Rylan is here!

My baby sister had a baby! Rylan Kae Silliman was born at 4:53pm on September 17, 2008. He weighed 7 lbs, 15 oz and was 21 inches long. I got to go visit them today and he is the most precious little boy (easy to say since I don't have a boy). He is very mellow and alert - he was looking around at us quite a bit. He makes adorable little noises and entertained us all - at under a day old! We can't wait to see him grow and play with his cousin (Brenna didn't come along because she'd been battling some sniffles and a cough and we didn't dare expose Rylan to that). I just know that she will love him so much and smother him with kisses! We all think that he looks like his daddy - but has his mommy's nose. Regardless, he is adorable!

Congratulations Jamie and Josh - you are already fabulous parents!! Love you!

Princess Brenna

She's been a princess since the day she was born - sometimes even a "baby queen" around Papaw. For her birthday this year, she recieved many princess related gifts and she LOVES them. Most of the time, she prefers to be in her dress up clothes rather than her regular clothes and very often she changes as soon as we get home. Sometimes the princess outfit is even put on top of her everyday clothes. If she can't be in her full outfit, she at least has the shoes on. She plays in her princess outfits, eats in them and even naps in them. She is very aware of using other princess items, such as her princess plate (a request at nearly every meal) her princess ball, her princess cup, princess washcloth and her princess toothbrush. Of course we regularly watch princess movies too! Thank goodness for her sweet nature - she is truly a treasure to me. She is quite the trooper as we go through some major adjustments and is so innocently optimistic about things that have quite a different effect on me. Without her kind, giving spirit this would be a much more difficult time for me. Thank God for this beautiful angel! Outside of being a princess, she is also quite the performer. She'll go on for quite awhile singing various songs and doing different dances - and if I'm videoing, she'll do even more (she also really likes watching herself). So, enjoy the video below. This one was one of the last in a concert she gave last weekend. Before I started recording, she said that she was going to sing "Old McDonald had a Farm" but it is important to note that the song just before was "B-I-N-G-O". Cutie patootie if I do say so myself!

Happy birthday Brenna!!!!

Crazy at it may seem, our little bundle arrived THREE years ago! She has been such a joy in my life and makes me laugh on a daily basis. She is loving, smart, playful, beautiful and the shining sun of my life! Since we had some family already in town for the baby shower, we decided to have a small gathering for her birthday the next day. Both sets of grandparents visited and some friends too. Brenna got lots of fun dress up clothes, puzzles, clothes and books - all of her favorite things these days! She also got her first bicycle! We wrapped the helmet for her to open first and when she opened it, the conversation went like this:

Brenna: "It's for my bicycle"

Mommy: "Do you have a bicycle?"

Brenna: "No"

Daddy: "I think there's one more present outside"

Upon walking (okay running) outside the front door - Brenna: "I DO have a bicycle!"

It was absolutely one of the most precious moments in her life and made us all laugh. She immediately tried it out before having some cake. It will take some time to develop those skills, but it sure was cute to watch her try! She also gave me an interview for her birthday - something I will plan to make an annual tradition and it is posted below. I can't wait to see what other fun she will bring me in the coming year!

Baby shower!

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for my baby sister! She is expecting her first little bundle of joy in September and we had a great party for her. I was pretty proud of my ideas and games and had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for the party. I took ideas from the decor that she has planned for his (yes a boy!) room and stuck with the blue, brown, stars and circles for as much as I could. I made some fun centerpieces, tried my hand at an "edible arrangement" and made a train veggie tray. We played fun games including: Guess the baby food (no tasting involved), My water broke (plastic babies in ice cubes), Nursery Rhyme jeopardy and baby items on a tray. Jamie got lots of great gifts and good company! Brenna was nice enough to share her birthday to have a party for Mamie's baby and all turned out well. Brenna loves hugging Aunt Mamie's belly (Jamie may not like me for posting this picture, but it is sooo cute). We are all looking forward to baby Silliman making his appearance and can't wait to see what it's like to have a baby boy in the family! Brenna is most excited to meet her baby cousin too and talks about him all the time. Congrats to Jamie and Josh - hope I can get them to start a blog too =)

Cake and a puppet show

This weekend, Brenna helped me make a cake. She got to pick out the flavor of the cake and the frosting (white and lemon) and then helped get it ready. We decided to use our new pan that can be used in the microwave - to keep from heating up the house and it was fun. I learned some new lessons about the microwave cake - it needed to cool in the pan for longer than I allowed it - we lost quite a bit of the frosting unfortunately. But, Brenna had fun and that's what matters. She didn't really want to try it afterward, she wanted candy, not cake. Go figure.

