strange and wierd OR cute and motherly?

We were housesitting for my Aunt and this is what I saw! What??? Brookyln saw this and she said "Ew Mom, kitties don't drink doggies milk. That's disgusting!" The cats really were nursing, they were gulping and the grey one unlatched when I went to take the picture and I saw milk. Wierd thing is...the dog has never had puppies before and the cats are a year old...strange huh? They ate for like 20 minutes...truth is - it probably should be cute and nurturing but I'm still a little wierded out everytime I see the picture.

5 girls in one house = ahhhh!

I had these guys... (bath time was a tight squeeze)

While she had this little guy!

He is sweet, he is adorable, he is tiny - I'm used to heafty 9 lb-ers not teeny 6 pounders! He is precious and he smells so sweet! Welcome baby Corbin.

We haven't fallen off the face of the Earth

I've just lost/packed my cord that uploads my pictures onto my Computer.  I have LOTS to post about but am waiting for our Pods to arrive this next week so I can rummage through and find that darn thing!  We finally have our new home and while we have some of our stuff already there...We will officially be all moved in on Tuesday - yeah!  Brooklyn occasionally gets sad and asks me when are we going back to the house with the red couch in it mom?  I think it will be better once we are in the new place and she recognized all our stuff.  We have kind of shuffled from place to place and I remember being a kid and moving, it is sad...but she loves being so close to her cousins and both sets of Grandparents, she loves her new preschool and overall is adjusting really well.  

A little about the girl we call Brooklyn

I sure love this girl! She is hilarious, and she always ceases to amaze us with her wit and wisdom. A funny thing about Brooklyn is this thing she has with names. For example, she, on a whim will decide to call someone what she wants - usually something that is similar to the name but to her is more familiar. And it's not always right when she meets someone, sometimes it's after calling them the right name for months. Are you confused? Let me give you a few examples:

Kodi is Coyote

Portia is Tasha

Rudolph is Pluto or sometimes Pludolph - she's a little fickle on this one

McKinley is Kelly

Ashton is Sebastion

I think you get the point. The funny thing is she thinks she is right, or either really stubborn...could be both. When I try to correct her she always has the same response "no it's not!" mixed in with a stomp of the feet as hands fly to the waist. She continually hears poeople call them their real name but it means nothing to her. I'm not kidding she has a LOT of "nicknames" if you will for people. It's pretty funny.

Another thing I love about Brooklyn is that she LOVES her sister, and vice versa. I cannot get Brielle a sippy, a snack, set her in a cart - or anywhere for that matter without Brielle slapping the spot next to her or holding her hand out saying "sissy, sissy" She wants her to have everything she has and wants her to be next to her all the time - it's pretty cute. Brooklyn takes such good care of Brielle and is always putting her arm around her when they watch a show, or comforts her when she is in time out (usually for bitting Brooklyn-Brielle is still in the I get frustrated because I can't totally communicate stage). I recently put them in the same room at night and Brielle will usually whine for Mike or I to come in and it's cute to see how Brooklyn comforts her and tells her it's okay I'm right here if you need anything, I'll protect you. I was warned before I had Brielle that you better hope they get along since they are so close in age. I am so glad they love eachother because not getting along really wouldn't be an option :) Thanks for getting along girls!

We are out of our house, and our renters are in.

Kind of a strange feeling that somebody else is living in "my" house, but atleast someone is in it. I really have no desire to move anytime soon, ever again. Thank you to everyone who helped us move and a very special thanks to Portia, Tara & Taryn...I would've DIED without your help!

Halloween: Round 2

We had a busy Halloween...but who doesn't? We started off by going to Mike's office to trick-or-treat which the girls loved (perfect for little one's - lots of candy with hardly no walking) then met up with friends and let the kids play at McDoanld's all dressed up in full costume apparal which they thought was so cool. Home for naps/Mom get food ready for the party we were going to later and then off t0 the Tibbitts to par-ty. Brielle refused to have any association with her heffalump costume after the last party, so we went with her being a cheerleader...easy enough. Then Brooklyn thought it wasn't fair that Brielle got to be two things for Halloween, so Brooklyn didn't want to be a mermaid anymore and went as the Fancy Nancy Ballerina (I think we made that one up) but...it worked with things we had in the dress-up box, so no harm done. The party was tons of fun - I was in charge of the face painting and while I am no artist the kids didn't seem to mind. I think we pushed it a little by going trick-or-treating after the party because all we heard was whining and crying that they didn't want to walk...where is our stroller...carry me...I'm so tired...I'm thirsty...and so on...maybe next year we'll just let them pass the candy out.

