Mommy Loftin

Braelyn's preschool graduation!!

2011-05-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

This past week, my ~~little bitty newborn baby~~ adorable 4 year old, Braelyn Grace, graduated from preschool! They had a mini-graduation ceremony and it was so cute! Braelyn did so great this year and we could not be more proud of her!

I will admit, I teared up a little bit. It's hard to believe this years go back so fast but I know she will do awesome in kindergarten next year. She is very smart and a fast learner. I could brag on her forever but I just wanted to share the cute pictures of her preschool graduation :)

Brittyn Hope-3 months old

2011-05-23T21:12:00.000-05:00

Alright so I am almost a whole month later on Brittyn's 3 month details.. She will be 4 months on Thursday but ya know.. here is it, better late than never?

Brittyn Hope at 3 months old:

Weighs 13 lbs 13 oz

Eats 5 oz every 3 hours

Sleeps in stretches at night anywhere from 5-7 hours

Only wakes up once at night (or hopefully none!)

Takes a morning nap and afternoon nap

All 3-6 month clothes, she is a big girl :)

Size 2 diapers

Tolerates tummy time only in small doses

Loves to smile and "talk"

Loves her bouncer chair that vibrates

Has made the weirdest change this month in that she now loves to take her pacifiers to sleep.. I looove this!! It's so much easier to put her back to sleep!!

Has to be swaddled to sleep, she loves it (like her big sisters)

Brittyn is still just a sweet little angel! Believe me, she can throw a tantrum but we have had more "passionate babies" in the past so I am counting my blessings!!

Two months old

2011-04-02T22:42:00.001-05:00

On March 26th (Happy's 3rd birthday), Brittyn turned 2 months old!! Here is what she is up to these days..

Weighs 12 lbs, 11 oz (95th percentile)
23 inches long (50th percentile)
Eats 5 oz every 3 hours
Sleeps in stretches at night anywhere from 5-7 hours
Slept through the night for the first time on March 28th! WooHoo!
Only wakes up once at night (or hopefully none!)
Naps off and on during day, no real schedule yet
Can barely fit any of her 0-3 clothes anymore, we are pulling out 3-6 month things
Size 2 diapers, still a little big but 1's are too small
Tolerates tummy time only in small doses
Likes us talking to her and looking at our faces.. all you have to do is look at her and she will smile :)
Loves her bouncer chair that vibrates
Has come a little bit more into her personality. She is a little more demanding then she was at one month but she is still sweet as sugar.. just a girl who knows what she wants! :)
Hates her pacifier and the car seat!! She is not one of those babies that loves car rides.. it's torture for her!
Has to be swaddled to sleep, she loves it (like her big sisters)

At her two month check up

She got three shots and was still smiling after.. :)

I can hardly believe Brittyn is already 2 months old! Seems like we were counting down the days till she was born yesterday! We love everything about her and get the most compliments on her hair, LOL!

Happy 2 months old to the littlest Loftin, Brittyn Hope!

Happy's 3rd Birthday Party!!

2011-03-29T20:25:00.001-05:00

I have to admit.. this was one of the most low maintenance birthday parties I have ever thrown. I blame it on the fact that I have a newborn plus a now three year old and a four year old. I'm sleepy, I know that. But I am so blessed. Happy had a great birthday party!! We had lots of sweet friends and family and the weather was perfect!

Shirt from Old Navy, tutu by Aunt Kristie and bow from Etsy seller.

Kisses for her Daddy

This picture has Happy written alll over it! We love her!

Braelyn, Happy and cousin Alyssa

Braelyn and Mommy

Her cake!

Me and the birthday girl

Braelyn, Happy and Mama

Her birthday banner

We were singing Happy Birthday to her :)

Happy and some of her fans :)

Braelyn had to help blow out the candles

Happy Faith- new glasses

She ended the day with birthday dinner at Mr Gatti's!

Can't tell you enough how much we love our Happy!! As we were walking out of the zoo from her birthday party she stopped me and said, "Thank you, Mama". What 3 year old is thankful for their birthday party that Mama planned?!? Thank you, Lord, for that grateful heart and that beautiful little girl! We are in love!

Guess who else was there?? This little TWO month old bundle of ~~hair~~ love!!

Brittyn Hope turned 2 months old on the same day Happy turned 3 years old (they are born on Jan 26th and March 26th :) Next post coming.. Brittyn's 2 month update!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Happy Faith!!

2011-03-26T08:00:00.004-05:00

3 years old today, God gave us Brylee Faith, our Happy, and I have been grateful every day since. March 26, 2008 is the day I became the mommy of 2 and Braelyn became a big sister! We are still crazy about her!

Happy is my "wild child" and we love it! She is all personality! She loves hugs and kissys, being held and cuddling. She likes Dora and princesses and all things girly and frilly! She wants to wear a dress every day of the week and expresses her dislike for shorts and jeans daily. Happy loves her dress up clothes the best and thinks they are ther perfect attire for going out to dinner, school, pajamas, etc and sometimes I just allow it cause it makes her so happy! I shared a couple posts back but we are so thrilled over her grateful heart. She thanks us for everything (even this week she thanked me for "washing my princess clothes and making them so clean!") and it makes my heart smile! Every piece of clothes or toy she owns is "sooo cute, Mama! Thank you so much, I love it"). She has the sweetest little voice and the best little smile. It's hard to tell her no cause she is just so cute!!

It's no secret that she is ~~slightly~~ very strong willed and will let you know all about it. She is faaaar from "middle child syndrome" and is actually usually the center of attention. She loves her sisters more than anything and is the first to tell you she loves you over and over and over. I'm praying we are channeling that strong willed energy into a woman that will one day make a difference because she has the ability to lead. She is so smart and has the best memory and I am so excited with all she is learning and memorizing these days.

Happy Faith, we love you so much! I am thanking God for the blessing of you every single day. You make your Mama and Daddy so proud!!

We are having her birthday party today.. pics to come soon! :)

(sorry, I had to remove the details of party location for the safety of our family and friends.)

smile and the world smiles with you..

2011-03-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

First smiles.. March 10, 2011

Obsessed.

2011-03-22T22:07:00.002-05:00

We have been blessed again with some amazing pictures of our favorite kids from our favorite photographer, Brooke Ogilvie! The kids had a blast running wild in Baird, Texas while Brooke snapped away and sweet Brittyn slept through the entire shoot.

Braelyn- age 4, Brylee- almost 3 and Brittyn- 6 weeks old

Funny that Brooke captures this little moment below cause I am always telling these girls to "stop biting your nails" and "get your hands outta your mouth"! Classic..

My favorite newborn, Brittyn Hope, in all her sweet sleeping, smiling, pretty hair glory :)

If you know Happy Faith.. this picture below just makes sense! Let me just say.. to know her is to love her! She is more attitude and personality than all the 2 year olds in the world! I've said it a million times but she will change the world one day because the world will never change her!! Every word out of her mouth is hilarious and her heart is made of gold. There has never been a more thankful, grateful child! She tells me every little thing she appreciates over and over and over! You can buy her a drink at Sonic and she will spend the rest of the day thanking me for it. Thank you, Lord, for that grateful heart!

Is there anything more peaceful than a sleeping baby? I think not. Brittyn Hope has filled our hearts with more joy than we ever thought possible! I don't care if you have 20 kids, you are still just as thankful, excited and blessed. She is the perfect addition to our family in her sleepy, sweet spirited way! She is on a mission to prove herself exact opposite of her big sisters and we welcome the challenge. She is paving a new path through our hearts. I'm in love with her!

Here is my itty bitty comedian again below.. :)

And finally, pure blessing in my precious firstborn, Braelyn Grace! Braelyn taught me everything I ever needed to know about being a mom! She wears her heart on her sleeve and her emotions run deep. She loves with all she has.. I feel the exact same way. She is giggles and smiles that can quickly turn to tears and back again in less than 5 minutes!! I love her being, seriously, the best big sister ever. I just know she is going to set the example that we will pray her little sisters will follow. I couldn't be more proud to tell people that I am "Braelyn's mom".

Can I just say there isn't anything more precious than seeing my babies love each other?! Braelyn and Happy think Brittyn is the best thing that ever happened to this world and we think that about all three of them!!

They are best friends. I look forward to the day Brittyn is running and playing with her big sisters! I'm sure they have plenty of cool things to teach her ;)

The picture of Braelyn with Brittyn below melts my heart. She is crazy in love with that baby!!

I let them throw rocks in the air.. anything for a good picture! lol

I am so thankful for each one of these pictures and I can't wait to see the rest Brooke is preparing for us. She has captures my kids personalities and I know I will look back one day and miss these crazy, sweet days of three little babies. Few people in this world would enjoy three kids ages 4 and under and I am loving every second of it (well, ya know, almost every second lol). My heart is full!

Thanks for ~~listening~~ reading my bragging on my little babies!! :) I am obsessed with these 3 kids!

Brittyn's Birth Announcement

2011-03-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

Just realized that I never shared Brittyn's birth announcement.. I'm losing my mind, I tell ya ;)

For your viewing pleasure..

Designed and Personalized by Roxter Designs

One month old

2011-03-08T11:27:00.000-06:00

Brittyn Hope

One month old

Weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces

Eats 4 oz every 2-3 hours

Sleeps in stretches at night anywhere from 5-7 hours

Usually wakes up twice a night to eat, sometimes once :)

Naps off and on during day, no real schedule yet

Wears 0-3 months clothes, can't fit her newborn clothes anymore

Size 1 diapers, but getting close to a size 2

Tolerates tummy time only in small doses

Likes us talking to her and looking at our faces

Loves her bouncer chair that vibrates

Rarely cries, only when tired or hungry (her normal routine is nap, eat, play content on floor or in bouncer chair and then back to napping :)

Not a big fan of her pacifier but I am trying a Soothie one and she likes it better (this is very weird for us cause Braelyn and Happy always loved their "suckers")

Has to be swaddled to sleep, she loves it (like her big sisters)

Brittyn is such a sweet baby! We are crazy about her!

6 weeks

2011-03-08T11:12:00.000-06:00

So I am not sure how I let my blog get so behind all the fun things that have been going on. Oh, wait! I know how it happened.. I have three kids :)
I'll have to share just some of my favorite pictures because I have taken over 500 in the past few weeks, ha!
Braelyn and Brittyn the day we came home from the hospital.. Braelyn is very in love with Brittyn!

When she was 3 days old Granny, Papa and Aunt Beverly came to meet Miss Brittyn and of course, they loved seeing Braelyn and Happy, too! :)

We get lots of cuddle time with Brittyn. Her big sister think she is the best thing that ever happened to the world :)

And then of course, came the infamous blizzard in Texas. When Brittyn was 5 days old the snow hit and we were snowed in for four whole days with a newborn, 2 year old and 4 year old. It was actually really nice since taking a newborn all over the place is not ideal. We had lots of fun and came up with lots of games for the big girls to play to keep them entertained. Brittyn slept through the snow but I took a picture with her by the snow for memories! :) Her first snow.. 5 days old!

Valentine's Day with our little loves <3

Braelyn, Happy and I got the chance to go see Beauty and the Beast live with some friends and family. They loved it and it was such a great show! Brittyn stayed at home with Daddy and Jampa :)

Sisters!!

It has been so much fun being the mommy of three! She has been the sweetest little blessing :)

The story of Brittyn Hope

2011-02-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to make myself sit down and write about sweet Brittyn's arrival for a week now but things got a little busy with 3 kids :)

On Wednesday, Jan 26th, Jeff and I headed to the hospital at 5:30 am to meet our sweet princess. They got me all prepped and ready right as the girls got there with Jeff's parents. We got to give some hugs and kissys and then I went back to surgery.

