Whoops...forgot to add these

NEW CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!

Mimi and Grandpa brought over my Christmas present a bit early today...a Nikon D40! I am soooo excited and have been taking pictures all day! Here are a few "test shots". It's like uber-cold out today, so I can't even attempt to play with the natural light. THANKS Mimi and Grandpa--I loooooove my new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Word!

Guess what? My dear, sweet little Brookie-pie said her first word today, and I looooove her because....it was................Maaaaammmmmmaaaaaa!!!

YAY!!!!

She's so proud of herself, and crawls around saying mmmmmaaaaammmmmmmaaaaa, maaaaammmmaaaa...than claps for herself (and her audience of Connor and I)! I guess all these months of "coaching" really paid off! ;)

It's Snowing....and this is Brookie's first *real* snow!

It's a beautiful and snowy Saturday....quite unexpected, really. We had what I thought were just a few snow showers this morning, and because Connor has been quite the little devil lately, I decided there was no way we were staying cooped up inside all day...so, we ventured out to the mall. Well, apparently I missed the forecast that mentioned snow for today--it hasn't quit, and let's just say the drive to the mall was a little dicey, at best! But, we survived, and made it there, and back--with a fresh haircut for Connor, and a couple of cute sale outfits for Ms. Brooke in tow! Now, we're curled up on the couch, watching Rudolph and the snow from the living room windows!

Before we ventured out this morning we did a little photoshoot for the Christmas card (which I JUST NOW ordered---eeeeeks!!!!), and here are a few examples of what you might see on the card! :) Hope you're all as cozy as we are, today!

December!!!

Connor and Brooke's cousin Will!

Grandma Pat and Aunt Wendy!

The Family on Thanksgiving

OSU game crew!

Sierra and Connor chillin'

Brookie and her Gramps! (Like the cow? :)


Auntie Anna, Tim, and Brooke

I can't believe it's officially December!!! Wow! Above are some pics from the last week or so...will post more later, after I finish downloading the bazillion pictures taken over the last seven days!!! :)

Catch up!!!

All is well on the homefront! We had a great Halloween, and are now greatly anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas! In fact, I brought out the coveted stack of Christmas books the other night, and Connor has been having sooo much fun each night cozying up to "The Polar Express", and other favorites. He actually has been begging to go to bed so we can read stories each night. Tonight, in the tub, he was pretending to be Santa Clause--picking me up for a trip on the "Polar Supress"...pretty cute! We're so excited to be getting to see so much family this month! Aunt Marce was in town last week, which was awesome. (she PLAYED with Connor--like down, on the ground--she obviously had boys! :) Andy is coming this weekend, and we're thrilled to see him, (Connor can't wait), and, of course, Auntie Anna will be here next Wednesday! Woohoo!!!! Aunt Wendy and Uncle Michael, Emily and Will are coming on Saturday for a whole week...we're super excited to see them, too--it's been over a year, and they've never met Brooke. So, lot's to look forward to, including visits from dear friends coming back into town! Yay! Here are some recent pics for those of you we won't get to see this week.


The kids after their naps today...I had to bribe Connor with a lollipop to sit here!



Brookie and her ponytails! ;) (Sorry about the drool on the shirt--I just noticed a tooth popping through).


And, ponytails, again! ;)

P-O-T-T-Y (dare I say it) TRAINED?????

Wow--those smart cookies that say when a child is finally ready to potty train, they will do it quickly and easily were sooo right! We've started and stopped training many, many times now...with down right refusal to go poopy on the potty, and lack of interest all together in peeing. Then, the other night, I asked Connor to go before his bath. Before I knew it, he had gone all by himself--standing up! Wow! So, yesterday, we started out the day in undies, and stayed in them ALL DAY LONG!!! He went poopy on the potty every single time he had to go (toy catalog in hand for some entertainment), and had only a minor pee-pee accident!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!! Today has been successful as well--a couple little accidents, but I think that's to be expected. Overall, I think we're on the right track, with great hopes of being TOTALLY trained by the end of next week!!!! Just think of all the money we'll be saving in diapers...cue the "Hallelujah Chorus"! ;)

