We are having a .................

I'm currently 19 weeks along in my pregnancy and today we had our ultra-sound. We found out a few weeks ago what gender the baby is because of a new blood test they do. However, we wanted to wait until we had our ultra-sound to announce it to everyone.

Girl or Boy?

Braydon's hands are painted

Placing on hands with paint on Mommy's belly

It's a boy!

In case you couldn't figure it out from the photos we are having a BOY!!!!

Here is his first picture!

Baby boy profile!

Santa

We have been slacking this winter and kept putting off seeing Santa. So today we decided to head to the mall and pay the old guy a visit. Since it is December 22nd it was packed!! We got in line at 10:30am and were told that we may not make it to the front of the line by 12:30pm, which is when Santa goes to lunch. So we waited since we really don't have another day to go. After waiting in line 1 1/2 hours we are told the line has been stopped, so Santa can have lunch. We now have to wait 1 hour and 15 min until the line will move again. To make it worse we were five people away from Santa!

So we wait and take turns standing in line. Braydon and I head to Panda Express and grab some food. Then Chris goes for a walk when we return. Braydon passes the time by playing games on my phone. Finally the line starts to move again and we get to see Santa!

Braydon was so happy and told Santa he was good, even though he told us he would tell Santa he wasn't good! He also asked for a Monsters University toy (Santa got him the move instead of a toy!) Then when I went up to pay for the photo and I was told someone bought it early! After all that it made me feel better and know there are good people out there!

Pulling my hair out!

Things here have been really crazy lately. Braydon is 4 1/2 and testing us all the time. Lately it has been because we ask him to clean up his toys and he refuses. Then I box them up or put them in garbage bags and he tells me I missed a few. It seems he doesn't care if he has toys or not! So that will make it very easy for Santa Claus this year, no toys for this child. When I told him Santa wouldn't be bringing him toys this year, he didn't seem to care.

I have tried all the discipline books and he just doesn't respond to anything. You can only put someone in time out so many times! He loses out on going to things with friends because he doesn't listen, but yet it doesn't seem to bother him. Both the hubby and I are at our wits end with this child. He is so stubborn we don't know what else to do.

Then when you get really mad at him he does something really cute and you want to just eat him up! I have friends with older kids who tell me it gets better when they reach five years old! I honestly don't know if I can make it till then!

First Day of Pre K

Braydon started Pre K today! It's hard to believe he is old enough for school, didn't I just have him yesterday? LOL! He goes to school in the afternoon session and couldn't wait to get there. When it was finally time to go he was out the door in a flash!

I was wondering if he would cry when I dropped him off, but nope not a tear! :( I actually got teary eyed dropping him off!

Chris came with me to pick Braydon up as a surprise. We got there a little early and they where outside playing. Each kid had art work in their cubby, we picked it up and him. He sat quietly and waited for the teacher to call his name to go home. He was so happy to see Mommy and Daddy and wouldn't stop talking about his school day. Can't wait to see how he does on Monday!

Preschool Orientation

Today Braydon had his orientation for preschool. He was a little upset because we only stayed for an hour! There are going to be 19 maybe 20 kids in his class with two teachers. I picked the Freedom Center Preschool because I liked how intimate the class was. We do swim lessons in the same building and the people are so nice it made me like the school too!

The orientation didn't have all of his classmates just half. There is already one boy who I can see as being an issue. This kid wouldn't listen to the teachers and his parents just ignored him and his bad behavior. He thought it was alright to run out the door, to throw pencils at people, and to dump all the legos out when the Teacher said not to. The kicker is that this all happened in a 30 time span!!

He will start this coming Friday. Crazy that he will be starting school on Friday the 13th! Is that a bad omen? Can't wait to see how that goes!

Water sliding fun!

Sunday is usually our rest day. We hang around the house and get laundry done and prepare for our week. But since Monday was a holiday we had other things to do. Some of our neighbors where hosting a little block party with the theme of bacon. Chris made his bacon wrapped jalapenos and everyone loved them! I didn't eat them because I would have been in way too much pain from them. They had an awesome inflatable water slide for the kids. Braydon couldn't wait all day just to get over there and go on the water slide.

