Swimming Lessons

Four weeks ago Brayden started in swimming lessons. We felt he could use the lessons as he was afraid of "deep water" and obviously felt it would be beneficial for him, especially now that he's almost 4. He was excited to go swimming as he loves to go to other pools and "play" or splash around in the shallow end. He was excited...until we got there. He was very scared the first day of the deep water and cried. He wanted to leave after about 5 min. The second session, Steve got his suit on and went in the water, which helped. The third session, Steve put on his trunks, but stayed out of the water. By this last session, we were just able to watch from the side while he did it all by himself...no tears, no hesitation. He loves it now!! He has about 6-7 weeks left so it's great that he's warmed up to it. Here are a few pics from last Saturday's lesson. Enjoy!

Burke's B-day Party

Yesterday we celebrated Burke's birthday with some family and friends. Here are a few pictures from the celebration. We had a great time. Thanks everyone for coming and for the nice gifts!

Happy 1st Birthday Burke!!

Today (4/22) our baby Burke turned 1 year old! I can't believe that the past year has gone so quickly. It feels like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. He means the world to our family and like we always say, we could never imagine it without him.

He has such a fun personality and is learning more and more every day. He says "mama", "dada", "baba" (bottle), "ba bye", "nigh nigh", "uh oh", "this", and "duck". He is walking (running) everywhere now and can crawl up the stairs in about 30 seconds flat, when we forget to put up the gate. He's a quick one and definitely takes advantage of the opportunity.

He LOVES his big brother Brayden and gets to visit him almost daily at daycare. He's always on the lookout for him and follows him and imitates him all the time. They truly have a wonderful bond. It's so cute to watch them together. He lights up when he sees his big brother.

He is such a little ham. He loves to dance to music and he's alwas flashing this beautiful little smile with his 4 little teeth. It's hard to be strict with him when he's so cute!! I always say "it's a good thing you are so cute Burke!" Especially on those nights when he wakes us 2-3 times...

He also loves Max and gets kisses from him whenever he can. (and sometimes just holds his mouth open so Max can lick him...Gross, I know.) He just giggles and giggles. He also loves to splash in the dog water too, which he isn't supposed to do! Naughty Burke!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Burke!!! We love you SO much! We can't wait to watch you continue to learn and grow and become a wonderful little person. You were the perfect little addition to our family and we are now complete. We look forward to the rest of your journey!

He's a pro now!

Yes, Burke has mastered the art of walking and walks everywhere now. Rarely do we see him crawl. I took this video today. He also learned to say "Bye Bye" and wave, which you will also see in this video clip. He's getting so big! Enjoy!

11 Months

Our little Burkie turned 11 months old on Sunday. I can't believe that he's almost a year old. He's such a fun little guy and he is learning more and more every day.

He's mostly walking now. He'll occasionally crawl, when he wants to get something he shouldn't, really fast! He eats all normal foods now and is able to feed himself his bottles, and sometimes prefers to do it himself. He's such a big boy now! He says "Mama, Dada and Baba (bottle) frequently now and loves to give kisses. He even makes the noise..."mmmmwwwaa". So cute.

He also LOVES to play and chase his big brother Brayden. I am so happy that they have each other forever. They love each other SO much. He's also sleeping much better (except last week) and USUALLY sleeps through the night- thank goodness. That was probably the hardest thing for us. Hard, but worth it.

Overall, we can't get enough of him. We love him tons, he's so much fun and we wouldn't ever want to experience the world without him. Happy 11 months Burke- we love you!!

Drama King

Well, Burke clearly DOES NOT like it when you take something away from him that he thinks he should have! I snapped these photos after I took one of Max's dog bones away from him that he was trying to stick in his mouth....Poor Burkie... If I recall, he was fine approximately 8 seconds later. :)

St. Patrick's Day

We're not Irish, but I am a sucker for making the holidays lame! :) We woke the kids up to green sprinkle doughnuts and a St. Patty's day balloon and new themed shirts. Brayden ate it right up and was very excited about "patrick's day". Brayden's shirt said "kiss me, I'm cute" and Burke's said "I'm a McCutie". Brayden also had some St. Patrick's themed art projects at school and it was beautiful weather outside. Overall, it was a great day!!