Drum Roll, Please........

Our little man at 20 weeks sonagram.

(Allan didn't pay much attentention when he scanned the picture!)

We have finally picked a name for our new little bundle of joy that is expected here September 3rd..........Maddox Alexander Braxdale. Thanks to Aidan for helping us pick out his new brother's name. He has loved the name Maddox since we mentioned it a couple of months ago. He said no to all our other names and said "My brother's name is MADDOX!" So needless to say we are going with that and listening to Aidan. :)

I am 28 weeks preggo as of yesterday....can't believe the past 5 months have gone by so fast! Haven't done too much to prepare for the baby, but will start once we get back from our adventure up north. I've been feeling well, just getting very uncomfortable to sleep. I like to eat ice cream right now....can't get enough, that's for sure. But I still love to eat fresh fruit and vegetables....unlike when I was preggo with Aidan....couldn't even put a piece of fruit to my lips without gagging.....weird, I know!! I am still trying to stay active.....walking, jogging, cycling, chasing Aidan, etc. Being here in New Hampshire, I don't have my gym to go to, but my Aunt Mary Ellen has taken me on many beautiful walks here so I'm still getting some exercise.....not that it's helping me with weight because before I left for NH I went to the doctor and had gained 28 lbs......"right on target" is what my Dr. says....I don't like that too much, but hey that is what happens when you are preggo, right?! hahaha I think I'm going to start some prenatal yoga this week...I have a video back in TX but I saw one at the local library I'm going to check out.

My next doctor appointment is when I get home around the beginning of July, so we'll see how things are then, but as of now everything is going great! Just getting excited to meet our new baby Maddox!!

PICTURES FROM NIAGARA FALLS

If you have never been to Niagara Falls, put it on your top 10 things to do!! We can't wait to go back....it's so beautiful and the falls are just amazing!! Here are some of our pics from the falls....the pictures don't do them justice, ENJOY!

Thumbs up for Niagara Falls!

Daddy and Aidan on the walkway from the hotels to the tram to take you to the falls

Our hotel is the one on the far left....Sheraton...had fabulous views of the falls!!
The tram ride that took us down the big hill to get to the falls.....Aidan was very skeptical of it until he saw how slow it moved. ha!

The building you walk through to get down to the walk way next to Niagara Falls.

The fam in front of Niagara Falls

Maid of the Mist...we really wanted to go on this, but Aidan said "No Way" he was scared! LOL

Part of the falls

Aidan and I in front of Niagara Falls.....Aidan loved it!

Niagara Falls

My boys in front of Niagara Falls....all the white is the mist from the falls.

Across the street from our hotel....view was fabulous!

The view from our Hotel Room in Canada of the falls.....AMAZING!

WE MADE IT!!

We made it to Lee, New Hampshire last night around 9:30. The weather is nice and cool!! My Aunt and Uncle and cousins left this morning for a hiking trip up north New Hampshire....we are staying behind so we can get settled...need to do some laundry, unpack, go to the grocery store and just learn our surroundings. :)

My Aunt has gotten out a bunch of toys that she saved from Taylor (my 13 year old cousin). Aidan has his own toddler bed, a big box of hotwheels with a race track, train track, diablo blocks, a castle with horses and knights, tons of books, farm animals to play with....he is in heaven!! We just woke up and we are about to take a walk with their dog, Ella. She's a black lab and very friendly.

Will post our Niagara Falls pics in a bit...just wanted everyone to know we made it safely. Thanks for thinking of us. WE MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

O' Canada!

Hello again! Well, we woke up around 8:30 this morning and began our busy day. First we ate a breakfast consisting of fresh waffles and juices and then we headed off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On the way to the car from the hotel Aidan wanted to skateboard on the luggage cart (see picture below).

I know ... I wish I was riding that cart too! Oh to be young again!

On the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame we saw all of the professional sports venues in Cleveland (baseball - Cleveland Indians; basketball - Cleveland Cavaliers; football - Cleveland Browns). Here are some pictures of the stadiums:

Progressive Field - Home of the Cleveland Indians

Quicken (Q) Arena - Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Just a cool picture of Lebron James that was on the side of a building in downtown Cleveland.

Cleveland Browns Stadium

Right next to the football stadium is an IMAX theatre and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All located right on the shores of Lake Erie. When we parked the car and started walking to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Aidan was more interested in the "sea gulls" flying near the harbor located behind the stadium and theatre. The building was really awesome to look at and a high school symphony was there playing rock and roll songs on their instruments outside the Hall. The highlight for Aidan was playing XBox. Cameras were not allowed inside the exhibits so out pictures are limited, but here are some pics of our visit:

Aidan and Andrea outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Aidan and Andrea inside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Aidan working on his Rock moves!

Andrea and Aidan looking at the North Harbor outside the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

Aidan and I looking at North Harbor on Lake Erie with downtown Cleveland behind us.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a real blast! Afterwards we were off to Niagara Falls, NY and on the way out of Cleveland we stopped by Q Arena to get Aidan a Lebron James jersey. Aidan wanted to wear it in the car as soon as we got it!

