H12:Run With Endurance

2012-02-14T12:59:00.001-06:00

While Chloe played outside her brother worked. Brooks is just like his daddy in so many ways. I'm so thankful that he has a daddy who is not lazy, takes on any/all projects with a smile and puts his family first. Brooks watches that and mimics it. I couldn't ask for a better example of how a man should be. Brooks' wife is going to be a lucky woman. (No, we are not trying to marry Brooks off at age 4.)

Don't get me wrong, we encourage Brooks to play and be a kid but often he'd prefer to work, help, haul, assist, dig, sweep, clean, and be the "man" of the house. He is his daddy's little helper, that's for sure.

Since there is very little snow this winter (YES!), Brooks wanted to work on shoveling the yard. Yup, the yard. He's so strong and coordinated for a 4 year old. It's fun to watch him.

He amazes us in many ways.

And Chloe? She amazes us too and just happens to be very very very cute. But, I'll let you decide that for yourselves.

2012-02-14T12:47:00.000-06:00

Chloe really missed her brother while we were away.

When Brooks and Chloe decide to love each other and get along (and yes, they decide this and are perfectly capable of turning it on and off within seconds), it's amazing to watch them play. Brooks takes such good care of Chloe. We've been telling Brooks since the day Chloe was born that he needs to protect his sister. And, on most days, he does a great job.

2012-01-23T20:15:00.002-06:00

We took Brooks to Florida a few weeks ago. We thought (and so did he) that Islands of Adventure would be the best place on this Earth for him. We were so wrong.

It was way to old for him and the Spiderman ride scarred him for life.

He couldn't stand it and cried most of the time we were there.

It was a great reminder to us that HE'S ONLY FOUR! He's so big, so brave and so into Superhero's that we just assumed he'd be okay on a ride that was fast and freaky.

He wasn't.

He much preferred the rides like Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

We took him to Sea World on the wettest and coldest Florida day we've ever experienced. It was still a blast and Brooks didn't care if he was wet. We offered him a hat and a rain poncho several times, but he declined our offer and assured us that boys are supposed to be wet. I hate being cold, but somehow managed to survive. It was 60 degrees, after all.

Brooks does not like to be the center of attention. He cringes when we ask him to do silly things or wear silly clothing. He just doesn't love having people look at him.

We went to Lego Land as well. Brooks adored this place and was thrilled that every ride (even the big ones) were geared for kids under 8 years old. He ran from ride to ride, the place seemed empty and the lines were short. It was perfect and a really fun day of bonding with our little man.

Once he got over being embarrassed to ride the "baby rides" he had so much fun. A lot of the time he looks at us for approval and when we nod our heads that it's "cool" he's all for it. He seems to need more approval than some kids. It kind of makes me sad because I just want him to be free and confident to be who he is and enjoy what he enjoys.

(Someday, I'll have to blog about how sad it is that a four year old is worried about what he wears to school. It breaks my heart and I have some thoughts on what I'm going to do to teach Brooks to love himself and have confidence in who he is and how he dresses and what he's interested in. That will be a great post. Someday when I'm rested (what?) I'll share my deepest thoughts on that.)

I have a picture of me at Disney when I was about 6 years old looking through a rope bridge. I need to find it because Brooks and I look like twins. It's amazing how strong my gene pool is.

Not to be left out...DADDY.

Brooks has the best Daddy in the whole world. I don't even know where to start. He's patient, loving, fun, athletic, silly, involved, smart, and everything that a kid would want in a Daddy.

I love pictures like this where you can just tell by the look in his eyes that Brooks adores his daddy.

Where was Chloe during the trip?

She was home with her Oma and Opa.

That post will be next.

Don't feel bad for her. She didn't miss out on anything and got more attention and spoiling than any little girl I've ever met.

2012-01-18T19:14:00.000-06:00

Super. Hero.

2012-01-17T13:52:00.003-06:00

Although she won't remember it, Chloe had a fun Christmas too. Chloe's theme this year was DORA. It's funny to us, because when Brooks was two that is the only show he liked to watch. We'd try to get him to watch Diego but he much preferred Dora. So, the Dora obsession is nothing new to us. We are already experts on Dora, Boots, Benny, Swiper...the Grumpy old Troll. Impressed?

Chloe helped her brother make cookies that were supposed to look like snowmen. On all of her creations there was no shortage of chocolate chips. Not one of them looked like a snowman. It was fun though to watch her put a handful in her mouth and then a handful on the cookie.

Everything that Brooks does, Chloe does too. We are constantly telling Brooks not to climb on things (couch, chairs, island) not only because it's not nice manners but also because right behind him his two year old sister is attempting to also scale the couch or climb on the island just like her brother. There are some healthy things that she copies though, hockey being one of them. She loves to go to the rink with her brother and this will likely be the last year we can get away without skates for her.

Chloe got a sweet Christmas haircut. It was her first haircut and makes her look so grown up. The first few days she had it she'd beg me to flat iron it and she held so still.

She's such a diva.

Chloe got swimming lessons for Christmas along with a new pair of goggles. Once she had opened this gift, the goggles were worn the rest of the night. She insisted that we kept putting them back on her when they fell off.

Funny girl.

Chloe enjoyed Christmas night shakes made in my new Vita-mix. Thank you, Greg.

2012-01-17T13:19:00.001-06:00

A January Christmas update. What's wrong with that? We've been busy.

Brooks had a fun Christmas. We think it will be the first one he actually remembers so we tried to do things that would create great memories for him.

He helped his Daddy buy a real tree and was a played a big role in decorating the tree. He organized the presents and counted them, making sure that everyone had something under the tree.

Brooks did lots of art projects at school and showed them off each day that we picked him up. Sometimes, he'd need to show us his projects that were hidden in his backpack even before we left the school parking lot. He was most proud of the wreath ornament he made us for the tree. He explained that the project took several days because he had to wait for the paint to dry before he glued on the decorations. The multi-day project was a huge deal and his excitement inspired him to open our present for us. What a sweetie.

Brooks had a beautiful, five minute long Christmas program at school. He got all dressed up, which is out of the norm for him. He much prefers wind pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt for school. He gets hot and doesn't like to deal with buttons. But, the day of his performance he was so excited to put on his new sweater and corduroy pants with a belt. He even took some time in the bathroom to brush his hair and sneak a few squirts of his daddy's cologne. I suppose when you are a little ~~boy~~ man, hygiene becomes pretty important.

We made cookies. Brooks wrote the list of what we needed to buy at the grocery store and helped with the project from start to finish, including the shopping. This day was one of his sweeter days and he was so patient with his sister, who served as a mess maker rather than a helper.

We took Brooks to The Sound of Music. He cousin, Kennedy, was in the play (big deal...adult theatre...she's 8) and he was so excited to see her perform. He only made it to the intermission because it didn't start until after his bedtime, but it was still a magical night. It was fun to see him all dressed up and feeling like such a big boy. And, his cousin was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

We've (I should say GREG and kids) have done lots of skating. This mama doesn't like to be cold. Not one bit. The weather was pretty much hot until Christmas, but they still managed to find a few days cold enough to skate. Brooks picked up right where he left off last year and we still are encouraging him to love skating without pushing any type of organized hockey on him. We want him to be interested in lots of things and know that if he gets into hockey, that will limit his time for other things that are just as important to our family.

We also did lots and lots of talking about the real meaning of Christmas and took lots of time to celebrate family, Jesus and our many blessings. It was a special time of year and seeing it through Brooks' eyes made it even more special.

2012-01-01T11:54:00.001-06:00

Long ago, before we had a girl, Greg bought me an American Girl Doll. When Chloe was not even 1 year old, her Auntie bought her one.

Today, for the first time, we took Chloe's doll out of the box and pulled my doll off the top shelf of the closet. Chloe was thrilled and is taking such good care of her girls.

2011-12-25T16:06:00.001-06:00

2011-12-20T15:32:00.004-06:00

I can't take credit for the idea, but I saw this super fun idea on a blog I follow. I don't know the official name for it, but it's basically a chance for me to confess 10 things you may not know about me.

Here we go:

1.) I am in shape and am ~~semi~~ very obsessed with working out. I love it and it's something that I do for me almost every day of the week. I typically work out before most everyone gets out of bed. Except my kids of course. My early risers are always up when I work out.

2.) I don't do laundry or house work. I'm serious. Greg does it all. There is occasional "I need to deep clean this house now" but those come usually once a month. :) Greg does the day-to-day laundry and deep cleaning. Don't get me wrong, I like to do a general "pick-up" but if you ever stop by unannounced you'll likely see Greg folding laundry and mopping the floors.

3.) When I was first told about Greg and who he was (and that he was cute, nice and single) I thought I was just way too cool for Greg. Ha, ha, ha. I had not a clue that he is the most amazing man I have ever met in my entire life. Not to mention way cooler than I am.

4.) I don't feed my kids a very healthy diet. It's weird that I care so much about staying in shape and eating right but don't stress about them eating Oreos and Spaghetti-O's for lunch. I should care more and that might be my resolution after Christmas since I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. They never work.

5.) Speaking of eating healthy. I do eat healthy most days but I also eat Whip Cream EVERY SINGLE DAY. I recently went on a "week off" of Reddi-Wip, but caved in when my co-worker brought a can to my office. So then, I changed my "week off" of Reddi-Wip to a "week off at home" of Reddi-Wip. (Note: Reddi-Wip is spelled correctly. There is no "h" in Whip. Trust me, I know.)

7.) I sometimes wish I was my sister Stephanie. She stays at home with her kids. Her kids are beautiful and perfect in every way. They obey, they are smart, they love Jesus, they are sweet, they are QUIET! They also happen to be older than my kids and are both girls. But anyway, sometimes I daydream about being a homeschool mom who doesn't have to run to an office job and try to juggle meetings at work with a life at home. But, I count my blessings and remember how much I HATE jealousy (including my own). Then I get over it and stop wishing for everything I don't have and focus on everything I do have. This typically lasts until the next time I have to stay late at work while my kids eat McDonald's for dinner with their daddy. Typically at that point, it's a re-run of my daydream of staying at home and being a super awesome mom like my sister Stephanie is.

