it's catch up time!!

So I have dropped the ball completely with the blog I started for Brixton, but... I'm here to update it! So much has been going on in our lives and I'm pretty sure that is why I have had a lack of minutes to update you all on our lives! So sorry.

What has been going on since last posting?? Halloween has come and gone along with Thanksgiving... and believe it or not, it's almost Christmas! Brixton's 2nd birthday is around the corner as well. I am amazed at how quickly that event has come front and center. He is still my baby boy even though he is trying to be as independent as possible for an almost 2 year old.

So Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I tried to get Brixton into it but he didn't really seem to care too much. One of my mom's coworkers was nice enough to let us borrow a frog costume...

Brixton and his first love, Aubrey (dressed as a can of Bb classic hairspray)

The suckers were his favorite!

The weather was not on our side this year for trick or treating so my mom brought mr. handsome to the mall. He and I went to probably 3 or 4 of the stores handing out candy before he was done. So instead of getting more candy, we sat at Bella watching all the kids in their costumes getting candy and Brixton started in on the 5 pieces he had received. Suckers were the top pick of the night.

THE SCIENCE CENTER!!!

Aubrey and I took the boys (Eli and Brixton) to the Science center downtown! They loved spending a couple of hours playing wit all the fun things there. We played with bubbles, a huge ball wall and of course Brixton found a train and tracks to play with.

Eli is exploring!

2 Future builders maybe??

Building with gears.

Brixton was in a trance while watching the gold ball.

Eli and Aubrey playing.

Water fun

A big ball wall o' fun!

Brixton loves trains

Eli met a stuffed furry friend

Jolly Holiday Lights

My mom and I took Brixton to see the display of lights in water works park. He is fasinated by Christmas lights. He always talks about the lights on our Christmas tree and the "downtown lights" we see when we go to church on Saturday nights. I've been using the lights to teach him colors. So far everything is BLUE! It's funny. He knows the words for other colors but he just really likes blue so he lives in a world full of blue things. I started giving him choices of different colors. So if there are green lights, I ask if they are green or orange (or any other color) so he can start to know that there are other colors to the world other then blue. So far it works about every 20 times or so.

Driving to see the lights.

A lighted reindeer display. Brixton liked this one, he even knew it was of reindeer.

After jolly holiday lights, we went to help some other girls from church babysit the Rude trio. They are the most adorable kids! It was great for Brixton to be able to hang out with Quin, and that ment I was able to get some baby time in!

Quin and Brixton did so well playing together. They shared car and colors!

Rex taking a quick snooze.

Beautiful baby Myla in pink

Baby time. Brixton wanted to "hold baby". He kept saying it over and over. It only lasted for about 5 minutes before he wanted to me to take Rex back so he could get down and play some more with Quin. He was so careful with Rex though. It was great to see him be so calm with him; a rare occasion in the life of Brixton.

2 of the cutest boys ever.

So there are some updates of Brixton's life. He is growing and changing faster then I ever imagined. He talks better and better every day, and has quite the vocabulary for a 2 year old. Just the other night I came home from work just in time to hear all the detail of the "baket-a-ball game" he went to with his Nanny. He just kept saying, "i go baket-a-ball game. bounce ball in hoop". It was a joy to see the excitement in his little eyes. I am so very blessed to have been given such an incredible gift from the Lord. I can't even begin to imagine life with out my baby boy.

Thank you all for visiting! We love sharing our lives with you, and I hope to keep up with the blog a little better... until then!

Pumpkins, Pizza with Aubrey and Cardboard "Car"

I think fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing and the weather starts cooling off. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas means tons of family time. It's exciting to see Brixton start to do all the things I love doing in the fall.

We took a tiny road trip up to Ames to visit Aubrey and to of course get some Great Plains pizza. We had some lunch and then Aubrey gave us a tour of her new apartment before we left. Brixton got to meet Gizmo. They are old friends from when Aubrey used to watch Brixton for me so it was nice for them to rekindle their friendship! He also got a new balloon and met her roommate's rabbit. Great day in Ames!

Brixton has also fallen into another one of my old habits. When I was younger, I had a "car". It was an old cardboard box that I piled all my favorite toys and my blanket in so I could go bub-bye. I was getting ready to put this box from his diapers in the recycle bin when Brixton started putting his stuff in it and pushing it around. I just couldn't take it from him after that. It just took me back to pictures my mom took of me when I was a little girl. One day he'll grow out of it, but until then I'll let him keep "driving on".

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Getting to dress up in a fun costume and of course FREE CANDY. I love candy and I'm afraid Brixton is taking after me fast. He loves m&m's just like his mommy. I also enjoy seeing the cool things people carve into their pumpkins. My friend Cara and I took Brixton to the pumpkin patch and he loved it. He just wouldn't stop saying "punkin, punkin, punkin" the whole way to pick up Cara. He was running in and out of the rows of pumpkins. The funny part was he didn't want to take one home. He picked out some gourds instead. It was a fun trip to the patch, and we are hoping to go again to get one to carve... or paint that might be a safer option.

Thank you for spending time reading and catching up with me and Brixton's life. We are truly blessed to have such amazing people in out lives, and I am extremely blessed to have such a great little inspiration in my life. Stay tuned for more of our fall adventures!

