Caught on camera!

I went to wake Brian up from his nap this morning because I'm afraid he won't take another one again this afternoon. This is what he looked like when I went up to his room. I quietly backed out and ran downstairs for the camera, crossing my fingers that he wouldn't move or wake up while I was gone. He didn't, and he even stayed asleep for a little while after I took the picture.

Outside playtime

We took the kids outside to play today after being cooped up for a couple of days with a stomach bug that's going around. Erik was home today, so I grabbed my camera to take pictures of what was going on. I love taking pictures of Brian since he is still pretty still outside and I can just click away. He doesn'tlike to crawl around in the grass, so he is easy to keep track of. Kayleigh wanted to kick her soccer ball around for a little while and then once Erik started raking leaves, she wanted to jump in his piles. I got some fun shots of her jumping. Thankfully, we were able to get the piles cleaned up right as it started to rain. The rain came at the perfect time, because the kids needed to get inside for naps.

Brian walking!

FINALLY! Brian has been pulling up like crazy and will walk all around a room while holding on to something, but yesterday he finally let go. It happened yesterday afternoon while we were in the living room playing. Brian was holding on to something and then let go to take the couple of steps he would need to get to Erik on the couch. Kayleigh wasn't watching, so she got scared when I screamed for joy. I immediately grabbed her so I could tell her why I yelled. Brian has done it quite a few times since then. I have hoped that he would be walking by January so I can start him at Mother's Morning Out with Kayleigh. She goes once a week, and I would love to have those few hours to myself, rather than figure out what I can do with Brian in tow.


Brian has also started saying the word "no" lately, even though it doesn't usually apply to what we're talking about. I think it's hilarious and will try to get him to say it. I know, I know, that's going to come back to haunt me, but for now I get a good laugh out of it. He's not too clear in his words in either video, but they're cute, and he's making some cute faces, so I thought I would go ahead and post them.

Play time last night

Here are a couple of videos of the kids playing last night. The one game of hide and seek was rowdier before I got the camera out. I don't know why it got so much quieter once I came around!

The video of Brian walking is proof that he can do it, but won't do it on his own. Erik and I have been working with him this week, standing him up and then letting him go. Sometimes he'll stand for a couple of seconds before tipping over. When we were outside playing today, Brian was standing up for longer periods, and even took a drink while standing! Jenna was there as a witness!

Play date

We went on a play date with some friends today since she had the day off. Last month we were supposed to get together to take the kids to the park, but Valerie went into labor and I had to cancel the plans at the last minute. Today was beautiful, so naturally we were not the only ones with the great idea to go to the park. Thankfully all of the big kids were well behaved and we didn't have any problems. I always get nervous when I see a lot of older kids at the playground because they don't look out for the little ones. The kids had fun running around (those who could!) and Brian hung out and watched from his perch. I was able to get him to slide down a little slide a few times and get him on a swing, but for the most part, Kayleigh was running from place to place too quickly for him to get to sit somewhere and play. Just another reason for him to start walking, I guess.
Speaking of walking, my mom asked me this earlier, and I guess others may have the same question. Brian will pull up and cruise around using a walker, or walk along something, so he's on his way to walking, but he doesn't want to let go even to take a teeny tiny step from one thing to another. This week, Erik and I have started standing him up more and then letting go. He can stand for a couple of seconds before he crumbles to the ground. I know everyone says that they regret wanting their kids to walk, but come one! Brian is 13 months old and he weighs 27 pounds! You lug him around for a day and see if you're not begging for him to walk! :)
Anyway, here are just a couple of pictures from our day:

Fun times

Kayleigh had some pretty good stories yesterday. They all cracked me up, even the one she told after getting hurt. Here you go:

Story #1:
We were at WalMart and Kayleigh let me give her a kiss on the lips. I guess I shocked her, although I didn't feel it, and she said, "You just poked a hole in my lip!" Sorry!

Story #2:
We were outside playing, and Kayleigh wanted to play golf. She has some very interesting rules to her golf game. Here's how it went: One person (either her or me) had to sit on the bricks at the end of the driveway, and the other person had to be across from that person in the grass to hit the ball. The rule was that you had to say, "Ready, set, go" and then hit the golf ball as far as you could. If you hit the ball far enough (which we always did) you got a home run and had to run around the yard. After that, it was your turn to sit in the bricks and "watch tv". I'm not sure what sport Erik has taught her, but it surely wasn't me!

Story #3:
Kayleigh was sliding off of our bed and went to get something for Erik behind his night stand. I'm not sure how she did it, but somehow she hurt her thigh and her head. Yes, that was the sad part, but it was sweet when she said, "I never want to do that again!"

Jacksonville visit

We went to Jacksonville so the rest of the family could meet Robbie. I'll say that I'm not sure Brian was aware of him most of the time, and was content to do his own thing. Kayleigh, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get her hands on the baby! You will see a picture in the slide show with Kayleigh's head thrown back telling Aunt Val how excited she was to get to see Robbie. (Look for the picture that says, "story" on it. That's the one I'm talking about. And I'm not sure how Matt got stuck holding Brian's cup!) We got pictures of the kids together Saturday night after Kayleigh and Brian's bath. I don't know why, but Brian decided to initiate Robbie into the family by smacking him in the face. I hope his other cousins are more kind!
We mostly hung out at the house while we were there, which is what I expected. Erik and I took the kids to Target Saturday morning because Kayleigh was complaining of a stomach ache. When we were in the car, she said she felt better, so we didn't get any medicine, but we got some other cute things. Someone brought dinner over for us on Friday night, and then Matt made his famous chicken wings Saturday night. YUM! We left around 10 on Sunday morning to make sure we got back here in time for Erik to do a long run and for the kids to play for a little while before having to take naps. It was a fun weekend and we (especially Kayleigh) can't wait for another visit.