the Brister Bunch

Softball Season!

2011-04-21T06:05:00.002-04:00

Well, here she is! My sweetie pie who closed out the softball game Tuesday night by striking out 3 batters in the last inning to end the game!! (We don't keep score, but I know we won!)
We are so excited that Eden is getting to pitch some...it runs in the family! :)
She was so confident out on the mound. She takes her job very seriously.
Woo Hoo! Never thought I would say this, but "GO DAWGS!!"
Ok, so I know it has been a while since I posted on my blog. I am hoping to change that! :) Lots and lots has happened since my last post. I will try to go back and post the highlights of our last 7 months! ha

Well, as you can see Eden Jewell is playing fast-pitch softball! We could not be more excited! She is doing a really good job! It has been so much fun watching her. We are so proud of her hard work. Tuesday night was the first time Aaron had gotten to be there for her entire game. That's the bummer about your dad being a baseball coach...most of Eden's games are at the same time as Emmanuel's. So it was super fun having the whole family there together watching the game. And yes, Lily was there too. And yes, this would have been a great time for a family photo, but she was off playing with her little buddies and someone offered to take our picture so I didn't want to take the time to go grab her. Now, I wish I would have! I do have some pictures of her from the game will try to post, yes, of course, she had on a necklace, a bracelet, and a ring! Oh, and sunglasses. That hasn't changed over the last few months. She is still my precious little fashion expert. She cried yesterday morning because she is tired of wearing tennis shoes to school!! She didn't understand why her high-heel flip flops would not be appropriate!! :) I love that girl.

And then there is that sweet little man who keeps me very busy! Isaiah will be 2 very soon and is ALL BOY! I rarely sit down. He is so much fun, but into everything. He would much rather be the one playing ball than watching his sister play. He runs pretty much the entire game. Every game I set up my chair, but I hardly ever get to use it! Ha

Well, we are gearing up for a very busy May. Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays. Its good to be back on here. I really hope I can stick with it this time because I absolutely LOVE sharing my pictures with all of you. Please comment and let me know who is following us. I would love to hear from you! :)

Bye for now...

Billie Jean

The Perfect Saturday

2010-08-28T23:54:00.004-04:00

Family Bike Ride at Lake Hartwell...it was so beautiful!
My little man likes his bike seat...as long as he is moving.
Sisters stopping to take a break.
I love how Eden holds her tongue like this when she is working at something! My uncle Mike was also known for this!

What a wonderful Saturday!! Isaiah did not wake me up until 8:45 and when I went in to get him I could hear the girls giggling in Lily's room. They both slept in there so I opened her door and there were barbies everywhere! Eden said we've been up for a while but we wanted to let you sleep! How sweet is that! Then Aaron brought us breakfast from Bojangles. It was a gorgeous day in Georgia so we decided to take advantage of it. Aaron loaded up all the bikes and we headed to Lake Hartwell to the bike trail. Lily only took her training wheels off a couple of weeks ago so we have really been wanting to go and let her have a chance to really ride. We ended up riding over 2.5 miles, which I think is really good for a 7 and 5 year old! We had a wonderful time. The girls got a little tired but did not complain. Aaron had bought our his and hers bikes for our anniversary this summer. Not too romantic, right? But I am actually loving having them! So much fun for the family. Lucky for Isaiah his seat is on Aaron's bike and not mine! :-) I do good just to take care of myself! haha Aaron said that Isaiah would lean up and pat him on the back every once in a while on the ride. So sweet. When we got back to the car and were loading up, Isaiah grabbed his blanket and laid his head down in the parking lot and started sucking his thumb!! I guess riding back there is hard work!

I have a 2nd grader?? How did this happen?

2010-08-22T16:43:00.004-04:00

My sweet 2nd grader at her desk, all ready to go.
My sleepy girls ready for school! We had a 1st day celebration breakfast!
Showing off her new lunch bag.

My precious Eden Jewell started 2nd grade on August 9th. She was like an old pro going into school that morning. No long good byes for her. She was ready! She missed her friends this summer and was ready for the social life to get going! We are so proud of you, Eden! You are growing into a very sweet young lady! We love you.

Happy First Day of Kindergarten, Lily!!!

2010-08-22T15:52:00.006-04:00

Happy 1st day of Kindergarten, Lily Grace!
Not too sure about this school thing, Mom.

On August 9th our sweet Lily Grace started Kindergarten at Barnes Academy. She is doing great! The first few mornings she was a little unsure. She was very brave, though. The first day after we took a few pictures and got her settled in I got ready to tell her good-bye. She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said "You're not staying?" I don't know what she was thinking! It was so sweet and innocent. She is a doll. We are so proud of her. Eden has been so kind and helpful getting her started at school. Lily loves that she and Eden go to the same school now. They are sweet sisters. (Most of the time) :-) I have not been able to blog in a long time but am going to try to do better! Not making any promises though!!

Pumpkin Hunt Fun

2009-11-21T16:20:00.002-05:00

Lily had a pumpkin hunt at her preschool. She asked me the night before "what if I don't find one?" So cute. I assured her she would be able to find a pumpkin. Sometimes we think she should have been born blonde! She says the funniest things. Such a sweetheart!

