The Brantley Family

26.2 Miles

2012-01-27T20:07:00.002-06:00

It has been official since I signed up after Christmas but announcing it on the blog makes it feel even more official and like I can't back out now!

I am running a Marathon in April! The Country Music Marathon in Nashville to be exact. I always said people who do this are crazy and now I am one of them. A good friend of mine, Nichole, started running with our little group this past fall and it was actually her idea to do the full 26.2 miles. I didn't need much convincing since I had always thought it was something I would like to say I did one day...and here we are running day in and day out and logging more miles then I could have ever imagined. I have never felt so consumed with something...if I am not running then I am thinking about what I should be eating to fuel my body for running, or how I need to be doing more Yoga to stretch better or that I need to be drinking more water so I don't become dehydrated or how I should be doing weights to strengthen my muscles to help with my running or making appointments with orthopedics and chiropractors for all the crazy things that happen to you while you are running! And the list could go on.

But, I have really enjoyed running. I am part of a fun running group on Saturdays that I actually look forward to seeing at 6am in the morning. It has been a great way to get some extra weight off. It has really been a great time to just be in front of the Lord...even though some days I have to be honest with Him and tell him that I don't want to be alone with my thoughts and prayers...I would rather drown out any thinking with some good ole rap music.

So forgive my absense from the blog but I can barely muster energy to take care of my kids some days, much less update the blog. But I do have some pictures from the last few weeks that I need to get on here...so maybe soon. Wish me luck...I am going to need it!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T19:30:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! We had a wonderful Christmas and a very non-eventful new year! I think I was in bed by 9:30 New Year's Eve...sad, I know.

Just a small recap of the holidays...

Kate and her cousin Hannah are thick as theives. It is sweet to see how much they love each other. We loved spending the whole week with them but were totally bummed when they had to head back to Texas.

We all were generously given to for Christmas. Kate was super excited to get a new bike! And the raincoat she got from Jason's aunt came in incredibly handy as Christmas day was quite rainy here.

Kate's only request for Christmas was two watches, a princess watch and a Dora watch. If you ask her why two...she responds that she needed one for each arm! The princess watch is also a radio with headphones and Kate was pumped that now she had an iPod like mommy to go running with!

Whit has enjoyed all his toys and was a lot more fun this year at Christmas.

My mom took Kate and Hannah to Build a Bear over the holidays. We had never been there before and it really was a cute place. I never really cared to go before and now I am looking forward to when we get to go back. Hardest part for me was allowing Kate to make her own decisions on her bear and its clothes.

And unfortunately over this holiday season Whit has become addicted to the TV. He only wants to watch two shows and if it gets to a commercial and you don't fast forward through them he grabs the remote and waves it in your face until you do. Seriously? A 20 month old who can't sit through a commercial...we have created a monster! But at least he's a cute monster!

And the Angel said to them...

2011-12-23T20:31:00.000-06:00

FEAR NOT! For behold, I bring you good news of GREAT JOY that will be for ALL people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOR that is CHRIST the LORD

Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas!

love, the Brantleys

Randomness...

2011-12-23T11:44:00.003-06:00

This is the future Mr. and Mrs. Whit Brantley...our dear friends had a little girl a few weeks before we had Whit and we could think of nothing better then if they would grow up and fall in love and get married!!

I love that all the cousins love each other so much! Bryce and Kate are a riot together and we always enjoy when we get to spend time with him.

Kate had her school Christmas program the other week. It was such a sweet thing to see all these little voices singing priases to our King! No better way to get in the spirit of Christmas.

Some Pics of the Family

2011-11-25T14:37:00.006-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving in the North GA mountains this year with my brother and his family. My sister-n-law has always been a great photographer and now is doing it officially. So we took advantage of the "family discount" and got some pictures made! If you live in the Atlanta area or farther north up the GA 400 you should give her a call. Amy has a great eye and extremely affordable pricing. Check out her website
www.amywhitlarkphotography.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving from this little Pilgrim!

2011-11-21T19:05:00.002-06:00

...and just because he is so sweet...

I just love how much Whit adores his big sister. I just thought this picture was so sweet.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. I know we have a lot to be thankful for around here!

18 Months / Halloween

2011-11-04T00:47:00.000-05:00

Whit is 18 months old today! Dr. Smith, our pediatrician, is retiring so today was the last day we will see him...I tried as much as I could to hold back the tears, but Dr. Smith is the sweetest man and was the perfect doctor for me during this young stage of children.

Whit's stats are as follows:
Weight - 27 pounds 1 ounce
Height - 32.5 inches
Head - 19.25 inches

Since Whit is my youngest I obviously view him as a baby. However, I am realizing that he is no baby! His little gut is going away, he understands and follows commands, and he is fiercely independent. Now if we could just work on a few more words then life would be a lot easier :)

We love to trick or treat around here and our neighborhood always comes together to throw a fun and laid back block party. Hot dogs, hay rides and lots of little ones running around make for a fun night.

Kate was a bride, or as she would tell you she was a "beautiful bride."

Daddy was the groom. However at the last minute he talked Kate out of having to dress up in a suit. She just told him that to be her groom he had to kiss her and dance with her...Jason said "deal."

And Whit...well he was supose to be a part of the US Army...but it was so cold and to be honest I was more concerned about him being warm then with him dressing up so we sported the camo pants but not the camo tshirt. He didn't care, he still got to eat lots of candy!

Where I Belong

2011-10-26T19:08:00.003-05:00

This song is by Building 429 called Where I Belong. I heard this on the radio the other day and it has become the cry of my heart. How I long for these words to truly be the desire of my heart.

Chorus:
All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

(not sure how to share a song on here so I just made a random slideshow and used the song in it...enjoy!)

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Old Baker Farm

2011-10-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

We had a first around here in the Brantley family. Kate went on her first field trip and I went along as a chaperone. I realized as I stood around and met the other moms and kids in Kate's class that this would become the norm as there will be many more field trips to come in the next 12+ years. We took 15 four year olds to Old Baker Farm and we had a great time.
Nichole and I have been friends since 6th grade and this year our girls, Bella and Kate, are in the same class. It goes without saying that this dynamic makes school and field trips more fun (for Kate and for me!!).

Mrs. Johnson's Four Year Old class. Spending 3 hours with these kids made me realize that there are a lot of sweet children in Kate's class this year. I just hope the other moms can say that too after spending 3 hours with Kate! :)

Put a little BOUNCE in your day today!

2011-10-13T09:29:00.000-05:00

Football / Fat Lips / Fellowship

2011-10-10T21:01:00.003-05:00

We took Kate to her first football game the other night. Our neighbor, Michael, plays for Briarwood HS so we went to see him play. Kate felt so special when we saw Michael and his teamates we know before the game heading to the locker room and they all came to say hello to her...it is just really sweet to watch your child in complete amazement and excitement. Kate had a blast shaking shakers, yelling GO LIONS, and watching the band and cheerleaders. And to top it all off we got to watch Michael make an amazing touchdown catch!

Poor little Whit was being helped down the steps by his sister when he took dive... he cut his lip up pretty bad on the inside and it is by far the most blood we have dealt with over here. His lip by the end of the night was so fat that it hung over his paci when it was in his mouth :(
Jason and I really wanted a patio in our backyard to have friends over and hang out on. Of course like all good home projects it got a little out of scale and I ended up with the fireplace I always wanted. But Sunday night when our Life Group was meeting out there, enjoying the beautiful weather and each other it made it all worth it.

Sweet Baby Boy

2011-10-06T20:45:00.002-05:00

(Our neighbors built a flagstone patio and you better believe Whit was a huge helper in the whole process!)

I did weekly/monthly/yearly posts about Kate and poor Whit has definitely gotten the short end of the stick. So here is a post all about this sweet little boy. Whit is officially 17 months old and I can hardly believe it. Whit has been babbling for a while but he now is saying words that are actually associated with things. Every dog he sees he says "woof", he loves "balls", we love to 1,2,3, "GO" and when we are very upset we scream "mama!" Whit has only had 4 teeth for forever but this past month he has gotten 8 more teeth! Needless to say we have had some tough days. He is fiercely independent, even more then Kate. He would roam our whole neighborhood if I would let him. If there is dirt or water within a mile of him he will find it. Whit has the most contagious smile and laugh and he is such a joy. At the end of most days I am completely exhausted from trying to keep up with him. Just recently he has started being VERY jealous when mommy holds another baby. He gives the best hugs, high fives, and open mouth kisses. Whit loves his big sister and copies everything she does. He loves Lucy and really for that matter all animals. Everyday I am fascinated with what he understands and comprehends. Whit is the sweetest little boy and eveyday he melts my heart.

4K Preschool and Soccer

2011-09-13T20:17:00.004-05:00

Kate's first day of 4K preschool was last week and to say that Kate was thrilled that school was starting back is an understatement! Kate has been at God's House Kindergarten since she was two and I just love the teachers and staff there. We feel very blessed to be a part of this school!Kate with her teacher Mrs. Johnson!
We also signed up Kate to play soccer this year. Homewood does it right... one night, 30 minutes practice and 30 minutes for a game! I want Kate to play sports and be involved in things but she is just 4 and I am not looking to book my entire week with her activities so this fit perfectly with what I wanted for her. She really did great but lets just say that I will be going to get a soccer ball tomorrow so we can practice a little this next week before our next game!

Surprise!!! Napa Valley 2011

2011-08-29T19:36:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday Jason came home and asked me to look at an email he was sent. It was a boarding pass with my name on it and it was for Birmingham to San Fransisco! We had been talking about taking this trip in October for forever and I was so excited that he finally booked it. With closer examination and Jason flat out having to actually tell me...the trip wasn't booked for October but for the very next day!! Jason had arranged all the details of the trip and had arranged for the kids to be taken care of. Needless to say it was one of the sweetest things he has ever done.

Napa Valley is so beautiful and is just breath taking! Jason surprised me with a hot air balloon ride at dawn...
Then we spent the rest of the time touring wineries, tasting wines and learning more about wines then we ever dreamed possible. We had so much fun!!!

Then we got Rick at Regusci Winery. We hit it off with him and since it was somewhat quiet around the winery Rick took us to the cellar and let us go barrel tasting! It was really cool to drink wine out of the barrel before it gets bottled.

Then we headed to San Fransisco!! Great city and glad we went and experienced it.

Unfortunately, there was so much fog that you couldn't even see the Golden Gate Bridge.

