The Last Few Weeks

Well, it's been a busy last few weeks. Between work and planning for Brooke's birthday party and her actual birthday, I am surprised that I remembered to breathe.

Brooke's birthday party went off without a hitch. We were missing a few members of Jeremy's family, so we missed them, but were very that we had a great turnout. The cake was absolutely awesome. It looked just like I wanted it to, if not better, and it tasted great as well. Thanks to Aunt Paige for spending the day with me to help decorate the cake. It took about a total of three hours to ice the cake and cupcakes. My hands ended up being dyed purple from the black food coloring. I scrubbed with peroxide, bleach, and gasoline before it finally went away.

Brooke had a great time at her party. She loved seeing the family and being the center of attention. She especially loved that Lily was there. It's quite amazing how much Brooke looks up to Lily. I think it's so cute to watch them play together. They are just too sweet.

On Brooke's actual birthday, we spent the day as a family. Jeremy took the day off, and we went to my mom's work to visit. After that visit, we went to Huber's and ate lunch and picked pumpkins. We got a lot of great pictures. Check back soon for pictures of her birthday party and her actual birthday adventures. After Huber's, Brooke took a much needed nap. Later that evening, we went to GattiLand. We were torn between GattiLand and Chuck E Cheese. The final deciding factor came down to the pizza. Jeremy and I can not even tolerate the pizza at Chuck E Cheese. Not that the pizza is the best at GattiLand, but at least it's edible. Brooke had a great time at GattiLand. Between the pizza and the games, she was a tired little girl before it was all said and done. And to boot, she was a lucky little girl. The games we played at GattiLand were a little old for her, but were all about timing. We played games that when you press the button, it lands on a spot, and you get that amount of tickets. We played several different versions of that game, and she won more tickets then Jeremy and I did combined. It was hilarious.

Last week, Brooke and I went to the grocery together. She has always been really good about staying in the grocery cart until recently. I decided, after multiple arugments, to go ahead and give in to her, and let her get out of the cart. I had about two more aisles to go when I let her out. She got out of the cart, started walking backwards and waved her hands saying, "Follow Me, Mommy. Follow me". It melted my heart. Whenever Brooke says new things like this, I realize how much she is growing up and how much she is more like a little girl, rather than a baby.

Today, I was taking a bath before the UofL game, and Brooke was in the bathroom with me. She realized that I had a hair rubber band on my wrist, and looked at me and said "No, no, Mommy. No bracelets in the bath tub. No, no, no". Jeremy and I tell her that she is not allowed to bring bracelets in the bath tub. So, she was scolding me for taking a bracelet into the bath tub. Again, I thought this was adorable.

I have been teaching Brooke her last name and address this past week. Since she is old enough to remember things, I thought this would be a good time. I worry about her getting lost, or wandering off, so I wanted to make sure that she was able to tell someone where she lived and what her name was. So, when you ask her what her name is, she will say Brooke. Last name? (she tells me what her last name is, but for privacy purposes, I don't want to put it on here). Where she lives? (She tells me the name of the street she lives on, but not the house number, and again, for privacy purposes, I don't want to write it here). The way she says all of these things are just adorable. I am still working with her, and want her to know the house number and either Mommy or Daddy's cell phone number.

I also wanted to tell everyone thank you again. Thank you for everything you do. Thanks for just reading this blog and caring enough to want to know what's going on in our lives. Thanks for being a part of that. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Love you all!!