The Growing Gibson Family

Baby Gibson #3 (15 weeks)

2011-12-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

Here I am at 15 weeks with Baby Gibson #3. Not much new from last week. Still very tired. Not sure when energy will ever come back? The baby is supposed to be the size of an apple now!

Brayden's New Favorite Toy?

2011-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Brothers Pics

2011-12-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

Bennett and Brayden are starting to form a very special bond and I love watching it happen before my eyes. You can tell that they love each other and are best friends. Brayden tries to do everything that his big brother does. Bennett tries to console Brayden when he is upset and gives him something in attempt to make him happy. Bennett shares with Brayden, especially when they are in trouble...Bennett tries to hand off the evidence quickly, haha.

Bennett's New Glasses

2011-12-08T19:58:00.001-08:00

We took Bennett to the eye doctor the other day due to some issues I had noticed and it the doctor decided that he needed to wear glasses. He is so stinking cute I think! It has been a challenge to get him to understand and keep his glasses on. He has done much better than I expected for a 2 1/2 year old but still you have to put his glasses back on him about 6+ times in a hour. I am confident he will get the idea soon enough though.

Baby Gibson # 3 (14 weeks)

2011-12-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

Baby Gibson #3 has reached 14 weeks! Now it is time for the weekly baby bump pictures and updates! I will try and stay on top of this, it is so neat to look back on later. According to Babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a lime now (3 1/2 inches and 1 1/2 ounces). I go back to the doctor right after Christmas. I still don't feel any movements but I am hoping they are only a few weeks away (I felt Brayden at 16 1/2 weeks for the first time). I am showing a whole lot quicker this time than last time, but I hear that is common with a 2nd pregnancy. I am not getting morning sickness or anything. I can smell everything and gag a little easier than I did the last time. Fish smells are the absolute WORST! I feel like I have more cravings this time around too.

Quick Update on the Boys

2011-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Bennett has recently learned how to say Please...it comes out "Peeeeez" and I absolutely LOVE when he says it. It is so cute. His speech has been coming along really good the past few weeks and Brian and I are so impressed with his progress recently. He is learning more animal names and sounds also. He has learned to say crackers as well. There are several new words but those are my favs. He loves sleeping in his new big boy bed! He consoles his brother when he is sad and he shares with him now. He especially shares when its something they aren't supposed to have. For example if I look at Bennett and say "Bennett you put that back on the table now" he will run and hand it to Brayden instead. haha.

Brayden has broke his 7th tooth through. He has also learned how to throw a pretty good tantrum. Its actually quite hilarious to watch. He currently has a bruise on his forehead from collapsing on the floor during a couple of fits. He is very sensitive and very loving too. He is fast and watches Bennett's every move and tries to copy all that he does, including climbing on top of things and jumping.

Halloween and Fall Festival (A little behind I know)

2011-12-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Halloween and our church's Fall Festival. The first set is Halloween. Brayden was a chicken and Bennett was a Chick-fil-a cow with a sign that says "Eat Mor Chikin". We made it to about 25 houses or so trick or treating. We had all of my family come to my house for pizza and soup. Our friends Susan, Kristen and Caleb came for the trick or treating part.
Bennett and Brayden in our wagon.Auntie and Bennett at a house.
Caleb and Brayden in the wagon.

Brayden trick or treating for the first time.
My sweet boys.
Brayden and Auntie
I got Brian a matching chicken costume to Brayden but Brayden was TERRIFIED of it! haha. So Brian took it off.
Brayden trying to get away from the scary chicken daddy.
Auntie and Bennett at the Fall Festival.
My dad, me and the boys at festival.
Their costumes ;)
Bennett and Brayden asleep on Halloween night together.

Bennett's First Haircut

2011-12-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

We broke down and finally got Bennett's first haircut. I didn't really want to as I loved the look of his hair but the up keep was getting really hard because he doesn't like for people to mess with his hair, which is obviously not an option for his hair. He was getting more tangles more often. So I did it, I gave in and took him to get it cut. He did pretty good for the haircut (about what I expected). It took me a while to get used to the cut but she did a good job and it turned out cute. I will probably let it grow out a little longer :)

Here is a BEFORE picture from the day before the haircut.Here he is getting his first haircut and playing Angry Birds.
Now he is watching Sid the Science Kid and eating a sucker.
This is the AFTER picture (this is taken on the bus on his first field trip).
I love my little man!

Fun In the Leaves With Daddy

2011-12-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

Last week Brian took the boys in the backyard for some fun! The weather was so nice for late November. He racked up all the leaves and put them in front of the slide for them to slide into. The boys had a ball. Brayden loved sliding face first on his belly into the pile of leaves!
He also enjoyed trying to eat them? haha!
Here he goes face first. He insisted that he go this way.
Bennett sliding into the pile!
All of my boys having fun together !

Why Can't I Seem to Blog Anymore?

2011-12-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

If you are wondering why I haven't been updating nearly enough this picture can explain some of it! These two are a wild mess, haha. This is straws all over the floor. By the time the boys fall asleep I am one exhausted preggo mama!

Watch Out For Baby Gibson # 3

2011-12-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting our 3rd child! Yes, you read it right THIRD baby coming to the Gibson household. We are so happy about this! We are due in the beginning of June. Therefore come June we will have a 3yr old, 19month old and newborn ;) We are 13 weeks now. Please continue to pray for our family and the health of this baby growing inside me. I'm will be trying to update more often now.

I found out when we were 8 weeks along. I had no clue how far along I was at all and I was nervous because we had to go through infertility to get pregnant with Brayden and the only other time we got pregnant on our own was right after our honeymoon and miscarried. Although I was nervous I have been fairly calm this whole pregnancy and knew that the Lord had a plan for us! I was also nervous because I had a severe case of hives a few days before that I was still taking medicine for, thankfully all that medicine was safe my doctors said. I have had a easy pregnancy so far, just a little icky feeling and tired and one case of the stomach bug.

Help

2011-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone should check out my friend's blog. She has an awesome giveaway going on and great t-shirts for sale as well!!!! You can donate to her adoption on her blog. She just recieved a refferal for her little boy and there are more funds needed in a short amount of time! These things would make awesome Christmas gifts and its for an amazing cause! http://ethiopiaminusone.blogspot.com/

Brayden 1 yr Stats

2011-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

At our little man's 1 yr doctor appointment he weighed in at 20lbs 8 oz and in the 25%. Height was 29inches and 25% as well. Head was 75%. He is walking/ running all over the place! He points at EVERYTHING. He growls at EVERYTHING! He thinks all animals growl, haha. His new word he says constantly is "Me,Me,Me,ME?" he says it when he wants something you have, when he wants you to pick him up or he just wants attention period. He tries to say all kinds of things its hard to list them all (duck, mama, dada, me, more,dog, woof, moo, papaw, ect...). He loves for you to "read" books to him, well really just open them and point to the things on the pages. He has broke threw 6th teeth (4 all the way). He does better in the car now. He is still a momma's boy but he is wanting to be with daddy more and more and just lights up and runs around the corner when he comes home to play with him!

Brayden's 1st Birthday Party!

2011-10-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a birthday party picture overload from my baby boy's FIRST birthday party!!! He did so well the whole day at his party, and the weather turned out so nice! We had a bounce house (which gave me a minor heart attack being LATE and I did not think they were showing up at all) and a pumpkin patch for the kids. It was lots of fun. A lot of our friends and family were able to come celebrate with us. He loves pointing at everything in sight! Birthday boy with cousin Andrea.

NeNe got in the bounce house! HAHA

Grandpa and Brayden playing with his new toys.

