Christmas Pictures

We once again set out to take the annual Christmas card photo. I must say, the rejects from this year aren't near as plentiful or humorous as last year, but that's really a good thing because it means it didn't take us near as long this time to get a good shot. So, without further adieu, the 2008 rejects:

We got a lot of pictures that looked like this.



















And one really cheesy grin.



















Here's where we tried to get Brady to pose while hanging an ornament on the tree. I guess the directions got a little mixed up because he stuck his hand into the tree and wouldn't move it.



















I'm not exactly sure what he was doing here.



















And, my personal favorite. For some reason, he decided to get his potty seat out, set it up in front of the tree, and sit on it. This would be the same potty seat he refuses to sit on any other time. (Yeah, the potty training thing isn't going so well, or really, not at all.)



















Brady was a trooper through the whole thing and we ended up with this picture for the card.



















Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Magic

Brady is in love with our Christmas tree. I set the tree up one day while he was napping thinking that we would be able to decorate it after he woke up, and he wouldn't have to wait around for me to set it up. I didn't think anything of it until he got up from his nap, wandered into the room and starts excitedly shouting "Tree in house, tree in house! Hey guys, come on (come look), tree in house!" He had already seen Christmas trees other places, but it still must have been quite a shock to see a tree in our own living room. He is now the first to remember everyday that the lights need to be plugged in.

Daddy's Got an Boo-Boo

My husband cut his chin shaving the other day. Brady saw it and said, "Daddy has boo-boo," to which the response was, "Yeah, Daddy has a boo-boo on his chin." Brady immediately replies with, "Daddy fall at church?" Months later, and he still remembers his spill.

Leaf Raking

Brady got into the leaf raking this year and had a really good time "helping" Daddy.














For some reason, that will forever remain unknown to me, he insisted upon using a broom instead of a rake.














However, he still took plenty of time to play in the leaves.














A much better experience than last year when he stood unmoving in the middle of the pile with this expression on his face the entire time.

Happy Halloween

We took Brady to our Church's Fall Festival on Halloween night to play some games. He was more interested in running around the gym than playing the games, but we still had fun. He is quite enamored with the candy in his pumpkin and doesn't understand why he can't eat it for breakfast. Here's some pictures of Brady dressed in his farmer costume. The first two were taken by our church's children's minister where he actually decided to pose for the camera and the other shows him working on his tractor at home.




















































For fun, I've added photos of Brady over the last two Halloweens as well.

Taggidy Tag Tag

I've been tagged by my friend Tracy at Tracy's Tidbits. I'm supposed to list seven random things about myself. However, since this blog is devoted to all things Brady and since I can't think of seven things to say about myself that I didn't already say here, I'm going to make it about Brady. Total cop-out, I know.

1. Brady was born on his due date. He definitely got the promptness thing from his Daddy.

2. Brady favorite drink is milk, and he prefers water to juice. Strange child, I know. However, he is learning, that while sometimes it looks like Mommy has water in her glass, it's actually something much better. Something Mommy calls Sprite.

3. Airplanes, trains, trash trucks, mail trucks, construction equipment, basically anything large that moves is a reason to stop what you're doings, point, shout, jump up and down, and basically get all kinds of excited.

4. Brady's nickname in-utero was Cletus the Fetus.

5. Brady is such a big boy he now sleeps in a twin bed and he sat still for his haircut today without so much as a grimace. (Don't worry curl fans, they're still there.) Now, if we could just get the potty training thing going...

6. Anytime we get in the car, Brady wants to go anywhere but home. I'm not sure what he's trying to say.

7. Hand washing is his latest obsession. I think he just likes playing in the water.

I'm supposed to tag other people, but I'm going to be a bum about that as well and say if you're reading this and haven't been tagged already, please consider yourself tagged.

Brady is Two - Can You Tell?

