Come What May and Love It

We Moved

2011-09-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it is time for an update. every so often I get a bump form a friend to update this. so I am updating it! This will be short and sweet. We moved to Fullerton CA about 2 months ago. Matthew is attending Law school so we moved here for him to start school. It has been an adventure, but it has also been a lot of firsts. Iw ill save most of them for a later post, but I wanted to be sure you get something up with a few updated pics of the sweet babies in my house.

I have struggled with finding joy in all of this, but I am starting to find silver linings here and there that have made all the difference. I hope I can learn to love it here. That despite all the crazy southern Californians I will be able to find the small things to make me happy!

A small thing that happened not to long ago is that I got to meet bob from Biggest loser. Nice guy! Wish I could have worked out with him!

Ok, Ok, I'll update it!

2010-03-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

I got a rare moment this morning to sit down and type for a few minutes. I am taking a small break from The Sassy Saver to get my life back under control. A lot has happened to make life crash down and I had to pull way back to basics to get it back to where it needs to be.

First off, I am pregnant with #3!!! I am just over 10 weeks and already starting to show a bit. That kind of scares me because Matthew was 10 lb when he was born and if I am showing it may mean big baby! But we will see. We are so excited and I should have the baby sometime the end of September, beginning of October. I have been really sick with this one. Worse of any kid. so I have spent a lot of time not taking care of the house and just taking care of the kids and myself. Matthew has done as much as he could while working 2 jobs and studying for the LSAT. I am grateful for what he has done as it has kept the house functioning.

Braxton is now 3 1/2 and a super smart little guy. He is starting to work on his writing and spelling. He loves it. He is also great at playing with Reagan. They love each other and are best friends. I am so grateful for that as sometimes when kids are as close in age they don't like to play with each other. you kind of have a 50/50 chance when you have them that close, especially when they are boy and girl.

Reagan is almost 2...I can't believe that. where did the last year go? I am beginning to think I blinked and missed it, life got so busy. She is a crazy one. She loves to sing and dance and is great at both already. She is a climber and climbs on everything including the table. She loves bubble baths and everything girl. She is the total opposite of me, so I've had to work hard to learn about girly things.

This last week both kids have come down with bronchitis and we have been shut inside until we could get the anti-biotics working. It has been nice, but so boring at times. I am so tired of TV and movies, but the kids have both had high fevers and coughing and choking fits that it is all we can do at the moment to keep them still. They are loving it, but I think getting tired of not going outside. It was raining when they both got sick but now the sun is out and it has been rather pretty so I know they are longing for it. Can't wait until it done and we can go back to real life!

Here is an updated picture of each of them so you can see how much they have grown.

Matthew and I took a trip to DC the end of last year without kids. It was nice, but we got so tired of walking around DC by the end of the trip. So I told Matthew next kidless trip we take ( which will be in like 5 or 6 years at least) must be a cruise or something where we just sit and enjoy life and have everything done for us. A relaxing trip. Can't wait!

So that is kind of where we are at the moment with life. Sorry for not updating this more for those who read it. I hope to do it more, but am not promising anything! That way I can't break my promises and let you all down. Hope your all well!

Braxton's New Bike

2009-06-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Braxtons beloved tricycle finally bit the dust. He was so sad and we were too. we were hoping to keep it for Reagan to ride when she gets bit bigger. But we had to get soethng to replace it because B is obsessed with bikes!
So we got him THIS

His very own "real Bike!" We got it while he was napping so he would wake up to it and he was so excited! He loves to ride bikes and is so good at it for a 2 year old. I never thought a 2 year old could ride a bike like that!

We went out right away and we now ride a couple days a week!

Juice Box Jungle

2009-06-11T17:47:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if you have noticed or not but I now have a really neat video player on the right hand side bar. This is to a site named Juice Box Jungle. I LOVE that site. It is a parenting site that is real. It has topics that are sometimes controversial, but really need to be talked about with parents. Parents, I think, sometimes see everyone else as a perfect parent, but really I think we all have the same concerns and dreams for our kids.

Take a look at the video on there and tell me what your thinking about. When I saw it I thought of myself and how I think of my kids. I wondered how if I was sometimes one of those moms that brags about her kids. They are just so smart (right??).

I am so blessed to have very alert little kids who love to learn. As part of my thrifty life style I think we have tried to take advantage of all the learning opportunities we can because more of those are free. I think this has made me a bit biased when it comes to my children being smart. I just hope to give them the best life they can have and teach them to live within their means and be happy there, Because that is what we are all searching for in this life, a little happiness as we struggle to make ends meet.

If you are interested in having this put on your blog, please send me an email. They have an ad network so you can get paid for running them. It is a great way to make a little extra cash on the side. The network is by invitation only so if you are interested let me know the address to your site so I can forward it on to them.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-06-11T15:32:00.001-07:00

Today is 4 years I have been married to a wonderful man! He still treats me like gold. We were so clueless what life had in store for us when we were married, but now 4 years later, I couldn't ask for a better husband or dad. He is just my perfect match. I can't wait to spend eternity with him.

We have had ups and downs in the last 4 years and lots and lots of fun moments. He is the hardest working man I know and does all he can so I can stay home with the kids. He went to school full time during the day and worked in the evenings. We have been blessed to have 2 kids and stay completely out of debt through his whole college career so far! He is such a blessing for working so hard.

He is now graduated with his Bachelors and is getting ready to take the LSAT. Through it all he supports my thriftiness and sassiness!

