Redfish/Challis trip

We loaded the little Neon down (like seriously loaded it, I’m just going to say it I am a master packer!) and headed on a 500 mile road trip of central Idaho. We stopped in Twin and gave Grandma Kris some Bryker time, dropped a few things off and then then started the trek to Redfish. We were stressing the whole way there about the car making it and whether or not we would even be able to camp because of the smoke from all the fires (Idaho is on fire this summer). It seemed like each person we talked to had a different warning or restriction that we didn’t even know about! Thank heavens everything turned out just fine and the smoke really wasn’t even that bad.

Alturas

I’ve been to this area quite a bit growing up so it was so much fun to be driving and actually feel like I knew where I was and could talk Ter’s ear off with all of my stories. We made a quick detour to Alturas and Bryke was in heaven with all the water and plenty of rocks to throw in it and then wasn’t so happy when we put him back in the car after such a short time out, but we wanted to make it to Redfish and make sure we had time to find a campsite and get all set up.

Redfish Lake

We made it to Redfish and it was good that we had given ourselves some time to find a site because the place was packed after about an hour and a few arguments later (sorry sweetie!) we finally found a great site and everything turned out fine! It even turned out that Brett and Vanessa were only 3 campsites down! It was a ton of fun to be able to pal around together and David and Bryke were loving rolling in the dirt and playing at the lake together. We played at the lake our first night, came back and had Navajo tacos and then settled around the campfire for some s’mores that Vanessa was so nice to share. Bryke is such a trooper when it comes to camping. I swear he sleeps better camping than he does at home! The next morning we had some yummy breakfast burritos and then headed to the fish hatchery-which was so cool! Ter was in heaven and it was pretty interesting to learn all about the Salmon. Then we came back and packed up and went to the lake for one last dip and some lunch.

Bryker and David kissing the rock-so funny! At the fish hatchery and Bryke sick of taking pictures

   Then we started on our way to Challis-that part of Idaho is so beautiful! We made it there and explored the town for Casey and Marianne and found a nice little park until everyone else caught up with us then the unpacking began. They did it in record timing and then we were treated to pizza and camped out in Casey and Marianne's backyard with the deer :) It was great to be able to end our trip with most of our family just hangin' out-we love you guys!

We stopped in Mackay and the guys fished for a couple hours-my handsome fisherman!

I’m completely smitten with Redfish and really hope it turns into a family summer tradition! Thanks for being the best traveling 18^th month {ever} baby boy and thanks for driving the entire trip honey-I love my boys!

24 weeks-you're as big as a canteloupe baby boy!

Time really is flying and in this case I think it’s perfectly ok! We can’t wait to meet you baby boy! I am getting uncomfortable a lot quicker this time around but Bryke keeps me going so there isn’t much time to dwell on it. I am a little nervous for this little man to come into the world I feel like he never stops moving in my belly so I’m sure that he’ll keep us hopping. Right now we’re pretty sure his name will be Keegan but we’ll see.

I am so excited to be the mama of 2 boys! I see Bryke playing with older boys and I just can’t wait until his little brother is here and they can grow and play together. One of my deepest wishes is that they will have a good relationship. I want so badly to be able to raise kids who love each other and want to be around each other. If we can do this I will be the world’s happiest mom!

Can’t wait to meet you baby boy!

18 months for Bryke

Well hello little man who isn’t so little anymore!! I can’t believe how big you are and just how much fun you are. There are moments when I just sit there and think this mom business is the best job in the whole world. You really are the center of your dad and I’s world and I know big changes are headed our way with your little brother on the way but I promise he won’t be so bad. And that even though he is going to need a lot of our attention there will always. always. always. be time for you, our little bug! You mean the world to us-keep growing strong and letting your amazing little personality shine through- we love you to the moon and back!

Here are your 18 month stats and some things your mama doesn’t want to forget about you :)

Height- 33.5 inches -85%

Weight- 24 lbs 3 oz. -65 %

Head- 51 cm -100 + % ...He’ll grow into it :)

-you can say so many words and understand us really well. You say ball, wa-wa (water), juice, cheese, nana (banana), pretzel (so cute when you say this), choo choo (you really love trains right now), vroom vroom (for all your trucks), lots of animals and their sounds (my favorite is your roar, you just roar randomly now) ya ya (outside), bpa-bpa (grandpa and you say this whenever you see a tractor), grandma, mi mi (Macey or your binky), mommy (absolutely love it when you say this!), daddy, Jill, nenal (Kendal), shoe yew (shoe and you always say the two words for it , go (you love for mommy to say mark get set go and then race), baby, No (this is your {favorite} word) you also sign please and more

-you are spoiled rotten and most nights end up in mommy and daddy’s bed. Your not so much of a bed hog anymore but we need to get tough and kick you back to your own bed little mr!

-I give you your wet diaper and tell you to through it away and you take it right to the diaper genie and flip the handle and everything, you are such a big helper already!

