The Brown Family

October 2011: Big month!!

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

October was full of surprises! First on the list was a house! We started looking for houses and found this one!! We put in an offer and it was accepted! It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath one story with a pool! It was supposed to only be a 30 day escrow, but it ended up being closer to 45 days, so we didn't end up moving in until the week before Christmas. We are still unpacking, a month later, and have been busy making it our home. Tim has done so much to fix, update, organize and set up our house! I don't know what I would do without him! We still have stuff to do, but we are really enjoying our new house!

The end of October we had some other exciting news!!!

and yes, I did take 2 because I didn't believe the first one! I was on the mini-pill and was still nursing Brayden when I got pregnant!! We knew we wanted to have more kids, but hadn't decided when we wanted to start trying, so God decided for us! ;) We were so excited! There is just something about knowing that this is God's timing for this baby, not just for our family, but for this baby's whole life. Psalm 139:16 "...all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This verse has taken on a whole new meaning to me. To know that each of us, including this tiny baby growing inside me, has a unique plan and purpose...it is just so overwhelming to me. We are so thankful that God has given us this new little blessing!
I can't wait to meet him or her!

September=Birthday Month

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Finally catching up on blogging!! Had to go all the way back to Septemeber, which has become birthday month for our house! First, was Brayden's first birthday with a basketball theme to celebrate Brayden's "rookie season". We had his party at the same park that we had Brooke's 1st birthday party! It was such a fun day!

Next, we celebrated my 29th! Tim and I went out to Davis for a fun date night!

good food and great company!

Then it was Brooke's turn! We had a princess party for her 3rd birthday (I know the princess theme is shocking) ;)

we had a princess table...

and a knights table...

which ended up being the dads' table :)

Brooke and Makayla reading in the princess castle

coloring

Makayla, Abi and Brooke decorating their own tiaras

singing "Happy Birthday"

mommy and the birthday girl!

As much fun as September was, we all needed a few weeks to recover!

1

2011-09-09T14:18:00.001-07:00

My sweet little Brayden turns 1 year old today! It is so crazy to think a whole year has gone by since the day I got to meet my son for the first time (which you can read about here). I am so in love with my baby boy, and am honestly a little sad that he is 1! I feel like he is still just a couple months old, but it is hard to remember life without him! He brings so much joy to our family and is his sister's best friend. They love playing together and it makes my heart happy to watch them play and laugh together! He is saying mommy, daddy, ball, hi, uh-oh and "dees" which means cheese. :) He is taking steps and starting to be more courageous with trying to walk. I am so thankful that God has given him to us and our prayer is that he will come to know, serve and love Him with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. I love you Brayden Tyler Brown, and am so thankful that I get to be your mommy! I love you!

Brayden's BIRTHday

I love Brooke's face!! haha!

Halloween: my little football (7 weeks old)

Christmas Eve (3 1/2 months)

Pictures by T&H Photography : 4 months

5 months! Go Chargers!

6 months

Easter: 7 months

figuring out how to crawl: 7 1/2 months

pulling up on everything! 9 months

happy boy: 10 months

First trip to Disneyland: 11 months

What an amazing year it has been! We love you Brayden!

Knott's Berry Farm

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our vacation, we went to Knott's Berry Farm! Tim's dad was able to get us some free tickets (score!) and came along with us! We have been reading about and watching Charlie Brown and Snoopy since Brooke was little so we knew she would enjoy Knott's. We spent most of our time on the kid rides and walking around, with a nice lunch break at the restaurant there. Here are some highlights from our day!

daddy and Brookie on the hot air balloon ride

She was brave and even rode rides all by herself!

Carousel! I think we rode 5 different carousels during our vacation! It's a favorite!

playing games!

Tim's dad watched Brayden so Tim and I could go on the Log ride with Brooke!

She loved it!

Grandpa Brown and Brookie girl Schroeder

Sally

SNOOPY

Waiting for the show

3 Brown men

such a big girl
She finally got to ride a roller coaster. She was just barely tall enough to ride the kid roller coaster! She loved it and wanted to go again!

She loves her brother, although he was not wanting her to hug him, obviously!

Our Little PRINCESS!!!

2011-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Brooke, Tim and I talked about all the things we would encounter in life with having a daughter. One of the things we talked about was that we didn't want her to be one of those girls who was a "princess", and by "princess" we meant we didn't want her to have an attitude of entitlement or arrogance. From the time she was little we didn't let her have any "princess" toys, movies, clothes, etc...We watched non-princess Disney movies, in fact, we stuck mostly to Pixar movies (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Nemo, etc.). We had bought a big book of a bunch of Disney stories that we would read to her at night sometimes. That book did have a couple of Princess stories in it, and about a year ago, Brooke started telling us she was a princess. I was serioulsy shocked that she had picked that up and it stuck...it stuck hard.

Right away anytime she would tell us she was a princess, Tim would tell her that she was a SERVING princess. Someone even bought us a book called the Servant Princess. It is just crazy to me that there is just something about girls and princesses. We have embraced the princess craze and talk about the characteristics of a serving princess. A princess should be loving, kind, humble, putting others before herself...all qualities a true princess (a daughter of THE KING) should strive to have.

All that to say, the term "princess" has a new meaning in our household, and have since watched all of the Disney princess movies and her favorite has become Beauty and the Beast. We bought her a Belle dress before we left and told her she could wear it to Disneyland. We decided to let her wear it on our 2nd day in the park, because we knew that would be our long day. We also tried to plan on meeting as many princesses as we could that day as well!Twirling in front of the castleThey had a couple princesses outside by the castle: first stop...Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

There is a cute, interactive show that they teach you how to dance and bow like a princess

Then the princesses come out and dance with you

Then they got to dance around the maypole...as you can tell from her expression, she didn't really get this :)

After the dance she got to meet Snow White

After the show we (and by we I mean Brayden and I) stood in the longest line we stood in the whole time we were at Disneyland...the Princess Fantasy Faire line. Tim took Brooke to get some food and walk around! Best idea!

First Princess after the SUPER long line...Ariel! Brooke and Ariel talked for awhile. Brooke was being typical Brooke and saying typical Brooke things, like when Ariel asked who her Beast was, since she was dressed as Belle, She replied with, "ummm, Cinderella". Ariel talked to her about her birthday and they both were laughing and talking like they were best friends. It was sooo cute!

Brooke could spot Jasmine and got a little distracted, but we managed to get a picture of them together. Ariel came up to me after the picture and said that Brooke was so cute and seriously just made her day!

We moved on to the next princess, which was Belle! Brooke loved that they were matching! She was able to see that there were other princesses in the room and started to get distracted so we told her that we could take a picture and move on to go meet the other ones. Brooke was not fond of that idea...she ignored us and told Belle she wanted to play hide and seek with her. We tried to stop her and explain that there were a lot of other little girls waiting to meet Belle, but before we could finish, Belle said SURE! So we watched our little Belle play hide and seek with the "real" Belle!

apparently the best spot to hide is behind her! haha!

After hide and seek Brooke finally took a picture and reluctantly moved on...

...to Tiana. So, what was the first thing Brooke said to Tiana? Yep, you guessed it. "Let's play hide and seek! You hide and I'll count." Tiana didn't miss a beat...We are starting to feel bad because there are a ton of people waiting and all the kids before us just took a picture and maybe signed an autograph. Then there is my kid who thinks the Princesses are there just for her!

found you!
Brooke's turn to hide

Tiana found her!

Time for a picture!

While all of the hide and seek was happening, Ariel had stopped the line of people, got Belle, and they both headed over to watch Brooke. While Brooke was hiding from Tiana, Ariel and Belle stood in front of Jasmine to hide her from Brooke

Ariel asked her where Jasmine was

can't fool my girl

They were all telling her where to look

She finally found her!

It was such a special memory for Brooke (and us too!!) They made her feel so special! And of course, when anyone makes it a priority to make your child feel special, you can't help but be grateful!

Asking Jasmine where her prince was :)

Our sweet little princess, we love you!

DISNEYLAND!

2011-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, for the second part of our vacation we headed up to Anaheim for Brooke and Brayden's first trip to Disneyland!! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect taking an almost 3 year old and almost 1 year old, but the kids were AMAZING!! This was such a great age to take them! Brooke loved EVERYTHING and Brayden loved just being outside and slept a lot, haha! We had originally planned to go down in September, for our birthday month (Brayden's is 9/9, mine is 9/22 and Brooke's is 9/23) but when we found out that Drew and Chelsea's wedding was the first week of August, we decided to move our trip up a month so we could go to the wedding too! We had already told Brooke we were going to Disneyland for her birthday, so everytime we said we were going she said, "ya, for my birthday". So even though it was a month early, we celebrated her birthday. Disneyland gives you pins if you are celebrating something, so they gave Brooke (and Brayden) "It's my birthday" pins and wrote their names on them. So when you wear a pin ANYONE that works at Disneyland says, "Happy Birthday". Brooke LOVED it!!! She got a ton of special attention! I have saved a special experience that we had for my next post, but I will give you a hint...it involves PRINCESSES!! :) We had such an amazing trip, and of course, took sooo many pictures!

Hugging her Mickey and Minnie on our way there!

Just a little excited!!

Waiting for the Parade!

Unsure??

Even people in the parade said Happy Birthday to her! She waved the entire time!

Brayden enjoyed the parade too...I think :)

She loved that the Princesses blew her kisses and waved to her :)

She loved the castle and I think we went through it and read the Sleeping Beauty story 5 times while we were there!

DUMBO (which Brooke calls Gumbo)!

One of the ladies that was working the ride took the individual pictures of us and was so sweet. We saw her again later that night when we were about to get in line for Alice and Wonderland. She recognized us and told us to follow her. She took us through the exit so we could walk right on to the ride and not wait in line! She said she wanted to do that for us because we just seemed like a sweet family and our kids were super cute! She saved us a 35 minute wait, which was AWESOME!

Buzz Lightyear ride!

Family Picture on Pirates with Brayden sleeping!

The Second Day: We bought Brooke a Belle dress before we left (that is her favorite Princess right now) so we let her wear it for our full day in the park.

The new Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure! SO cute!

Monster's Inc. ride!

Meeting Buzz and Woody! She loves the Pixar movies so it was so fun to watch her get to meet them. Brayden just stared at them, but didn't want to touch them, or get too close.

