Little Gray Dog Blog

Halloween

2011-11-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun this Halloween. Billy got to dress up and

tit-o-teet 3 times! First we had our ward trunk or treat, and Jay was lucky enough to be a part of the "dunk tank", which wasn't water, but rather some sticky, slimy, sugary concoction. The joys of being in the bishopric . . .

We also went to my parents' ward trunk or treat the next evening, where I got to see lots of friends, like Summer and Geri Anne.

On Monday night, we took Billy and Reagan around our neighborhood and we all had a good time. We met all sorts of neighbors. We've been here a year now, and we had only met three of our cul-de-sac neighbors. Pretty sad, huh? Billy caught on pretty quick, and loved pushing doorbells and even tried to open a few doors!

11 Months Old!

2011-10-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, 11 months. I can't believe that my baby is almost a year old! She is so much fun. She is a mover - crawling, cruising, probably soon to be walking. She just got her third tooth, but the other 3 top ones are ready to come in. Fun times. Yesterday she was holding a pen and threw it on the ground. Then she looked down at it and said, "uh-oh"! Now it's her favorite game. Wonder who taught her that one . . .

Happy Birthday, Jay!

2011-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 33rd birthday to Jay! His birthday was on Tuesday, but since he had the day off for Columbus day, we celebrated on Monday. After an awesome pancake, egg, and smoothie breakfast, we worked out and then went to Carambas for lunch. The plan was to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, but we were so stuffed from lunch that we got take out from Pei Wei instead and ended up eating the rest of it today! After dinner we indulged (again) on a chocolate-raspberry-vanilla ice cream cake.

On his actual birthday, we had quesadilla burgers and raspberry-filled cinnamon rolls for lunch. Yum.

That night, Jay's family came in town and we went to Carrabas for dinner.

So to summarize Jay's birthday: good food, good presents, and good company!

Apple Picking

2011-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we drove to Wickenburg to go apple picking at a family farm. Billy is quite the fan of apples (a-po), so he was pretty excited to see the sheer numbers. (Too bad a lot of them were on the ground).

Since I work Saturday mornings, we had to skip naptime, so Billy was pretty tired on the way home. He only slept for about 10 minutes because Jay was able to locate the BBQ restaurant that had catered an event at the city. We had dinner at the Hog Trough Smokehouse. It was pretty good, but really, it just made us miss Rudy's. If you are ever in Texas, look for a Rudy's - you won't be disappointed!

Labor Day in Puerto Penasco

2011-09-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Rocky Point over the Labor Day holiday (many thanks to Jay's parents for taking us!). It was extremely hot, but still nice to get away from reality for a little while. Billy absolutely loved the beach (no surprise there). We only went early in the morning while Reagan was sleeping because it was just too hot to go later in the day, so no pictures of Reagan playing with (or likely eating) sand. Billy played in the sand and walked all over when the tide was out. He surprised me by sitting in the water almost up to his neck and then waiting for the waves to hit him. Jay was able to take his mind off work for a few days and read a book (a fiction book, mind you, not a political one!). I watched lots of movies with my mother-in-law. Ah, the life.

9 Months Old

2011-08-18T15:40:00.001-07:00

She's crawling, eating table food, and babbling like crazy. We are loving this stage.

According to her 9- month check-up, she's average in weight, and above the 90th percentile in height and head circumference.

Potty training and crawling

2011-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

We've reached the big leagues! Billy is potty-trained (for the most part). He doesn't exactly tell us when he has to go; we have to be on the look-out for his cues and ask him if he has to go. I don't think I can express how lovely it is to no longer have to change his poopy diapers. :) We're going to attempt it a lot younger with Reagan . . .

Speaking of Reagan, she is finally crawling! Well, she moves around, that is. It looks more like "the worm". She loves to play. She can entertain herself for a period of time now, which is WONDERFUL! She has been a LOT more needy than Billy was, so I'm real excited about this. Her hair is finally growing and filling out, and it is definitely still red. Yippee!

Reagan loves her brother. She laughs at the silly things he does, especially in the bathtub. Billy is really sweet with her, most of the time. Of course he takes toys away from her (ones he hasn't played with in over a year). Whenever he finds a pacifier, he puts it in her mouth, even if she already has one in her mouth (he'll take that one out). The other day as I was getting lunch ready, I turned around and found him spoon feeding her (I could take advantage of that)!

Growing up . . .

2011-07-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Too fast. :( I was talking to a friend about this recently. I catch myself thinking (and saying) how great things will be when Reagan can: (fill-in-the-blank). Life got so much easier when she could sit by herself. Life is getting easier now that toys capture her attention for a little while. Life is going to get easier when she can get around by crawling (soon!). But I look back and realize how dang fast things have gone by and how I already miss holding the little baby that didn't squirm around in my arms. Not that I'm ready to go back to sleepless nights anytime soon.

Billy is a sweet, happy kid, but can also be a stinking pill. He hardly lets me take his picture anymore. He gives awesome hugs and kisses. He loves Toy Story. He loves letters and numbers. He loves books. He kind of likes his sister.

Reagan is a sweet baby. She is slightly obsessed with me, but it's getting a tiny bit better. She is 8 months old and totally ready to start crawling. She smiles a lot and has a great laugh! She finally got her two bottom teeth last week. Apparently, she looks a little bit like I did as a baby. Just a little. My dad calls her "Mini-Mo."

4th of July

2011-07-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a cool(er) 4th of July in Prescott this year. We were super happy to miss the near 118 degrees hit over the weekend in the valley of the sun! Jay's sister and family recently moved back to Prescott from Wisconsin, which means cousins Billy's age who live close by! Hooray! It was so fun to see the little boys interacting, and I just imagine how much fun they are going to have together as they grow up. Konrad is 3 and Rodney is almost 2 (4 months younger than Billy). Even now, more than a week later, I still catch Billy saying, "Nah-nee, nah-nee" (Rodney). So sweet!

We went to the parade downtown, watched fireworks at Julie's house. ate good food, and swam. I'm ready to go back! :)

Swimming

2011-06-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Reagan is such a ham! She was cracking me up in these pictures. Of course, Billy hardly even looks at the camera anymore, so I never get both of them smiling together. Oh well. They had so much fun in their little kiddie pool. Billy played with bath toys and Reagan tried to eat said bath toys.

Love these kids!

2011-06-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

We are blessed. That's all I have to say!

Memorial Day

2011-06-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

Ah, Rocky Point, one of the (many) reasons we are so happy to be back in Arizona. We got pulled over just past the border (for speeding, which was a total crock), and ended up paying the cop $40. It still makes me mad thinking about it. Jay got sick, but luckily we were able to get him on some antibiotics before anybody else caught it. But we had a great time! The water was BEAUTIFUL! Billy loved it. Reagan liked kicking her feet in it. Jay wished we could have taken the boat out in it. It was so nice to relax, walk on the beach, and eat great food!

5 months old!

2011-04-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

5 months! Wow. Reagan is a fun baby. She has a beautiful smile and infectious laugh. She is a good sleeper (although we wish she would sleep past 5 am!) She has definitely discovered her hands and feet and loves toys. Last night in the bath I caught her sucking her big toe! She's a sweetheart.

This is THE coolest picture EVER! When I saw it, I could not stop laughing. I think it was 5 minutes before I could stop laughing long enough to show it to Jay, who about peed his pants. :)

Billy Boy

2011-04-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

William is so much fun these days. He's getting much better with the whining and crying now that he is talking more. It's amazing to see what he learns everyday. And what he understands. It's crazy how quickly these little mush heads develop!

Billy is slightly obsessed with hats. There was a day last week when we wouldn't take it off. He even slept in it.

A couple of pics of the kiddos together. Billy doesn't like to look at the camera to have his picture taken anymore, so they aren't the best pics of him. Oh well.

William Buckley's 2nd Birthday!

2011-04-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

William had an AWESOME birthday! Our families came from Prescott and the East Valley to celebrate with him. There was good food, yummy cake, great presents, and good times had by all (well, I can't speak for everyone, but Jay and I had a great time and appreciate everyone coming)! Billy was a crack up. We gave him presents throughout to keep him occupied because he wasn't too interested in dinner. He wasn't quite old enough to understand the pinata; we think he thought we wanted him to hurt his present! The best part was singing Happy Birthday. Billy was so surprised, and just kept looking around at everyone in amazement. We had to sing a couple of times. He got LOTS of great presents - Thanks everyone! Thanks for making it such a special, memorable day!

