Brayden, Cody & Addison

Leakey 2011

2011-06-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

Leakey 2011

2011-06-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Leakey 2011

2011-06-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Mini donuts

2011-06-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

We are loving manking mini donuts every day. The kids love them, but I know it will have to end soon or we will all need to work out much more often.

Cody graduates from the 2 year old class

2011-05-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

End of baseball season

2011-05-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

The boys finished their baseball season. We had a party at Nutty Brown and handed out trophies-they look so happy.

Superhero Cody

2011-05-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Cody takes a superhero class and at the end they get to perform their tumbling acts during a recital. He loved every minute of it.

Easter 2011

2011-04-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

We did Easter at our house this year. It was crazy to say the least - with 5 adults and 9 kids we were way out numbered. The kids loved it and had a blast. We went to Nutty Brown and saw Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes, had an Easter egg hunt in the yard and at church, did water balloons, swam in the pool, had a fabuloud BBQ dinner and much much more. Can't wait til next year!

Easter 2011 continued

2011-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

My birthday dinner at Chuy's

2011-04-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Spring Break - St. Patrick's Day at the park

2011-03-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Where do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day - Blues on the Green!!

Rodeo Carnival - day 3 Spring Break

2011-03-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Spring Break - day 4 - Schlitterbahn

2011-03-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

It was cold in the water - but no cold enough to keep us out. I had no idea this place would be so much fun. Afterwards we went to Joe's Crab Shack for some dinner and playscape time.

Spring Break - Day 2 - aquarium

2011-03-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Dr. Seuss

2011-03-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss. I made the hat and bow-tie for Brayden to wear to school.

Brayden turns 6!

2011-02-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

Indoor playscape

2011-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Of course I got bored and decided we - meaning mostly Bill - needed a project. When we bought this house I had dreams of making this amazing playroom and so far we have just had an IKEA couch and a bunch of toys. So since Bill was gonna be home for a couple of weeks I decided it was time to build an indoor playscape. The design has changed about 5 times so far, but it seems to be coming together. Thanks to the snow day today we might have an some extra time to work on it too. Here are the pictures so far, we are TRYING to have it finished by Brayden's birthday party.

100th day of school and school musical

2011-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Brayden had his 100th day of school on Wednesday and he had to do a project where he made a 100 things. We decided to make a 100 lego men. I wasn't sure if we had a 100 but it turns out we have more than enough - we could probably do the 200th day too :) We had so much fun picking out the helmets and guns and putting them on there. Brayden also had his Kindergarten musical on Thursday night. His class sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider. All the kids looked cute in their shirts.

Lunch at Freddie's Place

2011-02-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic Sunday lunch with friends. The weather was amazing and the kids had a blast. Brayden got in the car when it was over and said "let's do that again!" I loved getting to see all my girls this weekend and getting to see Jessica's new baby bump!

Snow Day!!

2011-02-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

What fun we had in the snow this morning - take a look!

Snow Day!

2011-02-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin patch 2010

2010-10-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Back yard friends

2010-08-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Cody has been catching frogs everyday and calling them his best friends. He even brought one to school to show him off. Nanny bought the boys a bug keeper cage and now we have a new friend everyday. We tell Cody at night that the animals sleep in the flower "bed" - that's why they call it that, it's a "bed" for the flowers and animals. Brayden also found a lady bug that liked him too. Cody's "best friend"

Brayden's ladybug

1st day of Kindergarten

2010-08-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

We walked to Kindergarten with all of our neighbors for the first day. All the kids were so excited to start a new year, even though it was very early. Brayden loves his new teacher Mrs. Powers and is loving seeing all of his friends again.

Addison's first Tutu

2010-06-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

cowboy baby

2010-06-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

Check out my belt buckle - gonna be the real thing one day.

SUMMER!!

2010-06-02T13:58:00.001-07:00

We got a new pool today. Our neighborhood pool was closed so we headed to Academy and had our own fun in the backyard. I LOVE SUMMER!! I was so hot and the hose-filled pool felt so great. The kids had a blast and I know we will have many more days just like today.

Diving in!

bathing beauty!

Lake Conroe

2010-05-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Nani and PiPaw rented a condo on Lake Conroe for Memorial Day. We piled the kids in the car and all of our stuff, which is like taking our entire house. Thank goodness we have a huge SUV, there is no way we could go on these trips without it. We spent 2 days at the lake, boating, sunning, swimming and eating. It was fantastic and all the kids had a blast. Look like it's going to be a great summer full of vacation fun! Addison alseep at the pool
It didn't take Brayden long to remember how to swim from last year, we couldn't keep him out of the lake or the pool all weekend.