This little cutie turned 11 months old when we were there! He isn't in as many pictures as Brooke because he slept a lot, but this was one of my favorites. I love this sweet little face!

We played some games and won some prizes!

OUT!! She slept for over an hour like that!

Small World! Brayden sleeping again!

Brooke really like Small World and at one point she saw 2 girls by themselves and said, "Look mom, it's me and Makayla (her little bestie from home)" So cute!

NEMO!

Meeting Mickey!

Brooke kept asking to ride the roller coaster and the carousel the entire time we were there. She wasn't tall enough for either. Apparently the kid rides weren't enough of a thrill for her ;)

World of Color

The first night we watched Fantasmic and the Fireworks show in Disneyland and the second night we watch World of Color. Both shows were amazing! I think Brooke liked Fantasmic more because the characters come out.

It was such a wonderful trip and best of all, the kids were free! haha! Seriously though, even if the kids don't remember much, we have tons of pictures, obviously. It was such a great time for us as a family and Tim and I will remember it forever!

Drew and Chelsea

2011-08-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

The first year that Tim was a youth pastor up here, we had a couple of students who had just started dating, Chris and Brenda, and Drew and Chelsea. Last summer we had the privilege of seeing Chris and Brenda get married! This summer it was Drew and Chelsea's turn!

They got married right on the beach in Coronado! It was beautiful!!

Tim, Chris, Berto and Drew

Me, Chelsea, Candice and Brenda

Candice and meCongratulations! We love you guys!

Vacation

2011-08-19T16:21:00.001-07:00

The first week of August we headed down to San Diego for VACATION! I LOVE vacation! I know that sounds silly, because who doesn't, but I really LOVE LOVE LOVE vacation! I love the quality time with just the 4 of us. I love visiting family and friends. I love new adventures and watching my kids experience new things. No work. No one else's agenda. Just doing what we love...being together.

We went to Seaport Village on an absolutely beautiful day!

Brooke in front of the fountain. She kept asking me for "cossing coins" which apparently she thinks is what you call coins that you "toss" in the fountain.

Nana and Brayden

Brooke and daddy on the carousel

lunch time

me and the babies

We stayed at our friends, Nick and Katrina's house. Baby Nicanor and Brayden are less than 6 months apart and are destined to be BFF's.

Brayden was trying to play...

hugs!

Mission Beach

We went on some rides at Belmont Park

Brooke just wanted to look at herself in the mirror the whole time

We thought all the kids rides would be fun for Brookie, but all she wanted to do was go on the rollercoaster. She wasn't tall enough...maybe next year Brookie girl.

We went to Luigi's and we each got a giant slice of pizza!

except for Brayden, of course, but he thought my piece was for him!

get it!

This was at Crown Point

my sweet girl

me and the boy!

We were able to do so much on our vacation, it is too much for one post. We went to a wedding, Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. I'll post those soon! (hopefully!) :)

Brooke-isms

2011-07-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Brooke started talking around 11-12 months (saying words like mama, dada, ball etc...). Then around 18-19 months, she went from saying words to complete sentences, in what seemed like, overnight. She says words and talks about topics that sound so funny coming from her cute little toddler self. I have been writing them down (and posting some favorites on facebook). My paper is full so it is now time for, what I'm sure will be the first of many, Brooke-ism posts.

me: Brooke, would you like water or milk?

B: I'll have water and milk.

me: no, you can't have both. Would you like water or milk?

B: water and milk.

me: Brooke, you have to choose one or the other

B: I'll have the other

While we were potty training she came in, while I was using the bathroom and said, "mommy, I'm so proud of you!"

B: Mommy, do you have some cash?

me: (after laughing) no Brooke

B: does Daddy have cash?

me: I don't know, what do you need cash for?

B: I need to ride Snoopy

-there are some little snoopy rides you pay a quarter to ride on and she loves them!

"I just don't get my life."

"Mommy, I'm so happy daddy married you!" -me too Brookie!

me: Brooke hop in the bath

B: I don't know how to hop

B: mom, can I have some fruit snacks?

me: sure babe.

B: I can count on you mom!

after drinking some cold water: "ahhh, this is so refreshing! Mom, what does refreshing mean?"

ANYTIME my hair is up: "mom, I don't like your hair like that." -opinionated much?

"I want to go to Chuck E Cheesus."

while in the car, "mom, what is going on with my finger? It is freaking me out!"

looking at a receipt, she shows it to me and says, "this is my education" -what???

"apples make my tummy happy"

holding a handful of change, "here daddy, I'm going to help pay for college."

B: That was my butt.

Tim: did you fart

B: yep

as she closed the door shutting Brayden in the room by himself, "Brayden just needs some alone time."

looking at the mud on her shoes, "mommy, what is this crap?"

me: Brooke would you like a nutrigrain bar?

B: is it squished?

me: just a little, do you want it?

B: ummm...no thanks

while I was getting her dresses for gymnastics and she was just laying there as I dressed her, "mom, I'm essausted."

Brooke was watching a show and all of a sudden, from the other room, Tim and I hear, "awwww man! This is SO not my show"

after we put her to bed one night, she came out and said, "sleeping is not easy."

At church I picked Brooke up and started running to get back to the sanctuary to make sure I did not miss Tim preaching, Brooke says, "mom, you are making me nervous!"

"mom, I'm not happy about it." - I don't even remember why she said this...she is seriously so dramatic.

"I am Belle and you can be the Beast" - thanks.

Tim: Brooke, who do you love more, Mommy or Daddy?

Brooke: Makayla

-Makayla is Brooke's BFF. They are inseperable. (she is on the right)

B: I really want to get married

me: (after laughing) why Brooke?

B: because I really want to get some flowers

and my favorite:

"I don't eat things with a face" -she refused to eat chicken one night and steak the next, and said this to us both times. We told her she had to eat it...I might feel bad about this one later if she decides to be a vegetarian!

My funny girl!! She keeps us on our toes and we love her sooo much!!

10 months

2011-07-11T16:02:00.001-07:00

This handsome boy is 10 months old!!

I just love everything about him!

Brayden is 9 months old!

2011-06-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

My little man is 9 months old today! At 8 months he was not even crawling yet...it didn't take long for the crawling to start, and now we have this...

He is pulling up on things, walking himself around the coffee table, going in back and forth between the table and the couch. He is so happy to be moving! He has 3 teeth now and is eating most fruits and veggies. There doesn't seem to be anything he doesn't like! He loves to play with his sister and thinks she is the funniest person ever! I love watching them play together! Being their mom is the best job in the world!

Mayfair and Mother's Day

2011-05-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

On the day before Mother's Day we went to the Dixon Mayfair. I really like going to the fair for one reason...the FOOD! We figured since we were there we should do something fun for Brooke too ;) She really wanted to ride the big carousel (the girl has no fear...she is already an adrenaline junky, just like her dad) but she wasn't tall enough, so she settled for the bears.

Then she played some fun fair games

Then it was time for funnel cakes!

Brayden was just happy hanging out in the stroller, staying warm

On Mother's day we went to church in the morning and headed over to my parents afterward for a BBQ with my mom (we never remember to take pictures there). We went home after and all got to take naps! Happy Mother's Day to me! Later, when we all woke up, we went out to Sushi, which has become a fun tradition we started 3 years ago.

I love being a mom!

Brooke was still enjoying her prizes from the fair (her crown and necklace)

she was determined to use those chopsticks!

YUM!!

I had such a wonderful day and am so thankful for a wonderful husband, amazing children, and a great mom and mother-in-law who set such wonderful examples of loving their children unconditionally!!

Brayden is 8 months!

2011-05-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

My sweet boy is 8 months old today! He is such a joy and I am so thankful that I get to be his mommy!

He is not crawling yet, but he is always up on his hands and knees. I am SO ok with him not crawling yet. I don't know that I am ready to chase him around yet...I do need to start baby proofing soon...round 2!

Brayden got to experience the pool for the first time this past week!

He liked being held, but did not like sitting by himself...obviously!

time for paint

2011-05-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm loving this warmer weather! It is making me want to be outside everyday! Today, while Brayden was napping, Brooke and I went outside for a little art time! She got to finger paint (and paint with her feet too)! She loved it. I am trying to get better about doing special things with Brooke. She is at such a fun, inquisitive age and I want to give her opportunities that help her grow...even if that means I don't get any housework done that day. Here are some pictures of her painting!

It made for quite an interesting clean up, but PTL for washable paint!

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter we went to the Easter "Eggstravaganza" at our church The kids got to hunt for eggs and take pictures with live bunnies and chicks I love this picture! This was right after she kissed him, but I think it looks like she is yelling at him and he is crying! Easter day Brayden didn't quite get the concept of his first Easter basket Brooke clearly had no issues... The only family picture we got! I sang in the Easter praise choir and Tim was serving in all different areas for all 3 services! It was a long morning for us, but it was so awesome to worship our risen Savior with our church body, knowing believers all over the world were doing the same thing!

My girl

2011-04-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to this day since I heard the words, "It's a girl!"

Pedis with my girl!

She loves when I paint her nails at home, so I took her with me and she LOVED it!!

It was so fun and she felt like such a big girl!

unfortunately I forgot my camera, so these are all from my phone!

Brayden is 7 months!

2011-04-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

This little cutie is 7 months old today! He adores his mommy, lights up when he sees his daddy, and loves when his sister sings to him. He loves to eat, drool, and most recently, play in his bouncer (which is awesome, because we bought it for Brooke and she did NOT like it!) He is still such a sweet boy and we are so thankful for him!

We fall in love with him more and more each day!

SNOW!

2011-03-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

When we were in Washington, I think the high was 34! It was soooo cold! It was 17 degrees the day that we left...I am so not a fan of the cold. Give me the sun and the beach ANY day! The only (and I mean ONLY) good thing about how cold it was, was the snow. Brooke had never been to the snow beforeso we bundled her up and let her play in the snow for a little bit. The first thing Tim showed her when she touched the snow was how to eat it! So that's all she wanted to do...

Yum!

Papa Salamone

2011-03-28T12:31:00.001-07:00

This past December, my Grandpa (my dad's dad) got really sick. He was in and out of the hospital, so the kids and I went up to Washinton with my family to see him in the beginning of January. Papa had just turned 93 and had worked hard his whole life to provide for his wife and 5 children. He loved Big Band music and Western movies. He loved my Grandma! When she started to get sick, he would help her around the house and would wash the dishes every night. He was always so active (even in his nineties!) so it was tough to see him so sick, and even though it was tough, it was good to be with him and spend time all together. He went to be with the Lord a little over a month later and so it meant that much more to have spent that time with him.