Playing with his daddy

Grandma and Brayden in the backyard

Aunt Diane with Brayden (him pointing at something again!)

Playing with Miss Julia

"All of these are mine???"

Bounce house fun!

Loving on daddy

Great Grandpa playing with Bennett

Great Grandpa playing with Brayden

Pinata time!

Auntie Christa with Birthday Boy

Blowing kisses to everyone

Opening some presents (he did much better than Bennett does with opening presents!)

His theme was owls and pumpkins! His wonderful cupcakes and smash cake was done by Kara's Cupcakes and Confections. They tasted great as always!

I still can't believe my baby is ONE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Halloween Party at the Louisville Zoo

2011-10-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

October is full of family traditions for me I guess! Another yearly tradition we have carried on to our boys is taking them to the Louisville Zoo for their Halloween party. Last year Brian even took me in a wheel chair up and down the hills at the zoo because I was on bed rest with Brayden but I couldn't stand the thought of Bennett not getting to go for the first time! This year our good friends Kristen and Caleb joined us. The boys were so good even though it was late at night for them. We got into the zoo 2 minutes before they closed the gates to get in!!! Brayden is a chicken this year! Bennett is a cow this year (he has a sign the says "EAT MOR CHIKIN" like the Chick-fil-a cow but I forgot the sign for the zoo trip). Their buddy Caleb was a dragon!

Family Gatlinburg Trip 2011

2011-10-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

For the past several years my mom's side of the family has taken a trip to Gatlinburg every October (except last year when I was very pregnant with Brayden we couldn't go). This was the first year for our kids to go with us. Like usual we had a great time all together! I thank God for memories made like these. I always wanted to share things like this with my kids. (These pictures are not in order by the way)Here is Grandma with Brayden looking at a bear in the top of a tree.Here is a picture of the actual bear WAY up in the tree! We always love looking for bears on our trips to Gatlinburg. Auntie Christa and Dev being cool at Mellow Mushroom.

Brayden with big lips Cousin Christian and Andrea got him.

Bennett driving Uncle Chris's new jeep. YIKES!

Chris, Christian, Devin and Christa on top of a big rock Oh wait...had to zoom out to get Steve in the picture!

Taking a break from bear searching to take a "hike" (walk) with my little man.

My nature boy

Why do I even try for a nice family picture?????? Just WHY? What rascals

"MAN TIME" in the jeep

Brayden with Auntie and Devin at the Apple Barn

Devin and Auntie with Bennett at Apple Barn (Bennett WHY do you not take pictures for Mommy?)

Aunt Diane taking a walk with Brayden

Brothers playing follow the leader...who do you think the leader is?

Both of my boys just love to steal their Grandma's iced tea.

My little boy is such a curious little thing now.

HAHA! Notice a theme in these family pictures?

View from our cabin

Mommy and Brayden

Boys did so great in the car when we were out searching for bears...See that Sprite in Bennett's cup holder? Well apparently he had dumped the ENTIRE thing on him. So once we got back to town I had to go buy him a new shirt and some shorts so that he wasnt soaking wet through dinner! What a goober.

When he grows up he wants to be just like his daddy

I love all my boys.

Bennett was taking a nap in the car so I like Brayden get out and explore some in the Smoky Mountains.

What a cutie

Boys will be Boys...playing out back

2011-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Both of my boys just love to be outside. ALL THE TIME. Here are some cute pictures from a couple weeks ago.

Huber's Pumpkin Picking

2011-10-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

We made our yearly trip to Huber's Farm to pick pumpkins with the boys and my family recently. I love making memories like this with my boys so much. We ate at Joe Huber's Family Resturant in Indiana and then went out to the pumpkin patches to pick our pumpkins. Bennett didn't care for the pumkins last year or this year either. Brayden on the other hand actually kinda enjoyed the pumpkin patches.I love this picture of my boys and I.Tractor ride to the patchBray in the patch for the first time.Bennett stomping aroundBennett has a special bond with his "papaw". Bennett can even say PAPAW! Brayden and his NeNeAttempt at a family photoMy little pumpkin was in my belly last year at the patch!Uncle Dev and Auntie Christa"CHEESE!"Brayden is laughing at his pumpkinBrayden and his first carmel apple

This picture is out of order. It is from the resturant. Brayden is chowing down on a chicken leg.

Bennett and his Auntie.

Bennett's First Braids

2011-10-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bennett got his first set of braids a few weeks ago. My "little" sis Darsaya's mom did them for me. Bennett did not enjoy the process of getting them put in, even though she was doing them loose. We tried bribing with suckers, doughnuts, SID the science kid movies, ect... still some tears. He actually kinda liked them once they were in and had beads on the ends. They didn't last too long, because he wouldn't keep his cap on at night and in the car seat very well. Him with his new dew-rag on. Checking out his braids in the reflection of the van.

Love that little man.

Bennett sleeping

2011-09-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I don't think that I have posted that Bennett is now sleeping in HIS OWN BED!!!! Who hoo! He has been sleeping in his bed for about a month now (every once in a while he will come to our bed around 5am but who cares about that?). We are so proud of our big boy!

CHEESE

2011-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the boys cheesing it up for the camera. It is harder to catch Bennett smiling in a picture than Brayden, but the past two days he has actually said "CHEESE" and smiled, small miracle I think :P

Brayden WALKING

2011-09-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

Brayden has been walking very good for a few weeks now. He looks so stinking cute walking! Here are some pictures of our little boy walking all over the house. He is so happy now that he can walk all over.

He likes to climb on their trampoline now too.

Walking with his squeaky shoes on.

Walking outside in the backyard

I'M A BIG BOY NOW

Outside Boys

2011-09-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

These two little boys just LOVE to be outside. Bennett always has and now Brayden does too. We take wagon rides to Grandma's house and play in our backyard on the swingset a lot!

Brayden is 11 months

2011-09-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby boy is 11 months old! It really has gone by so fast. MY BABY IS WALKING NOW! He can walk across our entire living room and kitchen and through the foyer. He has four teeth now. He points at everything and tries to say so much. When he crawls its like the boy from jungle book with his knees off the ground. He imitates all kinds of sounds and words. He puts his hand to his ears to say "hello" like he is on a phone. He does not currently like being dropped of to nursery in church. He says "bird, bear, hello, bye bye, mama, dada, dog, bubble, ball, more, nana (banana)and that" and attempts lots of sounds. He loves to be outside now and will throw a fit when we go inside. He smiles and laughs so easily. He points at everything!

Pointing

Saying "hello" on the phone.

Walking like a big boy

3 years

2011-08-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Happy 3 Year Anniversary to us! 3 years ago I married my best friend! We had the greatest wedding I could have imagined and a even better marriage. In these 3 years we have had 2 houses and 2 babies enter our family. We are loving every minute of this crazy busy never boring chaotic life. I can't wait to see what is planned for us in the next 3 years and many after that! I am so thankful God gave me Brian to walk through this life with as my husband and my childrens daddy.2008- Our Family

2011- Our Family

My Baby Goes to School

2011-08-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

We decided to start Bennett in 2 year old preschool this year (just 2 half days). Yesterday was his first day at school. It was hard waking up but I think he enjoyed it. He was sooo tired afterwards! Hopefully he will learn lots this year, improve in speech and talk more and meet some little friends.I wish this picture was more clear....HOW CUTE IS HE?Best picture I got with his sign. He looks a little nervous here, haha.

Brayden's Big Adventures

2011-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Brayden's first hair cut was on August 6th. He kept getting called a girl and it was past his eyes so I got the guts and went ahead and did it. He did so well. It was at one of those kid hair places and he got to watch Elmo and ride in a little car during the cut and Bennett could play on the playground while Brayden got his hair done. (No hair cut for Bennett!). Before

During

After!