Then, we went to a birthday party for blog friend Jason! It was at the puppet theatre, so it was Brenna's first puppet show! She got to make her own brown bag puppets, decorate a cute little hard hat (it was a boy party), watch a puppet show, touch one of the puppets, eat some snacks/cake, and play pin the tail on the donkey (a blow up version!) She had a great time too!

Show Low 4th of July

As far back as I can remember, I have linked the 4th of July with the annual Show Low parade and fireworks. My family always lived close enough to the parade route that we could walk with our lawn chairs and watch the horses, firetrucks, cheerleaders, politicians and the Shriners in their little cars. Since the 4th has not fallen on a weekend for awhile - we haven't been to the parade for awhile either! This year, we were able to take a trip up north to celebrate Independence Day - Show Low style and we had a great time! We started the day bright (well, dark) and early, avoided lots of traffic and made it into town before the parade started. Luckily, due to some excellent planning (not on my part) we had reserved spaces on the parade route and had great seats. Brenna was decked out in her "July outfit" as she called it and enjoyed the parade with Gramma and Papaw Pearson and friends. She got lots of candy, loved the princesses on the horses, and covered her ears for the firetrucks. Unfortunately, there were no Shriner's cars. Daddy was working hard helping Pepaw and Grandma, so he didn't join us, but see below....

After the parade, we went to our family-friend's house for some hot dogs, homemade ice cream and fun! Brenna loved playing with the other kids and running through the sprinkler. We got to visit with lots of friends and LOVED the beautiful weather. What a nice vacation from the hot weather we are used to. We didn't make it to the fireworks - we were way too tired. The last time she saw fireworks, she was scared of them anyway, so maybe next year!

We then made our way to Grandma and Pepaw's house where Brenna got to help daddy in the backhoe - she thought that was pretty cool! She also got to play with their puppy, Brownie, who she loves. We enjoyed some quality time with them and got some free babysitting too =). Justin also had a mini class reunion with some old highschool classmates, where we enjoyed more nice weather, good food and visiting.

It was a really great, busy weekend in some beautiful weather, and fun times with family and friends - a great way to celebrate life in America.

Patriotic project

Earlier in the month, Grandma Harvey and Aunt Tonya came to visit. Brenna got to spend a couple of days hanging out with them, going shopping, out to eat and just having fun! On their last night, Aunt Tonya had a project idea. She had purchased a Bible to send to a soldier serving our country. Inside the Bible was some space to write a message and she thought it would be fun for Brenna to make a bookmark too. We pulled out my scrapbook stuff and made two bookmarks. Brenna made one all on her own, cutting the edges of the paper for some texture, then adding star stickers and writing her own messages with crayon. Tonya wrote messages on the other bookmark and inside the Bible and read a passage as a prayer for the soldier who would recieve our gift. Brenna had a great time and I really enjoyed having a project for her to do that would benefit someone other than ourselves. Thanks for the great idea Aunt T! We are so glad we got to visit with you and Grandma for a few days!

Greer getaway

Nine years ago on June 12th, Justin and I got married! It is hard to believe that it was 9 years ago. Sometimes, it feels like just yesterday. Other days, it feels like we've been together forever. Either way, we are still in love and enjoyed some time away from home this weekend. We left Brenna with Grandma and Papaw (everyone involved was excited about this arrangement) and spent a night away in Greer. We rented (?) a small cabin and enjoyed dinner, wildlife walk (we even saw a deer up close and personal) and some time to ourselves. It was a wonderful getaway - even though much of our conversation revolved around our little nugget. We missed her! But we had a great time and really enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery.

Which one is real?

I'm hoping this is an easy question. Yes, Justin got a tattoo - the permanent kind. He can't deny his Irish roots, or the fact that he likes dark beer (Guinness to be specific), so now it is permanently documented on his left shoulder. Brenna also got a tattoo that day, but of the temporary kind. It shows off her love of Dora the Explorer!

