Got Milk?

Any guesses on how much milk we go through in one day?

Happy 1st Birthday, Brenna Baby!

This time one year ago, I was resting in a hospital room with high blood pressure and waiting to meet my new baby girl.

Today, exactly a year later, I am resting from playing (probably still with high blood pressure :) and waiting for that baby girl to wake up from her nap. We have had lots of fun celebrating Brenna as she turns 1 today!

We have given her gifts, danced, baked cupcakes, played her favorite games, and loved on her a whole bunch!
Happy Birthday to our Brenna Beth! We love you so much!

To Little Sister, From Big

"I'm the big sister,

All because of you.

Our family's newborn baby,

I'm going to love and help with, too!

Although you're tiny now,

You'll soon be big like me.

I'll save these pictures here,

To show you how we used to be.Like the times I would hold you,

And sing my favorite song.

You would smile at me,

One day you'll sing along.

And the times we played together,

You let me mother you.

Dress you up, clap your hands,

Play piggy toes and peekaboo.

A year has passed already,

Look how big we are!

I love being the big sister,

You are my little star."

Happy 1st Birthday, Sister!

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

As Brenna gets closer to her 1st birthday (a week away!), she is working hard on her new skills--walking and talking.

She is getting braver and braver and letting go more often. She can walk across the living room now...if no debris or children get in her way!She even incorporates her ornery face sometimes :) She gets really excited to take steps by herself.She is always talking, too, literally carrying on conversations like we know exactly what she is saying. The girl has an opinion and a voice already for sure.

She is big into saying "Bye Bye" and waving now. Just this morning, she was saying bye to Daddy before he was even ready. She is smart and knows our routine very well.

She is doing so good at everything as she turns 1...and we are so proud of her!!

Boys

Aren't boys just good to have around? Speaking as the mother of girls, I fully appreciate the differences in the genders. Our nephew Layton and our friend Caden (both full-blown country boys) continually open my eyes to things that our girl-household is not familiar with :)


So besides the fact that we love them and can't live without them, these are just a few good reasons to have a boy around (big or little):

--Boys will kill spiders and bugs for you.
--Boys will cook out on the grill and mess with the fire.
--Boys help you see the gun/sword possibilities in any toy, stick, or rock.
--Boys add a new meaning to "We shouldn't throw things in the house."
--Boys can fix things that need fixing...and even some that don't.
--Boys will jump off of things that are twice their height.
--Boys have no qualms about peeing off the porch.
--Boys have an innate knowledge of car sounds and crude noises.
--Boys are charmers...even when you have no intention of being charmed.
--Boys are meant to be outside and dirty.
And my favorite right now...
--Boys are good chaffeurs :)

Work it, Girls...

As you can see, our new dress-up chest has been hours of fun already...for the kids and me!Everyday we become pirates,princesses, hula dancers,and cowboys.

And is there anything funnier than kids in wigs?
Dress-up! Feel beautiful...or silly! Add a little imagination to your own day!

Things That Need Tellin'

--The three oldest kids were playing the other day and talking about going to work. I asked them where they work. Kinsey said, "New York." Caden said, "Brownwood." Audrey said, "Befwehem" (Bethlehem).

--We got to go to a birthday party at the Jump House in Stephenville, and it was a jumping good time! Audrey got brave enough to go down the 3 story slide with Daddy! And even Brenna got in on the action:

--In December, my dad roped in Las Vegas at the World Series of Team Roping and did great! We were jealous we couldn't go this year, but we saw all of his runs on a live web-feed! It was so cool being there even though we weren't! Audrey would cheer, "Go Awpa!" as we watched.

--Josh found an article on a study that stated that good-looking couples have mostly girls...and while there was no science behind any of the studies whatsoever, we were flattered with the findings :)

--In my little Sunday School class (2-4 year olds), we talked alot about Baby Jesus in December. One Sunday, I would say throughout the classtime, "What's the good news?" to which they would respond "Jesus is born!" But one girl's response sounded more like "Jesus is borin" (boring), so we worked on a little enunciation that day to clear up any misconceptions :)

--Did I mention how much Brenna likes to eat? An average meal for her nowadays is something like this: two chicken nuggets, half a can of green beans, half a banana, a helping of macaroni, a container of yogurt, half a cornbread muffin, and whatever she wants off of our plates! How else do you think she maintains her figure?

--Audrey can write her "A" now!! Maybe its the teacher in me, but I am thrilled and love seeing these little markings everywhere:

--I am currently planning a birthday party for both of the girls. I decided on an ABC theme since Audrey loves writing and art, and it works as a good 1st birthday theme for Brenna as well. Anyway, I was not aware until I was Googling that an ABC party is also a college fraternity-themed party: Anything But Clothes!!!!!! That is not what ours will be. Please come clothed.

--Somebody can wear a ponytail now! And has two teeth coming in for a total of 6!

Fishy Fun

We went to the Dallas World Aquarium with Mimi on New Years' Eve!We got up close and personal with fish, turtles, sharks, flamingoes, and a jaguar!

All four of us girls had a great time! It reminded me of another great aquarium experience when Audrey was the same age as Brenna: (http://herestheamberdeal.blogspot.com/2008/11/georgia-peach-of-trip.html)