Being a Big Boy

When I was struggling to get pregnant, one of the hardest things for me was that each month I wasn’t, Dallen was getting another month older. I always thought I would have kids about 2 years apart. But I have completely come to terms with the fact that my children will be more than 3 years apart and I am so excited for it. In preparation for a new baby, Dallen is growing out of all his baby-ness. He has moved into a big boy bed. At first when we got Dallen's bed all set up, I looked at it and teared up almost immediately. I can't believe how fast my baby is turning into a big boy. Now that he has spent some time in his new bed, I LOVE it! I love that I can lay by him until he falls asleep. I love that I can sneak in and cuddle him in the middle of the night. I just love how close I can be to my sleeping angel.Also in the process of becoming a big boy, Dallen is taking swimming lessons. The first few weeks he cried the whole time. Although through his tears he would turn around and give me a big teary eyed thumbs up! He is doing better now and embracing the swim lessons. We get to practice every day in the backyard and he is becoming a little fishy :)

Also in big boy news, Dallen has been potty trained. He is doing SOOO great and looks so cute in his big boy underoos.

Dallen is going to be such a GREAT big brother and we are so excited for that day!!

Our Story :: His Plan

For all those who have shared their story of infertility with me, I am so grateful for their courage and for that reason I wish to share mine. Many may not know it took a year for me to get pregnant with this second baby. We had no problem with Dallen, as soon as I wanted to be pregnant, I was. So it came as a huge shock that that was not the case the second time around. Although I have had MANY health problems over the last 2 years, I still really don’t know what caused my infertility. The first few months were not so bad, I didn’t think anything was really wrong, I just wanted a baby. After about 6 months, I started to really worry and wonder. After about 9 months it seemed unreal when the doctor told me "we're gonna have to help you get pregnant". It is hard to convey the feelings that overcome you when faced with such a trial. One night I was watching an episode of one my favorites, Grey’s Anatomy, where one of the main characters, Meredith, who was struggling with infertility finally breaks down and cries about all the girls in the world who get pregnant by accident, and those who don't want their babies and how hard it is on someone who tries and tries and TRIES. I recognized that I knew how she felt. Although I was genuinely happy for those receiving the blessings of Motherhood, it doesn't mean it's not hard to wonder what’s wrong with you. It completely consumes you at some point, you can't help but think about only that. Often times I felt like I was walking a thin line between keeping the faith and fighting depression. It's hard not to feel like you're broken when this is the purpose God created you for. Each month’s negative test was like re-reading a rejection letter over and over. I was so grateful for the sweet reminder that Dallen was every day of how blessed I already was, he definitely helped me through this more than he will ever know. I knew that if I never got anything else in life, I would be ok because I already had the greatest blessing imaginable. That fact helped me through but this was definitely a trial that made me turn to the Lord.Now that this trial is over for me in my life, I can see why the Lord had me go through it. I learned so much about faith, patience, the gospel of Jesus Christ, my Savior and myself. More than anything I am so grateful for the reminder of what a miracle my Dallen is, and this new baby too!! I am already so much more grateful for this little miracle and I am trying not to take a moment for granted. I have so much gratitude for encouraging friends, supportive family, the words of prophets and modern medicine. I am grateful for having had this trial and I know now that this plan for our family was not my own.

Private No More

We tried the private blog thing for a while and I did not like it one bit, so here it is for everyone to see...the other thing that is no longer being kept private, that we are having another baby!! Baby Bracken #2 is due to arrive December 21st and we couldn't be happier :)

Everybody was...

KUNG FU FIGHTING!!Dallen was so excited to go see the new Kung Fu panda movie with his best buddies, Hunter and Hayden. These 3 boys just LOVED it, can't you tell?!?!Just look how big my little kung fu fighter is getting!! Such a cute kid :)

Farewell to Poppy Hills

A few weeks ago we made a final trip to my parent's AMAZING home before they moved. It was such a bittersweet weekend saying goodbye to the heaven on earth backyard we've called our own for a decade. So 'Poppy Hills', thank you for the good times and the wonderful memories, you will be missed by all.




And to Mom and Dad, thank you for sending your spare furniture our way. Our once bare and empty home is finally beginning to take shape. I can't wait to show you all the progress we've made!!

A Year's Progress

After ONE WHOLE YEAR in our house, I would have thought we'd made more progress. When we moved in a year ago, all our furniture was in one room because we were waiting on carpet and it looked something like this:Now a year later, after my parents finally sold their home and donated us their furniture it looks like this:Yup, not much progress huh? Don't be deceived we have been busy at work and much has been done, but we still have a LONG way to go. We are waiting to refinish some furniture and figure out how to arrange stuff for now, until then, it looks like this. Can't wait til I have some more "after" pictures to share!!

For Scotty

It's been a week and we are still recovering from our playtime with Uncle Scotty vacation!! I can't believe a few weeks ago we were in California soaking up our last moments with Elder Messick before turning him over to the MTC, and boy did we soak it up!!{at Disneyland}
{at the beach}
{at the aquarium in Long Beach}We had SO much fun playing all over Southern California with (admittedly) Dallen's favorite, "Scotty's my favorite" was constantly heard from little man D. From Angels games to surf sessions, we conquered it all and then headed to Utah, where we soaked up our Scotty time a little more.{eating lots of good food}
{stopping by Dallen's future alma mater and home of Jimmer, BYU}
{saying one final goodbye...and then just like that, he was gone}
Best of luck on your 2 year mission to Seoul, Korea Elder Messick. You will be missed, loved and prayed for EVERY day by your family!! God be with you til we meet again...

