Christmas

Here are some pictures from Christmas. We had a really nice time but I am glad it is over. Bradley was totally into opening presents this year and got extremely to much. Bryan surprised me and got me an amazing bread machine. He did research and new everything about them and what this one does. It even makes gluten free, low carb and dessert breads and about anything you can imagine. It came with a ton of recipes and I can't wait to try them. Our day was really nice. My mom is an amazing cook and made the most delicious Christmas treats and lunch. Bradley ate nothing but cookies, fudge, peanut butter balls, and other crap all day long. Poor kid's stomach probably hurts, but it's just one day so I didn't stop him.

Bradley wouldn't really smile for pictures while opening presents, these were taken before we started. He is totally into guitar and my sister got him a super cool one. Those pictures will come later.

Our Trip in a ....

AMBULANCE.

Yesterday we took Bradley into Urgent Care because he wasn't feeling well and knew the next day we where leaving for Cali and wanted to make sure he had some medicine to help him out. He had been running a fever off and on for about 4 days and he had been coughing for about a week. When we finally got into urgent care the nurse started yelling for the Dr. once the Dr came in she started yelling for someone to call 911 and get an ambulance. Apparently Bradley wasn't breathing like he should be and in came paramedics and a stretcher. I had Bradley there by myself because we thought he just had an earache and since we only have one car I was calling Bryan to keep him informed and trying to find him a ride to pick up the car. Well needless to say, Michelle came and saved the day. She went and picked up Bryan from the house and took him to urgent care to pick up our car so he was able to take meet us at Cook's Children's Hospital. While at Cook's they X-ray'd his stomach, lungs and throat because about a week and half ago he swallowed a penny. The penny was gone, but we did find out that he has two ear infections and RSV. Basically RSV was explained to me as the worst cold you could ever had. We were given and inhaler, a prescription to help with his lungs, and told to alternate Tylenol and Motrin every three hours. Cook's didn't find anything wrong with the oxygen he was getting and they said that the abuterol he got at urgent care probably took care of that. The Med-Star people were amazing. Bradley was pretty out of it, but the paramedics were really nice and explained everything. They worked really hard to help Bradley. We got home about 1 a.m. and are now in California. The plane trip went as expected and was fine.



Thanks again Michelle, you will never know how much we appreciate what you did for us.

Thanks Holly

Just wanted to give a shout out to Holly for being SUPER MOM! She is always willing to help, gives great kid advice and is goes above and beyond what is expected of her. Thanks again.

Grease

This is super cute.

http://members.shaw.ca/anabw/grease.htm

Cell Phone Rant #2 and Schools Out!!

So we drove 30 min to the Sprint store last night that has the repair center and as soon as I said what happened the gal said there was nothing we could do. She did offer to show us new phones, which the cheapest was $170 because I am only one year into my 2 year contract. I did ask what the cancellation fee was and she said $200 so I thought (out loud) that I might as well cancel and go to a different service for an extra $30 and just get a new phone for free considering the $170 phone is the very basic you can buy and the phones that people are giving away with the rebates right now are way better than the $170 one from sprint. The gal did tell us of a place we could get refurbished cell phones for a really good deal but we decided just to wait. My mom is sending me her old cell phone so I will have something to get by, but my cell is kind of working. It is touch screen, and the touch screen isn't working, so I can't check messages, or text or anything, but it will make calls if I know the number.

Today I took both my finals, so SCHOOL IS OUT until Jan. 24th. I have a couple weeks here to get things done before we go on vacation and it is nice to not have school work for a little bit. Now it is just time to study for my next big test.

Cell Phone Rant

Cell phones seem to be a necessary evil these days to me. I think they have taken some privacy out of your life. People can get a hold of you anytime. With that said, Bradley threw mine in the toilet today and I feel completely lost. I have a lot of important information in there and now the darn thing won't even turn on. I still had a year left on my contract so getting a new phone will be expensive and a huge pain in the butt. It is so frustrating to think that I have become dependent on a little piece of technology. Ok, so I am done ranting. Have a good day :)

Bryan got a ...

PROMOTION. Bryan found out a couple of nights ago that as of Jan 1st he will be a manager at his work and have a team of guys underneath him. If I understand it correctly he will be over the consultants in the Midwest. He is so excited and Bradley and I are so proud of him. Bryan works really hard and does a great job. He is great at his job, a good leader and always positive about his job and how things are going. I know we are lucky that with this economy he even has a job and now is getting promoted.

