Which Belly Is Corrina's and Which Belly Is Crystal's?

Memories

Standing on My Tip Toes!

Bo Is Eight Months Old Today!

Who Does Bo Resemble The Most? Mommy or Daddy?

Brandt Blog followers: we invite you to click on the comments button below and let us know who you see the most in Bo.  Does Bo have more features of his Daddy? Or do you see more of his Mommy?  It would be fun to see what you all think!

Bo's Toes

The moment we take Bo's socks or shoes off he immediately is entertained by his feet.  Sometimes his socks leave lint between his toes.  Soon enough the lint is in his mouth.  

Baby Blue Eyes

As we watch Bo day after day, he often appears to have moments of very deep thought.  He is always watching how things are done.  His facial expressions suggest that he is forming his own opinions on many things.  He studies things with his eyes with such intent and interest.  We can tell he's a thinker.  His personality is beginning to take shape.  He is pretty expressive with his likes and dislikes.  We are recognizing that Bo is the one running the show sometimes.  We continue to learn new things as parents as Bo progresses through the stages of development.   Between the two of us we have troubleshooted parenthood pretty well.  

Day 10 of Crystal's Herb Garden

I've got growth!  It has been 10 days.  I have been keeping a close eye on my thyme and rosemary plants.  I give them time in the window and then move them to the table when Bo is on the move in his walker.  He would love pulling this down to play with.  

Sitting With No Assistance!

Bo has met another milestone.  He is now sitting without any assistance.  Our little boy is growing up so fast.  It is fun to watch him try and crawl.  He gets up on his hands and knees tries to move forward but lands flat on his stomach.  He's also done a few nose dives.  He gets a lot further in his walker.  He really puts on the miles as he circles the island in the kitchen.  He has gotten strong enough to go off the hardwood and onto the carpet.  We've had to pick up all the rugs from the floor, as those get tangled in his walker and brings him to a halt.  Because Bo has become so mobile we've had to put up our baby gate leading downstairs.  

Desperate For Spring Time!

As this winter continues I become more and more anxious for the green grass and sunshine.  To appease me until then I bought a bag of earth and planted a couple herbs.  We use mostly rosemary and thyme in our cooking so these were the herbs of choice.  I am known for barely maintaining life of plants in our home.  I hope to develop a green thumb and be successful with my new herb garden.  I will keep you all updated of the progress.  Wish me luck!

Guess Who's Teething!

Boy is it rough keeping a teething baby smiling.  Bo started teething quite awhile ago but we first spotted an actual tooth for the first time today.  It is his bottom right that will be the first to come in.  He has slept poorly, been irritable, drooling, and needs Mommy all the time. Tylenol and Orajel are our new best friends.  To be honest I have had a tough time taking any pictures or videos for the last 3 weeks or so because Bo is requiring all of Mommy's time.  In the photo I posted you can see how he sucks on his bottom lip just ease his tender gums where that tooth is coming in.   

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary Mom & Dad!

You two love birds are two peas in a pod.  I can't believe it has been 30 years!  You two are a good team.  Building a home, running a business, and running a weekend daycare(ha,ha), are just a few of the impressive tasks you two do so well.  Keep up the good work!  We love you both very much!  Thanks for all you do for our family.  

Look What Bo Learned From Cousin Harrison!

Luckily, this habit didn't last.  When cousin Harrison went back to the U.K. the thumb sucking went bye-bye too.  

Addison's Kisses Goodbye

We all met at the airport for the Dea Family departure.  They were here for 1 month.  We will be together again one year from now.  Addison Marie will be speaking sentences instead of her partial word fragments and cute mispronunciations.  Harrison will be walking and have a mouth full of teeth instead of his precious growl and gallons of drool.  We will be sure to keep touch with the use of Skype and the blogs we update frequently.  Kevin began growing a beard while in the states and left with a full beard.  He says he plans to maintain after returning to the UK.  Corrina will return home with updates to tell her girlfriends at tea time.  She left the states still struggling to get Harrison to take a bottle.  We wish her good luck with that.  We love you all and thank you for such a wonderful holiday season. Keep the family healthy!  

Cool Hat Picture!

Thanks Danny and Min ! 

Noises From Bo

Schafbuch Family Christmas

Schafbuch-Dea-Brandt-Christmas At The Cabin

We FINALLY got to exchange gifts at the Schafbuch cabin.  Grandma & Grandpa sure spoiled us.  Thank you Mom and Dad!  I got a little tearful when my sister handed me a very special gift.  She had made Bo a quiet book or a busy book.  It was a neatly stitched book of skills that Bo will need to master as he grows up.  He will learn how to zip zippers and snap snaps by using this brilliant, thoughtful gift.  You can tell she spent  a lot of time making this book.  I got so tearful as I turned each page.  Bo is going to love it!  We will use it until the stitches unravel Auntie Corrina...THANK YOU!   As if that weren't enough Corrina also put together a picture diary of my trip to England last June.  She had it printed out with some narration on the pages.  The pictures that I took in England are still sitting on a CD.  I haven't even blogged about it.  She must have known that I would never get to it.  Thanks again Corrina.  Love you!

