Our New Digs and Brody Smiles

So I know we have already been here over a week...I just haven't been able to get pictures on the computer and then internet didn't come when we thought it would. It has been a hassle to say the least and Brad hasn't even started school. That starts Monday but we'll get an idea (I think) of what it will be like because he has mandatory orientation today and tomorrow. Actually, I don't think I will even know how bad it will sometimes be. Maybe that's a good thing. The great thing is though is there are quite a few ward members in the same shoes as me who lend each other support. I am so grateful and have never felt so welcome in a ward the first Sunday. We met so many nice people. This will be so helpful for times when I really miss my family and friends of Utah. So I promised pictures of the house...it isn't quite finished but I figured you've waited long enough. But our internet is so slow, I may not have the patience to update as often as you'd like.

Here's the entry way...

The view from the door...
nice couch, huh?

The family room...

The dining room...

The office...

And the kitchen....

...no the cabinet isn't pink...that's just the lighting. I didn't include bedroom pictures or the laundry room or bathrooms. Maybe next post. You never know. Or maybe, we're just waiting for you to visit...anyhow, things are looking more put together and organized.

In other news, I was starting to worry (because what would I be like without a dose of worry) that Brody wasn't going to smile at me. He would smile at his Grandma Allen but I couldn't ever get him to...until now. And now that's all he seems to want to do for me (except for cry...he always wants to cry). I just love his cute smiley face and he is getting quite chubby. I fear his eating habits may have caught up with him. Here are his latest pictures. I just want to squish and kiss his face all day long!

Our final farewell...

...to the old and on to the new. We finally made it and I am quite proud of Brad and his choice in housing. We live in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom duplex that is nicer than the remodeled house we just moved from. I hear we have some great neighbors and a big back yard. To be honest, I couldn't have done a better job. Plus, when the kids and I got here 2 days after Brad, he had set up almost the whole house. What a great guy! A BIG THANKS to Grandma and Grandpa Allen for all their work!! Grandpa drove the van behind Brad in the moving truck and helped move both out of our old place and into the new. And Grandma played Mom #2 throughout the whole moving process. We really appreciate their willingness to take time off work and come help up this last week! Another big THANKS to everyone who came to help pack or load the truck! We had so many people come that we started loading the truck around 9am and were done around 10:3oam. It went so fast and smoothly. I really have to give Brad all the credit! I wasn't really worried about this whole move. I guess I just knew that Brad would have thought of everything. And he did!! I sure love him! As soon as I get things a little more organized, I will definitely post pictures of our new digs!!

The Joys of Moving...

I don't know if you can really call them joys but to be honest, it hasn't been that bad. You might get a different answer from Brad because he has been dealing with a lot more than I. Anywho, moving is always nice in some ways because you get to throw away anything that you don't need and have an excuse to poo-poo your hesitation. I can't believe all the crap we have collected since we have been married. Even in these 2 years we've lived in our house. It's amazing how we can accumulate stuff so quickly.

Brody's blessing

Last Sunday Brad blessed Brody in church. Thanks to all the family who could come for making it a special day for us. We feel so blessed to have this darling little boy in our family and thank Heavenly Father for our children. We truly have the cutest and best kids ever!!! Enjoy the pics!

Brad's trip to Texas!

So Brad just got back from his trip to Texas to scope out Baylor Law School and to find a place for us to live. He got lucky and found a place and hopefully we are approved. We find out today! Also, he was able to connect with a few long lost buddies and go to a Rangers game. I have never known a fan as loyal as Brad. Despite a bad season or more, he is still cheering them on like always. Here are some pictures. Here is Baylor Law School, the green of Texas and the house where Brad grew up in Double Oak, Texas. Below is the Ranger game.

Our vacuum...

So we have the perfect setup at our house...our carpet stays quite clean due to our dog. This has been quite helpful especially when we had Brylie for when she spit up or dropped her cheese or cracker crumbs etc. This video shows just how much he loves to "clean up".

And here are more pictures of Brody!! and Brylie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!

