SummerBeans

My Children

2010-08-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

My Children
You are the joy of my life.
You are the smile of my soul.
You are the purist of Love.
More than you will ever know.
You are my blessing from God.
You are my gift from above.
You are my proof of Him.
You are His Grace and Love.
By: Ruchell

Love this new J&J Bath Line

2010-08-04T13:17:00.002-05:00

J&J have a great natural line. We LOVE it! It is WAY cheaper than the other natural products and Brooklynn's itchy sensitive skin is the best it has ever been! Thank you Johnson & Johnson for getting it right!! For more info Click Here.

Sickness and Great Deal!

2010-08-03T22:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, all of us got colds. Brooklynn is finally getting over hers. Thank goodness. Rocco is in the middle of it - poor guy all stuffed up and has a fever. Of course he is still a perfect baby smiling and talking away like the trooper he is. I got nailed with an awful sore throat and migraine. Yes MIGRAINE - that made me miss the Bachelorette After the final rose show (Thank Goodness for DVR!) because I was upchucking in the bathroom. Roberto - what a hottie! Hope they make it! Nick luckily didn't get it too bad at all!

Very excited about the great deal I just got at Walgreens. They have a coupon for 15 -20% off. Click Here. I just got 15% off everything I bought. Even diapers! They have a deal right now on pampers when you buy $25 worth you get $5 in register rewards. SWEET! Oh and Swedish fish are on sale too. Brookie will be so excited she loves them - she pretends she is a penguin eating her fish. LOL

Other neat thing I found a FREE Pampered Chef cookbook download. Thanks Thrifty Mom! Check it out HERE.

The Smile of the Day

2010-07-28T09:50:00.004-05:00

Brookie said her throat hurts today. Hopefully she isn't getting sick. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she just slept with her mouth open and swallowed too much pool water!!! Rocco went to bed at 8:45pm last night and didn't wake up until 8am! I cannot believe how he spoils me!!!

Snapped this picture of them while they were playing on the ground. Smile!

It's Video Time

2010-07-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

Brooklynn's Concert
You Are My Sunshine By Brooklynn

Are You Sleeping By Brooklynn

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Rocco Laughing

Swim Time!

Where oh Where Have We Been??

2010-07-27T21:21:00.004-05:00

Wow does time fly! Things are great and crazy since Rocco was born. He is such a great baby and a blessing to our family. Brooklynn LOVES her little brother and is very helpful. Too helpful sometimes! I can't beleive Rocco is over 2 months old!! I found that he is cutting his first tooth on Saturday. On his right side he is getting his incisor - maybe he is into the "TrueBlood" vampire craze too!

Summer is flying by and it makes me so sad! Brooklynn is loving the pool and playing outside all the time. Here are some pictures to get caught up. My goal is to get better at blogging. :-)

Rocco's 2 Month Picture

Brooklynn's 3rd Birthday Party Dress

Brooklynn Driving the Jeep in her Tinkerbell PJ's

Rocky's Smile

Brookie on her Birthday - Her Model Pose

Brooklynn's B'Day Cake #1

Brooklynn's B'Day Cake #2

Brookie's Party Birthday Cake (Didn't have time to make it this year!)

Rocco's Bath Time

My Gorgeous Blue Eyed Boy

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

2010-03-08T09:18:00.003-06:00

We had a surprise party for my Grandma's 75th birthday. I made her a slot machine/gambling cake. What a project! I would have not finished if my parents and Nick didn't help me either with the cake or keeping Brooklynn occupied. It turned out really nice and it tasted good too! The best part is my Grandma had a great time! It is always great to show those who do so much for us how much we care, love and appreciate them!

Diamond Tinkerbell

2010-02-27T15:31:00.007-06:00

This morning we took Brooklynn to Build A Bear as a treat for being such a big girl and going potty. It was so much fun!!! I can't wait for Brooklynn's birthday so I can go get her some outfits for her little bear. She picked a pink bear and dressed her in silver glitter heels, a tinkerbell dress and hello kitty undies. She named her bear Diamond Tinkerbell. I can see how easy it can be to go nuts there. They have every accessory imaginable for these bears and the cutest little outfits and shoes! I have a feeling Diamond Tinkerbell is going to go everywhere with us now. So even though we didn't have to buy diapers this month her bear cost as much as a case of pampers! After Build A Bear we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Maggiano's - YUMMY!!!

On the pregnacy front- I am doing good. I have been getting lots and I mean a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions to the point it gets hard to breathe. I finally called the doctor and she said I have to take it easy. It is my body's way of telling me I need to sit down and relax. I am doing too much and may have to cut down on my work outs. I guess they can turn into real labor if you are not careful. Other than that things are well. I feel huge and at 7 1/2 months pregnant that is to be expected. I go to the doctor Friday, I am curious to see if I am still measuring 1 week bigger which puts me back at my April 30th original due date. He measured bigger at my 20 week ultrasound in December too. Here is a picture of me and my baby boy belly.

Where is Brooklynn sleeping???

2010-02-25T10:17:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I put Brooklynn down for her nap like always with her normal routine. I went downstairs to work and heard her making noise upstairs. I had to go put her in back in bed. She asked me if she could watch a movie. I told her No, it is nap time. She cried, I left and closed her door. I went back downstaris to work and heard noise again but then she was quiet. I went upstairs 10 mins later to check on her and her door was open and she wasn't in her bed. I looked all over and finally found her in our bed snuggled and covered under our blankets. She slept for 3 hours!!! She is too funny!

On another note I took Brooklynn to Nick's work yesterday and we met some of his coworkers. They are super nice! Brooklynn got to see the birds and fish that the nursing home has. She thinks it is so neat that her Dad has pet birds and fish at work!

Blessings Have Come Our Way!

2010-02-21T14:05:00.005-06:00

We feel so lucky and blessed - Nick has a new job!!! He is very excited about it and loves it so far. He started last week as the Referral Manager for 2 nursing homes here in Racine. He now has benefits, a more normal M-F schedule and weekends off!!! It is a dream come true for our family! We are so grateful to Jon and Lisa O,who helped guide Nick this direction. this is a great opprotunity for Nick and we know this is the way he was supposed to go! Here is a picture of Nick on his first day with Princess Snow White

My pregnancy is going great! What a world of difference from when I was pregnant with Brooklynn. I have only gained 15 lbs and I am already in my third trimester! No signs of shrek feet returning and I can still fit my wedding rings on! So far this little guy is pretty mellow. He sure can kick hard but isn't nearly as active as Brooklynn was. I hope this means he will be a mellow baby!!! I went Thursday for a free GE ultrasound. How unbelievable it was to see my little guy. He already is a cutie and looks pretty chunky! I was also reassured that he is in fact 100% boy - no doubt! I can't believe I only have a little over 2 months until this little guy arrives! Brooklynn is getting so excited and keeps telling me all she is going to do to help me with her little brother. I am sure she may be a little too helpful!

Brooklynn is doing really good. We have finally nailed potty training and she is in big girl undies and pull ups at bedtime. She wakes up most mornings dry. I am so glad that I have conquered the potty training. She was a sure pistol to figure out a way for her to want to cooperate. Her sticker chart and special potty prizes did the trick. She rarely had accidents only 1 per week! Yes - no more diapers!! Just in time to start all over with baby boy!!!

I will try to do a better job of posting. Life has been crazy and then my old computer crashed.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear

2009-12-29T10:04:00.001-06:00

Here is Brooklynn reading her new favorite book. By memory of course :-)

Visiting Santa

2009-12-11T22:18:00.004-06:00

We took Brooklynn to see Santa today. She did very well. We couldn't get her to sit on his lap but she did sit next to him on his big chair. She told him she has been a good girl and would like a rocking horse. Her picture turned out super cute and way better than last year.

It's A BOY!!!!

2009-12-11T19:35:00.003-06:00

We are so happy to announce that we found out we are having a BOY! We feel so over joyed and blessed. We cannot wait to meet our little man. Brooklynn is very excited that she is going to have a baby brother. She keeps kissing the ultrasound pictures. She always kisses my belly and talks to the baby. So cute!!! The little man was sucking his thumb during the ultrasound. We will have to see if he remains a thumb sucker.
Things are going great. My 5-6 migranes per week are down to 1-2 per week. Accupunture seems to be the answer/solution. I am really excited that my weight gain so far has been only 5lbs. We will see if my eating right and exercise can keep the weight gain at a minimum. Enjoy the pictures of our little man.

A Case of Chicken Little?

2009-11-03T07:21:00.009-06:00

Please check this out. I have been doing lots of research on the H1N1 vaccine. This is great information from a neurosurgeon. Pretty crazy that President Obama won't even vaccinate his family with the H1N1 shot. I am NOT getting this vaccine and neither is Brooklynn. I wish I didn't get the flu shot and I am not getting the flu shot for Brooklynn. Here are a few things that got my attention:
1. The proteins in the vaccine have NEVER been used in humans before
2. You are more likely to get the Swine Flu if you receive the regular flu vaccine
3. President Obama has not taken the vaccine and neither has is wife. He also will not say if his children received it or not! (Maybe he has more research then what the public is given!!!)

