Jason Mraz rocked our socks off!

Ready for some Mraz!

Ok, I kept my socks on, and so did Tim, but WOW! We've seen Jason Mraz in concert before in Colorado Springs but I could go watch him every week and never get tired. He's funny, happy, upbeat and gets everyone in the crowd involved, even the people who just stand there most of the time. On top of that, he's an amazing live singer. I'm not sure if everyone has had the experience of watching a band or artist they love and realizing that they are absolutely terrible live. (One person told me Nickelback wasn't so hot.) Jason Mraz..not like that at all. He even throws in some opera, which is just crazy.

Our night started out with a short drive and a long wait. We sat in the turn lane to get into the Spirit Event Center for at least 30 minutes and by the time we got to a parking space it was 7:30, which is when the concert started. We weren't terribly worried since there was an opening act. Pulling into the parking structure prompted Tim to explain to me that they had not used Auto Turn, which is apparently like an engineering video game where you pick a vehicle and then try to turn it into a virtual building to see if the turn radius is wide enough. I'm so glad he loves his job. :)

We walked into darkness and with the help of one of the event staff found our seats, only 10 rows from the stage. The first act was Anya Marina, who was what Tim called "whiney" although I thought she was pretty good. Kind of folksy. She did her version of T.I.'s You Can Have Whatever You Like which I thought was awesome. After she was done there was about a 30 minute break until the Plain White T's came out. They were SO loud, but really fun. They played Hey There Delilah and I was happy. It wasn't a long set, only about 45 minutes, but they were energetic and fun.

The Plain White T's lead singer, Tom.

The funniest thing during the Plain White T's was the flash nazis...the event staff that ran back and forth screaming at people taking pictures. I was glad to have my camera put up at that moment because that woman looked livid. It would have been just as easy for someone to walk on stage in between performances and announce "no flash photography" instead of combing the crowd. By the end of the night they seemed to have given up, both on checking for flashes and checking people's hands to make sure they had stamps. Anyone could have walked in, and probably did.

We knew there would be a bit of a break before Jason Mraz came on so we headed to the bathrooms. Oh my gosh the women's line was looooong. I was lucky and made it in and out rather quickly and met up with Tim, who had found one of his fellow workers from Wallace. I've heard Jordan's name a lot but I've never had a face to put with it. We also got to meet his super sweet girlfriend, Audra, and passed a few minutes chatting away.

Finally we headed in for the main act and, like I already said, we weren't disappointed. He played several of our favorite songs, The Remedy, Live High, Lucky, and of course I'm Yours, which is his big hit right now. During one of the songs his brass trio went into the crowd, which was tons of fun, and during another he had us all dance along.It was fabulous.

He sings with his eyes half-closed most of the time. :)

Take a bow!

At the end of every show he takes pictures of the band members with a Polaroid and then throws them out into the crowd. At the last concert Tim caught a drumstick and this time he caught a picture of the trombone player. I'm not sure how he does it! I thought the tall blond lady in front of us was going to beat him up but she eventually just laughed and asked to look at the picture.

Way to catch that picture, Tim!

After the concert we decided not to fight our way out of the parking structure and instead headed to a bar and grill near the event center for something to eat. We snacked on nachos for about 45 minutes and were totally surprised to see that people were still battling their way out to drive home. The level we were on was almost empty so it was easy for us to get out, we just had to wait a bit to get out at the lower level. Someone got smart and had the police show up to direct traffic (maybe someone complained?) so it went much smoother than when we showed up.

We made it home around 12:15 am, which was almost exactly when I predicted. (I thought probably midnight) We were exhausted but probably not nearly as tired as Connie, who watched Brenden for us. She and Mike took him to the mall where he ate 15 tortillas at El Chicos and played. He feel asleep pretty easily so I'm glad that part was good for her.

All in all, amazing night and a wonderful birthday present. Thank you so much Tim!

For more pictures, please click HERE! :) (they are towards the end of the album)

My Next Top Model

Brenden has always been fond of the camera...the buttons, the flash, the videos I take and then let him watch on it. But just recently he's realized that when a camera is pointed at him he is supposed to smile, and that smile is the cheesiest grin you have ever seen. All teeth and scrunched up eyes, head tilted back so you can see all the way up his nose. I've noticed in the last few days that when he is handed a camera or a camera phone, or something that resembles a camera or camera phone, he holds it out in front of him and cheeses away.

