Dear Beanifer or Benjamin,

 Dear Brecken, August is beginning in 2025, and Ye-ya and Bubba are about to go back to school. The last few months, your personality and vocabulary have sprouted as much as the red curls on your head. Some updates... Shaboozey...Bar Song.  Somehow this became not only your anthem, but also the song that sets the stage for you to dance just about anywhere.  We've played this song in several locations, and you make sure everyone joins you in an intense wide-stance, butt low dance as you clap. You also like his song 'Good News.'  Sing 1 and 2. Johnny!  Out all the animation films out there, the characters from Sing really caught your attention--when you exclaim Johnny!, I have a few seconds to find the young gorilla singing one of his songs. Porsha singing 'Could Have Been Me' is also a favorite. Shopping. It's a real joy to take you to the grocery store because you make it a point to say 'hi!' to just above everyone, and it really makes everyone's day...

 Dear Brecken, One of our favorite things these days is listening to you fill up the evenings with your 18-month-old blabber and vocabulary. You know quite a few words right now, and you seem to be learning new ones every day! I think we can all agree that our favorite is when you go through the list of names of people you know: Ma-ma! Da-da! Bub-ba! (Logan) Yee-Ya! (Leah) Be (Beast) Bock! (Colby Jack) Gamma (Grandma) Pa! (Grandpa) Some days you'll cite the entire list as if you're looking at a family portrait! But your favorite nouns are delightful as well... Ball! Nack! (referencing any number of snacks you love, including yogurt bites) Cheeeese! Clearly you like to eat! Eating 2 breakfasts...one at home...and then at School (Learning Zone, Berkshire) if we get you there by 8:15am.  Lately, mac-n-cheese, finger hats (raspberries) and dinosaur squash bites top the list. At 18-months, you're still breastfeeding, but even better, you invite your stuffed animals after you...

Dear Brecken, Goofy at Olive Garden Summer 2024 went by so quickly that I forgot to ask you to maybe slow down growing up...even just a little bit. We woke up one day this fall, and you were this Tasmanian devil with red curly hair who runs around the house making messes while babbling any of the following: Ma-ma! Da-da! Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba! Pool Time with the boys And then maybe you'll blow a raspberry/zerbrrt and then look around for approval with a mischievous smile, indicating you know you're trouble.  You're funny, and you know you're funny. We push you around in the grocery store and you interact with everyone you see....and you make all those people smile.  You're coordinated and really strong. You like to pick up soccer balls and throw them in a game of catch. Then, when you're done with your dinner, you chuck the remaining pieces of your food as far as you can. It's a nightly game. You had your first trip to the beach this summer. You loved the beach and...

 Dear Brecken, It's June 2024, which means it's my 1st Father's Day with you as my son. But before we talk about this weekend, let me first say: YOU HAVE BROUGHT SO MUCH JOY TO SO MANY PEOPLE ALREADY. You are 9 months old now, and you are such a smart, happy, goofy baby, and your smiles just light up every room you enter. I'll do my best to recap the last few months. 1st, you have an Instagram Account: Brecken_in_the_trails     Is that ridiculous? Of course it is, but don't think people haven't noticed that you've visited more National Parks before age 1 than most people do their whole lives.  Instagram is a big deal these days, so let's see what Social Media is doing 18 years from now.  Brecken April 2024 You've hit all your milestones, and once your 2 first teeth came in, you pretty much haven't stopped eating. Your mom bought this food tracking chart, and we started out very slowly...maybe a couple of new vegetables every week. Now, we're ...

Dear Brecken, Happy 1st New Years Eve! I wanted to let you know that you're not even 4-months old yet, and you've already set a very high bar for infant traveling, exploration, and National Parks.  In October, we took a family reunion out West where Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mike, Aunt Daniela, (great) Aunt DeeDee joined us for a 3-state, 2 National Park Adventure. Here we are: Yellowstone National Park 10.23 The week included Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and a bunch of animals and sightseeing. Antelopes in the cabin yard every morning and wild buffaloes 10-feet from the car were just a couple highlights from the week. (Side note: I may retire up there one day...or maybe have a retirement house) Here's a video recap of an amazing week: IDAHO 2023   I also want to tell you that you became an instant sensation as National Park sign infant baby.  Then...we followed that trip up with a December trip to South Florida. This trek included Everglades Nation...

Dear Brecken, I want to tell you about September 5, 2023. Our story starts at around 1:45 am when your Mom woke me up and told me, "It's time." That was code for: this baby is about to join us in the real world.  Your mom's contractions were coming in hot (less than 5 minutes between), so it was time to make the early morning journey to downtown Nashville. Looking back, part of me was probably relieved it happened in the middle of the night because I had this giant fear of getting stuck on I-24 in rush hour. So we loaded up our 'to-go' luggage and a couple of last-minute items, and off we went to St. Thomas Midtown. Then things took a twist. Picture this: It's 5:00 am. We've been greeted by a nurse and welcome staff. We've been checked into a delivery room. Your mom is in a delivery gown dealing with frequent contractions. We're ready. The world is ready.... But then the Nurse performs a couple checks before revealing a confused look and relayi...