Quotable Quotes

"Cheaters! I want to do cheaters!"

As we sit down for Christmas brunch, us with our mimosas and Brantley with his milk, Brantley says "Cheaters! I want to do cheaters." We all look at him quizzically and ask "What?" He raises his glass and again says "Cheaters!"

Ahhh..."Cheers"

Remember that for you New Year's Eve toast!

Christmas Morning

Brantley slept 'til 7:30. He came in to wake me up and asked if he was going to school today. I told him, no, there's no school today. "Do you know why?" I asked. Brantley said "No."

It's Sunday, but do you know what else is today. - Mommy
No - Brantley
It's Christmas! - Mommy
Mommy, did I stay in my bed last night.
Yes, sweetheart, you did. - Mommy
Then why did Santa not come last night? - Brantley
He didn't come? Are you sure? - Mommy
Uh huh. - Brantley
Why are you so sure? - Mommy
Because there's no snow outside! Santa didn't come! - Brantley

I have a video of when he came downstairs and saw that Santa did come, but it's too big to upload to EasyShare. I'll try to figure out another way to share it.

Santa mistakes.....

I have bought several things for Brantley's stocking. One thing I particularly wanted to get was some water colors. He enjoys sitting at the table and painting. So, today I went to Target during lunch and bought some water colors and a really big bow to go on the four-wheeler. I had the bag in the trunk so he wouldn't see it in the car when I picked him up. When we got home, daddy was already at home so Brantley went on in the house. I got the bag out and wrapped it in my coat so it couldn't be seen. I laid the coat on the table, bag still hidden. For some unknown reason, Brantley decided to get into my coat. I'm in the kitchen and I hear "Alright! More paints!" Into the kitchen he comes with the paints. And, he saw the bow. I told him he shouldn't have done that because I wanted to wrap those and put them under the tree, small recovery in that he doesn't know it was to go in the stocking from Santa. But, he has seen the bow. I can't use it to put on the four-wheeler. Or, is it probable that as he threw the bow out of the bag, he didn't really notice it. Or, is he young enough that I can chance putting the bow on anyway and he won't notice? I have a feeling he's going to catch on to Santa really quick. Santa visited their class yesterday and he told me that it wasn't the real Santa. Hmmmm.....

Tailgating

Don't worry...it's just water.

Ship building

Brantley has really gotten into the legos. He's making Star Wars ships. He just told me, "You know how I can make all this ships. Because I know everything."

Football

Brantley has really wanted to go to a Titans game. I keep telling him the tickets are just too expensive but he will get to go one day. Well, since the Titan's performance this year has been so good, everyone at work is trying to give away their tickets. So, since Lawson is already going to the game on Sunday with Chris, I snagged 2 tickets and decided to take Brantley. When I got home yesterday, I said "Guess what I got today" and I showed them to him. He has never seen tickets before but he knew exactly what they were. "Tickets?" he said. I nodded. "To the Titans?" he said. I nodded again. He then proceeds to start screaming. He is so excited!. Then he tells daddy that mommy got tickets for them to go to the game. I told him that daddy already had tickets and that these were for me and him. He didn't like that. He said that he and daddy would go and that I would go with Chris. I'm feeling really unwanted here.

The Griswolds live on our street...

Actually, at the end of our street. It makes me think of Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation, except that Clark didn't have 5 blow-ups and a flying sleigh and reindeer in his yard. I wish the pictures had turned out better.

Santa came by our house!

He left a note and a bag of candy for Brantley!
Brantley was so excited! He wants me to send a note to Santa letting him know that he's going to be good for Christmas and that he's going to sleep Christmas Eve and not wake Mommy up! Thanks Santa! Brantley says Santa is sneaky and that he likes Santa. The note didn't scan very well so here's what it says:

Dear Brantley,
I have heard about how you have acted this year. There are some that I am not happy about! However, I know you'll be better. So, I will be at your house around 2:26am on the 25th. Love Santa

(Thanks Molly and Susan!)

Santa Claus

This year Brantley is really into Santa. This is the first year he has shown a true interest in Santa. He was dying to go visit Santa and tell him what he wanted for Christmas. I was worried about it because the last time we went to see Santa, we waited in line for over an hour and then Brantley was scared to death of him. He was 2 1/2 then. So, we went to see Santa today. Brantley was very polite and said hi to him and told him his name. He even gave him a big hug. And yes, he sat on Santa's lap and told him he wants a green four wheeler. We also got a great picture.

Quotable Quotes

While watching his new Allosaurus movie with Grandma.

