The Ryden Family

6 Month Picture Comparison

2012-02-15T17:24:00.002-06:00

Noah Samuel 2.11.2012

Brooke Elizabeth 8.19.2009

Besides the dimples on Brooke's cute little face...there isn't much of a difference!

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-15T17:20:00.000-06:00

My life has changed a lot since Valentine's Day 2011! Brooke has grown up so much and is almost 3! AND we added Noah to our family! WOW!

Brooke is almost 3 years old. We spent today hanging out with our friends at church and bringing them yummy cookies. Then we got McDonalds for lunch and took a meal to some friends that just had a baby. After that we came home to watch a movie and take naps! Daddy came home from work with white and yellow tulips for Mommy and 2 pink ones for Brooke! So cute!

Noah is 6 months old and enjoyed eating sweet potatoes and applesauce for Valentine's Day dinner! I told him that I'm supposed to be his only Valentine until he's about 20 years old! :)

Noah @ 5 Months

2012-02-15T16:31:00.002-06:00

5 Months...WOW! These pictures were taken at Grandma and Grandpa's new house! Their new couch and new floors made for really great photo backdrops.

I just love little plaid shirts on babies. So adorable!

This month Noah is rolling over from tummy to back. He started that on 12.19.11, just after turing 4 months old. It was a little tough to keep him on his tummy for a while when he was sleeping. He likes to sleep on his tummy and when he would roll over it would wake him up. Silly baby! We ended up using a sleeping wedge under the side that he liked to roll towards so that it was harder for him to roll...being uphill and all! Ha ha!

Noah likes anything that looks like a toy. Grandpa gave him this ruler to play with today during the photoshoot! :)

Love those eyes!

Adorable smiles!

Noah now eats rice cereal. We try to eat atleast once a day at this point in time. It's mostly still nursing. His first Rice Cereal was on 1.2.12.

Still doesn't prefer to play on his tummy. But loves to sleep on it!

Noah @ 4 Months

2012-02-15T16:14:00.003-06:00

This is my little, little man! He weighed in at 13lbs. 9oz. (25%), 23.25" (3%) and 16" Head Circumference (20%).

He is loving toys and can hold them and bring them to his mouth now!

He DOES NOT care for a bottle. Actually you should feel lucky if you have gotten him to drink even an ounce of milk from a bottle...I can count those people on just one hand and still have fingers left over! It would be nice if Noah would take a bottle but I don't like to be gone from him longer than 3 hours anyway...I start to miss him too!

He now goes to his room in the nursery at church. He hasn't had too many times where they have had to call me in. Such a big boy! His first time in the nursery was 12.3.11. I was working in Brooke's classroom and he played very well in his own class! Yay!

He is pretty comfortable on his belly and has great control of his neck but he DOES NOT prefer to hang out this way and play for too long. Still likes his back or to sit up with assistance the best!

Still full of smiles and I love them so much!

Noah @ 3 Months

2012-02-15T15:54:00.000-06:00

Ok...I'm a little behind on blogging about Noah and I thought I would take this afternoon to get caught up! I never blogged about Noah at 3 Months...so here you have it!

Getting so BIG! That elephant is shrinking every single month! See what I mean here, here and here.

There are a lot of smiles now that Noah is 3 Months old! And there is even a bit of laughter too! His first laugh was at 2.5 months (October 25th) during my Bible Study at church.

Still there are times when he is SO serious.

I think 3 Months is the magic age where kids (atleast my kids) can be left alone for a few minutes to lay on the ground and play.

Noah also likes to be entertained by his older sister! Brooke helps with that every once in a while. Usually by shouting, "It's ok Baby Noah." on her way to see what he's crying about. So sweet!

Project Life - February 1st - 13th

2012-02-14T00:35:00.000-06:00

Playing catch up!

February 1st: Mommy had a doctor appointment so we had lunch with Grandma. So much fun!

February 2nd: Brooke LOVES to read. She will normally have a HUGE stack of books on the table next to her bed and she can be found reading whenever she wakes up from naps or in the morning.

February 3rd: Daddy hanging out with his kiddos!

February 4th: Today Brooke and Mommy went on a date! We went to see Beauty at the Beast and then we were going to go have pancakes for lunch but McDonalds caught her eye and we had to do there. She spent about an hour playing in the playplace!

February 5th: Superbowl party with the Rydens. We also celebrated the Chinese New Year!

February 6th: We went to check out our new library this morning. Brooke loved sitting on the bean bags and reading all of her books!

February 7th: Just hanging out at home. Brooke is loving these new puzzles that she got from her good friend Sadie. Noah is such a happy boy!

February 8th: Library storytime! Today the librarian did a puppet show!

February 9th: Both kids were having bananas! Noah for the first time! And Brooke was eating one like a big girl for the first time!

February 10th: Did a little packing today. I had to get the most important things!

February 11th: Our garage is a packing staging area right now. Messy!

February 12th: Noah was loving Daddy's toothbrush today. So cute!

February 13th: It snowed last night. Brooke had to go play in it! I love this picture because it looks like TMose, her bear, is looking down just like she is! So darn cute! :)

And there you have it...all caught up!

Project Life Catch Up - End of January

2012-02-14T00:20:00.002-06:00

Here is a catch up for the end of January...if you have any questions on what the pictures are...let me know!

Project Life - Week 1

2012-01-13T00:29:00.001-06:00

I'm back at it for another year! Project Life! I love it! I am going to try to keep the blog updated. So atleast you will hear from me once a week...hopefully...no promises! Here we go for Week 1 of 2012!

January 1st: Brooke is really loving the games lately. She got a few for Christmas and she just enjoys them and so does the whole family! This one is called Froggy Boogie. Brooke thought that Boogie sounded "yucty" so she renamed this game "Frog Popping Sound". We don't know where that came from but we like it! :)

January 2nd: Noah's first time eating rice cereal! WOW! He seemed to like it although there was more on his bib than in his mouth I think!

January 3rd: A picture like this, after the morning that we just had...it really is worth a thousand words! (Taken shortly after the morning meltdown of 1.3.2012.) All I have to say is...the power of prayer is truely awesome. Holding my girl and praying through her screaming fits that a spirit of peace would come over her really, really worked! I will be trying that again if I'm ever at a loss in my parenting adventures!

January 4th: Sam got this game for Christmas from my sister. We are loving it and playing it almost every night. Sometimes we fall out of the habit but playing games is one of our favorite things to do as a couple!

January 5th: Yes...January 5th and we were playing outside! It was so nice this morning, about 50 degrees with an expected high of 65 today...so we headed to the park to enjoy the outdoors. Today was Noah's first time in the swing. I think he liked it!

January 6th: Today Noah was laying on the floor on a blanket, playing with toys. Brooke decided she wanted to join him. They were so cute playing together. Brooke was showing Noah things about his toys and Noah was just watching his big sister so intently!

January 7th: This ball is the perfect toy for Noah's highchair. He would touch it and it would roll away from him and then right back to this hands because of the slope. Pretty funny to watch him tracking the ball all around his tray! :)

Hope you all enjoyed our first week of 2012! This year is already going so quickly! Whew!

What was I Thinking?!?!?!?

2012-01-11T22:48:00.002-06:00

Adventures in Parenting...you know the drill. Every day there is something else that you learn and something else that you have to deal with. Well on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 the learning started as we dealt with our almost 3 year old little girl in the midst of Christmas exhaustion and present overload.

It all started when we woke her up from her nap at 4:15 so that we could go enjoy a family dinner at my parent's house. She WAS NOT ready to get up from that nap! There was screaming, there was crying...ultimately, she didn't want to get dressed and she wasn't making it easy for either her Dad or me to force her into her cute new sweater and grey boots! So something just popped out of my mouth and as soon as it did, I wanted to take it back. (Have you ever done that before?)

Here's what I said, "If you can not stop screaming and crying and gain control of yourself in the next 2 minutes, you will not watch movies for a week." Here's what she looked like after I said that (I didn't snap a picture that day...this was taken in the week to follow that you will also hear more about...but you get the idea.)

So I walk out of her room and I think....WHAT HAVE I DONE?! Movies are like one of Brooke's most favorite things and they really have been a lifesaver for me these past few months that I have been taking care of Noah. The rule is that Brooke can only watch one movie a day but let me just be honest and say that there have been days when she has watched more than one...newborns are cranky sometimes and other times I just need a shower!

Anyway...back to the 2nd. She did not calm down in 2 minutes. So I walked in her room, told her there would be no movies for a week (not that she really knows what a week is...but it's a really long time to her...right?), and proceded to get her dressed while she was screaming and crying and kicking and all the while I was wondering where my sweet little girl had gone! Sam then grabbed her and went to strap her in her carseat in the car. I could take a breather...whew!

So there were no movies for a week. And this week was ROUGH. There were multiple times of days when she would scream and cry and shout (in her room cause that's where she is sent to let off steam). There were mornings when she spent most of her time alternating between screaming "I want Daddy." or "I want to watch a movie." in her room and playing quietly or reading her Bible. There were many potty accidents (which was frustrating because she was doing so well before we took movies away for a week). There were many afternoons that she chose to just be in her room for nap time and skip lunch cause she was so mad at me, at the situation or whatever.

There were days that I screamed. There were days when I cried. I tried to do lots of laughing (when she was out of sight and earshot) about the situation just to stay sane. There were lots of calls to Sam while he was at work for advice. I think one of the funniest things Sam said to me during this whole situation was, "Maybe this is just the detox period."

Then halfway through the week I realized something and from then on there was LOTS OF PRAYING! I prayed for my sanity, for patience in dealing with Brooke, for a compliant and easy Baby Noah, for the words and the gentleness to discipline effectively. I prayed over Brooke at nap and bedtimes and anytime she needed it, to have control of her emotions, to be a happy girl, to remember to go potty, to heal her hurting...whatever the cause may be.

But there were still NO MOVIES!

And I think we both came out of the week a lot better. We both learned a lot of things. I will start with Brooke.

Sam always says that he knows I have been saying something all day when he comes home and Brooke is repeating it for the rest of the night. Things she said this week: "Cause that's the rules." "I not watch movies today." "No wet pants!" "I be happy." "No screaming and crying."

What I learned...

*Praying through parenting really is the only way to do it.

*We can make it through a day (heck...even a week) without watching a movie! YEHAW!

