brooke's big day

you spend the first 3 years of your child's life doing most everything with them. standing by their side to offer help, encouragement and hugs when needed. then slowly but surely they build enough confidence to one day go it alone. you're no longer needed. it feels good... makes you proud... that's the kind of day we had today. brooke took a swim lesson by herself. no daddy required :)

this is brooke's 2nd session of swimming lessons. each session lasts 4 weeks, and this class is designed for the parent to be in the pool with the child for the first 2 weeks and then for the child to get into the pool with only the instructor for the last 2 weeks. during the first session, brooke wasn't ready to go it alone, so kevin got in the pool with her all 4 weeks (as did the other parent/child in the lesson). this session, it just so happens that the 2 other children in her group are also in her pre-school class (logan & drew b). what a coincidence! brooke did great the first 2 weeks and let the instructor (miss cassie) take her for a few laps last week. we were encouraged by this, so we've been talking up this swim lesson trying to boost brooke's confidence. she was so cute talking about how she didn't need daddy anymore :) and "i'll try to swim by myself..." so today when we left for swim lessons, i asked kevin if he had his suit on "just in case." "nope" he said. "if she doesn't get in, she doesn't get in." good call. she got in! without a problem. so did logan and drew, so we got to cheer with the other parents from the bleachers. brooke did great. it was a big moment. we were all beaming.

feeding frenzy

gavin is feeding himself table food now and loving every minute of it! i'm amazed at the mess he makes. had to get a picture of that dirty face :) you should see his hands and his clothes!!

9 months

our G man is 9 months old. really? i'm not sure how this is possible. my little baby isn't much of a baby anymore. gavin is crawling and standing and into EVERYTHING. baby-proofing has taken on a whole new meaning... he is all boy, and i love it.

gavin is expressing himself more and more every day. he loves to be loud. i think he gets this from his sister :) or else knows it's going to be the only way to be heard around here! he's trying to say words, which come out as little sounds like "ba" "ha da" "ma ma" and "mom mom."

he has a mouth full of teeth - 7 of them!! they just keep popping through, one after another. he loves to feed himself and will cram in as many puffs and cheerios as his mouth will hold.

most importantly, he is happy. every single day. he is full of all-out smiles and devious little grins. he loves to laugh and be tickled. he loves to chase after his big sister as fast as his little arms and legs will carry him. and he loves for mommy to hang him upside down like a monkey... over and over again :)

he is 100% pure joy.

birthday girl

when i think of what i've always dreamed of being only one thing stands out - a mom. my children make my soul happy; they fulfill me in a way nothing else ever could. and raising a girl... well, there aren't words to describe it. i see the way she follows in my footsteps, and it makes me want to be a better person. the best person i could possibly be for her. because right before my eyes she's turning into a young girl. growing by leaps and bounds. there's so much i love about her right now... i just want to bottle her up. she has a great big imagination. she loves to role play - her favorite roles are teacher, mommy and Tinkerbell :) she's suddenly very into girly things like princesses, ballet and barrettes/ponytails. she still has a keen interest in music and loves to sing, dance and play the guitar and harmonica. she's a great big sister, and she has a huge heart full of love. she is our precious girl and she is 3.

christmas in our hearts

for the first time in our lives, we faced the challenge of traveling at the holidays. we were apprehensive... how to do it all and still make it perfect. we decided to celebrate Christmas in Seattle the weekend before the actual holiday. that way Santa could come to our house, and we would have some time to enjoy our new city. going in, we were a little skeptical as to how it was going to feel... maybe like a "mock" Christmas. but it wasn't. it had all the magic and love and specialness of Christmas and then some.

we started celebrating on friday with 3 holiday parties. saturday was designated Christmas Eve, and we spent it in Seattle at the city's most well-known landmark - Pike Place Market. we had lunch, strolled the market and planned a special Christmas Eve dinner.

that evening we prepared for Santa. it was the first year that brooke could fully grasp the concept of Santa, so we did the whole deal. milk. cookies. a special note for Santa. with lots of magic sprinkled in.

brooke was the first to awaken on Christmas morning. she stood in the hallway upstairs looking down at the Christmas tree and all the presents. kevin heard her exclaim "Santa came!" afraid that she was going to go running downstairs without us, we hurried out of bed, got Gavin out of bed and all went to see what Santa had brought.

it might not have really been Christmas, but it was Christmas in our hearts and that made it feel more special than it ever has.