THe RaYmONds

Memorable Monday Moment

2012-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

Today was an eventful day for Mr. B.

He started the morning off with three shots and one finger prick at the Doctor for his one year appointment.

The Doctor checked his gums and confirmed why we had a week full of crying. Literally. Doc was suprised to see how bad they were and asked if he could help the tooth pop through. We said absolutely because in our opinion it couldn't get any worse. So he took the tongue depressor and we held Brant down and he pushed on B's gums to get it to pop through. Poor little guy screamed his head off. Amazingly, it worked though and we could see the white tooth. And Brant has gotten relief!! Hallelujah!!

Next Brant and I went driving down Germantown Road scanning for a place to get a walk-in haircut. We found a place and Brant enjoyed his first sucker while he got his first "professional" haircut. I have cut it a few times, but this time it needed cleaned up by a trained professional. ha. He looks like such a big boy now. :(

Then swang by Target to get baby Ibuprofen and Chicfila for lunch with Andrew and the kiddos.

Brant took a 3 and a half hour nap because he was exhausted from the morning festivities.

Around 5:30 we were headed out the door to meet Andrew and some boys for dinner and Brant did a face plant into the baby gate. I will leave out the details but let's just say it's the first time blood has been involved in one of Brant's accidents. I was totally freaked out and the calm parent wasn't home. Thankfully just a busted inside lip and bruised gum right where the new tooth is. Whew!!

At dinner he had me cracking up because he licked his yogurt tub clean. Guess he wanted to make sure he got it all! It was even in his eyelashes!

Finally, the day was ending with his bath routine. I was getting the water temperature ready and he was laying right beside me, because I had just stripped him down. I started to feel something warm on my leg. My son was peeing on me AND....LAUGHING about it! I couldn't believe he was laughing. He is such a boy.

We definitely have a Jokester on our hands.

After two days of having a ONE year old in the house I have a feeling that we are in for a WILD RIDE!!

Happy 1st Birthday to Brant!

2012-01-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little baby turned one today.

Brant is ONE!
*baby sign language you use is "more", "eat", "milk", "drink"
*you love puppy dogs
*animal sounds you make over and over - horsies, puppy dogs, cows, ducks, dinosaurs
*words you can say - Dada, Mama, up, ball, bath, hot, hi, bye-bye
*can nod your head yes
*your favorite foods are crackers, puff corn, cheerios, pizza, any fruit in a squeezable pouch
*need your passy to sleep and in the car
*oh my goodness, you love Elmo. We watch him every morning.
*like to take daddy's hats on and off
*bath time is still your favorite time of the day
*like turning the bath water on
*you drink great from a straw
*can show 1 on your finger (still need to capture with my camera)
*you have been the best little sleeper that we could have ever hoped for
*you are very cautious, so not much interest in walking

Dear Brant,
A year with you has been such a joy. (For Mommy it has been a little longer.) When we first found out that God was going to bless us with our first child we prayed and prayed for God to mold you and shape you into a strong and healthy baby. Then when the nurse told us we were going to have a little boy, we asked God to help us be parents that would teach us to shape you into the Man God wanted you to be. We could hardly wait. We waited and waited. The day you were expected to be born passed and we prayed and prayed that God would be in control. Then the doctor scheduled January 13, 2011 at 8:00pm to be the evening Mommy would go to the hospital to get ready to meet you. We slept at the hospital that night and we knew that January 14th was going to finally be the day we got to meet you! You were worth the wait, buddy! At 7:37 pm (almost 24 hours later) you entered this world. Weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 inches long. You were exactly what we prayed for. You were a healthy strong beautiful baby boy! We loved your skin, lips, fingers, toes, dark hair, and those eyes! Your eyes looked so much like Daddy. Holding you in our arms was the best feeling ever. Knowing that you were finally here. We couldn't wait to take care of you and love on you. We look forward to watching you grow over the years. We love you, Brant Nichols.

Mommy & Daddy

The highlight to Brant's birthday was definately his first taste of donut holes. It was a tough day for our little man, he has many teeth that are trying to come in. I hate to see him so miserable. However, the donuts seemed to make him feel better. :)

Hmmmm? What's this? Not a cheerio, not a goldfish.
Sweet Niblets! That stuff is off the hook!
Dad! Dad! Wowzers, You've got to try this stuff!
Happy Birthday to me!

365 Days - 2011 Life in Pictures. Done.

2012-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Day 365: 12/31
New Year's Eve. Who wanted a bite of my pizza more? Brant or Abby, the neighbor's dog? We had a great time at the Hagens. Brant got to stay up until 10:30!

Day 364: 12/30
We had a great time hanging out with friends over at the Davis household. Brant and Luke loved eating the cheerios off the floor that I accidentally dumped everywhere.

Day 363: 12/29
My sister in law, Tiffani took this great picture of Brant. HE is so amazing! I love seeing his personality develop more and more every day!

Brant's 1st Birthday Party!

2012-01-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Day 362: 12/28 The Early Celebration!
~Winter ONE-derland~

Needless to say, our boy has a sweet tooth. He loved his cake! I had to pry it away from him.
We love you Brant Nichols. You are ONE special boy!!

Brant's First Christmas

2012-01-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

Day 361: 12/28
Christmas with the Grabers

Day 360: 12/27
Creation Museum

Day 359: 12/26
Cincinnati Trip with the Grabers
Creation Museum Christmas Lights
It was so cold. We had Brant bundled up as snug as a bug!!

Day 358: 12/25
Brant's First Christmas at Gigi and Papaw's
We woke up and sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus, opened presents, went to New Hope to church and spent the majority of the day at Logan and Libby's.

Day 357: 12/24
Christmas Eve with the Cummings
They are big big buds!
All of the newest cousins in one picture. Missing Noah and Adrian Cummings, and Eden McPherson. They were there, just not in the picture. Lilly, Brant, Ezney, and Owen.
He got an Elmo book with a cd from Owen and Eden. He was super excited about it.

Day 356: 12/23
Balancing a Cheerio on his ear. I think he was saving it for later. ha ha

Day 355: 12/22
Christmas with the Raymonds

Day 354: 12/21
Dinner with Friends in Bloomington. Shannon and Jordan loved getting to meet Brant! It was so good to see them and catch up. We miss them so much!

Day 353: 12/20
Picture of Brant in front of our Christmas tree.

Abide

2012-01-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Day 352: 12/19
The highlight over the weekend was definately 2 kids giving their life to Jesus and getting baptized. It was so cool we used the Boyd's pool at 11:30 at night.

Day 351: 12/18
Brant's Daddy is awesome at snowboarding!!

Day 350: 12/17
We had such a great time!

Day 349: 12/16
Winter Retreat 2011 ~Abide~ We stayed at Camp Illiana in Washington, Indiana but went skiing at Perfect North in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brant got to stay with Gigi and Papaw while we hit the slopes.

1st Picture with Santa

2011-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Day 348: 12/15
My boys sleeping in together. They are tooooo adorable for words!!!

Day 347: 12/14
Happy 11 months, Baby Boy! You are so precious to us. We love you.

Day 346: 12/13
Brant's First picture with Santa. I was nervous about Brant being scared of Santa, but he did really good. Super calm because he didn't know what to think about the whole idea!! Of course, we had to go to Bass Pro to meet him. I think Andrew wants to keep with that tradition, because we shopped for over an hour afterwards. ha ha

Day 345: 12/12
Mommy and Daddy were able to get away for a little lunch date and Brant got to spend time with Cheryl and Abby all to himself. He loves puppy-dogs. He says "Ruff Ruff" over and over.

Day 344: 12/11
Youth Group Christmas Party night! They had a fun little photo booth set up! ;)

Day 343: 12/10
Night time Reading Session :) Brant is growing to like books more and more! He likes to turn the pages now. His face totally says "Come on Mom."

Day 342: 12/9
Another Christmas-y picture! Ohhh I can't get enough of him. He looks so big in this picture like he is already walking.

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-15T13:26:00.001-08:00

Day 341: 12/8
This is the picture we went for the Christmas Card 2011. Daddy and I had fun taking it in downtown Arlington.

Day 340: 12/7
In this household Elmo is a pretty big deal! Here Brant is watching him during breakfast.

It's December

2011-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Day 339: 12/6
Middle School student leaders Christmas Party. They had a silly hat gift exchange. Brant does not look impressed by these crazy kids!! ha ha

Day 338: 12/5
Brant loves for us to "Get him." He always wants us to chase him around the corner. If we aren't following him, he will back up and holler at us to get our attention. So much fun!!

