Who They Are Now

I can think of no greater work, than that of a parent…and I seriously wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. Yeah, yeah, yeah the good is so worth all the hardships….but let’s be honest, this is hard. Some days I fail miserably and some days I’m pretty proud of myself. I love these three kids more than my own life and I take very seriously the BLESSING I’ve been given to be their mom. I know I tread on holy ground daily and there will be a day when I meet my maker and He will let me know just what kind of job I’ve done…He too is a parent, thankfully, let’s just hope he’s lenient.

Most of the pictures I take look a lot like this...sigh.

Brinkley Jada--27 Months

David lovingly refers to her as, “Amanda,” daily. I’m sure it’s her stubborn and feisty personality. I’d like to think it’s her good looks. Whatever the case, we’re keeping her. It’s a funny thing, no matter the frustration she can cause within me, I still wouldn’t change her. I just wish I could manage the situation better. Some days I wish Super Nanny lived at our house, I’d love the help. But with her feistiness and stubbornness comes that calm reassurance that I am very confident that she’ll never be taken advantage of in this evil world and she’ll succeed in anything she puts her mind to. With that being said, I’d love to quote my dad, referring to Brinkley, “She’ll either conquer this world or destroy it, which ever she chooses!” As tough as I’ve made her out to be she’s also a sweet, girly girl. She loves blankets and purses and is obsessed with lip gloss. She can be bribed with a single M&M and hates shoes and socks on her feet, by the time we’ve arrived anywhere, she’s barefoot. She loves Brady and calls him her, “baby boy.” I usually wake up every morning to her yelling, “Mom, mom, where are you?” from her room. If you ask her what her favorite color is, she’ll say, “pink,” but I really think it’s yellow. When given a choice of different colored things, she’ll go for the yellow one. She loves Barney. We think she has psoriasis and she may need glasses, we’ll find out for sure about both this month. She puts her hands on her hips when she’s mad and tips her head down like a bull. She loves being sung to and rocked at night. She’s starting to potty train and has recently started pooping in the toilet. (With three kids in diapers, I really shouldn’t have to tell you what a huge deal this is to us, but it’s HUGE!) She teaches me about love and patience daily and I know she’s making me a better person. She makes my heart sing.

Braxton Reese--27 Months

Balls. Balls. Balls. Braxton would choose a ball over food any day. He’s obsessed. If we’re at the park and kids are playing basketball, he’ll remind us 200 times. He doesn’t discriminate, he loves soccer balls and footballs and volleyballs and racquetballs and golf balls and even watermelons, because they look like balls. Just today I asked him which one was his favorite and he very confidently said, “Footballs.” The tough part comes when he constantly wants to throw them around the house, but we’re working on that. Oh where to begin with Braxton? He’s a goofball and is always ready to make you laugh. He loves shoes…usually other people’s shoes. His favorites are David’s flip flops and my sandals. BUT he does love his Crocs and his flip flops. He asks everyday if we’re going to church, he loves it. He’s still a picky eater and is really bothered by weird textures. He’s very sensitive. He hates seeing people cry and is constantly saying he’s sorry. He’s tough at times, but he’s usually quick to correct his behavior when prompted. He too loves Barney and has a soft spot for candy. He loves hats and putting his hand in his pockets, like a big boy. He loves swinging at the park and digging in the dirt in the backyard. He loves David and will copy anything he’s doing. He loves the color blue. He’s totally not into napping and will talk to himself for an hour before falling asleep and that’s a good day. He speaks very well and tries very hard to pronounce words correctly. The other day he was asking me if I had been asleep when I went in their room to get them in the morning and he was saying “Mommy bed?” “Mommy bed?” I didn’t understand what he meant and then he said, “Mommy go ni-night?” I was amazed that he could change the words to complete the same thought, he’s a genius, or at least we think so. He fills my heart with joy!

Brady Cameron--9 Months

Oh…my baby is getting too big!!! I can’t even believe how much he’s grown and what a bog boy he’s become. I’m just reminded everyday that time goes by too quickly! He still has no teeth, all gums...but I’m confident he has a tooth ready to pop through soon. He loves his baby crackers called, Baby Mum-Mums. He loves to jump in his jumper and has becomes quite the crawler. He can get anywhere he wants. He’ll switch directions on a dime and can even go from a crawling position to sitting up. He has the most infections laugh and it’s is so easy to get a giggle out of him. He loves food and really isn’t into his bottle lately, hopefully this means weaning him of it in the next few months will be easy. He’s never spit out food he didn’t like, even peas; he makes a silly face, but just keeps eating. He is so easy going and sweet. He makes us look good as parents, but the truth is we had nothing to do with it; this little angel came that way. He loves watching Brinkley and Braxton and I can tell he can’t wait to play with the “big kids.” He puts up with so much. He’s been stepped on and banged around by Brinkley and Braxton so many times. We try to protect him, but really they are just trying to love on him. He makes lots of noise and even says, “da da and ma ma,” he’s really just mumbling, but I think it counts. He’s asserting himself more and more and makes it clear when he wants something or if he’s upset that one of us left the room. He’s got the chubbiest, squishiest, dimpliest thighs ever. He has a big head full of hair and the biggest kissable cheeks. As far as the numbers go, he’s in the 90th percentile in height and 50th in head and weight…we thinks that’s odd, he seems so big to us, but apparently there’s bigger kids out there. So now David calls him, “tall and skinny” as a joke. He’s any mom’s dream come true and he’s all mine.

He was not feeling well when this picture was taken...poor thing, but funny picture!