Halloween!

The Fisher version of Princess and the frog! :)

We had a fun Halloween this year. Since Halloween fell on a Sunday, we were able to go to Mimi and Poppy's house on that Saturday, and then we went trick or treating around Joy on Sunday. We also visited Uncle Rod's and Great Grandma Fisher's house.

Brenna is 4!

This year we had B's party at the park. It was a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed the day with family and friends. (Although it was bittersweet because a very important person was not there, although she was there in spirit). I think the park is definitely the way to go! The kids had a blast, and I had very little clean up. :-)


After her party she came home to a nice suprise from Aunt Tatie.


Our little Minnie Mouse!


Blowing out candles!


Iron Man 2!! Her fave!


The little brother!


The girls!


The birthday girl with her cake. The cake didn't turn out as expected, but B was impressed.



*If I remember correctly she weighs 33 lbs and is 37 inches tall. She's a little thing!

*She wears a 3-4t in shirts, 4t pants, and a size 8 for shoes.

*She is in love with super heroes. She loves watching Iron Man, Spiderman, Jackie (a Jackie Chan cartoon), and Avatar.

*She still loves everything Princess, and she has recently really got into Barbies.

*She is a rock star when it comes to the alphabet and writing. She is still working on numbers and understanding the whole number concept. She absolutely LOVES to learn. She is always asking to do her "homework".

*She loves music. Taylor is still her fave, but she will listen to pretty much anything if she can dance to it. She still calls Taylor her girl, and she says that Lady Gaga is my girl...haha.

*She loves having her picture taking, and she immediately strikes a pose when you get the camera out.

*Her favorite food is Macaroni and Cheese and popcorn...lol.

*She is absolutely fool of personality. She is sassy one minute, being the class clown the next, and then she is a little cuddling sweetheart too.

Brenna,

You are an absolute joy, and I don't think I could be more proud to be your Mother. The things you say make me laugh and smile, and I love your sassy and silly attitude. You are beyond smart, and I'm so proud that you have such a drive for learning. You are a great big sister, and you take pride in your role. I hope you continue to have such a big heart and kind spirit. You are a true blessing, and I love you very much.

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy

Talking

Just a quick little post about the kids. I had some things that I wanted documented. :-) (Side note--not sure what's going on with the different fonts...I can't get it to all match.)

These days I hear a lot of talking from these kids! Obviously, Brenna talking isn't anything new, but the complexity of her conversations is growing and she understands way more than most kids her age (I think so anyway). She has a crazy memory, and I'm just amazed at the things she says.

Collier is a little talking fool! I'm also amazed by this because Brenna didn't really start talking until she was 2. And she literally woke up one day and started having full conversations. I also have 2 nephews that didn't speak this much. Obviously, the fact that he has little kids around him has helped. Collier can say pretty much anything. He is literally picking up a new word everyday. He is also starting to say sentences. Some new words are Mimi, Papa, Ray-Ray (his cousin), meanie, mine, juice, lay down (today he said "lay down Mama"). Those are just the new words of that I can remember of the top of my head. Before I know he's going to be talking as much as Sissy.

"Mom, you know I'm not gonna be 4 for ever." I said, "yes, I know this." Then she said, "Pretty soon I'm gonna be 5, then 6, then 7, then 8, then I'm gonna be big and be a Mommy." I said, "I know someday your going to grow all up." Then she said, "But I'll be your baby girl for always!"

The following is just some little things, I have posted on FB that B has said. I wanted them here in the blog, so I just did a quick copy and paste.

"Mom, you know I'm not gonna be 4 for ever." I said, "yes, I know this." Then she said, "Pretty soon I'm gonna be 5, then 6, then 7, then 8, then I'm gonna be big and be a Mommy." I said, "I know someday your going to grow all up." Then she said, "But I'll be your baby girl for always!"

Conversation I had with B. Me: Brenna go pick up your toys! B: But whose going to help me? Me: I'm not helping you, but I can guarantee I will help you throw them away if you don't go pick them up. B: I'm not helping throw my toys away. Me: I'll throw them away by myself. B: You don't throw them away, you just put them... on the front porch. See Mom **walking to the window** I can see them out there.

A Brenna Random: "Hey Mom, don't forget to get the deers some food." Me: Ummm...okay. B: "You know the Christmas deers?" Hahah! Someone's excited for Christmas!

She told him that she doesn't like the Bears, she loves the packers. haha! First the Vikings now the Packers, she sure does know how to break her Dad's heart. ;-) She told her Dad in a very serious tone, "Dad, I don't like bears. They have big teeth and they wil...l bite me!" Haha. Such a silly girl!

