tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13238039637921511082024-03-13T09:33:02.386-07:00Brooklyn's BlogBryand Family Blog!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-16759919725532460342010-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:002010-12-13T21:08:08.467-08:00Cal, I Love It When You Melt Down....So I had this great idea to surprise Dave with a "family date night" tonight - a Holiday Trolley Tour throughout San Francisco! I thought we'd get to be tourists in our own town and enjoy a night out together ("night" in parent-talk = 5:00pm-6:30pm tour). <br /><br />I packed roadies for us (spiced apple + Makers Mark for Dave and latte + Baileys for me), tons of food for Cal, jumped on the bus to meet Dave by his office and we were off. They gave us Santa hats when we got on board and started with the carols and truly HORRENDOUS singing by Santa-the-trolley-driver! <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ehd1cAQ1SDufs6BnyBLqtw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TQb3fBVvOQI/AAAAAAAAi4Y/ROn6ePES0h0/s400/IMG_9206.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hKBuANOFagbPUtdsVkzsTw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TQb3ftIq9DI/AAAAAAAAi4g/qNKzJGpSWMk/s400/IMG_9208.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br /><br />All was well when we began...Cal had a great time watching the sights, hearing the ridiculous loud (and did I mention <i>horrendous</i>?) singing and checking out all of the people on board. We cruised through downtown, along the Embarcadero, through the Marina and just when I was checking my watch to realize we were only 45 minutes into a 1 hr, 30 min tour, Cal started fussing.... No, not fussing...m-e-l-t-i-n-g! If Dave and I weren't looking at each other in ever-so-slight boredom (between passing Cal back and forth, we clearly couldn't get to our roadies enough) and then - for the first time - we <i>thanked</i> Cal for freaking out in public. We were just cruising up to Pacific Heights and the trolley dropped us a mere 4 bocks from our apartment!!<br /><br />"A for Effort" in trying something new, but lesson learned that we aren't holiday trolley peeps (at least not with a squirmy 1-year-old)!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-23221632690457600362010-11-27T12:09:00.000-08:002010-11-27T12:19:31.784-08:00Ella Kirsten Rynearson is HERE!<i>Drumroll please.....my lovely, beautiful, sweet niece has arrived!!!</i><br /><br />I flew down to San Diego on Thanksgiving evening to visit my adorable 2-day-old niece and WOW -she is sweet as can be. I am so glad I went down and I get to see her again at New Years when Dave, Cal, Dad & Carolyn are all in SD! <br /><br />I did a full blog post on my "work" blog: <a href="http://blog.brookebryand.com" target="_blank"><strong>http://blog.brookebryand.com</strong></a> and wanted to share a few more of the personal photos here: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fpu9B3CiN93RQ0atVKU3nA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCZ72wEJ9I/AAAAAAAAiwM/q7bWFpolEOM/s288/IMG_9399.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Wrzy-53JtsshIvnmNk7z8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCZ3KkR6FI/AAAAAAAAiv4/O004-I_yw34/s288/IMG_9388.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a><br /><i>Nana and me each taking our turn with Sweet Ella</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hNBxBXVQFhytlio55wL4AA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCaKtWp-QI/AAAAAAAAiwk/M4pZbqcEGC0/s288/IMG_9405.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tp-9TJ4M51H5vmyLVWZ7AQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCaQKQXmRI/AAAAAAAAixA/KPC3oVtXviE/s288/IMG_9424.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a><br /><i>Ella hanging out by Daddy's architecture/client plans...and Riggs taking a rest by his little sis</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/02CBAC-3226wihRq4_H3tg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCaWTkol6I/AAAAAAAAixk/5skTlIK8C6k/s400/IMG_9429.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8ZU_KUYw92GKsywL0naK4A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCa07Cyx2I/AAAAAAAAiy0/oSlsy1WXbD8/s400/IMG_9440.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Riggs and Mommy Hanging Out</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OAd50XZzAR__9DnaDbR-Ag?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCa18DRa8I/AAAAAAAAiy8/uXALNa1tdRw/s400/IMG_9443.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Riggs deciding on whether or not to kiss Ella (he didn't at this moment, but did earlier!)</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mbpUXUSLfZhiL2QrO7kYKQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCbD_y_26I/AAAAAAAAiz0/_QLpmOq7OH4/s400/IMG_9466.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o5S5jnwhthG2P4yj1Aslsw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TPCbFCjnTGI/AAAAAAAAiz8/uqshf7IDOko/s400/IMG_9469.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Family photo of the brand new Rynearson Family (except for Jack & Reokie!)</i><br /><br />I love you guys!! Thank you for giving me such an incredible, beautiful niece. May the spoiling begin!!!<br /><br />Lots and lots more photos in the family gallery: <br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fbrookebryand%2Falbumid%2F5544098278638992369%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-31333463134157255972010-11-11T06:28:00.001-08:002010-11-15T17:06:27.149-08:00After His Daddy's Heart...First Pair of Shoes!Cal turns 1 this Sunday (!) and all 5 of his grandparents are coming to town! Dave's parents arrived yesterday from CT and we took Cal to get his first pair of shoes. He's not quite walking yet, but is crawling all over the place and I realized recently at the playground that I'm not winning any mother-of-the-year points with a barefoot child on a public playground (duh). <br /><br />Dave's first pair of shoes was from Stride Right, so we wanted to get Cal on the same path of shoe-obsession as his Daddy (and apparently his Mommy...more on that later). Check him out getting measured, etc: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c-aKAt-CSPt2KlYfDouvkg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TNv-14_DMfI/AAAAAAAAiTk/ybsWC8AhxJc/s400/IMG_7186.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fDL7i04JOEqw3SPaB7K3dQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TNv-2oWtiTI/AAAAAAAAiTo/AJWA6rJNfC0/s400/IMG_7188.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Proud grandparents!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JAWOSo9_xzB0Mw6Amw1hFQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TNv-4P1e8fI/AAAAAAAAiTs/GYsfPxvt8Dc/s288/IMG_7193.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zOZJTzyJy0daL9_pwSpzbg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TNv-4-hlaRI/AAAAAAAAiTw/u5PHYCJxhO4/s288/IMG_7195.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a><br /><br />Dave's parents ("Grandma & Grandpa") accompanied me on the adventure and the shoes were a gift from his Great-Nana & Great-Grandpa (Dave's g-parents in CT)! <br /><br />I should also mention that I got myself a present for Cal turning 1 (no need to judge me until you survive your first year of parenthood...this stuff is H-A-R-D!!!). Yep, mama got her first pair of "grown-up shoes"...Christian Louboutins. I got a "push present" when Cal was born (my new Canon 5D Mk II camera body), and then I decided I deserved a present for making it through Cal's first year...the most amazing, wonderful, emotional and certainly challenging year of my life to date. Our girlfriend, Monica, accompanied me to Barney's for my big purchase (thanks, M!) and I think Dave is still in shock that I (arguably the most frugal person east of the Mississippi) would throw down $ for shoes. Here they are, along with Cal's new shoes and a pair of Dave's favorite shoes that I see him "sunning" daily. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V9hYAA4iBhaHQZnKMSEuyw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TOHXNYr7meI/AAAAAAAAims/KP44wKJ74h4/s400/IMG_7844.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-30677365089768518032010-10-12T16:51:00.000-07:002010-10-12T18:45:14.364-07:00Pumpkin Patch!Cal and I went to Half Moon Bay to see their famous pumpkin patches today. We met up with Shelley and her friend Heather and of course all of the kiddies. WOW. What an operation! We were there for about an hour, mostly coaxing Cal and Joey to hug a pumpkin or look at the camera, but there was a petting zoo, train ride, mini-tractor-things that the (older) kids could play on, and so much more. I barely escaped without buying a $1 slice of "the best" pumpkin pie ever made. Somehow, I resisted (but only after I succumbed to a Nathan's hot dog!). <br /><br />Here are a few pics from the expedition!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XdV-CNpUhOjLAzs0cJWSaA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMKjD3XGI/AAAAAAAAiGY/EyZF0DD1UwY/s400/IMG_6706.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3f60ZlvldrGkLa81LfPh8w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMMCsMHTI/AAAAAAAAiGg/XCYrQatIWgw/s400/IMG_6735.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bopfcdeCcT9poKQXP8AgzA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMO3-EqYI/AAAAAAAAiG0/fQXuPDyfjXc/s400/IMG_6745.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br /><i>The boys were much more into their bottles than the pumpkins!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HuZZNsUNo3lKkuau2_F3YQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMQVJXM7I/AAAAAAAAiG8/V02Z_7Oh1m0/s400/IMG_6758.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o9RH7RT_6DeAYRD9VZCQAw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMSCL0IkI/AAAAAAAAiHE/WWHWyd-nDqQ/s400/IMG_6759.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UFmyTyVbCR8f30_5ryjsFw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMUGrc_II/AAAAAAAAiHM/zem1oUQ5CZQ/s288/IMG_6762.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HeU_oXgD7u82pXwqA-ST_g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMXYhNNSI/AAAAAAAAiHg/wqdRtP30ZMg/s288/IMG_6770.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nrJCPpl_tHYELSBY0VqH7A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMY2xP4dI/AAAAAAAAiHo/C08-hcQEwD0/s288/IMG_6777.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IOZLIIt7n4NYmgS522vXtA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMcdJOWQI/AAAAAAAAiH8/PYHImNHG7Co/s288/IMG_6787.jpg" height="288" width="192" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m1jxNz2EAj4MANxRaYkanQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TLUMafxCebI/AAAAAAAAiHw/-5pkTYr_fEI/s400/IMG_6780.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><br /><br />Happy (almost) Halloween!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-58282560189801906072010-10-05T20:05:00.001-07:002010-10-05T20:07:29.837-07:00Brooke Bryand Photography on Daily Candy Kids SF!I am so thrilled to share that I was included in Daily Candy Kids SF this week! Check out my blog post on my "work" blog: <br /><br /><a href="http://brookebryand.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/brooke-bryand-photography-in-daily-candy-kids-sf/" target="_blank">http://brookebryand.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/brooke-bryand-photography-in-daily-candy-kids-sf/</a>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-80375658387835197032010-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:002010-10-05T19:53:09.774-07:00Baby Food 101So....most kids start eating "solids" (i.e. anything other than bm or formula) around 6 months. Cal started...then promptly stopped about a month later. Since then, we've been feeding him 3 meals a day and he may or may not eat a single bite of whatever it is we serve. To say it's exhausting is an understatement. <br /><br />Then...tonight...I had a thought. Cal loves to drink water out of a real cup...he gets a total kick out of it and loves to blow bubbles and chug-a-lug...so why not throw some baby food into a cup and see if he'll drink it?? Like our very own Jamba Juice, I added a little water to Cal's baby food and he chugged away! <br /><br />Granted, he also made a total mess while dunking his cracker in and flinging it over himself, but hey - I'll take it!<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h0TwdERrJe8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h0TwdERrJe8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><i>(and yes, that's my Dukes of Hazard cup that I grew up with!)</i>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-44296463565846656092010-09-25T11:57:00.000-07:002010-09-25T12:09:52.892-07:00First Haircut!Cal's days of modeling for "Hairclub for Men" are officially over...for now. He had his first real haircut (as in Mama paid $19 + tip (!!!!) I am clearly still shocked by it...and possibly his last haircut at that price...looks like I better get some safety-protected shears!)! He went with our friend Henry (JB and Alex's son, who is 4 months older than Cal) for both of their first chops. <br /><br />Henry was a rock star throughout his haircut...smiling away and even posing for the camera!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CKGls3Bm9tawe8hGwFM7jQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FE2DOXfI/AAAAAAAAhzs/9D4VBSDmPu0/s288/IMG_1952.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Dj2AUJWdzu_7r0oyyPpZEg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FKkGwRYI/AAAAAAAAh0I/tYnhZkevrUE/s288/IMG_1968.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ztNaWrTgz-DtbuHIC0c-Qg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FIHvlcJI/AAAAAAAAh0A/zE3nvLr7tyc/s400/IMG_1967.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Cal was....okay. I wish I timed the actual chair-time, but I would guess about 5 minutes total. He wasn't scared of the clippers, but he definitely was not into having someone up in his grill and messing with him! Here are a few pics from his experience: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1l8LURlg750X94NTavftgg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FG3mzX8I/AAAAAAAAhz4/0m-cfL6mFCE/s288/IMG_1955.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H2xuL2CFAj6JUfzLSaWLsQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5Hzu41uYI/AAAAAAAAh14/1u-DzDicdss/s288/IMG_1995-2.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Before and After...</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EA8kByierwxLPZI6oehCYg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FW2OC86I/AAAAAAAAh1U/VLBguKa15sM/s400/Cal-double-bw.jpg" /></a><br /><i>It eventually took two women to "pin" Cal down as he was clawing at the poor lady!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wQNqG5HoBGofRZaKD10u4A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FWEEWCZI/AAAAAAAAh1M/b_0feS_ROlc/s400/Cal-Triple.