We officially have a toddler...

...and sometimes that doesn't seem accurate, because she is no longer toddling around...but RUNNING!!!

Yikes...did you know her SECOND birthday is in less than 4 months? We won't go there...

Ok...since my updates are unfortunately few and far between...I'm going to try and be brief (and then FOR REAL), my goal is to upload pics within the new few weeks! Someone hold me to it, please!!

We went to Midland for Easter and Grandma Q's 75 birthday! We had a blast, visited with cousins, aunts/uncles and grandparents! My favorite part of the trip was Brooklyn getting to experience and Easter Egg hunt with cousins...and A LOT of them!! She was able to hunt eggs with Joey, Jackson, Reagan, Gracie, Quentin and Brinin!! She doesn't have that on my side of the family...so it was fun! She's actually pretty good at it too! Just tell her the eggs are trash and the basket's her trash can and she's your girl!! She LOVES trash!! Anytime she finds a spec of anything on the ground "trash, trash" and wants you to show her the nearest trash can!!

Another fun thing she learned in Midland..."turta" (for those of you who don't know, that's "turtle"). Grandma Q has turtles out in her yard and Aunt Teri showed her an itsy bitsy baby turtle...Brooklyn said "turta" out of the blue and has been saying it ever since!! She's quite the fan of "turtas."

We also slept with Brooklyn in our room...in a pack in play. This is HUGE for her...and us. We may have a good sleeper on our hands, but she doesn't like to share her bedroom with others! ...however, all three of us slept great!!

Brooklyn and I went to Aunt Jamie and Uncle Johnny's shortly after we got home because I had to work the Boerne Just Between Friends sale. Unfortunately, there was a monsoon going on, which I think affected our traffic. I did get a few parties booked and some potential consultants...so fingers crossed!! Speaking of consultants...wow, I have FORTY-SEVEN women on my team...and all across the country (13 different states!). I can't believe that May 1st was my year anniversary with Thirty-One and how much fun I have had...and how much of a blessing it has been for our family!! I love what I am doing, but most importantly...I love being with our baby girl!! HUGE thanks to Betsy for finding Thirty-One!!!

Ok, back on track...Brooklyn spent a ton of time hanging out with Jamie and John...and even got to sneak in a few visits with Aunt Jo! These are extra special to me...because it is the next best thing to being with Mame! :) Brooklyn has also become obsessed with pictures....this started at Aunt Jo's when she wanted to see a picture of Mame. She likes to sit framed pictures in front of her while she eats and give them kisses! :) ...at my parent's house...she wants the pic of "Daddy/DaDa".

Recently we took Brooklyn to Helotes' Cornyval!! I don't think I had been since high school! You know how you see a lot of kids clinging to parents legs in social situations? Well, that's not our child...she is off, out and about running!! She is SO GOOD, such a happy, good, baby...but man, take her somewhere and you better be holding her hand, because she is super curious!! ...kind of freaks me out a bit! However, at least she does like to hold hands now!!

Brooks and I have been wanting to tile our kitchen since we bought our house and we finally picked some out!! :) We wanted travertine, but after some research...discovered that it was a bit too high maintenance for us, so we opted for a porcelain that looks like travertine. Our tile guy will be here bright and early Monday morning to rip out of vinyl flooring and tile our kitchen and guest bathroom!! We are really excited!

My parents have been named...by Brooklyn...Nahni/Nanni and Boppa. She has truly done this on her own...and it's pretty cute. She talks about them ALL the time!!! First thing in the morning, in the car, etc...we hear "Nahni, Boppa...Nahni, Boppa." I'm so thankful that we are so close to them and that she is truly comfortable staying there. She has even spent the night a few times!!

Brooks made reservations at Hotel Valencia for our 4th anniversary and we dropped her off for a night (I had no warning...and we both did fine. He and I also had a WONDERFUL time on the RiverWalk and it was a fun "staycation"). I have also had a few EARLY parties...so we have dropped her off to spend the night so I don't have to wake her up early.

