::We love Holidays::

Check out my Labor Day outfit. I wasn't sure what kind of Labor Day our family was going to have. Brant didn't have a great night, and we were supposed to go and cookout at my brother's house, but we didn't because Brant was off. Well, Brandon went to Home Depot to get some stuff for the yard so Brant and I decided to play outside. Sure enough, he's had a great day. We put on our Braves hat, hopefully to bring them some luck, and we headed out. I put some water in the pool to warm up today so after his nap he can play in it! We played outside with the hose and our tricycle. He had a ball! As of right now, Brandon is changing the oil in our cars as he waters the yard, which we found out Brant isn't too fond of the sprinkler! I just put Brant down for a nap, and I am about to go and run some errands. That is why I love holidays, although I do wish I had known Brant would be fine today and we could have gone to my brother's...although, we couldn't have been so productive!

Just thought I would show you some pics of my garden. None of my doing, as of now all I have done is water them. They are really pretty and it made me happy to be outside today so I thought I would share them with all of you!

Below is a video of Brant today during our inside playtime. It is so funny! This is his new thing!

Love you all!

::A Great Day::

I am excited about today, and the reason is two-fold. Today, first and foremost is Danielle Lindeman's 24th birthday and we are all going to ESPN Zone to celebrate. Secondly, and near and dear to my heart, it is the SEASON AND HOME OPENER UGA FOOTBALL GAME! Go Dawgs! I called my brother last night to make sure that he had his car flags ready last night and how jealous I was that he was going. He does pay lots for those tickets though, so I guess I can let it slide! I told him if he didn't want to go to the Troy game this season that I would take the tickets if he wanted me to! He got a big laugh. I didn't get to go to ONE game last season, not his fault but mine, and I hope that I can attend at least one this year. So, in short, we will be at ESPN Zone at 6 pm for kick-off cheering on my beloved Dawgs!

Oh yes - and thanks Lori for the signature idea. Drumroll please....

::Back in the Swing of Things::

We are all healthy again. Still taking the antibiotics, but back to normal. Brant has returned to school this week, and has had two wonderful days. His teachers camera is broke, so no pictures yet. They are fixing it though. Good news, I have signed Brant up for another premium service at school. It is called the photo enrollment program. For a nominal fee, in my opinion, we will get a cd each month with 50 pictures on it and then 2 large scrapbook pages to put in a book with his name engraved on it. How awesome is that. Each month I will be able to post pictures and show you things he is doing at school. It is going to be lots of fun.

Also, keep me in your prayers. I have started doing PE, or Body Basics, as we like to call it at the school. I taught my first classes on Friday. All it did was make me miss PE and confirm that it is my passion and my calling. Needless to say, my attitude at school these past few days has been anything but upbeat and I am SEARCHING for things to be negative about. That is not good at all, and definitely affects how the kids act as well. Pray that I have an attitude adjustment and that I learn to be "joyful in all circumstances." Also pray that if I am to find a PE job starting in January then I will. My contract is only binding, if you can even call it that, until December. Mainly it is my word that is holding me there, but as a Christian I feel that I need to uphold my word, although that is not the common occurance at this school among the teachers. We have people quitting left and right, which is another reason I have become frustrated. People just decide not to show up for work when they quit. No notification or anything, that is just wrong to do people that way! Anyways - since I have made this explanation longer than I meant to - just pray that I find contentment in my situation and that if I am to find a PE job for January that I will.

At least being there with Brant so far, I have seen how they love him and care for him and I would be confident leaving him there and going elsewhere. I love his teachers and I have gotten to know them! That is a plus!

Until next time, hopefully with pictures once I find my charger!

::New Video as Promised::

::Last Week::

These two pictures sum up last week for Brant without having to use any words at all! I think that he is doing much better. Still has a little cough from all the drainage, but other than that we are on the upswing. We will be going back to school this week and probably having to get used to that whole idea again. A week with MiMi will do that to you! Hope all is well with everyone. Sorry that it has been a while since my last post, but this week has been a long one! YAY for Labor Day next week!