Well, I totally feel bad that I missed my own mom's birthday...I could try to blame it on what's been going on here lately but the truth is, I was reminded several times throughout the day and just put it off. So sorry Mom! I just want to let you know how great we think you are and love you so much! We hope your 29th birthday was awesome...hey, wait, we're the same age!?! I'm glad I could catch up to you and I look forward to being here with you for the rest of our lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, JILL, GRANDMA!! We love and miss you! We'll see you at the end of the month!

What's New in Our Family....

It has been quite a long while since I posted...this 2 kids thing really has had me busy and TIRED but I have been amazed at how I've adapted. If having 2 kids was like living on land and I was a fish, I would be a turtle...not very fast but able to handle being out of the water. Brody is getting better as every day goes by and today we got the wonderful news that he can go off oxygen so now we get to see what he really looks like. It has been really hard with his colic to hold him and soothe him with these stupid tubes and cords connected to him so now I can finally stop Brylie from unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper I just replaced while holding Brody instead of praying for patience and longsuffering while I fight with Brody's cords to put him in a safe place so that when I'm cleaning up that roll of toilet paper, she can't suffocate Brody with her own body while she innocently gives him loves. I am still quite paranoid and will continue to be until summer, I'm sure. In fact, I can only count 4 people outside of Brad and I who have held Brody. Brylie doesn't count either. She is such a darling little stink face! She makes me so mad and so in love with her at the same time. Sometimes I forget she is only one year old like when I ask her to do a task only a 3 or 4 year old would be able to understand let alone do. Then I get frustrated when she disobeys. Oh, the learning curve of a mom. Aside from all of this, we are getting ready to move. The date is quickly approaching! We should be on the road April 27th if all goes as planned. There isn't much time for me to be anxious although Brad will tell you I'll find the time and I can agree. That is another learning curve in itself. All in all, we are getting along very well and are very grateful for everyone's love and support!! Here are some pictures to prove how well we are indeed!

The Latest...

Well, I've come to the conclusion that we just can't go for very long without drama in our lives. Either drama needs us or we need it. After just 6 short days at home, Brody got RSV and is back in the hospital. He doesn't seem to be as severe as Brylie was although there are things in him I'm seeing that I didn't see in Brylie and things I saw in Brylie that I don't see in him. I guess everyone manifests things differently. All I can say is how relieved I am that he is in the hospital because there were many sleepless nights where I would sleep with the light on just in case something happened. I have never felt so helpless. Even taking him to the doctors for the 5th time in 4 days didn't instill enough confidence in me, I still took him back the next day when there were more symptoms or the symptoms seemed to be worse. I also am amazed at the beauty of intuition, better known as the Spirit.

Brody is on oxygen and monitors to see how his breathing is doing...he is doing very well on the small amount of oxygen he is on and is eating better than ever. His weight is good and he just needs to get all this junk out of his lungs so that he can breath better and stop coughing. That is his worst symptom, his cough. I feel so bad watching this little body cough so forcefully. Hopefully he will continue to improve and we will be home in 2 days. That is what it looks like now but you never know.

I have received so many phone calls from family offering their services to watch Brylie or to bring a meal or do "whatever you need". I am overwhelmed how much our family is loved. I thank you all for the wonderful words of support and love. We couldn't do as well as we are without any of you!

Brylie is doing very well with this brother idea. She is so loving and came over one day to Brody and handed him her toys. I know that even though this will be a difficult year, we will be forever grateful for the closeness in age. It's so neat to feel this bond between my family.

In other news, we have made the decision to sell our house and attend Baylor Law School starting in early May this year so we regret to inform you that we will be moving at the end of April to Waco, Texas. This decision was not made lightly as it has weighed on our minds for some time now. Aside from just not really feeling good about it, BYU would have taken Brad 3 years to complete where if he starts at Baylor this May, he could finish and take the bar exam a whole year sooner. At that time, we will move back to Utah where Brad already has a job under contract. We are so blessed and can see the Lord's hand in so many of the decisions we have been led to make.