8.) I am a confident business woman and can run a meeting or train my 200 employees without thinking twice about it, but I am naturally a super shy girl. I hid behind my parent's legs when I was little so that no one could talk to me or see me. I have stopped doing that, but our family joke is that I hate people. I don't really "hate" people (in our home we save our hate for the Devil), but would be very content never having to meet a new person again. That's bad and sometimes comes across as me being snotty or arrogant. I'm really not either of those words, I'm just nervous, anxious and not comfortable making small talk. I'm working on it and it's hard to change something that is so deep inside me.

9.) I am happy for others when they get/do/receive nice things. I don't like to be around people who are jealous. (see #7: note to self).

10.) I take a bath every day. I hate being cold. I eat cottage cheese and peanut butter right out of the container. I sleep with a fan on for noise. I get up at least once every single night. I am an anxious person and worry about everything. I love Jesus and serve Him. My best friends are my family. My kids never nap at the same time. I am tired all the time. I love to chew gum. I am allergic to yellow squash. I love my husband and kids more than I ever knew I could love.

Do you feel like you know me better?

2011-12-08T20:07:00.001-06:00

Tonight was a big night at our house. Our baby girl isn't a baby anymore. She took a huge step towards becoming a big girl tonight. Boo-hoo and hip-hip hooray all at the same time.

We can't have any more babies, so this is it.

We are crib free FOREVER.

It's sad and happy all at the same time.

After Chloe had her cup of water for her night stand (yes, Stephanie and Keven, I did say I'd never let my kids have water by their bed), snuggled with her brother and said her prayers (which I need to record and post someday) she was ready for lights out. No tears and no negotiating. She rocks.

Chloe loved her big girl bed and and BLESS HER HEART didn't get out of bed once. Before falling asleep she yelled out "daddy...daddy...daddy" until Greg went in and got her her baby to sleep with. Then she yelled out "daddy...daddy...daddy" a few minutes later until Greg went in her room and took her baby away from her (at Chloe's request, of course) and put the baby to bed in the baby's bed next to her big girl bed.

She's sleeping soundly now and I'm sure feeling pretty special that she's finally a big girl. Little does she know that she's not really a big girl yet. Potty training is next.

Goodnight.

2011-12-08T19:56:00.001-06:00

If I sent out a Christmas card I absolutely would not send the first picture because quite honestly that would be too fake.

The second picture, however, would be just perfect.

Merry Christmas from my Super Hero's.

2011-12-08T19:34:00.001-06:00

The blogging has taken a back seat to something called LIFE. Wow, things are busy around here. Between school, speech, swimming lessons, Community Bible Study, staying in shape and trying to be a working mom, I've found little time for blogging. Since I write this blog as my children's baby book/scrapbook, I will do my best to back up and report to you (and them someday) what we've been up to.

Chloe is still 100% diva and is just about the most adorable little girl we know. Lately, she's been insisting she's a boy. So when we tell her that she's such a pretty girl she gets upset with us and screams that she's actually a boy.

She doesn't say "actually" though. She "actually" doesn't say much and until a couple of weeks ago I was starting to worry a little bit. I worried mostly because Brooks was a genius child and was reciting chapters of books at this age (well, not really but pretty close).

This week though, she's begun to speak much more clearly. Yeah! Her favorite sentence is "NO WAY". She replies "NO WAY" to almost everything. She says it so much that Brooks told me the other day that he is "so sick of hearing Chloe say NO WAY." And to that comment from her brother Chloe would most definitely say "NO WAY!" We think it's darling and will proclaim that as her first real sentence. She had one other sentence much earlier on, but it's not appropriate to talk about on the blog (no swearing or anything like that, just something that might make you think we are goofy and we wouldn't want that! wink, wink.)

We had a fabulous birthday party in November for an even more fabulous sister. We were thrilled to honor my sister Stephanie at our house for a super fun night of games, food and stories about our favorite girl. Brooks had a secret date with his Ti-Ti in the bathroom and came out with some tattoos on his back. Yes, this is the whole package. This kind of stuff is why he loves his Ti-Ti, I'm sure.

Do you want to know what true love looks like? See below. Steph is such a good mom.

During the party Brooks had tons of fun playing Wii with the boys. He fit right in with the older kids. They were so nice to him. It's neat to watch him learn social skills and master the art of taking turns and getting along. Lakeview Christian Academy is worth every penny to us. He's learned so much about loving Jesus and so much about becoming a polite young man who kids want to be around. It's such a blessing to watch him make friends.

And my little ~~girl~~ boy Chloe loves her guns. What a ~~doll~~ cowboy.

2011-11-29T12:20:00.001-06:00

Daddy's little helper.

2011-11-16T17:03:00.001-06:00

That's my kid!

2011-11-15T14:26:00.001-06:00

It's been a fan--tas---tic Fall. It's the middle of November and Brooks was outside today without a jacket! It's warm and sunny and pretty tropical for Duluth, MN. We are loving it and are going to try to remember how beautiful the Fall was when it is April and we still---have---snow (boo).

We had some friends over on Sunday. It was a blast. The kids played together perfectly and having four around instead of two actually seemed easier than having just our two. Brooks told me he wishes we could have another baby. No chance of that here. Poor kid, he's so deprived. I told him we can have babies come and visit.

He's already forgotten about wanting a baby.

Now he's onto wanting super powers that would let him see inside of people and a grey Batman costume.

During our time with friends we loved watching the girls be girls and the boys be boys.

It's amazing, really.

2011-11-08T16:37:00.001-06:00

Brooks is a busy boy. On top of school three full days a week, he attends speech therapy twice a week. He's learning to say his "s" more clearly. It's starting to work when he's rested. When he's tired, not so much. He's been a great student so far. He's trying hard to make his tongue a cup and is getting much better at keeping his tongue behind his teeth.

2011-11-01T16:44:00.002-05:00

We skipped trick-or-treating this year. The kids had no clue. Brooks had swimming lessons and quite honestly it seems like Halloween every day at our house. Brooks does not go one day without multiple costume changes. The best part of it all? He thinks (really believes) that we have no idea who he really is when he is dressed in costume.

Recently, after running around the house for an evening in his Spiderman costume Brooks called my dad (his Opa) aside to whisper something in his ear.

What did he whisper you ask?

"Opa, don't tell anyone, but it's really me...Brooks...under here!"

(I am sure my dad fell in love AGAIN at that exact moment.)

We did have a chance this past weekend to attend trunk-or-treat at our Auntie's church. What a great idea. No traffic, cars close together allowing less walking for a two-year old, daylight, quick, minimal candy and lots of fun letting the kids run free.

I think Chloe won the award for the cutest Batgirl they've ever seen. At least if there was a contest, she'd of gotten an award. I'm sure of it. She's such a diva and loved her pleather Batgirl outfit.

Mostly she loved being just like Brother.

She adores her Brooks.

This is Auntie Linda. She loves Angry Birds. Just ask her Carpal-tunnel Syndrome about it!

2011-10-14T13:55:00.001-05:00

Now that I can blog from my phone, I can easily share my phone pics! Yeah! It's the small things these days that make me so happy. At church on Sunday our pastor talked about stress and worry. My new goal is to trust Him and find joy in everything. Because really, He's in control so why waste time taking things into my own hands. Right? Right.

Enough about that. Here are some sweet pictures from a recent fall festival we went to. We had fun. It was perfect for a two and four year old and very simple. Sometimes simple is just better.

2011-10-12T20:02:00.001-05:00

Test...test...
Two awesome things tonight.
Coffee with Tamika.
Learned to blog from phone.
Love this girl.

2011-10-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

We went to a corn maze a few weekends ago. The kids had fun. Chloe stayed home with Opa, which ended up being a very good decision. It was fun to let the kids go into the maze alone and listen to their squeals from outside.

It's become humorous that almost any event we plan that we think will be so much fun ends up with Brooks having a hard time obeying.

He really is a good kid deep in his heart.

He doesn't try to disobey and feels really bad when he does.

It's just that his energy is unmatched and his emotion comes from the deepest part of his soul. It's hard to explain, but just think of him as the only kid in our party that came out of the maze dripping sweat. The other kids? Not a drip.

So, just like most super fun things we do, he ended up losing his ice cream treat (which I wasn't ever really going to buy him anyway...shhh, don't tell him) because he just couldn't stop picking the corn from the maze. After he'd picked 5 ears of corn and was asked to stop several times (the corn maze needed corn for at least 4 more weekends) the fun event ended up with a "settle down, listen to me and obey me" talk between child and parents. Sigh. Love him.

There are some very sweet moments that go along with our challenges. When the kids play together without fighting it's the best! It's fun to listen to Brooks say things to Chloe like, "Chloe, let me just cut your fingers off." while he pretends to be the doctor. Poor little sister. She has no clue and does just about anything Brother asks.

Brooks comes up with the best costumes. Below: Green Lantern, Buzz Lightyear, Captain America and Scary Mexican wrestling mask all in one!

Not to be outdone...

Meet Batgirl.

2011-10-03T20:22:00.001-05:00

Miss Susan, our Nanny, says it best with a heavily sarcastic undertone.

"Heather! I am so glad that Chloe finally got an I-Pod! I mean, she is two years old and some weeks, isn't she?"

Ha. Ha. Ha.

I love that she can be so honest with me.

Yes, Chloe has an I-Pod. We got to thinking, and whether our thinking was right or wrong, (Please refrain from sharing your opinion. You are ONLY allowed to do that if you are Super Nanny.) we decided to get Chloe an I-Pod.

Our justification? Well, if we were going to get her one when she was three or four, why not get one now and let her enjoy it? So, off to the store Greg marched (or drove) and he bought our dear, sweet, tech-savvy, two-year-old her very own I-Pod.

She navigates through the thing like a pro and loves her "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Wheels on the Bus" app. She also loves to make us ice cream sundaes and has been busted trying to eat them off of the screen.

It's fun. Really fun. And the buck-toothed, full body grin that we get every time we hand her her very own I-pod makes it so worth it.

