Second Mommy

It's so precious how Bailey's arm is around Brittany's shoulder.

Bailey-3 months, Brittany-9 years

I just love having a child old enough to really know how to hold the baby and take care of her. Brittany does such a good job. She really is like Bailey's second mom. From the start, she has been so good at putting Bailey to sleep by holding her just like she is here and bouncing her up and down while she walks. It sure helps to have a second set of hands like that around here....and it doesn't hurt that Brittany loves to do it, too!

Just Goofin' Around With Wigs

Bridgette wearing a black wig. You can't tell very well because of the dark background.

Bailey not too happy about this scratchy Snow White wig.

Bailey with Brianna behind her putting her hair over the top.

The kids got out their disney princess wigs and we had a little bit of fun taking pictures. Is it mean to put wigs on the baby and take pictures? It was just too cute not to.

First Day of School 2008

Since the kids are in year-round school and on A-Track, they begin school in July right after the 4th of July holiday. It's always hard sending them to school when it's so hot outside...it just seems wrong. This year Brittany started 4th Grade and is in Ms. Shaup's class. Braden and Brianna started 1st Grade and are in Mrs. Bolin's class. It's the first year I've had all three older kids in school for a full day. And let me tell you, it has been NICE! Sounds kind of funny saying, "It's so much easier JUST having two kids at home," when most people around here just have two kids. So far they love their teachers and are excelling in all the subjects. Braden was a little nervous going to school for the first time with his brace on, but he adjusted really well. I sent a flyer to school for his teacher to pass out to all the first grade classes explaining Braden's disease, why he wears the brace, etc. I went in and talked to his class the very first day of school and explained everything and answered all their questions as well hoping it would make his transition a little easier. His classmates were all very understanding and nice to him. We even decorated his brace with cool stickers. He did have to answer a lot of questions from the upper-graders at recess and before and after school, he got a lot of stares, and comments like, "You walk like a cowboy," or hearing comments from one person to another that say,"You know HIM?" But he has managed to deal with the attention and now that there is less attention and people are used to seeing him, it's a lot easier. It was rough the first week, he shed some tears, but he has been so brave, confident, and courageous. I'm so proud of my little guy.

4th of July

Brianna, Bailey, Brittany, Braden, Katie, and Bridgette

Watching Fireworks

Playing in the Hot Tub with
Brittany, Braden, Kai, Ethan, Kate, Matt

Braden, Ethan, Kai

This last 4th of July, we went to a bbq/pool party at Brandon and Jackie Hill's house with a lot of friends from church and our neighbors, Ken and Tricia. After swimming, as we were walking to the park near their house to see the fireworks, we saw the fireworks show starting, so we just plumped ourselves down on the sidewalk where we were and watched with the perfect view with no crowds in site. We were all exhausted and a little sunburned come the close of the day. It was the perfect way to celebrate.

Brianna Ends Her First Year of Brownies

Brownie Troop 1249
Waiting for the try-it presentation

After the awards ceremony

Brianna has really come out of her shell this past year while attending Brownies and becoming friends with the girls in her troop. She used to be so shy and wouldn't say a word, but is a total chatter-box now and loves going to Brownies. She earned many try-its (badges) and had a lot of fun with her troop this year. Thank you, Alicia, for all the hard work and time you put forth to make it a memorable year for us all!

Brittany Bridges to Junior Girl Scouts

Our family after the ceremony.

Junior Troop 1053

Brittany just bridged to Juniors!!!

To end Brittany's third year of Brownies, we attended her bridging ceremony which was held at Tom's Farms this past summer. Brittany loves girl scouts and is excited to be a Junior. She has done many fun things including rock climbing, ice skating, visiting the American Girl Store in L.A. and bringing home a doll which was funded mostly by the money she earned selling cookies, going to Knott's Soak City waterpark, working and earning many try-its (badges), attending fun service unit activities, camping, going on an overnight with the moms at the beach house, and she will attend a 3-day horse camp in a few months. It's been fun working with these girls as their co-leader. I have to thank her other leaders, Noel Williams and Carolyn Olalere, who put so much time and effort into leading the troop, and thanks to all the other moms who volunteer their time!

