Bray's Anatomy

Shepherds Pie

2012-02-16T22:46:00.002-05:00

Skillet Shepherd's Pie....as requested by Diane

Here is the same recipe I use, but it is easier to just give you a link to one I found online.

The original recipe called for frozen green bell pepper to cut down on time. I like to use mixed vegetables and I usually let them thaw out so that this is a really quick and easy meal to make.

Enjoy!

http://caloriecount.about.com/weight-watchers-skillet-shepherds-pie-recipe-r17836

It is 7 Points (plus)

NOW .....on to Week 2

MONDAY- Chicken with diet coke & ketchup

TUESDAY- Baked pork chops with potatoes & Vegetables

WEDNESDAY- Curried shrimp

THURSDAY- Chicken fajitas

Friday- Hamburger Nests

Mondays meal is simple and actually yummy! You just mix ketchup with diet coke and let the chicken coke in it and it turns out to taste like delicious BBQ chicken.

We did not like the curried shrimp...but Nicholas ate the shrimp at least.

The hamburger nests were pretty good. There were cute and may be fun for the kids!

I don't have on here what we did for Saturday or Sunday!

Enjoy. Let me know if you want any of these recipes.

Weight Wise

2012-02-14T13:20:00.002-05:00

So, our health journey is going good so far this year. Although I thought it would be hard to get Eddie on board....he is now nicknamed "WW Nazi". I gave him that name because he always looks at me and says "You can't eat that!" I say yes I can. I know how many points I get and while I am nursing I get an extra 14 points. I am getting healthy for life, so I am not going to say I can't have certain things. I can....just in moderation.

I am very proud that Eddie gave up pop. I didn't think he was going to and he went cold turkey. He was drinking like a 2 liter of regular Coke a day. I don't even buy it now unless we are having company over or I use it in a recipe.

With all that being said.......Since Jan 1st I have lost 13 pounds and Eddie has lost 25 lbs.

We pick out meals for the week and I go get the groceries. I cook a WW meal almost every day for dinner. We barely eat out and if we do it is either some quick tacos or salads from California Pizza Kitchen. Don't let those Salads fool you....they are a lot of points, so you have to get rid of some items and use Fat Free dressing.

So....Week 1 looked like this:

MONDAY- Bellisimo Sausage & Penne

TUESDAY- Chicken Fajitas

WEDNESDAY- Beef & Vegetable chili

THURSDAY- BBQ & Diet coke Chicken

FRIDAY- Hawaiian turkey stir fry

SATURDAY-Lasagna

SUNDAY-Shepherds Pie

Lasaagna was not a WW recipe, but we figured out the points and had salad and vegetables with it and skinny cow ice cream for dessert. I made dinner for some friends that night so we splurged....but didn't go over our points.

This is a very yummy week. Monday & Wed are VERY good. Thursday is always a quick & easy delicious way to make chicken. I will happily post any of these recipes if you want it. Just leave me a comment and I will post whichever one you want.

We are on a budget this year, so I am watching my spending closely on groceries. I clip coupons and use digital coupons too. I look at the sales papers and see who has the best deals on fruit and I stock up on whatever fruit is on sale. So, if Eddie wants grapes and they are not on sale.....SO SORRY. Maybe next week! LOL

Fruit is something we munch on all day and night for our snack and we have popcorn usually at night or when we watch TV. Vegetables and salad are also usually served with every meal. Sometimes a good garden vegetable soup is made for the week.

SO....what are you waiting for? Join us and get healthy too! Life is too short and if you need to lose weight...do it now. Your body and your loved ones will thank you for it!

6 Month pictures

2012-02-12T20:42:00.002-05:00

Here are Jake's 6 month pictures. Just for fun I put all the pics up so you can see their different expressions as we tried to get good pictures. I only came home with about 5 of them....LOL

Here are some of just Jake...

Let's LOSE it

2012-02-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

2102 brings about a lot of things I would like to lose.

I guess there is a fantastic feeling you get if you are the biggest loser.

Since I am done having kids, it is time to lose the weight along with the hair and sleep I am losing.

So, we started at the first of the year and things are going well.

I am down 11 lbs and Eddie is down 20+ lbs. (I can't remember the exact number he is down right now)

I have been cooking weight watchers meals 6-7 days a week and our fridge is stocked with whatever fruit is on sale for the week. It is hard to eat healthy and keep a budget....which is another thing we have started this year....a BUDGET!

I will be posting some of the recipes I have made along with our review of it.

I am doing aerobics 2 times a week and I am going to start walking or doing 2 other days of activity as well. I hope you all will join us if you are looking to get healthy for life.

We are following Weight Watchers even though we are not members (budget...remember?)

If I had to pay $13 a week for Eddie and I to go to WW, then we would not be spending that extra money on healthy yummy food.....so we are doing it as a group. I have about 8 other wonderful ladies who are also on this goal to lose it for good and we weigh in weekly through texts and emails.

So, I have lost Jake and Lukas' baby weight, now comes the hard part. I am still trying to lose the weight from my first born way back in 20004.

Dear Nicholas baby weight,

We have had many good times in the past 8 years, but it is time to break up. You are literally weighing me down. I know you came in handy when I fell or slid playing softball...you did make it a nice soft cushy landing...but I believe without you, I will also survive the crash landing. I know you will resist and fight to stay....but It is time to go. So, try not to be stubborn and hang on...I WILL GET RID OF YOU.

Things I am also trying to change this year....

Being as happy as can be (reading and implementing the Happiness project)

Building my relationship with God.

Strengthening my marriage.

Having fun with my kids ...even if it means a dirty house.

Giving more

and many other things...................

Hello & Goodbye

2012-02-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if I am more upset....or more happy.

Does that make sense??

I guess I am more upset. But I have been upset for awhile.

I have been working hard, long, tiring hours to pump and store breastmilk in the freezer for Jake. Only to find out that I have excessive lipase (an enzyme) in my milk and that makes it taste and smell sour. It is rare too. My good luck once again...LOL. I have been thawing out bag by bags ow and they all smell sour. I have had to keep dumping them all. I read that in order to freeze them, you must boil or microwave the milk and then freeze it. GEE....wish I knew I had this about...oh I don't know....6 MONTHS AGO!!!!!!

That top shelf was full too!!

THIS SUCKS.

Good news is that I am still producing milk and feeding Jake breast milk. Which is awesome because I could only do 3 months with Nick & Luke. He has started eating rice cereal and I made him sweet potatoes last week. He is eating like a little piggy. They say like a 1/4 teaspoon or something, but Jake eats the whole serving I make. This week is apples. I made a whole weeks worth yesterday. He seems to like them, but just like the sweet potatoes he has to get use to them. I also fed him oatmeal cereal this morning, so he is really getting some new and yummy foods now!!

The good news is that we played poker yesterday before the super bowl and Eddie and I split the pot with our friend. Eddie got $110 and I got $100....so if you minus the $40 each we played with, we are up $130. Then I hit a $10 square in the second quarter of the game for $200!!!! So minus the $20 for playing 2 squares and $20 we tipped our friend for doing it, I made us another $160. So $290 for yesterday...not bad at all. It will go towards helping Hope with her upcoming medical bills. We are not spending it. Oh well....at least it felt good to win it!!!!

Still catching up

2012-02-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Let's see......so much has been happening...where to start???

Well, Jake has been fitted for a helmet. We saw a neuro surgeon who thinks his head is too flat and said it will most likely not round out on its on now, so he got fitted for a helmet and it should be here in 2 weeks.

It takes some getting use to, so there goes the tiny bit of sleep I was getting. Just when I transitioned him from the swaddle wrap to a sleep sack, now he will end up with a helmet on for 23 hours a day.

BUT....that's OK. It could be worse.

Lukas has been a holy terror since Jake was born and I took him off of his nightly dose of singulair of a friend told me it turned her son into an aggressive little guy. I read all about it and talked to the asthma doctor and he told me to give it a try but if he starts wheezing then I need to bring him in. There are only so many options for a child with asthma under 4 years of age.

I think it may have helped a little, but nothing drastic. It could be that he is getting use to Jake or seeing the behavior therapist (which was really for Eddie & I...lol) but whatever the reason....Lukas is doing a little bit better....a little.

He is finally on to wearing big boy underwear around the house and he even wore them out on a shopping trip with me. so, the potty training is finally starting to make some progress.

THINGS COULD BE WORSE

Nick is awesome. He gets perfect scores in school and just started playing basketball. He is looking forward to Baseball....as he is all year round. If there was one thing that he needs to work on, it would be to stop correcting adults...or anyone for that matter. That kids brain is too big for his mouth...LOL

IT COULD BE WORSE

Hope, our 18 month Great Dane is being diagnosed with Wobblers disease.

Things are actually looking worse for her. She is falling a lot and slipping. She isn't in pain, but she doesn't realize that her legs are basically becoming paralyzed. Her back legs. So, we are looking into an option that we would have to drive 4.5 hours to Indiana to do. This topic breaks my heart, so I will tell you more about that later...because.....

THINGS COULD BE WORSE.

BUT they are not....

So, I am thankful for my life!

Catching Up

2012-01-31T22:19:00.001-05:00

So...the boys had a great Christmas. Jake joined us for his first one!

Nick received a ton of jerseys which is what he wanted and Lukas got a Leapster Explorer and a new trampoline. Jake got a bouncer to get jumping!! All 3 boys received a new trampoline for the backyard as well! Ours was all ripped up.

Here are a couple pics...

History

2012-01-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

So, I left off at Lukas' 3rd Birthday.

We went to Chuck E Cheese on his actual birthday.

Then a week later we had another almighty Halloween birthday party.Here are some pictures.....

I wanted to go to a cider mill this year, but the boys insisted on still doing the Halloween Birthday party. It was a blast and the kids always seem to have fun. It is a LOT of work though!

Happy 3rd Birthday to my little tough guy.

XOXO

Hello

2012-01-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

OK....so I bought the name Braysanatomy.net and can't get this blog to redirect there. Nobody wants to help me including family, godaddy , google apps or blogger.

So.....I dont know when this will be it's own site again.

ANYWAYS.....

Hello...how are you? It's been too long, my friends!

Jake is 6 months old.

Lukas did turn 3...LOL

My last post was one more day until his birthday. It did happen :)

I have so much to say and no time because Nick and Lukas are wrestling and they are going to wake Jake up any second.....so see you soon!!!

