Bramell, Party of Five: 2008

Friday, December 19, 2008

Yes, I forced her to sit in front of the Christmas tree!

I hate to disappoint our blog readers, but this may be the closest thing you get to a Christmas card from us this year. I'd like to be one of those Moms who is really on top of things, getting cute outfits and picture cards to send out. Not so much. (see post below regarding child who won't cooperate with camera). And really, I'm ok with that. I did take Becca to the doctor this morning because she has an ear infection. See, we're good parents.

We are going attempt some nice family holiday pics this weekend on the downtown square since the weather's supposed to be nice.


This is our model child. She knows how to sit still for pictures!


Becca was afraid to stand by the Christmas tree, so I told her to sit in her chair. I think she just does not like getting pictures made, because she just LOVES the Christmas tree. She even tells it "night night" and "bye bye" at the appropriate times. Totally cute! And that blue ornament over her shoulder is one they made for us at Mothers Day Out--I'm going to hang it on the tree till she's 30 and embarrassed.







Branson trip--December 2008

We made our annual December trek to Branson a few weekends ago. I won't say that we had a horrible time.....but let's just say it wasn't the best time ever. Wow. There was quite a bit of crying, cursing and throwing fits and I don't just mean from Becca! While we absolutely love that our child operates on such a strict schedule, this time it proved to be complete torture. I guess we thought it would be ok to keep shopping and eat lunch right on through naptime....duh. She didn't want to sit still, didn't want to eat and definitely didn't want to ride in the stroller.

And how dare we even think of sitting her in Santa's lap! We thought we'd hit the jackpot when the most beautiful Santa was waiting for us in the Bass Pro Shop without a line! Duh, again. Not having it. None of it. We have a nice little picture of a crying Becca clinging to her daddy's neck while he was practically sitting in Santa's lap. We should have just stayed in the condo and napped.

Oh yeah, we all needed a nap since Miss Priss decided that she refuses to sleep anywhere but her own bed. We spent at least 2 exhausting hours each night trying to get her down. I think I'm gonna have a panic attack just rehashing it now....


This is a Becca-sized cubby hole next to the front door of our condo.


This is when we stopped for lunch right at naptime. Nice photos, right before the meltdown. Funny, some lady sitting next to us even commented to us how good Becca was being at the table! Well, we decided her children must have been complete hellions if she thought ours was good!


Here is the newest and youngest Victoria's Secret window model. She sure thought she was funny.

And this concludes our Branson photo shoot. Notice there aren't very many. Sorry I didn't think to grab the camera when Becca was laying on the floor kicking and screaming. Also, no Christmas-themed pics, either. I want to know who really gets their 1 1/2 year old to sit still for pictures? Really? Liar.




Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Daddy's little helper

Oops! Lee caught me napping with Fergie. She's not getting any less love or attention since Becca came along.

Here is Becca helping her daddy with a minor home improvement project. He was changing our door knob. Look how quickly she figured out how to use a screwdriver!







We'll post some pictures from our Branson trip later. It wore us out! We took Becca to see Santa at the Bass Pro Shop, but she wouldn't let him hold her. And she cried! Oh well...


Sunday, November 30, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving and other randomness...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We sure had a busy and fun time the last few days. We stayed in Fayetteville and got to visit with lots of the Bramell/Pugsley family. Of course, there was a lot of cooking, eating and card playing going on. Here are some pictures from the festivities.


This may be my favorite picture from the whole holiday. It's Becca with her Uncle Bernie, who is Lee's brother from Tennessee. How sweet!

This is a picture of Lee's mother and her kids (but not all of them!). Dennis was here earlier in the week, but he had to leave before this picture was made. This is Rob, Lee, Francena, Ben and Bernie. Another sibling there, and they wouldn't have all fit on the couch!


And here is a picture of us all (Fergie included, of course). Toby was in Little Rock at the Razorback game, so he missed the picture, too.

Last weekend, Becca finally let us put pigtails in her hair!! Yay! Granted, they aren't the best looking pigtails ever, but we got them in. Big victory for mom.

Don't let the innocent face fool you!




Monday, November 24, 2008

What a big girl!

I don't have any pictures, but I wanted to tell this story. I took Becca back to Baby Bookworms class at the library this morning. Parents and babies sat in a circle around the room with the librarian in the middle, who led us in songs before reading a story. In the past, Becca has been very clingy to me at this thing.

Today, I was so proud of her!! During the songs, she ran around the room to point at all the other "babies," some her own age, of course. She would giggle then run back to me, throwing herself in my arms so proud of herself. Then during the story, she went right up to the front of the circle and stood with her little hand perched on the librarian's knee the entire time. It was the cutest thing ever!

After story time, the librarian puts out a plastic tub of board books for the kids to read, play with, carry around, slobber on, etc. Our little bookworm managed to bring me a stack of 6 books before I finally cut her off. Enough already!! Lee said this morning that he is going to build her a bookshelf to support her habit.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The transformation has begun...

