I'm Back!

Where does the time go? Honestly, it's been since September since I've written on here, and I have no excuse. I have been busy...school and family. I've been trying to cut down on my time spent at school once the kids are gone, and I've done pretty good. Thanks to my dad, I have a motivation. I meet him at the gym around 4 which motivates me to get out of school! It's a win-win situation. (Now, if I can just keep it up!)

We're getting ready for Christmas around here. I LOVE this time of year, and I especially love to read books to the boys at night by our Christmas tree. It's been a special time when we (Daddy, Max, Myles, and me) talk about Christmas, Santa, Jesus, and happenings around our house. It's been great. I brought home some Christmas books from school, and we have all enjoyed reading them.

I'm looking forward to spending 2 weeks with my precious boys (Sean won't be here every day, but some!). Our life has been too hectic, and it's nice to slow down a bit. I'm secretly hoping it will snow and be too cold to get out of the house. Then we can stay inside TOGETHER! :)

BATMAN!

Lala took Max, Myles, Molly, and Libby to see Batman at the zoo a few weeks ago. As you can imagine, Max and Myles were very excited. They had me pin their Batman capes to their shirts. (The capes really go to pajamas, but they told me the shirts need them.) They even wore their Batman shoes. By the looks of Batman, I think I would have enjoyed going too. He looks pretty H-O-T, but I guess we would expect it. Afterall, he is Batman!

Batman gave autographs. Each time Myles has worn his Batman shirt since, he takes his autograph off of the bulletin board in his room and takes it with him.

First Day in the Blue Room

When I got the boys up for their first day of school, Myles told me he was excited. As soon as he was dressed, he ran downstairs to get his new Batman backpack. He had really wanted one, and I found one the night before. Max was excited about his Spiderman backpack, but not as much. :) Anyway, when I held up the camera to take their picture, they both turned around to show their backpacks.

It was also my first day back at school for in-services, so Daddy had to take them to school. They had a great first day as well as many more good days since. I know they like going to school---it's the waking up too early that they don't like. Like mother, like sons.

Melora and Doug, the Royals and Sluggerrrrrr

Last Friday Sean got a call from his sister, Melora, who told him she and her fiance Doug were on their was to KC. We were excited! On the drive here from Tulsa, Doug called a friend from work to get Royals tickets. Although it was last minute, our seats were awesome!! We loved them, and it was Max and Myles first visit to The K. Our highlight was seeing Slugger.

Max and Myles both saw Slugger throwing out hotdogs from the seats up above. Myles kept hoping he would come down by us and kept looking around for him. I never thought he'd come close enough, but he did! Melora, the boys, and I walked over a few sections to meet up with him. We all loved it!


It was a perfect night with cool weather. We even had waiters and waitresses take our order and bring us food and drinks. Too bad the boys in blue could not finish the night off with a win.

5th of July

All of the Bramble clan came to our house for the 5th of July. Sean had spent the day smoking ribs, so it was a great excuse to get everyone together. As you can see, the boys love Uncle Doug. And obviously, he loves them a lot to let them crawl all over him. (They were all watching a Thomas train go around the track.)
Our space is limited at the McDaniel house, so the kids loved having a picnic on the floor. The weather was perfect and there were no flies or ants!! :)
Sean wanted me to take a picture of his ribs. They were delicious, and we all appreciated the many hours he spent fixing them. Don't you wish you could taste one now?

Fun with Chris

About a month ago, Myles, Max and I went WAAAAAAAAAY out to Raymore to visit Tasha, one of my good friends and former teaching partners, and her son Chris. At the time Tasha was very pregnant so we went to play at their house. For lunch we went to one of the nicest McDonald's in Belton where the boys all loved playing with a basketball game. They had a ball playing together! Tasha and I enjoyed visiting and even had the privilege to sample the new Angus burger before it was in the other McDonald's. I never knew you could taste-test at Mickey D's!

I absolutely love looking at the 3 boys together. Tash was with me through the entire time Sean and I tried to conceive, and she was one of my biggest supporters. I was also teaching with her when she met and married her husband as well as the birth of Chris. Last year Tasha began a new job at another Catholic school. I miss her terribly, but we'll always be great friends.

Papa's Mowing Buddies

One afternoon I left Max and Myles in the care of Papa Denny, and this is how they looked when I arrived to pick them up. Look closely, and you will see Max is wearing KU and Myles is wearing Nebraska. (Papa's two favorite teams.) Although the boys seem to get a little confused about Jayhawks, Huskers and Wildcats, there is no doubt they know that the Wildcats are the BEST. They are the only option of the three for college, unless Papa is footing the bill. :)


Max and Myles love to trim Papa's bushes with their scissors. About a year ago I worried about their fine motor and the fact that they could not cut with scissors at all. I no longer have worries. It's one of Myles' favorite things to do. Watch out. He's willing to trim any bushes!


This picture warms my heart. Myles and Max want so badly to be like their Papas and Daddy.

July 6, 2005

As I was driving in the van today, I realized it was 4 years ago today I began my extended stay visit at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. It seems like yesterday.