Making Memories at Grandma and Grandpa's

Instant Best Friends/Second Cousins
....Brianna, Julia, Brittany, Bridgette

Bridgette and Seth are one day apart in age!

Crazy Lowes, Julia, Seth, Benjamin, Sam, Daniel

All of us again and London

My apologies for those who actually check our blog and know that I haven't added anything since September. I'm going to back track and try to catch up a little. This past summer, we got together with Stu's cousins at his grandparent's house and our kids got to become friends with their second-cousins. Here's just a few snapshots of us goofing around in the pool. Brianna and Julia loved being together and became good friends. It's too bad we live so far away from Stu's cousins Jeannette/Paul and Lindsay/Brian. We are lucky to live close to Kori and Dan, but need to get together more often. We have so many special memories of being at Grandma Helen and Grandpa Ray's house in Fullerton....and hope to have many more!

Braden Update

I took Braden in for his periodic 3 month appointment with the orthopedic surgeon this last week and received great news! His hip bone is healing great and is round in shape. The surgeon said that at this point in time (it's been four months of wearing the brace), that he would know if the brace is working and doing its job or not. And he said that it IS working beautifully. The inflammation is gone and Braden has no pain and is off all pain medicine. The surgeon still predicts about a year total of wearing the brace....so only about 8 more months!!! The time has flown by. Braden has adjusted so well. I've been meaning to videotape him running, riding his bike and scooter, playing basketball, and doing all the things he normally does, but haven't taken the time yet. I will do it and post it as soon as my busy schedule permits. I did, however, video tape him reciting his talk that he gave in the primary sacrament meeting program at our church. I am constantly amazed at the courage and optimism this sweet boy of mine has modeled. He has already taught me so much. I had a parent/teacher conference with his teacher today and she was also just amazed at the things he does outside at the playground. He doesn't let anything hold him back. He is doing so well. I almost feel like a fool because I was so worried and so afraid for him and lacked faith in my Heavenly Father. Just like Braden said... I, too, know that Heavenly Father gives us trials in life to make us stronger. I know that we are all children of God and that He hears and answers our prayers. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be a mother and to see my children grow in spirit and body.

More Bailey Expressions

This is her favorite position from when she was just a few days old.
If she is crying and you hold her like this,
she will immediately stop crying and just enjoy it.
It's quite funny actually.

This smile and profile reminds me of my brother, Rich,
from his baby pictures. Anyone else agree?

Just another adorable little face....

Brianna is really good at getting Bailey to smile.
I love this picture.

Bailey Smiles!

These just make my heart melt. Finally some sort of reward for doing
so much for this little human being.

I just love her dimples!
I wonder what she'll look like when she's two and actually has some hair!

Bailey Expressions

Bridgette in the background and Bailey's cute feet.

Can you see her red fuzzy hair right above her ears?

One of the many adorable smiles you'll see....

This is the "Leave me alone, I'm pooping" face.

Just a cute face.

Beautiful Brianna!

I just had to post these pictures of Brianna. Her freckles seem to be more evident as she spends more time in the sun. Stu always teases her that he knows she has 238 freckles, so if he ever counts any more than that, he knows she's been taking them from someone else. He tells her she is so beautiful with all the freckles and to never let anyone else steal them from her. She looks even more cute with her four missing teeth up top.

Breakdown- June 11th Entry

Yes, I do have my bad days....and I've learned it's all right to be depressed as long as you don't let it linger too long.....so here's my depressing, complaining post for now. It's my Journal Entry from June 11th. Ironically, in my last entry, I put that "life can only get better from here on out," and then the kids catch a virus that is making them throw up. They all get it except Brianna and Bailey, and each child is sick for two days so the sickness lingers for a whole week in our household. That's one whole week of cleaning up throw-up, while trying to keep the baby from getting sick, which means washing my hands a million times a day, making a bed for Bridgette in our bathtub, so I won't have to wash any more sheets, after already doing endless loads of laundry. Anyway, here's the entry that only describes Bridgette's sickness, the others haven't gotten sick yet at this point.

