My favorite shirt

I love this shirt on Brendan and I will shed a few tears when he finally grows out of it. I had to snap some pictures of him in it to capture how adorable he is and always remember it!

More bath pictures

I never get tired of taking pictures of Brendan but bath-time is especially cute. Enjoy!

Splashing

Checking out his sponge

Eating his sponge
(look at those tummy rolls!)

What I need...

I saw this on Erin's blog and thought it was so hilarious, I had to try it myself.

• Valerie needs to weed out those who seek only to waste her time as soon as possible. (I really should take this to heart)
• Valerie Needs Our Hugs. (always!)
• Valerie needs a very committed and supportive home. (check)
• Valerie needs to be deported. (hmmmm, this sounds a little harsh)
• Valerie needs help periodically on an as-needed basis. (I cannot tell a lie)
• Valerie needs to grow. (I always wished I was a couple inches taller)
• Valerie needs a camper or truck to travel to San Antonio. (I've never been to San Antonio)
• Valerie needs $30. (who doesn't!)
• Valerie needs to stay on her toes. (You never know what's around the corner!)
• Valerie needs all the allies she can get. (Sure, why not?)
• Valerie needs a good pinching. (I think I'll pass on that one)

Here's what Chris needs:

• Chris needs to get a hula hoop and practice moving his hips.
• Chris needs encouragement. (You're the best! How's that?)
• Chris needs the best of the best. (I think that's been taken care of... ahem.)
• Chris needs a vacation. (I'm sure that's true!)
• Chris needs a nickname. (I won't embarrass him here)
• Chris needs a life (ouch... that hurt)
• Chris needs all his food to be soft and mashed with a fork. (that would make eating easier)
• Chris needs to get his facts right before making untrue comments for all to see. (has Chris finally decided to join the blogging community?)
• Chris needs to make an effective and knowledgeable career decision. (Oh Magic 8 Ball, tell us what you see!!!)
• Chris needs to ditch the macaroni jewelry. (He was just trying to keep up with his Grandpa's cool fashion accessories)
• Chris needs to cool down a bit (we all know how hot-headed Chris can get.... NOT!)

Thanks, Erin! This was fun!

My handsome boy...

Brendan was all dressed up for church yesterday and I couldn't resist taking some pictures to show his adorableness. He is such a little stud-muffin!

Chris really wants to find Brendan a little tie so they can match even more- I've been on the lookout but to no avail. It seems that ties for baby boys are quite the illusive item. But that's probably a good thing since Brendan would probably just end up chewing on it the whole time.

You can't really tell from this view but Brendan had his arm wrapped around his glow worm. It was so darn cute I couldn't resist snapping a picture and disturbing him as he was trying to settle down for the night.

And just for fun, here's picture of Chris and his birthday cake. It was super delicious but really filling. I could only eat half of my small piece. The good thing about it though is that it's easy to make- just layer ice cream sandwiches with cool whip and hot fudge and top with peanuts. Yummy!

72% isn't bad...

72%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Wow- I didn't know that I was this addicted to blogging! But how can I resist when there are so many fun things to blog about and read about?!? Take the test too and see how addicted you are!

A very happy birthday

To Chris the Hiss, my light-saber fighting hero. Today is your big day and to commemorate it, I had to post some unforgettable pictures of you. Thanks for all you do and I hope you know how much I love you! You're the best!!

I hope everyone enjoys the trip down memory lane as much as I did.

What an adorable baby. It's funny because I see that same look in Brendan some times- now I know where it comes from!

The sweetest clown you've ever seen. I think I'll have to dress Brendan up as a clown when he's older so the two of you have matching pictures.

I still can't figure out why it was so funny for him to wear these glasses. He doesn't need glasses but this is exactly his personality... what a goof!


I just love this picture. Chris is being so sweet and innocent- which he wasn't always a little boy. :) Robin can attest to that. But no matter what, he was still a little charmer- just like today! Happy Birthday!

Worst Weekend Ever...

... if by worst you mean best, and by weekend you mean Thursday through Sunday, then the caption for this week's blog entry is definitely true. Allow me to explain. This past weekend Brendan decided to visit his friends Cadence and Jack (Murdoch) in Nevada. Cadence and Jack are kids of our old friends the Parrys (Zach and Amber). To learn more about them you can follow our link to their blog page, but be sure to return to this one to find out how the rest of our weekend went. So as I mentioned before Brendan decided to visit some friends and Valerie and I tagged along. Our destination was Las Vegas and surprisingly it was a little hot there. Apparently we got lucky because in weeks past it had been up to 114 degrees down there, but while we were there it was only 104-106 degrees which is much more reasonable.

So blistering heat aside, we were still able to do some fun things down there. Thursday after the kids went to bed us adults played some games such as scategories. I dominated the first game and Zach and Valerie tied for the victory in the second game. Some of my winning words included "longest putt" (Award category), "Logan State Park" (The category was park and it refers to a very popular park in Montana), and "Hank the Wank Gathers" (Category: Notorious people. Ask the mothers of any females that came in contact with Hank the Wank and they'll will no doubt refer to him as notorious. He's a basketball player that died on the court in the 90's by the way). So where was I? Yes, we played games, we slept, we fed Brendan a few times throughout the night, and then we woke up early to get ready for our day on Lake Mead.

