JCF, Amtrak and Mackinac Island

I just got back from vacation up north too. We went to Mackinaw City and Island. It was so much fun to stay at a hotel on the beach. I liked to scare the seagulls by chasing them and jump in the waves. Dad and I spent lots of time throwing rocks into the water too. I completed my fascination with moving objects by riding a boat. Though I was confused and called it a train when I heard the horn blow, it was really fun. I also loved my travels in the car thanks to the portable DVD player. I got to watch Cars and Mickey until I couldn't stand it!!! Ahh...nothing better than Cars, my blank, and my paci. Life is good!

Summer has been so relaxing and enjoyable with mom and dad around so much that I forget to blog on schedule. This month has been a blast! I had a chance to mingle with the folks at the Jackson County Fair and take my first Train Ride. I was pumped once I heard that we were actually going to ride on the train and not just watch it go by. I am fascinated by trains and I am an avid collector of the Thomas the Train set.

Yee Haw!
Have a great week~B

It's been a while

I keep forgetting to tell you guys...I'm having a baby sister in December. I guess she's coming right before Christmas. Cool...I think:)

Here I am at Lake Michigan at Silver Beach. It was a blast. I made lots of sandcastles and then demolished them. I loved jumping in the waves too. The bigger the waves the better!

I am quite the talker these days. I pretty much have questions about everything and respond to most every question with a complete sentence. Instead of saying "yes" I prefer to respond "okay".

My cousins Ella and Olivia came to visit. We went blueberry picking together. Here we are chasing butterflies in the field. Ella and I got quite rowdy together. I think she's a ton of fun. O-Dog was cool too but a little small to jump around with us.

This is O=Dog, aka Olivia.

The big news as of late is that I have begun to potty in the big toilet. I find it fun when I feel like doing it. I especially like to get treats afterwards. Mom and Dad have high hopes that my training will be complete when little sister arrives. Hmm....that could take lots of treats (M&M's). Stay tuned for more potty updates.

Love, B

Sprinks and Splashes

Summer brings out my silliness. Here I am with a ball in my back. I thought it was hilarious to bounce from couch to couch with a ball stuffed in my shirt.

Always searching for bugs. I like to pick them up and put them on the swing. I think the ants really like to swing but not so sure the roly poly bugs like it. Oh well, they pretty much do what I tell them and I like it.

Water balloon fights are a blast as long as I get to throw them all.

And the sprinks...love to run through it lately. It's a nice way to cool off in the heat of the day. I like to go naked but I'm learning there's a time and place for that. So..I guess I'll deal with a diaper. I am also getting quite good at shooting hoops. My neighbor friend, Delton has a big hoop we play on. I get to stand on the mini-trampoline so I can dunk. It's awesome!

Summer screams grilled food. My favorite is CORN on the cobb of course. It is so tasty. I eat every last kernel too. I don't like any of it to go to waste. YUMMMY!

Enjoy the fun that summer brings. I can't wait to hear the big boom of the fireworks this weekend!

~B~

Memorable Memorial

Hey Guys! Sorry, once again the weeks fly by and I forget to update you all. I have been so busy since I turned two. Nobody told me that life gets busier as you get older. Whew! I've taken some serious naps to try to keep my energy along with sleeping all night long without waking up.

I had been missing my mom and dad the week before Memorial Day. They've been super busy with school, work, etc. They kept telling me how much fun we would have over the long weekend and we DID!!!! We went to the Jackson Airport for breakfast and got to see all kinds of airplanes fly in and take off. It was awesome! The blueberry pancakes weren't too bad either.

Then I went swimming at Grandma Linda and Grandpa Steve's house. It was really hot so the water felt great. I love to try and stay on the big raft and do some jumps off the side of the pool. That night, I went to Ben's house for fireworks. We did sparklers before the big show started. They were hot! Ben and I also mastered the art of jumping from high places- like his outdoor swingset/ jungle gym thing. We have no fear!

Sunday, we went to church, ate at Cascades Mannor House with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Dede and then went Putt Putt. I liked it but it was harder than I thought. I liked to pick the balls up and roll them, kinda like bowling. I think it will take some more practice before I can compete with Tiger.

Monday, I went with Dad to Grandma Vicki and Poppy's house for a cookout. I got to see all the Sheppard boys and play. It was cool, as usual. Then Daddy and I met up with Mommy at Aunt Neen's house for another cookout. I got my own tour of the big firetrucks while I was there. I got to make the siren go and turn the lights on. Those trucks are BIG and green...I mean RED! Green is my favorite color so I kid around with people and say everything is green. I like to see people laugh.

Thanks Uncle Jack!

