Team Burt

Racing Season is almost here!

2012-02-25T23:21:00.000-06:00

Team Burt!

We drove to Bartlesville, which is a very boring ride, today to get the new car lettered! FMD Graphics did an outstanding job on Greg's wrap! I love it! Can't wait to see it in action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway!

GO TEAM BURT!

Before

AFTER

I'm LOVIN the colors!

Beautiful Weather

2012-02-25T23:17:00.000-06:00

Yesterday it was since outside and B, Toaryn, and Tori insisted on playing outside when we got home! How could I say no?!

Logan turns 1!

2012-02-25T23:15:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday to my great nephew Logan. Yes you heard that correctly, my Great Nephew! It was a cute party. The theme was Dr. Seuss, whom I love!

The Birthday Boy eating his cake!

B and Reese dug in after Logan was finished.

Oops! I got caught!

YUMMY!!

After cake it was outside to play. Can't believe the weather is nice enough to play outside without a jacket in February!

5 years and Thunder Up!

2012-02-25T23:07:00.000-06:00

Our Anniversary was actually on the 24th, but we celebrated it and Valentine's Day on the 17th. We both took off of work and headed to OKC to the Thunder Game. It was a blast and I can't wait to go to another one!

Greg had an eye Dr. appt and then we ate lunch BJ's Brewhouse. Then we went to get a hotel room and head downtown. We first went to Pinkitzel, a super cute (yet expensive) candy/cupcake shop located across the street from the arena.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake!

DELICIOUS!

Then we headed to the arena. We got there early so we could walk around a bit. We splurged a little and got some awesome seats!

OKC Thunder played Golden State and won 110 - 87. It was a great game. Not a boring moment. There are so many things going on during time out and half time that it never gets boring!

Kevin Durant sinking one of many shots for the night!

We have had a great 5 years with many more to come! Sometimes it seems like it hasn't been that long and then other days it seems like it has been much longer than 5 years. I am married to a wonderful man who is an awesome father!

Greg,

You are much more than I could ever ask for in a husband. I thank God everyday for bringing you into my life. I love you more than anything....well you have some tough competition with B!

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-25T22:50:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

We didn't do anything special for Valentine's Day this year. Our Anniversary is on the 24th as well so Greg and I are gonna take a weekend to celebrate both!

B sure did get spoiled though!

A New Trailer

2012-02-25T22:29:00.001-06:00

On February 12 Gene, Greg and I headed to Tulsa to get a new race car trailer.

We left Enid with our red Dually and White Trailer which Gene drove up there...

...and our Toter which Greg and I were in.

Obviously he drove! HA! It was so cold thatthe generator wouldn't run so there was no heat in the back. Greg and I hung a blanket up to block off the cold air that was coming in the cab from the back of the truck.

And we came home with this attached to our Toter. It is gigantic! A stacker trailer! I love it!

It is much bigger than the old one! Can't wait until the first weekend of March to take it down to TMS!

All three of us rode home in the front of the Toter. Gene sat on a step stool because t was so cold in the back still. After about half way he went to the back because it was uncomfortable! Glad to be home after that trip!

Sunglasses

2012-02-25T22:29:00.000-06:00

B had to wear her sunglasses to daycare! It was not at all sunny outside but she insisted! Such a silly girl!

B's Pics by Scantling

2012-02-25T22:10:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken just before Christmas and I frgot to post them so here they are. Lora does an amazing job! Especially when B is being very stubborn!

Cimarron Homecoming

2012-02-04T14:55:00.002-06:00

Jan 23 - Jan 27: Homecoming week

no pics on Monday and Tuesday: I forgot

Wednesday was 80's Day

Leslie, Me, Susan

(fellow teachers)

Thursday was Ugly Sweater Day

Kim, Me, Melissa, Susan

(fellow teachers)

Friday was Blue and White Day

I won on Thursday and Friday

Go Blazers!

The Game was Friday night and we played Covington Douglas
Court and Tori during the ceremony

Me and B ready to watch Court play and Tori cheer!

B waiting in the sprit line! She loves it when the basketball players come by to give her a high 5!

My Awesome Cheerleaders

Shelby and Tori

Potty

2012-02-04T14:44:00.000-06:00

1-22-2012

Ok so we are not forcing the issue but when B tells us she needs to potty we take her to sit! Every time she insists on taking her pants all the way off then holds up her hands and says "off" (she wants her shirt off too). This could be big trouble in the future. Then she crosses one leg over the other and crosses her arms and sits there till she is finished and says "done"! She has actually gone twice and we were so happy! Hopefully this starts to happen more often.

Insert very funny picture of B!

21 Months

2012-02-04T12:23:00.000-06:00

Brinley is 21 months old. I know I say this all the time but I can't believe how fast time is flying. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. Oh how I miss the days when she would just lay in one spot.

What Brinley is up to!

She is going to daycare on Tues., Thurs., and Fri., and to Nana's on Mon. and Wed. She loves Mrs. Michelle and all the kiddos that are there. Brinley is always talking about her friends! I love it!
She is eating/snacking all the time. She loves anything and everything we are eating!
She still loves to drink water and finally likes to drink juice.
During the week she wakes up at 7am and goes to bed at 8:30pm. She was waking up about an hour or so after we were putting her to bed at 8 so we extended her bedtime and now she goes right to sleep. On weekends she will sleep till about 9.
She is wearing size 4 diapers.
She has pottied once in her potty but other than that she just likes to sit on it.
She is wearing 18-24 month clothes. We are about to out grow them though.
She is a very good helper and loves to me cheered on and told how good of a job she does.
She loves to play with her babies. She is such a mommy and I love to see her loving and caring for them. She changes their diapers, puts them to bed, takes them shopping, etc.
She repeats everything that you say! Not good for us.
She loves to be outside and this cold weather is not stopping her. She will go out any chance she gets.
She loves to watch Nick Jr. but her favorite show is Jack's Big Music Show.
She talks all the time. If you don't acknowledge her she will repeat herself and get louder until you do.
She loves to brush her teeth (Thank Goodness because her daddy doesn't have a single cavity and expects the same from her) HA!
She says "Pease" - Please, "Ank U" - Thank You, and "Ess U" - Bless You and usually at the correct time!
She is learning and growing so much every day!

B's 1st ER trip

2012-02-04T12:22:00.001-06:00

1-18-2012

We took B to the ER for the first time. I am actually surprised we haven't had to take her before now. Bu I am also glad we haven't because it was definitely scary.

Greg and I were cooking dinner and B was playing in he living room and I had just checked on her. All of a sudden we heard a loud scream. Not like one we had ever heard before, it was a blood curdling scream. I ran to pick her up and didn't see anything. Sat her on my lap and blood just started running out of her right ear. I was terrified, had no idea what had happened. Finally saw a bobby pin (hair pin) lying on the chair and came to the conclusion that she much have jammed it in her ear thinking she was cleaning it. We called my mom and she said take her to the ER. So we went. We had to wait awhile and she cried all the way there. But once we got her out she started acting as normal as could be in the waiting room. The Nurse made her mad when she took her vitals and then the Dr. made her mad again when Greg and I had to hold her down so he could look in her ear. Thank goodness all she did was scrape her ear canal. Relief instantly set in. I am just thankful that it wasn't anything worse. The treatment was no cleaning of the ear or no water in the ear for 1 week. I will be just fine if we don't have to make any more trips to the ER for quite some time!

Swinging in January

2012-02-04T12:22:00.000-06:00

1-16-2012

It is January and the weather has been beautiful. Not anything like winter weather. B loves to swing and when Daddy got home she asked to go "wing".

1st Half Pontail

2012-02-04T12:21:00.000-06:00

I am tired of putting B's hair in pigtails. I know they are so cute but some days it is a struggle to get her to sit still enough so I can do it. So I tried something new. I thought it made her look much more grown up!

Christmas at Nana and Papa's

2012-02-04T12:08:00.000-06:00

After we left my mom's house we headed to Nana and Papa's (Greg's parents) house. B also loves going over there. She loves their dog Socks. She was definitely spoiled all around this year. I have no idea why we even bought her anything because she got plenty from both of her grandparents!

B got another baby and a computer. This one will be great for her in a few month when she can understand how to follow directions.
I didn't take many pics at Nana's because she was worn out by then and needed a nap.

I forgot to take a picture of everything she got at everyone's house. So I took one the next morning and here it is. Well at least most of her loot!
Thank you to everyone for all that you got her. She loves it.

Christmas at Mema's

2012-02-04T12:03:00.000-06:00

After we did our Family Christmas we headed to Mema's (my mom's) house. B loves going over there because she loves to play with her cousins Wyatt and Alex. She was spoiled by her Mema! Everytime we go over there B has to sit in this little rocking chair.

Then she needs a book to read while she rocks.

She had to open her presents while she sat in the rocking chair also.

After she opened her presents all she wanted to do what to feed her baby. Thank you Mema for getting her a bottle. She loves it.

Christmas Morning

2012-02-04T11:58:00.000-06:00

We had to wake B up Christmas morning. She is such a sleeper and was still asleep at 9:30. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with her sleeping in but this is a morning she needs to get up early. I'm sure she will be doing so in just a few years and I will probably be eating my words.

Can you say "bed head"?

She was excited to open more presents but not as nearly as excited to set in the box that her presents were in. She would not get out of this and demanded that I hand her her presents so she could sit in the box and open them.

She loved this computer and asked for it to be opened as soon as she unwrapped it. After that it was hard to get her to put it down.

Again she wouldn't put the computer down to empty her stocking.

This is what she scored form Santa and Mom and Dad.

This Christmas was hilarious. After opening ever single gift B demanded that it be opened and out of the box. It was hard to get her to understand that she had more gifts to open and that we couldn't take everything right then.

Christmas Eve

2012-02-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

12-24-11

It is and always will be tradition to go to Grandma and Grandpa Penner's house on Christmas Eve. Brinley is so blesses that she gets to spend time with her Great Grandparents. B calls the Granny and Pepa. It is such a peaceful place to be. My grandparents are Mennonites. They do not have a TV or anything else to distract themselves from remembering that God is number 1 in their lives.

Before we headed to Isabella I needed a picture of B in front of the Christmas Tree. The only way I can get one is to let her sit in her chair from the table!

Love that SMILE!

Playing marbles with Pepa and Tori

Opening her presents!

Mema and B

Wyatt and B

B and Alex playing Peek-A-Boo

Granny and B

We all had a wonderful time. I always look forward to Christmas Eve with my Grandparents and Aunt Betty! I hope this is a tradition that B will be able to experince for many years to come!

Merry Christmas

2012-02-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

We took these pictures last month but I was sving them because they were being used for our Christmas card. Lora at Scantling Photography does a great job with B!

