Happy St. Pat's Day!

We celebrated the occasion a bit early at the Snake Saturday Parade in NKC.  Joe and I have been there in years past but it is a little different as a family :)  Just as fun... but different.

I had to get some cute pictures of the kids because I was able to pull together some coordinating outfits on the fly.  I was handed down this outfit for Brody.  (maybe from my cousin S in MN?)

I happen to have a shirt for Kamden that perfectly matched Brody's pants.  It was a tad big but we made it work.  I was really hoping Kam would cooperate.  Not so much. 

Brody is a sweet little smiley guy....

Kam said "Yucky Brody" and would NOT sit next to him.  Ugh.

I abandoned the dream of a cute photo of both boys together and headed to the parade.  We had a great time... lots of fire trucks, music, and general craziness.  What's not to love?!?!

5 month update - Brody

and for a comparison - Kamden's 5 month

Brody is SO much smaller!

Valentine's Day

This little lover boy and I had a fun day together while big brother was at school.  He is seriously one of the most easy-going babies EVER.  I am loving it! 

I got Kam a little "special treat" after picking him up.  He said it was "delicious."  While I am proud of his growing vocabulary, I get so sad that he is growing up so fast.  He definitely has some crazy toddler moments but he is generally so much fun.  Saying things like "delicious" or "dangerous" is so much different than "yummy" and "owie."  He actually came up to me the other day and asked if I was "frustrated."  It kills me!

And for a little comparison...  I don't think they look all that similar!

Brody 2014 (5 months old)

Kamden 2012 (6 months old)

I should probably document Brody's "bump."  He has a Hemangioma lump just above his left ear.  You can probably see it best in the first picture... it pushes down the top of his ear a bit.  A lot of time Hemangioma appears as a "strawberry" or bright red, flat birthmark on a child's body.  Brody's is a deeper lump that sticks out from his head but it is mostly skin tone.  It should start to slowly decrease in size around a year old and be completely gone a few years later.  I first went to the doctor about it around 2 months because it looked like a spider bite or something.  It has certainly gotten bigger but not at an alarming rate.  The pediatrician said she wouldn't send me to dermatology until it was the size of a golf ball... so lets hope it doesn't come to that!  FYI - the Pedi warned me not to google image this but I didn't listen!  Don't make the same mistake!

Girls weekend in FL

Last month some girlfriends and I jetted down to southern Florida for a fantastic weekend away.  The parents of a good friend have a townhouse on one of the barrier islands.  It is just a few steps to both the beach and the intercoastal.  It is crazy how long we have know each other.  One of the girls and I have been friends since 1988!

The weekend wasn't too eventful... which was perfect for me!  The first day there we had a tennis tournament.  It was mostly lots of laughing, missing shots, and drinking pina coladas.  My kind of tournament! 
 

We made a special dinner for our hostess.  We happened to be there for her birthday!

How great does she look!  Turning 35 looks good on her :)

We rented scooters one afternoon.  We drove about 1.5 hours up the A1A (try to say that without adding "beachfront avenue" to the end).  We had lunch and drove back.  It was a bit of a challenge at first.  Mostly for me!  Turning one of these things can be tricky :)

I picked up a little toy for this guy.  He loved it.  I was so happy to be back to the kids.  Joe had a little help from family during the week but he rocked a weekend alone with the kids.  I even came home to a clean house!  Husband of the year!!! 

Polar Vortex (aka really really COLD)

The crazy weather people claimed that the cold spell was a POLAR VORTEX but I have a feeling they just like to dramatize a strong cold front.  Whatever.  It basically meant that we were stuck in our house for days.  I wouldn't have opened the doors at all if not for the dogs.  I was also very aware of little cold air leaks in our home (like most of the upstairs windows!)

Unfortunately, Mr. Kam loves the cold weather and snow but he doesn't understand dangerous cold.  He was not happy that he couldn't play outside when it was about 4 degrees.  I brought a little of the fresh snow in the house for him...

Once it got a bit warmer, Kam loved some time outside...

He takes shoveling very seriously, and insisted on cleaning off his car (like mom and dad).

 

More 4 month Brody

Brody is happy and fun at 4 months old.  He rarely cries and is an amazing sleeper.  He is sometimes very generous with smiles and giggles but, he is often a little more serious.  He quite often sports the serious/concerned expression.  During this little photo session, he is showing his common look...

This kid really love his fingers!

... and drooling! (but no teeth showing yet)

You would not believe the amount of convincing and bribing that went into the following picture. Kamden, literally, had a (small) cookie in each hand to get him to sit next to his brother.  Brody loves to watch his brother play and act crazy all day long.  Kamden definitely acknowledges and loves his brother but the affection is still to come.  Not that I mind... as a 2 year old boy, Kam doesn't really understand how to be really careful with a baby! 

4 Month Update - Brody

A link to the 4 month Kamden update.  Most importantly, Kamden was almost 3 lbs heavier than Brody!  I am a bit hopeful that Brody will actually fit into 12 month clothes when he is 12 months old!  WEIRD!  After my sister's boys being huge, and kamden being huge, I assumed Brody would be, too.  We will see!