Ladies Man...

Styling for the ladies...

Show me the way

Where's the party?

Dancing with the ladies (well kind of)

Brooks dancing along with bride/groom's first dance

(turn computer...sorry!)

Dada and Mama

I love kisses!

Acting silly with cousin Miranda

I'm done...

Loving on the bullies at "Pops" house

-What a fun packed weekend! We left again for St. Louis this past weekend (yes....that's 2 weekends in a row if you are keeping track!). This time is was for Josh's sister's (Tracey) wedding. It was a very small intimate wedding. Everything was so nice....except for the weather. It snowed up to 7 in in some places of STL!! Crazy. That did not stop us from having a good time. We enjoyed hanging out with Grammy Videmschek and the rest of the family both Friday night and Saturday night. We also had good time at "Pops" house hanging out with the bullies and watching the Butler Bulldogs win! Brooks was a hoot at the wedding. He was quite the ladies man and had some dance fever. He wanted to dance all night long....as well as run up and down the ramps. I was exhausted by the end of the night! I did manage to sneak a slow dance in with Josh. Brooks was so good and ended up staying up until 11:45 our time! Needless to say he was sound asleep the minute he hit his car seat. He looked super cute in his tie and jacket. Not sure about his dance moves....we'll have to work on those :)

"Ahh"ky Poo-Poo

Ok...nothing makes me more mad than irresponsible dog owners NOT picking up their dog poop!!! We live in a townhome where there is a common area. Brooks enjoys taking our dogs out back for a walk. Well....Yep...You guess it....he stepped in DOG POOP! Ugh. Gross. "Ahh"ky! I was so p-o'd! I wanted to take that poop and throw it onto our neighbor's back door. Brooks did not seem to mind as he took one look at his shoe and kept moving. So imagine this scene....Brutus taking a poop, Sweet Pea looking for a spot to poop, and my son wearing poop on his shoe...all while I was picking up MY dogs' (yes 2 dogs) poop! I then had to carry Brooks back under one arm as he was kicking and screaming and the dogs' leashes in the other. He had his first real fall apart in the bathroom as I was scraping out another dog's POOP from my son's shoes. He had NO idea what was going on...all he wanted was to stay outside and play....poop or no poop. What makes me think that this will not be the last time something like this happens? That was the end of my day.....how was yours? ;) Time to move.....

15 months old

Another road trip?

Hanging out with Great Grandpa at his

90th B-day party!!

Generations

I love giving open mouth kisses

I like passing the time in the car by playing ball and I have been a

big help at Grandma's house helping her clean

-This past weekend was a big one! We drove 4 hrs into St. Louis with Josh, Brooks and the dogs. We went to celebrate Great Grandpa Postol's 90th birthday party. It was so great to see all the family and for Brooks to spend time with them. We also got to meet our friend's (Mandy and Toby) adorable baby girl. I forget how little they are at 3 weeks! Brooks was a trooper the whole weekend and really enjoyed being the "center" of attention. It is always fun to stay at "Pops" Blackmore's house with his dog, Kap'em.

-Brooks is now 15 months old. What a fun age! There is always something new to do or say or learn. He enjoys trying to help me clean. He learned how to sweep at Grandma McCarroll's house with Aunt Tara. He loves helping out and seems to remember where things go. He is imitating just about everything (does not get it close at times...but tries!). I counted around 40 word approximations/animal sounds/signs that he uses on his own and with prompting. He loves to go outside now that it is nice. Yesterday we went for a walk and he saw a stick. He looked at the stick, looked at the tree, then looked at me. He walked over to the tree and tried to put it back in the tree. When he could not reach, he then looked at me (whined) and wanted me to put it back "where it belongs". Too cute. A toddler's mind is so simple and so fresh. It really makes me see things a different way. I now know without a doubt that EVERYTHING I went through to have Brooks was worth it when he runs to me with open arms saying "ma ma", then gives me an open mouth kiss....priceless.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

Luck of the Irish to ya!

-Happy St. Paddy's Day to everyone! Hope you all wore some green. We enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL afternoon by going on a walk and playing on the porch outside. I have spring fever now! He practiced wearing his shades for Spring Break. We ended St. Paddy's Day with dinner and some basketball. Brooks had some sloppy joes for the first time...yum yum...he loved them! I, of course, gave him turkey meat...but he does not know the difference!

