Our favorite is the newest edition:  lello!

P.S.  You can see the new, beautiful, blue color of our kitchen on the left.  The former sea green still exists on the right.  It is a work in progress!

We almost had to sit this week out, but Brandon said “The show must go on!”  (Yes, that is the longest sentence since “blue boots”.)

Our little man has bronchitis again.  At times the antibiotic seems to be working and Brandon is in good spirits, but at other times the alien cough scrapes his throat and he begs for help.  He is resting now.  May that last quite some time as his body and his mama need it.  (He was up and ready for the day at 4:30am.  Thank you God for Grandpa Bill and the PBS kids shows he taped.  They keep him sitting and entertained which is perfect when bronchitis hits.)

The following is a shortened version of “This Old Man” taken this am during a good moment.  Enjoy!

Yahoooooo!  I think this actually works!

Brandon loves his new BLUE rubber boots.  He enjoys the freedom they grant him to jump in puddles, mud, and cow pies.   They also happen to be a color that he recognizes and can say which makes them even more special.

Lovin' the Rubber Boots

However, the joy these boots bring seems to have caused a gap in comprehension.  Brandon doesn’t quite seem to understand that only his boots are water proof.  Today, after splashing in the brook for a bit he decided to sit down, dam it up and splash in the water with his hands.

It’s a process…a fun process!

Father’s Day was a busy day starting with making Papa’s favorite breakfast, going to cousin Steven’s baptism and then hanging out at the church picnic for San Luis Day!

Virgilio with Brandon and Steven

Just looking! We didn´t actually purchase any cattle at the auction.

The Grandkids with Abuelo during the horse competition.

Riders hold a pencil-like thingy and ride quickly toward  a rope hanging across the street.  From this rope are 4-5 little nickel sized rings attached by clothes pins.  The riders must stick the pencil thing through the ring and keep it on to win.  Although Brandon didn´t ride (of course) the people who rode for him (its a fundraiser) won him his first machete and lasoo.  Giddy-up!

Brandon and his first machete. Yikes!

The activities continued on into the evening with mass, dinner, bingo and Brandon and Chris crawling around the church grounds acting like cows!

We hope everybody had a great day too!

The preschool/Kindergarden teacher at the Quaker school is offering a little summer program for 2-4 year olds once a week for two hours.  Today was Brandon´s first day.

He played with puzzles.

He played in the Brandon size sink.

He went down the big slide all by himself.

He did a little nature appreciation with his bud Chris.

Dr. Brandon is charming and funny. He is an excellent dancer and wasn’t at all shy about showing his moves at the local farmer’s market on Saturday morning. However, lately, Mr. Hyde is rearing his head more often than we are accustomed.

Bubba is going through a moment. Life easily frustrates him. Being 2 is sometimes really difficult. He often knows what he wants, but can’t always express his needs or is highly disappointed when the answer is “no”. Other times I don’t see any rhyme or reason behind his suffering and just wonder what is going on in his head. Throwing himself on the floor and banging his head have become daily reactions to aggravating times.

Baking Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve let him bake with me a few times. So now often when he sees me cooking he will get the chair and want to participate-which is not always a safe option. Thus like Bill Bixby would morph into the hulk when angry, Brandon too changes into a wild man.

“This too shall pass”.  In the meantime, we are just trying to be patient and loving-and when that isn´t possible, we pass him off to someone else. 

Popsicle

We have been enjoying some glorious summer days.  Brandon’s godmother has been making popsicles and we have loved sharing one on these hot afternoons.

Cleaning

Last Tuesday, Brandon found the joy of cleaning.  He would steal the sponge we use to wash dishes and wipe “clean” different surfaces in the kitchen.  It kept him busy for long stretches of the day.

Exploring

Our little man is getting gutsier.  He loves to go out an explore our new yard.  We need to be extra careful as he has “escaped” on a solo mission several times.

Eating Pasta

Brandon continues not to be too picky about his food.  He likes to sit on the chair with his bowl in front of him (he can´t reach the table) and feed himself.  Sometimes he uses a fork and sometimes he doesn’t.  Sometimes it goes right in his mouth and sometimes it doesn’t.

The sun is shining every day now and we are living it up.

Sitting Up in the Jocote Tree

Digging in the Dirt

The boy loves dirt! I guess most little boys do. On Friday, Brandon decided to cover himself in it while waiting for Papa to get home from work.

Lovin' Every Minute of It

Tío Victor keeps his cow and her baby on our property. Brandon and I visit with them every day.

Vaca and her Baby

After a long break, the blog is back!

2009 has been busy so far. We started off with a visit from Mom. It is always wonderful to have her here and difficult to see her go.

Mom, Virgilio, Brandon and I at the Basilica of the Virgin

At the end of January we made a quick and big decision to sell our lovely little home and purchase Virgilio´s parents´ place next door. The house and land are larger and we would hate to see the family land in someone else´s hands. So, we spent February packing and prepping the old house and the March focus has been in making our new house a home.  Here are some pictures of the Brandon and his new yard:

Helping Papa Dig out the Plants in the Middle of the Yard

Playing in the Dirt

Enjoying the Sunday Morning Sun in the Front Yard

View out the Kitchen Door