Day 337: 12/4
Soaring with Daddy! Their new little game.

Day 336: 12/3
Evening with friends. The kiddos really enjoyed playing together, which is always nice. :)

Day 335: 12/2
Christmas Tree is up and we enjoy it so much. And after B has been told several times NO NO, he does a pretty good job of leaving it alone.

Jesus, the best gift. Ever. Ever.

2011-12-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Day 334: 12/1
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

How does a Horsie go??

2011-12-13T20:13:00.001-08:00

Day 333: 11/30
Daddy was watching me while Mommy had to have work done at the dentist and guess what I found?? My new favorite toy. The toilet paper. Yikes!!

Day 332: 11/29
This boy loves I am talking loves toothbrushes. When he sees Andrew and I brush our teeth, he thinks he just has to have one too. He is so intrigued by it. I think it feels good on his gums too. So Brant has his very own toothbrush.

Day 331: 11/28
I love hanging out with my DADDY! He is sooo much fun! It feels good to be home again.

Day 330: 11/27
Just hanging out in Daddy's office waiting on him after church. This paint can made the perfect little seat. I could eat him in this outfit.

Day 329: 11/26
Brant learned how the horsie goes from Gigi. If you ask him he will click his tongue. It is adorable. It makes me so proud of him when he learns new things! So We had to take Brant to go visit The Burkhart's horses. I think he was overwhelmed by how big they were! He cried a little, but loved it when they would shake their head up and down. We told Brant they were saying "YES," which he can do now too.

1st Turkey Day~

2011-12-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Day 328: 11/25
Happy 30th Black Friday Birthday Dusty! Andrew and I had a great time with wonderful friends! So glad we got to Celebrate with Dusty.

Day 327: 11/24
Brant's very 1st Turkey Day! It was a great day with both sides of the family. We are so blessed that our parents live so close together.

Day 326: 11/23
While we were in Indiana Daddy spent a lot of time in the woods. His goal was to get a big buck! And He Did! Most points he has ever scored. Here is our proud Daddy with his 11 point. Brant loved shaking the antlers. ha ha

Day 325: 11/22
It was good to see Rach and Zach for a few days. Hanging out with Uncle Zach makes for Good Times!

Day 324: 11/21
Sadie is one of Brant's bestest buddies. :) ha ha Here Brant is trying to share his toys with Sadie.

Finishing up November

2011-12-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

Day 323: 11/20
Brant is now drinking out of a new kind of straw sippy cup! He loves it. He always acts like he is soooo thirsty.

Day 322: 11/19
Here is another great photo taken by Aunt Libby! We love those blue eyes!!

Day 321: 11/18
Aunt Libby helped Mommy take my picture for my invitation to my 1st birthday! :) It was so cold so we had to do it REALLY FAST! Thankfully we got a good picture out of just a few shots.

Day 320: 11/17
Brant loves crawling the stairs at his Grandma & Grandpa Raymond's house because they are off limits at his house. Good thing Uncle Luke has his back!

10 months old

2011-11-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

Day 320: 11/16
Daddy had to go to Youth Specialties in Atlanta so Brant and I stayed in Indiana for a few days until Daddy came back. We missed him so much, so we sent him this fun picture of WILD hair after bath time. Daddy always does bath time with the BOY every night.
Day 319: 11/15
Look out... This Momma needs a Girls Night Out! I had a great time with some wonderful friends. Abby and Shaya were there too, but we didn't get the picture before they had to leave. Thanks Jessie for hosting.

Day 318: 11/14
My little guy is 10 MONTHS OLD!!

Day 317: 11/13
Tyson and Tiffani and the boys were in Indiana for a couple of days too. (I am terrible. We were so busy, I didn't get any pictures.) Tiffani gave Brant this hat. It is so cute and cozy. Love it on him!

Day 316: 11/12
Daddy scored a special white Turkey hunting in Tennessee awhile back and we are just now getting a picture with the two special hunters and the once in a lifetime turkey. :) They look so handsome in their camo.
The whole fam

Resting Pose! ;)

2011-11-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Day 315: 11/11
Brant got a lot of Lanie Lovin while we were in Indiana. :)
These 2 pictures do a good job of showing how special their relationship is! They are such big buddies.

Day 314: 11/10
His favorite thing to do at Gigi and Papaw's house this trip was climb up and down their fireplace step. It helped him get a lot better at crawling up on his knees.

Day 313: 11/9
Enjoying his first taste of Rice Krispie Treats at GiGi's house.

Day 312: 11/8
Daddy was getting his stuff together to take to Indiana hunting and we had fun seeing that B could fit into one of his boots! :) Not for long.

Day 311: 11/7
This is Brant's new thing... we call it "Resting." He will crawl, crawl, crawl across the floor and stop for a break to pose! It is seriously the cutest thing ever. I am so glad we were able to capture it.

Day 310: 11/6
Sometimes I just prefer to chew on the wrong end of my passy clip, Mom.

Mommy's Project

2011-11-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

Day 309: 11/5
I enjoy making stuff during Brant's nap time. This is my latest thing. I am making some for friends and family for the Holidays. I really really LIKE them! They are big too. Mine is 4 feet long. It's perfect for my big wall in my living room.

1st time Trick or Treater

2011-11-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Day 308: 11/4
Brant and Meyers having a good time playing together. Us parents thought seeing them play together from the back made Brant look so grown up. Awww so sweet!

Day 307: 11/3
Time for a Walker! B-man loves to get in it and GOOOOO! I think it is helping him get stronger and more confident!

Day 306: 11/2
I have been working on a Birthday Banner for a very special little boy to have at his 1st birthday and every birthday after that! I love the thought of starting traditions. I love how it turned out.

Day 305: 11/1
We can not let him out of our sight! He will shake and shake the gate because he wants to go upstairs all by himself. He is such a stinker! ;)
I see you!! Big Boy! ha ha He is keeping us on our toes.

Day 304: 10/31
Brant's 1st time trick or treating was a lot of FUN! Great Nickpop and Grandmom's house was his very first stop.
And the Scarbroughs were Mommy and Daddy's favorite stop! They know us too well! :)

Day 303: 10/30
Enjoying what's left of nice weather in 2011. Brant will stay on a blanket and not crawl onto the grass. Seriously. Goes to the edge of the blanket and stops. It's like he knows that's what his Mommy wants him to do. :)

Smoky Mountains

2011-10-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Day 302: 10/29
Brant got busted playing with all of my markers. Check out that face! lol

Day 301: 10/28
Brant was sporting the RED today for the St. Louis Cardinals! They won the 11th World Series tonight. Go Cards!

Day 300: 10/27
Like FATHER Like Son.
My boys are so much fun! Never a dull moment.
The Seniors ALWAYS like to stop at the Russell Stover Chocolate Outlet. My boys were into the samples. Andrew was eating them and B was happy with licking the cups.

Day 299: 10/26
Brant's first time on top of a Mountain. Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Our Sweet Little Pumpkin

Day 298: 10/25
Brant learned how to do SOOOO BIIIGGG while we were driving around East Tennessee. He looks so serious about his new trick.

Day 297: 10/24
Brant's 1st ride of MANY in the New Hope Bus. Thankfully, he traveled really really well again. We were on our way to Pigeon Forge with the Senior Adults to the Celebrators Conference.

Our Little Monkey :) he he he

2011-10-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Day 296: 10/23
Brant's 1st Fallapoolooza Party at church.So proud of Baby Boy for winning his very 1st costume contest. He had NO IDEA how cute he was!!
Brant's little buddy Luke was a werewolf!

Day 295: 10/22
Brant's Trick or Treat Basket that I threw together! Happy with how it turned out! Hope to use this for many years to come.

Day 294: 10/21
Helping Momma with the dishes. :)

Day 293: 10/20
Bed Head! Just like his Momma. Too bad you can't see my case of bed head in this picture.

Day 292: 10/19
Happy Birthday to my Mr. Wonderful. 27 years looks good on you Babe!
Uncle Greg came over to wish Andrew a happy birthday.

Day 291: 10/18
Brant got to hang out with Miss Jennifer and Drew today while Mommy and Daddy had an early birthday lunch date. :) He likes to really watch Drew and what he is doing. ha ha

Day 290: 10/17
Brant's 9 month check up. Reading a little while we wait on Dr. O.

