Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Brickners are ALIVE...

I mean the pictures are LIVE!
OMG...Jen did the most amazing job ever. I couldn't believe it. I can't choose. Help!!


The Brickner Family

Monday, October 25, 2010

Rain and Shine...

What a wonderful weekend!

We had family pictures this weekend with the beautiful and talented Jennifer Sexton. I love when she comes to visit, not only does she take amazing pictures, but we get to drive around and go back in time to our college days. We had a blast going to our old party houses, and checking out where we used to live and best of all stalking our old dorms. OMG. If I was any kind of parent, not on God's green earth would I let my kids live in these places. horrible...But wonderful all at the same time. Some of my best memories are from that time as well as my best friends! It was fun.

So looking at pictures online...I was hoping it would rain for our pictures. There are some pretty awesome and amazing things you can do. And we did them...and got the best of both worlds...Rain & Shine. The boys had a great time as well because later on in the shoot we got to put their puddle boots and on and let them go crazy. And they did. cold and wet and they were in heaven!

Hopefully I can get some posted tomorrow! I am so excited.

Thank You Jen!

Friday, October 15, 2010

The TALK....

This one is going to be short & sweet, well not sweet...definitley not sweet, but slightly funny enough that I want to blog about it. What kind of sick and twisted mother am I?

I got Jack's daily note at daycare handed to me.

Had a great time at the pumpkin patch, picked ou the best pumpkin around. Jack was caught drinking out of the toilet and telling his friends to try it too. Mom and Dad please talk to him about the the importance of NOT doing that. We did have a talk with everyone about it today.

so we had "the talk" with Jack. never thought I would have to have "that talk"

I asked him why he did it, he said his teacher told him too. interesting.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Good News...

I am going to start out with some really really good news!

AUBREY IS CANCER FREE!!

It is a amazing. The power of prayer works. Miracles do Happen!
Thank you so much to everyone who was thinking of her!

and some other good news!
Adam and I are finally having a get away. Just the 2 of us. Of course I have to convince myself this is good because I will miss my boys so much. We are heading up to the Minneapolis for a friend's wedding. We are starting out at the Mall of America. I am dying to hit up the Disney Store. Then Checking into our hotel, the Grand Hotel, where the wedding also is so guess who is getting her drink on....ha ha. Then Adam is taking me on a date to my favorite restaurant...Joe's Crab Shack.

I love Joe's Crab Shack...it all started on our annual Thanksgiving roadtrips. We headed down to Kansas City and were hungry...so we went to this place that had a lot of Christmas Lights and it was very cool. So we go in and we sit at a picnic table inside. I am loving this place already, we look around...see a couple of priest sitting in a booth drinking some beer...loving this place even more. I of course get Crab Legs...Adam does have a wonderful picture of me with my bib on. I might have to find that, this was pre-digital so it will have to be scannned.  Pretty cute.

We don't have Joe's Crab Shack in our area. So when I get to be close to one...guess where I am going!!

The boys are going to be with Grandma & Grandpa for the weekend. They are going to have a blast. They love being out at the farm. Can I call it a farm? I mean we had to burn the barn down after a tornado shifted it, so there is no barn, and we had horses. We don't have horses anymore. It is in the country and we have a big pond and pole shed, and some cats. Close enough for a farm for me! and no internet...that is a sign right there.

The good with the bad...it comes and goes

here is my bad.
Jackism & Christianism of the Day

Mommy singing in the car.

Christian: (while pointing at me shaking his finger) No Sing Mommy
Jack: (while hanging his head down and lower lip out) That makes me sad.
Mommy: My singing makes you sad?
Jack: yes, it makes me sad
Adam: (pretty sure he is hyperventilating from launging so hard)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Aubrey

My heart is breaking. But I remain optimistic. My thoughts and prayers are flowing out of me so fast, I can barely think. This little girl is very special. And she needs everyone's support along with her family. Lacey is a friend, I have never met her but I know her better than most of my IRL friends. I am part of a very strong Mom's board and we are all members, we are all moms, we are all FAMILY. Please pray and pray and pray!

If you want to know a little more about baby Aubrey, you can check out this video and visit her caringbridge site!



http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aubreydeno/

Thursday, September 30, 2010

See...Pictures

I told you I would post some pictures. So these are not exactly the ones I was talking about, but they will definitely do.