::Sick Babies Are NO Fun::

Not that I am mad at him, but having a sick child is hard. This week hasn't been the smoothest due to the fact that Brant has been a little under the weather. He has had a fever of like 101 - 102 for the past 48 hours, and the poor little guy has had it. We went to the doctor today and they did a strep test, which came back negative. But she said due to the fact that he had tons of puss in his throat and that he was exposed to it at school, she decided to treat him for it anyways. So now, we have a really fun antibiotic to take twice a day. Other than him being miserable and Brandon and I being tired, we are doing great!

Here are some pictures from this weekend. Brant got out and helped Daddy cut the grass and work in the yard. He loved it! He followed him everywhere. It was so hot though that we just hung out in our diaper!

I guess we need to teach Brant that you don't have to mow the rocks!

This was Brant after Daddy stopped. He didn't understand why the fun was over!

A new video, more current, as my sister requested will be posted soon. Hope all is well with everyone and we hope to see you all soon!

::Just For FUN::

Hope this makes all of you smile today. I found it a couple of nights ago on my computer and it made me happy and sad all in the same moment! He grew up so fast. This is when he was 8 months old.

::Flowers Don't Taste So Good::

Brant is having a great first week at school. He is learning how to play with other kids and hopefully soon he will be learning to eat lunch! I really think he has enjoyed getting out of the house everyday. At least in the morning when I ask if he's ready to go to school, instead of crying, he runs to the door and starts beating on it! And now when he goes to his room, he lets go of my hand and starts to play instead of clinging and crying. So, progress is definitely happening, and for that I am excited.

The part I am not excited about is how exhausted me and Brant are at the end of the day. We get home and after dinner it is basically time for him to go to bed. Not a lot of time to play with Mommy and Daddy, but we will get used to that and do fun things on the weekend to make up for it.

Today after we got home, Brant and I explored the backyard. First we made a stop at the marigolds by the fence. He liked to pick them and see if they tasted good. He found out they did not!



Then, we went to our path with rocks and tasted a few of those. The picture below is one that I thought he was tasting a rock, which I thought was funny. Turns out it was a dead flower with individual petals that flaked off...oops!

As you can see below, he did not like the taste of that, and the petals stuck to his mouth. I had to help him get cleaned up before dinner!

Brandon met one of our neighbors tonight. Said he seemed like a nice man with a nice family. They are the ones who are trying to sell their house though. He offered to help us move or take boxes, or even let BA borrow the lawn mower if he needed it. I was proud of BA for being so neighborly.

Funny story and then I'm done. So, most of you know that the couple we bought the house from is elderly, and when I say that, I mean the man had to use a walker and his wife told him what to do. Been married 47 years. My guess is they were in mid to late 60s. So we found out from our neighbor, that NO LIE, the couple's parents live across the street. Can you believe that? That would be like in 10 or more years, my Nanny living across the street from my parents. Just seems sorta funny.

Hope this finds you all well. Love to all!

::MOVED IN::

We are officially moved in and now Cherokee County residents. BA, Brant, and I are pretty exhausted, but loving every minute of it. We still have boxes and bags everywhere, and we are in not much of a hurry to get them unpacked. Brant and I start school tomorrow full time, and it is going to be a big transition. I think Brant will do well, at least I hope, because all the change is coming at once. Just get used to it all at the same time. He has had a bit of a cold, and he hates me because I have been suctioning his nose like non stop. But other than that, we are all just peachy!

Hope all of you are well. Till next time...

The Arnold Family
2055 Greenhill Pass
Canton, GA 30114

::Today at School::

Today was Brant's second day at school. He had a blast. Ms. Alyssa said he didn't even cry once! YAY! In his discovery report, this is a report that gets sent to my email every afternoon highlighting what he did and learned that day (along with pictures), was a picture of him playing outside with his friends. It is the picture above...Brant of course is in the blue shirt playing at the table!

There will be other things as well, like journal reports, which I will receive once a week which will be totally personal to him discussing something he accomplished or may need work on! It is the neatest thing. God really has blessed me with a creative and intimate place for Brant to be!