Thanks for 4 wonderful years Babe!!!!!

Who Wants a Hair Cut

2009-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to cut Braxton's hair. He gets so hot every summer and he is getting older. So Matthew made me take the plunge and let him cut it. Here is what happened.

Before

Sitting in the chair

Trying to run but he is strapped in the chair

"I No Like IT!!!!!!"

After

With Reagan after getting dressed and feeling better.

The Damage. you could make a wig out of all that hair.

Making Bread

2009-03-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

Braxton and I have started making bread together, thanks to my mom for letting us borrow her bread machine! He loves it and so do I. I had to share some pictures of him watching the bread and a video of him while it is cooking. He does this every time and could just spend hours watching the bread as it cooks on the counter!

She's a mommy!!

2009-03-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

or so she thinks!

Great Sunny Days!

2009-03-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

We went on a family bike ride with my mom and brother and Matthew captured some great pictures. When we got there we ate some lunch and got out and Braxton had leaked all over his pants!!! So much for pull ups being absorbent! so we changed him into Reagans diaper which was all we had and let him run around without pants on!

Good thing it was warm outside.

We had so much fun playing soccer,

playing on the playground

and walking around. Hopefully we can do many more of these days in the future!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2009-01-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

Braxton has never been one to sit under blankets! one morning right after he got up he asked me for a blanket. so I gave him one and he proceded to sit in his chair and put the blanket over him and get all cuddled up and warm...it was so cute!

Picture Overload!!!!

2009-01-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

ok, so I downloaded all my pictures today off the camera. so here are a few highlights of the last little while!

Braxton loves PB and J, What kid doesn't?? he decided that his sandwich was a train oneday and did this for about 10 min as he said "choooo chooooo..."

Why Do kids Love Boxes so much???

So, I've been thinking....

2009-01-13T01:05:00.001-08:00

I know dangerous right? but I think I have found a love for blogging. I never realized how much fun it is to type to who knows is reading and tell them of all the fun things that interest you. I have also been thinking about the world now. We have been trying to get more of a savings and trying to be more accountable for our purchases. We have also been trying to be sure our home is always clean and organized. It has made the biggest difference in the stress level and happiness in our home. We don't worry as much about how much money do we have and if we will have enough ( which we always some how did... Thanks to Heavenly Father for that one. Sometimes that was the only explanation we had) and we are finding time to be a family and to laugh more together. I can't think of a better end of the year and beginning of the year. I feel liberated and like my life is finally falling into place. I hope to keep this up this whole year. I want to be able to find more fun in life and to explore things with my kids and see them discover the world. I want to take advantage of every moment and live my life to the fullest. Enjoy the journey, not just find the joy but feel it too!

Tallying up the savings!

2009-01-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

I just though I would share this here. I just want you all to know what you can do with your money. it really is amazing to see this. I never realized how cool it was until I wrote it all down. This is posted on my other blog too and I will continue to post thngs on there in the future instead of here.

Thanks to Allysa, I was able to get some really good deals this week. I spent more then I wished but got so much free stuff that it made it all worth it.

here is what I did.

Walgreens

2-Quaker oatmeals $4.49 each

-$2.50 off each with a walgreens coupon

-$1.00 off each with a man. coupon

=$.99 each

Glade Candle $2.50 ( sale)

-1.00 man coupon

=$1.50

rebate of $1.00 coming back to me

Glade melts holder $4.49

-$2.50 man. coupon

=$2.00

Rebate of $1.00 coming

8-Garnier Fructis $2.99 each (sale)

-$2.00 off each Walgreens Coupon

=.99 each---or $9.82 with tax

Grand total:

$6.03 on gift card

After Rebate--- $4.03 on gift card

$9.82 Out Of Pocket

total Savings at walgreens-$26.50

Target

8-Johnson's Buddies $.99 Each

- 4 $2.00 off 2 coupon

= Free!!!

Baby Wash $2.99 (Sale)

-$1.00 off

=$1.99 OOP

Grand Total

$2.78 including tax

Total Savings

$9.00

Right Aid

SoyJoy 10 for $5.00

-$5.00 Rebate

=FREE!!!!

Grand total OOP

$12.60

Total Savings

$43.50

How cool is that????? I am so excited at all the money I saved. I spent about 1/3 of what I saved. I probably wont post this every week on here. I may on my other blog, but I am just so proud of myself. We were able to get things we really needed and save a bunch!

If you have any questions on how I did this let me know and I will either pass you on to alyssa, or answer them if I can.

My newest goal is to figure out what foods we buy the most so that we can get coupons for those things to use regularly so we can save even more money. It is hard to save a lot at the grocery store. you can only do so much there, but anything helps. If anyone has any coupons they don't use and would like to donate them to me, I will gladly take them off your hands!!!!!! hope you enjoyed seeing this as much as I did! ;)

I am doing new blog!!!!

2009-01-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get thrifty and save lots of money. so I started a new blog to help me to be accountable and to share some of the great deals and things I find out about. I think it is going to be fund for me. I am trying to get more organized and do what is needed to save money so the family can go on a trip and not have to worry so much about where our money is going. I will be doing couponing and rebate deals and shopping at places like Walgreens, right aid, longs... some people have a CVS but we don't yet, so I wont be including those to much unless they are SUPER good deals.

so hope you all can join me and get a few pointers and such as I embark on this journey!

http://niftythriftymamma.blogspot.com/

SWAGBUCKS!!!!!

