Averton is THREE!! :)

My leetle first born munchkin is now a 3-year-old. Cressy. GOSH I miss her little baby moments, her baby noises, her mis-pronunciations of a million different words, her hilarious toddler grammatical errors... but I am loving watching her become a big girl. My first born, I love you so so so so so soooooo much :) Had SO much fun celebrating you today and making you feel super special.

We started the day off with breakfast cinnamon rolls (as Aves calls them), made cupcakes (her fave), opened presents, went to Gattitown (per the bday girl's random request), and got frozen yogurt! Terrific day letting Averton boss us around :)

At Aves' party (a couple weeks after her actual bday!), she kept throwing her arms up in the air & telling us "Mom! Dad! This is the best birthday EVER!!" It SO was NOT. But she SO thought it was :) And that is 100% all that counts. We played at the playground, grilled on the egg, ate lots of watermelon & cupcakes, then splashed it up @ the splashpad & played in the pool. The kiddos were WIPED out afterwards...just the way we like it :) So thankful for a healthy angel nugget to celebrate 3 years with. Pics to come.

Guests @ Averton's Partay:
-Mommy, Daddy, C-Lil
-Big Poppy (Nonni in spirit!)
-Nana & Papa
-Aunt Amy
-Kelly & Carson
-Casey, Greg, Tatum, & Hank
-Alicia & Noah
-Jenny, David, Jake, & Sophia
-wayyy too many cupcakes
-scorching sun
-an unacceptable # of flies. ew.

HAPPY THIRD AVERY NICOLE CUTIE PATOOTIE!!

Floater.

Welp. It finally happened. Cameron released the dreaded floaters tonight during bathtime. It scared the CEE ARR A PEEEEE out the littles. They spotted them, jumped to their feet and huddled in the corner of the tub screaming...LITERALLY screaming as if they were about to be eaten alive...until I was able to scoop them up... haha. Don't worry, I SWIFTLY rescued them from the nastiness and rebathed them. Hilar/Sicknast. Ohhhhhhh little babies. You never know what to expect :)

Have you ever locked your kiddo in the car??

because The Bradfords have! When we pulled into our driveway after a fun Easter Camping wknd, we both hopped out, got CamCam and then when I closed Cam's door, our car did a weird beepy thing and went on lockdown. WEIRD. Thank goodness Shrek was keeping Aves happy for the next 20 minutes until our friendly McKinney firemen arrived to save the day! :) THey were super super sweet with Aves and really gracious to ME about locking my CHILD in the friggin CAR! haha... couldn't let that little gem slide by without some documentation. I'm sure Aves will use this one against us for the rest of our lives. We love you little nugget!!

God TV

One of the coolest moments I've seen on major network television... Last night we got to watch live as a dude fell to his knees to worship his Father. Thanks, Colton Dixon, for sharing that moment of worship with the massive nationwide erican Idol audience. Really super cool.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

We're all alive and doing super well over here at the Bradford Casa... I just haven't been taking the time to blog about it :) after numerous conversations that just randomly occurred with different groups of friends, I kind of staged my own personal blogging boycott. I just hear so often about how Facebook and Blogs are PRIME territory for amazing devoted super terrific females to compare themselves to the "Supermoms" and "Superchicks" of the world. It frustrates the LIFE out of me that the Evil one has the capability o take something as simple as a blog to create unrest/jealousy/self-loathing in the souls of God-serving and Jesus-loving ladies. Ya know? Anyway, after many a convo I found myself feeling kind of disgusted and totally turned off to the thought of typing up a post about my life. I asked myself, 'Why in the WORLD would I risk becoming a stumbling block to another gal?' Not that my life is glamorous by any...ANY means :) I have just been knd of battling that thought process. But then there's the other part of me that totally loves keeping track of the little things... Being able to go back and remember different phases of life/marriage/parenthood, remembering the little ways God has worked in our little life! Little moments of joy... And I think, 'I shouldn't let the Evil one steal my joy... There is no guilt where the motivations of the heart are pure...right?'. Ugh. I still don't know. But I DO know I have family who miss their little Bradford updates. So... An update on the last couple months and perhaps a return to my Life&Heart Virtually Documented are in the works. Time will tell. Still questioning the whole issue... But... I'll exit w a super happy thought... YAY FOR SPRING!!

C-Lil Sneak Peek

Starting Friday, this look will be the new norm for CamCam!  My little cutie.

Bradford Fam Updates!

Cam went to the ped ophth.  She is superrr far-sighted and was given a Rx that we are planning to get filled tomorrow!  I'm super anxious and excited to take her to get fitted for her presh little baby glasses :)  Sweet girl.  Hoping this fixes the strabismus (crossing) issue.  We'll check back in 7ish weeks!

B-Rizzle for shizzle has been down the flu.  BUMMERRR.  He literally did not leave our room for 36 hours.  He is still kind of quarantined in there, but things are looking up a little bit.  Sweet man.  Thank you Lord for Tamiflu.

Aves & Cam both showed signs of Pink Eye this wknd.  Neither one really developed it, but it kept us couped up for a few days just to play it safe!  Glad we're in the clear (at least it appears that way!)

I had a ridiculously fun time with my Bunco ladieeeees last wknd.  Will post on that later.  I have a superrr fun wknd coming up soon with my Moo for her bachelorette weekend! yay!!

I got a physical scheduled for my hubs who refuuuuuses to make his own doctor's appointment.  I have a hunch he thinks he's invincible.   :)  Cute.

I have an appointment with an orthopedic doc en la manana...about my annnooyyyying shoulder.  SO looking forward to getting this bad boy figured out.

It is super cold up here in D-town.

