THE BRADLEY FAMILY BLOG

A much needed update...................

2009-12-22T22:34:00.001-08:00

So I signed up for a very necessary 3 x a week personal trainer at the gym. He's kicking my tooshy and I'm loving it!! He told me to stop obsessing about my intake and weight. He said I can't weigh for a month. He's talking to the wrong girl! We'll see how that goes................
So every time I leave the gym I'm soaking wet and thrilled at the progress. This poor guy doesn't know what he's got himself into. There is a large amount of whining and a moderate amount of cussing but he continues to stay positive and motivate me.
I'm currently committed to 3 days of cardio a week and 3 days of weight training. I'll keep you posted!

Yesterday.................

2009-12-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

I don't think I can remember everything I ate yesterday but I can remember that it included 5 Mothers brand toffee cookies. Someone brought them to work so they wouldn't eat them. I can say that I am definitely a team player! I really helped her out. Needless to say I was 180 this morning. It gave me the drive I needed to get it together.
Noon - a cup of tomato soup and an apple
1615 - half a chicken enchilada with corn tortilla (Nellie size portion) and 4 Andes mints
1900 - a bowl of multi-grain Cheerios
I also had an appointment with my trainer at the gym at 1500. It was obvious I didn't eat enough prior to the gym as I got light headed and shaky. I'm pretty sure that I worked off quite a bit of calories as I was dripping when I left. This guy means business! It's super hard work but I know it will pay off in the end. Tomorrow is cardio day....................... lots of running.

HHHMMM Not so good so far today..........

2009-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

0545- For breakfast I had golden grams
0930- peanut butter and honey on wheat
1230- cheese burger and half an order of fries (oooooppssss)
1420- a cookie (I think I'd better ride the indoor bike this evening for an hour)

Friday December 11th

2009-12-13T14:14:00.001-08:00

I woke up and went to the gym for my 3rd training session. I was pretty sore but knew I had to go. It hurt even more but I always feel better after I go.
1120- tuna melt w/pickles and half a twix
1435- 2 farm house cookies (those of you who know what these are should be impressed that I only ate 2)
1730-.5 cup of clam chowder (minus the nasty clams)
1900- bowl of multigrain Cheerios and 2 Andes mints and an apple

I'm not too sore!

2009-12-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning expecting to be sore from my torturous work out yesterday with the trainer. I'm not too sore. Not too sore at all. Because I rate eveything on the 0-10 scale I'd say I'm a 2/10. Totally ok. I'm off to the gym in about 20 minutes for my second session. Today is the day we measure. AAAHHH! I'm not looking forward to this but I know it's necessary. Tonight is our work Christmas party and there is always tons of yummy foods to try. I'm hoping that the hour I spend at the gym will encourage me to stay away of the bad stuff so my time at the gym isn't wasted.
0630- 177.5 lbs
0700- protein shake and an apple
1030- 2 chocolate mint cookies (they're all gone now thankfully)
1120- a chocolate/peanut butter protein shake
It's 1130 I'm off to the gym!
1300- a bowl of white chicken chili/a bowl of taco salad w/o meat
1930- pumpkin mouse dessert and a kahlua w/cream

Such a better day!

2009-12-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was a complete disappointment. I was determined to keep on track today.
0639-large bowl of raisin bran crunch
1230-a skinny venti frapachino w/o coffee
1530-half a cup of tomato soup and a mint chocolate chip cookie
1830-finished the tomato soup and added about 20 gold fish crackers
2100-2 chocolate mint cookies

I 'm done for the day. I'd say there is not a single nutritional item in there. HHmmmm .......... well at least there is significantly fewer calories then yesterday.
Today I made a HUGE commitment. I had my first appointment with a personal trainer at the gym. Holy crap that's scary!! They basically tell you how fat and out of shape you are then say that they can make you all better with just a few simple exercises. RRIIIGGHHHTTT! If that's all it took I wouldn't look like this. He asked me my hobbies and I think he was quite surprised by my response............. "EATING" I said. You can't tell? I wasn't kidding. I love to eat. So he took my weight and calculated my BMI (body mass index) then told me what it should be. OUCH. I have to drop my BMI in half. Is that even possible? Well I'll give it a whirl. He then took me to the exercise machine and kicked my hiney. I may not be able to walk tomorrow which is good because then I can't get to the kitchen for food! I signed up for 3 private sessions a week FOR A YEAR. Yes, you read that correct. A YEAR! I need the help. I need the drive. I'm super excited. We'll see how long that lasts. Tomorrow he's taking my measurements. Won't that be fun!

