Broyles

As promised in an earlier post, here are some pictures of Konor’s nursery. We aren’t “officially” done decorating it – we are looking for a few specific things – but it is done for the most part. I love the light blues and browns together and of course Todd has added the baseball/sports touch wherever he can. My sister, Stacy, masterfully made the beautiful quilt hanging on the crib edge and the blanket draped over the glider. She is amazingly talented.

Grandma Jo Jo got Konor the “Little Slugger” baseball piggy bank, along with some of the other books and toys on the window seat. Joey and Deanna (Konor’s cousins) made K-Rod, the stuffed ball, at Build-a-Bear. Stacy had to convince Deanna to quit playing with him so she could send it for baby Konor and after he was here a few days, I had to do the same with Todd! Pop Pop made Konor’s shelves – and after much debate on size, materials, and color – they turned out perfect! Todd ordered Konor’s personalized blue bat from Louisville Slugger in hopes he won’t want to play with his sister’s pink one. Konor will get to use some of Kloe’s things. . .most notably in the pictures are the pink bunny on the window seat, green dog on the changing table, and Topps, the giraffe on the shelf from my Mom.

As you all could probably guess, Todd lost his mountain bike partner this year. . .in a good way. Well, not to worry, because Dad gladly stepped up and took my place. Not only that, but they have both cranked it up a level and go riding any chance they get. One such example was Memorial Day weekend. Todd had the long weekend off and they decided that if one day was fun to ride, why not four in a row? Am I the only one who sees the problem with this idea? Although neither one of them would admit it at the time, they agreed with me in the end – fatigued, sore muscles along with a few crashes makes a big difference in perspective. Boys.

I have to say, and Todd would whole heartily agree that Dad is awesome! He is 61 and goes at the foothills like he’s 31. He is in great shape and doesn’t let anything stop him. Some of Todd’s friends from work have ridden with them over the summer and they all ask, “How old is he?” So as modest as you are, Dad, great job on staying fit and having fun!! You set a good example for us all to follow.

My Mom and I have enjoyed hiking the foothills while the guys ride. The views of the Boise valley are amazing from up high. But as the summer progressed and my belly grew, we took to the downtown streets instead – exploring the farmer’s market, and the green belt.

The dental group at Todd’s work had a potluck and baby shower for us. It was fun to see the people he works with, spend a little time with them, and meet the new faces that have come in. Sylvia organized for everyone to fill out a “birthday advice card” ranging from Konor’s first birthday to his 18th to be given to him on each corresponding birthday. Obviously the advice varied based on the age appropriate year and who was filling out the card. She had each person read them aloud – it was a lot of fun.



Angela, (who puts “craft” in crafty) made us a diaper cake. It was totally comprised of diapers and wipes, with all sorts of baby accessories tied to it for the decorations. She rolled up baby washcloths for candles – it was too cute! I hated taking it apart so I had to get a picture of it.

A small group of wonderful ladies from church hosted a shower for me at Lori’s (second picture on left) house. Everyone who came was extremely generous and supportive. I was a little overwhelmed but it felt so good. My Mom and Grama sat on either side of me while I opened gifts. Mom compiled a great list for me to help in the thank you card writing later, while Grama checked stuff out and passed the gifts to be organized. My sister-in-law, Jennifer, came with my nieces, Bailey and Cassidy (first picture on right). It was great to see them – I don’t get to all that often – and they were a great help. Bailey took some awesome pictures, while Cassidy organized gifts and hauled out chairs when it was over. Todd’s Mom, Jo, and sister-in-law, Kelli, (picture on bottom right) were there along with Todd’s Aunt Norma and three cousins. It was a beautiful day, we enjoyed great snacks, had fun, and Konor got spoiled for sure.

July 24th. . .our little curly haired Kloe girl would be 2 years old today. This year, her Daddy brought home two pink roses (with a balloon) for her and I got a dozen - just like a year ago. It’s truly amazing how much our lives have changed in just two years and yet the impact of our angel is still as strong. We were so blessed to have her. Happy Birthday, Kloe. . .your Momma and Daddy love you.

