Trip to the Balimore Zoo....

4 moms and 8 kids (under the age of 4)....could be a recipe for disaster, but we had a great time and everyone behaved really well....we had a lot of fun. braydon liked the elephants (which we got to see the baby one..sooo cute), and brielle really liked the zebras.....

atop the lion at the entry....
brielle was very happy to be standing next to Josh (for those of you who have heard her...this is one of the names she says most often...she loves Josh) :)...her first crush.
the giraffe's were out and ready to mingle...
brushing the babies...
looking for something...

trip to michigan...

we headed to michigan for mother's day weekend....
it was still a bit chilly..but we had a fun time seeing family and friends, and getting to enjoy the tail end of Tulip Time....the flowers looked great this year. i had a chance to run in the River Bank run with Jodie, Braydon had a great time playing with Quinn..they got into some mischief together...and then we also got together with the miller family for a night. we were able to see all the grandparents...and by the end of the weekend...brielle was saying, "amma" and "ampa"....very good! My kids also had the opportunity to meet my grandma who was visiting from Florida while we were there...it was great!

about 6 weeks from now...we head to Michigan for the month of July....we are excited to see family and friends again...along with all those cousins!!!!

Mothers Day 2008 (brielle 18mos) (braydon ~3 1/2)
braydon and quinn....(those smiles....behind them is a lot of fun mischief) four generations (great grandma garde, grandma kidder, me, and Brielle)
grandpa and grandma kidder, and great grandma
family pic, May 11th 2008
jodie w/tobin and megan w/olivia

just beautiful!
cheese!
smelling the tulips
more beauty!
checking out the tulips

her first popsicle...and braydon's new trick.......

laundry......

how come know one ever prepares you for the amount of laundry you will do once you have a family? seriously...i just never had any idea when i was younger the amount of laundry that one family can come up with....and, it is not the part about getting it into the machine that gets me, or even the folding of it after it has dried (although i have left many a load in the dryer for a few days), but...it is the putting it away. i feel like i am constantly grabbing my kids clothes for the day from a pile in my room, or their room....but never from their closet. Maybe we will start a system of only doing laundry on assigned days....will that help? i guess it is worth a try. okay..time to go, lots of laundry to do.. :)

13.1 MILES!

Well...I did it! after 3 months of 5am weekday workouts, and early Saturday morning long runs...i ran my first Half Marathon on Sunday in Frederick, Maryland. I finished ahead of my goal at 2 hours and 6 minutes (about 9:35 minutes per mile) and I ran the entire thing! I am very proud of myself, and have to say that I did enjoy myself and will do it again...maybe even as early as this fall.

Thanks Brett for getting up so early with me (we left the house at 4:30am..race started at 6:30am) and taking the pictures, and being so supportive through the whole thing!

When I brought my medal home....Braydon looked at me and said, "thanks for running the race for me and getting me this medal" no problem braydon. :)

minutes before start...attaching my bib number. (6:20am)
Start: 6:30am
running through the start and handing brett my long sleeve shirt....
he met me at the five mile mark...i was still smiling!
Starbucks....brett enjoyed a cup of coffee and the paper..
(love you honey....thanks for getting up so early with me)
and...still smiling and ALL DONE!!!! 2 hours and 6 minutes!!!!
i really did enjoy it, and will do it again...
with medal and outside Finish line..
thanks Brett for the support, and belief that I could do this, even when i started to question...i did it!

where did you learn that? :)

Brett took Braydon to see Walking with Dinosaurs this morning...they both loved it! said it was very real, loud, exciting, and interesting to watch. But, the point of the entry to the blog...as they were driving down there...Brett turned around to say something, and Braydon had his eyes crossed..yep....just a giggling away at his new trick, especially when daddy asked him where he learned to do such a thing. Still giggling, and still practicing his new trick....amazing...remember when you learned how to do that, Braydon giggled again when I did it right back to him! They grow up so fast.....

(braydon also managed to respond to brett today with, "it's okay, you ol' Chap")

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS (4/26).....and other pics....

Outside the B&O Railroad Museum, in Baltimore, MD
THOMAS!!!!!!
Brielle glady posed with Thomas....(she even says thomas now) :)
family photo..so difficult to get both kids looking at the camera, so...the better picture is them both looking away from the camera...and at Thomas
driving the wooden train
comparing tattoos check out my new hat
posing next to an old train..
braydon, brett and thomas

her first ever scraped knee!!! (since this pic..the other knee is scraped as well!)

cool! or dorky? hmmm...check out the flip flops!
loves her sunglasses
who says it has to rain to wear rain boots
hunting! with his nerf set...
like my glasses?

braydon's response to my question...

so....
somehow braydon and I got to talking today about babies....i asked him if he thought mommy should have another baby (no..no news....just a conversation), and he thought for a moment and then looked at me with a very serious face and said, "i just don't think that would be a very good idea, I don't really want another brielle around, it makes me kinda nervous"....

hmmm...the insight of a three year old!

We think Spring is finally here!

Outdoor play, parks, bikes, swings, daily baths needed due to childs need to play in dirt, sunshine....all things we like about spring!
We have been spending a lot of time outside.....which means i neglected the blog...but here is lots of pics!
Brielle is starting to talk a lot more...she is changing fast and is definately no longer our baby...she is a toddler with attitude and joy! Braydon's imagination is amazing and i love to listen to his play and the things he makes up.....we have been having fun!

The next few weeks are no slower....we have company coming next weekend, along with DAY OUT WITH THOMAS, and then the next weekend Brett and Braydon will be going to the show "Walking with Dinosaurs" (looks really neat), and I will be running my first ever Half Marathon on May 4th.....wish me luck! and then we head to Michigan for a long weekend!

BATMAN
checking his reflection in the car...
just a playing..
time for some outdoor play.....running to the swings!

yup..she is a climber...does this all by herself..and then
down the slide! oh..they grow so fast
what a picture? batman and his sister, "robin"
happy batman....(he wore this costume all day, and pretended to be on adventures looking for the bad guys....
attempting to ride her brother's big wheel
nice face Brielle!
down the slide he goes..
working with daddy under the fort to measure how much wood they need to make a deck..
survivor Brielle!
up and over the wall...

finally..nice weather, and lunch outside during playgroup..
Ben!
Ben loving Maggie....good girl maggie...
oh, this look says, "daddy...you are in trouble!"
caught in the act....
big wheel time..
another one of Brielle's great looks...
i just liked this picture with her hands in the pocket...my little girl is getting so big..
trying on Braydon's swim goggles..
hmmm, caught playing together at the top of the stairs.
this is what happens when we say "no" to the swings...
trying to bring john deere into the house..
helping daddy with the mulch
more help..
time to use the wheelbarrow..