The Life of the Sharpe's....: 6 months later...

The Life of the Sharpe's....: 6 months later...

6 months later...

Well, here I am 6 months after my last post!!!

Peyton is doing great!  He is in loving his 2nd year of Kindergarten, yes, I'll go ahead and let you know that we did allow him to do Kindergarten twice for so many reasons, the main reason is the age....he is a summer birthday, and the other was the fact that we left his really good Kindergarten in the middle of the school year last year, and he never truly learned much at his private school.........But WOW! He is totally a different child this year....he seems to be more of the leader now, rather than the follower, he is definitely more confident....and he is drawing, coloring, so well!  And is soaring HIGH in reading, and now Math...and his writing is just so beautiful!! I am one proud momma!  We had him in tackle football this fall, and that child went from hardly knowing how to do drills to being one of the MVPs on his team!!!  It just "clicked" one game, and he was just AMAZING!!! I am so proud of my Peyton Isaiah Sharpe!  Now, baseball is upon us, and he hasn't played since he was 4 because we moved here right after sign-ups and he couldn't play....I'm excited for him!

Brayden is doing great too!  He is in at an amazing Mother's Day Out Program at First Baptist Trussville...and I definitely think it's a God-send for him and our family!  One of the teachers he has looks and acts just like my grandmother did, who passed away 2 years ago.....he never knew her...so it was so neat to meet her and talk to her, because she reminds me so much of her :0)  Brayden is such an outgoing too, very loud, and very demanding....strong-willed :0) I'm so thankful that he enjoys being around other kids his age, and he even loves spending time with our teenagers as does Peyton...I definitely think when they are around teens that they think they are one too!  Brayden has slowly shown signs of potty training...and the interest of it....we go occasionally while I'm home, I really don't know what they do at his MDO, but he is doing well at the time we do go....he's not even 2 yet ;0) I'm using this open window though to keep it consistent at home....

The past 6 months have been great!   I started a job at a place called PlanTech, and I have since found a new job, that I will start Monday...at AL Power....I still wish I could be a stay at home mom....I feel like I'm missing out on SO much....I'm afraid I'm not as close to my kids as I wish to be, that I am so stretched that I feel like I'm going to pop....Lord, help me.....I hope we are doing the right thing....

 Here is a picture of Brayden's haircut!

 Cousins!

Peyton getting bragged about @ his banquet!

 Peyton LOVES being in his musicals!!!

Just need to vent....

Wow! It's been 2 months since I've blogged :0( whew! Sorry about that....We've had a very busy, awesome, crazy summer!!!  So much to talk about...but I need to vent about one particular subject WORKING MOM!

Please do not get mad whoever reads this that I may work with or have worked with or about to work with...that's not the point, the point is that I'm just spilling my heart.....

On that note.....I go back to working FULL time this week, and I'm so SO heartbroken!  My heart is literally aching.....I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed being a part-time working mom for the past FIVE months.....it has been so rewarding to be there for my boys 2 days a week, and help them through the transition of moving.  I have bonded pretty strongly with them over the past few months, and it has just been wonderful.  But, I guess reality sets in, and we have to make ends meet, therefore, I have to work outside the home.  I know God will help me through this....it's just tough....I remember since Peyton was a little older than Brayden, he'd say "mommy please don't work" or "mommy stay with me" or "mommy don't go" and I know it's about to happen with Brayden too....and it hurts my heart so much!  I just wish this doesn't have to be the option, but it is for our family, and I'm behind it 100% because we're a family and that's what we do, we support each other.....and our decisions together.....but it does not take away from the emotions I'm feeling.....

Peyton does start school, August 11th, and I'm so excited for him, but please help me pray for him....this will be his 3rd DIFFERENT school in just one year!  I PRAY that he does an amazing job, and I PRAY that God will bring him the RIGHT group of friends to hang out with....My heart is heavy for my oldest child at the moment, but I know I KNOW He is in God's Hands, and that's what gives me some sort of PEACE!!!  We dedicated him when he was a baby to the LORD, and God will protect him.....and be there for him....I PRAY that his teacher is hopefully a Christian, and I know it's a secular school, so if she's not I PRAY that she is positive, and outgoing and upbeat, and is there for Peyton....

