Lincoln

Tonight I am so thankful for men like President Lincoln. There are so many amazing stories of how our country came to be what it is today, and I am thankful for those who were willing to listen to our Father in Heaven and fight for freedom for all men. I ache for those hundreds of thousands who died in our Civil War, and even more in other times, all to protect the freedoms we hold dear.

How blessed I am to be alive in such a time as this. And now I am going upstairs to hold my beautiful baby girl while she sleeps. What a joy it is to be her mother.

Disney Quest... WOW!

Today we spent 6 hours at Disney Quest. My boys (all 3 of them) went W I L D!!! They are begging to go back. Cole was so cute, and he kept asking for money or tokens. He could not believe that everything was really free!

The virtual reality attractions were AMAZING! What a fun day. My favorite was the virtual Pirates of the Caribbean. It was so cool!

Savvy and I took a break for 2 hours in the afternoon and went next door to the movies to see Hotel Transylvania. VERY CUTE!! The theater is amazing! Really different and fun!

Downtown Disney

We have LOVED Downtown Disney.
Ghirraldellis! Cable car Sundae! Ummmmmmm!!!

 Savvy is a shopping fiend!! She is her mommy's girl. She is all about Minnie Mouse. She hated that she could not keep everything she found. She kept telling me, "but momma, it minnie mouse, see?"

 There is so much to do, see and experience at Downtown Disney. Monday night we spent 5 hours there, and all we bought was out $9 ice cream sundae that our family shared! That is a great price for 5 hours of entertainment!

What a great family home evening. We came back to the hotel and daddy taught a lesson on counting our many blessings. Great job daddy!

Savvy's First Day!!

Julie, this one is for you! I love my little girl so much!!

Savvy has been BEGGING to go to school She is such a little grown up! Watching her big brothers go back to school without her was devastating to the girl. She did not understand why and telling her she was not big enough Ticked Her Off! The boys are on year round schedule, and so they went back the end of July, and she had to wait another month until the end of August.

When I surprised the boys with their first day of school backpacks and supplies, I also got Savvy a backpack. She was in HEAVEN! She has worn it everywhere for a month now.

 She and cousin Zetta Cait both go to Salem Baptist Preschool. Savvy goes 2 days a week in a 2 year old class and Zetta goes 3 days a week in a 4 year old class.

 Savvy showing off her backpack.

 Pointing in awe at the playground... the holy mecca of wonderfulness!

 Running in excitement! She was so happy this day!

Meeting her teachers! Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Whiteman

I love my Grandmama!

Grandma Bodell is a huge part of the woman I have become.
She ALWAYS made time to play with babies.
Even to her last days, she would light up when a baby was near. She was a fantastic mother.

She always took time to read to me, dance with me and listen to all my stories.
Grandma loved to write. She wrote so many wonderful poems. She used to sit with me and practice how to "tell" a poem. How to recite it using the correct timing and sing-song rhythms.
Grandma was always up for an adventure. She was such a good sport whenever we wanted to go and do something fun.
This was New Year's Rockin' Eve Block Party Bash at Legoland. She and Grandpa LOVED it!
Grandma, I promise to call every year during the Academy Awards and Miss America Pageant.

My ballerina...

I have wanted a ballerina princess to take to dance for a long time. The wait is definitely worth it. She was fantastic!

Hot dogs and marshmallows????

Savvy is just smart... really smart. She gets things quickly, and never forgets. Today she was going to her first day of kids camp. When I told her last night she got to go to kids camp in the morning she was so excited! First thing she said when she woke up was, "hot dogs and marshmallows??" She continued to ask, "I get hot dogs and marshmallows at camp?" I just laughed and did not worry about it. When Bill dropped her off he said she definitely did not want to go in. This was NOT camping as she knew it.

I love this girl!

I go to dancey Dance!!!

