Bass Pro Shop

It's always fun going to the Bass Pro Shop. We just walked around for about an hour and then took some fun pictures. Brooks took a picture on the 4-wheeler so he could show Santa what he wants for Christmas.

5 months old

I can't believe that Brooks is already 5 months old. Time is going way too fast. And when I think that next month he'll be half a year old - I can hardly stand it. I know there is so much to look forward to as he grows, but I treasure these moments because... He is still totally dependent on me, he still likes to cuddle and rest his head on my shoulder, he can fall asleep in my arms, and the latest thing that he does is take a break from breastfeeding to look up at me and give me a big smile. He is just so cute and cuddly.



Chad said that (in the picture below) it looks like Brooks is imitating Chris Farley as Matt Foley the motivational speaker:

Happy Birthday Gammy!

For my mom's birthday, Brooks and I flew down to surprise her. It was a great success! We had a lot of fun hanging out with Gammy, Pops, Auntie Pat and Uncle Gene. It's always fun being around family.

Traveling Quotes

When traveling with a baby there are some things that I like to hear, and some things I don't like to hear - here's a list of some of the quotes from our weekend of travel:

THINGS I LIKE TO HEAR:
"What a cute baby!"
"He looks just like you!"
"I love babies," said the man sitting next to me on the plane.
"What a good baby!"
"He's so strong!"
"What a cutie!"
"He just smiles all the time - What a happy boy!"
"We're landing a little early," said the pilot.
"Can I help you?"
"Did he sleep the whole flight? What a good baby!"
"I didn't even know there was a baby on this flight!"

THINGS I DON'T LIKE TO HEAR:
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
"She's so cute!"
"Hello, Brooke!"
"Faaarrttttt!!!" went Brooks' behind as we were getting ready to take off (it wasn't just a fart of course).
"Can't you just feed him!!!"
"What is he, like, 8 weeks old?"
"Our gate is not ready yet, so we're going to have to sit here on the runway for a bit," said the pilot.
"Sorry - we have not yet located your carseat," said the customer service man.

Brooks will hopefully be the expert traveler with the many experiences that he has already had, and the ones that he has to look forward to this holiday season. Let's just hope that I can cope with all the ups and downs that come with traveling!

Brooks' First Snow

Finally Some Snow!!!

It is rare for us to get through October without snow falling here in the city. Here is an article from Tuesday to show how rare it is:

STILL NO SNOW IN DENVER...Tuesday, November 11
While there was snow in extreme eastern and northeastern Colorado on Monday, there has been no snow yet in Denver. It is rare to get past Veterans Day without measurable snow in Denver, but it has happened before. We made to November 15 before having snow back in 1987, and a year later in 1988. Denver's all-time record for latest first measurable snow is November 21, 1934.

So, here we are on Friday, November 14th and we are just now getting snowfall...and it's beautiful! I just told a friend the other day that I was ready for snow. Usually in October it starts to get chilly around here and then snow. Our average temps for October and now November are in the low 50's, and we've been having 60's and 70's! Does that mean a warmer winter for us, or that the weather is just teasing us and the winter is going to be bitter cold?! We'll have to wait and see. I'm just happy today to wake up to a layer of snow in the backyard.

Fun Times

After having kids, a lot of people say that it is hard to imagine life before kids...this is true. But, I think it is also important not to let go of the things that were so much fun before having kids. Last week we took a little road trip down to Colorado Springs and hiked around some waterfalls. Granted, we saw waterfalls bigger on the side of the road in New Zealand, but it was still fun to get out and hike around. It's fun that we can continue to do some of the things that we did before Brooks came along - now it's just a little different. It takes us a little bit longer to get out of the door, with a little bit more preparation. The timing is essential - planning around eating and nap times. With all this said, it worked out great and we had tons of fun. Brooks was a trooper in the Bjorn!

We also stopped at the top and took some cute pictures.



The waterfalls were great, but the car ride home was just as fun. Chad and I played a little game with the iPod. We play songs and see who can name the artist first. Of course, Chad is amazing at this game. He does have a slight advantage since he downloads most of the songs on the iPod. The sweetest thing was that every once in a while he'd let me win. After playing that game for about 40 minutes, the last 20 minutes or so I found fun songs to listen to. We jammed out in the car to the likes of Lisa Lobe and Men at Work.
It was a fun day from start to finish.

A Year Ago Today...

A year ago today I found out I was pregnant. Chad was out of town, but I couldn't wait to take a test. I woke up and thought, 'What the heck - I'll take a test for a piece of mind!' I took a pregnancy test for maybe the tenth time since we'd been trying for a baby, and for the first time I walked away from it and expected the single line just like all the times in the past. Instead, I came back to see two lines in that little "window". I'd love to say that then I went to the store and bought five more tests just to be sure - but I didn't. I knew that I was pregnant, and I was overwhelmed with joy. I couldn't stop rubbing my tummy and thanking God for the miracle growing inside me. Little did I know how precious that miracle would be. I couldn't have imagined Brooks any more perfect than he is.
A year ago I was worried about myself. A year ago I was trying to make sense of what was to come. A year ago I had no idea what being a mom meant. A year ago I underestimated what love was. What a difference a year makes.

Brooks and Daddy

Chad and Brooks had such a good time playing together the other day while I was sick. I snapped a video that is pretty cute. Notice our poor neglected dog, Kansas, in the background.

Just some cute pictures

Brooks is growing and accomplishing new things everyday, so it's hard not to just snap as many photos as I possibly can. Plus, I kind of think it's going to be harder to blog as Brooks gets older and more mobile. RIght now he's totally happy just sitting on a blanket for a while. When he starts rolling and moving and sleeping less during the day I probably won't have all this free time to sit and mess around on the computer. So for now you'll have to deal with all my pictures and silly updates.

Brooks is now playing with his exersaucer. The doctor recommended it since he is able to stand so well. He looks really tall in this picture, but actually it's because there is a folded blanket underneath him to help him stand. He is still a little short, and without the blanket his legs just dangle there (they really almost touch). He likes looking around at all the things there are to play with. Chad thinks those things cause ADHD...we'll take our chances I guess. The other picture I took because I saw all these adorable pictures of my friends' babies playing on their tummies. So I though, 'I should take a cute picture like that'. It turned out pretty cute - and I love how it really shows his bright blue eyes!

Having Fun with Daddy

Brooks is really able to recognize his mommy and daddy, and he is having so much fun playing with his daddy. The other night Brooks had so much fun playing with Chad and grabbing his glasses. It was so darn cute!