B's Daycare Christmas Party

2012-02-04T09:53:00.001-06:00

12-21-11
After B's Halloween Party, I swore I would not go to the her next one. But I lvoe my baby girl and so I took her to her Christmas Party, but I brought reinforcement, Mema came with us! She was much better at this party, thank goodness!

A pic infront of the tree before we left for the party

B and Lakyn

B and Maylin

opening her present

with Mrs. Michelle

opening her present from Mrs. Michelle

St. Mary's & Teacher Christmas Party

2012-02-04T09:53:00.000-06:00

12-10-11

My mom, Brinley's Mema, works at St. Mary's and every year they host a Christmas Party for the children and grandchildren of their staff. This year it was at Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse. It is a hands-on museum for kids. I wasn't sure how Brinley would do but she loved it! I couldn't get her to leave when it was time to go eat lunch! I am sure that we will be back!

She loved.......

pushing around the grocery cart and putting puzzles together

playing with the blocks

playing with the trains

being an astronaut

flying an airplane

and riding the horse

After that I headed to Lamont to our Elementary Teachers Christmas Party. Kim's parents have a cabin up that way and offered it to us to hang out and have some fun. It is a gorgeous place. We exchanged gifts, played games, and had a great time!

Here I am getting attacked by a bear!

Kim, myself, Susan, and Melissa

The important ones who attended the party!

Happy BDay Alex

2012-02-04T09:52:00.002-06:00

11-27-11
Brinley's cousin Alex had his 4th birthday party at Cherry Berry, a new ice cream place in town. It is a self serve frozen yogurt bar! LOVE!!

Maleah and Addie

Alex (Birthday Boy) and Wyatt

Garrett and Jarrod

B just wanted to smell the cake pops.

She didn't care to much about eating them!

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

Bank

2012-02-04T09:52:00.001-06:00

Brinley loves to put money in her bank! Every evening she asks her daddy for the change in his pocket and she goes to her room to put it in her bank. I hope we are starting a good habit for her future!

Thanksgiving #3 & 19 months & Enid Lights Up the Plains

2012-02-04T09:52:00.000-06:00

11-26-11

Thanksgiving #3 - Greg's Family

We went to Gene and Jane's on Friday for Thanksgiving. I love going to their house. I don't know what it is but I love it over there. B does to! I am not much of a turkey fan, but I love fried turkey!

While we were there we took B's 19 month pictures. I just love this shirt that Gina at Blissful Bows Boutique made for B.

Enid Lights Up the Plains
I have never been to this so we decided to go this year. It was really neat. We went downtown to the square and most of the shops were opened so we got to look around. I don't get to go downtown very often and it was nice to go into the shops. Brinley loved riding around in her stroller. Downtown is all decorated for the Christmas season and Santa is there also. At the end of the evening fireworks are set off. B loved them.

Thankgiving #1 and #2

2012-02-04T09:51:00.000-06:00

11-25-11

Thanksgiving #1 - My Family

Greg and I decided to have Thanksgiving with my family at our house. We usually have it at my moms house. My Grandma and Aunt Betty were very happy about it because they don't make it to our house very often. Everyone got here around 10:30 and we are just before 12. It was fun and I hope to do it again.

We had 10 people in our house. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Betty, Mom, Holly, Alex, Wyatt, Brinley, Greg and myself. The adults sat at the dinning room table and the kids sat a B's table. They loved it!

Thanksgiving #2 - McCartney Family (my cousins)

Ross and Stacie invited us to come to their house that afternoon to hang out. We had a good time. It's nice to just take a break and spend time with the people you love and care about.

Cici had a whole bowl of smarties waiting on this little girl! She was definitely happy to eat them for her!

Nutcracker Performance

2012-02-04T09:50:00.001-06:00

Nov 17, 2011
Victoria perfermed in the Nutcracker this year. As always she did an amazing job!

Easiest Shopping Trip Ever

2012-02-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

Sorry the pic is fuzzy, I took it with my phone!

This was the first time we tried out the car buggy and B absolutely loved it! She drove up and down the isles the entire time without making a peep!

A New Tent

2012-02-04T09:49:00.002-06:00

Found this at a garage sale for $3! She loves it!

Happy 4th B-Day Ady

2012-02-04T09:49:00.001-06:00

11-7-11

Today was Ady's 4th Birthday Party! The theme was a Candy Shop. It was very cute. B had a blast playing with Ady, Reese, and Jax.

Ady got this couch and B was the 1st one to try it out!

Swinging with Jax

Reese drove B around in Ady's car for ever! B is definitely gonna need one of these!

What's wrong with the car Reese?

I'll just get out and back it up! Haha! This kid cracks me up!

Happy 4th Birthday Ady, We love you!

Thumbs Up and an Earthquake

2012-02-04T09:49:00.000-06:00

11-5-11
Daddy has been working on this for a while know and I think she finally has it down!

This evening right after I got into bed (just before 11pm) I felt the freakiest thing I have ever felt in my life! The bed started shaking. I jumped out of bed a ran into the living room and Greg was standing there with the same freaked out look on his face. We had just felt our first earthquake. It was crazy. I mean this is Oklahoma, I am completely comfortable with crazy storms and tornadoes! I know where to go if I get one of those warnings, but an earthquake! Seriously!

The news stations said it was a 5.6 on the Richter scale, the strongest in OK history!

A Bee

2012-02-04T09:48:00.003-06:00

Halloween 2011

It took me a while to decide what B would be for Halloween and then one of my friends had a brilliant idea! A BEE!! So B was a Bee! I was looking for a cute Bee costume and Jane found this one at a thrift store. And then I found this cute headband to go with it! I loved it. Thanks Nana!

Our Halloween started off as a normal Monday. B went to Nana's and Greg and I went to work. Mrs. Michelle was having a Halloween Party for the daycare kids so I took half a day off so I could take B. I was so excited! It was her first "party" to go to! OMG B was a holly terror. She wouldn't listen to me and acted like a totally different child. I couldn't believe it! I was so embarrassed!

Their Halloween Snack

Playing Games

Group Picture

B had had it with her costume by this time so we took it off!

That evening we went trick-or-treating around town. We only went to a few places, mainly family and friends. B didn't really understand it but loved seeing everyone! Her favorite candy was the Smarties!

Jess and Coby

2012-02-04T09:48:00.002-06:00

10-29-11

Jessica and Coby got married on Oct. 29th at the Indian Creek Village Winery. Their wedding was beautiful!

Me and the Beautiful Bride

Stacie and the Bride

Coby and Jess cutting the cake

Our Happy Family

Cousins!

Myself, Jennifer, Jess (the Bride), Holly, Christy, and Stacie

Jorge and B dancing! B loved dancing to all the music. She was laughing and having a ball the whole time.

B dancing with Alex

Jess, Coby, B, Myself, and Greg

Jess and Coby,

We wish you a lifetime full of happiness and joy!

B at 18 months

2012-02-04T09:48:00.001-06:00

She is getting so big and will no longer just sit for pictures. Nana and Dad try everything they can think of to get her to sit and smile. This is as good as monthly pics get!

Here is what she was bribed with! She loves them!

Helping Daddy

2012-02-04T09:48:00.000-06:00

10-15-11

Greg and Gene were putting down some gravel to have a place to park the toter and the trailer because it has started to sink into the ground. They rented this small tractor and B thought she needed to help. She got on a had a blast!

High Heels

2012-02-04T09:47:00.001-06:00

Be loves my fancy dress shoes!

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2012-02-04T09:47:00.000-06:00

10-2-11

I love going to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day and B had a great time picking out pumpkins.

Cimarron Days 2011

2012-02-04T09:46:00.001-06:00

Cimarron Days were Sept. 30 and Oct. 1st. Greg went to Lawton to race their Winter Nationals. It was a bad weekend and I'm glad I wasn't there!

Friday night was the Miss Cimarron Pageant and Victoria had to give up her crown!

Saturday was the parade and lots of festivities. B and I watched the parade with Mema, Holly, Wyatt, and Alex.

Then we went to the Cimarron Review, the little kids pageant. I entered B and she threw a fit when Tori took her on the stage! I was embarrassed! That afternoon there was an Alumni Softball Game. I had a blast playing with all my old teammates!

It was a great weekend but B and I are ready for Daddy to be back home!

Staying with Cici!

2012-02-04T09:46:00.000-06:00

9-30-11

Greg, Gene, and Jane went out of town racing and our babysitter was closed that day so B got to stay with Cici. Which is my cousin Stacie. Stacie was also watching Embrie, a fellow coworkers daughter. I was worried that B would give Stacie some trouble because she hasn't kept her that much, but shortly after school had started Stacie sent me this picture!

She said that B and Embrie were having a great time. B just followed E all around the house. Stacie said they were both great and she didn't have any trouble! I was glad because you never know when you might need someone to watch your kiddo!

Thanks Cici!

Giving Out Rides/Swinging

2012-02-04T09:44:00.000-06:00

9-28-11
It was a nice day outside so we decided to take B out to play!

First, B wanted to give Coco a ride in her wagon!

Then she wanted to swing!

We had a great time and I love seeing my baby girl happy! I am so not ready for the colder months when we can't go outside to play!

OKC Zoo

2012-02-04T09:43:00.000-06:00

On Saturday September 24th, 2011 we took B to the Oklahoma City Zoo. I think she enjoyed it. I know I did.

She was a little scared of the petting zoo at first. She didn't know what to think when the animals would walk right up to her and ask for food.

This was on the way to see the lions and B wanted to sit on it, perfect picture opportunity!

I think B's favorite was the carousel ride. I was worried that she wouldn't like it, but I was wrong. As soon as the music started and her bear started going up and down she looked at me with the most surprised look on her face and began laughing. I loved it.

This bear was HUGE! He was in the water for the longest time. It was so cute!

We stayed to watch him for quite a while cause I wanted to see how big he actually was and he finally got out!

I loved the elephants! B wasn't so impressed with them because they never got really close to the fence so it was hard for her to see them!

This guy was cracking me up! He had just walked up to the window and stared at all of us and then went over to sit down.

Across the way this little monkey was so adorable. He was just an infant and very clumsy. He walked right up to the window and put his lips on it like he was giving us a kiss. B loved that!

Family Pic!

Corn on the Cob Thief

2011-11-20T20:49:00.001-06:00

9-28-11

The other night we went to dinner at Chili's. Greg and I ordered our food and then we ordered a kids meal for B. Chicken tenders and corn. I ordered corn on the cob with my meal. When the server brought out our food, B stole the cob off of my plate before I even had a chance to look at it!