No worries, because there is always Alcatraz. Many of you may not know this about me but I love prisons and prison shows. Lockdown, Locked up Abroad, Gangland...I am addicted. So I was super excited about this part of our trip! Something is just fascinating about a prison to me. Our last day we spent driving up and down the cost...17 mile drive. Jason was excited about this day because he got to finally see Pebble Beach. And I became okay with this because I found my new home. Right beside Pebble Beach is the cutest, quaintest little town of Carmel. So I was trying to convince Jason to move there where he would be able to play golf at Pebble Beach everyday! Unfortunately after pulling a flyer on a house that was for sale and the price tag being $4.5 million, all my arguments lost steam.

Even with the fog, the coastline was beautiful and we enjoyed our time together. We ended the trip at a great little restaurant called Moss Distillery where you can bundle up under blankets, sit by a fire and enjoy a good meal and drinks.

Jason got huge brownie points for planning this trip! It was a great time to reconnect, have real communication and a lot of fun together. Until next time...

Fort Morgan 2011 continued...

2011-08-18T20:17:00.010-05:00

in no particular order, we...

...ran around and explored Fort Morgan...

...spent quality time with Pop...
... learned how to do a cannon ball...

...got new goggles from Mimi and Pop that we absolutely love...

... was scared of the waves and wanted someone to hold him...

...but then Pop came and made it all better...

...loved paying in our pool on the beach...

...practiced our baywatch run...

...celebrated Kate's FOURTH birthday...

... was SUPER excited about the sparkly shoes given to us by our cousin Hannah...
...had some great pictures taken...
...spent some quality time as a family together...

...and can't wait to do it again! Thanks mom and dad for a great and fun week with the whole family!

Fort Morgan 2011

2011-08-15T07:25:00.000-05:00

My entire family met in Fort Morgan for a week long vacation together. Needless to say we have had a lot of fun and the kids were beside each other that they got to spend an entire week together playing. These are some pictures that my sister-n-law Amy took with her amazing camera. I will be back to post more later but until then....

Happy Birthday Kate!

2011-08-12T07:21:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY KATE!

We have been at the beach this whole week with my entire family. Now, if you ask Kate we have all come to the beach just to celebrate her birthday! Got to love four year olds!

Hard to believe Kate is turning 4. She keeps us on our toes and keeps up laughing constantly. She is fiercely independent and is determined not to have anyone help her ever. She loves her friends and doesn't meet many strangers. She is a great big sister and is a lot of help to me with Whit.

It makes me sad to think how fast four years have come and gone and I am sure she will be all grown up before we even know it. The Lord is going to keep me on my knees with this one as we are built from the same mold!

We love you Kate Brantley! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Swimming

2011-08-02T06:57:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of this summer Kate could swim under water pretty well. However, this past month she has learned how to swim, come up and take a breath, and go back under and swim some more. I was very impressed as I had heard that usually 4 years old is the youngest that can learn that skill. But let me tell you that since learning how to really swim all Kate wants to do is go to the pool and swim, swim, swim. Which don't get me wrong I am excited about but it is still early and having to watch her like a hawk and Whit is exhausting!!

Just the other day I was at the pool with Kate without Whit and I talked her into going off the diving board. Well that was a mistake because I have created a monster. She will jump off and swim to the side, over and over and over again! I think I treaded water for over 45 minutes the other day while she jumped off the diving board a million times (even though she can swim to the side I am still a little too scared not to be out in the deep end with her). Some bigger girls were jumping off doing spins and toe touches...and little miss Kate can't stand to not keep up with the big girls and before I knew it she was spinning off the diving board.

So looks like we officially have a little swimmer on our hands!

We need a new computer!

2011-07-05T07:51:00.002-05:00

My computer won't load our blog which means I don't ever update the blog anymore unless I am on Jason's computer. Clearly I haven't tried to fix our computer either...think I am just holding out for a new one! I have lots of pictures to post but now blogger is being unkind and giving me trouble. So for now here are the kids playing in the hose the other day! And here is to hoping that it won't be another month before I get the rest of the pictures on here!

Loving Life and Los Angeles

2011-06-05T21:10:00.005-05:00

LOVING LIFE...

Kate ran her first race! She was the fastest girl (if that really means anything at this age) and she did a great job!

We spend most of our time outside playing...in water!! It is sooo hot!

Some very dear friends of ours became parents to a precious baby girl! We can't get enough of baby Noelle and take every chance we can to love on her!

LOVING LOS ANGELES...

Then Kate and I hopped on an airplane and took off for Los Angeles leaving Jason and Whit at home.

To visit our dear friends the Glazes. Their little girl Graham was Kate's first real little friend and it makes me smile that they still love each other soooooo much even though we now live on opposite ends of the United States.

Can't forget about Noelle and Piper. I am so very grateful for this friendship!

We went hiking...

Put our toes in the Pacific Ocean...

Rode our first Ferris Wheel...

Rode bikes down the beach...
...and so much more that by the end of each day we were pooped!

Then just a week later Jason stayed home with the kids and let me go on a girls trip to the beach! The four of us have been friends for 20+ years. Needless to say we had an amazing time and enjoyed every second we were away. But I am pretty sure all our husbands were glad to see us come home...playing Mr. Mom they found was not as easy as it seems!

Happy First Birthday Whit!!!

2011-05-09T13:04:00.001-05:00

Because of the storms that came through here we just now got back our internet (not complaining though). However, I missed posting this on Whit's birthday which was last Wednesday.

Whit has been such a joy and I can hardly believe an entire year has passed. I fee like the theme the Lord has had for my life since becoming a parent is that He will make something beautiful. Trusting Him to take my brokeness as a parent to make something beautiful in me and my children. I am thankful for how He has blessed my family and today I am thankful for my sweet baby boy who is ONE!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Easter Pictures for a GREAT Cause

2011-04-11T20:15:00.003-05:00

An old friend of mine from high school and her husband are adopting a sweet little girl named Zoey from South Korea. To help raise money for the adoption, Lauren is taking pictures of kids this next weekend and she is using a REAL LIVE bunny. I think the pictures came out so cute! If you are interested in her taking your children's pictures I would encourage you to contact her. Its $30 minimum for 30 minutes but obviously all money goes to the adoption so you can always give more if you like!

Here is her information if you are interested!

Lauren Bush

laurenkb@gmail.com

612-3163

*Whit's Baptism pictures below in another post

Whit's Baptism

2011-04-11T14:34:00.000-05:00

What a sweet time with family and friends. This is a time with both my children where 1. I am thankful that we have a God who loves us 2. parenting is not hopeless because we serve a big God 3. what in the world have we gotten ourself into with raising children??

Kate had no idea that this wasn't all about her. She called out from the stage to our neighbors she saw...she waved back to everyone when the congragation raised their hands...and she was most concerned that Whit got his outfit wet! But listen, it could have been way worse...at least she was cute about all of it.

Horses

2011-04-01T07:12:00.004-05:00

The other week was so beautiful we basically did everything outside but sleep! Jason was in town most of the week as well so we took a lot of family walks in afternoon. There are three horses that live just about a mile from our house. Kate LOVES to go and feed the horses!

We even let our first child come along too! Lucy was in heaven, as she doesn't go on many walks anymore unfortunately.

Beach March 2011

2011-03-26T14:19:00.002-05:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We spent spring break at the beach this year. It has been a long time since we have been at the beach during a peak time so to see all that traffic and all those high school and college kids was pretty entertaining and a bit loud and obnoxious too. But nonetheless we had a blast! Jason was in Miami for work so Bry offered to wrangle kids with me and I so appreciated her!

The Big 3-0

2011-03-24T07:21:00.003-05:00

Jason and I both turn the big 3-0 this month. His birthday was last Saturday and mine is next week...so in honor of our birthdays I just threw both of us a birthday party! I just wanted it to be some laid back fun with some of our friends and it definitely was!
These guys we have known for forever! Half of them actually helped build our back deck so it was only right that we finally had a party where we got to sit out there and enjoy it! Two of my sweetest friendships. I am thankful for Kim and Lisa and the long lasting friendship we share!

Ashley takes the friend of the year award. She offered to make our birthday cake and I then asked for a three tiered cake and she was willing to make me one. Then when I came to my senses I realized I didn't need a three tiered cake but just the fact that she would have done that for me makes her the best!! But we all still enjoyed Ashley Macs strawberry cake!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband. And don't worry I am not letting my birthday pass without some noise...I turn 30 on March 30th....its my GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Always Playing Catch Up

2011-03-03T19:56:00.005-06:00

We are a little behind on technology over here at the Brantley casa! I believe that our hand-me-down lap top is a little outdated on software because it won't open or pull up anything anymore including our own blog! So I am finally getting around to updating the blog from Jason's computer. So here is our life over the last month or more....WARNING, this could be long and in no chronological order.

One of Kate's teachers was out at the Mercedes race watching her son when she saw me come by and took pictures of me. I thought that was so sweet and she actually got a lot of good ones. I am proud of this picture because this is mile 12.5 and I am still smiling!
My sweet friend Ashley McMakin cooked a fabulous Valentines dinner for us. It was a sweet night of fellowship with dear friends and scrumptious food and NO KIDS!

Kate is quite the diva. Back in January when it snowed she so wanted to go out and play but then hated when she would get snow on her shoes or gloves! Cutest part was when she saw the snow she lit up and yelled "mommy its christmas!"

This little fella was all smiles in the snow!

Clearly I am objective, but could he be any cuter?

Kate dresses up like a princess almost everyday! Then she proceeds to sing about her being a princess... its always entertaining around here.

My mom and I took Kate to the circus when it came in town. Kate was in awe and it was really cute to watch. My mom offered to buy Kate a toy and of course Kate picked the $25 wand!!

We went up to visit my brother Michael and his family while they are living in the north GA mountains. After the roadtrip up I thought we would never travel with the kids again... I think we had crying 3.5 of the 4 hours we were in the car! But we had a blast and laughed more then I had in a long time. And the kids had a blast chasing each other and playing all day.

I am still spending most of my time running as I had so much fun at the Mercedes race that now we have a group of girls heading to Nashville in April to run the Country Music Half Marathon. I also have cleaned off the dust on my sewing machine and have been sewing some bubbles for Whit and dresses for Kate for spring/summer. And the weather has been so beautiful that the majority of our afternoons are spent outside playing with all the neighborhood kids.