Other fun words our kiddo says: "nee" (Candy), "wa-ee" (Water...to drink or bodies of water), "gace" (Grace), "choos" (shoes), "bess" (Bless You when you sneeze), "peez" (please), "oh gosh" (this has replaced 'oh wow'), "ni-night" (Night Night...and when she's ready, she tells you!), "hi", "bye bye," "ow" (down...without the d), "boo boo" (scrapes and cuts), "walk" (when she wants to get down and walk on her own), "mum mum" (Mum Mum snacks), "nak" (snacks), "a" (egg), "cul" (color/crayons), "eye", "ose" (nose), "eea" (ear), "bobo" (elbow)...and of course dog, duck and all her animal sounds (cow, sheep, pig, monkey, elephant, dog, cat). Last but not leaset, but bestie friend...Rowan has become "Row-o"...

She is also slowly figuring out doing "I Love You" by pointing to her eyes, her heart and then pointing back to you...she will have this mastered any day!!

Brooklyn is also the epitome of a girly girl...she still LOVES her shoes, is obsessed with wanting to put chap stick and make up on...and also wants to wear necklaces, bracelets, watches or glasses!!!

Last but not least...wowzers, we leave for Wyoming in less than a month!!! We are so excited...but yikes, we have a lot to do!!

March Madness...

I'm not sure what to attribute the title of this post to...but it just seemed appropriate. We have been crazy busy...but that's nothing new. Brooklyn keeps us on our toes and is one busy busy bee!!

Brooklyn and I took a trip up to see Great Aunt Jamie and Great Great Aunt Jo in New Braunfels. We had a blast! We were there Thursday-Sunday!! Brooklyn performed all of her animal sounds - cow, sheep, dog, monkey...pointed to her body parts - nose, mouth, chin, ears, eyes, elbow and tummy! Her aunties were quite impressed!! Aunt Jo even shared some chocolate ice cream with her!! She is always obsessed with the stairs at Aunt Jo's house...but she didn't even attempt to go up them this visit (that made for a more pleasant get-together).

Aunt Jamie and I took Brooklyn to a few stores in San Marcos at the Outlet Mall. We were looking for a Pottery Barn kids chair...and we found one!! We also found some goodies at Old Navy, Children's Place and Heartstrings...my baby girl was pooped from all the shopping!!! Daddy missed us while we were gone...this is the longest that he has been away from us!!

I participated as a vendor at the Just Between Friends consignment sale at Crossroads Mall!! I made a ton of new contacts...so hopefully with a little follow-up, it will have been worth my time! I'm really looking forward to the sale in Boerne next month!! The JBF sale was Thursday-Saturday...that's right...3 whole days. ...and this was the most amount of time that this Mommy had been away from her baby :( ...so who was she with? Grandma!! ...and poor Grandma was pooped!! She hasn't recovered from her foot surgery as well as she had hoped, so I think it was a bit much for her (which I feel guilty about). Don't get me wrong...Brooklyn is a wonderful little baby (wait, toddler...), but she is constant action!! Walking this way...then that way...opening this...shutting that...and of course "bite, bite, bite"...she is obsessed with eating when she is at Grandma's house!! ...speaking of Grandma, I 'think' we might have a name for her. Nahni...Brooklyn started saying "nah nah...nah nah"...and it has somewhat developed into Nahni. We'll see if it sticks. She better come up with something for Grandpa or he'll feel left out.

Gina and I took the girls to a an easter egg hunt in the park. The Easter Bunny was even there!! (duh! who do you think hid the eggs?!?). All the sweet kiddos were lined up waiting to sit in the bunny's lap...Brooklyn kept waving at him, saying 'hi'...etc. I thought "YES"...she will like the bunny!!! Turns out I was wrong...the big 6 foot tall bunny fits in the same category as Santa Claus...the bottom lip started quivering and her arms reaching out for help as soon as we set her in his lap. Oh well, maybe she'll be into the characters next year...

Brooks has been such a busy beaver at work!! Did you know that he sold 14 houses in February?? That's one house every other day!!! We are so so proud of him and so grateful for all of his hard work!!! We truly feel blessed that he is having such an amazing spring!! I hope the house buying/selling continues!!!

