There is no way to catch up on the blogging I have missed in the last 4 months. And even though I have several "drafts" created through those 4 months that never quite made it to the page because of one thing or another, I still miss my blogging. So instead of trying to catch up, I'm jsut going to keep going as if I never stopped. Yes thats a 4 month gap in time, but, we'll just have to let it be for now!
Brayden is just about to finish up his first season of soccer. I had no idea how much he, or I, or our family would love him being involved in his first sport. He had a great group of kids on his team, and even though he was the youngest, and the smallest, that didn't deter him in the slightest. He always felt like one of the team and all the kids always treated him as such. I love how he isn't shy at all and how he instantly made friends with the other kids. I loved even more watching him stand up for one of the girls on his team when a girl on another team was making fun of her. Mike and I laughed non stop at how our kid has a personality bigger then any other kid we've ever met. He laughed and joked and danced, and ran, and ran, and ran during the game, often yelling super cute things at us like "I'm doing so great Mom!" Some games he didn't even touch the ball (though there weren't many) but you would have never known that by how much FUN he was having out there! His team's name was the Blue Jays and we had two great coaches and a really fun season. I'm already looking forward to next year!
Paytin is finally just taking off with walking! I can't say that it's been the relazing period in time that it was with Brayden though. That old saying about being grateful for the down time before they get active isn't true for Paytin. Anything I had learned, besides the unmeasurable love I could have for my little ones, in parenting Brayden doesnt really apply to Paytin. Where Brayden was timid, Paytin is outgoing, where he was easily entertained, she is the busiest little body ever, where Brayden was content, Paytin is adventurous, where Brayden wanted to cuddle, Paytin is fiercely independent, and where Brayden slept and slept and slept, Paytin doesnt, like ever. Haha. I love them so much, and am so grateful for how incredibly different they are. The bags in my eyes, and constant yawning, and several cups of coffee might scream different some days, but really, my heart is so very full! But back to walking, Paytin started taking steps at one of Brayden's soccer game and has "taken off" since then. She is still very wobbley and still crawls a lot, but she is getting so great at it and she is so hilarious how everytime she sits, stops, or falls she lights up as we clap for her and she claps for himself. Like I said, she's into everything, so before she even started taking steps, she was climbing the walls and can get on the table, chairs, computer desk, couch, our beds, with no problem. She's so insanely determined at all those things, and has no patience for trivial little things like toys. She's signing a few words and saying a few words and loves to jibber jabber. But aside from that, there are some glaring similarities between her and her brother and one is their LOVE for music. I have to get a good long video of how infectiously cute their dance moves are. Brayden has a very modern, hip hop feel to his dance moves and for sure gets them from his super coordinated Daddy, Paytin loves to bop up and down and wiggle her body and shake her arms and its absolutely melt-worthy! They adore each other still but we are starting to see more of the sibling rivalry between the two of them!
Mike is doing great still, doing so wonderful at work and its hard some times to not brag about him left and right about how wonderful he does at his job. There are so many people that don't "feel" their jobs, or are just getting by in them, I have to say, while it may be insanely hard work and so demanding and challenging, Mike is the best deputy I've ever met. I really can't say enough how proud I am. It means so much to me when someone comes up and thanks me for Mike, or tells me how blessed I am to be married to him. He makes a huge difference in our community, he makes people feel safer, he makes people feel at home, and he makes other people know that the law is the law. I really can't say enough about how proud I am of him as a man, and the integrity he has that is perfectly laced with determination, hard work, and compassion. He's a gem and he's such a blessing to me!
And I'm gearing up for a busy season with the Christmas Toy Drive coming up! That and staying busy with the kids and other goings on, and its no wonder I haven't blogged in so long. I promise to get back in it for whoever checks this, and am hoping to have some cute and memorable pictures to come in the next couple weeks!
Lots of love to everyone!
