December 2009

Merry Christmas 2009! Ricky, Jennifer, Braden (9), Kanton (7), Ashton (5), and Bryson (10 months)

Kanton, Braden, Bryson, Ashton

Ten months old!!

September & October Updates

Braden, Kanton, and Ashton after soccer

the reason Upward should not send us white uniforms...Ashton looks like a Tide commercial!

Kanton playing soccer in the fog

workin' the bib...Thanks, Paula!!

the start of Ashton's shingles

We have just been extremely busy the past couple of months. With school, taxiing, soccer on Tuesdays and Saturdays, AWANA, church, and now festivals, it's been crazy...not to mention we had 4/6 family members have a birthday within 6 weeks of each other. Kanton had his party, and it was a blast!! We had 35 kids, 18 adults, and 7 pizzas. We did 8 expiraments, and had tons of fun!! I think I will definitely do this party again. We moved Ashton's party due to conflicts with fall break and swine flu! It will be November 7, so updates will follow. Soccer is over in a week, and we're getting into the full swing of all! I plan on doing lots of baking with the kids, decluttering, and getting ready for Christmas.

Bryson is now 8 months old. He is crawling everywhere, and he is so fun. He is happy at 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m....and all hours between. He hardly fusses at all. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 2nd dose of flu shots, and we are anticipating the H1N1 vaccine as well. I pray for my kids daily to remain healthy. There is no medicine for the kids under 2, and Kanton has asthma. He has had pneumonia more than 6 times, and he has also had RSV. Ashton was hospitalized with pneumonia for a few days when he was a baby, and had RSV as well. Braden had a febrile seizure when he was 2, and he was diagnosed with bronchitis at the time. He has not had as much trouble as Kanton. Bryson had RSV in May, so we are praying that the swine flu stays away!!

On Thursday night, Kanton asked Jesus into his heart! Way to go, Kanton!!

Happy Fall, Y'all!!

Kanton's party pictures will have to come later. My computer is running way too slow in this rain!

First Day of School 2009

Bryson

Braden

Kanton

Ashton

Braden going into 4th grade, Kanton going into 1st grade, and Ashton going into Pre-K

Galveston, Texas 8-16-09

This was the first time any of us had ever seen the ocean!

Well, we took a mini-vacation to Moody Gardens on August 16, 2009. We were blessed to have won tickets from KSBJ, our local Christian radio station. Yay!! We were so excited. Trying to find time to go was a little hard, because we got them and had to use them quickly. We decided that this weekend worked best due to other scheduling conflicts. The boys started school on Friday, the 14th, and we went that weekend. We had a great time. None of us had ever seen the ocean. We were so excited!! We went to Moody Gardens, and we had lots of fun. We got to see the Aquarium Pyramid, Rainforest Pyramid, and the Discovery Pyramid. We watched a 3-D movie of "Wild Ocean," and played at Palm Beach, the water park. I was very worried that it would be super hard with Mr. Bryson, who turned 6 months old on that day. He was wonderful. He cried about 10 minutes in the car on the way, but that is my fault. I let him sleep instead of waking him up, so I put him in the car when he was ready to play. He did well, adjusted, and we went. After Moody Gardens, which closes at 6:00 p.m., we went to the beach. We found locals who pointed us to Sea Wall Blvd, which was where Hurricane Ike hit pretty bad last year on my birthday, September 13, 2008. We parked alongside the road, and we pushed Bryson in the stroller. The other boys walked. Ricky carried the stroller down the steps, and everyone got in the ocean. We had to walk a long way to the water, so it is a good thing Ricky suggested the stroller. We got carried away watching the water, looking for shells, and playing in the sand. We had a blast, and we left late. The boys ate dinner in the car, fell asleep at their normal bed time...in the car, and got baths in the morning. They weren't even over tired the next day! We had a blast, and we're planning on making another run to the ocean soon.

in front of the Rainforest Pyramid

Braden, Kanton, Ashton & Bryson

They look so cool in their 3-D glasses!

the boys in the Rainforest Pyramid

Shark!

me & Bryson

Dinosaurs Alive

Bryson and I took a break from the water and watched from the shore.

Ricky and the boys in the ocean

dirty little toes....love it!

Hello!! Mr. Bryson is now 6 months old. My! What big, brown eyes you have!

Our First Design is Ready!

I feel like we waited forever, but our website is finally ready. Most of you know that we are making Christian t-shirts. We are very excited about what God's doing in this business, and we hope you can help us spread the word!

Go check it out: http://www.2hog.org/

They Saw It!

Ricky took the boys to Texas World Speedway on Sunday, July 5, to the Red, White, and Blue Charity Extravaganza. They saw the Wienermobile there. I missed it. :( Ricky was a little sad the whole thing wasn't in the picture, but it's still cute. I've always wanted to see that thing! Guess there's always next year!