Being on the water was refreshing as it gave us a slight break from the heat. An old mission friend, Jeff, had access to a nice 22' boat that we took out to do some tubing and other water related recreation. For 4 of the seven people that went it was their first time on a boat, including Brendan. Brendan seemed to enjoy it. In fact the second we took him out of the boat to have him swim in the lake he started to cry. He must really love that boat. Or maybe the water was too cold. Or maybe he was afraid of the sharks and jellyfish I told him were in the lake. Or maybe he's like his Mom and he's a little afraid of the water (outside of baths and baby pools). To Valerie's credit though, she did swim around in the lake and even got on the tube with me as we were drug around the lake for a bit.

Later that same night Valerie and I went downtown while Amber and Zach babysat and we saw the cirque du soleil show Ka. I don't know if I spelled any of the name right, but I do know that the show was good. It should be good for the outrageous price. But again, the show was good and quite entertaining with lots of action, romance, dancing, jumping, swinging, killing, and other stuff.

The next day Amber and Valerie go pedicures while Zach and I hung out with the kids. We watched an old episode of The Office. Brendan really liked the part where Dwight and Andy paint Michael's office black to make it more intimidating. Valerie got her nails done a light pink color contrary to the suggestions of the guy doing the pedicure. He really wanted her to do bright pink, or orange or something a little more crazy. I think she made the right choice. So that afternoon Zach and I went to see Transformers. It was so much more than met my eyes. The movie was good. The transformers themselves looked and sounded great and they took me back to the good old days of Saturday morning cartoons. It also reminded me of the time my friend Mario invited me over to his birthday party. My Dad took me out to get him a present and I picked out a transformer (insect series). At the party Mario opened his presents and the worst possible thing happened. Someone else had gotten him the exact same transformer. I cried. Later I found Mario and through my sniffles I talked to him about the situation and he assured me that he would keep the one I bought and return the one that the other kid bought. Problem solved. I wonder if he said the same thing to the other kid? So anyway the movie was good and so was the birthday party back in 1986 or so.

That night we finished off the evening by eating at Claim Jumper. The food was good, the portions were large, and the service was crappy. But, the food was good. I bought a giant burger called the widow maker and I almost ate all of it. Valerie bought a large tuna fish sandwich and she nibbled on the front part of it much like a little mouse. Brendan had some milk and some baby carrots which he enjoyed. We also had appetizers and desserts. It was a nice way to finish off the day.

So the trip was a success. Brendan traveled well and enjoyed showing off his rolling abilities to his friends. If there were no obstructions to stop him he probably could roll all the way from Vegas to Provo. Instead we drove home. It's safer that way, even though it uses more gas than rolling.

Finally, today was Brendan's six month appointment. A little late, but that's the receptionist's fault. So he's getting fatter and longer. He's now in the 44th percentile for his size. He's also in the 66th percentile for blinking, the 53rd for laughing, and the 99th percentile for kicking. The doctor said he's already kicking at a fourth grade level. We're very proud of him. Sadly, he got more injections today as well, but happily they are done. Sadly he cried pretty hard, but happily he stopped crying. All in all Brendan has been quite busy and he says he's glad to be home where he can finally relax a little and just play with his butterfly and grab at things that come across his path and try to put them in his mouth.

Goodnight.

A quick update while we're on the road

Since my mom is far away in Argentina still, I know she's probably dying for updates on her little grandson so here's a quick post on Brendan. We're currently in Nevada visiting some friends who have since moved from Utah to law school at the University of Illinois so this will be quick though.

Brendan's teeth have cut through! You can see the two bottom ones and even feel them! It's a little strange to be able to put my finger in his mouth and feel two little sharp objects. But it's also really exciting to see him grow. For the most part, he's been doing really well- not too cranky and still nappy well, so we're pretty lucky.

Brendan is also rolling over like a maniac. He know rolls full circle over and over on the floor and in his crib. During the night, he's now making it all over his crib which seems like such a big boy thing to do but he'll be a big boy fairly soon. It's crazy to watch him- he just slowly rolls away from me when I put him down and I know that crawling is not too far off. In fact, he has rug burn on his knees from pulling them up underneath him and pushing himself. He even had it on his cheek- that's how much his is moving now.

I can't believe how fast this time has come. It still seems like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.

We'll post more when we return tomorrow- it's been fun and we have some cute pictures and stories. Look for Chris' monthly post finally about our trip.

A few good pics

Even though Brendan has been a little cranky lately, Chris and I were able to snap some cute ones of him the past few days.

This is Brendan's favorite new chew toy. I'm not sure how he figured out that his strap can reach his mouth but he loves it and everytime he's in his carseat, it's the first thing to his mouth.

This face cracks me up! It's so Brendan. I don't know how to explain it but it is.