Same with Mr. Cody he loved every minute of it.

All three hanging out in our bed, Cody is hiding under the blanket.

Addy's first time in the lake.

Preschool graduation

2010-05-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Brayden graduated from preschool. It is hard to imagine that he will be a kindergarter soon. He had such a wonderful year with Ms. Becca this year. She really did make a huge difference in all of our lives and I can only say that she is one of the best teachers I have met. He learned so much but I know it's just the beginning.

Fruit loop necklaces

2010-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

We made fruit loop necklaces for snack today. I really didn't know how much fun this would be or how much the kids would enjoy it but it was all smiles in our house! Check out our creations.

Easter 2010

2010-04-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T20:10:00.001-07:00

Family pictures

2010-03-15T21:54:00.001-07:00

We got some family pictures made recently. I think they turned out really great. If you want to see them, follow this link and then click "your scrapbook" and where it says password, type "mcdaniel".
http://www.laurenportraitart.com/index2.php

ROCKY II

2010-03-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

So my nickname growing up was Rocky Elizabeth, it was given to me by my father after I had multiple falls and multiple stitches in my face. It seems that we have a Rocky II in our family now. The funny thing is, unlike daredevil Brayden who never gets hurt (he could probably give Evel Knievel a run for his money), Cody gets hurt all the time, doing the most innocent things. The great news is Cody is a good patient, the casts don't seem to bother him too much and even the stitches went better than I had thought. Let's just hope this is a short phase in our lives and it ends soon.Round one goes to the bathtub. Cody hit it while falling off the toilet. 5 stitches on the right eyebrow.All 3 kids at the ER is not fun!!! I was sooo ready to get out of there after 4 1/2 hours.Round 2 goes to the slide. Cody's shoes got stuck on the way down and he fell head and hands first to the ground. After the last trip to the ER, I knew better - I called a babysitter for the other two and went to a nice clean minor emergency clinic - why would anyone go to the ER if they didn't have too?
bath time is esp. hard with this new cast.

Round 3 - slide again. He should have learned his lesson - or maybe we should have :( This time a light blue cast on the right foot. Believe it or not he gets around pretty great in this cast and bath time is a little easier with the foot than the arm, or maybe we are just becoming pros.

Pants on your head

2010-03-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of American Idols "Pants on the ground," here is Cody's version - Pants on your head!

Pants on your head

Looking like a fool with your pants on your head

Sword in your hand

Blue cast on your foot

Looking like a fool with your pants on your head!

GOAL!!!!!!!!

2010-03-13T12:27:00.001-08:00

Brayden scored his first soccer goal today. It was the first play of the game, they play three on three and line up at mid field. Brayden kicked the ball first and then dribbled it all the way down and scored. I was so shocked and amazed! He turned to look at me and had the BIGGEST smile on his face, it was priceless. He then went on to score 3 more goals during the game. Bill and I were so excited to see him so happy. Can't wait til the next game!

Am I my mother?

2010-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

So my mom is the best seamstress that I know. I have always wanted to be crafty, but I think I lack some of the creative talent for it. I am trying though and think I might get better with age. Here is the hat that I sewed for Addison, with a little help from a sewing class :)

Brayden turns 5!

2010-02-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

What a difference 5 makes. Brayden is 5 years old today. I have had a lot of people tell me that 5 is the perfect age and I am starting to believe them. What a caring, intelligent, energetic, sweet, talented boy he has become. Here are some of Brayden's favorite things at 5:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Brayden's birthday party

2010-02-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

We had a sportball party for Brayden's birthday this year. A coach came to the school and lead the kids in various sporting activities. All the kids had a blast, esp. Brayden who kept saying all day that it was the best birthday ever. We did a Star Wars theme for the invites, decorations and cupcakes. It took me 7 hours to make these little babies, but they were worth it! R2D2, light sabers, Yoda, red, blue and black clones, C3PO and some with just plain stars.
Brayden and Walker - great shirts!!

Big smiles!

High jump.

Getting ready to score.

Listening to instructions, I think Patton was the only one paying attention :)

Make a wish

mmmmmm.

Chocolate icecream too?

Maybe this is why it was the best bday ever - Brayden got his long awaited Nintendo DS and star wars game of course.

Addison

2010-01-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Where has all my time gone? Having three kids is more overwhelming than I originally thought. It seems I am doing a lot less playing and a lot more parenting and fighting fires. The shining light though is that I have 3 amazing kids, the last of which is the girl I always wanted. She has become my personal Barbie doll, I LOVE to dress her up everyday and try out new outfits and bows. The bows have not gone as well as I would have liked. It seems that all the hair she has sort of gets in the way. Here are just a couple of new pictures, some with bows and some without.January 4, 2010January 9, 2010January 20, 2010 - 2 months oldSitting on the cat, he seems to always be in her bed. January 24, 2010

January 30, 2010 - Cutielicious

The best of 2009...

