Motivation

Maybe it's because winter seems to be dragging forever, or maybe it's because I am really looking forward to something that is making time go by so slow, but I am having a serious lack of motivation lately. Anyone else? I have to take the teaching Praxis PLT test next Saturday. I've known about it for a month now and do you think I have even started studying for it? Do you think this looming deadline has made me want to start studying? That would be a big fat NO! Oh I've looked over the test outline a few times and know what kinds of questions they will ask and I figure that is good enough for me. Maybe I should be more worried about it than I am, but my experience with the Praxis tests have been that you can usually use deductive reasoning to figure out the multiple choice questions and I figure I am an experienced enough teacher to work my through the short answer questions. And barely passing is still passing in my book! Hmmm.. maybe my students have been rubbing off on me too much because that's not a very good attitude to have. But that is how I have felt all week as we've rounded the corner into March. Last year around this time we took Brooke out for her first walk:
No walks for us in sight this year with the freezing weather outside! Speaking of walking, our school is doing a 10,000 steps per day challenge. It started on Feb. 22 and I was all gung-ho for it at first, but again this week I have not had the motivation to work out after Brooke goes to bed at night. Last night I went to bed at 8:30!

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. On the 22nd I am flying back east to attend my brother's wedding and also get to see my sister and her family (as well as lots of other family that lives in various parts of the country including my grandma who has never met Brooke). It's getting close and I am getting excited for all the fun things we have planned while we are there (NYC, Philly and oh yeah, the wedding. Just kidding, Ben & Katie!) And since I am looking forward to this, of course time has slowed way down.

Anyone know where I can get candy bars cheap? When I first started my job I promised my students that if I ever had a substitute and they behaved I would give each student a candy-bar. Now I am eating my words! I made this promise before I realized I would be gone for 8 days! Now I am going to end up owing my students 8 candy bars each if they behave themselves! Secretly I am hoping some of them (just a few) don't behave...is that bad? Goodbye teacher-supply money that will now be used for purchasing 400 candy bars!

Truly Inspiring

We had a lesson in Relief Society on Sunday that has left me pondering for a few days now. And I feel the need to share. I usually don't get very much out of RS too often because it's right during Brooke's nap and she is usually not very happy. Even when some nice person offers to take her for me, my mind is still in "Brooke mode" and I have a hard time focusing. But this lesson grabbed my attention and delivered a short but sweet message that was just what I needed. It was so positive and uplifting and I have been basking in the feelings it left me with for days.

Maybe you have heard this before. It is by Elder F. Enzio Busche and called Unleashing the Dormant Spirit. Elder Busche was raised in Germany and had a happy, normal childhood until WWII started. At the age of 10 he was forced to join Hitler's Youth organization. As a teenager he was enlisted as a Nazi. After the war he was very bitter and had a hard time overcoming the things he saw/did. As an elderly man he was diagnosed with a serious illness. During a time when he was in the hospital, the doctors took him off all the machines keeping him alive and expected him not to last much longer. Elder Busche describes having an out-of-body experience & a vision of beyond the veil and what was waiting for him. After he ended up surviving his illness, his outlook on life changed and this is his message for all us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

The video is about 7 minutes long, but so worth watching. I was so touched and I hope you are too. After learning a little of his background I felt his message especially important for all of us to live today. Watch it during a quiet moment during your day. Reflect and enjoy!

Little Discoveries

Over President's Day weekend, I went to SLC to meet my friend Ryanne and her family at the Disovery Museum for kids (I know, this is a late post). I went there once with my sister and her kids a few years ago and was so excited to one day take my kids there. At first I was wondering if I had just wasted $8 taking Brooke in because there were so many things for older kids to do. But Brooke was so mesmerized by all the things going on, and there were plenty of things for her to do, like:
play with oversized blocks. She loved stacking them and knocking them over; Playing in the "garden" taking veggies out and attempting to eat them.

And here is a little side story: You might remember a post a while ago boasting about taking away Brooke's binky and how well she was doing? Well, right after that Brooke got a cold with a cough and we gave the binky back to help her sleep and keep the cough under the control. Plus, let's face it, life is so much easier with a binky! I have every intention of taking it away again this summer. I want to wait until after my trip back east. I have a feeling a binky is going to come in handy while flying and sight-seeing. I mention this story, because there are incriminating pictures of Brooke with her binky above. Don't judge me! j/k :)
Playing in a baby sized tree-house with friend J.
They had a special area just for kids under 2 with padded mats and little slides. Brooke saw some older kids climbing up the slide so she was determined to climb up it to! It was so fun to watch her attempt it. She also liked playing with these magnetic gears and wheels upstairs in the science area.
Brooke and I standing in front of the life-size doll house. We had a great time playing and visiting with friends. It's always nice to get out of town once in a while, even if it's just a few hours away.