Day 289: 10/16
Dad's Little Birthday Party with the guys! We had pizza, chips, drinks, and warm apples and ice cream!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Day 288: 10/15
Priddy Farms Pumpkin Patch was a great place to pick out Brant's first pumpkin, take some pictures, and where his new shirt that Beth helped me make. It turned out so stinkin' cute! :)

9 Months

2011-10-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Day 287: 10/14
Brant Nichols Raymond is 9 Months old today! Thank you Lord for blessing us with such a special boy.

Cotton Fields

2011-10-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Day 286: 10/13
I really want to start the tradition of taking Brant's picture with the cotton every fall. I think they turned out so sweet. I love the expressions he makes. He was kind of sleepy when we took them.
When I went back to the Jeep to grab something real quick, I had to capture this view of Brant's Daddy loving him. Priceless. Brant, your daddy loves you so very very much!

It's official. I have myself a good ol' southern boy.

I love Pj's

2011-10-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Day 285: 10/12
Andrew took a few college age guys to visit Johnson this week. While he was there, he sent me this picture of our apartment! :) Ahhhh the Memories. We lived in the Married Housing on Campus from January to May 2007. That was the time period we refer to as the Knox-Vegas days! :)

Day 284: 10/11
Loving his Care Package from Dawson, Dieken, Declan, and Drake. He got super excited about the baby food that comes in the squeezable package. Makes him go bonkers! He eats that stuff up! :) Thanks Uncle Tyson and Aunt Tiffani.

Day 283: 10/10
Practicing with his football in his crib. What else do 8 month old boys do? duh.

Day 282: 10/9
I love Brant in anything, but there is just something about Pj's that take cuteness to a whole new level! :) That's why we have a lot! Lanie and Libby got him this cute pair a LONG time ago. When he was just born. Now they fit. 12 month pjs and he is 8 months old. He is my healthy big boy!

Swinging & Sliding

2011-10-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

Day 280 & 281: 10/7 & 8
I told you Brant loves Lanie. He can't even take his eyes off of her. This was his first time on the swing and the slide. He loved doing both with Lanie. Anything outside and my boy is happy! :) Thanks to Aunt Libby for the great pictures.

ATL and Indiana

2011-10-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Day 279: 10/6
Sadly, Brant doesn't do this much anymore. :( Thankfully he did while we were in Atlanta for Andrew's Catalyst Conference. It worked out so well. We got to listen to God working through amazing people like: Andy Stanley, Priscilla Shirer, Dave Ramsey, Blake Mycoskie (founder of Toms shoes), Katie Davis (Author of Kisses from Katie). Brant was such a good boy. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers.

Day 278: 10/5
We went to the famous Varsity while we were in Atlanta. It was so yummy. Best Onion Rings I think I've ever had. Andrew had been there before, but this was my first time. Next time we go Brant will actually get to "eat" there. This time it was just Sweet Potato puff for him. Thankfully, he didn't know what he was missing. ha ha

Day 277: 10/4
Brant loves every minute of hanging out with Lanie. He adores her! All Lanie has to do is just look at him and smile and he gets sooooo excited! :)

Packing up our Suitcase

2011-10-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Day 276: 10/3
Brant helping me do some serious packing for Indiana and Atlanta.

Day 275: 10/2
Representing the Colts, even if it is a tough year!! Hang in there Indy!!

Day 274: 10/1
I was so happy that we got to see THE Sam Hancock sing with his Band Illuminate down at the Midsouth Youthfest. He is doing a great job of bringing it for God!

New Car Seat :)

2011-10-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Day 273: 9/30
I love this Lion Hat on my little man. I couldn't stop giggling over how cute he was in it.

Day 272: 9/29
Brant trying on a winter coat hand-me-down. Don't think this one will work for this year. Maybe the next. :) ha ha It was a funny sight seeing him try to roll over in it.

Day 271: 9/28
This morning Brant stayed with my Mother-in-law while I went with Andrew to a Middle School for the See you at the Pole event. I always used to go to them when I was in school and this was my first one since I graduated high school. Such an awesome awesome God thing thay is still in our public schools today. I hope it's still around when Brant is in High School. Then later that night we went to the BPAC for hopefully what was the first annual SYATP evening event with a bunch of area churches. I couldn't locate the pictures I took of the kids. :(

Day 270: 9/27
Brant can now climb up on our sofa table and He Loves every minute of it. He thinks it's a game. It's so cute the way he climbs up on it and perches.

Day 269: 9/26
Brant has moved up to a bigger carseat. My Ride 65 is the name of it because he can use it until he is 65 pounds. It is rear-facing for now, but we can turn it around to forward facing when we are ready. My baby boy is growing up way too fast. No more "infant" carseat. :(

Our Daily Life with Brant, of course! :)

2011-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Day 268: 9/25
Sleeping away while Daddy and I watch the Colts with Kevin and Brock at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Day 267: 9/24
Breakfast at Chicfila with Daddy on a Saturday morning. I love his little tennis shoes.

Day 266: 9/23
Getting better at pulling himself up. Here he is checking out the nativity set and picture of Brycen, Kayden, and Lanie on my built in bookshelf.

Day 265: 9/22
Brant taking a "ride" with Daddy in his truck to the mailbox.

Silly boy

2011-09-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Day 264: 9/21
Brant is ready for his 2nd day at MOPS. He had a hard time with being away from Mommy today. Broke his Mommy's heart. Chewing on a sock. Silly boy.

Day 263: 9/20
Supervising Daddy's work.

Day 262: 9/19
Brant and Luke playing leap frog while the Mommies play with fabric and hot glue guns.

Day 261: 9/18
Brant discovered that he liked Rice Husks. They will be good for keeping him occupied when we go out! I like to keep a few tricks up my sleeve. Believe me. We must have tricks. :)

Day 260: 9/17
Dinner with the Morris family. It was so yummy. Emily and B riding the chickens.

My busy boy!

2011-09-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Day 259: 9/16
I could hear Brant, but I couldn't find him. Peek a boo. He found a new hiding spot. The drapes.

Day 258: 9/15
Carrots on Brant's face, nose, hair, and even eyelashes!! Thankfully we were at home. He has started doing the motorboat with his lips when he is eating. Needless to say, he has too much fun!

Day 257: 9/14
My sweet boy is 8 months old! He is probably hollering at me in this picture. The boy is so vocal! I say he gets that from his Daddy.

Day 256: 9/13
Brant is into EVERYTHING! I heard a loud boom and this is what I found. He has always reached for this thing but this time he actually GOT IT!

Our Life through Photos

2011-09-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Day 255: 9/12
There is something about hangers that Brant just loves. He will pick them over his toys any day. Maybe I should just save myself some money and get him a 10 pack for Christmas. ha ha

Day 254: 9/11
Today was the 10th anniversary of September 11th when our country stood still. Our Middle Schoolers baked cookies and delivered them to area firestations to say Thank-you for rushing in to help while everyone else rushes out.

Day 253: 9/10
We went to the Germantown Festival with the Davis Family. It was such a beautiful day to walk around to all the different booths. This was the only picture I got. We were taking the shuttle to the festival.

Day 252: 9/9
Brant's first time to mow with daddy. He loved how loud the mower was.
He is such a happy boy when he is with his daddy! Poor kid doesn't stand a chance though. I am sure Andrew will have Mowing Class 101 for Brant. Andrew is so particular about his yard work. He has been taking his yards seriously since he was a young teenager and had his own lawn business! :) And I hope Brant grows up to be the exact same way! A hard working man just like his Dad!

Day 251: 9/8
I love decorating for fall. I was taking a picture of my favorite fall wreath and someone else wanted to be in the picture! :)

Day 250: 9/7
I made a special snack to take to the Meier's house for a Big Brother party. Smore Brownie. Oh my goodness...

Day 249: 9/6
Back home. I found Brant playing with his toys like this. Dumped the basket over onto himself. Silly boy.

Day 248: 9/5
We went to the Saint Louis zoo on Monday. It was a gorgeous day.
Brant just cracks up at Kayden. It is so sweet!

Day 247: 9/4
Labor Day Road trip to Saint Louis to see family. It was too short, I wish we could have been together longer.

Day 246: 9/3
I love yardsaling. I get that from my Granny. I found this at a garage sale and cleaned it up. They have some just like it at pottery barn, but I got mine for a much better price. Cha-ching!

Day 245: 9/2
Mommy got to have a girls night out tonight with Beth and Jenny while the kids hung out with their Daddies. We went to see The Help. It was so good. It's a movie I think everyone needs to see.