This morning we had a mini photo shoot on the living room floor. He sat in my lap and every time I turned the camera towards him he was ready for his close up. Unfortunately my camera is slower than his smile, and the fact that I have to hold it out in front of both of us probably slows down my reaction time. He wanted to see every picture and he giggled up a storm every time I turned the camera around.

Here are a few of his funniest shots. :)

Scrunch!

A more serious look.

Would you call it a Pop-eye look? :)

This isn't from today...it was from a few weeks ago in Colorado. But it shows his cheese in full force! :)

Weekend Warriors

This past weekend was the Kelly Men Fishing Trip. Tim, his dad, his uncle and his grandpa Kelly all ran off to Arkansas to catch some big fish...or at least TRY to catch some big fish. I think their biggest catch was an 11 lb bass, or something that looked like a bass to me. Tim caught a 3 lb bass. And...that's it. 2 fish in 3 days. They weren't thrilled with their haul, but they had an awesome time. They even had their very own Nascar moment when the boat trailer blew a tire. Tom, Tim's uncle, was very impressed that they had the tire off and changed and back on the road in 15 minutes. Since I'm not an expert on changing tires (ok, who am I kidding, I don't change tires) it sounds fast to me. I'm just glad they made it back in one piece and not smelling too horrible. Tim did bring back a nasty beard, but that was gone the next day. I'm so glad he's not a fan of facial hair. It's hard to kiss something that feels like a Brillo brush!

While they were gone I spent the weekend with Connie and Ginny. We shopped, watched movies, and ate junk food for almost every meal. It was fabulous! Brenden was totally spoiled, of course, and enjoyed running in the back yard, swinging, climbing the stairs, chasing the cats while yelling "kitty!", playing tug-of-war with Riley, and learning how to play croquet.

That weekend started off what I will from now on call "The Busiest Month EVER". The weeks may not be too crazy, but the weekends are totally full. Here's a rundown:

Tonight we're headed to Jason Mraz! It starts at 7:30 with an opening act so I'm sure we'll get home at the early hour of midnight. So worth it!

This weekend Tim is "play Army" as my dad likes to call it (I call it paying rent) and I am headed to a birthday party for my friend Alice's son Logan, who is turning 2. Then on Sunday I'm supposed to go to Bartlesville to watch the Children of Light Choir at my church.

The next weekend is my friend Susan's bachelorette party, which is a weekend long event from the 8th through the 10th. I won't be staying the night with them on the 9th (sad face) because the 10th is Mother's Day. I'm not sure what the plan for Mother's Day is yet but it should be busy.

The weekend after that is Meredith's (my brother's girlfriend) graduation party, along with Tim's 10 year reunion in the morning and at night. That is the worst day so far. I think we get a break on the 17th but I'm not counting on it.

May 22nd is rehearsal and the 23rd is RPM to MP3, my studios Spring show. 8 million things need to happen before then so we're already scrambling. That's also Memorial Day weekend so I'll be headed to the lake on Saturday night to meet up with Tim, Brenden and Tim's parents.

After that I can rest on the weekends and maybe get some of the sleep back that I'll miss on my normal Saturday sleep-ins!

Would you like to see some April pictures? Check them out HERE!

Playgroup = FAIL

I have been trying to find a playgroup for months that was relatively close to the type of playgroup that I went to in Colorado Springs. A group of stay at home moms that got together around once a week just to let their kids play and to have actual adult conversations. I've looked into a few on meetup.com but none of them sounded like what I was looking for. Then this weekend someone started a new one and the first meeting was at the Tulsa Zoo at 10 am. I thought, "Hey! Let's try this one!"

So this morning we got up (around 8 am...so nice!) and got ready to head out. Brenden has been drooling again, biting on his fingers, and waking up at night. Evil 2nd molars! I was a little nervous he would be a mess but a few teething tablets helped with the screeching. We got to the zoo at about 9:57, which for me is good! The parking lot seemed really busy, which is strange since it's Tuesday and school is still in. Well school was exactly what made today so difficult! I walked up to the gate and realized there were about 10 groups meeting there, some with school aged kids and others with kids around Brenden's age. I asked one of the zoo employees what was going on and she said that the last few weeks of school meant that everyone, including preschools, was bringing their classes to to the zoo for field trips. Uh oh.

