Sweet Christmas Snippets

It is, of course, ALWAYS fun to watch your children get excited about what comes with all the Christmas fun....what did Santa bring, the fun and excitement of driving around looking at lights, discovering new toys, talking about Santa flying in his sleigh to our house, opening our Advent boxes after celebrating the coming of Christ...so exciting, so fun!

We enjoyed all the typical Christmas joy.  Some small Christmas highlights that I would like to remember are:

After nap time on Christmas, I had started to close my eyes and rest on the couch.  Brady had woken up from his nap and came into the den where all his new toys were still laid out.  I rolled over at some point and caught a glimpse of his still half asleep look staring down at one of his favorite gifts with a huge smile and his eyes saying "good, I did not dream it...this is real.  it is all still here."

Yesterday, I sat down with Brady to teach him how his Leapster 2 works and he was engrossed in it and how it works and what he can play on it.  At one point while sitting on the couch with him while he was playing, he bent down and kissed the screen.  I said "what are you doing, buddy?" as I was thinking: did he not understand the instructions that the Leapster just said? He looked up at me and said: "I just really like this, Mom."  How cute?!?!

On Christmas morning after the boys saw what Santa left them, they enjoyed going through their stockings.  Evan had Woody hanging out of his...which is ALL he cared about.  He held Woody and just kept saying: "Wooeee", "Wooeee" and then "ooooooo", with his little mouth in the shape of a very dramatic "o"....he was so delighted with this Christmas morning surprise!

Evan gave Brady the DVD of Toy Story 3 for Christmas (it was definitely a Toy Story Christmas around here).  Brady was VERY excited to receive this.  He leaned in, gave him a hug, and said "Thank you, Evan.  You are a good little child."  LOVED it!!!

WOODy....Affinity and Beyond!

So this has been an interesting new area of parenting for me...first it started with Brady a couple of months ago with his affinity with his male parts and how they change at times.  He has started noticing this change and likes to discuss it and comment on it every time there is a "change".  This is new territory for me...(1) I am a girl (2) I have not had to "parent"/teach on this matter before (3) I only have one brother and he is older than me...so this has been brand new for me!  In one way it is cute...which sounds weird I know but it makes sense.  The part that is cute is the innocence of it all.  The comfort and ease in which he can talk about this with his mother...not something that will exist, of course, when he is older.  It is a little awkward for me....being a girl and being his mom...I just don't want to know, deal with it, or think of him EVER growing up!!!  It is funny at times though too...with his choice of words.  "Mommy, look at this thing...it is growing...it is huge!"  Not exactly what I want to hear from my sweet 4-year-old but funny nonetheless in an awkward kind of way!

Evan...this has been a new area of parenting for me as well.  Evan has this immense LOVE for Woody from Toy Story.  Brady never attached to any one character/toy, etc. like this at this age...actually not even at his current age.  The funny thing to Chris and I is that he only has seen Toy Story in a clip or two here or there when Brady has watched one of the movies on trips.  He first saw a "doll" of Woody at Grayson Kim's house (Brady's best buddy and our next door neighbor) several months back and just loved him...picked him up and did not let him go the whole time we were there.  Evan has the average - or a few more - number of words for a child his age and since Brady received a Toy Story toy set from Noah at our family Christmas that included a little Woody...he has now added "Woody" to his vocabulary.  He says it constantly as he walks around, sleeps with, plays with, etc. this little toy.  "Wooeee, wooeee, woooeee"  He gets sooo excited...truly loves him....immense affinity "and beyond"!!!  Hopefully Santa includes this in his stocking this year!

19 months old!

On December 12th, Evan turned 19 months old...the past month flew by.  He has gone from walking to RUNNING...which surprises me not at all!  He has learned to flex his muscles, which is absolutely adorable!  He is trying to blow the candles out for Advent every night.  Just two days ago, he learned how to blow his nose...like REALLY blow his nose.  That seems like a funny....even silly... thing to journal about but at 19 months being able to truly blow your nose is a BIG DEAL.  It usually takes a child quite some time to figure out this concept.  These little things sure do make parenting a lot easier as well. He is so smart.  His vocabulary is average but his comprehension BLOWS MY MIND!!! He follows 3 & 4 step instructions so easily and thoroughly.  He pats you when you are cuddling him....so sweet, so affectionate.  He seems to be coming out of the separation anxiety stage, which is such a relief for his mommy, especially with a little brother coming soon.  The last couple of Sundays at church he has not clinged onto us or cried at all.  He also went easily from relative to relative at MiMi & PopPop's house during our extended family Christmas celebration and gift exchange.  He LOVES to build...he enjoys K'nex, wooden blocks, and Brady's legos.  His fine motor skills are AWESOME!  He is still a fiesty little guy...very passionate, when he is happy, he is VERY happy.  When he is angry or frustrated, he is VERY angry or VERY frustrated!!

Still hard to believe this little cutie pie is going to be a BIG brother...in just 2 short months!

AMEN!!!

My sweet Brady sure has made Advent extra special for me this year. 

I feel like I am living in a very exhausting stage of my life right now.  With Brady being a very demanding....not in the stomp your feet, yell, pitch a fit kind of a way....4 1/2 year old and Evan being a very strong-willed "typical" toddler, and being pregnant...I am pretty wiped.  Add the rest of life, COO/CFO of household responsibilities, outside organizations, friendships, Priddy Stiddy business, etc. and you make a very worn-out, low-energy old broad! 

We started celebrating Advent as a family 3 years ago and have truly enjoyed the time as a family to pause after dinner and come together for Christmas as we should....for its true meaning.  It has been a blessing to watch our boys learn and grow in the true meaning of Christmas and Jesus.

Two nigths ago, Brady said the prayer for us after our Advent reading and filled my eyes - and I think his dad's eyes too!  He bowed his head and in his own words....we did not talk about it during Advent said: "Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and giving us life.  Thank you for your birth, for dying, and for coming back.  Thank you for hope and peace (the two candles we are currently lighting).  Amen."  So sweet..the whole gospel right there....so touching, so meaningful....I LOVE it!  It was a nice pause to the busyness, to my frustration and fatigue.  The perfect reminder of WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!!!!

He exhausts me, wears me out, often makes me crazy but MAN he is a GREAT kid that is so sweet and has an amazing HEART!!!!

