Yeah, sorry that the only picture Aaron scanned is of his "proof" of gender. LOL. Anyway, Weird! We're having a boy! It's still hard to get used to the idea that all my cute girl clothes and things aren't going to get re-used (at least this time around) but it's going to be a fun change! We had the ultrasound yesterday and the second the bottom-area came up on the screen we KNEW it was a boy, LOL. Today the doctor said, "you're obviously having a boy!" I've thought we were going to have a boy next since before we conceived and at 12 weeks the ultrasound nurse said she thought it would be a boy, so it wasn't a big shock.
Brighton did a little pout when we said it was a boy but she's still convinced that "maybe it's a girl." I tried to explain boy and girl anatomy but there's only so much a 2 year old can understand. :) She is also CONVINCED that the baby will be named Jokala. pronounced like Joke a lot but without the T. She came up with this name before we even conceived and she gets full-0n angry when we talk about names. She says "NO! My baby is Jokala!!!" So now we just refer to him as Jokala around her. She might call him that for his entire life.
So serious honesty here... I need to get excited about the idea of having a boy. There's nothing adverse about boys to me, but I just always think about what would be the most fun for the kids and for me, I just wish Brighton could have a sister to play with. BUT- I had tons of fun with my brother Gregg (but we were less than 2 years apart) This baby will be about the same age span as me and my sister Lynzi, so I just kept picturing that. But it's ok... brothers and sisters have a special bond too and I need to remember that. I just think about all the fun girl things I do now with my sisters and I just want that for Brighton. So that's the deal! Aaron is really excited though. Now he'll have a real "boy scout" and won't have to try to petition to take Brighton on father-son campouts. I'm sure Brighty will be a real outdoorsy girl too though. They can all go on their campouts while I go on spa-weekends (in my fantasies). Here are the names currently in consideration: (in order of popularity in our house)
Oakley Aaron
Jett (Aaron or Reuel or Joseph Thomas as middle names... )
Talmage
Deacon
Gavin
Jonah (my fave, so I have to include it even though Aaron doesn't like it.)
Here are my issues: Oakley is also a girl name, which is a little bothersome. Jett sounds like a "wild child". Talmage is just a little weird, but sounds like a serious, successful person. Gavin is good.. Aaron doesn't like Jonah. If I had my way Edward would also be on the list but that's not even up for consideration. :)
Playing princess is a regular occurance in our house. What's NOT so regular is that Aaron got to be the princess! This was all Brighton's doing and yes, he is wearing lip gloss. What a good sport! Is it weird that he's actually a little pretty? LOL.
I can't believe little Bright Bright is 3! How did this happen so quickly? The thing that sticks out in my mind about Bright right now is that she is a VERY grateful child. I decided to count today to see how many times a day she says "thank you" and she was at preschool this morning so from the hours of 1-4 pm she's said "thank you" about 15 times. She says it ALL the time and she is so sweet. We've been really lucky that we don't have many problems with her. Sure, when she doesn't get enough sleep we pay the price because she gets whiny and can throw the occasional tantrum, but she really didn't have bad "terrible two's" I don't think. She's usually just a happy, imaginative girl. She just makes up little games all day and talks to her "friends" all day (stuffed animals, dolls, wooden spoons, whatever)... she loves to color, play play-doh, dress-up and mostly make-believe. We're constantly playing "You be the (blank) and I be the (blank). She's the mommy and I'm the little "grill" or she's the princess and I'm the evil queen or she's Nanny (her preschool teacher) and I'm Brighton, etc. At her birthday party at my parent's house over Christmas break before she opened any present she would ask who it was from. Then she'd get this very excited face and put down the present and run and give them a hug and a kiss and say thank you. She did this before every single present. It was hilarious. At her first ever "friend" party she wanted to make puppets, so I found some easy foam puppets at Walmart. Then we played pin the tail on the donkey and duck duck goose and freeze dance and then decorated and ate cupcakes! It was very fun. I'm so excited to have this next baby but also a little sad that our Brighton and mommy alone time is coming to an end. I think the bond I have with her will always be special because of all this time we've had by ourselves every day just the two of us. (weep, weep, wail, wail, gnash teeth.. ok it's not THAT dramatic.) I love you Budah-bear. (She hates when I call her that.) But she calls me Booger and Brooke, so it's fair game. 
Brighton is so imaginative! She comes up with the most random things. Notice how there is a piece of styrophome she lovingly put in her backpack and she's holding a wooden spoon she referred to as "Buddy" that day. She loaded up all her priceless items in her shopping cart and then wanted me to pull them all around. Also, it's not rare that she's not wearing any pants, LOL.