-Also wanted to wish Great Grandpa Postol a very Happy 90th Birthday!!!!! Can't wait to celebrate with you!

"Round and Round and Round in Circles"

Shooting hoops with Cousin Cameron

Sliding with Cousin Cassidy

Chillin' after a weekend full of fun

Can you guess what I am watching?

(hit center of video to play)

My new favorite word is "circles"

(hit above "timer"...not sure why videos aren't playing like normal)

-Sometime I feel like I am running around in "circles" chasing after our little Stinker. Since the weather has been good the past few days, we have been able to spend some time outside. Brooks LOVES it...as most kids do. He loves to step on/off ledge to get outside to our porch balcony. He also loved going on a walk to Cousin Cameron and Cassidy's house. He had fun shooting hoops with Cam and playing on jungle gym with Cass. He helped Daddy and I do come "spring" cleaning. Boy...do we need it! I started cleaning out my closet and drawers 2 days ago and JUST finished today. We have 13 bags of clothes to sell and give to charity. I could NOT believe we had that much "stuff" in our closet!!! I plan to go through the rest of the closets in the house this week. We are starting to think about moving and really need to get this house in order to try and sell it.

-I get so excited and rejuvenated with the thought of spring. I love spring break with my family, the chirping of baby birds, blooming of flowers, sun on my face and even the spring showers. I can not wait to spend time with Brooks (and Daddy when not working) at the park, going on walks, and watching his cousins play soccer. There is so much to look forward to and I can't wait for Brooks to experience it all!

Ornery with a capital "O"....but cute as a button!!

I love to cuddle up on the couch

And hang out with my bullies on the couch too!

I really do think I'm a dog sometimes....

Don't let my cuteness fool you...I'm ornery as can be at times!!!

-I think I am really learning what patience is from being a mom. Raising an active 14 month old boy will do that to you! Brooks is like most little boys I assume....into everything...and loving it. He loves to figure out how things work (flushing toilet, helping wash dishes, drinking from dog bowl, watching toys fall over the railing, and even pulling out all the baby wipes!) It is only natural to want to explore and I know boys need it even more than little girls...but boy its exhausting at times. I love watching how his mind works though. He is such a smart little boy (of course I'm partial) and almost too smart sometimes. He knows how to work us for sure! He will do something he is not supposed to, look at us...then shake his head and point his finger to mimic "no no". We of course try not to smile when disciplining him. His hugs and kisses also make it all worth while. Parenting is not easy (takes lots of that "patience" thing and repetition)...but it is SO rewarding. I love watching Brooks and Josh play together and "rough" house it. Brooks LOVES being throw into the couch and wrestling with Josh and the dogs. Brooks is doing so many funny things that I can not keep up with documenting them all. One of my favorite new "ahhh" moments with him is when after he wakes in the morning. He grabs all his "luv luvs" and rolls around excited in bed. When I get him out, he drops them into the crib and says "bye bye luv luvs". It melts my heart.

-Brooks now has 4 molars and using them more and more to chew. He probably weighs around 25 lbs (not for sure). His next checkup is beginning of May. He still has the eczema and seems to be pretty sensitive to eggs (not when baked into things though). He recently tried mandarin oranges and loved them. He also loves the Girl Scout Cookies (what child doesn't?). He is getting good at throwing a small ball into the basket and is brushing up on his soccer skills :) He's also getting good at whining.....ahh.....the whining. I'm over it already, but know its only the beginning. Which takes us back to the beginning....patience!!!

Happy Birthday Grammy Videmschek!

All ready to eat!

-Happy 60th Birthday Grammy! I hope you had a great vacation. Looking forward to seeing you again soon. As you can see...I'm still wanting to eat all the time! Love you.

14 months: Happy Mardi Gras!!!

Uh...Can I get some help here?

Grandpa "Pops" Lee got me this COOL balloon!

