{The Little Things} || The B Store

Brantley: Mommy, that store says Brantley!

Sorry to always re-post my IG photos as my "little things", but that's what they are!  And blogging cements them into my little corner of the Internet.  Happy Wednesday!

{The Little Things} || Brushing, {Tom} Brady, and Bananas

Kids are such funny creatures.

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Last weekend, I was upstairs doing laundry.  Brantley and Holden were both up there with me and I noticed that Brantley had grown very quiet.  I went looking for him.  Low and behold, I found him in his bathroom, on the counter, with the water running, brushing Elmo's "teeth".  I didn't even know the kid could climb onto the counter, so everything about this was hilarious to me.  He told me that he had already brushed Cookie Monster's teeth.  Of course he had!

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A couple of nights ago, I was preparing dinner while the news was on t.v.  Tom Brady and the cheating scandal was being discussed, so what did Brantley do?  Grab his Chiefs hat, put on his sneakers, and go find his football.  Without pants, of course.  He proceeded to tell me he was playing "Chiefs".  I love how his mind works!

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And one more "little thing" to share.  It's normal for Brantley to eat a banana every morning before leaving for daycare.  His newest thing is sharing it with his brother.  If this isn't isn't one of the sweetest things ever, I'm not sure what is!  He can be ornery, he can be a little you-know-what, but when it comes to his brother, Brantley has the biggest heart. 

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Happy Wednesday!  Linking up with Sadie Sky Blog.

 

{The Little Things} || Big Brothers are Funny

It's been awhile since I posted a "Little Thing".  But truly, those are some of my favorite posts to look back upon.  They are a good reminder of the little joys that make life truly worth living.  I also love reliving those very moments - though small, they are often very significant moments in my eyes.

I recorded this video last week at the dinner table.  We were in somewhat of a hurry to eat dinner and leave for MOPS by 5:45.  And I admit, sometimes my type A personality hinders my ability to live in the moment and find joy in life's small pleasures.  So when this happened, all I could do was smile, grab my phone, and let it happen.  Having two boys who are only 21 months apart can be exhausting at times.  But in sweet moments like this, it can be pretty great, too! 

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Linking up with Sadie Sky Blog

 

{The Little Things} || Daddy's Boy

As I mentioned in Brantley's 21-month update, he is a total Daddy's Boy.  I know most moms say one of the best things about having a boy is the love he has for his Mama.  Though there is no doubting that Brantley loves his Mama, he's definitely no Mama's Boy.  Not right now, not in this phase anyway.

But, you know what?  I am completely and totally okay with that.  Craig was so excited when we learned we were having a BOY and I know he loves having a little mini-me that follows him around, looks up to him, and constantly asks "Where Dada?"  And now that Brantley is getting older, nothing makes Craig happier than shooting hoops and playing catch with his little Daddy's Boy.  And I think it's adorable.  In fact, it melts my heart and makes me so excited to watch my boy{s} grow with such a strong influence and role model as their dad.

Just a little thing I'm grateful for today and every day. :)

 

{The Little Things} || Manners

Like any other mom, I want my children to grow up having learned decent manners.  I feel like between what we teach Brantley at home and what he learns at daycare, he's well on his way with his multiple "peas" (please) and "thoo toos" (thank yous) each day.  But this one takes the cake.  In no way can I take credit for teaching him this.  It was all Miss Stephanie at daycare.  Just one of the many reasons I love our daycare!

{The Little Things} || Rise and Shine, Brantley Boy!

One of my all-time favorite parts of my day is getting Brantley out of bed each morning. I have about fifteen precious minutes to spend with him before I have to jet off to work at 7am.  Sometimes he's already awake; other times I have to wake him.  Regardless, he's always in a good mood immediately upon waking.  And the look he gives me when I first walk into his room - priceless.  It's part confusion, part ornery, and part excitement for his day.  Such a little thing that seriously gives me the biggest smile each morning.

 

{The Little Things} || Literally

This week, my "Little Thing" is literally a little thing!  As I was unpacking Brantley's newborn clothes over the weekend, I came across a mini pair of jeans.  Even though he wore these just a year and a half ago, I could hardly believe how tiny they were!  Of course, I had to compare them to pair of jeans he currently wears (18-24 months) and it's mind-blowing!  A reminder of how quickly time flies - and a reminder to appreciate every day of every stage because these kiddos grow up way too fast!

{The Little Things} || Sleep Eating

I have so many "little thing" moments in my iPhone library.  This week, I had to go back a couple of months to find one of my favorites.

