Christmas

Christmas was just as busy as every year, but I enjoyed watching the children even more than last year. Especially Jasmine, as I wrote in my last post. She is so enthusiastic about everything.

They are thoroughly enjoying their presents from everyone, which included games, puzzles, trains, cars, umbrella, purses, jewelry, clothes and various other things. It looks like it's time to reorganize their bedroom now. :)

Josh surprised me with my Christmas/Anniversary present in a note on my pillow. We're going to New Orleans for a weekend in January! I've been looking up restaurants and museums to see while we're there.

It should be a fun weekend! :)

Shopping with Jasmine

Jasmine and I went shopping today. She is an excellent little shopper...far better than her mother. I suppose on the "shopping scale" (that only exists in my brain), she's your average girl. I, however, sit on the lower end of that scale. I sit pretty close to where your average male would be. I DO take spurts of "shopping madness", but after about 2 hours of walking around, I'm over it. I like to go get what I have on my list to buy or look for and then I'm done. I used to love shopping when I was a teen. I'm not sure what happened between then and now, unless perhaps it's the 3 (really 4) kids I now have. Children do tend to make things more exciting on a shopping trip, but also longer...and this inhibits my ability to get in and out at a fast pace and be done.

For example, today is the Saturday BEFORE Christmas. I had to do some last minute Christmas shopping, which is unfortunate in and of itself because I hate waiting this long to finish. I knew Mobile would be busy. I tried to prepare myself for horrendous crowds and parking. I also tried to prepare Jasmine for the continual hand holding she would have to endure because of said crowds. She obediently complied, without complaint I might add. She enjoyed EVERYTHING. She loves Christmas lights. She loves balloons. She loves rocking horses. She loves wind chimes. She loves candy. She loves trains and carousels and jewelry and nail polish and every little thing we went by. She talked and pointed and touched and exclaimed to her hearts content all day long. It was a long trip...a long day...but I'd do it again. I love to see the wonder and excitement on her face over everything. All the world is a new experience to her and it's such fun to watch. :)

Updates!

My blog posts have been...well...non-existent. Life has still gone on, however, in spite of whether I wrote something down or not. Funny how that works isn't it? :)

So, even though it has been 4 months since I posted, I haven't a ton of information to post. Generally speaking, things are pretty routine around here.

1. We bought a milk goat, so that little chore has been added to my mornings. I really couldn't ask for a better goat. Jasmine helps me milk her sometimes and she thinks that is quite the noteworthy accomplishment.

2. I am expecting our fourth child. I'm at the 16 week mark now and due April 23rd. We have decided not to find out the gender this time, so I think it will be pretty exciting to find out the day of delivery.

3. Over the Summer, I took the children to the library for the first time and got a library card. It's their new favorite place to go! They all love books, and the idea of getting new ones every week or so is like Christmas.

4. I painted the kid's bathroom with very pleasing results. I just started our bedroom. After looking at the same colors for almost 10 years, I couldn't take it anymore. It's taking a bit longer than I prefer, but the results are good thus far. I intend to paint my bathroom as well, but after my bedroom is done I may be sick of painting entirely. :)

5. Jasmine is excited about putting up our Christmas tree this year. I keep reminding her that we won't get to put it up until AFTER Thanksgiving is over. She picked out a new ornament for everyone, which she found quite exciting. I have to say, she picked the ornaments with the MOST glitter I have ever seen! I'm sure my carpet will be nice and shiny this year.

6. It has been my intention since sometime last year to try my hand at making bread and rolls. A friend just posted an easy recipe on her blog for some rolls, and I am planning on giving that a try in the next week or so. I am writing it here, in hopes that I won't put it off any longer. :D Maybe they will turn out as good as hers did!

That's all for now, maybe my next post won't be four months away. ;)

Cake pictures

These are the pictures I promised LAST month from Jasmine's birthday that was in MAY. Okay, so I'm a little behind....forgive me.

4th of July and Mini Vacation

We spent the evening of the 4th of July with some friends in Chatom, AL and the kids got to see their first fireworks show and magic show. I have to say, they LOVED it! :) Gabe, who did NOT want to sit down to watch the magic show when it started, decided that he loved that the best out of everything. He wanted to watch all three performances even though all the tricks were the same.