So proud of herself!

This is Lily's sweet class. They were trying very hard to hold those pumpkins up.
Miss Lily's cute pumpkin after she decorated it.
And, of course, Isaiah was there, waiting patiently in the stroller.

Being 6 months old is so much fun!

2009-11-21T07:49:00.005-05:00

Isaiah is such a sweet baby at 6 months old. He is a big, big boy! He weighs 19lbs!! He began eating rice cereal at 5 months and is now eating fruits and veggies. It took him a while to get used to this, but now he has the hang of it. He is a really good baby! Very sweet natured. He lets his sisters do anything they want to him and never complains. He usually finds their crazy tricks very amusing. He does great riding in the stroller. He seems to enjoy our walk/jogs in the mornings. He is a thumb sucker! Both of the girls loved their pacifiers, but Isaiah would never take one. I am not sure how I will feel about this in a few years, but for now it is precious!

We are very busy right now with Eden cheerleading and Lily in dance. The girls have lots of field trips and fun things at school so Isaiah is constantly being dragged from one event to another! He just goes with the flow and naps when he can. Just this week I decided to put a Baby Einstien dvd on for him in the car since he is in his carseat so much and he loved it! He "talked" to the TV screen the whole time and kicked his arms and legs. It was too cute. He is such a blessing to our family. We are all crazy about him! Can't wait to get to take him to Arkansas and share him with everyone there!

going on a jog with mommy...love those blue eyes

letting his sisters try to make him look like Santa in the bubble bath
loving that thumb
don't really think I like carrots...
well, maybe they are not so bad!

Eden's halloween party at school

2009-11-18T23:06:00.003-05:00

My cute little Poser...

Future Vanna White???
Sweet face!
Sweet sisters enjoying all the junk food together!

Happy Halloween!! (a little late) :-)

2009-11-18T22:52:00.004-05:00

What a crew!! A witch, a butterfly princess, and a skunk!!

Eden had a wig, but it was too itchy...she's all about comfort.
Lily trick or treated in high-heel dress up shoes...she couldn't care less about comfort~ as long as she looks good!! :-) I have no idea where she gets this!!
Our little stinker!!

My Little Stinker's 1st Halloween

2009-11-18T17:28:00.006-05:00

Isaiah had a great 1st Halloween!

He sure did make a cute skunk!! Lily didn't like the fact that he was a skunk...just not a good enough costume for a "princess's" brother!! Ha

Sweetest Skunk ever
All that trick or treating was hard work! :-)

Cutest Cheerleader Ever

2009-11-18T16:45:00.005-05:00

Eden gets to cheer at the Barnes Academy basketball games. So much fun!

Eden and her adorable friends.

Eden's #1 fan: Miss Lily Grace~ sweet sisters
Proud to be a Viking!
GOOOOO Vikings!!! Love this one. They are so fun to watch. I think they giggle more than they actually cheer!

My baby boy is 6 months old already!!!!

2009-11-18T15:49:00.003-05:00

"I love my bath!"

"I can sit up by myself."
"I like to play with my toys."
"I am crazy about my big sister Eden! She takes good care of me."
"I love to hang out with my big sisters on the couch. We like to watch TV together."

Flat Creek Arena Rodeo...YEE HAW

2009-10-07T11:45:00.003-04:00

My Cowgirls!

Taking a nap on Daddy.
Isaiah sporting his first pair of jeans.
Eden and her sweet friend Olivia.
They threw frisbees into the crowd and Lily was so proud that she got one!

A few weeks ago we took Isaiah to his first Rodeo!! It just so happened that friend of mine had just given me some of her son's clothing and there was a pair of jeans in the bag for Isaiah. They fit just right so he had something to wear to the rodeo. This was his first time in a pair of jeans. Princess Lily did not own a pair of jeans at the time, so funny!! She has never wanted any before. So, needless to say, she was the best dressed person there! ha. We had a great time! The girls loved it. We ran into some friends of ours when we were walking in so we got to sit with them and that really made it a lot of fun. Isaiah was super. He sat in his stroller a lot of the time. Then Aaron got him out and he fell asleep on his lap for a little while. The weather was great and so was the food!! We had hot dogs, bbq, and of course, funnel cake!!

Bath Time

2009-10-07T11:28:00.004-04:00

When this was taken he was still trying to figure out how to get that thumb! Eden says he's giving us the peace out sign!
Love this flirty face. Watch out ladies...
My sweet boy

Isaiah looooves his bath! From his first time in the bath tub this baby has loved the water. He can be super fussy and when I put him in the water he calms down immediately and begins cooing and smiling. It is so sweet. Bath time is one of my favorite parts of the day with him. He gets so relaxed and happy.

4 month pictures...posted a little late :-)

2009-10-07T10:57:00.004-04:00

Isaiah laying on a quilt that his sweet Nan made for him.

He loves sitting in the Bumbo seat.
My sweet blue eyed boy.

