WOW!

So I am apparently a super lame blogger and haven't blogged in like a century! I am going to pull a late night tv show trick and give you a top five list of items that have happened in the past two months, because that's the only way I can think to cover the important things and not ramble on...and on...and on! :)

Here it goes:

Top 5 Important Events in the Bryan Household, April-May

5. We visited the Loy family farm. Mom, Jason, Jack and I went up to Rhea county to meet Allen and Judy at the Loy family farm. We had a hot dog lunch and enjoyed riding ATVs, which we had never experienced before! We had a blast and I can safely say that Jack thoroughly enjoyed himself. I was a little wary at first, as Jack is so small and to be honest ATVs are not advertised as the safest of vehicles, but I have definitely come to appreciate what a fun recreational activity they are! Jack also got to see and ride on allen's tractor. He was totally in awe of it. He already loves lawn mowers, but to see something of a similar description, but 6x the size...wow! :)







4. Easter was a lot of fun and Jack enjoyed hunting eggs. Every egg he found was opened immediately and emptied of any contents. Disapointment was very obvious when an egg was found empty. Stupid bunny. :)


The cousins; Isaac, Jack and Kaylynn - notice Jack's shiner! :)

3. Now that Spring is here Jack is enjoying more time with Helen. We pull into the driveway and immediately we hear, "Helen! Helen! Helen!"




2. Summer has brought plenty of opportunitiies for family time. Last Sunday evening we went on a hike in the Smokies, and though I complained every moment because it was hot, humid, and I had a horrible blister, Jack managed to have a ton of fun!

He walked quite a bit of the trail when he wasn't riding in daddy's backpack, and he loved playing in all of the small streams and waterfalls along the way. I am sure I will continue to go on hikes, though with a different pair of shoes, as Jack seems to love it. However, I can't say I'm surprised he loves it as it's one more way for him to enjoy the outdoors! :)






1. Finally, our number one most exciting news is that Jack is turning into quite the big boy. Not only has he pooped on the potty twice, but he is also now sleeping in a big boy bed!! I can not believe my sweet baby is becoming so grown up. They don't lie when they say time flies!! :) We'll see how this big boy bed excitement plays out, as it is still so new. He has slept beautifully the past two nights, which is definitely a relief for his dad and I! I will keep you updated...I hope!


So there are our top 5!! Whew! I am sure there are more stories and excitement I have omitted, but I can only do so much in the thirty minutes I'm able to sit here without being bombarded by a rambunctious two year old. We leave for California this coming Wednesday and will be gone until the 17th. I can't wait to update the blog with beautiful pictures from that trip! Seeing my Aunt Anne and her three sweet girls will really be a lot of fun! We can't wait! Say some prayers for us that we make it through the plane ride with a two year old, and we'll see ya when we return!! Love to all!!

LAZY...or BUSY?

Lazy or busy? You decide!! :) I have been such a slacker this last month and I haven't updated at ALL! We have been super busy between my first southern living party, finally having warm weather, and most importantly - Jack's 2nd birthday!

He is finally two!! Last year when he turned one I think I was just so thrilled we made it through his first year alive that the fact that I had a one year old just passed me by. He was still a baby learning to walk and he had barely begun to talk! Now another year later he is two and so big!! He is such a little man in so many ways and it just makes me want to cry!

I am fiercely proud of him and I adore him more each day as he constantly entertains us and his personality continues to show itself in a variety of little ways. He is stubborn as a mule, though I don't know where he gets it! (HA!) He loves to be independent but thank goodness he still loves a cuddle and kisses! He is finally saying "mommy" and "daddy" instead of just the basic mama and dada. He is in to everything, but by far his favorite past time is being outside! The child would live outside in a cardboard box if we would let him! :) "Outside" he chants when he even catches a glimpse of sunshine! Thankfully he is starting to understand how rain and cold prevent us from being outdoors, but if it's sunny, we might as well give up trying to keep him in!