On the way to Niagara Falls we passed through New York's wine country. Andrea and I never had any idea there were so many grapes being grown in NY. We had hoped to make it to Niagara Falls in time to ride the Maid of the Mist, but we hit some traffic in Buffalo and had spent a few hours at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame so we didn't get to ride it today. But we managed to get into Canada even though we forgot our passports and birth certificates (passports are required as of June 1, 2009, if you are planning a trip).

We stayed in a the Sheritan Hotel Fallsview on the 19th floor and our room overlooked the Canadian side of the falls and we could also see the US falls. We ate at Tony Roma's and had some ribs ... YUMMY! Aidan wanted to go to "incredible land" (it is actually called Clifton Hill and is a really cool place with lots of nightlife and things to do). He really liked Clifton Hill and he played his first round of miniature golf (a.k.a. putt-putt golf). He can get a hole in one at will, unfortunately to get it he runs across the course and places his ball in the cup. He was too cute! At night the American falls are lit with colored lights and it is really beautiful to see the colors bouncing through the mist of the falls.

Here are some pictures of us in Canada:

Aidan and Andrea at Tony Roma's.

Aidan got some ice cream with his kids meal.

We got to write our name on the wall of Tony Roma's.

Aidan giving the thumbs up after buckling up during his first cab ride!

Andrea and Aidan at Clifton Hill in Ontario, Canada.

Aidan winning putt-putt. Actually Andrea won!

The putt-putt course was pretty psychedelic with neon paint and black lights. Aidan really though it was cool!

The lights on the American falls through the mist.

After a long day of playing and seeing the sights Aidan was really tired!

We made it to Cleveland!

Aidan, Allan and Gigi.

All of the kids at the Elkin's home.

The Gateway Arch lit up at night.

A face only a mother could love! And everyone else too!

Braxdale boys at the game!

Aidan cheering for the Cardinals with his new foam finger!

Dragging the field in between innings. Or if you are Aidan, "Where's the dragon?"

Aidan and his papaw munchin on some cotton candy as Andrea cheers for her Cubs!

The view from our seats! Very nice!

The new Cardinals stadium.

The boys in front of the Gateway Arch.

The Family in front of the Gateway Arch!

Aidan in the museum underneath the Gateway Arch.

The Family at the base of the Gateway Arch.

Aidan, Andrea and I at the Cardinals game! Sorry Cubs, you can't play the Astros every day!

Hello all, it is Allan blogging this time. Andrea is sleeping after our long day but wanted to update our blog so I am helping out. Well, it was longest and yet shortest 8 hour road trip we have ever been on. Luckily Aidan is so funny! We drove from St. Louis, Missouri to Cleveland, Ohio. Along the way we stopped to see Andrea’s friend April Porter and her son Sammy. They live in Columbia, Illinois just outside of St. Louis. Aidan had a great time playing with Sammy’s toys and Andrea enjoyed catching up with her April.

After that we took off for Cleveland while seeing some cool sites along the way. We saw Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Colts) as we drove through Indianapolis. During our trip through Ohio we passed through Columbus and decided to stop and eat. We went to a Panera Bread Co. and it was closed. We really wanted something fresh for dinner so Andrea looked up the next closet Panera and we decided to call and see if it was open. It was and so we started off. When we arrived we realized we were at Ohio State University’s equivalent of the UT’s Drag on Guadalupe and so we ate dinner amongst a bunch of “Luck-eye’s”. We also got to see the stadium where Ohio State plays football.

So far we have all had a blast and Aidan keeps Andrea and I entertained. Today we compiled a list of Aidan’s top ten questions/statements since we left San Antonio. Here is what we came up with:

1. “Can I drive?”
2. “what are you doing?”
3. “How did we get here?”
4. “Where are we going?”
5. Every time we stop: “I have never seen New Hampshire.”
6. During the first inning of the Cardinals game: “It’s over … we got to get out of here!”
7. “We are off to see the world!” Aidan does not say this one, but we have heard it on his Alvin and the Chipmunks movie about one thousand times, and when the movie is not on he wants to listen to the CD that came with the movie … AHHHHHHHHHHH!
8. Every time we pass some trees (even while walking to the Gateway Arch which is in downtown St. Louis): “Daddy, look at these woods!”
9. “I feel sick, I need to eat something … can I have a granola bar?”
10. “I don’t want to go to a hotel, I want to go home.” Don’t let this statement fool you though; Aidan has really been having fun on this trip.

We plan on going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the morning and then taking off to Buffalo, New York to stay the night and got to Niagra Falls. We have never been there and looking forward to seeing the falls. Hopefully they will let us cross even though we did not bring Aidan’s birth certificate! Wish us luck! We hope everyone is having a great week! Here are some photos we uploaded from the past couple of days!