Isaiah is almost 5 months old, but by golly, he's not yet, so here are the pictures that I took of him on his 4 month birthday. We have been really busy this past month. Lots of catching up to do on here. Sorry, Grandparents!!

Fun in the pool

2009-09-16T10:16:00.005-04:00

Isaiah playing in the water with Daddy

Daddy getting good neck sugar in the pool
Isaiah and Daddy
Daddy and his precious baby girl, Lily Grace
Eden and her sweet friend, Logan
Last weekend we spent some time at the pool, trying to enjoy the last days of summer. It is quickly coming to an end. The girls absolutely LOVE swimming. It is so much fun playing in the pool with our family. Isaiah had only been in the pool once before this, but he loves it, too. The water is heated, which is really good for him. We went in the evening so we wouldn't have to worry about him getting a sunburn. Everyone had a great time!

More Lake pics

2009-09-13T23:09:00.004-04:00

Lily laying out on the raft...I could't resist! Love those "cheeks"!

Eden and her BFF Georgia after jumping off the dock
Eden and Georgia on the tube
Yes, that is me on the tube with Aaron. It was a blast!! Haven't laughed that hard in a long time! However, I could not move my arms the next day.Haha. What a workout.

Labor Day Lake Fun

2009-09-13T22:55:00.003-04:00

Isaiah's 1st time on the boat...he fell asleep soon after this

Lily enjoyed swimming
Eden giving me her new favorite pose...the peace sign...she's so cool :-)
Isaiah fast asleep on Mommy. I am truly blessed!
Sweet baby!
We had such a fun Labor Day with friends at Lake Hartwell. Sometimes it is hard being so far away from family on Holidays, but we are so thankful to have such good friends to hang out with on days like these. The girls absolutely love being on the boat and tubing. This time they both jumped off the top level of the dock (14 ft)!!! They are so brave. Aaron jumped with Lily, but Eden jumped by herself. It was crazy! I didn't get any still pictures of that because I was using the video camera for that one!

American Hero Parade 9-11-09

2009-09-13T22:25:00.005-04:00

Lily must have been going really fast!! Love this face!

Lily getting ready to ride around the gym

Stopping to take a pic with baby brother (she is very proud of him!)
The whole gang...Lily was not happy at this point...can you tell?
Isaiah and his buddy, Aleksander, watching their big sisters ride

Friday Lily's school had an American Hero Parade. She got to bring her bike and they had a party and rode around in the gym. They all wore red, white, and blue and got to decorate their bikes with streamers. It was too cute! Eden had gotten to do this, also, when she attended First Friends Preschool. Lily really had fun riding her bike with her friends. Isaiah and I were there to watch, of course. He was great the whole time. He just sat in his stroller. They both wore their 4th of July t-shirts. That morning when we left for school, Lily had blue and white polka-dot ribbons in her hair and blue and white beads on. But, when we got there to see the parade she did not have these things on. I should've gotten a picture before school, but we are usually too rushed for that!

My sweet little man...

2009-09-04T23:16:00.002-04:00

Fancy Nancy

2009-09-04T23:03:00.003-04:00

Reading Fancy Nancy at Lily's school. She is my little "fancy nancy."

Lily was a little sad when I left so Mrs. Angie let her wear the boa for a while. :-)

One Friday a month at Lily's pre-school they have a guest come to their room and read to them. It is called "Read to us Friday." Today was my day to read. I let Lily pick out what book she would like for me to read and she chose Fancy Nancy. I wore a crown and feathered boa while I read. It was a lot of fun. I also read Bad Dog Marley. I figured the little boys would like that better than Fancy Nancy. They all seemed to enjoy both books. They are really sweet kids. I had a great time and I think Lily was really happy to have her Mommy there!

Toothless Wonder

2009-08-31T16:12:00.002-04:00

Eden has been losing lots of teeth here lately! She is up to #6. She lost the top two front ones within a couple of weeks. She is having a little trouble saying a few things now (and eating some things!) She looks so cute. Her smile doesn't show her top teeth that much so she really had to make some funny faces to show off her toothless grin.

Open House at First Friends

2009-08-31T16:03:00.004-04:00

Lily and sweet Mrs. Connie who was her teacher in the 2 year old class.
Mrs. Angie reading to her new little class
Lily and Blakeley posing

Last Thursday night was Open House at Lily's pre-school. She was so excited. She wanted to stay and have school that night. Her friend Blakeley is in her class and we will be car pooling with us. They are so cute together.

