The Bugbee Bunch

Crawling Baby...

2012-01-01T09:48:00.000-06:00

Brant started crawling on New Years Eve!! He does the full on traditional crawl now which is so fun. :) So he was 10 months old when he started but truly he was just 8 months. We are supposed to judge his development by his corrected age they tell us. :)

So it is funny b.c if we use his corrected age to discuss when he learned to roll over, sit up, crawl, etc then he actually accomplished all of those milestones a couple of weeks before Braden did at that age....and he is a preemie. :) Go Brant!

The bottom line is that he LOVES to be very mobile, and he gets faster by the minute. What a big stud! :) Cannot wait to for the pulling up and trying to walk to commence. Hello baby proofing once again. :)

Oh...and maybe he will get a tooth one of these days! HA! :) We love you Brant!

28 Months, Verbal Skills EXPLOSION, And Other Fun Things.....

2011-12-27T22:17:00.009-06:00

I am going to give Braden some love in this post. :) Just a warning.....this might be a long one b.c he is 28 months now, and I have not written any updates on him since he turned two. So here goes...hee hee! :)

Here is an "almost" 2 1/2 year update on our little man:

1) Anything that has to do with letters, words, spelling, etc are still a huge deal to Braden. I think letters might be his favorite thing. He is still in love with the show "Super Why" where they spell, and it is so cute to watch him talk to it. He often asks you how to spell things. He will say "Mom, how do you spell X"? I will tell him and then he will just start spelling it with letters, blocks, flashcards, whatever. He does this A LOT!! I love spelling with him! :) Another cute thing he does is you can say something like "Braden, what does K-I-S-S spell?" and he will say "Kiss!!" He is so proud of himself! Another one of his favorites is S-T-O-P. Too bad he does not listen when I tell him to do that! HA! He also loves to teach Brant. :)

2) I do think b.c he is so good with letters and putting them together (from left to right, etc) that is why his verbal skills have completely exploded even more. When we are driving down the road he will point out all of the letters in different signs as we drive. I absolutely love talking to him and having a conversation. It is so fun! :)

3) He has fun with his numbers too, and likes to learn that a 1 and a 3 together make a 13, etc. Love to watch those wheels turn! :)

4) He is learning how to say "Yes Ma'am" and "Yes Sir". If you list off the names of males and females that he knows, he will tell you which one to use. HA! :)

5) Braden is very into matching things right now. We have quite a few matching games and he is really into playing them with you. He has a great memory so he usually does really well. :)

6) He has been wanting to fold things lately like washcloths and hand towels, etc. Works for me....bring on the laundry son! :)

7) He is good at taking off his clothes, so that is helpful when he needs to run to the bathroom, or I am hurrying to get both boys into the bathtub.

8) Braden is doing excellent with being fully potty trained. It was like he potty trained at Thanksgiving and never looked back. He rarely has an accident, and he wears his little undies all of the time. He goes when he needs to go, and that is just that. :) He has also taught himself how to stand up vs sit, and he is proud of that. :) A lot of times we will start to follow him to the bathroom and then he will turn around and say, "No, don't come with me. I will do it myself". Ok buddy!! :) We still have him in a pull up at night only b.c we have not transitioned him to a toddler bed yet. I know that is coming soon.

9) He likes to call us by our first and middle names. :)

10) He likes to use big words now like "difficult", "uncomfortable", and "dangerous". :)

11) He can tell you all of the kids in his class that have a name that starts with each letter of the alphabet. He will say "Who starts with a M? Oh..Maddox starts with an M". LOVE IT!! :)

12) He is very into singing songs...any type. He busted out in song A LOT over Christmas!! You would be in the car and he would just start singing "Rudolph" or "Jingle Bell Rock". We loved to sing along with him. :)

13) Braden is loving all kinds of different foods right now..and it is awesome! He loves to have a salad and he can grub up on some shrimp and salmon...among other fun things. :) And he LOVES all sauces (spicy, sweet, or savory). :) He was eating steak sauce the other night...LOL! :)

14) He is learning his left from his right. We have been practicing. :)

15) Braden knows who our house keeper is and he likes her. It is hilarious b.c if Chris and I happen to clean up the house while the kids are taking a nap he will wake up and say "Miss Gloria came?" Makes me laugh out loud! She also brings two ladies with her when she comes to clean. When they are here he will say "Three Miss Glorias!!" Too cute! :)

16) He has this incredible memory and he can remember things from months and months ago. It is so neat to ask him about something that happened last summer, and hear what he has to say. He will just start chatting about it. :)

17) Braden loves Costco. Really loves it!! He loves to go into the "cold room" where all of the fruits and veggies are, and gets very excited to go in there. He loves to try all of the food samples ,and often asks if we are going to go.

18) One cute thing he has been doing over the past few months is making sure we know that he knows everyone's parents. We will pull up to his school and he will say "There is so and so's car", and then we will walk into the school and he will say "There is so and so's mom or dad". It makes me smile. :)

19) If we tell him something he will often say "Oh that's good!" :)

20) Braden asks a lot of questions about other people's siblings, things in their life, etc....and he wants to know how they relate to him. Such a curious little boy. :)

21) He has really been enjoying Sunday School, and the other day he said "I saw Jesus today!!" Melt my heart! :)

22) He is still at about 33 lbs (has not really gained any weight since his 2 year well check). Wish I could do that! HA! And he has got to be at least 38-39 inches.....AT LEAST. The little guy is TALL! :) He can even wear some 4T shirts very well now due to his height. :) Stop growing up so fast Braden!

So those are the top 22 reasons that I am loving this stage with Braden right now. It has been such an incredible journey, and I cannot believe he is about to be 2 1/2. I could not be more proud of him, and the precious little boy he has become! :) Thank you Lord for blessing us with him!

Small Group Christmas Social.........

2011-12-26T23:58:00.004-06:00

We had our small group Christmas social in mid December. The kids had a blast playing together as they always do!

Here Caris is leading them all in song. HA! :) Kids came and went as we took the pics. :)
Hello Brant!Caden went around and gave hugs and kisses to everyone...

Best. Invention. Ever!

2011-12-26T10:56:00.002-06:00

Let me tell you about a little invention called My Tot Clock. Is your child wanting to wake up early in the morning and get up to play, come in bed with you, or just hang out? This is for you then b.c it is the secret to getting to sleep longer in the mornings! :) And by "waking up early", I mean before 7 am. Nothing good happens before then so let's all stay in bed until at least 7...and then we can start our day. :)

Warning-it is not cheap ($60 at Amazon) but worth every penny. I am not sure why we did not buy it earlier! HA! I am totally willing to pay money to be able to get more shut eye. :)

So it turns blue at 7 pm when it is time to go to bed...and Braden knows what that means. And he also knows that he does not call for us to come and get him out of bed until it turns yellow in the morning at 7 am. NICE!! Now sometimes he might wake up early and talk to himself, etc....but he knows that yellow is wake up time...and that is all that I need to know for a good night's sleep!

I plan to get one in Brant's room when he is Braden's age too! HA! :) Love it!

December Photo Fun....

2011-12-19T14:30:00.006-06:00

Just some pics from December in the Bugbee house.... :)

Still smiling... :)I made some fun treats for Chris's work for Christmas this year. Good times! :) Up..........And down... :)
Daddy made this for me.....
We transitioned Brant from his infant carseat into convertible carseats over the holidays...so that meant Braden had to go from convertible ones into booster seats. Always a new way to spend money! Love it! :)

We decided to go with the Graco 3 in 1 booster seats, so that we could still have the 5 point harness for a little while longer, then convert to the seat belt, and finally take off the top portion and convert to a backless booster. Nice that you don't have to buy anymore carseats if you get this one. :) And he LOVES his cup holder!!

Only thing that is weird is that Braden looks like he is 4 years old now in the new ones. He is getting so big and looking so old!And one more new booster........ Just hanging around........
I love this chair!

A Chuck E Cheese Birthday....

2011-12-18T23:59:00.008-06:00

We headed to Chuck E Cheese on Dec 17th to celebrate Miss Haylee's 2nd birthday! They grow up way too fast!! Dori is a huge fan of Mickey Mouse so that was the theme of the party this year. :)

The party was early in the morning before all of the general public showed up to play and eat, so that part was great b.c the kids got to play on whatever they wanted to. They also got Chuck E Cheese all to themselves. Nice! :) The adults got to play the games they wanted to early as well. HA!The Meyer Family came out to play.......
Miss Haylee eating her pizza....... Brant was more into the colorful napkins........ Haylee getting ready to put her princess hat on...... Chuck E Cheese makes his appearance! Time to blow out some candles!Luke was taking it all in.... Flores family pic!! Baby #2 is on the way in Feb! And the obligatory Bugbee family pic... :) And the Meyers giving Chuck E some love too.... And the babies are off... :)

Christmas Date Night....

2011-12-18T23:29:00.006-06:00

Chris and I always try to do a nice Christmas date each year before we head up to Dallas to celebrate. This year we had a babysitter and made it a super fun night!! What a treat to be able to spend with my sweet hubby and just enjoy some downtime together. :) Awesomeness! :)

We decided to give Congress a try for dinner. It is a relatively new place downtown in the Austonian, and it was beckoning us for months to give it a whirl. HA! :) So we did and it did not disappoint. Just to be honest.....the prices are ridiculous, you have to choose a 3 or 7 course dinner, you are not going to get a ton of food but what you do get is insanely GOOD!! WOW! :) It melts in your mouth!! :) Pure yum! :)

We apologize in advance for the photos. They were shot with a point and shoot and it was almost pitch black in there. :) Grainy-ness here we come! :)

Lobster bisque for Chris... Beef tartare for me....And some incredible gnocchi a little later on...After dinner we headed to the Paramount Theater for a Christmas show by Asleep at the Wheel called "Santa Loves To Boogie". :) We had a lot of fun there as well!

Pretty rockin good Christmas date!! I look forward to these every year! :)

10 Months And Living The Good Life....

2011-12-16T22:57:00.007-06:00

Oh my sweet baby boy...how I love you! You are such a precious part of our lives and your smile lights up a room. How blessed we are to be your parents.....you have already made us so proud! :)

Little B turned 10 months on Dec 14th....what a blast he is. :)

Here are the Brant happenings at 10 months:
1) He hit 20 lbs!! HOOORAY!! That is big time for a preemie.....especially for it to happen before a year old when he was only 2 lbs. Way to go baby! :)

2) He loves to throw EVERYTHING on the floor. :) Spoons, straws, toys, little bits of food that he picks up, etc. :) Oh the fun clean up at this age....it is all coming back to me!

3) Our little man has been grubbing up on his Stage 3 baby food and venturing into the world of table food. He is doing well starting to pick up small pieces of food-go pincer grasp! :)

4) He really wants to crawl... :) He can get up on all fours and rock, crawl backwards, and army crawl. This Bugbee boy has talent. :)

5) He has said "Dada", "Mama", and "Bubba". He is our sweet little talker. :)

6) Brant has decided that he does not want to really drink formula anymore. HA! Anyone who knows my personality knows that stresses me out...but what can I do? So we have cut back to about 12 oz a day and started getting him ready to transition off formula and onto whole milk. Oh and we throw some extra powdered formula in some of his food too....just to get a few more ounces in. :)

7) We are working with him on a sippy cup-how to hold it and lift it to drink, etc. He drinks water out of it but he is not a huge fan of the overall sippy cup concept just yet.

