Happy New Year! It's almost Valentine's Day...

Cody took some pictures...

So Brady wanted to take some, too..

Thanks to my mother-in-law, we have this wonderful saucer/bouncer! Maylee does really well in it, especially since she likes standing up all the time.

This new year is starting off wonderfully! Working on New Year's Resolutions is quite fulfilling.

I've started two classes (Geology and National Government), which totals 8 credits. Two more classes were supposed to start in March (so all four classes would end in May)... but I just dropped them realizing that two are proving to be quite time-consuming already. I'll take two more during the short summer semester, though. Yay!

Learning and studying has been so much fun! I mean... I'm reading about geology... nothing sounds more boring in the world... but I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've learned so far! (Except for the chemistry of minerals... chemistry is like a whole different language to me.)

Maylee has two teeth and her naps are finally longer, as they should be. Yay! We're potty training Brady... and I cannot tell you how much I am not loving it. But... it has to be done... and what could be a better time than when we run out of diapers for him? *Sigh* I've cleaned up more pee and poop than I care to share. Any advice/words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

I'm still in the primary and it's lots of fun. Cody just got called to the Young Men's presidency.

I'm working on setting up a new health and wellness Sunrider blog. I'd really love to just hire someone to do it and not mess with all the nitty-gritty details, but it's still kind of neat to create it on my own.

Anyway, our lives are happening and time is going by right before our eyes. Hopefully we savor every moment!

Only a month ago...

Maylee dressed for church on Christmas day. 

Brady deciding he's a big fan of the whole "Christmas" thing.

He's wearing his Thomas jammies, Lightning McQueen slippers,
and about to ride his construction truck. :)

Maylee doesn't take a binkie or sleep in her swing anymore.
The swing was the stand-in until we could do some sleep training.
Now, we lay her down in her crib and she sucks her thumb while holding
her blanket in the other hand. I about go weak at the knees every time I see her
do it. Presh.

Maylee on Christmas morning. Exactly four months old on Christmas!

Singing Christmas hymns at my parents' house. And my mom, a lovingly 

doting grandma, in the background. :)

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

This is Cody and I'm just posting this for my mom and anyone else to enjoy. This is Brady's Buzz Lightyear impression. :) (I hope the sound works, if not sorry!)

Breastfeeding.. Take Two

Nursing the second time around is much, much easier than before!

With Brady, I produced enough milk for QUIZILLIANTUPLETS. So everything I wore would ALWAYS get soaked... not to mention it would squirt in Brady's poor eyes and all over HIS clothes, too. UGH. 

I had to change our sheets daily (or resolve to sleeping on milk-stained sheets) due to SOAKING our bed each night. I mean, can you imagine? I couldn't do my own laundry fast enough because I would have to change ALL my clothes once or twice a night.

Brady didn't like to be covered when I nursed him, so I could never nurse in (private) public because he'd squirm and flail until he was completely free and I was exposed for all to see.

For a little while, Brady didn't want to open his mouth wide enough to nurse. Ouch.

Then... oh dear... to top it all... was the yeast infection *where he nursed*. I wouldn't wish that upon any woman, even if I didn't like her! 

But THIS time around, my milk has regulated pretty nicely! It is much lovelier! Maylee is easier, it seems, too.  She had a bit of Tongue-Tie and I got mastitis a few times... but it's been about a month and a half since I've had it... THANK HEAVENS!!!!! 

Kami snapped this picture of me nursing Maylee without me even knowing it. I absolutely love it because it's 100 percent candid! And it's hard to express the sheer joy and satisfaction that comes from seeing your child grow solely from something YOU produced for them, and UNIQUELY for them!

My heart goes out to women who tried but could not breastfeed. In my ignorance (before ever lactating), I was so judgmental. How TERRIBLE of me! Now that I know how incredibly DIFFICULT and PAINFUL and nearly IMPOSSIBLE it can be... I now understand. 

This is one thing I'm loving about life: the eliciting of more compassion I feel for others while diminishing the ignorant judgments. Heavenly Father sure knows what He's talking about. ;)

What about you? I love hearing other moms' stories! I love hearing how you discipline your kids, what you cook or bake for/them, how you teach them to sleep or not to hit... I love your birth stories and sweet moments. I love knowing I'm not the only one who has hard days... days when I want to do things due to insanity that shouldn't be mentioned... so comment! Keep up your blogging too b/c I love it. 

My Days as a Mom: Good, Bad, & Ugly

Maylee is 3 months old and blows bubbles and "talks" by spitting in the cutest little way. I just love it! She gets chubbier every day. Her eyes are so big, bright, and blue. Her hair is even growing! I absolutely adore her.