Here is a link to the article: Swine Flu -- One of the Most Massive Cover-ups in American History
Here is the discussion - worth your time to listen to it!!!

Here is his website with a lot more useful information on the Swine Flu and vaccines: Dr. Blaylock
I am corrected looks like Obama's daughters and wife were vaccinated. Click here

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-29T11:20:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone has a great halloween! We took Brooklynn trick or treating in Oak Creek last Saturday. She went the entire time and didn't want it to end. We have trick or treat this Saturday in our neighborhood, so Nick is taking her again and I will stay and hand out candy.

New Big Girl Room and Bathroom

2009-10-27T09:46:00.004-05:00

We have been busy to say the least. We redecorated the bathroom and moved Brooklynn into her big girl room. Poor Nick has been very bust the last two weeks working every waking hour he is home. But, it is all finished now and we are DONE!!!! Horray!! I love how Brooklynn's princess room turned out. We are still waiting on her bookshelf that I ordered. It should be in the first week of November. Here is a picture of it.

Here are pictures of her room. My best friend and I are in the process of making her curtains.

And here are pictures of our bathroom finally painted and no more wallpaper!!!!

It's Fall already?

2009-09-30T16:11:00.004-05:00

Where has the time gone? I blinked and all of a sudden fall is here and it is 1 day away from October. WOW!
Well I had my first OB appointment on 9/16. We had an ultrasound and looks like I am 1 week behind according to the ultrasound. So my official due date is May 7, 2010. Here is a picture of our little bean.

I go to meet with a nutritionist tomorrow to help me with my diet so that I can do my best to prevent edema and the beloved (HA!) shrek feet this time around! Proactive is key! I also have my next OB appointment on Friday. I have been feeling pretty good. I have my bouts of nausea and food aversions but nothing really horrible. I have really been making an effort to get my workouts in and since then the nausea has improved a lot!

On the Brooklynn front -she is as good as it gets! She is defiantly in a testing mode and we have been having some issues with her biting and hitting me. It has improved since I try not to react as much and put her straight in a time out and then divert her attention afterwards. She has been asking me to go to "Gymbo" class all the time - so I enrolled her in the session that starts in November. I am also taking her to see The Wiggles on the 18th. I even got my parents to go so I don't have to take her downtown by myself during the day. She is super excited about that! She knows and says more and more every day. She continues to amaze me with how much she is absorbing. Today on the way back from the chiropractor she recited word for word the Brown Bear, Brown Bear book only leaving out the red bird, yellow duck and green frog. She nailed all the other animals and said it word for word! Wish I had the video camera!

Brooklynn Singing

2009-09-13T19:33:00.001-05:00

Enjoy! I think she will be ready for American Idol in 5 years....

Guess What!!!!!

2009-09-13T16:19:00.002-05:00

Yes I am pregnant!! Super excited. I go for my 8 week appointment on Wednesday the 16th. I think I will get an ultrasound. Yipeee! I am feeling pretty good just get a bit nauseous in the afternoons and have been getting really tired. Other than that I can not complain. My due date (according to the due date calculators) is April 30th. I will get a more accurate due date when I go to the doctor on the 16th. I feel so fortunate that God has blessed us again!

Something to Make you Smile!!!

2009-09-09T14:28:00.001-05:00

This is so funny! I had to post it. I will post an update later.

Shutterfly Book

2009-08-23T00:02:00.002-05:00

I am so EXCITED!! I created a photo book of Brookie's photo shoot. It is free because of a promotion they have. You get a free 8x8 hard cover book if you use the code "SUMMERBOOK".

Click here to view this photo book larger

2 Year Photos

2009-08-18T14:29:00.004-05:00

Here are some of Brooklynn's photos from today. It was hard work but they turned out great!!!

Pool Anyone???

2009-08-13T21:16:00.006-05:00

I couldn't wait to post pictures of my creation for my Grandpa's Birthday. His birthday was Wednesday but we will see him along with my Dad's family at the wilderness this weekend. He loves to play pool. So I made him......

And since there is quite a few of us I had to make more,(everyone gets to eat one) so I did CR Industries cupcakes. CR is the company that he and my Dad's family owns. Here is the logo....

And here are how the cupcakes turned out....

Off to the Dells

2009-08-13T14:30:00.008-05:00

Tomorrow afternoon we are off to the Wilderness for our annual Weisflog Weekend. Nick is SUPER excited, go figure he golfs two days in a row! I am also very excited and cannot wait to play with Brooklynn in all the fun pools and kid areas. She loves water and has been in our pool a few times this year. She loves to wear her life jacket and float on her own. She is also starting to put her face in the water and blow bubbles. I am sure she will have a blast. I will take lots of pictures and post them when we get back.

Here are some pictures from the Weisflog Family reunion on August 2nd. Brooklynn had so much fun playing with her 2nd cousin Colton and the bubbler.

Colton - What a cutie!

Here is Brooklynn watering the flowers

My Roses

Ta-Daaaa!

2009-07-30T10:19:00.000-05:00

My Swinging Monkey

2009-07-27T20:58:00.004-05:00

I am so proud of Brooklynn. We enrolled her in Parent & Tot Tumbling class at Midwest Twisters. Today was her last July class so they let us down on the "big kids" floor. Brooklynn had a blast running around and jumping on the huge trampoline. She even swung across the ball pit. She held on to the bar really tight and didn't fall off. I didn't think she would do it since she is one of the younger kids in her class and the bar was about 4 feet above the pit and swung about 10 - 12 feet out. She was so proud and wanted to do it again. She is my little dare devil! Wish I had my camera!!! We signed her up for the August session so she is super excited that she can keep going to her "exercise" class. (That is what she calls it)

My Ed Hardy Fairy Princess

I am taking her to the lighthouse either this week or next for her 2 year photo shoot with Mom. Can't wait!!!

Keeping Busy

2009-07-22T00:29:00.007-05:00

I am totally swamped at work - hence no blogging! So here are a few things to make you smile. Brooklynn has been really keeping me on my toes lately. Sunday she took her diaper off and flushed her poopies down the toliet all by herself without me knowing, while I was changing our sheets. She managed to not make a mess too - I was totally floored when I walked to the bathroom to see why she had flushed the toliet! I almost didn't beleive her when she said "Mommy I flushed my poopies" but she must have, the evidence of a skid mark in her diaper proved it! If only she would go on the potty before she started going! She also now strips completley naked when she wakes up from her nap and if I don't hear that she is up in time that means an accident and another load of wash! Enjoy some pictures of her other "fun things".

How she decided to eat a cupcake...

She enjoyed an afternoon bath after her cupcake hair treatment....

What happend when I thought she had my blush brush when I was quickly putting on my mascara....(Had to scrub the black eyeliner off with makeup remover - YIKES!)

And lastly check out my new cupcake project. They are for my Grandma K and Nick's Grandma Harvey's birthday. (Nick's maternal Grandma and my maternal Grandma have the same birthday!)

Happy Birthday Grandmas!!!

Cupcake Cakes

2009-07-13T14:08:00.001-05:00

Brooklynn's birthday party was a hit! She had such a great time. Thank you to everyone for making it such a special party for her. Here are some pictures of her cakes I made. More pictures to follow.

Two Years old!

2009-07-10T14:43:00.005-05:00

My little angel turned 2 on Monday!!! We were on vacation up at the lakehouse. She had a great day - besides falling through the glass table in the morning. (Thank you Uncle for grabbing her right away!) Lucky enough only a scratch on her ribs and no stiches!!! Her "Cupcake" Birthday is Sunday night. She is very excited and can not wait to have her party!

Looking back: 1 year old

Newborn

This is good!

2009-07-02T19:46:00.001-05:00

I found this on Rightwingsparkle. I had to share it. Too funny! Enjoy!

Find more videos like this on Patriot's Heart Broadcasting Network

Cupcaked Out!

2009-07-02T02:21:00.002-05:00

Ok I finished all 24 cupcakes!!!!
Check it out - they aren't perfect but still turned out cute! I just won't show anyone the picture from the book - then mine will look GREAT!

Cupcake DISASTER

2009-07-01T20:42:00.005-05:00

My Fourth of July dessert project....

What it is supposed to look like

What happend to mine...

Off to Pick N Save to start over.... Grrrr!!!
From the Hello Cupcake Book.

Top 10 things...

2009-07-01T18:58:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile! We have been keeping busy going to the lake and trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. I have been keeping myself busy at the gym! Yes, I am motivated once again. I am already down 8lbs. Only 20 more to go! Ha! I am motivated and keeping busy because I miscarried in mid May. I was only 5 weeks, but it still really stinks getting the positive test and being so excited because it seems like we have been trying FOREVER, and then losing it. I feel like I was given the most wonderful present and it was taken away, almost like some really cruel joke. I know that everything happens for a reason and there are people out there that have endured a lot greater hardships than this. It really makes me even more grateful and feel even more blessed for having my one little perfect girl! Anyway enough with that.....

