We are growing...

And by growing I mean in size not in numbers! *smirk smirk* Look at these kids! We were at Sam's Club today with the cart with double kid seats and I was thinking that in a few months, both Brylie and Brody will be able to sit together and bug each other. And I was so excited for the future. Don't get me wrong, I love where we are at because things are more fun everyday but it's fun to get excited for what's to come also.

Brylie is saying more and more words...and they are more and more understandable too. She makes so many friends at the store or where ever we go with her "hi" and "bye". It's so cute! And she is also so friendly that after someone responds to her "hi", she gives them the biggest cheesy smile ever! She is the weak spot of every old lady we come in contact with.

Brody is growing so quickly! It's almost daily that I can actually see him getting bigger!! He is very smiley and is trying to talk more and more. I am learning how his temperament is which is kind of fun but not all at the same time. His colic is definitely more temperament than gas. For instance, I was holding him the other day and when I didn't have both hands on him holding him, he cried but when they were both on him, he was calm. He kind of freaks himself out which is very "cassidy-like". He is very much like his mom. And Brylie is very much like her dad. How perfect!!

I promised...

...some of you pictures of our van... ......and I thought I would also share the milestone of a TODDLER bed!!! This has been a great step for us but very hard as our baby is growing up. She has only fallen out once and goes to sleep pretty well on her own. We have substituted some of her nap times with quiet time in her room playing since we can't control if she gets out of bed or not without tying her in bed which we thought was a little too "silence of the lambs" for our parenting style. She seems to be doing great with it and loves to sit on her bed when we all go in her room. So this means that the crib can become Brody ready and that's my next step. I think this will be a little hard for me because I will have to allow him to possibly wake Brylie up when he wakes up to eat in the middle of the night. I haven't been that brave yet. But I'm thinking this is the week. If anyone has any advice, I would gladly listen.

Five Years Ago Today...

Can you believe it? I am almost blown away at how fast these last 5 years have gone. Maybe because I have loved every minute of it? Time flies when you're having a good time, eh? Looking back at the last 5 years, there isn't anything I'd change. I'm so grateful for Brad and for all our tough times that have brought our relationship to where it is today. I love being with our little family. I worried a little at moving away from everyone in our families for fear that I needed them to survive but in all reality, all I need is Brad, Brylie and Brody. Not that we don't love having the rest of our families too, you all know how important you are to us, but it's good to recognize that. It's also neat to be able to look back and see how all the paths you deemed as crooked are actually straight just facing a direction you weren't aiming at. That's how we get places we never thought were possible. I just want everyone to know, especially my husband Brad, just how much I have cherished these last 5 years! They give me comfort and excitement as I look forward to the endless road ahead.
Happy Anniversary honey!! I love you!

I'm hot...

...and I'm talking about temperature here. I think I must always do my hair curly here because even if I try to straighten it, it will go curly. Here is a picture. I knew the humidity would get to me and I even prepared myself, I thought. It's just very hard to see born and raised Texans "shiny" and think, "they probably consider this normal" as I sweat profusely, my makeup running off me as I walk through the air conditioned mall with my sweaty baby. Now Brody's complexion is "shiny" to match his "shiny" personality. Speaking of his personality, he has been getting so much better as far as his colic goes. It seems to be less and less each day and he is letting me do more and more. Although he has impeccable timing! Whenever we have some kind of plans, that is the time when he will be fussy. I hate to look forward to when he's older because I know it will be here before I know it and I will long for these days but I do look forward to the days when his "shiny" personality frequents him as often as his "shiny" complexion.

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!!