Love Like Crazy

When I first heard this song I knew that it was a beautiful song & I instantly loved it but the other day when I was driving home from my last day of work it came on & even though I already knew every word to the song I think it might have been the first time that I have actually listened & felt what the words meant.  Here are the words & even reading them I get goosebumps; do you??

They called him crazy when they started out

Said seventeen's too young to know what loves about

They've been together fifty-eight years now

That’s crazy

He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week

He bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street

Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed

Yeah that’s crazy

Just ask him how he did it; he'll say pull up a seat

It'll only take a minute, to tell you everything

Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you

Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy

They called him crazy when he quit his job

Said them home computers, boy they'll never take off

He sold his one man shop to Microsoft

They paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it

He'll tell you faith and sweat

And the heart of a faithful woman,

Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you

Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin knees get lazy

And love like crazy

Always treat your woman like a lady

Never get too old to call her baby

Never let your prayin knees get lazy

And love like crazy

They called him crazy when they started out

They've been together fifty-eight years now

Ain't that crazy?

I especially love the chorus & need to remember to apply those words of advise in my everyday life; Lance & I both could!!

12 Month Stats & Doings.........

We had Brayden's 1 year check up on the 19th & I think he is starting to HATE going to the doctor; I think I would if I were him as well!!  Don't get me wrong I love his pediatrician but this visit was pure torture for him; after we got him checked in & all the paperwork filled out for his file we had to go back to the lab for his finger prick test.  Once that was done it was back to the waiting room & then right when he seemed completely calmed down & started to play again it was back to the room for everything else.  He was very unsure of the nurse when she came in & kept reaching for Lance as I undressed him so that he could get weighed; he started crying really hard when I put him on the scale but was better when Lance grabbed him & then he was even better once the nurse left & it was just the 3 of us waiting for the doctor. Then the doctor came in & he was uneasy again not to mention the death grip he had on Lance; we finally got him to lay on the table & he cried again as the doctor did all the necessary looking, poking & prodding.  Finally hat was all done & Brayden was calm again & then it was the nurse again with his 3 shots............you would think there would be a better system for appointments that have all this going on.  He did really well with his shots; he f course did the no breathing cry like he always has but it was only for about a minute & then he was fine!!  We took him out to dinner for being such a good big boy & Lance had to have a beer for the very stressful experience!!

Brayden weights 22 lbs 3ozs. which is in the 25-50 percentile, is 30.5 inches tall which is in the 50-75 percentile & has a head circumference of 18 inches which in the 25th percentile.........he is long & lean just like his momma!! 

He is eating like a champ & loves just about anything I give him; he has been eating what we eat for a while now & although his favorites are sweet potatoes still (now we just cut them up after I have baked them so he can feed himself) mac & cheese, chicken nuggets & spaghetti he also loves fish, grilled cheese & hot dogs too!  He prefers to feed himself over us feeding him but he hasn't quite figured out the spoon concept yet but is getting the hang of it slowly; fingers are what he uses the majority of the time & a bath is almost always necessary right after dinner!  We are currently using the Tommee Tippee bowls & mat with a suction cup on it for the bowls but he still manages to get the bowl un-suctioned at times so soon I think we are going to switch to Boon Catch bowls to see how well they suction to his high chair.

Brayden LOVES to look at books & love to have us read to him alot through out the day.  He will be playing & then just stop say "bac", get up & go grab a book & then com over sit in the lap of the desired reader & just clap, smile & squirm while the book is being read to him!

He has no fear what so ever; we went to the aquarium when my family was visiting & he climbed out into this bubble like it was nothing.  Other kids thought they were going to fall in the water but I guess B really hoped he would since he LOVES water so much!

He is talking like a crazy man; we can only make out some of the words but there are quite a few.  He says "uhh-ohhhhh", "bac" which is book, "mama", "dada", "ba" for ball, "na-na" which is no no (don't know where he learned that one), "a dan" for all done, "ma" for more, he will point his finger at what he wants & he will clap & say "yyaaaaa" for yeah, he waves & says both "hi" & "bye bye" as well & I am sure that there are more but my brain isn't working the best today!

He runs more than we walks now & has the best balance that I have ever seen; he loves to climb up on everything & once he manages to get his feet where he wants them he can stand up on whatever it is & not fall over that often.  I am not sure that this is a good thing but it is funny to see how tickled he gets with himself every time.

