Bramell Christmas 2009

This picture was taken the day we went to see Santa at the mall. We got Becca all dressed up and she was ready to see him, only to chicken out when it was her turn in line. She got about a foot from him and never said a word. Go figure. Then, the next week at daycare, they sent home a nice little photo of her sitting in Santa's lap! We were definitely surprised. No tears!

She does like to ride on the little cars in the mall, though. We try to do it when she's with us.

Here is some of her loot from Christmas morning. She really seemed to "get" the whole Santa thing this year, which was pretty fun. These dolls with snap on clothes were a big hit.

You can see out the back door that we were up before the sun on Christmas Day! How can she even know to be that excited yet?? Unfortunately, we didn't take very many pics. Our camera was on its last leg, as you can probably tell from the picture quality here. But, lucky for us, Grammy got us a brand new wonderful camera that we are excited to try out.

The Dora house slippers were her favorite gift from Santa, by far. She immediately put them on and wore them the whole day, all the way to Wynne.

I did take a couple of videos that I'll try to post soon. We are potty training this week, so I just don't have much time. Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping for a much better 2010....

Well, I have a really good reason.....

I do have a really good reason for not blogging in a long, long time. Really. I just haven't felt very good. That's what happens when you're pregnant!!

Yes, I AM. I am 10 weeks along now and feeling a little bit better. Becca is growing like a weed and getting sassy and throwing lots of fits, too. She is just keeping us on our toes and it's hard to find the time and/or energy to blog.

I am happy to report that she is finally getting to where she'll smile for a photo. I took these the other night by our new, wonderful Christmas tree. I love it! No more Charlie Brown tree for the Bramells!

We went to see Santa yesterday at the mall. No luck. After waiting in line 45 minutes, she wouldn't sit on his lap or even touch him. She didn't cry, so we have made progress. : D

More later...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

We took Becca to see the U of A Marching Band Spectacular Show earlier this week. It was a short, free hour-long show and I thought it would be perfect to expose her to some great music. It was a good thing we sat on the end of the aisle, because that girl wanted to DANCE! Of course, I only got tiny snippets of video because she would stop dancing when she saw the camera. She definitely entertained us.

Funny thing, she has always been afraid of the Razorback Hog mascots. She almost cried when we got there; she said she was scared. We promised her it would be fun, and within a minute of the first drum's beat, she was hooked. In fact, when we got home, she threw herself on the floor and cried "I want more music!!" I told her that her Grammy would be so proud. A true bandie in the making.

Poor Lee was such a good sport; he never even complained about me dragging him to a band concert.

Happy Halloween!!!

This is just the order it put them in. Happy Halloween!!

Here is the loot!!

Spoooookkiiiieeeeee

Mickey and Elmo.

Mice eat cheese don't they...

Livin' the good life!

I don't even know what to say. Just look at this. I love my girls!

Bramells visit the pumpkin patch

Hold on to your hats, my friends. This just might be the record-holding post for the most amount of pictures ever.

On Sunday we took advantage of the beautiful (but cool) weather and took a trip to the pumpkin patch in Pea Ridge after naptime. We had a great time! It was really a neat place with a lot to do. We chose to "pick your own" but the pickin's were slim due to all the rain we'd gotten recently. We ended up with a couple of good ones and muddy shoes.....good times.

Becca and Fergie enjoying some fetch in the yard before we left.

Look at our cutie pie! And no, we didn't chop off her arms.

Of course, Bert had to join us on our outing. Keep watching, it's like "Where's Waldo!"

The hay tunnel was Becca's favorite part of the trip.

Cheese!

We couldn't pass up this photo opp!

We went on a hayride around the farm. Pretty cool, when you are 2 years old. And it's still fun when you are 30-something.

They are having pumpkin painting day with dad at daycare this afternoon. I'm sure I'll have more pictures after we see their creations. Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Fall in the Ozarks

I just can't imagine anything prettier than fall in the Ozarks. I really enjoyed my trip to Fort Smith and back last Friday. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining and the leaves were beautiful.

Somehow, my camera just does not do it justice. You are all welcome to come visit and see for yourselves; the trees should be in prime color for another couple of weeks.

Because I am such a stud...

