4 MONTHS

My beautiful baby girl is 4 months old! I think being #2 she is growing up so much faster. I felt like i got to enjoy Kylers littleness a little bit more it being just the two of us; but with Brooklyn i don't only have Ky, i have 5 others here as well. I am missing her littleness...makes me sad.
At 4 months here are a few facts about my little beauty. . .
*she still loves her baths...and demands to have one every night or else! :) She doesn't care the method....in her whale tub or in the bobby with big brother, it doesn't matter, as long as she can get wet and warm she is happy.
*She reaches for toys and has a killer grasp on rattles. This is what makes me so sad. I was doing a development test on her 2 days ago she was ahead in a couple areas... man why must my babys be advanced in smartness and advanced in size? This is why i am super baby hungry by the time they are 12 months.
*She is sooo close to rolling from her back to her belly. Crazy i think usually they learn belly to back first, but she doesn't even attempt it, but when on her back she can get all the way onto her side, all she has to do is kick her one leg and she will be over.
*She and big brother have been sharing a room for about a month. They do so well. This mostly in part because she sleeps through the night, most nights. (last night she woke up 3 times to eat, but i think she is in a growth spurt.)
*She LOVES kids. She will giggle at anything they do. So cute.
*She is super stingy with her giggles when adults try. Slightly offensive, why cant the one who feeds her, cleans her, and plays with her get the most giggles?
*She loves her big brother and is fascinated with him. (who couldn't that kid moves like a mad man and i will admit when i am not on my last limb with him, find him fascinating as well)
*She is drooling like crazy...kinda afraid teethers are on the way...oh me oh my! :)
*She will take a bottle if it is perfectly tempered. :) Too cold and she will let you know. She hasn't had any formula yet, which is fine by me. I might regret it later, but free is free. :)
*Her hair is still super curly. You wouldn't know it if i don't put gel in it, because after it dries it goes completely straight.

*She hasn't lost any hair expect for a slight receding hairline in the front...mostly only noticeable when i do pigtails.
*Yes, i put pigtails in my 4 month olds hair, and they are cute!! :)
*She loves to be swaddled super tight.
*I thought she was going to be the perfect binki baby...nope. She will take it when she is super tired and swaddled and mommy or daddy are holding her, other than that, no way Jose! (and then again i am grateful, yet another kiddo i don't have to wean from it later on.)
*Now that i said she doesn't take her binki, she has been known to suck on her 3 middle fingers...bugger those are attached, meaning harder to take away later. :)

*She is a talker. Jabbers all day long. And can get super loud.
*I will add her stats to this when we go to the Dr next week. But i am sure she is about 17 pounds.
*Lately i call her Pea...like Sweet Pea but shortened.
*Overall she is delightful. I see her moodiness come through often. Makes me worried for the future. But i also cant wait. She is such a joy to have in our home. Daddy is wrapped around this baby girls finger tighter than tight. It makes me laugh how in a split second he can go from being so mad a Ky for being his crazy not listening self, to being so attentive and happy to Brooklyn. It cracks me up. I told him he would be like this, he denied such behavior would ever come of him. I beg to differ. :)

Stats:

Length: 25 inches 67%
weight: 16. 5LB 87%
Head: 16.5 81%

Super Yummy

To make a what could be a short story a lot longer just because i can, i am going to tell you about the creation of these yummies

You see there is a certain someone who brought some beyond amazing zucchini cookies over about a month ago. I. fell. in. love. They were AWESOME! They had flax seed, chocolate chips, and the secret ingredient....orange zest. I might have eaten them all...all but one for Brandon to try. They were that good. Since that day i have asked that certain someone 4 times for the recipe...I was not going to give up. The devine combination of orange zest, the soft yumminess that zuchinni creates, and the chewy effect of the flax seed. Oh i am still dreaming. I was talking to a friend about the certain someone and the wonderfulness she shared with me. I also told her i was not going to give up on getting that recipe. This friend, then proceded to break my heart. The simple words, "she does not share recipes" ruined my life. I could not believe it. I might have shed a tear or so if i would not have been in a public place. The next day was spent searching online to find a recipe that had all those ingredients in it. IMPOSSIBLE. It doesnt matter that you can find almost anything on the internet. You cant find THAT recipe. So i found a recipe that called for lemon zest and thought i would do my own spin on those cookies. They didnt have flax seed, and i am a little unsure of how to bake with flax seed so i had to forget about that ingredient. I might have experimented...but i think it turned out so so yummy. Here is the recipe. It is going to be mastered over time. I might even venture to figure out the whole flax seed ingredient. But these are too good not to share when there is an over abundance of zuchinni avalible.

