So we got a sled and warm winter clothes for Christmas from Papa. And we tried them out the day after Christmas. We all had a great time. (I realize there a lot of videos, but they capture what our holiday was like, and it was hard to narrow it down, so there are like 7)
I'm sure the packaging won't get any easier to open as he grows older, but he was very patient as he waited for his dad to untangle his shiny new firetruck.
Brennan didn't really 'get' Christmas like I was hoping he would this year. He knew there were gifts and a Santa, but he didn't stick around very long with the gifts to open them, etc. This video was probably the best gift opening of the holiday by him. We are at Deb's house, my dads fiance. We had a wonderful meal (shrimp and eggrolls), then opened some gifts and played on the Wii.
Bowling in the afternoon on Christmas Eve has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Brennan enjoyed himself, and liked cheering for everyone- strike or gutter ball!
He doesn't eat many sweets. But here is what happened shortly after the one cookie. (sorry for the noise, but the circles were funny)
So we had the 6th largest storm in Green Bay history come through town on Tuesday and all of Wednesday, we got like 16". I like to thinken my YMCA as very similar to the postal service, we get through and our doors are always open. I can't say that I agree with the policy, but if they tell me I have to be there, I am. But.....I got a snow day yesterday! So Brennan and I played around the house for the day. We played in the basement, and made cookies and then he took a nice nap and I took care of presents and cards. We didn't play outside though, the snowpants and boots are xmas presents and they happen to be in Sheboygan. We'll get outside for the next blizzard.
I must say, it was a long day, I don't know if I was more exausted from him or the fact that I was on my feet all day. But I'm sure the snowdays will get better.
It's fun the give the little guy raspberries, and to hear him giggle. And one day, out of the blue he gave me one. Quick grab the camera....
He has got some fancy footwork. He likes to dance at the Kids Korner. They do some fun interactive songs, two of his favorites are Bear Hunt and Body Rock. I'm not real sure what they look like. I bring my camera with me each day, incase they flag in to watch one of them. But when you ask him what he did in Kids Korner, 'Bear Hunt' is the first thing he says, each day.
Here are a few videos to catch you up on us. I probably should not have shown him how these ornaments work, because now the tree is a very hands on tree. (I think he would have been in the tree anyways....but they were my favorite ornaments growing up, so why not play with them).
For Halloween, he was a dragon. A costume that my mom made for me and my brother when we were kids (he was also using a 30 year old pumpkin bucket that finally needs to be fixed).
It was a typical Wisconsin Halloween- COLD. So we were not planning to go out for two reasons, #1 it was COLD, and #2 he stills gets shy around strangers, so it would"ve been me at the door reminding him...ok now say trick or treat etc.... but some kids came to our door and said there was a firetruck in our neighborhood handing out candy. He loves trucks. So we bundled up, with the costume over the top of the jacket and hat, and headed out. We visited the truck and stopped at a five houses on the way home, one being his babysitters house, Lily, and her mom Jenny, who is with him each day at the day care at the Y.
He was enjoying himself, and by the last 3 houses that we stopped at, when I asked him at the door before it was opened, 'Ok, now what do we say? He had given up the 'trick or treat' and went straight for the 'please.' Manners count....right?
Here's a fun game that Adam and Brennan were playing. By the end, he was enjoying making dad do all the work.
The other afternoon, there was lots of giggling coming from his room. When I opened the door, this is what I found. He was so excited, and the giggles and snorting were great.
Brennan is a walking, talking machine (or monster, depends on the day, and my mood I guess) but he is copying everything you say. One day he was saying something that sounded like 'now I know.' We didn't know what he was talking about, he just kept repeating that phrase, so Adam was adding all kinds of randoms to the end.....now I know how to throw the ball, now I know to pet the puppy gentle, blah blah. Well come to figure it out, he is saying part of the ABCs. So when we sing to him, he'll throw in a few letters and then parts of the end verse. When the camera comes out, he's never as good, but you get the idea, and it's still cute anyways.
This past week we took a family vacation. We didn't go very far, but just took some time off work and made some day trips etc. We went down to the Milwaukee Zoo. Brennan's favorite part was the trip. And other cute thing he does, when he tells you what a train says.