2200-Because I'm honest.................... I just ate 2 Andes mints and 1 oz. of chili cheese freetos :(

Sometimes things just go bad....................

2009-12-10T20:53:00.001-08:00

So yesterday morning we had a potluck at work. I took scrambled eggs and sausage and orange juice. Other things at the potluck were
*cheesy potatoes
*scones
*fruit salad
*glazed doughnut holes
*cinnamon rolls
*french toast casserole
I mention this because I completely fell off the deep end. I started with a positive attitude telling myself that I would stick to the scrambled eggs and fruit salad. The truth is the scrambled eggs and fruit salad never even his my plate. I started out with 2 doughnut holes, a large scoop of cheesy potatoes and some sausage. The meeting went on for 2.5 hours and in that time I consumed enough calories for 3 days. I actually lost track of how much I ate.
Later that day things got worse. I think I gave up by the afternoon. I can't possibly name everything but I would like to mention a few ........................ a twix, a bite of snickers and a piece of lasagna.
Super frustrating. Super gross. Super chubby that evening. I seriously didn't want to get on the scale this morning but I did because I said I would. 180 lbs. What a disappointment. At least it gave me the drive to do better the next day. Something good had to come out of it.

Day 2 So far so good!

2009-12-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

12/08/2009-177 lbs

0610-bowl of raisen bran crunch with 1% milk

0830-apple with caramel dip/2 mini pb cups

1120-1/3 of a breakfast burrito

1320-hand full of cashews

1640-turkey wrap w/veggies 1/2 cup soup

Heres where things get bad.................

1845-I had about 1-1.5 cups of peanut m and m's and 2 mini cinnabons

1945-a piece of lasagna

A bit excessive I know!

So I went to the gym and did 7 miles to counteract my pathetic intake.

Looking forward to my morning weigh-in.

OK Heidi! Here it goes........................

2009-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

I was explaining to Heidi a couple of nights ago that if I'm accountable to others is seems to motivate me. I signed up for the Hood to Coast relay in August of 2008. I knew that I would have to train and do well because I couldn't let my team down. I ran the Hood to Coast in Aug of 2009 and had a blast. As most of you know, I have lost a bit of weight. I'm struggling to lose the last 15 lbs. My addiction to food seems to somehow over ride my desire to lose weight. With that said; I've learned that the most important part of my weight loss is exercise. I already know I'm not strong enough to say no to my favorite foods. I can only counteract the food with exercise. I'm going to follow this 10K training program. I will personalize it and make a few modifications to fit my schedule but ultimately I am training for a 10k. Go to http://www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knovice.htm to follow along. I'm going to be accountable! I'm going to be accountable to everyone who reads this blog. Every day (with the exception of fruits and veggies because I count them as free), I will post what I ate for the day, how much exercise I did, and my weight. AAAHHHHH! If this doesn't motivate me I don't know what will. I weigh first thing every morning. I'll record my intake for the day then post it on the blog in the evening. Please feel free to send out MMOOOO sounds if I eat an entire box of cereal or 3 pounds of moms Christmas candy. I'm going to trial this for 2 weeks. Best case scenario, it keeps me on track. Worst case scenario, my food addiction takes over and I am embarrassed to post my intake!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN !!

My work days can be difficult because they are 12.5 hrs long and I often only get a 30 minute break which can lead to a lot of snacking. I'm going to focus on making sure I'm hungry before I reach for a snack. We'll see how it goes.........

12/07/2009-178 lbs

0610-bowl of multi-grain cheerios w/1% milk

0845-protein bar with 30g protein

1050-hand full of cashews

1330-turkey wrap with lots of veggies and a hard boiled egg

1630-1 mini peanut butter cup/3 Swedish fish/chocolate chip cookie

1845-3 miles at the gym 300 cals burned

1945-1/2 turkey wrap with veggies

2105-3 Andes mints

I will say that knowing that I have to be accountable for everything I eat certainly makes me think twice. I wanted to come home from work and eat a Costco size bag of Cheetos but I didn't because I didn't want to admit it.

