Pool Time!

It was hazy, hot, and humid. Today was a pool day for sure!

A Video Tribute To Brady

Dear Brady,

We created this music video for you to remember just how quickly you are growing up. You are only beginning to realize that your world is changing, every day. Soon, you will have a brand new brother to love. But Brady, please know that your mother and I love you with all our hearts. We wouldn't trade a single minute of life with you for anything...and that includes all those sleepless nights, the occasional tempers, sitting by your bedside when you were in the hospital, or any of the other low points you've experienced in your short life thus far. We wish only the best for you.

Love you always and forever,

Mama and Dada.

A Trip To A New Playground

Erica and I found a great indoor playground in Lawrence called ImagineThat. We took Brady there today, and he had a blast! It is a really neat concept. The center is located on the second fllor of an old mill building in Lawrence, right above the headquarters of our favorite pizza and Italian restaurant, Sal's. For $6.95, Brady was able to play for as long as he liked, on all kinds of equipment. They have a miniaturized supermarket, a bounce-house, an enourmous fun house, a toddler area, and so much more. We'll have to take David there when he comes home to visit!

What? More Video? Jackpot!

Yep, Erica and I have made a new resolution to use our video camera more. Brady is just growing up so fast, we want to catch as many memories as we can. So, you can look forward to more Brady Vision!

Its Playtime!

Slowly but surely, Erica and I are trying to make better use of our finished basement. What started as a big room that was filled with boxes, an ugly built-in bar, a treadmill, an office, and a whole-lotta clutter is becoming a useful multi-purpose space. Today, we put Brady's little house/slide downstairs. He just thought that was the best!

Brady's Bedtime Routine

People always complement us on how well behaved Brady can be when we are out, and how even-tempered he is when we are at home. They often ask us how we do it. What people don't know is, sometimes he has bad days. This often happens when Brady's schedule is thrown off. We try to keep him to a very specific schedule. Let's take bedtime, for example. This is usually how it plays out: At 7:00, we ask Brady to go up stairs to get his PJ's put on. He does so. When we come back down, we give him a cup of milk, and he goes over to sit on his favorite spot on the couch to watch the Wiggles (he only watches this twice a day...when he first gets up, and at bedtime). After the Wiggles, he knows it is time to go up to bed.

I've Been Simponized!

Oh no, I've been simpsonized! Too bad I have since shaved the goatee. Has anyone seen the movie yet?

Brady Vision: Summer Fun

My Goatee: Save It or Shave It?

Calling one, calling all, it is time to vote. What should I do with my goatee?

Save it, or shave it?

Its Potty Time!

Last week, we took Brady in the pool, and when he got out, we took off his swimsuit and diaper and he was running around the deck completely naked. All of a sudden, he let out this squeel of delight. We looked over, and he was peeing on the deck, and had just realized what he was doing. Now he thought it was funny to run across the deck, stop, and pee.

It got Erica and I thinking....

We did some research....

We've decided to start potty training Brady. Our hope is that by age 2, he will be completely potty trained. As lofty as this might sound, it is actually the average age. So, we went out and bought him a potty. He thought it was the best. This week we plan to just let him "explore" it, no strings attached. Next week, we'll start to let him test the water out. The potty we bought will eventually attach right to the regular toilet, and the bottom half of it will become a stool. It plays music too! Now all we need to do is stock the basket in the bathroom with Wiggles magazines and he'll be ready to "go".

PS: Did you see my gotee?

Hey good lookin', what ya got cookin'?

Brady loves to watch us cook in the kitchen. Lately we have been giving him bowls and spoons and measuring cups and he "helps" us make dinner. HE LOVES IT! Who knows maybe he'll be be a famous chef one day like Emeril or Alton.

1998 Ford Exploer XLT For Sale By Owner

I'm selling my car. You can view an ad on Craig's list:

http://nh.craigslist.org/car/374240558.html.

Why would I sell my car, you ask? I'd love to tell you it is because I am finally getting my F150 extended cab pickup, but alas, I am not.

I'm actually going to purchase a minivan. Can you believe it? I can't either, but right now, to run her daycare, Erica needs to be able to transport kids back and forth to preschool. Can't do that with a car that doesn't have a third row seat!

