My sweet little baby and his sweet little hand

Saturday night Grant and I got away for the night to go to Grant's company Christmas party, which was about an hour out of town. We did the Christmas party thing, and then stayed at a little B&B. It was all very nice. The boys stayed back and were lovingly cared for by Grant's parents while we got to be away.



When we reunited Sunday afternoon, we found out that there had been a little accident with Cash last night.

It turned out that he had crawled up to and touched the fireplace glass with his hand. He now has a huge blister on his palm and smaller blisters at the tips of his fingers. Grant has friends that work in the burn unit, and they have advised us that we don't need to drain the blisters, just keep them clean and covered. Papa pharmacist gave us a cream that we are keeping on it, in addition to the Tylenol that we're giving Cash every four hours. He seems to be acting fine. He has already adjusted his crawling so that he doesn't put pressure on his palm, and instead is making a half-fist and crawling on that. Bless this little baby's heart.

Pre-School Festivities

Because Jagger goes to two preschools (Countryside on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Mother's Morning Out at out church on Wednesdays) we got to fill up on double the Christmas festivities this week.

On Thursday Santa came to his school. Very exciting. The whole fam tagged along to check it out. Jagger was especially happy that Daddy got to come, too.

On Friday, the MMO program held a Christmas program. Jaggers class performed two songs, Away in manger and a Snowman Song. The snowman song was pretty cute. It goes like this:

I'm a little snowman, short and fat.

Here are my buttons. Here is my hat.

When the sun comes out I cannot play.

Slowly I just melt away.

Here is Jagger making his way to the stage.

Jagger did a great job, actions and all.

Brei and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

It's 20 degrees. Grant has me driving across town doing miscellaneous errands for him. I am in my work out clothes and a little jacket. In the midst of these errands, I lose track of time and end up rushing to pick up Jagger from Mother's Morning Out. I get in, I get out, and buckle up both boys tight in their car seats. As I slam the back door of the Jeep... I lock them in, along with my keys.

Why, oh why, can't my three-year-old get out of his own car seat and open the door for me? I guess it's a lot to expect since I have a hard time unbuckling his seat most days. Oh, and why are my pants paper thin and my ankles showing when it is 20 degrees? NOT GOOD THINKING, Brei Anne!

Fortunately, there are other mommies there that feel my pain. And one friend stood outside with me while we waited for the AAA guy to come and save the day. In the end, the kids were fine, and barely even cared that they were locked in the car for about 40 minutes. They didn't really even cry. But I guess I cried enough for all three of us.

Jingle Bells

Well the boys got to see Santa already this year. It was good holiday fun. Jagger was a little shy until he realized presents were involved, and Cash was a good sport. Here's a few pics of the festivities.

In a related story..... In disciplining, we often have conversations with Jagger that go along the lines of: Such and such makes Mommy and Daddy and God happy.... or.... Such and such makes Mommy and Daddy and God sad. Well, as of lately, Santa has edged his way into the rejoicing and disappointment of Jagger's behavior. Last night, according to Jagger, Santa was sad when Jagger peed the bed.

I was the one who had to change the sheets. I was more sad.

The Many Names of Cash

This kid has a lot of nicknames. I thought I should share them.

Cash

Cash Baby

Cash Money

Cash Money Millionaire

Cashew

Cashypoo

Casheesh

Sheesh

Sheeshkabob

Happy Thanksgiving

A few things that we are thankful for in our little corner of the world:

A husband that works hard and provides for us.
Healthy little boys.
Grandparents that live close, and closer. They make the best baby-sitters.
Our DVR.
Napoleon Dynamite Quotes. They will never die.
Great friends and great family that we have so many great memories with.
HGTV and ESPN.
A gym membership.
High speed, wireless internet.
Jagger going to school for 10 hours a week.
Online shopping and free shipping.
Our freedom and our faith.

Hope your Thanksgiving was happy.

We spent the day here in town with Grant's family. His extended family came in from as far as Oklahoma City, Chicago and Denver, around 25 of us in all. We feasted, napped, and watched some football; it was a pretty traditional day. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Blessings to you and yours!

