Random, Random, Random

Soooo much to talk about!

First of all, we went to Las Vegas last week for the NFR and we had a blast! We went with our college friends Kevin and Amanda Burns and JC and Cheyenne Bouse. All of us left our little ones at home, which was heartbreaking and awesome at the same time. It was great to get to spend some MUCH NEEDED time with Corey and to get to let loose with some great friends.

Brigz did great. He stayed in Clovis and I am not even sure he noticed we were gone. I thought that once he didn't have his mamma he would realize how much I do for him and miss me like crazy and hug me and love me when he first saw me. Haha... wrong! He is still a definite Daddy's boy to the max.

Since we have been home, Corey continues to be out of town. I am not doing so well by myself :( I could NEVER be a military wife. I give those women credit. I am not cut out to be with out my other half.

We are in another crazy blizzard. We already have about five inches on the ground and it is only 1pm. So Briggy and I are spending a day in the house (pretty typical) and staying warm. I am feeling sorry for myself without Corey :( Brigz loves all the snow!!

Brigz is being a total maniac lately! I half way love it, but always hate it because I am having to be the disciplinarian. Bummer. I am reading books on how to approach and handle these situations, but right now it feels like total chaos. I am just trying to be consistent.... which is not my forte.

He is talking up a storm and my favorite words he says are macaroni "kikoi" and oreo "oweeoooo". very healthy choices right?! He is eating very well, but still doesn't seemed to have gained any weight. I think he may have broke to 20 pound mark which would be huge! He has grown up, though! He is in all 18 or 24 month pants for the length, but probably a 9 month waist would fit him. Last doctors apt said that he is in the 80th % for height and off the charts for weight. String bean!

We have applied for our passports to go to Ireland next summer! Woo hoo! It was expensive for our passports and now it is time to save, save, save for the actual trip! We are so excited!

I don't know what is worse right now.... baby fever or horse fever. I decided that I want to get back into showing because I really miss it. I want to just do reining and it is going to have to be when the kids are all in school. Corey is out of town too much for me to be able to ride while having a little munchkin running around. The problem is, I don't know if I can wait another 5 years +!! I found a cute little buckskin on craigslist and I keep dreaming of him! I want him so bad! In God's time, I know we will be able to get all our dreams back on track. This whole 20's business of figuring out life's plans is so frustrating and draining! I love our little life so much right now, but it is so hard to not dream for the future.

I am in a God draught right now. I haven't been able to go to church in 3 weeks and have just been listening to podcasts of Todd Cook, but it just isn't the same. I need to sit and read the word instead of blogging! I know when I am needing more God because I start feeling just all wrong. Life gets crazier and I know he is reminding me to talk to him. Ugh, I need to get my stuff together!

Random, I know! So here are a few pictures of our current life:

The Parade of Lights at the Bio Park

Our Christmas Angel

Probably my favorite picture ever

Love this kid

 

This and that

Well it has been almost a month since I have blogged. I have two posts that I never finished but so much on my mind. I just can't seem to find the right words to actually put down.

I guess I'll start off with an update on the Brigginator. He is more and more fantastic each day. He is so much fun right now. He says new words daily and I am shocked each time. He understands almost everything we tell him. However, if he doesnt understand, he answers every question with "yesss". Haha, it is so funny. What's ur name, what do u want to eat, etc. he is very agreeable! I'm glad it's not no. He makes tons of animal noises, tells his daddy he loves him (of coarse, right?!), and still tries to convince me to be outside at all hours and weather conditions. He loves the shower right now and if u say the word, he gets so excited and runs to our bathroom trying to take his clothes off. He is getting more mature every day and is the most bittersweet thing ever in my life. He is so lovable and easy going that I can't help but try to soak in every bit of snuggle time I get. I am so lucky to spend my days with him.

He popped two molars thru in a week and has still been so happy during the day. At night he wants us to hold and cuddle him. Which I don't blame him :) he has also officially "fallen off the charts" for weight. He is still growing taller so the doctor isn't worried about him and says he is very healthy. He just doesn't eat much. He is too busy. We have started giving him a pediasure every day to add some calories, but it upsets his tummy so we aren't sure what to do. The doctor isn't worried so we are trying not to.

On a different note, I have been wrapping myself up with the word lately. This has always been a challenge in my life. I never know where to start. So I decided to read the SOAP verses from our church this week. Our message has been about having integrity and being an extraordinary Christian. The verses sucked me in and lit a fire in my curiosity. I have been able to apply everything to my life this week and I know that that is God working. He has given me the tools to handle life, an by using his tools, I can better give my life to him.

We have had some interesting challenges lately and I battle with what to do. I found my answers this morning in 1 Peter and I am at peace with it all. God has given me the most amazing hubby and I learn from him each day. He has such a huge heart and he is a great example to Brigz for what kind of man to be.

On a DIFFERENT note, we are praying for God to put our feet where they need to be. The house we live in might be put up for sale in the summer and we are not sure what to do. We like Moriarty so we might try to buy some land and eventually build.... But we aren't too sure on anything yet.