A more useable basement

Brian had Friday off and seeing as I have day care kids at the house we really can't do anything like go on a day trip. So of course brian has been finding projects to tackle. The other day he decided to tackle the basement. Anyone who has seen it knows that there was a bar smack dab in the middle of the room making the room not very user friendly. Brian decided to rip the bar out and rearrange the room. This has made for a much nicer room. Unfortunately there was no carpet under the bar so there is hole where the bar used to be but He has some solutions up his sleeve for that problem. This will also give me more space for the kids to play. Especially if it is a rainy day.

Fun with finger paints!

The other day I decided to have the kids try finger painting. Not an easy task with two kids under two and a three year old. However, I have to say they all did a wonderful job. Brady managed to cover himself with paint and Jordan ate a little of it but, but all in all it went well. Thank goodness Shanna was here to help out! Cleaning up was a little tricky, but we managed.

A Fun Day At The Beach

Today, we took Brady and Mackenzie to the beach in Ogunquit Maine. We let them run down tot he ocean, and they had a blast. Brady had no problem running straight for the water and jumping right in. He even got flipped right over by a wave at one point, got completely submerged in the water, but he got right back up. As you can see from the pictures (including the one with my shaved head), everyone had a blast! Brady ended the trip by taking a nice nap int he car.

Brady's Security "Blanket"

We can't seem to separate Brady from keys...not just any keys either, but our car keys. When he gets up in the morning, the first words out of his mouth are usually "I want keys, I want keys." Erica and I can't really figure out exactly when this began. Just a month ago, we used to give him our keys when we went into a store to keep him amused. He liked to try to take the keys out of my hands as I strapped him into his car seat. But in the last couple weeks, he wants the keys all the time. He knows where they are kept in the house, and if they are in my pocket, he will go right in and help himself. Yesterday, Brady had my car keys and I watched him hide them under his crib. I quickly removed them when he left the room, but a little later, he was under the crib looking for them. Later that same day, Brady "lost" my keys somewhere int eh house. It took Erica and I twenty minutes to find them. That was the end of the keys. We had to make Brady his own set of keys and put my keychain on them.

BTW: We tried the plastic toy keys. He wanted nothing to do with them.

My Summer Vacation

So far, my summer vacation is going great! I get to go to the park to play on the playground almost every day. My favorite thing to play on is the rickity bridge.

Today, Mama had a new friend come over to play. His name is Jordan, and he is just about my age. Mama siad Jordan will be coming over to play every day this summer. We had lots of fun today playing with the toys in the toyroom, reading books and singing songs with Mama, and watching the Wiggles together. I included a picture of us having lunch below.

Last Saturday, Mama and Dada took me to Plaistow's Old Home Day. I had funnel cake, went in the bounce-house, and performed in a concert with Wayne From Maine. It was a lot of fun.

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Brady

Home Improvements: Summer 2007

I'm taking my first week off during the summer since I was a junior in high school! Believe it or not, I have always managed to work every summer without time off: Market Basket (1 summer), Bake-N-Joy (2 summers), TD BankNorth (2 summers), and Cedardale (6 summers). At my new job at Sanborn, I get four weeks vacation time to use whenever, so I opted to take one complete week off this summer, and take several Fridays off to make for some nice long weekends.

Anyways, since Erica is now running a daycare at the house, we can't really go places, so I have decided to dedicate a couple days to two projects that have been on my to-do list since we bought the house. The first was to re-seal the driveway, which I have included a picture of below. I did this today, and it took six five-gallon buckets of sealer just to get the two coats. That was more than I expected, but the driveway needed it bad. Keeping the driveway sealed prevents water from getting into the pavement and deteriorating the driveway.

My other project, which will be much larger, is to refinish our deck. My plan is to pressure wash it, paint all the railings, and stain the decking with two coats of a dark weather-proofing stain. This will help keep the wood smooth and make it last longer. I included a picture of the back deck before, and the finished small front deck which I did today. I used a very dark stain on the floor which I think makes the whole thing pop. The back deck will take me quite a bit longer to do, especially since some of the railings need to be painted white for the first time, so they will need two coats of paint and a coat of primer. It is also about twenty-five times larger!

I guess I have my work cut out for me!