Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Tale of the Kitty(s)

Once upon a time, there was a baby boy named Bridger.

 
Bridger loved toys of all kind, but he loved stuffed animals the very best. There was one stuffed animal, in particular, that he loved the very most...
 
THIS kitty.


This kitty doesn't have a name. Mainly because it was never known if it was a kitty, or a tiger.
Sooo, his name is kitty.
 
His Grandma GG gave it to him one day, and from that point on, the kitty was attatched to the little boy. He brought it to breakfast each morning. He played with it during the day. He slept with it every night. He even bathed with that silly kitty every once and awhile! And when the kitty was nowhere to be found, tears and whining ensued until the kitty was found. He loved this kitty.  
 
He loved it so much, in fact, that his mom had to search high and low to find more of these kittys to use as "back ups" just in case! Bridger's mom finally tracked them down and ordered not one, but TWO "back up" kittys.
 
The day finally arrived when the post man would deliver the kittys. Bridger's mom was nervous that the kittys would somehow be different than the original.
 

Bridger and his mom held their breath as they opened the box.
 
 
To their surprise, the kittys were the exact same!
 
Well, except for the fact that the original had been loved a little bit a lot more than the two new ones. The two new kittys' fur wasn't all matted down. Their stuffing was evenly distributed throughout the whole body, instead of just in the head and tummy, and the stitching on the mouth was all intact. These kittys were perfect.
 

Well, not according to Bridger, they weren't.
 
 
They were NOT the same kittys AT ALL.
 
 
They didn't smell the same.
 

They didn't taste the same.
 
 
They didn't look the same.
 

They were simply not the same kittys.
 
 
So, Bridger's mom said, "Oh well. I guess there goes $15. Blah."
 

And Bridger went on loving his original kitty forever and ever.
 
 
And they both lived happily ever after.
 
The End.
 
 
//WAIT//
 
 
Shhh. Don't tell Bridger, but I'm totally going to trick him.
 
I am going to wash those little suckers and maybe even let the dog next door maul them for a little while. I may even rub some dirt on them. THAT will for sure make them a little more recognizable to the little bug.
 
Here's to hoping that in case of an emergency (aka: the original gets lost) these back ups do their job.
 
Heaven help us all if they don't. 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Happy (late) Easter!



Well, even though Bridger was around for Easter last year, this year really felt like the little man's first Easter, because he was able to do so much more! Last year basically consisted of me putting a few little goodies in his basket, and video taping Steve as he wandered around our little apartment with Bridger, pretending he didn't know exactly where the little basket was hidden (the dryer, of course). After it was found, we took a few pictures of our little Easter family, bit some peep's heads off, munched on some cadbury eggs, and called it a day.

Wait. I remember now. Steve and I sent each other on an egg hunt. Steve hid my eggs outside, and I hid his inside. He did a good job hiding the eggs. Maybe a little too good! Ok, so I guess we were a little more festive than I thought.

Anyway, this year was so fun! Our ward had a little Easter egg hunt the day before Easter, and Bridger loved it! He loves anything that involves little kids. He thinks he is just as big as they are and does a pretty good job and keeping up with all of them. The littlest kids just had eggs spread out on the lawn, so it made it pretty easy to "hunt" them. Bridger, however, wasn't too interested in the whole hunt, and preferred picking up the goose droppings and putting those in his mouth. Disgusting, I know, but he's a boy. I'm told it's normal.

He finally got the hang of it toward the end, when he realized there was CANDY inside the eggs. And we all know how much B loves candy! All in all, it was a blast, and a great start to our Easter weekend.