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Exhibit A of aforementioned discomfort</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HvYQXziYRlEFbmwd-TVBmQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FOpxcziI/AAAAAAAAh0k/VSHHCVvQYN8/s400/IMG_1993.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Exhibit B with both ladies in action</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bNyeR3y-hTV4HuwQcenOwQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5FLrFOuDI/AAAAAAAAh0Q/TIsAT9LNG_4/s400/IMG_1982.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jDHO4aYie0sUQ9mrYhr0wA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TJ5HyZNu8YI/AAAAAAAAh1w/vgPYszS8pJs/s400/IMG_1995.jpg" /></a><br /><i>My favorite of the day...</i><br /><br />Cal is now 10 1/2 months old...crawling, climbing and fake-walking everywhere (with assistance). He eats puffs and o's, but that's about all he'll accept for his culinary adventures for the moment! His favorite spot in the world is on his daddy's shoulders, getting a tall perspective of the world and playing "horsey" with daddy bouncing him around as mommy gasps in horror. :-)Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-4959992081350858822010-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:002010-09-15T11:46:46.471-07:00"I'll Show You Who Is Boss" - Balloon Part 3Because we are now parents, these things amuse us. Never before would I imagine posting <a href="http://brookebryand.blogspot.com/2010/08/latest-on-cal-and-uswho.html"><strong>not 1</strong></a>, <a href="http://brookebryand.blogspot.com/2010/08/revenge-on-balloon.html"><strong>not 2</strong></a> but 3 videos on the same $4 balloon?!?!?<br /><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J7lI0n0j-5g?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J7lI0n0j-5g?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object><br /><br />xoBrooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-91512780237126693942010-09-08T21:36:00.000-07:002010-09-09T09:05:22.158-07:00Boys in San Diego!As we prepped for our big getaway to Los Cabos, the Grandmas flew in from TX and CT to take care of the boys for the weekend! We had a great time getting them settled in and ready to be on "mommy-duty" for 5 glorious days (ahhhhhh). <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WOae4TwO6DkJ8r0rjtFG6A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhi5R03HQI/AAAAAAAAhhE/3_HFHhB-j6Y/s288/IMG_0681.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bcnyINtQrHkJiiFjQrwTiA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhi6LYHDgI/AAAAAAAAhhM/zmP6bM1t0M0/s288/IMG_0687.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EDnzIGBK2FpTYrnEWoA17w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhljppBZsI/AAAAAAAAhl4/s7prVLrXTiY/s400/IMG_0709.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Riggs and Cal took a ride in the wagon Grandpa Rolf gave Riggs!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VI2AyG1Tfr53z8EP4MUO2g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjWyv2qKI/AAAAAAAAhlY/owbNzXp6Dp8/s400/2-up-riggs.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Riggs looooves to "water the plants" - so cute!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CcX7Te4D1cps0EJ6Dpislg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhi-1NRwkI/AAAAAAAAhh0/akH1GcG8BE0/s400/IMG_0735.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Cal got in on some of the action too...</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/It0rYgY79YFFpDT-0ZtZFw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjEYw_Q1I/AAAAAAAAhio/NPrBE_fwGMw/s288/IMG_0776.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XNYfs7vpySENar-cAezWNA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjIaEBFrI/AAAAAAAAhjI/n63t_ExmZtk/s288/IMG_0814.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E2JHwg2NoHp7yiPe9TNUQQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjJF-U1wI/AAAAAAAAhjQ/RJoczsvYq4w/s288/IMG_0827.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6uqu0OiSmvH-XL6lI_l3Zw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjKUddB1I/AAAAAAAAhjY/FP9BnM2zvEA/s288/IMG_0836.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Jon and Dave took turns helping Cal play soccer!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0jYLB1NiG-ux0-mIMKDvFw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjMXo9EEI/AAAAAAAAhjw/7FoyQPqSRK8/s288/IMG_0868.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_SnXB9LWGqzP1mfWhslx1g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjNZ5rBtI/AAAAAAAAhj4/IMCr-C3sBW0/s288/IMG_0875.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nPUj29er6TOUyIhgCGtiFg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjOXiM0jI/AAAAAAAAhkA/S-8F5opRttA/s400/IMG_0888.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Daddys served the boys dinner outside....</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/27i6h5p5qq5WfHuSlYn1Ig?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjPd4iKwI/AAAAAAAAhkI/J0MY0qVQk0E/s288/IMG_0898.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Jq7qo4CZTH0fwC_0FNvXaw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhjR_BWUsI/AAAAAAAAhkg/tflUv4qsp7k/s288/IMG_0921.jpg" /></a><br /><i>...while Mama cooked in the kitchen!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/85imR8LliihJ9L75dqE-3g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIhi4qZmyoI/AAAAAAAAhg8/LdFnUYDDy3Y/s400/2-up-corn.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Cal and Riggs both enjoyed corn-on-the-cob!</i><br /><br />Grandma Tammy and Grandma Sue both arrived on Monday and started duty at 5:00am (!) on Tuesday morning! <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Bet6lhR767dkww672DDVAw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIkFRDqPGoI/AAAAAAAAhnU/buK0XykSTe4/s288/IMG_1027-1.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ATfXsyPyJMYBKatN3D75Vg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TIkFSPhzRYI/AAAAAAAAhnc/PACOcdZETT0/s288/IMG_1025-1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We left today (Wednesday) for Cabo and have been enjoying nothing but quiet R&R for our first 12 hours of vacaaaaaation!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-40062048192806915642010-08-30T15:26:00.001-07:002010-08-30T18:14:34.258-07:00Fool Me Once...Shame On You.......Fool me twice, shame on me!<br /><br />You may recall <a href="target=_blank" "http://brookebryand.blogspot.com/2010/07/cal-tastes-limeeek.html"><strong>Cal's "lime video"</strong></a> from when he was just a wee lad of 7 mos. <br /><br />At 9 mos, he is older and wiser, right??? We thought we'd put him to the test: <br /><br /><object style="background-image:url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/SVNlCqS73WQ/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVNlCqS73WQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVNlCqS73WQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br /><br />Love ya, Cal!<br /><br />And one more for good measure: <br /><br /><object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/es78aWDCqJk/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/es78aWDCqJk?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/es78aWDCqJk?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br /><br />FINE! Fine, fine, fine....one MORE! I can't help it that he's adorable?!?!<br /><br /><object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/YT1awn4sHcM/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YT1awn4sHcM?