Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe holiday...or Christmas...whatever it is that we call this season nowadays. We went to Florida to visit my lovely in-laws...yes, I really mean lovely in the best sense of the word, they truly are awesome!

It was not the Florida weather I was expecting but it was warmer than Denver, so I can't complain. We went to Disney World one day, Sea World another, Jason got to go golfing, spent time chilling out and visiting family friends in the area and just having fun. Sydney was sick most of the time and I don't know what it is, but she still hasn't gotten over it yet. Her cheeks are bright red again and she drools, so I suspect teething again, but she has been overly fussy and needy...sigh :-(

Brooklyn is also getting over an ear infection and got sick the day we left. So the only nice thing about coming home was that I had enough sense to clean the house before we left so it wasn't a wreck when we returned! I am not a clean freak by any means and on any given day, you can come to my house and they'll be dishes in the sink, all beds unmade, toys in every room and perhaps some poop on the floor from Pugsley because, well, we just didn't make it outside fast enough. But thats life with kids and a dog and when you work an hour away from your home and pick up kids afterwards, you just don't always have the time or the care to do too much maintenance! But one thing I try to do before I travel for work or go on vacation is to clean up the house...dishes, laundry, whatever is out in the open...then I feel at peace with myself. ohmmmmm.

I think we are getting to the end of her ear infection and neediness and whining at night (sorry, I love you Brookie but come on, I need sleep too!) so hopefully JC and I can avoid the crud and get back to normal.

Disney was fun but they were packed and I do not recommend visiting the week after Christmas. I can definitely see what all the fuss is about, I mean, really, it is fun, even if you can't get the song "its a small world after all" out of your head for 3 days. I know Sydney won't remember any of it and in fact, slept through our much anticipated meeting with 2 certain mice, but Brooklyn still talks about the boat ride through the cave that she didn't like (Pirates) and riding the carousel, which has got to be her favorite ride. Unfortunately, she doesn't understand waiting in line for an hour and gets antsy, but overall, the girls did well and we survived!

Sydney has been doing pretty well with the sign language and she laughs and claps along with us when we encourage her to do more. She can now sign "book" and "all done" and "touchdown," though I don't think the universal sign that we all know as touchdown is actually a sign approved by the ASL, but she does it anyways and its so cute! We can drink out of a cup without a lid, though its not always pretty, and we are getting better and better at using utensils the way they were meant to be used. She also a dancer too, so its always fun to watch her head bob and feet kick when music comes on.

Brooklyn's new obsession is Strawberry Shortcake and the Big Bad Wolf is part of almost every conversation and story. She can almost ride her bike but hasn't quite figured out the pedaling thing completely, so we'll keep trying once the snow has melted from the deck. I've also recently become her best friend and I am also known as Plum Puddin'. Life is Good!

Today my daddy would be 64 years old- Happy Birthday to you Pap! I love you and miss you so much! Wish we could share a beer and watch Jay Leno together again! He never got to meet Miss Sydney Kaylin and would chuckle at the funny things she and Brooklyn say and do. He would be so proud of my nephew Trent for serving his country and coming back from Afghanistan, and so proud of my brother for making the honor society in college. He would probably ask Goober why she bought a minivan and if she planned to have more kids and say that if she was, she'd be crazy :-) but still tell us that he loved us and would help us out when he hits the lottery someday. If you love someone, tell them! Enjoy life and the little things.

Best Buds

Brooklyn and Sydney LOVE riding the 4-wheeler. Everytime we go into the garage, Sydney points to it and starts chatting up a storm! They like to go for rides around the yard and up and down the street.

Brookie's hair is slowly slowly growing out- she cut her own bangs and this is the best trim we could get based on what she did. Now you just notice her cherub cheeks a little more!

These are a few of our favorite things

Miss Brooklyn Makena recently started pre-school and just loves it! We don't seem to be having the same separation anxiety like we used to at "the little school." Now that she's in "the big school" she has been such a big girl and doing all kinds of fun new things! She has learned to write her name (well, scribble, but she's still excited) and sings new songs. Her favorite...not Twinkle Twinkle or Five Little Monkeys. She likes the big girl music, i.e. Taylor Swift! She dances to the "You Belong To Me" video and sings around the house "I wear t-shirts, I'm on the bleachers." I have got to get this on tape, it is hilarious!

She loves watching videos on my Ipod and while she still loves Dora, well, she's getting into finer tatses. Phineas and Ferb and the Berenstain Bears are some new favorites. She loves playing in dirt, swinging on swings and loves to give hugs to strangers. There is no stranger danger with this girl. If you ask her is she should take candy from strangers, she says Yes! If we go out and someone smiles at her or is nice to her, she wants to give hugs. She also loves to say to mommy and daddy "I yuv you berry berry berry much." If I ask her "forever and ever?" she says "yes, forebber and ebber!"

