Christmas - Our Christmas (part 1)

We always have both of our families over for Christmas every year. I call it "Our Christmas" because it's at our house. I think "Our Christmas" is my favorite time with our family because it's the one time we have everyone together and there are no gifts. To me, Christmas isn't about the presents under the tree, it's about spending time with loved ones and making memories. I love that 3 years ago, Steven and I started this tradition of having everyone over for the holidays because it's so special to us and everyone else. We're very blessed to have such a wonderful, loving family.

Brady with Grandma & Papa (we were so thankful Papa was able to come to our Christmas get together, he had to miss Thanksgiving and it wasn't the same without him.

Grandma & Papa with all the Great Grandkids: Gage, Makenna, Skyler, Taylor, Gavin, & Brady

Papa & Brady

Brady with his GG & Papaw Mills

6 years with my love...

I've very behind...but, it's probably the busiest time of the year for me and most other people, so in my mind...it's okay to be late right now. A couple of weeks ago, on Dec. 16th, Steven & I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We were going to take a quick trip to Dallas that weekend, but Brady got sick so we postponed the trip. It was however a very wonderful anniversary. I'm so thankful for my marriage and that God gave me a wonderful hubby that loves me and takes such good care of me. I have to say... this past year was my very favorite because we added Brady to our family. It's amazing what love can bring to your life.

Brady is 9 months old!

Brady- 9 months

December 15 was too close to Christmas for me to stop and do a monthly post, so I’m very late..but here’s what Brady’s been up to lately.

Here’s what Brady has been up to this past month:

*He weighs 20lb 14 oz. & is 27 ½ in long. He’s very short, only in the 12 percentile.

*His eating habits have changed a little. We’re not putting cereal in all his bottles anymore, only his nighttime bottle. He usually has 4 bottles a day. He can now have meats, and the doctor told us he can start having table food, but I’m not starting all that just yet. I want him to be a healthy eater so we’re sticking to baby food for as long as I can make him eat it.

*He doesn’t spit up very much anymore so we’ve stopped the Zantac.

*He crawls everywhere, sits up like a champ, and pulls up on everything. He can even stand on his own but hasn’t taken a step on his own yet.

*He can clap.

*He can wave (when he wants to).

*He can climb!

*He’s very brave. He’ll go to anyone that holds their arms out and he’ll crawl anywhere, even dark rooms.

*He’s got to be the hardest kid ever to get dressed. He likes to crawl around naked after he has a bath. The bad thing is that he’ll pee on the floor or on whoever is holding him while he’s naked (he’s done it to me twice.)

*He’s starting to say the da-da sound. He doesn’t know what’s he’s saying, but he’s at least making the sound.

*He still hates to wear shoes and isn’t big on socks either.

* *He has 5 teeth. (3 on bottom & 2 on top)

*He is a pretty good sleeper.

**It’ pretty easy to make him laugh. He’s always happy.

* He wears 12-18 month clothes.

*He’s wearing a size 3 diaper.

*He loves his bathes.

*He’s still attached to his pacifier.

*He loves to be on the floor. He usually doesn’t want to be held.

*He loves to watch Wheel of Fortune! It’s the funniest thing, but he’ll stop what he’s doing to watch Wheel of Fortune.

*He is a very curios (or noisy) baby.

*He has the goofiest smile and expressions.

*He’s doing so well riding in the car now. It sure makes going places much more pleasant.

*Everyone always asks me is he always in a good mood, and he usually is. He’s getting to where he cries when you walk out of the room.

*His eyes are still blue.

*His hair is starting to get longer. It’s really frizzy. His hair is still very light.

*He has no problem at all with letting you know that he’s unhappy. He can throw some major fits.

*He is very impatient! He will through a major fit if you tell him no. And he’s also making the funniest face when you tell him no. He’ll open his mouth real wide like “no you didn’t”.

*He loves to look at himself in the mirror.

Here’s Brady this month.

Thanksgiving 2012

Here's a little look into our very busy Thanksgiving Day.

Wednesday, Nov 21st (Thanksgiving at our house with Steven's family and my family.)

Steven, Brady & Jimmy (Pap)

Steven, Brady & Papaw Mills

Aunt Susie, Teresa (Meme), GG, & Aunt Debbie with Brady

 Thursday, Nov. 22nd

This is how Steven & Brady watched the Thanksgiving parade.

Brady & Makenna

Brady & Nana

Nana, Big Nana & Brady

Aunt Kayla

Aunt Debbie, Uncle Bobby Gene & Meme

Aunt Kristian

My little turkey!!

Love that turkey booty!

Looking at the leaves (& eating them too!)

Loved his shirt: it said Gobble til you Wobble

Grandma & Brady

Me & Papa

Brady, Papa, & Me (by this time Brady had had enough!)

Bath time makes everything better!

Be Blessed! Be Happy!

