The Fun is Done!

He had such a wonderful Christmas and now it's done already. Bradyn loved opening all his presents and of course played with the boxes and paper more than the toys! The craziest part of the night was rushing to pick up the paper as soon as we opened a gift just so that one of the boys didn't start eating it. Usually we just throw the paper all around the room and take a picture of the mess when we're done but not this year! Here's just a few pics.......

Bradyn got a truck with the handle from Aunt Leah & Uncle Mitch. (those trucks are great for them to push and be able to hold on to)

Both Alex and Bradyn got a ball to play with and they were going crazy with them for a little while until someone threw a box on the floor and their attention was easily diverted.

The funniest gift he got was a pouncin' Tigger from Uncle Mike. Every time you push the tail it starts bouncing up and down and Bradyn just thinks that's the funniest thing in the world. He likes to pick it up and hug it when it bounces.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and enjoyed all that white stuff we had.....I'm sure it will be coming back soon!!

Congratulations Jesse & Alicia

Last night (Saturday, December 20) we had Brandon's cousin's wedding. The ceremony was at Vriesland Reformed and it was a beautiful ceremony. The bride (Alicia) looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress.

And....here is the newly married couple Jesse & Alicia Bazan!!! After the ceremony we headed off to the BOB and had their reception which was a blast! The food was great and we had a lot of fun dancing and hanging out with family!! Congratulations Jesse & Alicia, we're so glad we got to share in your special day!!

First Christmas Present

Last week Saturday we had the Sterken Christmas Party and Bradyn got to open his very first Christmas present. Daddy showed him how to tear the paper and it didn't long and he tore every piece off. We draw names just for the kids and Jr. and Teresa & their kids gave him and Elmo farm set which makes many sounds (got to love those talking toys)!!! I think his favorite part of the toy is pushing the tractor through the swinging barn door!! Thanks for the gift!!

Random Pictures

I haven't posted too many pictures lately so here are just some random ones that I have taken of Bradyn over the past few weeks. One afternoon I discovered him playing in the box of toys (the Pampers box is our toy box for now)

Daddy took the camera in after Bradyn woke up from his nap and snapped a few pictures of him being silly in his crib.

I pulled out one of my old stuffed animals for Bradyn to play with and as you can see from the picture it's just about as big as he is!

Christmas Tree

I wasn't going to put the tree up this year because I thought Bradyn would be too much of a distraction for Bradyn but so far so good, the tree is still standing upright and he's only ventured to it a few times. However, I have had to move a lot of the ornaments from the bottom to higher ground because he thought it was great fun to hit them with the plastic spoon. Good luck to all you other parents out there who ventured to put up Christmas trees and decorations with little ones around!

3 Little Buddies

Last night we got together with our usual group of friends and managed to get a quick picture of the kids together. They are all 10 months old and yet they are all are so very different as far as how each one is developing. Just goes to show you that no two people are alike and God has made each one of us so very special and unique.

Bradyn, Abby & Daniel

Finally Some Pictures!

I promised I would post some pictures so here are just a couple. In my previous post I said how Bradyn loves to walk behind the highchair well here he is. He pushes it until he runs into something and then gets mad because he's stuck. It's so funny to watch him because when he's on the wood floor it moves faster than he can go!!

I usually buy diapers by a box at a time and if you've noticed in other pictures the boxes work great as a toy box so he can easily reach his toys (since we don't have a real toy box yet). Daddy thought it would be fun to put him in the box and push him around - his face doesn't really look like it but he loved it!! He even tipped over and thought that was quite funny too!! So if you need something to keep your little ones occupied - just remember diaper boxes. Oh yeah one more thing, if you put the box on your head and play peek-a-boo, you're sure to get a giggle or two!!