Back in Texas

Bryan and I decided it would be best to end our trip in Georgia early. We had such a good time and Bradley had so much fun playing with little Bryan and staying in the hotel. He keeps asking for little Bryan and the hotel. Bryan had to stay and worked so Bradley and I drove home. It makes me laugh to think that I have no problems making a 12 hour drive with a toddler but the thought of a 3 hour flight makes me want to vomit. I made the whole drive in one day and Bradley did great, I only had to stop 3 times and that was to get gas each time and food. I didn't take any pictures and I wish I would have, our car looked so funny all packed up and then Bradley just sat there and danced to the music. I do not know what I would do without satellite radio. Our Sirius has a Broadway station, so for the whole trip we listened to show tunes. It was so much fun.

5 AM Shopping?

Since I am in Georgia I will be back asleep by the time anyone in Texas or California goes shopping but I plan on being out of the house by 4:30 and in line by 4:35. I have three stops to make and plan on spending some cash. I LOVE TO SHOP!!! Growing up we always did morning after shopping and always out of town. Those are some of the best memories of the holidays. The Thanksgiving I was prego with Bradley my cousin and I left at midnight to drive to Palm Springs (at least 3 hours) and be there by 3 am to shop shop shop. I LOVE TO SHOP!!! Good luck to my fellow shoppers.

TExES Test

I PASSED!!!! I had to take the TExEs test for school so I am able to start teaching in the fall and I passed. The TExES is the state test all teachers must take and pass in their designated subject in order to student teach and get a teaching credential. Now that I have passed the Business test (which is what my BA is in) I can take any of the other subject tests to get certified to teach those subjects. Next test to conquer is the LSAT in February. It is so funny how now going to school is a break from everyday life and it is something I enjoy, when years ago I couldn't wait to get out and be done.

This is some video from before we left for Georgia. I got Bradley to dance for me to the movie Hairspray. It was really funny and here is some video. My video skills are not that great and I am still learning to adjust the settings.

Little Bears

My sister n law Lori and I took our boys to a place called Little Bears today. She had gotten a coupon in the mail and we decided to go. It is an indoor play area with a lot of big toys and the boys loved it. Here are some pics and video's.

Georgia

We made it to Georgia today, we stayed last night in Alabama and got to catch up with some friends from high school. We are gonna be in Georgia for a couple of weeks to celebrate Thanksgiving with Bryan's sister and her family and then so Bryan can work the next week. Pictures to come.

3 AM TV

I have never been a really late night person, nor a morning person. I love my sleep and feel I need at least 8 hours to be productive. Bryan thinks I am bluffing but I would prefer more. Last night I couldn't sleep and ended up laying in bed until 3 AM watching TV. The only reason the TV got turned off at 3 AM is there is nothing on. I watched random shows until 3 and then as soon as 3 hit all that came on where infomercials. I promise the same infomercial was on 4 channels. Most where for workout videos which have no draw for me to order because I go to the gym, but I am a sucker for a good coin collection or stamp collection or some other random thing they can push on late night TV. The one positive side is as soon as I have realized I just can't live without the new presidential coin they are pushing, I realize I would have to get up to get my wallet to get my credit card and then I decide that is too much work. So for now, I have yet to purchase anything from an infomercial but the Magic Bullet is so tempting sometimes (nacho cheese in 30 seconds). I also realized why mom didn't let us watch MTV growing up. It is not that positive for young kids. There was a whole hour long show on how high school and college kids are cutting weight. They profiled a college wrestler, which if you have ever known a wrestler weight is a constant battle, and a high school girl who does pageants. The show was really about how fat she and her MOTHER thought she was and how she crash diets before every pageant. They just kept bringing up how she just eats an apple a day or cottage cheese for 1 - 2 weeks and can drop 10 pounds. I don't know what was more disturbing that the network allowed an hour show about this or how the young girls mother supported it. The mom said she didn't support but she kept buying the cottage cheese and didn't get her daughter help. I was just so disgusted that they would show this girl weighing and at one point her mother and her were shocked that she weighed 131 pounds. You could see the disgust on her mother's face. I just couldn't believe it and had to tell someone.

