Snap - Crackle - Brian!

Give a child a toy and watch him be more interested to play with the box it came in. The same can be said for an empty cereal box, especially one that Daddy magically turned into a hat!

Need A Lift?

Brian was having some fun pushing his little brother's high chair around (with his little brother in it of course!) He's no fool though and when he saw Daddy, he wasted no time jumping on the high chair so that Daddy could do the pushing and both boys could take a ride!

I'm 20 Months Old!

This picture is from our recent trip to the zoo. While Brian was enjoying the playground, our little climbers eye caught the children's size climbing wall, he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame!

Great Grandma In The House!

Brian is very happy to report that Great Grandma Dorothy is back from spending the winter in Arizona! She will head back home to Iowa in a few days so we took advantage of a fun filled day with her today!

If you put Great Grandma, Grandma, Daddy, Brian and his little brother all together, what do you get? You get a picture with 4 generations in it!

A Chilly Fun Run!

Brian got his little brother and Mommy over to his cousin's school for their Fun Run this morning. Unfortunately once we arrived we took a vote and decided that due to the cold temperature we would hang out at the finish line long enough to cheer our running cousin's in and then head for the warmth of home.

Hats off to cousin Krista who not only ran an outstanding race herself, but also encouraged her own Daddy as he made his way through the race too!

Startin' Young!

Is there anything cuter than a little baseball fan? No update on which hand Brian is favoring yet. We are still anticipating that he will go with the left since his Grandpa told him he should be a left handed relief pitcher when he grows up!

Tool of the Day!

Last week we mentioned that the tool of the day would be a two parter. This week, Brian's tool choice was one that he needed in order to repair the hole he made in the wall. The repair was made during Daddy's work day since today was "Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day"! Brian first identified the area where the repair was needed......

.....then he spread a thin layer of mud (it's a technical term) over the damaged area using his Dunkirk Model 2307 6-inch putty knife.

He had so much fun working with this tool that when Daddy wasn't looking, Brian smashed his fingers into the wet mud just so that he could even it out with his putty knife again!

Hide & Seek!

Apparently our little climbing boy Brian took notes when we were visiting the monkeys at the zoo last weekend. He can crawl up the back of his brothers high chair so gracefully that until he starts to giggle, you hardly even notice he's there!

Hum A Happy Tune!

As his shirt says, Grandpa sings in a barbershop quartet and Brian shares that love for music! When Brian listens to a song that he likes, he starts tapping his toe or clapping along with the beat! If the song meets with his approval, it will get applause and sometimes even a bow (which is so cute to watch!) Sometimes during church, he has started to sing some "la la la's" as well. He does an amazing job of knowing when to chime in and when to stop!

Theres No Place Like Home!

Just click your red socks together three times and.......oh wait, you are already home. When Daddy put Brian's "jambies" on him last night, he got to pick out the socks he wanted to wear. It required no deliberation at all.....he grabbed this pair of red ones immediately!

Driver, To The Zoo Please!

Today's wonderful weather gave Brian a good excuse to put his Brookfield Zoo family membership to use again! We decided to bring the Baby Bjorn along so that Brian's younger brother Spencer could ride in it when we went into some of the indoor (non stroller) exhibit areas. Since Brian doesn't weigh much more than Spencer, he gave it a test run for his brother.

Brian was very interested in watching the monkeys (not surprising - he was probably looking for some new ideas on how to get out of his crib!) Kangaroos, camels, bison and elephants were just a few of the animals he saw today. This picture was taken outside of the pachyderm house......you can't see the elephants very well from this picture, but Brian sure could!

While Spencer had a snack, Brian and Daddy hit the children's playground - which Brian LOVED! He laughed his belly laugh each time he went up the steps to the slide and even more as he slid down! The only down side to the playground was when we had to leave it! Don't worry Brian.....we will be back!

Thank You Little Bro!

While Brian was finishing up taking his nap this morning, Spencer and Mommy went on a little adventure to a local art and craft show. While there, Spencer asked the clown who was making balloon animals if he would make one for his big brother. Brian thought it was pretty cool that his brother brought him back a special treat and since he had so much fun having his own quality Daddy time this afternoon, he decided that he would share the balloon dog on a leash with Spencer!