Peyton has also started FOOTBALL, YES I said football, and he's doing an AWESOME job! I'm so proud of him, his 1st game is the 1st weekend of September, but his practices have been every night but Wednesday night for 2 hours!  But he has done great keeping up and learning all the new drills!  He's a pro ;0)  Plus he has an awesome Daddy that helps him along the way....

And sweet Brayden! My goodness he is growing leaps and bounds!  I cannot believe I almost have a 1 1/2 year old!!!  He is everywhere, and I mean EVERYwhere!!! And just talking up a storm, some words I understand and some I just don't have a clue haha!  He is somewhat interested in potty training already but I'm not going to push it at ALL!  I can't go to Peyton's practices for long, because Brayden wants to be on the field with him and all the boys!  I promise you he thinks he's one of them!

I'm going to miss spending my 2 days off during the week with them....I'm going to miss just doing random things around the house, whether it's playing a board game with Peyton or chasing Brayden around the house....I will miss it so much!  I know I have the weekends with them and after I get home from work, but it's not the same.....

But, like I said, I support my husband and my decision a 100%!!!  Because I know we have to do this for our family.....Please pray for me as I'm starting this new job, I'm excited about working with one of youth leaders in our church and a mom of our teens in our youth group.  I'm excited about getting to know her company and how to do my new job.....

God is good....and so very faithful.....

Memorial Day 2010-A day filled with Memories!!

We had an awesome Memorial Day Weekend!   It was a day filled with water, FIRSTS, good food, and GREAT Friends!!!  We went to Smith Lake near Cullman, AL....

The boys had a blast!!! Peyton more than Brayden....but he is older, Peyton was pretty much outside from 10-4!!! and would of stayed FOREVER!!!  He rode a seado for the first time and a boat as well!!  He caught 2 fish!! and just had a blast with Cameron, Hunter, and Cain!!!  Brayden had his 1st boat ride too, he didn't know what to think of it at first, he started to try to get OUT, but then calmed down once he figured out what was going on :0)  He also had a life jacket on the entire time he was near the water and did great with it, although it looked sooo awkward and uncomfortable on him...but he did so well!  He also took an almost 3 hour nap!!

I went on my first seado ride and drove one for the first time, it was a blast!!

We thank the Jarvis' and Lewis' for inviting us to a very fun day and letting us crash on all your water stuff and lake house!!  It was a great Memorial Day for sure!

Enjoy the pictures :0)

Class of 2010 Lakeside Kindergarten Graduation!!!

I have a GRADUATE!!!

Peyton Isaiah just finished Kindergarten and I'm soooo very proud of him!!!


He began his first day of school at Yates Primary School and Ms. Dee Morris was his teacher.

Jason became the new Student Pastor at Metro Church in Mid-March.  So we were torn about what to do for school for Peyton whether he should go to the public school or a private.....
We decided to put Peyton in the Baptist Church across the street....they were known to be a great Kindergarten, and so he went there...and graduated Kindergarten at Lakeside Baptist.  I am soooo proud of this young man!  God has been right there with him through this HUGEEEEE transition and has walked with him through it all, again I'm beyond proud of my Peyton!!!

Enjoy the graduation pics :0)

Under God's Sea in 3D...Peyton's 1st Musical!

The first weekend in May Peyton was in his first musical at our new church....

He did an amazing job!  We immediately put him in choir when we got here and he immediately learned the songs and the movements and did just an outstanding job....Enjoy the pictures of what he did :0)  And of course the rest of the kids did an awesome job as well :0)

Happy 1st Birthday Brayden Josiah!!!

Brayden Josiah turned 1 on February 27, 2010!!

It was such an awesome day of celebrating our little man and how precious he is to us!!! Unfortunately Peyton had a horrible stomach virus that day and was quarantine to our room the entire day, he didn't want to budge from where he was!!!

Please enjoy these sweet pictures of the boys and Brayden's 1st Birthday, so hard to believe!!!

Super Bowl Sunday 2010 AND also Brayden's 1st Super Bowl!!

Welllllllllllllllllll Last Sunday was a sad Sunday for my husband:

the Colts lost :0(

But, it we had a houseful of teens and friends and soooooo the lost wasn't TOO bad hah! :0)

Enjoy the pictures of the boys....Brayden loved interacting with the teens; and Peyton was in the backyard the entire time w/the middle school boys, as they did not WATCH the game, but played football in the backyard, and later found out it was TACKLE football, and that they also got a girl's number LOL (not Peyton!)