2009-01-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

So I just had to add this because I did a little entry a little bit ago about it and I just wanted to update you all with my status. I am so excited. I've been doing it for about 2 weeks now and I am 10 swagbucks away from a $5.00 gift card to amazon. I can also save for other things. I am trying to decide what to do. I am up to 34 swagbucks now. so for those wondering what this is, it is a search engine that is powered by google. it is just like doing google searches but you get swagbucks for your searches and then can redeem them for free things. it is totally free!!! you can download a toolbar for the top of your page and use it like you would a google search or a yahoo search. you don't win every time, but most people win an average of 2-3 times a day.

I just can't get enough of the free stuff!!! so I wanted to spread the wealth around a little bit and be sure you all knew about it and that my post didn't get missed. And to brag that I am almost winning!!!!! ;) o if you havn't already done it, go here and sign up and start searching!!! you will win a few bucks right away! all you have to do is search!!!

Flying Leap!

2008-12-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

Braxton took his firt of now many flying leaps into things. he was running down the hall tripped and crashed right into the table leg. Matthew and I looked at eachother shocked of course because we had no idea how it happened and still don't, but he is ok just had the biggest goose egg I have ever seen in my life. the pictures don't do it justice.

Helping Daddy!

2008-12-27T21:17:00.001-08:00

Matthew FINALLY put our surround sound up after a year of living here! Braxton wanted to help so badly that he got his stool from the bathroom and put it next to the wall to help daddy put the wires up. It was so cute!

My Mischievous Little Girl!!!!

2008-12-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

I was in the kitchen cooking with Braxton at my feet and Reagan disappeared. Matthew found her in the bedroom chewing on the chain for his bike!!!! She had grease everywhere! Needless to say we have to watch her very closely now that se crawls. She is so fast and gets into everything now! Here is what she looked like from enjoying her little treat!

Promises Promises

2008-12-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

So I have promised so many people to update this! I promise it will happen in the next couple days. I have so many christmas pictures to upload and a few others just for good measure!

All is well here. I hope to get better at feeling motivated to post on here!

oh, and I have found a new search thing that I am loving right now. It is called Swagbucks. you get swagbucks for searching the web and then you get free stuff like gift cards or itunes money for music. I love that we get it all for free. you can check it out here or click on the picture of the guitar on the right hand side of the screen.

And Now He Is 2!

2008-09-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

September 6th Braxton had his 2nd birthday! We had fun going out to dinner with Nate for his birthday and then had braxton's cake and opened presents at grandma's house on Sunday night. Braxton actually ate his cake this year which made us happy. He loved his train the best! Here are some pictures of the fun we had!

Thanks for the table grandma!
The cake Melissa made for him!

Peek a boo!!!!

2008-09-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

Ipod...

2008-09-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

so B has discovered how fun daddy's Ipod is. He always wants to play with it and listen to it any time he can. he also dances to it. hopefully we will be able to get a video of him dancing sometime soon!

Ma-Maws Birthday!

2008-07-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

My mom had her 25th birthday this month *wink, wink*. Braxton made her a card and I made her a cake...well, brownies with a little flare really! We spent the afternoon with her and it was so much fun!!! Braxton just loves his ma-maw!

4th of July

2008-07-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

We had a great 4th. We went to the church and had breakfast with the ward and had a bike parade!!! Braxton had the best bike there of course and took a couple laps thanks to Dad, Mom and Megan. He loved holding his flag and walking around too. That night we went to see fireworks at the Peachwood ward party. Braxton was not to excited about the big bang of the firwroks but loved the lights and colors so we moved him inside to watch. Reagan slept through the whole thing until we had to put her in her carseat. It was a blast!

Fresno State Baseball Returns Home

2008-07-19T22:18:00.001-07:00

So I finally got my pictures off my camera!

Wehn Fresno State's Baseball team came home from winning the national championship they had a parade for them. It was os fun to see it and a part of this great event!

Now some cute ones!

2008-06-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

We got some pictures done a week or so ago and I thought I would post them. They were done at kiddie kandids.

Bloody nose!

2008-06-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Braxton had 3 days in a row where he got bloody noses. we took him in to the drs and he checked him out and he has allergies!!! Already, at age 2!! so he now has some medicine for when he needs it so he doesn't get them anymore. this was how we found him one morning. poor little guy!

FRESNO, YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have to say that Fresno is not my favortie place. But I am so excited that Fresno State is finally getting some good publicity. After months and months of negative publicity about the descrimination of the female coaches, Fresno State finally shows it's true colors with a 6-1 win over Georgia, giving them the College World Series Championship. They have come the farthest from the lowest ranking to the win in the history of any college sport. They also have the record for the most runs in a College World Series. What an amazing team they have too. One of the players was playing with a torn tendon that will have to have sergery. I am happy and proud to say that I am an alumni of this school and that in a years time both Matthew and I will be alumni's. Despite all the bad that has happened Fresno State is a great school, and I'm glad that the world finally gets to see that!!!! Good Job Guys!!!

Richard, do I have a mark on my face?

2008-06-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Richard do I have a mark on my face? It really hurts.

Nope, Nothing. I thought I hit you in the shoulder.
My shoulder doesn't hurt very much but my face does. Right here.

not here, or here so much

but right here.