"I'm leaving on a Jet Plane"...that's right...we are taking Brooklyn for her first flight!! EEEKS!!! We booked our flight to Denver a few nights ago!! We are taking a trip to Wyoming this summer to see some friends (Jeff and Aneesa). They have a little girl, Karlie, who is about 3...so she and Brooklyn should have fun. We are terrified of flying with Brooklyn...but I keep telling Brooks, "we'll never see these people again." We purchased a portable DVD player in hopes of it entertaining her. I'm not so much worried about her being uncomfortable (ears hurting, etc)...as wanting to wander around...and explaining that she has to sit for 3 hours! Fingers crossed!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

You know what Brooklyn got us for Valentine's Day?? KISSES!!!

That's right!! On the 9th, she gave us an early present and figured out how to give people kisses!!! It simply melted our hearts...and still does!! She makes the kissy sound and everything!! It's pretty awesome!!

Another fun word that she has started saying is "bayyybee"...whenever she sees a baby...she says her long, drawn out..."bayyybee". Her yogurt (still her food of choice) has a baby on some of the containers...so she also says "bayyybee" whenever we get her yogurt out...or when a baby is on tv...or when she sees a baby out an about.

She has also figured out how to ask for another bite/more food! She loves to say "biiiittte"...she really enunciates the "iii"...it's funny.

Brookie and I went to have lunch with Daddy today...which we frequently do. ...and by frequently, I mean we frequent Tink-a-Tako!! Brooklyn has actually discovered that she really likes bean, cheese and egg tacos...well the inside at least. The tortilla tends to end up on the floor. All of the waitresses know her...thus where she began her love of dipping "di di"...with EVERYTHING!!! We must eat chips and salsa way too much!!

We went out for a double date on Valentine's Day with Ian and Seda. Seda was about to leave town for several months...and we had been wanting her to take us to a Turkish restaurant. We went to Turquoise Grill...and boy was it yummy!!! ...not at all what either of us expected; we can't wait to go back!

Brooklyn Jean...you are the complete love of our lives and we love you more than you know. I cannot fathom how you are nearly 18 months old...and we are nearly as close to your 2nd birthday as your first!! You have been a complete joy to our lives...in every way imaginable!!

Back in time...wrapping up the year!

It makes me so sad that it has been nearly two months since I posted something about life. ...so let's take a step back in time!! While I am truly so blessed to be so busy with Thirty-One, there are so many other things that I want to do. #1. Catch up on blog #2. Upload pictures to previous posts on blog #3. Print blog (more on this coming soon) #4. Print snapshots of Brooklyn (July trough current. It felt so good when I got this done over the summer...but now I am just as behind. Really? How did this happen. Anyone have any tips??) #5. Have prints of professional pictures taken. If can can accomplish all of these things, I will feel better about life.

December....this month was nearly TWO months ago!! It started with a great visit from Aunt Betsy, Quentin, Gracie and Brinin. We had a blast!! Betsy and I took the kiddos to the zoo and road the train in Brackenridge Park. Brooklyn liked to stand on the train. I can't wait to take her back to the zoo!! I think she will have more fun each time she goes!! To commemorate her first trip to the zoo, I bought her a mini stuffed Okapi. Here is a picture if you don't know what it is...he was seriously the cutest and looked so soft!!! His legs were like a thinly striped zebra and his body was solid deep chocolate brown. He was all alone in his area (kinda sad) and his legs were twitching...so maybe he wasn't the happiest animal at the zoo...but he had a special place in my heart! Maybe the Okapi was more for me than Brooklyn, but she seems to be a fan!

We also went to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa Claus! Did you know he was there? Well he was, yuppers the real Santa Claus made it down to San Antonio for some time at BPS. ...needless to say, Brooklyn was not really a fan of Santa Claus. I think she would have rather been sitting with the Okapi. As soon as she laid eyes on the bearded man in the red suit, her bottom lip curled under and she began to wail. Last year she politely laid in his arms for her picture...but this year, she gave us a classic, screaming child picture. In all honesty, it's pretty cute. Granted...we would have preferred a happy child...but for a Christmas picture, this was the next best thing....

