Look A Like

Tori and Brooke

Before, During and After Christmas!

I know what you all are here for, the pictures! Well, we'll get to them in a second. We had a wonderful Christmas season. Before we celebrated Christmas, we celebrated our 5th anniversary! I cannot believe it! Like always we used Jason's birthday meal at Tucano's and we went to Target to buy each other presents and also do a little Christmas shopping. Jason got me a frame set with 10 matching picture frames so that I can make a collage and a rotary cheese grater for all of the different Parmesans that I have. I got him a Wii sensor sleeve and two shirts. We also got to go to Borders (which we loved to do a lot when we were living in Utah), but we have been avoiding (because we don't have money to spend on books) and treated ourselves to new books. :) I love books!
We finished our Christmas shopping a few days after the weekend and it was nice that we could take the kids along and they didn't even know the difference. Tori helped us pick out what she wanted. Tori and Brooke both got gift certificates to Target from their Aunt Michelle and Grandma Frann. So we spent those too.
Christmas eve we just hung out as a family. First, we went to IHOP for breakfast because I had been salivating over their holiday pancakes any time I saw their commercials. Then, we went to Walmart to get our Christmas dinner (a roast!) and then hung out! We also delivered gifts to all of our neighbors (we made hot chocolate gift baskets). We froze our tookissis off!
Christmas was fabulous. We woke up (the baby slept until 7am!) and after everyone was fed, we opened presents. We had quite the haul. Tori got some toys: an Aurora doll, stuffed Dumbo baby, stuffed Daisy duck, a new baby with a carrier, a Sesame Street medical kit, a Sesame Street school bus, an Elmo blanket, and an animated dinosaur. she was in heaven with all the new toys, so thank you aunties, uncles, grandmas, and friends for the great gifts!
It has been nice to have Jason home and to relax and have fun with our little family. Jason got two new Wii games and 2 new board games so we have been having some fun playing with those. We sure missed our family (tears were shed and christmas music was extra depressing), but here are some pictures for you to enjoy until we see you again!

Having a little fun with my sunglasses.

This was taken yesterday. I think that she is about 71/2 or 8 pounds now. We went to Carter's to buy new pajamas for Tori who all of the sudden is growing like a weed and is almost stretching out of her 18 month pajamas, so we got Brooke all dressed for the occasion.

Ahh...sleeping.

Brooke's little hands

Ahh...just seconds before Brooke spit up on her pjs, Tori was holding her hand. Tori just learned to say Brooke the other day. She calls her "Bru, bru". It is quite cute!

A close up.

Her new toys. She loves them. The Target gift certificates bought her the little Sesame Street bus. She loves the baby and notice that she has a necklace on with the tag still on and the matching bracelet dangling from her throat. She also has Ernie clutched in her little right hand for safe keeping!

She loves Burt too. We wish that we would have bought her a stuffed one, but instead she will just have to carry around the Burt thermometer from her medical kit! Brooke sleeping on Tori's new Elmo blanket made by Grandma Frann.

All tuckered out after we delivered our Christmas goodies.

Like Tori, Brooke loves the lambs in the bassinet.

They make her smile and coo!

Jason with the little munchkin. A super cute shot of Tori in her Christmas Eve sweater.

A cute one with Daddy!

And last but not least...pajamas and bow! :)

Gingerbread with a chance of peace!

One handed, so it will be short! Gingerbread: you will see the picture later. Peace: 2 nights of Brooke sleeping in her bassinet. Solution: Putting a blanket under the cushion of her bassinet so that it is elevated, being wrapped like a mummy with one arm free and being lulled to sleep by songs of twirling lambs. :)

A cute one of Brookie!

The blur! Tori has turned into an extremely active toddler. She us always on the run (usually with something that she shouldn't have in her hands!)

Ok...so I had to get a picture of this! Tori is now experimenting with the thought of life without clothing. I am trying to nix the idea!