Savvy's Dancey Dance Class.... So Great!! There are not very many dance teachers that welcome 2 year olds. WE have found an amazing teacher in Cary. Her name is Miss Bladen and we love her! Savvy is taking ballet, tap and tumbling. This is her ballet recital costume. She normally SMILES the entire time she is there. I think she was a little tired when they took the group shot. I love having a baby girl so much! More pictures to come soon. Her recital is in two weeks.

this one is for Darcy.... who says I do not blog nearly enough,

I eat the Poo Poo!!!

So when Savvy is mad at me for making her take a nap, she has a new way of throwing a tantrum. She will go poops, stick her hand in it, and... well... yes... partake... URGHHHHHH! It is horrible! She then yells, "Mama, I eat the poo poo! I eat the poo poo! It's yucky! Mama, it is yucky, yucky, ewww yuck!!!"

true story...
She has done it twice here at home and once at Mitzi's house, so i have proof. Seriously, sooooo disgusting.

I did not take a picture.... WAY TOO NASTY GROSS! These are two pictures from this last week. I adore my sweet girl! This one is eating krispie kremes in the car.... much better and even healthier than poo. Sticky to the doughnuts Savvy!

OBX... continued

More on our fun OBX adventure.
(by the way: OBX = Outer Banks, the fun beach coast of northern North Carolina)


Auntie Sue introduced us to a YUMMY restaurant that was sooo great! The Jolly Roger.

First off, if you come between 4:30 and 5:30, you get the early bird special, buy one get one free. IN ADDITION... Saturday nights KIDS EAT FREE!!! Are you kidding me! Our whole family ate a huge, fantastic dinner for $30 including everything!

The entire staff is dressed as pirates, and the restaurant is decorated as if you are on a pirate ship. We ate in the captain's quarter's room. So Cool!!! Uncle Peter, Auntie Sue and Grandma Joan met us for dinner. We really had a great time.

The drinks all come decorated with pirate bling. Savvy was not so sure about it. I made her a little nervous and she refused to drink anything.

They have a playground in the back that our kids really had fun on.
I love this picture because it shows my darling kids at their individual levels of play, but all playing together.



Did I mention that it was SO SO SO COLD the entire time we were there!!!
How cute is my little paddington bear baby?

OBX day one

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!
We had our first family getaway to the Outer Banks last weekend! Auntie Sue Ward came to visit us and then we drove her to her mom's house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We had a fantastic time! It was FREEEEEZZZING cold at the beach, but really beautiful. We got a Days Inn Hotel right on the beach and our room's balcony overlooked the ocean.

We toured the Wright Brother's National Park... Very cool!
This is an awesome play experience for the kids to climb on. They really do a nice job here.
Next we went to the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Up next... Bill and the boys true purpose of our trip... Ocean fishing!

I was sooooo thankful that they didn't catch anything because Bill would absolutely have scaled, de-boned and roasted it right there on the beach. NASTY!! They did have fun though. We are really ready for our Dittbrenner cousins to come and go fishing with us when the weather gets a little warmer. Uncle Wayne is a master fisherman!

Ahhhhhhhhhh...

Kids are back in school today for the first time since mid December. Thank Heavens I live in an amazing area with fabulous public schools. 5 weeks is much too long for winter break! This year round thing takes some getting used to.

Thank you Miss McManus, Mrs Evans and Mrs Tutor. You are both amazing and we are so blessed by all of your efforts.

A Braverman kind of day...

So last week I talked about how much I loved watching the ABC Shows Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice episodes dealing with adoption... They just really got it right. (Not so much now the Private Practice part though. Hello!!!! You loose one baby and quit trying all together. What a WIMP!)

Anyway, my Aunt Jimae, my cousin Nicki and a few of my sisters have been telling me for 2 and a half years that I have got to watch PARENTHOOD on NBC. They tell me it is totally my life. I missed the first few episodes and I don't like to get in on a show in the middle so I just never got into it. But after being asked by Jimae, Nicki, Mitzi and Lani SO SO SO MANY times if I watched this or that episode, I finally decided it was a good time to watch the show. I went online and found it available for $13 for the entire season 1 dvd set.

