Tool of the Day!

Both boys are sleeping in their own cribs in their own rooms now. The cradle they used to sleep in is currently sitting vacant in Mommy and Daddy's room. So, this weekend we decided it was time to get it taken apart, boxed up and put into storage. But for old time sake, Brian wanted to take it for one final spin.










Knowing that a tear down was on todays adjenda, as soon as he finished his final cradle ride, Brian rushed out and grabbed his toolbelt. Before we knew it, he had his Stanley Series 34 Quarter Inch Drive Socket Wrench with a 3/8 Deep Well 16 Point Socket in his hand and was hard at work. Mommy, Daddy and Spencer just got out of the way and let him do his thing. He had it apart and boxed up in no time!

Movie Time

Our cable TV provider allows us to watch a variety of commercial free children's programs at any time - which is very handy! Tonight, while Mommy was making dinner, and while Spencer was having his, Brian enjoyed watching one of these programs with Daddy.

Political Boy

Brian is still a little too young to vote himself, but that hasn't stopped him from keeping an eye on the whole election process. He will have to hear the outcome of Florida's primary tomorrow since his bedtime rolled around before a winner was projected. Given how attached he is to his elephant toys, I think it's safe to say that he has picked his political party! Fresh on the heels of Uncle Kevin's birthday yesterday, today Brian sends big Happy Birthday greetings out to Uncle Seth! We hope you had a great day celebrating it!

Overnight Guests (and....I'm 17 Months Old Today!)

Brian and Spencer always look forward to sleepovers! You know the saying, "When the parents are away and you are at Grandma and Grandpa's......you can get away with ANYTHING!" Well it's true!








Brian especially enjoyed playing with this pull toy. He picked up very quickly on how to use the string on it so that he could pull it all the way across the room!












When Brian woke up this morning, Grandma and Grandpa told him all about the exciting police chase that took place in front of their house late last night! They had to fill him in on all the details because he slept through the whole thing!


AND......Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!!!!!!!!!!! We all hope you are feeling better so that you could enjoy the day!

The Lay Down Restaurant!

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house this afternoon. After an afternoon of going to town in their playroom, Brian decided that the poor little doll looked hungry. Being a professional big brother - able to feed younger siblings (or whoever) in a single bound, he jumped into action!

After a very yummy dinner, Daddy and Uncle Colin decided to pay a visit to what they refer to as the "Lay Down Restaurant". This is when you eat too much and need to just lay on the floor for awhile! Brian thought it looked like fun and joined in as well! Brian and Spencer are in even more fun as they are having a sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight! I'm sure that tomorrow there will be some fun pictures and stories of their adventures to share!

Career Day

Brian stays very busy each day. He finds nearly everything that catches his eye to be quite interesting! Lately there have been a few things that he has been doing that make me wonder what he will want to be when he grows up. He has a thing for picking up Walters paws and looking under them.......does he have a future as a vet?

Each time he crawls under his brother's exersaucer I keep waiting to hear him say "Can I check the oil for you?" Maybe mechanics are in the cards for him? It will sure be interesting to watch and find out!

In This Room......

.....is a napping Brian. That in itself is probably not blog worthy news. However, today was the first time that both boys took their naps (the morning as well as the afternoon nap) at the same time! Don't get me wrong, having two boys who are good nappers is wonderful! But, if it just so happened that they wanted to fall into the same nap routine - well, lets just say it would make for one VERY happy Mommy!

Tool of the Day!

Mommy came into the kitchen this morning for a cup of coffee. Brian and Daddy were in the middle of having breakfast and they were deeply engrossed in a conversation. It went a little something like this.

Brian: "So what are you working on today Daddy?"

Daddy: "Well Brian, I am going to be doing a lot of caulking today."

Brian: "What kind of tool did you have in mind to use?"

Daddy: "I was thinking of going with the Gordall 10.1 oz Half Round Cartridge Caulk Gun. What do you think?"

Brian: "Well, the Gordall 10.1 oz Half Round Cartridge Caulk Gun is an excellent tool, but did you say you have a lot of caulking to do?"

