Sorry!

Okay, so I know that it's been like 18 months, and I am SO sorry!!! Things just got crazy, and we were all busy and I forgot about the blog. I know that sounds terrible, but I really did forget.

So on to what happened the last 18 months or so. Or at least as far back as I can actually remember, which is probably this last summer. We went to Canada in June, drove across the country to get there. That was a really long trip, but it was worth it because we went to see Matt and Marta get married. We had fun too, even though we spent 6 days in the car, 3 up and 3 back.

Braxton did amazingly well in the car, not too much complaining. Though spending that long in the car in a diaper did throw off our potty training quite a bit. We're back on track with that though.

We saw a tornado, which was scary and I hope I never have to go through that again. We just need to not ever drive through Nebraska again. :)

We moved in September. We now live in Salt Lake instead of American Fork. It's really nice because we are 5 miles away from where Chris works, and it's great being back in the city. We enjoy having the pubilc transit and the variety of stores/restaurants etc that is around us.

We enrolled Braxton in gymboree class, which he loves, but he's coming up on his third birthday and they don't allow them to stay in the class after they turn 3. I'm not sure what I'm going to do there, I need to talk to his class leader next Monday.

We also enrolled him in preschool one day a week and he loves that too. The class he is in now has mostly older kids 4+ and it's been fine. He likes it, but I think that if we can switch him to Mondays, that would be best because the kids his age are in that class.

We're planning a party for him on the 3rd of December at the Living Planet Aquarium. He asked for a party with his friends and a cake this year, so we thought we'd better do it. He's SO excited for it! We had to go with the 3rd even though it's 2 weeks before his birthday because it's all they had open. It should be good though. We invited all his friends and a few family members.

For his birthday, we got him a new play kitchen, he's been asking for one, so we figured why not. My mom got him a really nice set of dishes/pots to go with it. Then for Christmas we got him a VTech Innotab, which is a tablet designed specifically for kids. We also got him a game to go with it. We're way excited to give it to him.

I think that's all the Braxton news.

As for Chris, he's doing well. He's still working at InContact and loving it. His team is doing all sorts of fun projects that I don't understand, but he seems excited about it. He's trying to get enrolled in a program for a Master's degree in physics, but so far, we're having a hard time. Turns out that Neumont is only nationally accredited, not regionally, so no schools here will accept his college degree as valid. Yeah, cause it's not like we paid a ton of money for it or anything. And he doesn't have a job using that degree...UGH!

We'll see how that turns out.

As for me, well, I'm just doing the same thing. Taking care of Braxton and the apartment. I enjoy taking him to gymboree class on Mondays and playing with him. But I really like dropping him off at preschool on Wednesdays and having a couple hours to myself. I'm not doing much other than that, just reading as usual and watching some tv shows. Hooray for Netflix and their instant streaming.

Well, I'm going to TRY to keep up with this. Hope I can manage it.

Molars...

Well, it's been an interesting beginning to the month. My mom came back from Phoenix, she was there for two months and had a blast. While she was here, we did some shopping, hung out at her hotel and went out to eat a ton. It was lots of fun and really good to see her after a couple of months. She bought Braxton some toys and a few new clothes. He needed summer-ish clothes, so that was really nice. It cuts down the amount of things I need to get him later.
Chris has been working on a new project that apparently he's doing very well with. He told me today that they have a new CTO who started yesterday. Hopefully it will be an easy transition and they'll realize how good Chris is at his job.
He's been playing Dungeons and Dragons on Wednesdays at our friend's place. It's nice now that they moved it to the Dewey's place because it means he's just around the corner instead of clear out in Eagle Mountain. He's really enjoying it and comes home full of stories. He's thinking about starting his own campaign, we've just been too busy for him to put it together.
I'm doing well, been a little tired lately with the time change screwing things all up. Braxton has always been an early riser, but he's been getting up way earlier the last couple days and I'm starting to feel it. Oh well, things will reset eventually.
I've been spending most of my free time reading. I just worked my way through the newest Shannara novels, I've been reading those since I was about 14. They were great, but brought up some questions that I would love for him to fill in at some point. Who knows if he will. Right now I'm reading a young adult series by the author of the Earthsea novels...I can't remember her name right now. They are interesting, but I'm not sure if I like them.
We're sad that all the shows have reached their season finales. We'll miss Burn Notice and Leverage especially. But I'll miss Psych too. We are excited for new episodes of Stargate: Universe though, and I can not wait for In Plain Sight to start up again. I've also been watching Legend of the Seeker. Yay for Netflix!
Braxton is doing SO well. I can not believe how big he is. We were out playing in the back yard today with some of the other kids from the neighborhood and he was as tall as one of the little boys who is 3 months older than him. He's got 7 teeth now, and one more about to break through any day now. He's also got molars coming in, so he's been chewing on EVERYTHING he can get his hands on. I've had to take away all his books and just read to him on the couch. He's been healthy and strong and hasn't been sick since we all got food poisoning.
As a family we're looking forward to the nice weather so that we can go outside and play more. I want to be able to take him to the library or the park without having to worry about being snowed on.