We also introduced her cousins and Aunt to Cosi and Orange Cup...both were a big hit! The rest of December was basically filled with Thirty-One parties!!

Everyone came to our house for Christmas on Christmas Eve. We may or may not have had a Christmas Tree up this year. We did have stockings hung with care. Brooklyn got an extra special (amazing!!) gift from her Uncle Cousin John (my Mom's first cousin)...a 100% complete hand stitched, petit point needlepoint stocking. It is absolutely stunning!! It has Santa, fancy Russian buildings, ballerinas...and so much more detail!!! It is such a special keepsake for her!!! It took him a year of hard work and love!!

We were blessed with spending Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa K, Aunt Jamie and Uncle John, John's sister Mary, Uncle Cousin Steven, Ian and Seda. We had a pretty great time eating tamales and being with family. One of Brooklyn's big Christmas gifts was a kitchen from Grandma and Grandpa K. ...so she got a ton of soft/stuffed veggies, eggs, cupcakes, pots and bowls. She is set to make us veggie stew and dessert!! She loved...and I mean LOVED stirring in her pot the entire night!!! She was too cute!! She is also a big fan of opening and closing the doors of her kitchen...and putting things in them. She also got a magna-doodle type thing, which is probably her most favorite toy!! It says ages 3 and up...but she has always been a fan of Rowan's....so she got her own!

Now Brooks. What can I say about what he got for me...but W-O-W. I broke down in tears when I opened his gift. I don't cry very often...well maybe in front of him, but not in front of other people. I am still in awe of his gift. Ok, sorry to hold you in suspense. He had a book made that is just pictures of he and I. It has special little stories, note and memories on each page. It is simply wonderful!!! He has definitely set high expectations for himself.

You might ask...what did Brooks get? He is now fully stocked on socks and underwear! Yuppers, that's right! That's how romantic I was this year. Ok, he got a few other things too...wireless headphones, corduroy pants, beard trimmer, gadgets for the garage...and a few other things...but nothing seems to even come close to competing with my present. Thanks babe!!

My parents spent the night for Christmas...which was so much fun!!! When we woke up, Santa (err, umm...Grandma Q and Grandpa Joe) had brought Brooklyn her official Little Tykes Cozy Coupe Car!! Once she figured it out...she LOVED to climb in and out...and in and out some more. She is still a bit too short to push it around...but she loves for us to push her!!

We went over to New Braunfels on Christmas afternoon. We got to see Great Aunt Jo, the Irvines and thank John for his amazing stocking!! Aunt Jo got Brooklyn a shopping cart (so she can go shopping for her kitchen!!)...and got to see her open it. On our way home...we wanted to stop and eat...didn't feel like dragging leftovers out...we our choices were IHOP and Denny's. We opted for Denny's. Major disappointment...no Moons Over My-Hammy on Christmas Day...they have an abbreviated menu for certain days of the year. It was sad...but we had dinner...with a bunch of other people who apparently eat at Denny's on Christmas!! The service wasn't the best...but hey, it was Christmas.

The next day we took off for Midland and had Christmas there! It was nice...Teri, Tim and the boys were still there when we got there. We also got to say hi to Joey and Jill before they left...and then we had the rest of the time with his parents. I stayed up late playing Phase 10 with Betsy each night...a pretty fun card game if I must say so myself. We twisted Brooks' arm into playing with us the last night. We visited Rosa's and Taco Villa. Brooklyn is a fan of Rosas' bean and cheese burrito...thus she is definitely Brooks' child. Ryan was in town...so we got to see he and his Mom for a quick visit.

The day we were supposed to leave, it was supposed to snow. It made me nervous to be on the road with nasty weather...but it turned out to be ok by mid afternoon. However, it DID snow that morning. We bundled Brooklyn up and plopped her in the backyard to take her picture. She wasn't too sure about the snow. In reality, there was barely enough to stick on the ground. We gave her a small snowball and she WOULD NOT hold it! She was just kind of frozen in position and not sure what to think about it all.

