So cute...

Braydon absolutely LOVES his bed! So much so that he enjoys bringing toys to his bed, and will then play in there; sometimes for up to an hour, and will do this several times throughout the day.

Anyway, his room suddenly fell quiet, so when I went in to check on him, this is what I found...

Braydon - 2 1/2 years old

Trick or treating 2010

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Braydon as an art medium

My old H.S. will be on ESPN tonight!

GEHS preps for national close-up on ESPN

Hail - Oct 5th, 2010

As You Wish - 29 months

I took Braydon to Desert Ridge this a.m. for the sole purpose of getting out of the house, to play, and be creative with hands and mind. After sharing a muffin, playing in the water, and walking all over Desert Ridge, Braydon and I finally went into the pottery store to paint.

It didn't open til 11, so Braydon decided to window shop before we actually got to paint. During his brief time of window shopping, he immediately spotted a car and decided that was the one for him. After choosing the car (from outside the store), he (quite adamantly) announced that the car would be painted green.

Once inside, he did paint the car(2 shades of) green... then black... and then mustard yellow. He was very decisive with his paint colors and was very focused on the task at hand. Once he finished the car, he chose to paint a cross for me. For that, he chose the colors lavender and blue! Very mommy appropriate, I think :)

I can't wait to show pictures of both, once they've gone through the kiln and are nice and glossy! Today was a fun day, indeed!

PS Braydon's finally on the potty training wagon! We have moments where he just wants his diaper, and others he wants big boy pants and the potty. I'm not going to force it, but at least we're making BIG progress!

Pictures from Beth

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Wordless Wednesday

Potty Training...

I tried a handful of months back to potty train Braydon. His little body wasn't fully ready then, so I stopped, and resolved to try again in the near future.

Well, Braydon is now totally capable of doing it, but he absolutely refuses to try. I've tried bribing him to just sit on the potty with the reward of praises, hugs/kisses/snuggles, cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, etc., and none of those entice him enough to even sit, sans diaper, on the potty. He loves his diaper and tells me he's still a baby.

He's outgrowing his size 6 diaper and we now have wet pants quite often these days, simply because he's becoming too big for the biggest diaper. I've tried putting him in training pants, and he doesn't mind even a tiny bit that he's wet.

His new best friend is potty trained, so I hope he'll want to be a big kid like her, and want to go on the potty. I'm not sure what to do or how to get Braydon motivated to start training again.

Any suggestions?

Albuquerque, NM July 2010

Last week we went to ABQ to visit "Mimi" (Ty's mom) and we all thoroughly enjoyed the fabulous weather, wonderful company, and delicious food (made by Mimi). Braydon had a blast, and we enjoyed relaxing and visiting. Here are some pics from our trip. The first few are from a couple of months ago of Uncle Trask and Braydon (one of Ty's brothers) and the last few are of Braydon playing in the rain shortly after we returned home from ABQ!

The password is switz if one is necessary

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Go back to ASU or not go back... nope, not going back :(

Last weekend I was given the wonderful surprise of finding out that ASU re-reviewed my FASFA and awarded me with two Grants (as well as two loans, that I didn't need or want). So, of course I accepted the grants, told a few people of my good news, and started the process of becoming an ASU student once again.

Fast forward to this morning, and my good news became sad:( ASU drastically cut the grant funding (less than half of what I was offered and accepted), then applied stipulations to one of the grants, that I cannot possibly commit to at this time in my life. I'm so bummed and disappointed. All I want is to return to school and complete my final semester. This is definitely a blow to my attitude for the day... maybe week or two.

I'm trying really hard to remind myself that if returning to school was meant to happen, then it would! My wonderful, younger cousin reminded me this morning that "Maybe God knows something you don't, and is steering you away from this one, as to be ready for the next."

So, as of now, I'm not college bound... yet.

Bath time fun!

Braydon - 26 months

My Stella&Dot Pick Of The Week...

... it's the perfect summery accessory!
Click here --> Beth Switzenberg - Stella & Dot Stylist

Father's Day Gift Gone Wrong...

Babe, if you don't want to ruin the surprise, don't read any further. But if you want a good laugh, I honestly don't mind if you ruin the surprise.

Today I had the brilliant idea to take Braydon to As You Wish to paint a bowl for Tyson for part of his Father's Day gift. Tyson has a bowl of cereal almost every night before bed, so I thought this would be a cute gift to give...
as of 11:15 today, I discovered my cute gift turned into an ugly $20 bowl that is worthy of mockery and teasing! I wish I had the idea to use his College colors BEFORE starting the bowl... sadly, I did not.

