Memorial Weekend 2009

We had a relaxing Memorial Weekend at home this year. We've discovered a little pond in the next neighborhood with ducks, ducklings & turtles. We counted 15 turtles who showed up to grab a snack. Elise loves to feed them & it was fun for us, too!


Maggie enjoyed going for a walk with us - but it was almost easier for me to put her in the wagon & just pull them along....too funny.
This clip also shows an evening around our table. I had to laugh, Elise is chatting up a storm & tries to repeat all the words we say lately - however, "blueberries" is one she's still working on...see the clip. Oh, it also includes the much beloved "Zebra Song"

We've had a full week here at the Brandenburg home! Last week we took Elise to the Pediatric dentist to have a regular check up for her front tooth that she chipped this Fall. Thank goodness we went in to have it checked, because the tooth had abscessed. I had noticed that she wasn't feeling well, but when they're so little, it's hard to know if it was just a cold. We got her on Penicillin & ibuprofen to keep her comfortable. Then, after a few visits for 2nd & 3rd opinions from pediatric dentists, we decided the best treatment was to just have the tooth pulled, or "wiggled." (This is what they call it at the office - very kid friendly).

She was such a trooper on Wednesday morning. She brought along her lion & I was able to go along with her for the whole treatment. We saw Dr. Savage here in Ballantyne, and he was great! It was a very quick process & he even made sure I was doing OK & was ready before he started.
After she was done, we got a brave patient award with a gift certificate for a free Jr. Frosty at Wendy's. Elise picked out a prize & then we got her Frosty & to the library to pick out some new books to read - of course, we even found one about Charley, Maisy & the Wobbly tooth - a great little book about visiting the dentist. She took a nap & it was amazing to see her when she woke up that afternoon. She was so happy, playful & really back to herself. I had no idea that she would feel better so soon.
Here's a big smile - after our visit to Dr. Savage. John and I feel like we have a different child. I think she had been feeling poorly for quite awhile, because she loves to play, her attention span is better, and she's more interested in eating.
We told her that she needed to save the tooth for the tooth fairy, and after she woke up, there would be some money waiting for her. Of course, she wanted the money right away to put in her piggy bank, but after some coaxing, she fell asleep with her tooth fairy bear & the tooth tucked neatly in the little pocket.
Here's a quick clip of her finding what the tooth fairy left for her.

Girls Weekend to Charleston

This past weekend I had the best time with my girlfriends in Charleston! We were a group of 6 & it was such a great change of pace to just wear the hat of "girlfriend" for the weekend. We were blessed and encouraged to attend the Women of Joy conference with great speakers, music & lots of fun. I came home feeling renewed. It's so nice to know that other women face the same struggles. The role as a wife & mom truly is a lot of hard work, but my joy and my rest comes from Christ. He is the one who can give true joy, and trying to find it through my husband, child, home or friends alone will never fully satisfy me.
We were able to enjoy some beach time at the Isle of Palms public beach. The water was cool, but the sun and sand were warm. It was perfect.
We enjoyed a wonderful meal at The Oak Steakhouse. Alexia had a crawfish on her plate - a little exotic.
Chrissie, Alexia, Angela, Teresa, Christa & myself. It was such a joy to spend the weekend with all of you!

Mother's Day

It was a beautiful, sunny, relaxing Mother's Day here in Charlotte.
John graced me with a yummy Waffle brunch after church with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, bacon, sausage & coffee. My mom, dad & Curt were also able to share in the scrumptious brunch. We spent Saturday afternoon with our friends, Chad, Michelle & Kaylie on their boat & after lots of fresh air the day before & full bellies we all took a great nap Sunday afternoon. There is a local strawberry farm only a few miles away from us, so Sunday afternoon, we ventured out to grab their weekend deal - $1/lb. Elise thoroughly enjoyed walking the rows of strawberries, picking and eating until her hands, legs, arms, shirt & skirt had red strawberry juice everywhere..the berries were oh so ripe! So - here's a few pictures from our pickin'. I was too busy relaxing earlier in the day, and so unfortunately, I don't even have any pictures from our brunch or dressed up for Mother's day... enjoy!

Growing up so fast!

Growing up so fast...

....and walking in heels already! :')

Sweet, precious, Elise at 23 months!
Elise & Kaylie have found so much enjoyment in passing mulch between the fence...
Playing frisbee in the backyard this past weekend. We've been having rain the last few days, which is much needed. Elise has also discovered umbrellas, and while stopping briefly at Wal-mart, she discovered a Dora umbrella just her size, and talks constantly about needing her "umbra." Each day is a discovery of something new, or making connections for her...what a fun age. Hard to believe she'll be turning 2 shortly.
Hope your week is going well!

Catching up...

