bradley family blog

Snow Time

2012-01-25T10:32:00.001-08:00

We just got back from a fun weekend in the snow with our Bradley Family. So much fun.

The kids loved playing in the snow.

It's been a while....

2011-12-18T07:54:00.001-08:00

So a lot has happened since my last post. For starters I am now 6 months pregnant! And we have been enjoying Christmas preparations a lot. Here are some pictures:

Baby Girl - 5 months along

Decorating the tree

The Cow Ear

2011-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Noelle cracks me up. This was my morning hair straight out of bed today. She said, "Mom, you have a cow ear." I agree. It does look like a cow ear. Love that girl. Oh, also, you can see our house is under construction. Yikes! Adam is doing a great job, and so many friends and family have already helped a ton. Look forward to more construction pics!

Congratulations to My Firefighter Paramedic Husband

2011-06-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Adam just graduated from the UCLA Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program last week. I am so proud of him. He has put in a lot of time and effort the last 10 months. Smart Man.

Happy 3rd Birthday Noelle!

2011-04-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

We ended the day on the beach.

The kids got the relax and have some snacks on Noelle's new picnic table.

Adam drew a fantastic game for the kiddos "Pin the Tail on the Poodle"

I think Elias enjoyed the cupcake more than anyone else.

Make a wish!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2011-03-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

He enjoyed his first trip to the Yogurt Hut.

He's good at sharing.

Ate a whole piece of pizza tonight...he's a growing boy.

He is a happy boy.

Happy birthday Elias!
We love you baby.

Breakfast Shenanigans

2011-03-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

This was Noelle's idea. This is our brown sugar spoon.

Elias turn.

My turn.

Kids new favorite toy. A toilet box.

My new home-made curtains for our closet. Take that Anthropology!
Well, my attempt at Anthropology on a budget anyways.

That's Right...We've Got Another Musician in the Family

2011-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you Mimi and Papa for the fun music box. They use it every day!

Oh, and don't make too much fun of me gagging in the background. I was not going to try to capture this moment again just to save face. :-)

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Noelle picked out her shirt today. How appropriate since my mom loves flag anything. So, Happy Birthday Mom, compliments of Noelle. We love you.

Scrubs

2011-01-17T16:24:00.001-08:00

Here is Adam in his scrubs. He is now in the hospital portion of his paramedic school.

Bad Blogger...Here's to Getting Better!

2010-12-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

Faithful readers...I'm trying to catch up and be a better blogger. Maybe a New Year's resolution for me? That and being on time...y'all can hold me to that. :-)

Some cute kid pics.

Thanksgiving in Sacramento. Opening early Christas gifts.

Cousins and best buddies

After much delay...finally some inside house pics for Brooke!

Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Elias Room

Kitchen

Living/Dining/Family Room beyond

Noey's room

Family Photos

2010-12-02T15:20:00.001-08:00

Fun family pictures taken last weekend.

Halloween

2010-11-04T21:46:00.001-07:00

Here are the kiddos in their Halloween costumes: Minnie Mouse & a Frog....and a couple extra pics just for fun.

Kiddos

2010-08-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Here are our sweet kiddos.

This one's for Auntie Amy...we love the "The Ryde" shirts!

Potty training in the great outdoors!

Elias enjoying the backyard in his hand-me-down Bumbo seat.
Poor boy...he has lots of pink items...I'm into recycling.
No worries though...no hand-me-down clothing from big sis...that's where I draw the line.

Noey loves her dolls.

Noelle loves playing with Elias.

He's a happy boy.

Just a Taste

2010-07-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

We have been busy little bees this summer. Sorry I have gotten behind on the blog. I am going to try to catch up, but for now...here is just a taste of what we have been up to.

Our 5 year Anniversary.

Our first House!!
Praise the Lord!!!
Which means...lots of housework.

Fun trip to Sac for Mother's Day.

Trying to potty train...key word..TRYING!

Yosemite with the Bradley & Allen Families...super fun...and beautiful.

Lauren's College Graduation at UCSD

Our little fireman. (3 months)

Trip to Adam's firehouse.
Auntie Nan & Cousin Tyler came down for a visit.
Adam gave us a ride in the fire engine, and the kids got to play in and around all of the fire equipment. Daddy has a fun job.

Fun with Photo Booth

2010-05-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Naked baby after his bath.

Happy 2nd Bithday Noelle!

2010-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Noelle's Birthday both on her birthday (Friday, the 9th) as well as Saturday because Adam was working on her actual birthday. I tried to make it a fun day for her.

Happy Birthday...

DAY 1

Favorite breakfast...French toast with butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.

Ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Yum-ee

Opening presents with Grammie and Bompa via Skype. They also sang her "Happy Birthday" and had a cake with candles for her to blow out. She loved it.

She loves to "go-go" (go fast). Our new fun outing is roller blading with the stroller. She loves it, Izzy loves it, and Elias enjoys taking his nap in motion.

DAY 2Donut for breakfast!!!

She loves playing peek-a-boo.

Blowing out the candles.

She loved opening presents.

Pretty shoes & dress from Auntie Nan & Uncle Dave.

Party People

Just an extra cute picture of Noelle at Mimi's house.
One of her favorite activites is playing with water in the sink.

Catch Up

2010-04-09T09:29:00.001-07:00

Sorry to our faithful blog followers....I am finally giving you an update.

HAPPY EASTER!

Our good friends, the Davidsons came out the day before Easter to meet Elias. We had a little egg hunt for the kids in the yard. They became much more interested in the hunt once they figured out the eggs had M & M's inside.

Elias is 1 month already!
That went by fast.

His first bath...not his favorite activity.

Bradley...party of FOUR.

Cousins

Matt, Amy & Lena came out to meet Elias.
Thanks for the visit!

