"Thank you for my tractor, Boo boo!"

What a big boy!

Boy Toys

Well, it wasn't a huge leap for Brady to go from taking a ride on a real tractor with his Pap, to pedaling his very own tractor around our neighborhood. As if his Aunt Boo boo hasn't spoiled him enough, she had this cool tractor with a bucket dumper sent right to our front door. There was a huge picture of the product right on the box, and when Brady saw it, he screamed every time I tried to go inside before it was put together. So, with the sun beating right on my face, and mosquitoes swarming around my head, I proceeded to assemble this intricate tractor. I got as far as putting the bucket partially on (step 2) before Jeremy came home and had to finish it for me (it's not that I'm a helpless female...I just happen to be mechanically-challenged. It's not my thing). Anyway, we finally ended up letting him drive it around the house on the first night because it was too dark by the time we finished to let him go outside. He LOVES this thing, and even though he can't quite pedal his bike yet, he is really good at pedaling his tractor!

Brady and Owen

Brady has made some new friends here in Humble, Texas. His buddy, Owen and he hang out a lot. Incidentally, Owen's mom, Katy is also pregnant (well, actually, she is in the process of having a baby right now), so our families have a lot in common!

Counting Our Blessings...

While we aren't the most holy rollin' family down here in the deep South, we came through Hurricane Ike feeling like we have a LOT to be thankful for. Honestly, there were times when I got caught up in the moment and almost found myself shouting "Praise Jesus!" (pronounced "Jezis" for those of you who aren't familiar with these types of proclamations).

Let's review:

1. We have so many people who care about us that we got TONS of calls and emails before, during, and after the storm. We can't thank everyone enough for caring so much about us...it felt really good, and we hope that we can be as thoughtful as everyone else has been to us. We even got calls from Belgium! I'm so impressed!

2. Even though the eye of the hurricane literally coasted right over our neighborhood, our home was untouched...no broken windows, no roof shingles missing, no trees on top of the house. The worst damage was to a poor old 80 foot pine tree (pictured above) that snapped in half. And you should SEE all of the friendly "Texans" who have already driven by and offered to cut it down for us (for a small fee, of course)!

3. God sent a lovely cool front only 2 nights after the hurricane passed so that the nights were pleasant, and Brady could actually play outside during the day!

4. We have an amazing aunt to who flew to our rescue and managed to get us a hotel room downtown where they still had power and restaurants open. We only had to sleep for 2 nights without power before we removed to the hotel and relaxed in the air-conditioned room.

5. Power was returned to our neighborhood before we had to leave the hotel. Many, MANY people around here still don't have power, so you can imagine how blessed we feel to have ours (pregnant women don't deal well with the heat, which returned a few days later).

6. We have great neighbors who really looked out for us during the aftermath, bringing over extra ice, and calling to check up on us.

7. We had to throw away everything in our fridge, so I had the chance to clean it thoroughly, and replace things in a more orderly fashion.

8. We were so bored while the power was out that we took long walks (good exercise!), did all kinds of yard work, and got a whole bunch of extra sleep. Jeremy was off from work for several days, and it was actually some nice family time.

9. Did I mention that we have amazing friends and family who were tireless in checking up on us!

Thank you to everyone!!!

PS. The bottom picture is how we got Brady to stay in one place while we got stuff done...just kidding...he does that to himself and thinks it's funny when he gets stuck.

Update on the "Baby Brudder"

Nurse: He currently weighs about 3 pounds.

Me: Is that normal for this point in the pregnancy?

Nurse: Yes...well, he's definitely a chunker.

Me (inside my head, of course): YEAH!!! I LOVE CHUNKY BABIES!

Just in case you are sonogramically-challenged like myself, we are looking at a picture of his face, straight on...with the forehead to the right and chin to the left. Isn't that neat?!

Now, we thought that such a fun picture might inspire a name for this poor, unnamed "brudder", but no dice just yet. Any suggestions? And please don't say Austin or Logan...Texas is teaming with them!

Big News in the Fletcher Family!!!

Who is this attractive family mixed in with the Fletchers? Well, Blaise finally proposed to his wonderful girlfriend, Jenny, and we all had the opportunity to share a meal together to celebrate the occasion. The wedding is being planned for July 25th, 2009 and we are already counting down the days! Jenny's family could not possibly be nicer, and this wedding is going to be so much fun! By they way, gals, the pictures of the ring unfortunately did not turn out, but it's SO beautiful and sparkly!

Brady's First Tractor Ride

Jeremy and Brady had a chance to spend the night on Pap and Gram's farm. And what could a little boy like Brady enjoy more than a tractor ride? He was so excited that he told everyone who would listen about his ride on a "green" tractor. Even now that we have returned to Houston, he points to tractors (including those the size of lawn mowers) and yells, "A tractor! Just like Pap's"!

A Rainy Dat at the Railroad

The excitement of being on an old-fashioned train coupled with the exhaustion that a dreary, rainy day brings finally lulled Brady to sleep on the second half of our train ride! Luckily, he didn't seem to notice that he missed much, and he was treated to an engineer's hat (thanks for the cash, G-Non!) at the end of trip. Good times were had by all (did I mention that I was treated to fudge? Thanks, Dad!).

Visiting the Family

After helping me with all of the packing, Brady and I headed to Pennsylvania for a 2 week trip that Jeremy joined us for the second week of. The little man had a chance to visit with his Pap and Gram, take a ride on the Strasburg railroad, and spend some much-needed play time at his G-Nona's house. He, of course, was spoiled the whole time, but managed to bring a little sunshine to the family without being a brat (at least, I think that's true...I'm his mother, so I really have no perspective).

And notice that the "Baby Brudder" made an appearance in that bottom picture!