So before I get into this month's post, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a little insight to the amount of work that goes into these things. For example, if Mommy was doing these posts, here is what you would get (as this is what I get from her, usually by e-mail)
Daddy and Brianne are sitting on her Elmo couch watching "My Little Ponies".
Was on a smoothie kick again
Fighting naps ear infection again
play time with Grandpa
As soon as Daddy comes home she wants him to give her a bath
Veggie Tales Live
story about going to Mall
Brianne loves church so much that we leave early so that she has more play time. She gets so excited about church she is giddy...
Visit from Bob and Connie and Tam and Jim
Went to visit dick and barb and simon side
Short, to the point, and absolutely no fun at all! :P So I take that list and I develop ideas, many ideas, so many I have to discard several immediately and then I discard others as I am working on the update. There have been a few occasions where I would rework a paragraph or two 2 or 3 times. So now that you have been given a sneak peak of the behind the scenes, let's get to the update.
At the beginning of the month Brianne was on a "My Little Ponies" kick. So much so, that Daddy had to sit on the couch with her and watch it. It had her fascinated, and became a nightly routine for her and Daddy. In fact, we almost had our motivation for Brianne to become potty trained. One day at JC Penney's she spotted some My Little Pony underwear. We told her we would buy them for her if she would learn to go on the potty, unfortunately she wouldn't commit to it...
Also this month Brianne was on a major smoothie kick and not the kind that you buy at a restaurant either. No, these are home made smoothies, and she was slurping them down like no other. Of course she barely ate anything else the rest of the day, but what can you expect when a 2 and half year old slurps 16 ounces of smoothies goodness?
Unfortunately this month had its' downs, but it had many ups too. Brianne was fighting naps, or taking late afternoon naps which then made bed time difficult. About a week ago, Brianne wasn't sleeping well either, and for the life of us we had no idea why. Finally we gave in and took her to the doctor and low and behold she had a double ear infection. She had no symptoms other than not sleeping. No tugging of the ears, no random fits, no fever, etc. We were surprised that she had a double ear infection.
Of course we all know that Brianne is a Daddy's girl. Her and Daddy have a special bond and with that bond comes the responsibility of baths. In fact, Brianne is persistent that Daddy handle her baths, and not Mommy. Most of the time as soon as I walk through the door, she is running off to the bathroom whilst taking off her clothes. Sometimes I can get her to wait till dinner is over.
As for the ups, two words sum it up best; VeggieTales Live! Words can't express what VeggieTales Live meant to Brianne, so you will have to check out some of the photos. Let's just say that as soon as Larry and Bob showed up on stage, she was in awe. Her jaw dropped to the floor and her hand went to cover her mouth as she tried to contain her excitement. Throughout the concert she was jumping and dancing, singing and smiling, and just loving every bit of it. Of course, Mommy and Daddy were thoroughly enjoying it as well too, especially since the concert was entirely based on all of VeggieTales' Silly Songs.
Another up obviously is the fact that Brianne loves going to church. So much so, that usually on our way home, she is asking to do it again. When we get to church, she runs up to the check-in station, gets her tag for her, the one for her bag, and then heads off to her room before you can say "let's go." Then on the way home, you will hear singing, laughing, stories, just about anything.
Then there was the errand to Garden Ridge. Let's just say that when Brianne saw their Christmas decorations we had one super excited child. Forget Santa, Snowmen? Yeah, those were of interest, but the big winners, Christmas Trees and Baby Jesus. That's right, when asked who each of the figurines were she properly pointed out and named Baby Jesus over Santa, and of course she knows Christmas Trees. From what I was told she was running down the aisle counting the Christmas Trees, pink, green, white, whatever, it was counted.
And now for some bad news. Somehow we have already started the "mall" stage. I'm sure it will get worse, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. A couple of days ago, I was doing working on Mommy's van (with Brianne's help, of course), and then we went to go put some gas in it. On the way to the gas station, Brianne kept saying something, but I wasn't quite sure what. Then at the gas station, after I was done and hoping back into the van, she said it clear as day. "Go to mall?" Yes, you read that right, she was asking to go to the mall. I was so lost for the words the only thing I could utter was "we have to ask Mommy first." Of course, Mommy thought it was hilarious and quickly said "Yes." (I'm not sure it was supposed to work that way...)
Lastly, we had several people visit us this past month, Great Grandma and Grandpa Dauterman, Grandma and Pop Pop Wilkin, Mrs. Kaitie and Great Auntie Sheila. We also got to visit several people as well as we made a trip or two to the Lima, Findlay, and North Baltimore areas. During those trips we got to see Great Grandpa and Grandma Wilkin, and the Simon Clan (just so they don't get too upset, I'll try to list them all; Great Uncle Chuck, Great Grandma Re, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Tia, Uncle Rob and Aunt Megan, Uncle Joseph, and several of the cousins). Brianne had a wonderful time with all of you and we look forward to the next time!
Love,
Matt, Kami, Brianne, and Keaten