*Brooke might have been sick with a cold at the start of this week. I got it, Daddy got it, Noah got it and Brooke hasn't got it. So she could have been silently suffering cold systems. That doesn't really excuse the screaming and crying and shouting and jumping up and down fits she was having but it does help to explain them a little bit!

*I think taking the movies away started up her jealousy of Noah. There were multiple times when she would ask me to hold her or sing to her or play with her. She wanted attention...don't we all?! So we made it a point to give her extra attention, get on the floor and play with her, take an interest in what she was doing. We also tried to watch what we said to her. Instead of saying, "I can't play with you right now because I'm holding Noah." we would say, "Sure! Can Noah play too??"

So this past Monday, the week marker, we headed to the library and she picked out a movie to watch. I was surprised because she normally gets 4 and she only got 1 this week. We took it home, had lunch and then she got to watch it. With the stipulation that if there was screaming and crying when it was turned off, there would be NO MOVIES the next day. Well on Monday there was screaming and crying and she even peed in her pants during the movie on my couch. ARGH! So Tuesday...no movies. And you know what? There wasn't any asking or crying about it at all...just no movies!

Then today, Wednesday, she got to watch a movie AND...there was NO CRYING when it was over and turned off! NONE! I had a happy girl, all day! Whew!

Parenting is a tough job! I can't wait until she's a teenager! :)

Raise Your Hand if you can Relate...

2011-12-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

Ok...I am coming clean...I have a messy car. Seriously...it's a BIG mess! I guess that's what happens when you have two kids and you have all of the stuff that comes along with two kids. But really...I will just admit that it's part laziness! I mean, when you get home from an outing and you have to carry your Sonic drink and a baby carrier (carseat) that weighs about 20+ pounds up the stairs, who wants to go back out into the garage and clean out the car when you are just going to need the diaper bag the next day anyway.

Hmmmm...apparently, not me!

Let me just show you what I am talking about...

Exhibit A: The Front Seat

This doesn't look too bad, does it? But then you have to remember that I'm short and I'm not giving you the full arial view that would do the whole mess justice, ok?!

There are a few bags in the front seat, my "Stuff everything that you think you might need (ie. extra pants and undies cause we are potty training, M&M's in case I need to bribe someone that is almost 3, milk cup, water cup, empty cup in case there is juice somewhere, wallet (I sometimes forget this one), keys, phone...you get the idea)" bag and the diaper bag that contains all things baby (nursing cover, burp cloths, extra outfit in case of a blowout, baby toys to keep a little on entertained, diapers, wipes, nose sucker). WHEW!

That front seat holds A LOT of important stuff!

But then you can also see the empty soda can and the baggie of Cheez-Its on the floor under the seat. There is also a little mail on the floor under the diaper bag and multiple plastic cups from the water that I bring with me in the car.

Exhibit B: The Back Seat

WOW! Do I have two kids or what?! There are many useful items in this back seat, I just need to figure out how to store them so that they look a little mor tidy! Let's see...

There is a towel in case someone who is almost 3 and potty training has an accident in her carseat. A hat for Baby Noah becuase it's getting rather cold in Kansas. A winter coat for Brooke...You have to take it off when you ride in a carseat anyway so there's not real reason to take it inside and hang it up. The Baby Bjorn for baby carrying needs if Noah doesn't want to remain in his carseat. Those are really all of the useful items.

Then we have things that should probably be taken out or thrown away: multiple baggies from breakfasts of cereal or goldfish or Cheez-Its, a tub of toys with random things like a coloring book and only a yellow highlighter to color with, my water bottle that Brooke loves to drink water out of, and random crappy toys from Happy Meals!

Exhibit C: The Trunk

This spot of the car currently does not look too bad! There is a stroller for baby usage when out and about. Then there is a potty so that Brooke can use it if there is an emergency. There are wipes for clean up and a plastic bag to put trash in too...just in case. True Story: One time in the Walmart parking lot, I had Brooke sitting on the potty while I was changing Noah's poopy diaper. I'm probably going to wind up on that website...don't laugh at me when you see me on http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/.

Ok...I think that's all. I have learned a few things from writing this post... #1: I need to clean out my car...it will make me feel better. And #2: I love this stage of my life. I'm sure when my kids are 17 and 15, my car will be totally different (heck...they might even be driving my car...AHHHHHH...) and I will miss having those pesky little baggies of half eaten granola bars all around. Enjoy life where you are at and make the best of it!

Noah @ 2 Months

2011-12-27T23:16:00.001-06:00

I know...it's been a while since I've posted! I have 2 kids...under 3...my life is B-U-S-Y! And when I do have down-time these days I find myself mindlessly searching the internet for things to pin or watching TV with my hubby...we are currently trying to catch up on Bones Season 6!

Anyway, since Noah is now 4 months old, I figured that I better get caught up on him...blogging-wise...

On October 11th, Noah turned 2 months old! WOW! At 2 Months he is: 10lbs. 14oz. (35%), 21.25inches (6%) and head is 15.24inches (25%).

Doctor says that you are a very cute baby (and she also said she can't say that about everyone!). She said that you have very good control of your head and neck and are very strong...pretty perfect! I think so too!

Picture with the elephant...Noah is making that elephant shirk each and every month!

Noah now smiles on a regular basis and I LOVE IT!

Brooke wanted to help out with the props for Noah's photo shoot! She lended one of her engines...Scruff! In other news, don't you just love this shirt that I got for him for $1 at a consignment sale?? I love those things!!

Noah is really good about being happy in one place (the Bumbo, the swing, laying on the floor...) for about 5 minutes and then he lets you know that he wants to be held or changed to something new. Today I sat him in the Bumbo and he wasn't too sure about it.

Then I just held him up in the standing position...this is something that he currently really enjoys!

I think this picture is funny...Brooke really wanted to see what was going on...ha ha! I hope you enjoy seeing my little man at 2 months old!

Things Noah did this month:

*Drank his first bottle...he doesn't really like to do it but he does drink very slowly and just a little if he is hungry.

*He started to coo and talk a little!

*Started sleeping 8-9 hours in his first stretch of the night...usually from 9pm until 6am! WOO HOO!

Day 337

2011-12-09T00:53:00.001-06:00

I have been doing Project 365 (taking a photo a day for the whole year) for the past two years and it's fun to go back and look at the same day a year ago to see what has changed!

December 3rd was the day I chose this time around. I love how much Brooke has grown up! WOW! But she's still a silly little girl! I love her so much!

Father/Son

2011-12-06T15:21:00.001-06:00

I love this picture of Daddy and Noah. Aren't my men handsome?!?!?

Update...Brooke and Noah!

2011-12-01T16:19:00.001-06:00

I know, I know...I haven't updated in a while. Someone actually had to email me and kick me in the booty to put my most recent pictures up! So here you have it!

Brooke and Noah just hanging out...lovin on each other! Big sister is loving Noah most times of the day!

Mister Noah at 3.5 months old...rockin his Mohawk!

I just realized that both of these pictures were taken in the rocking chair in Noah's room. This is where you can get the best afternoon light for picture taking! Love it!

Promise to be back soon with more updates and not leave you hanging for months at a time!

Noah vs. Brooke

2011-10-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

I think that my kiddos are starting to look more and more alike but in the pictures I took as newborns, they look pretty different to me!

Noah at 1 Month

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

At 1 Month, Noah weighed in at 8lbs. 10oz. and was 20.5" long. He has grown 2.5" and gained 2.5lbs. since birth! WOW!!

You can really tell that he is gaining some fat on those bones! His little cheeks are so cute as are the little fat rolls on his legs!!

He still is not the best at holding up his head, but he is working on it more and more each day.

If he isn't sleeping or just finished eating, he wants to be held. But that's ok because I know this phase won't last long!

He kinda got tired of pictures towards the end of our session! He's got to learn that there are more and more pictures to come! :)

Playing with Noah

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

There are some days that I feel sorry for Noah. Most of the activities in our day are centered around Brooke and what she will enjoy: going to the library, going to the park, playdates with friends, getting a cookie at the grocery store...just to name a few. Noah is normally in a stroller or strapped to me in a carrier.

So sometimes when it's nap time for both kids and he wakes up sooner than Brooke, I get a little excited cause I know I will have a few hours to "play", just me and Noah! As the months go on...these play sessions will get more and more fun! But for today, laying down and taking a few pictures was pretty entertaining for us both!

Why????

2011-10-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Why does my Mommy make me sit in this pink Bumbo? I'm a BOY!!!

My Kids Today

2011-10-04T22:39:00.004-05:00

I took a lot of pictures of my kiddos today because they were up a lot of hours today (at different times) and didn't really give Momma her free time. Oh well...got some cute images to share!

My Mister Charming...Noah Samuel!

Brooke just waking up from a nap...still a little sleepy I think!

Before bed tonight, after both kids had been bathed, Brooke wanted to climb in Noah's crib to look at the mobile. I got some cute pictures even though Noah wasn't too thrilled with the experience. :)

Hope you had a great day! I'm off to bed!

Noah's a Newborn

2011-10-03T14:21:00.003-05:00

They say that you take less pictures of your 2nd child and I'm really, really trying hard not to let that happen! I took a lot of pictures of Brooke and I intend to take a lot of Noah too! So here are his Newborn pictures that I took at home and his stats!

Noah was born on August 11th (these pictures were taken about a week later when we got home). He was 6lbs. 3oz. (10%) when born and 18" (6%). He was born at 37 weeks.

I am taking monthly pictures of him with this little elephant. He's already growing so much!

He mostly just sleeps all day but there are a few moments when he is wide awake, taking in the world!

He's such a cutie!

I love my little man!!

Goodbye Binky

2011-10-03T00:15:00.000-05:00

Brooke has been a binky girl since day 1. She loved that thing right from the beginning. It gave her comfort and it was kinda nice that it was so soothing to her.

Just days old, holding it in her mouth.

A few weeks old hanging out in her carseat.

5 months old sitting in her crib.

9 months old with a mohawk getting ready for bed.

13 months old right after a nap time.

18 months old with her 2 comfort items, binky and TMose, the bear.

2 years old. This is the last good picture I have of her with her binky ("binty"). It was around this time that we only let her have it for nap times and bed times. She was really good about this transition.

Well this past Saturday, binky broke (with a little help from Daddy). It happened just before nap time and it was rough. It hung on as long as it could with that huge hole in the tip. Brooke kept saying, "This binty broten. Get new binty?" "Sorry baby girl, this is the last binky. We don't have any more." She chose to hang onto the broken binky for nap time. When we left her room there was much screaming and crying and shouting and after 30 minutes she passed out and gave into sleep. 30 minutes. I was crying a little myself.

