On the Road Again!!

For those of you who have not heard yet, we are moving again! Jake got a great promotion that we did not think was happening for a few years and it is taking us to Bluefield, WV! We just closed on our house Dec 1st so we are shocked, but can't wait to see what this new adventure has in store for us. The only downfall for me is that there is not a Target in Bluefield!
We're not sure when we will officially be residents of WV, but I'll update this when we know more!

Where Has the Time Gone?!?!

I cannot believe that we are already in the beginning of February--it seems like Christmas was just last week! I am not going to fib, there have been days in the past that I wished and prayed would fly by, but I would like to take it all back. With each passing day, Brodie & Brenna are growing so fast, entering new stages of their lives and I feel like I have missed some of it. It seems that when we just had Brodie we saw every first, spent countless hours playing, reading, and just watching him grow. Now the days are filled with the morning demands for a "snack and yogurt drink" before we have even made it downstairs, then the tag team pooping from Brodie & Brenna, bath time (my coffee time while Brodie is playing in the tub and Brenna is bouncing away in the Johnny Jumper), and before I know it is lunchtime. The rest of the day is a whirlwind of feedings, diaper changes, requests for Brodie to stop chasing Duke, dinner, and then its bedtime. I can finally slow down, think about the day, and look at my beautiful children sleeping. This is when I realize that the time is moving faster than I ever imagined it could.
Tonight, I taking the time to write how each of them has grown/changed since I last wrote an update.

Brodie:
Our tiny, peanut of a baby is has no more "baby" in him. Now, don't get me wrong he can still have tantrums like the rest. But he is forming sentences, having more imaginative play, is making decisions, and best of all trying to potty train!!! He sometimes would rather call his daddy "Jake" , tries to discipline Duke by saying "Bad Dog" one too many times, and plays tricks on us. We were eating dinner one night and he asked his Poppy if he "want some" of his yogurt. Poppy of course said yes and Brodie seemed like he was going to feed him and instead pulled the spoon away and ate it himself. His favorite thing lately though has been a knock-knock joke. It is very simple, but he made it up! He can't seem to get enough of Brenna, always calling her "Big Girls", and trying to dance with her.
The potty training is new and he has yet to actually go in the potty chair. However, he has sat on it several times both clothed and naked. This morning he said he needed to sit on it after his bath and I reminded him if he went, then he gets an M &M. To which he replied, "No, two
M &M's". I thought this would be our day, but nothing. Jake & I and the M&Ms are waiting!!!
Then the other morning I was talking to my sister and heard the phone click and a little voice say "Hewwo (hello)". Brodie had gotten on the phone and proceeded to tell Aunt Christy that he peepeed in the potty and was getting M&M's. Aunt Christy thought I had forgotten to tell her the great news. Oh no.. Brodie was just saying that as he was sneaking the M&M's he climbed on the counter to get!! When I went to get him down, he kissed my cheek and told me he was a "sweet boy" I always call him that so he was tring to get himself out of trouble! I can tell we have a long road ahead of us!

Brenna:
Our sweet baby girl is already 6 months old :( I miss the cuddly infant days, but she makes up for them every morning--she usually wakes at 6am and goes back to sleep on me for an hour so I get my fix then!
She is sitting up and babbling away. If Brodie is playing with his Cars she is usually trying to grab one to chew on. Jake actually had her standing up at Brodie's train table one night watching him race his Cars. He let go of her and she kept standing there! She has even gone swimming and loved it!
We started her on baby food and she loves it. Our girl is definitely going to be the eater--there has been nothing so far that she turns down! She is always grabbing for our food or cups. Last weekend we were at Jake's parents and there were Oreo's on the table after dinner. As soon as she zeroed in on them, she made a very good attempt to get them!
Brodie was always our shy and quiet baby--kind of like his Daddy. Brenna is always trying to get someone's attention and LOVES to flirt. She knows exactly how to bat her eyes at Daddy nad it totally makes him come unglued! On several occasions he has said he needs to buy a shotgun when she is older!

They are both such sweet and loving children. God has trully blessed us and we are honored to be their parents!

I'll sleep anywhere!

So, Brodie seems to be following in his fathers footsteps more and more. For those of you who know Jake, he loves to sleep and when he was younger he would sleep anywhere. Yet again, Brodie was found sleeping someplace other than his bed! He had come into bed with us early Sat. morning and fell back asleep. While Brenna and I were downstairs Jake said Brodie got up around 7am, climbed out of bed, then just dropped back down to the floor. Jake figured he would pop up with a toy, but he never did. This is how he found him:

Sittin Pretty!