On Monday, we left for Jackson. We stayed overnight in a hotel and went to the Jackson Zoo on Tuesday. It was cloudy and looked like rain, but held off until after lunch. I was thankful because it wasn't so hot you couldn't stand to be outside. Another plus was that there were very few people visiting the zoo that day, so the kids could run ahead a little and play. They weren't able to ride the train, which they were disappointed over, but the nice man running the carousel let them ride twice. They enjoyed that.

We also toured the Old Capitol Museum. I had visited there before quite a few years ago, but they have renovated since then. I love museums and Josh loves anything historical, so we really enjoyed it, even with chasing three kids. :)

It was a nice mini vacation, and the first we've ever had. The entire weekend was full of "Firsts" and we made some nice memories!

Here and There

The weddings were BEAUTIFUL! I think everybody is breathing much easier now that it's all over and the memories are made. :)

It has been HOT around here! Wow, I remember about this time every year why I prefer the Fall season. I resorted to getting in the the the kiddie pool with all three of my little fish just last week. They thought it was funny that Mama wanted to play in their pool.

Today is Josh's birthday! He is the big 3-0! I believe he is in mourning over the loss of his twenties but I'm sure he'll survive.

Summer Happenings!

I didn't forget about posting pictures of the cake I made for Jasmine's birthday. I just haven't put the pictures on the computer yet. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have probably already looked at the one that I took with my phone after I finished it. For everyone else, I am getting to it. :D

I have been babysitting my best friend's milk goat, Valerie, while she is out of town. It has been a learning experience milking Valerie every morning, but I have to say that she is the BEST milk goat! It took a day or so for her to adjust to a new environment and a less than experienced milker like myself, but she has been just fine. It's nice to get some fresh milk out of the deal too! She will go home soon, but I think I might get to babysit her again. :)

Summer heat is definitely upon us! The humidity has been absolutely horrid over the past few days. I am SO terribly sorry for the people who work out in it all day long. My milking adventures have been rather unpleasant as far as the heat goes. Being sticky and wet with sweat when handling a goat isn't a very good combination I must say. :)

Marshall made his PaPa(my dad) a very happy man last week. He finally said "PaPa" and pointed to his picture. My dad just "happened" to be down this way and stopped by to bring M&M's to the children and get a hug and kiss that evening. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything in the world!

I have one wedding left to attend (that I know of!) for the Summer. It will be this Saturday. I have the privilege of directing this one, so it should be an eventful weekend! Weddings are exciting. :D

That's all for now! I'll try to get those pictures up soon. :)

Excuses, excuses!

Yes, yes, I know. I shouldn't even have a blog if I'm not going to update it. Does it count if I say I've thought about updating it? I've even clicked on "new post" but never finished. Wait...no...that makes it worse doesn't it....forget I said that.

Well, I'm here now! :)

We've been busy around here, not necessarily with anything exciting and new, but busy just the same.

Marshall is going wherever he wants these days. He loves to be outside and thoroughly enjoys the little swimming pool we have. Jasmine is also a fan. Gabe's love of the water is growing but it hasn't yet reached the level of his sister, who I believe is part fish.

Jasmine still loves to help me cook. Actually, she loves to help me do just about everything. She's at such a fun age now. Speaking of that, she'll be three on Sunday. I feel just a little sad with each birthday because it seems like time is getting away from me. I know they have to grow up though...I just wish it wasn't so fast. :)

I am attempting to make Jasmine's birthday cake. It's supposed to be a castle. We'll see how well that turns out. If it isn't too shameful, I'll post pictures.

As I said before, she loves to help me make things. I made some dip the other day that required me to take off my rings since I was mixing with my hands. I wear a plastic type ring guard on one of my rings because it's too big. I put it on the microwave while I mixed, and I remember Jasmine asking if she could hold it. I told her she could, but she needed to put it back on the microwave when she got done. I made the dip and forgot about the ring, which isn't uncommon considering that I forget things constantly. :)
Later on, I was going to reheat some chicken in the microwave for my lunch. I popped the plate in, turned it on and waited. Upon opening the door, the smell that overtook my nose was horrible. I was thinking how horrid that chicken was going to taste, when I spied my ring in the back corner of the microwave. Yes, folks, she put my ring IN the microwave instead of ON it. The ring is fine, but the guard was melted completely. Unfortunately, that was the only guard I had that made the ring fit correctly. Oh well...:)

I have many busy weeks ahead! Next weekend I have the honor of singing in my cousin's wedding. Canning season begins immediately after that and will last until sometime in July.
I also have another wedding in June that I am privileged to help with. Things should be full speed ahead for quite awhile! I guess I can use all of that as an excuse if I don't make it back for another update any time soon. :)

Walking At Last!