Brady is a very sweet and fun boy, but on occasion he has his two-year-old moments. The following is a bunch of random pictures in which we've managed to capture not exactly the moment we intended, but a moment nonetheless. I don't believe the pictures need much explanation, but I will point out that most of them are Brady's response to having his picture taken. Also, I think the last three would make a pretty good flip book.





(This picture courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law.)

Vacation Time Again

A few weeks ago it was vacation time again. This year we drove to Texas to take in some of the sights and visit some friends and family along the way. We stopped in Oklahoma on our way there for a much anticipated visit with some good childhood friends. Next was a stop in Dallas to visit Dealey Plaza and the excellent JFK museum. Brady was pretty sure knew where the second gunman on the grassy knoll was positioned.















And went to investigate.
















Next up was a visit with our dear friends Paul and Kelli which included riding around on their souped-up golf cart, a highlight for Brady.




















San Antonio was our next stop with the obligatory photo in front of the Alamo.

It is at this point that I will interrupt the story and point out that this picture was taken on Tuesday, September 8th. As we drove to Houston the next morning, we began to notice the preparations for hurricane Ike, caravans of charter buses going to staging centers, etc. But hey, the hurricane's headed for Corpus Christi, so no problem right? Let's go to Houston! If you know our history of vacation luck, are you groaning yet? It wasn't that bad, this time we didn't have to leave our car behind.

Our first scheduled stop in Houston was the Downtown Aquarium in Houston to see some cool fish during which Ike decided to dramatically change paths and head directly for Houston.

Dinner and the subsequent evening with my aunt and uncle revealed that there would be no more sight seeing in Houston the next day and that perhaps our planned Thursday afternoon in Galveston wasn't such a good idea now what with the Hurricane coming on Friday and the 4-5 foot waves already at the shore. After a flurry of hotel rescheduling, we got up early the next morning, told Houston and Galveston we'd come back to finish our visit another time and got the heck out of Dodge. My aunt and uncle weren't far behind. The sights of the evacuation were interesting - cars loaded with people, suitcases and pet crates, every person on a cell phone; caravans of ambulances and generators driving into the city; a prison evacuation with buses full of men in orange jump suits and the guys riding shotgun actually carrying shotguns - yikes! I am happy to report that my aunt and uncle's house fared well but my heart goes out to those who weren't as fortunate.

On the way home, we stopped at a Civil War site in Vicksburg, Mississippi and took a picture of what may become a vacation tradition - Brady looking down the barrel of a cannon. Seeing as we may have encouraged this picture, I'm sure he's going to need therapy when he gets older.

When we got home, Ike sent us a message by jamming a tree branch upright in our yard. I think it says "Don't mess with Texas." Which, I know doesn't really make sense for the situation, but it had to be said.

Updated to correct the name of the hurricane. Special thanks to my brother who politely pointed out that I am in fact a gigantic idiot, which I'm sure he took no small pleasure in.

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness

One of Brady's recent favorite activities is to clean his tractor. He'll do it all day if you'll let him.



















His steps are always the same:

1. Ask for the spray bottle and a paper towel. Make sure the spray bottle has at least an inch of water in it. If not, ask Mom or Dad to fill it up for you before you start. Seriously.

2. Pull tractor to the middle of the living room floor and set it up on its end.

3. Spray and wipe the underside of the tractor repeatedly, never the top or sides. Ocassionally, the steering wheel may need to be cleaned.

You can see him really concentrating in this one.















The nice part is it will keep him occupied for a good 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes longer, which is an eternity in toddler time.

It's Been Too Long

Hmmm. Two months without a post. Not good. To bring everyone up to speed, Brady decided to celebrate my one year blogging anniversary with a repeat of the event that got me started in the first place. This time he was running down a carpeted hallway at church and tripped over his own feet. He landed mouth first and ended up with stitches inside and out. Not so fun. He got very good at drinking out of a straw. We got even more acquainted with the ER than we had been. I've seriously considered crafting a suit out of bubble wrap for him. He's all better now, but here he is doing his best Rocky impression.

And the Winner Is....