We went up in February for the funeral and although it was sad to say goodbye, it was such a wonderful celebration of his life. We were able to have a really special time to sit around and tell our favorite memories about him. And of course we ate...a lot! Grandma and Papa left a legacy...and a love for really good food! We will miss our Papa Salamone, but we find comfort in knowing he is in a place where there is no more pain and suffering! We know we see him again.

Brooke wearing Papa's hat

update (mostly about the kids)

2011-03-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

my kids are sleeping. all night long. in the same room. it is changing my life!

I realize that sounds dramatic, but seriously...In the past 6 months, Tim and I have shared a room with at least one child. But as of last Sunday, our room is child free! I was so anxious because I assumed the worst. Brayden had only slept through the night in the crib for only 2 nights, and Brooke had been getting up and coming into our room in the middle of the night (you see now why I was assuming the worst). They have been amazing! Brayden will go to bed first, usually between 8-8:30, then Brooke will go down at 9. No waking up in the middle of the night for either of them! HALLELUJAH! Brayden will usually wake up first between 7:30-8, but Brooke doesn't wake up when he starts to move around or cry. I go in and get him and Brooke will usually sleep 30-60 minutes longer. I have been a very happy momma this week!

Brayden turned 6 months old on the 9th and just had his check-up this week. He is a healthy 19.2 pounds and is 27 inches long, both 75th%. He started eating some solid food. We have tried rice cereal, oatmeal, avacado, apples, bananas and broccoli. He has seemed to like them all, although the first taste never looks enjoyable....except for bananas, he LOVES those! He has started sitting up and giving me hugs! In addition to sleeping through the night, he has started to take 2-3 hours naps! This coming from the kid that never took more than a 30 minute nap unless we were in the car. He is still just the sweetest baby and I love him more and more each day!

Brooke will be 2 1/2 on the 23rd and she is FULL of personality! She loves all things princess, which is funny because she has never even seen a Disney Princess movie! She is such a girl!! She loves dressing up and has obviously not inherited my obsessive need to match when picking out her outfits. :) She is taking gymnastics and loving it! She even "practices" at home. She constantly keeps me on my toes...and my knees! I pray for patience with her daily! She is always saying something new that cracks me up. Some of my favorites have been:

"Mom," she says while putting on her backpack. "I am going to go to school. I'm going to pay for college and play Volleyball!" Another time she had a handful of change, handed it to Tim and said, "here daddy, I'm going to pay for college."

after trying to do something, she looks at me and says, "Oh my gosh mom, that's ridiculous!"

While driving to church she asked me to cover her with her blanket and I told her I couldn't reach her and she replied with, "Mom, just do your best."

"when I grow up I want to be a doctor and help people"

After eating some ice cream, "This is delicious!"

And this morning...oh my daughter...she is sitting by the door ready to leave and she looked down at her rain boots and saw a piece of mud and said, "what's this crap?" in a completely serious tone. Yes my daughter said crap. and it took EVERYTHING in me not to laugh! We talked about it and she knows that is not a word she is to say! I couldn't wait to tell Tim about that one!

We have been busy and I will have more posts coming soon!

Brayden at 4 1/2 months

2011-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

My sweet boy

Brayden is 4 1/2 months! Obviously from his picture he is really into drooling! He has also been rolling from his back to his front for almost a month now, and just recently figured out he can roll the other way too. He thinks his sister is the funniest person in the world. When he starts to get fussy I have Brooke go sit with him and sing him a song or talk to him and he will laugh and smile at her! It's so cute! Brayden has always been a really good sleeper, until a few weeks ago. He started sleeping through the night (11pm-6am) consistantly since 7 weeks old! My good sleeper has gone back to his newborn ways...possibly worse than newborn sleep habits, waking up at least 3 times a night! I am not sure how much longer I am going to be able to function...but naptime is definitely coming back into the routine for me! I was hoping it was just a growth spurt, but it's been 3 weeks. I don't know...maybe I'll try giving him some rice cereal. We tried food at 5 months with Brooke, but didn't really start until 6 months. Brayden was 28 inches long (97th%) and weighed 16lbs 2oz (75th%) at his 4 month check up, which is 2 inches and 2 pounds bigger than Brooke at 4 months so maybe he is ready. We'll figure it out sooner or later...hopefully sooner!

Things I never thought I would say (then I had a toddler)

2011-01-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

"You can't eat the whole block of cheese"

"Don't touch your poop!"

"You are squishing your brother's head when you sit on him like that."

"You have to wear a shirt when we leave the house."

"Take the magnet out of your mouth."

"Please don't put your hair in your brother's mouth."

"Ok, you can watch Barney"

"You cannot have mac n cheese for breakfast"

"Hand mommy your poop."

"Only mommy and daddy can change your diaper. YOU may not change your own diaper."

"You may not hide in your brother's bed and take your clothes off."

"You cannot eat the butter."

"You only need to wear one pair of pants."

"You cannot eat the pancake mix out of the box."

"Don't put your hand in your diaper, there is poop in there!"

*(notice a theme with the poop...it's been fun)

Love my girl!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2010-12-31T14:21:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas this year! Tim's mom, brother Todd and Todd's girlfriend were able to come up this year. It was a full house with 7 of us in a 2 bedroom apartment, but we had a blast!

Here are some, and by some I mean a TON, of pictures:

Christmas Eve at church

Brooke and her besties

Nana with her grandbabies

My handsome and happy baby boy!

Love them!

Christmas Eve present

Christmas jammies

reading the Christmas story

Brooke has been loving Toy Story so we got her a Jessie doll.

She LOVES her!

Brayden got a bumbo! I love his funny expressions!

He will hate me for this later!

We sang happy birthday to Jesus at my parents

Brayden's first Christmas

same pictures...

2010-12-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Since my kids were both born in September, doing things with Brayden at 3 months reminds me of things we did with Brooke when she the same age. I went back to look at some pictures of some of our traditions we do every year and found these 2.

This first one is from our annual trip to San Francisco. We always take a sister picture. The top one is from 2 years ago with Brooke and the bottom one was this past Sunday with Brayden.

This one was taken where Leah has her Choir's Christmas concert each year.
I didn't even remember that I took this picture with Brooke until I saw that tree...it's hard to miss!

This is what happened when I tried to take a picture with both of them!

Merriment on Main

2010-12-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Every year Vacaville has their annual Christmas Tree lighting which is called Merriment on Main. We used to go every year when I was growing up, and for 15+ years my dad led the singing. I have been back in Vacaville now for 5 years, and I had never taken Tim until we went last year when we had started at Crossroads. This year, since Brayden was 2 1/2 months old, we were Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. It was fun to be a part of the Nativity scene while the kids choir and adult choir were singing some beautiful Christmas music!

Brooke hung out with my mom and Michael (who obviously did not want to take this picture) while we were up on the stage

Brooke and daddy getting ready to share a burrito

Thankful

2010-12-01T16:04:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year and had so much fun celebrating as a family during the day then spending time with my family and some friends that night. I am so thankful for the blessings God has given me.

some of my blessings:

Another thing I am thankful for happened this past week as well. Once a year I get together with 7 of my closest girlfriends from college. I usually only get to see them once a year because I live so far from them . So you can imagine my excitement when I got to see 2 of them this week!!! Amy, Chris and Logan came up last week and we were able to have dinner with them and the Eckles. It was so fun to sit together and talk and watch our babies play together! I love that Chris (who I have known since I was 12) married one of my favorite people!

Then, later that week we headed out to Napa to see Sarah, Max, Jacob, Kennedy and the cute little baby bump! I loved our time together, eating and catching up, talking about the newest addition that has recently joined us and the one that is coming soon. We watched our kids be a little crazy and play in the restaurant (thankfully we were the only ones in there most of the time).

I am so thankful I got to see these girls and their precious families! Can't wait until our next girls weekend!!

The best sound

2010-11-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Daddy was making Brayden laugh! Brooke was over it...you'll hear her. :)

5 years

2010-11-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

Tim and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this past Friday! It's hard to believe it has already been that long! I am so thankful for Tim and feel so blessed to be his wife. I love everyday we get to spend together and I love him more and more everyday. I am so thankful that God brought us together and we get to spend our lives serving Him side by side.

We went on our first date night since Brayden was born!

We went to the Melting Pot in Sacramento! It was so good!

Such a fun night with my hubby!

Brooke and her Bubba

2010-11-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

When Brayden was born we started trying out all the nicknames...buddy, bud, little man, and so many more. Within a few days Brooke decided on her nickname for him...Bubba. We are not sure how she decided on that one, since we had been saying all of them. I think that makes it even more special. She calls him Bubba all the time, especially when he is upset or she is being lovey with him. She will say, "It's ok Bubba" or "I love you Bubba" It is so cute! Here are some pictures of Brooke and her Bubba:

(Brayden's doesn't seem so sure about her yet ;) )

Brayden at 2 months

2010-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Our little Brayden is 2 months old and is growing so fast! We took him for his check-up on Wednesday and he is 13lbs and 2oz (82%) and 24 1/4 inches (90%) - shocking, I know...not like his dad is tall or anything. My kids are going to pass me up by the time they are 10. :) He started sleeping 6-8 hours a night 2 weeks ago, which was wonderful, but he got a little cold this week and has been sleeping 4-6 right now. I can't wait for the cold to go away and I am hoping he will go back to the 6-8. I love his little noises, which are much different than Brooke's. He grunts and his little coo's are deep and raspy. He is super smiley and has even giggled for us a few times. He loves to cuddle and would love it if I did nothing but hold him all day long. I love being his mommy.

Fallapalooza 2010

2010-11-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

For Halloween we headed to our church for their annual harvest carnival which is called Fallapalooza. They have tons of games, food and of course, candy :) Brooke was just over a year old last year and wasn't able to play many games, so this year was really fun for her. She loved all the games and getting to pick her own candy...I definitely encouraged her to pick mommy's favorites! Tim was in charge of all the bounce houses and was supposed to wear a costume so we decided to go with a family costume theme again (see last year's here). We decided to go with a football theme and I have to credit to Hayley for the idea! Tim was the football player (Chargers, of course), Brooke was a cheerleader, Brayden was a football and I was a referee. We had such a fun night!