Day 244: 9/1
We are playing with a soccer ball because Brant wants to be like his Uncle Luke. we wish we could be watching him play this season. Luke has gotten to dress for Varsity a couple of times already. We are so proud of him.

Day 243: 8/31
My boys dreaming that Peyton will get to play this year for our COLTS!

Day 242: 8/30
Andrew was the master griller tonight! He made me the best steak! I wish Brant could have tasted his daddy's masterpiece. yummm. Andrew said he learns grilling tricks from Rob Ratliff.

Day 241: 8/29
Doing some yard work with daddy on his day off.

Day 240: 8/28
I wasn't the only "bed head" that woke up this morning in the Raymond household. I hope he is not doomed with my hair.

Day 239: 8/27
Tonight we went to a cook-out with the young married class at church. It was lots of fun. For the first time I tried Dump Cake. Wow. Why hasn't someone told me about this before? Thanks to the Butlers I have the recipe now. So easy.

Day 238: 8/26
Moes with our Favorite Moes peeps! The Easons. It's so cute Meyers will holler back MOE'S when they say "Welcome to Moe's."

Day 237: 8/25
Shane & Shane at Ellendale Baptist. I am so there. It was such a great show because We were the 1st ones to hear their new album "the one you need." Andrew and I had such a nice time together. Brant stayed at home with Great Aunt Saunie and Great Grandmom.

real babies wear blue

2011-08-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Day 236: 8/24
The Easons came over for dinner last night. It's nice just to have friends who can come over at the spur of the moment. Oh and Meyers and Brant loved hanging out, too! I love Meyers. When she touches Brant she says "Be Soft." Her momma trained her well.
B is growing way toooooo fast. As you can see he has already outgrown his shirt that says "real babies wear blue" Last time he gets to wear it.

Day 235: 8/23
Banana Yumm! I love this little mesh toy. I can give him something yummy in it and not worry about him choking on it. Wish I would have thought of this genius idea!

Day 234: 8/22
Brant discovered if he taps his passy on the hardwood floor it acts like a top. Spin. Spin. He was entertained for a good 15 minutes. It was so cute.

Day 233: 8/21
Enjoying our 6 month portraits of Brant. This one in the entry melts my heart.

On the Road again

2011-08-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Day 232: 8/20
We got to see the New Mr. and Mrs. Chase Helms.

Day 231: 8/19
We swung by Purdue Campus to see Aunt Rach and Uncle Zach's new place on our way to Washington, Indiana for the Graber Family Reunion at Camp Illiana.
Brant was so exhausted from all the driving that he dozed off in Aunt Libby's arms while she was visiting with the Grabers. So sweet.
Andrew took my place helping stir the dough for homemade cinnamon rolls.

Day 230: 8/18
Visit to see Uncle Tyson, Aunt Tiff, Dawson, Dieken, Declan, and Drake.
We had a wonderful visit in such a short time.

Day 229: 8/17
Andrew wanted to show us his Great Great Grandpa's old barn and what was left of it. We got some cool pictures.

One of the main reasons we went to Iowa at this date was so we could get the 5 generation picture. Very Very Special.
Great Great Grandma Mary
Great Grandma Peggy
Grandpa Ron
Daddy
Brant
There is also a professional 5 generation picture that they had taken at a studio.

Day 228: 8/16
Brant met his Great Grandma Peggy and Great Grandpa Bill.

Day 227: 8/15
We traveled to 4 states in 5 days.
First stop was stopping half way at St. Louis, Missouri. (Didn't get a picture.)
Next destination was Perry, Iowa for Brant to meet his Great Great Grandma Mary.

On the MOVE!

2011-08-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Day 226: 8/14
7 months old today!

Day 225: 8/13
I left a to-do list for Andrew while I went to a Mom2Mom event at church this morning.
This is the note I found when I got home.
So sweet my boys.

Day 224: 8/12
Playing with toys in his hichair while Mommy makes dinner.

Day 223: 8/11
Andrew and I started our Dating Life.... 10 years ago today.
Wish I could find a picture from 10 years ago. This one is from 5 years ago.

Day 222: 8/10
B likes crawling right up to our only puppy dog.
It's so cute.
I think his daddy needs to get him a real one.

Day 221: 8/9
Brant has a bad habit of scratching himself. Still. Poor guy.
He is supposed to get professional pictures this week, too.

Day 220: 8/8
Why does he find every chord in the house??
Time to do a better job of child-proofing.

Day 219: 8/7
It's official. Brant is on the move!
He started the army crawl last night at 6 months and 23 days!
Andrew and I got him to finally crawl by using our cell phones as bait. Ha!

Day 218: 8/6
We had another photo shoot this evening with Andrew's help.
6 month old in a basket is a MUST. :)

Jankowski Family visits Memphis

2011-08-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Day 217: 8/5
Happy Birthday Great Grandmom

Day 216: 8/4
Sweet Sweet Chubby Legs that Mommy LOVES and can't get enough of!

Day 215: 8/3
Rob, Sarah, Caleb, and Abbey came to visit us this week. We had fun hanging out with sweet close friends. This was our trip to Bass Pro.

Day 214: 8/2
Nursery Pictures. I don't think I've ever posted the entire room. Shame on me.

Day 213: 8/1
You aren't crawling yet, but you can ROLL and ROLL and ROLL to the things you WANT!
Your favorite thing at the moment is the remote control.

Day 212: 7/31
Books Mommy and Daddy are currently reading to become better Christ-followers.

2011-07-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Day 211: 7/30
Boating at Lakeland

Day 210: 7/29
First experience with consignment

My boy likes the camera!

2011-07-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Day 209: 7/28
Love photo shoots with this adorable little guy.

Day 208: 7/27
Blessed by Diapers. Long Long story but someone bought me diapers at Target and said they were a gift from Jesus! That's cool, because we Know Jesus! :)

Day 207: 7/26
As crazy as it sounds....I really do enjoy making Brant's babyfood.
Reason #1. Save $$$
Reason #2. I know exactly what's in the stuff.

Can't believe my Baby is 6 months!

2011-07-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Day 206: 7/25
As you can see...Andrew has a special talent for helping Brant fall asleep for nap time.
He leads by example. ha!

Day 205: 7/24
Talking about something serious. Love them.

Day 204: 7/23
Uhhh Ohhhh! Brant found us.
Peeek a boo. I see you Mom and Dad.
He always has us laughing.

Day 203: 7/22
Lanie always enjoys taking care of her little Baby Brant.

Day 202: 7/21
Brant started doing a new trick this week. Clapping! He gets soooo excited about it and hollers really really loud!!

Day 201: 7/20
Brant has his own music for the car. One of his songs goes like this.....
Mom has a Mom and she's my Grandma.
Dad has a Mom and she's my Grandma.
There are many Grandmas who love me.
So very thankful for Brant's loving Grandmas that he got to hang out with this week!

Day 200: 7/19
Lunch Date with Good friends!

Day 199: 7/18
A sweet treat from the sweetest friend. My favorite ice cream from Scoops - Black Razz. They always run out of it when I am home, so it seems. But my dear friend, pulled some strings with her ice cream connections and surprised me! :)

Day 198: 7/17
My Mom is such a wonderful Godly woman and a great role model for me. This past week she has been serving and loving on the people of Joplin with a group from New Hope in Washington.

Day 197: 7/16
Daddy works so hard for us. He is such a handy man and can do anything he puts his mind to, like cutting down this huge tree! Impressive Honey!! :)
Now you see it...
POOF!! Now you don't...

Day 196: 7/15
6 Month Check up and Shots with Dr. O! Brant wanted to eat his stethoscope. He weighed 19 pounds and 8 ounces. That is 80 percentile for 6 month old boys.

Day 195: 7/14
Big Boy Celebrates Half a Year! Can't believe it! He is growing up way too fast. Thank you Lord for a beautiful healthy smart bouncing baby boy!

1st taste of FOOD!

2011-07-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Day 194: 7/13
First taste of Food was ... Avocado! He loved it. I mashed it up with my little blender, just like the Bullet, only it's called the Rocket. ha! He laughed after every bite. It was so much fun watching him enjoy the experience! I can't wait to try the next food. I pray that he is not a picky eater.

Day 193: 7/12
Hanging out with Mr. Cooper! (Why don't they make shows like that anymore??)
Cooper is almost 8 months and Brant is almost 6 months. Cooper was go go go! Crawling everywhere!!

It's Hot!

2011-07-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

192: 7/11
Hot, Hot, Hot! I always think of the old commercial In Indiana when it's this hot...
"It's hot Don!"
"You can say that again!"
"It's HOT Don!"
At one point it actually read 104 degrees!

