Getting Big

We owe a huge thanks to my Nanny for helping us this past week. I can handle the kids by myself but we usually go to my parents for a couple of hours most afternoons to let the boys run off their energy where they are pretty much free to roam. When my parents decided to go to Arizona for a week, we thought that would be a great time for Nanny to "visit" for the week!!! We had a great time all week, and she even watched Kylie several afternoons so me and the boys could run errands without Ky-Ky. Nanny has so much energy for her age and the kids absolutely love her. I hope that when I am her age that I can chase after my great-grandkids like she does. I love you Nanny and thank you!

Braden and Reed are so much fun especially when they are outside. I love to just watch them interact with each other and explore things on their own.
Braden is a big ball of energy and Ryan calls him his "Joy Boy." However, those of you who have been around Braden when it is a new setting/person, he shuts down and takes a while to warm up. He is going throught the phase right now where he cries, I mean really hard, when we take him to class on Sunday mornings. I guess we need to cherish this time because it goes by so quickly! Braden will try and say just about anything you ask him to so it is really fun to see his language developing. I am not for sure why I think this but I think that he is going to be the over protective brother of his sister. I kind of seeing him being like how Kyle was to me and calling guys telling them to stay away from his sister! At least I can empathize with Kylie! Reed definitely loves to watch what his "big" brother does and imitate him a lot. I know that I have said this over and over but Reed would not be as far along as he is now without his brother. Reed is our "Miracle Boy" and you cannot help but to look at him and almost cry thinking about what a gift he is. I mean he is living solely because some selfless family gave their son's heart to replace Reed's old heart and allow him to live. Thank you to that dear family that we hope will choose some day to meet us so that we can try and express in person how grateful and indebted we are to them. I pray that family has experienced happiness and many blessings since January 19, 2009 when they lost their son.
On a lighter note, Reed loves trucks and he also is repeating just about anything you ask him to....it may not sound just like the word though:-) I love these boys!!! Look at Braden's expression in the picture with the bubbles...one must have gotten right in his eye!
The boys, not Kylie, have been a little sick this week. I took them to the doctor and they both had bronchitis. The only positive with them being sick is that they cuddle much more! In case you haven't noticed in the past few posts, the boys love popsicles (pronounced sick-sock to them...go figure). I have decided it is much easier to take their clothes off than try to get the stains out of their shirts. This is another plus of being at my parents because their neighbors have lived by them for 30+ years and don't think twice about the boys running around in their diapers...I know, a little redneck!
Isn't this picture priceless. They look like a couple of old men talking about their day over popsicles.
We had some friends over while my parents were gone. It was so weird to be outnumbered by kids when just a few years ago, we didn't have any kids. I am so excited for our kids to all hopefully grow up together and be great friends. I didn't forget about Kylie. I realized the other day when someone asked me what her name was and my first response was "Ky-Ky" that she might not be called Kylie in our house! She is starting to show her little personality this last week. She absolutely loves her playmat and the bars offer her a little protection from her brothers until they climb under them. I will say that the girl loves to be talked to. I told Nanny that she is going to have withdrawals because Nanny talked to her all day long.
What's really crazy to think about is that the age that Kylie is now is the age Reed was when he got to come home for the first time. Looking back, there is no explanation for how Ryan and I made it through those times other than God carrying us through it. I am so very thankful for each and every day that we have with our kids even though some days I could pull my hair out!!