Prayers for peace, for faith in our next direction, and that Brigz will quit trying to kill himself daily by falling off objects, and that he will gain a couple pounds (healthily) by his 18 month check up will be appreciated.

"since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of getting your own way. Then you will be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannies by what you want."

Jobber Jabber

Things Brigz now says:
-cheese, when he sees a camera
-boo
-ball
-He calls me Abbey
-here
-that
-dada
-daddy
-papa
-vroom vroom
-all done
-down
-yeah
-there
-wuv wu
-owwie
-uh oh
-mmmmmm
-baba
-cookie
-horsie
-dog
-he makes that sound of horses, cows, dogs, cat, elephant, monkey, owl, bird, bunny (he scrunches his nose), and guns.. Haha
-baf for bath
-snackie
-boogers
-please
-thank you

He only really talks when it's just me and Corey!

So tired

Well it's day 6 of munchkin being sick. Again. Yep, again. He is almost 15 months which means he has been sick at least 10 times in his short life. It is so frustrating for so many reasons.

For one thing, I can always see it coming. He does great when we are home. Eats well. Sleeps well. And then we go out if town where he doesn't eat and definitely doesn't sleep. He even battles naps. So he gets run down and then like clockwork gets sick Monday night. And then for two weeks, he barely eats and barely sleeps.

The three times in brigz's life that we have been home for over three weeks straight are the spans that he has started eating the best, sleeping the best, and no sickness. It is no wonder we can't get weight on the poor kid.

The last sickness was in august an it was a bad one. This time, he isn't that sick, but holy cow, I have seen a new side to him. He definitely inherited a temper from his daddy. He has a stuffy nose and he gets so mad at his nose! He throws things, yells, and even shoves his finger in his nose in anger!! Which i totally dont understand! The madder he gets, the more he cries, which means more tears and boogers. It is so sad.

Basically, I am frustrated that we can't get a hold on his health and so mentally and physically exhausted from little sleep and all the crazy demands of a sick 15 month old. It is so hard to watch him get so mad an not be able to help him. The world will be a better place when he can blow his nose.

The topic of church today was prayer. Something our family has been majorly slacking on and boy does it show in our life. Everything Corey has been touching lately breaks. So his relaxing weekends have turned into work, work, work. He has a major to-do list (made by himself, not me) that he finally put a dent in this weekend but took many "go back two spaces" and "do not pass go"s. We realize how things like this happen when God has been put on the back burner. We need to step it up and give out glory and praise to him. If it doesn't make our duties easier, it sure betters our attitudes!

So in the spirit of our lesson today, say some prayers for the Bells that we get our game-face on for God and that we have a turn around in health and blessings. I think we are all four (including Bella who feels super neglected) on the verge of nervous breakdowns!!! Not seriously, but maybe... Haha.

Here is munchkinater today after rubbing his yogurt in his hair!

Date Night

Well I think I have a date. With Tony Horton. On Monday. My love handles are taking over my body.

New

So I'm finally gonna make the big step and change my hair. I have never had my hair a different way than when I cut it to my shoulders in kindergarten. Besides the occasional crazy color streak, I have always been a blondie. Since my hair is getting darker and darker, sigh, as im getting older, and life is getting busier and busier, I'm tired of bleach as often as I have to do it. So I'm finally gonna go for the look I have been wanting since this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK-JiRNHGuk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Also Courtney from Most Eligible Dallas inspired me:

Daddy's boy

Its official. Corey is #1 in brigz's book. For the past week, when Corey is about to get home, Brigz starts looking for him and calls for him thru the house. When he gets home, brigz wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone or anything except his daddy. He also has become very stingy with his kisses and hugs- except for Corey. When Corey leaves the room, brigz tries to find him. When Corey gets in the shower, brigz stands outside the door and bangs on the door and cries his eyes out. Today at church, we dropped him off at the child care. Usually he doesn't even notice that we are gone. Today, he had a complete melt down and was screaming for his "Dada". It is adorable and it makes Corey feel so special. I had to have a talk with them, though, about not leaving me out! :)

My Hubsterama

Sometimes I dont give enough credit to the boy who rocks my world. I have one of those husbands that would do anything for his family. He works his booty off at work so I can stay home with my little guy. He would work ten jobs if he thought it made me happy and would still have a smile on his face. He is so good to me. He is such a good person. All he wants is to make people proud. He wants our god to be proud of him so he has so much integrity. He tries so hard to make every decision he can the best morally he can. He makes me want to be a better person. He wants me to be proud of him so he treats me like a queen and always tries his best to be a great husband. Which he is. He is such a great daddy to brigz, son to his parents and mine, and person to everyone around him. I have never met such a hard worker. Not to mention cute and sweet :) I am very grateful for his love and for God putting him in my life. I hope we can continue to grow as a family in love and happiness. He is my everything!!

14 months

Time has really been flying. I cant believe it has been two months since his one year party. Corey and i still look at him and ask, is he really ours?! He blesses my every day. He makes me laugh! I love the time we get to spend together. Lately he has been a big snuggler and wants to lay in my arms a lot which i love. At 14 months, Brigz is:

-wild! He is into any and everything! I love it! He plays on his own and can completely destroy our house in .2 seconds.

