Anthony’s Birthday Celebration

Happy birthday to my one true love!  Here’s a look at all the birthday adventures--

During the day, we took the kids to this awesome indoor trampoline arena.  But for some reason, I only took pics of the bounce houses.  As you can tell, this is a kids dream come true.

But no matter how old guys get, there’s always a kid still inside of them.  Anthony had fun whipping up at ping-pong and Kinnect Adventures. 

Brooke probably should have been asleep taking a nap, but she’s a trooper and always up for a party.

Tanner was definitely in his element.

For dinner, Anthony and I were able to escape kid-free and enjoy an evening all to ourselves.  We went out to eat at a nice steak house and even had time to go shopping too.

We baked a cake and sang happy birthday too with the kiddos.  Of course, tanner suggested chocolate for the cake, but went with Anthony’s favorite, carrot cake. 

When my dad came back in town, he arrived with a box full of fresh west-coast Dungeness crabs, fresh from Pike’s Peak in Seattle!   These were the hit of the party!!

Tanner was all about helping wash/clean them.  But when it came to eating them, he stayed far away!

My dad grew up in Phillie in the east coast, and they’d host an annual crab fest each summer featuring fresh Maryland Blue Crabs.  But those where tiny in comparison to these.  Just look at the size of those suckers!!

And yes, we still like to play with our food.

The entire grew, going to town.  Most of us girls were highly skeptical and had a few bites here and there – but they guys – they enjoyed a crab or two entirely to themselves!

Brendan was in town visiting too.   He’s just like his older sister – officially interning at Deloitte!   He was in OKC for the week, but was able to take the weekend off and come to KC. 

We all enjoyed extra time with him, especially the kiddos!

Every other year, I’m usually knee deep in tax returns working 60+ hours a week to hit client deadlines.  This year, it was so nice just to be able to relax and have fun – and go all out for his birthday.

Babes – It’s hard to imagine life without you by my side.  I’m so blessed – and know how lucky I am!  I couldn't have picked a better husband or father, thank you for just being  you!!

Ms. Brooke-y

It's hard to believe this little girl is going to be ONE in less than a month.  But then again, she has SO much personality sometimes I forget she's still a baby.  As they get older, it's so fun to see their little personalities come out.  With Ms. Brooke, she's got ENOUGH to go around!

When you give her a smile, she’ll repay you by hamming it up.  She’ll tilt her head to the side, and smile just like this.  Such a charmer!

It must run in the family -- Tanner use to do the same thing…

Or if you're really lucky, that little smile will be followed by a kiss -- going in full throttle with the full open mouth.  Others beware, but I'll take one any day!

Just give her a beat -- and she'll start moving to the music.  Clapping her hands, swaying her shoulders, and shaking her body -- just doing her thang!  Her favorite song is "Popcorn Popping " and she loves to do the little popcorn bursts with her hands -- or clap along to the beat.  Her favorite toy is this box of musical instruments/shakers.  She loves to make noise!  And with any new toy, the first thing she does is give it a shake to see how much noise it'll make.  And if does shake/rattle, she'll start beat-bopping along.

She was going crazy one Sunday afternoon…and we caught just the tail end of it.

She doesn't stay still and is constantly on the go.  Wherever we are, she finds a way to lift herself up and walk along the furniture, walls, stairs, anything and everything.  In the kitchen, she finds the stools and goes everywhere.  She's so proud of herself!
 
She has awesome balance (thanks to those thunder thighs!) and can stand up by herself for a good minute.  But only if she's distracted. 

Shhhh…don’t tell her she’s not holding on!

Don’t worry, I figured it out :)

But as soon as she realizes she's not holding on, it's downhill from there.  She'll walk holding our hands, but as soon as you let go, she freaks out.  And then she'll remember you let go of her and refuse to walk holding your hands again.  Katelynn can tell you all about that! 

But hopefully her caution will make it so she doesn't commit baby suicide, or fall a few less times...so we'll take what we can get.  As soon as she develops a little more courage and confidence, we'll have a walker.  Scary thought!

She's managed to get up a few stairs, but highly discourage such actions.  With a split staircase heading upstairs and another set of stairs heading to the basement, there's too many ways it could end in disaster.  Tanner, on the hand, has taken full advantage.  When he wants to play with his toys all by himself, he goes to the landing in the middle of the stairs and hangs out.  It drives both Mommy and Brooke-y crazy.  Brooke, cause she can't get up there, and me, cause I have to hear about it from Brooke.

But most of the time, these two are inseparable.  Brook loves following Tanner around, and he loves chasing her in return.  Pretty much anything Tanner does – Brooke thinks is HILARIOUS!When he goes to her room to greet her from her nap, I hear nothing but giggles.  And one night, he got the idea he wanted to sleep in her crib.  Of course, they thought their idea was brilliant!



