new glasses

Keaton has new glasses he is very, very excited about! I think he may have been more excited than a new lego set ;) He's such a good patient and he especially enjoyed the ophthalmology appointment since she wears a "space helmet" part of the time. He waited a whole week for his glasses to be delivered and was excited to go over to show them off to the neighbors when we got home ;) 

pi day

Happy pi day!  This year Aiden celebrated by memorizing over 70 numbers of pi for his class party where they recited them - He came in third place with the top memorizers remembering over 300 numbers of pi!  His class shared over 16 different pies and he brought his special request - oreo crust with chocolate chip cookie.  After dinner we had a chocolate cream with meringue topping - yummy!

bedhead concerto

Aiden's latest songs are some of my favorites to hear in the morning... The first one is an accompaniment he plays as a duet.

thinkabit lab

I was lucky to join Aiden's class on a field trip to the Thinkabit Lab... It was a highlight to watch them create computer programs to control circuits with creative structures. They really all did an amazing job being creative and working together!

one sec road trip 2018

one sec fall winter 2018-19

one sec summer 2018

king cake

Aiden found the baby this year! This cakes says that you are obligated to buy the next king cake if you find the baby ;) Not as much of a thrill if you have to save your money for next year.

patrol game

Aiden is all business with the safety patrol. He was invited to a special safety patrol basketball game where they were recognized on the court before  the game.  He is also all business figuring out this mystery puzzle with our Chat-n-Chew lunch bunch group. If I could just get all the kids to actually read the book it would be easier ;) but we have fun with activities...

spirit week

These guys go big for spirit week!  Mix-it-up Monday was a favorite - they had wiki stix people dancing in their hair - haha! Keaton's giant puffy conch shell hat may be a favorite too.  Aiden has new shoes with fabric that lights up!

knitting cheese

Some relaxed new knitters with a bonus highlight at the end - Tableside raclette cheese at Cheesetique! It is even better than I expected!

knitting

It's a dream come true! Both boys learned to knit! I even woke up one morning and they were both relaxing on the couch knitting.  I recently uncovered my very first knitting project (long buried in my old bedroom my parents are clearing out in what I now affectionately call the cringe chest, my old camp chest full of notes and old papers that are sometimes embarrassingly cringe-y). Those first white stitches my grandma helped me with when I was in between Keaton and Aiden's age, probably 9 or 10 years old. The red sideways cable knit with the red baby alpaca yarn my parent's brought me from Peru a while back is my latest project.

tidbits

Our good friends moved back to VA!  I wasn't sure if this is something that ever actually happens after having a good number of friends move around each year... but we are so glad they are back!  Keaton and Sydney picked up right where they left off in preschool and it is especially nice for me - I have a good friend close by again!

This goof ball was excited to celebrate his 100th day of school - even though the excitement kept getting pushed back because of all the snow days and delays this year.

J was invited to give two guest lectures on moral philosophy to Aiden's class. He did a great job and it was fun to see how Aiden and his classmates reacted... Making memories for these fifth graders!

this guy

Getting ready to turn 8 years old really soon...

Four years ago, just after he turned 4 years old with tiny chicklette teeth: https://ababybrennan.blogspot.com/2015/05/this-guy.html

good list

Cheestique had a special table side raclette event and it was even better than I expected!

J and I went out right before Valentine's for some delicious small plates and then found the bar hidden in a donut shop!  Even more fun than expected! ;)

valentines

We helped create some breakfast bags for the needy at the neighborhood Valentine's party - nothing like spreading the love for the holiday! Also, check out those valentine treat hauls!

valentine class

Aiden loved his finger eye ball valentines and Keaton gave a fun telescope and a mini slinky!  The class parties went smoothly. I helped the pin the heart balloon game and springy heart pencil topper in Keatons' class where they also had a straw game, a bean bag game, and cookie decorating.  Aiden's class was set with a big spread of crafts where pom pom making took over as the all time favorite.

monster golf

These guys love this glowing Monster mini golf!

tidbits

Aiden wearing the new Hamilton inspired cowl - Work!

Feels like the weekends are mostly full of these guys hanging out with their friends... The bottom two pictures are Aiden at various birthday parties.  At the Laser Tag, I arrived to Aiden hoping to stay longer to play video games.  They were very close to solving the WWII inspired escape room.

Aiden in the upper right is straight off the laughing gas after having two canines pulled in an attempt to avoid braces.  The new teeth hidden in the gums that are pointed sideways right now will hopefully come down straight now. Watching teeth being pulled is not my idea of a good time... but man, it's a lot easier than I expected.

