This baby boy

Is 5 today!!!!!

                                                 Brady was the sweetest baby, and continues to
                                                                    be the sweetest boy!

                                            He is the best big brother to Bryce(OMGosh, look
                                                     at Bryce's old man hairline)

                                                                        and to Laine too.

                                                      He may be a big Kindergardner now



But...............he will always be my baby.  Brady is the kindest, most thoughtful child I have ever met.  He amazes me everyday with his wittiness, his kindness, and his thoughtfulness.  Brady has humbled me, irritated me (LOL), made my cry, made my heart-break, and made me smile since the day he was born.  He has taught me more about myself then ever thought possible.  He amazes me everyday, and I cannot wait to see what he does with his life.  I remember his birth like it happened yesterday.  I remember what he looked like the first moment I laid my eyes on him.  He is my rock!  Happy birthday baby boy!

Where does time go?

It is so hard to believe that this little boy started Kindergarten.  Where does time go?  How did this happen?  How has he become so independent, self-sufficient, and so OLD?  Thankfully, this little brave, sweet boy is still an all-out mamma's boy.  Brady is the sweetest little boy, E-V-E-R.  He has been so excited to start kindergarten, and I think it is so much more then he expected.  We enrolled Brady in a program called Young-5's.  Meaning, he will actually do Kindergarten for 2 years.  He stays in the same classroom, with the same kids and same teacher for both years.  I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the program, the cirriculum, and the way the kids come out ahead at the other end.  Brady is right on academically, and Lord knows he is socially, but after talking to umpteen-million people-we decided since we had the opportunity to enroll in this program, go for it!  Brady will be 5 at the end of this month, so he IS on the "older" end of young-5's, but we felt this was the best program and we are fortunate to live in a district that offers such a great program.  Speaking of Brady turning 5---that will happen on Sept 22, and then guess who is going to Disney World?  We all are, and we couldn't be more excited!  I'll leave ya with a couple more pics from Brady's first day of Kindergarten.

                                               Brady and his BFF, Nate, are in the same class (could be trouble).

                                                 First time on the bus (that's another post)

I can feel it in the air

Fall-time is upon us my friends.  I am so trilled.  The AC is off, the windows are open, and it is harder to get out of the warm sheets in the morning.  Yes, my FAV time of the year is upon us.  I l-o-v-e fall.  You've got pumpkin-spice lattes, homeade soups and stews, pumpkins, sweatshirts, football, and wood-burning fires in the fireplace.  What isn't there to love?  Oh-maybe picking up leaves?  Oh well-that's why we leave that little chore to the hubs, right? 

Anyways, because the heat has escaped us and the mosquitos are slowly going away, we jumped at the first nice Sunday to head out to the zoo this weekend.  I don't think we have been to the zoo since Bryce was 3 months old.  Sad?  Yes.  Everyone enjoyed the day riding around in the wagon, eating hot dogs, and seeing some darn cute animals.  Here are some pics from the day.  Happy almost-fall!!!!!

                                             3 cuties ready to see the animals

                                          does Jeff look extra tall, or is it just me?

                                          Laine and me riding the train

                                           Look at those sweet faces

                                            Laine thinks I'm pretty funny

                                           sweet boy waving the the giraffes

                                             Can you see the baby elephant?  So cute.

Fast-forward to 7 months

Since my latest blogs have been from Laine's birth and past happenings, I decided it's time to get to the present.  I'll update on everyone:

Jeff is a full-time attorney-yahoo!!!  He has turned in his handcuffs (Ok, I'll leave that one alone) and swaped them for a desk job, with lots of research, which produces lots of paperwork.  He is so very happy, fulfilled, and excited about his career choice-AMEN!  After all, a happy husband=a happy wife?!?!  Really, is that how that sayin' goes?  Anyways, he is working at the Federal Courthouse in Detroit, for a federal bankruptcy job.  He is very fortunate to have found such a wonderful job, especially in this economy.  Needless to say, we are very lucky and blessed to be in the situation we are in.  Not only is Jeff excelling in his career path, but he continues to amaze me as a father.  Really, he has more patience then me (which maybe isn't saying a lot), he is fun, he educates them, and is just 100% hands-on.  I couldn't ask for a better partner.   Ok, so he may be a pain in my bottom at times, but what else are husbands and wives for?

