The countdown is on...

only 6 more days till my due date! Wow, where has this time gone? It seems like ages ago that it was that January evening when Austin and I found out I was expecting another child. These past 9 months have been so dear to me and as we close the door on this chapter of our lives and jump into the next chapter, I find it all very sentimental. Each time we sit down to eat, I find myself wondering, is this the last time we will eat together as a family of three, or each time I read stories to Braden before bed, I wonder if this is the last time I'll have to squeeze him on my lap as my oh so pregnant stomach threatens to push him off. I find myself reaching back to hold his sweet little hand in the car, hoping, praying that when little man arrives in just a few short days that Braden will know how much we love him and how special he is to us. I know this will be such an adjustment for him and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous about it. However, I cannot wait to hold my new son in my arms and I cannot wait to see what he looks like, to know his unique personality and to see in what ways this new child will richly add to our lives. I just pray Lord that you will bind these boys together, that their friendship will run deep, that they will walk beside each other, encourage each other and support each other throughout the rest of their lives. What a beautiful thing to have a brother to journey through life with...

Here is Braden as we read stories under his "tent" the other day -

"Chattanoona"

Several weeks ago, Austin, Braden and I took a quick trip to Chattanooga or "Chattanoona" as Braden says for a little last minute trip as a family of three. We had such a great time enjoying Braden as he enjoyed the aquarium and the children's museum. He had a blast and it was such a special time for us before our little family changes and welcomes baby boy #2 any day now. Chattanooga is a great place to visit with kids (in fact I was a little jealous of all they have to do)...we plan to definitely go back again as a family of four. Here are some pictures of our little trip:

Braden playing at the water station in the children's museum...this was the first exhibit we saw when we got there and Austin and I didn't think we'd ever see the rest of the museum b/c Braden had so much fun splashing -
Okay so if you haven't stayed in a hotel recently with your kids, I'll go ahead and let you know that the cribs they have are TINY...I mean Braden could barely even fit in it...so we decided to put him in bed with us for the night. Austin and I don't do this at home, so it was such a treat to have him snuggled so tightly all night...although I don't think either one of us slept much b/c Braden slept with his feet near our head all night and every time he moved, we both woke up. Still it was well worth it. Here he is snuggled with Austin watching cartoons the next morning -
Playing in the fountains outside of the aquarium...thanks Ashley for the heads up about bringing a change of clothes! Braden was soaking wet only 5 minutes after we arrived at the aquarium -
Braden stomping in the shark cage. He LOVED looking at the sharks -
This picture just cracks me up...Braden's little legs are so long. I'm pretty sure he was looking for a shark here - Taking a little break while Momma has contractions -
My sweet boys -

Braden's first day of school...

Braden had his first day of school yesterday and although I had a really hard time letting him go, his teachers tell me he did great. He even took a nap at school which is shocking to me considering my little guy is so attached to his crib. He was most excited about his "Lightning McQueen" lunchbox and the fact that his stuffed animals Moo and Puppy got to go to school with him. When I went to pick him up, he was so proud of his little craft he made at school. We hung it on the fridge and today, he kept pointing to it with a big smile on his face, telling me that he made that at school. I have to say that although the tears definitely flowed for me yesterday (okay really all last week), it was really nice having some time to get some stuff done...especially before little man makes his appearance in 3 weeks or less. I'm just so happy Braden had such a good first day...to celebrate I took him on a little date to go get some ice cream after I picked him up. I love those special dates when it's just the two of us. Here are some pictures of my little man's first day:

Showing off his lunchbox -

Braden's Second Birthday

Okay so I know I'm a month late with posting these pictures, but better late than never. With only 5 weeks to go in this pregnancy, I'm starting to feel exhausted and worn down and haven't had as much time to keep up with my blog. With that said Braden had a great second birthday. We spent the morning at the fire station touring the firetrucks and then came back and grilled out with our families. We finished the day off with a Cars cake (Braden's favorite movie these days) and ice cream. He still talks about that part of his birthday!! On his actual birthday, I took Braden to the zoo to spend some time together. He did get his first bee sting when we were looking at the elephants and he too still talks about that part of his birthday :) Here are some pictures of my little guy's big day:

A family photo before we got to the fire station -
Showing Poppa how big the fire trucks are -
Feeling very prego -
Austin getting geared up in his fire fighting suit...Braden did not like this at all!!!
Testing out the hose -
And getting wet -
Driving the truck with Austin -
Braden looks so little in that big truck -
All the crew eating...it was super chilly (for July) on this particular day...the high was only in the mid-70's. A perfect day for a cookout -
My sweet birthday boy -
Excited about all the presents -
Playing with his "dig dig" from Poppa and Toto -