So did Mark, Laura & Miss Abby Shae.
(I think the girls are going to be good friends too.)

Auntie Julia came up for a visit.

Papa reading to Noelle.

Everyone is doing great. Noelle loves her baby brother and is being a great helper. She likes to stroke his hair and give him his "bink." Elias is a sweet little baby with a very easy going personality. He is a good boy.

Elias Ezekiel Bradley

2010-03-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Born: March 8, 2010 at 10:14pm
at Community Memorial Hospital, Ventura
8 lbs. 3 oz.
20 in. long

It was a wild ride, but he is here! Praise the Lord!!! We went into the O.B's office on the 8th for our routine last check up before the baby was to be born, and surprise surprise...our little guy who had been head down the entire last part of the pregnancy had pulled a stunt maneuver and had wedged his behind in the birth canal instead of his head. This is called "frank breach." He was ready to come out and it was impossible for him to turn...so our Dr. gave us our 2 options...
#1 C-section (the most used in this situation)
#2 Regular Delivery...but with the risk of having an emergency c-section
should the baby go into stress. (our Dr. is one of the only ones in the state that will do this kind of delivery...I am so grateful to have him and that he gave us the option)

I was really bummed out at the thought of having an unexpected surgery at the last minute especially since I had such a smooth delivery and recovery with Noelle, and was expecting the same with this one. So, Adam and I had to make the quick decision on the spot of what to do...#2 it was. So the Dr. stripped my membranes to put me into labor...it worked a few ours later, the contractions were 3 mins. apart by that evening when we checked into the hospital. He broke my bag of waters and all of the sudden it was on....the contractions became serious business, and then I was ready to push. They rolled us into the operating room, just in case and had the anesthesiologist standing at my head ready to knock me out should we need an emergency c-section. Everything went super smoothly and he was out in about 10 minutes and 3 big pushes. Bum first...then legs, and lastly the head. I must say, it was one of the most nerve wracking processes I have ever been through, yet also a bit exciting. The nurses were not all on board, it was split about 50/50. Most had never seen this kind of delivery since most Dr.'s will not attempt this and automatically do the c-section. Once Elias was out, everyone was kind of giddy...the anesthesiologist, the Dr., the attending nurses. As they wheeled us out of the O.R. the halls were filled with chatter of delight and amazement.

And we are so thankful for everyone praying for us. The Lord is so faithful and we are so grateful for His provision for our family, and for the safe arrival of little Elias. He is a delightful little guy already. He has an adorable round little face and a calm disposition. Pretty much just sleeps all day and occasionally has a sweet little cry. We love this little one so much already, and are so happy he has joined our family.

Elias = The Lord is my God.
Ezekiel = Strength of God.

We have already had some visitors as you can see in the pictures above. Thank you dear family for trekking all the way out here to visit our little man, and for taking such good care of Noelle and the Izzy dog.

So far some of the family have been calling him Eli and Zeke...

Let the wild rumpus begin!

Please Pray!!

2010-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

Baby boy is healthy and fine, but butt down ready to come out. He turned from head-down last week. So we are going to attempt a breach birth in the hospital tonight around 7 pm. We are praying that it will be a smooth delivery, but have been warned that an emergency c-section may have to be done if needed. So please pray for a healthy delivery of baby boy and for peace for Adam and I as we are a bit surprised at this last minute news. We are excited to meet our boy whichever way he gets here.

Yay for Family!!!

2010-02-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

As you can see below...my parents just came down for a visit, and today my sister and her in-laws (Grandma Kathie & Auntie Dee) came for a visit. We had an amazing time. I miss my sis, so it is always fun to see her. And Noelle loves her "Grandma" Kathie. They were playing ring around the rosey, and falling down laughing together. Tyler and Noelle love playing and rolling around on the ground together and even rocked on the motorcycle. They love each other. He calls her "Owl," and ever since they left Noelle keeps asking for Tyler. She already misses him. We love visitors, so as Noelle would say, "more...more!!"

Valentines Weekend

2010-02-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentines weekend. My parents came down to visit and we all hung out. We had a fantastic time. The boys played some wii, and the girls cooked. Noelle really enjoyed making and eating the sweets. She also had fun playing with my parents new puppy and of course her Grammie and Bompa. And Adam and I even got a night out on the town since we had wonderful babysitters staying with us.

Week 38

2010-02-24T08:55:00.001-08:00

"It's Go for Launch" !!!

2010-02-09T16:18:00.001-08:00

We had a very exciting weekend. We had the once in a lifetime privilege of seeing the space shuttle Endeavor launch out of Cocoa Beach, Florida. This was the 130th launch, and the last night launch in Space Shuttle's history..there are only 4 day launches left before this program ends forever. It was incredible, and something we will never forget. It was also the most patriotic event I have ever taken part of. I felt very American. We all sang the national anthem before it launched and counted down together to take-off....5...4...3...2...1...BLAST OFF!!!! It was amazing feeling the vibrations through your body that the shuttle sent out, and seeing the night sky light up as if it was day-time. Doug (Papa) works on the space shuttle main engine, so that is how we were able to see the launch. It was a wonderful little vacation before the baby comes too. And Mimi (Ann) stayed home and babysat Noelle in Valencia for the weekend so we could have a little "babymoon." That was such a treat too. Thank you, thank you family for the amazing adventure. Oh, and with all of the hub-bub there was almost another launch....baby boy seemed as if he wanted to be a Floridian. My dear husband had me sitting down or laying down whenever possible to keep the contractions at bay. Thankfully he stayed put, and we are now back in Ventura just a stones throw to the hospital and the contractions have stopped. It's no for launch....wooo hooo!

Week 34 = 8 1/2 months

2010-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

He's getting bigger!