It has been such a source of comfort for her for 2.5 years. It's hard to imagine having that one sleep time and then having it taken away. :( So sad for my little girl but I know it's a part of growing up.

When she woke up from nap time, she said that it was broken and wanted to throw it away in the trash. Ok! Then again at bed time there were many questions, "Where is binky? Can we get a new binky? Can I have one of baby Noah's binkies??" But she went to bed without crying. Day 1 without binky complete.

On to Day 2...no crying, no asking. I think it's easier on her that it was for me. My baby girl is growing up!

Project Life: August 11th-17th

2011-09-01T15:47:00.001-05:00

I know I'm not up to date on my Project Life posts but I'm just going to start back in with them for the day that Noah was born. Hope you enjoy!

August 11th: Noah Samuel was born!

August 12th: First family picture together!

August 13th: Big Sister gives Noah kisses!

August 14th: Cuddling with Daddy!

August 15th: Daddy creating some fun in the hospital for Brooke. She is SO BIG!

August 16th: Most of the time while at the hospital, Brooke wanted to play trains.

August 17th: Ready to go home! YAY!!!

Noah is Here!

2011-09-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Well...I've been gone for a while and I guess I should update you all on why.

Noah Samuel is here!

He was born on August 11th at 7:04pm. He was 6lbs. 3oz. and 18 inches long. If you remember, his schedule c-section date was August 23rd and his due date wasn't until August 30th. But my blood pressure decided to go up to 200/120 and my doctor decided to go ahead and deliver him quickly. So he was a surprise!

We then stayed in the hospital for 7 days because of high blood pressure for me. UGH! That was one of the hardest things ever. All I wanted to do was go home and resume life as normal (with our newest addition) and hug my baby girl and put her to bed at night. But I couldn't. But we got through it all.

I still have high blood pressure issues which could last up to 12 weeks or even longer. But I'm on medication and working through it with a doctor.

I just wanted to share this sweet picture of our little man with you all! Don't you just love him?!?

Family Picture

2011-08-08T00:54:00.002-05:00

Holy Cow...why didn't someone tell me that I haven't blogged in over a month! Where does the time go? Anyway...tonight we took family pictures and I just had to share with you the sneak peek from the photographer!

I just LOVE it! Don't you?! Back sooner than last time!

15 days (or less) until Noah is here!

Bribes

2011-06-27T23:13:00.002-05:00

You can bribe our little girl to do almost anything if you have chocolate!

This picture was taken one the train ride with Thomas the Train. You wouldn't think it, but Brooke was scared to get on it. We ate cookies while in line and by the time we were on the train, she was like, "I'a riding Thomas!!" Success!

She loves Him!

2011-06-20T00:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Father's Day to one of the best fathers I know! Brooke really loves her Daddy and I love that she loves him so much!

Happy Father's Day, DAD!

2011-06-18T14:41:00.001-05:00

I love my Dad! I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to him on this blog and share a few pictures with you all!

This is me and my Dad when I was about 3 weeks old (the back of the picture says). February 1981. We are napping in the famous orange chair that was at my Grandma and Grandpa's house. To this day, my Grandma still has this chair and I think it's in her will to give it to my Dad someday. He's made sure to have his name on it for years now!

This picture was taken when my Dad was teaching Brooke how to nap. She is about 4 weeks old in this picture. So cute!

And here is Dad with his girls (my sister, me and Brooke) last Father's Day. We love you Dad!

This is the most recent picture of Grandpa (T-Pa) and Brooke that I have. They were pretending to be gorillas! So cute!!!

We love you and can't wait to see you and celebrate tomorrow!

Almost 2 Years Later

2011-06-15T21:17:00.002-05:00

Remember this post from back in July 2009???

Brooke was only 5 months old. And now look at her...

Almost 2 years later! Where does the time go???

Project Life Tuesday

2011-05-31T22:36:00.003-05:00

May 22nd: You've probably already seen this picture but it's so dang cute! My little iPhone-aholic!

May 23rd: Mystery Park Monday at Blackbob Park. Brooke was pretending to be a little monkey here. She's so strong!

May 24th: Extreme Finger Painting! So much fun!

May 25th: The doggies got a furcut today! They needed it!

May 26th: This morning we went to jump with Isabelle! Brooke loves to JUMP!

May 27th: Today my mom took me shopping for maternity shorts and campris while my sister watched Brooke. Then we all went to lunch together. Such a fun day! Thanks Mom!

May 28th: Brooke loves to watch Daddy play guitar and he loves to play for her. So cute!

A Little Lady

2011-05-31T22:28:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Brooke waiting for Daddy to load the car, wearing her cute dress and her sparkly shoes. And that purse just tops is all off with cute-ness! Doesn't it??!!

Swinging

2011-05-29T15:16:00.002-05:00

As I go through my folders on my computer trying to figure out what to blog about, I realize that I have a lot of hidden pictures that you all have never seen.

This one was taken on Mother's Day when Grandpa and Daddy took Brooke for a walk to give her something different to do. She loves to swing! So it's likely that these two guys spent a lot of this walk building their upper body strength! Ha ha!

iPhone-aholic

2011-05-28T10:30:00.002-05:00

It's no secret in my family...Brooke is an iPhone-aholic! My parents both have one and so does my sister. Whenever we are together she now asks to watch Elmo videos on them. I'm just glad that I don't have one because she would want to hold it ALL THE TIME!

This picture was taken on May 22, 2011. Brooke with my dad, checking out the iPhone! It instantly made me think of a picture that was taken over a year ago in a very similar situation.

This picture was taken on February 28, 2010. The only difference is that the baby has much more hair today!!!

Project Life Tuesday Friday - Catch Up!

2011-05-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

Last Day of catch up! Whew!

May 15th: We have a bird in our attic. Sam went up there and found 3 eggs also. I love this picture because Brooke is counting the eggs and Chloe looks like she's in the background licking her lips!

May 16th: Mystery Park Monday. I love how Isabelle is smiling at Brooke! They are so cute together!

May 17th: Poor Noah! This is the state of his room. We have a lot of work to do!

May 18th: This picture was taken right after nap time. Brooke is normally looking for a snack when she gets up. And she normally takes her barrette out while sleeping too. Those silly bangs are in her eyes!

May 19th: This is one of my favorite Thirty-One purses! And I just bought this flower to add to it. I love it!

May 20th: We just discovered that Brooke's Percy train will go around this track all by himself! Brooke loves to watch him go!

May 21st: Brooke will come as ask to play games every once in a while at home. When she says it, she normally means Legos! So cute!

Project Life Tuesday Thursday - Catch Up!

2011-05-26T14:59:00.002-05:00

May 8th: Happy Mother's Day! This is one of the best pictures I got of me and my little girl who was running around and didn't want to stop for a picture!

May 9th: Mystery Park Monday! So much fun to hang out with friends and play outside! I love summer!

May 10th: This is the print that we are using for Noah's room. I love the little elephants!

May 11th: At bath time today, Brooke took the K and E off her name and replaced them with a T! This is so funny because this is exactly how she pronounces her own name! :)

May 12th: This is Brooke's current favorite book from the library. We read it at least twice a day!

May 13th: Spent some time at church scrapbooking with my friends tonight! I love nights with them! So much fun!

May 14th: Happy Birthday Sis! We celebrated by taking her out for brunch and then we went shopping for like 5 hours! FUN TIMES!

Project Life Tuesday Wednesday - Catch up!

2011-05-25T22:47:00.003-05:00

May 1st: I have Gestational Diabetes again this pregnancy. It's not too much fun but it's so worth it to follow the guidelines and have a healthy baby in the end!

May 2nd: Today I had to report for jury duty for my very first time. It was an interesting process but I didn't get chosen to serve on the jury. Oh well.

May 3rd: Playing outside in the backyard. Brooke carried her new purse, with her chapstick inside, around pretty much all day today. So sweet!

May 4th: We went to have lunch with the Cowdens today. Then we played in their front yard. Bubbles were one of the best parts!!

May 5th: Coupon Adventure today! I saved over $100! You can read more about it here.

May 6th: My sister and I had a garage sale this weekend. It's always fun to get rid of junk and make a little money! And it's fun to hang out with my sis too!

May 7th: Tonight was cousin Nathan's birthday party! Brooke was helping pass Aunt Val the wrapping paper. In this picture she was pointing out the puppies on the giftbag to her aunt!

Project Life Tuesday - Catch Up!

2011-05-24T23:16:00.003-05:00

Whew! I am 4 weeks behind in posting. So I will be catching up over the next few days on our Project 365! Here you go!

April 24th - This was the first year that Brooke really searched for Easter eggs. She was so good at it and really enjoyed seeing what was inside!!! YUM!

April 25th - These Elmo Easter eggs are loved! I usually find them hanging out around the house together!

April 26th - Today I scrapbooked Noah's first picture! YAY!!

April 27th - I loved it today when I saw our shoes lined up. Brooke took hers off and laid them right next to Momma's! So sweet!

April 28th - We headed to the zoo today. Brooke loved the long trip to Africa. She ran almost the whole way! Ha ha!

April 29th - Look what came in the mail today! I had to get Noah one to match Brooke's "big sister" t-shirt!

April 30th - Went to a demo swap today. It's so much fun to play with so much of the new stuff and to get all of these great samples!!!

Playing at the Park

2011-05-24T23:13:00.002-05:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. But I'm making up for it today with two posts...so be sure to check them both out!

Yesterday we went to the park with some friends for our Mystery Park Monday. We have a group that tries to go to a different park every Monday morning. Today Brooke was showing off how she does her V-sits to keep in shape. Ha ha!

Don't you just love her outfit? The Easter Bunny brought it to her at gma and gpa's house. She got quite a few compliments on it today!

Post about Noah!

2011-05-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Now that I have 2 kiddos, I have to learn to start being fair with my blog posts!

I don't think that I've shown you all the progress of my growing belly yet on this blog. So here goes...

We are currently 25 weeks along! YAY!!!

New Trike

2011-05-21T16:06:00.002-05:00

On April 23rd the Easter Bunny came to Grandma and Grandpa's house and brought Brooke a trike!

She loves it! She still needs a little help riding it because she's still a little too short but she's getting the hang of it more and more each day!!!

Wow...