Lily Grace goes to Pre-K

2009-08-31T15:49:00.005-04:00

Lily Grace--ready to go!
Lily, Mrs. Angie, and Eden
Isaiah in one of his moments having to be the "husband" :-)

This morning was Lily's 1st day of pre-K at First Friends Preschool. She had a wonderful day and said she loved it. The first thing she said about school was that there were rules (only she has trouble with saying the letter 'r' so it took me a minute to figure out what she was saying). It was so funny. She has Mrs. Angie for her teacher, she is the same teacher that Eden had and we are soooo excited about that. We love Ms. Angie! I had a little lump in my throat when I said good-bye...another milestone in the Brister household. She will go everyday from 8-12. It was really quiet this morning when Isaiah went down for his nap. (I'm not complaining)! My mom asked if Isaiah was missing her-probably so. As much as she probably drives him crazy, at the same time she is very entertaining for him. He may have enjoyed the break from having to play the "husband"!! :-) Yes, she sits beside him and puts her arm around him and tells me that he is her husband. So cute. Eden wanted to go with us to drop Lily off today so I let her be a little late for her school. She liked getting to see Mrs. Angie! We are so proud of our big girl, Lily Grace!

Spirit week at Barnes Academy

2009-08-21T11:57:00.003-04:00

Wacky Day!
Team Fanatic Day= GO CARDINALS!! (This went over well with all the Braves fans, I'm sure).
80's Day...my favorite, of course! After I picked out her clothes she said "I don't think that this looks like something an old lady would wear." :-) She thought she was supposed to dress like someone in their 80's!! How cute is that!
Camo Day. Why does there always have to be a camo day?? ha ha Not my favorite, but Eden can even make camo look good!! Her Daddy liked it!
School Spirit Day. Isn't she a doll?

Tonight is the first volleyball game at Eden's school, Barnes Academy. So, this week was spirit week leading up to tonight. Eden and I had a lot of fun with this! She is such a good sport. It really helped get her out of bed every morning because she looked forward to dressing up each day. I think I had as much fun dressing her up everyday as she did!

We miss you, Lee!

2009-08-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

Saying good-bye
Sweet boy and Lee Lee
The family at Inoko's

Waiting for our table at Inoko's
Just precious.

More pics of our favorite Lee Lee

2009-08-20T23:11:00.004-04:00

Several people asked if she was my little sister!! I would claim her!
Yes, Eden has on make-up...because Lee is the coolest.
At the EC pool. Good times.
Lee and her new little buddy.
Lily loved all the attention!

Lee's trip to GA

2009-08-20T22:57:00.003-04:00

Movie time
Lee's Beauty Shop
Pretty girls
Love the matching bows! It was Lily's turn to be the hairdresser!

Last week our very very special friend Lee Walker came to Roytown to see us. She is so precious! We had a wonderful time. The girls absolutely love having her around. She played barbies, gave makeovers, played beauty shop and anything else that the girls asked her to do. She was Eden's first "teenage" babysitter...and Lily's. She tells the story of me leaving her with my 3 week old Lily Grace and 2 year old Eden on a stormy night and letting her put their carseats in her car and take them somewhere!! What was I thinking?? you might ask... well, my best friend Julie was in labor that night and I was not gonna miss being there for that. :-) Well, that's just how much I trust her. She is awesome. Thanks, Lee, for coming to see us. We love you and miss you already!

Three Months Already?!?

2009-08-17T19:25:00.004-04:00

   We can almost get a laugh out of him. So fun!
   This is his flirty face
    Check out those legs!
   Such a sweet, sweet boy
   Love these blue eyes...

We love you, Nan and PaPa

2009-08-17T19:14:00.006-04:00

  The girls and Nan and PaPa in their matching dresses Nan got them
   Love this one!! So sweet.
   Rachel, Lily, and Eden having their bedtime snack
   Ready for bed with their new dolls

Nan and PaPa's trip to Georgia

2009-08-17T18:08:00.007-04:00

   Nan, Rachel, Eden, and Lily showing off their new babies!
   Nan and her girls eating ice cream
   PaPa and his little buddy
    Aaron and his favorite MIL :)
   PaPa and "Buster Brown" and our new addition, Alexia

Babyland General Hospital

2009-08-10T13:01:00.003-04:00

My mom and dad came to visit us this past weekend and we had a wonderful time with them! They surprised our girls by bringing my niece, Rachel, with them. That was a great treat for them! They loved having her here. She is a sweetie. We took Mom and Rachel to the Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA on Saturday. This is where they make all the Cabbage Patch Dolls. It is such a fun place. We had taken the girls two times before, but Lily didn't remember it so she really loved it! The girls all got to pick out a doll. They got the preemies and they are so cute. Lily and Eden picked ones that looked like them when they were babies. We had such a great time with my parents. Sunday was my birthday and they took me to Red Lobster!! It was yummy. Thanks, Mom and Dad for everything!!

