On Adoption

You may or may not have noticed a slight change to the blog... Do you see it? Look closely..

Okay, you probably can't tell but it's actually a VERY significant change. I have switched out the part that says "Looking to Adopt" from Joe's brother and his wife to one of my good friends, Julie, and her husband, Landon. This is for two very good reasons.

First off, without saying too much, Joe's brother and his wife adopted TWO little girls!!! And they are adorable. Really, so cute.. but you are going to have to trust me on that because I haven't gotten their permission to post pictures yet. I mean, SO cute though.

And aside from the fact that reason number one left an empty spot in the old side bar, reason number two is because my friend Julie is AMAZING. This one you don't have to just trust me on because you can click on their picture and find out for yourself!

They are truly the cutest, greatest couple and they will be incredible parents. And, I hope this is okay Julie, but I just have to put a link to the blog post about your experience thus far. (click here) They had actually been selected earlier this year but had the most heartbreaking outcome. In all the years that adoption has been on my radar I have NEVER even thought that this could happen. You'll have to read it because I could never tell it like Julie does.

Anyhow, adoption is very close to my heart as I now have three adopted nieces and one adopted nephew. It is truly a miracle and a blessing to be a witness to this process. If any of you know anyone who could benefit from seeing their profile please share, share, share. It is rare that a couple gets randomly selected through their profile. It's usually through a friend of a friend of a friend. So keep your eyes and ears open!

Still Going Strong

I have to admit I almost want to have another baby just to see if he or she would look the same as these two!

Oh Jayboy

May 4, 2012 - Jay with a weird rash forming.

Here are the latest funny things out of Jay's mouth:

After asking Jay if Joe was funny, if I was funny, if boys were funny, if girls were funny, etc. and having him answer yes to all of them, I asked him, "So everyone's funny? Who isn't funny?" He responded, "Grandma."

After coming home from the store with Joe...
Jay: "Daddy and I got Jewel Binkies (Ring Pops) but not one for you."
I frowned.
Jay: "Mommy, I wanted one for you."
In other words, Joe did not.

Jay is sitting at the table sipping his apple juice with a spoon and says, "Ah, much nectar for me. I was hungry for it all day long."

He's been calling tomatoes "to-mah-toes".

At the table to get him to eat sometimes we say, "Take a brachiosaurus bite!" And he proceeds to shove the food into his mouth like a wood chipper. Well one day I was trying to get him to eat a turkey sandwich that he REALLY didn't want to eat. So I said, "Take a brachiosaurus bite!" and he responded (loudly, through tears), "But they don't eat meat!"

The other day Jay and Ty were playing in their room and laughing hysterically. I hear Jay sigh and say, "Oh man, Ty is cracking me out!"

Jay loves his little brother except when it comes to nighttime. Ty does not sleep well and wakes up screaming several times each night. Apparently this bothers Jay because the other day when I mentioned to Joe that maybe I would take Ty that night and sleep in another room Jay yelled out from the kitchen, "I'd be okay with that!"

I called Jay a "little man" a few days ago and he said, "I'm not little. I'm a big boy!" So I started to smooth that over by saying, "But I'm bigger than you so..." He interrupted me, "Yeah and Daddy's even bigger than you. He has the biggest body ever!"

POSTS FROM FACEBOOK:

-April 3, 2012-
Jay saying goodbye to his Daddy today:
"Bye, my Grandpa's son!"

-April 17, 2012-
A few minutes ago I was holding Ty and talking to Jay:
Me: "I have two good boys, don't I?"
Jay: "Yup!"
Me: "Who are my two good boys?"
Jay: "Ty and Daddy."

 Here's a video that we shot at the doctor's office when Jay developed a mysterious rash/hives. This was the first time he's ever rolled his tummy. It was pretty funny.

And some cute pictures:

Jay loves his Daddy!

Here's proof that this boy can sleep anywhere.

Jay got into some labels when I wasn't looking and turned himself into a skeleton.

Sometimes when I "misplace" my phone, I mysteriously find it with about a hundred pictures just like this.

 Jay is certainly a handful but he is a blast. We love this kid so much!

Race Day

Amy and I did the "Race For The Cure" last week in Salt Lake. It was really fun! I love my sister and we always have a great time hanging out with their family. Thanks Amy! (And for those of you who know her, doesn't she look amazing?!!)

Matchy Matchy

I usually roll my eyes when I see moms dress all their boys alike. You can get away with it for little girls but something feels a little "Von Trapp"ish about matching boys. Today, however, I broke the rules. Jay wanted to wear his "BSU" colored polo and I couldn't resist letting Ty wear his too. Well, call me Maria because this is just too cute!  

Ty is so sweet to share his finger with Jay!

 

Seriously, I might just dress them the same for the rest of their lives. Say goodbye to your social life boys!

Oh, I could eat them!

Now I'm off to find some curtains!

