Thursday, December 31, 2009

Thank you 2009!

As I look back on 2009, I am just so grateful. We got to experience so much over the past year, so much that we are very thankful for.

2009 welcomed Brooke to our family; our happy, healthy, beautiful little girl, who we couldn't imagine our life without. She is the perfect addition to our family, we just love her so much!

Austin turned 2 this year and it has been the most fun watching him grow and watching his personality, vocabulary, and imagination take off. He is growing up so much, and has taken to being a big brother exceptionally well, we are just so proud of him and love him so much!

We spent a great portion of 2009 overseas in Japan, and were so thankful for the wonderful season Brian and his team had, and for the great friends we met while over there. It was a fun and rewarding adventure, one we are looking forward to again in 2010!

Our dog Hunter turned 7 this year. It seems just like yesterday we brought him home as a little puppy! He too has taken to being the big brother so well, he loves Austin and Brooke and has just been the most fun loving, albeit crazy/barking/jumping on people/napkin stealing dog ever!

And we are just so thankful for all of our family and friends, who are always there supporting us and loving us, even from thousands of miles away via skype (what would we do without video phone through our computer?!!!) We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives and wish you all a very happy, a very healthy, a very adventurous, a very loving, and a very fabulous 201o!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Standing Up!

Brooke started pulling herself up into a standing position this week...every time we turn around, she is standing up, holding onto something new with the biggest smile on her face!! I have found her pulling up on the side table, the bed, the sofas, the ottoman, her favorite toy, the tub, you name it!!

Almost there...

Look at that defensive stance!

Landing isn't so graceful, but at least she does it with a smile...

...most of the time!! Sometimes she's not too happy when she falls down!

...but quick to recover!

Using those legs!

Easy does it!

YAY! I did it!

She even found out how to crawl to her toy bin, and reach into it to grab the toys she wants!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Merry Christmas 2009!!

We had a great Christmas this year, it was spent with good friends, good food and good laughs! We joined the Putz family on Christmas Eve for dinner at their house followed by Christmas Eve mass together. Usually we open most of our family presents when we get home from church, but the kids were exhausted by the time we got home so we let them open up one each then it was off to bed! Austin could hardly wait to open up all of his presents Christmas morning though, the kids had a ton, they got so spoiled!! We spent all morning hanging out as a family in our PJ's, opening and playing with their gifts, and enjoyed a yummy breakfast together. It was so fun watching Austin and Brooke get so excited over their presents! Christmas day, our friends the Putz's and the Bourland's came over to our house for dinner and football, it was a great day and the kids had a blast running around playing with all their new toys!!

CHRISTMAS DAY 2009...
Austin was clearly the only one awake and ready to start Christmas day in this picture!! He jumped into bed with us to snuggle while we waited for Brookie to wake up so we could open our presents!

Look at all those presents!! The kids got spoiled this year, they had so much fun opening them all...Austin had double the fun, as he opened up all of Brooke's for her!

In present heaven!

Brooke's 1st Christmas, Hunter's 7th!

Hunter's favorite thing...opening his own present! (He always knows which one is his!)

Brooke had more fun eating the paper and the ribbons than actually opening her gifts! We had to keep our eyes on her, she always seemed to find a bow and get it into her mouth!

I just love seeing the excitement on their faces when they see their presents!

Austin couldn't open his gifts fast enough!

"YAY!! A double u!" (His exact words!)

Now how do I get this ribbon off so I can eat it?!

Brooke got her first cheerleading outfit!

Brooke admiring Austin's present opening capabilities!

Look who's standing up!!! Brooke can pull herself up now, it takes her a while to do it, but she loves it!

Our two little elves...Brooke kept trying to steal Austin's presents, he spent all morning picking them up and moving them all over the house so she couldn't get them!

Having fun with his new toys! Austin couldn't figure out which toy to play with first he had so many!!

DJ-JJ and DJ-Gabe having fun with their new toys too!!! JJ was trying to mix us some music on his new idj for Christmas dinner but he didn't have all the right cords yet...it was funny watching them get so into it though, just like the kids ;)

My only other picture from Christmas night...Brooke and Ethan playing!


'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS...
Happy Christmas Eve!


Ethan and Brooke

How adorable is this picture?! These two didn't even need mistletoe, they had Christmas spirit all on their own!
(Austin and Lauren...we need to keep our eye on these two!!)

Merry Christmas! Austin and Lauren, aren't they too cute!

Kaelyn, Lauren and Austin!

All the kids together...
Austin, Lauren, Brooke, Ethan and Kaelyn

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

"Empty"

Austin does the funniest thing when he's coloring. Whenever he tries to color with a white crayon, he always holds it up, and yells "EMPTY, mom, EMPTY!" He doesn't understand why the white doesn't show up on the paper, so he thinks it's empty!! It's too cute, and too funny the way kids see things!!

Holding up his "empty" white crayon!

Austin loves to color ;)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Our big girl...literally...