2011-05-20T15:37:00.002-05:00

It's been entirely too long since I've blogged! You know it has been when you Grandma sends you an email and says that she loves reading your blog about the family and then you feel guilty about not updating in over 2 weeks! OOPS!

So to make it up to my Grandma, here's a cute picture from Easter with her and Brooke. Brooke got this trike from the Easter Bunny. And this picture of her and her Great Grandma is so precious! Love you Gma!

Additionally, my sister commented today that I have been avoiding this blog and updating my crafty one in a very timely manner this month. So...here I am today, it's Brooke's first full day of being 27 months (not that I count in months much anymore). So I will try to blog for the next 31 days without stopping to celebrate! See you back here tomorrow!!

Coupon Adventure - How I saved $111.63 today!

2011-05-05T13:24:00.005-05:00

The first thing you have to do when couponing is get organized! I organized and printed coupons and my lists last night after everyone was in bed!

I follow Kelly at Kansas City Mamas. She gives great coupon match-ups and printable coupons as well.

When shopping with a toddler, you have to be ready with snacks and treats. Our first stop was Sonic to get a half price drink for Mommy and a kid size drink for Brooke! Orange juice kept her entertained for 2 car links!

When we got to Target, I pulled out the M&Ms! She loved that and was quiet for most of the trip!

Then at Price Chopper we couldn't forget to get our free cookie at the bakery! I love this perk!

Our first stop was CVS. I don't normally go to CVS because I have been in the past and it seems like everything is out of stock. But I went there for 3 main items today and they were all there!

Tide was $5.99/bottle and I had two coupons making my bottles: $5.24 and $5.64. And I got a $1 ECB (Extra Care Buck) to use on my next purchase.

Pantene was 2/$6.97. I had a coupon for $3/2 Pantene products so that made my bottles $1.99 each!! And I got a $1 ECB to use on my next purchase.

Dawn dish soap was .99 and I had 3 coupons to use making my bottles: .74, .74, and .49!!

And when I scanned my card as I walked in the store I got a coupon for $1 off Twizzlers and I can't pass those up! They were $1.77 with my coupon!

Total for the shopping trip was $20.19. I saved $17.70!! Also have $2 in ECB to spend on my next purchase!

Our second stop was Target. I was mainly there for the granola bar sale! But there are always a few extra items that hop in my cart at Target!

Granola bars were $1.92 per box, Buy 4 and get 1 free. On Target's website they have a Target coupon for $1/2 boxes. So I got 5 boxes for $5.68. That's $1.14 per box. This is a great deal because these are often breakfast or snacks in our house for all of us!

Degree Deodorant at Target is the best! It comes in a 2 pack for $4.34. I had two $1/1 mfr coupons and then two $1/1 Target coupons...did you know you could stack them at Target??!! So I got 4 tubes of deodorant for $4.68. That's $1.17 per tube!!

A majority of my money went to a few clothing items for Noah ($9.60) and coffee for the hubby ($8.99 - $1.50 off coupon = $7.49). Then I also got a few pieces of poster board and some cotton balls.

Total for the shopping trip was $26.31. I saved $10.85.

Our last stop was Price Chopper. I didn't want to take all of the items out of their bags so this is the picture that you get! Ha ha! There are a lot of great sales at Price Chopper this week!!

Price Chopper Highlights:

Kraft Cheese for $1.49 each (blocks or shredded)

Yoplait yogurt for .39. I bought 12 and had two coupons for .40/6 yogurts. So they were .32 each.

6.5 lbs of Hamburger for $15.57.

7 lbs of Chicken breasts for $8.48!!

Banquet Sausage for .99 each!

Kelloggs Cereal is, Buy 3 for $9 and get $3 off milk! I had a coupon for $1.50/3 boxes. So I got cereal for $2.50/box and then my milk is $3.89. So I got $3 off milk and also had a coupon for .50 off milk. My milk was only .39!! WOO HOO! I may have to go back and do that deal again this weekend!

Cheez-Its for .99/box!

Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese dinner for $1.49. I had two coupons for $1/1 bag. So I got two bags of this for .49 each!

Huggies wipes are $1.99. I had two coupons so I got my boxes of wipes for $1.24 and $1.49!

There are certain lunchables for .79 each (limit 4) and some for .99 each (limit 3)! These are great for park days!

Oscar Meyer lunch meat - 1lb. for $2! I got my limit of 3 and froze some!

And last great item is 2 lbs. strawberries for $2.49!

I spent $95.72. Saved $83.08! This was a great week at Price Chopper!!!

2011-04-26T15:59:00.002-05:00

April 17th: Popsicle time with Daddy on the back porch!

April 18th: Eating lunch in the park with our friends! Crazy hair and a messy Oreo face!

April 19th: Dying Easter Eggs with Grandma Jean! Brooke had so much fun!

April 20th: Sweet little girl in the tub!

April 21st: Brooke loves when we blow raspberries on her belly!

April 22nd: Playing horsey with Daddy! Brooke loves it!

April 23rd: Brooke's first Easter Egg Hunt. She did a really good job!!

Dying Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T18:01:00.005-05:00

It's a tradition in our family to color Easter Eggs with Grandma Jean! This year Brooke is 2 years old and was doing almost everything by herself! WOW!

She was very focused!

And very proud of herself!

There were times when she got in a little trouble for splashing the die everywhere or picking up a mug of die. Isn't this face adorable while Daddy gives her a little talk?!

So big!

Brooke even got in on the action with Grandma and Grandpa Rogers this year too!

And I pulled a few old pictures out so that you could see how much she's grown over her 2 years of life!

Last year she still needed a lot of help and it only kept her interest for a few minutes.

We had a little mishap with the orange die...big splash!

In 2009 Brooke was only 1 month old when she "helped" us die Easter Eggs!

Isn't this cute? Uncle Jer made her balance it on her chin and she actually looks like she's going to catch it if it drops off! Ha ha!

Happy Colored Easter Eggs to you all!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-04-19T13:26:00.004-05:00

Today you get 2 weeks of pictures! I have been a very bad blogger lately. I seem to be saying that a lot!

April 3rd: Today Brooke wore her flip fops for the first time. She liked them for about 3 hours and then wanted them off!

April 4th: Brooke got to stay up a little late tonight to see Daddy! He's home!

April 5th: What is there better to do on a warm day than hang your feet outside and read books with your teddy bear?!

April 6th: Today we headed to the zoo. The polar bear was our favorite today. Brooke loved watching him swim!

April 7th: Today I walked out of the room for a few minutes and came back to see Brooke with her pants pulled down. So silly!

April 8th: Playing soccer in the backyard!

April 9th: CROP day! So much fun to hang out with my girlfriends all day long!

April 10th: Restocked my favorite yogurt! It's very Gestational Diabetes friendly!

April 11th: Park day with friends! Brooke and Isabelle loved walking around the play area on this ledge. So sweet!

April 12th: Pulling her new wagon behind her. I got this at the end of last summer on sale! She LOVES it this year!

April 13th: It's a BOY! Noah Samuel Ryden! Can't wait to meet him!

April 14th: Watching Daddy play softball tonight. Brooke had a lot of fun!

April 15th: Enjoying some juice from Sonic! We love our Sonic drinks!

April 16th: Brooke stayed with Grandma and Grandpa last night and got to color Easter eggs. She was so proud of them! YUM!

It's a...

2011-04-13T19:29:00.004-05:00

BOY!!! Introducing Noah Samuel Ryden.

Isn't he a sweetie?

And here is his picture turned side-ways so that people can pick out his face better!

Everything looks good. YAY!

So since we only have little girl's clothing in our house, Mommy had to do a little shopping!

I am loving these little onesies! So adorable for my little man!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-04-05T19:53:00.003-05:00

March 27th: Crazy snow today that stuck around. Ewww...It's March already! Let the sun shine and the temperatures get in higher!

March 28th: Monday morning playdate with Brooke and Mommy at Monkey Bizness! Brooke had so much fun jumping!

March 29th: Kristin and Adam came over to our house for dinner tonight. Brooke loves to play with her "A-am and Ristin!

March 30th: We got a new windshield today! The old one had a crack in it. Darn!

March 31st: Today we got this train track at a consignment sale. Brooke loves it!

April 1st: Today we had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa at our favorite pizza place, Waldo Pizza!

April 2nd: Working in the nursery at church tonight! Here Brooke is eating her snack with her good friend Miller!

Tu-Tu Cute!

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Grandma Jean made this tu-tu for Brooke about a month ago. Tonight she asked for it to be put on and she was running, twirling, and swinging her beads all around. I think she was a little hyper because she was up past her bed time! We had friends over for dinner tonight!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-03-29T23:42:00.002-05:00

March 20th: Today was our 7th wedding anniversary. This is the card that I gave to Sam. I love it!

March 21st: Playing in the park with our friends! Before we hit the playground we did a lap around the walking trail/lake to get some energy out! It really worked!

March 22nd: Tonight after dinner we went on a family walk. Brooke started out in the wagon, then wanted to run, and then wanted to pull her empty wagon! So cute!

March 23rd: Since we now get the paper Thurs-Sun, Sam likes to do the crossword puzzles. I usually find a puzzle sitting on the kitchen table waiting for the next time that he can work on it.

March 24th: Sam makes the best quesadillas. So he made dinner tonight...YUM!

March 25th: My sister contacted me and said she was having Brooke withdrawl and she would babysit on Friday night if we wanted to go out. So we took her up on it. We went to Chipotle and then to see the new movite Limitless. Before we left the house, Daddy was giving Brooke a ride in her empty diaper box. SO FUN!

March 26th: My first picture with "Lemon". This is what we are calling the baby until we know if it's a boy or a girl. Lemon is growing quite nicely! I feel lots of movements (felt the first one on March 11th) and Daddy even felt Lemon tonight too! :)

Monkey Bizness

2011-03-29T23:33:00.002-05:00

Daddy is out of town again this week. So on Monday, Brooke and decided that we would have a fun morning playing at Monkey Bizness.

Brooke was so excited this morning when I told her that we were going to go "jump"!

Brooke had tons of fun jumping!

She even jumped out of a few pictures!

Check out that smile! She loves it! And as you can see there weren't too many people there early on! YAY!

Thumbs Up!

Project Life Tuesday Sunday???

2011-03-27T17:48:00.004-05:00

I know it's not Tuesday and I actually missed posting these for 2 weeks in a row. I've been a bad blogger. But I am going to change that this week! Promise! Here is what you've been missing if you aren't already following me on facebook too!