Mr. Potato Head Glasses

I had to make this a blog entry because it was so funny.  Heath and I got our two nieces Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Family for Christmas.  They both opened the over sized potato head container and spilled out all the pieces.  The first thing they both picked up were the glasses that go on Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.  I happened to snap a picture of both of them so I thought I'd share our little nieces being so similar and so so cute!  We love you girls!

NEW YEARS EVE

The Boys played cards

Everyone Played Wii

Jay and Addison

NEW YEARS EVE IN CHINA !

 Corrina made her new specialty....Chinese buffet!

Kevin flashed fried the spring rolls, crab meat rangoons, and egg rolls...this is the first time I've seen my brother in-law cook.  
  Dad and Brad Gator managed the grill for the chicken .
 Roasted Duck !

On New Year's Eve our family was invited to a special dinner made by my sister.  Corrina has a neighbor in Peterbourough, named Min, who has taught her to make authentic chinese food. During my trip to England I was lucky enough to attend a dinner party at Min and her husband Danny's home where I was able to taste it first hand.  

Corrina spent two days preparing the menu and buying all the right ingredients.  This is what my sister does best!  Planning and preparing dinner parties is one of her several talents.  We were in the greatest company too! Brad, Jay and Colin came from Des Moines.  Casey wasn't far behind them on the road.  Uncle Kris and cousin Kaanan were able to bring in the new year with us as well!  What a fun night in the cozy cabin!  

Christmas Night

Jack, Hogan, Carly Jo, and Ella

Crystal's First Roasted Turkey

Sadly, the ONLY photo of my first roasted turkey ever made is of it being carved already.  I wasn't thinking clear enough at the time to take a pic of how beautiful it was as it came out of the oven.  But for those who couldn't be there it was a yummy golden brown and had a taste out of this world...if I do say so myself.  Uncle Julian was appointed to this year's carving of the bird.  He carved Mr. Bird perfectly of course.  Thanks Uncle Julian!  He also, did a good job of keeping our little secret that the wings of Mr. Bird were completely undercooked and required more cooking time...sorry everyone.  We also had Cure 81 Ham with a honey glaze.  Our first Christmas dinner in our home was so fun to do.  I was a little stressed just because I wanted it perfect.  But, I am convinced that I went to the right sources for my food preparation research.  So, a big THANKS to : the food network website, Grandma Lynn Schafbuch, Mama Brandt, Mama Sue, and my big sis!  But, the meal wouldn't have been complete without everyone who brought the delicious side dishes. Yum, yum, yum!

Happy Heath!

Heath was so happy to get his IZOD underwear from his Mama.  This blog entry may embarrass Heath a bit, but he posed for the picture and he knows all photos are fair game for the family blog.  Heath wore his Santa hat all Christmas Day.  Love you Babe!

Ella-Girl

Our beautiful niece Ella looked so cute in her Christmas dress. She has sure grown and developed a personality that just makes you giggle.  She was a big fan of my summer sausage and cheddar cheese plate too!  Love you sweetie!

Helping Daddy!

Our niece Ella was very good at opening gifts.  She even helped her Daddy open his gifts.  Clint was fighting a horrible cold over the holidays.  Thanks for being a trooper Clint!    

Opening Gifts With Oma!

Oma had to share the love as both grand kiddies needed arms for hugging or lap for snuggling.  Not to mention her daughter in-law needing her culinary advice with the big Christmas dinner.  Thanks for all your help Ma!  

Christmas Morning!

Santa stopped at the Brandt home!  Our stockings were full and the tree was hidden with stacks of gifts.  Bo woke up to see many colorful packages all for him!  With each gift we sat in front of him he would flap his arms so hard you thought he'd take off  like a bird.  Then, he got the hang of it.  He began to rip the paper to see what was waiting inside each box.  Santa brought Bo a Leap Frog music table.  It has lots of bells and whistles for learning while standing. We also met Mr. Punkins, which is  Bo's first Boyds Bear.  Daddy got Mommy a Flip mino HD.  Now we can add video to our blog!  Mommy got Daddy a level.  Now we will be able to fill our empty walls with pictures frames that are straight.  We opened gifts for a couple of hours when Bo-Boy began to poop out.  He fell asleep all cuddled up in his new St. Louis Cardinal's fleece blanket made by Oma Brandt.  

Christmas Eve

Our family attended the Christmas Eve service at St. John XXXIII in Cedar Rapids. We arrived ten minutes early and it turned out that it was not early enough. There was no parking available and standing room only in the church. The service was about an hour and a half. Bo dressed his best for mass. Once we got home, our plans of driving to Marengo for soup at Grandma Lynn's didn't look very possible. So, we stayed home as a family and watched It's A Wonderful Life on the TV. We also did some finishing touches on the house before the family arrives on Christmas Day.

Mama Alicia To The Rescue!

Heath and I are hosting this years Christmas Dinner.  This is the first for both of us.  We of course want the house to look perfect for our guests.  So, who better to help us with the decorating details but our crafty little mother!  It was a team effort to trim the tree and make all the finishing touches. Thanks Mama Brandt!  

I made my big trip to the grocery store for our holiday dinner items.  Heath wasn't impressed with how much I spent.  The hams are in the refrigerator and tomorrow I will begin to defrost our turkey.