The Parr Family

Christmas

2011-12-27T09:44:00.002-05:00

Christmas with Brayden was so much fun this year....he was very into it more so than ever before. Greg's parents came to spend Christmas Eve with us. After going to the children's service at our church, we came back for dinner and presents. Brayden was very excited about opening gifts! His favorite by far was the new kids camera from Grammy and Grampa. It has barely left his side since he got it and there are already a ton of pictures on the camera (I hope he'll leave mine alone now!) After opening gifts, Brayden spread out some reindeer food for Santa's reindeer so they could find the house and we left cookies & milk out for Santa. Here are a few pictures:

On Sunday morning, we woke up to find that Santa had come! Brayden was very excited about his gifts, especially the Spiderman webshooter he had been asking for. It was the first thing he spotted! He was also very excited that Santa had left a new bed for Callie. Santa also brought an art easel with accessories, superhero cape & mask, hot wheels cars & wall track, games, etc. Brayden went from one thing to the other. Greg & I loved watching the expressions & excitement on his face....Greg said he had woken up at 5:00 and had trouble going back to sleep because he was too excited to see Brayden's reactions! After eating breakfast, we opened our gifts to one another. Again, Brayden loved opening gifts and kept wanting more : )

We went to church on Sunday morning and then had lunch at my parents house with the rest of the family. It was noisy, chaotic and wild as usual, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The cousins love to play together when everyone is here...it reminds me of the days when I played with my cousins at Christmas. After lunch, it was time for another round of opening presents. Talk about chaos! All the children were super excited to open their new toys...Brayden got some pretty neat stuff Christmas Day, so he should be entertained for awhile, I hope!

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our families...its hard to believe its come and gone already!

Tis the Season

2011-12-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

We have been busy celebrating Christmas and taking part in lots of activities lately. Last Saturday we had Breakfast with Santa at our church. Brayden was super excited to go see Santa and tell him what he wants for Christmas this year. He was not shy one bit....as soon as we walked in, he said "Where's Santa?" I pointed him out and Brayden bee-lined straight to him and jumped up in his lap! We took advantage of having all the Grimes' grandchildren in the same spot, and got a pretty good picture of them with Santa.

Brayden is really loving the all of the Christmas decorations. He was eager to help decorate our house and tree as soon as Greg even mentioned that it was almost time to do so a few weeks ago. He wouldn't stop talking about it, so we finally gave in. He was a big help and loved hanging the ornaments...the bottom of the tree is a little ornament heavy, but we left it that way! Brayden is still rearranging the ornaments every now and then.

Last Sunday was our church's children choir Christmas performance. The cherub choir that Brayden is a part of sang three songs and were adorable. Brayden really loves children's choir and did a great job!

Hard to see him, but he is a dressed up as a sheep for the last song they sang, a little to the left of the center.

Brayden helped Greg ring the Salvation Army bell out at Belk's on Thursday afternoon for about an hour. He loved it! Greg said that donations went from 3 or 4 out of 10 people giving, to 9 out of 10 while Brayden was helping. He didn't want to leave when I came to get him. He helped Grandpa ring the bell for a little while this morning out at Walmart again. It was much colder, so he didn't stay too long though. It was very cute to hear him say "Merry Christmas" to everyone walking in and out of the store.

Can't believe Christmas is just a week away! We are so excited to see Brayden's reactions on Christmas morning when he sees everything Santa brings. Christmas is so much fun with a little one! He keeps asking if its Christmas yet and checks outside for snow everytime he asks...doesn't look like we'll be getting any this year, so I'm not sure what he'll think of that. Oh well, something he'll have to get use to because a white Christmas is definitely a rare occurence around here!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T18:05:00.002-05:00

We traveled to upstate NY for Thanksgiving this year to visit Greg's relatives. We figured this would be the last good opportunity to go before winter weather and baby boy #2 arrive! Our rides there and back were LONG, but Brayden did great thank goodness! I bought him a few new toys & DVDs to help keep him entertained during the rides, and they did the trick. He was very excited to go to NY and see everyone, especially cousin Luciana and Greg's cousin Heather. Brayden had such a good time playing with them both....and Greg and I enjoyed the break from having Brayden on our heels 24/7! We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner with most of the Sharkey family. We ate too much, especially the desserts, which I took advantage of since I'm eating for two now : ) It was so nice to see everyone and spend time with them. We definitely had a great time and made some good memories. Below are a few pictures from our trip:

Cousins

The Sharkey family

Brayden took this picture of Luciana taking a picture of him!

Glued to the TV

Brayden dressed up in Luciana's "Super Girl" Halloween costume...sequin purple cape & all! So glad we're having another boy so he'll have another male around to help with all his girl cousins :)

Halloween

2011-11-02T21:32:00.000-04:00

We have definitely celebrated Halloween this year and Brayden loved every minute of it. This year he dressed up as.....what else, Spiderman! Last Wednesday we went to our church's annual Fall Festival at church, where Brayden had a blast. He enjoyed the bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, cake walk and best of all, trunk or treating!

On Sunday night, Brayden helped Greg carve his first jack-o-lantern. He wasn't as into it as we thought he'd be...this one handful of pumpkin goo is about all he did to participate. Greg had fun with it though, and Brayden was excited about the end result.

His class had a Halloween party at MMO on Monday morning, where most of the kids came dressed up in the Halloween costumes. Brayden was really excited to wear his Spiderman costume (he even asked if he could wear it again today!)

Monday evening, we went out in the cold rain to do a little trick or treating in our neighborhood. Brayden was really into it this year and was excited to go door to door. Mommy & daddy had enough after about 5 houses...it was nasty out! We came home and handed out candy to the crowds of trick or treaters that came to our neighborhood. I was surprised at how many went out despite the weather. Brayden loved seeing all the different costumes, especially the ones of Buzz Lightyear and the different superheroes who came to our door.

We enjoyed all of the Halloween festivites this year, but I'm glad it is finally over! Now its time to get thinking about Christmas....

It's A Boy!

2011-10-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

I am a little behind in posting this, but things have been a little hetic and crazy around here the past few weeks with Brayden's birthday, work and just everyday life! Last Tuesday, we found out we are expecting another boy! We are thrilled to welcome another boy into the family....Brayden definitely needs one to help him out with all his girl cousins ; ) We took Brayden with us for the ultrasound so he could see the baby in mommy's tummy that we've been talking about for weeks. I don't know how much he really understood what he was seeing (I didn't even understand a lot of the things the tech pointed out on the ultrasound...I don't know how they know what they are looking at sometimes) He was excited to find out it was a baby brother because that is what he has been saying he wanted. When the ultrasound was all done, Brayden said "are we gonna get the baby out now?" He was very disappointed to find out we weren't...he whined and came so close to tears when we were leaving, saying "Where's my baby brother...I want my baby brother!" It was pretty cute. Here are a few ultrasound pics of our little peanut. Now it's time to start thinking about names...I think that's the hardest part for us!

Happy Birthday Brayden!

2011-10-19T10:31:00.000-04:00

Brayden turned 3 last Thursday! We had several celebrations during the week for his birthday. We started on Wednesday when I took cupcakes to MMO for a little "school party". He was very excited to have me at MMO with him, but he didn't believe me that we were doing it for his birthday : ) For weeks before, Greg and I kept telling him that his birthday was coming up, so he kept telling me it wasn't his birthday yet...it was coming up!

We had lunch with some friends at McDonald's on Thursday followed by a trip to Lowe's to look at the Halloween decorations that afternoon. (That is his FAVORITE thing to do lately and it's what he told us he wanted to do that day!!) We had dinner Thursday night at Pizza Inn with my parents and brother's family, follwed by cake and presents at our house. Brayden finally believed it was his birthday when he knew there were presents involved! He was very into opening them this year and loved everything he got, especially the Little Tikes from mommy and daddy. I think he had a little too much birthday celebration for the day, because he had a slight meltdown when Madeline, Lydia and Margo tried playing with his new things. He is usually a good sharer, but not that night. It was a sign that he is definitely 3 now!

Finally, on Saturday we had a Spiderman birthday party at our house. All of our family, friends and his friends from church came to help us celebrate. It was a perfect day for an outdoor party and everything went so well for such a large group. Brayden loved having all of his little friends at his house to play. Grammy made him an awesome Spiderman cake that I almost didn't even want to cut, it looked so good! The kids played, decorated Spiderman masks, watched a "magic show" from Lydia, ate pizza & cake, and watched Brayden open all of his presents. He got so many fun new toys, but his most favorite is the "Big Buzz Lightyear" from Grammy and Grampa that he had been asking for for weeks.

We had such a busy week of birthday celebrations...it was exhausting, but fun. Hard to believe my baby boy is now 3 years old!

Fireman Brayden

2011-09-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

We went to some friends' birthday party on Sunday at the Smithfield fire station! Brayden LOVED it, as he is very into fire trucks. One of his favorite shows is Fireman Sam that comes on the Sprout channel. He went through a phase where that was ALL he wanted to watch for a few weeks, but he has finally added more shows to his list (thank goodness....mommy and daddy were getting tired of it!) It is super cute when he does watch it because Brayden has a little song and dance he'll do during the intro song of Fireman Sam. My dad recorded it at his house a few weeks ago...enjoy! (notice that Brayden slides down the door casing in the beginning like its a firepole...that cracks me up everytime he does it!!)

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And here are a few pictures from our trip to the fire station.

Museum of Life and Science

2011-09-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, Greg, Brayden and I spent the day at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. A few friends of mine had recommended it, so we decided to check it out. I'm glad we did because Brayden loved it! We got to see dinosaurs, bears, wolves, snakes, butterflies, spiders, pigs, cows, and SOOO many other animals. They had an insectarium that I was NOT very fond of, but Greg thought it was awesome. Here are a few pictures of our trip:

Playing at the park

The entrance to the Dinosaur Trail....by far, Brayden's FAVORITE thing at the museum!

A few of the dinosaurs along the trail

Digging for fossils with daddy

Watching the bears

In the butterfly house...Brayden was scared of all the butterflies flying all around!! Not the dinosaurs or the bears, but the butterflies : )

Talking to the cow at the farmyard exhibit

Testing out the different sounds of the drums

Worn out from a long day

We also spent time in their kids exploration area inside that had lots of neat things for Brayden to play with. He enjoyed the mini space shuttle in their space exhibit. He would push all the buttons and yell "Blastoff" over and over again! There were a couple of things we didn't make it to because we were too exhausted after so much walking, so we'll definitely have to go back sometime. Brayden has asked to go see the dinosaurs again several times since we went!

