Then and Now

Wow, how a year has already passed and we are so very, very thankful with where we are now. I cannot help but be a bit emotional when I think to this time last year. I remember all that I wanted for Christmas was for Reed to get his new heart. I did not care about Christmas shopping, holiday open houses, seeing Santa, wrapping gifts, or really being excited about Christmas at all. When we went to Vanderbilt this week, my heart hurt for those families that I saw in the hallways and waiting rooms. I remember walking down the hallways speaking to all these doctors and nurses that we had come to know by first names...a place that I did not want to be and never want to be again. Even though Christmas is a time to be thankful and joyful, it is a very hard thing to do when your child is sick. I have learned so much about my faith this past year but it is still a constant work in progress. I am so thankful that we have Reed at home this year but I cannot help but be reminded of the family who lost their son this past year and gave our son a chance at life!
I say all of this to just ask you to please pray for all those families who are spending their holidays at a hospital instead of celebrating Christmas at home. It is hard to understand what those families are going through, but we did see a glimpse of what it is like. Be thankful when you wake up at home with your loved ones by your side and say a prayer thanking God for how he has blessed you and for the health that he has bestowed upon your family. (I am talking more to myself than anyone because it is very easy to get caught up in your own circumstances!)
Braden and Reed with Mr. and Mrs. Claus this time last year. Reed was not a hapy camper but who would be with all those tubes. Braden was such a little trooper being drug back and forth in the freezing cold every day to sit in a room to visit with his brother.

Braden and Reed with Santa Claus this year! How thankful I was to stand in line at Bass Pro to wait for a picture. This picture was actually taken the night that my parents watched the boys. I about killed mom for taking them in their pajamas but she thought it would be cute!

Ryan and I have gotten our picture made with this Santa ever since we have been married and it is a tradition that I plan on continuing.

My sweet Reed this time last year. He doesn't look to excited :-)

This picture does truly show our sweet Reed this year. Thank you God for answering a prayer that we never even knew to pray and that was to give Reed a new heart instead of having to have three surgeries that sometimes lead to a heart transplant anyways!
Oh Braden, you were so tiny and so good every day you were at the hospital.

Our fun loving child that loves to make you smile. He is Mr. Personality once he warms up!

My attempt at getting some good pictures for a Christmas card was a bit harder than I expected. I have a new appreciation for photographers! It would have helped too if I would not have waited until the day that I needed to send them to take their pics!!

Gotta love this look!

Reed out in the freezing cold trying to smile for mom.

Reed was not having it anymore!

I am not going to write much for the pictures below. This is just a small glimpse into the day that we had trying to get a decent picture of the two of them together. Needless to say, there were only individual pictures on the card!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! I will update with new pictures after Christmas.

Parties!

Last weekend, we had a birthday party for Camille who just turned one. I think next year we may just have to do a joint birthday party since this time of year is so busy.
Do you like Braden's bruise? This is nothing compared to what he had this past week. I think that our house should be one big blow up house so the boys don't get any bruises. Their forheads seem to just stay bruised all the time since Braden has begun walking and Reed is trying! I guess its part of growing up.
Reed actually did not have too bad of a bruise for her party. I am hoping neither one of them falls between today and tomorrow. We are going to attempt getting a picture to use for their Christmas card tomorrow at Opryland Hotel! Better late than never:-)

Driving already! Braden is trying to keep the ladies out of his car...I sure hope this mentality stays for a long time!

Don't they look like pros already!

Braden in his new coat that I bought him last week. I better get away with dressing them like this now because I know that it won't last for long.

Doesn't Reed look thrilled about his new coat?!?

Camille getting hew cute ladybud cake.

She was such a girl about the way she ate her cake. She seemed to like the icing.

December Already!