-he wants to be "oushy" which is outside, every second. He looks for Corey outside when Corey is at work.

-he has been sleeping really well. He goes to bed at 8 and wakes up at 9. He still takes two naps a day, but lately He only takes one about every three days. I read that meant he was regulating his own sleep.

-he has been eating a lot. I have been doing lots of research about his diet and his eating is right what it is supposed to be. There are foods he doesn't like but that's fine with me as long as he is getting healthy food. He eats tons of fruit and yogurt so he is not gonna be beefy. Besides, Corey was so little and I think we forget that. Everyone says they thought he had worms!! Haha! He even wore womens boots because his foot was so little until he was 12! I was very tall but my family is all thin. I am not worried about our guy and I am not about to turn food into a power struggle and give him issues in his life! Haha.

-he feeds himself with a spoon and we are working on the fork. He has a hard time getting food to stay on it.

-he is mr. Chatterbox some days. He says lots of animal names and sounds, all done, down, out, hi, daddy (which he says a million times a day trying to find Corey), and more.

-he all of a sudden got taller and a lot of pants are super high waters! So pant size is 12-18 and tops are still 12 month. He has really narrow shoulders.

- he has conquered his animal fears. He loves to go check cows every day.

-he loves, loves other babies.

- he hits his head a lot. He has had 4 bad ones. We have even taken him to urgent care cuz we were worried he had a concussion. They reminded us that God makes their heads very resilient!!

-I gave him a really bad haircut :(

-he is a cuddle bug and a giggle monster. Two things a hoped he would be!

-I think he dances 80% of his life.

-he still only has 8 teeth. It is normal to have 8 but not when 6 others seem to be bothering him for the past month.

-he has the silliest personality! He just makes us laugh.

What we have been to..

Well, it has been crazy to say the least. I guess since we had a new little one last summer, we weren't as busy. This summer has been nonstop. We just spent our first weekend home that wasn't super insane. We had company in and the fair, but it still felt more relaxing.

We finally were able to make it to church which I was in MAJOR need of. We tried the Eldorado campus and we really liked it. It was smaller and a lot closer to our house. We got a not so surprising event occur at the end when brigz's nursery number flashed on the screen that he need a parent. He had climbed all the way up this baby table thing and tumbled down! They were surprised that he could climb it. I was not.

We have recently realized the extent of our child's "busyness". In the past week he has climbed our picket fence, our couch to stand on a window sill, balanced on a blow up horse, and many more. It has became very clear why I have lost so much weight. He is a maniac! And the cutest one ever!

We have also come to terms with our made up diagnosis of ELD (early life depression)! Corey and I spent our entire younger life being super over achievers an hard workers in school. Now we are where God wants us to be, but which also where we never planned on being. It is hard to be in your mid twenties and not feel tugs and pulls of guilt for not pursuing some dreams or another. We have finally realized that we need to give it up to God and try harder to live in the present. Harder said than done. We have an amazing marriage and a beautiful baby boy that need to focus on. By putting god first, the rest will follow.

On a lighter note, I am loving the cooler weather and our rain storms every evening! Coreys cows look great and we have decided to put more of a focus into that as well. Also, I have REALLY been missing riding lately. I want to get back into things once all our kiddos start school and I would love to get into reining.

We are in a really good place right now! Brigz is at the greatest age and we have so much to be thankful for! I can't wait to get started on fall decorations with all my new inspiration from pinterest!!

13 Months

So, I have to admit something. Corey and I both missed Brigz's 13 month birthday. We are horrible parents. This past month has been the craziest month since before the baby came. I forgot how crazy summers usually are. Last summer, we had just had Brigz and we were home a lot. Today is the first day that I have been able to semi-relax at home and not have to stress about up coming trips or events. We have been out of town for 3 of the four weekends in August. We have been living out of bags. I can't complain though because soon enough it is going to be freezing and I will probably be snowed in and begging the weather to let me leave.

I also have bronchitis right now. I haven't ever had it before. I know it effects everyone differently. I went to the hospital because I couldn't catch my breath. I felt like I was having really bad asthma. No other symptoms at all. Weird. I am on an antibiotic, so hopefully I will be able to breathe normal again soon. I really feel for people with asthma. My mom is a sever asthmatic and never has full air flow through her bronchioles. That would stink because it is really scary to not be able to breathe.

I also had a bizarre thing happen. I had a "false positive" pregnancy test. They aren't supposed to happen, but sure enough, I guess they do. I spent a day thinking I was pregnant. At first, I almost had a heart attack, but by the end of the day, I was super excited and planning how to surprise Corey. I took extra tests over a few days time to make sure I was and they all came back negative. I called my doctor and they said to wait and take more, which I did. All negative. I didn't realize how depressing it would be. I have been having a hard time with it and am very emotional. It is best for timing that I am not right now, but it still makes me sad. I'll get over it though.