His first steps were on August 11th. He only did about 2-3 steps and then fell and he did that twice. Since then he has done a couple more of the 2-3 steps then fall. He can cruise around holding onto everything.

oHis 3rd tooth came through on August 12th. It was the top left tooth. He was not happy about getting that one in! HE also got to go to work with daddy all by himself one day! He is using his paci less now. He has gotten more clingy and is not happy about being dropped off at church nursery on Sundays! The last 2 Sundays I took him out early.

Painting Fun

2011-08-02T21:41:00.001-07:00

Tonight I took my "Little" from Big Brothers Big Sisters out to Sips n Strokes to o some peacock painting! Christa thought it sounded fun so her and Devin decided to come too! It was lots of fun. It kinda stressed me out keeping up haha! You should check this place out! (Plus right now there is a discount going on through LouisvilleFamilyFun.net so check that out too).

Almost 9 months

2011-07-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Brayden will be 9 months old on Sunday, but I figured I would update before I forgot! He is learning so much each and every day it is unbelievable.

He can say "ba-ba" for ball.

He can say "bye-bye".

He can sign "more".

He can crawl very fast.

He can pull himself up on anything.

He can entertain himself (well to an extent).

He can fake cough.

He does a funny old man laugh.

He loves Elmo just as much as his brother and has to watch it everytime we are in the car.

He can clap, he does it when his big brother shows him how and when Elmo is on!

He can walk with his push toy across the room and holding onto your hands.

He only wants to eat table food now and loves green beans, pasta and bread, well any table food actually.

He can't be fed fast enough and you would think he is hyperventalating!

He loves his big brother.

When standing and holding onto something he can squat down and stand back up.

He has 2 bottom teeth in.

More Myrtle Beach Trip Photos

2011-07-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the pics from the trip. Photo overload sorry. Oh and they are out of order and I dont feel like fixing it :) My big boy looking so cool on a pit stop.

Brayden did so well on the trip we were impressed.

Bennett always does well in the car. Love that smile.

On the final day we decided last minute to go on the Sea Screamer. It was a rainy day and we ended up getting SOAKED. We didnt see any dolphins but got a free ticket for next year and had lots of fun. Last year Bennett threw up, but not this year! Whoo hoo. The waves were HUGE!

Brayden learned a new trick. Spitting. Or I guess it is a razberry he is blowing but it is hilarious. His lips look like a duck and he thinks he is sooo funny.

My poor baby is exhausted at dinner.

Brayden loves powerade Daddy gave him.

Brothers playing on the beach together. Bennett was restricted to life jacket at all times on that day after the day before when he went under twice when he jumped in the pool without our permission. Wild boy! We were in the pool but not expecting it!

Playing on the beach.

In the ocean with daddy.

Brayden liked crawling on the beach.

Bennett learned how to say "Cheeeeese"! I LOVE IT!

"CHEESE!"

Family picture with all four looking :)

We had to let Mr.Bennett ride 3 times so he was satisfied.

They are best friends.

Brayden playing with Daddy in the pool.

Bennett loved being with Grandma in the hot tub. Pool was too cold for him.

Just love his face and hair in this pic.

Exploring the beach.

July 4th Part 2

2011-07-11T19:50:00.001-07:00

Well the most exciting part of the vacation happened at dinner on Fourth of July. Devin (my sister's boyfriend) proposed to my sister. He had the ring come out on her dessert. It was so cute. Her ring is amazing by the way. It made for a great fourth of July that we will all always remember! We love Uncle Dev and Auntie Christa! Congrats you all! I am excited to help her wedding plan as it is one of my favorite hobbies! Me and my sister have the same jeans, haha! After dinner we went to Broadway on the Beach to shop around and watch the fireworks.

Both of the boys enjoyed the fireworks show!

Fourth of July Part 1

2011-07-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

On July 4th we spent the day at the beach. Around naptime Brian and I took the boys for a ride to get them asleep and he let me go to the outlet mall while he let them sleep. It was nice to be able to get a little shopping in, of course I bought for my little guys! Bennett wore the outfit Brayden wore to the beach last year for the fourth. Then we met the whole family at Rios, which is a Brazilian resturant that serves all you can eat meat. We love it and go every year in Myrtle Beach.

Family Vacation 2011

2011-07-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

We took our annual family vacation to Myrtle Beach this year. It was me, Brian, the boys, my mom, stepdad, sister and her fiance. We decided to break up the drive into 2 days this year due to the boys. We started out on Friday after dinner and the boys slept the whole way and then we stayed overnight in a hotel half way and finished in the morning. We were able to each dinner in Myrtle Beach after we checked in. Then of course we made a trip to Walmart. The next morning we got to spend time at the beach and pool. Bennett loves the beach and ocean. Brayden was more of a fan of the pool. Bennett also loved the hot tub, he gets too cold in the pool (no matter how warm it is). We loved having all the family time for a whole week. Boy is it different going on vacation with 2 little ones, but we wouldnt change it for anything! They are so much fun to watch everything they are learning. Bennett loved the boat last year too. These two learned to play more together this week and is so much fun to watch. Bennett even started to grab Brayden's hand and pull him as if to say "Come on lets play". Funny thing is since Brayden cant walk it just pulls him over onto the floor. Poor Brayden had a fever the first few days, but was still in such a good mood!

Update on the boys (7 1/2months and 2 years 1 1/2 months)

2011-05-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

They are growing so fast and are on such a move that it is hard to post here! I wish I was keeping up better here so that I can remember each phase better. Here are some updates on their daily lives.

BRAYDEN: He is not a snuggler, he was to be wiggling and moving all the time. He can sit up in a highchair out to eat now. He can get puffs very well and feed them to himself. He still is in awe of his big brother! He loves his jumperoo and can bounce really high now! He has a beautiful big smile, with one tooth on the bottom now. He sits up like a pro and can do it for long amounts of time. He can crawl somewhat now. Today he is doing really well. He is never still, always rolling all over the room. He LOVES his paci (that is a battle I am not looking forward to in the future). He loves taking baths and going to the pool. He loves swim lessons and swinging in our back yard. I love that he is learning so much each and everyday and it truly amazes me how fast it happens. He can pull himself up now. He does better pulling up on you than a stationary object but can do both. He can also go from his belly to sitting position.

BENNETT: He is my wild man! He is a dare devil that will climb on anything and jump off everything. Oh boy he can scare us, haha. He loves to be outside. He loves the pool and our swing set in the backyard. He is still a daddys boy all over. Often he will run to daddy and look back at me and say "bye" and wave, like I'm outta here cya later. He loves golf and when him and his daddy play it outside or watch it on tv. He is in speech therapy once a week and is learning a lot. He still doesn't talk much but I hear its a long process. He gets frustrated sometimes if we just don't understand what he is wanting us to do for him. He is starting the 2 year old preschool at our church soon (just 2 half days a week) and I am hoping that will help him with his speech.

Swim Lessons

2011-05-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

We enrolled both of the boys in swim lessons at a local YMCA. Bennett loved the water last summer and I wanted to get him used to the pool again for this summer because he is a wild man and I needed him to realize that someone has to hold him in a big pool still :) haha. Brayden of course I wanted him just used to a pool because I plan on hanging out there a lot this summer! They are both doing so great with swim lessons. I am having a blast doing it with them.

