Battle of the Boot!

So, one of my really good friends (Carrie) called on Friday morning and invited us to her house to watch the Battle of the Boot!  We wanted to get out of the house and it's only a 40 minute drive, so we decided to make the trip to Alma!  WOW, it was a challenge with 2 small kids and 2 different schedules, etc.  But, we made it work and it was a great time!  So happy she called and invited us!

Carrie - the hostess and her precious Harper!

Brady and Harper playing - it was pretty funny!  Every toy she had, he wanted...When he had a toy, she wanted it.  It was pretty funny!  There were 2 other little boys there also and the kids had a great time!  It's always fun playing with another kids toy!  HA!  They played really well!!

This is the 2nd time we have been to Carrie's that he has LOVED playing in this car!  Who knows - Santa may have to bring him one!  He loves it!  Aside from the Razorbacks losing...UGH!  It wasn't pretty - we had a great time visiting and catching up with friends!

Lots to be THANKFUL for!!

Thanksgiving 2011

WOW - What a difference a year makes...This time last year we had a 2 month old and thought our whole lives had drastically changed...Fast forward a year - we have a 14 month old and a newborn!  WOW!  Who would have thought??  Seriously???  I am truly blessed!!  Looking back, I have always thought that I would never settle on a man.  I really thought that I would be that 40 year old who wasn't married and just focused on my career.  I wasn't going to settle...I don't know what I did to deserve such a fabulous husband!  I definitely didn't settle - sometimes I wonder why he settled on me!  I am SO lucky to have Richie as my husband - he is so kind and loving with me and our kids.  He is such a great father (better than the majority of the men I know) and he is so hands on and a huge help to me.  I couldn't be more thankful for that!  Our kids are AMAZING!  Brady is so smart for his age and just the SWEETEST lil thing!  He has the best personality and is so lovable that I hope he never changes!  Bria has been the best baby so far!  She is so sweet and really only cries when she needs something...I have the best in-laws one could ask for!  They are a huge help to us and so great with the kids.  I know they will be really close - yay!  The same with my mom, she loves these kids so much and can't stand to be away from them!  We have the best family and friends and we are SO thankful for that as well!

Me and my precious babies and fabulous husband!

Us with "Mayme"...

"Baba" with Richie and Brady and "Papa" and Bria and Jackie!

"Mayme" getting some cuddle time in with Brady and Bria!

She really did wear socks on Thanksgiving!  HA!  Her feet are big and her ankles are tiny - it's hard to keep them on...hehehe!  But, I thought her outfit was too cute to not show off!  As is she!!

The spread - jalapeno stuffing, creamed spinach, chipotle sweet potatoes, corn casserole, steak and crawfish etouffee stuffed chicken (which was AMAZING)!!!  It was DE-LISH!

Here is an up close and personal look at the crawfish etouffee stuffed chicken - I hope we do this every single year from here on out - the meal was SO YUMMY!!!!

And - can't have a Thanksgiving meal without a dessert!  My friend Heather gave me this recipe for Pumpkin Triffle and it was AMAZING as well!  YUM!!  I did good, if I do say so myself!

What a great Thanksgiving - it was so good to relax and enjoy spending time with family.  Sad I didn't get to see my dad and stepmom and that side of the family this year...Hopefully we won't let that happen again...

Brady & his "BIG BOY HAIRCUT"

Richie took Brady to "Pigtails and Crewcuts" and Brady got his 1st real BIG BOY HAIRCUT!  They buzzed the sides and top and she spiked the top with some gel...He is big stuff now!  Ha!  It has taken a little bit to get used to it.  I was SO used to his long hair - and I LOVED it!  He is precious anyway - short or long hair - but I will say that I don't want my lil boy to grow up!  He looks like such a big boy now!  I want him to be little forever!  HEHEHE!  Richie said that he did SOOOO good during the haircut and that he was SUPER proud - I am too!  I'm glad I wasn't there though b/c I might have changed my mind...Hair will always grow!  I do like it like this, but I do miss his long hair too!  However, I'll have to post some pics of Richie and Papa - they got matching haircuts to match Brady!  HA! 

