Duffy Family News

Photo Book

2011-09-17T22:22:00.001-05:00

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Brendan is TWO! Happy Birthday B!

2011-09-14T14:36:00.012-05:00

Brendan turned 2 August 5th! Now I am the mom of two BIG boys!

Brendan has brought so much JOY to our lives! I have never met such a happy and agreeable person before. I pray that he keeps his sweet disposition for his entire life. His precious grin and throaty little giggle are contagious and you cannot be in a bad mood with the B around! It is impossible. I feel so blessed to be Brendan's mom. Already, I can tell that he is a really remarkable person and watching him grow and navigate this world is a gift I get to receive every day as his parent. Brendan is a wonderful son, brother and grandson and such a special part of our family. We love you B! Happy Birthday!!!

We celebrated Brendan's birthday at The Little Gym and a great time was had by all. I highly recommend The Little Gym for a birthday party. They did EVERYTHING from the set up to the clean up, even writing down who gave what and lighting the candles on the cake. The kids had so much fun running and jumping! Definitely a neat day! The best things about the party were celebrating with the boys' second cousins (Dane, Ryan and Madyson <---being in Houston means we get to do things like this now!), hanging out with family, Brendan getting excited about the theme of his party which was Go Diego Go, and a VERY cute cake made especially for him. Brendan got a tricycle from Mom and Dad, books from his bubba and a pirate water table from Nana and Granddaddy. And in keeping with our family tradition, he got to pick his favorite place to eat (CiCi's Pizza) and enjoyed a homemade "Birthday Pie" - banana cream!

At Brendan's 2 year check up, he was 36 inches tall and almost 26 b. He stood up to be measured for the first time. Here are his percentiles:
Height : 86th percentile
Weight: 21st percentile
BMI: 14.1 (less than the 3rd percentile...this puts him as "underweight" but anyone who has seen this sturdy little carb-lovers, knows he is just fine!)

Brendan's Favorite Things at Age 2:

Activities:
- Singing, listening to music and groovin' whenever he hears music
- reading books
- wresting with James and Daddy
- playing outside
- going new places
- bath time and pouring water from one container to another

Places:
- the park
- Children's Museum of Houston
- the mall: playplace, riding train, carousel
- anywhere Mommy is

Food:
- pizza
- apples
- raisins
- cinnamon raisin bagels
- chocolate milk

Books:
-"The Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves"
- "Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs"
- "Sloppy Joe"
- "Jamberry"
- "Bats at the Beach"

Wouldn't you know it?

2011-07-27T00:08:00.003-05:00

So I (and by me I mean Daniel) found the long missing camera battery charger. Great news! But guess what. I now can't find my darn camera. Wouldn't you know it!? Typical me. I must find that thing because we are going to be celebrating Brendan's birthday this weekend and I must have pictures.

Thank goodness for cell phone cameras or I would really be in bad shape. Regardless, I think I get a D- in Kid Picture Taking. Someday my family will look back at how the photo album jumps from May to August 2011 and call it "The Summer When Mom Couldn't Get Her Crap Together But Still Loved Us And Took Grainy Pictures With Her Droid".

You will just have to envision my cuties in this post. They are growing like weeds! So big! Tear. Gulp. How did they get so stinking big so fast? I am having full on conversations with James in which he is gesturing wildly and using words like "seriously", "beautiful" and "vehicle" and phrases like "I'm as ready as I'll ever be" (<--this was his answer when asked if he was ready to leave Party City). And then there is Brendan who is looking kind of big to still be called "the baby". He alternates between giving me hugs and kisses and trying to hit me in the face when I tell him no. Is he ready for the twos or what?

Summer is ticking on along and we are staying busy. Lots of trips around town to do neat stuff. My best friend from Fort Worth, Kelli, and her little boy Jack, came down to visit this last weekend. It was great! We hit up Palm Beach and the Houston Children's Museum. We even had a Girl's Night Out to eat at Babin's (YUM!) and a movie (Horrible Bosses = Hilarious). They gave Brendan Lego Duplo blocks for his b-day and they are a hit. We have played and played with them. And let me say that Daniel sure is a pro at building stuff with them. Always neat to get new toys and I enjoy watching Brendan and James build towers and use their imaginations to make things.

Well, late and we have a lot going on tomorrow, so check back later to see if I ever find BOTH the camera and it's battery at the same time!!!

So many changes and so much to share, but lost my camera charger!

2011-07-05T00:27:00.005-05:00

We are slowly but surely getting settled in at my parent's house. Man, are we slow. It is taking us forever to get unpacked here but I pretty much have two little munchkins under my feet most of the time. By the time they are asleep all I want to do it sit down. But you know the funny thing? I am spending so much time with my kids that I feel WEIRD without them right there by me. So we are just taking it slow and realizing that anything we are going to do it going to take longer. We always spent time with them, but if we had a big task to tackle we might attempt it while they were at daycare but now we just do it with them here. We will be living here until we sell our old house and are ready to lease or buy a new house down here. My parents are pretty much the most generous people ever. How else can you describe people who take you, your husband, your two kids and two pets into their home?!? Oh and also all our stuff? Yikes! Who knew we had to have so much junk to get by day to day.

I know it has been/is an adjustment for everyone but it has also been incredibly comfortable from the start. It is so nice to see my parents and for the boys to interact with them. The family dinners are a highlight. Everyone sitting around together sharing about their day. It just feels great. This whole thing has been difficult for James somewhat. He doesn't seem to understand that we are not just visiting. He has been having some tough days and really pushing the boundaries. I hate to bother people and even though they are my parents, I feel awful when my kiddos are not at their best because I want this to be as easy for them as possible. But let's be serious, I am mothering a one year old (for one more month! sad face!) and a three year old. Oh and they are boys. Need I say more!? They are pretty much all action all the time and we are at the ages where bad attitudes are part of the territory. I will have to send my parents on some trans-Atlantic cruise some day to say thanks!

We are settling into a nice routine and I am LOVING the homeschool experience so far. I got a ton of the A Beka curriculum on Ebay or Amazon for a very affordable price after doing a lot of research and talking to other homeschooling moms. James asks me every day if we are going to do homeschool and Brendan climbs up on my lap to see what we are doing that day. We are doing it four or five days a week (sometimes we take a break on Fridays). It is so nice to interact with my children like this and my favorite part is listening to James talk about his ideas spontaneously as we are doing the lessons. There is so much going on in that head of his! And his memory! Well it is just remarkable. I can't wait until Brendan can carry on conversations like that with me. He is saying so many words and making full sentences and commonly used phrases. I know it wont' be long until we are having back an forth complete conversations. Brendan is doing the 2 year old curriculum because he wanted to do something too instead of just watching. After the morning homeschool session we do something very hands on like play dough or stringing beads or finger painting or baking. These week I am going to brave shaving cream painting! I got some neat ideas from a Montessori at home book and from some friends who homeschool little ones.

We had a week of vacation where we went to Sea World and also to Galveston. It was wonderful and VERY much needed time together. Sun, sand and water. Three of my favorite things. Now that we are close we got a Moody Garden's Palm Beach season pass. That place is incredible. Thinking about taking the boys back this week. Also thinking of a jaunt back to Sea World in a couple of weeks. It was a nice trip and we'd love to go again. We missed Daniel so much when he moved to Houston ahead of us. It was a long five weeks without him. and we are still so thrilled to be with him. These trips were just what we needed. He was actually off for 10 days and we are going to miss him tomorrow. Luckily I was cleared to drive after four months (due to a medical issue) and now we are going to go out and explore the area. I know the boys will love going to the library for story hour. It should also be fun to meet up with my cousins' kiddos soon too. Nice to see them all running around together.

I have got to find my camera charger because I am pretty sure I have no recent pictures of Brendan and James except some no so great ones on my cell phone. I have to capture these moments. My boys are growing by the minute! :-) Off to bed. Busy day ahead tomorrow.

Move is a four letter word

2011-06-16T08:11:00.005-05:00

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of nervousness, uncertainty, euphoria, exhaustion and thankfulness. In this short time, Daniel applied, interviewed and accepted a job offer with his company in The Woodlands, Texas. This is an outstanding career move for Daniel as well as something that had been in his heart for a long time. Not too long ago, he applied for the same job in Plano and was turned down. We were bummed, but decided that the time was just not right. But then this opportunity came along and he got it! We always say all things will happen in God's time and this is better than we could have even imagined. It felt like we were building a big jigsaw puzzle and every single puzzle piece we pulled next was the exact right piece that we needed. That is the best way I can describe it. One of the best things about this whole thing is that we can be close to my parents and family in the Houston area. We have not been within 250 miles of family for the last 8 years. It's about time we came home!

It has been a long and difficult road getting down here. I had not known exhaustion like this before, not even with a newborn in the house. Beyond tired is all I can say. Daniel went on ahead to start work and I was holding down the fort alone. Hard work! And Daniel was driving 1,000 miles a WEEK between his work commute and coming home to visit us each weekend. We have learned how tough we are! We are still catching up on our rest.

Let me say that once we are in our home (and out of my family's house), we will not be moving again for a very, very, VERY long time. To put it mildly the whole thing was quite an ordeal. It seemed like whatever could go wrong with a move went wrong with our move. It was very frustrating dealing with the company and they made a lot of mistakes. That combined with us being novice movers, it was extremely stressful. My kids deserve medals for being such troopers throughout the whole thing. B is young enough that he was not fazed at all, but I can tell it is has been tough on J. We checked out a bunch of books about moving from the library and I know that they helped. He was very excited to see the moving truck pull up!

We are at my parent's house now getting settled in. How wonderful are my parents to make the offer for us to live here? It is nice to be here and laugh and talk and make memories together. I am doing the normal housekeeping stuff and have started cooking for the whole family, which I love. The best thing so far is that I am LOVING this time with my boys. When I can drive again this fall, it is going to be even more awesome! It is indescribable the feeling I get when I look at them and know that I am not having to give this moment to someone else. While I was working we had a lot of quality time but felt like I was ruled by the clock. And my family got what was left of me, instead of the best of me. Now they get all my energy and focus. What a change it makes in a family!

I adore just being with my boys, getting down on the floor to play with them, taking little opportunities to teach them new things, letting them "help" me with whatever I am doing, but the best is when they crawl into my lap with a book. We must have read over an hour yesterday. We take walks, we play in the yard, we blow bubbles, we sing songs, we play with play dough, we do every thing they think looks fun and exciting.

Right now I am busy finding a routine for us. We had been without one for a while with Daniel already gone and the move. But I am taking it slowly and relishing that there is no rush. We have TIME and we are not constantly hurrying from one activity to another. I wouldn't mind doing some tutoring or working at a place like Sylvan on Saturdays as long as I get to be the primary caretaker of my kiddos. Of course, we mommies do whatever we have to do for our families and if I need to go back to work, of course I will. But I pray for the ability to stay home for a couple of years. The power of prayer is beyond amazing, so we will see what God has in store for our little family. I cannot ever get this time back and I am so suited for this. I will blink my eye and they will be grown! My children are my favorite people in the world and I am savoring every single second with them and watching their relationship with each ofter flourish. James told me Brendan was his best buddy and Brendan follows James around with his big grin. My boys. Be still my heart!

promotion, moving and becoming a SAHM

2011-06-05T00:21:00.003-05:00

Life right now is crazy! Daniel received a big promotion at work, he started the new job about a month ago, the house is going on the market tomorrow, I turned in my resignation letter and I am going to be staying home with the boys. This last month has been difficult. We have missed Daniel so much but I have learned that I am one tough cookie taking care of so much on my own. Feels good to know I can do it! But man am I tired. I wasn't even this tired having a newborn. We are so happy but this is a huge change and big change is hard even if it what you've really wanted. They say moving is one of the most stressful events and they ain't lying! I need a massage. But thanks to some wonderful people it has been bearable. To be honest I can't believe this is really happening! aaagh! So excited!!!!! We are going to be close to family in Houston and we're actually going to be staying with my parents for a while, bless their hearts. They are good sports to offer to let us live there until we sell our house and decide just where we want to live. I look forward to the time with them and for the boys to get this special experience with Nana and Granddaddy. The thing I am most pumped about is getting to stay home with the boys. I cannot express how much I have wanted this and how much I have prayed for this. God is good! His blessings are incredible! I am hoping to stay home until they start school but I am grateful for however long it gets to last. Well, here's hoping soon I will have more time to blog about all our adventures! Signing off from Fort Worth! We have loved living here and will miss everybody!

Mo-Mo and Other Things He Loves

2011-05-08T22:48:00.003-05:00

Brendan loves Mo-Mo, Elmo that is.
James never really got into Elmo, but Brendan is a HUGE fan! But he calls him Mo-Mo. We have Mo-Mo toys, Mo-Mo books, Mo-Mo cups, a Mo-Mo shirt. I think many more Mo-Mo items will be coming soon and I am predicting he will want to be Mo-Mo for Halloween. I took these pictures of my sweet B and his Elmo last week when he was under the weather. Nothing could cheer him up but his favorite furry red monster.

Other than Mo-Mo, Brendan is really into....
- pointing out and naming every part of your face and sort of grabbing your hair when he tells you about your hair
- repeating most words you say and saying short little sentences
- dancing and clapping to ANY music he hears
- climbing up the ladder to go down the slide all my himself (!)
- feeding Cheesecake most of his dinner and throwing the rest on the floor
- brushing his teeth
- requesting Go, Diego Go
- Toy Story...he even says "To Infinity and Beyond"
- reading books, especially Color Theater, Good Night Moon and Elmo has a Babysitter
- fire trucks, airplanes, buses
- watering our garden
- waving a bubble wand around yelling BUBBLES at the top of his lungs
- screaming whenever James bosses him around or takes his stuff, which is a lot of the time
- following his big brother around and playing with him which is the rest of the time
- finding shapes and pointing them out, especially stars
- leaning up against you to give you a "hug"
- Trit trot to Boston (riding on someone's knee to this little rhyme that my dad did when I was a kid)
- playing with my phone to look at pictures of himself
- laughing hysterically at anything and everything and making everyone around him crack up, even James
- his Mommy (contented sigh :-))

Wordless Wed.

2011-04-27T18:59:00.004-05:00

It's root, root, root for the home team.....

2011-04-26T22:42:00.003-05:00

if they don't win, it's a shame!
'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the ol' ball game!