Lately he's been cooperating with the camera. He gives me these 'cheesie' grins while saying CHEESE!
One of the many hikes we went on. Camp is located in the Nicolet Forest. On one of the hikes I was noticing tracks. 'Oh look at the deer tracks....and then a few steps away- do you think those are dog tracks?......' Adam responded with, 'where are the people tracks then?.....' so we took a few more steps and then I said let turn around and do our hiking on the camp property.' Not like there couldn't be large wild animals on camp property, but then the staff might have a better chance of finding us if we had not returned.
We went on a paddle boat and canoe ride. I wish we could have gone swimming and played in the sand though.
At least I got to go swimming! I am offically part of the Polar Bear Club, I even have a patch. The water was nice, the air was the killer.
He likes his slides. He's getting more comfortable with going down on his butt and back, but he sits down about a foot from the top of the slide and shimmies over or we give him a little tug. It was pretty chilly this morning- if you hadn't noticed the color of his hands.
This is what one looks like after a long weekend at camp. He'll have a blast when he's here on his own.
4-wheeling with Papa
He loves the vacuum. He calls it the bakum. We were at the store, and I took him past the vacuum display...all smiles.
He has started to use different things as the vacuum.
Where he got this interest in the vacuum, I'm not sure. It could be my OCD of vacuuming. Or in Kids Korner, they vacuum daily and they also have a little kids plastic vacuum that he plays with.
His new thing is dancing. He doesn't even need music. But he stomps his feet, wiggles his arms and twists.
I look at the clock, usually around 6:30am and think- only one more hour. I open the building up for the all faithful 5am exercisers at my YMCA. So Monday-Friday, this is what I get at 7:30 when Adam drops off Brennan. The lobby was a little busier with people and phones this morning, but the just is that Brennan is pure excitment and full of smiles. He heads right for the basketballs, and can push right past the gate (today he had a helper). I think the morning crowd enjoys seeing Brennan as much as I do.
We spent Easter Sunday in Sheboygan with family. Since college, my dad has been very involved in the Easter Egg hunts. I think he found it amusing to make my brother and I run around the back yard to find the $50 he was going to give us for gas and groceries. More times than none, we had stayed out the night before with our friends too late, and it was early before church, and there was probably snow on the ground. So we would be cold, tired and fighting for the eggs. But that was the 'Money Bunny' as it soon became called. And the Money Bunny has been visiting for sometime, and he even makes trips across the country. When we lived in Maine, and Virginia he found us, and out to CA to visit with Joe and Suz. And this year little Brennan got to be a part of it.
Thanks Money Bunny!
It's fun to watch his progress. It was about a month ago that he took his first steps unassisted. And now he fusses when you try to hold his hand and guide him down the hallway or something. He still does some crawling, if he falls down and wants to get somewhere, he'll finish by crawling. But for the most part he is walking, and soon to be running.
(He also got another haircut recently)
Here is some good video of him walking. He's still a little unstable, hence the 'frankenstein' walk. And currently, this is his 'noise.' He makes it all the time.
If you ask him to give, whichever of his animals he has in his hands, a kissie, he will. It is very cute. He brings them up his face and then hugs them. But if you ask him to give his mom or dad a kissie....we get his hand in our face and he pushes us away. oh well.
This past weekend we spent some time with our friends the Dunns. Here Brennan is playing on the stairs. We did work on going down the 'safe way' but that still needs some practice.
Here we are at the YMCA during an Open Preschool Gym time. We played on the the equipment and did some walking.
A few weeks ago he figured out how to open and close the kitchen cupboards. As you can see the cupboards close pretty hard. And needless to say, this cupboard is now locked up just as the one under the sink- due to an accident involving ones finger.....
Here Adam is trying hard to get him to say Da Da. He doesn't say it, but you'll notice the 'NO' head nod. This is also something that he has been doing a lot lately. You ask him if he wants something, or wants more and he'll nod 'no.'
I don't have video of it, but he also has a mean bye bye wave down. It's pretty funny to see his little hand flopping around waving.
So here is some video footage of the walking. My video work will not will me an Oscar, but I'm trying to not let him fall on his face.....