Brixton sure loves animals! Gizmo is Brixton's favorite cat.

Aubrey is probably Brixton's favorite Bella girl because she gives him balloons.

Brixton, Aubs and Gizmo

Brixton met a new bunny friend... one of Aubrey's roommates.

Filling his "car" and getting ready to go.

I love this smile!

Picking out some things to take home

This one's not quite right

Peek-a-boo... I see you!

My handsome little man and his pumpkin

Getting sized up with the apple because Brixton didn't want to!

Cara, showing Brixton how it's done!

Best picture of the day... his smile all because he loves "punkins" as he calls them...

The best little guy ever. I just love him!

Building blocks with Nanny!

Brixton LOVES his blocks!

The aftermath of tower building...

He is so proud of how tall his tower is!

One afternoon Brixton and my mom decided to build with his blocks... He is cautious and loves when nanny helps hold them as he stacks higher and higher.

Brixton and his Papa

Brixton goes to my Grandparents' house in Winterset, Iowa every Wednesday. I am very blessed to have such amazing family support in raising my precious little boy. I enjoy every moment we all get to spend together, and Brixton really loves his Papa. Here are some photos from a recent afternoon before the weather started getting cooler.

Like his mother, Brixton would rather be sock and shoeless his whole life but he must learn to keep them on while outside. Here is the first attempt at getting his shoes on. For some reason I don't think this the best way to success.... below is a better and more successful attempt.

Attempt number 2!

He just loved sticking his little piggies in grandma's flower bed.

Brixton and his Papa

Checking the bird feeders and houses are one of his favorite things to do while at grandma and papa's house. This day he stuck his fingers in the hole! Bummer to find the birdhouse was empty.

Collecting leaves for grandma's table. Such a great center piece!

Bowling

Yeah for free bowling parties! One of my long time friends, Jenna, was nice enough to invite me and Brixton to her bowling party. Her name was drawn to win a free bowling party. It was Brixton's first time at a bowling alley, and amazingly enough there were shoes in his size!! He was so excited about them, when it was time to go he didn't want to give them back. If you look closely in the back ground of the first picture you can see the contraption kids can use to give the ball enough momentum to make it down the lane. Brixton could barely lift the 6 pound ball they gave him to use, and like most things he lost interest after approximately 7 minutes. He probably "bowled" a total of 2 frames before calling it quits for pizza and a cupcake.

It was really great to see a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in so long, and Brixton was able to meet some of them for the first time! Ashlee and her boyfriend were in town from North Dakota and came by. I don't think I had seen her in about 3 years, and Brixton liked her so much he thought he'd let her know... by spitting/throwing up his soda on her hand. (I wish I had gotten a picture of that!) We also got to see Ashley and Tyler with their 2 daughters. It had been a long time since seeing them as well.

After the bowling party I was able to hang out with my friends and catch up with everything going on in their lives. It was so nice to be able to see everyone and to relive good old memories. After so many years and all the miles between us it's nice to keep in touch.

Waiting patiently for his bowling ball

Taking a break for a cupcake!

Tyler holding Olivia, Ashley, Jenna, Addyson, Brixton and Me

Ashlee and Brixton finally meet!

Ashlee, Caylee and Me

A great group of old friends.

The Zoo

Today is Monday so what better to do then go to the Blank Park Zoo. My best friend IN THE WHOLE WORLD, miss Chelsea, is in town from New York City. I had a continuing education class at La James this morning so she came over to watch my main man Brixton. Incredibly, he didn't wake up until 9am! This is quite a feat because he is normally up by 7 every day. (why he decides to sleep in on a day I cannot is beyond me.) They had breakfast of pop tarts and then played outside in the sand box and with sidewalk chalk. I came back home around 1230 and off we went to lunch and then the zoo. Brixton was sooooooo excited to see all the animals. I have always wondered about the perspective of life through the eyes of a child. Because of this, Chelsea and I had the bright idea of getting Brixton he very own disposable camera for his perspective pictures. I still have to get them developed so they will be posted at a later time, but here are some photos from my camera of our zoo adventure.

The otters. I think Brix could stare at them for hours.

Feeding the fish.

Shocked... Luckily her hand is still attached.

Chelsea and my favorites are becoming Brixton's favorites as well.

These big fish were right at his level.

Not quite sure what these are but he loves looking at animals.

Showing Brixton some turtles in a pool of water.

Trying out the swinging draw bridge.

Me and Brixton on the bridge. (he hardly ever looks at the camera for me.)

Chelsea scoped out the bridge for us first.

The zoo was a hit. We were there for a couple hours and Brixton just kept going and going. I'm pretty sure he is like the energizer bunny. He wasn't really into feeding the animals in the sort of hands on area, but he sure watched Chelsea. She feed that huge bull in the picture above as well as the fish and some goats. It's crazy to see all the animals just magnatize towards the people with food. It's as though they are starving, but I'm sure it's the complete opposite. We also saw the giraffe and zebras. And of course we watched the sea lion show for a little bit. On the way out we picked up a post card for my sister to send her a little note about our Monday trip. Maybe next time we'll head to the Omaha Zoo for even more animals!!

Ps: stay tuned for Brixton's perspective photos in a future blog!