Anyhow it was a blast, enjoy the pictures....

23 days really?

I cannot believe in 23 days I will no longer have a "baby-baby" in my household.  My heart is very sad thinking about this, I feel at any moment I could burst out in TEARS!  This time last year I was so huge and it literally hurt to move....and now I'm moving CONSTANTLY with my sweet lil man, when I'm home with him.....(that's a different story)

He is doing sooo much these days...and in a matter of days he will be RUNNING everywhere...this is just crazy to me!  He loves exploring the ENTIRE house!!!  and loves to be right where I'm at....I love playing with him in his room, we just shut the door and play with whatever we can....I'm so thrilled to know he loves to play and figure out how to do different stuff!!

Brayden Josiah will be 1 in 23 days, and just feels like yesterday that God blessed us with another boy....I am so very thankful for this amazing little man!!!!!

So what's up with Us?

Well, the pictures are in reverse order, sorry, and I don't want to take the time to reverse them back  :0)

Here is Brayden checking out his Big Brother....he didn't get a lot of snow time b/c he was trying to get sick 

Now he's loving on his brother, Peyton was kissing him 2! :0)

Brotherly Love!

This is what Peyton figured out he could do....remove all the snow/ice off the backyard chairs and throw it against the fence....:0)

Figuring it out :0)

Brayden loves his walker!

His FAVORITE part of the living! The entertainment center box, he LOVES to turn up the volume!

Learning to LOVE his sippy cup...we're trying ;0)

Peyton received a HIGH honor, and got Student of the Month at Yates Primary School for the month of January....the characteristic was "Self-Discipline"

Peyton throwing snowballs back at Jason!

Brayden and I posing :0)

Peyton's picture of us posing ;0)

Neat photo :0) Peyton is learning how to make his 1st snowball!

Posing!! Notice our car in the road, we couldn't get up the driveway :0(

Walking to mommy!

He Made it!!!!

Polar Express came a little later to Peyton's school, because there was bad weather before Christmas!

Peyton's cool Teacher! Ms. Morris

One Happy 5 year old!!!

God is about to turn the Sharpe household upside down....

....I can just feel it!!! I am expecting it!!!

I am so excited for 2010!!!

Jason and I are about to start a Daniel Fast......and I don't want to "boast" about it, but I want to explain how excited I am about it, excited about what God will reveal to us during this time!!!!  We are starting January 10th and going until January 31st... Please pray for us as well, pray for commitment, and endurance, but really pray that God will reveal things to us that we never knew possible, that He will reveal HIMSELF to us.....and that our walk with HIM will grow, and then our marriage will grown, then our relationship with our boys will grow...I get goosebumps just thinking about it!!!  God is about to do something amazing!!!!

Jason and I also started a year long couple's devotion....it is called The Love Dare Day by Day by Stephen Kendrick....we love it....it's an easy read, but perfect for us to spend some spiritual time together...I highly recommend it with you and your spouse....

I challenge you to grow this 2010 as well!!!! Let this be the best year YET!

Christmas Stories...

We all had an amazing time at Christmas...Brayden's 1st Christmas, and our sweet nephew's 1st Christmas....and Peyton was such a sweetheart in the way he was so patient with the 2 newest members of our family!  Peyton numerous of times helped Brayden open presents....and show him how to play with his toys!!!

So, Christmas began before Christmas for us.....we visited with Jason's grandparents for a little while and they gave our boys such sweet gifts, and they were able to love on them....they are such amazing people, and from Canada, and have the neatest accent!!!  Then we headed over to Jason's parents house, in which his brother and his girlfriend were there as well as Jason's mom's dad....We had an awesome time of just hanging out and spending time together!!!  It was mass chaos in opening presents, and this year was odd with Christmas at their house because it was later in the evening, and Brayden was awfully fussy...but we made it through, and it was so much fun.....I am so blessed to have amazing inlaws that treat me like their own!!!!

