April

Putting Brek in soccer got him REALLY into soccer. So we spent many weekends and afternoons at the park.

I love this shot of him:

 And this action shot is just awesome!

One day we were there and as we were getting ready to leave he jumped over the edging of the play area and as he put it, "he did it wrong" and landed on his face. Showing off the owie:

And Easter: We dyed Easter eggs for the first time. I actually made the dyes myself with vinegar and food coloring. Pretty happy with how they turned out. Brek learned that it really isn't that exciting to just let eggs sit in a glass.

We let him hold one for the picture. I'm surprised he didn't pick green because he has definitely declared that to be his favorite color. He enjoyed finding them around the house the next morning.

Soccer

We put Brek in "Biddy Soccer" at the YMCA. He was #4 on Team Marshall.

Week 1:

The boy to the right is Parker, from his Primary class.

Taking a shot:

Each "game day" had about 15-20 minutes of team practice, and then a little match between another team. The first opposing team was rather aggressive.

 Week 2: Lining up with the other team.

He eventually found his own team.

Team huddle

Week 3:

Can't experience Toddler soccer without playing IN the net:

During the "game" of Week 3, Brek and coach's son Behr became really good friends. They spent the majority of the game playing on the bumpers, falling on the ground, and telling each other "to get the ball." (Tho neither one of them actually went to get the ball, even when it passed close to them. They were in their own little world and it was hilarious to watch.) They had fun, so that is what is important.

Running and sliding into the bumpers was also a favorite past time.

I apparently didn't take any pictures of weeks 4 or 5. Oh well. Brek had a wonderful time playing soccer, and was very sad when he had to give his jersey back. We're glad he had a great time. We really worked to emphasize the importance of being a good friend and having fun, and he did a great job being mindful of those things. Third on the list was only using feet with the ball, and he did better than most. Maybe we have a future soccer star in our house?

March

So the most exciting event in the month of March was a visit we received from Uncle Adam and our friend Jim. Adam stayed 3 nights with us, and Jim stayed just one, since he lives only a few hours away. They hung out at Joe's school and did an assembly, and Adam worked with Joe's high school band. We enjoyed a night of talking together. And then we went to their concert in Sidney. Brek did great and is still talking about it. Of course the only picture I took of their visit is Adam trying to teach Brek to arm wrestle. I am always so appreciative of how grown men will play with my son. We're hoping they'll come back to visit again soon (and maybe bring the whole family).

The day after they left, Brek was sad that they were gone, so he colored this picture for them. He has only recently begun to enjoy coloring and drawing, and we're pretty dang impressed that his coloring stays mostly within the lines. I'm not sure I had even a grasp of that concept at his age.

Just wanted to make sure I captured this view on camera:

A few weeks ago, Brek came to me and asked how to write his name. So I drew dots and had him connect them to write the letters. He practiced a bit that day, I think, but the next morning, I watched him actually try and write his name all by himself for the first time. It's harder to capture the picture off of a mirror, but I think this worked. He mastered the E quickly. He has since learned how to do the letter B. Rs and Ks are still his "tricky" letters, as he calls them, but I've actually printed off tracing sheets, so he gets more practice and he's getting better.

As I mentioned above, Brek has gotten into drawing and coloring lately. He first titled these as "Two Boys," and he made sure to include in his drawing what physically made them boys. :)

Sure don't want to forget the things he says and does that just make us laugh. 

Denver Children's Museum

At the end of January, Grandma Biggs came to visit us for about 10 days. Joe was gone for most of the time she was here, so it was extra nice to have her around during that time. We took her to a Bulldog basketball game, but mostly hung out at home. On the days that I worked, Brek and Grandma had some extra special time together. But I also took some days off, so we could hang out. 

The day before she left, we headed down to Denver. We went to the Children's Museum, out to dinner, stayed in a nice motel, and then in the morning, played at a McDonald's playplace, went to Toys R Us and got some free lego kits for the new Lego movie, (and bought some new toys too), out to lunch, and then dropped Grandma off at the airport, and then came home. It was a really fun weekend.

These pictures are all from the Children's Museum. Brek had a blast!

Firefighter

Finally got in there and drove the truck for a while

The ball pit was his favorite. We played here for about 45 minutes, dragged him away to check out a few other areas, and ended up here for another 45 minutes before closing. Sadly none of my pictures really capture his face, but he definitely was a happy boy.

Waiting for the balls to drop

Working hard to get the balls back up

We tried out painting. He enjoyed it more than he is letting on in the pictures.

The rocket area was his second favorite place.

The bubbles only interested him for a few minutes, but I thought they were really cool.

We are glad Grandma got to come visit us in Nebraska and were sad when she left, but we're looking forward to when she will come visit us again!