Wow. It's amazing how much life can change in only a few months.
We have purchased our first home and are mostly settled in. It's a charming little house--not too old or too new and 'modernish'. The yard is big and secure. It's close to Brock's office and the schools are excellent. The neighbors are nice and the neighborhood is safe. This house isn't huge, but there's room to grow.
Which is good because we're expecting a new little one in July. And this time (just to shake things up) we're having a GIRL! Whoa! I was not expecting that one! Guess we'll be investing in a lot of pink. ;)
Of course, just to complicate things, my younger brother is getting married in St. Louis a few weeks after our daughter is due to arrive. Whew!
Meanwhile, the boys are growing every day and getting more and more fun every minute they live.
Brady, now almost fully potty-trained and enjoying preschool, is a chatterbox and an energizer bunny to boot. He's friendly and sweet without a shy bone in his wiry little body. He's polite and careful not hurt anyone (by word or fist), though he's plenty stubborn and not afraid to defend himself, if necessary. And with Tommy around, believe me, it's necessary.
Some of my favorite Brady-isms:
"Wow, Daddy, this is a spicy road!"
"Hey, I'm not a baby--I'm a big boy. No, I'm not a big boy--I'm a Brady!"
"Oh, Mama. We have to write our letters to Santa before we die...or before Santa dies."
"Daddy, no more games. It's time for me to go to bed."
"I went potty. Are you proud of me, Mama?"
"Don't put my toys away, Mama. I said no! You understand me?" (said in his very best imitation of me)
"Oh no! I can't go to bed. The Ghostes will whine at me!"
Tommy is our comedian and tease. He has a passion for physical comfort, in the form of warm clothes, soft blankets, food, and cuddles, but he also gets a big kick out of taunting his brother, startling people, and chuckling at his own (unintelligible) jokes. He can be shy, but is mostly friendly and gradually being cured of biting, head-butting, and face-grabbing. In spite of this, the nursery workers in our ward have officially voted him the cutest baby in the ward. To my great delight, he is willing to attempt any word and is collecting quite the vocabulary.
Some of his favorite words and/or phrases:
"No, no--not that."
"Yeah, yeah--that."
"I go!"
"Mama, Daddy. Mama, Daddy." (repeated countless times)
"Ah-mennnnnn" (at the end of every prayer)
"Wocky!" (defined as juice)
"Ban-ket" (any crocheted blanket he can get his hands on)
"Weeee" (his word for the slide at the park)
"A-wock" (translation: "I want")
And, my personal favorite, "Noooooooooooooo!" (howled in a dramatic, desperate voice whenever his will is thwarted.)
As for the darling princess in my tummy, the only thing we know about her at this point is that she is an active little thing and seems to have her days and nights straight so far. According to her recent ultrasound, she's healthy and growing well. We can't wait to meet her (Well, Brock, Brady, and I feel that way. Tommy seems to have mixed up the words 'baby' and 'belly'. While he's perfectly willing to mimic Brady and 'give the baby kisses', he obviously has no idea what's coming or how it will affect his charmed little life.)
So, here we are--a new year, a new home, and a whole new life!