We are only giving him his pacifier at nap & night time & are soon going to work it out completely.  He still get a night-night bottle & that is because I am not ready to let go of our "special" time together yet but I am giving him less milk each night so I am thinking it will be gone for good by next week.  We don't rock him to sleep anymore so I am going to really miss that 5-10 minutes of rocking him while he would drink his bottle; I know that he has to grow up but it makes me sad that he is such a big boy already.  All we do for naps & night time is give him a kiss, tell him we love him very, very much & lay him down in his crib; he might play for a little bit but he puts himself to sleep when he is done & sleeps straight on threw until morning. 

He is such an unbelievably good boy & Lance & I love him more than we can ever put into words.  We feel so lucky & blessed that he loves us so much too; he gives the best hugs & the slimiest kisses in the world & he gives them to us often!  We love you Brayden Goodson & thank God for you every single day!!!

Football Season..........

Both college & NFL (pre-season has already begun) are right around the corner & The Goodson's are ready!!!!  Although Lance & I cheer for different NFL teams we both cheer for only ONE college team..........the Georgia Bulldogs!!  This is the first year for Brayden to enjoy it all & Lance is so ready to sit on the sofa with him & teach him all about it!!!!

GO DAWGS!!!!

Newest Member of Our Family........

Remember the big dog we got Brayden for his birthday??  Well we were shopping at Costco & B saw a bear that he liked so Lance went over, grabbed it & let him play with it while we shopped.............then he tried to take it away when we were about to check out!!  That didn't work out so meet Bear; he & Dog are the best of friends & B loves them both so much.  He makes sure that he gives them hugs & kisses all day everyday!

Bella has found a new friend in Dog as well!!

A New Winner..............CardioBunny!!!

I have not heard from the 1st winner that was randomly selected sooooooooooo here is the new winner!!!

CardioBunny said...

I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs

 
You have won the $25 GIft Certificate from Cuddles Kids Bedding Boutique; please email me within the next 48 hours.

Wordless Wednesday.........Family Style!!

When my family was here for B's 1st Birthday Bash we took some family photos since everyone doesn't get together all that often...........I am sad that Lance is missing because he was working but I am happy I finally have some more recent photos of my parents, sisters, nephews & Brayden all together!

90 Day Budget Boot Camp - Challenge #8 Update

Challenge #8

Make an extra meal and freeze it to use when you don't feel like cooking or are short on time. Do you think this added extra time or saved you time in your cooking? Benefits? Pros/Cons? Plus your experience and if you were successful or not. We'll also be discussing splitting bulk purchases into family-size portions for freezing.

When I delivered Brayden my family came to help for the first 2 weeks & while they were here helping they were preparing meals that could freeze & this was a tremendous help when they were gone & I had no time to cook!!  I always said that I was going to start doing that again so thanks to this challenge I am finally doing it.  This is not only going to help make sure that Brayden, Lance & I all get a home cooked meal but it is also going to help cut back on buying Brayden "filler" meals as I like to call them!

I consider the pre-made meals "filler" meals/food & although there is nothing wrong with them I just prefer that we eat home cooked meals even if that means defrosting one.  I feel so much better knowing what exactly is in what my family is eating; not to mention that fact that I have a picky eater for a husband so if he doesn't like what I am cooking that night I can simply & easily prepare something else for him to eat.

We had friends over for dinner last Friday night & I made spaghetti...........a ton of it!!  I always worry that I am not going to have enough to feed everyone so I always over do it a tad but I over did it alot this time but it was intentional.  I have frozen the meat sauce & am going to use it in the future to make lasagna which I will also make enough of to freeze!!  I also made Brayden blueberry pancakes this week for breakfast & made extra so that I could throw them in the freezer as well; just 45 seconds in the microwave & voila he gets a warm homemade breakfast!  I am loving the potential that this challenge has for my upcoming meal plans & I am also loving how by only doing this for a week & I saved time & reduced the needed items on my grocery list which in the grand scheme pf things is saving money & that is what this is all about right??

I am still tracking prices but so far no great decreases BUT my coupon collection is growing so hopefully the "huge" savings I have seen others be able to accomplish will soon be something I can brag about as well!!

Next Challenge...........