My new obsession is basketball!!! ("ba-ball")

-Brooks is now 14 month old. He has 2 lower molars now and I think working on some more. Ouch. He loves basketball! When we were gone on vacation he would sit on the couch with "Pa Pa" (my dad) and watch basketball. He was obsessed with going down to their gym to try and shoot some hoops. He has since been asking to watch "ba-ball" on tv! He fusses when there is none on. I can't wait for March Madness!!!! He will be going crazy. We went out and bought him his own hoop. He knew what to do instantly and was so excited. He understands that basketballs go in the hoop and the soccer balls stay on the ground. It is so funny how much they notice at this young age. He is learning to say everyone's name, but still does not have any name for my mom. She does so much for him and he just refuses to say her name. But..he sure does know who she is. He loves going over to their house to play.

-Grandpa "Pops" Lee came to visit us again this pas weekend. We love just hanging around the house with him. Brooks gets excited when he comes because that means one more bulldog and more balloons! Pops always brings a balloon when he comes in town. He knows the way to Brooks's heart!!

Ski Ya.....

Salt Lake City

Enjoying the view

Burr...

Snap shot on the lift

Hanging out at Brighton Pub

The ski group

Another beautiful view

Watch out here we come...

Girl Power ;)

-Well...I survived. I survived on many levels. Josh and I left last week for 6 days of skiing in Salt Lake City. It was the first time I had left Brooks that long. I was so sad! I knew he was in great hands with Grandma and PaPa McCarroll, but just felt it was too early to leave him. Once I got there....I was able to relax and really started to "find" myself again. I actually got to read a book! I missed Brooks like crazy...but really cherished the time with Josh. We went with Josh's cousin, Jeff, and his wife Jaime. Our friends, Shawn and Nicole, from Cincinnati also meet us there. We skied at Deer Valley, Brighton, Park City, Alta, and Solitude. It was SO much fun and a well needed break. We could not have asked for better weather either. I was nervous about getting on the slopes again after 2 years, but picked it right back up. I survived the week without a fall....whew! We can NOT wait to see Brooks on the slopes in a few years!!!

-Thanks to Tammy and Brian for watching Brutus and my mom and dad for watching Brooks and Sweet Pea. I knew they were all in good hands. THANK YOU! We could not have gone without the help of our family.

-Also....Happy Birthday to my niece Cassidy!!!! We love you!

Burr....

Grammy and Grampy V came to visit me!

I liked hanging out with my Grammy

Snuggle time with "Bru Bru" and learning new "b" words

-This past weekend Josh's mom and stepdad came to visit us. It was so nice to have company and for them to hang out with Brooksy. We had fun just playing around the house. They got a kick out of Brooks saying "balloon" all the time. He enjoyed playing with bubbles and started working on that word too. He seems to like the "b" words. He has since been saying word approximations for "bubbles, bru bru (brutus), Dora and backpack". Now...I want to let you all know that he has never watched Dora at our house, but has picked those words up at Grandma's after watching the show a few times. On Tuesday Dora was on during breakfast and I guess he said "dora" then "backpack" out of the blue. So crazy! I have not caught him saying Dora on video yet, but was able to pick up backpack. I thought his Grandpa Lee and Grammy V would get a kick out of that one!

-What else....hum...still teething like crazy but handling it better. I think I see the right bottom molar getting ready to pop through. He is eating ALL the time. He is always eating it seems like. They say boys eat more, but I am not used to all this snacking. I am just worried about creating bad eating habits. But...he is only 13 months and a growing boy!

-This weather is so crazy! Today was a travel warning (emergency only) for Hamilton County. So that meant I was unable to work. I instead enjoyed bumming around the house with Josh, Brooks and the dogs. I just wish it was snow instead of ice so we could get Brooks outside for the first time. My sister Tara and her family went sledding on the ice....SO FUN! My niece Cassidy was ice skating on the sidewalks too...crazy!! I can't wait for Brooks to join in on the winter fun. Maybe next year....

13 Months....I'm a big boy now!

Mommy made me take this picture of my last "ba-ba"

-Brooks turned 13 months on the 20th. Boy that sounds old! He had no problem stopping his evening bottle this past week. I was the one that was holding on. I was a little sad that our special bottle time was coming to an end, but he has to stop sometime...so why not now? He has not asked for it since stopping it. Go figure! What a big boy.

