My Little Sous Chef

Look at the adorable apron my Aunt Amy made little Brylee! She looks so cute in the green touched with red ladybugs...I put her in it last night while I made dinner. Maybe I'll find my own apron that matches so that we can bake cookies as a matching pair when she's a little bigger!

Amy also made cute pink ones for my cousin's little girls. She also made the cake and decorations for Brylee's baby shower...do you think she could rub a little of her talent onto me?

Game Night June 2010

Oh yes...the night that will live in infamy. Ok. Not really, but it was, as all other game nights, exceedingly fun.

I got to introduce Brylee's 'rock star' look Saturday night, and she looked stylish and adorable!

She had only had about a 1 hour nap during the day, so the poor thing was just so sleepy and fussy. Even more so, poor Uncle Bill! Her reaction to him was not good...no matter how much he tried!



Much like Uncle Brad, Brylee got nervous and cried whenever she saw Bill. He got on the floor and tried playing with her favorite toy, her ball. But she just got nervous.

Delicious hot dogs were our dinner, and then Bill, Ivan, Granny, Mom, Dad, Cary, and I gathered around the dining room table and started playing Apples To Apples. I love that game, and it's been forever since we've played it!

Half-way into the game, we got a surprise visit from Aunt Amy and her two sons, Steven and Spencer. It's been way too long since we've had a game night with those 2 teen-age boys with us!

The 3 of them pulled up to the table and we dealt new cards to play more. By this time, Brylee was exhausted, and B-Pa and T-Ma did everything they could to entertain her, including dad playing the banjo.

It is not exactly easy to describe, but playing Apples To Apples with the family causes so much laughter, it hurt. Whenever Granny was judge, she would make a story out of the cards given to her. I got great pictures of Amy making silly faces (no, Amy, I will not post them, just mention them...). I got a hilarious video of Cary goofing off (what else is new?)...The fun ended about 10:00 that night. I remember when they used to last until 1:00-2:00...We must be getting old!

What another successful game night! I do hope we can do it again soon. Bill will be coming to our apartment on Friday night, so hopefully Brylee will adjust to him more easily.


One question: how did this post become so Brylee-picture full?

Dallas World Aquarium

Saturday, I got to take my dad to the Dallas World Aquarium for his belated Father's Day gift. It was a special day, just the two of us, much like the time I got to spend with mom.

This was dad's first trip there, and I think he liked it. His favorite part? When he got to hold a toucan. We saw so many amazing, unique lizards, fish, birds, monkeys, and sea life.

Words can't really express the amazing time we had, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!











Dad and the toucan












Can you see the Octopus?


































No, that is not a nest...that is a 3-toed sloth!












Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko






















LUNCH!






















Thank you, Poppy, for a wonderful day! I do miss our father-daughter time!

Best Field Trip Friday Yet!!!

This photo was taken today at Decorator's Warehouse in Arlington. Cary decided to take the day off to enjoy with us, which made the day extra special. He surprised us with this adventure, which Brylee LOVED. We then spent the rest of the day just relaxing and being a family. What a blessing!

Happy 6 months until Christmas!

Lesson #210

Just learned that Brylee is does not like this:



And is not ready for this:



Sigh...now back to cleaning the highchair while Cary cleans the child...

Holiday Weekend Part II

Saturday was a busy and tiring day, but Sunday proved to not be any less crazy.

My cousin Kim is in town from Colorado for the week, so my dad's side of the family got together for some large family time.

On Sunday morning, we all met at Babe's in Sanger, where we ate some delicious chicken, green beans, corn, rolls, salad, and mashed potatoes. Brylee got to try some mashed potatoes, as well as her first lemon (no real response...though I got it on video!). She also joined her cousins in doing the Hokey Pokey and got a sticker!































After lunch, we all re-convened at my uncle's house where a Slip N' Slide was set up and water guns were filled. It was so incredibly hot outside, so I couldn't resist pulling off Brylee's clothing and letting her sit on the slip n slide and just get a little wet and cooler.

Kim and Erica's kids are so cute and adorable. Kim has 3 little girls, all 5 and under, but they are so sweet, outgoing, and well behaved. Erica has a 10 year old son who is such a character, and cracks me up whenever I see him. It's a shame I don't get to see them often, and when we do, it is so chaotic that we don't get a chance to really catch up.
















I was hoping to do more catching up on Monday, when I was going to visit their grandmother, my 'adopted' grandmother "Gangy", but unfortunately Gangy was not feeling well, so that opportunity fell through.