Brady will be 5 in September.  Did you read that peeps, he will be F-I-V-E!!!  How in the #$%^ did that happen?  He continues to amaze me on a daily basis.  He is very intelligent and uses a more advanced vocab then I do.  He is a people-person through and through, and he is the best big brother.  Seriously, Bryce loves and looks up to Brady so much, but you should see Brady with his baby sister-OMGosh, talk about melt you right to the core.  It has been a pure joy watching Brady settle into the big-brother role.  Brady has learned to ride a bike without training wheels, he is an incredible little artist, he writes his letters, numbers and tells time (ok-so he tells me each number on the clock).  He is also known to like to watch a little batman-superman-spiderman-scooby doo every now and then, whis is probably more often then the APA recommends.  He must have a lazy mom, huh?

Bryce is 2 1/2, and well that is about all I should write about him, because that sums him up.  JK.....he is such a cutie, and well, it's a good thing.  He is stubborn, stubborn, and well.........stubborn.  But, then he can be so sweet.  Seriously, though....we have had our ups and downs with him.  The kid can throw a tantrum like I have never seen before, and most of the time these were occuring at Meier.  Yes, grocery shopping was a ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We found a way to deter the tantrums in public, but had to work with them at home.  I think, through trial and error, jeff and I have discovered that the more we love him, and remain calm with him in the midst of a fit, he comes out of it in a much shorter time.  He is also getting better at communicating, so maybe that is helping out.  No, but he is a very loving boy too.  He loves to cuddle, he sleeps with his blanket completely over his head, he will come up to me and say, "mommy-pick me up."  It melts me everytime.  When we are in the car, he will scream from the back, "mommy-I'm stuck" as he is trying to escape from his carseat.  He has recently figured out how to peddle on his tricycle, and the kid will eat anything other then meat (that's my boy).  He will eat beans, anything green, cottage cheese, sushi...yes, he is my child.  My favorite part of the boys are them together.  Sure, they fight and cry and scream, but they LOVE each other.  I am so happy Jeff and I were able to give the boys eachother.  Sound dumb?  Well, they are two boys who will grow up close in age, and will forever go stomping through the woods, fishing, playing sports together.  Who knows..........double dating?  Probably not.

Laine..........oh my Laine!!!  She is 7 months and just a pure joy.  Let's see.  She is 19lbs and 27 inches long.  In the words of my pediatrician, "she is a BBBIIIIIGGG baby."  Yes, she is but oh is she sweet.  Being big hasn't slowed her down, after all she has two bros to keep up with.  She was rolling over at 4 months, crawled at 6 months and is now pulling up on everything.  I think she'll be an early walker, like Brady.  She is so fast nowadays, you cannot leave her anywhere.  She likes to escape and usually ends up in my bedroom trying to pull the outlet covers out of the walls-nnniiiiiccceeee.   She has yet to meet a food she hasn't liked, and she likes to be in on the action.  She is a fabulous sleeper at night-not such a great napper, but who's complaining?  Not me.  She has brought so much joy to our lives, and I cannot imagine life without her.  I never knew having a little girl would be this much fun.  You know, one day her brothers friends are going to want to date her.  I told Jeff that he'll never have to worry about her dating, because she has two brothers who aren't going to let boys near her-LOL! 

Ok, so maybe  a little update on me???  Same old, same old.  I like to shop, eat, drink wine, and hang with my fam.  I am stoked for football season to return (New UM coach and God knows what will happen with my PATS this year).  I am ready for fall, and fires, and pumpkin-spiced latte's and comforting soups.  I am working 3 days a week, which most days is ok.  I am finding more and more, that I just want to be home with my family, but realize I need to work right now, and honestly, some days I am thankful to leave and go into work.  It is good to get out, socialize with adults, and to do something that makes me think of something other then poop, pee, food, and what the next mess is to tackle. God has sent me wonderful, wonderful friends.  I am so blessed to have wonderful, good-hearted people in my life.  I have signed up to run a 5K, which is a great challenge for me.  I am training, and doing really well.  It feels good to get back into shape.  I am ready to reclaim my pre-preggo body, and to feel strong again.  Overall, life is great!!!!

