First...

Fat lip ;)

Sunday She Said

Buddy, no! Don't pull on my shirt! That will make me sad.

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I dont like him [Justin Bieber] cuz he's a boy.

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Singing to her Prince and Princess dolls ...
We love you-cho-der cuz we match your boots.

Brooke's Message To Santa

Since the times are a bit different than when I was a kid, I asked Brooke to send Santa a video (versus letter) to let him know what she wants for Christmas. Here she is with her message to Santa:



I have a sneaking suspicion he will respond via video as well. These are the signs of the times, ya know ;)

PJ Cuteness

Brooke and Ryan got some new PJs, and they just looked so cute we had to take a pic!

My Mom Is The Best Cook!

New Words

Ryan has two words he had been using a lot, "cheese" and "bow".

He learned the word cheese when we were taking pics of the kids and kept telling his sister to say it. She wouldn't, he did. Now when he sees a camera he just keeps repeating "cheese!"

As for "bow", that's what we call hair accessories around here. He pics up bows all day long and tries to get them in his hair. He tries to pull them out of his sisters hair and get them on himself. He also holds a bow on his head when he sees a camera and cycles between "bow" and "cheese".

Right now he's debating between a single flower blue barrette and a multi flower purple headband. Decisions, decisions.

Sunday She Said

Mom: I drop things sometimes.
Brooke: I dont, cuz I'm an expert. (Pauses) I'm a peanut.

The Power of the Elf

We have an "Elf on the Shelf", an elf that comes from the North Pole to watch over Brooke & Ryan and deliver a nightly report to Santa. Brooke is a bit skeptical, as is her nature, but just in case she makes sure the Elf sees her good behaviors.

Today she has had a bit of an attitude and gotten in to trouble a few times (which is rare for her). She was scolded for not listening, and after apologizing to me ... She walked over to the Elf and told HIM she was sorry too.

She is really making sure she covers all her bases when there are presents in the picture ;)

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry is quite common. Kids often fight each other for attention, and research has suggested kids as young as 1 already notice when their sibling has "more" of something than they have themselves. We were fully prepared for some fighting, and occasionally they get into a scrap here and there over a toy ... but its pretty rare. What sparks rivalry between these two?


Well, who looks better in a particular accessory ... of course.


We have lots of runway showdowns, with the kids sporting hats or hair accessories. Ryans favorite accessory is an extension cord casually draped around his neck. Brooke tends to lean towards hair bows ... as many as she can get into her hair at one time. Ryan also has a love of the hair bow, but I'll save hims the future embarrassment by not posting pics of him in his sisters bows (though he looks ridiculously cute, I have to admit).


Most recently the two fawned over a pair of sunglasses in a local shop. They both pull them off pretty well, if you ask me ;)

Rocker

He's a cool dude ... and he knows it.

Brooke's Christmas Wish List

Breakable door with bricks on it

Purple chair that hangs from the roof

Lights all over the house

A ride on a garbage truck with 10 wheels

A swinging chair that hangs from the roof that her and Ryan can go in

Holiday Crafts

Brooke made a gingerbread house today.  Oh yeah, and she did her hair ... all by herself ;)

Baking Cookies

Got a new apron from Grandma ... had to make some cookies to go with it!

Ryan Sings Adele - special bonus sound effects

Superstar Ballarina

Catching Up With A Friend

Brooke hung out with a friend today, "Old McDonald". She also had some of his pancakes for breakfast ... And shared them with her brother too!

Guess What's For Dinner?

Sunday She Said

Ana: Good job with the scissors Brooke!
Brooke: I'm an expert.

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On the way out the door to get some donuts with Daddy ...
"Do you want a long john or a short john?"


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Mommy (to Ryan):  Whoah!  You have poop all the way up your back!
Brooke:  He has poop in his neck?

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Brooke (to Ana): I'm pretty sweaty.  (pause)  Sweaty is hot.

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Brooke: What does Rhianna look like?  Is she an old lady?
Mom:  No, she is young.  She is younger than Mommy.
Brooke: She's older.  She's like 10 years old.

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Mom:  You must be part super-hero.  Like 30% super hero.
Brooke:  No.  I'm 3.