191: 7/10
Don't mess with Brant and his washcloth. He is one happy boy if he can just stick it in his mouth.

190: 7/9
Getting better and better at sitting up by myself! :)

Holy Cow...We've been busy!

2011-07-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Day 189: 7/8
Cow Day at Chic-fila!! Brant's first of MANY! Andrew always takes a group of kids every year and they get free meals for dressing up like a cow!!
Happy Birthday Aunt Libby!

Day 188: 7/7
Swim & Study with Middle Schoolers. One of the students remembered that Last year at Swim & Study was when Andrew announced that I was pregnant by giving the kids grapes and telling them that's how big our baby was!! lol!

Day 187: 7/6
We got to meet Kasen Jared Smith and Lilly Joetta Cummings during our visit. They were both under 1 week old. So sweet.

Day 186: 7/5
Re-united with DADDY! We missed him so much!
I made the boys labels for their DSs with my Cricut. We thought they were pretty cool.

Day 185: 7/4
Happy 4th of July and Brant's first time to HOLIDAY WORLD!!! We all missed Andrew.

Day 184: 7/3
Andrew had a great week of Middle School Camp in Panama City Beach! Thank you God!
Flashback - Panama City Beach Trip 2006 - 2 months after we were married!

Day 183: 7/2
We had a wonderful day hanging with the Cummings Family out at Camp Illiana.

Day 182: 7/1
Graber Cousins. Tyson and Tiffani and the boys were in Indiana too! :) Brant saw fireworks again and Marsha & Tom's party.

Day 181: 6/30
Drove 6 hours with just Mommy & Brant to have play time with these special people! I called this Miss Lanie's music class. ha ha

Day 180: 6/29
Brant rockin' the Michael Jordan jersey!

Day 179: 6/28
A special gift from Cousin Theo!

Day 178: 6/27
Brant meets Great-Great Aunt Irene.

Day 177: 6/26
Brant's very first fireworks! We went to watch Bellvue's fireworks in the Kohl's parking lot.

Another Good Year for Summer Slam!

2011-06-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Cove Party! Good times hanging out with neighbors, except for Madison breaking her arm. :( She is a tough cookie.
Day 176: 6/25

Brant giving Great Nickpop a "five!" We went to eat at one of me and Andrew's favorite...Firebirds!
Day 175: 6/24

Last night of Summer Slam! This is the kids' favorite. Messy night.
Day 174: 6/23

The Youth Ministers' Kids Hangin' Out at Summer Slam!
Day 173: 6/22

1st Zoo & Father's Day

2011-06-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

First Trip to the Zoo!
Day 172:6/21

Brant and Russell were really wanting their parents to get them some dip n dots!

Pool Time...
Day 171: 6/20

First Father's Day...
Day 170:6/19
The beautiful art that Brant made for his daddy! Melt my HEART! Something for Andrew to really treasure in about 16 years!

Sunday was also Brant's first day in the nursery at church. He did great, better than me. I loved his little name tag. Made him seem like such a big boy!

Brant & Daddy

2011-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Brant Photo Shoot sneak-peak!!
Day 169: 6/18

Play date with Brant's new friend Mr. Luke. We had Father's day craft time.
Day 168: 6/17

5 month old boy!

2011-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

(Excuse this post.)Major inside joke! I am only putting this on my blog for me to remember how crazy in love I am with Brant's Daddy!
Day 167: 6/16
I love looking in the back seat mirror and seeing my lil monkey cuddling his blankey! :) He is so happy listening to his music. Baby signing time is his ultimate favorite!
Day 166: 6/15
I am a big 5 month old today and partyin' with Daddy while Mommy is at Kristin Thorton's bible study titled "The 2 things your child can't get through life without."
Day 165: 6/14

Rolling around

2011-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Day 164: 6/13
We enjoyed Daddy's day off with a walk in the park at Buckhead. It's so nice and it's right down the road. There are different signs of great scriptures along the nature trail. Brant loves being outside.
Day 163: 6/12
Brant has really started the rolling around thing. I lay him down in one spot of the room, leave and come back 10 minutes later and I can't find him. Literally. Today, I found him half-way under our bed just hanging out! This kid cracks me up!! It's like once he figured it out, laying in one spot is all over!

Life 365: Living Each One Out...June 2 -11

2011-06-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Day 153: Brant is a member of the Shelby County Books from Birth. He receives one free book every month. I know wonderful, right? ! This is his first one. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. Day 154: Brant has started sleeping in his crib upstairs at nap time and at night. Yes. I said at night, too. I finally did it. It was time. However, we do sleep upstairs in the guest bedroom. In the room next to his. It still counts. Totally. Our little baby is growing up.
Anyway, Puppy Dog will totally keep him company. :) This is how we found him this morning.
All I have to say is - Prrrrrrrecious.
Day 155: Today we had a picnic with my new Mommy Group. Andrew dressed Brant while he was napping. He was soooo tired, that he never even woke up. That used to happen a lot when he was first born, but not so much anymore. ha! I love how he has his hand stuck under his overalls in this picture. It reminds me of an old farmer! ha ha! Something my Pa did ALL the time!
Day 156: Brant's Baby Dedication at New Hope Christian Church, Bartlett, TN. We love our Church home and are so thankful that we get to raise Brant there. It's a bonus that Andrew gets to serve as the Middle School Minister there, too! There were soooo many babies dedicated with Brant that were born in the last year. We hope he gets to know them all very well and their sweet parents.
We wish we could make time stand still....we are already noticing how fast time flies by. We love our baby boy so much.
Dear God,
As Brant's parents, we commit ourselves completely to you. Give us wisdom to guide him through life on this earth to love you and to love others. Please give us the ability to equip him to be a man of integrity and stand up for your truth! Please help us to show him what a real and personal relationship with you looks like every minute of every day. We give you all the glory for such a wonderful son! Help us most of all to be like you as he will be looking at us.
Amen

Day 157: Gigi and Daddy put together Brant's exersaucer that Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Ron got him for his baby shower. He is getting really good at playing with it.
Day 158: We love waking up and hanging out with Gigi ALL day long!!
Day 159: Mr. Big stuff is now rolling from his back to his belly like a Big Shot! We can't believe how fast he is growing and doing so much now. We praise God for such a healthy strong beautiful boy! I think Brant kind of looks like my cousin Cody in this picture when he was a baby. Never saw it before, but I do in this picture. However, my mom couldn't believe how much Brant looked like my middle brother Logan the whole week this time. :)
Day 160: It has been sooooo hott here this week. Scorching. So mom thought Brant was thirsty, so we gave hm his first refreshing drink of water. At first we thought he liked it, then he gave us a nasty face that said.....this is NOT my milk!
Day 161: We are so sad that Gigi has to go back to Indiana. We had such a lovely week with her.
Day 162: Brant is fascinated with looking at himself in the mirror! It makes him extremely excited! If he is fussing and we show him his own reflection, he immediately starts screaming!! It's so entertaining!

My latest food kick...

2011-06-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Spinach Salad, Fresh Strawberries, Candied Pecans, Grilled Chicken Strips and Ranch dressing.
2nd night in a row! Perfect for summer.
Day 152

Brant's new ride

2011-05-31T18:02:00.001-07:00

Life 365: Day 151

Where's Brant??

2011-05-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Couponing with Mom!
It's my new hobby.
I saved $20 at first trip and $35 at second. Getting ready for third. I can't believe I've paid full price all of these years.
Life 365: Day 150

Sunkissed Cheeks

2011-05-30T17:08:00.001-07:00

Headed Back to the Raymond Resort...
and even Brant got a little glow!
Day 149: 5/29

All good things must come to an end :(

2011-05-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Headed to the beach for our last day of vacay!! (I wasn't able to ever get pictures of B swimming, because I wasn't dare getting my new camera close to the water. Bummers.)
First time that sand touched these fat little toes. Heart Smile. :)

Tomorrow it's back to Life 365 in Memphis! But I love my Life because I share it with my 2 most favorite boys!!
Day 148: 5/28

Gotta Love Family Beach Pics

2011-05-30T16:18:00.001-07:00

Day 147: 5/27

Fun in the Sun!

2011-05-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

My little man had so much fun that he fell asleep on Uncle Luke. So sweet! :)
Day 146: 5/26

Lovin' Vacation

2011-05-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Posing in Mommy's sunhat.
Hanging out with Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Ron! We had fun hanging out with them for the week!
Mommy and Daddy's boy!!