Orangey-Chocolaty-Zucchini-Goodness Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
2TBS orange zest (this is alot, i like me my orangy flavor, if you are unsure, do less your first time)
2 to 3 cups flour (i measured out 2 cups and it was still pretty runny, so i kept adding more a little at a time till it looked a little thinner than normal cookie dough)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnomon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips (you know how many you like in cookies, i add about a cup, but i dont like lots)
Walnuts (i didnt add these, but i would have if i would have had some. Darn being on house arrest, or at least thats how it feels when i have a house full of kids)
1. in a mixing bowl cream butter, and sugars. Then beat in egg, zuchinni and orange zest.
2. Then add flour, baking soda baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. Add chcolate chips and walnuts
4. drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 375 for about 7-8 minutes, or until lightly brown.
6. Devour with a glass of milk. You will be happy. I promise. :)

who does she look like?

I have had people say she looks just like me, and people say she looks just like Brandon....what do you say? Or is she the perfect mix?

Why must they grow so fast?

 Last night me and Brandon took on the project to move Brooklyn into Kylers room. So we were busy doing all that includes and lost track of time...so we did the first double bath time. Kyler thought it was purely awesome! He was so excited Brookie got to take a bath with him. It was Brookies first bath not in her whale tub...did you know Bumbos float? I didnt, that is why my foot is on it in all the pictures. :)

 Ky has watched me give Brooke a bath many times...i am always dumping water on her tummy to keep her warm...he took it upon himself to do it for her this time. He was in heaven. And surprisingly, even thought i didn't catch it on camera, she loved it. She would smile at him each time he did it. They are cute siblings.

 The other day I was folding laundry and had Brooke on the couch with me, Ky wanted to join and brought a book to share. He put his arm around Brooklyn and read her the entire book. He is such a cute big brother. He adores his little sister.

 That same day i put Brooklyn down for tummy time and this is what happened...look at how strong she is!!! I couldnt belive it. Since when did my baby girl get so big! This was the first time she had lifted herself up to high, and she knew she was hot stuff...look at that smerk on her face!

My precious precious girl!

Picture Catch up

 Before showing her crazy hair do...after showing the calmest her hair ever looks...drenched in water. This girl loves her bath time. She is all smiles the whole time.

Because Ky is lactose intolerant he gets milk products very rarely....so when i give him some he is so so so excited! He could not get enough of that chocolate pudding!

I wanted to take a picture of Brooklyn in her cute dress...Kyler could not give up the opportunity to be in front of the camera...he scared her when he jumped up onto the rocking chair...I couldn't get her happy after that. ....but how cute is that arm around her shoulders!

Making Pancakes

I got this email today...made me cry. It is something i really needed to read this morning. So i thought i would share. 

Six year-old  Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents
pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter,
opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on
the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed
in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the
floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be
something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't
know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and
he didn't know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from
the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the
floor.. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on
the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up
in  Brandon 's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made
a terrible mess.. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking.
But his father just watched him.

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and
loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!
That's how God deals with us.. We try to do something good in life, but it
turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we
can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.

Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything
else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even
though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes"
for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll
be glad we tried...

3 Months

These months are just flying by. I cannot believe how fast a baby can grow and this is the second time i have seen it first hand, day by day.  Its amazing, truly amazing!
My sweet baby girl is growing right in front of our eyes, literally! :) I had to go to the Dr yesterday for a cold i have and i weighed her while i was there just out of curiosity...15lb 1oz(she was 13 last month). She is my chubba love!

My darling happy girl

 As for a few facts about my Sweet Pea:
* She is swatting at all her toys, especially her leap frog bouncer. Someone gave us this recently, I think its pretty cool and she does too! .
*She still loves to be swaddled. Not her legs, just her arms. To calm her down when she gets really mad (this happens far more often with her than it ever did with Ky, im afraid, very afraid of the future) we just swaddle her tight, give her a Binky, hold her tight into you, and rock her and she will go out cold in 1 minute flat!
*She loves her Binky's. I wanted her to take them so bad, now she does, and now i am scared of having to take it away in the future. Binkis, such bitter sweet blessing. :)

"Hello"

*She is still in our room, and will be for a while i think...i am too scared to have her and Ky share a room. Wimpy, maybe, but i value my sleep far more than an organized room.
*She can sleep almost 12 hours straight at night, or she can only go 6 eat and then sleep for another 6. I like the 12 hour nights best.
*She adores mobiles. We have one on the swing we have and she cant get enough of it. Kyler never even noticed it till he was like 6 months old.... Brooklyn, she found it at 2 weeks and loves loves it. So we bought her one for her crib, she loves it too. Lovely baby. She falls asleep watching it.
*She coos whenever you talk to her. I love it. Her coos are always accompanied with a big grin.
*My mom got the first, almost, giggle last week on Thursday. I have gotten a few since, but they are hard work to get.
*For all those who think she still has her full head of hair...she is loosing some. She is loosing it in the front. she has a serious receding hair line. The back is LONG, and THICK, and i hope she doesn't loose it. I can do almost anything with her hair which still leaves me speechless. I never planned on doing my 3 months hair. I can do a single pony on top, or pigtails on top. Headbands are always nice. I can do it curly or straight (although curly only lasts for about 2 hours before it just looks messy.)
*her mommy and daddy adore her, and her big brother thinks she is great and is even getting super brave and trys to pick up those 15 lbs (scares me to death)
*She tolerates tummy time. She doesn't cry, but she grunts and gives me looks of "oh honestly mom did you have to do this to me".