Daddy: "Yes, I have quite a bit to do."

Brian: "Like I said, Gordall makes an excellent Caulk Gun, but for a large job, I would go with the Work Force Professional Model JM-128CH 29 oz Smooth Rod Fast Flow Caulk Gun. It would really speed things up for you."

Daddy: "Brian, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input and fresh ideas.....once again, you have come up with an excellent suggestion. Do you happen to have one in your shop that I could borrow today?"

Brian: "Absolutely Daddy! Have a great day!"

Need A Lift?

Brian's Elmo car has always been one of his favorite toys. He hasn't really had any interest in riding it, instead he preferred to just sit beside it and push all the buttons. After a few minutes of pushing buttons, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. The devilish grin would come over his face, he would look around to make sure you were watching him, and then he would mount up - standing on the car. This would be the point where either Mommy or Daddy would swoop in and he would loose his driving privileges.

Recently, Brian has gotten wise to the fact that if he sits on the car like a big boy, he gets to continue playing with it! He has also figured out how to use his feet to scoot himself forward too! And I gotta tell you, it's a whole new world now that he's got his own set of wheels!

Is It Time For My Nap?????

Brian continues to be an excellent nap taker. Unless something comes up, his norm is to take two a day. Considering how quickly and easily he usually falls asleep, I think he looks forward to taking them too! For the past few days he has been doing something especially cute. When I ask him "Brian, is it time for a nap?", he smiles and then takes off running towards his room. He runs straight to his crib and puts his foot on the bottom rung like he's trying to climb in!

These Keys Should Work!

We heard that kids are little sponges who learn by what they see and what they hear. Case in point - Brian Thomas! Just from his observing our coming and going from the house he knows what keys are for and where they go! This morning he went into his toy box and pulled out his keys. From there he went straight to the front door and knew exactly what to do with them once he got there!

Clean as a Whistle!

Nothing feels better than putting on a pair of footy jammies after having a nice warm bath.....especially when the thermometer says that it's well below zero outside!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

We have mentioned Walters temperament around kids, but Jem is an extremely good natured cat around the boys too - around Brian in particular! She has continued to tolerate being poked, pulled and tugged as Brian starts catching on to the phrase "be gentle Brian". Jem has always been a fan of playing in box's and with two boys in diapers, we usually always have at last one Pampers box in the house! She is even willing to share her playtime in the box with a certain young man!

Mail's Here!

When today's mail came, there was a magazine that caught Brian's eye. After he had browsed it from cover to cover, he was ready to continue playing with his toys.

Tool of the Day!

Last week when we stopped by to visit Daddy at his job site, Brian couldn't help but notice the Gold Blatt #6704D Wet Saw Daddy had there. Knowing that he was going to use it to cut tile for the bathroom he was remodeling, Brian saw an opportunity to help Daddy out. "Daddy? I have found that when doing a job like this, it's sometimes easier to use a manual Tile Cutter. Personally, I would recommend the Nattco Model 22 Tile Cutter."

When Daddy got home today, he told Brian that he went with the manual Tile Cutter like he had suggested and he was able to get all of the tile cut in one day!

Back On The Homefront!

The second leg of our trip went fine and we arrived at home about 5:00 this evening. We had some concerns that we might be driving home in snow - but we beat the storm and had clear roads the whole way! Brian (as well and Mommy and Daddy) enjoy having a DVD player in the vehicle. Brian has a new thing that he's been doing lately though. When the movie starts, he covers his eyes like he is anticipating a slasher flick to play or something! He keeps an eye open through his fingers so he can still see the screen and as soon as the movie starts, the hands come down, he lights up and enjoys the show! It's very funny to watch!

Homeward Bound Travel Day 1

We left South Dakota this morning headed back to Iowa, or as it is affectionately known to us, our "we are half way there house"! Along the way today, we added two more locations onto our families quest to visit as many of the McDonald's Playlands across the country as humanly possible. We stopped in Mitchell South Dakota for lunch and before bedtime, we stopped by the Mason City Iowa Playland for an ice cream treat. Both locations had a slide which Brian quickly got the hang of. After a few runs at it with assistance, he was doing it all on his own.

