Girls love guitar players

At least this girl does!

Mikey has been playing a lot of piano lately, but he recently decided to dust off the old guitar. He got a little frustrated at first because William was so fascinated that Mikey wasn't able to play without having little hands disrupting every note. Then we realized it was a novelty thing, and it would wear off just like it did with the piano. Mikey can now play whole songs on the piano without William feeling compelled to bang on the keys.

I sure hope William gets Mikey's musical inclination. I played the violin for about three seconds in kindergarten (my mom still shudders at the mere mention of "Let Us Chase the Squirrel"), but Mikey just seems to "get" music in a way I never have. I can't imagine that William won't follow in his footsteps with all the music that gets played in the house, whether on the iPod or one of Mikey's instruments.


This is their look that says, "Oh good, you got the camera out. Again."


William got a big kick out of putting the pick in the guitar. Mikey didn't think it was quite as thrilling.


Progress! Three days later, and William doesn't have his hands on the guitar. Not that Mikey can read the music to play the song, since William's foot is in the way and all. But it's a start.

Pregame fun

Mikey doesn't buy clothes for William. That just isn't his thing. So when he came home with an Academy bag and a smile on his face in late August, I totally knew what he was about to reveal. Alas, it was William's first Aggie jersey.

I think there has been one recent game day in which the jersey hasn't seen the light of day. Other than that, it's pretty much a given that William will be sporting maroon every Saturday this fall. You have to admit he looks mighty cute in it.

We have had some gorgeous weather over the last month or so. A couple of weeks ago, we ventured outside to get some fresh air before the Aggie game (became goodness knows this house ceases all normal activity during them), and I had to take advantage of the pretty weather to get some pics of my big boy. Where on earth did my baby go?!

Fishing for Pumpkins

OK, I'll admit it's a little early to be posting Halloween costume pictures, but we took them two weeks ago! I've waited until we're at least semi-close to Halloween. I don't think we will be trick-or-treating this year, but William and I are going to a toddler Halloween party next weekend, and all three of us will be hitting up a fall festival on the 31st. More picture opportunities to come, but I do think these pumpkin patch ones are darn cute.

I found this year's costume choice to be a tough one. Last year, William couldn't express any opinions on what he wore, so a cuddly monkey it was. I just loved that costume. This time around, I knew he wouldn't wear anything on his head for more than the three seconds it takes to remove it. I feel like most of the best costumes require some sort of head covering. And it's not like William cares about any particular character so he could be bribed/convinced to dress up as Elmo/Diego/Buzz Lightyear/Superman, etc. I think he will be on board with choosing something next year.

Given our family's extensive fishing history, I went with a future fisherman costume. William adores fish, and I figured the fishing pole prop would keep him occupied. What's crazy is that the costume is a size 3T/4T, and it is mighty snug. I cannot imagine it fitting a four-year-old! Good thing I read the reviews online and saw that it runs small.

We went to the pumpkin patch with the Moores for the second year in a row. Their boys had the coolest costumes! I will let her share those on her blog - hopefully soon since I can't wait to see how they turned out! Anne also took a few pictures of W, and just from peeking at a couple on her camera, I think hers are going to be far superior to mine. I am totally OK with that though...any good pics of my boy are welcome.

Handsome guy

Buster holds his own with the handsome fellas in my house. I just felt like sharing this pic because I thought he looked pretty sweet. He is five years old now, and he truly has calmed down quite a bit. He's still crazy hyper when he first sees someone new, but he settles down really quickly.

Thanks, CC!

William has been eyeballing all of his friends' chairs forever, and my mom just got him one. This video shows the first time he got to climb in his very own chair. He jumps out of it so fast at the end because he hears a truck outside. He can't get enough of garbage/UPS/recycling trucks, etc.

After taking a few pictures, I moved the chair from the living room to the playroom (which is where I have envisioned it all along). Mr. William was none to happy with the move. Apparently he has his own interior design ideas. He is napping now, and I moved it back to the playroom. We'll see if he throws a fit when he wakes up!

Thank you so much, CC! The chair is just perfect.

Shame on me!

I hardly picked up my camera during the month of September. I have started to make up for it in October by following Mikey and William around like their own personal paparazzi, but I still hate that September looks like a pretty blah month around here. Still some cute shots (not hard when you have an adorable subject), but not enough variety for me.

The good news is, we took this opportunity to get the camera professionally cleaned. Boy was it filthy! After three or four years of heavy use and not a single cleaning, it was way overdue. I have been seeing dust on pictures forever, and I can already tell a big difference. Hooray for crossing something off the to-do list. I knew I wanted the camera in tip-top shape for all the upcoming excitement - Halloween, William's second birthday, and of course baby brother's big debut!

Here's what I did manage to capture of yet another month in the lives of 3.5 Browns...


I feel like I am taking more and more pictures of William without a shirt or sometimes shorts. I swear he doesn't leave the house like that. The no-shirt thing came about because he makes a giant mess when he eats. He used to wear bibs, but then he just got everything but the bib area filthy. So now he eats topless at home. He does wear shorts at mealtimes, but he somehow almost always manages to sit on and squish a berry of some sort at dinner. In order to keep our furniture from turning shades of blue and red, he often gets stripped down since bedtime's coming up.


The true joy of his first experience with bubble wrap makes me smile every time.


