The Brucke Family

Mama Bear

2011-04-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Poor Norah has allergy issues due to the pollen. No fever, just cough and congestion. She's not fussy or anything so the dr. said there is nothing to do except saline drops and suction her out. She was on oxygen and in the NICU for monitoring right after she was born. Apparantly this is pretty common for c-section babies, but it was so hard to not even be able to hold her while she was across the hospital hooked up to feeding tube and oxygen. Anyway, I think this has made me weird. Today, Norah and I went to Target for formula and I could barely let go of the buggy. (This is due to my friend who has watched way too many Lifetime movies of freaks that steal babies and tells me to "be careful") then, when I was checking out a lady from church snuck up behind me. Not Nice! Bless her heart, I about pounced her! I feel like a big ol Mama Bear! I don't remember being this weird with Troy! Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly fine with friends and family holding her and loving on her. Troy is at daycare part time while I am on maternity leave, so he goes 3 days a week. When I take him in, ofcourse I take Norah in with me. Oh, the little hands of the 3 year old room! Some of them just look while others are all in her face coughing and touching...Oh My! I do not do well with that either! Thankfully the director told me not to take her in there, to leave her in her office while I pick up/drop off Troy. Thank goodness. I don't wanna go mama bear on the poor 3 year olds! I guess I had a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to have your tiny one sick and in the hospital and germs are really freaking me out this go round.

I am rambling, I know. Sorry, just random thoughts for all 3 people that read my blog! I only have 2 full weeks until I go back to work and I am sooo not looking forward to it. I love my job but She is still so little that it makes me sad.

Norah's newborn pictures

2011-04-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl

Baby Brucke is Here!

2011-04-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

Norah Kinsley Brucke

March 14, 2011

7lbs 4oz

18.5 inches

Snow Grinch

2011-01-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Why am I a snow Grinch this year? Well, unfortunately I don't happen to have a huge selection of snow gear in maternity clothes, that makes playing in the snow difficult. It took me like 30 minutes to find something to wear, and 30 minutes outside, then a big ol wet puddle of mess to clean up afterwards! Also, Those who don't work, don't get paid! I don't get paid maternity leave, so my 5 1/2 weeks of vacation have already been assigned to March. Here we are in January and I know atleast 2 of those days are gone or unpaid! Ugh! I also hate being stuck inside. I like to know that I can safely get in my car and go on my merry way if I want. Today, I didn't clean house, do laundry or anything! Troy and I baked muffins and cookies this morning and after a failed attempt to make a snowman, and the largest snow angel (Mine) ever seen, we came inside and haven't been out since. Even Troy hasn't asked to go play again in the snow! Oh Well. That's my gripe for the week! Baby Norah Kinsley Brucke will be here the week of March 7th! Only 8 more weeks left! Hope everyone else enjoys the snow, but I will be glad to see it go!

And the BAby is.....

2010-10-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

A GIRL!!!
Let me tell you about this place. We had a 4d ultrasound done at Visions of Life in Piedmont. They are sooo wonderful, by the way! So, we walk in and the tech takes me into a room with a huge flat screen t.V. and a big couch for the family to sit on and a train table and toys. Troy was a happy camper! She turns out the lights and we start the ultrasound. BAM, I saw the legs spread and we all saw a "Boy Part", so we looked and looked and the tech says she thinks it's a boy but the umbilical cord was between the baby's legs and she just wasn't 100 percent sure. So, she says to grab some lunch and come back and maybe the baby will change positions. So, we enjoyed some yummy mexican food and returned back to the clinic. She waved us on in and even told my father in law that she was pretty sure it was a boy but she had to know for sure. So, I get on the table/bed thing again and BAM the baby had her legs spread wide open and guess what.... No "Boy Parts" at all, no where. We spent another 30 min checking and making sure nothing returned, haha! But, turns out the "Boy Part" the first time was the umbilical cord. This place is so amazing. I can't believe she worked that hard and went the extra mile to make sure that she had the sex of my baby correct. The way this place works is you pay 60 bucks for a gender ultrasound (that says 10 mins), you get a DVD of the ultrasound, a sneak peak 4d, and a sheet of 4d pictures, and ofcourse printouts of the 2d ultrasound. I ended up with 2 DVD's about 20 2d pictures and about a hour and a half of ultrasound time! At no extra charge. I even tried to tip the sweet girl! Really, who goes that extra mile for you these days!

Cute Pictures

2010-09-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the fall for Jesus festival!