Big News!

2011-08-29T10:20:00.000-04:00

That's right....Brayden is going to be a big brother! We are expecting our second bundle of joy in March 2012. I think Brayden will be a great big brother...he loves to be around babies already. I'm sure having one permanently in the house to share attention with will be a little different, but hopefully it will be easy for him (and us!) The last few weeks have been a little hard for us, as I have been struggling with morning/all day sickness and exhaustion on top of a very busy work season. Greg has definitely earned the title for "Husband of the Year". He has helped SOOOO much with entertaining Brayden, cleaning, cooking, etc. I am feeling a little better the last few days, so hopefully the worst is behind me now. We are very excited and can't wait to meet our new little one!!

Happy Birthday Song

2011-08-18T20:53:00.001-04:00

Today is my 31st birthday. It was a mostly quiet day with a small family celebration this evening. Brayden was very excited for my birthday. He greeted me this morning with "Happy birthday, mommy! I want to go to your party!" Poor thing had to wait all day for my "party" when we could finally eat the cake he kept staring at. My parents, brother and nieces came over to help us celebrate, and Brayden led everyone in singing "Happy Birthday". He has quite the vocal "abilities" and loves to sing at the top of his voice, especially at birthday parties. It always tickles me! Below is a clip of him singing to me earlier today (this is a very sweet, calm version, not nearly as dramatic as he can be! )

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Callie

2011-07-22T08:37:00.001-04:00

Callie had her amputation surgery last Thursday, July 14th. Recovery has been pretty easy for the most part so far. We had a few sleepless nights in the beginning, mostly for Greg and I because we were worried of what she might do during the night. We solved that problem by putting the lampshade collar on her...she hates it, but its for the best for everyone! Brayden has surprisngly been very accepting of Callie's new 3 leggedness (and the big "booboo" on her side) and didn't even ask questions. He is really gentle with her now and asks us if he can pet her most of the time. He loves his dog and is so happy to have her home...he asked for her a majority of the two days she was at the vet for the surgery.

Below are some of our favorite pictures of our sweet, loving, crazy, neurotic Callie over the years : ) Greg and I got her from the SPCA shortly after we were married and she has been a big part of the family ever since. Although she has taken a little bit of a back seat since Brayden came along, we still love her very much and hope we have many years left to spend with her.

Our new puppy

Pretty girl

Gradution from training classes (not sure how she passed!!)

Checking on her new baby brother

Where's Callie?

Christmas card photo out-take

Best friends

Last day with four legs

1 week after surgery

Callie may not like the collar, but someone else does!

Beach vacation

2011-07-10T14:50:00.001-04:00

We spent last Monday through Thursday in Myrtle Beach with Greg's family. Skip, Bernadette and Luciana came down from NY for the week, so we all took a short beach vacation together, including Grammy and Grampa Parr. We stayed at the Caribbean Resort in an oceanfront condo, which was wonderful! Besides having the beach right there, the hotel had several pools, splash parks, lazy rivers, etc., so there was plenty to keep us entertained. Brayden was not a big fan of the beach on the first day, but he warmed up to it on the second day. He and Luciana had a big time digging in the sand, looking for seashells, and playing in the pools. Besides enjoying the beach and water amenities, we also went to the aquarium one afternoon. They had a very neat tank exhibit where we stood on a moving sidewalk through it and were surrounded on both sides and above by all the sharks, fish, stingrays, etc. We also got to see and touch some stingrays and crabs, and saw lots of other neat sea life. We were in Myrtle Beach on July 4th, so we were able to see their fireworks display from the beach at the hotel. It was really neat because we could see several other town firework displays in the distance to our left and right, and there were a lot of people lighting them off right there on the beach into the night. Needless to say, we saw a lot of fireworks, which Brayen LOVED! We had a wonderful few days at the beach with everyone, but it went by too quickly.

On another note, the day before leaving for our vacation we learned that our beloved dog, Callie, has osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in her right hind leg, which is a very agressive cancer. We went ahead on vacation and tried to enjoy it the best we could, but she was definitely on our minds the whole time. We met with our vet the day we got back and scheduled amputation surgery for this coming Thursday. Even with surgery, it is likely that Callie will only be with us a few more months based on statistics. It is a very difficult decision to make, but we want to at least try to give her more pain free time with us and not regret not doing anything later down the line. Callie was our first baby, and despite all her "flaws", we love her very, very much. Please keep both Callie and us in your thoughts as we try to fight the cancer. Although it is hard, we are trying to be hopeful and think positively about her future.

Greg, the Triathlete!

2011-06-26T09:23:00.001-04:00

Greg did his first ever triathlon last Saturday, June 18th! My brother, David, has gotten very into running and doing all kinds of races over the last year. So, he managed to talk Greg into doing the 3 Little Pigs Triathlon in Smithfield with him this year. Greg has never done anything like this before. He did a little training beforehand, but had a lot of troubles with the bike he was using (my father's old bike). The same tire blew twice on separate occasions while he was out riding in preparation for the triathlon! After taking the bike to a bike shop to get fixed the week before the triathlon, Greg was still very nervous about the big day. The bike was his main concern, finishing the triathlon at all was his second : ) He didn't sleep much at all the night before. But I'm glad to say all of his worrying was for nothing, as he did great! Greg even beat David's time by 2 minutes, which was a big surprise. Brayden and I went out in time to catch both David and Greg cross the finish line. I was proud of them both for doing the triathlon...it's definitely not something I would ever think of doing, especially as hot and humid as it was (even that early in the morning!) Greg was pretty pleased with himself for doing the triathlon and plans to do it again next year, but right now he has no other races planned, especially NOT the half marathon David is trying to talk him into next!

Ready to go

Before the start

David crossing the finish line

Greg crossing the finish line

Greg & David post triathlon

Greg with his biggest fan (who was happy to have just gotten his face painted too!)

Big Boy Room

2011-06-08T08:50:00.001-04:00

My baby boy now has a "big boy" room! We weren't planning to move Brayden this soon, but rather in another month or two (or three). He never figured out how to crawl into or out of his crib, so we were in no rush to move him. However, last Tuesday night he had a nightmare about 3am and woke up SCREAMING. It scared me to death! He refused to go back in his room for the next couple of days and I did not want to start a habit of him sleeping with us. While he sleeps great, Greg and I do not get much (if any) sleep when he is in the bed with both of us. I had already bought the comforter, sheets, valances, etc. for his big boy room over the past few weeks since I new the move would be coming soon. So we spent the weekend painting and getting his new room set up. Brayden is very excited about his new room and tells everyone he sees about his new "big boy" room. He has done really well sleeping in there, but I have heard a few "thud"s when he rolls into the wall in his sleep, and he rolled off the foot of the bed two nights ago! I've added a few pillows to the foot of the bed since then, so hopefully that will keep him in the bed : ) He is all over the place when he sleeps! Now if we could just get the potty training under control, he really would be a big boy! Here are a few pictures of the "big boy" room.

Helping daddy paint

One happy big boy

The train wall hanging is one my mom made for my brother's nursery when he was a baby!

Welcome Summer

2011-06-01T16:23:00.001-04:00

Summer is definitely here...it is HOT! We spent a lot of our Memorial Day weekend in the water. Greg's parents had a cookout at their house on Saturday afternoon with their neighbors. Brayden enjoyed playing and splashing in the water, but he is still very unsure of it. He would not let us let go of him, even though he was wearing the life vest. Hopefully he will get a little more comfortable in the water as the summer goes on.

On Sunday, we spent a majority of the day with my family. We had lunch at mom and dad's after church, where all of Brayden's Grimes' family cousins where there to play with. Later that afternoon, everyone came to our house for a cookout and backyard pool play date. The kids had so much fun playing and splashing in the water....Brayden can't get enough of his "girls"! He gets so excited when they play together.

(Caroline ran off right before I took the picture, but she was there too!)

Even little Avery came over to play. Brayden was really into Avery this visit...he kept wanting to hold and kiss on her. It was very sweet.

On Monday, we spent a lot of time playing and trying to cool off in the backyard pools again. I hope we get some relief from this heat wave soon! Otherwise, it will be a long summer!

Brayden and daddy "relaxing"

Twinkle Star

2011-05-24T18:41:00.000-04:00

Every night before bed, Brayden tells me to sing "Twinkle Star" and 9 times out of 10, he'll sing along with me. It's pretty cute, so I got him to sing it on video for me today. He got a little mixed up on the verses, but that just adds to the sweetness of it: ) Enjoy!

Easter

2011-04-28T21:40:00.000-04:00

Bunny ears Brayden made at school

Posing in front of the azaleas

We traveled to upstate NY over the Easter weekend to visit Greg's relatives. His mom, Judy aka Grammy, went with us too...it was nice to have her to help entertain Brayden on the car rides there and back! Brayden was a trooper for the rides...he only said "I want to get out" a few times each way : ) We were able to spend lots of time visiting with Judy's side of the family over the weekend. We celebrated Luciana, Skip and Greg's Aunt Sandra's birthdays on Saturday night with a family dinner followed by a delicious birthday cake by Judy (guess who was super excited to eat cake---Brayden!!) Brayden was very happy when he found his Easter basket on Sunday morning. We went to Gramma Sharkey's church on Easter Sunday, where Brayden told everyone about his candy basket from the Easter Bunny! There was no nursery provided, so we had to take Brayden in with us and he did GREAT...he even went down for the children's moment! It was so cute and Greg and I were both so proud of him. After church we went to Gramma Sharkey's house for an indoor egg hunt (it was cold and rainy all weekend) followed by lunch. It was a great day! We had such a good weekend and hated to leave on Monday morning. Most of the way home and ever since, Brayden has repeatedly said he wants to go back to Gramma Sharkey's house. I wish they weren't so far away so we could go back more often. Below are some pictures from our trip:

Coloring eggs with Luciana

The Easter Bunny found us in NY!

