Some Updates

We've been having a pretty fun summer! We'll have to do a few more posts this week about some of our adventures!

Brooke and I have fun playing together everyday. She does some pretty funny things sometimes. The other day, she was putting all of her animals (and Dolly, of course) down for naps in her crib. She took them one by one and shoved them through the slats in her crib. When I took her to bed that night, I had to pull half a dozen animals (and Dolly, of course) out of her crib. It was so funny!

The other night, an older couple in our ward had us over for dinner. They had a bunch of toys that Brooke found thrilling. She pulled out a broom and started "sweeping" their kitchen floor. I found it adorable.

Brooke has a little friend, Lucy, that we have come play with us sometimes. The little girls love to play with each other. They were being so cute and funny the other day, chasing each other around the house and screaming. During lunch, they had a fit of giggles for, like, 5 minutes, just looking at each other and laughing. I think they were making silly noises with their lips. I was cracking up!

Brooke has been eating more veggies lately, of her own free will and volition! I've been trying to have a wider variety of things for her to eat for each meal, and I think that helps for some reason. So, for her lunch, I could do some tofu, green beans, rice, soy yogurt, and tomatoes, and she'll clean her plate up pretty well, without too much prompting from me. Even the veggies! I'm sure not everyday will be like that, but this week, at least the last part of this week, has been pretty good!

She's also been really into her blocks the past few days. When we play upstairs, she likes to use the old linking blocks that Mom gave her and build things. She did an airplane, a train and a crane. None of them really looked like what she was building, of course. But I'm glad she's being creative and using her imagination. And she's getting pretty good at putting those blocks together.

I am 33 weeks along now, and feeling quite big. I'm not swollen yet, though, which is a good thing. I'm getting more excited and more anxious, the further along I get. I'm getting really excited to meet our new little girl!

Having fun with Lucy

She loves wearing Mamma's shoes

Brooke found Dadda's goggles yesterday :)

Looking so pretty in her Sunday dress

The other day, Brooke was having grapes with her lunch. She gobbled up the grapes before anything else on her plate, and was just left with the vine, which she just put on the table while she kept eating her lunch. After a little while, she looked at that grapevine, said, "Airplane!", and proceeded to pick it up and zoom it on the table and through the air making airplane noises. It was so funny and cute!

A couple weeks ago, I made a little purse for Brooke out of scrap material I had. Brooke had one of my purses and she was loving putting toys and books in it and carrying it around. But it was kind of big for her to carry around, and with all that stuff in it, it was pretty heavy. So I decided to make her her own, a smaller one that she could carry around. I think she really likes it. :)

Brooke with her new little purse. She loves it!

Brooke's new stroller, her favorite new toy

Brooke loves to help mamma make dinner. I wonder why ...

I think Brooke is quickly moving into toddlerhood. She's been screaming for attention more and throwing a few more tantrums than is usual. Plus, she has started throwing little tantrums at church in Sacrament meeting. People have begun to notice. :)

I got fresh blueberries at Sprouts when we went out shopping. They are FINALLY cheap! Last summer, Brooke couldn't get enough blueberries (and neither could I) when the price on them dropped and I could actually buy some. We bought box after box. And I've been waiting all summer for prices to drop so we could go Blueberry crazy, and they finally have! Hooray! But this summer, Brooke is talking a WHOLE lot more, and she says the word "blueberry" "blucies". It's so cute! I can't get over it.

Daniel and I went to the temple to do a session. I was getting ready, putting on my boots (so Brooke put on her boots) and putting on my belt (so Brooke put on her belt). Cute girl!

Picture of the day for Daniel: she found his fig newton stash.

Watching Brooke play is sometimes very entertaining.

Brooke, in her cute little swimsuit.

Little buddies: Brooke and Lucy.

A Rare Date Night

Daniel and I had a fun date about a month ago. We decided that we needed to do something from our "Fun Things To-do" list.

We had a babysittter come watch Brooke in the early evening. Daniel and I drove out to LA, to go to the Ghetty Museum, stopping once along the way to get a little dinner at Chipotle. Their veggie bowls are DELISH!

Saturdays at the Ghetty are pretty busy after 5pm. Parking is cheaper than usual and they normally have a band or some kind of party going on Saturday nights. We just wanted to go explore the place and see the art exhibits and such. We weren't really interested in the party; in fact, Daniel commented to me that he could do without the loud music. :)

It was fun to see the art, though, and to walk around the gardens. It's really a beautiful place, and it's on a hill overlooking the city, so it has a great view. We've been there twice, and we've only seen half of what there is to see. It looks like we'll have to go back a few more times. :) It would be fun to take Brooke for a picnic there. A lot of families were there sitting on blankets out on the lawn near the gardens. I thought Brooke would really enjoy being around so many people and all that was going on there.

Beautiful view of the city. It was so clear last night!

We really like each other. And we don't go on very many dates, so it was fun to get out and be together.