March 6th: Sweet kisses in the bath tub for Daddy!

March 7th: Daddy left today on a business trip. So, we had dinner at Burger King...no need to cook tonight!

March 8th: Playdate with our friend Adina! It was fun to hang out with my friend Jinny today!

March 9th: While Daddy is gone, it seems that we have mac n cheese for atleast one meal a day. That's not bad is it?

March 10th: Playdate with our friends Sadie, Libby and Carter. Brooke loved this toy of Sadies. It popped the balls really high up in the air. She laughed so hard...it was really cute!

March 11th: Aunt Erica got to hang out with us today. It was pretty nice outside so we spent some time coloring with sidewalk chalk!

March 12th: Tonight we went to Aunt Val's birthday party. We ate ice cream pie and it was yummy!

March 13th: Brooke loves to paint, so we got her this paint-with-water book and she loves it!

March 14th: Sam's home! YAY!

March 15th: Brooke didn't get to spend a lot of time with Daddy last night before it was bed time so we made plans to have lunch with Daddy at Chick-fil-a...YUM!

March 16th: The first nice day to play at the park. Brooke and I went for 1.5 hours after dinner tonight. It was so much fun!

March 17th: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March 18th: Brooke was pretty proud of herself as she balanced on the table this morning before breakfast. So silly!

March 19th: Out for our anniversary! 7 years on March 20th! WOO HOO! We went to Pei Wei, for gelato, and to see Tommy Johnigan perform. Fun night and it was totally kid-free because my parents kept Brooke overnight! THANKS!

Beautiful Day

2011-03-21T16:37:00.001-05:00

Today is a beautiful day! We spent the morning in the park with friends! And a morning at the park means a long nap time! GREAT for Mommy time!

St. Patrick's Day 2011

2011-03-17T15:01:00.003-05:00

It's our tradition...take a picture together on St. Patrick's Day! YAY! And this is the last year that we will be just the two of us...next year we will have a brother or sister to join us!

SPD 2011: Look how big my little girl looks! She has grown over the past 2 years...check it out...

SPD2010: No hair little girl that just turned 1!

SPD2009: Just 26 days old. So sweet!

Hope you enjoy our tradition as much as we do!!!

Hiding

2011-03-14T11:14:00.002-05:00

Someone was hiding from me...

Someone should probably tell her that hiding behind a sheer curtain doesn't work too well!

There she is...he he!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-03-08T22:54:00.002-06:00

Another week down...

February 27th: Dancing at dinner time! Oh yeah!

February 28th: Taking pictures of the items I created on Saturday at the crop to post on my blog!

March 1st: Daddy came home today and we were back together as a family! YAY!

March 2nd: These animals are often found today laying around the house!

March 3rd: Fun benchpress that weighs around 23 lbs. and giggles a lot!

March 4th: I had my best month of sales ever in February. So I rewarded myself! YAY!!!

March 5th: Gus ran away and got really muddy today. So on this under 50 degree day, he got a bath outside. Maybe he learned a lesson...maybe!

Adventures in Couponing

2011-03-07T11:48:00.003-06:00

So I took a couponing class this past Saturday from Kansas City Mamas and I learned a TON!

I went on my first couponing trip today to Walgreens and it was FUN!

My total out of pocket expense was $38.15. This might seem a little high but that printer cartridge was almost half of the total and I will tell you why I bought it in just a minute!

Walgreens gives you 10 points for for every dollar you spend and 100 points for every perscription filled. You then can redeem your points online. 2000 points = $5 off at Walgreens and there are other options too. Well, I had never registered my card online. When I did I found I had 3700 points just sitting there! So I printed one $5 off coupon for today's shopping spree!

Here's what I got:

*Printer Cartridge - $17.99. The deal this week was to get 2000 points when you buy a printer cartridge. So I will get a $5 off coupon just for buying that! WOO HOO. Plus, in my mind I applied my $5 off coupon that I had in hand to this item! So it was really $12.99...in my mind!

*Fruit Loops and Corn Pops - $1.49 each. Kellogg's cereal is on sale this week for $1.99 each and I had a Buy 2 get $1 off coupon!

*Softsoap bodywash - 2/$7. Then you get $5 Register Rewards that you can spend on your next purchase! So I didn't save all that much today but I will in the future!

*Johnson & Johnson Baby Products - $2.22 each. They were Buy one, Get one 1/2 off. Then I had a two coupons for $1 off. Not bad!

*Puffs Facial Tissue - .99 each. I got 3x points for purchasing 3. So instead of just 20 points, I got 60!

*Dawn Dish Soap - .99 each. I got 3x points for purchasing 3. So instead of just 20 points, I got 60!

*Small Comp Book - .99. This wasn't on sale but I needed it to get my price book started so I can remember where all of the best deals are!

So while my total was $38.15, I got 2270 points (or so I think...they update online and it hasn't gone through yet) which will get me really close to getting two $5 off coupons for my next trip (because I have a balance of 1700 points before this trip). I also got a $5 Register Rewards coupon that I can use on my next trip too! WOO HOO! And my total savings with Walgreens sales and coupons was: $16.23!

I had a few other coupons that I didn't use. I am really trying to remember to only get stuff that we use on a regular basis that is a good deal! Otherwise, I think you spend more money when you have coupons then you should!

Our Little Lemon!

2011-03-03T19:40:00.002-06:00

Our little baby is the size of a lemon this week! From head to bottom the baby is about 3.5" long and weighs about 1.5oz.

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

WOW! Only a few more weeks until we find out if this little lemon is a boy or a girl!

Popsicle Time!

2011-03-02T09:35:00.001-06:00

Grandpa loves to spoil Brooke. She normally can get some ice cream or a popsicle out of him after each meal she eats, no matter if she finishes all of her food or not. YUM! She knows how to work it! :)

Project Life Tuesday

2011-03-01T15:02:00.002-06:00

As I type this, my hubby is on a plane on the way home! He's been gone for 9 days! We are so ready for him to be home! YAY!

February 20th: Our first crayon incident. Coloring with crayon on the rocking chair. It came right off...thankfully!

February 21st: Sam left today for a business trip and will be gone for 9 days. This is what I found on his pillow when I woke up. One of my favorite candies, Hot Tamales! YUM!

February 22nd: Taking pictures to send to Daddy while he's gone. Such a sweet face!

February 23rd: Spent the evening with my parents. We had pizza that we cooked on the grill! YUM!

February 24th: Tonight Adam and Kristin invited us over for dinner at their place! Brooke had fun making Adam run with her for 20-30 minutes! The night ended with me realizing that my keys were locked in the car. Then we drove to my house to get the spare and I couldn't find it! So the Spring Hill police came and unlocked it for free. SO NICE!

February 25th: Playdate with our friend Sadie today. These girls have so much fun together! And so do their Mommas!

February 26th: 12 Hour CROP day! WOO HOO! I love these days and I was so glad that my little sister babysat for me while Sam was out of town! I had a great break today and did a lot of scrapbooking! WOO HOO!

February 22nd

2011-02-23T14:19:00.002-06:00

While Daddy is gone on his business trip we are trying to remember to take lots of pictures and send him some every day. Here is what we took pictures of yesterday...

Cute picture of my baby girl after her nap! She woke up at 3:30pm. Wanted to eat dinner at 4:30 (this could be because she didn't really eat any lunch). Then at 5 she wanted to get in her new Elmo jammies. I convinced her that in order to get in our jammies we had to take a bath and so we took a bath at 5 and got in our cute jammies...

We put together our art easel tonight and played with that a little bit!

Went shopping with our new grocery cart.

And then watched Wheel of Fortune before heading to bed!

Just 6 more days and we will see Daddy again! YAY!!!

2 Years Old

2011-02-22T07:52:00.001-06:00

Can you believe that my little girl is 2?!!!

Just before her 2nd birthday we took a few pictures with Jessica Strom. Here is a link to the blog post with more photos!

Isn't our girl just so stinkin adorable?!?!?

Project Life Tuesday

2011-02-22T07:25:00.005-06:00

Well here I am on time!!! I am making up for not posting last week though...so you get 14 pictures today! Whew!

February 6th: Tonight was the Super Bowl. Grandma Jean came to watch Brooke and we went to enjoy watching the game with a few friends. It was a fun night!

February 7th: Our little girl has had a rough week...diarrhea will do that to you. This morning it was mostly crying that I got from her. What a silly looking face! Sometimes you just have to laugh and stand back to take some pictures!

February 8th: Yes, sometimes my couch looks like this. UGH! I need to clean!

February 9th: A little naked reading time after her bath and before jammies!

February 10th: Today Brooke was playing in the dog kennel. I then hear, "Gus come. Fo-we (Chloe) come. Come." This is stated over and over and over. Sometimes she would come upstairs and try to catch them and take them downstairs. This didn't really work. Anyway, after a while I decided to go see what was going on downstairs. I look down and I see a pile of dog bones just waiting to be eaten. Brooke was even giving them bait and they still didn't want to go play with her! Ha ha!

February 11th: The perfect bribe for getting an almost 2 year old to sit in a chair and take pictures! 2 year old pictures to come in a post today!

February 12th: Today we ordered balloons for Brooke's birthday party. It was one item she requested! We couldn't resist taking one balloon home with us today though...who needs to wait a whole week for balloons?! Brooke really enjoyed it!

February 13th: These are the Abby pom poms I made for Brooke's cake. Can't wait to see what it turns out like!

February 14th: What is better than a PEZ machine and lunch with Gpa and Gamma for Valentine's Day?? YAY!

February 15th: I guess TMose was in need of a bath today. I found him in the tub ready for a scrub!

February 16th: UGH! Daddy gave both Brooke and me his cold! Thanks for sharing Daddy!

February 17th: Today at the store we bought ketchup. Brooke said, "Sadie, ketchup." I think the only time she has had ketchup before was when we had lunch with her friend Sadie...so that makes sense!

February 18th: Today I made Elmo cookies for Brooke's birthday party. Aren't they so cute?!

February 19th: Our little baby turns 2 today! She was in love with her Abby Cadabby cake! Look how happy she was to see everyone arrive and show off her cake!

Absent Blogger...

2011-02-22T07:18:00.002-06:00

Wanna know why I haven't been a very good blogger in 2011 so far???

Yep...we're having a baby! We found out on Christmas that we are expecting baby #2. The due date is September 1st! So, my normal blogging time (Brooke's nap time) has been used to also take a nap! In the evenings, I have just felt so sick! All I have done is lay on the couch.