Also - there may be a chance that I will be moving to Pre-K instead of 2 year olds. Not that I don't love the twos, because I really did. But there was an opening and they considered me first! Kinda neat how when you make the right choices, even when they aren't the most fun...such as, taking a job working with Twos when it isn't my first choice because this place would be so cool for my son to be, God honors your decision and works things out for the best!

Love to all...

First Day Behind Us...

Brant had his first day today, and did relatively well. Didn't like the drop off time, but what one year old does. Five minutes later I peeked unto his room and he was climbing on top of the tunnel! That's my boy!

Mom came and picked him up before lunch. I decided to let him ease into this whole "school day" thing. Mom said he crashed the minute they got back to the house! We will be going back on Wednesday, because we are closing on our house tomorrow! YAY! Please pray that all goes smoothly.

Love to all!

PRAYER!

I am asking all of you to keep the Leino family in your prayers. Some of you know about the family and some don't, but they have a blog that I have a link to on mine. It is called Isaac Leino. If you do not know their story, then please go visit their blog which you can get to from mine.

Their son, Isaac, past away today. He was a fighter to the end and I have learned so much through both of the parents', Patience and Jordan, faith. Their blog never ceased to amaze me and bring me encouragement, even through their struggles. The next few days will be extremely hard for them, as I can only imagine. Every time I look at Brant I wish that they were able to experience this, and Lord willing, one day they will!

I can say this though. I have been forever touched and changed through their life. Their faith and prayer life and sheer strength in the Lord will forever remain in my memory.

Sweet Isaac is with our Lord now. Running, playing, and smiling down on all of us. Thank you Lord for your sovereignty and your perfect plan for our lives. I chose the picture above because that is the way I will always remember Isaac and the influence he had on thousands of people around the world! He was a miracle from the beginning and, to me, he always will be!

To God be the Glory!

SCHOOL SHOES::

IT'S OFF TO SCHOOL TIME!

I wanted to let everyone see my new shoes! Mom would have taken a picture of me in them, but her camera isn't here! I get to go to my very first day of school tomorrow...but MiMi is going to pick me up before lunch so I can ease into my first full day!

Everyone pray for me and my mommy so she can feel that this is what she is supposed to do!

We love you all - BRANT

JOB!

I haven't signed a contract or anything yet, but I believe that I have found job. It is at a private school for young children called Foundations for the Future. You can check out their website at http://www.foundationscorp.com .

I really enjoyed being there and meeting the teachers. Brant will go with me and I am so excited about the opportunity for him to learn from a teacher and learn to be in a school setting. Interacting with other kids is going to be so much fun for him, of course, after he gets used to the routine...which could take a while!

I will be a teacher in the 2 year old class, and they are so cute. Really precious. I have a couple days next week to go in, paid of course, and decide. They call it a "working interview." So - I will let everyone know.

Thanks to all of those who have been praying for me. I really feel like this is going to be a great opportunity for Brant. And as all of you moms out there know (and I am beginning to find out)...we will do anything for our children! It makes my decision so much easier to know he is going to be in such a neat place!

Sorry::

Been a week or more since my last post...Sorry bout that, but I don't have the memory card to my camera...and without pictures I feel like my posts are boring!

Things are good out here at the Boyd house. We have been staying here since last Sunday. Dad's baseball team won the regionals so he leaves on Thursday for the World Series in New Mexico. So, he's in a pretty good mood. Mom is staying busy with her grandson and hanging out with Lauren before she goes back to school, as am I. Brandon is working his tail off and work and to make sure things are going well with our house. We are still closing on August 7th unless something blows up in our faces.

A praise - I have had one job interview this week, and I have another on Thursday. Not a PE Teacher job, but they are at Pre-Schools and private schools. Neither would be a PE position, but both have the plus of Brant being at the same place as me...which I LOVE! That would be great! Keep us in your prayers as we decide which one is best for the family, and that if neither is what God wants us to do then he will make that clear.

