Family Pictures by Elloise Smith

These pictures were done by a good friend of mine from my ward, Eloise Smith. She'll be doing Kayla's newborn pictures which I'm really excited about! She did such an amazing job, I was really happy with them. We went out to Sahuarita, by that beautiful lake they have. I hope you enjoyed the fun as much as we did!

Crazy Bryson!

Bryson has found the Vaseline!?! What a mess. We washed his hair four or five times, and we still couldn't get it all out. The plus side, we didn't have to worry about adding product to his hair for a couple of days. He is definetely coming into his own. He's a little scavenger, and loves to climb up on anything and everything... literally!!

We watched the 4th of July fireworks with the Williams. Bryson loves Elizabeth, she's definetely his best friend. They are really cute together.

I got this at a garage sale for $15.00. He loves it!! He wanted to ride it and figured out the battery wasn't connected. It was really cute watching him figure out that that battery wasn't attached. Branden says, "Step on it!" and he'll press the gas pedal, and he doesn't really steer so we're there with him the whole time. Then he gets tired or something because he'll take his foot off the pedal and Branden has to tell him to Step on it again. It's a game to him.

Denver Trip

Branden and I decided that we needed to take a family vacation this summer. We searched for the cheapest airline tickets available, hopefully to a destination we'd never been. Expedia sent us to Denver!! So we were off. We began out trip with a bang. Outlet Shopping!! (My personal favorite day!) I was impressed with how patient Bryson stayed until the end. They had some great sales there, I throughly enjoyed myself. On Tuesday it was a beautiful sunny day so we took advantage of the sun and set our sites on Pirate's Cove. It was a fun water park. Mostly for kids, but Branden and I did enjoy the two adult slides. Bryson liked standing under the big bucket of water that would poor down every 15 minutes. Branden would take him and he'd get this suprised look, but loved it afterward. He loves floating on his back. I think he gets it from the bath tub. But he kept laying down on his back over and over again, and at one point the mother ran up to me and grabbed him because she thought he was drowning, and I just smiled and said, nope, he just really likes to float on his back. I could see where the mix up would be. That night we went to dinner in DownTown Denver. The locals call it LoDo. It was fun to see the night life. One of the best parts about Denver is that you can get around to where ever in less than twenty five minutes. (The length of time it takes me to get to the grocery store here in Tucson.) On Thursday we went to Georgetown, an old victorian mining town that was famous in the 1800's for their silver mines. I loved seeing all the historic homes that had been renovated. Many of the homes had been around since the beginning, and they had signs on those homes telling of their purpose at that time. I really enjoyed this part of the trip. On Friday we were getting ready to head home so we decided to see the Denver Zoo before we left. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Some of the animals they had there I had never seen before at a zoo so it was pretty neat.
So, all in all it was a wonderful trip. Branden was ready to get back to life, which is the point of vacation, I think. Bryson was ready to spend time with his toys and sleep in his crib. I was not ready to give up Branden for work. I really loved being with him for that time we had together, and it was sad not having him with me all the time. It's great to have time spent together to remind yourself why he's your best friend, and the importance behind embracing what little time we have as a family here on earth.

Have You Heard??

Well, if you haven't heard the news, Branden and I are expecting a new addition to our beautiful, fun-filled family. SHE will be joining the crew this November. I am very very excited to be having a girl. It would have been an easier road for us if it had been a boy, seeing how our insurance doesn't cover maternity. But when I get online and pretend to buy everything I want, I just have so much fun! Girls really are more fun to shop for. Beginning in June I have had the opportunity to babysit for a new born. He'll just come over a couple mornings of the week while his parents are switching jobs. I think it will be a very good transition for Bryson, getting used to a baby being around. He knows the sign for baby and frequently uses it. Branden and I have decided on the name Kayla Marie, we're hoping that she'll look like a Kayla when she's born, however we have a probable back up name, just in case... We like to use the name with Bryson, he likes to rub my tummy and sign baby. He's only sixteen months, so I don't think he really understands, but it's still cute.

Bryson Turned One!

I can't believe my little boy is already a year old! What a fun and exciting time for our family. Every day is a new adventure. On March 4 we had a small family birthday for Bryson. We celebrated by having Bryson eat his own cake. It was a lot of fun. Bryson loved sharing and smashing it in our faces and loved when we did it back. I'll see if I can post some of that video, his laugh is just so cute!

On the 14th we had a fun party which included family and friends, some of which we hadn't seen for a very long time! They all agree that Bryson is one of the happiest children you'll meet. He's always smiling, except when he's tired- for those of you that have seen him at church. It's crazy to think what this new year will bring.

Branden is working harder than ever for our family. I'm so blessed with such a wonderful strong man, who loves his family so much! I've also been blessed with being able to make cakes for my family and friends.

I've been busy with cakes a lot this past month, but I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been given, I really feel that it's been a blessing in my life. I'm also taking a cake decorating class once a week, so I've felt extremely crazy these past few months. All I can say about my class is that I've learned a lot of skills that I know I don't want to do. However, there are a few things that I've used and am glad to have learned. If it weren't for my friend Katie (in the class) I think I would have a hard time going every week.

I hate leaving my family when I have so few hours with my husband as it is. I treasure that small amount of time I have with him. Bryson misses him just as much. When it's getting close to the time he's supposed to come home he'll stand by the garage door and say da? ... da? He is such a strict routine boy. Bryson goes to bed every night between 6:30 and 7:00. Branden and I love it most days because we have the evenings to ourselves, but at times it's hard when your out and about and have to go home early because of a cranky little boy.

I'm really excited because this week I'm going to redecorate Bryson's room! I've picked out my paint colors, and my design. I have it all planned out in my mind. I just hope it turns out the way I've envisioned it. I'll post pictures when it's all done. I'm very excited to transform his room! It's going to be great.

Bryson at his cutest, enjoy!

Joys to having a family!

I feel so blessed every day that I wake up and call my family my own. I have a wonderful hunk of a husband who isn't afraid to show me how much he loves and cares for me. He remembers everything that I would forget, he's thoughtful, kind, generous, caring, loving, and an all around great da-da-da to Bryson. We have been trying to paint and rearrange things in our house with the removal of our extravagant Christmas decorations. It's unbelievable how bare my house is without the extra decorative support. I can't wait for next year and do it all over again, no seriously! I really can't wait! This Christmas was Bryson's first Christmas and we spent the morning at home. He loved seeing all of his toys, and didn't know where to begin... however, now a days I think he'd rather just play with the 'real' things around the house like cell phones, and any cord he can get his sneeky little hands around. We had a fun Christmas Breakfast with the Williams, and the evening with my parents, and then we flew to Texas the next day to be with Branden's parents for a week and had a wonderful time. Bryson loved being with all his family & friends!
I just have to say, Bryson is so remarkable. I often wonder what I did in my last life to deserve such a percious little boy. He's very active and very much happy to be alive! He goes where ever the action is. He's been standing since October, and is starting to really walk. He's been taking steps for almost a month now, but he's really starting to warm up to the idea that his legs can move when he wants them to. He's always got a smile to give you, how do you discipline when you can't help but laugh at the cute situation of him throwing out every last item in your draws, swarmed in all the mess, putting things back in the draws just to be able to take it out again! So cute!
Well, love you all, hope I'll be on here more than every other month!