Happy Halloween Blessings!

I hope you all had as great of a Halloween as we did. We took the kids trick-or-treating. They dressed up as a gypsy princess and Tigger. Aleigha had a great time trick-or-treating. She really enjoyed herself. It was so cute to see her go up to the doors, open her bag, and say "Trick-or-treat....thank you....Happy Halloween." She only got a little scared at some of the costumes. However, she got really concerned when she saw someone wearing a skeleton mask that had blood pumping through it. She kept saying..."He bleeding mom." She was so concerned that she went to the next house and told them, "He bleeding, he bleeding. That guy bleeding." Brenton enjoyed the nice outside while being pushed in the stroller. They both looked absolutely adorable.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, Chris gave the kids their Baby Blessings at church. It was a wonderful moment. And of course, the kids looked adorable all in white. After wards, we had a potluck lunch in honor of Aleigha and Brenton.
Today Aleigha said one of the most special things to me. I was in the bathroom and had just finished putting my hair in a messy bun....she looks up at me and says, "Mommy, you so pretty." I bent down on her level, gave her a hug and kiss and told her how much I loved her. Then I told her how pretty she was. She got a big grin on her face, and said, "Just like you mommy." She certainly made my day. What a special little girl I have.
I have two great children and a wonderful husband. I am such a lucky person. God has blessed me abundantly.

we had spent about a week camping out in the living room...the last night Aleigha really wanted to camp...so we got out her tent, and she slept in it all night

the beginning of Chris' master piece

it's coming together

almost done

the pumpkin in the dark...the pictures don't do it justice

the finished masterpiece

the Indian Warrior pumpkin

Chris worked for about 2 hours on this pumpkin. He did it completely free hand. He found a picture on-line to get the idea...but that was it. I think it is the best pumpkin I have every seen.

Aleigha was a gypsy princess...and a beautiful one at that

Me and Brenton at the town's Halloween hot dog roast.
It had rained all day, but stopped about an hour or two before it was time to go out. It was a pretty cold evening, but Brenton's Tigger costume was just perfect.

I know this picture is way way blurry...but I absolutely love it

my pretty girl

Brenton 1st experience at trick-or-treating

Aleigha after the first house...she was so excited, she wanted to show everyone what was in her bag...she got really good at saying, "Trick-or-Treat.....Thank you....Happy Halloween."

Brenton not really sure what to think of all this

out trick-or-treating...Chris and I didn't dress up this year like we had last year, but we still had a really good time dressing up the kids and taking them out

On Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 Chris gave the children their Baby Blessing...he did a wonderful job and they were really well behaved

I suppose we had to at least post a picture of the four of us on such a special day...but it is really not that great of me (really bad actually). It was truly a wonderful day. We had waited such a long time for this and the children looked beautiful.

her treasure

enjoying the fruits of her labor

the amazing night sky on Halloween during trick-or-treating

Grandma, Aunt Molly, Pop, Brenton, and Aleigha after their Blessings

They love their Aunt Molly

Grandma and Papa Richie with the kids

We had a nice break the fast potluck lunch after church in honor of Aleigha and Brenton

due to the time change...our little sleeping beauty is falling asleep before bedtime (which is actually the time she needs to go to bed)