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YT1awn4sHcM?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-67092256359932083562010-08-29T12:04:00.000-07:002010-08-29T12:06:38.566-07:00Revenge on the BalloonAll in (two) days' work. <br /><br />Being the stubborn mama that I am (and, let's be honest, hating the thought that I wasted FOUR WHOLE DOLLARS on a balloon), I kept reintroducing the balloon-from-hell...similar reaction each time, but Cal got more and more confident that he could take this thing down. <br /><br />This morning, Dave whipped out the real camera (oh how I love our 5D MkII) and shot this quick footage. It makes me never want to take another video with the iPhone, though the iPhone is just so darn <i>convenient</i>! <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A_JAC8zhc34?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A_JAC8zhc34?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Get it, Cal!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-29749582085160198902010-08-27T15:47:00.000-07:002010-08-27T16:09:28.862-07:00Latest on Cal (and us..who?)Cal is now 9 mos! <br /><br />9 mos means that he crawls all over the place, loves to pull up on things, can say "mama" (and actually mean it towards ME) and is overall a happy little guy.<br /><br />Well, happy until his mother (apparently) tortures him with a balloon! I thought I was being <i>sooo</i> clever yesterday when I bought a "fancy" $4 balloon at the grocery store...thinking I was buying myself some free time while Cal stares at this fascinating object. In the store, he was full of wonder and amazement (so far, so good). We got to the check-out and he pulled the string, making the balloon come down toward him, and all hell broke loose!!! He was terrified!!! Poor little guy. I, still stubbornly thinking I could count on his 30-second memory to pull through and still turn this thing around, still bought the balloon and put it away until the next day (thinking that after he slept, surely he would be once again enamored). <br /><br />Hmmm....not so: <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sTrreZmdk38?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sTrreZmdk38?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Nonetheless, I put the offensive object in our bedroom (for now...until I finally give in that my $4 and genius idea were both a bust) and Cal was back to his happy self: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lyPTDrjD9p_6hL3x0BStwQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/THhDu7j-B6I/AAAAAAAAhWg/CAIzFgg3jnI/s400/Cal-FB-9549.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tAiWgPptIuj3mdm8ndeSuA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/THhDurCTXzI/AAAAAAAAhWc/Qey6CfFqjIE/s400/Cal-FB-9524.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Dave's birthday is tomorrow (!) and we're heading to Napa for the day to do wine-tasting like the "BC" days ("Before Cal" as my friend Daniel says...Cal is staying home with his babysitter). Looking forward to it!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-20317976539718175572010-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:002010-07-25T21:51:40.273-07:00I'm baaaaack! Running my tooshy offI had my first post-baby race today! The San Francisco Half Marathon - yahoooooo! I have been training with my friend Mary (her first long race!) and it turns out that pushing strollers while training REALLY gives you an edge when you are actually running the race and have NOTHING to worry about but y-o-u! We had a great race...didn't win (2:20 time...11 min miles), but felt awesome and could have gone on and on for at least another 4-5 miles. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/InBm56ztSdDwzt0owMxg_w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TE0SweRuWQI/AAAAAAAAgcA/9WaDpef8lJA/s400/FB-6907.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Running toward Dave at Mile 4 in the Marina with Mary and Julia</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J1MQvUL3BdrJLzD7PXYA3Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TE0SwcA1jSI/AAAAAAAAgb8/MQ0f2fpddcM/s400/FB-6958.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Post-race with Mary's two bambinos</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CxNm5AC4vyYFrTJSfJXnvQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TE0SwGFrItI/AAAAAAAAgb4/93a_2hITmzs/s400/FB.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Post-race seeing MY bambino!</i><br /><br />Cal was so cute and excited...it's like he's surprised every time he sees me even though we spend all day every day together! Dave is now a complete pro at being a race spectator and we saw him at Mile 4 and again at the Finish Line. He came equipped with champagne, donuts, choc chip cookies, Gatorade and more - fantastic! There were four of us running (also Trent, not in these photos) and we all celebrated in Golden Gate Park after the race. <br /><br />So....next question is...what's next? Mary and I are considering a sprint triathlon in September (the one that I did two years ago), and I'm <i>starting</i> to think about doing another full marathon in June 2011 (San Diego Rock'N'Roll)...we'll see!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-87131563571818453082010-07-24T16:36:00.000-07:002010-07-25T21:57:25.922-07:0007.19.2010 - Cal giving High FivesI thought this video of Cal we took the other day was adorable (aren't they all???). Dave was giving Cal "high-fives" while feeding him dinner and Cal was cracking up: <br /><br /><object style="background-image:url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/kq3o8kcukA4/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kq3o8kcukA4&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kq3o8kcukA4&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="425" height="344" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-47430018026431157912010-07-01T15:25:00.000-07:002010-08-30T15:44:07.788-07:00Cal Tastes Lime...Eek!Needless to say, he was not a fan: <br /><br /><object style="background-image:url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/3cKucI7Mc1o/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3cKucI7Mc1o?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3cKucI7Mc1o?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-70437203898961082692010-06-04T10:41:00.000-07:002010-06-05T16:11:42.531-07:00Cal is Crawling!Okay, so perhaps "crawling" is an aggressive word, but he has learned how to get from Point A to Point B!!!<br /><br />Check him out - he just got up on "all fours" on Thursday morning for the first time and is now slithering along! <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8d-2H8cVRIuF3_MZccBWPg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAk53P0-TAI/AAAAAAAAfV8/ooUq73smoP8/s400/Part%202%20%5Bwww.keepvid.com%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Ahhh, the days of immobility are behind us. YIKES!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-75700267579378574402010-06-04T08:04:00.001-07:002010-06-04T16:56:38.261-07:00Cal is Famous!We have been doing work with <a href="http://www.plumdistrict.com" target="_blank"><strong>Plum District</strong></a> for the last month and are so excited that they have LAUNCHED! They are a daily deals website geared toward MOMS. Think Groupon, but targeted. Every day there is a different deal, with the goal as finding ways to make moms' lives <i>easier</i>. That could be in providing a deal for a "mommy & me" class or a massage for her or a dinner for the family. <br /><br />Today's deal is 50% off a posh and super-cute store in San Francisco called <a href="http://www.photographandframe" target="_blank"><strong>photograph&frame</strong></a>. They needed a photo for the offer and - voila! - we have Cal!