Brooke the Builder

We had someone doing some work around the house for a couple of days this week and he left his ladder at the house (laying on the floor) between visits. Initially, I was trying to keep Brooke away from it...um, because I thought she would climb to the top of it and fall off??? As Matt reminds me, I like to find things to worry and get stressed about if there's no obvious, eminent concern. I'm trying to be better about it, really I am.


Anyway, I finally let her explore it, which turned about to be a really good call. It kept her busy the majority of Wednesday morning.

One Year Later...

Because they won the state championship again (link to Matt's only-ever contribution to this blog), Matt's team had their tux picture with the trophy last weekend.


This was him and Brooke for the same occasion about a year ago. I guess she was a little more excited this year.


Time is already going too fast. Somebody slow the clock down, please.

Once Again...

I feel like every third post lately has pictures of Brooke and Lexi together, but they're just so cute together that I can't resist. Plus, Krissi took all these great photos of the two of them when they watched Brooke last weekend and I didn't want them to go to waste.




Lexi really enjoys hugging Brooke.





Photo shoot in matching outfits from Grandma Gigi (my mom's mom).







I have the feeling there'll be many more matching outfits in their future...

Et Tu, Brootie?

When we got back to my parents' house from the airport, this was Brooke's reaction to seeing me:


And this was her reaction to Matt:

Seriously?!? Little stinker.

Bermuda, Bahama

Last weekend, while Chicago was cleaning up from a Blizzard and St. Louis was cleaning up from a "blizzard", Matt and I were able to go on an Awards trip with four other couples from his work. It came at a perfect time for so many reasons. Last month was a rough one and I didn't realize how much I needed time away, but I'm so thankful we got it. Plus, Brooke got to spend some quality time with her family in St. Louis.


*Keep in mind that we didn't pay for a large majority of this trip* With that said, we stayed at the One and Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas. Nicest. Place. Ever. We had a butler. Awkward? Sure. Unnecessary? Totally. But pretty fun to talk about. Speaking of awkward and unnecessary, there were statues like these everywhere.


I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single statue that was clothed. I'll be the first to admit that I don't appreciate art, so maybe I was missing something. This was the view from our room.

And it was sunny and 80 all three days. I'm not trying to rub it in as much as I am trying to mentally transport myself. I finished almost 2 books! We were able to lay by the water and read, relax and talk. It didn't hurt that the other couples we were there with were really fun. For the group dinner, we went to Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill at the Atlantis. They said we missed him by a week, but I have the feeling they say that to all the dorky tourists looking for a celebrity sighting. My chile relleno was amazing and Matt declared the pork tenderloin "life changing". Here's the only photo of the two of us from the weekend.

The Atlantis was pretty amazing, too. It was like Vegas compacted into one enormous hotel. They have a water park and aquarium on their premises.

So, while we endure ridiculously cold temperatures, I'll think back to the Bahamas and fantasize about when we can go back.

15 Months

I've realized that we're getting to the point where monthly updates aren't that realistic - or, let's be honest, interesting - so I think I'll just do updates after doctor's appointments.

15 Month Stats:

Weight - 22lb, 3.5 oz - 49th percentile
Height - 30 1/2 in - 67th percentile
Head - 93rd percentile

I don't really know where to begin in describing Brooke at 15 months. I guess I'll start with the obvious: She's an incredible eater. There's literally nothing that I've given her that she hasn't eaten and seemed to enjoy. Some things are more hit-or-miss than others, but the kid can eat. She loves her carbs, but is still happy with fruits and veggies. I stopped counting her teeth.


She's also still a great sleeper (knock on wood). She averages 12 hours at night and still naps twice, averaging 3 hours between the two. When she's not eating or sleeping, she's all over the place - crawling, climbing and cruising. She's still not walking, but I think it's more fear than inability. As soon as she lets go of what she's holding on to, she drops to her knees to crawl. It sounds funny, but I can relate because that's exactly how I feel on skis. That may not bode well for Matt's hopes for her future athletic endeavors. Anyway, the doctor wasn't concerned, so I'm not going to waste time worrying about it. And I'm thankful that she's as careful as she is. When she's at the bottom of the stairs, she'll yell for someone to come before she starts climbing. That's not to say I haven't caught her already a few stairs up...


She's also very verbal. She'll babble whole conversations. I can't wait until I can understand them. She also has a ton of words and phrases. She really likes "pizza" and "thank you". She says "up" a lot, but that can be translated "up", "help", or "open". I guess I should have been more selective when teaching her words for things. She has all kinds of "party tricks" as we call them and when we got back from vacation this weekend, she was able to sing "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" - or an approximation of it at least. I think she's going to be a singer. It probably doesn't help that I've got a goofy preschool song for every little thing that we do. She definitely has her "diva" moments (don't we all?). She can yell, "no, no, no!" with the best of them. But overall she's a very happy, easygoing little girl.


I think the most amazing thing about this whole parenting thing is that even if she just sat doing nothing, we would still think she was the most amazing thing in the world and wouldn't love her any more or less than we do now. I'm so incredibly thankful for her and the light that she brings to our life every day and we continue to pray that we can do justice to raising this gift that God has given us.


This is Brooke ready for "night-night". (Thanks for the photos, Krissi.)