Why didn't you people tell me???

As evidenced by both his birthday parties Brady isn't much of a sweets guy! If a cookie and a piece of fruit were on his plate he would grab the piece of fruit every time, or say it was a cupcake vs. a salty chip.... sodium induced cruncher wins every time! But recently Brady has started to unravel the wonderful world of of the "ice cream cone" Before he would take bites of ours here and there but really could have cared less about it - but as we have been making Ms. Lisa's and The Front Porch a regular routine when leaving Grandmas house he is all about having a big ol' cone and seems to be enjoying every last lick. I watch the cuteness as he licks, sometimes getting brain freeze, and grinning ear to ear at me - I feel like he is thinking......Seriously why was I holding out? That piece o' fruit has got nothing on this dairy like fantasy! Here is just some evidence of his new love........

"Seriously people that was AWESOME!!"

Seriously Brady you don't even understand what you have to encounter still.......
Chubby Hubby
Grasshopper pie
Moose Tracks
Chunky Monkey
Peanut butter/Chocolate
I am so glad you are finally taking life by the CONE and forcing your mutha to participate in devouring a few scoops in light of your new treasure!

I've been Schooled......

High School Musical'ed..........that is......
I know both soundtracks backwards and forwards - they are catchy toons; Brooke and her friends listen to it constantly, I see the paraphernalia EVERYWHERE and I know of the teen idols from reading my ever informative US magazine, but I had no idea what all the hype was about! Brooke has seen the movies, which I will be honest wasn't that crazy about.......she is four right.....do we really need her to grow up any faster than she is (god help us!!) I myself have never seen the movies but everyone related it to the modern day Grease. Well I remember Grease being pretty grown up and I remember it being a special day that I got to watch the real version (not edited for TV) when they actually showed the rest of the sleepover pillow fight scene and they didn't bleep out words to "look at me I'm Sandra Dee" - So I was perplexed at why toddlers were so infatuated with this new phenomenon. Well I found out this weekend finally. We took Brooke to a local play production of HSM 1. (yup there are two - and a third on it's way) and I am slightly embarrassed to say I LOVED IT!! We had second row seats and to watch the girls eyes BUG out of their head as these "idols" were in breathing distance was priceless..... and I was relieved to find out the story line is really innocent, yes much like Grease, to some extent - these two meet while on vacation and find out they love to dance and sing - but then must part after summer......come to find out they go to the same high school, shes a science nerd, he's a jock and don't want to let their "clicks" down by trying out for the musical...... (sound a lil familiar?) but you know what there was no T-Birds drinking, there was no pink ladies getting knocked up and smoking, there was no "hydromatic", there was no "tell me about it stud" it was a sweet story with a good morale! So what I think I am saying is that I may be hooked myself - I am never one to hide that I love a good musical - but would it be weird if I run out to Target and purchase me a HSM T-Shirt so I can wear it the next day at Work as if I just went to a Bon Jovi concert? But enough about my Jazz hands wanna be dream - Brooke LOVED it too and even started asking about how you get to do shows and is that something she could do someday etc.....which for me was the best part - exposing her to theatre etc....... But in her mind I think the best part for her was getting Troy, Gariellela, Sharpay, and Taylor's autographs and pictures - it was hilarious these high school kids thought they were rock stars they all had their own sharpies etc......The only disturbing part was that Sharpay, the character, Brooke always seems to pick to play when they are acting it out in our backyard I find out is the bossy, demanding one.....hmmmm how IRONIC!!!! So I must thank my neighbor for convincing me to be exposed to this underground world that is HSM...... Here are some pix of the event.....

Brooke with her friends Elle and Chillie....

Brooke trying desperately to get Sharpay's autograph....

Victory - she got Taylor's autograph.....

Wow this photo shoot went better than Santa Claus!

The girls showing off their autographs...

Runs in the family.......

Good one CoCo.......apparently Brooklyn isn't the only cousin ITT in the family Cousin Coco is having some issues as well.......now I know she looks up to you but I am sure I will snap prior to getting to this point. :)

A big day for my LIL' MAN!

Happy 2nd Birthday Brady Boy! - Wow ALL those people sure aren't lying (it does go really fast!) I can't even believe that you are a straight up Toddler! You had a GREAT YEAR, pretty much all that you have accomplished you have done so this year since the first 12 months you were in a sleepy coma and wanted for NOTHING. Not any more you have awoken and are ready to roll........Things you have embarked on during your second year of life....

• Giving up the dear ol' Bottle and giving the ol' Vitamin D a whirl



• Finally lifting that melon enough to crawl



• Making mom and dad wait an eternity to see you walk.



• Mastered the Fred Flinstone "twinkle toes" run (come on you all remember when he tried to bowl, Fred that is, when he would tippy toe down the lane - well that is my butterball's run!)



• Actually eating MORE than just fruit - your a salty snacker like your Mom. You loved Bacon, Salami, chips, crackers - Bring on the Sodium!



• Playing with your sister - she had been waiting SOOOOO long for this to come about. You pretty much just follow her lead and try to hang with her - I give you credit someday my man the tables will turn just be patient - you won't be playing princess and rocking out to HSM for too much longer.



• You became OBSESSED with "THE BALL" You love to watch ALL sports, especially your Dad play softball...... My favorite thing that you do is to play "air bat" like some adults (insert Mike Hoehn) like to play air guitar. We will be in the car, at the kitchen table, in the grocery cart and you always swinging your air bat with your hands and making a "bat cracking" sound. Bless your heart!