Nope, ship shape. Waitress could I get the shrimp cocktail I saw in the glass case?

yup, and you what can I get...what happened to your face?
I knew it, see Richard? I'll have chicken wings

Raisins

2008-06-21T16:31:00.001-07:00

Braxton has been obsesing about this clump of raisins in the canister for weeks. the other day Matthew finally gave it to him so we could see what he would do. He was so excited and HE ATE IT ALL!!! just took bites off it until it was gone!

Memorial Day

2008-06-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

We went to woodward park and had a picnic and played. We also took a walk around the lake and saw the duckies!!! Braxton loved it. I loved watching him get so excited! I think we will do it more often in the future.

SMILES!!!!!!!

2008-06-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

So I think I have the cutest kids ever!!!

Vintage Days!

2008-05-18T21:55:00.001-07:00

We went to Fresno State Vintage days and spent some time watching the strong man contest, which matthew loved and we spent the rest of the time inthe kid area. Braxton had a blast with the petting zoo and chasing the chickens. he also got to ride a pony! he loved it! His favorite by far was the slide. Matthew had to take him down it as it was huge and he is little. Here are a few pictures of the day.

Crocodile Tears

2008-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

He's had these since he was born

Reagans Blessing

2008-05-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

Reagan was blessed on the 29th of April due to Stake conference the first week of may. not many could attend due to the date but we were grateful to those who came. The blessing was beautiful. It spoke of her getting married, serving the lord, and blessing all around her. It talked about her place in our family too. I am so grateful to have this little girl in our home. she is such a blessing to us. we have all learned so much from her already and I know she will continue to bless us each day. She wore the dress I was blessed in. We weren't sure she was going to fit in it but gained a bit right before it and fit it perfectly. Here are some pictures of the day for those who couldn't attend.

one month later

2008-05-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

so it has been a bit over a month but I wanted to be sure to get some more pictures of our little girl on here.

It has been a rough 6 weeks for her but she is growing really well. she has infant Reflux and has had to go to a specialist to get treatment. I have been put on a dairy and soy free diet as she has some intolerances to those things. but now that she is getting some help we are seeing some improvment. it has been really nice to see her a bit happier instead of hurting all the time. so here she is so all can see.
Coming home form the hospital

Meeting brother for the first time

Meeting Grandma Earl

She's HERE!!!!!!!

2008-03-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

well, this will be a short but sweet update with a few pictures. the rest is still to come. I have not been good at updating this but hope to get back to doing it at least 1 a month with updated pictures of our little growing family.

Reagan was born at 7:51am on March 27th 2008. She was 7 lb 6 oz and was 20 1/2 in long. She is a dream! couldn't have asked for a better or cuter girl!!!!

Christmas!!!!

2008-01-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

This year we were in Vacaville with Matthews family. it was great to get to see everyone that could come and spend some time just hanging out with family. On Christmas eve we were able to go to IKEA! I LOVE that store! Came out with only a few things but wishing we had millions of dollars and could buy a house and remodel it with all the neat organizational things they have there. Christmas day Braxton was able to open his gifts. He loved the pots and pans and vacume the most. Yes, he got pots and pans...he loves to play with mommy's and since mommy got new ones for christmas ( thanks to her mom!) Braxton can't play with them anymore so he got a mini set of his own. we came home the day after Christmas because Matthew had to be back at work. here are a few pictures of the day!

Baby Blues

2007-12-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

Matthew recently took a lot of close up pictures of Braxton which I love!!!! you can see his eyes so well. I hope they stay this color...it is just so beautiful!

2 favorite toys

2007-12-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

Braxton has 2 favorite toys that he plays with non stop. One is his car that plays music and the other is his ride on airplane. He recently learned to push himself on the airplane so as soon as it warms up a bit and stops raining we will be able to take him outside to ride on it! I can't wait!

Never Fear, UPS MAN is here!!!!

2007-12-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

NINJA BOY!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-12T11:15:00.001-08:00

Well, my mom made Braxton the cutest ninja outfit for halloween. we went to a pumpkin patch that had a little play area for the kids and took pictures and played. It was a blast!!!! I have never seen a cuter ninja around!!!!

NINJA POWER!!!!!

Quick update!

2007-12-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it has been forever. we have been so busy with everything and I havn't been feeling good so it kept getting pushed to the last thing on our stack of things to do. I wanted to get this at least up to date and then post pictures once we get them off our camera. Well, I am Pregnant again and due March 23rd. I am excited and we just found out that this one is going to be a GIRL!! we are pretty excited about that. I was pretty sick at first and didn't gain much weight until last month. I still started to show quite early though and have a feeling I will be quite big towards the end of this.

We also Moved!!!! we moved into a different appartment and hopefully will be here until Matthew finishes school and then who knows where after that. We moved into a new Ward which has been hard because we had a wonderful ward, but it has been fun to get to know some new people and experience some new things. Matthew and I were both in Primary in the old ward and the week after we got there Matthew got called to teach in primary again. He teaches the 10 year olds now instead of the 9 years olds! so Matthew is going on 2 years in Primary now. I am still the Stake ASL interpreter coordinator. I love my calling. They probably wont give me much of a calling in the ward though...at least not a sunday calling ebcause I am gone so much doing that.

Matthew is almost done with this semester at school and can't wait for a break! he did summer school this last summer so hasn't had a break for a long time. Next semester he has a bunch of political science classes and possibly a history class. honestly we can't wait until he is totally done but we know it is worth the time he is putting in.

hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. here is one of me and one of braxton. both are from about a month and a half ago!!! The one's of Braxton are his first attempt to feed himself yogurt!! it was fun!