2010-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a year, I have so much to be thankful for this year and we were blessed in so many ways. I still can't believe they all happened in one year. Here are just a few of the biggest highlights.

Addison Ann McDaniel - what a beauty and such a good baby

2008 Ford Expedition - gotta have something big enough to drive these 3 kids around

Our new home - What a great experience, we have a new beautiful home built just for us! Now if someone could please come decorate it for me.

Bill's promotion - He amazes me everyday with what he is capable of and how many people he empacts

Walker Boyce - My brother announced he is going to have a 4th baby in June!

Cody starts mother's day out and loves every minute

Brayden starts his 4th year of preschool, we have some rough moments in the beginning but by the end of the year he has really changed and is the greatest kid.

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T12:51:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of lighting fireworks. I love watching fireworks when someone else lights them, like the 4th of July off my parent's back deck or at a Round Rock baseball game, but not in my own backyard. Bill bought a bucket of fireworks for the kids for new year's eve this year and the boys had a blast lighting them. Cody was a little scared at first but once he saw Brayden having fun he jumped right in.

The sticker says "PYRO bucket assortment" which I thought was fitting. throwing those little white things that pop

partners in crime.

Three Beautiful Kids!

2009-12-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was again a little crazy. You would think I would be used to the excitement by now but it still catches me off guard every year. I think especially this year with a new little baby added to the mix. We spent Christmas eve at a friends house for a little party. Santa showed up and gave each boy a toy from his sack which both boys thought was really neat. We came home and starting preparing for Santa to come again. Christmas morning was super fun, I have never seen so many toys, Santa out did himself this year. We packed everyone up after opening presents and headed to my moms house, where we were met with 5 other children and their parents. What a great time having all the kids together. The next day we left for Angleton bright and early and spent the day with Debbie, Joe, Josh, Kristy and Zoey.

And the following day it was off to JoLynn and Johnny's house

and then to my grandmother's

before a long trip home. The car ride home was a disaster, I am not sure it could have been much worse with all the bathroom stops and spills and crying and yelling. It was the longest 4 hours Bill and I have ever spent in the car and we vowed to never do that again...until next year. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without all the crazy travel schedules and famliy events, I know if we didn't do it all Bill would have to listen to me complain about how bored I am :)

Our New Addition...

2009-11-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

So this is the first time I've ever contributed to the blog, or actually submitted a blog period, but I guess this moment was just to much not to share with everyone. Friday, November 20th, at 3:47 pm, April and I welcomed Addison Ann McDaniel to our family. She was 8 lbs 8 oz and 21" long. Everything went very well and April was awesome as usual. It actually went well enough that the hospital let us come home on Saturday evening, barely 24 hours after Addy was born. She is absolutely beautiful. It's hard to describe, but it was different a feeling for me when she was born. Not that the boys were anything less, but I guess I just had the "Daddy's little girl" feeling as I couldn't help but feel she was the most special thing God had ever created. A few other dads I've talked to can relate. They also told me to call them when she turns 15...

I hope this finds you well and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

The boys made good use of their costumes this year, wearing them many, many times before actually trick or treating. We even went to a haunted house - which by the way is NOT a good idea for a 4 year old and two year old. We had to run through the place holding the kids and closing their eyes while they screamed. I of course was REALLY pregnant and had a balloon tied to my diaper bag and I am holding Cody. My balloon got caught on a spider web right next to the guy cutting off his hand with a loud chainsaw. It took me a couple of minutes to get it untied and I thought I might have to take Cody to therapy after the whole event. Once we finally got out we laughed and laughed and laughed. We will do it again - when they are in high school.

We had a blast in our new neighborhood this year, I bet there were 150-200 kids. I went through 6 bags of candy! We took the boys just around the loop in our street and their bags were so full and heavy when they got back. They will be eating candy for a whole year I am sure.

Halloween crafts

2009-09-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

A little pj craft day at our house and look what we made!

Poison control

2009-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

We had our first phone call to poison control tonight. I can't believe we made it 4 and a half years without having to call. Cody found the Listerine that Brayden uses in the bathroom tonight and proceeded to drink a whole bunch of it. And why not? it says it tastes like bubble gum. So when he walked around the corner with a very blue mouth and I found the very blue liquid all over the floor I knew something was wrong. Rest assured if your kids ever drink listerine they will be fine, if it has flouride you need to worry otherwise no big deal. Cody loved getting to drink it and I think he would attempt it again if given the chance.

