Top 10 Moments of 2009 According to Brad

In no particular order...

1. Burning the Christmas tree in the backyard. In July. The old saying was proven true, "went up like a Christmas tree." Maybe that's just Andrew's phrase. Anyway I felt bad afterwards that he wasn't around to see it. Missy wasn't around to see it either because she ran scared into the house.

2. Visiting Great Grandma Budde on Halloween. She couldn't have been happier, or tried harder to keep us. Bribes of dinner, drinks and snacks were relentless and considerably appreciated. It was great to see her. Louis continued to speak about the trip days later.

3. Dancing with Missy at Danny and Meghan's wedding. We both had plenty of drinks and even more fun. The live band played amazing music; Missy was really into their cover of Pink. When the DJ started we both tried dancing to music the young kids are playing, like MGMT. Try it, it's not easy, you'll laugh.

4. Catching a 5lb bass while fishing with Mike Seppelt. We fish Bass Lake in Plymouth once every summer. Every summer it ends up being a highlight. It seems the recipe of light beer in cans, a good fishing hole and 3 hours with a good friend is reliable fun.

5. Louis spells his name in chalk. We were chillin' in the basement and Lou was playing with chalk. Suddenly he writes his name: LOUIS. We didn't even know he could write, much less spell his name. So we erased it and he did it again. How does a kid know how to write his name yet refuse pee anywhere but his diaper?

6. Playing craps in the morning. We went to Vegas this fall with friends. Missy and I are conditioned by our children to wake early, so we finished an early breakfast and explored the Bellagio. A friendly game of craps looked inviting, neither of us have ever played on a table in Vegas, and we very quickly were being given a tutorial by a friendly stranger. In a matter of a few minutes he explained the game and recited all of the odds. Maybe craps is more fun when you've been drinking, but since we could remember this it stands out as one of the unique moments we've had together.

7. Swimming lesson progress. How is it that our children start their first swimming lesson scared and fully clutched to one of us; two months later their favorite part of the week is Saturday swimming lessons?

8. Christmas tree setup. Lou and I bought a Christmas tree on a Saturday morning. The next day we decorated the house and tree. The lower half of the tree was decorated in a single horizontal line, right in Lou's line of sight. In some cases he put 6 bulbs on a single branch. The next few days Lou would lay on the couch and stare at the tree. He'd have to get dressed by the tree. I've never seen anyone love a tree like that. I'm feeling the magic of Christmas.

9. Adam Mikkelson choking on hot sauce in the backyard. He opened one of those hot sauces with the warning label and ate it like Ketchup. The next 15 minutes he spent gagging on the heat. My favorate antidote was spoonfuls of ice cream that he let slide off his tongue as they melted. His daughter started crying too because she was so concerned for her Daddy. We shouldn't have laughed at him, but he was too disoriented to laugh along with us.

10. Finishing Crime and Punishment. It took 3 years. Now I can finally say that I've read Dostoevsky. I guess crazy people make good stories whether they're in classic literature or on Real Housewives.

Snow Day!

Welcome to winter. This week, due to the snow storm, daycare was closed. So the kids got to experience their first ever snow day. Louis seemed confused at first and was worried that his friends were going to be at school and he wasn’t; but he quickly realized that wearing his pajamas all day must mean it is a special day.


Overall, I think the kids were bored with me. I am not nearly as clever with activities like daycare is, nor am I as silly as their friends! But we definitely had our moments of fun. Louis and Mabel played well together. They read books, they hid under blankets, colored and wrestled…yes, they started wrestling each other. I would normally be concerned about this, but they just tickle each other and fall over each other and laugh. It is really sweet.

This past weekend we put up our tree and lights. Louis was excited that he got to help Brad pick out the tree and put up the lights outside (Mabel got to come with Mom to help remember a very dear, very loved friend). Louis was insistent that we buy a star and that he would get to put up the star “like Curious George did”. Both children love the lights and the tree. Our tree is in our “blue room” and Louis now likes to spend all his time in there. He will just get a pillow and a blanket and watch the tree. See that and hearing Mabel say “wow” every time the lights go on – it again makes me feel so lucky that I get to be a parent to these two sweet children.

This last picture is of Mabel’s lump on her forehead. She took a spill down a couple of stairs and ended up with her first black-n-blue mark and a nice bump. Her papa gave her lots of kisses and after a few minutes, she completely forgot about it.

So much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving was very wonderful this year. We celebrated with both sides of my extended family and enjoyed some delicious food and wonderful company.

The day after Thanksgiving we boarded a plane to D.C. to celebrate Nolan Budde’s baptism. Louis was so excited to be in the airport and on the airplane. He loved having his own seat and kept asking “are we flying yet papa?”. It is so great as a parent to see your child with wide eyes and excitement. Every moment of the airport and flight was thrilling for him…that alone made the trip worth it.
The baptism weekend was great. Brad’s entire family made the trip to D.C. for the baptism! We had a great time catching up with Matt and Kristin. Mabel and her cousin Mollie had a lot of fun with crawling races and following each other around the house. While there, we realized what a little toddler Mabel has become. She has been talking more and more adding the words please, cheese, Happy, baby and many more. She has been signing more and more – but only for words she can say (please, more, all done, thank you, etc). She also has finally started saying "mommy" - yeah! In D.C. we realize that little Mabel also is quite the extrovert. She can be dead tired, but if other people are having fun…she needs to as well. She is quite the “party girl” much to her father’s chagrin.
We were all plenty tired as naps were missed, and sleeping in a hotel room with two children can be difficult. The first night, Louis fell asleep on a tiny little bency…I guess the pull-out bed was too big! I don’t think Brad and I have gone to bed at 8:30pm in a long time. Both kids need dark and quiet to fall asleep, so we spent our time texting each other and reading the internet on our phones!
On Sunday the entire family went to Nolan’s baptism. The church that Matt and Kristin belong to has such a diverse congregation and does an excellent job celebrating the baptism event. Louis was able to join the other children up at the baptismal fountain for an up-close view of the baptism. It was very nice ceremony and all of us were very proud to be there. Nolan is a beautiful baby who is very loved.
It was such a great weekend to be with family. We enjoyed lots of great moments together; whether swimming in a pool, enjoying great food, seeing Mabel choose Adam has her new favorite uncle or watching a deer run through the window (and subsequently run throughout) the townhome next door everyone was glad we made the trip!