Happy Halloween!

Brian and his little brother went trick or treating at Grandma and Grandpa's house today. Our timing was perfect because their cousin Haley the friendly Ghost happened to be there at the same time!

Out little trick or treaters also made a stop at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Junes house. Cousins Erika the Stoplight and Krista the Pirate were happy to pose with the boys!

My 1st Haircut!

Brian has been needing a haircut for quite a while and today it happened. Actually, it was going to happen yesterday but the mall we were going to had a bizarre power outage about an hour before our appointment! Daddy thinks that Brian may have been the one who cut the power - something that is all together possible! The place we went to caters only to children and Brian was their ideal customer. He sat nicely in his chair (which was actually a car). When he wasn't smiling at Sonny (the woman who cut his hair), he watched the program that was on the TV in front of his chair. Here's our boy before.............

during............

.....and after! Since Mommy and Daddy couldn't decide which "after" picture they liked best, we are posting a couple of them! One thing they could agree on is that Brian is awfully cute!

Danger Boy!

Look.....across the room.....isn't that Danger Boy? I wonder what he is about to do? No doubt it will be something......dangerous!!!

Why it appears that he is going to crawl up onto that toy........

"Look Mom, no hands!" But what is it that they say? "What goes up must come......

DOWN!!!!"

***No "Brian's" were harmed in the taking of these photo's.

I'm 14 Months Old!

Brian is 14 months old today! Unfortunately, he is celebrating the occasion with a cold (thanks to Mommy who brought it home from South Dakota). Aside from having a cough and runny nose, he is being a very good sport about it all. Brian thought he would share a little of his blog lime light, so he asked if a picture of his whole family could be posted today. Even though little brother Spencer wasn't really into it, here we are!

Pumpkin Carving!

Just before Halloween each year, Daddy, and now Mommy have hosted some of our friends and family to an evening of fun and pumpkin carving! Brian attended his first pumpkin carving event last year but I doubt that he remembered much of it. This year he was much more interested in what was going on......starting with all the muck being pulled out of the pumpkin.....

and ending with everyone's final projects displayed on the front porch.

EXTREME CLOSE UP!

Brian is no stranger to the camera. In fact, when the camera comes out he seems to automatically go into a pose and smile without even being asked! Today, apparently he thought that we would be able to get a better shot if he stepped a little closer to the camera. Frankly, I'm not sure if this kid could take a bad picture (not that his parents are at all biased)!

Tool Of The Day!

Posing in what appears to be a grocery store cart, one that apparently must have gotten lost and somehow ended up in Daddy's shop is young Brian Thomas! If you have some sanding on your "honey-do" list, then the Bosch 5" 1295D Random Orbit Sander is a "honey" of a tool choice!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Doctor, lately I seem to be having a bit of a problem with my hands swelling. Whats that you say? If I take off my Daddy's gloves that swelling feeling should go away??? Well it's worth a try - thank you!

Breakfast Big Boy Style!

Daddy gives Brian his breakfast every morning and today he decided it is high time that Brian start learning to feed himself!

And of course after breakfast it's time to read the paper.

My Baptism Birthday!

One year ago today our little Brian was baptized as a child of God! We look back on that day with many wonderful memories and know that when Brian is a little older, he will too! In the meantime, we are very happy to announce that the other tooth Brian has been working on has finally come in! He now has three on the bottom and two on top. We aren't sure if it's because he finally cut that tooth or because Daddy put a night light in his bedroom, or maybe it's a combination of both. Either way, Brian is sleeping much better at night again. As you can see, he also enjoys playing on the bouncy chair (which he has outgrown!) The bouncy chair is out so that his little brother can use it but you know how it goes.....everyone else's toys always look better than your own!

Congratulations!