Her tounge after enjoying a ring pop - Gee I wonder what color it was???

So here are Brooklynn's top things she does or says in no particular order:
1. Her new joke is telling everyone Nick got her earrings at a rummage sale. She laughs and then says, no a jewelry store. Nick actually had a jeweler make her CZ screw back earrings because I told him she can only have earrings that lock. What a great Daddy!
2. She loves, loves the Pixar movie Cars. She can recite the moving lines: "Mater, like ta-mater" and " Go Chuga, Go Chuga"
3. She informs everyone that she is a size 2T.
4. She loves to sing. She is always singing songs that you can actually understand like, Twinkle Twinkle little star, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Old McDonald.
5. She loves to swim and is not afraid of the water. She is learning how to put her face in the water and blow bubbles.
6. When Nick or I are eating she loves to tell us: "Be careful, don't make a mess", "Carefull Mommy, chew good!" and if we make a mess :"Oh no, clean it up!"
7. She can count to 13 and knows the colors: Red, blue, orange, yellow, pink and brown. She still has trouble with green and purple.
8. Her favorite word learned today "Opsie Daisy" She laughs super hard when I or her say it!
9. If she sees M&M's she informs anyone who is around that: " I get M&Ma's when I go big poopie on the potty" she has told many cashiers this, I just laugh!
10. She loves to ride her "bicycle". She is actually able to pedal her tricycle now, but gets frustrated when it doesn't go exactly her way.

What happened already today...

2009-06-18T13:52:00.001-05:00

 Worked

 Cut the grass while Brooklynn played in her sand/water table. Brooklynn got soaked!!.

 Took Brooklynn to the park. Got hit on by a 7 year old who greeted me with a “Hello Hot Mama” and then showed me where he lived and begged me to come over for ice cream. He yelled “yes, I made a hot girlfriend as he rode away.” Oh my – what do you say to that except laugh!

 Lunch

 While I was checking work emails – Brooklynn got into my makeup and had foundation all over her stomach and face.

 Gave Brooklynn a bath since she was now full of dirt and makeup.

 Brooklynn made little poopies in the tub!

 Now – she is napping and I am going to work. Wish I could nap!!!

Beautiful day!!!!

Weekends - baby wash/lotion Update

2009-06-14T14:16:00.005-05:00

Beautiful weather = Lots of fresh air!!! We have been able to enjoy the last 2 weekends at Lake Winnebago.(Our weekend is Thursday night through Friday for Nick and Saturday morning for Brookie and I) We fish, boat, jet ski and play outside. I officially caught the first 2 fish. Go Ruchell! I caught 2 sheepheads or aka fresh water drum fish. Still fun to catch. Enjoy the new pictures.

The all natural and organic baby wash and lotions are working great! Brooklynn's eczema is pretty much gone. I have also started to make my own baby wipes. Super easy and really a lot cheaper than buying them, and I know they are all natural!!! Crazy story that convinced me: Brookie was playing one night and we thought she tooted, I asked her is she tooted or needed a change and she said no change just toot. So Nick and I let her play for another 40 minutes. Before bed, Nick changed her and she had pooped! A bumpy red raised rash already set in! Nick was using the homemade baby wipes to clean her off, and since it was super messy quickly grabbed the regular pamper wipes to get more wipes easier and faster. As soon as he used the pamper wipes she screamed and cried. She told us it hurt. So Nick went back and used the homemade wipes and she said "Thanks Daddy, all better". I put the California baby calendula cream on her rash and the next morning it was completely gone! I am sold! I wish I had done this since she was born! BTW - Viva paper towels work great for the homemade baby wipes! Here is the recipe I use.

Baby Wash Recipe #2
2 TBSP Baby Wash all natural
2 TBSP Olive Oil or 1 TBSP Calendula Oil
2 Drops Tea Tree essential Oil
2 drops of essential Lavender Oil
2 Cups Water
Mix well in a spray bottle or your wipes box. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box. Tea Tree Oil has lovely disinfectant properties along with its wonderful, clean smell.

What I am pondering...

2009-06-03T07:14:00.006-05:00

Organic, paraben free, phthalate free products especially baby care products, seems to be a buzz lately. It was first brought to my attention by Amy, Nick's cousin. After she had mentioned it I started researching and at the time I felt overwhelmed with all the info I found, so kept it in the back of my mind. This week I found a great site: Safe MaMa which got me thinking about it again. Brooklynn's skin is really sensitive. We have been using the Johnson and Johnson or store like brands and she does ok. However she ALWAYS has a bunch of small patches of eczema all over her arms, legs, butt and back. She tends to scratch and scratch these areas which get inflamed and sometimes bleed. I have read that the California Baby baby products prevent and heal eczema. The problem is it is EXPENSIVE and I am FRUGAL!!!
There may be hope - over the weekend my Aunt Lynn brought to my attention foam soap dispensers. She bought a couple and has used them for her dish soap, hand soap, bath and shampoos. It has allowed her to only go through one container of Dawn in a year. THAT IS AMAZING!! It has tripled and quadrupled the time that her hand soaps and shampoos last. I found a great site that has these foam dispensers super cheap - they are like the one’s pampered chef sells but are for under $2 a dispenser(instead of $13 for one). Here is the link: Foam Dispensers

I have read you only put one part soap to 5 – 6 parts water in the foam dispensers. I am totally going to use the dispensers for our dish soap, hand soaps and body washes to save $$$. Since I found a way for bath soaps to last, I figure I can try the safe baby products, since a little can go a long way.

Here is what I am going to try. I am going to get Brooklynn the California Baby or Burts Bees line of "SAFE" baby products. I will try it with the foam dispenser to make it last longer. I will see if it makes a difference with her skin. I am also trying the Burts Bees body wash and lotion on me. I have red bumps on my upper arms that showed up really bad after I had Brooklyn. I have tried everything to get rid of them and nothing works. I have read that it can be an allergy to soaps. I will make sure to report back with my findings.
Here is a link to a great cheat sheet at safemama.com about bath products. Safe baby Products Cheat Sheet
It is scary when you start researching it.... Ok off to Target so we can start today. ( They carry the Burts Bees and California Baby line along with other safe baby products.

Mad Dash

2009-05-31T21:06:00.005-05:00

Today Brooklynn refused to "sit" in the cart while I was at the store. That made for an interesting shopping adventure, mind you I was only at Office Depot trying to find A7 envelopes for her birthday invitations. (Why doesn't any store carry A7 envelopes? How frustrating!) She thought it was funny once she was out of the cart to run away from me in every direction possible! I spent most of the time chasing her in the store. I felt like one of "those" parents that are stared at for having a naughty child! Lovely!

On a crafty note - I discoverd digital scrapbooking this weekend. It allowed me to create SUPER cute invitations for Brooklynn's birtday and an AWESOME card for my parents anniversary. Coolest part is that you can GOOGLE and find all free digital scrapbook downloads from papers, embellishments and fonts. I think I may switch to doing digital scrapbooking - way cheaper than actual scrapbooking. Coolest part - you can print your pages at shutterfly.
Here is the front of the card I made for my parents anniversay. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Boom-Boom-Pow

2009-05-29T10:47:00.003-05:00

The other night Brookie and I were running errands. She ended up drinking her entire sippy cup of water. I never thought to change her and wouldn't you know she was soaked! Of course I didn't have a change of clothes for her and we still had to stop at babies r us. So she went to babies r us in her diaper and a t-shirt. LOL - at least she had her rain coat on which is a bit longer, but still. On our way home we were listenng to Kiss fm and the song Blame it came on. Brooklynn yells to me "No Mommy play Boom-Boom-Pow" She loves the new Blackeyed Peas song. I guess I can say she has good taste!
Enjoy this video - this is how Brooklynn likes to play Patty-Cake!

Crazier than Chuckie Cheese

2009-05-27T08:37:00.004-05:00

Friday Nick and I took Brooklynn to Stonefire Pizza. Wow was that crazy. Lucky for us it wasn't super busy. Brooklynn liked it a lot. Especially the ice cream. She had a blast walking around and "playing" the games. Half the time we didn't even have to put any credits in the machine... Shhhh! She had the most fun at the water table. Here are two videos from our night. One she really got into shooting hoops(I taped the second time she did it - of course the first time she did it she was into it and her shooting percentage was way better!) and the other she is feeding herself and her Daddy ice cream.

This video is funny - this is what happens when Mommy tries to work and Brooklynn is quiet.

Passed Out

2009-05-14T07:11:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when you are 22 months and wake up 1.5 hours early in the morning.

You are too tired to make it through Elmo... I was wondering why she was so quiet!