1 more day

2011-10-13T10:16:00.001-04:00

1 Great thing about Lukas.....

He is mine :)

2 Days

2011-10-12T18:57:00.003-04:00

2 Things Lukas Loves

1. Sports

2. His Nicholas


Lukas at Nicholas' T-Ball game

3 Days

2011-10-12T18:13:00.000-04:00

3 Fantastic things Lukas has done this week:

1. Peed in the potty

2. Kissed his brother Jake on the head

3. Hugged Nicholas and said sorry

4 Days

2011-10-10T10:14:00.005-04:00

4 Things Lukas likes to do:

1. Eat fruit snacks

2. Play catch or kick or anything with a ball

3. Throw Super heroes all over the house

4. Make sure everyone is happy

LUKAS

2011-10-09T10:22:00.002-04:00

WOW.

In just 5 short days....LUKAS will be 3 years old.

Here are 5 things I Love about him!

1. He is hilarious

2. He is adorable

3. He is so loving

4. He is strong willed

5. He has beautiful brown eyes that light up my day!

Jakey Jakey

2011-09-20T12:59:00.001-04:00

Jake turned 2 months old on September 15th.

Time is still flying (does it ever slow down?)

He weighed in at 14 lbs 4 oz

22 3/4 inches long.

He is growing like a weed. I have to go take out the 0-3 months clothes and put in the 3-6 months size.

So many cute little outfits that he won't be wearing.Oh well!!

He got 3 shots and had blood drawn. They are going to run some tests on his liver and just confirm that the jaundice is gone. Doc says he looks good and the yellow is gone from his skin tone...and his eyes.

He is a very happy baby. He laughs and coos and likes to stare at you. He is so sweet.

He is loved a whole LOT!

WOW

2011-09-09T18:12:00.000-04:00

A whole month later......

Man, I can't believe time has gone by so fast. I probably say that every time now, don't I?

Nicholas started the 2nd grade this past Tuesday.

Jake is 8 weeks old today.

My niece Lauren turned 10 yesterday.

BUT......LUKAS STARTED PRESCHOOL TODAY.

Yep, that's a doozey.

That one is a little tough for me. I thought I could handle it because Nicholas did the same thing. He went 5 days a week in the morning and the bus picked him up at our door. Lukas also qualified for speech and will be going to the same place even though they are in a different building now with some new teachers.

This one is a little different...for me at least.

You see......Lukas was my "worry myself to death" baby.

When my water broke at 23 weeks with him, I spent almost 3 months on bed rest to assure a safe delivery for him. But I was reminded weekly, daily, hourly and every second of every moment that.....there is no guarantee that this little boy will come out healthy.

I was told over and over again by the doctors in Florida that he may not be healthy.

His organs may not be developed enough.

He may have lung problems. They may be under developed.

He may be deformed.

He may not survive.

Nothing was certain, so they had to keep throwing all of the uncertainties at me.

I understand that they have to let me know and I just kept thinking....

He may be fine.

He may be beautiful.

He may breathe on his own.

His organs might work just fine.

I had to start thinking that because I was tired of thinking about all of the other things.

So, you see...this was my baby that worried me way before he was even in my arms. This is the little boy that can't leave my side. Call him a mama's boy or whatever....we were like glue.

He was my miracle.

He was "life" after our last little boy wasn't.

He had to be.....I don't think I would have made it emotionally if he wasn't.

One loss was painful enough....there couldn't be another.

AND there wasn't...until today.

I lost my little boy. He is now a big boy and growing as we speak.

He did well. He got on the bus and in his seat....then he asked if I was going with him and I said no.

That's when his tears and pleading started. He didn't understand why I couldn't go with him.

He cried....and I left the bus before I unstrapped him and swooped him in my arms and ran back to the house with him to hide him from the world.

He IS beautiful.

He IS healthy.

He is a big boy now.

He made it through.

We both did.

Hello There

2011-08-09T10:06:00.000-04:00

Well......Life with 3 kids is as busy as I thought it would be.

Jake is over 3 weeks old now and still a little Jaundice. He had to go in the hospital for 2 days and then was poked for about another week. His level went down a little and they are going to poke him Monday at his 1 month well check. So....poor little baby's foot will get poked again. Maybe this will be the last time.

I want to thank everyone who stopped by. Jake has received so many wonderful presents and so have we. Even Nicholas & Lukas got some gifts. We had 2 people drop off dinners for our family and that made life so easy those nights. I am running on little sleep, but I seem to be managing. I am also breast feeding and most days I feel like just a giant boob walking around. If this boy eats like Nicholas did, I might not be able to breast feed for long. I did 3 months with both boys before they ~~sucked the cow dry~~ physically depleted my supply. I guess I couldnt keep up with their crazy demand.

Here are a few pictures of Jake....which by the way...he looks just like Nicholas when he was little.


Just born & being weighed...sorry its crooked

Just Born. First Diaper!

Dad cutting the cord

They are done torturing mommy...now she can hold me!

Lukas is not adjusting very well and potty training has gone out the window. He is screaming, hitting, kicking and making life pretty miserable around here. I hope he adjust soon or I may be in the looney bin!

Nicholas is doing well with it all. He will be starting Flag football at the end of this month, so we will be back to busy. He is still in karate. Lukas will be starting preschool in September so.....either that will be a good distraction for him or a nightmare for everyone involved. Let's hope it is a good distraction!!!

Welcome Baby Jake

2011-07-21T05:01:00.000-04:00

I proudly introduce you to Jake Clinton Bray.

Born on July 15th 2011 at 5:35 pm.

Weighing 7 lbs and 15 oz.

Measuring 20 1/2 inches long.

I am a bad blogger. I don't know if anyone even reads this anymore since I went private. Maybe Uncle Gary still does.

Here is the recap.....

On July 5th I went to have my 2 stitches removed. Skin grew over both of them and my doctor got the first one out, but could not get the second one out completely. It was up pretty high and he said he would need to put me under to get it or I would be in major pain. So, he left it and was planning on removing it when labor started.

Labor started Friday July 15th around 8 am. I thought I had gas and wasn't sure if I was having contractions because I am so use to my water breaking as a sign of labor. We got to the hospital and it was labor.

My doctor was on vacation and the doctor covering decided to try to get the stitch out.....without an epidural...against what I was telling him. So, he tried and I was screaming in pain only for him to say it was way up there....duh. So, I was given an epidural which was painful because I felt all of the needles and pokes. But I did get some relief from contractions for a bit. He went up and just snipped the stitch because he was still having trouble getting it. After he snipped it, I dilated to 3. Then time went on and I slowly kept dilating. The only issue was that my blood pressure kept falling. The baby didn't respond well to it and I would almost pass out. They went in to put a monitor on his head and they broke my water.....that was a first!

The bad part was that after they broke my water....I felt all the pain. They asked to give me more and the anaesthesiologist wanted to turn it off instead. Nooooooo. After a few good blood pressures, he gave me more pain relief, but it didn't seem to help anyways. My contractions were like 2 little ones and one big one and they kept falling that pattern, so I only felt like pushing on the big one. This meant I had to decide to breathe through them until I could push through them all or I had to push through them all even if it didn't feel like I had to. I couldnt decide and my nurse finally said let's push.

They used forceps and other salad tossing looking instruments to help get him out. He came out and then the fun began for me. They started to go after that stitch and even thought about leaving it....um, no........

Again, I could feel everything and was screaming for them to just stop and a nurse told them to give me a narcotic for the pain since the baby was out. DUH......what a good idea....why didnt the doctor think of that. It didnt matter because they didn't wait until it kicked in. He got it out and said he was done with me, but they started threading a needle and said they needed to stitch me up. So, I felt all of that too. I was a mess. It was like I went through a war.

The bottom line is that Jake was healthy and I guess....hopefully that I will recover. So, far it has been painful and slow. My feet, ankles and legs are swollen and my back along with all sorts of private parts are in some serious pain.

Now I sit here at the hospital again because Jake has jaundice and the number went flying high today so they admitted him. He was poked and pricked and it made me want to cry...and punch those pain inflictors in the face.

Good news is that he went from almost a 22 to a 12.6. Which is awesome and if he stays going down, we may go home soon. If it had got to a 25 then there would have been serious issues, but looks like the thoughts and prayers have come through.

Welcome Jake....welcome to my crazy world where I am surrounded by boys......and a crazy girl Dane!

Disaster

2011-06-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

Friday night I enjoyed a short evening out with some ladies....only to come to have my MIL discover that our basement was soaking wet and getting smelly. Our sump pump stopped some time during the storms we had. Probably Wed or Thurs. UNBELIEVABLE.

Eddie was working 12 hours all week and wouldnt be home until 6 am and needed some sleep before our last T-Ball game. So...at 6 am when I heard him come in the room, I couldnt stop thinking about that smelly basement. I went down there and started cutting the carpet into strips with a razor blade and rolled them the best I could.

Eddie's mom came down to yell at me and then started helping, so I was yelling at her. Between the 2 of us that should not have been doing it....we got the carpet cut and rolled. She even did the bedroom area after we left for T-Ball. I know she had to be hurting that night because I was in pain and still am.

My dad came over and we put a new sump pump in and it got the water out of the pump area and the drains went down. After T-Ball, my Dad stayed and helped Eddie carry up most of the wet rolls as I bundles them with string. What a mess. Eddie and his bad back and me about to pop out a baby!! UGH.

Sunday morning, Eddie & I finished the last couple rolls and got it all out. Now today we can mop the floor in sections with bleach & water and start to put things back the way they were. I am not suppose to be down there with the smells, so Eddie will have to do it and we will just pray that he does it well...LOL

Maybe I can pay a friend to do it? I just want to get it back to looking like normal...if that's possible!

On a happy note.....Nicholas had a great T-Ball season and got voted on to the All Star team. That game will be July 16th.

He also performed in his Karate schools "Karate Spectacular" on Saturday night. It's an event they do to showcase their hard work and raise money for charity.

We are so proud of him!!

Almost there!

2011-06-23T12:11:00.001-04:00

Well, the 2 lbs I lost at my last appointment somehow found their way back. I am now measuring 3 weeks ahead. I have only 1 more shot to take this coming Monday and then I am done with those bun burners.
The cerclage (2 stitches) are scheduled to come out on July 5th @ 10:45 am. My doctor thinks we will be having a baby within days of the removal. They are also going to get an ultrasound to see how big this boy is.
I have read reviews by other moms and some say it was a painful thing to have the cerclage removed and some said it was just uncomfortable. So either way I don't think I will be having a fun appointment.

If he comes out on July 6th then we will have a triple birthday......Eddie, my brother Carl & the baby.

7 Years OLD

2011-06-12T11:46:00.000-04:00

I was way too busy to write a post on his birthday, so here is the day after recap....

He woke up and asked for chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Then we had to get ready for his T-ball game at 11:30. He had 2 great hits and played the field like a superstar. We got home from the game and busted our buts to set up the backyard for the party.

