A,B,C...

Feet don't fail me now!

Now that the jig is up, Charlie is a walking machine.  He's a maniac walking all over the house from room to room.  The video above was actually cut short as I had to be near him as he crawled up the stairs.  He's EVERYWHERE!

He's usually pretty noisy, often carrying a bat so that he can hit everything in his path.  (If you listen closely you can hear him saying, "Bam!  Bam!" in the video.)  But sometimes, he's pretty stealthy - sneaking up on you when you least expect it.  I love that he's walking now.  He loves that he is walking now.  All in all, the Brian residence is much happier these days. 

Odds and Ends

We are tired at the Brian residence...

It's summer time and we are just blowing and going.  Here's some highlights from the last month or so. 

Yep, this about sums up the trip.

The boys had off for Memorial Day (and the Friday before...weird, no?) and so did I. Since Billy was stuck in the office I called up good ole Paw Paw and asked if he wanted to tag along to the Aquarium.  He agreed and the trip went as expected. 

One thing Beau loved - BIRDIES.  He even fed them by himself without freaking out. 

Charlie was everywhere, wanting to see and touch - and if we would have let him - eat everything he saw.  Beau panicked and screamed and decided maybe he didn't care for fishes so much afterall. 

Yes, I do think I'll have a bite of that dressed cheeseburger.  This kid eats EVERYTHING.

But, hamburgers and ice cream cones make everything better.  And the day was a success. 

Birdie watching.

By the way, Beau is obessesed with birds.  He can name about five different species and can spot them from 100 yards away.  It's quite impressive.  The other morning I saw him standing by our window with his toy shotgun.  He yelled out, "Pale!  Pale!"  (Yes, I know.  Weird.  But that's his "gun" noise.  We've tried to teach him better to no avail.)  I asked what he was doing.  And he very calmly told me, shooting birdies.  Billy was so proud.  (PS - the below video may have been recorded over a month ago.  I'm admittedly a bit behind.) 

Charlie is a walking machine.  I am so relieved.  It's not that I thought he was developmentally delayed, it's just that...well, he's heavy. I was tired of carrying him around.

As some of you know, Beau called Cheerios reindeer food.  It's my fault really.  But now, he calls Honey Nut Cheerios "Daddios".  I don't know where that came from but it makes me smile everytime he says it. 

He's getting better at it - honest. 

Charlie now eats with a spoon.  He hasn't quite mastered the skill yet.  But he demands a spoon 100% of the time and he tries his darnedest...with much success...at every meal. 

In September we are taking Beau to Billy's cousin's wedding in Austin, Texas.  Actually, Beau is IN the wedding.  He's the ring bearer.  We'll be flying to the event and I've already started preparing him for the occasion.  Dee Dee bought Beau a toy airplane to make flying seem fun.  But as of now our conversations go like this: 

Mommy:  "Beau, do you want to fly in an airplane?" 

Beau:  "No.  I don't think so.  Thanks." 

Hmmm...we'll have to keep working on that one. 

Billy got a Big "Fake" Green Egg last month.  He loves it.  I swear he would leave me for the thing.  Honestly, this does not worry me except I don't think he'd be willing to take at least one of the boys with him.  I cannot be a single mom.  But still, I am enjoying his products...



Oh Gosh!

Working 9 to 5

 Ok, so maybe Beau wasn't working 9 to 5 but after he expressed an interest in the hose and spraying everything in sight, Billy and I decided to take advantage of the situation give him a chance to have even more fun! 

First up - washing Mommy's car.  Then, it was on to the garden.  I don't get what the big deal is about child labor.  At least in the Brian family, it is awesome! 

And don't worry...Beau got a reward for his hard work.  I mean, we're not slavedrivers here! 

Mmmm...spaghetti...

Remember how much Beau loved spaghetti? 

Turns out Charlie has a real affinity for the Italian fare as well.  Well, we kind of figured he'd love it.  The child loves noodles in any form.  Here are some highlights...

And in case you want the real experience, a little video.   

 Yes, it was a lot of fun to clean this mess up.  At least Murphy tried to help. 

Charlie's Best Friend

Bone gave Charlie this special little puppy dog for Christmas.  It's cute, but I guarantee he had no idea how much his grandson would love it.  He screams for joy when the puppy walks to him, or better yet, barks at him.  And man, does that kid love to bounce to the rhythm of that barking.  This is a typical reaction.  It cracks me up everytime. 

He takes what he wants

Allow me to introduce you to our own little Honey Badger.  Although Charlie has officially begun crawling (the real deal - belly off the ground and all) there was a time when he had developed a very efficient, albeit, unorthodox mode of transportation.  A combination of rolling, army crawling, scooting, and dragging, he could get around the floor faster than you might expect. 

Of course, video of the "real" crawling is forthcoming...that is, if I had time to video him before he gets into something! 

If This Doesn't Make You Smile...

No Paw Paw...Not Nice

Poor Paw Paw...he doesn't have to do anything to be told, "NO!"  Heck, he doesn't even have to be present...

Splish Splash!

Somebody LOVES bathtime. 

We actually had over five minutes of continuous kicking and laughing and cooing.  Charlie really loves the water. 

Ta da!

Pardon my commentary...I can't help myself. 

Somebody is Tickilsh!

Just Another Saturday Morning

Saturday morning, 6:15 a.m.  Both boys are early risers.  Sheesh.