Another Day Without Daddy!

Today was another great day spent with Oma and Opa. We are staying at their house this week for extra support while daddy is hunting. Brooks woke up with his "crabby eyes" on. He ate breakfast and needed a nap right away. Before he was put down to take his much needed morning nap, he got to take a shower with Opa! It was so cute. I don't know any child who likes the water as much as Brooks. We were able to get the biggest smiles out of him when his head was under the water. After the shower Brooks was put down 0nly to wake up 45 minutes later (while I was trying to get a quick workout video in). Once Brooks was up, he didn't stop crying and whining for the next hour. He was then put to nap again and this time slept for almost 2 hours. Once he got up from his second nap he was finally ready to go for the day (at this point it was noon!).


We headed over to Arby's (the new one in Kenwood!) to meet Oma and Opa. From there, we went to meet Auntie S'ers and Cousins for a walk on the Lakewalk. Today was an absolutely perfect Duluth day. It was 55 degrees and sunny. We walked for a little bit over an hour. Brooks was carried the last 20 minutes or so, because he was getting a little bit whiny. I giggle at myself because I know I shouldn't give in to his whining (Auntie S'ers makes fun of me for it too) but he is just so cute. I love the feeling of being so needed by my son. It's awesome.

Tonight we all congregated once again at Oma and Opa's house. Opa grilled chicken for us and we all had a blast watching the kids play. They are such great entertainment. I can't imagine Brooks growing up to be Kennedy and Maggie's age. They are so smart and are so much fun to listen to. I want Brooks to stay little forever, but I can't wait to hear his voice. I already know what it will sound like in my mind.

Brooks got windburned on the walk (bad mama!) today. He was so cute right before bed with his rosy cheeks. We think he looks like a little man in his PJ's that he got from his Oma and Opa.

The LONG four days without daddy are slowly coming to an end. We've had a blast with Oma and Opa, but can't wait for normalcy again.

The Aquarium with Opa

Today Brooks was kidnapped by Opa to go to the Great Lakes Aquarium. Opa took Brooks so that daddy could get a head start on his driving to South Dakota to hunt because Mama had to work. Daddy still will only make it to Souix Falls tonight, because the County roads are tough to navigate in the dark.

Brooks had a blast at the aquarium. His cousins and Auntie S'ers joined them. He played with the boats and got soaking wet. You will notice the wet hair in the pictures. He missed his afternoon nap, but didn't seem to mind because his Auntie and Opa fed him lots of Dippin' Dot's. For those who don't know, Dippin' Dot's are little pebbles of ice cream and have the same nutritional content as ice cream. Brooks really hasn't had much sugar so far in his life, but Auntie says it's time for payback! :)

Once again we are all amazed at what a happy baby Brooks is. He smiles and laughs all the time. We don't just say "all" the time because he our child. He is the happiest child that we know. He looks at us and starts to laugh. Today in his Opa's truck he was giggling for no reason at all. It is so wonderful to have such a joyful child. God must of known what mama would be able to handle. Sometimes we wonder if we should have another child, but then we start to realize that there is a VERY slim chance we'd have a child even close to as easy and mild tempered as Brooks. He is a very unique child.

Tonight, we headed to Oma and Opa's house to spend the night. We are all outside having a bonfire and making smores on their back deck. It is the perfect fall night. The only thing missing is our beloved papa. Hurry home!

A Day With the Cousins

After Brooks' morning nap, we packed up the car (mama and Brooks) and headed over to our favorite (only at this point...we have one more on the way!) cousins house. We spent a majority of the day playing, and Brooks spent a majority of the day being played with.

Cousin "K-K" (Kennedy) just loves Brooks and tries to pick him up on her own. She is only 4, so we have to remind her constantly to be careful. She gets so excited when she sees him that her entire body shakes when she squeezes him. It is so adorable. She is a real care taker and is a huge help to her Auntie Dog (mama).

Cousin "Up down, Up down" (otherwise known as Maggie, but "up down, up down" to represent her learning to make an "M") also loves her cousin Brooks so much. She gets a little bit more upset when Brooks borrows her toys to chew on, but is learning to share quite well. Cousin "up down", is very gifted and it is so fun to listen to a two year old talk with a vocabulary of a 10 year old. Today she told me that she would like to be an astronaut some day. She really is ONLY 2.

