Walking Like a Super Star!!

So I wrote this post way back in December and still ahvent posted it because I couldnt get the video to import and couldnt bring myself to write more when I couldnt get this post right. But its time to move on! So much more has happened since then. So here is this post and I will follow up with a quick summary blog of the last few months and if I get the video to work I will post it for you!...
Broden had been "practicing" taking steps here and there for a few days but his first recordable steps came the day after Thanksgiving! His practice steps were a step here and there and then a dive tp whoever was closest. We had been practicing with his walker toy and he was getting so good at it he could even back up when he ran into the wall (which happened quite often ha ha!). And after practicing taking a few steps here and there he was finally ready to take multiple steps at once! He thought it was pretty fun to walk back and forth to mommy and daddy. So we got the camera out and videoed his first steps! Soon after he figured out he could take multiple steps he was not interested in crawling any more. He would crawl to the nearest object and pull himself up and start walking again! Funny guy! Now he has figured out how to stand up all by himself so he can just get up and go! I didnt realize how fast it would happen. I thought he would walk a little and fall and that it would be that way for a while before he got his balance down. But it only took a couple days for him to realize he could walk more than a few steps and from then on he was walking all around the house. I have heard a lot of people say that once they start walking "Look out cause they will be into everything". I have not found that to be the case with Broden. He is not getting into anything that he couldnt get into by crawling around. But people always like to give uninvited advice especially with it comes to birth and raising kids. Maybe other people would not agree but I thing Broden is a pretty good kid so far. If he is getting into something he shouldnt we can tell him "no touch" and he will stop. I think it is mainly so that Mark and I will clap and say yea to him for listening! Its pretty funny. Thats his little reward for listening to us. He thinks its pretty great! He has a lot of friends throught the day that help him learn how to listen and be nice! Hopefully doing daycare will be good for his development and social skills not a bad influence. But I have pretty good kids and we all practice our manners and sharing on a minute by minute basis. Im not sure how I got on this tangent...oops! Back to my little Super Star. It is fun to see him growing up! When he walks he pulls his little shoulders up and waddles around. Its so cute! I just love this first year (well minus the first 4 months! I hated those!!). It is fun to get to all these milestones and see him grow up so fast! I cant believe we will have a 1 year old soon! Well anyway! Hopefully you will at least enjoy the video and ignore my ramblings! Ha ha! :)

Giving Thanks!

So I know Thanksgiving was a while ago but hey give me a break, free time is at a premium these days! Ha! Really life is not that bad it just takes me a while to get to blogging! I know you all have been waiting to see the cutest baby boy in the whole world with a big turkey leg in his mouth! Well your wait is over! Here it is! Thanksgiving was with my family this year! We celebrated with my parents, My sisters family and my grandma. We had to feed B before the rest of us ate becuase he just could not wait to eat all the yummy food (and I got tired of listening to him whine for food, we never feed him you know!) But he loved it all! Im glad he is old enough on his first Thanksgiving to eat all the real food! We let him knaw on the turkey leg! It was really cute! Then he napped while we ate (which as youparents know is wonderful not to have to feed him while your food gets cold). Then after nap time he played with cousins Eli and Annabelle and cuddled (or Brodens version of cuddling) with Granny Mary! Overall a successful day!
Mark and I found ourselves being very thankful for a happy healthy baby. We are also very thankful for our marriage and having a loving caring partner in life and love! We have been very blessed and are thankful to our Lord and Savior for allowing us each day with our family and friends! And for those of you reading this you mean more to us than words can expalin. You have blessed us through love and prayer over the years and we are imensly thankful fo you! Thank you for who you are! You keep our lives Rolling Along!

Halloween! More Trick Than Treat...

So I have been delaying writing about Halloween but I guess I better get on it! I had built Halloween up in my mind all month long! I just knew Broden was going to be soooo cute on his first Halloween and the Trick or Treating was going to be more for mommy and daddy! The night before Broden threw up in the middle of the night. We didnt think too much of it cause in the morning he seemed to be acting fine. Then at church he was having a bottle and he threw that up too! So we began to think he may actually be sick. We got him home and he took a nap and seemed fine. He was his happy fun self! So we got him in his cute costumes (we had two and so we put him in both to see which we wanted him to wear) a Giraffe and Kermet the Frog. He looked sooo cute! Mark's mom stopped by just as we were getting him ready so he got to play with Grama for a bit and he got his first candy! Then we got all packed up to go meet my family to go Trick or Treating with his cousins Eli and Annabelle! The van was acting up so we had to drop it off to get looked at and as we were moving Broden to the truck he threw up AGAIN! So that was the last straw. Mommy and Daddy had pushed him all day cause we were so excited for his first Halloween and our selfishness caught up with us. So we headed home. No trick or treating for us! :( But mommy had to have one good picture for Broden's first Halloween so we stopped by our neighborhood's little festival and got our picture taken! I know I know, worst mom ever! Dragging out my sick baby just so I could get a picture! He just looked soooo cute! But we got our picture taken and got our little Kermet home and in bed! So mostly just tricks for Broden and no treats for his first Halloween! So that was our adventurous Halloween! Next year will definetly be better! I know you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see how it goes! Ha ha! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2010