I had to let her feed it to me to be able to eat any of it! When it was gone, she then proceeded to eat her kernels that came with her meal! It was so hard to keep from laughing while I was watching her eat it. A few people that were sitting around us thought it was pretty funny as well!

Happy 17 Months B!

2011-11-20T20:48:00.000-06:00

Since I am behind on posting I am only going to post pictures for this month! I can't believe how much she is growing and how fast she is learing and picking things up!

This is the look I get when she doesn't want her picture taken!

TMS Sept. 16-17, 2011

2011-11-20T17:29:00.000-06:00

We just got back from the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track Nationals! It was a long fun weekend. It started on Thursday morning when we left town at 8:30am. We drove all the way to Winstar Casino in Thackerville, OK, just on this side of the border. We ate at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. B was awake the whole way there and was so good. We had a short drive onto Texas Motor Speedway. B finally fell asleep! Thursday night was just practice. So we hung out a while and got everything unloaded.

Shortly after we arrived the crew next too us unloaded, they had a little girl 1 year older than B. She had a small battery operated 4-Wheeler and B immediately took it over! Thank goodness they were very nice people and didn't mind her riding it. That's all she did the rest of the day, other than watch daddy practice. Practice went good for Greg and he was ready for the first day of the show.

The races didn't start until 6pm on Friday. Since we stayed at the track in the toter it was pretty boring all day. We just sat around and played with B! Which I guess wasn't so boring because she is a bucket of laughs!

That night Greg went out to pack the track and hot lap. During his hot lap session it started to sprinkle and the track got really greasy so he pulled in! It continued to rain all evening. My cousin Harley had come down so we decided to make a trip to Wal-Mart, because B needed a 4-Wheeler, we needed some ice and because we knew we wouldn't be missing anything. Races were cancelled that night and were to start at 9am the next morning and then Saturday's show would start as normal at 6pm.

This was our entertainment for the evening!

Saturday we woke up to race cars running! It was an early morning. The boys started getting the car ready and I watched B ride her new 4-Wheeler.

Greg was scheduled to start 5th row outside (10th) of the 1st modified heat race but one car dropped out so he actually started 4th row outside (8th). He finished 8th. The track was still pretty greasy from all the rain! They place you into a qualifier based on your passing points in your heat. He was put 3rd row outside (6th) of the 2nd C qualifier and only the top 4 cars would transfer to the B qualifier. Greg WON IT!! Way To Go!

So now he had to start 11th row inside (21st out of 24 cars) of the B qualifier. Again they would only take the top 4 cars. He had a long way to go in a short time and didn't make it. He ended up 14th, which wasn't to bad but not good enough. He would have one more chance in that night's show.

They ran 4 B qualifiers and would take the top 4 in each one to the A Main....The Big Show....the Big Money!!! Greg started 5th row outside of the 2nd B qualifier. He drove hard and fast but not fast enough. He ended up 8th. So our night was over:-(

There were over 100 modifieds entered and I thought Greg did a great job. This isn't like your weekly Saturday night racing. All these cars are fast and all of them will do whatever it takes to make the show! I am so proud of Greg and can't wait to go back in April!

We spent the rest of the night watching the A Mains and hanging out with friends!

B was so good all weekend! She was awesome on the way there and back. She loves sitting in the stands with me watching her daddy race. She thinks he is always out there. She gives him a kiss as he is getting settled into the car and waves bye-bye as he is pulling out of our pit stall. Then she thinks hes racing. I don't have the heart to tell her he's not out there so I just cheer with her as she claps her hands and says "GOOOOOO!"

England Wedding

2011-11-20T17:14:00.001-06:00

9-10-11: An easy anniversary date to remember!

Greg's last single friend finally tied the knot! Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Cory England!! We wish you a long life of happiness!

No picture of the bride and groom but here is a pic of Greg and I!

I've got some catching up to do!

2011-11-20T17:14:00.000-06:00

Oh My! I am way behind on posting. Since I have plans to turn my blog into a book I am going to do some catching up! Hope I can get it all done!

Happy 16 months Brinley

2011-09-09T21:22:00.001-05:00

Can it be.....Can Brinley really be 16 months old? Well as of August 21, 2001 she is!

(OK, I know I am a little behind on this post, but life has been happening!)

I cannot believe how fast she is growing and how quickly she learns new things. It seems that she does something new everyday. She is so funny and always has us laughing. I love this stage of her life!

What is Brinley up to?!

Her schedule: I am back at work so her schedule has changed a bit. 7am-wakes up and had a cup of milk and a cereal bar, 7:45am-gets dropped off at daycare and had breakfast (yes again!), 9am-morning snack, 11:30am-lunch, 12-1:30pm-nap time, 3-afternoon snack, 4:30pm-mommy picks her up from daycare, 6:30pm-dinner, 7:45pm, bath and bedtime.
She goes to Nana's (Gma Jane's) on Mondays and Wednesdays and to Miss Michelle's (her daycare) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
She is an eater. She snacks all day, mainly on animal crackers and water.
She wants to eat whatever you are eating. She loves to dip everything!
She still loves water best but will occasionally have apple juice.

She runs everywhere she goes. Very little walking. She looks so funny when she runs. Her little hips just twist from side to side and her arms swing like crazy.
She has started trying to jump/hop off the steps.
Words Brinley says: peas (please), uh-uh (no), no-no, noooo, me (when she wants something), hi, bye-bye, momma, mommy, dadda, daddy, baby, papa, nana, ba (bath) wa-wa (sippy), Coco - apparently we yell at Coco a lot because Brinley does, tee (teeth), mine, eat, bite, sho (shoe), ash - trash, cocks (don't judge!) (Socks - Nana's Dog), car, go, one (like own for phone) cow, no (nose), eye, and she babbles a lot!
She can point to her: nose, ear, eye, hair, and belly.
She can tell you where your nose and eyes are.

She loves to talk on her play phone, but when she hears someone through the real phone she is completely confused!
She loves to play with her babies. She feeds them and brings them to me to wrap up so she can carry them around.
She sleeps from 8pm to 7am on school nights and will sleep even later on the weekends. I love her for this!
She has 16 teeth. 8 on the top and 8 on the bottom.
She is still in a size 3 diaper but I am pretty sure we will be in a 4 very soon.

She is wearing some 12 month clothes but mostly 18 month clothes.
She can wear a size 3 or 4 shoe, just depends. She has only been wearing sandals this summer and I am interested to see how shoes go this winter because...
She takes her shoes off as soon as we get into he car.
She loves her baths now that we are not going to the water park anymore. This is the only time she gets to play in the water so she likes it now!

She loves to wrestle with her daddy on the floor. If he lays down it is a matter of seconds before she is climbing all over him!
She has become stingy with her kisses. It is very rare to get one anymore. However she willingly gives high fives!
She tries to put on her own pants and shoes. Thinking she needs some dress-up clothes soon!
She loves to play outside. I hope it cools off so we can do more playing outside because she loves her slide.

She loves to dance and she will dance anywhere! I gave her my old iPhone, she found the music and turns it on and dances around the house like crazy!
She loves to get you! She will run up to you and wrap her arms around you and squeeze, then laugh and run away!
She is a laugher! She thinks everything is funny.
She loves to tickle and be tickled!

16 Month Stats

weight: 24 lbs 12 oz - 70%

height: 32 in. tall - 80%

head circumference: 47 cm - 74%

Shoulda Stayed Home

2011-09-09T20:44:00.001-05:00

8-27-11

Greg decided that he would race in Lawton this weekend. So Saturday morning we got everything around to head out. When I got B up and dressed, she immediately brought me her shoes and said "Daddy!" She knew he was in the shop and she wanted to go out there. So out we went. She even helped load the race car! Greg started it up while she was in there and she loved it!

My fav picture to date

They say bad things happen in sets of threes. It's true. On the way down to Lawton we had a blowout on the trailer! (Bad thing #1) It was super hot but the guys got it changed and we were on our way again. When we got to Lawton B just chilled until it was time to watch Dad race.

B got to watch Greg hot lap and then headed to bed. He started pole (1st) in the heat and won it. That's about the only good thing that happened on this trip. Because while we were waiting around for his feature to start the generator on the truck quit on us! (Bad thing #2) The guys tried to work on it but had no luck!

Greg started pole in the feature which is usually a good thing....not this night! The track was rough and everyone was driving crazy. Greg broke his drive shaft and had a DNF (Did Not Finish). (Bad thing #3) Pretty sure he would have won...but life goes on! We loaded up and headed home. It was a hot ride home because the generator had broke the A/C in the back of the truck wouldn't work. Thank goodness B slept all the way home!

B enjoyed scraping mud off dads car after his hot laps before she had to go to bed! She is such a big helper!

B really loves going racing and hanging with Dad and Uncle Dan!

Bad things definitely happen in threes:

1. Blow out on the trailer!

2. Generator quit!

3. Broke the drive shaft on the race car!

Hopefully we can get it all fixed before we race in Texas!

1st Day of School and Racing in Lawton 8-20-11

2011-08-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

Friday (8-19-11) was the 1st day of school. I remember my 1st day of school (as a teacher) 5 years ago. I was the Pre-K teacher and I was so nervous...mostly wondering if this was what I really wanted to be doing for the rest of my life! I quickly learned that I loved teaching and the only other thing I prefer doing is being a SAHM! Since that day I have taught Pre-K (2yrs), 3rd grade (3 yrs), and I am now teaching 1st grade. My class is wonderful and we are going to have a wonderful year!

Saturday Morning (8-20-11) Greg decided he wanted to go to Lawton to race. Nothing like a last minute decision! I packed B up and Greg got the race car ready. Greg, B, myself, Uncle Dan, and Papa loaded up and headed south. Gene's long time friend, Gail showed up. I have only met him a hand full of times but he is great! B isn't to sure about him yet, though she did let him hold her...surprising! Don't worry Gail, she'll warm up to you at some point!

I got B to wave at her dad before he went out for mud laps and she decided that she needed to wave at every driver that she could see drive off. It was so cute. She would hear them start up their car and off she would go to wave/say bye-bye. Needless to say I got a workout. Secretly I think her dad loved seeing her wave to him before he went out!

Greg did OK.

Heat: Started 4th row outside (8th) and finished 5th.

Feature: Started 5th row outside (10th) and finished 8th.

Not the best but we came home in one piece. Kind of a win-win situation I guess.

It was a late night and so we loaded up and headed home.

Sorry no pics :(. It's no easy to get pics when I have to chase a 16 month old around! It can be pretty dangerous in the pits so I have to keep a close eye on her.

B's 1st Day of Daycare!

2011-08-28T18:09:00.000-05:00

I started back to work on Monday Aug. 15th. B went to Nana's (which is where she will go on Monday's and Wednesday's). B's first day of Daycare was Tuesday Aug. 16th. She is only going to Miss Michelle's part-time right now (Tues., Thurs., and Fri.). Greg and I both dropped her off. Greg hadn't been there and I wanted to be there for her 1st day!