For all of you who aren't wimps, this won't be a big deal. But for me, it's HUGE! I am totally afraid of heights so I was less than thrilled to find out I was going to a "team building" day with my boss and new team a couple of weeks ago.

This is a climbing gym in Little Rock. I'm a tad embarrassed to say it took me three tries to get to the top, but I did. And, of course, I made them take a picture so I could prove it to Lee.

Woooooo Pig Soooooie!!

We've had this one for a couple of weeks, but the Hogs could sure use the extra cheers this week! Check it out.

As you know, it's never too early to start the Hog callin'.

Our "quirky" little girl

"Hello, my name is Rhonda and my child is quirky."

She has a bit of a problem. We've been trying to figure out what to call it, and decided on quirky. Becca has a fondness for lining things up. We started to notice it a couple of months ago, and it's gotten progressively worse lately. She will line up anything we have in multiples: DVDs, legos, coasters, you name it. We were starting to worry a little that something might be "wrong" with her, but she is totally normal in every other way. Developmentally, she's A-OK. So I talked to her daycare teacher about it one Monday. She laughed and said that the kids do that every day in class! They line up Matchbox cars or blocks from wall to wall and play with them. This is obviously where she's learned it!

I am not worried anymore. We've talked to some other parents we know, and found out that their kids do/have done the same thing. Personally, I think it's just showing off her superior organizing skills....isn't she a genius!!!

She got into our CD rack one morning while I was getting ready for work.

The very next night, this is what Lee and I walked in to her room to find. This was after we put her to bed! I guess she couldn't sleep with all those babies in her bed....haha.

Lounging

This was last week during the Razorback game vs. GA. Lee was out with the boys, I was watching the game in the living room and Becca was lounging in Fergie's bed watching Monsters, Inc. for the 3rd time in a row!!

Let's compare!

I looked back and found the photo we took with Slugger in 2008 to compare to this year's. Not much difference, really. Except that Becca let me stand a little closer to him last year. She is obviously not thrilled about him at all. Well, that and in the new picture, you can't tell that she is so scared that she's shaking.

Along with Slugger, Strike and the Razorback, add to the list of "big costumed characters that scare Becca": Chuck E. Cheese. No pictures, but a big fit on Saturday when she saw him. Poor kid.

Branson Family Getaway

So last week, I took Becca and we met Grammy, Nanny and Aunt Pam for a few days in Branson. The weather was mostly terrible, but we had a nice time anyway. I must disclose up front that I am a poor excuse for a mother because I went off without my camera. I just didn't even think about it!! Of course, I missed some great photo opps, but maybe someone else will share their pics and I can post them here.

I could have titled this post "What I Learned about My Child," but here's the short list:

• She definitely takes after her mother in one area: she got CAR SICK!! We had to pull over twice on the way to Branson to clean her up. The first time was only about 30 miles from home! Poor girl said "vomit" for the whole time we were gone!
• I think I gave birth to a mermaid or a fish or something. She loves, loves, loves the swimming pool. We went to the indoor pool a couple of times at the condo. Becca amazed her grandmas with her skills. That girl is not afraid of the water, jumps off the side of the pool and will go under water and never even fuss. She is almost swimming (with floaties), so I think we'll be taking lessons pretty soon.
• The girl does NOT like to go to bed when we're away from home. It took an average of 2 hours to get her down every night. I think she just wanted to play with Nanny...

We also visited the Branson Landing to look at the pretty fountains. That's Becca's new thing; she loves to "touch it, mama" when she sees a fountain. She did it in Kansas City, at church, and at Branson.

We took a ride on the Branson Scenic Railway, which was pretty cool. We rode about an hour out into the mountains. Becca enjoyed watching people and getting attention from everyone. I thought it was cool, but probably much better later in the fall when the leaves are turning.

Other than some shopping at the outlet mall, that's about all we did. Let's just say that we will have the best-dressed child at daycare this winter!! So excited about all her new clothes!! I stayed in with Becca while the others went to a show one night.

More Kansas City fun

Wow, posting from work is much faster than at home!! Here are some more photos of our trip to Kansas City for Labor Day weekend.

