Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Night walker....

Brady has finally discovered his new found freedom of the big boy bed - it took him a good month but he has finally realized he can get out of it if he wants to and wonder about......Most of the time it is after nap or in the morning (he hasn't yet refused to sleep) he just gets up when he is done and says here I am......
This getting out of bed thing - I am okay with it - I refuse to shut his door, I want him to know he can come get us if he needs us...... I am sure it will be an adjustment for both of us now that he has learned the art of escaping, but I can handle it especially when it goes like this :
6:30 am there is a random Brady at the side of the bed "Mommy" "come mere" I stumble out of bed still half asleep, he grabs my hand and leads me back to his room where he lays back down in bed pulls me in with him - we spoon and he grabs my hand and places it to cradle his face and falls back asleep for the remainder of the morning.
That I don't mind so much.....

This I do mind......
I was at a neighbors babysitting, Brady was at home snoozing away, Chris came over to the neighbors to relieve me of the late night shift (Grandma was home) Grandma was in the basement when she heard some footsteps and then some crying she ran upstairs to find Brady at the back slider door with it open (it was unlocked since we use that to go to our neighbors) yelling Daaadddy Daaadddy. I am not sure if he was sleepwalking or really looking for Dad, but either way thank goodness Grandma heard him and shuffled him back up to bed - I am just thankful he wasn't brave enough yet to head outside and start wondering....ugh the thought. So lesson learned....... we shall now have the castle doors locked at all times.......

This too shall pass........ :)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Nugget update....

Kids are doing well....They just came off of a weekend at "Grammie's" and were in their glory per usual. Brooke spent the night writing letters to us (give this girl a pencil and pad of paper and she is occupied for HOURS!) at any rate she loves to write and is getting the hang of spelling some words - but mostly the letters come back with a lot of squiggly lines and a few words that are legible but make no sense in what she just recited to us, but she knows how to spell them so why not include them...... Some of the memorable writings (restatement's) went like this....
  • "mom dad, please forgive me for not always being good. I try everyday to be good, I love you guys and we all just need to be patient"
  • Grandparents are better than even friends, I love all my grandmas and grandpas, they are so good to me I also adore hospitals and police man.
She is so funny lately and so motherly to her brother sometimes I wonder "Why am I here?" Today she had him reciting her school sentences of the week "now Brady repeat after me...." She is constantly taking surveys and tailing the results as of late - tonight Grandma Munson's cookies that she sent home to us were the latest research project.... "now mom do you like the dough or the chips better" "do you like them hot or cold" "what is your favorite type of cookie?" etc etc
etc... That is about it with the Brookie - she is doing well at school we just went to teacher conferences last week and confirmed every gut feeling we had she is a total teachers pet and if she could hire her as her assistant she would! :)

Brady man is doing fine too....he continues to follow his sister around and be her constant shadow. However on Friday mornings Brady steps out on his own to be the big man on campus. He is enrolled in a gymnastics class that is "just for him". I think he really digs it - I don't know if it is because he actually likes what they are doing or if because he is just doing it. He has accompanied his sister on plenty of her activities but now he has main stage. He talks and asks if we are going to "gym" or "jeeim" every day and then of course when we actually get there we still have to go through the 10 minute shy warm up routine - but I think he is getting more use to the teacher where I didn't have to assist him on the beam and the bar last week - he is slowly opening his trust to her and that is fun to see! Here are some photos of Bart Conner himself......

Downward Dog anyone?
Geronimo......

Letting Miss Terri give a helping hand - this would have never happened two weeks ago!

Ummm how am I supposed to get down?

Monday, November 10, 2008

Double Dip......

One of my favorite ways to pass a rainy, cold, dreary day is to park it at the movie theatre ALL day. That is right Chris and I have been known to double and triple dip on occasions in our “pre-kid” days. Those days came to a screeching halt on October 16, 2003. But things are starting to come full circle as our kids are getting older and this past weekend we were able to get back and enjoy a “double dip”. It happened in a bit of a different fashion – it wasn’t like we went to the movies and then just slid into the next theatre to zone out the rest of the snow/sleet/hail. We were able to take the kids to the movies in the morning and then took an 8 hour recess that included lunch, naps, reading books, watching Laurie Berkner, shopping for X-mas gifts, making dinner, but then finally got to go back to the theatre for the grown up “double dip”. So yes we did get in two movies in one day a bit of a different process to it all, but none the less we did it!

