HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY BRAXTON JOHN!!!

It has been a week long of celebrating at our house!!! April 23rd Brad turned the big 3-0! I tried my best to give him a 'surprise' party, and my cover got blown 30mins before...all in all, it was still a BLAST and he was surprised somewhat:) I am thankful it is over...I did A LOT of fibbing...and HATED that! But it was all in good reasoning, right?!?! (keep telling myself that to make me feel better)

Brad really wanted Braxton to have goldfish, so we came home with Terry and I'm sad to say the other mr.goldfish did not get a name...maybe if he would've lived longer than 6 days I would've gotten it named:( Braxton really didn't seem to mind they died!...good thing they are only 30cents, right?!

Uncle Lyle decided to bring the Easter Bunny to Braxton, since he was scared of it at the Easter egg hunt! He sure seemed to enjoy this little bunny! How adorable!

He was so great at coloring the eggs. When I asked him who he wanted to give them to, he replied, "daddy and jerry" Jerry is our neighbor...who is also Braxton's BESTEST buddy!!!

Brad*Nathan Chohon*Keith Reichmuch*Eric Reichmuth*Scott Wegener---Brad's classmates to surprised him at his party...there were a few more that didn't make the photo:) Brad's class is so close! It made Brad's night to have them there...Nate even drove 7 hours!! True Friends!!!
..and Thank You Gene Werner for helping Brad get his first and ONLY 30 pointer!!!

As you can see the Easter Bunny came Sunday morning...a tad too early for Brad!!!! In his defense, his wonderful friends were a little harsh on him with the drinks!!!
Grandpa John helping Braxton find his eggs at Great Aunt Jackies!So everyone thought I was horrible for having them take this picture and not redo it...this is just how it is with a 2 year old...you win some, you lose some...obviously it was a losing day for photos...
Grandma & Grandpa B stopped by on Braxton's bday to bring him a few presents...

..and the famous Jerry even made it over! He MADE Braxton a box-scraper! AWESOME!!!
For some reason, he thinks his new fishing pole is a GUn.....
Brad, Braxton, and I spent the entire day in Omaha at the Henry Doorly Zoo! He LOVED the animals!!!!!!!!!! LOVED everything about the ZOO! It was SO much fun spending the day with the boys!!!!!!!!!!!
I even got a 'thumbs up'...he was having so much FuN!

...and the next day the party continued...he got his 1st John Deere hat from teh Al Bender Family!!!

...and the gifts just keep on coming...In the mail the day after, his mack truck, trailer and BACKHOE that he SO BADLY was asking for, FINALLY came in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and it just keeps getting better, he got to drive the tractor with Jerry!!!! We are still hearing all about it!!!

***and the big party isn't until Sunday...hope I have enough room for pictures of all his loot he is going to get....*** ReMemBeR people, our house is SMALL!!!!!

QUACK QUACK... check out Braxton's slippers...Mom's are camo...so you probably can't see them:)

Braxton is 'learning' to share...so, Sunday he decided to share his oatmeal cream pie with his cows!!!

...so, this is the famous "Tay-der" that Braxton loves so much...

...and this is Braxton and Taylor 2 years ago next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fun times at the Easter egg hunt! Daddy & Braxton**Aaron & Callista**Leon & Logan----the future class of???20--???(that's too much math!)

...So Tom Cruise, do you prefer boxer briefs??????.....

...or whity-tighties?!?!?!?.....
I think he was actually sneezing as I took this...he really does like his new undies! I know, I know, someday he REALLY will not appreciate the photos I share with you all:)

---hope the Easter bunny finds all of you this weekend:)

Never feels like there is enough time... I am a little behind right now on many things in life... I will try and back track our last part of March... Hmm...St.Patty's Day---Braxton got his 1st tattoo:) His lucky clover:) We didn't even party and drink our GREEN beer like we possibly did years ago (heehee), but I did go to play practice...Our town put on a melodrama "Pecos Bill & Slu-foot Sue meet the Dirty Dan Gang"...whew! Quite the title! It was practices every Sunday from Jan-thru March, and ended with multiple practices a week towards the end. For those of you who seen it, I hope you really enjoyed it as much as we did performing it! It was a great cast to work with! I, am NOT an actor, but with a few drinks :) I can pretend to be! I am glad and sad that it's over, but glad to have my Sundays back with my boys!!! So, Jody has decided that dad needs to eat healthier, and I agree...So she mentioned she doesn't buy ice cream anymore, so my sis and I bought him a homemade ice cream maker for his birthday, and I HAD to buy myself one, too!! We are LOVING it at the Busselman house!!!