Cody's 2nd birthday

2009-09-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

We had Cody's 2nd birthday party at My Gym, one of his favorite places to play. The kids all had a blast playing on the equipment and running around wild. Cody enjoyed the whole experience, except getting his picture made with his friends, oh well there's always next year. I also learned something new about Cody...he is scared of fire. We lit his bday candles and he tried to run from the cake because he was scared of the fire. Big brother Brayden helped him out and blew out the candles. What a great day!!

Puppy dog cake

2009-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot going on this month including Cody turning 2! He is such a sweet little boy and so fun to be around. He is in love with puppy dogs so of course I had to make a big puppy dog cake for the occasion. It took a little while longer than I thought it would but it turned out so cute it was worth it.

Apartment Living

2009-08-16T14:16:00.001-07:00

Our apartment days are about to end and I am counting down the days. I can't believe we will have been here for 6 long months. It has been a big change for all of us - Bill had to go to the office, rather than work from home, the cat and the dog are confined to the apt. all day and all night, I have had to find different things for the kids to do to keep entertained and the boys have had most of their toys in storage. We managed to survive the process so far, but I can't say its been a ton of fun. Here are the 5 best things and 5 worst things about living here.

5 Best things

THE POOL - I have no idea what we would have done without the pool, it has been a lifesaver. The kids have LOVED having it right across the street.
Lower rent = more spending money
Vacations - I think we took 5 major vacations this summer to get away and all of them turned out to be great times with family and friends.
Maintenance men - I call and they come fix anything.
No visitors means no cleaning. I think I can honestly say I have really enjoyed not picking up so much, it helps that there is no place to put it once it gets picked up.

5 Worst things

No dog door - walking the dog 4 or more times a day and picking up her poop has been crappy.
Kitty litter - not only do we have a kitty litter inside now (thanks to the no dog door), but its in the laundry closet which is in the kitchen. I can honestly say that I never want to have this problem again. Oh and the cat's food is in the boys bathroom on the counter - eewww, gross.
"Where's my _______?" And the answer to this question is always - "In storage, in the back where you can't get to it."
Lack of space - I was able to get the biggest apt. I could find and thank goodness for that because everyday it feels like it shrinks a little.
Noise, cars and privacy - car headlights peering in your window at 2am, noisy dogs barking at all times. Not having a garage has been a major adjustment getting the kids in and out of the parking lot safely.

Here is the scorpion that I almost touched one day while reaching for the remote control. Shortly after killing this one, I found another alive one on the way to Cody's room.

The boys helping me sand the new baby's furniture on our patio.

Brayden's 1/2 birthday

2009-08-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

Brayden turned 4 and a half today! We celebrated by going to the Icecream festival, which was WAY too hot, even with icecream. Then we had hotdogs and cupcakes by the pool.

Idaho - BBR

2009-08-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Bill and I had never been to Idaho but that all changed last week. Some friends and I planned a trip for our husbands to see some bands play that they love. This is the 5th year for the Braun Brother's reunion and they finally got go. We flew into Boise and stayed the night there before driving 4 hours into the mountains. Idaho is very pretty but there are not a lot of people there. Once we got into the mountains it was pretty rustic, there was no cell phone coverage, no hotels and no restaurants (or at least none I want to try again). It was A LOT quietier than my house at home but we managed to make a little noise while we were there - or at least our car did :) We hit a rock while driving home one night from the concert - it had hailed on us that day and the storm knocked a bunch of rocks off the mountains into the road, one of them was larger than we thought and long story short, our car suffered. The weather was a little nicer than what we have here, it rained everyday and if you didn't like it hot no problem it got cold in a couple of minutes and if you didn't like it cold, no problem it will be hot in just a minute, or raining or hailing. I think we got a little of everything.

I missed not being with the kids, leaving them was really hard this time but they had a great time with our parents and I am not sure but it seems like they didn't miss us at all. a little stop on our way up the mountain
when you walked out the door of our "5-star" cabin this is the view.

The river was COLD!

We learned how to fly fish one day - I caught a cut-throat trout and Bill caught a white fish.

The group in all the fly-fishing gear outside our cabin

Bill fly-fishing

Checking out the damage to our minivan

One of the many "lovely" places we ate. At this one Parker ordered "finger steaks", when they came out they could have been steak fingers, or egg rolls or fried shrimp by the way they looked. I didn't dare taste them but I heard they smelled yummy!

Brothers

2009-08-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero!

Potty time!