I am really mad at my mouth right now.

No, I didn't stick my foot in it, if that's what you think the title implies.

I had a trip to the dentist today and didn't get the best news.

My teeth have been feeling sensitive lately, not all of them, just certain ones when I eat sweets. So naturally I was convinced I had multiple cavities.... which is totally embarrassing....(not that I would normally tell you all,) but still, Grant would know, and he likes to make fun of me. And I don't need to provide him with any more material.

So I am at the dentist, and it turns out cavities aren't my problem. Whew, not getting made fun of by my husband. But there is a problem. Guess who's wisdom teeth finally grew in. And they grew in funky, and they make my jaw pop, and they make me grind my teeth at night, and now the enamel is worn off the tops of many of my teeth, and now they aren't shaped right, and now my teeth are senstive and I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out. And, oh, I have the teeth of a 90-year-old woman. Cool, huh?

So fun times coming up soon for me, when I get all four wisdom teeth removed and fitted for my very own mouth guard thingy to sleep in so I don't grind off any more of my own teeth. Stupid mouth.

There is a stressed out dad in this family

So things were a little rough around here today. The boys were grumpy and I was exhausted, so it made for a bad combination. I didn't get anything on the to-do list accomplished, let alone get dressed.


By the time Grant came home at five, I was ready for some "me" time. Since I didn't get to the gym in the morning, that's where I was headed. I was ready to go, but I still felt guilty leaving Grant with the grumpy boys. But apparently I got over it.


An hour and a half later, after sweating it up, I get into the car. I check my cell phone, and I have three missed calls from Grant.


So I call him back, a little worried. What's going on????


He picks up, and boys are fussing crazily in the background. And all Grant says is "On your way home, buy that medicine that makes the kids go to sleep!"


Classic.

Our Halloween Festivities and Happy Pukevember

All right... it's picture posting day for me!

Here's a few pics from Jagger's pre-school school Halloween party. They were all so cute.

Halloween night we got together with some friends and did dinner and the Trick-or-Treating thing. It was a successful evening, Jagger got into it, and had a great time with his buddies and little brother.

Jagger, Jace, Hayden, and Cash

Dr. Cash. We borrowed the baby scrubs from the Lasiters. It was a last minute idea.

The golfer and the doctor just stolled along. They're kinda lazy.

Afterwards, we decided to head to Grandma and Papa C's house to show off the costumes and to drop off Jagger for the night. Which is exactly what we did.

Soon after... the pukefest began.....

On the way home, Cash was the first to get sick .... in his carseat. Which was awesome to clean up, by the way. Later that night, the puke fairy hit Grant and I. Saturday, well, we were all sick. And we found out Jagger had been sick that last night too (puked in Grandma and Papa's bed!!!) So by the time he was back at home, Saturday consisted of puke, bathe, clean carpet, wash the puke laundry, and repeat.

Of course the culprit must have been some virus that one of us picked up at school/work/church/gym.... but we are choosing to blame Hy-Vee Chinese food, and have sworn that off for the rest of time.

Now that Sunday has rolled around, we are all feeling better, just a little worn out and weak. That extra hour we got today came in handy while we all layed around. We skipped out on church in hopes to not burden our friends with a similar pukefest their own. You're welcome guys.



Happy November!

I guess I waste too much money

So Jagger and I were watching TV the other day and this commercial came on for The Aqua Globe. Have you seen this thing? It's this glass ball with a stem that you fill with water and then stick in your house plants, so you don't have to worry about watering them. Kinda ridiculous, but whatever, I don't really care.

So, here's the conversation Jagger and I had about The Aqua Globe

J: Mom, you really need to buy that!!!
B: No, I don't think I want one of those.
J: Yes you do too need one of those!!! (He is saying all this with great enthusiasm, by the way)
B: No, I think that would be a waste of money. I don't want one.
J: Mom, yes you do! I want you to buy that!
B: Nope, not wasting my money.
J: What is a waste of money?
B: That is when we spend our money on silly things that we don't need or want...... (and I go on to elaborate with words that a 3-year-old will understand.

