Copycat

When people say that kids are like sponges, they're not lying.  Brenna is at a really fun stage where she picks up on everything Chris or I do so quickly I don't even realize I've just done whatever it is she's now copying.  This is in some ways really fun because we can teach her funny tricks, but it's also pretty intimidating because we have to be extra careful with every move we make because there is no way she'll miss it. 

The other day, I put in my contacts while Brenna was brushing her teeth.  I rarely wear contacts anymore, so I'm pretty sure this was the first time she had ever watched me put them in, so she was totally focused on what I was doing.  One of the "toys" that is in her designated drawer in the bathroom is an extra contact case.  She usually loves to put the caps on and off the little spheres (yes, she can screw them on and off), but that morning after I finished putting in my contacts, she asked for her "play case" and did something totally different.  She turned on the water, filled up one side of the case and then dipped her finger in and touched it to her eyelids.  Now, whenever she finishes brushing her teeth she usually asks for her case and puts in her contacts.  This morning I tried to get a video of it but she got distracted by the radio in the background...

Friday Photo Favorites

We didn't take one, single picture on Easter.  So, last week I took some fake Easter photos of Brenna.

This charade is OVER, Mom! 

Sweet as Sugar

As it is now public knowledge that Ruth is pregnant, it won't give anything away to say that she has not been feeling well for about three weeks now.  It is bad enough to feel like junk for weeks on end, but it is even tougher when there is a busy little bee requiring attention.  Today was particularly bad for Ruth, she woke up feeling sick and it only got worse throughout the morning.  The raging hormones were a little overwhelming at one point so she laid down on the couch for a short cry.  Brenna is obviously not accustomed to seeing her Mommy crying, but never fear, she had a plan.  She strolled up to Ruth, puckered her lips, and gave her Mommy a kiss.  Then she scampered off to her bedroom, got her comfort blanket, and gave it to Ruth to make her feel better.  Brenna may not be talking yet, but when her Mommy needed her most she didn't need to say anything at all.

 

Sneak Peak! Sshhh!

 Emily did a wonderful job capturing our family's love and made us look dang good, too!

Christmas Dresses

When Brenna was born, my mother gave us a collection of special clothes and shoes that were mine as a little girl.  Sadly, we forgot about them for awhile and before we knew it, Brenna was too big for a lot of the really cute summer dresses.  We put her in one of my favorites tonight for Mass and had a short photo shoot after.

Enjoy!

Dancing Queen

Newest obsession...DANCING!

Here is the first video of her dancing by herself that I took a few weeks ago

After spending a week studying GeeGee's excited interpretation of The Wiggle's "Hot Potato", she has picked up on a few more moves...

Friday Photo Favorites

It's pretty hard anymore to get a picture of Brenna without her trying to eat/play with the camera.  If she's doing something cute I'll pull it out and start snapping, but quicker that you would think possible, she's headed my way, salivating, with outstretched fingers. 
Here are a few cute faces that I managed to catch the other day.

Check out those teeth!!

"I hear that shutter, and I'm coming for you!"

"What's in there?"

Friday Photo Favorites...

...that I can't wait until Friday to post!

 

Brenna just loves being outside exploring.  Hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather as much as we are! 

Back in action!

Hello, all!  Sorry it's been so long since we made a post, but a lot has been happening around here.  My first excuse for a lack of posts is that I lost the cord to our camera and couldn't get the computer to read the SD card, so I had no way to get pictures off the camera and onto the computer.  But, what once was lost is now found and the camera a rearing and ready to go.  My second excuse is that in the span of about two weeks these things took place:

-Closed on our house
-Spent a weekend in Traverse City with Brenna at Geegee and Papa's house
-Came home to pack/move and Brenna got a fever for 3 days
-Moved (despite the sick little one)...(and found the camera cord under the couch!)
-Grandpa Blaxton passed away (the very night that we moved)
-Applied about 15 gallons of paint to the walls/ceiling of our house (much thanks to Mom and Dad Leikert)
-Attended the viewings and funeral for Grandpa
-Got new carpet and moved into the rest of the house

Everything has definitely settled down since the move and our house is slowly starting to feel more like a home.  Our families have been amazing through the whole transition and we TRULY could not have done it without their help.

In the weeks since the move, Brenna has had an explosion of development.  I swear, in one week she went from little baby to toddler.  She is now walking confidently and has successfully stood up with no assistance one or two times.  She eats three meals a day (of solid food), which is a HUGE improvement from her erratic bouts of liking/disliking solids.  She claps, sings, says "Dada", "Mama", and "Uh-oh".  She loves stuffed animals and anything soft and cuddly, books, music, dancing, and being outside (especially cross country meets where she claps and squeals for the runners).  Everyday she changes and picks up on some other little noise or skill.  And at 20 lbs she outweighs her 4-months-older-cousin by almost 4 pounds now.

I can't believe she'll be one in less than a month.

 

Hopefully soon our house will be put-together enough to post some pictures or a video.  Until then, here are a few more of Miss B.

Friday Photo Favorites

Brenna is SO busy!  Her toys only entertain her for a short time now because she would rather be exploring every nook and cranny of the apartment.  It seems like every day I have to create some new barrier or way to keep her out of trouble.  At first I was totally disgusted and horrified at the thought of her playing with the shoes on the shoe rack, but after about a week of fighting it, I figured there were worse things to play with.  I'll let her have that one...

Here are a few photos that display her curiosity quite well.

 

 

 

From the tupperware cabinet to the shoe rack...every day.

Splish Splash

Brenna loves her bath time!

Friday Photo Favorites

Our little girl is growing up so fast! She's now standing up all over the place and just this morning made her way all the way around the walker! Good Lord, please help us finds house soon so she'll have space to roam!

Friday Photo Favorites

 

 

 

 

 

Emily's birthday inspired this photo shoot :)