She's 2 now and she lets the whole world know it!

Brooke has turned 2, and she has the attitude to prove it! Just today she poured water on my scripture bag, wrote with highlighter on my portable desk, confessed to hitting her brother, and demanded she get her way. Luckily, she also is still part sweetheart. I love it when she wakes up in the morning, wraps her little arms around my neck, and declares, "My mommy!" So when I want to wrap my hands around her little neck, I refrain, breathe, and remember that she is still that little sweetheart, and that the 2 year old beast will one day be a thing of the past. Luckily, she is also absolutely adorable, and I can't help but love her!

A Family Filled Weekend

This past weekend we spent time in South Carolina with family. I wanted to make one more trip to see everyone before Emma makes her grand appearance, and this weekend seemed liked the perfect opportunity; it was also perfect, because the Myrtle Beach Marathon was this weekend. All of my aunts and uncles were also in town, so we got to see everyone! I especially loved the weekend, because of ALL the ATTENTION the children got! It is always refreshing for everyone else to make over your children as well. Braden was especially happy about getting to stay with his Aunt Elizabeth; every time we left her house, he wanted to know when we were going back. Elizabeth also took the cuties over to her friend Carla's house, and Carla showed them chickens, rabbits, and goats; much to my chagrin Braden and Brooke also came back with chicken eggs, children with raw eggs in your van is a frightening sight. Rich eventually was able to pry them out of their hands but not without a river of tears from Braden. I assured Braden that it was still his egg, and that Daddy just wanted it to be safe in the refrigerator. As soon as we got home later that night, he wanted to check on his egg; he then proceeded to hold it for about 20 minutes. Brooke enjoyed having her Uncle Paul make over her; I think to say she has him wrapped would be an understatement. Braden and Brooke both adore their Aunt Elizabeth and their Uncle Paul. It was a great weekend, especially getting to see so many people that mean the world to me. I also got to see friends that I have known my whole life; it is always nice being around people that you feel completely at ease with! :)

My New Toy

Here are some pictures of Braden and Brooke chilling and listening to some tunes on my new toy. Braden likes it so much, we are thinking about getting him a child's version for his birthday. Oh, on another note, we ate breakfast and dinner by candlelight today; I have a feeling that meals by candlelight are going to be the new trend for a while. Also, don't you love Braden's new haircut; he is becoming quite the handsome little man. I wish I could say that I could take credit for his adorable haircut, but my friend Traci did it. Now that I finally find someone who he is willing to sit still for, she is moving to Utah. She said she will give me lessons and tips every time she cuts his hair until she moves, but after that I guess I am on my own, scary. I already learned a lot just today, like how to use thinning shears to get the lines out. I have to make sure Braden looks like the stud in training we always joke that he is; Rich is the stud of the house and Braden is the stud in training. :)

Valentine's Day

Well, today was Valentine's Day; I think Braden has loved every holiday this past year, especially if a party is involved. I decided that since he does love parties and entertaining so much, we should have a small get together over at our house; we invited 3 other boys from church along with their mothers. The children loved it; it was perfect, laid back but fun. We just made and decorated heart shaped bags, decorated cupcakes, ate lunch, passed out our Valentines, and the boys plus Brooke played in the playroom for a while. Everyone left sugared up and happy; it was hard convincing Braden and Brooke to take a nap though after the festivities. I finally had to explain that we were also going to have a special dinner that we had to start getting ready after naps, but they had to go to sleep first; luckily, it worked. Tonight we had a steak dinner and attempted to have a semi-romantic meal; we ate by candlelight, which the cuties refer to as boo ha ha. Anytime we turn the lights off, it is boo ha ha; boo ha ha is what Rich always says when he turns the lights off. It wasn't the most romantic day, but this weekend Rich and I get to attend a Valentine's dinner and dance; I hope to get an overdose of romance and mushiness on Saturday! Rich of course jokes that he won't be able to dance with me because of my expanding waistline, what I am I talking about, my non-exsistent waistline. I tell him that if he wants to live he won't make cracks about his pregnant hormonal wife! :)

Valentine's Day Party

Today the MOMS club here had a Valentine's party, and since every time lately they have planned something I have either have had something to do for church, a doctor's appointment, or Braden has had speech, I thought I should show them that I am not antisocial and make an appearance with the cuties. Braden and Brooke loved it! They helped me get their Valentines ready the night before, and they talked about it all day until it was time for the party! They decorated bags, made heart magnets, played with balloons, and loaded up with sugar; it was organized chaos, and they loved it! Braden especially enjoyed looking at all of the cards he got, which was quite a lot; there were about 34 children at the party! Then to top off the day, Rich and I left the cuties with a babysitter and went out on the town; we actually got to eat dinner and watch a movie in peace, it was heavenly! A fun day was had by all!

