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::

Beach Bound Tomorrow::

My mom is on the way down here, as I type, to pick us up. We are spending the night in Acworth and leaving first thing tomorrow morning. We will be at the beach until next Saturday. I will try and post as I am down there so you all can see some pictures.

Pray for Brandon and his job. They are finishing up the building and getting the final things done. His last day in Macon will be this coming Tuesday the 3rd. The he will be in the office once we get back from the beach. We will be looking for a place back in the Kennesaw area, so if you know of any good deals send them our way!

::Love you all

McDonald's::

Brant and I decided...well mostly I decided...to break in the new car seat and go to the playground. But for those of you who didn't know, it was like a SAUNA today in Macon, so we packed up after 5 minutes and beat red faces to head to McDonald's. I bought a Large coke...very large...so I didn't feel bad about using the play place and I let Brant loose. We played for about an hour and a half. He met a very nice 5 year old girl who taught him the ropes and basically wanted a little brother after the play date because my son is so cool! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

They were taken with my cell phone - that's why they are a little blurry.

Needless to say, after an outing like that he was pooped. So on the car ride home, this was the view from my rear view mirror. --I didn't take the picture while moving!--

I know he looks uncomfy, but as my Papa always said about us grand kids..."If they weren't they would move." And I agree. My Papa was a smart man!

Beach Countdown Begins::

4 Days and my mom will be here to pick us up and head to Destin, FL!

We are really excited! Brandon will be heading down on Tuesday night after work, but we will miss him terribly until he gets there! All of the family is going to be there, even Nanny, and we are looking forward to game night every night! I especially can't wait to see my sister.

All of us in Macon are doing well. Brandon is staying busy with work, while I am staying busy at the pool, keeping Brant entertained and his mind off his molars. He is still pretty irritable about them. No side effects to tell of from his MMR vaccine yet, so that is a blessing. I can't wait for him to talk. He talks all day in his own language and looks at me like I am supposed to understand him, and sometimes I really can. But it does keep me laughing!

Well thats it for now. I promise to take lots of pictures for all to see.

--Oh yeah - the picture at the top is the house we will be staying in. FUN!--

Family::

This is a picture I stole from Allyson's facebook profile. It was taken at a celebration for Mr. Jimmy's Birthday. It is the entire Arnold Family, including our family, Brandon's brother Shannon and his family, Brandon's three sisters, his mom and dad, and his PaPa and Nana Iverlene. Oh yes, and I can't forget the family dog Sparky.

--Notice Brant in the back pulling Nana's hair!--

I am sure that I will have more fun family pics to share after our July 4th beach trip with my family! CAN'T WAIT!

Change::

Not too much exciting news here. We came back to Macon on Tuesday after spending a few days at my mom and dad's. We got back and Brant was of course happy to see all his toys. It's like those are his friends, and when he is gone too long they have to catch up on what happened while he was gone. He just sits and talks to them; it's really cute.

Biggest thing going on here is change. Brant is getting his first molars. One on each side of the top of his mouth. I couldn't believe it, like he doesn't have enough teeth already. But at least now I know why he has been such a weird eater lately and putting EVERYTHING in his mouth. My mom sent me a pretty good diagram if you are interested.

Brant has the bottom four teeth, top four teeth, and now his first molars on the top are coming in. As you can see from the picture, he's a little ahead. Very exciting for us here at the Arnold home, except for the irritability and night waking that it brings. Tylenol is our friend!

The other change is that we are getting ready to move back. We will be headed back to the Kennesaw area, at least that's what we think, the week after July 4th. A lot to get done:: moving, finding a new place to live, me finding a job --if that is what the Lord wants-- and other stuff.

Keep us in your prayers if you can remember. Love you all!

The Checkup...

Brant and I have been at MiMi and PawPaw's house since Saturday night. We spent a fun-filled day with PawPaw on Father's Day, away from Brandon...which was sad, but we decided that PawPaw needed to know how much we love him!

It was also, as you will soon see, time for Brant's one year check up. To most of you, that may not mean much. But to all of you mothers out there, it means one word...SHOTS. The appointment started out great. We weigh nearly 20 lbs and are 29.5 inches tall. This must be some cause for concern in the height department because the doctor started asking how tall everyone in the family was. But hey, we started out small and we are still playing catch up, which I think we are playing quite well, might I add. We got all checked out and got to play with the fun doctor toys.


