Life Lately....

Braylen started preschool last Tuesday and while it was hard for me to "let him go," he could have cared less. He is loving it and his teacher said he's going to be "one of the leaders of the class." I can believe that because it seems like we are FOLLOWING him all day long. :) I shed a few tears when I said goodbye AND I had to go into the classroom to give him a hug and a kiss because he left without one!! He is much more welcoming when I come to pick him up. He never wants to talk about school afterwards. "Stop asking me questions, mom" or "I didn't do anything, mom." Whatever......

I did receive a text message from my cousin Jenna which said that she heard that Braylen let out the hermit crabs from their cage. oops. on his first day of school. oops. The teachers didn't tell me anything so I asked her who told her. She said-his teacher told my friends mom, who is also a teacher, and then she told me. Ha. I guess he's already making quite the impression. Gotta keep them on their feet!

First day of school pic-making a silly face. 

Once I hit 6 weeks of being pregnant, I became super, super sick! Nauseous all day long and I was "getting sick" a few times a week. On top of that I was super exhausted. Oh man it was awful. Braylen watched so much tv and my sister said she's never seen my house look so messy. :) It was so hard to go through normal routine. Braylen heard me say that I was so sick because there's a baby in my belly WAY too many times, that he started to believe he was sick because of the baby in his belly. :) The thought of food was just horrible. I think I made dinner for our family twice in 6 or 7 weeks. I just couldn't do it. I was a little nauseous with Braylen, but I would just eat a cracker or two and feel better. Not with this baby! I wonder it the baby is a girl! Just in case it is a girl, I went ahead and bought two dresses last week. :) BabiesRUS was having a buy one, get one free and everything was marked down. I couldn't resist! I kept the receipt. 

I started to feel better over Labor Day weekend-Family Camp! It was a wonderful weekend and Braylen barely hung out with us. He "traveled" to everyone else's camper and hung out with them. He gave camper tours and put on few shows for people. Also singing and marching with a stick in his hand. I managed to snag this pic of him in the "hammock." 

Look at those beautiful eyes.

We finally bought a car! After 6 months of being a one car family/driving/wrecking other peoples cars (seriously), the Lord led us to a great "new" car for our family. After having so many problems with our mini van, we were so nervous to buy something else. Every time we would test drive a car at a dealership, I would feel sick about it. This car we bought from an owner, and I just felt comfortable in. They knocked off $500 from the asking and we decided to buy it. What a huge burden lifted. You can read our journey to a new vehicle here. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Top Summer Memories

I can't believe that summer is coming to an end and that I haven't updated our blog in 3 months! We have had a lot of exciting things happen this summer! Here is my top 10!

1) I became an aunt!
My sister Jess had her first baby in the beginning of July! Baby Kaleb is the sweetest little guy ever. My mom and I drove down when she went into labor and we arrived 20 minutes before he arrived. It was amazing to be there for Jess and Vince! Braylen loves his little cousin too.

2) Amy got married!
My sister in law, Amy, got married a few weeks ago to Dustin Gohs. She was a sweet little bride and we had an awesome time celebrating with the family. Braylen was the ring bearer and told everyone that he was a prince. He was so precious. Didn't want to take off his tux ALL NIGHT! He had blisters on his feet from his black shoes. He did great.

3) Camping trip to Loveland
We spent a weekend camping with my parents and had a great time. We went to the Air Force Museum, took bike trips, walks, sat around the campfire and roasted marshmallows.

4) Festivals and Rides
Braylen loved all things "rides" this summer. We took him to Coney Island for a day and a few festivals to ride the rides. We would be so excited for him while he was on a ride but he hardly ever smiled until he got off the ride. So funny.

5) Swimming pools!
Braylen finally gathered enough courage to jump in the pool by himself! He is still using his floaties (hopefully this is the last summer for those) but he became a little fish this summer. He even jumped off into the deep end!

6) Family beach trip!
We drove to Charlotte to stay with the Meiman's for a week and we decided to drive to the beach for a few days. We booked a trip on Priceline and stayed on the beach in Hilton Head. It was awesome for the three of us to be together on the beach. Braylen loved the ocean and the sand, and even made a little friend at the resort.

7) We climbed a mountain!
Jess and Vince live about 20 minutes away from Crowder mountain. There is a trail called Backside and it has a gravel path and stairs so it made it a little "easier" for us to climb with Braylen. He kept saying we're almost to the top of the mount. :) I was really nervous about this but Braylen did awesome.  It was beautiful!

8) Landscaping
I realize this is not a top 10 thing for everyone but Guy and I actually like do this. We pulled out a few more things from our yard and put in some mulch and spruced up our yard a bit. We were able to do this for Guy's parents too. We always joke that when Guy starts teaching and has his summers off that we'll start our own "mulching" business because we're so good at it.

9) Baseball
We took Bray to a baseball game this year and he has really started to enjoy the sport. I am anxious to see what he will be excited about when he gets older. He loves music so much! I think he might just play in the band!

10) Last but not least....
I'm pregnant!
I am 10 weeks tomorrow. We are very excited. The baby is due in early March, so it will certainly be March Madness for us. :) I have been feeling super sick and tired. I am very much looking forward to the 2nd trimester.

So that is our Summer Top Ten! We still have a few more exciting things coming up! This Saturday we are celebrating my mother in law's 60th Birthday! Happy Birthday Peggy! We have leader weekend, our Annual Labor Day Family Camp trip, baby showers, a trip to Gatlinburg, and our first doctor visit for the baby. Lots of fun! Guy is also still working hard for MP and just started back to school this week. He is amazing husband and dad. Be praying that we can be good managers of our time and relationships.

Looking forward to the Fall!

I wrote this a few weeks ago and I'm finally posting it........