El Nino Esta Aqui !

2010-01-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here is my attempt to write in Spanish...probably grammatically incorrect, and maybe misspelled too, but I thought it would be fun to give it a go in the spirit of El Nino!

Noelle calls these "Daddy's boots"

She got to walk the dog today.

Noelle, Izzy and I wanted to try out her new rain boots (thank you Grammie and Grampa) and rain coat (thank you Auntie Lauren), and they work fantastically well. And we all had a great time splashing around outside in the puddles.

Fun With Presents

2010-01-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Here is Noelle enjoying some of her Christmas booty.

New bike seat. Noelle and Adam have been tooling around town together.

With a helmet. See above. :-)

Cutting fruit...this activity entertains her for at least an hour..who knew?
Thank you Aunt Dina!!

Christmas Festivities

2010-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Noelle in her Christmas dress.

Matching Firefighter Rain Boots

Auntie Nan, Uncle Dave & Tyler opening presents

Noelle enjoying her new dolly.

Adam, Tyler and Noelle horsing around.

Gigi, Ashley, Tyler, Grammie & Noelle singing carols.

Noelle's new Christmas trike.

Noey opening her stocking.

Brining the Christmas tree home.

Week 30 = 7 1/2 months

2010-01-05T11:06:00.001-08:00

Baby Boy due March 11th - his Auntie Julia's birthday.

Snow Trip

2009-12-18T10:23:00.001-08:00

Adam's friend Mike came up with us to snowboard...little did he know how much snow there would be to shovel. Thanks for all of the hard work Mike!

Sledding races. Looks like Izzy is beating the boys in this one.

Sledding with Daddy...not a big fan this year.

All bundled up and ready for the snow. She could barely walk with it all on. Noelle LOVED the snow. She kept telling me "happy Mama."

Noelle found the dog kennel at the cabin and thought it made a great play house. She liked getting in and opening and closing the door.

We also had a great visit with my family on the way home. Here is "Grammie" with her 2 grandkids. I think she is secretly Wonder Woman though...how does such a tiny lady hold 2 generously sized toddlers at the same time??

Refer to Last Post.....

2009-12-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

Noelle's fearlessness finally caught up with her. She broke her arm this morning running full speed ahead on our front walk-way. She did her usual face-plant, which she usually just stands up and brushes her hands off, but not this time. Screaming and crying. Boo! After half a day of her babying her arm we decided to get her checked out just in case. Bummer...poor girl. What a brave soul. And don't let the cute little smile fool you...this picture was taken just after she consumed a Baskin Robbin's Cappuccino Blast Shake singlehandedly. Yes, we believe in bribery...especially when trying to distract from pain.

Noelle's New Skills and Dressers

2009-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yikes...she is a brave one. So, she usually just rocks like crazy on this thing, but this day she decided to stand on it and rock. And then she stood up, let go and put her hands straight up in the air. Needless to say this part was not caught on film as I was catching her. Maybe she will be a stunt rider someday? I am hoping not. :-)

And here are the new treasures I found this week. One for Noelle to make room for baby brother in the old dresser, and one for me because my old one was making my clothes moldy...yuck. I found these for a steal in downtown Ventura at an antique store going out of business. It made my day to find these. I also went to a rummage sale the same day with Aunt Jane and found some fantastic clothes for Noelle and baby boy...as well as a few other treasures. I made out like a bandit that day...in fact I still have a smile on my face just thinking about it. This kind of thing just feeds my love for frugal-ness. :-)

Week 24 = 6 Months

2009-11-18T07:45:00.001-08:00

Ok people...here you go. I hope you are all happy. I am huge
now! Baby boy is moving around like crazy in there too.

Halloween and More!!

2009-11-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

Halloween

My mom had this great little costume in one of her closets.
I love free things! Sadly the hat only lasted about 3 seconds.

Noelle and I went to a little party at a friends house while Adam was working.

Noelle's New Bed

Noelle is going to be sharing a room with her little brother.
I think the little bed fits quite nicely. I found the quilt in my room when I was home for the weekend. It was made by my great grandmother, so that is fun to have. And the bed frame I found at Goodwill for a steal, and I painted it white. And my parents had been saving my college mattress for me in their storage unit. What a blessing!

Fun Times in Sac Town

Mom & Noelle swinging on the amazing swing set Dad just built.

Noelle taking a ride on the horse.

Apple Hill Trip

Ali & Noey by the duck pond.

Grammie "Gigi", Noey & Ali

Having our picnic lunch in Apple Hill (Dad, Dave, Ali, Noey & Grammie)

Both Noelle and Tyler love to play the piano.

San Diego Trip
We went down to San Diego to watch Lauren play in a very exciting
volleyball game at UCSD.

Walking around the harbor with Amy, Ann, Doug & Ali.

Noelle pushing her stroller.

Uncle Matt with Noelle. She LOVES Uncle Matt.

Craft Time

How I get things done: With Noelle on my lap...that's how.
She loves helping me. Cleaning, cooking, sewing. She is a good girl.
Although she likes making the sewing machine say "beep beep"
which means trouble for Mama.

It's a BOY!

2009-10-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of baby boy's profile. His face is on the left.

Sorry to baby boy for showing his privates on the
world wide web, but we are all friends here, right? You can see
his "peeps" in this one where the arrow is pointing.

Tummy Chronicles - 5 Months = 20 Weeks

2009-10-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

I had Noelle wave at the camera this time.

Peek-a -boo

2009-10-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

One of Noelle's favorite games these days is hiding under the kitchen sink. Not to worry, I have it nice and tidy down there with nothing but clean rags and the dirty rag bin, which she removes before climbing in.

Where is Noelle?

Is she in there?

This is where the giggling happens.

