The Joys and Mischief of my First Christmas......By Steele Brady

This is my first Christmas and I am lovin it so far. There are lots of shinny lights, glass ornaments and electrical cords galore. They are my favorite to put in my mouth and chew on.



My Mom is using the word NO a lot and I'm not sure what it means. She usually says it when I'm about to play with something really exciting so I don't know what her deal is. My latest fascination is toilet paper. It is the BEST tasting thing I've ever eaten! My Mom always runs to take it out of my mouth so I try to get as much in while she isn't watching. One swipe with my hand and the entire roll just starts spinning. I also love to bang on the toilet lid. Don't worry Mom always wipes it down with Clorox wipes before I play......I love being a baby!

I try my very best to behave almost all the time but sometimes I do things just to give it my own special touch. My finger prints look great on the stainless steel appliances!

Another one of my favorite places to go is the DVDs and electronics. I know Mom always keeps a close eye on me so I have to be quick. Every time she puts me down I speed for the big TV and the fun gadgets to play with. I LOVE remotes and climbing up the screen of the TV. Isn't that what they are for?

I LOVE my straw sippy and LOVE to spit blueberry juice onto Mom's carpet! Such fun.....

Railing is so fun to climb on! It makes Mom nervous but it gives me great views of Aunt Fergi's house!

I just want to have a bowl of cereal like my Dad. And YES I am strong enough to pick up this gallon of milk!

I am a really big help....right Mom?

My Mom and Dad really love each other! I can tell by how much they love me. This was the night we went and picked out our Christmas tress! It was freezing cold so they made me stay all bundled up in my car seat and stroller.

See... here I am all bundled up! Mom, I'm trying to smile for you but that flash is bright!

I love my family! I am really lucky to have such fun people to hang out with all the the time.

After we loaded up our Christmas trees we headed over to my great Uncle Jonny's house. This has been a tradition for a long time but this was my first visit.

I really liked meeting him. We got along great and he even let me play with his 30 year old famous JoeRaff. He is this stuffed animal that my Mom and all my aunts and uncles got a visit from when they were sick.

The next day we started decorating our Christmas tree! Tea and I get along really well and were doing such a good job with the lights.

Like I said, cords are the best to chew on!

Being the big helper that I am is what makes my parents love me!

Tea loves Christmas too

Tada!

Daddy is really brave, unlike my Mom. He climbs all the way to the top of the ladder!

Auntie Brittany helped decorate a lot this year!

Cousin Hallie always plays with me and is a big helper too.

Wow...I wish I was up there. Of course Mommy wouldn't let me. \

What a big Christmas tree! I like it.

Merry Christmas from me Steele to you my friends and family!

Giving Thanks

My heart is filled with thankfulness, gratitude and love. These are the things that are dearest to my heart.


My Active Healthy Adorable Steeley Wheeley
Now has TWO teeth, crawls EVERYWHERE (even up stairs) and loves his Mommy and Daddy!! He is the joy of my life and I am so so LUCKY to be his Mommy.


Crawling 101




Helping Aunt Fergie (Jennifer) make yummy thanksgiving pie that much better!

Eternal Families
I love the person Brett is. He is perfect for me and I really don't think any other person could have married me. He is patient, understanding and one of the most genuine people I know. Brett works so hard for our family and is a dedicated engineer. He is the best Daddy ever and loves to hold Steele when he is sleeping. I cherish most our friendship and have become a better person with him by my side.

THANKSGIVING SPLURGE!

FOOD has to be on my list of things I am thankful for! Not only because I just can't get enough of it but because there are so many families that don't have the same luxuries as we do. YES I did go back for seconds AND this was thanksgiving dinner #UNO and I realized how lucky I am to even have food to eat when so many others don't. We started Thanksgiving at Jennifer and Jordan's house with the Skousen family then made our way to the Brady's for dinner #2 and dessert! Brett couldn't eat at #2 but I had yet ANOTHER helping and dessert. Yes I am a total PIG. We are so lucky to have great family that make DELICIOUS thanksgiving dinners!

SIBLINGS

I have the best possible brother and sisters! We are all extremely close and none of us would have it any other way. As we all get older we realize that family is all that matters. My sister's and my Mom are my best friends. This is my little brother Ryan who is getting so old and growing before my eyes. We have that teasing kind of relationship and I'm always prying into his love life. We are always messin around and having fun. He is a senior in high school and a 4.0 student. He wants to follow in Jennifer's foot steps and be an accountant. Ryan has got some serious brains. He has a lawn care business to save enough money for his mission and is a dedicated person. He is an awesome example for everyone in our family!