Challenge #9

Make something from scratch - bread, pita pockets, hot pockets? Laundry detergent? Cleaning products? Anything you often purchase. In the end, how much did the homemade version cost versus the price you typically pay? Was it worth it? Did it save you money? Where did you struggle with this challenge? What things do you think your family could make at home to save you money?

I Suck & I'm Sorry........

I am being a horrible blogger lately & I am very sorry about that.  B is getting 2 more bottom teeth in at the same time, I am stressed & not sleeping BUT am so tired (not really in the mood to get into this right now), I am almost done with work completely.   I still have 3 days left; not sure if I posted that was working Tuesday's & Thursday's until the end of August because I was sick a good portion of the time when I should have been training........this was a VERY STUPID move on my part!  I promise that I will get back on track very soon & I also promise to start playing catch up with everyone starting tomorrow morning..............

And the Winner Is........

Rupinder from Caste Politics In India

They said...

Girls have many different choices for what types of kids bedding they may want.

Please email me at goodsonfamilyjourney@yahoo.com within the next 48 hours or a new winner will be choosen!!

Last Day to Enter.......

Cuddles Kids Bedding Boutique $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Brayden's 1st Birthday - Random Pictures

This dog has been a big hit in the Goodson household; we thought that B would like it but ended up loving it & cuddles with it all the time!!

My very handsome nephews!!

My FAVORITE picture from the day!

I promise that I only have one more post regarding his birthday & it is just about the presents he received & loved.  Sorry to drag this out but I don't seem to have enough time all at once to get it all posted!

1st Birthday Party - Part Two

It all started with this invitation; it set the tone for Brayden's 1st Birthday party & was used to plan almost the entire party; a huge thank you to Karyn at Pixel Perfect Boutique!!

We actually bid on this jump house at a silent auction at Brayden's daycare; the silent auction purchase included the jump house, a snow cone machine & a game for the kids; all of these things were a huge hit at the party & I am so happy that we had them!!

 

Even with our bulldog decided to join in the fun!

The big polar bear in this photo is the snow cone machine & since it was a bazillion degrees that day the kids & adults both enjoyed the fact that we had it.  Kool Bounce was already bringing the jump house, game & snow cone machine so we also rented tents & tables from them for the afternoon. I wanted everyone to be able to sit, eat & watch the kids play so we needed to provide shade in order for that to happen; they came to the house & set everything up & then at the end of the day cleaned it all up as well. 

Here is my sis & my nephew.......I am so happy that they could make B's party!!  I wish I had a better picture of the banner behind them but this one is the best one.  I won a $25 Party Starters custom order gift certificate from Kim's Frost Me blog giveaway & used it to get this banner.  I sent Pam the invite & she used the pendent shapes for the banner since they matched the ones on the invite perfectly; she also made in the theme colors & used the Georgia Bulldog face as well & it turned out PERFECT!!

I didn't get a close up picture the day of the party but we hung Brayden's monthly pictures outside so everyone could see him as he grew.  I actually made these myself & thought that they turned out pretty well; all I did was use scrapbook paper in his party theme colors, glued them & then punched a hole in the top & bottom so that I could string them through with ribbon.  I tied the top to the inside of the tent & then used a balloon weight at the bottom so that they wouldn't fly around............not to bad right??  They are hanging in my craft closet now because I want to save them.

 

Lance was the grill master that day & I thank him very much for doing it since it was 105 degrees & there was barely a breeze.........he was sweating up a storm but cooked delicious cheeseburgers, hot dogs & chicken perfectly!!  We also served my moms famous potato salad & pasta salad, veggies & wheat thins (tomato basil) w/my yummy spinach dip, fruit, my mother in laws fabulous cheese & strawberry preserve spread, potato chips & baked beans..........YUMMY!!

Here is Brayden's Birthday cake we decided that we would make cupcakes for his party instead of an actual cake.  My dad was prepared to make him the smash cake that Christina featured in the Inspiration Boards I posted about here but we ran out of time that week so we did 3 large cupcakes with the pudding filling a bunch of small ones.  I say we made them but my dad really did do all of the work!!