Visits from Grandparents!

So, you know that the grandparents have to come up and visit and see the kiddos!  Now that we have baby #2 it's even more exciting coming over to our house!!  Brady is so much fun to play with these days and Bria is so much fun to cuddle with - twice as much fun!!!

Baba and Papa with Brady - playing out in the sunroom/playroom!  He always has so much fun with them!  And, I'm not sure who has more fun - him or them!  HA! They always have a blast!!  I'm so happy they are so close!  And, when my mom came up to visit she got to watch him while we all went to church and her only job was to make sure he took a nap b/c he was sooo sleepy when we left!  Needless to say, the only thing that happened was a LOT of play time!  They had a ball!  So, that makes me happy!

Here are my dad and stepmom.  My dad didn't get to come up when Bria was born so they came up the weekend after to see her.  I'm pretty sure she slept the whole time!  She is a very sleepy girl - DURING THE DAY!  And boy is she ready to party at night!  HA!  They brought up her shower gifts and since Brady was in Harrison at this time they didn't get to see him but hopefully they will get to see him soon!

Here is Mayme admiring Bria - they got in a lot of cuddle time during the visit!  Mayme is getting quite attached to these kiddos!  And I'm sure they will both be really attached to her too!  Brady already has a great time when she comes up to visit - the holidays are going to be so much fun this year! 

Baba and Papa getting cuddle time in with Bria too!  I know everyone is ready for her to get a little bit older so she can play like her big brother!  He is just so much fun!  Poor Bria can just lay there and watch - or sleep!  HA!  But, she does enjoy her cuddle time!

We are blessed to have such great family and friends!  Tons of people have dropped by to see Bria since she has been born!  And of course they all have had so much fun playing with Brady while they are here!  It has been so much fun since we've gotten home from the hospital!  All except not getting sleep...Hopefully that will all change soon - FINGERS crossed!  We love these kiddos more than anything!

Brady and Bria!

So, right before Bria was born I was carrying Brady and the camera and I dropped it.  It didn't slam on the ground or anything, but it did hit...Needless to say - it jacked up the lens!  UGH!  So, right after Bria was born, we took it to Bedford Camera & Video and had to get a new lens - $200 later...But, I had to have it b/c I couldn't miss out on taking pics of the kids - ESP with the holidays quickly approaching!!  So, these pics are just me testing out the new lens...And, the kids looking really cute!  HA!

It is so precious how Brady just admires little sis...He will look at her, pat her head and point to her feet and say "feet" - "baby feet" - it's really adorable!  He will also point to her ear and nose and say what they are too...He is just getting so smart.  It really melts my heart when he wants to play with her - he is trying to be "easy" but sometimes will get a little rough.  He will watch me burp her and he will want to hit her back too.  He is going to be a really big help once he figures things out!

Then we went outside to check the mail - and another good photo opportunity!  I just can't get enough of these kids - I hope that they are always this sweet!!!  And I could only dream that the weather will stay this amazing...I LOVE the fall - winter is fast approaching and I'm dreading it!  UGH!  But, I will enjoy this as long as I possibly can!!  Thanksgiving will be here before you know it!

We come in from outside and this is the position that Bria was in!  She was all bundled up with her lil feet sticking out and it looks like her feet are praying!  Too precious!!!

Bria's Newborn photoshoot!

Bria had 2 newborn sessions with 2 different people!  My friend Poco (the same person who took Brady's newborn pics) came over 1st and took a few pics - haven't gotten those pics yet and I can't wait! And, Tara (she is a firefighter's wife) who does photography came over the following day and took some pics too!  Between Brady and Bria - nap times, feedings, fussiness, etc...It was quite interesting!!!  But, somehow we managed!  And we got some really good shots!!  YAY!!  The one above might be my favorite - I love her little smile!!