The day is vivid in my head, and I am sure it's one I won't soon forget. I had spent the morning cleaning up the house, and now it seems as though my subconscious knew something was coming...

My mom met us at our doctor's appointment. They had told me at the previous appointment that they would measure and use an even more detailed sonogram to check out the babies. Since I knew it was something my mom had not experienced, I asked her to meet us at the office. (Here's something crazy---I remember I had taken some ant killer with me to give to her. I ended up leaving it in the car which I am sure ended up getting thrown away!)

The doctor had done all the measuring. Baby A (aka Max) was 13 oz. and Baby B (aka Myles) was 12 oz. They were measuring just where they would be expected to measure. He then told me he had to measure my cervix since it was something they always did for mothers with twins, and especially mothers with twins conceived through IVF. That's when he saw the opening and sent me upstairs immediately.

The strong emotions are with me today just like they were 4 years ago. There was nothing I would not have done for those babies, and there is nothing I won't do for the sweet, adorable twin boys we have today.

I'm so thankful for technology, doctors, nurses, medicine, and prayers. God had His plan every step of the way. I'm so very, very blessed.

By the way, I'd like to say a special "thank you" to all of you who visited, sent cards, called and prayed for us. I'm so grateful. I don't know what I would have done without you---especially Sean and my family.

A Serious Post

Tonight Sean got a call from one of his childhood friends. His son, Jack, passed away on Sunday. Unfortunately we have had a feeling we would get this call because Jack was born with trisome 13. It's unheard of to have a baby survive with this condition, but Jack has lived 9 years.

I honestly believe things happen for a reason, and I believe God put Jack into our lives to show us the true miracle of life. Although he could not see, hear or communicate, Jack taught us about the miracle of life and God's creation.

Sean and I have both witnessed the amazing dedication and love Greg and Kendra had for their son. They spoke openly about his condition, and their love for Jack is endless. We have witnessed their unending care and attention to their son with whom they could never communicate the way I do with my sons. I've always admired them.

It's impossible for me to even think about the pain they are experiencing. My heart breaks knowing the heartache they are enduring.

Sean and I both talked about how blessed and lucky we are to have our boys. I can hardly wait for them to wake up in the morning so I can hug and kiss them.

I hope you stop to take time to realize the beauty of life, especially if you have children.

Jack will be missed, but we know he is with Jesus.

Two Little Firemen

Last Sunday a fire truck pulled in the parking lot just as we were getting out of our van. The boys loved watching them park it in the lot. We walked over to get a closer look and the nice (and cute!) firemen let Max and Myles get in it. Myles told them he wants to be a fireman when he grows up, so they put him in the driver's seat. Max sat in the passenger's seat with the headset. Both boys were in awe and said very little. After reading and looking at so many fire trucks, they loved being up close. Daddy took the boys to the fire station last spring, but I can tell they would love to go again!

Mowing at Lala's House

I'm serious when I say Max and Myles love to help Papa mow. This is Max on his way to help. He "dressed" himself and rode all the way with this on. Priceless!
After the trimming, mowing, edging and blowing were complete, Molly, Libby and the boys ran through the sprinklers. They all had a ball!! I just wish you could hear them laughing and screaming. It was just as much fun watching!

Murphy

One day last week, I went in to the boys' room to find this darling picture. (And, yes, they still sleep in their cribs. Why ruin a good thing when they love them so much?) Anyway, this is Murphy. GJ bought these dolls for Max and Myles' 2nd birthday. The only request I had for them was a "soft" BOY doll. They are hard to find, and GJ got this off the Internet. They are precious dolls that I have given as gifts because I know how hard it is to find them. Boys need dolls too. They teach compassion and empathy! (BTY, Max's doll's name is Marshall. We could not break the "M" theme.)

Mohawks!

Fun with GJ and Papa

One of the boys' favorite things to do is mow with Papa. They always ask him if he is going to mow when we see him. Last Saturday, Papa dug around the trees in his yard and added mulch around them. We were able to watch and help him with one of the trees. The boys loved the shovels and wheelbarrow. Luckily, Papa was the only one who got dirty.

GJ pitched the ball to the boys when we were finished. They love to hit it, and she did great pitching it. Our fun in the backyard ended when we saw big bumblebees flying around under the deck. Papa ended up finding a nest, so we headed inside to take a bath in GJ's big tub. They loved it!

Sprinklers at Lala's

Last week we went to Lala's house for dinner. Papa brought her new sprinklers which the boys could not wait to run through. Since we did not have swimming suits, I stripped the boys to their big boy underwear. They had so much fun running through the sprinklers; I can still hear them laughing.

Lala told me we looked WT, and I reminded her they were her WT sprinklers. Luckily, we were in the backyard!

Haircuts at Jack's Barber Shop with Jay

Last Friday, I took Max and Myles to Jack's Barber Shop. Our friends own it, and we have wanted Jay to cut their hair for a while. Unfortunately the first time we went, we waited over an hour. The boys were afraid and we left without a haircut. This time was a success, and Jay did a great job cutting it! They both loved getting a sucker and a toy truck when they were finished. (As you can see neither wanted to stand still for long...it's getting harder and harder!)