We got to pick our first pumpkin with Broden! We went to Beasley's Orchard in Danville. They have a fall festival with yummy food and bounce houses and a corn maize! We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkin! Nikki and Dave and Eli and Annabelle went with us too! It was really fun to take a hayride with them! Annabelle and I sang a made up "Bumpity Bump Bump Bump" song! She thought it was great! Ha ha ha! So Broden helped us pick a pumpkin (well as much as a 9 month old can!). And if you didnt know Broden is Obsessed with mulch and dirt and it always goes in his mouth! So as we put him by the pumpkin to take a picture he immediately put the dirt in his mouth which in turn turned to mud! So gross. And he thought so too as he started spitting all the mud out on his pretty white shirt! Yuck! Then we asked a family who was out there picking their pumpkins to take our picture. So they took our picture and headed to the hayride. Then we were getting our stuff together to head back too and I couldn't find our camera bag. Then I looked up and the mom that took our picture had it on her shoulder. So here I go to get my bag! I walk up to and tell her I think she has my camera bag and she looked at me like I was crazy and then apologized all over herself! She was Indian so she was so cute with her little accent! Complete mistake but it was funny! We headed back and went thru the store for some apple cider!! Annabelle liked it and Broden liked chewing on the cap! That's our boy! The weather was great! Mark and I really loved having this first with Broden! We cant wait for more firsts and fun times together!

First Trip to the Children's Museum!

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is amazing! Broden and Aunt Nikki and Annabelle and I went for Broden's first trip to the Children's Museum! We had soooo much fun! There is stuff for a 9 month old to do and a 4 year old! First we played in the water! Broden liked that a lot! He liked splashing mommy! We were pretty wet by the end of it but it was fun! Then we went to play in the babies play area. Broden found a friend. And when I say friend I mean his reflection in the mirror! He just LOVES seeing himself in the mirror! Im pretty sure that he thinks it is another kid but it is really cute! Then his big cousin Annabelle showed him the cool tractor! He liked pulling on the levers and watching his big cousin show him how it all worked! Then Aunt Nikki took them on the carosell (cause mommy gets sick on those round and round rides!). He didnt know what was going on but they had fun! It was a great day and I cant wait to go back when he is older and can really enjoy everything!

State Fair!

So I always have good intentions of Blogging right after we do something fun but it nevers seems to happen that way! Hopefully you wont hold that against me! He he!

So this year was our first year to take Broden to the Indiana State Fair! Mark and I love going to the fair! It's one of our favorite summer things to do! But this year was even more special cause we got to bring our baby boy for his first fair adventure! It was really fun! Really HOT but really fun! We took him to see the big tractors (more fun for daddy I think!) and we saw the new baby cows! But I think the most fun part for all of us was seeing the goats! They were in this area so that the kids could pet them and feed them! Check out the pictures! I think both the goat and Broden were eaqually interested in each other! So cute! And Mark showed him the big cows with the big horns! He wasnt quite sure what to think of them! He also got to see a real horse! Not just our horse we have at home! We love our Max! ;) And my most favorite mark was putting him in the cut out and taking a pcture of "Farmer Broden"! He made the best face at just the right moment! Perfect! See any similarities! Ha ha!

We had a great time and cant wait to go next year when Broden will be about 18 months old and know all the animals and be able to really enjoy all the fun stuff!

Eating! What an Adventure!

So Broden has been eating solids on and off for about 3 months. When our doctor first suggested we start them at 4 months we werent really sure but he did have 2 teeth so we gave it a try. He wasnt sitting up yet so we fed him in his bouncy seat! That alone was crazy! Getting him to sit still and eat food he want sure about without completly destroying the bouncy seat! I have been making my own baby food which I have actually found to be pretty fun! And I like that I know exactly what he is eating and that there are no fillers and stuff in it. But I have to say that I may buy the meat. I dont know that I can make that! Kind of grosses me out! Ha ha! But anyway! His first food was avocados! He actually liked them a lot. We went with veggies so he wasnt getting the sugary fruits first and then not wanting the veggies. He really likes carrots too! When we first put him in the high chair he still couldnt sit up that well but he was just too wiggley for the bouncy seat! So he kind of sat in it a little crooked to keep propped up! He he! he eats sooo much better in his seat! I wish I could just feed him solids cause he eats much better but I know he needs the nutrients in the formula still. We will be there soon and Im sure Ill say things were so much easier when he was just on teh bottle! You just cant win! And its always fun to watch daddy feed him! Mark has his own techniques to getting Broden to eat without getting all messy but you can see in the pictures how well that works! Mark loves it! He lves being a part of these little things! Anyways! I just wanted to share our adventures with Broden eating food! Its pretty fun and cute to see him with peas up his nose! ha ha! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Fourth of July!

