Brooklyn

I did not write about when Brooklyn turned 21 or 22 months old, but I wanted to write about her. She is such a happy girl. Funny and laughs alot. She does tend to get a little dramatic when she doesn't get her way or things aren't going the way she wants. She likes to do whatever Barrett does. She loves to be outside. It is amazing to me how much she talks. She talks all the time and it is so cool to hear all the thoughts she has. She loves to dress up and often walks around with a purse on her shoulder. And today, she wanted to have her fingers and toes painted after she saw mine. So we did that. It is so cute! Here are some funny shots of her. She really likes to try and dress herself. This is what she really wanted to wear the other day!
And, Brooklyn loves to color. She especially likes markers. This masterpiece was done with a permanent marker. Luckily, it all came off and my computer is fine.

We love our little girl. She keeps us on our toes and you never know what she will do!

Our Weekend Whirlwind

Derek was in the wedding of our friend, Shane this weekend so we went to Houston for all the festivities. It was a busy weekend full of activity. Quick recap- dinner, pool, Starbuck's, rehearsal, golf, 2 weddings, church, food and more food, visiting with family and friends.

On Thursday, we drove straight to Babin's Seafood for dinner to celebrate Michele's(Derek's sister) birthday. Derek's parents and our nieces and brother and sister-in-law were all there. It was a nice evening and the kids had a great time playing together,even if our service was a little slow.

On Friday, Derek went to play golf with several friends and family of Shane while the kids and I headed over to my parents. On the way we stopped at the Shoemaker's to see Kellee and all the Shoemakers. They were busy geting ready for all the wedding activities. Shane and Kara and the kids were in town and we went to the pool. It was so fun to watch the kids play together. Elizabeth is a little daredevil and couldn't get enough of the big slide. It is a great pool and we all had a fun time soaking up the sun and hanging out together.

Brooklyn ready to swimBarrett hanging at the poolB, E, and Brooklyn getting a snack

On Friday afternoon, we headed back to Derek's parents house. Derek and I went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The kids stayed and played with Grandbob, Grandmom, Aunt Michele and the cousins. The wedding was planned to be outside, but it was raining when we arrived for the rehearsal. Eventually it stopped and they could practice outside. We had a great time catching up with lots of friends that we have known since junior high/high school. It is fun to see Derek interact with these guys. We all got to talk and laugh and reminisce.

Derek and his buddy, Shane

On Saturday, we hung out and then got ready for our 1st wedding of the day. My sister Kellee's sister-in-law and friend of ours was getting married. Laura was a beautiful bride and looked so happy. It was neat because the wedding and reception were all at the same place as Derek's and mine(and Kara & Shane's, Kellee & Anthony's). The kids were excited to see Kellee walk down the aisle. They waved and clapped. It was fun to see lots of people we grew up with and we got to sit with Anita, Marcia, and Dianne and visit. The kids did good, but were really ready for the cake to be cut. It was a delicious cake. We left soon after so the kids could nap(which of course they did not).

Laura, the beautiful bride and Elizabeth and BarrettBrooklyn getting a good view of the cakeAnita and meMiss ElizabethOur little princessB and Kellee at the weddingWe went back to the Reaves and then got ready to go to Shane's wedding. Derek went early, so Bob and I headed out to Hockley for the wedding. It was nice and pretty. It was outside under some gorgeous trees, unfortunately I was feeding nilla wafers and other snacks to my kids so I didn't get any pictures. Bob was great and took the kids to play when they started getting really restless. We got to see lots of people from high school and show off the kids. They left soon after the ceremony and we were able to relax, eat, talk, dance and have a really good time. It was a really late night for us.

The best family shot we could get all weekend On Sunday we went to church and my whole family was there. The kids just love seeing each other and playing. I m so glad they my kids have cousins, on both sides, that they love and play well with. It is neat to watch those relationships grow. We all(17 of us) went to lunch and tried to get some visiting it. It is lots of fun when we are all together.
Brooklyn is such a cutieSome of the cousins playing after lunchMe and my handsome and awesome husband
Now we are back home. I am doing lots of laundry and trying to get everything put back in its place. We had a wonderful time with friends and family.

What we've been up to...

Recovery:

Barrett had fully recovered from his surgery. He is back to playing and running around and eating better. He also used to snore and sleeps rather peacefully at night now.

Company:

My mom made a spontaneous trip to see us last week. She had been in Waco and came here. We hung out and shopped and helped take care of Barrett. The kids and Derek and I were really happy to have her come visit. Kellee came for a few days. We ate lots of food, went to the outlet malls(kids free!!!), hung out at the pool, got some rays out in the backyard, picked up Pizza Garden, talked, and laughed and watched the finale of our favorite show, Top Chef. Kellee is such a joy to have visit. It is fun and relaxing and the kids just love her so much. We also met Kara and the kids for lunch. It was fun to see them for a bit while they were in town. It was a little crazy, but fun anyways!Derek built a playground:

My husband is awesome! And he is a great father! A few weekends ago he worked all weekend building a playground for the kids. He did it all by himself and even modified the original design to better fit our needs. He had a few little things that he finished throughout the week last week and now the playground is finished! The kids love it and have been playing on it alot. Barrett did some building while Derek was working too. He is pretty good with a hammer. They both have been going down the slide alot. The both enjoy swinging next to each other too. Here are some pictures of Derek's completed project! He did a great job and really made the kids happy.Father's Day:

We celebrated Father's Day with lunch after church at Derek's choice, Hut's Hamburgers. He all had burger, fries, and shared a shake. Barrett was so sweet and picked out a travel coffee mug and golf tees for Derek all on his own. Derek is a great father and the kids are so lucky to have a patient, fun, caring, and wonderful father.

Surgery Day

Barrett got his adenoids and tonsils taken out yesterday morning. We dropped Brooklyn off at The Walker's a little after 6:00 am (thanks ya'll so much!)and then headed to the surgery center. Barrett's surgery was scheduled for 7:30. Barrett got in his gown and headed down the the OR in a wagon for his surgery to take place. It was right on time. And it went very well. Thanks for all the prayers for our little guy and for the doctors/nurses who were taking care of him. We went over the the Children's Hospital to stay the day and night so that they could monitor his breathing. It was so nice and there were so many things for the kids to do. Everyone was so sweet to Barrett. We came home today and will probably be at home taking it easy most of the week. Barrett is still in lots of pain and the recovery time is about 2 weeks. He was really glad to be rid of his IV! Hopefully we will start to feel better and want to eat all the Popsicles, ice cream, milkshakes, juices he wants. And hopefully he will be able to sleep better at night, not snore, have less allergies, and eat better now that he is tonsil free.

B and Derek in the waiting roomBarrett dressed in his hospital gown and ready to goWaking up after surgery- all tonsil free!Hanging out in the hospital bed watching a movieBrooklyn visiting Barrett. She liked his movable bed

Barrett playing in the hospital playroom. It had many cool toys and things to do

Barrett after his night in the hospital. Clifford slept with him and kept him company

Brooklyn and Derek came to pick us up. They liked looking at the balls drop as we were leaving

Ready to go home!