-#3 on the Rivercats-

James is playing tee ball! His first sport! As you can imagine there have been funny parts and frustrating parts that you can only get from a three year old. At first he didn't want to wear the helmet. Then he didn't want to run the bases. Then he got mad if anyone else in the outfield got the ball. Well, we got past the first two hurtles and we are still working on the last one. But we will get there, all in time. Seeing him in the little outfit is so sweet. Most importantly, he's seemed to enjoy most of the experience and at this age, I think that is awesome. Brendan wants to be out on the field so badly and we look forward to signing him up when he is old enough. Daniel has enjoyed the practices and I have liked reading baseball books with him. Another perk? James tells me he needs to eat all his dinner and drink his milk to grow into a big, strong athlete. No complaints here! :-)

Easter at Our Place

2011-04-25T17:17:00.005-05:00

I have always adored Easter and this year it was extra special because James is just starting to understand the true meaning of it. We talked about it a lot and we was re-telling the story back to us. We also got on some sweet questions such as does Jesus get wet by rain? So precious. I am a firm believer that children are born very spiritual and that it is a gift that can (and should!) be nurtured. If not, the world takes that out of them. And of course, all the chicks and bunnies are fun too!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day...my husband informed me that I took over 100 pictures on one day. I think I need to be a 12 step program or something! HA!

Nana and Granddaddy came up and we had a low-key weekend. Love the time with my family! Nothing is better!

My First Blog Post as a 30 - something

2011-04-17T23:02:00.004-05:00

30. Well, it hit me like a semi-truck. Not sure why, but still setting into being 30 with a bit of apprehension. Sure, everyone tells me 30 is GREAT! 30 is NO BIG DEAL! Well, it fits a little funny in my mouth to say I am 30 and then I just LOVE, LOVE, SARCASTICALLY LOVE when people say to me "You're only 30?". Gee thanks people. You just know how to make me feel good.

The upside, I have experienced a ton of awesome stuff in my 30 years and can't wait to see what is coming next. Downside, I still feel like a kid, yet the teenagers at Sonic are now calling me Mam. And I have three gray hairs, three for sure, maybe more.

It's a good thing that my best friend from high school Jessica flew down and surprised me in the cafeteria where I teach on my last day of being 29 so that I did not totally lose my sanity over losing my twenties. She was the best present I have gotten in a long time. (Much better than the temporal lobe epilepsy diagnosis I got a couple weeks before. Epilepsy totally sucks. I think I could devote an entire blog to how one manages to be a wife, mother, friend, employee, HERSELF, etc. dealing with this crap. Anywho, I digress, it is my TOTALLY wonderful friend Jessica that surprised me and made me laugh and made me cry and took me back to a normal place where I was just me, without all this other crap. I love you Jessica. I love you, I love you, I love you and I miss you so!) How to explain Jessica? Well, she is hilarious and so genuine. What you see is what you get. Pure comfort in her own skin. Always teaching you a life lesson but never in a pushy way. Always making you feel better about yourself and somehow making you seem like a person with so many gifts and the best spirit. No wonder she has been one of my favorite people for almost 15 years. If this helps, we are like 2 of the Golden Girls, and we are ok with that! I have no doubt that our far off future contains each other and supermarket runs for poli-grip and poise pads. We are just that kind of friends. The kind that you can just pick right back up as if 5 minutes went by no matter how long. When the moments you share are the memories you make, you know you've lucked out.

I had such a nice birthday thanks to my family and friends and despite me wanting it to pass be by, 30 is settling over me ok. Nothing too traumatic so far! :-) My parents came up too and we hit up Reata, one of my favorite places. I was surprised with flowers and balloons. I got a beautiful new watch. We ate delicious food. We spent too much. We had this pedicure that was unbelievable. We laughed, we hung out, we stayed in our pjs and talked until the sun went down. We left the boys with a babysitter (gasp! that is a BIG deal for me!). But the VERY.BEST.PRESENT. of all was Jessica.

Testing, Testing, is this thing on?

2011-04-02T21:50:00.002-05:00

Having some blog issues. PLEASE comment if you see this!!! THANK YOU!

Bonnaman

2011-03-28T21:33:00.007-05:00

Bonnaman, Bonnaman, where are you? I love you!

This is a typical little song you might here around our house. Why? Well Brendan loves songs and Brendan has lots of nicknames. BrenderBear. Bonnie. LonieBon. Bonnaman. And of course, B.

We love him so much. You can't help but fall in love with him. He is irresistible.

Here is my B bringing a smile to my face.

In the first and last picture, he is eating a Cadbury Egg. It was mine, but he looked at me with those big brown eyes, and well....he soon was enjoying his first Cadbury Egg! :-)

Over Halfway there!!!

2011-03-23T20:10:00.002-05:00

We are over halfway to our summer vacation fund goal!

I am excited about the amount of money we have saved in a short time and some of the ways we have come up with the money. This is fun!

This is our test drive for saving vacation money to next year's big trip to DISNEY WORLD!!!

One of our best hauls yet!

2011-03-20T15:53:00.006-05:00

Some of it.....

the rest of it....

We went to Kroger today as a family. I usually do the shopping alone or with just the little one, but since I can't drive we all had to go. Thanks to Kroger and their cute kid car carts, it wasn't bad. We split up and got so much done so quickly! James and Daniel were a team with part of the list. B and I tackled the rest. Finally after learning the store and getting back in the swing of "The Grocery Game", it goes pretty fast. We spent $116. We saved $109.70. That is a 48% savings! Our stockpile is growing and growing. Nice to go out to our own little "store" in our garage and see what we have in the deep freeze and on the shelves.

Number of Coupons Used: 32
Items Purchased: 87
Items Bought at Regular Price (No Coupon or Not on Sale) = 6, excluding produce

Freebies we snagged today:
*Coffee Mate Creme Brulee Creamer
*2 Michelena's frozen dinners
*Aloutte Baby Bree Cheese Wheel
*Aquafresh Toothpaste
Yakisoba Noodles
Right Guard
Dial Handsoap
Sunny D
Airwick Air Freshener

TOTAL OF FREE ITEMS: $17.22 (many of these were on sale and then with the coupons they became free because of doubling or tripling coupons so the real savings exceeds $17.22) *These items were free due to coupons received directly from manufacturer through the "5 a Day" at Couponing to Disney site, my favorite money saving site.

It is a little hard to tell from the picture, but we got a huge pot roast and a pound of ground sirloin. I put a gallon of Bluebell in the freezer before this picture. We also found some great produce but didn't have to buy some that we usually do, thanks to our new garden! :-) More on that later....

And how does Brendan feel about shopping with mommy???

Because the cost of diapers is wearing me out....

2011-03-18T22:22:00.003-05:00

Ok, because the cost of EVERYTHING is wearing me out, I decided to get back into couponing and I am LOVING it. This sounds lame, but it is really a fun little hobby. I get a little thrill every time I save money. No, I could not go on Extreme Couponing. But I think I am still pretty cool. ;-)

My mommy friends should know about a particularly great deal right now on diapers at Walgreens. You can get the Walgreens brand diapers for $2.50 per pack. And before you say, EEEW, Walgreens brand???? Let me stop and say they are very nice diapers. I like them a lot. We have not had a single leak or blow out in one month. If you are still skeptical, I suggest you try them out for daycare where they change your kid, say, oh every 5 seconds.

Here is how the deal works:
1. Pick up an Infant Care Coupon Book (this is easier said than done, trust me. It takes looking around an asking) at your local Walgreens.
2. These diapers are normally $8.99 but are BIGI (buy one get one free)
3. The coupon is $2.00 off one pack of diapers.
4. If you buy 2 packs of diapers for $8.99 that makes them about $4.50 each. Then if you take $2 off EACH pack with the coupon, you are paying about $2.50 give or take a cent for each pack. You can buy as many as you want using one coupon.

I have purchased about 14 packs of diapers this way. Love them for daycare because one pack is easy to carry into daycare for the week. We are in size 3 now but I have some size 3, 4 and 5.

I have LOTS of these Infant Care Coupon Books because I looked and looked and one Walgreens lady felt so bad for me that she gave me like 15 of them, seriously. This is the second time the Walgreens diapers have gone on sale BIGI in the last month and the second time I have stocked up using this coupon at the $2.50 price. I know some naysayers would say "But is is that good of a deal? Could you score the same price per diaper at Costco or Sam's?" Perhaps. However, I don't have to have about $50 at once to buy these! :-) Hence the awesomeness!

If you can't find the coupon book and want one, send me your address and I will mail you one. I am not sure of the exact expiration date on these but it is too cool to pass up. There are other good coupons for Huggies, Triple Paste, etc. but the Walgreens diaper deal is the best so far. :-)

Happy Shopping!

Brendan and Why We Aren't The Favorite Patient

2011-03-18T00:00:00.011-05:00

Brendan had his 18 month well-child visit and I will do the math for you and tell you he is really 19 months old. I am not sure what is up with that, but oh well. He did his 15 month check up at 16 months, so let's keep the pattern going. He did GREAT except for opening and closing the door to the little room about, hmmm, 100 times. He loved yelling out BAM and then trying to slam it, barely missing his fingers each time. Why didn't I stop him!? Oh I tried. And I tried. And I tried. It was pretty futile on my end. He shrieked and yelled no and even two times ran full speed away from me down the hall donning a diaper and sandals. That was awesome, especially when other people were out there and they have all these privacy signs up about being quiet to protect patient privacy. And here comes B. Running like some track star, his little belly button sticking out and squealing while I am trotting behind him. So my plan for next time?!??? To bring one of those thingees where kids can't open doors! YES! In fact this is such a great idea I bet you other mommies would agree with me. In fact, I think I should set up a little shop outside the doctor's office to sell these things and make a lot of money! Ha! Why do they put you in the teeny-tiny room for 20 minutes with nothing to do with a 19 month old except open and shut and open and shut and open and shut and well you get the idea. A door thingee would be better than being climbed all over by an angry sandal wearing toddler who is having a teary tantrum because out of sheer desperation you have moved a chair to block the door and are sitting in the chair.

So about the kiddo: He is GREAT, WONDERFUL, PERFECT and given what has been going on with some friends of ours I was just giving thanks for that right there in the little exam room. A healthy child. I just don't think there is anything better. No, I KNOW there is nothing better. Brendan was 25 lb and 36.5 inches tall. Our little man had a growth spurt and really shot up! The doctor noticed right away how tall he was. The pedi checked him all out (including a worrisome bump on his noggin - all ok, just a little bit assymetrical little head). On track with everything and she was really excited about how far he has come since his gross motor delay diagnosis. You can't even tell now! Unless you are a occupational therapist and you are staring at how he eats. He doesn't chew on the left. Might end up being one of B's little quirks.

How does he measure up?
At 19 months:

your child is 25 pounds, and that is
at the 31th percentile for weight.

your child is 36.5 inches, and that is
at greater than the 97th percentile for height.

So yes, Brendan is our second string bean baby. I am not sure how this happens but it does. He alternates between barely eating and being a BOTTOMLESS pit. I have never seen such a picky eater. Point him in the general direction of carbs and he will find his way. Hoping our little garden inspires him to actually eat some veggies. Lots more taking in little pairs of shorts and jeans in our near future until he fills out.

He got one little shot and then got a sucker and was a happy guy. Mommy was happy that she got to take him (Daddy has gone last couple of times). My little baby is becoming such a big boy! Pedi said paci has to go, so Brendan went to bed without it. It is a good thing I was out and not here for the tears. I am such a softie for this kid!

E-I-E-I - OOOOOO

2011-03-17T23:30:00.005-05:00

We headed up to my parent's property while we were visiting them at Spring Break. The property is one of my favorite places that I have ever been. When you are there, everything seems right in the world. You can easily forget all your worries and what is going on everywhere else and just enjoy the moment. The air is so pure and so quiet. Everything is so green and alive. What a peaceful place. It was a perfect day to go. The weather was cool and sunny. Brendan loved riding in the trail wagon for the first time and James loved keeping busy with tools he found, especially the level. We checked out the tank, we looked at the new calf, we rode the property line. My dad and Daniel put up the Martin House. It has inspired us to get some kind of neat birdhouse. My mom helped me take care of Brendan who would have rather been running around all 80 acres! Brendan kept humming Old McDonald and would loudy sing the part E-I-E-I-O! When he forgot the O James would add it on for him. Like always, it was great! Feel very blessed that someday my children will inherit a portion of that land that has been in our family for a long time.

Guilty Blog Deserter

2011-03-07T08:43:00.005-06:00

Wow. I have majorly deserted my blog. So I am back and my goal is to update, even very brief updates, once a week. I know. I know. I have said this before. But I will really update it once a week. Or more! Can it be done? YES IT CAN! That way I will not have to have mega-long blog posts. I also decided to give my blog a little face lift that was long overdue. So here goes....

What is new with the Duffy Boys since the last post?

First I will begin with James, our big man on campus. Let me start by saying that the threes, well they are pretty interesting and make me tired! You can now have full on normal conversations with James. He has a lot of opinions (hmmm, wonder where he got that from!) and he is ever so happy to share them all with you. We call him the "Little Professor" because he he so serious when he talks to you and uses a lot of hand gestures. I think in a past life he may have been Italian. I love all my Italian friends! This is a big compliment! He looks at you with those huge brown eyes and you just want to eat him up he is so sweet when he is explaining things to you. He has been really interested in specific things since he was 17 months old (the first was flags of all things), and we have moved through various interests. His current ones are bugs and dinosaurs, and of course the fascination with trains remains. Man oh man, what this kid can tell you about bugs, dinos and trains. Thanks to his science teacher momma he knows about insects having six legs and where the thorax is. He knows which bugs eat what. He is always telling me that bugs are our friends. As far as dinos go, he can name so many and what they eat and what kind of teeth they have. On trains he points out the type of car, but calls the last car a "big-in-the-boose". Not sure why, but I love it and don't have the heart to correct him anymore. James has lots of "favorite things in the whole world" that he likes to tell us about, but he hates and I mean HATES going to bed. We bought his big boy bedding and will be transitioning him from a toddler bed to the bottom bunk of a bunk bed soon. Check out his new bedding here. We also sold his old bedding so his room is kind of bare at the moment. He hasn't seemed to notice...typical boy! :-) He loves school and tells me about his adventures every night. Seems like his favorite things there are playing outside, playing with play dough and doing centers. His teachers are always planning something special and he has learned so much! He also likes music day which is every Tuesday when someone comes in and does "Wiggles and Tunes". Yesterday was a big day for James. He had his first t-ball practice. He LOVED it. We've got to pick up some equipment for that and he is pretty psyched about all of it. Of course, with the threes comes the testing, testing, testing. He is a pro! Teaching your kids to be respectful and kind is a tough job. Sometimes he flat wears me out. My favorite things about James are his serious faces that he gets when he is talking about something that is important to him and the way his little face crinkles up when he throws his head back and this beautiful and infectious laughter comes out if his mouth. How he gets so mad at me when I make him do right, but then comes running to me to kiss a boo boo or snuggle with me. The pulling away battle has begun and is in full swing. But what a privilege to be the mommy of sons. To grow good men - that is my goal. No matter how exhausted I become!!! I CANNOT imagine life without this busy little boy in it!