Oh wow!!! So this picture isn't to show off his combover(where did that come from?!!?!) It is to show you the 'flower' he made us at school! He was SO proud of it when I picked him up:)

We had a Fireman's Supper a few weeks ago, and we made Easter Cupcakes to take...I have such a GREAT helper!!!(FYI--we didn't use the liners that he was playing with on the floor---I SWEAR!)

I KNOW this looks like child-labor or something, but he REALLY TRULY wanted to vacuum! He even CRIED when I told him it was time to shut it off! Now, daily, he wants to 'Keen' with mommy...why, just WHY can't his father want to 'CLEAN'!?!??!?! ......and YEA, that is VICTOR NEWMAN on the t.v. in the backround! Can you believe he is STILL on the Y&R?!?!?!?

...and here we are learning to lick the spatchula when mom got done baking bars!

What do you do when it snows at the end of March?!?!?! You make a SNOWMAN!!! (okay okay, so Brad made the snowman, but I had to go out in the cold and put the eyes/nose/mouth/buttons on! Give me some credit!!!)

REALLY mom?!?!?!? I thought I could HIDE his basketball from him till his birthday...this is the Handsome Smile I got from him when I said he could open it...but he had to say "cheese" first!!! "baset-ball' is his new favorite thing!!! and I MEAN FAVORTIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loving John Deere Tractors!!! Can't wait till planting season!!! ...and let me CLARIFY we ARE NOT the parents who let their child in their bed....BUT, one morning around 7am Braxton got up and ate his 'bar' (nutrigrain bars are his fav) as usual, then wanted to go by daddy (who was still in bed--no sense in us both being up, right?!)so, I put him by daddy and figured Brax would be jumping all over him, I went to shower, and this is what I came back to!!! Jealous Mom!!!

Cousin Harper and Charli came for a quick visit one Sunday morning...the boys' hair is identical!!! (...and ya, not sure who's on the t.v in this shot:)

and life is ALWAYS good when "Tay-der" comes to visit! Braxton cried when she left...even wanted to ride in her car!

Braxton had SO MUCH fun playing outside Saturday!!! What a BEAUTIFUL day it was!!!

And happy to announce, this is our new fence!!!!!!!!! It is really coming along!!!!!! The project is getting closer to being done!!!!!!!!

HUGE THANK YOU's to Brad, Lyle, Jerry, and John for doing the fence! I was at work doing prom hair...and it sounded like the guys had a few glitches with the fence...sad to say it was the manufacturer (and not our wonderful helpers), but they got it up and going eventually....

We went with 6 foot, total privacy, well, almost, we may cut a window for the neighbor...ha ha Jerry

Can you tell I'm LOVING it?!?!?!?

..and Grandpa came to check it out that evening...I was hanging with my foot resting on the tools, along with dad, so monkey-see, monkey-do had to do the same!! I LOVE it!!!!!!!!

Check check check it out, our almost 2 year old can drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Giddy-up Cowboy...
I do believe this will be my 'bragging about Braxton' update:) (as if every update I post is about anything else?!) Braxton has become fascinated with this light-thingy that attaches to his hats!

It was Dr.Seuss week at school, and this is his hat he made. He was SO proud of it. He has been making ALL sorts of fun things at Little Saints Daycare! He us Valentine's, Shamrocks, Face-plates, and is always bringing colored pictures home for us! WE LOVE IT!!!


