***SNOOOOW much fun!***

Mr. Snow arrived indeed... I wasn't so sure he was going to make it, but as last night's bedtime approached, so did he.

They had been predicting snow since Wednesday night and it was continually pushed back with regard to arrival time and to be quite honest, I didn't expect even one little flake. By Friday morning, they were saying 1-2 inches in Evansville, but I wasn't convinced... we got home from eating dinner around 7:30 with nothing. I put Lawson down around 8:20, and walked by the front windows and much to my surprise, the street was suddenly white! It was beautifully and peacefully falling...

My faith in the weatherman was somewhat restored this morning as we awoke to 7 inches of snow, although it was 6 inches more than he predicited. I had not made the urgent grocery run last night as I was certain there was no need... my anxiety level rose significantly this morning as I noticed the milk in the frig expires tomorrow AND I had no Coke... why didn't I just trust the weatherman??!!

The day went on and many household accomplishments were made including a Bonus Room overhaul. Granny - I will post some pictures just for you later! And following Lawson's afternoon nap, we played outside for about 45 minutes and then made a quick grocery run. Playing outside was SNOOOOW much fun! Lawson LOVES the snow!

We got dressed and bless his heart, living here in Evansville, snowpants/suits are not the norm as they were in North Dakota so I struggled on what to put on him; he seemed to fair ok in his blue jeans and boots. I was hoping to put the puffy red coat on as I believe it would be warmer, but I am not sure what I was thinking... the green coat was a go!

He was so excited --- he kept saying,"outside? noooo?" Followed with an exaggerated nod of the head, nodding it "YES!" (noooo=snow in Lawson's language.) It was great fun and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He not only enjoyed playing in the snow, but also had several handfuls of snow before our playtime was up... I suppose it was ok for him to have a few snowball snacks. : ) I absolutely love the pictures and posted way more than necessary - I took 112!!!!! eeks! Didn't realize I had taken that many until I downloaded them and I added several for our families to enjoy. They really are cute!

He's ready to go outside!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!! Melts my heart!

And this one, too!

Alex and Brenna were across the street shoveling their drive and he was extremely interested in what they were doing.

He kept saying, "Hi!", in his loudest outside voice!

Mmmmm...

"Bite?"

Clapping your snowy hands makes a mess!

And as soon as I said that it was time to go inside... he took off!

I like this picture, too, just because he was attempting to run in his boots.

He was laughing the whole time!

And that's all.

Thank you, God, for another remider of your presence... it was truly a beautiful snow! It brought us much joy today, and will bring our friends and family much joy as they look at these pictures!

20 months old, a new coat, and a few other shots

Today Lawson is 20 months old! So hard to believe... He is turning into a "little boy" right before our eyes. His communication skills are blossoming and we, (poor Russ), are paying for my raising as he talks NON-STOP. It is neat, however, that we are able to understand exactly what he is saying most of the time, where others, including his teachers, don't always know what he is saying. There is a level of satisfaction that goes with being able to accurately communicate with your child whose speech is truly "his"... no one else speaks that language, however we can understand him. I like it. : ) The last time we were traveling home, he talked and talked and talked some more and we joked about his "vocabulary", wondering how many words he knew, how many he was supposed to know, etc. and we began to make a list. That night we came up with 93 words and thought of more as time passed... he is definitely a talker!

At 20 months, he is also doing lots of other neat things. He is still enjoying going to school with his friends and his behavior has become much more pleasant, which I believe is due to the continual development of his communication skills. He is declining in the eating area which is supposed to be normal, but a few of his faves are grilled cheese, french fries, chicken nuggets, pizza, bananas, roast with potatoes and carrots, shredded cheese, mandarin oranges, apple sauce, yogurt, potato chips, pickles, cole slaw, cinnamon rolls, rice and beans, fruit snacks, country ham, corn on the cob, green beans, butterbeans, corn, peas, and a few other things. He loves his milk and apple juice and has gotten brave with sweet tea and coke when given the opportunity. I am afraid he is going to like chocolate - the milk shakes from Chick-fil-a are a hit and he also liked the chocolate cake I made on Monday night at 9:00! : )