The cheerleader and football (mid-blink)

My little football

This picture made me laugh...this totally captures how she feels about taking pictures right now. I am having to bribe her to smile in pictures now, so unless I get a picture where she is actually smiling without posing, I get this.

bribed

playing games

CANDY!!

blurry action shot with Uncle Mikey, Papa and Mimi in the background

Brooke and her friend Makayla

Brooke loves Toy Story! So when she saw Buzz Lightyear, she couldn't take her eyes off him! He was nice enough to take a picture with her. I can't imagine what Disneyland will be like for her!

Brooke, Brayden and Mommy

Brookie and Daddy

Football Family

Our brave girl

2010-10-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we had to take Brooke to the Kaiser in Oakland to have a branchial cleft cyst removed on her neck. She has had the cyst since she was born and when she was about 10 months old it got infected and kept getting infected every few months. We saw a specialist last year and he told us they were going to have to put her completely under anesthesia to remove it, and I'm not going to lie, that really made me nervous. We had her pre-op appointment last Wednesday and they told us we couldn't bring Brayden in the area that Brooke would be in that day. So not only was my baby girl going to have surgery, but I would have to leave my 7 week old baby boy for the first time too. Can we say emotional wreck?!? We had to leave for the hospital at 5 am on Tuesday. I nursed Brayden before we left and left him with my mom. At least I made it out of the door before the tears began. We got to the hospital around 6:15 and talked to the nurses, the anesthesiologist, the resident, and finally the doctor. It was a little overwhelming talking to everyone, but we finally felt like all our questions were answered and felt as comfortable as we could about the whole thing. They gave her what they call "happy juice" about 25 minutes before they took her in, and we didn't really notice any difference in her until right before they took her. She was laying on Tim's lap looking up at the ceiling saying "around and around and around..." over and over with her finger pointing up in the air. It was so sad...and a little funny... that she was that out of it. We prayed with her then walked her half way into the room she was going to have her surgery in. Then the nurse took her and walked away with her. I lost it. I can't even describe the feeling I had watching he take Brooke, and to make it worse the nurse carried her so as she walked away, Brooke was looking over her shoulder back at us. AWFUL!

As we walked away, Tim brought up how thankful he was that this is the only thing that we have had to deal with in regards to Brooke's health. The fact that she was just having a cyst removed considering all the diseases and cancers that are out there. It kind of put everything in perspective. It reminded me that our kids are not our own. They are the Lord's and we have been given them for a time and are responsible to teach them and train them in the ways they should go. The whole process has given me a new light on parenting and could not be more thankful for the blessing it is to be Brooke and Brayden's mom.

Brooke's surgery lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. When we got up to the recovery room she was just waking up. She was in a little crib bed hooked up with an iv, it was so sad. She woke up and the nurse handed her to me. She was still really out of it and started crying and tried to pull her iv out and take off her clothes. Nothing we did helped her. We talked to the resident and got discharged from the hospital quickly...so quickly we felt like we weren't really sure what had jsut happened. The resident told us everything went well, but we never got a ton of specifics. I am glad we have a follow up appointment next week! Brooke bounced back quickly and is back to herself already. She will feel the surgical tape on her neck or the soreness around her mouth where the breathing tube was taped and tell me she has a "boo boo" but that is it. She is such a brave girl and I am so proud of her.

sitting with daddy...not sure about what's going on

in her scrubs

we told her it was like a costume and she got to dress up like a Doctor

We had a long wait so Brookie and daddy read her favorite book. She loves Snoopy

Resting the day after with Brayden

here is her battle wound...

you can also see where they taped the breathing tube on the sides of her mouth. She has been such a trooper and has bounced back to her normal self!

Brooke's 2nd b-day party

2010-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Brooke's 2nd birthday, the day after her actual birthday (just behind on posting it!), by going to one of her favorite places, Kids Gone Wild! It's this place with 5 jumphouses and a play area that kids can just go wild :) All of her little friends came and they had a great time! Here are a ton of pictures of the big day!

My big 2 year old!

Brooke and Brayden

The big slide (Brooke's favorite!)

Jumpin' with daddy

jumpin' with Drew

slide with Bailey, Jenna and Makayla

playing with Makayla

Brooke and Julia (and Tim and Kerry)

Brooke picked out her own cake this year...she is a little crazy about Mickey and Minnie right now

singing to the birthday girl

Gabe, Drew, Makayla, and Abi

Princess chair to open presents!

girlfriends

cool girls with their sunglasses and suckers

family picture

Brayden is 1 month old!

2010-10-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Brayden is one month old today! This month has gone by so fast...the lack of sleep makes it feel a bit foggy and we are all still adjusting, but I am loving being a family of 4! Brayden is eating a ton...way more than I remember Brooke eating at this point. He is also sleeping more than Brooke did too though. He is giving me 4-5 hours for the first part of the night, which is great! Brooke loves being a big sissy! She talks and sings to him, gives him GENTLE (we are still working on that) hugs and tons of kisses. Every night she says goodnight and "sweet dreams Bayden" (yes, we have gone from Bwayden to just Bayden...one day she'll be able to say her r's) :) I love my babies and am so excited to see how their relationship will grow and develop. And I have to say how wondeful my husband is! I am so thankful for him and there is NO way I could ever do this without him!

Here is our little 1 month old!

He looks a little scared...

GENTLE hug :)

Brooke's 1st haircut

2010-09-27T10:08:00.001-07:00

The day after Brooke's birthday we took her to get her haircut. I had been putting it off because it has taken so long for her hair to grow this long and she has a pretty legit mullet. The hair on the sides of her head is taking a really long time to grow in. We finally decided to cut it since her bangs were almost past her eyes. We went to this cute little place that kids can sit it a car, airplane or motorcycle. Brooke chose the car and the lady that cut her hair gave her a sucker so she was happy. She sat still the entire time! She still has a mullet, but at least she can see now :)

Finished product!

My 2 year old

2010-09-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

My Brookie girl is 2 years old today! I can't believe that she is 2! She is such a sweet girl, FULL of personality! She makes me laugh constantly! She says new things and sometimes I have no idea where it comes from...other times she will say things that Tim and I say, but coming from a 2 year old sounds so funny! The other day she saw something and said, "mom, that's humongous!" She loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and tells me when her Mickey and Minnie stuffed animals need a diaper change (which started right after Brayden was born). She loves to put on daddy's shoes and hat and try to walk in them. She is such a sweet big sister. She loves to hug and kiss Brayden and when he cries, she says, "it's ok Bwayden." Today in the car she sang Jesus loves me to him. It was so precious. I am so excited to see their relationship grow and develop.

Now the reality is that we, of course, have our moments...some moments last longer than others...but I know that God is using her to shape me into the mom, wife, and woman of God that He wants me to be. I am constantly praying for patience and the wisdom to raise her to be a woman of God. I am so thankful for her and so thankful that I get to stay at home with both of my babies...well my baby and my big 2 year old!

Brookie's Mickey pancakes for breakfast

Brooke loves her some Snoopy

riding the rides with brother

Family picture

Brookie and daddy

helping with bath time

Brayden is one week old!

2010-09-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is a week old as of 11:55 last night! :) He is such a good baby! He is so content...all he does is eat, sleep, cuddle, and poop. He is sleeping well at night, 3-4 hour blocks of sleep. He is a great eater and nursing is going really well! He is having more awake time during the day and I love it when he just stares at me. His eyes are a darker teal/blue-ish color and can't help but wonder already what color they will end up being. I just love holding him and praying over him, for him to come to know the Lord and wondering how God will use him. I am so thankful that God has given him to us!

Brooke likes to sit right by him when he is in the swing

This pretty much summed up how Brooke felt at the hospital. She was really excited to meet Brayden for the first time, but as soon as people started to visit, she was over it.

Thankfully that didn't last long. Now she always wants to kiss him and give him hugs. She even likes to help me burp him.

I love my babies!!

Brayden Tyler Brown

2010-09-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Brayden Tyler Brown made grand entrance into the world on Thursday, September 9th at 11:55pm! We weren't sure what his birthday was going to be right up until the last minute! He weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long. He is already such a sweet little boy and I can't get enough of him!

Birth story: (skip to the end for pictures if you don't want the birth details) ;)

So if you had been reading my blog at all before, you know that I had been having contractions for 2 weeks on and off. Well, Wednesday night they started to get closer together, but when I laid down to go to bed they eventually slowed down again. I woke up that night several times with contractions, but none too close together. I woke up Thursday morning and went to my Dr appointment, where she checked and found out that I was 3cm and 80% effaced. I went home, took a nap, hung out with Brooke and then right around 5pm I noticed that I had a few contractions closer together so I started timing them. They were 8 min apart, then went to 6 minutes apart within 40 min, so I decided to take a shower to see if the warm water would help or slow them down. It did not. My mom had come over and brought dinner because Tim had to work, so she was watching Brooke, which worked out! After the shower they were 5-6 minutes apart so I called Tim and told him it was time! I finished getting ready and we left soon after Tim got home. Our ride to the hospital was somewhat painful and a good 45 minute drive. We got to the hospital at 7:50 and were in our room by 8:00. They monitored my contractions, which were 3 1/2-4 1/2 minutes apart and really painful, for 20-30 minutes before the Dr came in. When he finally came in and checked I was 5-6cm, 100% effaced, and baby was in station +1. So they moved us to the delivery room around 9-9:15, where my contractions started to be even more painful. I had a couple of contractions back to back without a break in between, so I asked for the epidural. It took a while for them to put the epidural in, but I was soooo happy once I started to feel it! Almost immediately after the epidural (9:45) I told them I felt a ton of pressure and the nurse checked me and said I was 9 1/2 cm (we found out later that I was fully at 10, more on that in a sec). So Tim and I had a little bit of time together and had a little visit from a friend...I didn't care, I felt pretty good. Then the nurse was stalling because she was off at 11 and another nurse was coming on...again, didn't really care thanks to the epidural...The new nurse came in and after about 15 she checked me and said that I was definitely at 10cm and reason the other nurse thought I was 9 1/2 was because there was some tissue where she thought she felt my cervix. So the nurse had me push 6 times to get the baby all the way down. She called the dr and he got there at 11:45. Tim and I were taking bets on if his birthday would be the 9th or 10th. When the Dr was finally ready I started pushing. I pushed 6 times and he was out!! He came right at 11:55!

