Ready or Not, Here We Come!

I'm so sorry it has been so long since my last post. Hopefully I will get better as soon as school is out for the summer. Only 6 more full days and 2 half days, but who's counting? I will have to keep this post short and sweet for now because I have a fussy baby, I have to clean house, pack, fix something for supper, walk the dog, clean out my car all before bed tonight! We are leaving for Canyon tomorrow afternoon for our first ever road trip! I'm not sure how this is going to go, so say little prayers. I'm sure I'll have some funny stories to tell! If you plan on being in Canyon this Memorial Day weekend, then give me shout because I am very proud to show off my little baby boy. Until then, a couple of pictures and a cute video of him giggling will have to do. He is too precious for words! We love him so much!

Oink! Oink!

No, nobody has the swine flu here! Pray that we don't get it! As of right now, there are no confirmed cases in my school district, so school is still up and running! In fact, I'm going to the prom tonight! I sure don't want for any children to get sick, but I sure could use the week off! :) My students have been extremely dramatic about the whole thing. With text messaging, rumors fly all around the school, and the kids believe everything they hear. It makes me crazy! On top of the whole swine flu outbreak, it was TAKS week. That makes the kids even crazier! I'm glad this week is over.
Braxton boy is doing great! He is growing like a weed! He goes to the doctor next Friday, so we will know exactly how long he is and how much he weighs. He has started some new things. He is really trying to sit up. When we lay him in his chair, he raises up his head trying to sit up. Last week we put him in his bumbo seat, and he loved being able to sit up! He still has to have support on his back, but he loves to be able to see everything. Here is a video of it!




Braxton is also very chatty! He gets that from his Dad! ;) He says "Ooooh!" to everything, especially shadows. We have a shadow puppet show every day, and he just thinks it's hilarious. Here is a video of him being chatty.


Braxton is also grasping things and putting them in his mouth! He especially likes to suck on his hands or your arm if you are holding him. We usually end up with either spit up or slobber all over us!

Overall, he is a very happy baby! He loves attention! He usually gets mad if you walk off from him, and he can't see you, but he is also content to lay in his crib to watch his mobile. He also loves to watch TV! This is not a good habit to start. I think he just likes the light and the sound. His favorite though is to dance. He absolutely loves to watch you sing and dance to him! He gets so excited, he'll start kicking his legs like he is dancing too! Last week his Mimi Teresa was in town, and he would sit and watch her do a workout video every day.

Braxton is almost 4 months old! Time has really flown by! Braxton is such a joy, and we can't imagine our lives without him.

Chelsy girl is doing great! She is going back to doggy daycare and has done well every time! She is back to her old self!

We have updated the picture website with new pictures and a lot of videos! Go check it out!

Blake and I are also asking for prayers about my job situation for next year. The plan had always been for me to stay be a stay-at-home mom when he had kids. However, in order for me to stay at home with Braxton, I will have to get a part-time job for some extra income. Mainly to help with insurance! Lately I have really been second guessing myself about quitting my job. I do not know if this doubt is because I am not trusting in the Lord that he will provide or because maybe it's not time for me to quit my job just yet. I also worry about the part-time job situation. I am worried that I would be so miserable at my part-time job that I rather be teaching full-time. I would like a part-time job in education so that I still had the same holidays and no nights and weekends, but most schools don't have part-time jobs. So here's what it boils down to...I want the perfect job! :) Does anybody have any ideas on anything? Just please pray for us and especially me that I follow God's will for my job for next year and feel a peace about it. I am just ready to make this decision because I don't like not knowing the plans. If only God's timing matched up with mine...

Blake's job is going really well. He has so much work that they (he and his boss/partner) are having to hire out others to help get it all done. That is a good problem to have. Blake still loves working from home and loves his job and boss. The Lord blessed up by introducing us to the Hunt family.

As you can see, we are doing great! We will be making our first roadtrip to Canyon Memorial Day Weekend! Ready or not, here we come! We can't wait! Love to all!

Happy Birthday Bubbie!

Today is my Bubbie's 30th birthday. For his birthday Ariel put together a memory book with contributions from his friends and family. Here was my contribution! Happy Bithday Bubbie! We love you!