Checking out his basket of goodies

Egg hunt at Gramma Sharkey's

Luciana and Brayden showing off their baskets full of eggs

Luciana, Gramma Sharkey, Heather & Brayden

Happy Birthday Greg

2011-04-16T09:42:00.000-04:00

Greg's 32nd birthday was yesterday. He spent the day doing his favorite thing...GOLFING! He played in a local golf tournament with his dad and good friend. Afterwards, we had a birthday celebration with the Grimes family. I asked Greg if he could think of a better way to celebrate his birthday than with 5 wild kids running around the house...he didn't respond : )

Brayden helped me decorate the cake yesterday afternoon and he was very eager to eat it right away. It was torture for him having to wait! If you don't know, Brayden has a sweet tooth, especially for cake!

Helping daddy blow out the birthday candles

Brayden and Margo helping Greg open his presents

Although he doesn't look like it in this picture, Brayden was one happy boy to finally have cake.

Little Miss Avery even came for the party!

"I'm a Mess"

2011-03-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

One of Brayden's favorite songs these days is "I'm a Mess" by The Laurie Berkner Band. I think it is quite fitting because he certainly is a mess and he is very good at making them too! Below are just a few of the messes he's made in the past few months.

DVDs out of the TV stand, box of crayons on the floor, and a whole new package of wipes pulled out...this took less than five minutes.

A previously brand new, unopened can of bread crumbs he managed to get out of the pantry and spill all over the couch and floor. Notice the kitchen towel on the floor...at least he tried to clean it up!

After playing in his playroom

Getting into mommy's makeup...doesn't he look pretty?!

And here is a little video clip of his singing and dancing to his theme song..."I'm a Mess"!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bowling

2011-03-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

We took Brayden bowling last week for the first time. We weren't sure what he would think, but he seemed to really like it. He looked too cute in the bowling shoes carrying his 6lb ball (with our help)! Brayden would carry his ball to the line and just drop it to go down the lane. It took a LONG time for his ball to travel down to the pins, so Greg ended giving it a little push to speed things up after the first few frames : ) Brayden had a really good time bowling, that is until he saw the arcade games in the next room. Then he was over bowling and ready to play some games. We'll definitely have to go back soon and hopefully improve on our scores....Greg and I didn't do so great, even with the bumpers up!!

The Sweater Vest

2011-02-09T10:09:00.001-05:00

We have been blessed to have two creative and talented sister-in-laws that enjoy making handmade gifts for Brayden. He has received blankets, stuffed animals, burp clothes when he was first born, and more. We love the gifts they have given, as I am certainly no where near as talented as they are! This past Christmas, our sister-in-law on Greg's side, Bernadette, made a very cute sweater vest for Brayden. When we tried to put it on him, we couldn't get it over his head!! (Brayden has a pretty big head b/c he has a lot of brain in there : ) ) We tried everything we could to stretch it and get it on him several different times, but it didn't work. It got to the point that Brayden would start crying everytime he even saw us holding the sweater. Fortunately, Bernadette said she could expand the neck of the sweater, so we mailed it back to her. We received the altered sweater vest back from her last week. When we opened it, the first thing Brayden said was "No, I don't like it!" But he finally let us put it on, and it fits perfectly!! He looks very handsome in his new sweater vest and received a lot of compliments on it when he wore it to church on Sunday. Thanks TiTi Bernadette for all of your hard work (and the laughs we got from our adventure with the sweater!)

My Handy Man

2011-01-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

We have finally had a few warmer days recently. Brayden and I have been taking advantage and have spent a lot of time oustide. He rode his tricycle and played on the swing set for awhile yesterday afternoon. We are so looking forward to springtime so we can spend alot more time outside! We are definitely over the cold weather and being cooped up in the house. Brayden received two different tool box sets for Christmas, which he loves to play with around the house. He is constantly "fixing" things....doors, toys, and even mommy and daddy! Whenever Greg is doing something with his real tools, Brayden is right at his side with his own tool sets to help out. Yesterday he wanted to take his Handy Manny toolbox outside to "fix" his tricycle while we were playing. It was pretty cute!

Christmas

2010-12-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful day with family today celebrating Christmas. Brayden woke up to find that Santa had come to visit him last night. He wasn't overly excited this morning...I think he was just in awe of all the new toys! After opening presents at home, we went to see what Santa brought Madeline, Lydia and Margo and eat breakfast with them. We all went to my parents house for lunch, followed by more presents. The kids were all so excited to get their gifts! Brayden got so many new toys today, he spent the afternoon going from one to the other. Greg's favorite is a hockey net and sticks that Santa brought....he and Brayden played with that for awhile tonight (of course, Brayden was all decked out in his new Hurricanes jersey from Grammy & Grampa for that) We were planning to go to Wilmington tomorrow to visit with Catherine, Travis, Caroline and Avery, but our area is suppose to get several inches of snow, so that trip will probably be postponed. It will be fun to have a snow day....looking forward to see what Brayden thinks of it.

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-12T17:10:00.000-05:00

We have been enjoying the holiday season so far and all of the many events there are. Greg and I are especially enjoying Brayden this holiday season, as he gets so excited over everything. We decorated our tree and the house a few weekends ago, and Brayden was more than eager to "help". For the first week the decorations were up, he loved to play with everything and show anyone who came in the house EVERY decoration. His favorite is definitely the Christmas tree! He played with all of the ornaments on the bottom half and rearranged them several times, but I think he is finally done with that...thank goodness! Now he likes to look at the wrapped presents under the tree, and he knows who each one is for. He's only tried to open them a few times : )

We went to the Smithfield Christmas parade this past Thursday night. It was COLD!! We bundled ourselves up though and had a great time. Brayden waved to nearly every person that went by and kept asking for more after a float would go by. He really enjoyed the clowns and go cart racers alot, but I think his favorite part was seeing his friend Bo go by on his own mom's Smitfield Dance Academy float! Brayden talked about that for quite a while.

We ate breakfast with Santa at our church yesterday morning. Greg and I have been talking to Brayden a lot about Santa Claus, but we weren't sure how he would actually react to seeing him in person. Brayden watched the other kids go up to him for a bit (while clinging onto me). When I asked him if he wanted to go up and sit in Santa's lap, Brayden ran right up to him and climbed up. I was so surpised! You can't tell by these pictures, but he really liked sitting in Santa's lap. He kept wanting to go up, but every time he did, Brayden would freeze up and not talk, smile, etc. He must have gone up to him about five different times though before I had to pull him away.

We have more Christmas festivities to go to this week. Time is really flying by....Christmas day will be here in no time!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

We spent most of the long holiday weekend at Greg's parents' house with his brother, sister in law and niece who came down from NY. Brayden really enjoyed getting to spend so much time with his "Mimi" (Grammy), "Bawpaw" (Grampa) and cousin "Nana"(Luciana), as well as Uncle Skip and "Titi" Bernadette. We started Thursday morning playing outstide in the leaves and then the 1st annual Parr family backyard football game was held. I observed from the sidelines, and trust me when I say it was pretty entertaining to watch!

Greg, Brayden and I ate Thanksgiving lunch with my dad's side of the family, so Brayden got to spend some time with his other girls too, Madeline, Lydia and "Gar-go"!

After lunch, we went back to the Parr's for Thanksgiving dinner. After two big meals in one day, we were definitely stuffed...everything was so delicious! After dinner, Brayden and Luciana burned off a few calories by dancing to the jukebox (Brayden was a little camera shy and wouldn't do his moves while I was recording):

We had a great day spending time with both of our families, and reflecting on and giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives. We plan to round up our weekend tomorrow by going to Wilmington to visit with Catherine, Travis, Caroline and hopefully baby Avery in the NICU. Avery is one of the many people we are so thankful to have in our lives this year! She is such a little fighter, who has made slow, but steady progress in her first few weeks. We pray that only continues in the weeks and months ahead!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

We had lots of fun Halloween activities last week. Our church had its annual fall festival on Wednesday with lots of moon bounces, face painting, cakewalk, kids games, etc. Most of the children dressed up, but Brayden wanted to take his costume off less than 5 minutes after we put it on. The festival ended with trunk or treating....Mommy did most of the trunk or treating for Brayden because he was not too into it. However, when we got home he walked around the house with his pumpkin bag full of candy saying "Trick or Treat" for the rest of the night!

Brayden had a party at MMO on Thursday morning. Again, all of the other kids were dressed up except for Brayden. He really enjoyed eating the party treats, especially the cupcake! He LOVES cake (most have gotten that from me!) I was finally able to put his costume on for the last 10 minutes of the party.

Smithfield did trick or treating on Saturday night. To my surprise, Brayden actually wore his costume the whole night without complaining. We took him to a few neighbor's houses and he knew just what to do this time. Then we came home and handed out candy to LOTS of trick or treaters. Our neighborhood must be the place to go in Smithfield for trick or treating! Brayden enjoyed watching all the kids come and go, and he even started handing out candy for us. He would stand on the sidewalk yelling "suckers" trying to get more kids to come....it was pretty cute!

On another note, my niece Avery was born Saturday morning at only 26 weeks by emergency c-section. Please keep both Avery and my sister, Catherine, in your thoughts and prayers!

Hill Ridge Farms

2010-10-28T19:42:00.000-04:00

We recently went to Hill Ridge Farms in Youngsville for a fun family outing. It was our first time going and we really enjoyed it! Brayden's favorite thing was the train...he did not want to get off and cried when our turn was over. We also got to play in the haystacks, go down an 80 ft slide, see lots of farm animals, and go on a hayride. We ended the day at the pumpkin patch, where we each picked out a pumpkin to take home. We had a great time and we will definitely go again next year. Here are a few pictures:

Gone But Not Forgotten

2010-10-21T16:21:00.000-04:00

This is a few weeks late, but I wanted to pay tribute to Greg's grandfather who passed away on October 1st after a very sudden and brief illness. In the twelve years Greg and I have been together, I've grown to love Greg's grandparents as if they were my own. Grampa Sharkey was such a sweet and easy going man who was always smiling and in a good mood. We didn't get to see him very often since we are in NC and Greg's family is in NY, but we enjoyed our visits with him very much. The picture above was taken the last time we saw him this past July and the picture below was taken in July 2009 of him with Brayden, the youngest of his 8 great grandchildren.

We have some wonderful memories of times spent with Grampa Sharkey that will always be treasured. It's hard to believe he is not with us anymore...we will miss him so much! Less than a week before he passed away, there was a large family dinner party to celebrate Greg's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. Greg & I couldn't go, but Greg did speak to him by phone. We are so happy that most of the family was together at such a joyous occasion with Grampa Sharkey one last time. The poem below was read at his funeral:

God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not meant to be,

So he put his arms around you

and whispered "Come to Me".

