Snow Storm!

We had a pretty big snow storm this week! We measured about 27 inches of snow in our yard.

We got all prepared with firewood and lanterns but fortunately we didn't lose power.  Andrew had a blast going out to shovel with Daddy, wearing his new snowpants.

Brandon and I mostly stayed inside, but we ventured out once to play.  Brandon hated it so we didn't last long.

The storm happened over the weekend, but Aaron still got a couple of snow days since it took so long for our neighborhood to get plowed.  I was glad to have him cooped up at home with us rather than having him driving on dangerous roads.  It ended up being a fun weekend at home!

11 Months

Well, Brandon is now eleven months old!

We've had a couple of big milestones this month so it's pretty exciting!

Brandon had his first Christmas!  Obviously he didn't really understand what was going on, but he loved having his Brayley grandparents, two sets of aunts & uncles, and some older cousins to hang out with.  He even spent his first night away from his parents since he and Andrew went with my parents to their house the night before Aaron and I joined them for the holiday week.  And on Boxing Day, his first two teeth finally broke through the gums.  It seemed a little on the late side for them to arrive but I seem to be blessed with good teethers so I can't complain too much!  And then of course Brandon had his first New Year as well.  That was a big week for this little guy!

I'm writing this a little late, but as of his eleven month birthday, Brandon had taken up to four steps in a row.  Well on his way to real walking.  He is so proud of himself every time, and always has a big smile on his face as he falls into our waiting arms.  He's also mastered the ability to crouch for a toy and stand back up without help.

Brandon is in kind of a weird place with his naps right now.  He sometimes sleeps in until 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning (yay!) which means he's not ready for his morning nap until around 11:00.  On a good day he sleeps for two hours, and then he's not ready for his second nap until close to 5:00 pm.  And sometimes he just decides he doesn't want that one at all.  And whether he takes that (short) afternoon nap or not, he's ready for bedtime at 6:30.  I think we're nearing the end of the two-nap era.  Now if only the boys would nap at the SAME time...

We're looking forward to celebrating ONE YEAR with this amazing boy in less than a month!

New things for Brandon this month:

First night away from mom and dad

Christmas

New Year

Teeth

First Steps

Andrew is 3!

This has been a big year for my big boy. He became a big brother, started classes at MyGym, took his first airplane ride, and got potty trained!

Andrew's vocabulary is improving every day. I'm constantly hearing my own words coming out of his little mouth and it's both hilarious and embarrassing. I'm getting a clear picture of words and phrases I say to him often and what he's really picking up on. 

He has really grown into his role as a big brother. He sometimes gets annoyed at Brandon touching him or his toys but for the most part, Andrew really loves his brother and loves playing with him. 

He started potty training in October and is now fully (daytime) potty trained! He actually did a really great job with it. He was definitely ready and I'm loving that I have fewer diapers to change!

Andrew has started taking classes at MyGym and he loves it. He has one class a week plus he gets to go to a free play session there usually twice a week.

Andrew got to have a monster themed birthday party, which was a lot of fun.  He especially loved the monster cupcakes I made and the monster tattoos all the kids got to put on!

We're looking forward to another big year for Andrew!