We had been here twice before so B kinda knew the place and Miss Michelle but she was still a little leery. She cried just a bit when we left her. I think my heart was breaking more than hers was. I told Greg this year is harder for me to go back to work than last year. She is just so much more playful and is learning so much right now! Everyday she has something new that she can do or a new word she can say! When does the growing stop??!!

I picked B up after work and she was so excited to see me. I love it when she runs up to me with a BIG smile and gives me hugs and kisses without me asking for them! Miss Michelle said she was wonderful. B even did an art project. (of course Miss Michelle had to help her a little)

I can't wait to see what else she is capable of! We might have a little Picasso on our hands!!

A Bachelorette Party

2011-08-28T17:56:00.000-05:00

My husbands good friend it getting married in a few weeks. Greg was invited to the Bach party and Cory's fiance was kind enough to invite me to her bachelorette Party. I ~~don't~~ didn't know Amy that well but we quickly became good friends. Saturday morning we dropped B off at Nana's (formerly known as Gma Jane) and we headed over to Cory and Amy's house. The boys headed to OKC and the girls headed to Wichita!

We had a great time. We met her friends at the Hotel at Old Town. We all got ready and headed to dinner at Old Chicago. Delicious!

My dinner was free because they continued to mess up my pizza before they even delivered it to the table. After dinner the party started. That's about all the information I can divulge to you! HA! Let's just say we had a blast! And from what I heard the boys did too!

The Bride to Be all dressed up and all the girls

Sunday morning we headed back home. I was more than excited to get home and see my baby girl! Greg got home first and sent me this pic of B!

Thanks Amy, Courtney and Stephanie for a wonderful night! Amy, I wish you and Cory the best!!

My Classroom Project

2011-08-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

I decided that I wanted a cute chair to put in the reading center of my classroom. I have seen lots of old chairs that people have redone in a cute color and recovered the cushion with a trendy fabric...and they are so cute. So I set out on a mission.

I found this chair for 50 cents at a thrift store. Reg. price $10. A great buy! I primed it with KILLS. Then painted it purple (which was leftover from my colleagues room painting project)! And covered the cushion with zebra fabric to get this finished product!

I LOVE IT!!!!

This has inspired to me to repurpose lots of old things! Lets see how long the fire will last!

My Last Free Week...Before School Starts

2011-08-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

I have been spending a lot of time in my classroom. Summer is kinda over for me. So I wanted to spend some extra time with B because she will start daycare next week. We went out to eat at Applebee's and B got to sit in a booster seat for the first time. She usually does very well in a high chair but she wanted nothing to do with it this time. So we asked for a booster and she was amazing!

Eatin Good in the Neighborhood

(you can't really tell but she has a ponytail in)

And because her daddy loves us so much he took us to Cherry Berry after dinner! B and I love FroYo! She isn't much of a sweets person unless it is some sort of ice cream! Thanks Daddy! We love you!

Terrible Wind Storm Aug 8, 2011

2011-08-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

We had a terrible wind storm come through on Aug 8, 2001. I was out at the school getting my classroom ready when one of the other teachers said her dad had called to warn her about a bad storm coming though. I decided it was time to wrap up and head home. I thought that I was going to make it but I was caught right in the middle. It was a little freaky. I had to drop my friend off at her house and when I left the wind was blowing so bad that I could hardly see where I was going! Thankfully I made it home safe and we didn't have any damage, just no electricity. the neighborhood my friend lives in had uprooted trees and lots of things blown everywhere!

Monday night we slept in the toter because it was way to hot to stay in the house with B. She was a little confused on why she was in the toter and not going anywhere!

Here are some pics of the damage at the fairgrounds.

(what used to be the Pit Shack, garage door by the stands, down power lines)

B's 1st Full Ponytail

2011-08-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

I am way behind on blogging.

This is b with her first full ponytail. It was August 9th. Her hair is really thin so I don't think it will be up in one much becase she also tries to pull it out. As much a I love bows and fixing her hair, she loves to pull them out! Ha

(this is from my phone so the quality is kinda poor)

We've Got A Swimmer

2011-08-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

I have been working in my classroom for the last week. I was moved from the 3rd grade to the 1st grade. The room I moved into was beyond ugly. 5 different colors of paint on the walls from more than 20 years ago I'm sure. If you know me, then you know I need things to be clean and organized.....So I painted and then had to go through everything!

While I've been doing this my mom has been keeping B. My mom hurt her arm a few weeks ago and is now doing better but they haven't released her to go back to work. B has been enjoying staying at Grandma B's. My mom has a pool that is 4 ft. deep all around so B can't touch, but she loves to swim. The other day my mom put arm floaties on B and she just took off. Yesterday mom said she swam from one side of the pool to the other all by herself multiple times. She loves the water!

We went to OKC with Aunt Alea on Friday. She had to go pick something up and didn't want to drive by herself. We took the car seat out of Greg's truck for B. This is how she rode all the way home while swaying back and forth dancing to the music! She is too funny!

An unexpected trip to MO.

2011-08-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

We haven't been up to much lately. Last Tuesday I got a call from my Grandma Penner. It was not a good call. My Uncle Cecil (my Gma's brother-in-law) was on his way to his granddaughter's wedding and had collapsed in the airport. They had transported him to the hospital and the results were not looking good. He had had a stroke and a collapsed lung. Things continued to get worse and he passed on Thursday.

My Grandma called and asked if I could drive them to the funeral service. We left on Saturday morning and headed to my Aunt Eva (my Gma's sister) and Uncle Benton's home in Nevada, MO. Brinley doesn't know her Great Grandparents very well only because we don' get to see them often. So she was a little leery of them at first but soon warmed up. She really enjoyed Aunt Eva and Uncle Benton. She loved Aunt Eva's baby rocker!

My grandparents are Mennonite, a Christian religion with very different beliefs. There are very few pictures of them because they don't believe in it, so no family pics on this trip. After cleaning up we headed to the church in Rich Hill, MO (about 25 minutes from Nevada) for family dinner and the viewing of Uncle Cecil. dinner was delicious. It is very rare the the entire family gets together so when they do I have to try to remember them all. My Grandma has 12 brothers and sister (5 of which are deceased)! After dinner and visiting we headed back to Eva's for the night.

Brinley was in a great mood Sunday morning so I quick snapped a pic of us before we left to go to the service.

She also had to play with Gma's cane.

The service was at 10:30. The church congregation served us lunch after the service. Lunch once again was delicious. After that we headed to my Aunt Maggie's home. (Maggie is Cecil's wife). We stayed there all afternoon and late into the evening. It was so wonderful to spend time with family I rarely get to see. Brinley loved all the attention (this was the first time any of them had meet her). I hope that we get to meet up again soon...but not to lay someone to rest.

We got up Monday morning to head home. We decided to drive through Joplin to see the tornado damage. I have never seen first hand any sort of devastation like this. It absolutely took my breath away. We drove by he hospital and through the center of the tornado path. It was amazing (I don't mean this is a wonderful sort of way!) There was absolutely nothing left standing. Piles of debris were everywhere. The most horrifying thing I saw was a home that had been completely destroyed and all that was left was the cement pad and the steps that led to what once was the front door. I tried to take a picture while driving. It's not very good. This used to be neighborhood with houses everywhere.

We stopped in Tulsa at Hideaway Pizza to eat lunch and B wanted to sit with Gma. Gma was just thrilled, as you can see by her expression in this photo.

Brinley did wonderful on this unexpected trip. I am so thankful that I got to see m Grandmother's side of the family once again. Thank you so much Aunt Eva and Uncle Benton for opening your home to us and for the wonderful breakfast every morning and nightly snacks. Brinley especially enjoyed them. We hope to see you again soon.

Family members who Brinley met on this trip: Aunt Eva and Uncle Benton and their children, Aunt Maggie and her children, Aunt Hannah, Uncle Henry and Aunt Gladys, (Eva, Maggie, Hannah, and Henry are Gma's siblings), and many more cousins that I can't even begin to keep track of.

Happy Birthday Maleah!

2011-07-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

My cousin Maleah (Amanda's oldest girl) turned 5 on Monday 7-18-11. She had her birthday party at Splash Zone.

Of course Brinley had a great time. She loved playing in the water as always. She really enjoyed it because there were so many kids there that she knew! Maleah raked it in. She got lots of neat gifts. She is a very lucky girl!

I let Brinley hold this capri sun all by herself. This doesn't happen often because she usually squeezes all the juice out of them. But she took a few drinks with out loosing any of the juice. As soon as she saw the cupcakes the juice was put down.

Brinley loved the cupcake. The first thing she did was poke her fingers in the icing and lick them. She usually doesn't like sweets, but I think she enjoyed it so much because there was no parental control. I just let her do what she wanted. We were outside at a water park. I wasn't to worried about having to clean up a big mess.

She dug right in and pretty Mich finished the entire thing. After she finished the cupcake she drank some water and back to the pool she went. We had a great time. Thanks so much Maleah for inviting us.

Maleah,

You are such a sweet girl. Brinley and I are so happy that you are part of our family. We love spending time with you at Splash Zone. I know Brinley loves going down the slide with you and I thank you very much for helping her like you always do. You are almost like a big sister to her.

We love you very much,

Becky and Brinley

Happy 15 months Brinley!

2011-07-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

Brinley turned 15 months old on Thursday 7-21-11! I know I am a bit late on posting but better late than never.

Can this really be true? It is so hard believe that my precious little baby girl is now a toddler. Where have her infant days gone to? No I do not have baby fever, B is just growing up way to fast!

What is Brinley up too?!

Her schedule: wakes up between 9-10am and has a sippy cup of milk and some breakfast, 12pm - lunch, 2:30ish - nap, 6pm - dinner, 7:30pm - bath and milk, 8pm - bedtime.
She snacks all day. mainly on animal crackers or grapes.
She wants to eat whatever you are eating at the time and by no means is she a picky eater.
She loves grapes and watermelon.
She has started drinking juice out of the box, but she loves water.
She runs everywhere. It is so funny because she swings her right arm like crazy when she does it.

Words Brinley says: peas (please), uh-uh (no), no-no, me (when she wants something), hi, bye-bye, momma, dadda, baby, papa (she no longer just whispers this word), ba (bath and sippy), toto (Coco), tee (teeth), nana, mine, eat, bite,sho (shoe) and she babbles a lot! She will have a conversation with you if you keep answering her back.
She has started talking on her phone.
She has started to play with her baby dolls. She loves them and feeds them. Makes my heart melt!
She sleeps 12 -13 hours at night. Since I don't have to get up to go to work for the summer I let her sleep as long as she wants to.
She has 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on the bottom.
She is cutting 8 more teeth, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom (2 on each side of the ones she already has).
She is still in size 3 diapers.
She still wears a size 3 shoe.
She can still wear 12 month clothes but we are slowly moving into 12-18 month clothes. 18 month stuff is still to big.

