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Yesterday when I walked out of Publix with Mommy, there was a huge red firetruck, right in front of me! Before I even had time to get excited, the fireman jumped out, reached into a little compartment on the side of the truck, and gave me this cool new hat! It says, "Brentwood Fire Department" on it! I felt like they were just waiting there for me! Then, before I could get too shy or goofy, they drove away. (The fireman told Mommy they were just grabbing lunch.) It was my lucky day!

My philosophy as a teacher was always, "Kids will only give you what
you expect from them."  I  believe that we don't always challenge our students enough or expect them to rise to the occasion.  I generally hold to this philosophy with Brennan as well, but sometimes it still shocks me when it works!

Last night we had a spontaneous "Family Fun Night" including a trip to Chic-Fil-A for kids' night and a few hours at Pump It Up in Brentwood. It was so very fun to spend an evening jumping, sliding, and laughing as a family. The place was not busy, and most of the time we had the inflatables to ourselves. Brennan was deliriously happy, and I think we were almost as happy as him. Before long he was climbing nine-foot walls by himself and sliding down super fast slides without hesitation. And we all know how Brennan likes to jump, so that was a hit too.

Brennan and I had a great visit to the northeast this last few weeks, and we were extremely busy! We started our adventures in Richmond, VA, where we stayed in a little bed and breakfast for two nights and visited with Aunt Jenny, and then the three of us headed up to Lancaster, PA for a family reunion. Finally, we drove to Jamestown, NY and visited with grandparents and great-grandpa ("Pop-pop") for several days. There is too much to write about and too many pictures to post on this little site, so check out our Shutterfly albums

Jim looked at Brennan in the video monitor yesterday morning to see what he was doing. We could hear that he was reading to himself, but we didn't expect that he'd be doing it with a blanket on his head! He'd created his own little reading cave. Jim raced to find the camera and headed upstairs, snapping a few pictures. He asked B what he was doing, and Brennan replied, "Hiding blanket!!" He stood up with the blanket on his head and a smile on his face, ready to start the day. He brings us such joy.

Brennan was very excited to help me make whipped cream for strawberry shortcake. He doesn't differentiate whipped cream much from "ice cream," at least in the way he says it. He helped me whip that cream for several minutes, and he was very patient, so he was rewarded by being allowed to lick the spatula and beaters. It was a delicious treat.

Mommy and I made breakfast in bed today for Daddy. But then I felt left out, so Mommy made me some toast with peanut butter and I began Father's Day alongside Daddy watching "Clifford." I got a little peanut butter on the sheets, but not much. Overall I did well and thought I was pretty cool. What a special day!

Brennan painted his first ever masterpieces for Father's Day. He gave one to Daddy and one to Grandpa, and he loved every minute of the experience. He didn't hesitate to stick his fingers and hands in the paint and get started. This morning he was quite proud to give his picture to Daddy. I have been dying to post this photo for four days, but I didn't want Jim to see it.

This is a cuter zoo picture from today, but Mommy felt like she needed to use the giraffe photo for her other post, given what she was writing about. I really enjoyed this turtle, and I think the turtle was curious about me, too. He popped his head and legs in and out to check me out, and I thought it was really cool. I talked to him a lot.

We went to the Nashville Zoo today, and it was HOT! I don't care what the weather channel said; when I got home I checked the temperature outside my house and it was 111 degrees in the sun. Yes, you read that right: one hundred and eleven degrees. I believe it, too. The last time I sweated like that was in a hot box yoga class.