Little gardener

This was a couple of weekends ago, but I'm a little behind....Brenna helped me plant some flowers in our front flower bed that had been flower-free for some time. Sadly, our yard lacked some color, so now we have some. She was very excited to shop for them, and to plant them. She enjoys checking them everyday to see how they are doing.

May

I really didn't think that I would let a month go by with no update, but I did it. So, here is our month in review (with only a few days left to go - geez oh pete)!

Mother's Day - what a special weekend! Justin, Brenna and I just did our normal weekend activities. Justin made it special by just doing the things I wanted to do - no matter how boring. On Sunday, I got to sleep in a bit, had breakfast and then enjoyed some time with our friends the Esmays. We went to the mall (hoping to play in the splashpad - which was broken) so came back to the house for some kiddie pool swimming. Brenna and Conner enjoyed the cool water - the weather was nice and warm for it!

Bun head - during bath one night, I made a soapy bun on Brenna's head and then she wanted it the rest of the night, so for the first time, she got a bun. She kept telling me that she wanted a "sponge" and then when she saw herself, she said "I'm a pumpkin!" Of course, she had to wear a bun to school the next day too - to show her friends and teachers. Just one of the adorable things she had said or done this month.

Dogsitting - We had a visiting dog for a few days and Brenna was attached immediately. Jack stayed with us and Brenna had quite the playmate. Since Scruffy has gotten older, he has less interest in chasing balls, toys, etc. Usually his attention span is short for that kind of activity. But Jack really had the energy for Brenna - they got along great (and with Scruffy too).

Memorial day in the pool! We enjoyed some time in the water (during the coolest Memorial Day in a very long time) thanks to our friends/neighbors who just built a new pool! Brenna had a blast playing with her friends. When she was done playing, she told the water bye!

Last but not least, a little song and dance (spin) from our little performer. She sings nonstop - making up songs, singing about things like pants, macaroni and cheese and princesses. She is so much fun and very entertaining. Here she is with a well-known song, Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Stay tuned for June!

Silly goose

Our Brenna is such a silly goose these days. Between the "why" and the "but why" comments, she cracks us up. Sometimes it is intentional - she knows she is a ham and loves to make people laugh. Other times it is not intentional and we have to face the other way so she won't see us laughing at how cute her inappropriate behavior is. Either way, she is a joy to have around and we love spending time with her. This week, Justin has been working on his motorcycle a lot. She likes to hang out in the garage with him and even has a few sets of "garage clothes" - clothes that can get dirty and it doesn't matter if the stains don't come out (in most cases, they've been stained already and we can't get them out anyway). She knows that she needs those on if she is going out to the garage. If it gets noisy, he gives her some "earmuffs" to wear to protect her hearing. She loves them so much that she wears them even when she's not around the noisy motorcycle. They make her cheeks look like chipmunk cheeks and it is precious. This morning, while taking a break from the garage, I found her walking around the living room like this - garage clothes, earmuffs and mommy's heels. She happily posed for a picture. Oh and you can kind of see that our walls are no longer white (hooray). See my other blog for info on that. I digress....anyway, Brenna is such a fun little girl. We enjoy that she is sometimes tomboy - sometimes girly-girl, shares easily with others, has a great sense of humor, says amazingly smart things, is learning to play well independently and says "I love you" before we say it to her. She is a precious part of our lives!

Best friend

This weekend, Brenna told me "you're my best friend mommy" and my heart completely melted. She and I have so much fun together and I love that she enjoys our time so much that she would think to say that to me. It will be one of those things that I never forget. Even though she and I share some not-so-great moments too (which I'm sure will always be part of the package) we truly do have a special relationship and I hope that we have it for the rest of our lives. I know it is not the healthiest thing to be your child's best friend - and that is not what I really desire. But, I have faith that she and I will always be friends and I hope that she will always consider me a friend to her.

Easter Happenings

Sorry this is a little late. Unfortunately, during Easter weekend, I was VERY ill and could not participate in the planned activities which included a trip to Show Low to see all the family. Really, I couldn't participate any any activities that are typically essential to daily life. I was in bed...for days...but doing better now! Anyway, since I was so sick, when we knew we'd have to cancel the trip to SL, Justin stepped up and made sure that Brenna still had a fun Easter! Of course (thanks to some planning ahead) the Easter bunny brought a basket of goodies for Brenna on Easter morning and she had a blast with her new stickers, gardening gloves, bath crayons, plastic eggs, jelly beans, etc. Daddy got her dressed up in her pretty Easter dress, sandals and asked our helpful neighbor to come do her hair (acknowledging that he wouldn't have done her hair very well). Then they went off to a nearby park to hunt for eggs. From what I hear, she had a blast. She got to spend some really good quality time with Daddy during that weekend and the days that proceeded and has become quite the daddy's girl. I'm so thankful that I have such a great husband - he took good care of me and our little one, talk about a demanding job!

