Sad attempt at Christmas pictures

A few weeks ago we attempted to take some Christmas pictures of Brayden and Mackenly. It was more or less a huge fail, but we got a few decent ones out of the 150 or so pictures that were taken. Taking pictures is hard when your subjects are:
a) Very mobile
b) Very tired
c) Hungry
d) Cold

Oh well, enjoy. :)


Brayden and the tree.

Not one, but TWO crying babies. :)

Brayden's only decent picture.

Sweet Mackenly.

In other Bellon Family news, Brayden has finally mastered the wonderful world of getting around on two feet. As expected, he is all over the place and very eager to explore everything he was once unable to reach. He thinks walking is the funnest thing since sliced bread. It's still so weird to see him walking around! He's also "talking" and trying to communicate more, although I don't think he's increased his word count just yet. Also, I think it's pretty safe to say that he LOVES Christmas lights. And Christmas goodies. He spends his days as a busy little toddler, eager to get into anything and everything! :)

Stay tuned for pictures and a re-cap of the Bellon Family Christmas activities. Hopefully they'll be up soon!

Snow in SWLA

I'm really behind on posting these pictures. In the beginning of December, it snowed! More like a light dusting, but it was exciting to see the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky. It melted about an hour after it fell, but it was fun while it lasted.

And yes, Brayden missed most of the fun, sadly. He got outside and felt his first snow, but we forgot the camera.

many blessing

Here are a few pictures of the first part of our Thanksgiving (we can never seem to document the whole day...we're working on that). We're so thankful to have many, many loving family members who love us and our sweet baby boy. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have become a horrible blogger. My computer almost crashed back in the summer and my super sweet husband fixed it and saved it from dying, but now it no longer has wireless capabilities. So it has to stay plugged in to an internet source, and ever since we've moved, that means upstairs in our room. So the blogging has taken a backseat. Hopefully, a new computer will be coming my way soon (*hint hint*) and the blogging will be back and better than ever!

For those of you who are interested, here are some highlights from the past two and a half months:

• We got a new camera. A digital SLR camera, actually. We LOVE it. Like, really really love it. We love trying out new modes and playing with all of the features. However, it's really hard when your favorite subject is constantly on the move. Which brings us to the next point...
• Brayden finally figured out how to crawl on all fours. He's also standing alone and cruising like crazy around the furniture. He takes a few independent steps when coaxed, but no "real" walking yet. It's definitely right around the corner, though!
• Brayden turned ONE! We just can't believe that our sweet little man is a whole year old. Or that we survived his first year and that Brayden is still more or less in one piece and seems happy. We had his birthday party on October 24th. I think it's pretty safe to say that Brayden LOVES cake. He also really enjoys balloons, and getting lots of attention. We loved being surrounded by our sweet family members and friends to celebrate the first year of the best thing that's ever happened to us!
• Speaking of that little miracle, he now points to things that he wants, can sign "more," babbles constantly, will occasionally repeat simple words with clarity, tries to repeat anything else (most things coming out sounding like "dah"), puts his hand to his ear when we say "Hello" (mimicing a telephone), smiles constantly, has one full tooth out on the bottom and one out on the top, plus one halfway out on the bottom and another poking through on the top (yes, he's very snaggle tooth-ish). And, mommy's favorite trick: he puts both arms up in the air when we say "touchdown!".

I'm sure there's more. Hopefully The Bellon Family blog will be back up and running soon. :)

Life in Lake Charles

Our poor neglected blog was definitely in need of an update. Our lives have changed drastically since the last post! Here are a few highlights:

• We moved! We said good-bye to Ruston at the beginning of August and said hello to Lake Charles!
• We're currently living with Jason's parents until we find somewhere to live. Any tips on cheap houses, let us know! :)
• Jason started working at Signs Now. He's enjoying learning about how the business operates and likes getting to use all of his business-y skills. :)
• Kristen got a job at CARC as a Family Support Coordinator. She helps families with developmentally delayed 0-3 year olds with resources and early intervention. She thanks God everyday for giving her a job that she loves that's actually in her field!
• Brayden started daycare at United Methodist. There are 5 babies in his class (all boys!). He seems happy everyday when I (Kristen) pick him up, and all of his teachers love him, so we're definitely pleased.
  