As to playing, he is becoming more of a "player". For a little while, he seemed to become bored with playing, but since Christmas he is really enjoying his new toys and is having a lot of fun! We are enjoying playing with him and watching his creativity with the tent, blocks, and other new toys. He loves his bath time, esp the new bath boat that cousin Nolan gave him for Christmas... it's great! I am also pleased that he likes books, he enjoys being read to and then also reading to himself. We have a few favorites, but overall he is content to sit down with any book, talking and turning the pages as if he was reading. He certainly likes all animals, airplanes, big trucks, tractors, and choo-choos and never misses a beat if we see one when we are out and about... he blows our minds quite frequently! The school bus is a new hit in the mornings, but for now it is a "big truck". The last mentionable area is his singing and dancing... it is hilarious! He absolutely loves music and dancing and will cut a rug whenever and wherever the music is and the notion strikes him - Gander Mountain hosted last night's official dance floor! I hope to upload a video if I can figure it out... if we are at home, he has to have a microphone, which is actually one of his blocks, when he is singing and dancing! So cute and too funny.

And as to the new coat... we were shopping last night for a few things Russ was needing and were at Gander Mountain when I saw this cute little coat. It was a 3T so I was slightly disappointed, but we decided to try it on just to see how it fit... it was just right and even better, he LOVES it and doesn't want to take it off! It's just like daddy's! We have a nice puffy red coat that he strongly dislikes. The fits are so intense that we were to the point of not even making him wear it. This is the dream coat... for the first two days anyways. I hope he will continue to want to wear it!

Here is a picture of him today on his 20 month birthday in his new green coat! : ) Playing in daddy's boots... what a handsome boy.




The remainder of the pictures are just cute shots from the past week. He has discovered his new John Deere dump truck has multiple purposes.

He can ride it...

Or he can push it...

And lastly the tent. He loves it and it brings him so much fun and joy! We play and play and play. He sits his chair inside to watch a movie, he eats in the tent, he hides in the tent, and the list goes on and on. Most importantly, he has fun in the tent!

Looking forward to more great memories, Lawson Bragg!

Boppy & Went

Lawson's attachments, a pacifier and blanket, have official names per Lawson... "boppy" and "went". We have no clue how these came to be or when they came to be, he just suddenly called his pacifier "boppy" and his blanket "went"... and it has stuck.

When you ask him to say blanket, he says "went" and the same with paci, "boppy". That must be what he hears. And just for the noteworthiness, he is no longer wanting a blanket, but his "went" is now a burp cloth. He LOVES them and so do we because they calm him so quickly and help him sleep so soundly! : )

So, their names are official --- boppy & went!

A chocolate milkshake and blankets for baby Emmitt

It was a fun night...

Last night, we went out for a fast 7:00 supper to Chick-fil-a due to Russ' late afternoon meeting combined with my lack of motivation to cook and clean up the kitchen. We were out of school for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and I flat out didn't feel like cooking, so off we went. It is a safe place to eat as Lawson eats their chicken nuggets very well and loves the cole slaw just like his mama. : ) Anyway, Russ has helped me develop a liking to their milkshakes. I have always considered myself a Sonic milkshake fan, but we haven't eaten there since I was sickly pregnant with Lawson and I don't plan to go back, so I decided to give Chick-fil-a milkshakes a try and they are pretty good. The chocolate is the best and after tonight, Lawson also gives them a thumbs up!

He has learned to drink out of a straw really well over the past couple of weeks and he is so proud when he gets to do so. Once we were home, I allowed him to try my milkshake and he LOVED it! His happiness with the chocolate milkshake is quite obvious in the following pictures...

Lastly, we spent the past weekend in Martin as it was a three-day weekend for me. We left Friday afternoon and returned Sunday night around 8:00 pm. While we were there, we made a quick trip to Jackson to return a few Christmas gifts of which Mom had the receipts. Our last stop for the day was Target. I didn't really need anything, but Mom wanted to stop so I had to shop! You always need something at Target, right? I actually found lots of neat things on clearance, including a few blankets for Emmitt.