Mmmmm...gingerbread from Grandma Frann! She devoured it!

Tori loves to massage my feet...which is really rubbing with a bit of pinching.The next one is a great one of her eyes! So unique!

Nothing like kicking up your feet on a Sunday with a spoon of peanut butter and the Muppets!

A very warm bath is now welcome! Brooke now likes to hang out in the tub!

More pictures

Another week...nothing too exciting here. I did go to my first three hour block of church yesterday. that was cool...I was holding out because the baby is so small and all of the flus and RSV, etc. but I went anyway. It was great to talk to people and even better to have someone to talk to while breastfeeding! That was the best. Breastfeeding really isn't my favorite so far. I hope it gets better, or this mama might quit early. I was hoping to go 6 months like I did with Tori (but I pumped with her). I have debated just quitting and pumping, but there is so much work cleaning all the parts and then there is all of the bottles. Plus I don't think that I am producing enough milk as it is. Ugh!!! And the discomfort of it all!!! Anyway, enough of my complaining...here are the kids!

I just had to put some pictures of Tori in this little cardi...and she also has all of her hair in pigtails! Her hair is getting so long!

This is one of her favorite pastimes. She loves to lounge in the swing (so does the cat). The one who really belongs in the swing (Ms. Brooke) really isn't that fond of it!

Ha ha...I know this is blurry, but I caught one of her smiles on camera. She started smiling (occasionally) last Thursday.

All bundled up. We wet out for a night on the town. She stayed hidden in her seat the whole time nice and cozy like.

I love her hair after a bath.Totally fuzzy.

This is what she looks like right now! I took these just minutes ago!

What a snuggler!

1st month and 1st Snow

Well...not much to say. Brooke is getting longer...not really bigger. Last time we checked (Friday) she was 6 1/2 pounds and 20 1/2 inches long. She is 3 ounces fatter and 1 1/2 inches longer! Which means she is tall and skinny. Anyway...we had our first snow yesterday. Tori donned her little snow suit and her boots from her grandparents (on the Dinger side) and played out in the snow with Daddy...well...she could barely move and wasn't exactly sure about the snow. She was still freezing! Enjoy the pictures.

Ummm...why am I in this snow suit and why is there white stuff on our porch?

Wow! I am totally adorable in this get up! It's freezing out here!

The cutest picture of Tori and Daddy coming in from the snow!

Brooke at 1 month! (Sorry no open eyes today...she is growing and needs her beauty rest!)

If you want to see something really freaky go back to May 2008 in our archive and you will see how much Tori and Brooke look alike. It is kind of ridiculous. Tori just has more hair!

Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Dingers

I am typing this blog with one hand. Tori is down for a nap and Brooke just ate! The Dingers (Gwen, Dennis & Marie) came up for Thanksgiving right after my mom left. I was solo for only like 7 hours. :) anyway, it was fun to have them here and to help out with our Thanksgiving feast.

Here is a tender picture of Brooke in the other little outfit that my mother bought her and with the blanket that she made!

Thanksgiving. Jason doing the honors of slicing the turkey. It is the first time that we used our electric knife. Then there is Tori with her little Thanksgiving feast. She mainly just played with all of the food and had a roll and some milk.

Chilling after the big feast. I didn't stuff myself, that was for the earlier years! Tori is pretending to be stuffed here!

Well...I know this is a little weird, but we had Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We knew that we wouldn't be able to be together and that Jason and I can't really travel with the munchkins during the winter so we celebrated Christmas! Tori is sporting a pink tutu that her Auntie Marie made her while opening her presents. She got some blocks and some "pretties" (or necklaces and bracelets). She loved to open the gifts, but got tired of the whole thing pretty quickly.

Tori in her new killer shades.

Ahh...Jason with Brookie.

The whole fam.

Tori enjoying her new blocks!

She is so excited!

Last but not least some pictures of Brooke today. A whole 3 weeks old!

Is that a smile? So stinking cute!