Brendan at 3 and 1/2

Brendan is also growing up so fast and he is so awesome. I am so lucky to be his Mama. I think he's had a growth spurt as he is looking much taller to me these days. When someone asks how old he is, he will tell them "3 and a half," to which most people are a little surprised by his precision. Then, he will proceed to tell them something random with such detail and clarity that they are even more amazed by his intelligence and speech.

Our little preschooler loves his teachers and classmates and started a dinosaur class once a week. He loves being around other kids and we have play dates at least once a week. Brendan is wonderful and helpful around his brother. Sometimes he is a little rough with Caleb now that he is more mobile- but they are boys!

Naps are hit or miss these days. He has seemingly unlimited energy, even when he was sick on and off over the last two winter months. He had a few fevers this season but it really didn't slow him down much. He's a strong kid and so resilient!

 Playing at the Children's Museum

 Helping do the grocery shopping at Trader Joe's

 Blowing bubbles with his brother

 Having a hot dog at the Farmer's Market on Mom's 30th bday

 Snow day at school- he saw a snow angel on TV and was trying it out.

 Doing a car line up for Uncle Andy during the Super Bowl. He practices selling them.

 Volunteering with Mom as we picked a huge donation of gatorade for the Fun Run.

 Looking through all the Valentines he got at school.

 Play date with Paige and the Mommy group at the park in Chandler.

 Riding the camel for the first time at the zoo with Auntie K$. 

He was not fearful at all!

 Wearing earphones at the NHRA drag racing event in Chandler.

 Auntie K-Money and Brendan next to Adam and Nick's race cars. He said they went too fast and he couldn't see them while they raced.

 Being silly for the camera.

A visit from the wedding party from Indianapolis. 

This verbal little boy can rationalize and negotiate like an expert. It's pretty incredible the things he says and does. He's a fan of sweets and carbs. His favorite dessert is chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and cookies. His favorite word is poop. Eight is is favorite number and he is working on learning how to write his name.

Brendan likes to watch Toy Story, Cars, Dinosaur Train, & Curious George.
He likes to read about and watch Batman, Spiderman, and Superman. He recently got some superhero underwear he loves. Every opportunity he has to go outside he wants to. He's been practicing on his big bike and likes to play sports too. His first tee-ball game was yesterday and it was adorable. His grandparents came out to cheer him on too. Lou is coaching the kids and they had fun. He will play every Sat for the next two months.

He had a snow day in January at school and he got to play with snow with his classmates. The annual Fun Run was the last weekend in February. He ran in the 50 yard dash and had a blast. He got a medal and has been wearing it almost every day. His other grandparents got to come to this event. His other cool new accessories are his Papa's Looney Tunes tie and his Spiderman watch.

Crawler Caleb

Caleb is on the move and we really have to keep our eye on him. Around 9 mo. he started to crawl and pull up on the furniture. He is now an expert mover, crawling, climbing, and getting to everything he can. He wants to stand up and walk and I don't think it will be too far off in the future. Everything he finds goes into his mouth and I've had to pull out paper, kleenex, a rock, & leaves from his mouth. I think he did get a little bit of a leaf yesterday though. He started with just 2 bottom teeth and he also just got in his two top teeth.

 We go to the local Farmer's Market a couple times a month.

Visiting Uncle Bill and his new puppy Bailey.

 Future Musician still fits in a box.

 At the train park with Great-Grandma

 At the Phoenix zoo just after the dragon ate a rabbit whole.

 Naked baby!

Playing outside

 Standing in the crib

 Mom's 30th Birthday

 Crawling around having fun.

Somehow Caleb made the climb on top of the couch while I was rinsing something in the kitchen sink and when I looked over he could have fell backward into the hard floor. I sprinted over just in time to grab him. He is so fast moving now and curious. Safety is becoming an issue.

Our little man can say Mama, Dada, ball, yea, and hey. His favorite song is the alphabet song. He laughs his hardest when we throw things into the air. Mom & Brendan were having fun throwing diapers in the air and later Brendan was launching cars and baby loved it.

Mommy separation anxiety is in full effect. He just wants to be near his Mama all day. While I take care of him primarily, his Dad, Grandma, and sitter Vanessa also help out.

Time flies...

City of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton w/ us at the Local First Festival

It has been months since my last post and the boys are growing up so fast. I tell them I wish they would stop growing and be little boys forever. Brendan teases right back insisting he is going to keep getting bigger until he is 4, 5, etc.

On the playground @ preschool

So, let's start with Brendan. He's a proud 3.5 yr old now attending preschool twice a week for 4 hours. His two teachers are the best teachers he could possibly get and his class is now pretty big with mostly girls. This month he started a dinosaur discovery extracurricular, though he could probably teach the class he knows so many dinosaurs. He's told me that he wants to be a paleontologist in Antartica when he grows up.



