So what if I missed a year…Here’s what’s going on RIGHT NOW

Having not blogged in about a year, I’m finding this post to be EXTREMELY difficult! I started drafting one a couple weeks back and then I ended up just deleting it. I started another draft last week and after several revisions, I deleted that one as well. That being said mainly to warn that this post may be a total massive jumble of sentences but I just gotta get thru it! Haha.

I’ll start with my family b/c that’s easy…I’ll just hit the highlights.

Jon –

Remember that toy chest that he started over a year ago? It’s finally almost done! AND, it was actually worth the wait! Yes, I was beginning to wonder (sorry babe!)… The man takes his time but he sure does good work! He had it 90% complete and then decided he didn’t like it. Seriously?! But alas, all that’s left is to stain! YAY! Next project…bunk beds for the boys. I’m thinking if he starts them next week they may be done by the time Jude is in 1^st grade. Hehe.

Here's a picture of the Toy Chest, version A. The lid was wharped a bit from being stored during our move transition.

And, Here's a picture of Version B... Isn't it pretty! I'll post a final picture once it's stained and complete! What'd I tell ya?! Worth the wait!

He’s still very into Ultimate Frisbee. When I first heard of the game, years ago…I thought it sounded nothing short of silly. Now that I have watched Jon play it, they totally don’t mess around! It’s like Frisbee meets football meets soccer meets rugby…yeah, that’s what it’s like! :) He plays every Monday night at the LMRA and most Saturday mornings at Gateway Park. He’s good! Dave played this season (on another LMRA team) so Nicole and I brought the kiddos out to watch the evening they played each other.  

 Cousins

                                    

Jon playing frisbee with Jude

Joel showing off skillz...

The yard work never ends! I thought moving into a brand new house would provide a weed free brand new yard. WRONG! What would I do without a husband that finds lawn care therapeutic?! Answer – pay someone else to be my yard guy, haha. Thankfully, Jon is amazing when it comes to keeping our yard looking good! I bet he’s spent no less than 72 hours (not consecutive ofcourse) pulling weeds by hand!! Outside of that, he’s added borders to block out weeds around our front trees and flower beds & he’s helped me plant several new plants/flowers. Most recently he sought out a couple local places to buy fill dirt and mulch in bulk at a great price! He spent last weekend starting to fill in the dips of our yard to eventually even it out to a flat beautiful “golf course” look and we bought mulch and fixed up the front flower bed. I love pulling around the corner and seeing how it has all come together! Keep up the good work, babe! :)

Here's a "drive by" pic I took a couple weeks ago. This is pre border around the trees in the front, yellow rose bushes, fill dirt in the yard and mulch in front beds... I'll post some more pics soon but it does give an idea of what we're working with. :) I wish I had a pic pre-weed pulling!

Jude & Joel –  

So I’m super anxious about letting Jude go visit Grumpa and Mimi this week. Stan, Jon’s dad, will leave Dumas in an hour or so (around noon thirty) to head this way. He will stay the night with us then take Jude, Ivye and Kathryn back home with him to hang thru Thursday. I’m not positive he knows what he’s getting into! Haha. Jude is such a good kid and I KNOW he’ll have a blast so I hate to hold him back from going this year but ofcourse, I have some “mama bear” concerns… My head is running! What if he gets homesick? What if he misbehaves…will they discipline like we do? Will he feel left out going with Kathryn and Ivye? Is he just too young still? *sigh* Being a mom is hard stuff! I’ve talked with him every night about it and he remains consistent in wanting to go so that brings comfort. He keeps asking if he’ll get to play with the kitties. They’ve had 3 new litters in the last month so there will definitely be kitties…not to mention the donkey, horse, Molly dog and other critters! As hard as it is to let my babies grow up, I know they are… and I’m so thankful for the family and friends that help keep them grounded and loved along the way!

It’s time to potty train Joel! It’s not easy giving Joel the individual attention like we were able to with Jude so Jon and I plan to really focus on him while Jude is gone this week. It would be AWESOME if we could get him potty trained by our Cali trip!