Now on to the B. Oh the B! I can't tell you how wonderful Brendan is and how happy I am that he is part of our family. He brings so much to our family and was just the missing puzzle piece. We are constantly tickled at how different he and James are, but how they are the perfect match for brothers. They are best friends and worst enemies, one second doubled over in laughter and the next screaming at the top of their lungs. For the most part, they balance each other out and I am SO glad they have each other. Brendan is the ying to James' yang. James is the whipped cream, and Brendan is the cherry on top. Brendan is, simply, the MOST joyful little person I have ever met. I have never met someone who is in such a chronically good mood. You can learn a lot from someone so happy all the time. It is contagious! He is all soft corners and kisses. And he is still a momma's boy and I love every single second of it! I am so enjoying watching him grow. I am very excited that he has started loving books and can often be found sitting in a pile of board books looking through all of them. We read every night before bed and he will pick out the books and toddle over to me and climb up on my lap. It melts my heart. He is also talking so much now. I am really impressed. (James talked pretty late...first words on time but really talking took quite some time.) I am convinced it is because he hears so much language. When I talked to James as a baby he of course didn't talk back. But Brendan is being exposed to so much more language - two way language. Yesterday he talked in a couple of short sentence. His first sentences were: "Oh no! Where is Daddy? Where Daddy go?" Brendan's favorite things are airplanes, dogs, swinging and taking a bath. He can spot a plane from so far away and he will do baby sign language to show you. He adores our dog Cheesecake and will tell me that doggies say "Woof Woof". Whenever he can he tries to dart out the back door to swing. This kid would seriously be content to swing for hours. So grateful for our nice swing set we put in last year. James has even started pushing B on the swing. It is pretty darn cute! And bath time. Well it is pretty messy because we have to have about 100 toys in there, or at least it seems like that many and Brendan just has to dump water over the side of the tub. But he adores bath time so we try to let them have a lot of extra time to play in there. I would say it is easily one of the favorite parts of their day. Brendan never cries or is grouchy about getting his hair washed (unlike someone else who shall remain nameless!). Brendan is still good about sleeping and he loves to cuddle up in his bed. He is still cuddly in general but starting to exert his independence more. I knew this day was coming, but oh how I wish we could put it on hold for just a little longer. Each time I look at B he seems a little taller, a littler leaner. Where did my baby go? If only they could stay tiny forever. If only. Brendan also loves his school. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful place for our children to learn and explore. What they are getting to do each day and the genuine caring I see from the teachers makes my heart so happy. Brendan loves his teacher Ms. Tammy so much. She says "Oh Boy" a lot and so now B says it too and I just love it. Each day I am learning something new about Brendan and it is the best surprise each day to hear him say a new word or making me laugh over something new.

This has been the latest and greatest on my two sweet little ones! Much more to come! No pictures this time, but stay tuned!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that....

2011-02-06T20:46:00.011-06:00

This is going to be an extremely random blog entry. But hey! That's ok! My hand/wrist is just a tiny bit sore and I can type again! YAY! So, time to catch up on everything! Going to try and pull this off bullet style!

*Got a Nook! - Daniel got me a nook for Christmas and oh my goodness is it awesome! I have read so, so much since getting it. I'm into my 4th novel and I have also downloaded some other books I am reading as well. With the two munchkins I get so busy I forgot how much I love to read. Don't have a nook? Get one! It is INCREDIBLE!

*Auburn Tigers become National Champions! - War Damn Eagle! So proud of our school!

* Brendan turned 18 months old! - I know, I know! I cannot believe it either. I cannot get over it. My little B is growing so fast. He is just such a sweetheart with the best smile. He makes me so happy and is so darn cuddly. Lately, I have seen his independent side coming out and he lets me know when he is mad now, that is for sure. I also never updated on this 15 month well baby visit. He ended up going in at 16 months because Daniel got a new shift (see below) and he was 23 lbs and 33 inches. Tall boy!

* Daniel got a new shift! - Bye bye Saturdays. I don't think I can express how truly awesome this is! The only thing more awesome is how I have been getting to sleep in every Saturday since then. :-)

* The Duffy family finally got a decent TV! - Yes, after many years we finally upgraded. For anyone who had seen our old TV, you know how exciting this is! Our old TV was so small and well, old. Loving this Vizio! Loved paying cash for it!

* Lauren re-discovered her love of coupons! - Back to playing the Grocery Game and saving lots of money thanks to Southern Savers and Money Saving Mom! Getting some good-natured ribbing from friends, but that is ok. I love COUPONS! Someone get me a shirt printed up ok!?

* James has a new passion - DINOSAURS! - Man, oh man does this kid love him some dinos! Knows so many of the names and can identify them. So of course, I had to introduce him to "Land Before Time". It's as good now as it was back then! He is going to be very excited when his new dino bedding comes in the mail from PBKids soon! :-)

* North Texas had SNOW, SNOW and MORE SNOW! - 4 days off from school = pure bliss! So needed this time with my boys. We read books, sang songs, played with play dough, did arts and crafts (including sock puppets thanks to Jessica!), baked, watched movies and had the BEST time! The last day was warm enough for J to play outside. Can't wait for B to be big enough to play in the snow next year. :-)

Ok, well I think that covers it all right now! Thanks for reading!

oh so long since a post

2011-01-31T21:25:00.005-06:00

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I did however, fall on my arm. Thanks to all kinds of legal stuff I probably can't disclose how this all went down, but I am sure that I am allowed to say OUCH!!! Haven't been able to blog in a long time....but sooner or later I'll get back to this when I have use of both hands to type. I have lots of updates: Brendan's last well baby visit, James' latest hilarious statements, my New Year's resolutions, my profound love of my nook, and my newest addition - coupons! But for now I leave you with his cute picture and a promise to blog more real soon!

By the way, this picture is the boy's fall school picture (James age 2, Brendan 15 months....now they are 3 and almost 18 months...EEECK! Slow down time!)

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

2011-01-03T20:17:00.005-06:00

Christmas is as magical as when you are a kid when you become a parent to a child old enough to understand what you are celebrating. James loved the whole thing and I can't wait for Brendan to get excited too!

We went down to Houston and celebrated with my parents. Their house was decorated so beautifully. There were poinsettias and pine cones and a Christmas village set up. My mom had set up multiple nativity scenes. There were two big Christmas trees and one tiny little tree just for James and Brendan. It was decorated with photo ornaments of the boys and special kiddie ornaments. There was even a little nativity scene just for them. Leave it to my mom to come up with something that sweet. All of our stockings hung on the mantle. The kitchen was stocked with spiced pecans, homemade date loaf and orange slice cookies. It was pure Christmas. What a wonderful memory!

We left out cookies that we had baked for Santa and the boys were THRILLED with the train table and other goodies Santa left on Christmas morning. James and Brendan both got excited opening gifts, although James was really more into it of course. I cannot wait for next year! It will be great!

The day after Christmas we had friends and family over. It was such a special opportunity to get us all together in one place. One of the best parts was seeing James and Brendan with their second cousins who are all near their age. What a rambunctious group of boys we have!!!

We all had such a wonderful time together as a family that we decided to spend every Christmas at my parents' house. It was so special. I know the boys will have fantastic Christmas memories as they grow up!

It's a bird, it's a plane.....

2010-12-18T15:28:00.007-06:00

It's Superman!

James had a Superman party for his 3rd birthday and he had a FABULOUS time! Yes, he is only 3, but has such a hard time showing three fingers. Too cute. He has really been into superheroes lately and makes us laugh zooming around the house "flying". So of course we decided that the "real" Superman should be invited. He came and did all kinds of cool things....parachute games, karate, magic tricks, dancing and the coolest balloon animals I have every seen. James wore his new superhero cape. It looked like Superman's but had a J in the shield instead. Very cool! James laughed and laughed. He was SO into it!

Brendan loved the party too, especially the cake and ice cream. He was sitting up at the little picnic table with all the "big kids". I couldn't believe it. He loves to be in all the action with his big brother.

I always love celebrating birthdays and each year it is becoming more and more fun. Thanks to all our friends and family that came over to spend the afternoon with James. And a special thanks to Coach, the Cha Cha King of West Texas and to all the dads who participated in the "tickle tunnel"! You are all good sports! :-)

Still can't believe my little baby is about to turn 3. Where does the time go?

Turkey Time

2010-11-30T19:30:00.004-06:00

Loved, loved, loved Thanksgiving this year! We all gathered around our dining room table for the first time since the boys were born. For the past couple of years Thanksgiving dinner has been a meal eaten in shifts while we take turns eating and feeding the little ones. It was SO nice for everyone to sit down together and enjoy being together and enjoying delicious food. James' favorite was the turkey and Brendan ate almost all of the cranberry sauce we had. Here is a little bit of what we are most thankful for this year:

Daniel:
our family
good health
employment in these hard times
rough-housing with the boys
an awesome season for Auburn
rechargeable batteries
old friends
Netflix streaming
iPhone
concerts

Brendan:
his Gund musical stuffed animal collection
his Bubba
Gerber SmartSips
bath time
Mommy cuddles
the play shopping cart that he zooms all over the house

James:
reading books with Mommy and Daddy
trains
his school
parks
his baby (what he calls Brendan)
Yo Gabba Gabba

Lauren:
the health and happiness of my family
having freedom
all the supportive people in my life
coupons and money-saving blogs
my headache medicine
great childcare for our kiddos
coffee
my GPS
trips
my camera
some "light bulb moments" I have experienced this past year
laughter
the power of prayer

Head. Over. Heels. Still.

2010-11-27T23:10:00.004-06:00

Next month Daniel and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage. Amazing. I cannot believe it has been ten years since I married my best friend. I still remember my dad walking me down the aisle like it was yesterday, my hands shakily grasping the communion cup, kissing my groom as our breath fogged in the cold air outside the little chapel, our voices echoing over each other "We did it! We did it!". And here we are today. In a way it seems like a lifetime, in others, like no time has passed. I still get a hammering in my chest over him, still blush when he pays me a compliment. I still feel like a teenager in puppy love at times. What a wonderful feeling it is, not just to love someone, but to BE in love! In the last 10 years our marriage has seen 2 college degrees, 1 big move, 1 masters degree, 2 real jobs, 1 car purchase, 1 mortgage, 3 pregnancies and 2 healthy children. There has been illness and injury and worry and grief. But there has been dancing in the kitchen and road trips and holding newborns and laughter. So much laughter. There has been more good than bad by 1,000 times. It has been a journey I wish I could take again. In a way, we grew up together, him and me. We will grow old together too, hand in hand.

The world has gotten a lot bigger in the last ten years, at least to me. I feel so small in it sometimes, which at times is blissful and at times horrifying. I do not know if it is because 3-0 is looming before me, like a dark shadow trailing wherever I go, but I am so much more reflective and meditative than I have ever been. I understand that 30 is still young, but I feel that someone has put life in fast-forward and it is moving so fast. I want to slow it back down. I am just taking it all in. And I am so blessed to have been loved this much. To have found a person to brave this big, sometimes wonderful, sometimes heartbreaking world with. Someone who thinks I am beautiful at 6am before I have brushed my teeth or gotten the sheet creases off of my face. Someone who thinks I am funny and doesn't get annoyed when I get tickled by myself. Someone who sees in me what probably no one else does, and makes me believe that it is all really true. Someone who does without so I can have. Someone who holds my hand when I am scared, tickles me when I am feeling down and listens to me when I am not saying a word.

My feelings are stronger today than they were when I was that 19 year old kid standing there saying "I do." We have faced so much together and come up swinging. We always do. It's who we are when we are together. Daniel makes me think anything is still possible. He makes me think I can do anything. I would marry him all over again in a heartbeat. He's had my heart since I was 17 and I knew he was the one. What are the odds of something like that working out? But here we are and I am madly in love with this man! I was put on this earth to love him and that is exactly what I am going to do. When I was 19. When I am 29. When I am 99. I have never done anything better in my life than marry Daniel Duffy. It has led to everything amazing since then, especially my children who will grow up seeing their parents head over heels for each other. Boys, you should know that your father is a true gentleman. A hard worker. Compassionate. Funny. Caring. Polite. Honest. Dedicated. Loving. Everything I hope you aspire to be. Daniel, you should know that even among the hectic lives we lead, I never for a second stop appreciating you and there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for you. I love you now and always. Happy almost 10 years babe!

These pictures are from our anniversary getaway. We went to Granbury and stayed at a B and B. It was so nice to go somewhere just the two of us. We both feel so renewed. We slept in, we read, we sat by the lake, we looked at the stars from the hot tub, we shopped, we drove around, we saw movies. It was so nice. Thanks to Nana and Granddaddy who kept the boys so we could enjoy some time alone. I fell in love all over again!

'Tis the Season

2010-11-26T23:51:00.005-06:00

Gotta get caught up on some blogging and I hope to get that done in the next couple of days. We have had a beautiful fall here in North Texas and the weather has finally cooled down. Thanksgiving was wonderful and Daniel and I were able to go away for a couple of blissful days to celebrate (early) our 10th wedding anniversary. MANY thanks to Nana an Granddaddy for staying with the boys and making that possible. Today our team beat Alabama in a great, edge of your seat game. Way to go Auburn! We spent a lazy day around the house and then headed into downtown to see the Parade of Lights - so beautiful! All the floats and Christmas music got me in the holiday spirit! I love Christmas time and everything that goes along with it. The next few days will be spent decorating our house, inside and out. It is finally time for Christmas movies, the Advent Calendar, baking Christmas cookies, putting coins in the red kettles of the Salvation Army, wrapping gifts, Christmas pageants, Christmas carols, the Nativity Scene, visiting Santa, Midnight Mass and Christmas cards. Here is the Duffy Family Christmas Card 2010.....mailing them out in a few weeks.