Brenna just said, "Wyatt, I really like the purple team. I want them to win, because purple is my favorite color!" I love purple and pink!" She was talking about the Vikings..lol. Wyatt's a hardcore Bear's fan....lol. (Oh..and yes she thinks she needs to call her Dad, Wyatt..drives me nuts!)

Miss B is sad. She said she wants a big sister and she doesn't think it's fair that Bubby gets a big sister and she doesn't....hahah. I told her I couldn't help her out with that one. I asked her if she wanted a baby sister and she said, "NO MOM! I told you no more babies!" hahah!

Brenna was just showing Collier pictures of him when he was a baby. She said, "That's you Bubbers. I was so proud of you, and you're my baby brother forever!" I could cry! Such a sweet little girl and proud big sister.

I was just looking at pictures of my children, thinking how precious they are. Then.....I hear a very sassy girl say, "MOM! Get in here and wipe my booty!"

Just argued with Brenna about "Super Why's" real name being Wyatt. I said it wasn't, she was just hearing things. I looked it up online, she's right. She said, "see mom, I'm right, you're wrong." Guess I should leave the cartoon trivia to her.

Julie.....

I don't know if this post even makes sense. I've been writing a little bit here and there for the last month. I just feel it's important write this up, so my children can read about Julie when they are older.

On October 10, 2010 my dear friend and sister-in-law lost her battle with Stage 4b cervical cancer. She had been sick most of the spring and summer. In September, she was told the cancer had reached her lungs, and she was put on hospice care. She left us a couple weeks later.

This has been extremely hard on our family. Brenna absolutely adored her Aunt Julie, and we know she held a special place in her heart. Collier wasn't as close to her, but that's because he's younger and didn't spend as much time with her. He definitely knew who she was though.

My first memories of Julie are actually as "Alex's mom". Alex, her son, is the same age as me, and I remember seeing her at school functions. Later, I actually met her as "Wyatt's Sister-in-law", little did I know that she would become a very important person in my life. Julie and I didn't become close until I became pregnant with Brenna. She was so excited that the family would have a little baby around. She started buying things for us, inviting us over for supper or camping, and generally just taking an interest in our lives. When Brenna was born, they instantly bonded. Julie would cover over on her lunch break to watch Brenna so I could get a shower, do a little housework, or homework. She generally just wanted to help. That was one of her best qualities, she always took such an initiative to help others. When Brenna was 3 months old I went back to school, and found myself needing a babysitter, so I asked Julie. She was so excited to have her weekly "dates" with Brenna.

For 2.5 years, Julie watched Brenna once a week. Sometimes I wouldn't even have class, but she still wanted her. I never worried when she had my kids. I ALWAYS knew she took such good care of them, and that she truly loved them. Through out these years, we became amazing friends. In some ways she was a best friend to me. I could tell her anything. Complain to her about anything, or just sit around and laugh. In some ways she was a big sister to me. Guiding me through rough times in my life, and enjoying the good times with me.

When Collier was born, she kept Brenna over night and brought her up that morning. I was extremely picky about who I wanted at the hospital when Collier was born. Brenna's birth was so rough and hectic, so I didn't want a lot of people at the hospital (my attempts at trying to keep things calm). Julie, however, was someone I wanted there. **Side note--she wasn't there. The doctor took forever, and she had to go to work.** When both my kids were born she came and cleaned my house and did all my laundry. For those who don't REALLY know me, have no idea how much I hate laundry. She did ALL of my laundry, it was a LOT....lol. But again, Julie always had to find a way to help out.

When I was in the hospital with my gall bladder issues, she came over to help Wyatt watch the kids. Again...always helping out. At holiday gatherings or parties, Julie was always the first one to show up. She'd come in and say, "What do you need me to do"? She was always the last one to leave too, because she had to help you clean up.

When Julie got sick again, I tried to help out as much as possible. I remember her crying at times, because she was never the one to need help. I always told her not to worry about it, she had done so much for me. I told her it was my pay for her watching the kids. She always kind of laughed at that.

In August I started my new job. I remember I was stressed about who was going to watch the kids. Here she was sick with cancer, and she said, "As soon as I feel better, I'll watch them for you." At that time, we both thought she would get better, but I remember telling her the last thing you need to worry about is my babysitter issues. But she actually felt bad that she couldn't help. It was like it was impossible for her to put herself first. Not many people have that quality, and she unknowinly did. She didn't realize how amazing and selfless she was.