Catch Up

2011-03-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, it's been awhile! Which of course means . . . tons of pictures to post! :) Here are the kiddos in their cute overalls.

Now that Reagan is old enough to play with toys, I've gotten all of Billy's old stuff out. Billy thinks these toys are WAY more fun to play with that his more grown-up toys, go figure. Whenever I get the playmat out, he thinks he should be the one lying on it!

(Sorry, I don't know why the picture is turned this way)

Billy is 23 months old. Hard to believe he's turning 2 already, but then again, he looks like a 3 year old! The speech pathologist inside me is finally starting to relax as Billy starts to talk more and more. My favorites are cookie and doggie (mostly because I'm so happy he can finally make the back sounds). He has really taken an interest in Sam lately. Poor Sam gets sat on often. When I was little, I always wanted a dog big enough for me to sit on; Billy better live it up now because Sam isn't getting any bigger, or younger!

Billy LOVES going to the park. We're trying to enjoy them now since it's going to be too hot to touch the equipment pretty soon! He loves climbing (and scaring mom). He loves being outside in general, especially if that involves rocks. He brings me rock presents all the time. I'm always finding them in the house. His new thing is to lie down in the rocks with all of his blankies and talk or sing to himself.

This is how we found Billy when we checked on him last night. Pretty funny, but I'm not surprised. He loves this pillow. I found it at Ross and when I handed it to him, he wouldn't let go of it.

Reagan is smiling like crazy and even started to laugh, which is super funny, so I laugh, which of course makes her laugh more. It's a crack up. Someday I'll catch it on video and put it up on here.

She is 4 months old and weighs 14.8 lbs and 25" long, moving her up in the ranks on the 'ole growth charts (up to the 72/79th percentiles). The number that cracks me up is her head circumference. The poor girl is in the 94th percentile, following in the steps of her big brother. I've tried to feed her rice cereal a couple of times, but suffice it to say she's not a big fan at this point. Not that I blame her; that stuff is nasty. She's also starting to refuse a bottle . . .

Billy Boy

2011-02-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

We have been "single-child" parents for the past few days while Billy spends some time with his Layton G-parents. Though we miss him terribly, I have to admit that it has been nice to only be in charge of one child, especially one that doesn't wreak havoc on my house yet! :) I'm glad we had some time to give Reagan all of our attention; she has changed so much and is incredibly smiley and interactive. But since I'm totally missing my Billy boy, this post is dedicated to him (although there is shot of him loving on Reagan. I LOVE how he is playing with her fingers).

2 month check-up

2011-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

Our daughter is perfectly . . . gasp . . . AVERAGE! What? 50th percentile? That's it? :) I didn't think it would be possible to have an average sized child when you put Jay's and my genes together! But I guess you have to consider that she was born 3 weeks early. The little lady still fits into most of her newborn sized clothing.

Reagan is 11.8 lbs, 23" long, and, as you can clearly see, BEAUTIFUL!!!

Mexico

2011-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

We were able to go to Rocky Point with Jay's parents and brother over the MLK holiday. Billy loved the beach, and didn't even care that the water was cold! Well, he didn't care as long as he was IN the water, but the walk home was chilly! I showed him how to put a shell in his pocket, and he quickly started collecting them. He loved playing in the sand, but not the showers he had to take afterward!

General Cuteness

2011-01-13T02:38:00.000-08:00

They are changing so fast! Billy is finally starting to talk more. He literally doubled his number of words last weekend in Rocky Point (pictures to come). It's such a relief for me. Thing is, Jay was the one who finally got through to him to practice sounds and words. He wouldn't do it with me!

Reagan is beginning to sleep for longer stretches at night, anywhere from 4-6 hours . . . hip, hip, hooray! She is becoming very interactive and loves to stare, especially at dad and grandma. They are definitely a handful, but lots of fun!

Blessing Day

2011-01-13T02:09:00.000-08:00

Reagan's baby blessing was on January 2nd. She was lucky to have lots of her family there to support her on her big day! Thanks to everyone who made the drive to Surprise to be there with us

2nd and 3rd Christmas!

2011-01-05T01:37:00.000-08:00

We didn't haul Billy's gifts from us parental figures to Prescott (one of the perks of him still being too young to really "get it"). After we saw all the awesome stuff he was given on the initial Christmas, we decided to put some of our gifts away until his birthday! Here he is opening a few more gifts.

I've learned that when I set up a shot of Billy holding Reagan, there is a VERY small window of opportunity because when he's "done", Billy immediately PUSHES Reagan off of him! Here they are in all their Christmas cuteness!

I don't have any pictures of Billy opening presents on 3rd Christmas (only a token 'sitting in the garbage bag full of Christmas un-wrappings while sucking on a lollipop picture'), but suffice it to say he scored . . . .again! :)

Here he is spending time with his Layton cousins.

Reagan, due to her extreme cuteness and small stature, turned out to be a big hit! But I didn't expect her to be enjoyed more by the cousins than the grown-ups! Timers had to be set to prevent fighting over whose turn it was to hold her! I am really going to miss my baby-sitters! I am totally missing a picture of Brooke, who was also a great little mommy!

Christmas

2011-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Prescott with the Brimhalls this year. It was fun, relaxing, and chilly! I loved it! It was fun to watch Billy open presents and interact with his cousins. I'm so glad they will be moving back to AZ soon! Reagan is becoming much more aware of her surroundings. She is getting big; already over 11 lbs at only 6 1/2 weeks!

We had so much fun spending time with family over this Christmas season. I'll post more pics from the Layton Christmas party and Reagan's blessing soon.

Pictures!

2010-12-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

I think I need to figure out how to do a slide show or at the very least, smaller pictures! You'll have to deal with the onslaught until I do. Reagan is so beautiful and sweet. Billy is beginning to adapt to not being the sole center of attention. We've been very blessed to have grandmothers staying with us during the week so that I can focus on the baby and on healing from my cesarean. I'd heard the recovery got more difficult with subsequent babies. I don't think so. I feel like it was the same, if not a little easier. But I also learned from the first time around to take advantage of the help that was offered and let my body heal. The hardest part is not picking up my son. He'll come up to me and hold my legs, crying to be picked up, so I kneel down to give him a hug, but then he'll just cry harder and try to make me stand up and hold him. He likes to touch Reagan's hands and feet, pull her booties off, and poke her eyes out. He also likes to put her pacifier in her mouth, especially when I am trying to nurse her! We're hoping that she continues to use a pacifier, but as you'll see from the pictures, she has already found her thumb. . . on multiple occasions. Billy didn't really start sucking his thumb until 3 months, so we'll see how this one turns out! Reagan LOVES taking a bath. She is so calm and happy. Totally different from Billy; he literally screamed for the first few weeks.

NICU graduate!

2010-11-20T14:15:00.001-08:00

I just got the BEST news: Reagan's NICU doctor has decided that she can come to my room tonight! Hooray! So that means we both get discharged together tomorrow. Woo hoo! There is still a little fluid in her lungs, but she's breathing well and eating well, and her little body is working to get rid of it on it's own. They think her hips are fine, as she isn't showing much sensitivity there anymore, but that's something we'll have to keep an eye on. She is sleeping like a champ, and eating every 3-4 hours (at least in NICU under constant nurse supervision and a quiet environment). I'll cross my fingers that will continue. Is it possible to get two good eaters and sleepers in a row? :)

This is her in the Neonatal Continuing Care Unit, where she spent less than 12 hours. Look closely at the blue plaque on the wall (upper right) for her "pod" number. Yep, that's a 12, my BYU vb number! Lucky number 12!

She's Here!!!

2010-11-18T15:39:00.001-08:00

Well...

Honestly, what can you say?

Expect the unexpected...?

We didn't and that is exactly what we got.

Melissa, at her final ultrasound yesterday, was found to have low amniotic fluid. When her doctor came in, he asked, "are you ready to have a baby tonight? Because its happening."

So, it was a scramblefest. Some wonderful ward members stepped up and took care of Billy last night. Grandmas, Aunt Julie, and Grandpa Rod came down to see Reagan Elizabeth Brimhall's first moments in the world.

She weighed 7.1 lbs, and was 20 inches long. Although she was 3 weeks early, she had a 14.5 inch (circumference) head.

Although she is in the NICU, we got some good news a few hours ago, so we're encouraged. Her (baby's...obviously) lungs were slightly undeveloped but early this afternoon they took her off oxygen and she responded wonderfully. Also, due to her breach condition, there was some concern about hip dysplasia but they concluded it was probably bruising. In the first few hours of her life, her blood sugar was low, but that has normalized. The stressed conditions of her birth caused many of these problems.