This is our sweet little Becca dressed in her jammies. This is the good girl who minds us and reads books all day long. This is her sweet face.


This is Miss Independent Becca. Miss "how-dare-you-tell-me-no." If she doesn't get her way, this is Miss Mean Face. Just try to look at her and not laugh. I dare you.


Oh, dear. It is true. We have somewhat of a drama queen on our hands. She is wanting to do everything by herself already, including use the spoon, which does not have a great outcome--especially with oatmeal and applesauce. The good news is that Becca keeps us laughing most of the time. And, her vocabulary is moving right along. New words: "good girl" (which actually sounds a bit like "doo doo" but who cares), "bath," "meat" and "apple."

I also got the potty out a couple of weeks ago for her to look at. The first few times we sat her on it (clothed even), she had a hissy. But now she will sit on it and smile. Still no potty action, but at least she's not afraid of it.

Sorry it has been so long since we blogged. Had a rough couple of weeks. We'll do better, though. Enjoy the new festive look of the blog. Until next time...









Monday, November 3, 2008

Our little ladybug...

First off, let me say I know what you are thinking. Yes, I know that we have to stop it with the ladybug insanity. But isn't she the cutest ladybug you ever saw??

She loved being dressed up; she never fussed or cried about her costume at all. Not like last year, when all she did was cry! We trick-or-treated to about 4 or 5 neighbors' houses, which was a lot of fun. Once Becca figured out that holding out her pumpkin got her something, she had no problems at all. We were happy that Becca's friend Madison and her daddy joined us on our jaunt around the block. Madison lives on the street behind us and she is Becca's first friend! Maddie is about 4 months older than Becca and they love to play together.

We came home to hand out our candy at home. I'm sure Becca loved this part more than walking around the neighborhood! She ran to the door each time the bell rang and after awhile, she greeted the kids with a warm "hi!" Before the night was over, she was handing out the candy like a pro--so cute! She didn't want to drop it in the pumpkins, she wanted to put it in the kids' hands.

So, without further ado....here she is!




















Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pre-Halloween and other pics

They had a Halloween party today at Becca's daycare. Instead of wearing her costume, we dressed her in this cute ensemble that Grandma Francena got her. The little skirt has a ruffle with black cats and witch hats on it. The shirt has a ghost with a strobe light that blinks when she moves. Pretty cute--especially the tennis shoes, I know. I just wish she would be still to take a decent pic. Tomorrow she will be a ladybug (what else?) and we might walk around the neighborhood to be seen.

Not sure when this one was taken; it was on Lee's phone. But cute.



Here is Boo chillin' in her easy chair with the night-night baby. She's got it made, huh.


Check this out! Becca loves, loves, loves to eat corn on the cob. Who knew?? She's had it 3 or 4 times now and eats every kernel. It's funny to watch. She is also saying several new words:
  • "knock, knock" (not sure where she learned that)
  • "Bit and Nee" (Bert and Ernie)
  • something that sort of sounds like "pumpkin"
  • "Grandma"
  • And the funniest of all is when we say "Eat your chicken," she says "bok, bok, bok!"




Wednesday, October 22, 2008

YAY for Becca's Pop!

Just wanted to share that after 30 long years, my dad has officially retired from UPS! Now we just have to convince him to stay home and take it easy for a while. He deserves it. Congratulations, dad!

More pics of the monkey

Here are a few pics of Becca. Excuse the red eye in the first one. We didn't notice until after it downloaded.

We had a busy weekend in Wynne for Tracy's wedding festivities. I'll have pics to post when she gets them from her photographer. We didn't have time to take any because of all the shopping, cooking, cleaning and chasing the Boo. It was a great party and everything was perfect!

Another exciting thing: STAY TUNED! We entered Becca into the Gap Kids model contest. They will pick 20 finalists for a trip to San Fran, CA for a professional photo shoot. The winner gets to model for Gap for a year and a new Gap wardrobe. Wouldn't that be cool!! The middle pic below is one that we entered in the contest. We'll keep you posted. Please keep your fingers crossed!!










Saturday, October 11, 2008

Goin' to the chapel...

YAY for Tracy and Jonathan!! Today they got married in Eureka Springs. We are very happy for them and can't wait to celebrate with them next weekend. I talked to Tracy this afternoon and she said the ceremony was beautiful and their romantic cabin is very nice....with only one problem. They don't have cable!!! Ha, ha. I told Jonathan that I bet most people don't go to a romantic cabin in the woods trying to watch football!

Blogging Backlog

OK, I know it's been a long time since we blogged so I will try to catch you up quickly. Hold on tight and don't be scared by what you are about to see.

Today we went to the Turkey Trot festival in Yellville. For all those who don't know, this is a big deal in a small town. The highlight of the day (next to the parade) is each time the airplane flies over the town square and throws out a living, breathing turkey down to the crowd waiting below. Seriously, I could not make this up. This was my second Turkey Trot experience--I went with Lee once, either right before we were married or right after. If you are thinking that this is a cruel thing to do to a turkey, settle down. It's not that bad, and most of the turkeys can fly anyway. It was a beautiful day today and we got to visit with a lot of people we haven't seen in a while, like all the Duffys and the Yellville Pugsleys.

