A Peek at Our Week (So Far)

On Monday the Burgh had some more of that phenomenal weather I bragged about last week. It was in the low-mid 70s, sunny, and with a slight breeze. Ahhh. Early that morning I had to call for a helmet appointment (to fix Porter's persistent droopy-eyedness), and fortunately they were able to squeeze us in at 11:00. After a quick adjustment, the kiddos and I drove straight to nearby Osceola Park, where we met Amy, Koen, and Tavin for a lunchtime playdate. It had been quite a while since Am and I had had a chance to visit, so it was nice to catch up on life while also keeping tabs on the boys, who had a ball running around. I didn't manage to get any pics of the Melder and Braly guys together, but here are some shots of the fun had by Kaiser and Porter:

Our aspiring football player's new move. (No idea where he got this!)

He got the urge to climb, which was surprising to Mommy!

Crossing the shaky bridge.

Just hangin' out with the big kids.

My attempt at a brother pic.

Tunnel time!

Not sure he wants to climb on in...

"RAWR!"

Love this pose.

The large equipment at Osceola has a "rock wall" that Kaiser was eyeing, but at first refused to try. This is not unusual, as he's not the most adventurous munchkin and often shies away from (or outright refuses to do) things that seem challenging to him. However, after I showed him how to scale it a couple of times, he decided to give it a go. Next thing I knew, he was flying up the thing, going down the big slide, and running back around to climb it again! I know this is not a big deal for most 2 1/2 year olds, but I was so proud of him for doing it on his own, and I know he was proud of himself!

Here's some video of him showing off his newfound climbing skills:

Last trip down the slide before we head home.

On Tuesday the gorgeousness continued, so I decided a trip to the walking trail at North Park was in order. I plopped the boys in the stroller, pushed them for a couple of miles, and then stopped at one of the little playgrounds along the way for lunch and some playtime. While we were eating, another mommy approached us and struck up a conversation with me about Porter's helmet. She shared that her son, who is almost 2, also wore one from about 9 to 13 months. We swapped stories, and she introduced me to the friend she was with, who had a son the same age. Even though their boys were younger, Kaiser enjoyed playing with them (and checking out the trucks they'd brought along, of course). It was nice to meet and chat with two other friendly mommies who live in the area, and we learned that we'll all be attending the same story time this fall at our library. Really look forward to seeing them again!

Big Bro showing Little Bro how to play the piano toy there.

Who needs a jungle gym when you can climb over Mommy?

Life's a balancing act.

With his new friend Jake.

"One...two...three...GO!"

Last night after dinner, my three men and I soaked up some more of the gorgeousness out in the backyard before bath time.  

 Clearly a haircut is in order once we ditch the helmet permanently!

 Again with the football move, this time showing off to Daddy.

 You're not playing tennis, Buddy.

Daddy says baseball would ruin his golf swing, anyway. :)

Headfirst! Maybe we're getting more adventurous as we approach 3?

 Now this one is going to keep us on our toes!

Daddy helping him finish his climb.

King of the Slide!

Wednesday we were excited to have a morning meet-up planned with Kacia and Baby Harlow. We drove to their place on the North Side around 11:30, and after a quick tour of their cute apartment walked to a park across the street. It was kind of gloomy and sprinkling earlier in the morning, but by the time we arrived it had cleared up and the temperature was pleasant. Kac and I enjoyed another nice visit while Kaiser explored the playground there, Porter watched him, and easy Harlow was happy as a clam, alternating between napping in her stroller and chillin' in her momma's arms.

Fixing to go down the slide.

Waiting at the bottom.

 Showing Miss Kacia how he can swing from the bar!

 Got a little shy when she pointed out his big muscles. :)

 Wish I'd gotten a better picture of this pretty girl!

Check out Miss H's sweet ride (and teensy pup Wyler leading the way)!

Kaiser was none too pleased when, after our walk back, I had to break the news that we were leaving. He insisted that he wanted to stay and go back up to "Miss Kacia and Baby Haw-low's" house. Despite promises that we'd return next week for another playdate, a meltdown followed on the drive home. Not a pretty sight at all, and it was straight to nap with both exhausted boys almost as soon as we walked in the door.

Kaiser and Porter (and their mommy and daddy, too!) are so, so excited that tomorrow their Oma is coming to town! We look forward to spending five days of special quality time with her. Our week has been great so far, but is about to get a whole lot better! 