Here the candy station (which was a hit with everyone); it was quite hard to find red, black & white candy but I think that it all turned out quite nice.  I ordered the White Chocolate Covered "B" & "1" Oreo Pops as well as the Chocolate Covered Oreo's that are surrounding the large cup cake from Sweetie's by Kim & also ordered the M&M's that you can have personalized in red, black & white.  We tried to make the dog bone sugar cookies but as you can see they didn't really turn out that great.........tasted great but looked nothing like dog bones!!  For the cupcake toppers & candy bar wrappers I went back to Pixel Perfect Boutique since she did such a great job on the invite & could match it with with these items too!!

I found these cute candy favor boxes at Michael's & put a thank you sticker that I ordered from Karyn at Pixel Perfect on them & loved the way they looked!

I tried very hard to get Brayden to wear this adorable hat but he just wouldn't; every time we would put it on

he would rip it right off.  It matched his birthday shirt though & that he had no problem wearing; I found these on Etsy as well; Sprinkles of Love.

 

The party was great & I think that Brayden really enjoyed everything; I know that he won't remember this party but I hope that when he gets older & looks at all the pictures that he sees that it was a fun time & we tried to make it as special as we possibly could!!

I did order the table center pieces featured the Inspiration Boards from Blume Box but ordered them late so they arrived a few days after the party...........they are sitting in my craft closet just waiting to be used at the couples baby shower we are throwing in October!!!!

Wordless Wednesday.........

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY HERE!!

90 Day Budget Boot Camp - Challenge #7 Update

Challenge #7

Start a grocery price book for the products you most often buy and gather standard prices for your most frequent purchase. Start tracking how low prices go. Discuss if this was time consuming. Do you feel that it's worth the time? Do you already track prices? Do products you buy go on sale often? Plus your experience and if you were successful or not.

At first I was confused about why I was doing this & how to actually do it but after looking at the samples Beth provided for us I understood better what I was doing & the goal is to track prices so that when the prices do hit rock bottom I can stock up on those items for the savings...........this is an AWESOME concept!!  I have started my price book in the form of a spreadsheet since I love to use them when at all possible & I actually keep all of our receipts so I was decided to start it from 2 weeks ago; from looking at the 3 weeks that I have on the spreadsheet I am not seeing much of a difference or a drop in price but am hopeful that it will be seen very soon.  I have to say that it was pretty time consuming at first but I guess that was just getting the spreadsheet set up so I am hoping now that I just have to plug in the numbers that it will be a breeze!

As suggested I also do take a notebook with me to the store so that I can get prices on the things that I am not buying that week but can still track their prices.  I am actually more excited about this challenge than any of the others for some reason; I am not sure if it because a spreadsheet is involved or if it is because I feel like I really can make a huge difference in our budget with this one...........in any case I am tracking prices with ever trip to the grocery store & will keep you all posted on when I find my 1st rock bottom price drop & purchase!!  Happy Savings Everyone :)

Next:

Challenge #8

Make an extra meal and freeze it to use when you don't feel like cooking or are short on time. Do you think this added extra time or saved you time in your cooking? Benefits? Pros/Cons? Plus your experience and if you were successful or not. We'll also be discussing splitting bulk purchases into family-size portions for freezing.

Our Monday........

was a disaster I all day I just wanted to crawl back into bed BUT it was still better to be home with our little guy than to be working :)

I think that Brayden is getting a tooth so he has been having belly issues & also waking up throughout the night; he has been putting himself back to sleep all on his own but not Sunday night.  He was screaming bloody murder at 3am so I went in to check on him & once I picked him up, changed him (the night before he peed right through his diaper so I thought I should change it so he can maybe sleep in later that morning) & then started rocking him he was quited down but seemed wide away so I rocked him for a while just to make sure he was alright.  I laid him back down & he went back to sleep around 4am; I had my alarm set so I could get up & get bunch of stuff done before he was up again but slept right through it (which I NEVER do) & therefore Lance got up late for work & the day was off to a horrible start!!

Lance got out the door & B & I were not too far behind.  We were off to bank, the grocery store & Costco & then home in time for lunch & nap.............or so I thought!!  I was driving down the road like always & when I turned to check on B he had something all over his face; I thought it was spit up or throw up but as I looked closer at him it was POOP!!  His diaper blew out & he was playing in it & apparently eating it too!  It was so gross but I couldn't pull over just yet so when I got to the bank I stopped the car got his diaper & clothes changed & cleaned him using a whole thing of wipes, I pulled the padding part of his car off since it too was covered in poop & then wiped the straps off & we were on our way again.  I was frazzled at this point but I was hell bent on getting our errands run.  Oh yeah & I did give him some juice to wash his mouth out with!!

