Ann Arbor Hands On Museum

Yesterday some Mothers Center moms and I went to the Hands On Childrens Museum in Ann Arbor. I think we had about as much fun as the kiddos did! The bottom pic is of Brycen with his girlfriend Reese! Tomorrow...Utah!!

He Misses me..he misses me NOT!!

Last Sunday Brycen went to visit his Grandaddy and Nana Thompson in Indiana. He has been there for almost five days now and doesn't miss us at all. He is having such a great time being entertained by Aunt Cissy and his cousin Tierra. I am sure he is being spoiled rotten.
This week was supposed to be used by me to do whatever I wanted during the day, and for Les and I to spend time together in the evenings. I was in bed sick with the flu up until yesterday, so we kind of got jipped, but this weekend will be wonderful.
Don't get me wrong, I really miss Brycen but it is much easier to be away from your baby when you know he is in good hands. Thanks Thompsons for the vacation (for me and Brycen)

Tantrums Anyone??

For the past few days we have been dealing with tantrums from Brycen. It usually happens when he is in his highchair. I am trying to decifer what it all means and how to deal with it. I guess I am having such a hard time because he is not one that usually cries or whines. I truly think he is just becoming independent, but can't express himself with words yet. He seems to go through phases with things, so hopefully this also is a "short" phase!

Utah Trip

We have had a whirlwind few weeks, with celebrating Brycen's first b-day in Indiana and then a few days later leaving to celebrate again in Utah. The weather was beautiful in Utah and we got in a few days of wonderful skiing, going to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden and meeting up with friends! Brycen had fun going on walks with Papa, swinging in the swing, and chasing my mom's poodle Billy. Thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate the 1st b-day, it was so great to get together with family.

Children's Treehouse Museum

Aunt Betsy and Brycen

First Haircut

Brycen and Papa coming in from the "swing"

Ladies Man

Brycen's first kiss!! My friend Whitney was taking some pics of Brycen, when we turned around and caught her 9 month old daughter Reese in an open mouth kiss with Brycen...so stinkin' sweet.

Birthday pics from Indiana

Thank you to the Thompson family for making Brycen's first birthday so memorable. We had such a great time and we can't wait to see you soon.

Happy 1/4th birthday!!

Happy Birthday (sort of) to Brycen. He was born on leap year, so technically he doesn't have a birthday for 3 more years, but we decided to celebrate!! We are in Indiana celebrating with Les's family and then will celebrate with my family next week. I guess that is the benefits of being a leap year baby, you can celebrate it whenever you want. Birthday pics to come. This is the cute lion cake that I made...I don't think I will be hired on at Ace of Cakes anytime soon, but it was still fun to make and even funner to eat.

Cutie Pie

I just love the picture of him in this hat!!!

Aunt Betsy visit and Whine and Cheese

My sister Betsy came to visit and we had such a relaxing fun time. I really wish she lived closer, not only so I could see her all the time, but so Brycen could as well.

This was also the week for the Mothers Center annual Whine and Cheese fundraiser that I was in charge of :) The theme was Wines of the World. We had more wine than we knew what to do with, lots of yummy food, sangria and mimosas. It was a huge success and we raised over $750!! This has been such a great group to be a part of and I have met so many great people.

You know you shouldn't let your son play in the pantry when...

you go to change his diaper that night and find it full of Cream of Wheat.
He loves to play in the cupboards and pantry emptying everything out while I am cooking dinner. Tonight was no different, and now I understand why he was cranky at dinner!!!

Four more

Brycen has gotten 3 new top teeth with a fourth one very close to poking through. He has been pretty good, considering, and I owe most of his comfort to Hylands Teething Tablets. He loves chewing them and they kick in immediately!! I am thrilled because I feel like this opens up a whole new world of food he can try.

Family and more Family

The past couple of weeks have been filled with lots of visits from family. Linda, Paul, Ammie and Tierra came to spend the New Years weekend with us. We had a lot of relaxing fun and we also celebrated Tierra's 12th birthday!! I am still trying to get all the cookies and candy out of our house, and without throwing it out I can't think of many other options other than eating it :)

My parents came to visit the following week and they had so much fun with Brycen (they said that was their main reason for visiting...gee thanks!!) It was pretty cold here and we got quite a bit of snow (not compared to Utah as my dad pointed out), but we were able to venture out a little bit. I was able to take my mom to meet my friends at the Mothers Center and then we all went to music group. They love how involved I have gotten, and I see now how important it is for Brycen as well.

A new man

Today Brycen had surgery to fix his circumcision. He was such a good boy and "seems" to be in no pain now that we are home. Here is a picture of him just before he went in and he looks so cute in his gown. I was able to go into the operating room with him, just until they put him to sleep. Here we are posing with his doctor.

Merry Christmas

We had such a nice Christmas this year, just the three of us! We stayed in Ohio and had such a fun time watching Brycen react to his presents. He wasn't so into opening them himself, but it was still fun!! Later that afternoon we went to our friends the Hoskins for a wonderful Christmas dinner. Thanks, Hoskins!! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays as much as we are.