What We Do

2009-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Some have been asking..."what do you do?" Well, we go to the beach of course. We are loving our new little town, and are settling in quite nicely. I think our favorite thing about living here so far is the beach. It is beautiful, and just a short walk from our little house.

Adam riding a wave.

Noelle enjoying a tide pool day at the beach.

Strolling the boardwalk.

The view of the sunset and the 101 from a lookout close to the house.

Adam going paddle boarding with his pal Nick, with one of his biggest fans looking on.

Izzy even body/doggie surfs.

The Belly Chronicles - 4 Months

2009-09-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Week 16

I like Noelle's face in this pic. And I think I will post belly shots
by month now instead of weeks so
the progress is more impressive.

For Those Inquiring Minds...

2009-09-16T07:46:00.001-07:00

Week 15

As you can see, the belly button is already starting to
pop...or as Miss Noelle would call it, the "bee-boo."

My Little Helper and Our Camping Trip

2009-09-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Noelle loves to help me around the house these days. She particularly likes standing on the step stool in the kitchen so she can assist me in washing the dishes and whipping up pancakes in the morning. She also likes to take the rags I have under the sink and tidy up the floor or whatever she can reach. Also caught her with the toilet brush the other day attempting to clean the toilet bowl. I think I am going to have her wait on that one for a while...kind of yuck.

Camping

We also just went camping up in SLO with some good friends from college Jared & Leah Davis and their cute little baby Lyla. Oh my goodness is she cute, and so sweet. We really enjoyed meeting her, and Noelle liked having a baby around...good thing since she will have one around all the time in a few short months.Jared making a delicious breakfast.

Noelle enjoying the Bradley family boat.

Babies kissing babies.

Leah, Lyla, Noelle & Ali at our camp site. Lake Lopez.

Adam was there too, but behind the camera. :-)

This Little Piggy Went to Ventura

2009-08-20T16:14:00.001-07:00

Our girl in pig tails. She looks like a real girl now!Here's a game for you: Where is Izzy in this picture?
This was on one of the construction days in the new house where they took our bed apart.

Our new abode.
We are renting this cute place until we can find one of our own.

Noelle's Room.
And a beauty shot of the new floors.

Living Room. "Office" to the far left. Kitchen through the far door.
And Adam's new best friend...the Cruiser...a b-day gift from his fam.

Kitchen.

Laundry/Surf Room.

Bathroom....
with newly installed contact paper on the lower half of the windows...our new gentleman neighbor informed me on our 4th day here that the obscured glass is not at all obscured....oh boy, so they have seen us naked...what a great start. I was mortified to say the least.

Our Bedroom.

3rd Bedroom/Storage Area/Garage???
Ask us in about a month...it is a bit of a sore subject.

All in all I LOVE Ventura...what a nice husband I have to move us all the way out here. Thanks babe. I feel at home already, and we have only been here 2 weeks. We are excited to make some friends and settle into a church family here. We are praying that God would put us just where we are supposed to be.

Downtown LA Trip

2009-08-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

We took a little field trip to downtown LA a few weeks ago while we were still in La Verne. There was a Metro station close to the house, so we just hopped on and went for a little ride. It was great not to drive down there and a fun little outing for all of us. We went to Olvera Street, where it is set up like a little Mexican street market. Fun times. And Noelle was even given a small balloon animal in the shape of a dog. It was fun while it lasted...approximately 3 minutes.

#2

2009-07-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Anniversary

2009-07-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am finally posting our anniversary pictures from last month. It was my turn to plan this year, and I forgot that the local grand-people and siblings were going to be out of town that weekend, so it was good for me...I had to get creative....plan a "group" activity....one kid friendly, and dog friendly too....nice restaurant....OUT.....hotel stay.....OUT....hmmm....something outdoors, fun and somewhat local. We both like to hike, so I think it all turned out pretty well. We had a great time, and even got some exercise, and it was only a 20 minute drive from home...free besides the $5 parking fee, and had a beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike. Happy 4th babe. I am a blessed girl to have such a fantastic husband. Love you.

Izzy even got to swim in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

Noelle in the maiden voyage of the new to us hiking backpack.

I joked that Noelle was like Izma in "The Emperors New Groove". Riding in style.

I think everyone had a nice day.

Berries and Birds

2009-07-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

We had a couple great days in June with family and friends. One day we went out to Valencia and walked around the "fake lake" and got to see so many ducks and their little babies. And a week or so later we got to go out to the wonderful blueberry ranch.

Getting as close as we possibly can to the cute duckling.

My sis was down for the weekend. I miss that girl.

Noelle feeding Aunt Judy a delicious blueberry...they were taking turns.

Laura came out berry picking too. That was a treat in itself!

The collected treasure.

Vacation

2009-07-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

My Mom "kidnapped" Noelle and I and took us up to Sacramento for almost 2 weeks. We had a great time, and Adam even had a few days off at the end to come up!

Noelle is super into cars, so she loved this little toy car, and went nuts driving it.

Noelle dreaming of driving her Grandpa's car someday.

Adam taking his usual spin in the Corvette...no trip to the Penrod's is complete without it.

Aunt Dina made this beautiful hat for Noey.

Enjoying my delicious home-made birthday ice cream...thanks Mom and Dad.

Ali, Stephen, Tyler, Natalie, Aunt Dina, and Mom

Family birthday dinner...Theme: Spaghetti Factory at Home with GG's famous sauce.

Stephen's birthday.

Fun times with friends at Natalie & Dave's house.

Indoor Skydiving

2009-06-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

Amy bought Matt indoor skydiving for Father's Day and was kind enough to let me tag along. Everyone should give it a try. Although I felt a little pansy when I read the ad that said it's the bunny slopes of the skydiving world.

