For Once I'm Not Talking About Brylee

Isn't she beautiful?!

The Holiday Brylee Took Over 3 Homes

And what a Merry Christmas it was for her! (and us!). I can tell you that I went to bed last night feeling blessed and humbled.

I woke up on Christmas Eve to this sight:










Cary let me sleep in while he took care of Brylee in the morning. I made the comment just a day or so earlier that it was too bad that she didn't unwrap more presents so we could have layers and layers of paper for everyone to tear up...so Cary decided that he would let her get to it, before we met his family. I got a good laugh out of what I saw and spent some of the morning taping up vital parts of presents!










We got to Cary's parents' house around 11:00 Friday morning, and Chester spent his day outside, loving every bit of the rain and cold the day provided.













Lunch consisted of turkey, broccoli rice casserole, sweet potatoes, fruit salad, dressing, cranberries, and a huge variety of pies and tarts, chocolates, cookies, Russian tea, and a cherry cake!

Present time!










Can you tell that everyone was eager to help Brylee get her gifts together? She is most certainly loved by these people!

Faith and I got matching necklaces! Great taste, Brenda!










I'm still in shock from the gifts I have walked away with. Not shown in the photo is a Roku (Netflix box), a tv device that allows us to watch real-time tv from anywhere, including the phone, and an 'emergency' kit for women, and a Devotional journal from Cary's aunt Peggy. Cary also got a remote airplane.













Brylee loved to sit in her Aunt Faith's lap and look through the books she got. She even managed to forget that she had bows stuck in her hair!













And look at the great gift Brylee got! It interacts with the tv to help teach her music, shapes, colors, alphabet, numbers...she loves it!













A McFadden tradition is to go look at Christmas lights after dinner and opening gifts, so we all piled into the car(s) and headed out! This was the first year we all had to separate, mostly because of Brylee's car seat. But it worked to Brad's advantage because he got to follow his daughter's tradition of sticking her head out the window to see the lights from the best place in the car.




















Christmas morning found us waking up early to feed Brylee and open gifts! Santa was very good to Brylee with this bean bag chair that she can sit in, instead of Chester's bed (her choice, not ours!)










One of her gifts from us consisted of a Dallas Stars jersey, which is just slightly too big for her...room for her to grow!













And of course, Chester didn't fare too bad himself!













After Cary, Brylee, and I opened our gifts, we went to my parents' house for the day of Jarvis fun. And again, she made out like a bandit!










Including 4 outfits, 2 little cars, a sippy cup, a cd, and a 'cook and learn' toy pot, she got away with a 'turbo turtle' and a tent with a crawling tunnel!























Our messy den!










This dress is my first Christmas dress:













Uncle Bill spoiling his little niece:




















Included in Brylee's gifts was another 'tent', or a pop-up cat that can be crawled around in from her Granny J. We connected the tunnel to it as well, making a big covered up play area for her to wander around in. Her cousin Ashton also loved playing in it (as seen by the hand peeking out)!











And even her teen-aged cousins enjoyed sneaking into it:





















Lunch was Texas brisket with mac and cheese, potato salad, rolls, baked beans, chips and dip, and pies. As always, delicious!

The party continued on with mom's side of the family joining us, as well as my aunt's family and Granny J. There were so many gifts to open, so many people to talk to, delicious food, and new games to try out...what an exhausting day!

When I took the pictures of the gifts last night, I did it in a really weird way, so I will see how I can explain them per picture:

The traditional fruit and nuts that stuff our stockings:










Brylee's jersey and books, as well as Cary's and my ornaments/stocking stuffers. On the jersey is a gift I gave Cary: tickets to the Dallas Stars game on Wednesday. All you can eat is included in the price of these tickets...and the best part? (Well, not to Cary...he's pretty stoked about the all you can eat) The tickets are to the Detroit Red Wings game...sure to be a big hit!










The big red bean bag chair that Santa brought Brylee, as well as the adorable pillow that Aunt Amy made for Brylee...she is so talented!










More toys and books that Brylee came away with. Her Aunt Peggy and Aunt Gail were so sweet and sent her books to read. She (and I!) love books and can't wait to read them!










Another picture of the jersey as well as the other outfits Brylee got. She's worn 3 out of the 4 already, and looks adorable in them!










My Granny W made this beautiful quilt for our family. I can say that all 3 of my grandmas have an extraordinary talent, and this is proof of just one!










Shirts that Cary received (3 out of 4); the yellow from my parents, the others from me:













2 shirts and an apron I got from my parents:










The jar full of candy. Let's see how long I can keep from eating every bit!













In this picture, there are gloves and a scarf, which was a stocking stuffer for me from Cary. For those who don't know, I love scarves...I just don't live in a climate that allows for them to always be worn. Also, there is a handmade keychain from my aunt Amy, as well as geocaching supplies for Cary, and the beautiful necklace!










Brylee also got new shoes from Santa, I got a movie from Cary, and Granny J spoiled us with puzzles and Christmas decorations (the angel ornament came from her as well!)










The most fun of Christmas came on Christmas night when we let Brylee get to the tree again to play with her ornaments...and ended up bringing down the entire tree!













