Brandi-isms

K for all of you who know Brandi really well, all know that we have started calling funny things she says as "brandi-isms."  I love Brandi beyond reason and one of the things I most love about her is her occasional naive nature and childlike innocence.  So I have decided to keep track of the "brandi-isms" on our blog by posting them as they occur.  Be aware that I am NOT making fun of her by any means but just sharing with all of you the joy of that which is "brandi-isms".  Tonight Brandi had one that topped many of them.  She was making german pancakes for lunch and got confused about measurements.  She posed this scenario to me in question.  She asked if she already had one cup of flour and wanted to add 1/3 more, how much she would need to add.  I very obviously stated "um, 1/3 cup sweetheart."  We laughed for about 5 minutes straight without stopping.  Maybe you might get this and laugh as well.  Or maybe you won't.  Maybe it's just one of those moments that, well, you just needed to be there.  

Speak Up!!

I am not a citizen of California so this is how I can help, I guess.  I am posting this to let you all see this and send it to anyone you know in Cali. It's really a sad thing to see our rights and votes trying to be overturned.

California Citizens:
Sign a Petition to Gov. Schwarzenegger to Respect Prop 8 Election Results
If you are a California citizen, please act immediately to sign this petition to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who is urging the California Supreme Court to overthrow the results of the recent free and fair election which passed Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

familyleader.info/petitions/petition_5.php

scroll down after you get to the page and you will see the letter.

TIGHT CHRISTMAS!!

This is an e-mail a fellow blog friend had that I really wanted to share!

My dear friends, Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads: You need four maxi pads to make a pair. Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part. The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top. Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part. Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.These slippers are: * Soft and Hygienic * Non-slip grip strips on the soles * Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh * No more bending over to mop up spills * Disposable and biodegradable * Environmentally safe * Three convenient sizes:
(1.) Regular,
(2.) Light and
(3.) Get out the Sand Bags. I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.

Happy Birthday Gavin!!

Okay Gavin has turned 3.  I can't believe how fast time flies.  My babies are not babies anymore and growing by the minute.  I have a hard time around his birthday, just mixed emotions! From his birth to now is amazing and I am so blessed to have him with me still.  I am going to take a little detour back to the day he was born as I do every year to help me remember how precious life is.  

Gavin was born with what the doc's call a Diaphramatic Hernea(still not sure of the spelling) which means all of his intestines (bowel) were up in his chest cavity and didn't allow his right lung to grow properly and had not been able to expand at all.  So when he was born he could not breathe. They go in and pull all the bowels out of the chest cavity and put it where it should go.  In Gavin's case after they moved the bowel, his lung immediately began to expand.  Not as full as the left but expand it did.  Great news for me being a whole state away.  He came out of surgery very fragile but better than before.  He is now 3 and you would never know unless you watch him run for a few minutes and see that his lips have turned purple.  He stops and says "mom i need my puff" which means he wants his inhaler.  A constant companion from September to April.  The cold weather also seems to bother his breathing.  Otherwise he is all boy, totally into every sport out there and good at them too.  He loves to pick on Reagan until she is screaming and also tries to wrestle with Payton.  I am so grateful for this experience, although I don't ever want to live it again, we learned so much through this time of our lives.   Love you Goopta!!

Gavin 3 yrs old

Gavin 2 yrs old
Gavin 1 yr old
Gavin at birth
This was what we got to take for his announcement pictures at the hospital.  How fun is that! (FYI: if you look at his tummy you will notice a lack of anything there. It looks like he is sucking in, that is just the factor of no intestines there.)
This is Gavin after surgery in Denver, Childrens Hospital.  He is so swollen.  At birth he weighed 5 lb 13 oz the next time I saw him he had been out of surgery 2 days and weighed over 7 lbs.  So he looks different in this pic.
Ryan and his dad flew life flight with him.  I am so glad daddy got to go.  I was so sad I could not go.  So knowing there was family by his side when he came out of surgery helped a lot. 
My first visit since delivery after a 2 day wait and a flight with my mom and Reagan to get to him.  Holy Cow I could not wait anymore.  It was a very sweet moment to see him again. 
Big sister Reagan seeing him for the VERY FIRST TIME!! He was born at 2:22 a.m. so she was sleeping at grandmas house with her aunt Amy and Melissa.  What an amazing moment.  She had a little cold and the babies in this area are very sick so she had to wear that dumb mask. It took a lot of bribing to get her to keep it on.  She loved him from the moment she laid eyes on him.
Gavin on his way home to Utah to the 2nd of 3 hospitals to get him home to us.  That was a scary thing to see, it became really real when they wheeled him in to me in this case to say "bye see ya soon, maybe!?"  I didn't know if I would see him again.  I get a lump in my throat every time I see this pic.  After ONLY a month a half he got to come home, home! I say only that long because we were told it could be 6 months and then oxygen for a year.  Well, he is a fighter. Only a month and a half hospitalized, when he came home it was like 2 days on tube feedings through the nose and I think a week on oxygen!  We were constantly being told how Gavin made liars out of the doctors all along the way.  That he did!

So that is the story of Gavin.  His journey into this world and what an amazing feeling it is to watch this miracle play and laugh and run and breathe!!!  I am so blessed to be his mommy.

Photo Tag!!

There you go Katy,  this is my #4 folder and #4 picture.  This is a sweet picture because Grandpa left us a year and a half ago.  So it is nice to reflect this memory.

I tag whoever wants to do it.  It's kind of fun to see what is back at the beginning of all the folders.  Have fun down memory lane.  

Some more fall pics of the kids!

Reagan is always cracking me up in pics.  Gav is just smiling his smile.  Oh how funny!

Halloween! better late than never...

Daddy, Reagan, and Gavin gutting there pumpkins.  They are so funny!
Now that they are gutted and carved there pumpkins they are showing me which one is there's!! We had them draw on paper what they wanted the pumpkin face to look like and then daddy helped them carve it. That works great!
Out on the town to get some free candy!! Nothing better than that.
Reagan once again shooting a pose.  Reagan was a unicron until I left her costume in her closet 2 hours away from where were going trick or treating.  So we rummaged through grandma's old costumes and came across a genie skirt and then we went to the store and found a sweat suit that matched the closest, she can pull anything off.  Gavin is a horse, he is really into that right now.  
And AGAIN SHE IS A DIVA!!
We left the baby with grandma, grandpa, Kathy and York while we took the older kids out.  It was way easier but we had to get a pic of the baby dressed up in his monkey costume.  He is so cute.  He got real hot though, so it lasted about 5 minutes.
What a crazy bunch of kids!
Reagan had to take her favorite doll that grandma got a halloween costume for too.  She is so cute.
Gavin sporting some pirate stuff that Aunt Kathy got him.
Payton trying to get into the candy. (remember I said he was hot, hence the no clothes)

Fall Fun!

So we decided to surprise Ryan's family for Halloween and trick or treat a day early. They were very surprised and loved it.(pics of the kids in there costumes coming soon.)

We wanted to get some pics of the kids in Ryan's parents back yard. It is beautifully landscaped and the colors are amazing right now. We had a blast. Here are a few of our fav's!  (I am trying to zoom a few other pics.  They are way to small to be on here.)


Yes we know that Gavin looks like he is in pain, this is just how he smiles.  Funny boy!