Then on December 23rd we headed to TEXAS!!  Whew! What a trip.....let me tell you God really tested all of our patience and totally wanted us to rely COMPLETELY on HIM!!!!  I am so bad at usually getting my boys out of their carseats when they begin fussing immediately, and I will confess to this!  But I took a defensive driving course, and I will NEVER do this again unless for a few minutes or for a dyer emergency!!  So, that said....Brayden sat in his carseat for 13 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I AM SO PROUD of him, and Peyton!!!!  For 8 out of the 13 hours, we went through a DOWNPOUR!!! We found out that we were in Tornado and Thunderstorm warnings once we were in Arkansas, it was TERRIBLE and lots of Prayers were going up....from our truck and from family all over the US!!!  But PRAISE THE LORD!!!! We made it to Van Alstyne, TX safely!!!!

Christmas Eve was very odd this year......in 2009 I lost 2 amazing aunts :0( and in 2008 I lost my beautiful Nanie (my grandmother) tragically....and last year we weren't in TX to celebrate Christmas Eve & Day it was our round to be in TN.....so it was just so different this year....but we made the most of it, and we made our new memories this year!  I wish more family could of came, but Texas was getting snow for the 1st time since 1983 for Christmas Eve and Day!!!!  So it was just our immediately family that was there......and it very special, just sad...because Christmas Eve, before I was even born was with my Nanie and my dad's side of the family.....I teared up a lot that night.....but WOW in 2009 we also gained 2 awesome little boys in our family.....;0)  We decorated Christmas cookies....and Peyton had a great time doing that, he CAKED on his icing....he said Santa needed it that way!!!  and Jason would keep eating his cookies he decorated HAHA fun times!

Christmas Day came, and it was a very nice and quiet day as well, all 4 of the Hall siblings were home and spouses, except Doug, he has been serving in Afghanistan....it was fun to have 3 young boys there to watch them open their presents and get spoiled :0)......during the reading of the Christmas story....Brayden started hitting on a present and it kept "singing" to him (it was his of course) and he would start hitting it HARDER and finally it broke open, it was HILARIOUS because this was through the entire Christmas story....it was fun ;0)!  It was a very nice day......

Jason and I were able to stay the night away one night for our 8th wedding Anniversary, which was on December 1st, but we wanted my parents to keep the boys and let them enjoy time alone with them....I was so nervous about this because Brayden is VERY spoiled by me putting him down!!!  and I was so thankful to hear that my dad, yes my DAD was able to put him down within 10 minutes! I was so proud of him :0) ha!
It was nice...Jason and I went shopping at the Stonebriar Mall (it's a huge mall...I love it!) and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory....then stayed at the Dallas Marriott Legacy Center Hotel...it was so nice to just have OUR time together...I love my boys dearly, but it's so important for couples to do this too.....

Also, during our visit, we were able to go to my grandparents house in Bowie, TX!!! They still had lots of snow....in drifts it was up to 12 inches!!!  and we had lunch with them, and my aunt and uncle and of course my sister and parents as well....it has been long-overdue for us to visit them, and actually eat at my grandmother's dining room table....I loved it!!! and the homemade food, especially the BREAD lol!!!!  Then my granddad took the boys and Jason and I and my dad out to his farm, and Peyton got to ride his huge John Deere Tractor...it was lots of fun!!!!  the younger boys slept in the car though lol!!!

We came home on the following Wednesday, it was sad to leave, but nice to get back to our house and take down Christmas Decorations and get our house back to "normal".....:0)

I will post pictures soon I hope......

What an amazing 2009 Christmas this has been!!!

Way behind...3 months to be exact lol!

O WOW!

I'm so behind and I'm very very behind....

But, hey, let me catch you up a little on what's going on with the Sharpe's and their amazing 2 boys ;0)!!!

Well, Peyton, is doing AWESOME in school!!!! We were SO concerned about him starting school as a very very young 5 year old, his birthday is at the end of June....but, he has far exceeded everything!!! He is excelling in everything he is doing...he has his "days" where he's not doing so hot, but HEY don't we all have those "days".....he is counting and writing to 100....and reading, and, cutting so great (even his hair!!! YES his hair! UGH) but when he started school he didn't do great on this topic, but once again, God is good and is helping him in every area of his development....We have prayed for Peyton every single day since the day we knew we were pregnant with him, and God continues to show up and do wonders in his life!!