June 11th, 2008
"Bailey is good and healthy, it's just hard working on her schedule. I had a break down today. Bridgette has been throwing up the past two days, Bailey seems to nurse every 2 hours, and wants to be held when she's not nursing, and she gets fussy at night with gas, and I'm so tired from not sleeping well, and I hurt my shoulder (pulled a muscle or something) and can't move it that well and it’s very painful, and my back and neck have been aching, probably from nursing in bed and sleeping in weird positions, plus I haven't seen my chiro in 3 months when I usually go every month and I have an itchy rash (story of my life), and I'm starting to gain back the initial weight loss that I had after giving birth to Bailey because I'm always so hungry from nursing, and the list goes on.....BUT I'm not trying to complain. I'm just saying it's been a hard last couple days. I was actually feeling depressed and didn't want to go anywhere or do anything today, which is why it was nice Stu took the older three kids to the Angel's game during the day. At least they all still had a good day and my depression didn't affect them. I just cleaned up throw up, held Bailey all day, and tried to manage a shower and getting myself dressed. Anyway, it's been a hard day.
I just can't wait to have the kids healthy, Bailey on a somewhat regular eating and sleeping schedule, me able to go exercise and feel good about myself after sleeping more than 3 hours at a time. I just don't remember it being this hard with Bridgette."

So while I was home with sick little Bridgette, here are pictures of the kids at the Angels Game with Stu. They had stopped at the Orthotics office to get Braden's brace adjusted on the way (it was a little too high up on his torso) and took a picture next to the sign BRADEN COURT. Braden thought that was pretty cool that the Orthotics office was right next to Braden Ct. Of course, the kids brought their rally monkeys (any monkeys they could find amongst their large stuffed animal collection) to the game. Stu took them to lunch beforehand and had treats at the game. They had a blast, brought cotton candy from Sam's Club, and shared an ICEE while they were there.

Braden also had a follow-up appointment with his orthopedic surgeon the day after the Angels Game and the doctor said that the incision is healing fine, the brace fits well, and looks good. He took x-rays to see if the brace was aligned properly and the bones were lined up right and they were. The whole ball of the left hip joint was really dense, it was nice and white, like it was strong. It is staying completely in the socket and the angles are correct. The next appointment is in four weeks to check on the inflammation to see if Braden can reduce the Advil intake. After that, the next appointment will be three months later, to take another x-ray to see the progress.

Grandma Leaves, Kids Help, Braden Adjusts

May 30th-Another Journal Entry
I cried the day after Grandma left. It was so nice having her here to help out. It's so hard living so far away from her and the rest of my family. Stu woke up super early to bring Grandma to the airport the day after the kindergarten promotion and came home from work early that day and swam with the kids. The pool water was really warm from having the cover on it even though the air outside was cooler. They had a lot of fun swimming. Braden is allowed to take off his brace to swim, so he was excited. He did well, but got tired and got out to rest before the girls were done.

Brittany made salad, the kids set the table, and we had leftovers for dinner tonight. The kids are all really good helpers. Brittany jumps up at the chance to help, especially tonight when Stu got home late. She held Bailey for me when she was hungry, put a pacifier in her mouth, and rocked her so she was quiet until I could feed her. And when I did start feeding Bailey, Brittany poured Braden his milk, jumped up to turn off the timer when food was ready, and did everything I would normally do. She is just so wonderful and will make an excellent mother someday. Bridgette is the designated diaper thrower-awayer. She wants to do it every time.

Today, after Bailey's doctor's appointment, I took the kids to Wendy's for lunch and we ate at a park nearby. Braden could barely fit in a normal swing and didn't want to go very high because he wasn't situated that well enough to feel safe. He was able to swing, though, and I think that made him happy. I just pushed him. I've also given him piggy-back rides every once in awhile because his ankles are sore from walking so differently. There was a group of mentally disabled/handicapped adults at the park while we were there….and we watched them swing on the swings and squeal with joy and do other unusual things that come with being disabled. I explained to the kids how they were disabled and we had a neat conversation about how Heavenly Father loves every one of us the same, and they were given this trial that is lasting their whole earthly lifetime, and when they are resurrected, they will be made whole and be normal again. Braden is only having a trial for a short time compared to them. It was a good conversation and there was a feeling of love for them as we talked about them.

