My Baby Is So Big

If you can't tell she is fascinated by the camera so she won't smile for it yet. She is the smiliest baby. Wish you could see it!

Ready, Set, GO...

So Paul started his finals this week. Study, study, study. We do still get to see him one hour a day. Not much, but more then not at all. We have doctors appointments coming out our ears. Briley and Bryant both have to have one for WIC and Briley needs her second round of shots. I have to have one for WIC as well and Paul needs a physical to turn into school or we get no loan money next semester. Then we have the actual WIC appointment.
On top of all that we are getting ready for Christmas. We decided that we need the tree up even though we won't be here. You know, for the sake of tradition. I also have to finish 2 Christmas presents I have started.
As soon as all of that is over, we pack our bags, which we all know is a process that is never ending when you have kids, and go sit either in a plane or in an airport for 10 or 11 hours to get to Washington on the 16th. After spending time with my family we are off to California on the 25th for more Christmas fun.
Since it is all going to be so crazy. I doubt that we will be blogging much. So to all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Years. Love you all!

Uh Oh it's too quiet

Well as usual, when it gets too quiet I look for Bryant under the table. Chances are I will find some sort of mess. This time Dawn Action Foam all over him, the chairs and the floor. Exciting!!!

Funny...but not funny!

Christmas Already

On Saturday we took a trip to Aventura Mall for some family time. Upon arrival we saw the Christmas express choo choo as Bryant would call it.

He definitely did not want to wait in line...But in the end thought it was totally worth it! He still has not stopped thinking about it.

Finally Something New

When we moved out here I went back to my natural color and my hair grew like 3 inches from taking my pre-natals. It got boring and mousey brown blahness (I know, odd description). So a friend in the ward, a hair stylest, helped me out. You can't tell a lot from this picture, but there is a lot of blond back through and I nice medium brown. It looks great! Plus we did a bunch more layers to make it more fun. I am finally feeling like a woman again. New hair and no breast feeding!!!!!

This Weekend

Saturday Paul got up with Bryant and Bryant accidentally poked Paul in the eye. At first he had to ignore it because he a had a paper to write. While Paul was writing his paper, the kids and I went off to the mall to play at the play place. We had never played there before, but Bryant had a blast. After an hour or so we got a phone call from Paul saying that his eye had gotten worse, not better. He had a doctor in our ward call in a medicated eye drop to help the cut heal. Today it is looking a whole lot better. It was all puffy and red. You could even see where Bryant put in his little finger nail. OUCH!

Today the kids looked so cute for church I had to put some pictures up. Bryant finally got some new church clothes. The ones he has been wearing, if he wears church clothes at all, were a size 18 month. The pants were major high waters and we had to roll the sleeves to his elbows so the shirt didn't look as small as it really was. He just looks like a little missionary now. And my little Briley was full of smiles and looked pretty darn cute herself.

Halloween

First we carved some pumpkins with Jimmie and Nichole. I did the ghosts and Paul did the skull. Turned out pretty good for our first time ever doing an actual design. Then we moved on to costume fun. Briley was a Love bug and a pumpkin, and Bryant was a Cranky cowboy and a skunk. No skunk picture, but the cowboy thing was a 2 second fit he threw. Pretty funny!

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to rotate these, but that's my pumpkin and her good friend Koa (Jimmie and Nichole's boy) playing on the floor together. He was a cute little ghost.

Season's Over

The Season has now come to a close. Yesterday they played a game to get into the championship and won. Yay! Then they sat out a game and rested while they found out who the other team would be that they would play against. Then our little 1st year Pod Posse made it to the played the championship game. Unfortunately they lost. Luckily they didn't feel too bad because the other team had been a team for 3 years and had practiced a lot. This being their first year they couldn't complain.

These are a few of the cheerleaders that were at every game.....well almost!


This is Paul yelling to his team for the great play that just happened. It also displays the jealousy of a little boy, who wants so desperately to be part of the team.
So they gave him some flags so he would feel special.

Of course the night wouldn't be complete with out playing a game of keep away. They just had to make him cry!!!

Don't worry he got it back. The kid loves playing sports with Daddy. What can I say!?!

Halloween with the Playgroup

We had a big Halloween party at a friend in the play group's sisters house. They own 2 acres in South Florida and decorated it very elaborately. It was great. They had a haunted corn maze, which was actually palm trees not corn, and 2 haunted houses. Bryant of course being Bryant, found the only thing not Halloween to play with. I battery powered car thing. He and 3 of the other boys at the party played on it, taking turns driving, all day.

