Cory and Amanda

Deja vu

2012-01-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have asked if Everett looks like CJ...I'll let you decide for yourself:)

(CJ is on the left, Ev on the right). CJ had more hair, so I'm wondering if Everett will be blonde. Only time will tell. But I'm sure Genevieve would love someone to have blonde hair like her!

Genna didn't have any hair either...and now its very blonde and curly! Curly from me, blonde from Cory.

Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

2011 was full of great things, and it flew by. Our kids are growing so fast.

Genevieve is now 3, C.J. is 4 , and Everett is already five months old! And all as cute as can be. Gen even sat on Santa's lap without crying this year. She wasn't completely convinced but she did it! C.J. is so grown up and loves being a big brother.

C.J. made sure to set treats out on Christmas Eve. Santa got Krispy Kreme this year. Yum!

The kids managed to stay on the nice list. Of all the toys, the favorite gifts were scarfs, 2 minnie mouses, and new boots. Those items go with us everywhere!

Everett got a few new toys too, but he was happiest eating the bows.

New Years was very memorable this year. My brother Eddie who works at the capitol, let us watch fireworks from the roof! It was amazing! Thanks Eddie(you read my blog, right?).

The first few days of 2012, we got to check some to-do's off our list. here are some pictures of us painting C.J. and Genna's rooms. The stripe in C.J.'s room was a little scary to do, but it turned out awesome! My Mom is amazing and she helped me paint a butterfly garden in Genna's room, and it turned out perfect. Thanks Mom! and Cory for going along with my crazy ideas:)

It's a BOY!!! Everett William

2011-07-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me a few hours before I went into the hospital. We went in about 6pm Friday night July 22nd. Being my third baby I was positive I was in labor...around 7pm I was sent home! I was really mad, and poor Cory had to deal with that aftermath. He took me out to dinner and we went home. At 12:20 that night my water broke! Contractions were coming strong and close together. We jumped out of bed, and Cory called his dad Carl who rushed over to stay with the kids. We got to the hospital around 1am and I was taken right back. The labor went so well and we welcomed Everett William into the world at 4:51am Saturday morning July 23rd. One day before my due date and Cory's birthday. He was perfect! 8lbs. 4oz. and 20in.

So far he is the sweetest baby. He reminds us a lot of when CJ was a baby, but he looks like his sister too.

CJ and Genevieve cannot get enough of their new baby brother, which is cute...and overwhelming sometimes. Wherever Everett goes, they go. I'm happy they love him!

Cory has been able to take the week off which has been so wonderful! He was a little disappointed that they don't share a birthday, but hey it just means two days of celebrating!

CJ is such a good helper! If he leaves the room he always tells me, "Mom, if you need anything, I will come and get it for you". How sweet is that?

Gen loves the baby but is having a little bit of a hard time not being the baby anymore. We're trying to make sure we don't forget about the two wonderful kids we already have! And so cute!

This is Everett learning to sleep in the middle of everything else going on.

Everyone keeps asking me if it was worth not finding out. It definitely was fun, especially during those last weeks of pregnancy. The anticipation helped me pass the time. And when the moment came it was fun being surprised! But honestly in the moment I forgot that we didn't know beforehand. I was so excited to meet our new son! That's all that really mattered was him arriving healthy and happy. We couldn't be happier with Everett and the rest of our beautiful family! The only thing I need now is sleep!:)

May 2011

2011-05-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

The beginning of May was Mother's day and C.J.'s 4th Birthday! It was a great day. Cory made an amazing dinner of fajitas with BBQ shrimp and carne asada and I made a firetruck cake for C.J.. I still can't believe he is 4! Since it was Mother's day too I made some yellow rose bouquets for my mom and cory's mom. Genna picked some dandelions from the backyard and so we added those, which I thought was so cute!

C.J. was so sweet on his birthday. This is him being so patient as our family sings every birthday song we know-which is our tradition. The next morning he woke up and said, "Mom, am I still 4? I am so happy I got everything I wanted for my birthday, a buzzlightyear and a toothbrush that turns on!"

Genevieve didn't quite get why C.J. got a birthday and not her. So this is her opening a small present...and yes she is wearing a bathing suit:)

This is a picture clock that I saw in a magazine probably a year ago. I thought it would be a good way to use some of the many pictures we are always taking. I have had the pictures stacked in these frames for months and I finally got around to hanging them!

Probably because I finally feel like I should be getting ready for the baby. I had my last day of work and now I am working on getting the house ready.

2 more weeks of tax season!

2011-04-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

So last night I had Cory Take a picture of me because I realized I don't have many if any pictures of me this pregnancy. That is mostly because I am usually behind the camera, and partly because since I have been showing Cory has been gone a lot, so the picture just hasn't happened. So we took this picture at about 11:30pm last night. I decided to take advantage of both of us being home. I am 24 weeks pregnant in this picture.

