The Sedlak Family

Summer Fun in 2011

2012-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

What a summer we had! Walt Disney World was amazing and exhausting all in one! Here is a shot of Bella on our way home from the airport. She looked like this about 10 minutes after getting in the car. She gabbed and gabbed and gabbed about princesses, Mickey and Minnie, the pool, the castle and then she was silent. I looked back to see this! Now if this isn't the sign of a jam-packed fun filled vacation, I don't know what is!

After we got home, unpacked, did many loads of laundry, grocery shopped and got back into the swing of cooking our own meals we jumped head on into our summer! We had a busy summer with lots of fun activities, family visits and trips across the midwest! Ryan's first project was to put together the swingset for the kids. At the birthday party Bella kept telling everyone she had a swingset. Most people looked at her like she was crazy but then she would say..."It's laying in my garage in a box!" She was right and now it was time to put it up! Ryan had lots of offers to help but in true Ryan fashion, he planned and plotted and tried to do most of it on his own. I think he did get it done in record time and the kids have been enjoying it ever since. Brady is a little dare devil on the climbing and the sliding forcing Bella to be a little braver so she can still be bigger and braver than Brady!

Like every project, Ryan has his little helper! Bella came inside to get her own Handy Manny tool box because she was getting in trouble for stealing Dad's toys and lumber.

We also got to celebrate another Father's Day for a very deserving Dad! We made him pretzels and gave him lots of homemade gifts because he loves them soooo much!

Then back to the swingset!

Another one of Ryan and Bella's projects was to straighten out our trees! The wind storms from the spring had put a little tilt in our trees so Ryan (and Bella) dug them up, replanted them and then staked them into the ground with ties! They have held up pretty well.

Since I had a goal to be intentional with the kiddos in making memories this summer we copied yet another pinterest idea and made up a Summer Fun List! We did almost everything on our list except camping and swimming at the lake. I think that is pretty good and maybe camping will happen this year...or maybe not! Ryan and I really dislike camping but I know we need to take the kids so they experience it on their own. I did like it when I was little!

Some items on the list we got to do a lot and continue to do through out the rest of the year like

...build a fort!

Watching Tangled in our fort!

Learn to swing by ourself...still working on that one!

Go to First Friday's on the Square. Bella riding the Sam Walton truck outside of the Walton 5&10 when Grandma Bev, Papa Ted and Kaitlin came to visit.

Bella having a tea party with Grandma Mary Carol and Ellie using the Mrs. Potts teaset!

Making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with Papa!

Gotta love cookie dough balls! One of lifes little treasures!

Brady making me breakfast in bed! I like my eggs over medium Brady!

Girl time with my cousins Ellie and Briley watching movies!

Boy time with my cousins Baylor and Lincoln helping Papa unload the dishwasher!

Or getting into trouble! Another favorite activity!

Lazy morning on the couch together with crazy bed head!

Popsicles in the warm morning sun!

Chocolate chip pancake breakfast! Yummy!

I made edible gack paint! Brady realized it tasted disgusting but it wasn't poisinous!

They did have a blast though!

Taking Loosie Goosie...our pet...for a ride. She doesn't move very fast though!

Maybe we will try Bob the horse! Wait his feet are stuck on a track!

Bella found a horse to ride. She prefered this toddler toy over the bounce houses

during a MOPS playdate at Jump Zone. We know - she is sooooo brave!

Brady found a new girlfriend. He just loves Charolette from The Princess and The Frog. I have a feeling he will have something for blondes with southern accents when he grows up! This picture also got me closer the TV armoire I had been wanting desperately!

They both love their strollers and we spent a lot of summer mornings taking our babies for walks around our sidewalks with these strollers! They also enjoy using them as wheelchairs!

Bella on an adorable bench outside of a cute store downtown! I think it is called Pink Paisley!

Brady getting a new hairstyle with Dad on the slide!

Bella got very brave this day on the slides! She did all three! Even the big twisty one!

We had a great time at the Ozark Botanical Garden in the children's garden with Maddie!

We also had fun hanging out by the pool and having picnic lunchs with Maddie and Suzanne!

We got to go to a pool party at the Fogarty's home which was a blast!

We had fun exploring Grandma Mary Carol and Papa Mike's back yard!

Eating popsicles by the pool with Papa and cousins!

Another fun event...but you wouldn't guess it to look at this picture...

was going to see the new Winnie the Pooh Movie!

Another car ride after a fun trip to the next spot!

A chance to see the Sedlak crew!

Brady, Colin and Louie found a creative way for three boys to use one toy truck!

Just another day of haulin Miss Daisy around town!

We also got to go and play with Ro and his mommy for awhile which is always so much fun!

Naptime! This isn't going so well!

Snuggles with Aunt Kristian!

Back home and out on the boat with the Criders!

What a great way to wind down a day! It is beautiful out on Beaver Lake!

In St. Louis again we got to visit Kim for another haircut! This was Brady's last calm haircut. After this he has gone balistic each time but lucky for Kim he did this to a gal in Bentonville!

Fun times at Forest Park with Aunt Lis in our shades! It is actually about to storm and ruin our trip to the park but we always have fun with Lissy regardless!

Proof that we had fun!

More cuddles with Kristian!

Grant's Farm with our cousins, Grandma Bev and Aunt Emily and Aunt Kaitlin!

Brunch with Papa Mike and watching some construction across the street!

Lissy came to visit us in Bentonville and we found some lovely alternative dresses for Caroline and Jared's wedding! We were thinking the bridesmaids could wear with red one and Caroline could wear the white since it has white and lots of fancy plaid!

Brady just chilling on Bob and watching some Little Einsteins!

Dress up with Maddie!

Brady taking a break after dunking his head in the water table!

A trip to Kansas City and a chance to watch Briley play soccer! Entertainment at it's best!

Bella has very true brand loyalty!

See what I mean.

More pictures from the Ozark Botanical Gardens.

One of Bella's proudest moments!!!!! She rode a horse! A real one!

Actually it was a pony but who cares! It gallops and says neigh!

More fun on the Crider's boat!

Brady is still deciding how he feels about fireworks on the fourth of July.

Turns out he actually liked them!

Just two pals watching some tv together!

Painting her birdhouse!

We watched Dispicable Me and we had twinkies so we HAD to make our own minions!

Tim, Kelly and Olivia came to visit and we had a great time go around town and hanging out by the pool but this is the only picture I got. I thought it was pretty cute though!

Brady got the closet door open in the playroom! Chaos!

One last lazy summer morning before preschool begins!

Walt Disney World with the Early family...26 and counthing!

2011-09-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! I know it has been almost 4 months since we went to Walt Disney World but I couldn't NOT blog about it because I'm pretty sure it was my favorite trip...ever! And I have been on some wonderful vacations! Besides, we had been planning this for about a year and half - ever since this!!!

We were in our old house in St. Louis, Bella still took a paci and Brady Boy wasn't even born yet! Actually, Brady, Baylor, Colton and Carolina were still on their way and by the end of this year we will have 3 more family members with Jared, Miles and Bennett taking us to 29!

It was Christmas morning and we had two boxes to open from Grandma and Papa Early. The large one Bella got to open and out popped this cute little balloon. Next we opened the smaller box which held our (completely destroyed, highlighted and pages falling out now) Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World book and the most sentimental gift card ever with this letter...

Some may consider this frivolous.,

Others may wish we hadn’t,

Some may even think “not now, please"

However there will be some whose hearts will skip a beat,

Others eyes will shine with excitement.

Some will be giddy with anticipation

And then they’ll start planning….

when, next year, the year after, Spring, summer.

On Disney, off Disney,

five days, six days –

we have time to Dream of all the possibilities

But, what we wouldn’t want to miss ~

Our Grandkids faces when they see ...Cinderella’s Castle!!

…We want to share the magic

PLANNING...

Well it took us a little while to get going but eventually we decided June 2011, 7 days, on Disney - Disney Boardwalk Villa's to be exact (we rented DVC points from David's Disney Vacations and saved a bundle plus we had space to spread out a little...highly recommend this for a long trip with multiple children!). We loved being on site because we got to use the Disney Magical Express to go to and from the airport, plus the transportation in the parks and then the extra magic hours.

After a little debate we also decided to get the dining plan which lead to ...dinner reservations. This took a ton of consideration with a group of 26 and 5 highchairs. We made our decisions and 180 days out we started calling at some absurd hour of the night from our closets to reserve dinner. Ali was the big winner because she got us into Cinderella's castle and Mom got us into Crystal Palace for dinner with Pooh and friends. Amanda also scored big getting us into 50's Prime Time which is always fun and Chef Mickeys for dinner with Mickey and the Gang on our last night! I brought up the rear with dinner at Via Napoli in Epcot but apparently everybody but Ryan loved their meal and we got to sit at this huge table which spread down the middle of the restaurant. They must have realized we were a traveling dinner show!

Next up was grocery orders, stroller rentals (we all LOVED our City Duo strollers and miss them dearly), park tickets, etc. Then Andy took on the task of laying out our itinerary. That was brave and I must say he did an AMAZING job. We got to ride a ton of rides, see almost every show, took full advantage of our fast passes and extra magic hours and we had lots of breaks and everyone of every age had a BLAST! Don't get me wrong, Disney is the happiest place on Earth but it can also be exhausting, overwhelming and draining. We were at the parks around 7am most days and went strong all morning, ate lunch at the parks and headed back to our rooms for a rest and some pool time. We would head back out to the parks for dinner around 5:30 in the evening clean and refreshed ready to take in the magic at night. We would typically get back to the room around 10:30 or 11:00. Bella and Brady would be passed out. Time for pajamas and to bed to sleep for another big day of fun!

THE TIME IS HERE...

After all the anticipation, a year and half of planning, lots of Disney movie watching and talking about everything Disney, and a week plus of packing and repacking...finally, Bella got to take the last chain off our countdown to Walt Disney World chain she and Ellie made with Grandma!

That afternoon we were off to Kansas City where we checking into our hotel then met up with everyone for dinner at Texas Roadhouse...yummmmm! It is perfect for us because it is a mess when you walk in so we don't have to hide ours and they encourage loud rowdy behavior which we already have!

We did find out some sad news on the way though, Andrew's Granny B passed away. Andrew was able to fly back a few days for the funeral and the poor guy had to stay at our house. Which would be fine most days but it was closed up for the trip as in air conditioning turned way up, water turned off, water heater turned down and locked up with alarms set! He figured it out though and made it in time to be with his Mom and family. Then he was able to make it back which I think his first trimester pregnant wife and three children were sad to not be with him for the funeral but also very excited to have him back.

The next morning we were up and headed off to the airport at 5:00 for our early flight. Even though it was early, everyone was still very excited and it was funny watching everyone (except Lissy and the Bobzien's) come in with all the luggage and kids in tow and get in the check in line! This is not how we normally start vacation! For most of the grandkids, it was their first flights! And they all did excellent!

Briley decided to wear Andy's old Goofy hat he got when he went to WDW as a kid!
She confirmed that "Goofy is all ready to go!"

Checked in and now waiting for our flight. This is when the early morning kicks in!

Most of the crew flying out of KC. Grandma has cosmic brownies in her bag which she is passing out to all the grandkids for breakfast. Yep - they aren't her responsibility anymore! She paid her dues!

The Taylor's! Kaitlin is saying "Now I just realized Owen isn't going to remember any of this so why are we going???" and Zane is looking at her thinking "Are you kidding me? I know we talked about this!"
Ha ha - I think they all actually had a really good time!

I love how the two adults are wearing Disney t-shirts but not the kid!

Cosmic Brownie - The breakfast of champions.

And Bella and Brady's First Flight!!!

About halfway through their first flight! They love it!

We made it!!! I was the person who first brought up the idea of renting DVC points which are non refundable and not guaranteed by Disney, so needless to say up to this point I had a knot in my stomach that we would get all the way there and have no rooms. I was sooooooo relieved after everyone got their rooms and to top it off, all of the strollers (5 doubles and 1 single to be exact) and all of our groceries were there waiting for us. We all had time to unpack and relax a little before we headed off to the Magic Kingdom. Things NEVER work like this for the Early's....NEVER!!! We were all waiting for the first big bump in the road and the most I can say is we had to wait awhile for our first bus to Magic Kingdom. This got us a little nervous about the buses and the whole transportation system but after that everything went super smooth!

Carson and Brady are ready to go!

Not only was it the first time for our kids to go to Walt Disney World but it was Ryan's first time as well! I was really excited to watch him and I think he thought it was pretty amazing!

First view of Cinderella's Castle...very early morning kicking in! See Bella's expression!

I never get tired of this place!

Caroline, Brady and I on the first ride of the trip...yep - we did it up right "Jungle Cruise!" Actually, it worked out perfect. Quick line, it felt cool, low intensity for the kids and our driver was hilarious. Seriously - I could have stayed on longer just to see what else he was going to say but it was time for dinner!

We went to the Crystal Palace to kick off our trip for dinner with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Ryan and I were just getting the hang of this whole Character dinner thing so we missed pictures with some of the characters between trying to get food for everyone in the buffet and Bella had a bad accident right before. Ryan and her were stuck in the men's room for awhile. We didn't realize this would be a recurring thing that night. She got a hold of a pack of fruity gum and came to us as we were unpacking and told us in the most cheerful voice ever "Bella ate all her gums! She was a hungry gurl!" She doesn't say girl by the way - she says gurl! First up we saw Tigger! It took awhile for Bella to loosen up but she finally did with Piglet. We didn't get pictures with Pooh or Eeyore but she loved meeting them!

After dinner it was time for the kids to hop back in the strollers. We were the stroller brigade and we got really good at maneuvering through large crowds with them. They seriously were amazing strollers and have caused me to now hate my double stroller! Our night continued with lots of fun rides but us Sedlak's had to bail early. Bella's gum caught up to her and she had another blow out as we were stuck in the holding room to go into the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. This one on her Dad's arm. He is such an awesome Daddy and stayed so cool about the whole thing although I know he was absolutely disgusted! Three accidents and you have to leave the park. It is sort of a rule and we were out of clothes.
Anyways, I think we were all ready to get some rest for the early day the next morning.

The next day took us to Animal Kingdom. Andy had it all set up perfectly. We got to ride all of the big rides and we went on the animal viewing excursions early enough that the animals were all still out and not hiding from the heat! I think the kids really liked this one. I know Bella did. She misses the zoo in St. Louis. This first picture came out a little fuzzy. Apparently jostling vehicles aren't great places to take pictures in low light! Guess we should have asked Lissy, the expert!

Ryan loved Duck Tales as a kid and we happened to run into them a few times! He has even purchased season 1 for Bella on DVD but she prefers Rescue Rangers because there is a girl in it!