Water Water Everywhere!

2007-08-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Braxton loves the water and he has started splashing them laughing at himself!!!! it is so cute to watch how exciting life is to him!

2007-08-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Dad loves to take pictures of Braxton and Braxton loves when Dad takes his picture!

He stood Up!!! Excuse the naked bum in the picture! He got away before I got the diaper on him

2007-07-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Play by play

some of our cute man sitting up and chowing down!

2007-07-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

A's Game

2007-07-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

This happened a while ago but I know Matthew would like all to see that we went to the A's game where the Giants got whooped! It was great fun!!! We wish we could do it more often!

Barry Bonds striking out!!

My new Hair cut!

2007-05-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

So I finally did it! I just got tired of it and Braxton puling on it all the time. I love the new cut even thought it is a lot more work then before!

Food Glorious Food!

2007-05-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Braxton decided to face plant in his food. He loved the art on his face! We love it too!

Swimming..well sorta

2007-05-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

We went out to go swimming with Braxton and we got into the water and it was FREEZING! we tried to put Braxton in a bit but he just cried. so we got out and just sat by the pool. hopefully it will get warmer soon so we can swim!

I'm Cute...Even When I'm Naked!

2007-05-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

Mommy and me!

2007-05-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am going to start teaching baby sign language, one class a week for the next 8 weeks. I had to take a few pictures for the buisness and I though they were cute so I decided to post them on here.

Look What I Can Do!!!!

2007-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Don King

2007-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

(I think he may need a haircut soon)

My New Face

2007-05-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Braxton started making this face as he made his newest loudest sound ever. then he would smile and laugh. I thought he was so funny! So I had to share.

Smokey the Farm Boy!

2007-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Big Hat Days in Old Town Clovis and came home with Smokey the Farm Boy!

Our Easter Egg!

2007-04-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

7 Months Old!

2007-04-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Day at the Park!

2007-04-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

We went to the park with Kelly and Owen our next door neighbors. It was so much fun to get out and hang out under the tree's. We plan on doing it regularly now that Braxton is down to 2 naps a day!!!

Kickin back on the ride!

Eating... sitting up!

2007-04-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

Braxton is now eating somewhat real foods. We started with Rice cereal a couple of weeks ago and have worked up to now having pears and Butternut squash. he loves the butternut squash! I think it stinks! The first day he did really well. he had to figure out the whole spoon thing and he made a face with every bite. but all in all he is a trouper an dnow looks forward to the times he gets to eat like a big kid!

He wants to hold the spoon all by himself!

His favorite part is licking the extras off the bib!

I'm a big kid now!

2007-03-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Braxton has discovered cups! Especially the red one at bath time. He loves to hold it and to eat the edge. Sometimes he will get a drop of water and then swallow with a weird look on his face. He is doing so well holding it up though. I think he loves being a big kid like mom and dad.

Look at the great skill he has!

SUPRISE!!!

2007-03-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Rubber Ducky your the one!

2007-02-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Sir Braxton the Dragon Slayer!

2007-02-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Training Braxton Early

2007-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Matthew is training braxton how to use the TV controller.

The prep or the punk look??? ( we want answers of which is best!)

2007-02-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

Put your vote in the comments section!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

2007-02-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Braxton wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's day!!!!

"what this wasn't for me?"

got the "thumb and hold" down!

2007-02-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Braxton loves to hold things and suck his thumb. I think it's way cute!

Braxton Laughing

2007-02-07T20:24:00.001-08:00

It was a video but it didn't work!!! sorry if you missed it!!!! it worked for a couple days then disapeared!

Braxton laughing cont.

2007-02-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is from a while ago but but I finally figured out how to post it for you all to see. here it is!
(if you need the links they are down at the bottom of the blog due to the large size of the screen to play the video.)

out for a jog...well, sort of

2007-02-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

we went out for the furst time in the jogging stroller.(not in the car seat with that in the Jogging stroller) I really didn't run....what? so I'm a bit lazy!!!!! at least I walked!!!

Naked and loving it!

2007-02-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

After his bath,

Braxton decided to do some

tricks in

the nude before we could get him dressed!

5 Months

2007-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Braxton turned 5 mo. old! I can't believe it! he is getting so big! I thought e would post the most recent pictures we have for all to see how big he is! He is also teething so everything and anything is in his mouth!

and Braxtons

2007-01-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here's Matthews

2007-01-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

something fun!

2007-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

I found this site that would show you which celebrity you look like! here's mine!

Got your feet!

2007-01-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

Braxton has discovered how fun it is to hold onto his feet! How absolutly cute he looks holding them and rocking side to side! I had to take a few pictures to share!

Hands, Hands and More Hands!

2007-01-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

Braxton can't stop sucking on his hands. he eats and as soon as he is done in the mouth they go! The other day he was trying to hold up hid head and eat his hand at the same time. It didn't work too well!!!

New Toy!

2007-01-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

We got Braxton a practicly new baby eistein excersaucer. he is still a bit to small for it but he loves going in it! I was excited to see one in such good shape at the baby consignment store!!!! I love th colors and it matches his room wonderfully!

4 mo. OLD!

2007-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

Braxton is 4 mo. old now!! wow how the time has flown! I just thought I would put some new pictures of my absolutly adorable Little Man. He is so wonderful and getting stronger everyday. He is starting to "swim" quite a bit. He rocks from side to side on his tummy. not rolling over quite yet, but he does roll from side to side on his back. just can't get over his arms yet. He is also starting to grab things and is putting everything in his mouth! What a wonderful little guy he is!