When I started working, I wasn't able to help her out as much. I did and still do feel horribly guilty about that. I went from seeing her 2x a day, too once a week. I know she understood, she kept telling me to worry about me, but it wasn't the time to worry about me. I know she was really proud of me when I did get a job, but I wish I could have gotten the job later. If I would have known, that those would be the last couple of months with her, I wouldn't have taken the job.

The morning she died, I was in absolute shock. Absolutely heartbroken. I knew that since she was on hospice, she was dying. I got that. NEVER did I think it would happen so soon. I'm glad that she's no longer in pain, but I also have my selfish moments and wish she was still here. Family gatherings are really hard. Every time I go to her house, I get teary eyed. I get sad when people say "Rod's house", instead of "Rod and Julie's". Everyday Brenna tells me that she missed Aunt Julie, and I can say is say, so do I. I'm hoping that since Brenna is 4 she will remember her Aunt Julie. All I can do is talk to her about her, look at pictures, tell her stories, etc. I hope she is forever influenced by her Aunt Julie, and I hope she takes pride in knowing such a wonderful person.

Some of my best memories of Julie are:

**When Brenna was a baby we had went grocery shopping and on the way home Brenna was SCREAMING. So I did what I knew to do, break out singing....haha. I started singing "Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird" song, and Brenna stopped crying. If I stopped singing, she instantly started up again. By the time we got home, Julie and I were both singing...lol! Little Miss B kept quiet though!

**The first spring we lived in our house now, I was pregnant. Me and yard work don't really get along well, especially being 8-9 months pregnant. All of a sudden one day, Julie came over and started doing yard work. Apparently, she thought my yard was screaming for someone to help it. Wyatt and I thought she was absolutely crazy. But before to long she had us out there working too.

**One time when I had taken her over for a chemo treatment. The nurse asked her, if I was her daughter. Julie said, "Yea..she mine as well be."

**Some of my greatest memories, are of Julie being with my children. She always was one to get down and play with the kids. She didn't just watch them for you, she played with them, it was fun for her. I don't know how many times I went to pick Brenna up and she had made something. She might have colored, baked, "helped" in the garden, etc. Brenna used to beg to go to Aunt Julie's house, and for obvious reasons.


Julie,

I miss you greatly, but I am thankful for our friendship. I cherish the memories that I have, and I know someday those memories will bring a smile to my face instead of tears. I thank you for being such a great friend to me. And more importantly, thank you for being such an amazing person to my children. We love you very much.

I'm thankful for.......

Thanksgiving is here again! Each year, it seems like I have more and more to be thankful for. I've really been trying to count my blessings ALL year long, but Since it's Thanksgiving, I think it's a great time to actually write them all out.

1. Healthy Kids. I think in everyday life it's easy to forget how big of a miracle it is that your children are healthy. It's not a given that we will have healthy children, and it's definitely something to thank God for everyday. Not only are my kids healthy, but they are smart and funny. My kids are an absolute blessing! They always make me so proud!

2. Wyatt. Okay..he drives me absolutely batty and I could probably strangle him 80% of the time.....but I love him. :-) I am so blessed to have such an amazing father for my children. To say he's amazing is an understatement. He's a 100% hands on dad! He gets up every morning with the kids (I'm at work) and takes care of them. I NEVER have to worry about them when they are with him. To me that should be a given, but I'm finding out that most dads we know aren't like him. I'm proud to say that he's my baby daddy. ;-)And again, he drives me nuts, but he's good to me. He accepts and loves me even at my worse. I don't even know if I like myself at my worse...lol...so that's saying a lot. ;-)

3. My parents. Okay..again...they drive me crazy. Usually after a couple hours with them, I'm ready to hide somewhere. Plus,their daily calls and treating me like a 12 year old can get old, but I love them. They're great. Once I had kids, I was able to truly understand how much they love me. And I'm pretty sure they love my kids like 10x more, so I'm grateful that we have such supportive people in our lives.

4. Great friends. Need I say more?!? Everyone needs great friends. I have friends that understand my busy and crazy life. They get me. They get my humor and sillyness. They laugh with me and they're also there to listen when I'm a crying hot mess.

5. Wyatt's job. Wyatt was laid off this time last year, so it's great that he is working now. Very, very, grateful that he works a job that he likes and is able to provide for us.

6. My job. I have a job that I like, and I get to work with a great group of people I get to be "Miranda" for 5 hours a day, and then I get to come home and be "Mommy". I absolutely love working part-time, and I'm so grateful that I work for a company that understands I am Mommy first. :-)

7. And of course I'm thankful for a warm house to live in and warm food in our bellies.