My Blissful Chaos

Tata for now...

2009-04-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

First, I would just like to say that I love posting pic's and keeping you all up to date on what's going on with our family (more importantly, Braden :)). However this blog is very tedious and time consuming and I just can't seem to keep up. Since I'm on facebook at least once a week and since most of you are on facebook already, I have decided to use that to post all of our pics and video's. Here's the link to my facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19979&id=1455942489&saved#/profile.php?id=1455942489&ref=profile

Enjoy!!

PEEK-A-BOO

2009-03-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I realize I haven't posted anything in a LONG time, but I need all of your help to decide whether or not I should submit this video to America's Funniest Videos. We both think it's hilarious, but of course we do, we're his parents! Leave your comments and let us know what you think. Thanks!

2008-12-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wishing you all a very Merry Chrismas and a Happy New Year!!!

2008-11-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N ! !

Our "Haunted Pirate Ship"

Rest In Peace Pirate Pete

Why look who it is?! It's Capt'n Jack and his pal One Eye'd Willie!

Aarrgghhhhh! The cutest little pirate ever!

PUMPKIN PATCH

2008-11-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

We went to the pumpkin patch for the first time with Braden this year. He wasn't quite sure about what to think of all the orange things! We didn't get too many smiles (from him at least) but we got some great pics!

Saying Hello to the goats

T0m the Turkey

Facinated with Farmer John's beard

NI-NIGHT MONKEY

2008-10-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

When Braden was about 3 months old and teething, we got him this little toy monkey with little teethers on the feet. Now he absolutely cannot sleep without it. It is the cutest thing, right before he's about to fall asleep, he'll snuggle up with it and usually put it right over his eyes. This is a little collage of different times I've caught him sleeping with it over his eyes. So funny!

MAMAMAMA

2008-09-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

LAUGHING

2008-09-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

We laid Braden on our bed as we were tidying up our room. Jesse started straightening the comforter and fluffing the pillows and Braden just thought is was the funniest thing.

PICTURE(S) OF THE WEEK!

2008-08-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

OC TRICK AND HIS MINI SIDE KICK

How does this thing work....?

Like this, Dad?

Check me out. I am rockin' it!!

This is too easy. Is it naptime yet?

FAMILY PICS

2008-08-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

We actually had these pictures taken by a friend of ours a while ago, but since most of you haven't seen them, here are a few of our favorites.

Photographs taken by Janelle Aitken of J.Aitken Photography

LAUNDRY DAY!

2008-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Laundry Day!!

Braden was being a little fussy and I needed to get some laundry done (one more day without clothes and we'd all be walking around naked! Scary!) so I decided to give him a new surrounding and put him in the basket with all the clothes. Turns out, he loved it! We had so much fun playing peek-a-boo and "where's Braden?"I think we were both a little bummed when it was all folded and put away!

THE BIG APPLE

2008-07-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

ROGER & DIANA'S WEDDING

2008-07-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

REFLECTION

2008-05-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well I lied...THIS will probably be my last post for awhile. It's 11 o'clock p.m. right now and we have about a bazillion boxes left to pack but I had to take a moment to post some thoughts. As I was rocking Braden to sleep, I was looking at his perfect little face and couldn't help but feel completely grateful for the many blessings in my life. Looking at him so peaceful cradled in my arms makes every rough day worth every moment. I am still so amazed that he is mine. That this beautiful life and new adventure is mine. That God fashioned so perfectly that I would meet the most incredible man and that he would pick us to take part in creating this little miracle that I now hold in my arms day in and day out. I feel blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

PICTURES OF THE (LAST FEW) WEEKS!

2008-05-16T22:50:00.001-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. It has been a crazy past few weeks and it's just going to get crazier. As most of you know, we are moving back to my hometown (Hemet) next weekend and this will probably be my last post for a while, at least until we are all settled. Until then, here are a few of my favorite shots for you all to enjoy. :)

Sitting like a big boy...

I finally got the camera of my dreams for Mother's Day. (Thank you Jesse and Braden!) I was playing around with the different settings and took this picture. I absolutely love the way it turned out. The lighting and the softness are just perfect...now if I can only remember how I did it...

Passed out! I went in to check on the boys and this is what I found...Like father like son.

Just chillin, watchin the game with dad. Look at that dimple! So cute!

Can you just picture it..."Hey there ladies"...Man, am I glad I have LOTS of time before he actually starts saying those things!

Mr. Hot Stuff!

2008-04-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Daddy bought Braden these sweet sunglasses and the second we put them on him, he started smiling and laughing. It was the cutest thing! What an adorable little smirk :)

HAPPY 2 MONTH BIRTHDAY!!

2008-04-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2 MONTH BIRTHDAY BRADEN!!

Here are some very fun things that have happened over the last month...

Tummy time has proved to be somewhat of a success. Although he's still not crazy about it, he is learning to hold his head up high (without looking like a bobble head) and has officially learned to roll over, with the help of the little pillow, of course. He's done it almost every time since that last video was taken. And when he does, he's very proud of himself and will usually flash a huge smile afterward. So cute. He's also talking and laughing much more these days. His favorite time is when he's getting his diaper changed (something about being naked, I think :)). He will just lay there and talk and smile for a good 10-15 minutes. I'm sure he'd do it longer if I'd let him, but I got tired of getting pee'd on! :) His new thing is making faces. He loves to sit and stare at your face and if you smile, he'll smile back. If you stick your tongue out, he'll stick his out (that's his favorite). 9x's out of 10 he'll mimic whatever face your making. It's incredible how quickly they learn! One of the most exciting things (for mommy and daddy) is that he started sleeping through the night about 2 weeks ago. We feed him and put him down at 8:30 and he usually sleeps until about 5:30. It's sooooo nice :) These are just a few of the fun things he's doing, there are tons more of exciting new things everyday, but I don't want to bore you all with details...until next month...:)

Smiling for Dad!