Christmas Fun!

2007-01-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas this year was at my families here in Clovis. My mom, brother and his wife were there besides us. Braxton loved watching his dad open his gifts! Braxton also had a really cute outfit that I bought him before he was born to wear on christmas day. He spent most of the day looking and talking to his "friends" in his swing and just spending time with the family.
We had fun spendig time with family as well. I got a Sewing machine bag so I can put all my sewing stuff together instead of it being everywhere!=o) Matthew got some Snow Boarding stuff and tools form my mom. He was quite excited about the tools. well, here are some pictures for you all to see.

Bunting

2006-12-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Braxton doesn't do too well with swaddling any more. We hates having his hands tied down so we started just putting a blanket on him. The only problem with that is that it didn't have anything to cover his hands. So my mom made him a little sleep sack but made it with arms and hand covers!!!! It is a bit too wide for him considering he is a skinny little guy. So we have to change the pattern a bit for the other one. but he just looked so cute in it I had to take a picture and share it with everyone!

The Cutest Boy in the World

2006-12-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Our little boy is growing up. He is so wonderful though. He is starting to have such a great personality. He is so happy all the time and is just great!!! Matthew took the cutest pictures of him recently and I wanted to share them with everyone. I think he is starting to look like such a little boy now. He is growing out of his baby stage already!!! But he is getting cuter by the day. I can't wait until he can sit up. It will be so fun to play with him. I can't really imagine it though because he is so fun already!

Because he has reflux a lot of time is spent with him in his bouncer sitting up. We find many things to do as he sits there. most of the time he is sucking on his hand and looking as cute as can be!! He has the bluest eyes right now. I just hope they stay that way!

This has become his grandma face! The past couple days whenever my mom comes over and stars to talk to him he makes this face. Then he will smile later at her but he always does this. We also call this his BITTER BEER face!! I thought of that as soon as I saw him do this!!! it cracked me up!!! I love that he is making faces like this. It is so cute!!

This is usually how he is in the morning. After sleeping 12 hours straight who wouldn't be this happy!!=o) We love this picture the most. definatly how I will remember my little boy when he is 15 and talking back!=o)

Like Father Like Son

2006-12-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

I had to take a picture of this. the other day I walked in to see Matthew sitting on the couch with Braxton on his lap. Braxton and Matthew were both just sitting there staring at the TV. They were watching the Simpsons! Like Father Like son I guess!!

A while ago I walked into our bedroom to go to sleep. Braxton and Matthew were both asleep in there. I took one look at Braxton, then at Matthew and noticed they were sleeping exactly the same! same foot up and arms up. everything the same. I had to include this in here as well because it reminded me of it!

Play time!

2006-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Braxton is getting to be so fun during our play time we have! Lately we have been trying new things because he has been responding with smiles and giggles. We have put him on his play mat which he hasn't been on in a while and we have been talking and playing in his bouncer. We think he is the curest kid around! we wanted everyone to be able to hear his giggles. but I can't seem to figure out how to hook a video on here. If I figure it out I'll put it on a later post!

guess who found their fist

2006-11-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend Braxton made his first successful connection of his fist with his mouth. He sucked on it for a while then lost it and couldn't quite get it back in his mouth!!! he is gaining control more and more everyday! we are so excited! here is a play by play picture of what happened.

Thanksgiving fun!!!

2006-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

We went up to Vacaville to see Matthew's family for Thanksgiving. We had a blast!! Braxton loved to see his Grandma, Grandpa, and aunts, uncle and cousins. He is smiling a lot now so it was great for him to be able to share that with Everyone. Matthew went out to all the After Thanksgiving sales and got a few Christmas gifts for ourselves=o)!!! He stood out in the cold all night at Best Buy and got all that we wanted. That is a tradition Started Last year with me going otu and we got a great deal on a TV. This year our big purchase was a suround sound system!! We also got a few other things from other stores as well. he left at 8:45 on thanksgiving night and got home at about9:00 the next morning. By that night he was crashed out on the couch by 9:00pm. Wealso gave Braxton a bath with that night time relaxing lavander soap. he loved it!! He just sat and was so relaxed the whole bath!!! We are now home back into the swing of things, but it was a great time being up there with family.

Our Boy and His Lips!

2006-11-14T00:46:00.000-08:00

We have had more people comment on how beautiful Braxton's lips are. We don't quite get what makes them so beautiful, but I guess that is a good compliment. He is really pouty somtimes with his lips and we wanted to be sure everyone saw what it was like.

I think it is the cutest thing ever. He will definatly be able to use that later in life getting things from Grandma!=o)

Braxton is Blessed!

2006-11-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

We had a ton of family here to see Braxton be blessed. It was wonderful to have them here. Braxton did wonderfully. He didn't cry or fuss or anything. Matthew did a wonderful job as well. He gave a great blessing and blessed him to serve a mission and be an example to all those around him.