We got to Kroger & I realized that I forgot his snack when he started to get really fussy so I had to buy & open some Cheerios's & gave him those to calm him down.  By the end of this I was done & just headed home; we did lunch & then laid him down for a nap a bit early since I could tell he was just exhausted.  I started another load of laundry & then jumped in the shower & started to relax & feel better but then about 45 minutes later he was up crying!  I thought he would put himself back to sleep but I was wrong; he only slept an hour so the rest of the day he was a tired mess.  He went down early last night & I just wanted to crash myself but it was Lance's 33rd Birthday so I wanted to make his birthday dinner as of Meatloaf & Loaded Mashed as requested.

We ate dinner & just laughed about the day & were in bed by 9pm; it was a crazy day but I was happy that at the end of it all I had my healthy little boy snoring & my another year older hubby right beside me & I felt like the luckiest woman on the face of the earth!!!

Brayden's 1st Birthday - Part One

I think that it is best if I break his birthday party up in to a few parts since I want to make sure I don't miss anything!  The party was amazing & I think that everyone had a wonderful time; Lance & I were completely exhausted by the end of the day but it was all worth it.

I was feeling overwhelmed during the planning process because I was still working full time & then trying to plan B's party plus take care of him & the pups & the hubby & on top of that getting the house finished before most everyone saw it for the 1st time not to mention getting ready for my family to arrive (they stayed with us for the week) was causing me a huge amount of anxiety so I did the best thing I could have ever done...........I had an Inspiration Board done for me for his party!!  I contacted Christina at Celebrations at Home via her blog & told her what we were looking for & she came up with this for us!!

She hit the nail on the head in every way shape & form; she picked out things that were just perfect for what we wanted & took the stress of finding it all away from me!  All I did was send her the invite that we had designed (from Pixel Perfect Boutique) & told her that I wanted to have it be a Georgia Bulldog party without going over board on the "G" & bulldog face & she found all of these wonderful ideas for me that made B's party special & unique in my opinion!  I didn't use all of the products pictured but did use quite a few & then from the board got ideas of my own.  I will for sure be using her in the future; Lance & I will be hosting a couples baby shower in October & think that she will make the planning process a breeze!

Here is a list of all of her resources:

Georgia flag: http://www.collegeflagsandbanners.com/georgia_bulldogs_garden_flag_24416_prd1.html

Georgia cake: http://bakemeacakecarly.blogspot.com/2010/02/georgia-bulldogs.html

Georgia plush bulldog: http://www.bulldogyard.com/Mini_Plush_Georgia_Bulldog_Mascot_p/huga-57401.htm

Gabled boxes: http://www.birthdayexpress.com/Red-and-Black-Striped-Empty-Favor-Boxes/57587/PartyItemDetail.aspx?REF=AFC-cecreator&AID=10645155&PID=3769842

Plush bulldog toy:  http://www.plushinarush.com/browseproducts/621---Wholesale-Stuffed-Animals---7--Plush-Bulldog.HTML

"Dog bone" cookies: http://crazycakecompany.blogspot.com/2009/01/gifted-snowmen.html

Striped straws: http://www.bakeitpretty.com/item_926/Red-White-Stripe-Paper-Party-Straws.htm

Blume box: http://www.ideasinblume.com/page/9/

Chocolate Dipped Oreos & Oreo Pops: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetiesbykim

Garland with small poms: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyPoms

Happy Birthday banner: http://www.etsy.com/listing/47399164/printable-birthday-banner-vintage

Here is a sneak peak into how much Brayden enjoyed his party too:

On yeah, don't forget to enter my giveaway here..........

I Have a Very Talented Sister In Law........

I am still trying to get all the photos from my dad's camera ready for Brayden's Birthday party post but thought that I would share some of the photos that Lance's sister took of Brayden the morning of his party in the mean time!  I think that they are amazing & that she has a great talent for photography!!

Thank you Aunt Cindy for capturing these moments for us!!

I ordered Brayden's Romper on Etsy & if I do say so myself he is adorable in it!!

Also, don't forget to ENTER TO WIN my giveaway!!