Cory loves the new firm he is at, but tax season is still crazy...and we only have 2 more weeks of it! I am only working 2 nights a week now, so we are surviving just fine. The kids and I have been having fun together but we are all ready to have Cory back soon!:)
Here are some pictures of what we've been up to...

Since it was raining non stop for weeks we finally just bundled up and played anyway. The only thing worse than having no husband for a while is being stuck in the house all day with the kids. My mom gave me the idea to take them out in the rain...and it was wonderful! I guess she knows what she's talking about:) thanks Mom!

We also have been making lots of smoothies and smoothie popsicles. Its the easiest and yummiest way to get the kids (and myself) to eat vegetables. They are showing off their muscles in this picture.

Overall CJ and Genna have been so great through tax season. They are getting so big, and they are so entertaining! This morning I cut CJ's hair, and Genna had to have the same set-up even though she wasn't getting a haircut. She just knows that when you get a haircut you get to eat a treat:)

We are all looking forward to a fun summer, and for the arrival of our new baby. I still can't believe we are going to have three kids running around! We are also looking at bigger cars so I will try to keep the blog updated with that. It should be interesting. I think a mini-van is our best option, but I haven't come to terms with it yet. I just don't feel old enough to be driving a van, but I know the kids would love it!

Half Way There!

2011-03-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our 20 week ultrasound that we had today. We even got some 3-D ones which I wasn't expecting, but they are kind of cool. Technology just amazes me! Our baby is very healthy, and judging by how active, very happy! I am excited to announce that we are having a..........Baby! We decided to leave the sex of the baby a surprise until he/she makes their debut in July. I have my inklings...but I am having fun not knowing. Knowing that the baby is healthy is enough for me. Its kind of fun trying something new this time around! I can't believe we will have another baby in July-it finally sunk in today!

I almost forgot!

2011-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Genna is obsessed with babies, which is pretty cute! She takes a baby EVERYWHERE we go, no exaggeration. The important thing I forgot to write is that I'm pregnant! Our next baby is due on Cory's birthday July 24th. that's how I know 2011 will be a great year. We have a lot to be grateful for. When we told the kids they were so excited, and CJ said, "We're getting a van! I want a big red one like my cousin Ricky!" I'm not sure about that part, but we are very excited!

CJ spilled the beans at church because they were learning about baby Jesus, and so he told his class "My mommy has a baby in her tummy!" I couldn't have come up with a better way to tell everybody...so cute!

To sum up 2010...

2011-02-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

So to sum up 2010...CJ is 3 and Genna is 2. They are buddies! We had a great summer. We even went camping for the first time with our kids, and it was a blast! The kids were the dirtiest they've ever been in their life...and they loved it!

CJ is such a good big brother, and Gen often tell me "Mommy I'm just little" or "I'm just a baby Mommy". Which obviously means she is growing up!

We love our house and we are having fun making it our own. Since we live by an open field we have had several unwanted pets. Mostly mice in the garage, but a little lizard wanted to join the family. Unlucky for him the only pets our kids can keep are Zhu Zhu pets, which they are fine with for now:)

Lucky for him, Cory couldn't get him out from under the dishwasher, and I caught him the next day and released him back into the wild. I know he could come right back in, but I didn't know what else to do.

CJ started Joy School in the fall, and he loves it! I took my turn teaching, and Gen liked being able to go to school too. (since it was at our house)

There are 8 kids in his class, and they are very cute...but I wasn't too sad when my turn was over.

The rest of the year flew by! We had a great Christmas, and one of the kids enjoyed meeting Santa. It was so fun watching them Christmas morning. They came running into our room while CJ kept shouting "He came! He came! I went to sleep and Santa brought me a spiderman bike...the Big One!" This might have been one of my favorite Christmas mornings to date.

The kids got dress up clothes for christmas and wore them the whole day! Even that night at Papa and Grandma Brouhard's. Spiderman is in every picture!

They drove this car all night...CJ finally appeared:)

This is with CJ and Genna's buddies Ryan and Kiera. What a crew!

2010 also brought Genevieve's first real haircut, which still wasn't very much. But she has hair and she like to wear bows. Most of the time it just looks crazy and messy like mine always did, so its perfect!

2010 was great and I know 2011 will be too. None of my new years resolutions were to write in this blog more, but you never know!:)

Watch out! This is a long one!

2010-05-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

May has been a fun month! C.J. turned 3 years old on the 8th, and we had a fun party for him. He was so convinced that he was getting a scooter that we really had no choice:) All of the kids had a blast with the pinata,

and it was obvious that all of C.J.'s practice with Wii baseball paid off.

Then last weekend Cory and I got to go away from Friday to Sunday. I was really looking forward to it! Our plan was to see "Wicked" the musical on Friday night in San Francisco, then Saturday we went on a bay cruise with Cory's work for an after tax season party. We got to the hotel without a problem...no traffic or anything. Cory was getting our bags out and I offered to carry the small bag of toiletries. But when I looked into the trunk it was empty! We both thought the other had grabbed it. So we check in and go up to our room, and by then I (as embarrassing as it is to say) had tears in my eyes. The weekend I had been looking forward to was now ruined. That bag had everything I would need over the next few days...make-up, make-up brushes, face wash, lotion, medicine...I could go on:) Once Cory saw the tears he offered to drive home and get the bag...I snapped back that I might as well go to because what was the point of being on a vacation by myself! He then proceeded to direct his anger to the suitcase we did have and gave it one strong kick!