(In case you are confused about the curtains... don't worry, I often have to explain my humor to Joe as well. Finding curtains was my clever way of bringing home the "Sound of Music" theme. It's okay if you didn't get it. Don't be embarrassed. Watch the movie.)

A Very Happy Half-Birthday

Ty turned .5 a few days ago! 

That went so fast. He's such a sweet boy and we just adore him! 

I can't wait for all the fun things that we get to do as he gets older. I'm going to have to start baby-proofing the house again soon!

Goodbye Truck

 The time has come... Joe sold his truck.

It was a sad day. Joe has had this truck since before we met... he's had it since he "accidentally" bought it on ebay after his mission actually. 

Lots of memories in this truck. On our first date, we threw our bikes in the back to go riding, followed by driving up in the hills surrounding Boise and talking about our life goals. We later drove this truck to Southern Utah where Joe proposed in Zion National Park. This is also the truck where I chewed Joe out before we started dating and then he wouldn't talk to me for months!

And more recently, this is the truck that Jay loved to work with his Dad in. This is the night he said goodbye!

Hopefully it will be a place of memories for the next owner too! Bye, old friend.

Bend It Like Brady

 You would think that since I played soccer all growing up that I would have taken Jay out to play before now. But I realized a few weeks ago that I NEVER have. What is wrong with me?! So I bought him a ball last week and finally the weather was perfect today.

He's a natural!

 

We had a lot of fun. I hope he likes soccer because it is the one sport that I might influence/pressure/force him to play!

Joe thinks soccer is a girls' sport. Too bad I'm the one that's home with him all day. Darn it.

 He's gonna be good. I can tell.

Sorry Joe.

Cloud Dough

What did we all do before Pinterest?!

Cloud Dough

8 cups flour

1 cup baby oil 

(I used mineral oil)

This was a hit! I halved the recipe because 8 cups would have been way too much.

It is a lot like wet sand because it easily falls apart. It feels really cool though.

I even added some spearmint essential oil to make it smell yummy and a little more oil than it called for so it would stay together better. Jay had fun burying toys, cutting out shapes, and just making a mess in general. The nice thing about this stuff is that it doesn't get sticky or dry out like playdough so it cleans up easily! (Don't let your kids eat it though.)

Epiphanies

In the past few days I have had two very important realizations. Both happened to occur while I was watching TV.

The first struck me while I was checking for GOP updates on CNN. Instead, I found Suze Orman on Piers Morgan Tonight. I don't like Piers Morgan, so I was about to change the channel but then I realized that they were talking about the economy.

Basically, they were talking about what they thought could fix our economy and put people back to work. Suze's answer hit me right between the eyes. Here's what she said:

(In case you can't get the video she says, "I think the answer is people are going to have to become entrepreneurial. They are going to have to become their own bosses. The day of working for a corporation, you get a pension after thirty years, and health benefits--gone! So if you really want to be secure, you are going to have to be your own boss.")

Now, you may be thinking, "But, Stacy, that's exactly what your family is doing." Yes it is. But I have always looked at it wrong. Up until this moment, I thought Joe and I were behind everyone else. I thought our struggles were a sign that we should go back to school, look for another job, etc. But then I always remember that we have looked for work. We have added Joe's resume to a stack of 5,000 other hopefuls'. Usually this is hours and hours wasted with no results. Once he did get a job that treated him terribly, made him work nights, and promised him hours that they didn't deliver so they wouldn't have to give us health insurance. Once he spent months studying and taking tests to qualify for a job that ended up making nothing.

So my point: I now realize that I can name a dozen people off the top of my head who are unemployed, underemployed or working in an unrelated field to their degree and are unhappy. According to Suze, most of these people are going to have to make their own jobs. So this whole time I thought we were behind and we were actually ahead. Joe loves his job. He loves building a business with his own two hands, getting to be involved in every aspect, and watching it grow each month. Sure there are ups and downs. Sure we struggle some months. But I can honestly say that I am proud of what Joe does. He is good at what he does. I love that he wants to grow a business and give other people jobs. I love that we get to do this together. And I especially love moments like these when Heavenly Father lets me know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing.

On to Epiphany #2:

(Image from eonline.com)
This one will be shorter, I promise. I was watching 19 Kids and Counting and I heard Michelle Duggar say that gall bladder pain/surgery was worse than any of her 19 labor and deliveries and even worse than kidney stones. She said (and I quote), "It was the worst pain I have EVER felt!" (emphasis added).

Now growing up, I was known as the wuss in my family. Anytime I was in pain I was reminded that what I was going through wasn't actually that hard, it was just that I was not very tough. And sure, I passed out a few times getting shots, starting a lawn mower, and once in Clairs getting my ears pierced when I was 19. But according to Michelle Duggar I am a superhero. (She didn't actually say that but I'm assuming she would think so.) According to Michelle Duggar, I have been through the most painful thing a human can endure. (Again, assuming but not far off the actual quote.) So I think I deserve an apology from my family. That's all.

