A busy week behind us, and another VERY BUSY week ahead...

What a BUSY, but FUN week!!!

Lots of fun including Gymboree, Physical Therapy for Maggie, time spent with Nana Bette, lots of playing, lots of art projects, and just a lot of F.U.N.!!!

Here's to hoping the week ahead goes well, as it's a busy one!!! Our schedule is packed EVERY DAY... just enough time in between appointments/activities, to run home, have lunch, quick nap (hopefully) and out the door running we will be going again. Wish me Luck, I think I'm gonna need it!!! ;)

How could you not LOVE  & ADORE these faces everyday??? :)

(Not saying that every day is a breeze, but the smiles, giggles, and silliness

definitely help a day that is a bit rough

much much much BETTER!!!)

Ready for breakfast... and such a happy girl!

 All Smiles!

 Happy Jack too... eating yogurt while awaiting his scrambled eggs... :p

 YUMMMM...

ps. Yes, someone DESPERATELY needs a hair cut!

 DE-LICIOUS!!!

 Probably one of J's favorite foods... y.o.g.u.r.t.!!!

 Cute, even with a mouth full!

 Scrambled Eggs... Maggie's Favorite Breakfast!!!

Now that Breakfast is over... we can get BUSY!!! :)

 On a cold, rainy day... it's time to break out the "rainy day" toys...

all new to J & M. A super fun easel, one side is dry erase board, the other side chalkboard.

They LOVE it!!!

 SO MUCH FUN!

 Hello Gorgeous, I mean ARTIST:)
How about Gorgeous Artist? Sounds good to me!

 Jack is getting so good at drawing! He drew many many many pictures for me. Lots of "people", "apples", "dogs", "monsters", and "his guys" - ie. Curious George x4, Whootie the Owl, Monkey Pillow Pet, Heart Bear, "Wocket in my Pocket", Flashlight, Blanket, etc... :p

 "Whatcha' drawin', Jack?"

 Buster was even trying to get in on the action!

To Nana Bette's House We Go...

 Wednesday evening we went to visit Nana Bette! So nice to see her, and Jack was definitely hamming it up!

 "TA-DA"... AKA: Bow.

 

 Maggie at Nana Bette's - just chillin' out... and trying to sneak Jack's water bottle! :)

Jack's pick for lunch - 

The Spaghetti Factory AND sitting in the trolley! ;)

Maggie enjoying coloring, bread and of course, great company!

Boys are all smiles.... hmmm... wonder what they're lookin' at?

 Enjoying a delish saltine appetizer, and some possible coloring... great dining experience, what more could a girl as for?

Ready for his spaghetti and GIANT meatball!!! :)

They are really checkin' something/someone out... maybe a cute waitress??? ;)

WATCH OUT DAVID BECKHAM... 

You soon will have some fierce competition... Jackson Weeks, the next Supa' Star Soccer Player!!!

Jack will start Soccer "class" on Saturdays beginning January 29th! 

He is so excited... can you tell? 

He really wanted to get his shin guards yesterday, so he and I (Brooke) went and got them, and for the rest of the day, he did not take them off... just getting the feel, I guess ;) We'll keep you posted on his celebrity status... he may send you an autograph, if you're lucky :)

This is definitely topping the list of one of my favorite pictures of Jackson. It is all h.i.m. Totally in his element, so excited about soccer, and then a song came on... soccer, music and dancing... Jack is in HEAVEN!!!

Apparently it is time to get serious... about soccer, that is!

Maggie and her favorite guy, Daddy!!!

BOOKWORM... 

Maggie loves books!!!

Reading her #1 favorite, "Peek-a-Who"

More "Peek-a-Who"... note: she destroys the bookcase (behind her), searching for her favorite books :)

 Really her favorite book... I think we may need a back up just in case!!! xoxo to my little bookworm... hope it continues and continues!!!

MAGGIE'S HAIR - PART II

as you may have remembered from a previous post, Maggie can get some pretty wild hair going on... especially if she goes to bed with it wet! So, we have decided it's just not a good idea.... and it's COLD!!!