Instead, I let Braydon pick two colors and I chose the other two. What we came up w/is red, blue, green, and black... what is that about!?! Braydon was pitching fits almost the entire time we were there, helped for about 10 minutes, and began to scream "ALL DONE, ALL DONE, ALL DONE" time and time again. I tried to finish it myself... to make it look somewhat cute, and instead made it that much worse. Finally, I resigned from painting and decided to finish the bowl off with Braydon's hand-print.

Of course he wasn't willing to participate, so I had to bribe him with a cookie in order to achieve the hand-print. So, once I promised him a cookie, we did a quick/messy hand-print, and I paid $20 for an ugly @$$ bowl.

I'm exhausted, frustrated, and so bummed the experience wasn't a pleasant one for us both. I'm also pissed at the employees for not helping out even a little bit, but maybe some of my disappointment due to the outcome of the bowl is tainting my attitude towards them a little bit.

Anyway, the thought and love were there... the looks, however, are not... sorry Babe!

Harkins Summer Movie Fun

This morning Braydon and I went to our very first movie together. We're doing Harkins Summer Movie Fun, where babes/kids of all ages, pay next to nothing to watch reruns of somewhat older, family friendly movies. Today's was Shrek the Third, and though Braydon was very unsure of the dark, massive theater, he decided to give it a try when a bus load of 6 year olds walked in. During the entire movie, Braydon sat on the edge of his seat, and any noise he made blended in nicely with the noise the other little ones made. I loved it. We have 8 more weeks (every Tuesday at 9:45am) of this and I'm hoping by the end of the Summer Movie Fun, Braydon will be ready to join his daddy and me for the newer kiddie movies.

Such a great day!

PS Braydon even volunteered 3 kisses (to me) during the movie!!!

Mommy and her snuggle bug!

Potty Training Diaries

I'm already throwing in the towel -- for now. ML, you were an amazing support to me today, but these last few hours have absolutely stressed me to the max (as well as Bray - he's a bit freaked out and totally clingy) and I'm realizing that Braydon just isn't ready yet. I tried to push, and instead he held his pee pee as best he could while sitting on the potty, and would then unleash and release all over the place.

For a while, I thought we were making progress (because he DID successfully time and time again go on the potty, however time and time again, he'd pee, not realize he's peed, and was happy to sit urine drenched big boy pants. Not only did this win/lose happen ALL DAY LONG, he also begged to take off his big boy pants. He yanked at them, screamed, maybe go pee a little in his big boy chair, and as soon as he was out of the bathroom, he'd wet his pants and anything around him :(

I'm so disappointed, but my mommy gut is telling me to back off and try again in a couple of months. Physically, he's pretty much there. But he's just not mentally. I guess I need to let it go and try when I feel and believe it'll be a smoother transition.

I'm upset, frustrated, and pretty disappointed. Braydon's THRILLED to be back in his diaper (which why wouldn't he, it's all he's known for 2 years), and I need a drink or two to unwind from a stressful, mind-numbing day.

Potty-Training Diary

Tomorrow (Tuesday morning), Braydon and I will embark on the voyage of potty training. I've read, and re-read my potty training book, I have my game plan memorized, all necessary tools/drinks/treats/etc. out and ready to be used, and I'm in the "zone". I know it may very well be an arduous day tomorrow, but I'm confident Braydon is ready and can do this, and I'm in the right, patient mindset, and know we are on the path to being diaper free!

Wish us luck!

Playing in the water on Mother's Day!

I STILL cannot believe he's 2 years old!!!

Stella & Dot

Hi All,

I just wanted to share with you that I'm now a Stella & Dot stylist. I absolutely love this jewelry, and I cannot wait to begin sharing it with any and everyone!

If you're not familiar with Stella & Dot, I guarantee you've seen their pieces in magazines and TV shows. Stella & Dot uses quality sterling silver, precious metals, semi-precious gemstones, and quality crystal in ALL of their pieces, and again, I just LOVE this brand.

Please, let me know if you're interested in some of the pieces, hosting a trunk-show, or have questions about becoming a stylist as well. Also, feel free to check out the line at www.stelladot.com/bethswitz

Happy 2nd Birthday, Braydon!!!

Today, at 7:26am, our baby turned 2 years old! We truly cannot believe how fast time has passed us by!