Brady enjoyed the wild animals everywhere.
Even if it was just the little baby ducklings trying to cross the path to get to their mother.

Caroline and Lissy forcing cousinly love! Cousins gotta hug!

Kali River Rapids. The books said to wear ponchos or you would get wet.
The guys wore them and it did help but wait till you see us girls. We are good listeners.

See - we all look like little old ladies on a windy day! See Ellie - she is the cutest little old lady in pink!

Fun on the bus! A tickle from Dad and snuggle from Lissy!

Caroline and her friends!

Bella sprawled out on Molly with no concept of personal space.

After naps (well not really) but showers we were off to Hollywood studios for dinner at 50's Prime Time where we ate like champs and got in trouble by our waitress. It was tough to get pictures because we were in a tight space but it was a fun meal. See that look Lissy is giving me. She is always all "why don't you guys take some of your own damn pictures" and then the moment you get your camera out she gives you that look that says "what do you think you are doing. See this ginormous camera. I'm the photographer here. Put your crappy point and click away. Your pictures suck anyways!"

I'm totally kidding! I just caught Lissy with a bad face but I couldn't resist the commentary.
Anyways - I think she would appreciate it if we all took more pictures instead of relying on hers but we all agree. Lissy's pictures are always a million times better!

I love this picture. I have always liked this Dinosaur. She was used as a backdrop for a prom shoot in seventeen magazine when I was young and Amanda was looking for a dress. I remember thinking I can't wait to grow up. I hope I get to go to Walt Disney World after my prom. Oh, being naive and young! Watching Bella and Ryan walk by her makes me think I will look at this picture many years down the road and it will just feel like yesterday that I took it. Random I know but that is the way I think.

Through out the trip we would sort of split up to use fast passes on some of the big rides the kids couldn't do. Some people would stay and watch the kids and we would take turns riding the rides. During one of these swaps Ryan noticed a dance party going on at Hollywood Studios and so we went in. It was a Disney Junior Dance Party and it was perfect. They were handing out balloon creations, had fun music playing and Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and more all came out and Danced with the kids. It was during Extra Magic Hours so it was pretty empty and did you know that Mickey and Minnie break dance?
They were awesome! The kids loved it!

The next morning we did the early morning hours at Magic Kingdom. I had never been there early enough to open the park and we got to do it a few times. The train pulls up out front with lots of characters, they sing the "Good Morning Song" which has become a favorite around our house and dance. We finish by counting down and then the race is on! We went to Fantasy Land and straight to Dumbo. This is the best picture I could get. It amazes me that no matter how young a child is they still know who Dumbo is and love riding this ride!

After Dumbo we went on the Tea Cups. This is the best picture I could get of Bella helping her Daddy spin our tea cup. Of course we didn't spin too much!

For lunch, the girls went to Cinderella's Castle to meet and eat with the princesses and the boys went to Tony's to have a manly meal. I think they thought they would get to meet some mobsters but no such luck. Apparently it is based off of Lady and the Tramp and not the Sopranos!

Before we checked in us Moms pulled our princess costumes out of our bags and dressed our girls in front of the castle. Classy I know. These two Cinderellas weren't thrilled about this idea at first but by the end they were sword fighting with their magic wands and dancing on their seats.
Proper princess behavior I think!

Bella and her wishing star! No matter how old I get, the dining room of Cinderella's Castle is still magical!

Ali and Molly are wondering "now why didn't WE wear OUR princess costumes???"

I know this is a little fuzzy but I love this picture.Bella is all snuggled up in Snow White's dress!

Next we met Jasmine! The girls were starting to really like this whole princess thing! I love Ellie looks at them with such admiration. I would hate to have to break it to her that you can't grow up to be a Disney Princess. Well maybe she could do a summer internship!

We all LOVED Ariel. Look at those smiles!

But I have to say the Belle is probably the favorite. Bella was a little concerned that Belle didn't wear her fancy gold dress to the party. She catches every detail. This did not deter her from telling Belle a ton of stories when she was at our tables! She kept talking as she walked away.

Bella also noticed that Sleeping Booty (we don't call her Sleeping Beauty) didn't come and Cinderella never came up to eat. Therefor we don't have pictures with them but it was so much fun and the girls LOVED it!

Bella also loved the cupcake decorating dessert she got!

Dinner for the night we did a quick service meal and we do not recommend the Electric Umbrella at Epcot! It was actually sort of comical. We are better off with reservations because otherwise we go to places where there is no wait. Well I guess there is no wait for a reason! We tried to stick to the plans that night but I sort of messed them up. We wound up at The Seas and all of the finding Nemo stuff. The babies got a kick out of the aquariums and had a chance to run around before we went into Turtle Talk with Crush. I think the kids liked it a lot and Crush loved the kids. I think most of them got to talk! Bella was going to be brave and sit up front but Briley informed me "Hey Bella's Mommy - Bella keeps crying".

We also rode Spaceship Earth (the big silver ball) and they have updated it! We actually enjoyed it and they had some fun interactive stuff at the end. We walked back around the World Showcase and it was a beautiful walk. Probably as close as Ryan and I will get to going for a relaxing stroll in a foreign country in the evening!

The next morning we were up bright and early and headed down to the boardwalk. We were late the day before but not today. Besides, I wanted to grab some breakfast at the bakery. While we did, Bella made friends with this duck and shared her breakfast with him!

Time for Beauty and the Beast! Bella had fun singing along and occasionally dancing!
In the bleachers...scary!

Another one of my favorite pictures. Papa and Brady just having a man to man conversation on the boardwalk. Brady just started walking before we left and the boardwalk was one of his favorite spots. He thought he was pretty special when he took off and we let him walk a ways before chasing him down!

We were on the hunt for a bathroom (which we never found) and I made Mom pose in front of what I think would be her favorite store - if it was open. It is called "It's a Wonderful Store!" Based off her favorite movie! She is a good sport.

We took a night off from the parks. We ate dinner down on the Boardwalk and then just hung out. Aunt Lissy in true Aunt Lissy fashion was off with the kids to get them a special treat. I wonder what it is going to be? I also love this picture!

The babies were too little for the treat so they got to play in the grass.
I know it doesn't sound like fun but they thought it was!

Here is the surprise! A surrey for four...or nine! Bella loves it, don't let the tears fool you! Honestly she liked it a ton more when they switched her with Carson and she got to sit in the back.

While they were gone the babies continued to play.
The dad's even went and got them beach balls from the general store!

Lissy, Molly, Caroline and Dad took the kids for awhile but they were ready for a break. If you haven't tried one of these, they are not all smiles and laughs like you think they would be. They are WORK! HARD WORK! Time for the rest of the Dads to take over.

Another favorite picture. Our adorable hotel in the background and Bella's little dress hanging out the back of the Surrey. After the boys returned they broke all the rules and started riding through the hotel sidewalks. This wouldn't be a big deal except that they were flying. They just like to get Lissy into trouble.

While they were gone, Brady found a way to keep himself entertained.
He likes to try and squeeze through things!

Apparently he needs to try a different approach. Grandma and Aunt Ali sure find him entertaining though!

Next on the list, drag all the kids upstairs for a photo op Sara thought would be cute. Turns out we are missing the Early kids and we don't have enough chairs. But aren't the chairs cute!

Now back to the grassy lot to wear out the kids.

Last minute we decided to some night swimming and they were showing Tangled by the baby pool. I know it is playing in this picture because Brady is engrossed! See the tattoos on the backs of their necks. Amanda ordered these and they had our number on them in case they were to get away from us. My kids stayed on for a good week after the trip even. Most peoples came off earlier and I swear I clean my kids. I must have got them on there really good!

Back to Magic Kingdom the next day! Isn't this a cute one! I think Miss Carolina is saying "Papa - I'm so happy we picked the pink horsey because it matches my dress and bow! Don't you think?"

Bella and Brady's first trip on the Carousel...which turned out to be Bella's favorite ride.
She is daring I know!

We chose to wait in line to meet Tiana and Naveen. Both Bella and Brady love The Princess and the Frog and I think it is because of all the great Cajun music. Tiana and Naveen were both very funny but we didn't really get a good picture! Oh well- we got to meet them and that is all that counts!

Back to the Carousel!

We were going to see Rapunzel but apparently getting in to see her is like getting to meet the Pope! We went down front and waited till she came out then said "Hey Bella look! It is Rapunzel! Wave hi to her! Oh look she waved back!" I know - we are horrible but seriously people had their kids waiting for 4 hours to meet her. Just what a kid wants to do with 4 hours at Magic Kingdom. Wait in line! After this we grabbed some lunch and ate at a quite out of the way place with the best view of the castle!

See!!!! It had a little pavilion on a lake with ducks to feed and a view of the castle! Bella was in heaven. Brady slept!

After our afternoon break it was time for dinner. We went to Via Napoli in Italy at Epcot. This was my reservation and lets just say the staff is actually from Italy including the manager who took a very confused "special" reservation for 26 with 5 highchairs. It was also almost impossible to confirm our reservation and he said it would take awhile to figure out the bill since we are all on different dining plans. It actually turned out to be a really cool place with yummy food! We got to sit at this awesome table in the middle of the restaurant and the bill did not take long at all!

I don't know if the babies were as thrilled as we all were but they took it in stride!
The bar height table doesn't really fit highchairs! Whoops!

After dinner we decided to use some fast passes and ride some of the bigger rides such as Rockin' Roller Coaster, Mission Space and Test Track...all awesome. The babies pretended to be aliens and wonder around the planets. They looked pretty funny as they did this but they all kept falling on the big bump!

Stroller Brigade again!

Jackson was at such a fun age! He picked out his own ears and wore them with pride!

Just stopped to feed some more ducks!

Papa and Bella checking out one of Epcot's hidden little gems. It is a train village near Germany...I think. She didn't want to leave and apparently we missed Belle in France and Tinkerbell in England because we played for so long in the train village.

Brady's sunblock hairstyle! He looks pleased as punch doesn't he?

Heading out for our last night. We were on our way to the Contemporary Resort for dinner at Chef Mickeys and the best way to go was to Epcot. From our resort we entered in the back of the World Showcase which annoyed lots of people but not me. I loved walking through all of the different countries. It is sooooo pretty and a lot cleaner than the countries really are! We went to the front of the park and then took the monorail to the Contemporary. I'm glad we got to leave from the Boardwalk that night because it is so pretty!

Look at these two! They definitely had the most pimped out stroller. Amanda invested in some tethers and I stole half of them. They worked great to hook on sippy cups, snack grabbers, blankies, etc. And when we had to fold up the strollers, you didn't have to take anything off. The strollers were super easy to fold also. You just grab handles in the seats and they flip backwards in half!

Moving as a pack, Andy and Ryan saw it as their duty to set the pace...which means not be stuck in the back and make sure everyone else is walking or should I say slightly running at a good pace. Ryan has this very odd talent of looking like he is walking leisurely when he is actually moving very fast. Long strides I guess. You can't tell very well in this picture but Andy realized Ryan is way up front and is sprinting to catch up. See the smirk of satisfaction on Ryan's face!

This whole race this is wasted on Brady. I just love him so much!

Aunt Lissy showing Lissy all of WDW from the monorail. I remember the first time I got to ride this!

We made it to the restaurant and when we got seated, this was our view. It was perfect. Do you see the little peak sticking up over there. It is Cinderella's Castle! And we all got to sit together. I was surprised they were able to pull this off at almost every restaurant.

Here comes our first friend! Oh Pluto - you really got jipped. Don't they realize the Goofy gets to talk and wear clothes and you don't get any of that. Your both dogs. Besides, why would a mouse have a dog for a pet. Well even if it doesn't make much sense we still like Pluto!

Pluto visiting with Briley and Baylor! See Ryan sprinting off there. The poor guy had been trying to go to the restroom for the past hour and every time he left he had to come back. He finally made it this time!

See Brady's battle wounds. He fell out of the baby pool on the second day. Who knew baby pools could be so tricky. That is okay though. He thinks it just makes him look real tough!

Time for Goofy! Brady is looking at him like..."I thought I had a big head!"

Then Donald Duck! He was pretty funny but Bella was disappointed he couldn't tell her where Daisey was. The general consensus was that she was putting on her makeup! She does wear a lot of eye shadow!

Bella is thrilled! She is informing Minnie that she is on her dress...and her jammas...and her cup...and her other cup...and her underwear...and so on! Minnie just kept smiling!

Time for a picture for the Mouse behind the Mouse who built the house!

But don't leave Minnie! I'm serious! You were on my birthday decorations and you were hiding in my Mom's closet and you are just the greatest thing ever!

Minnie getting lots of love! I think she might have been nervous to come along the second time!

Sort of hard to see but Mickey is putting Bella's sunglasses on her! Talent with those giant gloves!

We almost missed our picture with the main man but we caught him. Our kids love pictures!

Brady really isn't crying...he is doing his MOST EXCITED SCREAM! He is face to face with his Best Friend! He absolutely LOVES Mickey Mouse!

Awwwww! This was truly Bella's happy place!

This is the leave by the Mad Tea Party ride in honor of Randy Pausch, the guy who did the last lecture.

One of the things on his list was to be an imagineer for Disney!

Amanda figured these two finally earned their ears. I don't think they ever got themselves ears. So sweet!

Honestly - How can you NOT love these two! My Dad is a huge Kermit fan by the way and he actually is a lot like Kermit. We can't wait for the new Muppet's movie!

Our best attempt at a family picture on Dumbo the Elephant!

Attempt #2! We won't even show you #3!

Bella was beyond excited that her and Grandma had matching ears!

She still goes to check them out in the curio cabinet at Grandma and Papa's!

Heaven...I'm in Heaven!

A perfect pic of the last night! Thanks Lissy for venturing with us down the out of the way path to take our picture! I love it. Imagine if we had your camera!

Time for the parade, fireworks and the Magic, the Memories and You show on the castle. Ali posted a link to it and it WAS AMAZING! They projected images from movies and pictures of guests from the day up on to the castle to music. This description totally doesn't do it justice!

Isn't this picture adorable! Carolina is even snuggling with her little Minnie doll!

Looking at these pictures, you would probably think Bella was IN the parade but she was just very excited to see everyone! Everyone except 3 people...you'll see!

We had to hoist the kiddo's up on our shoulders so they could see. Her Ali has Miles, Bennett, Lincoln and Tadbit (Lincoln's frog!) Later she had Jackson on there. She totally shouldn't have been doing this.

Don't mess with Brady's Daddy!

Bella just spotted the "Step Mudders!" This is what she calls the step mother and the step sisters from Cinderella. She is not a fan of them! Just don't look at me...it was the end of a long day and a long trip!

Ellie and her Daddy! She is pretty happy right where she is!

