Sponge Bob SQUARE HEAD!

Why do I find it so weird that everyone in my family except me has a perfectly shaped, large, SQUARE head?? It amazes me I only can produce kids with the same head as my husband? My kids have inherited so little from me but it is just unreal how similar Chris, Brooke and Brady's head is - Its hard to tell from a front view picture but there is just a whole lot of back door cranial space happening......So feeling like the odd man out...... all I have to rave about is that both kids got my big Fred Flinstone toe!! :) Which I am sure they will hate me for later! :)


Case #1 Brady = Square Mom= Peanut circle?
Case #2 Brooklyn's baby square head - she will be happy she has long hair to
cover the protruding back door skull :)

Ahhh and case #3 where it all begins with good ol' hubbies nogin! Is it weird that Chris and Brady wear the same size baseball hat already? Haha!

Don't get me wrong I love every one of their lil cubed heads!!

Thankful for many things....

Is it me or are the holidays a lot of work? Don't get me wrong I love every thing about each individual holiday but they seem to be getting more hectic each year! I have to say I have no right to be a grinch since I had to do so little in preparation for the Holiday, but as our families grow its just a lot of managing. I think back and wonder how my mom did it for so long, hosting every single holiday in her home for a group of probably about 20! I hope I gain her organization and spirit for the years to come when I no doubt will be hosting the shindigs! So here are a few things I am thankful for this past weekend:
1. A healthy and some what "sane" family.
2. 65 degree weather in November in the Midwest (almost unheard of!)
3. A Turkey day walk on the beach with the kids.
4. All my Christmas decorations and lights are already up! (I am seriously considering being one of those people who leave them up year round just to avoid doing it all over again next year!)
5. Being able to enjoy two turkey feasts and only having to provide an appetizer to each one!
6. While shopping on black Friday, I am thankful Kohls was out of the item we were searching for, hence avoiding the hour long ( I kid you not!) line to check out.....People are nuts!
7. Also shopping on black Friday sans a Toddler!
8. The holiday feasts are subsiding for a few weeks - this body can't take any more desserts!
9. Hopefully creating some traditions with the kids (I apologize now kids my cooking skills are not spectacular!) Don't mind a random stand up of James Arness in the backround - haha.
10. Christmas is only a month away, since I have to explain everyday to Brooke that no today is not Christmas in response to "But Mom you told me Christmas was after Thanksgiving" -- it will be nice when she grasps the concept of time :)

11. A hubbie who randomly thinks he is McSteamy or someone out of GQ....haha

So I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving weekend and good luck with preparing for the next round of Holiday events!

THE END IS NEAR!

Well my maternity leave is coming to an end, and although I was lucky enough to have a large chunk of time with Brady it has gone by surprisingly fast! I have enjoyed every moment with him and can't believe he is over 4 months old! As I return to work this Monday I have mixed emotions......
I will miss the daily routines that I have come accustom to during my leave:
1. Sleeping in until 7-7:30 every morning!
2. Having every day as an open slate.
3. Visiting with friends, lunches, playdates.
4. Scrapbooking on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Brooke is at school) (amazingly enough I am still not caught up! Did I honestly think I would be?)
5. Playing with the kids until their hearts are content.
6. Showering is optional!

On the other hand I look forward to things that this new job will bring:
1. Adult conversation! (beyond talking with hubbie)
2. Getting my brain back in business - I will admit it has become a lil foggy.
3. Accomplishing some work related goals, and hopefully streamling my job to three days a week.
4.Three day weekends!
5. Yoga at lunch.
6. Jimmy Johns which just opened less than a mile from my office!
7. Oh yeah and a paycheck (don't be fooled it really should have been #1 on the list! - isn't it for everyone!)

So Brady, my boy, I will miss you dearly during the day as I ship back out to the real world - but I look forward to you staying home with your Dad and having some boy time. I am sure you are not upset that you will probably be watching sports related stuff instead of Oprah with your Mom! (oh, but we still have Fridays!) :)

The house of brotherly love....

Brooke has always loved "baby brother" But in the beginning she was a lil shall we say dominant??? "Umm Brooke could you please not lay on top of your Brother" "Umm Brooke Brady can hear you fine you don't really need to scream at the top of your lungs right in his ear" and so forth..... I will have to say I have definitely seen her slow down lately with him and perhaps maybe even understand the word "gentle" We have finally reached a point where I feel comfortable leaving them in the same room together and not fear for Brady's life! She is always wanting to take care of him now and telling me "mom its okay go ahead and shower and I will watch him" Which I can now safely do as we had a few trial runs of me peeking through a closed door. Deep down she has true love for him and vice versa - she is the first one he smiles at and laughs at every morning, he will contort his body and roll all over the room just in order to follow her every move. Mom you will love this - she has him giggling every time she does this YashaShamudia dance....Don't ask me how but she remembers YashaShamudia!! I guess I am just enjoying their admiration for eachother because I know sooner than later it will be all "Mom Brady is on my side of the imaginary line that I drew in the back seat of the car!" or "Brooke get out of my room my friends and I are playing xbox!" or "Mom I swear I am not touching him as her finger is millimeters away from his face" :) I guess like any parent my ideal world is for them to be friends and perhaps they can go back and read this as I hear "Mom I can't believe you are making me take the bus to school and Brooke gets to drive!"

DOUBLE VISION!

Its weird how our kids just turn out looking the way they do....Sometimes spitting images of their mother other times spitting images of their father or even a good mixture of both! Brooklyn and Brady definitely look like their father and the Munson side of the family but as Brady is getting older it amazes me how much they are spitting images of eachother.....Brady is pretty much the dark haired version of his sister! It is really apparent when we look back on baby pictures of Brooke. A lot of people don't see it cuz they only envision what Brooke looks like now but I have a daily reminder of her as a baby every day as I take a gander at Brady....Take a look for yourself! FYI Brooke is the one in the Red Wing Jammies!

Munson Candy addicts fall off the wagon!

Happy Halloween everyone! Well it was a successful night of trick or treating and gorging on candy! Brady was just a wad of clothes who had no choice in the matter who of course slept through another event. Brooke was the polar opposite ....so excited about the whole event that it seemed like she was hosting the oscars - she had multiple costume changes - the night started out with her being a giraffe and ended up with her being a zebra....(kudos to g'ma Novacek for all her bargains!) Brooke made the transition from amateur to pro this year - She hit about 25 houses and was mad when we called it quits after that. Chris and I were literally running to keep up with her. She thought it was so cool that her friends Anthony, Luci, and her got to go up to the door all by themselves and do the whole shabang. She by no means needed our help this year! Its still a joy to see her have so much fun and enjoying the holiday as every kid should!