Until next time- B

Positively FUN

I haven't forgotten about you guys. The last couple weeks have been so busy at our house. The beginning of May marks many important dates. First we celebrated Mom's Day, always nice to show my mom how much I love her. Then it was Daddy's 30th birthday. Aren't we two peas in a pod??? Look at those faces:) We had Maggie Moos ice cream cupcakes and went to some golf stores. Daddy always loves a trip to the golf store and I really enjoyed putting on the indoor greens myself. Can't wait to go putt-putting.

The next day was my birthday. Yep, I'm two and I'll tell anyone who asks. I am proud to announce that I can do some counting and I know my colors. I love the say the word yellow. I prefer to say "Yellellow" it's more fun that way. Anyways, Mom and Dad and I went to the Toledo Zoo to see the animals.

Days later we had my big party at home. All the cousins came over and we had a blast playing in the borrowed bounce house. We also played ball and of course did some serious eating. My party was Curious George themed so we had pasta, salad, bread, and of course yellow hat and monkey cupcakes. I think some even saved room for banana splits. I got lots of great new toys and really enjoyed seeing all my family and friends.

And the final big event is....I am going to be a big brother!!!! Mom and Dad let it out of the bag. Baby Parrott is 10 weeks old and doing great! Mommy has been tired but I don't mind taking naps together, it's fun! I guess this new baby will be available to give backwards knuckles to around Christmas time. I can't wait to teach the baby all my tricks and to introduce it to George.

Nap time,

Brody

Come On!

Come on!!! I love to tell people what to do. I often tell them to "shum on"! I am learning how to speak clearly and in sentences. Since I was about 22 months old I began putting two and three words together and making sense of it all. I am now expanding my vocab and sentences to include 4 and 5 words. I also follow directions quite well when I feel like doing what is being asked of me. I love to help out! Here I am below taking my own picture. Pretty nice isn't it?

Our daffodil photo shoot at Cascades. It was brief but I let Mom shoot the pics she likes to take every year at this time. I guess the flowers are pretty.

Look closely at my teeth. My canine teeth finally decided to poke through. I thought I would have four gaps in my teeth forever but nope...they finally arrived. I have been sleeping much more sound now.

I much prefer to push the stroller or walk on my own. I feel riding is for babies and I'm definitely a big boy.

I've been going to lots of parties these past few weekends. Here are some balloons I got from Ben's party. I feel like Curious George when I hold them. I wish I would fly like he does. My birthday countdown is on....I will be 2 in another 2 weeks!!!

So long for now:)

~B

Spring Break '10

Sorry, I've been MIA these past couple weeks. It's been a busy one for sure. Mom and Dad had lots of things planned for Spring Break '10. Below, I met a new friend- Lady Bug. She decided to land on my shoulder and hang out for a while. Kinda weird so I brushed her off after a while. "Go bug, go!" I told her.

Splash Universe! I conquered the slides! Check it out. There were tons of kids there and some didn't understand how to wait their turn for the slide. A couple girls slid down and landed on me before I could get off the slide. I just gave them the look but kept my comments to myself. Silly girls.

Daddy and Mommy played with me and took me on the bigger slides and in the lazy river. After the pool time we ate at Applebees and then had a sleepover in a hotel room. It was a blast! The next morning I insisted to go to the "toys! toys" at 7am. Little did I know that the water park didn't open until 9am!!!

Happy Easter! I got to celebrate the night before! Mom and Dad and I did our dancing to my keyboard songs and I got some prizes in my Easter basket. Cool new shades, some snacks, coloring books and sticker books. Oh and Curious George 2!!! I love the new movie...much better than the first one. Kayla the elephant is great! Check it out.

GO TIGERS!! I was their number one fan the other day! Not only did I cheer and yell "Go Tigers!" I also danced to every song played between hitters and innings. After each song I said, "All done, next song!" I had new moves for every tune. Here I am with Uncle Steve and Grandpa Steve. We had a blast! We ate pretzels and cheese and rode the baseball ferris wheel twice!!! Whoo hooo!!! I even showed Grandpa how to get back to our seats. I think he was impressed about my sense of direction.

Oh, I forgot. Mom and Dad went to Vegas for a few days and I got to stay with Grandma Dede, Grandpa Chuck and Poppy and Grandma Vicki. I had a blast! I was glad my parents had time together to hang out. While they were gone I mastered the identification of all my colors. I am learning things by the minute. I will tell you how and when to do something. I will let you know if I don't like something and I do like things picked up and in their place. I don't like messy fingers and I let Wrigley know when he needs to stop barking. I pretty much have life under control and think I'm ready for bigger and better things. I'm not really sure what that means...I've heard people say that before:) Watch out! I'm always listening and repeating...no matter what!