Hippity Hop!!

Oohh...what's this?

Looking for eggs...

I found one!

And there's something in it?!? Thanks "Pops"!

I got to hang out with Uncle "Ty ty" at Easter!

More family pix

Grandma and her grandchildren

My first Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Papa McCarroll's house. They take this stuff seriously! I better learn quickly so I don't get left out in the future hunts!!

-What a fun packed Easter weekend. It all started on Good Friday when "Pops" Blackmore came to visit us. We went to my parents house on Easter Sunday to hang out with the rest of the crew. What would Easter be without an Easter egg hunt? My parents hide eggs for the adults too....Yes...an ADULT egg hunt. How fun! We did not leave Brooks out and caught his first egg hunt on video. He got a kick out of finding the egg "balls" and throwing them. He was finding them all day long at our house and would get SO excited each time he found one. We had a wonderful weekend and found the "kid" inside all of us.

16 months Old: Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

I love pickles just like my daddy did when he was little

-Happy Birthday Josh!!! We know it is not fun having a birthday on a Wednesday...but we hope you have the best day you can:) We can't wait to celebrate with you in the evening. We love you!!!

-Brooks is 16 months old today! Each month just keeps getting better...is that possible? Let me count the ways I love our little Brooksy....

....I love when he runs up behind me, grabs my leg, and kisses me.

....I love when he will turn to look at me, then give me a big kiss out of the blue, as if to say, "I love you mama"

....I love it when he gets slap happy and runs around like a crazy man

....I love it when he gives the dogs a hug then kisses them

....I love it when he pats the dogs on their bottom to go outside on the porch with him (and gets PO'd if they don't follow)

....I love it when he hears a noise from outside and says "da da?" (assumes it's always daddy that he hears)

.....I love it when he asks to brush his teeth and gets SO excited each time he brushes them

.....I love it when he helps put away toys or sweep the floor (training him early ;) )

.....I love it when he says, "mama" and smiles

.....I love it when he says "bye bye" after I put him down at night and turn out the lights

.....I love his sense of humor and loving personality

.....I love his eyes and his facial expressions

......But most of all I love his heart. I can tell it is going to be a big one filled with love and kindness.

Spring Fling....

My first real sunset

Enjoying the view with my mommy

It was windy on the beach!

Hey...where did Cassidy go?

OOHH...what's that on your ears PaPa?

I learned how to play in sand from Uncle Brian

Aunt Tara helped me find my first shell

I loved hanging out with my cousins

Enough pictures already

What a life...being strolled down the beach

with Aunt Tammy and Grandma

Flying my first kite

I wish I was old enough to go out in this "boat"

I loved trying to play put-put and making my

mommy run all over the place after me ;)

-We had a blast on Spring Break with my family in Sanibel, FL. We drove 21 hours down there in 3 cars with my family. Unfortunately, Josh was not able to go again this year due to his busy work season. We missed him SO much. Brooks was so good on the drive and such a trooper. I will say....thank goodness for the invention of the portable DVD player!!! He really has never been that into movies, but loved watching them in the car. He would laugh and dance along to Ice Age...too funny! Brooks had a week packed with sun, food, shopping, swimming, put-putting, sand castle building, kite flying, stroller rides, walks, and flirting with the older girls :) He has become quite the flirt. He would wave to everyone he passed on the beach and go up to people at dinner to say hi. What a ham!! He learned how to play in the sand...and eat it too! He learned that lesson quick...yuck! He had no problems with the sand, but was cautious of the ocean. He did enjoy the taste of salt water and splashing in ocean. By the end of the week he enjoyed hanging out in the pool water. Probably one of the things he enjoyed the most was being pushed up and down the beach in the stroller. What a life! I think he has his Daddy's skin...he got tan wearing 70 sunscreen! Pretty sad when your son gets tanner than you by wearing complete sunblock. He really enjoyed himself and I loved seeing him with my family. They were ALL such a huge help! I could not have enjoyed myself like I did, if it was not for them. Thanks also to my parents for all they did for us on the trip. We now have such wonderful memories. I just hope Josh can come next year to see Brooks on the beach....priceless!

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....