Good night, cowboy

This is a typical scene of Joseph going to sleep at night- surrounded by a collective of his favorite books and toys. However, tonight he asked for his cowboy hat and it was too cute to pass up.

Silly Willy

Over the past few months, Joseph has really grown up.  His vocabulary has grown significantly and he is constantly making us laugh.  One of his new things is calling you "silly willy" when you make him laugh.  In that spirit, here is an update on our silly willy.

While the weather has been too cold to go outside, Joseph and Jodie have worked on various crafts.  One of his favorite activities is "painting", or more accurately mixing paint on the color palette.

We also still love animals.  At our ward Christmas party, some let Joseph walk their dog; Joseph was in heaven.  The best part in watching Joseph was the that the dog was totally in control of the situation and went wherever he wanted.

Joseph loves to help out, especially when it means he can be outside.  After one of our big snow storms, this little boy was dying to come help me shovel our driveway.

I would love to be able to give him this job.

This time, Joseph wanted to help me with the barbecue.

Christmas was really fun this year with Joseph.  With all the lights, decorations, and trees, he would constantly say, "Oh, wow!"

Also, this year, Joseph got to play Joseph in the Brems' nativity... well, kind of.  In this version, Joseph wasn't exactly the most supportive husband for Mary and was easily distracted.

Joseph has also been getting into pirates lately, especially Captain Hook.  He's been finding a number of things in the kitchen to become an imaginary hook; so we decided to make one for him.

First thing in the morning, Joseph loves to come into our bed.  Sometimes, he is just looking for somebody to play with him.  Other times, when we're lucky, he wants to cuddle up and rest a little more.  On this particular morning, he wanted to do both.  He brought his shark puppet, but quickly fell asleep.  Can you tell he's my son?

Over the past few weeks, Joseph has shown some interest in potty training.  So, we've tried a few things with mixed results.  Either way, it is really cute when he wears his big boy underwear; hopefully it becomes a more regular occurrence in our household.

We also had a fun visit from auntie Kirsten and cousin Bowen; it was really fun to see Joseph and Bowen play together.  Unfortunately, Joseph had a stomach bug for most the time, but the two got to play together for a bit.

It was a very fun visit and we can't wait to hang out again- unfortunately Joseph was rather distracted during this picture.

We also took a quick trip up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights and dinner at Kneader's- it was fun night out.

One night we were playing cars, Joseph wanted a "blankie" to wear on his head.  I mean, why wouldn't you want to wear a blanket over your head while you're playing cars?

Another thing that Joseph has really been enjoying is helping mommy cook- he always wants to be in the middle of the action.  It sometimes leads to some interesting results.

Other times, it turns out a little better.

Joseph is definitely a silly willy.

Lastly, here's a video of our little boy.  Joseph loves this race and we'll do it for hours upon end.

2013 in Review....

Okay, so I'm a day late...but here is a quick review of the highlights of 2013 for the Brems Ohana.

1.  Chad finished his physical therapy and was able to return to work.  Joseph and I adjusted back to being alone together all day.  

2.  Mark accepted an internship with Texas Health Resources in their corporate strategy department.

3.  Joseph enjoyed Easter this year and LOVED all the candy he found during the Easter egg hunt.  He still wants to open every egg he sees to get some candy- not the best for raw eggs.

4.  We spent the summer in Texas.  While Mark was busy working all day, Joseph and I enjoyed an extended vacation! :)

5.  We found out Joseph was going to be a big brother! 

6.  A few trips to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Phoenix.  One of the trips was to the temple with Jenna for her first time.  We were privileged to witness her sealing to dad as well...a very special experience.

7.  Mark was extended an offer for full employment with Texas Health Resources upon graduation...and part time employment during the school year.  

8.  A visit to Boulder, Utah to spend the weekend with Mark's grandparents.

9.  We went to Disneyland!  ...and got to spend some time with family in California.

10.  Spending the holidays together as a family...we enjoyed having Mark home with us for an extended amount of time...probably for the last time.  The one perk of school life we will miss the most.

2013 has been a fun one for us, but 2014 should bring a lot more.  A little princess joining our family, graduation, move to Texas, starting full-time work with THR, and hopefully buying a home.  We're excited for all the year will bring and hope it brings you all lots of fun, love, health, and laughter. 

Happy 2014!