Books, Books, Books

Here's me reading one of my favorite stories 'The Story of Easter' with my mom. Everytime that I go in my room I request that all my books be taken off the window sill so I can have my choice of all my books. I especially like books that have pictures and words, but not too many words because I like a lot of action.

Before bedtime I read a lot of 'Good Night Moon' as well as 'I Love You Through And Through'. They have a good mix of pictures and words just like 'The Story Of Easter'.

Car In Lap

This is my new favorite trick to bring my car and sit on dad's lap. Sometimes I'll get dad to carry me around in my car all over the house.

Some other tricks I have added to my resume are...

...I can now say baby (but I am not talking about myself).
...I am really good at saying mama and dada.
...I like to climb on everything.
...I like to pick things up and put them in the garbage.
...I can wipe up messes with with paper towels. If only mom and dad could stop me from trying to eat the paper towel (but I really just try to eat the towel because it draws a lot of attention).

Not only these things but I am growing really big and I now have two more teeth for a total of seven teeth.

Accident

There was a terrible accident in our living room. We are not sure if the talking dog is going to make it and our confidence in the pantless paramedic is shaky at best.

Kidwelly Castle

The wind was wicked but we managed to make it to Kidwelly Castle for a while this weekend. Kidwelly is only about 40 minutes from Swansea and contains one of the oldest most intact castles in existence.


Here's a picture of me examining some of the stone walls. I was trying to examine how these walls stayed together for hundreds of years.


Here's a picture of me ripping around the castle grounds. You can see the stone hall building within the structure of the castle that still has standing walls on the ends.


Here is a picture of the roof in the priest santuary attached to the chapel. Almost all castles of any size have a chapel built somewhere inside. The stone cross on the ceiling is still intact after all these years and quite remarkable to see.


Me and mom walked around the top of the walls but it was windy we couldn't stay up for long or mom and dad were afraid I might get blown over the side. I took some pictures of the view but they did not do it justice. You'll just have to come visit to see.


I was pretty much the king of this castle. However, is this safe for a little boy? Seems like there are a lot of sharp rocks in the area. Where is your mother?

Live Strong

That's what I always say.

Like Father Like Son

My dad told me the "man purse" was the latest fad. I guess he should know because
it was fashion week when we were in London & he must have picked up on some fashion tips. Lucky for me, now I can carry my "man purse" around too & even go shopping!

Disaster On Ice

Tonight was a bad night to be a Canadian or American hockey fan. Both Canada and the USA greatly disappointed their countries with weak performances (USA had four straight losses and Canada was shutout in three games).


Dad was really into the games today so I decided to distract him as best I could by driving my car over top of him. For some reason dad always lets me get in my car and he carries me around the house or else bounces me on his knee while in the car. Mom doesn't think it is safe so I decided to drive over dad while he was on the ground and look what happens...


...I had a big car accident but there were no injuries.

That reminds me of a nursery rhyme I dad taught me,

Hickory dickory dock
Three mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one
And the other two escaped with minor injuries

Straw Man

When we were in London shopping at Harrod's I decided to stop by the Planet Harrod's restaurant for a beverage. Since mom and dad forgot my sippy cup I decided to use a straw for the first time. Mom didn't think I would be able to do it but dad believed in me (I think dad's belief comes from the fact that he does not do the laundry). I got the hang of this straw thing right away and I had a good drink of milk, then I promptly ate the straw.

In Training

With all the Olympics watching going on I have decided to begin training. I think I'll play hockey, do speed skating, and cross-country skiing. If I compete in all those events I could win like 10 medals and thats just the winter Olympics!

My training outfit is red (for Canada), blue (for America), and my white Finnish toque is for my future Finnish girlfriend.

Trains, Cabs, & Canal Boats

The surprise trip to London turned out to be an adventure for me. I got to ride in trains, which I guess they call "The Tube" here in London. I also was able to ride in a few funny looking taxi cabs & a canal boat. London is the BEST! Although I would have liked to take a ride around the city in one of those huge double decker buses...well I'll just have to do that next time I am here.


We took the canal boat from Little Venice all the way to the zoo. The canal boat wasn't the fastest mode of transportation, but it was fun & quite scenic. Then we got to the zoo & as you can see in the picture I got to drive my own car. At the zoo I saw lions and tigers and bears...oh my!

London Surprise

Well dad and I helped pull off the London surprise pretty much without a hitch. This past Saturday we came to London allowing mom to assume it was to take her mom to the airport Sunday afternoon. However, once we arrived at the hotel mom's sisters, Heather and Pam, and Seth and Amy and her family were at the hotel to surprise Heidi!

Mom could not believe it. We have been in London since Saturday (hence the lack of blogging). However we will be back in Swansea Tuesday evening to give a full report.