Every year now, we take the boys to JCP and take advantage of the $7.99 portrait session. I only need one good pose. I treat these like their "school pictures". So they go in a typical 8 x 10 frame on my photo wall. Then get surrounded by beautiful profession photography that my wonderful friend Jen (Jen from Jen & Brett's wedding), takes for me because she really is so so so much better.

But like I said...I only need one good pose. Luckily...I got a couple.
Here are some of Jack's 3yr pictures and Christian's 2yr pictures.

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Friday, September 24, 2010

Happy Birthday Christian Joseph!

To my beautiful baby boy! I love you so much! I can't believe you are 2 years old already, you grow up too fast!

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Happy Birthday!!

It Comes and Goes...

I can't believe I haven't posted in a week. I have a few things written up but I told myself that I didn't want to post anymore until I have pictures to post with...I need visuals with my stories.

So my next post will most likely be this weekend possibly Monday but a whole lot of pictures and with a new look to this blog coming soon I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware.

Be looking forward to some Christmas, some school, some daycare and some wedding!!

and one more thing...

Friday, September 17, 2010

Finally...Nothing

Well I say nothing lightly. The weekend is finally here and we have nothing going on, we don't have to go anywhere, no plans. See that is where it does get a bit sketchy. I have plans...I have a million things I am making my family and I do this weekend, but I am still calling it doing nothing.

Don't you love waking up and knowing you don't have to be anywhere? I do...only to a certain point, I love having something to do. But this doing something is something that if we change our minds...that is ok.

So my weekend Nothing-To-Do list consists of:

~ digging up my iris' and sharing with the neighbors. I could probably share with the whole town I have that many...they got huge!

~ heading to Menards to pick out my fence for my corner garden. Now that we got rid of the giant mound of dirt, figure this would be a great time to start the garden...well at least getting bushes and bulbs planted

~ offical hair weekend - I am coloring my hair...I love coloring my hair...and all the boys are getting hair cuts. I have decide to cut off Christian's beautiful gorgeous flowing hair. It is so unruley and he doesn't let me comb it and he wakes up looking like he stuck his finger in a light socket and it manages to stay that way all day...with help of mashed potatoes I have found out. I will save it because he is going short, the boys are going to look adorable!

~grocery shopping because what I did last week...I will never do again..shopping without a list. I found myself at the grocery store everyday, not kidding, I even went to the same check out lady, I usually do anyway, she is very nice. But everyday, there was always something I was forgetting.

~ Hobby Lobby because I need some fall decor and I love looking at Christmas stuff. Jack & Christian insist on looking at the Toy Soldiers. Did I mention I need some more fall decor...oh yes!

~Baking Pumpkin Bar per Adam's request...I love baking on weekends, I printed out a bunch of recipes and made him pick one. Did you know tehre is a national shortage of pumpkin? So I couldn't get my normal can of pumpkin. Only organic available, which is fine but OMG...it was $3 for a small can. I did proceed to buy 4 cans though, just incase they run out of that too. I need my pumpkin for the fall

~ Watching movies. There are a ton that came out on OnDemand, so all new to us!

See Nothing to do this weekend...I love it!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

ALL ABOARD...

The Circus Train has arrived! We had Jack & Christian's birthday party this weekend and I will just say...it was a complete SUCCESS!

It was supposed to rain...we ended up having little clouds and a ton of sunshine, it was beautiful.
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The Cake was AMAZING! I had a little incedent with the carrot cake...but lets move on.
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We had a variety of popcorn and popcorn bags for everyone to fill up on, we had favor bags filled with circus crackers & cotton candy. We ordered Pizza...everyone wins there!
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The bounce house was a hit as usual but best of all.
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The Circus Train Car that my parents built. I painted. It turned out without words to describe. AMAZING!
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The boys got a train table from us. It is a good way to keep them at home instead of fighting with them at Toys R Us or Barnes & Noble. ha ha
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Truth & Facts

Don't judge someone just by looking at them or reading something they write. You don't always know the whole story. It is like having an arguement with someone over politics or which celebrity is pregnant, or someone is on facebook ALL DAY LONG because you read it on Wikipedia...so it must be true. So when you judge someone or say something and claim it to be the Truth and the Facts you are completely ignorant. You would maybe know that it is MY JOB, so when you start judging by what someone is posting or typing making them feel like what they are doing is wrong. That is wrong. And I should say...if you think I am on all day long...what are you doing?

