Hair

After suffering through MONTHS of hair pulling I decided to cut my hair and as you can see I really mean CUT. My darling hair stylist happily cut over 7 inches off my melon. It feels great. Brady went for a handful yesterday and got NOTHING. His little crab claws have no power over my new tresses. Many of you have experienced the power of his grasp. I am amazed at the amount of hair he can twist into his gooey little paw. It's also clear that he doesn't understand the following phrases "No, " Holy *hit," "OUCH," "Stop," "Mercy." The icing on the cake is that he uses his victims hair as a handle to pull them in while he accosts their face with love and slobber. It is a form of initiation into the Brady Club. Your not truly ordained until you have a bald spot and a chin hickey.

To the Farm

Brady's reaction to realizing the difference between Chics and Chicks!

The Chicks, not chics!

When we told Brady we were going to Thistle and Clover Farm to check out some chicks these weren't exactly the chicks he was imagining. He was hoping for females, but more of the human kind.

Many of you know that Jeff and I are particular about the food we choose to consume and now that Brady is eating more and more food we have taken it to another level. We understand more than ever that what we put into his little body will have short and long term effects on his well being. Brady is more susceptible to things like leukemia, hyper/hypothyroidism, obesity, cataracts, Alzheimer's and to top it all off he has a short life expectancy (about 50-60 yrs). Jeff and I of course think most of this research is based on studies of individuals with a poor diet and lack of physical activity. From day 1 we have emphasized the importance of a healthy diet for us and for Brady. We feel this is the key to giving him every advantage possible. We loosely follow a Paleo diet that includes no more than fruits, vegetables, meats, some nuts and berries. So in an effort to make sure some of these items are sourced from a healthy environment Jeff and I began buying our eggs, meat and dairy from local farmers. Each week we go to the farmers market and buy our eggs and chicken from Lucy, our bright eyed, like minded farmer. She and her family work on a healthy farm and truly believe the health of the animal equates a healthy consumer. We asked and they graciously obliged to let us visit the farm. It was exciting to see the hens roaming around the land "free as a bird" and munching on whatever their hearts desired. As I was cooking our morning eggs I thought to myself "I wonder if this egg was from the black and white one." It is an amazing feeling to know exactly where the egg I was holding came from. We also got to see cattle out to pasture, wagging their tails and taking in the beautiful day. The idea of them ending up on my plate next summer is still something I'm warming up to, but as Jeff says "that's just life." Jeff and I feel confident that the food we purchase from Lucy and Adam is quality food that is raised in a sustainable way and we know it is exactly the food that will help Brady thrive.

If you would like more information on Thistle and Clover farm check out their website:

http://www.thistlesandclover.com/Home_Page.html

Final Destination

This is our final film in the "Tri-Brady Film Festival." Brady sets out on a journey to capture the object of his affection, a plastic wonder. The adventure ends quickly due to his advanced skills and determination. In a matter of seconds Brady has detained the elusive rattle.

I hope you have enjoyed our cinematic journey, available soon on DVD. Brady would like to mention that he will be offering autographed copies for some of his biggest fans. Now that he is a big star he has created a list of contractual requirements. Here's the short list: 1. His "dressing room" be upgraded to include a flat screen TV 2. A bowl of green M&M's place on the lower right corner of his nightstand 3. A fair maid to fan him on days the temperature reaches above 83 4. We are to address his as Mr. Shannon.

The only thing I have to say to Mr. Shannon is "That's a wrap."

Action Thriller Part Deux

This is the longest feature of our three part series. You will find 1 minute and 38 seconds full of suspense and awhhh! The film opens with some impressive creeping by our lead. He inches his way to the pot of gold and then POW in comes protagonist BILL! Brady's attention is suddenly diverted by a wirery cat. Brady throws in a few sidewinders to intimidate his opponent, but is outwitted by his furry nemesis. Where is this going? Are they going to dual? Not so much! Bill escapes another encounter without any fur loss. He better watch his tail, Brady is getting faster by the day! To show his sportsmanship, Brady ends the summit with a smile and clap session. Defeat never looked so good.

Tri-Brady Film Festival

It's been awhile since I posted a video so I thought I would feature a film festival of "Brady Digital Shorts." They are a lot less Andy Samburg and more "ahhh cute kid." Today's film is Brady doing his "Soooo big" trick. I know I have posted about this before, but words can't do it justice. You must see it in cinematic magic. Please note the width of Brady's cheeks when his arms reach full extension. They spread out like peanut butter on bread.

This bit has all the makings of a time honored classic. You have the lure of an incredibly good looking main character, the excitement of a climatic event and the mystery of why Brady hurled himself to stage right at the end of the film. The answer can only be found in the directors cut.

The R Word

Lately, it seems like I have been hearing the R word a lot. Obviously since Brady's birth the word rings a bit louder than it used to. I am amazed at how casually people throw it around, and I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be one of these people. I know that they are not using it to deliberately offend anyone, but that's what the word does. It's interesting when someone uses the word in front of Brady and I and then realizes what just fell out of their mouth. Their attempt at a recovery is humorous.

So in an effort to create more sensitivity and awareness of this dirty little word the Special Olympics has created a campaign called "Spread the word to end the word." I have made a personal pledge to never use the word again and I hope that you will choose to do the same. I typically leave "agendas" out of this blog, but I feel this is important. Take the pledge if you wish, but at the very least be aware of what you are saying and the impact it can have on others.

http://www.r-word.org/

How big is Brady?

Sooooo big!

Jeff and I began teaching Brady the "so big" trick back in May. We had given up on getting a response from Brady and then prest-O, the little guy did it......again, and again, and again. He can't seem to keep his arms down now. As much as he is flapping those arms he might fly away. He wants the whole world to know how big he is. Plus, he gets a pretty big reaction from anyone within 100 ft. The boy demands attention!