Christmas Part 1...

My parents came down to Arizona not too long ago to visit us and to share an "early" Christmas with each other since we will be staying here this year! It was a fun week and a half with them here, the weather was beautiful and the kids had a lot of fun with Grandma & Pop-Pop! We had a full on mock Christmas, opened presents, had a delicious dinner and all! Austin and Brooke are at such a FUN age for present opening, they got SO excited and we just loved watching the smiles on their faces as they literally tore through their presents! Thank you Mom & Dad for a fun visit, we loved having you here and appreciate all that you did for us! Merry Christmas Part 1!!

"Christmas Morning" checking out all their loot!

Having fun with Grandma "Christmas" day!

Brian and my Dad (aka: "Santa's Helper's") taking on the long task of putting the kid's new kitchen from Grandma and Pop-Pop together!

Austin & Brooke "decorating" the house for Christmas! They ran around with tape and drawings they made, sticking them up all over the place!

Me and my elves!

Grandma & Austin showing their holiday spirit!

Brooke found the perfect seat for present opening!

They were so into what each other got!

Brooke approves of Austin's new present!

If you could only hear their excitement as they opened their gifts! It was the best watching them!

Brooke getting some assistance from Pop-Pop!

Austin tried helping her too, but she thought he was trying to take her present and wasn't having any of it! Boy did she get possessive of her presents!

Brooke loves to make Lizard sounds with her tongue, she couldn't have been more excited when she opened her lizard puppets from her cousins Tyler and Quin!

Austin got a cool winter hat just in case it drops to freezing here in AZ :)

Brooke loving her new tu-tu from Auntie Kirsten & Uncle Gary!

It goes so well with that belly Brooke!

Thanking Grandma :)

Getting some help from Dadda!

I just loved watching them open their presents!

Me & my Dad!

Christmas with Pop-Pop & Grandma!

Me and my Mom!

Me and my Hubby :)

...always fun when you are trying to pose for a picture and your kids are grabbing at you!

Brooke LOVED Austin's new camera and kept stealing it all night!

It didn't take Austin long to get right into his new finger paint set from his cousins! He was super excited about it!

PURE EXCITEMENT!

And of course, right before bed, they got to see their new kitchen from Grandma & Pop-Pop that the little elves finally got put together (good work Bri and Dad!!)!!! They were beyond excited, I wish my video camera had been working that night, it was adorable how they were running around it trying it out!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Brooke-o-saurus...

My last post about Brooke got me thinking. Really from the day she was first mobile, she has been quite the character. This girl is a little spitfire, she just has so much spunk. We love watching her and seeing what she is going to do next. You never really know what she's up to...she's sweet and feminine one minute, cuddling her dolls and wanting to give kisses...then the next thing you know, she is tearing across the room butt naked with nothing but her brother's rain boots on screaming from the top of her lungs!!

She is a feisty thing. We even nicknamed her "Brooke-o-saurus" a few months back...it just seemed to fit, it's like her alter-ego. I can't imagine how embarrassing that will be to her one day, knowing her parents called her a dinosaur. I am sure she will hate it. But when you see this girl in action...I swear, she stomps when she runs, she climbs on everything, she loves to sit on everything she's not supposed to (ie: boxes, computers, toys, us, the dog etc.), she steals food from the cupboards when no one's looking, she devours her food, she gets into everything she's not supposed to, she can have quite the tough attitude, is part tomboy...you get the picture. Watching her can be just pure comedy. She cracks us up! This little girl has quite the personality, and we love it.

I went back a few months and found some pictures that catch our little Brooke-o-saurus in the act...

I tell ya, she can be so sweet and innocent...

And such the character too...

She is always dressing up...she especially loves getting into Austin's closet and stealing his accessories!

You can always find her in my make-up drawer!

She LOVES putting on our underwear! Sometimes she will walk around with her whole body in one of Brian's undershort leg opening like a tube dress...it's hysterical!

Such a kick!

Tomboy with her purse.

She is always undressing herself when she is supposed to be sleeping.

She loves hats.

And these rain boots of Austin's.

And our shoes.

And hats.

There's Austin's rain boots again!

She went through a phase where she would throw everything out of her crib when she woke up from her nap, then cry that they weren't in there with her!

I told you, she loves to sit on things.

Bullying her big brother.

Hello!! This girl finds a way to get onto everything!!

I know, I should have been getting her down instead of taking a picture, I just had to capture this crazy girl in action (besides, the coffee table really wasn't that far from the ground, we were in Japan!)

After spaghetti. Part Oompa-Loompa, part Paris Hilton after the spray tan.

Even a broken arm couldn't keep her from rock climbing.

Streaking.

Always stealing food.

So ladylike.

We love you Brooke-o-sauros. Don't ever change, we love all of this about you :)