UPDATE: Most of you know that over a year ago Kate potty trained. But pooping has continued to be an issue for us. These past six months I knew she understood and was so frustrated with her when she couldn't keep her panties clean or she would go so frequently to the potty that it was annoying/inconvienent. I finally hit my breaking point and took her to the doctor. As I sat there and cried and told him that if he told me that all I needed to do was take away something she cherised I was going to scream. I told him that it had to be something more. So the doctor ordered an x-ray of her tummy and it came back that she is so full of poop its not even funny. Her little intestines and colon are so backed up that we are having to go see a pediatric GI to figure out how to best "clean her out." So poor thing has been like this for who knows how long and I feel horrible now about getting so mad when the whole time she couldn't control it. The doctor said until she gets this fixed there is no possible way that she could be successful with potty training. We are just glad to have answers and be working our way to a solution!

13.1 Miles

2011-02-14T06:45:00.003-06:00

After running 13.1 miles yesterday I am more then pleased with my time!!!
2 hours 3 minutes 11 seconds
9:25/mile pace

My goals were to run the entire 13.1 miles and to finish with a pace under 10 minute/mile. I accomplished both!!

Lisa and I have been friends for over 25 years. So it was really fun when I talked her into training for a half marathon with me. However it ended up being that she was the motivator to keep going and actually reach this goal I had. So after training for months together and meeting at 6am in 20 degree weather we finally accomplished our goal yesterday at the Mercedes Half Marathon!

Lisa is a faster runner then I am but for whatever reason I was able to pick it up at the end of the half marathon and Lisa and I eneded up finishing together. It was fun to think that we trained all the this time together and then we got to finish together.

Jason, Kate, my parents, and my good friend Kristen came out to support me and it meant so much! It was an absolutely beautiful day and the race was so much fun that I am signing up for Nashville's Country Music Half Marathon in April!!

Tomorrow is the big day...

2011-02-12T16:08:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day!! I will wake up way earlier then I have in months and head downtown to run my first half marathon! My friend Lisa and I have been training for months and now finally we will go out and run 13 miles. For whatever reason I am a little nervous but the reality is whether I run it all or walk it all I will have gone 13 miles and that is an accomplishment in itself.

So I will be back to let you know how it goes and will hopefully have some pictures where I won't look like I am dying!! I also am so behind on posting, so maybe I will get some pictures up of the snow, the circus, dinner with friends and so much more!

9 Months

2011-02-04T18:54:00.004-06:00

Seriously? This year is going by way too fast! It was just yesterday that Whit was a tiny little baby!! :(

His 9 months stats are:

Weight 21 pounds

Height 28 inches

Whit just got his first tooth last week and the second one is coming in any day. He is quite the cranky one with teething. He continues to be everywhere. His new thing is getting into the kitchen cabinets and pulling stuff out so we are baby proofing the house tomorrow. He has conquered the stairs so the gate is going up too. I just gave him Cheerios for the first time this past week and he loved them so I need to start letting him try real food more!

He is such a joy!

I Believe in Auburn and LOVE it!

2011-01-13T12:21:00.005-06:00

Not going to lie....this was a lot of fun!!!! WAR EAGLE!

Let me say that after seeing the Grand Canyon I am in awe of our creator. The Grand Canyon is really an amazing site and I was just in awe at the sheer size and beauty of this place.

Hopefully this won't be a once in a lifetime trip! I hope to be going to more National Championships in the future!!!

8 Months

2011-01-04T18:41:00.004-06:00

Whit is 8 months old today! I can only imagine how much he weighs as he is not missing any meals! He is still a great baby and just as happy as he can be. However, I have never seen so much drool come out of one person before in my life!! His motor skills are impressive. He crawls everywhere, pulls up on everything and is now learning that he can get around upright while he is holdng on to tables and such.

Kate is really sweet with him....starting to play a little more rough now that he is getting bigger but will she be in for it when he is bigger then her! But pretty much life is just getting into a little bit more of routine since Whit is finally a good sleeper at night and is taking good naps during the day. I am still waiting for teeth to pop through those little gums. I have been saying this since he was 5 months old but I swear he is teething! :)

Recap of December Happenings

2010-12-29T12:45:00.000-06:00

Instead of doing a lot of different posts I thought I would just try and recap our month of December with a few bullet points and pictures.

We went to zoo light safari with some of our good friends. It was freezing and we barely stayed an hour but Kate loved it.

One of my dearest friends is moving from NC to TX. So I was glad when Shea called and wanted to do a little pit stop in Birmingham. So Shea, Jake and Shea's little sister Kelsi made the road trip here and stayed with us. Shea's family is like my second family so while they were here they got right in on the action. Jake read books to Kate...Kelsi fed Whit his breakfast and protected Kate from the crazy dogs running around all at the same time! I am thankful for these sweet friendships and that it is like no time has passed when we are together.

Whit found the toy stash the other day and his eyes just lit up! You have to imagine that he was thinking "where have these toys been all my life?"

Did I mention that he is ALL OVER THE PLACE???

Tyring to get pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree...like I said, trying.

Jason and I took a weekend trip to Orlando early in the month for his company's Christmas party. We left the kids behind and had a really great time. Too bad I brought my camera along but never took it out of my bag to take any pictures!!

We had lots of Christmas parties but one that is dear to me is where a group of my pledge sisters get together for an ornament swap. I don't see the girls that much so it is a sweet time to catch up and spend some good time together.

Christmas Eve and Day were a lot of fun. Kate is a little more tuned in to Christmas and Santa so that was fun. Whit was just into the tissue paper! But here are a few pictures from the day.

Until next year!!

Beautiful Savior

2010-12-24T07:34:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6
Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!
Love,
The Brantleys

Happening Way Too Fast

2010-12-15T11:25:00.004-06:00

It still feels like Whit was just born yesterday and should be this little bitty baby. However the fact is that he is 7.5 months now and crawling all over the place and he is even.......pulling up and standing! Really? This is all happening too fast for me!

Kate is a lot of fun these days. Jason and I got her this huge lollipop and it was fun watching her try and eat it! Three year olds crack me up!

It was sweet because she really wanted to help daddy put the star on top of the tree!

Sorry for not posting much. We have been doing the Christmas party stuff and Jason and I just got back from his company's Christmas party in Orlando. So it was a great time away with no kids! But unfortunately I haven't been taking a lot of pictures so not much to post!

Movin' and Grovin'

2010-11-29T08:26:00.002-06:00

This week Whit started crawling. It is more like the army crawl but he is learning how to work those hands and knees together! It was funny because we had put him on the ground at my parents and there was a magazine out...well Whit wanted that magazine and he started moving and grovin with all his might and went all the way across the room! I have video of it and would download it if my computer wouldn't time out every few minutes, so a picture is all you get today.

Never a Dull Moment

2010-11-16T08:53:00.003-06:00

Lets start out with some good news....Whit is sleeping better at night. I am thankful to be getting sleep too. I put him down around 7pm and am only getting up usually once to put the paci back in his mouth and then he wakes up around 6am. Before I was up multiple times with him as he just never got into that heavy baby sleep it seemed.
Our neighbors little girl who is 8 years old loves to take care of Whit. She is really great with him and I love that it allows me time to get a load of laundry folded or part of the house picked up when she is around. I came outside to find this the other day. Kate was playing out front and this little girl had gotten Whit all set up with a chair and toys so that he could watch too...she even got him a blanket!

Just love this little guy!

We took Kate bowling the other night while Jason was in town. She loved every minute and it was a great time to just spend as a family. Jason learned that night that the bumpers aren't just for kids! :) He actually bowled well but a few of them would have been gutter balls if it hadn't been for the bumpers we were using for Kate!

And on the transparent side of things...After two babies I am ready to reclaim my body and even reach a size I haven't seen in years. But its hard. I have actually really enjoyed working out as I can see myself getting stronger and my body changing and I have been running which has been great if for nothing else then sanity! But can I just say that I have a love relationship with food. I LOVE IT! So choosing a salad out to eat, or passing on the bread that comes as an appetizer is miserable for me. Not finishing Kate's chicken nuggets or passing on goldfish...I mean really people! But I know that I won't reach my goals on working out alone and I don't necessarily want to diet but just become healthier all around. I did great for a month but this past month I probably cheated a little too much. So I needed a friendly reminder every time I went to the fridge or the pantry!

And for the not so fun news...I think my children know when Jason is out of town. He is gone right now and this was the view last night at 11pm. Oh stomach bug, please stop frequenting our home!

(on the positive note, the stomach bug is somewhat of a clean process in our house. I think Kate observed me throwing up so much when I was pregnant with Whit that she has it down pat and she can even tell me before she is going to be sick)

Someone is Sitting

2010-11-11T17:10:00.002-06:00

Well kind of....Whit can sit by himself for maybe 15-20 seconds at a time, but its a start!

Runner's High

2010-11-06T11:44:00.005-05:00

3 years ago when I began running I had what I like to call a 'runners high." I couldn't get enough of running and was really proud of what I was accomplishing. Well 3 years later and 2 babies later I have started running again and it has been hard and not as much fun. Thanks to my friend Lisa who drags me out for long runs on the weekend because I wouldn't do it myself.

However, today changed everything. I signed up for Vulcan which is a 10K (6.2 miles) and was somewhat excited about it but not sure how I would do. 3 years ago I was running over a 10 minute mile and today I averaged a 9:16 minute mile. Needless to say, I was super excited about my time and I think my "runners high" is back. I can't wait to get out there and keep increasing my mileage so that in February I can blog about how I finished a half marathon. (now we obviously have a ways to go to get to 13 miles but its a goal!)

I also completely forgot how fun it is to do these races. Everyone is pumped up, your adrenaline is going and its just a fun atmosphere. Definitely going to be signing up for more...only downfall is it is quite cold at 8am in the morning these days!

My official results:

Total Time 57:32
Average Time per Mile 9:16

Finished 54th in my age group out of 150

Finished 256th overall in the females

Finished 785th overall

6 Months

2010-11-04T10:01:00.000-05:00

Whit is 6 months old today. I can hardly believe half of a year has passed by. Whit is still a very content baby. His only downfall is that he is not a great sleeper but I guess you can't have it all! I witnessed him rolling over from back to front for the first time this morning at the doctor. I keep waiting for a tooth to break through and we are working on sitting up.