He would climb up the steps.......

.....give a few triumphant smiles and laughs from the top.......

......then sit down, wiggle forward and slide on down!

Brian For President!

Since we were already in the state to attend Laurens baptism yesterday, we decided to stay an extra day so that we could take in a day at the Eighty Third Session of the South Dakota State Legislature. I don't know if a career in politics is in Brian's future, but he sure does love getting to come to the state Capital to watch Senator Grandpa in action! Below are some of the adventures he had today.

Brian (as well as Mommy and Spencer) got to sit next to Grandpa as the Senate went into session today and it was very exciting when Grandpa stood up and introduced us to everyone! In this picture, Brian is waving to the photographer (aka: Daddy) who was sitting upstairs in the Gallery with Grandma.

When the session was over, Brian and Spencer tried out Grandpa's desk. I wonder what kind of bills these two heads are coming up with!

And, no trip to the capital would be complete without stopping by to visit the man in charge! Thank you Governor Rounds for taking time from your busy schedule to see us!

Baby Lauren!

Today Brian (and the rest of his family) got to watch something very special. His new baby cousin Lauren Ann was baptised this morning! Can you tell that Mommy's brother is a very proud new Daddy?

Brian and his little brother Spencer wanted to have their picture taken with little Lauren too!

Welcome to the family Lauren....we are all anxious to get to know you better in the days, months and years to come!

Travel Log - Day 2

As we entered the second leg of the journey to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we stopped in Sioux Falls SD for lunch. We stopped at a place where Mommy worked a LONG long time ago! For the Illinois people reading this, Gigglebee's is something like Chuck E Cheese. Half of the place is a restaurant and the other half is an arcade. Once we placed our lunch order, we went to our table to wait for Wilbur - a robot coyote that rides a tricycle, (or as Daddy says, "a rat on a bike") to bring us our food. Since this is something a little out of the ordinary for Brian, we weren't sure how he would react. When Wilbur got to us, Brian gave him the once over, but other than that - he acted like he sees trike riding coyotes all the time!

Once we finished with lunch, we headed over to the children's area of the arcade to go on some rides.......

......which was VERY exciting!

Travel Log - Day 1

The destination of our first day of traveling was Clear Lake Iowa. At this point, we would be half way to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Even though Mommy and Daddy are with two excellent little travelers, we do still stop and take a nice break for lunch so that Brian can get out and stretch his legs for a while. Today's stop was at the McDonald's in Tomah WI. They didn't have a Playland, but they did have a video area designed for older kids. There were no kids playing with it while we were there and it did have one of Brian's all time favorite thing on it -BUTTONS to push! He didn't know what he was playing, but he sure had a great time with it all the same!

When we got to Clear Lake, we not only got to see Great Uncle Dave and Great Aunt Karrie, but we also went to a birthday party! The lovely Jessa was celebrating her 8th birthday today! Brian especially had a ball playing with her and her brother Nick! Jessa and Nick's Daddy and Brian's Daddy are cousins. Happy Birthday Jessa - and thank you for letting us come be a part of your party!

Tool of the Day!

Brian suggested to Mommy and Spencer that they go and pay a visit to Daddy today. He and Daddy had been talking the night before and apparently, there was some question as to the best way that Daddy should get some steel pins into the concrete floor he was going to be working on. Brian said that he would go with the Remington Model 495 - 32 Caliber Stud Gun.....of which he just happened to have out in the shop. Daddy thought it sounded like an excellent way to go, but ever the professional, Brian wanted to make sure for himself that everything was working out okay. When we got to the job site, Daddy confirmed that Brian's choice of the Stud Gun was working out perfectly!

***Brian and his family will be driving back to South Dakota tomorrow to meet baby Lauren for the first time! When we are on the road, we don't always have same day access to the internet to update the blog. Check back often though because there are some exciting things planned for this trip so there will be lots of stories and pictures to share!