Top Ten Moments Christmas Card

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The Cheapskates' Halloween

2010-11-03T21:37:00.006-05:00

I will admit it. I can be pretty cheap. I prefer frugal, but whatever you want to call it, I just like to get a good deal! There are some things I am willing to spend money on no questions asked, but for the most part I enjoy shopping around and planning ahead to save our hard-earned dinero. I also love holidays and know that my spending can get out of hand, so this Halloween I challenged myself. The challenge was to spend LESS but do MORE. Hmmmm. Could it be done? Oh yes! It turns out it was possible! Even on a budget, man oh man did the Duffy family have a great Halloween this year! So here's how we had the BEST Halloween yet without feeling the pinch:

The boys participated in a Halloween parade and Trunk or Treat at school (read: no additional money to spend other than the $4 I spent on fruit snacks for the parade! Yahoo!!!!). We visited the Pumpkin Patch and everything was free.....from the Hayride to the bounce houses. I was going to buy each of the boys a small pumpkin there, but James pointed out we already had a big one at home so we didn't need more (smart kid!). We carved our jack-o-lantern from a pumpkin I got for $4 BEFORE we went to the Pumpkin Patch. We decorated the yard with painted wooden candy corns I bought at a garage sale. I decorated the inside of the house with a collection of ceramic Halloween houses I have been collecting for several years and packages of "spider web" and mini-pumpkins that I got for $5. We got "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on DVR and popped popcorn we already had. We made the brownie pumpkin (family tradition since I was a kid) for about $7 and had a visit from the Great Pumpkin too, thanks to Nana and Granddaddy. The boys got some cute books and new clothes and toys and snacks and were very thrilled to open their "Great Pumpkin" bags after trick-or-treating. I got the boys a few Halloween trinkets on sale at Kroger of all places. Their favorite thing? The plastic glasses with the nose and mustache attached! Brendan and James were super cute in their costumes. James was a pumpkin, which he picked out and Brendan was a spider. I was so excited with their costumes because they were precious and so affordable. I got their costumes (Pottery Barn Kids and Old Navy!) from JBF and I got them for about $20 total. We spent $20 on Halloween candy to give out to the trick-or-treaters. So all in all, I figure we spent about $65 on everything. That comes out to about $16 per person for our family of four and that ladies and gentlemen is how you do a fun-filled and memorable Halloween on a budget!

Fried. Frito. Pie.

2010-10-17T20:16:00.007-05:00

That's right. I said FRIED FRITO PIE. Folks, it just doesn't get better than that. We tried it out at the Texas State Fair on Friday along with a fried twinkie which was almost as good. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of this tasty, gooey bit of deliciousness, but you will have to take my word for it - it was great! I did, however, manage to get lots of other photographs of all the fun and festivities that make up our country's largest state fair. The highlights: the bulldozer exhibit, the petting zoo, the food and the Kidway. Last year, James rode rides but this year he was SO into them. He picked out what he wanted to ride and excitedly hopped off one ride eager to run to the next one. Last year, Brendan was only about 6 weeks old and stayed in the stroller or in my arms the whole time. This year he tried cotton candy and toddled around in the shade under the trees. Daniel and I can't wait until next year when we can all hop on the rides together and the 4 of us can devour the classic fair must - eat.....Fletcher's corny dogs. The Texas State Fair is a Duffy Family Tradition and one of my favorite parts of Fall.

One More Day With You

2010-10-09T12:11:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine lost her son last weekend. My heart is just broken for her. There really aren't words for the sorrow I am feeling for the family. After the funeral, my friend took my hands, looked in my eyes and spoke words that jarred me and set me on a quest to follow her directions exactly. She said these words: No matter what they do or how much your boys might drive you crazy or what wild trouble they may get into as teenagers, get on your knees every day and thank God you got to spend one more day with them.

So boys, here is what I could do if I knew I had just one more day with you.

Hold you.
Squeeze you tight.
Tell you I love you.
Tickle you.
Snuggle with you.
Fly kites.
Sing songs.
Skip rocks.
Pick flowers.
Tell you I love you.
Play outside.
Give you a bubble bath.
Breathe in your smell.
Hold your sticky little hands in mine.
Bake cookies.
Tell you I love you.
Take photographs.
Read books with you both on my lap.
Run through open fields in the warm sun.
Memorize your faces.
Soak up your laughter.
Pray with you.

I'm going to make every day special and worthwhile boys. And I am going to get down on my knees and offer up thanks and praise for you two - my most unmerited blessings. I love you both and my life has never been so wonderful all because I am your Momma.

Our 200th Posting!

2010-09-27T20:33:00.010-05:00

Our first posting was in December of 2007. Here we are almost three years and 200 postings later! So much has changed. We have grown from a couple into a family of four. What an awesome journey it has been so far. We can't wait to have more adventures and share them through our words and pictures.

Fall Weather + A Walking 13 Month Old = Fun At The Park

Wood + Dirt + Grass = Letting Boys Be Boys

What happened when I told B he couldn't eat the wood chips....don't worry, he cheered up quick.

One of the lights of my life!

The joys of boys!

2010-09-23T20:52:00.006-05:00

My favorite part of any day is hanging out with the kiddos. It really doesn't matter how tired I am or what kind of day I have had, everything is right in the world once I am home with my boys. Luckily, most of my days are really good, but there is nothing like coming home to family when you are tired and need to smile.

James usually wakes up between 6am - 6:15am on weekdays. We have had to do a little tinkering to our morning routine, but it's nice to spend extra time with him. Brendan is usually still snoozing when we go in to get him ready for school. James loves to run in yelling "Good Morning Baby". We've been working on waking Brendan up without yelling, but to be honest, he does not really seem to mind. We get a smile from him right away which is so typical of B.

We load up in the car after everyone one is dressed and groomed with all the gear we need. We drive to work chatting and pointing out things to Brendan. We point out every stop sign, stop light and school bus. We count every bull dozer and I act as though I have never seen anything so amazing. We talk about how the sun rises in the east and how the sunrise looks like cotton candy. It is a special time that I really treasure. I drop the boys off at school and get their breakfast all ready so they can eat. Then I am off to work a few blocks away from their school.

I pick the boys up as soon as I can after work, sometimes even before 4pm.It makes our early mornings SOOO worth it! They are both loving their new school and are learning and lot and doing so many neat things. Once we get home we play and then James helps me cook dinner while standing on his stool. His favorite thing to make is breakfast for dinner...scrambled eggs, waffles and fruit. I can still manage to sneak sweet potatoes into the waffles but James is starting to look suspicious. Brendan sits in his high chair and just laughs and laughs at us. After they eat, we play in the playroom again. It has been so hot. We are all ready for fall weather so we can play outside again and resume our evening walks. Watching them play is lots of fun, especially when they start playing together or playing with me. Brendan will toddle over to me and hand me something and say "Look". I can't enough of him! James wants me to tickle him and I pretend to smell his little feet and Brendan will collapse in my lap doing his belly laugh to get some snuggles. Oh yes, these are the joys of boys!

We wrap up their day with a dunk in the tub. Sometimes I think it would be easier to hose them off in the yard! Bath time is so messy these days with water splish sploshing everywhere. I should just wear a wet suit. After bath time, we put on jammies and cozy up with books and music and singing and prayers. I love the feel of these little bodies melting into me at the end of the day. James likes to sing to B, usually the ABC song or Twinkle Twinkle or Itsy Bitsy Spider. I cannot believe the love these boys already have for each other. There is not a single day that goes by that I don't stop dead in my tracks and have this amazing revelation that these are MY beautiful boys! Somehow the feeling of awe and wonder of them never grows old. I will thanks to the Lord for these two miracles for the rest of my life and it will never be enough to express how I feel and how blessed I am to be called Mommy.

James and Brendan are both growing like weeds. Some times I catch a glimpse of them where I see a little peek of what they will look like when they are all grown up. It seems like every morning when James wakes up and comes to find me, he is taller. Brendan is walking more and more and will cheer himself on saying "Go B! Go B!". I have never seen something so precious. Oh yes, these are the days! These precious fleeting days!

We are busy little bees!

2010-09-05T23:39:00.005-05:00

Over the last month, Brendan turned one, James had his tonsils and adenoids out, Brendan got his first hair cut and "graduated" from Early Childhood Intervention after making lots of progress with his motor skills and we started potty training James. James' recovery from surgery was pretty tough for about 11 days, but he is feeling so wonderful. It was like they operated on his personality because he is no longer "high maintenance". I think the poor kid was sick so much that he was just a perpetual grouch. We are so glad we opted for surgery.....it is amazing what a difference it has made in everything for him, from his mood to his sleeping to his temperature level. It has been amazing! Brendan also started taking first steps. Watching him cruise along the furniture and then timidly step away and try walking is precious. He is so ready to be independent! What happened to my cuddle bug? He is ready to explore everything. We are at that stage where he is in to everything and he is dodging disaster minute by minute. He is constantly almost shutting his finger in drawers and almost hitting his head on tables. I must gasp about 20 times a day because I think he is about to knock himself out somehow. He is no longer content to sit on my hip while I go about my housework. He wiggles to get down instead and investigate. If only he would listen when I whisper in his ear that I think he should just stay little. The boys also started a new school and they seem to like it a lot. I am very happy that it was an easy transition for them.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last 4 weeks. Life is a happy blur of fun moments, most revolving around the joys of parenthood. These are our ordinary but wonderful days. I wish they could last forever. Our house is in constant commotion and you can always hear the sound of a kiddo...usually laughter, or a little voice or babble. More and more we are having to referee the boys as they learn to share toys, etc. It is pretty much only quiet at nap time and bedtime. James had turned into an utter chatterbox and is so inquisitive. I am LOVING our conversations. He is also hilarious. Of course he is at his funniest when he is being utterly serious with his big brown eyes looking right into mine. Here are some of his funny comments as of late:

Mommy: Be gentle. James: No, Mommy, I'll be James.

Mommy: Would you like some fruit? James: Well, of course! (said like, DUH MOM!)

Mommy: Are you excited to be a spider for Halloween? James: No, siders (no p) scare me. They have 8 arms. I will be a pumpkin with Bendan (no r).

James: (to me) Cheesecake pooped on the ground! (to Cheesecake) Way to go Cheesecake! I am proud of you. Next time tell Mommy you have to go and poop in the toilet.

He also has started looking at characters' expressions in books or movies and then he makes the expression and tells me how the character feels. It is priceless. I am hoping to get in on video because it cracks me up. He does a great imitation of the Evil Queen from Snow White.

Brendan's sense of humor is emerging too. He has this throaty, scratchy little laugh that makes me giggle so much. I love the sound of it and will spend the rest of my life doing whatever it takes to hear that sound. These kids of mine are PURE JOY! My heart is so happy. I love being their mom and all the memories we are making.

Extra Extra, Read All About It! Brendan Turns 1!

2010-08-28T11:48:00.009-05:00

Brendan turned one year old on August 5th. Can you believe it? Our little baby is growing up! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDAN! My, how big you are getting and how you light up the room when you smile with your precious grin and little teeth! Your giggle is infectious and you just make every moment a little better and a little brighter.

I have not blogged in quite a while. I started back to work and we are back to the daily grind. Oh how I miss you days of summer! But no matter how busy and hectic our daily lives become, I am going to do my best to periodically update the blog. This will be a particularly long blog because I have a lot to catch up on about Brendan's birthday. So let me start at the beginning...

On Brendan's actual birthday, my dad was staying with us to help me take care of the kids. James had his tonsils and adenoids out on August 4th and it involved about a 10 day recovery where James was really not feeling well. He is all better now thankfully (more on that in a later post). My dad made Brendan a peach pie for the family tradition of each person getting a homemade pie on their birthday. Brendan spent the day playing and getting spoiled!

On August 10th I took Brendan for his 1 year well child check up. It went well. Our pediatrician relocated so it was our first time meeting the new pedi. I really liked her, although Brendan did NOT like when she had to look in his ears. He was pretty mad! That is a new side we are seeing of our sweet B. I think everyone who has met Brendan pretty much agrees what he could go down in history as one of the happiest and easiest babies of all time. In the past couple of weeks, he is still our happy, easy guy most of the time but we are starting to see him showing us his opinion on things and speaking up when things are not going his way. He has added a few more words to his vocabulary and we are getting lots and lots of babbling. When he gets mad he has a special noise to show us his displeasure. He has also figured out how to be loud, and I mean LOUD! At the doctor, he measured 29.5 inches long and 20.5 lb. He is meeting most of his milestones on time. Brendan was recently diagnosed with a motor delay (fine and gross motor skills) and we have been working with Early Childhood Intervention. He is 2 -3 months delayed with motor skills but it looks as though it will not be long before he is caught up. He is doing really well in the cognitive, language and social/emotional areas of development. He is making awesome progress already and might get to exit the program soon!

Here's a quick list of B's favorite things at 12 months:
Foods- toast, pears, chicken nuggets, strawberries
Songs - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Yesterday by the Beatles (I sing it to him every night before bed)
Books - in that phase of being a total squirmer at book time, but seems to like Jamberry and The Nose Book
Toys - nerf balls, Winnie The Pooh Train, the ball popper, the diner, bath toys
Things To Do - taking a bath, snuggling with momma, cruising along the furniture, playing with our doggie, dancing to music

The last year has been so wonderful. B was the missing piece to our puzzle and I can honestly say that I barely remember life without him in it. Now it seems normal to have my hands full, a kiddo on each side on my lap, two slippery wiggle worms in the tub every night, and two heads on my shoulder when it is time to snuggle. It fills my heart up every day. Who knew you could love so much? So happy first birthday Brendan! I am so glad I am your mommy! Thank you for bringing me so much joy these past 12 months. My heart smiles every time I think of you. Watching you grow and explore each day makes me so happy and I cannot wait for all the amazing memories we are going to make together. The world is such a better place because you are in it Brendan. :-)

Up next....Party Time!

We celebrated Brendan's first birthday at his safari bash on August 14th here at our house. We had a big turn out and it was wonderful party. It was so nice seeing everyone and hearing all the laughter in the house. I certainly loved James' first birthday party too, but this first birthday was so different. We had a house full of kids here! I once read that mothers should never feel guilty about not having the same amount of time to spend with their second born children because they are born into the magical world of childhood instead of into a world of adults like firstborns. This is so true. James's first birthday was nearly all adults and Brendan's had 10 children and their families and their parents plus godparents too, and Nana and Granddaddy!