I have to admit I was quite jealous of the amount of fun the kids seemed to be having on it. I didn't get a chance to stay and watch them play too long because I had a wedding to shoot.

My girlfriend does mostly wedding photography and she needed a second shooter for a wedding she was doing. I had never done photography for a wedding so I said I would join her. I have to admit that I was very nervous and prayed that I would do good.

The wedding was in Alexandria at the Carlyle Club and was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed the experience of shooting the wedding, but I have to admit it may not be my cup of tea. I like having my weekends with my family. If I decide to do a photo shoot it only is a few hours not my whole day. That being said if I am offered the chance to shoot a wedding I will, but I'm not going to make it my life's work.

Evening at the ballpark

Last night we decided to go to the Washington Nationals baseball game. It had been since May that we had been to a game so we were due! The seats we got were the best we had ever had!! We sat in section 132 row M. To give you a better idea of this seat in relation to the field. We where 13 rows back from the first baseman. We also made sure that these seats where on the side that the President race would be on, because that is one of Braydon's most favorite things to see at the game.

 

There is a restaurant that has quite the cult following. It's called Shake Shack and is an East Coast hamburger joint. I've been hearing all about this place for quite some time. They actually have a location at the Nationals Park. I decided to finally try it! While I wasn't overall thrilled (it reminds me of Steak and Shake) I did enjoy it. 

We managed to see two home runs during the game and Braydon even got a foul ball. Well Chris actually caught it and gave it to Braydon. The foul came off of Ian Desmond who happens to be one of Braydon's favorite players. The other is Bryce Harper, that poor boy had a bad game when it came to at bats.

One cool thing they do at Nationals Park is offer after game concerts. Unfortunately the day before our game was Sammy Hagar, and the game following was Gavin DeGraw. However, we got to see some Fireworks and that just made my little man's day, well not as much as the foul ball did!

 

We are starting off our labor day weekend right. First the ball game on Friday, Soccer and the pool on Saturday, and the movie Planes on either Sunday or Monday. 

Summer

I really can't believe that our summer is almost over! In a couple of weeks Braydon will be starting school! Yikes! I can't believe I just typed that!!!! My little boy is going to be in preschool. It's only M/W/F for half days, but still it will be weird not to be with him. But, it is good that he will be in school and getting him used to a learning environment before Kindergarten next year.

An update on what we did in July. We went to Kentucky to visit the hubby's family for the 4th of July. Then when we came back we kept busy with me doing photos, Chris working, and Braydon doing soccer. August was pretty much the same, except we managed to get a trip back to Chicago in during the month. We went home because my brother and sister-in-law had a baby shower.

Our trip home was eventful because Braydon had to go to the ER twice! Yes you read that right twice! This keeps his average of one ER visit a year in tact. It also manages to keep him good till he is 6 years old! He was running around my Aunt's house and hit his head on the kitchen island. This managed to cut him enough for a staple in his head. I think he was most upset about the ER visit taking time away from his fishing. The second visit included my first for the trip. We both had these unexplained spots on our bodies. His where under the arms and mine where on my back. Turned out to be a skin allergy for me and a hair follicle infection for Braydon. After a round of meds we are on the track to getting better.

With August coming to a close we are staying close to home. Next weekend is my birthday and who knows what we will be doing! Hopefully the hubby knows because I shouldn't have to plan my own birthday, should I?

Super Moon

I love photography and one of the things I love to photograph is nature. So when I heard about the Super Moon we where supposed to have this past weekend I was thrilled. Then Saturday came and I completely forgot about it and went to sleep early! Boo!! Thankfully I had another chance on Sunday and made sure to get a shot. I wasn't too thrilled with the ones I got, if only I had a better lens. However, I knew I'd be able to do something with the photos. After playing with them in the editing program I fell in love. Which one is your favorite?

