Rocks

Yesterday afternoon, after Brooke had her nap, we were kind of bored. We had already done the park in the morning, and Brooke wasn't as thrilled with the park as she usually is. Then when she woke up, we read some books for a while, and played with her cars a little bit. We went downstairs to get some milk, and then we just stayed downstairs. But we didn't have much to do. We ate chips together. We did dishes and while Brooke kept playing in the water, I did a short workout. She went outside to look at her little rock collection. We put on music and danced a little.

I tried to get her into Yoga a little bit. I'm not normally a yoga person. But when I'm pregnant, I have sciatic nerve pain, and yoga REALLY helps. And I've actually grown to like it. So after I did my little workout, she came over to the mat and I taught her a few of the simplest yoga poses I know (I don't know that many). I think she liked doing it!

Just a little down dog!

She kept asking for more. Maybe I should get a book from the library about yoga poses for kids!

Later in the afternoon, she kept asking to go see trucks. So I finally decided to go out for a little walk with her and look for trucks. We walked out of the complex to the busy street just outside. We sat down on the sidewalk and looked and watched and waited to see trucks. It was quite busy, but we didn't see many trucks at all. I think Brooke still enjoyed seeing all the cars go by. After I pointed out a white truck, she started noticing all the white cars, and as one would go by, she'd say, "white!" Oh, the things we do to keep these little ones entertained.

We put some potatoes in the oven and then went to visit our neighbor, Caitlin Baker. I am her visiting teacher. They have an ugly dog that Brooke was pretty excited to see. She likes to look at him, and she giggles when he sniffs and licks her. She does not, however, like how big and pushy he is. I think he kind of overwhelms her. :)

Daniel came home, and we had a very interesting dinner. Brooke was being quite needy and wasn't eating very well. So Daniel was coming up with funny ways to make her eat: he put a small piece of ham, some mashed potatoes, and a piece of a green bean inside a little bit of her roll (like a sandwich). And she ate those. And liked them. Anyway we can get her to eat green beans, right?

I had a long presidency meeting last night. By the end of it, I was dying, I was so tired. It was past 9 when I got home, and 9 is about when I check out. When I got home, I was digging around in the fridge for some juicy fruit to snack on,

And ... oh. What is that?

Brooke left one of her rocks in the fridge! Funny baby! She loves rocks, and we have little collections of them in the front and back yards.

Today I had a doctor's appointment in the morning. It went really well. I see a Nurse Practioner, not an actual doctor. But I really like her. She's very kind, very helpful, and she doesn't make me feel stupid for asking questions. I have brought Brooke to the last couple of appointments. But she is always upset at Doctors offices. So I think I'll have to find babysitters for all my appointments from here on out.

Afterwards, we drove out to see Valerie Erickson and her kids. Brooke has been in a weird funk lately. She loves being with people and seeing other kids. But the last week or 2, we'll be with other kids or at the park or something, and she keeps her distance. She won't really play. I think the busyness intimidates her, or something. She's still pretty unsteady, physically, and some kids just bowl over her. Like today, Val was watching a friend's girls, and the little 2 year old just came up behind Brooke and shoved her, really hard. Brooke fell, and immediately started crying. And my little inner Mamma Bear just roared! I was MAD (though I have to say, I'm pretty good at hiding it). I just think Brooke is SO not like that. She is very kind to other kids, and she even lets them walk over her a bit. I think she just doesn't know how to stand up for herself yet. So when I see kids treat her like that, I get a bit upset.

Today is Daniel and my 5th Wedding Anniversary! This morning, he made me blueberry-chocolate-chip waffles for breakfast, and left me a sweet card with some Oreos. It was very sweet. And I found a babysitter for tonight, so perhaps we'll go out someplace fun for dinner. I love my husband. I've been mostly writing about Brooke, because, ... well, she's my job. She's what I do everyday. And she so cute and funny, I have to remember the things she is doing. But I love my Daniel. I don't know what I'd do without him. I always feel so much better, more whole, when I'm with him. And I've noticed that he is a kind of balm to soothe my soul. I love being with him. He is the best decision I ever made. Well, ... maybe the 2nd best. Staying true to the Gospel probably comes 1st. :)

Cool Baby, in her new sunglasses!