A little rain is OK - I guess

2009-05-13T13:17:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we were outside for every bit we could - so Brooklynn is upset that we can not go outside today. She is a bit whiny probably due to the fact that she woke up 1.5 hours early today.. YIKES!

We had a great Mother's day hope everyone did too! We had my parents and Nick's parents over for dinner. Brooklynn loved showing off how she rides her scooter.

"Helping" Daddy - she even was pretending to read off the measurement...to funny!

Girl's Best Friend

2009-05-09T22:28:00.005-05:00

If you come around Brooklynn, one of the first things she will say to you is: "Casper chew baby" - yes Casper chewed her baby doll's foot off like 6 months ago and she will not let it go. She has now added to her "Casper stories" "Casper step on big toe" and "Casper run fast". Casper did step on her big toe and he is always running fast(sometimes into things). Casper has really been great with Brooklynn. She can go up to him while he is in his bed and pet and hug him. She gives him treats and makes him sit before he takes it from her hand. She LOVES that dog!

OK before I go here is my "Bad Mom" story in light of Mother's Day tomorrow. Tonight I went grocery shopping and Nick took Brooklynn for a bicycle ride. He had the house keys so after I was done shopping I called him to see where he was. He stopped at our friend Shawn's house. We visited for awhile and Brooklynn played with their kids. She LOVES it there. It was getting dark out so Nick put Brooklynn in the car seat and I got in the truck and was waiting for Nick to load the bike in the truck. He told me I was going to have to ride the bike home because he had stuff in the back of his truck and the bike wouldn't fit. Soooo, I got out of the truck and closed the door and got on the bike. Nick walked over to the truck and tried the door it was locked!!! He then asked me for the keys, well I had placed them in the cup holder - in the TRUCK!!! OMG we locked Brooklynn in the truck!! No big deal I guess, right??? So I biked my tail home as quick as possible, got the extra set of truck keys and drove back to Shawn's. Brooklynn had no clue what was going on, she was trying to get her shoe off.... Oh my goodness!!!! It's funny now... I still think Nick was the one who locked the truck...

Hope all the Mother's out there have a fabulous day tomorrow!!! Here's to the hardest, but most rewarding job in the world!!!

OH BANANAS!!!

2009-05-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

Today was very productive so far. Brooklynn the last two nights has been waking up in the middle of the night. I do not know what is up. I think I am going to try to get her in bed by 9:30pm - she has been staying up until 10pm. Hopefully that works! Anyway so on to my productive morning - Up at 5am, worked for an hour, went to the gym and worked out, went grocery shopping at Woodmans, fed Brookie breakfast and worked a little more.

So since I was ahead of schedule today,I decided to bake a banana bread and not waste my brown bananas. Brooklynn being the helper she is wanted to help me. So I pushed a chair up and she helped me puree the bananas and cauliflower (BTW the banana bread I made has pureed cauliflower in it - anything to get more veggies in Brooklynn)So after pureeing the bananas I put them in a bowl. I turned to get the flour and when I turned back - Brooklynn was trying to dump all the pureed bananas into the measuring cup. AHHHH! My first instinct was to get mad - but I realize she was trying to help. SO I didn't yell at her but I did put her on the ground until I got it all cleaned up. Needless to say I had to use the bananas that were all over the counter. I just cleaned my counter so I think it will be OK - it isn't like I am giving the bread away as a gift or anything.... So I will let you know how this bread turns out and if it is good with the cauliflower in it.....
The recipe is from Deceptively Delicious
**** Update: The bread was good. I would say it wasn't the best banana bread I have had - but it was really good considering it was made with whole wheat flour and cauliflower!

What a beautiful day to Paint!!

2009-05-03T15:53:00.003-05:00

Yes - painting is Brooklynn's new FAV thing to do. This morning while I was baking a cheese pound cake for Papa Jim's (Nick's Dad) birthday, Brooklynn was painting away. Maybe she is an artist in the making! Hope everyone enjoyed this gorgeous day!

Brookie's House

2009-05-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

Well I can not believe that it has been over 2 weeks since my last post. We have been pretty busy. Easter was great I put some pics on Flickr.

Thanks to Grandma Joyce's great shopping skills, Brooklynn got her very own playhouse!!!! It is an early birthday gift from us and Grandma & Grandpa Fucile. I have been looking and looking and Joyce came across the deal of the year!!! It is big enough for an adult to go inside. Brooklynn loves it. Her and I even washed it last Friday when it was super warm. Brooklynn got soaked head to toe, but it sparkles now!

Brookie and I also got to watch cousin Brandon this Monday. It was so fun. Brookie did well, she just wanted to always kiss and hug him and he eventually just wanted her to leave him alone. We had to put him in one of Brooklynn's princess bibs - too cute!!!

Can I just say that the terrible two's starts early!!! Brooklynn is defiantly saying "no" to everything and anything and throwing fits left and right, where if she doesn't get her way she bangs her head on the floor. Time outs are a daily occurrence now... The fun begins!

Mr. Hoppy at WalMart

2009-04-11T13:56:00.006-05:00

Brooklynn and I stopped at walmart to get her some finger paints and what do you know - the easter bunny(or Mr. Hoppy as Brookie calls him) was there and doing free pictures!!! Brooklynn ran right up to him and gave him high five and a hug. She sat right on his lap and told him Happy Easter! After a few minutes Brooklynn wanted down, as she went to get down the lady that was supposed to take her pic said - wait I didn't take the pic yet! What - I thought!! Oh well it worked out fine, Brooklynn started to really want down - hence her fingers in her mouth in the pic, she does this if she is upset and doesn't have her nook! It is still cute and what do you expect for free!

Does the bunny look a little creepy?? I think it looks a bit evil..... Well again, FREE :-)

E-G-G-riffic!

2009-04-10T22:04:00.008-05:00

Today was a day of a first - letting Brooklynn color and/or dye eggs! She had a blast and did great! I am actually thinking I am going to buy her washable finger paints tomorrow so she can start painting pictures. It was very messy at the end but all worked out just fine. We did have one casualty, an egg rolled right off the table while Brooklynn was painting it. (But that is OK we were able to "test" Nick's secret hard boil egg recipe - Thanks Mel!) Tonight we had our Easter with my Mom and Dad since Easter is going to be a day of 3 stops. She had a BLAST finding all the eggs hidden in my parent's house and LOVED her 2 Easter baskets - that were as tall as her.

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter filled with wonderful family and friends!

The finished eggs!

Her GIANT Baskets

Playing princess dress up - Thank you Gaga & Papa

President Obama's Budget or should we say Expansion of Big Brother Plan

2009-04-01T14:20:00.005-05:00

I will apologize a head of time. My blog is not meant for my political views. But I can not help myself. I am deeply enraged and scared after reading and investigating President Obama's budget plan. I did not realize that the federal debt from the very first President, George Washington through former President George Bush Jr, was just over 5 TRILLION dollars. President Obama is proposing to double that in just 5 years and triple it in 10 years. I can not believe more people are not upset by this considering all the negativity surrounding former President Bush's deficit - which would seem extremely small and insignificant to what President Obama is proposing. I do not want this for my child or my retirement years. I would like to retire one day with the money that my husband and I worked hard for in my pocket and I think everyone deserves the same! Please help me by emailing our representatives to show them that we do not want this. Please click the link below for a prewritten letter.

Tell your Senators and Representative to reject the dangerous and wasteful fiscal 2010 budget resolutions today! Please click the link below or visit the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste's web site, www.ccagw.org, to send a letter today.

Here is a link to an article that outlines President Obama's budget.
Article

This type of spending is unprecedented and is not what we need in a recession. This goes beyond a republican versus democratic issue -this is our children's economic future at stake!
Take it for what it is worth - I feel better now... Ahhhhh.

M&M's Please

2009-03-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

Brooklynn has been introduced to the beloved chocolate! She LOVES M&M's. I am glad I found something she likes so much now I have a good treat for when I start potty training her. I am going to try next week with the 10 minute timer and wearing actual cloth training pants. I am welcome to any suggestions - I feel lost!

Nick and I took Brooklynn to the Betty Brinn's Children’s Museum today. That is a really neat place. Once Brooklynn found they had a slide that is all she wanted to do. She had a blast! We will defiantly have to go back soon!

Well I hear Brooklynn is up - off to check out my brother's house he just bought! Congrats C.J.! Have a great weekend hopefully with out SNOW!

Yes - it was 72 today!

2009-03-17T21:45:00.007-05:00

Wow - what a difference the sun, birds chirping and warm weather can make! Today was FANTASTIC! Brooklynn and I were outside as much as we could be today. We played outside this morning with Ethan and Ella. Then after dinner Brooklynn and I went to the park. She loved it! She even went down the BIG slide all by herself! I am so proud! Funny thing Brooklynn said today: It was very windy and there were lots of leaves blowing around. When we were first outside she kept running from the leaves telling me they were bugs! The funny part is I do not know where she knows what a bug is unless she remembers from last year or from the books we read!