Sorry I don't have any pictures this post, the hospital can only provide so much. Thanks again to everyone for you thoughts and prayers! We will keep you posted!

He's home!!!

So after a long 10 days in the hospital, Brody has finally been given the clearance to come home. He is doing very well and weighs more than his birth weight. He has hardly any problems eating which is why he was able to come home. We are so grateful to finally have our family all together at last and to introduce Brylie to her brother. She has known there was something going on but she never knew exactly what it was. We have been given the advice from the doctor at discharge to keep Brody away enclosed places and kids for 6 months. I don't know if we'll make it that long but we intend to try as these hospital stays are not easy to handle emotionally! Again, we would like to thank everyone who has been concerned and offered prayers on our behalf. We have seen the hand of the Lord in this experience and are more grateful for Brody than ever! Also, a big thanks to the moms who were so willing to take time out of their schedules to be with Cass and Brylie mostly and Brody too. We really appreciate the love and tremendous help. Enjoy the pics!

Brody Update...

So I know all of you who are aware Brody was born early is anxious to know how he is doing and see recent photos. I have just the update in store for you! Brody is doing just great! He is still in NICU to finish his round of antibiotics which will probably go until Friday or Saturday. On top of finishing those he must be gaining weight, holding his temperature and eating exclusively from the nipple whether nursing or bottle. So far, he is off the oxygen as you can tell by pictures and he is nursing twice a day and I might add, he won't starve. He is a wonderful eater and he knows what to do better than Brylie did. We are very encouraged by these accomplishments and anticipate him to succeed at the others shortly. We thank you for your concern, love and support! The rest of the family is doing as well as can be expected away from our little guy. It's amazing how quickly you can love and recognize the absence of a new addition. We definitely miss our Brody and can't wait for the chance to bring him home.

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

Well, I would be a terrible wife if I let this day go without mentioning the it's
BRAD's BIRTHDAY!!! And what better way to celebrate than by posting a giant announcement on a public blog!!! And to prove our love for our Brad, we have chosen to display one of our most favorite pictures of him. We hope that he has the most excellent birthday for he is very deserving!!! We love you, Dad!!

He's here...and he's early!

Well, Saturday night brought us quite the surprise when Brody decided to be born! My water broke around 6:45 pm so instead of us babysitting our nephew Jonas, Shay and Chelsea ended up staying at our house and babysitting Brylie while we went to the hospital. Everything went very fast and at 2:52 am, Brody was born. He had a little trouble breathing due to how early he was and so they kept him at the hospital to get a round of antibiotic and help his lungs figure things out a little bit better. We are so grateful for modern day medicine and the miracles fasting and prayer bring. We know that all of the prayers and fasting on our behalf have been heard and answered. Thank you to all our family and friends who have been so supportive! If all goes as planned, we should be bringing Brody home on Wednesday. Here are some pictures of him.

Getting behind...

Sometimes I feel like I'm totally with it when it comes to housework and motherhood. The house looks good and I would feel semi-comfy if I caught Brylie licking off the kitchen floor, the laundry is done with only a day or so of clothes to be done, or I can feel comfortable when someone drops by unexpectedly because I vacuumed the day before or even that day. It's amazing how closely my self-esteem is tied to these little ridiculous things. For instance, this weekend, Brylie was not feeling well. She had no symptoms but a fever probably due to her recent vaccinations but the whole weekend, all she wanted was to be held in a blanket. And I was very glad to do this because she is almost never cuddly so this was prime opportunity for me to get my fix of baby cuddling with my not-so-cuddly little girl. However, I wasn't able to get my list of chores done that I typically do on a daily basis. I have quite an easy routine that allows me to do everything to keep the house spic and span without doing housework all day long. I rather pride myself on it if you want to know the truth. But I found it very interesting how not vacuuming or dusting or sweeping the kitchen floor made me feel a little depressed. And it's not that Brad didn't do anything to help either. He is very good at picking up the pieces when I'm not able to do it so our house doesn't look like a pigsty at all, but just the fact that I didn't do those things myself made me feel a little down and sluggish. Hopefully Brylie's fever will go away completely and she'll start feeling and acting like herself so that we can get back into the swing of things just in time to let it all go again when the baby brother is born. I've decided that that is what life is like; finally catching up so that you can get behind again. What a roller coaster ride! And I rather enjoy it!!

