Santa's Babies

Brookie's 1st Birthday!

I can't believe Brooke is already a year old!  I've been thinking this morning about the day she was born and the events that led up to her birth.  I was so excited to see her, but scared to go through labor and birth again.  My labor and deliveries so far have been fast and without complications, and I am grateful for that...but I was still nervous!  When she arrived and I saw her little face I was instantly in LOVE.  This last year she has developed such a sweet personality, and we love her more and more everyday!

Here are a few things about Brooke:

*Whitney has given her the nickname "beeb".  When Brooke was still tiny Whitney went through a phase where she called us mom and dad for short instead of mommy and daddy.  So Whitney also shortened baby to "beeb".

*Brooke has a high pitched scream that she uses frequently for many reasons.  For example when Whitney takes her toy, she's hungry, she wants something, etc.

*She sleeps about 9-10 hours at night, and then goes back to sleep for a few more hours after I give her a bottle at 5:30 or 6 am.

*She started crawling around 9 months and is now walking around holding onto furniture.  She has recently started to let go and lunge for me or other pieces of furniture.

*We will be keeping Brooke in the infant car seat for a while longer because she is still only 17 pounds.  She seems to be okay facing backwards for now, probably because Whitney entertains her while we drive.  Brooke didn't used to be so good in the car, but she has gotten better, thank goodness!

For Brooke's birthday party we had a close friend and Brig's grandma over to celebrate with cake and ice cream. 

Thanks to all our friends and family who remembered Brooke's Birthday with gifts, phone calls and cards!

Adios Auch!!

I had my doubts that this day would ever come but...Whitney has not used her auch(binky) for over a week now!!  Brig and I had been talking about taking it away for awhile now, but just couldn't do it because she loved it sooooo much.  Well last Wednesday I decided to see how it went.  All morning I talked to her about  how she wasn't a baby like Brookie anymore and that she didn't need her auch anymore.  She seemed to listen and agree until it was nap time, without her auch.  She was really sad and cried.  It just about broke my heart, but after all the drama I couldn't just let her have it because then it would just be worse the next time.  She didn't end up taking a nap, and that night the crying was worse, so sad. She made it through the night without waking up and the next day for her nap she didn't cry at all.  She still acts sad when it's time for bed, but doesn't ask for her auch.  Today we found some of her auches under her bed and she gladly helped me put them in Brooke's crib saying, "I big girl, I don't need a auch anymore."  So sweet! 

Grandma's Visit

My Mom got to stay a night with us last week.  She was up in Utah to help my brother Ben and sister-in-law Connie who just had a baby.  She brought Jared(4) and Kate(2) with her to have a sleep over and play with Whitney and Brooke.  They stayed up late watching Cinderella and finally fell asleep around 10pm.  The next morning we went to the park and to lunch and then they left to go back to Cedar City.  Eventhough it was a quick trip, we were glad they came.  Whitney still talks about them being here.

Happy Halloween

This year we had a great time celebrating Halloween.  Whitney was a ballerina fairy and Brooke was a pink cheetah.  First we had a ward party last weekend that turned out to be really fun.  Of course that had to do with me being on the committee and convincing the other members to do what I wanted :)  One old guy was totally against the trunk or treat but for me that was the best part.  We had a dinner of chili and rolls and then the YMYW did little carnival activities, that Whitney loved.  She got her face painted and went fishing and got a prize and tried to eat a donut off a string. 



Here in Utah people did their trick or treating on Saturday.  It poured rain most of the afternoon, and was still raining pretty hard when we left to go trick or treating at the mall.  When we got there it was so packed that it was like Black Friday or something.  People were waiting in long lines to get a tiny little tootsie roll and most stores were out of candy anyways.  So after about 2 stores we left in hopes that the rain would stop.  By the time we got to Brig's grandma's neighborhood the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing.  We like going to her neighborhood because the people that live there are old and most of them were home, also they give out really good candy.  No tiny tootsie rolls, I'm talkin full size candy bars and very generous portions!!!  The girls got soooo much candy that it will take awhile to eat it all, plus the candy we got to give out to our trick-or-treaters (we had three small groups come to our door).

Hee Haw Pumpkin Patch & Farm

A couple weekends ago we went to the Hee Haw Pumpkin Patch. It was really much more than just a pumpkin patch, there were lots of other things to do too.

We went on a train ride made of large water barrels with wheels hooked together and pulled by a 4-wheeler

A corn box, like a sand box, but with corn instead. Whitney loved it!  I had to make sure Brooke didn't eat too much corn.