After a great day with our cousins, mama and Brooks headed off to church to help prepare a meal for our Wednesday night Alpha group. Brooks got a little bit crabby and tired, so he ended up going home with daddy so mama could go to her parenting class (which she has been skipping the last few weeks). The class was great and it is so nice to listen to other moms and gather information about what to expect as Brooks grows up.

Brooks and mama are very sad tonight. We are sad because daddy is going hunting tomorrow and we will miss him terribly. We are so glad he can have some quality time with his dad, but will miss him lots. This will be the first time that our family will be apart for an extended period of time since Brooks was born. We are already counting down until daddy comes home and he isn't even gone yet.

Helping Grandma & Grandpa

Today we stopped by to see Great Grandpa Gordy and Great Grandma Carol. It was great to see them! It was also a good opportunity to help them out with a few fall projects around the house. As usual, Brooks was the center of attention. Brooks got lots of hugs and in turn offered plenty of smiles.

After that, it was time to head over to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Brooks loves riding in the cart. He must have really liked it today because he was giggling non-stop and was full of high-pitched squeals. There were more than a few shoppers who couldn't help but to smile at our little guy after hearing his squeals of delight.

Brooks likes his fruits and veggies...

Splish, Splash!

Tonight Brooks had his first swimming lesson at our local YMCA. The whole family went early in order for mama and daddy to get a workout in. Brooks got good reports from the nursery and was really excited when we came to pick him up.

We've always known Brooks loves the water. When he was just a baby we were able to give him a bath, pour water over his head and splash water on him and he wouldn't flinch or cry for that matter. Once he got a little bit older (3 months or so), he'd smile every time we gave him a bath. Now, he just can' t get enough of bath time and would play in the tub all day if we'd let him.

Brooks did great at lessons tonight. We practiced counting to three and having Brooks slide off the edge of the pool into our arms. We also played ring around the rosy and motorboat. Brooks kicked his legs on his back and on his stomach. He was even flirting with the instructor.

After lessons, daddy got Brooks ready for bed (at the Y!) and we all loaded up in the car. By the time we got home it was obvious that all the exercise had made our little man pretty sleepy.

All in all it was a great family night. Brooks is so lucky to have such a wonderful daddy. His daddy is so involved in his life (he stays home with Brooks two days a week while mama works) and does such a great job "taking over" when mama needs a break. We both love him so much.

Going to see Auntie Bean!

It is official! Brooks, Mama and Daddy are going to see Auntie Bean in Colorado Springs in a few weeks! Yeah! We are so thrilled to be able to spend some time with her. She has been gone way too long (only 2 months), and we miss her lots. Brooks is an awesome traveler and has already been on an airplane, so we don't anticipate any problems. We are especially excited because they got snow in Colorado Springs today! Yippee! We are so excited to go on lots of adventures with our favorite Auntie Bean. This is a picture of Brooks and his Auntie Bean (we don't know how to put captions on pictures, yet!)

Lazy Sunday

Brooks and I went to church today. Greg stayed home with a sore throat and cold. Brooks had his first real experience in the nursery and did well. When I went to pick him up, he was laying on the floor "playing" with a bunch of other kids who were the same age. Brooks looks so much bigger than them though, because he is over 25 pounds and in the 100 percentile for height as well. He also has a HUGE head (just like his mom)!

After church, Brooks and I came home to be with daddy. After tacos for lunch, the whole family took a much needed rest.

We just finished feeding Brooks his dinner. It consisted of rice cereal, formula, chicken and stars, and applesauce. He would have kept eating if we would have let him. This kid is so very healthy! The doctor told us not to worry though. He promised we wouldn't have a 7 foot 300 pound child. :)

Love, Love.

H

1st Post!

This is our family's first post on our new blog! Our son Brooks is 7 months old and is more fun than we ever could have imagined. He has a never ending supply of smiles and loves to play! He is simply perfect. He has all of his mom's great features and lots of people say that he looks just like his Opa.
Stay tuned to our blog as we share the joys of parenthood and our love for leading an active lifestyle.