Over Christmas break, we attempted to transition Brantley to one nap per day.  As much as I didn't want to (because let's be honest, naptime = me time), I knew that at 18-months old, it was time.  He'd already been taking one {afternoon} nap per day at daycare, but he still took catnaps each morning en route to and from preschool, errands, activities, etc.--which held him over nicely until that afternoon nap.  (To this day, he still catnaps on daycare errands each morning.)

As we transitioned him at home over break, he wasn't getting these mini-morning catnaps.  Therefore, he often struggled (and I mean struggled) to stay awake until after lunch.  Here's a video I took of him sleep-eating one of those days!



And a few pictures, as well!  He gets so delirious that he smiles and laughs as he's falling asleep!

Still, at nearly 20 months old, he can barely make it to afternoon naps on weekends!  What can I say--he likes to sleep like his mama!

{The Little Things} || A Boy and His Dog

During one of my snow days a couple of weeks ago, I was in the kitchen cleaning and heard Brantley giggles coming from the living room.  I went to see what was going on and found him laughing while repeatedly shaking Kinnick's hand.  Over and over and over.  This kid loves Kinnick.  Poor Kinnick doesn't love him to quite the same degree (or at all), but was taking it all in stride  I quickly grabbed my phone to snap a pic of this sweet moment.  And then realized it'd make for the perfect "little thing" post!

Since Kinnick was being such a good sport, I told Brantley to give him a hug.  And he did.  (He tries to do this often, but usually Kinnick sneaks out from under him and Brantley ends up on the floor.)

Such a sweet moment between my two beloved babies!

{The Little Things} || Stitches

Last week I took Brantley to have his stitches removed.  Before we walked in to Urgent Care, I realized we never took any pictures of the actual stitches...they were always covered by a band-aid.  Maybe not a huge deal, but for someone who likes to document absolutely everything in photos, I realized this was a major fail!  So I quickly snapped an iPhone photo of Brantley's {first ever} stitches at nearly 19 months old before going to have them removed.



The doctor said the stitches (and cut) looked great and Brantley was a champ in having them removed.  I know it's only a matter of time before he needs them again, but let's hope that time is much later than sooner!! 

{The Little Things} || Kitchen Helper

Oddly enough, yet another one of my favorite "little thing" moments happened in the kitchen!  A few weeks ago, Brantley was watching me unload the dishwasher and decided he wanted to help.  So one-by-one, he took the clean silverware from the dishwasher and put each in the drawer--just like he watched me do.  And ever since then, this has been his job.  He loves it.  And, despite a little extra work on my part, I'm not going to argue.  Because I know someday, soon enough, he'll be complaining about the same thing.

{The Little Things} || Helping Mama Cook

Today, I'm doing something I rarely ever do.  Linking up with another mommy blog (Words About Waverly) for a post that I thought was worth copying: "It's the Little Things."  The whole goal is to reflect on the everyday moments that make life enjoyable.  It's easy to get caught up in the craziness of our everyday schedules.  It's also easy to blog about the big moments and milestones in our lives.  But all too often, the little moments that make life truly memorable are overlooked.  Like playing Ring Around the Rosie, for instance.  A new staple in our house and one of Brantley's favorite games  (thanks to his daycare friends).  It's just so precious when he comes to grab my hand and then Craig's...in an effort to get us to play.  And of course, we always do, because it's the little things like this that make having a kid so darn special.  And fun.

Another recent "little thing".  Cooking with my kiddo.  Or should I say "cooking."  Sunday was my morning to get up with Brantley.  (Over winter break he was sleeping until 8am every morning, but over the past few weeks that time has been getting earlier and earlier.  Last weekend, he was awake at 6:30 each day.  And over past couple of days, he's been awake at 5:30.  What the heck??)  Anyway, since I was up early, I decided to make breakfast.  A French toast stick recipe from Pinterest that I had used a few other times.  Brantley likes to "help" by sitting on the counter and watching getting into everything within reach.  His helping didn't last long (he was grabbing for the knives), but I very much enjoyed the few minutes of early morning Mommy-Son bonding time in the kitchen.

As did Brantley.  He enjoyed {ornerily} eating the strips of bread I had cut for the French toast.  (Pre-dipped in eggs, of course.  The hubs was concerned I let him eat the egg-soaked bread!!  C'mon honey, I have more sense that that!)  And of course, I couldn't resist the photo opp.

A sweet, little moment in my everyday life that I enjoyed and will cherish. 

So there's my first "Little Thing" post.  Maybe I'll make this a weekly thing.  After all, having a kiddo, in my mind anyway, is far more about the little things than it is the big moments and milestones.