Granny and Troy at Hollywild on the Safari bus. I really thought I loved this place but ohmygosh, I have changed my mind! There were chickens just walking around the restroom and my poor lil guy was scared to death to go potty. I told one of the workers and she said "oh, they just wander around wherever they want". Ugh. This visit really grossed me out. We are strictly a Christmas Lights visitor from now on. Chickens dancing and poopin around the potty is just gross! I skipped all the animal pictures, because if you've seen them once, you've seen them a hundred times!

We have had a really great weekend. Friday, we went to the Fall for Jesus Festival. I loved seeing so many people I haven't seen in so long. My favorite cousin from Walhalla was even there! My new Oktoberfest! Well, the Oktoberfest is in Walhalla and I used to really look foward to it because you just see everyone there. The past few times I've went I really haven't seen anyone. Guess I'm getting old! We had some friends over to watch the Georgia/Carolina game! Wahoo, Go GAmeCoCks! I have one very happy husband!

11 weeks

2010-08-29T03:52:00.000-07:00

I'm really having a hard time blogging. For one, I can't type with Brucke reading behind me or Troy climbing around in my lap. Yes, we still have a desktop and it's in the living room. Also, I feel like I need to be by myself to think and type clearly. Ha, thats hardly ever! Anyway, Baby Update! Today I am 11 weeks and 1 day. Wahoo! With Troy, I wasn't nearly as sick as I am this go round. BUT, I'm starting to feel much better! YaY! I also had my first ultrasound appt on friday, Aug 13th. Well, friday the 13th is def. a bad luck day. My doctor's ultrasound equipment wasn't working, BOO! then, he was really pretty rude about the whole thing, and he didn't make over the fact that my husband took off work for this and my son was there to see the baby. Troy was so sweet, too. He told the dr that his mommy had a baby in her belly and really just talked his ears off and the dr. didn't even acknowledge him. Horrible appt.! Anyway, I switched Doctors! So, 2 fridays later, I had another appointment with the same group of Dr.s I had with Troy. It went sooo much better. Great ultrasound pictures and found out I am about a week further along than I thought. Honestly, I switched Dr.s to begin with so I could deliver at AnMed, But too bad cause I switched back to old faithful and am delivering at St Frances again. Well, my timing is up, Troy wants to sit in my lap and is crawling all over me and my grammar, spelling and run on sentences will drive me nuts later when I read this. BUT, atleast I blogged! HAHA! Happy Sunday everyone!

a little of this and a little of that...

2010-08-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

We had a really great weekend! Our buds that left us and moved to Texas were in town all last week. Friday was Bruckes Birthday, so we went out to eat with his parents, aunt and uncle, and Chris and Erin. Afterwards, Troy spent the night with Granny so we could have some adult time with the Terrys. We ran into my BFF from high school, Pam and her sister Kristy. We were going to take the boat out Saturday, because T-Man has talked about last wkend all week, but we had such cloudy weather that we decided to stay home. Troy and I both have a summer head cold, blah. Brucke's boss gave us a 12 volt cadi escalade for TMan, and boy, does he love it! Thank God it wasn't blazing outside and he spend most of the day riding his cadi around the yard. He was running a little bit of a fever, so Tylenol he got and we tried to not let him get too hot. Sunday, we skipped church. Troy and I were up early and he was a little cranky so we just stayed home. By this time, we were all getting a little bored with the staying at the house deal. Well, actually I would have been fine if I could have slept all day! I guess the pregnancy tiredness has officially kicked in, plus having a little bit of a cold. We dosed off and on all day! The weather was GREAT this wkend and it was so nice to get a break from the heat. Also, 2 chinese websites predicted I'm having a girl! WAHOO! Anyway, we like Jayden for a girl. That came out of a baby name book in Books a Million while Erin and I were in Heaven for maybe a hour friday night! HaHa! I love that place and yummy coffee!

Weekend Fun

2010-07-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was painting my toenails and Troy wanted his painted. I tried to explain that little boys didn't paint their toes, but he had a total meltdown. Finally I gave in and painted his. Yes, his daddy had a fit. They were painted maybe 30 minutes!

This is the first time big boy has gotten his hair cut without sitting in my lap. Very proud of him!

I am pretty sure we docked the boat at the muddiest place on lake Hartwell! Oh well, we had a great time! We decided to have a family day, and packed sandwiches and snacks and lots of water. Brucke let Troy drive the boat, we stopped and swam, and even got to feed some ducks! I just knew the little turd would take a great nap afterwards, but boy did he show me! All day and no nap! Also, he dressed himself that morning so he is not matching at all! Troy showed us how to "swim" and he had a ball playing in the dirt and mud!

We ran into some ducks and fed them chips. Later, I was eating some chips and Troy said "Ducks eat chips, not us!" HaHa!

