Happy Valentines Day!

Brennan clapping.

We have had a pretty rough three weeks. It started with Mason getting sick. He had a very bad cold which resulted in ear infections that were resistant to antibiotics. Mason ended up having ear surgery to clear the infection. Then Brennan came down with it. Luckily after two different antibiotics, Brennan's infection cleared. Next our dog Clemens decided to eat non-food items. Unfortunately the items did not pass through his system. He ended up having major surgery to remove a baby toy, a sock and clay. Clemens is doing much better but he will require two weeks of constant care. Needless to say, we are really tired of visiting the Doctors, the ER, the hospital and the vet!

The boys are feeling really good today and we were able to log some outdoor time in. Brennan has become quite a climber. He can climb the stairs and has no problem "cruising" around holding onto objects. He has taken a couple of steps not holding on...uh, oh! Brennan has learned to clap, which he tends to do all of the time. He loves food! In fact Brennan prefers to feed himself and loves "real food".

Mason continues to show us how smart he is. He has started to identify letters, he can count objects up to 5, he can count to 20, he is learning the days of the week, he knows his colors and he can tell you what different trucks and tractors functions are! Mason likes to play with Brennan although he still tends to say "mine" quite often.

California Dreaming

California Cousins

Charli, Brennan, Mariah, Rilyn, Makayla, Aiden & Mason

Oooh, that water is cold!

How Brennan spent his time at the beach!

Mason, Brennan and I had a great trip to California. We timed it just right as California had beautiful sunny weather as Virginia had freezing cold temperatures. Mason and Brennan did wonderful on the plane rides. We even had a detour and the boys had their first visit to Phoenix, Arizona! In California Mason and Brennan enjoyed playing with their cousins, going to the beach, hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma and jumping on a trampoline. I got the pleasure of having a night out with friends as Grandma babysat! It was wonderful to be home and the visit was definitely too short! Sorry that we didn't meet up with all of you!

Picture Preview

We had a photographer come to the house today to take pictures of Mason and Brennan. From what I have seen so far, they came out wonderful! I can't wait to see the rest of them!

Rudolph the Red Nose Brennan!

Brennan will have a red nose for Christmas. He was pulling up on the laundry basket when it fell over and scraped his nose. He is still as happy as can be though!

We visited my brother Richard, his wife Alicia and their new son Coltyn in North Carolina. Mason and Brennan adored their new baby cousin. We were glad to spend time with them before they move back to California.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Let it Snow!

Brennan pulls up to standing on just about any object or person. (No, that is not an angelic halo! That picture is from my old camera which is obviously broken!)
Mason eating snow. (New camera!)

Just a dusting of snow and really we could only stay out for about 10 minutes... it was freezing!

We are getting ready for Christmas. We have decorated and the boys have done well with leaving the tree intact! We have all been sick recently but seem to be on the mend. Brennan had the worst of it with croup. It was a little scary since it was our first ER visit with Brennan but, he is a brave boy. He even managed to give the nurse a smile while he was having a hard time breathing.

We took Mason and Brennan to see Santa today. We have no pictures to show since they both cried over the whole ordeal! Brennan sat on Santa's lap and immediately started crying. Mason never even gave it a try. Maybe next year!

Happy Half Birthday!

Mason climbed into bed with Brennan.
Cousin Blake and Brennan

Brennan turned six months old yesterday. He is such a strong boy! He is crawling all over the place and exploring everything! He can go from sitting to crawling and then back to sitting with ease. He weighed in at 17 lbs. 13 ozs today. Mason is dealing with the crawling as best as possible. The fight over toys has begun; although Brennan gladly gives in at this point!

Loving Coupons!

In the last few months I have developed a new hobby. When the prices went up at the grocery store and gas station, I started clipping coupons. I have always been a coupon user but now I take it very seriously. I have saved us a lot of money and I get so excited when I find a bargain! I have to credit my friend Dana for getting me so motivated to save money. Dana has a blog that she updates regularly with the best deals at several stores www.frugalinvirginia.com . Up until yesterday, I had only doing my big bargain shopping at CVS drugstore. I branched out this week as two grocery stores in Charlottesville had some great deals! Harris Teeter is honoring triple coupons up to .99 cents… awesome! Kroger has a great discount given on select items when you buy ten. I was so excited yesterday about my savings that I actually took a picture of the products from each store!

Harris Teeter: paid $41.58, saved $71.63
Kroger: paid $34.98, saved $67.77

So, we are stocked on groceries for awhile! I just wanted to share my great savings with you all to motivate you as well!