Our Sweet Brady has a wise man in his Christmas program at school!

Out of the Mouth of Brady

Brady says some really awesome things that either warms my heart or cracks me up - or BOTH!  I think I will never forget them, but the reality is as he grows and the list of things he says grows with him - and Evan and Maddox follow with their funny and cute ways - I am sure I will not remember every single thing.  Here are some of late that I want to always remember!

Last Friday night we went to the annual Lighting of the Summit parade which concludes with Santa and Mrs. Claus on a fire truck, the whole shopping center being lit up for Christmas and an awesome fire work show.  We always are able to secure a good spot on the sidewalk to watch that also strategically puts us in line to see Santa in a really cool sleigh right outside of Belk where we can take pics and we receive a free pic from a photographer.  We knew Evan was going to have a hard time since he is in the separation anxiety stage so we put Brady on Santa's lap to tell him what he would like first before we added Evan to his lap for the pic.  While "chatting" with Santa and telling him all he wants, he had his finger on his cheek in the "thinking pose" and after going on and on and on.....Santa says "I think you have your self a pretty good list there, Brady".  It cracked Chris and I up that Santa felt the need to cut Brady off!

This past Monday I took Evan and Brady to Portrait Innovations for Evan's 18 month portraits and I was going to get one Christmas shot of Brady and Evan in front of the Christmas tree to use for our Christmas card.  I had Brady dressed nice in something "Christmas-y"  and he knew he would be having his pic. taking as well.  While he was in the bathroom going potty before we left our house I heard a drawer in the bathroom open.  Making sure he wasn't getting into something he shouldn't I called into there: "Brady what are you doing in the drawer, bud?".  He yelled back: "I am putting some deodorant inside my elbows so I can taste good for my pictures."  I LOVE it!!! He will "use" (with the lid on) Chris' deodorant from time to time, copying his Daddy.

In the car yesterday, quietly (rare) riding along, Brady says from the back: "Mommy I am thankful to GOD for all the cheeses from around the world and for bread."  I said: "That is GREAT, buddy."  Apparently he was sitting there thinking about what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving season.  Then about 5 minutes later - again, after silence, he says: "Mommy I am glad that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins."  I thought I would CRY....I said: "Brady, that is a great thing to be thankful for....the GREATEST thing.".

Oh, I sure do love what this guy says (well, most of the time!).

18 months old!

Evan turned 18 months old on November 12th....so hard to believe most of the time but, then again, he is so into being a BIG boy and doing what his big brother does that it often seems like he is a "big boy" other than his cute little self obviously being so little.  I wish I could freeze him at this age....so adorable and bright-eyed,  I don't want things to change!  He is a very playful, cuddly little man with an arm that amazes all who are "lucky" enough to have whatever can pass as a "ball" thrown - with accuracy - directly to them. 

At his 18 month well visit, he weighed in at 24 lbs. 10 oz. (40th percentile), measured 34 inches tall (90th percentile), with a head circumference in the 90th percentile (it is because he is so smart!).

I love all the open and generous displays of affection Evan gives to his loved ones.  He often walks up to Brady and gives him a big hug.  He will come up to me with lips puckered and say "mmmmm" while coming in for a kiss.  He will walk up to his "Daayeee" (the way he says "Daddy") with his arms extended out to be picked up for a big, bear hug.

He is definitely fully emersed in the separation anxiety stage.  Whenever we have to leave him...MOPS nursery twice a month or Church, he cries so hard with big, alligator tears and clings to your clothes....so sad!  Luckily, he is a typical child in this stage and within 5 minutes of us out of sight, he dries up and is fine.

We took Evan for his first haircut at Sport Clips on Sunday afternoon and he did GREAT.  I thought he might cry with the whole separation anxiety stage, but he did not.  He smiled the whole time and sat VERY still with his smock on and was so still.  

I took Evan for his 18 month portraits yesterday and, of course, they are GREAT!!!

Evan has just recently added a new word to his vocabulary...."no".  Luckily it is not in the obstinate, toddler way....just in the literal way to answer a question.  It is really cute how he says it....with two syllables and a little lift on the second syllable.  LOVE it.

So many firsts....SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Evan Updates

Now that Evan has been walking around for a couple of weeks that is definitely his preferred mode of travel....no more scooting around for this little fella! He looks so cute, low to the ground, walking around all bow-legged. His way of "telling" me that he wants a snack is to pull Brady's booster seat off of the kitchen chair and put it on the floor, sit in it, and look at me longingly with his hands out waiting for me to give him something. When it is time to brush his teeth, he steps up onto the stool in the bathroom like Brady does and holds onto the edge of the counter for Chris or I to brush his teeth...his eyes just barely over the edge of the counter visible in the mirror....he likes being a big boy! The funny thing is that since he is still just a little boy, he can climb up onto the stool but he cannot climb down...he needs our help. He follows directions VERY well. He likes to help when we clean up the playroom. I can give him a specific toy and tell him where it belongs and he will go right to that bin or place and put the toy away. I am often impressed at his young age that, although his vocabulary is still limited, he clearly understands most of what we say and can follow directions so well. He had his first piece of candy last Wednesday when he went "trick or treating" at a nursing home with our Mommy & Me music class...skittles...he really enjoyed that! He has added another word to his vocabulary..."duck"....the funny thing is he says it just like Brady first did "dut"...very clearly and with the emphasis on the "t". I LOVE it!!! He is a ball of energy and wears me out but he sure is a fun, affectionate little guy and I am very honored to be his Mommy.

WALKING

Evan took his first steps without holding on last Saturday, October 16th.   I was very excited!!! He is 17 1/2 months so I thought this day would have come a lot sooner.  We were at Brady's soccer game and during the practice time he stood up in the grass and walked back and forth between Chris and I.  He was so proud of himself.....the sweet smile and the big-eyed "WOW....look at me" expression was so precious! 

Since then he has been practicing a lot....standing himself up, walking around the house, falling on his fanny, etc.  When he figures something new out, like turning himself around to change directions, he gets so proud...so excited!  I LOVE it!!! I get a little teary-eyed each time I watch him stagger around.

IMAGINATION!!!