Nelson's first day of preschool

2009-09-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

Today was Nelson's first day of school. She was very excited all morning. When we got to the school she was a bit nervous. The room was filled with lots of parents and kids and a little loud. She instantly spotted the paints and her teacher helped her put on a smock so she could paint a picture.

Logan is or favorite neighbor. He's in the 4 year old class that is right next to Nellie's class. She felt better knowing that Logan was there. I wasn't sure what to do with myself for 2.5 hours. It was the most productive 2.5 hours I've had in a long time. I did find it hard to leave her but I knew she was in good hands!

Nelson is 2!

2009-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

We had a party yesterday to celebrate Nellie's second birthday! She's growing too fast. Nelson loves horses, so my friend Rachelle made this awesome cake. We had nachos too.

Nellie opened her presents.

Then, we headed outside for a surprise. Queeny the horse came! As you might know, Nelson loves horses. She always asks to see them or to ride them. First, she fed Queeny.

And, she petted Queeny.

Then, she got to ride Queeny.

Check out that smile!

Shayne took a short ride too. Well, kind of.

Drew loved Queeny almost as much as Nelson did.

For more pics and details, visit my sister's blog.

There's a lot of nakedness in our house...........

2009-07-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

This evening I said to Nellie "let's go upstairs and take a bath." She took off towards the stairs and I got side tracked loading the dishes. When she came back to the living room she had taken everything off, had my purse in one hand, keys in the other and my flip-flops on and said "let's go bye bye!" She cracks me up.

The next picture is from a couple of days ago. She was wearing her swimsuit and said she was going to go wash her hands in the bathroom. When I went to check on her this is what I found. She really likes to be naked. If I didn't think she'd pee on the floor I'd let her run around that way.

Nelson's first dental visit

2009-06-18T12:42:00.001-07:00

Today Nelson had her fist visit to the dentist. She went to a place called Adventure Dental. Its really cute and made Nelson comfortable. She sat in the chair like a big girl and had her teeth cleaned and then even had x-rays taken. We are so proud of her. She got a report card at the end o her visit. She got an "A". They said Nelson had beautiful teeth and great oral hygiene! Yeah mommy and daddy! Next we are going to start potty training!

Ra Ra Shish Boom Ba!

2009-05-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Cutest darn cheerleader you ever did see!

Lookin' good!

2009-05-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

Today we went with our friend Mindy to her friend Phaedra's house to get Nellie's hair done. It took about an hour and a half. Nellie sat pretty well for some of it and cried for parts too. We had to have several breaks in between sections. The little guy in the picture is Phaedra's 7 year old son. Nelson immediately liked him. After her hair was done we went out to a great Thai restaurant for some super yummy food. What a great day.

Mommy and Nelson this morning

2009-05-14T07:30:00.001-07:00

This was taken first thing this morning. Were still in our pajamas! We got up at 0605. One of us wanted to go back to bed. Can you guess which one?

Something has happened at our house

2009-05-14T07:18:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday Nelson started asking "why, why, why"? Yesterday she started saying "NO"! Oh my goodness this is challenging. She's also started to try to form sentences. On Mothers Day we went to Grandma Goni's house for lunch. I laid down with her on moms bed to try to get her to take a rest. Nelson said "Momma no night night Nay Nay, Papa night night Nay Nay". So I went out and told Papa that Nelson was requesting that he nap with her. Of course he was happy to. Here is her new camera smile!

A broken toe.........

2009-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I hit my toe on Nelsons baby gate in the middle of the night and I'm pretty sure I broke it. It's been very purple and now turning a lovely shade of bluish green. It has been painful but when I tape it to its neighbor I am still able to run on it. Nelson saw me taping my toe and wanted hers taped too!

Play date

2009-04-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

As many of you know my 2 best friends Nikki and Rachelle along with their kids and Nelson and I get together every Thursday. I always forget to take pictures but today I remembered! The kids are so cute and I love watching them grow up together.

On the stairs

2009-04-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to tell Nelson not to go up or down the stairs with out help. Today I found her on the stairs and when I asked what she was doing she smiled very proudly.

