Summer Lovin'...

Summer lovin' had me a blast... summer lovin' happened so fast...

Let's hope it doesn't go by fast, because we feel like it JUST began!
The days just seem to fly by now... and I am getting behind on household duties, etc.; because during the week all the kids (err.... and I) want to do is hang out on the deck, with the little pool and have FUN! Or go to the park, on walks, work in the yard, etc. It's making it very difficult for me, as our home is becoming one that you would see on the show "Hoarders"... kidding!
But, really we are all loving this weather. Makes the day so much more enjoyable to wake up to sunshine and warmth!



Speaking of waking up, Miss Maggie is finally sleeping through the night, and has been for over a month now, so we feel as if we can officially tell people. :)
We wake her right before we go to bed, around 11pm, give her a bottle (yes, still taking a bottle - will have to do a whole other post about that...), and then she will sleep until 9 or 9:30am! It's wonderful!!! And, I guess it's just summer or something for our kiddos, because Jack has been sleeping in much later too. Of course, they are getting out tons of energy during the day, and I have switched Maggie to just one nap, usually (always hoping & praying) at the same time as Jack's. So we have a good amount of time in the morning/early afternoon to do things!
Makes life much more exciting and there are so many more things to do, when you don't have to cater to baby naps. She is doing fabulous with the new schedule!

We spend most mornings outside in our backyard. We have a fabulous big deck, and a big backyard for Jack and Maggie (and Buster too). The kiddos have their own little outdoor table to eat at, and Jack loves it. And, of course, it wouldn't be summer without a pool involved. This year, Jack loves the pool and Maggie does too! We were surprised with Jack, because last year, he would not go in it at all! He would put his toys in it, but this year... we can't keep him out of it. Brian filled it up on Saturday morning, and we were going to let the water warm up for the kids. Jack just jumped right in as soon as it was filled - in his normal clothes! :)
He's having a great time with it, and then when you add the slide to slide into the pool... well, there is nothing better!
Maggie also enjoys the pool, but prefers to play for a bit, and then get out and just relax and be a summer beauty!



Jack, after he got out of his wet clothes and into his swim gear!



Jack and Maggie enjoying pool time together!



More POOL fun!



Some protective gear for the following stunt...



Here...



Comes...



Action...



JACKSON!!!



Sweet Maggie enjoying dinner outside!



We know, We know... she is a year old now, and shouldn't be playing in a saucer still, but she LOVES it, and since she isn't walking yet... we have to be careful about her crawling on the deck... you can't tell very well in this picture, but she is enjoying what Jack calls "Bubble Time" - ie. everyone getting really excited and dancing and jumping around to the bubble machine blowing bubbles everywhere like CRAZY!!!



And... she's D.O.N.E.! :)




No, now she is really done. This is what a long day of sun, pool, food and nonstop playing can do to you...

As you all know, we also recently had our yearly family photos done... they all turned out really fabulous! We are so glad to have used the same photographer we used last fall. However, she is moving to Texas, so we will be finding someone new for next year... I don't think that should be a problem :) We have several friends who are amazing photographers, and now that we are in the area, we'll be able to use them!
We will share a few with you on the side bar, but not all... there has to be some surprises...

We really hope you are all enjoying summer as much as we are! And, if you're in the area, contact us! We are really trying to reconnect with friends that we haven't been able to see since our move back! We are feeling quite settled and ready to mingle! :)

I will continue to try to keep my commitment to blogging... until then...



We love you all, and especially those who are not in close living distance to us!
xo,
Brian, Brooke, Jack and Maggie

A new look!

I am sure you have realized by now, I've decided to give our blog a little spice! I've been wanting to really work on this family blog, and now it's become a bit of a hobby for me. I do, realize for it to be a true hobby, I need to be on it more, and that is something I am committing to!
I have always enjoyed writing, so I'm hoping this will give me the outlet to do some writing about our family, as well, as give everyone the much anticipated and wanted pictures!

But, for tonight... I have done enough blogging. You think all these changes just took a few clicks here and there, and I was happy with it? If you know me well - or just KNOW me, you know all too well how many times I changed it, and every tiny little detail I picked apart and fretted over... so again, done... done... done...
ps. Don't be surprised if you look at it tomorrow and it's completely different. It's the way I work...

I will, however, leave you with our last family photo... and above you can see our new family photo... it's amazing how much the kiddos have changed... and Brian and Me too... do I have more circles under my eyes now? Oh, wait, I picked a photo where you can't see them... HA!

New Family Photos...

As I had noted in my last post... we had family photos done last weekend. They were a lot of fun, but to be completely honest, I was a bit worried about how they would turn out... I mean we do have an incredibly outgoing and adventurous 2.5 year old boy, and a darling, but not yet walking 1 year old girl (and both at times, ok, most of the time... don't take direction well :p).
But, they turned out GREAT! Here is a sneak peek:

http://mollywinnphotography.com/blog/

Check out the cute pics, and leave a comment! For every 10 comments posted - we get an additional image - which are regularly $15 a piece! So far, we have gotten 1 free one... and only need 5 more comments to get to 2! :)

The session was fun, and I think Molly really was able to capture our family and our personalities :).
I can't wait until next years photos - Maggie will be walking (errr... running - and hopefully both munchkins can really do some "posing" for us!).

On a totally different subject, Brian and I are having date night tonight! YEAH! It'll be the first time we've gone out sans kiddos since we've moved here. We've decided to go into NW Portland, have dinner and walk around... should be fun! Just eating and being able to talk will be wonderful!



ps. I think this was the last time (besides this past weekend), that Bri and I had our picture taken together... we're always the picture takers :)

Have a GREAT weekend everyone! We have a fun birthday party for, Jack's buddie,(and our wonderful friend's Ryan and Lindsey's daughter) Bailey, who is turning 3!!!, to go to tomorrow...