8) He is starting to cry when you take toys away..so we are in that fun stage. ;) You need to have a replacement to put in his hand when you take one away. :)

9) Separation anxiety is starting to kick in, and he is not as big of a fan of going to new people these days on a regular basis. He also does not like for Chris or I to be too too far away. :) It is reassuring to know that he likes us and misses us though-ha!

10) And once again, he is still the most smiley little man around. Such a precious personality, and we love him!! :)

Gingerbread House....Take 3!

2011-12-11T09:17:00.000-06:00

We embarked on the gingerbread house journey for the third time this year, and it just gets more and more fun with Braden. He was really into it this year! :) And the good news is that the longer Chris and I have kids, we are getting better and better at letting our perfectionism go! HA! :) Good times!

A Day In New Braunfels.....

2011-12-10T14:28:00.018-06:00

Before the holidays our family took off one Saturday for a fun day in New Braunfels. We had a really nice time getting some good grub, and playing at the McKenna Children's Museum there. Braden LOVED that museum!! I honestly think it is better than the Austin one....at least for Braden's age. We were there for about 3 hours..and he could have stayed longer for sure. :)

Just some pics of our fun day......
Such yummy food at Schoebel's!! Braden had to go and check out the river in the back....
Really love this museum!!!!
Brant really liked the museum too! This pic just cracks me up! :) I am an explorer!! The obligatory train table is always great...Learning how to use the ATM machine. That could be dangerous! :) Learning about money and the bank...Learning how to work gears...
Going camping..... And kayaking as well!
Gettin up in the saddle.... Ride em cowboy!! Teepee time!! Gone fishin..... Water fun outside.... Reading stories with Dad.... Time to get crafty.... I am a painter..... Driving an ambulance!!!I have to check out the babies.... Dance revolution baby!
Time to go to the dentist!! My Uncle Cory, Papa Bugs, and Mimi Jan would be so proud! :)
Checking out the fat and sugar content of different foods. And I made a new friend too! :) The grocery store! Let's go shopping!! Too much fun!! :) We will have to go back at some point for sure when Brant is a little older! :)

Movies In The Park....

2011-12-09T14:27:00.002-06:00

Our sweet friends David and Kelly had a super fun night at their house in early December. They did a movies in the park night for lots of friends and family, and showed "The Polar Express". YAY! It was the first time that Braden had sat through a more mature movie like that, and he loved it. He did not take his eyes off the screen from the time that it started. It was so fun to see him all cuddled up in blankets with Chris just taking it all in.

Already looking forward to the next one!! :)

Love the bluriness on these pics-LOL! :) Gotta appreciate the iPhone in the pitch black. :)

A Christmas Story.....

2011-12-08T13:37:00.006-06:00

For the past few years I have been going to The Holiday Tea at our church, and it has been a fun experience. This year was a little different b.c instead of a tea it was actually a dinner. In the end I think I really liked that better. The food was good and it allowed everyone at our table to have some great conversation over our meal. I love to go around before it starts for the table viewing. It is so great to see all of the awesome tables that ladies have decorated for the event.

Already looking forward to next year! :) A small snapshot of some of the table pics...

All the ladies.. :)

Another Wonderful Year At The Farm.....

2011-12-07T10:42:00.024-06:00

We had our annual family reunion at the farm the first weekend in December....and as always it was awesome! :) It was so great to get the huge extended family-aunts, uncles, cousins, etc all together for a celebration including amazing food, fun activities, great conversation, and even more laughs....all while making another year of memories. Love it! :)

Each year a different family (or a few families) sign up to take the lead and be the hosts. This year it was our turn so my mom/dad, brother/sis in law, and Chris/I volunteered and a year of planning began! It was fun to spend the year trying to decide all of the ways that we could fit fun activities into the 8 hour day, shop for decor and treats, settle on someone to cater the lunch meal, etc. It is so much work but so worth it in the end. It really was so fun! :) There are lots of pics below to touch on the events of the day. :) So glad we had so many amazing family members there!! What an incredible turnout of about 80 people. We love you guys!!

The quaint little farmhouse with so many memories over the years...
My sis in law made these amazing trees to go with the decor. :) Hayride time!!
The tree filled with ornaments with everyone's pictures inside. We also started a new tradition this year called "Boehm Buddies", where everyone is matched with someone else in the family (to keep in touch with over the year). Shout out to my Boehm Buddy Brandi!! Looking forward to seeing you soon! :)
Pinata time!!! Get that snowman... :) Just hanging out with the ladies.... :) Time for the infamous egg toss!
And you guessed it....necking the orange. Oh yeah! Talk about some funny stuff! And the string game...watching everyone get all tied up! Time for some cookie decorating... :) Bounce houses!! :) Time for the live auction!! There are a always a lot of good laughs during the auction! Melissa and Lainey hanging out...... Miguel and Emily...... Stacy and Kathleen....Denise and Brandie....... Graeme having a great time on the porch... When do I get to ride a bike like this? :) Laughing hard!!!
Santa and Ms. Claus arrive!! The kids love this part! We did have a few tears too. :) The boys were definitely having fun with Santa and Ms. Claus! :) Time for The Newleywed Game and singing some Christmas carols. Such a wonderful way to end the night!! :)
It was such an awesome year!! I loved getting to see everyone and getting to host this fun gathering!! I cannot wait to see the whole gang again next year! Good times! :)

Retirement Goodness...

2011-12-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

We went to College Station at the beginning of Dec for our big annual family reunion. We had a great weekend there, and one of the neat things that we got to do was head out to the land that my mom and dad purchased for their retirement. It was so fun!!

Yes, they are retiring to God's country in just a couple very short years...and they are well on their way to make it happen. We drove right outside of College Station to see the land that was just cleared, and looks primed to put a pretty retirement home on. :)

It is a understatement to say that we are more than thrilled to have them so much closer to us. Today they are five hours away, and to think that they will be 1 1/2 hours is just amazing!! We are over the moon! :) We wish they were moving tomorrow!!

I am also just excited for them for this time in their lives. My mom retired last year, and I think once my dad retires they will just have a ball together. I mean this is what you work for, and no one deserves an incredible retirement more than them. They are such hard workers and have accomplished so much. I am very happy for them, and excited that they get to enjoy this wonderful time in their lives!!

So hopefully when the boys go to Texas A&M in about 15-16 short years, they will have their grandparents close by for a good home cooked meal on Sundays! HA! :)

The land is cleared and ready to build.....
Say hi to your neighbors on the right Mom and Dad. :)

Awww......Braden is VERY excited and he loved being out there...even though it was super cold and windy. :)

Hi Santa...We're On The Nice List! :)

2011-12-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

Fun Food....

2011-12-05T16:15:00.002-06:00

We have been having fun with food lately....as much as we can. We try to spice it up every once in awhile so that dinners are exciting. And guess what? They are! :) This was "colorful dinner in a tin" night. :)

Sometimes it's just the little things that earn us that huge, excited smile from Braden. :)

To Chris...

2011-12-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

Three Boys And A Box....

2011-12-05T11:38:00.003-06:00

And oh what fun can be had!! :) Who needs toys when you have cardboard? :)

And yes...everyone who knows me well knows that one of my biggest weaknesses is my obsession with buying cute matching PJ's for my boys! There is just something so fun about it. :) Maybe one day I will be able to find some for Chris that also match the boys! LOL! :)

Family Christmas Photo Shoot.....

2011-12-04T23:38:00.012-06:00

Back in mid October we had a fun family photo shoot in hopes of getting pics for our Christmas cards. Braden was 25 months, and Brant was 8 months. We decided to do something a little different this time, and picked The Long Center (which is a super cool spot). There is a wonderful Austin skyline in the background, and that is what I was going for-more of a city feel without having to be in downtown proper. :)

The boys did really well for about the first 1/2 hour, and then they decided they wanted to play more than smile. :) We still got some neat pics...and we definitely want to thank sweet Jessica for her patience with our crazy family! HA! :) We really do appreciate it!

Santa Baby!

2011-12-02T23:50:00.006-06:00

All done....

So Excited For Christmas!!

2011-12-02T15:28:00.001-06:00

I think I am going to really like this Christmas thing! :)

30 Days Of Thanksgiving.....

2011-12-01T22:01:00.011-06:00

Well I meant to publish this blog post as the month of November went along but I fell down on the job. Sorry about that. :) Bottom line is that I am still thankful for these 30 things, so I think it is ok that I post them now. :)

Day 1-So thankful that I have a Savior. God is good. All the time.

Day 2-So thankful for my amazing husband! He puts up with my crazy self and loves me through it. :) I could not ask for a better man by my side.

Day 3-So thankful for my precious boys. Braden and Brant are so incredible....and I could not be more grateful to God for blessing me with them.

Day 4: So thankful for our parents and our siblings. They have walked alongside of us as a couple and have been so supportive to us as individuals and together. We feel so fortunate to have such an incredible family network!

Day 5: So thankful for our 2 nieces and 2 nephews as they are such adorable little people. We are so grateful to experience the joy of being an aunt and an uncle, and are thrilled about my brother and sister having another baby in March. Cousins for the boys are just the greatest thing! :)

Day 6: So thankful for my health and that of my immediate and extended family members. Good health is a gift from above, and I am so thankful for each morning that I wake up with it. I never want to take that for granted.

Day 7: So thankful that Chris and I have good jobs. In this time of a recession I am even more thankful. I am also very grateful for the flexible work schedule that I have, and the ability to be able to take care of my boys when needed. Very thankful that I also have a wonderful boss. God is good!

Day 8: So thankful for a home that we love. So fun that it has been Chris and I's first home together, and also the home that we have brought both of our boys into.

Day 9: So thankful to live in Austin where there are so many neat things to do and be a part of. I have made such wonderful memories here over the 12 years that I have called this place home.

Day 10: So thankful for all of the amazing things I have been able to see in this world in my 36 years. I never imagined how small the world would seem as I continued to check places off my list. I am thankful for the passion and desire to see the world but also so thankful to have been able to do so.

Day 11: So thankful for my education at Texas A&M. What an incredible place to grow and learn!! WOW! I am so glad the Lord led me there and I could not have asked for a more rewarding experience. :)

Day 12: So thankful for food on the table every day, and for the financial means to be able to try fun new restaurants here in Austin. That is one of my favorite things. :)

Day 13: So thankful that my children are on the same nap schedule in the afternoons, and that Chris and I can nap then too! :) We love the three hour ones! :)

Day 14: So thankful my kiddos are good eaters and good sleepers...b.c that makes everything better around our house. :)

Day 15: So thankful for a best friend of 23 years that I can share anything with, and I know has my best interests at heart. I feel very grateful for this.

Day 16: So thankful for a church that we can go to as a family and where the kids can learn about God in Sunday School. I am thankful that there are young couples classes, new parents classes, and young families classes. I am also thankful for women's retreats, bible studies, small groups, MOPS, holiday teas, and other fun activities.

Day 17: So thankful for our cars and that they run well and get us where we need to go. :) I am thankful that we have 5 year/100 mile warranties on them as well....so that we are covered in the event of an issue.

Day 18: So thankful for the everday freedoms that we enjoy here in that great USA!!

Day 19: So thankful for Starbucks holiday drinks that come out right when you are getting into the season. They are so good!

Day 20: So thankful for video monitors and for whoever created them. It is so nice to not have to get out of bed to check on the kids. Just one click and there they are in their beds.....BRILLANT!

Day 21: So thankful for cold weather. I love this time of the year and the break from the insane Texas heat!

Day 22: So thankful for the amazing doctors that we have here in Austin. We love all of them and feel so fortunate to have great professionals to turn to when Chris, I, or the boys need someone.