Fall Time

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good for the most part. However, we have all been sick. The kids got sick first, followed by Chris, and then myself. We were exposed to the swine flu, and thought that maybe we contracted in. Under the doctors advise, we kept them home and treated the symptoms. Yesterday, we finally took them in to see their doctor. He was pretty sure they don't have the H1N1 virus, and said if they did, it was minor. We all have cold symptoms, but no fevers, aches, or pains. Anyways, we have been enjoying this time together.
Update on the kids: Brenton at 4 1/2 months: 13 lbs 12 inches. He has just started eating baby cereal (a couple of weeks ago), and baby food. In fact, yesterday he had his first jar of baby food. He scarfed down a jar of sweet potatoes in about 15 mins. He liked it quite a bit. As for the green beans he had today, not so much. Also, on Oct. 6, he sat up for a few seconds on his own. Now he is sitting up for longer periods of time...about 20 seconds...lol. With just a little help though, he can sit up for several minutes.
Aleigha at 2 years old: 2o lbs and 31 inches long. I once was told that if you take the height of your child on their 2nd birthday and double it, then you will have their height when they are full grown. That puts Aleigha at 5'2", that's a half inch taller then me...so I'm happy with that. Aleigha is counting to 4 and sometimes 5 with absolutely no help. She knows how to reason quite well. I was finally able to ween her on her 2nd birthday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we often count down the mins before she has to either do something or stop something. In the last 4 weeks, she has rarely made mention to even want to nurse (except for the first few days after she was weened...she would tell me "I'm not yet 2, mom."....she knew that 2 meant she was a big girl.) Anyways, the other day, I was nursing Brenton on the couch. She climbed up and sat next to me. She says, "Mom, I need 2 minutes (as she holds up 2 fingers)." I respond with, "2 mins for what?" Her reply, "2 mins to drink booby juice." I was pretty shocked at this, but was certainly impressed with her. Of course, I reminded her that she was 2 now, and that was the end of it. Now, something I'm not so proud of (my parenting skills that is). She has had a bad habit of saying "shut up." I'm embarrassed to say it, but I think she has learned it from me by yelling at the dog when he barks. Also, her favorite movie Annie, uses this phrases, which only has reinforced her to say it. Anyways, we have tried breaking this habit. My latest attempt, to ignore her. The other day, she told me "shut up, mom." I said back, "That's not a nice word, and I'm not going to talk to you when you say that to me." She kept saying, "talk to me mom, talk to me." After a couple of minutes of not talking to her, she says, "Brenton, I get mommy to talk to me." She then stands on top of his bouncer (which he was in), facing him, and then grabs the top of it and starts shaking it. She knew she would get attention from this!!! To make a long story short...about 20 mins later she finally told me, "Sorry saying shut up." Sometimes, I think she is too smart for her own good. But on a good note, I have learned a very valuable lesson from this. I have since started to try to redirect her attention to do something more positive (when she is doing something she shouldn't be doing). This way she is not getting the negative attention and she usually stops doing the negative behavior once she realizes there is something else to do. On a side note, I know (and have known well before having children) that by yelling at her when she acts out, isn't the best solution, but it's a lot easier said then done to do something else....I'm sure most all of the parents out there understand what I'm saying...or at least I hope they do. Anyways, enough writing...on with the pictures. I hope you guys enjoy.

I made potato soup the other night, and Aleigha decided to take a bunch of potatoes out of the sack and play with them. I found potatoes in Brenton's swing, pack-n-play, and a bunch of other places. Here she is showing Brenton her new found collection. As you see, he thought it was just as cool as she did.

She had 10 potatoes stuffed in her purse

Brenton's going to be Tigger for Halloween

In his pumpkin outfit

sporting their Halloween attire

She thinks this light-up Halloween shirt is the coolest shirt ever

Okay, so I know this is a Christmas outfit, but it obviously won't fit him at Christmas time (hopefully the hat still will). I thought it was too adorable to not get a picture of him in it. And hey...all the stores have their Christmas items out...so what the heck....Let's be jolly!

The rest of the pictures are some outside pics of the kids. It was a beautiful fall day and we got some really good pictures of the both of them in our backyard and at the park.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ALEIGHA!!!