SO BLESSED!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you're enjoying  this day with your family and loved ones. I have been pretty emotional today. Just the sight of Brady brings tears to my eyes. God has blessed me so much! On Facebook, people have been posting what they're thankful for on a daily basis. Well, I'm not organized nor do I have the time it takes to stay on top of something like that so I'm going to do it today.

My most precious blessings in my life.
*I'm thankful for all the worldly possessions in my life. I have all the "stuff" I need and for that, I am thankful.
*I'm thankful for my education. I never in a million years would have thought I'd be able to go to college and succeed. Academics were never my strong point.
*I'm thankful I live in the USA! Yes, our country has many problems, and I fear that we're getting away from our Godly roots, but I'm thankful to have the freedoms that I have.
*I'm thankful for the men & women of our military. Freedom doesn't come free.
*I'm thankful for the doctors in my life. They take such good care of me & my family.
*I'm thankful for modern medicine. Medicine has saved many lives, and because of medicine we now have Brady.
*I'm thankful for Dr. Bingham (my OB/GYN). She's my hero. She never gave up on me having a baby and I know God put her in my life to help me get through some awful moments in my life, and she was there for the MOST wonderful moment in my life.
*I'm thankful for my friends. God has put some amazing people in my life to be there for me when I needed them most. So many of my friends live far away and I don't get to see them like I'd like, but I love them never-the-less. I love each of my special friends in their own special way and I'll never forget the good times I've had with them.
*I'm thankful for my sweet in-laws. Jimmy & Teresa are seriously the best in-laws any girl could ever ask for. They don't get into our business but they're always here for us when we need them. They are also unbelievable grandparents. It's amazing how much they love my sweet little boy.
*I'm thankful for my niece & nephews. Gage, Makenna, and Gavin all taught me great lessons on how to be a good mom. They are all special kids. Gage is our athlete. Makenna is our little mama. Gavin is the wild child. I love them all so much.
*I'm thankful for my brothers. Preston & Chayce are both in high school. It's hard to believe they are that old. They're both growing up to be handsome young men. Preston is the loud, crazy one. Chayce is the quiet, sweet one.
*I'm thankful for my sisters. We may have our disagreements. We may not always agree with one's choices. But we always are there for each other when times get tough. I love hanging with my sisters.
*I'm thankful for my parents. They have loved me unconditionally and I will never be able to repay them for all that they've done for me. They are also wonderful grandparents to Brady.
*I'm thankful for my grandparents. They are the best- and that's all there is to it!
*I'm thankful for my church family. I love all the people that we go to church with and they are such a blessing in our lives.
*I'm thankful for my home. It's not the biggest or nicest house ever, but it's warm and full of love and laughter. What more could a girl ask for?
*I'm thankful for my job (& Steven's too). I complain a lot about having to work, but I'm truly blessed to have the job I do. I actually have a job where I make a difference in people's lives. There are so many people desperately looking for a job, I'm thankful for the stability of mine.
*I'm thankful for Brady. I honestly got to the point where I thought I'd never be a mom...and that made me SO sad. But God's answer to my prayers for a baby were, "Not right now." & "YES!" I'll never forget the babies we lost- there will always be 3 holes in my heart that no one can ever fill. BUT, I now can see that Brady was the baby God wanted us to have on this earth. He is an amazing little boy. He's full of life. He's in to everything! His smile lights up a room. His laugh makes you laugh. He brings so much joy to my life and so many other people's lives as well. My hope is that he'll always be as happy as he is now and that he'll grow up to love and honor God with all his heart. I'm SO BLESSED to be Brady's mama! I love my little boy with all my heart!
*I'm thankful for Steven. I'm thankful for our good marriage. I'm thankful that he takes such good care of me. I'm thankful that he loves God and puts God first. I'm thankful that he is an amazing daddy. I'm so thankful that he loves me the way he does. I'm SO BLESSED to be Steven's wife. He's the love of my life and my soul mate. I hope and pray God blesses us with many, many, many, many more wonderful years together.
*I'm thankful for Jesus. He lived a perfect life and he died for my wicked sins. If it weren't for Him, I wouldn't have any hope to get to Heaven. I am so blessed to be a Christian. I can't wait to go to Heaven someday.
*I'm thankful for a loving Father in Heaven. I don't know how anyone could look at the beauty of nature and not believe in God. I don't know how anyone could experience childbirth and not believe in God. God is everywhere...if you'll just open your eyes & heart, it's easy to see that God is real. His love is real. I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving God. He sent his only Son to die for me...so that I could someday go to Heaven. I'm SO BLESSED! I serve an AMAZING and WONDERFUL GOD!!!

I'm so thankful for all the blessings in my life.

8 months with Brady

Brady- 8 months

So, I’m a little late getting Brady’s 8 month post up, but that boy is keeping me extremely busy! He is non-stop all the time and the only reason I’m posting now is because he’s at his Meme & Pap’s house.

