We are just waiting.

I feel like the nesting is finally complete. School was out this last week and we have been sleeping in and trying to rest up. We are ready for Baby Smith to come! The question is where is he? With my official due date being May 31 and knowing the Brawner's are not super early people, we will just have to wait and see. If I never see my sewing machine again or a paint brush, I might be okay. Jason is a little jittery and really probably more ready for Smith to get here than myself. Jackson and Mollie Jane love his room. Mollie Jane is obsessed with his mobile and that she will share her old crib with him. I catch Jackson in there laying on Smith's day bed with all his webkins just hanging out. Jackson asks every morning if Baby Smith is going to come today. I just keep telling him it is up to God and God knows when he is coming. So Jackson just wants to pray a lot more. Me too! We are just glad we are prepared for the big man and hopefully when he arrives (whenever that is) there will be no more project or severe nesting at the Brawner house. Just lots of holding Baby Smith. Poor kid I hope he is ready for our crazy life and a fun filled summer. I hope he gets here soon because I am running out of "Tums" and just the other day I had one woman ask me if I was diabetic (seriously, am I that big) and another woman who has twins herself asked me if I was carrying twins. I am definitely feeling chubby and the last two days we have gone to the pool and I am officially sunburned. I just kept telling myself I always feel thinner when I am tan but I am not feeling thinner just sunburned! Way to go Al!

Jackson is offically a first grader!

I cannot believe Jackson is done with Kindergarten. We had his Kindergarten graduation today and they wore a cap and gown and marched in. It was priceless. Of course Jackson was all business during the ceremony and stuck his neck out trying to keep his cap on. We could not have asked for a better kindergarten year or better teachers. His teacher was crying and could hardly talk because she is going to miss the kids so much. It was like a flashback to when I taught kindergarten. It seemed like just yesterday I was teaching my own kindergarten students and now my child is actually done with kindergarten. Time is flying by way too fast. Jackson got the determination award. Which Jason and I think is code for the "Mr. Anal" award. He is so funny. He also got the handwriting award. Seriously? Jason's handwriting is illegible and I got extremely bad marks on my student teaching evaluation for second graders on my handwriting. We honestly look at each other and are not sure whose child he really is. His teacher talked about how determined and precise Jackson was and when he wants to achieve something he just sets his mind on it and works hard to accomplish it. Jackson's best friend Madie came with her sister Jenna and Natalie. Jason's Mom Sue-Sue even made it for the big event. I know Jackson will do great at all day first grade next year. He loves school and thrives at school with his "all business" personality. I am just so thankful for lunches with He and Mollie Jane every day this year, a class full of sweet kids who all come from good homes, body rests, his teachers who love him and love the Lord and just having Jackson around. I guess I will have to teach Mollie Jane how to make my my body rest spritzer next year of sprite and pomegranate since Jackson has officially graduated to the first grade.
Jackson's synopsis of what he has learned in Kindergarten this year!

Jackson's Kindergarten class picture

A Happy Mother's Day

I woke up to this awesome Mother's Day card. I love that I am the "chubbiest one" on the end in purple with Baby Smith in my tummy! Priceless!

We had a great Mother's Day. It kind of went on all week last week. Jackson had a Mother's Day Tea at school last week. He wrote me a poem with illustrations and presented me with a handmade flower pot. Mollie Jane also had a tea at her school and made me a candle and was more into the buffet line with the cakes and cheeses for her tea than her gift for me. Jason and I celebrated by going out to our favorite Mexican food restraunt in Branson Friday night and just relaxing. We had a great day Sunday lunch at our club and then came home and worked our "biscuits off" trying to finish Baby Smith's room and it is still not quite done (AHHH) but we're getting closer. We also celebrated Sunday night in typical Brawner style a dual celebration of Mother's Day and completion of Mollie Jane's potty training with donuts in the loft. We did the first phase of our potty training in December and that was very successfull so for Mother's Day we think we completed phase #2 (literally-HAHAHA) of potty training for Mollie Jane. That was about the best present I could get. So we enjoyed a low social schedule for the weekend which is usually not been our style the last several weekends! So all in all it was lovely.

Jackson's Career Change

Jackson with the one of the best pilots in the whole world a Thunderbird!