2009-08-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Who knew Cody was interested in sitting on the potty all day. I think he just likes that he gets to be naked but whatever the reason I am happy that he likes it. On the first day we bought the potty he was able to go 3 times. Such an over-achiever!

Last t-ball game

2009-07-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

We had our last T-ball game of the season tonight. Brayden LOVED every minute of t-ball. Which is kind-of surprising since he did not like soccer at all. The kids all got medals and brownies and juice to celebrate. We will definitely play again soon.

Cody wanted to be out there with big brother!

The bulls after their last game.

Concan 2009

2009-07-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

We took the annual trip to Concan this year and I must say this one was lots and lots of fun. The boys did so great and had a blast swimming in the river - we were so lucky to have water in our part of the river, lots of places on the Frio are dry. The boys loved playing with all their friends and it was so nice to be out of the apartment. We had tons of people come this year - 14 adults and 14 kids! mmm, this smore looks good!yep, it's good I think I got a little on me, my eyes are kind-of sticky.

at the river

friends

Cody's favorite toy

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-07-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than the Great Wolf Lodge if you are a kid? I haven't found anything yet. We spent 4 long days and 3 long nights there, we were supposed to stay another night and day but mom and dad had had enough. If you haven't been there is it like a child's vegas - you name it, they have it. What made the trip even better was getting to spend it with my family. My brother and sister-in-law with their 3 kids were there and my sister with her two boys came too. The kids had such a blast, Brayden told us he wanted to live at the Great Wolf Lodge when we were leaving. While I am not ready to live there by any means we may have to go back next year, after we have recovered of course.

Pizza night - we sat on Eagle's Landing and the kids played cars, practiced Karate on each other and ran wild.Miss pretty Peyton

Junior Magi Brayden unlocking the treasure chest on the MagiQuest

Ta-da!

Cody at the outdoor pool - the statue behind him howls every 5 minutes and then a ton of water sprays down over the pool

Cody and dad

coming down one of the many, many slides

Brayden getting serious about the jetski

splash

on the lazy river - which was NOT lazy - it should have been called "the dodge water squirting in your face every second river".

in the wave pool

"cheese"

ready, set, go...

Ride 'em cowboy

2009-07-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

there's nothing like a good hat and a broom to entertain two boys.

Summer 2009

2009-07-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

We have done a little of everything this summer. It has been so busy that I don't have time to blog it all, but here is a little snapshot. I think we do something fun everyday and I have had the best summer ever. I am really enjoying the boys and all the fun smiles. Mario and Luigi
tents in the living room - it doesn't get any better

summer hair cuts

swimming, swimming and more swimming

snow cones!!!

We have our favorite place on Barton Springs and we are there almost every weekend.
Brayden ALWAYS orders rainbow, Bill is in love with Tigers blood and lime and I try something new each time (last time was caramel apple-yum)- Cody gets to share with me, lucky guy.

gotcha!

no floaties!

showing off on the diving board - CANNONBALL!

look out below!

Can opener!

Galleria fountains - we have been twice now and there is the BEST frozen yogurt place across the street - sooo yummy!

park play!

SLIDE

It wouldn't be summer without a little icecream or a lot of icecream :)

diaper cowboy - Cody loves to be naked and he loves hats - what a great smile.

Lake LBJ 2009

2009-06-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

We went on our annual family trip to Lake LBJ this year. It is always so much fun to see everyone and the boys LOVE playing in the water. We rented a fantastic house again this year, they keep getting better and better. The water was SUPER cold which normally would have felt good but 77 degree water with only a little sun is pretty cold. We did manage to have a lot of water fun despite the cold and the water balloons were a big hit. Cody double-fisting...we only teach the best habits.
Cody driving the boat

When we got there Brayden walked out on the patio and jumped over a snake. I, of course, was not about to try to kill a snake (my mom would have done this without blinking but I am not so sure of myself). I had just shut Bill's fingers in a door and he was icing the swelling down, he did however manage to kill the snake one handed with a piece of wood. Despite how this sounds it was rather humorous.

water ballon fight - everyone get PawPaw

Mary Beth, Brayden and Zoey

Cody took his nap everyday in the wagon, thank you Aunt Cathy for bringing the wagon!

T-ball

2009-06-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Brayden is playing t-ball this summer with the YMCA and I think he finally found a sport that he loves. He was SO not into soccer but t-ball seems to be another story. The kids were so cute at the first game and it went so smoothly despite not having practiced once. Bill is the coach for the team and it was very funny trying to watch him organize 10 four-year-olds on the field and keep them in line for batting.

Summer = pool time!