Here are his 6 month stats:

Weight 18 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile)
Height 27 inches (75th percentile)

ps. check back here after the weekend to see if I am still alive. I am running Vulcan this Saturday which is a 10K (6.2 miles). I have always had a goal to run a 1/2 marathon since I started running over 3 years ago, so I guess I better be able to run 6 miles this Saturday if I want to eventually run 13!

*new posts below

just us

2010-11-01T16:33:00.003-05:00

*new posts below

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:07:00.004-05:00

We had a lot of fun this year with Halloween. Kate was old enough to really enjoy the festivities. We trick or treated around our neighborhood Saturday night and then our church had their fall festival Sunday night. Kate wanted to be Cinderella so we borrowed a little princess outfit from our neighbors (Kate didn't know she should have really been in blue!) and Whit was a monkey (and a pretty cute one at that).

Happy Halloween.

Lovin' Life

2010-10-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

These two are really cute together. Whit definitely LOVES his big sister and its fun to watch them interact as Whit gets a little older.
You probably all thought we gave Lucy away since you never see pictures of her anymore!! But she is still here, and just as sweet with Whit as she was with Kate.

This little chunk is still so very fun. I think he is going to sit, roll over and crawl all at once. He can get up on his knees and rock, somewhat sturdy sitting and is arching his back which should cause him to roll. So we will be a little late on rolling and maybe early on crawling! But who really knows :)

Think we take a lot of pictures? Kate loves to get in on the action too. Its cute how kids want to copy what you are doing.

Do I even need to comment on this picture??? :)

The Loveliest Village

2010-10-26T10:29:00.002-05:00

Jason and I headed down to Auburn this past weekend for the Auburn/LSU game. We used to have season tickets but since having kids we gave them up and just don't get down to Auburn like we use too. We decided the week of the game to call a few people and just see if we could get some tickets. A friend of ours came through big time and gave us 2 tickets.

This was the view right in front of our seats. We have always sat in the upper deck or in the end zone, so to sit 30 rows up on the 50 yard line was such a treat and completely amazing! The eagle flies right over you which could be the coolest thing about these seats.It was great to see Auburn and what all they have built since last time I was there. Auburn is like my home away from home so I just love being down there period. And did I mention that it was just great to be with Jason and leave the kids back with the grandparents! (thanks mommy dre and poppy!!)

It was a great game, beautiful weather and we had great company with some sweet friends! WAR EAGLE!!!!

Whit and Kate update

2010-10-12T08:23:00.003-05:00

This little man is a right over 5 months old which I can hardly believe. You totally forget how fast they grow up. Watching Whit reach for toys and just be completely aware of his surroundings makes me realize that he isn't a little baby anymore. He is sleeping great from 7pm until 5am. I am trying to get him to sleep until 6, as 5 is just a little too early to be getting up around here! I am just waiting for a tooth to appear in his mouth as he drools and chews on whatever he can get his mouth on. Yesterday he attacked my cheek and tried to chew on my face!! He is still just a sweet, content baby whose laugh and smile just melt my heart.
Some positive news with Kate is that we are COMPLETELY potty trained now. For those of you who have not been on this journey with us, Kate started potty training last November and started tee-teeing on the potty with almost no accidents ever. Pooping was taking a little longer and then basically for the next year we had some success but mostly failure when it came to pooping in the potty. We did everything from rewards, to discipline to ignoring it and nothing worked. Everyone said that one day it would just click and she would start pooping in the potty. Well I am happy to say that after 11 months the light switch has flipped and for whatever reason Kate goes to the potty all by herself to poop and doesn't have any accidents anymore! I am thrilled to not be buying pull ups anymore and to not be cleaning poop out of panties!

Thank Goodness

2010-10-06T07:19:00.003-05:00

Thank goodness that everyone around here is well finally. For the past few weeks we have battled viruses, stomach bugs, coughs, runny noses, and fevers. Being sick and taking care of sick kids isn't very fun and I don't want to do it again anytime soon.

Thank goodness for good food! My good friend Ashley McMakin opened up her new catering kitchen in Cahaba Heights (Ashley Macs) and she opened up a cafe up front. I have already eaten there several times and the food is delicious. Its a great lunch spot if you are looking for one! I am so proud of how she started this catering company in her kitchen at home 4 years ago and now she has this new huge kitchen and cafe! If you have never tried her food you are surely missing out!

Thank goodness for cool weather. We like everyone else spend all our time outside these days. I can't get enough of this beautiful weather!

Story Time with Kate

2010-09-21T07:02:00.004-05:00

What I love about this age is the way they immitate what they see. Obviously they have storytime at school as Kate loves to sit in a chair and read you a story. She holds the book so that I can see the pictures and even says "see everyone, see the picture." And if I am not paying attention then she politely tells me to "pay attention please, i am reading you a story." I have heard a lot of stories about Umi Zoomi and David Goliath. Random, I know.

Here are the boys have a little quality time watching football!

This little guy has been congested for the past week which has made night time so not fun. He is getting better but the rest of us still have that deep cough which is so annoying. And I have now lost my voice completely. I am just ready for this household to be totally well.

Check out Whit's towel. Poor guy uses a lot of pink things unfortunately!

We Have a Whopper!

2010-09-09T07:01:00.002-05:00

We went for Whit's 4 month doctor's appointment yesterday....He is a whopping 17 pounds!!!
I mean seriously, Kate barely weighed that at a year old! He was also 24 inches long. Both of those put him in the 90th percentile. Dr. Smith predicted that Whit would walk before Kate since he said that his muscle control in his legs was "impressive" at 4 months. So we will see if he is correct...Kate walked at 11 months and not sure I will be ready for another to be off and running any sooner.

Kate's first day of preschool was yesterday too. This year we can do carpool and I asked her if she would rather me walk her into her classroom on the first day and she replied, "Mommy I a big girl and I walk in all by meeself." So off she went to school and loved every minute of it! We are thankful for God's House Kindergarden and their precious teachers.

Labor Day, Tire Swings and Other Fun

2010-09-07T08:09:00.004-05:00

A friend of Jason's from work has a place down at the River and we went up there and played on Labor Day. It is Kate's dream place, there is a big trampoline with a slide in the water and she got to go tubing for the first time. Needless to say she had a blast and her parents did too!

Jason is a much better skier than I am but I did win the bet yesterday. I got up first try and he made it up on his second try! Both of us hadn't been skiing in a while so to get up period was impressive!

Just a little FYI...if you ever want to put a tire swing in your backyard just go to NTB and ask for an old tire...they have a ton in the back that they throw away and they will let you go and grab whatever you like! So Jason hooked up a tire swing in the backyard. It is on a very high limb which makes swinging on this tire sooooo much fun...don't think I haven't been on it to try it out too! Oh, and Kate loves it too!
This little squirt turned 4 months this past week. We head to the doctor tomorrow so I will post his stats later this week.

Just some sweet pictures of Kate and Whit...

Well we might be flunking anatomy...Kate said she was going to listen to Whit's heart and then this is what I saw...

Rain Boots, New Toys, Ballet, and Cereal

2010-08-31T12:33:00.005-05:00

Look at this cute face! He just brightens my day.

Anyone who has been around Kate where there is water knows that she freaks out if her shoes get wet. Well, we were in Walmart the other day and saw rain boots on clearance and a tinkerbell umbrella...we had a long talk about how her rain boots could get wet and the umbrella would help her body stay dry when it was raining. Then she began insisting on these things and I told her that if I bought these and I still heard her wine about her shoes being wet that I was going to freak out! Behold, the rain boots and umbrella have been a huge hit and she even walks in the wet grass with them!

I am sure all of you with older children experience this too...but everytime we pull out a new baby toy for Whit, Kate feels the need to try it out as well.

Here is Whit finally getting to enjoy the exersaucer. He loves it!

Kate is going to be taking ballet this year at her preschool. I happened to buy a leotard at a consignment sale this past spring which is now obviously going to come in very handy. Well after signing her up for ballet today we went home and tried on the leotard and now Kate won't take it off. She is very excited about taking ballet. I taught her some moves, however since I never took ballet I probably taught her all wrong and her teacher is going to wonder where Kate got all her crazy moves from!

This little booger is probably over 15 pounds now. However, he doesn't sleep throught the night consistently at all. The doctor said since he was so close to 4 months to start cereal at night and see if that helps. Whit actually loves the oatmeal and pears that I have been giving him and he is going longer at night now. I just can't wait until he sleeps from 7pm to 7am. When does that happen again?

To Further Update You...

2010-08-25T06:58:00.002-05:00

For the first time in his sweet little life, Whit slept from 9pm until 6am this morning without waking up once! Can I get a "AMEN!"

To Catch You Up...

2010-08-24T09:09:00.005-05:00

So my mother (who actually lives in the same town as me) is most disappointed in my not so frequent blogging. So to catch you up on our lives lately here are some pictures...

Kate turned 3. We had a small party on her actual birthday with three little friends and then the next night had the whole family over. It was definitely fun to watch her this year as she knew all about birthdays and the fact that it was her birthday!
Kate wanted all pink. So we had Ashley Mac's strawberry cupcakes and strawberry cake. If you have never tried this dessert of her then you are totally missing out! Check her out.
http://www.ashleymacs.com/

We met up with some friends at the McWane Center. Andrea and I know each other through my husband and her father-n-law but have actually never met. So we changed that this past week. It was great playing with her and her little girl Madeline. Kate was almost mute at age two but Madeline who is not even two can have full conversations with you! Very impressive.

Whit found his thumb. It is quite adorable to watch him when he is trying to get it in his mouth!

Noelle came back through Birmingham before heading back to LA. So we got some more time with them. Whit and Piper got to foster their relationship a little more. Then Kate and Graham got to play more too. Graham was Kate's first real friend and it is sweet to see how distance hasn't changed how much they love seeing each other and playing with each other.

Kate has become a big helper. She can even feed Whit all by herself now. However isn't she ready for motherhood. Doesn't this picture look just like a new mom with no sleep!!

Been taking a lot of pictures. Someone is starting to look a little cross-eyed from all the flashes!

We went to Bry's to meet Otis. John (Bry's boyfriend) got a new puppy and he is about the cutest thing ever. Kate loved him because he would play "chase" with her! However, she had no desire to hold him.

And that's about it for now.

3 year and 3 month pics

2010-08-17T21:47:00.004-05:00

photos by Lauren Winter

http://www.freshgracephotography.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Kate!!