After finding out we were going to have another boy, I thought to myself, "well, this should be easy... we already have everything we need!" However, as time has passed, the "necessities" that I thought we already had are truly necessities, meaning they were and are continuing to be well used. Specifically, blankets and burp cloths.... besides bedding and a homecoming outfit, he is going to have to have a few new things just for him! Lawson and I found this little 3-pack blanket set on clearance for $7.98 and they are just perfect for our baby brother! They are a nice weight for a spring/summer baby and are the perfect size, as well. These blankets are the only thing I have bought for him and it was so exciting... I look forward to finding a few more things just for him! So excited about our baby brother, Emmitt, or "Mitt" as Lawson says! : )

Lawson showing me Emmitt's blankets... what a deal!

That's what I said... Bunny Bread!

Today is the third day that Lawson has asked for "fre" - sounds like "fred" without the "-d".

He loves to rummage through the pantry, which drives me crazy, because there are too many choices and he is unable to decide on a snack. I think he thinks there might be something better on the next shelf, so everything we point to he so kindly says, "no". Kind of like shopping... you wait because you might find something you like better or something that is on sale at the next store! Maybe he is just shopping!

Anyway, this past Thursday when we were home due to snow, I went through the whole pantry pointing to the "Lawson options" and FINALLY we got to the top shelf where the canned goods, peanut butter, and bread are and he finally shook his head yes when I pointed to the BREAD! I was like, "oh, no, you don't want a slice of bread", but he did! The even weirder thing was that he ate the edges all around the slice and left the center... you know, the crust, the part that most children have their mamas cut off? Yes, that is what he ate, and left the center sitting on the coffee table. Strange.

Today is the third day he has had a slice of "fre" and he was so happy when we gave it to him tonight.

There is truly no significance of him wanting a slice of bread for a snack, but believe it is note-worthy as he is growing and changing so quickly. What will it be next?

In addition to bread, a few of Lawson's favorite snacks are:

Gold Fish

Cheese Nips

Fruit Snacks

Vanilla wafer cookies

Nilla Wafers

Butter "ring" cookies - the ones you can wear like rings on your fingers

LIFE cereal

Apple Jacks

Cheerios

E***SNOW DAYS A

By Lawson... :)

Baby Emmitt is growing!

Today was our 24 week doctor visit. We were to have an ultrasound prior to seeing Dr. Harpole to check the heart chambers, legs and feet, and upper lip. My medicine has a few common side effects with regard to birth defects and the scan today was to rule out defects in those areas.

He looked just perfect in all concerning areas... his heart was beautifully pumping and all four chambers were functioning properly. Both of his feet had developed normally and she described them just as Lawson's little feet had been described, "this baby has long and skinny feet". And lastly, his lips. Both lips, upper and bottom, appeared to be fully developed and normal.

She was very kind and patient, trying to get a few good shots for us. She said he appeared to be very healthy and growing right on track as I was measuring accurate with my due date, April 30. He currently weighs 1 lb and 6 oz.

His profile looked much more similar to Lawson's today and he was moving like a little wiggle worm. The first several minutes we were in there, he kept his body bent in half with his toes at his forehead... you never know, he might join the circus some day! : )

A few pictures from the ultrasound are posted below. It was very exciting to see him today... God is so beautifully making this baby and for that we are so thankful.


In this 4D image, he has both arms above his head as if he was strerching... you can see his little elbow on the right side of the image. His face looks kind of scary, but he is ok - he does have eyes.

Here is a new profile shot... looks similar to Lawson.

Here is the circus shot... She labeled his leg in the image. The tips of his toes were at his forehead. He doesn't get this flexibility from either of us. His Aunt Julie can tumble with the best of them and his Uncle Jim can impressively dive from all diving board heights so he must be inheriting this characteristic from them. Ha!

That's all for now. We will not get to see his pretty face again until we welcome him into the world. We will continue to pray for his perfect and healthy development and trust that our prayers are being answered.

We love you, Baby Emmitt!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! We've had a great day and I must say that it is probably the most relaxing New Year's Day we've ever had. I am hoping that "relaxing" will describe our 2010!