There is just something about those first few moments, holding your child for the first time, looking at your husband knowing that you both have never been more in love with each other and knowing that God has blessed you the most precious gift in the world. It's amazing.

These first few days have been wonderful! He is such a sweet baby! Brooke does really well when we are at home together. She wasn't so sure of him when we were at the hospital. She loves to give him kisses on his head and when people visit she tells them that this is her "bwoda bwayden". I have loved having Tim home and am soking up every minute of it until he goes back to work.

Here are a few pics of our sweet Brayden.

3 days...

2010-09-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

3 days until my due date! I really thought that he would be here by now, but I am really just trying to enjoy these last (hopefully few) days. Tim has gotten up with Brooke and let me sleep in as much as possible! I am so thankful for him! I have been having regular contractions for a few hours each day, which really messes with my emotions. This past Saturday I had contractions 5-7 minutes apart for 12 hours. I called the hospital and went and got checked out. I was 2 cm dialated and 50% effaced, so at least there is some reason for these contractions. Hopefully that will make labor go faster! If I haven't gone into labor by tomorrow, I have my 40 week apointment with my Dr in the morning. Last time I saw her she said 2 things that I can't seem to forget 1. after discussing how much weight I have gained..."wow, you are just all baby" and 2. " how big was Brooke? I think he is going to be a big one!" I prefered the first statement :)

39 weeks

wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'

2010-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

So 10 days to go until my due date...Ican't believe that it is so close! I am still feeling really good, except for at night. That is ususally when my contractions are stronger and sleep is a battle. Thankfully Brooke is taking really good naps during the day, so I try to get a couple hours in then. I am trying to enjoy these last couple of days with just the 3 of us and the time that we get to spend with Brooke by herself. We talk with her about the baby a lot, but I don't think she fully gets it yet that her life is about to change. I think she will be a great big sister! She loves to be our "helper"! Whenever I go out with Brooke I have a little anxiety over what it is going to be like taking 2 out! I have heard the horror stories...Just the many new adventures life is going to bring us. :) I can't wait to hold my son in my arms and I am so thankful of how God has blessed us!

38 1/2 weeks

help!

2010-08-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

We are having a difficult time deciding on a middle name for our little boy! We have always loved the name Brayden, but we go back and forth on the middle name. Click here to help us decide!

pregnancy update

2010-08-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I am 36 1/2 weeks...it's going by so fast and I can't believe it will only be 3 1/2 weeks (or sooner!) until I get to meet my little boy! I am definitely more tired and am back to taking naps whenever I can get them. I am waiting for the whole nesting thing to kick in, but I feel that it may not happen with an almost 2 year old running around the house. We have been talking with Brooke about her baby brother and how she is going to be a big sissy soon...not sure she quite gets it yet, but today she put her hand on my tummy and felt him move and she really liked that!

I went to the Dr today and she said I am measuring a week ahead of schedule, but I am not going to hold my breath! I've gained 35 pounds, which is 5 less than I was with Brooke at this time, but again, having a almost 2 year old running around is helping with that too! I still am feeling pretty good and am still really enjoying this pregnancy...which I am not sure I was saying this close to Brooke being born. So many people have said, " now that you're having a boy you can be done because now you have one of each..." Tim and I always said that we would take it one at a time, but I have thought "what if this is our last one" I want to make sure that I have treasured and enjoyed it as much as I can! (btw, I don't think we are done, but you never know!)

I had my sisters take some belly pictures this week and I thought I would share! Hopefully I will get another blog in before the baby comes, but looking at the date of my last posts...it might not happen :)

36 weeks

2 holidays in 1

2010-07-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well, since I have been so behind on posting anything I decided to just do a big update that includes 2 holidays, and since yesterday was the 4th of July...let's start there.

We started out the day with church in the morning then we headed home for some much needed family time and rest. Tim barbequed trip tip and we all slept. That night we headed to Davis to watch fireworks with some friends. Brooke loved the fireworks and kept saying "more please" and "ooohhh". It was SOOO cute. By the time we were leaving the park she had learned a new word and would not stop saying "fi-woeks please". I just love her!

Next holiday: Father's Day

Tim flew home from San Diego Father's day afternoon, so Brooke and I picked him up and surprised him with a grill for Father's Day. We had such a great day bbqing and spending time together. I am so thankful for him and the amazing father that he is to Brooke. I can't wait to see him with our son in just a few short months. I am so blessed!

our little boy at 27 weeks (and Brooke saying cheese)

Some other fun things happening at the Brown household recently:

Brooke is talking up a storm...she says new words every day and makes me laugh. Some of my favorite things she says are "AWESOME!, oh no, where'd daddy/mommy go?, apple juice," and just this morning when I was singing Jesus loves me to her, she said "Jesus loves me!" So sweet!

This pregnancy: I am LOVING it! I am 30 weeks and feeling great...aside from the occassional glances in the mirror and realizing how big I am getting! I love feeling him move and watching little parts and trying to guess what they are! The Dr said our little boy is already measuring on the bigger side. I am really hoping that means he is going to come early and not that he is going to be a huge baby!

Name: we haven't decided on a name, but right now we really like Brayden James. We have liked the name Brayden for a long time, and James is Tim's middle name, and his dad's first name. We probably won't decide on his name for sure until we see him, like we did with Brooke.

Cravings: Spicy food!! I can't get enough of it! Specifically Thai food, but anything that has a good kick to it will work. I am also loving ice cream...not sure that I can blame that fully on the baby, but why not :) I still think I could eat a cheeseburger everyday and be very happy, but since I gained 45lbs with Brooke, I try to limit myself to just once or twice a week. I am also loving that it is summer because I can't get enough watermelon or strawberries! (Ok...seriously, I am so hungry right now) :)

That's probably more than anyone wanted to know, but there is the update!

Mother's Day

2010-05-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

I had such a great mother's day! I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful mother and am so thankful for my little family! After church we went to my parents house for a bbq. After that we went home and I got to take a nap (which is a such a great present!) then Tim and Brooke took me to get sushi for dinner and frozen yogurt for dessert! It was such a great day! I love my family and Mother's day was just another reminder of how God has richly blessed me with a wonderful family!!!

my little love

so thankful for them!

my other little love at 22 weeks

Baby Brown #2 is a...

2010-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

We had an ultrasound today to determine the sex of the baby! We decided to let Brooke let everyone know...

Can you guess her secret? She isn't saying...

Here is the money shot!

It's a BOY!!!

This is our SON (folded like a little taco!)

We can't wait to meet this little boy!

Brookie is so excited that she is going to have a little brother!

Ok, let's be honest...she is way more excited about the balloons!

*more thoughts and feelings to come!

The Zoo

2010-03-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

Last Monday we took Brooke to the Sacramento Zoo for the first time. We had such a fun time at the zoo with her. Brooke really liked the mokeys, the giraffe and the flamingos. The Sacramento Zoo is small which is perfect for a 17 month old. We were able to get through the whole zoo in an hour and a half. After we walked through the zoo, we had a picnic in the park. It was such a fun, family day.

my little cool girl

Brooke and Daddy

She liked the fish too!

Brooke's new game

2010-02-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

We have a new game in the Brown household and Brooke loves it:

We say, "Brooke where is the baby?"

Then Brooke lifts up my shirt and points at my tummy and says, "baby"

As soon as she gets my shirt up she will give the baby a kiss!

Brooke is going to be a big sister!!

I will be 10 weeks tomorrow and am due September 11th...we are hoping that the baby will actually join us on a less memorable day for our country, but we will be excited whenever our new little "brownie" comes!

We are so excited that God has blessed us with another baby that is growing inside of me. I loved being pregnant with Brooke and am really looking forward to this one as well! I haven't had any morning sickness and I already look like I did when I was 18 weeks with Brooke. I am excited to break out my citizen maternity jeans, probably the only maternity thing that I am excited to get back into. ;)

I am excited, nervous, anxious, and overjoyed at the thought of having 2. If the new baby comes on time then they will be 12 days shy of being 2 years apart. I already imagine what type of relationship they will have, and I can already picture them playing together.

I am so thankful for this new blessing!

*Sorry the pictures are so blurry, they are from my phone

Bye Bye Birdie

2010-02-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

So I realize that it has been well over a month since I have posted anything and I wanted to let you know why...I was in a musical!! Our local community college has a really great theater program and last September, my sister Leah and I, auditioned for Bye Bye Birdie. We both got in (as teen girls!) and we rehearsed from Nov 9th until the show opened Jan 14th. It was SOOO much fun and is something I definitely want to do again! Here are some pictures of our adventure!

Pictures of dress rehearsal

"We love you Conrad, oh yes we do..."

Seesters
(ok for those of you that know me really well...10 points for the first person to tell me what drove me crazy about my costume!)

We met some really great people!

We were definitely not supposed to be eating in our costumes

We had so much fun in the locker room

If you know Bye Bye Birdie, you know that the "Ice House" is a place where the teens go to....well, get in trouble. Right around the corner from the college is this place that is actually called the Ice House! So fun! (Leah and I are in the crazy poses on the left) :)

no camera blues...

2009-12-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

So our camera started acting up a while back...we took it in to get fixed and they sent it off to somewhere else. Well it is 5 weeks later and still no camera...I have been using my mom's off and on but I really am so bummed that it is taking that long. The silver lining in it all is that, thankfully, Tim and I bought new phones that have an ok camera phone, so I have been taking a lot of pictures on that. It's a good thing because yesterday I noticed Brooke's hair looked like it had grown quickly. I got out the little rubberbands I bought so long ago (hoping she would have some hair when she was born) but almost 15 months later I finally got this...

It's the little things in life...

4 years!

2009-11-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

November 19th, Tim and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary! Somehow the time has flown by...We dated for 2 1/2 yrs and were engaged for 6 months, so we have been together for over 7 years and I have loved this adventure that we are on together! I love my husband more today than ever and it's crazy to think I will love him more on our 5 year anniversary than I do today! God has truly blessed me with a husband that is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined!

For our anniversary we were able to go to Napa, which has become one of my favorite places! We left Brooke overnight for the first time with my family, and headed to downtown Napa. We stayed at the AVIA hotel, and went to dinner at Cole's Chop House (AMAZING!). It was so great to have quality time to ourselves.

Our hotel

Our dinner was SOOO good! (even worth the cheesy pictures!)

Family Pictures

2009-11-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, our good friends from college, The Wyatt's, came up to Napa and we were able to schedule a day to take some family pictures. I love how they turned out! To see more click here. Thank you Max and Sarah!