 






Brooke loves to make herself heard.  She's a little babbler, and at times, I feel quite certain I have an echo.  I'll be yelling upstairs for Tanner, and Brooke will repeat everything right behind me -- of course nothing is legible, but with her tone and pitch, there's no mistaking! 
Watch out boys, it won't be long 'til there's another momma in the house telling everyone what to do.  I can already hear Brooke...uttering her favorite words - “Doe, doe!” like “No, No!”

Brooke has a shoe fetish – well, at least with everyone else's shoes – but definitely not her own.  When it’s quiet in the house, it can only mean a few things: (1) Brooke is asleep, or (2) Brooke found a bouncy ball or even better, the toilet paper, (3) Brooke has someone’s shoes. 



She's a very smart cookie -- and knows exactly what she's doing.  Like when she's getting into her favorite kitchen cupboard, I'll catch her in the act, and she promptly closes the door like she's done nothing wrong and everything is normal.  Then she's quiet, waits for me to resume to my previous task, and then starts the whole escapade again. But I've smartened up too -- now it's fully stocked with all the items she can gladly play with -- but she doesn't know that :)
It looked something like these two little cohorts…getting into the diaper bag snacks.  Look at those innocent little faces :)
At times, I think Brooke just stares at Tanner’s toys, waits for him to get distracted, and then sneaks up on them.  And when she gets them, she knows just want to do with them.  Seriously, she’s smart.  She’ll put the guys inside the cars to drive , race cars along the couch, and plays just as he would. 

When it comes to bookshelves, there’s only one thing to do.  Remove all books.  But then she’ll sit there and read them.  She LOVES books, especially ones with flaps.    Or something with tons of pieces, turn upside down.  Anything that can be emptied, will be, and very quickly too.  We’ve been quickly childproofing the entire house, but Brooke still manages just fine!

No matter how big she's getting, how many outfits she's outgrowing (she's in 18-24 months!), she's still my little baby.  At night, she just loves to be cuddled and rocked.  Tanner was the complete opposite -- when he was tired, he wanted nothing to do with being held -- just his bed, blanket, and binkie.  But Ms. Brooke, she's my little baby.  They only stay little for such a short time, I just try to bask in all these wonderful moments.

Easter Lesson & Activities

Once a week, we usually try to get together as a family for family night.  We have a short lesson where we try to teach a Gospel principal, then do fun activity together, followed by a treat.  I always have these grand ideas of how they're going to go in my head, but usually I'm doing good if I can get through one minute of the lesson before Tanner is off chasing after Brooke, stealing her toys away, or acting ridiculously bored.

But then I heard Tanner ask the other day, "Is today Family Home Evening?" 
Me:  No Tanner, that's not until Monday.
Tanner:  Oh man, that's my favorite day!
[Umm, seriously?!? That's why you always act like a hooligan?  Naturally curious, I kept asking: 
Me: What do you like most about it? [Thinking FOR SURE he'd say the treats at the end]
Tanner:  Just spending time together!!

Okay, so he gets it!! Fin-all-y!!  Our crazy hard work is starting to pay off. 

I got together with some friends and made these family home evenings kits.  Mine centered on Easter.  This is the one holiday I feel like is the most commercialized and yet least understood.  Thus, I tried hard to focus on the educating children on "true" meaning of Easter based upon the scriptural account. 

I also included tons of Christ-centered Easter activities that correlate with the Easter story.  These are so fun and so cute -- we can't waited to get started on all the fun crafts, baking, and other activities.

We hope your family enjoys this beauty of Spring this Easter season by learning more about our Savior!

Lesson: We Celebrate the Atonement of Jesus at Easter

Explain to your family that Easter is a time when we celebrate some important things that Jesus did for us.

• What did Jesus do for us at Easter time?
  
  
  

  

  
  

I. SUFFERED FOR OUR SINS:

Explain that first he suffered for our sins so that we may be forgiven if we repent. Show the family the wordstrip “Suffered for our sins.” Explain in simple terms how Jesus suffered and show corresponding pictures:

(1) Jesus Praying in Gethsemane – Before Jesus died, he went to pray in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus suffered for our sins so that we could repent and receive forgiveness.  He was the only person who had the power to do this for us.  He did it because he loves us so much.

(2) The Crucifixion – Read from the scriptures (Luke 23:33-46) or describe in your own words the crucifixion.  People who didn’t like Jesus were very cruel to him.  Soldiers drove nails in his hands and feet and hung him on the cross.  They left Jesus on the cross until he died.
After Jesus died, his spirit left his body and went to heaven.  Each of us have a spirit too – our spirits cannot be seen, but are what makes us alive.

Object Lesson:  Show the children a glove or mitten. Compare our earthly bodies to a hand with a glove on it. Show how the hand (the spirit) makes the glove (the body) move. Take off the glove and explain that this is like physical death. The spirit and the body are separated, and the body cannot move. Put the glove back on your hand and explain that this is like being resurrected. Now the spirit and body are reunited. Remind the children that because Jesus Christ was resurrected, all people will be resurrected someday.

