Precious Murals

This weekend, my cousin Jennifer came over to paint a mural on Brayden's wall in his room. We decided on contemporary/abstract art to go with the rest of the house and as you can see, it came out really cute!

I decided to do his room in an "Allstar" theme so I'll have other pieces in the room that highlight other sports, but wanted a football for the mural. Jenny is incredibly talented and I wish her all the best with her new business!!

"Precious Murals"

It's funny because my baby shower was an Allstar theme as well. Below you'll see my baby shower cake. Even while he was in my tummy, I had a funny feeling Brayden would have an affinity for sports. lol. Sure enough, he shows lots of interest in football, basketball and soccer!

* ... and even if he didn't, I knew he would always be my little Allstar. :)

Love it!

That "Hawk"

Brayden is home from the summer in Austin and that means time for new school clothes and a fresh haircut! Yes, he still goes to daycare, but for him, it's school nonetheless. :)

His Dad and I decided to try a "Mohawk" out on him for a while and I must say, it came out really cute! He keeps walking up to random people, pointing at his head and saying, "I have a Mohawk"! lol.

Here are some pictures from his first days back to school.

Cousins, Cousins, and MORE Cousins

Hudspeth Family Reunion

In Austin, Texas, July 22 - July 25, 2010 we had our first family reunion on Brayden's Great- Grandmother, Lois Henderson Hightower's side (my mother's mother). My Grandma Lois passed away in 1982, but she had 5 children. My uncle's VT (Victor Thomas), Elroy Sr, Buford, Leslie and my mother Johnnie. There were close to 125 people in attendance (with around 35 children!) and when I tell you we all had a great time, you better believe it. :)

More than anything, we are proud to have started an annual tradition that will allow us to stay connected for years and years to come. The idea of family staying close-knit is especially important to us and will always be a part of Brayden.

Enjoy the pics!

Fireworks!

This year our family went to watch fireworks at a church in Plano. After watching the show, we let Brayden and JJ pop firecrackers we bought at a shop just outside the city.

In the "Kid Pack", there were lots of familiar firecrackers i.e. sparklers, blackjacks, etc, but there were some that we didn't quite know what they would do once lit. In a couple of the pics, you'll see Mom pulling the little ones to safety as we watched one of the firecrackers spin and pop a little higher and louder than we thought they would. lol.

Brayden's favorite were the sparklers. He would wave them around and ask for more once they fizzled out. Lots of fun on this fourth!

Daddy on Repeat

Lately, Brayden has been saying some REALLY funny things and it just so happens he gets these little sayings from his Daddy ...

"Don't Say My Name Mommy"

Story: When we're having playtime, it's time for bed, or it's time to leave someplace he's not ready to, I call Brayden's name several times and he responds by saying, "Don't say my name Mommy". This usually gets him in trouble, but he eventually comes on with different types of persuasion.

Explanation: I was telling his Dad that Brayden now tells me not to call his name when it's time to go and Brandon says, "oh that's my bad". I'm like "WHAT"! He says that when Brayden is saying "Daddy, DADDY, DADDYYYY"! He tells him, "Brayden, don't say my name again".

See that's not even my baby's fault. LOL!! :)

"Don't Do Me Like That"

Story: One night, I told Brayden it was time to go to bed and he gave me the standard "5 more minutes Mommy", so I let him have it. When 5 minutes was up, I came to get him out of his playroom and said, "It's time for bed baby", then he looked at me with those sad, puppy dog eyes and says, "Don't do me like that Mommy." I asked with a chuckle, "Say that again"?. He said, "Mommy, don't do me like that. I'm not sleepy yet". I FELL out laughing ... yep, that bought him about 10 more minutes.

Explanation: Nights when Brayden is giving his Dad a hard time about going to bed, Brandon says, "Brayden, it's late and we have to get up early in the morning, don't do me like that. It's time for BED"!

Their minds are like little sponges!!

Daddy on repeat INDEED ... :)

Brayden the Barber

Check out Brayden cuttin' Papa Earl's hair. Not that he has a whole lot, but Brayden really felt like he was doin' somethin'. lol

I apologize for the positioning of the video, but it was just too cute not to post ... :)

Memorial Day 2010

For close to 20 years, the Sunday before Memorial Day we have a big BBQ at my Mom's house where family and friends come over to grub, play some cards and dominoes, and have a good ol' time.

The kids always end up playing in the water, eating watermelon outside, and riding in the kiddie cars all over the lawn.

Here are a couple pics from the day. Jordyn, Jordin, Brayden, JJ, and Ariel came this year and they all had a great time. Hopefully, we're creating wonderful memories for the kiddos!