Kim and Erica--I miss those days when we got together, like Easter, or Thanksgiving, and just talk forever. We are all crazy busy now with our kids, and I hope that our kids have the same opportunities we did!

The time with the Jarvis' was so much fun, and I would love if we could make it more frequent for our gatherings. Since Kim and her family live in Colorado, we should get them involved via Skype...oh the fun it could be!

Happy Summer Everyone!!!!

Holiday Weekend Part One

What another crazy weekend! So much so, that I sense a 2-parter...

Friday night, Cary and I got to spend a wonderful evening together after Brylee got to spend the evening with her Oma and Opa. We saw Toy Story 3...in IMAX 3D! A great movie, and very emotional. A great completion to the Toy Story chapter.

On Saturday, we celebrated Father's Day and Brad's birthday. What a fun day! Cary and I went late morning. After lunch, Cary was great enough to get into the swimming pool with Brylee to give her more fun splashing around. Unfortunately, she didn't find this day to be as fun as it was the last weekend when she swam. It took a few tries and an inflatable raft to get her to enjoy the water.





Theme for Brad's Birthday? Spongebob Squarepants! The centerpiece for the table were the houses that Spongebob, Squidward, and Patrick live in. We bought a pineapple for Spongebob's home. We didn't have time to find a Easter Island Head for Squidward's home, so we decided to make it out of styrofoam. Let me remind you: Cary is super-talented and carved the entire thing out of the block in one single piece! I got the joy of painting the head and Patrick's half-dome house, and the pieces turned out great!

























For the evening, we had a delicious dinner of T-bone steak, sweet
potatoes, green peas, potato salad, rolls, salad...as always, a very filling, delicious meal!

Afterwards came the games. Cary created a trivia game for Brad and made it a crossword puzzle. He also created a few 'Bradlibs' (remember Mad Libs?). One of them was created with Spongebob's theme song. Long story short, at the end, Brad became 'Peacock Brad Square Buttocks'.

The moment the cake made it's grand appearance was when Cary 'broke birthdays'. Brylee was sitting in my arms, and I sat her on the table to let her see everything better. As I did this, she reached out and grabbed my water glass, tumping it over. It was cold and spilled all over.

As we were all getting up to get it cleaned up, Cary noticed that not all of the water had spilled out of the glass and decided that since Brylee got me wet, she needed to get wet herself. So he poured the rest over her head, not realizing that it was melted ice....it startled her and she ended up crying--while everyone else was laughing so hard at the situation.

Gary, Helen, and Brenda walked from the kitchen carrying the cake and singing "Happy Birthday" just as this was happening, and when they stopped and looked at us quizzically, it made the situation that much funnier. Seeing all of us laughing made Brylee laugh. All was fine in her world again. The best part? It was all on video!

What a wonderful evening, and I hope that Peacock Brad Square Buttocks had a wonderful birthday. I hope to get a copy of that video soon so I can post it for future laughs.

Another successful birthday party!

To My Daddy...

My hero, my friend. I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day! I am really looking forward to next weekend for our father/daughter day!

Father's Day 2010

To the most amazing husband ever--Happy 1st Father's Day! I hope it is wonderful, and you feel as appreciated as you are!

Home Day Care: Week One In Review

Masterpiece Monday: went to Lewisville to try to find ideas for Father's Day. Got lucky and found an idea!

Tune Tuesday: listened to a variety of music, from kid's music to her mommy's favorites (The Monkees, The Newsboys, Chris Rice...)

Wonderful World Wednesday: Opa came over and played with Brylee while I went to a doctor's appointment. Then we had lunch with Cary, Opa, and Oma.

Theater Thursday: Had lunch with T-Ma and B-Pa. Afterwards, we got to join B-Pa/Poppy in going to Fry's while he checked out some computer things. She got to ride in a shopping cart for the first time, and while I used a chair cover for the high chair at Dickey's (another first), I forgot it when we went inside Fry's. But she loved the ride, and especially getting to be held by her Poppy!
The afternoon was occupied by us creating her Father's Day gift.

Field Trip Friday: We went on our first field trip to the grocery store!!!! (sarcastic excitement...) The rest of the day was spent completing the Father's Day Gift, painting and putting the finishing touches on the decorations for Uncle Brad's birthday party, and baking oatmeal raisin cookies for part of Cary's Father's Day Gift. At 4:30, Oma came and took Brylee to their house for an overnight stay!

