PICTURES!

After nearly three years we have finally had our first family picture taken.  Granted, it was a Groupon and I was not 100% satisfied with the outcome.  A little back story before I show you  the most beautiful family ever. Gunner refused to take a nap, and both of them needed haircuts so..... of course they both fall asleep on the way to the studio and yes, they both had to wake up and cried for about 10mins because they did not want to have their picture taken.  Thanks to Macy's we walked about a batman and gabba gabba rack to lighten their mood.  So now I can reveal our very first Reynolds Family Portrait. lol

A whole year has gone by

I cannot believe that it is almost time for spring break 2013. I created this blog to record memories, emotions and obviously my opinion because that is the only one that really matters...but I am not doing so well at being consistent, am I?  I have been thinking about it (blogging) but every time I go to sit down, something comes up and I never come back.  It is a new year, and big things are going to happen.  School is already kicking my butt, but I am getting it. Justin and I are on the road to recovery, I pray.  And of course, I  have the most beautiful boys and family that is forever surrounding me.  Pretty much since before Gunner could even drink a sippy cup we have been traveling from place to place like a little Gypsy family and life in general has not been stable for us at all but, I am going to make this year what every little boy would want. His family, lots of toys and space to play in and lots of one or one time.  My big boy told me the other day that his " neck is growed so big up his neck", mind you, he is 2 and I literally cried and replayed " Yes, baby I know".  I feel like I have failed as a mother when it comes to him for the way that our lives have been lately but I look at him and think, he is only 2, and know that we have a wonderful future in store.  

Spring Break

I am about a week late on the post but that is what happen when you have no choice but to wake up Monday morning and go right back to work.  The past few Spring Breaks have been nice but never fully appreciate until now, while I am going to school full time.  Tuesday morning the boys and I made our way down to Deer Park to pick up my best friend Jessica and her son Kolby to enjoy a day at Frobergs Farms .

Last year was the first time that I had ever heard of it and Braxton loved it, so this year I gave it a try with the both of them.  We were suited up for some strawberry picking, considering that it had been raining a few days straight before we went I know that it would get a little messy.

My Spring Break Commitment

As most people know this has been a pretty rough year for me and the boys and on top of all of that mess I am in school full time.  This makes me feel like I have no time to do anything fun and exciting with my babies so this week I am taking a vow to do something awesome every day this weekend.  I will admit Monday was a little " lame" ( braxton's new favorite word) but we did do lots of adventuring and came across our newly adapted snail.  I feel like I haven't seen one in awhile so me and the boys were pretty mesmerized by it and its little journey amongst the leaves. After the snail finally started slowing down, we decided to take a little walk and that was day one.  Day two Strawberry Picking with our Best Friends. To Be Continued....

The End and The Beginning Wrapped Up In One

So this is it. I couldn't tell you how many times I have actaully said that to myself and always seem to change my mind. I use to tell myself if I just gave it time or change who I am that maybe we would have a chance. We were so young and so in love, everything about our lives for a short while was like a dream but with like all dream you wake up. What i was awaken to was a life unfamiliar....When did it become that way and why was I living this dream when clearly his had a different outcome? I go over and over it in my head, months and years of life that I did everything right, and I am not saying to make myself sound better it simply is the truth. When something like this happens to a person, they make excuse, and find reason for the others behavior and worse of all blame them self. I have found myself doing all of the above but underneath it all, these problem are his, these decision are his and I will no longer let his choices and lack of life effect our children and myself. This once fairy tale life I thought I had is know a big question mark, all the memorable moments are tainted with the thought of other women in the back of his mind. So many people will give you advice on what and what not to do but there is no right way, no right words. Even now I question my decision and action through out the past 6 months. I gave it everything I had and even more then I had, stayed for what it seem like an eternity and endure torture and pain I wish not even on the naive girl that believes that her and him actually have a chance at something real. As crazy as it sounds, I am thankful for all the events leading up to this. I feel like a child again, God has given me the strengths and understanding to realize that I have no control over this life. It is not mine but his, and what he has planned for the future for this Lil Reynolds Family is so much bigger and better then I could ever imagine. Just the thought of what I know will happen, it just gets better from here. I will complete school and be successful, my precious boys will be running around like normal learning and experiencing life better then before because nothing will hold us down any longer. I think the hardest part of all this is just erasing that dream, the plan I had from the beginning, but plans change and so do people. At this moment the idea of a relationship make me cringe, I have buried who I was and become something different. My mission for the New Years, found Vanessa. I will breathe the fresh air and enjoy everything life has to offer. And one day, sooner or later there will be that one person. I will be his world, his breathe.