2009-06-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

We have been heading to the pool daily. As a result Brayden can swim by himself, no floaties, no raft, no life jacket and no swim lessons! I am so proud of him, but not nearly as proud as he is of himself. He can put his entire head under water and do the breast stroke, it is amazing watching him go. I made some "little fishy" cupcakes to celebrate the occasion, Brayden put all the fishes on and helped me make the cakes.

Weekend in Leakey

2009-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

We made the annual trip to Leakey this weekend. (I have to say here that this trip is usually just an annual trip for Bill as I do not like the outdoors or camping, but I do have two boys so I guess it is time to get used to it.) The boys, I am including Bill in that group, had a blast which made the trip a lot of fun for me. I didn't take many pictures, as it seems like all Memorial day weekends it rained so the camera wasn't out much. Here are some funny ones of the kids though.I know you are wondering why they have a pig in their yard - my only explanation is that they are aggies :) and yes that is a burnt orange toliet behind the pig.Cody's favorite toy of the weekend - I know he played in the mule more than the water.

Preschool graduation from the 3 year old class

2009-05-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Brayden had his last day in Ms. Debbie's class this year. He really enjoyed school this year and did very well. I feel like he learned a lot and is growing into a nice young man.

The zoo

2009-05-12T13:34:00.001-07:00

We decided it was a nice hot day today and to spend it at the zoo. Brayden practically has it memorized we have been there so many times and Cody LOVED seeing the animals. We left just after everyone got red in the face and started sweating and in time for a nice cool lunch. feeding the deer
and the goats

pretending to be monkeys

Brayden was very good at leading Cody to the next spot and very gentle.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was so great this year, I felt so loved by all my family and I got to share it with my mom and my brother, sister-in-law and their children. We had brunch at the country club and then went to Nanny's to swim all day. The kids did great and had a blast. Then we ate left-overs for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook -who could ask for a better day?

Brayden at the preschool Mother's day program

Building a house takes time

2009-05-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over 2 months since we started building this house. We have been delayed quite a bit but we finally got our slab poured today. I never thought I could get so excited over some cement, but I am. Here is a little video of the process so far.

Super heros

2009-04-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Check out my two superheros. Cody is taking after big brother and loves to dress up as batman. There is no doubting that these two are boys. Cody's first word was "grrrr", meaning "I'm gonna get you". It is getting a bit tough living in this apartment with two boys who are used to their big backyard. We are trying really hard to stay active and busy but the weather is still so cold (relatively speaking). The pool here was my only out and we still can't swim in it yet. So while we hold out for the triple digits we spend our time saving the world as super heros (or sometimes villians!)

Easter 2009

2009-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

We stayed in Angleton for Easter this year to celebrate with Bill's family. The kids had an egg hunt and the Easter bunny came to visit. We had a great time seeing everyone and eating lots of candy!mmm chocolate!really, all mine? no sharing?

eeewww, maybe I should have shared this sour thingy.no trip is complete without the four wheeler ride!on the hunt

opening the eggs - Cody got a cookie monster.

Wildflower Center

2009-03-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to see the wildflowers in bloom so we took a trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center today. The kids favorite part was the water falls and streams and seeing the bluebonnets. Brayden also loved climbing up to the top of the tower to look out. The flowers were beautiful and there were butterflies and birds all over too. Definitely worth the trip.Checking out the turtlesAt the top of the tower

Dare Devil

2009-03-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

I know some of you are saying, "you took pictures of this instead of getting him down?" But trust me, he does this a lot these days. Cody cannot walk very well, he is clumsy and falls down a lot and runs into walls, we have the scars and boo boos to prove it. However, Cody is a master at climbing, he can climb anything and does every day. The other day I found him on top of the breakfast room table hanging on the chandelier. Climbing the rocking chair and launching himself into the crib is his new trick. He can also climb out of the crib as well - dropping 5 feet to the floor after he lunges his body over the side. I'd say I have a bit of a dare devil on my hands. So I can't just let him injure himself, the emergency room is not my favorite place in the world. So I fixed the problem by buying a crib tent, it was the best $50 I have spent. He can't climb in the crib and the best part is he can't climb out either. I also signed him up for My Gym class where he can climb, jump and play all he wants.

Brayden wanted to make it a little tougher on Cody by spinning the chair out from under him - thanks big brother.

new house update

2009-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

The beginning part of building a house is not exciting. We now have dirt and it is spread out and are waiting on the plumbers to come before they can finish the slab. It has been a slow process so far with the rain adding to the delays. Here are the newest pictures.Our new addressThe boys on the lot

Best Friends

2009-03-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Super cute brothers tickling.