After seeing the blog from last week, some of you may be wondering how the recent dog sale went. Fear not, Walter still lives with me! Daddy does some very silly things when Mommy is away. Actually, Daddy does some very silly things even when Mommy is here but that probably goes without saying! Anyway, how could I sell one of my best buddies? Who else would let me yank on their ears, poke them in the face, and roll all over him while he's trying to sleep on the floor? Truth be told, I set up the booth just to humor my Daddy. Some of you may have also noticed that I set the booth up in the back yard. I did that on purpose because there is no foot traffic back there! I'm a pretty smart kid huh?

Speaking of Mommy and Daddy, they are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today! Wow, 2 years.....2 kids......it's almost 2 hard to believe! Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy, from my little brother Spencer and from me!

Clean It Up!

Environmentally friendly Brian takes his recycling duties very seriously! While throwing a few things into the recycling bin, Brian also enjoyed the fresh air while still being able to supervise Daddy, who was re shingle the garage Saturday!

Welcome Home!

Even though Mommy knew that Brian was having all kinds of fun with Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa this week, she sure did miss him! Not being able to see her little guy for five whole days was tough! However, judging from the big smile and snuggles that Brian gave her when she got home, it seems like he missed his Mommy a little bit too!

Tool of the day!

Demonstrating the proper use of the dolly today is Brian and Grandpa.

Remember to keep your arms and legs in at all times!

Taking care of business

Brian has been busy taking care of those chores Mommy just hasn't had time for.

What's cookin' at Grandma and Grandpa's!

It was getting close to dinner time so Brian said "sit down Grandma! I'll make dinner tonight!"

Everything was going good until it came time to choose serving bowls....................

A day in the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Brian went to the pumpkin patch with his baby brother and all his Illinois cousins. Since it was raining in the morning Brian suggested that Mommy go shopping to buy him a pair of boots. Brian thought it would be very muddy in the pumpkin patch, but when he got there, the ground was dry so Brian left his new boots in the car and went looking for the great pumpkin. His search successful and pumpkin found, he gathered his brother and the cousins for a photo op. As you can see, everyone was having a great time.

Check Please!

Brian enjoyed dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday! Grandma makes EXCELLENT ravioli and knows exactly how Brian likes them served......sliced in half and on his tray where he can feed himself like a big boy!

FIRE!!!!!

Each year, our town puts on a big bonfire at a school baseball field close to our house. This is the second year that Brian has been to this fire, but probably the first one that he could actually SEE. (See little brother Spencer's post today regarding stroller seating assignments when using a snap in car seat.)

Once the fire was well under way, Brian went in for a closer look at the big firetruck that was there!

Are You Union?

Brian took a break from having his breakfast this morning to try on Daddy's favorite work hat. Has Daddy changed careers to become a Longshoreman you ask? No - but is sure keeps his nugget nice and warm on these chilly autumn days! Brian opted against wearing the hat all day and going to work with Daddy this morning. Insead, his only interest after taking this picture was to get back to his oatmeal!

Tool of the Day!

Daddy has a hole in a garbage can that he wants to repair. Brian heard his dilemma and offered a suggestion. "Daddy, what if you attached a piece of metal over that hole. If you use my pop rivet gun, that should keep the raccoons out at night!" Daddy completely agreed, so with Brian's Avdel Type 734 Pneumatic Pop Rivet Gun in hand, a few minutes later the hole was fixed and hopefully, the raccoons will have been out smarted!

For those of you who are wondering if Brian has recently been in a street fight to earn those nice scratches on his face, the answer is no. He did however have an experience today that taught him a very valuable lesson. We learned that if you are playing in the yard and you accidentally fall face first into a dried up old tree branch on the ground, it WILL leave a mark!

Safety Officer Brian

Brian still gets a kick out of playing with Walters tags. Since he feels he needs an excuse to do this, he "confirmed that Walter is up to date on his rabies shot". Tonight I think I also heard him ask if he could see his license and registration! Brian really takes his Safety Officer title seriously!

Three Peas In A Pod!

