There's only one October

Our family just loves this time of year with the leaves changing and the temperatures dropping from the hot summer heat to the cool crisp fall air. The cooler weather means that it's time for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch which can only mean Halloween is right around the corner, followed closely by Thanksgiving, Brooklyn's birthday and Christmas. The last three months of the year are just the best.

Here's a few shots of our annual pumpkin patch trip.

And, our pumpkins with their pumpkins... Brooklyn and Daddy all dressed in their Halloween best...

(Tierney went as a baby and Mommy went as well a Mommy of two!)

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Next up for our family: Tierney's baptism on Sunday.

At home

We got home Thursday night from the hospital, and we're loving being a family of four. It definitely has its challenges, or rather things that we're learning, but overall, we are all having a wonderful time being together and enjoying our precious little baby Tierney. Brooklyn is as we thought she would be, a terrific big sister. She loves holding, loving and playing with her baby sister. She loves her sister so much that we've had to remind her that babies are very tender and very fragile and that being careful is so important. Kevin and I are enjoying our two precious daughters and are amazed that God entrusted us with their care. Enjoy the new photos.

One day old

Sisterly love

WIthin 90 minutes

We just got hit with a slow moving thunderstorm that brought some lightning and thunder, but with rain so heavy it left three inches in our rain gauge in a span of 90 minutes. The streets were flooding, forcing the heavy rainfall onto the sidewalks. One corner of our yard is submerged under standing water and to top it all off we were under a tornado warning with sirens blaring that sent our family with dog in tow to the basement just in case. It's still raining, but very lightly and the all clear siren has sounded.

Here's a couple pictures of our backyard swimming pool. Brooklyn sure had fun splashing in the puddles. Kevin had fun watching the rain come down commenting about how this storm made up for all the rain we didn't get this summer. And, me, I loved the rain, but the tornado warning and rushing the family to the basement sent this pregnant mama into stress/panic mode. Now that all is clear, I'm feeling better and Kevin and Brooklyn are diving into our Nerds stash. At least our grass will be really green!

A little update

There's been so much activity going on in our little household, here's an update of some of the highlights...
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Our baby girl's nursery is painted. Thanks to nods from my doctor's office and Brooklyn's pediatrician, we made it a family affair. I had been obsessing over what colors to paint the room for over a month and finally as we stood there the night before buying the paint, we reached a decision, a creative agreement on what colors to paint. I wanted a two color scheme, but was having the hardest time deciding between purple and turquoise or two different shades of purple. And, then there are the color tones to consider and how to actually paint the room. We decided and painted two-thirds of the room from the bottom up a dark purple and then the remaining third of the room plus the ceiling a lighter shade of purple. With Brooklyn's help, we completed this task on a Saturday morning before lunch. The room now feels so warm and inviting and no longer our office, but the room where our new baby daughter will have just for her.
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Within a span of a week and a half, we celebrated my dad's, mine and my sister's birthdays - all separate celebrations. My dad's birthday is July 7, but we celebrated at a local seafood restaurant on July 12. It was one of the best times I've had with my family. We all had fun talking, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company. It was such a wonderful evening, that none of us wanted it to end. We stood outside the restaurant for the longest time continuing our conversation and starting new ones. We went out again this past Saturday for my birthday. Again, a very nice meal, great conversation and great company. And, then yesterday, was our final celebration for my sister's 21st birthday. Kevin took the first official photo of her sipping her first legal drink - a cosmopolitan. I cannot believe my sister is 21 - makes me feel kind of old!!!
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We have finally decided (or narrowed down to be exact) names for our baby girl. I'll admit this has been quite the struggle. Poor Kevin, every time he would come up with a name, I would shoot it down because I didn't like the nicknames associated with, the meaning of the name, the sound of the name or the origin of it. I have been seriously very, very picky over what to name our new addition. With Brooklyn, the name just came to me, and when I mentioned it to Kevin, it stuck as we both just loved it and thought it would be perfect. We hadn't had that feeling with all the names we had come up with the new baby, until now. We have a good list and I don't know if we'll narrow it down to one or just wait and see what names best fits her after she's born, but I can tell you, I am so excited with the prospect of the ones on our list.
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This Saturday marks the beginning of my 30th week. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy seems to be flying by. When I was pregnant with Brooklyn, there is no way it moved this fast. Maybe it has something to do with being pregnant in the summer and the summer always flies by in our household, or maybe it has something to do with having a toddler already. I don't know, but it's flying by. When I look in the mirror, I can no doubt tell that I am pregnant, but it really depends on what I am wearing how much it shows. When I look at my friends that are pregnant or others that I know of that are pregnant, everyone looks so much bigger than I am. I never got too big with Brooklyn, and this baby is turning out to be the same way. At my 28 week appointment, I had only gained 3 pounds. I'm always amazed at this, especially this time, since my cravings have all been sweet and sugar-related! I only gained 17 pounds with Brooklyn and it looks like I might be on pace to do the same this time around. The baby is super active always kicking and moving. Her most active times are when Brooklyn talks directly to my belly button (the baby's ear as Brooklyn believes). It's sweet that they are building a bond even before she leaves my womb. It makes my heart melt to see how excited Brooklyn is and how much she wants to be a big sister.
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And, lastly, I'll leave you with a bit of fun news. One of my closest friends is in the hospital right now in labor. Her due date was yesterday, but after her doctor's appointment today, she was walked over to the hospital and admitted into labor and delivery. This will be her third child. I am so excited for her and can't wait to meet their newest addition. I'm sure it will make me long even more to hold my baby in my arms, but all in good timing, right!?