New House

2009-03-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

As most of you know already Bill and I decided to buy a new house. We decided to build a new home in Belterra (a subdivision 7 miles west of where we are currently) because it gave us the best options as far as floorplan. We put our house on the market on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 and we recived 2 offers by that Saturday. One of the offers we couldn't refuse and we accepted it on January the 27th, the very same day we finalized the contract on our new house. There were a ton of emotions involved in selling our house. We have really come to love our neighborhood and all the people on our street and close by. We love our house, it was our first and we made so many wonderful memories in it. We will miss everything about it dearly. But we are looking forward to a new bigger house for our growing family. Plus we already know some of our neighbors in the new place and they are GREAT! There were a couple of minor details I won't bore you with here that made the lease back option on our house not a reality so we packed up all of our stuff and moved to an apartment close to Bill's work. We have a lot of stuff in storage but we are really enjoying the apartment. It is the nicest one I have ever lived in - remember college - this is not like that. So I said all of this so I could post some pictures of what we have been doing since, so here they are.The lot with no work done. We took a trip to the lot one COLD Sunday, here is Brayden all bundled up.

Bill scoping out the view in the back.

brayden's 4th birthday

2009-02-15T17:06:00.000-08:00

Brayden turned 4 this weekend. We had a great mario birthday party for him at our house - our last party before the move. We had 15 of his friends over and played games and had cake. We had everyone dress up like, luigi, mario or peach. He had a great time. My favorite comment from him was when he walked up and said "Congratulations mom!" I said "Thanks Brayden, why?" and he said "Because I love my party." I was so proud, excited and loved at that moment, what a wonderful, sweet boy we have raised.

Bathing Beauties

2009-02-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

And you wonder why I always say I'm cleaning. As my sister who has two boys of her own told me once "Two boys is like having your own water park, just add the mud pies."

G- Daddy's birthday

2009-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Cody and Brayden got new haircuts today. We tried something different with Cody's and spiked it, he looked so cute tonight for G-Daddy's birthday. And I must say that Ruth Chris handled the McDaniel boys pretty well too, I am sure they are not used to running, screaming children. I think we should stick to Waterloo and Chickfila for awhile longer.

Brotherly hug or stangle

2009-01-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

Watch out Cody!

Ahhh, what a sweet hug. Wait a minute...too tight!uggh, WAY TOO TIGHT!but he is kissing my ear, should that make it better?

Nice view

2009-01-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

hmmm, what does the world look like upside down?

Would you, could you in a chair?

2009-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

I could love them in a car.

I could love them from afar.

I could love them here or there

I could love them in a chair.

I could love them anywhere!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning opening presents from Santa. The boys had been pretty good this year I guess or at least Santa thought so cause he brought them a ton of stuff. Very fun! Then we made our way to Lance and Susan's house, Nani and PiPaw's house and finally Grandma and PawPaw's house. What a holiday!

more cupcakes?

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest Christmas ones.Snow Globes

Snowgirls for the girls next door, I made them aprons but I think I will just do scarfs next time cause they don't really look like aprons, the ear muffs are cute though, now I need to make mini I-pods for them to hold.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-15T19:40:00.001-08:00

I am slacking this year and didn't do Christmas cards. These are the pictures I would have used so just pretend like this came in the mail :)

Legos

2008-12-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

Bill bought Brayden some legos a little while ago and Brayden has now found his true calling. I have always said Brayden is in demolition and Cody is in cnstruction so they make a good pair, but now I have to say Brayden can handle both jobs. He is great at building lego ships, towers, you name it. He has a great imagination and has been sitting at the table playing for hours a day. I love that he finally found a toy that he really loves.

Snow in Austin

2008-12-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow this morning. Brayden has seen snow before but I am not sure he remembers any of those times so it was super exciting for him. We put on our warmest clothes and headed out for a snow ball fight before school. My hands were freezing after 10 minutes but I couldn't get Brayden to come inside, I think he would have stayed out there until it melted.Cody and Daddy stayed inside where it was warm - Cody is getting over a little virus and would not have been happy in the snow.

Picture with Santa

2008-12-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

We took our annual photo with Santa at the mall this year. Brayden did great and told Santa everything he was hoping for. Cody on the other hand was not going to let me leave him in the big man's lap without a fight. When we left the mall Brayden said to me "Mom, I really like Santa now!"

Thanksgiving at the Boyce's

2008-11-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

I only have a couple of good pictures from Thanksgiving, I spent most of my time playing with all the nieces and nephews. I loved getting to see everyone. That night we took Brayden and Cody to the Longhorn game. Brayden is a true fan now, it only took one good game to change his mind. Cody on the on the other hand is a one half fan, he did great until half time when it was 3 hours past his bedtime. He decided we should go home in the middle of the 3rd quarter. What a great day and great Longhorn win! The whole crew, 15 of us this year at one table! Thank God the adults still out number the kids 8 to 7.