 Brady's imagination is amazing to watch.  He is so much fun to watch play and act out so many stories and scenes that he has experienced.  Whether it is a cartoon episode he has seen, a Bible story he has read, a book we have read....he just loves to act it out and "play" whatever it is he has seen or heard.  His imagination inspires me.  A couple of weeks ago I overheard him playing with Evan and Chris and he said "Daddy, I am Jesus, you are GOD, and Evan is the Holy Spirit"....what an imagination this little fellow has.

17 months old

My sweet Evan is already 17 months old.  He is such a HANDFUL! He is definitely a fun handful but, nonetheless, a handful.  He exhausts me.......it probably would not be as exhausting if I was not pregnant so I try to keep that in mind as much as I can as it is not sweet Evan's fault that I am "with child"!  He is still just cruising vs. walking on his own, which adds to my exhaustion.  Carrying my 20 extra pregnancy pounds and his 24 1/2 lbs. around is HARD on my old bones!  

He is saying more words and those he was already saying he is saying much more clearly.  He is saying "ky" (sky) now.  He is saying "good job".  He is saying please "pease" a little more clearly. 

He is in a stage where there is so much that he wants to do regardless of his ability to do it yet.  I am constantly amazed at what he is able to do, especially in regard to his fine motor skills.  He enjoys building with blocks of all kinds and is good at even the little things you have to put together...like some of the kinex pieces.   When he tries to do things that he is physically unable to do he gets REALLY frustrated!  He likes to have things in order...he will take all the little matchbox cars and line them up along the windowsill in the playroom in a perfect uniform line.

He is a VERY playful, mischievous little boy.  He LOVES to be chased.  He LOVES to get into things he should not get into and all the while he laughs and giggles with the cutest smirk on his little face. 

Evan and I have really been enjoying our Mommy & Me music class.  He seems to have a crush on his teacher, Miss Stephanie.

Firsts

This evening while enjoying the fall weather out in the yard with the boys and then on a nice walk with Brady and Evan riding in their wagon, Evan pointed up to the sky and said "ky" (sky) for the first time.  I love his little voice and watching as he learns new things. 

Tonight was his first time in the wagon with Brady...they had so much fun riding and LAUGHING together.  I love watching them have so much fun together and enjoy one another's company as much as they do.

16 Months old!!!

Evan turned 16 months old on the 12th.  He has gotten more sure-footed in this past month but still is not walking on his own, just cruising.  He is more clearly and frequently saying Daddy, he says "Daaayee"....so cute!  He is voluntarily kissing more....which I love!  He leans in and says "mmmmhhhh" with his lips leaning in for a kiss.  He says please now, "deese".  When we finish a prayer and say "Amen", he says a quick "yeah" and nods his head with emphasis.  He says "whoa" and "wow" a lot....when he sees something out the window of the van as we drive by or something happens that he finds interesting out in the world or the playroom.

He knows how to turn on the charm....so cute!!!  He will say over and over again: "Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma" and when you look at him he has his pretty little head cocked to the side looking at me, what a charmer!  He "talks" on the phone.  When he gets his hands on Chris' cell phone or one of his toy ones, or actually any thing that vaguely resembles the shape of a phone he holds it up to his ear and starts "talking" away....hilarious!!

Very, very interested in any and ALL balls.  He will spot the soccer/baseball/tennis/football/softball/plastic ball, any type, across a room and scoot FAST across the room to get to the ball to throw it, kick it, get some kind of handle on it.  

I still can't believe this little sweetie is going to be a big brother in just 5 short months!

I LOVE my sweet Brady Mac!

My Brady Mac yesterday while in the carpool line at preschool...obviously after some thoughts went through his mind....says to me: "how are we going to have three daddys in our house?"  Trying to catch up with where he was in his thoughts, I said: "What do you mean three daddys?"  He said: "When I get big and Evan gets big we will have three daddys...me, Evan, and Daddy."  I said: "Well bud, when you and Evan become daddys you will also have wives, who are the mommies, so you will live in your own houses with your children."  He asks: "Well, where will you be?"  I said: "I will be in my house with Daddy."  His eyes start filling up with tears: "I don't want you to be gone.  I don't want you to leave me, Mommy."  My heart was so full (of course knowing that it won't be too long before he can't wait to move out!).  "Brady I will come to your house as many times as you will have me and I will visit with you and your wife and your children as much as you will let me.  I would LOVE to visit you guys at your house a lot." Brady (tears drying up): "You will?"  Mommy: "Of course, I will Brady.  I love you and will want to see you as much as I can."  Brady: "What about Daddy?"  Mommy: "Daddy will want to come visit you as much as possible too!"  Brady: "Okay, that sounds good!"  LOVE him!! He always manages to warm my heart at all the right times...just when I need it the most!

Labor Day weekend, Chris and I had the opportunity to take Brady to the movie theatre for the first time together.  We were in Atlanta visiting Chris' family so we had the opportunity to leave Evan, while napping, with Pop Pop so we could take Brady to see "Toy Story 3"  Mimi, Zachary, Aunt Mi, Uncle Kevin, Maegan, Callie, and Ashley went with us.  We had a GREAT time until the end.  I was emotional with the whole Andy growing up and moving away...of course that made me think about my boys...although I have a while to go I was crying pretty hard.  As we are walking out of the theatre, all of a sudden Brady starts falling apart, crying hysterically.  We try to talk to him, but he can't talk.  We try to get him to express why he is so upset.  We can not get him to express himself....it was like he was unable.   Finally when we got back to Chris' folks house and Chris sent him to lay in his bed for a little bit to get his emotions together, he was able to talk to me.  He said he was very sad because of the bear being mean to the baby in the movie.  There is a part where the baby (a doll) wants his momma (a talking doll that says that) and the bear (a stuffed toy) is really mean to the baby saying that his momma doesn't want him and chose to leave him.  It was pretty harsh as I remember thinking during the movie: "yikes, that is pretty hard core." Anyway, Brady was crying and just kept saying: "How could that bear be mean to that baby?  He just wanted his mommy."  It was so sensitive and compassionate, that I was proud but I also felt bad for him and his little tender heart.  Something like seeing a fun movie, affected him so strongly.  Poor lil' sweet fella!