We are overcome with gratefulness.

We are truly blessed.

This is happiness.

Baby update

2010-11-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm 37 weeks tomorrow. I know I've been super bad about posting belly pictures; it's just so awkward to take them! However, I do wish I had taken pictures more regularly. I really didn't get very big until a few weeks ago. I've gotten a lot of nice comments from people who are surprised by how "small" I am for being this far along. I've gained less weight so far in this pregnancy than I did with Billy, so hopefully (with a lot of hard work) that will be to my benefit in a couple of months here as I try to get back into shape (with P90X).

Jay went with me to the Dr last Friday because I wanted him to actually meet the guy before the big day. It's a little different this time around, starting with a new Dr at 35 weeks and all. Anyway, if you want a good laugh, you'll have to ask Jay what he said about my Dr. I'll leave that for him to tell. I signed the paperwork explaining the risks of having a vbac vs a c-section, and we talked at length about it at my first appt. I was pretty excited just to have the option, but very nervous as I started to really think about it! But those plans are likely out the window because . . . she's breech! For the love! There's a slight chance she'll turn, but she's probably too big and too comfortable at this point. So we've scheduled a c-section for Dec 1st. Two weeks. I can't believe we are finally going to meet her in 2 weeks.

Halloween

2010-11-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Prescott for the weekend of Halloween. We couldn't pass up pictures with the leaves in the front yard. Gosh, how I've missed having SEASONS!!!

We made it to the pumpkin patch for more pictures:

Halloween twinner bumblebees:

Trunk or Treat:

The Gray Beast

2010-11-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, most LDS homes have a piano, some an organ, many a guitar...but drums?

Over the years my kit has grown bigger and bigger. Thanks to my purchase of the Pearl Demon Drive double bass pedal (which I bought with birthday funds supplemented with the sale of my XBOX 360...yes you read that correctly, and the sale of my other double bass pedal...yea, this sucker was crazy expensive...but I did get an amazing deal!) and Melissa's latest birthday gift a few weeks ago (that odd shaped cymbal in the middle there above the second tom drum from the left), I've been hard pressed to think of anything else I could do to upgrade it any further.

I changed the heads out this morning and I am floored at how amazing the whole drumkit looks and sounds.

Now, if I can only learn to play all the fun new gadgets I've added over the years!

Just for reference, below is the drum kit I started with 7.5 years ago when Melis and I got married. This is the one I played in Station J (my old band) while I went to Eastern Arizona College.

Quite a contrast!

Tennis Tournament

2010-10-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

There is a new tennis facility literally next door to City Hall where he works, and this past weekend they hosted a tournament with celebrity tennis stars. Jay scored free VIP tickets to the 3rd place and championship matches. We were able to watch John McEnroe vs Michael Chang, and then Jim Courier vs Mark Philippoussis. It was so cool to see these players in person. I had no idea that there was even a league that these guys play in, but there is one called the Champions Series. A friend in the ward offered to watch Billy, so Jay and I had a wonderful 4 hours alone together! Billy's Layton g-parents kept him overnight the day before, so that was 2 "dates" in one weekend. I swear, we haven't been on a date since Jay's sister Julie came to visit us in McAllen over a year ago!

Back to the tennis match, we had the wonderful opportunity of experiencing a few infamous McEnroe "rants," and even got one on video (shot from a distance with my digital camera, so not the greatest quality, but McEnroe hams it up for the crowd, so you can hear him pretty well. My favorite comment, sadly not caught on video, was McEnroe's reply to a lady in the audience who said something about the ball being out. McEnroe said, "You're eighty; you didn't see it!" Alas, he was probably right; we do live next door to Sun City.

John McEnroe

Michael Chang

Mark Philippoussis

Jim Courier (Philippoussis was playing REALLY well) :)

John McEnroe's Last Rant (of the day:))

We are here!

2010-10-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well, kind of! Billy and I flew in this morning, and Jay and his mom are driving the Penske truck. Thank goodness we got to fly because a few hours on a plane with an 18 month old has to be better than 20+ hours in a car with an 18 month old! Not to mention being 32 weeks pregnant. There isn't much room for a wiggly toddler on my lap these days!

But speaking of an active 18 month old, Billy went to nursery last Sunday for the first time! That was so fun to drop him off, and yes, I definitely peeked in on him occasionally through the little window! I walked up during snack time and saw him sitting in one of those little chairs at a little table, and was thinking about how cute he looked, until he picked up a snack and threw it on the ground! The nursery leader had a very confused look on her face as she went over to pick it up. Of course, I'm cracking up at the window because this is exactly what Billy does at home with his little buddy, Sam! But the really funny part was that the other kids at Billy's table had full plates of snacks, and Billy's was nearly empty! And no, they weren't all on the ground. I've been told more than once that Billy is a "good eater," and I think I'm going to hear that a LOT through the years.

We celebrated Jay's 32nd birthday on Monday with lots of packing, running errands, and dinner with friends. Oh, and he (we) even got to see little Reagan on his birthday. She even winked at him! We got an ultrasound picture with one of her eyes open, which I will upload when we get moved in and get our computer set up . . . Anyway, happy birthday, Jay! Sorry it couldn't be a little more relaxing of a day for you!

Moving to Arizona!

2010-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I guess it is old news now, but we've just been too busy to blog about it! In fact, there are many other things I really should be doing right now, but I wanted an excuse to post some cute pictures of the Billster, so now is as good a time as any!

We are leaving in one week and one day. It's crazy how fast everything happened, but we feel so blessed that it all has worked out as well and as quickly as it did. We are so happy to be able to be in Arizona among family when our baby girl is born in early December. I'm 31 weeks today.

If you read our blog, you probably already know that we are moving to Surprise. You wouldn't believe how many people I know that have a family member living in Surprise. It's a small world in mormon-ville! We are super excited. All we need is a place to live . . . Thank goodness for a family full of realtors to help us out! And thank you to all of the family members and friends helping us out!

Billy loves stickers. Usually, I put them all over his face and body, and he takes them right off. But lately, when he gets a sticker, he immediately sticks it to his left ear. Over and over again, as you can clearly see.

He never really took a pacifier, much preferring the tasty goodness of his thumb. But lately he has started doing this with his puzzle pieces . . .

We've discovered PBS cartoons.

Sam loves to curl up near him when he's sleeping. It's probably his way of saying thank you for all of the food and doggie treats Billy gives him.

It's crazy how much he has changed. I absolutely LOVE my son's dimples. I can only hope that Reagan has them, too.

Haircut

2010-09-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

It was time. It is so hot and humid here that I always wore my hair in a ponytail or bun anyway. And the post baby growth, ugh; not pretty. My hair was long enough to donate, so I chopped it all off! This is the shortest I have ever had my hair, but it looks even shorter because it's wavy for the first time in my life! I've always had super straight hair, but between the humidity and the post baby growth coming in wavy, I have a totally new look! And it is soooo easy. Water, mousse, scrunch it up, and I'm done! Jay likes it, and since he has to look at me the most, that's all that matters! :) Here are the before and after pics:

South Padre Island

2010-09-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Jay's parents and brother came to visit us this weekend, so we made a trip out to South Padre Island. It was pouring rain on the way, and it got so bad we almost turned around. Yesterday the Rio Grande Valley got more than 3 inches of rain in about 3 hours, so we didn't want to get stuck in that madness again! We decided to continue on since Rod hadn't seen the island yet. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant right on the beach, and by the time we were done, the rain had stopped, so we headed to one of the public beach entrances. Billy absolutely LOVED the water. He went straight in and kept laughing and falling over every time a tiny wave would hit him, yet he shook my hand away when I tried to steady him. He didn't seem to mind the salt water at all, even when he went completely under (quite a few times). We definitely need to go back again soon, and take advantage of living so close to a beach.

My Sweet Boys

2010-08-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is what happens after we spend 1 1/2 hours at the splash park! Billy had such a fun time playing in the water and going up and down the stairs on the playground. The Bishop's wife was there with her 5 kids, and they are especially sweet with Billy. Anytime he fell down on the splashpad, at LEAST one of them was there to pick him up! Sam had fun, too. He chased after us up the stairs on the playground and even went down the slide on my lap!

When we got home, we went to Billy's favorite spot (a pile of blankets in the corner of his room), ate a snack, read books, and barely got through one song before I realized he was snoozing! He ended up sleeping right there for about 3 hours! We're debating getting him a toddler bed, but I worry about what he would do in his room if he got up during the night. This kid loves to pull cords out of electrical outlets and try to put them back in!