I can't believe my little girl is 2!!! It's crazy how time has flown by. Although she is pretty tiny, she doesn't seem like a two year old to me. She is so full of personality and spunk that you would think she was going on about 10. She will always be my baby girl. She is soo much fun to be around. She's not just my daughter, but she is becoming one of my best friends. It's amazing how a 2 year old can be there for you, to make everything all better (I'm sure anyone else who is a parent understands what I am saying, and anyone who is not, will realize soon enough when you are a parent.) For instance, I was laying on the couch, suffering from a migraine headache a few days ago and was crying. She came to me with a sympathetic 2 year old voice, held my face with both her hands, and kissed my forehead and said, "Feel better mommy." Today, she came into my bed to wake me up, after she was successful at her task, I looked at her and told her that she was beautiful. She responded with a bashful, embarrassed but most certainly flattered, "Don't tell me that mom." I felt like I was talking to an adult friend who was trying to be modest. She just seems beyond her 2 years.
On her birthday, Oct. 6, we had a big party planned for her. However, we had just gotten back from Fl, and realized we were no where ready for a big party. So we rescheduled the big party and threw her a party at home with us, my parents, Molly and her boyfriend, my sister Julie and her children, and Chris' mom. We had lots of fun, and Aleigha was so into it. She definitely knew this party was for her. As for the big party with additional family and friends, was canceled once again due to the weather forecast (which turned out to be wrong). In turn, we decided the one party was enough and we have decided not to throw her another party until she turns 3. The day after her birthday, Chris and I decided to take her to El' Ranchero's. And of course, like always, that was a blast as well. Hope you enjoy all the pictures.

Brenton wanted to test out the sombrero from El' Ranchero's

celebrating Aleigha's birthday at El' Ranchero's (just the 4 of us)

After she was sung Feliz Couplianos to
we told her that Dora's cousins were going to sing to her so she wouldn't be scared

showing off her new age..after lots of practice w/ putting just those 2 fingers up

Aleigha playing dress up with the tiara and jewelery set, and shoes (unfortunately that were cut off) that Brenton gave her for her bday

showing off her new sweater that Grandma and Poppa Richie gave her...an absolutely adorable sweater

Daddy and Brenton hanging out at Aleigha's party

reading her card

she liked all her presents, but this Dora doll from Grandma and Pop was by far her favorite, she went crazy over it, especially when she realized Dora talked and danced

opening presents

trying to get everyone who was there on camera

Aleigha's Dora cookie cake and cookies

she kept picking at the icing...look close at that finger

she was so stoked about the chairs I brought home for her, for all the little girls that would be at the party (Aleigha, Maddie, and Abbie)

Florida Trip

We had a great trip to Florida. We were able to do many things and visit many people. We had a blast. I was a little worried about having a stressful trip because of traveling with two little ones, however, it was a very stress free experience. Aleigha had her moments, but what two year old doesn't. Since we have been back, Aleigha has had her second birthday, but I did not want to combine that blog with the Florida trip due to having so many pictures...hopefully I will get to that with in the next few days. I have written a good bit under most of the pictures, that pretty much narrates most of our trip, so I will leave it at this. I'm not always the best with blogspot, and I always end up putting the pictures in the wrong order. Our trip begin at the bottom of the post and worked it's way up (if that makes sense). Enjoy.

Aleigha with her cousins Hannah and Brian
One evening we went to the beach to just visit, it was beautiful to go and listen to the waves crash and just enjoy God's creations.

Me and my two babies enjoying ourselves at the pool

Every time we went swimming, we had this whole pool to ourselves.
A lesson learned: I read in a magazine that you should give your children time limits for things (like how long they can play with a toy before letting some one else play with it, how much longer before you have to leave the park or some where else that is fun, how much tv they can watch, etc). So we decided to do this, and realized it worked like a charm. We would tell give her a 5 or 10 min. warning before we would leave somewhere she didn't want to leave(amongst other things). We would also give her a visual by holding up our fingers. Then we would count down every min or 2. Well, one night while we were in the pool, Brenton started getting cranky so I immediately said, "Alright, it's time to go back up." Aleigha then looked at us, held up one finger on each hand and said, "Two minutes to go." We were amazed at her reasoning skills, that we gave her those two minutes. She has since used it several times.