Furbaby Wellness Check

Well, all three "kids" had dr visits this week. Nothing like taking a trip to the doctor with one of them every-other-day of the week ;)

Wrigs got some shots, some bloodwork, and a mani/pedi. They fed her a bunch of treats (although she gained 4 lbs and is definitely overweight) and she is happy as a clam.

Conflict

Brooke couldn't decide if she wanted to be a turkey or an Indian ... So she made the obvious choice. Both!

Sibling Love

Sunday She Said

Mom:  Do you want nuggets for dinner?
Brooke: Yes, dino nuggets and pizza.  Just a little piece of pizza (holds up fingers close together to demonstrate size) with no cheese and no sauce.


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Mom: Maybe you can ask Santa for it.
Brooke: No, I dont want to ask Santa for it!  I want to ask the store for it.

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Dad:  Do you know how to make pizza?
Brooke:  Yeah, we bring it home!

First the lights...

Thanksgiving Turkey - Kid Style

 chalk preschool

Sunday She Said

Brooke (to Ryan): Look how beautiful I look.  I'm a princess and you could be a prince.

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Brooke (to Ryan): Buddy, I missed you!
Mom: Did you miss me?
(shakes head no)

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(Playing pretend rescue)

Ayúdame Ayúdame!  Im stuck on the river and I dont have a shirt!

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Mom: Do you want eggs for breakfast.
Brooke:  Yes, but not slippery ones.

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Baby Steps

Joy

Oh, the happiness an outlet and power cord can bring.

Brooke Sings Adele

Snack time!

Ryan and Brooke enjoy a little snack. Wrigley waits for clean-up-time.

Sunday She Said

I wasnt talking to you.  I was talking to baby Ryan!

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Mom:  Brooke, you are a party pooper.
Brooke: No, I'm a party rocker.   You are a party pooper.

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I'm not tired.  I miss my Dad.  Thats why I yawned.

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Brooke: Monkeys swing from tree to tree.
Mom:  Do you swing from tree to tree?
Brooke:  No.  Cuz I'm a people.

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Mom:  We are low on ketchup.
Brooke:  Maybe Santa have it.  You have to ask him.

Sunday She Said

Mom: Brooke, what's he saying?

Brooke: I dont know. He is talking to the orange.


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Brooke: Do you have any Thanksgiving decoration?
Mom:  No, but maybe we can get a turkey.
Brooke:  Or maybe a ham.

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Brooke: Do you have any more hands?
Mom: No, I dont.
Brooke:  My baby has a hand on his foot.  To help him stand up.

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Mom: Watch out!
Brooke: Why?
Mom: I don't want you to go in the street.
Brooke:  I dont want to get all car-y.  Then I'll have car all over me.

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Brooke:  I need the Weebles.
Mom: The what?
Brooke: The peacock.
Mom:  What?  You mean the keychain?
Brooke:  Yeah.  The keychain.

When you know a lot of words, sometimes its hard to remember which one is for what thing :)

Happy 1st Ryan!

Growth Spurt!

Brooke goes to the doctor a lot, and that means she gets her height and weight checked a lot. I've been hearing 38" for a long time. I posted about it back in June, but remember the same height at a recent appointment in October. I hear a nurse say "38 inches" so often that I just tune it out.

She had to go in for a booster shot the other day, and something made my ears perk up. "38.6 inches" I double checked, and yup, Brooke grew over half-an-inch in the last month or so. Even though that seems like a lot (and it is!), I checked her growth chart and she is still right around the same percentage ... so it looks like her growth is right on track. She's still a tall girl, but she didnt zoom off the charts ... yet ;)

Using A Spoon!

Up To No Good

The little guy was playing a bit out of eyesight when I heard a popping noise. I figured I'd go and check it out, and the look on his face was obvious. Trouble.

He then proudly swung around the cord he just pulled out of the wall.


At least he is taking stuff out of electrical sockets instead of putting it in.

Halloween

The big day finally arrived, and everyone got into costume (well, everyone but Mom and Dad ... of course). We did a small photo shoot in the yard before heading out to trick-or-treat. Its pretty challenging to get two kids and a dog, all in costume, to sit nicely together and take a picture :)

Ryan had a hard time in the role of a scary dragon, so he had to settle for cute dragon instead. It suited him perfectly.

