Our new sandcastle.....I mean sandbox.

Papa Bob & Grandma Shari gave Brody (and the rest of the family) a sandbox for his birthday. We (Papa Bob & Brad) finally put the sandbox together. Brody keeps calling it the sandcastle but LOVES playing in it. We are so thankful that we had help putting it together.

The first step....assembling the box.




Digging a hole for the sandbox.



Moving the sandbox in...




Grandma Shari and Colt making sure the job is being done correctly.





Carrying the sand to the sandbox (I don't know why the picture is crooked...sorry)






Finally playing in the sandbox. (another crooked picture)



Yes, Brody is in his underwear. We didn't have any clean shorts for him and it was a hot day.

Practicing New Tricks

During Colt's afternoon nap I heard him making some unusual noises. He wasn't crying but was awake after a very quick snooze. I went to check on him and looked in to see him sitting up in his crib! This is the first time that he has pulled himself up to a sitting position. He looked back at me with a smile on his face and it was accompanied by a nice aroma in the air.

After I changed his diaper I put him back down to go to sleep. Within 15 minutes he was making the same noises so I went in to check on him and sure enough he was sitting up again.

This evening he was having a tough time going to bed. We let him cry for a little while but he wasn't falling asleep. I went in to check on him and he was STANDING up in his crib. (I'm so glad I started putting the railing up) These are only signs that full mobility is right around the corner.

Belated Mother's Day

Ok... I didn't have a belated Mother's Day. I'm just posting it late. Here is a quick recap.

I told Brad I did not want breakfast in bed and I enjoy waking up with the boys so I didn't need to sleep in. Obviously Colt overheard this conversation and woke up at 6:30 (very unusual for him). As my sister would say "they just want to spend more time with us on Mother's day."

Brody eating breakfast. (Yes Brody does not have a shirt on. He usually eats breakfast in his underwear and socks....then we put his clothes on for the day.)



Colt playing after breakfast




My beautifully wrapped Mother's Day present. I had no idea what it was but I was excited.



Happy Mother's Day! (Yes I know I have the cheesiest smile on my face...I was excited about my very own Sounders Jersey)



Brody trying on my new jersey. So cute!



The rest of the day was busy. We started to build a sandbox with the help of Papa Bob & Grandma Shari. Papa Bob & Grandma Shari stayed at our house to watch the boys while we went to the Sounders game. Later in the evening we went to Uncle Brian & Aunt Angie's house to celebrate Mother's Day with Brad's parents and family.

It was a very busy but fun day.

9 months already?

Colt is 9 months which means he is that much closer to being one. A scary and sad realization that I don't like to believe. He continues to be a happy little guy who adores his big brother. It's fun to watch as he tries to move around and thankfully hasn't mastered crawling yet. (it won't be too much longer)

Colt had his 9 month check up a few days ago. He passed in almost everything. He still doesn't make the charts for weight, but he is attentive, healthy and happy. Oh wait... I forgot...once again I did not even notice that he was suffering from an ear infection...but this time it was a double ear infection. We have to work on his communication skills so he can tell me the next time his ear is bothering him.

Here are his stats.

Weight: 14 lbs. 11 oz. (under 3%)
Height: 26 1/2 in. (5%)
Head: 17 1/2 in. (25%)

We are thankful for such a wonderful little boy.

Car Wash

With the beautiful weather today we made sure we did some outside projects. Brad mowed and edged the lawn and I washed the cars. It wasn't too long before Brody was right there next to me making sure I didn't miss any spots on the cars. We will be taking donations for Brody's car wash service.


Hmmm...how does this work again?





Don't forget to wash the tires.


I think it looks good.

Clapping Colt

Here is a video of Colt's latest trick....


What a sweetheart!

Speaking Brodese

Brody is a good talker but every now and then he starts speaking Brodese, which is a language unknown to us but he certainly knows what he is talking about. Here are a few videos of his Brodese language.

Random thoughts

Brody is talking and talking and talking. In an effort to record the things he says I am going to try my best to put them on this blog. Here are a few of his latest quotes.

Honkin' Bees Nest - A few months ago we were driving in the car and Brad was talking about the honkin bees nest that was up in the attic when he was a young boy. He then proceeded to talk about how his dad (Fafa) got it down from the attic. From the back seat Brody piped in... honkin' bees nest. For some reason that phrase has stuck with him. He says it in the most random of places. We were in a little market and the first thing he said to a customer in there was "honkin' bees nest." There was no hi or hello. It made the lady smile. He also says it when something exciting happens. I think it is his way of saying "oh my goodness."

"I need a new guitar." - Just a few days ago I got him up from his nap and the very first thing he said was "I need a new guitar." I still don't know where this came from since we haven't been talking about guitars.

Bible Verse - After talking with one of my friends I decided to start working with Brody on memorizing Bible verses. (If nothing else at least I will learn some more). The first bible verse we have started with is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things, through Christ, who strengthens me." I've modified it slightly to say "through Christ who gives me strength." When I have been helping Brody with this he says "I can do lots of things, through Christ, who gives me hugs." We are still only on day 3....so maybe a few more days and he will get it.

Observation - Usually when we are eating breakfast or lunch Brody will look outside and talk about the things he sees. "The branches are moving." "The clouds are moving." I'm always impressed by what he says and usually say "Yes, Brody, that's a good observation." Now Brody is encouraging us with his words. "Good Observation Dad!"

A Bad Hair Day

We have been Brody's hair stylists since his very first hair cut. (Actually Brad has been the stylist, I have been the designated picture taker)

Brody getting his hair cut at 10 months.



Haircut at 16 months



Haircut at 22 months



Since then we have tried to let it grow out. Now we are debating whether or not we should give it the good old buzz cut for summer. We like that it is getting long but now we run into some bad hair days....like the one Brody had today.







Fortunately we had no where to go today and his hair eventually flattened out. I wish it would have stayed that way because it was so cute.

Time for a Picnic

On Sunday Brad and I were getting ready to host a neighborhood work party/BBQ. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we decided to let the boys have a picnic on our back porch. This is the first picnic we have had at our house, so as you can imagine Brody was very excited. "What's a picnic, Mom!?"





Colt was done with his lunch but still enjoyed the picnic.