Mom and the rest of the crew at at Mamma Mia the play and dad and me are holding down the fort. I have been sleeping really good at the hotel but since dad is here I think I'll fight to stay up a bit later because he is such a softy.

Breaking News: Regis & Kelly

I am receiving unconfirmed reports that I have NOT won the Regis & Kelly cutest baby contest, which is a scandal unto itself. However, it is believed that my photo was featured on the backdrop and you could see me on TV! I will tell dad to search the Regis websites to try to find any more information. If anyone TIVO'd the episode please let me know! The picture is believed to be the mugshot shown above.

Green Ninja Returns

Today mom and grandma took me swimming at my favorite 'water hole' and they both forgot their cameras! So back by popular demand is the flashback to my last pre-swim photo shoot of the Green Ninja. Here's a picture of me coming off the top rope.

Just one question, does this suit make my butt look big? Maybe its my diapers making my butt look big. Hey, dad just said, "Your butt makes your butt look big." Very funny dad.

Lock'em Up

Check out this shirt that mom wants to get me...

... I don't get it?

Master Linquist

Hi! It's me again. Guess what I learned to say? Now I can say "Papa" (Papa is what we call my dad's dad)! I haven't quite got the 'ah' parts of Papa so it sort of sounds like two connected P sounds, P-P-.

You should know that I already have Nana (what we call my dad's mom) down to a science but there is one problem. I also call bananas 'nanas' so we have to work out some of those issues. If I say Nana I may nean Nana or banana and only I know the difference. HaHaHa!

The Park

Today Grandma, mom, and me, went to the park by the ocean in Mumbles. The park had play structures that were just my size. It was fun and the weather was pretty warm even though it rained the night before.

After the park we ate at a little ocean front cafe. It was a fun day. Well, back to the Olympics!

Your Brain

This is your brain...


This is your brain on Brenden...


Its your life. Its your choice.

Wales Defeats Scotland

In rugby news Wales redeemed themselves from last week to defeat Scotland 28 to 18. The match was not without some controversy. One of Scotland's players was sent off for kicking a Welsh player in the face. For those of you who don't know rugby rules when someone is sent off the team must play one person down for the rest of the match. Its being shorthanded for the entire game and really hurts your chances of winning especially if it happens early in the game, as it did today.

In the Six Nations tournement Wales is one win and one loss.

Carreg Cennen Castle

Grandma arrived late Saturday afternoon so I took Grandma out to see some of my stomping ground.


Today we went to Carreg Cennen Castle. As you can see this castle is not in the best shape however, it makes up for its poor condition with its spectacular surroundings.


The castle is positioned at the top of a very steep hill and it is a real hike to get up there. In the above picture you can see how steep the side of the hill is. The castle is built into this hill and this almost verticle incline made the castle very secure.


It would be interesting to see this castle when the sun was out. The cloud cover was thick, and as you can see, the hills extended into the clouds. Another thing that stood out about this castle was the darkness that had taken over the stone. Typically the castles we have seen thus far have maintained their original color but for whatever reason this color was almost black. Very mysterious...


As usual I was carried all the way up and all the way down. Mom and dad were complaining about how heavy I was the whole time. I don't think I am that heavy. I think mom and dad should quit complaining and get in shape!

Cardiff 10K

UPDATE: The official results are up and mom's chip time was 39 minutes 43 seconds and she finished 15th out of over 400 racers, including men!


This weekend mom ran in a 10K in Cardiff. Cardiff is the capital of Wales and has a population of around 350,000 but it is growing very fast. Mom told me she was running in a race but she didn't tell me it was just for her! Here's a picture of me putting on my tracksuit and getting ready to go but apparently mom didn't sign me up so I wasn't allowed to race. Instead I had to watch and cheer mom on!


This is a picture I took of the start of the race. The start line was very narrow and we were at a lower ground level so it was hard to see my mom. Two guys from daddy's work were running in the race as well so there were a bunch of people there that we knew.


This is a picture of me watching the runners go by. In the background you can see the river is dammed. The dam ensures there is enough water to fill the tributary that takes water to the moat around Cardiff Castle (which you have seen in previous posts). It was a very pretty area.


Well I know you have been wondering how mom did... SHE GOT SECOND! Her time was just under 40 minutes for 10 kilometres (or 6.1 miles). The girl who won finished in 38 minutes and 45 seconds, a very fast time. But we are still proud of mom!

During the last 100 metres or so mom sprinted past a non-momma and a bunch of guys. They were so mad to be beaten by my mom, it was so great!

At The Table

When it is time for supper I already fold my hands to say prayers. As you can see by the picture I don't always close my eyes and I don't quite fold my hands the entire way but I am trying!


I love to eat by myself and I am getting better at using utensils. Well, even though I can eat with utensils doesn't mean I actually get the food into my mouth. After this eating I had to go to the bath right away since I got food in my hair and all over my face.