We have a neighbor across the street named Helen and she is just precious. She is an older woman who actually lost her husband in the past year. Jason formed a friendship with her almost immediately after we moved in - which surprised me as Jason is not necessarily always a social butterfly. Well Helen is almost always outside in her yard on nice days, either raking, planting, digging, mowing, or pruning. Jack spots her as we pull in to the driveway and he just reaches for her yard begging, "Helen...Helen...!" Of course we can't deny him so we wander over and she is just pleased as punch to see him. Jack even received his own rake, shovel, hoe and wheelbarrow for his birthday - just like Helen's.

When I was little I had a neighbor who I loved. Her name was Ms. Frye and she was amazing. She loved crafts and flowers and she baked the MOST delicious cookies. Though she wasn't blood related she will always be a grandmother figure to me and I will always remember the smell of her house and the fun that we had together. I hope Jack has that with Helen, and at this rate, I am pretty sure we can count on it! :)

Birthday pics will come soon! :) I can't guarantee a ton of Easter pics. Jack fell at daycare yesterday and is sporting the most heinous black eye. He is absolutely pitiful and it just hurts my heart to look at him and think how badly it must have hurt when it happened! He is quite the trooper and doesn't seem to notice it now. I know this is just the beginning of the scrapes, cuts and bruises, but it doesn't make this any easier to deal with!! I will take a few pics for posterity, because inevitably he will think his first black eye is just so cool. Though I would be thrilled if this was his first AND last ever....wishful thinking, right??

Love to all and pictures SOON!! :)

The new love of my life...

He's powerful, he's warm, and he's definitely not cheap!! :)


Cantrell heating and air came and installed our new heat pump last Thursday. It's wonderful! I can already feel a difference! They even put vents in the guest room and bathroom which until now were perpetually freezing because when the previous owners added that room, but they didn't bother to adjust the ventilation...lovely! So this is one thing we can mark off of our To Do list...thank goodness!

I will be posting more pictures at a later time of Jack. I have some cute pics of him in his "house," which is actually some very large boxes that my Southern Living starter kit came in! Check back for those! Happy St. Patty's day! :)

Spring..??

Hi friends! What a beautiful weekend, huh?? Soooo nice! We have thoroughly enjoyed being able to have Jack outside. There is no where else he'd rather be!

Friday night I got to spend some time with some sweet college girl friends. It is always so nice to catch up! LeighAnn is looking totally adorable with her cute baby bump! After dinner I was able to travel farther west to meet up with Deidra and Jason T. Jason T. got in about 8 on Friday and we were able to meet them about 8:30 to get some Calhoun's beer...mmm...Cherokee Red!

Saturday morning Mom and I took Jack to Little Ponderosa Zoo in Clinton. Jason was feeling under the weather and had finally been prescribed some antibiotics the day before, so he stayed home to rest. Jack had a blast at the zoo! He totally loved feeding and petting the animals and my brave little boy walked right into the barn with the ponies and rode with the trainer all by himself! He totally didn't need Mommy or Nana! He is growing up so fast. Below I have included some pics from that trip. Needless to say it was fun, but it cured me of wanting to have a birthday party there. As much as we enjoyed it, it is hard to imagine throwing a party with cake and food amongst all of that drool and animal dirt! Bleh! So we will visit again...but not for his birthday! :)

Speaking of, his birthday plans are underway and I have finished his invites. They are too cute and it has gotten me really excited about his big day - 2!! Can you believe it?!

I have included some pics below of Little Ponderosa, along with some captions! Enjoy the pics and let's pray we get to keep this weather!! Love to all!


Jack and Mommy feeding the goats! There were like a million of them and Jack was a little suspicious.


Feeding the goats through the fence. They were greedy little guys!


Ride em' cowboy! :) He is such a brave little guy!


Jack and Chief.


Feeding the deer with Nana.


"Baaa..."


"Llama, Llama, Red Pajama"


This one is for Dawson!! ;)


Greedy animals! :) That ostrich made me nervous!


Who, me?


Jack and the farm equipment! :) Of course!

Growing Pains...