Todd might have a higher IQ than the rest of us. "Hey Carson - why don't you sit up here on this trash can. We are in WDW and they are all very clean!"

This is during the show on the castle! I think Rapunzel's hair was falling down the side of the castle!

And the show is OVER! Time for a slow stroll out of the park to enjoy the scenery one last time!

First we sit and chat a little. Who knows what was just said but normally it is a joke about someone.

I think my Mom must have been the butt of this joke!

Grandma with her last baby and her first grandbaby!

We are just waiting to go on the bus back to the airport.

Andy and his new friends! Briley likes to put her Daddy to work!

He pretends to be tough but we all know who is the boss!

I know the kids don't look super happy here but we all really did have a wonderful time!

Brady just wants to get down and run through the parking lot!

I don't think I can put into words how much fun we really had. Even the planning and preparing was so much fun and it all paid off. It was the trip of a lifetime and I'm sooooo happy we all got to go together! We always have so much fun as a family and I'm still surprised we pulled this one off! Thanks Mom and Dad for putting this trip in the works and getting us there! I hope Ryan and I continue the memory making tradition half as well as you all do with our children and grandchildren! I always tell people I had an awesome childhood and it just continues with most of the thanks going to you two!

Bella mentions this trip almost everyday still. When we are just sitting there sometimes she will look at me and say..."So how was Walt Disney World?" I think she has been asked the question a few times! :)

I usually say "That was the most fun I have ever had!" and then Bella says "Me too! That was so much fun!"

Hot Dog! What a Goody Goody Birthday Bash!

2011-08-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is very late but I still wanted to blog about this years birthdays!!! Bella turned 3 and Brady turned 1! That year went by suuuuuuuper fast but it was also a very exciting year. On their actual birthday we celebrated with some dinner, presents and cake at home. I made the cakes and they didn't quite look like what I expected but Brady made the most of it. A little tip for anyone who is reading this...DON'T make a crazy thick buttercream frosting to use on a smash cake! It was such a fun and entertaining evening until clean up time. The frosting just turned into a sort of wax on the floor, table, chairs, etc. YUCK - YUCK - YUCK! Even after the frosting incident though - May 4th, 2011 was much less eventful than May 4th, 2010! Bella got to celebrate her birthday at home (with Mom and Dad) and I'm sure my parents were happy to not have to fly all over the country in one day again! (If you don't remember - I sent them on a plane to Dallas for Amanda's induction with the twins and said I wasn't in labor...even though I guess when you feel like crap, are having sharp pains and stomach cramps, walked a ton in the morning and are exhausted and on your second pregnancy you should probably recognize that you are in labor). I think my parents knew but not to worry - they wanted to drive to St. Louis, fly to Dallas for a few hours, fly back to St. Louis and stay at the hospital till midnight just to fly out at 5 the next morning for the next 2 babies! LOVE YOU TWO!!!!

Bella is very 3 right now and loves dressing up in her princess gowns, dancing around the house, singing and bossing her brother "Rady". She likes to tell random people in stores that "I'm Bella and this is my little brother Rady - He's a stinker!!!" She also likes to get surprises (candy) and make deals (ways to get candy!) She loves all things Disney and has an infatuation with Cinderella's Tassel!!! I love her creativity, listening to her play in her kitchen, having our silly conversations as we drive and how much she loves seeing cows and horses! She keeps me on my toes and entertained all at the same time!

Brady is getting so big and wasn't walking quite yet by his first birthday. He is an excellent crawler though and gets around very well. That is until it is time to crawl away from Mom after bath. He doesn't realize I let him do it because his little tushy is so funny scooting through the hallway! He usually gets going too fast and giggling and trips onto his face! Brady LOVES Mickey Mouse and is his biggest fan! He also LOVES his Daddy and gets sad when he leaves. Mom will do if Dad is not around or he is really hurt. He also LOVES snuggling, soothie pacifiers and any silky white blanket. He looks like a 2 year old and snuggles like a 3 month old! I love his fluffy hair and the spike he gets after he has rubbed his head up against his bumper pad while he sleeps, his adorable cheesy grin and his infectious giggles. He is a sweetie pie!

Brady is trying to decide if he likes his cake and...

Turns out he does but where did it go???

Oh... there it is!

That weekend everyone came to town for the big Mickey Mouse Birthday Party! We had a blast celebrating with Colton and Carolina!!! Friday night was super relaxed with pizza, drinks, and lots of sitting around and talking as people made it to town. Papa volunteered to run bath time and put 5 kiddos through the bath. He even took a little one himself. He put his head in the water (Papa doesn't care that little boys pee every time they get in the tub) and totally freaked Brady out!

Molly getting some snuggle time with some her favorite people! A few of her nieces and nephews!

The next day we lugged all of our party decorations, food, activities, etc. up to the pavilion at our neighborhood for the party. It was supposed to start at 4:00 but since I was partially in charge it started at more like 5:00! Turns out Bella decided that she didn't like people right before her party and she just wanted to sit in her closet and eat gums with Lissy. I completely underestimated the challenge of getting the pavilion ready, my kids and myself ready, food transported and set out and so on right before the party. Thanks to EVERYONE who jumped in and helped out. My Dad and Andrew were shredding and heating the meat without even being asked.! They were hungry I guess!! :) I think everyone had a good time, we had more than enough food and the kids went home happy, filthy and full! Here are a few pictures Molly and I took of the party! They aren't in perfect order and Lissy had much better pictures than mine.

This is what these two little bits looked like when they arrived!

The party scene!

Thanks to the Criders for letting us borrow their great bounce house! The kids slept well!

We had two very special mystery guest at our party. These two actually provided tons of entertainment before, during and after the party! We had a blast telling the kids I had Mickey and Minnie in my closet, Briley was freaked out by them but eventually touched Minnie, We got to take pictures with them, Caroline liked walking with Minnie, Jackson had a new best friend with Mickey and got to take him home and then Minnie wandered the Sedlak house for a good month and Mickey enjoyed the Farwell home for awhile. They both eventually lost their heads. Not joking - they are separate balloons and are attached with tape.

So much for germ x and sanitary wipes!

Cake time! Here they come!

Colton, Carolina and Brady - Three little one year olds all in a row!

Bella chose to eat her cake in a more sophisticated way - at a table!

Actually all she ate were the polka dots off of her cake!

Watch out - I think they are escaping!

Little Owen is wearing a tie and wants to have nothing to do with nonsense going on on the ground! Actually - look at this guy! You know he would LOVE some cake!

Baylor and Brady enjoying what is left of the cake!

Ryan and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary this year. Haven't our little flower girl and ring bearer gotten so big. What is a little funny is that they are actually playing with some chiggars (I don't know how you even spell it) the found on that post! GROSS!

Don't worry little Carolina - Your Papa doesn't care how dirty you get. He will always help you get party hats off of your feet!

Caroline sporting the adorable Minnie ears Amanda got for Bella but she wouldn't wear!

Oh Ali and Andrew - Ali: "Hey Andrew, I think I'm pregnant?"

Andrew: "I hope it's not twins."

Ali: "Oh gosh, what are we going to do if it is twin boys?"

HA HA HA HA HA! We are going to have a blast! That is what we are going to do!

Andy really enjoyed running poor Baylor into the pom-poms! I'm pretty sure Baylor didn't think it was as funny as his Daddy did!

I'm sure this was a funny conversation!?!?!?

I dont' know if a kid has ever enjoyed leaving a party as much as Lincoln did here! He is parentless,

shirtless and shoeless (always signs of a good time) with a lollipop the size of his head and a big box full of awesome toys like bubbles, bugs and flashlights! Does life get any better?

These two crazy kids just wanted to say "See Ya'll soon! Thanks for coming to our shindig! Grab you a sucker on the way out!"

The post party parade! Not near as cute as the pre-party parade but MUCH more funny!

Papa has had enough of this party. He is taking Minnie and beef and blowing this Popsicle stand!

Next it is time to head home and watch the DVR'd Kentucky Derby that we missed while we were celebrating! Animal Kingdom won which I found very fitting considering we had this whole theme not only because the kids love the Mouse but also to get everyone psyched up for the Disney Trip! Andy enjoyed playing the horse for all of the kids! Here you see Briley, Carson, Ellie, our friend Maddie and Bella! Even Papa Ted almost joined in the fun! Olivia opted for Bob - Bella and Brady's horse!

Next it was time for presents and as evidence by these few pictures and the horrific thank you notes I wrote - you can see that present time was CHAOS and not the organized type! I will never forget it though - even though I am not really sure what everyone got!

What a party Brady - I agree! That was fun! Now let's clean you up and put you to bed.

The next day we had a yummy Mother's Day brunch with yet again, way tooooooo much food! We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did!

Christmas to April in a flash!!!

2011-04-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Lissy informed me that I am supposed to update my blog but I have one big problem. It has been soooooo long that I have way to many things to talk about so instead I will just let the pictures do most of the talking and there is a cute video of Brady giggling at Bella in the middle. Since I posted last we celebrated Christmas a little here, a little at Grandma Bev and Papa Teds and a little at Grandma Mary Carol and Papa Mike's! We have also had visitors here at our house, visited St. Louis and Kirksville again, got about 2 foot of snow, and just some fun around the house! On a sad note, Ryan's Grandma Sedlak passed away so we went back to St. Louis for her funeral. On a happy note, I know she led a very happy and blessed life and we got to see almost all of Ryan's family. We also had to say goodby to Rob and Danielle because they are moving to South Korea for a few years. So sad but they will be back now and then so that is good. We also went to Kansas City for Baylor's 1st birthday and baptism which were adorable but I have a very few pics because my camera was being funky. I'm going to have to play with those pictures a little before I post them. I can't believe it has been a year since the baby mayhem started (it really all started with Lincoln) but at the same time, it feels like these babies have been a part of our lives forever! These pictures are totally out of order but I just want to get this posted.

I wanted to share a little about Bella and Brady before I get to the pictures!

Miss Bella still keeps me pulling my hair out and snickering at the same time. She says and does the funniest things but she is very persistent when she wants something. I know this will come in handy for her someday but for right now, it just wears her mama out! She has asked for a racehorse for her birthday and loves the movie "Secretariat" and quotes lines like "You got him mugged at the gate, mugged in the pack and mugged on the rails! Your off him - don't START with me - YOU ARE OFF HIM!" and "Hello Kentucky! Big Old Red done ate his breakfast this morning and you bout to see something you aint ever seen before...so get ready!" Bella is also very into playing pretend right now and taking care of all of her babies, her horse Bob and fixing food. She likes for me to leave Brady with her to play ( I do check on them) and he giggles most of the time... till he cries! She is very excited about the warmer weather because it means she can wear her favorite clothing item. Not a tutu, sundress or something cute...regular t-shirts are her favorite! Which means short sleeved t-shirts! She is giving up the paci completely now (we are late on this) and has been doing much better with her potty-training! We went to St. Stephen's Preschool yesterday to register her for next year and although she was very nervous we were going to leave her there, she is starting to ask more questions about it.

Now for Brady! He is still my BIG toddler looking baby who loves to snuggle and has to burp after you feed him his bottle because he won't hold it himself but he is getting too big. He is into EVERYTHING and loves to empty things! He is thrilled when he gets the laundry basket! He is getting pretty close to standing and walking and does very well with Bell's shopping cart (until she knows he has it!) Like I said, he is a snuggler and thought he needed to sleep between his Mom and Dad each night and be able to touch both of them but we are being really cruel and making him stay in his crib now. He is starting to get the hint and although he doesn't like it, eventually he goes back to sleep! He has become a HUGE Daddy fan and gets sad if he passes him and doesn't pick him up. Most of the time now he prefers Ryan to me and most people think this should make me sad but it doesn't! He still loves his Mommy and I think it is actually adorable! He is also a BIG Bella fan and gets very excited about playing with her and getting into trouble together! It will probably bite me in the butt later but they are so darn cute together right now when they are up to no good!

Ryan and I haven't been up to too much be we did plant a garden. Ryan and CJ built a garden for the Criders and a garden table for us this weekend as Suzanne and I took Maddie, Bella and Brady to a festival downtown and to our playground to play. It was a beautiful day to spend outside and we grilled up some steaks and stirred up some margaritas to top off the beautiful day! We planted on Sunday but I thought all of it was going to blow away in the crazy winds! Now we will sit back and see if it grows!

Our first attempt at a family pic on my new phone. We sent this to Aunt Kristian for her birthday. We had party hats, blowers, a cake and everything!

This outfit is for Aunt Molly - She loved it of course!

Bella feeding lunch to her babies!

I cleaned out our tub and ran bleach water through the jets. I figured I should flush them out again with regular water. I turned on the tub and had full intentions of returning to turn it off but I forgot. The overflow valve works which is a relief to know!

After a hard morning of play!

This is how Brady would spend all of his time if we let him! He LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and becomes completely engrossed when he hears Mickey say "Hey everybody! Say you want to come inside my clubhouse?"

Ever eaten yourself into a stuper?

Story time at the hotel in KC - like I said, Daddy's boy!

Bella loves this sticker book Grandma Bev got her when they were in town!

Trying to get a semi-cute updated picture of these two did not work out. If it wasn't blurry you would see these cuties!

Bella and Maddie sacked out on the couch watching The Little Mermaid after a long day of play!

Our new garden table. We planted 1 of everything we could find so we will have to see what grows...if anything!
I am the one responsible for it!

Some of our other plants and pots. We have more to go but we need some more plants and soil and the wind was killing us!

Stealing a "behavior modification" idea from Ali and every classroom I have ever been in! This is Bella's good girl jar which she gets to fill up by doing the right things and being a big girl! When she gets to the ribbon, she gets a prize! We may have to move the ribbon up as time goes on!

Brady has been here!!! I organize these about 5 times a day. By organize I mean shove everything back in them!

Stinkerface!

Crafting with Grandma!

Puppet show with Papa and the puppets Bella made with Granda

Time for Christmas carols - Who knows Frosty?

Sleeping Christmas morning

Sick Christmas Morning :(

Ready for presents! Let us in!

Enjoying to toys they found in their Christmas mittens (Grandma's stockings for the grandkids!)

Now we know Owen was to blame for the Christmas morning chow-down on puppy chow!

Let the chaos begin!

Grandma gave the girls Minnie Mouse polka dot suitcases for our Walt Disney World trip! Bella loves to pack it up!

Brady openning a gift from Santa!

Bella's dress up box. Jackson doesn't see what is sooo cool about this!

Awwwww!

Thank God for kids there is MAGIC for awhile!

He may not say Mommy but he sure does love her!

Perfect!

I keep saying we need another Doctor so I guess Carson finally listened.

How often do you get a Christmas sunset like this??? It is like a card!

Autumn and Lissy just chillin with the little men!

Snuggle with Aunt Lis!