He wore the same outfit Matthew was blessed in. It suprised me that it acctually fit Braxton seeing that Matthew was a bit bigger then him at that age. He also wore a hat and booties that a friend of mine made. I wanted to find him a little white suit but all we could find was a chrisining outfit with crosses on it. I guess we will have to try in Utah for the next one!=o)

My brothers came in from Utah and Vegas. It was nice to have them here. Having family close enough to do that is great seeing that the rest of my family is so far away.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2006-11-01T00:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday for FHE we went to a pumpkin patch and took some really cute pictures. i guess it is hard work posing for pictures because Braxton fell asleep half way through so half of the pictures are of him sleeping!=o)

but we got some really cute ones!!!! I had fun dressing him up to be a little bat!!!! he has to be the cutest Bat in the world!!!!

WWWWWAAAAAAASSSSSSSS UUUUUPPPP!

2006-10-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Bath time is LOTS of FUN!!!!

2006-10-29T23:15:00.001-08:00

We have started to Bath Braxton in his little bath tub. He likes it so much better then getting all cold and shaking with a sponge bath. I think it helps him sleep so much better at night and now he knows that when he has his bath it is time to sleep a long time until the morning. We have fun with him though.

He is always making it fun. He regularly takes the pose with his hand up next to his face with his hand clentched. Matthew calls it his fighting pose. He always says that he is ready for a fight.

After he is finished we get him out and he has the cutest little robe. It is a dog. Sometimes we don't put him in it but he is just so cute i can't resist showing him off. We love this parenting thing!!!!

first week

2006-10-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

well, I am wanting to be sure everyone see's how opur little boy has grown. during hs first week he didn't change much. he slept as long as I would let him and then the pediatrician told me to just let him sleep and not wake him up. by his 1 week apt. he had gained 5 oz. i guess I'm feeding him pure cream or something. Anyways, so I stopped. Tht night he slept 4 hours and the next night 5 hours. I couldn't believe it. he continued to sleep 5 hours everynight before waking up from then on. so I was probably the luckiest mom in the world. I actually got sleep right from the beginning of being a mom.

We started giving him nightly baths as well. He hated the first bath we gave him but gradually got better and better at handling the cold of the air on his little body. He started to just grab one of our fingers and hold on for the ride as we cleaned him as fast as we could and got him dry. He now loves to take a bath in the bath tub, just didn't like the sponge baths.

Matthew Loves being a Daddy. He is a really good one at that. He is patient with him and always is willing to help whenever I need him to. And Braxton Always seems to love it when Dad is around too. He is always calm and smiley and happier. It is nice when he gets to be home and spending time with us. It doesn't happen as often as we would like.

Braxton Also said his first prayer as you can see by the picture at the left. He did it all on his own. we didn't hear any of the words but we assumed he was praying because he folded his arms to do it=o) What a wonderful little spiritual boy we have.

He is such a wonderful, patient, loving little boy. what a joy he is to have!!!! We love him!

Braxton Joseph Earl enters the world

2006-09-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well, our little man finally came. After Many hours in the hospital, We were blessed to see our little man. On Monday Sept. 4 I went intot he hospital to be enduced. The first round of everything didn't work so my bosy didn't react to it at all. So On tuesday tat 2:00 in the after noonthey started the whole process over again. This time it worked very well. Here we are at the hospital before anything happened. It was a really ong wait. about 2:00 in the morning on wednesday they put me on pitocin again which kicked my butt this time. I was dying and couldn't stand the contractions. I wanted to go as long as I could without getting any medication and after 6 hours of contractions 3 minutes apart I was done and was begging them to give my the epidural. most people say that epidurals slow the labor process but for me it didn't do that at all!!! I can honextly say that is heaven after the epidural. I could have tons of kids that way!=o) so I was in labor for 4 more hours after the epidural. Matthew had taken a few days off work and he was getting excited him self. He couldn't wait to see his son and to have him finally in the world. He did get a little bored as you can see in the picture!

So on Sept. 6 2006 at 10:06 Braxton was born. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21 1/2 in. long. He came out perfect with no problems or weird shapes. he came out perfect and continues to be that way!!! He screamed and screamed when he firt came out. This picture was a lucky one that it got him catching his breath! He is the spitting image of Matthew. there is no dout this is his child. Where my child is...I don't know but hey at least we don't wonder who the daddy is!=o)

He loved his Daddy right from the start and continues to love him today. As he screamed Matthew gave him his finger to hold and he instatly stopped crying and intently looked at Matthews hand and even tried to eat it. I was amazed because I didn't know that babies that young knew how to do that! He just knew he was looking at his dad I guess or somehow that comforted him to have Matthew there holding his hand and talking to him.

We spent the next day and a 1/2 in the hospital. We debated over the name an actually didn't officially name him until we were about to leave the hospital. Matthew wanted to name him Stephen Roger Earl. I just didn't think he looked like a stephen and I was having a hard time agreeing to it. Matthew gave inn finally after hours and hours of discussing it and we named him Braxton Joseph. Our next son will be named Stephen Roger with no questions asked. so we already know for the next one. That is what we agreed on. It doesn't matter if I think he doesn't look like a stephen that is his name.

We brought him home and it has been interesting to say the least. I was waking him up every three hours to feed for the first week and when we went to the Pediatricians he weighed 8lbs. 4 oz. so the dr. told me that I didn't have to because he was gaining weight and doing everything he was supposed to. I was so excited. if I don't wake him up he sleeps for 4-6 hours at night. It is the nicest thing in the world for me. I only have to wake up 1 time a night to feed him and then it is back to bed. I think I am the luckiest girl alive because of that!!!!

