gary and I were exhausted. We went to the Farmers Market in town and then walked around downtown Bozeman. It was a beautiful day. Our next day we went for a small, hike/walk in Three Forks. It's where 3 rivers meet to make the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark had also stopped here. It was very pretty but also very cold. On Labor day my mom and Jerry flew in and we drove to some old ghost towns. It was cool to see the old homes and to see how the pioneers lived back in those days. Made me thankful for what I have now and where I live. Tuesday my mom and Jerry drove with us to Yellowstone. It was so beautiful. We saw lots of animals and so much beautiful scenery. It's not pictured but we did get to see a bear right outside of Yellowstone as we headed home. Wednesday we went for another hike to Hyalite. We got to check out some really pretty waterfalls and then on the way back down it decided to downpour. It was still a very pretty hike.

Thursday Gary and I drove home and went back through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Brayden stayed back with Grammy and Grandpa so he could fly home on Friday with them and wouldn't have to sit in the car again. He did so good all week. We had so much fun and I'm so glad Brayden got to meet his Great Aunts! Thank you Lori and Deb for once again showing us a fantastic time in Big Sky Montana!!! We had tons of fun!

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Braydens first haircut

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Bath time...

This only means I get soaked in the process. Brayden's thing is to make the whole bathroom as wet as possible! He splashes harder and harder. I took some video... ENJOY!

Boo

Having some fun with Brayden... lazy afternoon sundays! Gotta love 'em!

Our fun weekend

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Funny/Scary story

I knew I didn't call my son a monkey for no reason...

On Sunday Brayden was taking a nap and I layed down with him in our bed. I got up once I knew he was out and piled pillows and blankets all around so he wouldn't roll off and just listened for movement and noise so I would know when he was up.

An hour later I heard a cry. I walked into the hallway... AND there he was!!! Already crawling out to find Gary and I. I didn't even hear a thud or a loud cry from falling off the bed. No bumps or bruises either. My crazy kiddo... I swear he must of slithered off the bed like a snake and then realized we weren't there and got scared then started to cry.

No more naps in our bed!!!

My Best Friends Wedding

This last weekend on Saturday we got to join in on the celebration and wedding of Nikki and Turner. We had a great time and it was very simple and very beautiful. They had it in their backyard in a very intimate setting with family and close friends. It turned out really nice. Here are a few pics!

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Bath Time

Brayden is just growing up so fast! Here he is in the big bath... he is my little fish!!!

Some videos from camping

Camping trip #3

I have to say camping has been very enjoyable this year! I think it has something to do with NOT being pregnant this time and hating the smell of campfires and BBQ's! :)

We went to Leadville this last weekend with some friends of ours, Dave and Dena. We had a ton of fun! We got up there Friday night and set up camp. We didn't camp in a campground this time and I have to say ... I loved having our own space!!! There was not one person in sight... well that we know of. There was a TP in our little area with an animal bone carcass. We thought maybe we were sharing camp with Sasquatch but never did catch a sighting or anything. :( I wanted pictures!!!

Saturday we did lots of fun stuff. We went down to the shooting range and the boys taught us girls how to shoot. It was fun. We shot and M16, which Dave said is the same thing they use in the Military. I thought that was kind of cool. We also did some clay shooting with the 12 gauge and used the handguns as well. Boy did they have some kick!!! All the while Brayden slept in the car. I was so surprised the noise didn't wake him. After we were done there we drove up by Twin Lakes and Four Bay. It was so beautiful. We took a walk to down thru this old mining area. It was really cool seeing all the old buildings.

That night we hung around camp and the boys set off jet bottles in the fire. (Used beer bottles and put lighter fluid in them... yes they are crazy but it was fun)

What topped the night of though... Dave proposed to Dena! He had talked to Gary and I before we went up and said he got the ring and that he wanted to do it up by the campfire. So we were pretty excited. She had no idea and was very surprised. We are so happy for them and they make such a cute and amazing couple! I know they will be happy together!

So we now have had another successful camping trip this year! Only 3 more weeks until our next one!!!