My good friend Tara at The Virutal Home of the Vansell Family with a spot on guess of Brady squirting himself in the face with a spray bottle (repeatedly and laughing hysterically). Is it perhaps because her sweet daughter Campbell has done the same thing?

Thanks so much for the comments and associated laughs. I was fun! I've also gotten some good tips for things to watch out for in the future. For those of you who guessed toilet water, I just have to say - ewww, gross. The first reaction in our house is often to reach for the camera with Brady, but I would certainly hope not in that case. Although if it would make a really good picture.....

Quiz Time

It's time for a fun little game (at least fun for me). Look at the following picture and guess why Brady's face is so wet. First person to comment with the correct response wins....(racks brain, gets nothing)....braging rights. Yeah, bragging rights, that's a good prize.






















Here's another shot.





















Hint - it's water.

Choo-choo

Choo-choo's are his latest obsession. And hey, what kitchen doesn't need a choo-choo made of chairs?

By the way, Brady set all of this up himself. He's already stronger, and faster, than I am. Granted, that's not saying a whole lot, but still.

Flower

Isn't this the most beautiful flower you've ever seen?

My first flower, hand picked and given to me by my son while on a walk. Magical.

3-Wheelin'

We got Brady his birthday present a little early. It was a big hit.


















Until he tried to ride it backwards....


















And fell off.














(Note - no children were harmed in the making of this post. In fact, they got back on and continued to have lots of fun.)

Zoo Fun

Brady took his first trip to the zoo. A good time was had by all. Favorites included the bears, penguins, anything that resembled a dog, and some fish that I didn't think we were going to get him to leave.



















He also liked walking with his daddy along the paths. Especially once he realized there was more to see than the first couple of animals.


















Unfortunately, however, he's started to not like posing and having his picture taken. This was as good as it got that day. I've titled it "Seriously mom, stop trying to take my picture."

Tree Climber

Or more appropriately, tree sitter. Brady loves sitting in the low branches of the trees in our yard. His favorite stuffed animal is a monkey. Coincidence? I think not.

Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

My new issue of Parenting magazine came in the mail yesterday and in it is an article about raising boys that mentions the classic poem should be updated to "fights, farts, and video games." Fortunately, I can't relate to the fights and video games portion yet, but we're already there with the farts.

Brady's not even 2 yet, and every time he passes gas, he thinks it's hilarious.

I don't get it.

Any time someone else passes gas, he thinks it's funny.

I don't get it.

He has a rubber duck in his bath tub that he has figured out makes a farting noise when he holds it against his stomach and squeezes the air out of it. So now bath times are filled with farting ducks and maniacal laughter.

His laughter is contagious, but I still don't get it.

I know the future holds more of the same, only in more creative ways and I already don't get it.

Sigh.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Brady's recent leisure activities include reading any and all books about trucks and tractors and talking about animals. He even likes to read books to himself now, pointing to and naming the pictures he knows.



















He also likes to look at pictures of animals and the sounds they make. We were recently playing with a puzzle with a farm scene and our conversation went something like this.

Me (as he picks up a piece revealing a horse): "Brady, what sound does a horse make?"
Brady: "Neigh"

Me (as he picks up the next piece) : "What sound does a pig make?"
Brady: "Oink, oink"
(Stick your tongue out and make a gagging sound, and you're close to what it sounds like when he does it.)

The next puzzle piece Brady picked revealed a farmer. Tricky, I thought, we've never talked about what a farmer says, let's see what he'll say.

Me: "What sound does a farmer make?"
Brady: "e-i-e-i-o"

Stand-up comedy here we come.

Two are Better Than One

Why drink out of one sippy cup when you can have two?



















I can't remember how Brady got two cups at once, but he thought it was great fun. He was able to drink a little from them this way and wouldn't put them down for quite some time .

Pop-A-Point Pencil

I have to take a moment to digress from Brady stories as I am having a child of the 80's moment. Remember these?










