Brady's first post

Hi everyone, it's Brady. Mom says now that I'm 2 I should start pulling my own weight by writing some posts on our family blog. I just have so much to say these days; she wants the rest of the world to hear what I have to say too!

So what have I been up to?!

Well, last weekend my Grandma Eatherton came to visit. We always have such a good time while she's here. I took her to this cool place called Happy Hallow, where they have rides and parks, even a few animals and a petting zoo.

Dad and I on the carousel. Don't worry, that polar bear isn't real.

These lady bugs go round and round, really fast!

Taking a break and having a snack with Grandma and Daddy

Me feeding a goat

Unfortunately, this week I caught a cold. Maybe I got it from that goat. I'm really good at sharing, so I gave it to my Mom. The coughing has been keeping me from getting good sleep, so I've been a little crabby. Mom is too :) Thankfully we're starting to feel better; it's really boring being cooped up in our house.

On Tuesday, there was a man on TV talking for a long time, so I asked Mommy, "who is that Mommy, who is that?!" She told me that it was our President, Barack Obama. I told her that I did not want to watch the President on TV anymore and she said that there were probably a lot of other people who felt the same way I did.

Last night we went to dinner at this new place I love called Armadillo Willy's (I just like saying, "armadillo". Oh, and they have tater tots.) Mom was video taping me trying to get an ice cube out of the big water cup, for some reason she thought it was hilarious. After I was done with my trick, Mommy asked me if I remembered who the President was, and I did! Daddy was really proud of me.



Today it rained off and on, so we spent most of the day in the house. It wasn't too bad though, Daddy is really good at "playing train table" and also "doing rock band". I love jamming out to Train and Genesis. Mom usually hides when we do this. Don't worry, I give the Black Eyed Peas plenty of love when we're in the car just the two of us :)

In the afternoon, the sun finally came out, so I put on my fireman rain boots and rain coat and went outside to splash in the puddles. I saw a slimy worm and a squirrel with a missing tail. The squirrel has nothing to do with the rain, I just like to talk about it...



Mommy went to look at a new preschool for me to join in the fall. She said it was a really cool place and that I would love it. This is the school where my friend Lyla is going to go. Right now I'm going to a "daycare" two full days a week, but Mommy says that I'm not being stimulated enough there, so I may be going to this new school starting in August. I told her I was ready to go tomorrow. I'm such a big boy.

Well, I hope you liked my first blog post. I'll pop in from time to time to tell you about what I'm up to, since I can do it way better than Mommy or Daddy. G'night!

Brady goes to the dentist

I was playing around with Matt's phone, videoing some of Brady's antics at dinner tonight, when I came across this picture of Brady's first visit to the dentist. We totally forgot to chronicle this milestone!


We brought him in during our regular cleanings in Dec. and he was an absolute champ in the chair. He sat on my lap and let both the hygienist and Dr. Oliva look into his mouth before proclaiming it was time to go.

Dr. Oliva said his teeth look good (the brushing is paying off!), but it appears he has a bit of a cross-bite. Meaning, his top jaw in growing faster than his bottom jaw, causing misalignment. If it doesn't correct itself over the next few years, he may need orthodontic work at age 5. Crazy! Fingers crossed that it does. For now, Brady is enjoying his new toothbush!

Now why didn't I think of that?!

I just stumbled upon the cutest thing... you know, one of those "why didn't I think of that?!" items. Instead of trying to defy gravity by propping your 2 month old baby up against a sign indicating his/her age (resulting in one of those awkward looking milestone pictures), get an adorable sticker from Sticky Bellies instead. This makes me want to have another baby just so I can do this!

Brady turns 2!

Well, our baby boy is 2. Two! I can hardly get that out without needing a tissue.

"How old is your son?". "He's 2". Not 15, 18 or 21 months. Not even 24 months. He's just 2. A whole number, for a whole year. Until, well, he turns 3 (and so on and so forth).

I can't believe it's been a full year since he turned 1, but a lot has happened over the last 12 months...