"Cool"

Tuesday night I went out with the missionaries. We visited a Hispanic family, but didn't actually teach the lesson. The Sisters wanted Spanish-speaking missionaries to come teach them, because their English was not so good. We tried visiting a few less-active sisters in the ward, but weren't very successful. I feel kind of bad; every time I go out with the missionaries, something like that happens. And I always drop them off at home feeling guilty that I am not doing more to help and sharing the Gospel with people around me.

Anyway, I went to the church to practice the organ for a little bit. I'm playing in Sacrament meeting on Sunday and in the Spanish Branch after our ward meets. Normally I don't get a chance to practice, but I really should. I'm still learning the organ, and I need the practice. There've been a few times when I get up to play (without having practiced) and I make some monumental mistake that is really embarrassing.

Yesterday, Brooke and I took the car. We had some anniversary shopping to do. I bought Daniel a little something for today's 5 Days of Anniversary. And I also bought him a bouquet of 5 different kinds of flowers, for yesterday. Brooke and I dropped them off at his office. Mostly to embarrass him in front of his co-workers, although I am not sure that really happened. I also got some workout pants (much needed, in my opinion; I always wear the same pants to work out, and I only have that one pair) and Brookie got some sunglasses. She's not quite got the concept of wearing them, though. :) But she looks pretty cute when she leaves them on. I'll have to get a picture.

I have noticed that Brooke has learned the word "cool". She says it occasionally about things she likes. It's so cute! I love it. She also has a new obsession with buses and trucks. Whenever we are on the road, she looks for them, and when she sees one, she points it out. She gets pretty excited about them too. She seems to be getting into animals a lot more. We have some books that have different kinds of animals in them. She loves looking in those books, and she can say the names of many animals, and even make some of their noises. She does have her favorites, though: horses and monkeys. She likes to skip to the pages that show those animals. It's so funny how excited she gets, and that she already has a favorite (or 2) animal(s). I think it's about time to take her to the L.A. Zoo. Or a petting zoo. I think she would love that.

On a less positive note, she has also discovered the great toddler joy of throwing tantrums. And she throws them, every time we say "no" or "not now" (which is becoming a more and more frequent occurrence). I love her, so much. But she sure is coming to that age. And I'm such a newbie at parenting that I'm not exactly sure how to handle it. I sure do make my share of mistakes.

Anyway, Brooke and I went on a little Visiting Teaching visit to see Siv Flick. She watches her grandsons sometimes, Thor (3) and Olk (4 months). Thor is a pretty wild and crazy kid. He is in primary now; but when he was in nursery, he used to terrorize the littler kids. But he was so sweet and gentle and kind with Brooke when we went yesterday. He shared his toy cars with her and showed her the fish. It was so cute to watch. Most kids are like that with Brooke. I don't know what it is about her; but they all feel the need to take her by the hand and help her and show her things and play with her. It's pretty fun.

My visits with Siv are good. I think she really enjoys having visiting teachers come. She always mentions to me how it's nice to have teachers that actually come visit. Our ward, for some reason, is really not on the ball in that department. I really enjoy doing my visiting teaching (for the most part) and I love having VTers come visit me. So I don't quite understand the lack of motivation and enthusiasm for our RS sisters. I guess as life gets more crazy, I might feel differently about it.