Other fun facts about life. Brooklyn loves to rock in Popeye's old rocking chair. We caught her a few times climbing into it in her bedroom...so I put it in the living room. She loves to sit in it and say "ra ra" (rock rock). She also says: mama, dada, no no (she is a pro at this one), ba (ball), ish (fish), baby, bu-bye, hi, wasz isz (what's this), uh ohhh, oh wow (not so much anymore...this was kind of a phase)...we are still working on more or bite! She knows her: nose, eyes, ears, mouth, tummy...and loves to point to yours too! She knows a cow goes moo.

Brooklyn's special talent?? Her imagination! If you hold out your hand in front of her...she will grab/pinch things out of your hand and put them in your mouth. Then she "chomp chomp" chews them up and goes back for more imaginary food. It is pretty stinkin' cute/funny!

We are still pretty amazed my this little being that we have brought into the world. She is starting to get cuddly and hug on us. It just melts me when she cuddles with me because it is so rare. She won't give us kisses yet...however, she loves to give kisses to her animals, dolls or the dogs. Hopefully Mommy and Daddy will be next!!

Ok, so remember Brooks' fabulous Christmas present for me? I really want to take the time to have this blog printed on an annual basis and made into a book. I think it is the best baby/memory book for Brooklyn. I am embarrassingly behind on her baby book...but this is pretty current (I may lag between posts...but I make the effort to catch up). So, I hope that this is the last post in her book! I just need to make more posts (shorter ones!!) on a frequent basis...and that will simplify life!! Just little snippets here and there of her life.

Welcome 2010!

Brooks and I rang in the New Year at home. We put Brooklyn to bed and had a fun night of fondue. Cheese and chocolate!! Yummy!! My Mom just had foot surgery on BOTH feet on December 30th...so she is off babysitting duty until at least mid-Februrary.

We celebrated Brooks' 31st birthday at Paeasano's...and my parents volunteered to keep Brooklyn. I thought Paesano's would be super yummy since Brooks had not been there...however, he didn't agree. He ordered Chicken Parmeasean...and was not a huge fan. However, I had Shrimp Paesano...and it tasted exactly like it was supposed to!! ...remember all the socks and undies he got for Christmas...well he got more for his bday!! :) Lucky guy!!

Brooks' birthday was on the 7th...and well the 8th was a hard day for Brooklyn and her parents. She has dealth with tear duct issues her entire first year of life. Poor girl thinks here right eyelashes are made of cardboard...and are glued shut half the time. We finally bit the bullet and scheduled her for surgery. We had to be at the hosptial at 6:00 a.m. and her surgery was scheduled for 7. Dr. Charles McCash did performed her surgery and he was pretty great...minus constantly running late! ;) Aunt Jamie met Mommy and Daddy at the hospital and waited with us while they took Brookie back. We didn't take our camera...so we only have our cell phone pics.

They put her in a tweety/bugs hospital gown...and Dr. McCash drew a squiggle above her right eye (to make sure they operated on the right one). We didn't really have a chance to kiss her goodbye...the nurse just wisked her away. She was gone from us 30-45 minutes...and then the doctor came out and said she did great!!! Her passageway was super narrow, so her problems didn't suprise him! We went in the back to see our Brookie and she was one unhappy camper!! Not from pain...but from being held by strange nurses and not seeing anyone she knew!! I nursed her and then they wheeled Mommy and patient out in a wheelchair.

She went back for her post-op the next week, got a great report...and is still doing well!! I think the surgery was harder on Mom and Dad...becasue it was the first time we have turned her over to someone other than family...and we weren't with her.

Brookie and Mommy have been visitng Grandma nearly every day at lunch time. We play with Grandma, brighten her day...and let Bitsy and Grace out to go potty. The computer has become a good companion to my Mom...and has helped occupy her days. She has a game that she plays with fish...Brooklyn loves to come up to the couch....pat it (which means "I want up")...and then she points at the computer and says "ish ish"...it's pretty cute.

My Mom has also had MayMay's electric amigo car...Brooklyn LOVES to climb on this and walk circles around it!! ...she also has fun when Grandma takes her for a ride!!

Neeless to say, Grandpa has been doing a lot more solo babysitting with Brookly, since Grandma is off her feet. They have had fun!! :)