Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day ended up being more of a Valentine's weekend. The restaurant we wanted to eat at was booked for Friday and Saturday, so we made plans to go on Sunday instead. My parents came down on Friday to hang out with us (meaning, they wanted see Brenden) and they sent us out shopping because they had something they needed to do with just Brenden. When we got home he had made us a homemade Valentine's Day card, which was amazing! We also got cookies, candy and the Cars dvd. After Brenden finally settled down we ate pizza and watched The Golden Compass, which was actually a decent movie, even if it was a little confusing. I want to read the books, but I've heard that they are written from an atheist point of view and are meant to be the anti-Narnia series. I just want to see what it's about. I don't think any book could change my view on my faith.

Our amazing Valentine!!!

Saturday was pretty laid back. We went to the mall to look for a dress for me for the upcoming dining out at Oklahoma State and while we were there we let Brenden play with the other kids at the indoor play place, which he loves. I realized while watching him that he has started surveying the situation before he jumps in, and I'm very happy to see that. He's always cautious when he gets close to a step, always grabs our hands or the railing. Before he grabs something he looks at us to see if we are going to tell him no. So yesterday, he stood against the wall and watched for a little bit before he went running through the crowd. I also noticed that he waits for other kids to go up and down the slide, or lets them crawl on before he does, even if he was there first. He doesn't scream or push, he's just happy to be there with them. He ended up running around after a couple of the girls, screaming as they screamed, which they all thought was a hilarious game. As long as he wasn't screaming because he was hurt or upset, I wasn't worried about it.

Even though Tim told me I wasn't going to get a gift because he hates Valentine's Day (ask him about it sometime) he surprised me with a couple of books and a homemade poem. I think he was tired of watching me re-read the Harry Potter books and Twilight series. He wanted some tools for the computer and was more than happy to pick them up himself, so that I didn't get him the wrong ones. We spent Saturday night eating sloppy joes, reading, and messing with the hard drive for the laptop, which was the wrong one. Oops!

Our plans for Sunday didn't work out the way we expected. My mom was going to watch Brenden for us when we went out to eat, but some other, more important, things came up so we decided to go out to eat with Brenden instead. Tim is super excited to eat some skillet queso at Chili's and Brenden should be happy to have tons of people to wave at. It was a fun, relaxing weekend that turned out better than I expected, especially since I was told to expect nothing. :)

Since I haven't bragged in a few days about Brenden's new skills, that's what this paragraph will be devoted to. If you are anyone other than one of his grandmas, or an adopted grandma (That's you, Elaine!) then you should probably skip this. You may be bored. Brenden has now learned all of the hand motions for The Wheels On the Bus, which we've learned works very well in the car if he gets upset. He can even say "beep!" This morning when we told him we were going bye bye he grabbed the car keys, handed them to Tim, and said, "Keys!" We had no idea he had learned that word yet. Last night we were reading a book about food and Tim was pointing out the different things to him. Brenden grabbed the book, started pointing to the different items, and babbled using the same inflection that Tim was. We both started cracking up! And, he's learning how to recognize people in pictures other than Tim and me. The other day he tried to dial someone on our phone and when he realized the call wasn't going to go through (we had outgoing calls restricted) he started pointing at the picture associated with the number. He can pick out all of his grandmas and grandpas, and even tried to say Uncle Justin.

I promise that's all the bragging for now. I hope you all had a wonderful, love-filled weekend!

P.S.

Chili's was pretty good! Brenden found a couple of kids to play peek-a-boo with and even convinced one of the ladies next to us to pick him up. He ate a little of his grilled cheese and a TON of broccoli, his new favorite food. Tim and I gorged ourselves on chips and dip and then somehow shoved our dinner in. Then we thought we'd treat ourselves to Braum's, which was super yummy. A great end to a a great weekend!

M.I.A. (the acronym, not the rapper)

We've been seriously out of the loop for the last few days. Why? The Wii. The wonderful, time consuming, absolutely awesome Wii that we bought on Saturday. I think we've spent at least 6 hours a day playing the thing, if not longer. We also got a Wii Fit, which is fabulous. My favorite part? When it told me that my BMI was at a normal level and that I should just maintain. SWEET!!!! I've been working hard to loose weight and I'm glad that a video game noticed.

So for the past few days, when we haven't been out and about, we've been bowling, playing tennis, and doing balance games. If you want to have fun and work out some muscles (my shoulder is aching!) and have some extra money lying around then I would really recommend it. Brenden even has fun watching us play, which we try to do sparingly when he's awake. (Nap time is great for a game or twelve of bowling.) He does like the Fit board and running in place with us, which cracks me up.

Working up a sweat on the Wii Fit!

So that's what we've been doing most of the time. I promise the newness will wear off soon, but until then, please understand we aren't ignoring you. (Sorry, Karen!)