Little People!

Brian and his brother Spencer had BIG fun today! Daddy was gone to work and Mommy had to go to an appointment so they got to spend the afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma! To make it even better, their cousins Krista and Erika came over to play for awhile in the afternoon too! Brian especially enjoyed showing Erika how his Little People Construction Site toy works! Krista isn't in the picture with them because she was in the kitchen showing Uncle Shawn how many states she can name and spell.

Lights Out!

At around 4:00am this morning, our neighborhood had a power outage. Fortunately, by about 10:00am the problem had been fixed and our lights were back on. But, in the meantime - Brian had a ball playing with a flashlight. It had all the makings of a great "Brian toy"because it had a button that turned it on and off! It was hysterical watching him shine the light on his refrigerator magnets as he played with them!

Sorting Laundry!

Daddy took the hamper down to the laundry room tonight. It went downstairs filled with laundry and came back upstairs filled with......Brian!

Happy Birthday!

Brian's cousin Haley officially turns 3 years old next Wednesday! Her grandparents invited us to their house today so that we could help her celebrate her birthday a little early. Hot on the heals of just opening Christmas gifts, Haley was an old pro at tearing apart wrapping paper! Brian (as well as all the other cousins) were all close at hand to make sure they had a good view of the activities!

Thanks for inviting us to your party - we all had a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Haley!

Ice Cream!

Last night Brian and Mommy tried out our Christmas gift - an ice cream maker. You fill a tube on the inside with the ingredients then add ice and rock salt to the ball. After several minutes of shaking/rolling the ball wha-laa.........ice cream! While we were shaking and rolling, I got the impression that Brian prefers the faster service from Dairy Queen, but he didn't complain as he gobbled up our freshly made vanilla ice cream!

Put Me In Coach!

Ever since Brian was a baby, his Grandpa has told him that he needs to grow up to be a left handed relief pitcher. While Grandpa and Grandma were here for a visit today, Brian tried on his hat. I may be wrong, but it looks like Grandpa even has the team picked out that Brian could pitch for! He looks awful cute in White Sox team colors......but then, what DOESN'T he look cute in?

Removal Day

Daddy doesn't have the opportunity to accompany the boys to their doctor appointments very often. However, since he was working at home today, he took a break so that he could take Brian to have his stitches removed. The doctor said that his gash is healing very nicely but since it is still pretty fresh, it could re-open easily. To help avoid that, she put a couple butterfly bandages on it and said to keep a band aid on it for another 5 days or......as long as he will leave them on. He did a great job letting the doctor remove the stitches, so well in fact that she even remarked that he was better at doing this than most of her older patients are!

***Due to Brian's doctor appt today, he wasn't able to get out into his shop. But fear not, his Tool of the Day segment will return next week!

It's A Girl!

When Brian woke up this morning, Mommy and Daddy gave him the exciting news that he has a brand new baby cousin! At 7:05 pm on New Years Day, Uncle Seth (Mommy's brother) and Aunt Ann welcomed the lovely Lauren Ann into the world! Talk about a GREAT way to start off a new year huh? After she and her Mommy enjoyed some hospital room service, it was time to meet some people.

Here is a picture of Lauren with one person who was particularly anxious to her, her big brother Nolan! Since Brian has 4 months of "how to be a big brother" experience on his resume, he said that should Nolan have any questions, he will be available to field them for him. Congratulations to Lauren and her family......we are looking forward to meeting you very soon!

Happy New Year!

As Father Time (aka: Brian) bids goodbye to 2007 and hello to 2008, he would like to wish each of you a very Happy New Year!

*Parental Disclaimer* - Due to the fact that Brian wasn't very cooperative during the taking of this picture, we think that he may be getting wise to some of the silly antics of his parents. In fact, in a few years, we are completely expecting that he will probably want to sit down to have a nice long discussion with us about some of these pictures. In our defense, we have promised him that he won't have to pose for another Baby New Year/Father Time EVER again though!