How to eat an OREO

9/3/11

- Dunk it -

- Suck it -

- Bite and Repeat -

-Don't forget the occasional drink in between bites-

-I'm not sure what was on T.V. but it was obviously really interesting-

Braxton only had to watch Nate eat 1 before picking up on the proper technique!!

Bucket - O - Water

8/25/11

Nate was out BBQing some steaks one night and Braxton decided that he wanted to go out and play! I was in the kitchen getting the rest of dinner together when I looked out and saw this.......

Braxton came up with the idea all on his own! He went and found the bucket in the shed on his own and went over to the down spout on the shed to collect the water and dump it on himself - just like he does in the bathtub. He loves to use the rinse bucket when the faucet is running to catch the water and dump it on himself. I can't believe he was able to relate the dripping down spout with the running faucet and catch the water.

His face looks really red in some of the pictures. He had only been outside for about 10 minutes, it was just really hot out there. He was sunburn free though!

Fountain Fun

With summer quickly coming to an end I really wanted to do something fun with Brax. I had been feeling really guilty that we didn't get to do much with him this summer. There were many things I wanted to do but just didn't get around to it. To make myself feel better I would tell myself "He is still pretty young for most of those things and he wouldn't fully enjoy it or appreciate it. Next summer though, when he's 2 he'll be able to get around easier and probably enjoy it more." Hopefully next summer we can get around to more of my summer activities list when he is a little older and hopefully will enjoy it more.

I came up with what I thought would be a SUPER FUN afternoon activity - Running through the fountains at Gate Way! Nate was able to have his first "day off" (I say that because he never really gets a full day off without phone calls and problems) with the hiring of another estimator at M&M. Despite the phone calls it was so nice to have him home with us for 3 days!! What I thought would be so much fun was actually us persuading Braxton to let us hold him near the water. Every time we put him down he would freak out! As long as we were holding him he was okay, until the water came. Nate and I would both laugh crazy laughs and tell him how funny it was and joke about it getting us wet. The joking around warmed Brax up to the idea a little bit but not as much as I would have liked. There were lots of other kids running around and he was really interested in watching them to see what they were doing. We decided that next time we go we need to bring along some little friends for him to run around with - I think he would have enjoyed it a lot more if he had little friends who he is comfortable with to get wet with.

After our attempt at the fountain we stopped by the T-mobile store to get a Sim card for my phone..... STORY TIME ..... My previous phone was not working. The screen would freeze. My phone would randomly drop calls and shut off. I was getting really frustrated so we sent it in for a new one. Well, Nate usually sets up my new phones for me but he was really busy with stuff when I finally got it and 2 or 3 days later I decided to take it upon myself to switch out the phones and get my now old phone ready to send back. A couple of days later Nate took the box with my old phone to the UPS store and all was well - so I thought. I didn't know that when you get a new replacement phone it doesn't come with a Sim card. You have to take the card out of your old phone and actually place it in the new one. To be honest with you, I didn't even know my phone had a Sim card! Needless to say, I lost all my pictures and I wasn't able to take any new ones with my replacement phone until I got a card. I wasn't a huge deal. I don't use the camera on my phone all that often - except when I want to send a picture of Braxton to Grandma or Dad or when Nate is at the hardware store and needs to buy something identical to something we have at home and he wants me to sent a picture to him of what it looks like. I would get a little frustrated on the rare occasion that I did want to take a picture and the screen would say - please insert Sim card. I would be frustrated because I wasn't able to take a picture I wanted to and also because every time it reminded me of who silly I was to send my Sim card back with my old phone!!!! And that's why we got a Sim card for my phone ...... Okay, story time over!

We then hit up Leatherby's for lunch - mainly for the ice cream after our lunch of course! Nate learned on this day that Leatherby's got rid of their Banana Nut ice cream! He was devastated. Every time we have ever gone to Leatherby's for as long as I can remember (and we've know each other for almost 8 years) he would always get Mandy's Milkshake with Banana Nut ice cream. I think he ended up getting a small dish of something to drown his sorrows in. I can't remember which flavor he ended up going with though.

Needless to say our day didn't turn out quite like we had planned but despite all of our "disappointments" it turned out to be a really nice day being able to all be together!

Getting Ready to Go

Braxton's 1st experience with the fountain was the mister - probably a good thing

He spent a lot of his time looking in the holes, waiting for water to come out

Not quite sure what to think

Mom decided to give it a try

It didn't last long before he wanted "Dada" again

He got sprayed right in the face a couple of times - after he would say "eye, eye, eye" and rub his eyes!