Nicki Minaj just stunk it up at The Grammys.  Shwat in the heck was that crazy alter-ego madness?  Not music.  Not entertaining.  Big bummer.  She can be SO cute...  "Roman" is the opposite of cute.

Adele is adorable, genuine, and maybe just a leeeeetle bit talented.

I still think Taylor Swift is presh.  Loved her cute little gig tonight.

Whitney Houston's death is sad, just like the death of ANYONE who struggles so hard to free him/herself from their demons.  Celebrity seems to just exacerbate that struggle.  We see it over & over & over & over.  But it's never NOT sad.  Heart breaking. 

I am missing my T-babe!

Brian and I just decided that people should have sing/dance-offs to settle every dispute in life.  That would make me extreeeemely happy.

Okay. That's all for now. 

Lifegroup New Years!

We invited our Lifegroup up to Pura Vida to ring in the 2012 back in Dec/Jan and had THE greatest time.  SUCH a cool, supportive, hilarrrrrious, quality group of way cool people.  We missed the Cox Fam big time (they were at home with supercute little newborn Baby Emerie :)  We slept in, enjoyed adults-only time, hit up the shops & eateries in Fredericksburg.  The boys golfed, hunted, and learned the hunting/cleaning process (yikes!) while the girls talked, shopped, and talked some more :)  There was much hang out by the firepit time, a large amount of throwback old school music (hilar), game-playing, s'more making, and laughing (per usual).

Shout out to Tori & JC, who were supergreat sports and climbed into the creepy, "The Shining"-style attic room each night for bed.  You guys rock.  Sorry we stuck our leaders in the attic ;)  

SO happy most everyone was able to come!  I can't imagine a better group of people to hang in the AWESOME Texas Hill Country with.  Til next time!  Happy 2012, my friends!

B-Riz and I spent a little time @ PV by ourselves before everyone else arrived.  He got his first deer with his bow!  #stud #greatwhitehunter #soproud  #yummy

Exhibit 1 of Girl Fun in F Burg

I couldn't miss this photo opp  to share with Aves that her momma got to be part of a nativity with Baby Jesus!!  She was pumped.

Ladies by the firepit!  Amanda...we left a space to photoshop you in!

JC's hunting lessons.  He's hooked :)  Ane he's got his special shoes to show for it...

The whole gang.  We totally heart you guys :)

Happppppy New Year!! PS- thanks, pops, for letting us bust into your hat stash ;)

the guy i love in the place i love <3

She Get it From Her Momma

For the last 5 days, Cameron has been crossing her eye.  You read that correctly.  Her EYE.  Singular.  Her left eye keeps crossing!  I started having a similar problem with my eyes when I was 4.  For those who have known me for most of my life, I refer to my younger years as my "goggle-days".  I wore big thick lenses in presh red frames.  And then when I matured a little, I chose pink ladybug frames instead (with the help of my trusty friend, Kelly Wilson).  Anywho- all this to say that there's a possibility we could have an adorable little glasses-wearing 18-month old before long!  I'm totally jumping the gun in saying that.  We take Cam to the ophthalmologist on Friday, so he can check her out and tell us what's up!  Who knows.  Maybe it's just a "phase".  Regardless, she's still the cutest 18-month old I know :)

holla.

Aves Potty Problemos

**DISCLAIMER:  Toddler potty talk dominates this post. {Yes... Again.}  Enter at your own risk... **

Okay.  So it alllll started after T-Giv.  Aves had been potty trained for quite a while where #1 is concerned, but was still waiting to do her BigGirlBidness in the middle of the night.  So obviously, she was still sleeping in diapers.  When she needed to poop, she would just hold it in until night time rolled around and she found sweet solace in the comfort of her good old reliable Pampers :)

Welllll one day in late November she decided that since she did not enjoy one little thing about the whole idea of feces, she would just NOT partake in that part of the human body process.  So... for 7 days, LITERALLY SEVEN DAYS she refusssssseeddd to poop.  She needed to.  Really bad.  And on MANY occassions.  But she would just squeal and jump around and holldddd it in with all of her might until the sensation passed.  I can't even remember now how the big event finally went down, but on Day7, her bowels were relieved.  But only so she could start the process over again.  This time I think it lasted  4 1/2 days, and then she got into a groove of going every 3 days or so.  But NEVER without at LEAST a good 24 hours of her poopy dance (which she had totally perfected by this time).  The dance usually took place about every hour or so.... and then as The Moment neared, it would happen every 10 or 15 minutes.  I mean... Wow. 

Aves' poopy dance always involved an interesting combination of squealing, yelling, jumping, twirling, running in circles, and then by the end, she had added little interjections of her very own language.  Um.  It was HYSterical... except that it wasn't...because the poor child was making herself MISerable.  Anywho...by early January our little Avery had begun to go more regularly, with less fighting, and with NO tears (praise the Lord!)  After talking to our doc and doing a little google-ing, we decided to talk about how AWESOME pooping is NON-STOP, reward Averton with lollipops every time she went, and watch videos of cool cartoon characters pooping on the potty.  WHAT THE HECK.  NEVER in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this to occur in my house.  Toddlers = unpredictability, which = lots of hilariousness.  :) 

So.  Avery's pooping problems are now far, far behind her.  She's regular.  She doesn't fight it.  It's a non-issue.  As it should be :)  Every now and then she still tries to sucker us into giving her a lollipop for doing her business, but we no longer succumb to that little trickster.  For those of you who had to witness the misery of Aves' Poo-Dilemma, I am SO sorry :)  She would like to thank you for your support during those difficult months and wants you to know that she is only better for it.  She would also like to thank her super-supportive baby sister Cameron, who found such joy in our poopoo-focused life and always found a way to lighten the mood ;)

Whew.