Hello! I need to catch you up on the Brandenburg's here in Charlotte...our lives seems to be flying by at wharf speed. John and I feel like we're trying to keep up. For me, working just a few extra hours each week at the office, really has changed my routine at home since I now have a little less time to get everything done - and we have a toddler who keeps us running & picking up everywere, plus, we're also trying to enjoy the spring weather and get the yard in shape for the summer.
Where to start...we've spent the last 2 weekend outside. Two weeks ago, I planted tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, dill, cilantro & some flowers. I'm trying out a little plot in our backyard instead of containers for the tomato plants...so we will see. Does anyone have any good suggestions of what I can put on or around my basil plants so that bugs/bunnies or whatever else likes basil won't eat the leaves? I see a couple leaves already that seem to have something eating at them....since we eat the leaves, I don't know what would be safe? I'm also excited about my 2 mandevilla plants - they are climbers and have beautiful flowers all summer.
Elise continues to grow up and talks, talks, talks. Her favorite topic/word is zebra. So, John being the creative, musical type - wrote her a little ditty about Zeke the Zibra. We'll have to capture that on video sometime. Often we will hear her - "daddy, zebra" and this usually means she wants to hear the zebra song...so we talk a lot about zebras. Another interesting tidbit - since we've been outside as a family a lot - we've discovered that Elise is terrified of bees - or pretty much any little insect that flies. We don't have harmful bees or flies in our backyard, but anytime she hear buzzing - she says, "bee, bee, bee!" Poor girl, I know how I feel when I see a snake, so I can empathize with her fear, but we're trying to explain that the little house flies won't hurt her - just to shoo them away.
Last Monday, my mom, Elise & I went shopping for the day & got lots accomplished. During our visit to Kohl's, I was in the shoe department looking for sandals for Elise. Shortly after starting our search, she came around saying, "Dora, Dora" and had on Dora shoes. First - we don't have cable, so I don't know when she's seen Dora...Second, she had picked up the correct size shoe (which had to be coicidence), and Third - she was wearing the shoes!! I didn't know she could put on her own shoes....needless to say, we left the store that day with a pair of sandals & the Dora shoes she picked out. This girl already knows how to shop - she knows exactly what she wants & is very precise.
I can see this post is getting a bit "wordy": sorry.
On that same shopping trip, we made a stop at Costco - I just love Costco! There is always interesting things to see, the samples are fabulous & I always feel happy shopping there. We were at the back of the store & Elise told us she need to go to the bathroom. (This is also another new, exciting phase where she is telling us when she needs to go - and if we can get her there quickly - she'll correctly use the potty. Amazing!) It was a long walk back to the restrooms, and since she had on a diaper, I figured I'd be cleaning up a messy one, since I didn't think we could get there fast enough. Folks, we had ourselves a major breakthrough!! She kept telling me she had to go - and when we got there - she went poopy (sorry for the potty-talk, but this is life with a toddler). I nearly fell over. I was so proud of her. Then, this past Saturday it was so hot here - 85, plus! She was warm & sweaty, so I put some undies on her, thinking it would be cooler than a big diaper & she stayed dry from 1pm - 8pm when I changed her for bedtime - again! I'm so proud of her. She would tell us when she needed to go. So, we are slowly working towards a diaper-free bottom!
This past Saturday, my mom & I hit a couple of neighborhood garage sales, and came away with some really fun finds! I got Elise a slide for the backyard, and it is a huge hit! It's been so warm here, that we also got out her little pool on Sunday afternoon. We all kicked back enjoying the sun & water for a relaxing afternoon.
A little smile for the camera!
The slider in action!

Checking out the garden. (Many of you are probably wondering why I've "planted" milk jugs in my backyard - well, they're cut out on the top to keep little rabbits away from my plants until they get established). Elise loves to help me water & check on the plants. Our white peony also showed it's first bloom this weekend - so fragrant!
Monday morning we had our friends, Alexia, Kate & Hope come over for a visit. The girls play so well together & here are a few pics of them playing.
That's a peek into our life! Hope you have a great week.

Easter Sunday

Well, I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend! Here's our sweet, Easter girl! Ours was very full & yet we enjoyed every part. Since John had a long weekend, we decided to tackle a little home project & replaced the kitchen floor. I'm so happy with the results & it's been something we've been thinking about for nearly 6 years since we moved in. Paul & Jodi came to Charlotte Friday night & hung out for the weekend. It was great to have them in town.
Mom & Dad hosted Paul & Jodi as well as the Easter dinner on Sunday. What a relief since our kitchen was under contruction. It was our first family celebration at their home in Charlotte, and we look forward to having Josh & Debi with us to complete the full family & celebrate at some point soon!
We had an early morning getting ready for church on Sunday, so we opted to do our egg hunt in the afternoon.
Jodi & Bailey were hunting helpers....
Uncle Paul, why did you hide my egg so high?

The guys took in a little game of bocci ball to round out the evening...Elise was so funny. She ran after the colored bocci balls, afterall, they do look similar to those colorful eggs she just hunted. She was carrying them in her basket, and it got pretty heavy...LOL.
We were cheering them on & indulging in some great East candy! Hope you had a blessed Easter. What a celebration of our Lord's love & sacrifice to bring us hope of spending an eternity with Him. Have a great week!