With tearful eyes we watched you,

as we saw you pass away.

Although we loved you deeply,

we could not make you stay.

Your Golden Heart stopped beating,

hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

Brayden is 2!

2010-10-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

Brayden is 2 years old today! Where has the time gone?

October 13, 2008

October 13, 2009

October 13, 2010

We have done lots of celebrating for his birthday. On Sunday, we had a birthday party at the park with all of his friends. It was a beautiful day, although it felt more like summer than fall! Brayden really enoyed the party, especially the cake that Grammy made for him. He definitely has a sweet tooth! He wasn't as into opening presents as I had thought he would be....he would want to play with whatever toy he opened and not move on to the next present! Here are a few pictures from the party:

We also celebrated his birthday at school on Tuesday. He got to eat more cake and snacks with his MMO pals.

We are going to celebrate once again tonight with cake and presents. It's hard to believe that my baby boy is 2 years old already. It really has flown by quick!

Happy Birthday Brayden...We Love You!!

The (Almost) Finished Product

2010-09-22T15:36:00.001-04:00

Back in July, Greg agreed to replace my parents old deck, thinking it would be a fairly easy project that would take 2 - 3 weeks at the most. Almost two months later, he FINALLY finished yesterday!! He has been spending most of his free time on the weekends and after work during the week (which isn't much time with his other jobs) working on this deck. It was a much larger project than either of us imagined it would be, but it turned out great. Greg had never done anything like this, except for the playset he built for Brayden a few months back. It was definitely a learning experience for him, and I think he is pretty impressed with himself. He built the railing piece by piece! All that is left is to touch up a few spots and put the decorative post tops on, and then eventually paint the deck in a few months. It's nice to know that when it comes time to replace our own deck, Greg will be able to do it himself. Now that he has finished, Greg doesn't know what to do with his free time, but I'm sure I can think of lots of projects and things to do around the house to keep him busy!

Weekend Getaway

2010-08-30T09:50:00.000-04:00

We took a MUCH needed mini beach vacation to Myrtle Beach this past weekend with Greg's parents. It was wonderful!! We stayed at the Carribean Resort, which had several pools, kiddie pools, hot tubs, lazy rivers, etc. It was very family friendly....I would recommend it to anyone with children. Brayden enjoyed playing on the beach in the sand, but he wasn't that big of a fan of the ocean after a small wave washed over him at the edge of the water and knocked him over! We were glad to have so many options of things to do...once he would get tired of one area, we'd move on to the next. His favorite thing to play with was a giant chess set in the indoor pool area. He would move all the pieces to one side, and then move them back to the other. Brayden really enjoyed having his Grammy and Grandpa there, and so did Greg and I! Brayden wanted to spend most of his time with them, which Greg and I didn't object to : ) We had such a good time, but the weekend went by too quickly. It was very sad leaving yesterday! Here are some pictures of our trip, along with a little video of Brayden dancing to the music that was playing by the pool.

Cutting the grass

2010-08-21T15:08:00.000-04:00

Brayden LOVES to "help" his daddy cut the grass now. I let him take his toy lawnmower out a few weeks while Greg was cutting the grass, and now Brayden wants to do it everytime Greg is out there. It is pretty cute to watch. He will follow Greg around the whole yard and is just as happy as can be. Greg is looking forward to the days when Brayden will really be out there cutting the grass. Of course, by that time Brayden probably will not want a thing to do with it!

Oswego trip

2010-07-28T15:10:00.009-04:00

We took a family trip up to Oswego, NY last week to visit with Greg's relatives. Brayden did GREAT on the drives there and back, 11 + hours each way! I was a little worried after our bad ride up in January, but he kept busy with a few new toys and lots of DVDs to watch. Oswego's annual hometown festival, Harborfest, was going on while we were there, so we got to enjoy some of the activities each day. On Saturday, some good friends we met in NC who moved back to NY last summer came to Oswego for the day. It was great to catch up with them and Brayden enjoyed playing with their son, Keaghan. We got to spend lots of time with Greg's relatives too, including cousin Luciana. We were a little bummed that it rained quite a bit while we were there, but it was nice to enjoy the cooler weather! Sunday was a beautiful day, which was perfect for the family reunion we went to at a local park. Brayden was such a trooper for the entire trip...he made himself right at home everywhere we went and was quite a ham for all of the relatives. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Playing at Harborfest

Brayden & Luciana took part in a kids "band"...Luciana decided to dance instead of playing the tamborine

Brayden & Keaghan

Playing in the sand with cousins at the family reunion

Brayden & Great Grandma Sharkey

After playing hard at the reunion

Beach day

2010-07-18T21:36:00.004-04:00

Greg, Brayden and I took a last minute trip to the beach this past Thursday. Greg had to work in the Wilmington area in the morning, so Brayden and I decided to tag along. When Greg finished working, we went to Wrightsville Beach for the afternoon. We weren't too sure of what Brayden would think of the beach (especially since we got there around nap time), but he seemed to enjoy it. He really liked playing in the sand and looking for sea shells. He also enjoyed the ocean a bit, but not as much as I had thought he would....maybe next time. Here are some pictures from our afternoon.

4th of July weekend

2010-07-05T20:11:00.002-04:00

We've had a great holiday weekend celebrating the 4th of July. Brayden was in his first "parade" on Saturday morning with lots of other children in my parents neighborhood. All of the kids decorated their bikes, scooters or wagons and went around a few blocks with a fire truck leading the way. I think Brayden enjoyed it...he loves to ride in his wagon all the time.
We got a big surprise at the parade too when my sister & niece showed up from Wilmington and learned that Brayden has a cousin on the way. Come February, Brayden won't be the baby in the extended family anymore...we are very excited to meet the new addition!

Brayden, Margo & Reese
The parade starts

Grandpa & Carolina (notice her shirt!)

Lydia joined Brayden in the wagon when she got tired of pushing her scooter

Margo & Brayden relaxing after the parade

We spent Saturday & Sunday nights at Greg's parents house. We got in a little sun and fun at the pool, and then watched fireworks both nights in their neighborhood. Brayden was VERY scared by the fireworks for the first few minutes, but he eventually calmed down a little to watch (Callie on the other hand was a nevous wreck the whole time). Brayden was definitely holding on tight to his momma the whole time though. Maybe he'll enjoy them a little better next year.

Backyard Fun

2010-06-23T21:03:00.003-04:00

We recently bought an inflatable pool for Brayden to play in and he loves it! He has been spending a lot of time in it for the past two weeks, and Greg & I have been taking advantage of it too on the hot summer days we've had. Madeline, Lydia and Margo come over to play & swim last Friday...Brayden really enjoyed having some playmates to splash around with. Here are some pictures (notice the first picture of Brayden playing in a regular diaper...it was so waterlogged after just a few minutes that it was weighing him down and barely staying on!)

Brayden has fallen in love with his cozy coupe again in the last two days. He wants us to push him around in the yard nonstop and he will pitch a fit if we try to stop. He wanted Elmo to ride around with him today...it was very cute. When I was finally able to get him out of the car, he wanted to swing for a bit, and of course he wanted Elmo to join him for that too! He definitely loves his Elmo doll!!

Camp Don Lee

2010-06-06T21:21:00.008-04:00

We spent this weekend camping at Camp Don Lee in Arapahoe, NC (near the coast) with the whole Grimes family. It was HOT, but we survived! Brayden did pretty well for his first time camping, but the heat was hard on him. He wasn't up for doing much besides napping and watching Elmo DVDs in my brother's air conditioned pop up camper. But Greg and I got to enjoy the surroundings...we went sailing on a few different kinds of sailboats, swam in the camp swimming hole, and Greg spent a little time fishing and even went kayaking. And of course, we made Smore's by the campfire last night. We had a great time playng outdoors and being with the family, but it feels so good to be in AC again! Maybe we'll head to the mountains for our next camping trip where it's a little cooler!

Greg in the kayak

Greg on the high dive

Swimming

Brayden & Margo

Sailing on the Hobie

The Grimes Family

Memory Lane

2010-05-17T16:49:00.003-04:00

Greg and I will be celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary this coming Saturday. It's hard to believe that it has been 6 six years already, but in all we've been together 12 years, and that's even harder to believe! They have certainly gone by fast. We have done so much together over the years; we went through college together, traveled up and down the Eastern seaboard, traveled abroad to some different islands, several camping & beach trips, the Stanley Cup championship game, had great times with family and friends, etc. And of course, the past 1 1/2 years have been the best yet when Brayden came into our lives. In honor of our anniversary, I put together a little slideshow of our time together. I can't wait to see what new memories we'll make together in the future.

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Workin' at the car wash

2010-04-18T14:16:00.004-04:00

Greg decided to wash my car and his truck on Friday, and of course Brayden wanted to pitch in. (We really don't get much done around the house these days without his "help") He had the best time playing with the sponge and bucket of water. He would throw the sponge in the water and then laugh & laugh when the water splashed back on him. Brayden also helped Greg wash the truck...he was very thorough and went over the same spot over and over again, even after Greg had already washed it. Needless to say, the truck was rinsed several times! He also thought the bumper on Greg's work car needed to be wiped down, even though it wasn't on the list to get washed. Got to have the ReBath car looking good on the road!! =) In the end, Brayden had pretty much gotten a car wash himself...he was soaked! Below are a few pictures from the car wash.

What a week!

2010-04-05T14:56:00.010-04:00

We had a lot going on last week. It started last Friday when some of Greg's relatives from NY came down to stay with us for the night on their way to Myrtle Beach. On Tuesday, Brayden and I made a last minute trip down to Wilmington for the day to visit Catherine, Caroline & one of our old college roomates who was in town for the day. We met at the beach and got to enjoy the nice weather. Greg was working in the area that day, so he met us down there too. Brayden played in the sand for a few minutes, but he really enjoyed walking along the edge of the ocean. The water was COLD, but it didn't bother him one bit.

Brayden had an Easter party at Mother's Morning Out on Wednesday, which was followed by an egg hunt. It was so cute to see all of the little ones hunting for eggs. Brayden didn't quite get the concept, but he still had a big time. He would find an egg, put it in his bucket, play with it and then throw it back on the ground and move on to the next one. Then he gave up altogether and went for the playground.