"I know everything about dinosaurs." - Brant
"Just ask you, huh?" - Grandma
"Yeah" - Brant - Miscellaneous discussion about hot lava and paleontologists.
"What are those dinosaurs behind the Stegosaurus" - Mommy
"I don't know." - Brant

It's the little things

When Brantley was smaller and still in a seat with a 5-point harness, it was pretty easy to buckle him in. Being short means that my arms are also short. So, now that he is in a booster seat and buckled up with the car seat belt, I have to pretty much climb in to be able to buckle him in. Today, Brantley finally agreed to try to buckle himself. And he did it! He was so proud of himself and he says he's going to do it every day! Yay for mommy!

Christmas Tree

The weekend after Thanksgiving has become our weekend for Christmas decorating. Things get so busy after that weekend and before you know it, Christmas is here. This year Brantley is extremely excited about Christmas. He couldn't wait to put up the tree. He even says he's going to go visit Santa and tell him what he wants for Christmas. He is going to tell him he wants a green 4-wheeler. Now, 'Santa' has to figure out out to get the 4-wheeler home and hidden until Christmas. It's sitting in layaway until he figures that out. ;)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. A time for giving thanks for family, extended family, and friends. A time to ponder what's really important in this life. And to eat lots of food.

Here's the kids table (the coffee table) at my sister's house. Works pretty well for the kids. Not that Brantley ate anything off his plate.

Learning to write

Quotable Quotes

A conversation about Star Wars:

"Mommy, does Anakin turn in to Darth Vader"
Me " I don't know. I haven't seen a movie where he does. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Reed says he does."
Me "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know."

Before the movie.
Me "Now, you can't tell me what happens because I have to study. I'll have to watch the movie some other time. Okay?"
"Okay"

After the movie.
"There were good guys and bad guys. Hmmmm...who were the good guys....Jar Jar Binks, he's a good guy. And Yoda, he's a good guy. And ummmm...(yelling) daddy - who was that other guy in the movie.."
Daddy - "Obi Wan?"
"Yeah Obi Wan. He's a good guy."
"And...Anakin... he did a bad thing. And Anakin got burned by hot lava and somebody put him back together and made him in to Darth Vader!"

Thanks Brant. Good thing I already kinda knew what happened.

Roses in November

It's been unseasonably warm lately, now it's unseasonably cold! When we got home Wednesday, we noticed all the pretty flowers.
What's up with all of our plants. They think it's spring. We cut the roses because it was supposed to get down to 24 degrees that night. Better enjoy them inside rather than have them freeze! By the way, Brantley helped me put all of the mulch down last weekend. He's a very good helper. He got a little too tired though and wasn't to happy when we finished. Check out the dirt tears!

A singer in the making

Since it's Saturday morning, I'm going around the house cleaning up and what not. Brantley was sitting playing with his legos and singing. He just kept making up this song and singing. I caught the end of it on video - he didn't know that I was recording him. I took another video after that. He didn't know at first but he looked around and saw me. Notice the performance after he knows he's on camera. (Video link) - let me know if this doesn't work.

Three days of trouble

For the most part, Brantley is well-behaved. He's always good at school and it's rare for him to get a bad report. But, recently there have been some teacher issues and I'm afraid all of the changes have had an adverse affect on Brant. Friday, I was told that Brantley and 4 others were standing in a circle throwing wood mulch at another child. Monday, Brantley was wrestling with another child and he bit him. He said the other child hit him so he bit him. I explained that wasn't a good choice and that he needed to tell his teacher if another child hits him. He got to watch no TV last night. Today, another incident report. The teacher didn't see what happened and thought it was an accident. This time, Brantley said one child hit him so he hit another child. The child he hit got a bloody nose. Granted, the child that got the bloody nose gets them easily, but still. I can't believe this behavior. They are supposed to have a new teacher starting tomorrow. I'm hoping he just needs some stability in his classroom. He's still a creature of habit at this point and when his life is disrupted, it causes problems. If something happens tomorrow, I'm going to have to come up with a new punishment.

Birthday Party at My Gym

We've had a busy day. We were in Cookeville this morning where Brant got to ride the tractor and the four-wheeler. Papa even hooked up the trailer to the four-wheeler and Brantley, Nathan, and Taylor all piled in. They had a great time. This afternoon, we went to a birthday party at My Gym. Similar to Let it Shine, but not as big and more catered to smaller children. He had a blast. When we got home, he was so tired and wasn't in a good mood. I had to send him to his room and he passed out. He's still asleep now.

Happy Halloween!

Brantley was very excited this year about trick or treating. He was also very polite. He would say "Trick or Trick. Thank You. Happy Halloween!" And then , the loot...