Just for fun

So, this post may be more for JUST me, but since I am playing a little catch-up, I thought I should post Laine's birth story.  I promise, after this post, I will give more up-to-date posts as to our current crazy state of life, but for now, just humor me.  After all peeps-it has been forever since I have regularly posted.  (On a side note, it is midnight and I am drinking a glass of wine).  Hey-this is what life becomes when you have 3 kids under the age of 5.  These are my moments of ME, ME, ME.

So, here it goes:

If you look at my previous post, you will notice that our family pic on Christmas Eve shows a very preggo (38 weeks) me, and the pic at 3:30 am, Christmas morning shows me looking like I got hit by a semi-truck, despite the fact that I am holding a gorgeous little girl.

Luckily, my mom was in town for 2010 Christmas.  I will tell ya'll that I did everything to get this baby out BEFORE Christmas.  After all, I had Bryce at 36 weeks, so of course-she was going to come before 38 weeks, right?  That week before Christmas, mom and I walked the mall every stinkin' night for hours, we walked Sam's club while eating pineapple-you name the supposed "throw you into labormyths" I tried it.  I forgot though that I was preggo with a stubborn little girl, so none of those tricks worked.  On a side note peeps.........Brady, from day 1, told me that she was going to come "On Christmas."  For those of you that remember Brady's prediction of Bryce's birth---well, Brady is 2/2, but that's another post in and of itself.

Ok, so Christmas Eve, we all went to 4 pm mass at church.  We came home and ate a fabulous Lamb dinner (which doesn't sound so fab now, but you have to hear the rest of the story), put the boys to bed, watched tv, "Santa came," and off to bed we went around 11pm.  Well, around 12:30 I woke up with the worst chills ever.  Seriously, I almost thought I was having a seizure, I was shaking so bad.  For the life of me, I couldn't get warm.  I remembered we had a fire going that night, so I got out of bed and went to sit by the fireplace.  Still, I just shook, and shook, and shook.  After a couple minutes, I went to wake Jeff up and I asked him to come sit with me to see what was going on.  Now, he wasn't so happy because he thought I had lost it thinking that because I was "cold" I was in labor. However, being a totally rad hubby that he is, he humored his very preggo wife and sat with me (or rather dozed on the couch).  Well, shortly thereafter, I got contractions.....and then they came, and they came, and I still shivered.  After about 20 minutes, Jeff really finally woke up and said let's go to the hossy.  So, we woke my mom up, said we were leaving and off we went into the car, me wrapped in about 3 blankies, still shivering, now having painful contrax every 4 minutes.

We get into traige at the hospital, and get hooked up to the monitor and thankfully they throw those gloriously warm blankies over me.  Well, Laine's heart rate was 180, which a normal heart rate is 120-160, so she was high, but she was very, very active, so it was not a concern at this point.  Then, they take my temp and I have a fever of 102----yikes!!!  That explains my chills, and apparently, that's why Laine's heart rate was so high.  The doctor comes in and checks me and I am dilated to 5, with regular contractions.  So, needless to say I was having a baby.  Keep in mind, this is all happening around 1 am at this point.   Anyways, we get moved to a delivery suite, my regular OB comes in and discusses things with me, and that's that.  I had wanted to try to deliver without drugs because I did with Bryce (not by choice-he came too fast), and I was managing the pain wonderfully, so I told my dr-no epi.  Not to mention, with a fever, not all doctors will administer an epidirual, so I may have had no choice in the matter.  Anyways, they started me on antibiotics, the NICU doctors came in because Laine was going to have to be taken away immediately to check her to make sure she didn't have an infection from me etc etc.  Well, shortly, thereafter....my contrax are about every 2 minutes, lasting about a  minute each and they SUCK!!!  Holy hurt!!!  Bryce came so fast, I didn't have time to hurt.  This little girl though was killing me.  Jeff and my nurse were heroes.  I remember drinking gallons of water in between contrax and trying not to scream.  I think Jeff's hand lost blood flow from me squeezing him so hard.  As I was transitioning, I lost my lamb dinner (hence---no more lamb for me, or probably for my sure for that matter).  Then, I HAD to push.  As soon as my nurse ran to get my dr, she met her at the door.  My doctor had been watching my contrax on the monitor and knew it was TIME.  So, she cam in, broke my water (which, this was the first child my water DIDN"T break on it's own), and told me NOT to push-she was right there.  At this point, I hurt sssooo bad.  I hurt so bad, I couldn't feel contractions, I just felt constant pain, so I just remember pushing for all my might.  I am pushing and I could feel Laine's head, but she felt stuck, and I just wanted her out.  I remember saying, "JUst pull her out." and my doctors response was, "wow-this is a big baby for a little girl."  Ok doc...not what I want to hear at this point.  IDK-shortly thereafter, out Laine came-beautiful as always, and holy, thank God-the pain was gone.  She was gorgous, and pink, and screaming loud, and well..........BIG!  Go figure, my biggest baby was my girl.  She weighed 8lbs 6 oz.  She was born at 3:30 am Christmas morning.  What a gift, huh?  She was wisked away to the NICU, but returned to me with a clean bill of health after two hours of observation.  Unfortunately, she had to have a port put in her little arm, because she had to have IV infusions of antibiotics for her first 24 hours of life due to my fever.  At 6:30 am Christmas morning, we were wheeled down to our room for a nice, long, deserved nap.  Jeff ran home to see what Santa brought for the boys.  :)

