First Tooth!!

Brecken had a molar pop out a little while ago but it went back down. Now he has his front bottom tooth!! He was a lot worse then Taylor was when teething. Just proof that woman can handle more pain :) Anyways yeah he popped it a couple of weeks ago but I just finally got a picture.

Busy Busy Busy!!

Yeah it has been a few eh? Well yeah. I have been so busy and it cracks me up because I only have 2 kids. Sundays we start off the week with some church. Then it is FOOTBALL!!! The Broncos are 6-0!! I am usually trying to get my homework in by midnight too. Then monday it is up at 5 a.m. for a shower and the kids are usually up at 6. So I get up and make them breakfast...Cheerios and fruit for Brecken with a side of bottle. Then Taylor gets fruit, eggs, bacon and a waffle. Then I make both their lunches. I know....a 10 month old and a 3 year old and I am already making lunches. Then it is getting them dressed and out the door for school. They both go on monday so I am so excited for mondays!! Plus they stay for lunch which is an extra hour. I come home and clean and get laundry going after a 2 mile walk with Bunker. Back to pick them up...home for naps. Daddy gets home about 4:30 and I am off making dinner. After dinner Taylor has dance. We all get home and put everybody to bed while I work out. Tuesday is my off day so I schedule appointments that day for kids...I haven't had a tuesday off yet. After appointments we come home for naps and dinner and then 2 mile walk and bath while mommy works out and to bed. Wednesdays we take Taylor to school. Pizza day so i do not have to make a lunch. Then I usually go to bible study until I have to pick Taylor up. Back home for naps and then same thing...dinner, walk, workout and bed. Thursdays are fun. Mommies group then lunch out usually. Home...naps, dinner, walk, bath, workout and bed. Friday Taylor has school.....then repeat. Naps, dinner, walk, workout and bed. Saturdays are dance and WOW group but we are home by noon doing fun family stuff. Very very busy but I totally thrive off of it and love it!! Being a mom and wife is definitely what I was meant to do. Plus I have to cook, farm, build amusement parks and do my duties as a Mafia member. Yeah life is busy.

Brecken went to his appointment. He is a lot more behind then the doctor wants him to be so pray. If he does not catch up in the next 3 months we will be starting to evaluate him. My thyroid is getting worse so I will go back in to get tested again in three months.

Doug is getting deployed in January. Yeah he just got home so this is a real bummer. He is signing a waiver to cut his dwell time short...which means they can deploy him even though they just got him back here. He will be getting home next summer again but he will be putting in his Officer packet so that means more time here for a while and more money and possibly moving again. All in a days work with the Army. Other than that I am loving it!!

God has been so good and faithful to us. We have everything and more that we wanted in life and we are only 26. I love that it is only going to get better!

Newest Tyson Update

The surgery went amazingly well! Thank you for all of your prayers! They were able to remove the blockage and put in a catheter. The only problem we encountered was that they gave him some medicine rectally that burned his butt. Poor kiddo has been miserable with the worst rash ever.

We have to go in for a similar surgery on October 23rd, complete with anesthesia. So, the trend of surgeries has begun. Thank you so much for all of your continued love and support!

Love,
Pete, Annie & Tyson

Did you know....

that I rock? Yep. Anyways not a whole lot going on here. Just a little update for everyone. Let us see. Taylor is doing great in her preschool class. She loves it and mommy loves my me and Brecken time. Brecken still goes on Mondays and he seems to be really liking it now...which is good because then that is me time. Taylor brings home art stuff she has done everyday. I am really loving the 3 year old age. 2 was really hard. Taylor did the terrible 2s and now she is a ton of fun at 3. She says the funniest things and it cracks me up how old she seems. Brecken is getting to that fun age where he holds on to you when you hold him and is really starting to show his personality which is looking like mine. Taylor is more like Doug in so many ways. I threw him up n the air today and he busted out laughing. He has done this inhale giggle thing (which is really funny. Taylor was always a high pitched giggle.) I have never heard him laugh like that. Plus he is just way more cuddly then before. He has been rolling all over the place...finally. I was a little worried. Taylor was crawling by this age. He can sit up but not for long which bums me out since Taylor could but he is progressing which makes me feel better. He is also teething really bad:( He is so close to popping his bottom tooth. I wish it would just hurry!! He is on solid foods more then formula. He sits in a high chair and a cart now!! He is just getting so big and I remember my favorite age was 9-18 months with Taylor so I am going to take this all in!! He will be 9 months on Monday!!

What else....Jock still has that thing on the back of his leg but he is walking normal. We are going to take him in and get it checked again. It is shrinking though. Bunker is as big as ever and just as hyper.

Doug is back in the swing of things. He is slotted for the February deployment which we are really hoping he does not go on. He wants to g on the August deployment. It is a mission he has never done and if he does it then he has done all Psy Op missions. He will be dropping his officer packet when he gets home from this next deployment. Yep...he is going career. I am glad he is. I would love to move somewhere cool but at the same time we have been here for 5 years and made good friends and gotten into the community which would suck to start all over. I don't know and I do not want to deal with it....Jesus take the wheel.