In October, we were told that Peyton needed tubes in both his ears, and Adenoids removed....so, we did....and we prayed about this situation, and how he'd recover and if there would be any sort of change, once again God showed up, he had a lot of fluid behind his ear, and the Doctor cleared that out as he was putting tubes in his ears....and mind you before the tubes, this is how we found out he needed them, was that at school, he failed his hearing test in his ear, and failed it twice!!! But 2 weeks ago he PASSED with flying colors! He is doing so great with eye-hand coordination!!! He was tossing balls up in the air and catching them without thinking, AND he couldn't do this before, not consecutively....and catching balls that were being thrown to him, is a complete change as well!!! GOD IS SO GOOD! Just watch out baseball season this year ;0)!!!

Lets see....I'm sure there is more on Peyton, but I'm going to Blog better this next year I PROMISE!!!

Now to little Brayden, our youngest, my goodness, I don't think I'll catch everything he's doing, so I'll try in list form lol!

-Since I wrote well maybe he did before I wrote last, but he started sitting up on his own at about 5 1/2 months....

-He then managed to learn to roll ALL over the floors and would be all over the house with this method of getting around....UNTIL the first weekend in November, at 8 months old he was crawling FULL TIME, and now he's ALLL over our house, and is climbing now too....and he'll climb and walk himself down whatever he's standing up holding onto, such as the couch, he'll walk from one couch to the other holding onto it!!!! He's standing up on his own, here and there as well!

-He is saying, Dada, Papa, Bubba, Bye bye, and waves w/it ;0), and here lately he'll go MMMMMMMMMMMMM like he's trying to say momma he'll get it SOON

-He loves LOVES his big Bubba, and Peyton loves him, it's such a strong love that I'm tearing up right now as I write this! He squeals when Peyton enters the room, or attacks him if he's on the floor with him...I love it! and Peyton is equally in love with him!!!

-Brayden is so interested in this little table Peyton still eats at as well, and wants everything to do w/Peyton as he's eating at it, Peyton doesn't want him around so much when that happens LOL

-there is SOOo much more, I will definitely keep up better going forward, I PROMISE!

One story though, is that this past week we were watching a friend's child, and Peyton and her were playing with a video game, and Brayden climbed right on top of them trying to get to it as well LOL well, I decided to get bar stools out so that he wouldn't bother them, and they sat on them as he was trying to mess w/them....and then they brought out monster trucks to play with...once again you know who got into their space, so they ran to Peyton's room and shut the door, well here goes Brayden towards Peyton's room....it was HILARIOUS!!! and we had to keep catching him so he wouldn't bother them....OH THE JOY of sibling rivalry ALREADY lolol!!!

Well, below are the boys Christmas/Winter Pictures that my dear friend Athena Davis did for us!!! Enjoy ;0)

And Yes I'll keep up more, and add more fun pictures maybe to go with the above stories LOL!

Click here to view photos

Life Has Changed the Past Few Weeks.....

Peyton's 1st Day of Kindergarten!!

As of August 19, 2009, Jason and I were no longer parents of just 2 little boys, we became the parents of a boy in SCHOOL, and a baby.....we no longer just got up and rolled out of bed....and I went to work, and Jason got the boys ready and took them to his mom's, letting them both sleep in! Nope! Now it's me waking up at 6.30 and then "starting the process" of getting Peyton out of bed.....which we have to start way in advance because he isn't a morning person :0)!!

But, Peyton loves Kindergarten!!! I was trying to be the "good mommy" and pack him a cute little lunch and with a note in it!!! And I find out he hardly ate it, but he immediately told us he wanted to get a tray!!! And since then he has eaten in the cafeteria and hasn't wanted me to bring his lunch LOLOLOL! Kindergarten is so much different than when we were in Kindergarten!!! Now they are doing things that 2nd Graders did when I was little! Reading. Writing Sentences. a BUNCH of paperwork!!! It's just unreal!!! And Peyton just turned 5 and I sometimes wonder if we did the right thing by putting him straight in Kindergarten, but we all have a peace that he's in the right place and where he needs to be!!! God is in Control.....and He is with him when we cannot be.....and He is helping him when we can't comfort him....Peyton is God's Child, that God has blessed us with to raise.......so thankful He did!!!

