The Contest

The boys decided to celebrate Ben's first Memorial Day by having a contest named "Who Loves Mommy and Daddy the Least". It was a fierce battle that started as soon as they were both awake. I am not certain of the rules, but apparently it only takes place at home. When we were out at the Arboretum, they behaved perfectly. Fakers!
Another rule seems to be the contest only takes place head-to-head. When Ben was napping, Bradley was quietly playing on his bike and with the bubble mower. After Ben woke up, the afternoon screaming contest began. I was so beaten down that I couldn't keep score. Much like the movie Cars, we have a tie. The championship will be decided in a tie-breaker on July 4th.
Another rule of the game must be that the contest only takes place on the main floor of the house. Everything was great when we went upstairs for bath. Bradley showed Ben how to take a proper bath. All of Ben's previous baths lasted about 90 seconds and were comprised mostly of Ben crying, standing, and trying to get out of the tub.

Chase to the Taste

Bradley participated in his first foot race on Saturday. The kids distance was one mile, but sadly Bradley recorded a DNF. He only made it about 1/4 mile. We had fun anyway and went for donuts afterwards.

Going Up

Ben is getting more mobile. Maybe too mobile. We had to put the gates back up so he can't sneak up the stairs alone.

Ben's coordination is also improving. He likes to play with the ball. One game he likes to play is push the ball and crawl after it. Ben can also roll the ball to mommy and daddy.

Birthday - Part 4

Since Aunt Lisa was in town, we had one more birthday party for Bradley. Jake came over too. Jake and Bradley had fun in the bouncer. Ben even played with it a little bit. Other highlights include bubbles and lots of Cars-related gifts. One of the gifts was a case to carry all the new cars. There were no dinosaur chicken nuggets, so that caused a few tears, but otherwise a great day.

The Artiste

I think he is more talented than Smokey, the painting horse.

Birthday - Part 3

But wait, there is more. Brad had another party at school on Monday. This one featured homemade cupcakes and the bubble machine.

As Han Solo said, "It's not over yet". Stay tuned for Part 4 of the saga next weekend.

Birthday - Part 2

Bradley's birthday started early. He woke up just after midnight, but fell asleep quickly. He woke up again a 3 AM. (Maybe he wanted to call Hillary.) This time we let Bradley sleep in our bed, which was the first time that has happened. The highlight of the day was the All Aboard Diner where they serve you food via train. Pure heaven for a little boy.
Most of his gifts were sport related: baseball glove, golf clubs, and a scooter. I was surprised how fast he mastered the scooter. Golf and baseball need a lot of work. The day was capped off with a bath and watching Cars in bed. Since he skipped his nap, he was asleep by 7:20.

Birthday - Part 1

Bradley had his first birthday party with friends over the weekend. The bouncer was a big hit. Somehow, Bradley managed to get a bloody nose within 10 minutes of the start of the party, but it was pretty minor. We served all of Bradley's favorite foods: dinosaur chicken nuggets, ketchup, pea crackers, and Cheez-It party mix.

5/4

Attention blogees. You get to pick your own title for this post. The choices are
1) Oh, Dear Lord
2) A Day That Will Live in Infamy
3) Let's Go to KFC

It turns out that Bradley shares his birthday with International Respect for Chickens Day. Apparently this is an annual event. Poor child.

525,600 Minutes

That's how long ago we started potty training. Yikes! The process really improved when we started bribing Bradley with chocolate. We are already to the point where he forgets to redeem his reward most of the time. That's fine, because even a little Hershey's Kiss gives him quite the sugar rush. Bradley rarely volunteers to sit on the potty, but will usually comply when asked. For some reason he prefers to poop in the diaper, so there is still work to be done.