I think all the kiddos (and Mommies and Daddies) had a really fun time at the party - at least it looked like they did. I love parties and planning B's was great. I loved doing something special for him. We decorated with lots of balloons, crepe paper and party goodies, hired an entertainer and tried to think of every last detail from the safari themed food, handmade invitations and safari hats and favors for every child. The birthday boy looked snazzy in his custom outfit I ordered on Etsy. He looked SO stinkin' cute! Brendan's favorite part of the party had to be eating his smash cake. It was pure heaven for him! We let him eat it for about 15 minutes and he was covered in blue icing. I loved watching him try to figure out how to eat the cake. At first he tried to pick it up but it was to big, then he tried to put his little face down into it, but he couldn't reach. Finally, he figured out how to pull off pieces of it and taste it. This boy loves cake! And his first taste of cake was delicious thanks to Kara Clayton! She made it to match the plates and decorations we picked out. She makes some yummy cakes! It was so tasty and completely gorgeous. The party entertainer, Dena, from Silly Shindigs was second to none. She tailored her entertainment to the toddler crowd and our safari theme and boy oh boy did the kids love it! They were totally engaged and James is STILL talking about her two weeks later. I know we will be using Dena again in the future. Bravo Silly Shindigs! Last but not least, my buddy Nell from Cowtown Camera Girl, took pictures of us. You can see a cute collage if you visit her blog (you can click on her blog over on the right). I always love seeing Nell, and it was extra nice this time because she brought her own little cutie along. He was a safari animal expert! :-) All of the little ones were so well behaved and things flowed smoothly. Watching the kids interact with each other, play, eat a "picnic" on the dining room floor and open Brendan's presents for him (each opened and showed B what they brought while he was finishing his smash cake) were each special memories I will always treasure from that day. Brendan received some really fun and thoughtful birthday gifts including a ride on train, a new monogrammed back pack, some great books, several toys including a musical instrument set and $1,000 for his college fund. Thank you to our family and friends who came to the party to celebrate with B! You made the day one we will never forget. One of my favorite things is to have my house full of the people I love, and all of us together in honor of our one year old sweetheart, well, what a great day!

We are on to the next stage now! I can't wait! What an exciting ride this is! We love your Brendan! Happy Birthday!

Here are some pictures from the party....more to come once I can figure out how to upload the rest to Blogger. :-)

Catching Up After a Busy July

2010-07-29T13:19:00.006-05:00

Summer is slipping by, but I refuse to give up on it until I wake up and have to go to work. I will squeeze out EVERY SINGLE LAST SECOND OF SUMMER and love it. I haven't blogged very much because I have been so busy this last month, but I was motivated to catch up after visiting the awesome blogs of some friends. I am kind of copying one of them here, by catching up on everything we have been doing lately. So, here goes nothing!

July in Review:
We started out the month celebrating the 4th of July with my wonderful parents. I already posted pictures of that, so I won't do that again.

Right when we got home, Daniel's brothers Andrew and Kevin came to visit. How I loved seeing those goofballs! Hanging out with them was really nice, now that we are all grown up. I was blown away talking to Kevin because he is all grown up now. When I think of him, I still envision the 10 year old version of him, not the 21 year old man he has become. We had a good time hanging out, although James was in rare form. Turns out he had strep AGAIN (more to come on that later). He always gets crazy when he gets strep. Here are a couple of pictures of the boys with their fabulous uncles!

In between Daniel's brothers coming to visit and our trip to New Braunfels, we just enjoyed some great family time. We checked things off our summer fun list. I watched as my Summer Project List grew longer and felt only moderately guilty and moderately panicked that barely anything was crossed off.

We wrapped up July with a trip to New Braunfels where we stayed with my parents in a condo and celebrated my dad's 59th birthday. We visited Gruene, went swimming, hung out at Landa Park and took James to Schlitterbahn. The boys got cookies from the oldest bakery in Texas and we ate big home cooked family meals together. All and all, it was a great trip. Brendan loved his time in the pool. He kicked his little legs and really tried to swim. He looked so cute in his tiny little suit in his float. Daniel and I took James to Schlitterbahn (HUGE Waterpark!) and had SO MUCH FUN! He was in heaven! He played and played and played and was so good. He was precious in his tube going round the lazy river. It brought back memories of when I was a kid and we used to go there. I am so excited for next summer when Brendan can go too! I wasn't brave enough to take my camera around all that water, so you will just have to imagine how handsome my guys were! Now we're back home and I am getting everything unpacked and looking at what things I still have to get done before school starts back up. James is having his tonsils and adenoids out next week and my little love bug B will be turning one next Thursday! It just keeps getting busier and busier around here! Updates on James' surgery and Brendan's birthday to come.

The Road to Becoming a Big Boy

2010-07-19T12:56:00.003-05:00

All moms have to travel it. It is the exciting, the new, the thrilling, the somewhat scary and bittersweet journey of watching your babies become big kids. Over the last week or so it has hit me like a ton of bricks that my first born is growing up into a little boy right NOW. No longer are we saying things like "When we move James into a big boy bed", we are doing those things! It makes me so proud of him to see him growing and doing new things and having ideas and communicating them so clearly. I like that he has a sense of humor and really gets things now. Of course, he is as stubborn as a mule and that stubbornness seems to be growing exponentially day by day. I know that I am a stubborn pain in the butt myself, so I guess this is some kind of karmic payback. Joy! I look back at his baby days now with a sweet fondness and laugh out loud remembering what a little terror he was some days. Knowing him now, really knowing him, no wonder he was so ticked off at me a lot of the time! Of course he did not want to be held all the time or have his clothes changed or be contained in any way. That would just not do for big boy Jamer and I see now that babies really do come into this world already full of their own opinions and wills. (Thank goodness I was blessed with one snuggling, cuddly momma's boy or I might just have to hold James down and get my snuggles in against his will!) Anyway, James is now in a big boy bed......it was a great transition for him. If it weren't sometimes as early as 6:30am, I could say honestly that I love seeing his little face peering over the side of my bed each morning. I do chuckle though every time he announces, "I'm up! I woke myself up!" and pull him into bed with me for a couple of minutes while he is still comfy and pliable and will lie next to me for a minute or two without much protest. The "Paci Fairy" came to visit yesterday. James decorated a paper sack for her and put all his pacifiers (oh the beloved pacifiers!) into it. He left it on the porch and lo and behold, the paci fairy delivered a shiny and new Buzz Lightyear toy that has so many buttons and lights (and 65 sayings!) that I really believe it could fly itself into the real outer space. Overjoyed is too little of a word to sum of James' reaction. It was true love for him and Buzz! He had a hard time going to bed without the comfort of his paci. I actually cried along with him, he in his bed and me in the living room, silently cursing myself for ever giving him a pacifier in the first place. Then I reminded myself that I like to sleep and have two kids, and cut myself a little slack. But then it was quiet and I knew it.....I knew that my baby had become a big boy, and was sleeping soundly in his big boy bed. He woke me this morning with a huge smile, one I could see all the way. No paci was blocking it and I smiled too, feeling pride welling up inside for my big boy.

July 4th!

2010-07-16T15:29:00.004-05:00

We spent July 4th in Houston at my parent's house and we visited the ranch too. The boys wore their matching red, white and blue outfits and we made the flag cake, a tradition we started last year. We tried explaining to James that the cake was for America's birthday, but of course he thought it was really for him. :-)

Mooooo! A couple of the cows we saw while out on the trail wagon.

Lately Brendan's been.......

2010-07-11T21:38:00.010-05:00

working hard on eating more,

hanging out with Daddy,

helping with the laundry,

helping me with the dishes,

practicing pulling up on everything (and cruising a teeny tiny bit),

reading some good books,

showing me what needs to go in the recycle bin

and just being his happy little agreeable self!

Check that off the Summer To Do List

2010-07-11T21:16:00.009-05:00

Happy 10 Months B!

2010-06-23T09:31:00.007-05:00

In the midst of school getting out, getting ready for vacation, etc. I did not get around to wishing B a Happy 10 Months! You are getting closer to 11 months now.....gulp! Can it be?!

So, hey Brendan......Happy 10 months little guy! In some ways I cannot believe you are already 10 months old. It seems like you cannot possibly be that old already. On the other hand, it is hard to remember life without you. You have been such a terrific addition to our family and you have been the missing piece of the puzzle. It is as if you have always been with us. I love that James will never remember life without you. I have taken to telling him: Be good to your brother. He's the only one you've got.

What you are like at 10 months old:

- You are so curious! You are into EVERYTHING! You especially love the recycle bin and pull stuff out of it every day.
- You are crawling everywhere and pulling up everywhere. You like to play at the Elmo Workbench in the playroom and with a toys that has lots of little balls and plays music from Donna and Jamie.
- You adore our dog Cheesecake and we hear the biggest belly laughs coming from you when you are crawling after her and petting her.
- Stranger anxiety has set in and you are starting to be a little bit more reserved in who you give your grins to. You also get sad sometimes when Momma leaves.
- You play really well around your brother but also like to go off and explore on your own, especially at the play diner.
- Your favorite foods are banana, toast, English muffin, grilled cheese and yogurt melts. You are a carb man!
- You have 4 teeth....2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. I am pretty sure more are coming in soon!
- You say several words: Hi, Bye, Cheesecake (sounds like Cheecake), Mama and something that sounds like YoGab (Yo Gabba Gabba?)
- You are sneaky because one second you will be crawling behind me and I will turn around and you will be gone! Tricky tricky B! We are having to reevaluate all of our baby-proofing and had to invest in a toilet lock. That's right B, at 10 months, you are fascinated with the toilet!
- James is crazy for you but sometimes has a hard time sharing toys with you. But my goodness, he loves you so much! When you take a nap, he asks for you and tells me that he wants to see his Bubba. He kisses you and pats you and brings your pacifier to you. You love him so much too! It makes me so happy seeing you together.
- You have fallen behind in your weight gain over the past 6 months and have a little bit of a hard time eating. You are meeting all your milestones, but your pediatrician referred you to ECI and we met with them for the first time yesterday. They have decided to send an occupational therapist and a nutritionist out to see you. So far, so good and Momma is excited that we are going to figure out what is going on.
- You are still a total Momma's boy and I love EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT!

Brendan, watching you grow and discover the world is so rewarding. I just wish you would slow down a little bit and stay my baby just a while longer....

Free Session Give Away from Cowtown Camera Girl!!!

2010-06-20T09:45:00.005-05:00

Exciting news DFW friends! Nell from Cowtown Camera Girl is giving away a free session today! She has been taking awesome photographs of the Duffy Family since I found out I was pregnant with James. She has captured some of the most memorable events in our family and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her pictures or her business. If you are looking for someone to get some great photographs of your family at your home or a beautiful location (Botanic Gardens, anyone?) in the metroplex, she's your girl, your Camera Girl, that is!

Check out her blog at Cowtown Camera Girl Blog

I had to post some of our "Nell Pics" here from the past year to show off her greatness! Enjoy a look back......

Galveston Vacation - Part 3

2010-06-17T14:20:00.008-05:00

Our last night in Galveston, we ate dinner outdoors on the Strand after walking around and looking at the shops. Lots of laughing and cutting up during this dinner. There was a band playing near us and James was pointing out all the instruments while Brendan "danced" to the music.

Afterwords, we got dessert at La Kings Confectionary. Ok, I admit it! We went there twice on our trip. DELICIOUS truffles and all kinds of candy and ice cream and even a coffee bar. Yum! This particular night James had some mint chocolate chip ice cream....he picked it out. It was the first time he ever liked ice cream. He picked it because it was green. He's really into all things green. He also picked out a piece of green candy. We figured, hey, why not! We're on vacation! Poor Brendan, he can't wait to have ice cream and candy!

While we were walking, we came across this.....can you believe it? This has to be about 10 feet above the ground. Hurricane ike was in 2008 and this is still here.

Galveston Vacation - Part 2

2010-06-13T14:21:00.008-05:00

We spent a day at Palm Beach (part of Moody Gardens). It was just James, Daniel and me because Brendan was sick and my mom came from Katy and stayed at the condo with him. We all missed B! Palm Beach was even better than I remembered. I had not been there since I was a kid. James was apprehensive about getting in the water during our trip. He wanted to play near it and play with it, but not in it. Eventually, we were able to take him out in the water for a little bit, but he was scared. Our boy used to be fearless, but he has become scared of things lately. We have another vacation scheduled at the end of July and we hope that if he gets lots of exposure to water he might relax some about it. Swim lessons start tomorrow, so I hope that we are able to survive them!

Here's James lounging and checking out the splash pad....he was nervous about it! Can you tell by his worried face?!

On the splash pad. This was so cool! James loved it until this overhead bucket of water dumped on him!

Taking in the sights........

He did pretty good until the end......somebody got tired and grouchy!

Playing in the sand...

Galveston Vacation - Part 1

2010-06-12T22:06:00.008-05:00

Last week we spent several days in Galveston. We all really needed a little getaway and our condo there was perfect. Wanting to visit the beach, but keep the cost and travel time low, we chose to visit the Island. Thanks to Moody Gardens, we give this vacation two thumbs up! We kept busy but also attempted to get in some downtime. But let's face it, downtime is sort of in short supply when you are negotiating with a toddler and chasing after a crawling baby during most of their waking hours. The boys were wonderful and very flexible overall. What great little travelers they are. We have a very tired toddler on our hands now, but I would say it was worth it to do all the cool stuff we did.

On our trip, we went to the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens, and I was just in LOVE with all of the plants and flowers there! So gorgeous! Looking at the variety I was really thinking about how amazing nature is. I have a couple of friends who are photographers and I was just thinking the entire time how much they would love to take pictures there. Hope you enjoy! More vacation pictures to come in the next week.....

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-02T20:03:00.002-05:00

Summer is Sweet!

2010-05-31T21:18:00.009-05:00

Summer doesn't really start for a couple of weeks, but hey, we love it so much we decided to get a head start.

As far as we are concerned, summer has officially begun! So what if I have to go back to work for a couple of days, it's all formality as far as I am concerned. I just might even wear my flip flops tomorrow! Memorial Day Weekend has been really exciting. We got to hang out with my mom, we went to an awesome pool party with the most gracious of hosts, and today we bummed around the house and did family stuff - just the four of us. The boys loved swimming in the big pool (well James hung on near the steps) at our friends' house but they were just as happy to play in their $10 pool from Wal-Mart. That is the great thing about kids. They get excited about everything! And really, what is better than skinny dipping in a plastic pool with your brother after eating an ice pop? All this fun got me to thinking about all the more fun we can have in the next couple of months. So, in honor of summer, here are some things we'd like to accomplish before school starts back in the fall (you will notice we can mark a couple of them off the list already!):

Eat ice pops

Draw on the driveway with 3D sidewalk chalk

Make s'mores

Catch fireflies, or make a darn good attempt

Make homemade lemonade

Show the boys the beach and make sand castles and buy cheap souviniers on the Strand

Take James to his first movie in the theater

Fry an egg on the sidewalk

Swim lessons

Take pictures of the boys in water as the sun sets

Watch a sunset with the boys

Wash the car as a family

Brew sun tea

Go on a picnic

Take the boys to the pool a lot

Throw one heck of a first birthday party for Brendan

Get the boys their first snocones

Buy ice cream from the ice cream truck

Teach James to ride a tricycle

Run through the sprinklers

Get silhouette pictures of the boys

Catch some story times at the library

Take family walks in the evenings

Make homemade ice cream

Go on 2 family vacations

Plan lots of fun play dates with friends

Here are some pictures from pool time this evening. It was hard to narrow them down, so I am posting a lot! After we tucked the boys in tonight, we enjoyed a Momma and Daddy BBQ....brats, beans, chips, dip and drumroll please.......Strawberry Shortcake! YUM! Summer, I love you!