We did find some time on Sunday to go to the zoo with everyone again. Everyone included: Tim, me, Brenden, Ginger, Jim, Justin, Mike and Connie. This was the first time we've used our membership card since we got it in November and I really need to use it more often. I think we decided we only have to use it 5 times in the year to make our money back, but I'd like to use it a little more than that. We all had a great time enjoying the nice day and watching the animals. Brenden has even started trying to mimic their noises, which makes me laugh. He knows what to do when I ask him what a dog says, and he's working on meowing when I ask what a kitty says. Someday soon I hope I can get him to moo. Poor kid, I'm always making him show off the funny things he does. I promise I give him crackers for it, though.

Watching the sea lions.

He loves the carousel.

Another new skill is turning around in circles really fast. He just started doing it today and it really cracks me up. I think he's picking up a lot from the dance studio, including walking on his toes and tapping, which I don't mind. Actually, I walked on my toes a lot when I was little so he's predisposed to doing it anyway. I do need to watch him since I know that it can lead to shortened calf muscles, which was a worry when I was younger, but for now it's not constant like mine was so I'm not worried.

I haven't posted a link to pictures in a long time, so here is a link to a few new ones. I hope you all had a great, fun-filled weekend, too! I think I'll go play another game of tennis.

Back online!

Wow...a few weeks without a computer at home and I feel completely disconnected. Luckily, Mike and Connie shared their desktop with us and now we are back in business! I could not be more excited...THANK YOU MIKE AND CONNIE! It's just a loaner until we get one of our own (which may be coming from another family member) and we are so thankful. Now I can get our Christmas letter done, because we all know it won't type itself, or be typed by anyone but me.

We had a busy week, both at my job and at home. Most people probably know I'm working 2 days a week at my old dance studio and I love it. I get to take Brenden with me and he loves chatting with the girls and their families. When he isn't there people are always asking about him. My mom comes to get him for a little while on Monday and for most of the evenings on Thursday, so Brenden's spoiling has increased tremendously.

This last weekend was Bartlesville's Christmas Spectacular, the show that Art of Motion puts on every year. Dress rehearsal on Friday went pretty well, even with some drama at the Community Center beforehand. We've handled almost everything they can throw at us in the last 20 years! Brenden spent the entire day with Grandma and Grandpa Warehime and I am sure that he enjoyed every minute of it, especially since when I left he barely blinked in my direction and refused to hug or kiss me goodbye. His clingy-baby stage did NOT last long. Actually, that's not true. He becomes very clingy with random people, like a grandma at the studio that plays with him, or the lady at Tim's reserve unit. If they leave he screams like I've taken away Barney Bunny. I have no idea why he feels so attached to complete strangers but could care less if I ever came back.

Ok, I got a little off the point. Saturday night I was headed to the show and Tim, my parents, his parents, Justin and Brenden were headed to the Dewey parade. Brenden seems to have had a great time people watching and grabbing up all sorts of candy that we can't let him eat. He may have molars now, but I'm pretty sure hard candy is out of the question for a long time. I was sad that I missed going with them, but the show was fabulous, as usual. A big thanks to the girls and Hayden for my present! I really appreciate it. You are all too sweet!

Backstage at the show was insane! One person, who will not be named, showed up at 7 pm, which is when the show started. Performers are supposed to be there at least 30 minutes before. Scary! After helping with a few quick changes, I ended up running down a few flights of stairs in order to grab a class that was due on stage. It was NOT fun trying to herd seven 4 year olds back up those stairs, especially in tap shoes. Thankfully we made it in one piece, although not in the right order to dance on stage. In the end, no one cared what order they were in. All that mattered was that they made it, and that that will never happen again. With the show over and the floor rolled up and deposited back at the studio, I went home to sleep. It was a busy two days.

For pictures from the parade, and other fun things, click here!

Stay safe and warm! It's sure chilly here!

I still exist! (and updates)

I've stolen the laptop again! Tim is off doing the Army reserve thing this weekend so I begged him to leave me the laptop. "Just a couple of days of contact with the outside world, please?" Somehow, I got my wish. (Thank you, Tim!) I have decided that for Christmas I am going to ask everyone to contribute to a "Get Amanda a new computer, she's going crazy without one" Fund. Not the most personal gift ever, but I'm ready to be able to read my emails in a normal size, not the minute version on my cell phone.

There is a lot to include in this post...sorry in advance!!!

Thanksgiving was held at Grandma and Grandpa Warehime's house and we ended up with 15 people in one den. Cramped, but very happy! Fried turkey, ham, potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, homemade apple and pumpkin pie, etc...all made for a super yummy day. Brenden was a little overwhelmed with the sudden appearance of half of the family after naptime and only wanted to be held by Grandma Connie, who shared her plate of food with him. He's usually extremely social so I think it had to do with the fact that when he went to sleep there weren't that many people and when he woke up he had everyone watching him. He did settle down and eventually ate his own food for dinner. I'm not sure how to make this easier for him next time, but we'll figure it out.