Ready to go to the park!

Happy Girl - Loves to be outside

Going down the little slide

Then the BIG slide...

Our Chula Vista Weekend

2009-03-14T22:47:00.002-05:00

We went to the Chula Vista Water park in the dells last weekend. It was great to have a little get away to help the cabin fever! We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo, with my parents and brother, that was bigger than our house! It was great because we could all hang out after Brooklynn went down for bed or her nap.

We had a lot of fun. The resort was booked to capacity - no open rooms. It was PACKED to say the least. Brooklynn loved going down the slides in the kiddy area. She also loved playing with the geysers of water. It was a little chilly once you got wet, so we didn't spend all our time in the water. My Grandparents came up to spend time with us and we were able to go out to dinner with them to celebrate my Grandma's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Grandma!
Brooklynn was very talkative at dinner and would talk nonstop to the waiter anytime he came to our table. I wish I had my video camera! Needless to say she was our free entertainment at dinner. I uploaded pictures from our weekend to Flickr.

Today was so nice out!!! It got me in spring cleaning mode! I cleaned our bathroom, vacuumed, washed floors, dusted, cleaned windows, cleaned the kitchen and organized our "junk drawers". Next project is cleaning the rest of the windows in the bedrooms and cleaning the blinds! Fun Fun!

Well I am going to attempt to go to church tomorrow and put Brooklynn in the children’s room for the hour I am in church. We will see how this goes... The last time I tried leaving her in there it didn’t go very well! I think it would be good for her to play with other kids and have some time with out me. If she doesn't like it I guess she can sit in church with me :-) Spring is on it’s way!!

Green Bath...

2009-03-05T00:15:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of Brooklynn using her creativity. She loves to paint herself with the bath paints from AVON. I have a little green, candy apple smelling toddler on my hands!

PS. In addition to being a Mom and working part time, I decided I didn't have enough to do and became an Independent AVON Sales Representative - so if you would like a brochure or know anyone that wants AVON or mark items let me know! Also the link to my AVON site is on the right side of the blog! Needless to say Brooklynn will have an endless supply of body paint! LOL...

I am done with Reality TV

2009-03-03T23:06:00.003-06:00

So I am one of the reality TV junkies and I watched the entire season of The Bachelor. After lasts night finale and the After the Show - I am on the verge of going on a reality TV show protest! I had read in STAR the morning of the finale that Jason picks Melissa but then dumps her and ends up with Molly. I didn't believe it. What do you know, that is exactly what happened. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he should have stayed with Melissa if he truly didn’t love her, but how the heck do you propose to someone and 6 weeks later decide you love someone else? I hope it works out for Molly and Jason, but I would be worried if I were her, he may change his mind... AGAIN….

OK that is my TV rant for the week. In Brooklynn news - she had A BLAST at the car show! I will post pictures. She sat in too many cars or Vroom Vrooms, as she calls them, to count. It was too cute - she would sit in the driver seat and tell you to close the door and then pretend to drive. I love cars, so I guess she does too! Also Brooklynn is down to 1 nap a day. I switched her over last week Wednesday and so far so good. Her morning nap kept getting later and later. It was getting her eating times pretty off schedule. She adapted really well, and so did I. It is a new change for me too, but I was able to adjust and now I work before she wakes up in the morning and while she is up and then again while she naps.

Here is a link to a video from yesterday. Nick brought her balloons home and she LOVES them. Too funny!! Enjoy...

The NEW addition to our family

2009-02-27T16:00:00.004-06:00

Yes we have news - we added 3 fish to our family!!! LOL - bet you may have thought it was other news. Sorry just fish. Nick has been wanting to get Brookie some fish, I finally gave in. She loves them. I think she would have rather brought home a puppy from the pet store though. (Couldn't get Nick to go for that!)Nick has promised that the fish will be his deal - I do not want anything to do with cleaning the tank...

Funny Brooklynn story - She is now tall enough to open up the drawers on our kitchen buffet. We keep our keys and garage opener in there. This morning Nick went to open the garage, and what do you know, we couldn't find the opener. We both looked and looked. Finally it dawned on me, I have been catching her with our keys and the opener. I don't let her play with them I always have her put them back ad tell her not to touch them. I asked Brooklynn if she knew where the garage opener was - she said "Sure" and walked over to the entertainment center and opened the drawer, "Here Mama". Well, at least she remembered where she put it!! I am moving the keys and garage controller to the top of the fridge. It was funny - but I can see them getting lost very quickly!! She is too smart!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

What a day...

2009-02-16T14:04:00.006-06:00

So what the heck - I am sick with a pretty bad head cold.... Why am I sick again???? Argh!
Anyway - Disney on ice was great Brooklynn loved it and sat in amazement for the first half. After intermission she was a little restless, but did great! I loved it too! It was right up my alley - I love Disney anything!

Valentines day was nice. Friday Nick and I went out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Saturday we had a nice night at home just the 3 of us and we all played with play dough!! Nick earned BIG brownie points by making Brooklynn and I valentine cards.

Friday Brooklynn had her doctor check up. She is almost 32 inches tall and 25lbs. She was talking so much in the room that the doctor didn't even ask me what she all does - he just said he can tell she is developing just fine! She got 3 shots. The first 2 she watched and didn't even cry, the last shot they gave her was the chicken pox one and that went in her tricep - she cried for that one and it was bleeding so much it got all over her bear!
Enjoy the new pictures on flickr.

This is Brooklynn's new rain coat - she loves to wear it all the time!!!

Sassy Buns

2009-02-05T15:07:00.005-06:00

Brooklynn must know I have TONS to do today! I need to work, finish laundry, clean the house and pack for us to go up north tonight. Out of all the days she decided not to take a morning nap -it's today!!! Oh well.... She is really a little spite-fire lately. Telling me no, throwing mini tantrums when she doesn't get her way and the occasional hitting when she is mad. Does the terrible 2's start at 19 months or is this just the beginning??

Well we are off to Lake Winnebago tonight. I will be working from up there. Saturday Brooklynn and I are coming home and on our way home we have a memorial in East Troy to stop in at, then Saturday night we are taking Brooklynn to Disney on Ice (Nick got free tickets, we will see how she does) and Sunday I have a baby shower. I am already tired thinking about the busy weekend. It will be fun though!

So - I have been thinking about starting to potty train Brooklynn. She sits on her potty and makes the appropriate noises for what potty she is pretending to go. I am thinking of waiting another month - because she tells me while she is going number 2 not before she goes and she never tells me when she goes number 1. Any thoughts???
Enjoy the pictures of Brooklynn - I love the one where she is laying down watching Barney!!!

This is my wish... LOL

We are all better

2009-02-01T11:19:00.003-06:00

Wow that flu is no joke. Luckily we are all better now and finally have energy again! We have had a great and busy weekend so far. Friday night I hosted a Lia Sophia Party. It was a lot of fun and I got to put by "bartending skills" to use. Thank you to everyone who came - I had a blast!!
Last night we went to a family friend's birthday bash - Happy B'Day Kent!! It was great to be able to catch up with a lot of people who we haven't seen in such a long time. We weren't able to stay too long - Brooklynn was starting to have melt downs, so that was our cue to leave.
Today will be a quiet day at our house with food and football. Hope everyone enjoys the superbowl and the commercials!!!

Recovering

2009-01-26T10:03:00.002-06:00

Yuck! I got the flu bug at 5am Saturday morning. Nothing like not eating all weekend to help jump start my diet! I am at least able to function today, just really tired and not ready to really eat yet. Brooklynn woke up Friday morning with puke in her bed, but no fever. She had the runs until last night, but seems back to normal today, and HUNGRY. She ate a whole pancake and a small bowl of cheerios and milk. I really think I may consider the flu shot next year - I thought I was dying on Saturday..... Hope everyone else had a better weekend!

Almost done....

2009-01-20T14:20:00.005-06:00

Our bathroom will be useable finally on Thursday. We grouted this morning and Nick and Justin are sealing it tomorrow. It turned out great! here are some pictures.

I started my Pilates class last night. Ouch is the word of the day! My core is SO WEAK! I love it though. 9 more classes to go!

Why is it when you want to get a cute picture of your kid it never works? I have been trying to get a picture of her for Regis & Kelly's cutest baby contest for 3 days now... No Luck!

Progress

2009-01-18T07:53:00.008-06:00

Here is a cute picture of Brooklynn playing with her cousin Nathan. It is amazing how well Brooklynn played with Nathan.

Here are some pictures of the bathroom so far. They are finishing up the tile before Nick goes to work this morning and then grouting tonight. Looks great guys! (They are working so hard!)
This is going to be a built in shelf.