Had the best Seafood Chowder at Skull Creek Boathouse. I asked Andrew if he thought they could ship it to us!!
Day 145: 5/25

Day 2: Salty Dog Cafe!

2011-05-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

Of Course, I got myself a Salty Dog Cafe T-Shirt and a Grouper Fish Sandwich with Potato Salad. Ohhh I have wanted to go for so long! Andrew had his first shrimp salad and Sweet Potato Fries. It was a hit too.
In big news....Brant has started grabbing everything now! Especially what we are eating or drinking. It's so cute, to see him do it. As long as he doesn't knock it out of our hands. :)

My favorite picture of the day...
That night we went to Tanger Outlet #2. Yes, 2 Tanger Outlets in HH. Enough reason to go back. First time we've ever seen an Abercrombie Outlet. Brown skirt for 9.99. I'll take it!
Day 144: 5/24

1st day at Hilton Head Island

2011-05-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Brant has it made. :)
He is only 4 and half months old and he already had a vacation! ha! This was all of our first time to Hilton Head Island. We loved it. Very unique because of its low profile personality. Its reputation is very secluded and natural. It's so hard to even locate restaurants and stores, because it's purposely developed to highlight the natural environment of the island. I was freaking out because I couldn't find Wal-Mart. It was hiding behind tons of mossy trees.

This is Brant's new thing. Grabbing Mommy's hair anytime it is in his reach!! And it hurts!!
Catching up with the latest Redbook news!! (It's always something about the Kardashians.)
Daddy trying to get Brant to sleep in the shade.
HH is the most popular resort destination in the U.S. and we were blessed when the Valner Family asked us to come along. We hope to get back some day.
Day 143: 5/23

Brant got his Pilot Wings!

2011-05-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Brant got his first time flyer wings! We flew to Hilton Head, SC for Vacation. He did great! Better than his Mamma. I hit the dislike button on planes and roller-coasters. He only got a little fussy before take off when the AC in the plane hadn't turned on yet. He gets hot so easily. I'm afraid we are in for a doozie this summer.
Day 142: 5/22

Fish Fry & Packing

2011-05-30T07:30:00.001-07:00

Brant and I are getting our beach attire ready to go. Packing is almost done! Geez, I can't believe how much more luggage we need for such a little guy. I went out and bought those space saver bags that you suck the excess air out with a vaccum. They really worked great for giving us more space in our suitcases. I refuse to pay for checking-in more than one bag at the airport. Mission accomplished.
Day 141: 5/21

Just updating that Brant is teething. Lots of chewing, slobbering, and now we have a white spot on his gums that may possibly be the start of something exciting!
Day 140: 5/20

Senior Adult Fish Fry at the Browns
Andrew has two talents Middle School Youth Minister and Hanging out/Planning Senior Adult Ministries. We enjoy them both very much!
Brant greeting all of his God-Grandparents!:)
Let's just say these 2 men did a mighty fine job of frying all of that catfish and hush-puppies!
They never disappoint us! I'm glad Mr. Brown is teaching Andrew how to do it like a PRO!
I made homemade apple pie thanks to my Mother-in-law.
Day 139: 5/19

4 months old

2011-05-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Our good friends' little girl loves Brant. She gets so excited when she gets this close to him, but she knows she has to be sweet. And she is! :) I love to hear her say his name. It makes me giggle!
Day 138: 5/18

Brant had his 2nd round of shots at his 4 month appointment. Thankfully he didn't cry as much as the last time he got shots. He weighed 16 pounds 8 ounces (75%) and was 25 inches long (50%). We are so blessed to have a healthy growing boy!
Day 137: 5/17

President Obama came to Memphis today to speak to the graduates of Booker T. Washington High School. He gave them a very encouraging speech. I'm sure it's a moment the city will never forget.
Day 136: 5/16

Funny Onesie

2011-05-15T14:09:00.001-07:00

You know you're a true blogging mom when your child has a shirt that says this...
Thanks Chelsa for the Great Onesie! Too funny.
Day 135: 5/15

5 Years with My Happily Ever After

2011-05-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

My little blue eyed boy is 4 months old today!
Day 134: 5/14

That was Then...
This is Now! (5 years later)
Happy 5 Year Anniversary to us! I can't believe it's been 5 years since we said "I DO." I am looking forward to spending the next 60 with my ONE and ONLY! I really don't see what the big deal was with Kate and Will because I married a Prince, too....duh!

Thanks Cheryl, for hanging out with B so that we could enjoy our Anniversary date to Sushi and a movie!
Day 133: 5/13

I caught Brant looking up at his HERO! :) One word - PRECIOUS.
Day 132: 5/12

2011-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Oh No, Dad. Not my pitts! This is so embarrassing.
Day 131: 5/11

Even Tom Brokaw from the Today show made it to Memphis for the 2011 Flood. It is so sad that many people have lost their homes and belongings. Praying for our Community.
Day 130: 5/10

Bonding with my camera!

2011-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

C'mon Mom.....stop it with all of those flashes already!
Sorry Brant. It would help a lot if you would just smile.
Day 129: 5/9

Spiffy Pictures are in My future!

2011-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

My First Mother's Day! I love every minute of being Brant Raymond's Mommy!
Day 128 : 5/8/2011

Late Saturday night when we got home from eating at the Ratliff's house I heard..."COME FIND US!" ... and I walked into the living room and saw this.
I snapped a picture with my phone-camera because it was so darn funny! I couldn't stop laughing at the sight! My boys were ohhhh soooo cute and up to something!
They were hiding behind my early Mother's Day/5th Anniversary Gift. What could it be????
Surprise!!!! What I have always wanted....and dreamed about, but thought I would never get unless I found one at a yard sale.
My sweet Brant knew exactly what his Momma wanted ........ a new spiffy CAMERA!
The one with the big lens! and that's exactly what I'll say if you ask me what kind. ha ha
I hope to do some bonding with it so I can use it to its full potential.

In all serious. Not that Brant isn't thoughtful, but thank you thank you thank you to my sweetest most bestest friend in the whole wide world, who knows me better than I know myself.
My phone-camera was good enough, but...... but my new spiffy camera is sooooo much better!!
I can't wait to freeze precious moments of our son and our perfect family.
I love you Andrew Raymond! You are too good!
Day 127: 5/7

People 'round the world...

2011-05-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

join hands. Start a Love Train! :)
I had so much fun Friday night at my school acting crazy with about 14 other teacher and PTA parents at the LipSync night. I had forgotton how much I liked getting into costume and having a good time. It was so good to see parents, friends, and students that I hadn't seen since I left for Maternity leave. Brant just didn't know what to think about his crazy dancing Mamma!
Day 126 : 5/7

Up North

2011-05-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

I was soooo happy that I was able to do Miss Lanie's hair for her dance pictures. Ohhhh she is just so lovely, I can hardly stand it.
Her hair was easy, because it's so curly. I can do curly! :)
Day 125: 5/6

I had to eat at one of my favs while I was up North because we don't have it down in the South. Noodles & Company. Mmmmm. I had a dish that had lots and lots of pasta, cheese, and mushrooms. Enough said.
Day 124: 5/4

B and I spent most of our time hanging out with Aunt Libby and Cousin Lanie during our visit. Almost every single day. Just because we love them so stinkin' much and want to soak them up as much as we can.
Day 123: 5/3

Boys, Boys...everywhere!