Wishing it were because of better reasoning...but our friends had a funeral, so Braxton ended up having a SUPER-FUN playdate with Olivia & Logan! He wants "Livvy" to come back he tells me! Logan was born 2 months after Brax..but has 3-4 inches on him, and about 8lbs as well...we have discovered Brax is a little peanut...(sorry Uncle Lyle, I will remain to call him that!)

Aunt "Kelldy" came for a visit, and Braxton didn't want her to leave...he still asks 'where Kelldy go?!?!?!?"

You are never too little to lick the spoon while mom bakes!

LOOK OUT GAMPA! Braxton, Myself, Dad, & Jody went to Colorado this past weekend to celebrate Londyn's (my niece) first birthday! We got to go to a parade, where Braxton felt the need to push 'gampa' over...over, and over....

He was so silly with his stroller...

Him and Conner tended to fight over this car a tad bit, but Braxton being littler, and Conner is such a good sharing cousin, he let Brax have his way...pretty much let Braxton have his way the entire weekend:( Sorry Con

At the parade with Gamma & Gampa Sweet Lil Londyn is on the move

..this little chunk-a-monk can E*A*T!!! She is ADORABLE!!! Braxton LOVED on her so much! He even got to feed her a few bottles, but was quick to tell her I was 'his mommy'...

Conner got Grandma to 'shave' the frosting off his face...he was such a good big brother this weekend!

mmm...CAKE!!!

This is my FAVORITE pic! He looks like a pro...look at the stance...haha---for those of you who know us, Braxton better not get his 'sporting skills' from us, or he is in trouble:)






Justin*Jen*Conner*Londyn-MISS YOU GUYS!!!
The chair Londyn is in, Jody painted it to match her room and Londyn LOVED it...wouldn't leave that chair alone the rest of the weekend! G-reat gift guys!

Braxton always manages to get presents too...Thanks for the bubble maker Aunt Jen!

Story time started out with Jen and Brax and led to FUN for all!!! Thanks for the popcorn Uncle Justin!

Justin's mom was also there, inwhich by Sunday, he was calling her "his gamma"! and loving all over her. She gave Conner this gigantic velcro sandwhich making kit...Braxton and Jen had a blast with it...he was so excited while they were playing, he even started calling her 'mommy jen'...I was jealous..he was 'ALL ABOUT HER!" poor Amanda...
thanks Jen for teaching him to say 'purple jelly'
Ah, Thank you Grandma Sheri for the fun activities for the ride to and from. I have to admit, this was the absolute worst he has ever traveled...but it still wasn't as bad as it could have been I guess. Dad & Jody nicely told me they thought he did fine...it was a long 9 hours, and the poor thing just wanted 'out'...understandable!!!

All -in- all, we had a great trip. The weather was good. And we made it to and from safe and sound. It has been YEARS since I went on a vacation with my dad..and I enjoyed it very much! Thanks Dad & Jody!!!

We have become in love with 'micky' and 'minnie' and 'goofy' and 'luto' at our house...he even gets up in the morning and asks for 'tv'...which probably isn't the best thing, but he is like me, he likes the noise on, but doesn't even watch much of it...

His vocabulary has become so broad lately! We went thru the alphabet book tonight and he pointed to most everything and followed with telling me what each picture was of! I cannot believe our little man is going to be 2 in less than 2 months...If you ask him, he will tell you already that he is '2'...and sometimes he will even tell you he is 'blue'. They learned those two things at daycare and he is stuck on that! They informed me today that maybe we should look to pull-ups or underwear soon. He has remained 'dry' at daycare the past few weeks...YAY!!! I hope we keep progressing forward with this! As we were loading up our new freezer tonight, he informed me 4 times that he had to go 'poddy' or 'poopy', so, 4 trips in and out of the house/garage, with him going every time...led to me getting NOTHING done...I'm thinking diapers were easier! HA! Just joking! We are so proud of him, and hope he keeps it up! Thanks for following along on this long and BRAGGING update tonight! I know all of your kids out there talk and can use a bathroom, but he is our one and only little man and we are going to dwell on it all and enjoy every minute of him!!!