Halloween

Happy Hallween from Braganza!

Gardening by Erik (who did all the work)

Allie and Skyler decided to do some late season gardening. Only in South Florida would one dare to plant Sunflowers in October.

Meet Estrella!

Estrella is Elle's nanny, her name means "star" in Spanish--she is Peruvian. She is so wonderful with the baby, and has been so patient with all the craziness at Braganza! Estrella speaks to the baby in Spanish, so hopefully Elle will speak in two languages when she starts to talk.

The Good Life

Relaxing...ahhh...

Sisters

Some pics of the Kardatzke girls! (And Daddy making a guest appearance.)

Baby Revenge

This is how I look at my mom when she's trying to get me to smile for the camera. I know I look cute when I smile, but I WON'T DO IT. Yes, it's hard to keep a straight face when she's making all those silly faces and begging me to smile. But it's my revenge for her making me take naps, and put clothes on over my head, strap into the car seat, and all sorts of other horrible things!

by: Elle Kardatzke

OK here's ONE little smile...

...just one...

Dada's Visit

Erik's mom Reta came to visit amidst the chaos of the end of September. That's when Allie was preparing to return to work, the house was being painted room by room (meaning ALL the furniture had to be moved out of one room one day, then ALL the furniture out of another room a few days later.) During the painting and sanding, the baby and her "gear" also had to be moved from one section of the house to another, to keep her away from fumes and dust. To top it all off, Elle was a fuss monster for almost the whole month of September, and often on nap strike! Despite all of the challenges, we all had a great timeduring the visit, especially the Baby in the Diapers (and I'm not talking about Elle.) We ate Erik's delicious dinners, hung out with baby and Skyler, and there was another trip to Wannnado City, too! And Reta was a huge help in a million ways, from baby whisperer, to interior designer extrordinaire, to cleaning machine. Everyone here at Braganza was So grateful for her help and ideas We hope you come back soon Dada, for a more relaxing visit!

New Posts Coming Up!

Hi Everyone! We haven't updated The Braganza Bulletin lately--we're sorry! Skyler and Allie had an editorial meeting yesterday, and we've got lots of cool stuff planned and news to share, so stay tuned. But for now, Allie is going to concentrate on getting caught up--enjoy the new posts with pics from the past few weeks. FYI this is more one-handed typing, which should explain the brief descriptions!

More Pics of Elle, Six Weeks Old

Elle chilling out in the bouncer chair, Elle sleeping sweetly, and my favorite--Elle and Daddy cry together:-0

Visit From Grams

Allie's mom came to visit for a few days--here are some pics of Grams and Elle, and one picture of Grams' Famous Rum Cake!

But Mom, I'm REALLY Not a Hat Person...

Five Weeks. Went to doctor this week, Baby is 23 inches long and 11 lbs 3 oz! Also, eyes are brown now, and lashes are getting looong like dad and sis.

Pics of Elle, One Month Old

Indiana Part Three, Hornets Attack!

We went to Grandma Gehrig's Farm in Auburn Indiana, hoping to explore the barn, and the house where Dada grew up (both now empty.) BUT...our car was attacked by some kind of angry buzzing creatures, either hornets or paper wasps. We think we ran over their nest. They were so mad, they followed us everywhere we tried to park, so we couldn't get out and explore, so we took these pictures from the car:-(

Wander Indiana, Part Two

After we left Papa Stan's in Indianapolis, we drove north to Pretty Lake to visit Allie's family. EVERYONE was there while we were there! Here are a few photos from the lake--Brooke & Payton, Erik & Barbara playing cards, Aunt Sue with Elle at 3 weeks, and Somer and Jeremy.

Our Indiana Adventure, Part One

At the end of July, everyone from Braganza found themselves in Indiana (well, not the pets.) Skyler was at Papa Stan's for music camp, so Erik, Allie, and Elle flew up to join her there after camp ended and spend a few days. Here are some pictures of Erik's birthday dinner, Papa Stan and Mama Shonnie with Elle at 2.5 weeks, and Skyler & her Uncle Sebastian.