4 Months

I cannot believe this little boy is 4 months old. It's that weird feeling of "How did it go by so fast?" and "Really? He's only been around for four months?" all mixed together. But it's true. Four. Months. Old.

Here's the stats:

Weight: 16.05 lbs (65%)

Length: 26.97 in (95%)

Head: 17.1 in (76%)

Basically his length and head size are going up in percentile and his weight is going down. Pretty soon he might look more like a blow pop than a baby but he sure is cute!

Since turning 4 months old Ty has tasted carrots, green beans, and sweet potatoes... all a few days apart to test for allergies of course. I started him on solids earlier than Jay in hopes of helping his reflux... and because he was acting really hungry! So far so good. I actually feed him through a medicine syringe though because he's so used to taking medicine and it's way less messy. We'll get to the spoon maybe in a few weeks. He's also addicted to his binky, can't sleep unless he's swaddled like a straight jacket, and rarely laughs unless you're changing his diaper. But he's full of smiles and he can't get enough of his big brother Jay. They are adorable together. 

I love this kid!

In Other News

This week at the Brady house:

Ty learned to roll over! 

(4 months 1 week old)

Jay and I made cookie cutter french toast.

 

For the record, naming your child a letter makes things like this SOOO much more exciting.

And so does eating it with "Fork-ceratops"! (Thanks again Traci!)

As you can tell, he's pretty stoked.

 

And if you're wondering where he gets his creepy happy face...

Um...

 I have no idea.

Jay still adores his little brother.

 Which is because he is adorable of course...

 And Ty is developing a strange spot on his cheek that makes me think his face is going to fall off.

That's all folks.

Dear Alli

I have a friend that recently wrote a blog post about feeling overwhelmed as a new Mommy. With home responsibilities crowding out work and church responsibilities, she wonders if she's alone in feeling like doing one thing right (taking care of her baby) shouldn't make up for neglecting all other areas of her life. Well here is my response to that:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

I'm sure that every Mom that reads your blog or mine can relate to that feeling. I am at this moment sitting in the messiest my house has ever been, I am tired from a middle of the night feeding, and I stopped looking at my to-do list because it's just depressing... BUT Jay is fed and (half) dressed, and Ty is peacefully sleeping in the next room. Sometimes it's hard for me to look at these things as accomplishments. Scratch that... 99% of the time I don't. But there are moments.. usually in sacrament meeting, the temple, or evening prayers... where the Lord allows me to see myself as He does. In those moments I am renewed. I can do this one more day, one more diaper change, one more tantrum. You know the expression "living paycheck to paycheck"? Well, most days I feel like I'm living prayer to prayer.

Maybe I'm glamorizing the life I had before kids, but I don't remember struggling to feel accomplished, talented, or appreciated. Any self-esteem issues were usually related to stupid boys... obviously before kids for me also means before marriage since Jay came so quickly. But I'm slowly learning that the words "Thank you" don't feel as good as, "I love you, Mommy." Feeling beautiful doesn't feel as good as the way my baby looks at me. Memories are vastly more important than a clean house. And I would rather snuggle up with a sleeping toddler, listening to his tiny breath than hear how awesome the world thinks I am.

Also, in my opinion, the internet is single handedly the most destructive force in tearing down a Mother's self-worth. No longer does Satan have to wait until church or social events for us to compare ourselves to our seemingly perfect colleagues and whisper in our ears that we will never measure up. Now, each and every day, at any given moment, we can peek into the filtered lives of our friends as a constant reminder of our shortcomings. My new mantra: People only post things on the internet that are out of the ordinary. So when Suzy Homemaker posts a picture of a dazzling Christmas wreath that she crafted from recycled toilet paper tubes and thumb tacks, I can appreciate her accomplishment knowing that she is probably blogging in her bath robe while her toddler is eating glue.

So Allison, yes I feel this way daily. I struggle to feel happy in the chaos of Mommyhood on days when all I've done is keep my kids alive. But the worst thing we do is then feel GUILTY that we feel that way. Not only are you under accomplished and under appreciated but now you are also ungrateful. That's two points for the devil. (Now do you feel guilty for feeling guilty?)

I hope this helps you feel a little less alone, my friend. Love you.

Cell Phone Gallery

I was going through Joe's phone last night and realized how many cute pictures he had. So I thought I'd share:

The Many Faces of Jay

(Go Broncos!)

(This next picture cracks me up)
Cute Ty

...and His Binky

Bedtime
(Jay wants to be just like baby Ty)
Brothers
(Jay giving Ty a blessing)
Jay's Style Inspirations
(Jay wearing Ty's 3 month old pants)
(Jay loves Joe's work shirt, so for Christmas he got one of his own)

And this list would not be complete without...

Joe
(no explanation here)

I am so lucky.