2011-05-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

Brant loved Dawson, Dieken, Declan, and Drake because they were so good at talking to him, playing with him, and wanting to hold him. They would get right in his face and talk so sweet. Brant would smile and get sooooo excited. It was adorable. He is going to miss his cousins.
Day 122: 5/2

First Concert Ever for Mr. B and the best, if I do say so myself. Brant is a big fan of Shane & Shane because that's all Mommy would let Daddy play at the hospital. So he has heard their music a lot! I was so happy because they played the song I walked down the aisle to Andrew at our wedding. "This is the Day" is an amazing song. Andrew wasn't there so I called him and left it on speaker.
Day 121: 5/1

Brant's first visit to Herscher, IL. I loved watching my oldest brother's boys with B. They are soooo good with babies. Aren't they handsome??? Brant has good genes. :) However, I can't believe he is "nakie" in this picture. His cousins look adorable as always, but I guess we snapped this when I was getting B ready for church. Oh well. At least he's not 16 in this picture. ha ha
Day 120: 4/30

(Picture Coming Soon!)
Bethany Girls Get-together! Thank-you Shaya for hosting and having yummy fondue for us all to enjoy! I was the last one of the foursome to have a baby! Poor Adalyn is the only girl out of 5 (soon to be 6) boys. Natalie's Mom, mentioned that when there is a peak in the number of boys born that is supposed to mean that a time of war will be near. Who knows? Maybe. I never doubt God and his plan. I just shared with the girls that I just pray I do my best job at preparing Brant for what God has in-store. Who knows what the future holds but I know whatever it is prayer is the best thing I can do for raising my boy to be a Godly man who fights for what he believes. Please God I pray for your will and protection in Brant's life. Amen.
Day 119: 4/29

Day 115-118

2011-05-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Brant's first trip to the famous Fish Stand with Papaw Gordon. It was a big deal because this is where my Dad would take me for our Saturday Morning Dates. I loved every minute of it. Even as I got older. Daddy Daughter Dates are sooooo important to a little girl. Maybe one day Andrew will get to experience it. We'll see what God has instore for us. :)
Day 118: 4/28

Chillin' with Cousin Owen. Owen is a happy boy! He is a few months older than B. At Easter he would just roll and roll all the way across the room! It was pretty entertaining. I am excited about them having each other at Cummings Family Get Togethers! Big Cousin Eden will have to keep them in line!
Day 117: 4/27
Hanging out with Cousin Ezney. She is just 1 week older than Brant. I can't wait to see what they will be doing by this summer. Maybe sitting upon their own???
Day 116: 4/26

Grandma Ellie, Grandpa Ron, and Uncle Luke got Brant a Johnny Jump Up for Easter. He really likes it. I can't believe he is already big enough to sit in it. Funny thing because he just sits - Jumping shall come later.
Day 115: 4/25

Easter Festivities

2011-05-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

My sweet boys.... I can't resist them in their blue and white seersucker.

I love our little family and the thought of starting our own traditions.
Happy Resurrection Day Everybody!
Thank you Jesus for making a way for us when there was no way!
Day 114: 4/24

The Easter Basket is ready. This basket is very special because Brant will keep it for every year and Aunt Rachael made the liner. I am goo-goo over how it turned out! :)
Day 113: 4/23
Mommy having a little fun with the cutest bunny! ha ha ha
Day 112: 4/22

Generations of Friends

2011-05-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

We have really enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Copeland really liked holding Brant. I have been friends with Copeland's Mommy since I was a baby because Copeland's Nana and Brant's Gigi were friends since High School. :)
Day 111: 4/21

Storms

2011-04-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Rain Rain Go away! I am so ready for Sunshine. Since I've been in Indiana there has only been one day that it hasn't rained. Lots and Lots of storms. This is a picture of Me and Brant sitting in my parent's car down in their garage. There was a Tornado Warning for Eastern Daviess County and it sounded like the roof on their house was going to blow off. I was so glad that he never woke up because it was like 11:30 pm. We were very thankful for God being with us and keeping us all safe. They have had a lot of storms back home too.
Day 110: 4/20

Indiana Mushrooms

2011-04-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

Papaw Gordon's version of hunting is walking in the woods during April, finding mushrooms and then bringing them home to fry and eat! Delicious. I know it sounds sketchy. But I've done it my whole life and it's never hurt anything. ha ha This mushroom was a whopper. We have eaten them probably 7 times this visit. So good. My dad can't wait to take Brant Mushroom Hunting when he gets bigger.
Day 109: 4/19

4 generations

2011-04-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Cummings - My Mom's Side
Pa, Mom, Me, and Brant
I only have one grandparent still living so I was very thankful to get this 4 generations picture.
Day 108: 4/18

One happy AUNT!

2011-04-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday afternoon we were all sitting around eating lunch at my parents. I was in the kitchen making something and I turned to ask my nephews Brycen and Kayden what they thought about the Community Easter Program the Promise. They had just went not too long ago and I never got the chance to talk to them about it. They said it was good and we talked about their favorite parts. (My cousin Cody plays the part of Jesus in it and does a wonderful job.) and then there was a LONG pause....... and Brycen said...... I am getting baptized on Sunday. I think I choked a little bit and my eyes had to be the size of apples! I said this SUNDAY??? And he said YES, I wanted to keep it a surprise!!!! Well he surprised me alright! I ran to him and hugged and kissed him and told him how happy I was!!!! So he made JESUS his Lord and Savior on Sunday morning and I was so thankful it worked out for me to be there. I am so proud of him. It made me so happy! I can't imagine how I'll be when my OWN son tells me he wants Jesus to live in his heart. Chalk another life up for Jesus! My boy Brycen got saved! :)
Day 107: 4/17

Very First Swim

2011-04-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Brant swam for the first time this weekend over at the Boyd family pool. It is so nice. Perfect for Brant's first swim. It was really warm. I think he just thought him and Daddy were in a really big bath tub. He was just hanging out, never cried about the new experience at all. He is such a good boy. Lanie, Brycen, and Kayden were in on the fun!
4/16: Day 106

Uncle Luke

2011-04-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Luke is growing up so fast! I remember when I first started dating Andrew and I just thought he was the cutest little thing. Well he isn't so little anymore. He went to his 8th grade dance this weekend and looked so handsome. We told him he could borrow Brant to pick up chicks because that's what Andrew did with him! ha ha ha
4/15: Day 105

3 Months

2011-04-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

My boy is 3 months old today! I love him so so so much!

Sorry it took so long.

2011-04-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

I mentioned this project when I was preggers with B and totally forgot to reveal the little beauty. This church pew bench is very very special to me. My mom sat on it when she was a little girl and so did I for many many years. It was one thing I requested from my parents when Andrew and I bought our house. So my dad had it cut down to a smaller and much more convenient size. I think it turned out fabulous and I hope to keep passing it down through the years.
Day 103: 4/13

Happy ...

2011-04-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

to get up with my cuddly little boy in the weeeeeee hours of the morning. I will never complain about doing it again, because every moment is a gift from God and I will not take it for granted.

Day 102: 4/12

Nash-Vegas to Hot-Lanta!

2011-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

My Baby is a Traveler ... and a very good one, I must say!
6 hours to and from Nashville in 2 days
16 hours to and from Atlanta in 3 days
What was I thinking taking a 2 month old??
He did better than me. He never complained.

We got to experience the Famous Monell's as soon as we got to Nashville. Oh MY WORD! This place is Yummmmm-diggity! Andrew and I already want to go back. Next time we are even close to Nashville we will be swinging by for the best corn pudding, green beans, macaroni and cheese, etc. and it's all served up Family Style. I was hesitant to give this place a try, but one of our senior adults read about it in a SouthernLiving magazine. Their motto was "Help, I've eaten and I can't get up."
Day 96: 4/6

Brant and I went along for the ride with Andrew to take some Senior Adults to the Lifeway Gospel Conference in Nashville. The Peasall Sisters were my Favorite. They sang "In the Highways" on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Brant loved the music. The only time he talked or fussed was when they stopped to pray. ha ha ha Look out for this PK (preacher's kid).
Day 97: 4/7

On Friday we drove for 8 hours to ATL with 68 Middle Schoolers and sponsors. It was a long day so B and I camped out in the hotel room while everybody else went to the Believe Conference. I thought I deserved room service.
So I did.I was so proud of him. He was so happy to stretch out and lay on the hotel bed.
Day 98: 4/8

Day 99: 4/9

100 Days in 2011!
I can't believe I've actually kept up with this. Motivation...scrapbooking Brant's first year of Life!
This picture screams.......MOMMA!!!!! PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!
Day 100: 4/10

~Home Sweet Home~
I have been trying something new. Instead of Rocking B to sleep all the way every night, I lay him down and cover his face with either a blanky or his Puppy Dog. It soothes him the rest of his way to sleepy town! :) Last night it worked again and he slept 9 hours. I love my boy.
Day 101: 4/11

I asked God to help him be a good traveler before he was even born, because Andrew and I do A LOT OF IT!
I love my little traveler. Next on the list......Montgomery, Indiana.

Shortalls?? I'll take em!

2011-04-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

My two new obsessions...Ralph Lauren shortalls and consignment sales!! I can't wait to see my li'l monkey in them. Thanks Beth for the hook-up! You're the best!

Day 95: 4/5

More Visitors

2011-04-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Day 94: 4/4
Most of the time today I just sat around and got so excited! About what? My 11 week old grabbing at his bird. He started doing it last Monday night while my Mom was with us. Not batting uncontrollable swings anymore, but slow controlled grabs!! YEAH, Little Man! If you look real close...you can see that in this picture he has a-hold of the bird's feet! It's so cute to watch him do it. He is growing and changing so quickly.