Jason and Jackson had an awesome day at the Air Show in Branson. Branson opened a new airport and they brought in all kinds of military aircraft and shows. Jackson and Jason got their picture taken with Patty Wagstaff (the Amelia Earhart of today). Jackson got to see the Thunderbirds and we had pumped him up that these were the best pilots in the world. He was so thrilled to meet one of the best pilots in the whole world and has always said he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He knows Daddy was a pilot. I always give Jason a hard time and tell him he's not really a pilot anymore because he doesn't fly much. But Jason insists that he is still a pilot and just a notch or two below these guys (HAHAHA). We talked to Jackson about how brave these Air Force pilots were, how hard they have to work and how much they studied in school and college to be the best pilots, how they eat super healthy foods (Jackson thought they probably don't eat a lot of donuts) and they get lots of sleep for their bodies. What a great teachable moment I thought. These guys are it for him. Then Jackson (our overly cautious first born) decided after seeing all their stunts, flying backwards, and how noisy the planes were that he just wants to be a soldier that helps people like Daddy when he grows up and be the kind that doesn't carry a gun (which chaplains don't do). Another fun filled day for the Brawners and possibly a big day for Jackson in that he has decided to once again change his career path at the age of six. After seeing that the best pilots in the world were daredevils, he has reassessed. I guess he still has a few years to develop his daredevil personality but Jason and I won't hold our breath. Just goes to show me that no matter what kinds of studly role models we introduce him to and teach him about, Daddy takes the cake. I in many ways can't argue with him there even if many days I want to ring Daddy's neck. Daddy is the best.

A Silver Dollar City Day

Both kids had the day off of school on Friday. I was so excited to go to our favorite theme park Silver Dollar City down in Branson. I knew I was feeling big but I stopped counting all my big pregnant comments after 4 people asked me if I was going to deliver yesterday in the park. Most of them were shocked to know I had 5 more weeks. Can't wait to see their faces if they see me back again in a few weeks bigger than I was yesterday! One of the workers even said if I did deliver in the park he would be sure to hook Baby Smith up with a lifetime SDC pass. I think I'll pass! I hope to go back at least one more time before Baby Smith comes but we'll see. I was pretty wiped when we left. I have been there hundreds of times (literally) but had never quite noticed they had that many hills. Jackson was so sweet. All day, without me ever asking, he helped me push the stroller. Sweet Mollie Jane never complained either when I asked her to walk the majority of the park. We saw a couple of the shows for the "International World Festival" and the kids were mesmerized and I was thrilled to sit in AC for 45 minutes. We ate our way through the park and rode tons of rides. Jackson who used to ride most of the roller coasters there has recently become scared of them and no amount of bribing from Mom could get him back on any of them. Of course I guess even if Jackson had agreed to ride a roller coaster he would have been by himself because Mollie Jane and I definitely couldn't have rode with him. So we stuck to the kiddie rides and I even found myself wedging my chubby biscuits on several of the rides. Glad no one could get a photo of that. We shut the park down at 6 that night. We then spent the night at the lake condo. Jason stayed in Springfield and worked late and was trying to finish up Baby Smith's nursery. Jackson and I had a sleepover with all 13 of his webkins. I woke up to Jackson covering me with one of his "woobies" saying "Mommy I am covering up you and Baby Smith." Mollie Jane slept in the extra bedroom in the queen bed all by herself and did awesome. This was the first time she slept in another bed besides her new big girl bunk bed with a rail. I was a little concerned but when Jackson and I woke up at 9am I went to check on her and she was just relaxing with all her stuffed animals and books. We'll see if we make it back again before Baby Smith comes but if not we sure had a blast.

Date Night

Jason and Mollie Jane have done a few date nights and Mollie Jane talks about them constantly. One day when Mollie Jane was talking about it Jackson said "I want to take a date with Daddy too." I took this opportunity to give my son a teachable moment and explain that officially a date is between a boy and a girl. We then decided that we should each go out for a date and then all meet up as a family for ice cream. So we did just that. Jackson had been talking about it for weeks and was so excited. He and I planned what we were doing but kept it a secret from Jason and Mollie Jane. While Mollie Jane and Jason also kept theirs a secret and then we told each other what we did when we met up at TCBY for ice cream. Jackson and I grabbed a quick dinner and then went to see a 3D movie "Monsters vs Aliens." He asked all day long from the time we got up that Wednesday when we were going. He got all dressed up in a sweater vest (probably cauz I Mollie Jane dressed up and he saw that). He wanted to bring three of his webkins (stuffed animals) to the movie. He even buckled them in the back seat with him and buckled one up front with me. We munched on popcorn and had a blast wearing our 3D glasses. Jason took Mollie Jane to get her nails painted and then they went to a dinner and a games place called "Incredible Pizza." Mollie Jane had a blast and Jason said she loved being pampered and held so still for her manicure. I guess she was all smiles about the ultraviolet drying light. We had our favorite TCBY ice cream and Mollie Jane kept looking at her nails and Jackson (just like his Dad does) was quoting all the funny movie lines from the movie we had just seen. They are both growing up so fast. I hope I have several more sweet dates with my son where he wants to bring his webkins along. Jason hopes for many more dates with Mollie Jane where she just smiles ear to ear no matter where he takes her. It was an awesome night!