I was shaking violently at this point because I was pretty nervous and the operating room is freezing cold! First challenge was my spinal and a challenge it was! They didn't quite get the right spot (mostly thanks to the fact I have scoliosis so it was a little more intense) so I could wiggle my toes all through surgery and could feel pain on my left side the whole surgery. Not intense pain but more than the normal tugging and pulling you should feel in surgery. The poor anthesiologist was doing her best to keep me comfortable without having to knock me all the way out. Then.. I leaned to Jeff and said something about I am going to throw up. Reminder: I am strapped down and half numb at this part. So, I proceeded to throw up several times, leaning my head to the side, while the nurse sucked it out of my mouth so I didn't choke to death. Fun, fun, fun. This procedure took slightly longer since they had to get through scar tissue from two prior surgeries. Finally at 7:41am they lifted a little hairy baby girl, wide eyed awake, over the screen and I just started sobbing. I don't know that I could even form words but it was just as amazing the third time. I do remember saying, "oh, I am so happy!" By this time everyone in the operating room was talking about all the hair she had!
She had her umbilical cord wrapped firmly around her neck so she had some facial bruising and came out purple. She didn't scream at first so I was starting to worry as I lay there listening for her but they got her all clear pretty fast. She also had some fluid in her lungs that didn't help the situation. Brittyn and Jeff were whisked off to the nursery while I was being sewn up. They called back from the nursery while my surgery was being finished to let me know she weighed 8 lbs even and was 19.5 inches long. Perfect! My guess for her weight was 7lb 3oz so I was about a pound off, lol. She was a big girl to have come to the world so early! My doctor told me she would have been 9+ pounds if she had gone full term!

I was lifted to the next bed and sent to the recovery room. Once there, Jeff met me with my sweet baby girl and I got to hold her for the first time. She was so bruised and beat up from delivery and the umbilical cord but of course, we thought she looked perfect :) Braelyn and Happy came in shortly after with Jeff's parents and his sister. Braelyn wanted to hold her immediately. She is in love. It took Happy a few minutes to warm up to Brittyn but she was holding her and smiling for pictures in no time at all.

Brittyn had some small issues due to coming to the world early and had to be taken back to the nursery because she was having trouble regulating her temperature. She wimpered most of that day because she couldn't keep herself warm. By day two she had mostly controlled this but for the first week at home it was something I had to keep my eye on. She also had some fluid in her lungs but was clear by day two, as well.
The rest of the day Brittyn was born was spent with lots of friends and family coming to see her. She, of course, slept through it all but I took lots of pictures to show her one day :)

And of course, the whole hospital was talking about that hair, lol. YES, I had severe heartburn but it was soo worth it! The girl has great hair! :)

Between three sticks to get an IV in, a failed spinal, nausea during surgery and the fun surgery itself.. Brittyn Hope was worth every second of it! She has been the sweetest little addition to our family and her big sisters are obsessed with her!

Brittyn Hope

2011-01-27T04:34:00.000-06:00

Brittyn Hope Loftin

Born 01/26/11 at 7:41am

She is 8 lbs even and 19.5 inches long

Lots of dark hair and dark blue eyes!

We are blessed!!

More details and pictures coming soon!

3 days.. and now 2 days.. :)

2011-01-24T10:38:00.000-06:00

So, I missed a day yesterday, sorry. We have had a crazy weekend trying to get our house ready for the big week ahead.. and on top of that, Jeff is still sick! Ugh!

Here is Braelyn yesterday with her 3 links for 3 days to baby Brittyn!!

I already went to the doctor this morning and Brittyn still looks perfect so we are going to let her "bake" two more days.. She will be here on Wednesday, the 26th, for sure! We will be at the hospital at 5:30am and go in to surgery by 7:30! :) I am sooo ready!!
I didn't get a picture, yet, today of the links but Happy was willing to show you that there is now only TWO DAYS until she is a big sister!! Amazing!!

And just because she is cute.. :)

Happy Monday!!!

4 days....

2011-01-22T13:54:00.000-06:00

Can't believe we have less then 4 days until we are a family of FIVE! Brittyn is going to be the perfect addition to our sweet chaos :)

Braelyn taking a link off.. She is READY!!

And the soon-to-be BIG sister, Happy..

My precious girls.. I can't wait to have one more!! :)

It's been a little crazy at our house. Jeff has been sick for two days and the girls have been running wild.. (mostly due to being trapped inside because of one sick parent and one parent on bed rest) and I have been trying to get little projects done before Monday. It's amazing all the things I can get done sitting down.. lol. I made me a shirt to wear for the hospital this morning, packed the kids bags for their sleepover at Jamom's while we are at the hospital and packed our hospital bag, too! We are ready whenever Miss Brittyn is.. whether it be Monday or Wednesday!!

37 weeks and 5 days to go...

2011-01-21T08:20:00.001-06:00

I'm 37 weeks today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Size of baby: Brittyn is right around 7 lbs!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Honestly, I do not look.. ever! I couldn't even tell you a guess, lol! But I gained 50+ with Braelyn and 40 with Happy so I am guessing around there somewhere.. I won't weigh until after she is born :)

Maternity Clothes: Yoga pants (or pajama pants) and long sleeve tees! I have maternity jeans, too, but I am not really wearing them since Brittyn has dropped they are not very comfortable..

Gender: It's a girl!!! Brittyn Hope Loftin

Movement: She is very, very active! If she stops moving for more than 30 minutes, I start worrying lol

Sleep: It varies.. some nights I sleep sooo good and some nights I have horrible insomnia!!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and having a flat belly! Ha!

Cravings: I always wake up in the middle of the night and need sweets!!

Symptoms: Asides from all related to preeclampsia.. lol Heartburn, exhaustion, anxiousness.. :)

Best Moment this week: Knowing my baby girl will be in my arms in less then a week! And hearing how great she is doing when I was at the doctor.. Very reassuring to hear she is growing and thriving and looks perfect!!

(I stole this little pregnancy survey from Kelly's Korner blog.. she has done it every week of her pregnancy but seeing as how we aren't going to make it to 38 weeks.. this will be my one and only :)

And we are only 5 days away from the big day!!

6 days and an update :)

2011-01-20T08:21:00.001-06:00

Only 6 days to baby Brittyn...

Braelyn can't wait! She is bundled like an eskimo cause its 24 degrees here right now with a wind chill of 11 and chance of ice/snow.. yuck! Have I shared how much I hate cold weather? I hate cold weather. There you have it :)

SIX days or less...

Yesterday I had two appointments. One with my high risk doctor.. he said Brittyn looked so perfect! He did an ultrasound and we could see her "practice breathing". It was so awesome.. I got teary eyed! He said it's a sign of a very healthy baby, praise Jesus!! She is ready whenever she needs to meet the world. I am so grateful. Everything looked great! They did a complete biophysical profile (ultrasound with NST, basically) and she scored a 10 out of 10 on the series of tests!!
Then, I went to my appointment with my OB and my blood pressure wasn't great but no need to take the baby yet. My protein wasn't dangerous high and Brittyn is still thriving. So, she is letting me have Friday off from appointements (WOO HOO, I have been going every other day for 3 weeks!) and she said she will see me Monday. She did say not to eat or drink before my appointment on Monday because she might just take Brittyn on Monday.. we will see! I am trying to not be anxious about it being Monday because I know her birthday will be next week :) If she does not take her on Monday, then she will be here on Wednesday.. the 26th! So we are still "counting down" to the 26th and if she decides to meet us before then we will all be more than happy! :)
I am just relaxing and enjoying our family of 4 for a few more days! I am so thankful that even though I have had troubles during these last two pregnancies, that our precious babies have always been protected! God is good!!

7 days..

2011-01-19T12:04:00.000-06:00

Braelyn and Happy with their countdown to Brittyn this morning...

Big sisters :)

7 days till my baby is a BIG sister..

This is kind of the attitude Happy has about becoming a big sister.. LOL She had to stop to pick a boogie :)

8 days..

2011-01-18T11:09:00.000-06:00

Braelyn wanted to let you all know there are only 8 days left until her baby sister, Brittyn, arrives!!! :)

Baby update

2011-01-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

Still pregnant.. God is good!!

I have officially been on bed rest two weeks now and I have only half lost my mind :) Brittyn is still a cookin'! My blood pressures are still pretty crappy and my protein levels aren't thrilling but baby has not been taken yet. I am still scheduled for the 26th so just a little over a week now. Brittyn gave us a little scare last week with some heart rate issues but I am going to the doctor four times a week so believe me, they are keeping a close eye on her. I will see my doctor again Wednesday and the high risk doctor again on Wednesday. When I saw my doctor this morning her words were "next high blood pressure or high protein and I am taking this baby" so we will see how things go. I would really like to make it to the 26th so we are at 37 weeks but I am confident that she will be fine whenever she is taken. We have had lots of ultrasound and non stress tests and she is not in any danger at all.. she is about 7 pounds now. I am so thankful for a doctor who is literally an expert at high risk pregnancies and I am 100% confident that she would not take this baby if she would be in any danger. It's a waiting game but she will come when the time is perfect :)

Braelyn is very, very anxious! I made her a paper chain countdown to Brittyn and she loves taking one link off every morning and counting how many days are left until she gets to hold her baby sister. Happy Faith, on the other hand, is less than thrilled, ha! When we ask her if she is going to be a big sister, she screams that she is the baby, not a big sister! Oh, the days after Brittyn might be a little interesting but I know she will be fine. Jeff and I will just have to give her extra attention until she realizes we have not forgot about her in any way :)

I am feeling okay.. the famous question. Heartburn, leg cramps, headaches, blurry vision, some serious contractions but I will survive. My sleeping pattern goes from sleeping around 3 days straight to not being able to sleep for 3 days because of insomnia. That is the most annoying part to me.. I want some sleep! The only good parts about being on bed rest is spending time around the kids during the day and getting to take naps with them in the afternoons! :) Of course, I am up getting ready to go to the doctor or sitting in a doctors office about half of my week so it hardly feels like bed rest most days, ha!

Continue to pray for us.. God's timing is perfect timing and Brittyn will be here before we know it!!!

Nada

2011-01-13T11:10:00.001-06:00

Wish I had something interesting to share today... a story to tell, a great baby update or a recipe we tried. But, I have nothing! Bed rest has consumed my soul (I'm kidding). I am still pregnant for 13 more days and I am still on bedrest. The only update on that, is that my blood pressures still aren't great, I still have protein and kidney battles, still on bed rest but Brittyn still looks perfect and is weighing in around 6lb 9oz. There ya have it, folks. I have been to the doctor a total of four times this week by Friday but we did get some precious looks at Brittyn's face when we had an ultrasound with the high risk doctor yesterday! I can't wait to kiss those cheeks!!

Anyways.. Here is what I have been doing...

Stalking Find Hailey Dunn and The Big Country Homepage.. praying for one of our precious West Texas babies that has been missing for over two weeks now. Things aren't looking good and the drama continues to unfold. Pray for this sweet little girl!!

Trying to convince a 2 year old, that really wants a Dora birthday party, that I really don't want to plan a Dora birthday party.. :) I was thinking more like an ice cream party, a ladybug party, or a circus party!! She isn't buying any of those ideas so looks like I will be planning a late March Dora party.. with a smile.. I think! :) So, if any of you know of any Dora party ideas.. send them my way!!

I've been obsessing over etsy.com for big sister/middle sister/little sister shirts! My awesome cousin, that has an amazing embroidering machine, has made the shirts for the girls to wear when Brittyn is born! I can't wait to get them in the mail and post pictures!!

I've been thinking about my checklist of things to get done before Brittyn is born and wishing that I wasn't on bed rest to get them done. I'm kidding, it's mostly complete.. but I still browse the list on my phone everyday..