New Kids on The Block

Yes you read that right I typed New Kids on The Block. Last Friday night I went to go see them in concert with my girlfriend Michelle. The last time I saw them was when I was 10 years old, it was also my first concert then. It has been 25 years since they toured and since I saw them! The tour was called The Package Tour and also included Boyz II Men and 98 degrees. I knew all of the Boyz II Men songs because they came from the same time as New Kids. However, 98 degrees threw me a little. They came out in 1997 when I was graduating high school and not really listening to that type of music. All in all though it was an excellent concert and I was sad when it ended. I screamed like a little girl and was so thrilled to see them on stage. I'm hoping I don't have to wait another 25 years to see them again!

 This is when Joey brought his son Griffin out to sing with him and the guys!

Soccer

Braydon has been begging us to play soccer for almost a year now. We figured he was at a good age now (4) to try it. We signed him up for a 12 week class that started yesterday. He was so excited to go and looked so cute in his uniform.

Then when we got there it was a little early and he had to wait for the other classes to finish. He doesn't handle waiting for things very well and was very upset about this. When it came time for his class he was so excited and listened good to the coach.

However, after awhile he had enough and wanted to go home and never come back. He was upset because he didn't have the coaches undivided attention. I calmed him down and he went back in. Then came another melt down, and another. He finished the practice and was happy and wants to go back again.

I think this will be so good for him because he needs to learn to listen and follow directions. Can't wait to see how it goes next Saturday!

Poor Goofy!

Most people know that Braydon takes Goofy with him everywhere and has been extremely attached to him for the past year. Before that we went through several stuffed animals until he took to Goofy. It still baffles us as to why he chose Goofy, but he loves him. Lately Goofy has been looking a little ragged and Braydon sidelined him for Mickey. I questioned him and he told me it was because Goofy was dirty. When I asked if he would like me to wash him, he quickly said yes and couldn't wait.

Of course I have no idea how to wash a stuffed animal, and he didn't have any washing instructions. So I went to good ole Google. I decided to hand wash him with dish soap and then hang dry him for awhile. Unfortunately I couldn't hang him outside because it was raining the day I washed him. So here he is hanging inside the laundry room.

Later when I realized he wasn't drying fast enough for my standards I put him in the dryer with some towels. He came out fluffy and smelling wonderful. Needless to say that made one little boy very happy and he has been with him ever since!

Trying to Keep Calm Through the Fours!

We have all heard the "terrible twos" some would say the "trying threes" well the fours are UNFORTUNATE! This little guy has been four for almost a month and seems to be pressing all of our buttons! In the past few weeks he has managed to rip apart books, take apart his train table, take apart his bookcase, climbed on top of his changing table, constantly not stay in bed till his clock turns green, and always grabs things that he shouldn't.

These aren't all new things, he has been doing them since he was three, but they are getting worse. I try time outs and taking away privileges, but this seems to amuse him.  From things I've read he just has so much energy that he just needs an outlet. We are starting soccer in the next couple of weeks, and then swimming starts the end of June. Hopefully this will help keep me calm during the summer. Then in September school starts and hopefully that will help to extinguish his energy level.

I have been told that raising a boy is very difficult and now I fully understand that statement. Also when the hubby was little apparently he was a handful. Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!

Here's a little picture college of times when the little guy was behaving and listening to his Mommy! :) Enjoy!

Dentist

Today Braydon had his first real visit to the Dentist. The last time he visited he was only 1 1/2 years old. I know I have neglected taking him to the Dentist, but I was a little confused by our insurance. They sent an insurance card for me but not one for Braydon so I didn't know if he was covered. Then we changed insurance and I forgot. So finally I remembered and looked it up and found a Pediatric Dentist. The cleaning went really good, only a few times we had to bribe him! They gave him a token each time he was really good. Braydon even let them take x-rays and was a champ about it too. He left with three tokens which he got to use for prizes before we left. Let's hope he is this good when we go back in 6 months.

Braydon 4th Birthday

I still can't believe that my little man is now 4 years old. Last Saturday we celebrated Braydon's fourth b-day with a Jake and the Neverland Pirates birthday party.