The “Terrible Twos” were easy! The “Terrible Threes” suck! Don’t get me wrong, Jude is HILARIOUS and I love the good days of his three year old little self! BUT Whoever said that year two was the hardest was not a mother to my boys. Jude is TESTING us with everything he has (another reason why I fear his weeklong trip to Grumpa and Mimi’s)! Did I mention being a mother is hard? Haha. I watch Joel studying, just sitting back taking notes and it makes me cringe! So far, routine is the best medicine! Consistency is such a hard battle when you’re a busy family but it’s truly necessary! Any little thing that doesn’t go “his way” is so dramatically the end of the world for Jude! Example - Heaven forbid I help him open his string cheese when he wanted to do it all by himself, even tho yesterday he threw a massive fit because he couldn’t open it alone & needed help. I will say he is coming around more lately (prayers up and fingers crossed)! He understands consequences and he knows he SHOULD be using manners. AND MAJOR MOM BONUS, him and Joel have been playing so great together lately!! {{Heart melts}} I see a lot of Jon in Jude and imagine he was similar growing up…strong willed and stubborn to his core but extremely motivated and smart with a big heart! Joel reminds me more of myself…kinda selfish (note: I absolutely hate admitting that’s a characteristic of mine), very social and a bit hyper sensitive..ugh, yep…that’s me!

Here's a quick video of the boys trying out their new bounce house... we bought it a couple weeks ago and I swear we've already used it enough to get our moneys worth! :)

And me...

I am loving calling Fort Worth home! I don't know why it took me so long to agree that moving from Keller to Fort Worth was best for our family... Jon has been trying to convince me for years! He was totally right (he usually is, shhh!).

I love our neighbors, the convenience to work & the boy's daycare and our new church! It's such a joy coming home each day!


I'm still sewing! Not as much as I would like to most days but I make time here and there to try new things & manage to always have the boys in matchy matchy holiday appliquéd shirts. :) Right now I'm working on stuff for Dave and Nicole's baby boy (Ryker), due July 24!

This week I'm helping my mom out by watching her business (www.mnmshopping.com)  while she's on vacation. It's been kinda fun! I get to play in all her new trendy clothes and post on her FB wall, etc w/o the responsibility of owner stuff like paying rent! :-P

Here's one of my favorites right now, blk & white chevron skirt & Bubble necklace. I wore it on Mother's Day. :)

I definitely don't leave the family much time for boredom! ;-) I tend to pack out our calendar.  Jon jokes with me quite a bit about not being able to sit still! Better than the alternative, right?! Life is too short to waste it on a couch!

I am 100% confident God has his hands on every part of our lives and it gives me such a comforting peace of mind! I've never been happier and I'm not taking it for granted! I work hard to play hard and give thanks for my every day and blessings!

That's all I got for now! Feels good to be bloggin' again!

Hugs,

Brooke

Blogging for my Soul

I go back and forth on whether or not I should invest time into blogging. I have always loved the idea of having things written down to reflect on later and the ability to share what’s going on in our lives with family and close friends that are interested! Time just gets away from me! Having the Facebook app on my phone keeps it at my fingertips so I do keep that up to date but I’m more leery of what I put on the site lately and though I do put lots of pictures, I try to keep it somewhat vague and high level. When I write in this BLOG, It offers more gratification and it can be very therapeutic! Even if noone reads it, I have it for myself and my family and I do hope to turn it into a book one day for J&J. So…all that to conclude that I miss blogging! I shall start it up again! :)

XO,

Brooke

A weekend visit to see G-Dad and Gigi!