Brian got to hang out with his cousins Krista and Erika for a while this evening - which he loves! Brian wouldn't think about going to bed until Mommy took a picture of them together and the fold out Big Bird Bed seemed like the perfect spot to take it!

It Finally Happened!

We have been anticipating it for a few weeks and yesterday, it happened........tooth number 4 has finally appeared! In addition to the 3 bottome teeth he currently has, Brian has had two white spots where his top two front teeth have been pushing closer and closer to the surface. Mommy and Daddy were starting to think they were never going to make it all the way through! Brian has suffered a few teething side effects while we have been waiting for them to arrive. His appetite has been up and down, and he has had a few restless nights, but all in all, he has been a real trooper! Until I can get a picture of his big toothy grin, I'll post another random cute shot of young Brian. He is wearing a sleeper that his Aunt Ann made for him. She makes them out of adult sweatshirts.......VERY clever!!!

Gone Fishing!

Well, not fishing exactly, but while we were at the new Cabela's store today, we COULD have purchased a new fishing boat, rods, reels and anything else we would need if we were going fishing! Instead, we opted to just look around all the cool displays........

......and the stuffed animals from all around the world! And when we were done with that, we picked out a hair piece for Daddy!

Doesn't he look handsome????

A Blast From the Past! (Mommy's & Daddy's that is)

Brian has some videos that he likes to watch. Baby Einstein is a favorite while driving in the mini van and we enjoy some Barney and Sesame Street from time to time in the house. Mommy and Daddy were watching some tv tonight and when they came across Lawrence Welk, Brian was GLUED to the screen!

And don't forget Myron Floren and the ol' squeeze box! Brian bounces up and down with the music and then claps his hands when the songs are over - it's the cutest thing you have ever seen!

Driving 101

Brian cruised the isles of the grocery store with Mommy and little brother Spencer today. He made sure to properly adjust his mirrors, fasten his seat belt and keep his hands in the "10 and 2" position on the steering wheel.

Don't forget one of the most important rules of the road though........don't drive when you need a nap!

Tool of the Day!

Mommy and Daddy have a fire pit in the back yard so if you were to stop by the house some evening and there's a little chill in the air, there's a good chance that Daddy may suggest sitting out by a fire. Just so you know, I probably won't be joining you since I am normally fast asleep when Daddy gets a fire going. But, if I were going to build a fire, THIS is the tool I would use to do it! The Bernz-O-Matic TS 4000 Propane Torch sure works a heck of a lot faster than rubbing two sticks together!

Vroooooom Vroooooom!

Gentlemen......start your engines! (Your Elmo World Ride On engine that is!) This car is great fun to play with! The seat lifts up so that you can stash toys in it to play with at a later time. The horn on the steering wheel works and there are all kinds of other buttons and knobs that make lots of cool sounds too! The little Elmo on the front of the car even lifts and lowers his arms while he plays the piano and sings! In addition to all this neat stuff......our little climber boy Brian loves to crawl up onto the seat and stand up until he hears the familiar words "GET DOWN RIGHT THIS MINUTE YOUNG MAN!"

Waitress!!!

"I'd like some milk please, and if you could put it in a sippy cup, that would be great!" Brian received this Big Bird bed for his birthday and he absolutely loves it! When you have short little legs that don't let you crawl onto the big people furniture yet, having a piece of furniture of your very own is pretty neat! If you have never seen one of these, they really are quite clever. When folded up like in this picture, its a sofa. When the back and seat are folded out, it turns into a little bed! Perfect for spending the night in a hotel, for overnight stays at Grandma and Grandpa's house or for just hanging out at home - waiting for someone to bring you some milk!

Read Me A Book Please!

With his Big Bird book in hand, Brian took his place in the rocking chair. The only thing he is waiting on now is someone to read the book to him! Although Mommy and Daddy still prefer the cardboard books, Brian does pull a paper paged book off his bookshelf from time to time. He does a very good job at being able to turn the paper pages all by himself AND without causing great bodily damage to the book!