The bottom of Aleigha's bathing suit was wet from the previous time of swimming, she thought she must have peed in them, so she took the off as soon as I got them off and decided Brenton's trunks felt a lot better...and surprisingly his 0-3 month swimming trunks fit my 2 year old.

Even Brenton likes Aleigha's dinosaur

Okay, so the story behind this picture:
I realize there are certain things that you teach your child never even knowing that you are teaching them. Then there are other times when you realize you didn't teach them something, such as what a curb is (there are not very many curbs in WV..at least not where we live). However, at times like these, your child often uses things that they are familiar with to relate to this new object. In Aleigha's case, this curb. I was holding her hand and letting her walk on it while I hear her saying over and over again..."bubble rock, bubble rock, bubble rock." When I asked in clarification if this was truly what she was saying she answered, "Yeah mom, bubble rock." I started to think about it, and I can definitely see where she would come up with this.

Aleigha and Brenton enjoying the swings

Us with Chris' Aunt Sherri, and cousins Justin and Amber

Chris and his grandmother

Aleigha got to go to Build-A-Dino in downtown Disney. She was pretty upset until she walked in and saw all the dinosaurs. Once she saw the dinosaur she wanted...it was love at first sight.

After she picked the dino, stuffed it, and put a heart in it...she was able to brush out the fur, she said she was giving her a bath

She got to dress the dino too...it had on 3 outfits before she found the right one (which is not the one in the picture)

she named her dino....Dinosaur (however we put Pinky on the birth certificate)
I liked the name...Pink-apata-sauras, but we couldn't talk her into it

Chris, Aleigha, and me in front of the lego dragon in Downtown Disney.

In Downtown Disney, we ate at the Rain Forest Cafe with Chris' Uncle Gene, Aunt Carie, and cousin Olivia. We had a great and memorable evening with all of them.

first time on the "tire" swing

Aleigha climbed up the whole slide!!

Brenton's first time in the baby swing..and he loved it

enjoying the big girl swing

Brian and Aleigha...both of them were posing just like Brian, however, I couldn't get Aleigha to keep that pose

jumping on the trampoline

crashing in the waves

too cute

Hannah, Aleigha, and Brain hanging out on the trampoline at their house

my sexy husband

It was such a beautiful day! Look at the sky and the water...we couldn't have picked a better day to spend at the beach

Daddy taking Brenton out into the ocean

Family picture out in the ocean

collecting seashells

oh look at those blue blue eyes

Brenton enjoying the beach

She absolutely loved the ocean!!

The ocean water was soooo nice and warm!! We all enjoyed it!

Aleigha in the hotel pool....at about 9 pm...the water was perfect!!

Brenton working on his floating skills

Aleigha and Brenton in their matching zoo shirts sitting on Daddy's lap

we met Chris' Aunt Nicky and cousins at a restaurant in Tittusville, Fl
we had a good time with them on several occasions during our vacation
from left to right: Amanda, Brenton, Nicky, Brian (Nicky's son and married to Amanda), Emily, Chris, and Aleigha, Hannah, and Brian (Brian and Amanda's children)

Chris' cousins Brian(left)-his daughter Hannah, and Bobby(right, also son of Nicky) sitting with Aleigha

Aleigha, Hannah, and Little B

We went to the Brevard County Zoo and had a very good time. We saw lots of animals while we were there. We saw these giraffe's from the safari train ride we got to take. Unfortunately we didn't get to see them up close because it was time for them to eat dinner. Aleigha's favorite animals were the monkeys. We got lots of pictures of all the different kinds, however they didn't turn out very well.

ostrich eggs

Aleigha, me, and Amber (Chris' cousin) on the safari train

turtles

Aleigha was so excited to see the crocodiles that she had to call grandma and pop (who kept telling her before we left that we would see crocodiles) right away to tell them of her discovery

up close croc

we got to be turtles...so much fun!!