Brooke had her "6 month" well check a few weeks ago. It was a little late (she was technically 7 months and 1 week old when she went in for her appointment), but she is finally all caught up. She handled her shots like a champ, she yelled/screamed more than cried, but only when they jabbed her and then she was fine.

As for her measurements, to put it in the words of her doctor, "she is just huge." Thanks doc. It seems we have a chunky chunk after all! Brooke weighed in at 22 lbs 13 oz, and was 29 1/2 inches long, putting her well above the 100th percentile. Her pee wee head is still only in the 70th percentile at 17 1/4 inches. I swear it looks bigger than that though! Must be those fat cheekers!

In comparison with her brother at this age, she is currently 2 lbs and 13 oz heavier, and 1/2 an inch longer. Wow. No wonder I feel like I am nursing all day long and feeding her enough solids to fill a grown man. This girl is an eater! Now to be fair to Austin, I didn't start feeding him solids until he was 6 months old, so Brooke has had a month and a half on him, but still, she is a big girl! We just love it though, all the more to kiss...keep it up Brookie, you are going to need it now that you are moving all over the place (the doctor assured me now that you are crawling, your weight gain will slow down, that is good news, my left arm could use a break!!)

Our big girl!

All happy after her shots, and possibly trying to grab for the camera to eat it!!

Here's Austin right after his 6 month shots, measuring in at 20 lbs and 29 inches long.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Brooke at 8 months...

Dear Brooke,
Today you are 8 months old!! It's amazing how much you've grown! This past month you have mastered the "army crawl." You are not doing the conventional crawl, but boy you sure can get anywhere and everywhere scooting around the ground pulling with your arms and pushing with your toes. And I mean everywhere!! I find you in the rocks in our courtyard (you love rocks, we can't keep you out of them!), in the Christmas tree, under the table, in the backyard...you love to explore!!

You have also figured out how to go from laying down to sitting up all on your own! You especially love doing this in the tub, you get such a kick out of laying on your belly in the water, then sitting up, then splashing back down in the water again! You do this over and over every night! It's so much fun, it's almost like you are trying to swim!

You are still such happy baby, but boy do you get mad at mommy when I put you down and have to leave to go into the kitchen or something!! You get this look on your face (we call it the evil baby face!) and you cry so loud!! You do it to Daddy sometimes too, we figure you just love the attention so much, you are definitely a social girl!!

And yes, your tongue still sticks out 99.9% of the day. We don't know what it is about that tongue of yours, but it is literally always sticking out!! Your Dad wonders if it is too big for your mouth!! You have not gotten anymore teeth, you still have just the bottom two, but we wish the rest would hurry up already, we know they are bothering you!

You are quite the talker now, and have developed this new high pitch noise when you get excited! It actually sounds like you are talking to whales! Maybe you will be a marine biologist when you grow up!

You continue to eat like a champ. We have introduced meats to your diet and you love them, and you are getting more and more finger foods by the day. You love feeding yourself!! You also love drinking from straws, you get so excited when the water comes up!

We also found out that you hate when I get out of the shower and have a towel wrapped around my head! We don't know if it's because you don't recognize me with it on or what, but you literally crawl away from me crying, and put your head down into the ground like I am the scariest person you have ever seen!! It is actually pretty funny! It takes you a bit to figure out it is still me, and then you are OK ;)

You are still a wonderful sleeper, sure you still have those nights where you get up a few times, but for the most part, you are lights out! We are very lucky! You love your naps too, and always wake up so happy...especially when your brother goes in and greets you at your crib, you love that!!

Thank you for being such a wonderful, happy baby Brookie, we love you so much! Here's a bunch of you over the last month...

Our happy 8 month old!! You love the tub!

When we are not looking, you always escape to the rocks in our courtyard!!

Watch our Brookie's on the prowl!

We love that happiness!

And we love all those rolls and chub!!

There's that tongue of yours!

It's always sticking out!

You love bath time!

There's that tongue again!

Your only teeth so far, but they are so cute!

You had so much fun at your first busy bodies class!

You love taking your baths!


We can't get enough of those rolls!

You are so brave in the water, you love to lean forward and lay on your belly in the water!

It's like you are trying to swim!

You love to play!

And you still love to bounce, even outside in the cold while mommy's working in the yard!

On the move!

You try to crawl on all fours, but you always splat on your belly!
You prefer to army crawl, must be those strong arms of yours!

We love your laugh!



You are always venturing out of your "square," (the area in between the sofas), exploring the rest of the house now!

Our happy tongue sticking out baby!

All smiles!

You love being outside!

Going to the park, watching your brother play is your favorite!

You love being out on walks!

You love food!

You are great in the car, and usually end up taking a snooze!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

You are getting so excited for you first Christmas, you are always crawling over to the tree checking it out!

You love going to the tree trying to open up the presents!

Our little girl ;)

You are just so cute in your skirts and tights!

Your first Thanksgiving!

Way back when at 7 months old!!