Brendan and Caleb have their own way of interacting and it's a beautiful thing. They light each other up and will go back and forth with words or sounds. Brendan is a great big brother and helps. He has nick named Caleb "Poopa."


Brendan is into superheros like Batman and Spiderman, his matchbox cars, dinosaurs, and recently discovered the Bearnstein Bears. He loves being outside with other kids. Every time he sees the neighbor kids outside he wants to play with them. He is very friendly and is gearing up for his first team sport this spring- Tee-ball.

Holiday party @ preschool

Crusin' in our 'hood

He is starting to pick up some of the things Lou and I say. He told his Dad he "couldn't do two things at once" the other day and told me, "I hate to tell you this....but I have to poop." We never know what is going to come from that kid's mouth. He has a photographic memory and doesn't easily forget things. He is pretty amazing!

Christmas Day @ Aunt Paula & Uncle Joe's

Caleb is growing like a weed and on the move. He is able to roll, scoot, and about ready to crawl. A few days ago I went in to the playroom, where his crib is and he was standing up on his own!  The crib was moved this month after  he and Brendan were not ready to share a room just yet and baby needed to be out of Mom and Dad's room. Caleb is still getting up once to twice per night to eat at 8 months old.

On New Year's Day Caleb said his first word, "Dada". A few weeks later came Mama. Surprising since he is a total Mama's boy and wants me to hold him or be close by all day. We are working on the separation anxiety.

Christmas morning 2012

We love our naked baby buns!

Fun only brothers can have!

He is still working with only the two bottom teeth and everything he comes into contact with is going directly into his mouth. He really likes bananas, O's, and blowing raspberries. He never did take a bottle or the sippy but he does like drinking right from the glass. His favorite song is the Alphabet Song.

Crazy lady bringing 2 kids and a dog to farmer's market

Caleb has the most beautiful blue eyes. We must have a recessive gene somewhere. They are so so blue and pretty. He is still a big guy for his age. He's someplace around 22-24 lbs of goodness and has been healthy for the most part. He had small ear infections in December and our whole family has been passing around the cold/flu this last month.

Every Friday we do something fun like go to the zoo, library, park or the Children's Museum. It's so cool to see the boys pass by milestones and do things they were unable to do the previous time we were there.  

The boys are a lot of work and a lot of fun. I'm so lucky and proud to be their Mom and feel very blessed. The days are long but the years sure fly by!

Fondue on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve w/ my favorite men

Lil' shopper @ Trader Joe's

5x7 Folded Card

Best Of Wishes Holiday Card

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Ninja Brendan

Brendan is the most fun 3 year old ninja ever. His imagination is amazing and it's cute to hear him role playing and having conversations with his toys (mostly dinosaurs). He got his flu shot yesterday and was super brave. I thought for sure we were going to have to hold him down but he totally cooperated and did not cry! I was proud of him.

He is attending preschool twice a week from 9-1 and is thriving. He is by no means shy; he walks right up to people and introduces himself-- and Caleb too if he's around. He is naturally friendly and a thinker. Brendan has a super memory and is quite observant.  He has easily made friends with other kids in class and the socialization is good for him. His teachers couldn't be a better fit!

Brendan loves having so many kids in our neighborhood. He wakes from a nap and is ready to go play with the kids across the street. Naps are still happening about 50% of the time- we try but sometimes Brendan never does fall asleep. Brendan wants to ride his bike around the neighborhood with the other kids but we have no sidewalks and the street makes me so nervous. I am really having to keep a close eye on him and we need better security on our front door so he can't go in and out at will.

I have to remind myself that he is only 3. He reasons, negotiates, and applies logic. He  is very persistent with questioning. Unbelieveably intelligent-- in fact he is going to be way more intelligent than me. Tantrums ensue sometimes when he does not get his way and he can go on and on for a while. I try to redirect as much as possible. He is as stubborn as both of his parents. Yikes!

Recently I started rewarding Brendan for making good choices and he gets a sticker each time I catch him being good. After 5 stickers he gets to choose a reward of the $1 store treasures. Positive reinforcement is the way to go.

Brendan is a great big brother and is helpful with the baby. Sometimes when Caleb is a little fussy but I'm preparing a meal and can't hold him, Brendan goes over and will try to entertain him. I melt a little when I see this...just adorable. Other times Brendan will come up to me and ask me to nurse Caleb so he will be quiet! Of course, Caleb watches everything Brendan does.

I don't know if it is normal or not but Brendan knows street names around town and sometimes asks if we are on a certain road and is often correct about where we are.

He is getting over wanting Mom's cold arms. Knows his food groups and loves carbs. He has been waking up at 7 most mornings. He calls his Dad his "best buddy". We recently took him to the drive-in to see Wreck-It Ralph and he loves Disney movies, Dinosaur Train, Cars, Toy Story, and Thomas.

Tonight we told him about Santa Claus and he shaped up his act real fast. He is excited for Christmas and doesn't remember much from last year. Looking forward to many more memories and love my boys so much.