Grandma Brady and Steele's First Hello

This is Steele's Great Grandma Brady. I see where Brett gets a lot of his qualities from. She is so kind and gentle and is always willing to help. She lives in Idaho so we don't see her very often. This trip was her first time meeting Steele. There are two things I will never forget and want to write down.

The first time Steele saw Grandma he was a little shy but Brett handed him over anyway. He looked at her and layed his head on her shoulder. You could see her eyes whelling with tears. It was such a special moment for us to see. A few days latter we went over to visit and I was holding Steele. Steele is a total Momma's boy and doesn't like being taken away from me. He spots Grandma and just lights up. She comes closer and he reaches out for her almost falling out of my arms. He never does that for anyone. Steele now has a special bond with his Great Grandma Brady. We love you!

NEW LIFE

There is nothing more precious than a brand new life. This is Koda and he was just adopted by our neighbors of 4 years, Bart and Crystal. We are so thrilled that everything worked out for them and that they finally have their little family.

First Fall, 2009

It has been just under a month since my last update and I don't think more could have happened. As usual our lives are go go go. This fall has been very exciting and has been one of the most enjoyable ever! This particular fall season has been full of festivities and spirit.

{pics courtesy of Britt Naef}

HALLOWEEN 2009
Steele's First Halloween Costume! (really...his first- he had two. this one was warmer and he could wear it trick or treating. his second was a little too cold- pics below)

Steele with his twin cousins...cutest zoo I've ever seen.


I have probably the funnest in-laws possible. We are a crazy bunch!

We thought our costumes were appropriate with the world series at a head but couldn't find quite the right teem uniforms so we settled for TJ's teeny bopper uniforms. Ha ha Brett seriously fit into them!

My little first base-man

ULTIMATE CAKE OFF 2009

This calls for some explaining. Us girls are always making fun cakes, cupcakes and cutesy things and the boys just enjoy the makings. Months ago one of the boys claimed they could make a cake that would out do the girls (boys being boys), so we challenged them thinking they would back down. They gladly excepted and it was ON! Secret meetings and much planning went into both cakes and a week before Halloween we had our first Brady Family Boys against Girls CAKE OFF! The girls spent a ruff total of 10 hours on our cake including prep work. Half way through we almost gave up (it is seriously hard to make a large cake with that much detail, you should have seen the kitchen!). Below is what the boys came up with and the girls too.

You be the judge? We had neighbor judges (thanks Robies) who ended up giving the title to the boys (they paid them off).

It was a total blast! Hopefully this will become a yearly tradition.

BOYS CAKE {yes it is eatable}

GIRLS CAKE

Gardner Village

We spent a fun day at Gardner Village with the fam- beautiful day!

{Sneak Peak of more fun Steele pics}

SUNSHINE

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know Steele how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

A little sunshine from my morning [and the past couple of weeks]......Steele has never really eaten bananas before so enjoy.

Fall Sugar Cookies- Yesterday's Sunshine


Steele is starting the first stages of crawling! He can now get up on all fours and rock back and forth. The past couple of days he is even moving his hands forward but mostly he just scoots backward.

More Moon than Sunshine- ha ha


6 months old! It is going way way way too fast. Where does time go? Love my little baby to pieces!



Daddy's little "Running Back". Daddy is so proud to have a football player!


I am I the only one who has way too many shoes for their kid? But hey, I can't put bows and bracelets on my boy so I have loads of shoes and hats for the little guy.

How Do You Keep Up?

I need some advice. Do you ever feel like you just can't keep up? Keeping up with the demands of life, baby, husband, family, church calling and house gives me serious anxiety. I'm not working any more and I thought my new ambiance in life would be much less hectic. Some how I'm more busy. I find that I constantly beat my self up for all the small things I can never get done. I was talking to Brett’s Mom about becoming more task oriented and started plotting what my goals for this week would be. As I started to list all the tasks I wanted to accomplish this week I began to feel anxious. I started to think how disappointed in myself I would be if I couldn't get to everything on my to-do list and I know when that happens I just feel hopeless. This is where I need advice. Do you go day to day getting done what you can and if that means getting nothing done it’s ok, or do you have to get certain things accomplished or you go a little mad?