I thought I was making the party smaller by inviting just immediate family and his friends, but it still turned out to be big. Next year he will have to pick just like 5 friends to go do something. This year wore me out! By the end of the night I was hunched over in back pain and I am still feeling it today. I guess I did need to sit down more at 33 weeks pregnant.

The guests didn't leave until almost 8pm and he was like a madman going through all of his new games and trying them out. We got him a Nintendo 3 DS for his birthday and he got plenty of games for it.

A big thanks to my Mother in law who cleaned my house up. She busted her but and I plan to take her out to dinner for all of her help! Also, my Dad was doing the heavy work while Eddie was out getting the last minute things we needed picked up. Thanks Dad!

We had pizza, a big fruit bowl and a Costco cake which I decorated with a Batman logo. Nicholas had a blast.

I'm glad he did because I love him soooo much. I will admit I went to bed before him because I couldn't move anymore by 10pm.

Here are some pictures:

Pancakes! The coffee is not his LOL

The Goody Bag

T-Ball Time

Set up

Play Time

I fell in the pool!

Uncle Bill & Lexi

Snow cones!!!

The yappers......LOL

Cake! Mom didn't screw up the logo!!

Make a wish

I got your gift Uncle Carl & girls!

Awwwww

We also had a snow cone machine and the kids and adults ate them all up!!

Happy Birthday Nicholas.

Mom & Dad love you!!

1

2011-06-12T10:57:00.000-04:00

When there was 1 day left....

I thought about how he was my FIRST child...

and how much joy he brought and still brings in my life.

2

2011-06-09T22:58:00.001-04:00

2 teams he likes:

1. Oakland A's

2. Green Bay Packers

3

2011-06-09T22:56:00.001-04:00

3 favorite colors:

1. Purple

2. Blue

3. Red

4 Days

2011-06-07T22:47:00.006-04:00

4 Days to go.....

4 Things Nicholas laughs at:

1. Farts

2. His friends

3. His brother

4. Silly comedies

5 Dayz

2011-06-06T22:22:00.001-04:00

5 Things I love about Nicholas:

1. He is adorable

2. He is smart

3. He is kind hearted

4. He tries hard at everything

5. His eyes

I could go on and on......these are just 5 little ones!

almost there

2011-06-05T17:57:00.008-04:00

6 Days

6 Favorite Ice Cream Flavors:

1. Cookie Dough

2. Vanilla

3. Chocolate & Vanilla twist

4.Strawberry

5. Mint

6. Vanilla cone with sprinkles

Still Catching up

2011-06-05T17:53:00.001-04:00

7 Days

7 Places Nicholas likes to go:

1. A friends House

2. T-Ball

3. Karate

4. Parks or bouncy places

5. Zoo

6. Dairy Queen (or any ice cream place)

7. Cedar Point

Ahhhhh......Im behind!!.....no surprize!

2011-06-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

8 Days

8 Things Nicholas likes to eat:

1. Chicken Nuggets

2. Pizza

3. Hot Dog

4. Ice Cream

5. Fruit

6. Spaghetti

7. Potstickers

8. Any kind of candy (UGH)

9

2011-06-02T22:14:00.001-04:00

9 DAYS!!!!

Here are 9 of Nicholas' favorite movies:

1. Star Wars

2. Ghostbusters

3. Superman

4. Diary of a Wimpy kid

5. Batman

6. Spiderman

7. Harry Potter

8. Justice League Cartoons Series

9. Star Wars Clone Wars

The Countdown Begins.....10

2011-06-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

10 Days until Nicholas turns 7 years old.

UNBELIEVABLE!!

10 of his favorite things to do:

1. Play video games

2. Listen to music

3. Paint/draw

4. Play sports & karate

5. Watch movies

6. Play with Friends

7. Wrestle with Lukas

8. Eat ice cream

9. Going to gym class

10. Jump on the trampoline

This list was made by Nicholas himself!!!

And are in no certain order :)

For Nicholas

2011-05-25T10:53:00.001-04:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Moving right along

2011-05-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

29 weeks. WOW

I am so happy that we have made it this far.

I am now in that uncomfortable stage where I can't sleep well and heartburn has become my best friend.

The boys have been in their new bedroom for over 2 weeks now and it seems to be going pretty good.

I have been washing & organizing baby clothes and getting the nursery ready for a newborn.

Nicholas' birthday is coming up pretty quick and I need to make some invitations and get them out.

The doctor & I talked about taking the cerclage out on July 5th. Hoping that I don't go into labor on July 6th! That is my brother and my husbands birthday....so that day is a little crowded. I could go right into labor or it could be days or weeks. I don't think the doctor is going to let me go much further than the 3rd week in July. Especially if this boy is as big as they say. What do they know? They didn't do another ultrasound, so they could just be guessing. He will probably be 5 lbs 7 oz like the other 2. (That's my wishful thinking taking place)

T-Ball is in full swing and Nicholas is really into it and is doing really well this year. What a difference a year makes! Lukas had his preschool walk through this past Friday and I can't believe how time is flying. In the fall I will have 2 kids in school and 1 just lounging around while I am sleep deprived.

Here is your warning now....My brain hasn't been working right and I expect it to be on the fritz until this baby is at least 6 months old....so give me break until the beginning of the new year or so. I am already forgetting things and missing things and slacking on Holidays and Birthdays....so just blame it on pregnancy brain!! LOL

Another Year gone by

2011-05-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

I hate to admit it, but yesterday was my birthday and it was bad enough I am feeling fat and tired, but my lovely husband got me an over the hill cake. Funny coming from a guy who is older than me and neither of us has hit 40 yet. He will hit it first and I will be the one laughing!!

My boys gave me a beautiful hydrangea potted flower which I am going to put in my planter and on the front porch for everyone to see how beautiful it is.

A ghostbuster delivered my flower!

The boys also made me a card. Here is Nicholas' card.

And here is Lukas drawing his card

We went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings because I wasn't up for going anywhere fancy. I was pretty disappointed. The mini corn dogs they gave Nicholas were smaller than a tiny breaded mushroom. I knew he would be hungry still. The boneless wings are smaller and mostly fried crap. There is barely any chicken in it. It just wasn't the same. That's OK though....we played eye spy and Lukas was trying to play too. It was pretty hilarious. He would point to his eye and then say he spied and he would move his head around like he was looking and then he yells out a color. Too funny!

I also have a few pictures of the boys and their new sleeping arrangements....check them out


Nicholas' Old Bed

Bunkbed!

Yippee

2011-05-02T12:38:00.002-04:00

I Passed the sugar test...so pass those jellybeans!!

Just kidding!!!!

27 WEEKS

2011-05-02T12:37:00.001-04:00

I took my sugar test this past Thursday and should know the results today. I hope I pass it. I have been nibbling on those damn jellybeans. It's the Easter bunny's fault if I fail the test!! I don't want to do the 3 hr test and I dont want to have gestational diabetes, so hopefully the results will come back fine.

We took down Nicholas' loft bed with a slide on Saturday and assembled a set of bunk beds. We put Lukas in the bottom bunk last night and it went.....O.....K.....

Lukas kept yelling "Nis" (which is his way of saying Nicholas) and then would sing when Nicholas answered him. The most surprising of it all was Nicholas......he was crying. He had no idea why and he wanted to cuddle with me. We cuddled and I told him when Lukas falls asleep, then he can come lay with me. I asked a million different things and he had no idea why he was crying. He said he wanted Lukas in there with him and he wasn't sad about the room. I don't know what to think, so I just snuggled in for a long night of getting kicked and kneed in the back & stomach (I always seem to have my hand there when he is about to kick my stomach...must be a motherly instinct..even in my sleep)

Of course I hear "Nis....Nis" through the speaker and look at my phone. 5:14 am. Yikes!!

I ignored it and he stayed quiet until 6:30. I then heard Eddie go in there and tell him Nicholas already got up and is in mommy's room. So...Lukas did OK after he stopped blabbing. Nicholas...well....I don't know what happened. We will see how it goes tonight.

Eddie had a cake for me yesterday with my Dad and his family. I get in the kitchen and it says "OVER THE HILL"

Rotten bastard! LOL

Oh well, it was Costco cake and it is gooood, so I enjoyed it anyways. I am not even 40!! He will be 40 next year.....he better get ready for his 40th bday when he is over the hill!!

25 WEEKS

2011-04-18T12:41:00.001-04:00

Well, we are heading in the right direction.

When I was on bedrest with Lukas, I was told that week 28 is a milestone to celebrate. At week 28, 2 of the girls I knew there went into labor & I had a contraction for the first and only time that I was there. I was happy I made it to week 28, but I was worried about him coming so early. Then I got wheeled into the group room and that's when I found out that both girls had their babies the night before. I think I had sympathy contractions. They both had 2 lb babies and were in for a long journey of their babies staying in the NICU until they were healthy enough to go.

Lukas decided to stay put for 4 weeks more. Good choice Lukas!!

So, I went to my last appointment and they said see you in 2 weeks for the sugar test.

Huh?

They said, you know...the one where you drink that nasty stuff. It takes about an hour.

I told them I don't know what they are talking about because I never make it this far. My doctor started laughing and told me I was so right.

I guess I had one with Nicholas, but that was almost 7 years ago. I don't remember it at all.

I have to get my shot today and then get a refill on the shots. I have never made it far enough to have to get refills either! So, this is a great accomplishment.

We will be setting up the bunk beds in the boys room in the next week or so. Nicholas seems to be looking forward to it. I hope Lukas adjust OK....and swiftly.

Heartburn has become my enemy. Where did it come from? I feel it all day long now. I only felt it the last week before I had Nicholas. I never even get heartburn when I am not pregnant. I know, I know...it comes with the pregnancy...just like my asthma and my fat belly!!

The boys went to 2 Easter egg hunts this past Saturday. I started raining at the second one, but when we got back to the car Nicholas actually thanked us for bringing them. Nicholas did a cake walk and got 15 cupcakes as his prize that he picked out. I thought they would have him pick one, but they gave him the whole tray. Lukas found a speckled egg & got to pick a bigger prize. The boys shared their prizes. They are getting along so well now. Nicholas is always telling Lukas to give him a hug or he asks Lukas if he loves him. It's pretty funny. Just wait until they start slugging each other for real and not just playing around.

Yeah, but Nicholas told me he is and will be tougher than me and he will be able to beat me up. I told him he better start lifting a lot of weights because I will ALWAYS be able to whoop his ass. I told him he can be 6 foot 8 and I will still give him an ass whooping if he needs one. He laughed and didn't believe me. I told him to wait & see....then we will see who is laughing!!