-He has been a little crabby at times since Thursday. I did not know if he was getting sick or having a tummy ache from all the dairy or what! I just knew this whining had to stop. Well...I decided to look into his mouth on Saturday and found the problem.....4 new teeth had popped! He got 1 more incisor on top, 2 more incisors on bottom and 1 new molar on bottom!!! His other molar ridges are swollen too! Poor guy! I would be whiny too. He has since been coughing at night and has another runny nose. This round of teething has been tough on him. I heard those molars are bad...and they are!

-Brooks is really enjoying walking everywhere and has gotten so much better walking with shoes. He loves to parade around the house carrying his two balloons. This boy is obsessed with balloons...so weird! But, it makes him happy and that is what matters. Don't get me wrong...he still loves his balls, cars, trains, etc....but nothing can beat the balloon! Grandpa Lee was in town this past weekend and brought him a heart balloon for Valentines day. He loves it and had a great time hanging out with Grandpa. Those times are always so special. Grandpa Lee gets a kick out of the sign language Brooks uses to get his needs met. He is now using signs for "more, please, all done, milk, thank you, eat, brush teeth" and is even using 2 signs together! He surprises me with all the things he picks up. He has not added too many new words or sounds in the past month. He is still around 15 or so word approximations/signs/environmental sounds. He loves to give hugs and blow kisses. He melts our hearts when he lays his head on our shoulder to cuddle. He has all of us wrapped up around his finger when he does that! He is getting more opinionated as well. He spits out food he does not want and is swatting at food/drink we present to him if he is not interested. What a stinker! Got to love it though! He is eating well and usually eats most of what we give him. He is beginning to get a little more picky with his veggies. His favorite is avocado and eats almost a whole one at a meal! He likes his meats and of course fruit. His favorite snacks are cheese, yogurt melts and "pirates booty". He just can't get enough of them!

Randomness ...

Mommy is silly

I LOVE to climb on stuff

Hanging out at Cousin Cameron's 7th grade

B-Ball game with Cousin Cassidy, Mommy,

and Aunt Tammy.... I LOVED it

and would not take my eye off the ball.

-I don't have any new pix this week so I decided to post some random ones.

-Brooks finally had his 12 mo shots today and was so brave! He cried lots more when the doctor re-checked his ear. No ear infection and no meds. It cleared on its own. I think it was inflamed due to his teething. He has been coughing at night and another tooth popped through...so I think it has been all related to that. Fun stuff!

-Brooks decided today was the day to start walking all the time. He is walking everywhere when yesterday he would have just crawled the 2 feet to get to a toy. He is falling often of course, but transitions back up to stand and going at it again. He is so proud of himself and I still am not used to him upright! So crazy.

-We went to check out a mothers day out program today. We plan to put him in a class come fall time. It will be good for him to follow a routine and be with other kids. I think he will love it. Now we just need to decide which one and hope we get a spot. It is crazy out there in the preschool world!!

It's in the Blood....

Check out my new moves!

He Haw.... He Haw... I love bouncing on my donkey.

-Well....you can tell there is definitely some McCarroll in his blood. He already loves kicking a soccer ball! Too cute.... He also loves riding his Rody and is learning to bounce himself. However....as you can see he has not perfected it yet. I think that is part of the fun....falling! (no babies were hurt when filming this video;) )

Just Hanging Out

Hey...how did that balloon get over there?

My new play area

I love my special spot!

New experiences are so fun....and funny!

-Sorry I have not blogged in several days....been busy. Brooks seems to be over his cold but it took about 1.5 weeks. He never ended up going on meds...but still has not gotten his shots because he was sick both times. Still have that to look forward to next week! He continues to be so much fun and learned a new sign..."please". He is also saying "meow" more consistently for a cat. He is walking more and more each day but still not walking 100% of the time. He is standing for long periods of time to play and can transition up to stand without support. The most exciting change the past week was starting milk without any reactions (knock on wood)!!! He is transitioning down to 1 bottle this weekend and takes milk the rest of the day. He seems to really like it too! That is a huge relief for now. I keep prolonging stopping the bottle because I am going to miss it! (probably more than Brooks!) He is eating SO much more now that he decreased his bottles. He loves food and eats pretty much anything. I know I should enjoy it now since toddlers can be picky! He LOVES to brush his teeth. We finally switched to a child's toothbrush and flouride-free toothpaste. He gets SO excited when getting ready for bed and starts the "brushing teeth" motion as we walk up the stairs. It is so funny. He is really proud when brushing his own teeth....ah...the simple joys of life!!!