First Grader, at last

2009-08-04T14:21:00.004-04:00

Today is Eden's first day as a first grader! I cannot believe my baby girl is in the First Grade! Time is flying by. Aaron got up this morning and fixed everyone a big breakfast. Lily and I sang "Wake up wake up the sun is up" to Eden to get her out of bed. Isaiah was awake so I sat him up on the top bunk with Eden. That helped get her out of bed! She was in a great mood. We all ate breakfast together and then had a short devotional out of her Princess Bible. She was excited! We all went to take her to school. She has a new haircut. She has been wanting it short for a while now so we finally decided to give it a try. It looks adorable! She asked a friend of mine at church who complimented her on it, "I look at least, like 8 or something, don't I?". It was so funny. I must say, though, she does look older. Of course, she has always looked older than she is. She will be home soon and I can't wait to hear all about her day. I pray it was a good one!

camping

2009-07-27T10:45:00.006-04:00

   What a sweet smile!!
   Fishing with Daddy
   One of the trout that Aaron caught
   Hanging out in the pack with Mommy- he went to sleep like this while we hiked and fished. So sweet.

more camping pics

2009-07-27T10:41:00.001-04:00

Isaiah's 1st Camping Trip

2009-07-27T09:28:00.004-04:00

Yes, we did it. We took Isaiah camping. And we all lived to tell about it. It was actually really fun! He did great. The girls had a blast. Eden starts back to school in a week and we wanted to do something fun as a family before then. I know that everyone thinks we are crazy, but it was great. We got there on Thursday afternoon and got everything set up. The girls love to play "house" in the tent. Although, this year Eden asked why everyone else had one of "those" (campers) and we only had a tent?? Ha That's because Daddy thinks that tent camping is the only way to truly camp!!! That night Aaron grilled steaks, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was so yummy! Then for dessert, of course, Smores! He says that is the only reason I like to go camping...the food. There is a little bit of truth in that! While Aaron was cooking we thought we should keep the tent closed so the bugs would not get in so we made the girls get out. When everything was ready to eat Lily went over to the tent and started to unzip it, when I asked her what she was doing she said " I need to get fashioned up for dinner." She is so funny! Isaiah slept great in his pack-n-play in the tent, and the girls slept great, too. Friday morning we got up and ate breakfast, took showers, then let the girls play on the playground. It was beautiful there. We were right on the lake. It was called Moccasin Creek State Park. It is in the mountains in NorthEast GA. We hiked a little on the Appalachian Trail while we were there. We then cooked hot dogs around the campfire and headed out to fish. It was so pretty. We fished on a creek that was totally shaded. I carried Isaiah in the pack and the girls fished with Aaron. We caught our limit. We would have liked to stay another night, but we thought one was enough for Isaiah's first time. Apparently we wore him out, the night we got home he slept all night!! Yay! Today is Isaiah's 2 month check-up and shots. Yuck. I am not looking forward to this. Eden asked if she could wear some of Dad's ear plugs so she wouldn't have to hear her baby brother cry. Too Sweet.

My baby is two months old!!!

2009-07-15T10:28:00.003-04:00

All-star game fun

2009-07-15T06:01:00.002-04:00

We are back from Arkansas!! Had a wonderful trip, got to see tons of family and friends. It was a blast. Isaiah is actually a very good traveler (no choice, I suppose), He has grown so much since my last post, Sorry about that.,,I will try to do better. Ha We were sad to leave our family, but it is nice to be back in our own house. Trying to get back in somewhat of a routine. Isaiah slept 7 hours straight a couple of nights ago, He got a little spoiled while we were in AR so I am having to re-train him. He is so sweet, smiles every time you talk to him. Too fun. Eden and Lily are really good at making him smile. Lily Grace gets so excited when he smiles for her, it is too funny.

Well, we didn't to go to our usual Cardinal game while we were home this time. I was afraid the extra driving, plus 3 kids in tow, plus the HEAT would not make for a fun trip. So, last night we all got decked out in our Cardinal gear to cheer on Pujols and Molina in the All-star game. It was fun! We had our adopted GA grandparents over for wings, chips, dips, cookies and ice cream. You gotta love "game" food. Lily did lots of Pujols cheers for us...with her high heels on, of course.

Our boy is 3 weeks old

2009-06-08T10:20:00.003-04:00

Isaiah was 3 weeks old on Friday. It has gone by so fast. He is really growing and changing. His eyes are very blue! We are wondering if they will stay this way?? My cousin Kara sent us this sweet yellow outfit and blanket that he wore to church yesterday. My Aunt Margaret made this for her grandson so it is very special for Isaiah to get to wear it. Thank you, Kara and Aunt Margaret for sharing this with us! He looked soooo precious in it. He was very good in church. The other picture was taken after bath this morning. Lily has been helping me give him his bath. She likes to wash his hair. Then, of course, Miss Fashion Designer has to be in charge of picking out his clothes!! She is a very good helper!

Time Flies!

2009-06-05T14:44:00.003-04:00

Wanted to post some pictures of my Little Eden over the years. I don't have any baby pictures of her on my computer. We didn't get a digital camera until she was 2 years old. Can you believe that? I don't know what we did before the digital days! It is hard to believe that my Baby is 6 years old!

Eden turns 6!

2009-06-05T13:03:00.004-04:00

On May 20 Eden turned 6 years old. She had already had her friend party in April knowing that on her actual birthday we would have a 5 day old baby. Both grandmothers were here, tho, so we had a little cookout on the night of her birthday. It was a little crazy but I wanted her to have something special on her day. We had to take Isaiah to Athens to get weighed that afternoon so we were a little rushed, but thanks to Nan and MeME it all came together. She had already opened her gifts from both sets of grandparents, but she had some little things to open that night. Another very special part of birthdays around here is getting a package from our Jenna! The girls always look forward to this. She is so thoughtful. Thanks, Jen Jen! Her friend Tiarra from across the street came over for dessert and I think Eden had a great time. I hope you had a great 6th Birthday, Eden!! We love you!