Love this one.....obviously there were different levels on attentiveness during this photograph!

And this last one to show what a difference a year makes. This was last Memorial Day Weekend:

I want awfuls!

2010-05-30T10:27:00.008-05:00

Every weekend we wake to a chorus of "I want awfuls!". Of course, James is talking about waffles but making "awfuls" is extra fun. We used to just pop a frozen waffle into the toaster and call it breakfast. But a couple of weeks ago we came home to find a large box on our doorstep. Because we were so darn excited, and because let's face it, it wasn't a bill, we opened the box with a pair of garden shears right in the garage and found a...........Waring Pro Professional Double Waffle Maker! Well, who would send such a thoughtful gift? Who would know how much James loves his "awfuls"? Who would know that I love new kitchen gadgets? My dad of course! The card read simply, "Surprise! Love, Daddy". That's how we roll in this family! :-)

Well, every weekend since the Most Awesome Waffle Maker Ever Sold arrived on our front porch we have been living it up with homemade waffles. James is even more excited about these and it is easy to see why. The waffles come out one inch thick! My dad also ordered us some waffle mix and it is delish! Today I added blueberries to mine, but all three of my boys are purists so I went with the regular belgian waffle for them. James can polish off an entire waffle and Brendan is not far behind. He can manage to eat half, which is the same amount that I have been able to eat. These things are huge!

This morning, in the great spirit of blogging, I decided to chronicle the Adventure of the Awful. I can tell Daniel just totally gets me when I ask for my camera amidst breaking eggs and beating batter. He's a good man. So now, before I clear the table and while I can hear the three most important people in my life laughing down the hall, I say thanks to my dad for such a great gift and for the memories I am now making with my own family! You are wonderful and mean so much to us! And I promise you, my sons will leave this house knowing how to cook! LOVE YOU DADDY!

One of the perks of having a big brother......

2010-05-29T13:04:00.006-05:00

When he somehow makes it out of the kitchen with a snack and shares it with you on the living room floor.

PS - Bonus points for me for grabbing the camera before the dustbuster! :-)

Fresh Face

2010-05-24T01:00:00.002-05:00

With summer right around the corner, so close I can TASTE it, I am looking forward to doing so many fun things! One of the things I am looking forward to the most is the time to concentrate on some things I have been neglecting lately......namely, me! I am going to get the rest of this baby weight off by Brendan's first birthday and get back in shape. Can't wait!!! In anticipation of this big make-over I decided my blog could use a face-lift as well. I love the change and hope you do too!

I'm Baaaaaack!

2010-05-21T11:23:00.009-05:00

Long time no blog. As some of you know I have had a rough past couple of weeks. More on that later, but for now, just want to say that I am feeling so much better and I appreciate all the prayers and support of everyone! One thing this yucky time has reminded me of is that you better get out there and just enjoy life and stop putting things off. There are so many things in this life to enjoy and so many blessings. Don't take them for granted! You never know what can happen. So, this morning, when James was still asleep and Brendan was cracking me up with all of these different facial expressions, I took him out in the front yard and took his picture. Once we got out there he was fascinated by the grass. Still, he was very cooperative! Ah, the joys of a 9 month old.

As far as my personal hobbies go, there is nothing more fun than grabbing my camera and a cute kid and just getting caught up in the moment while you hear the shutter snap, snap, snap. Lucky for me, I have a camera I love and a couple of cute kids on hand at all times. I love the feel of the camera in my hand and looking through to capture what you can, so I decided to go for it. Not to put it off, but to just go and get some photographs right then. Also, on the list of things I love the most in this whole world, baby cheeks and baby eyelashes top out the list. I am going to get them while the getting is good. I think this was a pretty good start to my day. What do you think?

Ready to go back to work on Monday and wrap things up for summer. Looking forward to a great time with my family and all kinds of fun things! Hope you and yours have a great weekend! :-)

Just So My Children Know What Being Their Mother Has Done For Me

2010-05-10T13:08:00.014-05:00

To all mothers, and especially for my sons, the people to whom I am eternally grateful.

Before I had children, what I knew about being a mother could be summarized here: Most remarkable event in life. Period. What I didn’t know about being a mother cannot be wrapped up in one neat sentence or perfunctory paragraph. Instead, it must be told like it feels, like the weaving together of so many beautiful and so many rare threads, forming somehow, inexplicably, a piece of comfort both so strong and so soft it takes my breath away. Motherhood is one thing I knew it would be. It is a million times a million things I never imagined. It is joy and love and anguish and pride and hope and forgiveness and throaty laughs and bear hugs. It is tiny cool fingers on your arm and sticky peanut butter cheeks against your leg and little heart shaped mouths puckering up to kiss you goodnight. It is crying on a regular basis, primarily because you cannot believe God blessed you enough to send these tiny little people for you to take care of. Mostly it is marveling when you rock a baby or bathe a toddler that God formed this perfect child and knew his name since the beginning. That thought really rocks my world. And how about this one? That He knows every hair on their head. That HIS love for them is even stronger than your love for them. Now, that is some love! Overall, the whole mothering thing is mind-blowing and the realization that no matter what, there is still a whole lot of beauty in the world. Most of it I argue is sitting in your lap, or riding in the backseat of your car, or sleeping with sweet baby snores right down the hall.

After having both of my children, I wandered around in a daze thinking about the ties that bind me to every other mother that ever was and ever will be. I think the realizations I came to have were one of the most rewarding parts of parenting. I became a card-holding member of The Club of Motherhood. Dues paid in full. What makes you a member? Ownership of the emotions and the primal feelings of love and protection that are stronger than any other love between two people on this planet. What becoming a mother did for me was open my mind to insights I had never thought of before. At the heart of it is this: Every time a baby is born the amazing thing it that it is like the VERY first time a mother loved a child. No matter how many times it happens on this Earth or to you, it just never gets old or becomes routine. What a tremendous gift from God!

When my children were born and were busy becoming bonafide “people”, I was a person busy becoming a bonafide mother. And it wasn’t just happening to me. It was happening all over this big planet. I could not get it out of my mind! I would be hit in the gut with this realization over and over. In every city and every little out of the way town with one stop light someone was feeling the same overwhelming love as me. In every country, in every culture. In castles and huts and houses very much like mine, women were not just women anymore, they were something greater and more encompassing. It was happening pretty much every moment. Every time a child is born, so is a mother as the old adage goes. And it really got to me. This fact became almost a mantra as I fed my babies, or changed them, or stared at them for hours, getting a crick in my neck. I realized this: Right now , yes, this instant, someone is reaching down and feeling that hot slippery baby placed on their stomach and splayed across their skin with tight little fists like tiny curled starfish. Again, right now! Again, right now! Magnificent! Whether being birthed in a home or a hospital or any other single place women have the courage and the knowledge to bear down and bring forth a breathing, living human being, it is happening all the time. Someone who never has is putting a babe to the breast. Someone is hearing the first cry, the most beautiful and out-of-this-world noise known to womankind. It is happening to rich people and poor people and people of all colors, to people in positions of freedom and people in positions of powerlessness, to people who live in jungles or in high rises. To people who speak French or Cantonese. To Eskimos. To me. It was the one fact, the one solitary and gorgeous fact of life, that at every moment a mommy was being born and her love was uniting us all. It put in me a deep and bone-warming comfort that the world would be all right. That my children would grow to see it. That any bad could be overcome because mothers would find a way to make it right. At any given time, I imagine it is pretty safe to say that a woman is becoming a mommy. And because of this, at every moment in time, the world is becoming a little brighter and a little better. At every moment a woman is learning her heart will spend the rest of her life walking around outside of her body. This is what my children have done for me. They have opened my mind to these ideas, these securities about what unites us all. This crazy world isn’t such a big scary place after all. I learned that from my children.

Every morning while rocking my tiny fragile newborn babies with their sweet smelling heads and paper thin fingernails, I prayed for other mommies about to begin the most worthwhile journey of their lives. With my jaw and heart hanging wide open, I stared star-struck at these specimens of God’s love in my arms, willing myself to believe the unimaginable that had become truth– I was a mother. I would be a mother until my last breath and I knew that I would love and fight for them with every ounce of my being until I left this life. Never had such a purpose consumed me. It made me want to be a better person. To seek out pain and heal it. To seek out trouble and mend it. To do more, be more. To leave a legacy in my children and for my children. It took my heart and shaped it. Molded it into something it had been working hard on becoming all along, but something it never knew exactly how to be. Until now.

Thank you Brendan and James for showing me who I am and what all I can be. You have brought me full circle and clothed me in the fine robes of motherhood. God gave us to each other and I lift His name in praise over and over for the sheer gift of giving birth to you and helping to raise you. Lord, through these children, You have showered on me rays of hope and happiness. You have filled my cup when it was empty. You have lifted me up when I was drowning. These children, through Your Grace, have done each and every thing one soul can do for another. And boys, you have done it in simply being. This Mother’s Day and each day, you are my very best present, my biggest surprise. My biggest blessing was becoming your mother and taking my place in the membership spanning all times and all places – the membership of Motherhood. I love you boys, for who you are and for who I am when I am with you.
Love,
Momma

Spring Time Deep in the Heart of Texas

2010-05-08T16:56:00.004-05:00

Getting the traditional wildflower pictures of my cuties. Waited a bit too long for many bluebonnets, but still enjoyed finding this location on our way home from church last weekend. Where is your favorite wild flower spot?

Life is Crazy Great!

2010-05-01T13:44:00.006-05:00

So many new doors have been opened for our family in the last several months, and maybe more will open soon too! God continues to bless our path! Things have never been more busy or more wonderful for the Duffy bunch. Each day the boys do something new and it is as if we are rediscovering the wonders of life again for the first time. You want to be in awe of this world? Then looks at it through the eyes of a child!
James is just talking up a storm and having conversations with him is very interesting and downright funny at times. Brendan is mobile and into everything! Daniel and I both stay busy in careers we really enjoy, the boys love their school, and we do special things to make memories as a family very often. I must admit though my favorite days are our "regular" days when we just do our normal things and hang out together. Playing with the boys in the playroom or at the park has got to be MY FAVORITE THING on Earth! Lately we've also been on this kick to do a lot of around the house projects, so that is keeping us busy as well. Our mission right now is tackling our back yard.

The Duffy Yard Project Includes:
- the planting of a red oak, three crepe myrtles, and flowers
-the installation of wooden swing set
- purchasing an umbrella for our patio set
- putting down some grass seed on some problem parts in our yard
- getting the boys a water table to go along with their sand box

Before too long we hope to put in a small raised bed for some gardening. Our backyard has been pretty blank since we built 4 years ago. Time to get ready for summer! :-) Maybe we'll have a party to celebrate when we get everything done! We heard about that idea from some friends, and love it!

On an unrelated note, you might be wondering where the pictures of James are when they are so many of Brendan. James doesn't like pictures. AT ALL! So we are trying but just getting shots of him looking majorly peeved. So, for now enjoy some of Brendan, my photo-loving cutie!

10 Things I Love About You....

2010-04-27T21:24:00.007-05:00

What I love the most about each of my boys at these ages...

James (2 years 4 months):
- talking so much! We're now able to have real conversations!
- being so sweet to his little brother and looking out for him already
- a great sense of humor. This kid is really funny!
- a stubborn streak that either cracks me up or tests my patience.
- when he "reads" to me.
- dramatic faces! (sometimes I have to look away when he is making naughty choices and giving me these faces)
- how diligently he can work on something
- how organized he is for such a little guy
- snuggling with him for a few moments when he actually slows down
- watching him build with blocks and pretending with him about what he has built

Brendan (8 months):
- snuggles! So many snuggles!!! I am trying to soak it all in before he becomes a big boy!
- brushing his two tiny teethies.
- when he touches my hair and pats me gently while I am nursing him.
- how his face completely lights up when he sees me. I melt!
- watching him work so hard to pick up finger food and aim it for his mouth.
- how he is just the HAPPIEST baby I have ever met! I just marvel at how smiley he is!
- the way his little ears remind me of Yoda! They are kind of floppy!
- how excited he gets in the bathtub splashing around with big brother and chewing on bath toys.
- chubby baby legs!
- getting a chance to just enjoy him being little and not worrying if every little thing I do it the perfect thing. So liberating!!!

The 5 Ws of Our Man on the Move

2010-04-17T21:48:00.004-05:00

WHO: Brendan Neal Duffy, also known as "B"

WHAT: Crawled for the very first time!

WHERE: Big brother's bedroom

WHEN: About 7:00pm on April 16, 2010

WHY: to get the the train set that he has had his eye on for months!

I sat Brendan in the middle of the bedroom floor with a baby toy while I was getting Jamer into his jammies. We were having a "conversation" with our babbling baby and I turned back to look at him and he was gone! I looked the other way and there he was.....sitting in the middle of the Geotrax train tracks! I was pretty sure he had crawled because he got there so quick. So I picked him up and put him back in the middle of the floor, and there he went crawling over to the train again. I cried! Tears of joy. Tears of pride. Tears of relief. My little baby is growing so fast and meeting his milestones. Let me say that again, just because it feels SO WONDERFUL to type it....MEETING HIS MILESTONES! Each time he meets a motor development milestone I catch myself sighing a big sigh and some of the worry that has been bearing down on me since my second trimester of pregnancy is lifted. Looks like Brendan is continuing right on track (ha ha, the track, as in train track! Pun intended!) ! AMAZING! Thank You Lord for keeping our sweet boy safe. Thank You for this healthy, energetic, precious baby. I am getting teary now thinking about it, about all we were told MIGHT happen, and what all we are blessed enough to WITNESS happening.

When I was sure he was really crawling, I ran to get the flip and the camera and we had a re-enactment of the big event. So these pictures were taken within a couple of minutes of his crawling debut. I wish I had the flip handy the very first time because when he was sitting the middle of the train set, he managed to turn the train on and operate it with the remote. Priceless! I guess he has really been watching his bubba. I will post the video soon, but for now here are a couple of pictures of B on the move!

When "Cheese" Is Not Enough

2010-04-14T21:30:00.006-05:00

We met George and Bethany in Grapevine for lunch this past Saturday. We actually had brunch at Willhoites. Pretty tasty! James had an interesting meal: 3/4 of a Belgian waffle, a beet, some diced hardboiled egg, red jello and a tiny pickled corn on the cob (like in stirfry). Hey, it's what he picked out. Who am I to judge? Brendan tried mash potatoes, but didn't really dig 'em. I guess he will be my picky eater. It seems as though every mom should have at least one.