Well, that's it for now. We hope you all have a wonderful week and stay happy. Bright Blessings on you all.

February updates

So, let's see here. There really hasn't been all that much going on with us boring grown ups. We got food poisoning last weekend from some scallops and that pretty much sucked, but otherwise it's just been life as normal.
Chris gets up and goes to work. He's still really liking the company and they (hopefully) are going to be doing raises in May. There's a possibility that he'll be sent to Costa Rica for a few weeks to train the team they have down there on the new program that they have been working on. Unfortunately, Braxton and I won't get to go unless we pay for it ourselves and we just aren't that rich. So Chris will get to spend weeks in a tropical paradise, and I'll get to be a single parent in Utah. Oh well.
I've been fine, just working my way through some Star Wars books and watching The West Wing. I love the first 2 seasons, and I finally caved and I'm going to watch the other seasons. I'm a couple episodes into the 3rd right now. Mostly I hang out with Braxton, and Kamis, Carmen and Dorie. It's really nice living in a place where I have friends, know my neighbors, and can walk just about anywhere I need to go. Now that the weather is changing, I'm going to try to take Braxton out to play or out for a walk every single day. It'll be good for us. I got a haircut on Friday, it's no longer curly, it's kinda shaggy and layered now. I'm still trying to decide if I like it...
Braxton has been growing like a weed! He's 33 inches tall and weighs just over 23 lbs now. He's walking like a champ and has even started running. He's got 6 teeth and 6 more coming in. Including molars. He hasn't been too incredibly cranky, cause we've been dosing him up with clove oil to help that.
He's so dang smart...he can name several body parts, his head, hand, nose, mouth, belly, foot and we're working on elbow and eye. He can find my eyes but not his own for some reason. I'm still not sure why. He's able to help me get him dressed and undressed. He's even started taking off his diapers! He says about 25 words now, maybe as many as 30, but understands a LOT more than that. Probably in the neighborhood of 100-120.
He's eating several new things, but bananas remain his favorite, and we've added green beans to that list. We still nurse at nap time and bed time and a couple times throughout the night as well.
I'm having a hard time believing that he's 14 months, actually a little more now. It's totally crazy how fast he's growing up.
Well, I'm done now, so I hope you all are well. Keep in touch and I'll see you next time!

Updates

Hey all,
Sorry that it's taken me so long. Things have been crazy. We've been living life like crazy here for the last month or so.
Chris has been busy at work with a new project and getting to work with a new team in Costa Rica. He's feeling much better, less asthma problems and no more flu. He's been spending lots of free time getting ready to go backpacking over the summer. He's putting together a list of everything that he needs. It's very comprehensive. He's doing a lot of research and looking at everything very carefully. He's way excited.
I've been busy just trying to keep up with my toddler. I spend my free time reading or watching TV. Once in a while I game or hang out online. I'm doing well, finally lost all my baby weight, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Haven't been sick or anything like that. We're all still seeing Dr. Kristina for chiropractics and it's keeping us healthy.
Now for the one you all wait for...Braxton!
He's doing great. Getting SO big. Almost 23 lbs now and tall. He's walking great, starting to run even. He's got a huge vocabulary, about 25-30 words now. Most of what he says is still baby babble, but he talks a lot. He's learned what no means, even though he doesn't always listen. We're working on colors (he can say purple), body parts (he can find his nose, ear and toes), and computer skills. He's learning how to work the keyboard and mouse a little.
We got one lucky night, the end of Jan, when Kim came down, he slept through the night. 7 hours without a problem. So far...that has not been repeated. We're hopeful though.
Well, he's up from his nap, so this has to be cut short. Sorry it took so long and I hope I'll get with it eventually. I'll try to keep things up more.
Loves to all.

Christmas!

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. Dorie and Jake came over about 4 and we had dinner and watched movies. Then we opened up the presents that we usually do on Christmas Eve. Just something small. Braxton got an Elmo doll, which he LOVED. He was way excited. Chris got GI Joe on DVD, I got a Wii Fit from Dorie and Jake, which I have wanted for like 2 years now and from Chris I got Quantum of Solace. Then everyone left and we put the baby to bed. Chris and I stayed up for a bit and played video games.
Braxton's first (real) Christmas was a bit hit. Things went really well. Chris talked me into getting up when Braxton first woke up...7 am is a bit early for my taste. But I got up and we opened presents. Then when Braxton went back to sleep, Chris and I started the stuff for lunch and just chilled for a bit.
Braxton made a haul! He got a Cookie Monster doll (to go with Big Bird and Elmo), a ball popper thing (which is his very favorite present of them all), a ride-on alphabet train that you can also push, a puzzle, a snow suit, socks, a new hat and mittens, and he'll be getting snow boots from grandma. He also got a stocking with teething gel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some snacks and a treat.
Chris got some fly fishing stuff, including a new reel, a leader tying kit, a multi tool, and a stainless steel water bottle. He also got a picture collage of Braxton growing up, and I ordered him a bunch of tea samplers from online. He got a stocking with some candies, bubble gum, and then a few household things.
I got a bunch of DVDs. Chris bought me the Complete Farscape (!!!!!!), the Star Trek: The Next Generation movie pack, The Dark Knight, Studio 60, and V, the original miniseries, the movie and the TV show. All of which I was very excited about.
Well, that's all from us. We're just getting ready to head down to mom's tomorrow morning. We'll be back on Tuesday. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you all have a very Happy New Year. Loves!