I forgot to flip this picture, but it's extra cute!

Random Thoughts

2010-07-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

~ I see the doctor Aug 13 for my first prenatal checkup. Yes, thats Friday the 13th!

~ I am the type of person that stresses over something until I have it figured out. I am still trying to figure out what to do with Baby Brucke. I would love to keep the baby out of daycare for atleast the first 6 months, but I can't find anyone that would keep the baby in their home after I go back to work.

~ Swimming Lessons didn't help much with Troy's fear of water... Let me rephrase that, he loves water but only water he can reach the bottom.

~Our friends are in town from Texas! Looking foward to spending time with them!

~Brucke has a birthday coming up! I am planning a cook out and my in laws bought a huge blow up water slide, so hopefully we can borrow that. The kids will have a blast!

~I've learned to like Dora. Troy loves Dora.

~Retail therapy has worked wonders on me lately!

Big News

2010-07-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

I'm Pregnant! This is a huge suprise. I'm scared and excited at the same time. I just assumed we would not have anymore children. God is good. Right now, I'm worried about how we are going to afford another child, the doctor bills, etc. Anmed still gets 20 dollars a month from 2006 when we had all those test done to figure out why we couldn't get pregnant.

Everyone wants the baby to be a girl, even Troy. He said he wants a baby sister and he was going to change her diaper. I will call the Doctor today to set up an appt. I'm thinking I'm around 5 weeks. Please keep us in your prayers!

3 year old Pictures

2010-07-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

Last week...

2010-07-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 7th anniversary at the Melting Pot last Saturday. A little late, but better late than never! Then we went to see Eclipse! Date Nights are so fun! And, Eclipse is great if you haven't seen it!

We had a cook out Sunday to celebrate July 4th at Brucke's cousin's pool.

Troy started swimming Lessons Monday. We go early every day so he can play outside before his lesson starts. He says, "Mom, this makes me happy!"

He has a crush on his lifeguard! He gives her a gigantic hug every day before we leave. He is getting more and more comfortable in the water. I have been so impressed with the way they handle the kids!

The swim group getting some instructions.

The best part about swimming lessons is I don't have to put on a horrid swimsuit!

Funny Stuff

2010-07-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Brucke found Troy's toothbrush in the refridgerater the other morning.

Brucke's wallet got missing. A few hours later, we found it in one of his shoes.

Troy flushed a matchbox car and asked me to go under the house, in the pipes and get it back.

I thought I had more but I forgot. Maybe I will remember later.

Pictures!!

2010-06-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

Birthday Boy Sprorting his hat!He loved his slip n slide!Finally enjoying a cupcake!

Party Stress

2010-06-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Well, this year I wanted to have a very small Birthday Party for Troy. I invited 4 of his little friends his age from Church and his daycare. Add that to mine and Brucke's family and thats still a lot of people! We are so blessed to have our friends and family! Well, I thought 10 am was going to be great b/c it's sooo hot. That was fine with Troy's friends but ofcourse thats a bit early for the adults, which I don't blame b/c I like to sleep in too if I could. Well, it was still sooo Hooooottttttt!!! We really need a pool. Anyway, My mother in law mentioned that next year I should have a party here in Anderson for Troy's friends, then have one in Seneca for the family. But 2 parties still sound kinda extreme... Anyway, I guess you can't please everyone. Today is Troy's actual birthday. He is such a sweetie. He was eating left over cupcakes from his party and asked us to sing Happy Birthday to him again. Ha, Ha. Then he asked if it was his daddy's Birthday and Brucke said No, but it's coming up. Then he turned to me and said " Hey mommy, is your birthday coming up too?" (he is so smart) I said yes. Then he burst out into singing happy Birthday to Mommy and Daddy with cupcake icing all over his little sweet face! I will post pics later!

Almost 3 !!