Judging sucks. I will admit I have done it. It happens all the time, what is the first thing you think of when you see someone drive into a parking lot, park in the handicapped spot, get out of the car and walk/run into the store. Just because you don't see something physical...doesn't mean they are cheating the system. You never know. Don't judge.

Judgment comes and goes. There are those that do cheat the system, always thinking that they deserve more than they put out. They are the ones that make sterotypes a reality. So take a second thought before you start badmouthing someone about something that you know nothing about because you don't know the whole story.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Superficial Stress...

I am stressed out today. But it is stress that I shouldn't stress out about. It comes and goes. I am stressed because I am baking Jack & Christian's birthday cake. it is a Circus Train cake, pretty sure I have mentioned it before. But it is crazy big, bigger than I had thought.

I am scared to decorate it. Terrified. I know what I want it to look like in my head and I can envision myself doing it and it turns out amazing. Like I am on TV, wearing my apron and a big smile on my face, not a mess around. A girl can dream right? because being on TV definitely a nightmare...breaking out in hives just thinking about it. anyway...what was I saying...

See I shouldn't be stressed about that at all...if something happens, cupcakes it is! I am a pro at those!

Today is a day where everyone is out of my office, there is a big national meeting going on. So nobody is here. The day of all days where I have ads due and getting random emails about budgets. Um...I am a graphic designer, I don't do that, phones ringing off the hook, why is it when I need someone here they are not there and when they are, I get nothing. Oh well, at least it is Friday!

Big PARTY day tomorrow...just checked the weather...AM Clouds PM Sun High 71...can you say PERFECT! The boys are going to have a blast!

See Stress that really shouldn't be stress. A good friend of mine is stressed out too, she told me if we were on Pee Wee's Playhouse...and stress was the word of the day...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I tend to agree! Cheer up Katie...being stressed out together = HAPPINESS! Everything happens for a reason!

Seriously pictures this weekend...promise!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Party Progress...Potty Progress

Grandma and Grandpa came over last night and delivered something that there are no words for. The Circus Train car I ask to be built. Well I asked for just this front panel and well they went above and beyond. It is AMAZING!! I was blown away. They are the absolute best. So after the kids went to bed, we painted, in bright colors of red, orange, yellow and blue and aqua. I opened up the garage door this morning and was still just blown away. I have the luckiest little boys ever!!

Tonight is the official cake baking night. Carrot cake with cream cheese center, marble with milk chocolate center, and german chocolate with coconut pecan center...OMG...YUMMY!! we will see how it turns out...good I hope as decorating them I am doing on Friday.

I can't believe how fast this party is coming up, it is so exciting! I already have a plan for next year so we will see!

Jack had school this morning, and every morning he goes potty at school before we go in his classroom. Well this morning was a bit different. He refused to go in the girls room. Might sound strange but he just turned 3 so he goes in with me and I help him out. well not today...downright refused..."Mommy, I will only go in the boys room"...but honey mommy can't go in the boys room, "no mommy I will only go in the boys room...because I am a boy"

Smart kid...so we went in the boys room, I told his teacher and she just said stand outside the stall door and it should be fine. So we checked it out, no boys in there, went in..."Mommy...I did it!"

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

No Regrets...

I am not sad. I don't meant to sound like my life is less than it is because, 100% it is not. I love my life, my life is perfect. But I can't put myself up so high because the only place to go is down. So I keep myself that point where I can go up and I can go down. Sometimes I cry for a reason...good and bad. I cry because I find out who my friends are, I cry because the boys run and give me hugs, I cry because SPOILER ALERT...Andy gave Woody and the rest of his toys to Bonnie. I cry because I figure I get enough water out of me, I could drop another pound. Point is I am a very emotional person. I do take things personal even if they are not meant to be. I could be a great actress because I can cry at the drop of a dime. But the majority of the time...I am laughing and smiling and loving everything about my life.

I probably started this blog on a downer. oops. But well now I can go up and go down again and up, who likes to hear about everything happy all the time, because you know that everything is not happy all the time.