2010-08-12T07:26:00.000-05:00

So when thinking about Kate turning 3 and this past year I have a broad spectrum of emotions. Kate is such a fun little girl who's larger than life personality keeps us laughing and just brings us a lot of joy. She loves everyone and hardly ever meets a stranger. The way she went from saying few words to having full on conversations is amazing. And I never knew that a two year old could be so opinionated about what she was wearing and have total melt downs when her shoes get wet! This past year has also been extremely hard as learning to parent/discipline has been a HUGE journey. The journey though has been more about the Lord revealing my sin to me then anything else. Through raising Kate I have had more of my pridefullness, self-righteousness, anger and desire for control exposed...and that has been really hard. But I am thankful that the Lord is kind and uses these things to mold us and causes us to be in complete desperation to draw us closer to him.

I am in the middle of reading a book by Dan Allendar called "How Children Raise Parents." A lot of what I am learning and my views on this past year can be summed up in an excerpt from his book. He says in the book, "No other arena in life holds us more hostage to hope, more afraid to dream, more defensive about our decisions, and more open to receive help - all simultaneously. The intensity and passion of parenting bring the potential not only for our worst but also for our very best as human beings. It is the space in our lives where we are most open to the work of God to change us - if we will only allow our children to lead us into spiritual maturity."

The song on this slideshow is by Laura Story and is called "Make Something Beautiful." My prayer is that He would take my brokenness and failure as a parent and "make something beautiful" in me and in Kate.

Happy Birthday Kate! We love you very much!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oozing with Sweetness

2010-08-07T16:43:00.004-05:00

I just can't get enough of this sweet little boy! Whit has really just been an absolute joy!

I just wonder what Whit thinks everytime Kate holds him or tries to help take care of him!!

Some good friends of ours (the Glazes) are in from LA and we are spending lots of time hanging out. We had a little playdate with friends so that we could all play and hang out and also meet the Glazes new little one, Piper!! She and Whit will be getting married in 2032 if I have anything to do with it!! I mean, Whit and Piper...don't they just sound cool together?

All the kiddos...in just three years, things have really changed...its like a zoo when we are all together.

Whit, Piper, and Geer in the corner...we will be competing with him for Pipers heart).

Graham was Kates first real friend. We miss her so much and were so glad to have some time to play together this week.

Family Time at the Beach

2010-07-27T18:52:00.005-05:00

We just got back from spending some great family time at the beach. Jason has been busy with work so it was great to get some time with him and the kids all together. Monday was also our 7th wedding anniversary! Jason's mom and sister were down there as well and we just had a really great time all around.

Much Needed Bonding

2010-07-21T19:25:00.004-05:00

Kate and I headed off to Alabama Adventure Water Park the other day for some much needed mommy/daughter bonding. I left Whit behind with a babysitter so I could spend the day just with Kate. Kate and I had a really great day and she was very obedient and just a lot of fun. There was a fun little toddler water park and then Kate LOVED the lazy river.

A friend of ours built a play set for his kids 12 years ago and modeled it after one of those backyard adventure play sets. Now that his kids are grown he passed it on to us. Jason has spent a lot of time taking this play set apart, sanding it, restaining it and now finally assembling it! We are still missing the roof but that will be on soon. The slide is called a "turbo" slide and it is true to its name. Kate goes flying off of the slide when she goes down. Needless to say she now only goes down if there is someone to catch her! But there is a great climbing wall on the other side too. Only downfall is this is a pretty intense play set. It is very tall and should be rated for ages 5 and up!

On a very positive note...Kate is finally pooping in the potty on a daily basis. Or at least for the last 4 days. I am not sure what clicked but we are having success and I will take it! Now hopefully this won't jinx it :)

Oh the Joys of Children

2010-07-13T20:45:00.003-05:00

Someone please tell me that I will survive the toddler phase. I am finding myself on my knees before the Lord in complete desperation much more these days!
This sweet face is a joy. I realize that he too will test my limits one day but right now he is just about the sweetest thing and I am thankful for how easy he is.We got to have some adult fun the other day. Some friends of ours bought over 100 feet of plastic tarp and created a super fun slip n slide. I have some great video of it but my computer won't cooperate enough to let me load it on here.

Last week my entire family was in town which meant all the cousins were here. Bryce, Hannah and Kate were really fun to watch. Now that they are older they interact and play with each other so much more and it is just sweet to watch them love each other. Hannah and Kate were attached at the hip by the end of the week after Bryce had to go back to Atlanta. The morning that they were leaving I asked Kate if she wanted to go on a walk with me and she replied with "mommy I can't, I waiting on Pop and Hannah to come get me." So needless to say she was very disappointed to find out Hannah wasn't coming to play again and was headed back to Texas.

My dad is extremely great with kids. Here is one reason why...who else thinks to throw the kids in a wheelbarrow and roll them around? Hannah and Kate couldn't get enough of this.

2 Months

2010-06-30T15:12:00.003-05:00

I can't believe its been 8 weeks already. However I did tell Jason the other day that having another baby had been fun but that I was done...ready to sleep long periods of time again and not worry about feedings every 3 hours!

Whit's stats from his doctor visit today:
Weight 12 pounds 1 ounce
Length 22 inches

Kate has decided that she likes swimming now. We went to the river this past weekend and she had a blast swimming once she realized the life vest would hold her up. And then she and I went to the pool Tuesday and it was like she flipped a switch and now she loves to go under the water and "practice her kicking." So we have stopped crying about going under the water but now we cry that our eyes hurt. DRAMA!

Swimming Lessons and Puke Fest 2010

2010-06-24T07:10:00.004-05:00

The Brantley household has been under the weather this past week. Kate got the stomach bug Friday, I got it Sunday and Jason got it Tuesday. Needless to say it has been a rough week over here!! Props to moms out there with lots of children. Caring for two kids while being sick was about to be the end of me.

Kate is in the middle of taking swim lessons and let me just say it is comic relief for sure! The first day she woke up from her nap and brought me her bathing suit and towel and couldn't get out the door fast enough. Then she realized that she would have to go under the water the whole time so after much screaming and crying, the second day she hid from me after her nap! When we are actually at the swim lessons Kate will sit there and repeatedly say/cry, "not my turn yet" and "I don't want to go under." The instructor has to help me wrangle her into the water when I have Whit with me. But here is the funny thing...Kate is a great swimmer. She instantly kicked her legs and used her arms to swim. So for being petty young she is really doing a great job and swims short distances by herself. Anyway, everyone swears that in a few days they quit crying and start actually asking for their turn...I will have to let you know if that holds true for us!

And here is just some sweet pictures I got of Whit and Kate the other day. Whit is still doing great and is such a sweet baby. I am really enjoying him.

Summer Fun with Doodles

2010-06-13T08:10:00.002-05:00

A sweet family on our street moved to Mississippi last week and we had a fun little neighborhood party with all the kids before they left. The talk at first was just to do popsicles but I couldn't let happen. So I made a phone call to "Mr. Doodle" (the people who own Doodles are the sweetest and most kind people ever) and thus appears the Doodles truck in our neighborhood for the party. It was a great time and the kids were THRILLED about Doodles.

Whit was sacked out for the party. Soon enough, he too will know why everyone loves Doodles! (If you can't tell I love this place, great italian ice and sorbets, fun atmosphere and great place to take the kids! And I have been eating Doodles since I was in high school so a lot of it is nostalgia too)

Of course, our neighborhood get together wouldn't be complete without the driving of motorized vehicles!

snippets of our life

2010-06-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

Kate loves to clean...

Sweetest thing happened Sunday...Jason was walking out the door with his golf clubs to go and play golf with a friend when Kate saw him and she ran as fast as she could and grabbed her clubs and wanted to go with daddy. It was so sweet and sad at the same time as she stood in the doorway crying while he left.

We obviously forgot to tell Kate that she is too big for the bouncy seat!

Playing at the pool with friends...

Whit slept the whole time at the pool...must be the battery operated fan I bought at Walmart for him.

Well, sleeping is something he does best these days actually.

A New Low

2010-06-02T09:28:00.002-05:00

You know how people tell you that when you have a baby you lose all modesty? Well I experienced a new level of that this past week. A bunch of girls and I met at the pool with our kiddos. As you know from previous posts Kate is not fond of getting her bathing suit wet so I just knew that she would want to only play on the steps of the pool all day. I had just gotten this really cute bathing suit cover up for myself at Target and was very excited about wearing it and realizing that Kate wouldn't be getting in the water I decided to wear my two piece bathing suit under the cover up. Now I don't wear two piece bathing suits anymore period so the fact that I even still have one is rare.

Now let me get you to the pool. We get there and Kate is playing great on the steps and I am sitting on the side soaking up the sun wearing the cutest bathing suit cover up! Then I notice that Kate is asking complete strangers to take her out into the water! I tried to get her to just keep playing on the steps but, no, she wanted to "swim!" My child who has been freaking out when she gets wet now wants to submerge herself in the water and swim. That is when I realize that my life was coming to a new low. THREE WEEKS after giving birth to a baby I was in a two piece bathing suit swimming with my child.

I mean, I have lost all shame at this point!

Pictures, Doctors, and Jeeps

2010-05-25T15:10:00.006-05:00

1. Fresh Grace Photography
http://www.freshgracephotography.blogspot.com/
My good friend Lauren Winter is an amazing photographer! She came over and got some pictures of Whit when he was only a few days old...go to the link above and check her out. You will love her work and she is oh so affordable!

2. Whit
Whit is 3 weeks old today. We headed off to the doctor this morning for his newborn check up. He now weighs 8 pounds 2 ounces and feels like he is growing so much (however I realize that he is actually still very tiny).

3. Kate
Kate could be one of the most independent 2.5 year olds ever. And now she is an independent 2.5 year old behind the wheel of a car with ZERO sense of direction! Every kid on our street has a motorized vehicle and the people we bought our house from left us a Barbie Jeep where all we had to do was buy a battery. Kate loves riding and driving these jeeps and 4-wheelers so this past weekend we got her jeep up and running. She is like a wild woman on this thing. And just a few hours ago she flipped it going down our driveway so we are going to have to reevaluate letting her drive it period. (she is actually okay with only a few scrapes...i just knew for sure we were going to be headed in for stitches when I saw it flip).

Can I get a Hallelujah!