Brooke and I did some cleaning up together this morning after breakfast. And then she colored for a while and threw all the crayons and markers on the floor (fun). We went to the park for a little bit. It's been nice and cool lately, so we have to take advantage and go to the park before it gets hot again. But the park was a barren wasteland today; no kids. So, Brooke got bored quickly, and I tried to play with her to make it fun, which only lasted a while (on her part; not on mine. I could've kept playing with her; but I'm Mom, so I'm not quite as much fun to play with as kids her age). It seems we need to have another kid; this one needs a playmate. And she is in luck! Because she'll have a built-in playmate in just 5 months. :)

A Grumpy Day and a Not So Grumpy Day

I woke up early yesterday (before my 6:20 alarm) and couldn't go back to sleep. I didn't work out; I was still trying to recover from our bike ride. :) But I read my scriptures for a while and started cleaning up.

Brooke woke up yesterday morning, and had an almost immediate melt-down. She loves helping with the dishes and getting in the water and everything. Well, I don't want her constantly playing in the sink. So, when she was eating her breakfast, she heard me or Daniel washing our hands and she thought we were doing dishes. Naturally she wanted to help, but we weren't doing dishes, and we wanted her to eat her breakfast. But after that, she wouldn't eat her breakfast. Daniel left me with a screaming baby!

I tried doing a time out later in the morning. Brooke fell apart again while I was organizing food storage in the closet under the stairs. She wanted to go to the park, but when we started getting ready, she stopped being obedient and I told her we wouldn't go to the park if she wasn't a good girl. And ... she fell apart. I did what people have been suggesting and put her in her crib for a time out. I was only going to leave her for a minute or 2. But she tried to climb out and ended up falling out after she was there for a few seconds. She cried harder than ever as she came looking for me, and I felt really bad.

We read books, and she calmed down. I think she even understood when I explained to her why we weren't going to the park and why she was in a time out.

She took a nice long nap yesterday, 2 1/2 hours. And after that, she had a much better day. While she napped, I tried to get some things done on my to-do list and finished Once Upon a Time Season Finale, which was very exciting! When she woke up, I gave her a snack while I swept and mopped the kitchen. And then when I was done, I set Brooke up at the sink to do some water play while I finished the rest of the floors. It was a perfect situation. She is so occupied with "dishes" that I finished and then did my yoga.

Daniel came home while we were putting dinner on (Brooke helped, of course), and after she went to bed, I cleaned up and he went home teaching. I prepared a little Anniversary Something for him while he was gone. I had made oatmeal raisin cookies with Brooke earlier, and I put 5 out on a plate with a note that said, "On the 1st Anniversary Day ... My true love gave to me -- 5 delicious cookies". And I'm doing one for each day this week. 5 days leading up to our 5th anniversary. I thought it would be fun. I hope he likes it. :)

We had FHE and scripture study, and I went to bed. I don't know what he was doing. :)

Today Brooke is doing better. She's been helping me with laundry and dishes this morning, which she loves. I've been cleaning up the kitchen. We went to the park in the later morning, before lunch and nap. It was super-busy today! So many kids! I think she liked it, though, screaming and running around on the playground with the other kids. It was pretty fun.

She's napping now. And I'm trying to get some stuff done. :) As always.

Our Pregnancy Announcement

Daniel wanted to do something fun and cute to announce our pregnancy on Facebook. We had started telling people weeks ago that we are pregnant, and the word has been sort of getting around. I haven't been as anxious about announcing on Facebook as Daniel has been. I guess I just don't feel it's as big of a deal or something. But he looked up ideas on pinterest and found one he really liked. This is what we ended up with:

We are so excited! I can't wait to find out what the sex of our baby is. And we don't find out for another 2+ weeks. Aaagh!

I've loved this time we've had with just Brooke. We do a lot of fun things together. But I'm excited for another little unique person to join our family. And I think Brooke is ready to have a built-in playmate. She gets tired of just hanging out with me. :)

April 9th, 2014

So. I have the best husband IN THE WORLD! And I know I brag about him a lot, but seriously! Check it out:

The other day, Daniel decided that I needed a break, so he arranged for me to have the afternoon off. He got me a babysitter for Brooke and planned out the afternoon with some fun activities, which he kept a secret, of course, until just moments before I was supposed to do each of them. It was so fun!

First, after I picked up the babysitter and got her and Brooke all set up, I had an hour to do whatever. So I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a book, using a gift card he gave me.

Then, I went to my full body massage appointment. Yes, that's right. He made an appointment for me to get a massage. And I'll tell you. It was the first one I'd gotten like it. It was interesting. Yet relaxing.

I next enjoyed myself a little Jamba Juice and a side of Panda Express Chow Mein (which I crave), and I delivered him his own cup of Jamba Juice.

And to cap it all off, I went back to our townhouse complex and hung out by the pool, reading my book, getting tan, jumping in on occasion. 

What a wonderful, relaxing day it was! Daniel is the greatest ever! All you husbands out there, take notes. :)

April 11th, 2014 -- Brooke's Obsession with Shoes

Brooke loves shoes. It's a new-ish obsession. But she's been doing some funny things with shoes lately. And I had to share.

She will insist that we open the closet door so that she can gather up all of her shoes. She has me put a pair on her. She proceeds to walk around in said pair of shoes for a given amount of time (I think she's modeling...). She comes back to where I am sitting and asks for another pair of shoes. Which I put on her. And on it goes. It's pretty funny.

Brooke, wearing Mama's shoes. And getting in the trash. Another of her favorite activities.

The other day, she was again insisting that we try on shoes. But she was still in her little footsie pajamas, and I was not wanting to get her dressed yet. So, this was our solution:

La Fashionista!

And another pair of shoes.

...And another pair of shoes.

Tonight she had noodles for dinner. And she was wearing white. So I stripped her before dinner, which was a brilliant move, because it was quite messy. But, she was, of course, wearing some shoes. So, after dinner, this was her look. 

...And another pair. :)

It kills me! Cute little, chubby baby body with her nice Sunday shoes! I think we have a little fashion girl on our hands.

May 4th, 2014 -- Trip to Disneyland

The Friday after the end of tax season we decided to head down to Disneyland.  It was a blast!  It was a bit crowded, but we just wanted to take Brooke on the kids rides, which weren't too long.

Leslie was super excited!

One of Brooke's favorite activities . . . playing with the chains while we waited in line.

Another favorite of Brooke's was the horse on the Merry Go Round.

Brooke's 1st trip to Disneyland . . . (in the belly)

Brooke's 2nd trip to Disneyland . . . (8 months)

Brooke's 3rd trip to Disneyland . . . (20 months)

Brooke loved the parade!

May 8th, 2014

Brooke and I have been having some serious fun lately. Check it out. :)

The other day, I had paints out. I was teaching a piano lesson to a 5-year-old, and we did painted hands to talk about how we use our hands to play the piano. Anyway, Brooke came home and saw the paints, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't let me put them away without a fuss. :) So we went outside and did a little painting.

These works are a combination of both of our creative efforts. 

Brooke loves to help. Evey time she sees me at a chore, she says, "Help!" So, this past week, I've been putting her to work. I pull up a chair when I do the dishes, and she "rinses" and "puts dishes on the towel". Also, when I'm doing laundry, I put wet clothes on the door of the dryer, and she pushes them in. She also helps me throw pieces of clothes into the washing machine. 

Here she's helping me make cookies for the neighbors/cleaning up/eating all the cookie dough. She had fun helping me dump the ingredients into the bowl and watching me use the mixer. And, of course, eating the cookie dough. :)

"Me? Eating cookies? I don't think so. "

May 11th, 2014

Last Saturday was a fun family day.  Daniel has been wanting to go visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for a long time and we finally got around to it.  It's located about an hour from us.  It was very impressive and we really enjoyed learning about President Reagan.  Also located there is one of the previous Air Force One's.  When we walked into the room we said, "Brooke, look at the plane!".  Then all we heard for the next hour was, "plane, plane, plane, plane . . ."  It was fun. Brooke even lasted for most of the museum! But then, when we were on our way out and on the lookout for a place to eat lunch, this happened...

 

Oooooo, my baby is so sweet!

Most little girls love dolls and princess stuff, but Brooke is all about cars and planes! After the Reagan library, we drove to the outlets in Camarillo and made a little stop at the Disney Outlet store.

Brooke was only mildly interested in all the princess dresses, dolls, and paraphernalia. But once we migrated over to the boys section of the store, she couldn't get enough of the cars, planes, balls, etc. It's so funny!

On the way home, we stopped at some fruit stands and snacked on these beauties all the way home!

These strawberries lasted all of 3 days. It was a great day, and so fun to be together all day long!!!

A Little of the Past

For the next few posts, I'm going to steal a few posts from our family blog, The Adventures of Daniel and Leslie. There are some fun posts and pictures about Brooke and some of the things we have been up to.

Day 1

I used to be a great journaler. I have numerous journals of old, filled with my thoughts and experiences. And then, nearly 5 years ago, I got married, and my journaling went the way of my single status. Over the past 5 years, I've made great efforts to pick up my journals and make it a habit again. But my attempts are only partially successful. And my journals are not as detailed and interesting as before. I also tried typing my journal for a time, which worked rather well. Which is why I decided on this method. It's a hope that I can actually document my life a little better.

So, to pick up where I left off in my real, tangible journal (which really was a few days ago, actually ... I promise):

Brooke and I have been doing about the same this week. We went to the park a few times, we went to the pool a few times, we hung out at home (where it's cool; it's been pretty hot this week). She has been unusually grumpy this week. Daniel and I have done a later bedtime for a few weeks, which has been awesome, up until this week. I loved having dinner as a family, and it's always nice when Daniel can see and play with Brooke when he gets home. But -- she's been unusually grumpy and needy this week, and I attribute it to the smaller amounts of sleep she seems to be getting. Of course, it could just be that she is growing up, becoming more independent, finding her resistance, etc. But I still think it's the sleep. :)

I got a haircut on Wednesday. Chopped all my hair off. Well, not all. It goes past my shoulders, still. But I love how light I feel. I even curled my hair for church today because I knew it wouldn't be as much of a hassle as when my hair is so long.

Yesterday, Daniel, Brooke and I went on a morning bike ride. Daniel had the bikes fixed up this week, and we borrowed Evan Faucette's bike and child trailer. It was fun; but I think we went too far for my little pregnant self. I was really tired and burnt out far before we were done. And I think Brooke was done sooner as well. Poor us! It would have been perfect if we'd turned back a bit sooner.

After the bike ride, we went to the pool to cool off. And oooooo! was it cool! Even despite our long workout and being so hot, we had a hard time getting used to the water. Brooke was loving it, though. She likes to sit on the edge of the pool and kick her legs and scream. It's very cute.

When Brooke was done napping, we went shopping. Not fun shopping, grocery shopping. But it was needed. And I made a delicious dinner: portobello mushroom paninis. Brooke went to bed before those, and, of course, Daniel hates mushrooms (he had meat on his sandwich). But DANG they were good.

Today has been ... fine. I'm a bit emotional (ya know, being pregnant and all) and I feel a cold coming on, which is annoying, because I feel like I was just sick a few weeks ago. And I have finally gotten myself into a nice workout groove, and being sick throws it all off. Grrr!

Anyhoo, life is good. And here begins the documenting, digitally, of my journeyings. I sincerely hope that the internet doesn't suddenly blow up and I lose it all. :)

Brooke has been so cute lately trying to copy everything we do. Today she was putting lotion on her legs right after she'd seen me doing it. I guess we better be careful what we do. She's always watching and trying to imitate it!

Mmmmmm! Portobello Mushroom Paninis!