A special day

Today is a very important day of remembrance and praise in our household. Two years ago today, we (Kevin and I) dedicated our little Brooklyn to the Lord. We stood before our church congregation and our families and vowed to continuously praying for Brooklyn, instructing her in the way of the Lord, setting a godly example, and disciplining her as the Lord would discipline us.

But, it's important to point out that even though today is Brooklyn's baptismal birthday and tonight we will relight her baptism candle, baptism isn't something that just happens once and then is forgotten. Jesus certainly didn’t see baptism as the end, but as an entrance to a way of life. Baptism is how we live our life in Christ. We daily ask for and receive forgiveness of sins. We put down our guilt and shame at the foot of the cross and use our precious life energy to serve God’s family, to continue to learn about the God, to help God’s kingdom come here and now. How can we help our children say “I’m sorry” to God, to know they are forgiven and called to forgive others? Model saying “I’m sorry” to your child, your spouse, your friend, and to God in prayer. It will be contagious. In shared prayer, invite children to ask for God’s forgiveness and for a heart willing to forgive others. Remind your children daily that the Holy Spirit lives in them as the way Jesus is with them always.

"Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ~Matthew 19:14

Our Surprise

We had a bit of a surprise on Thursday morning when after a second elective ultrasound to learn that we are in fact having a GIRL!

At our first ultrasound, the technician guessed that it was a boy because he didn't see any girl parts and thought he saw some boy parts. So, we began preparing for what a baby boy would be like in our family. We had a name already picked out and we began designing (in our minds) what the nursery would look like. My mom made Brooklyn's bedding and curtains and has offered to do the same for this baby. So, this past week, we made a trip to look at fabric swatches and found a pattern that we just loved and thought would fit the room just perfectly. We took along our camera and shot a few photos of each of the fabrics. We then designed a theme and idea for painting the room. We, of course (and thank goodness) didn't make any purchases.

So, there we were getting ready to walk into the ultrasound office to get a chance to see our little man again. Brooklyn had been talking about how excited she was to see her brother again. As the ultrasound began, the technician told us he would try and determine the sex of the baby for us first, or just confirm that we were having a boy. After watching our baby's bum for about five minutes, I asked the technician if he knew yet. He responded with, yes, he knew right away but was trying to get a clearer image for us to be able to see. After moving around a bit more, he focused on these three little lines between the baby's legs, indicating that this baby was actually a girl NOT a boy. In fact, the technician didn't know how anyone could have thought this was a boy, but said he has seen this type of thing happen a lot. I looked over at Kevin and he looked at me. We were both in shock and truly surprised. The technician carried on with the ultrasound showing us the baby's face, hands, feets, back (a very straight spine), rib cage, etc. He went back a few times to the baby's bum and each time we saw those three lines confirming a girl would join our family around the beginning of October.

Now, we are back at square one for names and room decor. But, that's really okay. It will be fun coming up with both. As we told our families and friends about our new realization, some asked if Kevin was okay with the news. He, in fact, is very thrilled and excited to be having another little girl. He absolutely adores Brooklyn, and even though she's a girl, she loves to pick up a hammer or screwdriver and help him fix things around the house. And, she is fascinated when he is shaving his face in the morning to the extent of pretending to shave her face too. She is very sweet and affectionate sometimes too, and he just eats that up.

Who knows what our new little girl will like and be into, but we are very excited to meet her and welcome her into our family, and we know that the relationship between Brooklyn and her will be something worth watching! And, yeah, I'm excited about having another little girl in the family...girls are so precious!