Yes, our little man is over a year old. Holy cow. In the past month, he has morphed into a completely different child. He is so easy now! (knock on wood) He is silly, so sweet, and so funny! Corey and I just laugh at him when us three are together because he is always into something or doing something funny. Here are the stats on Brigz:

• He is still below the 19 lb mark and thanks to getting sick again this month, won't be for a while now.
• He is in 12 month clothes.
• He wants to be outside. all. the. time. He says "ow-shy" when he wants to go out. which is constantly. He points at the windows and doors and cries to go outside. I love being outside, so I don't mind.
• He is 100% content if he is in his stroller no matter where we are.
• He is a little piggy now. I have realized that it is all a texture thing for him. He likes to bite things that are crunchy (tomatoes, finger foods, crackers), and eat things off a spoon that are cold and sweet (yogurt, apple sauce).
• He wants to feed himself with a spoon or fork. He does a pretty good job!
• He has figured out the difference in a milk and a water sippy cup. When he asks for his "baba" I give him water first, and he will keep saying "baba" until I give him his milk cup. Since he was sick, he has started going even further and says "baba" until he gets his binky. I try to only give it at naps and bedtime still, but man, he can be very persistant!
• He points at everything. If it is food, he will point at it and then put it in his mouth and say "mmm". Sometimes he does this to things that are not food... not good.
• He still has a minor fear of large animals that get too close to him.
• Sometimes when he walks, he throws his arms behind him and does a funny face. He looks like superman.
• He has a super thick head of blond hair. Corey says we can't cut it because it would take two pounds off of him. He has the most amazing bed head I have ever seen!
• He takes two 1-2 hour naps a day which are wonderful. He goes to bed at night around 8 and wakes up at 6:30. I pull him into bed with me and then he sleeps til 9. I hope he doesn't grow out of this any time soon! I love waking up to his smiley face!
• He makes the sound of lots of animals now. His favorites are ducks. He says "Duck, Quack, Quack". He always barks and moos, well he says "booo boo".
• He shows us his teeth with a big cheesy grin
• He is very ticklish
• He hides all over teh house. I find him by asking "where is Brigz?" and I follow the giggles. He is usually slouched down pretending I can't see him
• He gives really good hi fives and says "yeah" afterwords.
• He LOVES books. He brings them to you and then sits in your lap to read them. We have yet to make it through a whole book, but he likes turning the pages.
• He says "go", "there", "that" and "wowww" constantly.
• He loves chocolate.
• He hates to be by himself, although he has been getting a lot better. He plays by himself now which makes it easier to get some things done.
• He still loves to bite.
• He has started testing his disipline lately. He knows when he is doing something bad and looks at you while he does it. He has gotten a few little butt swats.
• He is the best thing ever. I am so lucky to get to spend my days with him. He is sooo loveable and gives kisses and hugs constantly. He wants to cuddle all the time.

I am so lucky that Corey works hard so I can stay home with him every day but Wednesday. God has blessed our family so much and I am so grateful for his love.

To Granny's House We Go

We just got back from a trip to South Texas. Brookshire/ Wallace area to be exact. I have to say it is the most prime example of a bittersweet trip I have ever had. We went down for my Granny's 90th birthday celebration.  It was bittersweet because she has alzheimers and doesn't really know us as who we are now. My dad considers her house "the last peice of his childhood" left and I love going there. It was great because I was able to visit with so much family that I don't usually get to.

My dad calls her house home. He spent summers in the area between my Granny's house and my Grandma Bear's house. They are about a half an hour apart. My Granny owns acres of farmland that my Grandfather ran cattle and grew watermelons on. He has unfortunately been gone for 16 years, but my dad talks about him like he is still here. I wish I could meet him one more time to see all the features about him that my dad remembers. He always talks about his big ol' hands and his smile. He was so kind to my dad and taught him so many things about hard work and integrity. My Grandma Bear is on the other side of the family and she passed away in 2009. Her little home in Wallace was sold last year and it killed my dad. Now my Granny's house is the only place that he has that he has memories of from when he was a child.

When my dad is in south Texas, he is more himself more than any other time or place. We, unfortunately, have never spent a ton of time there. It is a long distance to drive, and flights were too expensive when we were young.  The memories I have from South Texas are so strong. I can close my eyes at any point and smell my Granny's house. I know exactly how it looks and is laid out. I can picture all the faces of the family. I can here the funny little songs my Granny sang to us. I feel the hugs of my Aunt Randy. It is a place that also feels like my home as well. However, we have family members that I know little about. I have heard the stories from my dad, but have little stories of my own.

My Granny is a tough, proud, sweet and sincere Texas Woman. She has done things herself and is a very hard working lady. She also knows how to have fun. There are so many stories of her saying and doing funny things. She has been known to take her clothes off and fly down a slip n' slide at almost fifty. She is your finest dominoes player. She can shoot a gun better than any man. Now, at age 90, her memory is sharper than a tack from about 15 years ago and before.She had a hard time recognizing my dad because his hair is darker than she remembers and he has facial hair.  She has no idea who I am. She remembers who "Abbey" is, but I'm pretty sure that it is the five year old me. The me that she went camping with and sung songs to. She saw me and thought I was just a really tall girl that was growing too fast and "needed a brick put on my head".  She definately didn't know who Corey was even though she had met him a few times and even came to our wedding. She knew Brigz must have belonged to my dad somehow since he has white hair and blue eyes and didn't stop moving.