Jon went with some of his friends to Vegas for a fun weekend so I packed up the boys and headed to Roscoe to see my parents. Two totally different weekend trips, both absolutely enjoyable! Mine was very relaxing; kid friendly and full of mom’s cooking (as usual). Jon’s was much faster paced; airports, an MGM hotel room (barely used for sleeping), table service and clubs to celebrate a birthday, poolside lounging/recovering and a massive hangover lasting until I think Tuesday morning.
Jude would ask “where’s daddy?” and almost immediately remember and tell himself “daddy in airplane!” all weekend! So cute!
“G-Dad” (my step-dad) had double knee replacement surgery Oct 10th so I figured he’d be stuck in his bed quite a bit…wrong! He’s a super star! He was up walking around and playing with the boys quite a bit! Jude kept trying to kiss his knees saying “G-dad boo boo, ouchie!”
We stayed around my parent’s house most of the weekend and just hung out. It’s such a nice “slow down” coming to visit them. I even get to sleep in! ;-) Gigi (my mom) spoils everyone! You want for nothing at their house! We did a mini photo shoot with the boys in the front yard, Jude helped carve his first pumpkin, we baked the seeds…all kinds of Fall fun! I love my family! ♥

The boys ♥ their Uncle Kevin!

Our Delightfully Chaotic "Right Now"

As the days continue to blur by…I have to make myself stop and write down where my baby boys are at in their tiny full lives and where Jon and I are in ours! :)

Words I would use when talking about JUDE right now:

Independent –
“I do it molmmy”
“mine!”
“no molmmy”
Apparently in Jude’s mind, there is an ‘L’ in mommy. I correct him all the time, and for a bit he’ll say it right but nevertheless, always goes back to “molmmy.” HaHa.
“Daddy!” – He’s Jon’s shadow! He wants to do everything with Jon, be everywhere he is…all the time. Monday nights are hardest for me because Jon plays Ultimate Frisbee after work and doesn’t get home until way after the boy’s bedtime. As soon as I walk in the door from work Jude immediately says “Daddy?!” I tell him every Monday “Daddy is playing sports. He’ll be home later” and then…meltdown! Thank God for chocolate milk! ;-)
Potty – Definitely interested but so not trained. We’re using the m&m technique, which seems to be pretty effective. Never fails, when I need to go “potty” Jude isn’t far away. Last night, he busts in my bathroom and sees that I have just finished successfully using the potty and shouts “Yay molmmy! Candy!” I had to laugh out loud. Never a dull moment.
He has the process of going pee pee or poo poo IN the potty down as long as he is in the right place at the right time but can’t quite grasp the concept of needing to be near a potty fast as soon as the urge arises. Yes, makes for interesting times! This morning he woke up in his crib and stated he needed to go potty, took off his diaper and pee’d in his crib! Jacqueline, the boy’s wonderful nanny, was the fortunate recipient of that incident. Sorry girl! ;-)
Talker – He has SO much to say! Sometimes I understand him…others, not so much. HaHa. He’s developed quite the little personality and I LOVE IT! I’ll have to post some videos. He has been talking more to grandparents and people he knows well on the phone lately too.
Sensitive – to others and personally. If you look at the kid the wrong way, watch out! He’s either going to cry or act out. Lots of hugs and reassurance right now for sure. He also hates to see others cry…even strangers. In the nursery at church this past Sunday, a little girl was crying for her mommy so Jude went over to her and brought her a book and a toy. The nursery teacher said he worked really hard to calm her down…and it worked. :-) He’s such a tender hearted boy.
Jealousy – who is this new baby?! He does love Joel and is sweet 90% of the time but when baby brother needs attention in the middle of a story, dinner time, etc…NO BUENO! Jude is not shy about voicing that his time is being interrupted. If Jon or I have Joel in our lap, Jude will come over and say “hey! Goal (Joel) down!” and point to the floor. If we don’t submit to his command, he’s glad to help us out by pushing Joel off of our lap. Any advice in this category welcomed! I want to be firm but assuring in my response…easier said than done! Now that Joel is getting older and stronger, it has been better. I can now sit them BOTH on (or near) my lap and we can all read together. :-)
Entertainer – if you’re happy, he’s happy. If you’re upset…he’s going to try to make you happy. :-)
Animals – He knows em! By sight and sound. He can tell you what they are and he’ll be happy to tell you the sounds they all make… Our typical car game.
“Two” – If you hear Jude saying “Twoooo” you better find him quick! He’s about to jump off something! He’s a dare devil! He sometimes says one but usually skips it and goes straight for two. He also likes 5. I know he can count to 5 (he has several times) but it’s on his terms. He’s not going to do it if you want him too. Rascal!
Teeth – He went from 4 to 16 in a month seems like! I know it wasn’t literally that fast but they are popping in like crazy! He looks like a little boy now…bittersweet.
“Amen!” – Doesn’t matter where we are, what we’re doing…if he hears “in Jesus name” he’s going to shout “Amen!” It’s ADORABLE! This is probably my favorite thing, next to his cat “meow” sound. He loves to pray and it’s been a blessing for us with structuring bedtime!
Manners – it took a month to get Jude to actually SAY please! He was so used to using sign language (learned in daycare) that he only wanted to sign. With help from Jacqueline we finally did it! Since saying “Please” we’ve moved on to Thank you, Yes sir/ma’am, no sir/ma’am and his favorite…”bless you!” He’ll fake sneeze to say it! I have to try not to laugh but it’s so darn cute!
Roomie – Joel moved into Jude’s room 2 ½ weeks ago. So far, it’s been amazingly better than I expected! I do think Jude has suffered a little more than Joel as far as sleep interruption but they really are doing so great rooming together.