I better get back into my shape before I had Nicholas if I am gonna keep that promise, but that's my goal anyways. When this last baby is born and I am done breast feeding, then I am gonna be working out like a mad woman!!

Remember I said that....LOL

WEEK 23

2011-04-06T13:42:00.000-04:00

It seems harder & harder to get to write a post on here.

Sorry

This is the same week where my water broke when I was pregnant with Lukas. I was in a bathroom stall in the Orlando Airport waiting for Nicholas to finish peeing so I could go...and then I went. Well, my water broke, so it felt like I went.

This whole pregnancy has me nervous, but now that we are past week 18 where we lost our son and pulling through week 23 where we almost had Lukas.....I may be able to settle down a little.

We have bunk beds for the boys. We just have not put them up yet. It sounds like they will both be excited to share a room. I am sure glad they are because otherwise I could offer one of them to bunk with Eddie!!

We have some great friends who are loaning us infant car seats and a stroller. That was the main thing besides new monitors that work in 2 rooms that we needed to buy. So, that saves us some moolah. I had Nicholas' stuff for so long that I had to get rid of his infant seat....it expired back in December!

I go next Tuesday for a monthly visit. They will be checking me for a lot of things as well as anemia. One doctor said I was and my OBGYN says I am within the normal limits for pregnancy. I do have to go get some more probiotics as well as it is almost time to get a refill on my shots. I have never been this far along on them. My arm burns and hurts like hell for a day or 2 now when I get them, but I am just not ready to pony up my rear end for my neighbor.....that may scare her away! LOL

Whirlwind

2011-03-24T16:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I took Lukas last Thursday to a routine asthma check up only to find he has an ear infection in the right ear and his tube is coming out of his left ear.

That was only the beginning...little did I know.

Friday he seemed a little congested and by Saturday morning we were on the way to urgent care. He was doing the choking thing he has done in the past when he had pneumonia. They did a chest x ray that showed it wasn't and put him on a steroid and breathing treatments every 4 hours.This is in addition to the antibiotic he started on Thursday, but he was still getting a fever even though he was on it.

Saturday night and the next few days to follow were miserable.

Nicholas started with a fever that night and they had both been coughing in my face. By monday morning, I had an asthma attack and both boys were still having fevers. We took them to their doctor & I went to see my asthma doc. Nicholas had a chest x ray and blood drawn. Basically we had a viral influenza. So much for those flu shots the kids got.

Lukas & I are still struggling to breathe, but Nicholas is better. My blood test results showed I am anemic. Another excuse as to why I am so tired.....like I need another one (kids climbing in my bed coughing...dog wanting out at 4 am...having to pee....the list goes on)

Let's focus on the positive.....Almost 22 weeks though!

Hello Again

2011-03-16T10:25:00.000-04:00

Sorry I am only on here like once a week, but I am so tired and just a little stressed lately. OK, I am really stressed. Not sure if it is my hormones or what....but everyone around here (who is a boy) is driving me NUTS (pun intended) lately. Oh yeah....and that girl dog is too!

So.....yeah, it's probably just me. Those damn shots don't help either. They just overload the hormones and wind me up until my hormone meter explodes....then WATCH OUT!

Nicholas is too smart for his britches lately (yes...I said britches). Lukas is in tantrum stage 101. Hope seems to have regressed in her training since we had her spayed. Her trainer is making a house call today. That damn dog is eating EVERYTHING in our yard. I'm pretty sure that metal pole out in the yard used to be the trampoline.

Eddie....well I will leave that one alone. All I can say is that I sure could use more hands...or a clone of myself.

Well......off to tantrumville. It is located in the heart of penisville USA. We have a screaming guest as I type.

Ta-Ta!!

OH BOY

2011-03-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

Hello

and welcome to Penisville USA

We here only allow children with a penis to occupy a room in this house.

If you are a female, you must be the owner & boss of the house.

Unless you are a dog, then you may be female....but you will need to be spayed so only one creature in this house will be in diapers.

Thank You for visiting and as always....make sure you leave the seat up when you leave.

Oh Boy Oh BOy Oh BOY...I mean Girl

2011-03-07T19:03:00.001-05:00

OK OK OK OK.....

I am very excited about tomorrow! I have been thinking girl thoughts & teasing my 6 year old about having a little sister. But what you all need to know is that I really, really really want a full term, healthy baby. I know people say that and yes I would like a girl.....but after going through the things I have gone through......a full term baby would be nice AND I do not want any health problems for my baby.

Who does, right? I just have seen enough heartache that I really want a healthy baby.

But I still have positive girl thoughts running through my head.

My appointment is at 8:30 am and as long as the baby cooperates, we should know if it's a boy or girl.

But keep in mind that Lukas had his legs crossed for the first 2 ultrasounds I believe and at the 2nd one, the lady guessed it's a boy and tried to show that she meant it...so we took it a little lightly until it was later confirmed.

So....fat Tuesday.....what kind of filling would you like???

I will take a pink raspberry jam filled Paczki!!!

Hmmmmmm

2011-03-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

Let's see......what's been going on??

I have been feeling depressed since starting those shots. (boo)

I have been feeling excited since we will hopefully find out this Tuesday if we are having a boy or girl. (yay)

I have been nervous because this past week was the 18th week marking. (yikes)

So......basically I am a roller coaster of emotions.

What else......

Nicholas started taking an ice skating class. He has some friends who play hockey and wanted to learn how to skate. Thursday was his first night and I heard he fell a million times, but got better right away. He loved it. I had to miss it to attend a PTO meeting for his school. I am the treasurer, so I couldn't skip it.

He has conferences coming up this week and I am sure he is still doing great.

Lukas qualified to go to the same preschool that Nicholas went to. Which just means he needs a little more help with his speech, but to me it means he will be going somewhere where I know the teachers and most of the staff.....which will keep my mind at ease. It also means we will not have to pay for preschool....for at least one year anyways. We will see how it goes for the next year of it.

I am thinking of signing Lukas up for a soccer tot program. He loves to kick the balls around the house. He always says "Mom-kicky ball" and that means let's stand 20 feet apart and kick the ball back & forth until he is tired....which is a long time usually.

Hope is getting spayed this Monday and then her trainer from her class is coming in a week and a half to work with her and her bad habits. Which one of is tearing the whole damn yard apart!!!! I had a nice yard where I did a lot of work and she is tearing it up.

Eddie is still having a lot of back pain, but had to cancel his recent appointment to meet with his surgeon again because he had a migraine and couldn't drive there. So....at the end of March we will see if something else is going on.

THAT'S the scoop.........for now :)

2011-02-23T11:26:00.003-05:00

After Uncle Gary sent a video to Lukas of himself singing Batman....Lukas decided to send one back of himself watching Uncle Gary's video....and Yes, he is trying to say Gary.

Aches & Pains

2011-02-21T10:27:00.001-05:00

So, last Tuesday I had some pressure and pain in my stomach. I had never felt pain like that before....so I may have become a little paranoid. I did get a call from the nurse saying that the down syndrome & neural tube defect tests were all negative.....which is awesome. Then I started to tell her about my aches & pains. She went over some things and made an appt for Thursday night. She said if it got worse, then go to the ER.

So....I went Thursday night and the baby's heart rate was 144. Cervix was closed. Cerclage was in place. Not sure what the aches & pains were. Everything was looking good.

I started taking my weekly shots last Sunday, so this past Sunday was week 2 of them. I got my neighbor to do them which is a big help because she is a nurse.

Other than that...I was diagnosed with a bad sinus infection (who knew??) and put on antibiotics for 2 whole weeks. UGH

So, I am still looking forward to an uneventful time. I am 17 weeks.

18 weeks is when we lost our little boy before Lukas....so to get over that hump next week is a big mental obstacle....for me at least, maybe Eddie too. That pain never goes away. Sometimes you just picture his little body and you just start crying.

Week 23 is when my water broke with Lukas. If we can get past those 2 mental roadblocks...then I am sure I will be able to relax a little bit more.

Darth Vader Vs. Indiana Jones

2011-02-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Nicholas was cracking up at this video...so I had to share his new favorite video. Not the last part, but the Darth Vader vs. Indiana Jones part!!

Whooo Haa Haa

2011-02-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, if you have never seen Finding Nemo...watch this clip & listen to the fish chanting.

Now, watch this clip & listen to Lukas chanting the same chant. He does it ALL day long! (Lucky me, huh??)

Sorry

2011-02-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

Sorry that you have to actually sign in to read now.

I just got sick of the crap & some people who are not very nice. I guess I want them to mind their own business! LOL

Anyways, the cute little ticker I made at the top is saying I am 15 weeks pregnant, but the docotr says I am 14 weeks prego. They are never right on these things anyways, right??

I go in Monday to see my normal doc. I am hoping by any slim chance that they can tell me if it's a boy or girl. Usually they tell me like 18 weeks, which would be next months visit....but I really want to know. I need to know if I am leaving the nursery the way it is or getting out the old paint roller!!

Plus, some of my girlfriends are hanging on to some girl clothes and things for me just in case.

I am not as sick anymore. I still gag and feel a little sick here and there, but not ALL day long.

I have not gained but a pound or so, but everything has shifted. My boobs are busting out & the top of my stomach has made like a big circle. Weird? I don't know where it is shifting from...everything else is as juicy as it was before! LOL

Nicholas got an awesome report card. He is doing great in everything. He is reading at a level O, which is like 3rd grade. We took him to Fuddruckers for dinner & he ordered a few Lego mini-figures online as a reward.

Lukas is funny as ever and is starting to talk up a storm.

Hope scared the crap out of me the other day. I was doing dishes & she popped up right in front of me...but she wasoutside. Seems that she climbed a snow bank & got on top of our patio table and peeked in the window at me!

Check her out!!

Testing

2011-01-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Testing!!

Can anyone make a comment???

I guess if I dont get one, then thats a no???

The Lights are out

2011-01-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well, The lights are out and nobody is home.

I have several reasons for going private. I wont list them all, but you are probably thinking...why go private when we have heard too much already??

LOL

I know. I know.

But, sometimes there are people in your life that don't really have your best interests at heart and are only checking in for the wrong reasons. Sad, but true.

My feeling is that if you want to see how we are doing, then maybe you should be an actual part of our lives. Didn't really bother me before who read the blog, but now I know there are some people that do not have my families best interest in their hearts.

So, if you are here then thanks for checking in to see how we are.

Who knows....maybe one day I will let the world read about us.....until then maybe they will hear things when they hear them.

