Many Faces of Jude...

Little Jude bug is forming QUITE the little personality! HaHa. He has several faces that he makes and I can pretty much tell what he wishes he could say by the look he gives. I absolutely LOVE each one and they crack me up!! Here's 3 of the faces I love so dearly. :-)



* The sticking out of the tongue
* The "what'd I do?"
* The "BULL DOG"

Love, Brooke

Summer Concerts in the Garden ~ Star Wars Theme Night!

We went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens on Friday night with Jon's sister (Suzy), our niece (Kathryn) and the Needham family (Shane, Haydee, Sean and Gavin) for the Star Wars themed "Concert in the Garden." It was SUCH a wonderful night!!


There were storm troopers and other characters walking around giving autographs to the kids, families everywhere enjoying picnics while listening to the Fort Worth Symphony perform... vendors selling Star Wars stuff...
We brought veggies and sandwiches and the Needham's brought sweets, beverages (wine and sodas) and fruit and we all shared. It did sprinkle on us a bit but it was almost just the perfect amount to keep the air cool enough to enjoy!


Shane and Haydee's youngest son, Gavin, and Jude got to play together...as much as 6 month olds do ;-) Our 5 yr old niece and their oldest son, Sean, both danced around to the music and played as well. The lazer and fireworks show at the end of the concert mezmorized all the kids! It was so fun to watch their faces! :-)

This coming week's concert is a Wood Stock theme... too bad we'll be in Turks, hehe. BUT I'll definitely go back before summer's end! It's such a family friendly event...fun for all ages! You just bring your blanket, your peeps, your cooler and...enjoy! :-)





Love you all! Let's go again soon! {HUGS}

GO RANGERS!!

Jon and I went with friends to a Rangers game last Wednesday after work. We met up with some of the group at the Arlington pub, Sherlocks, for HH then headed over to the game shortly after to meet up with everyone else. Jon has been to 3 or so games so far this season but this was my first since having Jude & a big YAY for picking a great one to make a come-back with!!
Young had three hits and drove in four runs while batting four times in the first four innings! The Rangers went on to extend the majors' longest winning streak this season to 10 in a row with a 13-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates!! GO RANGERS!
There were 17 of us that met and sat together...SO FUN! Thanks to Jennifer for organizing and getting such GREAT seats!!
It was $1 hot dog night so the boys ate, ate and ate some more while the girls sought out the "LOADED NACHOS!"
We left Jude with my cousin, Paul, and his wife, Jacqueline (thank you guys again!!) knowing we would probably be later than his bedtime. Boy were we right! We left at the bottom of the 5th inning and still didn't make it home until 10:30. I do want to take him to a game soon but it was a fun night for Jon and me to catch up with friends and enjoy some RANGERS baseball!! :-) I'm ready to go again!! :-)

First Father's Day

We enjoyed a wonderful Sunday afternoon! Church, pool time in the backyard with Jude, nap-time afterwards and a yummy Father's day dinner at my grandparent's house! It was a perfect day!!


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my wonderful husband and Jude's daddy! We love you so very much!

The SQUIRT every parent needs!

If you are a parent and baby food is a part of your world...GOOD NEWS! THE SQUIRT is your friend! My dear friend (Thank you Jennifer!) introduced me to it. She uses it with her twin boys, Grayson & Ethan. Their eyes light up at the sight of the "magical carrot" - haha. She explained to me I NEEDED this product and that she uses it when she's out and about to feed her boys. What a great idea! They think it's a special treat and she has a no mess meal on the go to feed her toddlers! At a price of $7.99, I purchased 2!

What it is and How it works:
It's made by boon inc. ~ The top clear spoon part easily screws off and you pour whatever baby food you prefer into the orange body. You then screw the spoon lid back on and wallah! Squeeze to your preference and the food dispenses out onto the spoon and goes straight into your babies mouth! It's so clean and Jude truly LOVES it! It's almost like a bottle for baby food...
The bright orange color keeps their attention and they can't grab at it like they can a regular feeding spoon.
I did take Jennifer's advice and refrain from using the SQUIRT at the house. I use a regular baby spoon when feeding at home to help Jude learn to eat that way too and also to ensure the SQUIRT stays fun and remains that special treat.
I've had THE SQUIRT over a month now and I'm a forever fan! I couldn't resist spreading the word and sharing with fellow mommy friends! :-)

Where to get it:
I got my 2 SQUIRTS at Babies R Us but they also have a website you can order from - http://www.booninc.com/squirt.html
FYI - I looked at Target first with no luck.

