Pumpkin Patch

We finally got to get out of the house and do something fun this weekend...hooray!  We headed to the pumpkin patch and the boys could not have been more excited.  We had a really fun time playing and picking out pumpkins!

Yesterday we continued the pumpkin fun and I made pumpkin rice krispy treats, however they didn't come out orange enough.  Oh well.  And then Brad carved the pumpkins we picked out with the faces the boys picked out off the internet. They wanted spooky faces this year! Lots of pumpkin fun!

Brothers

Life Lately

You know what is not fun?  Staying inside pretty much all day, every day, for a week, with the exception of taking and picking up Brady from school and visiting the doctor's office several times.  I was starting to become very grumpy.  We are coming out of the other side of Blake having pneumonia.  No good.  But, it could have been way worse and I'm just super grateful for a great pediatrician that treated Blake so well and was able to keep us out of the hospital.  We didn't do anything over the weekend because we wanted to make sure Blake got fully well and so there are no pictures.  Boring.  

The weekend before was our uber productive weekend.  When we bought our house ten years ago, the people we bought it from had built a large air conditioned dog house for their Akita.  It was amazing for awhile.  AN AIR CONDITIONED DOG HOUSE!  Pretty cool.  Literally.  But then the A/C unit busted and then the wood started rotting and then we were certain there were some sort of animals living under it.  My biggest fear was there was a family of rats underneath and I was terrified.  We have been wanting to tear the thing down for a good while now, but weather or laziness or FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN BENEATH THE DOG HOUSE kept us from moving forward.  But the weekend before last we finally finished all of it.  And by "we" I mean mostly Brad.  I was outside the whole time for moral support by yelling "You're doing great babe!" or "Keep it up!"  every so often.  And ran inside the house if a bee buzzed by.  And of course I was standing by with video to record Brad running away screaming once he discovered the rats underneath.  But there were no animals under that darn thing.  Which was actually a HUGE relief.  Well, one lizard, and Brad accidentally chopped its tail off. (although there were a ton of empty acorn shells when we removed the bottom which leads us to believe there was something there)  Here is a pic of Brad demolishing the floor of the dog house. 

The weekend before that we celebrated Brady's four years in the world.  We decided to forgo the big party this year and wait until his fifth birthday to do it up right.  Brad's mom and stepdad were in town and along with his brother and my mom and dad we joined forces for a family celebration in Fort Worth and it was a really nice day!  I have to say it was kind of refreshing not stressing about a party.  Brady got to eat his favorite, tacos, and I got to eat at my favorite place, Joe T's.  It was a win-win.  

Turning four is exhausting.  

And so I never forget this story.  I blew up a bunch of balloons the night before his birthday and had them all over the living room floor.  I was still in bed when I heard the boys walk in and listening to their reaction was priceless.  They later asked me where all the balloons came from and I told them they fell from the sky to celebrate Brady's birthday!  And the best part of having kids this age?  They believed every word.  And told everyone that day about it.  Oh so cute.  

I also went to Blake's school one day and got to have lunch with Batman, er, Blake.  It was such a special treat! 

I have to say that its been such a thrill watching Blake already have learned so much in kindergarten.  He started the school year only being able to read a few site words and now he's reading at a first grade level.  And he reads everything, everywhere we go.  Just so neat. Blake also didn't write too much.  And then he wrote me this message the other day, all on his own...

Although, now Brad and I are having to be careful spelling out words in front of him.  Trying to hide things from our children just got a lot harder around these parts. 

Happy 4th Brady!!

Dear Brady,

Happy 4^th Birthday!!!  It is incredibly hard to believe that my baby, my little Bray Bray, is now FOUR YEARS OLD.  I call you my sweet baby and you promptly remind me, “I’m not a baby!!!”  And I say you’ll ALWAYS be my baby but you will have nothing to do with it.  You demand to be known you are a big boy.  And while celebrating your and Blake’s birthdays each year at this age can be a little bitter sweet, as I long to keep you little and mine for always, I seem to be having much less of the bitter for this birthday of yours Brady, and much much more of the sweet.  As I was putting together your birthday slide show I watched old home movies and went through a bunch of pictures and it is incredibly apparent Brady how far you’ve come these last few years.  I feel less of the pains that a mommy often feels watching her babies grow and those feelings are replaced instead with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.  As I poured through the pictures and videos I was reminded how frail you once were.   Oh so frail…and now, I don’t think anyone would ever guess looking at you, what you once went through.  And that my love, makes your Daddy and I’s hearts sing with joy.   I am so incredibly thankful to see you grow, to see how with each passing year you continue to thrive more and more. 

As I was filling out a little questionnaire about you for your teachers as you started school this year, one of the questions asked ‘What three words best describe your child?’  And I think the word that stands out the most to your Daddy and I when we think of you is JOYFUL.  Brady, you have such a zest for life.  You are full of joy always.  That joy was also incredibly apparent as we looked through old pictures and videos.  Even when you were at your lowest low of your health journey, the joy that resides in you was always there.  I think at times that was what kept me from breaking down some days.  Your smile and all of the happiness you exude is contagious.  It can quickly turn Daddy and I’s frowns upside down!  It is one of my favorite things about you and I pray you will always be that way. 

Watching you grow this past year has been such a blessing.  You have grown of course in height in weight which always makes me happy when it comes to you, but more than that, you’ve grown so much in all areas of your life.  You are gaining some more (much needed) confidence.  You are growing in what you are learning.  You are just able to do more and more and say more and more and keep up with your big brother more and more. 

You still love Nilla Wafers and we still call you Cookie Monster.  Your biggest love of all though is tacos.  Tacos to you and your brother is really a bean burrito.  You are obsessed with them, beans and sour cream.  You would eat them for every meal if I let you.  You love playing video games on the Wii and have gotten really good at them.  You love playing soccer at the park, but your favorite I think is still hockey and you love playing in the hallway at home.  You have a wonderful imagination and can entertain yourself endlessly at home playing with stuffed animals and action figures.  You love Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles and have gotten pretty hooked on Scooby Doo as of late.  You love Blake more than anyone in the world.  The fact that the two of you are best friends and get along so well the majority of the time makes me the happiest.  You are a people pleaser, but more specifically you are a Blake pleaser.  If Blake starts to pitch a fit because you are getting your way instead of his way, you will immediately change your mind and state you want to do what Blake wanted.  When he is at school you always say how much you miss Blake and it is very sweet.  Even though you are so close I am so grateful you are now in school so you can have a chance to blossom on your own.  You have spent the last few years as Blake’s sidekick and using Blake as your security blanket.  I had a lot of anxiety about you starting school.  I did not think it would go well and thought we’d have days of tears and I don’t want to go’s.  But you always surprise me and amaze me Brady.  You didn’t shed a single tear and you have made that transition seamlessly.  You love school.  And I love watching you interact with other kiddos your age and getting to learn so much. 

Brady, I love that you are such a sweet boy.  Your heart is so big and loving.  You tell those around you how much you love them all day every day.  I can’t get enough of you.  I attack you with hugs and kisses all day long because you are just so delicious.  You are silly and quirky and absolutely adorable and it is so hard not to eat you up all day long.  Being your momma is one of the biggest gifts in my life.  I am beyond grateful I am able to spend my days with you and watch you grow and love witnessing the young boy you are becoming.  I pray you continue to be healthy and happy and especially never lose the bright light you have inside of you.   

I can’t wait to see how you continue to grow this coming year Brady.  I hope you have an incredibly special birthday and that you love being a big four year old boy.

Love you love you,

Momma

Brady 4 from brooke jones on Vimeo.