Noelle Update

2009-06-22T21:57:00.001-07:00

This girl is growing up fast, and I am slow to update this blog. Here are some fun pictures of our girl and some family time.

Our happy girl having a fun day with Mimi.

Enjoying the golf course at the Allen's

Hanging out at Uncle Dave & Aunt Judy's beautiful Blueberry Ranch.

Hanging out with Grammie and Grandpa in Ventura.

The Bradley girls at Uncle Matt's 29th birthday party.

Party People

2009-05-30T10:18:00.001-07:00

Here's the graduation/belated Noelle B-day party. Fun times. Happy times. Bocce Times.

The BBQ man...aka Noelle's Grandpa. Delicious burgers cooked to perfection.
Auntie Jules, Mimi & Papa

Grandpa and Grammie hanging out with Noelle.

The Beuvings + the Bradleys = fun times.

Can't have a party without Bocce Ball!

Matt, Amy & Lena

Woo Hoo! Happy Graduation Adam!!!!

2009-05-17T14:12:00.001-07:00

He's a working man now! Adam graduated this Friday from the LA County Fire Department Academy. He started his shift the next morning. The graduation was wonderful, and it is so exciting for him to be done. We had a little party Friday night... I will post those pictures later.

Their motto behind him says "proud protectors of life and property."

This is how Adam feels now that he is done with the academy.

One of Adam's biggest fans.

Me being a hatstand while Adam changes.

Our lovely guests....thanks for coming!

Adam getting his badge pinned on by the Fire Chief.

Taking their oath.

They did a demonstration after the graduation. Adam is using the jaws of life in this photo.

Fun With Photo Booth

2009-05-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

The child and I had some time on our hands tonight so.....

We decided to play with Photo Booth:

Oh, is it taking already?

The girl acting coy.

A little smile for you.

Making rude sounds.....one of Noelle's favorite pastimes.

Happy Friday everybody!

The Pool Genes Strike Fast

2009-04-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

I went to shave my head for the week last night, and found there was a little less to shave.
The widow's peak forming.
The hairline is dropping back. Andy D, you know what I'm talking about.
And further back.
And the two sides made the turn, forming the island.
Leaving me with a solid horseshoe pattern.
Fortunately, Grandad taught us how to rock a bald head.
Noey likes the new look. It's supposed to be the mother's father that controls the baldness in the family. That means that either Matt or myself will be bald someday. I'm pretty sure it'll be Matt. Three more weeks until hair again for me.

Easter Day

2009-04-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! May we all reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and His resurrection.

And here are some more pictures of our little blessing enjoying an egg-less egg hunt. It was fun anyway.

Our fun neighbors we hang out with.

Riding a horse for the first time...and loving it! She is taking after her mama already!

Taking a shoulder ride around the room with Daddy.

Happy Birthday Noelle

2009-04-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Noelle is 1 already...that went by fast! What a blessing you are to us Noelle Rae. We are excited for the years to come.

Here are some photos of our fun day together:

First: to the park with Izzy

Check out my very first tooth!

And I have a new skill as of this week...."free" standing.

And Then: to the pet shop

And Then: to the yogurt shop

And to end the day...birthday cake with Daddy!

The "touch"...one of Noelle's new favorite activities. She likes to touch her index finger to someone else's.
And at last...Mimi and Papa sing "Happy Birthday" over the phone to the Birthday Girl. It is their family tradition.

And...I think Adam loves this. Just a week ago Noelle decided to cuddle with her daddy for the first time ever! Tonight I was trying to take her to bed and she reached out for Adam and cried. Woo Hoo! Now she can't get enough of him. I think she would have let Adam hold her all night. She is such a sweet girl. Being a parent is amazing...it just keeps getting better and better.

And the birthday banner.

Welcome Baby Lena Faith!

2009-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that Matt and Amy's baby is here! Great job you two. She is a beautiful little girl.

Caffine Appreciation Day & More!

2009-03-28T12:18:00.001-07:00

As I was talking to my sister yesterday she informed me it was caffeine appreciation day, so here is a pic of Noelle with a package of coffee she swiped out of the freezer while I was getting dinner ready last night. She has sticky fingers!

Reading a Bible story with Daddy before bedtime.

Our little artist. She swiped the note pad out of the desk drawer, and a pen too! She had drawn this little scribble picture before I had noticed her thieving ways. She is quick this one.

Noelle loves this is a cute little bunny Auntie Nan made for her.
Pals hanging out waiting for Daddy to come home.

Miracles DO Happen!

2009-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for the healing of Adam's feet. God is so good. He answered our prayers and has healed Adam's feet. It really was miraculous; they were the worst case the Dr. had ever seen, and he said he did not think they would be able to heal while Adam was in fire academy. But is is so good and gracious because he healed him, and quickly too, even in the midst of fire academy when conditions were not friendly for healing. But God is bigger than soggy boots and fire academy. So, thank you again for your prayers, we appreciate them so much. And this was a great exercise in faith for us.

And here are some more photos of our precious daughter (who is also a little miracle herself) taken by our new friend Lindsay. I thought you would rather see some pictures of our sweet girl instead of the feet.

Delicious!!!

2009-03-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am still on the quest to try a new recipe once a week, and here is a winner:

Sweet Potato Pot Pies

I made this last night for Adam and I and it was delicious. I am in love with this cooking blog Leah Davis sent me. I can't get enough of it. I wish the above was a picture of the ones I made, but alas...I am not a pro, and mine were a bot more...well "rustic" looking. Ha ha...well, they were still delicious. All of the recipes on the site are vegetarian, but I add meat sometimes for a bit more protein. In this recipe....I followed it exactly, except added 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded. I am sure it would have been just as delicious without the chicken...but as Adam is in fire academy, he needs all the protein he can get! Enjoy!