I love this guy

I love that the other day, I wrote about Justin and now this.  Let me say one more time how amazing this guy is. So I have been wanting a DSLR forever and hell-o they are expensive, anyways I always talk about them to Justin and he really doesn't understand the difference between and point and shoot and a DSLR so he just listens to me talk and I pointed out one in the best buy Monday night while we were booking our Florida trip.  Justin goes to school Tuesday morning and when he arrived home I was all crazy chasing kids around and cleaning when Braxton comes out of my mom with a Nikon D3100 around his neck and says " Happy Mothers Day". I almost cried but I was to excited.  I know it isn't mothers day yet but in The Reynolds don't do very well with surprises but I was defiantly surprised.  I was just thinking about buying a cheap digital camera because mine is broke and my lover went and blew my mind.  I love this guy

My Dream Come True

I was cleaning the kitchen while listening to Pandora and a Rascal Flats song " I won't let you go" came on and I had to come to computer to put down these feelings. October 2004, I worked at this grocery store in Magnolia "Brookshire Bros" I hated the job but I was a senior in HS and had bills to pay.  I was doing my usual duties as a checker when this extremely attractive guys comes in and starts working as a stocker.  Little did I know then that this guy that I had a high school crush would become the biggest part of my life.  Justin and I got married shortly after in June of 2005.  Going through marriage as a teenager was probably the most difficult thing anyone can do, and living in Korea alone did not help.  When I look back at the 6 years that Justin and have been married, I wouldn't take any of it back because in this moment we are so perfect. Justin is the most hard-working, self-righteous man I've known in my life time.  It brings me to tears to think about the life we both have had to endure through the military and  life in general . I am so grateful that we have conquered all. When it comes to being a Father, he blows my mind. After slave driving for me around the house and getting off from and already stressful job, he gladly accept to take over the ninja duty with Braxton.  Coming from a household where I never experienced a man playing with his children let alone being concerned, I pray thanks to God every night for allowing me to share my life with him.  Most young girls have dreams about the perfect guy, the guy you describe as the perfect husband to your friends. Lucky me I I have found that guy, and he choose me.  Me, crazy, loud, overly-sensitive and shy to be his partner for a life time.  I am not sure what I did to deserve such an amazing life, I am not saying that my life is perfect but I am happy with all the imperfections and my dreamy husband. -Vanessa 

Soccer

I am a little late with this post, because I think we are on our fourth week in Soccer but wanted to be able to look back and remember this. Braxton has been obsessed with soccer for a while now, thanks to The Backyardigans and the Soccer Monster but I am glad he choose soccer as the first sport because the team just runs around regardless of directions the coach gives them. Braxton is still very hesitant to do ANYTHING without me or Justin standing next to him but when I am the one standing back and watching Justin run beside him and almost make me cry to think that in just a few short years this child that is so afraid to be without mommy or daddy won't even look back to make sure we haven't ran off. So I vowed to instead of getting so frustrated that I have to hold Gunner and chase the coach with all the kids so Braxton can warm, to just love that he even wants me to run beside him. It bring me to tears just thinking about it. I am totally fine with having the whiny kid because I don't want him to leave me ever...hah, I know he is only three but the time goes by so fast. Moving on from these emotions, I am almost positive Braxton is the best player on the team and I am not just saying that because he is my kid, it is so true.

Spring Break

Omg, I am so bad at updating especially since I can see the end of the tunnel with this semester. The boys keep me busy and we finally are starting to get somewhere with the backyard ( i will post some picture to follow). So the signs of summer are amongst us and you am so excited. I am especially white and have not been to the gym in two weeks but who cares last year at this time I was huge prego so I think I have made a bit of an improvement. Just a few weeks back we went on our first family vacation to San Antonio. Our first stop, The River Walk. I think this was my first time to go with a child in head so it was a little nerve racking because you have like 3 feet on sidewalk to share with the whole world so that sucks but once we got on the river boat and ate dinner we were done with all that.
Next up was the Alamo, which Braxton could really care a-less for but I always enjoy just standing there staring at it, I love history and to have something so beautiful in our sights with such a story, i could stay there forever. If I had more free time I would probably be one of those history nerds that do the reenactments, that would be bad ass, except that I am a women and they didn't do much fighting so I would have to dress as a man.

We were only in San Antonio for the night and the next morning was Sea World. It was Braxton's first time to go and I hadn't been probably since I was like 6 so I was just as excited. He was a little unsure of the Killer Whale, one because of his name and two because he loves Finding Nemo and the Whale in there eats Dorie, so that is what he says. During the show he was on top of Justin the whole time but after wards he was talking about the "whale killer" so I do believe he enjoy it. The day was filled with Sea Lion Shows, Penguins and THE SHARKS!!! It was packed because of Spring Break but beside that I loved it, and plans to go back very soon...especially since we bought fun passes, good till 01/12.

Updating

I am serious need of a update, so if the page looks like a mess come back in about a week or two. In till then forgive me.

Iheartfaces

This week we enter our little love into a photo contest on smile at , so go over and check it out.

The holidays have come to a close and I am surprised to say that I am glad that life is back to normal. I say normal but as normal as it will get in two weeks Justin and I will both be in school for the first time together and not to sure how I feel about this, I just pray that all goes well. Back to the holidays... Santa was good to us and our boys, well mainly Braxton but he is 3 and it's all worth it. His amazing Papal gifted him with his first big boy four wheeler and he is now forgot about his scooter and new bicycle he got for his birthday for the four wheeler. We have had about 4 Christmases and still missed one but we can make up for it next year.