But things are starting to look up! I'm 13 weeks today and that means I'm almost done with the first trimester! And if I could shake this cold, I would feel 100% better! Here's hoping for an easy 2nd trimester!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:03:00.001-06:00

We hope you enjoy your day of love! There is much more fun to come in our day but I thought I would give you all a little taste of it to start off with. Mommy and Daddy gave Brooke 16 heart shaped bracelets and she LOVES them!

Another post to chronicle our day of love will come later!

Balloons

2011-02-13T13:37:00.002-06:00

Mommy: "What do you want to have at your birthday party Brooke?"

Brooke: "Ba-oons"

How can you deny her her one request?! So we ordered up a dozen today and had to get one to take home with us, of course! We all had so much fun with that ba-oon!

Sneak Peek

2011-02-12T16:43:00.002-06:00

On Friday Brooke had some pictures taken for her 2 year old photo shoot. We got to hang out with Jessica Strom! The full images will be revealed on her birthday! They are so cute, and I've only seen two of them so far!

23 Months

2011-02-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it? Our little girl is almost 2! In just 8 days we will be having her birthday party (on her actual birthday) and celebrating her! WOW! The leader of our parenting class on Tuesday mornings always says, "The days are long, but the years fly by." This is SO TRUE!

Brooke can count to TEN! It's so darn cute when she does it too! She started out repeating after us and now she can actually count objects. She won't count them if you say, "How many are there?" She only counts if you say, "Can you count the _______?" She's one smart little girl!

Here is how her numbers sound:
1 - "One"
2 - "Two"
3 - "Re"
4 - "Fouw-e"
5 - "Five"
6 - "Sis"
7 - "Sa-ven"
8 - "Eight"
9 - "Nine"
10 - "Ten"

Brooke can also pick out her colors most of the time. Here is how they sound:

Pink - "Pient"

Red - "Reed"

Orange - "Deutch"

Yellow - "Yell-yo"

Green - "Reen"

Blue - "Bew"

Purple - "Purple"

White - "White"

Black - "Bat"

Brooke absolutely LOVES her Dr. Suess books! You can find her carrying them around and reading them all day long. When we leave she wants to bring some. When it's time for bed or nap time, you can bet that we will be reading one or two of them. She loves them!

Brooke Facts:

*She loves to "Tow-r" (Color).

*We "Pete" or "PT" (Paint) almost everyday.

*To get more of something she will say, "Mow-e". It's pretty darn adorable!

*Brooke loves to run down the hall after her bath with her towel hanging from her head. It's like a cape!

*She asks for M&M's probably 10 times a day. They are now reserved for potty training. If she sits on the potty without a diaper, she will get 1 M&M. If she actually goes on the potty chair, I will give her more! Oh the incentive!

So ready for her Elmo and Abby Cadabby themed birthday party! Can't wait to share pictures with you!

Project Life Tuesday Thursday

2011-02-10T12:10:00.003-06:00

Late again...he he!

January 30th: We love cereal around our house and it's best when it's cereal sale week at our grocery store! That's really the only time I buy it!

January 31st: Brooke loves doing her puzzles! And don't you just love her hair here?

February 1st: Today we were in the middle of a blizzard so we stayed inside all day and worked on taking pictures for Brooke's birthday invites! I bribed her with M&M's! Is that bad?!

February 2nd: Here is the outcome of our blizzard! It was SO cold today! Brrr...

February 3rd: When Brooke wakes up in the morning she loves to tuck all of her animals into bed. Such a sweetie!

February 4th: Brooke wasn't even here this evening but there is evidence everywhere in our house that we have a daughter. EVERYWHERE!

February 5th: Not feeling the best today. I spent a lot of time sleeping! YAY!

I'll have salad with that...

2011-02-10T12:07:00.002-06:00

What (almost) 2 year old asks for salad with their sandwich for lunch??! MINE DOES! Ha ha! I think it's secretly just for the dip!

Ready for Spring!

2011-02-05T09:21:00.002-06:00

We had a blizzard this past week. See...

We have a lot of snow! And the sun never hits this side of the house so I think it will be here for a really LONG time!

While I was out taking a few pictures, Brooke was supposed to stay inside. But it seems that I left the door open in case she needed me. So while she's not wearing a coat, she was only out for less than a minute and she is wearing 3 layers of clothing anyway! Ha ha!

But check out what she brought outside with her....a cup of milk and a piece of sidewalk chalk!

She looks at her normal wall she colors on...and sees a pile of snow in her way!

Then she looks at me, "What should I do Mom?" Ha ha! Such a cutie!

My sister told me yesterday that I was a bad blogger. So I'm gonna try to get better, starting this week!

Project Life Tuesday Friday

2011-02-04T09:14:00.003-06:00

WOW! I'm really late again this week! I'm just not very good at this blogging thing right now! We had a week of a blizzard and then some sickness that we are still trying to get over. All Brooke wanted to do one day this week was to sit on the couch by Mommy and watch Elmo! So...it was interesting and I didn't get much blogging done. But better late than NEVER!

January 23rd: This Look and Find Abby book is one of Brooke's favorites at the moment! She loves to look and look at it!

January 24th: Brooke loves to paint! She will ask to do it almost ever day!

January 25th: Today Brooke took some of her stuffed animals and sat them eat on a chair. She then gave them juice, ice cream, pizza...books, toys to play with. Whatever their little hearts desired!

January 26th: Tickle fight on the couch after dinner! Love this picture of me and my girl!

January 27th: Each night after bath, Brooke loves to pick out her jammies.

January 28th: Playdate with our friend Sadie today to Little Monkey Business and Fritz's!

January 29th: I love these cornbags! I heat one up in the microwave almost every night before bed! They keep my feet toasty warm when hoping into a cold bed!

Oh My...

2011-01-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Some days are just like this.

(Don't you think she's still stinkin adorable?)

Project Life Tuesday Wednesday

2011-01-26T15:43:00.003-06:00

Late by a day...ever since my 12 hour crop this weekend I have been trying to catch up on sleep whenever I get a minute. Whew! Staying up until 1am and then getting up at 7:30 to get to church and teach Sunday School is just too much for my now 30 year old body! Ha ha!

January 16th: Tonight Sam and I went to a party at church and my mom and dad brought over a pizza to share with Brooke for dinner. I had to snag a piece before I left too!

January 17th: Tonight I made my Grandma's mac n' cheese recipe. It's so good I'm going to share it!

Ingredients:

8 oz. macaroni noodles

3 TBSP. margarine

3 TBSP. flour

2 C. milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. Velveeta

1 C. dry bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 325.

*Spray 8 inch square baking dish or other dish with Pam.

*Cook macaroni as directed on package.

*Drain and put in dish.

*In a medium sauce pan melt margarine, stir in flour.

*Gradually add milk while stirring.

*Cut 2/3 of the cheese into small cubes and add to the sauce with salt and pepper.

*Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted and sauce slightly thickened.

*Pour over noodles.

*Slice rest of cheese into 4 or 5 pieces and scatter over macaroni.

*Add bread crumbs on top if desired.

*Bake for 30 minutes at 325.

January 18th: Brooke sometimes hides from me by covering her eyes. I will say, "I wonder where Brooke is? Is she downstairs??" I will hear a little giggle and then Brooke will open her hands to show her face. So stinkin cute!

January 19th: Brooke turned 23 months old today. WOW! We took her 23 month pictures. I thought it was appropriate that she was reading these books. Her Dr. Suess series is just about all that she wants to read these days.

January 20th: I turned 30 today. What a milestone! My hubby took me out to eat dinner at Pei Wei and then shopping and to eat Frozen Yogurt too! YUM!

January 21st: Got these cute sunglasses in the mail today. I can't wait to give them to my little girl on her birthday, February 19th!

January 22nd: Today I found Brooke sitting behind the curtain by the back door. She looked so cute there, just watching all the snow and probably laughing at the dogs too!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-01-18T10:21:00.003-06:00

I'm on time again...WOO HOO! This is amazing because I have been sick, Brooke has been sick. Basically I've been napping almost every afternoon when Brooke does because I'm not getting much sleep at night. But I think today we are both better!

January 9th: Today we got out a Christmas present that was hiding away. Brooke had fun making pizza for us all to eat!

January 10th: SNOW DAY! I mean, if Brooke was in school she would be having a snow day. But we aren't so we just stayed home and did snow day stuff anyway. Lots of movies, made cookies, and crafts!

January 11th: So cold outside today. Wind Chills below 0. So we satyed inside and looked for stuff to do. Coloring on this packing paper was so fun!

January 12th: Brooke tried her hand at stamping today. As you can tell, I'm not quite ready to share my ink pads with her yet!

January 13th: Today we got out another Christmas present. Brooke wore her new beads for most of the day. She had to put on her winter hat too! So silly!

Janary 14th: Today we made valentines with our new paint brush tip markers! Brooke loves being crafty!

January 15th: My 30th birthday celebration with my family. Yummy ice cream cake!

Tea Party

2011-01-12T08:16:00.003-06:00

Tea Parties are an almost every day event at our house these days...

Brooke got this tea set for Christmas from her Grandma Jean and Grandpa Don. She loves playing with it.

I normally get a cup or two or ten of tea!

And some of our animals get involved too!

I think she likes it when Ernie drinks tea the best! Maybe it's because he's a boy, or because he's friends with Abby and Elmo. I don't know! But it's really cute!

Project Life Tuesday

2011-01-11T13:56:00.004-06:00

Well it's the first Project Life Tuesday in 2011! YAY! We are well on our way to capturing life in the Ryden household! Here is a sneak at our first few pictures!

January 1st: Playing Michael Jackson's new Wii game. When you dance like him, you have to dress like him too!

January 2nd: Out with my family to Crown Center. Walking around the shops we say this Hello Kitty stuff. Brooke loves Hello Kitty. She will say, "Titty Tat. Hello (while putting her hand to her ear and tilting her head to the side like she's talking on a phone)!" So cute!

January 3rd: While eating a little M&M treat after dinner Brooke made her famous face. Imagine this facial expression with a little shake of the head added in. So silly!

January 4th: Playdate at Church. Riding a little scooter and drinking milk. That's talent!

January 5th: Today after nap we went outside for 15 minutes. It was around 50 degrees so it wasn't so bad out.

