Santa came to town!

We have had a busy week with lots of family in town. Santa brought Brooklyn a kitchen and she loves it. Mimi also got her some play food and that has been a big hit! She also got a new doll and stuffed monkey that she likes. Brooklyn has learned to say "Ho! Ho!" She really does have the third "Ho!" down yet. She points to Santa figurines and says it. She also got a motorized car from gammy and Pappy that is parent assisted until she learns how to steer by herself. We also hosted our family reunion on Sunday.

Work weekend on Stella's nursery

Last weekend Heather and Clint came down and helped us paint the new nursery for Stella. Yes... her name will be Stella Louise. They were 2/3 thirds of our work team along with Laird so they were a big help! Thanks Heather and Clint! Laird and Clint also changed out all of the ceiling fans, door knobs, and hardware on cabinets. We have been very busy. I will post pictures of the final room when it is complete.

Mom's League Xmas party

We went to the Mom's league christmas party yesterday. It was a nice party but there were about 200 people there and Brooklyn would not let me hardly put her down. There were pictures with Santa also. At first Brooklyn looked and Santa and kind of smiled then really started checking him out and it was all over. These are just snapshots from my camera.

Thanksgiving and Sea World

We had a great Thankssgiving in the Hill Country. We went to Fredericksburg first and Brooklyn had a fun time with Nonna and Poppy. She has a treasure chest at Nonna's and it had some new toys. It ended with Nonna and Poppy having to take away a puzzle piece to put it away and Brooklyn did not like it. Nonna does not want her to associate her with taking away things but she will have to many more times I am sure. We then went to San Antonio to Gammy and Pappy's where there were about 15 of us. Fun times! We went to Sea World on Saturday and Brooklyn did like it but I am sure she will like it more in years to come.



Gammy and Pappy's grandchildren (not a great picture but the best I could get)



Shamu

Brooklyn 15 month stats

Well we still have not hit 20 lbs but I already changed her facing forward. She is 4oz away so she will be there soon. She is 15% percentile which has actually gone up. She is 30 inches which makes her 80% percentile. Her appt was even 2 weeks late. The doctor said everything looked good though she is just little.

The guys

Here is a picture of John and Laird before leaving for the game.

Brooklyn at Gymboree

Earlier this week we had a trial run in our costume at Gymboree.



Brooklyn at Gymboree



Her friends at Gymboree

Brooklyn the Butterfly

Brooklyn was a butterfly for Halloween and she loved her costume and trick or treating. Her friend Holly Garrett came down to trick or treat with her. John and Laird went to the Texas-Texas Tech game the next day. I was pulling for Texas Tech but still not sure what I think about Tech being that good. Little jealous. Here are some pics of the weekend.





The mama's



Brooklyn and Holly before trick or treating



Trick or treating



The girls in the bathtub

Trip to the Hill Country

We went to San Antonio to visit Gammy and Pappy and went to the zoo. The zoo was great. They have a really great zoo. We then went to Fredericksburg to visit Nonna and Poppy.

Queen of the Kitchen in Training

Here is Brooklyn modeling her new apron from Nonna. It is a little big now but she has time. Nonna has her about 5 aprons, one for every holiday.

15 months

Brooklyn is doing something different everyday. Her newest thing is "doing the monkey". She imitates the motion the monkey does and the sound. She says "thank you" a lot. She does it when she gives you something b/c she hears me say it when she gives me something. She talks a lot but is not a loud child. She is reserved and very cautious when walking. She just does not barrel through things. She smiles all the time and laughs a lot. She likes people a lot and makes friends with the waiters at restaurants. She is like Laird and I but she is also different. Let's put it this way she is not a risk taker. Pappy said it right when we were talking about her being a heartbreaker (and by the way this is all Laird talks about is the day she starts dating), she will definitely not go out with anyone she will have to give it a good thought (just like her mama).

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp

This recipe is one of my go to's for several years. It is from Cooking Light. It is a spicy dish but you can vary the heat. It serves 4. Calories 424 Fat 13.2

Peanut Sauce:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup water (add 1/3 cup if you want less spicy)
2 Tbls low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbls rice vinegar
1-2 tsp chile paste with garlic (you should be able to find in regular grocery store)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, divided

Shrimp:
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
cooking spray

Pasta:
4 cups cooked thick udon noodles or linguine (8 oz uncooked)
1 red bell pepper cut into strips (this is the only veggie I use b/c Laird does not like cucumber so it may take a little less time for me)
3/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup diagonally cut green onions
3 Tbls roasted peanuts (I don't roast them but you can)
2 Tbls cilantro
4 lime wedges (if desired)

1. To prepare sauce, combine first 6 ingredients and 1/4 tsp salt; stir with a whisk.

2. To prepare the shrimp, toss with 1/4 tsp salt. Suate in non stick skilletcoated with cooking spray over medium high heat for 3 min on each side or until done.

3. To prepare pasta, combine peanut sauce, shrimp, noodles, bell pepper, cucumber, and onions in a large bowl (just combine in pan); toss well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts (I don't chop them) and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We went to a Pumpkin Patch in Argyle on Saturday. It was cool! They had a really neat train ride and the adults even wanted to ride again. Aunt Heather, Uncle Clint and Aunt Kim went with us! Brooklyn is attached to both Heather and Kim. She cries when she has to come back to Laird or I.