15 Month Well Visit

Yesterday was Evan's 15 month well check-up with Dr. Anderson.  He weighed in at 23lbs. 4oz. (30th percentile) and is 32 inches long (75th percentile) and his head was 19 inches in circumference (75th percentile).  Another long and lean boy in our house!  He did great at his check-up and has lots of teeth (some molars) about to bust through the gums.  He had to get 3 vaccinations which is always sad to watch as that bottom lip started quivering just before the sound erupted!  He is tough though....it was not but a minute or two after I picked him up that he stopped crying and then while we were in the van he ripped the three bandages off of his thighs.  My little guy is growing up!

Bradyspeak

A couple of noteworthy things Brady has said lately:

(1) yesterday while brady was napping, i rearranged a few MINOR things in our den.  when he woke up he commented on a couple of them and then while walking to his playroom in complete SERIOUSNESS says "this is not our house anymore" - completely straight-faced and serious.  chris and i fell out hysterical because - it was HILARIOUS but also because he and his brother, jeff, are the EXACT same way if their mother changes ANYTHING in her house...even the placement of the kitchen trash can.  i guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.

(2) today i overheard brady talking to chris while he and evan were in the bathtub.  he was asking questions about when he was born, in my tummy, etc.  he then said to chris: "where was evan when i was born?"  chris said: "he wasn't born yet." brady then says: "he was waiting in heaven?".........how sweet is that, especially since moms always call their sweet lil' babies "angels" and everyone always refers to lil' babies as "heaven sent".  i loved it.

3 new teeth

I just journaled about Evan's 15 month progression which included one of his one-year molars starting to come in and then today I am feeling around in his mouth and BAM!!! Not only did the molar that was budding break through his gums, but two other teeth have as well.......I believe this will make 11 teeth total.  As fast as he chomps on food with 8 teeth, I am a bit frightened to see how fast he will be with 11!!!

Brady started 4K

Brady had his first day of 4-year-old preschool last Wednesday on August 18th.  He was excited and ready to start the new school year.  He is attending Green Valley Baptist again and we learned at open house on Tuesday that two friends from last year, Caelan and Mae, are in his class again.  He also has his best buddy -and next door neighbor - Grayson in his class.  I am excited for the two days per week that I will be able to enjoy some one-on-one time with my little guy, Evan, before he becomes a big brother in February. 
Here is my big guy during his open house on Tuesday, checking out his seat in Mrs. Mara's class:

Here is Brady the night before his first day of school....all his fun surprises from Mommy and Daddy - new pj's (Cars movie, of course), new backpack (Cars movie, of course), and a new fun book about going to school for us to read to him.  He still LOVES books sooo much!

And here he is on his first day of school...such a BiG GuY!!!!

enjoying all the fun back to school decorations I put up while he was sleeping

getting ready to head to school

walking into school

"Good morning, Mrs. Mara"

He is looking so grown up!

He reported that his first day was good and he liked is new friends and teacher.  We are praying for a great year for him and very clear direction as to whether he is ready to start public kindergarten next school year or if he will need another year to mature.  We are so proud of our Brady Mac.

15 Months oLd....wow!

15 months sure has gone by fast.  Here is Evan's sweet face.....

he is so much FUN.  he is WILD.  he loves to TALK (in his own language).  he SCOOTS faster than any child i could ever imagine scooting.  in his 15th month he has started CRUISING...around the coffee table, the couch, the train table, whatever he could pull himself up on.  he is getting one of his first year MOLARS in.  he LAUGHS all the time, out loud and BOISTEROUSLY.  he SMILES at everyone with the biggest open mouth, tongue-between-the-teeth smile you have ever seen.  he SMILES so whole-heartedly and big that it takes over his whole being and his EYES smile too.  he has NO FEAR and wants to do "big boy" things all the time.  he is constantly trying to put Brady's SHOES on and gets frustrated when he can't figure it out.  he instantly starts DANCING his little body about as soon as any kind of music comes on.  when you ask him a question, in which he wishes to answer yes, sometimes he verbalizes the yes, sometimes he doesn't but he always he NODS passionately.

We have adored the last 15 months with this little guy and are excited to see what the next 15 months brings!

I am such a stereotype!!!

I have not had too many strong cravings yet.  As of yesterday I have had the overwhelming need for pickles.  I have bought the stackers....for my sandwiches AND the regular lil' kosher dill ones for snacking....seriously??? what a stereotype!!

A strong opinion already for lil' Evan!

Yesterday I spent a lot of the day going through Brady's and Evan's clothes organizing and packing away things that they have outgrown.  I was trying some pants and shoes on Brady to see what still fit and what did not.  Evan came scooting over to where Brady and I were sitting and kept holding his foot up in the air "talking".  I put one of Brady's flip flops on him so he could be a part of the trying on process.  When I took it off, he got upset.  I went to his room and grabbed a pair of his shoes.  When I left the room, he cried because I did not put shoes on him as he apparently wanted.  When I came back with his shoes in my hand he started "talking" again and holding his foot up in the air.  I put his shoes on him and he just smiled and then scooted into the kitchen where Chris was.  When he saw Chris he held his foot up in the air and "talked" away.  He was so happy to have his shoes on.......

We are GROWING again!

The Stidhams are adding a new family member....come February there will be another lil' Stidham in the family!  I found out on June 15th..........and to say I was in a state of SHOCK is an understatement.  But the proof was there....

We had two ultrasounds to figure out how far along I am and to make sure everything was good.  The first one, there was not a baby to see just yet so the doctor guessed I was just shy of 6 weeks.  We all went as a family the second time...July 2nd....with the hopes of seeing a baby and a hearbeat.  We got to see the little nugget and a healthy heartbeat.  With a heartbeat, we decided to let Brady know that he will be a big brother again. 

He was so cute....."Cool!" he said and then, with a puzzled look as he looked at Evan, "but we already have a baby??"  I told him that we do have a baby but GOD decided we needed another one.  He has been so sweet...he will kiss my belly: "I love you, baby." and when I don't feel well (which is ALL the time), he will look at me and say: "Mommy, it is because you have a baby in your belly."  Such a smart, young man.  Evan is unaware of what is going on at this point.  I am trying soooo hard to suck up all his cuteness and babyness while I can; before I have another baby.  I am due February 15th, which will make Evan 21 months when he becomes a big brother....hard to believe my baby is going to be a big brother! 

 I went from unable to get pregnant to a "fertile myrtle" at 35 years old!!! What is up with that???

So, here we grow again!  I am excited to grow our little family and see who this new baby will be and have the opportunity to snuggle a little wrapped up lovie one last time.