The Cars cake...Braden loved it and still plays with the Mater and Lightning McQueen from this cake. In fact since then Lightning's sticker eyes have rubbed off and now Braden calls him "sleeping Lightning."
Tasting the cake -
And offering some to Mommy -

Opening presents from Austin and I -
Playing with all of his toys -
On Braden's actual birthday I made him pancakes in the shape of a 2...here he is helping me make them. He cooks a lot with me these days and I love having those memories together -
And enjoying the finished product -
Happy Birthday sweet boy!!!

ABC's

Braden's new favorite song....here it is in action! I love this little guy...he brings such a joy to my life even during the mundane things we do together like eating lunch.

Is it possible...

that on Monday my baby will be 2? How has time gone by so quickly? As we are only about 11 weeks out from welcoming a new little boy into the world, I find myself trying desperately to hold on to every moment with Braden. Sure there are days when I find myself restless and uninterested in driving cars around or in reading stories about "dig digs" (Braden's word for bulldozers) for the tenth time in a row, but I realize that my one-on-one time with Braden is growing short and in just a few weeks he will start mother's day out and in a few weeks after that we will have a new little one and my day-in and-day-out time alone with this precious child will be gone. So I'm trying to slow down and take in the memories of this summer as we sit and draw trucks on the sidewalks with sidewalk chalk, to remember the joy on Braden's face as we almost daily walk to the construction site at the end of our street and look at the bulldozers, or swing the baseball bat in the backyard or hide toys in the sandbox ...trying to cherish my sweet baby as he cuddles in my lap for our daily reading of Clifford, Curious George and Nursery Rhyme books or as he follows me around the house and we mop and sweep the floors together. I want to remember his sweet voice as he sings "Bob the Builder" a hundred times a day or "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" which has become his new favorite. I want the memories of wrestling on the bed and the sound of his laughter as we play chase thru the house to be burned in my mind forever because I realize that my baby is becoming a little boy more and more with every passing day. As we are starting to enter the "Brady do it" phase and Braden is becoming more and more interested in claiming his independence, I realize that this time where he wants to be around Austin and I all the time is also limited. One day the house will grow quiet again, the laundry caught up, the dishes finally done, the children's books will be all back on the shelves, the floors empty of half worked puzzles, blocks and other random toys...and I will miss the sound of my baby's voice as he says "momma" and comes searching thru the house for me or as he sings to himself while he pushes his trucks around. I'll miss the mess, the chaos, the noise...and all I will have are the memories of these precious years at home with my children. I pray that I won't forget to cherish these times and thank God for the gift and blessing of being a mother. Here are some pictures from the summer -

Watching one of his favorite shows, "Tigger and Pooh," -
Cracking up at Tigger -
Helping me make Chocolate Chip Cookies (it was this day that we discovered that Braden is a HUGE fan of chocolate). Let's just say it did not end pretty when I had to take the bowl of chocolate chips away from Braden...

Pool time in the backyard -
Before cooking out with a bunch of friends, Austin and I took Braden down to the 4th of July festival in downtown Franklin. Here is a picture of Braden and I before all the festivities...
Driving cars with Austin at Mellow Mushroom.
Playing at the petting zoo - Let's just say it was so hot this day that even the chickens were panting -
Braden's favorite place to ride is on daddy's shoulders. It's really sweet because he always leans over and kisses the top of Austin's head while he is up there.
A few weeks ago I got the itch to mop the kitchen floors while Braden was awake. Not sure what I was thinking...the kitchen was COVERED in water by the time I was done, but he had a great time so it was totally worth the mess.
Playing with Coach a few weeks ago -
Braden's best buddy -

I went in to check on Braden one afternoon during his nap and found him like this...everything he owned was piled up underneath him in the crib.
And this one is one afternoon when Braden was running a low fever and passed out on my bed. We both took a nap that day -
And last, we pulled out Braden's old car seat the other day to start our preparations for baby #2 and Braden apparently thought it was for him. It's so weird to see him in there now because he looks so big!!!

Bob the Builder

So the other day I decided it was well past time for Braden to have another haircut and I had the grand idea of cutting it myself. Now you who have been around toddlers, know that they do not sit still for anything, so I strapped Braden into his portable highchair, put a pile full of snacks on his tray and turned on his favorite show "Bob the Builder," and this is what I got...him dancing to the theme song.