I am slowly becoming a terror at the dinner table but one thing I do really well is say "All Done!". The picture above is my sign for all done. However just because I do the sign does not mean I will stop eating or won't ask for more of your food. After I do the sign I often get out off my high chair and then get food off my high chair that may have fallen during the meal. I also go to anyone else who is eating and ask for food. Well I get hungry fast! I have a really fast metabolism.

The Welsh Language

Well, I see that Blogger is not posting pictures (annoying!) so I'll fill you in on the Welsh language. I do have a Welsh accent after all, even though I still speak mostly baby talk.

For those who will visit us you will see a lot of FF's and LL's. These are actually seperate letters and seperate sounds in the Welsh language. A FF makes an english 'V' sound. So, in a bad example, if you were to write the english word 'very' in Welsh it would be written ffery to sound the same.

Now LL is more interesting. It is a sound not often heard in the English language. The sound an LL makes is a 'kchk' sound (like you are hocking a loogie in your throat). It sort of throws you off because an L is usually a soft sounding letter but not when it is LL in Welsh words.

A rival town close to Swansea is Llanelli. Llanelli is pronounced kkan-ekk-i. They have a popular rugby team that often plays Swansea. After a big game dad would hear people talking about the game against kkan-ekk-i. Dad was wondering what game he missed because he had watched a game against 'Llanelli' but must of missed this other game. Took a while for us to figure this one out!

The Helper

I pretty much help a lot cause that's just what I do. This picture is of me in the backyard throwing some stuff in the trash. I like putting the lid on and off of the garbage can.

I am getting really good at following directions. I will throw out my dirty diaper into the garbage can (not number 2's though, only number 1's). I can put away my toys when asked (sometimes I take out more toys to replace the ones I put away but mom doesn't like it when I do that as much). I can also get my coat (can't quite get it on by myself) to go out and even bring mommies sometimes!

Window Shopper

I love sitting/standing in our front window and watching all the activity go by. Now I can crawl on the couch all by myself and then up into the window sill, all by myself of course.

Mom and dad get nervous when I get up here since there is a radiator below that I like to rest my feet on even when it is really hot. I can take it, I'm tough. I just wish mom and dad wouldn't be over my shoulder while I am in the window. Its like they don't think I have good enough balance to be up here by myself.

Body Parts

I can add my tongue to the list!


Just so you know, I can point to just about every body part you can name! I can find my...

...hair
...nose
...eyes
...ears
...mouth
...arms
...fingers
...tummy
...butt
...peanut
...legs
...and feet!

The toddler book we have says that I should only be able to know one body part at my age so I am way ahead of the curve. At least that's what dad tells me but its not like I can read the book and find out for myself. I'm not Mozart... yet.

The Swing

Every night before bed we go to my room and read lots of books. One of my favorite books is a book of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Of course, the reason it is my favorite is not because there are lots of pictures and flaps in the book that you can lift up and see animals underneath!

Today we went to the park and I was reminded of the poem my dad always reads to me.



The Swing
by Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing?
Up in the air so blue
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown,
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!


Of course there was more in the park than just swings. I rode and shook this horse for a little bit...


... then I went and pumped some serious iron with a little help from dad!

Tenby, Wales

This Saturday we went to beautiful Tenby. Tenby is located one bay over in Carmathan Bay.

Friends of ours in Wales have told us that Tenby was devastated by the plague. Apparently the plague hit the town and everyone in the town was killed and the town, for the most part abandoned. The town was taken over by animals (reportedly pigs or wild boars) but was eventually re-settled. However, when the town was re-settled it was a different era and architecture had changed. Because of this, Tenby stands out from other Welsh towns because it is built in a Georgian style.


I had never felt soft sand like was in Tenby I had to kneel down in the sand. And of course, throw my gloves off and get sand absolutely everywhere...


While we were in the town the tide pulled the ocean way back and there was hundreds of feet of beach to roam on. The island you can see behind me in the picture is accessible by land when the tide is out and completely un-accessible when the tide is in. In the summer you can do tours but because of the time of year, and the big rugby game, there wasn't much activity.


Row houses that face the very bay that I am standing in sell for around 800,000 GBP which is like $1.5 million USD! Tenby is so busy in the summer all of dad's friends at work say it is better to visit in the winter and spring.


After having a pizza at a local restaurant I found a canon. I tried to get it to shoot by rocking on it but dad said there wasn't any ammo in it. Typical British gun control policies!


Right by the canon is a tiny bay with a little harbor in it. You can see the boats that are just resting on the sand now that the tide is out. We could not believe they just sit there and wait for the water to come back in.

Tenby is a town worth returning to. It is not far from Swansea (about an hour drive) and the scenery along the way is breath taking.