Party train with Bella on the non-mobile horse in the lead! See Ellie's frustration!

Decorating Christmas cookies with Maddie!

Meeting Santa and Mrs. Clause at our subdivision Christmas Party!

LOVED Grandma and Papa Sedlak's nativity and train set! Jesus is good for teething apparently!

Having a blast with Uncle Rob and Aunt Dani right before he spit up all over them!

What could be in that strange box Olivia???

They love their presents to each other!

Bella is always good to explain Brady's toys to him!

Ryan's expression when it was discovered he was left out of the family drawing and Scott made it twice!

Look who showed up at Grandma and Papa Early's!!! Let the torment begin!

Brady passed out right after this. Sleeeeeeepy guy!

Bella finally accepted a friendly bribe from Santa - she even warmed up to him enough to help him pass these out to everyone. Anything for peanut butter cups! Like mother like daughter!

Lincoln is a huge HoHo fan!!!

This is about 11pm, Guess who is up and ready to have some fun!

Dress up fun!

Not so fun anymore!

Snuggling with Aunt Caroline!

Making a snowman with Papa!

Rub a dub dub 3 babies in a tub! Colton was the first out, then Brady, then Carolina! See girl babies are tougher!

Enjoying some football

Dad's birthday dinner!

Dad's Birthday Brownies - not a big cake fan!

Trying to make Bella laugh - it worked!

Bella trying to learn a new party trick! This takes a lot of concentration - 2 blowers at one time!

Brady Boy before his first haircut!

He was such a good boy and totally intrigued by his sucker!

Tada! What a handsome little guy!

Playtime with Colin!

Bella trying to play in 2 foot of snow did not work out so well!

Papa hanging out with Brady and Baylor at the bowling alley in Carrol

Briley teaching Bella the ropes of bowling.

Bella kissing on her newest little cousin Owen! What a cutie patootie! Apparently Owen makes lots of grunts and groans even when he is not tooting!

Snuggling with Liv at the reception after Grandma Sedlak's funeral.

Most of the Sedlak grandkids!

Most of the Sedlak great grandkids plus some Moms and Dads

The original Sedlak Seven! Aunt Pat, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Barb, Aunt Marybeth, Aunt Therese, Uncle Glen and Papa Ted

Our Sedlak Family - my kids like to eat their hands - what can I say!

Papa entertaining Brady and Max!

Bella was not too enthused at first when our Leprechaun came to visit. She says his name is Patrick!

Ryan and Bella made sure Mom had an AWESOME birthday! Yellow cake and chocolate frosting, appetizers complete with t-rav's, new rockers for the front porch and kitchen tools as well as a YUMMY steak dinner date out! Thanks Grandma Bev and Kaitlin for watching the kiddos!

Finally - Daddy's helpers with their matching headlamps!

2010-12-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted but Lissy called to remind me so here it goes! After we moved in, Ryan had to travel right away so it worked out that Lissy came to check out where her babies are now living. She is a mother in her own right to all of her nieces and nephews and if you have never met Bella or Lissy, I'm pretty sure God got confused (he has a lot to do) and accidentally gave me Lissy's daughter... that is okay - I sort of think she's a hoot!

Well anyway Lissy got to town and was promptly welcomed by Brady. He can be a little fresh sometimes. I guess that is why everyone loves him!

Bella on the other hand made Lissy get straight to work. Bella had work to do on her computer as well. She is often known to be updating her "bwog"! I think this is from her on the job training during "Mondays with Bella" while I was working.

We did some shopping and Lissy was very excited to find tight stripe footie jammies for Bella to match Brady's. She loves Brady's pj's but I think she is actually making fun of them most the time. We were busy all week going to dinner with friends, a playgroup, shopping, etc. but Lissy and Bella found time to dress Lucy Goose up. Too bad her attire doesn't fit the season. She is wearing Bella's bikini but they all think she is okay for winter since she is also sporting a scarf!

Bella likes to admire her work. I forgot to take these off for a few days and we did have a few people come to our door. I wonder what they thought of us!?!?

Soon after that, we headed back to St. Louis to see the family for Thanksgiving. Thank you Grandma, Papa, Kaitlin and Kristian for taking us in! We had a week full of fun, relaxation and over eating. And just a few trips back to see the old house on Dexter! :(

Brady and Papa jumped right into the business of having fun! Brady is always up for a good time!

Bella found a new favorite toy. She adores this dollhouse and played with it the whole time. She loved putting the dolls to bed, in and out of the doors and of course...on the potty.

Aunt Kristian sure loves her Brady Boy! She fed him his disgusting food even after a night out with her friends. That can turn your stomach.

When Thanksgiving dinner was over Brady told us he was full like most men do. Brady stop that. Get your hand out of your pants.

Yeah - I see you. Silly boy! Your right Brady - The suspenders are classy! Nice touch!

We also went to Aunt Therese and Uncle Dennis' house for another delicious dinner and had fun playing games with the family. Trivia games are great because they make you realize how smart you aren't! After 4 servings of Thanksgiving dinner... I finally called it quits! Yummmm!

Before we left for St. Louis we cheated and started Christmas a little early. Bentonville has a big town lighting downtown so we packed up the kids and went down. Bella was not as excited as most kids are to be surprised by Santa. Our Santa pictures just keep getting better each year! We will try and get a better one before the season is over and with both kids but this moment was just too classic to pass up!

While we were there we ran into our friends the Criders. CJ works with Ryan and I have become friends with his wife Suzanne who is super friendly and keeps me abreast of all there is to do in Bentonville! To top it off they have a daughter named Maddie who is always very nice to Bella. Even if Bella isn't feeling "social"! The girls had fun running around and we even ran into more people from Ryan's work and met another little girl named Zoe.

Not the best picture but it looked very pretty. My camera was acting up.

Next it was time to decorate our house. I didn't realize when I put our Christmas decor. away last year that I would be putting it up in a different house this year. It took some time but it all came together eventually.

We are actually going to be moving the buffet to the entry way because it is a little bare and the dining area is tight.

My second attempt at mistletoe is hanging from the pendant. Brady gets lots of kisses here!

Decorating is not for everyone! Too much holiday excitement I guess. By the way - Brady has been teething for about 3 months with no sign of any teeth. He is always attacking and making out with the snowman and penguins on this little toy! The kids got Elf on the Shelf for St. Nick's day and here is our elf Kurby! My best guess at how you would spell that. Bella was excited that he was hiding in the coffee!

The limbs of our tree stood straight up until we decorated it. We were a little nervous it wasn't going to drop but my Mom was right again! It actually fits perfect and I really like it.

I couldn't get a good picture of my garland but I like how it turned out.

To continue with the festive feeling we went to Christmas parade. The theme was Christmas Movies. This was the best float and it was hard to get all of the details. An old RV, Eddie in a bathrobe, lumberjack hat and a hose, Clark with his hat, a large plug and a squirrel on his back and the yellow house with green shutters covered in 10,000 twinkle lights! There were more details like all of the other characters and the fried cat but I can't think of them all.

Maddie got to ride in a wagon in the parade because...

her dad CJ was the Energizer Bunny! Maybe it will by Ryan's turn next year. I'm sure we will have some visitors if that is the case!

Bella didn't understand that you have to look at a parade and quit eating your snacks to enjoy it but she did like the Grinch, Frosty, Rudolph and Santa stuff.

Brady liked it till he decided to snooze on Mommy! Love the hat!

Before Santa came for St. Nick's Day we had to make him some Christmas cookies. Bella worked very hard and although she did get a little bossy... she really liked it! Check out her work!

Next she had to get some loving from Brady Boy! He loves her more than anything in the whole wide world!

Bella has to put on comfy clothes when Daddy gets home because he does. Like this outfit???? She does! Anyways - St. Nick must have snuck in during nap time because there were presents on the fireplace!

Like our head gear???? We know - You are jealous!

Good morning Brady! Good morning Bella!

Getting SUPER EXCITED about the singing toy!

Begging me to turn it on again! How can you not love this adorable face!

Bella likes to put Brady's head gear on even if she doesn't want to wear hers.

That is okay. This little guy is a ham!

See you later and have a good "getting ready for Christmas" time! Watch some movies, listen to Christmas music, make some cookies and have some hot chocolate!

Welcome Home!

2010-11-15T13:57:00.001-08:00

Before you look at this post you should check out Lissy's post on her blog. It makes me cry but it is great. She documented the first part of our move and leaving St. Louis. www.missprissiness.wordpress.com

Well, we finally made it to Bentonville. It was a bitter sweet move but we are now in our new house and it is absolutely beautiful. Bella and Brady are both adjusting very well considering they both have colds. We are going to a playgroup on Wednesday so hopefully we will soon have friends!

Grandma posing with Brady!

Chase and Bella's last playdate.

Bella and Brady liked to hang out on the counter by the window as I cooked dinner.

Getting our house all packed up. I didn't do any of it. It was awesome!

This was our truck. It was about twice the length of our house. The movers were great. Jay and Maurice packed us up and did an awesome job. They also were very nice to the kids which is bonus points in my book! Bella loved them and talked their ears off! Their guys, what do you expect.

Aunt Lissy snuggling with Bella and Brady! Brady is in there somewhere.

Aunt Lissy threatening to take Brady and run away!

On the road to Bentonville. The kids did great on the ride and we only had to stop once. For McNuggets of course.

Our trunk was packed to the roof which is ridiculous considering the size of our truck!

Welcome to Arkansas!

Bella loves her new yard (which isn't much different than her old yard except that is doesn't have her swing set. Maybe this spring for someones birthday!)

Look - We all fit in our shower!!!! Not that we need to but our last shower was tiny!

Brady loves his new house!

The crew after a long two days of setting up and unpacking boxes!

Bella had fun exploring the house and playing through out moving day!

Coloring with Grandma! Thanks for the coloring scroll Grandma!

Pat the truck driver. He kept us entertained!

Now it is time for the grand tour! Lets start in the Master Bath. Check out my tub!

These two doors lead to some great things. Our wonderful closet and a private toilet. Privacy wasn't something we had a lot of at the last house!

Ryan and I's bedroom!

The kitchen. Not much bigger but much better layout!

The dinning area.

The mudroom with lots of storage cubbies and a coat rod!

The fireplace! I haven't decorated the mantle yet but Lissy is coming and she is good at that stuff!

Our entry way is huge. We are looking for some furniture.

Bella's playroom (it is supposed to be a study/office/5th bedroom / dining room.)

The living area. See little Brady in the corner!

The GARAGE! We love the space and there will be so much more after they come and get the boxes and trash!

The hallway back to the kids rooms, the spare room, the bath and 1/2 bath and laundry room.

The half bath which is Bella's potty-training room since the kids bath is getting fixed.

The guest and kids bath. Trying to figure out some plumbing issues betweent the tub and shower.

Brady's room.

Bella's room. All of the bedrooms are missing decor which will come soon!

Guest room.

My laundry room. That is it but I will post more as we decorate. We are trying to minimize holes in the wall so that may take some figuring out! Now you have seen our house and all I can say is I love it!!!!

Half Birthdays, New Haircut and Giggles!

2010-11-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been long since my last post...see - I'm getting better already! I can't believe it has been 6 months since the crazy but amazing day Brady joined our family but it has already come. Today we have 2 half birthdays but we won't be doing much to celebrate due to the move. Brady is 6 months and Bella is 2 and 1/2! Since we move in less than a week we are trying to clear out our fridge, freezer and pantry so our meals are now down to canned soup and grilled cheese. We have had stir fry, chicken potpie and chicken speidini but there has also been some doozies in the process. Never make BBQ Chicken Pasta unless you love BBQ sauce on anything. We have done absolutely nothing as far as packing so hopefully I get to it soon.

I just wanted to show off Miss Bells new haircut. We got rid of what we lovingly call the "rat tails"! She was excellent for her stylist "Tim" which is actually a very sweet girl named Kim who is super great with Bella! I also got my hair cut because I realized it has been 6 months since my last cut. I will have to get better at getting regular haircuts now that I am a short hair girl. Bella wouldn't sit still for her picture and instead she tried to make Brady laugh so this is the best I could do with a model on the run!

Bella trying to give Brady a squeeze hug with arms (she is still learning how to give a real hug) while he is in his exersaucer. Safe - I know!

Here is a video of Brady Boy. He thinks his big sis is funnier than any comic standing! All she has to do is run back and forth, talk or even just look at him and he will give her this great belly giggle. Ryan and I can get him to giggle but nothing like this. This is a video Lissy got the other day while she was watching them.

2010-11-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! We headed back to Kirksville for some birthday fun, football games and Halloween fun! Lissy and I went back on Thursday with Bella and Brady in tow. They both did great on the drive and we got home in time for Caroline's birthday party. Mom and Dad made an awesome fried chicken dinner and I ate way too much. I totally missed her opening her presents due to some messy diapers. The cake was delicious but I think Caroline was about to give up on her party at this point. In the middle of the Happy Birthday song, Lincoln sent a riding a rocket ship down the steps of my parents house (twice - who brought it back up is what I want to know!)

Since the kids are stuck inside a little more in the fall and winter, Grandma found a way to keep Bella entertained and boy did it work. Bella colored for close to 2 hours.

Look at the concentration! She is serious about coloring.

Brady and Colton got to sit for a bit and catch up.

Brady got really relaxed and popped his foot up on Colton's tray.

Then Ellie and Carson thought they might join in on the conversation.

Too bad they didn't understand any of it.

The next morning Brady and Carolina played on the floor with Max.

Brady is a little braver then his big sister. He can't keep his hands (and mouth) off of Max.

How cute are these little faces. Happiest group of babies EVER!
Caroline and Carolina! Oh and Carson squeezed on the little chair also.

Brady loves a good exersaucer although I think he was missing his one that bounces all over! You will have to check out the video if I can get it to post!

That night it was off to the Kirksville Tiger Football game! We like the game but we really go for the cheerleaders. Molly was having her Senior night so it was a bitter sweet night. The last night an Early girl will cheer football at Spainhower Field. She did great and she even flew which isn't easy for a girl with a bunch of screws in her back. Way to go Molly!

All of the kiddos did great at the football game. Bella and Brady loved the atmosphere of the game with the band and the team the cheerleaders and especially the tiger. Bella saw him as we were leaving and he gave her stickers from his backpack! Bella had been obsessed with the tigers backpack and what could possibly be in it. We had determined it had a DS, lip gloss, books and a mirror inside.

I know this picture isn't great but I love how attentive Bella is at the beginning.

The cheerleaders getting ready for the game to start!