I heart her!

2009-11-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

Alice in Fallapalooza-land

2009-11-03T11:35:00.001-08:00

We have had a great couple of weeks, busy, but so fun! We have been to 3 pumpkin patches, VCS' Country Fair, Halloween Parties, and Tim's brother Todd came to visit! So for Halloween this year we went to our church for their annual Fallapalooza, which is like a big carnival. Tim was was working the youth side with paint ball and bounce houses so Todd, Brooke and I walked around, played games, and got candy...I am not even going to try to lie...the candy was totally for me! It was such a fun night!

my little Alice

Brooke and Uncle Todd being silly

going on a hay ride

Brooke and her friend Abi giving each other a hug

Brooke and George...she loved his glasses!

The Queen of Hearts, Alice, and the Mad Hatter

Our Family

Daddy and Brooke

Mommy and Brookie

The picture on the left was Brooke last year on Halloween as a ballerina at 6 weeks old. Now she is a big girl walking all over the place. I love being this little girl's mommy!

crazy love

2009-10-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

So, I am in a girls small group that meets on Tuesday nights. We have been meeting for the past 5 weeks. We were reading a book by an author from the Woman of Faith Conferences (who will remain nameless) and as it turns out, none of us where that excited about it once we got to reading it...and it only took us 4 weeks to speak up about it. I think the chapter about picnics and dogs sent us over the edge.

I know for me, being a part of a small group is an important part of my spiritual growth, as I tend to be a somewhat lazy person by nature. I need accountability and people to encourage me to grow. That is one of the reasons that I am so thankful for such a godly husband, who strives to be more like Christ each and every day. So our small group decided that we should switch books and go for something a little less "picnic and dogs" and a little more real. So we are starting Francis Chan's Crazy Love tonight. I just finished reading the intro/preface and I can't wait to get into the first chapter. In the preface this part really stood out to me,

"The core problem isn't the fact that we're lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into thier lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He's great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but he never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. he commands everything from His followers."

I am praying that this book will challange me and shape me into the woman that God wants me to be: a fervent follower of Christ, a wife, passionate about wholeheartedly, serving the Lord

and a mother with an unquenchable hunger to seek after God.

Kids Gone Wild!

2009-10-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

So, we have a new favorite place! There is a place called Kids Gone Wild right around the corner from our house. It is basically a big warehouse with 5-6 bounce houses and a climbing/play area for younger kids. Tim and I have baby proofed our house as much as we can, but there is only so much you can do. We wanted to find a place where she can explore and play with whatever without being told "no". Tim found this place online (which is funny since it is around the corner from our house...) and we have been 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Brooke LOVES it! She has so much fun and is so tired out when we leave she always takes a long nap. Yesterday we went with some friends and had so much fun!

She LOVES the slides!

So much fun!

so much energy

where's Brookie?

Brooke with her friends Drew and Makayla

going through the tunnel with Abi following right behind

The girls: Abi, Brooke. Drew, and Makayla

Brooke thinks she is a big girl!

She LOVES the big slide!

The crew: Abi, baby Micah, Brooke, Drew, Gabe, and Makayla

Brooke's 1st B-Day Party!

2009-10-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Brooke's birthday on October 3rd with some of her friends. We had a ladybug themed party, which seems fitting since we have always called Brooke our little "Brookie Bug." I channeled my creative side (which is extremely limited) and tried to "DIY" as much as I could. We went to Stonegate Park and had a fun lunch and play time. We had a great time! (Brooke always has a great time when there are food and boys around...I wonder where she got that from...) :) There are a ton of pictures, but I just love all the pictures from her party!

I made her invitations

ladybugs!

caterpillar sandwiches

Happy Birthday Brookie

cupcakes

ladybug army

my baby is 1!

Brooke walkin' with Grammy and Papa

Brookie and Auntie LeLe

us with Brooke's friend Kate and her mom Mary

Brooke and Mrs. Marie

Mitchell and Brooke (boy #1)

The Browns and the Galvins

us with Michele

John & Deej with Brooke

she can't walk on her own yet, but she thinks she can already run!

sweet face

my little ballerina on her toes

Brookie and Shane (boy #2)

Brooke and Uncle Mikey

Bren & Berto (boy #3)

mommy and the baby

Kate, Madie, and Brooke

flying with daddy

family picture

what a big girl!

Yay!

Brooke is 1!

2009-09-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Brooke
Brooke turned 1 on September 23! It's hard to believe it has been a whole year. I went to look back at my blog to see what I wrote about the day she was born....and it wasn't much. I now remember that I was going to go back and tell her "birth story" and never got around to posting it.

Well, a year later here it is...

(if you don't want to read it, you can skip down to cute cake pictures below!)

I was due September 22 (which is my birthday) and wouldn't you know it, at 3:20am on the 22nd, I had my first contraction. One of my fears about labor, and I had more than a few, was that I would not know whether I was having "false labor" or real labor. Well as soon as I had my first contraction, I knew. I waited to wake Tim up until 5am and we both tried to sleep a little bit more, but we were too excited! At 6am we decided to take a walk and we were making sure to time the contractions. We came back and just had a relaxing morning.

(this was 3 days before...as swollen as can be!)

My contractions weren't that bad so we had breakfast, I took a shower and got ready, I finished packing the last minute stuff for the hospital and by 12pm I was getting anxious. We took another walk to try to speed up the process and then by 2pm they started getting more intense. I was excited, nervous, and anxious to get to the hospital. I remember thinking that this was taking longer than I expected. We called the hospital (which was a 45 minute drive) and they told us to wait until my contractions were a little closer together before we came in... So we waited until 5:15pm, which I specifically remember because the Chargers were playing Monday night football and kickoff was 5:15...of course. That drive to the hospital could not have gone any slower. My contractions were definitely in full swing by this point and I could feel every little bump and rocks that were on the road. I remember looking over at the speedometer and telling Tim that he was going to have to go faster than what he was going because I was in pain. We finally got to the hospital and I forgot about my pain for a minute because I was so excited to be parking in the "labor parking"! We finally made it inside and found out that I was 3-4cm dialated 90% effaced and at -1 station. So they admitted me and gave me some water and juice and moved me to my room by 7pm.

Tim and I had decided that we wanted to attempt to give birth naturally so we told our nurse when we got into the room that I did not want an epidural. At this point my contractions were really painful and I tried taking a warm shower and wanted to walk, but had a tough time just walking from my bed to the shower and back. When I got back to my bed they told me that my contractions were under "duress" which means that my contractions would peak and then only go back down a quarter of the way or half way at the most...all that to mean that I never got a break from the pain...it was just bad pain then REALLY bad pain. So at 11pm I asked the nurse to check me again and I was only 6cm...so I asked for an epidural. In my mind all I could think was I only went 2-3 cm in the most painful 4 hours of my life?!? There is no way I am going to make it...bring on the epidural!

after the epidural! :)

They gave me the test dose and no joke by the time they were done, I was a different person. I was able to relax and talk to Tim for the first time in 4 hours. When they finished the epidural they checked me again and I had gone from 6cm to 9cm in 30 minutes! So we rested for a little while and at 2am I started pushing and she was in my arms at 2:49am. She was perfect, she didn't scream, just just let out a little noise to let us know she was ok. She was 8lbs. 3 oz. and 19in. long. Perfect.

The time that we had together after they measured her and washed her up, just the 3 of us, was the most precious time I have ever had in my life. It is a feeling an experience that is indescribable. I thought, "how could it get better than this..." I never wanted that time to end...but it did and somehow 1 year later I am still thinking, "how could it get any better than this..."

We are going to have a birthday party with friends in a week, but we decided to spend Brooke's actual birthday, just the 3 of us. Here is what we did...

Brooke's favorite breakfast...pancakes!

eating like a big girl

eating one more with daddy

some play time

hanging out with daddy

lunchtime!

Brooke's first time at spaghetti

loving it!

Time for Daddy's favorite food...PIZZA!

Happy Birthday my little Brookie

So funny...she freaked out!

not havin it

oh, wait... she likes it!

REALLY liked it!

she definitely needed a bath after that!

Tim had to teach at youth that night so we went and all Brooke wanted was the mic...I wonder where she gets that from?

I actually think she just wanted to eat it

The next day we went over to my parent's to celebrate with my family. Auntie Courtney was able to come home from Biola!

opening presents from Grammy and Papa

She got a little piano from Auntie Lele (with the promise of piano lessons later!)

I think she is ready for them now Auntie Lele

She loves her bear from Auntie Courtney

Brookie workin' her new baby uggs

Brooke got a rocking horse, which is what my parents got me for my 1st birthday!

Spaghetti take 2

The birthday girls!

I am so thankful that God gave Brooke to us and for this wonderful year!

Update & WICKED (take 2)

2009-09-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have posted anything...our camera has been acting up and I have not been able to download any pictures...but I borrowed a camera while ours is being fixed and here is what we have been up to...

In September 8th, we were given tickets to see the Giants play the Padres

The cutest little Padre fan

daddy kisses
We had GREAT seats and Brooke even watched some of the game

Then she fell asleep...that is her under the blanket

On September 11th, Brooke and I went down to Biola to surprise Auntie Courtney and Cady

We had lunch at Northwood's Inn....SO good!

We were also able to go to Chris and Amy's baby shower in Riverside. It was great to be able to celebrate with them and catch up with some great friends from CBU.

This is one of my favoite pictures! Hayley took this and so many other GREAT ones at the shower. To see more of the Hofschroer shower on Hayley's blog click here.

For my birthday on Tuesday Tim took me out to sushi in San Francisco, then surprised me with tickets to go see WICKED!

Now if you read my blog I am sure you saw that we went to see WICKED when we were in

San Deigo. I think almost anyone that has seen it will tell you that you can never see it too many times! We had great seats...12 rows back, direct center!

I LOVE date nights...especially because my husband is SO amazing!

I will post again really soon...this cute little butt just turned 1!

WICKED

2009-08-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Vacation: Part 5

We were SO excited to have the chance to go see Wicked when we were in SD. I had been DYING to go! (ok...not actually dying, but I really wanted to go). I grew up having "Family Movie Night" where we would watch a different musical each month. I have seen a couple of Broadway shows (Phantom and Legally Blonde) and have secretly...well not so secretly anymore...wanted to be in a musical. All that to say that I REALLY was excited to see Wicked. It was A-MAZING! I highly reccommend going to see it! Here are a few pics from the night.

outside of the theater

the girls: Jayne (Katrina's mom), Katrina, Shawna, and me

inside the theater...totally not supposed to take this picture

I told you I was excited!

outside after

Luke and Shawna

The boys...and yes they are matching

Katrina and Nick

I bought a shirt & the soundtrack and have not stopped listening to it!