There was a petting zoo with chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, turkeys, goats and rabbits. Whitney was brave to pet the goats and the rabbits.  Brooke was a little scared of the cows. 

We took a hayride to the pumkin patch which was in a corn field.  Some of the pumpkins were still attached to the vine. We let Whitney get a little pumpkin and Brooke got an even smaller one.

There was also a pig race where kids chased a little pig. People stood in a circle so the pig couldn't get out while kids ran after it. Poor little pig, everytime it squeeled Brooke cried :( There was a pony ride, but we got there just as the pony was being unsaddled. So we missed it, but we think we might go again sometime this week. We rode down a slide made of bales of hay stacked with a slick board on it where we slide down on burlap sacks.  We were there for about an hour and a half. We left when it got dark and middle and high school kids started to show up.  PUNKS!

Brig's LA Trip (Sept. 13-16)

Most of this trip was spent in line at the Price is Right.  They didn't get called up, but you may see them in the audience when the shows they went to air on October 11th and 15th.

Big Bonk!!

This is what happens when socks meet a slick floor!!!  Whitney was running and turned the corner way to sharp and slipped, my poor baby!!  It made my heart hurt to see her so beat-up.

I told her to frown so the picture would be more dramatic, she was fine after a little crying and cuddling with me.

Happy just in time for a nap with her auch(binky).  Later that afternoon we went to Target, and I made sure to brush her hair so her bangs covered the lump on her head, but it still showed a little because her hair is still so short and thin.

Brig's Puerto Rico Trip (Sept. 8-13)

At the beginning of this month Brig went to Puerto Rico on his Jet Blue pass. He and his brother Adam were there for 5 days.  This is a short version of what they did and the pictures are at the bottom with captions to let you all know where they were in the pic.

In Old San Juan they toured the 2 fortresses there right on the beach.  It had some amazing views of the ocean.

There was a waterfall that they went to that was deep in the jungle...El Yunque Rainforest.  Local frogs constantly chirped and Whitney sized (or even longer) Iguanas were seen.

After Puerto Rico, they rode a ferry over to the island of Vieques that is about 30 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico.  There they slept in hammocks on the beach and were beach bums for the day. Wild horses replaced the low rider car.  They would ride up and down the streets cantering to impress the ladies.  Brig said that was awesome, yet amusing enough to smile at.

While in Vieques, they swam in the world's greatest Bio Bay where the water lights up when you move. Bioluminescent organisms (dinoflagellates) are what make the water light up when you move in the water. It reminded him of Avater glowing or Edward in the sunlight.  Isn't he hot?  Looking back on the tour they thought it seemed a little creepy to be riding in the back or a stranger's beat up truck out into the middle of nowhere, but luckily none of their organs were harvested.

Now to the food...They ate at a couple of places that we saw on an episode of Man vs Food on the travel channel.  At El Churrey they ate the Churrasco sandwich and wrap which was suppossed to be amazing but they thought it was good but not the best thing they had ever eaten.  They also ate the pork that was on the show.  It was a monster piece of pork that had the skin still on it.  Brig said that the skin was crunchy and tough to bite through.  He also ate Mofongo and fried Plantains.  Oh yeah...he drank coconut milk...yucky.  The best thing they ate while they were there was a burrito at some restaurant they went to when they first got there.  BOOM!

I am so glad to have them come back alive, you never know what will happen when you tour out of the country.  I guess Puerto Rico isn't that scary of a place.

All You Can "Jet Blue" Pass

Jet Blue Airlines is running a special from Sept. 7th to October 6th where you buy one Airline ticket for a very reasonable price and you get to fly anywhere Jet Blue flies, anytime you want for that month. So, being the wonderful wife that I am, I have let Brigham take advantage of this opportunity to travel with his brother Adam. So far they have gone to Puerto Rico and this next week they are going to California to be on the Price is Right! We are thinking of t-shirt ideas....any suggestions? They also plan to go to New York and maybe back to Puerto Rico to visit more islands they didn't get to go to the first time. So far I have been fine at home alone. I do miss Brig's company and the way he helps with the girls but I'm glad he's having fun!