Out on the Lake makes Steele's Day!

Sitting like a BIG boy!

Oh- I never gave Steele's 4 month appointment Stats. Better late than never:)

17 lb 11 oz (110%)

27 1/2 in long (100%)

The Dr. told me I needed to start solids back at 4 months because he is growing so fast. Steele now eats- green beans, carrots, squash, blueberries, avocado, apple sauce. Next I'm going to give him asparagus. Who knew they could eat so many things!

Tuckered out after a long day on the boat

I love this picture!

Now that Steele is eating food, he and Tea

are now both eyeing us down for a bite to eat!

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!

Ask anyone. I'm not a fan of thumb sucking and from the day Steele was born he NEVER sucked his thumb so I thought I was in luck. At about 4 months he started sucking on all his fingers and hand. I paid no attention to it until one day he found his thumb. I thought it was cute for a day then realized he was finding it regularly. It was always his left thumb so I knew he was making a habit out of it. I started pulling it out every second. He still takes his bink so I tried to replace his thumb with that. No success. Every night he spits his binky out and immediately finds his thumb. What can I do? I think he is just stubborn like his Dad and does it just because I don't want him to. I have thought it out and here are the pros and cons to thumb sucking.

Pros

He can pacify himself

No getting up in the night

If I forget his binky it's ok

If his binky falls on the ground it's ok

Cons

Cute as a baby- not so cute as a toddler

I can't give him his thumb- he has to give it to himself

Buck teeth if he doesn't stop

You can take a binky away when the time comes- you can't cut their hand off

Talking with their thumb in- hate that

I have been told both horror stories about trying to get a toddler to stop sucking and have been told to relax and worry about it when the time comes. I'm sure he will turn out just fine with his thumb and all but I'm just a stress basket about it. What do you think?

Picture Perfect

Our lives have been go-go-go this past few months and I haven't had time to even think about posting. My brain doesn't feel like functioning right now so there will be a million pictures and not very many comments. I also don't feel like editing so yes there will be red eyes and un-cropped pics.


Rock climbing is a new sport Brett and I have picked up. I have my own harness and shoes now. We are always looking for new friends to take with us so if you are a dare devil you should come along!!! (By the way I am terrified....I mean TERRIFIED of heights so you have no excuses!!)

Steele and his Cuz's

Uncle Teeej! Also known as Tres Nipples:)

Loungin by the Pool!

Family Vaca to SAN DIEGO

We had a blast with my family in good ol' Cali. Steele was an absolute dream baby on the 12 hour trip there and back. Only a few brief fussy moments and all the rest was smiling, giggling Steeley Willey. This trip was full of firsts for Steele. First time in the ocean, feet in the sand, long trip in car, away from Daddy, drinking juice out of sippy, eating rice puff cereal and lots more fun and exciting first timers. We really missed our Daddy on this trip. He was working hard and couldn't afford to miss work.

I'm too tired to finish this post. I will have to finish tomorrow if I get around to it. I still have pics from the begining of July- Brett's Birthday, Jill's baptism.....man I need to stay on top of this blogging!

AKA "The Crammers"

I have been horrible at consistently posting, sorry. Our lives have just been sooo crammed lately. We have had Father's day, Steele's baby blessing, birthdays, anniversary, holidays and much more. I was going to try and rearrange the twenty-some-odd pictures so they would be in chronological order but I just don't have the patience. The pictures below are in reverse order...sorry.

We celebrated the 4th of July by going on an extreme first camping trip with Steele. Jennifer and Jordan came with and brought some sweet means for getting around!

His very first camping trip was much awaited and was such a fun first timer. We strapped him to the front of me in his carrying pack and headed up Tibble Fork (AF canyon) and went all the way up to Forest Lake. It took about 4 hours of riding time to find the perfect spot for the night. Steele was a trooper and slept the entire time. Most people looked at us like we were crazy, which we probably are for taking a 3 month old off roading. One lady gasped and said "Is that a BABY!". We both were very careful and made sure he was safe 100% of the time. I don't want anyone thinking we were wreckless but I figure why stop doing the things you love just because you have a little one? I think it's good for him to grow up doing these things early!





Our spot right next to the lake! We made amazing Dutch oven dinner!


Jordan and Toby. Tea got left out this trip because we wanted to be able to focus on Steele and not worry about her.