7 Random Facts...Tagged! ;)

The lovely Jess tagged me for this post...Seven Random Facts About Myself. I'll write these random facts and tag seven people--so watch out--you might be next! ;)

Seven Random Facts:

1. When I was growing up my Dad called me "Gretle" because I would leave a trail of crumbs, or clothes, or paper, or something where ever I went. I think this still happens for the most part! ;)

2. In fourth grade, my lovely friend Lyndsay and I were obsessed with Chad Allen from "Our House"...and I mean OBSESSED!!! We journaled about meeting him every single day in our fourth grade classroom (poor Ms. Shumaker :), and spent hours upon hours looking through national phone books in the library to try to locate him (and other famous people). Ahhh, good times! ;) I'm pretty sure Teah, Lyndsay and I tried to call River Phoenix one night from Lyndsay's house...did we get anywhere, girls? At least we weren't pranking at that point...right? Oye ve...

3. When I was little I was also obsessed with being a movie star...I wanted to go to Hollywood sooo badly! I couldn't understand why my parents wouldn't just pick up and move to California...Ha!

4. I think there is honestly nothing better than to hold a sleeping baby in your arms..all cuddly and sweet. Oh, and to kiss their downy little heads after a bath...ahhhh...God knew what he was doing when he made these little ones so precious!

5. I still talk to my mom at least once every day...sometimes many more times (right mom?)...and yet, she still reads my blog! Ha! ;)

6. Every Christmas eve, my sister and I would sleep together and wake up on Christmas morning with great anticipation and glee. We still slept together the first year Tommy and I were married, because I wasn't ready to give that tradition up! :)

7. Even after (almost) seven years of marriage, and two kids, I still look at my husband with stars in my eyes...and I love to see pieces of him in our kids!

Okay, I'm tagging Mom, Steph, Shannon, Michelle, Wilma, Tara, and Brooke.

Help, please?

When I was pregnant with Connor--almost four years ago now (yikes ;), I joined an online message board where I have since met many WONDERFUL Ladies and friends! One of them, Jenn, adopted two gorgeous children from Ethiopia, after her son was born. Please read her post here and consider making a donation to the Thomas Center. I was so moved after I read this...thinking about all that we have and how much I take for granted each day. Let's help this amazing organization get the washer and dryer they need so that these beautiful children can go home to their new families.

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18

Has Blogging Replaced Writing in Baby Books?

I was just sitting here thinking about this....when Connor was an infant, I spent a great deal of time writing about every little thing he did, i.e., his first taste of green beans, squash, cereal, etc., the first time he giggled, belly-laughed, his reaction to every little thing, etc., etc. Since I was in the habit, he has a nice, full book of stories about him, with pictures, medical records, his own drawings--the works! Then, there is the baby book that I have for poor Brookie...the girl...the one who probably WILL care about how much time her mother took to record all of the little things she did each week that were new and exciting, and write about how dear she is to us, and how much her presence has impacted our lives, when she first tried green beans, and on what exact date she showed us that radiant smile.

Brookie's book is not so full of information. In fact, it's sparse. I've quickly jotted things down, and crammed some papers from the doctor in there. But I've yet to really WRITE in the book. Bad, bad mommy!!! However, I'm blogging!!! Most weeks at least once or twice. I post pictures, and dates, and stories...even video clips! Does this count? Is this the sign of the times? See, like right now, I could be taking this extra 10 minutes I found this afternoon to write an entry in Brookie's baby book. But, I have to think so hard to do that! I've been so neglegent, so where the heck would I start? However, the blog is up to date. It's easy--all the info is here.