This trip was  hard for me because of my dad. South Texas looks nothing like what is does in his memories right now. It is so brown from the draught. My Granny's house is dusty and doesn't have any cows on it. My Granny looks great, but it all just isn't the same. The roads are paved, there are new homes, it is all just different. Yet so the same. My dad was able to eat blackberry pie, homemade ice cream, brisket, sausage, gumbo... all the things that he has talked about. We were all able to hang out with family. I loved getting to visit with fellow Kocureks, how my cousin Zach looks like my dad when he was younger, and getting to hear all the stories of my dad cruising around and causing trouble in that same very place.

It was a trip I will never forget. As we left, I cried my eyes out. It was amazing getting to soak up all the family I could. It was terrible saying goodbye. I don't know what will happen in the near future. I'm not so sure I want to know. I hope my dad's memories can always be preserved. I hope things will remain somewhat the same. God has such huge plans for all of us. Sometimes I wonder where he comes up with these ideas, but they always work out in the end!

Someone to Share My Oreos With

There is nothing in life that I love doing more than hanging out with my boys. Now that we have this little halarious, silly creature, Corey and I are appreciating the little things more in life. One big thing that I love is....

that I have someone to share my Oreos with :) (and nutella and ice cream, which he also loves)

Somebody Had a Party...

Yesterday we had Brigz's one year party. It was soooo much fun! It felt like a whirlwind, but we survived and had a blast! We had gorgeous weather, we got our yard finished enough for the party, and we had so many friends and family! Brigz is very spoiled loved and got a rediculous amount of presents! We even had a water fight! I can't believe this year has came and went and we have ALREADY had his party :( His real birthday is the 27th and we are going to have so much fun!

ALSO... last wednesday, I decided it was time to get tough and seriously sleep train. He has been getting up every hour and a half to nurse and I was living off of coffee. Even when cut him off nursing, he kept waking up. I knew I needed to get something done before he can get out of his crip. So Wednesday night he went to sleep and woke up about 2 hours later. So I went in, laid him down, patted his back, and left the room.... and almost fell apart. I went back in and did this every 3 min, then 5 min, and then 10 min until he fell asleep.... 1 HOUR LATER! Killer. I am not cut out for hearing my baby cry. But I did it and he did it. He put himself to sleep!!! It was a miracle! And he slept til the next morning! The next night, he woke up and I offered him a sippy, he didn't want it, and I kissed him and left the room. He cried 5 min and went to sleep. The next night, he cried 3 min. And the past two nights he has..... SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! AAAHHHHH!!! I am so excited, so well rested, and praying it continues! He is happier, I am happier, it is better for everyone! LOVE IT! 

12 month stats:

• he walks every where and is into everything
• he likes to climp up things
• he likes any toy that he can take apart and put back together, or take out and put back in
• he is still very little, weighing only about 19 lbs, but is very tall
• he loves to eat now, but only the food he likes :) loves fruit, raisins, crackers, cookies, avocados, yogurt, yogurt melts, baby cheetos, and graham crackers.
• he drinks whole milk, almond milk, and toddler formula. he looovvvees water. No babas; only sippies.
• he says go, mamma, dadda, dad, more, dog, bath (baf), quak, growls, ready... go, and more
• he loves "so big", clapping, high fives, his coyote whistle, dancing, and sticking his finger up his nose when ask where his nose is.
• he is a snuggle bug to the max

He is the greatest baby ever! We are so blessed to have him :) I can't wait to see what more he does as he grows. He amazes me every day!

Mamma

 Every time God throws big challenges at me, I have always been grateful enough to have people to help me through. I am very lucky that I have not had very many big challenges in my life. I have been very blessed with parents that always made things very easy. That is only because maybe they had hard things in their life that encouraged them to make family their number one priority.

One big challenge, was in college when my best friends and I decided to "break up". It was really, really, really hard for me. My mom had advice for me and helped me through it and how to not be angry. Then, we had the whole ordeal with our delivery of Brigz. Although going through it felt like going through the motions, the aftermath was harder to deal with emotionally. My heart goes out to everyone who has ever lost a baby. Almost losing one was the hardest thing I have ever been through. Thank goodness for an amazing hubby, also. My family helped me through that as well. And now with being a mom. I feel like every day is something new that I hope and pray that I am doing things "right" for Brigz. He is my whole world and my everything and all I want is for him to have an easy life like I did. However, there are always things and people that make you feel like maybe you aren't doing things "right". With a baby, I'm pretty sure that it's a little of shooting from the hip and hoping that that idea works for your baby.

