...so I'm back- from outer space....

Sorry for the 70's song reference, but that's where I feel like I've been the past couple months! To say things have been crazy would probably be a little too dramatic-- but if you know me, then you know that completely fits!!! From now on, no more excuses! I started this blog so that one day Chloe and Emma could read it and know how fun these times were and that we love them more than anything, (and so that when they're teenagers we can show them that at one time they thought we were pretty cool too!)-- so by damn, I'm gonna WRITE on this blog what I want, when I want-- and starting today I will do it at least once a week! (feel free to remind me of that when I start slacking off again!) So, when Chloe and Emma read this in a few years please know that my downtime from writing had little to do with the two of you-- it mostly had to do with WORK and just holiday schedules! Speaking of holidays, Christmas was AWESOME! Poor Emma woke up Christmas Eve night (Christmas morning?) around 2a.m. with 103 fever-- but she was a champ Christmas Day and still had a smile on her face for the cameras! And Chloe was thoroughly enjoying the big sister role and trying her best to explain to Emma how Santa worked and that she (Chloe) could play with both their toys, but Emma should ask before she played with Chloe's things! (we quickly fixed that don't worry!) Just teasing, they both shared everything from the start and have done great since. We'll see how long that lasts! but so far so good.
Emma turned 1 January 10. Can you believe it?!? What a year! There are times that I sit and think about how much our lives have changed in this past year-- how we've all adapted to new schedules, new sharing of our time, shifting our priorities so that we can spend Quality time together-- and you know, none of that change has been hard. Just different. I guess when you really want to do something, you just do it. And when I try to remember what it was like before Emma, I have a hard time recalling it. Part of me feels like she's always been with us. Maybe it's because when we had Chloe I prayed that was just the beginning and that we would all get the chance to add to our family one day and give Chloe a sibling-- I'm so glad she got Emma. To see how much Chloe loves her and wants to teach her things, and to see Emma's face light up when Chloe walks in gives me a feeling I can't put into words. It's just amazing!
So~ for the past month Micky and I have been asked approximately 12.7 times a day if Emma is walking yet. It's a legitimate question but after about the 6.8 time in a day I'm ready to hang a sign on my chest that says "Sort of!" Meaning, she'll take about 4 or 5 steps and then look around as if to say, "I hope nobody saw that. I don't want to blow my cover and not get carried around anymore, so I'm just going to sit down and act like that was a fluke!" It's actually a very funny thing to watch, but trust me we're in no RUSH for her to start running. She's busy enough as a fast crawler, Lord help us when she starts doing sprints through the living room!!!
I tried to capture one of her "fluke" walkings tonight on camera, but I think she was on to me so no dice. But I did get this cute clip of her playing one of her new favorite games-- "hide the magnet, then find it myself 100 times!" Maybe this is why she's not such a great walker yet. This is her favorite walk behind toy, but she's recently discovered that the seat lifts to reveal this awesome compartment so she'll spend like 10 minutes playing with that instead of walking! Kids a genius, what can I say?!? And just so you know-- we usually do brush Emma's awesome baby mullet but this was filmed right after dinner, hence the green beans on her face, so we all look a bit rough at this time of day! And the reason Chloe is saying Emma's gone is because she has been asking to hear "scary" stories lately and her father has been telling her some apparently involving alien abduction--he actually told her the Golden Arm story which she has now told to all of her 4 year-old friends. Thanks Mick-- I get to explain that to the moms at preschool! (oh, and forgive the end--it's been awhile since I filmed anything and forgot how to turn it off. yeah, she gets the genius part from me can't you tell!)

Here's what I think they're saying to each other:

(remember to click on pictures to see larger image!)



Bradlynn: "Em, can you give me a hand and pull me up?"

Emma: "No problem girl-- just grab on!"








Emma: "Do you see it? I think it must be the tag or something. It's driving me crazy!"

Bradlynn: "Yep, I see it. Hold still and I'll get it for you!"










B: "What on earth is that bright light?"

E: "I don't know man-- but it's blinding me! I wish they'd turn it off!"








E: "Did I get it?"

B: "No. Hold still and I'll take care of it for you."

E: "Wow! Now, that's love. Thanks girl!"

So.... Can you guess what Emma needs for Christmas?!?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Micky has been seriously addicted to the 90's station on XM Radio. Now, don't get me wrong, I love 90's music myself, but he has taken things to another level. Just this morning--upon waking-- we were lying in bed talking and I said,
"I've got White Christmas stuck in my head."
Micky responded, "I've got Mambo #5 stuck in mine."
Well, I of course laughed my head off at this- to which he replied,
"I've been listening to way too much of the 90's station this week."
I told him it's ok, the first step is to recognize and admit that you do have a problem! Only problem is that now I can't get it out of my head! And I'm not so proud that I know the entire song by heart-- wish I could remember school stuff as well as I remember songs-- that would probably be more helpful in life! (but not near as much fun!)

