Heritage Days

Saturday we went to the Syracuse parade and fair. Kaylee liked it a lot more than she did last year. She liked waving at the floats and picking up candy. The kids next to us had to make a special effort not to pick up a few pieces so Kaylee could have some because she was a little slow.....she wouldn't go in the road unless she was holding someone's hand. We hung out with my cousin Sharelle, her husband Craig and their cute little boy Gavin and our good friends Kaylee, Roger, and their cute little girl Remy. My sisters Stacie and Mariah were also there because they are staying with us for about a week. It was a blast! It was difficult to do much as a group at the fair because of the 3 babies (and Kaylee). It's amazing how good snow cones taste when you're HOT!!! One of these pictures of Kaylee asleep on Nate's shoulders. They were at the car show.....no wonder she fell asleep! Boring!!!!!

Believe it or not...

You know, I used to try on my mom's shoes all the time when I was little. I thought that was a girl thing. But apparently Nate was obsessed with shoes when he was little too..... he used to try on his dad's shoes, and when he played soccer, he'd run down the field looking at his feet the whole way (this is according to his dad)! So nobody is ever surprised when this happens. And it's so cute!

They match!

Yes, they have matching clothes. Mostly dresses. I used to swear I would never dress my kids alike because I hated it so bad growing up...but how can one resist? Yesterday was the first time I dressed them alike in dresses my mom gave them. Kaylee noticed the matching dresses. She pointed at Brenna and said, "Pretty dress, too!" and "Bracelet too!" They weren't exactly cooperative for these pics, but c'mon, they're babies!

Busy mommy

Wow, I can't believe how much work it is to have 2 children. Today it took me 4 hours to fold the laundry because of interruptions such as; Brenna's feedings, Kaylee constantly needing her nose wiped, Kaylee crying because I won't let her spit in my water mug, Kaylee crying because when she lays down with her blanket it's too small to cover her feet, Kaylee crying because her play kitchen cupboard door won't stay shut, and Kaylee knocking over my piles while I'm feeding Brenna. Hmmm.....it seems as though there is a common element to most of my distractions....and yes, by the time the laundry was done, all 3 of us were in tears.

It's okay though. I know Kaylee just needs some reinforcement from mom. I feel bad for her. It's like her world is crashing down the way mom can't just drop everything to give her what she requests. I do try to spend special time with her everyday the way we used to, like 'putting on makeup' and doing our hair in matching pigtails, and coloring. It's just that she notices the time I DON'T spend with her just as much if not more than the time I DO spend with her.

Someday I will figure out this whole multiple child thing. In the mean time, I am doing the best I can! On a happier note, how cute is this outfit?

Fathers are such a blessing

I think this Father's Day is extra special this year because of the new addition to our family! It would have been cool if Brenna had actually been born on Father's Day, but I think I would have been ripping my hair out by now if I had to wait 5 more days! It's been pretty fun the past few days taking care of 2 girls, but heaven knows I wouldn't have been able to do it all by myself! So here's to you, Nate, for doing an awesome job once again!


Yesterday we went to El Matador to celebrate father's day with Dad. It was way fun! It was supposed to be a surprise, but you know us Townleys! It was still a good idea to celebrate the day before because both Mom and Dad are leaving today to Nevada for several days! Anyways, let me just say dad that I love you very much! You are the best Father I've ever had! You are an awesome Grandpa too, HAPPY FATHERS DAY!














I want to send another 'Happy Father's Day' out to my father-in-law Mark! You're the greatest "Crap pa" out there! (Don't worry everyone, it's just a friendly nickname from Kaylee.) Thanks for keeping Nate in line until I took over.

Hello World.....

Brenna Mae Bringhurst... born June 10th 2008!!!! 7 lbs 5 oz 20 inches...
It was about 11 AM that I started contracting. Nate was at school, and I wasn't too worried because the contractions were pretty random. They were however more painful than previous contractions that I had experienced a few days prior. Nate got home, and by 3 PM I was having severe back pain. We decided to go in! Sharelle (my cousin living upstairs) was good enough to take Kaylee off our hands, who was more than willing to go up and play with all of baby Gavin's toys.
Once we got to the hospital, I was having regular contractions. They called my midwife who was more than happy to admit me to the hospital. Around 4:30 they started the pitocin, 5:30 I got my epidural, and by 8:30 I was complete. After pushing for 4 minutes, Brenna was born at 8:52!


