Deer in the field

It's kind of hard to see but these are pictures Brandyn took of deer in the field west of our house. This is just one of the many awesome things about living out in the country. Brandyn said this is the most deer he thinks he's ever seen in this field.

Finally another update

One of her favorite things is getting bibs out of the drawer
This is what happens when I try to clean our bathroom quick
Getting ready to pull towels out of the drawer
Don't ask ......
Climbing under the chairs ... she loves this
Woke up from her Sunday nap with crazy hair-do ... daddy brushed it up for fun

There's no 'baby' in this house anymore ... she's a big girl walking
"CHEEEEEESSSSEEE!"
Our happy girl walking all by herself now!


In one of the above captions I said that there is no longer a 'baby' in our house anymore. Of course Bray-Lynne will always be our baby girl; however now that she is walking I think she is officially a toddler. About 2 weeks ago I was cleaning and vacuuming and that was the day Bray-Lynne figured out she could stand up unassisted. As soon as she figured that out the walking came right along with it. She is getting very good at it. She is figuring out there are different speeds and that she can go directions besides just forward. We had a rough week of teething a few weeks ago too. She cut 4 molars and 2 "i" teeth all at once. The poor girl was miserable. All of the sudden that Sunday she woke up happy as a clam ... well, all teeth had popped through, FINALLY! Bray is figuring out what having those teeth is all about; she can chew all sorts of things and we don't have to be so careful to break things into little pieces to chew. Along with walking she is quite the talker. She continues to pick up many words; lately she has learned "thank you", "tractor", "book", "all done", "poo" (whenever I ask her if I can change her diaper she says "poo"). She is also associating pictures with sounds, for example, if she sees a cat or dog on the page of a book she will "meow" or "woof, woof". We can't believe how smart she is and so sharp!

Now on to an update of us. Brandyn did great with crop insurance sales this season and we are so thankful for that. I am SO proud of him ... he wears many hats and exceeds expectations for each of those 'hats'!
I have recently felt like I am ready to go back to work. I love staying at home with Bray-Lynne but feel like I could be an even better mommy and wife by working. I am looking for a full-time job in Pella or Des Moines. I have been applying for different things (administrative work, project coordinator, etc.) and am hoping to be called for interviews soon!
Soon we will be helping our parents move into their house down the road and can't wait to have supper over there :)
Brandyn and I have been given an opportunity to get away for a long weekend this month. Next Friday we will be taking off for San Francisco, CA. Friday night we'll stay in San Fran and head north on Saturday and Sunday to visit Napa Valley. We are amateur wine connoisseurs so we are excited to visit several vineyards. We love to travel, eat good food and spend quality time together so this is the perfect get away for us. It's the longest we've left Bray-Lynne but she will have lots of fun with her Nana & Papa and her Aunt Chelsea, Uncle Josh and cousins Harper and Lake.
Hopefully we will get to spend some time with her Aunt Christina, Uncle Scott, and cousins Payton, Cadynce & Beckym soon. If they can't come this way we will surely head their way!