It is one week tomorrow that I decided to quit breastfeeding Brigz. I totally underestimated the emotions that go along with it. I miss that time with him very much. I struggle with thinking maybe it was too early to cut him off. Then to top it off, he got constipated from the lack of breastmilk in his system (another reason why they say "cold turkey" is difficult with breastfeeding). I felt horrible because I made this decision so that we could maybe get more sleep, and it caused him to have a night full of pain :( You would think after 12 months, I would be okay with letting it go, but I REALLY miss that time.Of coarse, through our really crazy past week with other random, depressing things, my mom had great advice again. She told me this:

"The single, most important thing you can give your baby is simply love. The rest will fall into place from there."

So there ya go. And I know that I give our baby as much as humanly possible! I love this baby more than anything and I will be dang sure he grows up knowing how much his parents love him.

Thank you mamma for always being there and setting my head back on straight! Love you forever.

Weaning... dun dun dunnnnn

It has officially been four days since our little man had the boobie. I am dying. He hasn't even noticed. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I still have plenty of food to supply.... beleive me. But, I have noticed that if you cut things off with these babies before they realize they are attached, they don't seem to notice. I needed to nurse him for a year because of my cyst I had last year. They said it would be healthier for me to nurse for a year. Lately, he has been pulling up my shirt for me, and asking for it by saying "my mama mama".  He also has still been wanted to nurse all.night.long. lately and we have been up every 2 hours or so. So I thought it would be time. After talking to a friend on fourth of July, she gave me the idea to just go cold turkey. I didn't expect to do it just yet, but it worked out that this week just worked for it. Here is our new plan:

• When he wakes up, I don't pick him up out of the crib
• I rub his back and offer his binky (that will be going away soon as well)
• If he is having a hard time, I offer a sippy cup (bottles have been cut out as well) that are really diluted. 
• At nap time, I offer a sippy cup while rocking. 

So far, it has been a major success. Besides one night that he was constipated and woke up every houurrrr!!! But he has adjusted way better than I ever imagined. I am a bit more emotional about it all. I am really missing that time we had together.  Since he is almost a year old, my emotions are pretty high right now anyways. Plus, my boobs are going to fall off. They are not going down at all!! Everything says three days and you will start to notice you are drying up. NOPE! I am full as ever and uncomfortable! And that plays with my head making me think that it shouldn't be time to stop then :(

Frankenstein

Welp, it is official! Brigz started walking/running on July 1st! He has been holding our hand and walking for about 1.5 months now, and started taking wobbly steps between Corey and I for about a week. All of a sudden he took of the other day and continues to get and better. He thinks it is a game and cracks up and he walks everywhere now! Corey and I get so proud of him and hug him when he walks directly to us so now he expects hugs, claps, and kisses after a long haul! So cute!

11 Months Old

This is a hodge podge of random things going on right now.  First of all, we have been reallllyyyy busy lately. Now that our commute is a little over an hour, it seems like we spend a lot of time on the road and away from home. It is so worth it though to come home to open, fresh air and peacefullness.

Briggy loves the outside. Our grass if finally coming back, so we spend most of our day outside. I love it :)

Here is one random story:

So on Friday we went to a friend of mine from high school's wedding, Marissa Weston (Garcia). It was so pretty and she looked gorgeous! The reception was downtown Albuquerque and it looked like something out of a magazine! So pretty! We took Briggy and we parked not too far from the reception so that we didn't have to walk through all the craziness when it was over. Well around 9:30 Brigz was pretty done and needed to go to sleep, but was too excited to, so we decided we should head home. We put him in his stroller and pjs and headed back to our car. We are not used to downtown Alb at all by the way. So we arive at the parking garage of where our car was... it was closed. Locked up. We had no way to get to our car or even barely see it. It was then that we noticed a very small sign that said "closed at 8pm". Crap. We didn't have a car seat, so we couldn't call a cab. We couldn't get to our car to get keys to Corey's work car. So what do I do? Call mommy and daddy :) They had to get things together, hail a car seat from my brother in law (saint), and then head up to down town. My dad is pretty strict, so going to downtown stresses him out any way. In the meantime, corey and I are cruising around downtown... late at night... with a baby... and are asked for money about a zillion times. We saw hookers, cracked out people, and a chick in a top hat and stilts. Crazy. We finally found a safe spot in the movie theater.

our grumpy faces

Brigz crashed out

 After two hours, my parents came to our rescue. I asked if they would drive us by the garage to see what time it opened so they could drive us back in the morning. As we pull up, there are people walking out!!!!! the door is just closing. So in a split second, my crazy husband jumps out of the truck, sprints as fast as he can, and slides like Indiana Jones under the garage door which barely missed him by a couple inches. It was the craziest, most halarious thing I have ever seen! My parents and I watched him from the truck in awwwwww. So to make a long story short, we got the car out at about midnight. Brigz slept through the whole thing. Corey and I were traumatized from all the crazy people. And my poor parents drove all the way up there. They said it was worth it to see my skilled husband do a baseball slide under a giant metal door... it will be a story to be remembered :)

On a great note, our wild little man is 11 months old today!!! I am so in love with this little face:

If you can't tell, he has boogies running down his face, which is a perfect representation of him right now. We don't know if it smoke or a cold, but he has been the booginator for two weeks now. He is so much fun. I swear I say this at every age, but this it so my favorite age right now. He learns new things every day, and is starting to understand me more and more. He is so silly too! Here is a little about Briggy at this age:

