16 going on 17...

(You can click on the collages to make them bigger)

We took these pictures around the temple. Unfortunately the gate was locked so we couldn't actually get into the grounds. But Brooke figured out that she was small enough to slip between the bars. There was one time where I just barely managed to catch her before she ran away on the other side of the fence! And see the picture of her at the doors? That's her knocking on the door of the temple.

Where has the time gone? Brooke is growing so fast and learning so many new things, it's getting harder to refer to her as "my baby" as I watch her explore new things (even though she'll always be my baby to me). Like for instance, today in nursery I was helping out and during singing time they lay out a little mat and have all the kids come sit on it and sing songs. The other 2 kids in there will be 3 this summer, so they are quite a bit older than Brooke. I was doubtful that Brooke would come sit during singing time, but she did! She even started mimicking the motions to some of the songs. She is constantly surprising us with how much she knows and learns from just watching. Here are some other things Brooke has learned:
* she is obsessed with q-tips. Seriously. She knows exactly where they are in the drawer and anytime she gets a chance she will run and grab one and try to clean out her ears.
*She has also been trying to figure out how to put on her own shoes. As soon as Blake or I take off her shoes, she will sit down and try to figure out how to put them back on again.
*we call her "slough" from the Goonies (lovingly, of course) because she only has 1 front top tooth and then her 2 canine teeth. So there are big spaces where her teeth are missing. Her second front tooth is finally breaking through. But then it will be tiny compared to the one next to it which has been growing for a few months.
*She attempted to drink from a regular cup when I accidentally forgot her sippie when we were having dinner with Blake's cousin. Of course the water was spilling all down her clothes. Then Brooke stops, looks at Blake and I, looks back at the cup and promptly tips the entire cup upside down, purposely spilling the rest of it all over her.
*Brooke loves water! Here she is happily entertaining herself with the tiniest leak coming out of the hose faucet while Blake was watering plants. As you can see, she still managed to get soaked.
*and her latest: thinking she can fit into this tiny tupperwear container that we use to keep some of her toys in. She just all of a sudden decided that there was enough room for herself and her blanky in there.