2010-05-12T09:44:00.003-05:00

Can I get a Hallelujah?! Kate spit up 100% of the time and the most foriegn thing is happening with Whit...he actually burps! I don't know what to do with myself not having to have 4 burp cloths each feeding and I find myself jumping every time I hear him burp and then realizing that is was only a burp, no spit up!!! I must say it is quite glorious! On another note, Kate's umbilical cord took 5 weeks to fall off and Whit's came off this morning after only 1 week. We are still doing really well over here and I am just enjoying being a mom.
We are still sunbathing over here. Whit's billi count is starting to go down but they are still keeping an eye on it. I think Jason might have a heart attack if we have to pay our co-pay one more time for them to prick Whit's heel.

First Days Home

2010-05-08T19:45:00.003-05:00

Our first few days at home have been really good. I realize that Whit is only about 5 days old but he just seems like a more content baby then Kate was. I didn't think I was ready to care for a newborn again but you really do forget just how precious and sweet they are and I am enjoying every minute. Everyone asks how Kate is doing...she has responded how I had hoped but not how I had expected. She is very sweet to Whit and doesn't seem to mind that he is home with us. We have had a few melt downs and have been a little whiny but for the most part the transition is going really well.
Whit is a little jaundice. Right now we only have to put him in the window to do a little sunbathing. But we are having to go in everyday to have his heel pricked so hopefully his numbers start going down and don't continue to rise or he will then have to go under the lights.

Kate loves to hold her little brother. When he is in her arms she says "hello baby Whit, I am your big sister Kate." It is really sweet to watch.

Whit Brantley

2010-05-05T13:47:00.006-05:00

Andrew Whitlark Brantley
May 4, 2010 @ 10:22am
6 lbs 12 oz / 20.75 in

So after all my complaining I went to the doctor on Monday for a regular appointment and had progressed to the point where she was more than willing to let me come in the next day and be induced. So I went home, picked up the house, made some plans for Kate and finished packing my bags and then off we went the next morning at 5am!! I was a little nervous about being induced but everything went really well. I went from 3cm to 10cm in about 1 hour and then only had to actually push him out as he was already crowning on his own. Jason and I were in a little disbelief as everything happened so quickly since by 10:30 that morning we were proud parents of a little boy (which Jason made sure to double check when he came out!) Our nurses were great and it was nice that my doctor got to deliver me. Whit is doing really well and big sister Kate is probably actually in denial! :)

Kate was interested in Whit but not like I thought she would be.

She was quite shy about taking a picture with him. Probably because a handful of her favorite people were here at the hospital, including her Pop. She even went right past me to tell Bry (Jason's sister) hello when she hadn't seen me in days!
And she was quite excited about her McDonalds too. So I think our effort to make her feel special and it not be all about Whit was successful...so successful that she probably still doesn't quite understand that he will be coming home with us to live!

Last Week as a Family of 3 and Whit's Nursery

2010-04-30T15:51:00.002-05:00

Now that I have come to grips with the fact that I will be pregnant longer with Whit then I was with Kate I am just trying to enjoy our last week as a family of three! My doctor promises me that she won't make me go past next Friday May 7...so its officially a count down of one week left!! Anyone notice the big white bow in Kate's hair in the above picture?? It didn't last long, but hey, at least she let me put it in for a while!

We went to play at a friends today and they have two boys. I think its cute that Kate loved all the drills, hammers and tools. I know this is because she sees her daddy working all the time with tools and wants to be just like him.

And here are pictures of Whit's room!!

Expectations

2010-04-26T16:13:00.004-05:00

38 weeks

Let me say that with Kate I had no expectations when it came to going into labor. However, with Whit I have many and for the record I know that I shouldn't! Kate's labor was quick and easy and she came 2 weeks early!! So I have been planning from the beginning to have Whit early or at least be induced at week 39 - I mean really, who wants to go all 40 weeks? Today I found out that I am going to have to go the distance. My body is not changing so my doctor is not comfortable inducing early and would like for me to go an extra week to my due date. I do realize that Whit could still come early and anytime but in my head I was planning on only being pregnant for one more week and now it could be two more weeks!!

All Smiles

2010-04-19T07:05:00.002-05:00

Hope you are having a great day. We have been all smiles around here lately. And especially me since I finally finished this dress for Kate. It was the most intricate smocking I have ever done and then when I went to sew it I broke the neck gathering threads which just means that is why it looks like a high neck instead of a nice round neck!!

Enjoying the weather...

2010-04-17T07:11:00.003-05:00

With only 2-3 weeks to go before Whit gets here I have been dragging Kate around to run my errands or keeping her at home while I finish projects and get rooms ready. And even though we have been playing outside and enjoying this beautiful weather I figured I needed to intentionally take her somewhere she would want to go. Thanks to the Brantleys we have had a zoo pass these past few years and it is something that we get a lot of use and enjoyment out of. The Birmingham Zoo has a great children's section and this year is even more fun as Kate is much more interested in all the animals. I took Kate Thursday and then Jason and I took her again on Friday!

A Dose of Reality

2010-04-09T07:33:00.002-05:00

I realize that when we are all posting on our blogs that we want to share the cute pictures of our families/children and share about all the fun stuff we all have going on. I am the same way but let me be the first to tell you although this blog shows our life it doesn't show all of it! So for a little dose of reality let me tell you what I am learning these days. First, I have never felt the need for wisdom but I find myself daily asking the Lord to give me wisdom when it comes to raising Kate. It is unfortunate but it took having a child to make me realize my desperate need for the Lord. Kate is the one thing in my life that I can't control and I struggle with that. I struggle with my anger most of all right now as Kate thinks its hilarious while she is disobeying...and all I want to do is get my hands on her and spank that grin right off her face. So then like in marriage the Lord is constantly showing me my sinfulness as having a child is surely bringing out the best and worst in me! I am thankful for God's grace today as I embark on another day of raising Kate. But for your enjoyment here are some pictures of her the other day when she had a complete come apart because I wouldn't carry her inside the house and made her walk like a big girl all by herself.

Our Life in Bullet Points

2010-04-04T23:18:00.012-05:00

We got back from the beach and have been on the go ever since. Here is a bullet point list with pictures of what all we have been up to.

1. The girls in my Life Group threw a small shower for me Thursday night. It was such a sweet time with girls that have become very dear to me.

2. Easter Egg Hunts - Kate got to participate in three of them this weekend. First, we got together with all my high school girlfriends and their children. Then we headed over to Mimi and Pops to hunt eggs and finally on Sunday we hunted eggs with Poppi and Dre. It didn't take Kate long to realize candy was usually in the eggs and she would crack each egg open to see what was inside before going to the next egg. And if she found an egg without candy then she was most disappointed!

2. Happy Easter Sunday! Can someone tell me how to easily explain Easter to a two year old? I found that sharing with Kate that Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose again and now lives in our hearts was much harder then explaining about Christmas when Jesus was born. But besides that small road block this year we had a great time with family.

We gave Kate some plastic golf clubs for Easter so that she could play golf with her daddy and have her own clubs that she couldn't hurt!

4. Dying Easter Eggs with Mimi and Pop. Note to self, wash toddlers hands immediately after because the vinegar in the dye does not mix well with eyes.

'da Beach

2010-04-01T08:20:00.007-05:00

Kate and I took an impromptu trip to the beach this past week and our friends Katie and Campbell Compton came along with us. The weather was quite windy and chilly the first day but we could not have asked for better weather the next two days. The girls were so excited about the beach and playing in the sand...whenever you asked Kate where we were going she would yell out "da beach!" The trip down and back with two toddlers was not all that bad except for the fact that they are both potty trained so we made many visits to the side of the road to let them potty!! (for those of you traveling with small ones a little potty for the car is a MUST!)

Kate would stop everyday and take her shoes off before she hit the sand.

It was quite chilly the first day but Kate and Campbell were totally unfazed and had a big time playing in the sand...we were literally the only people on the beach that morning. I turned 29 while down at the beach. To celebrate, on my birthday we woke up and went to the Doughnut Hole for breakfast. I can promise you that Kate and Campbell were way more excited about me having a birthday than I was because it meant fun and treats for them all day long!

I got lots of birthday hugs from Kate. She was quite the sweetie to me on my birthday!

I know you all know that I love to cut Kate's hair. But lately she won't wear bows and hardly little clips at the moment so I have been trying to let it grow so that I can pull it out of her face. This week she let me put her hair in pigtails or as she likes to say "two ponytails." I could have just eaten her up I thought she looked so cute!

I am not sure what happened but somewhere between potty training and always asking Kate if she was dry and just the sole fact that Kate is not crazy about when her shirt or outfit gets wet in general she has developed a weird obsession. She was having a really hard time with the fact that her bathing suit was "all wet" when she got in the pool. Solution, take the bathing suit off. But she hated the swim diaper too (but I was too afraid of pooping accidents in the pool so we are still going to use it for now). However, the next day she just sat at the edge of the pool and played and would not get in. So I am not sure how we are going to fix this one!We went to Baytown to for dinner one night and the girls had a blast.
Baytown has a great playground there that we let the girls play on for a while.

One night we went to Dippin Dots. I am obsessed and of course Kate and Campbell didn't argue with the fact that I wanted ice cream.
Shea, this chair is a huge hit. Kate has been sitting in it for the past year all over our house so she was more than thrilled to finally get back to the beach and be able to use it!
I realize that you are probably wondering where Katie is? We realized that we had tons of pictures of our kids and them together but didn't have any of the four of us. We did finally get a few but they are actually all on her camera so I will have to update this post when she emails me some. But overall I had a great birthday and survived the beach at 34 weeks pregnant with a 2.5 year old and I even got a lot of sunshine which makes me very happy!

Since we last spoke...

2010-03-27T15:13:00.004-05:00

Spring break came and we headed to Atlanta for a quick visit with my brother Michael's family. Jason was conveniently there for work so we also got to see him and hang out one night. Bryce and Kate had a big time playing at the park and chasing each other. I remember when they were babies and used to just sit there and now we all have 2.5 year olds and they are all over the place!

We came home from Atlanta and didn't know that Michael had sent a little present along with us. Kate woke up from her nap the next day throwing up and then spend the rest of the evening the same way (to Michaels defense he got sick the evening we left...but that must be where we got our little stomach bug friend from). I then proceeded to get the stomach bug 48 hours later. Jason thankfully steered clear from it.

And we have basically just been playing outside any day that it hasn't rained. The weather has been really nice and our neighborhood is a blast when all the kids are out and about so we are just loving that warm weather is here!

