T-Ball Is Totally T-riffic!!!

Our oldest son, Kendal, tried t-ball this year!! He loved the idea that he didn't have to run as much as he did with soccer last year. He liked wearing his blue shirt and his leather mitt, but I think most of all he liked the treat at the end. He did get to do a grand slam once, meaning that since they have a ten player rotation, on the tenth batter they have everyone on the bases to run all the way home and Kendal was that magical tenth batter when the bases were loaded. It was a really fun moment for him.

We are hoping all our kids will have an opportunity to try a bunch of new things in life. Kendal is interested in so many things that I am happy that he is also brave. He will try most anything with enough encouragement. We sure love him!!

Great Season, Son!!!

Happy Happy Birthday, Cameron, Dear...

Okay, so Cam's birthday was actually July 15th, and I am just way behind with the blog, so, I decided to catch up a little while the kids are playing nicely (not sure how long it will last).

Cameron Noel Bryan was born July 15th, 1976 in the small hospital of the town of Portsmouth, Virginia. He was a bouncing baby boy of Rodney and Lynne Bryan, the third boy and the third child to arrive in the family. He would grow to be a quiet, thoughtful boy, and intelligent, able man. I happen to know that he is also a loving husband and my eternal best friend. Here are 33 things I love about Cameron:

33. I love his dedication to his family.
32. I love that he pays the bills for our family.
31. I love that he is proficient with a lawnmower.
30. I love that he will eat anything I cook, even if it is not gourmet.
29. I love that he does NOT have a hairy chest.
28. I love that he kisses me goodbye every morning before he leaves for work.
27. I love that he lifts heavy things for me.
26. I love that he is so tall.
25. I love that he can reach the highest shelves at the grocery store.
24. I love how he tries to sing hymns at church and is never on key.
23. I love that he takes the kids to the park to launch rockets.
22. I love the way he looks in hospital scrubs.
21. I love that his wedding ring is all scratched up, and he never wants it buffed.
20. I love that he can eat, and eat, and eat and never gain a pound (actually I am jealous of that one)
19. I love that he can grow a goatee.
18. I love that he throws crazy things in the grocery cart when he is hungry.
17. I love that he leaves the seat down.
16. I love that he lets me handle the remote...most of the time.
15. I love that he is friends with the husbands of my friends.
14. I love his trust in the Lord.
13. I love that he can fix lots of things.
12. I love that he is tall, dark, and handsome...my very own prince!
11. I love that he reads to the kids every night he is home.
10. I love that when I make dinner, he cleans the kitchen and the dishes after.
9. I love it when he tells me I am cute.
8. I love that he can never get a figure of speech right, but he tries anyway.
7. I love the way he holds my hand.
6. I love to watch Cam carry Avery (or any of the kids) to bed when they fall asleep cuddling him. So cute!!
5. I love when he flexes his muscles in the mirror.
4. I love to watch him bowl left-handed.
3. I love to watch him do everything left-handed.
2. I love that he is my best friend.
1. I love that he is mine.

He has been mine for 14 of those 33 years. It doesn't seem that long. That is probably why we are still together.

I love you, Cam!!

Happy Birthday!!!

All HER Little Fingers and All HER Little Toes...

The 20 week ultrasound is always exciting!! We always make sure we count fingers and toes. We always want to see everything just where it is supposed to be. In our family, we always want to see if there may be a cleft lip or palate. There are just a few things we want to see before we even dare to find out if the baby is a he or a she.

The great news is SHE is BEAUTIFULLY PERFECT!! Our ultrasound was almost 2 hours. The ultrasonographer took great care to look several times over the nose and lip area and quite a few passes for toes and fingers, along with other regions to confirm boyness or girlness. We also had a student who took some time to learn some angles and find anatomy.

For all that looking, neither could find any "external" clues as to boyness, so naturally we have deduced we are expecting a GIRL!! And by the thoroughness of the ultrasound, I believe we have no reason to doubt our conclusions.

We couldn't be more excited to welcome HER into our family!! SHE will be number four and will join her 2 brothers and 1 sister. With the total of six in our family, we will be even at 3 of each!!

Our children all have opinions about the new arrival. Avery has told anyone within the sound of her voice that she was right about knowing the baby was a "girl baby". She has also taken the liberty of picking names for her. She would love her name to be either Natalie or Jessica. Cameron and I have not considered those names before, but we have decided to put them on the list. Kendal is less excited to have another girl in the house. He has learned early, especially from Avery, that girls, no matter what age, are very complex. He is also learning quickly to be patient and kind to ANY girl to avoid conflict. He is also learning that avoiding conflict is sometimes completely unavoidable where girls are concerned. Drew just seems so small. We can still hold him and rock him and cuddle him. It is just hard to remember that they start out so much smaller than Drew is now at 18 months. I am hoping he will accept and love as he always does.