Padre Game

2009-08-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

Vacation: Part 4

One of the last days we were in SD we went to Brooke's first baseball game. Tim and I love going to most any type of game, but especially Padre games. Petco has a "park in the park" for kids. It is great! Having a child that does not like to sit still for very long, I appreciate the consideration for families that went into this brilliant idea. We didn't watch a lot of the game, but we had a great time!

Gotta love the sling!

Petco Park

Brooke and Daddy

Brooke's free bat...and funny face

destined to be a Padre fan

Mommy and Brooke in our Padre beanies

The essence of summer

2009-08-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Vacation: part 3

After the beach house we headed to Nick and Katrina's. We love staying with them when we come down! San Diego got pretty hot while we were there, so our activities usually were decided upon by what would keep us cool. I can't take credit for this idea though...it was all Tim!

Brooke has LOVED water, from her very first bath to her first time at the beach. So we should not have been surprised that she had a blast on her first trip through the sprinklers.

Getting ready!

LOVING IT!

Well maybe not being sprayed in the face...

Standing on her own...so close to walking!

Flying through the sprinklers

having SO much fun!

waving...All done!

Beach House

2009-08-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Vacation '09 Part 2:

After we left Riverside for our CBU Girls' weekend, we headed down to San Diego. The first couple of days that we were there we met up with my family, who had rented a beach house on Mission Beach. We went to eat at Luigi's, hung out on the beach, had friends over for a BBQ, and an interesting photo shoot with Leah...oh Leah. Here are some pictures from those few days.

Brooke and Grammy at Luigi's

Brooke's first carousel ride (notice Michael in the background plugging his ear...classic Michael!)

She loved it!

Michelle and I got henna tattoos...here is mine. When Tim saw it he asked me who Jim was...

Michael relaxing in the beach house

here was our view...

Tim and Jay

Leah's photo shoot on the boardwalk

my little beach diva

I love this face!

Tim and Nick...Nick was trying to give Brooke some water from a water bottle cap. :)

Girls Weekend...or mid-week...:)

2009-08-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

So I have not blogged for a while because we went on vacation for 2 weeks in So Cal. There was no way that I was going to be able to just do one blog of the whole 2 weeks, so I will be putting some highlights in a few different blogs, starting in order with our Annual CBU Girls' weekend...which was actually mid-week this year.

Each year I get together with some of my best girlfriends from CBU. There is something about being with these girls that I end up leaving refreshed and so thankful for friendships that are built on such a solid foundation. This past year we have had some additions to the group. Obviously, Tim and I had Brooke the end of September. Then Alex and Marcella had Andrew 1 1/2 months later. Then, Travis and Hayley had Hudson the end of April. We are excited to meet Chris and Amy's son Logan this October! We were able to introduce them to Max and Sarah's kids, Jacob and Kennedy. It was fun having the kids around this year!

We had a surprise baby shower for Amy and Hayley this year. Last year they gave Marcella and me one, and we did one for Sarah when she was pregnant with Kennedy our first year. It's been such a fun tradition...waiting to hear who we are going to have one for next year!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our time together...(sorry there is a lot!)

Brooke and Andrew

my girl, representing CBU!

Brooke and Kennedy

Hudson and Brooke

Andrew, Hudson, and Brooke

Handstand Competition

Prego Amy won :)

All the kiddos happy

And then the meltdown...

Fun in the sun

dressed up for dinner

dinner at The Cheesecake Factory

A surprise baby shower for Amy and Logan

and Hayley and Hudson. Carrying on the tradition...who's shower will we have next year?!?

Amy, me and Brooke

Marcella and Sarah

Hayley, Hudson, Natalie, and Michelle

All of us minus Emily :(

This picture was taken 2 weeks after the girls' weekend, but I had to get a picture of Emily in here!

I LOVE MY GIRLS!

Brooke's Dedication

2009-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

We did things a little different for Brooke's dedication than I had originally thought or planned. We hadn't been plugged into a church for a little while so we decided to just have a special time at my parent's house with a few people.

My dad wrote a song for me and my siblings that he sang at each of our dedications, so I asked him to sing it for Brooke. It is such a sweet song, so I wanted to share it.

Reach for the stars...

2009-07-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

For Brooke's first 4th of July (outside of the womb) we had a BBQ and then went to Davis for fireworks. I wan't sure how she was going to do since she normally goes to bed around 7:00. Right around 8 she fell asleep and woke up right before the fireworks started. I wasn't sure if she would be ok with the noise or even be interested in the fireworks. She LOVED them! When they started she just sat there looking up and had a huge smile on her face. It was one of those moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. She continued to watch the fireworks and a few minutes into the "show" we got this...

Watching fireworks with daddy

Loving the fireworks!

my baby girl

Michael...did not enjoy waiting for the fireworks to start

Mom and Dad

Brooke's 4th of July outfit

All the girls in their sunglasses

family picture

They had close to 15 people jump out of a plane above us, right before the fireworks started and this was the last guy down. It was awesome! We had such a great day!

9 months

2009-06-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Brooke is officially 9 months old. It is crazy to think that she has now been here with us just about as long as she was growing inside of me. She is such a joy! I love her fun little personality, her smile, her deep belly laugh, her piercing blue eyes, her inquisitive nature, her two little teeth, that she can crawl on her knees but still chooses to army crawl, the fact that she is pulling herself up on things, that she mumbles mama and dada, that she mumbles (hums) along when I sing to her, that she waves hi and bye, when she is tired her head still falls on my shoulder, that each day I love her more and more. I am so thankful that God has given her to us. I pray that she comes to a deep understanding of His love and grace and deisres a relationship with Him early in her life.

For Brooke's 9 month pictures we went up on a hill in Vacaville and had Courtney and Cady as our great photographers. I loved the way that the pictures turned out! I can't wait to frame them and put them up in our house. Sorry there are so many... I had so many great ones to choose from. Thank you Courtney and Cady!

in between outfits

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Tim and I have been together for over 6 1/2 years (dating & married). I love him more now than ever. One of the reasons I love him even more is how he is with our daughter.

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately began daydreaming of having a little boy. In my mind I had already pictured Tim and our son playing catch in the yard. I had thought about colors that I would want in a nursery for a boy... I was excited to have a little "Tim". So when the ultrasound technician told us that we were having a girl, my daydreaming changed from thoughts of blue to thoughts of pink...and honestly, now having a girl, I can't imagine having a boy. When we found out that we were having a girl, a new Carrie Underwood song came out. This song kind of summed up that short season for us. Here are some of the words:

"Since the day they got married, He'd been praying for a little baby boy.
Someone he could take fishing, Throw the football and be his pride and joy.
He could already see him holding that trophy, Taking his team to state.
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket, All those big dreams changed.

And now he's wrapped around her finger,She's the center of his whole world.
And his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American Girl."

Tim is an amazing dady to our little girl. Some of my favorite moments of them together are seeing him hold her for the first time, hearing him read to her, and watching him take her in the water at the beach for the first time. He is so sweet and gentle with her, but she is going to know very quickly that she is not going to get away with anything. I truly believe that he is an incredible example of God's love for His children. Who could ask for anything more than that?

Happy Father's Day Tim! Brookie and I are so thankful for you!

Toys...

2009-06-16T18:07:00.001-07:00

As Brooke gets older the more she wants to be entertained, the shorter her attention span becomes, and the more she knows what she wants. Tim and I thought we were being good parents when we bought her a baby einstein stationary jumper when she got too big for her swing...sometimes she really likes it...

but sometimes we get this...

So we decided to let her play with what she wants. Here are a few of her favorite toys...

waterbottles

door stoppers (which we now refer to as the boingy)

my phone

The remote

and the kicker...the little plastic hooks that attach to the top of the jumper. Why do I buy her toys???

I like to move it move it

2009-06-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is...this is Brooke's version of crawling. Daddy calls it the army crawl and my parents call it scooting, but whatever it is, it's pretty cute!

This was a few weeks ago

and this is how she moves today! (btw...listen to her at the end. It sounds like she says hi!)

8 months

2009-05-25T13:53:00.001-07:00

My little Brookie is 8 months old as of yesterday! Other than the painful biting, which is getting better, we are having so much fun! She is officially "army crawling" all over the place. It is too cute! I am realizing that our house is in no way baby proof! Even simple things, like her stroller, aren't safe...I watched her make her way over to her stroller only to try to suck on the wheels. She cracks us up! Everyday I am so thankful that God has given her to us.

She thinks she is such a big girl...

She loves to laugh

Daddy's girl

Bath time

painful math

2009-05-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

2 teeth + nursing = you do the math!

The cause of her pain...

2009-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is what poor Brooke has been going through the past few days...she really is doing so well with teething, but yesterday happened to be the day that she cut her first tooth. I know that she is getting older, but things like getting a tooth and moving around (not crawling yet, but rolling and scooting) make me stop and remember how much I have enjoyed each stage. I am so thankful for my beautiful baby girl!

update

2009-05-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have posted anything...Here is a little update.

We were able to take a vaca over Easter Break to SD! We had a great time on our trip spending much needed time with amazing friends. The highlight of the trip was definitely taking Brooke to the beach for the first time. It is something that we will always remember. We look forward to creating many memories at the beach and this was the perfect start.

My little Beach Bum

Family time at the beach

first time in the water

such a big girl! She is 7 months old now!

Happy Easter

All ready to go to church

Tim went to New York and Philly with his friends during part of the time that we were down there so Michelle, Leah, Brooke and I got to go to San Clemente and see Hayley (Hudson was born 10 days later! Can't wait to meet him!)

We also went up to Riverside and were able to spend some time with Amy and Marcella. Brooke was fianlly able to meet Andrew!

Look at those legs rolls! Love them!

Leah, Me, Brooke and Katrina on another beach day

Michael's 24th birthday

2009-03-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, March 15th, we celebrated. my brother, Michael's 24th birthday at Chuck E Cheese...not a popular place for a 24 year old's birthday, but if you know my brother you know there is no other place he would rather celebrate. As I watched Michael on Sunday I though back to how he ended up wanting to spend his 24th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese and I thought I would spend some time reflecting (blogging) on Michael.

