He's Walking!

Brice officially took his first steps today - 3 days after Brent's 32nd birthday. Brent's dad, Fulton, set it all up. We stood him up a few feet away from the coffee table and put his favorite toy - a car - on the table. He went right for it and took up to 6 steps to get to it on multiple tries. He's such a big boy and I'm so amazed at how much he's growing. I just want to hit "pause"! It's so true what they say - enjoy them when they're babies because it goes by in a flash! I can't believe I'm planning his birthday party already...snif. Here is a picture of him when he went with Brent to see the Falcons practice - talk about looking like a little boy!!!

Summa Time!

We've been so busy this summer with so many great activities - we made it to the Girodo reunion (and survived), up in Kentucky on Nolin Lake. It was really great! We've had season tickets to the Gwinnett Braves games and have gone to a lot of those which Brice LOVES. We've taken a trip up to Lake Burton with the boat and attempted to camp, but it was actually too chilly! We will be trying again next weekend. We definitely want to get a family camping trip in this summer. We are headed to the Trains, Trucks, and Tractors exhibit this Saturday and will definitely share pictures. I know Brice may be a bit too little to appreciate it, but I think he'll enjoy seeing the big pieces of equipment - all bright and shiny! I can't believe the summer is almost over - Brice is growing like a weed and is SOOOOO close to walking. Love to all!

The B's

Nappy Nap Nap

I had to share this great picture of Brice - I found him asleep like this one afternoon during his nap when I went in to check on him. I couldn't resist snapping a quick pic!

Happy Father's Day!

Brice took his first dip in the lake this weeked on Father's Day! We had a great weekend that started out on Saturday with my dad at the lake. We left there and sold my VW (thank goodness) to a nice lady who needs a family car. We got much more for it than we would have if we'd tried to trade it. I got a brand new, 2009 Nissan Rogue and I LOVE IT! It's a small SUV, but it drives like a car, has awesome storage, and gets GREAT gas mileage. Anywho - on Saturday night Fulton and Kathy came over to celebrate father's day with us. We grilled steaks and ate like kings. On Sunday, Brent went on a jeep ride for his usual Starbucks run and then watched a movie down in the basement while Brice and I played (and napped) upstairs. Then, I got to have a few hours to myself to shop and get a pedicure, while the guys had bonding time! We went to get ice cream and then ended the day with "dinner and dateline" - like old times! Brent had a great first Father's Day - I don't tell the fathers in my life how much I love and appreciate them, so this Fathers Day I made it a point to do so. Love to all!

Beach Trip!

The Stone fam took their very first trip to the beach and it was very memorable. We flew to Tampa so dad could also do some work on the trip and Brice was a little fussy on the way down. Once he got settled down, he slept curled up right in my lap and was a perfect angel. We rented a car once we arrived and took the hour long trip to Siesta Key, which is just outside Sarasota. We arrived at Siesta Royale apartments, a place Lauren had been to before and tag teamed Lauren, Brad, and Nick at unit 31. We quickly ate some lunch, unpacked and headed out to the pool with the boys. Nick and Brice swam together before the Staffords hit the road for home. The rest of th week, we enjoyed the beautiful beach --Brice loved the sand (not how it tasted, though) and the ocean. He was most interested in the birds. He became even more mobile during the trip and has fully mastered crawling forward, pulling himself up, and can even stand on his own (no hands, mom!). He was fabulous on the trip home and Brent and I really worked well as a team to make the trip a "no stress" one. We are so excited to see him growing so fast, but also want to hit "pause" and enjoy these moments - he'll be walking in no time! Now, time to babyproof the house.

More Firsts!

Brice is officially crawling (although backwards :)), can go from tummy to back to sitting, can pull up, and desperately wants to walk and get into EVERYTHING! I walked in this morning and he was standing up in his crib looking for me. It was sweet and cute, but scary at the same time - we need to lower the mattress! He is loving his new "big boy" carset and uses his infant carrier only in daddy's car. He'll be too big for that in no time. We are counting down the days until Florida - Siesta Key, here we come! My packing list is growing by the day and our adventures with flying with a baby should yield an interesting blog post....stand by.

Love,

B, B, and B!

Just a walk in the park....