Well that is it. We had some people ask and no we are not pregnant and no we are not trying. Although we are not preventing so whatever happens...we will be happy with. We would love to add a couple more but we are also very content with the 2 beautiful kids we have :)

Latest Tyson News

Good News:
Tyson is growing! He is up to 21.5 lbs! His kidneys have sort of leveled off...meaning they are not getting worse very rapidly.

Bad News:
Since Tyson has not been using his bladder or urethra they are not working properly. We are going in a week from today for the first of many surgeries to try and remedy this urinary tract problem. We have to fix the bladder & urethra before the kidney transplant or his body will not be able to process the urine the good kidney will produce...in effect ruining the good kidney.

Please keep us in your prayers that the surgery next week goes flawlessly and that we can resolve all of the problems before his kidneys get much worse.

Love to you all!
~Annie

Blessings!!

So I have been in a funk lately and this will be a good exercise for me. I need to write down all the blessings I have and thank God for them. It is not that I have not been thankful, I have just been out of it in a weird way. I am praying it is not anything huge that is making me crazier then normal for another month. I need on more month to get my head together. Cool here we go.

1.I have a Father in Heaven who loves me so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for my sins and short comings.
2. I have a husband who loves and adores me and whom I love very much and after 9 years I find him a lot sexier now:)
3. I have the most beautiful kids ever and even while driving home yesterday from Barbies with Taylor whining and Brecken screaming I still sat there thinking I love this and I would not even trade this moment for anything. I love being their mommy! They have no idea the impact they have made on my life and if they could only realize how much I love them. They cannot know though until they have children. They are truly miracles and I honestly wake up loving the fact that I get to take care of them for another day.
4. My mom. We have been talking a lot lately and I have loved every minute of it. I never knew how much she loved me or why she did the things she did until I had Taylor. I love my mom and she is one of the strongest woman I know for all the things she has had to go through and the things she is still going through. I do not think I understood a lot of it until our talk the other night but now I feel like I understand better. She did things a lot of other moms never had to and that I pray I never have to. I just hope she realizes how beautiful she is and that God only allowed all this to happen because He knew she was strong enough to handle it. She may wonder why He brought her and my dad together in the first place but I would not have the loving brothers that I do or these beautiful children if their marriage had never happened. I love you mom:)
5. My friends...oh my I love that I have some of the best friends ever. I have a wonderful mommies group who has helped me through deployments with my sanity and I just wish they could all know how much they mean to me. My best friend Annie is my life saver in Colorado and I know she thinks I avoid Colorado because everybody is crazy there (sorry but you all are) but she is wrong. I love going out there and I love her so much and that baby boy she is being a mommy too. She has no idea how much I look up to her! I love that bean she is carrying in her belly too. I wish I could be there to be their Aunt Jenny. I will love them Skype style:) I also love my military issued family. Jenna and Ryan and Jax have been my family away from family. Ryan is the brother I wish I never had...LOL!! Jax is so cute and I can't wait to see him grow up. Jenna is my BFF Forever and I am glad I have someone here to keep me sane in the middle of all these crazies. We may butt heads a lot Jenna but you know it is because we have similar personalities. I am not sure if that is a good thing. Our poor kids have to deal with us. Haha. Anyways I love you for letting me be me and not judging. I had too many friends that did that before.
6.I have a home, running water, I can clothe my children and myself, I can pay all my bills, I have food on the table, cars that run and money in the bank...sorta. I am taking care of in every way and have no excuse to complain about anything. I am spoiled and I am repenting for that on a daily basis for taking that all for granted.
7. I am healthy. My kids are healthy. My husband is healthy.

No complaints today. No worries. No pity party. I really want to use my time today to be humbled and understand the blessings I have in amounts that I do not deserve.

Lord, thank You for everything You have blessed us with. I have no reason to come to You with a complaint. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I am loved by my family and most of all You. I have Your book to try and live by and I know how much value that is too me. I have complained and criticized what I have while You patiently sat back until I was done with my temper tantrum. I now ask for your forgiveness. I deserve nothing more then hell from You and yet You still try in every way to bring me closer to You. I can never understand the love You feel for me but I want to except it. Forgive me and just be with me today and everyday. Humble me to know I have all this because of You and no one else.
Amen

Courtney Griffin

It has been 3 years! Gees. Well today I actually woke up and the ache in my heart that I get every September 11th was not as bad. I was actually a little more happy about the fact that I got so many years with her. Remembering all the things we did actually made me laugh (and cry a little) but in a good way. Although she died too young, I know there was a reason. When I got pregnant with Brecken, one of my first things was to call her. It was a split second of not remembering she was gone. I still dream of her often. Of just hanging out. At the end of every dream though I either remind her that she is gone or she reminds me. Anyways....

Courtney! Here is to you today! I love the way you always found a joke in everything (even when we got mad at eachother). I love the fact that Taylor got to meet you and wish beyond all else that the rest of my kids would have been able to know what a wonderful and caring person you were. Although they will hear my many storeis of us getting into trouble and how you brought me and their daddy together. I know everybody says this about anybody they know who has passed on but you were the real deal. You always cracked me up and you were one of the reasons I have my family now! Thank you for locking Doug up until he told you he was going to ask me to prom...lol. I love you Courtney! I miss you more than you know. I love you I love you I love you!!!