So, surprisingly, she doesn't mind having her hair blow dried! She actually kinda likes it. She sits great on my lap, and lets me put a little frizzy product in it (to hope the frizz will calm down a bit) and we dry away. Her curls are so sweet, and so soft after a good bath and blow dry!

 Such a good girl!!!

 Feels kinda funny, huh Maggie???

 And... she even got a new hair brush and comb... as the others went missing... hmmm... wonder who did that...

 I have 2 guesses...

 And... Lastly, for my STEAL of the weekend... 

I have been searching for a desk/hutch type thing for our bedroom for some time now... to keep all of my crafts in, and also have some working space...

 (I did find one, more on that, maybe tomorrow... :p)

After looking A LOT at A LOT of different stores, I was beginning to feel that I was never going to find that desk...

Well, I didn't find it the day I found this (below) at GOODWILL! It is Chloe, who is a well-known cutie Pottery Barn Doll, that I scored for $1.99! At Pottery Barn Kids, they are $39.99! And, an additional $49.00 for 3 (yes, 3 outfits - which include these sweet jammies)!!!

Ok, I know I shouldn't be so excited over a little dolly for MAGGIE, (no, not me), but really, $1.99 vs. $39.99 + $49.99 for outfits! GET OUT OF TOWN! I SCORED THE BEST DEAL OF THE WEEKEND!!! And, it will probably sit there and look pretty - since it had a nice bath in the washing machine, and not be played with ever... but, I have the satisfaction of owning a $1.99 Pottery Barn Chloe Baby! Err... I meant Maggie... Maggie owning Chloe! :)

 Above, Chloe in Maggie's Room...

Below, Chloe with her friends in the Pottery Barn Kids Catalog... maybe we'll find Sophie! She's really cute, or Paige! Ok, really gotta get a grip!!! EEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't FORGET tomorrow is the BIG GAME... for our soon to be U of O, BCS Champions!!! 

Go DUCKS!!!!

Supporting our Ducks!!!

Jimmy Falon - who Brian and I do find hilarious, had Sebastion Bach (poor guy, think his career has taken a bit of a nose dive) on his show... and paid tribute to The University of Oregon Ducks!

It is pretty funny, in the fact, that it is true, no University has a "ballad", yet they all have a fight song. :) And, Bach definitely adds to the hilarity of it all.
All our friends & family Duck Fans.... Enjoy!

ps. Apologies for the minor "obscene language" - Brian fought for it to be posted on the blog... as it was mostly bleeped out ;). That's a true Duck Fan!

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Oregon Ducks Power Ballad Music Video (1/6/11) - Video - NBC.com

(ps. click on the link above to go to the video ;)... )

Also, Ellen Degeneres - one of my all time favorite celebs was at the EMU at the U of O today, and would love post the video... if we can track down a good quality version.

We are loving the Ducks getting all of this great and much deserved attention!

GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first week of 2011!

2011- Week ONE

Another week has begun... and it is FREEZING here... so we are trying to not only stay warm, but also find some fun things to do that are indoors, as well. Yesterday was Gymboree day, which is always really fun for both Jack and Maggie! They are both able to get all their massive amounts of wiggles out (for the most part)...

 Maggie having so much fun at Gymboree! And, standing all on her own, as well as taking some steps for us! Way to go, Miss Maggie!!!

Ooops... and down she goes. She recovered well. :)

 Each week, Gymboree has a new "theme"... and they change all of their structures around... so it all seems new to the kiddos. This week, they pretended they were cooks, or cookies. So, here is Jack using a roller on some little bean bags "rolling out his cookie dough"... later on they all jumped on this balance beam type bouncy thing and at the end was a big foam type pit with the parachute in it (so no hard landing), and they were all "cookies jumping into a cup of milk"... Jack LOVED it!!!

Doing a great job, Jack!!!

...and they both usually take a fairly good nap when we get home.

Usually...

Jack has been struggling with nap time and bedtime for the past couple of weeks. So, some days, he doesn't nap at all... but he still has to stay in his room and "rest"... well, that had lead to many many many disasters that you wouldn't even think he would be capable of doing.