Four Little (and Big) Bralys Jumpin' on the Bed

Today we went to church earlier than usual, so we had some extra playtime between lunch and naps. After a couple of rounds of hide-and-go-seek (with Buster Bear hiding and us searching for him), the whole gang ended up in Daddy's and Mommy's room on our king size bed. What followed was lots of tickling, jumping, flying, pillow fighting, and "body slamming" (as well as a few thwarted attempts by Porter to dive off the edge head-first). We had loads of fun and burned off some energy before rest time...all without sustaining any injuries! :) Here are some pics we snapped of the boys in our "family bed":

 

Happy Sunday!

Saturday Night Scene

We had a fairly uneventful day; Daddy went to conference this morning, then had to work at a high school football scrimmage, and didn't get back until the afternoon. The boys and I got a late start, finally managed to get it together enough to run couple of errands, and then came back home for lunch and naps. This evening Brett suggested that we hit up Mad Mex for dinner. He didn't have to work too hard to convince me, and our party of four enjoyed a yummy burrito and quesadilla dinner. 

Two of my studmuffins.

With my droopy-eyed dude.

(Calling the orthotist Monday to schedule an adjustment to fix that!)

Chowin' down on chips and salsa.

Playing drums on the table with his spoon (and Daddy's help).

Snacking on some raisins while we wait for our check.

After dinner, we swung by Target to pick up toothpaste and yogurt, and of course ended up just strolling around. Thanks to Kaiser, we eventually ended up in the toy section, where we ran into one of the new spine fellows and his family and spent several minutes chatting with them. 

Glad to be without his helmet, but getting sleepy...

Love at first sight with this ride-on excavator toy Mommy spotted!

Finally, we worked our way out of the store. On the way home, Daddy told Kaiser he had a special treat waiting for him when we got back. Our boy could barely contain his excitement when he was given a decorated football sugar cookie Brett had picked up from the grocery store this afternoon. 

A sugary way to end the day!

Once the boys were asleep, Brett and I settled in with some sweet treats of our own to watch Lars and the Real Girl (another lender from the library). We're looking forward to church and spending some more quality time as a family tomorrow!

More Fun with Family!

This week we were super pumped to have my sister, Kirsten, and her hubby and kiddos take a road trip to the Burgh for a short but sweet visit. Kent had work to do here in the area, so the rest of the crew tagged along for some family fun!

The Walstads had spent the Tuesday night in Cleveland and were due to arrive on Wednesday afternoon/evening. Kaiser hopped right out of bed from his nap and immediately began asking where "Con-noow, See-nee, and Wee-yam" were!

Reading books to pass the time.

We greeted Daddy, who arrived home from work around 5:30; soon thereafter, our long-awaited guests pulled in, too! 

It's about time!

We had some time to visit, and then everyone but Sydney, Porter, and me got ready to head back out to go to the Pirates game. While they were at the ballpark, my niece and I spent time with the littlest kidlet. We threw together dinner, had some fun playing, bathed him, and then tucked him in for the night. 

Waiting on their food.

"A slice of raw apple...are you kidding me?"

Syd provided mealtime entertainment.

Clearly she did a good job.

Went into meltdown mode when I left the room.

(Separation anxiety, you stink!)

Getting musical after din-din.

"A one, two, three, four..."

Scrubbing down the stinker.

Let his cousin feed him the first part of his bedtime bottle.

Then he decided he wanted Mommy. (BIG shocker.)

He did let her read Goodnight Moon, but got a little impatient with the page-turning.

Once the boy was down for the count, Sydney and I dished up some ice cream for ourselves and started watching Legally Blonde 2 (which I'd checked out from the library at her request). While we enjoyed our movie night, the rest of the gang was having a blast out at PNC Park:

Just so you know, Kaiser is not throwing a fit; this is just his new "Cheese!" face.

Not quite the self-portrait Aunt Kir Kir had in mind...

Someone's taking it all in.

Daddy treated Kaiser to Dippin' Dots, which of course he loved!

Though they left before the end of the game, Brett and Kaiser didn't get home until just before 10:00. When I asked Kaiser if he'd had fun, he said, "Yes I did!" and then proceeded to recount for me everything he'd eaten. He also told me he'd seen a "toucan", which Brett informed me was actually the Pirate Parrot. Though he didn't mention it, I think there's a chance he may have watched a play or two of baseball somewhere in there, too. :) What's important, though, is that Daddy and Son got some great quality time together!