2010-06-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

My baby will be 3 on June 21st. I can't believe it. Time flies. I am so proud of him! Here are some things that he is doing:
1) Counting to 10 in English and Spanish.
2) He knows most all of his colors.
3) His Speech is really good! He can carry on a conversation, and says some of the funniest things. Lately, when I do something for him, He says "That makes me happy, Mom!" ~~sweet!
4) Not Potty trained :( I have to remind him to potty, and sometimes he simply refuses, arching his back and screaming " I don't wanna go potty!!!" ...So frustrating!
5) I have just learned that he is really great with hand/eye coordination. We got him a tee and ball set for his birthday. Can't wait to sign him up for Tball. He also has a set of golf clubs, he does good with that too.
6) He trips me out singing! He will be like "Row, Row Row your boat gently down the stream...and Jesus loves the little children...Twinkle Twinkle little star...." You get the picture!
7) Finally showing some interest in TV. I know I know. Kids shouldn't watch much TV, but my goodness it's nice to say watch Spongebob while Mommy cooks supper!!
8) He isn't sleeping good anymore! He gets out of bed every night and ask for something to drink, then gets in the bed with us. It also takes foreeevvvverr to get him to fall asleep at night. Last night, he laid down at 8:30, but didn't actually go to sleep until after 11:00! This part is driving me nuts! I love my sleep!
8) He still loves outside! If it rains on a saturday, It's a bad day at the Brucke house! I'm glad he enjoys being outdoors though.
9) Saying his night time prayers. This is such a sweet part of the day!
10) He doesn't care much for coloring. He colors for like 2 min. and he's like I'm done!

Happy Birthday Reece!

2010-05-31T04:05:00.000-07:00

It must be summer!

2010-05-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

We had our first pool party yesterday! Happy Birthday to Reece! I love watching Troy and Reece play together. "Lets Jump!", "Let's swim!" They are always so excited to see each other and talk up a storm! When we got home, We all took a nap. When Troy got up, he said "Reece has a big place!" They have a inground pool, a trampoline, and a brand new swingset! I think that was his way of saying "I want all that too!" Maybe when we pay off some bills we will invest in a pool! Happy Birthday Reece Cup!

Complete and Utter Randomness

2010-05-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

I am horrible at picking out meats when I grocery shop....anyway, I picked up a steak (thinking it was breakfast steak, aka cheap) with a 2 dollar off coupon on it. So I have all my coupons and am feeling really good about my mission to keep it under 100 dollars. I get to the check out and its 101! I haven't spent that in a long time! Anyway, I bought a 10 dollar steak!! By accident! Yes, I did take it back. Crap, that is McDonald's twice! I am also very excited to pick out coupons tomorrow and looking at different blogs to help save more! My Friday's are like work to me. I drop Troy off at school, then I hit Bi-Lo up, with all my coupons and comparing...then I come home to do laundry and clean and write out bills. How does anyone work 5 days a week?? I have no clue. Last night I watched 2 movies, off and on, between playing with Troy. I have a confession. I love a good thriller/horror movie! Anyway, one was called 5 Girls, and it was pretty good, but the other one was so disturbing! The Girl Next Door, a 1950's based on a true story film...Wow, I would not watch again. I can't believe that actually happened! horrible! Also, what about Precious?? Ughhh! I have been sheltered, thank God!
We have been super stressed lately, so I called Granny for a much needed date night. Troy was so excited. He had his clothes on by 8 am and watched the window for Granny and Papa to get here. I guess he wanted to get away from us too! Sooo, tonight we will finally watch The Hangover. I promise I don't usually watch much TV but I am being super lazy and lovin our Netflix view instantly!!

Troy's first sleep over!!

2010-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dax doing his mad dance moves!

Troy and his mad dance moves

Congrats to Jarod and Ansley on Baby Harper! We had a blast with Dax! We had a dance party, watched movies, and they played so well together! Plus, I got to cuddle up with 2 boys in my bed while Brucke slept on the couch, haha! Nothing better than 2 little sleeping angles!

One more picture!

2010-05-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Most of the group on the Hummer!

Papa Cox

2010-05-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

My Papa was taken to the emergency room last week. After that happened, he was telling me how much it scared him. My papa, in his 70's, accepted Christ! He has always had high blood pressure. Last night, I visited him before his triple bypass surgery this morning. He told me not long after he asked Jesus to come into his heart, that he took his blood pressure and according to him, his blood pressure has not been that good in years! He said this was amazing. I told him thats not odd, thats God! He had surgery this morning and everything went well. The doctors did find some Lung disease that will have to be dealt with. I don't know all the details yet, but the next 24 hours are very crucial. His spirits seemed good and he was flirting with the nurses last night. He is where I get my utter bluntness from. I remember him telling me several times, Kenya, you getting a little fat, aint cha?? After a while you just laugh it off. Thats my papa for ya! Always cutting up and always telling exactly whats on his mind. You just never know with him. I love him very much and am so glad that one day we will rejoice in Heaven together, but hopefully not anytime soon!

Pictures!!

2010-05-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

These are the hummers that take a group in the back all the way to the top of the mountain.

Us on the paddle boats

One of the youth Lodges. Each room sleeps 17 people with bunkbeds 4 high! Outside each Lodge, they have volleyball nets, basketball courts, Ping pong tables, etc

Mom and I outside the dining hall.