Our Getaway

That's right, this looks delightful, I know. And, this is where we are headed for a little getaway just the three of us. Our plans for this weekend and all of next week have changed several times as a wedding was postponed, we thought we'd go somewhere new, but then we realized I would be too pregnant to drive 12+ hours across the country to visit that vacation site. So, we settled on a mountain town that I used to go to quite a bit as a child, but neither Kevin nor Brooklyn have been to. And, when I say settled, I mean we decided, reached a decision after much pondering and brainstorming, not that this place isn't fabulous, because it is! And, what's really better than fresh mountain air?!

Starting tomorrow, Kevin and I have a glorious week and half off (I actually have 13 days off because of my work schedule) just to spend with our precious little daughter. We wanted this time so badly because with the baby coming at the end of the summer as this will be our last chance to have a vacation, a nice family getaway, just the three of us. We love our time with our Brooklyn. It's something we will always treasure, as I am most definite we will with our little man too.

Let me just say, I cannot wait!

We're having FUN!

Lately, our life has been a whirlwind of fun activities with the promise of more fun to come!

We got to go to the Rockies home opener on April 4th, and even though our team didn't walk away with a win, we had just the best time. Kevin and I have never been to opening day, and the buzz on and off the field was amazing. The weather was perfect. Our seats were perfect. Brooklyn even had a great time - her highlight: getting to see and hug (over and over again) Dinger in the third inning.

April 5th was our 5th wedding anniversary. We spent the morning (almost three hours) at an amazing swimming pool. Not only did the pool have a kiddie section, but also a kiddie butterfly slide, a waterworks area where water dumps all over you, water fountains, a lazy river, two fun two-story water slides, a family/kid hot tub and an adult hot tub. The best part was all the different sections of the pool connect so you didn't have to get out to go to another part. Brooklyn complete with her water wings, swam all on her own even in the lazy river. She became very comfortable at the pool and would head up the butterfly slide stairs by herself and then slide down and go again and again. She loved the larger slides too. Of course, Kevin and I went with her, but even we had fun on them.

After leaving the pool, we headed home for naps and showers, and then began the second part of our day - fondue time. Kevin and I love fondue and have been wanting to introduce it to Brooklyn for a long time now. We figured our anniversary would be perfect and we could take our time with it. We didn't go to a fondue restaurant, we stayed home and made our own fondue. We started with a cheddar cheese fondue dipping bread chunks and apples. Our next course, was the meat and veggie fondue. We choose to cook chicken, steak, mushrooms, squash and zucchini in the hot oil and had six different dipping sauces to accompany them. Our last course, was s'mores chocolate fondue dipping strawberries, bananas, marshmallows and angel food cake. We had to take breaks in between each course, but we all enjoyed all of them so much. Brooklyn got a real kick out of dipping into the cheese and chocolate and she loved all the sauces we had for the meat and veggie one. We watched one of her favorite movies "Enchanted" while we dipped and ate. After rolling or rather putting her into bed, Kevin and I enjoyed some alcohol-free white zinfandel while we finished watching the Rockies game on TV. It was just one of those perfect days from start to finish.

Sunday, Kevin and his friend went to the Rockies game. They had a good time, even though the team didn't win again. Brooklyn and I met Kendall (our niece) and my mother-in-law at the zoo. We spent nearly three hours walking around looking at the animals. The cutest part was when the girls held hands when they were being pushed side by side in their strollers and when they were walking hand in hand to see the next exhibit. Kendall wanted to give Brooklyn hugs and kisses all the time, but Brooklyn didn't really want a part in that. If you know Brooklyn, you know she's usually the first to put her arms around another kid, try and pick them up, caress their cheek with her hand, give them unsolicited kisses. The difference on Sunday, Kendall is a year older and Brooklyn likes to be the older kid smothering the younger kid and doesn't like it when the tables are turned. But, the times that they did hold hands or give each other a hug, it was very sweet. And, they loved watching the duckies in the pond together.

Monday brought the Pop Goes The Wiggles concert. Brooklyn and my grandma are avid watchers of The Wiggles and when news that they were coming to town broke, my grandma was all over it. She bought tickets for us to go with them to the concert. They put on a very good show, and even threw in some humor for the adults from time to time. They don't take themselves very seriously and I think that's what makes the show so good and entertaining. Brooklyn had a great time jumping and dancing to all her favorite songs. Brooklyn loved it when Jeff came out on stage and Wags the Dog too.