2011-01-18T15:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was, thankfully, not too bad. We got to see the baby on the ultrasound, then they got me all set to be wheeled into the OR. I would like to suggest that the 1st time somebody takes your history....just record it, because at least 3 more people are going to ask you for it. It was really bright in there with many different "tools" laying there at the Doctors disposal. I then saw the tiny little table and remembered it from when I was suppose to have my emergency C section for Lukas...but instead delivered him on that little thing. Everyone was great. For the first time EVER I actually met an anesthesiologist that was kind and pleasant instead of arrogant & cocky. He listened to my concerns and gave me the spinal with one shot. A little painful, but not too bad. My doc was pretty much hugging me to keep me still.

My feet started to tingle and everything started going numb within minutes. Then they started their business in my business! Talk about feeling vulnerable and out in the open for all to see! LOL
I could feel some things, so the nurse anesthetist gave me a little more juice. She was nice as well. I think normally for an anesthetist job you should make sure your personality should be arrogant, unfriendly, uncaring, someone who doesn't like talking to people, etc, etc. But these 2 broke the mold! They were awesome.
I was back in recovery before Eddie made it back from getting something to eat. They gave us a birthing suite, so Eddie could lay down and watch some TV. Everything was going good until the cramping kicked in. It was concstant and getting pretty bad. They gave me some medicine & then even morphine in my iV and a shot of it in my leg. I felt the burning, flush feeling through my body...but the cramping wasn't going anywhere. Then the nurse realized that maybe my bladder was full. They emptied my bladder and almost instantly....RELIEF! She couldn't believe I had almost a 2 liter full of fluid in there. My bladder was huge and pressing on everything that was freshly operated on! Thank God that's all it was, because I was beginning to think the recovery at home was gonna suck. Then we had to wait for my legs to come back, which he said wouldnt take long because I'm taller. He was telling Eddie what went on and touched my legs and said there is no way she can move these right now and we would have to wait until the feeling came back. Just then I moved what I thought was just my thigh muscles, but both of my legs went moving like crazy and the doc laughed and said I just had to prove him wrong! I laughed because Eddie said my legs were shaking back & forth, but all I could feel was my thighs moving....a little. Overachiever!

Anyways, it was the right thing to do. My cervix has some issues...nothing therapy and yoga wont help with. JK! He said it was the right thing to do after seeing what was going on. I have to take some meds for some other stuff and start shots in 2 weeks. We are on a mission to keep this little in with a full barrier of protection.
My mom rocks. She was over by 7 am and took care of everything. She even made homemade stuffed cabbage (golumbki) and mashed potatoes. It hit the spot after all of that. I got some rest while Eddie and her manned the fort. Didn't sleep well and today I have a headache. I think it may be sinuses.UGH

so, hopefully all will be quiet on this gome front for the rest of the pregnancy. My life is never uneventful, but I am sure looking forward to it being that way until August!!

MOnday Monday

2011-01-14T23:18:00.000-05:00

OK....So I am going in on Monday morning to get the procedure done. They are doing it at 9:45 A.M. I have to be there at 8:00 A.M.

I guess they want to pump me full of fluid so that my blood pressure hopefully will not drop. They are actually stitching in 2 areas instead of one. Yikes. I sure hope the spinal goes OK. Fortunately my mom and husband both have Monday off, so I have someone to watch the boys and someone to take me and stay with me. Thanks Mom....Thanks Honey.

Unfortunately, I am suppose to rest for 2-3 days, but I can't really see that happening....can you? If I am lucky, I will be able to stay in bed the rest of Monday!!

But, I will try to take it as easy as one can when they are taking care of 2 kids and a puppy!!

They need Nannies for Mommies. I think I will open a company that will send you a nanny for the day if you are sick. It's a pretty good idea. I know when I am sick, I wish there was someone to call over who can drive the kids around and feed them and make sure they are still breathing....all while I actually lay in bed and get some rest & sleep.

Maybe they already have that service?? If so, can someone give me their number???

Decisions....Decisions

2011-01-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

This was written on Saturday. I will write the conclusion later....I'm soooo Sleepy!!

Well, I met with the high risk Doctor yesterday. He was a very nice man and seemed to be optimistic about a few things we could do. Now I meet with my OBGYN on Monday to discuss what happened and see what he thinks. He did recommend ....strongly.....a procedure that my doctor had already told me he did not want to do and I had agreed with him. But after talking to the high risk doc who does this way more than mine does and gets successful results and uses a different approach than what most doctors think happens......I don't know what to think.

I have been looking up info and just going back and forth. I feel damned if I do and damned if I don't. I don't want to do nothing and if my water breaks early again, feel like I could have possibly prevented it (you can't really though). But if I do this procedure I could risk rupturing the membranes anyways. Well, at least that's what all the articles say, but this doctor does not say that. Maybe he has done it enough that he is sure. I don't know. He told me if I was his daughter.....he would tell me to do this.

I guess I should have asked if he had a daughter!

Like the Energizer Bunny

2011-01-06T21:54:00.000-05:00

This calls for the help of.......

A dinosaur?


A Firefighter?

Super Chunky Baby

Space Captain

Pirate Pete


Mickey Mouse????

These are for Kristin...a little entertainment until the lights go out.

What if they never go out?

I may have to entertain you forever.......

Puzzled?

2011-01-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

OK...I'm still baffled why the lights are still on.....Damn Spiderman. Always swinging from buildings and never doing his job!

Who Else do I have in here?

Fine...bring on The Flash.

Maybe at least he will be quick about it!

What?

2011-01-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

Were still here???

It said the domain name expired January 3rd 2011.

Hmmmmmmmmm

Maybe Spider-man can figure it out!!

Making of a Christmas Card

2011-01-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure this is my last day for a public post.....so check out our making of a Christmas Card. The pictures are funny!

We started like this....

And.....as you can see, it wasn't going so well. So, we moved to this!

Somehow in all of that, we came up with a couple good shots to send out on our Christmas Card!

I wish you all a Happy 2011

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas is around the corner and New Years is right behind it.

This has been an eventful year. We feel very blessed and lucky to have each other and all the necessities in life.

Next year is bringing big changes and promises to be another eventful year. We are expecting a baby around August 2nd of 2011. I am about 8 weeks and feeling pretty sick to my stomach on and off throughout the day. I will be consulting with a high risk doctor in the beginning of the year, but its just a consult, I dont think anything will come of it. There really isnt anything you can do to stop your water from breaking, so we are taking our worries and placing it in God's hands. Every time I start thinking about it, I peel it off my mind and hand it to God and go on about my day. It's out of my hands and in the most trustworthy hands possible.

We really would like a full term healthy baby. A girl would be a change of pace, but if the baby makes it full term with no health issues.....I could care less what it is. Nicholas does not want a sister though...he wants that on record! I always said if we had a girl, we would ship her away at 13 and bring her back around 21 years of age! LOL

So......please have a wonderful CHRISTmas and a safe New Year. I don't know the exact date that I will be going private, but it is in early January.

Here are the boys Santa pics to enjoy for the holidays!!

Lukas did smile and wave from a distance to Santa as we left......

Jib Jab Time. Girls Vs. Boys this year!!

2010-12-14T15:48:00.001-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

So, As the year comes to an end and we get ready to say goodbye to Bray's Anatomy.....I will wish you all a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!
I may add a few things before closing up shop.....but I leave you with this....

I'm pregnant.

Intermission

2010-12-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

We now interrupt this once in a while scheduled program to show you some fun jumping! Take it away Lukas.......

Thankful

2010-11-25T10:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

As the Holidays roll around, we seem to be more grateful...more loving...more kind and generous.

Wouldn't it be great if life was like that ALL the time?

It can be.....

You can wake up EVERY day and think of all the things you are grateful for...then you can go about your day treating others just how you do at Christmas time. It's easy....but we all get side tracked very quickly. All it takes is a car to cut in front of you....someone steals your parking spot...someone says something rude....

All of these things and a lot more can change your attitude and your mood and can ruin your day....

IF YOU let it.

So, let's all practice letting the small silly things slide and remember what we are grateful for

every day.

We delivered baskets of food to those who may not have as much as we do.

We attended our church for dinner and service last night.

We are sharing a great dinner today with family that loves us and treats us well. (and we love them too!)

So.....I hope you are enjoying your day with people you are grateful for!

Last year, Nicholas announced in front of our church that he was thankful for his Star Wars game....Oh yeah and his family and Jesus. We were wondering what he would say this year. Well, they switched it up on us and had people come up to say how it is evident that God is working in their lives. Every story was a tear jerker and heart warming. Eddie asks if I want to go up. I said no. He then told me that Lukas is BIG evidence that God was and is present in our lives. I still didn't want to tell everyone our story. That's what this blog is for, right? Well, he talked me into it and as soon as they gave me the microphone...all I could say was "A few years ago I was 18 weeks"

That's all I could get out before the thoughts of our baby not breathing flashed in my head.

I handed the mic to Eddie who was holding Lukas and he told a brief story of how we have the evidence that God is in our lives and he held Lukas up a little. Then Lukas clapped. It was almost on cue like they had rehearsed it. Nicholas smiled...I was still wiping my tears away as we walked back to our seats.

Thank You God.....we know you are with us and we appreciate every moment of it.

Holy Hope!

2010-11-17T09:35:00.001-05:00

Well, there is never a dull moment around here. Monday night, Eddie was calling Hope to come in from the backyard. The patio door was wide open and she came running....and she ran right into the door anyways. I was coming in from the garage and heard her squealing like crazy. I ran in and she was holding her leg up.

Oh CRAP!

It is always something. We checked her out and she slowly put a little weight on it, so we didn't go running to the vet. But, she whined every time she moved or even stretched in her sleep that night. So, I made an appointment to have it looked at. She isn't even 5 months yet, so I was worried about her growth plates in that leg.

Of course, she seemed to be a little better after I made the appt. I took her in anyways. Her X-Ray looked good, but the vet had her on the table and she asked if she always has this much (brace yourself) discharge. Huh? Ummm...no....Ummm...are we talking, like female discharge?? Yep...and yes she felt the need to show it to me...I would have taken her word for it. So, I told her once she had a little something going on and we never saw it again.

Soooo....to sum it up.....

I basically paid $100 to find out Hope has Vaginitis!

Yippee!!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY...and remember....

If you hurt your leg...It could be Vaginitis!

P.S. Hope weighed in at 60 lbs and she completed her first training class last night! Yay!!

Christmas already?

2010-11-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

This post is for those who keep asking me what the boys want for Xmas!!

Everyone can plainly see that Christmas shopping and decorations have started to creep in earlier each year.

As they were setting up for Halloween costumes, Target had a back wall with some Christmas lights on it.....nice and cozy...tucked away behind the Halloween stuff. BUT it was still there.

Thanksgiving may as well just give up! You don't see them pushing that when Halloween is out, yet it is the next Holiday.