Again, Poor Lucy

2010-03-18T11:19:00.003-05:00

Kate loves to change her babies' diapers. She apparently thinks Lucy needs a diaper changing too!

What I forgot about Pregnancy

2010-03-08T07:23:00.005-06:00

Oh how quickly I am being reminded of what it was like to be this pregnant.

1. It is quickly getting harder to put my socks and shoes on

2. You have to actually sit up in bed in order to roll over

3. I sleep with at least 5-6 pillows because of heartburn

4. Picking up toys off the ground is going to be the end of me

5. My hip is disappearing and holding Kate is proving to be harder

6. Starting to need some help when going from a sitting position to a standing position

7. Had to start taking iron supplements - enough said

8. No liquid after 7pm

*all you moms out there chime in!! :)

At week 26 I was talking to my doctor about how soon I could be induced and at week 30 I was discussing permanent birth control options with her. I know she thinks I am nuts!

31 weeks

lately

2010-03-05T11:35:00.003-06:00

Static anyone?? I mean do your kids look like this on a daily basis too??
Sometimes I wonder if Lucy knows that she is about to have another baby come into the house and the torture she will have to endure again!

Anyone who knows me knows that I take scissors to Kate's hair every chance I get. But I have been trying to let it grow since she refuses to wear bows right now and her hair is all in her face. We can finally put it in a pony tail and for whatever reason Kate actually loves to have her hair in a ponytail.

Whit's Bedding

2010-02-25T08:57:00.003-06:00

It's a shame that I am not as into doing a room for Whit as I was with Kate. Not sure if its because he is a boy or because the second time around you realize things just aren't as important as you thought they were the first time, or it could be that I am not working anymore and the family income is lower and you can't buy everything you want! :)

However, I have decided to go with a cabin theme in his room. His walls look like timber (thanks to Emily who lived here before us and did her little boys room this way). However I bought some fabric to make his bedding before I had really made a firm decision about the cabin theme. I have decided to just make a big boy room for him and then just stick a crib in it that doesn't really match the rest of the room - since it is somewhat temporary anyway. The fabric has a lot of the same coloring as the rest of the room but it is a little more modern then the rest of the room is going to end up looking. I finally started and finished making his bedding and even had enough fabric left over to make a skirt. It isn't perfect by any means but for not having a pattern and just going for it I think it turned out really well!

If I ever get the rest of his room done I will have to post pictures of it as well!! :) At least he has a bed now that he can come home and sleep in!

Rock A Bye Baby

2010-02-19T19:27:00.006-06:00

This rocking chair was mine as a little girl and now Kate has it. We brought it home last night from my parents house and Kate hasn't stopped rocking her baby. Guess it is good practice for when Whit comes home...except when Kate is done rocking her baby she just throws it down -we will definitely have to work on that!

For those of you who know me well know that my idea of cooking is putting a Stoufers Lasagna in the oven. However, one of my really good friends is the owner of Ashley Mac's and is an amazing cook. She has graciously taken on helping me become someone who can melt my husbands heart with a nice meal when he comes home from work and a meal that I can handle. So the other night we had Lemon Zest Tilapia on top of wild rice, twice baked potatoes and some lima beans (Jason's favorite). I am not a huge fish lover but Jason said it all tasted really good so I say it was a success.

I had asked Ashley for this beef bourguignon recipe and she responded with this, "it's not hard, but it did take me about 3 hrs to make just because there are a lot of steps. This might be like you teaching me how to sew and starting with Kate's heirloom easter dress." After that comment I decided that I should change my first real experimental cooking with something easier!

Let it Snow!

2010-02-12T15:38:00.003-06:00

Kate has this weird obsession with not getting her shoes wet so she wouldn't even walk out into the snow! So we have admired the beautiful snow fall mostly from inside but I did manage to get Kate outside for a few minutes!! Only my child would be so crazy!

Bye Bye Paci

2010-02-11T07:12:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we said GOOD BYE to our Paci! Kate has been saying that she wants to give her pacis to baby Whit but that was not the timing that I was thinking of so instead we got her excited about giving her pacis to our neighbors little girl Hollis. We wrapped them up in a bag with a bow and we were off down the street to give our prized possessions away.

Kate was super excited to give her pacis to baby Hollis and had more fun holding her and playing with her. It was looking like this was going to be a piece of cake!!
For giving up her pacis Kate got a big girl scooter. However the minute we got back home Kate asked for her paci and I had to remind her that we gave them to baby Hollis and that instead now we have a big girl scooter to play with.

And I am happy to report that after crying on and off for a little less than an hour last night Kate slept through the night really well without her paci. She did wake up early in the morning asking for it but after a little back rubbing went right back to sleep. So the process was not as painful as I had thought it would be. And as with all other transitions with children I am hoping that in a few days everything will be totally normal and it will be like the paci never existed!!

Showers, Deck, Playing Outside, and Pregnancy

2010-02-02T08:12:00.003-06:00

A lot of you know that I am still really good friends with girls I have know since Middle School. There are five of us pregnant together right now...3 of us are having baby #2 and 2 of us are having baby #3. This past weekend we all got together for a little shower for Lindsey, Jamie and I who are having our second baby. It was a great time and I am so grateful for these girls.

Meredith, Lisa, Me, Lindsey, Jamie

It took me about a year of marriage to trust Jason when he said that he could build/repair things in our home. His carpentry skills have come in very handy these past 6.5 years and now he is really getting to use them. He and his good friend Tom are building a new deck on the back of our house. I think it turned out to be a bigger project then the boys thought but it looks really good and is really coming along. Just a few more vital things like a railing down the stairs and some steps at the bottom and they will be done!

We got outside the other day to play some and I just thought it was so cute that Kate was very insistent about wearing her hat. Of course I thought that she looked really cute, so here are some pictures.

I am 26 weeks pregnant this week. I definitely enjoy this half of pregnancy more than the first half but I am starting to really feel pregnant. When I was pregnant with Kate it was mostly during the summer months. I am probably one of the few people who felt really pretty during pregnancy. I have now decided that was because I was tan. Now that I am expanding with Whit and it is cold and I am ghostly pale, the same self confidence isn't there. It is amazing how a little sun kissed cheek really makes you feel better about yourself. Oh well. Kate is always asking to meet baby Whit and I have tried to explain to her that he has to grow big and strong in mommy's belly before he can come out and meet her. This satisfies her for now but I am sure for a 2.5 year old it will be a long 3 months before she actually gets to meet her baby brother.

Daddy's Helper/Update - Big Girl Bed

2010-01-25T08:24:00.003-06:00

After two nights and two naps Kate is doing great in her big girl bed. We know when she wakes up because she leans over to her night stand, turns on her lamp and turns off her sound machine and then just sits in her bed until we come to get her. So things are going great so far!

We moved her crib out of her room and into Whit's room. Kate is at the age where she copies everything you do so of course it was adorable to watch her want to help her daddy and then copy everything he was doing. I love sweet moments like this.

Big Girl Bed

2010-01-23T13:24:00.004-06:00

We took Kate this morning over to my parents to get her "big girl bed." They have two twin beds and we have now become the proud new owners of them - thanks mom and dad! Kate was very excited about the whole process and helped us by holding the door open while we hauled them out of my parents house and then she helped me make up her new big girl bed when we got home. But we are about to find out how she does sleeping in her big girl bed as she is about to go down for a nap in a bit...so I will keep you posted!

If you ask her where her crib is going she replies "it is baby Whit's bed." So at least she seems okay with giving up her crib. Let's hope that the rest of this process is as easy!

Wii

2010-01-20T20:25:00.006-06:00

For Christmas both Jason's parents and my parents got a Wii. Until this Christmas I had never played before. I was full out bowling and swinging the bat on baseball until I figured out that you just need some good wrist action. However, it was a little too late as the next day I could not even lift my right arm it was so sore!

Kate has taken a strong liking to the Wii as well. First my dad tried actually letting her play and trying to teach her how to pitch the ball in baseball...which she was actually very successful at since you don't actually have to push any buttons when throwing.

However, we then got to the point where we just gave her the control that wasn't being used at the time and just let her go to town. I mean seriously, she is two, she has no idea that her control wasn't actually the one working but yet she gets all the joy from the strikes being thrown by others in bowling.

The Wii is proving to be lots of entertainment. However, tonight I think I pulled something in my bottom while bowling so I am now coming to the reality that I am out of shape if video games are putting me out of commission!

And here are just some classic pictures of Kate from a few weeks ago.

A New Year

2010-01-10T12:42:00.002-06:00

I realize that I usually post on our blog weekly and lately it has been more like monthly.

I promise to do a better job in the coming year as we have a new camera now (the old one didn't always want to take a picture when you wanted it too), I am feeling great now that I am over the hump of pregnancy sickness and can multitask again, and Kate is potty trained enough now that she can take herself to the potty (for the most part)!

The Brantley household has been a little crazy lately. We decided to build a new deck on the back of our house. It is still in process but I will have post pictures when its done. Jason and his friend Tom are building it and I am most impressed with their work.

As luck would have it, a good friend of mine that has two boys already is now having a little girl around the same time I am having a little boy so we decided to swap baby stuff. And I mean we swapped everything. Clothes, shoes, crib sheets, blankets, bumbos...you name it. It has been a blessing as I went from thinking that Whit would have nothing to wear and that we had so much to buy, to the fact that he now has more stuff then Kate ever did when she was born. So besides some baby basics and getting the nursery actually cleaned out and set up, I am feeling very at peace and ready for this baby!

Kate is loving school and I am loving her being back at school after the holidays. I need to start sewing some spring dresses for her as I am sure that I will not be sewing too much after May. And we are just looking forward to the weather warming up again so that we can play outside and get out of the confines of our house most days.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T22:39:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! Even though this year Kate still was a little clueless it was really fun trying to teach her about Christmas. When speaking to a two year old and trying to tell them its Baby Jesus's Birthday really puts things back into perspective for me as Christmas so easily becomes all about decorating my house, buying presents for everyone, parties, cute outfits, great music on the radio, and so much more. So I am thankful this year for the sweet reminder that Christmas is all about a little baby who came to be my Savior.

Kate was uninterested in having her picture taken with Jason and I in front of the tree...but it was nice getting a good picture of the two of us. Is anyone else like us and since having children have a million pictures of the kids but haven't taken a picture of you and your husband in years??