A BIG problem

2009-04-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

I came home to find this in our bedroom. I have been telling Shayne for months that the t.v. was going to fall off the wall. It just didn't look stable to me. I hate to say it but once again I was right!!! There is sheet rock chunks everywhere and the wall has ripped off.

Catching up!

2009-04-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our computer got the April fools day virus. Thanks to my good friend Natalie we are now up and running! I wasn't unable to document the binks withdrawal period but I am happy to say that there are no more binks in our house and Nelson is doing GREAT! It was not nearly as bad as I had thought. I have confirmation that she was ready because I was easily able to explain to her that her binks was "broken" and she understood.

Sadly she's quickly growing out of her 2T jeans. She's growing so fast and is speaking all sorts of words. Today she wanted a "smoovy" (smoothie) so here are a couple of pictures of her enjoying it. She prefers hers in a bowl with a spoon instead of a cup.

Saying goodbye to BINKS!

2009-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

We are officially saying goodbye to our old friend "Binks" on next Wednesday. We have started our goodbyes by cutting the ends off of several of them and telling Nellie that they are broken. She then throws them away. Today we cut the tips off of 2 binks and she was not too happy. Ill continue to submit pictures of the de-binks process. I have next Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off work and I'm hoping to get us through these difficult times in those 4 days. We'll keep you posted!!

A big girl bed for a big girl!

2009-03-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I put Nelson to bed in her big girl bed. We got the foam bumpers that go under her sheets and they seem to work pretty good. I did learn that you have to have them all the way up on the mattress. At 2am I heard a thud and sure enough she had squirmed out the top where her pillow was. Luckily she landed on the pillow that had fallen on the floor. She said "momma" and I put her back to bed without any further complaints. She also took her nap in the bed today. She was most proud to call Elise and tell her about her big girl experience. The crib is going away this weekend!!

I found some boots!

2009-03-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Nelson thinks its pretty funny that she can put Daddy's new boots on. They go up past her knees and she can't walk in them but she certainly tries. She thinks it's funny when I say "oh my goodness......... what are you wearing". That's why you see the big smile!

A couple of visitors this week

2009-03-04T09:30:00.001-08:00

We had a couple of visitors this week. The first one was sighted in the green space in the back yard. We watched him eat frogs and hang out for quite a while. The second one was our favorite new cousin Rowan. She came to visit for a few hours while her mom went to see a play. We enjoyed having her.

18 month pictures

2009-03-01T18:36:00.001-08:00

Today we went to Patrick and Laurel's house to have Nelson's 18 month pictures taken. Here is a sneak peak at the pictures we selected. The bonus was that Laurel made tortilla soup for dinner and brownies with icecream for dessert. It was yummy!

She's such a big girl

2009-02-27T13:11:00.001-08:00

When I got Nelson ready today she looked like such a big girl. She likes to get her own food from the pantry and eat it with the wrapped pulled down but not off! She also says "binks" when asked to say "cheese" for the camera. She thinks that's pretty funny.

How the kids spend their days.

2009-02-19T15:48:00.001-08:00

Nelson spends her day playing with her toys and riding her cars/horses around. I asked her to smile for the camera and this is what I got. Drew spends his time a little differently. The funny thing is that Nelson is constantly bugging and poking at him while he sleeps. He just sleeps right through it. Man I wish I could do that.

She's as honery as her mother! It's true!

2009-02-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

This is a picture Aunt Laurel took of Nelson. It just shows the attitude we're dealing with. Poor Shayne, she is just like her mother!!

I look good with a baby on.

2009-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

I put Rowan in Nelson's sling and she fell right asleep. In trying to talk Shayne into getting another baby I told him "I look good with a baby on." It didn't work of course. I'll keep working on it!

A visit from cousin Rowan

2009-02-15T18:42:00.001-08:00

Patrick, Laurel and Rowan came over for dinner tonight. Nelson loves to touch Rowan. This time she held her hand. It's pretty sweet. Sometimes we have to remind her to be gentle but she does pretty good. She talks about cousin "Rowie" quite a bit when she's not here.

