Cooking Christmas Breakfast

After getting a kitchen from Santa, Brady decided that he would make breakfast on Christmas morning. Take it from us, fried wooden eggs are a delight!

Later that day, Mr. B baked a casserole that consisted of an egg, a mushroom, a golf ball, and Mitch (his stuffed monkey). I think he still has some leftovers if anyone wants to try some.

This year's favorite Christmas memories include:

• Brady's terrified reaction to sitting on Santa's lap.
• Brady referring to Santa and Snowmen as "Bo Bo"; we think this developed from all the "Ho Ho Ho" he heard when seeing pictures of Santa.
• Brady receiving the school bus from Uncle Brian and Aunt Katie. He would keep pressing the driver down until he came to the song "Stop and Go" and then would get up and dance.

Is It Christmas Yet?

If Brady could tell you what he was thinking... Whoops. I didn't mean to bump these presents. You see...my ball rolled into them and I needed to retrieve it. In doing so, I lost my balance and accidentally touched these presents. I'm real sorry about that. Since I'm here, what does this one say? Is it for me? What is it? Can I open it? How many days until Christmas? I don't have to sit on Santa's lap again do I?

Scouting the Presents

Even before Christmas Day, Brady was already getting enjoyment/ entertainment out of the presents under the tree. They became wonderful building blocks and jumping platforms (even the present for Uncle Brian and Aunt Katie that contained dishes.)

A New Form of Camouflage

Quick...hide under the toys! Brady couldn't quite reach the toys in the back of the bin, so he decided he would just hop in. At first he didn't know what to think - and looking to see if this is something that Mom and Dad were okay with - and quickly decided that he liked being surrounded by his toys. If you were wondering, Mom and Dad were okay with it - after all, the toys were already put away when he was done playing with them!

Sink or Swim

Mr. B took in his second round of swim lessons. We are happy to report that Brady has once again set personal bests in all categories...ranging from bubble blowing to feet kicking/splashing. It turns out that Guiness does not track these records though.

A Frightful Visit with Santa

The song says the weather outside is frightful, but Brady thought the same of Santa. There was definitely a correlation between the proximity of Santa and how hight Brady climbed on Daddy's shoulder. As you can see above Brady did allow a quick snapshot, but not much more. What a difference a year makes. Last year he sat on Santa's lap, giggled, and played with his beard. For the record, Frosty didn't fare any better.

Waiting For Christmas

Mom made me put on this funny hat and hold this thing called a wreath. Apparently that means "Merry Christmas" to adults.

Okay, the card part is over - do we open the presents now?!?

Playing in the Leaves

I'm not sure I have the hang of this playing outside thing yet. I have to put on my nice clothes to play in the leaves? Okay, got it. What do I wear to play in the snow?

First Keeney Farm Weiner Roast

A day that included riding the tractor, discovering something called a creek, tossing around a football, and eating hotdogs. What boy wouldn't be all smiles?

I Look Like Mitch!

For Halloween 2008, Brady decided that he needed to look like his best bud Mitch (his stuffed monkey). If it weren't for the unseasonably warm weather the day of this photo, Brady may have not taken the costume off all day! This was taken ten days before Halloween. For those of you who may not remember Haloween 2007, Brady grew out of his costume in a two week time period. We're happy to report that Brady did not repeat this feat in 2008. Staying awake long enough to go to a few houses was the challenge this year!

Touchdown!

Finally, an Illini season we got to say touchdown a few times! Brady sure enjoyed tailgating this year. He was quite the socializer as he managed to greet just about every group tailgating around us, and he usually came back with some of their food! This game (Michigan) was Brady's favorite this year. It was warm in the afternoon, and the group next to us brought their Oscar (dog). I'm not sure who needed to be put on a leash more that day, Brady or Oscar.

Just a Lil' Cowboy Bringin' in the Herd

Well, maybe Brady didn't really bring in the herd, but he did see the real cowboys herd the Longhorns through the streets of Ft. Worth. You could see in Brady's eyes what he was thinking..."those sure are big Oscars." For those of you who do not know, "Oscar" is one of Brady's favorite words, and he calls anything that has four legs, "Oscar."

Roarrrr...

That's what the Lions were supposed to do at the Ft. Worth Zoo. Instead it was more like Zzzzz....Zzzzz....Zzzzzz... Those lazy Lions! To say Brady enjoyed the Zoo is an understatement. As you can see in the picture, his face was temporarily frozen with a big smile. He also wore out his pointer finger making sure we saw all of the cool animals. His favorite....the silly monkeys of course!

Pumpkin Patch 2007

It's amazing how quickly a year passes and how much has changed since our last visit to the pumpkin patch last year. Now, all of the little pumpkins are referred to as "ball" and like any ball, they have become objects that are fun to throw. Rest assured, no pumpkins were injured in the taking of this picture.

A Morning Stroll

Who could resist adding this picture to the blog. It's amazing what tasks one can accomplish before seven o'clock when your little one awakes before the roosters. It was Sunday, and we thought we would go for a morning walk. This picture was taken in our neighborhood on someone's beautifully landscaped wall.

Oh No, My Uncle is 30

With Rodney out of town on a boys' golf weekend, Brady and I created a road trip of our own to Wrigleyville to help Brian celebrate turning 30. The trip was off to a slow (or fast start) when Brady had a run in with the law. The law won, and I received my first ticket.

Football Anyone? Bring Your Rain Gear

A Saturday in the Fall only means one thing...College Football, Baby! The first game of the year was against Western. The tailgating was great...wet, but great! Brady has a new food favorite-- Mexican Layered Bean Dip. As the eating continued, he actually gave up using the tortilla chip and went straight to eating handfuls of bean dip. We were kind of preparing for the worst when it came to changing his diapers!