12 mo checkup

-Brooks had his 12 mo checkup today (well..actually 12.5 months). It went well but we held off on getting shots because he is still not feeling 100% today. He is fever free...but I did not want to take a chance with his immune system down. He still has a bad cough at night and has a little fluid behind his right ear. We are going to keep an eye on it, but no need for meds right now. He weighs 22.8 lbs (50th percentile) and 31 3/4 in long (95th percentile). I thought he weighed more...but still long and skinny. Everything looked good though. Doc said not to sweat getting him off bottle and to wean over next month. We plan to try whole milk and then go from there if he has a reaction. Next checkup is at 16 months. I thought he would be walking more consistently by now, but he is taking 10 steps, lets go to stand for up to 1 min, and is coming up to stand without assist at times. He is close...but just not ready yet. It freaks us out to see him let go, turn and walk by us. We are not used to it yet. Our little guy is growing up right before our eyes!

-Brooks LOVES balloons and is really been working on blending the sounds. He is getting the "L" sound off the balloon and loves to drag it around everywhere! Even if it is deflated! We caught him on tape today talking about his balloon and saying "bye" at the end. His bye cracks me up! Whenever it is time to go "sleepy night night", he reaches for me, immediately waves and then says "bye" to Daddy and the dogs. He is too much!!

Happy New Year!

Bringing in the New Year in style!

-Happy New Year to everyone! We hope 2011 brings you happiness, peace, joy, love and of course wealth! We did make midnight...but barely! We had been taking care of a sick son (bad cold, teething, diaper rash, and fever). It has been the sickest Brooks has been...but he is a trooper. I enjoyed mommy time with LOTS of snuggles. It is so hard to have a sick kid. I wish I could have taken the discomfort away from him. We had hoped to wean another bottle or stop it this past weekend...but with him being sick....it was impossible. He needed the bottle for hydration and comfort. Oh well....not the end of the world. He has his 1 year checkup on Monday and we will figure it out then.

-Here is the link to his 1 year birthday slideshow that I posted on youtube. It is about 12 min long...so if you have the time....enjoy! I think you have to copy and paste as it won't link to the video for some reason.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9wlJ9Gz--0

Merry Christmas to All!!!

We went to mommy and daddy's friends house.

I like watching the older kids play

I loved all their toys!

They were all so silly! I had a hard time keeping up

with them all.

This is my cousin Miranda. I had fun hanging out with her.

I got cool toys at Grammy's house!

And more cool toys at Grandpa Lee's house!

Pulling on my Great Uncle Tom's hair was WAY

more fun than opening all those presents!

I got to spend special time with my Great Grandpa.

My Great Aunt Marsha let me have this snowman

that goes in the fridge. I loved listening to it talk to me.

-What a wonderful Christmas break we had! We started off the trip to St. Louis by visiting with family at Grandpa Lee's home. We then went to our friends' (Mandy and Toby) home Thursday night. It was so fun to see Brooks play with the older kids. He loved watching them play around him and sat there taking it all in. By the end of the evening he was reaching for Addison's hand and getting tackled by Nicholas and Vinny. So fun! We then drove to Josh's mom's house the next day. Brooks really enjoyed getting tons of love from his Grammy and PaPa Videmschek. He got to spend time with his Aunt Tracey and Cousin Miranda too. He had a special Christmas morning with them all. All the food was so yummy and it was great to catch up with everyone. Later that day we drove back to Grandpa Lee's home to spend time with Great Grandpa, the Postols and Fairburns. Brooks was spoiled with gifts and plenty of "sugar". He had so much fun pulling Great Uncle Tom's hair, singing the bumble bee song with Great Aunt Marsha, getting slipped money from Great Grandpa, chasing after Great Aunt Chris, thinking Great Uncle Ham was Santa, playing with his second cousins, and giving Grandpa Lee hugs! He was so exhausted from a day full of festivities that he slept 13 hours that evening! Brooks, Josh and I had a wonderful trip into St. Louis and want to thank everyone for all their generosity. We are blessed by wonderful family and wish we got to see them all more often. Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!