Look who's 1!!!

I can't believe I am the mother of a one year old!!! The time has flown by so quickly! One funny thing Brad said to me this morning is, "Hey, we made it. Our kids are at least one year apart. The future can only be predicted by the past." That is the ongoing joke at our house that fourteen months after this baby is born, we'll have our third and it will be twins!?! You never know what Heavenly Father has in store for us...I've probably jinxed us. I'm glad to already have 2 kids (more or less) though. And if they are all as delightful as the girl, I would be happy with 12 (jinxed myself again). So on to the festivities. At our little shindig for Brylie, we had many family members attend! Thanks to all who came. It was quite the party! And I can't believe how many gifts she received. Thanks for those also! She is a spoiled little girl! Here is a little video we took of her eating her cake...I am surprised how uninterested she was in it because she is such a good eater (like her mother!!). Mostly I think she just wasn't used to feeding herself cuz I am paranoid she'll choke and I'll panic, blah, blah, blah (anxiety much?) so I feed her most of the time unless I have broken the food up into minuscule pieces therefore not giving her the chance to practice chewing. What else can I do to mess up her life? I think I taught her that face!! Well, on to the video. This one's for you Mom! Thanks again for all the gifts and excitement!! We missed those who couldn't make it and we love you all!!

A Man of Admiration...

I couldn't let President Hinckley's passing go by without expressing my love for him and my admiration for all of his dedication to the church and its member's welfare. He was an amazing example of love and integrity. I hope to be like him one day! I smile for him as I think of the awesome reunion he is having right now with his wife. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. No one is left out, everyone is thought of in the great plan and has their own role. We love you President Hinckley!! Thank you for the Spirit and example you have brought to our lives!

Here's the girl saying "hi" and signing "milk"...

...two frequent occurrences around here. She is not slow to say "hi" to the dog, the crib, us, people at church, anyone really once she feels comfortable. She also signs "milk" whether she wants milk, water, juice, to be picked up or to have some of what we are having. She is realizing what it's like to be a person and that she can communicate to us and get what she wants. I just love it!!

Here's to another great birthday!!

So I really did have an amazing day! Brylie was a fabulous fun girl and we saw Brad a few times throughout the day. Then he came home to take us out to eat and then after Brylie went to bed, a very nice gal in the ward came over to watch over our home and kids (dog and sleeping baby). It was so nice to be able to go out on our own...it's been a while. I love Brylie to bits but I also love my time with Brad. We always have so much fun even if it's nothing much that we do. I hope he enjoys our time together as much as I do! I appreciate all the phone calls, cards, well wishes and gifts received! It truly made my wonderful day even better! Thanks to you all! In other good new, Brad received word that he has been accepted to BYU Law School as well so we have yet one more school to add to the list. We aren't quite sure where he will go for law school but it's nice to have many to choose from! We'll keep you posted when we finally make the decision!

HA! HA!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIDY!!!!

Brad here...officially hijacking the blog to do what Cassidy would not do for herself and announce her birthday today---January 14th!!! Huzzah!!! For not making this post herself, we'll just put this picture here:Maybe after this she'll remember next year to make her own birth-a-day post so I'm not forced to do so.

Here's to hoping she enjoys a fantastic day worthy of such a great wife and mom at an age unmentioned.

Another tooth and walking...?