Todd and I decided to take “one last trip” before Konor comes in August. We debated on several places before we chose to go back to Portland. Portland is a great city – great shopping, good food, cooler weather for my hot pregnant self – and we enjoyed our time there in October. We picked a long weekend, booked a hotel downtown and we were set. We visited Powell’s Books (a bookstore that spans a whole city block) which is full of new and used books – a reader’s paradise. Of course we had to go to Chipotle – the best burrito place ever – a couple of times, Voodoo Donuts, and Nordstrom Rack. I even talked Todd into talking me to Tiffany’s. What could be better? I know! Leaving Tiffany’s with a little blue box – which I did. Yep, Todd totally surprised me when he bought the ring I’ve had my eye on for some time now. What a guy.

Our big discovery and adventure this trip was the waterfalls. We had seen Multnomah Falls from I-84 our first visit to Portland and made a mental note to check it out sometime. Well, we did. Just outside of the city, off of the Interstate runs Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway. The strip of road stretches parallel to the freeway and has to be one of the prettiest drives in the Northwest. On both sides of the highway is lush, green foliage, combined with native flowers, and beautiful waterfalls. Multnomah Falls is the second tallest year-round waterfall in the nation, dropping 620 feet. We hiked halfway up to a bridge that passes in front of the falling water. The sound of the crashing water was loud enough you had to raise your voice to talk and you could feel the mist of the water as it sprayed up from the force of the fall. The temperature dropped dramatically the closer you got.


Further down the road is Horsetail Falls. We hiked up a very steep trail to the top of the fall. I had to stop several times to catch my breath – my lung capacity is certainly not what it used to be before I was toting around a watermelon. During one such stop, Todd found a tree with the center carved out and waited patiently. (I had to get the picture.) As we weaved back and forth on the switchbacks up you could look down and see a tiny dot that was the car. The really cool part about this particular waterfall is you can walk underneath it! It was amazing!! The trail continues on but we'll have to save that for another day - one where Todd can carry Konor.


We also stopped at the Vista House at Crown Point. The Vista House was build in 1916 and serves as the symbol for the Columbia River Gorge. It has recently been restored - the marble and stained glass are beautiful. The basement contains a neat gift and coffee shop. The views from Crown Point were breathtaking. A nice volunteer gave us a map showing all the falls and recommended his favorite stops along the way.

Okay, as promised (Taige. . .and Cassie), here is a belly shot picture. I am right at 30 weeks pregnant and as you can see, he is all out front. Wow! Here I thought Kloe was out front but sometimes I think this kid is trying to pop out my belly button. My stomach is soooo hard. Todd and I went to Portland for a long get-a-way weekend. . .more to come on our trip later. . .and I had him take this in our hotel room before heading out for the day. I wanted to get this posted for all those wondering what I currently look like.

Konor is doing great. He is a very busy boy. . .lots and lots of movement. He has been known to wake us up on more than one occasion before 4:00 in the morning with what I call “Konor calisthenics”. Todd simply claims he is on Pop Pop’s time.

We are getting more and more excited to see who little Konor looks like. I have a feeling he will look a lot like Todd. All in all, not a bad thing! His furniture arrived yesterday so his room is starting to come together nicely. I will post some pictures once we have it completed.

Baby Broyles’ name is Konor Todd. . .for now. We’ve been calling him that for awhile now so I think it will stick but who knows? Using Todd for a middle name is somewhat of a family tradition -- Richard is Todd’s middle name and his Dad’s first name – same goes for his Grandpa and Dad – you get the idea.

March 31st was my 20 week doctor’s appointment. They did a thorough anatomy ultrasound – it was soooo cool. Todd and I got to see the different sections of his brain, all four chambers of his beating heart, urine in his tiny bladder (kidneys are working), diaphragm, arms, legs, hands, feet, nose, lips. . .it was amazing. They also confirmed once again that he is a boy – he is definitely not shy when it comes to that.

The first ultrasound picture is a profile of his face. He had his feet up by his head the entire time. So yes, that is a foot at the top of the scan. The second picture is a perfect picture of his nose and lips in the center of the scan. You can see his nostrils on the left and his perfect lips just below. They were checking for a cleft lip but the detail is awesome. You’d think it was a 3-D ultrasound.

We took this picture the following weekend on Easter Sunday.

I remembered wearing this shirt on Easter two years ago with Kloe.