The next morning we were pretty lazy. Papa had a cooking class and made Mickey Mouse pancakes for the grandkids. They are all getting very excited about Walt Disney World and these are one of Papa's specialties! On a side note, Mom and I were up in her room waiting for Bella to go potty. She was sitting there and we asked her about Walt Disney World and what she was going to see. She was so cute as she went on and on about all of the things were going to see. It started out slow and got louder and more excited as she went on and it went something like this... "We're goin' to Walt Disey Wold and we gonna see Mickey Mouse and Cinderella's tasle and Minney Mouse and Donl Duck and Mickey Mouse and Plu-o and Belle and Tinkerbell and Ariel and Daisy..." "Not da Beast or Tapn Hook cuz they're scawy!"

Toooooo Cute!

Baylor enjoying some bounce time after a big breakfast! How great is his smile!

Everyone hanging out in the family room.

After pancakes and a yummy french toast casserole (oh yeah - the guys hung some Christmas lights with Dad) we got bundled up again and headed over to Truman for another football game. This time it was to watch Jared play against Truman and the weather was much nicer than the night before. It was a beautiful fall day and the kids had a blast. They even got to meet the bulldog and watch the band play as they were dressed up for Halloween. Jared did great and Washburn (his team) won! Way to go Jared!

Bella insisted on cleaning the ground with Brady's leftover formula and a snack wrapper. Ellie and Carson are trying to figure out what in the world she is doing. Good question you two!

Can you find Carolina in the middle? Hint - Look for the giant pink flower!

There is Jared - #47

Ellie and Bella pounding the popcorn before I could get to it!

Lincoln and Papa taking a mid-game nap!

After the game, we headed back to the house and prepared for the Halloween party or should I say "Boo Bash!" Mom and Dad had most everything ready to go and Ali of course whipped up lots of yummy treats including cake pops, cupcakes and cookies Oh My! My parents and Kaitlin and Zane went to a wedding after the game (actually Kaitlin was in it and she looked precious with her baby bump popping out of her bridesmaid dress) so the rest of us finished setting up for the party. The girls decorated, Andy started the fire and blew up the bounce house and the guys watched the babies. Soon it was time to put on the costumes and head out back for the party. It was a great time with great fun, awesome costumes and lots of fun games for the kids including a donut eating contest, a spoon/egg race, digging for prizes in brains (noodles) and to wrap it up... a pinata! After eating roasted hot dogs and smores, dips and desserts and 3 cups of Autumn's spiced cider I was ready to pop. Bella had a good time but she still gets a little nervous in large groups. Brady was snuggly and precious!

Check out our cute little puppy dog and spunky Tinkerbell!

Two tinkerbells!

Papa helping Princess Ellie get her hot dog ready.

Molly in her friends got into the spirit.

Molly went as a Hershey Kiss (It was a dance costume from when she was little.)

Tinkerbell Bella finally found a way to fly thanks to Aunt Lissy! Now she is liking the Boo Bash!

Tinkerbell Briley has been trying to figure out how this outfit flies ever since she got it for her birthday. This was close but not quite what she was expecting!

Awww Snuggle Puppy! He loves his Daddy!

Lincoln the Cowardly Lion (He isn't a coward it just looks exactly like the costume from the Wizard of Oz) with his main man Papa!

Check out this little Peter Pan. Autumn and her Mom whipped together this awesome costume. Isn't Baylor a cutie!

This picture doesn't truly depict the mass of kids around the pinata! Ty the Spiderman got to swing first since it was his birthday!

The party was a blast but I know everyone was whipped after that long day. Even the babies wanted to snuggle and sleep some more in the morning. We always joke that Zane and Kaitlin are practicing when really we know they will be great parents. We just like the help when we are home! Zane has even figured out how to juggle hot coffee and a sleeping baby. What a pro!

This is actually a precious picture of Lissy and Carolina sucking her thumb and snuggling but Lissy was mad at me for taking the picture. She was fresh out of bed after a long day.

After we got home on Sunday, we headed over to Scott and Emily's house for another Halloween party and some trick-or-treating. They gave everyone a real treat when they found a fourth tiny pumpkin on their porch. Colin is going to be a big brother!!!! We are all very excited and thrilled that Mom and Baby are healthy! Emily made some delicious chilis and lots of snacks and after we filled our bellies, we put the kids costumes back on and went trick or treating. It was a little dark so we didn't get great pictures. Bella didn't get the hang of saying "trick-or-treat" but she did tell a group of ladies about her trick-or-treat bag and the sticker stars on it. Thats a start I guess.

Brady went trick-or-treating also and loved it. He kept kicking and giggling but he was stuck in the baby bjorn so I don't have pictures of him.

Lot's of changes!

2010-10-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

We have been busy around our house. The two littlest Sedlak's have been growing and changing everyday.

Bella is still her silly sassy 2 year old self. She keeps us on our toes and entertained all of the time. Her interest right now include organizing (especially all of the "sfinkles" in the pantry - she likes to smell or as Bella says "sfell" them), reading (she has many books memorized including Fancy Nancy, Count with Elmo, You are Special, and her God Book which is the Bible), potty-training (but not for real- way too many crazy things here) getting caught up on her Disney movies (we have about 7 months before the Great Early Disney Expedition and she better know some characters so we don't waist a bunch of cash!), animals (we visit lots of animals at parks and farms because she thinks every horse is her horse named Bob and she loves looking for all of the characters from Madagascar when we go to the zoo) but her absolute favorite thing to do is watch and entertain her baby brother Brady or as Bella says "Rady"!

Brady has many interests right now also! He is such a sweet chubby love bug! He loves attention but is okay when he doesn't get it. Brady has the sweetest smile and loves to laugh. Don't you just love baby giggles! I get lots of super wet kisses and snuggles! He is noticing so many things and loves Mickey Mouse and football on tv! He likes to be read to and we sing lots of songs. Patty Cake is probably a favorite. Now anyone that has held Brady probably remembers well that he is quite the spitter-upper! He is a very HAPPY spitter-upper though! We go through lots of clothes each day. Brady likes rolling all over the place and grabbing and chewing on his toes. They must be yummy! Brady also LOVES his big sis! He is pretty sure she may be the most awesome person ever because he smiles every time she crosses his line of sight and giggles his hardest when Bells is running around acting "Cwazy" to make him laugh! Ryan and I LOVE watching them together! They like to hang out on Bella's bed together (it has rails so it works out pretty well containing Brady who rolls like a ball) and they like taking baths together. This has become a little bit of a problem though because Brady has decided that he really enjoys pooping in the tub. Let's just say our tub is actually very clean due to the enormous amounts of Softscrub with Bleach I use these days! Brady is also getting his first tooth so this should be the begining of lots of fun nights! He is really going to town on his toys though. He also loves to talk. As Bella says - "Rady is talkin up a storm!"

As for our whole family - we are preparing for our big move to Bentonville Arkansas. We will be moving the second week of November. We go back and forth on how we feel about the move. The pros - Ryan won't have to travel all of the time (I hate that he is always on highway 44 since it is a death trap). We get a great new house with an open living area, more bedrooms and one level versus our almost 70 year old bungalow with lots of character and several levels. It will be a little adventure for our family and we will meet some new families and get more time together. Ryan will have a 3 minute commute and could come home for lunch if he wants to. I get to go back to a small town setting for awhile and still have tons of amenities. Now for the cons - It is far away from both of our families which we hate. I don't have Lissy nearby to play with on a regular basis. We will leave the rest of the Sedlaks. We will leave our friends. Taking my kids from the only home they know. Leaving our first home together, the one we came home to after our wedding, the one we brought our babies home to, our almost 70 year old bungalow with lots of character and charm and looks so cheerful at Christmas.

Our friends Priyal and Bhavik had a wine tasting Sedlak sendoff for us the other weekend and it was so much fun getting to see everyone. All of the little ones were hilarious and hopefully I can post some pictures. It will be a bitter-sweet day when we leave and as we get closer to the move. We are leaving lots of great people. Ryan keeps joking that he would like to maybe take two cars so he doesn't have to listen to my sobbing. I will try to be a big girl though because Bells gets pretty confused when I cry and I really think it will be a good change for our family. Besides, we are supposed to be back here in the STL soon! Right in time for Bella to start school! We are excited but a little sad all at the same time.

Bella has been the funniest one about the move though. She will tell you she is moving to Bentbill, Arksaw with a little southern twist on her accent and she is excited about her new big girl room. She also wants to know if we can take her big orange pumpkin and rady's yittle white one! I guess we will see how rotten they are by then!

This weekend we are headed back to Kirksville for some Early family time and the big halloween wienie roast! We are pretty excited to see everyone since the whole gang will be in town.

it will be a busy weekend with Caroline's birthday, Molly's Senior night, Jared's football game thn the party! We will have Tinkerbell and the Puppy Dog in tow. Tinkerbell may be a little upset though when she realizes that her daddy isn't dressing up as Captain Hook like she requested.

May 4th! The "Birthday" Day at our house! Meet Mr. Brady Matthew Sedlak!

2010-05-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

I feel like we just went through a tornado and came out better than ever! All through my pregnancy I was worried that I would end up in the hospital on Bella's 2nd Birthday, May 4th. As we got closer to the date I realized this was an even bigger inconvenience for more people. As most of you know, My parents have become jet setters but not by choice. My parents love their children dearly and would do anything for them but when it comes to their grandbabies, watch out. They don't mess around. In exactly 16 hours, three new bundles of joy joined our family and they couldn't be more thrilled!

On Tuesday May 4th, my parents came back to St. Louis to fly out to Dallas and be with Amanda, Todd and Carson to welcome the twins, Carolina and Colton. Amanda was supposed to be induced on Tuesday evening so they expected the babies to arrive on Wednesday (Cinco de Mayo!) Lissy and I had fun all day with Bella. She spent her birthday going to the park for a walk, playing on the playground, coming home to play in the sprinkler with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, then as I baked her birthday cake she and Aunt Lissy watched "Over the Hedge" and ate popcorn. When Grandma and Papa got to town we visited for a bit (cakes just went in the oven) then went to lunch with Grandma and Papa. We wound up at Seamus McDaniels and she had her favorite food, "hot" which is a hot dog. I was tired and feeling a little out of sorts all day but I tried to stay upbeat because who likes a crabby mommy on their birthday. At lunch my parents decided that I was going into labor but I wasn't having contractions, I just felt yucky. I told them I wasn't in labor even after they explained to me that their tickets were transferable and they could change it and fly out tomorrow.

After lunch we dropped them off at the airport and they flew off to Dallas (I think with a little hesitation.) After we survived 270 (it was insane) I told Lissy I was going to go home and take a nap. I just couldn't get comfortable. When Ryan called at 4:30 to say he was wrapping up a few things then heading home he figured I was in labor. I still thought there was no way. By the time he got home, it all hit me. I was trying to ice the cake, decide if we should even start Bella's "taco" dinner (I think she just likes saying the word), finish up 3 loads of laundry, empty and reload the dishwasher, and get the house ready for people to come over for cake and presents after dinner. The contractions had kicked in at this point but since our power had been off earlier that day, I had no clue how far apart they were.

All this time, there was my large list of "things to do before I leave for the hospital to have the baby" that I didn't even think about starting. It had things such as pack the last minute items, decide where Bella was going to stay and pack her bag, change sheets for any guests, put new pillowcases on our pillows to take to the hospital, make sure we had all of our cameras, etc. By the time Ryan got home, I was completely overwhelmed. Ryan shows up and after I tell him we may have two babies with the same birthday, I lose it. I am still embarrassed to cry in front of him but I always do it. I break down because I should be starting Bella's party but instead I am ditching by baby girl on her birthday. About this time my Dad calls. They landed safely and Ryan has to break the news to them that we are pretty sure I am in labor. We really don't know how far apart my contractions are but they are coming on fast and furious. He asks me all the typical questions and then says "Well Sara, it sounds like you need to call your doctor and get going to the hospital."

I start to do this but I just keep jumping from one thing to the next trying (very unsuccessfully) to cross things off my list. Finally Ryan gets me to call my doctor as he is running around trying to calm me down and get everything we need together. His parents are already at the house and Lissy soon shows up. Bella the whole time is running around fresh from her nap like a mad lady with crazy bed head because she gets really excited when people come over. We try to get her to open her gifts while we are there and maybe do her cake but she is too excited and just keeps running around. Finally, we have to leave because we are afraid we might miss the chance for my epidural with how fast the contractions are coming. As I walk out the door crying Bella, still very excited, looks at me a little confused. Apparently, they kept the party going and she loved her Handy Manny tool set and having Happy Birthday sang to her. They had to do this many times.

While this was going on. Ryan and I got to the hospital, checked in, and made it to a waiting room where they took all of my information. During this time, Ryan called everyone to tell them how things were progressing and when he talked to my Mom and Dad, they informed us that they were on their way back! They pretty much landed, made it to Todd and Amanda's and then purchased their tickets to fly back. Southwest is amazing by the way because in all of the rush, my Mom accidentally purchased tickets from St. Louis to Dallas again but my sister called and they changed them in a matter of minutes without any hassle. By this point, everyone at the hospital new the story of my parents and kept asking for updates.

By the time they got us to an actual delivery room we were pretty much ready to go. Ryan called for the next update and the birthday party gang headed up to the hospital (of course after switching Bella into her "big sister" shirt!) My doctor showed up rather quickly, they gave me my epidural, we let it kick in then after a few pushes we got to meet our precious baby boy!!!!

Brady Matthew Sedlak joined our family at 9:15pm weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 Oz. and measuring a little over 20 inches! We got a healthy baby boy and when he started to cry they all decided he was the loudest newborn they had ever heard! Luckily he has quieted down a little since then!

I was blessed to have a very smooth and quick delivery but there was a little bit of a rat race going on with our families. You will have to check out my sisters blog post of this day to read about the timeline of May 4th and May 5th. Ryan's parents had themselves prepared to wait a while for the baby to arrive and so when I started to push, the girls went to get some snacks from the vending machine as Ted was waiting to go get my folks from the airport. Their flight got in a little after 10. Ryan texted my sister about 10 minutes after to let them know that Brady was here. They raced back from the snack machine and started to make all of their calls. Lissy, Grandma Bev, Kaitlin and Big Sister Bella got to meet Brady pretty quickly. Bella was immediately smitten with lots of kisses stored up for him. She was like a pro and took to her big sister role easily. We were in our room by the time Ted and my parents made it to the hospital. Brady was a little chilly so he had to go under the lamps to warm up for awhile. By the time he got to meet them, it was close to 12. They were all thrilled and even though I felt horrible that my parents flew all the way back, I couldn't have been happier that they were there!!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Brady and Bella say thank you also! Ryan too because he might have had a very emotional wife on his hands! Don't worry - Lissy and Bella took them back to the airport at 5am the next morning to fly back to Dallas so they made it there in plenty of time for Colton and Carolina!