Our Little Man

2009-06-04T17:16:00.004-04:00

Isaiah is doing great! Sorry it has been so long since I put any pictures up but life has been a little busy. Every time I get a moment to blog, I decide it would be more fun to take a nap instead!! : ) We have had lots of company over the last 3 weeks. It has been lots of fun. We are now on our own. Nan left us on Sunday and we miss her very much! But we are surviving...ha ha. Isaiah is a really sweet baby. The girls are loving him! It is precious to watch them with him. MeMe (Aaron's mom) painted the canvas with the Bible verse on it and painted Isaiah's room. We are so blessed to have such talented moms!! Thank you both for all you did for us while you were here! WE LOVE YOU!

update on Isaiah!

2009-05-19T15:11:00.002-04:00

We got to come home from the hospital yesterday and Isaiah is doing great! He seems to love his bassinet and his room. So far, he is a wonderful baby. So sweet! We are loving our family of five!!! I know everyone wants to see new pictures, so here he is.

Isaiah Scott

2009-05-17T13:01:00.003-04:00

Here he is, our SON, Isaiah Scott. He is soooo sweet! Just wanted to post some more pictures of the gorgeous little boy!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

2009-05-15T23:43:00.003-04:00

Isaiah Scott Brister arrived today at Athens Regional Hospital at 1:42 pm. He weighs 8 lb and 7 oz, He is just gorgeous!! We are so proud. The big sisters are so excited! We cannot believe he is finally here!!! Everyone is doing great. Thanks for all the prayers!

Graduation Girl

2009-05-15T07:30:00.004-04:00

Well, today is the big day!! Baby number three should be here by this afternoon!! We are so excited!! Last night was Eden's kindergarten graduation and awards night at Barnes Academy. She was the cutest little graduation girl ever. She received the creative writing award for her class!! We were so proud. She also received a math and reading award for excelling in both of these subjects. We didn't know that they were going to ask the preschoolers to come on stage but Lily Grace just walked right up there and they gave 'cute' awards to this class. Lily got the Fashion Designer award!! It was so cute and she was loving it! Just wanted to get these pictures posted before life as I now know it is over. Ha!!

Mother's Day!

2009-05-14T16:19:00.002-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's day on Sunday. My girls and my wonderful man fixed breakfast for me before church. It was so sweet. They got me new ferns for my front porch. Then on Monday our precious moms got here to help get ready for the new baby!! On Wednesday, my best friend JuJu flew in from Fort Smith. Today we went to the hospital and got all my pre-op taken care of. We are all so excited about tomorrow. It is the big day. I go in at 11 and they will take me back for C-section at 1:00!! Yay! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of the baby ASAP.

Mother/Daughter Tea

2009-05-09T18:03:00.002-04:00

Today our Georgia Grandma took us to a mother/daughter tea party to celebrate Mother's Day. It was fun. The girls (well, mainly Lily) loved getting dressed up and sipping their tea. The food was great! Lily wore the dress and jewelry and carried the silver purse that Jenna sent her for her birthday. They both have flip-flops with jewels on them so they wore those, but when we got there Lily noticed some of the other girls' shoes and said, "you should have let me wear my high heels!". Oh my, she is a mess! Thank you, Ms. Julie, for the fun morning!

Muffins with Mom

2009-05-09T17:39:00.003-04:00

Thursday I went with Eden to her school for Muffins with Mom. It was so sweet. Each child was responsible for getting their mom's muffin and drink. She had colored me a bouquet of flowers that was sitting at my place setting. Then she handed me a book that was "All about my Mom." The children had to fill in the blanks telling about their mom with no help from Mrs. Sherry. This is when the waterworks began!! It was so sweet and it just hit me that my "baby" is growing up. Plus the fact that I am a week away from having a baby...I have plenty of excuses to cry! Eden was so worried about why I was crying. It is hard to explain to a kindergartener that I was crying because I was so happy. She asked if I didn't like what she wrote! It was so cute. Here are a few of the things she wrote in the book:

My mom is special because...She is cool. I love her.
I like it when my mom...Plays with me.
My mom is best at...Cooking.
My mom is as pretty as a...Barbie!! (now that is true love)
My mom is smart! She even knows...Everything.
I'd like to tell my Mom...I love you!
My mom's favorite food is...crab legs.
My mom likes to...Hug me!

She wrote all of this on her own:
My mom is the best. She is nice. Because she feeds me. She loves me. She helps me find bugs. She reads with me. I'm pretty like her. She plays with me. I love my mom because takes care of me. Feeds me. Plays with me. Let's me dress up in her cloes. Puts makeup on me. Reads with me. Dresses me. Lets me have allowance. I love her because she loves me.

By: Eden May 5, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY!