Both my brothers were in town and Kate loved playing with Bryce and Hannah. Here is a cute picture of Hannah and Kate loving on each other Christmas Eve night.

We had a wonderful Christmas Day with family. Kate really enjoyed opening "my presents."

*Santa Clause made a personal appearance for Kate about a week or so ago. The Brantleys have a good family friend that dresses up for Kate every year. Kate loves to talk about Santa Clause but has absolutely no interest in seeing him in person. She was shaking and squeezing my neck when Santa came into the house...but after he left she loved telling everyone about Santa and the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal he left her. When my computer starts behaving better I will have to post pictures...it took me forever to get these up.

Oh Boy, Oh Boy

2009-12-07T20:45:00.008-06:00

We are having a BOY!

We are thrilled and Jason is obviously super excited about this news!! Our ultrasound tech was awesome explaining everything to us as she checked and made sure that the baby was healthy. We did not get all that with Kate. She spent so much time with us that it was neat to see the baby rolling around and opening/closing his mouth. We saw him sticking out his tongue and then sucking his fingers. We got to count all his little fingers and toes...I am again in awe of our Lord and how he creates and he is definitey in the business of details.

Now if I could just take everything that we have that is pink and turn it to blue...that would be helpful!!

Andrew Whitlark Brantley

"Whit"

What we have been up to...

2009-12-06T14:00:00.004-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving, a great time with family but very low key. Kate is doing well with potty training and we have resorted to bribery with milk shakes to get her to poop on the potty. I am not sick anymore for the most part and actually really starting to enjoy this pregnancy. We find out tomorrow what we are having so stayed tuned for another post really soon!!

Kate has become a lot more opinionated lately. Very much into what she wants to wear and what she does not. So this morning when she got up it shouldn't surprise me that she was intent on wearing her fleece hat. But it was actually really cute and great for some pictures.

Our Christmas tree lights are on a light switch and Kate is very intent on making sure the lights on the tree are ALWAYS on. She has even started taking it into her own hands.

Update on Potty Training - oh and a little help!!

2009-11-15T14:45:00.002-06:00

So we have got the tee-tee down well. She went to church this morning for her first real outing without me and she stayed dry the whole time and her teachers said she did really well coming up to them and telling them she needed to go potty. SUCCESS!! However, as Jason found out this afternoon we have not quite conquered getting Kate to poo-poo in the potty. If you catch her in the act then you can get her on the potty to finish but if you are not fast enough you are then chasing around a 2 year old with poop about to fall out of her panties! So gross! Anyone have pointers on the poo-poo?? Since it is by far the yuckiest to clean up I will take any suggestions that will get us closer to her pooping in the potty as well as she tee-tees in the potty!

Potty Training

2009-11-10T14:32:00.004-06:00

That's right, I pulled the cord and this crazy kid went straight to big girl panties today. I must say that putting a kid on the potty every 10-15 minutes makes the day go by VERY slow but we are having great success. I knew Kate was pretty much ready but I was still taking a risk. However, all morning she has told me that she needed to potty and I haven't even really had to ask or make her go. And besides first thing in the morning where she straight up tee-teed all over herself when we first put her big girl panties on, we haven't had anymore real accidents. We have changed her panties a few time because she will start to go and realize it then she will run herself to the potty to finish. So after our first 6 hours of potty training we are having great success but it is going to be a long next few days!! I will have to keep you posted.

Update on baby: went to the doctor yesterday and heard a good heartbeat! we will find out next time what we are having! I know everyone says it is because it is my second baby but I am only 14 weeks pregnant but look 20 weeks. And because I have lost so much weight from being sick I know its baby related what is sticking out from me but seriously, isn't it just a little too early still??

Halloween and My Best Find EVER!

2009-11-02T10:50:00.005-06:00

We had a really fun Halloween. Our neighbors had a cookout for all the families beforehand and then afterwards all the kids went trick-or-treating together.

Most children were eating dinner with their parents. Not Kate, she was content eating cheezits and then she found the candy stash of M&Ms. She was thinking she hit the jackpot since she was getting to eat M&Ms and didn't have to tee-tee on the potty to get one.

We didn't do any original costumes this year. I went with something we already had and that I could make warm since it was going to be cold that night. So an Auburn Cheerleader we were. At least we didn't have to hang our head since Auburn pulled off a victory against Ole Miss earlier that day!
Kate went trick-or-treating at one house then was "all done." Oh well, maybe next year she will be more into it.

We had a great time on our street as afterwards we had a small bonfire going and all the kids continued to run around and play until bedtime!

I cannot believe that I have not posted about this yet. It has to be my best find EVER! Every year Smith's Variety in Mtn. Brook has Rosalina come and they do a 2 day tent sale of smocked dressed. Good dresses, good prices...nothing super spectacular but a great deal if you can make it. Well this year I went and found dresses that were already put together and pleated, just not smocked. Now you can find things like this but usually you are going to pay around $40. I love to smock and I love to sew but as any mom can tell you time is off the essence these days. So when I saw these dresses in every color, shape and size and all I had to do was smock them and then put them on Kate I was super excited. Then I went for the price tag to see what kind of damage I was looking at.....$8 a dress. Yall, I almost fainted. I can't buy fabric for that price, much less the fact that I was saving time on cutting the pattern out, pleating, and then sewing the dress together! I figured it was better to ask for forgiveness then permission from Jason so I bought a ton of dresses for Kate and then pleaded my case of what an amazing deal they were to Jason later that night!

Here is what the dresses looked like. It is wonderful, you just sit down and smock whatever you would like! The pain of then knowing you have to sew the dress is all gone and its make the process so enjoyable!

Here is one of the dresses that is a sundress. I smocked these cute cows on there and can't wait for Kate to wear it next spring.

And I smocked this one with fall leaves for her to wear now!
I usually try and make this sale every year but you better believe that I am never missing it again!!

I love our neighborhood!

2009-10-28T19:34:00.004-05:00

Most of you know that we moved back in the beginning of summer. Where we live are two streets that are somewhat secluded from the larger neighborhood and both are dead ends. There are probably 20+ kids on the two streets and the families are just wonderful. So all that to say, we have no traffic and all you have to do is walk outside to find someone to play with or talk to. As we are finding out, the families on these two streets do a lot of fun get togethers. When we were buying the house they invited us over for the big Easter Egg Hunt. And this past weekend was the Annual Fall Block Party. It was great. You brought food to share and a blanket to sit on. They house we were at had a bonfire to make smores and the neighbors brought over their tractor to do hayrides for the kids. There were pumpkins for all the kids to paint and decorate and for the adults there was good ole fashioned food and fellowship. We had a great time and it has been wonderful getting to know our neighbors...not to mention a lot of fun. (ps. they do a big halloween thing too so I will have pictures up of that after this weekend!)

kate and maddie at the bonfire
abby, myself and kate on the hayride

Beautiful Day

2009-10-25T15:20:00.002-05:00

I wish we had more fall days like today. The sun feels wonderful on your face and the cool breeze is perfect! When we got home from church today we spend the next hour or so outside playing and it was just so nice and refreshing. Refreshing that it wasn't raining...refreshing that Jason was home for a bit before he set back out traveling for work...and refreshing that this weather put me in such a good mood and made me feel so great I think I will cry if it goes away too soon. I have decided pregnancy, or at least the first part of it, is for the birds. I don't know how people do this over and over again. Being sick and tired and taking care of a two year old is about to be the end of me most days. But then the Lord is gracious and I will have a day like today where I feel like I can keep going and that we really are going to make it through these next 6-7 months.

Girls Night Out

2009-10-06T08:55:00.003-05:00

Each month my high school girlfriends get together for a girls night out and this month we went to sips n strokes. The irony of it is that four of us are pregnant so there wasn't much sipping unfortunately! It was nice to get a shower and put on make up and get dressed to go out. We had a great time and left with some cute paintings. I am thankful for these girls in my life and think it is so fun that after 17 years we are all still friends!

Oh, and I have not disappeared totally. This pregnancy is better than Kate's but I still have rotten days. However, I do have some good days too. But the reality of my life at the moment is that my house looks like a bomb went off, we barely have clean clothes and dishes are piled in my sink. I am ready to have my energy back and start feeling better all the time!!!!

A Preview of Coming Attractions...

2009-09-17T19:08:00.002-05:00

Coming May 2010...

Baby Brantley #2

We are pregnant again and very excited! Got to see a strong heartbeat at the doctor and wanted to share our fun news with everyone. Kate and this baby will be 3 months shy of three years apart. The Lord couldn't have planned this more perfectly for me since I had always thought that I wanted my children 3 years apart! Morning sickness is in full affect but besides that things are great.

Just a little late...WAR EAGLE!

2009-09-16T07:58:00.003-05:00

Well it only took my 4 days to post this but WAR EAGLE! We have been at home showing our spirit for these past 2 games but have enjoyed the comforts of our home with a 2 year old as we watch them on our tv!

Here is a Kate in a little cheerleader outfit I found at a consignment sale!

We watched the Miss St game with our friends Beth and Jeff and their little girl Addie Jane. Kate loves her some babies so she was more than thrilled to sit with Addie Jane and have her picture taken.

So here is the dress that started all my sewing in the first place. I had seen a cute tiger smocked dress on a little girl once and that is what got me into smocking classes which in turn got me learning to sew the dresses...and finally after many months of having this dress smocked I finally sewed it up so Kate could finally wear it. (and of course she ripped the hem in the dress only hours after I put it on her....AHH!)

War Eagle! Hope you are enjoying football season as much as we are right now!

Kate's First Day of School

2009-09-09T10:18:00.004-05:00

Today was Kate's first day of school! I would say it was somewhat of a success. She cried the entire walk to the classroom and screamed bloody murder when I passed her off to the teacher, BUT she ended up have a good day and had a great time playing with the kids in her class! I also did very well with my little girl going to her first day of school...I do believe I am really going to love Mondays and Wednesdays!!

Here are the other kids in our neighborhood who go to the same school as Kate. It was fun getting them together to take pictures of the first day of school!!

Two Year Old Pictures for Kate

2009-09-02T11:44:00.005-05:00

My good friend Lauren Winter came over the other day and took some pictures of Kate around the yard and neighborhood. She does an amazing job and I love how she does the lighting on her pictures. I did a slide show of some of the pictures since they were too large to upload on blogger and I wanted to share so many!

If you are intersted in having her take pictures of your little ones you can email her at laurenwinter@bellsouth.net

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com