Malachi went bowling for the first time!

Took Malachi back to the OKC Zoo

We had LOTS of rain…this is Brandon and Christi on the way into the Banjo Museum. Just call us die hards.  

All the kids hangin out at Lushberries:

John, Merrick, Ethan and Malachi

The Donaldsons and The Blanchards 

For some stupid stupid reason we didn’t get a pic with the Branson’s! We suck at taking pictures! Thanks for letting us crash with you, Bransons! Now it’s your turn…time to come to CA in a few months!

He colored ALL over his bed…not just the sheets, but the bed frame too. As soon as I saw what he did he said “Ohh pretty!” I couldn’t help but laugh. Yes, his bed is now pretty but teaching this kid to only color on paper won’t be so pretty. Oh my life!

Mickey Mouse couldn’t wait for his present from Grandma!

Mickey with his pumpkin. Think his costume is cute? You can vote for him here:  http://www.thecutekid.com/ckgallery/votemypic/email/5680

We went to Chipotle with some friends and fam and got FREE Burritos for “dressing up like an item on the menu” AKA, putting some foil on us. Don’t we look like burritos?

Our friends Sarah, Travis, Chloe, and Elijah in line with us..

My favorite Chipotle Fans of the night…The Biggest Losers with their foil bibs and spoon!

After we stuffed ourselves it was time for some Trick-or-Treating!

One of the houses we stopped at had this amazing pirate ship with blue lights for water..turns out, they were a couple from our church! The pirate (the husband) is hiding in the back…They are awesome! (it looked WAY better in person..)

Here is Malachi right before he decided to smash the paint plate right on his face…

And after:

Of course we all died laughing, so he did it again and laughed.

I had to add a little more color to his purple face..

Malachi’s Masterpiece:

Our lil friend McKenna and our mess:

We started feeling a little left out not having paint on our faces….so us girls got Mouth Gardens!

Me, Courtney, and McKenna:

This is what our family ended up looking like…

Next, Cookies!!

Yummy!

And of course, ended with a bath, some milk and a more healthy snack..

-bre

They had a trail you can walk through called “Scarecrow Ally” with tons of different “Scarecrow” Displays. They had everything from Hannah Montana to Addams Family…pretty fun!

Here was my fav..

While we stood in line for the Train Ride, Malachi decided to try and take out all of the pumpkins in the bin..

Not too happy about riding on the train….(it was someone’s nap time!)

He was good once we got going….or cuz he was with Daddy..

Then we headed over to the actual Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkin..

He LOVED playing in all that dirt!

And he found one just his size…We actually ended up getting one way bigger!

-bre

This was us 3 years ago from today. We were so happy and in love back then…

JK! Still are. Even more so now….I love this man with my whole heart. He is uh-mazing and I can’t imagine living a day without him….ever! I love you babe! Happy Anniversary!!

Now if only we were leaving for Hawaii tomorrow….

Check it out:
DisneyParks

Malachi Laughing For The First Time from theblanchard on Vimeo.

This was the first time he really laughed…it’s even more awesome now. I love it!

-bre

So, today I had to take Malachi to the doctor…He has been sick with a cold which is causing him to have trouble breathing. Of course we don’t have insurance right now, won’t for like three more months, so I take him to some LA County Clinic. Worst experience ever! I was there from a little after 11 until 3:30. I had a sucky attitude from the moment I pulled up to the place. It was on the same property as a state prison which made it feel even more ghetto and scary and I was just totally embarrassed that I had to take my baby there. So, the whole day was just a mess. Everyone was rude, not helpful at all and most of them barely spoke english. Thank God my mom came to be with me and help with Malachi while I stood in lines and filled out paper work! I have to be honest, I know I was not very nice either….I know I had an attitude. I walked around the place acting like I didn’t deserve to be there and I shouldn’t have to take my child to a place like that. I totally felt myself thinking I am better than this and these people. I was already on the verge of tears when I finally got to see the doctor and he was the rudest man ever! I kept thinking to myself, why the crap are you in pediatrics? Anyway, I felt that big lump in my throat and the tears started to come, kept slowly coming until I got out to the parking lot and I lost it. I cried pretty much all the way to my mom’s and I was still so pissed that I had to go there. I really thought that was the worst place I had ever been….

So, what am I feeling like now? Like I’m the freakin crappiest person ever! I really feel like God had me there for a reason, He really showed me something. I just took a look at what people have to go through their WHOLE lives!  I got to see first hand what lower income people have to go through….all the lines, crappy doctors and nurses and crappy dirty offices. So I’m left thinking why the heck do I think I don’t deserve that? What makes me so much better than any other parent in there? I am NO better than any other mom in there and I can’t believe that I even felt that way for one second! I really need an attitude makeover. I need to be more than grateful for what God has given to me and my family. I need to quit thinking that I am too good for certain things and let go of pride. I need to be thankful that I have had AMAZING doctors and healthcare for Malachi and that this is only for a season. Let me just tell you that I HATE learning what God wants to teach me! He doesn’t just let you read it out of a text book…dang it! But I know I will always come out being a better person because of it…So I’m praying for major patience and strength during this very trying time. You can join me

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”         James 1 (The Message)

So, backtrack a little bit…I got this book at my Bridal Shower called “The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands”. So, I opened it and thought to myself ” Hm, I’m sure that book is REAL good….maybe I can learn something from it though..eh. I wonder what else I got..” and I tossed it to the side and moved on. So the book ended up in a box, then on a shelf, then in a box and now it has actually been in my hands! I have to say that the author (Dr. Laura Schlessinger) really made me want to read it even less….she KILLS me. I am not a fan..haven’t been able to listen to her for more than like 5 min. Let me just tell you…this book has changed my life already and I’m not even half way through! She has made me realize so much! I can’t wait to finish it…I have SO SO much to change and to work on! Better now than 50 years down the road, right? So, if you are a perfect wife and have the perfect marriage…well congrats, but this book isn’t for you. If you are like me and have lots of room for improvement, then go pick up a copy and read it with me and hopefully it can change your perspective too!

Here is a picture of it for you visual people…

-bre