After we got Kaiser to bed, Brett threw in the towel, too, as he had an early morning at the hospital ahead of him. I stayed up with Sydney to watch Legally Blonde -- a backwards marathon of sorts. Kent, Kirsten, and their boys were staying in a hotel nearby, but Sydney opted to sleep on an air mattress in our living room that night, so she was free to stay up pretty late. I was too tired to make it all the way through the movie, but my sweet niece finished strong.

Oh, to be young again...

Thursday morning Kaiser slept a little later than usual, so this monkey and I had some extra one-on-one time together. 

"Hoo hoo hoo hee hee hee!"

"Let's go wake the others!"

A little reading to start the day off right.

After the kids ate breakfast and played for a bit in the basement, Porter went down for his morning nap. While I did my makeup and got dressed, Sydney and Kaiser kept themselves happily entertained. At one point, I peeked downstairs to check on them, and was greeted by this sight: 

Timeout for Kaiser? :)

"Here's a treat for you, Puppy Dog!"

Aunt Kir Kir, Connor, and William came over to our place around 10:30. After packing up lunches, we all loaded into their van and headed to the Children's Museum for the day, where we had loads of fun.

Full back seat!

C & K in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Driving the trolley.

Braving the Gravity Room.

All smiles while getting clean pants.

Lifting a ball onto the roller coaster.

Racing cars down the ramp.

Porter gets a lesson on electric circuits.

Playing deejay.

"Connor, this balance bracelet really works!"

Pretending to be Bob the Builder.

Lunch break!

Quick stop on the Waterplay floor.

Entertaining Porter while we wait for the elevator.

Big Brother takes over.

Soon the boys and I needed to get back home for their naps. While they rested, Kirsten and her kiddos went down to South Side to pay a visit to the Milkshake Factory, then back to their hotel to swim. That evening, they returned to our place, this time with Kent, who'd been working all day, as well as delicious pizzas from Monte Cellos. Brett finished up with work and arrived just in time to eat.

Avocado was on the menu for this messy boy.

Syd helped Kaiser get every last bit of his sopapilla cheesecake dessert.

After dinner, we hung out for a while, then decided to let Daddy take over with Porter for bath and bedtime while the rest of us went to a park nearby.

One of the few pics I nabbed of Will.i.am.

Porter rockin' his crazy-long fauxhawk.

Wrangled all the cousins for a pic before we left.

Riding the zipline at the playground.

Love this long-legged girl.

Not the greatest pic, but a cute moment of Kaiser explaining to Uncle Kent how to be a "clamdigger".

Could be the Christmas card!

Being silly with my boy.

Before long, it was getting pretty dark outside and we could feel a couple of bugs bite, so it was time to go back home. Connor decided to join Sydney that night at the Braly B&B, so Kirsten and Kent dropped them off and headed to the hotel with William. It was straight to the tub and then to bed with Kaiser; the four of us were all pretty tired, so after watching some TV we said goodnight, too.

On Friday Kaiser was thrilled to find he had not one, but two cousins with whom to play! Sydney came upstairs first, and after eating breakfast they both went down to the basement to wake up Connor. The rest of the morning we just hung out around the house. Around 10:00 Aunt Kir Kir and William came over to join us, while Kent finished up his work with a couple of meetings at Panera.

K forced convinced S & C to watch construction truck videos with him.

Looking on as William plays Angry Birds.

The whole gang wanted to come wake up the babe!

Chugging down a few ounces of milk.

"Another picture, Mommy?"

William really loves Porter!

Around noon, Kent wrapped things up and came to pick up his wifey and kiddos. They had to hit the road back to Michigan, as they had a party that night and Sydney was heading off to camp soon. We were sad to say goodbye, but as always, grateful for the time we were able to spend with them.

Aunt Kir Kir snagging a kiss from her nephew.

"Maybe if I hide under the couch, they'll just leave me here!"

Porter was distraught.

Kaiser wanted to walk out front to wave goodbye.

After their family of five left, the house was suddenly eerily quiet. :( I got the boys' lunch ready, and after they ate we spent the rest of our time before naps just roughhousing in Kaiser's room.

This kid loves to "be silly".

Eyes glued on Kaiser.

I heart that smile.

Kaiser asked to take a picture of his baby bro. :)

Uncle Kent, Aunt Kir Kir, Connor, Sydney, and William, we're so glad you were able to turn another work trip into a fun family visit! We love y'all so, so much and hope that it's not terribly long before the Bralys get to hang with the Walstad crew again, either in PA or MI!