Here’s what Brady has been up to this past month:

*He weighs 19lb 3 oz.

*He eats 6 oz of formula with 1 tbsp of rice cereal per ounce of milk. He has 4 bottles a day.

*He’s a good eater, not picky so far. He used to spit his food when you’d feed him, I think he thought he was being funny, but it wasn’t too funny when it got all over the person feeding him.

*He takes Zantac for acid reflux twice a day, and has for several months. It really has helped with him spitting up.

*He crawls everywhere, sits up like a champ, and pulls up on everything.

*He can climb! He climbed out of our garden tub on his own.

*He’s getting very brave… He’s starting to let go and stand on his own a little bit (for very small amounts of time).

*He’s still a wiggle worm especially when you’re trying to change his diaper or put clothes on him.

*He’s not a cuddly baby at all. The only time I really get to cuddle with him is when he falls asleep in my arms.

*He likes to chew on his toes.

*He refuses to wear shoes, I know people probably think I’m a terrible mom or that we’re just redneck hillbillies, but the way I see it, in a few months he’ll have no choice but to wear shoes, so I let him enjoy going shoeless while he can.

*He always pulls his socks off when you put him in his car seat. It’s usually always the left sock and he likes to chew on his sock.

*He has 3 teeth. (two on bottom & one on top)

*He sleeps pretty well, unless he’s sick. After he turned 7 months, I decided it was time for him to sleep all night so I started letting him cry himself to sleep. None of us enjoyed that, but after about a week he was sleeping through the night. Unfortunately, last week he was sick, so when he’d wake up I’d put him in bed with us because I was afraid to leave him in his bed alone.

*He’s a very loud kid!

*It’ pretty easy to make him laugh.

* He wears nine and even a few 9-12 month clothes.

*He’s wearing a size 3 diaper.

*He loves his bathes.

*He’s still attached to his pacifier.

*He loves to be on the floor. He usually doesn’t want to be held.

*He loves to watch Wheel of Fortune! It’s the funniest thing, but he’ll stop what he’s doing to watch Wheel of Fortune.

*He is a very curios (or noisy) baby.

*He has the goofiest smile and expressions.

*He’s doing so well riding in the car now. It sure makes going places much more pleasant.

*Everyone always asks me is he always in a good mood, and he usually is. He’s getting to where he cries when you walk out of the room.

*He’s not afraid of anyone. He’ll let anyone hold him.

*His eyes are still blue.

*His hair is starting to get longer. It’s really frizzy. His hair is still very light.

*He has no problem at all with letting you know that he’s unhappy. He can throw some major fits.

*He is very impatient!*He loves to look at himself in the mirror.

Here’s Brady this month.

Standing on his own (holding the string for a little support).

Climbing on Daddy.

Showing off his big blue eyes.

the C word

The dreaded "C" word has hit my family in a big way. Back in August we found out that Steven's dad, Jimmy, had lung cancer. He's taking chemo and will be going to Dallas next week for more tests. My uncle Robbie also has throat cancer. He's taking chemo and radiation right now. And last week, we found out that my grandpa, Bobby, has lung cancer. He went to the doctor today for more tests and he has mesothelioma, stage 1-2 and it has not spread to his brain. He doctor thinks between 4 to 8 treatments should do the trick. So we are very thankful for that good news.

So please keep these 3 men in your prayers and lets all pray that a cure for this terrible disease will be found very soon!

Decision 2012

I am so glad today is election day. I am SO tired of all the campaigning. Politics, in my opinion, as a whole, is so corrupted. Its just one negative comment after another. However, this election is Brady's first election to be a part of, so I snapped some pics of him watching the election results.

Sleepy Head

There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby. Brady hasn't gotten used to the time change yet, so the past two mornings he's ended up in bed with us. I don't want him to sleep with us, but I have to admit, he is so sweet when he's sleeping and wants to snuggle with me.

My sleeping angel.

Halloween 2012

First of all, I'd like to say, I'm so glad Halloween is over. I enjoyed it and it was fun to dress Brady up and it was special because it was Brady's first Halloween, but man I was exhausted after all the festivities were over. I had my class Halloween party at school. Thankfully my parents this year really took over and did most of the work. Then we went to 8 different houses (all but two were family members). We ended at the church. Here are some pics of Brady's first Halloween. I'm so excited about the next two holidays. They are my favorite.

My little froggy!

He was the cutest little frog I've ever seen!

Opening a present from Nana.

GG & Brady

Papaw Mills, Steven & Brady

Brady with his friend Coby

Trick or Treating at Ms. Cindy's

Trick or Treating at Aunt Kayla's

Gage, Brady, Makenna, & Gavin

Brady & Grandma

Loretta & Brady

Aunt Marty & Brady

Brady with Skyler, Taylor, Gavin, Grandma & Papa

Brady & Pap

Pap & MeMe

Our first Halloween together!