Just lots and LOTS of fun stuff!!

When your kiddo starts to crawl into his carseat and then tells you it's too hot and blows on it to cool it down.....you know it's time to get out the kiddie pool and splash around!!


Poppy recently took a trip to Michigan and brought back some souvenirs. One of which was this boat that Ian loved sliding into the pool with.

We had a picnic outside and then splashed around. Ian has been saying everyday since then, "Poppy come 'morrow? I eat lunch outside? I go swimmin'?"



I just had to put this one in here to show off my dad's haircut!!!!!! yea!!!! Love you dad!!!


Hudson didn't get in on the sliding action (this summer) but we enjoyed hanging out and watching big brother. NOTE: the box fan in the background that I plugged in OUTSIDE for Hudson and I. I'm not big on the heat - that could be why I'm so tan.


I just wanted to throw this picture of Hudson at bath time in here. This is his impersonation of George Washington as a baby.

Grandma Hotsy came to visit last week for a few days. We had lots of fun and she helped us conquer a ridiculous amount of laundry! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


Grandma and Ian. A few days after she left we were in the car heading home from church and Ian said, "almost home. i see grandma and smokey!" Too cute!


At the end of May, Ian's toddler class had a spring program. They sang Jesus Loves Me and He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. Ian didn't do much singing - a little hard to do with your hands over your mouth. However, as soon as we got to our seat he stood in the aisle and sang all of the songs that the other classes sang. Hey, I'm impressed he even got up there in front of everyone.



The day before I had to go back to work (towards the end of May), we took a trip to the zoo with our friends Lori and Cole. Poppy came and had some fun with us too. Here's sweet Cole and Ian hugging on a bronzed baby elephant (that I realize looks a lot like an anteater;)


Uncle Nathan or "ethan" as Ian calls him, came to visit Memorial weekend. Ian had to take him for a drive around the block in his "car" at Grammy and Papa's house.


Story behind this stickiness: Ian will not eat sandwiches. We have tried all kinds and he's not interested. I'm not giving up though ~ it would make it much easier on packing his lunch for school. So....in another attempt to get him to fall in love with peanut butter and jelly, I showed him how good the jelly part was by pulling back the sandwich and having him lick the jelly. Hoping this would get him to eat the sandwich. ummm...in a matter of seconds, this is what he looked like. He now LOVES jelly, but the peanut butter side of the sandwich got no love!


He's pretty impressed with himself! I guess if they start making jelly that's packed with nutrition then we've got a favorite sandwich on our hands (and everywhere else)!

Father's Day Thoughts

Today is Father's Day and that means I have to post something (I made up this rule). So I thought I would use pictures to share a few of the thoughts that come to mind every year about this time.

I could talk all day about each picture, but will spare you eight days of reading with my initial thoughts as I look at each picture.

While I used to see this picture and laugh at my dad as a cast member of That 70's Show, I now see a man that looked at me like I look at my boys.


A few years later, a haircut and a new addition.

Fatherhood royalty!! Both are with their Father for whom they lived life. Both were married to their spouses till death, and loved their family so much I feel it as I write these words.

My father was (and is) always able to make me smile like that.


Goal: To be the kind of father that will make him smile like that when he is 30 years old and has two kids on Father's Day 2036.


Totally undeserved favor!! Grace bought with the blood of a Son. There are no words.


Although I have been blessed, it is not in the leg department. Looks like Hudson got dealt a shabby leg hand and got my toothpicks (he is growing quickly however, so I reserve the right to eat my words when he has me beat by kindergarten.


Although I don't know what it's like to have a brother, I'm sure I'll soon find out from them. I look forward to watching these guys grow into the relationship that God has in store for them.


Here is an old picture of the luckiest man in the world! I figured I'd use this dorky picture so that my dad can't say anything about the "Simon and Garfunkel" pictures I posted of him earlier.

