Merry Christmas 2012

Spelling Bee

We were so proud of Braxton for winning the 3rd grade spelling bee!! He on the other hand was trying to figure out ways of getting out of doing the county wide spelling bee. He obviously did not "mean" to win. Despite his attempts of getting someone else to fill in for him, he ended up doing it and did fine. He made us very proud just by getting up there and competing against so many other (older) students. Yay Braxton!

Award and first tooth

Mason has had two accomplishments here lately...he received the "student of the week" award at school. We are so proud of Mason. We weren't sure how he would do with me being at the same school, and if he would be able to control himself and follow the rules. Mason is a bit of a rebel, full of energy, and can be extremely "rough". He is all boy for sure! So far...he has been a dream,(at school ha) and I hope he stays that way. I do know that when that bell rings at the end of the day he is DONE...I mean one can only be good for so long, right?!?

And today, he lost his first tooth!! Yay, finally that tooth is out. It has driven him crazy over the last few weeks. This is only the beginning...he has 3 more loose!!

Treasure Box

This week was a very sad week in our family. Brian lost his Paw Paw, someone whom was very special to him. He grew up with him right next door his whole life. He was such a sweet, sweet man, and my boys loved him and enjoyed being around him. I am so thankful that they were able to know him, love him, and spend lots of time with him, and have just a piece of what Brian felt for him. Mason had 1001 questions going into the visitation and we debated on letting him "see" PawPaw. He was very mature about it and tried to understand it all in his 5 year old brain. He touched him, he talked to him, he was very concerned for him being in that "treasure box". He doesn't understand it all, but what he did know was that his PawPaw was special and only special people get a treasure box!! How true it is and what a treasure he was to his family and we will miss him dearly!!

Sweating it out at one of Braxton's baseball games! (That's Mason)

One of my favorite pics!

At Cullen's baby dedication...Cullen is named after him :)

Christmas 2011

Cullen's first birthday

We have so many wonderful memories and a ton more pictures, which I am so very thankful for. We will look back on the them as the years go by and  remember how blessed we all were to have him in our lives!

Goodbye Tonsils!!!!

Braxton finally had his tonsils removed this week, after many years of having strep and tonsillitis it was definitely time!! I know he will not miss them. Although right about now he probably wishes he didn't have to go through all the pain to get rid of them. He has been a trooper and done much better than I thought he would. I know he must be hurting so bad but has not complained one time. He has been sleeping a lot and I think that is probably the best medicine. I am sure everyday will be better, I know he cannot wait to be back to his old self again...I know I can't wait for him to!

Love that smile...and we haven't seen it since this pic! Soon enough he will be back!

Poor thing was a mess trying to wake up, he was all over that bed trying to get comfortable. I was so happy when he finally settled down and went back to sleep!

Still resting...

 

We took this pic for Mason...he was wondering if he would have to  have a ride to the car!! 

Lately

Hmmm....I'm a bit of a slacker! Just been too busy with life I guess. There really hasn't been a whole lot going on other than the usual, baseball and school. That is really about it. The boys are doing really well in school and we just finished up baseball until spring starts up. (Although we won't be away from the field long,  Braxton will still practice some during the week)

Here are a few pics from "lately":

We went to six flags with our favorite traveling peeps. It was so much fun, it has been forever since I have been there. The kids had a blast, as they do wherever we go as long as the Ford's are with us!

Watching B pitch for the first time...not so fun for a mom!! It makes me too nervous, but he did fine and will continue to work on that through the winter.

We had some long days at the ball park, but these two did great. They just love being anywhere outside I think.

Dirtbags won their first tournament...it was only their second tournament as a team. WOW! That's pretty awesome considering that this is everyone's first time in "big boy ball", as his coach calls it. Kid pitch is a totally different ball game. I think this is when you really start to see who can play ball! Cannot wait to watch these kids in the spring.

So proud of you, Braxton!!

AND here we are, already at Halloween! Love these 3 with all my heart and soul!

18 months

How has it been 18 months?? It has gone by so fast with this one...and I want him to slow down!! 

Brian took Cullen for his 18 mos check up a couple of weeks ago (yes I am just now getting this done). He is continuing to grow and mature as he should, hitting all the development milestones without any problems. Thank the good Lord for giving us such healthy children! We are so thankful!

His teacher says that he is leaps and bounds above those in his class, and we are well aware that is because he has older brothers. He talks all the time...only a word here and there that we can recognize but he repeats everything that we say so clear. I am amazed everyday at how much he picks up! 