In all of this, we can't help but feel completely blessed. Family is hard work, and sometimes really tough. There are always challenges no matter what season we are in. There are also many joys, many giggles, many truly amazing moments that give us a glimpse of why we are meant to be families. What an awesome responsibility to be part of creating one.

We are totally amazed that our little family has a soon-to-be total of 40 little fingers and 40 little toes. What a miracle!!

Seven Years Good Luck!!

June 29th, 2002

Oh, just look at that crazy-in-love couple, unaware of the future before them, not caring what would happen because they just knew no matter what, as long as they were together they could weather any storm, defeat any foe, endure any hardship.

Just look at those faces. The smiles just wouldn't wash off.

How could the day be anthing but perfect? The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming-all for that day. That beautiful June wedding day.

Well, it took almost SEVEN years to get to that day...and it has been SEVEN years since that day. I guess it has been SEVEN YEARS GOOD LUCK!!

Here's to SEVENTY-SEVEN more!!! I love you, Cameron Noel Bryan!!! Then, Now, and Forever!! Happy Anniversary!!!

Daddy Magic!!

We did not forget Father's Day, we have just been so busy, we couldn't post. I am proud to have a husband who is such a great father. He's not just a father, he's a DADDY...and WE LOVE HIM!!!



For Father's Day, I just wanted to post a public "thank you" to my husband and the father he is and is becoming every day. As you can see by this picture, Cameron is quite like his father, Rod. That is a very good thing!!! I have seen many acts of kindness and love from these two men. They have always provided well for their families and beyond. They are also fun and creative, smart and sweet, patient and hardworking. Thanks for being the kind of men you were sent here to be!!



Could there be any cuter picture of a father and a son than this one? When Kendal was born, I knew Cameron would love him. I knew they would be alike. I did not know they would be carbon copies of each other. Another really good thing!! Kendal and Cameron have the same inquisitive mind, the same interests, the same sneezing technique to name just a few similarities.



And Cameron is a big kid in a tall, dark, and handsome physique. He and Kendal can find just about anything to turn into a toy or something to take apart and rebuild.
Kendal says his favorite thing about his daddy is when they play the Wii together, so there ya go.



Cameron is also great with Avery. She can be a handful, but Cam is ever kind and patient. And no matter what she may do, she adores him. I have seen him many times combing her hair and tying in just the right ribbon. He has often rocked baby dolls to sleep, and pushed her on the swing. He might think it is being soft. I think it is being perfectly manly. Avery says her favorite things about her daddy are his hugs.



Drew sees his father as someone he trusts...and someone tall enough to reach what he really wants. Cameron throws him and rocks him and every night feeds him from his lap and from his own plate because Drew thinks Daddy's food tastes better than what we give him in the high chair. I love to watch Cameron carry him with his strong arms. I feel very blessed with Cam as head of our family. He is everything he should be.

Thanks, Daddy!! You are the best!!!

Okay... I know it has been a while...

I have to warn all of you, there are plenty of posts to read up on. I tried to get us all back up to speed. I know you have all been waiting on pins and needles. So, hear ya go. Enjoy!! And thanks for stopping by!!!

Camping in the Dirt??? Sign Us Up!!!

Our tent.



Daddy and Drew are ready for nature.



Cave Falls was beautiful!!



Where there is nature, there are critters...





...And Kendal and Avery had a great time enjoying all nature could provide. Can your mom say
hand sanitizer? I am pretty sure she can!!



When it rains up there, it pours!! To keep the rain puddles out of camp, some men (I would interject "boys") dug a trench to a nearby gopher hole. The rain just kept pouring into it. It never did fill completely.



The Brasier, Haws, and Leonard Families know how to make a tarp into some kind of beautiful blue outdoor veranda. We were all very impressed!!


We were invited by some good friends to Porcupine Creek for Memorial Day Weekend to go camping. When they said camping, they meant CAMPING. No hook-ups, no cell phone reception, no hair dryer outlets...WE WERE ROUGHING IT!! Okay, not really, unless you count turning the heater in the trailer down to 65 degrees because we are CAMPING and wanted to really feel like it.

We had so much fun, and judging by the layers of dirt on our children that we had to chisel off every night before they went to bed, they had a good time, too. Ya know, camping isn't always happy. It isn't always dry. It isn't always pretty. It isn't always peaceful. There may be bears (whether the natural wild variety or just my children), but we spend good times together. Hopefully these times will be good memories. I want my kids to be able to say they have gone camping since before they can remember. That's how I grew up, and I still remember things from when I was very small. Kendal pulled in his first fish. Avery loved the tire swing. Drew was happy on the four-wheeler. Tari loved learning about serious dutch oven cooking. Cameron found a lonely fishing pole down in some green on the bank of the creek... We all have our memories to keep... and to share.

Thanks, Brasiers and Haws and Leonards. It was great roughing it with ya!!!