Big Eyes

*She is a good traveler. Besides the many trips to SLC we make, we also go to Grover, and even drove to St. George this past weekend. She does so good. We are so blessed with good travelers. She does get mad and cries when her big brother is yelling in the back (he only knows one volume when talking, LOUD), but a Binky and a hush to her brother always helps. 
*Overall she is a happy easy baby. I love her smiles, they melt me every time. So blessed to have my beautiful baby girl.

LINK to ky at 3 months if you care to compare, probably not, but i like to! (freaky side note, at 3 months ky was also 15lb 1 oz, creepy!)

My Man

Last night as i layed in bed all alone i couldn't help but to think of this guy. . .

He is my dream boy. He is my lover boy. He is my best friend. He is perfection all wrapped up into a handsome body. He is Mr. Wonderful. He is my children's father. He is a splendid man whom i can never get enough of. He is strong. He is smart. He is MINE.
So why am I sleeping alone? He is at scout camp. He is the Scout Master (aka 2nd counselor in young mens, i didn't know 'scout master' is the '2nd counselor' till he became it :) ) He fulfills his calling to the best of his ability. He loves these boys. He does all he can for these boys. I feel so blessed to be married to a man who is so dedicated to the youth. He loves the scouting program, and wants his boys to love it too. He took 12, yes 12 boys to scout camp this week. Now, to anyone who has never had a husband serve as a 'Scout Master' let me let you in on a little secret.....it has been said, over and over and over by many different people that the Scout Master is the second most busy calling, being second only to the Bishop. At first i thought this was a serious exaggeration. Then as time has gone on, i will most likely agree. Our daddy and husband is gone sometimes 2 times a week doing activities. 1 or 2 nights a week he is just getting thing prepared for the boys activities. Plus he has meetings every Sunday. And on top of all that, in a moments notice he will be a sub in primary....and did it 2 weeks in a row with no chance to prepare a lesson and pulls off a great one both times. He is always willing to take more boys on than he has to. He has been known to let boys from another ward that wanted to go to scout camp, but their ward wasn't, come on his even though it meant he had to hustle and get all their paper work done. He has been known to have scouts with his boys and take the 10-11 year old boys too...giving him a grand total of 16+ boys all by himself....for this he has earned a great reward in heaven, seriously have you ever been around that many 10-13 year old boys. Maddess! :) He is a real leader. I love watching him teach the boys to be leaders. The priesthood is truly heavens power. It is amazing to watch my husband help young boys learn how to use it, and lead with it. It has brought tears to my eyes many a time. I had the opportunity to go to the Priesthood Preview they have for the young primary boys moving up into Young Men's. I went as a member of the Primary Presidency, but i got to sit next to my husband and watch the whole event unfold. Heaven. Really, i think that is what heaven will be like. Young boys taking charge and being so responsible.  That event alone changed my life. It strengthened my testimony of the Priesthood. It strengthened my testimony of men and their Divine roll here on earth. I had a strong testimony before, but that event alone shaped my life. I am grateful for the priesthood. I am grateful for men who fulfill their callings. Men who give their whole self to the boys in the ward. Men who sacrifice so much to make sure the boys are being taught what they need to know to be strong members of the church. These boys are our future. I am grateful for my husband, a man i can look up to. A man i would love to be just like.
I am so grateful for being taught to support my husband in any calling he might have. I have been taught this lesson by so many great woman. I hate seeing woman complain about their husbands being gone so much when they are serving in their callings. Don't you want your children to see their daddy working hard to serve others? What a better way for them to see his testimony of the church. Sure, it makes things really difficult at times. Having another set of hands to get my 2 kiddos ready for church would make things oodles easier. Having another body to help get kids ready for bed would be helpful as well.  Kyler would love to not have to share his daddy with the scouts 1 or 2 times a week, but i think this way he will know without a doubt that his daddy knows the scouting program is important. He will know his daddy has a testimony. For that i am grateful. Actions teach so much louder than words.
So that is a long post about what goes through my head while i lay alone in bed. I love my man. Love him with all my heart.