Raising an Ad Man

It's official... marketing blood runs through Brady's veins. I'd like to think it's because he spent 9 months in utero roaming the halls of Leo Burnett, soaking up all the creative juices around him. But, chances are it's all the TV he's been watching lately, while we're dealing with his baby brother who doesn't like to nap...

It all started with his Christmas list-- Cuddleuppets. Stompeez. A pogo stick. All from commercials.

Then, a couple days ago, he asked Matt if he'd like some Chex Mix because "it's a bag of interesting".

Yesterday, we were singing Christmas songs and Brady belted out "Nationwide is on your side". Just to make sure he wasn't biased, I followed it up with "Like a good neighbor..." to which he replied, "State Farm is there". Yikes!

The clincher was this morning when he informed Matt and I that there was a man on TV that sounded like Tow Mater who has heartburn (Larry the Cable Guy is in a Prilosec commercial).

Something tells me we're going to be in big trouble when Brady starts telling people they should call their doctor if they've had an erection lasting more than 4 hours.

** Please note that all these commercials (minus Viagra) air during age appropriate TV shows. It's not like Brady's watching Dancing with the Stars or anything... ok, maybe he watches that. **

Baby's First Thanksgiving

Seeing that he was a few days shy of 4 months old, and his diet consists mainly of breast milk and formula, Cole's first Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful. In fact, he even napped through dinner (by Mom's design). Brady was almost one at his first Thanksgiving, so he was able to eat some of the delicious turkey and potatoes. Something tells me Cole will get (more than) his fair share next year!

On account of all the madness that's been going on in our household, we opted for a quiet Thanksgiving at home with just the 4 of us this year. It's always hard to be away from family on the holidays, but there's something to be said about not having to get ready, pack up 2 kids, and run from house to house.

Always the photographer and never the subject (which is good since I didn't even take a shower!), here are a few pictures of the 3 things I'm most thankful for this year.

Dad and his two boys!

Almost ready for nap

Such a proud big brother!

Next Thanksgiving I'll be walking!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We look forward to celebrating an early Christmas with the family back in Chicago in just a few days.

October Recap

There were so many fun events/milestones that happened in Oct., I'm so mad that I didn't get them up on the blog as they happened. Unfortunately, we've had our hands full with Cole the last few weeks--he has not been eating or sleeping well-- so when I got a "free moment" (laughs out loud), I really just tried to relax and get some rest. But I really want to get these photos up, so here is a recap of the month of October... you know, just before November ends. Ugh.

More Firsts for Cole

First Storytime with the big boys

First "Brother Bath"

First time on the Playmat (without tears)

Brady, The Soccer Stud

Brady has been going to soccer every Saturday morning and has been loving it! Even though the lessons are more about learning to listen and follow directions than actually playing soccer, he is picking up on the fundamentals and getting in a little game time. I'm sure every parent says this about their children... but he has some mad athletic skills!!

Cole and I finally made it out to a practice and captured a ton of photos. Here are a select few...

Pumpkin Patching

It's hard to believe we celebrated our 3rd Halloween in California. I love that we have a "tradition" of going to the same Pumpkin Farm every year. It's great to see Brady in the same environment year after year, to mentally picture how much he has grown. He loved taking Cole to Pasterino Farm and showing him how he can ride the train through the haunted house without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, when it came time to pick pumpkins and take pictures, Cole had had his fill... so we didn't get his photo with Brady, but we did manage to get a few good ones!

Halloween 2012

For Brady's first 3 Halloweens, I was pretty much responsible for choosing his costumes. This year, he knew well in advance that he wanted to be Batman for Halloween. Given that I didn't have a lot of time to go hunting and pecking for a "make your own costume" this year, I was happy to order him a Batman costume online. And when he requested that Cole be Robin, I ordered him one as well! Brady requested that Matt and I dress up as The Joker and Catwoman, but well, that didn't happen...

Brady at his Halloween Sing at school

Brady and his best gal Lyla 

Halloween parade-- lots of Super heros this year!

Decorating cookies at school

Baby's 1st Halloween! 

Spiderman Leo & Batman Brady

Baby Robin (not too thrilled!)

The Dynamic Duo!

Phew, that was a long one. Now that that's done, I better get started working on November's recap... Or take a nap :)