A Rockin' Halloween

On the way to the ranch, the boys were getting pretty sick of traveling, so I was doing anything I could think of to keep them entertained.  At one point, I busted out with an old AC/DC classic, 'Cuz I'm T-N-T...I'm dynamite'  That's all the words I know, but that didn't matter.  Brady was transfixed!  Folks, I think we've got a rocker on our hands!!!  Brandon casually suggested that maybe Brady should dress up as the guy from AC/DC for Halloween, and that was it!  I tried to dissuade him, fearing that other kids wouldn't know who he was or would laugh at him, but he was not going to change.  I'm so happy he didn't!  I really learned something about him through this experience.  He's definitely his own 'man' and it didn't bother him at all that he wasn't Spiderman or whatever all the other kids were.  Several times he was told that he had the best costume of the night.  Not only that, many adults recognized him right away.  I'm so proud of my little Angus Young!

Mommy the roughneck and Angus at the Fall Festival at school.

For the weeks leading up to Halloween, as he mulled over what it would be like to be a rocker, he would come up with the funniest things.  One morning during breakfast, he announced that he knew exactly what he needed to do to be a good rockstar....he then got down on the floor and played air guitar while turning himself on a circle on his back.

There's Angus!

He was so committed to his costume!  He didn't take the wig/hat off once the whole night!

I made Finn a Perry the Platypus/Agent P costume (Phineas and Ferb).  He was fine with it, but didn't really like the Agent P hat, so I guess he was more like Perry.

After going to a party at some friends, we headed back to our street for Trick or Treating.  We all went to our closest neighbors and then Brandon took Finn home to bed while Brady and I kept going.  We had such a nice time together!  Brady was hilarious!  I explained to him that when I used to trick or treat, I would get one piece of candy at each house.  He thought this was very sad.  At one house, the owners had a table setup in their front yard, and they were serving punch.  I could tell by his body language that Brady was not going for the punch.  When they asked him if he'd like some, ever the diplomat, he deferred to me, asking if I would like some.  I told him that I didn't want any, but he could certainly have some.  He politely declined saying, 'No thank you.  I'm not thirsty.'  The lady then handed him one little candy bar (a big contrast from every other home where people were dumping their candy buckets into his bag).  As we walked away (we'd only gone about 2 steps), Brady looks up at me and says, 'What do you think was going on there?'  I guess between the punch and the single piece of candy, he didn't think those people quite knew what was going on with Halloween!

Montana Trip

I've got to really backtrack here.  I'm not sure if anyone really reads this blog, but I suspect that if anyone does, they're probably friends with Grammie and Papa, and if that's the case, then you already know about all this.  If not, then it's your lucky day for new information about what we've been up to!

In October the 4 of us travelled to Montana for a week at the ranch.  There has been record rainfall this year, and it was greener than I've ever seen it.  I'm more of a green/lush/lakes person than a dry/brown/desert person, so this was right up my alley!

The boys had a BIG time during the week we were there, especially Brady!  He went hunting with the men, went on endless Rhino rides, and was the proud recipient of his first b-b gun from Uncle Nate and Auntie Erica!  He definitely thinks he's a grown-up now.

Meanwhile, Brandon and I went on a terrific hike and also got to play golf.  It was a great getaway!

My boys all decked out in their FWP (Foster Wildlife Preserve) gear.

The Daisy Red Rider...Brady was speechless!

Despite the fact that I don't like guns, I really like this picture.  Look at his little fingers!

Not sure who's having the most fun here!

There goes that TDiamond brand.  Their long journey is almost over here!

Finn's Finale

It's official!  Both of the boys are finished with ISR!  Finn's final 'test' was last Tuesday, and he did absolutely fantastic (or Finntastic as it were).  For the first time ever, I was nervous watching him, but there was no need because he knew exactly what to do, which I guess is why he passed!

Brady Graduates!

I'm a little behind...Two Fridays ago, Brady had his final, full-clothes-on ISR test.  He had to wear a hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes.  I expected him to panic a little bit when he jumped in (I know I would), but he stayed cool as a cucumber, waiting patiently for his arms and legs to come to the surface (which is hard!!)

Finn is also doing great!  He has two days left until he's finished.  He'll need to do some refresher lessons in the spring, but he's able to swim about 5-10 feet on his own, and when he realizes that he doesn't have anything to grab, he knows to roll over onto his back and float.  Amazing!!!