So those are the updates. Still kind of just in a holding pattern, wondering what God has in store for us. Thanks for checking in and keep us on your prayer list!

Love you all!

Hairspray::

This is a total plug for a movie...has nothing to do with my son!

Yesterday, I took a friend of mine to see "Hairspray". IT WAS SO GOOD! I didn't stop smiling or tapping my foot the entire time. I think I might have liked it as much as I did when I saw "Grease" for the first time.

I recommend it to everyone...especially girls, and if you like music. Its a MUST SEE!

That's all for now! Love you all...

WHAT A DAY!

Yesterday was very eventful in the life of the Arnolds. We started off our day by packing for Atlanta. We are staying at my parents while they are away this week to keep Sammy the dog, and for it to be a shorter drive for Brandon to work. Around 10 am, Brandon's parents came and dropped Brant off at the apartment since he had a sleepover the night before with them. By 11 am we were on our way to Atlanta.

The drive to Atlanta was very calm. Brant slept, and since my radio was stolen out of my car last weekend at my parents house, I even took a cat nap with nothing to keep my attention (sorry Brandon). We got to Atlanta about 1 pm, and everyone at the Boyd house was excited to see Brant, as they always are. Lauren and Pat played with Brant, along with Mom and Dad.

Around 4 pm, Brandon and I headed over to Wayne's house to finalize some more stuff on the house. Please continue to pray for us...we have till Thursday to make our final decision. We are praying that God would give us peace and help us not to be afraid of this huge decision. We are not called to live in fear, but in strength and wisdom being sure of God's presence in our life! Anyways - sorry for the side note - but while we were gone the family babysat and took Brant to the creek. SO FUN! I wish I had pictures...they said he was in the middle splashing and throwing rocks.

We ate dinner around 6 or so and then Pat headed out to SC. Lauren was sad! So, we all went outside to play. Brandon, Lauren, and I were hitting a playground ball and trying to see how many times we could hit it without it touching the ground. Mom and Dad were about to leave to go to get Mom's oil changed. Then things went haywire...

I noticed Brant heading towards the bank in the backyard that leads to the woods. I didn't think anything of it right away, but after he got on his hands and knees I didn't like it anymore. Brandon walked over to get him, and the next thing I know, Brandon is swatting at our son's head and running towards the house. It just plain scared me...and first I thought it was ants, or something like that. Once in the garage, Brandon informed me that it was YELLOW JACKETS! I was like - you have got to be kidding me. 2 trips to the ER, and now being stung by YELLOW JACKETS! We got him inside to see how many had stung him. As far as we could tell, only two got him. One on the back of his head, and one near his ear. As we were trying to make sure there weren't any more on him, one stung my jaw. IT HURT! So I knew that he had to be hurting. We got him in the bathtub, and tried to calm him down.

Let's just say the next 2 hours were not fun. Dad went and killed the hive...I'm just glad Brandon got to him when he did or else it could have been bad. He finally settled down enough to go to sleep around 9:45. So we put him down. However, about 10:45 he woke up, and poor thing, he was inconsolable. I don't know if anyone else feels me on this one, but that is one thing that breaks my heart, and inconsolable child, especially your own. He cried and cried until midnight and then finally went to sleep.

There are some pictures below of him playing, BEFORE the accident. Mom and Dad got him some golf clubs and balls, and he was loving them. Once again, I didn't get any pictures of him when he was hurting...thought it might be a little inconsiderate.

At least we know one thing, he's not allergic to Yellow Jackets! Go Tech...Right DAD!

Funny Story::

Today - as I was in the bathroom, Brant was playing quietly in his room. Quietly, with my son, I have come to learn is never a good thing. I quickly finished and went into his room curious to see what he was up to. Here is what I saw...of course - I didn't have the camera in my hands so I chased him to the living room to capture the moment.

So, after I went and did some investigative work, I figured out that Brant had somehow gotten the diaper rash cream off of the top of a set of drawers...they aren't THAT tall...and then proceeded to rub it all over his face and furniture in his room. He did not look like this before I went into the bathroom...so don't ask me how he did this so quick. Its like he was just waiting for me to go away. Brandon likes to call it "plotting". Brandon must have done a lot of this when he was growing up...that is my only explanation.