I love how Sam is laying next to him in this picture. Lately, Billy has become much more interested in Sam. He likes to give him treats and toys and laughs when he gets hyper and runs around the house. He will randomly reach over and pet him on his back or poke around his face. Yesterday I caught him with a finger in his nose! Poor Sam! He is such a good dog. He has always been very sweet and calm with Billy. He has put up with a lot already as Billy has been growing up, so it's fun to see Billy becoming more interactive and playful with him. I'm excited to see how their little relationship continues to change as Billy gets older. I'm so glad he has such a sweet friend, and I hope that we'll be blessed to have little Sammer with us for a long time.

Blog Stalking

2010-08-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

The more I read other people's blogs, the more I realize we are r...e...a...l...l...y...

Splash Pad Fun

2010-08-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

A new park just opened up a few minutes' walk down the street from us. There are a lot of parks here, but it's nice to have one within walking distance. The problem is, who wants to walk anywhere and be outside in this heat? Our heat index is over 100 today and there is a heat advisory for the coastal areas closeby. I know this doesn't sound that bad to my friends and family living in the heat of the AZ valley, but you have to factor in the humidity here. The fact is, it's just too hot to be outside at a park during the day. But this new park just made McAllen livable. It has a water area! Woo hoo! Billy had an absolute blast! He was a little wary at first, but quickly realized how much fun it was and was running around with all of the other kids there. We happened to know a few of them because there was a family from our ward there, so they played with him and helped him acclimate. I only took my regular digital camera, so I wasn't able to capture the great face shots, but here are a few . . . (ok, a lot)! I took Sam, too, and tied his leash up to the stroller while we were playing. Well, our little dog obviously has some separation issues - he broke his leash twice trying to get to us! It was a new leash, too. Think Target will take it back without a receipt?

The Chuck Liddell

2010-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Billy's hair finally grew out enough from his last buzz cut, so this is what I came home to on Saturday morning. Notice he's also sporting his Tapout shirt, showing support for the big UFC fights that night! Course, they are shown a little past his bedtime, but Jay got to go see them at a member's house.

Billy was a big hit at church yesterday! The kid is all over the place during classes. At one point, he was sitting on a sister's lap, playing with her jewelery, WHILE she was signing for some deaf women! Talk about multi-tasking!

Billster

2010-07-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this little guy changes week to week. He has turned into such an independent, playful, social, sweet kiddo. I guess the only new personality trait there is the independence, but the others have definitely been amplified by his new independence. Walking has opened up a whole new world to him. He's constantly walking back and forth from his toys in the living room to his bedroom (where his books, blankies, and potato heads are). He's really into potato heads right now. That's actually what he is playing with at this very moment, while I sit in the rocking chair writing this. Oh, and by the way, Sam is sleeping right next to him.

Another big change is Billy's relationship with dad. BIlly went through a crazy phase when he was about 1 year where he would scream if I left the room, leaving him alone with dad. Jay has always loved his time with Billy on the evenings and weekends that I work, but for a while there it wasn't very fun! Things have definitely gotten better over the past few months, but lately I think Billy has REALLY bonded with dad. On Sunday, Billy and I walked into Gospel Doctrine, and when he saw dad at the front of the class, he bee-lined straight for him and grunted to be picked up! So cute. This morning when Jay left for work, he said goodbye to us on the couch, but Billy wanted to walk him out like we usually do, so he followed him to the door, and reached up to grab his finger. That's gotta make a daddy feel good! Billy has been a little slow with the whole waving business, but today dad got an excited double wave - both hands! It's sweet to see him act like this with dad.

One of Billy's favorite places. If he's in his room and I don't hear any noises, this is where I usually find him, usually with a book or a blankie.

Yesterday I gave BIlly some slices of avocado, which he really liked, but he had WAY more fun squishing it through his fingers and rubbing it on his chest. The highchair needed to be cleaned anyway, so I took baby and chair straight outside and hosed them down! Billy loved it!

Big Boy Billy

2010-07-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

This week was Billy's 15 month check-up. He's grown quite a bit, up to 32 1/2 inches, and weighed in at 27 1/2 pounds, putting him in the 90th percentile across the board.

He is walking well, eating well, sleeping well, but not . . . talking well! Arghhh! How embarrassing for me! I need to break out my old notes from my first semester of grad school and figure out what I'm missing here. He's a smart kid, so we're sure he's just a little delayed, but I feel so bad for him because he gets so frustrated. He loves reading books and is extremely inquisitive about how things work. He loves Connect 4, his busy ball popper, tupperware, and zhu zhu pets!

He also loves wearing hats. He'll whine for you to give it to him, and then he'll bring it to you to put it on him. Super cute.

And here is our super sweet Sammy. He especially loves to cuddle with his dad. So cute.

I hate taking &/or posting pictures of myself, but my family members have asked me if I am showing yet, so here ya go! I'm 20 weeks today, and I think you can actually tell that it's a pregnancy bump at this point, which is nice! I started poking out a LOT earlier this time around, at about 15 weeks. I'm already carrying her pretty high, so I guess that debunks the whole myth about carrying boys high and girls low. I guess we'll see how it plays out.

Girl?

2010-06-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

What? Are you sure? Keep looking! Ha, just kidding! I admit, I was actually kinda shocked at first; I was so sure she was a boy! Dad's intuition told him she was a she, but he couldn't convince me.

It's hard to believe we are having a girl. She'll be the first granddaughter on the Brimhall side, and will even things up 5-5 on the Layton side. We're super excited, though I don't think I'm ready for all the threats of pink clothes! :) I gotta admit, it will be nice to shop from a decent selection of clothes instead of the 2-3 racks of boys' things!

The ultrasound pictures weren't as good as Billy's were, but I have to remind myself that I was 3-4 weeks further along when I had my ultrasound with him. Anyway, here's the best picture:

Billstergeist

2010-06-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

Melissa went to investigate what sounded like a specter terrorizing the house...

Turns out it was just Billy being a silly kid.

The beginning is a black screen because she started off filming his closed door in order to record the noises. Turn your volume up and keep watching!

Dream Theater!!!

2010-06-18T17:46:00.001-07:00

Even though...

Their set was only 50 minutes...

The people we sat by had to get up and go get beer every 24.3 seconds...

We were kinda far away from the stage...

Melis was kinda sick...

We had a great time, and DT was amazing!!!

For your viewing and listening pleasure, here is a smattering of DT from the SA show as recorded by Melissa via her new FLIP video which she bought for her birthday.

Enjoy!!

Summer fun!

2010-06-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the pics, Natalie!

We have had so much fun lately: a trip to AZ to see Jay's sister get married, hang out with family, and catch up with friends, a trip to San Antonio to see Dream Theater and visit with family, and my birthday, the big 31! So here's my excuse for not writing about everything sooner: I've been sooo sick! So apparently when you are pregnant, you are more susceptible to sickness and you get everything a lot worse than if you weren't pregnant. I wouldn't know. My first pregnancy was super easy! I think it all started with allergies in AZ (yes, I'm now allergic to AZ), and then on the plane ride home, it turned into a nasty cold with nasal congestion (that was the most miserable plane ride EVER). So the next day, my birthday, was spent either in bed or on the sofa! Still a good birthday, though! I didn't work the rest of the week, and ended up getting a z-pack from my OB. That was 2 days before we left for San Antonio. That same day, Billy woke up with a fever. Uh, what? This is the FIRST time he has ever been sick. I honestly wasn't too sure what to do! :) It went up to 101.6, so I called his pediatrician, and they had me bring him in. He diagnosed him with a viral infection that would just run it's course. Poor kid. So here we were leaving for San Antonio the next day, to stay with Bryan and Natalie, who have 2-month-old. No way I could have Billy around little Bryan. So we stayed in a hotel instead. Billy was kind of up and down during the weekend, and seems to be getting over it now, but he still has a cough. Is that the worst sound in the world, or what?? I feel so bad when I hear him cough!

I'll add more pics and a little video from the concert later . . . maybe! :)

Now that's what I call severe weather!