30 Memories of Bubbie

1. “I really wanted a sister the whole time.”
2. Laughing at my funny Bubbie fake sneezing in the bathtub. I still think my Bubbie is one of the funniest people I know.
3. Discovering little “pink things” in my Bubbie’s gerbil cage one Saturday morning.
4. Getting popped by a towel on the leg in the hotel at the family reunion. It left a bruise. Bubbie begged me not to tell Mom and Dad, and I didn’t. I hardly ever told on him because I couldn’t stand for him to be in trouble.
5. Cleaning Bubbie’s room on Christmas Eve so that Santa would bring him his toys. Bubbie was also the first one to wake up Christmas morning, even when he was in junior high and high school.
6. Watching home movies. Bubbie is the only other person that can watch those over and over and still find them hilarious.
7. Growling on my first day of kindergarten because that’s what my Bubbie did on his first day of kindergarten. I wanted to be cool like him.
8. Body slamming me into a desk. I never kicked Bubbie again, and Bubbie never body slammed me again. That was probably our only physical fight.
9. Ganging up on Dad… “Quit wrastlin’!”
10. Ganging up on Mom… “Roar, goes the lion!” “Look at that baby deer, and its little baby spots!”
11. Funny vacation traveling stories…Passhum telsom 42, Safeway!, stinking up the pickup with Corn Nuts, Lacey climbing through the back window into the pickup, how many more minutes, etc.
12. Getting to play the cross-eyed, pony-tailed, chocolate-faced girl in Bubbie and Michael Kelley’s high school video.
13. Bubbie’s high school graduation. I was the only one that made him cry.
14. Driving me around on my scavenger hunt for my 16th birthday. I thought it was so cool that my big brother drove my friends and me around for each clue.
15. Joking around with you about your hot friends and your friends joking about your hot, younger sister.
16. Naming myself Josefina in Spanish class because my big brother was Jose.
17. Always making funny faces in family pictures and laughing at Mom when she vows that she will never take a picture of us ever again. I’m glad we married two people that are good at that too.
18. Riding in the car with me from College Station to Canyon while playing seat warmer wars and doing cross word puzzles. Bubbie shot root beer out his nose when I replied back with “cookie” as being a 4-letter word for a pastry.
19. Colliding into each other while snow skiing in Ruidoso. It happened right under the lift for all to see. When somebody asked if we were okay, Bubbie replied back, “Yeah. She’s just a moron!” The crash actually broke my sunglasses, cut and bruised my face. At least it wasn’t a snowmobile!
20. Being in my wedding. I was so honored to have my Bubbie standing up there with me on one of the most important and special days of my life, although I think it was torture for him to have to watch his little sister get married.
21. Making my wedding video for my wedding reception. Mom, Dad, and Bubbie were sure to include pictures of me in longhorn and raider stuff.
22. My college graduation…oh wait! He wasn’t there for that! He made up for it by typing the sweetest letter to me of our memories throughout the years. It was actually a lot more special than him being there. I still pull it out every once in a while to read it.
23. Floating the river in Boise, Idaho. After griping out the poor innocent girl at the ticket window, we got to float on the fastest and coldest river in the U.S. I also got stuck in a waterfall and almost drowned. I haven’t floated another river since.
24. Giving me a parakeet charm in honor of Bert.
25. Being able to talk to my brother on the phone for hours about nothing. I don’t know of too many brothers and sisters that can actually do that or want to do that.
26. Being so happy for you when you met Ariel. We had prayed for her for a long time, and she couldn’t be a better fit for you and the family. I love having a sister!
27. Being in your wedding and hiding in the back of the pickup and yelling, “What about me!?” like you did at our wedding.
28. Watching you with Chelsy. Even after dogsitting her one night, she still hates you.
29. Watching you with Braxton. Braxton is going to love his crazy Uncle Bubbie! I am scared to find out the things he is going to learn from you, but I can’t wait to find out either.
30. Just being your little sister. The Lord blessed me with an awesome big brother, and I cherish all of our memories. I have loved being a part of your life these past 25 years and seeing you go from a cute little boy with ears and a tongue thrust to a grown man who is a wonderful brother, son, husband, man of God, and someday a father. I love you! Happy 30th birthday!

Hoppy Easter!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

3 Months

Braxton is officially 1/4 of a year old! Pretty soon we'll be sending him off to college! These past three months have been such a blessing, and Braxton seems to become more fun every day! I can't wait to see what these next 3 months have in store for us!