Brenna is doing so well with her neck muscle control. When she is laying on her back, she loves to grab our fingers and pull up to sitting. She has even been trying to "sit up" in her car seat! So, I figured before I tried to dig out the Bumbo from storage, I would see how she did sitting with the Boppy around her. As you can see, she did pretty well. Before I took the picture she was cooing and smiling, but as soon as I brought out the camera, she stopped. Just like Brodie, she is a bit camera shy.
Life at 3 months has been great. She has really seemed to grow out of her fussy stage--thank goodness!! She greats me every morning with huge smiles and giggles. If she does get a little fussy, I have found that she is simply asking for an audience to smile at and talk to!!


Brodie is his adorable self as usual. He is always coming up with new words (like "gross" when any of the dogs lick him!) and his play is becoming more imaginative. He used is Pampers box as a boat and to act like a ghost.

Thanks to Aunt Kiki & Uncle Jesse (Jake's brother & wife)
Brodie went swimming 2 weeks ago when we were in Richmond. The YMCA they belong to covered their pool so the little ones had a blast swimming.

Wow time has flown!

OK--So I have been catching a lot of grief for not having updated the blog in a LONG time! Needless to say the move, adjusting to being a mom of 2, and Jake continuing his MBA has left me with little spare time to even check my email. I have put in a request to add an extra 3 hours to every day so I can get things done, but I haven't heard back yet! ;) I cannot believe that it has been almost 3 months since Brenna was born and 2 months since we moved to VA. Each day brings another milestone for both Brodie and Brenna. Brenna is now over 12 lbs which is such a shocker since Brodie was still such a peanut at this age. She is doing very well at holding her head up during tummy time and loves to smile and coo. This morning I decided to nickname her "Hummingbird"--one reason being that she was cooing to me this morning and the other because when she gets fired up her arms start swinging very fast like a hummingbird. She is a really sweet, cuddly baby girl, loves to be held a lot, and is a cat napper! I am really trying to get her to take longer naps, but we're not there yet. Any suggestions? She is sleeping pretty much through the night getting up between 5 and 6 for her bottle. So I guess I shouldn't complain too much about the cat naps! Brodie is a typical 2 year old full of energy and mischief. Jake and I cannot believe how much he is learning. Last night we were trying to put him to bed and he started counting! We were shocked. He can't count straight to 10, but more like " 1,2,3....7,8,9"! I take credit for "1,2,3" because that is his countdown to stop whatever mischievous thing he is doing! He is a sponge soaking up and repeating new words and has found his imagination. We are amazed everyday at how much he is learning. God has truly blessed us with 2 beautiful and healthy children. I feel honored that He has entrusted us with their lives!




These are my nieces who were in town last week! Brenna's the token red head!

Brodie was so tired he fell asleep with his hand in the snackbowl! We have now given up the pacifier. He "gave" it to a baby camel--his choice of animal!

Brenna & the Girls!

Only 11 days old and Brenna has some great friends who came to see her! They had been waiting so long to meet her!
We are so blessed to have made such great friends during our short time here in Decatur.

Brodie Found Her Ear!!

As many of you know, Brodie has a thing for ears! Instead of having a blankie or stuffed animal for comfort, he prefers ears. We knew he would eventually find Brenna's, but didn't think it would be this early!


He has really taken the big brother status seriously. We went to the grocery yesterday and put Brenna's car seat in the back of the cart. As we were walking away from the car, he starts yelling "Sister, Sister" as if we were leaving her in the car. Once we showed him where she was, he was very relieved!!

As for Brenna, she is growing so fast already! She loves to sleep and to get kisses from Brodie! She has been eating really well, so we are anxious to see how much she has gained when we take her for her 2 week appointment on Friday. Her hair seems to be changing from the dark brown to auburn so there is a chance she will have my hair color! Watch out world, another fiesty red head!!

BRENNA IS HERE ! ! !

We are very excited to anounce that Brenna Raya was born on Friday, July 11th at 09:38 am. She weighs 8 lbs 7 oz and is 20 1/4 inches long. She is an absolute angel and both she and mom are recovering very well. Sara has been up and walking around since Saturday morning. We are on schedule to be released from the hospital on Monday and are looking forward to getting back home to Brodie and the biggest baby, Duke!

Big News: We're moving to Virginia!!!!

Well, I have been reading some of my friends' blogs and I figured this was the best way to share our exciting news. Jake just received word yesterday that we are being transferred to Norfolk, VA! This has been a dream of ours for the past 7 years that we would one day end up back home near our family and friends. It is a great opportunity, but of course comes at a very busy time. Our baby girl arrives in 12 days so we are trying to focus on that event before diving head first into the moving process again!
As soon as we know more details, I'll post updates. And of course, we'll post news of the baby's arrival and pictures as well.
We hope