 

The only family that was able to make it was Mimi & Poppa. He was a little upset about that but got over it quickly when he saw that Mimi & Poppa brought his Jeep and it was staying here! His Jeep was a huge hit with all his friends. Everyone wanted to either drive it or ride on it. He even managed to pick up some neighborhood kids who had just passed by and saw the Jeep!

His party was fun and he really enjoyed all the gifts that everyone gave him. I don't think I've every seen a kid get more excited each time he opened something. 

Circus and Dragons

Last Friday was another day off for Chris so we decided to go to the circus! We went last year and took Braydon to his first circus. He loved it, so when he saw commercials for it this year he begged to go again. This year the theme was Dragons!! It ended up costing $100 for three tickets which not even our baseball game cost that much! But in the end was worth it because he had a blast and our seats where awesome.

When we got there Braydon didn't want to go down on the floor because of the clowns. He finally got over his fear but by then the circus was getting ready to start. The ring master had a midget as a side kick and Braydon kept calling him a little boy! The stuff that boy says just makes me laugh!

The show kept his attention until they started having the acrobats come out. That seemed to bore him and he started to get antsy. The things he probably liked best where the clowns, the elephants, the motorcycles, the dragon, and the fact that he got cotton candy AND popcorn! Guess we will have to look at making this a yearly event. Next year the show is about construction!

Nationals Ball Game

Growing up in Chicago I have been to my share of Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox games. I am a die hard Cubs fan and love them even if they have a losing record. Not until last year had I ever been to another ball park outside of Chicago. Last year we went to a Baltimore Orioles game. This year we are going to the Cubs vs. Washington Nationals game, but that isn't until May. When Chris decided to take the day off of work on Thursday we looked and found awesome tickets to see the Nationals play the White Sox. It was a night game so we decided to make an afternoon out of it.

We headed down on the train and then had a late lunch/early dinner at Gordon Biersch. After lunch we went to the ball park when the gates opened, 2 1/2 hours before game time. The park is only 5 years old and is beautiful. They have a play area for kids to play on and you couldn't get Braydon off of it.

After awhile we dragged him away so that we could get to our seats. Our seats were awesome!!! We sat between first base and right field.

Braydon begged for a foam finger and I think it may have been the best $10 I ever spent! He is still playing with it. Every time he put it on he said "Go Nuts" instead of "Go Nats". Now he is finally saying it right.

When you ask Braydon who his favorite player is, he'll tell you Drew Harper. Well that person doesn't exist! He means Bryce Harper, and actually that is my favorite. Ian Desmond is his favorite because he has a mustache!

We decided to leave in the 7th inning because they were winning and we wanted to beat the rush at the train station. Well I didn't think we had that many people waiting for the train but Chris was miserable about the "crowd". Maybe for the next game we will drive since there are places to park down there.

Cherry Blossoms

 The Cherry Blossom Festival is a really big deal in Washington, D.C. Last year we had just moved to the area and were busy getting settled in our house. So this year I really wanted to go. Sunday the weather report said it would be in the 70's so I figured what a better day to go. We went with some of our friends and took the train in. The place was packed! We walked around for several hours and Braydon was such a trouper, he never complained.

The blossoms and the monument

Sitting by the reflecting pool

Never ask for him to say "cheese" this is what you get

Monsters!

Why are children afraid of monsters? Braydon has a nightly routine of things he has to do before he will attempt to go to sleep. Each night we read a book and then the checklist comes out. This checklist is something that I created because he kept repeating the same things over and over. I figured it would go quicker if we had a list so he didn't forget, sadly it didn't solve the being quicker issue. The checklist is two pages that I laminated and then we use a dry erase marker and check each one off.

Last night after our checklist was complete. Daddy decided to tell Braydon to say "don't let the monsters get me" and pointed to behind his headboard. This prompted Braydon to freak out that there were monsters behind his bed and his pillow pet was a monster. I had to change out his pillow and tell him there weren't any monsters. Hopefully tonight goes smoother and Daddy doesn't mention the monsters!!