So the term "terrible twos" seems to be taking life in our household. We are experiencing hitting, kicking, screaming, throwing fits. Luckily they don't last more than five minutes, tops. But they are extremely unpleasant!! We are also experiencing bouts of indecision. The poor, sweet child is playing us and we are totally falling for it! At nap time and bed time he wants either mommy or daddy to read stories. He is extremely clear about which one of us will do this job. THEN, after that particular parent has finished half a dozen stories and he snuggled down to put him to sleep in the rocking chair, he starts begging for the other one of us!! He usually wins out because at that point we are so desperate for him to go to sleep we don't much mind who gets the job done!!

I am starting to think seriously about his upcoming birthday and what exactly I will do about celebrating it. I have started a "wish list" at Toys R Us.com. I am not particularly sold on any of these particular items, but I find they at least give some direction to whoever it may be that needs to do some Jack shopping!

We are planning, at this point, to do a barnyard themed birthday party. Jack adores animals and can make all of the appropriate noises. The kicker was when I found Little Ponderosa Zoo in Clinton that has the sweetest storybook barn for parties and a petting zoo all in one. However, it was going to be a bit past our budget to really commit to that! We will probably be settling on the party either here at the house or at Harvest Park. I am waiting on Jason to give me his two cents, cause Lord knows he feels that is necessary.

Speaking of our budget and financial situation...I have finally spoken to Katherine extensively and she will be my Southern Living at Home sponsor! I will finally be a consultant! I am so ridiculously excited to start this. It will be not only a wonderful part time job, but will also serve as a hobby I am extremely passionate about. I absolutely love the Southern Living products and find they are so easy to incorporate into any decor with each decorative piece offering such a variety of uses! My friend Amy has said she will host my first "launch" party, and my mother in law has said she will look at her calendar so I seem to be off to a great start! :) I will be making up some fliers and such to advertise and hopefully drum up some more business. This will be a great way to dabble in my love of decorating while meeting new people and of course making some extra, much needed money!! I will, of course, keep you updated!

Love to all and stay warm...where did this freezing, windy weather come from?!

This wacky Tennessee weather..

So it went from snowy and freezing, to warm and sunny, to another cold snap in the matter of a month. Tennessee weather is notoriously unpredictable!!

Here are some pictures from over the last month that will hopefully make you smile! :) Enjoy!


Jack is not so sure about this thing called snow....


A very nice man, and new friend, Neil came over from Cantrell's heating and air, because as previously mentioned in a past entry our heat is extremely unreliable!! Jack insisted on sitting next to Neil and keeping him company as he figured the numbers on how much we would have to pay to get this little issue repaired!!


Neil let Jack read up on the different options and told him that there would be a quiz. Jack needs to learn how valuable product research is early on..right?


Following that incredibly cold week or two of weather we had some totally gorgeous days worth waiting for! Jack got out and tried to help mow the ridiculous amount of leaves that are still in our yard.


Daddy got in on the leaf clearing action. This is certainly a mountain of leaves.


Jack and Maggie are playing ball.


Look at that dirty heiny!! Sliding up and down the hill in our muddy yard really takes a toll on the pants!


Maggie LOVES anything round that can be thrown...


My sweet, beautiful, mischievous boy!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I must admit that Valentine's Day has never been a favorite holiday of mine. I was the perpetual single friend among those I hung out with and I HATED it. I got roses and wishes and gifts from friends and family, but I remained constantly hopeful that at least one Valentine's day would hold the opportunity for an epic romance. I was such the wishful thinker!!

I guess now I prescribe to the belief that every day should be Valentine's day. Not like the chocolates, flowers, etc., but that you tell the people you love that you love them, even if it's just by picking your towel up off the bathroom floor or fixing a dinner you think your family will like. I still don't love V-day, and I probably never will, despite the fact that I am now married with a significant other. I just don't like the crowds and the pressure to find yet another great gift.

I am perfectly happy to say that we went to Sam and Andy's last night, got some ice cream and drove around town for a bit. I got Jason some camping items and we are booking a camping trip for April. He got me the Big Bang Theory first season and a hilarious card - which was perfect. Jack is still too young to know the difference, so I think we can wait one more year for a Valentine for him.

I hope your Valentine weekend is as simple and complete as mine is shaping up to be!