Just some random stuff...

I had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day! We celebrated by meeting Matt's mom and sisters at a restaurant for breakfast. This year we went to a place called The Big Apple Pancake House...the food was fabulous! It was a nice time to sit, visit and eat. I received flowers from my sister-in-law and some very nice cards. After breakfast, we got the kids loaded in the car and sitting on my seat was another gift. My husband and kids gave me an absolutely gorgeous diamond necklace (which Brayden proceeded to break the first time I wore it...thank goodness for warranty plans). Then, we headed to the mall and I bought some much needed new clothes at Kohls. From there, we headed home, put the kids down for a nap and I took a little snooze. Then, Portillos for dinner and a nice evening in with the family. It was a very special day for me. My second Mother's Day since Brayden came home and my first Mother's Day with Layna home. Being a mother is an amazing gift that I feel I take for granted at times. I LOVE being a mother and wouldn't trade it for anything.

I have to say thank you to my husband and kids for making Mother's Day such a special day for me. All three of you are the world to me, and I can't imagine life without you. Matt, you are an amazing husband and I love you with all my heart. Thanks for being the best.

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day...






In other news...I thought I would update everyone on how the kids are doing.

Layna is continuing to cruise around furniture at lightning speed. She is standing alone and will take one step before falling down. She is also trying to stand up form sitting without holding onto anything. She has not succeeded yet, but I love watching her determination. She is saying bye-bye, dada, tickle tickle (not real clear, but I know that is what she is trying to say) and mama. She does not have a lot of words yet, but I know it will come. She can sign more and please. She loves to sing and dance. Her current favorite is the theme song to Sponge Bob as noted in a previous post with a video...scroll down if you want to see it. She is sleeping like a rock star now...she takes one nap a day from about 1-3/3:30, then goes to bed at 8 and wakes up around 6:30. She amuses herself in her crib until about 7:30 when I go in to get her. She is off of formula, but cannot tolerate cow's mild. So, she is in soy milk and she loves it. When we were in AZ we eliminated the bottle altogether. So, only sippy cups for her now. She sure is growing up, and it is amazing to see the changes from day to day.

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Brayden is still talking our ears off and his language is clearer and clearer every day. We worked with Early Intervention to see if he qualified for any services reagarding his speech (the pediatrician recommended we look into it), and he did not qualify. Just the other day in Target, a stranger noted how clearly he speaks. His current favorite activity is baseball. Any object he picks up either turns into the bat or the ball. He LOVES throwing, and boy does he have an arm on him...I have many witnesses that can attest to that. His current favorite tv shows are Sponge Bob and Sesame Street, however he will pretty much watch whatever is on TV...LOL. He has started eating like a horse and sleeping like crazy again...so, I have a feeling we are in for a growth spurt soon. He is going to bed around 8:00 and getting up between 8 and 8:30 as well as taking an 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon. His favorite foods are chicken nuggets and noodles. He also loves pancakes and waffles. I can almost say he is 100% potty trained. He wears underwear all day staying clean and dry. He does still wear a diaper overnight because he usually wakes up wet. He still does not tell us when he needs to go potty consistently. He is just used to me sending him after each meal and every couple of hours otherwise. We are almost there! Our current challenge is teaching Brayden to use his manners and eat neatly. He REFUSES to use his silverware and makes an absolute mess every time he eats...it gets frustrating (any advice is welcomed). We have transitioned him to a big boy cup...no more sippy cup (well, rarely), and he knows/remembers to say "May I be excused?" when he is done eating. It's very sweet when he says it.

So, that's an update for now. I am always amazed at the accomplishments of my children on a daily basis. They are so beautiful and I feel very blessed to have them.