There has been the "destruction of his entire room", where he quietly took practically every particle of clothing he has out of his dresser and down from the hangers in his closet... as well, as removing just about every thing off of his bookcase, and it all going on the floor... there has been the "diaper cream/eczema creme incident", in which he proceeded to take both tubes of cream and apply them to every single stuffed animal he has as well as himself, his walls, the hardwood floors in his room, his furniture, and the "best" - every little George on his Curious George Sheets. Thank Goodness everything could be washed... especially his George Sheets... I think I might love them even more than he does (which says A LOT!!!)

Jack's lil' bed... you may wonder where he fits with his menagerie of "guys" (that is what he calls his favorite animals - which consist of over 10 - and some are quite LARGE)... Jack does fit into his bed... and still insist on each and every special guy sleeping with him :)



So, now we have to either keep his door partially open, or check on him every few minutes until he falls asleep to make sure he isn't doing anything too crazy! With that said, he's done great the past few days. We did remove just about everything from his room besides clothing and furniture... so he doesn't have much to work with... ;)
He is slowly earning back his belongings.... as he has been doing pretty well staying in bed at nap, and actually sleeping and not going crazy in his room! Hope he keeps up the good work!!!

Poor Thomas and his "cream" application... maybe he has diaper rash???

On a different note... Today, Maggie had Physical Therapy, and Jack got to go to back to "My Little Waiting Room", located at St. Vincent Hospital, where Maggie has PT at the Gerry Frank Children's Center. It's a fun  "play place" for him to go while I take Maggie to her appointments. Their staff is AMAZING, everything is brand new, clean, fun and cool toys, books, imagination tables, etc. - and it's.... FREE!!! YES... FREE! They do, of course accept donations, but it is so nice to not have to worry about a sitter for Jack & he's also having a really fun time! I can't say enough great things about "My Little Waiting Room"...

or about Maggie's fabulous Pediatric Physical Therapist, Stephanie. She is so great with Maggie, and me too! :) She answers all of my ongoing questions, concerns, and is truly teaching me and helping me understand what "hyperflexibility" and "low muscle tone" mean, in the big picture of Maggie's gross motor skills and development. She also gives me so many great and wonderful ideas for different types of exercises, etc. to do at home with Maggie. We're hoping to have a stable walker... and then runner soon! Until then, we keep working each day with Maggs, and helping her gain the confidence she needs, as well as the strength in her hips, legs and feet. She is now wearing her "Cricuts" for at least 1/2 of the day - so basically any time she isn't sleeping and is actively playing. The "Cricuts" are again, custom-made inserts that go into her shoes that have been specially made and formed by a Pediatric Orthopedist to fit Maggie's foot, and help align her feet - so that rather than turning inward as they want to do naturally - they keep her feet straight and give her stability and balance.
She doesn't seem to mind wearing them... and they do work better in some shoes than others. And, really who cares about shoes (you're thinking... Brooke, right?)... :p Of course, I care about shoes, but I care more about my little darlings feet and the correction of them, so that hopefully she won't have future problems down the road that would need more intense help, rather than just insoles and physical therapy.

We are really trying to get her walking as much as we can, as well as having her bend down to pick things up, rather than sitting down, picking something up, and then pulling herself back up into a standing position. The bending will strengthen her hip muscles, and again lead to greater balance and stability, which she needs to walk/run.

Well, that is the update on the kiddos. They are both doing GREAT! And, I cannot say this enough.... we are so eager for warmer weather and some outside time... but, until then we shall continue to go to Gymboree, paint funny things, wash every plastic dish in the house, Brooke will set up cars while Jack is napping and when he wakes up - tell him they were having a parade while he was asleep and they want him to join them (yes, I'm getting desperate... very desperate), use window markers all over the house, take so many baths, clean out closets, sweep floors (all 3 of us... using little sweepers - Brian doesn't join us... as he is at work :p), etc. I'm sure I could think of more to entertain you all... but, I'll save the embarrassment and leave it at that.

CAR/TRUCK parade!!!

Watch out... they could be coming to your town, or a town near you!!!



This would be a fun little thing to make for J & M... or just make the "house/barn", & they could decorate it... maybe a project for later this week...

Happy Tuesday! Make Wednesday even better!!! xoxo

Happy 18 months young to our sweet little cupcake!

Today Maggie is 18 months YOUNG!!!