Brenton and Aleigha hanging out in the stroller before we entered the zoo...it was the only time Aleigha sat in the stroller

just chillin'

Everyday on our trip we got to visit with Anne (Chris' grandmother), as you can see, Brenton had no problem warming up to her and getting to know her...and neither did she. It is so cute to hear Aleigha say her name... she's calls her great grandma aunt anne. It was so nice getting to spend so much time with her.

us with Chris' cousins Amber and Justin..we had a great time spending so much time with them over the week

me and my baby boy

Of course, it never fails...where ever we go, we must find a disc golf course. I think Aleigha is going to be the youngest pro disc golfer...a week before her second birthday, and she has perfect form...now she just needs to work on distance.

Daddy chillin' with his little ones right before he gave them yet another lesson in disc golf

family pic at the disc golf park

Chris, Aleigha, Brenton, and Anne

Anne holding Brenton for the first time

Chris asleep...Aleigha not so much

Right before take off. The kids were amazingly well behaved on the flight there. The flight back though, we had to wake up at 6 am, so Aleigha was pretty tired...she cried for quite a bit until she feel asleep. Luckily we were beside another 2 year old. Overall, I can't complain too much.

Daddy and Aleigha in the airplane. The flight attendant gave Aleigha and Brenton First Time Flyer certificates. The pilot, co-pilot, and all flight attendants signed it. It also had the flight # on it along with the airports that we departed from and arrived to. Thanks for the idea Katie!

Aleigha was sooo excited to finally be able to fly in an airplane. We had been talking about it for weeks..so when the time finally came...she was certainly ready

So, they are saying kids are becoming more technology advanced earlier and earlier these days...it is so true...you should have seen Brenton on the playstation!

using the cat to prop himself up while he checked out his fingers

It was sooo cute to see these two play and talk together. Aleigha, 2, and Seqouia, 2 1/2, would have conversations between just the two of them. They are too darn cute.

Seqouia, Aleigha, and O'rion playing in the loft of the boy's bedroom...such a neat idea, and they loved it!

O'rion reading to Aleigha and Sequoia (who is evidently reading to himself). O'rion was so good with Aleigha. These are Chris' cousins. On our way to Florida, we stopped and visited with Chris' Aunt Loree, her husband Wind, and their children River, O'rion, and Sequoia. We had a great time with them.

Brenton rolls over

So, not a whole lot new has happened recently. I have been busy working on all the requirements for becoming a substitute teacher. I have successfully completed the course, and now I am waiting for my certificate so I can then get my permit. So now I am just pretty much waiting for all the paper work to get in order. We've also been busy planning Aleigha's 2nd birthday. She is pretty excited about it. I can't believe my little girl is almost 2!!! Time has flown by sooo quickly. She is growing up so fast. She amazes me with how smart she is and how quickly she is learning. She is such a sponge. I am trying to take this time and teach her as much as I can while I know her mind is ready to absorb it. One of her favorite activities right now is playing school (in her words..."play skcool."), which entails reading books (with the familiar books, I'll read part of a sentence, and then she finishes it), picture flash cards (she will tell you what the picture is and with cards of multiple things she will point to each item and tell you what it is), practicing her ABC's, 123's, shapes and colors. Of course, we don't do all that at once b/c she is only 2 and her attention span only goes for so long. She will usually tell me which one she wants to do and when. She is also very big into playing pretend now. She loves to play "tea party" and house. Brenton is almost 4 months old. He is getting so strong. He is rolling over more often. He has yet to roll from back to belly, but he is getting pretty close. He gets up on his side, stays there for awhile, and then falls back on his back. His legs are super strong as he kicks, pushes his butt in the air, and rotates himself all using his legs. I think he'll be a little athlete just like his dad and all his uncles.
Well, we are heading to Florida today. We will be visiting with Chris' Aunt Loree and her family and my brother Adam and his family on our way there. We actually fly out in a couple of days. We will be visiting Chris' grandmother, uncles, and many members of his family. We are all very excited.
I hope you all enjoy the blog. Also, I tried uploading a video of Aleigha talking, but it was too big. I had to upload it to Youtube instead. I have also sent it to my myspace. But the youtube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sumgRMrcko (you might need to copy and and past into your url window). It's pretty cute, so if you haven't seen it yet...check it out.