His new buddy, Glow-Worm. He's just now rediscovering it. Thanks again John and Erin!

Flash-back to when he was only a week old and his Glow Worm kept him company.

Out of no where, Brendan starting lounging in his bath. Usually he is a splash-monster but one night he just propped his legs up and kept them there the whole time. These moments are few and far between since his little legs are almost never still.

A close up of his adorable legs. I could just eat them up!

A very long night

Last night was the first time that Brendan was up for hours crying his poor heart out. Needless to say, it was very tiring and heart-wrenching. Nothing I did would console him. We finally loaded him up on Tylenol and when he started to calm down, we put him in the car and drove for 40 minutes around Provo. It was actually kinda fun- besides thinking about how nice our bed would be at that moment, it was cool to see Provo so quite and still. Luckily, Brendan fell fast asleep and when we got home, he went down without a peep.

I thought it was because he's teeething but it was a little frenzied so, of course, I really started to worry that something else was going on. So we called the doctor and luckily they were able to see him this morning at 9:00. Chris took him in for me since I'm working a full day today and tomorrow since we are taking off Thursday afternoon for Vegas to see Zach and Amber and their two kids. According to Chris, the doctor said that it's not his teeth so we can rule that out, since teething should not cause him to cry in an out-of-control-can't-stop-myself-even-if-I-wanted-to way. But it's probably a little virus that's bugging him. All we can do is keep giving him Tylenol and try to keep him as comfortable as possible. It should clear up within a week. A week... I'm REALLY hoping that it is more like a couple days. But in the meantime, we'll hold him lots and give him extra kisses. Poor little guy. :(

Teeth!!!!!!!! (Well, really just tooth)

Brendan's first tooth is on it's way to being completely exposed. It's just barely underneath the surface of his gums and I think it will cut through any day now! This explains the crankiness and constant need to be held- I thought it was because he had to poo. He went through this the other week and I couldn't figure out why. Then he pooped... and he was back to his normal self. This time around it's his teeth though. It's a miracle he let me look at it- he HATES when I try to get him to open his mouth and feel his gums. I guess I can't really blame him; I'm sure I wouldn't love it either. So here's to teeth and hoping that it will come in quickly and painlessly!

I cannot believe it....

My little boy likes peas. How did this happen?!? I absolutely despise peas and have been gagging as he is scarfing the Gerber peas down like nothing else. So gross. The smell is even worse than the color. Sweet potatoes are great- peaches, applesauce, pears are also wonderful. Brendan enjoys those as well, but for some reason he has eaten more peas than any other fruit or vegetable. He must get it from Chris.

It's your birthday, buck-a-roo

The big 3-0... how time has gone by too quickly. Today is Ian's birthday and in honor of this special day and momentous occasion, I wanted to post some adorable pictures from back in the day. Happy Birthday! And if you (or your cute wife, Erin) are reading this- I need your address. I made you a cute card as well and now it's going to be super late, so don't delay and email me at my g-mail address.

Don't worry mom, none of these pictures were damaged in the scanning process and they will be returned to you when you visit in August. :)

Happy 4th!

I love the Fourth of July... mostly because I have an extra day off from work but also because there are so many fun activities going on around Provo. The annual Freedom Parade took place early in the morning preceeded by a hotair balloon extravaganza. We missed most of that since Brendan goes down for his first nap around 9:00 or so. But we drove by it- that counts doesn't it? :) Chris treated us to breakfast from Kneader's (my favorite place for breakfast now)- the cinnamon french toast is divine! As we were heading back, we got to see a few of the balloons landing and the crowds of people headed towards the parade. That was enough for us.

Later, we headed out to the street fair which was just a few blocks from us. There were a lot of fun things for kids to do- too bad Brendan's not just a little bit older to enjoy it. Next year. Brendan got spooked by the loud music that a local folk band was playing and started crying so we decided he had enough and it was time to go home for nap number two. Plus it was insanely hot and I was ready to go home too. We all enjoyed a nice nap that afternoon, which is a rare treat for us! When we woke up, it was time for a barbeque at some friends' house and I was very glad I didn't have to cook in the heat.

All in all, it was a great fourth of July. No fireworks for us this year (no way we were keeping up Brendan) but still fun and it was great to celebrate our country's freedoms. Hope everyone's was as enjoyable as ours!

Has it really been 6 months!?!

Time sure does fly- especially when you're having fun. And that's exactly how I'd describe my time with Brendan these past 6 months. Sure, some moments were easier and more fun than others but I wouldn't trade it for anything. He is so adorable and loving- I feel so lucky to have him and it makes all the hard times worth it. Even though he still won't sleep through the night and I don't have the heart to let him cry it out, I still love getting up with him and rocking him back to sleep. Those quiet night-time moments are some of my favorite with Brendan. He's so calm and still (which doesn't usually happen during the day since he's such an active little guy) that I can't help but love to watch him sleep. We are really blessed...

Here are the latest pics that I took today- I know my mom has probably been waiting for some new ones! Enjoy.