On another note. Not a day goes by that one kid isn't trying to be the other kid. Or one kid tells the other kids to "do this" or "try that". It's great, as long as they are modeling obedient behavior and telling each other to try things that won't end up in disaster or injury.

This is one of the more innocent, "Hey, look what I can do! Try this, Brother!"

I won't pretend this was all sweet and wonderful though. Greg took the picture, but I am GUESSING (a well-educated guess) that it went something like this:

--Chloe put the lunch bag on her head.

--Brooks screamed "I want it!"

--Chloe squealed back and held onto it as tight as she possibly could while stiffening her entire body.

--Brooks attempted to take it off her head with force.

--Chloe started to cry and laid on the floor while very upset.

--Daddy intervened and explained they can both have a turn.

--Daddy took a picture of both of them.

--Kids are happy.

--Daddy waits for kids to lose interest in the lunch bag.

--Daddy hides lunch bag.

There is very little peace around here. Some days I long for a quiet house with no mess. But then I get real with myself and play super hero for the fourth time in one day, remembering that I'm really going to miss this stuff.

2011-09-24T20:13:00.002-05:00

One of our most favorite baby sitters is gone away at beauty school. It stinks. We miss her terribly and long for the day she returns to Duluth to color our hair (my hair...Greg doesn't have any to color) and hang out with our beautiful kiddos while we are away on a stimulating date to Barnes and Noble or Target. Seriously though, Greg and I are just coming to realize how nice it was to have a babysitter who our kids loved and were excited to have over. It was an extra bonus that she knew how to drive and had a super flexible schedule. Boo for going away to beauty school. We are now on a hunt for a new babysitter, but wonder if there is one out there that could make our baby girl this happy.

2011-09-24T19:51:00.002-05:00

Brooks is the best eater. Because his eating habits are a little bit different than most 4 year olds, we get good laughs out of his fueling requests. On Wednesday at 7:00 in the morning Greg was frying up some white onions for Brooks. That was what Brooks wanted for breakfast before school, so that's what he got. He didn't want any eggs to go with his plate of white onion. Nope. Just straight onions. Yum, but at 7:00 in the morning?

It may not have been the best way to start the day though (giving your kid exactly what he wants) because he ended up getting in a little bit of trouble on Wednesday for being "wild and disobedient" in class. After three years in the same class, this is Brooks first time getting "in trouble".

Needless to say, he hasn't had his Batman costume since Wednesday and had a very intense day at home (all day) with his Daddy on Thursday. His apology to his teacher on Friday was genuine and the report from his teacher was that he was "much better" on Friday. We didn't expect anything but "much better" since he pretty much knew that anything less than perfect on Friday would have been the...end...of...his...world...as...he...knows...it!

Or at least the end of his weekend as he knows it.

Not an uncommon lunch for our Buddy. In the cottage cheese container?

Cottage cheese, Italian dressing and tuna fish.

Onions.

2011-08-31T14:09:00.002-05:00

I get it. It is so clear to me. I see now why there are two parenting books on raising children that at one time I may have thought contained redundant information.

Before my princess Chloe was here, I would have thought that Dr. Dobson could have crammed the information in his book Bringing up Girls into the book he had already written called Bringing up Boys.

Now I see that would be impossible.

2011-08-31T13:58:00.002-05:00

There are so many amazing things about boys. I have been practicing embracing the amazing-ness of my Brooks.

Who wouldn't want a little boy running around the house protecting his Mommy all day long? Sure, he may break a few things while ensuring safety in the home. He may scratch the kitchen floor with his dart gun and may even scream so loud in order to scare the "bad guys" away, that the wakes his sister.

But, really, who wouldn't want this sweaty-headed sweetie, who looks at me and out of the blue and says, "I love you, Mom."

And who wouldn't melt into a puddle on the newly scratched floor when my block-footed, size 6 four-year old looks me in the eyes and tells me that time spent with his mom is the "best thing ever in his day".

Boys are amazing. I keep telling myself that.

2011-08-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

Chloe had her two year pictures. They are stunning. Best part about it was that the photographer is calm and quick. It was stress free and her pictures turned out beautifully.

To view them click here. Then, once you are there enter "Client Proofs" then enter any email address (your own email works) and our password is chloe.

2011-08-06T13:26:00.002-05:00

Brooks likes soccer much more than T-ball at this point. He loves that he can run after a ball. That just makes sense to a four-year-old boy, I think.

Brooks works really hard on the field and still scores goals on his own goalie at times. He's trying to figure it all out and it is starting to click. He scored his first goal during his last game. He had no clue how cool that was. He was more worried about the treat after the game and how much water was left in his water bottle.

Brooks is a great goalie and it comes to him very naturally. When he's in the goal he's intense. It's pretty cute as he uses his hockey moves to stop the soccer ball. He puts on his monster face and attacks the ball without fear. He even brags to us when he gets hit in the stomach by the ball and he knows exactly how many goals he lets in the net (exactly 1 goal so far).

The best part of the game for us is afterwards when the field clears out and we stay and let Chloe and Brooks have races. It's so fun to stand by Greg and watch as our kids run together across the field. It's even better when, for a few moments, they are not fighting and are showing us just how much they love each other.

2011-08-06T13:01:00.003-05:00

We had a delightful and simple birthday party for Chloe. It was a picnic theme and was perfect for a hot July day. We didn't do the decorations on our own (if you really know me, you already figured that out) but we found a great website that is very user friendly and fun. The ladies are very talented and respond quickly. If you have can appreciate cute and crafty decorations, but are not the type to get out your glue-stick and scissors go here to find out more.

2011-08-04T19:42:00.000-05:00

Enlarge this picture.

2011-07-30T20:48:00.003-05:00

Our sweet baby is two (sigh).

Chloe has brought so much joy in the two years we've known her and she only seems to get more and more adorable by the day.

Sweet Chloe girl, we love you.

You are a big girl, Chloe, but not quite as big as brother was. You still wear size 2T and have size 7/8 feet. Some size 7's don't fit you though, because your feet are very chubby. You love your Crocs and prefer to wear them with every outfit you own. You wear a size 5 diaper, tell us when it's dirty (by plugging your nose and saying "ewwwww"), but have zero interest in using the toilet. You actually cry when we attempt to sit you on it.

You are stubborn. If there was a word in the dictionary that meant "more than stubborn" you would be described as that word. Being stubborn doesn't make you hard to have around though, we just have to be creative and make sure everything seems like it was your idea! There has been some bribing by us to get you to do things. You will do just about anything in order to watch Bubble Guppies. Speaking of Bubble Guppies, you really like them. You ONLY want to watch them and won't settle for any other show we introduce to you. You know how to say Bubble Guppies and you are crystal clear in demanding a "SHOW!" We don't know what your first word was (bad mommy and daddy) but it may have been "show".

You understand everything we say, and you refuse to talk unless you want to. You respond to complex, multi-step directions but still pretend that you can't say certain words. For instance: You will take a tiny piece of paper from the carpet and show it to us. We will ask you to put it in the garbage can under the sink in the kitchen and then come back to the living room. You immediately toddle over to the garbage can, dispose of the tiny piece of paper and come right back to us. But, if we ask you to say "paper" or "garbage", you simply look at us and say "NO". You are a stinker. A real stinker.

You are into babies. You like to take wipes, preferably an entire package, and change your babies diapers. You take your baby to the big girl toilet and we can hear you making the sound "pssssssssssssss" to imitate your baby doll going tinkles. You still need help getting your baby dolls clothing back on her, but you are able to communicate by bringing us the doll, the shirt and the pants and saying "help" or "please" or on a stubborn day "uhhhhhh" (which means help or please). You say the word "baby" very clearly.

You amaze us on your brother's I-Pod. You know how to swipe the lock button to get it open, you know how to pull the lever down on the toaster to make toast and you know how to clear a screen if you want a different game. You are very tech savvy and if you don't know how to do something on the I-Pod, we show you once or twice and you have it mastered. Whenever you hold any type of I-Pod or I-Phone you say "Ti-Ti, Ti-Ti, Ti-Ti" over and over again until we call Auntie Ti-Ti.

You are amazing, Chloe.

You love your brother a lot, but he dynamic between the two of you is still less than peaceful at times. You try to keep up with your brother and he is easily frustrated with you. You get mad when he takes things that are yours and you scream "mine" at him and you often end up on the floor crying and screaming. It's hard to have a big brother, but we already see that you and Brooks are going to be buddies. You are really lucky Chloe, your brother is big and strong and he'll always protect you. In fact, he often tells us that is his "job". When you two want to be sweet to each other it's the most amazing thing. You play, interact, talk and giggle. We sit back in delight that the two of you are buds.

Did I mention that you are shy? You are painfully shy. You are so shy that you'd rather sit in our bedroom with nothing to do than come out and get a present from your Oma and Opa. You hide behind us, run away from people, want to be held, turn your head away from people you see every single day, and close your eyes so that people can't see you.

Here are some of your favorites:

Most favorite things ever: Your pacifier and your "nigh-nigh" (we used to call it your silkie, but you have recently re-named it). You go everywhere with your dirty little blankets (even though recently washed). We say "blankets" because you often carry 4 or 5 of the same "nigh-nigh's"with you all at the same time. Instead of asking for your pacifier you open your mouth as wide as possible and groan until we give it to you! We know that you could say "soose" or "pacifier" if you wanted to, but you prefer to just moan and groan until we get one for you.

(Shhhh...we aren't telling you yet, but your pacifier will be going away now that you are two. You'll be okay, Chloe.)

Food: Cottage Cheese, cheese, yogurt, apples, pasta mostly in the form of mac and cheese, veggie chips and corn

TV Show: Bubble Guppies

Activity: Watching a show, coloring, playing in the garage with Brother, riding your car or big-wheel, getting your tummy rubbed (if we stop, you grab our hands and force them back onto your tummy), going to Cub Foods with Daddy on Monday's and saying"hi" to every single person you pass and reading books

Person: Daddy. Hands down. Daddy.

Song: You are Holy and Soar like Eagles. You can sing You are Holy wonderfully and you love the actions to Soar like Eagles.

