Behind the Music - Birdie's Banjo

Band Members:

Brooke Swanson - Lead Vocals and Hand Banjo
Blake Swanson - Back-Up Vocals and Assistant Lip Flapper



Exclusive World Premier! Birdie's Banjo gives an intimate concert from Troutdale, Oregon. Turn up the volume!!!

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Who is this big kid and what have they done with my baby?!

Patience is a virtue.

We're gonna have to do some work on that virtue. Look at Godzilla go in her saucer - waiting for me to bring her the bedtime bottle. I am terrified of what is coming when she is upright and mobile.

Grandma Yoo Hoo (Julie) Comes to Visit - Again!

Grandma Julie came for the weekend and spent lots of quality time with Miss Brooke. It was a lovely visit. Thanks to her, I was able to finish the 750+ page Harry Potter #7! I give it two thumbs up.


Is it just me or is someone looking a little like a strawberry blonde?!

Comedy Gold

Brooke is starting to find things very amusing. She thought it was hilarious when I took groceries out of the cart and put them on the conveyor belt at the checkout stand - she was chuckling away in the cart and it charmed the heck out of the cashier. Why this was funny to Brooke, who knows?

But what cracks her up the most is taking her toy or her binky, chewing on it, and then throwing it down and saying "I don't want it!". That is some fuuuuunny stuff.......



***Please note the brief glimpse of Thor doing his famous "dead cockroach" impersonation at the start of the clip in the lower right corner (also known as "doing the Big Worm"). His paw remains in the frame throughout. When Grandma Julie is here, Thor is a giant green-eyed monster and must insert himself directly into the middle of any and all festivities taking place, as you can see below....

8 Months Old!

Been a few days since my last post. Tonight we celebrated Blake's b-day with some fantastic steaks and a little Padres baseball on TV.

On July 13th Brooke turned eight months old! We had a good weekend - took Brooke to Mt. Hood for a little hiking and 4x4ing in her big girl car seat in the Wrangler. That will probably be the last hike in the front-facing Bjorne - Brooke is just too heavy. She loved the hike - she chattered and shrieked the whole time and kicked her legs non-stop.

She also got a new toy that makes all kinds of obnoxious noises. It is a big hit. She has the same toy at school, so she will become an expert at pushing all the buttons on it.

Michigan J. Frog

Brooke gives her new toy a try below. I was trying to get her to say "dada" for the camera. She says "dada" all the time....except when I really want her to! She was into blowing bubbles tonight instead, as you can see. :)

Happy Mommy

I had to just write a happy little post tonight. The following have all happened this evening:

Brooke had a good day at her new school, which included celebrating her new friend George's 1st B-day,
Blake cooked up some tasty burgers and asparagus,
Brooke and I played on her activity mat and she can wave her toys around like a champ,
Blake was saying "dada" and Brooke was repeating it back to him,
Brooke had a bath and treated me to some hand clapping - her hands together and her hand on mine,
Blake gave her a bottle and I put her in her crib and she was asleep by 8:01 pm,
I think I plugged the mouse hole in the closet, so I can stop my Exterminator job/obsession,
And, last but not least - it is 9:00 p.m. and I am sitting in the yard in a tank top watching the sun go down (and a lightning show over to the West!) with a fresh beer from the keg and messing around on the MAC, listening to a little Dave Matthews, while Blake, Brooke and Thor sleep upstairs, snug in the air conditioned bedrooms.

Blissssssssssss.........





















Oh - and the release of Harry Potter 7 is only 8 days away and I discovered I have a fellow Harry-loving soul at work to geek-out with regarding Finale speculation - she also has brown hair and occasionally wears glasses....Nerds unite!!!

Word Cloud

We're back!

Phew! What a week - Flagstaff and Sedona were awesome. We had a great visit with Anne-Marie (the Bride), Erika (the Maid-of-Honor) and Wade (the Groom). The wedding was beautiful. It was held at a small chapel that used to be part of the Swanson property and it was one of the hottest days in decades. The reception was a big party - great bbq, beverages and visiting, including some fierce games of horseshoes (Nice shoes, Team Beam!). Brooke loved every minute. She is such a social butterfly. Her home base was in her bumbo chair on the front porch. After roughing it for four days, we headed down south to Sedona for some time in the Hilton pool. Brooke broke in her new inflatible crab pool toy. We kept passing folks in the hallway and they would smile and say "There is the Crab Baby!". All in all, good times! Check the Flickr link above right for more photos.