I've been working on all the paper work that has to be done for me to be off work for FMLA and maternity leave. It is an ordeal... let me tell you!

And I have been enjoying being the mommy to these two precious angels before we become a family of FIVE!

My heart is overflowing with joy and excitement to meet Brittyn and it still makes me anxious to know Happy wont be the "baby" anymore. I remember the exact same feeling with Braelyn when Happy was about to be born... so I know we will be just fine. But it's still bittersweet :) Brittyn will be here in less then two weeks and our family will be complete. Thanks for all your prayers and messages as we battle through these last couple weeks on pregnancy with preeclampsia. I appreciate every one of our precious friends and family!!

Bed rest..

2011-01-07T15:21:00.000-06:00

What fun would my life be if I didn't have a drama filled pregnancy (yes, sarcasm here).
On Tuesday, I went to my appointment, thinking it was a normal check up and was sent to the hospital because my blood pressure was high and I had a lot of swelling. They did some tests, ultrasounds and started a 24 hour urine collection (it is TMI, I know.. and nasty, for the record). My blood pressures were decent while I was there so she let me go home on bed rest. Good news is they did an ultrasound at the hospital and the baby looks very, very healthy. At 34 weeks 4 days, she was already estimating at 6lb 5oz and everything looked perfect.. actually measuring to be 36 weeks 4 days so we aren't worried about her being too small at this point.. which is a blessing. Doctor told me to stay on bed rest till Thursday, praying it was a fluke, and that I could be freed to go back to work and carry this baby to February 3rd.
Thursday, I went back in to reevaluate. My blood pressure still high (but not really bad) and my 24 hr urine came back showing preeclampsia. The protein in my urine was very, very high. I had the same issue while pregnant with Happy and my numbers never got anywhere near where they are now with Happy's pregnancy. So, I am on bed rest from here on out. She moved up my c-section to January 26th, if we can make it that long and it might be the week before depending on how my appointments go next week. I will just have to go to the doctor every couple days and see the high risk doctor, again, as well.
Like I said, did this all with my last pregnancy so unforunately I am an expert. I am happy to meet my third little princess earlier then planned (19 days away at this point) but bed rest is really hard for me! I am a go-er and a do-er and sitting and relaxing are not in my vocabulary. I know what I have to do to make sure Brittyn and I are safe so here we are and here we sit :)
I've had so many sweet messages, emails and texts.. I appreciate you all. I'm feeling okay, just slightly bored :) And Jeff.. is probably about to lose his mind on full time daddy duty and taking care of me.. gotta love him!
Will keep yall posted through the many, many appointments we will have the next few weeks!

The rest of 2010

2011-01-04T17:28:00.001-06:00

And the rest of our Christmas went like this... :)

Christmas morning, we opened presents at our house since, of course, Santa had come the night before :) The girls got so many toys! I feel like we need to make a large donation so just we can fit more toys in our already toy overflowing house!!

Of course, we had to make cookies for Santa and leave him a note (Braelyn had to sign their name so he would know it was from them :)

Then Santa came and he brought my babies a hot pink Ford Mustang!

Braelyn's reaction was 100% genuine. We got the Mustang two days before Christmas and it was hidden in my room (not hidden very well) in the corner.. under a blanket. Braelyn walked in the door from Jamom's and for some reason went to my room. It was in my room cause the kids rarely go back there. Within ten minutes she had seen her present!!! I was so sad and thought her Christmas/Santa dreams were ruined!! I told her that Santa had dropped it off at our house for her cousin, Alyssa, so Alyssa wouldn't find it. I even broke her little heart cause she said that was the one she wanted! But it was my only defense against a Christmas surprised ruined, LOL! She begged for one for the next few days and I told her I would check with Santa to see if he had one left and if he did, then she might get one!! It worked.. On Christmas morning, she was shocked, amazed and in awe that Santa found her a Mustang!!! :)

And Miss Happy was very upset cause Santa ate all her cookies! I couldn't help but laugh :)

And then they opened lots of presents... :)

Then we took the girls to the part in the freezing weather (literally) because what good is a new toy on Christmas if you cant play with it :) Braelyn was in heaven.. the smiles in these pictures make me a little teary eyed. Happy, on other hand, hates the cold weather as much as her Mama and although, the car was fun, she didn't last very long cause it was too stinking cold!! :)

Happy Faith on Christmas Day... how sweet is she?!

This is how the girls nap together.. always cuddling and holding hands! My heart is overflowing.. :)

Nothing too special here.. besides.. new outfits and Uncle Weston's birthday dinner :)

My little eskimo..

And how about something Brittyn?? :) I finally made the letters in her name for her wall. It was a project!! Do you remember these green walls?? Those green walls are still in the nursery and Happy has moved to the big girl room with Braelyn!!

That really is the end of 2010 for us!! Less then 30 days to Brittyn Hope!!

December recap :)

2011-01-01T16:01:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!! I am more than excited about 2011 because we get to meet Brittyn Hope!! We celebrated New Year's Eve very low key at Jeff's parents house. Seeing as how I am 34 weeks pregnant, we have two toddlers and I was recovering from the last 24 hours with food poisioning, our plans weren't wild and crazy, ha! But we had a great time and I had fun trying to explain to Braelyn what New Year's was.. :)

I have to do some catching up from December cause we did some really fun things, always a good month!

One of Jeff's closest friends is a Marine that is stationed in Japan. Him, his wife and daughter got to come in town for the the begninning of December and we had a lot of fun. It was soo good to meet Chiaki and sweet little Arize!

One of my favorite events of the year is the Abilene Christmas Parade! It was really cold this year and the parade is really long but we had so much fun! The kids loved every second of it and I did, too! :)

The girls and I had a major mission the first week of December.. Christmas cookies! We do lots of baking at our house but making the cookies was a lot of fun! We even did homemade icing.. it was soo good! I love these memories with them!!

Also, the first week of December.. on the 7th, I turned 27 year old! I had a fun birthday and decided to make myself a birthday cake because it was a recipe I had been wanting to try for over a year. I made myself a Rainbow Cake.. it turned out soo pretty but honestly, I am not a fan of white cake so I didn't like the taste that much. No worries, I think Jeff ate the whole thing!!! :)

Just for documentation purposes, our black tree was back for year number 2 and I still love it! I can't do clear lights, by the way. It just doesn't feel like Christmas to me unless there are pretty colored lights on my tree!!

And just because my two year old is so cute.. Here is Happy Faith! :)

Our second project in December was a gingerbread house. I totally cheated and bought a kit. We did not make gingerbread from scratch and assemble a house. I bought a kit and iced it together, which by the way was still a pain in the rear! It's not as easy to assemble or decorate as the box looks, ha! Luckily, between me, Aunt Kristie, Braelyn and Happy.. we ended up with this beauty of a gingerbread house.. don't laugh :) Anyways, we had fun and displayed it for December and then I trashed it :)

Braelyn's preschool class had a Christmas party the day before Christmas break and we brought the whole fam! Braelyn was so excited to show off her baby sister, Happy, to all her friends. They are just too cute to each other!

The girls Christmas tree in their room.. I love it! I bought it for Braelyn's first Christmas back in 2006..

Here are the pictures I took of the girls before we went to Jeff's parents house on Christmas Eve! They are just so sweet.. I am pretty lucky to be their Mommy!!

Sweet angel, Braelyn and my bitty princess, Happy (she wasn't feeling it to take any more pictures :)

Then we went to Jeff's parent's house and had Christmas with his family. We had a great dinner and time with his family. The girls got waaay too many presents but it was precious! This year was fun because they are both perfect age for Christmas and had great expressions while opening presents! (See Braelyn's faces below, ha!)

The next morning we did Christmas at our house after Santa came so I will have to blog about that next!

Over all, the holiday were blessed for us. I am so excited to know that 2011 holds another precious miracle for our family and I can not wait to meet her! Next year Christmas will be even more full and blessed!!!

Christmas Cards 2010

2010-12-06T19:08:00.000-06:00

Now that Christmas cards have been sent out in the mail and given time to be delivered to the precious recipients.. I can show you our Christmas cards 2010!!!

To be thankful..

2010-12-01T21:37:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for us every year. We either get to sleep in and head to Jeff's family for lunch or get up early and drive to Fort Worth for my family. We rotate every other year and this year was our turn to go to Fort Worth. I think this worked out well since I am not sure how thrilling it would be to drive to Fort Worth next year with a 9 month old, 5 year and 3 year old. The year after.. I think I can handle it.. Ha!
Anyways, Thanksgiving was extra cold this year so we bundled like eskimos and headed East. We made it just in time for lunch and left early enough to make it back before it hit 20 degrees that night. My cousin, Allison, and her husband were there with their two sweet girls. McKinley is 5 and Meredith is 2, only 2 weeks younger then Happy, so the four girls had a lot of fun playing (and destroying the play room.. Sorry, Aunt Bev :)

Jeff and I having lunch conversation with my Granny and Papa. I work in insurance so don't get me started on health care "reform". That is what this picture is all about. My Papa and I could discuss all day long.. and Jeff probably was about to fall asleep LOL Can you see Brittyn in the picture? She is making a large appearance these days :)

My cousin, Allison, with her husband, Brett and cousin, Jarrett, with his new wife, Crystal

McKinley, Braelyn, Happy and Meredith in the playroom. This was the beginning of their destruction.. :)

Granny and Papa with four of their great-granddaughters..

Granny, Meredith, McKinley, Papa, Braelyn and Happy.

They have 6 great granddaughters (Bailey, Peyton, McKinley, Braelyn, Brylee and Meredith) and 3 great-grandsons (Hayden, Hutton and Dylan). Miss Brittyn will be their 10th great-grandchild. Papa told me thanks for evening it out for him :)

Braelyn and McKinley cheesing!!

It was a great holiday! We have so much to be thankful for!!

Bringing up girls..

2010-11-26T11:03:00.003-06:00

Add this to my Christmas list :)

Another miracle..Braelyn

2010-11-21T10:38:00.000-06:00

As if we didn't have enough things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, God has added to our list!

Last week, Braelyn had a little bit of a runny nose but nothing serious going on. Both of our girls have pretty bad asthma so when anything happens, even runny noses, I start watching for any other symptoms that this virus is going to move to thier chest and lungs. She was good on Wednesday. Thursday morning, I woke them up, got them ready, headed out the door to work and Jeff headed in the opposite direction to take Braelyn to school.

On my lunch break I had a call from a number I didn't know so I answered. It was the nurse at Braelyn's school saying that Braelyn was in her office and was not feeling very well. Her teacher said she didn't eat lunch and had been crying all morning, which was very un-Braelyn. I had Jeff on his way to the school to pick her up within 30 minutes, although there was no big rush at this point. He picked her up and said she was doing okay, probably just getting a cold and was resting on the couch watching tv. I was relieved.

By 3 that afternoon, he was calling me back that she was burning hot with fever and having a lot of trouble breathing. He made the decision to rush her to her pediatrician's office to be checked and I left work early to meet him there since I could tell Jeff was pretty worried. I was assuming they would give her a breathing treatment, a prescription for her steroid and we would be going home. As soon as I walked in the doctor's office and saw Braelyn I knew this was not good. Jeff's judgment was dead on. Her oxygen level was at 85% (which he normally sends her to the hospital at about 94% and kids go on oxygen around 92%). She was in danger, even after a treatment in his office, and her fever was around 103 degrees.

We rushed her over to the hospital to be admitted and spent the next four days there. They had her on IV antibiotics, constant O2 level monitoring and oxygen for almost 3 days. By the third day, they could get her breathing well off oxygen but when she was asleep her oxygen levels would drop low and the oxygen would go back on. It took 3 nights of trying to get her to sleep without needing supplemental oxygen before she made it all night.