It turns out Cory being doubled over in pain was just the trick to cheer me up. I then just made do with stuff from the drugstore, and by that night Cory's foot was black and blue and swollen. He was a trooper and limped around San Francisco with me anyway.

Our weekend was great! Besides Cory limping around and me being sea sick on the bay cruise, we had a great time!

By the time Sunday rolled around we were so excited to see CJ and Gen! They had fun at Granpa and Grandma's, This is of Genna sharing a popsicle with my parents dog Cali.

The best part was her putting it back in her mouth:) So gross! But so cute...they are buds!

Then this week was swim lessons! It has helped me realize that no matter how much CJ chooses pink or wants us to call him Dora...he is a sucker for a pretty girl! All day before swim lessons he was convinced that his teacher was going to be a boy. I wasn't even sure if he would get in. But as soon as he saw his teacher he was in love! He got right in and did anything she said. I was so happy for him...and a little worried about his teenage years:)

Hello 2010!

2010-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great 2009 and I know 2010 will be even better! The end of the year was very busy with the holidays and getting ready to move into our new house. We had many wonderful Christmas celebrations and even got to see Santa who is a personal friend of Papa Brouhard:) C.J. caught on to the idea of Santa very quickly and we used it to our full advantage. "Do you want me to call Santa?" became a common phrase when C.J. wasn't listening.

C.J. and Genevieve are getting so big! Genna wants to be just like her big brother. She is definitely the boss of our house. She is always eating, and if you have something she always wants " a bite" but if you try to feed her a piece she will throw a huge fit until she gets the whole thing. Her hair can finally fit into little pigtails too, that we like to call "nubs". Despite her feistiness she also loves to kiss and she's got the best kissing lips.

C.J. wants to do everything "all by myself" and he refuses to walk through any door that he did not open. This can get a little frustrating in public where the door are very heavy.

The end of the year brought some great things! Cory got promoted and we moved into our new house! We got the keys on the 29th. We did some painting and spent our first night in the house on Jan 1st. We are so grateful to our families who helped us while we waited for the house to be built, and we are so excited to have our own place again! There were some trying moments mixed in the last six months...but it was all worth it

The kids love the new house and their new room. We kept them in the same room because that's all they've known and we thought that they would miss each other.

November Already?

2009-11-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Time has been flying by for me lately! I can't believe it's already November. We have had a great Fall so far. Our house is coming along and we are getting very anxious for it to be done. Our kids are growing up so fast, and it has been especially fun lately to see Gigi walking around. She is such a bossy little thing, but she loves to give kisses so it makes up for everything else:) C.J. always has us laughing and they both do new and amazing things everyday. I can't get enough!

I finally took Genna for her one year pictures...she is so adorable I had a hard time choosing my favorite.

Halloween was really fun this year. Both kids loved it.

Genna was a fairy princess and C.J. was a sheriff.

We had a great time at the pumpkin patch too. It was really windy and cold...but fun!

Wow, it's been a while!

2009-10-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Okay so it has been four months since I last updated. So naturally a lot has happened. I (amanda) started working as an esthetician for Willo Aveda in the Fountains in Roseville. I work part-time and I am really enjoying it. We decided to take the big plunge and finally buy a house since we have been back from Idaho for a year and a half. So we moved out of the place we were renting and we moved to Auburn to stay with Cory's parents. We went on a safari in Santa Rosa with Cory's work and it was a lot of fun. Then Cory turned 30 on July 24th and we had a good time celebrating his birthday! We went to the Keith Urban concert at Arco and had a great time! Then we moved to Roseville in August and we are currently staying with my parents. The great news is that we bought a house!!! We waited on a short sale for over three months and then we just decided to buy a brand new house. It will be done in December and we are very excited! It's in west Roseville, and even on a court.

Genevieve turned one at the end of August and she is getting so big and sooo bossy! She cracks us up. She doesn't cry she squaks...and I'm not exaggerating. She still doesn't have much hair but i like to pretend by sticking extra tiny barrettes in it. Her teeth came in finally too but she got a side top tooth first so we called her fang for a while. C.J. is getting so big too. The other day during his nap I heard him start to cry then before I knew it he was next to me. He said "mama I climbed out...I awesome!" He was in the best mood after that for the rest of the day.

Cory's Grandma Brouhard passed away about a month ago. We named genevieve after her. She was a great lady and we will miss her. We are just grateful to know she is in a better place and we will see her again!

Now that things are a little more settled again for us, or at least we have a timeline of when we will be in our new house, hopefully I will be better about updating this