Grayson turns 8

Dear Grayson,
You turned 8 today (ok last month). You were so excited. You had a countdown. You had pretty big hopes for your presents. YOu wanted Legos, and a new bike, and video games. Well you got your new bike. Daddy found a really nice one on craigslist so we went to tucson to pick it up. We didn't tell you what we were getting, just that we were going for your present. You were so excited, you rode it around the parking lot a few times before we could leave. For the next few days every where we went you asked if you could bring your bike. You parked it up on the porch, and even in your room. It was really cute.
You are such a thoughtful boy. You are a big part of our family. You were our first born! We got to learn how to be a family with you. You taught us how to be parents. You are a great big brother, you almost always share your toys with your brothers.
For your future we hope that we can teach you how to love others, how to serve, and how to be a good friend. Although you already do all of that. We love you so much and knew you were meant for us.
Love,
Mom and Dad

Around the house

This was Brinley before she got chubby. She is such a good baby. I could lay her down in her bed in the evening and she would go to sleep without even crying. She hardly fusses. She can sleep anywhere and almost thru any noise. She smiles alot, I just haven't caught it on camera yet. But she is in a hurry to get big, and that makes me sad.

Brinley goes to church!

As nice as it was to stay home from church...after the first sunday it was hard. Brinley was growing so fast, mean while growing out of some of her dresses. Plus we were so excited about her we wanted to show her off. But she was so little, so we waited until she was 4 weeks old until we took her to church. She was so pretty!

First Days of School

Its not a typo that I labeled this first days of school. Jayden started a few weeks into the year, so he started a different day.

Jayden got into preschool! Yey! After taking him to be tested the day before we had Brinley, they said they would let us know. We got the "don't call us we'll call you". So we waited. Finally a few weeks into school and after a few phone calls from me bugging them.....he got in! He goes 2 days a week for a few hours.He was pretty excited.

Grayson is in 3rd grade this year. He is getting so old. He is even starting to get his own sense of style...notice the 2 different necklaces. I tried to tell him he should just wear one.....but what do I know about 3rd grade fashion. His teacher is Mrs. Mayberry.

Colby is in the first grade this year. Colby was so excited to go back to school and see all his friends again. He is all about the social life at school. He loves it. This year his teacher is Mrs. Homerski....who I think he has a crush on. Whenever he sees me making flowers for Brinley he wants to take one to his teacher. And more than once he has cut a rose from the bushes outside to take to her. He is so sweet like that.

It's a girl?!

Seeing as how this post has taken me 4 different days to try to post, I am not going to go into alot of details, more just like comment on each picture.

This was me the sunday before we had our baby. Yes.....I was huge.

I know I can't possibly be the only woman who does their hair and makeup before going in to have a baby. I was kinda realistic, I didn't do eye makeup because I knew I would probably cry.

Here we are ready and waiting to go down to the OR. I was getting pretty nervous since the doctor was going into extreme detail about all the risks of surgery. They did my bloodwork and found that my platelet count was low. My count was 101 and if it had been 100 or lower I would of had to go to sleep for surgery. That was pretty scary to hear. But since I didn't want to stay pregnant forever, I opted for the surgery. They wheeled me down and had Jeremy wait outside while they prepped me. They hadn't even layed me down on the table and I was already crying. The doctor went to work on me. It seemed like forever that they were cutting, and pushing and pulling on me. Then they got the head out, and Jeremy said he thought, "Uhh oh, that looks like a boy head", but then they pulled the baby out and announced it's a girl! It was almost like a scene out of a movie, I remember the nurses clapping and celebrating. Of course I was crying again. I think Jeremy probably shed a few tears also. I told the doctors I needed to see to believe.

Wow. I guess it really is a girl! Crazy! At this point everything was getting kinda groggy, and I was having trouble staying awake. I just remember after Jeremy and our baby girl left for the nursery they were talking about my nurse who had just become a US citizen. You would think their focus should of been on me?!

Jeremy went with her down to the nursery. Since I was still in the OR and then in recovery, I left it up to him to tell everyone our good news. The first text he sent was to our kids, he just put, "He's here". Then when they got up to the nursery and were peeking thru the window he took her diaper off and flashed her girl parts.

