Braden's Pearly Whites. . .

Braden Before the dentist. . . Braden after the Dentist. . .

As many of you know, Braden injured his front tooth over a year and a half ago and essentially, the tooth "died". We were so glad that it didn't fall out, we didn't give much thought to the darkness of the tooth. It never seemed to bother him anyway. Well, this week we went to the dentist for his first tooth cleaning (yes we are a few months behind), and lo and behold, the hygienist said there was something they could do about it! I had no idea! They got us in right then and there for the "procedure" which was nothing more than some play doh type substance applied to his tooth and Voila!! A white (er) tooth! He was all smiles afterwards! It was an exciting day!

Waddill Summer News

We are doing well. We have had a great summer (although I didn’t know I would ever survive at first!). We started out the summer with Briley “graduating” from preschool. I actually cried! She will be starting Kindergarten in just a couple of weeks. She will go from 8 to 3 every day, right here in our neighborhood. This will be a big change for her and for our family, but we are excited for her. She is already reading very well, so I would say she is definitely ready! We went shopping and picked out her backpack and school supplies, and she is all ready to go. I am not sure who enjoyed that more, Mom or daughter! Of course we don’t exactly need to pull out the fall clothes yet since it is still 98 degrees and feels like 104!

Blake started out the summer learning to walk and now he is a pro! He climbs on top of everything and goes up and down stairs like a champ. He is a very active toddler and also a very loud one! He is talking up a storm, although we can’t understand most of it! He really enjoys making his brother and sister laugh and is becoming quite a ham. He is a very happy baby and a joy to be around (most of the time).

Braden is doing great and especially in the pool! He learned to swim this summer with the help of Coach Dad and lots of practice, and loves to go to the pool. He loves to do anything active and doesn’t mind breaking a sweat, which is most of the time! He finally got a big bed and is loving it. He makes his bed every morning without being asked! He was in a toddler bed up until a few weeks ago and could barely fit in it! We went ahead and got bunk beds, but he is just sleeping on the twin until Blake gets a little bigger. We tried moving him into Blake’s room but Blake woke up at 5 am and wanted to talk and play, so that didn’t last. He and Briley will continue sharing a room for a while longer!

Our family enjoyed a trip to Nashville to visit my family and play with cousins in July. We flew and they did great. The kids LOVE to go on the airplane. After we got home, Braden kept asking to go back on an airplane. Little did he know how much it costs! After Nashville, we got to go to the Waddill Waterloo, AKA, Doug’s parents’ lakehouse on Lake LBJ in Kingsland, TX. We had a wonderful time relaxing, taking boat rides, playing games, going swimming, seeing Granny, taking naps, and entertaining ourselves with one small container of toys and NO TV!!! I know, it is a shocker but we survived. I will admit that Doug and I did watch a movie one night on the laptop though! (Did you expect us to go that long without a movie???) After we got back, Braden kept asking if we could go to the lake. He just LOVES the lake.

The kids and I just returned from visiting my college friend Carrie in New Orleans and yes, I survived a road trip with all three of them! We did have one set back as my van died on the side of I 12 but it just gave us an excuse to stay a day longer and get a new alternator to boot. So now it is back to being at home for the last few days of summer. . .

"Wheee!"

Our "Queen"!

We love you all and miss you. Hope all is well with you and come see us soon!

A Weekend with Friends!

We got to visit Carrie and Earle Brown in Mandeville, Lousianna. We didn't make it to New Orleans, but we did manage to get some beignets at Cafe Du Monde's satellite store! Yummy! The kids had a blast playing on the swing set, going to the park, watching Noggin, and playing with water balloons and sprinklers. The boys flew around the whole weekend as Superman with the cape in tow and by Sunday afternoon, had played so hard that Braden was begging to take a nap! Briley hung with the boys well even though there were no girl dress up clothes - we improvised with some old lingerie (she has no idea:) and she loved it. It was so good to get away and see old friends - I love it when you pick up as if you never left. Carrie and I went to college together, then moved to Houston together, and in January 2005, they moved to the St. Louis area. Last August Earle relocated to New Orleans and we are hoping the next stop on their career map will be back to Houston! But at least Lousianna is closer than St. Louis! Thanks for everything Carrie and Earle! And yes, your food really WAS THAT GOOD!

P.S. Did I mention that I actually played "guitar hero"? If you don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky! HA!

Happy Birthday Blake! The big "1"!

Blake had his first birthday but I guess it was too close to bedtime, because he was not that excited about the cake! He does love the singing, though! He got a ball and hammer set for his birthday and immediately wanted to put the entire ball into his mouth. It was very funny to watch and he then began to "ham" it up! It has been a busy and wonderful year, but I have to say I am glad we are through it!

Here are the kiddoes at Easter, too. All in the same weekend, but it was great!