Hats Off to You!

Daddy has been beside himself because he thought he had lost his favorite summer time hat. He finally found it and the boys helped to celebrate by both taking turns wearing it around the house!

More Fun In the Sun!

We have mentioned before that Brian is part fish. If you needed visual proof of that statement......here you go! No matter what adult he is in the pool with, he is still required to wear "muscles" to help him float on the surface of the water.

Yesterday, his muscles gave him the added courage to try to swim on his own - and - he DID it!

Pool Side!

The kids in VBS made tie dyed shirts as one of their craft projects. At church today the kids wore their shirts as they sang some of the songs they learned. Brian and Spencer got shirts too but the concept of "tie-dye" was lost on Brian. As soon as Daddy put it on him he looked down at himself and said "Daddy, I'm a mess!"

After church, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to take naps so that we could take advantage of the beautiful day by taking a swim! It's especially fun to slide into the pool!

Jem-bo

Our cat Jem has been affectionately referred to as Jembo for so long now that the boys think that is her name! Spencer is still refining his gentle petting technique but Brian has made a great deal of progress in this area. That being said, if she has her choice, Jem is much inclined to spend quality time with Brian right now.

The Park!

As Spencer already told you, we went to a new park yesterday. Brian had a good time too and here are a couple of his highlights from the afternoon.

When the boys got into the splash pad area, unlike Spencer, Brian was a little hesitant to get wet right away. As soon as he noticed how much fun everyone else was having though - he was soon soaked to the skin too!

Brian had no problem navigating his way around the playground equipment. If it could be climbed - he went up it. If there was a slide - he came down it!

Tool of the Day!

It takes more than just an arsenal of good tools to get the job done. It also takes time, dedication, some talent is handy and most importantly..........a good supervisor! Playing the roll of the job site supervisor today is, Brian Thomas! Daddy has been working at the same location doing several jobs for this customer. He has remodeled their kitchen and two of their bathrooms. Since the job is almost complete, Brian wanted to verify that the work had been done well. He first checked out the railing that Daddy had installed. It was sanded smoother than Spencer's bottom, the spindles were all installed according to code and in general, the work looked very nice.

Having approved of the work so far, Brian went upstairs to check out the master bathroom. Vanity, lights, medicine cabinet, toilet and shower.......all receiving the "certified by BT" stamp of approval! Daddy gathered his tools and finished cleaning up because he and Mommy needed to get to an appointment. They are going to the closing of our new house this afternoon.

Boo-Boo Brian Style!

Mommy is gone every evening this week for VBS. Daddy can definitely make dinner but now that the boys are a little older, they like to "help". Tonight they were making waffles. Brian helped mix up the batter while Daddy got the waffle iron ready. Brian has been given the warning message about a hundred times. He heard the warning message a couple more times tonight too. "Brian, don't touch the waffle iron because it is hot."

Aparently a hundred plus warnings are not enough because in this picture, Brian is showing off the brand new blister he got when touched the waffle iron anyway.

Bucket Heads!

Since it was so hot and humid outside today, Mommy and the boys spent most of the day inside where we could enjoy the air conditioning. It's very easy for Brian and his brother to find a variety of ways to keep busy. There are books to be read. There are toys to be played with. Or.......you can just dump the toys out of the toy box so that you can make the bins into these snazy hats!

Deck Party!

Since we weren't able to go to South Dakota to celebrate with her in person, we had a little front deck party in honor of Grandma's birthday today! Brian is getting to be very experienced with his birthday phone call greetings. Not only did he wish Grandma a happy birthday - he also sang to her! Happy Birthday Grandma.......hopefully we can have a belated celebration in person very soon!

Today's Brian quote: As he was riding up and down the hallway on his toy bike Mommy asked if he was driving his car. He responded "No Mommy, it's a bicycle." Mommy stands corrected!

I Love My Daddy!

