Giving Back

On Saturday, our church's junior youth group volunteered at 9Cares Colorado Shares, a huge, state-wide food drive.

9Cares Colorado Shares started as a simple food drive in the old 9News parking lot. A lot has changed but the goal is still the same - to feed, clothe, and provide a happier holiday season for Colorado's less fortunate families. The holiday drive is the largest one-day food, clothing and toy drive in our region, with nearly 30 sites along the Front Range and into the mountains. Combined, the 30 sites, collected 383,025 pounds (191.5 tons) of food. Our youth group worked at the Firestone King Soopers and collected 4,441 pounds of food and $563.

It was so incredible to be a part of this food drive. To watch people head into the grocery store, as I am sure they do every week, but to come out with bags upon bags of food that they bought just to give away, it was amazing! And, the youth group kids really got into it, helping unload van loads full of goods, passing out fliers of the top-10 most wanted items, sorting the items once they were donating, weighing the boxes and loading them in the truck.

Brooklyn even got so very involved in helping the little kids with their donations. She would run up to them, grab their item hand it off to be sorted and say "thank you." So precious!

We really had the best time volunteering, and our family plans to participate next year. Like I said, there's no words to describe how amazing it is to watch people just be so giving and selfless.

Shut Up & Drive!!

You know how some people say they drive a lemon??Well, I feel like I am driving a pumpkin!But, I am coming around on my rental car...the color is real unique!
And, I'll have it till I get this back...

My beloved Subie!!

But can she sing?

Fun Brooklyn Stories

Here are some fun Brooklyn stories I wanted to share...

JAM
Brooklyn has gotten very, very interested in the little pieces of lint that you find between your toes after wearing socks for a period of time during the day. To most of us, this is called toe jam, but Brooklyn simply calls it "jam." She frequently, about six to eight times a day on average, sits down on the floor, pulls and tugs at her socks, trying desperately to get them off to look for jam. If she can't get her sock off, she'll whimper a bit and ask for help. She'll sit there for a good 5 minutes examining each crevice before standing up which means she is done. Not only does she examine her own toes, but her fingers too, and Mommy's and Daddy's toes and fingers too!

FIRST TIME IN A MOVIE THEATRE
On Saturday, Kevin, Brooklyn and I went to see Bee Movie thanks to my parent's generous ticket giving! To sum up our experience, I will link to Kevin's hilarious take of the events that occurred. Here's the link. I really think she enjoyed the movie, it was very cute!! She did score a new outfit out of the whole ordeal.

OOPS!
Brooklyn really got to use one of my favorite words she says "oops!" yesterday afternoon. I was on the computer checking my work email and Brooklyn was sitting in our home office coloring. Our computer desk has a couple shelves to the right of it where she sets up shop. She will bring a small chair from her bedroom and sit down and color. She has a couple pads of paper there and some crayons and a pencil. As I was looking at my email, I looked down and noticed that the paper pads were no one to be found, but she was sure working hard on her artwork on the desk shelf. Uh-oh! We haven't had to have the conversation yet that crayons, markers, pencils, etc. are to form artwork on the paper, coloring book, etc. not on walls, furniture, ourselves, etc. So, we had that conversation yesterday. She looked surprised that this wasn't an okay thing to do, but she did say "oops" and "I sorry Mommy." I reassured her that I wasn't mad, that we need to be a bit more careful. She said "ya."

OUR LIL' CINDERELLA
Brooklyn has really gotten into cleaning. She is such a big helper and will often offer to help wipe off the table, clean up the floor after a water spill (that she made in order to have the chance to clean it up!), wipe Mommy's, Daddy's and our beagle's mouth after we eat, sweep the floors with a broom, use the weed blower outside as part of fall cleaning, loading the dryer, etc. You know if she wants to help out when she says the phrase "I do dat." She wants every opportunity to help out, and like I said, she will make messes in order to clean it up. So, so cute! Kevin and I always joke about child labor laws, but we wonder what happens when the child willing asks to clean!?!

Of course, there's a million stories to share about what the precious girl is doing, but those are just a few of my favorites! She is really growing up TOO fast!!

Pumpkin Fun

Taking a break from a horrible day (was in a car accident last night on my way home from work and have been working with the adjuster to get my car fixed - not my fault, I got rear-ended!) to post pictures of our pumpkins we carved. We had so much fun doing it, but Brooklyn wasn't too sure about the insides of a pumpkin! Yucky! she declared. But, she sure enjoyed the after effect!

"Jagged Smile" by Daddy

"Three Blind Mice" by Mommy

"The Penguin" by Mommy

"Home Sweet Home" by Daddy

Brooklyn declaring "Oh, cute!"

Halloween Fun

Brooklyn really got into trick-or-treating last night. She had the adorable kid factor going for her as in she said "thank you" to everyone that handed her candy. She didn't just say it once, she said it over and over..about three to four times per house. And, everyone really loved her costume, and thought she was adorable, so they gave her extra candy. I have to admit, she was quite adorable and she is a very polite kid all the time.

Down 0-2 -- ARGHH!

We watched the game in it's entirety last night. We even had Brooklyn playing the role of lil' cheerleader: "Go Rockies!!; Come On, Come On."

We cheered when Taveras (or Travers as I call him) got on base albeit because of getting hit. We cheered when Matt Holliday singled sending Taveras to third thanks to Lowell's mishap with the ball. We cheered when Todd Helton got a RBI sending Taveras home. 1-0, top of the first inning! We cheered as young Ubaldo looked real good and settled from the get-go. We cheered when he struck out arrogant Big Poppy.

We were real happy, feeling pretty confident. Then it happened, Ubaldo started to walk batters. Uh oh! We can't just help them out by putting them on. When Mike Lowell drew a one-out walk, taking third on J.D. Drew’s single to right, and scored on a Jason Varitek fly ball to center all in the fourth, we started to get worried. We started coaching young Ubaldo trying to get him to settle down and just get out of the inning. Done. In the fifth, he looked good again, 2 outs right away, then walked Big Poppy with Manny Ramirez up to bat. A single sending Big Poppy to second and soon home with Lowell's double to left.

Great. Now we're in real trouble, 1-2 bottom of the fifth inning. Not good! Especially since we can't seem to get our offense started lately, and we're leaving lead-off batters stranded. We got excited as Holliday got a hit off Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the eighth with two outs. But, oh how we cringed when Holliday got picked off first base with Helton up to bat, ending the inning.

And, seriously Spilborghs, stopping resting the freakin' bat on your shoulder and swing it, or we're gonna bench ya!

So we are down 0-2 in the Series, but we are coming back home for three games. Let's see how those arrogant, stuffy Sox do in our thin air. Hmph!