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DCDiU8uigfujKroTJzTIRg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAkV1m8TPII/AAAAAAAAfVo/w3cRc2qNdH8/s400/Screen%20shot%202010-06-04%20at%208.03.30%20AM.png" /></a><br /><br />I am of course a proud mama AND have a duel role because photograph&frame currently has an offer up in their store with ME! They are offering their customers $100 off my full session rate and they get an 8x10 frame FREE when they come in to frame their photos from the session. Very cool. More pics are on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/brookebryandphotography?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=180960&id=336385615495&ref=pb" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook fan page</strong></a> (you don't have to be on Facebook to see the pics).<br /><br />And, while we're at it, because Dave has been doing their web work...they needed a "404" page...basically the error page you get when you go to a page on a site that doesn't exist. We thought a baby pic would be cute and Dave put up this one! I think it's hilarious!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gIOWuNP1_x_ntxi6UmMgyw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAmR0fPM20I/AAAAAAAAfWg/qV4LYJtEcJs/s400/Screen%20shot%202010-06-04%20at%204.51.55%20PM.png" /></a><br /><br />Go, Cal, go!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-89523220415807366072010-05-30T21:26:00.000-07:002010-05-30T22:04:05.534-07:00Sitting, Solids and...well...the other word for Poop.Yep, we've taken the plunge into SOLIDS! Cal turned 6 mos on May 14th, just after Riggs' bday, and he's growing like a weed. <br /><br /><strong>1) Sitting:</strong> Just a month ago, I found myself at a mom-friends' house and she was practicing sitting with her baby. I told her it hadn't even dawned on me to do that, so I started practicing for a few minutes a day with Cal and was pleasantly surprised that nature helped him along since his mother-of-the-year certainly didn't plant the seed. :-) He has been sitting up for longer and longer and now has no trouble staying up for really long periods of time and exploring everything around him. <br /><br /><strong>2) Solids!</strong> I knew that 6 months was a milestone where many people start solids. Our doctor gave us clearance to do it even earlier, but she didn't pressure us to start - just said "whenever you're ready". Well, Dave and I put it off and off due to 100% laziness...feeding "real" food just seemed so time-consuming and messy!!! Then, a week ago, Shelly and Nicole visited from NC and Nicole (mom of two) spoke up when I said that Cal had bizarrely been waking up at 4:30am for a few nights and she exclaimed (seriously..."exclaimed" is the right word), "Y'all are <i>starving</i> him! The boy needs more food!" Oh. Right. That. <br /><br />Even though he's 90% weight at the doc's office, she was right (I think) - he just wasn't getting full enough on the bottle alone to take him through the night. So we started on solids and it's been a <i>blast</i>! We don't have a high chair, so we use a bumbo with a tray around it and set it on our coffee table with a pool towel underneath (it sounds ghetto, but hey - it's a 700 sq ft apartment and it works great!). Cal <i>dives</i> toward the food and it's now a highlight of my day (along with bathtime where he goes nutso). <br /><br />Which leads us to...<br /><br /><strong>3) The other "s" word...poop:</strong> Poop has most definitely changed. Where I never minded to take care of a dirty diaper, I find myself hoping that Dave claims to notice first these days. I walk in when Cal wakes up from a nap and there is <i>no</i> mistaking what occurred during dream time. <br /><br />Alas, it was after naptime today that I then brought Cal into our room and hung out singing songs (I do a rockin' rendition of <i>Itsy Bitsy Spider</i>) and I snapped a few pics. So here is the little cutie-patootie!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jnHePIUc-U8DwoEmzx3Nvg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAM9cKdR-tI/AAAAAAAAfFs/i37xo1ZzSgk/s400/DVD-3979.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0u4D0YTiDfT6GEzzDaoxNA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAM9dICqRpI/AAAAAAAAfFw/Ez3un0dJyYY/s400/DVD-3985.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mpbpGcbfDEm-m62Ho2pLKA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANAUbtHIAI/AAAAAAAAfG0/_Dc11lwYM4s/s400/DVD-3974.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MkgIH92Hv7P6W6z9AHyNxA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANB-IyzNMI/AAAAAAAAfKk/H0tvBY-e6ZQ/s400/DVD-3990.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aNh3UizJd1_yIrC1YDuL7A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANBY3FkN-I/AAAAAAAAfJs/Nw2EVIgBf8U/s400/DVD-3989.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hwib4sG0TDA4vvRw2zwkVw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TAM8hy5HJ4I/AAAAAAAAfFU/xlp_FjDlGls/s400/DVD-3968.jpg" /></a>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-58663758675344433162010-05-30T20:04:00.000-07:002010-05-30T22:12:04.705-07:00Riggs Turns ONE!Yes, Riggs is officially ONE! May 11th was his birthday and we headed down to San Diego to celebrate with Lindsay, Jon, Mom, Dad and Carolyn! <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BCPxxxYKQMxz1eqgvdCGYQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANArHnW1KI/AAAAAAAAfHc/fYTE3tQbWh0/s400/Riggs-3009.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Lindsay decided to be Martha Stewart this year and created a homemade cake...chocolate BLUEBERRY which is actually delicious even though your mind wants to fight it!</i><br /><br />We headed to a beautiful San Diego park for the birthday party and Riggs had a great time hanging with his pals. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WljkOffLNORsrcAYcAKSzg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANA7ykOXUI/AAAAAAAAfJI/VEmR1L-_pFg/s400/Riggs-3097.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Riggs and his homies</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gRWsXqbAMxA1tDCro1VT5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANA-bK9NaI/AAAAAAAAfJU/deBCEwvQ5T0/s400/Riggs-2429.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5bYAvTs35Q5dwrvzGcHvZg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANAsxCgvhI/AAAAAAAAfHo/Q09dU1VS-CM/s400/Riggs-3022.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PQHAZOoujgx4_MEVF9HpRA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANAu3InasI/AAAAAAAAfH0/jwQq_g7MlP0/s400/Riggs-3031.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Riggs trying his cake (he loved it!)</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a2aa6GnNOWDA5dVrROilag?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANAxNeTZnI/AAAAAAAAfIA/24YH7AbvAK8/s400/Riggs-3039.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Cal and Daddy Dave goofin' around</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WR5QVSUcdRrsq5XnMO7W6A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANAzmC_UDI/AAAAAAAAfIQ/P9K2gqSOlag/s400/Riggs-3056.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Pops & Carolyn hanging with their grandsons!