Marshall is FINALLY taking steps on his own. I don't even have to coax him into it! He looks quite proud of himself when he takes a few steps. I think he has finally discovered that walking might be fun and gives the world a new perspective. He will be 15 months old this month. Out of all three of my kids, that puts him as the late bloomer in the walking department. I've always found it interesting how each child does things at a different speed. He's sure to have a good time this summer with his new skills! :)

New Adventures

Well, our milk goat finally had her kid yesterday! This means, I get to start the adventure of milking her every day. I'm planning to start tomorrow. I may have lots of mishaps to report...we shall see. Susie is a sweet goat, so hopefully things will progress smoothly for both of us! :)

Four

Gabe just turned four on Friday. There's just something about turning four that is so different! I'm not sure if it's because school is looming before me or if it's just because I feel like he's out of the baby stage now and really growing into a little boy. It's kinda sad but exciting all at the same time.
I've tried not to get too sappy about it, but sometimes it's hard. It's hard to look back on the day they laid him on my chest for the first time and look at him now and see that it's really the same child. Such big changes take place in such a short amount of time! He sure keeps things exciting around here!
I love you Gabriel Isaiah! I can't wait to see who you will become! :)

Making Memories

Gabe looks SO comical!
Jasmine was shouting "cheese!".









Marshall has thoroughly enjoyed this balloon from
his birthday party last week.









I only wish it had been the newspaper she was reading!








Marshall was trying to walk down the hall without letting go of the wall.

Unfurled

It's 12:30 a.m. I don't normally write this late, but I felt I had to get this down somewhere.:)

I was in bed just now, and I was thinking of how I want to be open with God. I had this lovely image of a flower all closed in on itself, but as it was watered with rain and as the bright sun shone on it, the petals began to unfurl and spread themselves open. Each petal spread itself as far as it could possibly go, offering everything it had for the world to see.
I feel myself longing to be like that flower. As God rains Himself down on me, I want to open myself up so that every part of me is exposed to His light. I want to be transparent, so the world can see what God has to offer by looking at my life. I want to feel His warmth and His rain. I want to glisten with His glory like the flowers glisten with dew in the morning light. How awesome it must be to have the Son shine down on you like that! That's my goal. That's what I'm running after. :)

A Big Day For Marshall!

I remember waking up early one year ago feeling pain but not feeling sure if it was time or just a false alarm. I got up and moved around a bit putting things in my bag because I guess I really did know that day was the big day. The pains quickly became increasingly uncomfortable, and I knew that I had to wake Josh up if I wanted to make it to the hospital in time for the doctor to deliver the baby. My track record has been increasingly shorter labor times with each child.
I did deliver at the hospital very soon after arriving. Labor and delivery lasted 3-1/2 hours and my sweet Marshall was born. I never thought my heart could expand with love as much as it did the moment I saw him. For anyone who wonders how you can ever have enough love for another child--don't worry. Your heart has the capacity to expand beyond all limits the moment you lay eyes on your child. I know, it happened to me. ;)

Happy Birthday 1st Marshall Hunter!
Mama loves you so very much! :)

New things in the Bradley house!

Jasmine is in the process of potty training! It will be SO nice to have only one child in diapers!
She enjoys the praise she gets when she goes, so I really hope she will be quicker to catch on than Gabe. I'm still thanking God every day that Gabe is finally trained! :D






Marshall discovered it was a lot of fun to play in the cabinet with my pots and pans. :)








Marshall has learned to climb!
This is where I found him one day when I walked back into the living room. I'm very surprised he hasn't learned to climb out of his baby bed yet. I'm sure that is coming soon. :)

The New Year

I have no resolutions for the year 2010. Why? Because I am much like everyone else, and I make them and then break them. I celebrated New Year's with sick children. Marshall and Jasmine have a nasty cold. Yuck!

Our temperatures are heading back down! It's going to be in the 20's for the next few nights. That's cold to me!!! I haven't any desire to experience anything colder. ;)

Since the children are sick, I haven't been outside all week for any proper length of time. I have to do my weekly grocery shopping tomorrow, so I might actually enjoy it this week! I didn't go shopping last week, so my list has grown quite large.

Josh and I will celebrate our 8 year wedding anniversary on January 5th. We plan to celebrate next weekend. I just realized last night that my mom and dad will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year! They celebrate their day on the 4th. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I'm off to tend to the sick ones....

Happy New Year everybody!