-you love to be outside and say ya ya whenever you want to go out.
-you are a little obsessed with Thomas the Train right now...mommy probably hears choo choo about 500 times a day :)

-you love to sing 3 little monkeys swingin’ in a tree and do the action of mr crocodile quiet as can be snaps that monkey right out that tree.

-you still love to play with pots and pans and have started to pretend to eat what you are cooking
-you absolutely love the swings! you would swing for an hour straight if we let you!

-we tell you to go get your shoes and 9 times out of 10 you bring us back matching shoes you little smarty pants!

-you love to play in the blinds and climb up in the window

-you do the funniest thing with the twins and sometimes daddy. You touch the floor and then rub their head and then the floor and then their heads again. We can’t quite figure this one out yet??

-you have really started to like reading books with us

-your still a pretty great eater but only if we let you feed yourself

-you are the world’s best traveling baby-seriously you hardly ever make a peep in the car unless your singing to yourself :)

-the vacuum and other loud noises still aren’t your favorite

-nursery hasn’t gone over so well you little stinker! You do so well playing with other kids but for some reason you are not a fan of nursery if mommy isn’t in there with you

-you have an arm! Baseball is in your future I just know it :)

-not so sure if you really grasp that you are getting a baby brother. You love babies and always say baby when you see one. You love to kiss and slobber all over mommy’s tummy-you dive bomb baby brother when you give him a kiss. If daddy is around you grab for his head and make sure he gives baby brother a kiss too-thanks for being such a sweetie I really hope you still like him as much when he’s not in my tummy!

-You are the best at giving kisses and melt my heart every time that you pucker up. You’ve also learned that a kiss is the ticket out of time out. As soon as we sit you in time out you are looking up at us going Mmm trying to plant one on us so you can get down.

-you know how to throw a pretty good fit and hit so your pretty familiar with time out

-you are the funniest sweetest feistiest little boy around and we couldn’t love you more!

On July 13^th we found out that Bryker is getting a baby brother and we couldn’t be more excited!! 2 little boys running around is going to keep us hopping but it is going to be so much fun! I feel bad I haven’t been better about blogging or taking bump pictures this time around. But there most definitely is a bump and this little man is a mover! We can’t wait to meet you! Right now we think your name will either be Keegan or Wyatt and your middle name is for sure Karl after your grandpa Brown. We love you baby boy!

Here are some more details for journaling purpose:

I’d been throwin’ out the idea of baby #2 for a little while just kind of seeing what we thought but we thought it would take a little while longer, like 3 or 4 months longer. I went in for a yearly dr. appointment and was talking to my awesome dr. about our plans. But we had a little problem because I hadn’t had a period since December and it was March! I had taken a test in January and February and both were negative so I was getting a little worried that baby #2 might not come along for awhile. Well, the dr. put me on birth control to get regular again and sent me off with the hope of being pregnant in 3 or 4 months. I took the first week of the white non-drug pills and was sick once in the middle of the night that week. Ter completely joking said that I was pregnant. I took one of the real pills and then thought I should take one more test just to be triple sure.  I didn’t want to be pregnant and taking birth control. I could not believe my eyes when there were 2 lines!! Shocked is putting it lightly! I set the test up on the counter in the bathroom and waited for Ter to come home and get a little surprise. I couldn’t really wait for him to find it on his own and plus he thought I was being a little creeper standing by the doorway :) I wish I had a picture of his face. At first I thought he wasn’t happy but he was just so darn surprised! I called the dr. the next day and they got me in on April 5^th for an ultrasound. I think the nurse I talked to got a little excited and thought I was super far along but when we got the ultrasound they couldn’t even see a heartbeat just a gestational sac. It was pretty confusing and we left with mixed feelings was I pregnant or not? They said that I could be anywhere from 5 days to 4 ½ weeks. I got blood work done after that and the dr. said the levels looked good and that everything should be ok. So then the waiting began for Medicaid (seriously the biggest blessing e.v.e.r!) to kick in so we could get our next ultrasound. We ended up waiting like 7 weeks. We thought the farthest I could be was 10 weeks and got a big surprise when we saw a little person instead of just a bean on the ultrasound screen! Turns out I was almost 13 ½ weeks at our second ultrasound! It was so crazy to go in expecting to see something tiny and see a fully formed little person in there-reality hit! (As if the awful morning/all day sickness wasn’t reality enough :) So then life kept moving a million miles an hour, Ter left for his internship, me and Bryke partied and baby brother grew. This pregnancy has been so different than with Bryke. I got sick around 5 weeks (which made me think it was a girl) and being pregnant with a 1 ½ year old doesn’t leave you a lot of time to be sick or just enjoy it. I feel like it’s gone faster which has been pretty nice. I’m 24 weeks now feeling great, getting big and counting down the weeks until we go from 3 to 4 :)