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rc3xiz31BXDDQl52ZMelzA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANA2MSPfXI/AAAAAAAAfIc/HS_kcV15r0A/s400/Riggs-3057.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Cal rockin' out at the only activity he's old enough for at the playground...the bucket swings!</i><br /><br />My favorite series....<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NDxbfI8N0UX4A_eJRs7FwQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANBZrgK3OI/AAAAAAAAfJ4/tEG0oiCnDxY/s288/Riggs-3074.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2HDE8tQJbT8VEj_7kKCbww?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANA4dvGguI/AAAAAAAAfIo/1v2VBjcbGI8/s288/Riggs-3064.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UbaR819qIYbWXzLvk3gYkA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANA5wM18kI/AAAAAAAAfI0/5aGucvCcd8M/s288/Riggs-3067.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MQX5MFDMT8pTA7SIKprM0Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/TANBpGaIEAI/AAAAAAAAfKY/s570SD-l9IM/s400/Riggs-2450.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Sliding with Daddy Jon!</i><br /><br />What a WONDERFUL year it has been!!! Riggs turns one, Jon and Lindsay just moved into their very first HOUSE and...well...who knows what other delights 2010 may bring the Rynearson family??? Hmmmm..... xoxoBrooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-38713672413864335692010-04-27T21:52:00.001-07:002010-04-27T22:11:40.084-07:00Cal Gettin' CleanYes, I know it's not original. And yes, I know every parent videos their kiddo taking a bath...and every kid wants to kill their parents at how lame-o they are, but seriously. Cutest kid. <br /><br />We originally got Cal a Fisher-Price infant tub that is supposed to last 6 months, but worked well for us during the first...two months. Trouble is, this kiddo is huuuuuge and now at 5 1/2 months, his legs hang over the side. Our friend Shelley sold us and every other mom in our crew on her tub-of-all-tubs, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Primo-340W-PRIMO-EuroBath-Pearl/dp/B000056OV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1272430523&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><strong>Primo Euro Bath</strong></a>. I used some of my stored Amazon bucks (thank you, Symantec!) and it finally arrived today. Cal got to check it out and apparently LOVES it! <br /><br />Without further ado...get ready to agree with my that my kiddo is adorable for the next 17 seconds.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6ehMvwUIn3Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6ehMvwUIn3Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><i>The last 2 seconds say it all!!</i><br /><br />In other news, our apartment has been taken over by baby-land. We added an exersaucer to the mix yesterday and Cal totally digs it! He spins around in it and (of course) slobbers on anything that comes in his way. Here are a few pics I snapped of him while I was (gasp) making dinner (okay, so it was a soup that had a 5-min prep on the recipe, so 15-min prep for me...even I can handle that once a month). <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rEan4qzAbR8tCDaEMLGF0g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S9e_hV_DzDI/AAAAAAAAeMY/aijY-8GhiOs/s400/DVD-1569.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wo6uF6Eg-Erehrk6jSktdg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S9e_jKw90MI/AAAAAAAAeMc/cX3oOv5VJ2Q/s400/DVD-1572.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EgHdZvGwp-9g1uzCEOJNGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S9fB7ruiktI/AAAAAAAAeNQ/l7nFJOKFmPw/s400/4x6-1576.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8gnrBH3oYgl9MeP0uwvLzQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S9fB7zm56dI/AAAAAAAAeNU/SDT3NcsG-qA/s400/4x6-1580.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We are gearing up for a flight to San Diego next week to celebrate Riggs' 1st birthday (May 11th)! Dad & Carolyn are flying in and we can't wait to hang with the full Kolconay family on Mother's Day! xoBrooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-86239132843194897942010-04-14T19:59:00.000-07:002010-04-14T20:15:44.595-07:00Happy 5 Months, Cal!Cal turned 5 months today! I know, I know...I always thought it was annoying when parents counted in months...and still do (except for my own of course!). <br /><br />Cal was with Autumn today (the sitter we hired to watch him on Wednesdays from 9am-5pm while I work), but we whisked him to the park as soon as she left and had a nice mini-afternoon together before bedtime! Quick video of him on the swing. <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tx6mM_HxdZQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tx6mM_HxdZQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Updates on Cal these days....<br /><br /><strong>LIKES:</strong><br />- Peekaboo!<br />- Singing (us singing to him...no matter how awful I am...he hasn't exactly started to belt out tunes yet)<br />- "Airplane"<br />- Horsey<br />- Bathtime<br />- Drooling <i>(gallons, people...gallons!)</i><br />- Getting undressed<br />- Rolling onto his belly<br />- Red Sox <i>(the kid has no choice...his grandparents and CT friends have provided an entire wardrobe!)</i><br /><br /><strong>DISLIKES: </strong><br />- Getting dressed<br />- Not being able to roll OFF his belly onto his back <i>(he is stuck like a turtle right now)</i><br /><br />Oh...and another major "like"? Daddy. Kiddo can't get enough of him. He <i>lights up</i> at the sound of Dave's voice and cracks up with ANYTHING Daddy does!!! It's really sweet. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3ct7qVpw8i4kEff6s7Tm9Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8aBO6QFi2I/AAAAAAAAeJA/jD6pDLayDmk/s400/Easter-9251.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We're going to start going to Storytime at the library soon too. There are a bunch in SF, so my friend Mary broke it down for me on which ones are ridiculously crowded, which ones are ghetto, and which one has a great hippy-guitar-playing singer (surprisingly, North Beach, the "Little Italy" of SF). Maybe I'll even learn the proper lyrics to "The Wheels On The Bus" since my version includes cows on the bus, coins on the bus, ducks on the bus, old ladies on the bus ("go yack-yack-yack...yack-yack-yack....yack-yack-yack"...hey, I'm not so far off, right?). <br /><br /><strong>Happy 5 Months, Cal!</strong>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-13725436359250652832010-04-09T22:25:00.000-07:002010-04-09T22:59:18.394-07:00What I Learned About Riggs Last Week....I surprised Mom & Lindsay two weeks ago in SD and we had a blast! So much so that we stayed an extra 5 (!!) days! Lindsay & Jon worked while I got to do Auntie Duty and spend as much time as possible hugging on (aka CHASING) my active, active 11-month-old nephew! My favorite things I learned about Riggs while there: <br /><br /><strong>1) He's a chatterbox (with only one word). </strong>Aside from "mama-mama-mama" and "dada-dada-dada" (which are used completely interchangeably), Riggs first official word is "JACK" (their beloved dog). If you ask, "Where's Jack?", he'll point to where Jack is and say, "Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack." It's absolutely precious. I couldn't believe Lindsay didn't TELL ME that Riggs was saying that! I told her she was the worst aunt on earth. So there. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VCo30e-8gaXt-l7qJg-x-Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALZwmWJVI/AAAAAAAAdvw/xx3LEDlqxHo/s400/Email-9001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>2) He is the tidiest 11-month-old you have ever met.</strong> He came into the bedroom where I was hanging with Cal, took a shoe out of the diaper bag, put it in his mouth (obvi), then proceeded to put it BACK IN THE BAG and crawl away. He is his mother's son!!! <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_xdM9daShqggvdsWcHbFUQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALitDA3lI/AAAAAAAAdwQ/JOoOa6fI410/s400/Email-9103.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>3) He loves to help Cal.</strong> It's freakin' adorable. Cal uses a pacifier...Riggs does not. Riggs would crawl over, attempt to claw Cal's eyeballs out and then find the paci and try to put it in Cal's mouth (or ear, but who's counting? point is...my nephew is a genius). Nana had her hands full watching both of them! <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Mt3_fq6RMwgPA6lwA9GZWA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALZ6M111I/AAAAAAAAdv0/GMkaZ-5Ozxw/s400/Email-9006.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>4) He's a looker.</strong> He could stand and look outside this window forEVER. Lindsay & Jon have a small ottoman/stool in front of the window and Riggs loves to climb up and look outside. It's soooo cute. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4nv30hEt-gKpxdgsjCW3Pw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALZpdQoNI/AAAAAAAAdvs/Jmc74II-Hmk/s400/Email-8990.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>5) He gets his grub on.</strong> Favorite food is probably yogurt. Mommy and Daddy sneak in tofu and all sorts of other crap that Riggs, being the neat-freak that he is, politely takes out of his mouth and hands back to you. He'll even put it back in the container (I tried to mix the tofu into the yogurt...he would eat the yogurt and put the chewed-up tofu back in the yogurt container until I could trick him into eating it). <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vc9aHCjV_Frb3RIG48X_4Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALivAu9UI/AAAAAAAAdwI/Q1O5lvW7Z0w/s400/Email-9086.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>6) The kid loves to laugh.</strong> Riggs' middle name is after my aunt & uncle in Chicago (so it's Riggs Brady Rynearson). The Brady's decided that a simple middle name wasn't enough credit, so they made this shirt for Riggs (if you can't read it...it says, "r.B.r. (just call me BRADY"). So cute! <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/an7XrKZ5_mnnhvn6VnRovQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALi-FCtxI/AAAAAAAAdwU/EfhJ7LvPFWY/s400/Email-9116.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>7) Bath time is AWESOME.</strong> Check out this video we did for Dave (Dave came several days after me, so we inundated him with videos and texts and emails every day!!). <br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ssdbJ2QsqpA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ssdbJ2QsqpA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <br /><br /><strong>8) Bedtime is one of the sweetest things.</strong> After his bath, Riggs gets into his PJs and then typically Jon takes him around the apartment to say "goodnight" to all of the things in the apartment. "Goodnight, painting...Goodnight lamp...Goodnight window...." When they get to the front door, Riggs opens and closes their peephole door about 10 times. I swear it's the highlight of his day. So darn adorable!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/G4joLE3kyVJDOzUtF_5d4w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALoaOgL8I/AAAAAAAAdwc/2t9aUiKXbGs/s400/Email-9120.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>9) Cal is transfixed by him. </strong>He loves to watch Riggs crawl all over the place! Ahhh, the jealousy of being mobile. Cal just learned to turn over consistently (as in every two seconds), where he quickly gets stuck and cries until you flip him back over...and then repeat. He is like an upside-down cockroach...it's sad and adorable at the same time. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bfuOH7wAdZF6kiNsndY5SQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALivDPQfI/AAAAAAAAdwM/TvgKtMxYXRo/s400/Email-9088.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>10) He loooooves his mommy and daddy.</strong> I mean ADORES them. His face lights up when they walk in and it just melts my heart! <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_5Px9fku71k4yBYhF2yLKA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8AQ06wPeKI/AAAAAAAAdxo/-fxZszE3iHY/s400/Email-9199.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zpnQNJY3JSyEJhBw6f0izw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8AQ06cG9NI/AAAAAAAAdxk/5PhVuJLVqoY/s400/Email-9173.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Mommy and Riggso</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P8V0U92CV9JYtEv1iRh_HA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S8ALoXWngdI/AAAAAAAAdwg/4GImDTpAWco/s400/Email-9179.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Family Photo (and Riggs looking nothing like what I claim in #10, so you'll have to take my word for it.</i><br /><br />I loved every moment of our trip. We stayed with Lindsay & Jon (they generously gave us their bedroom while they slept on the pull-out couch) and it was wonderful to be able to wake up in the morning (6am comes mighty early) and really maximize our time together! We get to go back next month for Riggs' 1 year birthday! <br /><br />One more quick video of our sweetie-pie. He just started really giggling last week and it's awesome! Here is Dave while we're across the street from mom's new digs (downtown San Diego...she is LOVING it! valet parking, huge workout room, swimming pool...ahhhhh). <br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdLzWJ9CACQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdLzWJ9CACQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-39454697556223332222010-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:07:37.036-08:00Sleep Training 101I didn't know what Sleep Training was before Riggs was born, but Cal is 3.5 mos and we are READY! After our friend Jen gave me a 20 minute pep talk, we started sleep training on Monday night and.........it's going well!!!! The gist is that we're attempting to teach Cal to self-soothe (hands to mouth, rolling around, whatever keeps him calm) and removing one night feeding at a time. So if he typically wakes up to eat at 12am, 3am, 5am, we first eliminate the 12am feeding. And yes...for us, that means letting him Cry It Out (CIO). The first night he cried for 45 mins, the second night about the same, and last night only 20 mins and it was a really light cry. Hopefully he is getting the hang of it! After he masters sleeping through that 12am feeding, we'll do the same process to eliminate the 3am feeding, etc.<br /><br />Per Jen's recommendation, we bought a video monitor. BEST INVESTMENT EVER!!! It is such a relief to be able to SEE Cal in his crib and know he is okay (i.e. he isn't stuck in the corner or have something wrapped around him). We got the most basic one ($80 on sale at Babies'R'Us) and it's just perfect. No need for anything fancy, just something that works! <br /><br />Anyways, wanted to share this excitement as I feel like my sanity will return very soon now that sleep is (almost) here!