Potty Time!

We are pleased to announce that our little girl appears to be potty trained!! Last week, she was moved into the 2B classroom at daycare (basically, the 2 1/2 year olds) and they have a rule of no diapers. We were advised to bring extra underwear and lots of extra pants and there would only be pull ups worn during nap. Although she had an accident once a day for a couple of days, by the end of the week, things were going very well! She went accident free all day Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, Brenna and I met Aunt Jamie for some shopping and I was anxious about doing the potty training thing while we would be out and about all day. We visited the bathroom of every store in the shopping center, many times with no luck. Finally, at Kohl's, we found a family style bathroom that had a grown-up toilet and a little toilet. Brenna was excited that there was a little toilet that was just her size. Mommy and Aunt Jamie were very happy for her!! Brenna is much more aware of the urge to go and instead of having a full accident, she'll run to the potty. I have to admit that I'd been pretty lazy about the whole thing - hoping that she'd eventually just "get it". Sometimes it was easier to just change a diaper or pull up than deal with the trouble of finding a toilet. While she's still in pull ups at night, she is definitely making great progress and we are so proud of her!

Artwork

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to move Brenna's table and chairs to a different part of our living room. She was in a corner that was sort of removed from the rest of the room and it didn't feel like she was part of the group when she was sitting there doing her coloring, stickers, etc. Well, within the first day, Brenna drew on the wall where her table had been moved! She had recieved a chalk board as a party favor and had been using blue sidewalk chalk on it. Apparently, she thought it would be fun (I guess) to see what happens when you use it on the wall. Luckily it came off pretty easily - thank goodness it wasn't crayon, or even worse, sharpie marker!

How do we get to the zoo

We know the route well - we have visited often. This weekend, the weather was beautiful so we invited our friends the Esmays to join us. We all had a great time. Brenna was asking for specific animals (monkeys, elephants and hippos to be exact) for the first time. We think this was definitely the most involved she has been at the zoo - she was very excited for every little thing and really enjoyed all the animals. We saw all the animals that she wanted to see, except the hippos (the Phx zoo doesn't have any). She didn't want to leave! We also enjoyed the rest of the weekend, spending time as a family doing our normal weekend activities.

Our little American Idol

Brenna got a cool new keyboard for Christmas this year (thanks Pepaw and Gramma Harvey) and she loves to play with it. Fortunately she has learned how to adjust the volume =)

We regularly find her singing various songs - some that she learns at school, some that she has heard on the radio or from us. Anytime, it is adorable. Some of her favorites are ABCs, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Do Re Me, Ring Around the Rosies, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Sometimes we still even get to hear Jingle Bells or Frosty the Snowman.

Since she got her keyboard, which came with a microphone, she is putting on full performances. We were lucky enough to get some on video the other night (ironically while American Idol was on). Enjoy!

Playing in the alley...

The bowling alley that is! We had a blast going to the bowling alley this weekend with our friend Mark. He was in town visiting with us for the weekend and we all decided to go bowling on Sunday afternoon. Brenna had a blast - and did very well. She was even beating daddy for a lot of the game! In game 1, she had 2 spares and a strike - watch out Pro-bowlers of America! She was constantly asking if it was her turn, but would patiently wait while the rest of us took a turn. She cheered us on and gave high fives whenever someone did well. After a while of playing, she started to get sad if she didn't get all the pins, but we encouraged her to do her best and if she only hit a few (or none at all), she was still doing a good job and was having fun!

Happy Birthday Justin!

Yesterday marked 33 years (yes 33!) since Justin came into this world . . . and we are so happy that he did! We have a wonderful husband, daddy, fix-it man, V-rod rider, chef, playmate & friend and love him very much! He celebrated by spending the day with his baby girl, enjoying some dinner/dessert with friends and watching Strange Brew (not my kind of movie, but he liked it!). His present from Brenna was more for her, but reflected something about her special daddy! Had to post the adorable picture. Happy birthday babe!