**This post is only some-what put together, with pictures missing, as well as more captions. Watch for more to come.

I have so many people to thank and hug, and I don't know quite how to do it. I guess I'll have to do it more than just virtually!

Were You Naughty Or Nice?

I hope everyone had as magical of a Christmas as we did. Watch for the big post about it!

13 Months

Oh my! Why haven't I updated the blog about Brylee turning 13 months?! Probably because she turned 13 months before I even knew it.

What has been happening for this little one? She's toddling around, almost preferring to walk over crawl. She will stand up, take a few steps and then plop down to crawl the rest of the way to her destination.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday to re-check her weight as well as talk to the doctor about her eating. She was doing well, and we were increasing her intake, but she then developed another cold, and whenever she coughed, she ended up spitting up her food. She wasn't too bothered by it afterwards, and we joked that she did it just so she could get another bath. Now, she just seems to vomit up her food without the cough. So the doctor thinks she has reflux and has prescribed her Prevesid. Fingers crossed that she can start gaining weight...she has been at 16 1/2 pounds for about 2 months now!

With the Christmas season here, Cary and I have been going to the malls to check out all the craziness. This is nice for Brylee because we also stop at the play court for her to play in...and we leave with her exhausted! It gets her some interaction with other little ones, as well as learning how to share and handle rougher kids. She's a good girl!

STILL no teeth, but the doctor said that she is not concerned and can even see them in the gums, just not makign their grand appearance yet.

She loves to say 'hi' and will wave to anyone that will pay any attention to her. It is so cute to see!

She loves playing with the presents under the tree, taking off the bows, and trying to unwrap a couple. She still takes the ornaments off and tries to put them back on. I love this time of year, and I will be sad when it's over and the tree is down and she can't play with it anymore. But there's always next year!

Peace On Earth...

Feeling A Little Behind

It feels like forever since I have posted anything, and yet it's only been 4 days!

We are mostly finished with Christmas shopping and wrapping. Hopefully this last week will be spent enjoying watching other people scramble around to finish their shopping. I love this time of year!


Wednesday was the 3 year anniversary to be married to the greatest man ever. Cary, you know how to make me smile, laugh, and enjoy every moment of everyday. Thank you for being my best friend and everything I can ask for in my life!

Friday, Cary, Brylee and I went to Stonebriar mall to enjoy the day out. We checked out the play area for Brylee to crawl around...which she loved, of course! And as a bonus, Mrs. Claus had storytime at 1:00...and Brylee surprised us by behaving through one book!

Friday night was originally set aside to volunteer at our church with their first annual Christmas Tree Farm. They sold Christmas trees, had concession stands, and also hay rides. However I received a text during the week that the last day for the sales was on Wednesday, so through email communications, I learned that we were free for Friday now. Which turned into dinner with my parents and the Christensons. This is the last 'hurrah' before Jeff starts his new job in January, working him late into the night. As always, lots of laughing and fun...and Brylee stole the show!

Saturday mom, dad, Cary, Brylee, and I visited the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine and went to the ICE show, featuring Charlie Brown and friends!

What a cool experience! Despite being very crowded and not very organized, we finally made our way through the lines, into giant blue parkas, through a video, and then finally to the ice designs. It is hard to believe that these things were carved out of ice, even with the very cold temperatures all around. I didn't feel the cold until we were in line to go down a slide and I put my hand on a rail. After that my hands and face became more and more cold.

I enjoyed going through, and I hope my parents, Cary, and Brylee enjoyed as well. Though it is not worth going every year due to the chaos and prices, I would love to experience it again when Brylee can remember and enjoy it more.
























































On Saturday night, Brylee got to be with her Oma and Opa while Cary and I got to go out and celebrate our 3 years together. We went to dinner at Bruno's for dinner, which is our annual tradition since our rehearsal dinner. Of course we started out with a short geocache hunt, and then went on to enjoy our chicken parmesan...still the best I've ever had!

Afterwards, we went to a movie...or two...or 3. We originally went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia, but the show wasn't in 3D for the time we were aiming for, so instead we went to see Tron. The theater was marked Tangled, but tickets told us this room...and after going through all of the previews, it was Tangled. I wasn't opposed to see it again, but others in the theater were. So it was stopped, and we were told the correct movie was about to come on...and then popped up Harry Potter. Again, not much of a loss for me to see that again, but then they finally turned on Tron. So, as the manager said that we got 3 movies for the price of one...

After the movie, Cary and I made our last stop at the Cheesecake Factory for, what else?, but cheesecake! Oh, how it has been too long since having any!!!! I got the Reese's peanut butter with caramel and chocolate cake cheesecake, and Cary got the 30th anniversary chocolate cake cheesecake...both delicious and very rich. We both weren't able to finish them!

And now, tomorrow begins the fun countdown to Christmas and all of our family gatherings.

I love this time of year!

And Here It Is!!!

We call her 'Frankenbaby'!

Somebody's Walking...

I'll wait for a video to reveal who is taking the tiny steps, but I'll hint that it is not the bald one in this photo. Isn't this the best picture you have ever seen?!?