She gets to stay home with me for a few more weeks.
She loves the water park.
She is starting to hate her baths again. Crazy because she loves playing in the water at the water park.
She goes to the door when you ask her if she wants to go bye-bye. She can reach the doorknob and tries with all her might to turn it.
She pulls out her highchair when she is ready to eat.
She loves to trick daddy! She makes kissy sounds and when he gets to her for a kiss, she turns and runs away laughing hysterically.
She doesn't like to weat shoes. She takes them off the minutes she gets in the car or walks in the door.

She gives kisses and high fives.
She helps me put her clothes on. She puts her arms in the sleeves and her legs in her pants by herself for the most part.
She know where her belly button, ears, and nose are. We are working on those words as well.
She will throw things away for you.
She will go to the door and yell for Coco when she is outside.
She loves to slide. I got her one at a garage sale and I can't get her off of it when it is time to come in the house.
She claps when you tell her good job or say yeah!
She loves to ride in her stroller and her red wagon.

Brinley Nicole,

I have no words to tell you how much I love you. My heart just explodes every time I look at you. Even when you are throwing your ~~little~~ big tantrums. I hope that your daddy and I are raising you to know right from wrong. You are the most precious thing that I could ever ask for and I thank God everyday for choosing me to be your mommy! I love you sweet baby girl!

Mommy

A Dusty Night

2011-07-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

7-22-11

After Greg got home from work we loaded up and headed to Meeker to race. It has been quite a while since Greg has raced anywhere. He took a few weeks off because it has been so hot. It was still hot but we were both beginning to miss it, racing that is! B loves going racing because she gets to be outside and run around, play in the dirt, and work on the car. I think her daddy will appreciate this once she actually knows what she is doing? Ha!

Brinley go to stay up late this night. I forgot her sippy cup of milk so Uncle Dan grabbed it on his way out of town and didn't get to the track until about 9:30 or so. It was almost time for Greg's heat race when he go there so I just let Brin stay up to watch her daddy race because she was enjoying it. I don't remember where he started in the heat race but he finished 3rd. Brinley just sat on my lap and watch the whole race without a peep! I kept pointing her daddy out to her but I don't think she recognizes that he is out there yet! It will come in time!

After the heat race we gave B a bath and put her to bed. Have I mentioned lately how much I love having the toter as opposed to the truck?! It is so nice to be able to put B to sleep in there and not have to worry about her or have her up fussing all night because she is fighting sleep! It is wonderful! Not to mention it is a great escape from the heat on these wonderful hot summer night!

Greg started 6th row inside (11th) for the A Feature. They took the green flag and on the first lap there was so much dust that I could barely see any of the cars on the track. One car spun out and it was a pile up after that. Thank goodness Greg made it through. All the drivers pulled in and Brill (the guy that runs the track) tried to do a little dirt work but it was not a success. By this time it was 12:45am. He gave the guys the option of having their start money and going home or coming back next week and running it before all the other races. Greg took his start money and we went home because he will be racing in Salina and Enid next week. Smart thinking if you ask me!

A Baby Shower

2011-07-26T10:57:00.000-05:00

I completely forgot to post about a good friend's baby shower. Roxi's high school friends threw her a baby shower on Saturday (7-16-11). I helped to throw her a surprise shower at work a few months ago. It was nice to enjoy this one instead of hosting it. It was very nice and I think Roxi is set up and ready for this baby to be here.

Me, B, and the Mommy to be (Roxi)

Roxi and Butch are having a baby girl. I can't wait for B to have a play date!!! They haven't picked a name yet but I am rooting for Roxi's choice. Butch's is cute to but I am a fan of Roxi's. I won't be a spoiler so you'll just have to wait till she is born to find out what they name her.

B enjoyed running free and cheesing it up for all the guests.

Thanks for inviting us Roxi. Brinley and I had a great time. I hope that you get your sleep before she baby gets here. I can't wait to meet Baby H.

Cooling off in the heat!!

2011-07-22T15:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much since our Branson trip because we haven't been doing much except catching some rays at the water park. It's been nice to just relax and spend time with Brinley. I only have about 2 1/2 weeks before I have to report back to work:(

On Wednesday (7-20-11) we went to White Water Bay with my cousins and their girls (Stacie, Courtney, Maddie, Jorge, Amanda, Maleah, and Addison). It was a girls day out at the water park.

Brin had had a great time. She got a little fussy when she started getting tired but she did great. We started off by playing in the kiddie pool. It was pretty busy when we got there but B found a slide that she could climb up and go down on her own. I just had to stand at the bottom to catch her because it made me nervous!

I wanted to take B down a big ride. The only one she could go down on my lap was the Big Kahuna. The line was very long and did fine waiting until we got near the top. She was tired of being corralled. This girl is just like her mom and dad. When we would go on a small drop off she would grit her teeth and hold her breath. She wasnt' scared until we went under the waterfall. She hates water being poured on her head.

We all had a good time. I enjoy this place but it is a bit expensive. I won't be going back until B can swim on her own. The kiddie pool is way to busy and it made me way to nervous to just let her wonder on her own like I do at the water park in our home town.

We were there from 11am to 4 pm. We went to eat at Texas Roadhouse and them headed home. I was hoping B would sleep on the way back but she was wide awake and enjoyed wearing Maddie's shades!

Thursday (7-21-11) Taryn came over to hang out. We went to Splash Zone and had a great time. Brinley loved riding down the slide with Taryn and splashing in the water. I just can't keep her out of it!

After Taryn left we ate dinner and went out to the shop to help dad work on the race car. Dan and Alea came over. Alea invited B and I to go to Cherry berry with her. That was a no brainer!!! Cherry Berry is a new Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt store in our town. I love it! So does Brin!!!

My favorite has been Birthday Cake, but yesterday I got their new flavor Peanut Butter!!! It was delicious. B and I had a nice tasty treat. Thanks Alea for inviting us to go with you. We had a great time.

We are getting ready to go racing in Meeker tonight so hopefully I will have some pics to share in a post tomorrow.

Branson: Day 5

2011-07-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

Monday (7/11/11)

Day 5 was spent packing and driving home! Once again Brinley woke us up early, although not quite as early as every other day! We all got around and packed up the Tahoe and headed for home. We didn't go home the same way we came. However the view was very much the same until we got farther west.

We decided to go through Springfield because I wanted to eat at Lambert's which is just a few miles south of Springfield. When we go there isn't wasn't quite lunch time so we decided to head on north and go to Bass Pro in Springfield. This is the Granddaddy of them all!

Inside there was a NASCAR race car that Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove during the 1998 Winston All-Star race. This was not a replica/show car. It was the real deal!

There were lots of fish tanks and Brinley really enjoyed watching them. She stood at this one for a long time and then decided daddy needed to see them too, so she went and got him! This girl loves the outdoors.

After Bass Pro we headed back to Lambert's. Home of the "throwed rolls"! If you haven't eaten here you are missing out. This place is yummy. Their rolls are to die for and they throw them at you when you want one. They have pass arounds that everyone gets to enjoy and their portions are way to much but you just can't help yourself. Greg and his parents had never been there before and they enjoyed it.

Next stop Oklahoma!! It was long drive but we made it and it felt so good to be back home, well almost! HaHa

After entering Oklahoma we had to make a stop at the McDonald's over the road. Brinley needed a Strawberry Banana Smoothie and we all needed to take a bathroom break.

It was nice to finally be home. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Although it was also nice to get away. I think we all enjoyed our vacation and are not ready to get back to reality. Who am I kidding?! My reality is a vacation, at least until school starts back up again it is! HaHa! I am looking forward to spending the rest of my summer with B and not so much looking forward to having to go back to work and leave her with a sitter. But such is life!

Branson: Day 4

2011-07-14T23:19:00.000-05:00

Sunday (7/10/11)

No Pictures! (Insert sad face here)!

Day 4 was spent shopping! We went to a little craft strip mall that our resort lady told us about and then headed to Tanger Outlet Mall! We ate lunch at El Charro on the strip. It was delicious, but then again I love Mexican food. After lunch we headed down to the old Branson and went into a Dick's 5 and 10. I had no idea what this place was. Jane and Gene said that when they were young they were called "5 and Dime stores" because everything was either 5 or 10 cents. They had everything and anything you could possibly think of! After walking around downtown we headed back to the cabin to cook dinner and just hang out for the evening. Brinley and I took a little swim and then we all got ready to go to bed. A relaxing day!!

Stay tuned for Day 5, our drive home!

Branson: Day 3

2011-07-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

Saturday (7/9/11)

Once again Brinley woke us up at 6:45am!! This girl must have been excited to be on vacation because she stayed up late and woke up early every day! But it's vacation so who cares....right?! Since B got up so early we went out onto the deck to have some breakfast! Who doesn't love Raisin Brand...and this face?!

We decided the night before that we would rent a boat and spend some time on the lake. I had only been on a boat 1 other time and I had never been tubing. This was Brinley's 1st time on a boat and in a lake. We rented this pontoon boat for 4 hours.

B wasn't too happy about having to wear her life jacket the whole time but she soon got used to it. I was a little worried she wouldn't like being in the water because she wouldn't be able to touch and she likes to run around at the water park.

I was right. She only liked it about long enough for us to get a decent picture. She had just as much fun running around on the deck and watching everyone else tube. She also loved helping Papa drive.

Brinley and Gma Jane sat at the back of the boat to watch Greg and I tube. When we would fall off B would turn to Gma and say "uh-oh"

The boat didn't have as much power as Greg would have liked to whip us around but I was just fine with it as this was my very first time to tube. I was very skeptical and wasn't so sure I would enjoy it. Boy was I wrong. I had a blast and can't wait until I can do it again!

B even got to tube. Here we are getting ready to go out. Let me just tell you that Greg and I are in trouble as soon as this one can drive something with a motor or that is gas powered. She was not happy unless we were going fast enough to splash water up so she could it. Papa was nervous about driving that fast so her ride didn't last too long!

Greg and I even talked Gma and Papa into tubing. Jane didn't last long because it hurt her knees really bad but I give her props for trying it. B liked watching her at least. She is gonna kill me for posting this picture but I just had too do it! Gene rode it out for a while, but wouldn't go again. I think he enjoyed trying to throw Greg and I off more that anything! HaHa

After the lake we cooked lunch at the cabin. Brinley took and nap and Greg and I headed into Branson to go to the Our Body Exhibit. This was a little freaky but very interesting. You get to see all the different parts of the body, and I mean everything. These exhibits are real life bodies...CREEPY! I know that my mom would enjoy this because she is a nurse.

