We Never Knew Love Like This Before...

If you were to ask me to name the single best thing to come out of almost 2 1/2 years of blogging, I would, without pausing to blink, answer: "The Pettijohns". For you see, our families' romance began here in BlogWorld. In early 2009, Nat found me through the blog of my Kappa Delta pledge sister, Jodie, who knew her hubby, JR, growing up in Oklahoma. The Pettijohns were a couple of months away from a work transfer to Pitt, and Nat was preggo with their cutie Hudson. She asked me for an OB recommendation, which quickly turned into, "Let's meet for coffee once you're up here," which progressed to, "The men should go out for a beer," then, "Why don't you guys come over for dinner?" etc.

Needless to say, the Pettijohns and the Bralys just clicked. Friendship with them was -- and is -- easy. Never before have we felt so close to people in such a short amount of time. What started as a bond shared by Okies living in "Yinzer" territory became a lifelong, let's-grow-old-together kind of love. Our hearts took a beating when they moved back to the Homeland just seven months after our first meeting, and we often find ourselves daydreaming of doing day-to-day life once again with their precious family. 

For now, we'll take what visits we can get with these beautiful people. Though we joke about being, in many ways, opposites, I like to think we're perfect matches. :)

The mommies -- both expecting our second babes last May.

The daddies. 

(Their loving wives let them play a round of golf on Mother's Day!)

And then there are our bff boys. Oh, these boys...

Tiny bro love.

The odd couple.

Toddling twosome.

Of course, since the Pettijohns and Bralys last saw each other, both of our families have expanded from three to four. I can't even tell you just how badly I'm itching to get my hands on their new Belle Monroe.

Hello, Gorgeous.

You had better believe Porter is pumped to meet his future bride, too. We're all counting down the days until their introduction on March 27.

All grins at the mention of his girl!

I can just see it: Years from now, when people ask the happy couple how they met, they'll say they have their mommies' blogs to thank. Internet dating at its finest, if I do say so myself.

Nat, JR, Hudson, and Belle -- We never dreamed it would take moving across the country to find our Oklahoma soul mates. We cherish you and every text message exchanged/phone call shared/minute spent with you!

You Say Goodbye...

...and I say

 

I don't know why you say goodbye, I say...

-o.
:)

(Please forgive the huge dark spot on my babe's shirt. Clearly we're now entering the drooly stage. Who knows? Maybe we'll be saying "Hello" to some toofers in the next couple of months.) 

Sunday Studmuffins

Brief convo that took place in our car en route to North Way this morning:

 Kaiser:

(looking over at his baby brother)

"Porter's not cwying. Porter is happy to go see chuch!"

 Mommy:
(turning around to face the back seat)

"He sure is! Are you happy to go to church?"

Kaiser:

(with a huge grin)

"YES!"

Good grief, I am so in love with these children.

Tavin Time

Yesterday morning the boys and I went over to the Melders' house. Amy and Koen were going to a Tiny Tots concert (which in the past we also have attended and loved, but are now only for children ages 3 and up -- boo!), so we offered to watch Tavin during their mommy-son date. We arrived around 10am, and I fed Porter and chatted with Amy while the boys immediately started playing with each other's toys. Kaiser made a beeline for Koen's sweet forklift (his absolute fave) and cool new ambulance, and Koen enjoyed checking out the construction trucks, trains, and Elmo light Kaiser brought along. 

Amy laid Tavin down for his morning nap right before she and Koen went out to catch the bus to downtown, and he talked to himself/slept for over an hour, so my kiddos and I had quite a bit of time to play downstairs. 

Even amidst all the new toys, this one loves his excavator.

Koen's amassed quite a car collection!

Quiet observer.

"Don't mind me...just munchin' on my hands."

A bit before 12:00, the three of us went into the kitchen so that Kaiser could eat his lunch. While I cut up some pear and tomatoes for him, Porter lounged in the highchair. He looked like such a big boy!