We walked around after lunch to see the sights. Very cute stuff in historic Grapevine! I found a fabulous little wine bar that I would like to visit some time when we have a date night. A craft show was going on too out there which was nice. Tried to snap some pictures when we took a break by the fountain. As you can see, Brendan still cooperates with Mommy for picture taking. And you can see that James is SOOO over the pictures. "Say Cheese" doesn't cut it. This kid has hated pictures since I can remember. Brings to mind these Oaxacan natives I met who thought taking the pictures took a part of you. Thanks for doing your best to get J to smile George and Bethany. You are real troopers! Can't wait to see you again! George, aren't you excited to come put the swing set together?! What an awesome godfather you are!

Well, that is not exactly what I had in mind.....

You can see Daniel is sort of over this little attempt of mine! Notice that happy face he has on?!

Ok James, when you are 10 years old don't ask me where you were on this fine day. My answer will be "cropped out of the photo"!

Boogers are yuck!

2010-04-13T11:26:00.008-05:00

James informed me of this today while I was cleaning off his little face. Ahhh, the profound wisdom of a two year old. So true little guy, so true. Boogers ARE yuck. And you know what might tie for yuckiness? Germs! The germs that must be everywhere in this house and multiplying like crazy! The germs that are making them sick! I cannot get ahold of the germs attacking my boys.....I promise you that one of them is sick at least once every ten days. Right now, Brendan is under the weather and I am home with him today. He feels lousy and so do I, just from seeing my happy guy feeling so poorly. It is as though one is sick, gets nursed back to health and then BAM, I look over and the other one has a runny nose, hacky cough and a diarrhea diaper. Sorry, but it is true. Whatever this funky bug is, it involves lots of snot and lots of poo. A little vomit is thrown is just to keep things interesting. Oh, glorious Motherhood! No I am not making this up.....it is MOMMY VS GERMS! I know they go to daycare and this is supposed to be "normal". Well, it is also frustrating and sad. Who likes to see their babies feeling crummy? Not to mention, did I bring up that I am SOOO out of days at work it is not even funny? I guess that happens when they make mothers use all of their sick days for maternity leave. Brilliant plan isn't that?! But I digress.

Germs I am after you! I can't stand you! You are bringing the boogers that are yuck! So you must go! And YES, I am aware that I can't put the kids in a bubble, but frankly that did cross my mind. I see them at daycare sanitizing stuff all the time and it is a super-clean facility.....well as clean as you can be when a majority of your inhabitants still wear diapers and explore noses with tiny fingers. Thanks to his school, James is addicted to washing his hands. I would worry about the obsessive nature of this new hobby if I were not convinced that it is the sole reason he is not sick every day of his life. So, in the spirit of cleanliness, I decided to get after those germs here at our house. While I think we do a pretty good job of keeping clean and tidy, I decided to attack it all at once! If nothing else, I feel satisfied. I guess like a cathartic release. Now I am exhausted and need a nap. But let me tell you what I did to rid this place of the yucks. First step was loading about a million (ok, a thousand?!) plastic toys into the bathtub with a water ad bleach solution for a nice soak. Next step, wiping down everything that was plastic and too big to fit in the tub or had batteries. After that? Sanitizing all door knobs, faucet handles, toilet flushers, light switches and place mats. Then? Wash all current linens and all the baby blankets in hot water. Steam sterilize all the pacifers, sippy cup lids and bottle nipples in this house. Finish off with mopping the floor with the Swiffer wet. Ahhhhh, it FEELS cleaner!

Loaded up all the germy toys! Well, all the germy, plastic, non-battery operated toys....

Taking a soak.....

He is Risen!

2010-04-04T20:54:00.006-05:00

Today is the most important day of the entire year, where we reflect on the Resurrection and remember what God has done for us. We enjoyed church so much today and Father Crary's homily was really wonderful. I teared up knowing that this is the last Easter homily I will hear from him, as he is retiring next January. All day long I have had all of our blessings on my mind. Mostly, I have been giving thanks for my children and for Jesus for dying upon the cross for our sins. That means that my children, and all of us, may have everlasting life. As a parent, knowing what awesome things are in store for my children, well it doesn't get better than that! We are so blessed and feel so passionately about raising our sons to be believers and to do good works.

Today was extra special for me as a mom because we celebrated Brendan's first Easter and James' third Easter. Nana and Granddaddy came up from Houston for the weekend. We had lots of fun despite sharing the holiday with a grouchy toddler. It seemed that he rode an emotional roller coaster non-stop. It is frustrating but also makes my heart ache for him because he doesn't seem to know what he wants from one moment to the next. I think feeling that way would be pretty awful. I know that I find myself praying more for patience and guidance than I ever have in my life. Brendan of course was just his happy smiley self the whole time, thank goodness! I am not sure what we would have done if he had been a grouch too. His little warm cuddles brighten my day so much. I hope that he will never get too old for them! I know these terrible twos will pass.....I just hope we all survive it in the meantime! :-)

James was getting over being sick, which could have led to some of his grumpiness, and slept a lot of Saturday. We decided to take him to the Haslet Easter egg hunt and to the park instead of going down to the Stockyards, and I am so glad we did. He was scared of the egg hunt! I guess all those kids coming in his general direction was too much for him. He probably would have been even more overwhelmed at the Stockyards because they would have been really crowded. I was impressed with the Haslet Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny was there and they had done a pretty good job putting the whole event together.

This morning we went to church, came home and had a nice lunch (made by Central Market....YUM!) and then the boys napped. The church service was beautiful and James could not wait to go this morning. He kept saying "I go church!". The choir was especially nice today and I just closed my eyes and listened to the beautiful music. At one point it really sounded like angels singing! I just remember thinking, what a joyful noise we are making! We watched some classic movies like The King of Kings and took it easy. It was nice to hang out around the house with the family. The Easter Bunny came while the boys were asleep this afternoon. I am so glad that he had that wonderful plan, because it meant we got to deal with a less grouchy James. James LOVED finding all the eggs in the yard and kept running around finding more. He would laugh when he found an egg and talk about the egg he found. The church service and the egg hunt at our house were by far the best parts of the weekend. Even though the Easter Bunny loaded up his basket, the big hit was a nerf football. He and Daniel must have thrown it for over an hour this afternoon. That kid has quite an arm on him I must say! Brendan's basket was filled with baby goodies: Johnson and Johnson's Baby Bubble Bath, a stuffed bunny, Sprout Organic baby food, Touch and Feel Cards and a Touch and Feel book. We sat him on the floor with the basket and he was so sweet pulling the things out one by one and examining them so carefully. What a doll he is! The Easter Bunny left baskets for the boys with Nana and Granddaddy too. The boys raked in with clothes and money and bubbles and books. We are all looking forward to next year when Brendan can join in the egg hunt. That will be really fun! We look forward to sharing with our sons the real meaning of Easter and enjoying the fun family traditions that make it extra memorable!

Here are some pictures from our weekend! Hope you and yours had an eventful and meaningful Easter!

He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Really?

2010-03-23T21:50:00.004-05:00

So I was chatting with a friend about a popular mommy blog......some hate it, some love it. I admit, I check in on this blog with part disgust and part sheer amazement and awe. Is this lady for real? Today the world wide web got an update on what she ate for lunch. Complete with photo. And wait for it! There were over 100 comments on it. (Have I ever posted something pointless like this on FB? Guilty as charged. But I promise I have never blogged on something so dumb, or photographed it either!) Really people? Really?! Well, anyway, got me to thinking about some of these bloggers. How the heck do you have 4, 5, 6 or (gasp!) more kids and manage to find your laptop, let alone sit down and have enough quiet moments strung together to type out not one single coherent sentence, but write out virtual short stories more than once a day? Oh, and update us on Twitter too? I don't get it. I am lucky to squeeze in the blogs I manage and I feel like they are dreadfully boring in comparison to some of the stuff out there. I am not so much into tooting my own horn as just sharing what's new with us in case anyone was wondering. I try to keep it upbeat, but not too proud to tell you that right now I have dirty dishes in my sink and a toddler in need of an attitude adjustment. So if you are reading this blog from a "normal" mom of two who works hard, both in the home and out of it, and likes regular people stuff, then I am glad! If you are looking for a SUPER-MOM who makes all the family clothes, bakes gluten-free bread daily, keeps kids in the family bed for more than 6 months, doesn't use 409, crashes at relatives houses to save money, home-schools, produces a number of kids to make Octo-Mom envious, you've come to the wrong place. Those people ARE fascinating, but that ain't me! :-)

7 Months Old and Growing So Fast!

2010-03-14T22:18:00.007-05:00

I was thinking today that I cannot believe it has already been over 7 months since the day we welcomed Brendan into our family. I often replay that day in my mind, remembering the moment I saw his sweet face for the first time. It was love at first sight. My attachment to this little baby is incredible! I think Moms to one often wonder how they will ever love another child as much as their first. Well, I am here to tell you that you just find all this extra love inside you. When I am with my boys, my heart just wells up with love and joy and pride for these two amazing, beautiful kiddos that I get the great opportunity to raise. Talk about some major blessings! I wish he could just stay this little forever but I know B has to grow up. I often wonder what kind of toddler he will become. Brendan was the missing piece of our puzzle, the whipped cream on our banana split! I cannot imagine life without him and feel so blessed to have another baby in the house. Everything comes so much easier the second time around and we are enjoying watching him grow and develop. His little personality is just shining! He has been meeting all his milestones on time (ahhhh. HUGE sigh of relief!) and we think he is starting to put on some weight finally. We have a weight check in 3 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed!
At 7 months, Brendan:
-loves Mommy, mommy and some more mommy!
- is like a little koala bear...he is so into cuddling and hangs on so tight to me!
-goes to bed at 7:15pm and sleeps all night (with a wake up or two each night for his pacifier)
-adores his big brother and can't wait until he can take off after him.
- gives his biggest laughs to Daddy!
- likes swinging in the baby swing at the park.
- gets really excited about bath time and lets brother pour water all over him the whole time.
- is finally getting into baby food.
- pats my face while I am nursing him and tries to give kisses when you kiss him. SOOO sweet!
- doesn't seem close to crawling at all, but can stand up holding onto furniture and toys.
- is getting more hair and will be getting his first tooth this week (probably....it is ALMOST in!)
- gets a kick out of toys, especially his Taggies car from Nana and Granddaddy.
Here are a couple of pictures from today.

Playing Catch Up

2010-03-07T09:46:00.003-06:00

Life has been crazy lately (and crazy fun!) so I am just now getting around to posting these pictures......just some we caught around the house over the last month. Brendan was 7 months old on Friday. I can't believe it! He is really into his big brother, and I am glad to say that it's a mutual adoration. Love these boys!

Spring Is That You?!?!

2010-02-28T21:48:00.005-06:00

Nevermind, just heard the weather man calling for possible snowflakes tomorrow. Guess we'll continue waiting on Spring here in North Texas. Glad we got out in the sunshine this past weekend while we could!

James was so excited to go the park and Brendan got to try out the baby swings for the very first time! :-)

Brendan's 6 Month Portraits

2010-02-21T22:34:00.005-06:00

At 6 months, Brendan weighs 16 lbs 6 oz (21st percentile) and measures 27.5 inches in length (76th percentile). He is sitting up unsupported really well and sleeping through the night from about 7:30pm until around 5:30am. Luckily he will go back to bed on the weekends after he eats until around 8am. He is still waking up once or twice some nights if he loses his paci, but will go right back to sleep. He has been eating baby food for breakfast and lunch and we will be adding in dinner now too. He loves fruit and sweet potatoes but other veggies seem to be a challenge! We'll keep trying and sooner or later maybe he'll be excited about them. I am still nursing but we have to now supplement 6-8oz of formula a day. Brendan LOVES snuggling, jumping in the jumperoo and playing on the floor with his big brother. The grin this baby gets when he sees his bubba just melts my heart. I bet he will walk early too, just to keep up with his big brother! One of our kiddos' favorite times of day is bath time. Having them both in the tub is so fun, but quite the workout if you are doing it alone. Thank goodness, most nights Daniel and I tag-team the whole bath and bedtime routine. The other big development, that actually took place about 6 weeks ago, is that both boys are now going to Premiere Academy. We are incredibly pleased with the care and attention they are receiving, how much happier they seem to be (tear-free drop offs!), and how much James is learning (and Brendan will learn!). I only wish we had done is sooner! Here are some pictures of our sweet baby boy at 6 months. Hoping to get James' two year pictures soon! That crazy toddler got a horrible shiner the day after his birthday and has a scratch or bump on his face since then! Boys!!! (PS - I am adding these pictures off the CD so they have not be centered, edited, etc. and I can't put on any of them right now that were taken with the camera turned vertically because I don't have time to rotate them, but hopefully will post them next weekend.)

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys....

2010-02-07T16:06:00.006-06:00

Unless of course you live in Ft. Worth and you take them to the Stock Show! We took the boys today and I realized again how much I love this town and how glad I am that our kids are not only native Texans but are from Cowtown, from the place where the West begins! So much to do and see all year round. Today our little buckeroos had a fun time (well our littlest buckeroo snoozed away in his snowsuit- yes, it was cold!). Next year maybe we'll all wear some Western clothes.....got a kick out of seeing all the tiny cowboys and cowgirls. James loved the petting zoo, pony rides and carnival rides. I swear this kid has NO fear! So giddyup partner and check out our afternoon....

My Non-Mobile Subject, Baby Hats and a Green Block

2010-01-31T16:56:00.004-06:00

So it's Sunday afternoon and James is napping, the laundry is going and our weekend to-do list is growing shorter and shorter. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to dust off the old camera and play around with my new lens a little more. Subject of choice: well my non-mobile cutie, of course! Brendan sits still for Mommy and lets me practice getting good shots, and lets me play with all the dials on my camera and he could care less how long it takes me to find the right light. That way when his big brother is awake I can ***try*** to capture some good shots of our energetic and ALWAYS moving big boy! I know the last few posts have been about B, but here is one more. I couldn't resist posting these....when you have a sweet baby boy, some cute baby hats and a green block you can have a neat little photoshoot in your kitchen. This boy here, ladies and gentlemen, is just a miracle growing right before our very eyes. Love you B! :-)

Brendan at 5 months 3 weeks!

There is always something to clean, but.....