Our entertainer

Braden entertained everyone today at the doctor's office. If I were to ask anyone who do you think sang for the doctor and everyone in the lobby, you would probably say Brooke; however today the answer would be Braden. Though very out of character for Braden, he put on quite a show for everyone!

Father Son Buddy Time

This weekend Braden and Rich had a grand time. Last weekend Rich took Brooke on a daddy daughter date, so this week it was Braden's turn for one on one time. Rich took Braden fishing, out to get a hamburger at McDonalds, and to Wal-mart to get some goodies for our Superbowl party which will commence at 12:01 a.m. Monday morning. Braden was so excited getting ready to even leave the house, he could hardly contain himself. It was so cute watching him run around; he had already been telling Brooke and I all week that he was going fishing with Daddy. He said no Mommy, no Brooke, just Daddy and Braden. Of course, he also told us that he didn't want to catch any fish, and he was most certainly not going to eat any fish; he was just excited about getting time with Rich all to himself. Rich is such a good father, and he really does love those cuties of ours! I also got to spend some one on one time with Brooke; these days her favorite thing to do is help me in the kitchen. In fact, I humored Rich and made him some Southern Chicken Fried Steak this week (I typically avoid Southern and the unhealthy consequences that come along with eating it), so Brooke wanted to help me toss the cubed steak in the flour. She was pretty cute trying to lift the Ziplock bag up and flipping it over and over and then yelling out all done. As you can tell, I am in much better spirits today than last time I blogged; Rich made sure I got plenty of R&R this weekend. Friday night I went to a friend's for scrapbooking and on Saturday I went to a Stake Relief Society temple activity, followed by a little retail therapy at a Scrapbooking store in Savannah (I used self control and only bought some adhesive refills, a piece of paper, and some chipboard letters; I was very proud of myself). Rich definitely believes the statement, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't no body happy!" Well, after this weekend, I am a very happy Mama!

A Hard Day in the Life of a Mother

Somedays are just really hard, and this is one of them. Between fighting with Braden to get him to eat his food, his vitamin, and trying to get him to understand the concept of using the bathroom in the potty and not his underwear, I feel like I am loosing my mind. Today I have done more battling with him than having those special mother son moments. I wonder if he will only remember me as the tyrant that tried to get him to eat his green beans, the tyrant who fought with him for an HOUR to get him to eat his vitamin to insure he is getting the iron he desperately needs, or the crazy woman obsessed with asking him if he needs to go use the bathroom only to discover that he has already had yet another accident. I am trying so hard to make sure both of the children grow up to be well rounded individuals. I want them to have a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus, and I want them to obey them because of the great love they have for them, hence scripture study, prayers, going to church, looking for those teachable moments, and having Family Home Evening every Monday. I want them to be hard workers who take initiative, hence our chore chart. I want Braden and Brooke to learn to use the bathroom, mainly for my sanity, hence our I went Potty charts. On days like this though I feel like I am failing! I know every mother feels like this every now and then, and I guess today is my turn. In fact, writing this is therapy for me; I am trying to collect my thoughts, my sanity, my patience, and the spirit of this great work called motherhood! I am also trying to recount some of the things I read this past weekend in a small pamphlet called The Best Kind of Mom by Joni Hilton. She talks about how there is no such thing as a perfect mother, and she reminds us that we are the best mother for our own children. She says, "The Best Kind of Mom...doesn't exist. She truly doesn't. There is no singular, perfect, absolute, best way to be. There are hundreds of styles of good mothering, every one of which can turn out terrific kids. Some kids blossom best around a soft-spoken, gentle mother. Others like high-energy exuberance. Some kids need a tough, no-nonsense mom, while a sensitive lenient one is right for another." I guess I will just pray that as long as I follow the spirit and work to overcome my weaknesses that I will give my children what they need, and pray for forgiveness for those times that I am too short tempered. I sure am glad that Heavenly Father and my children are so forgiving. Despite me feeling like I have scarred Braden for life, he just crawled up onto my lap, hugged me, and asked me to read a book. I guess I am not completely failing at this motherhood thing, but I don't think I will be winning any Oscars for today's performance!