Day 23: So thankful for the great friends that we have in our lives. There have been so many amazing people that have walked with us on this journey that we call life...and we feel so fortunate to have them to lean on in the good times and the bad.

Day 24: So thankful for the NICU, for all of the neonatologists, and all of the staff. They were Brant's family during the hours that we could not be up there, and they were so supportive. Thanks to God for modern medicine and for being able to take care of preemies. And thanks for his hand in helping Brant to thrive, as well as what all of it taught us during that 5 week NICU stay.

Day 25: So thankful that the kids go to an incredible school where they have learned so much, and really grown.

Day 26: So thankful that chocolate was invented to cure all of the day's worries. :) Oh...and a nice glass of wine. :)

Day 27: So thankful for all of the fun coupon sites that have emerged in the last year or so like Groupon, Living Social, and a million more. That sure has made things fun! :) Now I can spend money and not feel as bad. :)

Day 28: So thankful for the time from Halloween to New Years. It is the most wonderful time of the year!

Day 29: So thankful for king sized beds. What did folks do before those were invented? :)

Day 30: So thankful for grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Enough said.

And finally, the best quote that I heard all week: "Those who are the happiest never did have everything. But rather they are thankful for everything they do have."

A Potty Training Thanksgiving....And The Duck Pond

2011-11-29T15:29:00.016-06:00

Thanksgiving was little bit different for us this year.......and we like to call it "PTT 2011" for "Potty Training Thanksgiving 2011". :) Good times!

Braden had been showing all of the signs that he was ready to be potty trained for about a month or two. His verbal skills are explosive, and we were able to completely check off the "is your child ready?" checklist. We had also gotten a lot of feedback from his school that he was staying dry and asking to go. So we decided that since we had the opportunity to be home with him for 5 straight days over the holiday week, that might be the best time to try. SO glad we did! :)

If truth be told, I was nervous about the whole process b.c I had no idea how it would go. It seemed like folks in general were so much more negative than positive (espcecially when it came to potty training boys before 3 years old), so I was really unsure about it. I was also not stoked at all about spending the 5 days that our family had together locked up inside our house HOPING we would be successful. But I knew it required us to stay indoors for the most part b.c a newly potty trained toddler is not ready for prime time public viewing just yet. :) Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday, and I was just sad to see it pass us by while we hung out inside staring at the same four walls. On the flip side, I knew if there was any chance that this was successful then I would look back and be so glad I sacrificed Turkey Day 2011 for the sake of one less child in diapers! :)

So basically we did as much research as we could, talked to other people that had been there before, read some stuff online and in books, and bought all of our "supplies". :) The good news was that we were not starting from scratch b.c Braden had been introduced to the potty at 18 months old when we bought him one. He had also been "practicing" with it (as he was interested) for about 8 months before we even had our real potty training week. We did sticker charts and a small gift at the end of each day. We also used his favorite show "Super Why" as a reward when he did really well. All of that combined had him super motivated. :) All of it helped out TREMENDOUSLY!!

The week actually worked out very well, and by Sunday we were thrilled to say that our little man was officially potty trained!! We had our bumps along the road during those 5 days but by Sunday he had gotten it and the diapers were long gone. It was AWESOME and we were sooo proud of him!! We are thrilled that he was able to be potty trained at 27 months, and I am thinking about that diaper savings already!! :) HA!

After 5 full days inside, we decide to venture out that very last afternoon/evening just to see how well our potty training had actually worked. We were super uncertain as to what to do out in the real world with a newly potty trained toddler....but we decided to just wing it. :) We thought the safest option for an adventure out would be to head to a park, and then depending on how that went...maybe dinner. :)

We ventured down to a fun park in East Austin in the Mueller development. It is such a great park and it is like a little oasis in the middle of the city...with a great duck pond and very modern playground. :) Honestly, it went AWESOME!! Braden did great....no accidents, etc. We stayed out there for awhile so he could feed the ducks (which he was absolutely in love with)...and then we let him play for awhile on the playground. The only unfortunate thing was that it was really cold and windy by later in the Thanksgiving weekend, so we really had to bundle the boys up. :) Since he had done so well at the park we decided to hit up Which Wich for some sandwiches on the way home. That was our first public toilet experience, and while it was quite interesting the good news is that he did go, and that was all that mattered! :) He made it home dry and very happy...and that was a great ending to our potty training weekend. :)
I have undies on and I am at the park!! COOL! :) These pics are overexposed but I think they are so fun. :)Sitting with Dad and taking it all in.....Ok, time to start throwing some bread.. :)
Running to try and find where all of the ducks are!
Look I found them!!!
Bread please! :) Come here ducks!! :)
This playground is soooo neat!

Fun With The Camera.........

2011-11-28T08:18:00.002-06:00

Over Thanksgiving break we were stuck inside for 5 days b.c we chose that week as our potty training week. More to come on all of that in a later post. :)

Well since the 4 of us were stuck inside making lots of runs back and forth to the bathroom with one particular toddler, we had to come up with some creative things to do. :) And I can guarantee you that we exhausted our brains by the time those 5 days were over. I think we used everything in our house in some form or fashion to entertain ourselves and the boys. LOL! :)

One morning we decided to have a little camera fun...and we are so glad we did. :) It is no secret at all that I absolutely love photogaphy....and I love having little subjects at my fingertips! :) They are such good sports.
Here was the result from that morning of lights, camera, action! :)

Braden got two new booster seats for the cars...so he could give little bro his convertible carseats! :) Of course we had to play in the boxes! :) Brother time!! :)Too many pictures...I am tired! :) I love Mom's iPhone!! Have a great day!! :)

Restaurant Reviews...

2011-11-22T07:51:00.008-06:00

Chris and I have been having fun trying out some new restaurants over the past few weeks or so. One of the things that I REALLY love about Austin is that there are always so many new places to try. That is so fun!! :) Here are some of our quick reviews of the recent places that we have tried. :)

Portalba-good downtown place for a quick lunch with sandwiches, soups, salads, etc. Give the chili a try.....yum! :)

Teo-yummy gelato!! Central Austin place to go for some nice icy treats! :) Nice patio to sit on out front too..if you just need a place to chill out. :) Changos-A place also in Central Austin that is owned by the same folks that own Manuels. Good stuff. They have burritoes, enchiladas, salads, tacos, etc. I say go for the burrito...it really hits the spot! :) Biscuits and Groovy-Now we are talking!! This is a food trailer down near Hyde Park and we give it two thumbs up! :) Good schnizzle! Let's put it this way....it is really biscuits ANY way that you can imagine them. You can choose what you want to cover them in from eggs, bacon, sausage, gravy, jalapenos, cheese, chives, etc. etc. You get the picture. Bottom line-get ya some! :) Bacon-Hee hee! I like this place. :) Down on South Lamar, and it used to be the Sreaming Goat (which we liked as well for tacos)....but this place is fun b.c it is everything bacon. For example....Chris got a bacon waffle with chicken. Um....good? Yes! :)
Takoba-another good place in town for happy hour and for tacos. They have some cool outdoor seating going on, and I really liked what I ordered. This eatery is located in East Austin....
And a few others but I have no pics to go along with these....

Homefield Grill-This restaurant is located in Round Rock and is your basic bar and grill. If you are into that kind of thing then I think you will be happy here. Caters to a lot of Dell folks at lunch.

Promise Pizza-Arboretum area with good pizza but even better garlic knots and cinammon knots!! Seriously...don't think I have had anything that good in quite some time!! Those knots are the bomb, and I kind of just wish I would have only eaten those as my meal and my dessert!! I still think about them! :)

Garlic Breath Pizza-Also located in Round Rock, and unfortunately a place that I am going to have to tell you to steer away from. Was not impressed at all with the pizza or the location. I got this to go but by the time I got home to eat my pizza...ick!! Don't anticipate this place being in business for too long. Too many good pizza places in Austin to head to this one. :)

Hope we helped some folks to pick a few more good places to eat in Austin. We are all about helping the foodies out there eat better! LOL! :)

Baptizing Mr. Luke...

2011-11-20T22:21:00.008-06:00

We were thrilled to be a part of the baptism of our newest godson Luke Steven Meyer on Saturday, November 19th in San Antonio. It was so great to be a part of the ceremony for him...and to be there for that special day. His mom and I have been best friends since the beginning of time (well, ok 23 years....but close enough!!) :) That just made it even more awesome!

Our whole family trucked on down to SA for the day, and the boys actually did excellent (thank you Lord!!). :) The baptism was at 10 am, and then we all headed over to a wonderful lunch at La Fogata afterward. YUM!! Nothing like the yummy Mexican food down there in San Antonio! :) It was a great day and we love you Luke!! We thank the Lord for you. :)

The Meyers and the Evetts!Hanging out with Doug, Jenn, and little Luke...Grandparent time!!!
Awwww...sweet family of three. :)I am loving being at my BFF's baptism! :)All pretty in pink....
We love being your godparents. :)Luke-thank you for inviting me! :) My handsome dudes.... Anytime you get a chance...just crawl around. :) Erin and her sweet little man....La Fogata....YUM!Even yummier... :)
Mexican food is my favorite! Jenn trying to take a pic with some of the babies but no one wanted to look! HA!The boys hanging out but no one wanted to look at me for this pic either. :)
Yay for babies and yay for baptisms!! :)

Fun Pasta Time...

2011-11-19T23:53:00.000-06:00

We made some fun pasta the other night...and it was yummy!! Braden had a great time with it, and he was trying to figure out how the heck the pasta got inside the sausage. :)

Ahhhh the tricks we mommies have! :)

I'm Ready To Get Up....

2011-11-19T23:52:00.000-06:00

Braden has a way about him in the mornings. He will wake up and talk or sing to himself for a little but when he is ready to get out of bed....he is READY!!! He will just start wailing. Well over time that has started to grate on my nerves, as it not only lulls me out of a usually awesome slumber BUT it is also often wakes up his brother.

So all of that being said, I decided I would try to talk to my 26th month old about this one evening. :) Good luck, right? :) We discussed how the crying is not the most appealing thing in the morning, and how he could just say "Mommy/Daddy, I am ready to get up now. Please come get me". This would work perfectly fine if he just said those words when he was ready to get out of bed in the mornings. I told him it would put everyone in a much better mood to start off our day. :) He listened very intently and seemed to be taking it all in.

Lo and behold, the next morning this is what I hear "Mommy, I am ready to get up please". :) He modified it for himself but it works like a charm. I think I woke up smiling! :)

A Thanksgiving Lunch And A Christmas Affair.....

2011-11-18T23:24:00.008-06:00

I took a day off on Nov 18th and it was so needed. :) I had MOPS that morning, and then Chris and I headed over to Braden and Brant's school for their annual Thanksgiving lunch.