Brenton doesn't look to excited that Aleigha was crowding him in his bouncer seat

I think these two will have a lot of fun (and mischief) growing up together.

she loves to hold her brother

I did my observations last week so that I can start substitute teaching soon. Chris watched the kids ( a perk while working from home). However, because he was busy working, he put Aleigha in the living room to play and Brenton in his crib for a nap...that way he knew Aleigha wouldn't be torturing Brenton. However, she got a little too quite for him. He went to go look for her. She wasn't in the living room. He walked into the nursery...and thought that her stool probably shouldn't be right there. As he walked a little closer....

....this is what he found....

....Aleigha laying right next to Brenton, tucked under the covers, and sucking on a pacifier.

Thor has out past both of our children in size rather quickly. He is now about 40 lbs at 4 months old. By a year old, I think he will have me out past.

Aleigha is such a good sister. She loves Brenton soo much.

cuddly time with his doggy blankey

Brenton is getting so big and strong.

Here is a video of Brenton rolling over at 3 1/2 months. It has taken us quite some time to finally get in on video.

just hanging about

Sorry it's been a little time since I last wrote...pretty much because not a lot has happened in the last few weeks. I have been enjoying time as a mom to my two wonderful children. The last couple of weeks I have been working on completing a substitute training course. Today I had an interview for a substitution position...I think it went pretty well. If it didn't...well then, more time with my babies :). Otherwise, I'm pretty excited about working a couple of days a week. I still have to complete some classroom observation and get a permit...so it will still take some time before I even know anything. Anyways, we've been having a good time just hanging out at home and spending time with friends and family. Brenton is getting to be a very big boy. He weighs about 11 1/2 lbs now. He's rolling over a lot more now, grabbing things, smiling and laughing all the time. He brings a lot of joy to our family. Aleigha is growing up all too quick as well. She is learning every day. She is so smart and so much fun. These two kids together are mine and Chris' pride and joy. We are a very blessed and fortunate.

Where did our little girl go?? I think she skipped being a toddler and went straight to pre-school age. (Sorry it's sideways.)

Aleigha pulling Brenton around in her wagon.

Just hanging out

Maddie and Aleigha posing for the camera

a bowl of ice and a couple of cups and these girls were kept busy for a couple of hours

Aleigha wanted to redecorate Molly's bday cake

Aleigha hanging out at the "big kid" table of Molly's surprise party...and fitting right in

The girls at Molly's surprise party

Aleigha and Daddy bowling

My parents threw Molly a surprise party for her 16th birthday at the bowling alley. It was a great time.

My beautiful baby girl

trying out the see-saw

having a fun time at the park

climbing up the slide

my little beauty

Alright...I know this last video of Brenton isn't much to brag about...but the smile at the very beginning is worth it. I wish it was a picture rather than a video, but it is what it is. He was constantly smiling for seriously 10 mins before I took the video...then he decided to stop. But there aren't a whole lot of pictures of him in the blog, so I wanted to add something of my amazing little boy.

Temple

On August 12, Chris and I and our two beautiful children were sealed together in the Washington DC temple for all time and eternity. It was a beautiful and wonderful experience. I am so thankful to know that I will be with my family for even after this life is through. Aleigha and Brenton looked absolutely beautiful in all white. It was a great day that we have spent a long time looking forward to. There to join us in this joyous occasion were my parents, Katie and Wade, Liz and Craig, and Molly and Aubrey.