Toy: Your dollies, your dollhouse and Lego's.

Drink: "Juice" but anything that is in your cup is defined as "juice"

Treat: Popsicles and strangely enough you know how to say popsicle very clearly

Color: Pink because you have no choice, but your eyes look best in blue. You got your Daddy's eyes and they are Blue...Blue...Blue!

Accessory: Your cowgirl hat, big bows and sunglasses. You love to wear them and you never take your hair bows out. You tell us about them and point to them, but you have yet to pull them out.

Chloe, you are a joy. A pure joy. We love you.

Happy Birthday baby girl.

XOXO

2011-07-21T20:31:00.002-05:00

When we first found out we were having a girl I was worried that a brother and a sister wouldn't connect the way two brother's would connect.

My boy and my girl have found lots of ways to be buddies. There have been a few moments where Brooks embraces his feminine side but it doesn't last very long. Just imagine Brooks playing tea party for about one second before smashing the tea party off the table onto the floor with his double axe. He tries to do girlie things, but he isn't very interested.

Chloe, on the other hand, is 100% in tune with her masculinity. She is tough and can hang with her brother. Right now, most of what she plays with Brooks is dictated by him and she plays along trying to please him. It's pretty cute until she gets mad at her brother and scratches him across the face (because he's undoubtedly been mean to her) with her sharp little fingernails and he starts to scream.

"Chloe, Let's play doctor! Here you go, Chloe. You take the stethoscope and I'll lay down. Then Chloe, you can be the doctor and I'll be the patient. Okay, Chloe?"

(These captions are written exactly how Brooks talks. Millions of "Chloe's" in one sentence, lots of directives and always ending with "Okay, Chloe?")

"Hey Chloe, I have an idea. I'll get my scuba mask and saw and you put your weapon on and we'll have a battle. Okay, Chloe?"

"Hey Chloe. Look at me Chloe! Look at me! Do this! Okay, Chloe?"

"Hey Chloe, I will build a ladder for you to climb up the back of the couch. Come on, Chloe. Come here. Let's climb up the back of the couch. Okay, Chloe?"

"Hey Chloe, (I know it's only 6 in the morning), but I'll dress up and be the protector and we'll get Daddy with our double axe. Follow me, okay Chloe?"

He's got his little sister wrapped around his little finger. After he asks "Okay, Chloe?" she answers "da" which means "yes" in Chloe language. Then, she scampers behind Brother and does pretty much as he says.

I guess having a boy and a girl is going to be okay after all.

2011-07-21T20:24:00.002-05:00

If she wants to move the tractor but there are no adults around to help and Brother isn't being nice...don't worry.

She'll take care of it on her own.

Even in a pink dress and diva-licious sunglasses.

This baby girl is tough.

Don't let the ribbons and bows fool you.

2011-07-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

The best part is that Brooks thinks this helmet is on correctly. He put it on himself.

(Those of you who are going to call Child Protection because we let him wear his helmet wrong...don't fear. We are the most obsessive helmet family on this planet and we take helmets seriously.)

Isn't this just priceless?

The fact that it's a snowboarding helmet makes it even better.

2011-07-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

Going to the lake just keeps getting better. The kids loved the new long-boards and we were amazed and how good they are. Their balance is great!

Oh, and Chloe is a great observer and buddy while she hangs with the adults on the dock.

Chloe--23 months

Kennedy--8 years old

Maggie--6 years old

Brooks--4 years old

2011-07-03T19:55:00.003-05:00

The kids took part in their first parade. They did great minus the couple of almost accidents when they'd attempt to throw candy and drive at the same time.

I may have said something to Greg like, "Honey, you are going to have to go up front! I can't handle this! They are going to crash and my anxiety is through the roof!" Of course Greg helped me out and did what he could to try to keep the kids on the road.

It was a blast to take part this year. I'm sure that as the kids get older the float that the Do-Jo's enter in the annual Lake Dowling parade will evolve into something even bigger and better!

It's fun to make memories.

Speaking of memories: I had a few "almost wet my pants from laughing" moments this weekend. All of which involved Steph. One "almost wet my pants from laughing" moments was most definitely when I attempted to put Steph on the back of my bike and drive her around the lake for the parade.

(We succeeded, by the way and we will never tell if we might have wet our pants just a little bit!)

2011-06-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

We are having a really hard time around here lately. Our little man is having a hard time with basic obedience and control of his emotions.

We don't know if it's the missing routine of preschool or if it's lack of sleep or too much sugar or just being 4 or something else we haven't explored yet.

We are at a loss.

We have cut out sugar (although since it's VBS week--not entirely). We have disciplined. We have taken activities away. We have taken toys away. We have swatted. We have given time-outs. We have done early bedtimes. We have skipped T-ball. We have given praise. We have used rewards. We have had long talks.

None of the above seem to work.

He's tender, loving and can be a good kid. We are in a rough patch right now and crying out to the Lord for help. Our hope is that this too shall pass. We'd love for it to be sooner than later.

We love this boy more than words could ever express. He brings us tears of joy and tears of frustration.

We know this is worth it and because of that we are hanging on.

You are SO worth this, Brooks.

We love you.

XOXO

2011-06-23T21:03:00.003-05:00

I didn't do a Father's Day post. It's pretty fitting that I didn't have time, though. We don't have time to do anything around here these days. We are in the most challenging journey of our lives raising these beautiful children. It's tough stuff. But, I know that Greg wouldn't change a thing. I know that although we don't classify the last few months as "fun", Greg would never want a Father's Day to come and go without being able to be call himself "daddy".

Chloe loves to take care of her Daddy.

(We left out the pictures of her ripping this massage stick out of another person's hand in order to get what she wanted. If we were to post that, it would just ruin the Father's Day post..right?)

Father's Day morning Brooks and I made Daddy pancakes and we gave him lots of loves. Brooks and his Daddy have a great relationship and because Greg loves Brooks enough to discipline many times you may overhear Brooks saying, "I am not your friend. I do not like you. I am not living at this house anymore." Tonight, when Brooks went to bed he told his Daddy, "Tomorrow, Daddy, I am going to love you again (sweet) and then I am going to push you into the wall (not sweet)!"

The intensity of this boy is unreal. If we do things right and channel his intensity in the right way, he might just rule this world someday.

Oh, and truth be told: BROOKS ADORES HIS DADDY. THEY ARE BEST BUDS.

I am so glad I am married to this man. Although we have not had a complete conversation in months, I know that when the kids are 18 and we get to talk to each other again, we'll have lots to say and lots of love to share. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this daddy.

2011-06-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

Dearest little baby girl:

You are not a baby anymore. You are a stubborn little lady. You cross your arms, cry and throw your body on the ground in pure dissatisfaction when you don't get your way.

You know what you want and when you want it.

You need to get your way or nobody can have peace.

You are so dear, though. In so many ways you are easier than we remember a two year old being.

In so many situations we see amazing obedience that we never saw with your high-energy brother.

We will take the good with the bad and always remind ourselves that the good far outweighs the bad, Chloe-Belle.

We love you.

Thank you Lord for this blessing, even when we think we can't take it for one more second.

2011-06-12T21:19:00.002-05:00

Greg takes lot of pictures I don't see until later. Here are two of them. I laughed out loud. Remember before when I was assuring my readers that we don't let Brooks kill, shoot, stab, hurt...anything other than animals?

See?

I told you we were good parents!

2011-06-12T20:58:00.002-05:00

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to keep Chloe looking clean and "put-together". I don't really see the point in fixing her hair, except I want to at least be able to say I've tried to have her look well-kept.

She's a total tom-boy, seldom maintains a clean outfit for more than a few minutes and is rarely seen without dirt on her face.

I swore that would never be my child.

Then, I had Chloe.

There are times when she looks more like an "Izzy" (side note: her middle name is Isabelle) than a Chloe. Lately, I've been more inclined to call her Izzy. We love the nickname because it matches her cute buck teeth, dirty face and uneven pig-tails so perfectly.

Whether Izzy or Chloe or Belle or Chloe-Belle, she's the most amazing baby girl we know.

She is smart, stubborn, obedient and loving.

She is silly, cute, strong and sweet.

She is our baby girl (who just so happens to be turning TWO next month!).

2011-06-12T20:47:00.002-05:00

Brooks graduated from Preschool recently. Well, he didn't really graduate because he goes back again next year to the same class (for his third year), but they called it a graduation anyhow. He got a diploma and sang his heart out in front of the class.

His Preschool is more expensive than most and Greg and I have gone back and forth wondering if it's really worth sending Brooks another year or if we should look somewhere else. When we saw Brooks at his graduation, in front of the room singing his heart out and praising the name of Jesus in so many different songs and versus our answer was clear.

It is worth every penny.

We are so convinced of this that Brooks is eager to go 3 full days a week next year to prepare him for Kindergarten.

2011-05-22T14:54:00.002-05:00

Brooks has his fair share of time-out time. Chloe gets upset when he is in time-out. She tries to console him, which leads to more screaming from Brooks. Here is her attempt at consoling her Brother. He wasn't having it.

Chloe must keep up with her Brother. Therefore, you may find her at any moment ready to shoot.

We call Brooks "Mini-Opa" because he looks just like my dad when my dad was 4. It's amazing the resemblance, really.

Originally, we bought the Squinkies for Brooks. Yes, they are pink and he loved them. They quickly got old, but Chloe loves to organize them. She'll spend long periods of time at the table putting them each in their place.

The differences between my little girl and my big boy are obvious. My little girl prefers snuggles, tummy rubs, footie jammies and feeding her dollies. My big boy prefers to make fake guns out of everything, break most of his toys and run wild on the "property" (our yard). I love the difference and feel blessed to have the best of both worlds.

*For those who are concerned: We don't teach Brooks to shoot guns at people. We only shoot animals at our house and we really avoid violence at all costs. So, before you start to worry about our parenting...We've got it under control.

2011-05-20T22:15:00.001-05:00

My girl. So beautiful.

2011-05-20T21:59:00.002-05:00

Brooks and Chloe are buddies. When they want to be. If we can capture the moment on film, we do. The funny thing about his picture...it was taken this morning, before school and before our big adventure to "Minneapolis to go to the Waterpark". At this moment, we are still at home with a little boy who is very ill and will miss out on the adventure (until next time).

