sneaky...

On Tuesday, I left my precious little darling in the den, happily playing with her turtle drum, while I went into the laundry room (a mere 8 steps away) to unload and reload the washer. Upon finishing, I returned to the den, but Brooke was not in sight. The house was quiet (which is never a good sign), and as I rounded the corner, heading into the entry room, this is what I found...

Apparently, she found her snacks, in the diaper bag, and thought she'd have a few. She had emptied both snack containers onto the floor, and was happily munching away. She was SO proud of herself, too! I had no choice but to laugh...and snap a few pictures!

Can you see a resemblance?

The 1st picture is me, with Brooke, at 4 months. The second picture is my mom, holding me, as a baby, also at 4 months. Contrary to popular belief...our little darling looks an awful lot like her mommy!

A few pics from the beach

We took a quick trip to the beach, after a rough start to the weekend. We are lucky enough to have Galveston only an hour away from home. It may not be the prettiest beach, but it's so convenient! Brooke enjoyed watching the waves, and also the hotel pool. We cannot wait, to take her back this summer, to play in the water! Happy Summer!!!

Cute Pics of Brooke, Courtesy of Sarah Walquist

These precious pictures were taken at Ian's 1st birthday party, by Ian's Aunt Sarah. I think they are too cute NOT to share! Thanks Sarah!

A special 1st Mother's Day

Brad is a self-professed procrastinator, cannot keep a surprise, and isn't overly romantic. That said, he does have his few shining moments, and my 1st Mother's Day was one of them. He had been telling me all week that he had something up his sleeve, but I think he really out-did himself.

It started out a normal enough day. We went to church as a family, and came home. Around noon, we all got dressed, in clothes Brad deemed appropriate for the occasion, and loaded up in the car. I had NO idea where we were going. We drove for about an hour, and parked, at which point, Brad told me he had chartered a 4 hour lunch cruise around Galveston, Clear Lake, and Kemah!

It was a beautiful day! Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed free-flowing mimosas and an acoustic entertainer. Brooke was so excited watching the seagulls, and waving to people on the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day! Bonus points for Daddy!

Here are a few pictures from our cruise:

Tiniest pig tails...

Here are two pictures of Brooke's very first TINY pigtails.

10 months and counting...

Can you believe it? Brooke is already ten months old! I cannot believe how fast it all went by. It literally feels like yesterday, that we were bringing her home from the hospital...fast forward to today: I am busy planning her 1st birthday party! When I look back at the past 10 months, I am amazed at all of the changes and blessings Brooke has brought into our lives. She is such a dream come true for us...the precious child I spent my whole life waiting for. Sometimes, I just watch her, and catch my breath; tears fill my eyes...she is SUCH a blessing! I am so honored to be her Mommy. I am astounded each day at the tiny miracles of watching a child grow. I thank God what seems like a thousand times each day, for sending her to us, for trusting us with this precious little person, while she lives here on earth. I know that we have a long road ahead, and that our family journey has only just begun, but WOW...parenthood is everything I ever could have hoped and prayed for.

More bluebonnet pics...we couldn't resist!

Brooke makes the funniest faces these days. Here are a few pics in the last few bluebonnets we could find. She loves to wrinkle her nose, and give us silly grins. She is TOO CUTE!

Bluebonnet season!

Is there any better way to behold the majesty of our Lord, than to drive around Texas, in the early spring? Texas bluebonnets are absolutely breathtaking! Brooke enjoyed crawling in them, posing in them, rolling in them, and TASTING them!! Yep, before I could stop her, she had a mouthful of bluebonnet! No worries, she later, spit them up, all over her cute outfit! Enjoy the pic!

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was wonderful! What a joy it is to experience another first with our precious little girl. We went to church on Good Friday...Brooke wasn't too sure about her 1st Tenebrae service. It got so dark and quiet...Brooke and Mommy ended up finishing the service in the narthex.

On Saturday, we went to Elgin for lunch at GeeMa and PawPaw's house. Brooke had fun playing with her cousins, and watching them hunt eggs. This will be the last holiday in Elgin, as Gee and Paw will be moving to their new house in Bastrop, next month! We are all so excited for the move.

On Sunday, we attended the Easter celebration service at our church! The music was beautiful, and hearing the Easter message was such a blessing! He is risen, indeed!! Brooke looked like a little pink princess in her Easter dress, and we got some family pictures with the Easter lillies on the altar.

After church, Uncle Drew and his girlfriend MiMi came over for lunch and family time. We had a nice day, enjoying the gorgeous Texas sunshine on our patio. Brooke enjoyed having a peep, jell-o, and a sugar cookie for the first time! It was a lovely day.

We pray that God has blessed you all with all of the joy and wonder of the Easter season. May we all continue to rejoice in the timeless message of Easter morning. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed--Alleluia!