We are just so proud of him and love him far beyond what any words can adequately express! Today (as well as this past Saturday) we celebrate all that is Braydon and the miracle he is!!!

We celebrate his wonderful manners, his great sense of humor, his love of dancing after dinner, his current obsession with all things cars, trucks, and trains. We celebrate his "boy-ness", his stubbornness, the way he loves to snuggle when watching one of his favorite "shows" or movie. We also celebrate the way he smiles; the way his entire face lights up, his 2 different laughs, his independent side, his needy side. We celebrate the fact that Braydon's picky phase is coming to a close (2 months of not eating any type of meat, or much else for that matter). We celebrate his love of his friends, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and us (of course). We celebrate his friendly disposition and the fact that Braydon feels absolutely compelled to say "hi" to every single person we pass by.

I could go on and on and on with EVERYTHING we adore, treasure, cherish, and celebrate about Braydon! We love him endlessly and are the two happiest parents, and are prouder than proud of our now 2 years old little boy!

Happy Birthday, Braydon!!!

We celebrated with family this past Saturday, and I've put together a little slide-show from that day. I've kept out all pictures of Braydon with his cousins (which most are that), since my blog is pretty much open for all to see.

Enjoy!
PS - ignore the accompanying music - it's what came with the slide-show.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Braydon enjoying an early b-day present :)

Braydon's definitely in "choo-choo" heaven :)

Sorry for the blurry screen. Took this with my cellphone.

Dearest Merry Lynn,

Thank you so much for sending me/us the potty-training book AND the M&Ms. Time and time again, you've gone above and beyond for me and my little family, and even though there are a diaper-load of miles between us, I still cherish our friendship!

I'm SO GRATEFUL to have you as my "go-to" mommy, and savor all advice/tips you literally send my way!!!

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We love you ML! These hearts are for you ;)

Braydon channels Evil Knievel

This morning as I began to pick up the living room, Braydon asked to watch more "shows". I immediately tell him he's watched enough TV and that he needs to go and play. He reluctantly accepts it, and toddles down the hallway and goes into his/guest bathroom - something he does 20+ times a day. Braydon truly enjoys playing in the bathtub with his bath toys, sans water. Also, that's where his potty chair is and he genuinely enjoys visiting it throughout the day.

Anyway, as I listen to him walk into the bathroom, I hear what I think are the familiar sounds of him climbing into the tub. About 10-20 seconds after I tell him to go and play, I hear a loud BOOM! CRASH! SMASH! SCRAPE! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I run to the bathroom to find Braydon pinned to the ground and surrounded by broken glass (and other common bathroom whatnots).

Apparently, Braydon pulled down the standing shelving/cabinet unit above/behind the toilet. Stupid us, for never thinking to mount it to the wall. Leave it to our little Evil Knievel to yank it down and unveil our unforeseen negligence.

Luckily, and THANK THE LORD ALL MIGHTY, Braydon was totally unharmed!!! As scary as the situation appeared to be, I pulled him away without a single scratch, cut, or bruise. I, however, managed to gather a few glass shards in my hands -- but better me than my precious little man!!!

The only visible damage to the house is a small portion of the wall has a few scrapes and two small gashes. But after a little patch-job and a coat of paint, no one will be none-the-wiser of today's ordeal.

There were four casualties from today's crash, though. The first being a potted plant that has been alive for at least 15 years. It was on top of the unit, and though the ceramic vase survived, the plant itself did not. The second was a can of air freshener, the third was the unit itself, and fourth and most importantly was a jar of M&Ms.

The M&Ms are Braydon's reward for when he tries/goes on the potty. Braydon was devastated once he learned he wasn't allowed eat the glass laden M&Ms. And I think the Great Crash of April 21, 2010 was a direct result of our Evil Knievel's attempt to retrieve said M&Ms.

Today, I went to Walmart to buy replacement M&Ms, but they are now stored in a PLASTIC container, in the kitchen, where Evil Knievel absolutely cannot even attempt to retrieve them.

The lesson learned today? To NEVER assume a little TODDLER boy is doing what you think he's doing AND to BOLT EVERYTHING to the wall.

Braydon + Matchbox Cars = Happy Boy

It AMAZES me how much of a "boy" Braydon has become! He used to play with just about anything, but as of lately, he's grown quite picky in regards to his toys.

No longer does he like the baby-ish cars, the ones he used to cherish. He now LOVES his Matchbox cars, his huge Hummer truck (that comes w/all sorts of annoying sounds), and his new dicast Charger Police Car.