I made turkey cupcakes for all the kids and they were a big hit.

cupcakes

2008-11-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought I could love something so much. I mean it is cake, a little one, bite size almost and delicious. I have the best new book and went to the best cooking class to find out how to make these little cuties. I am now hooked and can't stop making cupcakes. I will have to update this one frequently with all my new creations.Brayden enjoying oneButterflies for Nanny's birthdayChristmas ornamentFrosty the snowmanA Thanksgiving wreath for Brayden's preschool

Gobble Gobble

Everyday is play day

2008-11-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

The weather has been so nice lately that we can't keep ourselves inside. Both boys are outside almost all day burning energy. Now if I can just keep Cody well we will have a great fall season. Here are a bunch of pictures of the kids playing.

Baylor game

2008-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Mikey, Vance, Chance and Cole came to visit and go to the Baylor game this weekend. We had a blast on Friday night. We went to Houstons Restarant for dinner - something I normally dread with my screaming can't sit still children, but it was nice. We took the kids outside and played simon says while the men finished their dinner. Brayden is hilarious when you say "Simon says dance." I never knew he had such good bootie shaking abilities - he must get this from his dad. After dinner Bill and I took all 4 boys home in the car with us - let's just say I got a taste of what it would be like to have 4 boys and it was fun but LOUD! That night Cole and Brayden the two restless boys stayed up til 11:30 hanging with the family. I wish they could visit more often cause we have such a good time when they are here.

We voted and then played

2008-11-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch at a local church. Brayden had a great time playing in the pumpkins and Cody had fun sleeping.the whole gang - Reese, Lauren, Rowan, Cody, Drew, Kate, Brayden and Trey.

Brayden's first soccer game

2008-10-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Brayden joined a soccer league here in Austin this season and has been outside practicing a lot. He finally got a chance to show his stuff in his first game. They blew the whistle and Brayden ran to the sidelines as quick as he could. We got him to go back in the game with some coaxing but he never kicked the ball. We are hoping that with a couple more practices and some good bribery he will get out there and play. I think he is a little intimidated by all the kids. Here are the pictures.before the gamenew uniform - the team name is the dolphins - the boys picked it out.getting a pep talk from the coach, Brayden is standing way in the back.running off the field after his team scored.Brayden is the farthest one on the left, this is just before kick off.where he spent most of the game.

Stuff on my cat

2008-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

I know I always say Meeko is a good cat, but seriously any cat that would let Brayden do this is a good cat. He just sat there and I think he liked it. I know you are also going to say that I have way too many sippy cups, and you should know that this is only half of them.

Parker and Mattie's wedding

2008-09-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

We went to a friend's wedding over the weekend and took the boys. They did great at the wedding and we all had a great time. I got some great shots of dad with his boys.

Hurricane Ike, puppy kisses and an Oasis

2008-09-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

Bill's parents and brother came to visit to get away from Hurricane Ike. It was headed straight for Angleton and Lake Jackson at one point before it veered a little to the North. They didn't get a ton of damage to either house thank God and everyone was safe. Here are the pictures from the weekend.airplane warsJosh and Kristy's dog baby girl. Cody LOVED giving it kisses and I think she liked it too.After the kisses, Cody took his baby for a ride in the shopping cart.Cody eating at the Oasis - the weather was so beautiful in Austin despite what was happening in Houston.Zoey and Brayden

Cody turns ONE!

2008-09-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

It came fast, I still can't believe he is one already. We had a couple friends over for a small party on the actual day. Cody had green icing from head to toe and needed a bath immediately. His second taste of cake went really well, I think he knew what to expect this time. Such a cutie!

First Day of Preschool 2008

2008-09-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Brayden went back to school today and things went so smoothly. I was so worried because he has been off all summer and bumming around the house. I thought it would be hard for him to get back in the swing of things but he seemed to adjust just fine. The school fairy came to visit him this morning and brought a new transformer backpack filled with new school clothes and some new Star Wars toys to take with him to school. He loved the idea of the school fairy and was so excited about the backpack. He practically ran into school when we got there and even forgot to say bye to me. He was so happy playing with toys when I left it was so great to see him so happy on the first day.
After school, I picked him up and he was all smiles again. When I asked him about his teacher Ms. Debbie he response was "She is awesome!" I probed further and asked what made her so great and he said she was great cause she played good legos. I am so excited for the year and hope today was a sign of things to come.