Evan is pulling up!

Yesterday Evan pulled up to a steady standing position yesterday....July 27th....all by himself.  He pulled himself up at Brady's train table in the playroom to see the cars and play.  It was awesome!  He was even able to stay there for quite some time and play!  He is 14 1/2 months old now so I wonder from this step, how much longer it will be before he is walking.  He actually locked his knees and was flat footed.  YEA!!

Evan is 14 months

Evan is growing, growing, growing.  He is still scooting VERY quickly.  He is not walking yet.  He has pulled up a couple of times....not with an intent to walk but to go after something he wants.  This month he pulled up on the side of the bathtub to get a toy that he had thrown in it.  The little guy fell right in.  I felt terrible and was so scared because our tub is HARD.  Our house is old so our tub is ceramic over steel.   I was standing right there fixing my hair when it happened.  I did not even think about it or have it on my radar because before then he had not pulled up before - on anything.  So he can pull up and stand, he just has to want to! 

Evan saw his first fireworks in his 14 month of life.  We spent the holiday weekend with Chris' family so we went and parked in a lot near Chateau Elan to watch their firework display.  He really seemed to enjoy them!  He kept pointing up in the sky and smiling. 

Evan's new thing is his fist raise.  He always points toward things with his fist as if he is hailing something.  That is his way of drawing your attention to something either he wants or wants you to see. 

He is constantly in the pantry.  He opens boxes of crackers, etc. and reaches in and just helps himself.  He LOVES to eat!!! I thought teenage boys ate you out of house and home....I think my 14 month old is going to.  He is not one to sit still while you read him stories.  He grabs the book and LOVES to turn the pages himself.  On each page he points at the pictures and "talks"....like he is telling the story.  It is great!  He is mimicking what he has learned....pointing at the pictures and saying what they are. 

His ninth tooth has started breaking through....another tooth on the bottom.

He is a very playful little guy.  He loves to "run" away...scoot away.  He will take off and laugh so hard and if you call after him "come here, Evan." he scoots away faster, just chuckling.....loving being chased. 

We sure do love our little Evan and watching all the new things he is doing and experiencing. 

REAL

Mommyhood has been HARD lately!  As sweet as my boys are I am just feeling WORN     

D
O
W
N!!!

It is contantly "no touch", "soft touches", "no scream" to Evan and I am constantly the manners police to Brady.  And he is talking......NONstop!!!! It wears me out.  The crazy thing is....he gets it from ME.......GREAT! By the time they take a nap in the day and go to bed at night, I am ready to crash!! 

Surely, this too shall pass! 

LORD, please give me the patience and wisdom to get past this season with the joy and fun I know is sandwiched in between all this other JUNK.  Amen

Brady went to his first Vacation Bible School last week.  It was four days - Mon. - Thurs. and he loved it.  I was a little nervous dropping him off somewhere new but he really enjoyed it and learned some great things.  They had a singing program the last day and Chris, Evan, and I went up there to watch him sing....it was so cute.  He was really into it and did a GREAT job.  One of the songs he sang has this line: "every day I'm growing up a little bit, a little bit more".  I actually teared up...how cheesey am I?!?!  After his program, we went out to eat chinese food and after lunch, as Chris was heading back to work, Brady said "Daddy why do you have to go to work?"  Chris said: "Brady why does Daddy go to work?"  Brady: "to make the money."  Then Brady looks at me, IN ALL SERIOUSNESS and says: "So Daddy makes the money and Mommy you make the milk?"  Too cute!!!  Of course he asks this in an outside voice inside this little chinese restaurant FULL at lunch time.  I just looked at him and said: "Sure, buddy.  Something like that."   Too cute!!

Evan's 13th Month

I can't believe my lil' baby is 13 months old already!!! He is sooooo active...in his little scootin' way.  He gets into EVERYTHING!!!!  He definitely keeps me on my toes....or face (as he wears me down...sooo tired with him)!  He cut a new tooth this past Monday...the bottom right one, next to the center right one...if that makes sense!  Today I noticed the opposing tooth is starting to break through as well....this will make tooth number 8.  He says "yeah" in context with a nice, little nod.   "Do you want milk?" Evan: "Yeah" with a big nod.  He has a VERY passionate personality...when he is happy, you know it; when he is angry, you know it!  He laughs a lot!!! A very fun, out loud, belly laugh....it is GREAT!!!  He loves to give his Mommy kisses.  He leans toward me and says "mmmmmm" and then plants one on my lips....usually with his mouth open.   He has these adorable curls at the nape of his neck....love them.  Chris thinks we need to cut these "strays" but since they are sweet lil' curls, I don't want to.  He is such a cuddler.  When you hold him he tucks his arms up underneath himself and snuggles in against your chest...I LOVE it!!  He LOVES playing with his big brother so much.....he laughs at Brady's silliness constantly.  It is so fun to watch them enjoy one another.  He is LOUD!!! When he wants something, he lets you know it and if you don't get what he is wanting quickly, he SCREAMS...oh my, some days I am afraid I am going to be deaf from the screaming - or insane!

Latest in the Stidham Household

Weaning ....has turned to WEANED!! We are done....Evan did fine with dropping his last feeding and finally my boobs are not hard as a rock, about to rip open, and unbearable to be even brushed up against.  That was unbearable!!! I have no idea why it was so bad this time.  It was not like that when I weaned Brady.  So glad that pain is gone!

BRADY MAC a couple of weeks ago before Brady was going to bed (we were hanging out in his room as he waited for Chris to come in and read and pray with him....he was getting Evan in the bed) he said "Mommy, will you sing me a lullaby?"  "Of course, buddy, I will sing you a lullably"  In my mind I am thinking.....do something with my sweet boy that is getting to cuddle him and him be my baby??? YES, PLEASE!!!
So I put him in my lap and rocked with him and sang a lullaby and  LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!  After Chris put him to bed, about 5 minutes later or so, Brady called for me in his room.  I went in there and he said "Mommy, thank you for singing me a lullaby.  I love you!" 

Oh, Brady!  I LOVE you too!!!

Good Mommy Day!

Last Friday was one of those GREAT Mommy Days.  Both boys were enjoying their days, behaving well, and just in great spirits overall.  We had a fun day together playing, enjoying the pool, and spending time together.  I LOVE these kind of days and wanted to take a minute to note such a wonderful mommy day with my boys.