A Mother :: A Friend

"You’ve got a friend in me; you’ve got a friend in me.
When the road looks rough ahead, And you’re miles and miles, From your nice warm bed. Just remember what your old pal said, Boy, you’ve got a friend in me. You’ve got a friend in me; you’ve got a friend in me. You’ve got troubles, well I’ve got ‘em too. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. We stick together and we see it through. You’ve got a friend in me, you’ve got a friend in me. Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am, Bigger and stronger too,Maybe, But none of them will ever love you the way I do. It’s me and you.And as the years go by, our friendship will never die. You’re gonna see, it’s our destiny.You’ve got a friend in me; you’ve got a friend in me."

This Mother's Day I am so blessed to have little Dallen as my bestest little buddy. We do everything together and I wouldn't have it any other way :) Two and a half years ago, this little man completely changed my world and blessed my life more than I ever could have known. I know now what a little miracle Dallen is and appreciate so much more what it means to be his Mommy. There is truly no greater calling in the world than to be a Mom and I love this day and how it reminds me how grateful I am to be a Mother and to have a wonderful Mother. Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Mothers in our life!!

Here We Come!!

Off to spend the day with Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the Disneyland crew :)

We Run to Him

Each year at Easter time, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints puts on a pageant, a play to tell the story of the Savior's life, death and resurrection It takes place out on the lawn of the temple grounds in Mesa. I got to take Dallen to the pageant before we left for California and it was one of the most incredible experiences. It helped to strengthen my testimony so much. As we watched the story of the life of our Savior, Dallen had so many questions about what was happening. I felt the spirit testify to me as I explained the seemingly simple story of an extraordinary man. My eyes welled up with tears as I explained to Dallen how and why Jesus had to die. We both rejoiced as Jesus was shown resurrected, risen in the heavens. But my favorite part, the moment that touched me the most, was when all of the little children (cast in the play) were running up to see Jesus, Dallen turned up to look at me and asked "We run to Him?" My heart melted as I pondered that sweet question, do we RUN to Him? I hope so. I hope that everything I do in my life is leading me back to him. I have a great testimony of the Savior of the world and know that He lives!! Happy Easter to all, may we remember the reason we celebrate today.

Just Me & D

With Daddy hard at work preparing for his upcoming trial (that will sadly keep him away from us for Easter) Dallen and I have been spending a LOT of quality time together!! It is literally exhausting to spend non-stop, day after day with no relief, just me and D, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!! These moments are like my paid overtime :)

Play on Player

Dallen loves to be called "player"!! He likes it because it can refer to a person that plays any kind of sports. So when I cheer for him when he's playing basketball or soccer or football, it is always (at his request) "let's go player!!" Dallen also refers to himself as a 'gangsta' too. He really has no idea what it means, but with his new haircut I think it fits perfectly. He seriously looks like such a little hoodlum to me with his head shaved.

Since having his head shaved, he loves to throw up some gangsta signs for pictures. And he even sleeps like a little gangsta. Trouble maker haircut or not, he is still the cutest little two and half year old player I have ever laid eyes on, bad camera phone pictures or not :)

Happy Half

Happy turtle in a half shellOne half monkey; other part, happy boyHappy as a clam to be two and a halfHappy face......in a half circleHappy to be with my other halfHad a very happy half birthday with my boy!!

Looking at Two and a Half

I cannot believe my litte baby boy is 2 1/2 years old!! Where did the time go?!?! I feel like I blinked and my little boy grew up overnight into a big kid!! There are lots of cute things I want to remember about Dallen at this age, these are just a few:

*Lately Dallen has been ending every question with "yes or no?"
"Mom, I have a popsicle, yes or no?"
"I sleep in Mommy's bed, yes or no?"
Or even better, sometimes he doesn't give me the choice to say no by asking questions like:
"Mom, play basketball with me, yea?" (while nodding and grinning)
"Let's go the zoo, yea?" Obviously, based on the picture below, Dallen got a YES on that one too!! There is just no telling that kid NO!! But honestly, I am happy to oblige for such a sweet and adorable little kid.
*This cute 2 1/2 year old boy picks up on EVERYTHING!! He has picked up a couple of my phrases that send a twinge of guilt through me when he repeats them becasue obviously I say them too much, things like: "Just a second" or "I'm busy" or "I have a headache". Sometimes he picks up a phrase but doesn't quite understand the context. Like when Daddy put him to bed and said he had to leave the room, Dallen replied "that doesn't make sense Dad". Or he says to me "don't lie to me Mom" when he has poop in his diaper (cause he usually lies about that). He is a major smarty pants and I have to watch every word that comes out of my mouth!!

*Dallen and I have a secret handshake and it ends with a sweet elbow bump :) We are the best of friends and I wouldn't have it any other way!!
*My favorite time of day with Dallen is when we snuggle up for naps together, after a long day of playing football and soccer and basketball and tennis and volleyball (you get the idea) all day long. Nothing beats cuddling with my buddy :) I love this boy more than words!! Happy half birthday Dallen.