Earlier today I took Braydon to Target to pick out some toys with the Easter money his Mimi sent him. I had no idea Braydon would be SO enamoured by the toy car aisle. He DID NOT want to venture down any other aisle. Apparently Braydon had his eye on the prize and that ended up being Cars -- lots and lots of cars.

Anyway, he wanted almost every single thing there. At first he tried to convince me he needed this large crotch-rocket motorcycle that has all the same annoying sounds as his Hummer, but I refuse to encourage any and all things motorcycle. Next he wanted a firetruck, then a PT Cruiser, then a dicast Mustang, then a dicast Porsche. Finally after a few meltdowns, he decided on a 5-pack of Matchbox Cars, and the dicast Charger police car. He left Target one satisfied little boy, held his Matchbox Cars the entire ride home, and once home and inside, he cradled them like a baby, kissed the package, and then handed it off to me so I could open it. He tried to carry his police car, but the box was nearly as big as he is, so he settled on the little cars.

Anyway, my 23 month old baby has turned into a boy, and I have no idea where the time has gone. He's just growing up too darn fast.

Happy Anniverary!

Today is Tyson and my 7th anniversary! We've been together for nine years, married for seven, and this past nearly decade has been the best years of my life! I'm so grateful to have him as my hubby and I so look forward to our future!

Happy Anniversary, my love!!! I love you so very very very very much!!!

I'm computer-stupid!

Not only did I manage to lose our video of Braydon's very first Easter egg hunt, I also lost video from the earthquake that we felt.

Braydon was able to find 6 Easter eggs, each filled with a Matchbox Car (which he's still obsessively playing with 3 hours later) and the video is GONE. In addition to that, about 20 seconds after we felt the earthquake, Tyson grabbed the camera to film our pool going crazy and water totally splashing over the rim. I lost our footage of that AND the footage of Tyson talking to our neighbors (behind us) about the tremors we'd just experienced.

I have NO IDEA what happened. I plugged the camera up to the PC using the USB port. The 4 videos showed up in the automated video thing that popped up and then suddenly I got a message error saying something about defective system hardware, and then the videos vanished. To make matters worse, the videos were also totally erased from the SD Card. I didn't push a single button. All just totally vanished :(

I'm so disappointed!!! I cannot believe I lost precious video of my son, proof of his first earthquake (in AZ), and I didn't take a single picture today. I have zero documentation of today!!!!

I'm struggling with this 3rd anniversary...

... I don't know exactly why, but I'm absolutely struggling with my grief of losing Quinn and Addison this year. This anniversary has hit me harder than it has the first two years.

It's not as if I don't always think of them, which I have and do since the day they left us. But now I'm actually wrestling with my grief over the questions with which I'll never receive answers.

I can't help but wander what they would look like. What their personalities would be. Would Quinn be a big boy like Braydon - would Addison be petite like her Mimi, or a chunk like I was as a baby/toddler? What color would their eyes be? What would their favorite foods, books, toys, shows, activities, friends, etc. be? What would they like or dislike? Or how would their laughs sound? How would they sound when they talked? Would they have "twin-language"? Would they be best friends or fight constantly?

These and so many other questions constantly roll around in my thoughts, and at times, it damn near paralyzes me. Of course I keep these thoughts/emotions at bay when Braydon's awake, but as soon as he goes down for his nap, they come flooding in and it just exhausts me. I don't know why I can't just let it go!!! I KNOW someday we will be reunited, but these questions, especially since the 3rd anniversary, overwhelm me.

I don't give an actual voice to these thoughts, because I honestly don't want to talk about it. Thankfully, once Tyson gets home from work, the thoughts/questions are put to rest til Braydon's next nap time. I welcome these breaks because when the questions are present, all of the emotions I don't like to feel almost always consume me for at least an hour.

I guess I'm just posting this in an attempt to vent, and to possibly put these thoughts to bed for good. I KNOW I'll never get my answers. Besides, if Quinn and Addison were here, Braydon wouldn't be and that thought alone is unbearable. He and Tyson are my world. Why I can't just focus on that, I just don't know. Perhaps I need to let myself feel the pain/grief again, release some super bottled up tears, and move forward til this grief sidelines me once again, which I know it will.

Sorry for this downer of a post. I just really needed to vent.

Wordless Wednesday...