I wandered around outside for awhile, trying to find someone that matched the picture I saw online of the organizer, who I knew would be there. After about 15 minutes I gave up and went inside. We looked at a few animals and I kept up my search for the missing playgroup. I didn't realize that she had put her phone number online, but I'm not sure I would have called. I don't know these people and I'm not sure if they are the type that would understand or make fun of me. I wasn't in the mood to be made fun of.

Hey there! You're big!

Brenden got up close to an ostrich, watched the penguins swim, and made friends with one of the zoo employees that was driving a cart around. We went to look at the monkeys and there Brenden decided to try to play with another little girl. She was not interested at all. After a minute of being rejected Brenden turned around to run a different direction, right as the little girl went the same way. BAM! They smacked into each other and that poor little girl went down. Brenden, being the solid tree-like child he is, hardly budged. I asked if she was OK and her dad glared at me and said, "She has a bloody lip." Um, ok there dude. They both went running, it's called an accident. I even offered a tissue but the guy just stalked off. I told Brenden to say he was sorry and he burst into tears. That was when I gave up on the zoo for the day.

Brenden went to sleep pretty quickly when we got home. Those molars really take it out of him. I think I'll try to meet up with the ladies again, I did send an "I'm sorry" email, so maybe it won't be a FAIL in the long run. We shall see!

19 Months Old...Whoa! Really???

On April 16th, Brenden officially became closer to 2 years old than 1. It's been a lot more difficult for me to tell people he is 19 months old for some reason. Maybe I'm in denial. That whole, "Wish we could put a brick on your head" thing? Yeah, I get it now. He's so funny and it's amazing to watch his face light up at the smallest things, like a stranger that waves at him or a container of yogurt. So in honor of his 19 month birthday, here is a list of his most recent accomplishments.


His favorite animal noises: cow, dog, panting like a dog, cat, frog, monkey, sheep and owl. Thanks grandma Karen for helping with half of those! :)

Body parts he can point to: ear, eye, teeth, mouth, lips, cheeks, nose, hair, head, foot, toes, hand, fingers, and belly. He can also say ear, eye, teeth, and nose and repeatedly grabs Riley just to show me he can. Thank goodness Riley is a patient soul. I'm not sure many dogs would take kindly to a toddler showing me where the dog's eye is every few minutes.

New words: Chrissy, Bailey, dude, whoa, oww, shoes, ewww, "to you" (as in Happy Birthday), out, paci(fier), bath, hot, baseball, golf, HI, hey and NO. Every time we go out he finds at least one girl to wave at and say "hi" to. It's so funny! He's also getting a few sentences in randomly, like "I blow" when Aunt Chrissy's coffee was hot or "No, no, Riley."

Motor Skills: He is getting really good at puzzles, especially the ones with animals. He is also working hard on getting his shoes on by himself and trying to buckle the seat belt in his carseat. One of his favorite things to do is play our Wii, which takes a lot of hand/eye coordination. His favorite games so far are golf and baseball, which he begs to play every morning when he gets up. Tim just got Super Mario Brothers 3 for the Wii so I have a feeling that we'll be hearing "Mario" soon.

Physical Skills: He has recently learned that climbing on the coffee table is hilarious and once he makes it up there he has decided everyone should join him. He's very aware that pointing to where he wants someone to sit and smiling big works almost every time. He has also turned into quite a quick little runner. He puts his head down and GOES! Both of these new skills have led to a lot of testing of the limits we set for him. He'll still go to time out when we tell him to, but he will lay on the mat instead of sitting on it, or he'll sit there singing, as if to show us that time out is exactly where he wants to be.

Intellectual Skills: I have no idea what else to call this, so that label may be wrong. :) What I'm referring to is his ability to point out shapes, letters, animals and people in books and pictures. He can pick out several animals and cartoon characters (Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Mickey Mouse are his favorites) and can identify the letters "A" and "E" correctly most of the time. He's learning his alphabet and can count from one to three. He's learned how to follow simple directions and loves helping out, especially when it comes to throwing things away. He can also find a diaper and wipes if asked and will even lay down for me occasionally.

Empathy!: Yes, I'm excited that when other kids cry, Brenden feels upset. I think he's finally figuring out that when he hits, it hurts other people. He's not hitting because he's mad....all the time. Most often it's because he's really excited and flails his arms. He's also realized that when people are hurt, or have "boo boos", that kissing it makes it all better. Just the other day when we were in Colorado, grandma Karen hurt her finger on a trip to her office. The next day her finger was bandaged and Brenden walked up, pointed at it, and then looked at her with his head cocked to one side. "It's a boo boo," she said. Brenden slowly leaned forward and kissed her finger lightly, then smiled really big. "All better!" we said at the same time. It was adorable!