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

I love holidays, especially now that we have 2 little boys in our family to make is even more fun! We of course believe Easter is all about the Resurection of our God, which saved us from our own sin. We are going to do our best to get this across to our boys as the grow each year. We read the story of Jesus's death and raise from the dead to the boys from their children's Bible the night before. On Easter morning we woke up, got ready for church and then gave the boys their Easter baskets full of goodies. Then we attended church. After church all of our family (both mine and Brian's) went to Huber's Farm in Indiana. We love it there. We ate at the resturant but the Easter egg hunt got rained out there :( But we enjoyed lots of family fun together. The boys were worn out!

Mother's Day

2011-05-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

I got to spend Mother's Day with my family. We went to church and then we met my family at Outback to eat. We went to my mom's house to spend time together and then after that we went to Brian's parents house and then out to eat with them. The boys and Brian got me a beautiful locket necklace (I need to put pictures of the boys in it). I have always wanted to be a mom and I am so greatful that God has given me this oppurtunity and the greatest kids and husband. I have been blessed with wonderful examples of great mothers in my life with my mom and grandmothers. I love them all so much. I pray that I can always be the best mother that I can be and honor God and my children. Yay the boys let me take pictures! (Oh and I had pink eye)

Brayden is 6 months

2011-04-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Brayden will be 6 months on Saturday. He is so sweet. He is full of personality. He laughs out loud all of the time. He loves his big brother so much and is always watching him. He loves to swing on the swing set. He has started eatting some solid foods. I have been making his food homemade. He likes sweet potatoes, bannanas, pears, peas, and carrots. He didn't like avacado or peaches but he does like the peaches mixed with sweet potatoes. He tried a baby mum mum for the first time today and LOVED it. He loves his paci. He is almost crawling. He can get up on all fours and scoot about 3 or for scoots like that. He tends to go backwards a lot though, haha. He rolls all over the floor. He can sit up unsupported for a little bit of time now. He still nurses about every 3 hours during the day. He has been sleeping from arounf 9:30pm til 7 or 8am the past few nights and then eatting and sleeping a little while longer. He can wear 6 months clothes and some 9 months clothes depending on the brand.

Bennett is 2!

2011-04-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

My Ethiopian beauty has turned 2 years old as of yesterday. It is amazing to think how much he has accomplished in those 2 years. He has forever changed our family. We are forever greatful for his birthmother at this time. Two years ago she gave birth to him in Africa and we are forever thankful for God's plan to have him in our family. We celebrated his 2nd birthday with a Elmo party (yes, Elmo AGAIN, the kid is slightly obsessed). Lots of family and friends attended. It was at our house due to rain instead of the park. Bennett had a blast with his friends.

So what has Bennett been up to lately? He loves being outside. In fact, for his birthday he got a huge playset for our backyard. He is in love. He also got a real golf set from daddy. It is soooo cute.

He has recently learned to jump with both feet off of the ground. He loves his little brother and smiles and laughs with him often. He loves watching Elmo. He goes to Mother's Day Out one day a week. He loves balls and cars right now. He has showed he has a little temper lately :) He still doesn't talk a whole lot but we are starting to work on that with him more and he is going to start speech therapy. He has been "playing soccer" on a team here. It is for all kids his age and they play little games with the kids to spark their intrest. Basically him and his good buddy Caleb run around the indoor soccer feild while other kids sit and listen to coach...hahaha. He is still a big time daddy's boy. He loves hanging out with his Auntie Christa and being around all of the family. He loves to climb everything and then jump off. He is great on the play ground. He recently has started to get shy when he firsts sees people. It is so cute. We look forward to raising our little boy!

laughing

2011-03-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Trip to Washington DC

2011-03-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we took a trip to Washington DC for my cousin Adam's wedding. We left Louisville at 6am and arrived in Cinncinati at 7am and were supposed to get to DC at 10:45am (with 2 hour lay over). Well we got on the plane in Cinnci and sat for a hour and then they had us get off the plane. Then they delayed and delayed and delayed the flight. Eventually around 3pm they cancelled that flight. We got rescheduled to leave Cinnci on a flight at 7pm, well then that flight got delayed as well. Oh boy. We called my mom and she was going to come pick us up and we were going to just go home. Well a costumer service lady convinced me to wait it out a little longer so we did and eventually we got to DC and in our hotel room around midnight! Oh what a day that was. We THOUGHT that flying would be quicker with the boys than driving. I am glad we stuck it out and got to see our family at the wedding. We scheduled our flight later on Sunday so that we could see family some more. When we got to the airport we soon learned our flight back to Cinnci was delayed which meant we missed our connection to Louisville. I just called my mom and her and Steve came to pick us up in Cinnci and we rode home with them. What an adventure :) (FYI...we flew Delta)

Bride and GroomLynnsey, Me and Brayden during ceremonyCousins Mackenzie and BraydenBennett thinks he is getting a drinkBennett :) Waiting in the airport

More airport waiting

Best family picture we got :(

Brayden and his NeNe

We tried to go swimming but the indoor pool was freezing!

Brayden with Alicia nad Andrea

Blog Slacker! and Phone Photos

2011-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

I know I have been slacking on my blog duties lately! The boys have been keeping me very busy lately. They are too cute if I don't say so myself. It is amazing to see the bond that is growing between these two brothers. I am glad God blessed me with these two at the exact time he did.

Here are some photos I have taken with my phone of the boys lately...the phone usually captures the best photos because they are candid, by the time I get the real camera they stop boing whatever was cute :)

Here they are watching Elmo together (sorry about the sideways) Here they are on Brayden's first wagon ride (I figured out to put him in the bumbo for the ride!)

Here is Bennett with his buddy Caleb watching Elmo while we are out to eat.

Here the boys are on the first grocery trip alone with mommy. They were so good for me!

Taking naps together.

Naps again!

Here is my little man playing with mommy !

This is them watching Elmo on daddy's phone this morning.

Pictures

2011-02-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

Well it is no suprise that I love getting the boys pictures taken. Bennett however is not the easiest person to get a picture of AT ALL. He is too funny, he will do anything to not smile in a picture. Thankfully we have a great photographer that can capture some pictures of him that I love! If you live near the Louisville area you should check out Audrey Anderson Photography, she is on facebook. Here are some she got yesterday. I love this one of Bennett...it shows his true personality haha! Wild man.

In this one Brayden is doing his forhead just like his daddy does.

This picture is what I had her take to try and copy this last picture of Bennett that another photographer did for us (Bennett is 9 months in his pics and Brayden is 4 months and they are wearing the same outfit). Below are what she was matching for me! YAY I love it, I am hanging them on the wall next to each other.

Thanks Audrey!

Showing off my boys

2011-02-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Playing with each other this morning

Bubble bath last night

Playing with his snail Auntie got him

Bennett playing in the drawer

Bennett and Brayden are both actually asleep in daddys lap last night (yes even though Bennetts eyes are open he is really asleep)

Tummy time

" Im gonna take that paci out just watch"

Growing Friendship

2011-01-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Bennett and his friend Caleb growing up together over the past 13 months. They have both changed so much! Love those boys. The last picture is from today and the first is from last January!

Bennett's First Day at Mother's Day Out

2011-01-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

Bennett has started Mother's Day Out on Mondays at our church. I am hoping it will give me time to clean around the house and spend some one on one time with Brayden, plus Mondays are Brian's busy day at home on the phone and computer. While he was gone I was able to do all of our laundry and dry it and fold it to put away, all of the dishes, vaccum, pick up the living room, make the bed, and a few other things including eat lunch, cuddle Brayden and feed Brayden. Here are some pictures of him before his first day!

Picture Challenge Day 4

2011-01-28T20:50:00.001-08:00

Something I wish I could forget: I wish I could forget my days of A&P 1 and 2! Also Adult Health class :) I hated those classes and they called for several days and nights of anxiety. Man I am glad I am done with school.

