Santa

We had some great pictures taken with our photographer last weekend. I was a bit worried that Brooks would be super shy and cry. Not too long ago I had let him watch one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story - he got really scared during the Santa scene - woops, guess he is still too young to appreciate the movie. So when I was telling him that we were going to see Santa, he said "is the lady going to push me down the slide?" Great, have I scarred my child?! I quickly told him that part of the movie was all pretend, whew! Here's a peak at some of the photos :)

Happy December!

So it's finally here....December! I would like time to just stop right here - it's been a lovely fall, a wonderful Thanksgiving, we have the holiday season upon us - I want to enjoy this moment and savor it! So I am going to attempt to make the most of each and every day - enjoying all that this season brings. Cheers to you all - Love This Life - its a beautiful thing.

Halloween!

We had such a fun Halloween! We were Batman, Robin, Catwoman, a bigger Batman, and a skeleton :)

Robin attacking Catwoman

Oly - thrilled about her costume

Batman and Robin - ready to trick-or-treat!

Our pumpkins! Tanner is in the costume that Brooks wore for his first Halloween!

1st ER visit

Last Tuesday we had our first visit to the ER...Brooks fell off our computer chair, head first, hitting the computer tower that had a plastic panel door open on it - his head ran right into the corner. It was very scary - lots of blood, and it was immediately apparent that he would need stitches.

He was such a trooper! Got 8 stitches, and when the Dr. was all done, he sat right up and said "am I all better now?"

Broke my heart. With 2 little boys running around the house, I'm afraid this won't be my last visit to the ER. Lord help me.

Tanner's first M's Game

Monday we headed up the Mariner's game! This was Tanner's first game, and Brooks' 4th. We all had a great time - pigged out on ballpark goodies, attempted to catch several foul balls, and Tanner took a good nap :) AND the Mariner's won! Garrett and I had been to 2 other games this season and we'd lost both times...so hooray for a win!!

Fall is here....

We have had a fantastic summer - so many fun little trips...Ocean Shores, Long Beach, Seattle, Suncadia, Sunriver. Time has just flown by! The boys are growing so fast, and now it is time for a new season ~ Fall, which is my favorite time of year. It's time to get cozy inside, cook comforting meals, enjoy the leaves changing, have clear but chilly weather, light pumpkin scented candles, watch football...I could go on and on...I just LOVE the Fall!

To begin this season, we had to say goodbye to my brother who has moved to Leeds, England. It was pure heaven having him home for the summer - lots of cooking together, play-time and goofing around with the boys, and lots of ball throwing for Oly. I am going to miss him terribly, but...I am so incredibly proud of him as he is on a new adventure getting his Masters Degree! We love you lots Erik!!!!

Another fun thing about the Fall is Preschool has started for Brooks! He goes 2 days a week for 2 hours. He is in a class with some good friends and some new ones too! He'll get to do art projects, sing, have snack time, bible time, and playground time!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

This past weekend we went to Long Beach to celebrate my mom's birthday! We had a wonderful time together - lots of good food, fishing, shopping, merry-go-round, bumper cars...it was a great way to celebrate my mom's birthday together. Long Beach brings back so many wonderful memories for us, as it is located near the town that my mom grew up in - Naselle. My mom has fond memories of going there as a child, as do I - my Grandma would take me there when I would visit her. Although my Grandma is no longer with us, it feels great to be able to go back to the parts where she lived and spent time.

The view from our condo

The boys with Mummu at her birthday dinner

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you so much - thank you for all you have done for us - our lives are so enriched because of you.

Happy 6 months Tanner!

Wow, time has flown by!!! 6 months ago today, Tanner was born - he is the sweetest baby...

And here we are today! He can sit up on his own, he is super close to crawling, sleeping pretty great, and enjoys rice cereal (will be starting real food this week)!

Summer Fun

Here's the latest...

Tanner is soooo close to crawling...rolls and gets around pretty good - but before we know it, he'll be everywhere!

Brooks got pretty dirty during dinner the other night, so I asked him if he wanted us to hose him off in the backyard - he thought that sounded pretty fun! We had a blast running around in the summer sun!

Tanner was quite entertained!

One spinach leaf from our garden!

Father's Day

We had a wonderful Father's Day! It started with breakfast at home, then dinner with all the family!

The whole crew was there - Poppy, Uncle Bobo, Daddy, Uncle Erik, Tanner, Papa, Brooks and Uncle Dustin

Dessert - homemade oreos

At the park! Brooks had Poppy and Uncle Erik for a tea party :)

My boys :)

Tanner's First Meal

Tanner had his first taste of rice cereal today! He did great and it looks like he'll be a super eater!

Brooks was pretty impressed. Be sure to check out his stunt at around minute 4 of the video.

Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGau-0Ilkq4

Gabrielle Sabine Linn

Yesterday our new Goddaughter was born! Our best friends Brittney and Colin had their second daughter at 1:44pm. She weighs 7 lbs 8 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long

Tanner meeting his new buddy

Congratulations Linn family - we love you so much!

Lots of changes...

We've had a lot of changes happening around our house in the last few weeks ~ here's a quick update!

- Brooks now has a big-boy bed

- Brooks has used the toilet several times

- Tanner is rolling all over the place

- Tanner is teething like crazy

- Tanner reaches out and grabs things

- The boys are interacting more and more each day

- Tanner likes to grab Brooks' clothes and hair!

- Brooks will randomly go over to Tanner and give him kisses :)

Last day of Preschool

Last week we had our last day of our Mommy & Me class. Since last September Brooks and I have been going to this class every Friday, and it has been a wonderful experience! We've done lots of art projects, learned about animals, nature and God. We got to play on the playground, have snack time, and make some really great friends. Brooks has grown so much over the past school year - becoming much more talkative and independent. For our last day of class, we celebrated by having a picnic in the park!

Brooks and Mrs. Holmquist - she is a wonderful teacher!

Tali and Brooks

What a wonderful experience this has been! My heart is a little sad tho...it was such a special thing for Brooks and I to do together. Next year he will be in the 2 year old class twice a week, with no mommy by his side :( Time is just flying!