After getting her height and weight, 7'2 and 19 1/2 inches, they came back down to visit me in recovery. And waited with me there until I was stable enough to go up to my room. Jeremy kept getting texts on his phone and on mine. I tried replying to a few but couldn't concentrate very well. So I have no idea what I sent a few people. After staying an extra hour or so because my temp was too low we finally made our way up to our room so she could meet her big brothers.

Poor Colby, I guess he thought I was just be waiting in the room completely normal with a baby, instead he came in and I was pale and laying in bed. The poor guy got really scared and ran to Jeremy and cried. He eventually calmed down and wanted to hold his sister. At this point we still hadn't decided on a name, it was between Mallory and Brinley. So we asked the boys which name they like, Jayden said he didn't like either. Instead he combined the names and said he wanted to name her Muggy. Cute.....but not quite the name we were looking for.

We spent the rest of the day trying to decide on her name.

Finally the next morning we had decided to name her

Brinley Ilene Sherman.

Colby was the first to hold her, and always wants to hold her. Jayden does now too. They both like to kiss her head, and give her hugs. Grayson likes her, but still hasn't held her. We think he may be alittle bit scared because she is so small.

Those first few days it didn't really seem real that she was a girl. It felt really odd to say "daughter" or "girl" or anything like that. It was like the nursery was bringing us the wrong baby.

Of course she had to wear a flower on the way home. Since we didn't know what we were having I had 2 boy outfits and 2 girl outfits with us. And of course the flower. The one thing I didn't bring was a girl blanket, so she had to use a boy blanket until we went to target on the way home. Yes I know I am crazy but we did go to Target before we went home. Its almost a tradition. I didn't have really anything at home for her to wear, or any blankets. So we went to target. So we get to the baby section and what do I do? I start crying. All these months I had been going thru the baby section looking and dreaming about different things I wanted if it was a girl, and now here she was. It was those dang pregnancy hormones that hadn't gone away yet.

Jeremy is so sweet with his little girl. I can hardly write anything with getting emotional. To hear him call her princess and other things was such a change. Before I would see things that said stuff about "Daddy's little girl" and think that it was dumb....but now I understand. It is such a different feeling with Brinley. Not that I don't love my boys, but its just different. I am more protective of her. I don't want her passed around, because I want to hold her.

My yard sale find completed

Way back in February I went to a yard sale with my friend Andi. I found this buffet and loved it instantly. Well I didn't realized how much I loved it until I saw another woman talking about buying it. So I ran over and bought it before she could. I paid $30 for it.



I forgot to take a complete before picture since I was in a hurry to redo it. But my attention span was more like Jayden's and I soon lost interest. Not that I still didn't love it....I just didn't feel like working on it. But now with us moving this weekend and not having a dresser (thats what I plan to use it for) I thought I better get moving.
During the time I wasn't working on it, it became the home of an old a/c unit...thanks dad. And also where they put the cats food bowl so the dogs wouldn't get it. So it got alittle dirty on top and had cat footprints.....had to re-sand the top.
So today when I went to stain the edges I noticed some yellow splatters on the side....our STUPID dog peed on it!!!! I was so mad.
So today the first thing Jeremy is doing when he gets home is moving it to the safety (safe from my dad, the cats, and Sam) of our new (new to us anyway) house. This way it will be protected.

Here is it finished.

The rest of them

Ok...its been like a million years since I updated my blog, or even finished my Disneyland photos...so I am going to to a very brief wrap-up.

Ummmm, this is what pregnant women buy at Disneyland. (Well only one is mine, the other is Lynnell's, I talked her into it by saying I wasn't sharing mine. But really they are soooo sweet you HAVE to share)

What's a trip to disneyland without going to the LEGO store???! It was Grayson's dream store...we spent way too much time and money in there. But it was pretty awesome.

I LOVED Jayden in his Mickey hat. He was so cute.

Right as we got to the front of the line for the teacups Jayden decided he needed to pee RIGHT now and so he didn't get to go with his brothers...I had to wait in line AGAIN so he could go on them.

Colby was picked for Jedi Training. He is now a Padawan. He has fought the dark side and defeated it.

(The map was upside down...)