Potty Training Practice

So, we've begun practicing our potty training. We're not pushing the subject yet, but if/when Braydon tells us he want to try to go "pee-pee" on the "pee-pee", we gladly oblige. Once, and only once, he was successful. All other times, we just sit there, and sit there, and sit there while reading books, until he tells us he's all done. Here are a few pictures from our latest potty practice.

Found these pics in an old email...

I don't remember ever seeing these pictures, but am so thankful to have found them in my old email account. I can't believe it's been nearly 2 years...

This one I've seen, but still had to add it in :)



Ty, Braydon, and Ty's gorgeous/fabulous sister Kearstin

A serious case of bedhead - 22 months

Braydon went pee-pee on the potty!!!

Now I realize we've got a long road ahead of us, potty training wise, but today Braydon went pee-pee on his potty for the very first time!!! I was super happy, praised him endlessly, which made him super happy, and I then gave him a reward of 3 m&m's for going pee-pee on the potty, which made him really really happy. Braydon's never had candy before so I'm hoping the m&m reward system thing is a real incentive for him.

Woohoo!!! I just love achieving these big firsts.

Braydon and his Grandpa Switz

Braydon Pics...

Wordless Wednesday

The things strangers say...

It rained again today, so I had to be a bit creative in what Braydon and I would do to stay busy and keep entertained all day. Since Braydon DID NOT want to play with ANY of his toys, we decided to go to PV mall this morning so he could run about and play til lunch time. PV mall is super kid friendly and Braydon completely wore himself out. After a quick lunch we headed home and he napped.

Well, after a 2 hour nap Braydon woke up in a monster of a bad mood and went on a tantrum tirade. Finally at 3:15 I decided to take him to the book store so he could play with the train table and perhaps read some books, too. While there, Braydon calmed down and played with the trains for almost an hour. After that, he was busy exploring the kiddie section, playing on the stage (for story hour) and just being a typical toddler boy. That's when some man stopped and asked me if Braydon had ADHD. The man said Braydon behaved just as a toddler with ADHD would. He then asked me if Braydon's pediatrician is concerned or if we are and if we've considered ADHD being a possibility. Finally he said that I should try giving my 20 month old some caffeine!!! I just kept my cool and asked, "Ummmm What!?!?" And then said caffeine acts like a depressent for kids with ADD/ADHD and that I should either give him some watered-down soda or coffee with a lot of milk. He said if it calms him down, then that's proof positive my son has ADHD.

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

Shortly after my encounter with this stranger, Braydon threw a monster $hitfit, and we left the bookstore. The fit was the result of me not allowing Braydon to hit a little girl at the train table or for not allowing him to steal one of the store's little train engines. Worthy of a fit...? I guess it was :)

Anyway, that was my Wednesday. Oh, the crazy things people feel at complete ease to say...

In a 5-minute time span...

Braydon pukes from drinking too much water, too fast. Once he pukes, he purposefully steps in it and begins to track it through the house (luckily, just on the tile). As I'm cleaning up the puke and clorexing where it landed, my dog decides to poop in the kitchen. Floppy (the dog) decided her paws are too delicate to touch water- drenched grounds, thus deciding the best place to poop is by the kitchen door. As I begin to pick up the poop, Braydon beats me to one turd and begins to squeeze it between his fingers and both hands. Immediately we wash hands, search for any remaining turds, and return to life as we know it... That is, until I find my son playing in puddle -- literally laying in it on his belly. The DAMN DOG peed on the tile AND the carpet in the office. Forget washing hands -- time for a bath -- a hose down.

DAMN DOG!!!

More Braydon Pix

Pix of Braydon (now 20 months)

Mommy and her little man :)

Getting acquianted with his new potty chair!

Watching TV and flipping the bird... quite the multitasker:)

He's actually saying, "CHEESE!!!" in this picture

Quinn Tyson & Addison Elizabeth

Today, we would have been celebrating your third birthday, but instead you've been three years gone. I don't have the words to express the pain we've felt, but because of your sacrifice, we're now full of joy. If not for you, we wouldn't have your baby brother, Braydon. If not for you, I doubt we'd know such a pure and raw sense of what is real and true in this life.

Because of you two, Daddy and I never take a single moment with Braydon for granted. Because of you, we have a deeper sense of what a parents' love is, how it feels, what it looks like, and how totally consuming it is. Because of you, we try to love as if there is no tomorrow.

Because of you and Braydon, we walk the path of broken, yet peace, love and joy-filled hearts.

Quinn and Addison, we love and miss you endlessly. Til we meet again, know that you are forever in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers.