Spring Valley Court

When we first put our house on the market in January...of 2010...Matt asked me if I would miss it when it sold. I thought about it for a second and told him that I wouldn't. However, in the 18 months that passed between then and last Monday, when we moved out of that house, we crammed quite a few memories in - all of them involving a certain little girl.

It's the only home this neurotic labradoodle has ever known.


The only place he's had his birthday cake.


It's where we brought Brooke home from the hospital. Where she learned to crawl and walk.



It's her first home and it makes me sad that she won't remember it. It's also the house where I adjusted to living in Chicago. And I know that it's just a place and that it's the love and people that make the memories, yada, yada...but I'm going to exercise my freedom to be slightly over-sentimental, as I at times tend to do.

When I first started this post, we were still in Spring Valley and I was getting choked up as a wrote it. Since then, I've been able to gain some perspective. We also had to stop back by the old house to pick up a few things, and I was able to see how eager this cute young couple was to make it their home.




I'll admit that I also cried as we left the house, but as soon as we got to our new place, the neighborhood girls came over and asked, "Can Brooke play?" and I realized that we've made the right decision and that we'll be able to build so many more memories at this great new house. We're really excited to be here. Brooke's been totally unphased by the move, sleeping better here than she did at Spring Valley. It's been a slower adjustment for Ozzie (btw, we're taking suggestions for name changes since Ozzie Guillen left the Sox), but he's coming around. I think he and (Tom) Brady, the labradoodle down the street are bound to be BFFs.

Oh, and let me know if you're looking for a moving company NOT to use. The picture doesn't do justice to the huge gash they put in the wall of our old place.

The Pumpkin Patch

My mom and Krissi came up last weekend to watch Brooke for us when we went to the city for our great friends Matt and Lesley's wedding (an amazing time, but Brooke wasn't there so of course I didn't take any pictures). Did I mention this was 1-2 days before we moved? No big deal. Thank goodness they helped me pack while they were here. We had an extra hour or so before they had to leave on Sunday, so we squeezed in a trip to Sonny Acres.


The kids had a great time. I'm not sure about Lexi, but Brooke got to go on her first amusement park rides. I was with her on all of them, so I didn't get any photos of her ear-to-ear grin, but I did get a shot of her and Krissi at the top of the "Fun Slide".

On our way out, there I wanted to get a photo of Brooke with the scarecrow, but she was more fascinated with the creepy stuffed crow who apparently liked to kiss.

Sweet and Sad

Here's a scene from the kids dancing at the wedding last weekend. I could've watched them all night. And yes, I stopped filming to get Brooke away from the beer.

And Matt, under the influence of nothing but his own self-confidence, decided to get the karaoke ball rolling for the night. Needless to say, he gave EVERYONE courage to get up and sing. It's a short clip, but you get the idea.

Sweet Home Alabama

We took another break from packing/cleaning/party planning to head to Huntsville for my cousin Erica's wedding last weekend. It was a little hectic to get there, but completely worth it to see all of my family. Plus, we were able to squeeze one more free flight out of Brooke being under 2. Man, that's going to hurt. It's the first time she's been on a plane since she really "got" what they are and she was adequately impressed. She was also really great on both flights. She spent some of the time filing her and her doll's nails.


Here's a scene from the wedding ceremony. I didn't get any shots of the actual ceremony as I was trying to keep Brooke from singing, "Old MacDonald" at the top of her lungs. It was beautiful, though.


Aubrey, my cousin's (beautiful) little girl (who will be famous someday), was a great helper with Brooke and of course Brooke was a huge fan of hers. I'm pretty sure she was calling her "Audie" - probably confusing her name with Grandma Audie's.



Family shot at the reception. This one won't make it on to the Christmas card thanks to my great parenting skills. It was really fun explaining to my family who've maybe met Brooke once how the gash across her nose happened. Poor thing! (Sidenote: it was gone when she woke up this morning and I don't think there'll be scarring - aside from the emotional ones.)

The lovely bride and groom cutting the cake. Congratulations again, Erica and Dave!


Little girls dancing. Melt my heart.


There was karaoke at the reception (more on THAT later). The girls had fun watching the performances.


And Brooke was Aubrey's backup dancer when she sang.

We had such a great time and it went much too quickly!

Mother of the Year

Last Friday, I decided to take a break from packing/cleaning/party planning to head to Brookfield Zoo with my good friends Joy and Jen (who got us in for free - bonus!) and their little ones, Tye and Grace and Baby Dylan who Joy was watching. The weather was a little chilly and overcast - perfect for keeping vanloads of people away.


We had a fun time. The ladies got to talk, the kids got to look at animals...



...and the exotic water fountain...


...and gravel.


We were able to get a kind of decent shot of all three of the mobile kids by - what else? - plopping them in front of a t.v.



Baby Dylan. Such a sweetie.


And here's where the title of the post comes in: As we were heading out of the park, I sat Brooke in her stroller. The thought went through my head, "I should probably buckle her in, but we're almost to the parking lot. Eh, she never tries to get out, anyway." TWO seconds later, she leans forward and I'm pretty sure that in slow-motion she fell out of her stroller. On to her poor little face. It keeps flashing through my mind. Lesson learned, I just feel horrible that she's the one who had to pay.

Where We've Been...

...and will continue to be for the weeks to come is knee-deep in packing and unpacking boxes. We (knock on wood) close on both houses a week from Friday, so we're trying to get the packing completed at a reasonable rate. I felt pretty good about our progress in the basement, until I went downstairs to take a picture.


We're really not hoarders; it's kind of ridiculous the amount of "things" that come with having a child - and a husband who likes to relish the Glory Days.


We've also had some beautiful weather lately and have had fun playing outside. Brooke's become totally independent on her playset in the last month or so. She is also quite the chatterbox. She wakes up either talking or singing and goes to sleep talking or singing. It's fun to listen to. I joke (not really) that I'm going to keep the monitor in her room until she's a teenager. And by then I'll want it in there for other reasons.


Her favorite new phrase is, "Wha happen?" followed by "Why?" She's used it in multiple situations that she doesn't quite understand (stubbed my toe, caught in traffic, etc) and it's pretty cute to see her wheels turning when I try to explain what's going on. Not so cute when she asks "Why?" for the 8th time in a row.


A quick disclaimer that between now and the end of next month, life's pretty hectic for us. I'll try to update as much as possible and apologize in advance for any delays.

Decisions, Decisions

Yesterday I was going through Brooke's shoes and trying to pack up the ones that were too small. Rather than complaining like I thought she would, she thought this was a really fun game and was upset when I got tired of pulling the shoes on and off of her. I compromised by letting her wear a pair around the house. She decided that she wanted the best of both worlds - hanging on to summer while welcoming the cooler weather.


And no, she didn't have pants on. That's how we roll after nap time. Besides, I'm kind of obsessed with her chubby little legs.