"It's like she's covered in mud"

2009-02-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

I was invited to join swimming lessons by one of the nurses at work. She thought it would be fun to have the kids take the class together. She also has another friend that is there with her 2 children. We have met previously on a couple occasions. She has a 1 year old son who's in Nelsons class and a 4 year old daughter who takes lessons with an instructor at the same time we're in our class.
After the lessons we were getting rinsed off in the locker room and her 4 year old daughter kept touching Nelsons hand. She rubbed it several times and smiled really big. She followed the rubbing with a scratch on Nelsons hand which didn't seem to bother Nelson. I asked her if she liked Nelson. She said "well it's like she's covered in mud!" She smiled so big and then kissed her on the hand. It was very sweet and very cute. I love what kids have to say.

A new haircut for Drew

2009-02-13T21:16:00.001-08:00

As a punishment for getting a "D" on his report card last semester Drew had to cut his hair. I'm sure you remember the mop he had. I actually think he likes it. He said "so I guess I was the only one who liked my hair the other way because everyone keeps telling me how good it looks". It has also cut down on his prep time in the morning! He does a quick faux-hawk and he's out the door. I think it looks quite nice!!

Swimming lessons!

2009-02-12T19:50:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday we started swimming lessons. I remembered to bring the camera today. Well actually Laurel came along and photographed us! Nelson LOVES swimming lessons. The first and second picture are when she's coming out of the water after being submerged. She never cried and said "more, more". We had a blast. Shes learning to blow bubbles in the water, kick, and crawl out of the pool.

It's SO exciting.

2009-02-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

Most of you know I've had migraines for about 6 years. I've seen 3 different neurologist and tried 8 different medications as well as acupuncture. One of the medications even caused me to lose a bunch of hair. UGGG! Anyway.......... about 7 weeks ago I saw a neurologist who specializes in migraines. After about a 4 minutes evaluation she subscribed yet another medication. Two actually. At this point I'm willing to try just about anything. I quickly filled the prescription and anxiously awaited the relief. Well I'm thrilled to say that in 7 weeks I've had only 3 migraines. I was previously having about 4-5 a week. It's so amazing. I feel great. And the bonus is the medication makes me sleep well at night (most of the time). I couldn't be happier. I wish I had seen Dr. Robinson at Vancouver Neurology 6 years ago. She's the best!

Chocolate pudding painting

2009-02-07T17:49:00.001-08:00

Last night I gave Nelson a spoon and some chocolate pudding. I thought she'd eat it but I guess thats not what she had in mind. When I looked back at her she had her whole hand shoved into the container and was painting. She enjoyed it until she realized that her hands were very dirty. Then she wanted them washed right away.

SLACKER

2009-02-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Man I'm a slacker. I know it! I haven't updated my blog in over a month. Even Laurel updates more then me and she has a new baby and is sleep deprived. The truth is I have no excuse. I'll update you on what's been going on.
1) Shayne will be officially employed by the city of Camas starting March 2ND as a firefighter/paramedics. We're excited.
2) I'm enjoying the new charge nurse position I took. It's very different work then before. It keeps my mind very busy and the days go by so fast.
3) I took about a month off from running and now I'm back in the game. Its only 6 months until the Hood to Coast run and I have to crack down. I'm also doing the Shamrock run in March which should be fun.
4) Drew is in wrestling. He is small for his weight division but seems to be enjoying it. He also has a girlfriend and is going to the winter formal. We have not yet met her but his mom has. I believe her name is Megan. It seems to be on the down-low even though I pry!
5) Nelson is growing and growing. She continues to get into everything. She has lots and lots of words and eats very good. She's also sleeping from 2030 until about 0700 everyday with a 2 hour nap. Its quite wonderful.
6) My headaches are FINALLY under control. It took 6 years but I'm doing great now. I have an occasional one but nothing like before. I'm loving it!
7) We just had a vacancy on one of our rentals but it quickly filled and now we are once again full. Thank goodness!
8) Shayne is starting a project! He's building a window seat/toy cubby in the living room. I can't wait to get the toys put away.
9) It's tax time! YAHOOOOOOO!
10) Some of Nelsons favorite words........"row row (Rowan), lawlow (Laurel), eese (Elise), uncle, chocolate and buckle.
Now, Ill try my best to keep up with my sisters and the blogging!

Our beautiful girl in her beautiful Christmas dress

2008-12-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

Heres Nellie in her Christmas Dress. She looks so cute. She twirled and danced in it!

The battle of the binks continues.......

2008-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Please note that initially she tries to look busy reading the book thinking that I wont notice that she has found another binky. Then she button hooks me........ several times!