Blog Slacker

So I don't have any pictures to post because the batteries in my camera are dead but I at least thought I'd better let everyone know in the blog world that we're still here. It just seems like we've been so busy lately. Bradyn has two teeth on the bottom now and is getting closer and closer to walking everyday. He's starting to let go of things and standing on his own. He would much rather play with any sort of cord (extension, lamp cord, vacuum cord) and loves to rattle the verticle blinds by the slider (one of which he cracked at the top). He also likes to walk behind the highchair, which is on wheels, and pushes it all through the house. I borrowed a little walk behind cart from my sister but he still prefers to use the highchair for some reason. Our first major accident (at least it was to me) happened this week when Bradyn decided he was super boy and let go of Brandon and thought he could make it to the next chair over and fell, smacking his forehead on the bottom part of the chair, he now has a nice bruise. Other than those updates everything is going great around here and we're just preparing ourselves for the busy holiday season ahead of us!! I promise I won't wait so long to post next time and it will include pictures!!

Sunday afternoon fun!!

After church on Sunday we usually all go to my parent's house and have lunch. It sometimes can get a little crazy when you have three little boys around. Alex and Bradyn decided it would be great fun to play with magazines and rip the pages up. The funniest part was that they each had ahold of the same magazine so they were playing tug-a-war until it finally split apart and each ended up with half of it!

Alex (he's 9 months old too) has been standing on his own lately so we decided to get the cart out and he just took off with it!! I'm sure that within the next few weeks he'll be walking already, luckily I've got awhile before Bradyn gets to that stage!!

1st Halloween

Here is Grandma and the boys on Halloween night - Alex the clown, Bradyn the skunk and Tyler the dalmation. Bradyn enjoyed his first Halloween and did a some trick or treating with his cousins. The weather was so perfect to be able to take the little ones out and they enjoyed every minute of it!!

9 Month Stats

Today Bradyn went in for his 9 month check up and he is a healthy, active and growing boy!! Here are his stats:

Weight: 22 lbs = 75%
Length: 29 in. = 75%

He definitely is a solid little boy but he's starting to slim down a little bit since he's been crawling and now pulling himself up on anything and everything he can reach!

Tonight we went to the Halloween party - Bradyn's very first one! Even 3 week old Caleb joined in the fun and dressed up as a pumpkin - isn't he just adorable. Abby was Mickey Mouse and Bradyn was a skunk (he call him our little stinker). Unfortunately this is the best picture I got of the two of them together. Bradyn wasn't to thrilled about wearing the hat part of it and he was getting hot so it was really hard to get a picture of him happy. (he's missing the tail which attaches to the back of him and is about the same size of him too!) I'll make sure to get a picture on Halloween night with him wearing the full outfit. There also was a costume competion for the kids and adults and Bradyn won 1st place!!!

Pumpkin Carving

Friday night we had our annual pumpkin carving night. A bunch of us get together and carve as many pumpkins as we can. We use designs out of books and punch the patterns out and then carefully cut everything away. It's a very long process but the pumpkins look awesome when we're done. Then at our Halloween party on Saturday we line the pumpkins up outside to make a trail leading from the barn to the bonfire, it's a really neat lighted pathway and everyone enjoys taking a look at our creations!!

Fall Pictures

This past Saturday we decided to take the boys down to the Holland Fish and Game Club to have some fall pictures taken. It's not easy getting them all to sit together, look towards the camera and smile all at the same time. We did manage to get a few good ones!! Below is Bradyn, cousin Tyler and cousin Alex!!


Oh yeah....I have to add that Bradyn finally got his first tooth, it popped through on Sunday!!

Congratulations!!

Congratulations to Zack & Amy with the birth of their new son Caleb!!


Brandon and Bradyn went to go see Caleb tonight...I have a cold so I couldn't go and am very jealous he got to see him first...of course I made sure to send the camera with so I could at least see some pictures. He looks adorable and I can't wait to see him. Below is a picture of Mommy and Baby!! Only 8 months ago Bradyn was that little, seems like forever ago, how fast they grow!

Zeeland Pumpkinfest Parade

On Saturday we went to the Zeeland Pumpkinfest Parade and Bradyn had so much fun. He was so happy to be outside and was just talking up a storm to anyone who would listen! He sat on Grandma's lap for awhile so he could see up close all of the activity going down the street. (I think Grandma was just using him to get candy!!) We even got to see Brandon's cousin Kelli Meeuwsen and her little guy Carter on the Zeeland Farm Services float.

