Summer 2008 in Review

Now that summer is officially over and the orangeness and crispness of fall is upon us, I thought I would share a quick video featuring snapshots of B thoughout the summer. Enjoy!

B's Summer 2008

Happy Birthday, Josh!

B and I would like to wish Josh a very happy 28th birthday today! May all of your wishes come true!
(It's an old picture of Josh & B, but it's one of my favorites. I love my boys!)

Future Iron Chef?

Brennan, being the helper that he is, LOVES to assist in the kitchen and insists more and more lately that he be allowed to help. I've always tried to allow him to help me around the house with other chores (i.e. dusting, vacuuming, laundry, etc.) but not so much while I'm cooking. I guess before he always seemed to little for me to trust him a.) near the stove, b) near the sink (he likes to play with water, or c) not to make a complete mess in my kitchen. Anyway, now that he is a big boy and a whopping 2 years and 7 months old, I've been letting him sit on the counter and help me cook. He mostly enjoys stirring things which can tend to get messy. I just try to keep my cool and remind myself, repeatedly, that one day his wife will thank me for taking the time to teach him how to cook and clean :o)
------------------------------------------
I'll leave you with a few pictures of my little man (and future Iron Chef America) helping his Nana make a rum cake. Lookout Bobby Flay!:






PS - we do not typically bake with our pants off!

We're Back!

We had a blast in Orlando...except for all of the work I had to squeeze in :o) Here's a brief overview of the trip:

Tuesday: Departed for the airport at 3:30 am. Took off around 7:00 am. Brennan fell asleep before the plane pushed back from the terminal and didn't wake up until 30 minutes prior to landing in Orlando. Checked into the hotel around 10:00 am. Let B jump on the beds for a few minutes. Went to Sea World around 11:00 am. Pushed B around in the blazing sun for several hours, saw Shamu, etc. Went back to the hotel around 5:00 pm so that I could register for my conference.

Wednesday: I went to my conference around 7:30 am. Brennan and Josh went to Denny's (B's new favorite restaurant!) and then hit the pool for a few hours. After my conference sessions ended, we played a round of putt putt golf and then fed some baby alligators hot dogs from a fishing pole. Returned to the hotel and then went to Disney Quest (which I do not recommend for kids under the age of 10). After suffering through a couple hours of Disney Quest, we returned to the putt putt/alligator place just in time to watch some gator wrestling. We even had a chance to sit on the alligator - a memory I will not soon forget.

Thursday: More conference stuff for me. More Denny's, pool, and naps for Josh & B. We went to "Fun Spot" around 5:00 pm - which is basically a carnival type place with go karts. After Fun Spot, we went to Flipper's Pizzeria (courtesy of my cousin's husband, Ben) and then to my cousin's house for some kiddie play time.

Friday: Conference in the morning. Packed everything and checked out of the hotel, and then headed for the Magic Kingdom - which, by the way, is not as magical as I remembered it and Mickey was no where to be found. Apparently you have to schedule breakfast/lunch or stand in an hour long line in a gift shop to actually see the stupid mouse. Brennan did manage to ride a few rides before falling asleep for a couple hours. Just as Josh and I were arguing about when we should leave, we were chosen to march in the "Family Day Parade". Brennan liked that and even managed to hug Daisy Duck and Pluto afterwards. We left the park around 3:00 pm, headed straight to the airport, had an awesome meal at an Outback Steakhouse in the terminal, and flew back to Baltimore around 8:00 pm.

All in all, a very productive and exciting trip. I have way too many pictures to attach, but here is the link to view them on Shutterfly.

Off to sunny Orlando :o)

At least I hope it's sunny...but not too sunny, I kinda like it to be a little overcast! We'll leave the house around 3:30 am tomorrow morning to begin our adventure to Orlando, FL. I have a conference to attend for work so part of me will be there for business. The other part will be there for pleasure because I'm fortunate enough to be able to take Josh and Brennan with me. Brennan is SUPER excited and can't wait to go for an airplane ride and meet Mickey Mouse (who, by the way, Brennan informed me "does not bite"!). It always amazes me what comes out of the mouths of babes! I'll be sure to post and/or email the hundreds of pictures once we return. For now, I'll leave you with some pictures of B visiting his cousins in Arlington, VA last week:




Being "Linny" from the Wonderpets


At Momma's work - I'm glad one of us is happy to be there at 7:00 am!


The park by Kathryn's house




He loves his baby cousin Johnny...I mean Jonathan. Although, when Brennan says his name it sounds more like "Johnny"

Recent Photos

Kathryn and Brennan wading in the Breton Bay. I think B should be a Coppertone model :o)


Rock Throwing - B's favorite pastime


Brennan holding his new cousin Jonathan


Searching for Waldo - I love how serious we look!

New Nephew/Cousin!

Some exciting news for this week's update - my sister Lisa & her husband Mike welcomed a son into their family. Jonathan Michael Law arrived on Sunday, August 24th at 11:52 am. Full story here. Jonathan is absolutely adorable and Kathryn is thrilled to be a big sister. B is really excited to meet Baby Jonathan.

Here is a picture of Nana & Pops with their 3rd Grandchild - shortly after Jonathan's arrival:


And here is a picture of the super-proud Aunt Faithie & Jonathan:

For Kathryn

Kathryn requested a recent photo of her cousin and I can't say "no" to her sweet little face so this update goes out to her :o)

This picture was taken at my Great Aunt Goggie Breck's 80th birthday celebration this past Saturday. Brennan had a fun time playing with the numerous cousins he saw there. When I say "cousins" I'm referring to my cousins, my cousins kids, my 2nd and 3rd cousins and their kids, etc. Pretty much anyone in the Breck family will answer to "cousin"! Brennan was sure to give Goggie a big birthday hug and kiss...right before he stole her cane and tried to gallop away on it. It's ok though, Goggie lets him :o)

Swim for your life!

Here is a funny video of B swimming at Grandmommy's house a couple weeks ago. He is just floating along when he spots the vacuum cleaner (aka "R2D2") coming straight for him. Check out his reaction:

Water Baby

Well, I guess he's technically more of a "water big boy", but it doesn't sound as catchy as water baby!

Brennan had a great weekend, full of fun in the sun. We spent Saturday at my GrandMommy & GrandDaddy Bob's house with the Biffel family. Brennan had a blast swimming and playing in the dirt. We left there around 4:30 pm (with a child who was asleep in his car seat before we left the driveway!) and headed to Cobb Island to spend time with B's cousin Michaela who is visiting from Minot, ND. Brennan is absolutely smitten with her! Here's a couple pictures of B with his cousins Michaela ("McLaLa") and Wyatt.