It is fun b.c all of the parents come and fill the classrooms and eat lunch with the kiddos. The food is really good and served buffet style with lots of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, etc....and all of the yummy dessert that you would ever need. :) Then the kids proceed to try to eat while also trying to show off for all of the parents that are there. :) And the teachers sit back and take a much needed break, while the parents laugh and talk with their kids. It is just fun to see all the parents that come out to be with their little ones...and it is neat to see the school make such a big deal out of this special holiday. Let's be honest...I love the holidays so I will celebrate any chance I get! :)

Every time a parent walked in their kid would shout "Mommy!!!", "Daddy!!!" and their little eyes would light up. It was just too cute! :)

They ate with their turkey hats on. :) And they had made placemats too.
Dad is such a good sport. :)Sweet little Olivia.....
Miss Taylor was watching something very intently. :)Salvador......(Braden calls him Salvy) :) Mr. Jayden.... William liked his mom's work badge more than eating. :)Jon was chatting it up with his mama....Rebecca loving up on the roll.... I did not get a chance to capture pics of all of the kiddos....b.c I was eating and time ran out. :) I am already looking forward to the fun Thanksgiving lunch next year though! :)

Chris and I had a great rest of the day as we headed up to A Christmas Affair...one of our favorite events that is put on in Austin each year! :) It is an awesome collection of vendors, and you can shop and eat your way through the entire event in a couple of hours. Good times for sure! :) We had an awesome time just hanging out and doing some Christmas shopping!Chris taking a quick pic outside when we stopped for a break. :) Sorry Chris's face is so dark here. I obviously did not adjust the camera settings well for this one. Oops! :)

9 Months and Moving Up The Growth Charts...

2011-11-14T22:01:00.014-06:00

Brant turned 9 months on November 14th and it just gets more fun everyday with this little guy. He is so awesome. :) He is growing like a weed and he is making us smile like crazy on a regular basis. :)

We went to his 9 month well check and his pediatrician was thrilled with him. She was still loving his growth and all that he was up to these days-developmental wise. :)
Here were his stats:
18 lbs 9 oz (about the 25th percentile)
27 1/4 inches (about the 25th percentile)
Just a reminder that he was not even ON the charts when he was born so ROCK ON BRANT!! :) What a stud. :)

Here are some fun things he is doing at 9 months:
1) If you smack your lips he will imitate you. He LOVES it and thinks it is so funny. We think it is pretty darn funny too. :)
2) Says Da Da really well...which makes Chris very happy. :) Still have not mastered Ma Ma or Bubba...so Braden and I are still waiting. HA! :)
3) This little man REALLY wants to crawl, and if he could just get his legs up under him then he would be off. He is pushing around everywhere..and he likes to go backwards too. :)
4) Brant is very into the world around him meaning he loves to just sit and watch everything. He takes it all in.
5) He babbles and squeals all the time. And he loves to be tickled and giggle. He can laugh with the best of them and it is my favorite sound!
6) Brant loves to stand. He will use your fingers to pull up, and then he will just stand there getting more and more excited. We have started propping up against various furniture in a standing position and he is getting some strong legs. :)
7) Brant is grubbing up on the food while cutting back on the formula. He can down two Stage 2 jars like it is nobody's business. HA! We are working on giving him Stage 3 food but sometimes it is still a little too chunky for his tastes. We have also been giving him Puffs and Cheerios which he is a big fan of. :)
8) We are still working on the sippy cup. He appears to like water...just not too much of it at one time. :)
9) He still loves playing in his exersaucer and jumperoo but he does seem to have quite a short attention span. HA!! After about 10-15 min he is ready to move onto the next activity. :)
10) He is still as lovable and smiley as always. Sweetest little baby I know. :)

Sprinkling Baby Bowen..........

2011-11-14T22:00:00.013-06:00

I went to a fun get together at Chez Zee to sprinkle our sweet friend Danielle and her baby boy Bowen (arriving in November!!). She has one cutie patootie 2 year old already, Weston, and they are welcoming another boy to the family. For those of us that have 2 boys, we know fun times are in store for this family. :)

It was great to get together in honor of Danielle and to see her excitement as she prepares to be a family of four. :) And you cannot beat Chez Zee as they have some of the best dessert in town. :)

Danielle, Tim's Mama, and her sweet friend Kathy..... Kim and I had a little picture war. LOL! :) Laurel, Amy, and Haley....Mmmmm.......dessert choices. :) Loved the straws....
Kristin and I just enjoying some time talking about our kiddos...Playing a game.....Time for presents!

We cannot wait to meet you Bowen! :)

Touch A Truck....

2011-11-12T22:00:00.013-06:00

We took Braden to a really fun event in Austin a couple of weeks back. It was called "Touch A Truck", and he LOVED IT!! Actually, love is an understatement! It was an event where the kids could go around to 20+ different vehicles and touch them, get inside of them, learn how they work, and talk to the service folks that drive them. It was seriously cool!! They had everything from taxis to hummers, smart cars to garbage trucks, cement trucks to army vehicles, bulldozers to limos, firetrucks to ice cream trucks, and school buses to ambulances. FUN! I think Chris had just as good of a time as Braden did. Total boys day! HA!

Braden ran from place to place and got in every single one that he could....which was pretty much all of them! :) And the boys had to wear their bulldozer shirts to commemorate the event. :) We saw our friends the Hixsons there...so Davis and Braden were comparing notes on which truck was the coolest. :) Avery was loving checking out the airplane. :) Brant had fun too! :)
Looking forward to this event next year! :)

Baby Flores Gets Some Goodies....

2011-11-12T21:00:00.009-06:00

We threw a shower for our sweet friend Dori to celebrate her baby boy....who will be arriving in early February! She, her hubby, and her almost 2 year old daughter are very excited to welcome this new addition in just a few short months. :)

His nursery will be a jungle theme...hence the decor for the shower. Good times! :)

Here is the fun cake...loved it! :) Check out the fun alligator eyes popping out of the water in the center. :) Super cute cookies to match the cake.... Happy hostesses with the guest of honor....Good brunch food was abounding.. :)
Haylee came to check out the gifts for her new brother. :)She got lots of cute baby boys treats. :) So excited to meet this sweet baby boy! So ready for Braden and Brant to have another fun little friend to play trucks, trains, and balls with!! HA! :) Good luck on these last couple months Dori and get ready to be a family of four! FUN times! :)

Tube Time..........

2011-11-10T22:01:00.006-06:00

Well we have had quite the whirlwind of health craziness with the boys over the past 3 1/2 months (particularly with our little man Brant). It has been a miracle if one week has passed and no one has been sick! HA! :) I know that is how things go when the kiddos are little but goodness gracious!!

We have been through upteenth colds and runny noses combined with random rashes, and allergic reactions to misquito and ant bites. We have also had all kinds of other fun stuff like Brant having an abscess, as well as contracting HFM (hand, foot, and mouth), croup, diaper rashes that have led to yeast infections, and multiple ear infections. I am sure I have left some things out.....but it is safe to say that we have spent a LOT of money at Walgreens and People's Pharmacy in the past quarter! :) We basically needed a frequent patient card for the pediatrican's office b.c we were there SO much. Unreal! And it is nothing shy of a miracle that Brant has been growing the way that he has based on the various sicknesses and antibiotics that he has encountered lately. His growth is pretty darn amazing based on all of that. :)

After the crazy three months, we decided to go ahead and take care of the things that we can control...and the main thing we decided to tackle was the ear infections. Braden had tubes put in right before he turned a year old, and they were wonderful!!! We decided to go ahead and make that same move with Brant. He basically had ear infections for about 2 months in a row, and even the most powerful antibiotics did not seem to work for more than a week. We would go in for his ear follow up when the antibiotics were finished, and he would be clear....but only to be back in the pediatrician's office within the week with another one. My poor little man! So we decided enough was enough, and were at our amazing ENT's office right away scheduling the tube surgery for Brant.

He had his surgery on the morning of Nov 10th, and he did amazing! :) He was really good in his little bed before it was time to go back (even though he had to be up by 5 am). And they said he did great during the surgery. Just a couple puffs of air and he was out. They slid the tubes in, and he was back in recovery in less than 10 min from being taken back. It is a pretty amazing procedure. Within a half hour after that he had fully woken up and taken a bottle, and we were on our way home. His surgery was at 6:30 am and he was back in bed at home by 7:40. Now that is what I call efficiency!! :)

He took his normal naps, ate his normal food, and was happy and playing by mid to late morning like any normal day. What a wonderful invention those tubes are!! It is also amazing to see their reaction to every little noise when you get them home after the procedure. Brant literally turned to look at everything he heard from a dog barking to a car door slamming, a tree blowing in the breeze to a car driving quietly by. Their sense of hearing appears to be so keen b.c all of that fluid is finally gone. Praise the Lord for that!! :)

We are thankful for modern medicine and for all the blessings it gives us....such as this one. I think our little man feels better without those ear infections for sure, and we are so grateful to our ENT for being so amazing to both of our boys! :)

Just sitting in my bed and waiting to go back. I hear my ears are going to feel much better soon! :)

Glow Sticks And Pop Rocks.....

2011-11-07T21:20:00.005-06:00

We had some fun with Braden a few weeks back...with Pop Rocks and Glow Sticks. :) HA!! Chris and I took a trip back to our childhood and had some Pop Rocks, and we decided to let Braden try them. You know he was so surprised with that sensation in his mouth once that popping really kicked in! HA!! But he loved it and wanted more of course.

Don't worry, we did not OD him on candy or anything (we were the mean parents that did not even let him eat his Halloween candy). We just let him try it a couple of times with a very small amount...but enough to get some good laughs with him. :)
Pop, Pop, Pop.... :) After the Pop Rock fun, we headed upstairs for his glow stick bath. This was a HUGE hit!! He was just loving being in the bathtub in the dark with anything that he could wave around like crazy. :) He was too cute. After a LONG time in the bath that evening, he even wanted to sleep with those glow sticks in his room that night. LOL! :)
I love the simple things at home with the kids.. They keep us in stiches and it is just so fun to surprise them with different things. :)

Lots Of Dinosaurs...And Other Fun Things

2011-11-06T15:28:00.009-06:00

We took Braden to the new dinosaur exhibit at the Austin Children's Museum a couple of weeks ago....and oh what a time he had. :) I am so looking forward to Brant being able to play with him at all of these fun places. I am looking forward to even more good memories. :) Hello Mr. Dinosaur... :)
I found a dino egg! :)
Oh yes...the dino dig!! So ready to get in there! :) Such awesome gear!! Do I look good? :)I found some bones!! Yeehaw!! :)
Look at my parachute men! :)
I am building things in here.... Trying out our new Citi Mini stroller around downtown. We are loving it and the boys are enjoying the double stroller action too. :) Yummy lunch at Maria Maria!! :)A little more downtown action....... Later that evening we went over to our sweet friends, the May's house, for dinner. They are always so amazing to have us over for awesome meals, and we are so grateful for old friends. :) They have three kiddos, and they just took our boys under their wings and loved on them. Precious children. Time to eat kids! :)
Have I mentioned that I love the weekends? :)

Crispy Green Beans Please!

2011-11-02T15:44:00.006-05:00

Pure goodness is happening at this new restaurant called Contigo in East Austin. :) Yumminess!!

Chris and I went on a date night recently and found ourselves at this great place...and were so glad we did. :) Not only does it have a super cool feel b.c it is all outdoor seating......but the drink menu and food menu both have awesome selections. Fellow Austinites-when you dine here, you MUST get the crispy green beans. They are seriously so good, and I have been thinking about them ever since. MMMMM!! :) Check it out for sure!

The fun part is that we found out that one of Chris's friends from A&M is actually the owner, so that just made it even better. We got to chat with him some and hear all about how he made his dream a reality with this great place! :)
Sorry for the bluriness on this one... Ben and Chris catching up after many years.....Fun drinks all around! :)These are the famous beans that I am referring to. They are a MUST!!! :)
Go Contigo.....keep up the good work! :)

Another PJ Party...