Brady was wonderful both nights in the hospital and I was just happy to have him next to me. He is such a good baby boy and makes me smile all of the time. He also has lots of smiles for you right after you feed him. He has a little tuft of hair that sticks up in a spike and likes to pass out kisses when he is fussy. If you put him up on your shoulder, he attacks your face like he is trying to eat. He is absolutely perfect and we are very excited about our little guy! He got to meet many people at the hospital. He got to meet both sets of grandparents, Lissy, Kaitlin S., Scott, Emily, Tim, Kelly, Olivia, Dani, Priyal, Amy and Baby Jacob, Niki, Shaun and Chase and more! Chase was pretty funny. We were trying to decide what to order for lunch and he kept requesting a grilled cheese and he really wanted Ryan to tell him he looked pretty in Bella's green bow.

The next day brought the Bobzien Twins, Colton and Carolina!!! Congratulations Amanda, Todd and Carson! They are absolutely precious (and teeny-tiny) and I can't wait to meet them. It was actually a lot of fun sharing a due date (May 19th) with my sister but the hardest part is not getting to meet each others babies till later. Especially when we live so far apart we have to wait till they are ready to travel. I have always thought that Bella and Carson resemble each other and some people say that Bella looks like Amanda did when she was little. I also think that Brady, Colton and Carolina have some similar features so it is almost like a small, medium and large version!

Lissy also had quite the adventure with little Miss Bella the next day. Probably due to her diet of sugar for the last couple of days Bella threw up all over the back of Ryan's car as Lissy and her were heading to the hospital. Lissy and Bella had gone shopping for a monkey for Brady, flowers for me and other gifts in hand. Bella was all dolled up to come see her little brother and then she wound up in frilly socks, pink converse and a diaper in West County Mall parking lot talking about how she threw up her fruit snacks. She found this pretty funny! Poor Lissy took the car back to clean it up and had Ryan take Bella to the hospital.

I really don't think Lissy has slept since all of the babies came because she ran around like a mad woman cleaning up my house, taking out our trash, emptying the humidifier, purchasing a bunch of baby boy attire and accessories for Brady from her and my folks as well as getting the house ready for Brady to come home! I think she even dusted my room! On top of all of this, her and Ryan's parents took care of Bella while we were in the hospital. After we got home we started our newborn photo shoots. She normally does about three days worth for each grandbaby. After wrapping up with us, she went to KC then off to Dallas with the Farwells and turned a 3 day trip into a 2 week trip in order to help out Amanda who is feeling a little under the weather. Lissy and Caroline are actually having a blast with the twins. Check out her blog to see what they have been up to!

Everyone has been so kind and Brady has really enjoyed (at least I think he has!) meeting all of his cousins. Bella doesn't care why people keep coming to visit, she just loves it. Grandma Bev has brought over many yummy meals and entertained Bella. Lissy has been my sidekick. The Farwells and Caroline and Jared came to visit our first weekend home and although we didn't do much (it was really cold) I hope they had fun. Bella was really missing her cousins after they left but she didn't mind that Ellie left her barbie for a couple of days! Of course Ali brought some yummy treats and a great pasta that we had for dinner later that week. That is another recipe I will have to get from her. Molly got to swing in and meet Brady quickly before she flew off to Dallas for her birthday. She may have turned 18 but my parents still have a hard time being away from their baby on her birthday!

My Mom came and stayed with us for the rest of the week. They flew back to STL from Dallas on Tuesday and she stayed. I swear she has the energy of a 5 year old. She ran all around my house keeping Bella and Brady happy, assisting with newborn shoots, doing laundry, meals, dishes, cleaning, diapers, baths, dressing, etc. THANK YOU MOM! My dad came back on Friday and Andy, Autumn, Briley and Baylor came to visit on Saturday. We had a very active trip to the Magic House but Bella is pretty certain she went to a "Magic Show" because she keeps hopping into her cozy coupe, waving and saying "Bye, Bye! I go to da Magic Show!" Briley had a blast and wore her parents out, Baylor and Brady had fun chilling with Grandma and Papa, Bella had so much fun that when she walked out the door, she sat down on the porch and just stared off in a zone! Thank you Mom and Dad for a good time and some more delicious food! Andy and Autumn also brought some yummy treats and a meal we will enjoy some time this week! As a matter of fact, Emily just brought by another meal complete with brownies. I know I have to shove myself into a swimsuit in about a month and half so after I finish all of these treats I will pull out the elliptical machine and start paying attention to what I am eating. Till then, I think I will just enjoy!

I know there was a lot of writing with this post but the whole experience was almost like a movie! We are starting to settle in to our new life. I am now a stay-at-home mom and I couldn't be happier about my new job! I am actually going up to the school this week to pack up my teaching supplies and pass it on to Kaitlin and Caroline! My new little students are just perfect. Brady is such a sweet (and easy) baby and Bella loves being a big sis and having mom home! I think she misses her friends though so we will have to get together with the Verslues girls soon!

Aunt Lissy took some amazing newborn pictures of Mr. Brady and some with his big sis Bella. She even has a contest going for Energizer employees who comment on Brady's pictures to win a free mini-shoot! He was awesome for his photo shoots (we still are going to do a family one when Lissy gets home) and it might have had something to do with the space heater we pointed towards him. He melted like butter!

The start of May 4th, 2010...Bella's 2nd Birthday! We went to Francis Park and went for a short walk! This is how Bella sits when we walk. She is on the look out for "tids" and "puppy dawgs".

Hey There Birthday Girl! Don't you love those pigtails and pink kicks!

Shoes are courtesy of Aunt Lissy! Walking may be too much for mom so lets go to the playground. That is all Bella wants anyways! She is a bit of a chicken but this red slide makes her feel really brave!
But she is always very "tareful"! Now we head home to play in the water, blow bubbles and play with sidewalk chalk! Lissy trying to recreate a sprinkler since we can't figure out how to work ours!Looking a little worn out but Bella still has enough energy for movies and popcorn! On our way home from Lunch with Grandma and Papa but we forgot to get pictures while we were at lunch. Bella didn't worry as much as her mom and aunt did about the ride down 270. I can't get over her pink converse. She wears them with everything and when you are 2, pink converse go with anything with that is pink! After nap, it is time for a birthday party... Or maybe a BABY BROTHER!!!!!

Welcome BRADY MATTHEW SEDLAK!

He is already trying to fit into the family. He can be very LOUD when he wants to!

He was also a good healthy size! 7 lbs 10 ozs and a little over 20 inches long! Complete with a spike!

Proud Mommy and Daddy! It is just as neat the second time around but maybe even cooler...

This time we get to introduce him to his big sister. She is already an awesome sister because she is sharing her most loved possesion, her blankie, and Bella is not what you would call a sharer!
She has to check him out one more time then...
Then back to her skittles and with a little cry from Brady, parenting of 2 has officially begun! Meeting Grandma Bev! She is going to spoil you rotten!
This one could be a thumb sucker (I was) if I didn't keep putting his mittens on. He likes to scratch up his little face.

Finally getting to meet Papa and Grandma Early (it is about 12:30am)! They don't care! Look at these two. I think they have been functioning on a grandbaby high for about 2 weeks now! Who needs sleep or food when you have Grandbabies on the way!
The calm has come and it is time to relax with my dad! Don't get too used to it buddy. He has big plans for you as his assistant. Although Bella really likes to be his helper also!
Hey there little guy! So bright eyed and ready to go! Time to go home! Grandma and Papa Early welcomed him home with blue hydrangeas since they had to head back to Dallas to meet Colton and Carolina!
Grandma Bev, Lissy and Bella welcomed us home with balloons, a sign and lunch! Thank you for everything! See Bella underneath her sign!

I don't know for sure but I think Ryan might be trying to escape. Maybe 2 is more than he can handle??? Just kidding, he is a great daddy! Bella is really getting a handle on this whole sharing thing. She got the monkey for Brady but everything else is hers. She truly thinks he needs them at all times.
Bella got these cute little chairs for her birthday. One for her and one for her little brother. She also loves to read! Hopefully she keeps this up!

Brady checking out his mobile!

Bath time! Babys just love these washcloth baths they have to endure before their cords pop off! Luckily for Brady, Grandma helped him out so that he could take a tub bath. A paci and a cozy towel makes it all better. Bath time is exhausting! How cute are the little blue sleeper and cap. Thanks Amy! Ryan and Bella went out to fly her Elmo kite on Friday and I think they had a lot of fun because it was pretty windy! They were out there for awhile and Brady and I watched from the house because it was a little chilly. Bella is obsessed with pez dispensers (she even says pez dispenser) and her papas make sure she always has one. She got 2 on her birthday. A baseball one from me and a madagascar (another one of her favorite words) penguin one from Papa Early! She is munching on some here!
Bella sharing her baby doll with Brady. AWWWW!

Cooking in the kitchen with Ellie. You need your fairy skirt and wings to do this. At times they sounded like Elsie and Freeda (our cooks at Mary Immaculate who fought all of the time) but overall they worked pretty well together.
Jackson and Ali goofing around! He did very well that weekend considering we didn't go do anything which is what he is used to.

Brady getting to know Caroline and Jared. He hears they are a lot of fun! Check out this little guy! Lincoln sort of reminds me of a rowdy leprechaun right here. He gets to be ring leader of the 2nd half of Early grandchildren! Brady with the Farwell kiddos. Bella was a little too close to naptime to be cooperative for this picture but you will see that below. We are soooo happy they got to come and meet him! See... a little too close to nap time! Ali never gets in the pictures (like all moms and Lissy) because she is always taking them! Brady knows she is a pro!
Monday Ryan came home to a messed up dishwasher and 2 dead fish. Welcome back to the real world. That evening was pretty entertaining as I tried to cook dinner between 2 counter tops, Ryan was all over the floor trying to fix the dishwasher, Bella helped him with her Handy Manny tool set and Brady didn't want to be left out so he sat in his swing in the kitchen as Bella stacked her Handy Manny tools at this feet. This is a picture of Bella going back later to make some adjustments. Apparently Ryan didn't get the job done the first time around! She likes to tell us to move because "I'm workin' mama, I'm a helper!"
Trying to snap a picture of Brady's early morning smiles when he is all full and happy! Not near as cute as in person! Bella likes to be close to Brady but we will have to work on what is okay and not okay! Oh snuggle bug! I think we have a belly sleeper. He was very relaxed on Papa Ted's chest! Bella heard we were going to use Brady's tub so she wanted to make sure it was ready. TOO SWEET! She filled the whole tub with her bath toys but I had to explain to her that Brady still had to fit in.

Brady's first tub bath and notice how my helper is making sure that Brady gets some toys at least!

I will post later with pictures from this past week and weekend. I have some cute ones and with my Mom being here for the week and both of my parents as well as Andy, Autumn, Briley and Baylor coming to visit for the weekend there is lots to talk about. Like I said, I have some really cute pics but I didn't get to download them yet and my battery for the camera is charging. I have been working on this post for a few days and just want to get it up so please excuse my lateness. I am just not as polished at this blogging stuff as my siblings! If you want current news, look at theres! By the way, Congrats Andrew on the the new office. I can't wait to see it for real!

Bella's COLORFUL 2nd Birthday Party!

2010-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Bella's 2nd Birthday! I will post later about her special day and the funny walk we took yesterday with Aunt Lissy when Bella met a Horse and adopted him and named him Bob! This Sunday we celebrated Bella's "COLORFUL" 2nd Birthday! We had coloring and crafts and Bella had a blast! Although I planned and prepared for her party for awhile, we decided to throw it this Sunday sort of last minute. For the past 3 weeks Baby Sedlak #2 was in a hurry so we figured we would do Bella's party the weekend after the baby was born since people would probably already be in town. But then, the baby changed its mind and slowed down. On top of everything, my sister Amanda is getting induced on Wednesday (actually tonight) in Dallas with her twins! We can't wait to meet teeny-tiny Colton and Carolina! Taking all of this into consideration we decided to just go ahead and have the party. We know it was VERY LAST MINUTE but thanks to all who were able to make it! We had a pretty good turnout with 2 days notice. Bella had Grandma Bev, Papa Ted, Scott, Emily, Colin, Rob, Dani, Tim, Kelly, Olivia and Kaitlin as well as Lissy, Grandma Mary Carol, Papa Mike, Ali, Ellie and Lincoln. You all really didn't have to make the extra trip to St. Louis considering you are coming back today and you just hosted a prom dinner... but Bella loved having you here! I think Olivia and Ellie had a blast and Colin and Lincoln (our 2 redheads) really hit it off! They both enjoy the same things like finding things to chew on! I also have to throw a thank you out to Olivia and Ellie who played with all of my crafty activities.

We had a coloring themed party because Bella loves to color and we threw in some of her other favorite activities. We had a coloring table upstairs and a foam sticker craft table downstairs. Outside was sidewalk chalk and bubble wands! I might have to recycle this party when Bella turns 7 and have lots of kids over for her party. Bella also likes "pizzi" and "corn" so we made up a bunch of popcorn, ordered pizza and had a big salad. We also made a Cookie Monster cake (Bella's favorite character). It didn't really go with theme so we just made if very colorful and then it fit! Bella enjoyed opening her gifts because she had some practice the night before at Chase's birthday party. He decided part way through that he wanted cake instead so Bella finished opening his gifts. She got some awesome gifts and I would name some of them but I am afraid I would leave something out! She has had fun finding them around the house and playing with them!

Bella got a short nap the day of the party but it was enough to get her through! She had lots of sugar, lots of fun and the by the end of the evening she looked like she had just wrapped up her 21st birthday instead of her 2nd. She was still in her pink party dress but she decided to add some accessories. Some capris with her new Elmo underwear on top, her new pink converse tennis shoes and on occasion, her princess crown! She was also pretty much cross-eyed and mumbling! Needless to say, she didn't give me much of a fight at bedtime.

Bella has just started singing the Happy Birthday song so she was very ecxited when she realized everyone knew it. Only we didn't say "...dear Tim" which confused her since she is stuck on Tim's birthday.

The Cookie Cake! Only 4 bottles of decorators frosting. We attempted to make blue frosting but Cookie would have looked a little on the dead side.

Lissy fried her fingers hotglueing these adorable crayon party hats or as she might call them "crown crowns" Ryan gives her a pretty hard time for not being able to say crayons. The people at his work said that he says it weird also! These are pretty cute but Autumns Minnie Mouse hats were absolutely adorable!

Thanks Mom, Ali and Lissy (of course) for coming into town early to visit and end up setting up for the party! You guys are the best! Ali, thank you also for snapping some photos of the "details" before because I always forget to take those pictures!