We opened one gift a little early!

2008-12-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

We let Drew and Nelson pick one present to open early. Nelson opened this vacuume. She LOVES is! Drew opened underwear. He was not open to having them on video.

Just because

2008-12-20T10:14:00.001-08:00

These last two are here because when I mentioned that I was going to get the camera out to take a picture of the snow she stood there and said "cheese, cheese, cheese" until I took a couple pics! Its funny that now she likes the camera. Previously she would not smile when I pulled it out and would look away. Now............................................. a HAM~

Its a little chilly outside BRRRRRRRR!

2008-12-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Heres a couple of pictures looking off the deck. Its so beautiful. The first 2 "storms" pretty much missed us. This one has certainly left its mark!

A picture of our tree

2008-12-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

We put this up a couple of weeks ago but I had not yet posted a picture. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here's Nelsons first Christmas picture with the folks from the North Pole!! As you can see she really enjoyed her visit!

A few great words from Nellie

2008-12-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

We finally got her to talk on the camera! Enjoy!

Someone has had a very busy afternoon!

2008-12-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

Nelson has officially found the plastics drawer. She cleared it out today then got inside the drawer. She was so proud of herself. She gave me a real big smile!

A few more pics from the 5k that my friend gave me today.

2008-12-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

The first picture is all of us from Legacy that ran together. The second is a picture of the signs on our backs that say "for uncle Tim" and the 3rd is when we just finished!

Our 08 family Christmas picture

2008-12-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

These are our family pictures for 2008.

2 5K runs in 2 weeks.

2008-12-07T18:07:00.001-08:00

The first picture is my girlfriend Karlene, her daughter Rebecca and I just after finishing our first 5k 2 weeks ago. The second is Shayne and I after finishing another one today. The run today was called the Jingle Bell run. It benifits research for arthritis. We ran for our uncle Tim!

A little toilet interest

2008-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

For weeks now Nellie has been dispensing the toilet paper to anyone who will let her in the bathroom. Today she unzipped her pajamas and pulled me to the toilet and pointed. I thought I'd give it a try! I put her on the toilet and she pushed and pushed. Then she clapped her hands with excitement and reached for the toilet paper. There was nothing in there but she seemed to think it was great. We decided to get her little toilet out and let her give it another try. Here are some pics of the event. She was more interested in trying to climb inside.

Could life get any better?

2008-11-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today Nelson took her first bath by herself in the big tub. Where are all the toys you ask? She threw them out one at a time when she noticed that water squirted out of them when the hit the ground. She LOVED it. She slipped and went under twice but recovered quickly.

Our little photographer!

2008-11-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

Today Nelson got the camera turned on. She pushed every button until the lense popped out. Then she began taking pictures. Here is some of her work! I think you'll enjoy it! She was especially proud when the flash went off!

Im so cute!

2008-11-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

My Auntie Heidi got me this animal print shirt. Im wearing it today for the first time. I look so darn cute. I now have an opinion about what shoes I wear. Sometimes my mom wants me to wear a specific pair of shoes but I take them off and bring her the ones I want. Then I fuss and throw a fit until she puts on the pair that I want! Sometimes my mom puts the same pair on 3 or 4 times. I just keep taking them off until she gives in!

WE ADOPTED AGAIN!!!

2008-11-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

This is our new adopted cat! Her name is Rimmy. Shes 8 years old. We adopted her from Aunt Linda. We LOVE her! Nelson and Shayne REALLY love her. We're excited for Drew to meet her today. Shes very sweet and snuggly. She is also very social and friendly. We are excited for the new addition! Please note all the clothes Nelson pulled out of her drawers and drug to the hallway. She thinks shes helping!!

Does anyone need a house keeper?

2008-11-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

She has discovered the swiffer! She gets it out of the closet atleast 5 times a day. Shes constantly swiffering the tile, hardwoods and even the carpet. You can see how proud she is to be using it. Shes a girl after my own heart!!

I can feed myself!

2008-11-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Nelson wants to feed herself. Here are a couple of pictures! Im not sure if she actually ate anything or just mixed it all together. She was very happy to use the spoon.

A sneak peek!