2011-11-01T23:06:00.004-05:00

The boys had a PJ party a month or so back.....and we decided it was time for another one. :) They are so stinkin funny together. I just cannot get enough of these two little men! :)

Getting ready for some pics....
Brant is looking like a "deer in headlights" over something. Not sure what but it is funny. :) Little loves.....My fav one b.c Braden is being such a little protector of Brant. :) They sure do love one another! :)
Thank you for these two blessings Lord...everyday they amaze me. :)

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T23:19:00.012-05:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year with Braden getting older. He really got into it this time around...too cute! :)

We did our 3rd annual pumpkin carving but we chose a much simpler design than in years past. Seemed like there was just not quite as much time to spend on the pumpkin this year as in years past. Imagine that! :) Chris still managed to pull it off even being the busy dad that he is. :) Way to go Chris. :)

Braden made some pumpkins of his own. He thought that was super cool...and I love this face. :)Yay! I did it!
I think I will put them on my face too. :)Hanging out on Halloween morning before school. Love how Braden is looking so admiringly at Brant. :)Hi boys!! :) On Halloween evening we headed out to the Round Rock outlet malls again for the 3rd year. They do trick or treating for the kids at the stores, and it is a fun time. :) Braden thought it was SUPER fun!! He was very into walking up to everyone and saying "Trick Or Treat", and getting his candy. :) Of course we had to hit up Freebirds when we were done to replenish all of the energy that we lost in the Halloween fun. This is so fun!! Why is Halloween only once a year? :)

Small Group Halloween Social....

2011-10-30T23:19:00.001-05:00

We had a Halloween social with our small group like we do every year. We always have a good time laughing at these little cuties all dressed up trying to pose for a group picture. :) This time was no different and they were pretty darn funny in their costumes. :)

Here are some pics of the kiddos... :)
Caroline and Caden as milk and cookies. :) They changed costumes midway through so they could each have a chance to be the milk. :)Hamburglar was back again. :) This was the chaos that ensued when we tried to take a photo. The funniest part of this picture is that you can see my kids posing on the left hand side during the madness. Do you think I make them take too many pictures? HA! LOL! :)
Super Will!! :) Missy Milk..... Milk and Cookies along with the Hamburger and Ketchup Packet attempting to pose together. :)
And yet another attempt. :)Caris as a little kitten. :)Cowboy Caleb...
Hannah the little ladybug.....I think Will really liked his costume! :)

Baby Jace Is Here!!

2011-10-28T23:19:00.004-05:00

Our precious new nephew was born on Friday, October 28th. :) His name is Jason David Koshkin and they are going to call him Jace. He was 8 lbs 6 oz and is such a precious little boy. We are stoked for our boys to have another boy cousin! So exciting!! :) We headed up to Dallas to meet him over Halloween weekend...and it was fun to be there and hold that new bundle of joy. :)

Chris holding his sweet new nephew....
The boys wanted to dress up in their ties to meet their new cousin. :) Big sister Riley is very proud of her brother! Too cute! We love you Jace!! Grow up soon so we can play with you! :) Awwww......I love being here. :) Quizzical look. :) Baby Jace with his little eyelid slits. :) Brant wanted to hang out in bed with Aunt Katie and Jace...
On Sunday before we headed back to Austin we swung by Fort Worth to see our other cousins Lainey and Graeme...yay! :) Brant and Graeme are ADORABLE together!! They are just 2 1/2 months apart and I cannot wait to see them grown up together. :)Lainey trying to get Brant and Graeme to love on one another. :)
Awwww.....love them! :) Braden is still smiling....so awesome. :) Handsome little Graeme.....love you so much Bubba! :)

Small Group Photography Social....

2011-10-23T23:17:00.007-05:00

We had a photography social with our small group at the end of October. We thought it was going to be a great chance for all of us to take pics of each other's families, etc. It does not get much better than free pics of your family, right?

Well....it did not go exactly the way that we all planned. LOL! :) We all met out at Zilker Botanical Gardens which was a GREAT spot for pics..but the kids had way different ideas than the adults did (to put it mildly). HA! :) And the weather had other ideas too as it decided to be a roastfest, and it must have been 90 degrees outside. It was so dang hot trying to take pics with kids. After a short while I think we all gave up and just decided to head to Central Market for dinner, and to let the kids run free on the playscape. :) It was a good choice! HA!

I was able to take a VERY small amount of pics that Sunday afternoon. :)
You can see none of my kids wanted to look at the camera. Awesome. Caroline looked for me. :) Miss Hannah liked being out at the gardens... My sweet little man... :)Another picture attempt of my boys..and yet another time that Brant was disinterested in the camera. :)
Precious little Brant...A family photo with Brant staring out into the bamboo. :)All posed. :)
Jenny and Jon.. :)
Dana and Caris....Jon and Braden attempting to take a pic....
Much better... :) The boys on the bridge....take one.
Take two.... And three....Heading out.... Hanging out at Central Market...happy boy! :)Still happy and loving spoons.... Sweet innocent face. :)

West 11th Street And Then East 11th Street......

2011-10-23T21:36:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago my mom and dad came into town and Chris and I were able to go on two super fun dates thanks to them! :) We were able to hit up East and West 11th Street...and both nights were tons of fun! :)

Friday night we went to Wink and it was very yummy. Somewhat overpriced for the amount of food that we actually got but very tasty nonetheless. :) We had the scallops and the gilled NY strip.......and hello goodness! :) Would recommend both of those if you find yourselves there one evening. :) Saturday night we ended up at a hidden gem-Uncorked Tasting Room and Wine Bar. Oh yes...GOOD! :) You take a cute little unassuming house and mix it with an amazing patio full of live music and a view of all of downtown Austin.....and you have a HIT! :) And top that off with great wine flights and awesome food and there you go! :) We would go back there in a heartbeat! :) HIGHLY recommend! The perfect evening on the patio....a yummy white wine flight. And a good view. :) Looking forward to many more date nights with my hubby!! We sure do love those! :) Thank you SOOOOO much Mom and Dad! We love you guys! :)

Delaney Is ONE!!

2011-10-22T22:16:00.009-05:00

Sweet little Delaney turned ONE at the end of October and she had a super fun birthday party at Gymboree!! :) We had a good time talking with our friends and Braden had a great time making new ones! :) Good times! Time for the log........nice. :) Come on Delaney...let's do this. Sweet little Delaney the birthday girl!Chris was chatting it up. :)Go girlie.....
Dad..what's going on? I love my birthday!! :)
Look at my tutu!! Rattles!!!Antoine even got into the rattle time. :) Dad taking pics..... Mama/Son love.... :)Parachute time!Fun party favors.......Love mini bundt cakes!! :) YUM!!!Hunter was way into his dessert! LOL! :) Time for the birthday girl to enjoy her treat!
I think she likes it! :)MMMMMM! :) Proud Mom and Dad.... :)
Kristen and Hunter...... I have my balloon and it is time to go.... what a fun time! :) Happy birthday Delaney!! We had a great time celebrating with you! :)

Super Fun Photography Class!

2011-10-22T17:16:00.003-05:00

I took a fun photography class a few weeks back and I really learned a lot. :) I was grateful to have the opportunity to do that, and I look forward to more great classes in the future. :) We spent somet time talking through photography type stuff, and then went out to shoot for awhile. We hung around the Capitol a lot b.c it was the Texas Book Festival so there was a lot to take pics of. :) Good times! :)

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, And More Pumpkins....

2011-10-22T10:15:00.005-05:00

We took the boys to another pumpkin patch in late October.....and they seemed to enjoy it. :) It is always so fun to see their reaction to everything. Too precious. :) Looking forward to next October when Brant is following Braden everywhere at the pumpkin patches. To see the world through a child's eyes-priceless! :)

Fall Festival 2011.....

2011-10-21T22:15:00.001-05:00

Braden and Brant's school had a Fall Festival the week before Halloween....and it is always a good time. We are so grateful for such an awesome place for the boys to go and learn....and for all of the fun stuff that they seem to do, including this festival.

We decided we had to dress them to compliment each other this year. I mean it was too fun not to. :) So Braden was the hamburger and Brant was the ketchup packet, and I thought they looked adorable. :) Braden was SOOOO excited to be the hamburger so I think we made the right choice. :) The hamburger fell on the floor before we left the house. :) Being a ketchup packet is pretty fun. :) We met up with Braden's buddy, Jon, for the festival...and they got a pic together. :) Fishing time.... Picking out a lollipop......Time for the dessert walk.......
Halloween BINGO!!
Ms. JoAnn was all dressed up. :) Mimi and Popple came too. :) Braden and Jon waiting to ride the train...
Really glad we went and spent the evening there. The boys had a great time! :) Looking forward to next year!

8 Months Old!!

2011-10-17T21:34:00.005-05:00

Brant turned 8 months on Oct 14th......goodness gracious! Our little man is growing up....FAST! :) We are still loving up on him everyday, and each day that goes by we are reminded of how awesomely he fits into our family of four. He is such a little sweetie. :)

Here are some of the Month 8 highlights:
1) He is still the happiest little baby I have ever seen. He is just so chill and it is so funny how he and Braden are so different. :)
2) He is a major babbler....more and more talking everyday. :) Makes me smile. :)
3) He still loves to laugh. Oh how he loves to laugh! :)
4) He has moved into 9 month clothes and is filling them out fast. Love that he is getting a chubby face and getting some rolls on his legs. :)
5) Brant is still in love with big brother and gets so excited to see him. LOVE IT!!
6) He is still a good little sitter and rolls around to get what he needs. Who needs crawling? :) Technically he is only 6 months so we have to to give him a little leeway. :)
7) He really likes his solid foods and pretty much all of the variety that we give him. I am really hoping this continues so we can make a good eater out of him. He has eaten so many different foods and I am so proud of him! :)

We are so in love with our little man...and we cannot wait to see him grow even more in the coming months! :)

American Vs. Texas Flag

2011-10-17T07:54:00.000-05:00

It is important to Braden that you are aware that he knows his flags. :) He is serious about them..ha!

Whenever we see flags on a flagpole he will tell us "There is the American flag but no Texas flag". And if there is a Texas flag on the pole then he will be sure to point that out too. :)

Is he going to work in a government role like his Daddy has one day? :)

Six........

2011-10-16T23:37:00.002-05:00

Braden is going through a new phase right now where if anyone asks him how old he is, he will say "I am SIX".

Um.....or TWO. :) He is so funny! Have no idea what 6 year olds he has been hanging around with lately. :)

Hibachi Goodness......

2011-10-16T20:42:00.008-05:00

On Sunday night we took the boys to Fujiyama (which is a hibachi grill here in Austin). We thought Braden would really like the show (which he did)....and we knew the food would be good. :) Cannot beat the yummy steak, chicken, shrimp, and fried rice that they cook for you tableside...YUM! :) Braden grubbed up on some shrimp, chicken, and rice...he loved it! :) And it is always fun to see their faces when they experience something new. :)

Yay for Fujiyama! :) His smile is cracking me up....... Brant decided he would rather play with his highchair cover. :) Chopsticks made for kids!! :) Memserized by the cool cooking.... And the onion tower of fire. :)

Love Good Dinners With Great Friends!

2011-10-15T21:13:00.004-05:00

Saturday night we had a dinner party at my BFF"s house...and a group of us got together for some good food and some good convo...over a football game or two of course! :) It was fun to get the kids together to play and watch them interact. Overall they did really well together, and they even fought over a couple of toys just to make sure we knew they were not perfect! HA! :) Joseph and Dori are expecting another baby in early February...so they are enjoying these last few months with Haylee before their baby boy arrives. Another boy in the mix-LOVE IT! :) Braden, Brant, and Luke are getting spoiled with all of these boys around! :)

Here they are showing us how they can play together nicely. I think Brant is slightly upset in this pic...he must have been hungry. :)
Mr. Luke....
Brant and Luke in deep conversation...Dori and Jenn finishing up dinner....
Braden checking out the dogs in the backyard.We tried to get the kids together for a pic, and they are kind of all in their own little world. Too funny! :) My two little men are just chillin..and I have no idea what they are fixated on. Probably a toy that they both want! :)Thanks to Doug and Jenn for opening up their beautiful home for dinner!! We had a wonderful time! :)

Elgin Pumpkin Festival...