Weaning...So Sunday morning when I got Evan up I decided that was going to be the last time I nursed him as I would have given my body an entire week from the previous feeding that I dropped.  Of course, this was all going to depend on how he reacted.  So Monday morning, I didn't feed him and, other than changing his diaper prior to taking him to the kitchen to give him his food - which of course angered him - which he felt the need to communicate his hunger with me, he was fine.  So...that was it....no more nursing.  I am not exactly sure how I feel about it all.  There is a part of me that is RELIEVED to be finished, there is part of me that is wistful about my baby not "officially" being a baby anymore, and then there is part of me that is SAD as I may never experience that bonding ever again.   Chris and I do not know if we want any more children or not....so that may have been it!

Last week Evan started pulling up some.  He threw a toy into the bathtub while hanging out with me when I was trying to get ready and then he started pulling himself up to look over the tub to see the toy.  While sitting in Chris' lap this weekend, he started pulling on the back of the chair and a half to stand up.  Growing up too fast, if you ask me!

"FOUR"hand

Today, Brady had his first tennis class.  They worked on both forehand and backhand.  After some time on backhand, Mr. Glenn wanted to go back to forehand.  He said "Alright, Brady how do we get in position for our forehand?"   He looked at Mr. Glenn, in all seriousness, and said (while holding his hands up) "how can I do that?  I don't have four hands."

LOVE IT!!!!

Weaning.......so today will be day three of not nursing Evan after his afternoon nap.  We are now down to just one feeding per day...when he wakes up in the morning.  On Monday I decided to see how he would do after his nap without nursing so instead we cuddled and I gave him a sippy cup of milk.  He did fine so I decided to drop that feeding and so far, so good!! 

On Sunday, we witnessed one of Evan's firsts...just a cute lil' thing I want to remember.  When I went to get him up from his nap he was sitting up in his crib, just looking around.  He, of course, has been sitting up on his own for a while but this was the first time that he was sitting up in his bed waiting for us when we have gone to get him out of bed.

Bruiser........Brady went today for his 4-year-old well check-up and, luckily, everything is a-okay!! We are thankful for that....very thankful!!  He is a BIG boy!!! 90th percentile in height and in weight at 42.5 inches tall and 41lb. 2 oz.

"mmmmmmmmmhhh".....the sweet sound I hear as my lil' angel, Evan comes toward me for a kiss......love it, every single second of it, especially when even when he forgets to close his mouth and it is slobbery.  This is Evan's newest "word". 

He is getting so expressive.  Chris and I are eating it up!  His "favorite" word right now is "uh-oh" after he has catapulted something across the room or overboard.  We are having a time  fun trying to teach him that "it is not an 'uh-oh' when you throw something, Evan." 

Today, when Chris came home from work at lunch, Evan looked up at him and said "my dada"....so clearly, it melted Chris' heart!

Evan is scooting ALL over the place and FAST, it is amazing!! It is very interesting to Chris and I that we have babies that don't crawl, just scoot on their bottoms....I guess they prefer to face the world upright and head-on....I admire what that can mean!

Weaning.......not as methodical as it was the first time....with Brady I knew I was going to nurse until he turned one or it didn't work out for all involved anymore, whatever came first.  With that in mind, things worked out fine so I planned on wrapping it up at one when it is "safe" to replace breast milk and/or formula with cow's milk.  I gave my body one week for each of the four feedings he had at that point to adjust and dry up so I would not be in pain or get an infection or anything.  With four feedings, I started a month before Brady turned one...dropping one feeding per week.  I nursed him the last time the morning of his one-year-old wellness check-up, which was the day after his birthday, then discussed introducing milk with his pediatrician and we did it that afternoon and DONE...nursing was over....methodical, neat, orderly, just like I LOVE things and with no resistance from Brady!  I went into the arena of breastfeeding with Evan with the same mindset...."if it ain't broke, don't fix it", right?  Feeding has gone wonderfully with Evan, no formula needed.  He eats whole food GREAT!!!  I did not start the weaning process 4 weeks out as planned for a variety of reasons, things going on, etc. but I did start 2 weeks out thinking: we will end up about 2 weeks past turning one, big woop!  I dropped the afternoon (after nap) feeding first, gave it a week.  Then I dropped the late morning (after morning nap) feeding, gave it a week.  This was going fine..he was turning one and I had two feedings to drop....after dinner/before bed and first thing in the morning.  First thing in the morning feeding was going to be last.  Just as I was planning to drop the before bed feeding he started having a REALLY hard time with not nursing after he woke up from his afternoon nap....he would cry, like REAL TEARS not just fussing, and dive his head toward my chest with his mouth open, so sadly.  It broke my heart...this was new to me....too sad for me.  I thought he was just hungry as he was used to eating at this time of day so I increased his snack, that didn't change anything.  He sat in his high chair eating while crying with tears streaming down his face looking at me so sadly....it was like I was rejecting him or something.  I decided to nurse him after afternoon nap in place of the bedtime feeding...it is working.  It is still just two times per day and it is not associated with sleeping, since it is the two times per day when he wakes up...in the a.m. and after nap, this is good for later weaning...not needing nursing or ME to sleep.  He eats whole food so well that he seems to get plenty to eat at dinner to sleep fine at night and still sleep his 12 hours per night.  So for now, at one year and 2 weeks old, he is still nursing two times per day.  This is not exactly what I planned - "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" Proverbs 19:21 - but it appears to be what he needs right now and it is not harming him, myself, or others in my family so I am still "doing my job" here in the Stidham household!  There is something sweet about him needing that special time with just his mommy still, I must admit!

BRADY MAC finished his first year of school......I can not believe it.  Tuesday was his last day of school - the 25th - and we all went up there for a picnic outside his school with his class.  It was fun but hard to believe his first year is already over...what a quick 9 months that was!  Our very first summer vacation is here...so many fun things in mind for summer.  Last night Chris gave Brady his "summer cut"...we did it last year for the first time.  It makes him look so "grown" to me...he is so handsome!!!

May Daze!!!!!!!!!!

May has been busy, busy, busy - and FUN for our family.  We had Evan's first birthday party on the 8th - in Atlanta so we traveled to the ATL on the 7th, had the party on the 8th, enjoyed some semblance of Supper Club that night, celebrated Mother's Day with a breakfast date at the Waffle House with my boys while Chris enjoyed church with his mother and then we celebrated the occasion with Chris' family on the 9th and then headed back home. 