A great day at the Zoo

We went on Mollie Jane's first official field trip with her class to the zoo. I took Jackson out of his half day kindergarten so he could enjoy the fun. It was a great day after a very chilly week in Missouri. We saw a lion who looked like he had a mohawk, the giraffes with nasty tongues that Jackson thought looked more like fish than tongues, Henry the hippo, some proud peacocks, Elephants (but no babies as Mollie Jane pointed out) and many other stinky creatures. The highlight was riding the train with Mollie Jane's very best friend Caden. He is the sweetest little boy and he is the only one in Mollie Jane's whole class whom she speaks about besides her two teachers. Mollie Jane and Caden are the two who love snack time and all the sweets at the class parties. She has ten girls in her class and two boys but she prefers the boys and her favorite is sweet Caden. We hope that doesn't mean she will grow up to be boy crazy but instead that she is just loves boys cauz she loves her brother. It was a really great day and made me sad for next year when Jackson will be in all day first grade. We are trying to really take advantage of this limited precious time we have left with him. I ask him constantly what in the world are Mollie Jane and I going to do when he is in first grade next year for 6 or 7 hours. His usual response is something funny like "Oh Mommy, I think that's too long, I'll just try being gone about 5 hours."

Mollie Jane is now offically a big girl!

I am such a big girl now! I look at this picture of Mollie Jane in her crib and I feel like I really don't remember her ever being this small! Where has the past two and a half years gone? It has been a little "project crazy" around the Brawner house. The latest big project was moving Mollie Jane into her big girl bed. After weeks of sewing the bedding we finally got some bunk beds and because "the price was right" it consisted of Big Fat Al sanding them and spray painting them white. Really a ton of work but turned out great and Mollie Jane is so excited. Jackson was actually just as excited. He has slept on the top bunk the last several nights. I have always had the rule for my kids that they share everything so they don't necessarily think something is specifically theirs's. Jackson seems to think that he and Mollie Jane are now sharing a room. I think the excitement will wear off after a while but for now they are loving the new bunk beds. Mollie Jane is so thrilled to be sleeping with her "Bubba." Jackson has moved all of his webkins and stuffed animals to the top bunk and he started moving a bunch of toys from his room into her room until I put a halt to that. Jackson wanted to know why the room was so pink and thinks it is a little "girly." When I laid Mollie Jane down for her nap the last two days she says "where is my bubba?" She has done great and knows she doesn't get out of her bed and is constantly telling me "Mommy, you can't get out of your bed." So for now we are having sleepful nights and just one more room (Baby Smith's) to get ready and organize!

Easter

We had a great Easter and weekend. We went to an Easter Egg Hunt and party at our club on Saturday. Mollie Jane loved the Easter bunny and it took me several pictures to finally get a shot of her looking at the camera and not staring at the Easter Bunny and patting him. Mollie Jane is our sweet eater and was in heaven when she saw all the eggs on the golf course and was running around screaming "candy." Sunday morning we woke up to our Easter Baskets, a great breakfast of cinnabons, our Easter Egg Hunt in our family room, a wonderful church service, and then a great brunch at the club. It was a great weekend.

Harper is so sad and so is her Aunt Alison

Look how sad Harper was about her Aunt Alison leaving!

I had such a great time visiting my niece in Washington DC. She is such a good little sleeper which is why I felt like I was on vacation because I was able to get such great sleep. I told her she takes after her Aunt Alison. Jason has always joked me that my spiritual gift is sleeping. I laid her on my big fat tummy and she slept like a champ. It was so funny because a couple of times when I did that I could feel Baby Smith moving around like a madman. My sister and I decided the cousins were bonding. My sister and I did some fun shopping (thanks to Mom) and Harper came along like a champ in her Bijourn and pumpkin seat. My sister and I love to shop and we thought we might as well instill in Harper the love of shopping at an early age.
I drew Harper a picture of some shapes and she loves looking at them and several times we caught her "cooing" to her shapes. Once again, I am crazy prejudice being her only Aunt but she is so alert and loves looking and listening. At four weeks old she loved books! My sister is doing an amazing job and seems so aware that the newborn stage while really intense just flies by. I wish Harper could stay little forever. I told Harper I will have to "beat her biscuits" if she comes down to Springfield for the Fourth of July and she's grown too much. It was so fun and relaxing and while I was so pumped to get home I soon realized my restful and relaxing vacation was over.