Brooks loves to read. He also loves when we read to him. His favorite books right now are Percival the Plain Little Caterpillar, Hooray for Fish, Hands are Not for Hitting (although he hits a lot right now, we are working on that), and any book that has Elmo in it. We recently bought him a booster seat for at the table. Before we could install it, he took the booster seat into his play area, put it by his book shelf, and decided to kick back and relax with a good book. So cute.

Brooks has become a much pickier eater lately. We have stopped giving him full breakfasts because he won't eat them. Now, he gets some cereal in a cup or a yogurt. That is about all he will eat (if that). He also has gotten into the habit of saying "All done" after one bite of any meal. It is so frustrating. We just sit down to eat, and Brooks is "all done"! Of course we don't let him down, but it makes for a very long and non-relaxing meal.

Speaking of meals, tonight we had turkey burgers for dinner. Brooks didn't eat much, but he had lots of fun with the dip-dip. You may want to enlarge the photo to get the full idea. He is currently in the bathtub. (Side note: I can hear everything that is going on downstairs in the tub and Brooks just had daddy pray for Elmo. It makes me smile.)

Things have been tough around our house lately. I feel really tired and sick lots of the days. It is so hard this time around because I have a child to take care of and I have to worry about someone other than myself. I am told by some very wonderful women (Mom and Steph), that Brooks won't remember me being tired and lethargic. I sure hope not, because I feel like a really bad mom lately. It is so hard to muster up the energy to play tag, dance with Brooks, be silly with Brooks or do just about anything active with him.

I still seem to feel best when I am exercising, but I also think that is wears me out a lot quicker than I am used to. I am still able to run and lift weights. I am getting pretty chubby in my mind, even though Greg says I just look like the rest of the world now. How sweet. I don't look prego, just soft in the middle. I remember wishing last time for the pregnant belly, but then when I got it I didn't really like it. I guess it is a no win situation. The end result however, is just about the best thing in the world. Just look at the picture below and you'll know what I mean.

I love you, Brooks.

Loving Scout

Brooks loves Scout. We "caught" him being really sweet with Scout. He loves to cuddle Scout and at the same time we catch him saying to Scout "GO ON". Hmmm...he must listen to his parents.

Anniversary #3!

We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary this year by going back to Maplelag (a cross country ski resort). We had a blast. Thanks to all the family who helped out with the kids. Steph and Keven came with to celebrate their anniversary as well. We got married about a week apart. They were celebrating their 11th anniversary. We got tons of skiing in, and it seemed like we did much more than last year. I felt pretty good and don't think I slowed the group down too much. I ended up taking some naps, but all in all the trip was still worth it. We enjoyed classic skiing and the beauty of Maplelag. We did do a hard workout at 6:00 am skating, but once that was "out of the way" we just enjoyed the outdoors and skied at a recreational pace. It was a blast.

Here we are at the top of "the Toot". we have our poles crossed because it is a very steep hill that we did not go on. We ended up back tracking and going around the hill. I guess I have so much more to worry about than just myself, so I decided not to take the risk of getting hurt. The boys did the hill and said it wasn't bad, but I just had to be careful.

There is nothing better than being in the woods, getting exercise and breathing fresh air with the man you love. Seriously, I could not ask for a better husband. I can't wait for the next 3 years and then the next 3 years and then the next 3 years....(you get it, right?).

Brooks was happy to see us, but not too happy. He really likes being at his Auntie Linda's house and also got some quality time with his Oma and Opa. He did think he was pretty cool with his daddy's hat on. What a sweet smile.

Brooks has been really into coloring and writing lately. Here he is doing the crossword with his daddy. I am surprised he is using his right hand, because we are convinced he is a lefty. I guess time will tell.

New Year's!

I realize that the New Year has come and gone, but between feeling sick and exhausted all the time, this was the first chance I have had to update the blog. We spent New Year's this year at the lake. We got lots of skiing, running, hiking, resting and relaxing accomplished. On New Year's morning, we decided to bring the kids out to the island in the middle of the lake. Brooks doesn't really like snow yet, so he wasn't as excited as I thought he would be. Anyhow, we ended up needing to sit with Brooks in the sled most of the time. We all took turns pulling and ended up carrying Brooks back to the cabin eventually.

Here is Steph pulling Brooks and Greg. She works out all the time and lifts heavy weights, so this wasn't even hard for her!

Greg is such a good sport and daddy.

Kennedy and Maggie were in their snowshoes and wanted a turn at pulling Brooks. It didn't last long, because Brooks couldn't stay in the sled without someone holding him. It made for a cute picture though.

When we got back inside, Brooks was ready for a nap. I love his red cheeks and tired eyes. He was so happy to be warm, have his pacifier, and his baa-baa (blanket). No, we still have not broken him of these items yet. Maybe before the next baby comes? I hope so!

Room for one more?

We are so happy to announce that next Christmas our photo will include one more blessing from God. In July, we are expecting a sibling for Brooks! Although this last 9 weeks have been rough with sickness and fatigue, we know this journey is worth it. We can't wait to meet our newest addition this summer! We will keep everyone posted as soon as we find out if Brooks will have a sister or a brother! (By the way, we both think it is a brother...we'll see!)

Skipping the Christmas Recap!

I have made the executive decision this year to skip the Christmas recap. I am so far behind in pictures (downloading, editing, sharing...) that I will just tell all of my blogging friends that we had a great Christmas that was busy and full of quality family time! Brooks was overly spoiled and loved opening presents for himself and everyone else. He didn't really bother with what was in the present, he just wanted to move onto ripping the paper off the next present. We had a great holiday season filled with lots of JOY!

Brooks put his new helmet on and was ready for a spin on his new bike!

I would have to say he is a pretty happy kid!

I came home from the gym one morning to find these two funny guys. I hope they will recover from all of the "ouchies" that they had. Brooks wore his most of the day and ended up with a little rash on his cheeks! Oops!

Such a cool dude.