So today, after a small shopping trip, this is what I heard all the way home.

J: Mom, you waste a lot of money!!!!
B: What do I waste money on?
J: You just waste lots of money. I know you do.
B: Jagger, what are you talking about?
J: You just waste too much money at all the stores on all the things.


Thanks Jagger. Not only do I have to hear this from my husband, but now from my 3-year-old. Awesome. At least with Grant, I can justify everything by the fact that it was on sale... not sure if Jagger will pipe down if I explain that to him too. Oh well.

It has to be said that the little man does keep my day interesting.

I hate running!

In my last post I forgot to mention that Grant ran the half-marathon here in town this past weekend. It was his second time to do it. I have to say I am really proud of him, but also quite jealous. This guy can pick up and run 13 point whatever miles with virtually no training. Sure, he runs a couple miles here and there throughout the week, but it is still a mystery to me. At my ultimate best, and this was like five years ago when I was at my peak, I could run 3, maybe 4 miles, and absolutely no more. I guess compared to his, my lungs are weak, and my legs, and the rest of my body for that matter.
He plans on doing another one in January down in Miami. The trip will probably be our Christmas present to each other. And I figure if he can do it again, maybe I should get in shape and do the 5k. Yikes, now that I have written that for all to see, I feel a little committed. Crap. Sorry lungs.

Family dates

So last night the four of us had a nice little night on the streets of Columbia. This weekend is the annual Roots and Blues BBQ Festival, so we took advantage. With both boys, a stroller, and an extra hoody for everyone, we went and sampled BBQ from different vendors, walked the streets, counted mullets, and listened to some live music. The food and music were great, and surprisingly, the mullets were few. Which is unfortunate, because that has become a favorite pastime for Grant and me, counting and identifying the mullets or any other original mid-Missouri hair. We find it thrilling and exciting.


Jagger and Cash actually had a great time. There was virtually no fussing, which is really unlike my boys. And Grant and I enjoyed the live music, which we realized we have really missed, since it's not that often we venture from the Wiggles or the Mama Mia sountrack (thx Kenz). Anyway, Jagger really got into dancing with his glow stick. It was almost kinda rave-like... scary, but it was super cute.


This weekend Jagger's pre-school also had their annual fall festival. Jagger was thrilled with the bounce house, as he always is with those things. We could have left for half an hour and he wouldn't have noticed. I'll have to remember that for next year so I can plan some errands while he jumps. In addition, Clifford, the big red dog was also at the party, and there were pony rides. It was very exciting to be a three-year-old that day.

We're on the move now

Actually, most of us have been on the move for awhile, but now..... Cash is too!

He started crawling about a week ago. He's taking it slow, and would prefer to just roll around most of the time, but still.... huge accomplishment!

Here's a few more pics of the boys this week, enjoying the last of the good weather.

Well Jagger was at least, Cash just wanted to sleep.

Some favorite things about my 3-year-old

• Jagger thinks the work "pause" is "smause"... as in "Will you smause the movie, Mom?


• Jagger loves listening to Awesome God. The CD is in my car, and we listen to that particular song repeatedly as many times as the trip will allow. He says "Awesome God, again please, Mom" when the song is almost over. And I am always willing to play it again, as many times as he asks. I love that he does that because I love that song equally as much, so I have a great excuse for listening to it over and over without feeling juvenile for all that repitition.


• I watch HGTV a lot, and today Jagger asked, "Are you watching another show about master bedrooms?"

Hello Friends...

It's official.... I am the last person I know that doesn't have a blog.

Ok, well that's a little sarcastic, I know plenty of people that don't even know what a blog is. But I need to join in the community anyway. I have kept up with quite a few of my friends through blogs, most of the time without their knowledge of it, and now I want one too.

So for now, no funny or even interesting posts. Just a little welcome letter for myself while I am learning the ropes of things. Likely, things will get more interesting on here when the kids go to bed and I have a second to think. Or maybe I'll go to bed too.... either one really.