This, people, is my brother-in-law Jonathan. I have a story to tell about him. Let's just say that we're lucky that we didn't have to bail him out of the KC jail. That baseball he's holding came from Torii Hunter (Royals were playing the Angels). We were all standing on the deck out behind center field so we could holler at Torii, who is also from Arkansas. Lee took his glove and had a plan to get Torii to throw him a ball for days before we went. Seriously. So, we're standing out there--Jonathan with the glove on, mind you--and Torii throws the ball right to Jonathan after warm-ups. The ball tips the glove and falls down behind the center field fence. You can probably guess the rest of this story. Jonathan spends the last half of the inning plotting to get the ball back. As soon as the last out of the game happened, there he went over the fence! He was so fast I almost didn't see him! And, apparently, neither did the security guard standing in right field! Way to go, Jonathan! And you made the blog : )

This is the carousel in the kiddie park at the Royals stadium. This is something new to the park this year; they have added a whole area just for the kids--a playground, mini golf, and mini baseball diamond, too. Of course, Becca thought it was all wonderful!

Here we are in our outfield seats (also part of the new additions). I'm sure there's more to tell, but I gotta get going now....

Testing One Two, Testing...

WWI Memorial--Kansas City, MO

Union Station--Kansas City, MO

Ok. Obviously our "high speed" internet isn't that fast. We have had the durndest time getting the blog to put in pics, but I put these two in and it worked in less than 10 secs (I'm at the office). I just came back in and edited. It's like back from the future or something...

If this won't melt your heart, nothing will!

Here are a few pictures of Becca and her bestest friend, Madison. Some of you readers will know Madison's grandparents--Laura and Jolly Bussell from Brinkley. Madison lives in our neighborhood; she is about 4 months older than Becca. They've been playing together since they were just babies! They love each other so much!

This was taken the other evening after a long ride in the wagon. I have a few more that I'll try to get on here soon. Enjoy!

Our funny girl

Can I just say that I'm so glad Becca's speech has really taken off? She is talking so much and it's so much easier to understand her lately. I don't know if it's her age, or just being around the other kids in daycare so much. But, it's hilarious!

* Sometimes she talks in questions (and answers them, of course).
Example: "Where's my book? Oh there it is!" Mainly, when the desired object is sitting in plain sight.

* I drop her off every morning at daycare because Lee goes to work so early. Most days, he picks her up before I get home. In the mornings, I usually ask her "Do you want me to pick you up today or Daddy?" And, 90% of the time, her answer is "DADDY!" Of course. One day I had pickup duty. I thought she was happy to see me because she squealed and ran to me, then halted in her tracks only to look at me and say "Where Daddy?" Stinker.

* Apparently, Dora is from France. Becca calls her Dora the "Esplo-your."

* Last night, I was on the phone in the kitchen. Becca was in the backyard with Fergie. She throws the door open, runs into the kitchen and announces, "Fergie pooped in the grass!!!" She said it like she'd just found a million bucks in the yard.

* OK, so this story has some background to it. You know that Nanny stayed with us for a week in July. Well, if you are related to me, you know this or you are not surprised by this: Nola doesn't just pack a suitcase. She packs in plastic bags, like Wal-Mart sacks and various other random containers. So, she had one of those plastic cottage cheese bowls with a lid that Becca took to playing with. So she left it here for Becca (thanks, Nanny. We need more crap in our house). Anyway, a friend of mine was at the house staying with Becca last Saturday. I left Becca eating some dry cereal in a cup. When we got home, my sitter said, "Becca really wanted her cereal in this bowl. She handed it to me several times and said 'dump cereal'." She just wanted to eat her cereal in the dang cottage cheese bowl!

Going to post some new, super cute pics tonight. Stay tuned!!

Visit from Pop!

We are so glad that Pop came to visit last weekend. It's been a long time since he's come to our house, and Becca always does so much better when she gets to be at home. They had a big time! Friday night we went to Relay For Life in Rogers for a little while. While I did a little work, Becca and Pop played on the playground. That girl loves to be outside!

Saturday morning Becca and Pop got to spend some special time together. He took her to breakfast at McDonald's! She was such a big girl and didn't even seem to miss her mommy and daddy. Then, Saturday night we hit the NW Ark. Naturals baseball game. Again, it was mostly playground but she did watch a little more of the game than before. And, of course, she loved "Strike the Monkey!" Ha Ha.