Opinions please....

These are Brantley's school pictures. Which one do you like best? He's got such a crooked mouth! The cross bite is starting to worry me. I see braces in his future.

Front Loader

Brantley's second favorite thing is construction equipment. He saw this at Wal-Mart the other day. He actually pointed at it and said, "Mommy...look at that front loader. I want that." I don't know what to think about the fact that he actually knows that it is called a front loader. I guess he takes after papa. Anyways, I went back without him and bought it for him for Christmas. It's already wrapped and in the closet. Now, we just have to decide if Santa is giving him the red jeep or the 4 wheeler.

Let it Shine

I'm very irritated at Kodak right now. First, my camera is acting up and I've only had it for 8 months. It wouldn't take a picture right at the party on Saturday, but the video clips were fine. Go figure. Then, the upload feature wouldn't work from my EasyShare software so I couldn't share the videos. I don't know how many hours I spent trying to find out how to get warranty service and trying to figure out why I couldn't upload. Finally, today I was able to upload the videos.

Saturday we went to Ben's birthday party at Let it Shine. Let it Shine is a local gymnastics gym. Let me just say, when you walk in, you can't miss that it's a gym. SMELLY! It turned out to be a great party. Brant had a blast as you can see from the videos. He really wants to go back there. I think they do have open gym some times so I'm going to have to check into it.

Quotable Quotes

"Hot lava made the dinosaurs dead. And, paleontologists dug up their bones. Then, kids looked at them."

I can barely spell paleontologist, much less imagine my 4 year old saying it.

On the sidewalk in Glen Ellyn

Picture courtesy of uncle Matt.

Weekend in Chicago

We finally got to go for our long weekend in Chicago. I say finally because we were supposed to go in August and didn't get to. The weather was great. We were afraid it was going to rain all weekend, but we were spared. Brantley really wanted to go to Lincoln Park Zoo - ever since he saw it on Extreme Zoos on Animal Planet. They have a really cool exhibit for chimps there. The Zoo is free but there isn't much there. So, we decided to go to Brookfield Zoo. Brantley had a blast. His favorite thing was the giraffes. I took lots of pictures - and Brantley took a few too. Hopefully, next visit we will make it to downtown Chicago.

Halloween Costume

Brantley's Halloween costume came today. He's very excited about it. It's much better quality than I expected. The jacket is pretty heavy. Hope it's cold Halloween night!

B Firefighter's Pajamas

A while back I had taken Brantley to Build a Bear to get, what else, a teddy bear. We got him a fire fighter outfit and Brantley named him B Firefighter. Well, my mom called a few weeks ago and said my sister had gotten some flannel fabric with fire trucks and such on it. She was going to make Brantley some pajamas out of it. So, I said why not make matching pajamas for his bear. She did so I took his bear with us today. While Brantley was on his customary tractor ride we tried them on the bear and they fit perfectly. Aren't these just the cutest?

Shark Teeth

My aunt and my cousin are visting with my parents so we went today to visit. My cousin likes to go deep sea diving. On one dive they went to someplace called shark tooth ledge or something. Its about 30 miles off the coast of North Carolina. They dove about 90 feet deep - I think that's what he said. He found all of these shark teeth and a rib bone that this petrified. Pretty cool.

A day of birthdays

Yesterday was the day that Brantley was invited to 3 parties. The first party was at their home. They had tons of food and a bounce house. I told Lawson he would have enjoyed this one. They had beer for the parents. All Brantley cared about was the Power Wheels truck that the child had and the sand box. (We may have to think about that for his X-mas present.) He didn't eat anything at the party. Oh, and there was also the train that he had to ride around the house in. Since he didn't eat, we stopped at Sonic and got him a burger on the way home.
Yep, this is going to be a healthy day.

The party we had to turn down was at the Pumpkin Patch. It's at Walden farm and I hear it's awesome. I think I'm just going to take Brant there one night in then next couple weeks. I'm actually glad we didn't get to go to this one. My friend said there were at least 30 kids there, no food for the parents, and all the moms were skinny bleached blondes dressed up like they were going somewhere important. This is the part that really got me. They bring out this elaborate spiderman cake which my friend says looked very expensive. They sang happy birthday, blew out the candles and took the cake away. Then, they brought out cupcakes to hand out. What! They didn't eat the cake. What's up with that? What's she going to do with it - freeze it and use it next year? I just couldn't get over that.

And finally, party number 3 at Chuck E Cheese. I had such a headache after the first party, all I could think is do we really have to go to Chuck E Cheese. Brantley had a blast, of course. He loves going to Chuck E Cheese but he doesn't like Chucky. He doesn't like any adults dressed up in costumes. This time though, he got very close to Chucky and didn't freak out like he normally does. Maybe next time he will actually go over to him and I can get a picture of them together.

