More BQ's (Brady Quotes)

Recently my sweet bud, Brady, and I were talking. He was being disciplined for something so he looked at me and said "Mommy, I am sad. My heart is blue." I said: "I am sad too, buddy. It makes me sad when you disobey." A little longer later, he looked at me and said: "Mommy, my heart is getting better....it is pink. I said: "Great, buddy, I am glad that your heart is getting better, that makes Mommy very happy." He looked at me and said: "Now my heart is ALL better, it is red." So descriptive and sweet!

Last week I was getting Brady's lunch ready for school. He asked me what I was making him. After I told him what I was packing for him to eat, he said: "Mommy, will you put a kiss in my lunch box and one in my backpack?" Awwwwww..... I said: "Of course, buddy, I will put a kiss in both and when you get to school you can get them out of your lunch box and backpack." Brady: "When I eat lunch, I will eat my kiss, Mommy." I said: "Okay, buddy, you can do that or you can just take the kiss and put it on your lips like Mommy is there kissing you." Brady: "Okay, Mommy, I can do that. It will make my heart feel great." I looked at my sweet boy and said: "How did I get so lucky to have you for a son?" Brady: "I came from Jesus, Mommy, remember?" Awwwww.......Me: "Yes, buddy, I remember. You did come from Jesus and I am so blessed to have you." Brady: "Who is Jesus, again, Mommy? God's Daddy?" Me: "Jesus is God's son, Brady. God is Jesus' Daddy." Brady: "Oh, okay, that is right, Mommy. God is Jesus' Daddy."

What an angel!

Evan

He is getting so big, so fast! It makes me sad...I want him to stay this age/size FOREVER!!! Or at least for a while longer...he is so cute, so sweet, so cuddly, and so doggone smiley!!! I LOVE it!!! At his 4 month check up, he weighed in just under 16 lbs., at 15 lbs. 12 oz. and 25 3/4 inches long. He is sitting up VERY while in his bumbo style seat and pretty well on his own when someone is sitting behind him to keep him from falling. He took his first bath last night, sitting up, rather than leaning back on the bath sling...can't believe how fast he is growing up! His smile is so infectious it is ABSOLUTELY impossible to look at him and not smile back...he lights up even the darkest rooms!

Straight from Heaven!

Chris and I had quite a year and a half...starting with his lay off in January of 2008! When we found out I was pregnant with Evan...we were stunned! After infertility with Brady, we didn't think it was possible on our own and, therefore, did not prevent pregnancy. We always wanted our children 3 years apart and if Chris had been employed we would have been trying - with my doctor's help - to get pregnant last fall. So when we found out I was pregnant on September 7, 2008 we were stunned!!! We were both VERY excited and we both felt VERY blessed to anticipate this new little life. I remember how anxious I felt knowing that I had not taken prenatal vitamins, that I had drank alcohol, that I had taken ibuprofen, allergy medicine, etc. ALL things I did not do with Brady because everything was so planned out and controlled (with the specialists, etc.) that I always knew at which points of the month I MIGHT be pregnant! I was also EXTREMELY anxious to think about the fact that Chris was not employed...YIKES!!!..that was the reason we were not "trying" yet. Six weeks later, Chris got a GREAT job at ADT and still really, really likes it! We continued with a lot of rough spots after finding out Evan was on the way...which is part of the "quite a year and a half" but throughout the pregnancy - on several occasions I said to Chris: "maybe this baby is going to be the end of all this yuck", "we always wanted our children three years apart and they are going to be exactly three years apart..the birth of Evan is going to be the bright spot at the end of all this junk.", etc., etc.

I wanted to take the time to journal about just how bright of a spot our little man is! He is amazing! His smile is contagious...he lights up a room...even as a little guy. He warms our heart...melts it actually...INSTANTLY!!!

Such a sweet, sweet guy even in the midst of the most sour days! We thank GOD for this gift...so unexpected, so untimely in ways...but obviously SO VERY timely in all the right ways!

We LOVE you, Evan...with every ounce of our beings! Thank you, GOD, for the most precious gift you could have bestowed upon us at just the right time in our lives!

Brady Funnies!

Brady thinks anyone who wears glasses is a grandpa...even if they are a woman..funny!

Today we were reading his devotional before his nap and it was talking about how GOD created everything...all creatures...all things good. It then asked what has GOD created that you think is good; so I ask Brady and he says - in ALL seriousness - octopus!

As Brady and I were reading together today he started picking his nose (fun stage for Mommy). I asked him to not pick his nose that it was gross and that it is how we spread germs. I looked over and his finger was all up in his nose again. So I ask him "Brady, what are you doing?" He looks at me - in ALL seriousness - "I'm putting it back, Mommy." "It" being his booger...nice! So funny, so cute how his little mind works!