It wasn't fun. It was heartbreaking to see her like her.. connected with so many wires and the awful sight of those oxygen tubes going in her little nose.

It all hit her fast and we were lucky that she was able to get stabilized. Chest xrays showed pneumonia in her lungs, which was really making her struggle with her asthma. Her body was fighting so hard that she literally was throwing up the first day and slept 15 hours, almost straight through.

Because she is so loved, she had lots of friends and family stop by to see her bring her toys. She spent four days doing puzzles, playing with playdough, coloring, painting, watching movies and playing on her Nintendo DS. I actually think she might have enjoyed the little break, once she was feeling better, because she got great one-on-one time with Mommy and Daddy but we were all missing Happy alot!

Balloons from Nana and Papaw... these pictures were on her third day when she got to wear her own pajamas. That made her a happy girl! :)

And finally on Sunday, after a bad long weekend, my little angel was free from all the junk connecting her to that bed, breathing steady and on her way home! Jampa got her a Toy Story shirt for her trip home. It was a good day and we were so excited to see Happy, who had been with Jamom, Jampa and Shanna the past four days. We missed her so much!! It was really hard to be away from one baby but I knew my focus had to be on Braelyn, at that moment, and focusing on getting her well and home!!

And while we are talking about sweet little Braelyn.. look at these cute pictures she draws me everyday on her magna doodle. She is just so smart and I couldn't be more proud of either one of my babies.

Braelyn is obsessed with the idea of baby Brittyn coming and even Happy is coming around to the idea, too!

Thanking you all for covering our family, especially Braelyn, with prayers the past couple weeks. God is good in taking care of our sweet children.

I am counting my blessings this Thanksgiving and every day!!

Baby Loftin #3- Brittyn Hope Loftin

2010-11-08T19:05:00.002-06:00

Finally an update on the little bitty angel coming soon! On September 7th, we found out that the newest little Loftin is, indeed, another precious little girl! I have to admit, I was just as excited as finding out the first two were girls! Braelyn has been talking about her new baby sister ever since the moment we heard that news. And the biggest blessing is she is very healthy and very active and for that we are so grateful! I will never, for one second, take for granted that we have healthy, beautiful babies!! God has been so good to us.

Here is her little sweet foot..

The "view" we had been praying for.. another GIRL!!

Her beautiful profile..

I am amazed by the details you can see! Her precious spine.. she is being perfectly formed!!

And just for laughs, I made this shirt for Halloween! :)

The biggest news of all is this precious little girl finally has a name!! There was lots and lots of debate and discussion about a name at our house for this sweet baby! I am not sure why it was so much harder this time. Of course, it had to be another "B" name because she couldn't be the child that was left out and other than that I knew what I wanted for her middle name since my other girls had the middle names of Grace and Faith. After MUCH discussion, I am happy to say our third little girl will be..

Brittyn Hope Loftin

Brittyn was one of my favorites but Jeff took some talking into it. The secret to winning him over was teaching Braelyn the name and then teaching her to write the name. Now, everyday she tells Daddy about her "baby sister, Brittyn" and writes her name on everything! It's so cute! She draws pictures of three girls and writes Braelyn, Brylee and Brittyn. And how could he say no to that sweet little face?!?! She has become our Brittyn and we can not wait to meet her!!! February 3, 2011 could not come soon enough :)

October 2010

2010-11-07T21:35:00.001-06:00

I decided since October was full of so much fun, it needed a post of it's own! We had a lot going on and I had to look for as many reasons as possible to get the kids in their cute costumes!

In the beginning on October, James and Dylan came a for a visit! It was fun. We miss them being close so much. The girls and Dylan are more like brother and sisters than cousins and they were back to their playing, giggling, arguing selfs in no time :)

These were just some of my favorite of the girls in October. I still love matching clothes and it still drives Jeff crazy.. but they are so cute!!

We also had to take the girls to the pumpkin patch.. I love that fun and the pictures we get to take there!!

The weekend before Halloween was Boo at the Zoo in Abilene. We almost didn't get to go cause a cold front came through with lots of rain the day of the event but thankfully, it cleared and warmed some right before it started. It turned out perfect! The girls decided to not go with a theme this year, which makes me crazy lol, but they are getting older and have ideas of their own now :) Braelyn was Jessie from Toy Story and Happy was Dora, her favorite!

The weekend of Halloween I decided to attempt Cake Balls like pumpkins. It was so time consuming but they turned out cute and they are always delicious!

Then Halloween night, we went trick or treating at Jeff's parents. The kids were cute and got lots of candy! It was a good time.

Excuse my brother-in-law's butt in the last picture with my kids. He thinks he is funny lol.

October was a fun month and once Halloween is over I get excited cause the big holidays are finally here!!!

I promised to catch up..

2010-11-07T21:11:00.000-06:00

I did promise to catch up but I think I said something about "soon" and that was in July lol.

Here goes.. 5 months of fun starting with May :)

End of May, my Dylan graduated from kindergarten and look how cute he was doing it! I'm proud! Other than that, I don't think anything too exciting happened. Check out my three cuties below.. Happy, Cowboy and Braelyn.. love 'em!! :)

In June, my two cuties enjoyed the beginning of summer with lots of swimming.. they are expert posers!!

And my niece, Alyssa, turned 8 years old!! When Jeff and I started dating she had just turned 3 years old a couple weeks before. The years have flown by!! She had a rock star party.. she is adorable!

And just one of my favorites from June.. Braelyn Grace and Brylee Faith... :)

And in July, Lauryn Bailey turned 3 years old.. how cute is she? Love her to pieces!

My sweet newborn baby girl, Braelyn Grace, also turned 4 years old on the 27th. Seems like just yesterday she was born. She is the sweetest child and she loves everybody. The world is a better place because of her (and I tell her sister that, too). Jeff and I are so blessed!

She wanted a pink pirate/skull party.. and it turned out cute. I ordered custom plates, banners and party boxes with her sweet little picture on them and we all met at the Eastland Water Park for a perfect summer day of swimming!

And then my favorite holiday of the year.. 4th of July!!

Nothing too exciting happened in August but we did go to Dallas for the weekend. Jeff and his parents and sister, her husband and kids all stayed at a hotel in Arlington for a night. The girls got to swim and watch a night movie by the pool and the next day we all went to Hurricane Harbor. It was really fun! I didn't take too many pictures since it all involved water but I did get these two at the hotel.. aren't they so sweet? I am loving their summer tans in those bright dresses!!

In September is one of the events I wait for every year.. The West Texas Fair and Rodeo.. so fun! It's a small town thing, I will admit that, but we love going! The girls think they have died and gone to heaven with all the rides and junk food!! :)

Also in September I got a call that Braelyn got in to preschool!! It was a very bittersweet day for us. The same little baby that just turned 4 years old is now a school girl and she is loving every second of it! She is doing so well and is very advanced for her age.. I couldn't be more proud! She got to pick out her outfit for her first day of school and she was flawless. I am in love!

Sweet Happy's room is now being turned back into a nursery so we did a room makeover on Braelyn's room so that they could move in together. They are looooving it and it turned out so cute!!

Things have been busy but busy is almost always good for us. I say it all the time but we are so blessed with great family, friends and children. My cup runeth over!!

BIG news and some catch up :)

2010-07-22T21:22:00.001-05:00

Can't believe how long it has been since I last entered a post on here.. I have some serious catching up to do!!

Want the biggest news first?

That little angel above is our THIRD baby due in February 2011!! So far, so good.. baby looks perfect, growing perfect and make me having lovely morning sickness that lasts all day.. love it already! :) We are excited.. the girls are excited.. just another little miracle!! I will be 11 weeks tomorrow.

Famous question.. "Do you want a boy now?" and my answer is I will take another healthy, beautiful baby! We have been so blessed with two perfect little angels already! I won't lie... there is a special place in my heart for baby girls and another one would fit in perfect but a baby boy would be an awesome surprise to Jeff's girl FILLED family! We shall see what God gives us! :)

And here's the catch up:

In January, it was freezing cold and the kids went to school like eskimos most days! Jeff turned 25 and we celebrated with friends.

In February, there was lots and lots of snow! Braelyn loves it and Happy.. not so much :)

In March, we made a fun trip to Dallas.. Me, Jeff, Braelyn and Happy.. Shanna (Jeff's sister) and her two girls, Lauryn and Alyssa.. and my brother, James and nephew, Dylan! Braelyn and Happy were in Heaven with all their cousins. We did lots of shopping, stayed at a beautiful hotel in Dallas, Le Meridien North Dallas, went to the Dallas World Aquarium, and no surprise.. it SNOWED most of the time we were there. Our hotel was right next to the Galleria Mall so we spend time running back and forth in the snow.. the kids made great memories! It was an awesome mini vacation!

Also in March, Brylee Faith turned 2 years old! We celebrated with lots of friends and family in a hot pink and zebra party and inflatable obstacle course.. It was so fun!! Can't believe she is TWO already!!

On March 1st, we mourned with our dearest friends, Chris and Kristie, as they lost their first child during pregnancy. Guy Kristopher Brock came to the world too early but we are faithful God had a plan for his life and many people were touched by him. We will always miss him and cry for the relationships we could have built with him. Aunt Corrie loves him more than he will ever know.

In April, we celebrated Easter with none of than matching dresses! The girls were precious and Braelyn was the only one interested in hunting eggs :) And because the kids are spoiled, we rented them a bounce house for Easter!

Also in April, my little man, Dylan, turned SIX years old!

So I know that's only through APRIL.. but I feel like falling into a pregnancy induced coma that the rest of the world calls sleep!

I promise I will catch up May, June and July soon!

And Miss Braelyn Grace is having a fabulous 4th birthday party this weekend.. Can't wait to share those pics too!

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T23:17:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day: The girls got to open all their presents from Santa and Mommy & Daddy. They had a lot of fun and got way more than they needed but what can I say?! :) Aren't they precious in their matching pajamas!?

You couldn't tell from these pictures but Brylee actually had surgery on the 23rd. She had tubes put in her ears (like big sister, Braelyn, has done three times before). It wasn't a fun process and her ears looked pretty bad but we are so thankful for their ENT doctor who is the best in the world and takes such good care of our little girls. She is recovering well and I think the ears might actually be clear for the first time in around six weeks.. poor baby!!
Hope you all had wonderful Christmas and an amazing year in 2010!! We are so thankful for each and every one of you, friends and family, who bless us on a daily basis! We love you!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-31T23:11:00.001-06:00

Look at me blogging on New Years Eve trying to get in a post for December.. I am officially the worst blogger ever :)

Here is the Christmas Eve wrap up..
The kids in their Christmas shirts..
Braelyn's said "Peace, love and presents" and Happy's shirt said "I'm on the nice list.. trust me". Our tree was black this year.. take it or leave it.. I LOVED it! :)

In case, you were living under a rock in Texas this year.. we had a blizzard, yes, blizzard, on Christmas Eve! Talk about a white Christmas! It was beautiful!! Braelyn LOVED it and Brylee, not so much :) Abilene got around 8 inches of snow, it was really cool!

And here are all the Christmas Eve pictures from Jeff's grandparents house.. the girls had a BLAST and got way too much toys!! :)

Update :)

2009-11-28T15:19:00.000-06:00

This is officially the worst blogging month I have ever had but in other areas, it's been a great month for us! :)

I started my new job mid-November and so far, so good. There is lots to learn and I am still in training but things are going well and I am really pumped about the oppourtunity.