Thursday, we went up to Greg's parents house to stay the night because his relatives stopped there on their way back to NY. We enjoyed spending time with them and we even went in the pool on Friday. The water was definitely a little on the chilly side, but it was tolerable after a few minutes...we are looking forward to spending lots of time there this summer.
Our next big event was taking Brayden to his first Carolina Hurricanes hockey game on Saturday night. He didn't do to well though....thank goodness Greg's parents were there too to help us entertain him. We managed to stay until the middle of the third period of the game,so he held out for awhile. We'll try again next season and hopefully he'll do a little better. Finally, we celebrated Easter yesterday...the Easter bunny brought Brayden a basket of goodies, his favorite being a Barney Easter DVD. After church, there was an egg hunt for the children, and Brayden did much better this time (we practiced at home before we went :) ) He ended up with several eggs in his bucket! Afterwards, we had lunch with my family, which was a fun-filled, chaotic, eventful meal as usual! Brayden always has such a good time with his cousins. After doing so much last week, we are looking forward to getting back to normal and having a little quiet time this week!

Splash Park

2010-03-22T17:26:00.007-04:00

Greg and I took Brayden to the splash park yesterday afternoon. He wasn't too sure of it when we first got there. He was holding onto Greg for dear life! But after running through the waterfalls with daddy for a few minutes, he eventually warmed up to it. He enjoyed walking around in the water and splashing himself. Greg even made some new friends while we were there....he was splashing water on Brayden, and a little girl saw this and started splashing water on Greg. Her younger sister and brother soon followed! I thought it was pretty funny. Brayden had a big time in the water and did NOT want to leave. We'll definitely have to take him back soon.

Busy boy

2010-03-15T17:08:00.006-04:00

Brayden is acting more and more like a toddler everyday. He is constantly on the go it seems, and is exploring everything he sees. Here are some things he has been up to; he likes to splash around in Callie's water bowl and I've caught him rubbing the water in his hair a few times the past few days; Brayden really loves to give Callie treats...he has figured out where we keep them and he constantly gets them for her. Greg finally had to move them to a higher place to keep him out; He got a hold of a bottle of hand lotion on Sunday and managed to unscrew up the top...within 30 seconds there was lotion all over the room! Needless to say, he is keeping us pretty busy these days.

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks of Brayden in action. The video at the bottom is of him "helping" me sweep the other morning. He had been doing it for several minutes, but he pretty much stopped when we started recording.

Pretending to play Wii

Future hockey star?

After he practiced feeding himself some yogurt

Watching tv in his chair...such a man already!

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Playset

2010-03-05T21:05:00.005-05:00

Greg has been hard at work this past week building a playset for Brayden. I must say, I am pretty impressed because he did it all by himself! Brayden did try to "help" a little though. Greg finished the main part today and put the slide together, which Brayden was very eager to test out....over and over again. The only thing left is to add the monkey bar and swings. I'm sure we'll get plenty of use out of this playset in the days and years ahead.

Finger painting

2010-02-16T18:52:00.005-05:00

Brayden recently started going to a Mother's Morning Out program at our church two mornings a week. He usually brings home some kind of craft that he made each day. That got me thinking of trying to do some arts & crafts activity at home, so today we tried "finger painting". I found a recipe online for homemade finger paint using flour, water & food coloring. After getting everything ready, I let him go to it. He enjoyed it all of about two minutes before he was ready to move onto something else!! Oh well...he did make quite a mess in those two minutes, getting the "paint" on his clothes, my clothes, the chair and in his hair. He also sampled a little paint, so it was on his face & mouth as well. Here are a few pictures of him in action and the final masterpiece!

Snow Day

2010-02-02T18:56:00.005-05:00

It snowed this past Friday & Saturday in Smithfield...we actually got about 4 inches! So on Saturday we spent the morning playing outside. Greg, Brayden and I went to play with Madeline, Lydia, and Margo at their house. Aunt Catherine and Caroline even drove up from Wilmington to come play too. Brayden was so bundled up that he could barely move! But he seemed to enjoy it a little more than he did when we were in upstate NY at the beginning of January. He tossed the snow around in his hands and Greg pulled him on the sled for a little while with Margo, Madeline & Lydia. Other than that he mostly just watched everyone else and took it all in. After an hour we were all so cold that we had had enough and decided to go home to the heat. Here are a few pictures of our day.

And this is a picture from last January when we had snow....he's changed so much!!

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-01-21T13:09:00.003-05:00

Brayden is acting more and more like a toddler everyday. He wants to get into everything! Lately, he has been wanting to "help" Greg and I with everything we do around the house. We can't do laundry, sweep or vaccum the floors, empty the dishwasher, etc without Brayden at our feet wanting to pitch in, or pretty much just take over completely. He'll grab the broom from my hands, push the dishwasher closed while I'm trying to put away the clean dishes, and take over the keyboard and mouse while I'm trying to get some work done on the computer. While I appreciate his efforts, it makes it a little hard to get things done! Especially when I'm folding clean clothes...he'll take the folded piles and toss them across the room. I hope he'll keep up his love for cleaning up around the house when he gets older, but somehow I don't think that will happen. Here are a few pictures of him in action.

Visit to NY

2010-01-04T15:45:00.006-05:00

We went to visit Greg's relatives in upstate NY last week. We drove straight through to Ithaca, NY on Wednesday (normally a 10 hour drive). It ended up taking us about 11 hours and Brayden was not happy for 10 1/2 hours of the trip!! OK...that may be stretching it a bit, but he did not enjoy the ride up one bit. He had a little cold and didn't take good naps, so I'm sure that played a big part in our terrible drive. We played in the snow and went sledding on Thursday and then rung in the New Year with Greg's brother & his family (Skip, Bernadette & Luciana). On Friday we drove even further north to Greg's hometown of Oswego, NY to visit more family. It snowed nonstop from the time we got there and it was still coming down hard when we left on Sunday morning. It was so pretty to see, but I definitely could not live in it! We really enjoyed visiting all of our northern relatives who we don't get to see very often. Brayden got in some good bonding time with his cousin Luciana, who was a very big helper in "reading" to Brayden, changing his diaper and giving him a bath! Brayden was feeling much better and more rested when we left on Sunday, so we were able to drive back in one day without having to stop for the night halfway like we were planning to. He was such a trooper for the ride! He is worn out from our travels today though....as I am typing this is he is working on his third hour of a nap! Below are a few pictures from our trip. Reading with Luciana Ready to play in the snow (with some pink boots from Luciana) Sledding

Our attempt to make a snow angel...Brayden wasn't very happy

Christmas

2009-12-26T11:31:00.005-05:00

Christmas was so much fun for us this year. At the Christmas Eve service at our church, we played Mary, Joseph & baby Jesus and Brayden did surprisingly well. I had expected him to run wild, but he sat still for the most part (thanks to some graham crackers...they are his favorite snack and we rely on them quite frequently to get through things!)

Santa was very good to Brayden and brought him some new clothes, books, a work bench and most importantly a Cozy Coupe car. Brayden absolutely LOVES the car. Once he saw it, he pretty much crawled right inside and stayed there most of the morning. He wouldn't get out to play with any of his other new toys for awhile or to look in his stocking. Santa picked out the perfect gift for him!

Brayden's new ride

Looking in his stocking

Taking a milk break

Finally paying attention to his other new toys

We ate lunch and spent the afternoon at my parents house with my brother & sister and their families. The children were very excited to open presents, so after lunch it was pretty much chaos as they went from present to present. I think Brayden was a little over stimulated at one point and had a little breakdown, but a graham cracker helped to get him back into it. In the end, my parents living room was covered in paper, bows and boxes. Brayden got so many new fun toys from everyone, but as soon as we got home, he went straight to the car again! The novelty hasn't even worn off today, as he spent most of the morning crawling in and out of it.

Lunch time

All the cousins playing in Caroline's new play house

Opening presents

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

We had Breakfast with Santa last Saturday at our church. Brayden wasn't too sure about Santa. He did sit in his lap for about 10 seconds, but then Brayden started whining and reaching for me to come get him. We were able to get a picture of him sitting in Santa's lap, and then one with the whole family.

We haven't posted anything about Callie lately, but she is getting into the Christmas spirit too. Below is a picture of her all dressed up!

A Good Laugh

2009-12-11T20:04:00.001-05:00

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Christmas Tree

2009-12-06T20:48:00.006-05:00

We put up our Christmas tree last Sunday. Brayden actually hasn't been too bad with it...we were worried he would pull all the ornaments off or pull down the tree on himself within the first day. So far no problems though. He likes to look at all the ornaments and lights and every now and then he'll try to grab one. Of course, his favorites are the shiny red glass balls! I put a few wrapped presents under the tree today for the first time. He hasn't even noticed them yet...hopefully it stays that way! Below are a few pictures of him checking out our tree.

Walking

2009-11-22T20:44:00.006-05:00

Brayden took his first steps about three weeks ago. And although his main mode of movement is still crawling, he is getting better and better at walking as each day passes. He is now up to several steps at a time. He mostly walks back and forth between mommy and daddy when we encourage him to, but I have caught him daring to walk on his own from the coffee table to his toys a few times this week. We are definitely not trying to push the walking thing too fast....we chase him around the house plenty just with the crawling! It is fun to watch him as he learns how to walk though. He gets so tickled with himself when he reaches his goal, and he even chuckles a bit when he stumbles and falls. Here is a little video of him in action tonight.

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And here is another video of him taken one day last week. I was trying to catch him walking, but he decided to pull up his shirt to find his belly button instead (one of his favorite things to do now, along with finding mommy's, daddy's or anyone else's that is around). I thought it was pretty cute!

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First Haircut

2009-11-10T21:37:00.005-05:00

Brayden got his first haircut today. His hair was getting really long in the back and around his ears, so I took him in for a little trim. He did such a good job. Tiffany (my hairstylist & one of my best friends) gave Brayden a sucker to occupy him while she did her thing. It worked because he sat very still the whole time. I made sure to save a few locks of hair to put in his baby book!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T09:56:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday, Greg, Brayden and I went to the fall bazaar at our church. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of the children dressed in their halloween costumes. Brayden was a lion this year.

They had all kinds of games and inflatables for the children to play on. Brayden really enjoyed going down the big slide with mommy & daddy. He would giggle everytime we got close to it and start pointing at it to go again.