2010-05-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

So for the past week, our weathermen had been predicting that it would rain all day Friday and Saturday. It didn't. Not one drop. And still no one predicted the downpour we received this morning. Actually "downpour" is probably an understatement. There were 2 tornado warnings within 10 miles of our house. It started with a little thunder, and it was really dark outside, so I opened the blinds so we could enjoy it. Yes, I said enjoy it. I LOVE rain. I've only lived in places where it doesn't happen very often, so I LOVE it. When we lived in Lubbock, there were often Tornado warnings, usually in one of the many outlying cities/counties (since Lubbock was the news hub for a huge area). The weathermen reports would then take over the TV stations for the rest of the evening, yet we rarely ever saw the severe weather. So this morning when the wind was blowing like crazy and it started raining, I turned on the TV, thinking I would get lots of info. Nope. Nothing. Apparently our weathermen wouldn't interrupt the morning news shows. I took Billy into our bedroom so that I could get dressed. The rain started totally pouring down, so I opened the door and Billy and I peeked our heads out to watch it. Not more than 10 seconds later, there was a huge clap of thunder and a bright flash of light as lightning struck in our backyard! I couldn't believe it. I've never been that close to lightning before. It was incredibly bright and incredibly loud. Billy started crying, and I slammed the door shut, but my ears kept ringing for a few minutes afterward. Wow.

We got so much rain. I opened the garage door and took pictures of our street, which looked more like a swimming pool. Garbage cans were knocked over and had floated down the street. The pictures didn't come out great, but I'll post a couple anyway. The rain has all but stopped now, and most of the water is already gone. Amazing. I'm used to Lubbock, where they didn't quite understand the concept of drainage systems, so the water stayed in the streets for a long time and caused lots of problems

Here's the intersection that is totally submerged. I don't even know who those two garbage cans belong to.

This is in front of our garage. Notice how deep the water is across the street by the other garbage can! Those trash bags are literally floating in the middle of the street. The street was completely submerged. (It's trash pick-up day, that's why I have so many pictures of garbage cans!)

It's a . . .

2010-05-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Blob???

I had a regular ultrasound instead of the up close and personal sonogram I had with Billy, so the kiddo totally just looks like a blob in the picture. It was much cooler in person than the picture shows. The little guy was wiggling around like crazy and we could totally see his little arms and legs. Everything looks good, and we're looking at a due date of December 7th.

Bumper Sticker

2010-05-04T08:35:00.001-07:00

Jay and I saw a great bumper sticker while we were in San Antonio last weekend:

I was anti-Obama before it was cool.

Enough said.

Billy the Biped

2010-05-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, he just had his first birthday a couple weeks ago, so he is a late walker.

I suppose he is pretty big, so we'll give him a pass, nevertheless we were able to catch on video (hat tip to uncle Bryan) some of Billy's first steps.

The nice thing is grandparents were here to witness the happening.

Shouldn't be too long before he is all over the place.

Enjoy!

12 month check-up

2010-04-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our little boy is already a year old. He is so much fun. We've noticed big changes in his development since we've moved. He has really thrived on being able to crawl and cruise around basically wherever he wants without being told, "No, sir! Don't touch that!" In our tiny apartment, we had stuff everywhere! I couldn't baby-proof the place, so poor Billy couldn't do anything. Here, at the house, there is so much room for him to explore, and all sorts of little stairs and rails to play on. In the last two weeks, he has learned to go feet first down stairs and off the couch, use the rails to step down into the family room, and has finally begun to stand alone for a few seconds! William loves playing outside. He does a little bear walk crawl so he doesn't scratch his knees up, and heads straight to the dirt, where he proceeds to grab handfuls of dirt and watch it fall through his fingers. Such a little boy. He also loves books, mostly just pulling them all off of his bookshelf, but sometimes he sits and turns the pages. :) William also weaned off of formula last week, and we're working on the transition to a cup, but he's doing well with it. It's so nice not to have to clean bottles every night! He's a good eater, and enjoys peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or just about anything we are eating.

At his check-up today, Billy clocked in at 25.3 lbs and 31" tall, dropping into the 80th percentile!

William Buckley's 1st Birthday!

2010-04-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Billy! Jay's co-workers and the Thomas' came over to celebrate with us. Amy made a cake to look like a big doughnut. (see pic below) It looked awesome, and tasted better! Thanks Amy! We were floored by everyone's generosity in bringing Billy gifts! He scored big time! Here are some fun pics from his celebration.

The Move

2010-04-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Since Melissa is working hard to unpack the place I've been tasked with posting a few pics to satiate you're "need" for information on the Texas Brimhalls.

First off, Happy Easter! This is the best we could do. Billy wasn't cooperating. Just as a side note, this was the first time I had the opportunity to use our Manffrotto tripod for things other than supporting my spotting scope whist out sighting in a rifle. It is a great piece of hardware.

As many of you may know, we moved out of our apartment in McAllen into a house last weekend. For the first time in our grown lives, we asked for help from the Elder's Quorum. Along with a couple friends from work, we had our Bishop and our EQ 1st Councelor show up help load the truck. The move went quick. We started at about 9:30 and finished before noon last Saturday the 27th of March.

Below is a picture Melissa took of our Penske truck and the procession of help we had leading to our new place. If you look closely, in the F-150 behind the Penske, you can see our Elliptical machine, and that is Bishop's car behind the F-150. They're both big guys too, which helped a ton.

We've been feverishly unpacking boxes, breaking down boxes, setting up rooms, taking care of Billy while the other one works, sweeping the tile (no carpet in the entire house)...Billy has actually kind of enjoyed it. The proof:

I am happy to finally have a place to play my drums.

I played for the first time on Friday. After about 30 minutes of playing I heard a knock on the door. It was a McAllen Police Officer. He said a neighbor had complained about "loud music." I asked about the city ordnance to which he replied "all they have to do is complain."

Now, I know that is malarkey, but I held my tongue. I made a phone call to my boss, who is pretty well connected and I looked up the city ordnance myself to indeed check. She called back and said I was fine to keep playing. We concluded that while the wording is vague, I was playing at 11AM, indoors for crying out loud, so I was well within my rights.

Anyhow, I've taken the necessary steps to seal up the windows with dense Sheetrock to absorb, or shield the sound. I've also gone and talked with my neighbors as to preclude any further entanglements with the PD...and just to be a good neighbor. Any fines will be thrown out, but I'm going to try and do my part so it doesn't get that far...we'll see.

Here are some more pictures of Billy at the park; Billy, Sam, and my friend/colleague Jaime's puppy when they came over to help me with a project on Friday night. Enjoy!

Melissa and Billster coming down the slide.

Billy subsequently going back up.

Focused.

Frontal shot.

Missing link style.

So glad he isn't scared of dogs. Nothing is more annoying than a little kid scared of dogs...and people who say irregardless.

Such a happy little boy.

Bow Tie

2010-03-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

I went on a summer study abroad program to England 9 years ago, and we took a weekend trip to Scotland, where I bought the cutest little bow tie. It was so fun to finally get to dress my little boy in it!

Like Father, Like Son

2010-03-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to get some really good smile pictures of Billy. He usually stops as soon as I get the camera out. But Jay figured out the secret way to get Billy to smile. Laughing. He cracks up when Dad laughs. It's hilarious.

William - 10 1/2 months

Jay - 12 1/2 months

Becoming independent!

2010-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Billy is starting to show some interest in the TV, especially Mickey Mouse Playhouse and Handy Manny. I like Handy Manny. I like that it doesn't make me want to vomit like Teletubbies and Barney. It's a cute show, and I like that they use some Spanish.

He literally pulls himself to stand on EVERYTHING! Including poor Sam. I find myself saying, "be soft" a lot these days! Here he is crawling over Sam (a daily occurrence), pulling his beard, and getting kisses.

Billy has taken a new interest in his stuffed animals, especially Frank the Monkey, a gift from Aunt Julie!

"Big Haircut"

2010-02-15T19:41:00.001-08:00

This is the current nickname that Jay has given Billy. Can anyone guess what that stems from? :)

On Friday, Jay had arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair his meniscus. He's been dealing with a lot of pain from it for a few months now, so I'm glad we were able to finally get it taken care of. Everything went great and Jay is doing well. It's amazing to me that he only has four small incisions. Not many years ago, this kind of surgery would probably have resulted in a huge scar. Thank you modern medicine!

Here are some pics Jay took of us after church on Sunday.

Haircut

2010-02-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

We gave Billy a haircut over Christmas break, but it grows extremely fast, so it was definitely time for another one. I cut it really short, but I'm sure it'll grow back fast! Here is a 'before' pic:

(he's wearing a cute pink BYU shirt because he had a huge diaper blow out at a friend's house - sorry again, Jaime!)

Here's the 'after' pic:

First bubble bath!

