Happy Birthday Brady!!!

Today is Brady's 4th birthday.

I cannot believe that he is 4. I can't even imagine my life without him, I am just surprised how fast he is growing up!

From the moment that we knew he was coming, there was a lot of excitement, because we had to wait so long to have him. He has been an instant joy to our family and we feel blessed that he chose us as his family!

I look back on his life and I amazed by him daily. He is turning into a sweet little boy and a wonderful big brother. He is so excited to have another baby in the house and he talks to Baby Rocco everyday. He says, "Baby Rocco, it is your big brother Brady here. . . " and waits until the baby says hello by kicking me. He is learning to be sweeter with Leilani and has loved her from the moment he met her. He is quick to apologize and give love to her, which gives me hope as a mother that they will be kind and sweet to each other.

This past year has been a lot of adjustments for him and he has done well. He started primary and is starting to learn the gospel. A month or so ago he taught our Family Home Evening lesson and taught us about the crucifixion and resurrection. He knows the basics, which is wonderful to see him soak in all of the things that we have been trying to teach him.

He also has been doing very well in school. Over the summer he started writing his name by himself. He is interested in words now, so I tell him the letters and then he will spell it. We are definitely going in the right direction.

I love this little boy! He is such a pleasure and definitely keeps me going! He is the energizer bunny from the moment he wakes up until the moment he sleeps . . . which thankfully still involves a nap, most days!

Okay Brady, Happy Birthday to you!!! You are loved and adored and thank you for being the darling little boy that you are! I can't wait to see what the next year brings . . .

Here are some pictures over his lifetime.

Brady on his birthday, December 18, 2004

Brady about 3 months old.

Our little gentleman! About 9 months old.

Brady 1 year old.

Brady 2 years old.

Big brother Brady, "She's mine!" Leilani's birth, April 18, 2007.

Brady, almost 3, getting ready for his hiking adventure!

Brady, Thanksgiving 2008, almost 4.

A Surprise Guest

Last week at school, we had a surprise guest visit our class.

There were some ringing of bells. . . yes, it was Good St. Nick!

I have been nervous about this, because the kids haven't been so excited about strange people, dressed in strange costumes. Disneyland was not a great place for Brady, back in February so I didn't think that he would like him.

For the first time, ever, Brady willingly stood in line to sit upon Santa's lap to tell him what he wants for Christmas.

Before our guest arrived the newspaper was there, yes, we do have a small newspaper in our little town! They interviewed the kids and one of the questions asked was, "How does Santa get into your house?" Brady said, "My dad says he has a special key." Since we don't have a chimney we need to be creative for him.

Brady is thinking hard about what he wants for Christmas.

Here are some of the kids with Santa.

Leilani was absolutely not going to have anything to do with the guy in the red suit. She held on for dear life and would start to shake if you got too close. There is no need to scare her to death, we didn't with Brady and now he seems to be okay, so hopefully this will be the same for Leilani.

Even though she didn't sit upon his lap, she got a stocking and she liked that!

On a completely different note, last night Leilani went potty by herself! I don't have a picture, which is fine with me but I thought I would share my news. She has been showing signs of wanting too, so last night we sat her on our little one and she did! I need to actually do it, it is just hard to get up the energy to do this again, but it would be worth it if she wants too. She is almost 20 months, so we shall see!

Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Brady's 4th birthday! I cannot believe that he is going to be 4, I kept thinking, "We only need 3 candles." Nope, we needed 4! Wow, he sure is growing up fast.

We had a fun day filled with lots of friends and even more sugar! Great!
We have always have had a big BBQ with a lot of friends, but this year we decided to just have a kids party. This was a lot of fun and a lot less stress!
Here are some pictures from the party. We made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, which the kids loved and then we did the basic cupcakes and presents.
Nice fun day and pretty good weather that the kids were able to soak up some vitamin D.

Gotta love the southwest!

The kids making their gingerbread houses.

Leilani chillin in her swing.

Some of the kids having fun in the backyard. That is quite the train!

Brady with his cupcake.

Brady blowing out his candles.

Leilani's gingerbread house.

Brady's gingerbread house.

Has it been that long?

I was looking at my blog and yes, I have known, but it sure has been awhile since I last posted.
I don't have any updated pictures, I am sure there will be more soon.

Life has been crazy, as I am sure everybody's is around this time of year. I am just trying to get through all of the stuff that I am doing.

I have been trying to finish Brady's Mickey Mouse apron for Christmas, and after buying the material back in the summer, it is finally almost done. I just have to sew on the pockets and ties and then we will be finished! Just in time.

I am also scrapbooking both Leilani and Brady's scrapbook. I haven't made books for either of them so this has been a huge undertaking. I figure if I have some for both they will be happy.

Then the easy project is making a tie blanket for Leilani and her doll. I haven't started this but I know I can do it in an hour or so with matching pillow.

Along with all of this I have been crazy busy with Young Women's and all of their activities and trying to fit in some service for the holidays for them.

Okay, so this has been my life. I am trying to keep myself not too busy so I can keep my blood pressure down. It has a tendency to go up in my last trimester so the doctor has put me on medication and that has kept it down. We don't want a premature baby. We are doing well other then the other aches and pains that come around this time. Baby moves like crazy and it is fun to see Brady with the "baby." He wants to talk to the baby everyday and puts his ear on my belly and talks until the baby says hello through a little kicking. It is neat and I love that.

Well enough with the novel. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready for Christmas. It sure is a wonderful time to count our blessings and celebrate the birth of our Savior.