The stats:
Length=33.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight=27 lbs, 8 oz (85th percentile)
Brooke on 1/31/11
Monday, January 31, 2011
18 months...
I can't believe it--as of Jan. 13 my baby is 18 months old! She had her checkup on Jan. 31 and is doing great. She can say over 65 words, runs and climbs like a champ, and loves to giggle. She tries her best to keep up with big sis (and at this growth rate, it won't be long before she catches her size-wise). We love you Brookie-boo!
The stats:
Length=33.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight=27 lbs, 8 oz (85th percentile)
Brooke on 1/31/11
The stats:
Length=33.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight=27 lbs, 8 oz (85th percentile)
Brooke on 1/31/11
The rest of January...
I love January. It feels like such a fresh start. The house gets de-cluttered from all the Christmas stuff and I get back to the normal routine of life that the holidays throw off for a while--grocery swapping, playgroup, preschool, etc.
Yelling at dinnertime, 1/14/11
Brooke learned to go down the slide alone, 1/21/11 (notice that it does get cold occasionally)
Beautiful blue eyes, 1/21/11
Walking in Mom's heels, 1/23/11
Cute church girls, 1/23/11
Dinnertime helpers, 1/24/11
Impromptu preschool, 1/26/11 (the host mom's kid was sick that day so we had the other kids over to play--Brooke loved getting to attend with the big girls)
Audrey and Megan (Megan preferred wearing her cape as a skirt)
Kate and Brooke (Brooke preferred wearing the cape as a hat)
After naps, also 1/26/11--I love that face
Playing their block trumpets, 1/27/11
A new homemade dress for Megan, 1/30/11
Biker Brooke w/pigtails (I promise, they're there), 1/31/11
Chocolate Pudding after lunch, 1/31/11
Yelling at dinnertime, 1/14/11
Brooke learned to go down the slide alone, 1/21/11 (notice that it does get cold occasionally)
Beautiful blue eyes, 1/21/11
Walking in Mom's heels, 1/23/11
Cute church girls, 1/23/11
Dinnertime helpers, 1/24/11
Impromptu preschool, 1/26/11 (the host mom's kid was sick that day so we had the other kids over to play--Brooke loved getting to attend with the big girls)
Audrey and Megan (Megan preferred wearing her cape as a skirt)
Kate and Brooke (Brooke preferred wearing the cape as a hat)
After naps, also 1/26/11--I love that face
Playing their block trumpets, 1/27/11
A new homemade dress for Megan, 1/30/11
Biker Brooke w/pigtails (I promise, they're there), 1/31/11
Chocolate Pudding after lunch, 1/31/11
Friday, January 28, 2011
Park Day
I love these girls...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A Fond Farewell
We met our friends Mark and Kyra in our first ward in Houston--their first Sunday was our first Sunday too and Mark was starting work with ExxonMobil as well.
We got to know them a little before moving to our house and were thrilled when they ended up buying a house down the street! They had a little girl about 2 months after Brooke and it was so fun to have them so close. We had a great almost 2 years with them as neighbors, game-playing buddies, and friends. Sadly, that time came to an end in the middle of January when they had to move to Louisiana for work.
We got to have them over for one last dinner the week that they moved and it happened to be Mark's birthday. We miss you guys!
Jan. 19, 2011 (Brooke was ready for bed and had dinner all over her clothes--hence the diaper and socks look)
Blowing out the candles...
Hugs!
Megan-3 years, Brielle-16 months, Brooke-18 months
We got to know them a little before moving to our house and were thrilled when they ended up buying a house down the street! They had a little girl about 2 months after Brooke and it was so fun to have them so close. We had a great almost 2 years with them as neighbors, game-playing buddies, and friends. Sadly, that time came to an end in the middle of January when they had to move to Louisiana for work.
We got to have them over for one last dinner the week that they moved and it happened to be Mark's birthday. We miss you guys!
Jan. 19, 2011 (Brooke was ready for bed and had dinner all over her clothes--hence the diaper and socks look)
Blowing out the candles...
Hugs!
Megan-3 years, Brielle-16 months, Brooke-18 months
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New Year and New Do's
Hair-do's that is. For Brooke, I've finally been able to try a few things other than a teeny pony on top--like this--a teeny pony on top and a teeny pony in the back. (pics from 1/12/11)
January also marked an AMAZING milestone for our family--Brooke started nursery!!!! That means that we don't have ANY* kids with us after sacrament meeting.