Playing in the duck pond with Margo

Going down the slide with daddy

Bradyen and Madeline, aka "Hannah Montana"

On Saturday, we dressed Brayden in his lion costume again and sat outside to give candy to the trick or treaters. He just watched in amazement as all the children came and went. We thought he was a little too young to go trick or treating himself this year, but next year we'll be sure to take him out for a little bit. Ready for the trick or treaters on HalloweenEnjoying a suckerCallie and Brayden

Lion on the prowl

"Attacking" daddy

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-22T15:55:00.005-04:00

After a few cold days, we have had some beautiful fall weather the past few days. Above is a picture of Brayden on the front porch with the mums I bought a few weeks ago (I really can't believe they haven't died yet...I don't have the best luck with any type of plant)

Greg, Brayden and I went to a pumpkin patch earlier since it has been such a gorgeous day. We went through the millet maze first, where we got a little lost. We had to backtrack a few times before we finally found our way out.

After the maze, we stopped to see and feed the goats. I'm not sure Brayden knew what to think of them. He just looked at them for awhile while Greg and I fed them. After a few minutes, he started trying to reach out and pet them. They were very sweet and happy to get some attention from us. Then we went to the pumpkin patch for a few pictures and to pick some pumpkins. Brayden enjoyed walking around seeing all the pumpkins. We ended up getting a large pumpkin to carve and a small pumpkin just for Brayden.

Happy 1st Birthday Brayden

2009-10-13T20:44:00.007-04:00

Brayden turned 1 year old today! I am amazed at how fast this past year has flown by...it seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. We had a beautiful day today, so we spent part of it outside riding in his new wagon. I think he would ride around in it all day if we'd let him!

Grandma & Grandpa Grimes came over for dinner to help celebrate Brayden's big day. We grilled out and then had cake & ice cream. Brayden did wonderfully with this candle this time...he just looked and didn't even try to touch it. When we blew out the candle he still was a little hesitant at first to touch the cake. But he eventually dug into it and really enjoyed it. He made a mess, so he did his job.Afterwards, he had a few more presents to open. He was very excited about his new ball and puzzle. More toys to add to the pile we've already collected. You can see more pictures from today and the party on Saturday by clicking here.It's hard to believe our baby boy is already one. I can't even begin to explain how much joy he has brought into our lives this past year. We have so enjoyed watching him grow and and change everyday, it just happened too fast. He needs to slow down! We are looking forward to what this next year brings us.

Happy Birthday sweet boy. We love you very much!

Birthday Party

2009-10-12T10:43:00.007-04:00

We had Brayden's 1st birthday party on Saturday. I still can't get over the fact that he is turning one! Where did the time go?? We had lots of family and friends over for pizza, cake & ice cream to help us celebrate. Everything went great, except a small mishap when we sang Happy Birthday to Brayden. While I was trying to take a quick picture of him with his cake, he reached out for the lit candle. Everyone screamed at once, which scared him and then he started crying. He wouldn't have anything to do with the cake for a few minutes after that! I was finally able to calm him down though and he played with the cake a little. His finger is fine...no damage done =) As Aunt Gina said, it will be a memory we'll have of his first birthday party. He gots lots of new toys and books at the party and he has thoroughly enjoyed playing with them all since Saturday. He goes from one to another to another, etc all day. Below are a few pictures from the party.

The cake!

(Thanks Grammy Parr for making it!)

Going for the candle

Eating his cake

Opening presents!

Pushing Margo on his new train

Getting a ride in his wagon

New toys

His actual birthday is tomorrow. We'll have a smaller family celebration and try the cake thing again! I'll post the pictures of that later.

Halloween Fun

2009-10-07T10:34:00.004-04:00

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A Family Wedding

2009-09-27T13:51:00.010-04:00

Last night we went to my cousin Anna's wedding in Chapel Hill. Depsite the crummy weather (it was POURING rain at times), the wedding was beautiful and we had a fantastic time. We always love spending some time with our extended families, especially when we are celebrating good things like a wedding. Brayden was such a trooper too. He made a few outbursts during the ceremony, but we were able to keep him quiet for the most part by constantly feeding him cheerios! He held up great during the reception, where he got passed around most of the evening. He was out as soon as put him in the car to go home, and even slept in until 8:00am this morning. Below are a few pictures of our evening:

Daddy & Brayden

Uncle David with Margo & Brayden

(he was holding Brayden first and Margo got a little jealous!)

The Parrs

Brayden dancing with Margo

Grandma & Grandpa Grimes

Leslie & Brayden with the bride, Anna

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, they had several different kinds of pound cake. They all looked so good!

The happy couple

Anna & Tim

Hippo Walker

2009-09-14T20:44:00.003-04:00

Brayden has been cruising along the furniture for a few weeks now, so Aunt Catherine gave him a hippo walker last weekend to practice his new walking skills. At first he was a little wobbly, but in just a week's time he has gotten really good & fast too! He loves to push it around the living room back and forth...and he grins from ear to ear while doing so. He can't quite keep up with it on hardwood floors yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Below is a quick video clip of him in action last week...he's gotten even quicker since then!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Friends

2009-09-05T20:46:00.004-04:00

We are very fortunate to have so many friends & family with children that are about the same age as Brayden. Four good friends and my sister in law all had a baby within a few months of when he was born! I don't think he'll ever have a lack of playmates. This past Friday, a group of my childhood friends and their children got together for a big playdate. Here are a few pictures:

Playing with his friends

Reese, Brayden, Bo, Clare & Knox

Already checking out the girls!!

We tried to get a group picture of Brayden, Reese & Tanner...not the easiest thing to do. I took about 7 or 8 pictures before giving up. But they all came out pretty funny in the end...here are a few attempts.

We had such a good time and plan to make this a more regular occurrence in the future.

Reading

2009-08-27T10:29:00.003-04:00

Brayden loves to look at books and lately he has started "reading" them aloud. He'll flip the pages and babble while doing so. I think it's adorable! He won't let Greg or I read them to him anymore...he'll just start "reading" to us instead. Check out the video clip below!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

PS - Getting this video clip was not easy! Whenever I turn the camera on now, he'll stop whatever he is doing most of the time and crawl over to look right into the camera lens. I've gotten a good number of extreme closeups lately!

Weekend in Western NC

2009-08-17T20:52:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we headed to western NC for my cousin's bridal shower on Saturday. During the shower, all of the guys went hiking at South Mountain State Park. Greg had Brayden in a backpack carrier for the hike, which he said Brayden absolutely loved! He had a big smile on his face and talked the whole time. Brayden also kept patting Greg's head and pulling his ears. I hate I missed it, but I did make Greg take the camera to get a few pictures! Needless to say, he was pretty tired and sore after the big hike. On Sunday, we all went to Wiseman's View in the Linville Gorge to spread my grandmother's ashes. Although Greg and I had a hard time getting there (mapquest directions are not always the best!), we finally made it and thankfully the family waited for us to arrive. It was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful setting for the occasion. My grandfather's ashes were spread in the same spot several years ago, so now my grandmother has joined him there. While we were sharing special memories with one another, a giant hawk flew right over the area. It was really neat for that to happen right at that time, and seemed to fit in perfectly with the moment. Here are a few pictures taken over the weekend.

9 month pictures

2009-08-10T15:53:00.004-04:00

I took Brayden to get his 9 month pictures taken last week. He did such a good job...in fact, he was too good because I ordered way too many pictures. They all came out so well! He has changed so much since his 6 month pictures. My little boy is growing up too fast!

Pictures

2009-07-25T14:40:00.009-04:00

Below are some of our favorite recent pictures of Brayden. It seems like we take so many each week because we want to capture everything he does!

Cool dudes Swinging at the park Looking out the window with Callie Getting into the videotapes Dinnertime"Listening" to the headphonesPlaying at the beach with mommyBoatrideSnoozing on daddy's chestTaking a bath with Caroline

Crawling

2009-07-16T19:08:00.009-04:00

After weeks of doing the "army" crawl on his stomach, Brayden is officially up on his hands and knees crawling. We were beginning to think it would never happen. He started doing it a little while we were in NY, and since we've been home he's only gotten better. He gets faster and faster every day. He is using his new found mobility to explore and get into EVERYTHING!! I don't think I sat down for more than five minutes at a time today. One of his favorite targets to crawl to is Callie. I'm not too sure if she likes the new attention....he goes straight for her tail and pulls as hard as he can. She's been pretty patient with him so far, I hope it continues! He has also mastered pulling himself to stand in the past few days. He is using that to his advantage as well...he'll pull himself up on the couch, coffee table, etc and just start grabbing for anything in site. We need to do some serious babyproofing now! Here is a video clip of Brayden in action.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catch up!

2009-07-08T08:37:00.004-04:00

I didn't realize I hadn't posted anything in awhile. The past few weeks have been a blur...we've been busy, busy, busy! The weekend before last, Greg's brother & family (Skip, Bernadette & Luciana) came down to NC. We spent a long weekend at Grammy & Grandpa Parr's visiting with everyone. We spent most of the weekend in the pool, which was very much needed in the 90+ weather! Brayden & Luciana had some good cousin bonding time....she really seemed to enjoy playing with him and his toys. We only get to see her a few times a year, so she has changed so much since we last saw her!

Brayden & Luciana

After their visit, we came home for two days to pack and get ready for our trip to NY to visit Greg's other relatives. We decided to break up the 11 1/2 hour drive into two days to make it a little easier for Brayden. He did great on the way up! Everyone there was so happy to see him (and I guess Greg and I too), although he was very clingy to me for the most part. Brayden has definitely become a mama's boy. He eventually warmed up and let others hold him, thank goodness...my arms were tired! He saw Lake Ontario, went to cousin Heather's graduation party and watched the July 4th parade while we were there. He couldn't stay up late enough for the fireworks though! We enjoyed spending time with the family and experiencing some cool weather for a change. (It was in the low 70s while we were there) The drive back was not so good. We were stuck in traffic for over two hours in PA and Brayden was VERY fussy. I think he has had enough of the car for quite awhile.

Watching the waves crash at Lake Ontario

With Great Grandpa & Gramma Sharkey

Brayden's first 4th of July

Watching the parade with daddy

Catching a nap on the way home

While we had a great time seeing everyone, we are glad to finally be home and able to get things back to normal. Click here to see more pictures.

