We're Alive!!!

Yes, we are alive. And, yes, I kind of hate blogging lately. I admit it. : ) As I'm sure everyone already knows already, Brody is going to be a big brother! So what that has translated to is PURE EXHAUSTION for me. I have just in the last couple of weeks started to feel like a normal human being capable of functioning day to day. I am 17 weeks pregnant today and our little munchkin is due March 3rd. I swear its a girl and Rory swears its a boy. We'll see who is right in about 3 weeks : )

As far as the Brodester goes.....he is HUGE! And sooooo much fun. He has a motor that never stops. Hence, the exhaustion for mommy. He is 17 months old now and really becoming a big boy. I've recently enrolled him in a toddler music class at the Y that we go to once a week. He is quite the social stud and already swooning the ladies. Day 1 he went straight for the cute blonde girl. I asked Rory if these kind of things are pre-programmed or what?! And eeeeeeverybody, child and adult, love Brody's hair. I'll try to get a good picture of it but, man oh man, it is kinky curly strawberry blonde. He's such a stud.

Here are a couple of pictures to satisfy you for now. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't busted out the camera at all in about 3 or 4 weeks. My memory card was full and I just recently cleared it.

Sneak Peak

I'll blog more later but here are some sneak peaks from our beach vacation/wedding adventures. See how much Brody loooooooved the beach? : ) He HATED it. He wouldn't let you put him down in the sand and he WAILED if you took him near the ocean. I think the waves crashing scared him. We had a good time though. And Brody did AMAZING for the 15 hour car rides there and back.

Pool Day!

Yay for the first day at the POOL!!! Tish and I were not quite sure how this trip would end up but I'd say it was a success! Brody loooooooved the pool and was splashing around in the water and clapping his hands the whole time. Evie, however, wasn't too interested. She didn't want to get her pretty hair wet : ) We had a blast and plan on going more often now that we've tested the waters!

Channeling Einstein

Let's Play Catch Up....

Brody turned 1 on April 21st, his birthday party was on April 25th. Brody's closest friends and family were all in attendance and we had a great time.

Then beautiful weather finally decided to make an extended appearance. Thank goodness, because Brody and I were both clawing at the door to be outside! Brody thought about how he'd like to spend our summer days....

We spent some time swinging at the park.....

Playing on our new backyard play set from Grandma and Grandpa Hoke...

Discovered that he now loves to dip anything, especially grilled cheese and potato smiles, in some good old fashioned organic ketchup....

Daddy caught a toad to show Brody. So we let him nearly squeeze the life out of...er, I mean, gently play with it. : ) I still shudder in disgust when I look at these pics. BOYS!

Then Daddy placed the nasty toad on Brody's head and Mommy nearly vomited. After this interaction, we freed the toad and mommy scrubbed Brody's little hands for the next hour : )

We also make a trip down to southern Ohio, where Rory used to teach. Jake, one of Rory's former students, had a graduation party that we just couldn't miss. However, I didn't manage to get any pictures of. I did get some pictures when we visited to Sockmans. Courtney and Kristin were either students or basketball players of Rory's. We try to keep in touch with them and it was great for them to finally meet Brody. Brody was soaking up all the attention from the pretty girls. : ) He even stripped off his shirt, haha.

And, here we are. Now you're caught up. For the most part, atleast. I'll try to do better with blogging. I'm even feeling a redesign of the blog, maybe : ) Aunt Mandy, however, is in high demand so it may be a while.

M.I.A

I know, I know. I've been MIA lately. So sorry! I'm really been lacking motivation as far as this blog is concerned. Brody is, however, as cute as ever and I will post new pics SOON! So check back with us!

By the way, my little man is WALKING!! He's been doing very short distances for a while but starting yesterday he's really taken off. Making trips clear across the room and all!

1 Year Old!

I can't even believe I'm writing this post. The past year FLEW by! And I'm amazed at how nostalgic I've felt all day. All week, really. I was talking to Brody all day saying, "Ok, Brody, exactly one year ago, Mommy was getting her epidural," "Ok, exactly one year ago, Mommy was getting her second epidural," "Exactly one year ago, Mommy's water broke," "Now, exactly one year ago, Mommy was squeezing you out." haha Luckily, Brody is still young enough to not realize how crazy his mommy is : )

Anyways, the past year has been amazing! Brody has just been such a blessing. SUCH A GOOD BABY! I mean, he really, really is. Good sleeper (usually), good eater (always). Just a good boy all around. I may not get as much sleep as I used to or dress as stylish as I used to, but I would not change it for the world. I love the Brodester!