2008-09-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today Nelson and I went to Costco with Auntie Laurel and Uncle Patrick. I let her pick out a Halloween costume. They had cute costumes like a giraffe, elephant, a lion and several others. Nelson immediately fell in love with the alligator. I attempted to trade it and she noticed right away. She also wants to wear it around the house. She LOVES it. And it looks very cute.........for an alligator.

Our new schedules!

2008-09-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Shayne continues to work day shift (06-18). Its been a couple months now. I would say that we've adjusted well. On Monday I was offered the charge nurse position which is also day shift. I'll be working 07-19. I currently work part time which consists of 4 twelve hour shifts every two weeks. For this new position I will be working .75 time or 5 twelve hour shifts every two weeks. Shayne and I stagger our shifts which means we only require childcare every other Monday. We're excited and looking forward to the new schedule.

My beautiful smile.... WITHOUT THE BINKS!

2008-09-20T18:22:00.001-07:00

I can't get enough of this smile! She so darn cute.

Yep I still have the binks.........but not for long!

2008-09-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Nelson continues to be addicted to her binks. Shayne and I have discussed when the appropriate time to get rid of the binks is. We have decided its going to be soon. Its going to be rough.

Our baby is ONE! What a great party!

2008-08-24T19:30:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Nelson's first birthday party. Wow that was a packed house. I suppose every first birthday should be special. Thanks for making Nelsons special too. (even if it was a little crouded)!
She got lots of toys that sing and light up. She goes from toy to toy and keeps hitting the buttons. She also got some adorible clothes. Such good shoppers. Thanks!

Our Dog Izzy

2008-08-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

5 days ago Izzy began to vomit up small stuffed animals from Nelson's Noah's Arc toy set. She has done this several times in the past without any difficulty. This time was different. We took her to the vet 2 days ago because she had not eaten for 3 days which was very unusual for her. They took a picture of her belly and kept her overnight for observation. She was released home to us the next day with anti-nausea medication. She continued to vomit for 2 more days. She had not eaten or kept down water for a total of 5 days.
After a second consult with the vet today they determined that Izzy had a bowel obstruction. Sadly we had to put her down. It was extremely sad but thankfully very peaceful. It was a very difficult day at our house today. We are thankful for the time we had with Izzy and she will be missed.

I am ONE!

2008-08-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

We had Nelson's picture taken for her one year birthday thats coming on Sunday. Uncle Patrick took them for us and they turned out so cute! We have one for everyone. Thanks uncle.

At the Zoo

2008-08-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great day at the Zoo on Thursday with our family. It was a little toasty but we had fun. Here's a picture of Shayne next to a bronze squirel. Those of you who know Shayne know he loves squirels. The other pics are of Drew holding Nelson and they are looking at the fish. Then Nelson is smiling for the camera!

New Big Girl Room

2008-08-11T09:28:00.001-07:00

I put together a big girl room for Nelson. Because the rooms are small we will make her nursery a playroom and this will be her bedroom. It will be a while before she sleeps in a bed but the room will be ready. It turned out so cute. I still have to find a curtain that matches and maybe a few little things for the wall but otherwise its done.

OUR BACK TALKING BABY

2008-08-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I told Nelson to shut the bathroom drawer. She said "NO". Today I told Nelson to stay out of the bottom bathroom drawer 5 times . Finally I said "Nelson NO!". She followed up with "Mama NO!" Shes naughty. I think we're in trouble! She also looks at me with a very big smile when she is told "no, no". She knows its hard for me not to find it amusing. She's very powerful with that smile. It's only just begun!!

My new sweater.

2008-07-23T07:58:00.001-07:00

One of the dispatchers at Shaynes work made this for Nelson. The colors are so perfect on her. She did a great job. Its the 2nd one she has made for her. You can't see them but there is cute buttons down the front.

This is my favorite book.

2008-07-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

We read this book about 25 times a day. Daddy changes the words a little and is very animated and she LOVES that. You can also see in the back The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It probably her second favorite. She has several books and always selects these 2 to read.

Shayne completed the STP

2008-07-13T20:27:00.001-07:00

The first picture is of Shayne in Seattle at the starting point. He rode 7 hours the first day and 7.5 hours the second day. He completed the STP today at 1400. The second picture he is riding across the finish line. Thanks to Grover for taking Shayne and his bike to Seattle and then picking him up from Portland.