Hanging Out on the Riverfront

We had hoped to check out the Highland Games demonstration at Erin Feis (Irish Festival), but Brady slept right through it. So, we improvised and ended up walking the back alleys down on the Riverfront. It made for a nice photo opportunity.

One Small Step for Man...

...One Giant Leap for Amy and Rodney!

We know, we know...the Apollo 11 crew's accomplishment was much more impressive than our first blog experience. Before today, we had no idea just what blogging really meant. People have talked about it for years, and we have nodded like we know what they meant. Well, we are happy to tell you today that even though it has been added to Webster's we still don't know the definition of blog, but we're happy to be able to make use of it!

As many of you know, Amy is amazing at telling the story of our family (aka Brady) with her photographs. Even though "a picture is worth a thousand words," we felt that actual words would enhance the experience. After a year and lots of pictures, we have finally found the right medium to accomplish this...the blog! A wise woman (aka Linda) suggested that we should check out Alan and Heather Cacanindin's blog. There aren't many things that we "idea copy" in life, but their blog was so cool that we had to! So, a big thanks to Allan and Heather (and Carter.)

One might think that NASA is a pretty high benchmark for comparing your feats, but we're not so scared. After all, it took NASA four months to follow up with the Apollo 12 mission. We're pretty sure we can complete our second blog quicker than that! In fact, we already have! In an effort to move forward, we thought we needed to go to the past first. Enjoy...

Dirt Clean

It was so nice this past weekend that we decided to take a family walk down to the dirt pile. This is the before shot. This is the after shot. Needless to say, Brady ate his first dirt clod. We are not sure if there is any nutritional value of dirt, but he sure did enjoy it. And for those individuals who are left wondering how did this happen...well, we did not realize he grabbed the dirt clod when we strapped him in the stroller.

A Boy and His Chair

Brady has always been a fan of stealing Rodney's chair right before Rodney would sit down to feed Brady a bottle. It was getting to the point that Rodney and Brady would be fighting for the chair. It became pretty obvious that the solution was to purchase Brady a chair. Now, Brady is king of his own chair, and he is very protective of the chair. We pity the next kid who attempts to sit in it.

Spooning 101

The independence is starting to emerge and this picture represents the aftermath. If you think Brady looks bad, you should see the vertical blinds out to the deck.

A Preview to the 2024 Summer Olympics?

While Brady didn't break any world records, he did set a personal best in the splash stroke. Swim lessons for a one year old. You might be asking what that entails. It includes special "water proof" diapers. I guess the regular diapers would soak up the whole pool.

What Am I Thinking?

This picture was taken on Brady's actual birthday. We spent the morning in the park sliding down the slides. Brady is a boy with no fear...his favorite method of sliding is face first on his stomach.

Hands Off of My Watermelon

This was one of the first times we started to offer Brady table food. We were so concerned with cutting any fruit or food to bite-size pieces, but Brady soon put an end to that. The watermelon slice pictured above was intended to be part of Amy's lunch, but Brady swiped it right from her plate and quickly ate the entire slice. You would have thought the world came to an end when Amy threw away the rind. Brady crawled over to the garbage can and continued to beat the can until he received more watermelon. What a mess!

First Birthday

After we got over the disbelief of Brady turning one, we were able to focus our attention on reflecting on what we had learned as parents in our first year. This list is by all means not comprehensive, but it does highlight our growth as parents.

• Buy your Halloween costume the day before Halloween if you want to guarantee that it will fit your child.
• There is no limit to the number of diapers you should pack when flying with an infant.
• If you ever need a quick substitute for Elmer's glue, a half-chewed Puff will do.
• Don't worry about cleaning out your cabinets before your child arrives because they will do it for you.
• Teething is an ongoing process.
• A thought concerning circumcision...ask your doctor!
• Bonding has not occurred between mother and child until you have completed a seventeen hour road trip in one day.
• No matter what is wrong with your child, someone will say, "Oh, that's normal for that age."
• Goodnight Moon works every time.
• Dr. Brown knows how to make a bottle.
• A monkey is a boy's best friend.
• Keep it covered-- I think you know what we are referring to (toilet paper works just great.)

Are You Ready to Party?

Nothing says Fourth of July celebration like a pool party complete with grilling at the Stearnes'. If no one tells Brady any different, we think we can convince Brady that going to Disneyland is going to the Stearnes' (at least thru age three.) I mean they even have a bounce house.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

Well that is not the entire truth...Brady wears his sunglasses during the day while playing inside. In fact, he had outgrown his first pair of sunglasses, so Amy had ordered another pair off the Internet. We had just opened the package and Brady would not be satisfied until he got to trial them. He played for a couple of hours this way. Even if you tried to take them off, he would crawl right over to them and attempt to press them to his face as if that would make them stay. Hopefully this is just a phase and he is not a closet Stevie Wonder fan!

How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?

We were working on the official eleven month old picture at a park when Brady had to stop for a snack. What food group does this fall under?

Move over Columbus, There is a New Explorer in Town

The bond between Brady and Mitch continues to grow. In fact, it made us come to realize we need some back-up Mitches. Thank goodness for E-bay! We have also created a new house rule that Mitch must remain on the second floor and must not leave the premises of 1216 Belford Court. This parenting thing is kind of fun when you get to make of your own house rules. If only it was this simple come the high school years (so we have been told.)

All Aboard!

This is one of Brady's new favorite toys. It was pretty hilarious watching him discover it for the first time. If only he could talk--his expression when he first hit the button and the train started moving away from him would have been, "What the hell is going on?"

Introducing Our New Product Line...

Although Brady is of the opinion that nothing runs like a Deere, we thought this picture was too cute not to post.

A Casanova in the Making...

Not much of a story here--just plain adorable. What's not to love?