A guide to understanding Bradley

Here is a video of Bradley showing off some of the words he knows. Not only does he not do this very often, but it is rarely on demand, and NEVER in front of a camera. It's sort of long, but I'm posting it anyway.

   

A Lesson in Parenting

This is a short lesson for all the parents or soon to be parents out there: be careful what you teach your children, because they will want to do it again...

and again...

and again...

and again...

and again...

...you get the idea.

I had this idea a little over a week ago, to build a road or track out of blocks, and if you're wondering, Bradley had asked to do it multiple times a day, everyday, since the first time I showed him. Sometimes I wish I could decide which things he pick up on and which things he forgets about instantly.

Utah and California

Well, we were in Utah for 2 weeks and then California for a week, because KIRK CAME HOME FROM AFRICA!!! It was so wonderful to see him and to finally have him meet our boys!!! It's crazy to think about all that has happened since he left. I have been wanting to post about our trip, but I am still missing a gazillion pictures that my mom took, so I have been putting it off. I still do not have those pictures, but I think it's now or never, so I'll post what I've got.

It was great to be with Grandmas and Grandpas. You got to see pics of us hanging out with Mike's fam at the dinosaur park. Here's a little of what we did with my fam.

Obviously, seeing Kirk was the highlight. Unfortunately, that is where I am the most lacking in pics. Mom, I need a CD. But here is one of Kirk and Noah.

Grandma and Noah slept. A lot. (Grandma slightly more than Noah)

In reality, I'm sure my mom slept less than normal, because she was kind enough to have Noah in her room more than half the time. A super big help, since I was a single parent for a week. (I don't know how people do it for any kind of long term!!)

Grandpa and I took Bradley to the zoo. We had a blast, and Bradley got sprayed by an elephant!! It was awesome. That elephant sucked water up its trunk, aimed right at him, and fired. Bradley loved it. It was hot as well, so it was a nice way to cool off. :) We let Bradley just run around. We followed him wherever he wanted to go and it was probably the funnest time I have ever had at a zoo. This is Bradley and Grandpa on the train.

Then we went to California. THAT was such a blast. I loved loved loved the beach!!! So did Bradley, but for different reasons. I love the waves; he loves the sand. Again, I'm missing pretty much all the pictures. Here are some of us on the pier, though.

A picture of me, just because I'm not in any other picture

We forgot Bradley's jacket so he got to wear daddy's.

I think we need a picture of Dad throwing Bradley everywhere we go. :)

Why wouldn't there be a bench with Mike's name on it?

And here is a random one at dinner time. Why this picture was taken, I'll never know.

When we were waiting at the airport in Carlsbad, we got some hot water from the little deli there so that we could mix it with cold and give Noah his bottle. While we were getting the bottle ready, Bradley stuck his thumb in the lid where the straw goes. His thumb got stuck there (for about 3 seconds until I was able to notice it and get it out) Needless to say, the water was scalding and the steam from the water burned him pretty good.

I felt so horrible. He cried and cried pretty much until the plane left. But God answered our prayers and he slept most of the way home. Poor little guy.

And that was our trip! And now, here is a video of Noah laughing, for no other reason than the fact that it is completely adorable.

Riding a Dinosaur

Aunt Jenny, Dinosaur Master T-rex class, prepares our brave adventurer for his first trip into the dinosaur infested forest.

For his first encounter, he travels with Jeremy, a master of the tricerotops, who's experience with said beast goes back to his days as a child. His infamous brother was master of the stegosauras.

And to encourage our young adventure, Jeremy bestows a gift that few have ever seen... an unforced smile.

For his first lone encounter, our young adventurer tries on something his own size. The dinosaur was a little bigger than he, but he was the more fleet of foot.

After his first encounter, our adventurer decided to return to his mother and gain more training from her vast knowledge of the history of dinosaurs.

He also climbed the wall of rocks to gain wisdom from his grandfather, the wisest of all dinosaur trainers.