Luckily, when a mother has a fever in labor, the cure for it is delivery.  I didn't suffer any complications, and Laine didn't either.  They did send my placenta away and the umbilical cord and both came back positive testing or chorioamnioitis, which is basically an infection in the placenta.  It can have devastating effects on the mother and baby, but thankfully, due to a quick delivery, fabulous medical care, and good luck-we were just fine.  The cause for the infection is unknown.

We are a complete family of 3.  Jeff and I have decided we are done having children.  We want to enjoy these 3 gifts God has blessed us with, and provide them with the best life we can.  Of course, we will never forget the 2 angels we have in heaven-who we know we will meet one day.   For now, here on this earth-we are a wonderfully, healthy, often times crazy and chaotic, family of 5!

Whoa!! What have I been up to?

How sad...........look at the date of my last post.  I so could use 1,000 excuses for my lack-of-blogging, but I'll just blame it on one thing............3 kids under the age of 5.  Does that make sense?  So, that being said, there are 2 orders of business here.  1.)  renaming my blog, since now Laine has come into the picture, my current title makes NO sense.  2.)  Well, the arrival of princess Laine.  How about I start this update with just some pics and then I'll get back to blogging about the last, oh-7 months?

This picture was taken after church Christmas Eve.  Brady is hiding my belly, but I was very preggo.

This picture was taken Christmas morning, at about 4 am.  (I can't believe I am sharing this retched pic of me, but hello-peeps...this is after a fever, and 2 hours of au-natural labor and delivery).  This story to be continued.

 Ok, so here is a better picture of Laine Katherine Sattler.  Born 12/25/10 at 3:30 am.  Weighint 8 lbs 6 oz.  My biggest babe yet!

and while I was in the hossy, here is what Santa left at home for da' boys.

However, mama got the best gift out of everyone  (she is already dramatic).

The Annual visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Last Sunday was a beautiful day here in Michigan.  These days will be ending soon, so we decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and spend the afternoon at Jenny's in Dexter.  We have been to Jenny's the past 3 years, and Brady has always gotten a kick out of it.  They have horse rides, hay rides, a huge straw pile for the kids to jump on, pumpkins, and of course cider and donuts, amongst other things here and there.  It was fun to see Brady this year, because he is SO much bigger then he was last year.  He actually wanted to ride the horse by himself, as opposed to Jeff or I walking right next to him.  We also put Bryce on a horse, and I was sure that as soon as that horse started moving, he would freak.  Not Bryce though!!! That kid has NO fear......he was grinning from ear to ear.  Jeff was walking right next to him the entire time, and said he was just laughing and grinning the entire ride.  How fun!!!

The kids' favorite part may have been the horses, but mine was the donuts and cider.  OMG!! The donuts.  I am not a donut person at all, but these...well, I think there will be one more Jenny's trip before the end of October (of course for the kids to ride the horses again), ok-or maybe for me to get one more, or maybe one more 1/2 dozen of their donuts-yummo!!!!!  Here are some pics from our little seasonal trip to Jenny's.

Daddy and his mini-me

Waiting so "patiently" for the horse ride

Of course he picked the biggest horse to ride

Check out the cheesy-grin

I was blocking Bryce from falling into the water

The boys made it to the top of the straw-hill

Picking out the perfect pumpkin

He was thrilled with his "pick"