Earning Her Keep!

Katie let Brynn help her with the breakfast dishes this morning. It took her 25 minutes to wash 4 items and there was more water on the floor and the chair she was standing on than in the sink, but she was sure proud of herself for, "helpin.'" Let's hope she doesn't think she needs to help every time!

Holidazzle Parade

Last night Darren and I took Brynn to the Holidazzle Parade. Unfortunately we missed all the parades last summer so we were quite anxious to see her reaction as the last time she was at a parade was when she was four months old. She LOVED it! As it is held on the streets near the Nicollet Mall traffic continued to travel with the traffic lights. Every time the light was green for the traffic and the parade was stalled Brynn would look up at us and sign and say, "More?" We kept assuring her there would be more. She would squeal with delight as soon as she saw the first hint of a lit up float. The best part was when she saw Santa. We had previously talked about him and that he brings all the good little boys and girls presents on Christmas morning. We pointed him out and she quickly said, "Bynnie pesents!" and "ho, ho." Christmas is going to be so much fun this year!!

Water Park

We met the Eckhoffs on Tuesday night in Owatonna to go to a water park. Brynn and Peyton had so much fun. Unfortunately, this was the only picture I got of the two of them. It is hard to keep two toddlers in the same place at the same time! Brynn especially loved the BIG waterslide. Darren took her down the first time and they dunked under after hitting the water. I was quite nervous about Brynn's reaction as she typically doesn't like to get her eyes wet. But, to our surprise she surfaced and said, "AGAIN!" She even stayed up until 9:30 that night! This is the latest she has ever been awake in the history of her life.

Helping Daddy

Darren recently painted the entire downstairs--which doesn't seem like it would be a huge task, but it was. As every room leads into another there really wasn't a stopping point until it was finished. Brynn was fascinated with the ladder and would climb on it at every opportunity. Clothed or not, it didn't matter. The downstairs, by the way, looks fastastic. If this whole band thing doesn't work out I think he has a career in professional painting!

Hiding

One of Brynn's favorite new things to do is hide. It doesn't really seem to matter where...behind the couch, behind her shower curtain, or in a cupboard. Once she is in her hiding place she likes to yell, "Where are you?" and we have to go looking for her. She is so much fun!!

"I Swimmin'."

Each night after Brynn's bath, while the tub drains, she thinks she has to go "swimmin'." And she repeats over and over again, "I swimmin', I swimmin',..." Swimmin' consists of laying in the tub on her belly and squirming around. She is such a goon. As soon as all the water is drained she'll look up and say. "All done."

Potty!!

Last week was a HUGE milestone for Brynn. She began going pee on the potty! Lynn, Brynn's daycare provider, told us she was going to have Brynn potty trained before Christmas. Darren and I were both quite skeptical and really didn't know that that would happen. Well, once Brynn sets her mind to something she rarely will give up. I am so proud of her determination--what a great quality to have! Potty training began on Monday, November 3, and she had accidents all day. Tuesday, November 4, was a huge success with no pee accidents. This held true for the rest of the week. The one area we are still working on is pooping in the toilet...although tonight she was successful. I believe we will hit the Christmas goal and if I was a betting woman I would say she will be fully potty trained by Thanksgiving...at just 20 months! Congratulations, Brynn. You are such a BIG GIRL! We love you so much!!

It's always best to watch the pee come out!

Cookin'

Auntie Key (Katie) loves Brynn's help in the kitchen and Brynn loves helping her just as much. When we ask her what she is doing she will reply, "I cookin."

Not too sure of the sticky dough for the pie crust.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm Spaghetti

Spaghetti is the one meal Brynn absolutely loves. As most of you know she is darn close to being a vegetarian. In this meal she doesn't even bat an eye at the ground hamburger or turkey. You may wonder if she is even getting any in her stomach by the looks of her face, but I assure you there is much more in her belly than on her face!