With this new gained wisdom, our adventurer gathered his hand selected force of dinosaur trainers and set off on his grand adventure.

As he went, he remembered the words of all the dinosaur trainers of the past.

The journey was long, but his training from the T-rex master served him well.

He soon mastered many dinosaurs.

He sought long and hard to understand dinosaur ways.

Guided by his mentors, he faced challenge after challenge.

He was now prepared to face the greatest challenge of them all and become the greatest of all dinosaur trainers. He sought out the famed T- rex, Rexasauras, and engaged his opponent. At a critical point it looked as if the T- rex had the upper hand... 

but the T- rex forgot one very important thing.

There is no creature more dangerous than The Dinosaur Trainer.

A lot of Firsts

We have had a lot of firsts around here. On monday, Noah laughed for the first time! And when I say laugh, I mean he LAUGHED!!! Right from the gut. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Our friends, Aaron and Ashley were at our house playing games, but I sat out a round to get Noah ready for bed. So I just had him on my bed and I had him undressed to put his jammies on and I was tickling his tummy, and then I tickled his neck and he just laughed. But I think it surprised him, cuz after that, he looked shocked! Then I was still tickling him and talking to him and he just started laughing long and loud. It just warmed my soul. What a sweet boy. It was like once he realized he could do that, he wanted to do it again. So he just laughed and laughed, until he got the hiccups, and then he was sad. :)



Noah has also learned to roll over. He rolled over for the first time on Thursday, and I wasn't there! Mike got to see him though. I just saw him roll over for the first time today. It takes him awhile but he gets there.



Bradley has also had a few firsts. He is now tall enough to turn on and off lights. I feel like I live in a disco place with a strobe light. He has also learned how to open doors. I found this out because one day him and I were playing and Noah woke up. So Bradley ran down the hall to Noah's room (he often does... and just jiggles the doorknob). So I waited a bit to see if Noah would go back to sleep, but then Noah started crying loud, so I jumped up and ran in, to find Bradley in Noah's room throwing diapers at him. By the time I got there, Noah had about 10 diapers on top of him, and he was MAD. It really just cracks me up. I can't imagine what is going on in Brad's head. 'Hmm...my brother is crying. I think I'll throw diapers at him.' I'm sure he just thought he needed to be changed. (which, he did. :) But it was pretty funny.


Bradley also loves to swim. I hate it here, because the water is freezing. But I took him last night and dunked him in fast, cuz that's how I get used to the water. :) I thought he would throw a fit or be sad (because that's what he did last year the few times I took him swimming in cold water) but he just laughed and shivered and laughed some more and then he was used to it. Funny boy.


We went to the ice caves/volcano on Saturday. It was really fun, and I felt so tough carrying Noah all around. (Mike, of course, had Bradley). Here are some pics from that.

Here is a picture Brad made, and hung on the fridge.

And, last but not least, just a cute picture of the two cutest boys in the whole world!

First Solo Ride

This is a momentous day, because today is the first day that Bradley went down the slide all by himself! He also climbed up a chain ladder by himself, but I was watching him so he didn't fall :)

Just Us

Well, it has been a pretty boring week. Everybody has been healthy, Noah sleeps through the night (yea!!! 8-5!!), Mike goes to work, and that's that. Not too much to report. So here's just some pictures of us being "normal" (for us). 

Titan getting his own breakfast. What an independent kitty.

Mom and Noah sleeping

My boys watching sports. What else?

Noah playing with his toys.

Bradley with his new bug collecting toy. (very funny, Grandma and Grandpa Wilcox. :) But at least they are contained when he brings them to me now! And yes, he loves it. :)

This next one actually does have a story behind it. So, we went to lunch with some friends yesterday. We didn't get home until about 2:30, so quite a bit past Brad's nap time. So we put him down when we got home, but he only slept about an hour. So I got him up and went and lay on our bed knowing he would be poking me in 2 seconds anyway. Well, I fell asleep, and an hour later woke up in a panic because I heard nothing. I got up, and this is where I found him, peacefully asleep.