I know, I know it has been forever since I last posted! Between their birthday, Thanksgiving, school, church, etc. we have been pretty busy around here. AND we found out what our new addition is going to be in April....a little girl, Kylie Reese!!!!
Braden is ALL over the place now! He started walking this week and I am afraid that running is right around the corner! When he is quiet, I know that is up to something like playing in the toilet, rolling the toilet paper off the roll, pulling books off the shelf, eating something that is not edible, and the list could go on and on. He has really developed his own little personality this past month. He makes us laugh all the time.
Reed is still just scooting everywhere. We like to call him our little monkey by the way that he "crawls"! I think that it might be easier when he learns to walk on his own because he LOVES to walk 90 to nothing holding on to your hands. He is now getting frustrated when he sees B walking so I am sure this will encourage him along to start walking just like B encouraged R to start crawling. Reed had a a couple of whiny weeks but once we took him to the doctor and realized that he had an ear infection, the whining made sense. He has been much better this week! I wish you could see him eat...he shovels food in his mouth like he is afraid someone is going to steal it!
My little helpers. Why is it that all kids love to play in the dishwasher?

The boys love to read books. Their favorite books are the peek-a-boo books.

I know that I look like death in this picture but this is what bottle time is like if they both want to be held at night. Don't you love the position of both of their arms.

Coke anyone? If he could only learn to open the can.

This is one of the many funny expressions that Braden will make. I am not for sure where he got this from but hopefully not me!

Reed and Braden love to play in Nana's pantry. I am waiting for someone to break a toe from letting a soup can fall off onto their feet. They love to push the cans around and chase them.

This is a rare occasion where Reed is actually pushing Braden off. It is definitely usually the other way around.

Guilty or Not Guilty????

For Thanksgiving break, Ryan and I flew to New Orleans with the boys. They did very well on the plane but I cannot imagine a flight longer than 1.5 hours! I do not know how in the world we would have entertained them for that long!
Below is Reed, cousin Colin and Braden in the pj's Sean and Sheena bought the boys.

Reed and Braden reading their Christmas peek-a-boo book.

Great Grandma Lelda teaching the boys how to beat on the metal chair and make as much noise as possible:-)

Thanks Grandma Lelda for having us and loving on our boys!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!

Has it really been a year already? It some ways this past year seems like an eternity but in others it seems just like yesterday.

Braden enjoying some baked beans and a hotdog. The white shirts were probably not a good idea!
Reed loves to pile food in his mouth like he has to hurry before Braden takes it from him. Neither one of them are clean eaters at all! I hope that they stay good eaters like they are now. They will eat just about anything you put in front of them except for potatoes and peaches!
Braden loves to crawl everywhere...he gets faster each day that passes. Braden is such a happy little boy and I absolutely love his laugh. He loves for you to chase him and he will stop every few feet and turn around and grin at you then giggle and keep on crawling. He has this little grin that spells "I am a little mischevious" but I love every bit of it!
Braden does not even know what an encouragement he has been for his "little brother" this past year. He was always so good to be drug back and forth to Vanderbilt almost every day for the first three months of his life to go visit his brother. Braden is by far his brother's best physical therapist...he pushes his brother like no one else can and Reed watches every move he makes. I am so thankful that God blessed us with Braden and I cannot wait to watch B and R's relationship grow each day.
Oh sweet little Reed...how far that you have come this past year. When I look back at pictures with where his journey started, I am amazed at how God has brought him this far. I cannot look at pictures from his first two months of life without being totally humbeled and amazed at how God worked through this little guy at such a young age and taught us so much. I never truly knew what it meant to completely put my faith and trust in God until we were told that Reed had a heart defect then needed to wait for a heart transplant. Who would have ever thought that we would be thankful that our son's heart was so bad that he would need a transplant.
Reed is such a sweet boy who has about the sweetest smile. He is definitely a little fighter and has battled through more than most of us have our whole lives. I am so thankful that he is so young that he will not remember any of this...hopefully!

The boys getting their birthday cakes. Ryan was the reason for the KU jerseys in the background. Family of four soon to be five in April! B couldn't even look up at the camera because he was so concerned with eating his cake! Braden's first year in picturesReed's first year in picturesI couldn't believe that they kept their hats onBraden and Reed were clapping for their own birthdays!