He sleeps wonderfully and eats wonderfully as well. I just love being a mom though it is one of the hardest things I have had to take on. I never imagined it would be hard like this. But it is hard in a different way then I anticipated. I think it is the hardest because you don't really know what to do. Babies don't come with manuals so it is kind of a guessing game at the beginning! so emotionally it is harder then I thought it would be. I definatly think it is wonderful though. I love doing this job!!!!

And the process continues!

2006-09-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are 2 days after the due date. Still no baby but All is still well. we have an appointment to go in tomarrow evening and start the enduction process. It will be nice to get it over with. A short while ago most doctors would let people go over their due date 2 weeks and it would be no big deal but recently there has been a change that they try to have all the babies brn by one to one1/2 weeks past. My doctor said he would let me go up to 1 week past but I could pick the day. so I said tuesday or wednesday so he said that we would start it monday night. I will be going in at 5:30pm and it will all get started. It could take up to 36 hours total to get the process going. So it could happen tuesday or wednesday. I am excited to get it all going and to have the baby here. I am ready to have our family started as is Matthew. He is even more excited at times then me I think. the past few weeks he would come up and tell the baby to come out already!!=o)

so the next time we wrte on here we will have a little boy in the pictures with us. it is exciting. we will put pictures up of the birth and everything when our lives are alittle less hectic! either that or Matthew will have to do it. I hope all is well with everyone and that you are all getting what you need!!!!! Love you all!

Update with a Few Pictures

2006-07-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I am about a month away from the due date,as you can see, I'm getting bigger, and we have been able to get a few more pictures of the baby. A few weeks ago we went to our ultasound appointment and we were able to see him moving around. they estimated him about a week ahead according to his length and weight. I know those things are always wrong, but I still hope it happens, especially since I have a sister in law in texas who is due a month after me. My mom will need the extra time i think =o). well, we were able to get a profile shot of him, which we have been able to do every time we went in so here is his newest profile shot.

So we were able to check out the baby and everything is going great! I am so excited to have this baby here finally and no longer inside me!=o) another cool thing that we were able to get was a 3D picture of the babies face. we are able to see the baby a bit more. The picture didn't scan as well as it looks in person, but I decided to put it on here anyways.

we think he has matthews forhead and hair line. the lips we think are his but we aren't sure and the nose...that is definatly my side of the family. we are excited to see in the future who's eyes he has because Matthew and I have totally opposite eyes. We are so excited for our little boy to come. what a wonderful blessing this is to us. We probably wont update this again until after the baby is born, so the next will be the story and pictures from the birth and of the baby!=o)

Baby Update

2006-06-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to write a little update about the baby. I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I have gained a total of 19 pounds this pregnancy. The baby is probably about 4-5 pounds now. The heart beat is great and strong so we are looking at a healthy baby. I am starting to get more and more tired. This baby is extremely active as well, doing flips and karate in there. My mom tells me that I was the same way so maybe he will be like me. who knows! We call him our little ADHD baby already though!=o) I love being pregnant. I have had very few problems! I am due september 1st so I will be having dr. appointments more often so I will do more updates as I find out more.

Picture of Melissa's belly

2006-06-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

I finally get a picture of me with my belly. I am about 6 1/2 months now so I wanted all to be able to see me and what I look like. I am feeling wonderful. I am not really hot or anything. just comfortable and loving being pregnant. I a looking forward to having the baby. we decided to do the nursery in The primary clors plus the green that matches it. I think it is so cute. The only problem we have had is finding things that are these colors. As we were doing our registries at Target and Babies R Us we have only found pastels. so it are on the hunt to find some that are the right colors. I am going to be making some of the things myself but I don't have time to do it all so I will have to find somehtings. I found a crib quilt on Ebay in Australia in the right colors. I think they have more of the right colors over there or somthing. I am excited to see what we are able to do and find though. Matthew just started a new job with UPS as nights so I am at home alone somenights so I have lots of time to do things. lately I have been painting the dresser for the babies room and trying to get that all put together so When the baby is about a month away I will be able to not worry about getting it all done. well, we would love to hear how you all are. we miss a lot of you. until next time!!!! Oh, and for those of you that know Jill walker or Jeremy Erb here are a couple pictures from their wedding

Vegas the beautiful

2006-06-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

We took a big trip this past week to Utah. We drove up and saw one of my best friends get married in the Jordan River Temple. It was a fun drive because while driving we go through Vegas. While there we stopped to get out and walk round a bit. It was about 2:00 in the morning but we needed to stretch a bit. well, we tsopped at the belagio (I think that is spelled wrong but whatever) and went to the gardens there. they were amazing. they had taken a huge tree and made a rain forrest type place. they also made a whole bunch of models of Washington DC and other things in US history. I think it will be there through the 4th but we took pictures to share with everyone.

This is me by a replica of the liberty bell. I thought it was really cool.

This is the capital building. they also made these little figurines of people and had them on the outside and inside a couple of the other buildings.

This is what is called the Mall. The washington monument is on the left and the lincoln memorial is on the right. In between that is the national cathedral. they also have a reflecting pool in the middle but you can't see that.

This is the jefferson memorial. in the next picture you can see the man they made for the inside. that is a statue of thomas Jefferson that is really inside the real jefferson memorial.

This is Mount Rushmore. I have never been there but It looked cool in the wood. this was kind of up away from the other things but it was still really cool to see it.

It was so much fun to see it all. I used to live about 20 minutes form DC so it was expecially neat for me to get to say to matthew that this is what it was like. I think it is amazing the things people can do with art and the skills people have.