Summertime

We are having a wonderful summer. Whoever panned the term "lazy days of summer" obviously didn't have 4 busy boys. We have been super busy. We went on a 10-day road trip to visit my parents in West Texas. We came back through San Angelo and visited friends. What a great trip it was, and I miss my friends there. We survived that trip with Bryson being 3 months old, nursing, and not taking a pacifier. Whew! On Mother's Day, Ricky and the kids planted a garden, and on Father's Day, we got to eat the green beans. After the trip, the 3 older guys did VBS at Christ United Methodist Church and had a blast. We have done Sports Camp at Grace Bible Church and Central Baptist Church. We enjoyed a wonderful 4th with great friends. Now, we are relaxing, taking our trips to the pool, and still trying to get the house clean...I've been trying all summer. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Summer Fun Days on Thursday. Also, we have 5 1/2 weeks until school starts. This summer is flying by. I hope the kids are having fun. We tried to make a solar oven, and it didn't work. Our cinnamon rolls were soggy. We tie-dyed t-shirts when my mom was here. The kids looked great!
We planted a garden and had enough green beans to eat for dinner. I have never seen kids arguing over who got the most green beans (like it was dessert). It was so funny!

Bryson turned 4 months old on 6-16-09. He is such a great little guy! At 4 months, he was 15 lbs 6 oz and 23 inches long!

Kanton and Ashton learned how to ride their bikes on the same day!

first try

I hope everyone is having as much fun as we are. We are truly blessed having kids that enjoy everything we do. We could dig a hole in the backyard, put water in it, and they would have a blast. I'm thankful that little things like visiting my parents and swimming in the hot tub is a 'vacation' to them, and we can do the bigger things when Bryson gets a little older. I can't imagine attempting the zoo in this hot weather or Sea World for that matter. We may try to see Blue Bell before the end of the summer, but that's about it until cooler weather comes!

I must throw in a funny story: When we were at my mom's house, the kids were playing in the hot tub in the backyard. They were splashing around, having fun, and they got quiet. We looked up and saw Braden on one side, Kanton on the other, and Ashton was in the middle. We heard Kanton say "Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit," and then they baptized Ashton! I think he was baptized 20 times. Maybe he will grow up to be a preacher one day. :)

Kanton-isms

So, I really should be updating with pictures right now. Well, let's back up...I really should be doing laundry or something more productive right now. I have decided to post some funny things that Kanton has said. He is such a funny guy, because he says things that he doesn't mean to be funny. He is very sincere, and that makes it even better. So, I want to do this before I forget.

1. A few weeks ago, Kanton saw me cooking in the kitchen. He makes me want to work out!
Kanton: Mom, those are some tiny shorts!

2. One night, we were watching Biggest Loser a while ago (and pre-Bryson), I was weighing myself in the bathroom while Kanton was in the bath tub. He thought he was giving me a compliment!
Kanton: Mom, you could be on Big Fat Loser!

3. At my parents' house, my dad was getting the go-kart ready to ride. The throttle got hung, and the go-kart started going on its own. My dad jumped on the back trying to stop it, and it hit the fence and flipped over on him. Kanton came outside, looked at the go-kart and looked at the fence...
Kanton: Ron Ron, I know why you hit the fence! You forgot to open the gate!

4. Braden was walking in the hallway, and his shoulder hit the trim on the doorframe. Braden was holding his shoulder in pain.
Kanton: Braden, if you would scoot over, you wouldn't hit your arm!

5. One day, I was frustrated with the kids, and I started calling Braden's name for Kanton and Kanton's name for Ashton and vice versa. Well, Kanton just stopped and looked at me and said... "Mom, why did you name us that if you couldn't remember it?"

6. The newest one happened the other night. Kanton is a very picky eater, and we have tried bribing him with $1 for everything he tries, and it still doesn't work.

Me: Kanton, you're going to have to try some kind of lunch meat this summer so we can pack it in your lunch next year.

Kanton: I don't like meat!

Me: Well, if you're going to be a vegetarian, you have to eat more fruits and vegetables and get some protein.

Kanton: I was going to be a scientist!

3 months old

Bryson is 3 months old now. I can't believe it. I knew it would fly by, but I'm in the middle of it, and I still can't believe it. This sweet baby has made it through 7 weeks of soccer. It went from cold to hot to hotter. He been to church, sat through endless ceremonies and presentations. He has been to a Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting, pool parties, and the park. He is my little take everywhere baby. My other guys were so sheltered. Now, this boy did get RSV. He had the nebulizer and whole deal. We were able to stay home and continue breathing treatments here. He started getting sick on the Friday before Mother's Day, and he got better right before baby dedication. Kanton got pneumonia that same week and missed 3 of the last 6 days of school. Poor guy! He is a joy!! He never cries. The day he got his shots, I think I freaked a little. I was not used to him being cranky. I made it through this week making cake for 300 people, and he took 3 hour naps for me! What a trooper!!