II. RESURRECTION:

Second, he had the power to live again after he died. We call this the Resurrection. Hold up the wordstrip “Resurrection.”

(1) Burial of Jesus – When Jesus died, people took it and wrapped it carefully in clothes.  They carried Jesus’ body to a tomb and placed a large rock in front.

Ask the children if they know what happened next:

Jesus was resurrected! Three days after Jesus had died-- he had risen from the tomb!!  This is the happiest part of Easter and why we celebrate.  Jesus was ALIVE!  An angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone, and Jesus’s body was reunited with the spirit.  [Put the glove back on hand to illustrate).

(2) Jesus Shows his Wounds –Jesus told His disciples to teach and baptize others and promised to always be with them.

As you show the picture, ask if they can notice anything different about Jesus.  [He has nail prints on his hands].  

After teaching people, Jesus went to live with Heavenly Father again.  Jesus is alive right now and will never die again.   The day Jesus was resurrected was the very first Easter.  We celebrate Easter each year to remember his glorious gift of the Atonement and that HE LIVES – as so shall we!!

III. ATONEMENT

Explain that we call these two things that Christ did for us—his suffering for our sins and resurrection—the Atonement. Hold up the wordstrip “Atonement.” Talk about the fact that sin and death are a part of mortal existence. They are part of the experience that we came to this earth to have. But we alone could not overcome the effects of either. For this reason our Heavenly Father planned to provide us with a Savior. Jesus lovingly gave us the gift of the Atonement so that we could return to our Father in Heaven and become like him.

ACTIVITY:  Now take out the picture of your loved one, and share with your family your feelings about your loved one and their death.  Share how the knowledge of Christ’s resurrection makes their passing easier to bear.

The Atonement Is Important to Our Family

·         Why do we, as a family, need the Atonement?

Help your family understand that without the Atonement, it wouldn't matter how good we tried to be; we would not be able to return to our Heavenly Father or regain our bodies. We would all be lost.
Bear your personal testimony of the Atonement, and tell why it is important to you. Then discuss with your family how you want Easter to be a special day this year, and to make it that way you are going to plan together tonight.

Activity Ideas

Easter Week - Prepare for Easter by learning about what happened during the week before Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection. Starting eight days before Easter, read the events and scripture verses listed for each day.

For young children, use “He Lives!” worksheet to label events in sequential order. Because of Christ, our families can be together forever.

 

“Jelly Bean Prayer” Poem – Read the poem to learn how the different colors of jelly beans relate to the story of Easter.  For a snack, give them each a small bag of jelly beans and have them pick out the appropriate color as you read the meaning.  For older kids, challenge them to memorize the meaning of all the colors.

 o   Complete craft activity - Jelly Bean Butterfly Mosaic

Resurrection Cookies  – Follow the simple recipe to make cookies that are hollow, similar to how Jesus’ tomb was open and empty.  Each ingredient relates to event in Easter Story and has corresponding scripture.  Perfect to complete the night before FHE or Saturday before Easter.

New Beginnings - Explain that Jesus died and was resurrected in the springtime. The springtime is a time of new life. Trees and flowers begin to grow again. Many animals are born in the spring.  Thus, the Easter egg is often used as a symbol of Easter – representing the new life and hope we’re given through Jesus’ Atonement and Resurrection.  

• Do an egg-related activity, such as dyeing Easter eggs or planting seeds of grass in an egg shell.
• God’s Spring Beauty – A cute activity for little kids.  A simple poem about the beauty of spring with pictures to match to the poem written on a wreath.

·     Christ’s tomb – Ask the children to think of their most loved object – such as a toy or blanket.  Then proceed by asking them to put it in a treasure chest – or small box and tell the children they are never going to see them again, parallel to Christ dying on the cross and being buried in the tomb.  In 3 days, return the box along with family member’s beloved treasures.  Correlate this experience to Christ rising from the tomb on the 3^rd day. 

Treat - Resurrection Rolls

Extras –Fun worksheets about Easter

Easter Footsteps – Use enclosed worksheet to follow Jesus’ life in His last week on Earth.

 He Sent His Son – The Story of Easter: Coloring sheet that can be made into a small storybook of the Easter story

He Lives! – Two different worksheets depending on children’s ages

•   For young children – Label pictures in sequential order.  Because of Christ, our families can be together forever. 

• For older primary children – Fill-in-the Blank by putting pictures in correct order

Easter Rebus – A simple retelling of story using words and pictures (for kids learning to read) – option 1 and option 2

 Easter ABC Fill-in:  Use the scriptures to fill in this puzzle (for older kids)

Coloring Page: “My faith in Jesus Christ Grows”

 “Seeing the Joy of Easter”  - Read together the picture story and emphasize how Easter is a happy time of the year.  While it’s sad that Jesus suffered in the Garden and died on the cross, it’s happy that he was resurrected and He LIVES!

