A Blessed Day

Sydney Rose Bracken was given a name and a blessing by her Father on Sunday February 5th 2012. It was a beautiful blessing and a perfect day. We were surrounded by family and friends and those who we love most. Sydney slept the entire day in the arms of people who love her almost as much as I do :) Thank you to everyone who came, especially my Grandparents who almost never travel, and a big thank you to my Mom for making Sydney's beautiful dress. I will always remember this day that we blessed our daughter Sydney Rose.

When Dallen Says...

I have always thought my little Dallen was wise beyond his years when it came to vocabulary. He was talking in sentences very early and saying and understanding BIG words before I expected him too. In fact sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good, or mine (it's very hard to discipline someone who thinks they are smarter than you)!! But every once in a while, D has a hard time with a certain word, and only his Momma knows what he is talking about. For instance...

When Dallen says:"Can I wash my hands with the appetizer?"

He means: Hand sanitizer

When Dallen says: "I want Sydney to wear her balance lay"

He means: Her tutu (as in ballet)

When Dallen says: "Do I put these in the camper?"

He means: The dirty clothes hamper

When Dallen says: "You can do that about me"

He means: Without

When Dallen says: It's just going bom bom bom"

He could mean anything!! It's just a little phrase he says when something is hurting, or his socks are crooked or something is too heavy, or anytime he can't find another word for what he's trying to say, its always just bom bom bom!! I love it :)

So, I decided to start a little Mondays preschool with Dallen. We started with the letter A and did a letter hunt (looking for A's all around the house), drawing A's in sugar and coloring an "A" worksheet. This little no-attention-span man did not want to finish his worksheet. Haha, we better get to practicing if he's gonna enroll in real preschool this fall :)And while Dallen was learning and practicing, sweet Sydney let her brother get some one on one attention and didn't make a peep. Definitely my mellow child. So excited for the day these two are learning together, so fun watching them grow!

BROTHER

Rhymes with smother
Sounds like bother
Entitles one to endless loves and snuggles
Synonymous with friend

B.est F.riends F.orever

{Sydney and Blair}
Let me start with saying how much I LOVE my sisters!! Growing up I was close with my little sister who played Barbies with me and dress up. We loved taking "modeling" pictures together and were obsessed with *NSYNC. In high school my older sister got me interested in sports and we played volleyball and ran track together. But it really wasn't until I went up to college in Utah that my older sister and I became BFFs. We have grown closer as we got older and our latest experience has brought us even closer. I feel SO blessed to have had sweet baby girls just weeks apart. And I hope that our little girls will also grow up to be the best of friends.This is my first niece and I can't wait to meet her and kiss on her. I feel like I have been waiting forever to be an Auntie and I am so glad sweet little Blair has finally made her entrance into the world!! Auntie Jacki loves you beautiful baby girl :)

All Her Own

I always think it's funny how new babies get compared to their parents and siblings and family. Who does she look like? Sometimes I think we forget that they are just their own little person and maybe they don't want to be compared. But just because it's fun...

Here's Dallen at 4 weeks:
Sydney at 4 weeks:
And a little reminder of what her parents looked like as babies:

She's definitely got my nose and my toes. Her mouth is exactly the same as her big brothers and her eyes, it's still too soon to tell. Sydney has long elegant piano playing fingers and a whole lot of dark brown hair. Even in her brothers old blue jammies, her feminine features make her look so girly. She is beautiful in every way and melts my heart with each one of her very own pretty little features :)

Better Than a Barbie

Having a little girl is already everything I always dreamed it would be and more. Sure its only been 3 weeks but I am loving just about every minute of it. Growing up my favorite toy of all time was Barbies. I secretly played through junior high and once in a while forced my little brother to play them with me. Now I have a life size Barbie doll to dress up whenever I want. Sure we don't go anywhere or see many people, but that's what cameras are for. Plus, these cute little newborn outfits are not going to fit her forever!!!



Love my little doll and I think Barbie ain't got nothin' on my Sydney ;)

My Baby

To say that Dallen is obsessed with baby Sydney would be a huge understatement. This kid LOVES being a big brother and having a perfect little sister. Whenever referring to Sydney, Dallen says "my baby". He feels like a superhero when he gets to help her, get a binky or a diaper or a blanket, whatever it is he has a big brother to the rescue attitude. Dallen always has to be right next to her. Nearly on top of her is not close enough. He wants to sleep by her, eat by her, play by her, everything right next to her :) Dallen screeches with excitement anytime Sydney opens her eyes. He loves to kiss her, hands, feet, face all over, he just smothers her with lots and lots of kisses constantly.
These two are already like 2 peas in a pod and I am so excited to watch them grow up together and become the best of friends!!