As for his stats.....today he weighed 25lb 2oz and was 30 1/4in long. Those are both around the 80th percentile. Dr. Thomas said Brody checked out perfectly, both physically and developmentally.

This was first thing this morning. Can't you just hear Brody saying, "Ok, seriously? Pictures this early?"

We went to lunch at Bob Evans, where Brody CHOWED DOWN

Playing around in the living room. I'm his favorite playmate. He told me so.

This is at exactly 3:55pm, Brody's time of birth. And he was ticked that we were headed to the doctor : ) Sorry, bud.

I'll post some comparison pics later.

Helmet, anyone?

I'm looking for one, preferrably, with a face mask, chin strap and any other safety features that one might come with. And, while we're at it, could you throw in a padded body suit as well?

I need both of these things to survive Brody's childhood. This child is going to be the death of me! We were having a lovely morning playing and chasing each other around the house. (Notice exhibits A, B and C below). Then in one slip of his balance Brody fell into the bottom shelf of his closet, leaving a gaping hole above his lip! Or atleast that's how I interpreted it at first glance. Ok, maybe it was just a really bad cut. Either way, I decided to bypass all nursing knowledge in my brain and go straight to freaking out. I got out my trusty first aid kit and cleaned him up, while simultaneously packing his bag for the ER. I was sure he'd need stitches. And what, might you ask, was the first thought to go through my head. Was it, "My poor baby! Stitches will hurt!" or "I hope he's not scared of the ER!". Nope. Neither of those. It was, "Oh no! My beautiful baby's face! We have pictures in 2 weeks!" Don't judge me.

Long story short....Poppy came over and laughed in my face. He didn't think the cut was stitch-worthy at all. I'm telling you, it is a pretty nasty gash. But after I put my nursing brain back on I was able to assess, clean and bandage the wound. Then a call to the pediatrician's office confirmed my findings but pacified me with an appointment anyways. I'm sure they're used to crazy mothers. Anyways, the bottom picture is with his pseudo-dressing above his lip. And while we're looking at his adorable face, lets take a poll. Should I trim the curls? I mean, really, is it becoming a bit too Bozo the clown-like?

Easter Weekend

Well, Brody's 1st Easter has come and gone. We went to Rory's Grandma's house for lunch and then to Mimi and Poppy's house for dinner. We all ate well : ) There aren't too many pictures to document Brody's 1st Easter because he has become such a BOY in the fact that he is nearly impossible to photograph lately. But here are a few pictures that I was able to snag. I think the pink in his shirt brought out the red in his hair that day. haha : ) Cousin Ethan had the same outfit as Brody for Easter and looked super cute as well.

And here is Brody in his new puppy dog towel.....

His "red wing" is back!!

When Brody was younger and losing his baby hair, he got to where he was almost bald but held on to this one single patch of hair on the right side of his head. We affectionately called it his "red wing" because it always flipped out. Well, Brody eventually lost his "red wing" too. Until now! The "red wing" is back!!......and has multiplied. haha : )

Belle and Ethan Come to Visit....Grandma Richmond does too!

Mimi and Poppy kept Belle and Ethan over the weekend so Brody got to play with his cousins! I love watching the 3 of them interact. Brody and Ethan are cute because they'll just sit and stare and smile at each other......until Brody tries to chew on poor Ethan or, worse, crawl on him. Then there is Belle, who looooooooves Brody. She's so stinkin cute with him. And they actually play really well together. Belle would read (in her own little language) to Brody and he would just stare at the book and really listen to her. Then she would walk away and call Brody to her like a dog and he'd crawl right to her. It was funny.

My grandma Richmond also made an unexpected visit, which was really nice. I didn't know she was coming and she hadn't got to see Brody for a while so it was good to see her. And she had never met Ethan so she picked a good weekend to come!

The three kiddos....Belle didn't want to see by Ethan and hold him up so Mimi had to prop him. Oh, the sibling love! haha

Grandma Richmond with 3 of her great-grandkids

Grandma and the boys. Brody is such a ham!

These next two pictures are a dangerous sequence that crack me up! Brody was playing next to Ethan and it made my mom and I nervous because we didn't want big bubba Brody to fall on poor little Ethan. Well I took the top picture then as I'm taking the bottom picture, Brody starts to fall on Ethan. I saved Ethan's life that day : ) You can tell in the bottom picture because the picture is out of focus, as I had to move mid-picturesnap to catch Brody. : )

Pulling Up to Stand

I'm way behind on posting pictures on here. Hmmm, I wonder why. : ) Here are some cute pics of Brody standing. He's so darn cute! I love that little tushy!

Reaching for a book....

Look at those curls!