Most of the time, I think we're doing just fine, then there's those moments that I can't handle it anymore probably because I'm so sleep-deprived. It's hard not to be emotional when I'm so tired. I know it's important to nap and I did for a little bit today when I tried to get Bridgette down for a nap....but it's just so hard to do when other things keep popping up that need to be taken care of. Stu is rocking Bailey in the chair and watching the Angels game. Tomorrow is Braden's baseball team party at Gracianos Pizza. He's excited to go. Maybe I'll get a nap tomorrow when Stu is home. Allison plans on coming over tomorrow to help out in whatever way is needed, too. So that will be nice. She has been a big blessing in our lives. And life goes on and we adjust to our situations. It will only get better from here....it has to. That's the one nice thing about going through rough times....you know it will get better.

I just want to thank my mom for helping us SO SO MUCH while she was here. She worked so hard and did so much. I love you, mom, and hope to be a model of the selfless service and sacrifice like you are someday. You are the best mom and I'm so glad to have you as mine!

Braden is doing good. Every once in awhile in an excited voice, he'll tell me something he just did or accomplished while wearing his brace, like he was surprised or happy he could do it. Braden's friends and Primary leaders from church have stopped by to bring presents, ice cream, and candy. It was really sweet of them to do that. It sure helped to boost his spirits having so many people show that they cared about him. I'm so happy that he/we have so many wonderful and supportive friends to make life so much easier! So thank you everyone for your visits, presents, support, and mostly for just loving my son! It has been so hard on me to see him go through this. He has been so positive and much more stronger than me. A couple days ago, he went outside to play with the neighbor kids for the first time, and just did everything that he normally does, like it was no big deal. He played basketball, rode his scooter, etc. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the front room of our house, watching out the window, ready to pounce on anyone who is mean to him or makes fun of him, and I'm crying tears of concern, debating whether to just call him in and tell him to come home before someone hurts him or let him stay and play, and I decided to let him stay and play. He ended up having fun and no one was mean to him and it was good. I'm so amazed at his courage and strength. My feelings of wanting him to be loved and protected are just so strong, as any mother would feel for their child, that it's hard to not worry. Anyway, I thank all of you who are thinking of him and helping him to adjust. I love you for that.

Journal Entry May 30th

I've been taking lots of pictures of Bailey, trying to capture each and every expression. Here are a couple of her and Brittany and then some of her and Stu while talking on the phone with Grandma Pat.


May 30th
Braden is doing very well. I cannot believe the courage and optimism he has. He is handling everything way better than I am. He is pretty much already recovered from surgery and is wearing his brace 24/7 and adjusting pretty well. He has his sad and frustrating moments, but he's really good under the circumstances. It's hard as his mom to see him struggle and be placed with this trial at this time in his life, but I know he will be stronger for it and it will do him good in the end.

I'm doing pretty good....learning how to live on a few hours of sleep each night. I have totally cut back on extra activities and the kids are off track so we don't have a schedule or places we have to be so that is making life easier. I am determined to cherish little Bailey while she is still a newborn, so I hold her a lot and just stare at her face and her little expressions. It's so fun to be a mom to a new baby again, even though it's quite difficult at the same time. I just love it so much that I don't want her to grow up even though it'd be nice if she could sleep at night. So many people have offered to help and our ward at church has been a great support. We still have dinners lined up, so that has been very helpful.

Kindergarten Promotion May 28th

Brianna and Braden had their very last day of kindergarten Wednesday, May 28th. Brianna went to school on time, and we brought Braden a little later just to attend the promotion. Braden was still in pain from the surgery the day before and hesitant to move much or stand up. It was a little tough getting dressed, but we managed. We brought a stroller for Braden to sit in since he hadn't walked yet. We attended the promotion and Braden sat with us in the front row while Brianna sat with the rest of their class up in front of everyone. Braden earned several awards and his teacher brought them to him each time, instead of having him walk up to receive them. She was very kind and sweet to him and hugged him when she entered the room with all the other students. Brianna and her class sang several adorable songs, "Look Out First Grade, Here We Come", "Start Spreading the News", and "The Beautiful Month of May" in front of everyone. It was hard to not see Braden up their with his class. I was pretty emotional that morning, but managed to hold back the tears. I can't believe our twins are through with Kindergarten and moving on to First Grade already!