So there is my bragging for the month. Obviously I'm very proud of him and could talk about him for hours. This is my way of getting most of that out of my system so you don't have to listen to it later. :)

Our little "man"...not such a baby anymore!

Oh yeah, my finger....

I finally had a consultation with a bone doctor guy. No, I do not feel like looking up the correct name. :) He wasn't exactly the friendliest guy I've ever met, although his intern was extremely helpful. After looking at the MRI and the x-ray, the intern told me I indeed have a Unicameral (Simple) bone cyst, which is a benign tumor, and that surgery was the only way to fix it, which he didn't recommend. There is still a chance of fracture, which is what he believes happened in the first place to cause all the pain. He expects it to heal by itself and I have a follow up in 3 months. So far I've had a lot less pain, but I think part of that is because the tumor has moved up under my nail, which is a different shape now. When I asked if it will ever go back to normal he said the bone may return to it's normal shape in 3 to 4 years and then the nail may change back after that. Nothing definite. I guess I'm lucky it didn't fall off!

So far, so good, but I'm not sure I'll go back to that doctor again. He had a terrible bedside manner and barely spent any time with me. He left during the appointment and said he would look at my x-rays but instead got on the phone and spent the entire 5 minutes talking to someone, all of which I heard. Then he decided to insult my intelligence by telling me he had, "examined my x-rays extensively." Yeah, right! I made sure to mention that I could hear them in the hall and that I wasn't afraid of losing my nail, which is what they thought I was worried about, if it meant that I would be pain free. He then proceeded to pull out his tape recorder and dictate his notes right in front of me. Angry would be putting my mood mildly.

I guess it's good to know that I'm fine and also good to know that I won't see him again. Good all around I think!

Colorado Trip - Part 2

I guess I better finish off the trip! Again, we'll go with days because I just do not have the brain power or writing ability to make it a nice story. :)

Saturday and Sunday

Can you say LLLAAAAZZZZYYY?? I have not slept that much since the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy with Brenden when I was done with work and was ready to have him. (No, nesting never got to me.) We made a few trips to the store, watched Yes Man, which was pretty funny, and played in the yard. On Easter Sunday Brenden woke up nice and early and could barely contain himself when he saw yet another basket full of goodies. Counting the other grandparents and us he ended up with 4 total. Spoiled much? :) Of course one of the first things he grabbed at was the bubbles, which he loves and can actually say. "Bubble!" he kept squealing. I assured him that if he ate he could play with them but he wasn't willing to wait. We eventually gave in and let him chase a few around the kitchen. These weren't those tiny bubbles, either. They were big old melon sized ones, and he had a blast. That evening we ate Karen's super yummy meatloaf and some candied sweet potatoes, which I am now addicted to. Forget Bueno, the next time I'm pregnant I'm eating those!

Happy Easter!

Monday

Seriously, we're lazy. It was wonderful.

Tuesday

We finally got around to a day when Brenden could go out and find Easter eggs. He was an old pro at it by now and found all of them in about 5 minutes. He couldn't wait to get inside to eat them so he sat down in the grass and started popping them open. Caramel for breakfast? Only at Easter time. :)
I found them!

Momma as the Easter Bunny, with her adorable little man.

That afternoon, after cleaning Brenden up and somehow getting his sugar-filled self down for a nap, we headed to the Wildlife Experience. The parking lot wasn't full, but the museum was even more empty. It was like it was closed down just for us, which is mostly good, and kind of sad. Brenden loves interacting with other kids, so he probably would have enjoyed it more if there were other people, but he still had a great time.

He got to pretend to be several different animals: a chipmunk, a penguin, and a Nemo fish. He had a blast listening to a huge fly tell gross jokes and climbed up and slid down a huge slide on a submarine. We will definitely go back there again. Tim would have loved the Animal Grossology exhibit just as much as Brenden did.

Yes, that wall says "Vomit Slurpers." But the fly was hilarious!

That evening we brought the bubbles back out and let Brenden chase them in the yard. I'm not sure who had more fun, Brenden, grandma, or Bailey. :)

Bubbles!