So, after we got cleaned up. We played some more in the living room. He likes to hide under our TV table, he thinks it is his own clubhouse of sorts. No, he does not play with the cords behind him...he has learned what no means. Anyways...this pic was too cute not to put up!

We love you all!!

NEW HOUSE!

So it looks like we might actually have a contract on a house! The sellers have verbally agreed to our offer, but they still have to sign the contract for good. So, unless something goes HORRIBLY wrong, the Arnolds will be moving to Bridgemill in Canton, GA on Aug. 10!

Here are some pictures to wet your appetite! Everyone will have to come and visit once I make it look nice! But unless I get a new kitchen table, we will have to eat in shifts since I can only sit three at the table! --Thanks Lori!--

I just put some pics of the outside and one of the kitchen...didn't want to bore you with the rest. You can see in person when you all help us move in!!! HA!

Long Time No Post...I KNOW::

So, here's the deal. Its been a BUSY week. On Friday, I headed up to Acworth to my mom and dad's house. Brandon has been working in Atlanta since last Thursday, so we decided we needed to get serious about this house search. Friday night we ate dinner with the MacMaths. Always a pleasure...its amazing how my son's face lites up when he sees those kids!

We looked all day for houses on Saturday with Wayne and found one we really liked. We have made an offer, or are in the process, I will post as soon as I know something...and if we get it I will put up pictures. No need to get excited - I'm still praying that if it isn't right then God will shut a door.

Saturday night we went to dinner and music for Mike's Birthday. Fun times at Red Top Mountain State Park...gotta love Bluegrass Music. Sunday was church and more looking at and thinking about the house...and hanging out with my sister who got home on Saturday.

Monday night was girl's night at the Braves game. Lauren and I went with Joni, Danielle, and a new friend Sarah. We had a blast, even though the Braves lost...thanks again Jonesy! We got on the big screen as you can see, and we also were on TV, in my mom's words..."looking like idiots!"

And now I am back in Macon, staring at my apartment wondering how I am going to get everything packed up and into another house in 2 weeks or so...of course, that is if we get this house in the first place. Keep us in your prayers and ask specifically that God would work in this situation. If we are not supposed to get this house, pray that God shuts a door and does it so there is no doubt. Pray that if a door is shut, we know where to begin again and soon. Pray that as long as we are making steps towards our destination that we include God in every decision and walk in the way we are meant to go.

Love to all!

ER SCARE::

On Thursday morning, around 9:30 am, we were all just relaxing, considering getting ready to go to the beach. It smelled like Brant had a dirty diaper, so I asked Lauren to check. As some of you know, Brant is WAY attached to his blanket. If it is in sight, he will be carrying it around the house or wherever we are with him. Now, Brant is not very tall, and so he trips over the blanket a lot. This usually doesn't have much of an affect on him, since most of our floors are carpet. However, at the LOVELY beach home that my Dad so GRACIOUSLY rented out for us, this was not the case. They had mostly stone, or tile, flooring throughout the house, except for the bedrooms. My guess is because of the sand, but I don't really know.

So, as Lauren went to check his diaper, and Brant of course tried to make a get away...he tripped and fell face first on the tile floor. He did brace his fall with his hands, but took most of the blow on his chin. As he got up, blood was coming out of his mouth and from his chin. He was screaming and wouldn't let anyone look at it. He was covering his entire face with his blanket. As far as I could tell, and Brandon as well, it looked as though he had slightly bit through his lip during the fall. I didn't like the thought of that, so after consultation with MiMi, we decided to head to the ER. It wasn't far down the road, about 10 minutes or so. Lauren and Pat went with Brandon and me. We got there and after about 30 minutes we were called back.

