November in Review

The month of November seemed to really fly by at our house. Getting ready for the baby and keeping up with the kids made the month disappear before we were ready! Here is a look at our month:

We got Carson's preschool pictures back and he is such a little stud. I think he looks so cute. His class picture cracks me up! All of the kids have the silliest faces and it fits for a group of 3 year olds.

I purchased a General Conference Study Guide from HERE and I love it. I had it bound at Staples and I am using it as I study the talks. It has really helped me think about the talks and apply them.

We had a family home evening of coloring pages that go along with the Family Proclamation. They love coloring so much and it really helps me teach them things during family home evening. 

Brooklyn loves breakfast - and she loves syrup even more. She licked the syrup off of her plate one day and it was so funny I had to take a picture.

These two really love bathtime. They would stay in the tub all night if I would let them.

Brooklyn has taken an interest in the potty lately, but she isn't quite ready for potty training. One day she kept asking to go on the potty so I pulled out Carson's froggy potty and let her sit on it. She stayed on it for quite a while and then got off and went potty on the floor next to it. It's a good thing I was in a good mood that day and I just laughed and cleaned it up.

We made handprint Turkeys as a craft one day. They enjoyed picking out the colors for the feathers and of course, making a mess.

Brooklyn and Carson really enjoy playing together. One night Carson insisted on giving Brooklyn a horsey ride. It was pretty funny because they are almost the same size and Carson could hardly move with her on his back.

Carson and Brooklyn love sitting on Jason's legs and having him bounce them. It's so fun for them!

We love popping popcorn and watching movies together. They are so cute. I just love them!

Aren't they adorable?

My friend, Erin, and I like to get together and have baking days. She came over and we made rolls for Thanksgiving and homemade oatmeal cream pies. They were so yummy. Carson helped us roll our the dough and watched as we covered them and let them rise. He talks about it all the time and will pretend to roll out dough and cover it all up. He is my little cooking buddy.

Carson drew this picture of his daddy one day and it was the first time that he has really taken a lot of time to draw something. It was precious to me. One of those things that means my little boy is really growing up.

Brooklyn's hair is getting so long it is ridiculous! She is such a pretty little girl and her hair is very beautiful on her. I love to play with it and try new things. I'm not very good at braiding, but I thought it turned out pretty good one night. It's crazy that she has hair long enough for me to braid at 18 months.

Staying Entertained....

The past week we have kept ourselves very entertained! Here are some of the things we have done:

It was April's birthday last week so we went to her house for lunch. I brought a box of cherry dilly bars from DQ with us, and Brooklyn ate most of mine! Little stinker! If I even tried to take a bite she would yell at me.

 

 Brooklyn sure does love her mommy. In the evenings she isn't happy unless I'm holding her. When I am holding her, she is as happy as  can be. She talks to me, sings with me, dances to the music. Silly girl. :)

 

We got a watermelon in our bountiful basket last week and Carson was in heaven. He loves watermelon, which he calls water-melon-a-mon. He ate a lot of it with his dinner (notice the dinosaur that has to eat with us) and pretty much ate all of the watermelon over the next day. This kid can't wait until summer when he can eat it all the time!

 

My kids love their baths, and lately Carson has wanted to sit with Brooklyn in her little tub. They both barely fit, but its cute to watch them play together. (Notice Brooklyn's crazy, crazy, out-of-control hair.)

Carson loves to watch Blue's Clues, Curious George, and Dinosaur Train. Sometimes I will let him watch an episode while I am in the shower. He begged me for a picnic on my bed while he watched his show the other day. He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

 

Brooklyn's hair is so long that if I don't pull it back it is in her eyes all the time. Lately I've been putting it in two pigtails in the front. 

 

Sometimes, napping in Mommy's bed is just more fun....

 

 Now that our church isn't until 1pm, I've been making dinner before we leave. Sunday I made lasagna and Carson helped. He did such a good job. He would put the noodles down and sprinkle the cheese. He was pretty proud of himself, and so was mommy. 

Brooklyn is so happy now that she can move around and chase her brother. She has found it to be a little challenging to crawl in her dress, but she looks so cute in it that I don't like to take her out of it!

I also gave her mashed potatoes and baked beans, which she loved. I ended up scooping an entire scoop of mashed potatoes onto her high chair and letting her go at it. Boy did she have fun. Of course we went straight into the bath. :)

Donuts, Dates, Bathtime, and Friends

 Jason and Carson have started going to get donuts on Saturday mornings for their "Daddy-Son" date. Carson loves it. He only lets his daddy have 2 donuts and then yells at him if he tries to eat more. Carson really looks forward to it and is always asking if its the day he gets to get donuts.

 

Brooklyn is getting so big and she loves her baths, just like Carson. My mom found a little bathtub at a yard sale and Brooklyn thinks it is the coolest thing ever. She loves to kick her little feet and play and play and play. It's so fun to watch her.

  

The weekend before Christmas, my friend Hannah came to visit us. She and I were roommates in college and I love her to death. She lives in D.C. now and has such an exciting life. I tell her that I live vicariously through her because she gets to go and do so many things that are on my bucket list. It was so good to have her here and to visit with her. It doesn't matter how long it has been since we've seen each other, the instant we are together it's like we were never apart. I realized something as I thought about her visit after she left. Hannah and I get along so well because she is like an extension of me. We have the same goals, the same hopes, the same beliefs, the same core values, the same outlook on life, the same taste, the same political views, the same....everything. It is so nice to be around someone that understands COMPLETELY. I don't feel like I have to explain myself or leave anything out. She gets it. I hope someday we live close to each other again.

When September Ends....

The last week of September we spent around the house. I hurt my knee playing soccer in an indoor game (more on that later), so we didn't leave the house much. We had lots of fun together though!

Carson LOVES playing with my phone while I get ready in the morning. I have lots of educational apps and books that he can play by himself. One morning he snuggled up close to Brooklyn and was showing her how to play the game. Brooklyn seemed like she was really trying to figure it out. 

 Carson and Brooklyn both love their baths before bed. It's part of our bedtime routine and they know that after the bath we get our jammies on, read scriptures, say prayers, and then go to bed. Every once in a while I will surprise Carson with glowsticks to play with in the tub. He gets so excited! Even Brooklyn held one this time!

 Carson has started carrying around a baby that he found downstairs. I will randomly find it "taking a bath," "taking a nap," "eating dinner," or "going to sleep" around the house. The past few days I have rocked Brooklyn to sleep on my chest and Carson saw me doing it. When I came to tuck him in the other night, this is what I found. He is going to be such a good big brother. 

 Brooklyn has started sucking her thumb when she gets really upset. The other night I made her fuss a little when she was going to sleep, and I found her sucking her thumb when I went in to check on her. 

 Carson and Brooklyn love to play together. The other night, Carson wanted to give Brooklyn a horsey ride. It was really cute. 

My 2 kiddos are becoming the best of friends. I can't wait to see how much more they play together as Brooklyn gets a little bit bigger. 

Here are a few pictures of the last few days at our house!

Brooklyn loves to sit on my lap right now. She is going through a clingy phase. I don't mind. :)

Carson and Brooklyn took their first bath together last night. Carson really liked helping me wash Brooklyn. (Don't worry, the only time my hands were off her were the 2 seconds it took me to take this picture)

Brooklyn in the Moby Wrap. She loves it now that her feet hang out and she can be next to me all afternoon. 

Brooklyn trying to get out of the bouncer. She will scoot herself all the way out if I let her. Silly girl. She doesn't like to sit anymore!

"Mom, take a picture!"

Carson changing his bear's diaper

Carson swinging at the park