Our family at Forest Lake.



Steele's camping get-up. We made sure he was nice and warm. As far as we could tell he loved it.





4 AMAZING Years
July 1st we celebrated our 4 year anniversary! Can you believe it? Crazy how time flies. Brett's mom was nice enough to watch Steele while we spent the day on Jordan's 4 wheeler. We went up to find our camping spot for the following week end. It rained on us and made huge puddles that we drove through. We were supper muddy by the end of the day! This was both of our idea of a great way to spend our anniversary.

We cleaned up and went to Chef's Table for dinner. What an amazing husband I have! We are more in love today than ever. I am so glad we have each other to lean on and trust in. Love you babe!



Kind of random but Zach had his wisdom teeth out and would NOT for the life of him let us take a picture of his HUGE cheecks. It turned into a game of who could get a picture of Zach's cheeks. It was the funniest thing ever. I mean they were serious chipmunk cheeks. Once the swelling went down they turned a nasty yellow color. In this picture you can still see the yellow.

The big two-three

I don't know how big twenty three is but it was a very fun birthday. I have wonderful in-laws that threw me an amazing bash the weekend after my birthday. It was a perfect day full of swimming, sand volleyball, amazing flank steak and all the fixin's. Thanks Bill, Lynn and everyone for a memorable day!

Steele was very tuckered after Mommy's b-day bash.

We have had so much fun in the Sun! Steele LOVES the water and kicks like crazy every time we are in the pool!

Very random but Brett is selling his Bike. I love this thing so much but the time has come to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it as much as we have. If you or anyone you know is looking for a bike let us know!

Random Cute Pic

Father's Day and Steele's Blessing
This day was so special! I love Brett so much and what a great day to let him bless our little Steele. We had our closest friends and family attend his blessing at our club house.

(Left to Right) Panka Brady, Bishop Smith, Daddy, Steele, Pops Skousen

Go Ahead.....Pinch His Cheeks

Day after day I watch Steele grow bigger and bigger! I want him to stop growing and stay this size for about 6 months and then he can start growing again. Each stage is so fun and the new things he does every day gets our immediate attention.

We have been staying busy and having lots of fun together. I have a constant little side kick; however I also have a constant little side ACHE! My back has been killing me since he is 14 lbs. 13 oz.!!!! When went to his appointment the doc told me he is the size of a 5 month old! No wonder why I feel like he is growing too fast, because he is. He was almost 26 inches and almost 15 lbs! I just can't believe how big he is. I asked what percentile he is in and he replied "I can't tell you because he is entirely off the charts!" So the good news is we have an amazingly healthy boy. Bad news is my back is in for a real ordeal.

We visited the Bean Museum with my cousins Karen and Kelly. Heidi had the day off so she came too. Steele loves his little carrier! He usually falls asleep in it.

I am preparing my little sister Jill to be my baby sitter. It is perfect timing- by the time she is old enough Steele will be 2 or 3. Perfect!

She even asked to help change his diaper. What a good Aunt!

The NEW Grandparents! My Mom is still getting used to the G word but hopefully Steele will come up with something cute to call her. Brett's Mom was named Grandma Bubbles by Hallie and Brett's Dad is Panka so who knows what my parents' names are going to be.

I will cherish this picture forever!

Curious George- Also know has Steele giving the camera the "Stink Eye". He gives me the funniest look in this video. I wish I knew what he is thinking!!

So I have been attempting to get my body back into shape. I have been exercising with Brett's sisters. Running with Brett's sister Carrie, Roller blading with Hayley and yesterday we did P90X ab ripper! HOLY CRAP, I am so out of shape. Carrie kicks my butt running every time! Once we hit mile two my face is beat red and I feel like I am going to die. It is so great to go with someone who dosen't let me stop. When we are done it feels so good and it makes me want to keep it up.

This is me being an idiot with my Hootter Hider after running. Although, I really didn't feel like much of a super hero after running, it still feels pretty good to start again.

summer time.....the livin's easy

Summer is full of so many memories- fresh cut grass, lemonade, pool side bbq, sand volley ball, croquet, family, walks up the canyon, bike rides, warm summer nights... each new summer all of these memories come flooding back. I adore summer life and now enjoy it even more with our new little family. Here are some fun pics of what we have been up to!

Memorial Day

Jennifer's Birthday........25!!