BQ's from Preschool

Oh, my sweet Brady! He often makes me laugh, often makes me smile, and VERY often warms my heart. He continues to do this as he tells me about school. I couldn't wait to pick him up that first afternoon (August 18th) to hear all about his day, what he did, who is in his class, about Mrs. Janey (his teacher). He told me how much fun he had and asked if he could go to school again...that was a GREAT reaction! He brought home the cutest craft...with his handprint...reminding me of how little he really still is : ) and told me about his friends Josh and Olivia. He continues to mention them daily...I guess the two kids he has bonded with the most thus far. He told me that Mrs. Janey "got a little bit mad" when the other kids were throwing blocks. When I asked him if he was throwing blocks he said "no". When I asked him if anyone was throwing blocks at him he said "no". I said "what were you doing?" Brady: "reading books...they have my favorite book of ever...the big truck book." Some fun BQ's (Brady Quotes) from Brady's first two weeks of preschool:

- "Mommy, the girl with the Dora backpack is going to come to our house and watch how good I play baseball."
-"Mommy the playground was wet so we went to the gym and I got to play basketball like the big mans do."
-"Mommy, I cried on the playground today." Mommy: "Why, buddy?" Brady: "Because I missed you and I wanted you to be there but you didn't come." Mommy: "I am sorry, bud." Brady: "It's okay, Mommy. I am all better and I will not cry tomorrow Mommy, I promise."
-"you know Mommy the boy with the yellow shirt and glasses..what is his name?" (So cute, like Mommy sees and knows everything...how long can I keep him thinking that?)
-after chatting with him about his day and asking questions to try to figure out what his day was like, what he did, etc. he says: "Mommy, can we play now? I don't want to talk about school anymore."
-"I love school, Mommy. Can I got to my school again?"
-after his usual "home prayer" before lunch one day at home, I said: "do you guys pray at school before lunch?" and Brady busts out in song with "God our Father, God our Father, We thank you, we thank you, For our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen." LOVE IT!!

Precious, precious times for a precious, precious boy!

One Small Step for Brady....One Giant Leap for Momma!

My baby went to school today! I can not believe it...Chris and I have been talking about how fast he got here...to this point...wow!

We had a blast preparing for this new chapter in Brady's life. Brady and I made a paper chain to count down the last two weeks leading up to school.


A couple of days after we started the paper chain, Chris and I found that our clever little boy was storing his paper links in the base of his locker lamp....


Mrs. Janey, Brady's teacher, called last week to introduce herself. We missed her first call so we played the message for Brady to hear...he was beaming hearing the message from "his friend, Miss Janey."


I found a really cool rocket ship back pack for Brady a LONG time ago and put it away to surprise him with it the night before his first day of school!


He LOVES it!!!


Chris and I wanted to make his VERY first day of school a special time in his life...something fun, exciting...something to celebrate and look back on with fun, wonderful memories. We bought him new pajamas for the night before the first day....rocket ship p.j.'s, like his backpack and we purchased him 3 new books (he LOVES books) about starting school...Maisy Goes to Preschool, The Berenstein Bears Go to School, and Curious George's First Day of School.


Brady woke up to a special, yummy treat for breakfast...strawberry muffins and a whole new dish set..a Cars plate, bowl, and spoon and fork set. He already had a Cars place mat so we bought new dishes for his fun, new morning. The lunchbox he picked out for school was Cars...he is a big fan of this Disney movie and the characters on it. I went to the Parent Teacher Store and bought a large cut out of a school house and a set of vinyl reusable school-themed stickers to decorate the kitchen for him to see when he woke up. I hung up the school house on the wall and stuck half the stickers on the kitchen window and the other half on the window of his van door to see when we headed out the door to drop him off.



Our big boy heading to school.....


It seems like yesterday he finally took his first steps (at 16 months) and now he is walking into school........



Today was one small step for Brady.......


but one GIANT leap for Mommy.....


We had orientation yesterday so he spent an hour in his class with his teacher and classmates and Chris and I sat in a meeting with the director and the other parents in the sanctuary. That was good for all of us...start out small and prepare for today. That helped because he LOVED it, as I assumed he would. That made it much easier today. One hour first before the full four hours...a nice way to ease in to our new routine.

Letting my baby go one baby step at a time was hard today. Brady is my buddy. It has been he and I all day, every day for three years. It is definitely going to be a transition for Mommy and an adjustment. I think the biggest part for me is knowing this is just the beginning of letting go and that is hard to swallow. I pray for protection for my little guy and I thank GOD for trusting me to take care of one of his special children....what an amazing gift! LORD help me to make you proud, reflect your love, and be the mommy YOU want me to be!

I finally caved and agreed to the shaved head...Daddy has been sporting it for several months and wanted to cut Brady's hair this way for a while but I couldn't give in....not my baby's curls. I finally agreed. I think it looks handsome...a little man!

This is my baby boy right before...


This is my baby boy during....



This is my baby boy right after....



This is the evidence...the sweet curls...




My first thought was "he looks like how I would imagine Brad Pitt looked as a little boy!" (biased Mommy) and fractions of a second after that, I thought "he looks so grown up...like he jumped from age three to age five or six."

Brady had a hard time giving Daddy permission to touch his locks as well. He kept saying "Daddy you are not a haircut person. I need to go to my haircut person, Miss Brenda, (the lady that has been cutting his hair at Great Clips) she cuts my hair, the nurse cuts my hair." We found it very funny that he had such an opinion on who cuts his hair and was so aware of the fact that Daddy is not "a haircut person". "Nurse"? not sure where that correlation came in...funny!

Brady loves the idea of having the same haircut as Daddy. The next morning...it was hilarious...he asked first thing when he woke up: "Daddy is my hair still like yours?"