Number 2

The funniest and yet most embarassing thing happened today. Branson pooped in the pool. Yup. I had him swimming a la birthday suit, and it happened. Thank god it was a little kiddie pool, and it was at my grandmothers. You see, my grandmother is a Saint in the world of children. Ever since I was born, she has been either a day care provider or, for the last 20 years or so, a foster parent. Therefore, she has seen it all. And she laughed.

*whew*

We emptied the pool, cleaned up the mess, got a good giggle in, and filled it back up for the baby. Yup. I'm 100% mom now.

Better Late than Never

So I changed my mind on posting Branson's baptism pics. Instead, here are some fun ones from this summer. Enjoy!

BLESSED.

Bransons baptism was beautiful. I don't even think I ruined his chance to get into heaven. Even though we had a private ceremony, we were able to have it in the church at St. Albert's. A lovely surprise. My bestest friend Chrissy came in from Vegas. She and my wonderful Sis-in-law Alison are B's God-Mommy's. I couldn't ask for better people to fill those shoes. These women are so good to our entire family. We are truly blessed.

Pics to follow tonight hopefully...

My Insane Summer continues...

Keenan has gone back to Missouri, a sad thing for us. He brings so much joy to this house, he is so funny and so sweet with Branson. I am truly blessed in the step-child department.

This summer was/has been such a whirlwind of craziness. We have not stopped for more than 6 seconds, at all. Everyday was filled with vacation, travel, shuffling kids to/from the water park, mini golf, guitar store, grandma's...I mean you name it. I didn't realize just how tired I was until I was able to sit down for more than 10 minutes at once. I almost couldn't get up. I think I had a little bit of a moment and emotional let down. I cannot and will not have another summer this crazy. It was fun though, but way. too. tiring.

Branson is finally in his own room; a bittersweet thing. That room has been waiting for him for a long time, and it is SO adorable all put together. He loves being in there too, which is what really counts. Ryan and I get to have our bedroom back. This is going to take a lot of adjusting. This means we can watch TV after 7 pm if we want, we can talk in normal voices, and I won't be snapping, "please be quiet!" or "don't you dare wake that baby up!" or "stop moving you're being loud!" (my poor husband, right?). On the down side, 2-3 times a night, I actually have to get up, turn on a light or 2 and make the oh-so-long trek across the house to my baby's room to nurse. No more pulling him into bed and falling back asleep. *Side note: Dear God, please let Branson start sleeping through the night soon. Love, Me.*

Branson has also had 3 teeth cut through the last week. Poor guy! he is looking mighty cute though, and boy can he chew anything you put in front of him! This Saturday he is being Baptised. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person involved that is nervous for the thing. I am not religious at all. Let me be clear: I believe in a higher power (call it God, if you want) but I do not believe in organized religion. I respect it, but it's not for me. At all. So, I'm totally terrified that I am going to mess up my child's one and only chance to be "rid of all original sin and enter into Heaven". I mean really??????? That is quite a weight on one's shoulder! And I hardly every talk politics or religion, but can I just say that I have a really hard time believing that any BABY is born with any ounce of sin at all? There is nothing more pure or innocent. Anyhow. That is just my humble, uneducated opinion. I am, however, completely stoked for him to wear one of the super cute outfits I bought him. *smile* *pictures to come*

FAMILY PHOTOS 2010

It's been awhile...

Been away for a while, this summer has been crazy. We have had something going every single day since Keenan arrived in late May. I'll try to catch up on the basics, with out too much boring detail :)

First (obviously), is Branson. Just today I noticed another tooth cutting in. Of course now his fussy-hungry-screaming-getmeouttahere attitude now makes sense. He is 8 1/2 months old, and right on track with everything. He isn't quite crawling, but I think it only is frustrating to me. He scoots/pulls/creeps/rolls everywhere he wants to go. And once that kid wants something, he WILL get it. He is such a little ball of personality now. He has discovered feeding himself, and loves the idea. he hasn't quite mastered the technique yet, and I'm sure what I'm feeding him isn't helping (hearts of palm, anyone?). But he is such a trooper with a huge appetite. He eats just about anything you give him. We have him on an all organic/real food "diet". No refined sugars, except for a piece of bread or pasta here an there. Next month we will introduce chicken. He weighs just about 20 lbs, and is in 18 month clothing. If I had to pick his favorite thing right now, it would be the water. This kid is a fish I'm telling you. He loves to float, kick, laugh and play. He doesn't like being put under the water yet, and we have only done that a few times. I'm thinking I will join and mommy and me swim class this fall with him.

Our other "Child" is no longer a child. Keenan is turning 13 next month. We will be celebrating next weekend, with laser tag and burgers. He is 13 going on 30. I can't believe how fast this time has gone. Keenan is a great kid with an awesome sense of humor. No one can make me laugh quite like he can.

Ryan is working up a storm, nothing new there :) It's been nice having him work from home a lot this summer, but makes keeping the house clean nearly impossible. Take the good with the bad, right?

Keenan will be leaving the end of July, and august is pretty full for us already. Katie is having a baby shower, Branson is being baptised, and tons of birthdays share the month. September will bring a trip to Vegas, October is Ryan's birthday, and then November is packed with Branson's bday, and we will spend some time in Hawaii. Hopefully I will be on here to write before that comes up!

What bikini body?

Know what? I used to be funny. And witty. And skinny. And outgoing and social. And skinny. What they heck happened between the ages 21 and 26 1/2? I'll tell you what. Marriage (sorry babe), kids, food, good food, even better food and laziness. Ugh. So now I'm determined to get back to that 21 year old body. Hey, I see women in their 40's who have 19 kids and have a 6 pack, and they sport their bikini all proud. Me? I wouldn't be caught dead in a bikini right now. Sure I lost all the baby weight, but, everything has SHIFTED. DOWN. So next week I have to go buy a 1 piece bathing suit for our summer vacation. Yup. For me, this is a first. I'm pretty sure I came out of the womb wearing bikini's. I even wore one when I was pregnant! Psh, those days are long gone. I'm reading this really great book called "Naturally Thin." It's fabulous. It's about not dieting, but having control over yourself. And the one thing I have learned from this book is, I have no control over myself. But I'm ready to make it work. This week I've followed "the rules" of the book, and so far so good. Sometimes I make good investments, sometimes I don't. But I pick back up next meal and move forward. I must say, I think my pants might feel a little looser today...