Snow, Snow, Snow...

We had our first big snow yesterday and had a blast taking Brooks out to see and feel it! He and I haven't left the house in 3 days since it has been so crazy cold out - just love being snowed in with my little one. We are getting a bit of cabin fever, so we are anxious for the weekend for daddy to take us out! Here's our little snow bunny...

Mom please take me outside!

9 Months...

My baby is 9 1/2 months old now and changing so much everyday. I have seen more change in the past month than I have since he was around 6 months old! He has started "army crawling", pulling/standing up against/on everything! Every morning and after every nap, I walk into his room with him standing against his crib with the biggest smile on his face - probably thinking he is sooo big! Love it! :) He claps his (chubby lil) hands, knows his name (which is amazing since we call him a million other names like punkin, sweetie pie, bubby, B, B-ster, etc.), loves to wrestle/roll around the floor with mommy and daddy, crinkles his nose, gives kisses. And mama was so happy yesterday when I asked him for a kiss, he leaned forward and gave me one! Yay...he's been giving kisses for a while but I've never known if he actually knew what he was doing other than lovin on mommy. So that was the first time he actually gave me one upon request! He has also given kisses to daddy and grandma! Melts my heart every time!

At the doctor on Tuesday, his stats were:

Weight of 21.2 lbs putting him in the 48% and Height of 28 1/2 in. putting him in the 60%. I always love seeing him interact with the doctor and to see how differently he interacts than his last appointment. I'm sure his next appt. will be so different too since it will be his 1 year well-visit. Crazy to think he is almost 1 year old! Yikes! Did that year really go by already?!

Enjoy some pictures below from his doctor's visit...

Patiently waiting for the doctor


Getting to know Dr. Evans better - giving him a "nose crinkle"!



Love this picture of him looking out the window - it showcases his chubby legs and how big he's getting! Just wanna squeeze'em! :)

All done and ready to go outside in the freezing cold

Getting ready to climb up his jumperoo

**Stay tuned for Christmas and New Years posts!

Orlando - Disney 2009

In early December, our family took a trip to Orlando. My sister's family and my parents went, along with the 3 of us. My parents were there for an all expense paid trip they had earned through their Amway business, so my sister decided it would be a great time to take her family. Matt & I tagged along and were able to see our other niece and nephew, Nick and Olivia, and Matt's mom, Cathy. They travelled up to Orlando from Naples for a couple days. We visited Magic Kingdom one day, relaxed by the pool another day, and were able to visit other sites along the way. The weather was not the best & very chilly for FL, around the mid-60's, but we came prepared. Our room we stayed in was a suite that had 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a living area, and a full kitchen. That made travelling with a baby so much more comfortable. The plane ride there and back turned out wonderful - Brooks fell asleep in my arms both times. I was a little worried how he would do, but the flight didn't bother him a bit. Here are a few pictures from our Disney vacation...

The 3 of us after lunch at T-Rex

Brooks & Mommy on the plane

Madeline, Nick, Camille, & Olivia

Madeline & Camille at T-Rex

Brooks relaxing & staying warm! Brrrr!

Notice Olivia's face painted - so cute!

Nick & Olivia after a long day


Brooks LOVING the water!



Swimming with daddy (thankful for a heated pool!)


Brooks loved the feel of the FL grass...

Happy Birthday Jesus!

The God who opens the womb, giving the gift of children, became a child growing in the womb of a woman.

The One we depend on for everything became dependent on human parents.

The One who holds the universe in His hands was held in the arms of Mary.

The One who created the first woman was born of a woman.

The Ancient of Days became a newborn.

The Helper became a helpless baby.

The Creator became a creature.

(I read this from a friend's blog and had to share. Just love it!)

Merry Christmas! Let's celebrate the birth of our Saviour! Happy Birthday Jesus! We thank you for all our many blessings - and praise you for your miraculous life, love, and sacrifice.

Thanksgiving 2009

I am sooo behind on my blogging, but I couldn't forget to include our Thanksgiving festivities. We spent Thanksgiving with Matt's dad and step-mom in northern IN. We always have so much fun visiting them and of course Brooks loves to see Grandpa, Nonna, more cousins, aunts & uncles! On our way, we stopped at Arnold's Drive-In as usual. On our way into town, we stopped to see Granny Miller. She was so surprised and happy to see us! She is always so gracious and thankful. That evening, we were blessed by a visit from Uncle Tim & Aunt Sondra. So happy to see them and thankful they took the time to come see us!

For Thanksgiving dinner, Bobbie made her delicious steaks along with the sides we all love - sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, etc. I've never been a big red meat girl, and really didn't like it until I was pregnant - which is when I craved red meat. I blame my newfound liking to steak on Brooks. Dinner was wonderful! Bobbie is the hostess with the mostess!

The next morning we had our usual breakfast at Essenhaus - but just the 3 of us this time. Sooo good! We also had to visit the mall - I really enjoy the Christmas hussle and bussle at the mall. Some people hate it, but I love it! Didn't do any buying, but enjoyed ourselves anyway.

We visited one of Matt's childhood friends, Justin, and his family. Justin and Erin were in town from CO and we don't get to see them often since Matt & Justin both moved away after college. We had a short visit, but good to see them, as always.

Unfortunately, our trip up north was cut short by Brooks' sleeping escapades, or lack thereof. For some reason, he would wake up every 2-3 hours. Thought maybe his teeth were bothering him , but Tylenol didn't even do the trick. So, in order for mama to get some sleep, we decided to come home early - after only 2 nights. The fact that we were leaving for FL the following week contributed to our decision to leave. The sooner we could get home and get Brooks' sleep back to "normal" the better. (Funny thing is, he has slept great since, EVEN in FL! Who knows!) That little stinker! :)

Enjoy some photos from our lovely Thanksgiving 2009...

Our delicious dinner

Brooks & Granny

Brooks with Uncle Tim & Aunt Sondra

Jaden teaching Brooks how to play piano

Justin & Matt with Logan & Brooks

Brooks opening his very First Christmas presents from Grandpa & Nonna

8 Months

My beautiful baby boy is 8 months old today! Unbelievable! We are so very blessed and thankful for him. He has brought so much joy and love to our family. He's only been here for 8 months, but I'm not sure what we did before him. It's as if he's always been with us. He is so much fun - a bundle of laughs, giggles, coos, and babble! He hasn't started crawling yet, but probably will any day now. I'm not worried or rushing him - I kind of like being able to leave the room without looking back wondering where he is off to or if he is following me. Enjoying it while it lasts! :) Here are some recent pics of him. By the way, according to our scale at home, he is weighing 20 lbs!

What a beautiful little smile...

The look on his face here is priceless...


Daddy & Brooks on his 1st Halloween

Brooks' Dedication

Brooks was dedicated to the Lord on October 25th, 2009! This most important day was incredibly special and we will remember the celebration forever. We are so thankful to our families who were present to share in our joy and praise. And we are so thankful they committed to join us in lifelong prayer for Brooks and our family. The verse we chose for Brooks is below - this is our prayer for him:



For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 1:9-12

Our family with Pastor Jeff

Such a special day...you are our gift from the Lord, Brooks. May you follow Him all the days of your life. He is our comforter, our deliverer, our provider, our joy, our strength, our Saviour.
We all love you and will pray for you continually - may you seek Him in all you do and love Him with all your heart.