• He is taking about 3-5 steps on his own at a time right now. Well, not really steps, more like sprinting strides. He thinks being on his own is the coolest thing since a pacifier, so he gets really excited when he is independent. He might be able to walk more if he didn't get soooo excited!
• He will walk all day holding my hand. It has to be with his left hand though.
• He is a speed crawler.
• He is into EVERYTHING. He can't be left alone for two seconds.
• Our coffee table is his best friend and worst enemy. If he didn't love it so much, I would have moved it a long time ago. He thinks it is a race track and sprints around it. He also totally wipes out on it too. It isn't sharp or anything, but it has left it's marks. On Saturday, I was doing hair for a wedding, and Corey was watching him. I guess he hit the corner with his mouth and put a large slice in the inside of his mouth by his from teeth. He bled for three hours. We almost took him to the ER, but the doctor told him how to treat it over the phone. Now he has a fat lip and a cut on the outside as well. It doesn't bother him, but I was freaking out!
• He still isn't a big sleeper. He wakes up about ever two-three hours for a little nursing session and back to sleep. Any suggestions on how to get rid of this would be helpful :) My doc doesn't know what to do about it.
• He is finally an eater. I am so thankful. He eats four meals a day. Sometimes, not very big meals, but he still is getting nutrition. He is still a skinny butt, only 18 pounds, but he is perfect. He really like healthy food with not a ton of calories, he is really active, and also very tall so the doctor said he is doing great.
• He talks. alot. He repeats so many words we say. He consistently still says dog, dada, mama, baba, moo, baa, quak quak, fall down, ready go, and lots of babble.
• He claps, rolls em' up, shakes his booty (funniest thing ever), blows kisses from his ear, he loves peek a boo, and high fives.
• He is in 9-12 month clothes.
• His feet are in 12-18.
• He takes 1-2 naps that are 1.5-2 hours a day.
• He is a super cuddler. He gives lots of bear hugs and his will pat your back and rub your neck.

I am so in love with our little guy! I can't beleive he will be a year next month. I love spending every day with him. God has blessed us so.

Little Piggy

We finally have figured out the little tricks to make this boy eat!!

... and eat!!

I watched a few youtube videos on fussy eaters, and with a few minor changes, he is doing great! The only things I have offered that he won't touch are mandarin oranges, green beens, and raviolis. I think it is because they are slimey. Cross your fingers that this continues! Now onto our next challenge... sleeping!

Tres Anos!

Holy Guacamole, we have been married 3 whole years!! Time flies when you are having fun! If you don't already know it, here is the story of Mr. Crazy Corey Bell and me :)

When I was fifteen years old, I was in Denver, Colorado for a horse bowl contest with 4-H. Corey was there for a livestock judging contest. I have known one of Corey's best friends Kevin Burns since I was little from showing horses and he was in Denver with Corey. Kevin introduced us and Corey shook my hand, winked at me, and told me he was going to marry me. Awww, how sweet... or totally creepy which is more of what I was thinking! We ended up spending a lot of time together that weekend and ended up kissing...oooooohhhhh la la ;) We said goodbye and I never thought I would see him again.

For six months, I always thought about him. I also knew he was serious trouble! He would randomly call me, and we always seemed to miss each other when I came through for a volleyball tournament or he came through for judging. After six months, we met up again at 4-H State Conference in Las Cruces.... and it was total cheeseball from then on out. Yes, it was love at 2nd sight. Yes, I couldn't spend two seconds away from him. Yes, he was still big trouble. But good trouble :) That goodbye was a whole lot harder. I ended up crying my whole way back to Albuquerque not knowing when I would see him again. Turns out, I saw him three days later in Tucumcari. We ended up seeing eachother at least every other weekend for the next 2 years.

After his senior year, he went to South Plains for college in Texas... an extra 1.5 hours away. bummer. But we still made it work. The next year, I went to Texas Tech so we could be together. It was awesome finally being together!... and pretty fun too!!!

Then we got engaged and it was the happiest moment of my life until that point :) We planned our dream wedding and had a blast. We wanted everyone to just have fun... and I'm pretty sure all our friends did! Too much fun maybe?? No, not possible. haha!

After four amazing years in Lubbock, we decided to come to Albuquerque. We don't why we did either other than amazing family. After living here a year, we got one of these:

and then one of these:

So, so far we have been dating since 2003 and married since 2008. And life is amazing. I am one of those people who never quits talking about their husband, and makes every one gag. I am so glad I married the person who makes me laugh every day. I am so blessed to have the best husband ever. We may not be exactly where we thought we would be, but we thank God for that. We have an awesome little boy and so many blessings. I thank God for him every day. I am pretty sure he is the one who hung the moon :)

Muhammad Ali

That is what I have decided is Brigz's new name. He doesn't have enough time to heal before he gets another bonk. Poor baby.