The 12th - Evan's ACTUAL birthday.....my lil' angel is a whole year old..........WHAT??...Chris took the day off so we could have a whole day about Evan for his birthday....so fun!!! We took him out to breakfast at the Ranch House after we dropped Brady off at school, then we took him to the mall to enjoy his first carousel ride...the carousel conductor played a special b-day song for him so we got an extra long ride.  He really seemed to enjoy this.   Then we brought the little fellow home and just gave him some undivided attention from BOTH parents and just played with him and had lunch with him before picking Brady up from school.  After his nap, we took him out to eat to the same Mexican restaurant we went to the night he was conceived....I know he is going to read this one day and think - thanks, mom, that is way too much information!!!....and they sang to him and gave him some sort of special cinnamon/sugar tortilla dessert.  When we got home he had a cupcake waiting for he and Brady that I made and we put a candle in it and sang to him.  We had a GREAT day celebrating the littlest Stidham! 

Brady started his first ever one-on-one swim lessons.  We signed up for these lessons with Mr. Chaz at the YMCA.  I have been VERY proud of how much progress he has made with him.  Evan and I did his first Mommy & Me swim class...which was GREAT.  It was nice having an activity for just he and I and having that one-on-one time with him.  Such special time for Evan & I.

We have had a few fun end-of-year things going on at Brady's school...one of which was celebrating his "pretend" birthday.  Since his birthday is when school is out for Summer, his teacher gives us the opportunity to do a "pretend" celebration.  She makes a sweet little crown for the birthday boy or girl to wear for the day and the parents can bring something "special" for that day's snack time if they want to.  I brought some yummy chocolate chip cookies and juice boxes in for the class for snack time and then I read a fun book to the class.  It was nice to be a part of my big boy's school day!

I had lots of fun preparing personalized thematic party favors for both the boys' parties and getting family together to pool our money for one big gift that they will enjoy for years to come.  I finished up Evan's one year journal and now am going to commit to doing my best to keep a great journal of his doings, growing, and updates via my blog.  On the 13th, I took Evan to his one year well check-up and he received a good bill of health.  He is quite a big boy - 90th percentile in height at 30.5 inches, 30th percentile for weight at 21 lbs. 2 oz. and 95th percentile for his head circumference at 18 3/4 inches!!  Such a big guy! 

On the 13th we had Brittney photograph the boys for their 1 year and 4 year portraits.  She, of course, did a GREAT job! 

Evan added another word to his vocabulary "uh-oh"...so cute the way he says it with inflection.  He nows says "Momma", "DaDa", his version of Brady "Bray-ee", "bye bye", "night night", and now "uh-oh".  I love it!!  We had a blast at Brady's birthday party.  We had a fun, cooking birthday party for Brady on the 22nd at Super Suppers.  What a wonderful time!  Each little chef decorated their own chef's hat, wore aprons and made little personal pizzas, decorated yummy strawberry cupcakes (Brady chose strawberry everything), and then birthday boy, Chef Brady, made a yummy, homemade strawberry ice cream.  They had a fantastic time and proved to be quite talented in their cooking skills.  MiMi & PopPop and Poppy traveled from Georgia to enjoy the festivities.

It was very exciting to see Brady's face when we arrived home from his party with the surprise gift in the backyard for he and Evan.  We - along with MiMi & PopPop, Nonnie, Uncle Rich, & Poppy - bought Brady and Evan a great wooden playset for the backyard and had it delivered and assembled while we were at Brady's party.  He was VERY surprised...it was awesome!!I have to be honest now that May is coming to a close in the next week......WOW!!! While we have had a lot of FUN, it is nice to just be laying on my couch at the moment with my feet up and catching up on my journaling while my babies rest. It has been hectic and busy and I am ready for some down time (funny with a one year old and almost four year old to write that) and regular routine stuff. I am excited about summer vacation for Brady...his last day of preschool is Tuesday....and all the fun things that I am looking forward to doing with he and Evan this summer.

Things I want to remember about my sweet Brady:

• he wants to be a fireman when he grows up
• Chris and I were hugging in the kitchen and Brady comes running in saying "got room for one more?" and started hugging on us... LOVE it!!
• he is very into the weather....in the morning when we have the news on in the kitchen and he is eating his cereal, he gets very excited when the weather comes on and watches it intently.  When the 7 day forecast comes on the screen he is looking for which days have the sun graphic on it and which days have rain clouds on them.  After he intently watches, he broadcasts it to Chris and I.  This morning he informed us: "There are 5 clouds in the weather.  One in the West, one in Texas, one up North, one in America, and one uh....somewhere else."  Chris asked him if he was going to be a weatherman when he grows up and he said: "I would love to do that, Daddy."  So we discussed how maybe when he grows up he could be a weatherman on t.v. and he said "how can I do that?  I can't fit inside the t.v."  gotta love it!  we then continued to explain how it works and then he said he would practice downstairs with his "weasel" (his art easel)
• he is wearing flip-flops for the first time....and he LOVES them and feels like quite a big guy in them.  we were running errands a couple of weeks back at Big Lots and he found a Batman pair he wanted so now he is a big guy in flip-flops. 
• he is wearing sunglasses with purpose this spring as well.  Chris bought him a pair of Disney Cars sunglasses at Dollar General the other day and now he has to have them on when he is outside or in the van...looking at him in the mirror with his shades on is awesome. 
• he is obsessed with the word "SERIOUSLY?"  he says it OFTEN and with the right inflection and the right timing.  We discovered he picked it up from his Daddy.
• some of his favorite people right now are the Kims (are next door neighbors and dear friends).  Grayson is 7 months older than Brady and Olivia is 6 months younger than him....a true blessing for Brady and his parents as Chris and I really enjoy Amanda & Stefan's company as well.  We are constantly discussing how Brady is a Kim stalker because he has to know what they are doing and where they are at ALL times and he is ALWAYS asking about them.  "where are the Kims?"  "what are the Kims doing?".  Our favorite is when he referred to them a couple of times as his Kims.  "Mommy, I want to go see my Kims."  How endearing.  Then one day before nap while we were praying I was thanking GOD for friendships and Brady interjected with "yes, GOD, thank you for my Kims."  I guess it is official....they are HIS Kims!!