January 6th: We took the Christmas decorations down yesterday and put together Brooke's slide she got from Aunt Erica. She had to get on it first thing this morning!

January 7th: Waiting for dinner to be done, making stars out of Play-Doh! Brooke had a lot of fun!

January 8th: Today was the day of coloring. I'd say in total we clocked 2.5 hours at this table just coloring away. Good thing I enjoy coloring too!

Project Life Tuesday - End of 2010

2011-01-04T14:19:00.002-06:00

Here it is...the end of 2010! Hope you enjoy!

Dcember 26th: Today we spent the day with my parents and sister for our little family Christmas. It was a pretty low-key day. Brooke liked opening her presents for the first half, then she just wanted to PLAY!

December 27th: Grandma and Grandpa Rogers gave Brooke this cute little table and chairs combo you see in the corner of her room. In order to fit it in, we have to rearrange a little! You can kinda see what it used to look like in this VERY OLD post from before she was born!

December 28th: Aunt Erica got Brooke this toy. When you color faster, it plays music faster! Brooke loves it and has created numerous pieces of art since breaking it out of the package on this day. It is even fun for the whole family...Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it a little bit too!

December 29th: We are bringing out the new toys a little at a time. We opened the AuqaDoodle today and Brooke LOVED it. She even asked for paper when the little mat was all colored up. It was hard to explain that this marker was only for this mat!

December 30th: There are times when Daddy is bathing Brook when I hear, "Mommy, come look at this." Tonight I went in to the bathroom and saw this neat hairdo! So silly!

December 31st: I am so thankful that I get to live life with this guy! Wouldn't have it any other way! So excited to see what 2011 brings! Stay Tuned!

Favorite Pictures of 2010

2010-12-31T13:31:00.005-06:00

Since I have been taking one picture per day this year, it was pretty hard to narrow down my absolute favorites! But here is one picture from each month that I love, love, LOVE!

January: Birthday kisses for Momma!

February: 1st Birthday for our little baby girl! Such a sweet, pink mess!

March: I will never forget this day when we walked and walked and walked around the park. Brooke didn't want to play on anything, she just wanted to walk (which was a skill she was still perfecting at the time)!

April: Playing in the park, not wanting to walk on the wood chips. Such a silly girl! She now will run all over this park and even go down the super big slides!

May: Our sweet little family!

June: I love my husband!!

July: I remember that this day was SO HOT! We stayed inside all day and passed some of the time taking pictures! So sweet!

August: Brooke gives Daddy a pep talk before his softball game.

September: Visiting the beach for the first time! Hanging out in Oregon for the day!

October: Love this sweet hairdo and this happy baby playing outside!

November: Our sweet little family again. I love that we get to be together!

December: Funny baby. Being silly in her pink room, pulling her skirt up to her armpits and laughing cause we are too!

Hope you all have enjoyed my Project 365. Get ready for more because I'm doing it again in 2011!!

22 Months Old

2010-12-30T15:05:00.003-06:00

Our girl is 22 months old! WOW! There is so much to tell about her this month. We are so busy and love watching her grow and change!

Brooke's Favorites:
*Running! Brooke loves to run! She runs down the hallway, in parking lots (while holding our hands), in our front yard, down the driveway...anywhere! It makes her happy!

*Abby Cadabby! Elmo and Abby are Brooke's favorites but she, more often than not, asks for her Abby movie instead of Elmo!

*The Library! Brooke loves to go there and pick out new movies, a few books, and play with their toys in the kids area. Every time I tell her that's where we are going, she gets very excited to leave! She even knows which books are from the library and she just loves to read them!

*Juice! Brooke just got to try it for the first time a few weeks ago and we have had a hard time getting her to do anything else when juice is involved! She has only had it 3 times in her life.

*Jumping! Brooke loves to jump and it's so cute when she does!

Cooking! She has been a really big help this Christmas, getting all fo the baking and cooking done. She loves to stand on her chair by Momma and "help"!

Cute Things Brooke Does:
*This month Grandma gave her a red shirt that said, "Who needs Santa when you have Grandma". Ever since then, every red shirt she wears she has labeled "Gamma".

*Before bedtime when we ask Brooke to give us a kiss she will try to give them with her binky in her mouth. We call these "Binky Kisses".

*When Brooke is really tired you will find her rubbing the ears of her teddy bear, TMose. It's kinda adorable!

*Brooke calls Play-Doh, Te-Doh and she loves to play with it atleast once a day!

*Most words that end in "r" come out of Brooke's mouth sounding like "aw". For example, Bear is "Be-aw", Chair is "Chi-aw". So cute!

*When asked what she wants to wear in the morning her first response is always, "Titty tats (Kitty Cat)". Then if those two shirts aren't clean it's "Mo-Mo (Elmo)." If that shirt isn't clean either, Mommy gets to decide!

Awesome Brooke Moments:
*This month I spelled her name out in the tub with her foam letters and she read it. I was so surprised!

*One night after dinner I said, "One." Brooke said, "Two." So I said, "Three." And we continued on that way to 10! I was so proud of my little girl. She now likes to count things like the candles in the dining room (there are 4), the glasses on the table (there are usually 3), anything...and when she gets the number counted, we all celebrate! She's so smart!

Favorite Gifts from Christmas:
*Abby in Wonderland from her Daddy and me.

*Tea Party Set (couldn't find the exact set online) from Grandma and Grandpa Ryden. We play tea party almost every day!

*Uno Moo from Grandma and Grandpa Rogers. She loves to take those little animals out and put them back in the barn!

*Dr. Seuss flashcards (like these but they are colors and shapes) from Great Grandma Teasley. She can already identify a triangle because of them!

*AuqaDoodle travel mat from The Rydens. She tries to get me to let her color on other things like paper and coloring books with the water filled marker! She doesn't want to give that thing up!

*Potsy Cooking toy and Color Me a Song from Aunt Erica! Both are played with every day!

Project Life Tuesday Thursday

2010-12-30T14:11:00.003-06:00

December 19th: Jer and Sam's Birthday Party! This year Brooke wanted a Grover cake for Daddy! I think it turned out pretty good!

December 20th: For holiday baking purposes, they should make hugs and kisses without wrappers!

December 21st: Out for Sam's birthday! It was fun to go to a Japanese Steak House with my man for his birthday! DATE NIGHT! Thanks for babysitting Grandma Jean!

December 22nd: Today we spent the morning decorating sugar cookies! Brooke thought it was really fun to eat the decorations!

December 23rd: Today we went over to my mom and dad's house to help get ready for Christmas! While we were there, Grandpa starting making this BIG box into a house for Brooke!

December 24th: Christmas Eve Celebration with the Rydens! Brooke got this tea set from Grandma and Grandpa and LOVES it so much! Here she is serving up some tea while we read the Christmas story from the Bible!

December 25th: Brooke was so excited to dig into her stocking this year and see all of her goodies! Everything she opened put a smile on her face! This Christmas was so much fun!

Angel on Top

2010-12-23T09:02:00.001-06:00

When my sister was younger she colored an angel that went on the top of my parent's tree for years. This year, my dad had a great idea to have Brooke make an angel.

So we traced to angel that My sister did and Brooke was put to work coloring it!

Grandpa supervised the coloring because she normally is only allowed to color in her highchair. Grandpas like to break the rules!

When she was done we all went out to the tree and put it on top.

Then they spent some time looking at the ornaments.

Here is a close up of the angel. We used a paper doily folded and cut in half for the wings. We just stapled them to the back and reinforced with tape. Don't you love it???

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T14:11:00.002-06:00

Since I don't have all of your addresses to send you a card, here you go!

We hope you all have a fun Christmas and a very blessed 2011! Thanks for reading our blog and we hope you continue reading in 2011 as we grow as a family!

Project Life Tuesday

2010-12-21T13:33:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it? It's Tuesday and I'm actually posting!!! I have tons of other things I could be doing, but right now I feel like blogging! I even made a blog header today! Do you like it?

December 12th: I love the Christmas lights at night in our home. It's so peaceful!! (And yes, we have stockings for our dogs too!)

December 13th: Today I made Easy Lemon Cookies for a cookie swap. They are SO GOOD and are SO EASY!

December 14th: We are so into baking this holiday season! Tonight we made peanut clusters just like Grandma Hunter used to make!

December 15th: Crazy girlie! She wanted to wear her Halloween shirt, didn't want to do her hair, and she wanted to have cereal for breakfast! Sometimes I let her do what she wants!

December 16th: Playing with Play-Doh. This morning we used a star cookie cutter and Brooke thought that was super fun!

December 17th: Once a day Brooke gets to watch a movie if she wants. She almost always picks Abby in Wonderland! We rent it from the library but she will be getting a copy of her very own for Christmas!!

December 18th: It's so much fun when Daddy is home on Saturdays! Brooke was riding her horse! She loved it!

Well I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. The next Project Life Tuesday will include the holiday pictures! YIPPIE!!

Christmas Picture Comparison

2010-12-15T15:29:00.002-06:00

2009 - Brooke at 9 Months (taken Nov 2009)

2010 - Brooke at 19 Months (taken Oct 2010)

My how we have changed in our household.

Project Life Tuesday Wednesday

2010-12-15T15:08:00.004-06:00

I really thought today was Tuesday. I don't know why I did because all day yesterday I thought it was Wednesday. My mind is working in mysterious ways. Hmmm... Anyway, here are the pictures of the day for last week!

December 5th: "Happy Day" (Happy Brithday) to "Pa Pa" (Grandpa). He requested an Elmo cake so that's what I made him. He let Brooke try the icing before we even ate dinner. She has him wrapped around her little finger!

December 6th: We put up the tree today. Brooke enjoyed the lights the most!

December 7th: After nap time today we decorated a graham cracker house. Brooke had more fun eating it than decorating!

December 8th: I guess a little choco-monster got a hold of the houses decorations while I was cooking dinner tonight. See all of the empty spots where decorations used to be??

December 9th: Brooke finally let me put her hair in pigtails again. I normally ask her in the morning and she has said no for the past few weeks! I have missed them!

December 10th: Aunt Erica watched Brooke this morning so I could go shopping for a while (Thanks Erica! Don't I have the best sister?!). I bought them a cookie decorating kit to play with while I was out. Brooke loved it!

December 11th: We went on a roadtrip to a birthday party today and while we were there, Brooke became fast friends with Catlin. Catlin is in 6th grade and was just as much in love with Brooke as Brooke was with her. They were so cute together. Catlin will make a great babysitter someday. Too bad she lives 3 hours away from us!