• Laid your Binky to rest for Good - we are all proud of you - I never thought it would happen!



• You love your books and your puzzles



• You are starting to talk a little - I am sure there will be more to come in the next year! Note - you just gained the term NO one day before your birthday - how appropriate as we enter in what is commonly known as the Terrible Twos! ha.

But honestly terrible or not - bring it on I am ready to see you grow, progress, succeed, live, laugh, learn, it might be more work for mom and dad - but I can't imagine anything more rewarding than seeing my little boyfriend make something of himself. Bugs I LOVE you to pieces and wish the best for you in the next year to come....... mommy.

But I am still baffled at how you went from this.......

to this......

Happy 2nd Birthday Brady!

Cousin ITT.......

Okay seriously it might be the death of me......
THE BANGS!
We are in the process of growing Brooke's bangs out, something I think about stopping almost every day. Don't get me wrong I can definitely see the end vision and how it will make both our lives easier when we are all said and done, but for now it is a CONSTANT battle more so on my end than hers because there are a few things I don't understand...........

#1 How can it not drive her nuts that it just hangs over her eyes and pushing them to the side is seriously the LAST thing on her mind.
#2 Now that they are "getting" longer why does she feel it necessary to chew on them?
#3 Why does every liquid form of food get placed so strategically on those strands in order to form a crusted wad that then hangs in the middle of her forehead as if she was Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley?
#4 How is it that she agrees every morning to pull them back in a nice pony or clip but that pony or clip NEVER seems to stay in more than 10 minutes more or less the whole day?
#5 Why does it seem that the back of her hair grows like a horse's mane while these darn bangs grow at Telly Savalis speed?
#6 How after this long does she not have a determined part in her hair? Are you not allowed to have a part or long bangs with a double Colic? Because if that is the case someone educate me so I can stop the madness.......

Well you be the judge do you see any resemblance?????


I am just saying I can't wait for the day that everything is one length we can brush to the side, tuck behind the ear, shove in a pony, but until then I will still entertain the GI Jane cut if this doesn't progress! I just want to see a little more of this ..........
and a WHOLE lot less of this.......

Back in Action......Well Sort of....

So as you can tell from the last post the Munson Household took a digger in the health department the last few weeks so here is a synopsis of what has been going on over here since then......

We got a chance to relive some "glory days" when we hosted 7 couples from our college days and talk about old times as well as share in every body's present day excitements!! We got a chance to grill out, talk without being interrupted, play yard games, eat dinner at 8pm or when ever we felt like it, get ready to go out on the town at 10:30 PM (almost seems like a foreign thought as I type it now....), dance and sing to an 80's band and just have time to hang out with friends that we don't get to see too often! (Thanks to all the grandparents that made this event possible!)


This one I just had to add in there because poor Mike had no idea that I was taking this picture but none the less was so concentrated on perfecting his "air guitar" that nothing else seemed important at the moment~ haha!
But those good times were only short lived.......you see running a 10K race and then staying out until 3 am when you are fighting off a 2 week head cold isn't such a wise decision as it brings me to my next fun filled news...... I have come down with a case of the Shingles........ yup that is right apparently it isn't just an "elderly" disease, that I always envisioned it to be - unless this is God's simple way to say "ummm Cherie you are old now - try and make better choices" It all started with a little rash that I thought were bug bites since we have been living in the Amazon out here and can't leave our door without a bee keepers suit on, but then it moved into numbness, soreness and after three consultations have determined I am fighting off the shingles, apparently it is prompted by low immunity and fatigue (insert bad choices from above) RIDICULOUS - so hopefully the Munson third world plague will end soon as I have started up yet another antibiotic to ward off this next case of drama.......I swear by August if I am complaining about corns and bunions - I am seriously going to loose it.......

But prior to all that we did have an enjoyable 4th of July with all the regular local festivities that we have come to love.
We stared by enjoying the the fireworks - the kids did great, but wouldn't it be nice if for just this one day the sun set at 7:30 instead of 9:59? I am just saying it makes for a late night.....
I just have to share my favorite part, because I am sure I will forget about the sweetness that is Brady Munson when he is sneaking out of the house to meet his friends to t-pee some neighbors house...... Brady was a trooper during the fireworks - he is one that is easily alarmed by loud noises, but when the works got going he just parked it on my lap and smooshed his cheek against mine, I would then move my head away to talk with Chris or something and he immediately put his palm on my face and smacked our cheeks back together as if to say don't you dare separate skin during this scary moment - I secretly found it so endearing I would purposely pull my head away just so he could glue them back together again - Just wanted to eat the cuteness out of him that night.......Here is an example of the constant cheek to cheek action......

Then we hit the neighborhood pancake breakfast (always a hit on an early morning) and the parade next - I sometimes get confused as to what holiday we are celebrating as these kids walk away with a sack full of candy as if it were straight up Halloween from the parade!
We ventured off to the carnival where Brady got to go on his first "ride" he was all for it until it started to move and then he was all.....nope all set thanks. Brooke got "inked" and then we headed home for "family nap time" I mean I love me a carnival but I am just saying that nap time gives the parade and the carnival a run for it's money!!

We then headed West .......to the beach to finally enjoy some much anticipated summer weather and swimming! Brooke met the new neighbors lil girl and had a ball .........Brady was fascinated with the flying beetles that were in full force that day!



Hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend!!!