Your Prayers Needed

Hello All,

This week, a friend of mine brought a beautiful baby boy named Nicolas into the world a little early. He weighs under 2 pounds at this point, and while we are told that he is doing well, it doesn't seem like it's going to be an easy road in these first few months. Please pray, or think about, baby Nicolas, and his family. They are a wonderful, strong family, who truly appreciate your prayers. Thank you!

Happy St. Nicolas Day! Let the Festivities begin!

Over here in Belgium, St. Nicolas Day is a HUGE deal. Kids get gifts in their shoes for weeks before the actual day (today, by the way) and companies, like my husband's, throw parties to help children celebrate...and, what's a St. Nicolas party without Peter. Who's Peter? He is the completely politically correct black-faced man sitting next to Jolly Ol' St. Nick. I would tell the whole story (and, believe me, I'm dying to tell the real story now that I know I only had the PC version "for Americans") but I don't want the NAACP coming after me. Let's just go with the original story that he's black because of the soot in the chimney. Anywho, St. Nick and Peter could have been made out of pure candy, and Brady was STILL not going anywhere near them. As a matter of fact, he was so traumatized by being asked to go within 2 feet of them, that he collapsed on the floor, face down, and cried immediately following the "confrontation". So, should we try Santa?!

Since we are not, and never will be, true Belgians, we opted not to lead up to St. Nick's day with all the hoopla, and, instead gave Brady the whole pile of presents tonight (we probably wouldn't have celebrated at all, but Brady needed new toys so badly...just kidding...we just saw this as a good opportunity to give him things that we didn't want to lug to the states). And, can I tell you that we had more fun watching Brady open his presents that he probably had opening them! He was hilarious. When Jeremy brought the pile out, he (Brady, not Jeremy) started to laugh and clap, and he yelled "Alright"! It was pure joy! Christmas day is going to be so much fun!

Brady's biggest and "most wanted" gift was a baby Dyson vacuum cleaner (that actually picks up...am I a smart mom or what?!)...he was so excited that he refused to get a bath, and proceeded to push the thing through the whole house. Finally, we wrestled his clothes off in an attempt to change him and get him ready for bed...but he broke free, and we found him vacuuming the living room stark naked. It was priceless...sorry that I can't post those pictures!

Brady and I will be heading home this Sunday. We are really looking forward to hearing from, or seeing everyone then! Sorry that the pictures above are not in order...sometimes I just can't figure out this blog stuff!

Copy Cat

My friend, Amanda, always has the best ideas for her blog. I mean, first of all, I stole her idea to START a blog. Plus, she's an amazing photographer, so I am always trying to steal pictures that she took, or asking her to take pictures for me. Well, the bandit strikes again, because now I am stealing her idea to fill everyone in on the great little things that Brady is doing!

Favorite words of the moment: "bups" -- said with a lisp at the end, this word means "pick me up" or "whooops!"
"pizza"
"ALL RIGHT!" or "yes, alright"
"Uh-oh" (with lips in the OOOO sound for minutes after those scary syllables were uttered)
"Nooo"
"Au revior" pronounced "Ah-wah"

Favorite toy/game: pushing and pulling cars, trains, and trucks
Favorite books: Anything with labeled pictures, The 12 Days of Christmas, anything with "touch and feel"
Favorite TV shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and The Little Einsteins
Favorite Parent: Just kidding
Favorite food: "Pizza!", milk, french fries, grapes, cucumbers
Favorite Place: "Cica's" house (Brady best buddy)
Favorite Kitchen Utensil: tongs
Favorite Song: Jingle Bells...he yells "Hey" at the end

For those of you that we will get to see while we are home, BEWARE! The tantrums have started and they aren't pretty! BUT, he is so sweet when he is not tantrumming that it's hard to stay annoyed.

We are really looking forward to spending the holidays back home and hope that everyone gets a chance to see, first-hand, some of Brady's "favorites".

A Tour of the European Christmas Markets: Brady Style

Some families roam the rows and rows of vendors, looking for special gifts, some gather around a table with a mug of hot wine or a country's specialty food, but THIS family, following Europe's youngest tour guide, finds the first cheesy amusement ride, and tests out each vehicle it has to offer. UGH! We began our Christmas Market journey in Brugge, Belgium 2 weekends ago. Everything was going wonderfully, and we were all getting a tingle of the Christmas spirit...right up until Brady found the truck ride and we were forced to buy 3 tickets instead of just one. When he was finished his 3 turns, I had to pull him off, kicking and screaming...literally...I wish that I were exaggerating. Now, cut and paste this scenario into the Aachen, Germany Christmas Market, and you have successfully completed the Brady tour of the European Christmas markets. Why so short, you ask? Really...you need to ask?!

Luckily, Jeremy and I got to take turns watching him on the rides, while the other stuffed his/her face with local delicacies. Then, we found a Christmas shop on a street far away from the market, and did our shopping there!

Brady's Mentors

When the Johnston family came for a visit last weekend, Brady could not get enough of Daisy and Jack. He wanted to do EVERYTHING that they did. In the picture above, Jack and Daisy sat down to watch a little bit of TV, Daisy with a lacrosse stick in her hand. Well, Brady grunted and panted as he drug a chair across the room, toting a lacrosse stick in the other hand, just so that he could plop in the chair and be just like Jack and Daisy. He kept looking over at Daisy to make sure that he was doing exactly what she was doing. It was so funny! He also giggled like heck when they were running around. Even though he couldn't begin to keep up with them, he thought he was right in the middle of the game. And I must say, he couldn't possibly have better role models!

Painting!...In the Bathroom?

Now, I'm a pretty laid back mom, but my momma didn't raise no fool. One afternoon while Jeremy was away, Brady decided that he wanted to paint. So, I did what every good mother living in a rented apartment would do...I stripped him down to his diaper, stuck him in the bathroom, spread paper across the entire floor and let him go to town. Then, when he was done (and I had gotten my kicks by painting a huge smiley face on his Buddha-belly) I stuck him in the tub, and hosed him down. Is everyone taking notes? That's how it's done! Oh, and don't forget to buy "washable" paint.

Picture Day!

On the same day that our friend, Amanda, took some beautiful pictures of Brady and our family, Jeremy showcased his own artistic abilities by also snapping a few shots. We took Brady on a walk across the street to our local playground, and let him play for a while. And who is the other little boy in the picture on the bike? Why...that's Frank! The Cabbage Patch doll that Nonni and Poppy adopted for Brady last year.

Now, is Brady a photogenic kid or what!