My boy may be a genius!

Okay well maybe not, but he sure thinks he is! I don't know of many 3.5 year olds that can read a book, but Braydon has one series of books down. The Bizzy Bear series is quite quick and provides pull outs for the children to interact with. We have read these books to him and I think he now has them memorized. Now he insists that he read the books to us, and he does. Or at least he just repeats what he has heard. Either way I'm saying my boy is a genius and going to keep buying him books!

 

Happy Easter!

I really cannot believe that it is Easter already! It came really early this year and I didn't even have time to decorate. Easter is one of my favorite holidays, I guess it's because Easter usually means the arrival of Spring and no more deary days. However, that doesn't seem to be the case this year. It was beautiful yesterday, but today it's gloomy and raining.

We celebrated Easter at home this year. We didn't even cook this year, we ordered a dinner from Bob Evan's and picked it up. Braydon was so excited when he got up hoping that the Easter Bunny had come. He wasn't disappointed! The Easter Bunny came with a big basket full of stuff and left lot's of eggs for Braydon to find.

Braydon also got Easter basket's from Nana, Auntie and Bear. He also got a book from Mimi and Poppa. This whole day has been spent wanting all the candy from his basket. I'm just waiting for the crash from his sugar high!

Lowes and a Tow

This weekend started off on a good note. Braydon finally slept in!!!! He has been waking up when the school buses run which is 6:45am each morning. We had to actually go into his room and wake him up at 9:15am. Wish we could have let him sleep but we had a event to be at around 10am.

Lowes offers kid clinics where the child gets a kit of something to build. Braydon has been to one before where he built a monster truck. This weekend he got to build a bird thing the is a chomper. He loves it and loves that he gets to wear an apron and goggles!

Saturday afternoon I finally got my hair done! It had been since August so I was in dire need of a cut and color. My good friend Melissa has a sister-in-law who does hair and she did a great job on mine! However, when we got back to Melissa's house we noticed my car was gone. Apparently I did not park in a guest parking spot and the owner had my car towed. I went and paid the $195 and got my car back. But let me tell you Chris was not happy and I'm really pissed off at myself. Her complex really needs to label the spots better, but that is besides the point.

Sunday was just a day of getting things done around the house and preparing for another winter storm we are supposed to get.

Birthday Parties

Last night Braydon went to a superhero themed birthday party at a inflatable play place. He had a blast and today is telling me he wants to go back. The place is called Pump It Up and they have rooms with inflatables that the kids play on. Everything from slides to obstacle courses! They even had it themed for superheros with activities and gave each kid a superhero name. Braydon got the name Ice Man!

This party made me think about his upcoming birthday and how much parties have changed since he has gotten older. When he was a baby he really didn't have a say so in what we did or who came. Now that he will be turning four he has been telling me all he wants. Just when I think he has settled on a theme he changes his mind. I already started researching Spiderman parties when he said he wants a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party. Let's hope he stays on the Jake one for awhile since I have a lot of cute things planned! Now to plan the guest list and food!

Yes we are here!

I know I have neglected this blog. There has been so much going on that I kept putting the blog aside to work on other things. Then when I had the time to blog my computer kept acting up and I had to install new software to get it right again.

So with all that solved I can now tell you what we have been up to since Christmas! We spent the holidays in Chicago celebrating with family. It was the first Christmas that Braydon spent with family besides Mom and Dad! We have been in Sicily for the past Christmases and it was a nice change to celebrate with family.

We spent the next the next two months just going about life being boring! Our first snow storm came in March and Braydon had so much fun playing in it. Next year I have to make sure to invest in snow pants!

Then in March I decided after looking for a job for a year that I would start my own business. I have decided to start my own photography business. I have loved photography since high school and originally planned on majoring in it in college. My website is up and running, and I have my equipment, now I just need to build my profile. I'm going to continue looking for work, but this will keep me busy.You can check out my website at http://kellyhughesphotography.com/Home.php as well as my blog http://kellyhughesphotography.blogspot.com/