Shayne's Surprise Party

2008-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Shayne's turning 40 on Tuesday and I surprised him with a party at Azteca. As you can see, I think he was surprised!

Nelson enjoyed the decorations - and the cupcakes!

MY NEW FRIEND TEAGHAN

2008-07-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

TEAGHAN IS GOING TO BE ONE YEAR OLD ON TUESDAY. SHE AND NELSON PLAY VERY WELL TOGETHER IN CLASS. THEY BOTH LOVE TO DANCE AND CLAP. NELSON IS 4LBS HEAVIER AND SEVERAL INCHES TALLER THEN TEAGHAN. I HAD NO IDEA HOW BIG SHE WAS UNTIL WE TOOK THIS CLASS.

UP HILL CRAWLING

2008-07-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

SHE CAN CRAWL UP THE HILL AND BACK DOWN AGAIN.

I LOVE WALKING BUT I STILL FALL.

2008-07-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

THE ANTICIPATION IS KILLING ME

2008-07-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Nelson is taking a tumblebees class at the kids club. She looks through the window in anticiption at the class before her. She also greets everyone with a wave as they leave the class.

ITS REPORT CARD TIME

2008-06-27T13:17:00.001-07:00

Drew got his report card in the mail today. Its so great! No D'd or F's. Not even a C-! WAHOOO! Were very proud of him. It was a lot of hard work between Shayne and Drew but it sure looks like it has paid off! Way to go Drew.

Whats better then a new baby?

2008-06-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

This is baby Malea. She was 4lbs 6ozs at birth. She is an identical twin. Her mom Carrie is a friend of mine. We live near the girls and look forward to taking walks with them this summer.

2 new babies!

2008-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is baby Maya. She was 5lbs at birth and is doing great too!

Some special guests!

2008-06-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

Today around noon these two beauties were passing through our backyard. I watched them for about 20 minutes while they just walked around and explored.

10 MONTHS OLD TODAY

2008-06-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

She loves reading books and continues to sample everything.

Today is an exciting day

2008-06-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

6/23/2008 Tomorrow Nelson will be 10 months old. This morning for the first time she stood on her own without holding onto something. Her balance is getting so good. So far she has been able to cruise the furniture and take one step (or just lean and catch herself) to get to the next piece of furniture. I think she'll be walking anytime now. So sad but so exciting.

WHO NEEDS TEETH ANYWAY

2008-06-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Nelson only has her bottom 2 teeth. She eats everything like she has a full set. Today she ate

1) cream of wheat for breakfast

2) cake and icecream at a birthday party

3) roughly 30 cheerios

4) 3 saltine crackers

5) celery sticks

6) 4 bites of chicken

7) chili

Shes really pretty talented with the 2 teeth. She can also gum anything to mush and she LOVES spicey food.

YUM YUM

2008-06-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today I ate my first sucker! I had it EVERYWHERE! My cousin Ellie was holding me during the parade in Woodland and gave it to me after someone in the parade tossed it to her. I loved it.

A beautiful sunny day!

2008-06-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

We played outside in the sun and Nelson LOVES to be outside!

Putt-Putt Golfing with Auntie and Uncle

2008-06-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

We went putt-putt golfing today. Nelson liked to hold onto the ball. She also clapped and cheered us on. Shes such a great sport.

Why can't I play in the dog bowl?

2008-06-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nelson tries about every 3 minutes to play in the dog bowl. She loves to splash in the water. She acts like she can't hear us tell her "no no".

Im getting new teeth!

2008-06-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Nelson is getting her 2 front upper teeth. She must think it feels funny because she keeps rubbing her upper lip on them. Shes also has a non-stop drip of drool down her shirt.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

This is how Nelson rang in the new year.

Christmas shopping and family time

2007-11-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

We love spending time with the family. We enjoy playing games and just visiting. We also love the way the children play together. As always we look forward to the Christmas spread and the the trimmings. We are very blessed and thankful for what we have.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.

Brittney

2007-11-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

I HATE MYSPACE~IF I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ID BE ALL OVER IT!

My sister Heidi

2007-11-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

Im so thankful that Laurel has volunteered to take Mom in when shes old. It only seems right since shes the favorite!

My sister Laurel

2007-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Laurel~ I did it! I got something set up on the computer on my own!