Photo Shoot #1203

Good news - Braedyn is starting to feel better. Bad news - Chase has picked up Braedyn's wonderful sickness. And trust me when I tell you that Chase's sleep issues are nothing compared to the horrible cough and congestion that are currently waking him up 10x a night (no exaggeration there). Not to mention the fact that I am waking up every morning with a sore throat, achy head, and a bit more sleep deprived than the night before. Oh yeah, these are good times...

Since all my energy and creativity has been zapped from this past month of neverending sickness, you have the privilege of looking at lots of pictures today. This is seriously the extent of my creativity at the moment, so deal with it. =)~

My MIL Judi saved a ton of Ben's hotwheels and accessories from when he was a little boy. Lord only knows what gave her the idea to haul this stuff around with her for 30 years. Maybe it was the smile on her face and joy in her heart when she sees her grandson playing with the same hot wheels that her son did. Or maybe they were just shoved deep down in a box, and weren't discovered until years later. Regardless, we gave Braedyn the box full of hot wheels to play with, and of course, he was in Hot Wheel Heaven with all the cars he had to choose from (luckily he doesn't discriminate against the old, rusty cars, haha). But his favorite part was this track (surely you remember this thing from when you were a kid).

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In a shocking turn of events, Braedyn now prefers Backyardigans to Yo Gabba Gabba. And after weeks of Backyardigans (or "Penguin" as Braedyn refers to it), I finally realized that it wasn't Yo Gabba Gabba that drove me up the wall. It was the fact that Braedyn gets fixated on one show, and will only watch that show. He has a handful of episodes that are his favorites and only wants to watch those - over and over and over again. I'm assuming this is normal toddler behavior, and if it isn't, don't tell me otherwise.

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This is what I refer to as "Braedyn's Entourage". It started with just one or two things that he wanted to take to bed with him. And now, this is what it's turned into. I guess it's a good thing he has this gigantic bed, rather than the small toddler bed. Otherwise he'd be sleeping on the floor just to make room on his bed for all this stuff. Oh wait, he ended up on the floor every night anyway when he had his toddler bed... nevermind.

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Just a cute picture of Little Chasey. He's getting so big, and is now learning to sit on the floor unsupported. And sometimes during tummy time, he gets his feet going and starts moving himself backwards. It's crazy how fast he's picking up on things!

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I'm assuming this is what family pictures will look like for the next 8 years... every person looking in a different direction.

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Just to ensure he's always the center of attention, whenever Chase is in his exersaucer, Braedyn loves to crawl through the bottom of it. While I'm worried that he's gonna twist one of Chase's legs, Chase just sits there and laughs and laughs at his big brother's antics. Go figure...

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Here's a picture of Braedyn's newest addition to his wardrobe. I couldn't resist these cute slippers when I saw them at Target. You see, since I'm suppposedly done with all my Christmas shopping, if I see something I want to buy for the boys, I just buy it and give it as a random gift during the week. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Ben brings a screeching halt to my clever tricks.

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We're having Braedyn's second birthday party this weekend, and the theme is none other than the Backyardigans. If you thought he was in heaven with those old, rusty hot wheels... just wait until he sees the Pablo Penguin mylar balloon that is bigger than him! I've also taught him to say he is two years old and "Braedyn's Birthday". Of course, once the camcorder is turned on to capture him saying these things, I can guarantee you that he will suddenly become a mute, and just stare at the camera with his infamous deer-in-the-headlights look.