Becca liked her grape sucker!

You can't have a parade without horses!

My thoughts exactly! (look close)

Here is the only picture we got of a turkey falling. Look right above the power pole.

See, I told you I am not making this stuff up...what a proud Arkansan!



Last weekend Pop came to visit us. Well, really visit Becca. This is her new thing. This wagon was not really made for kids, but don't tell her that. It is full of giant Lego blocks. We took a break from pulling her and let Pop take a turn. You can also see that Pop got Becca an Ernie doll. It is a TMX Ernie that will laugh (loudly) and spin around and dance. Honestly, she was not too fond of it so we turned the switch off. She is liking him more when he is still....she even let Ernie ride in her wagon.






Sunday, September 28, 2008

Cheerleader dress is cursed, but oh so CUTE!

So Becca has worn her cheerleader dress for the last two Hogs games....and we see how well that's turned out. In most years I would immediately call it a jinx and never let her wear it again. But this year, probably not the cause. Plus, it's so darn cute she has to wear it! And obviously, balloons make everything better.

We went down on Dickson Street before the game yesterday to check out all the motorcycles at the rally. It was pretty cool to see. It's been going on for 8 years or something, and we've never even gone downtown to look. Too many people for us. We looked all over Dickson St. for this baby a "boon," and could not find one. Daddy made an emergency stop at Chick-fil-A on the way home because mommy knew they'd have one. Rotten!





We love our girls

Here is further proof of our love for dear Ernie. This is the only time Becca will sit still to watch the TV! How cute is this?


Here are some pictures of playtime. She's wearing her souvenir shirt from Destin. We couldn't pass this one up for sure!



And of course, our other baby. I think she's been left off the blog lately, so here's one of the princess. An update: while we were in Florida, she stayed with my friend Shannon and her dog Nicco. They made fast friends and missed each other so much after our return home that we've had to make playdates for them. Our first playdate was a smashing success, and I know there will be more.




Thursday, September 18, 2008

What Becca Likes

So I got to thinking it was about time to do another installment of What Becca Likes for our loyal readers. The last couple of weeks have been really trying for us as she's learning so much and doing so many new things (not all good!). Anyway, on with the show.


What Becca Likes
Playing outside
Books, books and books!
Dancing
Running from mom and dad
TANTRUMS--the lay in the floor and kick and scream kind--(where did she learn this??)
Meat


What Becca Doesn't Like
Sitting down in the bathtub (grrr!)
Eating vegetables, although now I'm sneaking them in via the vegetable soup way (tricky mom!)
Being told what to do (how dare you!!!)
Diaper changes
Going to bed

And, finally, What Becca LOVES: Ernie! Yes, the one who lives on Sesame Street. I told her it's a shame that she had to pick a boy that won't love her back. You know, he already has a boyfriend.

There is a show on Sprout called Play With Me Sesame, and the other day when it was on she ran into the kitchen excitedly pointing toward the TV. So I came out of the kitchen to see what it was....it was Ernie playing the "Ernie Says" game. How cute! She will also point to Ernie in her books and on her Sesame Street diapers.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

It's not about me anymore...

Well, 15 months into this motherhood thing, I've had another realization. Everything we do is now about what's best for Becca, not necessarily what we want. Duh. Did it really take me that long to figure this out? No, but I think I've been in denial.

My baby sister's wedding shower is exactly 45 minutes from now in Wynne. And I'm sitting at my computer in Fayetteville. Yesterday I was so happy to have gotten out of the office early to hit the road for our trip to Wynne, just me and the Boo. I got home to find her burning up with fever--it was 102.6. So we gave her Tylenol and waited around to check it again. It dropped down some, and she seemed to be her normal self, so I decided it would be fine to hit the road and take our chances. We stopped for a diaper change and gas in Russellville and she was burning up again. I checked her temp and it was up to 103.3!! So, in my haste, I decided to head back home to Fayetteville instead of continuing our trip. A temp that high makes me really nervous and I'd rather be home where her doc is and be able to nurse her at home and not worry about a long, sick drive home on Sunday.

Well, now it's almost time for the shower and guess what......yep, she's fine. Go figure. The fever's down and she's playing in the living room while I'm kicking myself for being a wuss. Of course, if we'd gone on to Wynne I'm sure she'd have a 103 temp and I'd be kicking myself for not staying home. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Right?

TP, I'm so sorry to miss your big day. I hope you have a wonderful time and I'll see you next Saturday for our special day together.

Friday, September 12, 2008

On the way home...

At the pier in Destin.

Isn't she smart?


Cousins Nathan and Sarah. Becca seemed to have a crush on Nathan...we were in Tennessee.

Aunt Annette...just don't call her Marie.....ha,ha

Perfect ride for a Boo!!

 
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