Here are some pictures of the goofy kids playing in the car while we were waiting for Dylan to get out of school:

The kids are doing pretty well in daycare, too. They, of course, did get sick the first week but I expect that for a little while until they build up some immunities. Thankfully, my amazing family has really rallied around us so I wouldn't have to miss any work. Jeff stayed home with them one day when they weren't feeling well and then last week Happy got sent home with a fever and Jeff's dad took the morning off to watch her (best Jampa EVER!) and then my brother took off the rest of the afternoon to keep her. Long story, short is they both got colds and Braelyn's turned into asthma/bronchitis and Brylee has a double ear infection, which has caused us two trips to doctor (one to switch an antibiotic) and had made her have steady high fevers for the past fours days. So basically, they have been living on antibiotics, motrin/tylenol and breathing treatments. It is all looking up though and I think the worst is over. Praise God!

Happy and Daddy taking a nap.. she had about 103 fever here:

A couple of weekends ago we went to see Chris and Kristie in Gatesville. It was fun and the kids really love staying in hotels (so do I!).

Thanksgiving was good. We spent this year in Abilene with Jeff's family and we had a great time and ate lots of good food. We rotate every year for holidays and last year we went to Fort Worth with my family. Can you tell Happy was not feeling good in all these Thanksgiving pictures?! She did NOT want to take pictures but she did love the neighbors new puppy :)

That's basically all we have had going on.. which is a lot! After staying home with the kids for so long I sometimes feel like I am running around with my head cut off LOL but it is all good and we are having fun! Keep posting on your blogs.. I AM reading even though I don't have much time to blog :)

Holiday Season.. woo hoo!! :)

BIG NEWS!!

2009-11-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

Not that you have been anxiously waiting for it.. but I got a job! :) I will be working at Blue Cross Blue Shield here in Abilene starting within the next two weeks. I am so excited! I have been praying for a good open door and this is a really good open door! In case you don't know, BCBS is insurance and I am working in the customer service area as a customer advocate. I am really glad to have the oppurtunity with such a great company, great benefits, great hours, great pay.. it's all great. Of course, the only down side (and it's major) is finding a good place for my babies. I looked at a couple home daycares and decided against it. Looked at having someone watch them in my home and decided against it, I think (still some debate there). And finally I called 10, yes 10, daycares in Abilene until I found two centers that have openings for both Braelyn and Brylee. They are actually both really nice facilities and I am going to look at them on Monday so please be praying that I can make the right decision for my children and that they will be in the best possible hands besides mommy and daddy. :) It is hard to think about my days at home with the girls are coming to an end but in all honestly, I had no intentions of being a stay-at-home mom in the first place. I went to school and got a degree because I wanted to work and make a living. However, God had other plans for our lives and I have really enjoyed the past three years at home with babies but the time has definitely come for us to move past this point. I am excited about the girls getting to be around other kids and learning outside of the home. I think they are both at great ages to make this adjustment and I am confident that God will provide them with all the love, security and fun in the place that they will spend away from mommy and daddy. I really would appreciate your prayers for me, Jeff and the girls as we adjust to this major change and pray that it be a smooth and wonderful transition for us all. My biggest concern is that my girls will pop up in daycare and get sick too much because they have been sheltered from so many germs and viruses at home. I know that it will take some time for them to build up some immunities so pray for us in that area as well. I really don't want them sick and battling asthma all the time. This is an exciting time for us and I am so thankful to have been given this chance!! Thanks, in advance, for all your prayers.

On another note: I feel like I am always asking yall to pray, pray, pray but I want to be praying for you, too. This is the reason I have a blog email.. so please send me some things I can pray about or praise about :) My email is on the side of this post: mommyloftin@yahoo.com

Happy Halloween.. finally... :)

2009-11-06T16:46:00.001-06:00

I couldn't bear the thought of my Halloween pictures being one week late on my blog. So, I decided to post them 6 days late. Sigh. We had a blast. The kids were adorbable. They got way too much candy and I let them eat it all. I took too many pictures. The kids stay up too late. And we had too much fun! Sound great? It was! :)

Have you heard the big news at our house yet? If not, I promise to blog about it this weekend!! :)

My car was STOLEN!

2009-11-04T16:19:00.000-06:00

I promise that my kids had a great Halloween and I promise that I took too many pictures, as always, and I also promise that I will post those pictures before they are 20 and 21 years old but for now please indulge me while I whine and cry.
Halloween morning, Happy and I got up early and were wondering around the house doing our normal morning routine. She was fussy and saying she wanted to see our "punkins" on the front porch so I opened the front door to show her and noticed that my car was gone. Hmm.. I thought maybe Jeff let his parents borrow it or something so I came in and woke him up and said "where is my car?". He, still half asleep, moaned something about parked closer to the neighbors house so I probably couldn't see it for the bushes. So, I went back to the living room, put on my tennis shoes and walked out to the curb in my pajamas and looked down the street. Ya, my car was not in front of the neighbors house. I quickly ran back inside yelled at Jeff, "My car is gone, Jeff!" He jumped out of bed. I woke up Chris and Kristie, called Jeff's dad and hung up with him to call the Abilene Police. I knew all the info on my car including license plate (if you don't know yours, go write it down right now) and told it all to the operator. She asked me lots of questions and by the time I hung up Jeff's dad pulled up and Jeff, his dad and Chris went driving around just to make sure they didn't see it nearby. I called my grandpa in Fort Worth, just to give him the heads up, and by the time we hung up, an officer for APD called me back and said they found my car on the Northside of town and it looked like it was in great condition, except that it was out of gas. We loaded up and headed to the other side of town. What the officer did not know was what had been in my car when it was taken. I immediately noticed that my $250 double stroller was gone, Happy's $200 car seat was gone and the kids portable DVD player was gone. Also, stolen was my debit card (don't worry, not used.. I called and cancelled it). The officer said he got some "not so promising fingerprints" and that I probably would not see my stolen items again because they were probably "sold or traded for drugs". Gee, thanks, break my heart.. someone stole from my babies to get high! UGH! Anyways, as thankful as I am to have my whole car back (and in good shape) it was really sad to think about the things taken from my kids and now the struggle to replace them. Is it weird that mom's get attached to their kids "things"? I mean, I understand how blessed we are to have all the nice things and lucky that we got my car back in great shape but I still get sad thinking about the things we lost. So all week I have been searching, searching, searching online and in stores to find replacements. Mostly, for my babys car seat and the double stroller. The tv's are not a necessity and they can get those as Christmas presents.
So I did lots of research and picked this car seat for Happy. I love convertible car seats and the fact that she can use it as long as she will ever need a car seat. Her stolen one was convertible car seat, as well, in precious pink and brown and I loved it so much. I know that this one will do the job just as well :) It is a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat in Rachel For some reason, they are not carrying it in the Abilene Target anymore so I found the last one that they had at a Target by my grandparents house in Fort Worth and my grandpa went by and picked it up for me. I love him :) He is going to meet me one day next week and I cannot wait to see it!!

The second debate, still going, is over the double stroller that was stolen. First of all, you should know when I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, precious Brylee, the first thing I did was start looking at double strollers. I couldn't wait to push my two babies around and after months of research I found this not-so-little jewel and I have loved her ever since :)

The thought of replacing her with a different double stroller is a little heartbreaking, haha, but the truth is I really don't need that big one anymore. Braelyn is 3 years old and rarely, if ever, wants to sit in the stroller with her "baby" sister! So I debated buying another one just like it and changed my mind. Then I debated buying this side-by-side but Jeff thought it would be too wide to get through doors or a pain when shopping in small aisles, which is a valid point, so I changed my mind on that one too. So my final decision might be in this one.. a sit-n-stand. It has a seat for the baby/toddler in front and a little bench in the back where big sister can sit or stand. Sound good? I think so. I have not made a firm choice but I am going to run by Target tonight to look at one. I think Braelyn might even think its fun to jump on and off the back, don't you? This will at least get us through a couple more years till we won't need a stroller anymore.. sigh.

If you read all this and have any advice or tips then you can be my new best friend. I know it shouldn't be so hard.. just go out and buy new things.. but I want them to be the right things and yes, I am this organized, structured, researched on all important purchases. And yes, Jeff is annoyed with talking about it :) Please leave me a comment with advice :)

Halloween's Past

2009-10-30T15:52:00.000-05:00

In honor of Halloween tomorrow and Kelly's Korner Blog's "Show us your Halloween Costume", I am taking a walk down memory lane to look at our previous Halloween costumes! So much fun!

2006: Braelyn was just 3 months old :) She was a tootsie roll! The prettiest one I have ever seen.. I still have the costume (all costumes they have ever worn, haha).

2007: Braelyn was a chicken! She was so sweet and she loved wearing it! I was pregnant with Brylee.. we didn't even know we were having another princess yet :)

In 2007, was also the year I dressed my Dozer up like a dinosaur! He hated it! I'm sorry, Dozer.. I couldn't resist! I miss that huge baby so much!!

In 2008 I was finally the mother of TWO! :) Braelyn was just over 2 years old and Brylee was 7 months old. Braelyn was an angel and Brylee was a little devil. Aunt Kristie made them tutu's for their outfits! It was so much fun!

And here we are now.. 2009.. Braelyn is a monkey (3 years old) and Brylee is a banana (19 months old). Where does the time go?! Having two kids for Halloween is so fun! I love coming up with matching/coordinating outfits!

I think I am going to dress my baby, Cowboy, up like a bumblebee tomorrow. He is going to hate it just like his little brother, Dozer, did! :)

Finally, part THREE

2009-10-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

The last of the Pumpkin Express Patch.. there was a "haunted hall" and all three kids just had a blast running to the end and then going back and running through again. Talk about cheap entertainment! :) Their expressions are worth it all!

Finally, we got back to Abilene and James and I took the kids to the little pumpkin patch here. It's not really a "pumpkin patch" but it's pumpkins on the ground and it's the only one in Abilene so here we are :) It is done by Disability Resources so all the money goes to a great organization and the kids love going so we can't beat that! :) Look at all my little ducks in a row.. they are the cutest! I might be partial.

And finally, the day Braelyn had been waiting for.. pumpkin carving. She had been talking about it for days and what do you know.. but we when started carving it she didn't want to touch the "ooey gooey inside"! Oh well, Mommy doesn't mind so I mostly did this one on my own and then she couldn't wait to take it back to the house to show her Cowboy :) Is there anything sweeter than your biological babies loving your fur babies, who were your babies before you had babies?! Does that make any sense at all?! Anyways, melt my heart.. my kids love our Cowboy! :)

Thanks for putting up with all that posting and crazy blogger and it's crazy tricks ;)
Hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween weekend! Can't wait to see all of your pictures of your babies dressed up!! HUGS!

Part TWO

2009-10-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite pictures from the pumpkin patch are the top right of Happy and bottom left of all three kids. Aren't they so cute!?!?

This is the part where Brylee and Braelyn fought over a steering wheel and then got to climb through a giant log :)

Some more favorites.. the girls dancing in front of the "haunted house" and Happy's priceless expression (top right) that I happened to catch on camera. She is so funny!

Some more from the pumpkin patch. I just love all these pictures! Of course, I always have to get one with me and my babies. Have I mentioned how hard it is to get two kids to smile at once?! Moms of one, beware! Your day will come LOL

One more addition next :)

Part ONE

2009-10-30T13:38:00.001-05:00

Oh, I am having so many dilemmas with Blogger right now but I am going to try to make it work. First of all, I have one million pictures, almost, from the past couple weeks so I have twelve, yes twelve, collages of pictures to get out there. I 100% understand that you do not want to see one million pictures of me, my kids and family but grandparents and aunt and uncles do so skip these if you want, haha! :) Second dilemma is that it is only allowing me to post FOUR collages per post so I dividing these into THREE different posts just to confuse you and make you work for it :)
Last weekend the girls and I were in Fort Worth and really enjoyed spending time with family and friends. If you dont remember how much my kids love Granny and Papa's backyard, here are some reminders :)

I don't know why these pictures amaze me so much but I was so entertained watching Braelyn with this ball. She is so cute!