Things have been so wonderful this spring - the birds are chirping, we've taken the boat out for a few spins, Brice now has TWO teeth, and we've officially finished the basement which will be great for Brice to run around in! We went to the park on Sunday to take some pictures - there's beautiful scenery there - but, of course, the rain came to spoil our parade. We made the best of it (but my hair didn't) and took some great pics anyway.

Firsts

Brice has his first tooth! He got it last week and boy did he let us know about it. He's definitely being a typical teething baby, and when we saw that first little tooth pop up, it seemed worth all the fussiness. He also went to his first baseball game at the Gwinnett Braves stadium. It was their first innagural season win against Durham! I've posted a pic from Easter! We had a great time and look forward to so many more "firsts" with Brice.

6 Months, Already!?

I can't believe Brice is already six months old. He's getting bigger by the day, and boy does he keep us on our toes! We had his six month doctors visit and he's 16 pounds, 14 ounces, 26&3/4 Inches long. He had to get three shots and his finger pricked! I hate those - I swear they hurt me more than they do him. But, he really was a trooper through it all. He had his six month photo shoot and did great. It will be very hard to pick which ones to purchase. We can't wait for the Spring! Love to all,

Brooke

Old Man Winter (hopefully the last cold snap)!

This weekend, we took a quick road trip to Macon for Alan and Meredith's couples shower. We didn't really know how important the timing was, with getting back before noon on Sunday! We barely missed the snow and I would've been a nervous nellie on the road with my precious son in the car in all that! We enjoyed the rest of the day cooped up inside, but took Brice out to see the snow falling in HUGE clumps! He didn't act too excited about it, but didn't seem scared either. He just kept an expression that seemed to say "what are we doing out here, I wanna go back inside, it's COLD!" Here is a cute picture of us. I hope everyone, wherever you are, got to experience at least one good snow this year. Now, BRING ON THE SPRING!!! I'm READY!!!

Sorry it's been so long!

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but between work and two sick boys, it's been busy!! Brice had a bit of a cold for a while, but was really a trooper through it all. We took him to the pediatrician, and he told us what I thought he might - it was just nasal congestion and we had to let it run its course. So, between the humidifier, saline nose spray and some TLC, he has survived. Brent, on the other hand, was another story. He finally shook what was a nasty cold - what I thought was pneumonia!

We of course have to celebrate the arrival of Brice's cousin, Nicholas William. He came into this world on Wednesday, February 11th after Lauren's awesome hard work. She had an amazing birthing experience and I'm so glad she let me witness some of it. I can't wait for the boys to really start interacting and playing, especially at the lake during the upcoming summers!

Brice has been thriving at Libby's - her daughter "Aunt Christy" has grown very fond of Brice and they seem to have a tight bond. It makes me feel great that he is in such great care while I'm at work. He has started on solids - his first were apples and rice cereal. They didn't really agree with his sensitive tummy, so we switched to multigrain cereal. I've been making my own organic baby food and freezing it which gives me great satisfaction knowing exactly what's going into my precious son's body. We're trying sweet potatoes and pears this week!

Brice goes back to the studio for his 6 month pictures on Saturday - can't wait to see how they turn out. I'll definitely share them with you on the blog when they come back.

Love to all!

Brooke, Brent, and Brice

Baptism

Brice was baptized Sunday January 18th. We are so proud to present him as a member of the church and feel a big responsibility of bringing him up in a Catholic, Christian home. We are so blessed to have Lauren and Brad as Brice's Godparents and couldn't ask for two better Catholics to help us in Brice's Christian journey - it's just a bonus they're family! ;) We had a great baptism service and had everyone over to the house for dinner and fellowship afterwards. It was a great time and we feel so much love around us during these important times. Grammy and Chris came over from Alabama and Greg, Lucy, and Lane stayed with us Saturday and Sunday nights - what a treat! Lane played a role in the service and she did an outstanding job! Love to All.

Welcome, 2009!

Well, 2009 is upon us and our future is bright. I've gone back to work full time, but my boss has agreed to let me work from home 2 days a week - I feel so lucky! I love my job and am looking forward to getting off to a running start. Brice started at Miss Libby's today - we dropped him off this morning and we survived. I cried a little, and am a little distracted at work, just thinking about how he's doing today. Libby already called and said he took a short nap, but then woke up and wouldn't take much of his bottle. He's been doing that lately - I think he just prefers mommy. I can't wait to pick him up this afternoon and cuddle, I miss him terribly!