My Two-Year-Old

Brooks turned 2 this past week! Wednesday was his birthday and we had a wonderful day celebrating together with Gammy & Pops. We decided to take Brooks to his first movie, Toy Story 3:


He did really well for his first movie. We got him a small popcorn and he ate THE WHOLE THING. I think I got a couple of bites, but really Brooks kept digging his little hand in again and again. The only time he got up was when he ran out of popcorn. He walked up and down the stairs a couple of times, and then came and sat back down for the end of the movie.
After lunch and a nap we headed to the pool:



After swimming with Gammy and Pops we ordered some pizza and sang "Happy Birthday" to Brooks:

Yes, I only put one candle in the cupcake, but he didn't seem to mind. I've watched this video a hundred times just because I love seeing Brooks' face. He was so excited!
So, now we have a two-year-old living in our house. And let me tell you - he is a two-year-old! We are having to really crack down on discipline and break the habit of: "No Mommy! Stop!" or "Mine!" or my favorite is when he's upset and he comes up to me and pushes me while saying, "No Mommy! PUSH!" So, needless to say that my little boy is a frequent occupant of the quiet corner. On the flip-side, Brooks has his sweet moments as well. He is starting to really show us his affection. He'll come up to me and kiss my leg or arm or give me a random hug. And the other night at the table he did the sweetest thing so far. He grabbed my neck for a hug and said, "I love you" and kissed my cheek and wouldn't let go. He really is a sweet kid. He is becoming a little boy and really developing a personality. He talks ALL the time! Some of the phrases I hear most are:
"Come on, Mama!"
"I wanna play!"
"Watch this Mommy!"
"Sit here Daddy."
"Night, Night."
"I want Toy Story."
"I love you."
"Please."
"Thank you, Mommy."
And not only that but he is constantly asking, "What's this, Mama?" And really talking rather than mumbling. He tries real hard to put sentences together and he copies what he is learning from us. The other day the three of us we cuddling in bed and this is how the conversation went:
Brooks: "What's this, Mama?" pointing to the pillow.
Me: "That's just a pillow."
Brooks: "Oh!" pause "Daddy, What's this?" pointing to the pillow.
Chad: "I don't know buddy."
Brooks: "That's just a pillow."
He really makes me laugh! I can't wait to see how he continues to grow and learn all about the world around him. And growing he is! Let's compare my little boy:
Brooks Bryan Hoffman
June 23, 2008
4 lbs 15 oz
18 inches long

June 23, 2010
30 lbs (75%)
36.5 inches (95%)

I can't believe that I've had the privilege of watching this little boy grow up for the past two years. I feel so blessed.

Swimming with Gammy

Brooks got a new pair of goggles and was ready to go swimming with Gammy.

Slip and Slide

* Let me start by saying that Brooks had to get "swim pants" for his swim lessons, so those are the speedo looking things he's wearing. They may look a little silly, but it saves me from having to buy reusable swim diapers. Also, I have a pretty bad cold, so that deep voice that you hear in the background is actually me...really. Okay, now to the real post:

Gammy bought Brooks a Slip and Slide. I thought it would be fun, but I never thought it would be THIS much fun. At first Chad pushed him down the slide...

...then Brooks would run down and fall on his bum...

...and then Brooks was plopping himself down, practically diving into the small pool of water at the end...

...and THEN Daddy gave it a try.

"Thank you Gammy for the Slip and Slide!"

Here's a little piece of the action:

Birthday Party

We decided to have Brooks' birthday party a little early this year. My mom and I are taking Brooks to California right before his birthday (you know, because when they turn 2 you have to start paying for the little munchkins), and the thought of coming home and having to get a party ready was too much to handle. So...we had his party the first week in June. It worked out well because people still seemed to be in town and ready to have some fun. We had his birthday party at this place called The Big Bounce. It is unlike any other bouncy place - I swear. It's totally adorable and so much fun for the clean (and SUPER clean). They have party rooms and they provided us with our own little party helper. They also provide plates, napkins, cups, and cheap pizza delivery - but I couldn't bear not decorating and having everything match, so I ended up bringing in lots of our own stuff. Here are some of the decorations for our Nemo themed party at The Big Bounce:





Birthday Boy...he was so excited!

Brodie and Brooks (Cousins and best buds)

Playing in the farm themed bounce house with Eli.

Brooks and all his friends had such a great time!

Yummy Cake!

One of the slides in the fire truck bounce house.

Lago Vista

Lago Vista is a little town outside of Austin that sits on Lake Travis. On Saturday they had some sort of festival and there were tons of cars parked down on the "beach", live music, BBQ, etc. Chad's best friend, Bryan O'Hair, was in town so we all went out and spent a good amount of time there. Brooks was completely entertained with a bucket, a golfball (that he found in the mud), and a football. He spent 10 minutes alone just filling the bucket, walking it up on the shore, and dumping it on the grass. Fun stuff, right? He was extremely happy. Of course he spent some time swimming in the water with Daddy. It's a fun place - I'm sure we'll be back there a lot this summer.

13 weeks

We had a great time out at the lake today. We just watched all the boats go by swam. We took this silly family photo that I love. I'm 13 weeks (almost 14 weeks) and I have yet to take a picture of my belly...so here it is. My favorite part of this picture is Chad's belly, of course. He has this unique ability to push his belly WAY out...it's funny.

We took lots of fun pictures out at the lake - I can only stay up long enough to post this one.

Happy Birthday Parker!

Brooks and the Birthday Boy...Best Buds.

Brooks wouldn't stop kissing and hugging on Parker.

We tried to get a cute picture with all of us looking and smiling...this is the best we could do.

Like I said: Brooks wouldn't stop kissing and hugging on Parker.

Parker enjoying his cake.