M-E-S-S!!!!

I often wonder if Braidy will grow up thinking his name is "A MESS"...because no fewer than 20 times a day, I tell him "you're a mess!". Thankfully he knows his name is "Baydee Penser" but still.

This weekend when Uncle Bob was in town, he was talking about what Ryan was like as a little boy. He said if Ryan was quiet for more than 5 minutes, they knew he was up to NO GOOD. Braidy is little Ryan. When this child goes quiet, you better run. Fast.

And really, he's just happier when he's a mess. He loves ice cream, but I think it's more for the "fun" of eating it and getting it all over him. Same goes for just about anything. He's always been a mess, and probably always will be! I sure do love that mess of a boy though. He keeps us laughing!

Our most recent "challenge" is that he has figured out that he can drag a chair from the table over to the kitchen so that he has access to all cabinets, sinks, drawers, etc. Me and that chair go round and round.

He has found the chocolate milk powder, which was quickly emptied onto a cookie sheet of cresent rolls. He has "cooked" in my skillet with an entire box of Chex cereal. He has played in the sand and dust from when we were getting stone put onto the outside of our house. He has had MANY chocolate pudding instances. And chocolate ice cream. And pumpkin cookies in the car that ended up everywhere but in his mouth (duh, mom!). Just last night he fell asleep with a handful of M&M's and he woke up this morning with M&M's stuck to his jammies, stuck to his sheets, and crumbs everywhere! Oh, I can't wait until he has a son of his own that is a little "Ryan/Braidy"...

I have been collecting these pictures for a while now, and I know there will be more to come, but here are our "MESS" pictures from the last month or so.

Shower of Blessings!

My sweet friends from church threw me a baby shower this past weekend. On the invitation was "shower of blessings" and that is just what it was. So many blessings. Wonderful friends, lots of diapers (which we all know is a huge blessing with a new baby on the way!), cute and fun little boy things, thoughtful details planned to the 't', and so much more. These girls are so special to me and I appreciate the love they showed me and baby Quin for our shower. I love you all! Here are a few pictures from the night!

The hostesses, minus 5

Me, my 34 1/2 week belly, and the goodies!

The spread (can I just tell you that E-life showers are the BOMB...the food is always amazing!)....and check out the precious canvas...3 more to come to spell out Quin's name!

A game we played...we had to guess how many times an entire roll of toilet paper woudl go around me...I guessed 75, the real total? 19. Guess I either think I'm WAY smaller than I am, or that there was WAY more toilet paper on the roll! =)

Baby Bedding....CHECK!

So poor little Quin who has not had ANYTHING done in his room until this week now has the most PRECIOUS baby bedding ever! Our Uncle Bob (really Ryan's uncle, but I totally claim him as my own!) came into town for a week to MAKE Quin's baby bedding. Yes, I said MAKE. He is a man of MANY talents, one being able to sew like crazy. He drove in all the way from Port Allen, LA (by Baton Rouge) on Saturday and will sadly be leaving us early in the morning. We have had a great week with him. He worked pretty much all day (from 8 - 5 or so...sometimes 10!) but we would enjoy spending time with him at night. Braidy could hardly leave him alone during the day, asking at least 35 times a day, "Whatcha doin?" I can't thank him enough for the time, effort and energy he put into making Quin's bedding...definitely a priceless gift he has given us. So, THANK YOU! Thank you Uncle Bob for coming to visit, for spending countless hours at the sewing machine and for making the most perfect bedding for our soon-to-be baby boy! We all love you very much! And, now, here is the bedding, which includes bumper pads, a bedskirt, a blanket, a pillow, and the window treatment....too cute!!!

Fair Time!

September rolls around and what do I get excited about? HUGE FRIED CORNDOGS! mmm. Every year we go at least once to the fair and the food is what gets me all hyped up. Nothing better than fried goodness. This year we went with The Falls (like usual, but minus Neno, Annabelle and Adalyn this year). We ate corndogs, corn on the cob, fried pies, a funnel cake and some yummy lemonade. The kids rode a few rides each, we made it through the petting zoo and that was our fair experience for the year! The next day, yes, 2 days in a row, Braidy and I went back with our playgroup, and I enjoyed another corndog and a fried pie. I was feeling pretty LARGE until I went to my bi-weekly OB appointment and I hadn't gained a single pound since the last appointment. Bring on the corny dogs!

TTU/UT

Despite the yucky outcome of the Tech/UT game on Saturday night, we had a fun fun time. We decided to brave it and take both boys with us to the game. Really they did pretty good, especially once the game actually started. Tailgating was not a huge success, but the game was. Braidy LOVED watching everything going on, and his new favorite thing to say is "Go Tech Go". John liked watching the big guys play football and held his guns up proudly! They definitely had their fill of cotton candy and popcorn, sprite and water. Nice dinner! We lasted until half time (which was the goal) and then I took the boys home while daddy stayed until it was over. I'm sure we'll take them to at least one more game this season...I was very impressed that they both did so well! Go Tech, Go!

Only 2 Wheels!

A couple of weeks ago, John officially mastered riding his bike with no training wheels! Him and daddy had been practicing for quite a while, and suddenly it just clicked! He is a pro now and LOVES riding every night that we can. He can stop and start on his own and is working on turning around while staying on his bike. Good job, Johnny! We are so proud of you!

An apple a day...

Saturday Braidy and I went to the "Apple Butter Festival" out at the apple orchards in Idalou. We've never been before, but when Alisa invited us we were so excited to go see what it was all about! We got there right when it opened and it wasn't too crowded, not too hot, and a fun time! We walked around for a while, visited the petting zoo where we petted a baby piggy, some lambs, and a miniature pony. We "drove" some tractors we found, as that was what Braidy was most excited about, because I told him we'd ride a tractor (hayride). Then we finally ventured to the apple orchards where they were giving hayrides through the apple trees. The hayride was fun and I think the kids liked it. They told us all about the orchard and what apples were where. After the ride we decided to pick some yummy apples! Braidy ate probably 3 whole apples while we were out there. We got some yummy ones and I also bought an apple cake to take home with us (it may or may not already be 3/4 gone...I guess Quin likes apple cake!) We had a great time. By the time we left there were SO many people out there. Hopefully next year they will plan for more so it will be a little less chaotic! It was a fun time and we'll definitely go back next year!