After all of the fun was over, the doctor exited and Brant thought that it was time to go. However, being his mom, and the extremely smart lady that I am, I knew that wasn't true. We waited for the nurse to come in, the infamous nurse, who was ready to give my sweet little boy FOUR shots. Two in the left leg and one in each arm. He took the leg shots okay, but the arm ones threw him off because he has never had a shot in the arm before. I would say that I have some pictures of this, but I thought that would just be way too cruel to take his picture and make him think that I was amused. However, after I went to the waiting room and gave him to MiMi and he settled down, I got a picture of him in the car seat. Not a happy camper, but trying to smile.


After we got home, we took Brant to the pool for some fun. However, the pools at Bentwater are apparently cracking down on babies in the pool. We weren't allowed in without "rubber pants." I couldn't have even told you what those were until my mom had been to three stores to bring some back to the pool. Long story short, once he was finally ready for the pool he was pretty tired and ready to go home.

As we speak he is in bed, but his leg is really hurting him. It is one of the hardest things to watch your child in pain and knowing there really isn't anything you can do about it. I know that this is the most shallow representation of that, and I know many parents who have been through so much more, but pain on any level with your child is hard. I thank the Lord every day for a healthy child and for healing in the lives of those who aren't. Here are two last pictures from this afternoon. We are heading back home to Macon tomorrow. We can't wait to see Daddy!

Never have been a reader...

I never have been the strongest of readers. In elementary school, I think I stood out just because I could spell and made good grades. I got through school by reading what I had to, even if it took me a couple times to get it. I took the SAT and realized that reading comprehension wasn't my thing. In college, I never read...no lie. Not even when I was supposed to. And now, I read a lot. I read my bible, I read a number of parenting articles, and I read books with Brant.

Long story short, let me tell you about Tuesday night's occurrence. Our routine at night is dinner, playtime with Daddy, and then bath time. After his bath, he goes to his room and Brandon helps him pull the ceiling fan chord...no doubt the highlight of his night...for real. After that, Daddy retreats to the kitchen to make his bottle while I get him ready for bed. We lotion, powder -- for baby soft skin of course -- put on our pj's, brush our hair, find our blanket, and begin reading books. Usually we read about three...

We began our night with Where is Elmo's Blanket?, which is a new favorite. We then moved onto The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Then, we went to his all-time bedtime book which is Corduroy. This is where he got bored. I am not lying to you when I write this, you can ask Brandon, but Brant took the book from my hand and began to read to himself, out loud. Of course, not in our language...but in his. Apparently, as I found out that night, I don't read well.

Side note: I would like to point out to Bryan that I used the correct adverb, WELL, above.

All that to say, I am going to begin working on my reading skills so that my one year old does not get bored when Mommy reads to him at night.

The video I tried to post yesterday...and yes for those of you who are thinking it...I am addicted to this blog.

Yes...ANOTHER post!

I know that this is my second post today, but I just got some more photos taken by my sister at Brant's party. There are some shots that are duplicates, so I went through and picked out some really good ones. My favorite picture is the one above! I LOVE IT! The rest are pretty good too! Just click on the picture below to see them.

--Thanks LA for being an avid reader and participating in this fun experience!--

Brant Birthday from LA Camera

--The cover is for you Ash!--

Happy Birthday!

Today is Brant's Birthday! Everyone who wants to can leave him a comment and one day when he is older I will show him. We gotta let him know what a LOVED child he is! I took these pictures today right before I am going to teach recreation at VBS -- that is why I look a little rough. No need to get dolled up if you are gonna get nasty right after! Brant is going to spend the day with his Nana -- Brandon's Mom. Don't be jealous mom, you get a week at the beach with him before you know it!

Having fun with all my presents!

Toy Box Wanted

Do we need a toy box or what? This is what I return to at night after bedtime has come and gone. Let me tell you, finding an efficient way to organize these has yet to hit me. Since Brant's birthday party, he has wanted to open a new toy each day. We have only opened three...although that's not the looks of it from this picture.

Most of his old toys are put away because he has no desire to pay attention to them anymore. So, these are only his new toys, yet I have less room than I did before. I am beginning to realize that the older he gets, the more parts will be included in one toy! Gone are the days of a two second pick up of the living room.

I took a video tonight of Brant...the last night before he is one! I can't wait to show it to him when he gets older. I was going to post it, but Google wouldn't let me upload it right now. I will try again later.

Here are some other photos, mostly for my mom, that I took today:

He loves his new car seat!

Well, the Braves game is about to start and its also bath time. Maybe the Braves will pull out a win for me against the ole' Twins. What do you say Dad? And hopefully I will pull out a win tonight in my card game against Brandon. We have started playing cards...so far we've played two world series and we are tied. Wish me luck.

Till next time...