Braxton weighs approximately 13 lbs and is about 24 inches. That seems big to us but is probably a bit small for babies his age. He is one healthy and happy baby boy though! He really recognizes Blake and I as mommy and daddy now because he grins at us whenever we walk into a room. His smile can truly melt your heart, so I can only imagine the girls' hearts he is going to break when he gets older...much older!

Braxton has also become a lot more vocal. He is really chatty with all of his goos and gaas. When he gets really excited he'll yell "Aah!" really loudly. He hasn't had a full blown giggle quite yet, but he is working on it.

Braxton still loves music. He really likes to dance. I will lay him in his chair, and he will just kick his legs back and forth causing his rocker to rock back and forth. My Dad, aka Pops, calls it restless leg syndrome. :)

Braxton is still sleeping well. He wakes up one time during the night, usually around 3-4 a.m. By the time I am ready for work, Braxton is awake again ready to eat and start the day with Daddy.

Speaking of, Daddy Daycare is going really well. Better than expected! Blake still has some good days and bad days with Braxton, but for the most part, they are good. He usually just has to feed him 3 times during the day. Braxton is usually awake and happy laying in his chair or swing, but occasionally he will insist on laying on Daddy's chest. Somehow Blake can still work on his computer like this, but I doubt he is quite as efficient. I usually get home about 4-4:30 to relieve Daddy of his duty, and he will work several more hours while I play with baby, puppy, prepare dinner, etc. Overall, we got a pretty good system working.

Big Sister Chelsy is doing well. She still loves Braxton very much. She likes to prove this by licking Braxton's face if we are not paying attention! Ick! We are going to try doggie daycare again on Monday. Pray that all goes well, and she is over her "weirdness." We asked our vet about her lashing out at other dogs, and he said it's probably because she is having trouble determining who is "alpha" at home, so she is sure to establish this at daycare. Makes sense to me!

Here are some pictures of Braxton from our picture page. I can't ever decide who Braxton looks like! Tomorrow is Easter, so we will take some pictures of that too! Stay tuned! Love and peace to all! Happy Easter! He is risen!

In this picture I think Braxton looks like Blake's cousin Tanner, which means he looks like a Birkenfeld.

I think he looks a lot like me in this one!

He looks like my brother Jared in this one.

He sleeps in the funniest positions and places!

Let's hope this statement is true for just about 18 'ish years.

This has been a favorite among many people.

Happy baby in his cloth diapers! Yes, we still do cloth and it is still going well. We do use disposables at night and when we go somewhere.
Family photo taken before church last week. We are one blue family!

I get it now!

I got this as a forward and can honestly say that I get it now. I never knew how much you could love something until I had a child. Now I know how much my parents really love me. :)

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my t houghts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Shopping Buddy!

A lot of "firsts" have been happening a lot here in the Birkenfeld household! We finally decided to get our bubble child out and let him experience the real world. We are getting that immune system built! Within the last week, Braxton has gone to church, small group, out to eat, shopping, and the list goes on! We have had grandparents, aunts, uncles, great grandparents all visiting during this spring break and have had a lot of fun.

Braxton did really well at church for the first time...until the music stopped. He was not at all interested in listening to the sermon, so Braxton and I joined about 8 other moms and babies in the "cry room." It's a room with a TV and rocking chairs for parents and children to go when their baby is crying and still be able to listen and see the sermon.

Braxton's first restaurant trip was to PF Changs. He just slept the entire time! Since then he has been out to eat about 4 more times! We've decided that loud restaurants are the best because he likes the noise. Plus other people can't hear him cry.

The greatest news is that Braxton loves to shop! He went shopping 3 straight days with my Mom and me. He did really well as long as we didn't push the limit. The first day we went shopping in downtown Grapevine, which is really neat! He did great until Mom mentioned going to Kohl's. The child screamed his lungs out and did so until we got him home! Needless to say, the Kohl's trip was put on hold until the next day. :)

My spring break is coming to a close and reality is about to really set in. I did go back to work for 2 days before spring break, but it wasn't too bad because I knew spring break was just around the corner. Those 2 days were not easy. Braxton did just fine, Blake did just fine, it was momma that did not. I teared up just about every time I heard, "Glad you're back! How's that baby!?" Maybe Monday I'll do better? Doubt it!

Well, I better go cheer on those aggies! They are about to beat #1 UConn! I'm smelling an upset! No wait! That's just Braxton's diaper. There has been some rumbling in his pants the whole time I've been typing this post. He is one loud pooper! Thanks and gig 'em!