Brayden's 1st time at the beach

2009-06-16T19:44:00.009-04:00

This past Saturday we went to Wilmington for Caroline's 2nd birthday party. We all enjoyed ourselves at the party and I'm pretty sure the birthday girl did as well. She was on the go all day!

Playing with Margo

Driving the firetruck

The birthday girl

After the party, we all went down to Wrightsville Beach for a few hours. It was Brayden's first time at the beach and he loved it! He sat at the edge of the water and was just as happy as could be. He also loved exploring in the sand, which he was covered in by the time we left. It was such a great day overall, but we were exhausted by the end of it. You can see more pictures by clicking here.

Click below to see a short video!

My Montage 6/16/09

Peekaboo

2009-06-10T10:30:00.003-04:00

For the past few days, whenever we've gone to get Brayden up in the morning or from a nap, we've found him peeking out of his crib like below.

He's learned to pull down his crib bumper to peek out. He thinks he is something when he does it too because he'll start giggling as soon as we walk in the room. It's becoming a game to him....we think it's pretty funny, but it may become a problem. When I put him down last night and left his room, I peeked in a few mintues later and saw him looking out. He eventually fell asleep though, so that's all that matters!

Why dads get a pool table

2009-05-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

Have any of you seen the email going around called "Why dads get a Wii"?? It has a baby that laughs & laughs when the dad plays the Wii golf game. The clip below reminds me of that video. While we were at Grammy & Grandpa Parr's over the weekend, Greg was playing around on their pool table. Brayden and I sat down to watch for a minute. After Greg had hit a few balls, Brayden just started laughing like crazy. He would laugh everytime Greg hit the balls from then on, which would make us all laugh as well. We had to catch it on film....I just can't get enough of his laughs! Greg is now trying to use this as an excuse of why we need a pool table...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Best Friends

2009-05-20T11:17:00.009-04:00

Before we had Brayden, our dog Callie was our only "baby". She has really taken to him and is a great big sister. The two have become fast friends, and Brayden is becoming more aware of her everyday. She loves to be near him and kiss all over him, which he thoroughly enjoys! Brayden will reach out for Callie to lick his hands, and she is more than happy to do so. This makes Brayden laugh and laugh sometimes. Their friendship has only grown stronger since he's started eating more solids. Callie is always by his side at the dinner table waiting for whatever comes her way. Here are a few pictures of our two "babies" together over the past few months.

Forever in our hearts

2009-05-12T17:28:00.005-04:00

My grandmother passed away this past Saturday. While she will be missed dearly, it is a blessing to know she is in a much better place now. Below are some pictures taken at our last visit with her during the holidays. I am so glad she was able to meet Brayden, her first great grandson.

I really love this picture and the way they were both looking into each other's eyes.
We will cherish all the special memories we have and will hold her in our hearts forever. I know she will be looking down on us from heaven and we will meet again someday. "The truest end of life is to know the life that never ends" - William Penn.

Big Weekend

2009-05-03T20:35:00.006-04:00

We had a busy, busy weekend! We started it off Friday night with dinner with family to celebrate Grandpa Grimes' recent birthday. On Saturday, we took Brayden to his first Ham N Yam festival. (For those of you who aren't from Smithfield, it is the annual street fair held each May with lots of vendors, bands, a kids play area, etc and food,including ham and yams!!) I think Brayden had a good time taking in all of the sights, and Greg & I had a good time eating!

Going to the Ham N Yam

Leslie & Brayden, Christin & Reese, Tiffany & Tanner

Naptime!

We finished off the weekend today by going to see Grandpa & Grammy Parr. Brayden took his first dip in their pool while we were there. He didn't seem too sure of it at first...the water was a little cool! But after a few minutes, he really seemed to like it. Greg pulled him around in a float for awhile and then he sat on the steps and splashed the rest of the time. We were so glad he liked the pool on his first time...we definitely plan on going back quite a bit over the summer!

Photo shoot with the azaleas

2009-04-27T12:13:00.004-04:00

We have several azalea bushes in our yard that bloomed a few weeks ago. They are beautiful! I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a little photo shoot of Brayden in front of some of the azaleas before they started to wilt.

You can see more pictures here. I also finally managed to get a picture of his two teeth this morning. He's not all gums anymore!

6 month pictures

2009-04-22T20:42:00.004-04:00

We had Brayden's 6 month pictures taken last week. I was so pleased with how well they came out. He is so photogenic =)

Brayden is running right along schedule, as he can now sit up completely on his own. He started doing it last Monday, at 6 months old exactly! He also has his first tooth. We noticed the bottom left front tooth last week...it's hard to see most of the time because he always sticks his tongue out when we try to get a peek. But it has definitely broken through the gum and it looks like the bottom right one will sometime soon. I'll try to get a picture if he'll let me. Turning 6 months old, sitting up and getting his first tooth all in one week. Little man needs to slow down a bit for me. He's growing up too fast!

6 months

2009-04-12T17:16:00.005-04:00

Brayden will be 6 months old tomorrow...where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that he was born! I can't believe he has been with us for half a year now. We are still enjoying every minute of it. He is now rolling ALL over the place. He will roll from one end of a room to the other in no time. We can't leave him alone for a second! He is also reaching and grabbing for anything in sight, most of which goes straight to his mouth if he can get it there. He can almost sit completely on his own now as well. He is getting to be such a big boy. Here are a few recent pictures of our favorite little guy. You can see more pictures here

Eating his feet

Mohawk
Happy Tarheel Fan!
After eating some squash
In his jumper

Dinnertime laughs & catnaps

2009-03-31T19:46:00.006-04:00

When we were cleaning up from dinner the other night (takeout from Cookout - yum!), I starting shaking my cup of crushed ice. Brayden thought it was hilarious!! It would startle him every time I shook it, but then he would just laugh and laugh. Greg grabbed the camera to film the clip below. You'll have to excuse Brayden's shirt...he had just had his dinner as well, a lot of which ended up on his shirt!

Brayden was acting a little tired before dinner tonight, but I didn't realize just how tired he was. His eyes kept getting heavier & heavier as he ate. And towards the end, he kept dozing off! His eyes would close and his head would drop down, but then he'd pop it right back up and keep eating. He could barely stay awake, but he managed to finish his meal. We got a picture of his mid-meal nap below...so cute!

A Baby Divided

2009-03-22T10:04:00.006-04:00

With the NCAA men's basketball tournament going on, we've been watching a lot of basketball in our house this weekend. I am a UNC fan and Greg is a Syracuse fan. Poor Brayden is being torn between the two.

If UNC & Syracuse end up meeting in the Elite Eight it will be an interesting day in our house!! Go Heels!

Brayden's baptism

2009-03-08T17:28:00.004-04:00

Brayden was baptized this morning at church. Greg and I were a little nervous about how we would be because he was a little fussy on the way there and it was right around his naptime. But he did great, which was a big relief to us! He only fussed for a second when the preacher actually put the water on his head. He calmed down right away though and then the preacher walked him around the sanctuary while the congregation sang a sweet lullaby to him. Afterwards, the extended family came back to our house for a celebratory lunch. It was such a very special day for the Parr family. You can see more pictures by clicking here.

Rice cereal

2009-03-02T20:59:00.005-05:00

We gave Brayden his first taste of rice cereal tonight. He didn't know what to think of it, but he did pretty well. I think he actually got some of it down!! Most of it ended up on his chin or the bib though. I think Callie enjoyed it as well...she has found her new spot to be at the table. Right beside Brayden! Here are a few pictures:
Brayden also had his 4 month checkup today. He is now 14lbs 14ozs and 25 1/2 inches long. He was so happy the whole time we were at the doctor's office, except for the shots. But even then he only cried for about 5 seconds and then went back to smiling.

Laughing

2009-02-24T11:47:00.005-05:00

Brayden is starting to laugh more often these days. Greg & I find ourselves doing pretty much anything to get some giggles out of him because it is too cute! We filmed the clip below on his changing table the other night as he was getting ready for bed.

4 months

2009-02-13T13:05:00.011-05:00

That's right...Brayden is already 4 months old! He has been keeping us very entertained lately as he continues to grow & learn. We can see him studying everything he comes in contact with, and of course everything goes straight to his mouth....toys, clothes, his fists, other people's wrists, etc. He is constantly gnawing on something, so he may be starting to teeth already?! He is also becoming more active. He loves to lay down and kick his legs all about. He also loves to do that at bath time, so Greg & I usually end up pretty soaked afterwards too. He rolled over from his back to his stomach once this past Monday, but I think it was just a fluke. It hasn't happened again since. One big thing that I am very excited about is that he has been sleeping 10 hours straight for the past 2 1/2 weeks now. I really hope I haven't jinxed myself by typing that =) Here are a few recent pictures and a little video of him kicking about on his changing table (he LOVES his changing table!) Click here to see even more pictures.

Happy baby sitting in his "big boy" chair at the table

Sleeping on his playmat while still holding on to the toy above him

Future 84 Lumber employee??

Sleeping in mommy & daddy's bed with Callie

Storytime with daddy
Cheering on the Tarheels to beat Duke!

3 month pictures

2009-01-27T12:19:00.005-05:00

I took Brayden to get his 3 month pictures taken last week. I was very pleased with how they came out. He was such a good baby while we were there and was an excellent "model". He gave lots of good smiles and posed perfectly for the camera...it was so hard not to order all of the pictures they took. My favorite is the first one below. He looks sooo happy, I do wish I had ordered more of this pose. Oh well, we'll get more pictures made in a few months!

Snow Day

2009-01-20T18:25:00.009-05:00

We had a big time enjoying our snow day. It started snowing during the early morning hours and didn't stop until 3:00pm or so. We got around 5" at our house, which may not seem like much for our northern relatives, but it's a big deal down here in the south! I enjoyed seeing all the neighborhood kids playing and wished I could have joined them! It was the first big snow that Callie has seen, and she wasn't quite sure what to think of it. She wouldn't go outside at first, but I finally coaxed her out and she ran several laps around the yard in it before going right back to the door. She did enjoy trying to catch the snowballs we threw to her. We also bundled Brayden up and took him out for a few pictures & video. I stuffed him in his snowsuit one last time (which is much too small for him already!) and Greg laid him in the snow to make a snow angel. You can see more pictures of our snow day by clicking here. I'm going to go make some hot chocolate & warm up now!