Demo Weekend

2009-01-17T12:19:00.003-06:00

This weekend Nick (with the help of some AWESOME friends - thanks JP and Tim!) is redoing our bathtub and surround. They are ripping out our old nasty surround and replacing it with tile, we are also getting a new tub! Yeah! SO far so good, Brooklynn and I are spending our time at my Mom's since it is quite noisy and not safe with dangerous tools everywhere at my house. I will be sure to post pictures when it is finished - hopefully tomorrow! I am very excited and can't wait to rip down the wallpaper in the bathroom and redecorate it. I am totally into the browns and have had fun thinking of what to do in there. It is so small it should be easy!

I had a girls night out last night. It was so needed and long coming! I went to a Lia Sophia party first,(that stuff is great and pretty - I ended up booking a party so that I can get some cool jewelry and have another girls night! Plus for the month of January they have a special buy 1 get 2 half off - and you pay full price for your cheapest item! My party is Jan 30th - mark your calendars!) Then after the Lia Sophia party Jamie and I met our friend Amy at Applebee’s for some drinks. How fun to be able to have a few drinks, have adult conversation and not worry about your kid(s)! I feel refreshed and relaxed today from my nice little break!

Finally Pictures

2009-01-13T11:59:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures of Brookie when we were playing in the snow.

All bundled up...

Playing in the snow....

All tuckered out after playing so hard....

Here are a few pictures from our 4-wheeling weekend in Menasha on Lake Winnebago.
My Dad, CJ, Nick and I out in the middle of the Lake ice fishing and drinking "slush" beer...( see how far out we are.. I walked all the way there since they left with out me before I got home. It didn't seem so far until I started walking and felt like I was going no where!)

Making Snow Angels

Sledding

Showing Brooklynn how to sled... LOL

Getting ready to go 4-wheeling!!!

Huge piece of ice out on the lake by the break.

More pictures are on Flickr....

Same Snow Different Day

2009-01-11T00:02:00.003-06:00

Computer update - The computer doctor was able to fix my computer. Turns out, nothing majorly wrong with my actual computer. The problem was my extra media hard drive which I store all my pictures and videos on. I am retarded and only have all my pictures from 2008 in 1 spot - my media drive. Lucky for me the "computer doctor" was able to fix my media drive so I didn't lose my pictures/video. (Thank God! I would have had a mini break down if I lost all pictures from 2008 seeing as I haven't developed pictures since last MARCH!) SO I get my computer back tomorrow already and have to do a better job of "backing up" so I don't get stuck with the sad Mac face syndrome (like Carrie in Sex and the City for those Sex and the City lovers...) I need to start looking at getting another hard drive to back up my stuff on since the computer doc doesn't think my media drive is reliable. So stay tuned for updated PICTURES tomorrow!

OK enough tech talk – that’s kind of boring! Brooklynn is so much more fun to read and talk about. My little girl – she’s not a baby anymore, is copying everything. She tells me when I should vacuum and shows me where to put it away when I am done. She also helps with dusting and cleaning up. She is OBSESSED with making sure everything is exactly where it is supposed to be. For example, a little girl came over and turned one of her rose petal cottage cushions upside down. Brooklynn stopped clamoring to my leg walked over and turned her cushion up right and them came back and reattached herself to my leg. I think she is going to have some of my OCD tendencies. She also tells me “no” and mocks me when I tell her “No,No,No” by coping me and even shaking her finger right back at me. She is in LOVE with any show where there is signing like Barney and The Wiggles (Some one please help get those songs out of my head!) She loves to try to write her ABC’s and tries to count to 3 (she can get to two!) I can not believe how quick she is developing and changing every day. I swear she says or does something new everyday now. I am trying to soak her up so that I can remember her being this little since it is going so fast!

Computer Woes

2009-01-08T16:29:00.005-06:00

Computers are great - when they work. My computer is kind of broken. I am unable to access my photos or save them (the reason why I haven't posted any pictures from our 4-wheeling weekend) The computer doctors are picking up my computer tomorrow afternoon to **fingers crossed** fix it. I will hopefully have it back by Sunday and be able to post pictures then. Check out this free malware download program. It found 9 infected viruses on my computer that my anti virus software didn't find. Malware Bytes

Brooklynn news: She has become very attached to her "NuNu" (nuki / pacifier) and her bear. She is teething again and I am hoping that is why she wants her NuNu most of the time. Other than that she has been really good and doing a LOT of talking! She is always trying to say something and gets very upset when you don't know what she is saying!

Get your shovels out up to 6 inches of SNOW on it's way tomorrow!

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T11:27:00.004-06:00

Brooklynn has been wearing these princess sunglassess that she got from us for Christmas. I call her my little movie star! Too funny!

Hope everyone has a great New Year. We are headed up to my parent's lake house in Menasha. We will be four wheeling on Lake Winnebago over the next couple of days. Nick is so excited.

Earrings!

2008-12-27T22:30:00.004-06:00

Yes, we got Brooklynn's ears pierced! She did great! She cried when they did it, but once it was all over she hasn't fussed about them once. If you ask her where her pretty earrings are she proudly points to them. My fingers are crossed that she doesn't have an allergy to them. So far so good! Here is a picture of her with her earrings while she was taking a bath. Look at how long her hair is getting!

Santa came to Town

2008-12-26T19:40:00.001-06:00

Mobile Blogging from here.

Christmas was a blast! Brooklynn was so fun & loved opening her gifts! I am so mad - I set up the video but forgot to get my camera Xmas morning. I don't have any pictures from our Xmas morning. It was a wonderful couple of days. I am going to spend the weekend organizing all of brooklynn's new toys! I will post some pictures that I do have later. Hope everyone had a joyous holiday!

Our Very Own.....

2008-12-13T15:19:00.006-06:00

Cookie Monster

Christmas Angel

Santa from a distance

2008-12-12T15:24:00.005-06:00

Today we took Brooklynn to see Santa. We have been talking about this all week with her. She seemed exctied about it. Even when we got there she was saying Hi to Santa and telling him "Ho, Ho, HO" However once it was her turn to sit on his lap she became glued to my side. We tried prying her off me and set her on his lap for a second and then the tears came. Nick ended up holding her on his knee in frot of him. I guess I should have known she wasn't going to like it - what do you expect from a 17 month old.

The Tradition Continues....

2008-12-12T15:17:00.003-06:00

When I was younger at our old house every year we painted a Christmas picture on our front picture window. We did this because it was something that my Dad did with his family when he was a child. I decided to start the tradition this year. My Dad and Mom helped Nick and I. It looks really cute and was a lot of fun. Brooklynn loves it - she keeps telling my "GaGa & PaPa on" pointing at it. I think that is her way of reminding me that they helped.

December Already?

2008-12-06T14:45:00.004-06:00

I did it! I went out of town overnight for work. It was my first night away from Brooklynn and Nick's first night by himself with her. The hardest part was leaving but once I was gone it was fine. I did miss her tons - but it was a nice break.Nick did great and Brooklynn did fine - she was very excited to see me the next day.

Tonight we are painting our front window and then I can set up my village. I am a little worried that my village may not beable to stay up. Brooklnn is so tall now that she can reach everything on the bow window. She has been really good about not touching the tree maybe she won't touch my village - fingers crossed!

Enjoy the few pictures of Brooklynn one is her a mess while eating cottage cheese that she loves, another pic is her in her tutu that she wears around the house now (LOL - GIRLS!), and the other pic my Grandpa took when were visiting them.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-30T22:41:00.004-06:00

What a great holiday weekend. It was so nice to have Nick home with us Thursday and Friday. For the first time since July Nick and I both had a day off together! Brooklynn was such a trooper all day Thursday from 10am - 8:30pm with no nap, we left the house around 10am and didn't get back until a little before 9pm. It was a great day filled with family and too much food! (I will be working it all off at the gym this week!)
Friday we put all the outside Christmas lights up, our Christmas tree and most of the inside decorations. We still have to paint our first annual Christmas picture on our front window and once that is done I can set up my Christmas village. Much to my surprise Brooklynn is not touching the tree - I keep telling her "pretty no touch!" and then she pretends to kiss the tree.
Can you believe I ventured out on Black Friday? While Brooklynn was sleeping and Nick was hanging the lights outside I went to Best Buy to get a color picture printer that was on sale for $49 (my printer broke!) and I also went to Toys R Us to get diapers and wipes with their special $10 off coupon. It wasn't that bad - I was surprised.
In Brooklynn news she can now tell you what Santa says. When you ask her what Santa says she says "Ho Ho Ho" Too Funny!
I hear there is a winter storm on the move this way with 4 - 5 inches of snow - I guess it really is Christmas time!

Enjoy the pictures from Thanksgiving - the ones of Brooklynn kissing her cousins are too funny!

ouch!

2008-11-18T13:34:00.003-06:00

Brooklynn had her 15 month check up today. She is perfect! She is now 33 inches tall and 22LBS 8oz. She is pretty tall for her age - I know because she can reach everything now, even open door knobs. Yikes! She got her MMR shot, flu shot and they took blood. She was really upset and crying until they gave her 2 Cinderella stickers. As soon as she got those she was fine!