Day 93: 4/3
Before Grandma and Grandpa Raymond and Uncle Luke headed back to Indiana, we had to have lunch at none other than Firebirds.

Day 92: 4/2
Looking cute for our trip to Central BBQ, Nike Outlet (where Grandma & Grandpa Raymond bought me my first pair of Jordans and soccer ball), and a cookout to Ronnie & Saundra's to watch the Final Four. Go Butler!

Day 91: 4/1
Luke came to hang out with Brant for a few days on his 8th grade year of Spring Break. He is such a good uncle. He is good at taking in and out the car seat and putting on Brant's shoes. :)

Spring Break Reunion!

2011-03-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

Day 89 & 90
My friend, Abby B., the Midwest Farmer's Daughter (tribute to Beach Boys), came to visit this weekend. It was so good to see her, her mom, and her two boys. She is such a good Mamma and friend for all these years. I hate that they had to track through Arkansas to get here. lol Crazy GPS Lady. Kim had to have a talk with her under the hood.
We had to have a reunion on her Spring Break. Abby and I have been to Sarasota FL, Orange County CA, and the Bahamas all together for Spring Break blast from the past. We grew up being besties since we were just little girls causing trouble at BCC. We probably owe a lot of apologies for causing so much trouble! :) LOL We were even told once that if we went to church, we needed to act like it. . . . OH my my my!! Where has the time gone? ? Love you....Abbs!
P.S. I liked my newly threaded eye-brows so much I even talked Abby and her Mom into getting theirs done. It's like the new craze, instead of waxing...you get threaded!! I highly recommend it!

Day with GiGi!

2011-03-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

We made the most of our time with GiGi today! We pulled weeds, cleaned, unlimited bread and salad at OG, shopped for friends, ourselves, and B, exchanged ugly yellow outfits for spunky cute ones :), yummy coffee drinks, experienced brow art (very cool), made rice krispie treats.... just to name a few. Oh!....and we still have a list of things to do tomorrow! We miss our men but we sure do enjoy our time together!! Thanks Mom for spending your Spring Break with us.
Day 88

Happy Birthday Papaw Gordon!

2011-03-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating the Man who was born 58 years ago and started the wonderful thing that I call.....Family.
Thank you for being my supporter, provider, protector for so many years, who modeled a great Christian Man for me. I am so glad that I get to call you my Earthly Father. We can't wait to see you at the end of April. Brant loves talking to you on the phone.
We love you, Dad.
P.S. Thanks for sharing Mom with me this week.
Day 87

Day 86

2011-03-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is what time with Daddy looks like. He is an Oakley man. I am getting very sad that my favorite "b" shirt that Beth E. made for him is getting too tight. :( He is growing so fast!

Day 85

2011-03-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

B's first shot at doing tummy time with the boppy. He liked it so much better than just the floor and was very good at pushing up and holding his head.
Last night was B's first lock-in. We were so excited, Andrew had over 75 Middle Schoolers and they all were great! :) So we all took the day very easy around here. It was so enjoyable. Relaxin' and watchin' lots and lots of basketball, Mr. Tart's Wings with the Hagens and Coach Kelly, Butler is going to the final four and WHS won IHSAA State.

Life 365: Living Each One Out

2011-03-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Day 84
Mr. Brant is 10 weeks old today. I love you buddy and putting clothes on you that are matchy matchy! What is it about clothes with elephants on them for babies that make me so silly? I can't get enough! :)

Day 83

2011-03-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

When my SIL, Rachael, was here a couple weekends ago I colored her hair. So it made me want to do something to mine and since I wasn't anywhere close to my beloved Amber Jo, I colored my own last night. You can't really see it, because I am wearing my favorite flowered headband. But it's called Iced Mocha....a tiny warm red tint to my natural brown. I've done this color before, because I really like it and....the Hubs is diggin' it too! :)

Day 82

2011-03-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well I finally decided on a charm necklace and it came in the mail this week. I love wearing it. I am glad I went with this style because I can wear it with dressy or casual. You can have one too personalized for your sweet baby from lovelouddesigns-jennifer.blogspot.com :) :)The length is perfect!

Day 81

2011-03-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

My husband is a genius. I was getting ready to go out to "The Big Baby Store" and buy a white noise machine for B for around 50 bones and Andrew said to let him handle it. And he did. Last night he rigged up something good. Bought white noise for babies (waterfall) on itunes for 99 cents and put it on our ipod and then the dock and played it on repeat. ALL NIGHT LONG! And guess who also slept ALL NIGHT LONG? ? ? Yep, you guessed it Brant, His Momma and His Dadda! Nine pleasant waterfall filled hours. And we saved 49 bones.
SCORE....10 points for Andrew! Good thinkin' Babe.

Day 80

2011-03-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Day 80: 3/21
Today was supposed to be my first day back to work after my maternity leave. However, after much prayer, talking, and waiting... Andrew and I decided it would be best for me to stay home with a very special little guy. We love you, Brant. Mommy is making a huge sacrifice for you but we know it is so worth it. :)

Day 79: 3/20
Good-bye super soft BundleMe. We have appreciated you for all of our wintry days, but you have GOT TO GO! Hello, 80 degree weather! :) ahhhhhhh! We want you to stay.

Day 78: 3/19
A little SNEAKY PEAK at Mr. B's Easter Outfit! I love it. A little too much. I don't know if we can wait until Easter to wear it.
I Officially know what "Seer Sucker" means now, thanks to my girl, Beth E. I rely on her to keep me up on my Southern Baby Fashion Rules! :) LOL Nothin' my Northern Indiana girls would know anything about. ha ha ha Well, expect maybe Brittany and Tiff!

Go Tigers Go!

2011-03-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Day 77
Our Memphis Tigers played today in the NCAA March Madness. They didn't win, but we were so proud of them and it was soooo close!

Slings Make My Life Easier!

2011-03-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

Day 76: 3/17
I wanted to get a picture of us using the sling, that Ari made for me, before he gets too big for it. I love using it and B loves it too. It keeps him "snug as a bug" and he usually falls right to sleep. I think he likes being so close to his Mommy! :)
As you can see, I didn't get pinched today. Brant had to wear green, too. However, Courtney made a good point and said "who would pinch that little man?!"

Puppy Dog

2011-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Day 75: 3/16
Lately, we have been working harder at creating a bond between Brant and his "Puppy Dog." (Named after his big cousin Brycen.) The plan is for it to work as a good comfort blanket.

Daddy's Home!

2011-03-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Day 74: 3/15
It is always so good to have Andrew come home after he has been out of town with the youth group. But this time...his homecoming was much different. He had Brant to come home to, too. It was so cute to see Andrew soak up our little man. He looked at me and said "I have missed this. This feels so right." (As he hugged and cuddled our Baby Boy.) AND then of course he crashed after that! Here are the 2 most important boys in my life getting some R & R. Those Middle Schoolers wore my hubby out! LOL!

Happy Birthday to GiGi! (MOM) We love you and miss you so much! We can't wait to see you in 13 more days on your Spring Break. We hope your day is as wonderful as you are. I can't wait to get a picture of her in the super cute rain boots I got her for her birthday!
GiGi holding Brant when he was One Day old! :) She took good care of both of us.

2 Months

2011-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Day 73: 3/14
Happy 2 Month Birthday to Brant!
You are such a good boy, you slept 9 hours last night for Mommy! :)

Day 72: 3/13
Love hanging out with Zach and Rach! They are so good to me. Rach made me some stylin' passy clips that make it really easy for Mommy and Daddy! :) Thanks Rach, You are so crafty and we love it!

Mommy, I want an I-pad

2011-03-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

Day 71: 3/12
Playing With Uncle Zach's IPad. He is so glad him and Aunt Rach came to play for their Spring Break from Purdue. (This is too funny because he looks mad about whatever he is looking at....Probably gas prices. We saw it today for $3.37.)

Through the night :)

2011-03-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Day 70: 3/11
This little boy was an angel last night. First he had a bath, followed by his favorite lotion massage, then Mommy fed him, and he fell asleep on daddy, and slept......drum roll please........8 HOURS!!!! That's sleeping through the night for sure!
I wish there was someway to reward a 7 week old to let them know how proud of them you are.
I think Chuck-e-Cheese is out of the question for right now. :) It's the teacher in me that's all about the positive reinforcement!