2009-05-04T23:12:00.003-04:00

Aaron turned 33 today! He was able to go with me to my doctor's appointment this morning and then we had lunch at Olive Garden (thank you Mandy and Andy)!! We had a great time on our little "date." He then went with me to Target. I know, he is a wonderful husband. He has really been helping me out a lot lately. I think he must really feel sorry for me and this HUGE belly I am carrying around!! I am a very lucky girl to be married to this incredible guy. He is such an AWESOME dad. My girls think he hung the moon. He spends such quality time with them. Everyone worries what he will do if this baby is not a boy, but I guarantee you he is the best "girl" dad ever!! Either way will be just fine with us. I just want to say Thank You to him on his special day and let him know how much he is loved and appreciated! I cannot wait to spend many more birthdays with you, Honey!! Happy Birthday!!! We love you!

Four years ago

2009-05-04T00:36:00.002-04:00

I am getting a little sentimental and decided I would post a few pictures from the day Lily was born, May 3, 2005. These pictures give me such mixed emotions... sad that these past 4 years have gone by so fast, yet so excited to get to see and hold this new baby who will be arriving in just 11 days. Look how little Eden is!! What a great big sister! I love my girls!!

More Birthday Pics

2009-05-04T00:08:00.003-04:00

These are some more pictures from Lily's Birthday. For some reason I couldn't put them all on the same post.

Happy 4th Birthday, Lily Grace!!

2009-05-03T23:44:00.004-04:00

Lily had a wonderful birthday weekend. We began the celebration on Friday by picking up her best friend Hope and having a "girl's day out!" We came back to our house first so I could curl their hair and do their make-up. They played Barbies for almost an hour and then we headed to meet our date (Aaron) for lunch. We then went straight to get our nails done. So fun!! Lily and Hope were so cute picking out their polish colors. We attracted lots of attention throughout the day! Then, of course, we had to hit Water Wheel and then on to spend their "dollars" at the Dollar Tree. They were so sweet and cute the whole day. They get along great and love all of the same things. They would have been perfectly happy staying home and playing Barbies all day, I think!

Saturday night we took Lily to El Manzanillo, our favorite mexican restaurant. While the girls and I were in the restroom, Aaron told them that it was Lily's birthday. They brought out a huge sombrero and an ice cream dish for Lily. They sang to her and put whip cream on her nose. It was so cute. She got really shy when they did this and began inching closer and closer to Aaron. So funny!!

Today (her actual birthday), Eden helped me cook her favorite breakfast food...Bacon. We sang to her and made her french toast sticks into the shape of a 4. I cannot believe my baby is 4 years old!! Then we went to church and afterward on to the park for birthday lunch. Aaron grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. The girls' GA grandma, Ms. Julie, came to eat with us. Lily's favorite presents were her hot pink hair extensions and new dress up shoes (which she went on to wear IN the pool later on)!! She is a very funny girl and loves to get dressed up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY GRACE!! We love you so much and you make life so much fun!!

Eden Scores Her 1st Soccer Goals

2009-04-30T23:13:00.003-04:00

This week was a fun one at Eden's soccer games. On Tuesday night, she was getting to throw the ball in from out of bounds and no one on either team went for it so we all watched as the ball slowly rolled in the goal...and they counted it!! Go Eden! This was her first time to score. Not the typical way to score in soccer but we will take it. I actually got a picture of her throwing and that was the one that scored. So, tonight we were headed to another soccer game and Eden was worried that she wouldn't be able to score a goal (by kicking it in). We just encouraged her to hustle and do her best and reminded her that those were the important things. Then, during the second half, her teammate threw the ball in and Eden ran to it and kicked it in to score for the Force!! Yay!! It was so fun to watch her high-five her teammates. She was so proud and we were, too. Of course, we had to go to Water Wheel (our favorite ice cream place) to celebrate!

The other picture is of LIly and her friend Blakeley. They got to play together today while Eden was at school. They get along great because they both like to dress up and wear jewelry!!

Baseball

2009-04-26T23:17:00.004-04:00

Friday was Aaron's last regular season home game, so he recognized his 5 seniors in between games. The girls wore their cheerleading outfits that my mom made for them. Lily's is actually Eden's from 2 years ago and mom had to re-make Eden's from last year. They are so cute! Eden has started complaining about wearing hers just in the past few months. But, I talked them into wearing them for Daddy's last home game! It was 91 degrees here on Friday and about half-way through the 1st game we found out that the school's pool was open so I ran home and got the girl's suits so they could cool off a little. They were so excited! I let them swim for about an hour and then we went back to the field to watch the end of game 2. Lots of people bring their puppies/dogs to the baseball games and Lily loves it. She is crazy about little puppies. She will wag those dogs around and play with them the whole game. They are great entertainment. We had a fun day and the girls were worn out by the time they got home. (So was Mom)! : )

Prayer Request

2009-04-24T11:18:00.003-04:00

This week some of our great friends had a very scary experience with their little boy, Boston. He was rushed to the Children's Hospital in Atlanta on Tuesday with Mastoiditis. He has a very aggressive infection so they have had to do many procedures this week. He is doing better, but still has a long road ahead of him. Please keep him in your prayers and his mom and dad as they try to handle this situation that no parent ever wants to be in. Thank you! I have included a picture that his mom, Erin emailed me yesterday after his surgery. The other picture is of Erin and me at one of my baby showers.