Then on Sunday we went with Nana, Aunt Misty and Cousin Colton to the Pumpkin Express Pumpkin Patch and Train Rides in Argyle. It was so cute! You ride a little train out to the patch and then there are tons on Radio Flyers to pull the kids around and pick up your pumpkins. So many places to take cute pictures.. as you can see my the numerous ones I took! :)

They also have bounce houses, Braelyn's favorite part!

Is this going to confuse you that you have to scroll UP to read the rest? Cause it's really messing with my head :) Anyways, part two and three coming next!!

TWO more things..

2009-10-21T13:15:00.003-05:00

I forgot to share that Braelyn did great in her surgery last Friday. She was a trooper. We had to be at the hospital at 6 in the morning but we managed to get everyone ready and out the door. We talked to her doctor and they took her back (she cried a little) and then 15 minutes later her doctor came out and said she did great. He did mention that she fought them on the gas mask to put her to sleep but my response was "yes, sorry, she is a fighter!" It's sooo true.. anytime Braelyn has to have anything done that she doesn't want to do she will kick and scream (only at doctors, by the way, other than that she is really well behaved lol). She may have inheirted this fighting personality from someone on my side of the family.. I won't name any names :) We met her back in the recovery room and we were home by 11, simple as that. Braelyn was bouncing off the walls by the time Aunt Kristie got her around noon and was booing at the zoo the next day. I am praying this is the last surgery for forever!!! Thanks for all your prayers and comments for Braelyn. We appreciate you so much.

Of course, the best part of going to the doctor or hospital is all the stickers they give you, right? I am not sure why but these pictures crack me up. Weird little kids :)

Pirates?

Dancing with the stickers

And Brylee did NOT like the stickers on her face nor was she amused by Braelyn and Dylan's sticker faces. Can you tell? :)

And the news of the day.. I got a million questions already today about what happened to my facebook.. and the short answer is.. I deleted it. Simple as that. It's time consuming and requires too much update.. why do I need it? I have a husband to spend time with and children to take care of and spend time with so I can only see it as a distraction. You can see all my pictures and updates here. I might change my mind one day but while I was deleting last night.. I deleted my myspace too but that was an easy decision.. I haven't used it in months!! So, keep up with my blog and keep up with YOUR blog so I can keep up with you, too! Lots of keeping up going on around here, huh? :) So, if you need me I still have an email address.. if we are friends, you know my personal email (if you don't, leave me a comment and I will send it to you) and if we are "internet friends" and you just surfed on my blog then email me at my blog email mommyloftin@yahoo.com Life made easy, right? Hope you all can understand where I am coming from. I don't mean to make people mad but this is the best decision for me. It's a cool and rainy day in Abilene, Texas and I am getting kids down for naps... ta-ta! :)

Boo at the Zoo

2009-10-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we took the kids to the Boo at the Zoo here in Abilene. It is always a fun time but packed with tons of people! My kids have cute costumes this year and I was so excited to put them in them since I bought them back in September!!! Braelyn is a monkey (it was her choice) so Happy is a banana! Omg, I love it :) Last year they were an angel and a devil in tutu's, which was fun too!

2008:

2009 Boo at the Zoo:

Baby Corbin in his tiger suit :) My monkey Braelyn

Happy the Banana :)

Braelyn with Chris and Adrianne Kaden the skeleton

Kaden, Braelyn and Camryn.. love that face, Brae :)

Uncle Stinky and Happy Me and Corbin :)

Our babies

Our Family

My monkey and banana :)

Dylan had gone to see his mom for the weekend so he didnt get to come but you will see his costume soon! :) It was really a fun day and all the kids were so cute! :) Can't wait till next year!!

Pumpkin Princesses

2009-10-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

You might remember that Braelyn and Brylee have the world's greatest Nana and we love her so much! Yesterday we got a wonderful package in the mail from Nana and Papaw with Halloween shirt and lots of candy! Nana loves holidays and we get a package for every holiday, every year, full of goodies. Nana and Papaw have a great pool at their house so when I told Braelyn that they sent us all the presents she said, "Oh cool! Nana probably wants us to come swimming at her house today!" I laughed. We will have to work on which seasons are "swimming seasons" :) Thanks, Nana and Papaw, yall are the best!

These two just melt my heart! I love them so much!!

Welcome Back! :)

2009-10-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well I had no intentions of fully neglecting my blog and facebook pictures for a FULL 3 weeks but it happened. In fact, I was just thinking the other day that I was going to try to get more posts than the previous month and look at me.. Here I am with my first post of the month on the 14th of the month! Whoops! But I am back. I just always get the feeling when I get behind on my blog that it is going to take me so long to get caught up so I keep pushing it off.. do yall get the same feeling? Dang blog with its guilt! :) So now I am playing catch up again and picking and choosing which life events to document on here LOL Here goes..

Hmm.. it's probably been three weeks now but we went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival here in Abilene. It was a good time. We went during the day once so the kids could do all the rides and games and then went back at night because they do the big balloon glow. It's pretty cool... it's really cool for Abilene, ha!

And we had to play peek-a-boo in the car on the ride home.. :)

Just a couple days after that Braelyn wanted to make brownies.. how could I argue with that?!? We got the brownies all ready and as I was about to pour them in when Little Happy just reached over and stuck her hand in the bowl. Braelyn was shocked.. she looked up at me waiting for my reaction. I couldn't help it.. it was so funny and they persued to make this mess below. This is sooo Happy's personality.. to be daring and not care but reach out and grab what she wants... and Braelyn would never do such a thing. She is sweet and gently, always obeying the rules. I love them both so much!

This is THE MOST RANDOM POST EVER!! One night we went bowling LOL Here are the pictures.. :)

Dylan is such a character!!!

And finally one of Jeff's favorite nights of all year.. Abilene Cruise Night! This really is a cool event.. it is SO Abilene, so small town and people love it! Show up with your cars and cruise and afterwards there is a car show, dance and other fun stuff. The people here look forward to it all year long and thousands of people line the streets on the cruise route to watch!

I LOVE THIS ONE OF DYLAN'S FACE!!

OUR FRIEND CODY'S BABY BOY, TRENTON! HE IS SUCH A HAPPY LITTLE GUY AND SOO CUTE! LOOK AT THOSE BABY BLUES!!

Oh my goodness, are you up to date on the most random things in my life ever? I think so :) I had to pick and choose topics and photos just so I could get my blog back up to speed but here we are!

You might remember this post asking for prayers for Braelyn. Things have progressed the past few weeks and we have made (or been forced to make) the decision to go ahead with her third surgery.. more tubes in her ears. You can read the summary of Braelyn's medical history on that previous post but after much discussion and prayers, Jeff and I knew thats what we had to do for Braelyn. There is no way she can make it through all winter without tubes in her ears and we cannot let her run the risk of hearing damage or eardrum damage so I am begging you to pray for us FRIDAY MORNING as we send our precious firstborn in for her third surgery in her teeny, tiny life. We are confident in our doctor and the decision he has made but it is still very worrisome, even the third time around. Braelyn is the epitomy of strength and I know she will do great, better than me crying in the waiting room, but I appreciate, in advance, the prayers sent up on her behalf. She is a priceless jewel! Friday morning early.. boo!

In good news, my grandmother has finally made it home from the hospital and rehab after many months of worry and stress. She is home and is still awaiting a couple procedures but vastly improving and we are so grateful!!

If you read all of this, you are a trooper, too! :)

Monster trucks and musicians

2009-09-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

Thankfully, for Jeff, we have two little girls who aren't super girly. They are the perfect blend of tough, strong yet gentle little ladies. And with that being said Braelyn loves cars and monster trucks and babies, barbies and makeup. She is great! So when we heard there was a chance for us to see the monster trucks again in Abilene, Jeff, James and I jumped at the chance to take Braelyn and Dylan. Jamom and Jampa watched Happy because sitting in high rise bleachers with an antsy one year old just didn't sound like too much fun! I am always a little hesitant going to these events, knowing we will stick out like a sore thumb. I am in no way snooty and can get along with anyone but can I say that we are not, ahem, redneck at all? So, the kids had a great time watching the show and it was pretty entertaining. Even I was laughing and clapping at the huge trucks smashing cars and doing wheelies, it's pretty cool :)

But the highlight of my night was better than that.. A man walked in with his little boy and I immediately noticed he stuck out there more than us. He was sharply dressed, taking pictures of his little boy and was surronded by people. As the show went on, my brother noticed that everyone kept taking his picture. My brother is the world's biggest Texas country fan and said to me "I think that is Aaron Watson" and I was like "yes, that's it! That's who it is!" We knew he lived in Abilene but I didn't want to assume it was him and feel like an idiot so I got on my phone and googled him. The pictures looked like him so I checked his twitter page and BAM, he said he was at monster trucks with his son. So we waited till the show was over and I, embarrasingly, approached him and said "Are you Aaron Watson?" LOL He was so nice and took a picture with us and just talked. He was super friendly. I apologized for bothering him when he was out but he said no he loved meeting fans and he was so glad we came up. Here is the song he is most famous for.. 3rd Gear and 17. I have met a number of "famous people" and I can say he was the nicest I have ever met. He spent a couple minutes talking to us and talking to Dylan and shaking our hands. If you are not a fan of his, now is the time to jump on the band wagon. He was a great guy.. and can I say really cute? :)

UPDATE: After I posted this blog I found this great interview that Aaron Watson did back in March 2008. Go read it all but I will share my favorite part:

"I'm an Abilene, Texas boy. I'm not a Nashville, Tenn. guy. I've got a great little church that I attend every Sunday. And there's great school districts in our town, and you know, Abilene has just that old-timey feeling. And I'm gonna be honest with ya, At the end of my road, when I'm on my death bed, do you think I'm gonna be thinking of how many records I've sold? Honestly, my legacy is my music, my legacy is the life that I live and it's through my boys, the kind of men that they become. So I'm more worried about raising good Christian men than I am about becomin' famous worldwide. My philosophy is that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I truly believe that. We don't drink and we don't act like rock stars. I run a Christian organization. I'm all about wherever I go, me and my boys tryin' to be a positive influence on whomever we're in contact with. It's really just about lovin' everybody. What we've done in five years, it's just absolutely unheard of and it's phenomenal. And that's because we've got a lot of folks prayin' for us, and a lot of folks wantin' to see us succeed. And we work really hard. So I'm absolutely just thrilled. Thrilled and so thankful that I can make music that I like and that people like it enough to buy it. I mean, think about how crazy that is."

Our colorful weekend

2009-09-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

Friday, Jeff and I took the girls to our last 2009 trip to the fair. They had a blast again. Braelyn can do the rides but had to do most alone since Happy is not big enough :( She didn't seem to mind but I can't wait till next year when they can ride together :) Lots of fun with our kids and close friends. Can you see the pic of me and Happy on the giant slide? I had a minor panic attack during that one! They won't let you hold the babies in your laps anymore.. they have to ride in the lane next to you and you can hold their hand. Well it goes FAST and she started slipping back and I was literally reaching over the other side to hold her up so I didn't lose her! She was giggling the whole time :) Can't wait until the fair next year!!

Chris and Kristie got here Friday night, after we got home from the fair, and they stayed the weekend. On Saturday, Jeff, Chris and all their boys went to Lubbock for the day and Kristie and I could not decide what to do for the rest of the weekend. So we decided to remake Happy's room, which was never painted in the first place. I knew we were going to do the colors off the quilt Kristie made her but I was hesistant about putting so much color in one room. I didn't want the room to look small or suffocate you when you walked in. So Kristie and I headed out to pick paint and chose the perfect colors. We did two walls (green and blue) and then took a break to go to dinner and came back to do the other two walls (opposite walls, both pink). It turned out perfect! We kept joking about how the green wall was getting brighter but it is an awesome color and the room looks great. It is very colorful, probably not everyones taste, but it is perfect for Happy and our house! Thanks, Kristie, you are the best!! :)

Here is the collage of us and our work in progress:

And here is the finished product! Kristie also made the valances on the tops of the windows to match the quilt and then we bought black curtains to go under them. I love it that it makes the room so dark for sleeping time and bright with colors and light when you pull the curtains back! It's awesome!