I have no regrets for anything that has gone on in my life. I do regret not meeting my husband sooner. Adam is the absolute love of my life and always will be. He really does "complete" me. My boys are the best little things that have ever happened to me. I have never loved anyone so much in my whole life...how do you love someone that much and share the love...you just do. I can't wait to have more children, I would lie if I said I wouldn't love to have a little girl, I would but my husband doesn't make girls...damn you Maury Povich (that was a joke).

I will say...I miss Florida. My mom is going to hate reading that and will probably be on the phone calling me asking me what the heck...but who knows. We just refinaced mom, we will be in our house a long long time, quit worrying. I love love my house, love love my neighborhood. I couldn't move even if we wanted to. Moving to Florida was one the best experiences ever. But it was hard not having family around, of course a few months after moving back and having a Wisconsin Winter again...yeah that kind of sucked but having family over on Christmas instead of opening presents over the phone...PRICELESS.

I just a very dear friend of mine ask me: "What are 3 things that you know you should be doing in your life to create that lasting happiness but are not currently doing. And why, why, why? Start today Katie and make it a continual habit- 21 days and it will be molded into your inner being." I don't know how to answer that. I think that is a good thing though.

Can you answer that?

The Circus is coming to town...

We are having Jack & Christian's birthday party this weekend.

So Adam and I had the pleasure of eachothers company while we had the goal of finishing the garage. We drywalled...mudded...primed. We did the priming last night. We did get more paint on the walls than ourselves but lets just say...we have big walls. There was a lot of paint on us. We are not professional. I mean I paint, but I oil paint, on little canvas. So me and a roller don't mix too well. But I did good. (picking paint off of my hands, hair, neck...omg how did I get paint there). So project 1...GARAGE...almost done as we only did 2 walls...he he.

We are doing a joint party this year because they are so close we felt guilty having to make people travel 2 weekends. So we are just doing one. We are doing a Circus Train Theme. I designed the invites, where I hope everyone noticed, looked like Circus Tickets. They are super cute.

I am making a circus train cake, most of it. My boss is a wonderful cake baker and since I designed her daughters Save the Dates for her wedding, I asked if she could help with the cake, she was excited because she loves my kids. She is doing the Locomotive part. I am going to attempt to do the other 3. It should be interesting as I do cupcakes...not cake. So Thursday is going to be my official "Baking" day, apparently I am not allowed to watch the cakes so I will probably end up doing some cleaning or something...YAY!

Tonight my parents are coming down to help out with this little project I asked them to build. Yep, you heard that right, I asked them to build something. ha ha, it is going to be awesome. So it is a giant Circus Train Car Wild Animal Cage. They have one similar at Walt Disney World. So I found a picture, asked my dad if he could turn into Handy Manny for a bit and build this, I just need the front panel because I am using it as a fun photo-op thing where the kids can get their pictures taken. well turns out he went all Mike Holmes on me and built the whole thing...like cage and all 3-d. He is pretty proud of it and doesn't shy away when it comes to the grandkids. They are coming down tonight to help me paint. It is going to be so cool, this is one of the things I am excited about. What will I do with it when I am done...not a friggin' clue but I know it can't stay at my house...lack of room we have. Maybe I can rent it out?

We also bought a bounce house for the boys. We bought it as a present for them. It was the highlight of Jack's day. We came home from the hospital when Jack had his casts removed, picked Christian up from daycare and said we have a surprise. They were in heaven. So I think the kids at the party will definitely enjoy that. Just pray that the rain stays away!

Cotton Candy & Popcorn & Pizza & Ice Cream anyone?

Family...

I miss my sister.

She is a bit older than me but we have always been close. I haven't talked or seen my sister since our grandmothers funeral in March of 2009. That is so hard.

There are days where I could careless about her. Those feelings come and go. The days where I stare at my phone and want to call her and just chat like we used too, talk about the kids. Then I stop and think that she has yet to really acknowledge Christian and for the past 2 years has never called Jack or Christian on their birthdays. And whatever is going through her head...DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT take it out on my children.

I don't miss my sister.