That face tells me he needs a nap!

Per Amy's instructions, I went up with Porter to fetch Tavin at noon. I think he was a little thrown off seeing my face when the door opened instead of his mommy's! Since he was no longer in need of his crib, I laid Porter down there to rest (which, after a few minutes of fussing, he did wonderfully for about 45 minutes). Tavin and I joined Kaiser back downstairs for some playtime before he ate at 12:30.

Trying to entice Tavin with some trucks.

"I think I'll just sit here and read instead."

"Maybe if I crawl like Tavin, he'll follow me."

After several unsuccessful attempts at luring him out of the kitchen, I finally picked Mr. T up and brought him to the living room to play with us. 

Koen's ambulance was a total hit.

Firetrucks are always fun, too.

Love watching them interact more as they grow up!

We moved back into the kitchen to feed Tavin lunch. Kaiser enjoyed climbing up on the chair beside him and watching the little dude put back half a sandwich, two clementines, and a jar of baby food. He may have even convinced Mommy that he needed a few sections of a clementine, too. :) Kaiser got so tickled when Tavin handed him his sippy cup. He kept saying, "Tavin's trying to give Kaiser his milk!" and giggling.

Tavin made his food disappear pretty quickly, so we had a few minutes before Amy and Koen got back from the concert. Once I got him down from his high chair, he knew right where to go for some entertainment.

Drawer of plastic ware = FUN!

Kaiser was happy to join in.

We banged cups together, put them on our heads, dropped them back in the drawer -- you know, standard plastic play. Both the boys were smiling and having a grand ole time when we all heard the front door open. Kaiser raced to the hallway and greeted them: "Miss Amy and Koen!" Tavin was crawling right on his heels and of course excited to see Mommy and Big Brother, too. 

The boys and I packed up pretty quickly to head back home for Porter's next feeding and naps. Before we left, Koen and Kaiser decided to make a temporary trade: Koen kept one of Kaiser's Thomas rescue trains and a spotlight car, and Kaiser brought home Koen's forklift. My boy was thrilled to get some time with one of his friend's toys! So fun to share. We're having Amy, Koen, and Tavin over to play on Saturday, so we'll swap them back then. 

Kaiser, Porter, and I are glad we got to spend a little time with Tavington Bear while his mommy and brother got some one-on-one time at the symphony. Hopefully we can do it again soon!

Our Friends Are Home!

So, I don't think I've shared that our besties Meaghan and Austin have been out of town for the past month and a half. Yes, that's right -- a month and a half! They have been down in Houston, where Meaghan is originally from and her family still lives. It. Has. Been. Torture. Don't get me wrong; we had great fun over the holidays and have enjoyed some wonderful visits from family. But I'd be lying if I said we haven't desperately missed our friends!

Here is a short clip I took back before Christmas. It was just one of many occasions I heard Kaiser talking about the Edwards-shaped hole in his heart. :)

Needless to say, when we got word that Meaghan and Austin were returning to Pittsburgh this past Sunday, we were giddy with excitement and couldn't wait for our first opportunity to play! Our music class is just down the road from their house, so we stopped by yesterday after we wrapped up there. I so wish I could have had a video camera when Kaiser saw the front door open. He kind of gasped and, with an ear-to-ear grin, said, "Miss Meaghan and Austin!!!" Austin put his hands against the storm door and smiled big, too. It was absolutely precious. The mommies were only slightly less reserved, exchanging hugs with one another and giving smooches to each other's boys. :)

Meaghan and I had a fabulous time catching up on the past 6+ weeks of our lives and marveling at how much our children had grown. Meanwhile, Austin and Kaiser ran all over the place, completely wound up with excitement at their reunion. 

"I can't believe it's you!"

Porter remained chill amidst the mommy/toddler craziness.

After a while, Kaiser went digging in our diaper bag and found his milk. When he proceeded to pull out the sandwich I'd packed and took a bite, we decided it was time to feed the boys. 