Outside – if he can be anywhere, he WANTS to be outside. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot as the sun or pouring rain! He cannot be outside enough! He’s my little monkey man! :-)
Birthdays - seems like there is a birthday party to attend EVERY weekend lately. Who's 2 this week? ;-)

Words I would use when talking about JOEL right now:
Bubbles/Teething – Constant slobber bubbles from teething :(
Formula – Going thru it like a baby! ;-) Costco is our friend!
Baby Food – We’ve started! And he LOVES it! Green beans, Mixed Harvest veggies and any kind of fruits are golden!
Diapers – WE NEED MORE DIAPERS! Already?! Yep! The baby does not like to be wet! That and being hungry are the only reasons he cries.
Growing – NON STOP! He’s about to bust out of his 6 mos clothes. He’ll be 5 mos on 9/29. The pediatrician says he’s going to surpass Jude.
Smiley – The happiest baby ever! Joel smiles constantly and giggles! He’s a happy baby :) melts my heart over and over!
Cuddly – If I need a snuggle, Joel is my cure!
Strong! – Rolls over, Lifts up, holds his own with Jude…has a hardy grip! (watch your hair and earrings!) He’s going to be crawling soon!
Momma’s boy – When I walk in from work he gets SO excited! Makes my whole day! His face lights up and he reaches out for me. When he hears me talking he stretches to look at me from any angle…*sigh* Why I became a mother, hehe. ;-)

Words I would use when talking about JON right now:
Home Depot – His home away from home :)
Daddy – The best! I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching Jon with the boys. They adore him! He’s so great about letting Jude hang out with him in the garage, playing legos or just taking time out to read to the boys. With Joel still needing a lot of “mommy attention” right now, Jon takes over with Jude and makes sure that BOTH of the boys are getting that undivided attention they want and need. He also helps a lot at night with feedings, etc. Cannot say enough how attractive it is to me seeing Jon with the boys.
Ultimate Frisbee – He plays every Monday night and Saturday morning… This is his athletic outlet. His time away from me and the kids where he can just go and play! And he’s really good! :)
Busy – Gone are the days when we would lazy around the house for a weekend. Always something to do and somewhere to go!
Leader – This year I’ve seen Jon really turn into a strong leader…not only in our home but at work.
Our “Rock” – Always ready for church on Sundays, bibly study during the week and there to answer my questions when I have them. If he doesn’t know the answer, he helps find it. So appreciative of this!
Chess with friends – Jon’s new addiction. Look him up if you wanna but beware, he’s intense! ;-) JoNate14 is his username.
Funny – Can always make me, and the boys, laugh!
Best Friend – He is mine. :)
Husband – sorry ladies, he’s taken! ;-)