On a lighter note, yesterday was a beautiful day and when we got home from school Aaron was mowing the yard. The girls absolutely love getting to go for rides with him. Their PaPa started this with them at a very early age. Before Lily could even walk or talk she would let us know she didn't want to be left behind if PaPa was on the mower! Our next door neighbors had all of their water toys out yesterday, also. The girls didn't even bother going in to change into bathing suits, they just took off in their school clothes and had a blast! It was a fun afternoon, we are enjoying the warm weather! Eden had a soccer game and then we headed to the baseball field to watch the Lions. The game was delayed for over an hour due to lightening, so the girls and I decided to come on home and get our jammies on. Today is Aaron's last regular season home game so we are on our way to the field! Will try to post some pictures of the game later.

Soccer Time

2009-04-16T23:26:00.002-04:00

Tonight was Eden's 1st soccer game!! It was so much fun! She was so cute out there on the field. Aaron and I yelled practically the whole game. Yes...we are those kind of parents. We do not care that they are only 5 and 6 years old--we want to win. Well, we didn't win, but they didn't officially keep score so that the kids wouldn't know. But we knew. Eden didn't really care. She asked us when we got in the car who won! Too funny. She has a loose tooth and seemed to be mostly concerned with that. Every spare minute they had she was just wiggling away at that tooth. She did play some really good defense at times and we were very proud of her. And, of course, so was her #1 fan, little sister Lily (in her jewelry and all). After Eden's game we picked up Subway and had a picnic. Then we got to watch Aaron play softball with our church league. He did great and they won! It was a very busy evening, but we Bristers wouldn't know what to do if our life was any different.

Eden's 1st Slumber Party

2009-04-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

Eden will be turning 6 years old on May 20th and the baby is scheduled to arrive on May 15th. Sooo... we decided to have an early birthday party for Eden before it gets too crazy around here. We wanted her to have her own special time to celebrate and really make it "all about her." We asked her what she wanted to do and all she wanted was to have a sleep over. I figured we had better do it soon while I still felt like being host to several little girls running around and giggling! So we had it last week during her spring break. It actually turned out really great. There ended up being 5 girls plus Eden. It was the perfect number. Lily got to spend the night with her very best friend, Hope. This was the first time Lily had spent the night away from home without Eden being with her. She did wonderful. She would hardly even tell me goodbye. She was ready to go. The next day when I picked her up I was kissing all over her and squeezing her and told her I missed her and she looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said in her raspy voice, " Mom, I 'like' love you and everything, but I didn't miss you." She is hilarious! Anyway, needless to say she had a great time and is driving me crazy asking when she can do it again. It worked out really well because Eden got to have just a big girl party and I was able to give Eden all my attention. We made personal pan pizzas, ate cupcakes, made popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. The girls got to paint a canvas to take home as their party favor. The paintings turned out really cute. All the girls got along and it was a really great party. Happy "early" Birthday, EDEN!! We love you so much and cannot believe you are almost 6 years old!
** The apron that Eden is wearing while she painted is one that my Nana made for my cousin Jenna when she was little. It is very special to us. Eden loves the fact that it was Jenna's. Thank you, Jenna for passing it along to us.

Big Kids and Babies Class

2009-04-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Today I had an ultrasound to check and see how big the baby was. As of right now the Baby is 5 pounds 9 ounces and everything looked perfect!! We are so excited and so thankful for this new blessing we are about to receive. After my doctor's appointment we took the girls to a "Big Kids and Babies" class that they were offering at our hospital. Eden and Lily got to take their baby dolls and learned how to hold the baby the correct way and were taught some other neat information about their new baby. They got to tour the hospital and see the room where they will get to come and visit me. It was a really neat little program. At the end they got t-shirts and little posters to color for me and the baby to decorate my hospital room. It was a very fun day!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T17:43:00.001-04:00

Here I go again! I am back and think I may have this figured out. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday in Georgia. Eden sang with her Children's Choir at church this morning then we went to some friends house for Easter lunch and an egg hunt. It was a lot of fun. We are thankful to have good friends to spend holidays with when we are so far from our family. Baby number 3 will be here May 15th, so we are only a little over 4 weeks away from another wonderful adventure in our life. I want to use this as a journal for myself to remember all these special times with my family. I also want my family and friends in Arkansas to get to keep up with what is going on in our lives and see how the girls are changing.

clueless

2008-08-26T21:42:00.000-04:00

Ok, I do not know what I am doing with this whole blogging thing. I really want to do it so that my famiy and friends can see pictures of my beautiful babies and hear about what the Bristers are up to...but I cannot get a picture on here to save my life. All I get is a darned exclamation mark inside a triangle. So, please be patient with me and hopefully all will get to see my sweet family very soon.