Yes, it is a Backyardigans themed party... should be fun :)

and then Sunday... we'll see what that brings... I did hear something about an Anniversary Sale at Nordstroms that started today???? :)

A MONTH??????

I cannot believe it has been a month, since I last blogged! We have been SO BUSY!

Of course, the move itself entaled an enormous amount of work: unpacking, finding places for every little thing (still working on that one ;p), and then deciding I want something somewhere else... Brian LOVES that :). But, I do love our new home more and more each day! I'm finding a passion for gardening, or at least giving our home a little more curb appeal than it had when we first moved in. But, of course, the yard, as well as the inside of the house will be an ongoing project... :)



We celebrated our Sweet Little Princess Maggie's 1st Birthday at the beginning of July! It was a GREAT celebration, and so much fun! She was a trooper, and made it through her party, even though she was one tired little munchkin! We had a smaller gathering (well, MUCH smaller than Jack's 1st bday - what the heck was I thinking with that one????) filled with our closest family & friends. It was wonderful. I made just about everything for the party (including the decorations), which was really fun! And, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. The theme was "cupcakes" - so to say there were cupcakes everywhere is an understatement :). And, my love for cupcakes didn't help the matter :)









Maggie had her very own "BIG" cupcake, but really didn't care much for it. She stuck her fingers in it, and then didn't like the feel or stickiness of the frosting... and decided she was D.O.N.E. with that :). She did, however, enjoy teething on the plate that her cupcake was on! HA!











We are LOVING this summer weather that has finally decided to join us! And, are feeling settled in the new house (of course, still lots to do...), but Jack loves playing outside in our backyard and on the deck as well! He also loves going on walks, especially to the high school nearby and running all around the baseball field.







He is getting to be such a BIG BOY! Talking and acting so grown up! It's crazy to me that I can now carry on full conversations with him. And, not to mention it is so wonderful that he can tell me what he wants/needs and I can understand him :)
He is still Mr. Thomas the Train Man.... in love and a bit obsessed with his trains. Loves them all!

However, he still has a love for books, art projects, playing ball, cars/trucks/trains/planes and of course, playing with his "best friend" Buster. He is also now very interested in birthdays and birthday parties, since Maggie's bash, and everyday it's a new theme/idea for his party... that is 4 months away... HA! I guess it's never too early to start planning... besides the fact that it's a new theme each day.









Lastly, he is loving getting to know my side of the family much closer. He loves going to "Nana's" house (my grandmother) and spending time with her, and all of her toys, and playing outside there! He also REALLY enjoys going to Aunt Kathy's where he plays until he is literally exhausted and LOVES all of his older cousins - who adore him and would play with him until he couldn't play any longer! It is nice for him to really get to know them all, and feel comfortable with them. He is really forgetting that "shy boy" act when we go places, and is more outgoing!



Maggie is also becoming much more active and outgoing! Still a crawler... but, trying hard to pull up on things... we have a feeling it won't be long until she is a walker... or at least a walker while holding on to furniture! Then ... WATCH OUT!

She is very determined, and seems to get wherever she wants... just in her way and her time ;). She is growing as well. At her 12 month check-up, she was 19 1/2 lbs., and 29.5" long... so seems like she's still on the road to be a long and slender girl. However, by looking at her, you wouldn't think that. She looks chunky and just so cuddly to me. She has 4 teeth now (2 on top, 2 on bottom), and is working on getting 2 more on top. She seems to be having a more difficult time with teething than Jack did - or that I remember... HA! Always seems worse in the moment.
We are also working on getting her to sleep all the way through the night... she's doing fairly well... sometimes waking several times, and other nights just waking once. We go in and pat her back and let her know she is ok, but she gets so MAD that we are not getting her up or giving her a bottle... and when she gets mad, she let's us know it!





She is still struggling a bit in the solid foods department. She LOVES baby food, but is having a hard time with finger foods... it seems to be the texture of some, and that once she feels them on her fingers and doesn't like the feel of that, they aren't going to go anywhere near her mouth! So, again, we are working with her slowly, but surely to get some "real" food in her that is not pureed. She is also working on using a cup, and we are trying to use the bottle less and less with her. She loves her bottle, so this is going to be a hard one to break! She did transition to whole milk absolutely fine, and that was a WONDERFUL blessing!
Lastly, the pediatrician did put her back on the GERD medication, Prevacid, because Maggie seemed to have trouble swollowing even tiny pieces of food... but, since she has been back on the medication, it seems much better.



Brian is still really enjoyig his new job, and they are really keeping him busy. It seems to be a great fit for him, and he seems so much more happy. Although we miss him during the week - as he works long hours (but, really accomodates us, by going in early, so he can be home for dinner and spend time with the munchkins before they go to bed). He's enjoying spending the weekends with us - and we always seem to be busy on the weekends, no matter what! :)



I am also feeling great. Feeling like this is really our "home", and where we should be. I'm loving the weather, and back to doing projects I love... such as scrapbooking, decorating, reading, seeing friends, taking the kiddos to playdates, etc.



Overall, we are all doing wonderful! However, we do really miss Brian's parents, and spending time with them. They are now about 2.5 hours away from us, rather than the short 45 minutes when we lived in Gig Harbor. We were blessed to have them here for the weekend with us for Maggie's birthday and the 4th of July. Oh, the 4th of July... we didn't do much, we were all pooped from Maggie's party the day before, but did enjoy the nice weather, walks, and of course, dressed the kiddos up in their 4th of July attire :).





We hope to see you all soon... and I hope to keep up more with the blog! :) But, right now the sun outside is calling us for a walk...

xo,
Brooke
ps. We had family photos done this past weekend, so as soon as I get a sneak peek, I will pass them along :)