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-47304578991008684062010-02-25T05:21:00.000-08:002010-02-25T06:04:25.388-08:00Cross Country with CalWe did it! We took the little guy to CT and Charleston to visit family...and survived the flights! We had a full rig set up with his mobile. During the last few weeks, he's been totally enamored with this one particular "guy" on his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009ZIKH/ref=asc_df_B00009ZIKH1041123?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B00009ZIKH" target="_blank"><strong>Stim-Mobile</strong></a>. We dubbed him "Big Boy" because he looks just like the <a href="http://www.bigboy.com/brand2.asp" target="_blank"><strong>Big Boy Hamburger image</strong></a>. For whatever reason, the mobile (which we typically have above his changing table) will spin around, then when it gets to "Big Boy", Cal starts CHEESING so hard! He'll then follow that particular circle around and just keep smiling, smiling smiling. So cute! <br /><br />Here was our rig for the airplane. The flight attendant said that never in her 25 years of flying had she seen anything like this - ha! <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MXRWYNfXj3atsAxeTJLfuA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z7Xr-5wCI/AAAAAAAAc6I/yyyD8DyNsDM/s400/cal-plane.jpg" /></a><br /><br />This is Cal's reaction to his BFF:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BFJq-mZv8i0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BFJq-mZv8i0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyways, we got to CT first and Cal saw his first snow! He was not very impressed, but we thought it was beautiful. We had a <i>fantastic</i> week visiting with Dave's family (all 2,000 of them!). His parents even took Cal overnight...twice! The first night I was a wreck (crying as I left him...I mean COME ON!!!) and the second night I was running out the door! How quickly we adjust. Our plan for the first night (Dave and I were staying at the neighbors' house two doors down who don't live there during the winter) was to go out BIG with Dave's sister and cousins, who are all about our age. We get a great start with martinis, then had a wonderful dinner at <a href="http://www.lucect.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Luce's</strong></a> in Middletown. While we were discussing which bar to hit first after dinner, it was 9:45pm and all I could think was B-E-D. I haven't had a full, uninterrupted night of sleep since November 14th and I just couldn't pass it up! Fortunately, Dave's sister and hubby were heading home too, so I hitched a ride and was asleep before my head even hit the pillow! <br /><br />Here are some pics from the week in CT:<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J5hRSQbVDUepVY0YlLIsjQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z6KfQeKyI/AAAAAAAAc5k/zuIHwDiDs4M/s400/FB-0732.jpg" /></a><br /><i>SOME of Dave's cousins!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dVYZOLkwdGtBUoaeIlO45Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z6Kjg61UI/AAAAAAAAc5o/mYBXjnSB3G4/s400/FB-0895.jpg" /></a><br /><i>The Bryand Men</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T0iRCZpg1Myq_yAsGJ8XKw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z6KWpkyPI/AAAAAAAAc5g/XhvFaG3PTyM/s400/FB-0643.jpg" /></a><br /><i>The onesie says, "My Dad Is Rad" - love it!</i><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DefzEis26sKwgldLZfmOkw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z6KEbzjDI/AAAAAAAAc5c/VdwncDbhqWM/s288/FB-0179.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hfcUull9V3XFhoLoUWyepA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z58EH_AcI/AAAAAAAAc5U/ysjr_qdy0r8/s288/Feb-9847.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Grandma hanging with Cal and Cal meeting his GREAT-grandparents!</i><br /><br />And then here are some pics we took of Cal one morning when we woke up....<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FjuA1FzeyfT99L-dzb-sEg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z57vlCUHI/AAAAAAAAc5I/M3rwuZBuNxI/s288/Feb-9741.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U-OX0v4FQAnqJ6hHMh81rA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z5763BWYI/AAAAAAAAc5M/mEQ-V0Q3y68/s288/Feb-9798.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XtpHilJGL5cI7vf45ifVRw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z5718CPEI/AAAAAAAAc5Q/Ykq41vj-Rsk/s400/Feb-9799.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5gmGSrNErYxo3SwXqvtexA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4Z57hYW1jI/AAAAAAAAc5E/tM6nRvTr1xI/s400/Feb-9724.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We had an AWESOME trip to the east coast. It was so wonderful to be with family, family, family! After CT, we headed to Charleston and loved introducing Cal to the Dirrrrty South. He had his fill of beautiful Southern women, accents and foooood! I'm not sure why, but we hardly took any pics in Charleston! Here are a couple from a delicious dinner at <a href="http://www.39ruedejean.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Rue du Jean</strong></a>: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GRBYWg7E4RxcZW1BpbObkg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4aC0c7CVHI/AAAAAAAAc8E/gUIOHFDg0Bs/s400/IMG_1160.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f59-NRKPgKiaRW_oXWdEyQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4aCy242evI/AAAAAAAAc7s/BSUqOUkE52s/s400/IMG_1154.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Can't wait to go back (minus the 6-hour flight...5 of which were spent with one of us Bjorning Cal and pacing the aisles!!!).Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323803963792151108.post-19453043035609534832010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:002010-02-25T06:10:40.564-08:00Mama Dianne and DionneOh yes. It happened. Mama Dianne (aka Nana) came up to SF at the beginning of February for THE concert. We planned it months ago - DIONNE WARWICK WAS HERE!!!! Yes, THE Dionne Warwick. "Say a Little Prayer"..."You've Got a Friend"...and about a million other huge hits. And yes, Whitney Houston's aunt. She was OUT OF THIS WORLD. We splurged and got 4th row seats (thank you, Mom!) and just loved the theater (Castro Theater...in the Castro, which is known as the largely gay section of SF). The crowd was totally pumped about Dionne, including a 10 MINUTE standing ovation! Here are Mom and me outside the theater: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h0rcU2TIVcIQ2dJIochYpw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4aBgKGLJFI/AAAAAAAAc7Y/BAWixyWCht8/s400/photo-1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Mom also cooked over the weekend (yummmmmm) and generally just held Cal as much as possible! Uncle Jon & Auntie Lindsay sent Cal this cute hat, so we snapped a few with him in it:<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hA1MKW7jOFeLao_bdq3fjw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4aBf256xnI/AAAAAAAAc7Q/Z389AjI6jkE/s400/Cal_BearHat-9710.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h2vhaxrcUrY3Di8AE_YX3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lJlAXKWU0G8/S4aBf1A2htI/AAAAAAAAc7U/SCfSl-nKP0o/s400/Cal_BearHat-9697.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So grateful for family!Brooklyn's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13992659761131189835noreply@blogger.com0