So, for the record, Brooke is now eating applesauce, green beans, peas, rice cereal, bananas (she looooves bananas), and pears. I bought peaches for her to try this week. She is crawling, and driving her brother absolutely crazy trying to steal all of his toys. And we love her....DEARLY!!!! We cannot imagine life without her, and in fact it seems as if she's been with us always! :) Maybe I should print this and stick it in her baby book..... ;)

Playing Dress-up!

We spent the afternoon playing dress-up, (or Brookie did, at least!).

This was her Mimi's dress when she was a baby! Isn't gorgeous? Vintage and beautiful...I love it. Though, the fabric is so delicate it makes me nervous to even put her in this. It already has a few small tears, and with Connor being anything BUT delicate, we could only leave it on for a few minutes. So sweet!




Mimi went shopping yesterday while I taught my classes, and found this gorgeous hand-made dress in a little boutique. Isn't it precious? The kids are both getting baptised in November, and this is what Brookie will wear! It's so great, because the lining of this dress feels like Jersey knit...it's sooo cozy!






And, Connor had to get in on the action...so here's a shot of the two of them to leave you with! :)

Penny's Visit!

My mom's dear cousin Penny visited this week from North Carolina. She's so sweet, and we're always so glad to get to see her!

Recent Happenings!

We put Connor's tent up in the playroom this weekend, and guess what? Both kids love to play in there! I did have to do a little bribing with candy corn to get these shots, though! ;)








And, look at my big helper...he did this all by himself...no prompting! He went and got his stool, and rinsed that dish--AFTER he carried it to the sink. Now, if only he'd be so proud to go on the potty! ;)

So I Don't Forget to Write it in the Baby Book....

She's officially crawling! ;) Brookie's been working on crawling for awhile now...she assumes the position, goes a "step" or two, and then usually sinks to her belly and rolls on to her side. Well, in the last couple of days, she's really mastered the art of crawling. Today she crawled across the entire living room! It definitely wears her out and she'll start yelling after a bit to let you know she's working so hard! :) She's getting so big, sooo fast! It's hard to believe she'll be seven months old in a couple of weeks.....

A Much Needed Hair-Cut!

I coaxed Connor into getting his hair cut today...I say coaxed, because that's literally what I have to do. He always says--"No Mommy, how about tomorrow...?" :) We went to the mall to run some errands, and I picked a random hair place there and really hyped it up (didn't hurt that there was an array of colorful candy machines positioned right across from the hair "salon" :). Connor hates wearing the cape, so I told him he absolutely did NOT have to wear the cape, and he was fine. He was actually more than fine--he was exceptionally well behaved! He sat sooo still, and didn't make nary a peep! The stylist actually asked if he ever talked--ha! So, now he's all clean-cut and grown up looking again. I was so proud of my big boy today!

Pumpkin Patch Round One!!!

I can't believe it's "pumpkin season" again! We went to the Pumpkin Patch with Mimi and Grandpa the other day! Sorry I didn't get more pics of Connor, but he was not being cooperative in terms of posing! They had a petting zoo and rides, and Connor was NOT into sitting and posing for a picture of any sort! ;) We had fun, and got some beautifully colored pumpkins. I love the new pumpkins and gourds they are growing these days--warty, brilliantly colored, and striped...so much fun! We got quite a few to decorate with. I think we'll go to the other Pumpkin Farm this Sunday, as the weather is supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's...perfect pumpkin weather! Much better than last year--when it was 91 degrees and we literally BAKED in the sun!

Brooke had her 6 month check-up on Monday. She is now 16lbs. 13oz. (70%) and 26 inches (50%)...she's definitely our little chub! :) You should SEE these thighs...talk about ham bones! Ha! We love it! Connor had his 3yo check up a couple of weeks ago and is pretty much in the 25-30% for height and weight, so I'm enjoying this chub while it lasts!

Here are some pics from Sunday at the Patch...hopefully Mr. Connor is more cooperative this Sunday so I can get some sweet pictures of him!!!





Connor and his Mimi (we had to bribe him to get him to sit here!)



And, Brookie with Mimi!



She loved those gourds...yummy! ;)