Yeah, right! A second baby, 23 months younger than the first... relaxing it won't be. And that's ok, because we are very excited! We are looking forward to the year and all that God has planned for us!

It has been a very cold day today and we've been in our pajamas most of the day. Lawson didn't go to sleep last night until 11:00 so he slept until 8:00 this morning which was very nice. Russ stirred up some sausage balls for breakfast this morning and Lawson loves to eat sausage balls, or just "balls" as he calls them! : )

Here he is sitting and watching them cook.


After breakfast, we played, watched Elmo, watched the parade, watched football, watched Elmo some more and then we decided to go for a quick ride around the countryside... we needed to get out of the house! Lawson took a nap and Russ and I got a milkshake at Chick-fil-a so it was well worth the trip.

Around 3:00, we ate our typical New Year's Day lunch. Russ and I have been cooking this same meal each year that we've been married except for one and we were traveling back to North Dakota, and I must say that this year was the best yet! I suppose after six years you get it right! We don't cook this combination at any other time of the year.

So for lunch/dinner, we had battered bacon, a Russ specialty, homemade macaroni-and-cheese, southern seasoned black eyed peas, fried cabbage, and homemade sweet cornbread, along with sweet tea! It was yummy!!!!

Even Lawson enjoyed his New Year's lunch... in his PJs!

May God bless each of you and your families as He has ours.

Much love, peace, and happiness in 2010!

Christmas Memories 2009

Over the holiday season, we made many Christmas memories. Here are a few from both here at home as well as from the time we spent in Martin.


Our Christmas tree...

Lawson's school had their Christmas program and this year's program fell on a night when Russ had to be out of town for a meeting so both my mom and dad came up to be with us for the special night. I was very excited about having them here. We went to dinner at the Cracker Barrell before the program and Lawson was dressed and as handsome as could be.

We arrived at the church and he began to cry as he thought we were leaving him just like the daily routine, although it was night and Nana and Daddy Bell were with us. He started crying and he didn't stop until it was all over! The first picture is the only one I took from the program and it is terrible. He was screaming. He is on the far right of the picture - head thrown back.

His cheeks are still rosy after the program...

Mom took this of us in front of a tree in the foyer of the church; he still wasn't very happy. And to give him a break, his normal bedtime is 7:30 and the program started at 7:00, so he was tired as were all the other little ones there.

While we were in Martin, Lawson figured out how to raise and lower the feet of the recliner. He did this tirelessly for about five minutes as he helped Granny exercise her legs. : ) They both enjoyed this very much!

Raise those feet, Granny!

Now, let's put them back down!

And with regard to Granny... Lawson officially calls her "rnee". : ) He loves you, Granny!

Always time for a little R&R with dad...

Lawson loved the Christmas ornaments and did no harm as he touched, hit, and pulled on many of them!

Santa Lawson

A good ole' "lap nap" with Granddad...

He LOVES headphones and music!!

If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it! :)

Thanks for the MP3 player Grandmother and Granddad!

Lawson also loves Elmo! He received an Elmo Live from Grandmother and Granddad and he has had a lot of fun playing with him!

Grandmother and Granddad gave Lawson some foam wooden blocks... if that makes any sense. Anyway, they are foam blocks made to look like wood and they are really cool. As you can see, I was having lots of fun with them.

This is my favorite up-right building... I made another one, but didn't have the camera. Oh, well. : )

Having spent 5 days in Martin, we had time to visit a few close friends.

Below is Lawson playing with Grant. Mary Kate was also there, but it was very "busy" and I didn't get any other shots. They were so cute!

On Sunday night, we went to Dresden to visit Ben, Jennifer and Miller, Tate, and Tyler. It was also busy with 4 boys, but we enjoyed Pizza Hut pizza and had a little more time to play and talk.
Lawson is playing tractors with Tate and Tyler.

Miller is an awesome singer and musician on the guitar! He sang Take You for a Ride on my Big Green Tractor! over and over again and did a great job on stage! Lawson and Tate were his back-up dancers. It was great!

Miller, Lawson, and Tate...

I believe that wraps up the Christmas 2009 memories for now! It was great... we are thankful for each memory that was made!