*Of course, this is more meaningful for Dan who really doesn't have kids with him. It makes less of a difference to me because since being put in primary, I didn't have Brooke with me anyway (Dan took her every week) and I continue to spend church surrounded by kids. Just not my own.
Except that Megan graduated from nursery and is now a full-fledged Sunbeam so I do see her for part of primary.
Brooke mostly likes nursery and Megan mostly likes primary. Brooke cries as Dan walks her to nursery each week, but then typically stops crying and plays (somberly) or naps on a leader (thanks nursery leaders!). Megan spent a few weeks crying and clinging to me as I ran around like a crazy during opening exercises and sharing time, but is beginning to adjust. She loves singing time, but was a little nervous the first few times to have to leave for class. I haven't had to drag her screaming and kicking to her class in a few weeks now--progress :). I think if I wasn't in there, she would be fine the whole time.
Yay for new adventures! We're looking forward to a great 2011.
January also marked an AMAZING milestone for our family--Brooke started nursery!!!! That means that we don't have ANY* kids with us after sacrament meeting.
*Of course, this is more meaningful for Dan who really doesn't have kids with him. It makes less of a difference to me because since being put in primary, I didn't have Brooke with me anyway (Dan took her every week) and I continue to spend church surrounded by kids. Just not my own.
Except that Megan graduated from nursery and is now a full-fledged Sunbeam so I do see her for part of primary.
Brooke mostly likes nursery and Megan mostly likes primary. Brooke cries as Dan walks her to nursery each week, but then typically stops crying and plays (somberly) or naps on a leader (thanks nursery leaders!). Megan spent a few weeks crying and clinging to me as I ran around like a crazy during opening exercises and sharing time, but is beginning to adjust. She loves singing time, but was a little nervous the first few times to have to leave for class. I haven't had to drag her screaming and kicking to her class in a few weeks now--progress :). I think if I wasn't in there, she would be fine the whole time.
Yay for new adventures! We're looking forward to a great 2011.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Our Big Loser :)
Every year we have a family night in January where we make resolutions--three per person plus three as a family.
In 2010, Dan set a goal to lose a pound a week. His parents have made some major life changes since they became empty nesters and both have lost a lot of weight and look great, so they were a good source of ideas for him.
He put up a chart in the bathroom and weighed in faithfully each Wednesday. The first 2 weeks, not much change. So he bought some dumbbells and started lifting 3 times a week. He also decided to go walking at lunch every day. He finally found the guys in the ward who play basketball and started playing twice a week. By April, he had a bike and started riding after work, inside with a bike trainer (makes a regular bike a stationary bike), or on weekends. He also started really watching his portion size at meals and was more open to me trying healthier recipes. I've made more fish in this year of marriage then in the five before it!
Long story short, all that hard work paid off! Other people started to notice when he hit about 20 pounds lost. And kept noticing as he hit 30, then 40, then 50 (ultimately ending the year at 54 pounds down). That helped him stay motivated throughout the year.
I'm so proud of him--I've always thought he looked good, but now he almost believes me!
He looks great and feels great and wants to lose another 20 pounds in 2011.
Go Dan. You can do it. Love you lots.
Before: Dec. 5, 2009
After: Nov. 21, 2010
In 2010, Dan set a goal to lose a pound a week. His parents have made some major life changes since they became empty nesters and both have lost a lot of weight and look great, so they were a good source of ideas for him.
He put up a chart in the bathroom and weighed in faithfully each Wednesday. The first 2 weeks, not much change. So he bought some dumbbells and started lifting 3 times a week. He also decided to go walking at lunch every day. He finally found the guys in the ward who play basketball and started playing twice a week. By April, he had a bike and started riding after work, inside with a bike trainer (makes a regular bike a stationary bike), or on weekends. He also started really watching his portion size at meals and was more open to me trying healthier recipes. I've made more fish in this year of marriage then in the five before it!
Long story short, all that hard work paid off! Other people started to notice when he hit about 20 pounds lost. And kept noticing as he hit 30, then 40, then 50 (ultimately ending the year at 54 pounds down). That helped him stay motivated throughout the year.
I'm so proud of him--I've always thought he looked good, but now he almost believes me!
He looks great and feels great and wants to lose another 20 pounds in 2011.
Go Dan. You can do it. Love you lots.
Before: Dec. 5, 2009
After: Nov. 21, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Eve and Christmas!
We had such a nice Christmas season this year. It was our first Christmas in Houston since 2007. That meant it was the first Christmas morning we have done in our house as just our own small family. I loved it! Dan also mentioned how much fun it was this year to watch Megan and Brooke's excitement--they were thrilled with each stocking stuffer and gift.