He doesn't look sick in this picture. Actually, he looks awesome and is even holding his Sister's hand. How quickly things change.

We went on a hike on the Superior Hiking Trail last week. It was very nice to be outside enjoying God's creation. Brooks would really like to live in the woods now. He asked several times if that was a possibility. He said to me, "Mom, I really want to live in the woods. And we can park our van nearby, so in case we need to go watch a show (referring to the TV) or something we can."

Brooks used his wood as a gun. Imagine that.

Chloe had to wear the Vikings hat. She grunted (remember she doesn't talk--that's another story) until we put it on her. As long as she was representing the Vikings, she was all good. Greg thought it made for "not so cute" pictures, but I think she looks like a little ragamuffin. I love it.

Have I mentioned that my kids like to fight over things? One of the things they like to fight for it Mommy. I could pretend this picture is of us loving each other and having a bonding time before bed, but that wouldn't be fair. Actually, Chloe was getting some snuggles and Brooks wasn't having that. This is the result of two kids fighting for their Mommy.

2011-05-20T21:51:00.001-05:00

We've been trying to enjoy any moment of nice weather around this place. We've had a very cold Spring and are ready to get HOT! The kids love to be busy (shocker...they are 1 and 4), and Greg is the master at finding them projects that keep them busy for hours.

The latest is washing bikes just like Daddy.

2011-05-07T20:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to me, I guess!

I love my kids.

I love being a Mom.

I love my husband for making me a Mom (he didn't mind the task, I'm sure..hee, hee!).

I love the responsibility of raising my kids to love Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, for Brooks and Chloe.

Your love and mercy never fails.

2011-05-04T21:35:00.002-05:00

The ONLY good thing about the weather this Spring so far, is that our babies look adorable dressed up in their rain gear.

It's made for great pictures, lots of wet socks and hopefully some night crawlers for Brooks on Friday night.

He and his daddy have a plan..."In the "middle" of the night, Daddy will wake me up and we'll shine a light and we'll get some night crawlers."

I wish we could bottle up some of this kid's energy and sell it. We'd be rich!

Oh, and for Little Miss Chloe and myself? We'll be sleeping. Have fun, BOYS!

2011-05-04T09:22:00.002-05:00

We try to get our kids to brush and floss. We're doing our best.

Really though (like in real life), Chloe despises getting her teeth brushed. Brooks said last night from the bedroom, "Uh, oh! Mom! Chloe is getting her teeth brushed!" as we heard a blood curdling scream come from the bathroom where she and her daddy were getting ready for bed.

Maybe we should explain to her that if this hate for teeth brushing continues she is at risk for looking like this!

2011-05-01T19:34:00.003-05:00

We had a great Easter. Brooks was sure to write the Easter Bunny a note about a week before Easter arrived. Then, he forgot to lay it out for the big "EB" before he went to bed. He was just so nervous about the Easter Bunny coming into his room and him being awake. So cute. I laid it out for him.

Brooks was thrilled when he woke up in the morning to find a pink mark on his nose and his Sister's nose. The Easter Bunny had actually gone into their bedrooms and kissed their noses! Brooks was so upset that the "kiss" came off in the bathtub and that he couldn't go to church with the Easter Bunny's kiss on his nose. He is so very precious.

We were up early, so we had TONS of time to play BEFORE church. We rode bikes, explored and ate LOTS of candy. The kids bathed and we headed off to Easter Service.

Church was packed and the sermon was right on. We sang some wonderful songs and reflected on the real reason we celebrate Easter. I was brought to tears thinking of Jesus hanging on the cross, being beaten and taking it all for US. We are so undeserving! It's so powerful and our family celebrates God's faithfulness, forgiveness and grace.

Our kids wore their Easter best and then proceeded to play outside all afternoon (the second nice day we've had ALL Spring in Duluth) in their church best. It was fun to just let them be kids.

Chloe got a new helmet from the Easter Bunny. She loves it and likes to wear it whenever we'll let her. Greg had to take it off to tighten it and adjust the straps and Chloe threw a royal fit. It's great to know that her little (or should I say huge) head will always be protected whether she is swinging, playing T-ball, big-wheeling, walking, sitting on the porch, eating lunch...you get the idea. Right?

Brooks was thrilled that the Easter Bunny came to our backyard while we were in church! It was fun for him to run around with his cousins collecting even more candy. The funny thing is, Brooks could care less about candy or sweets or junk food. He's amazing and really one-of-a-kind. He would much prefer ham, green beans and broccoli.

We are so blessed and had a terrific day.

2011-04-17T20:48:00.003-05:00

We've been:

Learning to write our ABC's.

Catching baby shark.

Loving Ba-Ba at age 4.

Unloading 300 plus pics from our I-Phone and picking the most adorable one to post.

2011-04-17T20:41:00.002-05:00

We've been:

Eating Spaghetti-O's out of cans.

Looking sweet while grilling on the one nice day we've had this Spring.

Sleeping shirtless on the island while crossing legs in a very unique way.

Riding tractors through the snow and around and around and around the garage.

Looking handsome (like Gaston) while attending our first real play, Beauty and the Beast.

2011-04-17T20:29:00.003-05:00

We've been slacking on the posts. We went to Florida. Just Mommy and Daddy. It was an amazing week away and we enjoyed every minute of being kid free. We also missed our kids like CRAZY (to say the least), but we knew they were in great hands with their Grandma and Grandpa.

Since it's been forever since we've blogged and there is so much we don't want to forget (remember this blog IS our "baby book") we've decided to do a photo re-cap of some fun things going on at the Johnson house.

Here we go in no particular order:

Chloe and Brooks are growing closer each day. This means lots more play time between them and lots more fighting as well. They are beginning to communicate very well and may cause some mischief in the very near future.

Brooks is rough but don't be fooled. Chloe is just as rough and more times than not, she is the instigator. She can absolutely hang with her Brother.

If Brother has his jacket on, Chloe needs her jacket on. If Brother says "no", Chloe says "no". If Brother has shoes on, Chloe needs shoes on. If Brother stands on his head, Chloe stands on her head...I am sure you get the idea.

Brooks takes great care of his Sister. Chloe also enjoys rubbing Brother's back and snuggle time in front of the TV.

2011-03-31T16:55:00.003-05:00

After we exercise we like to drink shakes to make our muscles nice and strong.

Brooks drinks his as only Brooks can do, with pure gusto.

Because remember that nothing Brooks does is like a normal little boy.

"Look Mom! I'm getting strong! Do you wanna see my muscles?"

How can you not love a face like this? What a special boy.

2011-03-23T11:00:00.003-05:00

Chloe is really good at using the I-Phone. It's not like she's able to play anything on it really, but she is able to grunt enough to get us to open up our photos and videos on the phone. Once they are opened for her she is able to navigate them pretty well. She scrolls through them with a swish of her finger and is able to press the triangle to get the videos to play.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, as it may seem that we are using the I-Phone to raise our kids. We're not. We are just being real and doing what we've got to do to get through the days.

The days are long lately. Chloe and Brooks are sweet, so sweet...things are just hard lately. It must be the ages or at least that's what we are hoping. It could be the weather, too. We are pretty sick of being stuck inside. We are READY for summer!

So, until we have figured out how to achieve peace and quiet without the I-Phone involved, we'll keep using it. Oh, and to that (651) number that Chloe called the other night...so sorry!

We like Angry Birds, too. Brooks much prefers the real life version of it, though. If you don't know what Angry Birds is (game on I-Phone) these pics will mean nothing to you. If you do know what Angry Birds is, these will be rather amusing.

2011-03-09T10:18:00.002-06:00

Brooks had a great birthday. It's hard to believe he is four.

Our hope is that year four is just as fun as year 3 and maybe just a tiny bit easier, too.

Brooks is such a blessing. We love you, Buddy.

2011-03-09T10:06:00.002-06:00

We continue to be in awe of the differences between Brooks and Chloe. Each child is precious in their own way, but having a girl is so very different than a boy. It's cool how at 18 months we can already tell that Chloe is a true girl.

Although Chloe struggle to talk (Brooks was saying Bible verses at this age), she knows what she wants and won't stop grunting until she gets it. She is very difficult to get a smile out of and is not interested in anyone talking to her, holding her or looking at her.

Chloe is, however, MUCH more easy going than Brooks ever was as long as she is with her Mommy or Daddy. She is content to waddle around behind us while we complete our daily routines and would be even more content to sit on our laps or be held most of the day. Chloe also enjoys sitting still and being rubbed. Brooks was never a kid who sat still for more than a few seconds.

Chloe can't stand to have her hands messy and loves to put her coat on and wear it around the house. She also loves to wear bracelets and necklaces whenever possible.

It's going to be fun to watch Chloe grow up. We wonder if she'll be sugar and spice and everything nice OR if she'll take after her brother and enjoy frogs and snails and puppy-dogs' tails?

What an adventure.

2011-03-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

As the day draws near that my precious Brooks will turn 4 I find myself in a roller coaster of emotions. It shouldn't be such a big deal. He will continue to age each year and that is part of being a mom. BUT, it is a huge deal to me. I remember his birth like it was yesterday and really it would be almost impossible to forget a full day of labor only to have a C-Section 36 hours later.

It was no wonder my dear sweet Brooks had to be extracted from me rather than enter the world in a "normal" fashion. From the first minute Brooks welcomed himself into this world there was little to nothing "normal" about him. My 10 pounds lover, with a full head of black hair, and a cone shaped skull won my heart from the second I laid eyes on him.

Brooks was referred to as the "beautiful baby" in the nursery, as he was twice the size of many of the babies and looked much like a man rather than an infant with his comb-over hairstyle. Brooks had a little bit of jaundice as well, which although not healthy, made him a little bit more beautiful than those babies who were the color they were supposed to be. A tan looks a little better babies too, I guess!

My dear sweet BOY! What? A BOY? Although is was shocking to welcome a BOY into the Doty family (we only "do" girls around here), this BOY would turn out to be a blessing bigger and better than anyone would have ever expected.