She is the sweetest little baby and we are truly blessed to have her in our family!

Brady at 14 months old!

Brady is growing like a weed - he is wearing 12-18 month old clothing, size 4 diapers and size 6/7 shoes!  His feet are SUPER big for his age!  HA!  He has 8 teeth still, and is really in a terrible phase of biting.  He bites to show all emotion...When he is mad, sad, excited, bored...We even bought a book "Teeth are not for biting" and although he likes to read it, it hasn't soaked in yet.  But, speaking of books...This video is only a snipit of what he is doing.  We have been reading to him since he was born.  He LOVES books!  And his vocabulary has really grown the past few weeks.  He is saying so many things - and repeating even more!  He now knows what books he wants to read and when we tell him to go and get a book, he will get the book we tell him to get!  The other night we had Richie's parents here as well as my mom and I said to Brady to go and get the book Olivia...Not thinking anything about it - HE GOT IT!  And it was buried in the stack of 50 books!  I thought it must have been a fluke, so I said "go get fox & socks" - HE DID IT!  We did this 4-5 times on several different books and we made sure they weren't on the top of the stack and sure enough, he got every book I said!!  I was crying I was so proud!  He is SO SMART!  He's been saying things in the book when I get to the pages which I've been impressed with, but that just takes the cake!  I couldn't be more proud!  And, he has named Richie's parents and now my mom.  Richie's parents wanted to be called "Babs and Grampie" and Brady has come up with his own names - they are now "Baba and Papa" and my mom wanted to be called "Grammie" and he is calling her "Mayme" - so I guess it is true what they say - grandkids come up with what they want!!

Brady and Bria!

Brady and Bria - first week of being together!  Brady has really adjusted well!  He is trying really hard to "be easy" with his baby sissy...And, you can see from the video below that he is being SUPER sweet!  We will say "give sissy shuggies" and he will go and kiss her.  It is just PRECIOUS!

Here are a couple of pics that I was able to get from my cell phone...

I couldn't be happier with the transition of going from 3 to 4 in the Butler house!  Richie has really been a great husband and father.  Recovering from a C-Section isn't fun, and although this time around has been MUCH better, I've definitely appreciated the extra help from him!  I can't lift Brady yet, only 1 of many things and Richie has really stepped up and been AMAZING!  Brady has had a few little incidents, but overall - he has been FABULOUS!  He hasn't gotten jealous of Bria at all and has been really curious with her.  I think once they both get a little bit older he will be a HUGE help!  And, Bria has been such a great baby!  Thank the good Lord she hasn't gotten acid reflux like Brady had when he was a little baby.  So, she hardly ever fusses...YAY!  And, aside from having her days and nights messed up - it's been GREAT!!  I can't wait to watch these 2 perfect angels grow up!  We couldn't be any happier and more proud of them!

And, we've had family come and help clean, watch Brady, etc. which has been great!  And thanks to some great friends, we haven't had to worry about cooking meals every single night!  That has been a HUGE help!  Thanks so much to those who have helped!  We really appreciate everything! 

Brady's 1st overnight trip to Harrison!

Well, since I was trying to recover from surgery and I'm not supposed to do a lot of things for the first few weeks post surgery...We felt like it might be a good idea for Brady to spend a couple of days with Babs and Grampie in Harrison so we could kind of adjust at home and I could have a few more days to recover.  I was VERY worried about not being able to pick him up, etc. and I didn't want him feeling like I wasn't giving him as much love as I normally would...So, he spent a few days in Harrison and as you can see from the pics above - he had a GREAT time!  I love the pic of him in the high chair - he looks like he is really up to something naughty!  HA!  And, he did EXCELLENT sleeping in the pack-in-play!  Babs and Grampie took really good care of him and I know he had a great time!  I missed him terribly though and couldn't wait for Sunday to get here so I could spend some quality time with my lil man!  He is just so precious!  And, he has really adjusted well with his baby sister!  We are proud!  Thank you Babs and Grampie for taking such great care of our favorite lil guy!