3 months

2009-01-16T08:53:00.008-05:00

Brayden was three months old on Tuesday...3 months!! They sure have gone by quickly. We can see the changes in him almost everyday it seems like. He is growing up so fast, and we know its only going to continue. Brayden is continuing to practice his tummy time and rolling over, and we put him in his bumbo seat for the first time this week. He really seems to like his new view of the world "sitting up on his own". He has also been constantly drooling the past few days, so we've started putting bibs on him all the time. He can soak a few bibs in no time! It doesn't help that we can't keep his fists out of his mouth now! His poor little hands are becoming so red and chapped from the constant gnawing. Here are a few recent pictures...

Tummy time

Tiffany & Tanner, Emily & Bo, Leslie & Brayden

Checking out Callie

Happy boy in his bumbo

Rolling along

2009-01-08T20:20:00.004-05:00

We have been doing lots of tummy time over the past few weeks. Brayden is getting better & better at lifting his head and chest each day. And today he rolled over for the first time from his stomach to his back! For the rest of the day, when I'd lay him on his stomach, he would pop up his head and then roll over immediately. I was able to catch one on film...

Holiday Visits, Part II

2009-01-08T20:02:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, we traveled to western NC to visit my mom's side of the family. Once again, Brayden did great on the rides there and back (about 4 hours each way). He mostly slept, so we didn't even have to make any stops on the way for him. He got to meet more great aunts & uncles, cousin Samantha and his Great Grandma Thomas. Click here to view a few pictures. It was wonderful to spend time visiting with everyone because we don't get to see them often enough. We are glad to be home though...we did ALOT of traveling over the holidays and don't plan on going anywhere else for quite awhile!

with Great Grandma Thomas

Four generations

2 month checkup

2009-01-01T19:39:00.004-05:00

Brayden went in for his 2 month checkup yesterday. He weighed in at 12 lbs 14 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long. The doctor said his weight is about average and that he is in the 75th percentile for height (he must get that from me =) ) Brayden also had to get his first shots yesterday. He did not like them one bit! He screamed and cried at the doctor's office as soon as the first one was given. My eyes teared up as well seeing him like that! He was a little fussy and cranky the rest of the afternoon, but Tylenol seemed to help a little. I couldn't resist taking a picture of him fussing...he looks so pitiful, but that bottom lip poking out is too cute to me! Don't worry, after I took the pictures I picked him up and loved on him to make him feel better.

Baby's First Christmas

2008-12-28T16:27:00.003-05:00

Greg, Brayden and I traveled to Oswego, NY to spend Christmas with Greg's family. Brayden did wonderfully on the car rides up and back, which took over 12 hours each trip. I don't think he could have done any better! His NY relatives were all so excited to finally meet our little man. He got to meet Great Grandpa and Gramma Sharkey, as well as all of his great aunts & uncles and some cousins on the Sharkey side. Brayden impressed them all by being such a good, happy baby. He gave LOTS of smiles and talked to everyone. I think he only cried twice the entire time we were there, and even then he was settled after a quick pop of the paci in his mouth. His first Christmas was a white Christmas....it will probably be a long time before that happens again! The snow was beautiful and we took a few pictures of Brayden out in it. He was too cute wearing his snowsuit because he couldn't move his arms at all. He was such a good sport about wearing it! We had a wonderful time visiting with family and can't wait to see them again. To see pictures, click here.

2 months

2008-12-15T19:17:00.004-05:00

Brayden is 2 months old! Where has the time gone? When he was first born, he received a gift addressed to "Master Brayden Parr". Well, Greg and I quickly realized the "master" part is true! Brayden determines when we sleep, when we eat, where we go and pretty much everything else we do during the day. And he does this all without saying a word. How does he manage it? Thankfully, the sleeping part is getting longer everyday, so I can't complain. Last night we had an 8 hour stretch followed by another 2 1/2 hours after getting his belly full. He truly is a very happy, easy baby and we love him more & more each day. He has been very talkative to pretty much everyone he sees lately. I caught him talking to his toys on the playmat this morning...he especially loves the flashing star. I got him talking again tonight, but he wasn't as talkative as he was this morning. It's still very cute though =)

Breakfast with Santa

2008-12-07T17:24:00.005-05:00

Brayden had his first visit with Santa yesterday morning at our church's annual Breakfast with Santa. He had his breakfast in a bottle as soon as we got there, and as usual feel asleep right after! But he work up in time to get a few pictures with Santa before we left.

We also tried to take a Christmas picture of the whole family yesterday afternoon. Trying to include Callie in the picture was tougher than usual this year! Greg had to hold both her and Brayden while I got the timer set for each take. This the best we got...oh well, it's not too bad, but not as good as I would have liked it to be. Callie's always looked right into the camera in years past. You can see some outtakes and other pictures by clicking here.

Elf Yourself

2008-12-04T13:34:00.001-05:00

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Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T20:08:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful (and very busy) Thanksgiving. It was an extra special Thanksgiving for us since we had Brayden to celebrate with this year. We had lunch with the Grimes family and then had dinner with the Parrs on Thursday. We spent Thursday and Friday nights at the Parrs so we could visit with Skip, Bernadette & Luciana who came down from NY. Besides eating way too much, we really enjoyed spending time with our families. Brayden got lots of love from his cousins, as well as his grandparents on both sides! Although he slept most of the time, he did give them some big smiles and "talked" to everyone while he was awake. He is such a good, sweet baby...we are very thankful that he is in our lives! Now that his first Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's time to get ready for Christmas!!

Brayden enjoying his Thanksgiving meal

The Grimes grandchildren

Grammy & Grandpa Parr, Brayden & Luciana

Pictures

2008-11-23T14:02:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the last week or so. Brayden (and his parents) really love the swing...it calms him down right away when he is cranky, which has been almost every night the past week!

He's also spending more time on his playmat and really studies the toys on there more and more. To see more pictures, click here

Brayden found his hands this week...he loves to put his fist in his mouth and chew for awhile. It's very cute! We are looking forward to his first Thanksgiving and the long weekend. We're going to spend Thursday with the Grimes family and a few nights with the Parrs. Aunt Bernadette & Uncle Skip are coming down from NY, so he will finally get to meet his cousin Luciana. We can't wait! Hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

A smile for you...

2008-11-14T18:37:00.009-05:00

Finally! I was able to catch a smile on film and upload it to the blog. Here is a short clip of Brayden with a big smile at the beginning! (You'll have to stop the music on the playlist at the bottom of the page so you can hear him)

One month

2008-11-13T14:10:00.004-05:00

Brayden is one month old today...I can't believe it! The past month has been much different than we ever imagined. Who would have thought such a little person could require so much time and leave us so exhausted? But it has definitely been a wonderful, wonderful month with Brayden in our lives. He has changed so much in such a short amount of time. He doesn't even look like the same baby that was born one month ago.

October 13, 2008

November 13, 2008 - 1 month old

This past week, he has started to give us an occasional smile when we talk to him and a "coo" every here and there. I love to see & hear them both and look forward to them occurring more often. I've tried to catch them on film, but he must be camera shy because he always stops when I turn it on =)

We have really enjoyed the first month of his life and look forward to seeing how he grows & changes in the months to come, although it's going by too fast already!

Photo Shoot

2008-11-05T11:56:00.002-05:00

Last week, Brayden and I had a little photo shoot at home. He was very cooperative for the most part, although it took LOTS of takes to get just a few good pictures (at least ones that met my standards...I'm very picky!) I thought these came out pretty well. Hope you enjoy!

Fun Filled Friday

2008-11-01T20:48:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for Brayden. We started off with his two week checkup at the pediatrician's office in the morning. He is doing great and is already over 9lbs! He did very well and won't go again until he is 2 months, when he'll get his first shots. I'm guessing he probably won't do so well then. After the doctor's appointment, Greg & I took Brayden with us to vote. He got so many compliments from people while we were waiting in line =)

Yesterday afternoon, we took Brayden to meet his new friend, Tanner. Our good friends Doug & Tiffany had their baby boy on Monday. Brayden and Tanner are two weeks apart, and I'm sure they'll be best buds growing up, like his mom and I were. They each had on the same "My First Halloween" outfit, which wasn't planned, so we got a couple of good pictures of them together.

When we got home, we had a visit from Madeline, Lydia & Margo. They were all dressed up for Halloween and excited about the upcoming night of trick or treating. Gina made Margo's hydrangea costume, which may have been the cutest thing I've ever seen!

We ended the night by giving out candy to the hundreds (no joke) of kids that came. I've never seen so many trick or treaters before. Needless to say, we ran out of candy pretty quick. Guess we'll know to buy more for next year!

We can't believe that our little guy is almost 3 weeks old already. It seems like he is changing everyday and getting so big already. The past few weeks have gone by too quickly.

One week later...

2008-10-23T20:38:00.004-04:00

We've been home for one week now and things are going well. We spent the first three nights sleeping downstairs because it was easier for me after having a c-section. I am feeling much better now and getting around pretty good. Greg had to go back to work this past Monday. Brayden and I miss him so much during the day and are very happy to see him when he gets home! Brayden is becoming more alert everyday, but he does not have a good sleeping schedule just yet. Every night has been different so far. The lack of sleep is catching up to me, but I'm making it through one day at a time!

We've had lots of visitors during the past week of family and friends. We gathered all of the cousins on the Grimes' side together over the weekend, which was a wild time! Brayden got lots of love and attention, especially from cousin Caroline who showered him with kisses over and over again. It was very cute! We are looking forward to a visit from Uncle Skip this coming weekend, who is flying in from NY to meet his nephew.

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy! Check the Brayden folder for more...

The Family

Callie taking advantage of us sleeping downstairs

The Grimes grandchildren

Lydia, Brayden, Grandma Grimes, Caroline, Grandpa Grimes, Margo & Madeline

Getting kisses from cousin Caroline

Our little pumpkin!

We're Home

2008-10-17T17:01:00.004-04:00

We brought Brayden home from the hospital yesterday. We are getting settled in and are happy to finally be home as a whole family. He has met his big "sister"Callie, who is very energetically in love with him already. She gives him lots of kisses and wants to be where he is all the time. We've already accumulated a load of laundry in just the first 24 hours between spit ups and "pee ups". Although we are sleep deprived & he keeps us busy at all times it seems, we are very much in love with our little guy. We can't imagine life without him already.

Leaving the hospital

Meeting Callie for the first time

Callie checking on Brayden

After getting his belly full

I added a few more pictures to the Brayden folder, so be sure to check it frequently for updates.