Picture Challenge Day 3

2011-01-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Favorite TV Shows: Teen Mom! Some of those moms are crazy but I enjoy watching :)

Law and Order SVU!

The Secret Life of An American Teenager

Picture Challenge Day 2

2011-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well it said a picture of someone I used to be close to but that sounds kind of depressing! HAHA. How about I post pictures of who I am close to now?

My husband, Brian! I love him so much! He is the best partner and daddy to my boys that I could have wished for! We have been together 7 1/2 years now.

My two little boys! I am never away from them hardly ever.

My NeNe, Mom and Sister Christa. They are the best help with my boys and they are tons of fun to be around. We trully enjoy hanging out all the time together (not just because we are family).

Other than family (is that cheating to just name family in this post? I guess it's my blog post so I can cheat if I want to)...I have gotten close to my friend Lindsey. She is a great witness to me when it comes to following the Lord. She also has the most adorable little girl. Plus she watched Bennett for me overnight when I was in the hospital with Brayden (and I hate leaving my kids so that must say something!). Also, my friend Kristen who is the mommy to Bennett's buddy Caleb! Both these ladies were there for me when I stepped off the plane with Bennett and then in the hospital with Brayden.

Picture Challenge Day 1

2011-01-25T11:51:00.001-08:00

Picture of myself and 15 facts about me. 1. I love hanging out with my family more than hanging out with friends(even before I was married).
2. I have an obsessive nature (haha ask my family).
3. I started dating my husband when I was only 15 years old.
4. I love matching (my boys, my husband and boys, my husband and me, even my sister and me)
5. My family tells me I am "retired" because I didn't do much realestate once I started nursing school and then I had my boys and stay at home with them.
6. I enjoyed planning my wedding so much and think the day was perfect.
7. My favorite drink is Unsweet tea with sweet-n-low.
8. My hair is naturally brown but has been blonde since I was 13.
years old.
9. My first name is actually Jonni (John-E) and I love it but hate when it is pronouced like Joanie.
10. I want to go back to Ethiopia to adopt again.
11. I love being a mini-van mom!
12. I hate brushing my teeth ( I do dont worry, its just not fun!)
13. I am not a good cleaner and wish to be better at it.
14. I love getting pictures taken of my kids.
15. My husband proposed to me on a beautiful carriage ride along the river with a amazing ring :)

Picture Challenge

2011-01-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

I have been a blog slacker so I copied this picture challenge to get me back into the routine! Here are the topics you can look forward to in the near future ( I am going to try and stay on top of it, we shall see :)

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you used to be close with.
Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of your favorite night .
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

These are good!

2011-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

You need to try these :) They are yummmmy.

Chicken and Dumplings

2011-01-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
2 cans of can butter biscuits (I use Pillsbury Grands southern style)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3 bouillon cubes
1 tsp garlic salt (optional)
3 to 4 boneless chicken breast

1. Boil chicken breast until done.
2. While chicken is boiling, prepare dumplings.
Roll out can of biscuits on a work surface sprinkled with flour. Make them as flat at you can and check that they have a light coating of flour. Tear them into peices, Set them aside.
3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside to cool, saving the water in the pot that the chicken was cooked in. Skim any foam off the surface; you want to make sure you have a good bit of water in the pot, about 3/4 full. If water has boiled off, then just add more.
4. Bring to a boil and add 1 can of Cream of Chicken, 2tbs butter, 3 boullion cubes, 1 tsp of garlic salt. Stir well
5. Over medium high heat, begin adding dumplings. Tear them into quarter size pieces and drop into the boiling water. Make sure to press down a little into the water.
6. Add chicken back into pot.

Hint: The less you stir the better they are, so after you add all of them, reduce the heat to medium setting, stirring only occasionally. Cook until the dumplings are soft; this usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.
This is what the peices of biscut look like.
They puff up like this when cooking.

Done!

Bennett approves. Great for a snowy day!

What do brothers do?

2011-01-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

Brothers.... Let Mommy take annoying pictures with us.

Spend time on the couch together.

Watch Elmo together and ignore Mom trying to take pictures.

Laugh at each other

Lay on the boppy together

Give a paci to each other

Think Mommy is silly with pictures again :)

Cheer for the Cardinals together

Kiss each other!!!

Bath Time

2011-01-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

It has become a fun activity at our household to give the boys baths together. Bennett has always loved them and Brayden does too! These boys are too much fun. They are going to be best friends.

One Year Mom

2011-01-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

Bennett got to celebrate his Gotcha say at Chuck E Cheese. It was fun seeing him play and seeing how much he has changed in a year. I got think back on how fun it has been being this wild mans mom for a whole year now! In one year I went from no kids to two wonderful boys!!! Bennett and Brayden are getting along great. Bennett will try to calm Brayden when he is crying or try to give him his paci. Brayden just watches Bennett in amazment. It is so funny. I love having two boys. Look at all Bennetts new teeth!!! and Brayden's best pouty lip :)

My Boys and Sleep

2011-01-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking on the blog it seems. We are working on getting the boys on somewhat of a "schedule". We dont really go by a schedule but just a little be more order. Haha. We kind of have the boys napping on the same time frame now. Brayden has started to be a happier baby and sleeps more at night. He will sleep from around 11pm to 6am and then eat and go back to sleep until 10:30am or so. It has been working out nicely. Brayden has been napping in his swing if we are home (he naps so much longer there compared to his crib). He will take a good 2.5hour to 3 hour nap around 3ish. Bennett has been taking a nap on the couch for about 1.5 hours to 2 hours (on a good day). Bennett still doesn't sleep in his bed at night, we don't really know a solution for that yet. Do you??? haha. Well I am going to try to be more on top of it with blogging. Hopefully.

Christmas Overview

2010-12-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Poor Bennett didn't feel himself on Christmas EveChristmas Eve PjsSanta cameBrayden enjoyed Christmas morningBennett wanted to know why we insisted on waking him up!With the presentsHe did love his piano he got! Brayden asleep on Christmas day

Bennett asleep on Christmas day

Sorry I haven't had much time to blog lately. The boys are keeping me busy. Bennett got sick 2 days before Christmas Eve with a fever and then a nasty nasty cough, well we took him to the doctor and turns out it was croup. Poor guy felt awful. He was so whinny and pitful, I felt so bad for him. Well his fever went away by Christmas Eve but he was still cranky and I didnt want to risk it in case he was still contagious so he couldn't go with us to my dad's family Christmas party. My mom offered to watch him so the rest of us could go. It would have been his first time to go and he would have loved playing with the kids. It broke my heart to leave him behind. I felt so bad. Poor guy didnt feel too good on Christmas either :( I was really looking forward to him having a good first Christmas but he just wasn't feeling good at all still. He wasnt into opening presents that much, but he did love his piano we got him. He still hasnt even finished opening presents at my moms house. Brayden was in a great mood Christmas morning and he loved opening presents, haha. He slept most of the time at Brian's parents house. The only thing he was interested in was watching his Elmo and laying down, poor guy. Well, he should really enjoy it next year anyways.

Happy 1 year Bennett Kuma Day!