This BOY has challenged us like only a BOY can do. He has energy that far exceeds any girl that I've ever met. He has passion and everything he does he does with gusto. My BOY is also tender beyond what a 4 year old BOY typically is. He has feelings for others that run deep and is easily hurt by others as well. My BOY keeps me on my toes, frustrates me to no end and also blesses me more than I deserve.

It's hard to be happy that my precious boy is turning 4 and will soon "need" his Mommy less. Brooks is nearing the 60 pound (no, that is not a typo) mark and is getting harder for me to hold and snuggle. This morning my "little" guy sat on my lap and got his back rubbed. As I ran my fingers through his thick hair and kissed his rather large head, it became so real to me that my baby is no longer a baby and never will be again.

I get so fed up with my kids at times (lots of days, actually) but it became so real to me that I really should be embracing this time because it is going away all too quickly.

My goal (and I will fail only to start again):

Embrace the enthusiasm. Embrace the passion. Embrace the gusto. Embrace the need for Mommy. Embrace the sleepless nights. Embrace the throwing up. Embrace the temper tantrums. Realize this is a season and most likely a season I'll wish I could have back in the future.

Bless you baby boy.

I love you.

2011-02-25T20:07:00.002-06:00

The last week or so has been a pretty disappointing week for me. It's been really hard to find "good" and I've fallen into the trap of feeling "bad" more than "good".

Most of what is spoiling my ability to be happy has to do with our church and I am weary from all of the chaos.

There have been plenty of times this week when I've been tempted to say, "I'm out of here!" or "I've had it." But then I just look at these two precious children of mine and I can't believe I am so selfish.

My kids are high maintenance and full of energy, which wears me out. But, the wonderful-ness of my two beautiful children far outweighs the struggles.

I'm glad I have Brooks and Chloe because they keep me going and remind me that life is full.

2011-02-15T20:09:00.002-06:00

We've been sick around this place lately. It all started on Christmas Eve and it hasn't given us much of a break since. Things could be a million times worse, but in the midst of cleaning up vomit or not being able to take a deep breath, we start to think we have a miserable existence on this Earth. We may (I shouldn't even say that) be done (cross our fingers) for a while. Both illnesses, respiratory and stomach have gone through everyone in our household.

Well, not Brooks (he didn't get the stomach bug--yet) but we are praying he will escape the awfulness of it.

So, since Mommy, Daddy and Chloe have all been puking our guts out Brooks has had LOTS of TV and I-Pod time. We weren't winning any official awards this weekend with our parenting, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Brooks was fine just chilling, sans shirt like the big boys, on the couch.

Don't you think he looks like a "real" hockey player? We do.

Before the illness struck, Greg was getting "Dad of the Year" award by building the kiddos a super cool Igloo in our front yard. Yes, as a panicked mother I asked Greg to please make one without a roof, just in case it fell in. So, Greg made one with a roof, but PROMISED me they'd never be in it without us right by their sides. I have to admit that the inside of the Igloo is super cool and I can totally understand why a roof would be necessary in order to keep the cool factor of it all. Brooks was in Heaven as his most favorite thing these days is small spaces to "hide" in.

I get a chuckle out of our Valentine's Day photo shoot. It's funny how as the years go by, it's become less important to us to have the perfect photo on the actual Holiday. Two years ago, I would have had the white and pink blankets out ready to serve as the background while I took photos of my two children dressed in perfectly matching Valentine's outfits. If the pictures didn't turn out I would have been beside myself.

Well, time has passed and there is a "new" me. Here's to our 2011 Valentine's Day Photo Shoot.

(See the two pictures below...just in case you were wondering where the Valentine's Day Photos were!)

And for a sweet laugh before you are done reading tonight.

We wondered if Brooks may be getting sick. We were predicting he might get the stomach bug just like the rest of us. He laid our worries to rest when he requested a snack this afternoon (after lunch) while he watched Bubble Guppies.

Our conversation went something like this:

B: "MOOOOMMMMMMM! *Yelling from the bedroom*

M: "Yes, Brooks."

B: "Would you get me a snack, please?"

M: "Sure, Bud. What would you like?"

B: "A bean burrito."

At that moment, I knew his tummy wasn't upset and I also knew I had a very unique three year old.

*note: bean burrito on plate*

2011-02-06T17:56:00.003-06:00

I write this blog not only to share my kids with others who love them, but also so we can remember things they do and say.

Here are some Brook-ism's as of late:

After telling Brooks to clean up the workout room that he'd destroyed, he says to me in all seriousness: "Mom, I'm not quite done with my workout. I have about a half-hour left."

Brooks announces to his daddy that he has "taste buddies" on his tongue that help him taste food.

When Brooks doesn't want to do something, like go to school, go to Sunday School, take a nap in his own bed, he says to us: "My head is just feeling a little sick" to get out of having to do anything. (BTW: It doesn't work.)

Brooks was telling his Oma about the hat-trick that a hockey player got last night. He continued to say to his Oma, "Yep. Then we throw our hats on the rink. Then they give the hats to the "bored" people." (Poor people, as we told him that the hats were given to those in need.)

And last but not least:

Brooks LOVES the movie "Despicable Me". In his language he enjoys watching the movie "Speckled Meat" while he eats popcorn and snuggles in his Mommy's bed.

2011-02-06T17:45:00.002-06:00

We went to a sledding party (and it wasn't only a sledding party, but I can't remember what it was called) to celebrate my Dad's birthday this weekend. We drove up to a small town called Palo, MN to enjoy some outdoor time. The weather was beautiful, the sledding hill was fast and the kids enjoyed being together.

The adults enjoyed it as well, as ALL 4 grandkids were very well behaved and made it simple to have an adult conversation (that never happens). It was a great present for Chloe and Brooks to give their Opa on his birthday.

We only went down the sledding hill twice as the lines were long. Two hours in the car for only two slides down the hill is TOTALLY WORTH IT when you are with the people you love the MOST.

That evening, we went to the UMD hockey game to finish off a great day.

It was an honor to spend the whole day with my dad on his birthday.

My dad is an amazing man.

2011-02-06T17:40:00.000-06:00

2011-01-30T20:43:00.002-06:00

We played outside the other day. It felt like Spring with a beautiful cover of white, fluffy snow. Brooks has a hard time playing, though. His idea of playing is mostly shoveling or working on digging up the yard covered with snow and moving snow to other locations. He is a born worker. It's amazing how at age 3+ it's easy to predict the kids who will be lazy and the kids who will work hard for what they need/want. My little man is most definitely the latter of the two.

Anyhow, after a great afternoon (or should I say a great hour) outside, it was time for hot chocolate and marshmallows...but not before Brooks turned into BUZZ! I told him he was at risk of getting hot chocolate on those awesome white gloves, but he just really wanted to wear them, so I let him. Kids need to be kids and it wasn't going to hurt a thing.

Greg reported the during an evening of basketball for Brooks and I, Chloe was "the cutest she's ever been in her life". OF COURSE I wasn't here to see it, but by looking at the pictures he took I believe him that she was simply edible the entire evening. It's SWEET when Chloe is being cute and it's totally BOO when she decides not to be. In those instances there is nothing to make her happy. Poor baby girl, her life is so tough.

After church today we got a great show from Brooks and Chloe. The below picture represents the "no handed wrap around Swan", just in the off chance anyone had forgotten that. Brooks began his show in a normal outfit, but quickly announced that he was getting really sweaty and needed to get his exercise clothes on. I smile when he gets sweaty doing things because he has a Mommy who is VERY sweaty herself and his sweaty (and stinky!) little head reminds me of when I was a kid.

There was a quick time-out during the show to give Sister some loves. When Chloe came to Brooks to be rubbed he looked at her, held her in his arms, sighed and said: "FINALLY!"

That was a melt my heart, I love my kids, nothing better than being a momma moment.

When Brooks chooses to be a lover her is a real lover. He loves to snuggle and tell you out of the blue how much you mean to him. When Sister decides to hold still at the same time that Brother decides to be loving you end up with this. The most beautiful moments as parents. It doesn't happen often, but when it all works out and the children are loving each other, nothing seems challenging.

It's moments like these that make it ALL worth it.

2011-01-26T12:33:00.001-06:00

Who would have thought that this is what Greg saw as he walked downstairs last night. Can I get an AMEN and a SWEET HAIR CHLOE?

2011-01-24T18:24:00.003-06:00

Just one year ago and my babies really looked like babies. Right now, I am listening to Brooks act like a baby (screaming at the top of his lungs because he doesn't want to go to the bathroom before bed), but they are not babies anymore. Boo, Hoo.

Tonight Greg bought Brooks a video game type thing (not the real deal, but close). It's amazing to watch him catch onto it and figure it out. He looked like a little MAN holding the controller. Yikes.

Chloe is doing her best to keep up with Brother. Tonight she even got to wear UMD PJ's and a UMD helmet just like Brother! (Pictures to follow). She isn't so much a baby anymore either, although she is closer to one because almost every minute of every day she is crying or whining! I wouldn't change it for the world, but I would LOVE for her to learn to talk. It would make everything so much more peaceful.

Speaking of peaceful, we don't have a very peaceful house at this stage in life. I continue to look forward to the day that Greg and I can hold a conversation. It will be great, although I don't wish these years away because I know we are blessed to be these two beauties parents.

2011-01-23T14:54:00.002-06:00

We celebrated my Grandpa Doty's 91st Birthday on Friday. What a blessing he is to our family. You'd never know he's 91 years old.

He still shovels his own driveway and sidewalk (even though we tell him not too). Often, when we get there to plow him out, he's already been outside for a couple of hours doing it himself. I know that doing his own chores makes him feel good, so we just make a point now to get to Grandpa's as soon as it starts to snow.

He lost his wife a few years back (my Grandma) and we could see Grandpa dying right before our eyes. He spent time in the hospital for many different symptoms, many of which pointed back to "a broken heart" or "depression".

