Halloween

I'm behind on posting but determined to get caught up!! Every year we have a group over for pizza and pictures and then trick or treating. It's amazing that some of our kids have been taking these Halloween shots together for 5 years! Time seems to fly by (when you're not pregnant). We had a great time. Amazingly...or maybe not, I didn't get one picture of just my 2 boys together. So they're mixed in with the rest of the kiddos. Forester was Iron Man and Micah was Batman. Slade was a painted pumpkin. ;o)
Our Spider Web Pumpkin



Sweet Bee, Susanna Fortney

Lovely Ladybug, Caroline Fortney
Ella Cow! Sooo cute!
Most of the kiddos for a group shot.
Micah (batman) and Emma (pink tinkerbell)
Susanna showing Joshua some love....
Heading out to get some loot!! Happy Halloween 2008!

Poor me... I don't think so!

Well, Pete is gone again this week. This will be the fourth week in a row that he has had to travel to PA for work. Ever since taking this new job 8 months ago, Pete has been required to travel quite a bit. This has taken some getting used to but I think I'm getting there. I know my attitude about it really stunk back in the spring but I realize now that Pete doesn't enjoy leaving anymore than I like him going. It's just as hard for him. I have to say the hardest part so far is the toll it's begun to take on Forester. He now seems to have at least one bawling crying episode each trip these days. He just misses his Dad and wants him to come home. It breaks my heart and there's nothing I can do about it. I've received a lot of sympathy from those around me who say "it must be so hard, especially while pregnant" or "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't handle it by myself". And though from time to time these comments tempt me to feel sorry for myself, lately God has enlightened me to the truth. I AM BLESSED. I have a husband. My husband has a job. I have 2 healthy kids with one on the way. We have a house to live in and food to eat. We have family close by. How can I even begin to think about feeling sorry for having to do it alone sometimes in light of all that I have been given and blessed with? I don't even know the true meaning of hardship and having a husband who travels certainly doesn't qualify!! Sometimes my circumstances and what I know on a daily basis of being "normal" can be quite sobering and frankly, makes me sick. I am one spoiled rotten American girl who whether I am conscious of it or not thinks I am entitled to certain things just because everyone else around me has it. GROSS! Having Pete gone half the time has allowed this pouty spoiled attitude of entitlement to raise it's ugly head and for that I am thankful. God has revealed it to me and is hopefully purging it and allowing me to see things as they really are. I'm sure I've only seen the tip of the iceberg but it's a start, right? I am beyond blessed and I am thankful!


Oh yes, and did I mention that I think single moms have the hardest job in the world? ;o)

Get ready for the DRAMA...

The most common comment I have received about having a girl is "get ready for the drama". Apparently this seems to be the biggest difference between raising boys and girls...according to those around me. I occasionally get a little dramatic flair from my 6 year old and I can't stand it and hardly have the patience for it. I need to be praying now. Hard. Slade, seems to be embracing this stereotype and has started the drama already. I couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend painting her room an adorable pink. Shortly after I started to have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. I've had these with every pregnancy but not this many. I was up to 23 in one hour. So, I called the doctor who informed I shouldn't be having more than 5 an hour. Uh-oh. She told me to lay down and drink lots of water and come in the next day. Thankfully, I was checked out completely and these contractions don't seem to be doing anything which is good. It is probably a side effect of the high amount of amniotic fluid I'm carrying and the fact that Slade is already a big baby, measuring in the 95 percentile for her gestation. This means I'm measuring 7 weeks ahead. So, I may be 31 weeks but my belly looks like it's 38 weeks. Uh...excuse me, can I get a tummy tuck with my c-section please?? Yikes! All in all, I've been ordered to rest and take it easy. Not an easy task while being a single mom 2 weeks out of the month due to Pete's job. But, we're taking it one day at a time and surviving. I am thankful that Slade is growing and healthy and this drama will end in just 8 weeks. I guess it will be then that the real drama begins...

My New Nephew is Here!

Jack Slade Swaney entered the world on August 27th at 8:06pm. He weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches of ADORABLE!
Katie did such an amazing job. I keep telling her she's my hero and I mean it! She is!! After 2 days of induction, 6 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing, Katie and Steve finally got to meet their first born.
For me, it was a whole new experience which is ironic since I have 2 children. But, I have never been in labor, never had a contraction. Forester was 2 weeks late and they finally had to go get him by c-section since he was so big (9lbs 11oz). Micah was also a scheduled c-section. SO, this was my first time experiencing labor and delivery first hand. Unbelievable and miraculous. I have a new appreciation for all the women who have delivered babies! WOW!
Below are some pictures of my sweet nephew whom I am in love with and miss dearly!

**so you may have figured out by now that Slade is a family name. It's my mother's maiden name. My grandaddy (my mom's dad) was John Thomas Slade but everyone called him "Jack". Jack Slade Swaney is named after him. My daughter's name will be Slade (after my mom's side of the family of course) Katherine - named after my sister, Katie (Katherine).