Checking out the pumpkins



Smiling for the camera



Crawling through a wood log



The fam

It's a...

Girl! I had my ultrasound Friday and we are having another little girl! We are excited for Brooklyn to have a little sister. She is going to be such a sweet and loving big sister. I will definitely have shopping partners. I had a dream the night before that it was a girl. I guess it is true that what you dream about is real. We are excited about her February/March arrival!

Brooklyn 13 and 14 months

Well I did not get around to posting about 13 months but here are the last two months summed up:

Brooklyn had her first fever which was due to a ear infection. She had fever for 3 days of 102-103 and so they gave her penicillin. She was allergic and broke out in rash.

She eats ok but I would not put her up there with the best eaters. She eats anything with cheese. Macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, quesadilla. She eats the Gerber ravioli which is how she gets her vegetables. She will not eat any vegetables plain. I can get her to eat some sweet potato. She will eat some fruits but she will just surprise you when she does that. We still do some babyfood to make sure she gets veggies and fruits.

The things she says consistently are: hi, bye-bye, ball. She can mimic other words but will not say them without being prompted. She can also make the sound of a dog when prompted.

She still claps and dances. She now gives high fives, knows where her ear is, likes to be chased, plays peek a boo.

We have had a lots of visitors lately and Laird and I get a break b/c it is like we are not even here. So if you come visit you better want to play with Brooklyn.

Her favorite toy right now is her Cabbage Patch Kid that Poppy's cousin Cynthia gave her for her birthday. She also smiled for these pictures when I said smile. She loves the camera. Here are some pictures of her dragging it around.





Look for pictures of her Halloween costume. She is going to be a butterfly and she loves her costume.

Brooklyn's walking footage

For those of you who have not seen Brooklyn walking here she is! She has been walking for about 3 weeks.

Grapefest

It was such a nice day on Sunday after Ike got out of town that we decided to go to Grapefest in Grapevine. We took Brooklyn to the petting zoo and she saw a musical group called the Side Street Circus. That kept her attention for about 5 mintues. It was starting to get hot and Brooklyn was ready for her nap so we called it a day after about 2 hours.

Doctor appt

Well, I had a doctors appt last Friday and everything still looks good. I heard the strong heartbeat. I really have just noticed that the nausea has gone away this week. It seemed like it lasted a little longer this time. I never really get sick just nauseated. We will find out the sex on October 3rd

Brooklyn is going to be big sister!

I think most of you know that Brooklyn is going to be a big sister in March or maybe February. I am 13 weeks and the due date is March 1st. Everything is going well and we will find out the sex in October. They will be 19 months apart. I wanted to get her a Big Sister shirt to put a picture on the blog but could not find a cute one. Stay tuned for more updates!

Officially Walking!

Well, Brooklyn is officially walking. She really made strides over the weekend and by the week she was walking from room to room. She is not real fast or sure so she just takes it slow.

Fun weekend!

We went to Austin for Greyson's 1st birthday, then to San Antonio to spend the night with Pappy and Gammy, then to Houston to hang out with Miller. I think Brooklyn had enough b/c the last day she was not liking Miller. She did not want to hang out with him and cried all the way to Children's Museum and back everytime Miller made a noise. She will have to get over it! She did good with him the first couple of days but then she was over him. Laird had a meeting in Houston so we decided to make it a tour of Texas. Here are some pictures of the weekend and week!



Playing in pool at Greyson's



Greyson and his birthday cake



Brooklyn after eating cupcake with red icing



Playing at Pappy and Gammy's



Children's Museum

Brooklyn and Miller's birthday party

Brooklyn and Miller had a blast at their 1st birthday party. We had it at Gymboree and it was great for a 1st birthday party because they had lots they could do.

Also Brooklyn had her 1 year checkup today and she weighed 18 lbs and was 28 1/2 inches. She is still a little thing but the doctor was pleased with everything. She has also started taking more steps. She has taken as many as five.


Miller trying to be next to Brooklyn



Some of their friends



Miller sliding down slide



Brooklyn sliding down slide



Brooklyn enjoying being under parachute



Finally, they enjoyed a ride in their radio flyer wagon thanks to Gammy and Pappy!

Brooklyn's First Birthday pictures

I went and had Brooklyn's pictures taken today at Portrait Innovations. They did a really good job and Brooklyn struck a pose as usual for the camera.

Brooklyn's First Birthday

We celebrated the real birthday at home with cake. Aunt Kim and Uncle Rob came over and she got a glow worm from Aunt Kim. Brooklyn is still not walking and not taking any steps yet. We may have witnessed one step. She stand by herself. Still just one tooth on the top that has broken through. She still claps her hands and she will dance for you on command and get her ball and Gymbo (the clown). She also will bring you books all day long to read. If you are tired of reading and don't read them then she gets mad. I am glad she likes reading but I can only read so many books in a day. Of course she always bring them to me to read and not dad. Dad does not read with as much enthusiasm. Brooklyn liked her cake but really just liked playing in it. She did not eat much of it really. She is eating good but sometimes does not like baby food and doesn't really like the Gerber Graduates. Basically she only likes the food you give her off of your plate. It can be the same thing on her plate but she wants it from your plate. The birthday party is next week in Houston so stay tuned for more pictures.




Before birthday cake destruction



After birthday cake destruction



Opening her present



Reading to her



Brooklyn bringing me another book