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000127.html

Going Bananas...and Our House

2009-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Noelle is just starting to like food, and her favorite is Bananas!

And per the request of Brooke, here is our house. This is just the downstairs. The bedrooms look the same as our last house..so no pics this time.
Front Door

Living Room...Desk nook under stairs and kitchen to the left.
Living Space...with our new (to us) Craig's List couch!! Super comfy, so guests please come and stay with us!
Kitchen

Oat Angels and Butter Fingers...Thats Me!

2009-02-24T10:22:00.001-08:00

So, I really have had the "dropsies" lately. Especially in the kitchen. Thankfully I have little "helpers" that like to play in my messes. Izzy loved eating the oats, and Noelle was having fun making oat angels in the pile, oh and those are chocolate chips in her hand...like mother like daughter. And for Brooke...this is part of the kitchen...More pictures to come.

Welcome to So Cal

2009-01-31T10:27:00.001-08:00

So here is Noelle basking in the sun. We have been going to the park every day, sitting in the grass and throwing the ball to the dog. And thank you cousin Tiffany for this cute blue jumper!

And Here is Izzy stalking something in the grass. Probably a cricket. Never have I experienced so many crickets. I find lifeless ones all over the house that she has hunted. Yikes!

He's Bald.....Bald I Say!!

2009-01-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, temporarily....but yes, Adam is bald for the next few months. I think he makes a pretty darn good looking bald man. :-) This is Adam at 4:30am just about to depart for his first day of fire academy. The baldness was not just for fun...although it was pretty entertaining to watch him shave his own head. The academy requires a bald head...so there you go! You're doing a great job Recruit Firefighter Bradley!

Moving Day....

2009-01-09T15:11:00.001-08:00

Thats right folks, we are on the move again. Have you ever known such a bunch of vagabonds? We were very sad to say goodbye to Eureka, and already miss our new friends so much, but we are happy to be closer to some family and old friends. So, here is some documentation of the move.

Packing up.

Taking one last nap in our house. :-(

Adam very masterfully drove this gi-normous truck on our 15 hour drive down south, plus auto trailer. It was the size of a semi-truck all in all. Yikes! Thank you mister firefighter. I would have taken out half of the freeway had I been forced to drive such a production.

And thank you family and friends so much for all of your help. We appreciate it so much , and you made our move go so smoothly!

Snow and a Hat

2009-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not really snow...but it sure was cold enough to be. This is how our lawn looked every morning for the past several weeks. And here is Noelle in her aviator cap to ward off the cold, oh and boots too!

Christmas

2009-01-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. It was just the three of us this year.

We took our annual picture.
Noelle opened her gift.

We went to the beach to see the 20' swell.

Santa Drives a Fire Truck

2008-12-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the kid's Christmas party at the fire station.

Craft Time

2008-12-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

My friend Mandy asked how to make the silhouette below. It was super easy.

1. Take a profile of your subject.
2. Print the picture out from your computer.
3. Trace around the edge of the silhouette with a dark pen for your cutting line.
4. Gluestick the edge of the picture to a piece of black construction paper. Keep clear of the cutting line as you do not want that part to be stuck to the final cut-out.
5. Cut out the image.
6. Take the black image and glue it to a white piece of construction paper.
7. Viola! Super easy and inexpensive Christmas present, or artwork for your house.

Noelle's Photo Session

2008-12-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Noelle loves to play on our bed. Today was an especially fun day for her

as the entire contents of Adam's dresser was on the bed. I was painting, and she had a great time.

I went to MOPS this week and we did a fun project. It was far trickier than I had suspected to take a profile of Noelle. Every time I got the camera ready she would be looking at me smiling. So here are the results. I liked her hair-do that day.

Christmas in November

2008-12-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

We went down the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate the holiday with my family. We had a fantastic time. Since we are not going to be there for Christmas we celebrated both holidays in one weekend. Here are a few pictures of our great double holiday weekend.

Gigi & GG-Pa

Grandpa reading with his pal Herbie.

Winston scaling Adam in pursuit of the Frisbee.

The Wizner Fam

Noelle's very first hair-combing. Looking good.

Noelle trying out some of her new presents. Check out her fuzzy boots!

Izzy teaching Tyler to trow the ball to her.

Noelle smelling the roses.

Grammie & Noelle taking a tour of the yard.

Gigi smelling the roses.

Natalie & Tyler taking a tour of the yard.

Cousins hanging out together.

My sister made these great vintage aprons for us ladies.

Kate, my friend and roommate from college came over for a visit.

Noelle was taught how to shoot a gun....just kidding.

Izzy even got in a swim.

Hanging wih the Wisners

2008-11-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely visit and delicious dinner with the Wisners. They took pictures of us.... honestly, they were there too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of Noelle. I just love her little face and the smile. I have to run...she is saying "mama" as I type. And she loves this little fire truck from the Wisners. Thank you!

My Little Helper

2008-11-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here is Noey helping me with the laundry.

Photo Shoot

2008-11-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

My good friend Brooke came over and took some great pictures of Noelle and Cousin Tyler. Enjoy!

More Outside Time

2008-11-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple more pictures of Noelle and Izzy outside.

Sky Blue Sky

2008-11-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

The sky was beautiful the other night. It was so blue, which is a change from the usual gray. It is supposed rain for the next few weeks. We need it for our brown lawn.

My Little Helper

2008-11-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

Noelle loves to be part of the action....so here she is "helping" me with the dishes.

Rock Star on Vacation

2008-11-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I had to post this. We took a little vacation up to my parent's cabin and Adam needed a little extra under clothing for his outdoor ventures...and this is what my mom found in my dad's closet for him to use...we thought he looked like a rock star. My mom loves to read with Noelle.
And here are Tyler and Noelle hanging out together. They are just now starting to interact with each other. I think they are going to be good buddies.