Easter Videos – Link to LDS.org to access Easter relation videos, stories, pictures, etc. 

 Jesus Christ Tomb Craft

 Easter Subway Art – I plan on printing and framing to coordinate with our other Easter decorations.

 Easter Program – Narrations, scriptures, and songs that re-tell the Easter Story for to have an “Easter Pageant” at home in preparation for Easter. – From LDS “FHE Resource Book”

My Little Angel

 Brooke is my little angel...and here's some pictures to prove it.

Doesn't she just melt your heart?  She does mine...and she knows it :)

We also got a few naked baby pics with just her backside and angel wing showing, but those are serious blackmail material for later in life.  If you email me, I'll send to you -- and I promise you won't be disappointed.  She has rolls like you wouldn't believe!!

But I'll share one naked baby pic -- our photographer insisted on doing several these after seeing her rolls.  I just love her smile.  But once again, borderline blackmail material, right?

Her's Brooke acting like a big girl and standing up.  Can't you see how proud she is of herself?

This is the sweet little smile that greets me each morning.  I love those two lil teeth popping through on the bottom, and yes, the others cutting through on the top were still hiding.

 Here's Brooke trying to do more of her "tricks".  Clapping her hands, walking around the stairs.  She just loves to perform!!

Oh Brooke, you really are my little angel is every single way.  Your smile.  Your laugh.  Your passion for life -- it gets me all.the.time.  I'm in LOVE!

Minutes & Milestones (9 months)

This month has been a bit crazy.  We just can't seem to get better all at once.  We try to be nice, and try to at least turns getting sick.  But Brooke has had more than her fair share.  What starts with a normal cold turned into a nasty eye infection, thanks to all the extra congestion and a that dang clogged tear duct.  People think she's always crying but truth be told, she's the happiest lil thang. 

Except when she's sick.  Then she reserves right to be quite the cranky, tired mess this month, off her sleeping schedule, insisting on being rocked to sleep or held most of the time, and so on.

And on top of it, she's been cutting her top FOUR teeth!  Not one, not two, but all FOUR!  And just when she gets better, I get sick, and then Brooke gets it -- and it's not more than a week before we doing this all over again.

But despite all of this, she's been conquering the world, one thing at a time.  She's just exploded with all her new tricks and milestones. 

Let's her true emotions comes out and isn't afraid to tell us how she really feels.  Shakes her head "no" in response to naptime or anything else she deems appropriate.  Even spoonfed veggies.  But smear them on a cracker or toast -- she'll gladly partake, at least *most* of the time.  And while she can shake her head yes, it's a lot less common.  Usually when she's trying to be silly. 

I started doing some baby sign with her, mostly my made up versions of everything.  Now she's started doing "up" for when she is done eating and wants out of her high chair. 

Waves hello, good-bye and to everyone, including herself.  The landing at the top of our stairs has a huge mirror -- and Brooke never misses an opportunity to pass it and wave to herself.

And her super silly intense smile is back in full force. 

When she meets a stranger, she'll usually wave, clap her hands, and then proceed to her super smile.  Like she pulls out all the tricks all at once -- and then basks in all the smiles and laughter she gets in returns.  She's quite the little social butterfly, but momma still has to be in sight or she'll spiral out of control.

Loves her Daddy.  She wakes up right around the time Anthony leaves for work each morning, and she loves watching him get ready.  And if he's not there, all I hear all day long is, "Da-da-da!"  But at nighttime when Anthony is rocking her to sleep, all he hears is "Mum-mum. Maaa, maa!"  And in between morning and night, she's quite the babbler.  You'll always know when she's around!!

She hilarious though.  The funniest things scare her out of control.  Bubbles in the bathtub -- absolutely terrified.   Certain dogs, same result, but others, like my parents, she absolutely loves.

Earlier I posted how she's on the move.  It started with crawling -- like a cripple with one foot dragging behind. 

Ready...set....CRAWL!

Going for her cousin:

Now a little faster, but just a little:

Honestly, we thought she'd skip the crawling phase cause she loves to stand up, play with her toys, and walk holding onto our hands or around furniture.

One day, we got the walking toy out and OMG!  She just took off with it.  She went on the carpet, the hardwoods, and was loving every minute.  But with Tanner cheering her on, nothin was going to slow her down. 

And towards the end, she even was brave and let go of it for a second.  And this was all in the first 5 minutes of having the toy available.  Who knows what's going to happen now?

She loves to get up onto anything and everything.  And recently, I caught her going up a few stairs.  She had only made it up 3...but that's enough to be dangerous.

Watch out world, her she comes!!!