I surrender

So....if you've ever had to call 911 because your toddler is choking, we can officially sympathize with you!
Before I go on ~ Ian is completely fine!!!

Thank you, Lord!!

If you've spent many a meal time with Ian then you may know that he's not much of a chewer (if that's a word;).
He tends to swallow instead of taking the time to savor his food. I don't why. He's always done this.
We've been working on trying to get him to chew for quite a while now. We'll remind him before and as he's eating "little bites, chew please" and he'll do this cute thing where he'll move his mouth up and down like he's chewing BUT he still pretty much guzzles his food down.

So, tonight I fixed him popcorn chicken for dinner. As usual, I notice he is putting WAY to much food in his mouth. At about the exact same time as the words, "little bites, chew..." start to come out - instead Steve (who is around the corner with the baby) can hear me saying "oh no, oh no, he's choking, he's really choking!"

Some things are kind of blurry, I think my adrenaline was going crazy. I remember Steve saying he was calling 911 - I think at first I said that it was okay and that he didn't need to.

I grabbed Ian out of his high chair and he was looking at me with this horrible look of panic, he couldn't breathe and he was grabbing at my face. I was fighting back my own panic.

Yes! call 911!!

While Steve is talking to them, Ian starts to cry and cough up his food. He finally throws up all over me - THANK YOU, LORD!!!!

The EMT come and check him out, which of course made him a little nervous at first. But within a few minutes he is showing off and giving them high fives. He even tells them "I chew it" before they leave, like he's reassuring them that he will chew his food next time.

After they left, I gave Ian a bath. I watched him playing with his cups and boat and talking to "Sam" a little figurine that was also taking a "bat".

I started sobbing.

Steve came in and we just sat there - forehead to forehead for a few moments. Everything was fine, but for a few moments our world felt so crazy, so scary, so out of control!

When I started this post I didn't know what I was going to title it. But as I've been writing, the words came....

I surrender

it's SO hard for me to surrender, especially my kids. I want so much to protect them, so much so that sometimes I become so consumed with worry or fear for their safety. I can't do it anymore.
It overtakes me. I become consumed with anxiety instead of trust. How can I expect my kids to trust me as a parent if I'm not putting my trust in the One who takes care of me?

I surrender......all to you....all to you

The beautiful, powerful words to a song we actually sang this morning during worship.

I find myself very much at peace right now.

P.S.

For some super cute and recent pictures of the boys check out.....

http://nathanbrainard.com/gallery/album36

a few of my favorites....










just a heads up ~ there are a little over 200, but well worth it!!! ;)

p.p.s. i just LOVE saying "the boys"!!!!! yea!

Potty Plea??

So we haven't "officially" ventured into the potty training adventure yet but, around November Ian had started bringing us diapers when he wanted to be changed so we thought "hey, this might be pretty easy" ~ i'm guessing i was wrong.

Since then we have bought him a potty that he only will use as a step-stool to brush his teeth and turn the lights on and off. Poppy (my dad) found him a potty that looks like a throne with a magazine rack and it's own TP holder - he loved it, sat on it for about an hour, didn't potty but sure did use an entire roll of toilet paper. he was pretty proud of himself!

He has now started to hide from us when he is pooping....he will run into the kitchen and get mad if you follow him. We'll ask him to if he needs to go potty..."NO"; we'll ask him if he is pooping or needs to poop...."NO", but of course in a matter of minutes he has brought us a diaper and demands for us to "change diaper now, please!"

yesterday morning when i was packing his lunch for the day ,he was in the living room watching backyardigans and when i walked in he yelled at me "go in there, mommy!" and pointed to the kitchen. i tried to hold back a laugh while i asked him if he needed to potty, of course the answer was NO. but....within a minute or two he came into the kitchen telling me to change his diaper.

....I'm sure glad school is finally over and now we can focus on this potty training business! and for all you veteran potty training parents out there.........................HELP!!!! ;)

any advice is much appreciated!