Dave, Natalie, Tyler and my parents came up for the weekend, and then just the three of us had a little cabin vacation. We had a great time. Here are some pictures of our mini-break:

Grass!

2008-11-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Noelle loves to play in the grass. This is the first picture of her sitting up which was a few weeks ago. I think the grass actually motivated her to sit up so she could have two hands to touch every blade possible. I love going outside with her because she has a great time, and I get to read a book. She just loves looking at everything and soaking up the sun...me too! These are also great pictures to show that Noelle is balding....but not to worry it is coming back...slowly but surely.

The Cirlce of Life

2008-11-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

From the Lion King...you know....

Here are Adam and Noelle having a great time playing in the backyard. This girl loves to be outside....and of course hang with her daddy.
And she loves to watch the dogs...(the black one was just on loan for the weekend... Izzy's pal Koa....also a member of the Adam and Deanna family).

Chillin with the Izzy

2008-11-02T11:32:00.001-08:00

What can I say besides that they love each other. It is a very symbiotic relationship. Izzy likes to lick Noelle's face, and anything else she can, and Izzy provides endless entertainment for Noelle. Good deal.

Baby Dedication

2008-11-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

So this was a month or so ago, but here are the pictures promised in the previous post. Here we are after the dedication, and the one with just the babies is Noelle and her friend Tatum (our friends Adam & Deanna's daughter) Tatum was dedicated that night also....it was a very special event.

All Dolled Up

2008-09-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

We are doing the baby dedication at church tonight, so Noey is all dolled up. More pictures to come.

2008-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the babe. We have been outside today enjoying the sunshine. We go outside and enjoy the sun whenever it appears up here.

So, I have been trying new recipes lately, just to mix it up a bit. Here is one that I really like. I have made it twice in the last 2 weeks. It is great as leftovers too! The only changes I made to the recipe were to add some poultry seasoning to the mashed potatoes, and I used baked chicken breasts that I shredded in place of the turkey, since that is what I had on hand.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/smoky-turkey-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

And here are a couple of bonus pictures of the girl... :-)

Little Face

2008-09-11T10:27:00.001-07:00

I had to share this with you. My birthday present from Adam this year was this great baby carrier, and I use almost every day. It is super comfortable, although my favorite thing about it is the sweet little face that stares up at me. She reels back as far as she can to look up at my face to smile & laugh. It is this squeeky little laugh that makes me smile and laugh as well. I love this girl.

Du na....Du na....du na du na du na.....

2008-09-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

This tree is Adam's prized possession. We thought it died when we moved up to Eureka, but it just went dormant until late spring. Anywho...Adam was very excited to see that it was alive and well after all of these months of it appearing to be dead. So...the child cannot keep her hands off her daddy's tree. Above is photographic evidence of the tampering. I try to keep her little sticky fingers away...but she just can't help herself.

Vroom Vroom

2008-09-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

That's right folks...it's a motorcycle. This is Adam's new toy as of yesterday. He was so excited to show me his gas receipt for $3. And he is already placing Noelle's little bum on the seat and looking forward to the days of taking her to school on it. I am excited to have a ride on the back...I just need to find a babysitter.

Blah

2008-09-08T13:46:00.001-07:00

EUREKA!

So, it is official...our daughter has found her tongue. This morning in particular all I heard for about 2 hours was blah...blah...blah.... She was entertained...I was entertained...everyone was happy.

PAPER EATER?

And I am sure this will please Phil Greene...you can ask him about this. Noelle has taken up the art of paper eating. She loves to crinkle it in her hands and listen to the sound it makes, and then of course stick it in her mouth. I am not sure if it is just melting in her mouth, or if she is actually ingesting it. All I know is that our printer paper is disappearing quickly.

End of Summer Outings

2008-09-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

THE FAIR

We went to the county fair with our friends Adam, Deanna, Colleen + kids. I love to see the animals and eat the fair food. It was a nice evening out.

DEANNA'S B-DAY

We went out into the middle of nowhere to this beautiful cabin for our friend Deanna's birthday. And when I say the middle of nowhere...I mean it. This is Humboldt county people. This is the view from the house..nothing but trees in sight. This is off the beaten path....in fact about a 1/2 hour drive on dirt roads. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We had a great BBQ prepared by friend Adam (Deanna's husband). Above is Deanna and her baby Tatum Fai who is Noelle's little buddy. They are only 2 months apart.

THE RIVER

As you are probably gathering at this point...yes we do hang out often with our friends the Dicks (Adam & Deanna, Rowan & Tatum). They have been so welcoming and have really made us feel at home up here. So, here is another outing with them. We may have become hermits without them. :0 So here we are at the river...I think this one is the Eel? Not sure. We are out with the Dicks and our friends Chris. This spot is called Swinging Bridge. Once again this spot is in the middle of nowhere...at least a 1/2 on dirt roads...maybe more, but totally worth the drive. So as you can see above...there is this great rope swing at this spot. You have to wade across the river to get to the sunny and sandy part of the shore. You can see both of the Adams on the rope swing above, and then all of us on the beach. This was a great day...and for all of you who are wondering...yes...us girls went on the rope swing as well. Although there is no photographic evidence...it happened...and it was fun. We even did made Tarzan cries as we swung over the water.

Auntie Londa

2008-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Auntie Londa came for a visit. She lives about 2 hours south of us, so she came up for the day. We had a great time. This is Grammie's (Valerie) sister.

