A day of firsts for Brady

Although he was a little uneasy through much of it, Brady made it through his first haircut without a hitch. The end result was shocking. We had no idea just how long his hair had been. When Carmen took his curly locks, she also took his baby looks. He is just as adorable, if not more so, but where has our baby gone? Why is it that a shorter cut makes them look so old? After the trip to Monkey Dooz, we headed to Stride Rite for Brady's very own pair of shoes (up until now, he's been wearing gently used hand-me-downs from Jonah).

Reflections

Things I love about Brady:

1. has a smile for everyone

2. tries the impossible

3. shows special appreciation for solid foods (cheesy, grateful grin) as opposed to purees

4. Jonah is his favorite person

5. enjoys good company - will move his play area to the more populated room of the house

6. loves to laugh

7. highly inquisitive - loves to examine the contents of the trash can :)

8. can entertain himself - as long as it's off limits, he'll enjoy it for countless hours

9. is happy if Jonah is happy

10. knows what he wants

11. dances like Elvis (jerking leg motion in time to music)

12. loves to point

13. likes to be tickled

14. keeps me company in his high chair while I prepare meals

15. talks up a storm-car, uh-oh, fish, thank god, hi, dada, and lots of incoherent babbling

16. uses his mouth as a third hand

17. puts a hat on face first and then slowly slides it up

18. says uh-oh after he's done something on purpose, like drop a toy

Things I love about Jonah: 1. puts his toys away and in their place without being asked

2. misses his brother during Brady's morning nap, and asks about him

3. loves to make others laugh

4. he's sensitive and caring

5. big on gentle touches

6. has a sense of pride and accomplishment for the small tasks that he achieves

7. loves to applaud himself - besides mommy, daddy, grandma(ama), and uncle Mike he's his biggest fan

8. has the best manners for a two-year old - says: please, thank you, you're welcome, bless you, excuse me

9. always has a toy car with him-especially when watching the movie "Cars"

10. always says "good morning, good night, hello and goodbye"

11. often gets a "love burst" for his baby brother - a term Jeff and I coined while still dating

12. loves a good song to dance to - he even dances while sitting in his booster seat (he makes it work)

13. often caught with a book in his hand (born and bred to be a bookworm)

14. makes a big deal out of company - if you come to visit, he'll give you a welcome you won't forget

15. so friendly to his peers - he loves to smile and say hello (not a mean little bone in his body)

16. such a charmer and a ladies man - he especially goes for the older gals: watch out you preteens

17.sometimes affects a fake snore as he drifts off to sleep at naptime

18. has begun to sing on his own-twinkle, twinkle never sounded so sweet

19.will applaud a performance with great enthusiasm - if you have a speech to give or some other performance, he's the one you'd want to practice in front of

20. his imaginative play is really blossoming - puppy and turtle are having some great late night conversations

21. has an amazing memory

22. at only 2, his grammatical use of articles is phenomenal - although sometimes he thinks he's French (the other day, he didn't appreciate being left exposed in his pull-ups for too long and cried out "le pants, le pants!"

23.says uh-oh when something happens by accident

Who moved my (string) cheese?

Friends and family, keep us in your thoughts. The days that lay ahead for Jonah and Brady bring with them great change. Brady is making the leap from formula to milk, and we will soon begin weaning him from the bottle. Jonah is being encouraged to strengthen his skills in the usage of forks and spoons, and we are on the brink of more aggressive (perhaps that isn't the right word-consistent, continued...?) potty training with him as well. Fun times...

It's a toy, it's a snack, no...it's a blanket???

Ever since becoming mobile, Brady has made a wonderful little playmate for Jonah. They get along really well, and are very used to one another's company. Recently however, we have seen the beginnings of a little sibling rivalry over my special blanket. You know the one. We all have it. It stays slung over our couches, and we snuggle underneath it when we are watching TV in the evenings. It keeps us comfy year round (even in the summer, when the house is a little chilly from having run the air conditioner). Mine happens to be beige and made of chenille-it's quite soft and I am very fond of it. Somehow, our boys have gotten it into their heads, that they are the rightful owners of the blanket. Each loves it for different reasons. Brady, like his mommy loves to cuddle with something soft. Jonah enjoys using it as a tent. Many a day, they have played tug-of-war with it in an attempt to claim what they each feel is theirs. They've even taken to snatching it off of me when I am using it! It's a little trying at times, but I figure better a blanket when they're toddlers, than a girl when they are in high school or college!

Turned Around

Now that he's legal-one year old and at least 2o pounds, Brady's perspective of the passing world, as seen from the car, recently changed. I think picture number two nicely reveals how he feels about it.

Brady Turns 1!

Today my baby marked his 365th day. Happy Birthday Brady! Saturday, we celebrated with a "Fingers and Hands" themed art party-our first event to incorporate organized activities, which included finger painting on two textures: shiny white poster paper, and foil paper, and making clay molds of the kids' hands(the hand molds also served as a fun memento for the mommies). Along with the catered food from Pat and Oscar's, we provided finger foods like PB&J sandwiches, goldfish crackers, fruit kabobs, and apple slices. We decided to do things a bit differently than we had in the past in order to make Brady's special day stand apart from Jonah's parties, and I believe that we were every bit successful. It was an experience for us all, and the children really seemed to enjoy the art fun. Another nice change was the weather. Usually we are near melting in the July heat, so benefitting from the soft breeze and cool temperature on a late morning in October was great. The sky was blue, the air was clear, and the sun was shining. It was a perfectly beautiful day for a birthday party. We topped the celebration off with a song and some cake and sent the kids along their way with personalized canvas totes filled with "finger" goodies.

The Ellen Show

I was invited by my friend Kathleen, to accompany her and some family members to a taping of the Ellen Show. Luck was on my side because she had tickets for a day when Jeff was off. We had both lunch and dinner in L.A. and spent a great girls day out. Obviously cameras weren't allowed in the studio so my pictures are few.

Imagination Workshop

Hats off to my dear friend Nadakia for hosting an incredible birthday party for her two girls Zoe (4) and Petra (3). This party was one of a kind, different from any other we've ever been to. It began at the Imagination Workshop, a fabulously charming little children's museum in Old Town Temecula. Science was the theme and the kids were given "labcoats" and "goggles" and sent off to explore the many hands-on rooms. If you've never been there before, it makes a great outing for the family-and the added bonus is that it's educational. The party ended at Pat and Oscars where Nadakia set up numerous science stations around the banquet room amid the pizza, pasta, and chicken.

Cereal Box Club

I just had to grab my camera this morning, when once again I had a flashback to my own childhood, and in this case, weekend breakfasts. Jeff and I were both cereal box readers, and lately Jonah seems inclined to have a book with him while he eats in the morning. Saturdays are special, as I usually serve him whole wheat waffles topped with bananas (minus the syrup, of course), and he in turn gobbles it up. Today however, he took his time, choosing instead to balance his efforts evenly between eating and enjoying his hide and seek book.

Riley's Farm

This time was the real deal, and it was a blast. Last year, when we began our annual apple picking tradition, we arrived at the farm too late in the season and had to pretend to pick them out of the bins in front of the old time mercantile. Our sad little attempt at capturing the experience made for a good laugh, but Jonah still had a good time. We made a mental note about the best time to visit, and have had the end of September/beginning of October in mind all year long. This is when the apples are at their peak; so today we walked through the orchards with our boys (swatting at flies every step of the way) and picked our very own apples right off the trees. While we were there we stopped to admire the goats and the horses, and made a quick trip over to Oak Tree Village for a quick look around and some apple butter.