Brian got Fathers Day off to a start this morning by "helping" Daddy open his gifts! After church, brunch and naps had been taken, we drove over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We were looking forward to spending the afternoon with some of the other fathers in our family......like Grandpa, Uncle Kevin and Uncle Colin! One of the high points for Brian was getting some one on one time with his incredible Daddy playing in the pool together! Happy Fathers Day Daddy.......I love you very very much!

Park Outing!

A couple days ago Spencer discussed his thoughts on a new park we went to. Spencer wasn't alone on his park outing and here are a couple pictures of Brian's adventure at the Scott Dale Park in Wheaton IL.

Number 49? WOW!!!

Brian, as well as Mommy, Daddy and Spencer would like to send HUGE Happy Anniversary well wishes off to South Dakota for Grandma and Grandpa. They are celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary today and all we can say is.......WOW! Brian got on the phone to give them his own personalized celebration message which went something like this. "Happy birthday-versary Grandma and Grandpa!"

Tool of the Day!

So you want to break up some concrete in your floor and get a nice upper body vibrating massage at the same time? Then pull out a Bosch Brute model 611-304 15 amp 120 volt electric jack hammer and get to work. Not only will you have your concrete smashed up in no time, you should be able to feel that cool tingling sensation in your arms for at least the rest of the day!

How Do You Spell Naughty????

Today it's spelled.......

B - R - I - A - N!

Yes, that is the book shelf in his room that he has crawled up onto.

Hello? is there anybody out there?

Brian: " Hi Gramma D?"

Gramma D: Yes Brian?

Brian: " Can Spencer have a sleep over all next week?















Brian : Hi Gramma H?

Gramma H: Yes Brian?

Brian: Can Spencer have a sleep over week after next?












Brian: Wow! It working! I only have to call 50 more people!

Two Monkeys

Here is a picture of a monkey wearing a monkey shirt.

This is a stick up!!

The other day Daddy was playing with Brian and Spencer when he decided to take a hostage and rob the cash register.

Ok maybe not one of Daddy's best ideas..........
But Brian and Spencer were good sports about it.

Mount Brian

When the boys play in Brian's bedroom, it's not unusual for Mommy to hear an occasional THUMP every now and then. Today's THUMP was different than others she has heard. There was no crying this time which is a good thing. The fact that they had managed to tip over the recliner so that they could turn it into their own personal jungle gym......not so good!

Brian Knows Best!

Much of what Spencer is learning right now (ie: numbers and letters) is due to the amount of time Brian spends reciting them. Even though Spencer is learning (or maybe memorizing is a better word), Brian is still determined that he learn correctly. Yesterday, the boys were watching a video that had numbers on it. Spencer started counting along with it.

Spencer: "Seven....eight....ten!"

Brian: "No Spencer, that's a nine!"

Another day, Spencer was thirsty and he grabbed a sippy cup of water.

Spencer: "Milk!"

Brian: "No Spencer, that's not milk it's water."

Tool of the Day!

Since our house is on the market, Brian is always on the lookout for any little home repair projects that might need taken care of. He found one today while he was in Daddy's shop. The garage door needed tightened up a little bit.

With his Sunex model SX 300 3/8" air ratchet with a Craftsmen 7 /16" short socket, it was a quick and easy fix!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Brian has books read to him before bedtime, but not normally before nap time. Sometimes, a guy just needs to hear a good story before he can settle in for a nap though. When that happens, Brian just grabs a a book from his book shelf and reads it himself. When Mommy peeked in on Brian a little later, this is what she saw. A sleeping boy - buried under his book! There was even an indentation in his forehead where the book was!

The Big Brother

Mommy and Daddy generally take turns each night as to which parent reads to which boy at bedtime. Spencer is still happy with whatever book(s) you read him but Brian has established some favorites. Granted, some of Brian's favorites aren't necessarily Mommy and Daddy's faves but that's okay. Since they both are establishing a love for books and reading - Mommy and Daddy can continue to suck it up and read whatever they like!