Wednesday

Time to pack up and head home! Jason and Chrissy were also planning on flying out of Denver that day to head to California. Somehow I got lucky and they were flying out only 15 minutes before me so they offered to help me through security. I would have gone crazy without them so a huge THANK YOU to them! Once we got to our gate Brenden entertained himself by pushing the stroller around and around and making faces at people. When we boarded I took a chance and sat by a gentleman right at the front. There was a seat between us and we heard it was a full flight so I was just waiting to see who would end up last on the plane and stuck next to us. What actually ended up happening was a family boarded, couldn't find a seat together, and the flight attendant asked someone to move or otherwise offer free babysitting to the 3 and 4 year old boys. Funny enough, someone moved. The lady that ended up next to us was so nice and played with Brenden, or let him play with her iPhone, until he fell asleep right after takeoff. I was totally blessed on both flights to have someone next to me who liked kids and who talked me through my fear of flying.

The scene at the security gate was exactly as I imagined. I didn't put Brenden in his stroller because I knew he would go crazy once he saw his dad. When he realized who he was, from about 30 feet away, he started squirming and screaming, "Dada!" so I let him down. Both of their faces were priceless and I wish I could have pulled my camera out fast enough.

It was a wonderful trip and I am so glad that we got to make it. Brenden learned a ton of new things, like what a frog, owl and monkey say, and how to sing "to you" in Happy Birthday. (I'll post a video...it's hilarious!) We sure do miss gah-ma and gah-pa, but we'll see them soon!

Pictures from Colorado! Part 1, Part 2, and the Wildlife Experience!

Colorado Trip - Part 1

Note from Amanda: There is no way I could make our trip to Colorado into a coherent story, so I decided to just do bullet points by days. :) Let's start with Sunday, shall we?

Sunday

We were woken up EXTREMELY early by the monster in the other room. Thank goodness he's a cute, happy morning monster, or we may have gone crazy. Tim did some last minute packing and we headed to the airport to drop him off for his trip to Ft, McCoy, Wisconsin, for Army training stuff. (You'll have to ask him for clarification, I have no clue what all he did.) The entire way home from the airport Brenden sobbed for his daddy, which is heartbreaking. He eventually calmed down and took a nice, long nap before we headed up to Bartlesville to see grandma and grandpa Warehime. I needed to get some extra work done at the dance studio since I would be gone for awhile and Brenden needed to open his Easter Basket, which is very important!

That night, after a lot of wonderful spoiling, we headed back to Tulsa with my mom following us since she was headed to Oklahoma City. The car had been making some funky grinding noises that went away after it heated up so we assumed it was the tailpipe and Tim said it would be okay. Right near 96th Street North on Hwy 75 a lovely, white puff of smoke showed up behind the car and suddenly it was impossible to steer. It hasn't been that long since the last wreck with the car so you can imagine the horror I felt. After a long, not very happy conversation with Tim and a 2 hour wait for a tow truck we made it home. A few good notes to this story: my mom was following us so we had a built in ride to the house; we were all going to be gone for a week so we didn't need the car; we had an extra car at the house so we weren't stuck.

Monday

Mike came to pick us up to take us to the airport and we dropped the keys off at Pep Boys on the corner of Admiral and Memorial, who I HIGHLY recommend. Then we headed to the airport, had a swift trip through security, and headed to the gate to wait for our plane. While waiting, Pep Boys called to update us on the car. The left rear wheel bearing was completely shot and was the cause of the nasty, white smoke. The whole thing had almost fallen off the car, which again was much too close to the scenario in October. They told me the estimate and also remembered that I said we needed an oil change and offered that as well. I'm pretty sure they through that in for free, but I haven't seen the receipt yet so I'm not sure. Not 45 minutes later they called back to let me know it was done and that Mike could come by to get it the next day and that they would keep it inside for us. Like I said, I HIGHLY recommend them.