Well, in the first 42 minutes, I cried 7 times! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? It was so right. They got it so perfect. I love that they have the extended family being such a huge part of the struggle to understand the autistic son, Max. I cried the hardest when Max came out worried about his game and the whole family (Aunts and Grandparents included) jumped to get him to the game. The aunts helped with team snacks, the sister ran to get his uniform. It was my favorite scene. It is me life. It is why I LOVE living in Cary, and having 3 sisters and their families so close by.

The part I laughed the hardest at was when they FINALLY got in with the behaviorial specialist and needed to "rush" to get to the appointment. I hadn't ever seen this show before, but yet I totally started laughing before the scene even finished because I KNEW what was going to happen. YOU NEVER RUSH A KID with this issues. And then the dad turns off the tv!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I WAS ROLLING on the bed by this point. HILARIOUS!!! These writers are BRILLIANT!!!

Thanks for encouraging me to watch it Aunt Mae, Nicki and sisters. I love that you think of me when you watch it. Yep, that is EXACTLY how it is.

Hahaahaaaa... the dad turned off the tv. What a rookie mistake! Again, hilarious.

And Lani, last Thursday when I cancelled out on going with you and the girls to yoga at 8pm... I had just had a VERY BRAVERMAN kind of day, and I was exhausted. Thanks for being understanding... It really helps.

Super Brighton up in the trees. He loves to climb and never gets scared... no matter how high or huge the tree is!

Brighton does not feel pain like other people do. We are actually having him tested to find out more about this. He can endure intense pain before he fells it which can be good or bad. He also is going to start seeing an Autism behavioral specialist in 2 weeks. We are really excited to see how it works. I loved it when the mom and dad on PARENTHOOD went in to the doctor and I KNEW they were thinking, tell us he hasn't got it. Tell us it is a mistake. And then when the dad asks how long he will have it, like it is the flu... HILARIOUS! Again, GREAT SHOW!!!

Like what you'd wear to the grammy's....

So my sexy husband is on the CERT team. It is basically a volunteer firefighter. (Just when you think the man you are married to can't possibly get any sexier, he ups and joins the volunteer fire department!!! HOT-HOT-HOT!!!)

He LOVES LOVES LOVES it and I LOVE that he finally has a hobby that he can really get in to. Some men play golf, or computer games, or basketball... whatever. Bill never really had a hobby. It was hard because he really needed an outlet for his own time. Something that he could really enjoy. So when he found out about this opportunity to be on CERT he was so excited. He went to a few weeks of training, and now he is called on to do different assignments occasionally. (Help with traffic control, other emergency stuff...) He got an award at the town hall by the mayor last month and it was a really neat experience. Great for our kids to see their daddy volunteering in our community. Another cool thing is that he gets to have the special license plates that are for the fire fighters and that show that you are with the fire department, so I am thinking it will definitely help with not getting tickets!!! LOVE THAT PART OF IT!!!

Since CERT is part of the fire department, we get invited to all the firemen's stuff. (Yes Tami Morrison... it is FABULOUS!) So Saturday night, we are going to the fireman's ball. I asked my husband tonight how we were supposed to dress and he said, "You know, like what you would wear to the Grammy's."

"ummmm. what?" I replied. "The Grammy's????" I became nervous when I realized that he was TOTALLY SERIOUS!!!!

"Yeah, the Grammy's." He says like it's no big deal.

"Bill, NOTHING in either of our closets could possibly be worn to the Grammy's!!!! We DO NOT OWN anything like that!"

He disagrees and thinks that we have lots of things we could wear to the Grammy's. He is serious. I am totally laughing. Funny man.

ps. I will not be dressing appropriate for the Grammy's. I am just hoping that I will look good enough for the fireman's ball. (Sisters, yes, I will wear make-up.)

Cake... we need Cake...

Some days I just love being a mom. There are days that are great. Easy, fun and wonderful.
Last week I had 2 of those days in a row. Monday I had 5 nieces and nephews come to play with my kids and they all got along so well. It was a great play date.