Most people thought right away that she looked just like Kaylee. I agree to a certain extent. There are definitely similarities, and sometimes it feels like I'm having flashbacks to when Kaylee was born. Some things are different though, to me anyways.

They definitely have different personalities. Brenna loves to be cuddled at all times (not fussy about it though) whereas Kaylee was content to lay down by herself with a blanket. Brenna also has a very high pitched soft cry, and Kaylee's was low and very loud. It has been so fun the past few days to compare the two! I love it.



Kaylee is doing well with everything, though sometimes she needs a little extra attention. Most of the time, she is saying things like, "Oh, cute baby! Baby Brenna! So cute! Little feet!" Everytime I change Brenna's diaper she says, "Ewe, YUCK! So gross!"





Nate of course is a natural with little girls. I am so happy to have him around. He makes my life much easier! He always says he wishes for a boy, but he loves his girls so much.


On a side note, it was SO weird driving home, and looking back to see 2 kids in the back seat of the car!

Kaylee's sleeping schedule...and I'm on leave!

So we've had Kaylee on this crazy sleep schedule, mostly so her mommy can sleep during the day because of working nights. We decided this doesn't work so well because she was essentially non-functional until like 2:00 in the afternoon (I know, people really thought we were crazy). So now that I am on maternity leave, we are trying to switch her back to a schedule wherein she sleeps during the night. Usually we are lucky to get her to bed by 11 PM. Yesterday, she woke up around 6 AM (for reasons unknown to us) and came and woke me up at 7. At 9 she napped, and then I took her shopping. Afterwards, we went to the Layton park to feed ducks and play. Immediately after that we went to my baby appointment where there was a playground, and she played hard on that for an hour. We got home and she played some more. Around 8 PM she started acting funny, like she was crying about everything! I said, "Kaylee, do you want to go night night?" And in sobs she agreed,"NIGHT NIGHT!!!!!" She was out by 9. It was a miracle. So this morning she was up at 7 asking to go play with Heather...I'm thinking she may be switched!
This is Kaylee going down the slide at the park.

Ok...we are so lame at this blog thing so far. Here is some updated information...I am still PREGNANT! (This is Sarah writing by the way) Uggghhhh....and it's getting hot now. Nate is getting anxious to put away the big fan that I keep lugging around all over the house! I have stopped working, so that has taken off a big load. I just hope I don't waste too much of my maternity leave waiting for this baby to come!

As for Kaylee, she is pretty much in copy-cat mode. If you say, "Kaylee, come here!" She'll say the same thing back, but she'll still obey! She likes to say 'good glow' to herself meaning 'good girl'. We have high hopes that she will find her new sibling acceptable the way she is so affectionate to her baby dolls. She has been putting her 'baby' in the baby swing, crib, and bouncer, and will sometimes climb up in the rocker and sing 'twinkle twinkle little star' to the doll. She still drags around her stuffed elephant wherever she goes and squeezes the top of his trunk when she needs extra comfort. Cami (Nate's sister) knows that she has a big task at hand if she is going to attempt to find an animal for our new baby as perfect as that elephant was for Kaylee!

Something else you might want to know about Kaylee is if you want to be friends with her, never come near her with a stethoscope or ANY medical equipment in ANY healthcare setting. She has had some tests done (CT, MRI, multiple checkups) for follow up on a concussion that have left her absolutely traumatized. She is even afraid of bandaids! She is able to work out some of her inner problems with a medical kit mom and dad gave her for her birthday awhile ago by giving other people pretend shots and listening with her pink stethoscope to their hearts go 'dump dump dump!' If nobody is available for a checkup from doctor Kaylee, the next best thing is of course (you guessed it!) the elephant!