Are You Smarter Than A 19 Month Old?

As we have mentioned before, our little climber (aka: Brian Thomas) figured out how to crawl out of his crib. To make sure he didn't continue doing this and possibly hurt himself in the process, Daddy rigged up an additional slat that can be added/removed from the front of the crib. This was working great until Brian figured out how to pull the pin so that he could remove the slat himself!

Determined not to be outsmarted by his son, Daddy went back to the drawing board and came up with plan......C or D, I can't remember which one we are up to now! Whichever it is, we are very happy to report that so far, Daddy is still able to say "Yes, I am smarter than a 19 month old!"

Children's Museum!

Yesterday was the perfect day for a family outing. Since we had such a good time with Uncle Corey at the Minnesota Children's Museum last November, we decided to visit another one. We went to the Kohls Children's Museum which is located in Glenview Illinois. They have a large area designed just for toddlers with lots of hands on activities for them to play with. Brian had a great time in the Clifford the Big Red Dog special exibit, especially the concession stand! After he made his little brother a hamburger, he found the buttons on the cash register.....need we say more!

He made stops at the vet clinic, the day care and the sandwhich shop. He was a little hesitant about the water works area since a small spray of water hit him when we walked into it. But, within seconds he was up to his elbows in the water exhibits and having a ball!





One of the most histerical areas to watch him in was the grocery store. At first, he started taking items off the shelves and putting them in other kids shopping carts! Once he got his own cart though, he got right to work filling it up and working his way to the check out lane.


After a full afternoon, it was time to head for home for a nap. Before we left though, we had to make one final stop at the face painting booth!

101 uses for a Radio Flyer box!

And Last but not least what would Lawerance Welk be without.......BOX SEATS!

Little Boy BIG Dreams! (and I'm 19 months old today!)

The boys had some money from Christmas set aside for a wagon.

Since warm weather is right around the corner we decided to see what Brian had in mind for a wagon.........

Well it's not quite as big as he wanted, but the boys seem very happy with it!

Tool of the Day!

While Brian and his Daddy were having dinner tonight, they started discussing the tools of their trade (a somewhat normal conversation for a Tool of the Day Thursday). Tonights conversations went a little something like this:

Daddy: "Do you do much laminate rolling Brian?"

Brian: "Oh sure Daddy, I've rolled my share of laminate, why do you ask?"

Daddy: "I'm in the market for a new roller.......do you have any suggestions?"

Brian: "Speaking for myself, I've had some very positive results from my Gundlach Model 333 High Pressure Laminate Roller, here - give it a try!"

Ker- Plop!

Brian has found a new game that adds some entertainment value to our household. He backs up (literally) into the kitchen to get into position. Mommy or Daddy say "ready....set.......GO!" and as soon as he hears the word, he chimes in "go, go go, go..." as he runs into the living room to flop onto the pillow on the floor. This is followed by lots of giggles and smiles - from Brian AND his parents!

Go Fish!

A sippy cup full of milk and a handful of gold fish crackers.....all the makings for a very yummy snack. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

More Water Please!

We had dinner out with Grandma and Grandpa tonight. Brian is a champ with his sippy cup, but he loves to experiment too. Tonight, Brian had fun drinking some of Grandma's ice water from her spoon.

Thanks for coming to spend Easter with us Grandma and Grandpa.......we love you both very very much!

Happy Easter!

After taking a brief post church nap, Brian got ready to be the host for our Easter dinner. After playing with his cousins and having his dinner, he was ready for the Easter egg hunt! Since our back yard was currently covered with snow, the egg hunt was relocated to the basement. It didn't seem to bother Brian though!

And opening the eggs to see what treasure was hidden inside them was almost as much fun as finding them!

Egg-a-palooza!

Brian took his family over to Grandma and Grandpa's house today to color Easter eggs. This was the second time he has done this so he is a seasoned professional!

Being the good sport that he is, he is still willing to let Daddy "help" him.

Snuggle Time

Brian is cutting some new teeth and has also picked up a bit of a cold. The two combined would make anyone feel kind of miserable. Although he's being a trooper, sometimes the best medicine is some quiet time. Grandpa and his fuzzy blue blanket can help to make everything feel better though!

Tool of the Day!

In honor of today being the first day of spring, Daddy consulted with Brian and suggested that he say goodbye to old man winter in a big symbolic way. So, Brian said, "Why don't we move the Ariens model 922003 2 stage 4 speed snowblower into the storage shed.........

......and put the Craftsman 6.0 horsepower 22 inch blade self propeled model 376290 mulching lawnmower into the garage instead!"

PS: No more had this equipment swap taken place when our weatherman said that we are in a spring snowstorm watch........with 6 to 9 inch's of snow possible!

New Toy!

Brian and Spencer received a Christmas present of a slide for the back yard. After Daddy (and Brian) finished raking the yard last weekend, Daddy put the slide together. Needless to say......it has been a big hit with Brian!

A Budding Artist!