2011-10-15T15:42:00.012-05:00

Saturday morning started off bright and early as we headed into downtown Austin for our 2nd family of four photo shoot. :) This time it was for our Christmas cards. Those of you that know me, know that I wanted everything to go "perfectly", as people are actually going to be seeing these pictures arrive in their mailboxes in the near future. I am pretty sure that was too much to ask of a 2 year old and 8 month old though! HA! There is NO telling what we got in the way of pictures this time around.

The mark of a good photographer is what he or she can do with kiddos though...so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I also hope that the photos do not show how my hair was matted to my head after sweating bullets chasing Braden around, holding kids, and trying to pry Braden off of Brant b.c he was giving him some "love"! Sheesh! I guess they will actually be funny if they turn out to be less than perfect b.c it will remind me of that day, and I can laugh at some point! :) The boys did good for about the first oh 20 min...and then they were DONE with a capital "D". Good times! :) All Braden wanted to do was run around like a crazy man, so thankfully the photographer was snapping the entire time. Like I said, I am keeping my fingers crossed. :)

Well the pics took longer than we had expected that morning, so we were not able to meet up with our small group out at Sweetberry Farms. We only had a small window before it was time to put the crazy kids down for naps...so we decided to do a pumpkin patch that was a little closer to where we were. We ended up heading out to Elgin for the Pumpkin Festival...but not before we stopped at the 290 Cafe in Manor for some good breakfast!! Once again, I think that Braden might have outeaten Chris and I (which was seriously hilarious)! That does not happen often but when it does it is entertaining to watch! He is like a bottomless pit! :) Guess he just needed his energy to pick up pumpkins later. :) And then we finally arrived at the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm. They have various events throughout the year out there, and the Pumpkin Festival is one of them. Nothing is quite as good as Sweetberry Farms but we made it work. :) It would have been a much better experience if it was not so blazing HOT! I mean it does not need to be 90 degress when you are out at a fall festival type activity. Key word is FALL!!! So annoying!! I hate the weather here about 95% of the year, and if I did not love Texas itself so much, I'd probably want to move. Serio! But I digress.... :(
I loved seeing all of the Christmas trees too...very cool!Hayrides.....
So smiley.... :) Growing up too fast.....
Just a swingin!Building a scarecrow with Dad.....Ok, I will take a few of these pumpkin pics for you Mom! :)
If big brother does then I guess I will too! :)Check out this pumpkin stem guys! You cannot make me smile anymore.... Hi there!! It's my first time to the pumpkin patch! Look at me pick this pumpkin up!Ahhh..it's heavy!! Dad will help me hold it. :) Trying to get a pic of the two of them together was a joke. They were done with pics by this point in the day! Oh well! :) Am I supposed to be excited or scared of the pumpkins? :)Driving the hay bale tractor!Dad and I hanging out....the men of the house. :) Hey Mom! :) Go big or go home! :) So ready for REAL fall weather so we can really celebrate! :)

Walton's Fancy And Staple...

2011-10-12T09:45:00.004-05:00

Chris and I went to a fun lunch the other day at a new place downtown-Walton's Fancy and Staple. It is a new restuarant that was opened by Sandra Bullock. We love her other place here in Austin, Bess Bistro, so we knew we wanted to give Walton's a try. So glad we did. :) YUM sandwiches, good chips, cool sodas, and awesome desserts...and a fun building to go along with it. :)

Chris loved it! :)
Look at our little honeybee cake. How cute is that? :)

Time For A NICU Reunion...

2011-10-09T21:28:00.001-05:00

We had the priviledge of going to the NICU reunion the 2nd weekend in October. We were so glad to have been in town and gotten a chance to attend. It was the 2nd annual one for St David's North Austin Medical Center, and there were TONS of people there! It was for everyone that had a baby in the NICU in the past couple of years...so there were a lot of babies from birth to about 3 years old (and lots of multiples)!! : )

I was so glad to see it so well attended...very cool! But the coolest part was seeing SO MANY babies and how healthy they were. Just awesome! At check in all of the kids put on a name tag. Each of their tags had their name and when they were born (in gestational weeks). So Brant's said "Brant Bugbee-33 weeks". There were neonatologists, PA's, nurses, etc all from when Brant was in the NICU. It was fun to see the people that had taken care of him so amazingly for 5 weeks, and to get to show them how incredible his growth has been. I could not get over the number of babies that were born at 23 and 24 weeks just crawling around and seeming so happy. What a miracle and a true blessing!! :) It is unreal what modern medicine can do today for babies that did not get to have a full 3rd trimester in the womb.

They had some things for the kids to do, and a fun photo booth to dress up and take pics as a family. Braden got a kick out of that! :) And there was a lot of good food, cupcakes, cotton candy, etc. They did a great job!

I really wish I would have taken some pics of the event but it was so busy and there was a lot going on. I never even had a chance to take my camera out! I wish I would have snapped a pic or two with Brant and the babies that he spent those last few weeks in the step down nursery with. That would have been so neat, as I remember back to the long days spent up there just praying that our babies would grow (so they could go home). What a journey this year has been! :)

I hope to take some pics next year!! :) Thanks to NAMC for putting that NICU reunion on...it was good time! :)

"Jonny" Turns The Big 2!!

2011-10-09T21:27:00.013-05:00

Braden's best bud, Jon, turned TWO at the beginning of October, and he had a train birthday party! You know the kids loved that! Another awesome part about the day was that it was truly cool for the first time....so I could have ridden that train all day. I was loving the weather! :) A little bit windy and overcast but it just felt like fall! Perfect day to celebrate Mr. Jon....or as Braden would call him "Jonny". :)

The train ride was first......
Braden was way excited to get on! Jack and Jon getting ready to go....Jenny was kind enough to sit with Braden so that he could be up at the front with the birthday boy too. :) Thank you Jenny!Shawna and her boys... :)Sarah and Ty.....Brant was so calm.....just letting the wind run through this hair. :) I love trains! :) The dads with their kiddos. Not the easiest pic to take! :) And Chris missed his chance to get in the picture so Brant is with our friend Matt, and Braden and Jon are checking out something else. :) Nice. :) Cupcake time back at the pavillion!Super cute goodie bags and placemats.....Thomas!!!Jon was loving up his birthday cupcake! The Peterson Family...minus Micah. :)Joshua likes his cupcake too....Will decided on a bottle instead of a cupcake. :)
Caden thinking about what he wants to go and do next.... Baby Ty....
Sweet little Caris...Caden and Caroline checking out their placemats...Baby Joel....Micah and Jon waiting for the train to come back around...... The rocks were a very popular place to stand. There might have even been some battle wounds. :) Sarah, Jenny, Kelsey, and Kathy...... Racing out in the field...Later that evening we went over to our friends Jason and Amy's house for dinner. We had a friend from Nashville, Mandy, coming to Austin for a few days to play. So of course the whole crew had to welcome her to Austin that evening. :) Caroline and Braden decided to eat their dinner at the little table. :) Sharing two chairs to watch "Curious George" after dinner. :) It was a fun Saturday and great to be able to see Mandy for a few days in Austin!! We were so glad she came! :) And we hope Jon had an incredible second birthday!! We had lots of fun! :)

Bro Time...

2011-10-08T22:29:00.001-05:00

Just hanging out and having some bro time...and watching Praise Baby. :) Braden is nice enough to watch it with his baby brother on occasion. :)

Welcoming Our 4th Godchild....

2011-10-07T21:15:00.006-05:00

YAY for godchildren!! We love them!! :) Precious, precious little kiddos!

My best friend Jennifer, and her hubby Doug, asked us to be godparents to their sweet little man, Luke. :) He was born 3 weeks before Brant, and we plan for them to be the best of friends too. So fun! He is the sweetest little guy and we are so incredibly honored!!! We love that precious face and cannot wait to walk alongside him as he grows up, and help to teach him about Jesus along the way! :) We are blessed beyond words with our four amazing godchildren, and we thank their parents for entrusting us with this priviledge.

We love you Luke...and we are so excited for the years ahead! :) They presented us with this yummy cake from Ann's Kitchen.....very cute idea! :)

Snuggles......

2011-10-07T21:12:00.003-05:00

Sweet snuggly boys.....they love their daddy! :)

Two Year Old Teeth Cleaning...

2011-10-07T20:56:00.004-05:00

Braden went to his 2nd dentist appt today... :) He went to his first one when he was about 18 months, and then this was his 6 month followup. I have to give him major kudos b.c he was AMAZING!! He seriously blew Chris and I away! :) I think he might have been better than we are we when go to the dentist! HA!

The first appt we went to they just had a consultation with us and she looked at his teeth. This time we walked in and the hygenist asked if he was ready to have his teeth cleaned. I was like "What? You know he is only 25 months, right?" :) She said she was going to try and see if he would let her clean them...and lo and behold he was stoked! He must know he comes from a family where he has a grandpa and uncle that are dentists, and a grandma that is a hygentist. :)

This is a pediatric dentist office so they are awesome with kids...and they have all kinds of fun things. Braden picked out his toothbrush, the color and flavor of cleaning "agent" that he wanted on his teeth....and what cartoon he wanted to watch during the action (on the TV on the ceiling). :) He was so still just holding his mouth open. He was also into her orange gloves too so she let him pick out a purple one, and he wore it the entire time! HA! :) He was also pretty into the water thing that squirts in your mouth, and the one that sucks the air out. He sucked on it just like he was sucking on a straw. :)

The dentist came in and she talked with us about his mouth...said his teeth looked really good and clean, etc. She also thought that based on the fact that his mouth is long and narrow that he would probably need braces when those permanent teeth came in...b.c his mouth would be crowded. Maybe I should start saving now....awesome! :) I never had braces but Chris did...so that will be a new experience for me.

I really have to give this little man some props b.c he has proven how great he can do in many situations lately....all of his haircuts, two Xrays that he had where he laid very still, the dentist, any doc appt he has been to when they examine him, the flu shot he got this week, etc. He is very brave! :)

Overall, an awesome experience and we are very proud of how great he did. They said he was the best patient they had in the office all week. :) At the end he ran to pick out his "prize" from the big toybox, and he was in love with the place. :) I am sure he is already looking forward to his next appt in 6 months for another cleaning. :)

He wanted to lay at the very "top" of the chair. :)
My Uncle Cory, Papa Bugs, and Mimi Jan would be so proud of me! :)

Stalling.....And Getting Green Back In The House

2011-10-06T15:15:00.002-05:00

So let's just say that Braden is becoming very good at "stalling" at bedtime. This started a month or two ago..and he has continued to think of new and fun ways to get our of going to bed on time. :) They are quite entertaining I must say...and he is a smart little cookie. Some of the more common things that he does to stall are tell us that he needs another kiss (how do you turn that down?), tell us that he needs us to put his blanket back on...or he needs a different one, tells us that he wants to read more books, rock some more, or that he needs a drink of water. He really does try to stall for awhile once he is in his bed and we leave to walk out. You gotta love little toddlers right? They think they are so tricky. :)

Let's also talk about the same toddler living in my house (no names mentioned)....that decided awhile back that he did not really like any veggies anymore unless they were beans, corn, or a cucumber. :) I was having such a hard time introducing any other vegetables to him, and I was getting quite frustrated. It is really important to me that the kids eat healthy the majority of the time...and that they get a lot of fruits and veggies along the way.