Michael had a rare disease called Rasmussen's Encephalitis (I put the name in especially for Hayley) which caused him to have seizures and eventually led to him needing to have a hemispherectomy (removal of half the brain). Michael is among a rare percentage of children who get this disease and of the children that receive the hemispherectomy Michael is in the 1% of children that don't fully recover. All medical termonology aside...Michael, who is now 24, functions at about a 1st grade level mentally. He has no short term memory and does not have fine motor skills on the left side of his body.

Going through something like that is never easy and there are times when I think about how different life would be if Michael was "normal". Then I think how different life would be if Michael were "normal" (I realize I just said the same sentence twice, but this time I meant it in a different way). Michael has such a pure, child-like faith in God that is truly inspiring. I think about how my relationship with God could be if I could always have that kind of faith. I think of how Christmases would have been different growing up...Michael still believes in Santa and always asks, "how many more days until Christmas?" And because he doesn't have short term memory he has received the answer of 365... He could eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...a hamburger and french fries. I don't think that I have ever met anyone who loves school or his teachers more than Michael. He would go to Vaca High for the rest of his life if he could. And Chuck E. Cheese...where this post began...have you ever seen a child's face when they get to go there for the first time? Well, that is Michael, every time. He always plays the same game over and over (skee ball) and usually picks the same prizes when he turns in his tickets. He gets so excited when Chuck E comes out to sing the Happy Birthday song "I say Happy you say Birthday...". He has a few friends from his class at school that he always invites. As I am typing I can't help but smile thinking about how much he enjoys it.

I know that God has used Michael to be a testimony in ways that we aren't even aware of. I am the person I am today because of how God has used Michael in my life. I am so thankful for my brother and I whenever I start to think...what if Michael was "normal"... I think...what if Michael was "normal"...

The Birthday Boy

Thumbs up from Michael

Blowing out the candles after the LONG birthday song

Michael and his friends Tony, Chuck E and Jimmy

It was Brooke's first time to Chuck E. Cheese so I had to throw a few pictures of her in too

She is glad Uncle Mikey likes Chuck E. Cheese because she did too!

First try at food

2009-02-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

Brooke is 5 months old as of Monday! She is getting so big! We tried rice cereal for the first time and thought we would share...Enjoy!

Love Bug

2009-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

Being a mom has been the the most amazing experience...and it has only been 4 1/2 months. It makes me think about life in a completely different way. For Valentine's Day this year I thought about what traditions I want my children to remember. Some of those traditions include, Valentine's jammies, a card, a small meaningful gift with heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, and something cute for lunch and dinner... I haven't decided what yet (suggestions welcomed!)which is ok because Brooke is still too little to even know this day is different than any other. Here are some pictures of her first Valentine's Day!

Our Love Bug

This is Max. He is Brooke's "boyfriend" they are in daycare together and they really like to hold hands! This is not a posed picture.

Valentine Jammies - sitting up with a little help from Daddy

This is her version of sitting up! She is close!

Happy Valentine's Day

4 months

2009-02-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I haven't posted much lately...mostly because this month has been difficult...I went back to work and Brooke went to daycare. Brooke has been sleeping through the night since she was 8 weeks old and decided to stop the second day of daycare...which has made the whole transition that much harder. I always thought that I would go back to work after I had kids, but I think by the time Brooke was 2 weeks old I was already trying to calculate if I could stay home with her. Right now we know it's not a posibility, but maybe someday... I do have to say that I am so thankful that, if Brooke has to be in daycare, she is so close to me. I get to go feed her on my breaks and go visit when I need mommy time since she is on the same campus and only a few yards from my office. And I do really like my job...without those 2 things it would be miserable!

Brooke is now 4 months (and 2 weeks) old. She is so much fun right now. She laughs, rolls over, and tries so hard to talk and sit-up. I am loving each new thing she does! She is 26 in long and is in the 93 percentile and 14 lbs 4oz and in the 62 percentile.

We feel so blessed that God has given her to us.

Brooke's first day of daycare with her "teacher" Mrs. Marie

After we picked her up...She really had a great day but this picture is too funny!

my loves

Daddy's favorite outfit

Tagged by Amy

2009-01-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Rules:

1. Go to where you store your digital photos and open the 4th folder.

2. Post the 4th picture in that folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 people.

This picture is of Tim and I during our engagement photo shoot with Natalie. We got to our favorite beach a little earlier than planned so we decided to take some pictures despite the blinding sun...hence the squinting...We didn't use the squinting pictures for anything but we had so much fun that day! I truly treasure the time we were engaged...but this picture...not so much.

I am tagging Bekah, Malorie, Grant&Emily, and Marcella

Christmas and more...

2009-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas and New Years with a trip to So Cal thrown in. Brooke finally got to meet so many friends that have been waiting so long to see her. We had an amazing couple of weeks. We didn't get pictures with everyone, but here are a few.

Merry Christmas

Brooke's first Christmas

4 generations on Daddy's side

Nana Connie and Uncle Todd

4 generations on Mommy's side

Great Granparents and Grammy

We had dinner with Travis and Hayley and Brooke's future boyfriend!

We had dinner on New Years Day with Michelle and her BF Ryan...the world travelers

Michael and Brooke

2008-12-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

I was really curious to see how Michael was going to be with Brooke. Because we did not decide on her name before she was born it took him a while to remember her name. The whole, no short term memory thing is really no fun! My parents and sisters would work with him to try to help him remember and after a couple of weeks of him saying, "what letter does it start with?" and then guessing Bailey... he finally got it! Michael has always liked babies. He likes to wave at them with his pinky and he loves when they put their hand around his finger, but that is kind of the extent of his interest in them. He covers his ears or hides his face when they cry (he has done that since Leah and Courtney were little). This weekend Michael came over to stay with us for a few hours while my dad sang in a Christmas concert. When he came in he said "Hi Baby Brooke," waved at her with his pinky, and had her hold his finger... When she started crying he covered his ears with a pillow ...predictable Michael... but later when Brooke was in her swing and I was in the kitchen, her pacifier fell out of her mouth and she started crying. I went and put it back in her mouth and went back in the kitchen. It fell out a few minutes later and she started crying again, and as I was drying my hands off I turned around and Michael was not covering his ears anymore, he had gone over to her swing and put the pacifier back in. It was so sweet! I think that Brooke is very blessed to have her Uncle Mikey!

Uncle Mikey holding Brooke for the first time in the hospital

San Francisco

2008-12-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Every year, since I was 6 years old, we have gone to San Francisco for my Aunt Linda's birthday. We always go to Fishermen's Grotto and sit in the same corner looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge. We have the most amazing food...sourdough bread, clam chowder, fresh cracked crab, spumoni...so good! My sisters and I still get shirley temples. I look forward to it every year! This year Tim and I got to bring our daughter. It is so fun to think of new traditions that we get to start with Brooke, but I hope that someday she will look forward to going to SF.

The Salamone's and Brown's

Brooke liked looking out the window

Tim and I

Brooke and Auntie Courtney

The waiter put one on Michael as a joke, but Leah put one on herself!

Oh, how things change...

2008-12-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

As I think back to life before a baby (it's hard even though it was only 2 1/2 months ago) I think back to things that used to excite me... new shoes, new clothes (ok... shopping in general), a really good Vanilla Chai Latte, dates with my hubby, going to the beach, hanging out with friends...and while those things are all amazing and still excite me, nothing compared to the excitement that I had today that came from...a poopy diaper! Brooke had not had one in 2 1/2 days and I was starting to get a little worried. I won't go into anymore details... but I just had to share my exciting news! :)

This picture looks SO much like my baby pictures

Brooke loves her swing! Thanks Aunt Tam!

This picture looks like more like Tim...but a girl version :)

2 months

2008-11-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

Our little Brookie is 2 months old as of yesterday! She has grown so much and I can't believe how much more alert she is. She gave us her first smile on Holloween. I am really enjoying this time... It helps that she has been sleeping through the night for almost 2 weeks now! I don't know if it is just a phase or not, but I am really enjoying it!

I was driving on the freeway last week and I saw a billboard for a new hospital they are opening near us and all it said was "Breathe...push, push, push, push, push, push, push..." I thought back to 2 months ago and thought " I could do that again..." then I was instantly astonished and said (out loud) "WHAT AM I THINKING!" Now don't get me wrong, I do want to, eventually, have more kids...just not anytime soon! I would assume that any sane person, who has just been through that amount of pain, would think "wow, I am glad that is over," or "NOOOO..." not "Lets do it again!" That thought goes down as momentary minute of insanity... story of my life! :)

Here are some pictures of our little girl...who was so worth it all!

Her first smile!

Daddy's little Charger girl

3 years!

2008-11-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our 3 year anniversary! As I think back about the past 6 years of dating and marriage I can't help but feel so blessed. I am so thankful for a husband who is continually seeking the Lord in all things. He is a wonderful provider and loves me unconditionally. It has been incredible to watch him with our little girl. I am truly thankful that God has given me such an incredible man.

Sleep...What is that again?!?

2008-10-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

We went to the Dr last Friday for Brooke's 2 week appointment. She is now 9lbs. and 1 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. She is getting bigger and her newborn clothes are getting smaller! When did that happen? I guess it happened somewhere in between 8 feedings, 10 diaper changes, and the 3- 4 hour blocks of sleep that we get. I guess it could have also happened between the adorable little noises, the cute, funny faces, or the thousands of kisses. Whenever it happened...it happened. I am just trying to enjoy every single moment. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this week.

She found her thumb!

2008-10-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I have never been one to support thumb sucking, but when Brooke found her thumb at one week old, I couldn't help but think that it was the cutest thing EVER! I still don't support it, so we gave her a pacifier instead. You can always take a pacifier away, but she will always have her thumb and I probably won't think it is cute if she is sucking her thumb at 12 years old. But for now... here is the thumb (and the pacifier)!

Brooke Mackenzie Brown

2008-10-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

She is here! Brooke was born on September 23 at 2:49 am. She weighed 8lbs. 3oz. and was 19 inches long. Tim and I are so thankful that God has given her to us. We are filled with overwhelming joy and love for her. Here are a couple of pictures of her first few days.

in the hospital

At home...we only had to stay at the hospital for 18 hours after she was born!