Coming home from the hospital!

Group shot of us leaving the hospital!  YAY - only 2 days in the hospital, thank goodness!  I'm so happy we didn't have to stay another night!  I'm actually feeling a million times better than the last C-section so hopefully coming home will be a much better experience!

Look how happy Bria is here - she is PUMPED to be coming home and she is LOVING being held by her daddy!! :)  What a sweet little girl!

And yes, she does love getting kisses from her mommy!

Bye Bye Willow Creek Hospital - HELLO new home!!

The day we met Bria May Butler!!!

11/1/11 - The day that Bria May Butler is born!!! 

Here we are - leaving the house and going to get ready to meet our precious baby girl!  Brady had to walk us to the car of course!  He was just waking up and stirring around and didn't know what to think...He didn't know what the day ahead would bring!

At Willow Creek in the pre-op department!  Getting my IV, stockings on, etc...Thumbs up means I'm all set and ready to go!!  C-Section scheduled for 9:30 but we aren't really on time...

A fiesty lil Bria comes out screaming at 10:34AM!!  And boy is she FIESTY!  She weighs 6lbs and 2oz and is 18.5in long!  And has a great set of lungs!!  HA!  She had some breathing problems at first (TTN) - which basically means that she was breathing too fast.  Normal breathing is 50-60 breaths a minute and she was around 80+.  They said that this is very common in newborns and especially those that do not go through the birth canal to squeeze the amniotic fluid out of their lungs so she was just adjusting from the womb to the real world!  They suggested her resting skin to skin with me for awhile and that didn't help but after a few hours she was good to go!  We were nervous for awhile and worried quite a bit, but ALL IS GOOD!

And, we have a precious baby girl!  You can't see all of her hair b/c of her hat, but she has a head full...Not as much as Brady did, but quite a bit!  And, what is so funny is that when she was born and when she has a hat on - we all think she looks just like Brady!  But, when we take the hat off we can't tell who she looks like!  It's funny!!

Brady was such a great boy the whole time I was in pre-op, surgery and recovery and finally getting to the room!  But, as you can see from the pic above...He was TIRED!  So, after meeting his little sister, "Worlds Best Brother" went home and took a nap!  It was an exciting day for everyone!!

Proud Grandma's!

And a proud Grampie too!

This was on Wednesday morning.  We were so excited that Father John from our church came by to bless little Bria!  I had literally just gotten out of the shower when he popped in, but I didn't care!  We were super pumped he was there!  He gave Bria his blessing and even wanted to take her to teach a Latin class at school!  But, mommy and daddy weren't having any part of that!  HA!  Thanks Father John - you are so special to our family and we appreciate you coming by!

Then, Brady came by for a visit!!!  He got some "mommy" time finally and we read a few books OVER and OVER and OVER again!  Ha!  When he gets hooked on a book, he's HOOKED!  But, notice his shirt - I'm the big brother!  His great Aunt Carol got that for him from Virginia!  Precious boy!!  He has acted so funny about Bria - every single time he is up here visiting he is such a little busy body!  Into everything, going and exploring everything...He's barely noticed her!  And, when he came today and I was holding her all he did was point and say "baby - baby - baby" and pulled on her blanket a little bit.  Then he was off to run and push the stroller!!  However, it was funny - Richie went to check Bria's diaper and Brady was sitting next to me and she started crying - Brady then started crying...We are hoping this doesn't happen everytime!

Then, it was time to go!  Brady was ready for a nap!  All of this little sister stuff has WORN him out!  HA!  We had so many visitors last night and he was playing with his buddy Maddox that I think he is going to sleep quite a bit the next few days!  Thanks to all our family and friends who came to visit us in the hospital and meet little Bria!  We truly are blessed!!!