Two Faces

This little man can go from studious

to mischievous

in about 2.8 seconds.

A Hard Working Boy

As I've mentioned before, Talmage loves to help with any and every chore. His recent love is taking the trash out. Rather than having city-owned big, black trash cans, we are just supposed to put our bagged trash on the curb two times per week for the trucks to pick up. Talmage loves helping me take out the bags of trash and hauling the trash can back to the garage. :)

Check out that proud grin! He was showing me a cool rock he found.

Off to add his bag to the heap

"Huff, puff, huff, puff, concentrate!" He gets so into pulling in the trash and it brings the biggest smile to my face! I wish you could all see him do it!

Ladybug Catchin'

Who's this? Just the cutest little BYU fan ever! (Despite the sad loss yesterday...GO COUGARS!)

We went out to play in the backyard, but the little cutie just wouldn't leave his hat on!

I tried it backwards too...

...but to no avail. Seriously?! Can that grin get any cheesier?

He always wants to play with the faucet. Just turn the faucet on to a trickle, give him a measuring cup, and you can count on him being entertained for a looong time. I turned it on low, and he started drinking the water...hope it's safe!

This is his, "uh-oh, I'm all wet" face.

And this is his "no, no, no" face as he points to the cords that are off-limits.

Then we were off to do some ladybug catchin'!!!

Our backyard has dozens of them crawling through the grass right now.

Talmage absolutely loves them, along with any other bug. He is really quite good at quickly snatching them before they crawl or fly away.

I'm trying to teach him to open his hand and let them crawl on him rather than keep them pinched between his thumb and forefinger. I'm having trouble convincing him it really is better that way.

But oh, the wonder and fascination he gets from these cute little critters is absolutely delightful.

The trouble with him loving bugs so much, is that there are WAY too many bugs in Texas that aren't so cute, and are really downright mean. Like these fire ants, for example...I have to watch him like a hawk every time we're outside to make sure he doesn't go picking up something that is "ow-chee, ow-chee."

And sometimes, good hard playing just wears a boy completely out!

Stay tuned...I'm sure there will be many more chronicles of Adventures in the Brady Backyard!

St. Patrick's Day

Happy {belated} St Patrick's Day! I tried to take a festive photo of Talmage and I, and this is what I got:

He is definitely a ham!

Then I was making some mint brownies. I showed him the cocoa and made the mistake of telling him it was "chocolate powder." He looked at me, looked at the cocoa, and quick as a flash grabbed a handful and shoved it in his mouth. Yuck! He regretted that one!

(Side note-he loves anything chocolate and definitely responds to that word. When we were visiting Utah over Christmas my mom gave him a Tootsie Roll and he looked at it suspiciously until she said, "It's okay, Talmage, it's chocolate!" At that point he loudly proclaimed, "Oh!" and popped it in his mouth.)

He was very excited about helping with the brownies, cocoa-stained shirt and all.

He can make the most angelic faces!

And enjoying the brownies in conjunction with our green dinner was the best part of all. I hope your St. Patrick's Day was as fun as ours!

Concentration

I suck in my cheeks when I concentrate. I have ever since I was a small child. The harder I'm concentrating, the more my face resembles that of a fish. It's embarrassing, especially when a photo of me concentrating hard on a quilt, cheeks sucked in and brow furrowed, is featured in a Stake Women's Conference slideshow like it was last Saturday. :) I don't realize I am even doing it, which makes it a hard habit to break. Luckily Sam thinks it's adorable (how does he think all of my weirdo quirks are cute?!?), so it's not really a problem.

Talmage doesn't suck in his cheeks when he's concentrating, but he gets very into the task at hand. For example:

More on Drawing

Drawing. It's what gets Talmage through Sacrament Meeting quiet and happy. It's what keeps him occupied throughout much of the day. It's what I know could allow me to get a lot done, but instead glues my eyes to my sweet boy's curious hands that like to experiment on the wall a little too much. It's currently his activity of choice.

And regular pencils, as shown in this picture, no longer suffice. He knows pens are cooler, and colored pencils are the best. And how can I deny him these messier alternatives when he flat-out denies the pencil, looks pleadingly up at me, and repeats "please" over and over? Ah, the life of a toddler. Such a fun stage!

The problem with drawing, however, is that most people stay still while doing it. Talmage does not like to be still at all, so he devised a way to draw while wandering around the house.

He would hold the paper against his chest and draw on it as he walked around.

Then things got a bit too quiet. Fearing the wall was suffering more damage, I glanced down the stairs and found this:

Nope, not asleep--just one of the sweetest sights ever! He was happily drawing there on the landing.

He had to keep moving, though, so he rolled steamroller-style to the opposite end of the landing...

...and then back. Watching him entertain himself down there was positively heart-warming.

Favorite Perch

This is pretty much Talmage's favorite spot in the house:

He continually begs to get up there and walk back and forth, back and forth along the length of the counter while Sam or I walk next to him to prevent any mishaps.

Anything that makes him feel like a grown-up is fantastic in his eyes! And this makes him as tall as Daddy!