Brady loves her very aggressively, but doesn't realize he's being too aggressive.. he tries so hard to be gentle but is OVERCOME with love for her that he gets REALLY excited. At least he's not full of animosity and taking blows at her... I can handle the rough lovin'.

He mostly grabs her hands and cheeks really intruding her "bubble". She gets a bit annoyed and looks at me like, "PLEASE save me, Mom!" I think she'll absolutely look up to her big brother and seek his approval and praise. She smiles at him (from a distance, lol) because he's oh-so entertaining with all his Buzz Lightyear moves and gun-shooting skills!

I'm getting my own VEHICLE! Cody's been doing research non-stop about what kind of car, van, or SUV to buy. As soon as I get one, I'll be going to the gym OFTEN. I went at about 6:00 in the morning recently because I was full of rage.

My sleep was seriously interrupted throughout the ENTIRE night and into the morning... each time I'd BARELY get to sleep again, Brady would wake me up. I. Was. Furious. I put on some warm clothes, grabbed the keys and LEFT.

I knew that if I didn't do SOMEthing healthy for my emotional distress, I'd be a horrible mom all day. I got a day pass and hopped on a treadmill and RAN. I ran and ran and... I instantly felt better!! Talk about the power of endorphins! I felt great. I got on a stair-stepper/elliptical thing, used some free weights, then left. I was only there for a short 40 minutes or so, but it was divine.

I rolled down the windows while driving home even though it was FREEZING. I BLASTED the radio to my favorite country song ("...Country Girl, Shake it for me - Girl - Shake it for me - Girl - Shake it for me.."). I arrived home a new woman, ready to take on the day on next-to-no sleep.

I wanted to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next... I can hardly wait to get my own vehicle!!

Anyway, I want to do that instead of what I USUALLY do, and that is over eat. When I'm stressed, I eat. Bored? Eat. Sad? Eat. Distraught? Eat. It gets a bit difficult to stay thin (or reach my fitness goals) when I binge.

I usually quell the bored curse by working, cleaning, playing (with Brady), reading... but the other emotions? They get food as their 'satiater'... and even though it's mostly healthy, it's still not ideal.

I wonder how much I weigh? I haven't weighed myself since my last prenatal appointment before Maylee was born... Now I'm curious.

Welp, my ramblings have reached an end today. Time to work. I love work. I love being productive.

Goodbye!

A Special Treat (Photo) at the End of this Post..

Oh, the many faces of Brady!! He's such a little joy (and ham) to have! We just took some family pictures and he looks like a little goof in all of them with his big cheesy grins and other expressive faces. :)

Maylee puts up with her brother's "aggressive loving" pretty well at not-even-three-months-old-yet. Oh, and note the baseball shirt... one of Brady's absolute favorites. He feels pretty masculine in it and has to go shoot something or jump off of something when we put it on him b/c he brims with pride!

Our little Halloween Giraffe. :) I thought it was a fitting costume due to the fact that Brady is tall and skinny! (Thank you, Stephanie, for letting us use it - you're wonderful!!)

Below is little Rooklyn, our friends Jenni and Luke's second-born little daughter. I just HAD to have the giraffe pose with the zebra!

My little baby at about 10-11 weeks old. I just ADORE her! She is so beautiful, dainty, pretty, lovely, ...I could go on. I love her dearly!!!

At 11 weeks old, Maylee...

-Smiles

-Talks and coos all the time

-Does NOT like to lay back, she has to be propped completely up and she'll STILL pull herself forward

-Sleeps through the night (started at 6 weeks)

-Weighs over 12 pounds

-Growing adorable chubs all over

-Can hold herself up with her legs (stands while being supported)

-Loves her swing

-Loves her binkie SOME of the time... not all the time

-Nurses wonderfully (it only takes her a few minutes total in one complete feeding)

-Does NOT like to have a full diaper at all

-Does NOT enjoy baths

-Does well in her carseat

A smile!!

And...

...last but not least...

LOLOL!!!!!!!! Alright, this probably isn't as funny to you as it is to Cody and me... we laugh EVERY time we see this picture (below)!!!!! I just had to share. 

A little about Brady at 2 1/2:

-Has the most beautiful, long, dark eyelashes

-Loves to watch movies

-Sings and dances whenever he hears music he likes

-Has an amazing memory and recalls things he's only ever heard or been told once

-Likes to have his hair done (like Daddy)

-Loves fruit

-Is very particular and loves routines

-Has more energy than I know what to do with

Current Favorite Toys:

-A dinosaur (from Stephanie, too!)

-His three different Lightning McQueen cars

-Mater (with a button that lights up and quotes Mater from Cars 2)

-Stuffed Elmo

-Anything that's pointed and can shoot

Family Pictures with Christmas Cards to come soon! 