Riding in the Car

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the light is just right in the car to get a perfect picture of my little girl. I love this one!

The Ryden Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T15:56:00.002-06:00

We get to hang out with the Rydens on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I love this tradition so much! It makes Thanksgiving so low stress when you don't have to worry about getting to and eating at 5 different places in one day!!

Here is Brooke with her "Papa" (Grandpa). She spotted him while we were eating dinner all the way across the table and after she was done eating she made her way over to him to sit on his lap and get a few cuddles!

Looking at pictures with her cousin Hunter. He really enjoyed carring Brooke around and showing her all the treasures at Grandma and Grandpa's house today. And I think she enjoyed it just as much!

Grandma and Grandpa with all of this grandkids! Brooke is the only girl of the bunch.

Every year at the Rydens, we make a craft. You can see last year's craft here. This year we made these cute little turkeys! Won't this make the perfect scrapbook embellishment?!!

Sam made his into a pin so he can wear it for years to come!

And the last Thanksgiving picture is Brooke with her Grandma Jean. They love to be silly together!

The Teasley Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T15:38:00.002-06:00

We normally eat a late lunch with my Mom's side of the family on Thanksgiving Day. I love my uncle's famous mashed potatoes, my Grandma's apple pie and of course, getting to see the family.

Aunt Sue and Me. I made her take a break from cooking to take this picture with me!

Brooke chowing down on a few treats before dinner.

Just being silly.

The famous mashed potatoes with their maker. YUM!

Brooke was loving her second cousin Zack this year. She liked sitting on his back. She was also very found of this picture my Grandma found at her house that my aunt painted of me when I was around her age.

Aunt Erica got Brooke this Abby Cadabby potty book. It is VERY LOUD. But Brooke loves it. This was funny because she was pushing all of the buttons while it was right by Zack's ear. There was no sleeping for him!

And here is her Great Uncle Brent, reading it to her while second cousin Kelly holds her. Awww...

The Rogers Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T14:55:00.004-06:00

I figure that I should blog Thanksgiving before Christmas gets here!

Every year we have Thanksgiving breakfast with my Dad's side of the family. I really enjoy this tradition because it's breaskfast! We get to start the day with egg casserole and yummy cinnamon roles!

Of course, we had to take a picture with "Gamma" (Grandma)!
"Papa" (Grandpa) was giving Brooke orange juice. I think this was her very first taste of it.

After each drink she would wipe her mouth off.

What a sweet little girl we have!

Then she found the actual oranges and loved them.

She must love citrus because it's the one thing that I always had cravings for while I as pregnant. I had a glass of OJ or an orange every day!

Me with my sister!

Chillin with Grandpa, eating more oranges!

I always try to get a good Thanksgiving picture with my hubby. I am so thankful that he is in my life! I couldn't ask for a more supportive, caring, funny, or studly guy! So glad I get to do life with him!

21 Months Old!

2010-12-10T16:28:00.006-06:00

Well I've been meaning to make this post for a while now...but life is so busy in December! So I guess getting it done before she turns 22 Months old is a plus, right?!

Just a little over 2 more months and Brooke will be 2! WOW!

This girl will seriously repeat anything you say these days. Not only will she repeat but she knows what you are saying too. For example, today I was talk to my sister while Brooke was in the room and I said, "You can also watch her A-B-B-Y movie if you want." To which Brooke replied, "Abby" and wanted to go watch it right then. I said, "I didn't know you knew the word movie!" Or maybe she already knows how to spell...I'm in trouble!

Brooke's Favorites:

*Toy: Nativity Set. I love finding it in various positions. The other day Joseph and 2 wisemen were behind the couch and the other wiseman and Mary were with baby Jesus in the stable. Ha ha!

*Activity: Watching Abby or Elmo on TV. Brooke will finally sit still and watch at least 20 minutes of a DVD. We check them out from the library but her favorite is Abby in Wonderland and Santa might be putting it in her stocking this year!

*Food: Cereal with milk and a little sliced banana on top.

*Treat: Anything chocolate!

Cute Things Brooke Does:

*She makes Mommy or Daddy (whoever is bathing her) blow bubbles with her in the tub.

*She likes to point out what belongs to each person while eating meals, "Mommy's cup. Bert's (Brooke's) cup." And it goes on and on...plates, spoon, fork, napkin, items we are eating...

*She goes to the car door that her seat is at and says, "Bert's Seat." She's so smart!

*She says, "Smile" when Mommy is taking pictures of her.

*In the morning she loves to pick out what shirt to wear, whether she wants to wear shoes or boots, and also how her hair is done. She's growing up so fast!

One of her favorite new things to do with Daddy this month is "run". Daddy will hold her hands like in the picture above and they will both run. Sometimes Brooke will just pick up her feet and go along for the ride. They are so cute together!

Interesting Brooke Facts:
*She loves to wipe her nose. We usually give her a wipe or a tissue and she is pretty good at it.

*After she wipes her nose you can often find her using the same tissue to "clean" things. We are working on not doing this!

*Brooke loves pretzels!

*Brooke also loves M&M's but this isn't new!

We are so excited for December 19th when she turns 22 months. And we are even more excited to experience Christmas with her this year. She's at such a fun age and we love her SO MUCH!

288 Days

2010-12-08T21:05:00.002-06:00

Oh my! What a difference 288 days makes. In the length of hair, in height...and many other things you can't tell from this picture.

January 2010
November 2010

Have I mentioned how much I love Project 365? Can't wait to see the differences in 2011.

Project Life Tuesday Wednesday

2010-12-08T20:27:00.005-06:00

Maybe next week I will be on time...maybe!

November 28th: We headed to the plaza with The Ryden Family! It's our tradition. We eat dinner at Winstead's (yummy grilled cheese, onion rings, and butterscotch shake), then we walk around the plaza shopping or just hanging out with each other.

November 29th: Just started this book and I'm liking it so far.

November 30th: After nap today, Brooke and I made puppy chow! YUM!

December 1st: We started a game of Monopoly the night before and here it sits, waiting to be played again the next day. (I totally won!)

December 2nd: Big snack after nap today (because we refused to eat lunch). I have been wanting to try this muffin tin concept since I read about it on a few blogs I read. I think it's so much fun! I just filled it with what we had in the house (need to get some fruit) and I did eat half today!

December 3rd: Silly girl pulled her skirt up to her armpits when I turned my back today. Ha ha!

December 4th: After nap today, Brooke had her shirt around her waist! How did that happen???

Brooke's Wearing

2010-12-05T08:08:00.001-06:00

So much to blog...so little time! Things on my list: Brooke @ 21 Months, Thanksgiving Celebrations, The Start of Christmas Traditions, and much, much more. I just take too many cute pictures of this little girl!

But for now I'm going to do another post about what Brooke is wearing. I think it will be so much fun for her (and me) to look back in about 25+ years and compare to that day's trends.

I love this outfit that Brooke wore for Thanksgiving Day. It consisted of black leggings, her Old Navy Gray skirt (that you can also see here...it's a favorite!), an owl shirt (design below), and boots that we borrowed from a friend!

Here's a close up of the owl. Don't you just love it?

Anna and Addie

2010-12-03T20:41:00.001-06:00

Anna is my cousin. She had Addie just 6 weeks after I had Brooke. I think we found a new tradition for our Thanksgiving gathering! I can't wait to see how these girls grow in the next year!

Embrace the Camera

2010-12-02T20:44:00.003-06:00

This week it's Daddy's turn to Embrace the Camera with his daughter.

I took a series of pictures, that you will see soon on the blog, last Saturday. I loved how this one turned out. Daddy and daughter hugging and both smiling. They love to spend time together and I love to capture it with my camera!

Project Life Tuesday Thursday

2010-12-02T20:17:00.003-06:00

Late Again...

November 21st: Hanging out with my little girl in the kitchen. I love our eyes!

November 22nd: We bought a potty today. Brooke went 4 times and kept a dry diaper from after nap until bed time. The problem came the next day when she went #2 in the potty and starting freaking out. Now she hasn't touched the thing since last week. What to do??

November 23rd: Chillin on the potty after nap time. Still a little sleepy, still using her binky. I love this face.

November 24th: Sitting with Daddy just before bed time. After stories Brooke is just about ready for bed. We pray together as a family and then off to bed she goes.

November 25th: Happy Thanksgiving. I love this picture because it's my whole family with my Grandma Rogers. Yay!

November 26th: We celebrate with the Rydens on Friday. We usually make a craft and this year we made turkey pins. Here is Sam, my husband, modeling his! So cute!

November 27th: Another family event. This time with my side of the family. We stopped to take a family picture. I love how it turned out! :)

Difference of a Year

2010-11-24T14:33:00.001-06:00

Thought you all would like to see another comparison. Kids just grow so fast!!

Project Life Tuesday Wednesday

2010-11-24T14:05:00.004-06:00

November 14th: God's promise was retold in the form of a fortune cookie!

November 15th: Making my list of goodies to get from the new Occassions Mini and SAB Mini!

November 16th: Our friends let us borrow some boots for the winter! Brooke loves them!

November 17th: It was cold enough to break out the winter coat tonight while running an errand! She looks like a big puffy, pink marshmallow!

November 18th: Most days when waking up from a nap, Brooke likes to read. Today she was looking through her Bible pointing out all of the animals that she knows. So cute!

November 19th: Brooke has been talking a lot about pizza. So for lunch we made her some with the ingredients we had on hand! She liked to pick the pepperoni off first.

November 20th: Brooke loves to watch Elmo (Mo Mo) and Abby on YouTube. She asks to watch multiple times a day. We had to start limiting her time online. Ha ha!

Little Sis

2010-11-22T11:00:00.002-06:00

I love both of these pictures of my little sis, Erica. She's my favorite shopping pal because she always have the best Gap Outlet coupons...and she just so happens to be super fun to hang out with! Love you sis!

Sisters

2010-11-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

We don't look alike at all do we??!!

Sweet Brooke

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

The main reason for this photo shoot was family pictures so there aren't too many of our little Brooke by herself. She was just photographed by Jessica when she was 18 months anyway. (I don't think I ever posted those pictures...I will have to do that next!)

Here is my favorite of the day. I think she is just so stinkin cute!

And here is another one. While taking pictures, Brooke got a little restless. Jessica suggested that we put her down to just play for a while and she is what Jessica captured. So cute! She's probably smiling at her "Pa Pa".