Standing EVERYWHERE!!!

Getting into everything

2010-01-30T21:00:00.001-08:00

Life as we knew it has changed dramatically . . . Billy started crawling! Of course he waits until the day AFTER his 9 month dr's appt! He is all over the place now. He loves to crawl OVER things, like me, Jay, and Sam. It's so funny. Sam is a trooper and puts up with him. Billy especially loves to crawl out the front door, and he's FAST! He has also found a new way to play with his exersaucer thingy.

9 month check-up

2010-01-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Billy had his 9 month check-up this morning. Our boy is in the 90th percentile across the board! He grew nearly 3 inches in the last 3 months (29.5"), going from the 50th percentile to the 90th. I'm happy that he's DOWN to the 90th percentile for weight (23.6 lbs) (at 2 months he was off the chart)!

Life with Billy is so fun these days! It's truly amazing to watch him learn and change and develop on a daily basis. He changed so much during our trip to Arizona over Christmas. He's really getting around now, though not quite crawling. He does a military crawl to get where he wants. He loves taking baths and has quickly become comfortable moving around the tub to get his toys. He just started pulling himself up to stand, so I finally lowered his crib.

He had the opportunity to try lots of new foods, like cheese, banana, and crackers. I'm glad I have family members and friends who are seasoned moms to help me know when it's time for new foods because my pediatrician is EXTREMELY conservative when it comes to that.

Billy says mama and dada, though the verdict is still out whether these are actual words yet.

While in AZ, Billy got to meet Sam's cousin doggies (Bear, Bella, and Buck), and he absolutely LOVED them! He would literally laugh whenever he saw Bear. Now that we're back at home, poor Sam gets his ears and beard tugged on at least on hourly basis. We're so luck to have a dog as sweet as Sam as a companion for Billy!

San Antonio

2009-12-17T18:06:00.001-08:00

We took a short trip to San Antonio this past weekend to visit Bryan, Natalie, Maya, and Steve (in utero). :) It was so nice to get away for a few days and see our only family within a day's drive! It's amazing how much Maya has changed since we last saw her in July. For one thing, she is the tallest two-year-old I've ever seen! She was pretty cute with Billy, but Sam was only fun from a distance!

We went to Bass Pro Shops, and Billy enjoyed sitting on dad's shoulders. This is much easier than carrying him for extended periods of time. Usually my arm starts to ache after less than a minute if I'm not supporting him with both arms, and then I start to ache after about three minutes! That's what 23 lbs packed into a little 8-month old body will do to you.

We went to the Riverwalk to see the Christmas lights on Saturday night. Notice what Billy is holding on to as he sits on dad's shoulders!

Super cute pictures of Billy

2009-11-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

Our "little" guy is already 7 months old! As you can surely tell from the pictures, I use the term "little" VERY loosely! He's nearly 22 lbs and getting hard to carry. Here he is in his cute church outfit (thanks Natalie!).

He is usually a very happy baby, and loves to show off his dimples. It's so funny when I take him out to run errands. People can't get over his blue eyes, and they always end up touching his face, saying "chulo, chulo," to which he usually flashes a winning smile, deep dimples and all, completely winning over anyone he meets.

It's finally cooling down a little here, so I jumped on the opportunity to put on his winter clothes. Unfortunately, between the spit up and drool, he was in a new outfit by lunchtime! I made my two boys pose for some cute pictures while the clothes were fresh!
By the way, when I say "cooling down," I mean upper 70's, low 80's, but you should see the way people are dressing now! You'd think it's 40 degrees out! We're still wearing shorts and t-shirts and loving it!

s

Halloween

2009-11-05T18:58:00.001-08:00

On Friday night we had a ward Halloween party / carnival.

Here's Billy with Emma, whose costume he LOVED! He couldn't keep his hands off of her! :)

My nerdy YW (and sweet Raggady Ann!).

On Saturday we got together with some friends and went out trick or treating. Billy loved being on dad's shoulders, and especially (or eXpecially, as many Texans say it) loved to suck / drool on the back of dad's head!

Even Sam got to dress up for Halloween!

Standing already?!!

2009-10-23T08:46:00.001-07:00

The other day I showed Billy how to pull himself up in his crib (with lots of help, of course!) Well, when we showed Jay later, I put Billy's hands on the crib rail, and he pulled himself up! Wow, my life is seriously going to change drastically soon! How on earth do you baby-proof a tiny apartment that is cram packed?

When Emily, Brooke, and Brinnley were here, we went out to a Mexican restaurant. We let Billy try a lime, expecting a funny reaction. But he LOVED it! Here he is enjoying another lime! In the second picture, you can see his bottom teeth.

Swimming in October

2009-10-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I guess that's one of the few positives when it comes to living in a hot and humid climate! While some people are thinking about the upcoming snow season, we're still swimming! Here's Emma and Billy. Emma LOVES being in the water, but Billy wasn't quite so fond of it. I really need to take him more often so that he gets used to it. We have a pool in our apartment complex, so I really have no excuse! When are you guys coming over again, Jaime?!

6 month check-up

2009-10-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

6 month stats:
weight: 20.7 lbs
length: 26 3/4"
head circumf: 17 3/4"

His 2nd bottom tooth sprouted this morning!

Toys!

2009-10-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

Billy has become VERY interested in toys as of late. Grandma Brimhall bought him the Fisher-price little people farm yesterday and he LOVES it!

Here's a shot of him in the bathtub yesterday. He was being a total ham and Grandma got some GREAT pictures!

First tooth!

2009-10-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's official. One of his lower teeth popped up yesterday. I'm going to miss that gum-filled smile! :( Hmm, I'm a little nervous about how this will affect breastfeeding. Pointers, anyone?

Almost sitting up!

2009-10-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

He's getting close . . . he can nearly support himself. And give the boy some credit - that's a lot of weight to hold up! He fluctuates somewhere between 20-21 lbs lately! Luckily, his weight gain is slowing down, only 2-3 pounds in the past two months. It's becoming totally unreasonable to carry him in his infant seat these days. We'll probably have to upgrade to a convertible seat in the next couple of months. It's probably time to buy a high chair, too. For the love, babies are expensive! :)

Emily, Brooke, and Brinnley visit

2009-09-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Utah Layton girls came for a visit this past weekend. It was Brooke and Brinnley's first plane ride, but I think the novelty wore off quickly as they had to stop and/or change planes twice. It was a long trip from Salt Lake to Haringen, but Emily said the girls were troopers.

We went to a fun park, the Museum of South Texas History, and out for some great Mexican food, but the best part was just hanging out and playing games together.

Sam was definitely the main attraction, followed by Billy, the fun collection of children's books I have, the swimming pool, taking pictures with the cameras, playing rummy-o and knock-knock, and last came Uncle Jay and Aunt Melissa!

I'm so glad we get to see them again at Christmas!

5 1/2 months old

2009-09-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Everybody told me how fast he would grow up, but nothing can prepare you! Billy is almost sitting up, eating pureed solids, "talking" all the time, and sliding and rolling all over. He is really happy for the most part, but lately he's been more fussy than usual. I think he's about to cut his first tooth, so we'll let it slide. He's a great sleeper, taking 2 naps a day (1-2+ hours), and then sleeps about 13 hours at night. We're lucky, I know. I keep telling myself that because the next one could be a terrible sleeper, so I am enjoying this! This morning Jay and I woke up at 5:30 to the sounds of heavy rain and Billy talking to himself. He went on and on for a half hour before falling back to sleep (with the help of his thumb, I am sure!). He's gaining more control over his arms and hands, and has started to pull hair and touch our faces. I love when he puts both hands on my cheeks, and then tries to put my face in his mouth!Billy is doing a lot better with solids. I pureed some butternut squash and sweet potato, and I plan on making green beans soon so he doesn't turn orange! He literally sucks his thumb ALL the time, and this doesn't stop when he eats. He likes to shove his thumb in right after I've given him a bite, so feedings are a pretty messy time.I think it's time to move him into a regular bathtub. He moves around so much now, and usually I am soaking wet and the floor needs to be mopped after his bath!

A good book

2009-09-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't read much these past few months. A couple of months ago I read "The Appeal", by John Grisham, whose books I usually love, but I was really disappointed by that one. Everyone has been talking about how good "The Hunger Games" was, so Billy and I finally ventured out to the McAllen public llibrary and I checked it out. Last night I couldn't fall asleep, so I decided to read until I got tired. Problem was, I didn't get tired! I ended up staying up until 1, and then finished it off this afternoon thanks to Billy's long nap! So when does the next one come out?