Rainbow

This morning the sun was shining just for a few minutes and I just knew there had to be a rainbow out there and this is what I found. It was a lot brighter but by the time I got my camera and got outside it was quickly fading away.

A Few Updates

Ok...so you're probably wondering what Bradyn is staring at so intently. Last night Brandon and his friend Matt were playing Guitar Hero and as you can see he was quite amazed by their awesome guitar skills. He was quickly distracted once he figured out there were cords on the floor from the guitars and those were so fun to try to play with!







I can officially say I have a crawler on my hands now!!! For the past couple of weeks he's been scootin' around the house or rolling to wherever he needs to get to, but on Sunday he must have decided that crawling was bit easier and made his way across the bathroom floor without falling down!!! He did pull himself up in his crib and was standing against the railing one day last week too, which completely freaked me out because we didn't have the mattress lowered and he could have fallen out!!! So far that was the only incident that we've had with him standing, although he does try to pull himself up on his Pooh chair or onto my lap. How quickly they grow!!!

Help

Obviously I've been helped - THANK YOU!!!!!! (was this Rachel that helped me out??)

This is just a random question for anyone else who has a blog that can help me download a new background. I found a new background on thecutestblogontheblock.com site and I have to copy the HTML code and copy it into my site but it's not working. After I click on Layout, the next step is to Click Add a Page Element and then under the HTML/JavaScript click Add to Blog - those steps are not options in my blog - can anyone help me!!

3 Steps to Success

Step 1: Get your knees underneath you



Step 2: Use your arms and push upward with all your might
(sometimes it helps to throw your leg to the side for extra stability)



Step 3: Ahhhh.....Success......You have now accomplished sitting up!

For the past few weeks now Bradyn has been able to sit himself up and is very close to crawling!! He has got the cutest scoot thing going on and is getting into so much trouble by grabbing things he's not supposed to have. My sister reminded me that I do have a pack n play and they make for a great "cage" so I don't have to watch him 24/7!! (Oh yeah....excuse the mismatching shirt and shorts, he had jeans on but was hot, so I slipped on some shorts and wasn't about to make another shirt dirty just so he would match)

Another Flood!

Just thought I'd share a few pictures of the flood we're having again. Luckily this time I'm happy to report that our basement stayed dry and our sump pump is working wonderfully. Although we do have our usual leak from the big crack in the wall downstairs, but that is an easy clean up. These pictures really don't do any justice to the minituare size pond that has now been created behind some of the other homes in our subdivision. But I am happy to say that it is 7:10 pm and I just looked out the window to see a glimpse of blue sky with a little bit of sun shining behind it! I guess I shouldn't complain at all because we should be thankful that we don't have to be in the situation that most are recovering from with Hurricane Ike!!

Slacker!

So I am becoming a complete slacker on updating my blog lately. I don't have any pictures to put on today but I'll just tell you all what we've been up to. Today we had a garage sale at my Grandparents house with my aunt, my sister and my mom. We had a ton of stuff and last year we sold out practically on the first day, not this year - I think I'll be lucky if I rake in $20 (oh well, 20 I didn't have before). We were supposed to go camping this weekend but that has been cancelled due to the possibility it may rain all weekend. Who wants to sit in a tiny camper with a 7 month old baby while it's raining....not me! I was in charge of making chicken salad for the lunch meal this weekend, so being the good wife that I am, I still made a huge bowl of it tonight for us to have for dinner and a few extras for...yes MOM and LEAH!!! My little man enjoyed being outside all day today and was sooooo good, now since we got home he's been such a little crabby pants which wears on your patience very quickly when it's been a long day. Luckily he went to bed early tonight so I can have a few minutes to relax and now it's time for bed myself. Hopefully I didn't bore you all with my ramblings - and next I post I will make sure to add pictures!!