After that Greg and I grabbed some Andy's Frozen Custard and headed back to the cabin. By then B was up and ready to play! We spend quite and while our in the play area. She absolutely loved this Little Tykes Playhouse! I think I'm gonna have to try and find one at a garage sale! She also like ~~riding~~ being pushed around on the bike.

After today ~~I was~~ we were all worn smooth out! We all went to bed early because tomorrow would be our last day in Branson!
Stay tuned for day 4!!

Branson: Day 2

2011-07-13T11:13:00.002-05:00

Friday (7/8/11)
Day 2 started early!!! B woke us up at 6:30! She is such a good sleeper when we are at home, but anytime we are away she is up and at 'em early! We all got around and headed into town. Our first stop was the Titanic Museum.

I loved the movie and am very interested in history that I can go see. It was wonderful. B didn't enjoy it so much and thanks you Gma Jane for entertaining her so I could read everything I wanted to! When you enter you are given a boarding pass and at the end you can see if you are a survivor or if you passed with the sinking of the ship! everyone survived except Gene!

I was married to a 47 yr old man who was the richest passenger on the Titanic. I was his 18 yr. old pregnant mistress. There was a picture of me and my husband and a replica of our 1st class cabin room which was large compared to the 3rd class cabin rooms. Hard to believe that such a small room was a big luxury. Brinley was a 1st class passenger as well. Greg was also a 1st class passenger and he also brought many dogs with him. As soon as you walk in there is an iceberg that you can touch. They have a deck chair that was actually on the Titanic. It was amazing.

After the Titanic we ate lunch at a Waffle House and then headed to Branson Landing to "Ride the Ducks". It is a land/water tour of the city.

This contraption is an amphibious truck. Brinley enjoyed it. Here are some of the sites we saw on our tour.

When you purchase your ticket you get a duck bill. Brinley wanted us to blow on it all the time. She just smiled and laughed every time.

Here is a picture of another duck on the water. It makes a huge splash when it enters. Our tour was of Lake Tanycomo and the old Branson. The water in this lake is COLD!

After the Ride the Duck Tour we walked around Branson Landing and ate dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ. Delicious! Their BBQ was wonderful. Brinley loved the ribs and corn on the cob. There are lots of shops on Branson Landing and Greg loved the Pepper Palace. They have lots of dips, rubs, and marinades of all kinds. Greg loves to cook on the grill and could spend hours in this place if I let him.

Brinley thought it was hilarious for Papa to chase her around. She would take off running and he would try to catch her and she would just laugh uncontrollably.

It isn't easy to get a family picture anymore with this busy girl! She is always on the go and never wants to be still.

B and grandma looking at the boats in the water.

We had a great day and there is still more to come. 3 days in fact. After hanging our at Branson Landing we headed back to the cabin. We drove down HWY 76 "the strip" for the first time on our way back "home". There are so many things to do. It is so busy, bumper to bumper traffic, especially when a show is over and everyone is trying to get out.

Stay tuned for Day 3 of our trip!

Branson: Day 1

2011-07-12T12:46:00.002-05:00

Thursday (7/7/11)
We got up and left our house early in the morning. We headed to Gene and Jane's house to pick them up and head to Branson, Mo. I was very excited because I hadn't been to Branson since I was in H.S. and I didn't remember much about it! And it was the first time to take Brinley on a vacation!

B and I before we left

Our plans were to try and make it to Eureka Springs, AR to eat lunch. I was worried that B would be very restless in the car. We made a pit stop in Tulsa where we all got to stretch our legs. Our next stop...Eureka Springs, AR.

Not to long after we entered AR. We saw this sign! It was no lie! Little did we know that we wouldn't see a flat stretch of land until we headed back home!

B made the rest of the way. Almost a 3 hour drive, she did awesome! We ate Lunch at a place called Local Flavor. It was delicious!

After lunch we did a little bit of shopping and then loaded up and headed on to our resort, on Table Rock Lake. This was the view everywhere. All you could see for miles was trees and hills. It was beautiful!

We drove across this bridge. I thought it was neat. You don't see bridges like this everyday where I live!

We finally made it. We stayed at Valley View Resort on Table Rock Lake. I was a little skeptical about staying on the lake because I am not much of a country girl! I like to be in the hustle and bustle of the city! But I enjoyed it much more that I thought I would! This is our deck at our cabin. B loved it. She wanted to be out on it anytime we were there!

I'm not sure what I was expecting but our cabin was pretty nice. The area was very peaceful and beautiful. We had a view of the lake and there were plenty of toys for B to play on! After settling in it was time to eat dinner and go to the grocery store so we had food at the cabin for the weekend. We headed into Branson. Our cabin was about 30 minutes from "the strip" in Branson. Not a bad drive, it was beautiful scenery to look at on the way! We decided to eat at a steakhouse. BTBones. It was yummy!

After dinner we drove to Branson West to do some grocery shopping and then head "home" to get some sleep for a busy day of sight seeing! I was so proud of Brinley on the ride to Branson. She did AMAZING! Greg and I are so lucky to have such a happy and well behaved little girl. Don't get em wrong, she's got a temper but is usually very well behaved when out in public (when it counts)! Ha

Stay tuned to Day 2 of our trip!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the 4th of July! We had a pretty boring day but an exciting night. We went to my mom's for dinner. Mom grilled hot dogs and my Grandparents and Aunt Betty were there. After dinner we went to Meadowlake Park to watch the fireworks.

I was worried how Brinley would do. Her bedtime is 8pm and they weren't even starting any of the celebrations till 8:30. Brinley did awesome. When we got to the park it was so busy we had to park across the street and walk over. We decided to go get a snow cone.

The line was so long. We waited about an hour to get our snow cones. Brinley loved being able to walk where ever she wanted to. She found the putout course and was climbing over all the hills. We walked back to our spot to watch the fireworks and got back just in time. Brinley was in AWE of the fireworks at first.

But after a short while she just wanted to walk away from us and run back and fall in our laps. Every now and then she would turn around and watch a few go off then continue to play.

I was so happy that she wasn't scared and didn't throw a fit until we got in the truck to go home. By then she was a sleepy baby! I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

And just for comparison: 4th of July 2010. B was 2 1/2 months old.

Just Chillin

2011-07-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

A girls gotta take a break from swimmming to eat some animal crackers!

The Aquatic Center

2011-07-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

Thursday (6/30/11) Amanda, Maleah, Addison, Chelsea (Amanda's friend), Brinley, and I loaded up and headed to Fairview. They have a new Aquatic Center and we wanted to go check it out! It was a blast. We stopped at the bowling alley to eat lunch. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, french fries, and gravy (yummy). The girls shared chicken strips and french fies, and we all shared an order of their fried pickles. OMG...they have the fried pickle spears and they were delicious! I will be going back!

We got to the pool at about 12:30 and we didn't leave until 3:30. This place is nice and cheap. It was $2 for me and $1.50 for B. (It cost an adult $10 to get in a Splash Zone!) Their kiddie pool goes from very shallow to about 1 ft. deep. It has a boat that has a slide on the end.

It is all a squishy material and the girls loved climbing on it. On the shallow end there are 3 holes that squirt water out. If you cover one the other 2 squirt water higher and if you cover 2 the other one squirts water really high. Maleah and I would cover 2 of them and Brinley would stand there and laugh while the other water splashed all over her.

They have a big slide in the big kid pool. Amanda took Maleah down and I decided to take B down.

She sat on my lap with her floaty on and we went down. She loved it. As soon as we got to the bottom she was asking to go again! This girls isn't scared of anything!

Brinley fell asleep before we even got out of town! She was worn out. The trip was definitely worth it. We go to Splash Zone all the time and it was nice to get to see a little different scenery. I know Brinley had a good time and I can't wait until we can go back!

Happy Birthday Gma Jane

2011-06-29T13:42:00.000-05:00

(her birthday was actually yesterday 6/28/11)

Jane,

We love you so much and appreciate everything you do for us! I hope you had a wonderful day. Brinley thanks you very much for sharing your snowcone with her!

We tried many times and this is the best picture we could get!

10 year reunion

2011-06-27T14:00:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it?! I have been out of high school for 10 years. Boy am I getting old! Our class reunion was Saturday evening (6/25/11). We had dinner at Napoli's, an Italian restaurant down town, and then went to Scooter's for a few drinks. There were about 15 of my classmates that showed up. I had a blast. It was so nice to get together with ~~old~~ young friends! 10 years was way to long!

Thanks Class of 2001 for an eventful evening!

Splash Zone with the Fam

2011-06-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Brinley and I went to Splash Zone on Friday (6/24/11). We met my cousins Amanda and her girls, Jennifer and her boys, and all the McCartney girls. My mom and sister also decided to join us. We had a great time!

Grandma Berneta and Brinley

Playing with the water board

She had just put her head underwater

Going down the big girl slide with Jorge

She can finally climb these stairs and go down by herself

1st Ponytail!

2011-06-27T13:47:00.000-05:00

Brinley's hair is finally long enough to put just a little bit of it into a ponytail! She was good and sat very still for me!

(this came off my iPhone so it's a bit grainy)

Happy 14 months B!

2011-06-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

(as usual I am a few days behind)

Brinley turned 14 months last Tuesday (6/21/11). I can't believe how big she is getting! These monthly pictures are getting harder and harder to take. Thanks goodness Greg and Gma Jane were there to help!

What is Brinley up to?!

Her schedule: wakes up between 8:30 and 9:30 (since I am off for the summer I let her sleep as long as she wants to) milk and breakfast as soon as she wakes up, 10:30ish - nap, 12:00 - lunch, 2:30ish - nap, 6:00 - dinner, 8:00 - bath milk sippy and bedtime.
She eating all table food and snacks all day long (her favorite is animal crackers)
She is off the bottle!
She drinks whole milk in the am, sometimes before afternoon nap, and before bed.
She has walking down and is now trying to run
Words Brinley says: peas (please), uh-oh, uh-uh (no), me (when she wants something), hi, bye-bye, momma, dadda, baby, papa (she will only whisper this word), ba (bath and sippy), toto (Coco), and she babbles a lot!