So we have decided to start the New Year off with some home renovation,our fireplace. For starters it was super ugly and now its gone and we are rebuilding and which I am so happy about it. We have moved our t.v from one wall to over the fireplace and I love it. Let me say when I say we I really mean Justin because I usually just watch and give my opinion. It is a work in progress but love it already.

Adventures

Life has definitely been a little hectic since the little man and the big house but we finally got to take a little break and head up to Arkansas to see my beautiful grandma. The last time we were up there was last year and to head over my papal to heaven so we didn't enjoy our self to much, but this year Braxton, Memaw and Grandma had lots of fun running around outside. The moment we arrived Braxton wanted to go feed the chickens and go to the train tracks, he was in heaven, all the space in the world and not sure of which way to go. I am super glad my mother was there to chase him around because it wouldn't of been half as fun with my hauling Gunner around after Braxton, especially after my grandma told us about this rat she has in the pond. Well my mom saw this rat in the water and her and B were determined to catch and kill it so Braxton was on an adventure in the boat, long story short what they thought was a nutria rat was actually a beaver after they had shot and drag it to shore. I would say that this is a sad story because the beaver on Tigger and Pooh is super cute, this one was not. I actually was pretty freaked out by the sight and the thought that the thing was swimming around eating the tress and all the fish out of my poor grandma's pond....yuk! Braxton will proudly tell you that he hit it with a stick, GO B!






After the beaver was eliminated :) Our trip was back to normal, we rode around on my Papal ranger with all the boys of the house. Driving around and around the pond made me miss my papal so much and wish that Gunner were able to just spend a few days with him. Gosh, Braxton would of loved him so much and I know the feeling would of been mutual. The funny thing is Braxton last saw him when he was maybe 18 months but know who he is like he is still around because we all talk about him so much, he was a grump ol' man but he was the best one around. In the end we had a wonderful time and wish that my grandma didn't live so far away so we could escape to grandma's house when mommy's needs a little break.

We are up and running...finally

The last couple weeks have been more then crazy but i love it... we just got the internet yesterday so i will be updating for the past 2.5 weeks. Can't wait to relive the experience of my new boy and new home.

This post is about a week and half late but I wanted to share of day of fun with everyone. Because Justin works Saturday nights are day did not start intill 3 p.m as we made are way to Magnolia to spend some time with the family. This was definitly not Braxton first 4th of July but his first to experiance his own fireworks, so I was super excited. Justin let me go to the fireworks stand by myself so I get to pick out Braxton first...yay me...he told me not to go over-board and I did well. I left with Sparklers, Smoke Bombs, Little Tanks, and some Cone thing. Braxton was not feeling the Sparklers so much but he loved the Tanks and the Smoke





Later that night we headed over to the Freedom and Fireworks in Magnolia at the new Unity Park where we played in water, and had the best 4th of July snack ever " Watermelon". Braxton loved the fireworks and was pretty mad when they were all over but the hour and half drive home was a repeat as we watch everyines firework from Magnolia to Galveston.

Under Contract

So with all that is happening in the next month and a half..example new baby, lease is up, and then school, we have been looking around at different option for a new living space. The two bedrooms here at our apartments are super nice with a garage and all the bells and whistle but what can bet a house of your own. We have been on the hunt for quite some time, being that Justin works 12hr shift it is hard to do much of anything when he works but, have manage the time to find one that we always seem to go back to. Owning a home would be like living a whole new life, no worrying about how close I am going to get to park with all of these grocery or if Braxton is going to want to walk of the stairs or will his legs not be working. To say the least I was a little more anxious about finding a place then Justin but he sees payment and I see space. After many many hours of logging our expenses vs. pay and pros and cons of lease vs. rent, we decided to make an offer on this house. Of course they countered and Justin started working again so we waited and a week later made another offer and they accepted...SO we are officially under contract on what I hope to be our new home. It is a great starter home for us first time buyers and I am super excited about the boys being able to have their own rooms and a backyard all to themselves (once we replace the jungle with grass). Now if only I could finish school and really get the ball rolling on this love called Life.

32 Weeks

Summer is definitely here thinks to the beautiful Texas sunshine and I have a bad feeling these last 8 weeks are going to be the longest weeks of the Summer, but I am thankful that it will end in July and not September like Braxton Jace. School is out but we have taken on a project much bigger then bookwork like buying a house...if we find one and hopefully before the baby comes. Just imagining pack, moving and unpacking with a newborn is not my idea of a fun summer. The good news regardless of where we move Braxton birthday follows and we will actually have room to have people over...yay!

30 Weeks and Counting

I am now 30 weeks pregnant and man has it been a long journey. None the less we are so exciting and ready for this baby to make his appearance, but not before we come up with a name ( we seem to have a problem picking). Braxton felt his little brother move today and was a little shocked and then distracted by Diego so that is that. School is finally out and I have passed all my classes...GO ME! Now I will attempt to makes some baby objects with my spare time , I made a diaper last night and was super excited that it actually looked like a diaper it is a little small so I put it on Braxton boy baby that grandma gave him.