Old MacDonald, Take 2!

Brooke loves this song so much that she is obsessed with singing "E-I-E-I-O!" She even yells it out when crying!

Thankful Thanksgiving

Here is the group before we start eating one of our favorite meals of the year!

When Britta's around, nobody goes hungry... not even the dogs!

We took a nice walk in the forest...

and found a fantastic view!

Here is the chocolate cream pie I made for Thanksgiving. I was a little worried about making it because it was our only dessert and I had never made it before! Thankfully it was very good!

Double Trouble!

My friend Whitney was over today with her darling daughter Riley. We wanted to get a photo of the two girls eating their graham crackers on the step. It was a little harder than I thought!

Here's the happy girl!

Finally, a photo of them sitting... but Brooke was sitting ON Riley!

Auntie Caitlin

For all the time Caitlin spends with Brooke we haven't taken many photos. After church today we got a few cute photos of the two of them!

A few days ago we played a short gig at the pharmacy. Caitlin was there to help watch Brooke as Kent and I played our instruments. Afterwards we ate some food and had some punch. Auntie let Brooke try a little of this overly sugary drink and obviously Brooke loved it. For the rest of the evening she only want to sit on Caitlin's lap, she knew how to get the good stuff!

Brooke had a great day at church today. She was in a quiet (well at least for her) snugly mood so she was able to sit during 90% of the service! She had a great time playing with Auntie's beads and her keys.

I thought she looked pretty cute today with the pink and gray ensemble! Even with all the pink and the dress we still had an older lady talk about her as a boy! Oh well!

We Found the Snow!

The forecast has been teasing us with saying we will be getting lots of snow. We haven't seen a flake! So we drove up Blewett Pass to enjoy a little of the white stuff. Brooke had her first sled ride! She was not impressed by the cold, the many layers of clothing, or the snow. But we hope that will change!

We took turns carrying Brooke up the hill.

Brooke was content if held... but don't put her down on that ground!

We even got one smile out of her! Daddy is so funny!

Brooke and I were the lucky ones to get pulled down the hill!

The Climber

Baby proofing has gone to the next level. Locks on the garbage can and dishwasher but there is not much you can do to keep a toddler from climbing! She loves to turn on and off the television and this time she thought she needed some extra height.

The small rocking chair has turned into the ultimate climbing rocking machine. Brooke climbs up on it and while standing (and looking for a reaction from someone), she rocks it wildly and stomps. For this reason we have removed the chair for a few days!

Brooke is really enjoying the playground. She is able to climb up the stairs, run across the bridge, and even go down the slide all by herself (with lots of supervision). She loves it so much that it's not hard to get a photo of her smiling!


Here is the climber in action! My scratchy voice is from my recent cold, isn't it lovely?!

Come on Mom!

I've been making some winter hats for Brooke, her friends, and possibly to sell at a few venues. This was my latest. It's not my favorite design, but it's fun and playful.

The Chase!

We were so happy to have Kent's parents down for a weekend visit. We spent most of the time relaxing, chatting, and eating... not a bad way to spend a weekend!

I came down with a terrible cold the day they arrived... but it was great that they took such great care of Brooke while I slept and rested.

Brooke got all bundled up to go show her grandparents her new camper. They couldn't get enough of this adorable pink tiger!



All this attention from "Bapa" and Grandma was sooo wonderful!


By the last day Brooke realized that Precious the dog was a fun thing to chase! We had to try and separate the two before it got too out of hand!


Both the dog and Brooke got a great workout playing chase!

15 Months Old

How would I describe our 15 month old? Energetic, snugly, sweet, helpful, and investigative. Brooke's light blond hair is coming in strong in the back and slowly on top. She has four teeth on top, four on bottom and a molar on the back right. She walks, runs, stomps, dances, conducts, and climbs. She moves fast so you always have to keep an eye on her and try and keep up!

As a younger baby I thought she would have an aggressive personality but as time has passed, she is actually very gentle with other children and animals. In new places with new people she is shy and quiet only warming up to certain people. She raises her shoulder and feels safe holding on to her mom.

She has these special treat containers that keep the food from spilling everywhere, but her new trick is to take a handful and "accidentally" drop it on the floor. When this happens magically a dog appears! She loves to feed the dogs and share her treats.

I believe she has the gift of gab. She is constantly naming things by holding them up in the air and saying what they are. Her new favorite word is "eee-uuu" for "shoe". I think her vocabulary has reached around 35 words which is so much fun!

Baby dolls are one of her favorite toys. She has started to use her imagination in play which is fascinating to see. She places her doll in the rocking chair and pushes back and forth. Most of the play with the baby dolls is encouraged by us. We will ask her to feed, read to, kiss and hug the baby and she will do it. It's super cute to see!

Brooke takes one nap a day for two hours which is really nice because I need an hour and half nap too! The one thing I am so thankful for is the fact that she LOVES to go to bed at night. She sometimes runs to her crib at 7pm and says "ni-ni". I lay her down and she is QUIET! This doesn't mean she doesn't wake me up once and sometimes twice during the night with her crying.

Tomorrow we go to the doctor to find her weight and height and all that fun stuff. I'll be sure to report those later! Until then, I think I have given you a good glimpse into this little girl's life.

Swedish Pancakes

This blog post is dedicated to Brooke's Great Grandfather Wally. One of many fond childhood memories is Swedish pancakes on Sunday after attending church. The family gathered at my grandparent's house and waited patiently for the frying pan to heat and batter to be mixed. The kids sitting at the bar table on the squeaky bar stools each got their turn receiving one perfectly cooked pancake delivered to their plate by Grandpa Wally. After butter and sugar was added, it was rolled up into a "log" and oh, so carefully eaten. The smallest sliver was cut and enjoyed slowly so that this one pancake could last all the way to next round.

Brooke got to help her mommy make the Swedish last Sunday. She watched as the ingredients were measured and poured. As I added each egg I told her, "egg" and she replied, "ap-ple". At this point, anything round in the kitchen is an apple.

She held on to the measuring spoons and even got to mix the batter up.

As a child, my mother used this apron when baking cookies with my grandmother. It's still on the large side for Brooke, but she's just a beginner in the kitchen!

Here's the finished product and the recipe:

Swedish Pancakes

Serves 4

Mix: 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup flour, 4 T sugar, 1/4 cup oil, 2 dashes of salt, and vanilla or almond flavoring to taste.

Pour onto a frying pan or griddle and rotate until it's very thin. Cook until light brown. Flip over and cook other side until done. Add butter and sugar and roll up!

Brooke had a fabulous Sunday breakfast of Swedish, bananas and milk. By the way, Kent grew up eating similar pancakes but they were called "Danish" pancakes. I bet you could put any of the Scandinavian country's names in front of pancakes and you'd get the same thing!

Animals!

This blog has been such a great way to document Brooke's growth, new skills, and adventures. I view it as her online baby book. With family so far away, everyone can feel like they know her better this way. As she reaches 15 months I thought I would try and document her new animal sounds... I realized after watching the video that I have a pretty bad memory and repeated myself a few times. I guess they call that "mommy brain" and now I can add to that "pregnancy brain". Oh well, maybe we'll try again tomorrow.