Much Love,
Brooke

Mr. Jude bug is 6 months old!

Where does the time go?! Jude had his 6 mos wellness exam yesterday with Dr. Martin. All is looking good! :-) He’s a growing boy measuring 26 ½” long and weighing in at a whopping 17 pounds, 7.8 ounces. His stats hit right at the 50th percentile in all categories. I never thought I would be a mommy that worried about stats but I must admit that I somewhat obsess about them at every appt. I just want to know my lil’ man is on the right track! Jude was in such good spirits….so smiley and flirtatious with the nurses, showing off all his new moves and enjoying the crinkly paper on the patient’s bed….all until…3 SHOTS!!!

The heart wrenching tears and cry came fast and hard! Poor baby boy…a pouty face formed no parent could possibly resist!
All in all, a good appt! Jude was happy again within minutes and camo band-aids were applied! :-)
And it’s been a while since my last update….so….here’s some more Jude tid-bits:
• Jude is wearing some 0-3 mos clothes still (mainly shorts) but starting to fit into most of his 6 mos (onesies, jumpers)! The boy has more clothes than me! I love picking out his outfits every morning! :-) I love him in greens and blues best.
• Food: Jude is drinking approx. 20 ounces of formula daily. He also has a cereal/fruit mixture in the morning around 8-9am and a veggie lunch around 1pm. He LOVES his food! He reaches for the spoon as I feed him to try and help and opens up his mouth with anticipation for each bite. When he’s full…the mouth stops opening. It’s a pretty simple process. His teacher (Mrs. Rae) says he’s the best eater she’s had. Must take after his momma, hehe. ;-)
• Naps/Sleeping: We have a sleeper folks!! We’ve FINALLY experienced several consecutive full nights of sleep and I couldn’t be more thankful. I was worried it may never happen. ;-) Typically Jude gets 2 naps during the day (one mid morning and one around 2-3), both lasting 1-2 hours. Bedtime is 8:30 and he is ready! We do still have the nights with an EARLY morning wake up from time to time but usually a pacifier and his “lovey” cure the tears and he’s back off to sweet dreams. If that doesn’t work, we’ll offer a bottle and that’s 100% effective every time! ;-) I go in at 5:30am to wake him up (with a song ofcourse)on week days. Weekends are more lax…he’ll wake up around 6-6:30 for a bottle but we can put him back in his crib after for a good 2 hours and snag some more ZzzZzz’a ourselves usually. MORNINGS ARE MY FAVORITE!! His smile seriously lights my world!
• We start our day every morning with a shower. I go in and wake up Jude as Jon starts the shower and hops in. I hand off Jude to shower with daddy. He loves water!! Every once in a while (weekends) we do baths…he seems to really enjoy both and I’m so glad! Water bug??? Ohhhh yeaaahhh! ;-)
• Some mommies might hate changing diapers but I honestly look forward to it… most of the time. ;-) The changing table is where Jude shines! He tells me stories and laughs, plays with his feet and reaches for my face & hair lovingly. I genuinely enjoy our time there! It’s as if he’s catching me up on things I may have missed during the day?!
• Chubby legs…Jude’s Bumbo isn’t working out so well anymore. HeHe. We go to take Jude out and…the Bumbo stays attached and comes up as well. Cracks me up! :-)
• Other milestones:
o Sitting up great!
o Rolling over and scooching!! Army crawl is close I know…time to baby proof!!
o “Push up” position is his current favorite for just chillin’ and looking around on the floor/blanket.
o Smiles and giggles constantly…a total flirt! ;-) YAY!!

Anyways…ofcourse I could go on and on but I’ll stop here for now and end w/a sweet quote I love…b/c it’s SO true!!

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." -Elizabeth Stone

Much Love,
Brooke

Summer fun with friends and kiddos at NRH20

My sister and her 2 little boys, Allen (6 yrs old) and Austin (10 mos old) came to Keller to stay with me this past weekend. Without even a second thought we agreed that NRH20 water park was a must do with the kiddos! Allen has been a couple times and always enjoys it and Staci and I wanted to get some sun on our pasty white skin. HeHe. We invited some friends to join and spent most of Friday at the water park. It was exhaustingly wonderful!! :-) There ended up being 4 adults (Jennifer, Robin, Staci and me) and 6 kiddos, 4 of which were under 2! It was a first experience for several of the kiddos, including Jude bug! I had alot of fun watching him play and loving the water!