Lissy made these adorable crayons out of broken up crayons. You bake them in muffin or candy tins and mix all of the colors. I told her I thought they would be cool one night and she called me a few hours later and said, "I made the crayons and they are so much fun to make!" This is why she has her own business and I don't. It would have taken me a week to decide to do it. Another week to get to the store and then they never would have turned out. She even used washable crayons!

This picture of Bella reminds me of her Grandma Mary Carol. She is thinking "Now what did we forget?" before everyone arrives.

What??? I'm not trying to sneak my presents!

Uncle Tim kept hiding Bella's presents from her. She kept lugging them over to show him and never noticed that the last batch was missing.

Look at cutie Colin supported the Cards with his mommy!

Kelly was in charge of the foam sticker table. She acted like she was helping the girls but I found some artwork later on that was a little advanced for a kiddo and we all know Kelly likes crafts!

Aunt Kate always makes sure that Bella is having a good time!

These silly girls had a good time together and were eager to do all of my activities! They were the life of the party! Thanks Ellie and Olivia!

Adorable little girls, sundresses and bubble wands! Is there anything cuter? I want to know!

Olivia was a trooper. She made this awesome mural and added all of my requests such as a roller coaster and a water slide. Check out the hot air ballon.

Grandma will do anything to entertain her grandbabies. Thanks for helping Bella with the bubbles because she normally just flings bubble solution all over anyone in her path. Sorry to those who got hit.

Awwww! A little snuggle time for Lincoln with his mommy and his frog. Bella did attempt several times to snag his frog. She also found his paci under the couch and is saving it for him!

Time to dig in! I think this is her birthday crown from Grandma and Papa Early.

Papa is trying to convince Miss Bella how cool her new pink converse are that she got from Aunt Lissy. Bella is trying to convince Papa that the mass of smarties hidden beneath the shoes are more important!
A precious Birthday Crown to wear each year and a cup of candy! Perfect Party!

Lincoln and Colin. Two handsome little redheads! Chewing on anything and everything!

Two crowns are better than one! Starting to get the look she was sporting at the end of the night!

Time for cake! Yummy Yummy Yummy! Me love cake!

Now to begin the embarrasing part of the night. Panties on capris with dress tucked in!

Now add the converse and the look is complete! Crazy attire acquired over the course of the evening is always a sign of a good party!

The party was great but Ryan and I decided that it wasn't quite enough excitement to put me into labor so we decided to add to the fun after Bella went to bed! Our smoke alarm went off randomly and Ryan, always the responsible husband and father called Laclede Gas to check it out. They said they would send someone out and they would also call the fire department. SO...in about 5 minutes we hear the sirens and see the lights and sure enough, a full fledged fire engine complete with flashing lights comes down our street lighting up our dark little street like a Mardi Gras parade and stops in front of our house! Everything was perfectly fine and we got to meet some very nice firefighters but Ryan and I were both mortified! We won't be making that call again but it makes for a perfect ending to our evening! The birthday girl slept through the whole thing!

Hopefully I will squeeze in an update tonight about her special day!

Long time no see and Baby #2 is soon to be!

2010-04-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted since Christmas but I figured I would try to squeeze a post in before the baby gets here. Since I haven't posted since the beginning of 2010 I have to say that so far this year has been great and I know that adding to our family is going to only make it better! I tried to throw together a few slideshows and videos of what we have been up to lately but I have been horrible about keeping my camera and video charged and ready to go so I missed a lot of great events!

Bella has been growing and getting more personality everyday as I'm sure most of you know through "Monday's with Bella"! (On a side note I am sad to see Monday's with Bella go but the fact that I get to be with her now makes it much easier. Ryan and I both checked from Monday night on for the post to go up and loved the commentary! It is okay though because there are many more adventures in store for Miss Lissy and Miss Bella!) I also have been growing! I think/hope this little bit will be here soon because I can't wait to meet him/her!

The Early Grandchild mass addition has already began with Baby Baylor joining us. He is absolutely precious and Bella and I had a blast going to meet him and hang out with Andy, Autumn and Briley. We even got to see Amity while we were there. From what I know, Amanda is moving along and is ready to go soon with the twins, Colton and Carolina! Hopefully we get to meet them soon!

Other big news is that Rob is back from Afghanistan so everyone can sleep a little better now! Especially his little bride, Danielle! We are thankful for what he has done for us but it is always nice when he isn't over there anymore! Now they can start gearing up for their wedding in Mexico in a few months!

I can't remember everything that went on over the past four months but some of the things that you will see are a visit from Ali and Andrew and the kiddos, housework, a baby shower for my friend Priyal who is due in June and our new countertops. Random list, I know but it is what is showing up in the pictures! If I forgot something don't be offended. I don't know my own name most of the time these days! Good thing I am no longer instructing our youth everyday!

Welcome Home Rob!!!

Back to the real world...Sort of!

2010-01-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Bella, Olivia and Colin. Olivia did a great job getting a 20 month old and a 6 month old to stay for a picture.

Bella had to hop back into her Cozy Coupe at 10:30pm after a Christmas party. She is addicted.

Bella and Ellie in their fancy New Year's Party dresses!

Jackson and his main man... his Dad!

Ellie is very proud of her creation! They kept getting their cups confused so I drew their names on them. Apparently this was a GREAT idea because Ellie and Jackson spent the rest of the evening decorating their styrofoam cups. We should have thought of this sooner.

Perfect spot to snuggle...with Papa!

Our family ringing in the New Year our way!

pettiskirts and highchairs don't pair well.

Bella's new love... her alphabet puzzle mat.

People think this is fun? You have got to be kidding me.

Snow day #1. PJ's, chocolate milk and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at 8:30am. Perfect!

Bella always chooses safe and clean places to play.

Ryan's handy work. Now time for mud, sanding and paint. Who wants to help???

SNOW DAY!!!

We followed Christmas up with a wonderful week. I don't have many pictures because I am missing the charger to my camera battery. I need it to take and download pictures. Ryan and I were both off all week and Bella loved it (although we both enjoyed it even more I think!) We took advantage of our week off and did some relaxing, a little housework and a lot of playing. Bella grew accustomed to sleeping in, turning the lights on on the Christmas tree (via remote, don't worry - she is not playing with plugs and outlets), hanging out in her pajamas, eating lots of snacks, pulling all of her new toys out repeatedly, and playing with Mama and Daddy!

Christmas was followed up with a few more Christmases and each one brought us a new baby. Could anything be more appropriate when you are celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus. Christmas night we went to Ryan's Aunt Therese and Uncle Dennis' house. We had a great dinner and lots of fun playing games and hanging out. We also got to meet Julia for the first time. Julia is Ryan's cousins Mike and Allyson's baby girl and she is a doll! They live in Iowa so we don't get to see them very often.

The next evening we went to Ryan's parents house for Christmas with Aunt Mary and Uncle Ed's families. It was a great time and we got to meet little Oliver for the first time. Oliver is Ryan's cousin Jenny's baby boy and he was so petit and precious! Bella had a blast running all over the house with Olivia, Henry and Louie! The kiddos got spoiled again with gifts and all of the adults played a fun but confusing game of "Rob your Neighbor". We decided next year we will just google the rules because everyone had different ideas. Either way, it was fun and I got an adorable necklace and earing set and Ryan got a Walgreens gift card which is always handy. I think he used it last night to buy our sloppy joe mix (one of my secret favorite foods.)

We wrapped up the weekend by heading to the nursing home to see Grandma Sedlak and celebrate with lots of Sedlaks! Here is where we got to meet little Isaac! What a sweetie! I never heard him fuss once and everyone wanted to hold him. Isaac is Ryan's cousins Colleen and Kevin's baby boy. Isaac is adopted but right now, Kevin and Colleen are fighting very hard for Isaac because the birth father is arguing the adoption. Isaac even looks like Kevin and Colleen and they are a perfect threesome. Please say many prayers for them because they are greatly in need.

After all of our celebrating we were all exhausted. Monday was a day of rest and laundry. Bella and I were in our PJ's till the afternoon as we did odd jobs around the house and cleaned up the messes Bella made as we did odd jobs around the house. Gotta love having a little helper following you around. Ryan spent the morning in the basement. He was scraping the walls of the stairwell to the basement so he can try and match them up better with the new walls he put in. He is such a hard worker. I love having a handy husband. Monday night was our date night and the funny part was, we were back home by 8:00! Kristian and Kaitlin came over to babysit and I think Bella had a good time with her aunts. They had some pizza (one of Bella's favorites) and played tea party with her kitchen and table. Thanks so much Kristian and Kaitlin! Ryan and I went to the movies for the first time in about 2 years to see The Blind Side (awesome movie by the way) and then out to dinner at an Italian restaurant off of Grand. It was really good and we finally used a gift certificate program that Lissy gave me last year for Christmas. We got to end our date by playing with Bella and then having some couch time after she went to bed. What a great date!

On Wednesday, we headed to Kirksville to see my family! It was great to be back and see some family. We got to see Papa, Grandma, Allison, Andrew, Jackson, Ellie, Lincoln, Lissy, Caroline, Jared, Molly and we even got to meet Molly's new boyfriend Nathan. He was very friendly and kind. To top it off, we didn't scare him away. I love my parents house at Christmas and so did Bella. She had lots of Christmas lights to turn on in the morning since she was normally one of the first ones up. Wednesday we did some gift exchanging. We gave my parents their gifts and they gave us some more gifts. As if Disney isn't enough. Bella got lots of adorable stuff such as a blue-green pettiskirt and shirt and a little riding toy called a fropper which is just the right size and it folds up. Perfect for our little house. She also got a book set called "The Tickle Monster" and it comes with blue fuzzy mitts that we can use to tickle her as we read. Allison got her the cutest little tea set with the Fancy Nancy Tea Party book. She also had more but lets just say she was spoiled!

Thursday we stayed inside because it was freezing and we wanted to save our energy for the night. That evening we braved the cold and went to Pear Tree (my favorite restaurant)! YUMMY!!!! It was wonderful and Bella is now a fan of onion ring batter and ketchup, croutons and hen rice which she ate with her fingers! She really enjoyed her food and kept shoving her onion ring plate and the ketchup bottle towards me saying "more, more!" with a very convincing expression and nod. It was pretty cute. I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. The key to Pear Tree dining is to pound the appetizers (their onion rings and crab rangoon are the best), chow down on salad (not a healthy salad with homemade croutons soaked in garlic butter and the most awesome dressing), and time for the entree. I always get the filet mignon and chicken picatta but many people also love the batter-dipped lobster. What ever you get, you only eat about 1/2 and take the rest home for lunch the next day. Don't stop before dessert though. They have awesome homemade ice cream and use it in most of their desserts. I normally get the Raspberry Royale but I over did it on the appetizers this time. Oh darn. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH MOM AND DAD!!!! You always know how to make a pregnant gal happy! Once your belly is fat and happy now it is time to drive the 45 minutes home and try to not fall asleep. Once we got home, we slipped into our pjs and tried to hang out till midnight. Ryan and Bella rang in New Years with New York (on hour early our time) and headed off to bed. It was impressive work but I made it up to midnight. Ali, Andrew and the kids came in a little before midnight for their slumber party and kicked some life back into our pajama party we were all having. Jackson brought Twister and fo course Papa did a large firework at midnight. It was a little close to the house due to the snow covered yard and provided more entertainment than beauty. It was funny watching people run for cover. I even played a game of Twister (granted it only lasted about 2 minutes). After that, I headed off to bed to give my family Happy New Years kisses.

The next day everyone slept in and we woke to breakfast casserole (another favorite) and hot chocolate. Ellie and Bella wore their pettiskirts for the first day of 2010 (might as well start the year off on a fancy note) and they were pretty precious! The boys (adults included) spent the day playing Wii. The kids had a blast playing around all day and we enjoyed doing nothing productive! Mom made some really good BBQ chicken sandwiches so I didn't even eat my Pear Tree leftovers. Maybe later. Ryan and I did have some minor cosmetic surgery done that afternoon. We went to Dad's office and had some moles and skin tags removed. I went first and that was probably a mistake. Ryan was a little disgusted by the process but all I can say is I am thrilled to be rid of all of it! He left his moles and just went for the skin tags. THANK YOU DAD!!!! I know we were babies about it. That night we headed to Ali and Andrews for dinner. They made some delicious pork sandwiches (yes I know- ha ha ha, listen to the pregnant girl go on and on about food but seriously, this is what our trips consist of!) and I lounged around on the floor with Ali's pregnancy pillows. I think the food expanded my belly too quick and I pulled some muscles or something but I was rediculiously sore. Don't worry - I still ate and left room for brownies. Ryan went downstairs to take a video of Bella and Ellie playing and apparently Bella loves to say "NO" and Ellie thinks she said it enough. I will post the video as soon as I learn how to do that!

The next day we headed home so we would have a day to adjust ourselves to going back to work and get the house back in order. The house did not get put back together and the decorations all stayed up. I finally took most of the decorations down on Tuesday night and Wednesday night I switched my Christmas china out for my regular china. We are doing a little rearranging due to the increase in Bella's toys so it took a little longer than usual. We are now trying to fit a play kitchen, table and chairs, two riding toys (one being a cozy coupe). a new letter mat and two strollers into our family room! Time for some of the old toys to retire to the basement but you have to do it while she is not around because she has a hard time with seperatation. She is LOVING all of the new toys though. Her Mommy Skills are improving as she plays with the babydoll from Priyal and Bhavik. She cares for her, walks her, feeds her, changes her clothes and changes her diapers. She even has to use diaper cream and wipes. She is very thurough as she wipes the entire baby off. She is even learning her ABC's with the Leapfrog ABC toy she got from Tim, Kelly and Liv. It is supposed to stick the fridge but she prefers the side of the oven. I know, were so concerned about safety. She also likes to pull out her huge letter mat puzzel but we hide it from her. A lot of time is spent hopping between her cozy coupe and fropper!

Bella did very well our first day back to work. She got to stay and play with Lissy but she didn't want us to leave without having something to remember her by so she woke up early with a blowout. Ryan was sweet to hang around and clean up the mess as I changed her. Lissy arrived right as we got everything cleaned up. I guess she didn't want us to sneak out like we normally do on Mondays. Lissy and Bella had a fun day except for one slight trip down the steps. You will have to read Lissy's blog to get the whole picture but I know Lissy has some severe bruising and soreness. Bella is resillent and fine! Tuesday and Wednesday she got to go hang with the girls again. She was excited to see Lea, Kyla, Claire and of course Mama (Julie - we are all Mama.) I think it was a nice change of pace and they do have the best toys! Today she should be with Mama and Papa but mom got her first SNOW DAY!!!! So we are still in our PJ's and playing the clean up/destroy game that Bella loves to play! I clean up and she destroys! I know Mama and Papa were probably a little sad so they will be excited to see her tomorrow. I am hoping to get Bella out to play but we will probably wait till after nap so that I can find her something to wear outside and maybe Dad can join in the fun depending on when he gets home! It is still very cold so this probably won't last very long but you have to try right. We also have a smore kit and of course some hot cocoa to drink when we come back in. I also am on a mission to find some missing items. I am always missing items and now it is the camera battery charger and the remote for our bedroom tv. Wish me luck! By the way, if you are missing Christmas, our tree will be up till this weekend. I don't know how people end Christmas with kids. Bella loves turning on the tree lights and gets sad that the outside lights don't come on anymore (maybe tonight for a picture with the snow) and all of the other decorations are gone. It was just too cold to take it to the curb last night so we will shoot for this weekend.