Brooke, on the other hand, had no time filling the role of a princess.

It was finally time to trick-or-treat! Both kids started off at the house next door. Ryan couldnt keep his eyes off our neighbors costume, and couldnt figure out what was going on. Brooke tried to fill him in, but he wasnt interested. He spent the rest of the time in the stroller while his big sister hit about 40 houses ;)

At the end of the night, Brooke sifted through her loot. She was pretty excited. Her first choice was a black-and-orange sucker, but we told her to save it for tomorrow (it was almost 8PM and we didnt want to be up all night!). Her second choice was a Twix bar. She polished that off and asked for a second. We agreed, and she chose some black and orange candies that turned her mouth and face black. She then tried to "talk about it" and negotiate herself into a third piece of candy. We shut her down and put the sugar-loaded-princess to bed.

Sunday She Said

"My mouth is on my forehead"

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"Dawn? What are you doing on your phone, Dawn?"  
(Yes, she has taken to calling me Dawn.)

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Halloween Parade

We went to the annual neighborhood parade which was followed by some trick-or-treating at some of the local stores. The "parade" is actually a firetruck, followed by a marching band from the local high school ... and then all the kids from our community dressed in their Halloween best. Brooke was really excited, and has been since last year. She remembers the parade from last year and has talked about it on and off since then. In the days leading up to the parade she practiced marching and saying "trick-or-treat" almost nonstop.



When it was time for the parade, both she and Ryan were all business.

Luckily, each one of them took a tiny moment to smile ... then it was back to marching and collecting candy.


Princess Brooke

Ryan The Dragon

A Box of Trouble

Sunday She Said

Brooke: Me and Lennox was holding hands.
Mom:  Thats nice.  Is he your friend?
Brooke: Yeah.  Sometimes he hits people.

Prima Ballerina

Brooke started ballet again today. Thank goodness, because she's been itching to go for months.

Despite the fact she hasn't been in months, didn't know the teacher, and didn't know the other kids ... She was in full force. Brooke was at the head of the class (literally) for everything they did, right behind (or next to) the teacher for every single move.

And next week, her favorite teacher takes over the class. Hope she is ready for her little shadow!

The Little Tinkerer

When Brooke was little, she was into everything. Now she doesnt tinker as much - she is more of a thinker than a doer. I'm not sure her brother will follow that same path. He's a natural tinkerer, and he is getting into all the same trouble she did ... earlier. He also is doing things that she would have never dreamed of ;)

As for his current trick? He found the light switch.

Brooke did the same thing, but Ryan did it about 2 months earlier than her!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Daddy

With 2 Bonus Tracks!

Sunday She Said

An Adele video comes on television ...

"Why does she look so sad?"


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"I have a baby at my work and he climb up the stairs by himself"

Pumpkin Patch

Went for a quick trip to the pumpkin patch with the goal of getting a few pumpkins. We were there for about 5 minutes and Brooke already had the entire wagon filled with little pumpkins, claiming they were all for "Baby Ryan". We explained to her that everyone was going to get one pumpkin, and that we would like to get a few big ones in addition to some small ones. At the end of the trips we walked away with five pumpkins, one for Brooke, one for Ryan, one for Mommy, one for Daddy, and one for Wrigley.


Brooke was very interested in the pumpkins, but even more so in all of the rides and carnival-stuff at the farm. It was fairly easy to explain to her that she was too little for those rides, but I dont think that excuse will fly next year. I think we will have to look for some other less commercial options for next year - more pumpkins, less flash :)


Either way, everyone had a lot of fun and we ended up with a great selection of pumpkins. Next on the to-do list is carving one ;)

Neighborhood Watch

Future Marathon Volunteer

Sunday She Said

"I'm cold"

(takes off pants)

"Now I'm warmed up"


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Mom: I'll get you a towel.
Brooke: I dont need it.  I'll pretend my tongue is a towel.