Allen and Cadyn were absolutely ADORABLE together!! Jennifer being one of my closest girlfriends, has had Cadyn over several times to play with Allen on weekends, etc when my sister has come into town. They've somewhat grown up together. Being a year apart, they play great AND they're just so sweet! They held hands, shared snacks, rode rides... SO CUTE!! Allen told Staci and me in the car on the way home he just might marry her. PRECIOUS!!!



Robin's youngest, Bailey (2), was the only one that was unsure about the water but even she was splashing and having fun by mid afternoon...even went down a slide by herself!





I had so much fun with Jen, Robin and Staci and all our lil' ones! It isn't often a day like this happens! I LOVE SUMMER!! The long naps the kiddos all enjoyed after leaving is proof that they also had a wonderful day!

Canton First Monday Trade Days

Jon's step-mom and sister ("MiMi" and Mary) stayed the weekend at our house with plans to go to Canton's First Monday Trade Days this past Saturday! We made the plans prior 100 degree temps ofcourse! ;-) I called my sister-in-law, Suzy, and we agreed to deal with the heat and stick with the plan! Off we went, baby Jude bug too... Mimi and Mary had never been and it had been years since mine and Suzy's last visit. 100 miles from our drive way to our parking spot exactly! We paid our $5 for parking to some man standing at the gate in gym shorts and a Texas T-shirt...we questioned if he really worked there or if he was just taking cash while his wife shopped across the street?! The verdict is still out... Moving on, we lathered Jude in SPF, put on his cute lil' hat and packed him up in his stroller. We were off!!

A little History: For those of you that have never been to First Monday Trade Days...it's HUGE!! It's been around 150ish years and is still growing. In the 1850s when the circuit judge stopped in Canton on the first Monday of each month to hold court, people from across surrounding counties would come to watch proceedings and take care of business. People would bring "goods" to sell or trade...produce, farm equipment, livestock, etc. Canton's First Monday earned statewide reputation and is still going strong! ;-)It's the best known flea market in the region, with 7,000+ vendors!!


We only made in thru 3 pavillions in almost 4 hours (The Arbors is where we started)!! There's so much to see! We did sweat our butts off but had a blast and found some really cute stuff!! My favorite purchase is a cute hat w/a huge flower attached (the pics don't do justice). When I put it on, Jude looks at me funny and bows backwards a little as if to say "What is that awful thing you have on your head mommy?!" He is so much like his dad!! ;-) HeHe.
I got a couple t-shirts w/cute sayings on them, a turqoise beaded headband, a bracelet, some gifts... Mary got some neat old/vintage books and some Texas home decor. MiMi found lots too but her favorite was a little yard turtle made of stone and rocks. It was really cute! If her and Mary hadn't flown, I'm sure they would have spent their full wads! ;-)








Proud mommy talking ofcourse...Jude was AMAZING!! He flirted it up with all the vendors and giggled as we doused him with water bottles. I'm excited to go back! Thinking October though...cooler weather and close enough to Christmas to start thinking gifts!! :-)

Jude gets wet!

We spent most of our Memorial holiday weekend in Marble Falls on lake LBJ with some of my family (my sister's group was missing). We got to go out on my parents' new boat and Jude did so great!! :-) I was really worried he would be cranky and possibly get burnt being out all day but it was SO fun and things couldn't have gone better!
We were out from 11:00-6:00 on Saturday and he ate, napped and played...all on the boat!



He even took his first "dip" in the water.



He showed his good mood with smiles and splashes. :-) To say I'm a proud mommy is an understatement! I just love every day!



Everyone had their turn on the tube and/or knee board. Jon tubed so long he had jelly arms!! HaHa. What a fun workout! ;-)




There were 7 of us: My Stepdad, Marc - Stepbrothers, Brandon & Kevin, my mom, Jon, me and Jude :-)



Jude LOVES his uncle Kevin! AND Uncle Kevin is such a great help to us when he's around! I just adore him!



We all had such a great time and were far from ready to leave Monday! Thanks to mom and dad for bringing their boat and for the fun weekend! It was so good to visit with Brandon before he left for Maryland with the Navy and we had an awesome time with Kevin as usual too! XOXO