The view from the dining hall to the lodge.

After the incredibly scary (says me) ride up the mountain in the back of the hummer, you get this view!

Ok. The guys actually caught 2 turtles. They were going to make a stew! Yuck! Anyway, Troy asked me where they were going with the turtles and I said "they are going to cook them." he replied "In the microwave??"

I am such a great mom that I caught Troy a tadpole, yep thats mud on me!

Mom and cousin Angie

Brucke loved catchin all the big fish! Troy asked 100 times when we got home where the fish were at. Hard to explain that we threw them back!

Camp Awanita~A Christian Youth Camp, Marietta SC

2010-05-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet Cousin and her husband work at Camp Awanita and invited us over for a picnic this past saturday. We had sooo much fun! The camp was closed and we had it all to our selves! I can only imagine how much youth groups love this place! First of all, It's beautiful! In the Mountains with spectacular views. Humers take you up the mountain on a gravel road, that pretty much feels like a roller coaster! Paddle boats, fishin, turtle catchin, prayin, eatin, mudpit, the lake. It was amazing! I will load pictures later!

Red Letter Marriage

2010-05-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Preacher Steve has been preaching a sermon titled "Red Letter Marriage".
Here are some things I've learned, and a bit of things I think are important in a marriage:

1) Your family should be in this order
God
Spouse
Kids
So, basically, I think most people get this order all messed up, including myself!

2) Having a child will not improve your marriage. In fact, it adds more stress. Is it worth it? YES! Does it take a lot of work? YES

3) Date nights are a Good Thing!

I always struggle with guilt when I drop Troy off for a night at his grandmas. No more of that! It's very important to spend quality time with your spouse, and it makes me a well rested mother so I can take better care of him!

4) Coming from a divorced home, I vow, and always have, to never divorce! Unless Brucke beats me and my child or has an affair, he's stuck with me. The End.

5) Marriage is a job! Love one another, respect each other, and put God in charge of everything. God never said it would be easy, but it is His will for us all to have a great marriage, and that takes work!

Holly Wild

2009-07-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Holly Wild was awesome today! Troy loved all the animals and especially the safari bus ride! His favorite was the Peacock! He started running after that huge thing and I about had a cow. The most random thing happened, while looking in the water at the fish my batteries just fell out of the camera and in the water! How does that happen? so, no pictures of the safari ride, and it was the best part :( Troy is the best son ever, I absolutely love this age! He tells me thank you and please and now we are working on saying his prayers. He can be a handful and a bit whiny but he is so fun and worth every minute of it!

ENT

2009-07-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Little man has got to get his tonsils and adnoids taking out! Surgery will most likely be this winter, mainly because I need to save up some money first!

First Golf experience

2009-07-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

We went and played golf today, with Troy! Initially, we thought it would be a disaster. We had to wait 30 min for a cart. During those 30 min, Troy managed to step on the owner's cat, yell "ball" at the top of his lungs and say "hey" to some of the more serious golfers. He was being way too loud! But, when we got the cart and played our nine holes, He was some what of a angel! He loved riding the golf cart and helping us arrange our tee's. We had such a good time, and it was a beautiful day to be golfing! Family days are the best. Now Troy and his daddy are napping, but maybe later we will head to Toadily Fun to treat the lil guy for his good behavior!

YAY

2009-07-01T17:01:00.001-07:00

Troy pee-peed in the potty today!

Happy Birthday Troy!

2009-06-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby boy! We had a awesome birthday party yesterday at Barrett's Place, It was so HOT! His favorate presents: Spongebob Croc's, and a John Deere tractor!

Firefighter?

2009-06-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

First, I decide to let Troy hold the hose pipe while I wash down his swing set and patio furniture. His "job" was to help me rinse off after I soap it up. Well, he enjoyed making mud puddles instead. Soooo, here we are, soap drying on the patio furniture and I ask him to rinse it, well, he threw a complete temper tantrum and actually threw himself in the mud and was kicking and screaming and rolling around like a little pig. I couldn't help but laugh. All because I had to take the hose pipe out of his hand for like 5 seconds!

This afternoon, we are washing the boat, the car, and the dog! I feel like we've spent the entire day playing in the hose pipe and mud! Ofcourse Troy is the one doing the "rinsing" but most importantly getting to hold the hose. Maybe Troy will make a great fire-fighter one day~

Birds and Ducks

2009-06-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

Lately Troy has been arguing with me about Birds. Every morning he points at the birds and yells "Ducks!", I say "That's Birds, baby. Say Bird" He then tells me "No mommy, Duck!"
This goes on and on.