• Brayden's social skills have accelerated since the end of July. He can clap when something exciting happens, wave bye-bye (and sometimes hello!), and he tries to imitate everything you do. He's still working on trying to crawl on all fours, but he's a pretty fast army crawler. He's also working on pulling to stand.

Well, consider yourself updated on our lives. Pictures to come soon! :)

Bouncy Boy

Here's a link to a video of our sweet baby boy enjoying his jumperoo. He finally figured out how to use it to it's full potential. :) Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B87JfYAE3O8

Bellon Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Geneology software

9 months!

I'm a little late posting Brayden's nine month post, but oh well. We can't believe how big our sweet little boy is getting. He is such a fun age...he loves being played with, loved on, and spoiled rotten! :) At nine months, Brayden:

- can army crawl all over the place...quickly!
-loves eating Gerber puffs.
-is totally in love with Charlie, the Berryhill family dog.
-is still toothless.
-is around 19 pounds, according to the Newby Wii fit.
-still loves bathtime, being outside, and riding in the shopping cart.
-loves being around other children.
-makes these sounds: ma, da, pa, ba, la, and na. He occasionally says mama and dada, but we can't decide if they're connected to any meaning yet.


And, the most exciting news of all, at 9 months old, Brayden is moving to Lake Charles! We're so excited to finally be moving home closer to family. We're trying to find somewhere to live...if anyone has any suggestions, let us know! :)

little bit of lately..

Not much has been going on in the Bellon household lately, other than Brayden's new discovery: army crawling! He's a fast little booger...in the blink of an eye he's on the other side of the room. His new favorite thing is to crawl past all of his toys on the floor and straight into something he shouldn't be into. Typical. Needless to say, we say "No" multiple times a day. Here's some pictures of our little explorer from the last few weeks.

Sunday, July 5


Eating Gerber puffs. His new favorite snack!

He leaked through his diaper at nap time. Yuck!

Thinking about what he can get into next.

Happy Independence Day!

first swim and Father's Day

On Father's Day, Brayden got to go swimming for the first time. He loved every second of being in the pool - he didn't stop kicking and splashing for an hour and a half! Thanks Aunt Peggy for letting us play in the pool. :)

Brayden and daddy took a picture before church on Father's Day. Brayden wasn't exactly cooperating, so this is the best we could get. His shirt said "I love Daddy." We're so thankful for him! :)

Note: Don't miss the post below about Brayden's fun on the slide! :)

fun on the slide

We took Brayden to the park a few weeks ago for a picnic. It was really hot so we didn't stay long, but he took a few rides down the slide before we left. He really liked it when he could go "by himself." :) Sweet boy was having so much fun!

Brayden's new favorite thing

Brayden definitely has a new favorite time of the day... bathtime! Now that he sits up well, he's been sitting up in the "big boy" bathtub instead of using his infant one. He loves to splash, splash, splash! He could probably sit in the tub all day if we would let him! I added a video of our sweet boy and his splashing and a few pictures. Hope you enjoy! :)

playing outside

Brayden had a wonderful time on vacaction in Lake Charles...thanks to everyone who watched him, played with him, kept him entertained, and changed those nasty diapers! We had a relaxing few days without him...but we're definitely glad to have him back!

We took a few pictures outside when we got home. Hope you enjoy! :)

sitting up

Brayden's been practicing his new trick this week: sitting up! He now stays upright for a few minutes as a time, and doesn't get too upset when he falls. :) He's also figured out that rolling is a good way to get where you want to go. It takes him a few minutes, but he can get from one side of the living room to the other. In a few weeks we'll have a true mobile baby on our hands - yikes!