Pure Joy!!!

More December Fun!

A few more pictures as Christmas approaches...

Last week we drove and walked around the neighborhoods of Santa Clarita looking at all the Christmas lights. Brennan calls every big decoration "doggy" ... he's a little confused :)



Someone at my mom's work brought snow from her house where it was snowing. My mom brought a bag full to our house. I guess it was officially Brennan's real snow experience. Joel and I plan on taking him to a REAL snow experience sometime soon after we get back from Arizona. Until then, this will do :)


My very good friend Christy (Aunty Christy to Brennan) brought gifts over for B. He just ripped into the presents as if he had done it a thousand times. It makes me excited for Christmas. Last year, he was only 7 months old and didn't really know what was going on. Joel and I opened all his presents at his first birthday. This year, I have a feeling he will know exactly what to do and won't want any help at all :) I'm excited!



Here he is signing "please" to open more...



One gift Aunty Christy got him was Play-Doh. It was the first time he had ever played with it. The plus side... he didn't try to eat it!!! I didn't really know how hard it was to pick up all the little crumbs of play-doh and vacuum them up... lesson learned...next time, I'm laying down sheets :)

At the mall in line for Santa...

His shirt says it all...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Trip to Knott's

Brennan was sick for over a week which kept me in the house for a LONG time. It was nice when we finally got to get out and do something fun. We were able to go to Knott's for free, so we took advantage of it! Brennan was still not feeling 100%, but he still had a fun time. It was his first amusment park experience!

Brennan got to experience some rides:

Watching a show before nap time... sooo tired...

Throwing pennies in a fountain...

In a daze...

Waiting for the parade with the other kids...

He's a little small for the ride...

Other things these past couple weeks:

At the mall we usually push Brennan around in his stroller. He's been eyeing the red fire truck ones at the mall every time we go. Well, we gave in and decided to rent one for the day. He had a blast. Now he points at them everytime we go. If it only didn't cost $4 maybe we would do it more.

Yes, the rumor is true... we did find a home for our dog Roxy ("Ra Ra"). She is in a great home with another dog and kids. I must say, we do miss her but it is much better this way. We will visit her soon so Brennan can give kisses to "Ra Ra"

One of my highlights at the park is that Brennan can now go down the slide by himself. Now I don't have to get my big pregnant body up the stairs and down the slide with him... believe me... it was a sight to see.

Helping mommy decorate...

Snack time at home...Brennan loves the automatic timer on the camera, it's a guaranteed smile everytime

Our Time

I figure it's my turn to take a stab at the blog. Kim is the primary publisher but I thought I would give it a try.

One of my favorite nights of the week is Wednesday night. Kim is involved in Girls of Grace ministry at church which gives me the opportunity to spend a couple of hours alone with Brennan. I work the three days before and maybe get to see him a total of 15 min per night, if at all, for those three days so Wednesday night comes as a much anticipated event.

Once Kim leaves our evening usually starts with dinner. We start with whatever is on the menu for him and once he finishes his plate he really enjoys doing everything in his power to reach every last bite on MY plate. It's hard to refuse those huge blue eyes and the continuous sign language for "more please."

At the conclusion of dinner, I spend the next several minutes in recovery mode from Brennan's table manners. A good meal for him is one that looks like it was thrown at him. It's everywhere including all over his face and in his hair, even sometimes it's in my hair. He has a blast and eats like a champ so I don't mind the clean up at all.

After the cleansing ritual we usually go upstairs and play for a while. He still loves to build blocks and knock them down. He brings me every toy he can find and gives it to me so that I can bring it to life for his imagination. If there is any music playing, he's dancing and if he finds a book he likes, it's time to get comfortable. He crawls into my lap and loves to point, turn the pages and try to read the words. Each book gets at least two passes. He is getting better at pronouncing what he sees. His intelligence is humbling.

So after some playing it's officially bath time and he LOVES his bath time. I think he still considers it play time and quite honestly so do I. He is trying to climb into the bath as I turn the water on while he is fully clothed. I'm sure one day he'll learn that's not such a good idea. Once I get him naked he runs his little naked self so fast back to the tub I can't hardly keep up. He's finally in the tub and surrounded by a sea of bath toys and by the look on his face, it doesn't get any better. He plays, splashes and yes, there is even a bath book that he reads. Sometimes I have some fun spiking his hair but he doesn't like it so much. I think he would if he could see it. But if he could tell you the best part of a bath, it's rinsing time. He loves the water being poured over his head. I have never seen him sign please for anything else more than gettin that shampoo out of his hair. He flails his arms and laughs more and more each time. He knows when the bath is over and is anxious to get into some warm pajamas. I pick him up out of the tub and he cuddles close to me to stay warm.

Finally the best part of our night is story time. I ask him to pick out a book and he has no problem doing that at all. It doesn't really matter what book it is, I do my best to make it out to be the most illustrative and action packed blockbuster movie I've ever seen. It makes it hard some times when he picks out "Baby's First Words" or "Farm Animals". He still has a blast and listens very intently.

After a few stories it's time for him to go to bed and he knows it. He runs for his crib and tries to climb in only to look up at me and sign "please" to lift him in. He gives me a good night hug and kiss as I lay him down. Believe it or not, he smiles as his eyes slowly close and he drifts off.

Our time on Wednesday night has come to a very quick end and I can only look forward to the next one which seems so far away. They are hard to count but the entire experience is perhaps one of the most rewarding things of being a father thus far. From the dinner table for two to the long bedtime stories and the bath fun in between. I could have never imagined how special these moments would be. I hope and pray that as Brennan's life quickly changes, I take the time and the effort to make all of his life experiences just like "our time" on Wednesday Nights. I love you buddy.

Fun Times

Just an update of the few things we have been up to these last couple weeks:...

The Tree Lighting ceremony in Beverly Hills was a fun-filled night: tons of people, fireworks, circus performers, live music, "snow" coming down from the buildings, and of course the shops on Rodeo drive were ready for customers.








There is a Farmer's Market, in Beverly Hills every Sunday, within walking distance from Joel's work. We got to hang out a bit and walk around the Farmer's Market. There was a pony ride... so of course we had to try it. It was Brennan's first pony ride!

Brennan loves the park. He is such a big boy now. He can go down the slide by himself!

Well, Brennan has GRADUATED!!! At church on Saturday nights he has been in the infant room. He is now in the Toddler Room! There is so much more to do in that room. His favorites: the kitchen set and the play equipment.

I always enjoy taking B for walks, but the Holiday season makes it so much more fun for him. He enjoyed the Halloween decorations, but he is enjoying the Christmas decorations so much more. He points, laughs, and says things that I'm still trying to figure out. It will be fun when I can understand him more :)

We hope you all had a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!!