What Braxton is up to..

Giving Cece a flower.

"Mommy I need to water the grass."

Our baby boy is 2 3/4 and changing constantly. He is up to so much I have to share some new things the boy is doing.

1. Whenever we are outside he thinks he needs to water the grass. Mind you this kid is not even close to being potty trained and has never officially peed outside. I think he just likes the idea of it.

2. Braxton can count to 15 in english and 10 in spanish.

3. Braxton says "frog" only it comes out as a verry bad word. Conrad uses it to amuse others, I on the other hand do not think its funny.

4. He loves being outside. He would live outside if he could.

5. He is obsessed with car washes. He talks about them all the time, yet when we go through the car wash he is terrified. He loves washing cars though with us.

6. He still loves doing laundry and cleaning. :) Ahhh mommy loves it and appreciates the help.

7. He loves peanut butter sandwiches.

8. His bestfriend is Cecilia Heeter. Pre-arranged marriage no big deal:).

9. He is always asking what is that. The kid is always wondering and he seriously never shuts up. And we were so worried about him not talking.

10. He LOVES chocolate milk & cheese. For sure a dairy boy.

11. He is insanely polite. He calls us out all the time when we were not being good. He has put me in time out before for not saying excuse me.

12. He loves animals. Especially dogs. Right now Braxton has 5 stuffed animal dogs that he takes everywhere. Their names are Milo, Tanner, Scruffy, Toby, and Copper. Milo is still his favorite and he takes it everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE!

13. Braxton loves build a bear.

14. I know I go to Super Target way too often because whenever we pull up to the store Braxton automatically tells me "Mom I want an icee."

15. Braxton is a HUGE hugger. I always loves his back hugs when he surprises you and grabs you from behind with those little arms and squeezes so tight. He usually tops it off with a kiss.;)

16. Braxton loves to pray.

17. Braxton loves reading with Daddy before bed. They both loves Dr. Seuss. They usually always read from our big Dr. Seuss book with all his stories. Braxton's favorites are The Lorax and Horton hears a who.

18. Braxton loves spiderman. Why I have no clue because hes never even seen the show. He has everything spiderman and his new thing is pretending to be a spider.

19. Braxton is in love with daddy's buddies and constantly asks where Uncle Joel, Uncle Carl, and Lil Willy are at:). I think he feels really cool to have big boys around.

20. Braxton is always excited when he hears a motorcycle or airplane.

21. Braxton hates his toe nails being clipped.

22. Brax loves swimming! Cannot wait for this summer with him.

23. Braxton adores his grandparents. He is always so excited to see them.

24. Braxton loves making coffee with his Gpa. They have an awesome routine doing it and I think they both are in love with it and look forward to it.

25. Braxton loves his crocs. He would wear them all day everyday if he could.

Ok can you tell I can talk about this kid forever. I will stop for now but not for long. :)

# 9

As you all know from my recent post an amazing woman that I know has passed away. Friday I went to her viewing. I have to say it was one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life. The reality finally hit me, she was gone. When I got up to greet her parents, this emotion ran through me uncontrollably. Her mother grabbed a hold of me and she didn't let go for a long time. I remember just wanting to take the pain away from her. When I finally reached Heather's casket I could no longer handle it. Then all the sudden I realized this was my last chance to see her so I better take a good look. The only thing I could think of was that isn't her. She was wearing a black turtle neck with pink lipstick and her hair down, come on we all know Heather would never wear pink lipstick or a turtle neck. Her mom leaned into me and said I know what your thinking Heather is so mad at me right now because I let them put lipstick on her. Finally a smile was brought on my face. The one thing I will remember about Heather was she was of course wearing her #9 necklace. As we left the viewing I felt nauseated. I hated the pain that I knew everyone felt. That evening we were going to a candle light vigil on the softball field. The softball field everyone had played on with Heather. On my way to the vigil I just prayed to God please just show me a sign that Heather is ok and with you please. As you read in my last post I said everytime I see the #9 I am going to think of Heather. As I got out of my car and headed toward the field I was asked if I wanted to sign up for a car decal in memory of Heather. I immediatly said yes and as I went to sign my name I realized I was signing on as the number 9th person. I have to believe at that moment God was telling me, don't worry she is here with me and she is safe. I had been praying to him asking for one sign and he gave it to me. I have to believe that. The vigil was amazing. Kristi Lafree, Heather's bestfriend, did an amazing job. We didn't focus on the sadness, we focused on the amazing moments we had with her and the wonderful person she is.

My main point of this post is I believe God is listening and he is there to comfort us all when we need it. It also depends on how much you want to look for his guidance. Whether you want to believe it or not I know God answered me in his own way and I know Heather is looking down on all of us. She wants us to not be in pain, but instead go towards the future. She was an amazing woman. A woman none of us will never forget.

We will never forget you

Heather Genovese
10-06-1989 - 4-12-2009

Monday night I got a horrible call that Heather Genovese, AN AMAZING girl that I had the opportunity to get to know and play softball with in high school, had passed away. The emotion I felt and still feel is indescribable. Her story hits way too close to home for me. Heather was always an amazing girl on and off the field. She strived for greatness and wouldn't settle for anything less. She cared for others more than herself and she would do anything for anybody. She was an inspiration. A girl that people truly wanted to be like. Heather you will never be forgotten and every time I see the number 9 I know I will think of you. Rest in peace baby girl. The world will not be the same without you. You will be missed more than you know!!