Here's my token Billy picture (in his 9 month Carters sleeper)!

Random things

2009-09-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

So I have one of these super cool Vita Mixers. I make a smoothie almost every morning with OJ, acai berry (love this stuff), Greens First powder (thanks, mom!), Flax seed, carrots, yogurt, banana, frozen berries, ice, and sherbet. Jay and I have really noticed a difference since we started using the acai berry. I'm totally not as hungry during the day and I'm finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight! The Vita Mix is awesome. It pulverizes anything you put in there. Well, almost anything . . .

This morning it was making these strange cracking noises and I thought the blade was broken. We ended up with a pretty chunky smoothie, but I was afraid to run the mixer anymore. I was sure Vita Mix would replace whatever was broken, but I would have to send it back to the company and who knows how long it would take. I couldn't handle eating the chunky smoothie; I found a few pieces of seeds and whatnot, so I ended up throwing it out. Jay came home at lunch with a solution to the mixer problem . . . a ROCK! Seriously, a rock. It must have been in the bag of berries. Looked a little like a blueberry, I guess. So we actually ate little pieces of rock today! Do rocks have protein?

William Buckley update:
He's still super cute, and super sweet, and a super good night sleeper. We're working on naps now. He's moving around a lot. When we lay him in his crib, he almost instantly rolls onto his tummy, and ends up shimmying up to the corner of his crib.When he's on his tummy, he likes to push his butt into the air.He has definitely discovered his feet. He likes to suck on his big toe.That or his thumb. He prefers his thumb to a pacifier. I usually find him with his thumb in his mouth when I go get him after a nap.
We also have a new nephew. Jay's sister, Emily, gave birth to Rodney Jones Kleinman on Labor Day!

Billy Laughing...First Time on Video!!!

2009-08-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

We finally caught Billy laughing!!! Enjoy!!

Real food, kinda

2009-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

I was planning on waiting until around 5 months, but when the pediatrician suggested we start feeding Billly solids, I decided to give it a try. I found a recipe for brown rice cereal and used my handy dandy vita mix to make some.The first feeding was a pretty comical experience. I don't think Billy actually swallowed ANY of it! We think he got a little down the second time we tried, but I don't think it's worth it yet. I think we'll wait until his tongue protrusion reflex dies down a little bit!

Fun with Julie

2009-08-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Billy has loved having his Aunt Julie visit. On Saturday we went to the beach at South Padre Island. The water startled him, but he had fun trying to lick the salt off of his face!Julie taught Billy how to stick his tongue out and he has become obsessed with it. I can't believe how long it is!Yesterday, Julie treated Billy to a monkey at Build a Bear. His name is Frank. That's right, Frank the Monkey, stuffed with love by Julie.We're going to miss you, Julie!

Changing so fast

2009-08-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

17 weeks old, and 18 pounds! In a few days, he will be 4 months old! I can't believe how fast time has gone by and how much Billy has changed in the past few weeks! He laughed for the first time a few days ago, but he only does it for dad (apparently he's funnier than me?). :) We're trying to catch it on video, but so far, no such luck. He is so much more playful and interactive. He likes his playmats and is swinging at toys more and more. He grasps onto toys and blankets, and immediately brings them to his mouth. He smiles ALL the time. He's is able to hang out by himself for longer amounts of time, making noises and sucking on his hands. He sleeps between 8-11 hours at night, and sometimes (if I'm lucky) he'll just play and make noises for awhile when he wakes up. He's starting to learn to fall asleep on his own (instead of me feeding him until he falls asleep). He usually poops his way out of 1-2 outfits a day, so it's a good thing he has a lot of cute clothes! Speaking of, he easily fits into 6 and 6-9 month clothes. He is a sweet boy. We are so blessed!!!

Billy has discovered his hands . . .

2009-07-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

And apparently they belong in his mouth! He started bringing his hands to his mouth last Friday, along with anything he may be clutching on to (toy, burpcloth, my finger). Sometimes when he gets a little fussy, all we have to do is put his hand by his mouth and he starts sucking on it to calm himself down. He actually prefers his hands to his pacifier lately. I'll bet all you parents out there know what this will lead to. Yep, last night he found his thumb! When I saw what he was doing and got the camera, I discovered that he was putting himself to sleep with the sucking! Jay and I had already decided that we wanted to try to keep our kids from sucking their thumbs, but I didn't realize how CUTE it would be! Arghhhhh!

Life is Good

2009-07-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

. . . when you get a good night's sleep! Billy made it 8 hours last night! He's still inconsistent, but typically he gives me 5-6+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. He cried a little at 5 this morning, but when I got to his room, he had fallen back to sleep. He woke us up at 6:45, but not with crying; he was wide awake, just talking to himself!

Billy used to take great naps during the day - at least two hours, occasionally as much as 3-4. But lately those long naps have turned into 30-45 minute cat naps. I mentioned this to a friend, who asked if I had tried a swing. I have a Boppy swing, but I haven't tried it in a while because Billy hated it. My friend's little girl is 14 months old, so she let me borrow their swing. It's a Fisher-Price Papasan cradle swing, and it might just be the greatest invention EVER! Billy instantly loved it. I don't think he'd mind swinging in it all day long! Hmm, I could take advantage of this!

On a side note, if anyone was thinking about renting the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage, DON'T!!! What a horrible movie. It's right up there with "Home Fries" (Luke Wilson and Drew Barrymore) and "Solaris" (George Clooney). Geri Anne, remember when we had to leave early because the theater smelled like smoke? Darn!

Billy's Baby Blessing

2009-07-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

I think Billy set some kind of record last Sunday - biggest baby to be blessed! We joked that the men wouldn't be able to hold up all 16 pounds of him! Even though Billy is a really calm baby, I was still worried that he would cry right through his blessing. He fell asleep right before, so I thought we were in the clear, but just as Jay was about to start, he woke up and cried for a few seconds, and then calmed right down on his own! Here he is in his adorable blessing outfit

(thanks Janyne)!

Here are all of the people we lured to the sweltering heat of McAllen.

One of Jay's mission companions, Fabian, drove up from Monterey, Mexico, with his family. Jay hasn't seen him since his mission

Jay with his brother, Joe.

Am I going bald??

2009-07-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

It is unbelievable how much hair I lose on a daily basis. I was warned that this would happen after I had the baby, but I admit I kinda thought people were exaggerating. Not at all. Everytime I comb my hair, I am very careful to catch it all and through it out, but it still ends up all over my bathroom rugs, the tile, the countertop, and ALL over the house! I feel bad for Jay - he finds hair in his food about once a week! Maybe I need to start wearing a hairnet? Any suggestions?? :)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

My parents have been married for 41 years.

Bryan and Natalie have been married for 7 years.

Congrats you guys!

Sorry for the old pictures :)

2009-06-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Billy startles REALLY easily. Abrupt, loud noises, especially laughing, makes him jump and then start screaming. It only lasts 15 seconds, and then he's fine. See below. We think it's funny. Does that make us bad parents?

Billy isn't a big fan of his swing, but he does like his Boppy bouncer. Jay calls it his hovercraft. :)

I haven't finished decorating Billy's room yet, but here's a picture of him in his crib. I'll put more pictures up later when I'm finished. Thanks for the cute bedding, Emily!

2009-06-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Please watch this commercial and see if the protagonist reminds you of anyone in the Layton family (looks-wise).

I thought I was watching __________ Layton on TV the first time I saw it...freaked me out!!!!

Billy Buckley

2009-06-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Billy was such a pill at church yesterday! He is usually so good, sleeping most of the block. He is beginning to make more noises - and they are getting louder - which is fun we're are at home, but not at church! Actually, I don't know why I worry about it; this is without a doubt the LOUDEST ward I've ever been in (and yes, I have been to married wards at BYU). :)

Before church started, I had Billy sitting on my lap, facing me, and I was holding his hands to steady him. As we were talking to the guy next to us, Jay asked him how old he thought Billy was. After thinking about if for a minute, he answered that he must be about 6 months! Nope, try 2 1/2! Yes, that is how big our boy is! A friend of mine has a 7-month-old who weighs the same as Billy. Hopefully he'll take after Jay's uncle Bill (William) and play football (but not for the U of A if dad and grandpa Rod have anything to say about it)!

Last night Billy slept for 7 hours straight! Hooray. I think he was trying to make up for church yesterday!

My first hickey . . .