2010-12-28T07:46:00.001-08:00

To help celebrate Bennett's "Gotcha Day" I thought I would do a post of a year with him in photos! We love our Bennett Kuma and are so glad he is in our Forever Family. God placed him in our life for amazing reasons! We could not imagine having any other family than the one He has given us. Here he is before we came to get him!Here we our on Bennett's Gotcha Day (December 28th, 2009).January 2010 (1st UL game he went to)Febuary 2010 (Valentines Day)March 2010April 2010 (His 1st birthday)May 2010June 2010 (Learning to walk)July 2010 (At Myrtle Beach)August 2010September 2010October 2010 (Halloween) November 2010 (Thanksgiving) December 2010

He has changed so much in one year! He was 8 1/2 months old when we got him and couldn't sit up really. Since he has been home he can sit up, crawl, then walk, then run, and even say some words. He is so fun to be around. He is always into something. He is go go go. He LOVES Elmo and by love I mean OBSESSED with the show. Thats pretty much all we get to watch now. He loves pizza and mac n cheese, strawberries, and chips, and any candy. He loves going to work with his daddy to do houses. He loves the park, swing and pool. There is too much to say about my wild little man. We pray the best for him and that he follows Gods will in his life.

Visiting Santa

2010-12-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today we took the boys to see Santa at the mall. Bennett did well and Brayden slept= success!

Brayden Rolling Over

2010-12-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Blog Challenge Day 14- Oprahs Favorite Things I would Like

2010-12-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

I dont really watch Oprah but I looked up some of her favorite things from this years episode and here is what I would want. Brian and I LOVE cruises and would love to take our whole family on one. I wonder when the boys will be old enough to take on one?

I need my closet professionally organized !!!!

I am more of a middle lover on brownies so I wouldnt want that but the lasagna one looks nice so I can have nice pretty peices when I make it.

UGGS and sparkle?! Love it in black.

Blog Challenge Day 13- Favorite Cookie Recipe

2010-12-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite cookie is No-Bakes. But not any no bakes, they have to be made by me or my mom. Everyone elses are yuck and too dry.

Here is the recipe:

1 stick margarine

1/3 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups raw quick cook oats

Melt margarine over medium heat, add cocoa, sugar, and milk. Heat until boiling, a full rolling boil. BOIL ONE MINUTE!!!!! (That is the most important part to make them good). Remove from heat, add vanilla, peanut butter and oats. Mix. Drop by teaspoons onto reynolds wrap.

I would love for people to stop making dry yucky No Bakes :)

ENJOY! (Oh and our favorite is to get a spoon and eat them still warm and melty! YUM)

Blog Challenge Day 12- Holiday Decorations

2010-12-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to post our holiday decorations in this post. Well we aren't done yet so it may need to be updated as we finish. No outside decorations have been put up yet, we will see if that happens this year, lol. We are getting our stockings embroidered so they aren't up yet.

My uncle and aunt got me a poinsetta!

Here is our white tree.

It is in our front window.

Here is my new 12 foot tree!!!!!! I love it!

Brayden relaxing by the tree.

Brian and Bennett looking at the lights under the tree.

First Family UL Game

2010-12-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the first time our whole family got to go to the UL game. It was Brayden's first time (at 7 weeks old). Bennett has gone to several this season with Brian and went to one last season. It was my first time in the new KFC YUM stadium! We had lots of fun. The boys did pretty well. We left with about 8 mins left in the game because Brayden was getting a little cranky. Lots of family fun and memories.

Blog Challenge Day 11: New Years Resolution

2010-12-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

I don't normally make new years resolutions but I guess I will since the challenge asks me to do so! My resolution is to loose the remaining 5lbs of baby weight I have from Brayden and then an additional 20lbs! Another resolution is to make sure I have a daily Bible quite time.

Blog Challenge Day 10: Favorite Holiday/Christmas Song

2010-12-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well I actually don't really like Christmas music...kinda weird I know. Sometimes it just annoys me for whatever reason.

Christmas Card

2010-12-01T20:10:00.001-08:00

Good Blessings Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Here is a preview of our Christmas card! Merry Christmas all :)

Photo Shoot

2010-12-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

I love matching outfits. LOVE them. I also love pictures of my boys. Even more so, pictures of my boys in matching outfits.

Trying to give Brayden his paci so he will stop crying.

Oh no paci fell out!

"Um Mom, he is crying!" is what Bennett is thinking.

Sleepy boys after church and lunch.

Africa Shirts

2010-12-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

You need to go here and order this adorable Africa shirt or one like it...it is for a great cause! Heather is doing something similar to what TOM's shoes does...as in every shirt bought she is going to send one to Africa. She is sending shirts to orphanages with families who are traveling for their adoptions and also with misson teams. They are a great price as well and would make great Christmas gifts. Here is my adorable model :)

Here is what she has currently available:
$11/Long Sleeve Onesie(nb-18mos): White (hope to have hot pink on 11.27.10)
$12/Toddler Tee(18mos-5T): White, Dark Gray, Black, Red
$14/Boy or Girl Youth Tee (XS-L): White, Black, Red, Dark Gray, Hot Pink
$15/Men or Women Adult Tee(S-XXL): White, Black, Dark Gray

Fabrics (Check out her blog to see what they look like):
Black & White Polka Dot Print
Black & White Zebra Print
Gray Polka Dot Print
Red Plaid Print
Gray Plaid

Shipping will be $5.00

Blog Challenge Day 9: Favorite Christmas Recipe

2010-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite holiday recipe is what my family calls Won Tons (Some call Sausage Stars).

Package of won ton wrappers
1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 ½ C. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 ½ C. Monterey jack cheese, grated

(Or can use 3 cups of the premixed bag of cheese)
1 C. Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing

Press one won ton wrapper in each cup of a muffin tin; Bake at 350 for five minutes (or until the edges are just golden brown). Remove won tons and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining won tons; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients well and fill baked wrappers. Bake at 350 for an additional five minutes or until bubbly. Makes 4-5 dozen.

This is a picture of what they look like before you put them in the 2nd time to get melty. I like mine a little more brown than this the first time so they get crispy the 2nd time but not burnt.

Another favorite recipe is Oreo Truffles.

1 pack of double stuffed oreos (double stuffed is better than regular in my opinion but both will work)
1 cream cheese
1 pack of white almond bark

Crush oreos in a food processer until dust like consistency, make sure to get all big peices. Save a few tablespoons of the oreo crumbs aside for cute decorations for top of truffles. Then add cream cheese and oreo dust together (mix with hands same way you would a cheese ball) until evenly mixed together. Roll out little balls about a 1/2 inch and place on cookie sheet. Then put in fridge to chill for about 10 mins. Melt almond bark and dip oreo balls into the chocolate. While still wet sprinkle a few of the oreo crumbs you set aside onto the top. Store in fridge.

Blog Challenge Day 8: Least Favorite Thing About Holidays

2010-11-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm....the least favorite thing about the holidays for me is ungreatfulness. Not much you can say about that. ? I mean Christmas isn't about presents anyways so might as well be greatful for what you get!

I love everything else about Christmas!!!

Blog Challenge Day 7: Favorite Craft for Holiday

2010-11-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well so far I havent done any. I want to paint ornaments with my sister, Christa. I am going tomorrow wth my sister and my "Little" Darsaya to paint our own pottery (not sure the actual pottery will be holiday themed but since I am doing it in holiday season I guess it will count as a holiday craft). My favorite is usually making some kind of crafty food with my sister. For instance for Thanksgiving we made turkeys out of candy corn, oreos, icing, and whoppers. They were cute! I will have to find something just as cute for Christmas time. I will probably do something that we find in the Christmas isle at Hobby Lobby just for fun.

Blog Challenge Day 6: Christmas Wish List

2010-11-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

Well I have been needing to think about this to give mom and Brian some ideas anyways so I guess now is the time!

I told Mom I want some Toms. I need some black shoes and with these shoes every pair you buy sends a pair of shoes to a child in need! How cool is that?

I told Brian I want him and the boys to pick me out some kind of jewelry that represents both boys...right now I have my Africa necklace with Bennett's name on it that I wear everyday. I thought it would be nice to have some type of jewlry that represents both my boys.

