Aubrey's First Haircut

Before

                                                                          After

So it was finally time for the mullet to go.  Aubrey's hair is beautiful-it is shiny and straight with great natural highlights, just the top was shorter that the back.  One night I had enough and cut a straight cut of about 2 inches off some of the back.  The result. . .a cute bob that was slightly slanted as it is hard to get a 1 1/2 year old to sit still.  I love it!

Brody lost his First Tooth!!!

At 5 1/2 years old

After being loose for maybe two months, the time finally came to give it a tug.  Adam didn't pull hard, but the tooth did bleed a little bit.  Brody didn't even know it had come out.  I came into his room the next morning and he looked sad, so I asked why.  "The tooth fairy didn't even come,"  he said.  Apparently he didn't look inside the little bag he left for the tooth fairy.  After opening the bag and discovering a note and some money, he way much happier!

Earlier in the week he also got a black-eye.  This picture is right after, before the bruising occurred.  With the ways things are going lately, I think his Kindergarten picture should be interesting to say the least!!!

If you want to watch the tooth coming out, then watch the three videos below :)

Sleepover and Temple Trip

Tonight will be Aubrey's first night away from me!  She is getting so big and so smart lately.  I can't believe how many words she says now and repeats everything we say.  Adam and I had made plans to go to the temple so Terri and Phillip offered for the kids to spend the night and go to Tannehill in the morning.  They all had a blast and were worn out when they came home.  Aubrey was the best sleeper at night and slept in till 7:00.  Unfortunately, I was up at 6:30 having to pee and couldn't go back to bed.  So, I started to paint, and paint some more, and paint some more.  I would have finished, but I ran out of paint for the dining room.  I'm painting all the hallways and dining room a beige color called "Gobi Desert" from Home Depot.  After the kids came home and took a nap, we just relaxed by playing in the yard, going swimming, andgetting ready for church.  A great, productive weekend!

P.S.-So at the temple, I just got this feeling come over me.  I wasn't sure what it was, but I just started to tear up.  The night before I had a dream about our next ultrasound and the news was that the cysts were not isolated and we would have problems.  I think I have prepared myself for news that our child has down syndrome, but I have not prepared myself for the reality of living it.  On the other hand, I am not prepared if they tell me it is the more worse condition.  It just seems like such an unknown and debilitating condition that I would need time to figure it out.  Adam still assures me that the baby is fine and nothing is wrong.  I hope and pray he is right and to have enough strength and love and patience if he is wrong.

IT'S A. . . GIRL!!!

100% sure, no doubt about it, it's a girl!  Yet for some reason my mind keeps thinking I've been told otherwise.  I know we're having a girl, but every time I think about the baby, I still initially think boy!  Hopefully after a week or two, my preggers brain will adjust.  Brody guessed a girl and Tatum and Adam guessed a boy.  Now we'll have two boys and two girls, all about two years apart.

So that's the good news.  This time there is also potentially. . .different news.  I don't want to say "bad news" b/c I'll love my baby regardless of what she looks like or her abilities.  Apparently the ultrasound revealed three choroid plexus cysts or her little brain.  The doctor said most of the time(>99%) these don't harm the baby and go away on their own.  Rarely, if these cysts are present in addition to other problems like heart or bodily deformities, then that can signal a greater problem of the baby either having a problem with chromosome 18 or 21.  21 would be Down Syndrome and 18 would mean a wide range of problems to developmental, to eating, to possibly not surviving a week after birth.  When the doctor told me the situation he assured me not to worry b/c the cysts are usually isolated, but we'd do another ultrasound in a month to check on things and go from there.  

How did I take the news?  Relatively well at the office b/c I hadn't done any research yet to explore to results.  Also, I had all three kids with me by myself, so I was just trying to get in and out of there as quick as possible.  Adam was supposed to come, but was diagnosed with STREP THROAT the night before and was still a contagious zombie. 

UPDATE:  That night Adam randomly turned on the BYU channel during dinner, which we never do.  Coincidentally a show came on about a mothers struggle to accept her newborn down syndrome baby.  What are the chances of that!

ALSO, HAPPY BDAY  to my wonderful, loving, sick as a dog husband on his 30th bday!  We got his the Karate Kid DVD and I think the boys will like it as much as he does.

                    HAPPY BIRHTDAY ADAM!  I LOVE YOU!

We are the Champions, my friend. . . .!!!

Brody's first season of real baseball has come to a close.  I am so proud of him and the amount of growth he has had in the last few months.  He went from not being able to catch or hit a moving ball to being able to catch fly balls, field grounders, and hit well right and left-handed!  He also learned a lot about he game of baseball.  When we asked him this spring if he wanted to play this year, he said no.  I think tball last year was too simple and boring for him.  This year he got to compete and have fun winning.  Did I mention his team went undefeated and won the league!!!! 

Tatum and Aubrey did well going to all the games, especially since there is not much for them to do.  No playground, no grassy area to play, only a snow cone machine and red dirt.

Adam has already said practice for next year starts now!!!

Here  is the video of one of Brody's in the park homeruns.  He was the last batter and always ran faster when he knew he couldn't stop!

Atlant temple reopens!

We had the privilege of attending an open house for the Atlanta temple.  Adam and I were married there about 7 years ago and it was such a great opportunity to be able to take our children through.  Well, almost.  Aubrey pitched a fit since we had just driven 3 hours, and we had to exit the tour early.  So after my emotional pregnant breakdown, Brody went through with me again.  It is beautiful inside.  I pray we will be back there one day again as a whole family with all our children.

***please ignore my crazy hair-I didn't have time to straighten before we left that morning amidst the packing***

Here we go. . .

So as a bit of a late New Year's resolutions, I'm beginning this blog.  I'll talk about what we as a family have been up to and the things I have learned or created lately. I'm hoping that I do better at this than I have done with other journaling attempts in the past.  Adam and I created three goals for our family for the year and so far, so good.  This is more of a personal one, so we'll see how it goes. . . Wish me luck!