Growing up - Brenden and myself

Well so far the year and a half or so that I have had this blog, it has mainly focused on our family and in particular Brenden. Now that he is 20 months old, the little milestones one sees day after day are still there although not as monumental. He still isn't talking yet. He has his favorite words like jet, ka (koala), sha (shell), bo (boat), Da (dad), Mom, ju (juice) and shif (fish) but can't quite seem to tell us what he wants yet. I know that it will only be a few more months before he is a chatter storm and then we will have another set of challenges on our horizon. What will the future bring?
Living in the moment today though, we put on the pair of rain boots that Nana Slay gave him and let him go jump in the puddles outside. A simple act that brought him so much joy. Wouldn't it be nice if we all could be entertained like that with something so simple? Then again maybe we could be but just don't bother?? A side note on the video, you can hear him say 'eww' when he puts his hands in the water. Something that he tends to say whenever he sees something 'wrong'. Hmmmm wonder where he got that neurotic behavior??

Today is also my lordy! lordy! look who is forty (seriously???) birthday. A much more mellow day than maybe I had envisioned but I am very o.k with that. I remember when my Dad turned forty and my Mom threw him this monumental surprise party. Their friends who owned a mortuary picked him up from playing tennis in a hearse equipped with a martini bar inside. By the time he got to the house, things were already raging in the hearse. The theme as you can guess by now was that he was turning 40 the party was his 'funeral'. There was a coffin in the house and everyone wore black armbands and signed a condolence book. Now that was a party let me tell you! I was nine at the time and it seems like yesterday.

Dave had me sent some beautiful orchids and we are having the Lees over tonight for bratwurst and beers. My friend Kat is coming into town next week to celebrate with me. I do think this forty business will agree with me.