Brooke's 3rd Birthday Party

Today we had family over to celebrate Brooke's 3rd birthday. Brooke only had one request - a Dora cake. I thought it would be an easy feat, but it turns out there are only so many different Dora cakes you can get. She had one last year, and most of the stores only had that same one. I had to call four different stores until I found one that had the right pieces/toy in stock to make an alternative Dora cake. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded a cake repeat. I was the one who just couldnt get my kid the same cake two years in a row. I'm hoping we are out of the Dora phase by her 4th Birthday, or else I'm gonna have to get really creative in the cake department ;)

As for the party, Brooke got some great presents. While Mom & Dad were happy that both Grandmas got her some cool clothes, the disappointment on Brooke's face was more than obvious.  She received a lot of books, the one thing she can never get enough of.  Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie made her day with a remote-controlled Barbie convertible - a hit with both Brooke and Ryan!

Brooke made a wish and blew out her candles, but wasn't too pleased with all of the attention that was placed on her.   Luckily, all was forgotten as she ate the frosting off of her piece of cake.

My Uncle & Aunt Went To Aruba...

And all I got was this dumb tshirt

Hey, where is my tshirt?

Ha Ha! Look at my awesome tshirt! You didnt get one!

Big Sister Duties

Being a Big Sister is a lot of responsibility

Bike Envy

Big sister still napping. He just tried it out for a second.
Her helmet and bike are just so cool! Shhh :)

Ryan is 11 Months Old

Weight:23.4 lbs
Height:29.5 inches

According to What to Expect the First Year, at 11 months Ryan...

should be able to

• get into a sitting position from stomach X
• pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger X
• understand "no" (but not always obey it)X

will probably be able to

• play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye X
• walk holding on to furniture (cruise) X
• point or gesture to something to get needs met he just goes and gets it himself!

may possibly be able to

• pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger X
• stand alone momentarily I think he can, but he wont try ;)
• say "dada" or "mama" discriminately doesnt appear to know Mom & Dad
• say one word other than "mama" or "dada" says ball, dance, no, oh-oh, moo, hi, done and all done

may even be able to

• stand alone well
• indicate wants in ways other than crying
• "play ball" (roll ball back to you)
• drink from a cup independently X
• use immature jargoning (gibberish that sounds as if baby is talking in a made-up foreign language) X
• say three ore more words other than "mama" or "dada" X
• respond to a one-step command with gestures ("Give that to me," said with hand out) X
• walk well

X means Ryan can do this at 11months

Oh No He Didnt

Gave Ryan a nice bath today. He LOVES the water. He was going nuts, yelling, grunting and splashing. Water was everywhere and I was soaked. Then, he made a different kind of grunting noise. He stopped his crazy business and just looked at me for a second. Hmm. Then he resumed his splashing.

Thats when I saw it.

Yup, he pooped in the tub.

So, out he came. Party time was over and clean-up-the-poop-in-the-tub time began.

Sunday She Said

Mom: What do you want to do for your birthday?
Brooke: Go to Paige's house. (pause) And get a weasel ball.

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Looking at her Birthday present from Ryan on the counter...
"I wonder what he got me?  Maybe a saw flamingo!"

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(Heading home from a wedding)
I am going to get married too ... When I'm eleven.

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(Heard singing a song while from her bed in the early am)
Cow, good singing about it! I'm gonna tell my Mommy and Daddy I'm so proud of you!

Guess Who Is Getting Married?

Well that would depend on whether or not you believe in the girl-who-catches-brides-boquet-is-next-to-be-married tradition. If you do, then it would appear that Brooke is next in line to get married, as she scrambled for (and came up with) the bouquet at a family wedding yesterday.

I'm sure you are thinking, "But she is too young to get married!"


Dont worry. On the car ride home from the wedding she announced that she would get married when she is eleven. So luckily, we've got eight years to plan her wedding. Unfortunately, if you believe the tradition, all those single ladies from the wedding are gonna have to wait another eight years till they get their chance to walk down the aisle. Sorry girls!

Brooke is Three!

Birthday Rehearsal

Brooke brought cupcakes to school today, to practice celebrating her birthday ... which is tomorrow.  It appears all went well.  She ate two cupcakes at school and has been trying to convince me to give her another since we have been home.  So far she is digging the whole birthday thing.

We also practiced a few other things...

Why, yes!  It is my birthday!

I'm THIS many!

I said I wanted a weasel and a weasel ball.  
What's up with all this Dora stuff?