Some Pics from Cali

When we were in Bakersfield last time, my mom had my cousin who is the best photographer take pics of my dad, Bradley and my nephew Brayden. I think her plan was to use them for her Christmas cards. Bradley was not wanting to smile that day, but my dad and Brayden did great. Here are few of the best ones. Bradley was in a really rotten mood and would not smile for anything, but Bobby (my cousin) always manages to get a great shot. If you are ever in California and want amazing pictures you have to call Bobby.

Does Anyone Know...

If any of the public libraries or Barnes n Nobles around us have free Internet that I can log onto from my computer? I need to go this weekend and get some studying done and want it to be quiet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Bob Villa?

So I painted the table today, it was super easy and didn't take very long. Here are some pics. It isn't in the house yet because it has to dry, but it looks pretty good. It does have some run spots, but for a do it your self job and my first time ever painting anything I think it looks great and it saved us a ton of money.

Table before paint ...

Table after paint ...

A couple of days ago I took Bradley to the park just down the street and he had a good time. He really wanted to go swimming and didn't understand why the gate was locked.

Last week Bryan's mom and grandma came to visit and here are some pics from then.

New Table!!

Ok, so I went and picked up the table tonight. Some days I really wish Bryan was here more (all the lights are out in our garage), but I am very thankful that I don't have to worry about his job or us getting forced to relocate, so I guess I can deal with the travel. I will post pictures when I get some taken. I am definitely going to paint it. It isn't really white, it is more of a beige so it will be black by Monday (hopefully). Also a new guilty pleasure of mine is Kath & Kim. It you haven't seen it is a show on NBC and I think it is absolutely hilarious (not as good as the office). Don't watch it with a guy, they will think it is stupid, but I think it is really funny. It is definitely not for kids, but it's not vulgar, they make references to things that would probably just bring up questions. If you need a good laugh it is worth watching, it's a total no brainer.

A new dinning room table :) Potty update :(

I am picking up a new to me dinning room table. I can't wait, I am just worried about getting it in my car. Anyways, I will post pictures when I get it all set up. I might paint it but who knows. Off to the gym.

Bradley is still in big boy underwear. He does pretty good when we are out, but isn't doing good at home, but I don't mind his accidents and our carpet is disgusting (hopefully will be replaced with hard wood in the spring) and I have a carpet cleaner so I don't worry but he has a lot of accidents. Any ideas from anyone that has potty trained boys on how to avoid the accidents? Anyhow, I figure one of these days it will just click.

Mondays in Canton Purchase!!

Here is my first Monday's of Canton pictures. I have had the idea since we moved in and since we have lived here over a year and there was a booth at the Monday thing that would make your letters that day. It is a company out of Houston (which lost their store they had just opened in the hurricane) and are super nice gals. I talked with the owner for a little bit and she helped me with the dimensions and sizes on the spot.

The company is called Scribblin' Sisters. Their website is www.ScribblinSisters.com. They had some of the cutest sign's I had ever seen at the fair and they were really reasonably priced. They were a lot cheaper for these letter's than other places I had called.

Halloween and First Monday in Canton :)

Today I went to the First Monday in Canton and met some of Bryan's family from Bakersfield and Plano there. It was so much fun and I got some really great stuff for some really good prices. Pictures will get posted as I get the stuff up. I will definitely go back to the first monday in canton. Since we were in Canton, I left with enough time to get home and go to the trunk or treat at church, but it took me over 2 hours and 45 minutes to get home so I was unable to go to the church activity but Bradley wore his costume and handed the candy out to the kids that came by our house. Here are 2 pictures of Bradley in his costume but he wouldn't look at the camera so they aren't very good. It was very cute, every time the doorbell rang he would get so excited and run to the door. He would look out the window and if a kid had on a scary mask he would go and hide.

I was obviously in his way and he was trying to look around me to see the TV.

Pics from Houston!!

Here are some pics from our trip to Houston. I only took pics of Fairfield and Houston not Georgetown.

This is the Sonic in Fairfield, TX. Bryan had to visit a dealership in Fairfield, TX on the first day and since we didn't have a hotel yet, I took Bradley down to the Sonic and they had some amazing toys.

This was a really old house behind the Dairy Queen in Fairfield that I fell in love with. I would love to buy it and move it to a new location and redo it. From this picture you can't see the back which was just as interesting from the front.


On our way to Georgetown from Houston we drove by the Houston Temple. It was really pretty.