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Fourth of July Fun

We had such a great weekend. We flew to my dads house in Chicago. My dad and Lynn had a HUGE party for the 4th and for everyone to come meet Brayden. Brayden did awesome on the plane. We were delayed both on the way there and on the way back. He slept both times. We got in late Thursday night and Brayden had a rough time in the car on the way home. So he was up till 130am on Friday. Nani had to keep reminding him that it was 1:30 in the morning not 1:30 in the afternoon. He eventually went to sleep. Friday we met up with my aunt and some cousins in Naperville. They have this really pretty riverwalk. So we did that and got some YUMMY ice cream. They add cookie dough and have all different choices of it. It was so good. That evening we ordered my favorite pizza - Salernos! I couldn't go to Chicago and NOT have Salerno's. It is truly the BEST!!!

Saturday was the big party. I would say there was close to 80-100 people that showed up. My folks had it catered by Sweet Baby Ray's. It was delicious! My dad bought tons of fireworks... NO not just those little wimpy fountains but the big boom ones that light up the sky. We did it in the back yard and it was so fun having our own big fireworks display. Poor Brayden missed it... he slept thru the whole thing! The party was so much fun and I got to see so many friends and family. Everyone loved Brayden and of course he was eating up all the attention!

Sunday we relaxed in a big way. The only thing we did was go to Rainforest cafe for dinner. Brayden loved the huge fish aquariums. Our table was right next to it and it seemed to keep him pretty occupied.

Monday we did some running around and then Nani and Papa babysat while Gary and I went downtown. It was kind of funny... we took the train and bus to Navy Pier. But we did more waiting around for the transportation because not thinking about it being the day that it was... everything was on holiday schedule. So we didn't do much but walk around and have a bite to eat. But it was nice spending time with Gary and going downtown. Besides, always good people watching on public transportation.

Our last day we went to Portillos for lunch. Again one of my favorites. Best Italian Beef sandwiches EVER! (ok... so all I do is eat when I go... but you can't get the goods here in denver!) Our flight was set to leave on time and we boarded on time but then once we got out on the tarmac we had to sit on the plane for an hour because some bad weather was hitting. Brayden still did great and the minute we took off he was out the rest of the way home.

It was a fantastic weekend and I was sad to leave. Brayden sure is going to miss his Nani and Papa!!!

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Brayden is 6 months already!!!

This year is flying!!! I can't believe my little man is growing up so fast this year! We had his 6 month check up yesterday. He is now 17 lbs and 28 inches long. He got 2 shots yesterday and screamed for 2 seconds, picked him up and instantly stopped. He always does so good at the doctor. Doc said he is healthy and well. He said we can start feeding him meat as well now. He is able to sit up on his own now for a bit then looses his balance. He scooches around and rolls around A LOT. He also is trying to crawl. Gets up on his hands and knee's and just rocks back and forth. Then gets mad because he isn't going anywhere. I'm sure it will be happening soon enough. I am so blessed to have Brayden. He is such a happy baby and I get lots of smiles and lots of giggles!

He gets to take his first plane ride on Thursday. We are going to Chicago to see my Dad and Lynn. I'm excited to see how he does on the plane. We are really looking forward to this trip. It will be a great 4th of July celebration! I am sure I will have lots of pictures to post when we get back. Until then here are some of his 6 month pics we had done.

Father's Day

Sometimes you just need a family day! I'm so glad we got to really spend our time celebrating Father's day today with Gary. (Yep... he ditched work today) We drove up to Georgetown so he could throw his poles in the water for a bit and brought a picnic. No luck on the catching fish... but still was a great day! We went to the park and walked the town and had ice cream. YUM.

It is so fun watching Gary be the dad that he is. He is so good with Brayden and they both just totally adore each other. They have a very strong bond already. I know it will only continue to grow. He is so good with our little man. The love that he has for him and how much he cares for him. And he is always so playful with him. He can really get him laughing. I love it. I can see them in the future just telling jokes back and forth while they are fishing or hunting. Great friends they will become. I love you baby and I am so glad you are my babies daddy... LOL!

I want to say thanks to my dad too and Happy Father's Day! Wish you were here to spend it with. I am truly grateful for you and all that you do for me. I feel like our relationship has grown so much and I love the friends we have become! Like you have said before, I too cherish every moment we get to spend together since we don't live near eachother. I love you so much!!! Brayden is lucky to have you for a Papa too!

Also to Jerry... thank you for being you! You are a great father! I am so glad we have you as a part of our family now. I couldn't have asked for a better husband for my mama! I love you!

Happy Father's day to all dad's out there!

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