We (meaning Tim and my mom) decided to have a garage sale the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I knew we were going to have one, I just didn't know it would be so soon. I don't think anyone realized just how many things were shoved into my mom's storage shed. It took at least 5 trips back and forth to get everything to the house on Thursday night and Friday morning. We then spent what felt like ALL DAY Friday (at least 8 hours) sorting and pricing the junk. Some of it was decent, but 90% of it was really just odds and ends that my mom and I had collected over 20 years. Yes, I still had jewelry and random things from when I was 7 stored away. I'm not sure what I thought I would do with them, but I guess I imagined a garage sale. Wish granted!

Saturday we woke up at 5:20 am to get everything put out by 7 am. Anyone that knows me knows that getting me out of bed before sunrise is a miracle, but it happened. It was cold, a bit misty, and still dark, but we got it done. By 8:30 am we hadn't seen one person. (I got up that early for NOTHING?!) We thought for sure this entire day was a bust, and then it happened! One person showed up and bought something, which apparently made it ok for other people to show up. We sold roughly $150 worth of junk, including a grab bag of my old jewelry and things, most of which went to 3 people. I think one lady was shopping for flea markets but at that time I didn't care. When it was all said and done we still had a majority of the stuff left. Some of it we are going to sell on Craigslist, the rest went to Goodwill or was left on the curb by my parent's house. I am amazed what people will pick up if it's free. I'm just happy it's not still in storage!

Brenden can now officially stand up without holding on to something. He started doing it the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and has continued to get better at it every day. I have had several people comment about how steady he seems on his feet now, which I've noticed as well. We still have moments where he falls down and face plants on the hardwood, but they are very few and he's learned how to fall without busting a lip. He can also squat down without tipping over, which comes in handy when he wants to hide behind something to play Peek-a-Boo.

He has also started becoming attached to things, although he hasn't picked out a favorite yet. One day he'll want to wear his OSU hat everywhere, including into his crib at naptime. Another day he wants me to put the monkey that Grandma Karen got him at the Denver Zoo around his neck, which he then leaves on like a funny tie. I guess having several objects that can keep him interested and happy is a good thing so I'm not going to push him towards one thing or another. The only thing that is constant is Barney Bunny, who lives in Brenden's crib and only comes out when we go somewhere overnight. Brenden does seem to love clutching him in the car so maybe he'll be a car bunny soon, too. I've very interested to see which thing stays the course, but I have a feeling that his preference may just keep changing every week. A few weeks ago he only wanted to play with our Swiffer or the vacuum. (he can make a vacuum noise now!) We'll just roll with it!

Like my new tie?

Sleepy baby with his Barney Bunny in the car.

Brenden continues to learn new words and signs, some of which he has made up himself. If he pounds on his chest then he wants a cracker, or if he pats his head he wants his hat on. He has taken to calling the dogs "bub-bee", which sounds like a version of "puppy" to me and we can't get him to just say "dog". Other random phrases will come out of his mouth repeatedly, so I think he's trying to tell me something but I just don't speak Brenden-nese. If I repeat what he has said to me he gets a very funny look on his face, like I just promised something that I may regret. I've told him several times that even though I may have said he can get a new car when he's 16, it was because I had no idea what I was agreeing to. :) My favorite one has been "stinky" which is what I say when I think it's time to change a diaper. I'll ask if he's stinky and he'll wave his hand in front of his nose and try to repeat the word "stinky". There have been a few times where he has walked up to me and said it, wave included, and when I check he's definitely stinky. I'm hoping that this is a good step towards potty training, which I'm dreading! The horror stories I have heard, including the long drawn out process that Tim's parents had to go through with him, are not putting my mind at ease. We're not actively trying to potty train him or anything crazy like that, but I've started thinking about it and what we can do now to help him. It's a scary thought!

My last piece of Brenden related news (what else is there?) is that he officially has 13 teeth. When this happened I'm not sure, but while we were brushing his teeth before I bed I noticed that there were a few more than I remembered. The screaming is making sense! He now has the beginnings of 2 upper molars, along with a canine on the top as well. As far as I can tell, and I'm no expert, the other 3 canines are trying to make an appearance, too. His pediatrician told me that he would get the canines and then get his molars, but she seems to have forgotten than this child does not like waiting for anything. Here come 6 new teeth at once! How lucky are we? Yay for teething tablets! If you haven't heard of them, please try them if you are dealing with an unhappy teether. They have saved us from many MANY sleepless nights. (Thank you Heather G!)

On that happy note, it's about time for Brenden's nap to end. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend full of happy chatting and emailing. I'm going to use this laptop time while I still can!

Kaput!

Our laptop at home has gone on permanent strike. No more internet during the day for me! I've stolen Tim's work laptop to type this quick apology for being gone for so long.

A quick Happy Birthday to Jason! It was Nov. 26th, right after the computer went goodbye. Sorry Jay!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope we aren't computer-less for that long but I better say it now. :)