A few years ago, my mom graciously bestowed on me all my possessions that remained in my parent's house from my childhood. I believe her exact words were along the lines of "You have your own house now, here's all of your junk." Or something to that effect. I sorted through all of the items, getting rid of some, storing away more than I should, and entering a few useful items into "circulation" such as a never used Pop-A-Point pencil. How it escaped my childhood unused is beyond me as I remember rotating through the pencil points as soon as the fine point was gone but well before all of the lead was used then moving on to the next pencil. But hey, a pencil's a pencil, so into the pen & pencil jar it went.

Fast forward to today. I'm trying to get some work done while Brady takes a nap and I need a pencil with a fine point. I remember the never used Pop-A-Point pencil, grab it and get to work. Suddenly I look down and realize I'm using a purple glitter pencil chosen by a 10-year-old to sketch some modifications to a wastewater treatment plant, and I smile.
















I wonder how many other engineering sketches of wastewater treatment plants have been made with a sparkly purple pencil. I also wonder what the 10 year old girl who loved pastel colors and glitter and who dreamed of being a florist one day would think of it's current use. And somewhere deep inside a small voice crinkles is nose and says "Wastewater? Gross."

Bright Idea

I had a really bright idea the other day.

First, let me set the background. It was 9 am on Friday morning and I was scrambling to clean up the kitchen from breakfast before the Parents as Teachers lady was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 am. Before you say to yourself - Half an hour? That's plenty of time to clean a kitchen, let me also add I had not had time to get dressed yet, fix my hair, or put on any makeup, and I still had a few things I wanted to pick up in the living room. It was one of those mornings. Brady was doing his best to "help" by constantly being under my feet, putting things into the dishwasher that don't belong there, taking things out of the dishwasher that do belong there, pushing a chair up to the counter to see what's going on in the sink, etc., etc.

This is where my bright idea comes in.

I decide to set Brady up at the counter with a pencil and paper, so he has something to do and he can see what's going on. I think to myself, a pencil, that's a good choice, it's harmless, right? Brady starts scribbling away. I tell myself I am brilliant and go back to loading the dishwasher. I look up after a couple of dishes and he's still happily drawing away. Wonderful. I turn back to the sink where I can see out of the corner of my eye that he is really getting into this drawing thing. I begin to tell myself that I am a problem solving genius - Brady's happy, I'm getting things done, life is good. Then I turned around and saw this.




















Ack!!!

Things I've learned.

1. Pencil draws very well on a counter top.

2. Ball point pen will not make a mark on a counter top, at least not ours. (I plan to keep this in mind for later.)

3. Even though your child has done a wonderful job of staying on the paper every other single time you've seen him draw, that doesn't mean he will this time.

4. Wash cloth and water do not remove pencil marks from a counter top, even when with frantic scrubbing.

5. Soft Scrub works wonders. It does so well that when you're writing this post, your husband says, "Brady drew on the counter?"

Easter Pics

We had a wonderful Easter weekend visiting friends and family and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior.

Brady got to go on his first Easter egg hunt on Saturday. He figured out pretty quickly that his basket had a hat attached to it for decoration.















Here he is waiting to get started with his game face on.


















When we got outside, he wasn't quite sure what to do, but he had lots of help from mom, grandma and an aunt and uncle, his personal group of paparazzi.


















After he picked up 5 or 6 eggs, Brady decided it was time to take the eggs out of his basket and put them back on the ground. Once we got it straightened out that the eggs were supposed to stay IN the basket, Brady decided he was done with the whole egg hunt thing. He then proceeded to sit down and start stuffing grass inside his eggs. After all, what else would you put inside Easter eggs but dead, brown pieces of grass?














Next we went inside for story time and to decorate foam visors which Brady enjoyed. However, we realized later in the day that we had made an unfortunate color choice going with the orange visor as he kept saying "cheese" and putting it in his mouth.















And we can't forget the obligatory Easter outfit pictures. Brady did really well visiting with his cousin all weekend, calling him "baby" and keeping tabs on him wherever he went.