The sad news...Mike is no longer a "Merrill Guy"

It's true. The rumors are all true. Mike officially resigned at Merrill Lynch and his last day of work was on Friday. A better opportunity can along and we had to snatch it up. The good news: We will be living minutes away from both sides of our family, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. How could you not be excited about that? The bad news: We will be leaving our house, our friends, our ward, the heat (YES!), etc, etc, etc. My mom called yesterday and said be prepared for "their" weather...it's thundering and lightning and raining! YES! I'll take it. I love the weather changes, the leaves falling and the rain. A lot of things are up in the air right now, we still need to find a renter for our house and we're not sure of the exact date of the move but for right now Mike starts his new job Monday and is leaving the kids and I behind to pack. Doesn't sound like much fun to me...but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. So in case you're wondering what I'll be doing this next week, I will be packing - while trying to keep the house clean and somewhat organized for people to come look at the house. I'll be trying to fight my kids off of the moving boxes and telling them not to pull things out of the boxes that I just packed, I'll try to keep them busy with activities so I can do all the packing all while trying to feed them, clean up after them and bathe them while I am a single parent for the week. I'm looking forward to it :)

Husband Tag

I'm not normally a huge fan of tags...but I liked this one :)

Where did you meet your husband? We met at church. We were up at BYU - we were in the same ward and I'm pretty sure we "officially" met in a Sunday school class for all newcomers to the ward.
How long did you date before you got married? Almost a year...exactly.

How long have you been married? Almost 6 years {gasp}

What does he do that surprises you? He likes a clean house so he helps me a TON with chores around the house. He does dishes, cleans the girls rooms, makes the bed, I have never had to pick up clothes after him thank goodness...I can barely keep up with myself and my kids. He is a great helper.

What is your favorite feature of his? That would have to be his eyes...have you ever seen them?

What is your favorite quality? He really is the best husband. He is always asking what he can do for me. I'm sure not all husbands do that. He will watch the kids anytime for any reason and although sometimes he has been known to procrastinate...he works his butt off!

Does he have a nickname for you? Other than the obvious...babe, honey, etc. No, not really. I'm not huge on nicknames for myself.

What is his favorite food? He is a meat and potatoes man. Well, he could skip the potatoes. He's a carnivore for sure. He loves a good steak.

What is his favorite sport? Basketball - for sure. He likes all sports, but he sure does love the Lakers.

When and where did you first kiss? His Grandpa's house...sometime in March???

What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? I would have to say...watching a movie after the kids have gone to bed when it's peaceful and quiet and we can watch something WE want to watch.

Do you have kids? A spitting image of him, and a spitting image of me.

Does he have any hidden talents? I don't know...he can whistle REALLY loud!

How old is he? 28

Who said I love you first? He did.

What is his favorite music? He loves his music. He likes Rock the best. Loves Pearl Jam.

What do you admire most about him? What a genuinely good guy he is. He just wants to make everyone happy and does a good job :)

What is his favorite color? Blue.

Would he read this? If I told him to and put the computer on his lap.

We went to the BEST Halloween party ever

And it was a ward party! Are you shocked? They had it catered...really yummy food, train rides for the kids around the parking lot (HUGE hit!), they hired photographers to take pictures, face painters - they seriously were awesome!, balloon makers (is that what they are called), a dunk tank (which Brooklyn really wanted to swim in...she asked if I brought her swimsuit for it and when I told her no - she said that's OK because I'm a mermaid, it's okay for my clothes to get wet), carnival games, a candy apple walk, yummy homemade desserts , homemade root beer, and we can't forget the trunk-or-treating. Minus the few costume mishaps (Brooklyn's costume not fitting right so I had to get my sewing machine out and take in the back and the shoulders - then it being too itchy for her and then Brielle screaming bloody murder when she saw the "trunk" to her outfit and pretty much ripping it off her head the whole night). But other than the costume problems it was a blast! After Mike was told they had Prime Rib at their previous ward party he was wondering why we hadn't gone to my parents ward parties more often...we may have to make it tradition.

