No, I'm Not Pregnant

I know that I left everyone hanging, just assuming that I was pregnant. I'm not. At least, I don't think so. Kidding...not possible.
It does, however, look like we are going to be packing up our belongings and moving to Atlanta. I'm taking a job at the Chick-fil-A office and Adam is likely going to be in a job that is tied to Chick-fil-A. We are still a little fuzzy on the details.
We are so excited about moving to Atlanta...we think that it is the best decision for Team Brantley. For us, that is what is most important.
We certainly covet your prayers during this time of transition for us. It is going to be a crazy season. My training is extensive and will require us to be living in separate areas. Thankfully, Chick-fil-A is going to bend over backwards to make sure we have as much time together as possible during transition.
So, yeah...we would have never expected this...see Habakkuk 1:5 (Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told).
Again, we are so excited about this new season of our life. And not to mention during this craziness, we are going to become an aunt and uncle to little-baby-boy-Bagwell as well as gain an amazing sister-in-law in Lesley Sweat, as she becomes a Brantley. Again, the Lord is good and what an exciting season He has us in...

Hold Your Knickers...

Hold on tight folks. Our world is about to get turned upside down. We've got big news...

Separation Anxiety

It happens to all kids. All toddlers go through separation anxiety to some degree. I was sure that Harrison was never going to go through it because when he got to 15 months, he hadn't. Little did I know that I started him in pre-school at 17 months, that I was about to embark on crying during drop off for about 75% of the time for a full year. It was such a fun time for me...yeah right.
So, in my mind, I knew that Fisher was going to deal with separation anxiety, I just wasn't sure when. I know when...now. But what I wasn't prepared for...it isn't separation anxiety from me. It is from Harrison. I love it. I think it is adorable that he adores his brother in this way. Don't get me wrong...Fisher doesn't like to see me leave that much right now. But, he really misses Harrison. When he wakes up from a nap, he points at Harrison's room and says something that sounds like "hsss." Yep, sounds like a snake...but that is his version of Harrison. He wants to be with him at all times. He wants to play in Harrison's bed. And when we drop H off at school, Fisher all but, pouts the whole way home. I know there will be a day when they are tired of each other, but right now, I love it. For the most part, Harrison does too. He loves being the caring, older brother.
To answer your questions about the pictures...
Yes, they are in a cabinet. No, I did not put them there. Fisher was the first to get in the cabinet and then Harrison followed. Actually, the other night, they both got in and closed the doors and played together for about 10 minutes. Adam and I felt like we had a baby-sitter for 10 minutes and quickly counted our blessings for DSS not coming around to find us.
Yes, they are in the pack and play together. Fisher got in first and Harrison begged to get in. Yes, there is a tear in Fisher's eye. He may have been knighted by Harrison just before the picture. He is fine. What ensued was a delightful time of the kids not getting into anything but each other's eyes. It was glorious...like cabinet time mentioned above.

Fisher, January Recap

Well, this has been a big month for Fisher. He turned one. He started walking...though I must say he still prefers to crawl when trying to get somewhere fast...so he hasn't officially "taken off" as moms like to call it. It is funny that every now and then we'll look up and Fisher will just be walking around the corner. Or we will hear Harrison declare from the other room, "Mom...look...Fisher just walked across the room." So that is pretty big in toddler world.
Other than that...he becomes more and more attached to his blanket and call me a bad mom, but it is so darn cute that I can't seem to discourage it. In fact, I may encourage it. It is sort of like the finger sucking. I think it is cute. Homeboy is going to need some major orthodontics, but good lord...the sound that he makes on the monitor when he is sleeping is so sweet. Back to the blanket...in the rare case that it isn't in his crib (we leave it in there so he doesn't walk around with it), he carries it in his mouth like a mother cat carriers it's young ( I guess this is his attempt to not let us take it from him). All in all...he's a cute kid...just a big time firecracker.

Harrison, January Recap

First of all, Happy Birthday Papa! We are so thankful for you and the way that you love the boys. They are so blessed to have you in their lives!
So, this month has come and gone. I'm already writing 2013 on everything, but that is largely due to the nature of my job and I've been planning 2012 for a while now. Harrison has had a bout with hands, foot, mouth this month. Which, contrary to my belief, is not one of those diseases that you are immune to once you've had it once. A few people told me that and that is a bold-faced lie. This is the second year in a row that Harrison has contracted it. This is also the second year in a row that it has been misdiagnosed as step throat. And lastly, this is the second year in a row that I've told the pediatrician's office that he is a carrier for strep and will always test positive. I'm crossing my fingers that we don't continue this trend in 2013.
Here's an update:
Harrison is hilarious...I don't think he is particularly funnier than other kids his age, but the content and imagination of what he says is just so darn funny.
Harrison is the best big brother. I think multiple times a day how thankful I am that Harrison is the older brother. Sometimes, I'm annoyed by the tattle-tailing, but on the flip side, I'm so thankful that he keeps Fish in line. He does love him well (except for the time last Sunday that Fisher took a sword to the center of his head and I almost rushed him to the ER. Good news: we are all still alive and the brain damage doesn't seem to be overt at this time).
Harrison has also started playing with a sweet boy down the street. His name is Cooper and he has two younger sisters. He loves being able to play and teach Harrison soccer, which is so much fun to watch.
And lastly, Harrison is pumped about our upcoming Disney trip. Every night before he goes to bed, he reminds me that he is nervous that we are going to forget to take his Mickey (stuffed animal from Billy and Amanda) to Disney. He is right. I probably will forget.

Opinionated, but look at him...really

I told Harrison this morning that he needed to wear a sweater to church because it was cold. For some reason, he thought that meant he had to wear a tie too. Or, he just really wanted to. Even though he wanted to wear the tie on the outside of his sweater, I was still impressed with his fashion sense. And just like most guys, he was messing with it before the end of the first song. And it was completely off before we returned to the car. Favorite part of church today: the pastor read the gospel which was the passage from Mark that included, "come, follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men." After Harrison heard it, he leaned over and whispered to me, "Mom, we named Fisher because of what he just said." He was exactly right...I was shocked that he remembered that, or even ever absorbed that. Unbelievable. And before you freak out in the picture...Harrison is sitting on a booster seat that is built into our fancy-schmancy Volvo. He's safe...relatively.

Why Haven't I Been Taking Pictures?

It occurred to me when I snapped the above pictures that I haven't been taking pictures of Fisher since he started crawling. This kid moves around like crazy and getting him to sit still is just impossible...unless he is in his high chair...hence the above pictures. I'm going to try a little harder. I have a good break in work after next week, so all my blog followers, if you are out there, prepare to get overloaded. Oh and speaking of overload...I just booked our family's first Disney trip. I actually loathed the idea of going to Disney, but now that I've booked it and told Harrison we are going for his birthday, I'm beyond excited.