Daisy & Bradyn

Bradyn just loves Daisy. Anywhere she goes he watches her, which gets a little annoying especially when I change his diaper and she walks into the room. Daisy is such a little trooper, he grabs her feet and bangs on her head and Daisy just puts up with it. Both of their favorite things to do are play together. Daisy will bring her rope to Bradyn and lay it on him and then they play tug-a-war while Bradyn just giggles. The one thing we do have to be careful of is him wanting to put her toys in his mouth, I know they say dogs have the cleanest mouths...but that's just gross!!

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend we up to Baldwin camping with some friends and we had a great time. We went swimming which was Bradyn's first time completely in the water and he kicked his feet like he was going to swim off somewhere. Most of the time we just sat by the cabin and talked, ate and played with the kids

Quote of the Day

I have this little flip day calendar that I have been neglecting to keep up to date (actually it was still on January 25), so I thought today would be a good day to catch up. There must have been a reason for that because it was a quote that I sure needed to read!!

One of the greatest sources of inner peace that I'm aware of is expressed in the motto, "It is as it is." This prescription for peace is a reminder that there are times in life when acceptance is a far wiser option than struggle.

Cousins

I realized that I didn't have any pictures of Bradyn with his cousin Alex on here, so here is one I took on Monday night. Alex is my sister's youngest and is 11 days older than Bradyn. We've noticed a few differences: Bradyn is obviously chunkier than Alex, Alex has longer legs, and Bradyn is taller from the waist up. Alex is about ready to crawl and Bradyn is not to far behind!! Neither one have any teeth yet and their favorite thing to do is steal each others toys and spit (which leaves drool everywhere)!!! And once again I have to make note that NO - Bradyn's hair is not red, it just looks that way in the picture!

Sleeping Positions

As you can see Bradyn has some new sleeping positions! His most common one is now becoming the "on my knees with my butt up in the air"














This one was the funniest of them all. I walked in his room just to check in on him and all I saw were feet!

Sitting Up

Bradyn has been sitting up on his own over the past couple of weeks which is so nice. I can just sit the basket of toys next to him and he takes them out himself. I'm able to get more things done around the house now since I don't have to keep him occupied by dangling toys in front of his face! Every now and then he'll lose his balance and tip over - which happened the other night and he landed right in the basket and all the toys fell on him, it was quite funny and he didn't seem to mind either!

Surprise Party!

On Saturday we had to go to a surprise birthday party for Brandon's Uncle Mark. As you can see by the cake, he turned 50 - Happy Birthday Uncle Mark!!! It was a fun time to see family and meet Amber's new boyfriend Tim - FINALLY........

Prayers Please

I have a prayer request for everyone out there that reads my blog. I am not personal friends with the Busscher's but know of them through Brandon's cousin Kelly Meeuwsen. Their names are Brian & Kathy Busscher and their precious 18 month daughter Grace was involved in a drowning accident this weekend. She was an absolutley beautiful blond haired little girl and now she has been called home to her new life in heaven. Being a parent now myself I just can't imagine the grief and loss they are suffering. So please pray for Brian & Kathy and the rest of their family as they have many hard days and weeks ahead of them!

Craig's Cruisers

Today was Brandon's work party at Craig's Cruisers. We had lunch and then headed off for fun and games. The first stop was the go carts and let me tell you, it's never a good thing when they have a "plan" before they even get into the cars. Luckily no one was kicked off and there wasn't a whole lot of bumping! Our next adventure was mini golf. At first we wondered about bringing the strollers in but Brandon assured us it would be ok.....yeah....let's just say we ended up carrying the strollers up steps and over rocks and across the greens which was more work than golfing!! After our never ending golf game the bumper boats were calling our names. Brandon and Mark went first and they got soaked (Mark lost his eye glasses in the water too...oops!). For the second ride Brandon and Mark went yet again with some other friends and got even wetter (not sure if that is really a word)! Me and Sarah decided it was best if we didn't venture out because we'd for sure be targets and we weren't about to walk around in wet clothes. We had an absolute blast and the weather was awesome....except for the sunburn we all are suffering from now :)

Abby & Bradyn had lots of fun watching their daddies go racin!!

Let's go racin!!

I don't think that lifejacket would do Brandon any good if he were to fall in, if you notice it doesn't even buckle.. ha ha!!