2008-04-21T13:41:00.001-07:00

It is so amazing how much they grow in a week. Braden is learning new facial expressions and the different sounds his voice makes. He loves to sit in his bouncer and just "talk" and make faces. Here Jesse would make a face and Braden would mimic it. It's so awesome! He has also just found his hands and is desperately trying to find his thumb to suck on it! He tries and tries and eventually gets frustrated and in goes the binkie! It's really quite cute. He'll get it one of these days...

Rolling Over!

2008-04-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

We were just hangin out, playing on our tummy time mat, when Braden decided he was done and rolled over! He's done this a couple of times, ...and although I don't think he realizes what he's doing yet, that's a milestone we can mark down in his baby book. I'm just glad we got it on video so ya'll don't think we're crazy when we tell you he's already rolling over. :)

TUMMY TIME!

2008-04-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Although he hasn't actually started enjoying being on his tummy (hence all the "fun" gadgets to distract him) he does LOVE to look at himself in the mirror. Once he finally focuses enough to see himself, he starts to "ooh" and "ahh". It is soo freakin' cute!

Talking

2008-04-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

Braden was talking up a storm this afternoon. We aren't used to grabbing our camera in a flash, but we were able to catch the tail end of his little conversation.

A DAY AT THE BEACH...

2008-04-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

The weather was very cool and breezy that day, so we didn't get to wear our itty bitty swim trunks (and I do mean itty bitty!), but he looked just as cute in his little sweatshirt and hat...actually he looks cute in just about anything. :)

HAPPY EASTER!!

2008-03-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

This picture does not do him justice. Braden looked absolutely adorable in his little button up shirt and khaki pants!

HAPPY 1 MONTH BIRTHDAY!!

2008-03-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Oh how time flies when you...have a baby! We can't believe it has already been a whole month since Braden was born. We are amazed at how much he changes every day. All those people who told us to cherish those first few weeks were right, because they go by WAY too fast and before you know it, he's a month old!! It has been so much fun at the same time though. Every day it seems like there's something new to get excited about. A few weeks ago, he lifted his head off the ground for the first time and just a few days ago, he starting to "talk" to us and will often smile when we talk back. There is nothing like seeing his face light up when he sees us...it is the most amazing feeling EVER!! I can't wait to see what he's going to do next week!

HE'S HERE!

2008-02-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Braden Michael Marquette

7 Pounds 2 Ounces ~ 18.5 Inches Long

Proud Daddy

Dads new favorite shirt!

All bunded up to go home for the very first time

He LOVES his swing!

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Doesn't get any more precious than this.

Eskimo kisses..

Cuddling after our first bath. Not fun! Braden screamed and mommy cried too. :(

Fat Mama!

2008-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

32 weeks

22 weeks

14 weeks

Braden's Baby Shower - December 09, 2007

2007-12-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

Our adorable "Safari" theme. Our wonderful small group did such an incredible and creative job decorating, complete with jungle sound effects (thanks JG!). It was awesome!

Playing the diaper game. Soooo funny! There were 10 different candy bars melted in the diapers and we had to guess the name of each candy bar.

The funniest drinking game ever! There were 2 ounces of apple juice in each bottle and we had to see who could drink the fastest!

And of course, the mother of 2 (with one on the way) wins!

So many wonderful gifts for Braden.

A bath Frog pod...hey look another one.....aaaannd another one!! This must have been the "hot" item on our registry because we got 3 of them, all from different people!

Emma loved to play with all the tissue paper....and read her favorite books. It was so cute, as soon as we opened this book, she knew exactly what book it was and crawled right over to read it.

More presents!! It seemed as though it they would never end.

And just when we thought it was all over, the most unexpected gift of all....the girls in my women's Bible study all went in together to get us our crib. As you can tell, it was very emotional for me. The whole shower was actually, now that I think about it. First of all it can be a little uncomfortable opening presents with everyone staring at you. And then to realize so many people care and love us and want to celebrate Braden with us...it was just too much for me.

We left feeling so unbelievably blessed and want to thank each and every one of you who attended our shower for your abundant generosity and incredible friendship. We love you all.

Introducing...

2007-10-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our little miracle. Braden Michael Marquette

11 Weeks 6 Days

18 Weeks 4 Days

Paris - July 2007

2007-07-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

My "Paris postcard" picture. :)

This is the street our hotel was located on. The Sacré-Coeur is directly behind me. We could actually see if from our hotel.

The Louvre Pyramid

Entrance to one of the wings at the Louvre

Some of our favorite sculptures at the Louvre

Psyche ranimee par le baiser de l'Amour (Psyche revived by cupids kiss)

La Victoire de Samothrace (Winged Victory of Samothrace)

La Venus de Milo

Notre Dame

le Tour de Eiffel

The thing is HUGE!

One of our favorite pictures.

The real L'eglise d'Auvers by Vincent Van Gough at the Musee d'Orsay

This beautiful scuplture (that I don't remember the name of) was at the Musee d'Orsay. It is made of solid marble and is 3 stories high!

Dance Baby Dance

2007-06-06T15:47:00.000-07:00