18 month stats:

Height: 34 1/2 inches

Weight: 28lbs

Favorite Foods: Muffins, marshmallows, chicken, weenies, french fries, green beans. You are now at the big table, you refuse to sit in your highchair anymore :(

Favorite toys: anything outside, anything you can push, and you are kinda getting into trucks and tractors

Words you say all the time: bird, Braxton, Mae-Mae, Mama, ouch, ride, side (outside), bana,(banana) mil-mil (Milk), wawer (water), ball, papi, lambie, bear, I could really go on and on. You say so much these days it is hard to keep up with. 

Clothing size: 24 months-2T 

Shoe: You still do not wear shoes much but you are a size 6.

You are very friendly and always speak to people. You are not much of a stroller rider anymore, which is a very busy time at the ball park for those chasing after you!! You can pitch a very good little temper tantrum and are pretty quick to pick up and throw the first thing you see. On the other hand, can be super sweet and loving. You don't go anywhere without lambie and you have recently started having to have a certain teddy bear with you at bedtime. We love to snuggle with you on the rare occasion that you are still and let us. You are very curious and stay busy 24-7! What a joy you are to be around!! We love you so...Happy 18 months CTP!

Dirtbags

That would be the name of Braxton's travel ball team. Yes, travel ball, what I said we would never do! We have turned it down for several years and did not think twice about it. After last season we realized, that may be  the route we needed to go. We were approached during All-Stars by a coach that had been watching him and he wanted Braxton bad. He was starting a new team, new players, everything new...except the name bc they do have older Dirtbag teams. He talked with us and was willing to work with us through everything. We really debated this for a while and let Braxton decide what he wanted to do. He said 100 % this is what he wanted. So here we are...baby steps...into the world of travel ball. The fall is a good time to ease in. We will see how Braxton adjust and go from there. So far, he loves it. Kid pitch is a big adjustment and it will take some time but he has great potential, and we are so glad that such a good man/coach saw something in him. We are looking forward to this new chapter and I hope that we made the right decision. 

First Travel Tournament 

First day of school

First day of kindergarten and first day of 3rd grade. Braxton is thrilled :)

My little man at his school! Such a big boy now!!

Ms. Connie is Mason's teacher and also in my  LC (learning community) which means we do  lots together! Love seeing him in the hallway!

Mason and I...first day for both of us at this school!  

Who is ready for school?

I wish I could say, with excitement, that we are ready!! That is not the case around this house. My boys are not the least bit excited about starting school and would love to be at home for the rest of their lives and never see school again!! They have a long way to go to already dread the beginning of school. Ready or not we are going and we are going with BIG SMILES!! (Maybe) It will be nice to be back on a schedule, but I know it will be a bit hectic around here, to say the least, with school and extracurricular activities, homework...etc. Oh well ready or not it is here!!! Cannot believe it...a 3rd grader and a kindergartner. Seems like yesterday we were getting ready to send Braxton for his first year of school. WOW time flies! I am so thankful for my family and this year extra thankful that I will be at the same school as Mason! Got transferred at the last minute but it will be so worth it in the end!! So now we hope we sleep tonight and that our first day of school 2012 is a super day!!

book bag, school bag, lunch boxes, and name tags are ready!  

My treats for my school babies for their first day!

Matchy Matchy

I wish I could get them matchy matchy  more often but Braxton won't have any part of it!! He is getting way too cool for us ;) I will take this rare occurrence...I'm sure it will be the last!

Just the two of us

Me and Cullen that is...his brothers are on a little trip with Mimi and Papa. He is so lonely without them. It makes me realize how much he really loves them and how he appreciates their company. I am missing them as well, and I realize how much they entertain him!! He has been my little shadow since they left. We cannot wait for them to get back!!

Muah Braxton and Mason...hurry home!

Shipwreck Island

We took Braxton and Mason to Shipwreck Island one of the days we were at the beach. We never do things like that, usually when we go to the beach we stay on the beach all day. This time we decided to try out a water park and see how they liked it. It was a lot of fun, even for Brian and I,  we all enjoyed it. It was not crowded and we got to ride everything with no waiting. The boys loved the tube ride where we all rode together. It  may not be something we do every time but it's definitely something we will do again. Next time Cullen will be old enough to go. (He stayed back at the condo and hung out with Mimi and Papa) Here are a few pics...just from my phone that I grabbed  to catch the boys on the ship drop.

Ahhhh....

We just returned from a nice beach getaway with the family. It was much better than I had anticipated. Cullen did much better than I gave him credit for, he slept well, played well, and ate well. The other two I new would LOVE every second. They have always been that way, and absolutely love being at the beach. It was fun, and the weather was perfect. It was not too hot at all, always a nice breeze. Pretty good for middle of July!