Well, when milestones come, it seems they come right in a row or all together. Or maybe that is just how it is in our family. Considering our kids will be so close together, it might be hard to keep track of everything. Thank goodness for the blog and for milestones! Brylie has her top left tooth coming in and the right one on it's way. She loves to have her teeth brushed. I think its so adorable that she loves to do anything that grown ups do. She is quite the little girl and it shocks me how close she is to being one years old. She has also started just letting go of whatever she's holding herself up on and standing on her own for several seconds if not minutes. I can just stand her up and let go and she'll stand there until she decides she wants to walk or sit. Then she will sit and crawl. We have seen a few steps but she is still quite unsteady and will need more practice but I think the end (or the beginning) is in sight. Hopefully, for her sake, she'll be walking before the new baby is born. Carrying her and him makes me exhausted now but I have to remember I won't be this fat and worn out...I hope. Anyway, we have some fun things to enjoy right now and fun things to look forward to in the near future.

And What a Christmas It Was...

We have never ever been neglected or left out as this Christmas will prove once again. In fact, I think we were down right spoiled!! Thanks to our wonderful families residing in Oregon, we had a magnificent Christmas and so much more! It started going to the Allen's home in Aloha, OR where we met Cass' brother Griffin returning home from his mission. It was a joyous reunion, one that we have all looked forward to with great anticipation. It was so neat for him to finally meet his niece and nephew.

We then went to a beach house where we could get away and just hang out together without interruption. It was awesome!! Thanks Mom and Dad!! After that, we had a mini Christmas there and opened gifts to each other. It was such a good visit with them! We are so grateful to have been able to spend time with them especially Griff as he returns home from Brazil. Then on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, we packed up and drove the short distance to Wilsonville, to the Gunnells where we would spend Christmas and the remainder of our trip. Except for a minor cold that kept Brylie awake in the night more than we would have liked, we had a wonderful visit with the Gunnells including Christmas!!! There was plenty of food and we took advantage as the scales will show. Thanks Mom and Dad G! It was so good to see you all, Lisa, Melissa, Amy and David, Grammie and Pops!! What a fun time we all had!

It's nice to be home...12 days gone is quite a long time...our Dozer missed us despite good care from Brad's cousin Reid! Thanks Reid!!!
We hope you all had as wonderful a holiday as we did!!! Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! We have been blessed to spend time with family and friends and I hope all of you have had the same fortune. As I have gotten older, I have realized the true importance family is and I am so thankful that Brad and I have such wonderful families. I am so grateful to the Savior Jesus Christ for his life and for this time of year in which we can more fully feel of His love and Spirit. Merry Christmas!

The Lights at Temple Square

What Christmas is complete without a trip to Temple Square to see the amazing lights and feel of the ambiance there. Not ours!! Well, we made sure to go before we are off to Portland for Christmas. Even though it was really cold and crowded, it was worth the cold, the drive and search for a parking spot to see the excitement in Brylie's cute face when she saw the lights. We ended up going to JB's restaurant after for some grub and hot cocoa. I am always amazed at the simple things that entertain Brylie. In the restaurant, there was a mirror on the ceiling in the waiting area that Brylie just stared and grinned at. She just loves to see herself!! I would to if I was as cute as she is!!!! I don't know how many times we walk by the fridge at home and she makes me stop to admire the pictures of her. I hope she has that feeling for herself when she's a teenager at the stage when they worry about what people think more than is healthy. Anyway, enjoy the photo!


Her Best Friend


This happened when we came home from running errands and I put Brylie down at the foot of the couch so that she stood where Dozer was sleeping. This is what she did to him! I love it!!!




I Love This Laugh


I couldn't resist this darling video of the girl laughing...she doesn't really laugh very often unless it's a fake laugh and when she does, it's usually at the dog so when I heard this, I had to get a video because she is so cute and entertained!! As were we!

Darn spots...

So Monday afternoon after Brylie woke up from her 2nd nap, I noticed these little spots on her face and body. It has continued to get worse so I took her to the doctor and he said it's not the chicken pox...please bless she holds out for her chicken pox vaccination...but it's probably a viral rash that will go away on it's own or it's from taking the penicillin for her ear infection she got last Monday. She has been on it for 7 days now and now gets this rash. She doesn't act like it bothers her...it just looks like it should. See for yourself...WARNING***this is a bathtub scene***WARNING! I find it adorable. She'll hate me when she's older.