 
His basket is cute, right? Girly? I didn't think so. Easter baskets are supposed to be cutesy. Steve, on the other hand, wasn't so sure about it. I think by the end of the weekend, it was growing on him a little bit, though. :)




Easter Sunday was perfect. Church was great, and Bridger did awesome throughout all of it. I didn't even have to take him out into the hall once during the whole 3 hours! Now THAT'S something to brag about! He looked so cute, too! Growing up, my sisters and I would have Easter outfits to wear on Sunday. I remember one year, we all had hats with silk flowers and bows glued all over that matched the dresses that my mom made. In Primary, I remember a girl sitting behind me, tapping me on the shoulder, and telling me that I really needed to take the hat off, because she couldn't see anything that was going on at the front of the room. Hah! How rude! Didn't she know that the hat was a very crucial accessory to the outfit?? Hellooo!

Anyway, Bridger looked adorable in his new Easter outfit from Honey. And Steve looked handsome in his new tie from me :)



It is a tradition in my family, that the youngest kid's basket is always in the dryer.

That basket was STUFFED! Bubbles, balls, a stuffed walrus, bouncing little chick, chocolate bunnies, and peeps (of course!).
*Don't worry Mama Donna, we bit the heads off first!*
 


He loved being outside, and after a little coaxing, was totally into finding the eggs, and slamming them down into his basket, which resulted in several (if not ALL) cracked eggs. We made egg salad pretty soon after :) We should have known--anything round is a ball these days!
 
Bridger loves his Honey and Big Fella. So happy that we got to spend the holiday with family!
 
Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and eggs aside, we are truly grateful for this time of year and what it really means. Celebrating the rebirth and renewal of our beautiful surroundings (even though it's snowing as I'm writing this) and most importantly, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. HE LIVES!

Monday, April 15, 2013

15 months


This little nugget is looking a little too toddler-ish in this picture, if you ask me. I don't like it one little bit. He's sporting some of his new summer clothes, and new shoes. The shoes--he LOVES them. They are still a little big, but I put them on him anyway, because they looked so cute. He was struggling a little as he was running through the grass, tripping and stumbling a little bit. I took the shoes off, and you would have thought the sky was falling. He whined and cried as he ran right over to the shoes, sat down, and tried putting them on himself (something he has never done with any of his other shoes to date). Needless to say, the shoes were quickly put back on, and our happy, laughing boy was on his way, romping around in the grass and loving his new kicks.

At 15 months, Bridger:
-loves to be outside, no matter how freezing cold it is (Story to come in later post!)
-loves eating apples whole: he'll go to the fridge, and grab and apple and just chomp down on it
-has a fake laugh routine that is pretty hilarious. I really don't know where he got it from either!
-still takes 2 naps during the day
-sleeps from about 8 or 8:30 until about 7:30
-loves eating cereal from a bowl for breakfast
-loves his stuffed kitty (I am ordering 2 more exactly like it because if we lose this one, we are in major trouble)
-knows how to use 4 different sign language signs: please, more, thank you, and all done. 
-hates getting his diaper changes
-loves to read books, and knows the names of a few of them. We'll say, "Go get Brown Bear, Brown Bear!" and he'll go to his toy cabinet, and get that exact book. Smartie Pants!
-loves chocolate, just like his mama and Honey
-likes to dance when he hears music
-likes to be sung to, especially when it's Popcorn Popping or The Man in the Moon
-starting to fold his arms during prayers
-does a pretty good job and listening and obeying when I ask him not to do something
-has molars and 6-7 front teeth
-says "Love you!" (well, probably not to most people, but to us, we totally know what he's saying!)
-blows kisses ALL.THE.TIME.
-loves to show off his belly button, especially to the neighbors :)
-likes to draw on paper
-loves baths and showers still, and gets SOOO excited when he hears the water come on
-plays really well with other kids and with his toys
-LOVES the show Arthur. He starts dancing and squealing when he hears the music come on
-is a good little eater. His newest food that he likes is tuna fish sandwiches.

To say this little boy lights up our life would be a huge understatement. We are so lucky to call him ours and be his mom and dad. Most of the laughing that goes on in this house is because of Bridger. He keeps us smiling and happy, that's for sure!