I decided about a month or two ago to really start finding creative ways to incorporate those back into his meals......and over time it has worked! :) He is back to eating asapragus, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, kale, eggplant, etc...and I am so stoked! :) At the same time we are stuffing baby Brant with every fruit and veggie we can as well. If you can puree it then you better believe that I will! HA! :) Our motto is "go green or go home" right now...and we are going for it every chance we get. :)

It Is Confirmed..

2011-10-06T15:05:00.005-05:00

It is confirmed after our pediatrician appt today that we have a 17 1/2 pounder in the house! Woo hoo!!

I had to take Brant in for a follow up check of his ears (since he just got over a double ear infection)....and he weighed in at 17 lbs 9 oz. They are all so amazed by him, and it is so fun to watch!! This little man has gained over 15 lbs in 7 months. Can I get a What, What? :) WHOOP!! The doc loved how well he was just sitting on his own, and just hanging out looking at a book. :) She told us that he is already greater than the 25th percentile (and that is based off his real weight, not corrected for being a preemie). WAY TO GO BIG B!! :) We were trying to get him to the 25th percentile by his 9 month appt but now I guess we need to set a new goal...LOVE IT! :)

Based on the fact that Brant really did not even have a 3rd trimester (b.c of his growth restriction in the womb), he has seriously knocked it out of the park. We could not be more pleased with this little guy and his exponential growing ability. Maybe now I can stop being so incerdibly hypersensitive to his eating all of the time.....ha! :) But then that just would not really be my personality, would it? :)

God is SOOOO good, and we feel so blessed to be able to watch Brant grow so well that people say "Preemie, what preemie?" Thank you Lord!! What a great day!

Bless You

2011-10-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

Just recently when we have sneezed, Braden has been very sweet to make sure he tells us "Bless You Mommy/Daddy". :) Thank you precious boy!! You are turning out to be quite polite...and that makes us proud! :)

Beach Bums In Port Aransas-Part Two

2011-10-04T23:39:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning we headed out on another fun adventure...renting a small electric buggy to play around town in. :) We headed to Nautical Wheelers to pick out our car.....
Braden picked out the "Do Bee" car which was a bumble bee car. :) I liked that b.c it was a good car for the "Bugbee" family! :) We headed to the big shark for some photo moments. Braden is loving up on some sharks right now so this was way cool to him! :) We saw lots of fun stuff on our drive around town and the beach. :) Braden insisted that he wear Chris's sunglasses. :)
A milk break.... My boys hanging out on the porch...making one another laugh! Saturday night we headed over to Beach and Station Grill to meet up with my cousins Marcus and Allison for dinner. They live about 15 min away so they headed over to have dinner with us. Very fun to see them! :)
After dinner we promised Braden another trip down to the beach..... And one last trip to the beach again after breakfast on Saturday morning... Lots of fun memories!! I loved making them! :)

Beach Bums In Port Aransas-Part One

2011-10-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

We headed out for our first family of four beach vacation last Thursday.......and it was a 4 day adventure. :) We took the boys down to Port Aransas, and it was nice to all be together outside of Austin for a little while. :)

I have to give the boys A TON of credit b.c they honestly did TONS better than Chris and I had expected. We don't have too high of expectations when we travel with them, so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised. :) They slept all night and took good naps...both which were a huge blessing! They ate well and seemed to enjoy the trip a lot. To say Braden loved the beach is an understatement. He had not been since he was 10 months old..so this was obviously a new experience for him....and he was hooked! :) Really glad we took the family down there for some fun in the sun. :)

We stayed at Port Royal (which I think is where almost everyone that goes to Port A stays). :)

We got a really nice 2 bedroom condo that worked out great with the kids...We had dinner at Moby Dick's on Thursday night...and it was some good seafood! :) Heading over the boardwalk for a morning walk on the beach on Friday morning...
Braden wanted to pick out his own outfit, hence the reason why nothing really matches. :)This little man passed out due to the peacefulness and the cool weather out there... I am going to get you birds..... :) We headed over to the super fun candy shop on the island....and picked up a few treats. :) Friday night dinner was at the Port A Brewing Company..yum! Great pizza and burgers....and freshly brewed beer. Um, ok... :) We liked it!! :) After a busy fun filled day, it was time for showers and bed. Braden decided that he wanted to start wearing his towel like "daddy does". :) Too cute! More pics coming in the next post!! :)

I Want To Hold You....

2011-10-01T20:58:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned today that Braden is totally in love with Brant...and vice versa? :) So cute...love it! :)
Braden wants to hold him all of the time....and it is just precious.

Hi big brother...I really look up to you! :) Don't you think my big brother is so cool? I am going to kiss your face off! :) I love to hold you baby brother!! :) You are half my size. :) Awwww.....my babies!! :)

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-09-26T23:33:00.007-05:00

September 25th was the big day that I aged another year. Good times!! I had a great birthday this year! :) It was awesome to turn 29 again. :) No really, it was. :)

It was so nice to just be with my family. Now I know what my parents meant when they used to tell my brother and I that all they wanted was to be with our family on their bdays. I thought that was so lame at the time....but now I totally get it! Funny how that works, right? :)

We started out the morning with a family of four brunch at The Carillon...and it was yummy. They told us that we did not need to pay for Braden (since he was only two), and that he could just eat off our plates. Well when they saw that he probably ate more than both Chris and I combined, I think they might have wished they would have re-thought that decision. :) That boy loves him some breakfast when he gets in the right frame of mind. Just like his Daddy! :)

Breakfast is the bomb.com. :) After brunch I had been wanting to check out the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens for quite some time...so we did. :) We spent some time there walking around and laughing at Braden posing with the statues. Why is he so funny? :) Hello Donkey!
Hello Rhino!Hello person I don't know... :)Hello javelina!
And hello to my friend the rooster!
Loving up some lilly pads... It was plaid short day. :) I got to take a nap which rocked!! And then my birthday cake was actually Ben and Jerry's. Very nice work! :) We could not take a picture without Braden trying to lick it the entire time. You would think we give this boy sweets all the time since he is so into them right now...but I promise we don't! :)
Brant's look is like "Get me outta here...they are nuts!" :)Chris and Braden went to one of our friend's one year old birthday party late that afternoon...and then it was time to get cleaned up and ready for our date night. Solo. Babysitter. Oh yes.

I chose Uchiko for my bday this year for a number of reasons.
1) I had never been there before so that might have been the biggest reason.
2) We love Uchi...it is just fabulous, so we knew this had to be good.
3) We love sushi and I was craving it big time.
4) I had heard great things from friends about the chefs there....and I wanted to see if for myelf.

Let's just say that we were mighty happy when we left that night!! SO GOOD!! Awesome birthday dinner date. :) Hottie husband, cool food, cool presentation, cool everything... Chicken karage......three words---TO.DIE.FOR! :) We had incredible sushi and roasted edamame...and then last but not least was this pure goodness of a dessert. Oh yes-fried milk. Delightful! :) Awesome birthday..but I am still denying that I turned another year older! :)

I Love The ABC's....

2011-09-25T22:28:00.001-05:00

Braden is so in love with the ABC's!! His favorite things to do right now are:

1) Tell you what every letter is

2) Tell you the sound that every letter makes

3) Tell you a word that goes with each letter

He could literally do this all day!! :) So much fun that we had to finally get it on video! :)

A Day Out With Thomas!!

2011-09-24T21:33:00.019-05:00

We took Braden to "A Day Out With Thomas" in Burnet, TX....and oh boy how he LOVED it!! :) He was one happy little dude all morning...we made his year I think! HA! :) Every pic he took he was standing tall and proud with a big grin like "I am here to be with Thomas!!" :) It was really fun for the entire family b.c he loved it SO much! I mean I had fun and I am NOT a toddler OR a boy! :)

Taking a step back, the funniest part was that we needed to leave the house around 7:45 am to get there in time. At 7:30 Braden was still snoozing big time. :) We decided we would both go in there and wake him up together and get him really excited. :) We walked in and said "Braden...it's time to go see Thomas." He was hilarious b.c before we could even get the whole sentence out he said "I'm AWAKE!!! I'm AWAKE!!" :) Pure awesomeness. :)

So we made the drive to Burnet and it was all goodness from there. A happy day. :) Plus he got to play with his BFF Jon out there so he was on cloud 9 for sure.

Time to get on...yahoo! :)I want to hug all over Jon...this is so fun! :)
Chris and Jack just enjoying the ride... Brant had fun too! :) The obligatory family pic on Thomas. :)The Followay Family... :)Hi everyone out there! "Come on Jon...let's see if Brant can sit with us without tumbling forward". :) I mean is there really ANYTHING cooler than hanging out with Thomas on a Saturday morning? I think not! :)
All smiles aboard! :)
So proud to be in this picture! :) Daddy...THANK YOU for bringing me! :) Time to get my Percy tatoo! :) Time to play with some trains... This Thomas tent is calling my name..... There was SOOO much Thomas merchandise! Braden was also pretty mesmerized by Sir Topham Hat! :) Gotta stop and eat a snack....
We went to lunch after our Day With Thomas...at the Burnet Feed Store. You know it was good! :) Fun fun day!! Good times all around! :)

Good Times At Gattiland....

2011-09-20T16:36:00.005-05:00

We took Braden to Gattiland one Saturday evening to see what he thought about it. :) After eating his fair share of pizza and cheese sticks, fruit and a few veggies from the salad bar, he was ready to go. :) He had a good time seeing all of the different games and wondering what they did. It was not as toddler friendly as Chuck E Cheese but he still had fun exploring. :) He bowled, played football, skeeball, and road motorcycles. :) Quite the playground for a 2 year old. :)
Brant had fun too... :)

Going To Be An Aunt Again X 2!!

2011-09-19T21:33:00.001-05:00

Chris and I are so blessed!! We are getting two more babies added to our families within this year and we cannot wait!!! We adore having neices and nephews and we are thrilled for our siblings that they are bringing some more kiddos into this world for us to love on!!

Chris's sister is expecting a baby boy around the end of Oct/early November...so we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Baby Jace!! :)

And more fun news....my brother and sister in law are gearing up for their 3rd addition!! YAY!! They are expecting a sweet bundle of joy on April 6th. Super fun date b.c Brant was due on April 5th. :) They will find out the gender in another 6 weeks or so, and that is very exciting stuff!! :)

Braden and Brant are also getting more cousins which they absolutely LOVE!! We are all so excited!! And the boys are slowly starting to outnumber the girls so we cannot wait to find out the gender of Baby Jet! Congrats Cory/Jen and Jay/Katie!! We cannot wait to meet these precious new additions! :)

Here are the pics from how my sis in law Jen told us they were expecting #3. :) They shared the news with us the weekend of Braden's bday party. :)

Wooo hoooo!!! More babies to love on!! :)

Caden And Caroline Turn TWO!!