Our wait for the plane wasn't as painful as I expected. Brenden found a little girl named Emma who was 13 months old and decided to entertain her and try to steal her toys. Her mom and grandma were very nice and were even nicer when Emma decided to imitate Brenden and stand up and walk to me, which she had not yet been doing. She ended up wandering around after him for awhile, much to her mom's surprise. We both got a lot out of it! By the time we got on the plane, Brenden was a mess. He hadn't napped yet and it was at least 2 hours past the time he usually laid down. He's not really into sitting on my lap unless he's been bribed with food, much like any 18 month old I'm sure. Luckily the gentlemen next to me both had children and were extremely understanding when he started throwing his fit. Right before takeoff Brenden fell asleep and stayed that way most of the trip. Twenty minutes before we touched down in Denver he woke up and by that time he was in a much better mood. He was a little upset that he couldn't run up and down the aisle but eventually he became enthralled with the view out the window and very happily chattered until we landed. We met grandma Karen near the fountain at the Denver airport, found our luggage and headed to the house to relax. That night Chrissy, Karen and I sobbed our eyes out watching Marley and Me and gorged ourselves on Karen's homemade caramel corn.

Tuesday

I missed a little of the morning on Tuesday because I got to sleep in, something that I've become unaccustomed to in the last 18 months. Brenden enjoyed a ton of oatmeal and applesauce and a lot of attention from grandma. That afternoon, grandpa Rick came home and Brenden was immediately stuck to his hip. Where "gah-pah" goes, he goes, which doesn't hurt grandpa's feelings at all. We spent the day either taking a trip to the park, doing arts and crafts, or watching Australia (not half bad!) which made for a nice, relaxing day

You gotta follow me, grandpa!

Wednesday


Grandpa Rick had already planned on heading to Colorado Springs to look at a few of his stores (he works for J.C.I which has a contract with J.C. Penny) and we decided to tag along. After dropping him off at the Citadel Mall we drove past our old house to see how it looked and then headed to a playgroup at Heather M.'s house. The playgroups I was invited to are one of the main things I miss about Colorado. There was an awesome group of moms and a ton of kids Brenden's age that made them fun for Brenden and helpful for me. Heather is looking fabulous, she's due in May with a little girl, Anya, and there were 6 little boys all withing a few months of Brenden. Not that he noticed; he spent most of the time pushing himself around in a car and yelling at me to watch him.

Loving on grandma.

After we left we headed to see Leigh and Rachel, who I used to work with at Dr. Foy's office. I miss them a ton as well and really enjoyed getting to see them. By that time Brenden was starving so our visit was short, but it was still nice. We decided to go to Subway and Brenden thoroughly enjoyed his sandwich. After pick up grandpa we headed home, exhausted but happy.

Subway endorsement deal, here we come!

That night Jason wasn't feeling well so he gave me his ticket to go see the Nuggets play the Oklahoma City Thunder with Chrissy. VIP parking and courtside seats...yes, we had fun! The drunk guy that made fun of my hair and the waitress that ignored us? Didn't ruin the night at all. :)

Showing off our jerseys.

Thursday and Friday

Another couple of lazy days, sleeping in, eating a ton, and playing outside. Grandma took Brenden to the park and somehow he talked me into buying him a set of plastic golf clubs to leave at grandma and grandpa's house. He spent a lot of time outside smacking at the plastic golf balls and trying to get us to chase them. In between he's been chowing down on all his favorite things, like applesauce, cottage cheese, yogurt, spaghetti O's...he can't get enough. This is the same child that for the last few months only eats well at breakfast. Another growth spurt? Probably, but that's just fine with us.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this extremely fun and relaxing trip, although we miss Tim like crazy. He finally made it back to Tulsa (I just got off the phone with him 10 minutes ago) and is ready to see us, too. Between now and next Wednesday we are planning on checking out the Wildlife Experience here in Parker and the Denver Children's Museum. Many more pictures to follow!

New Lanie Amaducci Pictures!

I had posted about Lanie's early arrival several weeks ago and I'm happy to post again that she is doing really well! She is up to 3 lbs 6 oz, is eating regularly, starting to maintain her own body temperature and is, of course adorable!

These are her latest pictures...she can finally wear the smallest preemie clothes!

This is Lanie in February.

And this is April! Doing so well!

Getting some love (and food!) from mom.

Awwww!

Congratuations Mr. and Mrs. Stewart!

Mr. an Mrs. Stewart!

Yesterday evening we were invited to attend our friends Wes and Anna's wedding. Tim was an usher so we arrived around 5 pm so that he could get into his tux and take pictures. Brenden and I kept ourselves busy climbing up and down stairs and telling the cake lady where everything was supposed to be.

I'd love to show you a picture of the gorgeous bride and happy groom during the ceremony, but this was my view at 7 pm when it started...


