Birthday Gifts from the States

It's been more than a month since Brady's birthday, but I think we've received the last of the gifts that have been sent by family and friends back in the States.  We've very grateful that our family and friends back home were thinking of Brady on his birthday and sending gifts was more than we could have ever imagined.  We know how expensive it is to even send a small package, so the gestures do not go unappreciated.

The first package arrived a few days after Brady's actual birthday.  It was from his Pap (Andy's dad), Lori, Aunt Kat, and Uncle Jimmy.  The first present he opened in the package was a learning puppy.

The next gift was a toy Telly and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

The last gift in the package was a Rock and Roll Elmo guitar.  When Andy brought the package into the house and set it down, we heard the guitar start playing music.  We were surprised that the Customs office didn't tear open the box when it started making noise.

The next package was from Uncle Pat (Andy's brother) and Aunt Leecie.  Aunt Leecie must have picked up on Brady's love of cars, because all the gifts were wrapped in Cars paper and the first present was a talking Lightning McQueen!  It was a huge hit with Brady.

Uncle Pat and Aunt Leecie also sent a book about colors and flash cards that you use to spell out three letter words.  Aunt Leecie is a fellow teacher, so she always has a great mix of education and fun gifts.

Last, but certainly not least, was the gift from Aunt Dunny that arrived only a few weeks ago.  At this point, Brady knew that if there was a brown box in the living room, that it meant there were toys inside.  This package had been opened at the Customs office, so when Brady looked inside, his suspicions were confirmed!  Aunt Dunny had gotten him a big box of Duplos!

The best part about this box of Duplos, was that it came with a car, a small man, and the parts to build a house.  Brady loves to build his blocks high on the car and when they come tumbling down, he exclaims, "Oh no, no, no!"

I love looking at these pictures and seeing the progression of Brady's hair getting longer.  We came to Germany with a pair of hair clippers, and I fully intended to cut both boys' hair.  Brady would only need cut once and Andy maybe twice while we were here.  This past week, Andy wanted his hair cut and it was a complete disaster!  I freaked out about halfway through and wanted to quit.  It's passable now, but I don't think I'll be doing that again and I'll NEVER touch Brady's hair.  It was definitely a lesson learned the hard way.