Some of the latest comments from my sweet Brady:

• every time he sees a cross now - since learning about Easter - he says "look, Mommy, there is the cross where Jesus died."
• we practiced riding his bike in front of our house the other day and he gets real nervous thinking he is going to fall, even though he, of course, has training wheels on.  I was trying to encourage him by telling him how to pedal and I said: "See bud, you are doing it...that is great.  When you know how to pedal and ride you can go wherever you want....you have the freedom to ride, to go...isn't that cool.?"  He said: "Yeah, Mommy, I am going to ride to the beach."  I LOVE it, a man after my own heart!
• after doing my usual tasks around the house with my dear boys...Brady looks at me and says: "Mommy  you are doing a great job.  You are my best Mommy."
• praying before his snack yesterday after school, unprompted, he says: "Thank you Jesus for my day.  Thank you for our blessings.  Thank you for my snack.  Thank you for dying on the cross for me."  PRECIOUS!!!
• Tonight at dinner when Brady was playing with his fork I said: "Brady put your fork down please." with a bit of an annoyed voice (this is something that has to be said OFTEN).  He said: "Mommy I need it.  Stop being grumpy, Mommy" without even skipping a beat or being funny.  Chris and I had to hide our faces to not laugh in front of him.

LOVE this boy!!

Easter Blessings

Easter is amazing to me.  I mean I LOVE Christmas...who doesn't?  How could you not?  The season is joyous, magical, festive, and just plain fun!  The reality of Easter is tough...thinking about what Christ endured - what HIS Father, our Father endured on GOOD Friday for US ME is phenomenal...absolutely phenomenal!    What Christ did on Easter Sunday for is nothing short of miraculous...I mean who else do you know that has risen from the dead?  Me....no one, just Jesus....just the son of GOD, just the Savior of the world, just MY Savior....Really??? "just"?  "just" doesn't cut it...."just" indicates "justice" and where is there justice when you consider all that Christ endured...blameless, HE who was without sin?

This Easter season while we had fun with Brady with all the parties, festivities, crafts, egg hunts, etc. I really wanted to focus on what Easter is....what this day represents.  I had a hard time with the wording...it is not pretty what our LORD suffered through...there is nothing romantic, magical, or mystical about being flogged, beaten, or crucified.  Explaining this to a 3-year-old is tough...you question yourself as to the extent of the details, the depth, how honest....but again, I don't want to romanticize it.  We had a few conversations come up as we discussed the fact that Easter was approaching. 

• Brady - "I don't want Jesus to die"
• Brady - "He came back to life?"  "When I die will I come back to life?"
• Brady - "Why did Jesus have to die?"
• Brady - "Jesus is in heaven?  I thought Jesus was in our hearts?"

Then we had a cool dialogue after Brady came home one day from preschool the week of Easter.  He told me the story of Easter.  "Mommy the bad mans killed Jesus and put a crown of thorns on his head.  This gave him a boo boo and he had circle boo boos on his hands.  They hurt him Mommy and it was very sad then they put him on a cross and he died.  The good guys rolled away the rock in front of the cave and he wasn't there, Mommy.  His friends couldn't find him because he rose from the dead....Jesus rose from the dead!"  I was so impressed by his knowledge and his retelling of what he learned from Mrs. Janey (who was thrilled to hear that he retained it and it made sense) and the toddler picture Bible that she used.  This led to great conversation in which we talked about Jesus, sin, inviting Christ into our hearts - in which he clearly stated "I have invited Jesus into my heart, Mommy" - I am not sure he is quite capable of truly understanding that yet so we will continue to have this open communication, prayer time, Church, and his Bible teaching in school, of course.  That is something only Christ will truly know.  Perhaps my prayer of Brady coming to a saving knowledge of Christ at an early age will come to be...perhaps sooner than I ever imagined. 

It is not enough to say Thank you, Lord, but without any other words - Thank you!!!

I DID IT!!

I ran a half marathon.......13.1 miles!!! It was hard as h#!! but I did it!!! I committed to this back in November and after a long 3 1/2 months or so on Sunday, May 7th I did it....completed a half marathon.  The training did not go as I would have liked....bad weather, no treadmill, injuries, illnesses, breastfeeding, work, nap schedules, husband's work schedule, preschool schedule, not having the schedule match-up with anyone to have a steady partner, etc....but I did it!!!  Did I mention that I did it???  I am still in shock at times!

It was a great location...Seaside, FL....GORGEOUS!!! A pretty flat terrain...perfect time of year for Florida...early March...perfect sponsors....Vera Bradley and Jim 'N Nick's BBQ......the best ladies anyone could ask to do this with and enjoy a weekend at the beach with:

Deana, Kerry, Brittney, Leah, Christine, & Dara.........love these girls!!!  I would have NEVER done this without them!

Sweet Brittney....a collegiate cross-country runner who encouraged me all along and came WAY down to my level to do this with me and, figuratively speaking, "carried me across the finish line" (although not long past mile 10 I thought she might have to literally carry me across).  What a GREAT girl, wonderful cousin, and - more importantly - fabulous friend!!!  Love her!!

Did I mention it was at Seaside, FL....the GORGEOUS beach!

We finally did it!

After 4 years, Chris and I finally went away over night by ourselves and it was MAGICAL!!! We attempted this a couple of times since Brady was born but life kept getting in the way....moves, lay-offs, pregnancies, breast-feeding, money, you name it!  I surprised Chris for Valentine's Day weekend by booking the perfect bed and breakfast...The Forsyth Park Inn in Savannah, GA.  We stayed there once...before we became parents and absolutely loved it and, of course, Savannah is one of the greatest cities in the country!  I arranged for the boys to be with Chris' parents.  I talked to his boss in advance for him to have Friday, February 12th off and I kept it all a secret.  He had no idea.  The Tuesday before I told him that we were heading to his folks on Thursday to spend the night and get the boys settled and then heading out of town for our first overnight trip without our kiddos on Friday morning.  He was definitely surprised!  We had so much fun....yummy food, great atmosphere (it even snowed on Friday night...first time in Savannah in 14 years), beautiful accomodations, relaxation, and PERFECT COMPANY!  I hope and pray it does not take another 4 years to go on a fabulous getaway with my man!

The best Valentine's Day EVER!!!