Here are some pictures of Nick's project. He put crown molding in our room. Thanks Mike for the help!

Finally - painted!

2008-11-10T21:01:00.003-06:00

After almost 3 years of our room being white - we finally got it painted this weekend! I am super excited with how it turned out. We were up until 2 am Saturday (that is what happens when you have a 15 month old and a husband that works weekends) Nick is going to put crown molding up this weekend. Our room is tiny - but cute! Next project remodeling the bathroom - after the holidays.

Blog Facelift

2008-11-07T11:54:00.007-06:00

I came across a great site with fun backgrounds for blogs (Thanks to the Ollmann's blog ) How fun! Now I can add variety to the blog with backgrounds - how blogriffic! (OK that's cheesy!)
Anyway happy nippy fall day! I think the days of running around outside with just a shirt on are over! Brooklynn loves it outside and it tuckers her out so I am so sad that it is getting cold!

A funny Brooklynn tidbit. She has become obsessed with Cinderella or "Ella" as she calls her. We watch the movie everyday and when you ask her to dance like a princess she hums the Cinderella song and twirls in a circle! A special THANK YOU to Aunt Dina who found her a Disney princess play house for toddlers. She beyond loves it!

Brooklynn started her Gymboree class this week (thanks to Grandma & Grandpa W.) She loves it. The first half of the class she was quiet and watching what was going on and the last half she totally got into it. A little shout out to parents with bratty kids that pull out my Brookie’s ponytail – I don’t care if your kid is tired, discipline should be a must especially when your kid keeps pulling my kids hair and stealing her toys. I am going to be on Mommy Lion patrol next week! Watcha Self!

Check out the video of Brooklynn dancing - it is from September. I will try to get video of her Cinderella dance!

Mourning in the Morning

2008-11-05T08:58:00.004-06:00

Well it is final Obama is in. This motivates me to get involved to help bring the conservative mindset back to the country and help in the next elections. In the wake of a Democratic President here are some Reagan quotes to uplift our conservative spirits.

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'
Ronald Reagan40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.
Ronald Reagan40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.
Ronald Reagan40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

Keeping Busy on Election Day

2008-11-04T15:05:00.004-06:00

Another beautiful day outside. Brooklynn and I decided to keep ourselves busy and play most of the afternoon outside. (Side note - don't burn leaves when it is windy, it stinks! Our neighbor decided to burn leaves and all the smoke was blowing in our yard - now we smell like a bon fire! LOVELY!) Brooklynn played in her car, played with her ball, took a wagon ride and helped me clean the windows in my car.

A special thank you to Aunt Dina for Brooklynn's Bitty Baby doll. She LOVES it! I think we will have to wait and let Brooklynn name her when she can. Right now she calls her "Wahhh Wahhh".

I think my Printer is a Democrat

2008-11-04T10:36:00.003-06:00

Yes, can you believe that! All morning I have been trying everything to get my color printer to print out my t-shirt design that I made for Brooklynn to wear today. Go figure my printer will not pick up paper - it keeps saying no papr when it is loaded with tons of paper! I have tried everything and it is not working! What the heck! Well, maybe if Obama gets in part of his spread the wealth plan can include getting me a new printer! Ha! Happy Voting Day!

Field Trip

2008-10-30T10:19:00.004-05:00

Brooklynn went on her first field trip. Well, I took her to Swan's pumpkin farm with my cousin Amy and her children. It was so much fun! Brooklynn got to see the goats, Llamas,a cow, a baby cow and a duck. Instead of petting them she wanted to kiss them! We took the kids on a hayride too! She loved it and was watching all the other kids on the ride. (we sat in the middle of a school on a field trip) Enjoy the pictures on Flickr.

This weekend I will download the pictures and some video from trick or treat. Brooklynn did really well and lasted 45 minutes in the windy cold! We are off tonight for the day up at Lake Winnebago! Can't Wait!

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-20T17:31:00.004-05:00

We carved our pumpkins last night. Brooklynn just wanted to hug and kiss her pumpkin and wanted nothing to do with the pumpkin guts. Every time we asked her to touch the guts - she said no and shook her head. Nick carved a puppy on her pumpkin and a scary (not very scary) face on his and I carved a skeleton. I think next year Brooklynn will be more involved in her pumpkin face design. Happy Gloomy, Rainy Monday!

Fall Fun

2008-10-18T22:54:00.006-05:00

Brooklynn had a very exciting day today. We played outside for a long time with Gradma & Grandpa W. It was gorgeous out! How I love this time of year! When Nick got home we went and picked out our pumpkins at Annette and Jim's. Brooklynn happened to find a glowing hot wheel car in the driveway - which took the excitment away from the pumpkins. Tomorrow is an eventful day we (Brooklynn & I) are headed to Janesville for Colton's (Brooklynn's cousin) First Birthday! Then we are carving pumpkins when Nick gets home. Stay tuned for some pumpkin carving pics!

My Little Pony

2008-10-16T15:14:00.002-05:00

Brooklynn's hair is long and getting crazy! I don't want to cut it - so today after putting her pony tail in about 20 times and her taking it out and then telling me "on" to put it back in - SUCCESS! She left it in! I think it is too cute in a retro 80's side pony kind of way. The fun of having a little girl!

Pee-Pee on the Potty!

2008-10-11T20:39:00.002-05:00

Yes she did! Brooklynn went pee-pee on her potty! Nick and I are SO EXCITED! We bought her a potty chair a couple weeks ago so that she can get used to it. She is still too little to start potty training (I am going to start in January), but we have been putting her on her potty while we are filling her bath and today she went!!!! Yes we are very excited over a little tinkle!

Getting Crafty

2008-10-11T15:54:00.006-05:00

I wanted to make Brooklynn a cookie trick-or-treat bag since she is going to be cookie monster for Halloween. So I went and bought a sewing machine. I didn't have one and have had to rely on my Mom to sew things for me. I decided it is about time I learn how to sew. I am already done with her cookie "bag." It turned out cute and pretty good for my first sewing project since 7th grade home ecomomics. I now have a new interest in learning how to sew and wish I had the money and time to take sewing classes. I want to be able to make valences and decorative pillows for Brooklynn's big girl room. It will really help save $$$.

P.S. I am still going to the gym - I am going 5 times a week and I go super early in the morning so that I am home by the time Brooklynn is up at 8 am. I LOVE IT! I am disappointed that I haven't lost a bunch of weight in the last 2 weeks. I have been working my tail off and really watching what I am eating. I am sure it will start to fall off - I just have to keep plugging away.

This is GREAT!

2008-10-10T12:09:00.004-05:00

You may have seen my Great Uncle on TV from the convention yesterday. Here is the clip of his comment it starts around 2:30. Way to GO!!!

My Tidbit for the day

2008-10-09T11:43:00.002-05:00

Now I promise I will not blog something political everyday; however, after seeing this I couldn't help it.

On the News

2008-10-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

In the midst of my anger from my 2nd McCain sign being stolen - I called channel 12 news. They came out and interviewed me yesterday and I was on the 6 o'clock news. Here is a link to it. http://www.wisn.com/video/17651983/

They were here for about 30 minutes and I got 3 seconds of air time....

Here is the sign in my window.

Stolen Signs...

2008-10-06T17:09:00.004-05:00

Those of you who know me - know I am very conservative politically. It is no wonder who I am supporting in this up coming election. Would you believe I have had 2 McCain signs stolen from my front yard! Both have not even made it 24 hours. I am beyond furious! I am all for difference of opinion. If you support Obama - that is your choice - just don't steal my SIGN! If this is what kind of people who are going to vote for Obama, there is no reasoning with them, since they already believe in stealing. Here is something interesting to listen too. Really makes you think. Are we headed for a socialistic society if Obama gets in? I buy my own health insurance – and there is NO WAY that I want the government in charge of my family’s health care!

Ahhh M-O-U-S-E !

2008-09-29T12:47:00.005-05:00

The title of this post says it all. We had a little furry friend living with us. Of course once I seen the signs of him, we set traps and cleaned up the "presents" he left behind. He is no longer with us - THANK GOSH! How creepy and gross! I am searching the house for how he got in....

Sorry for no updates - I am SUPER swamped at work. Brooklynn is doing well. We go for her follow up check up on the 7th. Her stiches are almost gone. She is starting to teeth again - and is getting some molars! I can tell they bother her - I feel so bad! I am sure it will be better once they pop through.

I finally gave in and joined Cardinal Fitness. It is really resonable and they have a daycare. I am planning on going before Nick and Brooklynn wake up - but if I don't I can always put her in the daycare. Bye Bye POUNDS!

Happy RAINY week to everyone!

Who does she look like?

