The Birthday Parties and Thunderstorm

Yes, it does say "parties", meaning more than one.

Birthdays really are a big deal and are truly worth celebrating! First birthdays seem to especially be a BIG deal and I must say that we have had a blast celebrating Lawson's first birthday!

His first party was at school. They always make cute little birthday banners and allow the children to bring in birthday treats to celebrate. Lawson took bite-size cupcakes to school yesterday and celebrated with his classmates. However, Miss Sarah said he was far from interested in the cupcake, but his friends did enjoy it! Below is picture of Lawson with Miss Amber. So cute. : )

On to the big party...

We celebrated Lawson's birthday here on the Bragg Farm today, beginning at 11:30 am. It was a great day and we were so excited to have close family and friends here with us to celebrate! Farmer Lawson had a wonderful time at the party!

We had a total of 27 guests and we are thankful that they got to come. In attendance were our parents, also known as Daddy Bell, Nana, Granddad, and Grandmother... Aunt Julie Anne, Uncle Jim and Aunt Erin... Mama B and Daddy Denton... Granny... Aunt Sarah Beth, Uncle Keith, and Lindsey... Ben and Jennifer Moore with Miller, Tate and Tyler... Jon and Kim Lopez with Kayce and Clayton... Chris Crowley... Tim and Arden... and Ryan and Carrie Schneider... thanks so much for coming to celebrate with us!

Clayton, Lindsey with Tyler, Jennifer with Tate, me with Lawson, and Kayce

Tyler and Tate

The party began with lunch being served at 12:00 noon. We served beef brisket and pulled pork BBQ, along with potato chips, baked beans, potato salad, strawberries and canteloupe, with soft drinks. Due to the unpredictable weather, we ate in the garage and although I was slightly disappointed that we were not able to do it in the back yard, I am thankful that we didn't. Around 12:30, a little sprinkly shower blew over and we would have been wet! Anyway, the garage was great and it was also cool.

Cousin Lindsey, Lawson, and Aunt Julie Anne

The birthday cake... my favorite part! Following lunch it was time for cake and ice cream, prefaced with the famous singing of "Happy Birthday to you!". Lawson's little eyes were big and he looked quite puzzled, gazing around the room, as everyone sang to him and it was a bitter-sweet moment for me and Russ... so excited to celebrate the first year and sad that he is now a "big boy", passing out of the infant stage. Anyway, as with daycare, he was not interested in smashing his little "smash cake", so off it went to be served.

And I must mention the cake story... I found this cake on-line and once I found it, none other would do. However, then I had to find someone capable of making it look like the picture. Thanks to the recommendation from my friend, Jennifer, Mr. Jerry Joyner of Paris, Tennessee was able to fix us up. He is AMAZINGLY talented! Russ and I couldn't have been happier. Not only was it beautiful, it was also very tasty! Following cake and more fellowship was time to open gifts. Lawson received so many nice gifts and is in business with many new things to play with! Thanks to all for your generosity and love as we celebrated this special birthday!

With the beautiful weather, many enjoyed fishing out back as the "partying" came to a close. We had some true fishermen and women in the midst and they seemed to have lots of fun!!

Awesome catch by Clayton!

It was a wonderful day!

And as to the thunderstorm, later this afternoon, as we were continuing to clean up outside, a thunderstorm quickly popped up. It never rained here at our house, but the clouds, thunder, and lightning were quite impressive!

Happy Birthday, Lawson Bragg!

365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months, 1 year… wow!

Today is Lawson’s first birthday; he is one year old! Time has passed so quickly and as we enjoyed this special day, we enjoyed reminiscing and talking about the events of his actual birthday… God’s love for us is amazing and as we look at Lawson and watch him grow and change without effort from our part or his own, we are reminded once again at the power of our awesome God. Today was a great day and we were thrilled to celebrate the first year of our little Lawson’s life!

It was a beautiful day and was “busily” laid back (if that is possible) as we have been preparing for his birthday party on Saturday. To simply document the day’s events, they went something like this… we woke up and began the day with cinnamon rolls for breakfast and lounged around the house, sitting on the back patio in our pajamas. Lawson and I stayed in most of the day while Russ worked in the yard, planting a few new shrubs and spreading new mulch. As we were inside, I was cleaning and preparing for the party and it was so nice that Lawson was able to get in a THREE HOUR NAP today! It was great for him and us, too! We ended the day with dinner out and Bible study. We ate at Outback, one of his favorite places (his parents seem to have a liking to it, too!)… he loves their grilled cheese, French fries, and steamed veggies! : ) And then we were off to Bible study at the Gates’ house. We brought cupcakes to celebrate his birthday and had a very nice time. Melanie, a 7th grader at church, loves Lawson and is a great baby-sitter during Bible study so he had a nice time with her and the other children. Once we returned home, we played for a little while in the living room floor and you can see from the picture, that he is as happy as a lark!

As we prepare to end this night on May 28, 2009, it is with hearts full of thanksgiving and celebration for a wonderful first year of life. Lawson truly is a gift from God and he has blessed our family with joy beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you, God, for Lawson.