And after all that, we spent most of the day Sunday EATING, my favorite hobby! Hope your weekend was great too! Let me know what you think about Happy's new room!!

Fair and major prayer request!!

2009-09-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

Monday night we finally made it out to the West Texas Fair! It was a blast! The kids were loving their lives! I took so many pictures so I had to combine them into three collages of only the best ones :) Hope to go back soon before the fair ends on Saturday!
It was very cool to watch Braelyn at the fair this year. Although, last year she was tall enough to do all the rides and games, she was not mentally or physically prepared. And this year she could do it all alone and I was so proud of her. She is an amazing little being!

Happy, on the other hand, won't be tall enough until next year so she could only do a couple little rides with Mommy (Lauryn, still too short too!). She loved it though!

Do you see my kids on the left side of the collage hanging on the gate. They are twinkies... monkey see, monkey do! They have so much fun together. And of course, I made Lauryn take a picture with me and she didn't love it but I promise, she does love me :) Alyssa, our big girl, got to do the bungee rope jumping. it looked pretty fun and she had a blast!

PLEASE PRAY
If you keep up with me on Facebook you might have read about me asking for prayers on Tuesday. Braelyn had to go into her ENT because she had an ear infection, that was draining, from the ear that still has a tube in it (the other tube fell out in July). While we were there he discovered the other ear (one the tube has already fallen out of) was also infected. In case you are keeping up, she just got over the flu last week and now a double ear infection. Long story made short, Braelyn has already had surgery for tubes at 15 months old and then surgery for tubes and adenoids removal in January 09 and now that the one tube has fallen out it is looking like we are going to have to do it all over again. He put her on an antibiotic and is going to recheck her ears in 3 weeks but he said unless he saw a "drastic improvement" we will be sending her in for a third surgery soon. I am heartbroken that my baby has had to go through all this. Braelyn is often sick and has been through so many tests, sicknesses, breathing treatments, medicines, allergic reactions, procedures, hospital stays, ER visits, doctors visits and surgeries than any child should ever have to endure. Basically she was a perfect healthy, never sick once, baby and then at her one year check up had an ear infection and was diagnosed with asthma two weeks later. Since she turned one it has been non-stop. Words could not describe the stress, worry and more stress that Jeff and I have faced with Braelyn. If you feel inclined, I would really love some prayers. Our precious baby needs a break. I am praying for a healthy, healed, happy three year old that can get a cold without being sent to the hospital with asthma (which happens every time). Sadly this has become the "norm" for us but it shouldn't be that way.. I know Braelyn can be healed and I have 100% faith in that!
Okay, well, I actually set down at the computer to post and talk about the fair and someone it turned into that.. hmm. Thanks for reading all that and keeping up with my family. I appreciate all the prayers, really.

What have we been doing lately?

2009-09-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Lately we have been:
Playing with our favorite cousins and letting Daddy give us fake mohawks. Cousins are the best!

We have been eating all the time and taking naps everyday with our best bears.

We even went to the West Texas Fair and Rodeo Parade with our Uncle James, Dylan and Colby!

We have been really mad when Mommy tries to take our pictures even though we were looking so cute! I can not resist that grumpy little face, Miss Happy! And Braelyn, always ready to smile :)

Lately we have been having so much fun and seeing lots of rain!! Hopefully the rain stops so we can go to the fair soon! What have you been doing lately?

Happy, Flu and Fair

2009-09-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

Kristie bought this outfit for Happy at Old Navy last weekend. If you know my baby.. it's funny :)

Precious Braelyn has been fighting the flu.. still.. all week! It has been a looong past few days! Lots of high fevers (think 104), lots of TamiFlu, Motrin and Tylenol, lots of Lysol and hand sanitizer and very little sleep!! So far, so good today.. I know she is past the bad part and she might even be healed.. time will tell.

No word on if we are going to make it to the first night of the Fair tonight. Just going to have to wait and see how Braelyn does all day and if it doesn't rain some more. It hasn't hardly rained all summer here and then the week of the fair we have chances of rain every day! Bummer.. we will make it though.. several times, I'm sure! :)

Something to look forward to..

2009-09-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

How was your Labor Day weekend? Ours was half great and relaxing and half stressful and worrisome! Friday, Chris and Kristie got here and we enjoyed all weekend relaxing and eating and baking and shopping and watching kids! And then Monday morning came.. Braelyn woke up with 102 fever. I hadn't the slighest clue what was going on so I figured it was an ear infection. Of course, the pediatricians office was closed on Labor Day so I debated a trip to the emergency room until I found out the walk in clinic by ACU was open. We got ready and headed out the door just in time for Braelyn to projectile vomit all over the front porch.. lovely. So I dropped off Brylee and got to the clinic early enough that the wait wasn't too long. Her ears were perfect so he did a strep test (throat gag) and flu test (booger scan). Strep was negative and flu.. positive! I was bummed.. my kids always get their flu shots but the flu has hit Abilene extra early this year and no one has the shot yet so here we are. He prescribed TamiFlu for all four of us, in hopes that no one else will catch it. So yesterday Jeff and I took care of one sick little girl, who actually slept about 18 out of the 24 hours, and tried to keep the girls apart.. mission almost impossible since they are obsessed with each other. Anyways, Braelyn is feeling slightly better today and so far, no one else is sick!

There is a light at the end of the flu tunnel on Thursday.. West Texas Fair and Rodeo! If you know me, I don't need to express my love for the Fair any longer. This is one of my favorite times of year! I love the rides, games, junk food, lights.. all of it! Last year I think we went 5 times in the 10 days it was open. It is an Abilene tradition and I am sure my kids will take these memories into adulthood. Saturday is the West Texas Parade and I cannot wait for that either!

Here is a collage of our Fair trips from last year.. Look how little Brylee was! 5 months old.. and Braelyn had just turned 2! :)

Lots of things

2009-09-04T17:32:00.002-05:00

It's been a fun and crazy week at our house. Monday we got results from Braelyn's kidney tests and everything was perfect! I am so thankful, I appreciate the many prayers that were sent up on Braelyn's behalf. We are so blessed.

Here is Dylan and James skating at the Bassetti Elementary skate night :)

My grandmother, who I shared before was having some health problems and in the hospital, has had a minor set back. She has been through weeks of rehab to build her strength back and is finally walking again on her own and then last night she fell and hurt herself again. I talked to my Papa today and she didn't break any bones (thank God) but she has a pretty bruised up hip and is very sore so she won't get to go home on Tuesday, which was the plan. I know she is pretty sad about that and I'm sure she is feeling pretty set back so if you would pray for her and my Papa, I would appreciate it so much. My Papa is Superman and handling all this like a champ. He is a great caretaker and he keeps those nurses and rehab people on their toes making sure my grandma is taken care of so pray for his strength.. I know he is exhausted and ready for her to come home!

Wednesday we went to look at a Suburban to trade my Equinox in on. After much debating and dealing, we picked one that we loved and got the most amazing deal ever! It is not brand new.. just new to us! :) The Equinox, although I loved her, had a hard life with the kids and was, quite frankly, falling apart so we decided her time with us was done! Haha! I am loving the new suburban because it has SO much room! Three rows and we needed it! Since I have Dylan most of the time, 3 kids was pretty packed in my old car. Plus the suburban is fully loaded and I am thankful for the leather seats.. the cloth ones on the Equinox were destroyed by three sweet little kids! :) Leather seats should be a requirement with toddlers! And to be honest, I have never owned a big, long car so I am really trying to not smash anything anytime soon :)

In other news, this weekend is the MDA Telethon and I would like to personally encourage you to make a donation to an organization that is very close to my heart. MDA, as most of you know, is one of the leading sources of funding for ALS research. My mother passed away from ALS in May 1999 and I can not begin to tell you how much MDA means to my family. So sit at home, enjoy your family and watch the marathon on tv while you make a donation. Here is the link to MDA-ALS and here is the link to the MDA Telethon website. So many of us are blessed with our health and we can help out even just a little to those who aren't so fortunate. It's all in God's plan.

This weekend we are having some friends, Chris and Kristie, over who are in town and Braelyn is beside herself waiting for them to get here! We can't wait! Looks like we are going to get some rain too so hopefully we can still squeeze in a Labor Day Weekend Cookout. Saturday, Jeff and I are watching his two neices and my nephew again for the tonight so wish me luck with 5 kids again! :) We are going to have a blast! Can I just tell you that being an aunt is sometime more fun than "mom".. I can spoil them rotten and send them home! :)

Is that enough updates for you? Sorry to write a long blog but I had to get it all out! :) Donate to MDA and pray for my Granny and Papa.. that is your homework for the weekend :)

Reality? TV :)

2009-09-01T17:08:00.002-05:00

I have no thoughts on The Duggars having their 19th child.. lol Watch the video!

Also THE HILLS is back on September 29th. Sorry, this is my "high school girl" indulgence. I can't help it! I had the trailer for the new season posted here but the link expired and I can't find it again :(

5 kid FUN!!

2009-08-28T10:04:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Jeff and I agreed to watch our nieces, Alyssa and Lauryn. It was sounding fun already with 4 girls and then my nephew Dylan came by too.. 5 kids ages 7,5,3,2 and 1! We had a blast though! It was non-stop laughing, running, screaming and jumping! :) I don't believe that I sat down one time in almost 5 hours but it was so worth it. Braelyn and Brylee had so much fun with their cousins and we enjoyed spending time with them too! I kept counting to make sure we knew where everyone was.. haha! At one point, I told Jeff "wow, there are a lot of kids here" and he said "it's a lot more fun this way!" Don't get any ideas, Jeff! :)
Sorry I have been a bad blogger this week. I have two sick kids and we spent all day yesterday at the hospital with Braelyn getting some tests run on her kidneys.. I will blog about all that soon! Hope yall have a great weekend! :)

Swiss Stuffing Chicken

2009-08-23T21:00:00.002-05:00

Here is a recipe I made tonight.. another one stolen from Kelly's Korner Recipes and it was delicious! Even my 3 year old and 1 year old ate their chicken and at our house that equals success! :) Here is the recipe.. make it tomorrow night!!

SWISS STUFFING CHICKEN

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
6 oz. Swiss cheese slices
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 cup white cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour.

Simple and delicious! Enjoy! :)

FOLLOW :)

2009-08-22T15:06:00.001-05:00

I just realized I didn't even have the "element" on my blog to follow my blog.. so I added it! And now I want you to go click that you are following.. mostly because I think it's cool to know who all is reading. And if I don't know you, follow anyways.. believe me I follow tons of blogs of people I don't know so I won't think you are a crazy person.. or any more crazy than me! :)

Print some pictures TODAY!!