It was sad to say goodbye to this fun, event-filled weekend because we were looking forward to it for months. But, we do have quite a few things to look forward to in the months ahead.
• My parents are renewing the wedding vows on their 30th anniversary later this month and my sister and I are planning everything but the ceremony. We're having fun getting things together. I can't say much about it though because I don't want to spoil the surprise for them as they read my blog.
• We're going to Estes Park over Memorial Day for a wedding.
• We're going to Glenwood Springs in June for our last getaway vacation just the three of us.
• And, of course, preparing for our new bundle of joy to arrive later this year!

Those two little lines

It only takes two little lines to change your whole world. The first appears automatically, and as you wait those very long three minutes, you realize if the other line does appear, things are going to be different from here on out. Not only are you going to have an amazing, loving 2 year old running around your house, but you are going to be welcoming an infant into your family of three. This will change the dynamic of your family forever, but in a good way. As you are in the midst of your thoughts, you realize that three minutes have come and gone. You grab the test and look it over, realizing that yes, in fact, there are two lines. Your heart skips a beat, a smile washes over your face and you thank the Lord for this blessing.

Yes, you might have guessed it by now .. I am pregnant with our second child!!

I am now almost 10 weeks along, meaning that our baby is due October 3rd. We've been to the first pre-natal appointment where during the ultrasound Brooklyn was waving, blowing kisses and calling to her "brudder or siser" to come out and play. We plan to take her with us to every appointment because we want to share this journey with her. And, while she might not understand exactly what is going on, there's nothing to be ashamed about, or no reason why she can't be there. She's as much apart of our family as this baby will be, and if you know us, we love to do things together, as a family.

She is understanding and mimicking Mommy's every move though. Much like when I was pregnant with Brooklyn, I am once again very, very nauseous and have found I can't keep as much food down as I would like. If I cough, she looks at me with concerned eyes and says "you need to 'frow up' Mommy." Several times she has came to my aid when I get that sick, rubbing my back, flushing the toilet and offering to hold me. It's all very precious. And, then, there's those times, when we're playing and she runs to the sink on her play kitchen and says "oh I need to frow up."

Kevin has been very supportive and extremely helpful, especially with chores around the house. He insists on helping with laundry on weekends, so I won't have any to do during my days off. He also has taken an interest in cooking dinner from time to time, which I must admit is a huge help as I can get pretty sick at night too.

It's just such an amazing journey that we have embarked on once again. We are all so thrilled as our families. And, we cannot wait to meet this little one later this year!!

Brooklyn turns 2!!!!!

We had an a-DORA-ble party for Brooklyn on Sunday. She had a wonderful time and got a ton of presents! Here are the photos from her party.

Yesterday, Kevin and I took the whole day off. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's with her. She had a great time watching the Make Believe Band playing and dancing in the booth with her pizza in her hand. As long as she didn't have to get too close or touch them, she was okay. She loved to climb into all the cars and ride for a bit and then she was done. She just kept running around playing. Last night, I made her favorite - shrimp - for dinner and finished it up with white chocolate pudding with whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top. She dove right in! Here are some pictures from the festivities yesterday.

And now, for the finale...

Just minutes after she was born
Monday, December 19, 2005 at exactly 1:00 p.m.,
weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 19.5 inches long...

And, yesterday she turned 2!
Where does the time go??

Brooklyn has changed our lives so much and we couldn't imagine anything without her. She is the most precious, beautiful, loving, gentle, feisty girl in the world, and I can safely say that Kevin and I wouldn't want her any other way. She completes our life and our family! I am head over heels in love with my lil' girl - my lil' best friend!!!

Merry Christmas to Mommy!