We have taken Brycen to see Santa twice this year. He was great both times, it is just so funny how serious he can be sometimes! At our holiday party for the Mothers Center we wore our pj's as a way to "relax" during the holidays. I love the pj's my mom sent Brycen to wear for Christmas, and look at that butt!!!

Yesterday our Mothers Center group went to Christmas Wonderland. We loved looking at all the displays and Brycen found the blinking lights to be fascinating. Then today there was a Mom and Tot party at my friend Kate's...25 adults & 38 kids...pure, fun, chaos!!

Oh what a night...

Last night was definitely one of those nights. It is starting to get really cold here, so I turned the fireplace on to warm up. Brycen started crawling towards it and I diverted his attention. I had not turned around for 2 seconds and he was putting his hand on the hot glass. I ran it under cold water, but he would not quit crying, so I decided to call the pediatrician. I took him in and they put some creme on him and bandaged him up. While they were working on him, I starting getting light-headed and sweating really bad. So there Brycen was crying while the nurse is holding him and I am sitting in the chair with my head between my knees. We left the Dr.'s office and headed for Rite-Aid to fill his prescription. They had just called me up to check me out when again, I started feeling weak and light-headed. I sat down and started throwing up. I was so embarrassed. There was this nice lady there who watched Brycen for me while I went to the bathroom. I guess I must have the flu, because I was sick all night and Brycen woke up this a.m throwing up and the whole works!! So fun....oh yeah and did I mention that Les is out of town :) From the looks of the pic below, the hand is fine, but my "mom competency" is bruised.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Thanksgiving weekend. We were in Indiana and like always had a great time. There was so much food this year I could hardly believe it (2 dessert tables and everything from enchiladas to turkey and stuffing). Brycen had a great time playing (bullying) with his cousins Jayden and Keegan.

I loved the outfit I had Brycen in, but I have a feeling, by the pics, that it will be one of those outfits he will look back at when he is older and say "Mom, why did you dress me like that?" Thank you to Ron and Linda for hosting such a great time and thank you to Aunt Cissy for being creative with Brycen and making a reindeer shirt!

50/50/75

Brycen had his 9 month checkup today and here are his stats:
Weight... 20 lbs. 10 ozs. (50th percentile)
Height... 28 " (50th percentile)
Head circumference... can't remember, but 75th percentile!
HHMMM!! He gets that from his daddy...

Fall Colors

It was such a beautiful fall here and the colors were amazing. These pics were taken by our friend Vickie while were out walking one morning. That is her cute dog Mabel! I love that Brycen got to experience playing in the leaves (something he wouldn't have been able to do in Amarillo, due to the lack of trees!)

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! Brycen was a lion and he looked so cute in his costume that I just wanted to eat him up!! We had a Halloween party at Mothers Center on Thursday, and Brycen was so intrigued by the other kids all dressed up, that he just kept staring at them. Last night we went over to our friends the Hoskins for some chili and beer bread, then came home and handed out candy to the millions of little kids in our neighborhood. Fun times...

If you look closely you can see Brycens two teeth in the top pic.

Just the two of us...

We were in Columbus, Indiana for all of last week visiting Les's family. We had such a good time and ate great food (as always)! We were able to take in a few football games to see his nephew Anthony. He is ranked #1 in the state for interceptions...only 3 more to go to break the school record! Way to go!!
Les and I were lucky enough to get away for a few days by ourselves. We went to Cincinnati, stayed in a nice hotel and took in some of the fun sights. It was so good to get away and we desperately needed it. Thanks Ron, Linda, Nanny, Aunt Cissy and Tierra for watching Brycen. He is so lucky to have such great family that totally adores him.

First Teeth!!

Brycen has cut his first teeth!!! He has gotten his two front bottom ones. I knew he was getting close, but of course it happened while his Nana and Grand-daddy had him for a few days. He was actually really good and sleeping through the night while they had him, but then as soon as Les and I got home he has started waking up crying in the middle of the night. I can't believe how tired I am! I hope he is not this miserable with each and every tooth that comes in...

We miss you too...

You know it is sad to live away from parents and grandparents when you receive emails like the following...

Brycen,
Winter is sometimes cold and lonely, and loneliness is an empty swing.

Your friend,

The Backyard Swing

Pumpkin Farm

Yesterday we went to a pumpkin farm that is near our house. There was so much to do and so many animals to see! Brycen loved seeing the pigs, cows and sheep! There were about 8 piglets that were so cute, but Les wouldn't let me bring one home. I love that the weather is changing, and the color of the leaves. Snow is just right around the corner!!

Utah Again...

Brycen and I had such a fun time in Utah. We originally went out because Les was going to be out of town to China and India, and my mom was having her knee replaced. Just as Brycen and I had checked our bags, Les's trip got cancelled! NO FAIR! Well my mom was stilll having her surgery so we still flew out to keep her company, and try to keep her mind off the pain. The weather was unusually warm, so Papa rigged a swing about 15 ft. up in the trees and Brycen loved it!!! Dad, remember your not 19 anymore... My mom is recovering well, and it was good to spend some time with her. Thanks to Aunt Betsy for babysitting "soldier" while I pampered myself. This will most likely be our last trip out for a while :(