15 Years Early

A couple times this week, Bradley has hopped into the front seat when we get home. If I can keep this car running for 15 more years, I am going to give it to Bradley. He will look so cool rolling in a 23 year old Honda Accord. At our current pace, it will only have 120,000 miles on it.

Sad News

Bradley wasn't too happy after hearing that the Steelers lost to the Bungles.

Fall Fun

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a trip to the park. We went to a new park and had fun on the slide. Click for video. This is a far cry from his first slide experience.

Staying Dry

There was no swim class today. We have a week off between semesters. So what's a little boy to do on a Saturday morning? Plenty! We strapped in for a tour around town on the bike. First stop: the latte store. Mmmm. Next, the playground. We were the only ones there at first. We were just biking around when we found a football game. Actually there were two. The field for the big kids was nothing special. However, the little kids playing flag football had a electronic scoreboard, a press box, and an announcer! The only thing missing was a blimp. The last stop on our tour was the dog park. I guess this was enough excitement for Bradley. He fell asleep on the short ride home.

Try Again

The early stages of potty training are not going well. He hasn't grasped exactly which part goes in the potty. I'm afraid Bradley gets a "deferred success" rating on this topic.

Flashback

What a difference a year makes.  One year ago, Bradley's biggest achievements were rolling over, laughing, and sitting (not eating) at the dinner table.  Now he can not only walk, but run.  Soon he will be doing summersaults.  As for eating, he is a pro.  He can use a spoon, although his accuracy rating is a little low.  If he doesn't like what is served to him, he will retrieve crackers from the pantry. 

September 6, 1901

In honor of the 105th anniversary of the assassination attempt of William McKinley, we made a pilgrimage to the McKinley monument in Canton, OH over Labor Day weekend. It was about a 7 hour drive, but well worth it. Bradley was so excited about it that he barely slept a wink the night before.

Just kidding. We headed east to see cousin Jeff before he shipped out to Belgium. The reason Bradley didn't sleep is because he had a fever. He launched several screamestas during the night, which means mommy and daddy didn't get any sleep since we were all in the same hotel room. Brad had a similar illness one year ago while visiting the same group of relatives. Coincidence?

Slinky Fun

Why is it that the cheapest toys are the most entertaining? In this video (hi- or low- res) Bradley has a lot of fun with a free Slinky that Grandma gave him.

Climbing

Brad & Dad went to the Illinois Tree Climbing Championship today. Although Bradley can't climb trees yet, he did figure out how to climb kitchen chairs this morning. He also knows how to move kitchen chairs. Once he puts these actions together, nothing will be safe from him in the kitchen. He can already reach the table and the desk. The regular counter is our last safe haven (for now).

Akron Zoo

We went to the Akron Zoo on Sunday. This was Bradley's first trip to a major zoo. We saw lions, and tigers, and bears. I guess it would be more correct to say we saw a lion, a tiger, and two bears. There was also a red panda. It was a smaller zoo, so there weren't any elephants, giraffes, or gorillas.

First Haircut

Bradley went to Kid Snips for his first haircut on Friday. He got to sit in a Jeep and watch Baby Einstein. After the haircut, he got a trip to the treasure chest, where he picked out a comb.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Yes! Being small has it's advantages. To you and me this may look like a 48 inch TV, but to Bradley it is over 100 inches. And, when you stand that close, it is like a baby Imax. Lucky boy!