So I realize this post is about 3 weeks late but better late than never right! :)
This was our first 4th of July with Broden out of my belly! We weren't really sure how it would go. We were nervous that the fireworks would be so loud and would scare him! Even when Mark laughs really loud out of the blue he starts crying that "Oh my gosh what in the heck was that!" cry! And there was the timing. The fireworks don't start until about 10 o'clock and he goes to bed around 7. So he look a late nap and a short nap at the park and he actually made it without too much fussing! So when we got to the park we were greeted my family telling me that my nephew Eli had fallen off the monkey bars and possibly broken his arm! What a fourth for that guy! He was a trooper though! He went to the ER got x-rayed and a sling and was back to the park before the fireworks started! Always an adventure! But overall we had a great first fourth playing on the swings and hanging out with our families and enjoying the fireworks. At least most of us enjoyed them! Surprisingly enough Broden was not only not scared of them he would watch like 2 and was completely uninterested after that! Not that Mark or I were surprised at that! He is our busy bee and just does not sit still long enough to watch a fireworks show! But that is okay we are just so thankful for him that he is here and adding to our adventure!

First Family Camping Trip

Hello to the 2 people who care about this blog! Ha ha! So I really enjoyed blogging the firs tcouple times and then wanted to blog more and just never got around to it! But Im back now! I know you're excited!

So the second week in June we had our firs tcamping trip with Broden! We went with my parents and my sisters fam! We went down to Brown County. And not to Mark and I's surprise the second we pulled onto the campsite it started POURING rain! Not just a little no no no! It flooded the campsite! Everytime Mark and I go camping it pours! So campers beware of camping with us! But anyway. It finally stopped and we were able set up camp. Broden had just started to army crawl so it was a bit challenging to get things set up and keep Broden from escaping!

The Indiana humidity did not escape us though! So we were wet from the rain and sweat of working to get things set up! And then to add to the fun Annabelle (my sisters 3 year old daughter) was having some girl issues and had to be taken to the local clinic to get some meds to help her feel better. So as they got in the truck to take off we found that as the rain fell the truck got a little stuck. So as my mom floored the gas my dad wisely stood behind the truck to make sure things were moving along and then....SPLAT! He was covered in mud! It was funny to see my dad covered in mud. What made it even more funny was that he was wearing the only pair of shorts he brought! So much for "man packing" being the smartest option! Luckily he and Mark are about the same size so he didnt have to stay packed in mud for long! :)

For Day number 2 My mom, siter, Broden and I went into town to shop and hang out. It was a bit hot but we definetly had fun! Mark, Dave and Eli went fishing and My dad and Annabelle stayed at the campsite to hang out and relax. But the drama for my dad continued! Dad wanted to stay at the campsite to relax and read his book which worked out so Annabelle could take a nap. However...Once Annabelle went to take her nap and dad went to get his book out of the truck he realized that the my mom had taken the keys with her and so he couldnt get his book! :( Poor daddy! The hits just kept on coming!

That night we all settled in for dinner and to relax. We had a big tarp and blanket set out for Broden to crawl around on. He thought it was great! Then we attempted to feed him! That was an adventure in itself. Papaw gave it a try but true to this trip it just didnt go well! I put some pics here of that craziness! Then the rumbles started in the distance again!! Dun dun dun (those were ominous drum sounds just in case you didnt catch that!) So there everyone went with thier technology! Everyone had thier phones out checking the radar. And just as Mark and I always expect when we camp, more rain! And not just rain but a HUGE Red blob coming straight for us! So we tryed to get the campsite and chairs and put up and protected from the rain and took shelter in our tents. As soon as I ducked into the tent the wind and rain started! This time it stormed really bad! We had limbs falling on our tent! Scary! And let me tell you thunder is soooo much louder when you are hunkered in a tent!! The first snap of thunder scared Broden! So I grabbed him and he and Mark and I huddled together until the storm passed! We survived!

So after a long night we woke had soem breakfast hung out for while and then packed up and ended our adventure! So now everyone is ukp to date on our first camping trip with Broden!

Swimming for the first time!!!

So over Memorial weekend we decide to take Broden swiming for the very first time! We went to Grandma and Grandpa's pool after church. Aunt Nikki and Uncle Dave and Eli and Annabelle cam e with us!! As we were about to get his suit on we realized that we didnt have any swim diapers! First time parents for ya! Ha! Luckily Aunt Amy was going to the store so she picked some up for us! Broden loves his Aunt Amy! So now that we avoided contaminating the pool with Broden poopy we were ready to swim! - Side note....So we had our first poop in the bathtub the other day. It was so disgusting! I almost puked! I didnt know what to do. I just sat there going "What are you doing!" Mark of course thought it was hilarious! And for that matter so did Broden. He probably thought it was more funny that I was making crazy faces and trying not to throw up all over him! :) But back to what I was talking about! We got him in the raft and he looked at us like "What are you doing putting me in this thing in this water!" Then we realized that even though he had his cute little hat on that he was straining his eyes. So I tried putting my sunglasses on him to see if that would help. It did he relaxed and laid back in his raft just chilling! I thought for sure he would try and take them off but he didnt! He looks so cute and silly! It took some sunglasses and a little distraction and he got used to it and had some fun! We had a great day playing at the pool with all Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents! Here are some pictures of our First Pool Trip!