During all of this my Grandpa met a woman named Garnette. Garnette goes to the same church as my Grandpa and they had been friends for ages. Garnette was also a widow. They began to date and ALL of my Grandpa's symptoms went away. He was no longer sick. Garnette was all it took to heal my Grandpa.

They have been married now for lots of years (I think 7) and she is such a blessing to our family. My Grandma Doty even had said before she died, that if she died she'd want my Grandpa to marry someone like Garnette!

In our prayer for my Grandpa on his 91st birthday, we thanked the Lord for him and also for Garnette, who came into my Grandpa's life at the perfect moment (God's plan) and gave him several more years of life on earth.

We love you, Grandpa. Happy Birthday.

2011-01-23T14:47:00.002-06:00

When Opa came to our house this week to celebrate Grandpa Doty's 91st birthday, he brought Brooks a little something special.

Now Brooks is officially a "Bulldog" and we are trying to figure out ways to get him to take off his jacket.

Yesterday, he wore it the entire time he was at the Depot, Aquarium, and Children's Museum.

He told his daddy that he wanted to make sure everyone could see it.

2011-01-18T13:21:00.002-06:00

Chloe doesn't enjoy how Play-Doh feels between her sweet fingers. She wants it, screams for it and begs to be part of what "Brother" is doing, but when she is given the real life yellow stuff...she hates it!

So, after bribing Brother to share, dealing with him being selfish and having a temper tantrum because Sister has some of "his" Play-doh, she doesn't want it anyhow.

Oh, but wait...this is Chloe we are talking about. So, even though she doesn't want it (and actually as you can see she despises it) she also doesn't want it taken away from her. I am not sure how to win this battle. She cries if she has it, cries if she doesn't.

Oh, dear Chloe...you are so your Mother's child.

Eww...take it away...wait, don't take it away...but I hate how it feels...but I want it...Waahhh!

Brother continues to want to do anything and everything "real" hockey players do. He likes to have his occasional protein shake to get muscles (while sitting in Chloe's seat, much to her despise). He likes to obey like "real" hockey players. He likes to take a shower like "real" hockey players and he even likes to be nice to his sister like the "real" hockey players are. We are so thankful he wants to be a "real" hockey player. Those "real" hockey players sure are obedient. (wink...wink...)

Not sure why I need to share (or re-share) this photo. I guess maybe because this about sums up my little man and his zest for life. Although challenging at times, when I see a picture like this I can't help but count my blessings.

2011-01-06T20:05:00.002-06:00

Chloe doesn't really like to dress up. When she has a skirt on, she pulls on it and wants it taken off. I guess that's what happens when you have a brother. Anyhow, she got this dress from her Oma and Opa for Christmas and she couldn't take the tu-tu off because it was connected. So, for a whole day I got to pretend she was a pink princess...all frills and girl...YEAH RIGHT! Check this out!

2010-12-28T12:38:00.002-06:00

We went from "Joy to the World"...to "Bah Humbug!" in a matter of hours.

Our poor baby is sick.

He's been throwing up (the first night), fevering and other symptoms (you don't want to know about) since Saturday night. Today we will go to the doctor to evaluate and figure out what type of bug is eating his insides. Poor kid.

We are praying God will take away his bug and give it to his Mama or Daddy.

Bless his little sick soul.

2010-12-26T18:51:00.002-06:00

We had ourselves a Merry Little Christmas. It might have been my favorite Christmas so far. We decided to do the "no presents for the adults" thing and it rocked. Instead, we were able to love each other up, spend time chatting, skating, sledding, praising the Lord, praying and watching the kids open presents. It added so much to our Christmas to have the no present rule. I would highly recommend it.

We got to serve at the Union Gospel Mission earlier in the week and enjoyed serving those who are seldom served. What a blessing to us. We went from there directly to Bentlyville which was amazing. The weather was perfect and the cookies and hot chocolate were Brooks' favorites.

We adopted two Super Hero kids this Christmas, too. We have never (to date) seen Chloe and Brooks behave in such rock star fashion. They were happy, obedient and full of love the entire weekend. They were so well behaved I actually am considering adding another baby to our family this year...NOT. Maybe a baby guinea pig for Brooks, but that's about it. Sorry, folks.

Little Chloe-Belle has come into her own. She is beautiful, fun and loving. She took very good care of her new baby doll, but mostly enjoyed the eating a sucker and sitting on her Daddy's lap the entire evening.

We got to go sledding and skating on Christmas Day and had a blast. Chloe loves to run around the ice, Brooks loves to skate and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed doting on our children. They most likely had the two best days of their lives. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were amazing.

Brooks loved his hockey gear. He was very precious when he opened his hockey mask from his cousins. While screaming with joy, he asked, "How did they know I love hockey?" Oh, sweet Brooks..they must have just known.

We are just so blessed. Blessed to have family, blessed to have beautiful children and blessed that we have a Lord who died on the cross, has forgiven our sins and gave us the best gift of all: Eternal Life.

Thank you Lord for it all.

2010-12-13T19:36:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had moments with the camera where you are not even trying for a good picture and you get the best picture ever? That happened the other day for Greg. We couldn't get these two to look at us, have clean faces and smile at the same time again if we tried! I love when small things like this work out.

Fast forward to the next day when you put your baby girl, who isn't a baby anymore, in piggies on the top of her head. She's sweet, cute and looks just like her Mommy did when she was little. You grab the camera to take a picture of this sweet little girl and this is what you get no matter how hard you try.

But then there are the times when the girl has pure joy filling her body and she can't take a bad picture even with pizza all over her face.

Sometimes we just have to flash a good one even when Chloe is completely "Sweet November" with her pink boots, polka-dot tights, red skirt, pink heart jacket and sippy cup. We try so hard to coordinate her outfits, but sometimes when she's mismatched she is the most beautiful.

Before I forget...Did I ever tell "all" my readers how beautiful my little girl is and how handsome her daddy is? If not, you can see for yourself right here.

Enjoy!

2010-12-13T19:27:00.003-06:00

If he's going to be a Bulldog he needs to learn to skate. He's doing "really good"... the worst in his class but in his defense the class is filled with 4, 5, 6 and 7 year olds.

The teacher didn't know he was 3 until after the first lesson. When she was told you could see a light bulb go off in her head...

No wonder he can't seem to catch on like the other kids.

Brooks loves is and told me, "When I fall, I just get up and try again. Just like Calliou!"

Yes, sweetie. Just like Calliou.

2010-12-09T18:40:00.002-06:00

Here's the most random blog I've written. Bear with me.

Brooks likes to wear his hockey helmet while watching hockey on television, while watching Mighty Ducks on his I pod, while playing hockey with his indoor hockey net. So there you have it. Did you catch that? Picture it. It is sweet.

Brooks likes to do crafts with his cousins. Here is the "winter craft" we worked on last week. Today he was asking his TiTi if she'd come over and do a craft with him. She said she wasn't sure she'd be able to. Through tears and whining he says to TiTi, "I have never done a craft before. PLEASE?" Maybe I should show him this picture of the craft he's "never" done.

Oh, and Chloe's stinking cute. Like so cute it's hard to get upset when she cries every time she doesn't get her way or when she lays on the floor at skating lessons today because I wouldn't let her hold the Tupperware full of food she kept flinging all over the place. I guess she knows what she wants. I wonder where she got her determination from. I think I know, but I'll let you decide.

On a final note, I am convinced that I have the best husband in the world. I could list all the things he does that are just not normal for a husband to do, but you'd think I was lying. This man is amazing and I am sure that I love him even MORE TODAY than our wedding day. If that is even possible.

So there you have it. A random post about things I wanted to tell you. As I look at this picture from our wedding day (5 years ago in January), I can see that I need Botox in my forehead...bad! I can't believe how many wrinkles I have now compared to 5 years ago. Yikes. I guess that's what two babies and very little sleep will do to a person.

Goodnight.

2010-11-26T13:41:00.004-06:00

While Brooks is away...Chloe will play! She loves that she got to play with ALL the Zhu-Zhu pets while Brother was at his Oma and Opa's house. It was adorable watching her "guard" them with her life, just in case her Brother came home.

2010-11-24T19:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

Gobble, Gobble.

2010-11-24T19:48:00.002-06:00

Sharing tender moments with Brooks is the best. It's hard to get him to hold still these days and he prefers to play hockey rather than cuddle.

When Brooks decides to hold still in my arms my world stands still. He's all that matters and I remember how blessed I am to have a baby (not so baby anymore) boy.

2010-11-20T12:10:00.002-06:00

Our baby girl isn't really a baby anymore. Sad. Not sad enough to have another one, though! Well, we would have another one IF Greg could be the one to be pregnant. Might be selfish but let's get real here...being pregnant is my least favorite thing EVER! God gave us two great end results though, so I'll stop complaining right now.

Chloe helped her Daddy shovel last week. What a sweetie. We contemplated letting her wear Brooks' old snowsuit this winter, but now that I see the pink I am glad we changed our minds. Blue and black just wouldn't have been right.

Chloe is in a phase right now that is less than desirable at times. She doesn't enjoy anyone other than her Mommy and Daddy touching her, holding her, picking her up or even saying "hi" to her. It makes for frustrating times, but also melts our hearts when she charges full speed ahead into our arms because she ONLY wants us. We do look forward to this time passing, though.

This picture looks JUST LIKE ME when I was little. It must be the piggies or maybe it's the cottage cheese all over her face. Whatever it is, it is amazing how much she looks like her Mommy. Now I don't think I can say how cute she is because that might sound bad, but I can't resist. She is SO CUTE! I L..O..V..E...having a girl. It's so fun.

2010-11-20T11:49:00.002-06:00

Brooks had a HUGE surprise at the last UMD hockey game. His Opa set up a special experience and found a way for him to ride ON THE ZAMBONI! We didn't tell Brooks until right before because we knew the excitement would end up ruining the rest of the game for him.

When we told him (right before he got to ride), his face lit up like we've never seen before, his entire body shook and he squealed with enthusiasm. It was so precious. He grabbed Opa's hand and couldn't get to ice level quick enough.

Brooks loves his Opa and we think the feeling is mutual.