First Day of First Grade

Forester started first grade this past week. A big milestone for the Bradburn family. Forester was in half day Kindergarten last year so this is the first year of "real" all day school. 8:30-3:00. It seemed like he was gone forever. And poor Micah missed having his brother at home. He kept asking, "Is it time to go get Forester yet"? I think that question started at 10am. Forester on the other hand couldn't wait to get to school and his new class. He came down the stairs at 6:45 completely dressed down to the shoes. If you know my kids, this is not typical! Thankfully he wanted me to walk him into his class everyday this week. Don't know how long that will last but it warmed my heart.

Micah has yet to attend a mothers morning out or preschool program. But, that will change September 4th. He will attend a Christian preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's excited about going to school like his big bro but nervous that it won't be at the same place or the same class. He would choose to be with Forester all the time if he could. I'll let you know how that first day goes...

Update on my sis. Katie is scheduled to be induced on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Yay! So, Jack should arrive no later than Tuesday August 26th! My next post will be pictures of my new nephew!!

It's a GIRL!!

Slade Katherine Bradburn is due to arrive by c-section on December 1st and we couldn't be more excited! Pete had always wanted a daughter so his dream is coming true. I am THRILLED! Hair to play with! If you know me, you know how much I love to mess with hair. But, I promise not to dye Slade's hair before she's a tweenager.

The boys are super excited about having a sister and I think they will be great big brothers. This little one will be protected! I've been busy reorganizing the house so I can get started on a nursery. Micah is getting kicked out of his room and my office will become his new bedroom. Thankfully, he's excited about a new room. I have crib bedding picked out and can't wait to start painting the walls. I'm in the 2nd trimester and I'm feeling SO much better these days. I even have some energy! Woo-hoo! God is good!

Meanwhile, my sister, Katie, is in her 38th week of pregnancy and is more than ready for little Jack to arrive. So far, no signs of labor. She isn't sleeping well and is having lots of typical aches and pains that come with the last month. So, lets all pray she goes into labor tonight, ok? Hopefully my next post will be announcing Jack's arrival!

It's SUMMER!

Do you remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait for it to be summer?? For me, I didn't enjoy school at all, so being out of school was the best part and of course NO homework! But I loved all the summer fun. I could have sleepovers and live at the pool, go to Stone Mountain (I grew up in Atlanta), and play at the lake. We also got to stay up an hour later in the summer - a huge treat!! I loved summer. I still love summer. It's like taking a big deep breath and relaxing in a hammock. Life just slows down a bit and it's fantastic. This can also be a challenge for me and my personality though. Taking a break or slowing down comes easily for me. In fact, I can convince myself most of the time that I need to and actually deserve it! I could easily live in a never ending lazy Saturday for quite some time. I LOVE my pajamas...and reading...and naps... But, I have children. The never ending lazy Saturday is not conducive when raising children. I took the first week of summer "off" and I heard a lot of: "what can we do now? I'm hungry (again!), I'm bored, what else can we do?" No schedule is no good. So, I'm working really hard at having a schedule this summer - and a fun one! So far it's going pretty well but I would love some input from other moms and dads out there. How does your family fill the long summer days? What are some of your favorite activities? So far, the highlight of Forester and Micah's summer is catching small frogs in our backyard. They've made a little home for them (OUTSIDE) and they are up to 7 frogs! Now, Forester is trying to figure out how to catch and kill flies in order to feed them to the frogs. How cute is that? I love my boys!!

Here's some pix of Slip n Slide fun.

Bradburn Baby Due Thankgiving 2008!

Well, it's been 3 months since my last post which makes complete sense to me because it's been 3 months since I found out I was pregnant!! This is wonderful news and a huge answer to prayer (well, mine anyway...not so sure about Pete's)! Unfortunately morning sickness hit right away and HARD. With Forester, I felt a little green from time to time until I hit the 12 week mark. With Micah, it was much worse -24/7 nausea, and vomiting from time to time until 16 weeks. With this little one it started right away with vomiting several times a day and not being able to eat anything! Aren't you glad you're reading this post?? Needless to say, I have been in survival mode for the last 3 months. My goals during this time were to make sure my children and I stayed alive. Pete's new job has required him to travel A LOT so this added an extra challenge to the mix. But, we survived. I am alive and so are the boys. My doctor gave me some drugs to get me through. They have helped tremendously and I am hoping that the morning sickness passes for good in the next couple of weeks. So far, all is well with the baby. We had a great 12 week ultrasound and we're looking forward to finding out the sex at 16 weeks. 18 days and counting! I'm dying to know who's in there!! The boys are both asking for a sister - so is Pete. I think I'm a little afraid of girls....we will see!!!!

I hope to be posting on a regular basis now that I'm coming out of the fog.