The Rest of July

I have no idea where the time goes. But July just was gone in the blink of an eye. It was filled with lots of routine--dentist apppointments, yet another new office for Dan, swimming, playgroup, library story time--the usual. I have no ability to narrow down pictures, so here are quite a few. Enjoy!

July 7--Little Mommies. These girls love their dolls. I got to go see the new Twilight movie with my Mom this day to celebrate her 56th birthday--thanks Kyra for watching my girls!

Funny face July 7 before bed

July 9:  Look at that handsome man! I just love my little family.

July 12:  Megan (our little fashionista) loves sporting undies, running shoes, and an apron--it's all the rage this year

July 12:  Brooke was checking out the birthday box from Grandma and Papa--looks promising :)

July 12:  Princess night shirts

Look at my little baby girl on her last night of infancy--July 12

I love how they sleep--Megan loves having Bunny and Bear touching her face.

Megan making her bed, July 14--she is quite the neat and tidy bedmaker.  She loves pulling the blankets tight so there are no wrinkles.

Another neat and tidy habit of Megan's--putting the bath toys "just so" every night after bath.  I love seeing my own love of organization (not to mention my own Mom's love of it) reflected in Megan!

Happy girl after naptime, July 14

Ready for church, July 18

July 30: PJs and a princess movie--what more could 3 cute girlfriends ask for?

Brooke's Party

On July 16th, we had family and friends meet up at our neighborhood pool to have a little party for our Brookie.
She loved showing off her walking-in-water skills (consisting of step, step, dive underwater and wait smiling underwater for some adult to save her).  Incidentally, I never manage to take pictures at the pool now that I have children...who knows why?
We swam and played and sang "Happy Birthday" and had cupcakes and really enjoyed ourselves.
Playing at the pool is definitely my favorite part of summer. It is so relaxing to be outside and in the water. I love, love, LOVE it.

A little pre-party present opening--thanks for the books and cute oufit Granny and Grandpa :)

I love the sunscreen sheen and spiky hair!

I just love those blue eyes and rosy cheeks.

Yay! Steps! (I only have these pictures since my parents were there to take pictures)

Cute cousins--Megan and Chloe (two terrifying fish--both are just good enough at swimming to be really, really dangerous!)

Uncle T and Brooke!

I included this because I can't look at this picture without laughing--it's my brother Shad. Dan, Ty, Shad and my Dad enjoyed the big slides more than the kids. They especially appreciated the shorter wait times during "adult swim"--no kids to get in the way!

Brooke is 1!

Somehow we blinked and suddenly Brooke's birthday was upon us. She turned 1 year old on July 13, 2010.

Brooke weight: 23 lbs, 5 oz (83 percent)
Brooke height: 30 in (79 percent)

On her actual birthday, we started the day with some waffles...mmmmm...

Dolly kisses...

Playgroup at the pool (check out that "new walker" stance!)

Dinner of pasta, corn, and bread (no shortage of carbs in this house)

And of course--cake! Strawberry shortcake to be exact. She was no stranger to dessert consumption and quickly showed that cake who's boss...

We ended with presents! A puzzle, dress, and shoes from Mom and Dad, an elephant on wheels from Megan, and a really exciting doggy book from Grandma and Papa. Megan even let her look at the new toys occasionally...

The week of her first birthday she went from taking a few hesitant steps here and there to walking all over the place!

Brooke--you are such a happy, calm, little sweetheart. We just adore you and your smiles and giggles. You are still a champion sleeper--you sleep from 7 pm to 6 am and nap for an hour and a half in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon. You love music and dancing, reading books, playing with dolls, being with Megan, hot milk in the morning, sucking your thumb at rest times, and your "blankie" (thank goodness there are 4 blankies you will accept). You can say "Dada", "Mama", "uh-oh", and "bye-bye" and can sign "milk". You are getting a little more busy these days and church seems to get longer week by week, but we love seeing you learn and grow!
Love, Mommy and Daddy

The Beach (Fourth of July)

We hadn't been to Galveston to play in the water since before we moved here. We thought the Monday holiday on July 5th would be the perfect opportunity to head on down. It was a fantastic day despite a few oil globs (thanks BP!). It was cloudy when we pulled in around 9 am and stayed...not really "cool" but not miserable! We left around lunch time to head back to my parent's for a little BBQ. It was a great 4th weekend.

Megan was pretty excited to see the water--she ran for it as soon as we parked.

Brookie checking out the spot

Mmmm....sand...(she approved of the new "snack")

Waves are so peaceful--Galveston may not have white sands and crystal clear water, but it's got waves :)

Nice warm water to enjoy

A little Baywatch action...she just needs the red rescue tube!

Water babies...

Breaking out the floaties...

A fantastic day!

Wicked

For the second half of our anniversary celebration, we got tickets to go see Wicked on July 2, 2010. We've been to a few musicals these past few years (Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, Shrek, Miss Saigon) and this was by far our favorite. If you care, we'd rank Wicked first, followed by Shrek (really this one is cute), then Mary Poppins, Les Mis, and in dead last that we strongly recommend NOT seeing, Miss Saigon.

Just like our date on our actual anniversary, the weather was TERRIBLE! My parents were watching the kids for us and it was a pretty hair-raising drive down there. But we all made it safe and sound. They even kept our kids overnight so we could sleep in on Saturday--thanks Mom and Dad!

After the scary drive, before the play on July 2, 2010

Megan and Brooke enjoying their leisurely morning before their big sleepover with Granny and Grandpa

A common sight in July--Brooke standing, looking sturdy but not quite ready to take steps alone

We picked up the kids at the Independence Day Breakfast at their ward building and then spent the day at my parents' place, swimming, playing games, and relaxing.

Megan "relaxing" after a busy day!

Hair Cut...

Since it had been a good two years since my last haircut, I decided it was high time to shed some locks for the summer.  I LOVE it!  And as always, I wonder why I waited so long to get it done.

Before (June 27)

 

After!  (July 3)