I tell all my friends that Brantley is such a little leader. It's funny because I'm not really like that. He's very popular with his class mates - again nothing like me. Now, I have video to prove it. Just look at how they follow him. Just think, you could be watching the future Mr. President here.

Ouch!

I've always said that kids are made of rubber. With all the tumbles they take, it's amazing they make it to elementary school. But Jeez! This has to hurt.

First Homework Assignment

Brantley did his first homework assignment tonight! I, of course, wrote his name.

The Socialite

Last week, Brantley received an invitation to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese on October 1st. His best friend wasn't invited. I wish I hadn't said anything to his mom about the party, but I didn't know he wasn't going to be invited. Of course, she's worried that Brant is his only friend. It's just one party. Well two more invitations received today for parties on Saturday. One is from a child in another class (best friend not invited). Brantley says he does not know who it is but obviously the child knows and likes Brant. That party is at the same time as the Chuck E. Cheese party so we can't go anyway. The other party is earlier in the day so we can go to it (best friend is invited to this one). Now we need birthday presents. Toys R Us here we come.

Another Ring

I must have the sweetest little boy. He got me another ring from the treasure chest. He says he's going to get me another one next week. This one even matches my nail polish.

Brantley the photographer...

Brantley now likes to get my camera and go around taking pictures. He just walks around the house and takes pictures. Before I know it, he takes about 60 pictures. Each time he takes at least one picture of his feet. I think he has some sort of weird fascination with his feet. Here are my favorite pics that he has taken.

Cleaning Windows

After all, it is soap isn't it?

Tumblebus

Tumblebus is a bus that is set up for gymnastics class. They travel to the daycare and the children can take gynastics within even leaving the school. Prior to just a couple weeks ago, Brantley had absolutely no interest in Tumblebus. Out of the blue a couple weeks ago, Brantley says he wants to go to Tumblebus. I think it's a great idea and a good way for him to get some exercise. Yesterday was his first day and he loved it! He said he exercised for a while and then he played on the bus. Glad he thinks it's playing! It's only once a week, but I hope that he picks up on a few things.

Nashville Sounds Baseball

The Nashville Sounds are in the playoffs and Brantley is a big baseball fan. He's been to several games and is a kids club member. We went to the playoff game tonight and had awesome seats.








Right behind home plate!

Even though they lost and it was a slow game, we still had a good time. Brantley got to see Ozzie, although he doesn't like Ozzie to get to close. Maybe next season I can get a picture of him with Ozzie.

What a sweet boy!

Before the King and Queen idea, the teachers had started a coin system. Each child has the chance to earn a coin every morning and every afternoon. At the end of the week, they get to "buy" a toy from the treasure chest. Today, Brantley picked out something for me....



So sweet of him to think of someone other than himself! Too bad it's a little too small. :)

King for a Day.

Brantley's new teachers have been trying to find ways to encourage the children to behave. The latest idea they have is to be King/Queen for a day. The child that has been the best behaved gets the privilege. They have a crown they get to wear which is a quite stylish paper crown with glitter on it - very exciting. The privileges are to be the door holder and line leader. Remember the days when it was cool to do those things and everyone wanted to do it?

I learned about this new thing they were trying yesterday when I picked Brantley up. They were on the playground, but Brantley took me back to the classroom and showed me the crowns. He was very excited and wanted to take the crown outside. I wouldn't let him, but he insisted that he was the King. We left the crown, but I had to find out if he indeed was the King. Sure enough, Brantley was the first King for the class! Sydney (the birthday girl at pump it up a couple weeks ago) was the Queen.

Wonder what they will try next?

Brantley the Hero!

Everyone knows that Brantley loves all kinds of rescue people: firemen, policeman, rescue heroes, power rangers. He's all about being a hero. Well, Brantley saved a frog from certain death at Grandma's house. We're so proud of our little hero!

Swimming at Grandma's house

This is the first summer that Brantley had spent any real time in the pool. He's actually come a long way. All he needs is his ring and he swims all around in the pool. And his favorite thing is jumping in! That's Grandma catching him.

Brantley's new friend

Amazing what you can find at the grocery store...

Update: Quotable Quotes

Alright, I have no idea how Brantley learned about this, but in talking to a girl at work, horses really do have frogs in their feet. Not frogs like the little green animals that croak, but a part of their hoof is called the frog. It's the little pointed part in the middle of the hoof. I'm really going to have to stop dismissing these things when Brantley says them!