We went up to Timpanogas park. The fam played croquet and had a picnic.

My other sister Heidi is pregers and has been extremely sick!! She has been in and out of the hospital getting IVs and has lost A LOT of weight. This day was the first day she put mascara on in almost 3 weeks so I thought she deserved a picture.

Trevor is going to be a great dad. He loves Steele and is excited to be a dad.

My new jogging stroller! It is so nice to start running again. Steele loves it too and Tea sits in the front just above the front tire.

Sunday outfits are my favorite. The only thing is that it makes him look way too grown up. There are two babies in our ward that are just days younger than him and they still look like little new born babies! They're tiny and make Steele look like a six month old! He has super strong legs and neck. I have been practicing his standing.

Sunday napping

He is almost strong enough to sit in his Bumbo.

He looks like a total OINKER in the first picture below. I just love it! The few after show just how CHUNKY my little boy is. Keep in mind he is only 8 weeks. He has his 2 month doctor visit tomorrow and I am so anxious to see what he weights.

I want you to guess.....

HOW MUCH STEELE WEIGHTS?????

Double Chin/ Big Gut

More Cleavage Than MOMMY

Seriously LONG

CHUNKY CHEEKIES

Here comes my BIG double chin smiley boy!

(Please ignore my obnoxious voice...the things we do to make our children smile.)

Last Friday we went boating with Carrie and Josh. I didn't want to worry about Steele so I pumped a bottle over a couple of days and left him with my mom (we have never given him a bottle so we were pretty brave to leave him- he took it just fine!). We enjoyed a day on the boat and both went wake boarding for the first time in TWO years. It was a blasts! Thanks Carrie and Josh!

Wipe Out!

I don't want to leave TEA out. She is loving her little brother. They have naps together and Steele even roughs her up a little:)

She has been spending a lot of time with her best friend Bronco. He is really nice to her, can you tell?

We found this is a picture of my little brother Ryan. Don't Steele and him look a ton a like?

Livin "THE" Life

For lack of a better word, I am Happy! In fact the happiest I have ever been. The mommy life is "THE" life to live. Any other moms want to second that? I never knew how much I would enjoy nurturing his little life day and night. I just spent the last hour lying in bed with my sweet Steele staring at his every move. His face twitches with excitement as he dreams and his little noises are near the most enjoyable thing I've heard. Next we are going to have a bath! He loves his bath with Mommy but wishes his Daddy was home to give him a shower. Showers with Brett are is absolute favorite! We then will take an hour to pack up all the odds and ends will we need and get ready for our day out! A stack of diapers, change of clothes, extra socks, jammies (just in case we are out late), bink, extra bink, blanket, extra blanket, 4-5 burp clothes (he soaks them every feeding), car seat, leash for Tea and we are off. I’ve got the routine down.

Sarah McGiven's Mom Joeen Hill was nice enough to take some great pictures for us. These were taken back at 3 weeks but I've just been wrapped us doing other things. They turned out so adorable.

This is my favorite of the bunch!

This picture makes me laugh because he looks like an old man. HA!

Brett Thomas Brady

BYU Graduate 2009

Civil Engineering

We are so proud of our Daddy! He has worked so hard and long for this. His finals were the week after Steele was born. He stuck it out and made it to the end. We love you!

Waiting for the commencement to end!

Family Support! Thank you for coming.

We had a little get together BBQ for Brett. These are a lot of his friends who came to support. We have a lot of really great people in our lives. Thank you to everyone who came!

My sister's dog Toby is so fascinated by Steele. We make him keep his distance because he loves to lick him. He tries to get as close as he can before we catch him. He really is a good dog and would never hurt a fly.

Grandma and Grandpa Gubler came from St. George to visit. He will learn to love them very much!

Steele's first swim was very exciting. He loves his bath so I decided to take him swimming in Grandma White's pool. The water is 87 degrees so it was nice and warm for him. Check out his cute swim suit.

My first Mother's Day!

Shane and Truly blessed their twin girls on Mother's day. They are just a few months older than their cousin Steele. I didn't get a picture of it but at one point he was holding hands with both of them.

What a little stud!

Grandma Stauffer is very comfortable, can you tell?

My little man

I adore this picture! I love that Steele looks up to his dad.

Steele has such a strong neck! He also is starting to really smile and even laugh. Can you tell he loves tummy time?