We officially have a teenager!

BRADON

13 YEARS OLD

It's crazy to think how fast time flies & how our first born is all ready a little man! Of course that day he was born was one we'll never forget! Let me try to recall exactly how that day occured....

As I wake up in the guest room (due to tossing & turning & moaning & groaning all night), I wonder "Did I actually wet the bed? Ooohh, that's gross!" About 10 min. later..."Humm, wonder if my water broke. No, can't be....I still have 4 weeks left. I have things to do, I'm not ready yet. Oooohhh gross, I wet the bed! Maybe I should call the dr. just in case. No Doug, go ahead & go to work because it CAN'T BE!" (denial is obvious here!) After calling the dr. who told me to get the the ER, I then proceed to call my dear friend, Chautel, who was then my manager. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hey Tel, I'll be late, my Dr. insists I go the the emergency room for a check. It shouldn't take too long, will be there in a couple hours I'm thinking"

Chautel: "WHAT, NO YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE HAVING A BABY TODAY!"

Me: "Oh no I'm not, I'm not ready. Plus I have a lot of work to finish up before I go on maternity leave. I just CAN'T be having a baby today!

Chautel: "Just get to the hospital, don't forget your bag, we'll get the work done, don't worry!"

Me: "No really...I HAVE to finish up these claims, I'll be there in a bit!"

Well, you get the jist. Denial, denial, denial. Soon I was at the hospital being informed I am, in fact, am having my baby today. Guess I should call Doug who's now at work. Other good friend, Connie, was soon to rescue, to keep me company. Poor thing had to bear with me all day...God bless her! Of course she swears this is why she never wants to go through pregnancy either! Because I wasn't dilated, they started my labor & that made for an awfully long day. It started @ 7 am & @ 4 pm I was still @ a 1. And because I was extremely sick from the potassium, I couldn't even keep ice chips down. Just not fun. But, we all know all worth the result! My dear sister, Colleen, spent most of the day there as well. Her & Connie kept my spirits up, keeping me laughing. Doug was a nervous wreck; but, did well in massaging my feet & whatever else I needed. Into the night, more of the family showed up. The waiting room was full. My cute sister, Jen, & her friends were all there playing Phase 10 in the lobby for hours. It was also the night of our Lamaze class, which we obviously missed. The teacher came upstairs to say hi from the class. Finally by around 7-8 I was starting to dilate a little more. Seriously was ready for the epidural! But, they wouldn't do it until I was at least a 4. Hello...I was in pain here! :} And then a few more hours later, I went from 4-10 in no time. 3 pushes later, there he was. The whitest haired baby I've ever seen! And of course the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. For 4 weeks early, he was still good size! He did need some oxygen; but, not for long. Whew...what a long day! And of course, bringing him home was scary..you are NEVER REALLY READY! Doug so kindly offered to take the first diaper change. He learned very fast why you keep little boys covered. And they can also mess on the changing table if you take to long too! :} We didn't even have a bassinet yet, so we got creative & made a little bed with a pillow & blankets in a VCR box. That's kind of funny now! I hope he'll forgive us for making him sleep in a box. It was either that or the dresser drawer I took out (which I think I thought of from the Seinfield episode :}).

So, here we are....13 years later. We've watched him develop his sweet personality & appreciate the relationships in his life from an early age. He really does care a lot about his family and friends. He is very driven in achieving his goals. Like with football, he takes the training very seriously. And now with the basketball. He loves to learn all the statistics & know his sports trivia. He gets the fact he has to work hard if he wants to be good. These are just a few of the things that make us proud to call him our son! Now let's just hope he stays that way & doesn't give us ANY grief! Ha Ha :}

So, for his birthday, he just wanted to hang out & have a sports day with his buds (of course!). That made for easy party planning. The only problem we had was that our rusty old basketball hoop managed to break the day before (though he had no idea we had a new one just waiting for him on his birthday). They played some football, their own version of street baseball & then some basketball once we go the hoop up. They certainly got their exercise! And I'm sure they had a great time!

Dylan & Toby say "Happy Birthday Bradon!"

"Awesome!!"

Once again our awesome neighbors, Paul & Dan, came to the rescue in helping us get the hoop up quickly.

Drew being his silly self...he loves to talk BYU smack to us. Apparently he keeps forgetting who actually went to the Sugar Bowl (though we like to remind him)

Kaley wants to play too!

Daddy right in there with the boys (well, he is a kid at heart himself)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADON...WE LOVE YOU!!