Brian is also comprehending and remembering a lot more of what he hears. For example, yesterday the boys were both playing in Brian's room. After awhile Mommy heard words that sounded very familiar. Sure enough, they were sitting in the recliner and Brian was "reading" to Spencer. He was "reading" by memory of course but he was getting a lot of the words right - word for word!

I Draw!

A few days ago, I believe Mommy was mentioning how we have too many toys. While this is a true statement, you can't just pass up a great deal you find at a yard sale can you?

This easel is a chalk board on one side with a place to attach a piece of paper on the other side. In Mommy's opinion - any toy that BOTH boys can play with at the same time without any need for an argument/pushing and/or shoving is well worth $5.00!

I'm Online!

What has this world come to when Mommy and Daddy make a special trip to an electronics store today to buy a $50 wireless USB adaptor so that their TWO YEAR OLD can get on the Internet! In our defense, we would need this adaptor when we move into our new house anyway.......but still! In addition to several computer games that Brian plays, he is now navigating his way around PBSkids.org and SproutOnline.com!

Sing Along.....You Know The Words!

One of the favorite songs on both Brian and Spencer's lips lately has been "Happy Birthday". With the assistance of the spindles from the doors in the living room, their imaginations have taken them one step further. Picture this. Last night Brian stood at one end of the room holding the spindles in his hands. He insisted that Mommy "sing the song" so she sang "happy birthday to you......happy birthday to you......". While she sang, he slowly walked across the room to her - holding the candles (aka: spindles) out like they were burning away on top of a cake. When he reached the other side of the room he holds them out to Mommy for her to blow out.

I'm not sure why we buy these kids toys......they have more fun just using their imaginations!

Don't Poke Your Eye Out!

Our house has been on the market for one month. It has also been about one month now that we have been enjoying Brian's "terrible two" stage! Mommy has heard a couple different theory's on this stage. 1) "Don't worry, it won't last long and before you know it, you will get your little boy back! 2) "The two's are nothing - wait until he turns three, that's when it really gets bad!

Brian turns 3 in just under three months and all I can say is this; if this stage continues until then - or longer????? Mommy may have a nervous breakdown!

That being said, when most parents see their children shoving sticks (aka: spindles from a door in the living room) through a mail slot at eye level, they would stop them. However, when those children are having the time of their lives and entertaining themselves long enough for Mommy to make dinner........this parent decided to just leave well enough along!

Tool of the Day!

You have probably heard of Christmas in July.......but mittens in June???? Absolutely........as long as we are talking about a pair of Stanley Model 2855 Ladder Mitts that is!

The Park!

A realtor scheduled a showing of our house today so we needed to disappear for awhile. Mommy went to run some errands while Daddy and the boys headed over to the park. They swung on the swings. They played in the sandbox. They rode all of the slides.

While Spencer was busy imitating something Brian had just done, our fearless boy was off to try something new and even more dangerous. With no fear or hesitation, Brian climbed right up these.....I'm not even sure what to call these things! He went up these curved metal steps that led him from the ground back up to the top of the slide. Brian went up like he had done it a million times. It's only a matter of time before Spencer wants to climb this too!

A Basket Full of Fun!

Brian thinks its hysterical to stow away in the laundry basket when Daddy brings it back upstairs. He (and often times Spencer too) will hide......laughing and giggling the whole time until Mommy "finds" them!

Brian has always had an amazing belly laugh......when he starts, it's contagious!

My Boo-Boo!

It was bound to happen and it finally has. Brian gets bumps, bruises and scuffs all the time. When he skinned his knee in a parking lot last week however, it was declared an official boo-boo. There was no blood but he was very upset until Mommy suggested we put a band aid on it. Presto-whamo........it suddenly became his badge of honor! After 6 days and several replacement band aids, Daddy was finally able to convince Brian that his boo-boo was all gone and that he didn't need a band aid anymore. Oddly enough, he never messed with his band aids. He would point it out to us to remind us that he had it, but he never picking at them or tried to take them off. In fact, the only reason we needed to keep replacing them was because they would lost their "stick" and come off on their own!