Long story short, they took a look at him, after another 30 minutes of course. They said what probably happened is that he bit his lip on the inside and then the chin was more of a FORCE wound on the outside. No stitches, just an antibiotic. Although, on Friday we had a scare when he broke out into a rash. We thought he was allergic to the medicine, but mom determined that it was from some sunscreen that got into his eyes and had irritated him badly.

Needless to say, we are nearly 13 months old, and have now had 2, yes 2, trips to the ER. There is all the proof you need that he is going to grow up and be just like his Daddy. Brandon's mother could tell you countless stories about all of Brandon's scars and injuries. Many, Many, Many ER trips for Brandon. Lets just hope we can hold off on the ER trips for a while...please PRAY!

I wish the picture above was better, but it is from my cellphone. Sad to say, I was really upset I forgot my camera. I need proof of all of these incidents for when he is older and thinks I am making them up. You can't see his wound very well, but it had stopped bleeding by this time, Praise the Lord!

Love you all - sorry to leave you hanging about the ER trip. Hopefully, none of you had any bad dreams about it!

Routine::

We are home and there is something to be said about routine! Not that Brant was an unhappy baby at the beach, but his house, his bed, his toys, and so on, communicate to him that he is safe and that makes him happy!

He is down for his nap as we speak, and I am doing all of my motherly/wifely duties of laundry, dinner, cleaning, catching up on emails, and not finding a job. The last one is not by choice, just because apparently God has not found a job he wants me to have yet.

We are in full swing of moving back to the Atlanta area. We have begun our home search and are trying to nail down a time to get there and look at them. Until then, we are still here in Macon, with Brandon beginning his commuting later this week. We are excited about this time in our life, but also anxious about what God has in store. We want to make sure we are on the same page with Him, not hoping He's on the same page with us, if you know what I mean.

As I was cleaning, I found a few pictures on my camera worth posting from the vacation. The rest are on my dad's computer that I will get when we are at my parent's this weekend. Also - side note - pray for my parents because until we find a house or temporary apartment, we will probably be staying with them. They OFFERED, because that's how great my parents are. I just hope that we don't interrupt their lives too much and wear out our welcome! But, they seem to not care about anything as long as it involves Brant. We don't matter anymore, just Brant! --I know that's not TOTALLY true Mom!--

Here are the pictures...They are from the last night at Dinner...

Home!

We are home in Macon. Once I get all the pictures off of my Dad's computer I will post some more. We had a great time, except for the ER scare on Thursday. More about that later.

Thanks Mimi and PawPaw for a great week with you!

Video::

Day 3 at the Beach::

So, we have had an improvement at the beach. As Amelia and I were walking down the beach yesterday, we noticed a family who had brought a baby pool down to the beach and filled it with water. The baby was inside playing with toys and looked relatively excited. We thought that maybe Brant would enjoy having that option at the beach.

Dad and I traveled to CVS today and made some purchases. We bought a tent for the folks who "can't handle the rays -- according to Bryan--". We also bought a baby pool for Brant. HE LOVED IT! Not only did it make him like being at the beach, but he actually wanted to get out and play in the sand. That posed a problem though once he got his hands really sandy and tried to wipe his eyes.

After a while of playing, I took him out in the water and we were wading for a while. He really liked being out deep in the water. MiMi and PawPaw were out in water together and we decided to go out and join them. Brant wanted to get out on the boogie board. I will post a video in just a little while of what happened while he was on the boogie board...so cute. He had all the people around us on the beach laughing and awing at him. Such a good memory! That's why I will post it on here to let everyone join in.

Also, here are some pictures from today. Brandon is on his way as we speak, and will be here the rest of the week with us! I can't wait to see him...you miss your family when they aren't with you!

So Far at the Beach::

Well...we have officially had 2 full days at the beach. My brother Bryan and I have determined that Brant has what we like to call "texture discomfort." Just as shown earlier in the blog when Brant got icing on his hands at his birthday party, getting sand on his hand is NOT his favorite thing.

Other than the beach, he has been having a lot of fun. I am not going to lie, I haven't been doing the best job of taking pictures...but I will begin making a conscience effort. Here are some pictures from the first two days...mostly Brant::