Love this Girl!

As a new parent, Blake and I are constantly in a reality check like "whoa, can you believe we are parents?" After 5 years of it being just the two of us, we cannot believe how much our lives have changed in just 14 months. And most days are just normal days: we live, we laugh, we get frustrated, we cry. And some days, like today, I am overcome with emotion for how much I love this girl. I just want to hold her in my arms all day and snuggle and kiss her cheeks over and over again. I love her curiosity and laughter. I love seeing the world through her eyes. For example, today Blake shaking out a new garbage bag to replace the old one threw Brooke into a fit of giggles on the kitchen floor:
Brooke was in such a silly mood today! She is constantly making Blake and I laugh at the things she does:Brooke turned 14 months this week. She still loves music and to dance. She loves any kind of game you will play with her. She has had a cold and believe it or not, loves to have her nose sucked out with the blue bulb syringe. She laughs while I am sucking her nose out and when I am finished she will stick her face out like "do it again!" She is still not walking and only has her two bottom teeth so far. Her silly mood and the fact she was wearing a cute outfit, made today perfect for a little photo shoot of our growing girl (you can click on the pics to make them bigger).
And this is my own little tribute to Daisy, who was Brooke's best bud.

Just Us

We finally got our family pictures back and I am really pleased with how they turned out. I was bummed at first because we had to do them inside because there was a bad inversion the day of our shoot, so we couldn't do them outside. The photographer was great and pointed out that since we had such a small family an indoor shot would look just as good since she would have to zoom in close to our faces anyway. These are scans of the originals, so they quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. It's so nice to finally have a good shot of all 3 of us.
It was also my birthday this week. Blake surprised me by getting me a two-child bike trailor that converts into a stroller. I am so excited to use it and now I can't wait for spring!

This isn't the exact one I got, but since mine is still in the box until warmer weather, it will have to do!

It was a good try at least...

Blake and I have given up on the puzzle. We did a lot of it, but we are not patient enough to put together the 500 all white pieces needed to complete the picture. Plus we had our little "helper" coming around to check all of our work. So back into the box it went.

Brooke is also getting more confident standing on her own. Usually she will pull herself up using some furniture, get distracted by a toy or something, be standing on her own perfectly fine, realize she is standing without support, and immediately sit down. Over the weekend she was having fun standing up, falling down, and then standing up again. The video is after a few minutes of doing this, so she's a little tipsy! But we are so proud of her newest accomplishment:

Sometimes 30 seconds is a lot to ask when browsing through a blog, so here too is a picture:
Ignore the purple slippers. Brooke always takes her socks off during the day. These slippers came from Blake's cousin and have little sinchers (is that even a word?) that make them tight around her ankles so she can't pull them off.

And I found this picture on my camera. It was taken a while ago, but it made me laugh. It's Brooke copying our facial expressions (a scrunched up nose look):

Boo Whoo

My sister in law will sometimes do a post on her photography blog highlighting some of the things that annoy her (boo's) and things that make her happy (whoo's). I have had a lot of those lately so I feel the need to share them. Sorry, V, for stealing your idea! But before I get to those, I need to pose a deep, philosophical question along the same lines as "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around, does it still make a noise?" Okay, are you ready for my question? If Blake has to work Sunday night will I still watch the Super-Bowl? I've been pondering the answer to that for days.

Now for my Boo's
1. Gerber raising the prices on their toddler line of food. They got me hooked on a $1 for their pasta pickups that Brooke loves and how they are $1.25!! Grrr...
2. Going 2 places to find Diaper Genie refills and both stores being completely sold out. I rigged a regular trash bag in the diaper pail and trust me, it does not work as nearly as good! Today the store had some in stock and I bought tons so I would never run out again.
3. Getting Brooke off her binky. I don't want Brooke to be 2+ and still dependent on a binky. We took it away Thursday night and she cried for 2 hours before finally going to sleep. Friday during nap was better and last night she went right to sleep. I am nervous for church tomorrow. The binky not only soothes a cranky baby, but acts a filter for things Brooke might find on the chapel floor and keeps her from putting them in her mouth.

Whoo's
1. Tax refunds. Blake and I have always heard about these "mythical" tax refunds that people were getting. Ever since we've been married we can't figure out what we were doing wrong. This year must be our lucky year because BINGO! We are getting the biggest refund we've ever gotten before.
2. Brooke has front tooth #2 emerging on her bottom right.
3. Getting to spend some quality time with Blake
4. Friday Night Lights. We've been watching seasons 1-3 on DVDs we rented from the library and we are hooked. I can't wait for season 4 to start on NBC in April.