Mommy was writing a few things down today and Brian was determined to get the pencil out of her hand. Since he had a one track mind on the subject, Mommy gave him his own piece of paper and his crayons. Today was the first time that he used them and he did a nice job! As with all 18 month olds though, his attention span was brief. After playing with them for a while, he started to nibble on them. At that point Mommy decided that he was more interested in dinner than in coloring!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Is it that time of the year already????? Judging from my watch (well, actually it's my Daddy's watch)......Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Daddy's Little Helper

Daddy raked the back yard today and at his side was his faithful assistant........Brian Thomas!

Playtime with Elizabeth!!!!!!

This morning while Mommy was in a meeting and Daddy was helping with our church's spring cleaning, Brian got a very special treat. He got to spend the whole morning playing with his very special girl.....Elizabeth!

Normally, he only gets to have a short visit with her each week, so he was absolutely thrilled that he got to play with her all morning! Thank you very much Elizabeth......my Mommy and Daddy knew that if I got to hang out with you, I would be in excellent hands!

Cabin Fever!

It was an absolutely beautiful day today, the kind of day that is perfect for going for a nice walk! Brian started out on his bike but by the time we got to the end of the driveway, Daddy thought we might be better off going with the double stroller.

As luck would have it, our walk just happened to cross paths with our local Dairy Queen!

Tool of the Day!

Brian overheard Daddy telling Mommy that he was going to be hanging some drywall today. Without missing a beat, Brian ran out to his shop and got something for Daddy to use. "Daddy, if you are going to hang drywall, you should use my Johnson Rockripper #RTS24 Drywall Scoring Square! It's real easy - you just lay it up against the wall like......well, just watch me!"


Once again, Brian came through with some excellent advice for Daddy. Frankly, it's a wonder Daddy was able to get any work done before Brian was around!

Random Cute Picture

It's been a while since we posted a "random cute picture" so.......here ya go! Brian was playing with the silverware to the toy kitchen when Mommy asked if he was ready for lunch. Brian ran into the kitchen, grabbed his bib and brought his bib back to Mommy for her to put it on him. She decided that ment he probably was ready for lunch!

Righty or Lefty

Brian is showing more independence at mealtime. Breakfast in particular is one meal that he likes to do on his own. As long as he has a good grip on the spoon, he does a very good job getting his oatmeal all the way to his mouth! Daddy had to get to work a little earlier today so Mommy filled in making Brian's breakfast. While he was eating, Mommy was curious if he favors using one hand over the other. He started with his right hand.........

.......and midway through, he switched to his left. I think both of Brian's Grandpa's are quietly rooting for the left hand. Grandpa Tom is already a "southpaw", and being left handed would probably be very beneficial if you are to become a left handed relief pitcher like Grandpa Paul is suggesting he do!

Brian would also like to wish a Happy Happy Birthday to two very special people. First and foremost......UNCLE COREY!!!!!! Have a wonderful birthday today and I can't wait to see you again - hopefully sometime very soon! Uncle Corey shares a birthday with someone else who Brian is very fond of........Lawrence Welk! Were he alive, Mr. Welk would have been 104 years old today. In honor of them both.....everyone.....all together......"And a one-e and a two-e......Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Uncle Corey and Lawrence.........Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!"

How Do You Wants Your Eggs?

On loan from Uncle Guy and Aunt June's toy collection, Brian is having a ball playing with this kitchen set! He especially enjoys being able to turn these stove knobs without being told "NO"!

Lets Have A Talk!

While Brian was at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a visit today, he took a break from playing with his cousins to sit down and have a talk with Uncle Guy (aka: Uncle Kevin). I wonder what they were discussing. The Presidential race? The economy? The White Sox spring training camp? Or maybe Brian was refreshing Uncle Guy of how the chorus to 'She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain' goes - it is one of Brian's favorite songs!

Going My Way?

Mommy isn't sure who gets more excited when they see a new empty diaper box in the house.......Brian or Daddy! Brian loves playing with them, but Daddy sees a new design in every box! Today's creation is.......the race car! The train engine box you see in the background has now been retired.

Grandparents Day!

Brian and Spencer's cousins had a couple special guests come to their school today to participate in the schools "Grandparent's Day". Afterwords, since they were already in the neighborhood, they stopped by here so that "Grandparent's Afternoon" could continue at our house!

Tool of the day!

It must be Thursday!

Daddy came home from work today to find Brian checking out the cabinet installation.

"Hey Daddy, these cabinets are half a bubble off plumb!"

Daddy pointed out that one side of the level was sitting on a noodle that must have been left over from lunch.

Needless to say Brian was relieved that Daddy wasn't losing his touch. We didn't bother to mention that Daddy installed those cabinets about ten years before he was born.

Today's tool of the day is so big that it takes two boys to hold it up, so here is Brian and Brian holding the Johnson model 1972 6' wood level.

I'll Take What's Behind Door #3!

Who is behind door #3????

Well it looks like one Brian Thomas! These doors are a source of great entertainment for him. He knows how to (and frequently does) remove all of the spindles that he can reach.....which are all of the spindles that you can see in this picture!

Mommy and Daddy don't encourage the crashing open and slaming shut of these doors since that activity has been known to be accompanied by a pinched finger and streams of tears. This face is much more enjoyable so with the aid of a distracting toy, Brian usually looses interest in the doors fairly quickly.