It was way too hot to be in Halloween costumes due to the fact it was 80 degrees and we were all sweating like crazy, so none of us were in our costumes for long. Briley got so hot she decided to sleep it off in the shade for a few hours. It was a lot of fun, but it always is.

Bit Chilly

Well it has gotten a bit chilly down here at the SE tip of the country. It got into the 40's last night. We went to watch Paul play football last night and by half time my little football lover was crying togo back to the car to warm up. Even with sweatshirts on it was pretty cold. Poor Briley was bundled like no other and hated every second of it. Not a fan of the cold either. Boy do they have it coming when we move back west after school. Should be back in the high 70's by tomorrow though. Thank goodness!

Monster Bash

On Saturday this weekend, we went to the Miami SeaQuarium (Miami's version of Sea World) for there Halloween party. It was too hot for either of the kids to stay in their costumes. We'll have to pictures up after Halloween with that. Now we were kind of disappointed because when we first walked in, they put a giant live parrot on Bryant's arm and took a picture. We were dumb and did not have our camera out at the moment and didn't get the picture. He was kinda freaked out, but decided he thought it was pretty cool and had a big grin on his face for the picture. After that there was trick-or-treating, which was really people trying to advertising and would put a flyer and some candy in the bag as they tried to sign you up for credit cards and stuff, and there were some kiddy rides, but Bryant, much to his disgust, was too short to ride any of them. Not too happy about that one.

You can't really see great because it was so dark out, but that is a giant seal that did a show with some scary witches. I think they were trying to re-do Hocus Pocus, but with water and sea lions.


You can barely see, but in the back of these ones there is a pirates ship. They did a pirate skit with a bunch of dolphins. Bryant loved all the flips and tricks they are able to do. As for Briley...she did pretty good the whole time, but right near the end of the last little bit, we knew we had to leave. She got hungry and needed a diaper change. Due to the rain there was no where to sit down to feed her without getting soaked and as you can see I wasn't thinking and wore white pants. I ended up having to sit on Bryant's costume and getting it all wet and nasty during shows. Should have thought that one through a little more.

And these guys are the friends Bryant made on our way out. Pretty creepy bunch!

We were just grateful that we were able to go out and do something fun as a family for Halloween. It was great to have Paul with us for that long of a time period. Lot's of fun!

Jogging stroller

A friend of mine out here was getting rid of a jogging stroller and was nice enough to offer it to us. Briley doesn't know what to think and Bryant loves it. He thinks it's fun to ride next to baby sister. Thanks Sharon. We love you!

Bryant's Photography

Quite the photographer!

Updates

Thanks to the help and advise given by family and friends, our little family is starting to fall into a pretty good routine. It was so good of everyone to bring meals and share stories to help me while adjusting to this big change. We still have our good days and bad days, but thanks to good friends out here in Florida we are finally up and running.
Paul has been studying like crazy and is happy to announce some pretty good grades so far. He is having fun with his football team and has only lost 2 games. When they lose it is only by a few points, but when they win....it's by a landslide. Bryant loves to run around the field while they play. We got him his own football and some cleats so he doesn't slip on the grass. He feels like he's part of the team and looks like it too, only he's about 4 feet shorter than the other players.
Briley is getting so big and so close to finally cracking the real smiles. Until then I'll still pretend that the gas smiles are really her smiling at me. The two of us are still only waking up one or two times in the night and very grateful for it.
As for me, I am trying to get some sleep, some exercise and have a little fun. Every once in a while I get to do all 3 in one day. We love everyone and miss you all terribly.

Too Late For a Nap

Bryant fell asleep while we were playing video games.

Flag Football

For some down time, the first year podiatry students formed an intramural football team that plays a few nights a week. Paul has really liked the release and the exercise and Bryant has really liked going and running around with the big boys. All the wives and I get together on the side lines and hang out. So really it's great for all of us to get out of the house and do something fun. Paul has me being the soccer mom now and bringing Capri suns and orange slices for the team.

Cookie Day

So we got bored today when Bryant decided not to take a nap. I decided it might be fun to have Bryant, I mean Super man, help me make some snickerdoodles. His Grandma bought him those pajamas and now he won't take them off. He can fly with them on ya know. Anyways.. I would roll them into a ball and he would roll them in the sugar and put them on the tray. He had a blast with it

This is the finished product. Let me tell ya.....they are good!
Bryant thought so too

Briley just kicked it out on the cuddle bag luckilyThen after all the cookie eating and kicking, they crashed. Today was a good day!