While lying in bed most mornings...

...I think of the best things to blog about. Sometimes the "blog post" in my mind is in bullet-point form of things I want to share and record.

And then... I sit down with my laptop. And nothing catchy or significant comes to mind.

If my little Maylee Jane and Brady Grant didn't wake up so darn early, I'd grab my puter and blog all my thoughts right out during the calm quiet of the morning. But that's alright - here goes..

Cody has recently been hired by New York Life. He sells Life Insurance and does Financial Planning. I was not thrilled about this for a while due to it being a commission-based job. However, my wise mother reminded me of some things and helped me realize that this is just Cody's thing. "This" being sales or commission jobs. Despite the gamble it is to work in sales, Cody is still attracted to it and enjoys it more than other alternatives! I decided I'll support him in it and hope for the best. I really like the people he works with and the offices are on the 16th floor of a building in Downtown Wichita. Let me tell you, they are Za-Za Nice with a capital 'N'! He wears a suit to work and looks OH-so sharp. I mean, everything about this job is so 'Cody'. I'm excited for him. He's choosing to work for New York Life for the next 15+ years and make it his career! Yaaaay!!! No more bouncing from job to job. :) I'm proud of him. He's also washing windows for a little longer while the weather allows.

I'm working on enrollment and FAFSA stuff to take a full load of online courses in January. Yay! I've decided to get my Associate's in Generals because an Associate's will transfer anywhere. I didn't want to be working on my Bachelor's and then move and not have all my credits transfer somewhere else. So Baby Steps here: First my Associate's, then my Bachelor's, and then a Master's or Law School. I'm not nannying Little Dave for now, his mom (my friend Megan) is taking 3 1/2 months off work since she had a baby girl! So in January, I'll start watching both of them. We'll be a full house for a few hours every day! Two toddler boys and two infant girls... feel free to pray for me. :) I still do Sunrider and share it with others. I love, love, love it and am excited to do more with it now and in the future. I'm also officially hired as my parents "Launderer". I do all the household laundry for an hourly rate. Win-win all around: My mom's load is lightened (pun intended), I have another way to earn a little income, and the family always has clean clothes and towels. I'm still the primary chorister and love it. Definitely fun, challenging, and a great way for me to grow.

Brady is a two-year-old boy... 'nough said. ;) Just kidding - he's a wonderful little sweetheart whom I adore. No potty-training yet... some day. So our 3-4 year-old-looking two-year-old continues to fill his diapers for his parents' convenience. He says the cutest things every day. While taking a bath the other day, I said, "Okay, are you finished, bud?" and he responded, "Not quite." What? Not quite? Well, alright then. He makes us laugh all the time. He says prayers and blesses the food. He reads scriptures by opening up a book that he's deemed "The Book of Mormon" and says "An' it came to pass..." He always says "Someday he'll be big like Cayub" and calls his best friend Tabitha "Ta-ti-ta" because that's a hard name for a young mouth. He currently LOVES Toy Story and calls any toy he likes "his" toy, like "his Buzz Lightyear", for example. I'm just thankful he likes movies... easy babysitter. :)

Maylee is such a little joy! She is ALL-girl already. At almost 2 1/2 months, she's already quite the social butterfly. She loves watching someone when they're talking and will smile and smile at them (it was Cody this morning and Kirie, my 18-year-old sister last night). She also talks back in the cutest cooing EVER heard on the planet! I mean I am overCOME with love for her when she smiles and talks to me. Starting at 6 weeks, she sleeps through the night with one feeding. She goes about 11-12 hours nursing one time. Yay! I put her in the other room without a monitor so I could sleep and set the alarm for 3 a.m. to nurse her... but I didn't even need an alarm. She wakes up around 3 or 4 a.m. every morning to nurse. Now I need to start her nap schedule though because she's starting to stay awake too much during the day (resulting in more fussiness). I nurse her every 3 hours during the day. Scheduled feedings, along with scheduled sleep, is one of the best things I've ever done. Some moms think I'm too harsh and if Maylee fusses, people will often try to convince me that she's hungry and needs to be nursed. I nursed Brady whenever he fussed and guess what? He had more blow-outs, spit-up a TON all the time, and was fussier and cried more. Maylee is putting on weight and growing beautifully, doesn't have regular blow-outs, only spits up a little bit, and is a happier, easier baby. There are about 10 other things I LOVE about scheduled feedings but won't list them now. If you want to know, maybe I'll do another post just about that. :) But suffice it to say that it has been FABULOUS.

Our family is doing well here in Derby, Kansas. It's starting to get COLD and Christmas is right around the corner. Family pictures are being taken next week, so hopefully we can get our Christmas cards out before Thanksgiving (that's my goal, anyway). Thanks for reading!