15 October 2009

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

The pumpkin patch has become quite a fun tradition in our little family over the past few years. Between all the rainy weekends and other events this fall, we decided to roll the dice, forgo afternoon naps, and set out for Gentry's Farm after church this past Sunday. Every year, the kids fall asleep during the beautiful drive out Old Hillsboro Road, and this year was no exception:


...three minutes later...


So we headed straight out to the patch to hunt for our pumpkins. Anna Brooks was intent on finding a "Cinderelly" pumpkin, a blueish green variety, and Carter was giving all of the stick-tite bushes roundhouse kicks. But we did catch them for a few great photos in their pumpkin sweaters!



After hauling our pumpkins back to the car in our stroller (since we left out of the house in such a hurry, we forgot our red rider wagon!), Natalie and I found ourselves lost in the corn maze with only two little explorers to help us find our way out. Carter loved to run ahead, tell of "dead-ends", and find "secret ways". Anna B just loved to run after her brother, turn back to us, say "dis way!" and wave - she waves at us all the time these days!



Then we headed over to the maze of hay in the barn, and we literally bumped into our dear friends, the Sieferts! Carter absolutely loves Sydney and Anniston - he's only inviting boys to his birthday party, except Sydney and Anniston, of course. Then all the kids just ran around the fields, smashed crab-apples and glowed in the setting sunlight under the low sky or a perfect fall afternoon. There is something magical about their running and smiling...


18 August 2009

Brooksie's New Hair-do

Brooksie has a new favorite hair style, the Piggy Tails! When Natalie first put her hair in pigtails, she came out of her room, and Carter said, "Oh Brooksie, you look like a real girl!"







For my money, there is nothing cuter than this little girl in her piggy-tails. I could just eat her with a spoon.


I always like to capture the little things that our kids are saying, so here are a few of Anna B's highlights at two years old:
Me!
My's! (like "mine", these two are especially popular right now)
Go go
Bess you, Car Car.
Chip chop (pork chop)
Baby talk (referring to herself)
Cupcape
Car Car push me! (we hear this one alot, with and without cause)
Sipic (blanket?)
Backey (any male superhero)
Hawkgurl (any female superhero)
Puppy bite me?
Mary, go night-night?
Dink a wa-wa!
Elmo jammies TOO BIG!
Close the light.
That funny!
That crack up me!
Princie (everything is Princie these days, we are obsessed with all things Princie!)
She is such a dear little girl, so full of life and spirit. We cannot imagine our family without you, Brooksie, we love you so much!

Goodbye Tonsils!

So last week, Carter had the pleasure of having his tonsils and adenoids removed. He was so brave throughout the experience, walking down the hall to the OR by himself, taking his cotton-candy gas, having his first post-op Coke Icee and being a courageous trooper all along.



This was the first and second time that my heart broke that day. Carter walking down the hall away from us, and then being reunited with him in the recovery area, with his pals Samson and Water by his side.



After needing some time out of our recovery room, we found a wheelchair and decided to take Carter down to the train exhibit in Childrens Hospital, which really perked him up. While we were there, Carter's teacher Mrs. Becky walked in the door with gift in hand to see Carter. I cannot express how deeply this touched our hearts, and how much this encouraged Carter. Thank you Mrs. Becky, you are so dear to our family in so many ways! He was really not feeling weel, but he tried again to put on a happy face.





I'm not sure who was happier, Carter that he was home from the hospital, or Brooksie that her Car-Car was finally home. It's so sweet how she loves him! Here they are together under the Batman blanket watching one of four hundred shows that they have watched over the past week. We're going to need serious media detox!

Now a week from surgery, we still pray for your full recovery, little buddy, and we pray that this hardship will help you in the long run.

26 May 2009

Beach Trip - Day 3

Before any Day 3 photos, Natalie reminded me about a funny exchange our children had int he back of the car the other night. We had finished dinner and were on our way to the Royal Scoop, and the children were using their voices in a very spirited way in the back seat. Finally, Natalie and I had just about enough, and we said, "Guys, you are not speaking love to each other. If you keep it up, we will just go home to bed and not go to the Royal Scoop."
After a second...

Carter: "I love you, Sissy!"

AB: "tank you, Car Car!"

What little angels!





Our new baby stroller ("baby da-daoh") from Target! And now the many faces of Anna B:

The Charmer...





Nooooooooooooooooo!



And the classic Anna B face (as Monya calls it, "the Drop Dead Face")...




We've taken this same photo of Carter every year on the porch at the beach, and I cannot believe how big he has gotten!



Carter imitating the Anna B face...



Now that Carter knows I will take any picture of any face that he makes, he loves to make a "silly face" and then see it on the camera screen.


When I went to get Carter from his room from rest-time today, he was making karate punches and kicks in the closet mirror in his room. And he had covered his arms and legs in stickers...



By far, Carter's favorite activity at the beach is diving for torpedoes in the pool. Once he discovered that he could dive and get them by himself, and that he could stand in the shallow end (I again cannot get over how big he has gotten!), we can hardly get him out of the pool!







Anna B loves findy "pitty" shells on the beach...



And Carter buried his feet in the sand...

And then our little camera died (arrgggghhh!), so we went to the spare to take a photo of family movie night with Sleeping Beauty. A prince slays a dragon to save his beauty, what a story!

24 May 2009

Beach Trip - Day 1



It's our annual beach trip, and so far so good! After Nanny graciously took our crew to the airport, we had some well behaved children on both flights, thanks kids! There were even two kind passengers on each flight that asked if our kids were seasoned travelers. Nope, they just did great.




And as quickly as we awoke the first morning, we headed out to the pool! Looks like we're ready...




Everyone had a blast swimming and playing in the pool and starting our summer tan.




We even had some superhero protection...




...from Spiderman, who could scale the walls of the pool.




Anna Brooks loved the water with her adorable little beach hat...



...and she even entertained us with a classic Brooksie face:



...and then some post-pool, post-nap hair!



To top it all off, as a family, we all enjoyed a great meal outside. Coincidentally, it was our 11th Wedding Anniversary, hooray! It's amazing how things can change in 11 years. I would not have guessed 11 years ago that I would spend so much time cutting someone else's food. I love it though.

Anna Brooks, welcome to a foretaste of heaven, the Royal Scoop. I'm convinced that every freezer in heaven will be packed with Chocolate Tri-Scrumptious ice cream, what an amazing creation!



Anna B with her baby and her first Royal Scoop, and Carter with his strawberry (pink) ice cream, and me with the aforementioned heaven on earth.

19 February 2009

A bit of Brooksie!


Our sweet Anna B, little Brooksie, baby Sissy. She continues to be the straw that stirs our family. God sent a true blessing in an adorable little package when he delivered Anna Brooks into our home. Even at her young age, she has caused Carter to grow more confident, she has brought Natalie and I out of our respective shells, and she has brought so many laughs and so much joy into our home.
She loves to color ("coluh"), and the other night she decided to test her craft on the wall. She was SOOO proud. Ta da!



For Valentine's Day, Natalie made cupcakes (she's the best!), and the kids got to decorate them with sprinkles. Anna B already had her new sunglasses on (Thanks Bebe!), and she started into the cupcakes, sometimes with her hands.




At some point, she decided her sunglasses looked better upside-down. I agree, baby girl.