Day Four

Day Four - Your Parents

My dad, John, co-owns a signs franchise here in Lake Charles. He is one of the funniest people I know. He works hard and is always looking out for others. When I need wisdom about something, I turn to my dad. He is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus, and he is always studying the Bible and sharing what he's learned. I will be forever grateful to him for telling me about God's love and for being the strong foundation in our family. He was (and still is!) an amazing father, and now he's an amazing Papa to our Brayden (and Mackenly).

My mom, Cathy, works in the local school system. She has the patience of a rock and cares immensely about others. I never see her put herself first. She is an excellent shopping buddy, and never minds sharing her clothes or jewelry. ;) If I am half the mother she was to us, I'll consider it a success. And now she's Super Mimi!

The older I get, the more I appreciate everything my parents did for us. I understand so much more now than I did before Brayden was born. Every day I thank God for blessing me with such wonderful parents!

Day Three

Day Three - Your First Love

When I think about my first love, only one thing comes to mind. It's not Jason. It's not some random guy in middle/high school. It's not even Brayden. My first love goes by many names, is always there for me, and knew me before I was born.

He came to Earth as a baby in manger. He lived thirty-three years in human form, then died on a cross. Some refuse his teachings, and some deny that he existed at all. I was raised in church, meaning that we went every Sunday. I was baptized when I was seven years old. Since that day I have done a lot of soul searching. I have made PLENTY of mistakes. I am no where near perfect and I will never claim to be. My Jesus has never left me though. Or given up on me. As much as I love my wonderful husband, our sweet baby boy, and my other family members/friends, none of that compares to the relationship I have with the Author of Love. Without Him the rest wouldn't exist.

Day Two

Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Well, the meaning behind our blog name isn't very shocking. We're boring and I wanted something that was easy to remember. I originally started the blog right before Brayden was born. We were living in Ruston at the time and all of our family members lived in Southwest Louisiana. It was a fun way for them to see pictures of Brayden and read about his latest shenanigans. Now we live near our families, but our blog is a way for me to look back and read what Brayden was doing, what was going on, etc. One of these days I'm going to get around to finishing his one year scrapbook. ;)

Blogging 30 Day Challenge: Day One

I've never been a consistent blogger. I enjoy reading other blogs, but I always forget to sit down and post. Or, I have nothing to write because I don't think our lives are that interesting. I stumbled upon a Blogging 30 Day Challenge, which is basically a post every day for 30 days about a certain topic (chosen by whoever originated the idea, not me). So, in hopes of giving our little blog some more attention, I'm going to try it! :)

Day One: Introduce, Recent Picture, and 15 interesting facts

Well, my name is Kristen. I was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1987. I have a younger sister named Kelsey. I think my family is the greatest in the world. I went to college at Louisiana Tech and absolutely loved it. I married my best friend, Jason, in 2008. On October 23, 2008, our sweet little Brayden was born. We now live in Lake Charles again. I work as a Family Support Coordinator for LA's Early Intervention program, and Jason is a banker at Capital One. We enjoy spending time together as a family and watching Brayden grow and learn.

(see, I told you we were boring! :) )

Interesting Facts:
1. I thought Mardi Gras was a national holiday until I was 13.
2. I'm not a huge fan of the beach. It's too hot, I hate salt water, and the sand never really gets fully washed off. Yuck.
3. I always wear earrings, except when I'm sleeping.
4. I LOVE football. College football, to be exact. I stay up and watch Sports Center, read articles on the internet, and keep the ESPN app on all Saturday.
5. My mom brought me home from the hospital on Mother's Day.
6. I've been exploring photography lately. I really really wish I was better at it, or had more time to practice. I don't really care to ever be a photographer of other people, I just want to have good pictures of our family.
7. I went to Europe twice within a six month period. I absolutely loved both trips and can't wait to make another one!
8. I've been to Honduras three times on mission trips, all trips to the same children's home (http://www.thegsch.org/). Those precious children and that beautiful place will always hold a special place in my heart. I can't wait to go back, and hopefully take Jason and Brayden with me! :)
9. This is kind of embarassing, but I failed my driving test the first time. I still claim that it was for stupid reasons.
10. I love love love to read, especially now that I'm done with school and can read for fun.
11. I enjoy watching TV series on DVD. "Friends" is my all time favorite! I could probably make anything into a Friends reference.
12. Even after two years, I'm still picky about what Brayden wears and what he looks like in public. People told me I would stop caring after a while, but I haven't. He doesn't need to be in designer clothes, he just has to match and be clean.
13. I'm a horrible cook. I'm working on this one.
14. I don't mind vacuuming or doing laundry. I loathe doing the dishes.
15. It was really hard to come up with fifteen things!

Ok, day one done! Minus the picture, but for record, I did try to post one...blogger is being difficult, as per usual.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
(from our silly little train engineer who refuses to look at the camera)

Re-cap and more pictures to come soon!

Happy Birthday, Brayden!

Two years ago today we welcomed our precious little boy in our lives. We had no idea what we were getting into, but we welcomed the adventure head on and our lives haven't been the same since!

Little boy, you are the center of our lives. You're so funny and makes us laugh constantly. Your language exploded a few months ago and you says the cutest things. You love to sing songs and to read books. You still love to run around and play outside. You're so observant of the world around you. We count school buses in the morning and you love to look for the moon at night time. Our hearts melt when you come up and ask for a hug. We love you so much, sweet Brayden. We pray that you always know how much we love you. Our lives haven't been the same since that sweet day two years ago, and we wouldn't trade a second of it for the world.

Happy Birthday, Brayden!

A Day on the Boat

Today Brayden had his very first boating adventure. We went with Josh and Kelsey around the bayous of southwest Louisiana. It was a gorgeous day and a great time was had by all! Brayden was a little apprehensive at first, but LOVED the boat. He even got to drive a little!