Brady still has some movie etiquette to learn. He ended up being “that guy” you know the one talking and explaining the entire movie as it is happening……you know that guy that you try to turn around and give an annoying look, but he just continues to jabber on explaining to his presumably incoherent partner in crime. I know we have all experienced “that guy” Well Brady, who is normally so quiet and reserved proceeded to add commentary to the first 10 minutes of the movie, in a deafening tone (well it at least seems like it is). I am not sure what it was this is only his second big screen feature film and things were just larger than life so the excitement took over something like this……
“BIG LION”
“GIRAFFE TALL”
“MOMMY MONKEY”
“DADDY MONKEY”
“ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR Guins” (penguins)
“RUN FAST”
And so on……
Not too hard to guess at what we saw – but it took a good 10 minutes to have the idea sink in that these larger than life animals would be there for the next hour and a half and then he simmered down (thank goodness)

Brooke is a little more content to just sit bright eyed and inhale popcorn for the entire film – I caught her doing the “walk like an Egyptian” dance in her seat while mouthing “I like to move it, move it” Which later we changed to “I liked the movie…movie….” “I liked the movie…movie”
Hopefully there will be more double dips in our future….

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Those three little words..........

Most of the time "3 little words" signifies someone saying "I love you" but really I could give up that phrase all together just in order to experience 3 different words that were spoken to me the other night.....We have mentioned Brady is a little bit delayed in the speech arena, but he is making great strides lately and it is so fun to watch him finally put everything he has "known" all along to a verbal form of communication! He has been combining two words for a few weeks now and getting the hang of it more and more every day. The other day we were at Brooke's soccer game and when it was over Chris and I had the quick non verbal agreement (because really after 10 years do you even need to speak anymore?) of "yep its 6:30 where are we going out to eat?" So both kids hopped in Chris' car I hopped into mine and off to the restaurant we go......we literally drive not even 3 miles - we meet in the parking lot, I get out to help Chris get Brady out of his seat I open the door and he looks at me and just says.......

"MOM, MISSED YOU."

I was so excited and proud for the words and the advancement, albeit a little embarrassed that he only drove for 3 miles without me and acted like I just flew back from a hiatus in a foreign country. I just gave a look to Chris and had another non verbal conversation with him and it went something like this "Yes Brady, with those three words, you did just purchase a free pass to get whatever you want from you mother, forever"


We are proud of you little man!








Sunday, November 02, 2008

"There's no place like Halloween night......"

I have changed my views on the election, I am now voting for whomever can move "Halloween" night to Friday night every year - This year was so much fun and I am not sure what to attribute it to, there were many factors.....
#1. I think it was because it honestly was on a Friday night - there was no school that day, I didn't work and there was no "rush" to be anywhere.......
#2. I think it was probably the nicest weather I can remember on a Halloween night in the Midwest.
#3. Both my kids were INCREDIBLY into it.
#4. Even when the kids were tuckered in - it was still Friday night and the adults could still enjoy the festivities around a bonfire.
At any rate it was a very nice holiday, enjoying it more and more as the kids get "into" the process of costumes and the nights events. What a year makes for the lil man, last year he was just a wad of fur stuffed in a wagon along for the ride - this year he was SO much more into it than I could have imagined. He is our shy one, so I thought he would be stricken by some of the music and decorations a lot of the houses had, but he wasn't phased by it, he watched his sister and he totally GOT IT. He hit about 3o houses and was always about 5 steps behind his sister, but tried as hard as he could to keep up. When 8:30 rolled around he finally gave in asked to sit in the wagon and just looked up at me and said "home, sleep".
Brooke was loving life, but really liked helping out the little ones this year, it was nice to see her slow down for them and include them! She is turning out to be quite the mother hen....I have already heard some comments from her teacher that should make conferences interesting this week .....
Anywho.....we had a great night and got lots of candy .... and even MORE pictures so Enjoy.....

Our very own Dorothy and Blues Clues!

Brooke wouldn't dare sit down on the grass she was so nervous that it would get wet or dirty .....
She LOVED this costume and so did I I reveled in the fact that she picked this and not some Hannah Montana or some Cheetah Girl costume!

Were not in Kansas anymore!


Brady would just yell to everyone "behlues chlues" it was a mouthful for him, but you could never get sick of hearing it!
I had to include this one just because Chris thought it looked like at any moment her head was going to start sadistically spinning and smoke would be coming out her ears in some poltergeist manner.

I got to volunteer at Brooke's school for her Halloween party, it was fun and she was so proud to show me around her classroom...
These kids are seriously spoiled as they have a sit down feast in order to fill their bellies with lots of bread to soak up all the sugar at a neighbors house prior to trick or treating.
Dorothy ran into Handy Manny while out and about...The group photo gets a little more impossible every year.

There is no place like home.....
Dorothy and Cinderella having a moment.
This was Brady Bugs first attempt at trick or treating and the big dude went all by himself.....look at Blue go on with his bad self! So proud!
Give me a V-dot the I curve the C - t-o-r-y....Are you kidding me all I have to do is say "teet" and I walk away with this.......Ummm yeah I am in!Getting dark out and not slowing down for a minute!Come on Cinderella.....Were off to see the Wizard .....the wonderful Wizard of Oz!
I am dunzo...this kid walked straight into the house straight to his room, said "jammies" and crawled into bed......I couldn't ask for an easier kid at night.