Brooks got the crowd going. He started by waving with one hand, then he started to wave with two hands, then he decided it would be a great idea to blow the crowd kisses. We could hear some of the UMD band members saying, "Look at that little boy! Oh, did you see that? He's so cute." He was so sweet up there on that huge machine.

Since the game he has worn his UMD jersey every day and every night. He wears pajama pants to bed and pairs them with his UMD jersey. When he wakes up, he takes off his jersey for a bath, but it is back on before he starts his day.

He announced to us last night, "I want to wear this jersey every day."

Really Brooks? We hadn't noticed!

To be perfectly honest we don't really want to be hockey parents. We don't enjoy being cold (unless we are skiing) and have LOTS of other stuff we'd enjoy filling our weekends with. We want to give Brooks freedom to decide who he is and what he wants to do, but we might steer him towards basketball or running when he gets older.

Although, as we thought about that we realized that a little boy might not be as excited to have his Daddy say to him, "Guess what? We bought you a brand new pair of running shoes!"

Oh, well...We still have lots of time.

2010-11-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight Ti-Ti brought over some clearance Halloween costumes for Brooks. She bought him a SuperHero costume and a Spiderman costume. She accidentally got the wrong size Spiderman costume, which was a blessing in disguise. As Brooks got changed into his SuperHero (I think the guy is from the Incredibles) costume, Chloe waddled over to her Ti-Ti and started to tug on her shirt. She didn't want to be left out. She wanted desperately to have Ti-Ti get her dressed into a costume as well.

It worked out just perfect that Ti-Ti brought the wrong size for Brooks because I then got to experience Chloe is her cutest moments to date. Check this out. She could win a contest. Spiderman with Pink Pearls.

2010-11-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

It may not be Halloween anymore, but we love that "Buzz" still makes his daily appearance. Based on the last three days, we may have to pry these wings off of our little man. I don't think they will allow him to be "Buzz" at school tomorrow, so we better start convincing him now that going to school as "Brooks" is a good idea.

2010-10-31T20:33:00.000-05:00

Chloe's sweet cheeks and bright blue eyes made her the most perfect owl we've ever laid eyes on. She stole the show with her little striped legs sticking out of her precious costume.

Hopefully tonight goes okay for Chloe because tonight for dinner she ate:

2 Hotdogs
1 Bag of SunChips
1 Peanut Butter Cup
Apple Juice

Well, we won't win any prizes for feeding our kids the healthiest diet, but we WILL WIN the prize for the two cutest kids on this planet. Just saying...

2010-10-31T20:26:00.000-05:00

Meet Buzz. Don't worry, though. It's "really, me Brooks" under it all! Brooks loved today and loved dressing like his favorite character. He was so cute saying, "To INFINITY and BEYOND" to some and "TRICK OR TREAT" to others.

It would take another whole post to tell you about some major changes at our house this week, but let's just say that the changes are working.

Brooks has become a boy filled with love, obedience and even some peaceful moments. It is amazing and Greg and I are thankful. We are thankful for our awesome Sunday School class on parenting and our wonderful support system.

Greg said to me tonight, "I can't think of one time that I was upset with Brooks all day."

What a perfect Halloween, just perfect.

2010-10-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

Just reading.

2010-10-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

It's not always like this, but we will take what we can get.

2010-10-10T21:37:00.000-05:00

One of the best nights of the week at the Johnson house is Sunday. Sunday is the day that "if we nap after church" we get to have our cousins over to play and eat pizza and ice cream.

Brooks napped and Chloe napped (although NOT at the same time--BOO) and so we got to enjoy our cousins tonight! Brooks LOVES his Maggie and Kennedy. He loves them so much that his emotion often gets the best of him and he can barely control himself (which usually leads to a few time-outs).

From oldest to youngest...here are 4 of the most beautiful, loving and wonderful children on this planet.

2010-10-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Ready to see something really sad?

Chloe has been our one-eyed girl this weekend. She is on the mend and the doctor thinks it was just a bug bite.

When Chloe gets sick or injured she is just so cute. Maybe it's the helplessness and the idea that she counts on us for everything so much more when she is hurt or sick.

If possible, we may have fallen more in love with our baby one-eye this weekend.

She was just so filled with cuddles and needed us so much. It was wonderful.

2010-10-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

We went on a hike tonight in the woods. The entire hike took no more than 10 minutes. We were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and Brooks had to be carried back to the car because he was too tired.

When we asked Brooks if he wanted to go on a "hike" in the woods he was super excited. Like, super duper super duper excited. He was squealing and saying, "I've never done that before!"

It seemed cool, yet odd that he was so thrilled to go "hiking" in the woods. We've taken him hiking in the woods before, so it didn't seem like it should be such a big deal.

Come to find out a few minutes later, Brooks thought "hiking" in the woods meant riding his bike (training wheels and all) in the woods. I am sure he was thinking he was going to be just like his Daddy, and he was thinking "hiking" was actually "mountain biking".

So, we had to find some woods that were a little less "woodsy" in order for Brooks to go "hiking" in the woods. It wasn't his first singletrack experience yet, as he is only three, but he did as well as a three year old should in some pretty sweet doubletrack!

2010-10-08T19:38:00.000-05:00

2010-10-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

Does anyone remember this little man? I can't even stomach how much he is changing. Boo. Hoo.

2010-09-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

So, then I asked Greg if Chloe had any fun. He responded as only Greg can, "No, she hated it. Can't you tell by the pictures?"
If he wasn't such an awesome person who would NEVER speak unkindly to me, I might have been annoyed with his sarcasm. BUT, since he's awesome I just looked at these pictures of our beautiful one year old, Chloe, and fell in love with her all over again. (Oh, and fell in love with Greg all over again, too. He's a rock-star Daddy, ya know.)

2010-09-30T20:14:00.000-05:00

Greg took the kids to the park today while I was at work. Before he could even get Chloe situated, Brooks was going over the top of the climbing wall. Greg, in complete calmness I am sure, told him that it might not be a good idea to go over the top of the climbing wall and perhaps he should consider climbing back down the wall the same way he climbed up it. Good advice, Greg.

Our baby boy, who is not a baby anymore, is strong, athletic, fast and has NO fear. That is, except for his terrible fear of flies, ants, mosquitoes and any type of small creature that might fly, slither or crawl anywhere within 20 feet of him.

2010-09-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Three Amigos. No need to say anything else.

2010-09-28T21:47:00.012-05:00

Brooks never ceases to amaze us with his vocabulary. He's three and today he told us about something that he thought was "hilarious." Well, now he's decided to try to amaze us by learning to read. Opa bought Brooks a "Learn to Read" package off of TV. It works and doesn't take much time at all. This is pretty good for a 3 year old, we think. It must be that HUGE head of his. It must be FULL of brains!

Check it out...

2010-09-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

I guess we are the purple bow/flower family! Ha!
The funny thing is that Brooks is such a boy. Like major boy. Like climb on things, push the limits, full speed ahead with skinned knees and elbows...boy. But, bless his heart, he turns into a girl on occasion. He really wanted to wear this bow, found it in Chloe's room and insisted on wearing it while playing kitchen. I suppose, he sees his Daddy doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, vacuuming and doing laundry...what do we expect? He does not, however, see his daddy wearing ribbons and bows. At least I don't think he does, but I am at work a couple of days a week and who knows what happens those days! Just kidding.

Chloe on the other hand, has yet to show us her "boy" side. For now, she is content to be snuggled, rubbed, tickled and pampered. She loves to play dolly and is much more soft spoken than Brooks ever was. She is such a sweet girl, even at all hours of the night when she misses us so much that she wakes us up just to talk. :)

2010-09-13T20:50:00.000-05:00

Our little Chloe-Belle is under the weather. It's so sad, yet so fun to have a snuggle buddy. She has a runny nose and congestion (nothing serious), and just isn't feeling that great today. She has sick eyes, but still managed to drive her car with one hand while holding onto her "doose" and smiling at the camera. Oh, Bellie Button...you are such a strong willed little girl. We love you.

2010-09-13T20:47:00.000-05:00

Brooks told us last week he wants to play football. He told us last winter that he wants to play hockey. He told us today that he wants to play baseball. What?!? Don't get me wrong, we love to be active, but football? Really?

I guess we can't expect a kid who is three years old and wearing size six underwear to gracefully dash across a golf course and win a cross-country meet. But hockey? Football? Baseball? We are in for it.

2010-09-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

We don't know much about birds, but we do know that for some reason every single Blue Jay in Hermantown has decided that they like our yard. This picture doesn't even do it justice. At one point, I think I counted 15 of them in our yard at one time.

2010-09-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

Here are some cute things that our little man says and we never want to forget:
"Mom, when I grow up I want to be a Scooby-Doo" referring to a scuba diver.

"Let's go to Dairy Queen and get an "Earth Worm" Blizzard, referring to an "Earthquake" Blizzard.

"My tummy is "boiling", it is talking to me", referring to a growling stomach.

We got to go to the middle of the lake and touch the "gooeys" referring to the buoys in the center of the lake.

I have an "in-collector" toothbrush, referring to an electric toothbrush.

"Green Ouchie" refers to green algae.

"Balloons nest" refers to the Loon's nest.

"Mom, I want to put "air conditioning" in my hair" referring to hair conditioner.

Could these days get more precious?

2010-09-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

Chloe is a walker. A real walker. Wow. With Brooks, I always wanted him to walk (and the stubborn little man didn't walk until 16 or 17 months) and with Chloe I dreaded the day she became a walker. It just means that our last baby is growing up and becoming less and less miniature by the moment. Boo, hoo.

Chloe is all over the place now and doesn't like much to be contained. She is known by her cousins as "Du" because most everything she tries to say comes out as "Du". She must say "Du" about 300 times a day, so now Kennedy and Maggie prefer to call her "Du".

Chloe does say: Juice, Daddy and Uh-Oh most clearly. She says other words but they are words only a Mama or Daddy would understand.

Chloe also likes to eat glue sticks....ha, ha, ha! I am just kidding! Of course we don't let her eat glue! We caught her just in time to quickly take a picture...oh I mean to quickly take the glue stick away from her before she ate it! It must be a second child thing.