Yes, she has hit the 1 1/2 year mark! We cannot believe how fast time flies. We have LOVED every single second with our Sweet Princess! She is the most amazing, adventurous, curious, imaginative, talkative, happy, smiley and just overal s.w.e.e.t. little girl! We could not ask for a happier, laid back, or go-with-the-flow toddler.

 Our little princess is really LOVING her Radio Flyer Rocket that Santa brought her this year! She has learned to climb onto it all by herself, as well as push it with her feet... again, all by herself! What a big and independent girl she has become!!! All so fast... slow down, Maggie! Mommy & Daddy aren't ready for you to grow up! But... we are loving watching you grow, learn new things EVERY DAY, and of course, your incredibly amazing personality continue to develop!

 So much LOVE for DADDY!!! She's definitely a Daddy's girl... but, also a Mama's girl too! She loves to give hugs, kisses, and cuddles. And, of course, we can't get enough of them!

 Daddy's Little Lady!!!

We ALL LOVE when Brian is home on the weekends, and comes home from work. But, it is so SWEET to see Maggie's reaction when Brian gets home from work in the evenings... as soon as she hears his voice, she immediately starts squealing and getting to him (usually via crawling, as that is her FAST mode of transportation!). As soon as she finds him, she is up on her knees, hands out, saying "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy... UP!!!". She loves for him to pick her up, give her hugs & kisses and CUDDLES! I adore watching her so in love with Daddy, and Daddy so in love with his little girl

(and boy!!!... oh, and WIFE!) ;)

Mommy's Princess!

 

 Giving Mommy some serious looks... ie. "no more bites of my bread, Mama!"

 "Ok, I guess it's kind of fun giving you bites..." :p

 "Would you like another?"

 Sure, Maggie. "You're welcome, Mama!"

(Above pictures taken on New Years Eve, so Miss M wasn't quite 1.5 years old yet..., she still had a few more days of just being 1, not 1 AND a half!)

 Such a Happy Girl!!!

(pictures below taken today, 1/2/ 2011)

Maggie's 18 month Birthday!

ps. Maggie, stop growing... we want you to stay little and sweet... we hear (& Mommy knows!) teenage girls sometimes aren't very sweet to their Mommy's and Daddy's ;)

She loves to do EVERYTHING her big brother does (which includes lots of playing with cars, trucks and trains), but also loves to cuddle her dollies, and we catch her daily sitting next to the bookcase in the playroom just sitting and looking through books! She loves being read to (although there are times, she would rather sit and read a book to herself! :p), and picking out her favorite books - which right now seems to be "Peek a Who" or any Cookie Monster or animal-type book :)
We hope her love for books continues, and she continues to be our little bookworm - just like her Mommy was and still is!

MAGGIE'S HAIR!!! :)

As most of you know, Magg's has gorgeous hair! Her little ringlets are so adorable, but as you have seen in many of her pictures, it at times can become... well... a bit of a disaster. She is now NOT loving all the fun barrettes that Mommy LOVES putting in her hair, and we usually try to put the front in a little ponytail to keep it out of her eyes... but sometimes that doesn't last long, before she has it pulled out...

But, this is what happens when Maggie takes a bath, then goes down for nap, before her hair is fully dry, and is not brushed or put in a pony and sleeps for 2 hours... She wakes up with this somewhat CRAAAAZY, 80's layered, out of control, "I've been up all night" look... it was waaaay tooo funny to not capture, and of course, SHARE! :)

(this isn't the 1st time we've seen this look, either!)

Hence, Mama already having to use some de-frizzing and taming products on her sweet lil' girl's 'do!

 W.O.W.!!! Maggie, are you awake? What happened when you were "napping"... ie. "partying"?

 Still completely adorable, but MUST be tamed before leaving the house!

 Seems not to mind and actually quite confident with the 'do!

Way to Rock your self-confidence, M!

 Ok, think she's getting annoyed by all the pictures. Look at that expression!!!

...as if she is thinking, "You got one (picture) to show the world, now get me outta here, so I can play!"

On a slightly change of subject/different note...