Cole's love language is definitely Quality Time. To him, nothing says, “I love you,” like your full, undivided attention. For his birthday last month, we gave him 7 sleep tickets. A sleep ticket gives him the opportunity to spend a night in mommy and daddy's room for the whole night. He gets about an hour of snuggle time in bed with us and then we make him a bed on the floor by us. He LOVES every second of it. We have to limit it to only one a week.

So Tuesday night, we were doing our snuggle time and watching America's Next Great Baker. Cole kept licking his lips and saying, "Oh yeah, that kind looks good. I want some of that one. Mom, we NEED cake! Can I have some of that cake?" Now remember, this is my kid that we BEG to eat anything. As the episode went on, Cole and I were both needing some CAKE! I paused the show and said, "Cole, let's go bake a cake!" (Yes, it was 9:30 at night!) Daddy laughed and jokingly said, "Bake a cake???? That will take an hour. You ought to just go to the store and buy some cake."

That is a FABULOUS idea!!! Cole and I threw on our coats over our jammers and were out the door so fast! Daddy was laughing and yelling, "I was just kidding!"

Shopping and picking out those treats in our pj's was such a fun experience. I think it is those little minutes of perfection that make life wonderful. Make being a mom the best job in the world.

Se we came home with four slices of Dee-Lish Yummy Cakes!
Coconut (Mommy's favorite)
Old fashioned yellow cake with fudge frosting (Cole's favorite)
Double Chocolate with Dark Chocoalte Frosting (Daddy's favorite)
Peanut Butter fudge mousse (Bright's favorite)

Cole begged us to let him go and wake up Bright to join in on the cake party. What a sweet kid he is.



I remember being 8 years old and my mom waking my sister Amy and I up in the middle of the night to watch "The Sound Of Music." It was really wonderful. I felt so special, like my mom really wanted to spend time with me. She made popcorn. It was such a cool memory. I hope she has lots of memories like this one that makes her love having been a mom.

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

I've been there. Totally been there. Actually been there twice. It is terrible, but it also is kind of great. Holding that baby for the first moment, falling in love, loosing her, then finally getting to hold her again. Loved the Grey's ending. Loved it. Been there, and it is the best feeling ever!

Feb. 2009
This is Savannah, or who we thought was Savannah. I got to see the sonogram, hear the heartbeat, stay awake all night for labor, I even got to cut the umbilical chord! She was an amazing experience that was horrible to live through.


But somehow the last day, I knew what was going to happen. I denied it... but my heart knew.
In Private Practice, during the horrible part of holding that perfect baby, and then knowing that you would never hold her again, she says, "How am I supposed to believe that? How am I supposed to believe in anything ever again?" Hated this. Been there... Worst feeling ever.
I don't watch Private Practice much, so it was kind of a surprise to see what was going on. I love it when they get it right. Capture it so well.

Ok, so I actually meant this post as a happy/thankful/look at how amazing this is kind of a post. So here goes:

I don't ever miss an episode of Grey's Anatomy and I love that they took the story and made it so real, and true to life. Anybody watch these shows? Your thoughts?

Well, when they started with Zolla as a storyline, I loved it. I had just gotten my own delicious little sweetheart, and they looked so much alike! And with her special needs, it felt so close to our Cole and his story.

I don't know if having a baby is ever easy. Maybe biologically it is easy emotionally? I don't know. But adoption, in my experience, is the craziest roller coaster ride in life. But you know how after you get off the roller coaster, and you realize it was the greatest thrill you could imagine? Well, in my life, I have gotten three roller coaster rides that were somehow unspeakably life changing. I am not making sense... so here is what I mean. This is why it is worth the heartache part.
October 2009
This is the moment I first met my princess Savannah and somehow I knew it in my heart... She was mine forever!




The moment the judge officially decreed that Savannah Kea Ohana was ours forever.
Addison, Meredith... It is worth it! I promise!!
I would have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance.

Thanks ABC... you got it right on these two.