I of course always love UL stuff. Love monogrammed stuff. Love picture frames. Love pedicures and going out to eat (gift cards!). Shirts from Ordinary hero. Any adoption shirts or things that support a adoption fundraiser... so if you have one going on let me know so I can inform the people buying for me ;) A King size down comforter. Can't think of much else right now.

Bennett discovers Christmas lights

2010-11-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

Brian introduced Bennett into looking under the tree at the lights like we used to do when we were little kids. Bennett loved it.

Bennett Swinging

2010-11-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

Bennett wanted back in his baby swing the other night when Brayden wasn't using it...He fell asleep and was out for a long time! haha.

2010-11-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Brayden and I in our matching Black Friday shopping shirts! He did amazing shopping with me from 11:30pm to 11am the next day! He slept the most of the time. I didnt get a picture of my mom and shirt in their shirts :( We got some awesome deals and great stuff. I had lots of fun doing it with my family.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

We have a lot to be thankful for in 2010! Last year we had no kids at thanksgiving and this year we have two amazing little boys!!! Here are a few pictures from the days activities! Happy Thanksgiving!

Bennett Almost Gets Stitches

2010-11-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

So the other night Bennett pushed a chair down over on himself and cut himself above his right eye. He only cried for like a minute. I wasn't sure he needed sitches but we took him to the immediate care center down the road. He did not get them but he got a little glue put on it.

Blog Challenge Day 5: Favorite Holiday Shows/ Movies

2010-11-27T14:45:00.001-08:00

My favorite Christmas movie of all is How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I can Brian a Grinch all the time (I am just joking of course!). Roudolph is probably next. A Christmas Story is also a favorite, which plays 24/7 on Christmas day on TV I believe. I am looking forward to show Bennett the first two this year!!!

log Challenge Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season

2010-11-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am not the greatest in this area so this may be short :) My main thing is to shop on Black Friday. Then I shop the holiday sales. I know a few stores that have great deals on UL shirts, which my family loves. We also like giving pictures to people that we know that they would like which isn't usually to expensive. Set a price you want to spend per person and stick to it. Save up throughout the year and dont go into debt just for presents for everyone. Your family could draw names to save money. Also one thing I like to do now is try and find gifts that also fund someone's adoption or orphans in some way. Happy shopping!

Blog Challenge Day 3- Most Meaningful Gift

2010-11-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Well I am not sure if this counts but it is what I am going to say so I guess it will....the most meaningful Christmas gift I have gotten is our son Bennett. Last year he was our Christmas gift. We left the day after Christmas for Ethiopia! I really wanted him home before Christmas but God knew a better time and it was perfect :) We celebrated with him when we got home anyways on Ethiopian Christmas which is about a week after ours. Our life changed after last Christmas. Here is a picture of him in Ethiopia at Christmas time and then at home during our Christmas celebration.

I can't believe our first son has been home almost a full year! We are so glad that God knew the plan for our family and how it would grow when we didn't know. We wouldn't change one single thing that happened along the way, it all had to happen in order for us to have our handsome Bennett Kuma and our little Brayden! God is good.

Blog Challenge Day 2- Black Friday Tips and Tricks

2010-11-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wow how I love Black Friday!!! My mom has always gone out as long as I can remember on Black Friday to get the hottest toy out for me and my sister when we were younger. It is the hunt for the item that is the best part. Now that we aren't into toys anymore I get to go along with her! I have gone for the past 4 years I think? Last year was my sister's first time to join us. It is fun to all go together. We started a new tradition last year to get these matching shirts for shopping that my mom found on a website. I will have to post after this year a picture with this year's shirt. Here is last years. This year since I am nursing I decided Brayden will just go along with us! He can sleep in the carrier/sling I wear, it will be interesting but fine I am sure.

As for tips and things that you need to do in order to succeed in Black Friday shopping here we go: Thanksgiving day look through all the ads and decide prioriy of the really good items (you may not get all of the big ticket items therefore you need to figure out what you HAVE to get). Get a hour or two of sleep if you can. TIP: FORGET BEST BUY, ITS NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE. We have discovered to never even try Best Buy--you have to wait outside and they normally have such outragous deals with just a few available unless you want to camp outside you wont get anything good. TIP: It is best to start at a 24hour place, such as Walmart. Which is normally our place of choice. They have a great mix of electronics, toys, and other items. You have to have your "team" split up! We get there around 3am. Shop for the things on sale that arent HUGE ticket items that are wrapped up (somethings they dont unwrap and let you get until the sale time starts). TIP: MAKE FRIENDS WITH A YOUNG WORKER TO FIND OUT WHERE ALL THE GOOD STUFF IS PLACED THROUGHOUT WALMART (They may even sneek things from the back for you if you are lucky). Once you have all of your stuff and they open the checkout lanes get ready for some rude people. No one likes to merge lines but a good attitude helps deal with the frustration. Don't want to be the crazy people who actually get in fights shopping! After walmart we usually see if Target has anything good still that we can get. Then it is time for breakfast (its usually about 7 or 8am now). After we are refreshed we may hit up some random stores that had sales we need and then it is time for the mall. The mall usually is okay to wait on items until this time because I dont feel they sell out of things as fast, plus we are usually getting clothes there not anything electronic or too popular. TIP: EVEN IF NOT BRINGING A BABY TO MALL, BRING THEIR STROLLER TO HOLD YOUR PURSE AND BAGS. IT CAN GET EXHAUSTING WITHOUT.

I think that is all I can think of right now. Once you go a few times you tend to learn what works for you and your family best!

Day 1 of Blog Challenge: Christmas/ Holiday Traditions

2010-11-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

I love LOVE love having traditions. I am trying to think of more to have with the boys. We have to make several family visits for the holidays to incooperate both my moms side, dads side, and Brian's family. Brian and I have gotten pretty good at getting to spend a lot of time with both sides.

THANKSGIVING:

For thanksgiving we always go to his parent's house first around noon and stay there until around 4pm (unless my dad's side has something then we add their house for about a hour during this time). My dad will go to Brian's parents house as well so that we can spend time with him. We leave his parents and go to my mom's house for dinner (usually it is just my immediate family and uncle Phil and cousin Brittany but this year my Uncle Chris and his family are coming as well YAY!). After turkey dinner at mom's we sit and go through the Black Friday ads and decide our plan of attack for our shopping! Then the shopping begins... more about that on the Black Friday blog challenge post.

CHRISTMAS:

We always get a family ornament made and now the boys will get a new one each year. We now have 3 Christmas trees, a 12ft green one for the living room, a 6 foot white one to look girly, and a skinny green one for UL decorations.

A new tradition I want to start is one I saw the other day called Elf on a Shelf! LOL. It looks so cute. Here is the discription of the tradition: "How does Santa really know whether a child has been naughty or nice? The elf answers the age old question in "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition."The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is an activity the entire family will enjoy - and one that is sure to come back year after year. This cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location (yup - that's where you come in as a parent - you get to find a new spot each night!). This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game each and every morning." You buy the book and it comes with the cute little elf you can hide! How fun is that?

For my mom's extended family we always pick a weekend that works for everyone's schedules within a few weeks before Christmas to celebrate together. This is always done at my mom's house. We have a big dinner and exchange presents.

I want to start the tradition of reading the the Christmas story in the Bible to the boys after breakfast on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is spent with my dad's side of the family. We always go to someones house (used to be my Aunts but the past couple of years has changed, once at our house and then at another relatives, not sure where it is this year). There are always several little ones running around and Brian and I always love playing with them, and this year we get to add our own! We have several appetizers and snacks that everyone brings and eats on all night and the actual "meal" is eatten at mednight. We have had this tradition as long as I can remember. The family always plays games together at the kitchen table. Makes for a late night.