2008-09-17T23:54:00.007-05:00

Lately everyone seems to have an opinion of who Brooklynn looks like. It is funny because my family thinks she looks like me when I was a baby and Nick's family thinks she looks like him when he was a baby. I personally think and hope she is good mix of both of us and looks like herself. So here you go - here is a baby picture of Nick and I. My picture is first and Nick's is second. You decide.

And of course here is a picture of Brooklynn...

I think Brooklynn is cuter than both of us! LOL

Fun in the Sun

2008-09-16T14:27:00.006-05:00

What a gorgeous day today! Brooklynn and I went outside to enjoy the weather and play with her new car! I have been looking for one of those little tyke push cars for the last 3 weeks on craigs list and had no luck. I should have known to ask Nick's Mom - Thanks to Grandma Joyce Brooklynn now has a push car to play with. She loves to open and close the door and beep the horn. She can scoot herself backwards in it - but hasn't figured out how to go forward yet.

Nana - Banana

2008-09-16T11:48:00.004-05:00

Brooklynn is doing really great! Her cold is getting better and she is healing up wonderfully. Her vocabulary is really starting to develope. She has become quite the mocking bird; trying to copy what we are saying or even copying us when we are cheering or upset at the football games. I got some video of her eating her "nana" and doing her elephant noise. Nick is really working with her on all of her animal noises. She now does a elephant, puppy, duck, crab and a chicken. Enjoy the video!

It's Going Well

2008-09-12T10:46:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Brooklynn is doing well. I called the surgeon yesterday because she had a fever of 101. The surgeon thinks it is because Brooklynn is sick. She was going to call and give me a prescription for an antibiotic for her anyway. She doesn't want Brooklynn to get any sort of infection since she has a skull defect where part of the cyst was attached and deteriorating her skull. The antibiotic won't help her cold since the doctor thinks it is a virus. She gets the antibiotic 4 times per day for the next 7 days. I think the only thing bothering Brooklynn is her cough. She doesn't even notice her incision. She is running around and playing like normal.

All Done - Thank Goodness!

2008-09-10T13:38:00.006-05:00

Well I will start off by saying Brooklynn is doing good.

Her surgery ended up taking 2 hours instead of the 45 minutes like they had told us. After she was in surgery for an hour we got a call from the nurse who was in surgery and said it is taking a bit longer because it turned out to be bigger than expected. Then another 45 minutes went by and we didn’t hear anything. I was beside myself so I asked the receptionist to find out what was going on. She told me that they were just finishing. Another 15 minutes went by and the doctor finally came out. She asked us to come in a private room to talk. I got really nervous – all the other doctors were just talking to the parents right in the waiting room, why was ours taking us in a separate room. I for a second was not wanting to hear what the doctor was going to say. The doctor told us that the cyst was round but had a worm like part that came of off it and went back towards her ear. When she got down to where it started, it was actually in her skull so she had to call in a cranial specialist surgeon to make sure that it hadn’t gone through her skull and into her brain. Thank god it wasn’t through her skull and they were able to remove all of it. The doctor said in rare cases the cyst can deteriorate the skull and that is what was happening in Brooklynn’s case. It is a VERY GOOD thing we had it removed before it became a bigger problem. They are sending the cyst out to get tested to make sure it is only a cyst. (This is standard practice) Her doctor is very confident that it is only a dermoid cyst.

Brooklynn is doing great. Once we left the surgery center she stopped hyperventilating and calmed down. She slept the entire ride home. Once we got home she ate her waffles and drank her milk and played. She is now taking a well deserved nap. Her stitches will dissolve – so I am SO EXCITED that we won’t have to get them removed. She should be all healed up in 10 days. THANK YOU to all who had us in your prayers today. She obviously had God watching over her making sure everything would be ok. Nick and I appreciate it immensely and couldn’t be happier that it is all over and our little blessing is home safe and sound. This entire ordeal really gives me a whole new appreciation for having a healthy child. I can not imagine what poor parents endure that have a child who is sick. It really makes you stop and think…..

Playing and Glad to be home!

Big Day

2008-09-09T22:50:00.007-05:00

Well tomorrow morning Brooklynn has her surgery to have the cyst on her head removed. OMG, I am so nervous! I have had a headache for 3 days and all day today my stomach was and still is doing flips. I guess I am worried. I know in my heart everything will be fine. I just can't help feeling like I want to skip the entire thing. I know she needs to have it removed. It is just scary that they will be putting my 14 month old under full anesthesia and when she wakes up she will have stitches and be in pain. It is also a bit unsettling that they are 99% sure that this growth is a benign cyst, for some reason that 1% is really bothering me tonight. I just don't want her to be in any pain or scared. I am so grateful to all family and friends who have told us they will be praying and thinking about us. We appreciate it. I have a feeling I will not be getting much sleep tonight.

This is her new vest - that she loves to wear!

On a happier note - I have a funny story. Brooklynn is now no longer walking places, she RUNS. By run I mean to the point that it is getting harder to catch her. I was down at the outlet Carters store last week, getting her some fall/winter clothes. She was getting cranky in the stroller so I took her out and tried on a zip up vest. No sooner I took the vest off of her and put it on the hanger; she ran away and was gone. I could hear her laughing but couldn't see her because she was running under the 2 tier clothing racks. Thank God it was only my Mom and I in the store. Finally after a couple minutes went by and nearly having a panic attack, I found her by the "shoeshs" (that’s how Brooklynn says shoes)

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-01T23:03:00.004-05:00

I hope every one enjoyed the wonderful weather this Labor Day weekend. We sure did. Our weekend was filled with music, parties and food! We were busy but got to spend a lot of time with family.

Friday we took a bike ride, as a family, to the park and played at the playground. It was a lot of fun. Brooklynn loved climbing up and down all the stairs and then going down the slide. She also really liked swinging on the swings with me.

Later Friday we went to Lions Fest with my parents and Brooklynn to listen to Chason Mason. While we were waiting for them to play, Brooklynn got to meet the sausages from Miller Park. Luckily we ran into Nick’s cousin Amy there and she took a picture for us of Brooklynn and Nick with the sausages. I can’t believe I forgot my camera. Saturday we went out to Eagle for my cousin’s 14th Birthday party. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. Brooklynn got to play all day with all her cousins and had a blast. She got a ride in a go-cart and a ride in a Barbie jeep!

Sunday we went out to Pewaukee for the day with my parents to spend time with my Grandparents W. It was nice to relax, fish and go for a boat ride. Monday we got to see my Grandparents K at my parent’s house for dinner. We had “Outback” steaks. My brother has this recipe it tastes just like the steaks at the restaurant – it was DELICIOUS! Well it is off to bed for me, work tomorrow!

Need a Scrapbook?

2008-08-28T22:57:00.004-05:00

Our good friend Amanda has an AWESOME talent of scrap booking. She created us the coolest scrapbook for Brooklynn's first birthday party. All I did was send her the pictures on a CD and she took care of the rest. It has so many unique decorations and custom made embellishments. She even created neat pull out tabs for me to journal on, left me other areas to journal and left some open spots for me to put in Brooklynn's one year photos. She does a fantastic job. If you have always loved the idea of a scrapbook but don't have the time - she can make you one! She is starting her own scrap booking business. If you are interested you can contact her through her blog. I have the pictures of the scrapbook uploaded to Flickr also. Thank you so much Amanda! We love it!

Where have we been?

2008-08-26T16:12:00.005-05:00

Crazy last week. We went up to the dells for the weekend and had a BLAST! Can you believe I only got a couple pictures of Brooklynn in her car seat on the way up there? Me the picture freak! I got no pictures of her playing in the water at ALL! I am so mad at myself! I get an F-.

After we got back from the dells, Brooklynn and I caught a cold. Brooklynn just has a runny nose, still; and I had a whole sinus cold - stuffed up so bad I couldn't hear or think straight. I am feeling better but not 100% yet.

Brooklynn is of course running around now and low and behold she fell on Sunday right into the corner of a metal table. It looks really good, considering what it looked like at first. I thought it was going to bust open it was so swollen, but ice works miracles! We are so lucky she didn't crack her head open.

Craigs List Rocks!

2008-08-14T07:24:00.005-05:00

You have to LOVE craigs list! I have been looking for a play yard so that I can clean, work and work out while Brooklynn is up. They are Expensive! But I found one on craig's list for 1/2 the cost (well after shippping and getting 2 extensions) ! I am not leaving it set up in the front room - I was just testing it out. It is pretty neat! Coolest part is once I am done - back on craigs list it goes, so I am sure in the end it will cost me even less!

This is just such a cute picture, she loves to read!

And this is too funny... Casper has been sneaking on her couch!

The Joy of Accesories

2008-08-12T07:09:00.006-05:00

We have introduced Brooklynn to the wonderful world of accessories!

At state fair I found a booth with the little inserts for crocs. I just had to get her some. She loves them! Brooklynn loves any purse. So Grandma (my mom) bought her a Princess Aurora purse. Brooklynn takes it everywhere with her and carries it all around the house. I guess she is a “Girly Girl”