Words I would use when talking about MYSELF right now:
Planner – “what’s the plan? Why’d it change? What now? What time? When? Where? I’ll put it on the calendar.” I need a plan! And don’t cancel last minute! LOL. OCD? Maybe…
Mommy – hardest most rewarding job ever. More in love with my boys every day! I cannot imagine life without them!
Sew cool! – My new hobby…that consumes large parts of my house, mind and time!
Social Media – Blog, Facebook, Pinterest…
Pictures – who says I can’t be a photographer?! I’m my family’s photographer, hehe. And photo books…Genius! I make them for everything! I don't care who takes them or really, if they're even of my family...I love pictures!
DVR – the only way I get to watch anything outside of PBS/KERA ;-) And I now have no patience for commercials.
Social – I thrive on relationships and invest in them (Spouse, kids, family and friends) hoping to receive the same in return. I’m a social person for sure! My social “scene” has changed somewhat but in my opinion, better with age! ;-)

This is us...at this moment! ;-)

Going home for the Labor Day holiday weekend...times 3!!!

I’m blessed and SO thankful to have a wonderfully sweet & giving mother in law! I couldn’t have handpicked her better myself! She kinda reminds me of Angela Lansbury (minus the British accent ofcourse) to give you a mental picture. Even sings like her. :) She makes the 6 hr drive to see us quite often. We’re fortunate to live in the middle of her other 2 kids (Jon’s older brother and sister) so she typically stays at our house. We’ve definitely taken this for granted and haven’t been out to Dalhart, Jon’s home town and where Judy still lives, since Christmas…and even then, we just passed thru on our way to Colorado. Few in town had met Joel and most hadn’t seen Jude since he was just starting to walk. So…we packed up the house (very little exaggeration) and if my calculations are correct…we drove 883.46 miles over the holiday weekend making the rounds visiting my parent’s, Judy’s and Jon’s dad’s house!


I wish I had taken a better picture of the inside of our 4Runner! Suitcases, blankets, ice chest, diaper bag, swing, boppy, play mat, travel booster seat…Bentley (our D-O-G) in between the two car seats. It was a site!

Being Labor Day weekend, we had Friday and Monday off work. We loaded up and headed west for Roscoe Thursday afternoon pulling into Highland High School just before half time to watch the end of my little brother’s football game. He’s the QB this year. “GO KEVIN!” We stayed the night with my parents Thursday then got up and headed to Dumas to see Jon’s dad Friday. We got there around 4:00…in time for Jon to help his dad a little bit (install windows) on a building he’s working on and eat a delicious steak dinner! From there we went on to Judy’s where we stayed thru Monday early afternoon. We got to see several but some but even having 4 full days…the weekend flew by as usual! Jude and Joel soaked up the attention and love being at all of their grandparent’s houses! The weather was amazing and we were sad to leave Monday afternoon. We made a stop in Dumas for lunch and to meet Jay, Mary’s (Jon’s step sister) fiancé before heading home. Why is it that the drive home always seems so much longer than the trip going?! We got home around 8:20…I did a load of laundry, ran the dishwasher and unpacked…before I knew it, it was 10:30! Lights out!
It was a wonderful weekend! Thanks to my parents for DVD player! Jude enjoyed being able to watch sesame street in the car and we loved that it occupied him! ;-) Thanks to Judy for letting us invade your home w/all ours and the boy’s stuff! :) Thankful Melanie is such a fabulous garage saler! Jude LOVED all the toys at Grumpa and Mimi’s house! HeHe. Thanks to Lisa for the cute homemade humpty dumpty pillow dolls! Thanks to the ladies at church for ensuring Jude didn’t escape after lunch when he was crazy running around! And thanks to everyone who stopped by Judy’s house to come see us – we love you all! AND ofcourse thanks to ALL for the delicious food…we’re all fat now! ;-)

Mr. & Mrs. Box!