2009-06-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

compliments of Billy!
When Billy and I took Sam for a walk the other day, Billy, who was apparently quite hungry, latched onto my arm and started sucking away. It started to kinda hurt, but I didn't think much of it until we got home and I sat down to feed him. I looked at my arm and started laughing!

Two month check-up

2009-06-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Billy's two month birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! The little chubs is now 14 1/2 pounds and 24 inches long.
Last night Billy fell asleep at 10:00. He usually wakes up at 2 or 3 in the morning. When I heard him fuss this morning, I looked at my clock in absolute amazement to see that it was 5:00! The little guy actually slept for 7 hours!
Another cute picture of Billy and Sam. I swear I didn't set this up!

\

Who do I look like???

2009-06-08T12:54:00.001-07:00

The first two pictures are Melissa and the next two are Jay.

My 30th birthday!

2009-06-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

What a great day! I got to sleep in (Jay took the morning feeding shift), and then we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Mmmm, momma's french toast!

I took a nap with my boys.Jay took me to dinner at Macaroni Grill.It was such a nice night that we went outside and took pictures.

Best buds

2009-06-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

I had big plans to run all sorts of errands this afternoon. Billy took a great nap, and I was going to feed him and we'd be on our way. Plans changed, but I'm not complaining. We suddenly got pelted with a thunderstorm! The temperature dropped from 93 degrees (same as Tempe, AZ) to 75 degrees! Ah, sweet relief! Sam was begging to go outside, so I opened the door, and he took one step out, and promptly turned right around and came back in. That boy HATES water. But when he does get wet, he goes crazy. He gets a toy, and tears around the house for 5 minutes. Well, getting the pads of his feet wet was apparently enough, and Sam started on one of his rampages through the apartment. In the meantime, I laid Billy down on the couch and sat down at the computer to get caught up on emails. I turned around when I heard Billy start to fuss, and there is Sam, standing over him. I called for him to get down, and when he moved away from Billy, I realized what Sam did and laughed out loud!
Apparently Sam wants Billy to grow up already and start playing with him! He had dropped his toy next to Billy and was waiting for him to throw it so he could play fetch! How adorable is that?

Smiling Billy

2009-05-31T09:53:00.001-07:00

I love Billy's smile! He smiles in response to us more and more everyday, and we've finally been able to catch a few with the camera! He is such a sweet baby! I absolutely love being a mom and I am so glad that I am able to stay home with him!

William Buckley Brimhall

2009-05-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

William Buckley Brimhall was born on April 10th at 12:25 pm via cesarean delivery. He was 8 lbs, 12 oz, and 21 inches long. Billy was in a frank breech position, meaning that his head was at the top of my belly, his butt was in the birth canal, and his legs were straight up by his head. Since Billy's legs were in that position for so long, this continued to be the most comfortable position after he was born!
I love this picture of Jay holding BIlly because it puts everything into perspective to see just how small the little guy really is.
Notice exactly HOW Billy is holding the pacifier in his mouth, as well as how BIG those hands are!
Sam was very anxious about Billy at first. He would get very nervous when he cried, and had to be right there with us all the time. The first time I put Billy in the crib, Sam laid in the hallway keeping an eye on him. He doesn't seem as anxious anymore, but he still follows us everywhere (well, he used to follow me everywhere anyway, but that's beside the point).
Jay (with much appreciated help from his parents) moved us out to McAllen, TX, when Billy was 2 weeks old. We've been here for two weeks now, and are beginning to get settled. I still have a lot to do to organize our apartment, but that's what you get when you move from a 3 bedroom house to a small 2 bedroom apartment! Sam really misses having a backyard to sunbathe in and watch squirrels. Now he has to wait for me and Billy to take him out for walks, which is not enjoyable in this upper 90 degree weather (plus humidity, ugh)!

Less than 2 days away!

2009-04-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Friday is the big day! The time seems to have gone by so slowly throughout the pregnancy, but now I can't believe it is finally happening. I think working through the pregnancy has been very good for me. Today was my last day, and I am really going to miss everybody. I was blessed to have really great co-workers who I have really enjoyed working with and have taught me a lot. It's been really busy lately, so I really haven't had time to think too much about what is going to happen on Friday. People keep asking me if I am nervous about having a C-section (since the baby is breech), but truth is, I try not to think about it too much. Also, I have friends and a family member who have been very open with me regarding their experiences, which I really appreciate.

I've been really bad about taking and posting pictures, so these two are gonna be shockers! Well, at least to all those who have said, or thought, "You're so tall; you'll hardly show at all!" Uh, right, uh-huh. I'm basically carrying a basketball under my shirt! My belly is way bigger than my mom's ever was. She says it's because I'm carrying so far out in front. On Monday the doctor predicted that the baby was over 8 pounds, so if I went full-term, he would probably weigh around 10 lbs! This is when I feel good about having a c-section!

28 weeks

2009-02-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

I'm finally to the point where I actually look pregnant instead of just putting on weight! Hooray! Over my first 6 months, I didn't gain very much weight, but at my 28-week appointment, I tacked on 8 pounds! So not good for one month, I know! So my doctor walked in, looked at the computer to see that I had gained 8 pounds, and said, "Wow, you've really blossomed!" Uh, thanks, doc! Nicely put, coming from my very much overweight OB. Here's a pic of me at 28 weeks and then at 29 weeks.

For Christmas, Jay and I finally bought an elliptical! We've
been wanting one for a long time in order to cut down on the hours we spend at the gym. We were especially happy to have it for the first few weeks after New Year's when everyone and their dog decided they were going to start working out. It's finally starting to die down a little, thank goodness.

I've been getting up early every morning to do cardio before work, and Jay goes to the gym early to lift weights. After work, he does cardio while I hit the gym. I'm still lifting weights, but I'm going a little lighter and being careful, of course. So far, so good!

Here's a picture of Sam enjoying our nice weather (minus the ice episode a couple of weeks ago). He loves sitting outside in the sun, but we hate all of the dead grass he brings inside! Thank goodness our friends bought us a Roomba for Christmas!

He's a thumb sucker!

2009-01-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

I unwittingly conned my doctor into doing another ultrasound! I was nervous because I wasn't feeling the baby as much as usual. The nurse sent me to the ultrasound clinic to be "monitored," and they ended up doing an ultrasound. Yay . . . more pictures! This is Billy at 25 1/2 weeks.

The first two pics are of Billy sucking his thumb! Definitely a habit we're going to have to break early! I mean, c'mon people, I'm a speech pathologist! The next one is of his big 'ole feet. I'm happy to see that his toes look proportioned. It doesn't look like he has a crazy long 2nd toe like me, which, my mother informed me, is called 'Morton's toe.'

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

Sam HATES when I put clothes on him, but he looks so cute!

We had an awesome Christmas this year! We certainly missed our 3 week vacation to Arizona that we have enjoyed the past two years as graduate students, but it was also nice to spend Christmas together as a couple. We did miss being with our families, though. This was the first Christmas away for me, and Jay's first since his mission. Here are some things that we missed:
-See's candy - it's always plentiful at the Brimhall house! Some company actually gave my department at work a box, but my co-workers definitely did not appreciate the awesome goodness (they had never heard of it before) so I brought the box home for Jay and me!
-Poop logs - My mom makes chocolate candy and rolls it up in a log shape; enjoy the visual! (Thanks for sending us some, mom!)
-Christmas Eve dinner at the Brimhall's - mmm, yum
-Playing games with the Layton family
-Seeing our nephew Konrad - who we haven't seen since February when he was 1 month old!
-Going to Rocky Point, Mexico with the Brimhall's
-Watching Sam play with his cousins Bear, Dewey, and Olivia
-Getting together with friends
-Seeing our studly, volleyball playin' niece (Heather) and nephew (Eric)
-Watching Sam chase Maya as she runs screaming - thank goodness for our trip to San Antonio for Thanksgiving!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too!

It's time

2009-01-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Everybody has a blog these days. This is how I stalk some of my old friends from BYU, and they don't even know it. Ha! Jay started a blog a few years ago (the template, anyway), but we never even added a post, and then just forgot about it. But things have changed. We're having a baby in a few months, so I need to assume my moral obligation to post cute pictures of the craziness that will soon consume our life! But you'd better bet there will be many of our adorable dog, too!

On December 12th, we had our ultrasound and found out that we are having a boy (April 20th is my due date). That was such an amazing experience. It is incredible to see the detail in the pictures, especially the 4D ones.

(face, fingers, foot)

Dec 12th was also a great day because Jay graduated! Yay! He is now a Master . . . of Public Administration.