What a Great Big Brother!

Brody is just so cute with Piper these days. He really tries to take care of her as a big brother would do. This particular day, Piper had been crying and hungry. Brody suggested she come watch a show with him while I was getting dinner ready. So, I put her right next to him on the couch and they watched Curious George. As she continued to cry, he tried giving her toys to play with, and patting her back to calm her down. I watched it all from the kitchen and had to be pretty discreet in my videoing so he wouldn't see. Sorry if the video is too little to see.

I just love these moments when the two of them interact. You can tell they really love each other. He is always trying to make her laugh by singing silly songs or making funny faces. She absolutely adores him and laughs like crazy. It is so cute to watch. What a great big brother you are Brody!

Swimming Lessons

In the beginning of June, we started up swimming lessons again. I was fully expecting a cryfest just like last year (he cried all 5 days and thoughout the whole lessons). He had also become afraid of the water from not going all winter and refused to go near it. So, I was definitely prepared for the worst. This time around though, he cried the first day and a bit the beginning of the second and that was it. I was so proud of him! He did so good this year! I am sure that being a year older really helped too. It seemed like he remembered a lot of what he learned from last year. We still have a lot to work on, but at least he is excited to get back in the water.

Brody swimming with his teacher "Jack's mommy".

His favorite part of the lesson. She has him swim to the edge, pick a ring, throw into the water (that was the part he added), and then jump in the water and swim back to her.
Brody's only downfall . . . . . . . his arms. He likes to practice, but once he is swimming he forgets to use his arms and reaches instead. All of his swimming is in the power of his legs. He is a fast and strong kicker. I guess that is something to work on all summer.

Each time he finished a lesson, he would be so excited and proud of himself. It was so cute to see :)

Last day of swimming lessons and enjoying his sucker.

Piper just chilled in her seat the whole time. Such a good baby!

Thanks Bethany for the lessons! You are a great teacher! Brody must love you too because he always asks me if "Jack's Mommy" is going to be at the pool whenever we go now. :)

Best Buds Already

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, we went up to John's parent's house for a "splashing" good time. The pool was cool, the friends were ready to party, and BBQ was roarin'. They also had some awesome burgers. One of the best I have ever eaten. Our friend Aaron supplied the burger meat, and it wasn't until after we ate them that we found out it was part beef and part elk. It was seriously delicious!

The kids had a ton of fun and mostly hung around the spa. We brought 2 water guns with us (the one Brody has in this picture) that I bought from the 99 cent store . They squirt really far and hard and were an amazing deal. They were such a big hit with the kids that I went back and bought a ton more. Now there are enough for all the Brown grandkids (and kids) when they are here in July.

Brody squirting Adam.The boys trying out the new waterslide. I heard it was pretty fun. I am sure next time I will be trying it out.

Piper hanging out with her Grandma.

Brody and Preston diving in to some dessert.

Mama and Piper soaking up the sun.Can't wait for our next pool party!

My 6 Month Old

Piper turned 6 months old on May 24th! I can't believe that she is already this old. The months are just flying by for me. This age is my favorite in the baby years, so I am trying to enjoy every second of it.

Happy 6 months fell on a Sunday, so we took some pictures of her in her Sunday dress. She was so happy that it was easy to get some good pictures of her.

This girl LOVES to stand and will straighten her legs and back just so you can't sit her down. Thank heavens for the exerciser!She just learned to sit up on her own, but is still a little wobbly. She has recently discovered her tongue I think and loves to stick it out.

Piper loves to talk and is my little chatterbox making all sorts of noise.

I took her for her 6 month check up a few days after and she is healthy and doing well. Here are her stats:
Height: 26. 75 inches (80%)
Weight: 15lbs 14oz (50%)
She is my skinny mini! She is definitely smaller then Brody was. She is true to size for her age and I am not used to it because Brody was never that way (He was always 2 sizes larger for his age).

She also is teething and I can see her two bottom teeth, but they just haven't broken through yet. Even with teething, she is still a happy girl and sleeping good for the most part. I couldn't be happier. Happy 6 months Piper!

What a Funny Kid!

Brody has been saying some pretty funny and sweet things lately. John and I are realizing now just how much he picks up on what we say. Luckily, we don't have potty mouths, but I am a lot more aware of what he could be hearing on tv or anything else around us. All good things so far!

First the ones that melt my heart:

"Wook Mommy/Daddy wook!"

"Oh great!"
"Perfect"
"Brody did it!" -He almost always speaks in the 3rd person. We are still working that one, but sometimes it is just too cute to correct. It is also so cute to see him get so excited over something he has done himself. I love to see his face light up :)
"Sure!" -He has been saying this one recently when he has been willing to do something we ask him to do.
"Oh thank you Mommy/Daddy thank you much"-My absolute favorite!! Whenever we answer a question he has asked, he will respond this way. He originally would say it without the "much", but then later added it. Here is an example:
Brody: "Where are we going mommy?"
Me: "We are going to Walmart"
Brody: "Oh thank you mommy thank you much!"
I just LOVE this kid!

"Mommy!" -This one is my favorite too. Anytime he watches a Curious George episode on PBS, a SunMaid raisins commercial is always on. Ever since he was a baby and could say mommy and even to this day, he would point at the screen and call my name. I LOVE that he thinks that is me without any doubt or hesitation. When I see it come on, I always have to ask him just because I like to hear it. I think it is a best compliment!

Now for the funny/stinkerish things he says:

" _______time" - Just fill in the blank. It's Georgetime, breakfasttime, balloontime, bubblestime, friendstime, etc. He uses "time" after everything.
"Brody's turn"- Since he is still 2, he absolutely has to do everything himself. Even if we do the slightest thing for him like pulling him out of the car just to speed things up, he will have to get back in and do it all himself or there is lots of screaming and crying. So, he tends to say this a lot. When we are playing with him, he is great about letting other people have turns, like "Mommy's turn" or "Daddy's turn" or even "Piper's turn". Only recently has he been smart enough to use it against me when I tell him it is time to pick up his mess and he responds by telling me it is "No, Mommy's turn". :0 Oh, what a kid!
"I don't like it"-Lately, he has become very opinionated and telling what he does and doesn't like, namely food and clothes. He will refuse to have me put on a shirt and tells me "I don't like it". I will make a meal for him (one that he has had before) and he will put his nose in it and smell it for a minute or two then say "I don't like it" or sometimes "I like it!". Hum, I wonder where he got all this from. :)

"Arrr!"- Brody has a love of Pirates right now and imitates them by closing one eye, showing a thumbs up and saying loudly, "ARRR". Not sure where he learned the thumbs up, but it is all way too cute. I finally was able to kind of capture it on video. In the bath, he is quite the character. He loves to sing and show off where he normally might not. Enjoy!

We can't believe how fast Brody is growing up and will be 3 in less then 2 months! What!?! I really can't believe it. We are loving this age and how he seems to amaze us and make us laugh. What a great kid!