She drinks water and milk, but mostly water. She also likes to drink the specialty coffee that I occasionally get and anything that I am drinking with a straw.
She wants to eat anything that we are eating. I don't think here is much this girl won't eat.She is definitely not a picky eater like her momma!
She is Miss Independent!! She doesn't want you to help her with anything unless she asks for it.
She sleeps about 12 hours at night!
She still only has 8 teeth. One more is on the verge of breaking through (I can see it)

She is still in a size 3 diaper.
She wears 12 and 12-18 month clothes. She has big thighs like her momma and some 12 month bottoms won't fit!
She can wear a size 3 shoe but is slowly growing into a 4.
She gets to stay home with me everyday since I am on summer break!
She loves the water! We go to Splash Zone a few times a week and she loves it!
She goes to the door when she wants to leave and her high chair when she is hungry.

She know what hungry and bye-bye mean.
She now gives closed mouth kisses and high-fives.
She still loves to throw things away when you ask!
She will close the door for you!
She claps for herself when she does something we ask her to do! (She obviously gets lots of praise)
She would rather be outside than inside!
She would rather walk around or tide in her stroller than be held! (Thank goodness)

Brinley,
I am loving the stage of life you are in right now! I know I say this every month but I don't want you to grow anymore! You are so funny! I love that you are so happy and we get compliments on that all the time! I am enjoying my summer off with you and can't believe it is almost half over! You are much more than I could have asked for! Don't get me wrong, you know how to throw a temper tantrum and when you do it is so hard not to laugh! I pray that I am raising you to be a well behaved, responsible, and respectable young lady! Your dad and I love more than we ever thought we could!
Love,
Mommy

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

(I know I am a day late....but better late than never!)

Happy Father's Day to the men who Brinley and I love...

Brinley's daddy

Brinley's Papa

and Brinley's Great Papa (my mom's dad)
I couldn't find a pic of them together

Brinley and I are so lucky to have these 3 wonderful men in our lives. I know that they would do anything for us. I hope that each of you had a great Father's Day.

Greg,

I could not ask for a more loving, caring, and awesome husband and best friend. You are such a wonderful father to our beautiful daughter and I love to watch the two of you together. I know that Brinley will grow up knowing how a man is supposed to treat her because of you! We both love you with all of our hearts.

Papa Gene,

I could not have asked to have a better father-in-law. You are so amazing to me and I appreciate it. Thanks you for being a wonderful Papa to Brinley. She loves you more than you will ever know!

Great Papa,

I know we don't get to see you very much, but Brinley and I both love you and always look forward to the next time we get to see you!

Becky and Brinley

Brinley loves licking the scoop I used for the icing on the cake!

messy little hands

She also got to play in the sprinkler after dinner! This girl is a water bug!!

a LONG night of racing and a garage sale

2011-06-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

Note: This week was so busy that I didn't get any pictures, so it will be a pictureless post!

It's been a long hot week.

Jane and I had a garage sale this weekend. I wish I would have taken a picture of the garage because it was full. To give you an idea we had 8 long banquet tables and 3 huge racks of clothes and stuff!

Thursday was Garage Sale Day 1! We sold quite a bit of stuff but there was still a lot to go. It was so hot inside the garage!

Friday was Garage Sale Day 2 and Rainout night at Meeker.

Jane and I worked at our garage sale all day and closed up at 2pm to get ready to go to Meeker. Last week they rained out the features so we had to go back this week. Jane and I were the only ones to go with Greg. That's right Jane and I were the pit crew for Greg. (Hence no pictures or video, I was way to busy.) Greg had to run the make-up feature and a full show (a heat and another feature)! The races were suposed to start at 7:30 and didn't start until about 8:15, so we knew it was gonna be a long night!

1st Feature: (rainout from last week) Greg decided to change the spark plugs after hot laps. He started 4th row outside (8th) and finished 5th. He had been having a bit of an oil leak and after that feature there was no more leak. Win-Win situation!

Heat: Greg started 3rd row inside (5th) of the heat and finished 2nd. It was good run. Before the heat Greg decided to make quite a few changes to the car. The track was really dry and getting dryer (wich means lots of dust). I'm not sure what all he did but I know he moved and adjusted a lot of bars and other stuff. Ha Ha. I'm not that great of a pit crew member. I didn't do any of it, just went and got the tools that I was told to get!

2nd Feature: Greg started 5th row inside (9th). The changes he made were awesome. Greg got spun out on the 3rd lap and I thought we were in trouble. Jane and I had recruited some guys we knew to help us just incase we had to change a tire during the race. I knew I could do it just not a fast as Greg would have wanted me too! We lucked out, no flat and there was another pile up on the same caustion in the opposite turn so we didn't have to restart on the back! After that restart Greg took off. It was only a matter of time before he was running second. Caught another break when the leader clipped a tractor tire and spun out. Greg was in the lead and finished with a win!! That's how it's done with a 2 WOMAN pit crew!!!! We were awsome, but I hope to never do it again. You don't realize what all the guys do for a race and I appreciate Dan and Gene more than ever now!

As I said earlier we got started late, therfore it was a late night. We pulled out of the track at 2:30am and pulled into our driveway at 4:45am! Remember me saying that Jane and I were having a garage sale. Yeah I had to get back up at 6:30am to be over there to help! Needless to say we were both tired and we closed up early! Hoping this week is a bit easier!

Great Job Greg!

Topless in Meeker and With the Top in Ada

2011-06-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

Friday night (6/10/11) we loaded up and drove to meeker to race. It was a Topless night! Topless for a race car driver = no roof! Ha Ha...I bet you were thinking something else!

It was only Greg, Papa Gene, Brin, and I who went this weekend. Dan stayed home with his wife and Gma Jane had to go to Amarillo, TX to work the NCRA Sport Mods. Let's just say I am glad that I have an unlimited text messaging plan. I had to update Dan and Jane throughout the weekend! Papa, on the other hand might not be happy when he gets their phone bill! Ha Ha...Who am I kidding, I was updating his wife with his son's happenings, he's not gonna say a thing about it. Papa loves his boy!

B is so stinking smart! She has figured out how to unscrew and screw on a lid to a water bottle! That is all she wants to do now! I can't even tell you how long she sat here playing with this one. I'm not sure how she figured it out but it is so cute to just watch her. She is always in deep concentration!

Greg had a decent night. He started 3rd row inside (5th) of his heat and finished 2nd. That lined him up to start 4th row outside (6th) of the feature! They only got 1 feature ran before they had to call it because it was starting to rain. When it starts to rain at a dirt track, it is time to get the "you know what" outta there! Brill (the track promoter) decided he would run the rest of the features next Friday before the regular show. We hadn't planned on going back but we will be now. So we loaded up and drove to Shawnee to sleep!

Saturday (6/11/11) we got around and walked just over a mile to a Denny's to eat breakfast. With the toter we can't just pull in anywhere. It is just about as big as a semi, so parking to eat somewhere is very limited! After breakfast we walked back to the toter and headed to Ada. After we got there B played around and "worked on the car" while the guys got the car ready.

Greg started 3rd row inside (5th, same as the night before) of his heat and finished 3rd. He started 4th row outside (6th, ironic but also the same as the night before) of the feature and finished 4th. It was a one lane track. Greg had a fast car but just couldn't get around the cars in front of him!

Cheer Camp

2011-06-16T16:38:00.000-05:00

I am the High School Cheer Coach at my school. Last week (Mon. 6/6 and Tues. 6/7) we went to NCA Cheer Camp in Mooreland. I only have 3 girls (I know a small squad) and we had a blast. My girls did great. 2 of them were nominated for All-American Cheerleader (Tori was one of them)! I was so proud of them and can't wait to see what the season hold for us!

I only put pics of Tori up because I don't have the other girls permission!

Watering the Flowers w/ Aunt Alea

2011-06-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

I have been MIA for a while. It has been crazy busy. Gonna try to catch up to speed!

Aunt Alea and UNcle Dan invited us over for dinner on Sunday night (6-5-11). They were cooking steaks and we just couldn't pass up the offer. I think the steaks were just bait for Greg and I (I think they really just wanted to see B), which is ok with me and B of course! Dinner was excellent! Thanks Uncle Dan and Aunt Alea for a wonderful dinner. It was so nice to not have to do any cooking or cleaning up afterwards! After dinner B helped Alea water the flowers!

She was doing a great job getting the water on the flowers until Alea showed her how to get a drink from the hose. Then "Miss Independent" wanted to try all by herself.

She put the waterhose right up to her face and got herlself all wet. Then she decided she wanted to play in it. Before all the flowers got watered. B was soaked form head to toe! But she had a great time!

Jax's 1st B-Day Party

2011-06-08T17:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday (6-5-11) was Jax's birthday party. His actual birthday was Monday (6-6-11) and he turned 1! It only seems like yesterday that I was in the hospital to visit Vanessa and Cody (his mom and dad) and to hold the little guy! His party was at the Medford Park. I was dreading it because it was going to be so hot, boy was I wrong, it turned out to be a great time.

Happy Birthday Jax!! We love you!

They had a blow up pool and a slip-n-slide for the kids to play in and Brinley had a blast! Once we go her int he water it was hard to get her out to go eat cake and watch Jax open presents.

There was also a Pinata. Brinley wasn't into hitting it with the bat, but she definitely went in after the candy! She was a sicker and there was no stopping her. She is hooked on suckers thanks to my cousin Ross. He always gives her one at the basketball games and she loves them!

Happy 1st Birthday Jax! You are such a cute ~~little~~ chunky boy. You are so happy and full of smiles every time we see you! I love to watch you and Brinley play together. I hope you enjoyed your party and are now enjoying all the toys that you raked in!

We love you,

Uncle Greg, Aunt Becky, and Brinley

Happy Birthday Cody!! I didn't forget about you!

Racing @ Muskogee & Creek County

2011-06-08T11:48:00.001-05:00

Friday (6-3-11) we loaded up and headed to Muskogee to race. It was just Greg, Gma Jane, Brinley, and myself. Papa Gene had to work and Uncle Dan came up after he got off of work that evening. It was so hot but Brinley didn't even care. She wanted to be outside watching her daddy!

Greg did a great job.He finished 2nd in his heat race which started him on the outside of the 5th row (very last, 10th) in the feature. It didn't start out so good. He had a good car but wasn't going anywhere. There was a caution and thank goodness. After that her moved up to second and was running really good. on the last lap he hit the wall hard going into turn 4! I just knew he was done for, but he ended up finishing second! Way to go TEAM BURT. Greg said he went in to deep and just skidded across the loose dirt, when he hit it killed the car and he just stomped on it, got it going and hammered down!! Just like Greg!

We stayed at the track that night. I was very happy that we didnt' have to pack up and go somewhere else to camp. It is such a pain to move B when she is asleep!

Saturday (6-4-11) Brinley woke up early....6:45! I don't know what it is but she never sleeps late when we are on the road! So we all go up to eat breakfast. Brinley eats her breakfast and thinks she still needs to have wheat everyone else is having. Uncle Dan was kind enough to share his cereal with her!