Whatever beef you have with me fine, but don't make my kids suffer. I have been there since day 1 with my nieces and nephews, all 4 of them, they get phone calls and birthday cards every year. I do not forget them. Why are you forgetting mine? The bonus is I guess they don't have to deal with her selfishness but I want them to figure that out themselves. It makes me sad that they will not know their cousins, they are wonderful children. I remember everything about them and I will never forget. They won't remember my kids at all and that is the worst.

Whenever she decides to come back to what is important...family, not what can I buy my kids so they will forget, but family. I am here. She knows where I live, I secretly pretend that she drives by our house just to see up playing outside and being with family and gets jealous and drives off. But I want her to stop in. No invitation needed. No apologies needed. I just want my sister back.

But the longer she makes me wait the more these happy feeling go away. Maybe that is what she is hoping for. I hope not.

I miss my sister.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

That mom...

I wasn't winning mommy of the year today as I almost forgot to pick Jack up from preschool. good thing school is only like 4 minutes from work.

I wasn't late, thank goodness, but I would have felt horrible. I just picture his face smooshed up against the glass doors, tears running down his face waiting when everyone else is gone. all alone. well, I wasn't late and he was standing there with his teacher and a couple other kids and lets just say, they were late.

I don't want to be that mom.

As the song says it comes and goes in waves. I feel good today, I didn’t fall at all in my new heels, that would be embarrassing. I went to the grocery store after dropping off jack at daycare and picked up some mint hot chocolate. I figure I can't eat it, I might as well drink it, it is only 100 calories

Well it comes and goes...I am feeling down again. As I am eating my afternoon stack of organic veggie straws and drinking a diet root beer, I have to stop looking at pictures of what I am probably most likely will never be. Maybe I will stare at my shoes some more...they really are fantastic. Crap I have to work until 5 tonight.

Just Perfect...

My feelings come and go...one day I am feeling on top of the world the next, swimming in the murky murky mote water as my son, Jack would say.

I am a mom, I am wearing a mom shirt, it is cute but the more I think about it, it is a mom shirt. I have 2 of the most perfect little boys, Jack just turned 3 and Christian is turning 2 in a couple weeks.

Hoping that my face clears up, I am in my last couple months of my 20s, why am I breaking out like a 15 year old? I am still hoping it is the lighting in my mother in laws bathroom. It is really really bad, and trying to put makeup in really bad lighting sucks.

so anyway...I attended a perfect wedding of a friend last night, she really does have the perfect life. I mean that in all honestly and jealousy, she really does have the perfect life. She has a job that she is perfect at and I can attest to that as she has done some work with my family last year and they are...perfect. she has a part time job that urbanites are jealous of just because of the discount she gets, I hope she shares. She had the perfect wedding, I mean really it was absolutely beautiful, she was stunning, her now husband was as handsome as could be and the logistics of it are unbelieveable, so swanky so uptown, I was so jealous. I didn't think of how things could change in 5 years, but the 5.5 years that I have been married, the thought of some of the things that she had and did at this wedding, never even crossed my mind, she was in my wedding and I would have hoped she would have shared her insite if it did exist, so I am sticking to that they didn't and will say I also had a perfect wedding.

So in my quest for a perfect life started last night as I am sitting in the uber trendy part of the city where the reception was held, in a deep, dark leather chair while the bride and groom where having their first dance, I started to cry. She looked amazing, she looked perfect. I had thought I was perfect, I bought a new fabulous dress (way out of my comfort zone), some super high heels, my makeup was done my hair was done (not did...what does that mean anyway) and I had my Adam take a picture....well pictures don't lie and well, I think I looked less than steller...it wasn't good. I had a meltdown and I had to leave. I left the wedding of one of my closest friends. It wasn't hard, I can't believe I just said that, but she had other people pretty sure I wouldn't have been missed, although I secretly hope that I was.

For a little bit I felt like I belonged in that life.

There are a ton of things in life that I want and right now I am bound and determined to get it. It comes and goes. I will get it. I will get the more than perfect life because what can I say, my life is perfect for me. But I want the perfect city life, the perfect country life, the perfect suburban life. I want to live that life where I am not recognized in each of these places, well my family too, I want to go to the city and look like I belong, I want to head out to the country and look like I belong, I want to go home and look like I belong. You know going from high heels to my running shoes to my slippers. I want to people to ask is that really her?


I am a mom, wife, a sister, daughter, friend. I want more. It comes and goes.