Happy 1st Birthday, Lawson Bragg… we love you, love you, love you!

So Long, Farewell

Today was the last day of school and my last day at Glenwood Middle School. I am excited to be moving from the middle school world back to the land of elementary children. Next fall, I will be teaching 3rd grade at Delaware Elementary and I am truly looking forward to it! As excited as I am to be returning to my "element", I am also thankful for my time at Glenwood. It has been a life-changing experience and I know that God placed me there for a reason... I wouldn't change it for anything. Number one, being at school all day with adolescents is truly a job in itself. Teaching them is even more of a challenge. Secondly, dealing with a minority population who is extremely oppressed is one of the toughest things I have ever dealt with and was often heartbreaking. My students at Glenwood Middle School are very special to me and were living in a "world" that I could never imagine. Most of them living in generational poverty and typically, there is not an easy way out. I am hopeful that I had a positive impact of some sort that will be beneficial to them as they continue to grow into young adults. I know, without a doubt, that they sincerely knew that I cared for them and loved them.

Thank you, God, for blessing me with the talents to be a teacher, for providing for our family through my job, and for each and every child at Glenwood. I am a better educator and person for teaching at Glenwood Middle School and I pray for the success of the school as a whole and for each child and their families.

So long and farewell, Glenwood Middle School!

The Little Things

It has been a great night! Lawson is simply growing and developing so quickly and the "little things" are bringing so much joy! We went to church tonight and had dinner before class and Lawson was so happy! He smiled at everyone and they just loved him up... especially Phoebe and Hayden. He could hardly eat his dinner for playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake with them! Once we got home, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and he LOVES to point at birds flying through the air and we love to watch him as he gets so excited and makes his "I see an animal sound" of "ooh, ooh, ooh!". Well, as we were walking an airplane came over preparing to land at the airport and he got just as excited, making his "ooh, ooh, ooh" sound... it was funny! He has also started giving kisses tonight. They are mouth-open and quite sloppy, but complete with the sweet sound of "aahhh"... truly melts your heart!

Chlosterphobia? Not Lawson... he loves to get in tight, small little places, which is really cute until he gets stuck... yes, he got stuck tonight between the sink and the washing machine.

Fortunately, I was able to wiggle him out with a few whines and no tears. Unfortunately, he crawled right back in the same spot! The night finished with ice cream and a bath. Bath time is one of his favorites! He is bathed... and we are splashed... launching his turtles, ducks, and horses off the side of the tub, at the count of three, brings lots of water splashing and tons of giggles!!!

Why walk when I can ride?

We believe Lawson asked himself this question tonight... Russ was mowing and I was cooking dinner when I looked up and Lawson was SITTING on his tractor! He loves his tractor and has become a pro-farmer, plowing the floors throughout the house. We suppose he decided to make the farming life a little easier and ride his tractor rather than push it! Thanks Uncle Jim and Aunt Erin for the tractor and happy farming, Lawson!

Biting 101

What a rough past two days at school... Lawson has become our little "Bragg Biting Boy". However, as cute as the "triple B" name sounds, we are sad and think it is far from cute. We are struggling with this new behavior and the correct way to handle it. After internet research, the advice from family and friends, our own thoughts, combined with the suggestions from his teachers, I believe we have at least come up with a plan.

I hand-delivered the typed document entitled, "Dealing with Lawson's biting" plan this morning, which included our wishes for helping get our 11 month old's behavior under control (as much as possible). With little chuckles from his teacher regarding the "plan" (at this point the tendencies of Lawson's OCD parents are definitely showing through), along with her encouragement and reassurance, I am hopeful we are headed in the right direction.The plan includes firmly telling him "no", removing him from the situation, and setting him in a corner or designated time-out area consistently, EVERY time he bites. : ( This is tough, but tough love, right? Right.

So, the main objective is to raise independent, kind, responsible, respectful, and on and on, well-behaved children and that is our mission. We will excecute this mission to prevent biting, along with the many other challenges to come, with the continuation of love, patience, gentleness, and understanding.Signing off with a prayer for the success of our plan.

Bless his beautiful pearly whites (as they are shining in the posted picture) and the hearts of all of his friends at school, in addition to all who are taking care of him! We love you, Lawson, and your pretty little teeth, too! :)

Sunday School

Today was Lawson's first morning in Sunday school. According to Mrs. Louann, his teacher, he did a great job and she was able to complete the morning's "entire curriculum". Singing "It's time to go to church", while playing with a little clock, was a high-light of the lesson. We asked him what he learned and he simply smiled, which said enough... he had fun.

Welcome to the Bragg Family Blog

Blog... Webster defines this term as an "on-line running document or diary". Over the past few months, we have pondered the idea of blogging... is it worthy of our time? does our life consist of events or special occasions worth noting? if it is worthy of our time, will the "worthy time" be considered enjoyable? or is it just another jump on the bandwagon of technology?After much thought and consideration, you can see that we have decided to start a family blog. Our primary reason is to document the little things happening each day that we promise we will never forget, but somehow are unable to remember the next week. We are certain that we will appreciate the opportunity to reflect on these family memories in days, weeks, months, and years to come.