Now Brayden, whoa! So much is changing in his life!!! He is rolling ALL over the place! If Peyton is in the room he rolls to where Peyton is. If we put a blanket down to help him not spit up on the rug, he rolls off of it....But it's the neatest thing to see him especially try to go where Peyton is! He is sitting up so well now too, not completely, but pretty steady!! He is saying a sound that sounds like "MMMMM" and I've been working with him to say MOMMA LOL! ;0) Sorry Jason!

So, life is just crazy, it's been an adjustment....but awesome for us, and we're so blessed once again of our 2 amazing boys!

Some Photos of Brayden.....and of him chewing on his highchair too :0)

Boys Boys Boys!

That's right being a mom of 2 boys has completely changed my life since February 27th! It's been nothing but an awesome adventure and challenge (not necessarily about the gender...I'm sure it'd be the same if I had a girl ;0)!) Just being a mom of 2 has been an ADVENTURE!! No one told me or gave me hints on how to balance 2 children, it's just been a learning experience since day one! And I have loved every minute of it, even the most STRESSFUL times, like Peyton doing one thing while Brayden is fussing....but the peaceful and loving times out weigh those horrible times by far!!

Some highlights are of Peyton just loving on Brayden or when Brayden hears Peyton's voice he immediately starts looking for him wherever he is at! The love that both of my boys have for each other brings tears to my eyes! I am so very proud of BOTH of them and how completely Blessed we are to have 2 very healthy little men!

My first born, Peyton....my little sweetheart! just turned 5 and is about to start Kindergarten, and today at lunch I was talking about this with my co-workers and it is so exciting and so sad at the same time, it just seems like yesterday he was coming home from the hospital and Jason and I had no clue on what to do with a brand new baby!!! Kindergarten and the morning routine of school is going to be all new to our family.....Some of the huge things he's doing now are: he's counting to 100, he's learning how to read little words, he is amazing on the computer, the child even knows how to print things!!!! Some adults can't do that LOL!!! I don't like him playing for long periods of times, but he is amazing with video games, no matter if it's the Wii, Xbox 360, or PS3, he is awesome at it, or even his own little PSP, he just recently got new games on the PSP and he picks it up and plays them like he's been playing for many many years!!! And Spiritually he is growing so much!!! How he talks about the stories in his Bible that we read him, and how he soaks it in, and then asks us questions later on....he is one little sponge that is taking it ALL in, and that's why I want to protect him so much from going to school....but it's part of life, and that's why God is there for us, and praying is a way for us to ask God to protect and to cover him from the enemy! I didn't know I'd go on and on about Peyton, but my heart is aching for him and what God is doing in his life....I pray that I am being a good mommy to him, and that God will give me wisdom to continue to be a good mommy.....

Now Brayden....my almost 5 month old (on the 27th!) What a little ball of Sunshine! Literally! He's 18 pounds now and 26 inches, in the 90th percentile guys! My boys come out small but end up big as an infant lol! Brayden is learning to move so much on the floor, he hates tummy time which I worry about at times and how I don't want him to have a flat head, so we move him on his tummy so that he will have equal time on both back and tummy.....He is holding on and enjoying his little toys and rattles that go in his hands! He is laughing and cooing and smiling so very much, I LOVE IT!!! He just recently got a jumperoo where he is learning to jump and move around in it, and he is doing such a good job with it!! (Thanks Crista for letting us borrow it!!!) He is learning how to enjoy cereal now at night and I just introduced him to applesauce, which he DEVOURED lol, my child likes to eat!!! LOL!! In church he is doing so much better, which he never did bad just sometimes he didn't want to fall asleep in church so he'd cry out, but now he TALKS out, and I have to leave the sanctuary, but I'm not ready for him to be in the nursery yet :0) he'll only be a baby once!!! and in classes at church for years to come!!! AND he is sleeping so well at night....he goes to sleep about 8.30 or 9 and sleeps through until about 7 or 8 the next morning! KNOCK ON WOOD!! but I'm thankful for it right now!!!

I am so in love with my 2 little men, and of course my amazing husband, but I just needed to update on how our 2 little guys are doing, and how very blessed we are to have them as our children, and to call them ours, our Gifts that God has given us to raise, and I pray DAILY that God will lead and direct us to raise our boys up to be Godly men......

This scripture is so true for both our children:

1 Samuel 1:27

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.