I just love this face.

Here we all are at baby dedication at church on 5-17-09.

He prefers to suck on his hand, but we are working on the paci. My friend, Erin, bought him some soothies, so we're trying!

He looks so cute in his horse outfit!

Bryson likes to swing if he's sleepy. Other than that, you have to be in eyesight, or he doesn't like it all that much.

In His Steps 2009

This is Ashton's favorite thing to do. Braden's friends especially think it's cool. I don't know many 3rd...now 4th grade boys...who can do this, so it is very entertaining to them. I think this will be the photo I put in Ashton's senior yearbook. This was done between ceremonies.

Here's the family between ceremonies. You didn't want to see us after 4 hours of awards. Whew!

Hey, there's nothing in here!

Poor Kanton had an allergy, and his eyes were killing him. Most of my shots, he's rubbing them or they're closed.

Kanton received the Godly character trait of "obedeince." His teacher told me he always tried really hard to be good, and he made it through the entire year of kindergarten without getting in trouble! Yeah, Kanton!!

Kanton is getting his diploma from his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Taylor.

Braden received the Godly character trait of "faithfulness" and was on the Head Master's Honor Roll (meaning he received all A's all year long).

Braden and 3rd graders reciting their memory verses

Mr. Meaty Legs

Bryson had his 2 month check-up yesterday. It was supposed to be on 4/16/09, but the doctor was going to be out of town. It was rescheduled, and he is now 10 weeks old.

We call him Mr. Meaty Legs, because this boy has some major chunky thighs. They are so much cuter on him, but they look just like mine! Anyway, we are going to have a t-shirt made as soon as mommy has time to go shopping. Mrs. Germ-a-phobe has been only to Target once and Walmart once with a stroller, and it was closed in Walmart. Eww, that place is just yucky!

He finally got his shots. He got 3 and one oral vaccine for Rotavirus. I hate that stuff. All three of my boys had it, and it's nasty, but the vaccine is bad. He choked on it, it came out his nose, and they said he will have runny stools and might throw up. I am not looking forward to this. Also, they said to expect a fever of 101 to 102 for a few days. My boy is not feeling well, and mommy just can't take it! Makes me sad.

So here are his 2 month stats:

Weight: 13 pounds 3 ounces, 90th percentile

Height: 24 inches, 75th percentile *above average! We are vertically challenged in this house!

**He was 7 lbs 2.5 oz and 19 in. when he was born! He dropped to 6 lbs 8 oz and left the hospital at 6 lbs 10 oz. He was 7 lbs 6 oz at his two week check-up.

He sleeps usually from 10 p.m. til 3:15 a.m., and then back to sleep til 5:30. Then, he sleeps til 7:30. He is usually up an hour and a half before his first morning nap. I think he is my best sleeper, but it's been a long time, and it's hard to remember.

Have a blessed week!!

2 months old and Spring-time Fun

Looking for some good, clean fun? Welcome to our blog. Note: It gets a little dirty toward the end. I apologize.

*Note: For a better viewing experience, please hum the Indiana Jones theme song. This helps my kids when they are playing, and I know it will help your blog viewing! Here are Kanton, Ashton, and Braden...errr, I mean Indiana Jones and his 2 stunt doubles.

Bryson is smiling now! He is also grabbing his toys and cooing lots. He reaches for my face and for his brothers' faces. He only woke up one time last night to eat, and he only snacks. I think he is just a sleepy guy. He's got a lot to watch over in our crazy house! He needs all the rest he can get!

Ron Ron and all the chubby bunnies getting ready to hunt eggs. We weren't going to hunt them, but the kids insisted. Please do not be fooled. The kids were not upset at all by their baskets remaining in the attic. They enjoyed the light-weight plastic bags. It made them run so much faster this year!

Happy 1st Easter, Bryson!

Pit Stop! The kids were pretending to change the tires on the go-cart. It was so cute!

Look out Angelina Jolie! Bryson can pucker up, too!

Bryson turned 2 months old on 4-16-09.

This is my parents' cake. My mom is a hygienist, and dad is a mechanic.

Kanton the dirty dude...They decided to play in a "pig puddle," which is what my boys call mud puddles.

Ashton the mud monster...Don't worry Em, the shirt came clean! So did Ashton after 5 shampoos and 3 body scrubs. It took 4 Q-tips to clean his ears! And as I told you, I apologize for the dirt in my blog! Have a great day!!