Just Us

It's obvious that blogging has not been anywhere near the top of my to-do list. 

It's still not.

But there are a few moments from the last couple of months that I don't want to forget.

 Halloween 2011

Brooks traveled from house to house in his favorite toy.

He LOVED everything about the evening.

Thanksgiving 2011

A very successful attempt at a family photo, no?

Needless to say Brooks did not get a nap all day.

Brooks, cousin Emma, and Moxy waiting for Thanksgiving dinner at aunt Keli's house.

Just my cute boy! 

Brooks is now 19 months old. I can hardly believe it. He is 100% boy. That's the only way I can describe him. He loves anything that drives and has mastered the noise that the engine makes. It is so adorable to watch him drive his cars all over the furniture and make the sound. He talks all day long and can pretty much communicate everything he wants through speech. He is absolutely obsessed with his daddy and asks for him about 50 times a day. He will eat just about anything I put in front of him, excluding cottage cheese and macaroni and cheese. He loves to color and watch Toy Story, and loves loves loves puppies (all dogs). He is such a copy-cat and mimics everything I do. He makes me laugh a million times a day and makes me want to pull my hair out about four times a day. But man, I am so in love with this boy! 

18 month stats:

Weight - 26 lbs - 55%

Length - 34.5 in - 95%

Head - 18.9 in. - 56%

Blanket

We have a serious blanket boy at our house. So you can imagine the devastation he felt as I threw it in the washer this morning. I was able to distract him for a time with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but then he disappeared. Can you guess where I found him?



In the laundry room, watching his blanket dry.
What an adorable, silly boy I have!

Book Worm

Brooks is obsessed with books. Once you sit down with him to read, you better be able to spend at least thirty minutes reading book after book after book. I love this about him and hope that it continues on through his lifetime. 

Brooks has really started to talk a lot lately. And he is really good at it. I attribute his extensive vocabulary to reading. He says more words than I can remember right now and will try to say anything you tell him to. This new found ability has really improved the communication between him and I and I could not be happier. There is not much more frustrating than a whining, screaming child wanting something that I can't understand.

My time with this little boy is getting funner (it's a word in my dictionary) and funner by the second. I seriously pinch myself each night because I find it hard to believe that I enjoy being a mom so much. 

I can't wait to see what the future has in store for our little family, but for now I am just enjoying watching my baby grow and become a little boy.

Young Women's

My life has been a little hectic as of late.

One of the reasons for the madness is this...

I got called to be the first councilor in the young women's presidency in my ward.

It's still pretty new, but I already know that I am going to love this calling maybe more than any other calling I have ever had.

The girls are awesome and the other leaders are amazing.

I am truly blessed.

A couple of weeks ago for mutual, the mia maids and I, and my advisor, went to a local bridal shop to try on modest prom dresses. It was so much fun! Those girls are seriously so cool. 

I look forward to all of the adventures that this calling will bring about and hope that maybe in some small way my service will benefit some of the girls' lives.

I know it will benefit mine a thousand times over.

Personal Record

Yesterday I did five loads of laundry.

Three of them being whites.

(I am a little behind, don't judge.)

And guess what?

ALL of the socks had a match.

That has never happened to me before.

Hooray for a new personal laundry record!

Something crazy has started to happen...

After I had Brooks, people told me I would forget all about the terribleness of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the recovery that followed. I did not believe them, nor was I planning on having another baby; EVER. As a lot of you know, my body had a very rough time recovering from the madness of labor and delivery. It seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. And the thought of doing it again made me want to cry. But I loved my baby more than anything and at the end of the day, everything I went through was well worth it. Now here we are, a year and a half later, and I find myself thinking about  another little one. Am I crazy?? Maybe. So I try to remind myself all about the negative things that came with the first little one, and you know what? I am having a hard time remembering. How does this happen? My theory: Heavenly Father knows that in order for his children (especially the women) to continue to multiply and replenish this earth, he must wipe their memory clean of past hardships due to the process. It's not that I can't remember what happened, cause those are memories that will be burned into my brain forever, it's just that I can't remember them being that bad. And not only that, but I find myself thinking that I can do it again. I told you, something crazy has started to happen.

Just a side note:

I am well aware of the many hardships that a lot of women go through to get their children here. Hardships that are a million times worse than mine. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have even been able to have Brooks, and not a day goes by that I don't thank my Father in Heaven for him. 

Handsome

How handsome does this boy look in his bow tie?

Pretty handsome, I'd say.

SO Sad

Let's just start by saying that guns terrify me.

I don't like to hold them, be near them, and I definitely do not like to shoot them.

This story not only breaks my heart but scares the crap right out of me.

Girl shot by brother's BB gun dies

LEWISTON, Cache County – A 3-year-old girl has died from injuries sustained when she was shot in the head with a BB gun by her 9-year-old brother.

On Aug. 17, two brothers were pumping their BB guns with air and shooting their 3-year-old sister in the head with air, Cache County Sheriff's Lt. Chad Jensen said in a prepared statement.

During one of the shots, the 9-year-old brother pumped his gun with what he thought was air and shot it and his sister's head. A BB was in the gun and struck the girl on the left side of her head, Jensen said.

The girl was initially taken to Franklin County Medical Center before being transported to Primary Children's Medical Center where she died from her injuries. The Utah State Medical Examiner contacted the Cache County Sheriff's Office about the incident.

Sheriff's Lt. Chad Jensen said although it may turn out to be an accidental shooting, as of Wednesday investigators weren't ready to make that conclusion.

"We're not ruling anything out right now. We can't comment on a motive. We'll review the information we've collected with the county attorney," he said.

The Cache County Sheriff's Office was contacted to investigate the incident.

I honestly teared up when I heard this story on the news this evening. How devastating would it be if this happened in your family? Now don't get me wrong, I am not against guns. I know they serve an important role in certain situations. I just believe that they should not be used as toys. EVER! I hope as parents, Carson and I will be able to successfully teach our children how to properly handle a gun, even if it's plastic, and to stress the importance of gun safety.

My heart goes out to the young man that made this awful mistake. And to his parents that are surely devastated by the incident.

I can't figure out how to get rid of the excess three inches of this post. It is driving me mad!