SPRING has SPRUNG...

...and we are literally jumping for joy in the Falky house!

...this just screams ER visit all over it!

Brooke at 11 months...

Dear Brooke,

It's hard to believe that in one short month, you will be one year old! Where did my little baby go?!! You are growing up so fast, right before my eyes you have become such a big girl! The jump from 10 to 11 months was a big one, I swear you are going to be asking me for your own cell phone tomorrow! Really though, you have grown up a lot this past month...

1. You took your very first steps! Real, not holding onto anything, steps! The look on your face is priceless when you do it, you just light up you are so proud of yourself!! You take more and more every day, it won't be long before you are walking!

2. You also mastered the art of climbing onto things. Your favorite things to climb on are the diaper box I have in the family room, the fireplace stoop, and the step ladder (whenever it accidentally gets left out!).

3. You also figured out how to stand up from a sitting position without holding or grabbing onto anything...those legs of yours are made for squatting girl, you are good at it!

4. My favorite this past month, you finally say "Momma!" After weeks and weeks of saying Dadda, I finally get to hear some love too :)

5. You also started saying "Hi!" while waving to people, and "Nigh-Nigh" for Night Night when you head off to bed!

6. Your sense of humor is starting to show now too, you learned that "toots" are funny and laugh when you or your brother let one go! It's funny watching you and Austin get so giggly over toots!

7. You are still a fantastic eater. You basically eat everything in site, and I mean everything. And you have an incredible belly to show for it!

8. You have a serious sweet tooth! If you even hear someone opening a candy wrapper, you bee line it for them and BEG for a piece of it! I am not making this up, you just smell the sweets in the air and want them :)

9. You love books. You love to be read to, you love to flip the pages, and you love hearing all the noises the animals make in your books.

10. You are such a cuddler, I love it! You love snuggling, especially when you see your blanket and you just burrow your head into it with the biggest smile on your face, it's the cutest! You also love to snuggle all your animals and dolls. When you grab one, you squeeze it so tight and put your head right next to it giving all your love :)

11. You love playing and just found your new favorite toy...your brother's police car coupe! You found out how to open the door, climb in and go for a spin and I can't keep you out of it! Your brother is not too sure what to make of this and tries to squeeze into the seat with you! He pushes you around in it too and you just love that!

12. You were a very brave girl and went in for your first surgery! (Let's hope there's not many more trips to the operating room in your future!) You got tubes put into your ears and finally, you have gone 2 full weeks without an ear infection! Wahoo!!!

13. You continue to be the happiest baby, we love you so much and are so lucky to have you. I love watching you learn new things and explore this big beautiful world. I can't wait for your Daddy to see you in just one month so you can show him all the things you have learned!

As always, here's a ton of you over the past month...

Our big cuddly 11 month old! You LOVE hugging!

So happy when you get a chance to play with your brother's stuff!

I love your arm rolls!

Look at you eyeing your brother's dum-dum lollipop...

...making your move...you REALLY want that lollipop...

..you got it! You can't keep you hands off food!

You LOVE books...(and check out that tummy!)

Hugging your animals :)

Look at that beer belly!

Love that flexibility!

Such the climber now!

Check out that profile!

You LOVE going through all the magazines with me! You tear them apart!

Check out that MANIAC at the wheel! (Some say you take after your mom!)

You love standing!

I love watching you check things out and exploring everything!

Food thief!! You are quite the bully when someone else has food and you want it!

Crawling is still your primary means of transportation, but you are getting much closer at being a full time walker!

Always stealing the coasters off the end table!

And always getting into the things you aren't supposed to! (why is it so much fun going through the diaper garbage can?! eww!)

Your first surgery!

I love your big brown eyes!

You are our sunshine :)

I love how you use your belly as support to hold you up!

Those are some serious cheeks!

Checking out the world...we can't wait to see what all you discover Brookie :)

Movin on Up!

Brooke has finally figured out how to climb up onto things...it's a whole new ball game now! She's officially into anything and everything...watch out!

Oh, and she also took her first 3 steps all on her own this past week...our baby is growing up!

Using the diaper station box as a step to get up to the side table...very clever Brookie!

Aha, I did it!

Mission accomplished! She got the coasters!

Getting Closer...

Just got all of our photos taken so we can get our Visa's for Japan. So you know what that means...not much longer until we get to head over and be with Brian again!! We can't wait, just over a month left to go...

Aren't these some great looking mug shots!

Japan here we come...almost!!

A birthday party...

A few weeks ago we got to celebrate a very special birthday. Austin and Brooke's little buddy Ethan turned 1 and he sure had a fun birthday party! It was such a great day, all the kids both big and small had a blast running around, jumping in the bounce house, hitting the pinata and of course eating lots of birthday cupcakes!

Yay, a party!!

Brooke...you are never going to make any friends if you insist on eating their dolls...sorry Hayley!

Brooke trying to flirt with the birthday boy! Happy Birthday Ethan!

Austin and Kaelyn posing for the camera!

Shocking...Brooke broke into the Pepsi stash...this girl can't keep away from anything food related!

Ethan showing off his new walking skills! Such a big one year old!

Isn't this picture cute...all the kids loved watching Ethan's birthday slideshow on the computer!

I couldn't keep Austin out of the bounce house, he LOVED it!

Lauren and Austin having a blast jumping in the bounce house!

Weeeeeeee!

Ethan got first swing at his birthday pinata!

This picture cracks me up, we were trying to get all the kids to pose for a big group shot but they kept ignoring us...but check out the two in the middle (Kate and Hannah) totally striking a pose together!! Work it girls!

Poor Ethan didn't stand a chance with his birthday presents, all the bigger kids totally took over!! They were in toy heaven!

Yummm...Frosting!!

Now that was a fun party!! Austin didn't even make it out of the driveway before he crashed out on our way home!

Ethan you sure know how to throw one heck of a party!! Austin didn't even wake up when I took him out of the car when we got home!!