PS. It has been almost a week since I typed this post but I didn't want to put it up with out pictures. I took Bella out to the snow on Friday (my second snowday) and she is not a big fan yet. Also, I wanted to say that we finally did take our tree down and our spot behind the couch is now Bella's play area.

A White Christmas!

2009-12-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! Hope everyone is having as merry a Christmas as we are. We have been taking advantage of this time to relax and enjoy the season. Bella has gotten into it a little more this year. She knows who "Santa" or should I say "HoHo" is and gets very excited when she sees him. She even recognized him on her Santa paper this year which is what he wraps her gifts in. We spent Christmas Eve doing some things around the house and a little bit of baking. Bella had a blast opening some early presents which were Christmas PJ's for the family and in true girly-girl fashion, had to try hers on right away. Bella got to wear her Christmas PJ's two days! She also got a baby doll that takes a bottle from Priyal and Bhavik which she took care of all day.

Last night we went to Mama and Papa's for Christmas Eve. We had an amazing dinner with loads of treats and then we opened some presents. Olivia, Bella and Colin got some presents (lots of presents) and then we did the adult gift exchange. I got a mani and pedi and Ryan got a drill so we were both pleased as punch. Thanks a bundle Kaitlin and Scott. Tim has been doing a new diet/workout regiment and Danielle gave him this life-size cover for Muscle and Fitness magazine with some huge guy on the front and a hole for his face. Many people tried it on and it was pretty entertaining. Bella got her one true love from Mama and Papa. A cozy coupe. She has been infatuated with this little car forever and now she has one of her very own. Actually she was hilarious during the gifts. She got one of those foam alphabet puzzle mats from Scott, Emily and Colin. She had to set it up right away in the kitchen and once that was done, she would come into the family room and steal every ones gifts and stash them on her mat. She reminded me of a little animal storing up for winter. Papa didn't even get his Cardinal pull-over out of the box before she snuck off with it.

We headed home around 10:45 to get ready for Midnight Mass. We got ready in record time, Ryan and Bella put together the cozy coupe and we even squeezed in a very quick timer picture in front of our tree. It was pretty good considering we did this in one take before we ran out the door. Mass was very nice and Bella decided she would stay up the entire time. She finally fell asleep for the first time on the way home from mass. She missed Santa dropping off her gifts but he worked pretty fast.

Christmas has been pretty perfect so far. I got the first thing on my list... SNOW!!!! What a wonderful thing to wake up to on Christmas morning. And it keeps getting prettier through the day. Bella finally woke up officially around 9:00. Ryan already had coffee made and all of the Christmas lights on. Once we headed downstairs she was only interested in her old toys but then she found her table set and then the kitchen. She also got a stroller which is a pretty hot item. She was a little confused later in the day because she got into her stroller and then there wasn't Carson or Ellie to push her around the house. That is how it normally works. Oh well... back to the kitchen. Ryan and I got some fun gifts also. I was a little more spoiled (which is normally the case) as I got a purse, a book, some tennis shoes and a new flip video camera! He even went and had our family portrait printed the way I wanted and it looks amazing on our wall! Ryan got a lot of clothes from J.C. Pennies. I even have him on video saying "St. John's Bay...really!" Yep, he is a dad now and these are stain-resistant and wrinkle free. Dockers next year. The only thing that wasn't clothes was a picture collage I put together for the basement.

Ryan cooked a yummy breakfast which we both enjoyed and Bella begged to get down and play. Our last presents were actually from my parents and we received it in the mail with instructions that said do not open until Christmas morning. What a present it was too. The first one was a big box which weighed like nothing and the other one was a small box which was pretty heavy. When we opened the big one, a mickey mouse balloon popped out and there was confetti in the bottom. Below it was a card. The second one Ryan unwrapped shortly after and in it was "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". As we started to put the pieces together I pulled out the card and started to read it and right about then, my Dad called to say Merry Christmas. Everyone else had just opened theirs. Lissy has the cutest picture on her blog of these Mickey Mouse balloons in the mist of the Christmas Mess! Anyways, the real gift was a gift card to Walt Disney World and the plan is that we will start planning a trip with the whole family sometime in the next two years. YEA!!!!! I'm so excited and I have even started reading my book! THANK YOU GRANDMA AND PAPA!!!! Merry Christmas. I'm just sad I missed the looks on you two's faces when everyone opened their balloons!

Tonight we are headed over to Ryan's Aunt Therese and Uncle Dennis' for Christmas night and tomorrow we are doing Christmas with Aunt Mary and Uncle Ed at Ryan's parents house. I'm so excited to meet all of the new babies! Ryan and I are both off all week so we are going to try and do some fun things, get some work done around the house, hang with Bells and then we are heading back to Kirksville for some Early Christmas time! Enjoy your Christmas and your family!

New Additions!!!!

2009-10-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hey there long lost friends! As many of you probably already know we have some wonderful news! We are having another baby!!!! I am about 10 weeks along and we are due on May 19th. The craziest part of all of this is that we are just one of three growing families on the Early side! Andy and Autumn are expecting #2 on March 23rd (My b-day, lucky day!) We are expecting our #2 on May 19th and now for the kicker. Amanda and Todd are expecting their #2 and #3 and their original due date was May 19th. Since they are expecting twins the due date of course was bumped up about 3 weeks but I also went 3 weeks early with Bella so the race is on! My poor parents! Very lucky grandparents but let's be honest - it is going to be a three-ring circus! God willing our family will extend from 5 grandkids during summer vacation last July to 10 grandkids (don't forget precious Lincoln) plus the 4 new ones by next July.

I remember the day after Kaitlin and Zane's wedding. We were all sitting around and talking about how beautiful it was and wanting to look at each other's pictures of it. There was only one problem. Unlike Ryan and I's wedding (the last one) no one got any pictures of their own because we were all running around like mad people chasing our kiddo's and trying to be at the right spot at the right time. I can't even imagine what the next wedding will be like! I don't think Grandma and Papa will be able to carry all of the grandkids back to the reception hall so that we can do group photos!

Anyways - We are thrilled and although Bella doesn't have a clue that her world is going to be turned upside down, she is starting to really like babies. When we were home (telling my family the good news) she liked giving Lincoln kisses. Sorry Ali - It pretty much means that she licks his head but Lincoln took it well. He is such a good little sport. She also likes to wave hi and she does get a little frustrated that they don't wave back. We are hoping that we get to celebrate her 2nd birthday before the baby arrives but if it is as persistent as Bella, maybe not! I guess it would probably work out better for Grandma and Papa if they could kill two birds with one stone and hit a birth and second birthday in one trip. We will see what we can do for them.

Other exciting news is that we are the proud owners of a new computer. Hopefully I have better luck with this one. So far, I love it!

2009-07-20T10:02:00.001-07:00

Time flies when you are having fun!

2009-07-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you are having fun! I know it has been forever since my last post but I do have some excuses – believe it or not. First off, I blame me! I am the world’s greatest procrastinator and for months I have repeated the phrase “I’ll do it next week.” Just ask my husband! Secondly I have one of the slowest and laziest computers ever. To do a post you have to jump sites and my computer doesn’t handle it very well. Normally it stalls for hours then it just quits. Lastly, between teaching, Bella time and rubbing Ryan’s feet in the evenings (it is my little way of saying “I love you” without talking J) I don’t like wasting my time on the computer! Like I said – I’m great at excuses but now I am off for the summer, Bella had a wonderful first birthday, Kaitlin and Zane’s wedding has come and gone and was beautiful, Bella has one new cousin (Welcome precious Colin) and one more on the way soon (we can’t wait to meet you Lincoln) and our family vacation to the beach is over but was amazing. I know I will miss a ton of events but I figured this would be a good time to post some pictures of our life these past months and share some special memories.

We had so much fun celebrating Bella’s first birthday! A ton of family made it to town and we had so many friends (and Bella’s future playmates) show up. Our theme (us Early’s always have a theme) was “Time flies when your having fun. Our little cupcake is turning one!” Bella had a giant cupcake as her cake (which she didn’t really get in to) and we had lots of little cupcakes. Aunt Ali made her famous sugar cookies and the cutest little “cupcake pops” which were her red velvet cupcake balls on a stick decorated like little cupcakes. They were too cute to eat but everyone did anyway because they were also very delicious! Aunt Lissy went all out and even made her a little onsie with the cutest cupcake on the front. We decorated in every bright color you could imagine and lots of photos of Bella through her first year of life. It was wonderful getting to see everyone. Bella had a blast (after a little cat nap on Grandma Bev) playing with all of the kiddos and even Mom and Dad enjoyed themselves!

Bella is now 14 months and counting and makes our house glow with excitement. Her little walk is pretty entertaining (she leads with her belly) and every other day she picks up a new silly trick. She waves hi and bye about 5 minutes late and it looks like she is turning a doorknob or giving the hang 10 sign. She loves to dance to “Poker Face” by Lady GaGa and she thinks it is hilarious when you tell her how much her sweaty feet stink! Bella knows how to make her Daddy’s heart melt by giving him the sweetest bedtime kisses but if she isn’t in the kissing mood she will tell you so as she shakes her head back and forth and say’s “no, no, no, no, no, no!” I have never seen anything cuter in a set of pigtails and her baby chub has left little tan lines on her suntan ankles. Bella loves to wave and talk to animals, especially birdies and puppy dogs and is a compulsive organizer when it comes to her books, blocks and just about everything you can think off. Lately she has been clapping for herself when she does something really cool like eating off of a fork or unrolling the toilet paper before Mom catches her. She is currently obsessed with shoes, purses (especially my Coach purse which I even get nervous using) and shopping bags. She enjoys walking around our house totting her purse while sporting her diaper and sandals as she shops for household items in her shopping bag. She is also starting to expand her language of grunts and giggles to different sounds. We think she says Dada and pup-pup but she also mimics a great deal. I have noticed that she now says “shzz” which I am assuming is shoes because she always brings you a pair to put on when she says it. When we got home from vacation she started throwing her blocks over her shoulders and yelling “Whoaaaa!” I wonder what trick she will pick up today.

Our family has had so many fun things going on. We have a new brother-in-law and one new Baby boy cousin as well as another baby boy cousin on the way. Oh yes – I can’t forget to mention Bella’s other new cousin, Charlotte aka Charlie! Olivia got a new puppy who is pretty adorable. She is a sandy colored pommo-poo? I know I didn’t spell it right but oh well.

My sister Kaitlin is now Kaitlin Taylor since her and Zane got married on June 20th. It was a beautiful wedding with so many neat little details and special touches. Kaitlin looked gorgeous ( I know… that is really not a surprise) and Zane looked handsome also. I don’t have any pictures of my own from the wedding because my camera bag was MIA for the week. I was relieved when it showed up but I still am upset I missed all of the neat pictures. The wedding was in the backyard and it was amazing. I can’t think of a prettier place for such a special celebration. Bella had her debut as a flower girl and she did pretty well after Todd guided her down the aisle! The ceremony was very sweet and it brought Kaitlin and Zane lots of luck as it wrapped up just in time for the rain to fall. I think God was trying to coordinate with their beautiful shades of pale blue and green! The reception also looked amazing and everyone had a blast! My parents worked so hard on all of the decorations and it paid off. I really think my Mom could be an awesome professional wedding planner but her weekends are devoted to her kids and grandkids! The food was also very yummy! I did miss out on the cake as well as the cookies and the milk though and I am still a little sad about that. Kaitlin and Zane were so sweet and I think they are very happy newlyweds even though they are currently residing in a hotel until their house is done. Zane said one of the sweetest (gross but sweet) things I think I’ve ever heard a groom say about his bride when he said “I felt like throwing up each time I looked at the weather and the rain got closer because I knew how sad Kaitlin would be.” I know he will take such good care of Kaitlin!!!! Congratulations MR. and MRS. TAYLOR!!!!

After the wedding we prepared for vacation! Bella was such a trooper all the way down and back. She slept a lot, watched some movies and talked but not a lot of crying. Thank you Aunt Lissy for being her playmate and keeping her entertained. We got to Florida on the fourth of July. The beach was absolutely perfect with very few waves, crystal clear water and a huge sandbar for the kiddos to play on. We barbequed some hotdogs and enjoyed fireworks on the beach that evening. It was perfect. The rest of the days were just as wonderful and relaxing. Lissy did some great posts on her blog so check them out. Her link is in the sidebar. Bella loved every aspect. She played in the sand, jumped the waves, played a ton with her big cousins, rocked out at the dance party, colored (on herself) with sidewalk chalk, swam at the pool, took walks around Seaside, explored the house and all of its contents and slept when she got tired. She proved to her parents that she is a good vacationer and would love to go on more!!!! Thanks to my folks for planning such a memorable trip.

While we were gone the whole Early family got daily updates on Emily’s condition. Scott, Ryan’s brother, and his wife Emily were having their first child and were waiting to find out what it was. She was due on the 4th of July but the little firecracker wasn’t quite ready to join the world yet. Finally, in the evening on July 8th, Emily was induced and after a long and strenuous day with very little progress, they decided to do a C-section. A little before 6:00pm on July 9th, precious little 8 lb. 4 oz. Colin Michael Sedlak got to meet his Mommy and Daddy face-to-face. He is absolutely adorable and Bella had to pick him up his own snuggle (like her skippit) while we were at the beach. He got a puppy dog which looks like Lucy with his name on it so he won’t lose it! We finally got to go see him (and hold him!) on Sunday! Scott and Emily were so happy and relaxed. They are going to be great parents! Welcome to the family Baby Colin!

Now we are just waiting on Baby Lincoln to show up! I am sure the Farwell’s are anxiously awaiting their newest family member and personally, I can’t wait to squish those cheeks!!!! Go out walking Ali so we can meet him soon!

Lunch with Bella

2009-05-29T11:20:00.001-07:00

Surprise!! No, this is not Sara or Ryan updating the blog. It's Lissy :) I'm watching Bella this afternoon and I just happened to have my camera out for lunch. She was being silly so I figured I would snap a few pictures. I'm taking their big family picture tonight...let's hope she is still in a cute mood later. Fingers crossed!