Growing up, my family would do a fancy, 5-course, candlelit meal for Christmas Eve. With so many little ones (5 kids age 7 to 18 months), our Christmas eve was a little less fancy but no less filling!
For appetizers we had cucumber stuffed with a shrimp/tomato mixture and shrimp cocktail. That was followed by our soup (clam chowder), salad (green salad), and entree (ham!) with yummy sides like cheesy potatoes, fruit salad, and rolls. Then for dessert, we had cake (but we were so full from dinner, most of us had to opt out and wait for that the next day!) *On a side note, if any of you decide to make a fruit salad from the fat free vanilla pudding and a variety of cut up fruit--avoid the acidic fruits (like pineapple) because they make it taste weird :) Who knew?
After dinner we acted out the Christmas story from Luke 2. Megan's favorite part was wearing a headband and toga--she insisted on being another "Jo-bus" (Joseph) and we are pretty sure Brooke was a sheep. Brooke on the other hand refused a toga but followed around the other Joseph (Zach) and Mary (Chloe) quite happily. Hailey was the angel and my sister Carrie and brother Shad also made appearances as the narrator (Carrie) and the donkey (Shad). We then sang Christmas carols, my mom read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids, and we enjoyed just being together. Megan and Brooke got to open their new PJs and then we went back to our house around 8 pm and put the kids down. Dan and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and made our last Christmas preparations.
The girls were up early (as always) around 5:50 am. We got them to snuggle with us for a few minutes but were heading in to open presents by about 6:05. Megan was SO excited when we told her that Santa had come and that she could open the presents under the tree. Good thing Santa is wise and put just a few pieces of candy in each girls' stocking because they pretty much wanted to eat ALL of that candy before moving on to other presents.
Waiting for morning...
Just look at that happy little one...
Megan got a few games this year--she really enjoys matching and has loved both Memory and Old Maid.
Some post present-opening dancing...
And here we are at 7:25--presents (opened.) breakfast (cooking.) tired kids (check.)
Singing Jingle Bells...
Enjoying the goods...
Santa brought the girls a play tent (they LOVE it), a Disney princess puzzle for Megan, and a movie (Inception) for Mom and Dad. He also brought Brooke her very own doll--she was so anxious to have it out of its box and in her arms that she hit Mommy in the head in her efforts to encourage faster twist-tie untying! Once Brooke had that doll in her arms, she didn't care about much else. Other highlights of the presents were a little Sleeping Beauty doll from Brooke to Megan, a stuffed dog from Megan to Brooke, pillow pets from Grandma and Papa, and new laundry baskets for me from the girls (trust me when I say that was a highlight--my laundry baskets were in quite the sad shape), stuffed animals from Uncle Tyler, the Safety Kids books/cds (anybody else remember those?) from my parents, etc. Dan's big presents were his 52 inch LED-LCD TV (that he actually got when it went on sale in October) and a stand to put it on (Thanks Grandma and Papa) from early December. Those were my big presents too :).
After breakfast and cleaning up the house, we headed down to Granny and Grandpa's for some lunch and more presents. We also skyped later with Grandma and Papa to open presents from them. And on Sunday, we skyped with Dan's siblings as we opened each others' gifts. It was a great Christmas and a great weekend!
Growing up, my family would do a fancy, 5-course, candlelit meal for Christmas Eve. With so many little ones (5 kids age 7 to 18 months), our Christmas eve was a little less fancy but no less filling!
For appetizers we had cucumber stuffed with a shrimp/tomato mixture and shrimp cocktail. That was followed by our soup (clam chowder), salad (green salad), and entree (ham!) with yummy sides like cheesy potatoes, fruit salad, and rolls. Then for dessert, we had cake (but we were so full from dinner, most of us had to opt out and wait for that the next day!) *On a side note, if any of you decide to make a fruit salad from the fat free vanilla pudding and a variety of cut up fruit--avoid the acidic fruits (like pineapple) because they make it taste weird :) Who knew?
After dinner we acted out the Christmas story from Luke 2. Megan's favorite part was wearing a headband and toga--she insisted on being another "Jo-bus" (Joseph) and we are pretty sure Brooke was a sheep. Brooke on the other hand refused a toga but followed around the other Joseph (Zach) and Mary (Chloe) quite happily. Hailey was the angel and my sister Carrie and brother Shad also made appearances as the narrator (Carrie) and the donkey (Shad). We then sang Christmas carols, my mom read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids, and we enjoyed just being together. Megan and Brooke got to open their new PJs and then we went back to our house around 8 pm and put the kids down. Dan and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and made our last Christmas preparations.