Miss Meaghan loves to give my son food!

Lunching buddies.

Right before we headed home, I spotted a potty seat that Meaghan bought recently for Austin. As we chatted about training plans, Kaiser came over and said he wanted to go on the potty. So, I stripped him from the waist down and let him sit! It was his first time, and though he claimed to have done his business, he did not. I did decide to go ahead and order him a potty of his own later that day.

The man on his throne.

Austin needed to log some time on the potty, too.

We are incredibly thankful to have our dear friends back in the Burgh and fully intend to make up for lost time with them! Welcome home, Meaghan and Austin!

Long Weekend with Oma

Our family fun continued when, just one day after bidding Pops farewell, we welcomed Oma to Pittsburgh for a long weekend visit! On Friday at breakfast, Kaiser was tickled when I reminded him that we'd be picking her up at the airport later that morning.

Can't wait to see his Oma!

Porter was pumped, too.

Excavating play-doh until it's time to leave.

Oma landed safely, and we swung by to pick her up a bit before noon. After exchanging hugs and kisses, the four of us stopped at Panera Bread for a quick lunch on the way home. Oma surprised Kaiser with a huge book of stickers, and they spent some time together picking out the construction trucks (big shocker there!) and using them to decorate sheets of paper.

500+ stickers! Oh my!

Both boys took sound naps, and after waking up enjoyed more playtime with Oma for the rest of the evening. 

Dressing up "Jack" in different sports uniforms.

So happy after dinner!

Smiley sons.

"I got a gween nose."

Brett and I had been looking forward to Saturday for quite some time. Several weeks beforehand, we had purchased tickets to Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine! We didn't tell Kaiser, and could hardly wait to see his reaction to seeing Elmo, Big Bird, and Company! (I did, however, make the mistake of telling him two nights earlier that we had a "special surprise" for him -- only to witness a total meltdown when said "special surprise" was not immediately presented to him. What on earth was I thinking? Our two-year-old has absolutely no concept of delayed gratification!)

Anyway, our morning was a pretty normal one. The boys woke up, and we fed them breakfast and got them dressed for the day. Kaiser had a little time to play in his pajamas before we needed to leave.

Looking so sharp!

Exersaucin'.

Getting some help from Kaiser.

Cheesy cheesy!

The show was at 10:30, but we left almost an hour early in order to get to the Consol Energy Center by 10:00 so I could feed Porter before it started. During the drive, we finally used the "S" words again and revealed that we were on the way to Kaiser's "special surprise". He could not stop smiling and giggling! When we arrived and saw all of the merchandise displayed, we told them that we were there to see a Sesame Street show! Even then, I'm not sure it really fully sunk in what awaited him.

Ready for the show to start.

Oma got him a super-fun spinning Elmo light!

P's such a trooper.

"I just go with the flow."

People-watching.

Sweetest kids in the crowd.

...and here we go!

During the show, we used our imaginations to visit the rainforest with Elmo, travel on a ship with Ernie, attend a Mexican birthday party with Rosita, travel under the sea with Bert, and much more!

Can you feel the magic? :)

He barely blinked!

These two were into it, too.

Getting a boost from Oma for a better view.

Kaiser had another "first" experience during the show's intermission: his very first bite of popcorn!

Will he love it?

Yes he will! (As if there was ever any doubt...)

Settled in for the second half.

Daddy's sure having a blast!

Listening to the final song.

Refreshed after waking from a catnap on Mommy!

Though Kaiser was pretty reserved throughout most of the performance, I have a sneaking suspicion he loved every second. And, of course, Mommy, Daddy, and Oma loved getting to share it with him! The excitement of the morning definitely took a toll on the kiddo's energy level. Once we were home, we let him finish up his lunch (some of which he'd eaten at the show) and then chill on the couch and watch some of his construction truck DVD with Oma.

Fading fast...

Porter got some extra attention after Kaiser had laid down for a nap, but before it was his turn. 