Becca is doing really well in her new class at daycare. They are doing lots of art projects and things to get dirty--which is right up her alley. The sweetest thing is how glad she is to see us when we pick her up at the end of the day!

New pictures, finally.

None of these pictures are very recent, but I just downloaded them the other night. I know, I need to start taking more pictures. I promise to try harder. I guess we are just not very exciting, and there's not much to photograph these days....

The girls napping together on Becca's bed. So sweet!

Becca really liked helping daddy "mow the gass" using the neighbor's riding mower.


This is a pretty little dress that a friend handed down to us....we love it!

Terrible Two's

Oh dear, we are so there. We've officially hit the terrible two's. And it's not just a myth, I swear. If I didn't know better, I'd think the girl has colic. She is throwing a fit in the morning and one in the evening at bathtime. A FIT! Screaming, kicking, wailing, thrashing fit--the kind where you just give up and put her to bed naked kind of fit. Seriously. She won't let me brush her teeth or her hair and she won't wear any shoes other than her sandals that she has worn EVERY DAY this whole entire summer. She cried for 30 minutes the other day when I tried to put socks and tennis shoes on her before school. What are we gonna do this winter??!

I think this new occurance is due to the new full-time daycare schedule. It's just wearing her out. So now bedtime has been moved from 9:00ish to about 8:00. After tonight, we may go to 7:30. Then we can be in bed at 8:00--haha! I'm exhausted, can you tell?

We are really happy with the daycare, although she is still crying most days when I drop her off. Tomorrow will mark 2 full weeks, and it's getting easier. Only one day Becca said to me, "Becca stay home." It made me sad. But I just told her that mommy wants to stay home every day and that doesn't happen either!!

• I LOVE not having to pack her a lunch since they do all the food there!
• I LOVE that they are helping her learn to use the potty! She's doing pretty well; sitting often and going sometimes (just like at home). They give her Skittles for reward.
• I LOVE that she is coming home with a new art project every day. Get ready Grammy, Nanny and Pop because our fridge isn't big enough!
• I LOVE that the teachers give us good reports on her behavior. They would be shocked to come home with us....

Will try to blog more often now that she's going to bed earlier : )

Good night to all!

Age two, going on ten.

This is a darling little dress that Lee's sister, Dee, made for Becca. We love it because she made it, and because it has ladybugs on it.

Becca's big day!

Well, today was Becca's first day of full-time daycare! We've talked so much about it and her "new school" that she was totally ready to go. She ran right in to play, but cried when I started to leave...which isn't much like her at all. But, she was fine. She hasn't been to a full day of daycare since she was about 5 months old, so it will be an adjustment for us all. We are really glad to get into a good routine, and we know that she'll love playing and learning every day with other kids.

She is talking so, so much more now. When Lee picked her up today she said to him, "glad to see me daddy!" ....haha. She says that a lot to us. She still isn't using the potty, but I hope to get on track soon. We had a little setback with all the commotion of the past month. We are prepared with a big stock of Dora and Sesame Street panties!

I am trying to post some new pics, but as usual, the stupid blogger won't let me. And, oh yeah, we just put Becca to bed and she said "LOVE YOU!" for the first time!! We didn't even say it first.

Francena Bramell

1931-2009

Francena E. Bramell, 77, of Springdale died Thursday, July 9, 2009.
She was born Dec. 29, 1931, in Endicott, N.Y., to Morris A. Swackhammer and Beaulah J. Young Swackhammer. She served in the U.S. Air Force, was a member of the Church on the Rock in Yellville and was a member of Fayetteville Athletic Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, H.L. Bramell.
Survivors include five sons, Benjamin E. Pugsley, Bernerd L. Pugsley, Robert E. Pugsley, Dennis D. Pugsley and Lee E. Bramell; a daughter, Dee Ellsworth; a stepdaughter, Mavis Anne Edwards; two stepsons, James E. Bramell and Barton L. Bramell; 24 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today (July 11) at First Christian Church in Fayetteville with the Rev. Kevin Duffy officiating.

Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society, 3291 S. Thompson, Suite D-104, Springdale, AR 72764; or Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, AR 72432.

Cremation arrangements were by Beard's Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Fayetteville. To sign the online guest book, go to www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.