The girls were up early (as always) around 5:50 am. We got them to snuggle with us for a few minutes but were heading in to open presents by about 6:05. Megan was SO excited when we told her that Santa had come and that she could open the presents under the tree. Good thing Santa is wise and put just a few pieces of candy in each girls' stocking because they pretty much wanted to eat ALL of that candy before moving on to other presents.
Waiting for morning...
Megan got a few games this year--she really enjoys matching and has loved both Memory and Old Maid.
Some post present-opening dancing...
And here we are at 7:25--presents (opened.) breakfast (cooking.) tired kids (check.)
Enjoying the goods...
Santa brought the girls a play tent (they LOVE it), a Disney princess puzzle for Megan, and a movie (Inception) for Mom and Dad. He also brought Brooke her very own doll--she was so anxious to have it out of its box and in her arms that she hit Mommy in the head in her efforts to encourage faster twist-tie untying! Once Brooke had that doll in her arms, she didn't care about much else. Other highlights of the presents were a little Sleeping Beauty doll from Brooke to Megan, a stuffed dog from Megan to Brooke, pillow pets from Grandma and Papa, and new laundry baskets for me from the girls (trust me when I say that was a highlight--my laundry baskets were in quite the sad shape), stuffed animals from Uncle Tyler, the Safety Kids books/cds (anybody else remember those?) from my parents, etc. Dan's big presents were his 52 inch LED-LCD TV (that he actually got when it went on sale in October) and a stand to put it on (Thanks Grandma and Papa) from early December. Those were my big presents too :).
After breakfast and cleaning up the house, we headed down to Granny and Grandpa's for some lunch and more presents. We also skyped later with Grandma and Papa to open presents from them. And on Sunday, we skyped with Dan's siblings as we opened each others' gifts. It was a great Christmas and a great weekend!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sweet Dreams
Megan has the cutest goodnight routine right now. After she says prayers, she turns to either Dan or I and says "I need kiss" and kisses you on the lips or lets you kiss her forehead. That's followed by "I need esk-mos" (eskimo kisses). After the esk-mos, she says "I need buh-flies" (butterfly kisses)--which she needs from EACH eye. Then she wraps her skinny little arms around your neck and gives the sweetest hug and says "Thank you Mommy" or "Thank you Daddy" and proceeds to do the same with the other parent. It just melts me--no matter how long the day has been.
This made my heart melt too--this pic is from when we checked on the kids on Dec. 22. I was a little surprised to see Megan's bed empty! Apparently Megan was nervous way over on the other side of the room and needed some reassurance from her sis to fall asleep. Amazingly, they really do fall asleep together. We've found them snuggling in the crib a few times since then. Poor Brooke--good thing she can sleep through just about anything!
This made my heart melt too--this pic is from when we checked on the kids on Dec. 22. I was a little surprised to see Megan's bed empty! Apparently Megan was nervous way over on the other side of the room and needed some reassurance from her sis to fall asleep. Amazingly, they really do fall asleep together. We've found them snuggling in the crib a few times since then. Poor Brooke--good thing she can sleep through just about anything!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
December Happenings...
On December 11, my sister Carrie (in an effort to cement her role as "favorite aunt"), invited the nieces and nephews to Shad's house for some graham cracker house decorating.
A few things got stuck in Megan's frosting--but mostly she just ate lots and lots of candy...
Brooke sat down and immediately demolished her house (which was hot-glued together no less) so she could eat the graham crackers--hot glue and all. Mmm. She also ate the 2 globs of frosting I used to stick some M&Ms in...and the M&Ms. She's a big fan of sugar before noon.
Christmas dresses--Dec. 12
Crazy, squinty Brooke smile...
Cute Megan... (and cute dress--thanks Aunt Jamie!)
Smiles!
And from Dec. 14--who doesn't love to snuggle up for a nap on the stone fireplace mantle...
A few things got stuck in Megan's frosting--but mostly she just ate lots and lots of candy...
Brooke sat down and immediately demolished her house (which was hot-glued together no less) so she could eat the graham crackers--hot glue and all. Mmm. She also ate the 2 globs of frosting I used to stick some M&Ms in...and the M&Ms. She's a big fan of sugar before noon.
Christmas dresses--Dec. 12
Crazy, squinty Brooke smile...
Cute Megan... (and cute dress--thanks Aunt Jamie!)
Smiles!
And from Dec. 14--who doesn't love to snuggle up for a nap on the stone fireplace mantle...
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