Summer Vacation

2008-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

To all you faithful blog readers...sorry for the delay. We blame it on summer vacation. These past few months during most of Adam's days off we have either been visiting people, or they have been visiting us. It has been wonderful to see so many friends and family over the past few months. So below is a picture catalog of what we have been up to. Oh, and thank you to everyone who has made the long trek up to see us....and anyone else is always welcome! We love visitors.

My good friend Brooke and I at the Arcata farmer's market.

Brooke is one of my oldest (long-term I mean) friends...going back to kindergarten. Brooke and her husband Ty came up to visit us, and we had a great time, unfortunately this was when Adam was away at the fires...but Ty was a great sport and hung out with all of us girls. Oh, and Brooke took some amazing pictures of Noelle while she was here... For example...the sleeping baby above, and I really like this one of the two of us below.

Our friends Jared & Leah at Samoa Beach with us. They are good friends of ours from college, and we were all room-mates (Leah w/ Ali, and Jared w/ Adam). We have some great memories, so it is always great to get together with them. Oh, and above is Leah holding Noelle with the hat she knitted her.

We love to take walks on the beach, so that is generally part of every visit that is made to Eureka.

Here we are with Mark & Laura, more friends from college. And Laura and I have actually been friends since birth. And Adam and Mark were roomies. So, we love our time with them, and it is fun to have all of the history to share with Laura. I feel so blessed that we have stayed friends all of these years, and then to have married boys that are friends too!! God is good.

Here is Laura with Noelle, and next door is one of my favorites of Noey.

Ann, Doug & Lauren came up to see us, and this is us girls downtown. We had a great few days together. Then a few weeks later Lauren & Julia came up to visit. We took a great little hike in the woods above Humboldt
State Univ. , played boccie ball, and just had a great time hanging out. And to the left is Lauren trying to recruit another volleyball player for UCSD.

My parents & grandparents came to visit. We went to the Sequoia Park Zoo..which is a great place for our family since we all love animals...and it is free! We BBQ'd in the back-yard, played boccie ball, and Adam and my dad replaced a window pane I broke (yes me, Ali) playing catch with Adam. Apparently I have a wild throw. And below is Gigi holding Noelle.

Here we are at the cabin for my dad's birthday. Below is Tyler, Noelle's cousin. And on the right is Natalie & Dave with our little families.

Here is the birthday boy blowing out his candles. This trip was great because we go to see family & friends, some who had not met Noey yet.

Below is our 10 day vacation in which we made a giant u-turn in the State of CA. Our stops included SLO, Valencia, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, Temecula, San Diego, Costa Mesa, and San Fran...and a few others along the way. It was a nice trip and we got to hang out with family and few friends.

Mimi (Ann) with Noelle on her birthday.

We also went camping in San Clemente. Here we are at the Beach. All of our immediate Bradley family were able to come down to hang out with us as well as some friends. This was a great day. The boys had fun surfing and playing football.

Here is Auntie Amy meeting Noelle for the first time. We also went cosmic bowling on for Amy's birthday (above).

We had a great time hanging with the Greene's in SLO, along with a bunch of our other friends that came over for a surprise BD party for Adam. Below are the Greene kids Jonathan & Evelyn playing with Izzy. And we also had an amazing dinner party hosted by Jared & Leah in San Fran, and were surprised by some great college friends Jesse & Shannon. Leah made this incredible gourmet meal...I am still thinking about it....yum.

And now we are home and are looking forward to the next adventure. :-)

For Amy B

2008-07-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

To our faithful readers, who have been genuinely disappointed in our blogging frequency; here are some new pictures for you:

Some pictures from the fire I was on in Chico a few weeks ago:

And right after I got back, we left for Florence, OR with the Davidsons. We had an awesome and relaxing couple of days on the lake / golf course / fire-working ... etc.

Noelle took her first swim and loved it:

Here's Amy D looking really good on a single:

And Andy zipping by the shoreline:

Right before this:

And Mrs. D with Noelle:

4th of July back in Eureka in our backyard. Note the sparkler burning my hand as the picture is being taken.

MORE TO COME, I PROMISE!!!

Smile...

2008-06-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

The girl now smiles. This has been so much fun for us. It was difficult at first to catch this on camera, but now we have a few pics to share.

Adam was having fun with Noelle in this one. He loves to make her laugh and smile.

This one is for the bonnet loving moms (or Grandma's shall I say).

Curly Top ?

2008-05-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

l think my dreams gave come true....but for my child. I think she may have curly hair! Whenever I bathe her, her wet hair is curly, so we shall see once it gets a bit longer. Thank you Bradley genes for this opportunity! She just might be lucky enough to have inherited Auntie Lauren's lovely locks!

Tim & Beth's Pics

2008-05-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Our cousins Tim and Beth came to visit us this past weekend and we had a great time. They took me out to breakfast at a delicious creperie in Arcata....I think it's my new favorite. Here are a few pictures they took while they were up here. Beth....we think you could be a professional photographer....these pics are great!

Like Crackers

2008-05-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

I've gotten several complaints that more pictures are needed of Noelle. So this post is like crackers before dinner to tide you over until I can post some more.

You had logs?

2008-04-22T17:36:00.001-07:00

Our attempt at a classic Eureka photo shoot. It was a crazy log broo-ha-ha.

Noelle Update

2008-04-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Everything is well and good up here in Eureka. I'm back to work, and Ali's really enjoying her time at home with the mini Bradley. Here are some pictures of the past week or so:

Noelle's first bath time.

Rockin' a hat made by friend/artist Leah Davis.

The Bradley & Penrod Grandma's up to help out.

And more to come.

Noelle Rae !!!

2008-04-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Noelle Rae:

Born April 9th, 2008 - 2:31 AM
7lbs, 6oz. - 20 1/2"

The hospital club.

Noelle's first ride in the hippie sling.

More updates to come. Thanks for all the prayers and love sent our way.