The boys got up to work on the car and discovered that the A frame was broken from hitting the wall so we headed into town to find someone to weld it. After we got back Gma Jane, Brinley and I headed to some antique/junk stores! We found some great things. A Radio Flyer Tricycle, a Little Tikes Tambourine, and a Checkered Cross!!

After finishing the car we loaded up and headed to Creek County which is in Kellyville, OK near Tulsa. Brin enjoyed playing on her new trike while the boys got the car unloaded. She didn't like the tassels on the handle bars so she pulled them out! She is so particular and independent!!

I like this track, I'm not sure why but I do. Greg did ok in the heat race. He got together with another car coming down the front stretch. Nothing but just some contact racing. After the heat the drivers dad came over to talk to Greg. The kid was 14 and he wanted to Greg to take it easy on him. HA HA....don't get in the car if you can't handle it!

I don't remember where Greg started in the feature but that doesn't really matter because he was taken out on the first lap by the 14 year old whom he was supposed to take it easy on! Needless to say Greg was not happy, and karma is a B!

Splash Zone & a T-ball Game

2011-06-05T17:19:00.001-05:00

Thursday (6-2-11) Brinley and I went to Slash Zone (our local water park)! It was our 1st time to go. My cousin and her two girls were there and we decided to meet them and have a good time. I was a little worried if Brinley would enjoy it or not. She hates it when water gets on her head in the bath. Boy was I wrong, Brinley LOVED it!

Maleah even got B to go down the big slide with her! Brinley went down one time and there was no stopping her! We went down the slide at least 5 times!

Brinley loved to be pulled around in the big pool also. Her life jacket has a handle on the back and when B got in she just kicked herself back and wanted to be pulled around.

At one point we were in the wading pool and B got out, went to our chairs, grabbed her life jacket ans headed straight for the big pool. She obviously enjoyed it! Thanks goodness I brought her animal crackers cause she definitely played so hard that she needed a snack break.

We had a blast and I am so glad that I decided to buy a season pass because we will definitely be going back! Thanks Amanda, Maleah, and Addy for going with us. I'm sure we will see you there again!

After Splash Zone we headed home to get ready for Alex's T-ball Game. Alex is my nephew and he has been asking for Brinley and I to come watch a game. This is his first time to play.

The kids on his team are all very young and none of hem want to play in the field. All they want to do is bat. It is so funny to watch them. There is so order to any of it. It is all chaos, but in a good way.

Good Job Alex!!!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

A BIG Thank You to all the men and women who have served and are serving our country! Because of you I get to spend every day with this girl!

We usually go racing over the Memorial Day weekend, but we stayed home this time...and spent the day at the park! Brinley loved it!

She loved to climb the stairs and go down the open slide.

Daddy helped her hang on the monkey bars.

Playing in the sand was her ~~most~~ second favorite thing!

She had the most fun going down the covered slide by herself!

She giggled the whole way down!

Then she would turn around and climb back up just to do it all over again!

Sorry about the redness in the slide pictures. They were very hard to take. The slide was red and I was having a hard time getting them to come out, but these will have to do.

Victoria's Dance Recital 2011

2011-05-30T21:46:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love to watch my sister dance! This is what she works for all year long!!!! She is so good at it and I am so proud of her for sticking with it. She is involved in so much and dance is definitely her busiest extra-curricular activity.

She plays softball and cheers through her high school and then dances through Dance Works of Enid! She has a dance class almost every night of the week! She is so dedicated and only a freshman in high school!!

During the school year she doesn't have a night off. When she isn't dancing she is either cheering at a basketball game or playing in a softball game!

The black costume was her last dance of the evening Lost Souls. My favorite!!! B wasn't quite sure what to think of Aunt Tori at first, but she quickly warmed up!

Tori was in 7 different dances (I think), including ballet, jazz/hip-hip, point ballet and I don't even know what else! She did an amazing job! My favorite was the point ballet with the boys. She was lifted into the air, spun around, all the cool things you see on TV! I loved it! I couldn't get any photos because there is no flash photography during the recital. These pictures were taken at rehearsal and in the studio!

Tori,

I hope you know that you are an amazing dancer! I absolutely love to watch you dance. It is very obvious that you love doing it! It shows in your movements and your gracefulness on the stage! I hope that one day Brinley can follow in your footsteps (we might have to persuade her dad to pay for classes though, I think he would prefer her to be a basketball player, HA). I hope that you continue to dance because I would love to ~~have~~ get to fly to New York and watch you perform for the American Ballet Company!
DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING!!!
Love you,
Becky

Brinley's First Ouchy

2011-05-26T16:17:00.000-05:00

Brinley got her first ouchy today!! :(

I took her to Gma Jane's because I had a meeting to go to. When we got there I got Brinley out of the Tahoe and stood her up so she could walk in. On her way in she tripped in the driveway and scraped up her knee. She didn't cry at first, she just looked at me for a few seconds and then the tears came. As soon as I got her inside and wiped away the blood, she looked at me, then brushed it off herself and off she went.

I took this picture after we got back home because I didn't have my camera with me and as you can see she is very proud of her boo-boo now!

She is such a tough girl!

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

This Thursday I am so thankful that I have a loving and caring family. And that I have this beautiful, fun loving little girl!

In light of all the devestation that has happened in our state, I am even more gratful that my family is still here with me today! I a praying for those families affected by the recent tornado outbreaks!

Happy 13 months Brinley

2011-05-26T15:51:00.000-05:00

I am a few days late on this post but I have debated whether or not I wanted to continue to do a monthly post for Brinley. I think I have decided to, but they get harder and harder every month.

Brinley is now 13 months old. How is it possible that Greg and I have a daughter that is over a year old?! She is growing way to fast! I am so excited that it is now my summer break and I get to spend all day with her. We are going to have so much fun!

Brinley no longer wants to sit in a chair! She is on the move all the time! She is starting to do a "cheese face" every time she sees my camera! I LOVE IT!!

What is Brinley up to?!

She is FINALLY walking!!!!
Words Brinley says: momma, dada, baby, papa (she will only whisper this word), ba (bath and bottle), toto (Coco), and she babbles a lot! I just love to listen to her ~~talk~~ yell at Coco!
She is eating all table food!
She is off of formula, drinking whole milk in the am, at afternoon nap, and before bedtime
Her schedule: wakes up at 7am, 8 oz of milk and a breakfast bar, nap around 10am, lunch around 12pm, 6 oz bottle and nap around 230pm, dinner 6pm, bath around 745pm, bottle and bedtime 8pm. She snacks all day long!

She drink milk, water, and juice, but loves water the most.
She wants to eat anything you are eating!
She sleeps about 11 hrs at night.
She has 8 teeth, I think one more might be coming in.
She is in size 3 diapers
She is wearing 12 month and 12-18 month clothing
She is wearing a size 3 shoe

She is still having separation issues from mom and dad, but more so from mom. It kills me to leave her when she is crying.
She is loving Coco more and more. She gives her hugs and kisses, she pets her, and loves to play with her.
She goes to the door when she wants to go bye-bye or play outside!
She waves hi and bye.
She gives everyone open mouth kisses.
She has started to smile using her top lip to cover her front teeth! It is so cute!

She loves to open and close doors.
She claps for herself when we say "Good job B!"
She loves to take trash to the trash can, especially her diapers!
She makes a smacking sound with her lips if she wants a kiss from you.
She shakes her head no when we say no-no.
She pretends to sing to music, no noise comes out of her mouth but she moves her lips.
She dances anytime she hears music.
She "cheeses" evertime she sees my camera.

She loves other kids. watching them, touching them, playing with them, laughing at them, it doesn't matter!
She loves to read books and have books read to her.
She grabs her toes when I say "This little piggy..."
She loves to be outside swinging, riding in her wagon, walking around, playing in the dirt, anything.
She loves to help daddy on his racecar. If she is in the shop she will go get a wrench out of the drawer and start banging it around on the rim of the tire.
She loves to drive her cozy coupe!

Brinley,

I am so thankful that God chose me to be your mommy. You bring me more joy and love than I knew was possible for anyone to feel. You are such a happy ~~baby~~ toddler and we get so many compliments on your behavior. It makes me feel like I am teaching you the right things! At least I hope I am. You are growing way to fast and I wish I could just freeze everything and keep you in this stage of life for every. It is so much fun. But I know that's not possible and you will grow up to be a beautiful young lady, I am just not ready for that! I love you more than words can express!

Love,

Momma

Tornado Weather May 2011

2011-05-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been days filled with bad weather. I have lived in Oklahoma my entire life and have seen many tornado's but the older I get the more ~~scared~~ worried I get! When I was young I didn't have to worry about things but now that I am a wife and a mother I have responsibilities and it scares me to know that my family and things could be wiped away in an instant!

Monday (5-23-11) I got home from my last day of work and was just cleaning the house when I got a text from my niece that they were going to come over. It was down pouring and I knew the weather was getting bad, but I wasn't ready to head down to the cellar! About that time I heard the tornado sirens go off. There wasn't ever a tornado, just high winds and heavy rain. Thank goodness! Jessy, Ryan, and Reese stayed for a little while and then headed home. All was clear for the evening.

Reese on Brinley's Zebra

He was showing her how to ride it!

Tuesday (5-24-11) was another day of bad weather. We didnt' get anything here, just a little rain. But Piedmont was hit hard! I am praying for the families affected by the storms!

Surprise Baby Shower for Roxi

2011-05-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

Monday 5-23-11
I have been so sneaky lately! I have been planning a surprise Baby Shower for a friend/co-worker for a few weeks! It has been so much fun. I have known Roxi for most of my life and she is expecting in September. We work toghether as teachers and she is leaving our school next year for bigger and better opportunities. I will definatley miss her. Kim and I wanted to throw her a shower because I knew she wasn't expecting on from the staff at our school. It was so hard not to tell her. But it was so fun to surprise her.

The cake was awesome!
Thanks to Kim's Cakes for doing exactly what I was looking for!!

Kim, Roxi (the momma-to-be), and Myself

It was a great shower and I was so happy that Roxi was completely surprised and had a great time!

Enid Speedway

2011-05-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday (5-22-11) Greg raced in Enid. It was Brinley's first time to go to the stands this racing season. I was a little worried that she wouldn't enjoy it but boy was I wrong. She had a blast. I was so mad at myself because I forgot the camera and the video camera. No pictures! Greg did great. He started 2nd row outside (4th) in the feature and finished 3rd. Brinley stayed up until the very end without throwing a single fit. I was surprised. After the races were over we headed to the pits to see Greg and she just ran all over the place. We finally got her to bed at about 11.
Monday was my last day of school so it is officially my summer break. I am so excited to spend it with Brinley!!!