2009-08-21T12:24:00.002-05:00

Create an account at Walgreens.com, upload 50 digital prints, send them to your nearest Walgreen's for pick up or have them mailed to your house. When purchasing online enter the coupon code: EASY50 and get 50 prints for $5. Offer ends tomorrow so go upload now! You can use the code up to 3 times per account. Make several accounts if you need to ;-)

LeapFrog Reading

2009-08-20T13:11:00.004-05:00

Having two kids is literally doubling your toy collection. People give your kids all kinds of toys and I think toys are always "hit or miss". They either love it and it becomes a favorite or it spends a few months in the bottom on the toybox before I donate it to Goodwill! Two of my favorites are from LeapFrog. I love the company, anyways, because it's fun and educational toys! When I am toy shopping, it is always about what skill are they going to learn through playing with this. Both of these toys are Braelyn's because honestly, Brylee isn't quite to this point yet. She is happier throwing the toy across the room than playing with it correctly and that's okay! :)

1) LeapFrog Leapster: I think this is becoming a classic toy because almost every home of toddler's, that I know of, has one! Braelyn mostly likes to color on it but it also has educational games that you can plug in to it. Braelyn has the Disney Princesses one. I believe the age on this toy is 3 to 5 years old but we bought hers at ToysRUs when she was 2 and she has played with it ever since. I didn't add the Princesses game until she turned 3 but the game is for ages 4 and up so she is still learning how to use it all. It teaches counting, shapes, addition, subtraction, letter names and letter sounds and sight words. Also, we take this toy everywhere where there might be a wait.. road trips, restraunts, doctor visits.. seriously it keeps them calm and quiet. Brylee even knows how to turn it on and color on it. Well worth the money and I got hers for $40!! Of course, we have the pink one but they make it in blue and green too! :)

2) LeapFrog Tag Reading System: This toy is awesome! It is for ages 4 to 8 years but Braelyn uses her perfectly at age 3 so don't hesitate to purchase for your toddler! It looks like a pen and you buy certain books to read with it. It comes with software on a disc that mom or dad uploads to the computer. Then you add which books you want the pen to "memorize" (it can hold up to 5 books at a time). By the way, the software and loading books is so easy to do.. it took me like 5 minutes. Braelyn has two books on hers right now. The child can then take the pen to the books and she can either touch the "button" on the page to have the book read aloud to her through the pen OR she can scroll across the words with the pen and it reads it aloud as she goes along.. at her pace. So cool! My husband and his friends try to figure out all the time how it works because somehow the pen knows excatly what it's reading! It's so cool! Even the animated pictures on the pages make a sound.. just touch it with the pen and it makes a noise. It is so fun to play with and really helps with word recognition! The best part of this is that you can plug the pen back into the computer and track the progress of your child. I can see which books Braelyn was reading and if she was reading correctly (the right direction), see her accomplishments and the skills she is improving on! Jeff's parents bought this for her for her birthday and it was $50 but so worth it! If all this didn't make sense through my wonderful explanation you can read all about it HERE. Also, while I was researching these toys.. I saw this.. Tag Junior Book Pal. I don't know anything about it but it looks like a mini-Tag. It says the ages are for 24 months to 4 years so I am thinking Little Miss Happy might be needing one of these very soon.. maybe Christmas?! Here is what it says about this toy online... "The Tag Junior book pal is easy for parents and children to use. Parents can download audio for up to five books to the book pal, then let their toddlers explore. Each Tag Junior board book introduces a different preschool skill - such as the alphabet, counting or social play - through 24 playful activities and more than 130 audio responses.* Open-ended questions and fun sound effects encourage children to take charge, as they touch any part of any page to bring words, pictures or activities to life. After their child has played, parents can connect the book pal to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path to see their child's progress and get printable activities to expand the learning!" Looks cool! I am going to have to go get one ASAP! :)

The gymnast and Happy :)

2009-08-19T13:05:00.007-05:00

August has proved to be a rather peaceful month at our house, so far. Our definition of peaceful might be a little different than yours ;-)

Braelyn has started back to gymnastics last week except this class is for "big girls". Since February, Braelyn and I did the "mommy and me" class and now that she has turned 3, she is on her own. It was a hard first day for her.. she cried a little because she wanted me to come out there with her (which, of course, made me tear up too) but she ended up doing great and this week, she was a pro! I am so proud of her! Sorry the pictures are blurry from gymnastics.. they have a "no flash" policy so this is the best I could get. She has the same teacher from Mommy and Me class, Braelyn loves her!

Walking on the balance beam.. she is great at this. She can practically run it.. super for a barely 3 year old! :)

Learning cartwheels.. not her strongest point but we are working on it :)

And just because Little Happy doesn't get to do gymnastics yet, doesn't mean I could leave her out of this blog post! :) She will be starting Mommy and Me classes when she turns 2 but that is still 7 months away! Here she is looking so cute this morning.. I could just kiss her all day!!

Can you believe how big she is getting?!?

Pink Converse :) Love them!

Look at this precious ponytail.. love, love love!

Here's Happy last week in her red overalls. This outfit was Braelyn's when she was 1.. I love all the precious clothes that I get to use again!!
One special prayer request for Braelyn Grace, also! Next Thursday (the 27th) Braelyn is having a couple tests run on her kidneys. She has had recurrent UTI's, which can be fairly common in toddlers, but we are checking to make sure there isn't a problem that might be causing them. Please join us in praying for good results! Thanks soo much!

San Antonio and Sea World

2009-08-10T14:49:00.012-05:00

We are home from our mini-trip to San Antonio. It was a long car ride to SA with 4 kids but we had fun! The first day we spent around San Antonio and the Riverwalk area.

All 4 girls at the Alamo

Riding the glass elevators Braelyn and her JampaJeff and AlyssaOn the Riverwalk boat tourWeston and LaurynJampa and his 4 girls on the RiverwalkSaturday night, Shanna and I took the "big girls", Alyssa and Braelyn, to do a horse drawn carriage ride. It was really fun and Braelyn was so relaxed (and exhausted) that she fell asleep! Sunday, we got up and got everyone ready to go to SeaWorld! The kids were SO excited!

Lauryn and AlyssaBraelyn and BryleeIt was REALLY hot.. here is Happy getting cooled down by DaddyLauryn in the buggieBraelyn and Alyssa were big enough to do the Shamu Express! It was funny to see them get so excited! Braelyn loved it but was scared too!

Shanna and AlyssaMe and BraelynI was telling her to lift her hands up :)Look at her face! She was scared! LOLThankfully, there are spots in the kids area to cool down! This was a life saver when the kids were getting fussy because they were so hot! I will admit I ran through all this water fully clothed! It felt so good.. I was burning! HA! Happy really loved this wheel.. she played on it almost the whole time! Sweet Braelyn GraceAlyssa Taylor My kids playing in the water Happy always pretend to be a dog! It's so funny.. she crawls around saying "woof, woof" and telling me "dog". She is the cutest puppy ever ;)
Next we headed over to the penguin exhibit.. really cool! You stand on a moving belt (like at an airport) and go through the exhibit. The penguins have a climate controlled home.. it was even snowing in there! So neat.. we could see them swimming under water and the kids loved it! Braelyn and Alyssa with their pink penguins

So hot that we bought an umbrella for Happy's stroller and then she was good to go :)

I was most looking forward to the Shamu show and it was well worth it. There was tons of people packing in there. It was amazing to see the tricks they can teach these whales to do and how the trainers can climb all over them! I thought it was such a cool bond they make with these animals.. and what trust!! Braelyn loved it as much as Mommy! :)

Do you see the trainer laying on the whale's belly?! AMAZING!!

Happy loved it! You know it is good if it caught her attention because she is such a busy body!! :)Trainers surfing on the whales

After the Shamu show, everyone was starving and ready to eat. Happy fell asleep on Daddy while I was getting food. He thought this was funny.. :)

Our last stop at SeaWorld was to the water park in the park.. Sea World is incredibly huge and I probably walked more in one day that I ever have but it really is fun! The kids got to swim and cool down before we headed home! Sorry, no pictures, from the water park :(

It was such a fun trip! I can't begin to tell you how crazy it is with four kids ages 7,3,2 and 1 but it was so worth it! The little ones had more than a few breakdowns from exhaustion (lol) but we survived and had a great time! I was amazed by the amount of people everywhere.. the riverwalk was packed and SeaWorld was super packed! Crazy! Guess I have been living in my Abilene "bubble" too long! :)

Braelyn's THREE YEAR check up!!!

2009-08-06T10:19:00.003-05:00

Last night I took my sweet Braelyn to her three year check up at our pediatrician's office. Where did three years go?!

Braelyn did great, of course!

She was 32 pounds (70th percentile) and 40 inches tall (97th percentile). Not surprising.. she is tall and skinny, like she is at every check up. The good news is that she is gaining weight perfectly.. I always worry about her being too skinny because she is not a great eater! :(

We are so proud of her and can not believe in one year she will start pre-school! Yikes! I am soo not ready for that!!

Incredibly beautiful, incredibly smart, incredibly sweet.. we couldn't love her any more!!

Pray

2009-08-04T12:58:00.003-05:00

Surprisingly, there has not been much to blog about lately, which sometimes, is a good thing! Not that it's been calm around here or anything crazy like that :) but we have mostly just been hanging out. I am all caught up on my blogs just in time for our mini-vacay this weekend to San Antonio. We are spending Saturday doing fun things around San Antonio and Sunday we are taking the kids to Sea World. I haven't been since I was really little so I might be more excited than my children :) I am mostly excited about staying in a hotel.. haha.. I LOVE hotels! :)

I do need to ask (beg) you to pray for my precious Granny (the one who just celebrated her 60th anniversary with my sweet Papa). She has been in the hospital since Friday night and is doing better but still needs your prayers. She had surgery yesterday to correct a small problem and probably will require a second surgery in a couple weeks. I won't go in to details but please pray for her fast recovery and regaining of her strength. She is very weak right now. Once she is released from the hospital (hopefully tomorrow or the next day) she will have to spend another week in a rehab center to get lots of help building her strength back. She and my Papa (who has been back and forth from the hospital with her) could really use some prayers right. Thankfully, my aunt is back in town now to help them out because me dragging the kids back and forth from the hospital to help is just not really possible and it breaks my heart to not be able to help!!
I appreciate all you out in the blog world who keep up with us and would spend some time on your knees for my family today!

Sorry, no pictures.. we have been full of activities that don't require photography.. example: doctor's appointments! BOO! However, Braelyn does start back to gymnastics tomorrow morning.. the big girl class sans Mommy... :-/ So, okay, pictures tomorrow of gymnastics class! :)

Granny and Papa's 60th Anniversary!!

2009-07-31T14:03:00.005-05:00

Last week while we were on our trip to Fort Worth we got to share in a very cool party! My grandparents have been married for SIXTY years! They are so cute! Anyways, I had been staying with them all week so Wednesday morning, I got up, packed up all my stuff, loaded the car, loaded the kids and kissed them goodbye. Granny and Papa are always sad to see us go and we are sad too but not this time.. we knew a little secret that they didn't. We told them we were heading back to Abilene but really we headed up the road to Nana's house in Keller :) We spent the day there (see swimming pictures below) and got all the kids ready just in time to make it to Granny and Papa's surprise birthday dinner at Abuelo's. They walked in to me and all my cousins and all our kids waiting! They were shocked and so happy! I had already called Papa a few hours before to let them know that we were safe and had made it back to Abilene.. whoops.. just a small lie for the sake of fun, right? :) Needless to say, they were thrilled and I apologized for lying :) We had a great dinner and were so happy to see everyone and got to take lots of pictures :) Between me, my brother and my 3 cousins we have 9 kids so it's always a good time!

Granny and Papa.. how cute are they?! 60 years together!!

Brylee and Meredith are two weeks apart in age :)McKinley and Braelyn are almost exactly one year apart :)Kids watching there balloon fly awayMy Uncle Jack, Granny, Papa, and Aunt Beverly All the great-grandkids plus me and Brett holding babies :)Papa and his grandson (my cousin), JarrettSweet MeredithBraelyn and MommyMiss Happy Hayden, McKinley and BaileyPeyton and HuttonMy cousins.. Angie, Jarrett and Allison with Granny and PapaPapa got a new Bible with his name on itAunt Bev and Granny :)Happy 60th Anniversary!!