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit
For all those who are suffering with this, just know God is always there to listen and help through this difficult time.

The Benefit was a SUCCESS!!!

TEAM DAN

Dan's benefit was a HUGE success. We were able to raise $10, 246.00!!! It was so amazing to see so many people come together for a great cause. I cannot thank my family and friends enough who came to the benefit and supported it with your donations. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. Team Dan worked so hard and together we accomplished so much.

WE LOVE YOU DAN!!!

Time flies..

Conrad and I just started uploading our videos from our video camera to be placed on DVDs. We were watching them last night, and it almost brought me to tears. If you ever hear me talk about my son I always call him my baby, but watching these videos made me realize he really isn't a baby anymore. I mean I always knew he wasn't a baby, but it was like I finally saw the huge differences in him. All his baby characteristics are slowly fading away and he is becoming his own little person. I am so blessed that I am a picture fanatic and I love home videos because there were so many things I had already forgotten that Braxton used to do. Made me realize time is moving fast and like they say you need to stop and smell the roses. So thats exactly what I did today. I took my son for an hour walk. We just rode in the stroller and talked. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved it. That night as I laid next to his bed he grabbed my head and brought it to his pillow giving me the biggest hug. He just wanted to cuddle with his mom. That boy makes me melt all the time. God totally brought me to a new place when he brought Braxton in my life. It was like first I had Conrad and now that I have Braxton I really feel like I have everything I am ever going to need. I am blessed!!

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."

Dan

When I started working in the Intensive Care Unit I was extremely nervous. To see how sick patients were and all the new things I had to learn made me very scared. Luckily I had the most amazing teacher, Dan. He took me under his wing and made work more fun. Whenever I had the opportunity to work with him I knew it was going to be a fun day no matter what stress the unit was under. Dan always made me laugh and the way he cared for his patients was amazing. He always went above and beyond and he made me realize why I wanted to become a nurse. Dan made the unit fun for everybody and always brought everybody up. Dan immediately became an amazing friend and I loved how fast our friendship grew. When I started working in the unit Dan started having health issues and nothing seemed to turn up on what it could have been. After months of misdiagnosis we finally had an answer. Dan was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma with mets to his liver, spleen, and bone marrow. I will never forget the anger I had run through me when Dan tearfully told me the news. I remember being so angry that this wonderful new friend of mine was now fighting for his life. For the first day I stayed angry and spent most of my time crying. The next day I woke up realizing this wasn't going to go away and for Dan to win this battle we all have to battle with him. I immediatly started a pray line with all my friends and family. It not only brought everyone that doesn't even know Dan in the fight, but brought people together. I know God has a purpose for all this and I may not understand it or ever understand it. I always have to remind myself that God doesn't give us anything we cannot handle, and I KNOW Dan is going to beat this!! He is an amazing man who will not step down. Dan's first cycle of chemo went well and he is making huge improvements. Unfortunatly the expenses are adding up and on top of that since Dan cannot work he is losing his insurance. I know sometimes the world doesnt make sense, but now we just have to do what we can. To help Dan, my awesome friend and co-worker, Debi is organzing a benefit on March 20th from 6-11:30 at Corpus Christi. Tickets are ten dollars. We will have a cash bar, music, raffles, 50/50, and food. I am helping Debi with this event so I want to get the word out as much as possible. It is a great opportunity for people to come together and help someone in need. If you are interested please contact me for information and I will be more than happy to get you what you need. Please help be apart of Dan's victory over cancer & keep him in your prayers.


To Dan I love you very much and I am so proud of you for fighting this battle and still managing to be you. Honestly there are not enough good things I can say about you. You are an amazing friend and know that I will ALWAYS be there for you no matter what. I love you big brother!

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

25 Things About Me!

Conrad and Me

1. I married my high school sweetheart Conrad on our 5 year anniversary October 25th 2008. He is my bestfriend & I am so lucky to be with him.

2. Conrad and I have an amazing son named Warren Braxton Bontrager. He is the best thing that ever happened to me and I cannot thank God enough for putting him in my life.

3. God is my savior and everyday I live for him.

4. I am obsessed with the Colts & Notre Dame. Always will be.

5. Fall is my favorite season.

6. I can touch my tongue to my nose.

7. I am a complete neat freak.

8. I am so competitive. Its ridiculous. Like its really going to be difficult for me to let Braxton win in games when he is older.

9. I celebrate my Birthday for entire month!

10. I was on the Bozo show..you just can't beat that.

11. I love taking pictures and have them all over my house.

12. I am in love with the show Friends. I have all ten seasons. In fact I had to buy some over again because the discs skip so bad from me watching them so much.

13. I am terrified of heights, roller coasters, and airplanes. Ive only been on an airplane once in my life..if I can avoid it I will 100%.

14. I am going to school to be a nurse.

15. I love watching home videos.

16. I have always been active. I work out regularly. I love running & CrossFit.

17. My family is soo important to me.

18. I am obsessed with Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.

19. I love Wine.

20. I would love to live in Tennessee.

21. I have 2 tattoos.

22. My favorite place to be in the summer is my parent's lake place. I love boating.

23. I hate scary movies.

24. I love Country Music.

25. We have a Yorkie named Kylie