With that, comes the question....What do the boys want for Christmas?

Well, Nicholas starts making his list in August....only because he starts asking for a bunch of toys and my response is....let's put it on your Christmas list. So.....it has been around for several months now.

So, for those of you that have asked me what he wants ~~many times until I finally melted down and wrote this~~ I have ordered some items he wants online because that's the only place you can get most of them. They range any where from $14.99-$50 so far. If you want to buy something off of me for him....I'm happy to do that. I do have a couple smaller items that he wants if you are looking for under $14.99! So, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I can let you know about those.

We talked about a Nintendo DS, but he wants these other items instead....which I am SO glad...because he does not need another way to play a video game.

Let's put that off for as long as we can!

He wears a 8 or Med in pants and a med or 8-10 in shirts. Pajamas are a 10-12 or bigger.

Lukas, on the other hand is a whole other story. I am not sure what to tell people to get him. He loves books and they have some great newer nursery rhyme books out that are smaller and shorter for the younger mind....like Peter-Peter-Pizza-Eater and some newer, shorter Mother Goose rhyme books. He likes toys, of course....we have a lot and he likes them all, so any new toy you get...please just attach a receipt in case he has it. He wears a 3T in clothes.

Well, there. Hopefully those of you that have asked ~~and I couldn't give an answer to~~ can now start their early shopping. Well, I am sure if you already asked, then you have probably already started your shopping!

Happy Shopping!!

Now I need to ask people what their kids want :)

January

2010-11-09T12:02:00.002-05:00

It looks like I have this site until January 3rd....so I may blog a little here and there.Then, I will keep the blog and go private.

As I went to log in to my email today, I was disgusted at yet another story of a teen being killed for no reason. I keep hearing about gay teens committing suicide and other teens fighting each other....and somebody ends up dead. It breaks my heart and makes me SO ANGRY to hear of this type of crap going on.

It actually makes me so scared for my boys to grow up. I am not oblivious to the world now as they are young, but they are either with family or trusted friends. As they get older, they want that freedom of going out with friends and going places. That is what makes me nervous.

I know, I know.....I can only raise them to be a respectful and strong, caring young man. Hopefully one that realizes physically hurting another person is wrong. But, let's be real....anyone can become enraged. Yes, I mean anyone. You may not even know you are capable of it, but trust me...you are.

If you are a parent...right there, you should be honest enough to know that if you walked up and some kids were kicking and beating your child....that you would do WHATEVER it takes to defend and help your child. Whether you meant it or not. Or there are some people who would lose it if they walked in on a spouse who was cheating on them. It's possible to snap and someone could get hurt or killed.

We hear of it all the time. We say it won't be us. But if we are being totally honest here...I have been in my fair share of fights growing up. Mostly when I was in High School or older. I'm not proud of it, but, I can only recall one that I actually started. The rest of them...well I was either provoked or had to fight back to protect myself. Even then, with one exception...I stopped fighting once I felt I was no longer in danger. I didn't senselessly keep hurting someone. I actually felt bad after and would be in tears because of the whole incident....but I had to protect myself. Who knows if the other person had the sense or control to stop hitting me once their anger subsided. I could have been beaten to death.....anyone could. You never know the mentality of other people.

I guess that is what is so scary. Nicholas is in karate and I hope it teaches him discipline and self defense. We talk about how karate is used to defend yourself from physical harm. We talk about how he should never start a fight, but he has the right to protect himself. I tell him that is why it's so important to learn the blocks....so he can stop someone from hitting him. The sad part is....there are so many kids without proper guidance that they may think it is "fun" to hurt and keep hurting someone else.

All we can do is pray to God that we are all kept safe and learn how to keep ourselves from harm when and if it happens.

But....some are so senseless.

Read this...if you have the stomach.

Teen Beaten

ON A GREAT NOTE......(let's not leave only bad thoughts in our minds)

Yesterday was our 7th wedding anniversary and my 6 year old son made this AWESOME card in school for us.

Now...that is something good that brings tears to my eyes!!!

Are you still here?

2010-11-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

Still here?

I have not shut it all down yet....so

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY HUBBY!!

(tomorrow)

I will be sending out info to those "out of towners" so they can still see the boys and see how we are doing...so don't be sad :(

You know who you are!!

It's Official

2010-10-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

Well, by the end of the year.....Bray's Anatomy is going private. So, I want to thank everyone who has tuned in over the years. I hope you have enjoyed watching my boys grow up so far!

On another note.....Lukas had his 2 yr well check and is 31.5 lbs and 34 1/4 inches long with a big ole head still!

Here he is trick or treating at school today...

Nicholas was just told today that he will be moving up to the Karate Jr. Intermediate class! We are so proud of him. He practices every day now and is doing great!

He is also passing all of his tests at school with flying colors and his behavior chart at school has never left the color green (which is good for all you newbies out there).

At football, he was named player of the game last week and acted as captain for the coin flip!

Here is his 1st grade picture.....

Hope is getting big! She weighs about 52 lbs now. Half off that is probably rocks, mulch or our tree from the back yard. She is about as tall as Lukas now! Let me see if I have a good recent pic......

Oops! Sorry!!

Wrong picture!

Although, she does look like this sometimes when she wants to bite us all day long!

Here.....

She has Moved up to the "Dog Condo"

Nicholas visits her in her condo

Prisoners

Well, gotta run.

I am making treats for Nicholas' class party and bean bag toss cut outs for Nicholas' school Fall Festival tomorrow night!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-19T09:19:00.001-04:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Party Time

2010-10-19T09:19:00.000-04:00

Saturday was Lukas' Birthday party. We had so much fun last year, that we decided to do another costume party. Lukas is not really into wearing a costume, but maybe by time Halloween night rolls around....maybe he will realize he gets candy!! A BIG thanks to my Aunt Sharon, my mom and Eddie for your help. Aunt Sharon comes in from Ohio and works her tail off!

Funny Bones

Swamp Creature Fingers

Ghosts

Yummy!

Spooky

The hard workers

Punch time!

Can't fly right!

There were pirates

There were ninja lords

Buzz Lightyear

Body Builders

Nerds carrying dinosaurs

Fireman without his hat!!

Family rock bands

Mummy Dogs

The Bray Family!

Time for some presents

The kids had fun. We worked hard, but it was worth hearing how much fun they had.

Happy Birthday to my little fireman!!

Awesome Day

2010-10-15T09:06:00.000-04:00

Here is what a 2 year old looks like when you first see him in the morning...

Then he goes to his special school and has treats with his friends

Then he goes to Chuck E Cheese with his big brother and some of their friends.

Then......he goes home and opens a few special presents.

Then he goes back to bed after a great day with great people!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweetheart....xoxoxo

-Mommy

TWO

2010-10-13T22:50:00.001-04:00

Roses are red

We all know violets are blue

My sweet, darling baby

is now turning TWO!

I had to post now because we will be pretty busy the next couple of days with Lukas' birthday and his party.

I find myself saying "Calgon...take me away" a lot lately. It reminds me of when I said it and then my water broke and I was really taken away from it all. It was hard back then to sit back and relax. I couldn't just enjoy the fact that I didn't have to cook, clean or take care of all of my boys. Yes, there were 4 of them then. Eddie, Nicholas, Shaq & Kobe! I was sitting in a room awaiting the arrival of the 5th boy. It was anything but relaxing. It was horrifying and I was nervous and I prayed to God a lot that the little boy in my belly......well, I prayed that he would soon be with us and be healthy.

If only I could have seen how he was going to turn out, then I could have actually enjoyed my peace....... My rest.....My vacation from my life.

Now, I try to do everything to enjoy my time with all of these boys. We did lose Shaq & Kobe....and we did gain a girl finally (Hope). I just sit here and look at Lukas' expressions, his joy for life. He is such a sweet, loveable and pretty damn entertaining little boy. Everywhere we go, people tell us how adorable and funny he is. People have told me to get him into show biz or modeling or something because he is too cute. Well, I think we will just continue to enjoy him here at home...where he is most wanted and loved beyond belief.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKAS.

I may not have exactly enjoyed the ride up to your arrival....but believe me when I say that all the stress and anxiety and worry was worth it more than you will ever know.

I Love You-

Mommy

Playing with the cat

Being funny...as usual

Just smiling....

Petting the goat

Mooing like a cow

Kissing the horse

Fisher Price

2010-10-01T15:54:00.001-04:00

Ummmmmm, did somebody get fired and squeal on Fisher Price or did somebody wake up and inspect MILLIONS of their items???

If you have not ~~seen the outside world in days~~ heard....Fisher Price announced a MAJOR recall of Gabillions of items. That's right, you heard me....GAbillions. (OK...more like 4 products...but millions of units!)

Too many to list, so click these links and have at it.

Fisher Price Recall Info

Recall info

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=recalls

From what I can see on just a quick browse, many inflatable valves can come off...or wheels on cars, etc. and can cause a choking hazard. The most disturbing one was this....

Fisher-Price Children's Trikes

Date: September 30, 2010
Company/brand: Fisher-Price
The danger: A child can strike, sit, or fall on the protruding plastic ignition key. This could result in serious injury, including genital bleeding. Sold at: Mass merchandise stores nationwide from January 1997 through September 2010, for about $25.

Ummmm......YIKES!!

WOW WOW Wubzzy

2010-09-30T22:42:00.002-04:00

So....Want to see something?

You know you do....Take a peek

This is a picture of my Dad when he played baseball as a kid. He is the 3rd kid from the left in the back row.

Here it is closer....

HERE is Nicholas' T-Ball picture from this year....

Here it is in black and white....

Hmmmm...pretty close, huh???

TK

2010-09-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

Technical Knockout!

Not really....it's TOAD KILLER!

I have to correct myself. I have not been killing frogs (by accident). I have been killing toads.

Just when I thought it was all over........nope!

So, I was cutting the lawn on Tuesday and I was being Oh So Careful. When I heard a LOUD noise come from the mower. I figured it was a large piece of mulch. Hope likes to chew on EVERYTHING and it is all over the yard. I took one more step and saw the GUTS all gross on the lawn...and a small piece that had flown over to the side. The neighbors probably think I am nuts. I stopped the mower and started yelling and threw my hands in the air.

"THAT'S IT. I AM DONE. I AM NEVER CUTTING THE GRASS AGAIN"

Then I sent a picture to my mom, Aunt, Cousin and Uncle because if I had to be grossed out...so did they! Then I stormed off to the front yard to trim the tall grasses.

I am trimming them down, when I got to the bottom to pull dead strands off and a F*ing TOAD hops at my hand.

So....again....I yell out loud "THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. I AM DONE!"