Since I was absent last week from my blog and from work, I can safely say it's good to be back. Where was I? Terribly, terribly sick. Kevin came down with a nasty cold after Thanksgiving that was transferred to Brooklyn the first week of December. Last Monday (Dec. 10), after I realized she really wasn't getting a whole lot better, I took her to the doctor. She had conjunctivitis in her eyes due to the cold she had and everything draining. The draining part though went to her ear and created a mild ear infection. She didn't mention her ear hurt and the doctor said that it probably didn't. He gave us antibotics to knock out the infection. However, after she took her first round of Amoxicilin, she broke out into hives. It freaked me out really bad, and after I called the doctor and explained what was going on, he directed me to get her some Children's Benadryl and he prescribed a new antibotic to start the next day. After several doses of Benadryl her hives went away, and the eye drops were helping her conjunctivitis to get better as well. So, as she was on her way out of the illness, I was just on my way in. I started with a scratchy throat on Saturday, December 8. Of course that was the same night as our junior youth group Christmas party. After a while, I went home because I was feeling so achy and my throat was hurting even more. Sunday, I woke up and was feeling about the same minus the aches and pains. And, Monday when I took Brooklyn to the doctor I was feeling a little better, but more tired. Then Tuesday night, I realized I was getting worse, so I decided I should go to the doctor to see what was going on. My appointment was Wednesday around noon, and before I went, I was sitting in our chair in the family room with Brooklyn in my lap watching a movie and snuggling, and I was crying and moaning and in so much pain. My voice was gone for the most part, and I think that was in large part to my terribly sore throat. When Kevin picked us up to take me to the doctor, I was feeling terrible. Finally after I got in to see the doctor, and having to wait for 30 minutes in the actual room, the doctor diagnosed me with a double severe ear infection and a bacterial virus. The doctor asked me if I had my tonsils taken out because she couldn't even see them. I told her no, and she said that everything is just so swollen she couldn't see them at all! As she was writing me a doctor's note to stay home the rest of the week to get better, I started to cry again for like the hundredth time since Tuesday night. She asked me if I were alright and I told her I just am emotional. She told me that I was really, really sick so it's okay. She even gave me my prescription of antibotics right there so I didn't have to go to a pharmacy or pay extra or anything. As Kevin got us lunch and drove us home, I realized that this is the sickest I had been in like five years. Kevin took the rest of the day off so I could rest, and Thursday my grandma came up as she always does to watch Brooklyn. I stayed in bed most of the day and relaxed. I couldn't sleep because my ears were pounding so hard and hurting. I didn't even realize how bad they hurt because I really thought it was my throat that there was something wrong with. I have only had one ear infection my whole life, so I guess I made up for all the times I could have had one as a kid. I can say I am not a fan!

I started to really feel better Friday and then Saturday and Sunday, I was feeling much better, which is a good thing! Brooklyn's 2nd birthday party was Sunday, and we pulled it off, and had a lot of fun! I will post on that on Thursday complete with pictures. Brooklyn's actual birthday is tomorrow, and Kevin and I have the day off to spend with her all day!!

Decorations Galore!

CHRISTMAS TIME IS THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR! I just love the holidays...the decorations, the music, the smells, sights and sounds, the hustle and bustle in stores...I love it all!

One of my favorite things is putting up the Christmas trees and decorating inside and outside our home. This year, we got Brooklyn her own tree to decorate. It's 3 feet tall and is covered with Dora the Explorer ornaments, babies and angels, her Hawaiian Santa and teddy bears. She pretty much wanted to put all the ornaments on her tree! We compromised and put the heavier ornaments that she loves on the big tree, but down low so she can visit them. We completed her tree by putting on a string of garland that has green, silver and red stockings hanging from it.

Mommy & Brooklyn picking out

the first ornament to hang up.

Brooklyn admiring her tree...
and as she said "all done."

One of the tradition we started last year is to have Brooklyn place the star at the top of the big Christmas tree, with Daddy's help of course. This year, she got it on the first try and was pretty proud of herself!

Reach, lil' one, reach!!

Yeah! We did it!
I love the way she is looking at her Daddy, so precious!

Free Ice Water, Presidents on a Mountain...here we come!

We're going on a road trip to Wall, South Dakota - home of the famous Wall Drug and their "Free Ice Water." I've never been to South Dakota, but Kevin has many times as his dad grew up in Wall. With all of Kevin's family driving there too, plus all his aunts and uncles from his dad's side, it should be quite a good time.

We're leaving tonight, driving through the night seems like it will be so much easier on the princess. Tomorrow morning, we're stopping in Rapid Çity for breakfast and I have a historical district tour planned for us to let us see all the sites before heading to Wall where we can check into our room and rest a bit before the rest of the family gets there.

I can't wait to see all the billboards advertising the "Free Ice Water" that extend for 200+ miles outside of Wall. From what the family has told me, the ice is a necessary element in the water as the water is taken out of the ground and is like 80 degrees. According to some South Dakota research I have done, about 20,000 people stop by the Wall Drug on a good summer day. This is something I want to witness for myself!

Then's there Mount Rushmore (which I will admit I didn't know too much about), Crazy Horse, The Badlands (which sounded like a terrible place to go at first before I learned what they were) and Storybrook Island (a fun place for Brooklyn and her cousin to play).

We are all looking so forward to it. In fact, Brooklyn was so excited, almost out of control, last night as she helped me pack her toys, books and clothes. She ran very, very fast from her room with an armload of clothes to Mommy and Daddy's room to dump them on the bed, to only return to her room to get another load. She even helped pack her best friend, the puppy's belongings as he is going to grandma's house for a weekend of pampering and relaxation. I'm sure he'll miss her, but I don't think he will miss getting hit over the head with her new golf clubs!

I'll be sure to post some pictures of our adventures!