On a side note...Brielle is our climber. She is always climbing onto or over something. On Saturday she was sitting on a kitchen chair and fell right off of it right around nap time and had a meltdown. She was holding her wrist and saying oweee. So we figured we'd let her take a nap, sleep it off and see what happens. She was using it a ton but you could tell it still bugged her so Mike took her to urgent care this morning and she broke her wrist :( Very minor, really common spot they said. They called it a green tree fracture. It's not totally broken but it's bent and frayed a little at the edges. So...off to the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to see what we do. And as you may remember Brooklyn broke her arm right after she turned two - my poor little punkins. I think it runs in the family - really. My family is always getting hurt (usually during sports) but, we often joke that we have the bones of 80 year olds...I'm starting to believe it really is true - I'm pretty sure my kids have more calcium than they really should have between all the milk and the 12 string cheeses a day they eat and the yogurt they eat every single morning in addition to their calcuim chews...but they must need it!

Brooklyn's drawings are really starting to look like something...I'm so proud!

Isn't it funny the little things that excite you as a parent? Like how I am so proud that Brooklyn's scribbles look like "real" pictures now? This picture below (well not really a picture - more like artwork) was done on friday night while Mike and I were at his friend Eddie's "rehearsal" dinner the night before he got married. The club/gym that my parents go to have this date night program they do every friday night and from 5-10pm you can leave your 6 month old to 12 year old at the kids court for date night each week. They seperate the kids into 3 rooms depending on the age 6 month - 24 months in one room, then 2 year olds - 6 year olds in another and the 7 year olds - 12 year olds in another. They feed them pizza and lemonade and have popcorn and a movie as it starts getting late. All for 20 bucks! I made sure they both had late naps so they would last - and when we got home Brooklyn was asking if she could go back tomorrow. They loved it and how can you beat that price? We may have to take that up again next time we are in town. The thing I liked about it all was that it was more like preschool rather that daycare...they helped them carve pumpkins and they had an outdoor playground. The activites were structured. I grew up going there when I was little - so somehow I felt better about leaving them there. Too bad they don't do something like that out here.....

They tied the knot!

As you will soon find out...these pictures really are in no particular order, just a few shots from Saturday. Wish I would've had time to take more but having a 3 1/2 year old and an 18 month old makes it a little difficult as well as trying to mingle with family that have come into town and while trying to enjoy everything yourself. There is a picture of the Bride and Groom in here somewhere that isn't really the best shot, but I was trying to capture her hair because I had realized that after I did it, I didn't take any pictures. They got married in Newport, and the sealing was great! They were sealed by Elder Aidukaitis of the Seventy. He actually spoke at the Saturday morning session of Conference. Click here to read his talk. He and Rachel's Dad grew up together and are great family friends. They then had the reception at my parents house which was GORGEOUS! I really wish I would have taken more at the reception. Probably the prettiest reception I have ever been to, my Mom really knows how to throw a party :) All the tables were in these huge clear tents with white lights all over them - it looked awesome about 30 minutes into the reception when it started getting dark. They had 15 tables that sat 10 inside the tent and another tent with all the yummy food in it. It really kept the warmth inside as well as the wind out. The dance floor was outside by the pool (a little dangerous) but was stunning as well. We LOVE Rachel and are happy she is now a part of the family. She balances out my brother perfectly - we are so excited for them. The girls also just happen to adore "keka" and she is so sweet with them. Congratulations!

Can you guess what time it is???

Playoff's are here. Mike has been loving that the Dodgers and Angels are in it (although it's not looking too good for the Angels, and as I'm overhearing in the backround as I type - Dodgers just won their first series). The girls love watching sports for some odd reason...I guess it's good bonding time with Daddy :) They pretty much lay/fight over him the whole night. Now if we can only get Brooklyn to stop saying "Go Kobe" we would be in good shape. Wink wink.