Brady learned to walk faster, then run. Then run fast. And fall. He learned what a band-aid was. He stopped drinking formula. He stopped using bottles (yeah!!!!) He got to see a whole new world when we turned his car seat to face forward. He traded in his high chair for a booster seat at the kitchen table. He learned to eat with a fork and drink out of a "big boy cup". He spilled, a lot. He learned to "keen up" after his messes. He learned a million new words, then how to string them together. First two at a time, then three, then more than we could count ("Brady wake up, go downstairs, eat breakfast, watch Caillou.") He learned to count to 13 and say his ABCs (sort of). He developed manners. He learned his prayers. He could spell his name at 18 months. He discovered trucks (oh my goodness, the trucks!) and dinosaurs. He could tell the difference between a triceratops, pterodactyl, and cryolophosaurus. He stopped eating vegetables. And chicken. And eggs. And even a few fruits. Then started eating them all again. He discovered that he loves Mom and Dad's singing voice. He gained a new appreciation of books. He made a bunch of new friends-- Chapin, Amelia, Bella, Lyla, Bella, Leo... Caillou, Dora, Curious George and Kai-lan. He started using the potty. Ok, he starting sitting on the potty. He learned to throw toys and tantrums. He met the naughty step. He started going to school. He started learning Spanish. He started getting attached. Really attached. He learned to play pretend-- chef, construction worker, train conductor. He even grew... a little.

That's a lot of action for a little guy, but he did it all (and more!) without skipping a beat. We can't wait to see what the next year brings.

May all your wishes come true!

Chicago for Christmas!

It seems like forever ago that we were in Chicago for Christmas. I guess that's what happens when you don't keep up with blogging (sorry, sorry)...

It was so wonderful being home for the holidays. Yes, it was very, very cold and our California skin and hair could barely take it, but as soon as it got to be too much, we just hopped on a plane and headed back West. Nice, eh?!

Nothing beats snow for Christmas and we couldn't have had a more beautiful snowfall on Christmas Eve. Brady got out with Dad, Grandma and Papa Stetzer and Aunt Amanda to build his first Frosty the Snowman. He even got in a snowball fight with Aunt Amanda and guess what?! She won.

The snow continued on Christmas night, so Brady enjoyed the flakes while making s'mores with Grandma and Grandpa Eatherton in their backyard. Is a Christmas tradition brewing?! I think so!

"Presents" was definitely Brady's buzzword for many days, and between Christmas and his birthday, he was literally covered in them. Favorites include a huge firetruck, McDonald's register, dinosaurs, a Leaptop and books!

Because there are just too many wonderful pictures to enjoy, check out our Christmas/Chicago album on Picasa.

A big thanks to our family and friends for housing, hosting and entertaining us while we were home. We had an amazing trip and miss you all dearly. We hope you'll come visit us in sunny, warm CA in 2011 (it's 66 degrees today!)

The Nosko/Grundy Wedding

As Matt previously mentioned, I was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico last month for a dear friend's wedding. Anne and I are not only "high school" friends, but we met at church in the 4th grade and ended up working together on the same team at Leo Burnett. Not many people are a part of your life in so many ways. It was an honor to be a part of her special day!

Unfortunately, because it was so close to the holidays, we didn't have anyone to stay with Brady. So Matt played "Mr. Mom" for 5 days while I went solo to the wedding. It was great to catch-up with friends that I haven't seen in a while, but it was hard being away from my 2 favorite guys. Ok 3, if you count Tinley. I did my best to cope though ("Mas Corona, por favor!")

The weather was beautiful and the wedding was amazing. Here are a couple of shots from the week. Cheers to the happy couple, Mr. & Mrs. Dan Grundy.

View from my balcony at Sheraton Hacienda del Mar

Bartending lessons on the beach!

Andrea, me, Kristin & Natalie

Swim-up bar at the hotel

The view from the Esperanza (wedding location)

You may kiss the bride!

The happy couple!

Great friends!

Playing catch-up...

There is so much to write about! Over the last 3 weeks, I've been to a fabulous wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, we spent the holidays with our families and friends in Chicago, and most importantly, most unbelievably, we celebrated Brady's 2nd birthday.

That's right, the little monster is 2. Two!

I've gotten all our pics uploaded and am working to get all the posts up individually. Check back soon to hear/see all about our adventures.

Be back soon!