Baby Sitting with Brian

Brian and his brother had a very special babysitter this evening........their cousin Erika! It's always great fun when she comes to play and this evening was no exception! Thanks for helping wear me Erika.....and just so you know, Mommy said that I slept like a log when I went to bed tonight!

Tool of the Day!

Have you heard the phrase "If you break it, you bought it"? The phrase at our house today was "If you break it, you FIX it!" The doorknob sized ding in the wall behind the front door is growing larger and larger as Brian continues to find great amusement in slamming the door against that wall. To make sure that a lesson was learned, Daddy insisted that Brian install the new doorstop himself. Even though he only needed to use a 6 inch Craftsman Drop Forged Model 1378 Cresent Wrench, for purposes of helping his blog viewers visualize the tool better, he instead used a 12 inch Craftsman Drop Forged Model 6238 Cresent Wrench.

Tool of the Day Coming Attractions: Tune in next week as Brian uses the Dunkirk Model 2307 6-inch putty knife to repair the hole he made in the wall with the door knob!

When's Lunch?

Brian understands that he needs to wear a bib when he eats. Since he shares some of his meals with Walter when he "accidentally" drops a few bites off the side of his high chair, it only seems fair that he should have to wear a bib too!

Dear Uncle Sam......

Please send me a giant refund check because I have been a very good boy this year. (I don't know what a refund check is, but the word on the playground is that everyone wants one and today is the last day to ask for it.) Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Brian Thomas

Super Hero Monday!

This may look like mild mannered Brian Thomas, but it's really.........

Upside Down Boy! Able to leap a pile of diapers in a single bound! We wish that these blogs had volume so that you could hear Brian's adorable belly laugh he lets out when he becomes this super hero!

Yes I Take Requests!

While Brian was watching his favorite program last night (yes, that would be The Lawrence Welk Show) he did something new. He was watching a man play the piano and about half way through the song Brian went over to the exersaucer and started play his own "piano"! As soon as the song ended, Brian stopped playing too. This kid doesn't miss a thing that he sees!

Vroooooom!

Brian was on hand to cheer his cousin's Krista and Erika on as they raced their pinewood derby cars today. He was very excited watching the cars speed down the track...pointing and clapping for the winners! Even though neither Krista or Erika won their races, Brian said that not only were they great sports, they had the best looking cars by far! Since derby cars are only about 6 inch's long and weigh about 5 ounces, Brian knew he couldn't ride any of them. This little car caught his eye but apparently he left his driver's license in his other diaper bag so he had to settle for just looking at it instead of taking it for a spin!

Is That Tatoo?

Jem was quietly sleeping in one of her favorite places this morning when Brian stopped by for a chat. Suddenly, he heard something outside........"Look Jem, de plane de plane!"

Much to Brian's surprise, Jen wasn't all that excited about the airplane sighting.

Tool of the Day!

You have to admit that for a 19 month old, Brian is quite a talented craftsman (as anyone who follows his Tool of the Day posts knows!) But Brian is also a humble boy who understands that there is more than one way to get any job done as well as that you are never too old to learn something new. So, with that in mind, today's tool of the day segment is actually a "Tip" of the day that he learned from Daddy! The job that Daddy was working on today involved installing insulation. If you have ever done this kind of work, you know that it is a very "itchy" job. Brian has never worked with insulation personally, but he has heard that you want to be careful not to rub the glass from the dust into your skin when you clean up. Daddy told him that this is true but that he knew a trick that can help to avoid any potential clean up problems. The trick is to use some shaving cream! Just spray it on and the foam will lift any little pieces of glass away from your skin. How cool is that?!?! Brian wanted to give you an example of just how easy it is to do this........okay, so he may have gone just a TINY bit overboard with the shaving cream but hey, there's nothing wrong with making bath time fun right??? Thanks for the tip Daddy!

and one more thing...............Happy Birthday Uncle Colin!!!!!

All Aboard!