I then went to take a shower and get Nicholas from school.

I sent Eddie a text to not let Hope out in the back and to call me when he woke up.

Of course.....I made him clean it up. ICK

So......tonight, I took Hope out in the backyard under the dimly lit porchlight and she was looking at something. I figured it was a rock and I swiped it with my foot.

That didn't feel like a rock!

Hope kept sniffing. I got a flashlight and sure enough. It was a little dead toad. I made my mom come look at it. I told her the damn things are haunting me. I flipped it with a lid and it's leg moved.

It was alive. The damn little guy was playing possum. I put him in Nicholas bug box.

THEN, I went to pull my van in the garage and there was a MONSTER of a toad sitting in the driveway. I think they all heard I was the killer and now they are coming to get me. I tried to get him and put him with the other little guy, but he hopped into the garage. GREAT. Now I wonder when I will smush that big guy when I pull the car in and out.

It's never ending.

Ribbit

FK

2010-09-15T22:48:00.002-04:00

Today was one of those days where I want to fill that title in with a "UC"!

FK could stand for many things. I could just go on for days...but this is what it means to me...

FROG KILLER

The other night, I walked Hope out into the front yard to go potty before bed because we had fertilized the back yard. Well...as I am walking here past the garage, I saw a big bump and some blood. WTF? I kept her back and took a closer look. It was a frog. A smushed, gushed, smashed Kermit.

Ick. Ick. Ick. Gross.

What the hell happened here? Did an animal get it? Yep.....Kellie the animal! Oh shit. I just realized about 20 minutes ago I had pulled the car in the garage. I bet if I got closer, I could probably see the word Michelin on the frogs head. (or at least the M.....he wasn't that big). I felt bad. Damn frog.

What was he doing hanging out by the garage anyways. I sent Eddie a text and asked him when he got home to please clean up the dead Kermit by the garage.

TODAY.....I'm cutting the grass (if you see where this is going, then skip ahead if you have a weak stomach) and I see mulch all over because Hope ~~is a crazy maniac that eats everything~~ likes to munch on mulch or anything else she can put her mouth on. Well, as I pull the lawn mower back...this piece of mulch FLEW to the side. Huh? I took a closer look only to see a frog. I was so happy to see it made it past the mower without getting cut by th.......OH SHIT....WAIT a minute. The frog did not make it past the mower. It was flung by the mower, at least the biggest part of it. It's back leg and stuff were still under the mower. It was flailing around and blood was squirting out of it's little front legs like when someone loses a limb in a horror movie.

You may think I am making fun of the situation....but I am not. I went upstairs and sat on the bed. Eddie woke up and asked why I am sitting there. I told him I killed a frog and asked if he could go finish him off.

"What?"

"I am not kidding. He is flipping around and bleeding and I can't kill him. You have to. Please go put him out of his misery"

"You woke me for this?"

"Ummmm. Yes. The poor thing needs to be put out of its misery and I put it in its misery...so please...go get him"

Eddie went down and I showed him where and the frog wasnt moving. I told him to touch it with his foot and it will move. He said its dead, but he went to get a shovel and a bag and as I peeked out the window...I saw him smashing the frog with the shovel.
My heart sank. But hopefully he was in ~~pieces~~ peace. (sorry...couldn't resist.)

So...I got Nicholas from school and started the trimmer. As I go by the patio. Something moves. I stopped the trimmer and thought.....YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. Am I going to kill every frog in the tri-county area??? Good news.....this one escaped from the trimmer of death. Nicholas wanted to catch it and put it in a bucket, but I lied and said I couldn't see him anymore. He must have gotten away I told him. I figured I killed his family and should at least try to let him go free.

Man....I gotta tell ya....I was really worked up over the whole thing. It may sound stupid, but I was in tears after the lawn mower incident. I don't like innocent animals to be killed. I could never be a hunter. Leave Bambi and Kermit and Peppy alone! Eddie is probably at work and very tired. Sorry! I Love You and I promise to try to leave the frogs alone.

PS...on my way home tonight I saw a dead deer on the side of the road. I sent Eddie a text and he said he wondered who hit it. I replied "Not me...I only kill frogs"

23 Months & 12 Weeks

2010-09-14T22:52:00.002-04:00

Lukas is 23 Months Today!

Hope is 12 Weeks Old Today!

Lukas celebrated his 23rd month in this world by pooping in the shopping cart (full of groceries) at Meijer's today. I didn't have to look far to see there was poop (and an odor) coming from his diaper. Probably because it was coming up his back. No need to look any further. I had a cart FULL of groceries. I was almost done and did not want to leave my cart and go. I kindly asked the greeter to watch my groceries as I went to the minivan to change his BUTT before the frozen veggies thawed out. When I got him to the van and started to change him....I thought I was being careful ~~WTF was I thinking?~~ and realized that somehow...somehow, there was poop all over now. On the changing mat, his shirt, the minivan, etc, etc,etc. JUST GREAT! I somehow cleaned it up and went back in, bought my groceries, came home and unloaded the groceries, cleaned out the van and threw out everything poopy...except Lukas....and put away my groceries, gave Lukas a bath and put him down for a nap. WHEW! All in 32 minutes and 12.3 seconds. A new world record.

Just Kidding!

Hope celebrated her 12 weeks in this world by pissing on the rug. Usually she will sniff and we go outside. She has been pretty good at potty training. BUT ~~a big butt~~ she was chasing a ball around that I was rolling and she grabbed the ball in her teeth and looked at me....just for a split second...then she continued to play. I thought that was a really weird look from her. I went over and saw she let out a squirt. Maybe she was so excited that we were playing ball and she just couldn't hold it....at least that little squirty part of it. So, off we go to the big ole potty and then in I go to clean that little squirt's mess up!

So.....to sum up the day.....It was Poopy

AND Pissy!

Are you ready for some Football??

2010-09-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

I am.

I have my fantasy football team all set.

Nicholas is playing flag football.

Lukas likes to throw the football at my head.

Hope likes to chew on the football.

Eddie wishes his fantasy team was as good as mine.

See? We are all in football mode! HA

Nicholas had his first flag football game today. He said he loves football and wants to play, yet he twirls around and goofs off when he isnt suppose to. He is that kid who is at the other side of the field. The only one in a white uniform, while all the rest of them are trying to grab the ball handlers flag. UGH Oh well, he wants to do it. Eddie told him if he gets a flag from a ball handler on the other team...then he will buy Nicholas a Dairy Queen.

2 plays later....Nicholas had a flag.

1 play after that...Nicholas had another flag.

Granted, that one he was off sides, but he started trying. He pulled each flag and held it up and looked right at Eddie in the stands and yelled "I got one Dad"

Everyone laughed. He is so cute.

He was no longer the last kid twirling around.

Maybe he will get into it after all.

As long as he is having fun...that's all that counts.

Eddie says that the smaller, faster kids all look good now, but when they get in high school....the coaches will want the big, tall kid like Nicholas who will be the one running the field. I could care less either way. As long as he is having fun and smiling....then so am I!

Lukas was Nicholas' number one fan today!

Thanks to Grandma Phooie, Grandpa Carl and Grandma Sue for coming out to support him today. You all made him feel very special!

Nicholas is #11

Go Nicholas!

This grass is more interesting sometimes


#1 FAN

What was that?

2010-09-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

What?

What the hell was that? It's coming from the headboard.

Damn. It's the alarm.

I have not heard an alarm clock since June! I sure don't miss that sound.

I will just reach over and hit that button that makes it quiet for 10 minutes.

What? 10 minutes is up? That was like 10 seconds.

OK. I am up.

Ohhhhh, Nicholas.....Wakey wakey!

First day of first grade!

I made him french toast and a fruit smoothie. I packed him a healthy PB & J along with some watermelon and a rice krispie treat. 100% juice and there ya go!

What? Now, what's that noise? Oh yeah...it's Lukas. OK, french toast for you too. Let's get moving.

Nicholas was a little nervous because 3 of his closest buddies are not in his class this year. Once we got to school, we saw at least 3 kids that he knows and they are in his class. Hopefully this eases the anxiety. Full day will not be an issue, because he went to Kindergarten full day.

Check him out!

French Toast

Smoothie

Ready to go!

Nicholas & Erik

Everybody said that Nicholas grew 6 inches. He grew a few, but not 6. I learned my lesson last year too with him. ONLY BUY A COUPLE OF ITEMS OF SCHOOL CLOTHES. This kid grows out of everything so fast. I only got him a few jeans and running pants. I know he will grow out of those before I can blink. The fall zip up coat I got for him is a M which says 10/12. That just fits him nicely. There are only so many more sizes before we get to adult sizes. Nicholas will be wearing suits & ties from the big & tall store while everyone else has their super hero gear on. LOL

Lukas and I came home and took Hope for a very long walk. We wore her out. Now I can clean house and play with Lukas while she stops chasing my feet or Lukas around. My newest little nephew "Big Ben Krynski" will be coming by soon so I can ~~love him up~~ babysit him for a while!He isn't a biological nephew, but his momma is like a sister to me, so he is my "nephew".

Gotta run and get ready to watch my boys!

Parenting Tip of the Day

2010-09-03T11:10:00.004-04:00

We won a $250 gift card to Chuck E Cheese! HAP (our health insurance provider) called yesterday to let us know Nicholas was selected for it. All I did was take him to get his 6 year well check. The doctor sent in his paperwork and he was automatically entered in the drawing. I even forgot about it until they called! How exciting. That's an awful lot of tokens and pizza. I guess we will have to have a party there and invite some friends!!

Here is the Parenting tip of the day! It's a good one, so I had to share :)

Find a quiet place today and take a deep breath. Remember that perfection is unattainable and chaos is reality. Remind yourself that getting down on the floor and playing with your kids is more important than that sink of breakfast dishes, and to carve out time to nurture your body, soul, and marriage.

Sweet September

2010-09-01T17:25:00.002-04:00

Well, it's September 1st and school is just around the corner!

Nicholas will be going into 1st grade and Lukas will be going to MIPP to get Physical therapy and Occupational therapy. Once they see how well he is moving now, he may not qualify for their services. Either way is fine with me.

We ended our summer by taking the kids to a Wiggles concert. Lukas had a blast and Nicholas was even dancing in the aisle (but don't tell his friends or he will be embarrassed!)

Flag Football is in full swing as well as Karate. Nicholas is going to be testing for his stripe on his yellow belt on September 11th. These tests only get harder and there is no guarantee that he will pass each one....so he may be learning how to build character sooner than later. Nobody wants to see their child fail though....so we are working hard at practicing his moves! The first football game rolls around on September 12th. Nicholas is excited about playing football....yet still manages to do cartwheels on the field...during practice.