We also have had several exciting firsts around here!  Brady's reward for doing such excellent work at swimming was his first pet, a fish!  Brady chose a turqoise beta and named him 'Swimmy'.  So far we've kept him alive for 2 days, so I'm hoping we can keep it up.  Brady picked out all the stuff for the aquarium, and it looks great - he has great taste!  Also, Friday morning Brady and I were talking about how fun the swimming finale party was going to be that evening.  He asked me if he was going to get a swimming trophy.  Not wanting him to be disappointed, I told him that I didn't think he was going to get a trophy for swimming, but soon he would get one for something else.  Little did I know, he really would be receiving a trophy that night - his first!  Here's the fish and the trophy!

Finn also had a first this weekend...his first wagonride!  He LOVED it!  It was a PERFECT day, and I can't think of a better way to spend it than going for a wagonride.

ISR Week 4 - We're getting close!

These last 4 weeks of swimming have flown by!  Brady is getting really close to the swimming-fully-clothed test, which is kind of like the final check.  Finn made some HUGE strides this week!  He went from crying and looking for me at all times to smiling, splashing, and waving, and in general doing the 'watch me, watch me' thing.  At one point, he was holding onto the bar and he launched himself forward and swam toward Amy without her prompting!

In other news, Finn has started imitating in the last 2 days.  He'll give you a kiss or stick his tongue out at you and laugh.  Tonight I signed 'milk' to him and he did it back.  Too cute!

ISR Week 3 and a Big Birthday!

ISR continues to amaze me, with both boys making excellent progress again this week!  Finn went back to crying a bit more than he had been, but I'm sure it's a little nerve-wracking to be learning all this new stuff.  Even so, he is swimming farther and farther distances.  Brady is just off to the races.  He looks so comfortable, as if he's been swimming forever!  We are so proud of these two!

The other big news is that it was Finn's 1st birthday on Sunday!  Yay Finn!  I would bet every parent says this, but this year has gone by SO fast!  Finn has a very laid-back, happy personality, and we feel so fortunate that he's part of our family.  Nothing makes Brady happier than getting a laugh out of Finn.  For his birthday, we had a nice day together, including a trip to the splash park for some time in the fountains (**why is it that this activity doesn't seem NEARLY as fun when your mom is prepared with swim trunks/towel as it is when it's a random day and you go in fully clothed and not prepared?**)   Later, we had our neighbors over for dinner/presents/cake.  At first, Finn didn't seem to care what the fuss was about, but by the end of the presents, he was getting into it a little more.  After present, he really enjoyed his cake!  At first, he wasn't sure how he should go about getting it into his mouth.  He tried leaning over and putting his mouth down on it, but that didn't quite yield the results he was looking for.  Eventually, he just picked up half of it and proceeded to feed himself bites.  I made him a special birthday bib, but he didn't actually get very dirty.  It was a lovely celebration with good friends!

loving the fountains

with the girls

opening presents

singing happy birthday

the cake

full birthday gear

yum!

ISR Week 2 and Labor Day at the Beach!

Despite being rained out one day, the boys both made more excellent progress at their swimming survival lessons this week.  I tape the whole lesson (10 mins each), but will just post short clips here as I'm sure this is about 10% as exciting for the general audience as it is for Brandon and me.

This is Finn swimming to the bar and pulling himself up.  I don't believe she's holding him anymore than just maybe the tag of his shorts.

Here Brady is working on the swim/float/swim technique.

For Labor Day, we rented a beach house in Galveston with our neighbors, The Webbs.  It was so much fun and very relaxing!  This video shows sandcastle building, but what I wish I had been taping was Brady boogie-boarding the next day!  The waves were a bit bigger than normal because of all the wind, and I was just amazed to watch him jumping into them with enthusiasm, even when they crashed over the top of his head!  I guess you just have to enjoy some moments as the mom rather than the videographer.

The beach was a big hit both days, but it took it out of us!  Finn took very long naps both days, and had good sleeps at night.  After dinner, the rest of us played games and watched movies.  It was a great getaway with great friends!

I guess now would be as good a time as any to post our First Day of School pics.  Brady's doing great in his new Kindergarten room (he's still pre-k age, just sitting in the Kinder room) and Finn continues to do great at Dixie's.

In front of the school on the first day

Here they are in Dixie's front yard - I don't think Finn likes this pose!