We had the chance to FINALLY meet our wonderful friends, Ryan & Lindsey Anderson's newest addition, baby Reagen ... and of course, see BIG SISTER Bailey tonight! It was so great to see all of them! Reagen is absolutely gorgeous AND perfect! Lindsey looks great, and is adjusting seamlessly to being a Mama of two, not that we had expected anything else! Lindsey is an Amazing Friend, but truly beyond an Amazing Mother! She is still recovering from her C-Section, but you would never know it! She looks fabulous (and definitely has the glow of such a proud Mother of two gorgeous girls!), not to mention holds the most gracious, thankful, happy and BEST attitude! We feel very blessed to call the entire Anderson family our Great Friends! We look forward to all of our munchkins growing up together!

We had tried to make it over there prior to Christmas, but it just didn't happen... so, we were so E.X.C.I.T.E.D. (understatement!) to meet the newest Anderson Beauty tonight, and Jack & Bailey had THE BEST time playing together... and Maggie joined in ... as much as they would let her! :)

(more pictures of our fun time with the Anderson's to come, and possibly a sneak peak at the little beauty, Reagen!)

 Maggie LOVED their cats. She was following them around everywhere, but when given the chance to pet them, she played "shy girl", and chickened out!

 Playing in Bailey's room... "with" Jack & Bailey! :)

 Mama Maggie LOVE!

 Fridge magnets are sooooo fun!!! Especially new ones... (even if they are the same ones as ours, they are on a different fridge!) :p

It's hard to remember that this incredibly smart and adorable toddler...

was this tiny baby just a mere 18 months ago...

(Maggie - about an hour after her GRAND arrival into this Great, Big World!)

Our Princess all ready to go home from the hospital -

July 4th, 2010 was the GREAT day we all came home, and truly became a family of 4!!!!

WE ALL LOVE & ADORE YOU SO VERY MUCH, SWEET MAGGIE!

Our family would not be complete without you!!!!

All our Love,

Daddy, Mommy & Big Brother Jack

xoxoxo

The Weeks Family - What a year 2010 was!!!

Another scrapbook design by Smilebox

Happy Happy New Year!

WELCOME 2011...

W.O.W.!!! Time flies!!! Anyone remember all the craziness that surrounded Y2K? Can you believe it's really 11, yes 11 years later??? Again, W.O.W.!!!

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve spent with our fabulous friends, Niki and Matt. They have darling, "baby" Jackson. And, we not only adore Matt and Niki, but are all in LOVE with little Jackson. We joined Matt, Niki, Niki's Parents, my fabulous friend Kara, and some other friends of the Croses' - that we did not know prior to NYE, but they were GREAT!
Overall, a  really fun night! Lots of pictures to share - once I get a second to download them - but, I have promised myself no downloading, having fun with pictures UNTIL ALL CHRISTMAS IS DOWN and PUT AWAY!!! Whew, that is a project, but we are just about D.O.N.E. Thank Goodness!

I'm thinking this (above) or this (below) would be superb for putting away Christmas wrappings, as well as just to be used year round for wrapping, crafting, and FUN... and it would all be ORGANIZED and CONTAINED (my (Brooke's) dream...). Now if only it wasn't 12 bazillion dollars at Pottery Barn... hmmm... Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy (I did have a tooth extracted last year...), Little Elves, Darling Husband, Adorable Children if I'm really really really good this year... maybe, just maybe could I find this under the tree next Christmas? No? .... Hmmm... I gotta start selling some MAJOR things on Craigslist, and maybe by the year 2050, I'll have this puppy in my hot little hands :)

Hello Gorgeous (above), we have yet to meet... and probably never will, but I do love you from afar... ;)

All joking aside...

We want to wish you all a wonderful first day and start to 2011. We have made some New Years "Goals", rather than Resolutions... and hope as we meet them, we will be able to share them with you. Telling you them now, may set us up for failure ... ha, ha, ha... and then we would really have some serious accountability on our hands! :)

Enjoy the first day/evening of 2011! We wish you all nothing but great happiness, joy, peace and love in this year that has so quickly approached us!

Love,
Brian, Brooke, Jack and Maggie

(ps. not only pics to come, but also **hopefully** a fun little surprise, that I will attempt to finish tonight...)