Number 3

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you've already heard Chloe's reasoning for why it rains: 1. To keep the wivew (river) high enough so that she can see it when we're driving over the bridge. 2. To give her budiful (beautiful) flowers and grass plenty of water to drink so that they can grow as big and tall as she is.
This morning we learned that there is yet a third reason. With Emma still recovering from her bout with bronchitis, Mom volunteered to take Chloe to school for me this morning. (An offer I jumped on quicker than a cat on a mouse!) Well, if you live in our area you may recall that it was (still is) rather cloudy and gloomy looking outside. They had a conversation that went a little something like this:

Grammy: "It sure is cloudy today."
Chloe: "Yeah, I can't see Mr. Sunshine."
G: "I think it may rain a little later on today."
C: "Well, that's good. The clouds are very dirty and God needs to wash them!"

So, when the clouds get a little gray-- they just need a good bath! I can see her point... I mean it works for her so why wouldn't the clouds be the same way?!?

Family

As I sit here- full up to my ears with turkey, ham, stuffing, and giblet gravy- I find myself only able to sit and think (mainly because I don't have the strength to move this body I've stuffed for 2 straight days off the couch). My thoughts have ranged from all sorts of topics like 1. Who came up with the Lego idea and how? 2. Why does the sound of rain dripping off the house always remind me of my Nannie's house? 3. How many possible excuses can Chloe come up with for getting out of bed yet again (so far we're at 4 for the evening)? 4. Who was the first guy to ever use the "comb over" and who was the mean woman who told him it looked good and nobody would ever notice? 5. I think my tree needs a few more ornaments at the top. 6. I love hearing the sounds Emma makes on the monitor while she's sleeping (she's a soft moaner--like my brother Scott). 7. I sure wish Starbucks delivered--I'd love a White Chocolate Mocha with 2 pumps of vanilla right now. I'm pretty sure there's just enough room in the belly for a tall one of those! 8. I've got the most awesome family possible and it's weighing heavy on my heart that I may have hurt one of their feelings recently (completely unintentionally but if it hurt them it doesn't really matter how it happened I just want to erase it from their memory).--so that thought has led me to try to come up with some type of machine that can eliminate painful thoughts (something other than drugs or alcohol!). So far I got nothing. The best I've come up with so far is words. Plain, simple, words. The same thing that can cause the pain can some times be the same thing that can take it away. (Don't worry this person and I have already settled this and all is right in our worlds, but just knowing that the power you have with just a few simple words to hurt someone causes me to be a little awe struck)
This has really just turned into a big ramble now, but again, I'm too full to even close the computer so I'm going to type a little bit more. My family means everything to me-- and when I say family I'm not just talking about people who share the same blood or last name. I'm talking about people who I think of when I think back on some of the most important events of my life. People I've wanted to share great moments with-- like the births of my children and their baptisms, their birthday parties, silly 80 parties, and some of the best times just sitting around the table at mom's telling crazy stories and picking on each other and laughing so hard that you cry. People that get me-- and all the crazy that comes with getting me (laughing at my not so funny jokes, getting my references to "Dumb & Dumber", "Christmas Vacation", and "The Office"). These are the people I love. And I want and need to tell them that more.
So, for all you saps out there who are in my "family" and didn't even know it: I LOVE YOU!!!
Happy Thanksgiving and please don't laugh too hard as you picture me rolling off the couch to get one more piece of coconut cake!
(oh, and the Chloe count is up to 6 now-- with the latest being that Ariella Beariella (her bedtime bear) needs some more honey-- I had a hard time arguing with that one so I'm pretty sure she's in the playroom looking for honey! What can I say, the kids gonna have to teach me all about fractions next year. Do you really think I remember all that elementary school stuff? I can barely write a coherent grocery list these days :-) !!!!!

May the Force Be With You

Happy Halloween!









Queen Amidala and Princess Leia had a great Halloween! This was the first year that Chloe was allowed to go Trick-or-Treating through our neighborhood. Micky took her, along with Uncle Scott and Kristin, and she had a blast! (if you see her soon be sure to ask her about the cemetery yard she walked through!)

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch Monday night and Chloe and Micky picked out a big one! (it's really the local Farmer's Market-- but they have pumpkins so we're calling it the pumpkin patch!) Emma and I were just along for the ride and were glad to be getting outside for some fresh air! I love the way Fall feels-- it even has a different smell in the air to me-- does anyone else notice that?!? Chloe really got into helping Micky carve this year and was a huge help scooping out all of the pumpkin guts! She chose a bat design this year, and I think it turned out great!

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Now we just have to eat all this candy she got. It would probably take a normal family about 2 months, but I'm confident we can have it knocked out by next weekend!