Going out to eat is a favorite around here - check out that Korean spread!

cali sunset

So lucky to see a best friend and join his family for a few days in such a beautiful place. Can't wait until the next time I can get back to Montecito and I know the boys would love to come too!

moxi

Love this spot in Santa Monica - such a great interactive museum with amazing rooftop views!

montecito

Ah, it doesn't get much better than playing in Augie's forest with smiley baby Ellie! Fresh oranges, and so much to explore!

vegas 2

So much food, fun, and laughs in Vegas!

vegas

Kicking off a big year where we all turn the big 4-0! These old friends went back to our first girl's trip for my bachelorette party in Vegas - oh man, so much changed since that first trip in 2004!  Celebrating Lara's engagement and upcoming June wedding too!

crafty

Lotsa crafts bouncing around lately! There are the owly friends made from that fleece ;) The crEATe sign from the ALX workshop. The Fern and Feather is complete and fits me and Aiden ;) Still going on the sideways cables in the red alpaca my parent's brought me from Peru a while back.

wool

This may be one of the crazier time sponges lately! An old preschool friend has sheep and he gave us the fleeces.  I could not believe how much work it is to get it in a workable form... but we did manage to get to combing some and using it to make some felted animals.

maker's mile

Alexandria figured out a way to be more charming, by setting up a bunch of shops with crafty stations (with a tote and pins to collect! my favorite!) I went with my friend to kick it off and the boys came back with me the next day to do two more spots.

snow day

Mr. Fox's adventures included an extra snow day to make his visit into a long weekend. He loved wear pants and boots for the first time and sledding tucked into Keaton's coat.

good list

Keaton was excited to start some ice skating lessons to pick up some more skillz ;)

Mr. Fox, Keaton's classroom mascot, made his weekend trip home where he discovered he likes tic tacs that match his fur and playing in the snow. Keaton added to the sweet journal that all the kids add to each time he makes a trip to a new home.

Keaton's best buddies celebrating T's birthday with a trip to the painting studio.  Keaton glazed that chubby penguin. They all followed up with a trip to Ihop, which has become a favorite for these buddies - They like to imitate old men, and even insisted on ordering the big steak tips meal one time ;)

game day

It was superhero day at the Mason basketball game! They boys come for the dippin' dots ice cream. They won but were 2 points away from the 70 points needed for free Glory Days wings ;)

in the zone

These guys were pumped to visit the Zavazone over break. They found their mitts just in time for the action. Aiden mastered the warp wall and the obstacle course. Keaton loved bouncing and was so brave to make it to the top of the towers with a spread longer than his legs. The bouncer area also included this dueling pit where they faced off.

botanical 2

I thought train stations may seem repetitive, but I was wrong! These were so unique and so detailed!  The precision that goes into some of the rooflines and the symmetry of the windows were amazing!

botanical

One of my favorite holiday traditions... It was such a nice day this year that it was more crowded than usual, but these good sports waited for about an hour to get into this year's train station themed exhibit.

midnight

These guys weren't finished celebrating so we pulled out the games and tuned in to the countdown shows... we played games and I knit to stay awake. I fully expected that they would crash before midnight, and I was surprised they made it!  They are determined nocturnal monkeys ;)  But it was fun to see their enthusiasm for the new year!

noon year's eve

The Science Center was hosting a noon countdown for the New Year! So we celebrated with experiments, handmade noise makers (that worked really well!), and handmade confetti poppers (that didn't really work, but made us laugh a lot).  There was a big batch of people to countdown with which made it fun ;)

hippo for xmas

The world premiere of this year's hippo video for G&P's anniversary! (which we almost forgot to make, but Keaton woke up in a panic one morning to remind me!) Hippo for Xmas from LB on Vimeo.

farmpark

The Farmpark really is festive this time of year! We caught a chill afternoon at the toy making workshop. Aiden and Keaton picked the minion and the minecraft dude... Cameron has a great set of toys and added to his collection!  We visited the animals, milked the cow, took a tractor ride from the front row, and rode the pony.

natural history

What a nice visit to the Natural History museum - where the main draw was seeing Balto. Keaton just read the same Magic Treehouse book that Aiden read years ago that inspired our last visit.  The Survival of the Fittest exhibit is very interactive!  We caught the animal show, where the highlight was the adorable owl named the Professor!

xmas family

So much fun unwrapping and playing with all the toys all day! I installed so, so many batteries ;)

Austin loved that drill...

We all loved the ornament exchange this year!  There were many stolen ornaments!

Keaton's letter to Santa is such a treat! He told Santa that he just tried to be himself this year, which is sweet and we should all live like that, eh?!

Billy brought the toys I affectionately refer to as "every boys dream come true toys!" A carnival of fun!

Top left is the whole family trying to win the "toy edition" of that online trivia game.

The grinchy cupcake cake fit the theme!

Bottom left is J's new Cthutlu mask - I can't wait to see him say hi to the neighbors shoveling with that on ;)

Bottom right are some serious trigger jammies - every cousin buddy has worn those tough cookie jams!