Needless to say, Brenden was exhausted. Not long before the ceremony he flipped out, screaming inconsolably. I drove around, listening to "Mockingbird" at least 20 times, for about 20 minutes until he passed out. He slept for 30 minutes and I played on my phone while people walked by us in the parking lot. I'm sure they thought I was slightly strange.

At about 7:30 pm he woke up in a decent mood and since I could see people milling around outside the building I knew it was time for the reception. He was totally excited to see his dad again and had a wonderful time chasing the girls around, stopping occasionally to wiggle to the music.

Dancing with dad.

Chasing the girls.


Not sure what this is about...but it's funny!

We headed home around 9 pm and he entertained us with his sleepy sillies until we pulled into the driveway at 10 pm. I kept my fingers crossed that getting to sleep so late would mean a little bit of sleeping in. Well...that's not how Brenden works. 6:30 am rolled around and he was ready to get up and go. It may not have been the most relaxing weekend, but it was interesting! :)

The Easter Bunny Goes HOP HOP HOP!

Brenden didn't freak out with the Easter Bunny like he did with Santa! I think part of the reason is his very close relationship with Barney Bunny, his lovey. We did try to get him ready by showing him last year's Easter Bunny picture. He thought it was hilarious. I think we'll try that with Santa, too.

Hair, it is a-changin'

**FYI: If you click on the pictures, most of them will enlarge. Just so you know. :)**

When Brenden was born his hair, although not thick, was extremely dark brown and very noticeable, especially on the back of his head. He had a sort of baby mullet going on. Like most babies, in his first 6 months he wiggled and jiggled his head until most of the hair was gone. Unlike most babies, he also had eczema that caused his scalp, along with the rest of his body, to be covered in itchy, red, bumpy sores so his hair really never had a chance to grow.

A few days old. Dark brown hair and....blue eyes? I can't remember blue eyes! :)

Thankfully we annoyed the doctor at Evans Army Community Hospital (aka: EACH) until they allowed us to see an allergist. It was a horrible experience for both Brenden and I (Tim was lucky enough to be at work, although I'm sure he'd argue that he had to watch Brenden have his foot lanced for tests when he was first born, but, whatever...) when he had his poor back poked 15 times to test for allergies to milk, eggs, dogs, cats, peanuts, wheat, etc. Granted, it was quick with the 5 prong-thing they used, but it was still painful and probably extremely itchy. I'm so glad he can't remember it. I, on the other hand, will always remember having to hold his arms down for 20 minutes until they could read the test. I will very vividly remember the nurse coming in and grimacing at Brenden, who cried the entire time, and then asking me, "Is he ok?" Heck no, he wasn't ok! He just had his back stabbed 15 times and I can't explain to him that it will help him feel better!!! URGH

He was so happy, even with the scratches on his forehead. :(

Ok, I got off track. So that test told us that he was allergic to eggs and dogs and the allergist, whose name I can't remember, presented us with Protopic and a prescription for Allegra. In a week, Brenden had quit scratching, his skin was almost clear, and we no longer had to put socks on his hands at night to keep him from tearing his face and scalp to shreds. The other result was that his hair started to grow, and grow quickly, From 7 months to 12 months of age he went from practically bald to having ringlets around his ears.

7 months old, almost no hair, plus sock.

12 months old, little curls!

That was when I realized that his hair was no longer dark brown, like mine. Instead it was a lighter brown with hints of blond and red. It was almost exactly the same shade as Tim's (when he doesn't use gel) which really added to the "He looks so much like his daddy!" that I heard everywhere we went. Even if Tim wasn't with me, people would assume that he was his dad's twin, which he was for a very long time. Now I can see a little bit of me in him, but not much. :)

I love looking like my daddy!

Today he was playing with my cell phone, something that happens A LOT, when I started messing with his hair. I've been saying for weeks that his hair is getting lighter at the roots as it grows out, but today I realized I was wrong. It's not lighter at the roots; his new hair that is growing in is a completely different shade. It's almost a white-blond and it's a different texture than the longer hair. It's not noticeable yet in pictures, but my mom commented to me the other day that his hair was looking different so I know I'm not crazy. (Ok, just a little crazy, but not about this....haha!) Tim was a towheaded kid when he was little, but he was born with light hair that got darker as he got older. Maybe Brenden will be the opposite. A blond-haired, brown-eyed little boy? I can deal with that. :)

His hair could fall out and never come back and we'd still think he's the cutest kid, ever!