"It's about time you focused on me!"

Oma was playing pat-a-cake with the cutie pie and really had him going. Here's some footage of his sweet smiles and giggles.

That night, Brett went out to watch the Steelers play with some friends from work, while the girls stayed home to play with the babies. After they were in bed, we watched The Social Network. Brett had rented it from the Redbox on Friday, but my momma and I had been too tired to make it all the way through. All three of us thought it was excellent and were glad to see it win several awards at the Golden Globes a couple of nights later!                                                                                                                 

Sunday morning we hung out and played until it was time for church at 11:00. 

Porter's learning lessons in sharing his toys already. :)

Fishhooking himself.

Someone's ticklish!

Digging for some toys.

Getting some Oma love. 

We enjoyed getting to introduce Oma to the church that has become home to us, and Kaiser had a blast playing in the nursery. He even got to go over to listen to some fun music with the "big" kids! Afterward, we came home for a restful afternoon. Brett decided to run to the gym, and while he was out he dropped off a very overgrown Berkeley at the groomer.

Shaggy dog.

When she returned to us, she looked like a completely different animal! Kaiser kept pointing at her and saying, "That's a dog!" I truly don't think he recognized her. :)

All cleaned up!

That evening, we went to Emiliano's for some delicious Mexican food and, of course, all ate too much.

Porter and his daddy-o.

Bustin' some sweet dance moves.

Looking skeptical about the lime Oma was offering him.

"Yum!"

Finally got his dinner, and lovin' life!

Monday was our final day with Oma, and we decided to take a trip to the mall. Oma wanted to treat me to a pedicure (Thanks, Mom!), and we figured we could also let Kaiser play and all eat lunch while we were there.

"I'm ready when you are!"

Because of the holiday, Brett didn't have to be at work until reporting for call later that afternoon, so he was able to come with us. While I got my toes done, he and Oma took the boys down to the play area to let Kaiser run around and give Porter a bottle. Then we had a bit of time to kill, so I suggested we all go to Build-a-Bear. I had purchased a Groupon for $10 a few months back, and I thought it would be fun to use it while Oma was here with us.

Puppy kisses for Porter.

So many animals to choose from!

Just his size.

Helping stuff the black bear that he selected.

It's taking shape!

Kaiser and "Blackie".

With our new buddy in tow, we headed to the food court to have some lunch.

Strolling together.

Flashing a grin when offered a french fry.

Daddy left for work shortly after the boys went down for their naps, and it was just Oma and me for the rest of the night. We got some precious playtime with Porter before Kaiser woke up that evening. 

We also decided to give the stinker a bath before dinnertime.

Squeaky clean!

Rockin' the combed-back look.

Snuggled in his sleeper.

We ate leftovers from dinner the night before, then went down to play in the basement during Porter's evening catnap.

Towing trucks to the garage.

Kaiser was having a blast, so the news that it was time for bath was not welcome at all. He pitched a pretty decent fit in protest, which of course we felt obligated to capture on camera.

Cry me a river!

Kissing the crankiness out of him.

Eventually Kaiser relented and had a great time getting clean with Oma. I was nursing Porter across the hall and overheard him begging her to draw every type of construction truck imaginable with the tub crayons. She's such a sport!

Clearly his mood was much improved after bath!

We had to say goodbye to Oma early on Tuesday morning. Brett didn't have to be at work until noon, so he was able to drive her to the airport so that we could attend our music class.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" 

Road conditions were iffy due to freezing rain that came the night before, so we all left rather early to give ourselves plenty of time. Before heading out, we took some final pictures together.

Oma with her grandbabes...

...and her daughter, too.

Mom/Oma, we're so happy you were able to sneak up here to spend time with us over the long holiday weekend. Kaiser had a ball playing trains, and Porter loved patty caking and "a-gooing" with you! We're just sad you had to leave so soon. Love you muchly and can't wait until we see you again!