 The kid never stood a chance. Genetically, he was made to be an accident waiting to happen. I have never met anyone as accident prone as myself. From being run over by a car, to having nicknames such as "hurricane Abbey" and "Scabbigail", I have always dreaded the thought of having a child with my bad luck. After I married Corey and the baby word started getting thrown around, his family all warned me that Corey was a "climber" and when they couldn't find him they would look up.

It turns out, that Brigzy has inherited both terrible traits. He doesn't just want to play with his toys, but on them.... and then he falls off. I never leave him by himself. EVER. And I literally play with him every hour he is awake, yet Corey and I still can't keep up with his bumps and bruises. So when you see pictures like this...

please don't report me to CPS. Just say prayers that our medical bills don't cost Corey and I as much as they cost my parents :)

Long Boat Key, Florida, Moriarty, NM (aka "The Ranch"), and Misc.

So we are finally settled in our new place. Awwhhhhhh. I feels good for it to finally feel a little more like home. It took extra long to get to this stage for a few reasons. We are renting a house from a friend that Corey grew up showing steers with his kids. It is across the street from the guy and all Corey's cows. We are leasing the land they are grazing on. They are awesome people and we are excited that God answered our prayers and let us find a place that we can "test out" to see if we like living this far from Albuquerque. ANYWAYS it took longer to move in because the guy's son was still living in it and was remodeling a house with fire damage. It ended up taking a lot longer to get it done, and in fact it still isn't done. He is living off of a generator right now, which I feel really bad about! But we had to be out of our other house!!! We had one weekend and five days to paint, fix a bunch of stuff, clean, and move both houses. It was rough. We used to say that we were never moving again until we can afford professional movers. I still stand by that. But we survived!

Five days after moving in, we headed off to Long Boat Key for our family's annual beach trip. It was amazing.

Walking at sunset with Briggy Man

My two favorite boys :)

Cutie Patutie

Amazing Sunset

We had a week of total vegging. We ate more food than imaginable. Ice cream. Enteman's donuts. Peanut butter M&Ms. Everything. But it was still awesome. I was worried because last years trip was a bit crazy with a 7 week old. This trip was so much more relaxing because Brigz could play in the sand and with Mason and McKenna.  My grandparent's condo is so great for the kiddos because it goes right out to a pool and then the ocean. Brigz liked the pool some days and the ocean other days. We are oh so spoiled and blessed and we appreciate every second of it. 

Then we came home and have been going non-stop to get the house together. I am more anxious than other moves because it goes so much slower with a baby. I count on Corey getting home to get too big of stuff done. Here are a few before and after pictures of the extra bedroom/office and our master bedroom.

Master before (with the owner's son's stuff in it)...

...and after.

another view

Extra bedroom/ office before...

...and after

My great grandma's old cross stitch holder-thingies

Book case

Brigz's room is done, but I haven't taken pictures yet. It came out so good. It went from hot pink to more of a boys room. It is a lot bigger and he likes it so far :)

The best part of our new house is the back porch. We have all grass surrounding the house and not a house close to us. The back of our house is open rolling hills. We have a big porch that blocks off the famous Moriarty wind and we have eaten dinner out there almost ever night. It is perfect. So quiet and so us. We love it.

Also.... our little man turned 10 months old! I can't beleive it!!! It goes by sooooo wayyyyyy too fast! Here are a few things that he is up to:

• He is a wild animal crawler. Sometimes he crawls normal, but most of the time it is one leg up or both legs up like a bear crawl. He only crawls to get to furniture that he can walk on. He holds onto walls and walks through our house.
• He is crazy. I have been around a lot of babies his age and even worked in a day care, and he is one of wildest kids I have ever seen. He like to bang his head on things and he thinks it is halarious. He can't sit still for two seconds. If he gets stuck to where he can't get around something, he will scream bloody murder until we help him.
• He is trying to walk. He will hold one hand or any object he can, but he is scared to take steps on his own. He has let go a couple of times, but won't move. I am okay with that :) He is going to be a holy terror when he is more mobile than he is now :)
• He says dad, daddy, dog, hi, mama (but doesn't associate it with me yet), nana, yaya, lala, and has mimicked us a couple of times. It scares me! he has said thank you, love you, and cross.
• He wants to be outside. all. the. time.
• Bella and Mason are his best friends.
• He is so mamma attached right now. I am soaking it in because I know he will one day only want daddy. 
• He still hates food. I am lucky if he take 5 bites of real food a day. I have tried EVERYTHING. He eats our food and every other brand of baby food ever made, and he just isn't interested. He lives on milk, yogurt melts, and gerber cheetos. He sucks on watermelon, banana, grapes, and any other fruit but spits it out once he has the juice out of it. He is a little skinny butt, but the doctor said to just keep trying and he will tell you when he is hungry. 
• Because of his non-eating, he is still eating 2 times at night. He eats around 4 oz. and gulps them down. 
• He is the sweetest, silliest, cutest, happiest, funniest, and best little thing I have ever had :) Corey and I are in heaven with him.  

In the meantime right now, I am soaking up every second of the Casey Anthony trial I can. I am obsessed!

Life is good. A new chapter has opened and so far it is great. God has given us so many things to be thankful for.