Braxton's Birthday!

Well, last night was Braxton's party. It was a lot of fun, Mark and Kamis came over, and brought Carmen. We had pizza for dinner and then Braxton had a chocolate cake. While the adults had cheesecake.
He made a haul in presents. He got bath toys, a stuffed Big Bird, Sesame Street board books, and a singing book, a piano, a table that does a bunch of songs, ABC's, Numbers, and spanish. He also got a little garbage truck.
He seemed to have lots of fun, and was REALLY wound up by the end of the night. He didn't go to sleep until pretty late. But it was fun and we're glad that we did it.
Enjoy the pictures!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ravennationopperative/Birthday?feat=directlink

First Birthday and Christmas!

Well, let's see here. As time flies on, we're getting closer and closer to both Christmas and Braxton's first birthday. Chris and I spent most of the day today doing shopping. Our normal Saturday grocery shopping, along with some birthday and Christmas shopping. Mostly for Braxton.
He's getting a new car seat, forward facing (YAY), a V-tech Sing Along Piano, a plush Cookie Monster, a little garbage truck, some Baby Einstein books, and a snow suit. He'll also be getting at least one other toy, and some snow boots, but those have to wait til we get paid again.
Oh, last night was Chris's work Christmas party. Anna babysat for us so we could go and have fun. It was a total BLAST! We went and played Blackjack for most of the party. We started out with 1,000 dollars a piece and by the end of the time, between us we made about 100,000. Too bad it wasn't real money. ~_^ Then they did the door prizes and Chris won an IPod Shuffle. One of the REALLY little ones. Hopefully he'll be able to keep track of it. He tends to lose little things like that...
Now for updates on everyone and upcoming plans...
Chris is working really hard on a new project at work, and so is having to stop "working" from home on Wednesdays until it's done, but that's ok. He's feeling much better, got over the swine flu and we were lucky enough to catch it before it gave him pneumonia or bronchitis. He's still playing Dungeons and Dragons on Wednesday nights with Mark and his friends. He's also thinking about starting his own group here in the neighborhood, because he would like me to try playing.
I am doing well. Busy with Braxton most of the time, and that seems to be about it. I've been reading as much as possible when he sleeps or is otherwise occupied. I've mostly been reading some new young adult series, about vampires for the most part. If anyone is interested in a good quick read, they should check out Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. Or The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine. Both are really good. I have been spending lots of time with my new friends Dorie and Kamis. It's really nice having girlfriends again. I didn't realize how much I missed that support and love you can only get from another girl.
Braxton is doing amazing. He weighs about 22 pounds now and is about 30 inches tall already. He's a tall little boy. He's walking without a problem and talking up a storm. He knows about 20 words now, the newest one being "that." He walks around pointing at stuff saying "that, that that." He's learning to be really soft with the kitties and with us as well. We're constantly amazed at how fast he is growing and changing. I can not believe he is going to be a year old in just a few days. We switched to cloth diapers (I know, kinda late in the game) in an effort to save a little money every month. I have to say that I really like them and I'm really glad we changed to them. They haven't been as much of a hassle as I thought that they would be. Braxton seems to like them as well. They certainly provide more padding for those rare times when he does fall.
Upcoming plans...well, on Thursday the 17th, we're throwing Braxton a party for his birthday. Nothing too big, just a few people, presents and some cake. He's getting a chocolate cake, cause that's his favorite. Then that Friday, we've been invited to the ward Christmas party here. Don't know yet if we're gonna go, but we'll see.
That Saturday, Chris is going to hang out with Scott and his friend Carl. They are going to do "man things." On the 22nd, Anna is headed to Washington to be with her mom, so I'll be running her to the airport. Then on the 23rd, I get to do all my Christmas shopping for Chris. I hate that it has to be 2 days before Christmas, but what can you do? We don't get paid again until then.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are going to be normal for us, we're going to spend time as a family and have a nice dinner, then open presents.
After that we're heading to Cedar for a couple of days to spend time with mom and my friends down there (if they are around). That's as far ahead as we dare plan right now.

We hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy and we love you all.
Here's a little video of Braxton's newest trick...