I won't be posting this every week, but I want to remember what the first week was like for us. Each day we also had short Bible readings, attempted morning walks, and I would work with Brylee on colors and animals (she loves the cat and dogs sounds that I make), and see if we can get her used to the sippy cup. We also spend tons of time on the floor, trying to learn how to roll her ball, and even attempting to get her to crawl...which she is definitely showing signs of coming soon!

Now that the weekend is almost over, I'm looking forward to seeing what next week brings!

Happy 7 Months!

Our little one turned 7 months on Friday! So many new things have been happening for her, including our first week of stay-at-home fun.

She is now starting to show signs interest in crawling, by reaching for things not quite in her reach, either from the sitting position, or on her tummy. Cary has been trying to give her lessons on exactly how to move her legs. Unfortunately, her arms can't keep up just yet...
**UPDATE**--as I was typing out the rest of this post, I received an email from my father-in-law that she is scooting across the floor...which my mom also saw signs of last weekend. I hope to see it today!

Her babbling is becoming more clear now, and it is so funny to watch her mouth move and the little 'words' that come out. She is having a conversation with herself, or with us, but the words are just a little out of our understanding...for now!

She is also very eager to eat, or put things into her mouth. On Wednesday, I put her in her highchair for breakfast, with oatmeal cereal. I had forgotten her bib, so I walked to the next room (no more than 10 steps away) to get one, and when I got back, she had the oatmeal bowl up to her face, trying to get the goods out. The bowl had started at the furthest place on the tray, which just last week, she couldn't reach! I am by no means discouraging this, either. I want her to learn, no matter how messy she can get. I am so excited to see her do this!



She is constantly smiling and laughing, and the only time she is not happy is when she is hungry, or getting slightly fussy from sleepiness. A few months ago, I started wondering if we had a serious baby on our hands, but today, there are no worries! (not that I would have been upset of having a serious baby, but I wouldn't know what to do because we do love to laugh in our family(s)!

The last thing I have to update (for now) is that she is also becoming clingy to mommy. I know a lot of people would think it was because I'm always with her now, but it started the weekend before we were constantly together. I took her to my job on Wednesday, and the only person who was able to hold her without her getting scared and reaching for her momma was Lori, who has an amazing way with kids!

Cary and I have decided that in the evenings, it might be a good idea for him to feed her so that she doesn't get too attached to just me. Also, she stays overnight with one set of her grandparents every weekend, so that might help with the separation thing as well. The big challenge is, now that I am at home, we have to find a Mother's Day Out so that I can make sure she socializes and also learns to not be dependent on just me. I guess this will help making 'stranger danger' an easier thing to teach...

For now, I suppose, that is it. A lot is going on for her...she is growing so fast, and it wasn't until this week I saw how much it was. What a blessing for this to come about!

McFadden Daycare, Day 1

First day with Brylee and Chester went very well. What was going to be "Masterpiece Monday" became a day with mixed events, including playing ball, reading her little Children's Bible, and driving to Lewisville for some things.

What a fun time! I am very excited that this is the beginning of us getting to watch her grow and I get the chance to bond with her. I just hope that we can keep up with the ideas I have to help entertain both of us, and not get stuck with the tv on.

I think Chester enjoyed the opportunity to get attention throughout the day. Every once in a while, he would come over to us and just 'plop' down to get some love. Brylee happily obliged. She loves that dog!

Oh yes, and the veggie/fruit of the week has been prunes. I thought it was just prune juice she liked, but she has decided she likes the actual (pureed) stuff, too. As soon as I sat the bowl on the high chair tray, she would reach out for it and try to eat it before I gave her a spoonful.

And one more note to add: starting this past weekend (before this home with mom thing began), she has suddenly began the clingy stage. She did not recognize her Uncle Brad and Aunt Faith, so she reached out to get close to someone she remembered. She is now also getting to a point where she is reaching out to me, whoever she is with, even her daddy. I just need to make sure I get her out and around others to try to keep her from getting too dependent on just me, especially now with the new routine. Wish us well!

Brylee Swims!

Brad, Faith, and Helen were in town this past weekend to enjoy Brenda and Gary's swimming pool. Helen is a fish, and swims so much she is 'growing gills', as Brad says.

Cary and I decided to try out Brylee's fins, so we packed her swimsuit, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen and joined in the family fun.

The results? She loved it! She kicked and splashed...just had a wonderful time. Uncle Brad and Cousin Helen loved helping Cary out with her, and I hope we can do it again soon! (they are going to be in town again this weekend, so we'll see!)












Helen in her snorkel and flippers...she's growing so fast!