OBSESSED

This is the object of affection - and it is driving me crazy! Brielle cries for her "BB" all day long. She knows where I hide them and stands right in front of that spot all day long reaching up for her BB. Her teeth are already getting buck from this darn thing, so she is only allowed BB's at night or naps. So when I explain to her that it's not nigh-night time so she can't have one - she immediately slumps onto the floor and fake snores with her eyes scrunched closed. It almost breaks my heart and half the time I give in...is it really worth the fight? I should've taken the beloved BB away at about 10 months old when she started chucking it halfway across the room because she didn't want that thing to be shoved in her mouth because that meant it was time for bed. So, the rookie mom that has never had a child take a pacifier before (me) thought that I would leave them in her crib for her "just in case" she changed her mind. BIG MISTAKE. Over the next few months she would pop it into her mouth every once in a while for the heck of it and now she's hooked. AAGHHH!

FHE last night...

Last night as we were finishing up our family home evening lesson, we were talking about Jesus and temples and the widow's mite and Brooklyn says "well, I used to sit on Jesus' lap and we look-ed at flowers and I go-ed on walks with him but you weren't there with me because you were here. But, later you will be with me because we will all be together and we'll go on walks ALL together". Melt my little heart! The fact that she said she used to look at flowers with Jesus and went on a walks with him made me a little teary-eyed. I love that kid!

What A Weekend!

This first picture is the entrance to my "salon" - I failed to post last month that my wonderful husband put these new floors in. I LOVE them. Way easier than trying to clean hair off the carpet. It feels much cooler too, and more salon-like. I bet he's glad that's over with...he can relax for a few more weeks until I have another project for him :)

So.....speaking of salon's. uh-hum. This little one decided to take matters into her own hands. I mean, I probably knew that this day would come considering what I do. I guess I was a little too hopeful that all the conversations with her that "only mommy is EVER allowed to cut your, or anybody else's hair" would really sink in. I didn't (obviously). I just don't know if she knew what she was doing or not. Last week she kept telling me that she wanted short hair and I kept telling her that I love her long hair, and she looks like such a Princess - we can braid it and put ponytails in it. She seemed to be satisfied for the time being. So I'm still trying to decide if she was trying to cut her hair short, or if she was just playing around with the scissors. I can't get a straight answer. I think she thinks she's going to be put back in time out. So I guess I will be satisfied for the time being. Whatever - there's nothing I can so about it now. After I did damage control she said Mommy - I look so cute with short hair (sigh).



Friday night we went to a football game. My alma mater vs. Mike's. Mike's sister is the mascot for his High School and my brothers play for mine. David (the senior QB) is still on medical leave from his baseball injury/shoulder surgery and Daniel (the ex-back-up now starting sophomore QB) was playing. Just before half time Daniel gets sacked (sp?) by a kid he knows on the other team and doesn't get up. He's down for a while and he can't move his shoulder. It turns out he broke his humorous and finds out Monday if he will need surgery or not. My parents are bummed to say the least. Everyone in my family has had major sporting injuries year after year and Daniel is also the starting center for the Varsity Basketball team so not only does it ruin his football year but probably his basketball as well.
Brooklyn LOVES Grandpa Donaldson - look who has crashed and who is still up partying!
Mike had work to do this past week out of town and so we went with him and I took the girls to do some fun things without him. Oh how I miss this girls cute hair! Brooklyn was of course in love with these dogs at the pet shop. The picture of her was right before she fell into the dog pin - yep. Brielle's favorite activities included riding the merry-go-round, eating and running through the fountain.

Okay, so I probably have made a WAY bigger deal about Brooklyn's hair being short. I have never once been sad that I cut my hair. I have no attachments whatsoever. But I think she just got to a length where it was fun to do. I could just mess around and do different things with it. My favorite thing to do it up-do's - so while she does look oh so very cute with it short, I think I just wanted some one's hair to play with. It grows. No big deal. She still is adorable - I'm not biased or anything.