Sam's Wedding

My little brother got married a few weeks ago, Yay for Sam and welcome to the family Laura. I know this post is a bit late, but I figured I needed to mention the wedding and my near death experience, since this blog is sort of a family journal.
The wedding was in the Albuquerque, New Mexico Temple. On our way there the van we were riding in had a problem with the tire. This is what happened, we were driving along the highway at 70mph, and all of a sudden the van starts to swerve all over the road. Luckily my mom was able to stay calm and guide the 15 passenger van to safety. Turns out that the tread had come off the tire, but the tube was still inflated. I am certain that if it would have been a true blow out, the van would have rolled and some, if not all of us would have been killed. There was no spare, so we had to wait and hour and a half in the hot New Mexico desert for help. When we finally got back on the road we raced as fast as we could to make it for the wedding, but because of scheduling issues the wedding couldn't be delayed. My mom was able to catch a ride with my oldest brother Jesse and his family. So me and my family and my sister Mel and her family missed the wedding. I was heart-broken about it because Sam was my only sibling that I could have seen get married, but oh well. I guess that's what happens when weddings are on Friday the 13th. We arrived just as the beautiful bride and groom were coming out of the temple. At least we were able to enjoy the reception that evening. The decorations were so classy! Laura's colors were hot pink, black and white. We drove back to my parent's house that night and the next day we set up for the Las Cruces reception. I made the groom's cake, and Cody my sister-in-law made the wedding cake. Both cakes had a hard time in the heat, but they turned out looking great. So the weekend was a memorable experience, and I can assure you that I will not be traveling or leaving the house on the next Friday the 13th.

5th Wedding Anniversary

A few weeks ago Brig and I had our 5th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we went to Las Vegas. We stayed in the Hotel Paris and the Venetian. While we were there it just happened to be the hottest week of the year so the temperature was 112 on a couple of the days and it luckily cooled to 109 on the third day. Even at night it was at least 100 degrees outside! It was miserable walking outside, but after the 1st day I got a little more used to it and we were able to walk to other hotels to see and atrium in the Belagio and a little zoo in the Mirage. Brig's brother Adam came along too. We were thinking he could babysit, but it took almost the whole trip from Whitney to warm up to him, and Brooke cried almost everytime he held her. So, Brig and Adam ended up walking around at night together while I put the girls to bed.

Bath time with my Girls

Bath time is always fun, but tonight it was especially fun because Brooke is finally able to sit up in the water. Until now she was in a reclined bath seat. So bath time was pretty short for Brooke because she would get bored, and Whitney would be left to play by herself. Tonight they played happily together for about 45 minutes. Whitney splashed and talked while Brooke laughed and laughed(oh...and chewed on everything too!).

Brooke's Blessing

On Sunday we were finally able to bless Brooke. Yes, I know she is almost eight months old, but time just slipped away from us and before we knew it, she wasn't just a few months old anymore. I was afraid that she would grab at the mic or cry, but she did great...no grabbing or crying, she just laid there and kicked the whole time. Brig's parents and his brother Adam came all the way from Texas to be here for it. After church we grilled Kabobs with the family. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters who I love very much!!

Picking Cherries

We picked cherries from our cherry tree today. Most of them had tiny wholes in them, which means tiny bugs in them too, but Whitney had a good time picking them anyway. We tried to get Brooke to grab one, since she grabs everything in her reach, but she was to busy eating leaves. She kept grabbing them and putting them in her mouth before I could stop her. Surprisingly, the cherries tasted almost as good as the ones from the store.

Summerfest and 5Ks

This last week Springville and Orem each had a carnival. Whitney was in heaven with all the rides, and Brooke loved the lights. We went to both carnivals where Whitney rode all the kiddie rides at least once, and Brooke was happy to stay in the sling. As part of each city's celebration there were craft booths, parades, 5Ks and much more.

Last weekend we ran the 5k in Springville that had over 2300 people in it. I don't think I have ever seen that many people so eager to run a 5K in my life! After the race they gave away door prizes and Brig won a video camera. Ya, just what we wanted!
Yesterday's 5k had about 200 hundred people and we both won some camping stuff in the give away after the race. I have been running each 5K with the girls in my double running stroller. It's been a lot of fun to have them with me. This was my third 5K this summer and each time I have improved my time. I'm not yet ready to admit to you all what that time is, but eventually when I get to a time that I am proud of...I will let you in on the secret.

Happy 30th Birthday to Me

Well today was my birthday and I must say that it was a little depressing turning thirty. Just the sound of '30' sounds so old to me. I know we all have to get older, but I am still a little sad about it. We celebrated by going into the Salt Lake area and eating dinner at the Mayan Adventure Restaurant. It was around 6 and the only other people there were families with kids and it just so happens that 5 or 6 of them were celebrating their birthday too. Nothing makes you feel older then celebrating your birthday with some little kids!! So that was depressing, but the entertainment was good. A couple of divers jumped from cliffs inside the restaurant. Brig and Whitney got splashed when they got too close. After that we went home and ate cake and opened presents. Thanks to everyone who remembered to call or text, it made my day so much nicer.