2010-01-26T20:20:00.004-06:00

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For babies grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep. (By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton)

One of the hardest parts of being a working mom of two little ones is keeping up with housework. Even though I am one lucky girl to have a cleaning lady come in twice a month, keeping up with the day to day stuff gets overwhelming. Where does all this junk come from? And where does it all belong? Well, I will tell you what. I am learning to let go of the neatness and just accept the "lived-in" look. I would rather hang out with my boys than obsessively pick up like I used to. I think on week nights I will start setting a timer every night and do what I can in 30 minutes after the boys are asleep and that will have to be good enough! It is not that bad overall, just certain rooms seem to be magnets for stuff. Goal for this summer will be do get rid of everything in this house that is not nailed down and go for some minimalist approach. Who knows, it could be just what we need.

Wouldn't you rather cuddle up with this sweet thing than straighten up the house???
I thought so!

Brendan is 5 months old!

2010-01-24T22:57:00.005-06:00

Brendan is already five and a half months old! I can't believe it. He has gone from a tiny little newborn who was completely focused on mommy to a 5 month old who is very interested in what big brother is doing. Of course he still gives his biggest an best snuggles to his momma, but loves giggling with everyone who talks to him. Brendan has big smiles and the sweetest disposition. He is just a joy to be around and puts so much happiness in our hearts. You CANNOT look at Brendan without getting a huge grin on your face!

James is very proud of his little brother and gives him so many kisses. They are starting to play together more and more. James thinks it is SOOO funny that "baby" wiggles all around when they are on the floor together. He is psyched that Brendan is now able to sit up for a minute or so unassisted to "play" with him. This is a brand new development! I am so proud! It was all of a sudden. James also likes helping me feed Brendan baby food. I have been making more with the Babycook and I still love that thing. We have discovered that B is not a fan of the butternut squash but likes carrots and sweet potatoes a lot. Next up, peas. I can't believe my baby is growing so fast. I just want to keep him little forever.......

Just an afternoon at our house

2010-01-16T10:27:00.002-06:00

Wedding Fun

2010-01-13T19:42:00.007-06:00

Daniel's brother Andrew married Marian in a beautiful ceremony in Birmingham last Saturday. I am so excited to get a sister-in-law! Marian is awesome and I love Andrew like he is my own brother. Seeing them tie the knot was a big deal because we have watched these two people love each other for the last 6 years. Their happiness is contagious! The rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception were very memorable. Congrats Andrew and Marian! We love you both!

While in B'Ham we saw many people in the Duffy Family plus several high school/college friends. Awesome time as always!!! A huge thank you to Lorelle for putting us up in her BEAUTIFUL home. Can't wait until summer when we hope to make it back to visit family and friends. Until then, know that we miss ya'll! HUGS!!!

James was a great co-pilot as he and Daniel drove. Brendan flew for the first time and handled it like a champ. It was a really cool weekend but man did it wear us out. We are getting old! But all the traveling was well worth it! Enjoy the pictures! We didn't get any good pics of our sweet B. :-( Every one we got of him was so blurry. Bummer. James was the ring bearer and did great....he also had his first dance with a girl!

I resolve to....

2010-01-01T16:08:00.008-06:00

1. Lose the 30 lbs of baby weight still hanging on to me, unwanted, like gross gum on the bottom of your favorite pair of shoes.

2. Attend church every weekend unless someone is REALLY sick or we are on vacation.

3. Finish painting everywhere in our house we still want to paint.

4. Get back to scrapbooking/photo books on a regular basis, after the boys are in bed and my big-boy is enjoying some hobby of this own.

5. Landscape the backyard (plant two trees and some shrubs and a small container garden) and help the front yard grass

6. Read at night instead of watching TV in bed.

7. Go out on 2 dates a month with my main squeeze!

8. Figure out how to jog with both boys in the jogging stroller with the dog jogging alongside. This could be tricky.

9. Start family movie night/game night once a week. (First up......Snow White!)

10. Continue accruing savings for college/retirement/rainy day through Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Book.

9th Anniversary!

2009-12-30T22:52:00.002-06:00

Daniel and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary today. Daniel was off work so we took the boys to the babysitter and had a day just enjoying being together as a couple. We enjoyed lunch at Reata (one of my favorite places!) and then saw a movie. We did a lot of laughing and talking and being silly. It was great to just hang out and not rush around! We spent the day reflecting back on that day nine years ago when two kids said "I do" and all the ups and downs life has thrown at us since. I could not be me without him and vice versa. He is my one true love, my soul mate if you believe in that kind of thing, my soft place to fall. I fell in love with him when I was 17. I know I will still get butterflies over him at 97. He is everything I want my boys to grow up to be. I love you Daniel and I love us. Here's hoping the next nine years together are as exciting, wonderful and rewarding as the last nine have been. Happy anniversary baby! I'd marry you all over again!

The Babycook........5 Stars!

2009-12-27T23:32:00.009-06:00

I am the proud owner of the Babycook! After you get past the lame name, which sounds to me like you are going to cook the baby, you can appreciate its true awesomeness! Because my friend Kelli suggested it and because I am never one to disappoint, here I will chronicle my first baby food making experience with The Babycook. Who knows, maybe there is someone out there reading this that is considering this contraption....read on my friends as I give my review!

A little background: I made a LOT of James' baby food. It took a LOT of time and a LOT of effort and made a LOT of mess. I wanted to make B's baby food too. I am big on making sure Brendan does not get the shaft just because he is not the firstborn. So far I must say I am pretty proud of myself for how I have done.....pregnancy journal for B, check. Baby book for B, check. Photo sessions of B, check. And the list goes on. So of course, when it comes to baby food I want to do the same. But I admit that I was dreading it, because it is such an ordeal! If I never see a foodmill again in my life is will be too soon. Enter.....ta-da......The Babycook!

I heard about it from a friend at work who is expecting twins and made her toddler homemade baby food. She shared in my misery of it after the newness and excitement of it wore off. The benefits of homemade baby food are obvious: 1.)tastier by far 2.)contains more vitamins and good stuff 3.)leads kids to like/tolerate veggies better as toddlers and children because they veggies actually taste good as baby food (green stuff CAN taste good!) 4.) saves you a ton of money in the long run and 5.)makes you at ease because you know that nobody is recalling your food.

I checked it out online and told my parents about it. My fabulous dad who is big into cooking like I wish I had time to be, thought it was a great product and wanted me to be able to make B food too. He knows that with a toddler underfoot that it would be more challenging to make the good food like before. He ordered it and it arrived, wrapped up in pretty William Sonoma wrapping paper. Tonight I used it for the first time. I made butternut squash puree with hardly any mess, cleaned up and got the food into the freezer in about 25 minutes (15 of that I spent playing with my cutie-patootie). Check out my play-by-play, inspired by the Pioneer Woman (a blogger I love, check her out under blogs I follow) and the cool way she has her cookbook designed.

The butternut squash. Total price: $1.50. The Babycook cost $150 (gasp!) but I am here to tell you, it is worth EVERY PENNY! I plan to use the tar out of this thingee and I will not be retiring it with Brendan. I'm already planning to keep using it as a steamer because it is faster and easier than any steamer I have seen and I bet it makes some rockin' apple sauce!

All diced up. FYI - Butternut squash is a great thing to buy if you need a veggie to go a long way! I have enough left to make lots more baby food, to put in tortilla soup (delish AND authentic Mexican cusine!) and to roast up for James and me (Daniel won't touch it!).

In the Babycook, ready to go!

The Babycook steaming the food. It took about 15 minutes.

The puree after The Babycook pulsed the diced squash.

The nifty freezer storage container. It is silicone and once frozen, the little food "cubes" just pop out to be stored in a freezer bag. I am making up more squash and sweet potato to freeze tomorrow.

Tomorrow's serving, all ready to go!

Anything for you B!

THANK YOU NANA AND GRANDDADDY FOR THE BABYCOOK! IT IS WONDERFUL!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas......

2009-12-25T13:22:00.006-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Duffy Family!

We enjoyed a white Christmas which was just unbelievable. James liked playing in the snow, especially scooping it up and throwing it at Daddy. Daddy tried to show him how to pack up snowballs, but he didn't have much luck making them just yet. He did run around collecting already formed snowballs that Daddy made for him. We could only stay out a few minutes because it was SOOOO cold! I do not know I survived the 5 winters I spent in Illinois! Brrrrrr! Nana showed Brendan the snow from the window and I swear he just looked and looked. The snow just kept falling and before long there was quite an accumulation of both snow and ice. This made it difficult for Nana and Granddaddy to get back to the hotel. They saw many cars that had run off the road. I imagine that many, many people did not end up being able to get to their families house or church this Christmas. With two little ones and the cold we did not make it to church. Next year when J and B are a little older we cannot wait to take them to the 5pm Mass for Children with Christmas Carols. Gathered warm and safe around our table we gave thanks to God for the opportunity to be together to celebrate the birth of our Messiah. It was a wonderful night.

We had tortilla soup and tamales for Christmas Eve dinner, a family tradition, and then buttermilk pie in honor of James' birthday. We had made so many cookies and treats the last few days that we were kind of tired of sweets, so we waited to make his birthday pit until last night. It was nice. In our family it is custom for each person to get a birthday pie. This was started by my grandmother. We chose buttermilk pie for James because we discovered a few months back that he loves it! Later on we opened up presents from family. The big gifts from family for 2009 were:

James: Remote Control School Bus and an animated Thomas the Train
Brendan: the Babycook (more on this on a later post!) and Your Baby Can Read
Lauren: the Flip and a new camera lens (50mm, 1.8)
Daniel: money for a tatoo and a combination BCP and Hymnal (What a combination, huh?!)

Santa came during the night and these boys must have been good because he left all kinds of loot! An excersaucer, Crawl through Barn Door, stuffed animals, a musical elephant and stocking stuffers for Brendan and a shopping cart, vacuum, easel, Tag Jr. and stocking stuffers for James! Each boy got a movie from the Disney vault.....we hope Santa continues that tradition! Mommy can't wait to watch Pinnochio and Snow White. Needless to say, the Duffy house is full of new toys and books and movies for the coming year. Can you say spoiled rotten?

We explained to James about the reason we are celebrating and read him beautiful stories about the birth of Christ. A little over his head for now, but we plan to continue with the explanations each season so our boys grow up with a giving spirit.....to see that giving is ALWAYS better than receiving. All day long I have imagined the face of 5 year Ethan, whom I have never met, opening his presents this morning. He is the child we adopted through our church for Christmas. He and his mother will be spending Christmas in the Battered Women's Shelter which devastates me. But the good news is that Ethan's mom got to give him a new bike, and many toys and clothes today. He even got a stuffed stocking. Being able to do that for another mom is the BEST feeling. It is what I would want someone to do for my children if I were ever in need. So Merry Christmas Ethan!

Today we are still in our new Christmas pjs and playing with all our new goodies, watching Christmas movies and I will be starting our Christmas dinner in a while. On the menu: apricot dijon pork tenderloin, potato casserole, scalloped corn, crustless broccoli quiche, creamy carrots and blueberry lemon phyllo tarts. YUM!

Well, must run for now and see if I can upload my new Flip videos. Merry Christmas to your family from ours!!!!

A little out of order, but.....

2009-12-23T23:51:00.003-06:00

life can be hectic with two little ones. Wonderful! Spontaneous! Delightful! But crazy!!! So, I promised more birthday pictures of James and I intend to follow through on that but first a quick post about my sweet B, my cuddles, my booper looper, my baby, my Brendan.

When I eventually print this blog as a book to serve as a keepsake it is going to be a little out of order and there might also be some repeats, but I think (***hope***) it will show my boys that I tried to document the big things for them, and some of the little things as well. I think it will be a nice addition to their scrapbooks and photobooks. So here are some pictures of Brendan at 4.5 months. I need to come back and post his 3 month pictures and his stats from his well baby visit.

At 4.5 months old Brendan's favorite thing is......drumroll please.........ME! What a momma's boy I've got and I am LOVING every single minute of it. He is PURE JOY! What a good-natured baby! Daniel and I swear that in his whole life he has not cried for more than 10 minutes all together. Seriously! How wonderful is that!?! Pretty darn wonderful I am here to tell you! Brendan enjoys cuddling and just sort of melts into you and is so comfortable. He seems so light to me, but that could just be in comparison to James' 30 lbs. His personality is so calm and so curiously sweet. I think these pictures from Nell at Cowtown Camera Girl just capture him perfecly. He is a complete doll!

James and the Cozy Coupe, one of his favorite birthday presents!

2009-12-15T12:51:00.004-06:00

Hard to believe the Cozy Coupe has been around for 30 years! I never had one and wanted to make sure our boys did. Nana and Granddaddy gave James this for his birthday. Daniel put it together so it was waiting for him when he woke up, hence the pjs and crazy Jamer hair! To say he loves it in an understatement. The ones with the hat crack me up. Daniel always wears his Auburn hat in the car. So, I guess James thought he needed one on too! More birthday pics coming soon....

Happy Birthday Dear Jamer, Happy Birthday to You!

2009-12-13T14:50:00.004-06:00

Jamer is two! Well, he will be soon. How can this be possible? How can that little bundle we brought home really be turning two? It seems impossible. But, yes, this loving, giving, hilarious, stubborn, feisty ball of energy is about to be two years old!

We celebrated his birthday yesterday with a party at Build-A-Bear. James got a kick out of the whole thing (except the singing to him part! A little overwhelmed I guess!) and it seemed to big a big hit with the other kiddos as well. We would highly recommend a Build-A-Bear party. The guy who led ours did a good job entertaining all the kids and by the time they left, each child had a bear (or monkey, or frog, or bunny!) to take home with them. James picked out a horse. We named him Mr. Ed. Super creative, huh?!

Our friends are good sports for braving the mall during the Christmas season! It was a little crazy at times, but when is it not when toddlers are involved! Daniel and I had a blast watching James enjoy himself. He really got into it. And Brendan is the world's best little brother! He didn't make a peep during the whole party.

Short on time, so just posting a few pictures of James from the party. More pictures to come soon!

9 Things for Which I am Thankful - Thanksgiving '09

2009-12-02T22:24:00.004-06:00

No. 1
My toddler's tantrums, because that means that I know the joy of having watched a child grow to feel independent.

No. 2
My baby's diapers that need changing, because that means I know he has enough to eat.

No. 3
My mortgage, because that means I have a roof over my head and a place to call home.

No. 4
The full hamper in my closet, because it means we have clothes to put on our backs.

No. 5
The medical bills we have, because that means there was a doctor there to treat us when we were sick.

No. 6
The never-ending to-do list, because it means I have a full life and am needed by the people who love me.

No. 7
The alarm clock ringing early, because it means I have a job to get to.

No. 8
The pair of tennis shoes abandoned where they don't belong, because it reminds me that I share my home with my best friend.

No. 9
Starbucks, because it reminds me that if I were less tired, I wouldn't be living life as much as I am!

Change the way you look at things and you can change your world!