Kids Weekend part 2

On Sunday, the last day of our kids weekend, we took the kids to Hogle Zoo. It was in the 90's that day and it sure felt like it, but the kids were pretty good about not complaing and we had a fun time see all the different animals. Our favorites were the Elephants, Giraffes, and Monkeys. Parker love the snake area and Paxten seemed to be fascinated by everything. There were a lot of areas in the park that were under construction/renovation which was disappointing, but will give us an excuse to come back next year when it is all done. We packed a picnic again this day into the zoo and the kids rode the merry go round inside the zoo.  After we had seen all there was to see, each of the kids picked a souvenier from the gift shop and we got in the van to head home. All of the kids were asleep in no time, we wore them out! We had such a fun time together. It is great to have a sister to do these fun things with and I think we may have to make this a tradition! The kids loved being together and doing something out of the ordinary, we only wish that Matt would have been able to go with us as well.

Scrapping Weekend

I am so excited that I get to go on a girls weekend this weekend to go scrap booking with my mom and sister. We will be gone for the entire weekend and Matt is watching the kids. It will be the first time he has been with all the kids by himself for the long. I sure hope it goes alright. I am sure the house will be a wreck when I get home, but that will be okay, as long as he survives. This is something that I look forward to and enjoy doing so much. It is like a little break from being a referee, chauffer, cook, maid, and mom for a few days. It also makes Matt appreciate me a little more that he usually does. I have been preparing for the last month to go, getting all my supplies together and putting together ideas for pictures and layouts, hoping that I will be able to get a lot done. I have over 300 pictues that I need to scrapbook into something and I would love to get a big chunk of that done. I am not sure I will ever be caught up, but I sure enjoy trying. The kids always love to spend time with their dad and to have him spoil them even more than usual. They also love it when I return home and they get to see the new pages I have done of them and they get to add them to their books. My scrap books are my most prized possesions, besides my kids. They hold so many wonderful, and pricelss memories. I am so glad that I have the time and ablility to make these books for my family. Wish me luck and great success, I will let you know how much I get done!!

I am packed and ready to go. I have about 9 totes with all my scrabook supplies and I wil have one small suitcase. Matt rolls his eye when he sees all that I take with me. I have to be prepared. You should see the sububan when it is full to the brim with all the supplies of three or four of us. It is packed so full, we usually have to take out the back seats to have enough room!!

Visit with Zander

My kids got to finally meet their newest cousin on the 11th. He was here with his momma to get some darling newborn pictures taken. Charyn stopped by for a little bit so that we could see him. The kids were all sick when he was born and we decided to wait a few weeks until they were all better before we introduced Zander to them. They all loved him and both Parker and Paige had several turns holding him. They are always asking me when they get to see him next. He is pretty darn cute and I love cuddling and holding him as well, Paxten doesn't really like it when I hold him, he's a little jealous. Guess that means it isn't quite time for number 4 yet! hahaha!

I'm An Auntie....Again

 

Charyn called me last Thursday after her docotor's appointment to tell me how it went. Dr. Leavitt told her he thought she would have the baby over the weekend. Which surprised me because she is only 37 weeks and this is her first baby. I was excited for her but bummed because that would mean she wouldn't make it to our scrap book retreat the next weekend. Later in the day, about 5:00 she called and said that she was in the hospital and was having regular contractions. She was going to have the baby that day!! I was so excited for my little sister to become a mom, I could hardly stand it. I tried really hard not to bug her too much, but I wanted to know how she was doing and how things were progressing. At 10:00 that night my mom called to update me and said that she was at an 8 and would probably have the baby before midnight. I said to call and let me know no matter what time it was. I couldn't sleep very good and was just so excited and anticipating his arrival. Finally I got a text from Mike at 1:48 with a cute little picture of my new nephew. Unfortunately that was all the text included was a picture. No information!! I could tell it was Mike that had sent it! hahaha. I had to wait until the morning to find out all the details. Cute little Zander Ricky Brooks was born at 12:54 A.M. on the 28th of October. He weighed 6lbs, 4 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. He has a ton of dark hair and is so adorable. I was able to go and visit later that day and got to hold him. He is so tiny!!. It wasn't that long ago that Paxten was that little, but ut sure seems like forever. They grow out of that newborn phase so quickly! I am so excited for Charyn and Mike and for the adventure that awaits them. We are so happy to have Zander in our family and can't wait to spoil him!! (I have already had a good start to that!! I can't resist!)

Charyn's Baby Shower

 

My mom and I threw my sister a little baby show on the 17th (I am a little behind on blogging). When we were planning, somehow we got the idea for baseball something or another and before we knew it we were planning a themed shower. The invitations went out and had something along the lines of celebrating the soon to be newest member of the Brooks team. It was super cute. We didn't tell Charyn what we had done so when she arrived it was a suprise. We served peanuts, cracker jacks, pig in a blanket, chips and dip, pretzels, cotton candy, baseball cupcakes, M&M's, and we had a veggie tray. It was super fun! We played a few games with our small crowd one where we had to unwrap a present one layer at a time and after each layer there were some instructions on a piece of paper. The instructions were either a gag or a gift, like uh-your baby is messy, wear this bib the rest of the game, or your baby is hungry, drink this bottle. Or on the other hand it said you had a good day and you recieved a prize. The last layer the intructions said to pass to the mom to be and she opened the gift and there was a cute new outfit inside. The other game we had a sheet try full of different candy bars on it and we had to write down what we though it had to do with having a baby. Some of the answers were hilarious... for example milk duds represented non-lactating breasts, Milky Way was breast feeding, Goobers were baby boogers, 100 Grand was the hospital bill, Skor was the night of conception, ect... It was so funny! We had a good time spending it with family and friends that came. Charyn ended up with a lot of nice things that will be so handy when the baby gets here. We are looking forward to his arrival in November.

Auntie

Guess what??? I am going to be an Auntie again...this time to my little sister Charyn!! Her and her husband Mike are expecting their first in November. Today she found out that she is having a boy. We are all so excited for her. Paige will be a little out numbered with all the boys around, hopefully one of us will get another girl in the mix. I can't wait to start getting supplies for her and I can't wait to meet my new nephew in a few months!

Sister's Graduation

My sister Graduated from nursing school on Thursday. We are so proud of her for sticking to it and finishing. She has been a super busy lady working 2 jobs and going to school to finish. We know she will make a wonderful nurse and that she will help out many people. We went to a little ceremony that the school had on Thursday night and then we went out to dinner to celebrate. The kids were pretty good, considering they had to hold still and be quiet for over an hour. We are so excited for you Charyn and can't wait to be able to spend more time with you now that you will have some free time!!!