A Perfect Christmas

We were blessed with just the most perfect Christmas this year. Sydney and I were released from the hospital just in time to celebrate, the day before Christmas Eve. I am so grateful that half of my family was able to be here with us to celebrate the birth of our Savior and the birth of our sweet Sydney.

On Christmas Eve we were able to go out for Korean BBQ to celebrate Christmas Day in Korea for Elder Messick. The waitress looked at me like I was nuts bringing my sleeping 4 day old to the empty restaurant, but it was totally worth it to feel close to my little brother for the holiday.
Christmas morning, for the boys, was spent just where it should be, at church. Dallen was so patient to open his presents after he attended sacrament meeting. He had the BEST reactions to his presents this year. For some reason Dallen thinks he is a teenager and asked Santa for a boat this year, yes a boat!! Since we couldn't get a real boat, Santa brought Dallen a remote control racing boat for the pool and he could not be happier. Daddy kinda likes it too ;)
Dallen wasn't the only one who got everything he wanted this year for Christmas. Not only did I get my baby girl in time for Christmas, but I also got my baby grand I have been wanting since I left home nearly a decade ago. A family friend needed a new home for their antique Kimball piano and for the price of shipping it from Texas, I got to have it in time to play some Christmas carols.
The morning was full of "that's awesome" and "this is just what I wanted" and "are you kidding me?!?!" from the excited 3 year old as he opened his gifts and pulled stuff out of his stocking. It was pure joy to watch this little boy. The rest of the day was spent watching and playing with Dallen and all of his new awesome toys. We enjoyed our time together as a family and got some precious photos with the newest member of our family.
It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone now and I feel so blessed to have had such a perfect one!!

Two Thousand Eleven Rewind

JanuaryThe first month of the year was rather uneventful. We returned home from our Christmas vacation to California, spent lots of time with friends and Dallen had his first cavity filled at the dentist.

FebruaryThe second month was spent with friends. Playing mini golf, going to movies, visiting the zoo, going in bouncy houses, kids club at the mall and the highlight of our month was visiting our cousins and their snow in Flagstaff.

MarchMore time with friends this month of course. At the museum, the zoo and the park. We sure like to play outside in our spring weather here. It was also rugby season and we got to see a few games. But the highlight of our month was the trip to California for my big sister's wedding!!

AprilThis month you could find us mostly, at the zoo (love that season pass). Daddy worked long hours this month so Mommy and Dallen got to spend a lot of time together, and went to the Easter pageant with friends but without Daddy. But it was good thing to get some time just me and my Dallen since this is the month I found out I was FINALLY pregnant!!

MayThe fifth month of 2011 was very eventful for our family!! We took our last trip to my parents house before they moved and spent our last days with Uncle Scotty before he became Elder Messick and was off to Korea. We went to the beach, to Disneyland and then drove all the way to Utah where we saw our missionary off to the MTC. I am so grateful for the time we got to spend with family this month, I hope I have those memories forever.

JuneAh, the beginning of summer in AZ. Lots of time spent at the movies with summer movie club, went to the Phoenix Children's Museum, played at friends' houses, went swimming A LOT and Dallen started swimming lessons. He hated it at first but was a pro by the end of summer!! Dallen also moved to a big boy bed and mastered potty training at the rightful age of 2 1/2 :) And we said farewell, yet again, to some of our favorite people, Mark's cousin Tanner and his family before they shipped off to Germany.

JulyOne of my favorite months of the year, every year!! Why? Messick family beach house!! I love spending an entire week living at the beach with my family to celebrate Independence Day. This year Dallen went under a wave in the ocean with Daddy, while my little pregnant belly laid on the beach. Always a good time with family, food and fun. Best holiday ever.

August
This month was spent celebrating the birthdays of friends, enjoying a fabulous Roy's dinner for our 6th wedding anniversary, played with friends, and I even got to have a few extra dates with my hubby. Also, we found out we were having a GIRL!!!

SeptemberIn the ninth month of 2011, Mimi and Grandpa came to help paint the kitchen cabinets (huge project), the Bracken's came to town for a combined baby shower (huge party), Dallen stuck a ball up his nose and visited the ER to have it removed (huge fiasco), and D man started his first day of preschool (huge grown up boy moment)!!

October
This month is always a happy one for us. Big D turned THREE!!! Auntie Aubrey came to help pull off a super, super-hero party!! We also visited the zoo, went to as many Mesquite High School football games as we could on Friday nights, Dallen finally got to go to some pumpkin patches, Mommy turned 27 and Dallen was "the bad guy" black Spiderman for Halloween.