I also this awesome tower of some sort that looked like it had butterflies on it. When we got closer they where satellites of some sort. It looked really cool, the pic doesn't really do it justice.

On the road again :)

Bryan had to go to Houston this week to work and he drives so about an hour before he left I decided that Bradley and I would go with him. I have been wanting to go with him but am not sure how Bradley will do in a hotel. He does great in the car but hotels are kinda a pain in the rear. So we are in Houston and the drive down here was really nice. Our first stop was Fairfield Texas which has a sonic with the coolest toys. While Bryan was working I took Bradley to the Sonic and he played on the toys. Today we are in Houston and tonight we are off to Austin and then home on Thursday. It has been nice to spend some time all together. Last night was not so good, Bradley ended up in the bed with us and he just kicked me all night long after an hour of him asking for his bed. We tried the pack n play they bring but that didn't work. So hopefully tonight will be better, but if not I can survive on little sleep for 2 days, I did it for 14 months while Bradley was breastfeeding. Well I was gonna post some pics of our trip from day 1 but I am on Bryan's computer and his computer doesn't have a slot for my card. So pictures will come when I get home. I brought my computer, but forgot the power cord. I had just enough power to get my school work done and submitted and I guess that is more important.

I have decided that at one point while we live in Texas we are definitely coming back to Houston and going to the aquarium, a children's play museum, and a wild animal park. There are a lot of fun things I saw to do here.

Potty Training!!!

I have officially started potty training. I think it should be called cleaning up pee and poop days. Bradley only had 4 accidents yesterday and probably went to the bathroom 6 times in the toilet. He gets the idea of going in the bathroom I just am not sure he wants to. I have even come up with prize options to entice him more. He now gets to pick between candy, stickers or a new tattoo. Most time he picks the candy or stickers but he has picked a new tattoo a few times and if full on sleeves is what it takes to get this kid potty trained I am up for it. Tattoo's are actually cheaper than candy and they only last a few days. He loves them and thinks they are stickers that stay around for a little bit. I decided to start potty training from some encouragement in Cali. He told my mom one time that he didn't want to go on the potty he was just going to go in his diaper. Wish us luck!!

Our Tirp to Cali

So we just got home and had a really good time in Cali. Hopefully when we go back for Christmas it will be just as fun. Bradley spent most of his time outside playing. Also I got the 24 hour flu when I was there they day before we left, so that was also fun. I also went to my high schools homecoming. I took a few pictures of the stadium. It is nothing compared to the high school stadiums around here and for some of my senior year the bleachers were condemned so all the fans had to sit on one side.

These are some pics from the wedding we went to and had a really great time at.

This is Bryan and most of his high school buddies. I have a picture from our senior year with most of these guys in it.




This is my high school stadium, from the current visitors side. But when the stadium got condemned they switched the home side to the other side. Before they rebuilt the stadium, the bleachers where wood and smaller than what they are now. The track is dirt and during the 90's they pumped oil from the middle of the football field.

Zoo, Washing Dishes, BYU Game, Trip to Cali and Pictures with Mommy!!!

Holly and I took the kids to the zoo a week or so ago and Bradley decided to hold Mya's strap on her backpack and walk with her. It was very cute except for when they decided to try to ditch Holly and I.

Baby Aiden enjoying the zoo.

Bradley and Mya trying to ditch the moms. They where way to cool to see be around us.

Bradley has decided to play in the sink. He always rinses all the dishes but usually gets more water all over the kitchen than in the sink. He isn't tall enough so he just uses his chair and then hangs on the counter.

We went to the BYU game a couple nights ago and had a really good time except they lost. Since I was a cheerleader all my life even in college I was most excited about watching the cheerleaders and I took some pics of them too. Tracy, Holly and I all sat together and had a blast talking and watching the game.

The cheerleaders. GO COUGARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was their tradition at the beginning of the game. I am not sure what it is called but it was really cool.

A friend from the wards little boy didn't really like the noise. It was so cute.

Warm up pics.

Holly and I before the game.

Bryan and Kimball before the game.

Holly did you find any interesting pictures on your camera?

Here are some pics that Bryan took of Bradley and I.

We are in California for a wedding and our trip out here was pretty uneventful. Bradley did pretty good except he was awake the whole flight until the wheels of plane hit the ground to land, he fell asleep. I know convienent!!!