Wait for it....

He especially didn't like being sprayed while he was all alone on the ground

My boy is such a people watcher - just like his mom

Considering how done and tired he was at the end he was still in really good spirits

~Thanks for humoring mom bud and at giving it a fare shot! I love you~

Nursing School - Day 1

WOW! It's so crazy to think that I've finally started! After 3 1/2 long years of waiting I'm finally one day closer to being done. It was so nice sitting in my classes and knowing that everything that was being talked about I actually needed to know. Unlike all those pre-req classes that you have to take that you don't really care about and thinking "when am I ever going to use this" and "I don't really care about this".

A cute lady in my class made everyone in our class bookmarks with a "feel good" quote. It is something I'm going to carry with me everywhere and possibly make multiple copies of just to have!

"You will be mentally stressed. You will be emotionally challenged. You will learn how to work together. You will learn to work alone. You will learn when to speak. You will learn when to be silent. You will learn when to lead. You will learn when to follow. You will be constructively criticized. You will be praised. You will shed a few tears. You will share in each other's laughter. You will learn the need to help each other. You will learn to help yourself. You will learn to be part of a group. You will learn to be yourself - an individual. You will learn responsibility. You will learn discipline. You will learn these things because someday someones life will depend on you.

You are a nursing student. You will graduate.

You will be in all its wonder and glory, a Nurse."

-Anneliese Garrison, RN,

"You are a Nursing Student"

~HERE'S TO TWO CRAZY YEARS~

Angel's Among Us

It has been so nice being able to count down to an actual starting day for Nursing School. I've gone from, I'm not sure when I'm starting, I have an estimated start date of the Spring semester 2014, to I'm starting this Fall. I've been totally fine with the idea and honestly, pretty excited to start up. I haven't really been all that nervous or anxious or worried......

.....And then today came.

While giving Braxton his morning bath I had to let myself have a little break down. It all finally feels real now. It finally hit me that this is really happening. How Crazy life is going to be for the next 2 years through the program. Taking classes and having clinicals and going to work, while trying to find time to study, clean the house, make time for my boys, and still support Nate with his job, school and church calling. Needless to say, I got a little overwhelmed.

Then I was reminded of a testimony meeting I attended at the beginning of the year. It was one of the first testimony meetings I had been to in a few months because of having to work. A lady in our word who I just love and really look up to got up and started talking about her and her husbands newly married life. How they were both working while her husband also went to school as well as having a new little one along with some other things they were going through at the time. She says looking back now she doesn't know how they got through that crazy time of their life. She said the only way they made it through was with the help of the angels in their lives. Both the angels here on earth as well as those on the other side. She then went on and talked about some of those angels in their lives.

Sitting in that meeting made me think about the many angels our family are blessed by. We are so lucky to have such WONDERFUL families who love Braxton so much and are always so willing and eger to help with him whenever they can. Our moms are the BEST. They do so much for us and Braxton and a lot of times at the drop of a hat. Our brothers and sisters who volunteer to watch him even before we ask them. Grandmas who ask when Braxton gets to come to their house again to play because it has been a long time since they saw him last. Neighbors and friends who are always reminding us that Braxton is always welcome to their home. And Grandma Davis who I think about quite often and know she is on the other side watching over us.

Grandpa Davis has helped us out so much with school and is an angel in our eyes. We also have great friends and cousins who are so positive and encouraging; it is also nice to get together with them for those much needed fun and carefree evenings. There are many more angels we have been blessed to have come into our lives. Some have come and stayed, some come and go. Some come for a little time and don't even realize the impact they are leaving behind.

During Spring semester while taking Pathophysiology there were a couple of times I got a little over whelmed. Everytime I prayed to Heavenly Father to help me get through what I thought to be a difficult time, these angles were brought to my mind and I was reminded how blessed and loved we truly are. We aren't going through this alone and we have so much support around us to help us get through this. I also would be reminded that we aren't the only ones doing this. How many other people have been in the same situation we are in now or worse? What about those single mom's working and going to school while trying to raise their kids by themselves. Or those who don't have their families to rely on because they live in a different state than everyone else? We truly are so lucky!

Thank you so much to all of our angels - both those here on earth as well as those on the other side. We love you and appreciate all of you~