November
I was spoiled rotten this month with 3 fabulous baby showers!! One of which I was able to travel to California for and share with my sister. While there we played at the beach, at the spectrum, with friends and at the petting zoo. Most of our time spent in AZ this month was in doctor's offices for me. Mark went to Seattle for business and turned 31 years old. We hosted a Bracken Thanksgiving at our house and enjoyed being surrounded by family.

DecemberA very blessed month for our family. Of course we celebrated the birth of our Savior and in our family we got to celebrate another birth, our Sydney Rose. We spent most of the entire month waiting around for our little girl to arrive and 5 days before Christmas we became a happy family of 4!!

We are so very grateful for a happy and blessed 2011 and hope for the same in 2012. Happy New Year to all those we love!!!

Steal My Kisses

Since Sydney was born, Dallen has been smothering her with kisses. Every chance he gets, he's got his lips on her cheeks!! I love that he loves his little sister so much, but it makes me a little sad that she is stealing all my kisses from him. Dallen used to kiss me every time he came into a room, but I guess I am not the only girl in his life anymore. It's ok, I am happy to share the role of princess in our home with my perfect little daughter.

Sydney Rose

On December 20th at 6:08pm we welcomed our 7 pound, 14 ounce, 20 inch daughter, Sydney Rose Bracken, into the world. It seems like it was nothing but struggles to get her here and I couldn't be more grateful to have this sweet baby girl in my arms. I already know that this special little girl was supposed to be a part of our family. She makes my heart swell with joy and I am so grateful for her.

I am pretty sure that most of you followed Sydney's birth story, as we all awaited her arrival with much anticipation, but I want to remember it for always. About 2 weeks ago I started having regular contractions. I checked into the hospital twice with false labor symptoms. The kidney stones that I have been carrying around since week 25 of my pregnancy were causing uterine distress and making me have strong, painful and consistent contractions without dilating. After 2 weeks of enduring the pain I consulted with my doctor and decided that maybe it was time to abandon the idea of a natural birth and opt for a second C-section. To me, this decision was nothing short of a miracle. I had been taking very strong sleeping pills for a few days to help me endure the pain of contractions. The day before I had Sydney, I had a VERY sleepless night, despite the meds. I spent most of the night in prayer, trying to understand why I felt like I needed to have another c-section. I woke up in the morning resolved, without understanding why, that I was supposed to have a c-section. I went into the hospital not wanting a c-section but feeling completely confident in the decision I had made. Right after my doctor had me opened up he peered over the curtain and told me that he was so glad I was there. The uterine wall was so paper thin, he was certain it would have ripped had I attempted labor. I began to cry and silently say a prayer of gratitude that I was on the operating table under these circumstances and not MUCH scarier ones. Twenty minutes later I was able to see my sweet baby girls face and haven't stopped admiring her since. She is absolutely perfect and I love her, my Sydney Rose!!

Impressionable

"Don't worry that your kids aren't listening to you; worry that they are always watching you" -UnknownDallen is at such an impressionable age. I really have to be careful around him, with what he sees and what he hears. He picks up on things so quickly and is learning so much every day!! Some of the cute things he has done and said lately I never want to forget are these sweet moments...

*While looking at my earrings Dallen says to me, "Do you have holes in your ears now? Why did you do that? Now, they are going to be there forever!!" HAHAHA. Hope this kid never gets something permanent on his little body.

*While playing with some kids at the park, each kid was stating their age. One girl said, I am 4. The other girl said, I am 6 so I am the oldest. Then Dallen chimes in with all the confidence in the world, "Yeah, and I am the 3-est!!" There is no telling that kid that he isn't old enough to do anything.

*Usually when I have to tell Dallen "No" to something, he says to me, "Mom, you have to take turns being the boss". If there is one concept that Dallen just hasn't figured out yet, it is why he has to listen to me and why there are different rules for adults than there are for children. I have a feeling this one is going to take a long time to understand.

*Most of the time when Dallen takes attitude with me, I can hear myself in every word!! The other night when I was telling Dallen he HAD to stop talking and GO TO SLEEP (it was like 11 o'clock at night) he points his finger at me and says "see that right there, that's yelling. Don't do that"!! Oh my teenage toddler.

*Speaking of a teenage toddler, Dallen says and does things all the time that he is lucky are still cute at the age of the 3 because they won't be so when he does them as a teenager. Like when I pull him out of bed literally 5 minutes before church starts and the first thing he says to me, "Mom, you can't wake people up when they are sleeping!!"

I am going to have my hands full with little Mr. Attitude, but I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is constantly cracking me up with his little Dallen-isms and I just love absolutely everything about his little personality.