Brooke @ 6 months

I can't believe that Brooke is already 6 months old. At her Dr apt she weighed 14 lbs 2 oz and is still tall for her age. She is such a happy, patient baby who loves to cuddle and nurse. She loves her sister Whitney. We love her so much and can't imagine life without her.

I started Brooke on solids today for the first time. She did really good for the first few bites. After that she didn't really want anymore and spit it out, so I'll try again tomorrow. I hope this helps her sleep through the night since she's still waking up at least once to eat each night.

This video was taken after she had already had the first few bites so she's just spitting it out, hopefully she'll like it better tomorrow.

Whitney's New Bed

A couple weeks ago I got Whitney a toddler bed. It's black to match the crib and I also made her a blanket to match the crib layette and room decor. I also got Whitney a special "autch box" for her to keep her binkies. So I did all that I could to entice her to sleep in it but, still it sat there for a week before she finally decided to try it out. So...last Wednesday afternoon she decided to take a nap in it, so she did. That evening I changed the crib mattress height for Brooke. That night Whitney cried a little bit, but eventually went to sleep. She's been sleeping in it for about a week now and seems to love it. Brooke is also getting used to her new bed, and seems to love it too. It is sooo hard to change a routine, but sometimes necessary.

O-HI-O

Last week I went to visit my sister who lives in Ohio. My mom got to come too, and Whitney enjoyed seeing her Grandma again! Whitney had so much fun playing with her cousin Gene. When they met us at the airport, Gene held Whitney's hand all the way to the car. So cute!! While we were there it was rainy and cold, but we were still able to have lots of fun. We went to IKEA, which is always fun. Mel got Gene a big boy bed so that Zion could have the toddler bed when Mel has her baby in July. We decorated the room with an airplane theme, which turned out really cute. We took a tour of the day care center John and Mel are planning to open in the fall(it looked like a huge project!!). We went to a children's science museum where Whitney was brave enough to touch a real starfish! The plane rides there and back were really long, but the girls did great. Brooke slept in the sling most of the time and Whitney watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my computer. Thanks John and Mel for letting us come to visit, and thanks Hun for letting us leave for a week!

Captain Underpants

I bought Whitney some panties in hopes that it would motivate her to want to sit on the potty, but for now she just likes to play dress up with them.
Brooke even got in on the fun!

Hoppy Easter!!

This Easter was the first year Whitney was able to enjoy Easter stuff. Last year she had the rotovirus and was too sick to move. Yesterday I took Whitney to the City Easter egg hunt. We left baby and daddy at home. When we got there, Not Kidding, there were at least 1,000 if not 2,000 kids and parents there for the hunt. I almost turned around and came home, but then decided it could be fun watching the madness once the hunting began. Luckily there was a little(not really that little) grassy area where ages 3 and under could hunt eggs. There were still about 300 kids, but our chances were better since the eggs were spread out all over the ground three feet away from us. This morning we woke up to about 2 inches of snow, so the Easter bunny hid Whitney's eggs inside. In the afternoon I took pictures of Whitney and Brooke, which turned out super cute. Thank you for the dresses Grandma Dunn. Grandmas: Feel free to print them off. Then this evening Whitney and I dyed and decorated eggs while Brooke slept.

Grandma's Visit

This last week my mom came for a visit. I am so glad that she got to spend a whole week with us and be with the girls and get to know them better. Whitney still talks about Grandma. I'm sure Brooke misses her too. While she was here we shopped for Whitney a play kitchen. I bought one for her birthday, but when I opened it up to put it together it was cracked and smashed on the corners. Since then, I have been looking for another one. Now that we have it, Whitney plays with it all the time, and talks about it when we come home from being gone somewhere. We also fixed up our guest room. I picked out a duvet cover and new sheets. I love the black and white. Everywhere we went we made sure to let Whitney play, since that is all she ever really wants to do. Since my mom has been gone the girls and I have gone through a little bit of a withdraw because we aren't out of the house most of the day like we were when my Mom was here. We haven't even left the house today, and I don't plan on it either. Thanks for coming to visit Mom, we had a lot of fun with you!!!

Sledding

A couple weeks ago we had our last big snow. All season I've wanted to take Whitney sledding and so we finally got a chance. She loved it!I wish we had gone earlier and more often because it was a lot of fun...for the whole family. Even though Whitney got a little wet from crashing, she still seemed to have a good time. Brooke even got a turn on the sled. Unfortunately, the sled tipped a little when I was pulling it back to the car and her car seat tipped off the sled into the snow..oops. Luckily she was buckled in and stayed asleep!