Learning to share! Boomerang the sea lion was kind enough to leave some pretend hot dog for William.


You can tell this was September since I don't think we've seen a rain cloud in the month of October. Don't mind the fingerprints on the window. He loves to stand there and watch Mikey grill and mow.


William would spend 24 hours a day outdoors if we would let him.


Someone is very serious about throwing that ball.


His first real craft project from school! They are teaching the kids to say very simple prayers before eating, and they are also being taught to put their hands together to make "praying hands."


Demonstrating what he's learned!


Mikey and I started doing some fun icebreaker cards at dinner. William was extremely patient while we asked things like "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" and "What is the most memorable meal you've ever eaten?" Little did we know he was plotting his chance to get his hands on the cards. He was enthralled by the process of taking them out/putting them back/dropping them/picking them up.

And there you have it! September in a nutshell. In case you are concerned, we did in fact leave the house many times for school, playdates, MOPS meetings, date nights, birthday parties, etc. We are taking advantage of the relative freedom associated with just having a toddler at home. No newborn naps or feedings to worry about!

Men at work

One of the many reasons I am blessed to be surrounded by all my guys...they come in very handy! I don't ever intend to put together a piece of IKEA furniture. It would not be pretty. William got a new IKEA dresser for his big boy room, and he was more than happy to "help" Mikey put it together. Never mind that William and I left for awhile, and Mikey had to practically take the thing apart and put it back together (I think that step should be included in the instructions because it seems like it always happens). It provided for some memorable father-son bonding, as well as pictures I treasure. You just have to love William's faces as he explores the world of tools - safely, of course!

Bring on the literature

William has loved reading for many months now. I just about melted the first time he backed into my lap with a board book, eagerly awaiting the story that was about to come his way. Little did I know I would grow just a wee bit tired of a certain few books that never cease to appear on my lap! But I will always read if that's what the little guy wants to do. Apparently he has progressed quickly in his love of literature and recently moved on to "The Parcifal Mosaic."

School days

My baby is in school! How did that happen? Oh yeah, I signed him up in the spring. It wasn't really a hard decision. With baby brother gracing our lives in just a couple of months, I wanted William to have something that would be all his and would stay the same. Even when there's a squirmy little man in mama's arms at home, he will be able to go to school and play with his friends and teachers, business as usual. And I will get some time to really bond with the baby without worrying about what William has snuck in the trash can or knocked over.

I can't lie. The adjustment was tough. The first four or five times he went, he cried at drop-off. It made me sad, but I knew it would eventually improve. Rock bottom of all that for me was when I was up at the church where he goes to school, and I happened to walk by the playground while his class was out there. He never saw me (his teachers confirmed that later), but he was standing at the gate, trying to escape, and crying out "Mama! Mama!" in this pitiful voice. It broke my heart. Even though he had been crying at drop-off, until that point I figured he was fine once I left, and the day really got started. It was hard to think of him crying throughout the day. It turns out that he was really just having a hard time on the playground for the first few weeks. Go figure. Every day since then, he has done so well. He doesn't cry at drop-off anymore. His teachers keep telling me he is having wonderful days and is enjoying himself. It's music to my mommy ears!



The little booger totally manipulated me on what would have been his third day of school. He had a little cough and runny nose, but no fever and nothing alarming really. I brought him downstairs, and he was in a TERRIBLE mood. He wouldn't sit down for breakfast and just could not be snapped out of his funk. He is never like that! I had a doctor's appointment that morning and didn't know what to do. I thought he was acting sad because he felt sick. I had always heard to pay attention to your kid's mood. If they have a couple of symptoms but are running around just fine, they probably feel fine. But if they act out of sorts, they probably feel sick. Since I had to go to my appointment, I had Mikey turn right around and come home from work and stay with William. And of course William was in a spectacular mood once he realized he won the little game and didn't have to go to school that day. He won this time.

I think part of what stressed him out on that day and others is that our mornings are now rushed on school days. We usually move very slowly in the mornings, but I have to keep things moving pretty rapidly in order to get us out the door for school. Breakfast is about an hour earlier than normal. He is fine with it now, but it really threw him off at first. I can't blame him. We are all creatures of habit!

One thing that brings me great comfort is that William's teachers are incredible. Not once have I worried that he's not being nurtured or loved on. They also seem so fun and cheerful (how do they do it?!). Last week, they made sure to show me some cell phone pictures they took of W having fun on the playground. They knew it would make me feel good to see him enjoying what was previously a tough time of the day for him. I am so grateful that he is in their capable hands!

As for me, I have loved the structure of school. It's nice to know I can schedule all my appointments for Tuesdays and Thursdays without having to worry about what to do with him. I also clean a lot, run errands, and try to leave a little time for relaxation since I know that'll be at a premium when the baby arrives!

It's somewhere in the back-to-school handbook that boys must get their hair cut short before a new school year begins. Here's his before picture...


And after...


I swear it doesn't look that crooked in person.

The kids in his class have to bring a nap mat to school. I can't begin to imagine how his teachers get 12 kids to sleep on the floor of their small classroom, but the note he brings home tells me how long his nap is every day. I don't doubt he gets some sleep because he is in a perfectly good mood after school. Until the nap mat, William had never slept with a pillow or a blanket. Here are some pictures to show you how clueless he was about sleeping on a nap mat.







He's figuring it out now!