When Walter heard that Mommy and the boys were going for a wagon ride this afternoon, he grabbed his leash and asked if he could come along. Apparently our long stroll tired the ol' guy out because by the end of our walk he sure didn't pass up his chance to be an additional passenger on this wagon train!

Say Cheese!

Our little ham (aka: Brian Thomas) took a moment to mug for the camera before he climbed into his brothers pack n play. Shortly after this picture was taken, Brian was forceably removed from said pack n play......several times in fact. You gotta give the kid credit, when he gets into his head that he wants to do something, he is very determined to do it!

Lets Take A Ride!

Mommy and the boys did some shopping at Sams Club today. If you can't tell from the picture, Brian was in charge of holding the membership card for Mommy today - a very important job! While we were there he did the cutest thing. Shortly before we left the store, Spencer started to cry. Brian looked over, put his arm around him and rubbed his little brothers head. Spencer immediately stopped crying - but Mommy almost started to after watching that!

Lions & Tigers & Bears.....Oh My!

Taking advantage of our 65 degree weekend weather, we decided to spent the afternoon at the Brookfield Zoo today! Brian has always enjoyed going on our various outings, but it was a lot of fun to see that he was much more aware of his surrounding today. He pointed to the animals as he saw them move and he thought the seals and sea lions were hysterical as they swam past him! We would love to show you some pictures from our day but since Mommy forgot the camera at home, how about a picture of one tired boy! Actually that brings us to a very funny story. Since he was short a nap today, Mommy and Daddy planned on putting him to bed a little earlier than normal. About 7:00, he went over by his little brother and waved to him, then gave Daddy a hug and kiss, then gave Mommy a hug and kiss, and then went to his bedroom. Mommy and Daddy looked at each other and said "I guess he's ready for bed!" Brian has always been very good about going to bed but tonight was the first time that he decided for himself that it was bedtime!

Brush-A-Brush-A-Brush

Although it looks like he is being tortured in this picture, Brian actually enjoys having his teeth brushed! He is very cooperative when he hears the command to "open please" and so far is willing to let Mommy or Daddy do the work for him. I'm sure he be wanting to be the one doing all the brushing before long though!

Meet The Webmaster!

You didn't actually think that Mommy or Daddy were the ones putting this blog together did you?

Tool of the Day!

When Brian woke up from his nap today he wondered where his Daddy was. His truck was in the driveway but Daddy was no where in sight. Figuring that he was probably out in the shop, he asked Mommy if they could go out and see if he needed any help with anything. Sure enough, Daddy was having trouble with his Porter Cable 150 PSI Model 1430 Pancake Air Compressor. Relieved to see that Brian was up from his nap, Daddy was anxious to get his thoughts on the situation. Brian looked it over and then pointed out the problem. "Daddy, your belt is broken! I bet that we could run out and pick up a new Good Year CAC-1342 Super Torque belt - probably for under $10.00!" Once again.....Brian was exactly right and has once again saved the day! What did Daddy ever do before Brian was born? I guess we'll never know.

The Three B's

The "bebe", the blanket and the Brian!

Brian still uses his bebe when he takes his naps and at bedtime but over the past few weeks Mommy and Daddy have put the "out of sight out of mind" practice into place during the daytime and have had very positive results! We always keep an emergency backup bebe available for when we go on an outing but for the most part, he does very well without it. At the moment he is having a tough time cutting some new teeth so all bets are currently off and he is being given daytime bebe use whenever he wants it. If chewing on it can give him any comfort whatsoever, it's well worth it!

Power Nap!

This is how Mommy found Brian "relaxing" during his morning nap today. If Mommy or Daddy slept in some of the positions that Brian gets himself into......we wouldn't be able to walk the next day!

After waking up refreshed from his nap, Brian went outside and cleaned up the garage for his Daddy, threw in a couple loads of laundry for Mommy and then headed into his kitchen to whip up a little snack for his brother.

Unfortunately, Daddy and Mommy were the recipients of an April Fools trick since the garage didn't get cleaned and the laundry didn't get done - at least, not by Brian!