Hope is becoming more active and driving me nuts...as any dog would. She likes to eat dirt, mulch, rocks...you name it. She will be going to puppy classes and good canine citizen classes soon. She still needs to be spayed in a few months. BUT....she still adds joy to our lives. Nicholas still thanks us every day for getting her.


BUSTED!!! The pacifier thief has been caught!

Eddie had an epidural steroid injection on Tuesday. It is suppose to unblock a nerve root and help to work away the scar tissue. It was not fun as you can imagine (and any pregnant woman who has had one). The needle is big and painful...and for me it didn't even work!!

Then, to his surprise as always...he had a dentist appointment today. 2 days in a row of sedation! Lucky him :)

I got to be his chauffeur....because they don't let him drive after the epidural and he can't drive either way to the dentist because he is drugged up.

My third child...I'm telling ya!

So......Bray's Anatomy is going to be going private soon. I will blog here and there until the website is no longer mine. Thanks for reading and hopefully you can keep up with us until the end of the year...which is when I think the site is up for renewal. Either way...I will announce the last days! THANKS for reading :)

GET READY TO WIGGLE!!

The 5th Wiggle

What are YOU looking at?

Fruit Salad...Yummy Yummy

Sleeping? At a Wiggles concert? Noooooo

Kelly, Isabella and Ian

Alex and Nicholas are the 5th (and 6th) Wiggles

Eddie can't believe Murray wasn't there!!!

The Gang

Blurry.....

I AM Wiggling!!

JUMP

2010-08-24T21:51:00.001-04:00

Lukas went to a class last week to visit the therapist he will have this fall. In the class, all of the other kids were jumping up and down and Lukas had no idea how to do it. He turned to me and I told him to jump! He is so cute when he tries. He can't do it and we are working on it, but he stomps his foot and thinks he is "jumping".

Check him out!!!

Hope....Sweet Hope

2010-08-23T10:09:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been just over a week and Hope is fitting in just great. I was prepared for a week of whining, but she only whined the first night. She whined a couple times the first night, but on night 2...not a peep. We are crate training her and getting her use to her "bed". Nicholas is the only person she runs after and tries to chew on. I am trying to teach him to be calm and assertive, but she can sense his anxiety and still likes to try to tackle him and chew on him. I told him that he is so sweet that she just wants a bite. Lukas will walk around and pet her and then he will clap whenever she goes outside and goes potty.

She is 2 months old as of yesterday and she will be going to see the vet this week. For some odd reason, she likes to chew on the stamped concrete patio. That is the weirdest thing that she chews on.

Our patio did get a make over when a tornado went tearing through and touched down at 16 & Groesbeck. There was so much water, that the gazebo couldn't hold it anymore and collapsed. We lost power and our subdivision was surrounded with uprooted trees and down live wires. It was a mess. Luckily, I kept the poles from the last gazebo that got ruined from the wind...so I should have things up and running this week.

Friday night, after a great night out with 9 fabulous girls, Moravian was pitch black from George George park and the light was out as well at Cass & Moravian. Then, I realized Little Rd was completely black too.....with one little Edison guy out there at midnight still working with his light on his hat. I thought "Oh crap, maybe our power is off again too." But, after traveling down the road of darkness, there suddenly was a city of light! Our subdivision. It was the only place in the area that had power back on. Whew! I thought maybe the down wires had caused our power to go back out. Thank Goodness! I am so glad that we were safe and made it through.

Hereeeeeee's Hope!

Nicholas & Hope

Eddie & Hope

The Great Dane pose


That's not your bed!

Oops...We did it again

2010-08-16T09:16:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to wait until spring before we got a new dog. Nicholas has been talking about a dog non stop lately. Eddie says it is time. I always had a dog growing up and Eddie says he did too. I just wanted a little more time to enjoy new carpet.....and going places without worrying about letting the dog out.......no poop scooping...You know, things like that.
But.....I guess the joy of having that extra family member outweighs those things.
So......without further-a-do.......Here is our new girl!
YES....finally a girl in this house with me:)

She is a Blue Great Dane. I know, some people (mom) think we are crazy for getting another Dane. I actually said I wasn't going to get another one. I guess I lied.....well, more like I changed my mind. We couldn't think of any other dog that we wanted. We were going to name her Isabella Blue and call her Bella........but then we realized our new neighbors dog is named Bella and that just wouldn't go over too well. Then we let Nicholas decide. He picked Jewel....then Lila....then Grace...and now has settled on HOPE. I HOPE he keeps this name...or any name so we can quit confusing her!

Just the surprised look on her face and the MILLIONS of thank you's that Nicholas keeps telling me as he hugs me....well....that lets me know that it was a good decision :)

22 Months

2010-08-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

Wow. Just 2 more months and Lukas will be 2 years old. Time really does fly. He even looks like a big 2 year old now with his hair cut! He is really developing his own personality. He's quite the character!! If you don't see him much, then you're missing out. He keeps me laughing. He tries to say everything that people tell him to....and most of the time it actually sounds like it (Unless you ask him to say Grandma Phooie! LOL) He loves to throw balls around and he is just learning how to kick them as well. He has a certain little waddle and shoulder shrug when he walks or runs. He likes to hit you with a lightsaber (wonder where he got that from?) He laughs when he toots (we know where he got that from!) He loves his brother and tries to copy many things that he does (which is not always in his best interest because Nicholas is turning into quite the comical character himself :)

Chuck E Cheese

First Train ride at Huckleberry RR

Eddie saw a ghost

Lukas is looking for him

Loree sees it!

The boys just smile

Slacker

2010-08-10T20:36:00.002-04:00

Today Nicholas had a dentist appointment for a cleaning. He had to take X-Rays for the first time. He did very well, I was very proud of him. If you see Nicholas often enough, you know he lost 1 of his front teeth awhile ago, but the one that was coming in was pointy and kinda different looking. I asked the dentist about it and he said it did look smaller. He thought it may be an "extra" tooth.
WTF?
So, they took another X-Ray and sure enough, his real 2 front teeth are still up there and this guy is just a hitch hiker! The technical term is Mesiodens. It is a supernumerary tooth. The dentist told him it happens to like 1 in 100,000 kids and that he was special. Here is an older article from a dentist blog that explains that these teeth dont normally erupt on their own, but Nicholas' did!
CLICK ME FOR THE ARTICLE
It means he will get some extra loot from the tooth fairy. Nicholas is freaked out a bit, because he has to have it pulled out. So, the good news is that he has no cavitites...the bad news is that they will need to numb it up and yank it out. LORD help me! I dont want Nicholas to get freaked out and have issues going to the dentist like Eddie does! YIKES

Lukas, on the other hand is now chilling since he let me cut his hair. It went great compared to the first time Nicholas got his hair buzzed (thank you very much Uncle Shoes). He was sweating sooo bad the other day and I had just got done doing 3 hair cuts and I figured I would try. His big head makes his hair look small now.....LOL

Hi Mom!

Cheese

Are We Done Yet?

I'm Not Kidding

OK, this is the last pose

Now I am MADDDD

OK, I'm over it!

Well, I will let you know if we survive the pulling of the supernumerary tooth! I hope he does not have any more or the tooth fairy may need a loan!

Thursday (In my book)

2010-08-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

See, this time I did not skip a single day! My computer says it is Sunday, but I think it lost some power.....it should be fine soon :)
Anyways......to continue
We Got up the next morning and headed into Cable WI, where we ended at Lakewoods Resort. It was good to see my brother and my sister in law and of course my nieces. Nicholas started playing with them like they had not missed a beat! The whole week consisted of indoor pools, drinking, outdoor pools, hot tub, fishing, grilling, pontoon boating, the beach, drinking, a pirate treasure hunt, a fish fry, a casino trip (or 2), playing catch, watching a movie, drinking, playing cards,etc, etc.

Here are some photos that captured the time we had.

Nicholas and his "stinky belly"

Nicholas & Lauren

Eddie & Carl

The 4 Stooges

Nicholas the fisherman

Fishing Family

The kids playing around

The real 3 stooges

On Guard

Friends

Football

Uncle Carl caught it

Beach Time

One eye

Mean Nicholas

Cheese

Mean Lukas

Take that!

The BIG Bike

Sand Castles

Bray Boys

Pirate Party

Time for Smores

Caught One

Big Boy in the Big Boy Chair

Pontoon

One Eye (Again)

Captain Carl

Lukas

My future's so bright.....

Movie Star

Nicholas showing Eddie how to fish

Serious about fishing

The Bray boys on a boat

We picked up a hitch hiker

The lake view on the way home

Crossing the bridge to come back

Well, my 2 nieces have been here in MI ever since we have returned. Nicholas has been with them almost every moment possible. They have been doing a lot of fun things and keeping busy! Tomorrow we are going to attempt a family photo with Nicholas, Lukas and all of their cousins! 7 kids in one photo....wish us luck!!!

Where Does the time go?

2010-07-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

I know....... on Monday I said I would write again the next day...so I guess there was no Tuesday this week! It went straight to Wed (that's my story & I am sticking to it!)
Well, We took off the morning after the All Star game to go to Cable, WI where we were meeting my brother and his family for a week at my sister in law's work owned condo. They get a good deal as an employee. So, we drove about 7 hours and stayed at a hotel in Munising MI. It had a pool and a water slide and some really big chairs out front. Eddie sent picture mails to people saying his brother Bill had us over for dinner and there we were in his extra tall chairs. The funny part was Eddie's friend writing him back saying the sad part was that Eddie's feet almost reached the ground! Tall boys!!

Passing over the Mackinac Bridge

Bill's Lawn Chairs

The view as we got moving in the morning

Stayed tuned for more tomorrow (or whenever....)

Hey Now, he's an All-Star

2010-07-26T18:54:00.003-04:00

It has been awhile and we have been busy.Let's see if I can catch you up!!
The Saturday after my last post was Nicholas' All-Star game. He was 1 of 4 kids voted to the team by the parents of our team. It was a hot day out, but they played their game (East against West) and then had 3 other competitions. There was a hitting, throwing and base running skills competition. Nicholas did well in all of them, even the running. I think he ran faster that day than he ever did at T-Ball. I hope he gets some of the running genes from my family, because Eddie is a slooooow poke!
Here are a couple pics!

Nicholas & 2 other kids from our team (Jacob & Parker)

Nicholas is the Rockie to the right

Nicholas playing SS

Nicholas hitting in the batting skills competition

We are so proud of you Nicholas and you did a great job!!
More adventures to come tomorrow!! Stay tuned. We went on a week long vacation to a resort in WI with my brother and his family. I will post more tomorrow!! I have to go play softball in this hot weather....ugh