2011-09-17T23:15:00.013-05:00

Caden and Caroline just turned TWO....and they had their birthday party at a fun new splash pad! :) All of the kids had a blast playing in the water...and the parents were over the moon that the weather was overcast and cool!! NICE! :) It was fun to celebrate the 2nd year of life with these two little ones...and Braden and Brant had a lot of fun partying it up! :) Go 2nd birthdays!! :)

Party favors for the kiddos....and perfect for the water park. :) These two were attached at the hip the entire party of course. Braden and Jon are hilarious together. :) Caris running to the water....
Grandma and Caden.... the birthday boy!Cass and Caris having some father/daughter time...Michele and Dana....Danielle and her sweet little man Weston. Baby Bowen is on the way to join their family at the holidays...yay for more boys! :) Grandma and Caroline...the birthday girl!
Proud papa taking pics of his kiddos bday party...Weston is ready for the slide...More slide fun for Braden and Jon.... Brant was enjoying himself too!
Water is so much fun! :) Joshua was helping Brant out with the water as well. :) Hannah having lots of fun! Asher trying to figure out where he wants to start playing...
The Markum Family....They served the twinkies favorite foods.. :)Messy face after a good lunch! :)YUM!!! Fun cookies!! The kids loved them! :)The twins getting ready for the singing.... Caden was clapping for his birthday! Yum for cupcakes....Do you think my child liked these cookies? HA! :)Happy birthday Caden and Caroline!! Hope that you had a wonderful birthday! :)

Brant Is Seven Months Old....

2011-09-14T12:24:00.008-05:00

Brant turned 7 months on Sept 14th...hooray!! Our little man is really growing up...and I am loving every minute of it. :)

Mr. B is a little over 17 lbs at this point....and we are hoping to get him to a healthy 19-ish lbs by his 9 month well check. We love to set goals and watch him knock them down. Preemie power baby!!! :) Love it! :)

We have made a lot of changes between Months 6 and 7 in Brant's world..and he has done awesome with all of them. Here is what is going on with Brant at Month 7:

1) He moved into 9 month clothes and he is rocking those out. :) So different to have a child that is in clothes that match his age. We did not experience that with our first born. :) I think he was in 24 month clothing by his one year bday. Crazy to think that I can buy Brant clothes in advance and I am 99% sure that he can wear them. :)

2) We took him out of the swaddle this past month and were worried he would not sleep as well. After a couple of nights "swaddle-less" he proved us wrong. Of course. :) Now he just rolls right over on his stomach and passes out. That is probably what he wanted months ago-HA! :)

3) He grubs up baby food like a champ. Don't think he LOVES it as much as Braden did....but then again I am not sure it would be fair for us to have two kids that ate as well as Braden did in the first year of life! HA! :) He seems to be really into carrots and bananas but he has tried lots more: sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, ham, turkey, beef, prunes, apples, pears, peaches, etc. We have all kinds of good homemade food on the list coming up as well....broccoli, spinach, asparagus, kiwi, avocado, etc. YUM! :)

4) He has been loving life in the exersaucer and just playing with toys on the floor much more now. We have started to move away from the bouncy seats, swings, etc. Nice to be able to use new toys!! :)

5) He kicks his legs like crazy when he is on his stomach...so I am waiting for him to try to put them up under himself in the next few months...and think about crawling. :)

6) He is a really good sitter now. He has moved from being folded in half and prop sitting....to having great posture and using his hands to play when he sits. :) FUN!

7) No teeth just yet but he is a drooling machine....wow, lots of saliva going on there. :) We get teeth late in our family...so we might not have any coming out for a few more months.

8) He laughs loud now which is AWESOME!! He loves to interact with other kids and is just an all around VERY happy baby. I feel so blessed to have had two very smiley boys. I cannot get enough of that smile. :)

9) He is starting to drink water....and he makes the crazy face when it is cold. And then he gives you a big smile. :) He is a fan of it but has no clue about how to put that cup to his mouth! HA! :)

10) He is just starting to get a little bit too long for his infant carseat...so we are going to have to make that move to a convertible one in the near future. His little legs are starting to hang over the side. :) Love spending more money...woo hoo! :)

I forgot how much fun it was to watch a baby grow up in that first year....but I am so thankful to be watching it right now. Love you sweet baby Brant. You make my heart smile! :)

Being 7 months old is the BEST! :)

PJ Party....

2011-09-11T12:50:00.003-05:00

PJ Party in the Bugbee house.....the boys love it. :) Brant thought it would be fun to not smile in this one. :) Silly boys....
What are you guys looking at? :)
This happened a lot during the pics.....face plant. :)Bright eyed and bushy tailed....Mr Smiley...Let's both squeeze into this chair...... Can I talk for a minute or do I have to raise my hand around here to get a word in? :) I know I am the smallest but I have a lot to say. :) Hey there little brother...what's up? :)Let me put my hand right here in your face. :)I like to hold you brother... :)Love you two boys to pieces!! :) I hope that you are the best of friends as you grow up...and a long time after that as well! :)

I'm Over 3 Feet Tall!

2011-09-10T21:33:00.007-05:00

Despite Braden's sour face in this picture.....he really is excited about how tall he is! HA! :)
Getting closer and closer to 40 inches everyday! :)

We Love Reading!!

2011-09-09T23:15:00.003-05:00

We LOVE to read in our house!! :) Braden is so into books and we are stoked about that!! Too fun much to watch him get into books. Keep on reading B! :)

Train Tables Are So Fun!!

2011-09-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

Braden loves his new train table!! :) Happy, happy boy! :)

A Weekend With No Laboring...

2011-09-07T17:44:00.011-05:00

We had a fun and relaxing Labor Day weekend this year. :) We decided to lay very low and just have some downtime after Braden's crazy birthday weekend just a few days prior. :) The boys seemed to enjoy being low key, and I know that Chris and I were loving it. :)

The boys watched a lot of football... :) Braden is VERY into watching football with Chris now and it is way too stinkin cute. :) They were watching the Aggies first game of the season in this photo. :) Saturday morning we headed over to Michael's b.c they were having a Kid's Craft, and they were making Grandparents Day cards...perfect!! Braden loves art so we thought he would have a great time....and he did. :)

Is it ok that I already started on my card? :) I love to color with markers.....
Scissor time! Dad is helping me.....
I have to write my name and "I love you!"Don't I draw well? :) Happy Grandparents Day to all of my awesome grandparents!! Hopefully you all got your cards in the mail on time! :) We also did a lot of chilling out on the front porch in our rockin chairs b.c the weather was pretty nice. Braden likes to sit in his chair and just watch fun kids stuff on You Tube. :)
Saturday evening we went to the mall b.c Braden had some gift cards from his birthday to spend at The Disney Store. :) He was trying to decide what he wanted to get...Mickey Mouse? Hmmmm.....no. Minnie Mouse? :) No....How about one of these? HA! :) No....... Lightning McQueen!! That is who I want!! :) (And he has slept with it every night since). :)Sunday morning after church we hit up J Blacks for some yummy brunch. Braden was all kinds of happy about his french toast. YUM! :) Boy fun..... :)
They had a bloody mary bar....and Chris loves those so he was a happy camper. :) I, on the other hand cringe at the thought of tomato juice so I stayed FAR AWAY! :) Mmmmmmmm....... Just being silly.... Labor Day we went and had lunch at Casa Chapala......and it was really good. :) Not sure what they did with the food that day but we were happy! :) Some of the decor in there is so funny and random (more in pic #2).
Brant decided he would rather sleep than hang out with us. :) After lunch it was time for Terra Toys...one of our favorite toy stores in Austin. You can get lost in that place.....even as an adult! LOL! :) Braden had some birthday money to use in there too...and he was in hog heaven! :) So much fun stuff to check out! :) Ahhh...good Labor Day weekend. :)

We're Two Years And Six Months Old.....

2011-09-06T21:22:00.002-05:00

We had some "2 year" and "6 month" pics taken of the boys...and they did so good. They were super sweet together, and did a great job lasting all of about 15 min! HA!!

But honestly, what more could a mom ask for from two little boys? :)

I love you guys so much! :) You make me so proud to be your mom! :)

I Wish I Was In Hawaii....

2011-09-06T14:02:00.001-05:00

Starting Solids...

2011-09-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

Brant started solids over Labor Day weekend...and he is a big fan!! :) He had been doing rice cereal since about 4 1/2 months but we waited until 6 1/2 months to get started on the actual baby food. We wanted to ensure he was still taking enough formula before we officially broke into the baby food realm....due to the preemie factor.

This is my favorite stage as far as feeding goes. I LOVE making baby food, and having the kids try all kinds of new fruits and veggies that you cannot buy at the grocery store. It is just awesome to see how many new things that you can come up with to have them try. Braden loved everything I put in his mouth so I pray Brant is the same way! :) I do buy some of the food too in order to get some fun combos...but I just like putting the baby food steamer & processor to work when I can!! :) So fun! :)

Hmmmmm.....not so sure about sweet potatoes! :)
Oh wait...I LOVE THEM!! :) YAY! :)

We Miss Her....

2011-08-30T09:35:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to do a quick shout out to my mom to let her know how much we miss her here in Austin!! It was INCREDIBLE to have her here this summer helping out with the boys, and keeping Brant while he was at home for the first 6 months. She was not only a tremendous helper with the boys in every form and fashion...but she was also so amazing when it came to just helping us with things around the house, and helping us to keep our sanity in general. We so appreciated that and we owe her huge for that piece! :)

It was a very sad day when Mom and Dad pulled out to head back home the day after Braden's bday party. I think we might have all cried a little bit. I mean she was was here ALL summer.....how do you say goodbye after that? Braden was lost for a few days wondering why Mimi was not "in her room", etc. Many things in our house are still named after her like "Mimi's bathtub", "Mimi's books", and "Mimi's bed", etc. It is safe to say that she left a lasting legacy in our home. :)

We miss you tons Mom and want you to come back soon to play and hang out!! Now that you are retired you need to come back A LOT to visit. Oh..and bring Dad too when you can!! Hee hee! :) Hopefully when he retires he will be able to come and play a lot more as well.

We love you guys and thank you again sooooo much for all that you did for us! :)

Lots of Cousin Love....

2011-08-29T22:28:00.005-05:00

There was just so much cousin fun going on the weekend of Braden's birthday......and it is ridiculously awesome how much the boys love their cousins!! We were sad that Cousin Riley had to head home early after the party, so she was not able to be here to take part in all of the crazy pics. We will take some of her with the boys and her new brother Jace when he arrives! :)

I had a blast making these shirts for the kids so they could all match...and then we dressed them and just started shooting. We got some hilarious shots...and they were all such good sports. I have posted a few of my favs on here. :) Cousins rock!! :)

Braden and Lainey getting ready for some photos... I love you!! It took us just a little while to get everyone warmed up and ready... :) Still warming up and have not figured out quite yet that they all need to look at the camera. :)Brother/sister love...YAY!!! Good job guys!! :) You all look so precious! :) (Although Brant does look a little bit scared!! LOL!)
In this photo Graeme is 9 months, Lainey is 3 1/2, Braden is 2, and Brant is 6 months).
Getting rowdy and silly.. :)
Sweet boy...
Another another sweet boy....
Lainey-you are so cute and you crack me up! :)Awwww...........
Go G!! You are about to be an early walker!! :) What a stud!Graeme decided he was done with photos and he was heading for the door. :)

Present Fun....

2011-08-28T15:51:00.005-05:00

Braden had so much fun opening his presents this year for his bday. :) He really thought it was cool and he was much more into it than he even was at Christmas. :) He got so many great things that were not only useful but also aligned to his fun 2 year old interests. :) Just a couple of pics below of some of the present opening. They went so fast through the opening that it was hard for me to keep up with the picture taking-LOL! :)

Time to open presents...YAY!! :) I am overwhelmed by my presents....and not sure where to start. :) I like to hold my new Lightning McQueen while I open them. :)
I love to read my cards. :)Lainey was a great helper...and she and Braden together opened all of his gifts much more quickly. :) I love trains! :)
I am going to learn how to play the guitar! :)I got a BBQ grill...hooray!! :)
The cousins all playing on Braden's new car mat. :)SUPER FUN TIMES! :)