The last several months have been filled with babies (showers and deliveries) and weddings! I LOVE IT!!

This past weekend was my brother’s wedding which makes it particularly special! We had such a wonderful time and we adore Erica, the bride. They're on their honeymoon in Jamaica this week! I can't wait to hear about their trip and we are all so excited to have Erica as part of our family!

The ceremony was outside on the Fossil Creek Golf Course in Fort Worth. It was totally worth the 108 degree heat watching the sweet couple exchange their wedding vows! Jude was all over the place and embarrassed me a little but the crowd enjoyed the entertainment and Brandon and Erica swear they welcomed the distraction!
Bridesmaids: Jenna, Nicole, Me & Gabby
Maid of Honor: Julianna
Best Man: Marc
Groomsmen:Blake, Jon & Kevin
Ring Bearer: Jude bug :)
Family Pic: sister, brother, me, BRIDE/new sister, GROOM/brother, Mom, Dad

After the photographer was done snapping pictures, it was up to the clubhouse for the reception! Everything was beautiful and we had a blast!! Family (that were always willing to help with the boys), great music & dancing, Fajita dinner complete with margaritas & wedding cake...what more do you need for a perfect night?? NOTHING!
Still so in love! Can we get married again?! HeHe

I truly adore my family!! My Uncle Tim, Aunt Pam and Grandma cheesin' it up with my sweet boys :)

I promise he's mine! ;-) BUT MAN, he sure does favor Erica with that blonde hair, right?!

Bouquet Toss! The other girls didn't stand a chance against Cortney! Love it!

It was SUCH a fun night celebrating Brandon and Erica with all of our family!!
I feel SO honored that we could be a part of such a special day! Congratulations and many blessings to Brandon and Erica, er....Mr. & Mrs. Box!! ;-) XO

Maui, HI - July 2011

Click here to view these pictures larger

Hawaii Family Vacation 2011

My mom called mid March to tell me they had booked a condo in Maui at the Marriott Ocean Club Resort for 2 weeks in July and were looking at airline tickets if we were interested in going with. Joel being due May 6, there was just no way I could commit…way too many unknowns! I just hated we were going to miss out…neither of us had been to Hawaii before.
Joel arrived happy and healthy a week earlier than his “due date” on April 29, 2011! We were in and out of the hospital with no issues…I couldn’t have asked for a better delivery/recovery! By the end of June I was rethinking my decision to decline the trip. ;-) After talking to a couple friends that lived in Maui and several others that had visited, I was VERY SERIOUSLY reconsidering. Jon was on board to look for airline tickets and…we booked our flights the beginning of July! We were definitely nervous about the very long flights and enduring such a dramatic time change with 2 babies less than 2 years old but…we were doing it! I was off work on leave already, we had family there to support us with baby help and we couldn’t be sure we’d have a second chance for a trip like this!
The boys did AMAZING flying!! I was SUCH a proud mommy! :) I must mention that AA has the BEST flight attendants when flying with children. GINGER was our favorite…she was WONDERFUL with both boys and they absolutely LOVED her! She was on both flights (going and coming home) which was a total blessing to us!
My Uncle Rikki and Aunt Sharon stayed with my parents and brother, Kevin, the first week of the Maui trip and we joined them for the 2nd week. We had one night with all and it happened to be Kevin’s 14th birthday! We had a great time celebrating with everyone and we were so thankful we got to see Rikki & Sharon for a bit before they flew back to Texas!
The week flew by and Jon and I are SO glad we decided to go AND that we brought the boys! We made such unforgettable memories and my family was a HUGE help!! Our only wish was that we could have stayed longer!! :)

I'm posting a slideshow of pictures in a post but here's a handful...there are just so many it's hard to choose!! :)


*The Resort Pools*


*Old Lahaina Luau*


*Our smiling beach bum baby*


*Introducing Jude to SAND!!*


*Road to Hana*


*Beach right off our resort*