We are starting the tradition to give the boys Christmas pjs on Christmas Eve to wear. We will set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. We will put presents under tree after boys are asleep. In the morning we will wake up with the boys and open presents with them. Once we have done that we will head over to my mom's house (we only live 12 houses away from her now!) to open presents with them when they wake up (so likely by 10:30ish) and have some breakfast. After that we will head to Brian's family's house for lunch and presents. We will stay their until about 5:30pm and then head back to my mom's for dinner. My dad will come to Brian's parents house too so that we can see him on Christmas day too. At mom's we will have Christmas dinner. I want to start the tradition of having a Birthday cake for Jesus and singing (I think the boys will like this and it will emphasize Jesus's birthday to them). Every Christmas night we go to the movies (even last year when we were leaving for Ethiopia the very next morning we went! We left early due to my mind not able to concentrate very well on the movie lol but we still went!)...this year we are hoping to find a good kids movie to attempt to take the boys to.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR TRADITIONS???? I AM LOOKING FOR FUN THINGS TO DO WITH THE BOYS. ESPECIALLY THINGS TO INCORPORATE CHRISTS BIRTH INTO OUR HOLIDAYS!

Littlest UL fans

2010-11-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here are the two cutest Cardinal fans around. Bennett has been enjoying going to the basketball games at the new stadium with Daddy and Uncle Darrell!

Bennett's Adoption Finalization

2010-11-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

November 16, 2010 Bennett had his court date here to make the adoption "final" ( it technically already was but more paper work pretty much). This court date made him a USA citizen and changed his name legally! Very exciting to have him become a citizen. Brayden also turned a month old.

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge

2010-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

So I have never done one of these blog challenge thingys before but my friend Ryan posted this and I thought that I would try to do it too!

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks
Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles
Day 11: New Year Resolutions
Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outdoor)
Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe
Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

Days 1 -3 are November 22 - 24
**** NO BLOG CHALLENGE ON Thanksgiving! ****
Day 4 will pick back up on November 26th!!
This starts on Monday, so gather your ideas and be ready to link up. Go visit Aly's blog for more details!

Shutterfly Holiday Cards!

2010-11-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

I really love photos, especially of my boys :) Shutterfly is a great place to order prints of your photos. I have used them to print photos, print Brayden's birth announcement, and make a photobook for Bennett with pictures of him from Ethiopia. They have tons of great gift ideas for the holidays as well. I plan on using them to print my Christmas cards as well! I will be able to add photos of the boys and a family picture too! Here are just a few cards that I like so far. This one I could have one of each boy and then a family one. Plus it says Merry Christmas. You can find it here.

This one would be nice for a picture of each boy. You can find it here.

This one is a folded card so you could put a message inside! You can find it here.

If you have a blog you can get 50 FREE holiday cards from Shutterfly....sign up HERE!

A lot of people who read this blog are in the process of adopting or are starting a family so Christmas cards may not be in the budget...but they can be now!

Adoption Awareness

2010-11-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

November is Adoption Awareness month and today was Orphan Sunday. Our son once was a orphan in Ethiopia and now his is ours forever and a orphan no longer. It is easy to ignore the fact that there are several orphans all over until you see their sweet faces. Here is one face that I saw :) This is him in an outfit that we sent over for him in Ethiopia.

Our first meeting.

Here is my little man now!

Words cannot express how much we love this little man!

Brayden's First Time to Church

2010-11-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

October 31, 2010 Brayden was able to go to church for the first time at 2 weeks and 1 day old. He did so good in service.

Halloween Season Pictures Overload

2010-11-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of all of our Halloween fun. Bennett was a lion and Brayden was a pumpkin. Below they are in their Halloween pjs.

Family picture after trick-or-treating.

Auntie Christa was scottish.

Brayden in the candy bowl.

Bennett rode in style while collecting candy.

Brayden rode in his carrier.

On the hayride at church's fall festival.

Mischievious Bennett

2010-11-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

So Bennett has been discovering new things he can get himself into. We have had to re-proof the house this week. Here are some pictures to show what he is into. He learned how to open doors with long handles...including this one which leads to the garage. He opened the door and walked down the stairs (which he doesn't really know how to do?) and got into his car. He can also reach the stove now so it has protective sheild to prevent him from burning himself. Oh, and the oven, he can open it too so it has a new latch. He can reach the round knobs so we know it was only a matter of time before he opened them, therefore they now have covers on them.

He lovvvees getting into Mercedes food..and WATER. And yes he does eat it some too. YUCK!

And worse he loves opening the bathroom door and getting out the gross toilet bowl brush. EWWW. This boy is yucky lol.

Oh and for added cuteness....a picture of Brayden.

Brothers

2010-10-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been wondering how Bennett is handling being a big brother. I think he is doing wonderfully. He is very curious about Brayden. He often looks at him and then just grins. He also will give Brayden lots of kisses, which just melts my heart!!! Bennett doesn't understand why I can't pick him up which is hard for me (I had a c-section and can't lift anything heavier than Brayden for 6 weeks!). Thanks for all of the prayers, visits, messages, flowers, and meals; we have great friends and family!

Brayden has arrived!

2010-10-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

We started induction on Saturday morning at 7am. Started out great, was having strong contractions on Pitocin and I didn't even hurt really. I eventually got the epidural because I assumed pain would start eventually considering I was on the highest dose at that point. Well after a while I stopped making progress despite really good contractions. They thought the baby may just be too big. Around 11pm they decided a c-section was going to be our best option. So we went ahead with that. Brayden was born at 11:19pm weighing 8lbs 7oz and 20inches long. And he has a head full of long black hair! We love him and cant wait to be home with both of our boys. Bennett is not quite sure what is going on yet but I am sure he will love it too.

Maternity Pictures

2010-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

We got the chance to have maternity pictures taken and here are a few of the favorites that we got. Audrey Anderson Photography took the pictures. We also got news that we are going to start induction on Saturday so we should have baby Brayden in our arms this weekend!

38 weeks

2010-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Real Estate Business

2010-10-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Most of you all probably know that my husband and I have our own real estate company, B & B Gibson Realty. Well we our expanding and have recieved some new government contracts to list and sell HUD owned homes and REO properties. We are also trying to expand our use of the internet to show people the available properties and gain new clients. Our website is http://www.BandBGibsonRealty.com. You can also find us on Facebook under B & B Gibson Realty or on Twitter under BBGibsonRealty. If you or anyone you know in Kentucky are looking to buy or sell homes let us know!

Bennett getting hair done for 1st time

2010-10-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

We have been having issues with Bennett's hair in the back...it was kind of wild. It wouldn't curl in the back of his head; it stuck straight out. Well my "Little" sis from BBBS's mom said she would help! YAY! We thought is may need to be braided for a few days but turns out it just needed to be picked out really good because it was knotted in the back where it was sticking out straight. Mr. Bennett HATED this. I am sure it hurt the poor guy :( Mommy is trying to do better at his hair now! It is much curlier in the back now. Thanks Theresa.

Too cute

2010-10-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Bennett is getting so cute I just had to post some recent pictures :)

37 weeks and counting

2010-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well we have reached 37 weeks. Today we are actually 37weeks and 5 days along! We went for a ultrasound today and a check up. He is measuring 8lbs 1 oz according to the ultrasound (which we know can be off). He looks good. Looks like he has my nose and Brian's lips and cheeks, we will see. I am progressing in the pregnancy. She said if I have not went into labor before next weeks appointment we will discuss induction :) YAY. We may have a baby in a week or so! It is getting so close. Thanks for all the prayers!