Sydney is learning a bit of sign language and has just recently started signing "more." She's learning much later than Brooklyn, mainly because we haven't done it as much with her. She loves nutri-grain bars and bananas and both girls love gatorade. Sydney also loves peppermint patties, though Brooklyn prefers snickers and anything chocolate, really. Sydney is also starting to get into reading. She likes to bring us her favorite book of farm animals and sit in your lap or on her little chair and point to the pictures. I hope she gets into reading, Brooklyn likes it alot too.

In the pics, Sydney is enjoying a cupcake; Brooklyn and a few of her friends at her birthday party sitting in a big giant teddy bear; feeding a deer in the yard; swinging on a ball swing; Sydney reading a book- notice the bright red cheeks....when she's teething her cheeks get very red, she drools like crazy and is not so sweet.

Ninny Boo turns 1

Miss Sydney Kaylin Bush- affectionately known as Ninny Boo Boo, Ninny Boos, Siddy Biddy, Little Miss Minny Minny Boo Boo. Sweatheart, Sweet Thing and Snickerdoodle has turned 1!

We got her pictures taken over the weekend and boy did they turn out cute! I'll email some shortly- she did a great job posing and smiling- unlike her big sister, who nagged and nagged to get her picture taken too, but couldn't smile or stand still when it came down to it. We still managed to get a very adorable one of her and daddy. Sydney's turned out so nice that they want to hang them up in the store! My baby- a model!

She is walking and babbling up a storm. She can pretty clearly say mama and dada and she always calls for daddy and likes to hear him respond so she can say it again and again. She can also say "thank you" although its not quite as clear as sounds more like "tan too." While she can't say anything near what sounds like Pugsley, she says something every time she sees him. She likes to giggle and loves when you play the "I'm gonna get you" game and run after her. I must have passed on the WWF gene to both of them because they both laugh and smile when they fall off the couch, or the ottoman, or when you throw them on the bed.

Sydney sleeps through the night, goes to bed early, naps in the car- everything that Brooklyn didn't- and still doesn't do! Some of the newer foods that she likes is chili, green beans, avocado and black olives, plus the traditional hot dogs, mac and cheese, all the fun kid foods.

Brooklyn will soon be 3 and is Miss On The Go. She loves her music from mommy's ipod and her favorite songs now are Mary Had a Little Lamb (which she screams when she sings), Hush Little Baby, Ring Around the Rosy and the Monster Boogie from the Laurie Berkner Band. Since the monster's in the song have green and yellow teeth, well, that's what she wants now too. I keep trying to tell her that a Princess has white teeth but apparently monster teeth are better.

We are going to the beach in a few weeks and she can't wait to eat crabs and eat sharks and build a sand castle. I hope she likes the ocean and has fun. We should perhaps stop watching Shark Week until we get back. Brooklyn will kiss Sydney one minute and then push her down the next and take away her toys- never a dull moment with the two of them around!

They are both at such fun stages right now its hard not to gobble them up and kiss them every minute. Brooklyn is learning to ride a tricycle, loves helping you clean or cook and says the funniest things every day (swear words CAN be funny!...) Sydney explores everything and smiles and is a happy soul. The time has gone by so quickly and I know it will just pick up from here. We are blessed to have each other, to live in such a beautiful setting, to have a roof over our head and a job that takes care of us and to have such fantastic and loving friends and family.

Every day I watch these girls grow and learn and I constantly try to stay happy and thankful for all that I have and try to keep the real things that matter in a real perspective. Sappy moment over- we hope you all are happy and healthy and that life is good. As always, we welcome company!

Daddy and Brookie

Brooklyn loves her daddy!

Happy Mother's Day! I want a Camel Machiyoyo

What a nice Mother's Day it is...2 kids sleeping at the same time. One passed out on the couch after a DORA overload and the other just because its her normal nap time! I love it! Where's husband you ask? He's outside doing some manly thing with a chain saw and a wood splitter trying to make sure that we stay warm next winter. I have a glass of iced tea and just had my 4th helping of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies. And I am about to watch HGTV. I love Mother's Day! Thank you to everyone for all of the Birthday well wishes! We went out to dinner at a place we wouldn't normally go to. The dinner was so-so and Brooklyn needed a time out to adjust her attitude, but overall it was a good day spent with my family. I received some beautiful flowers at work. I love love love flowers! I don't have a green thumb to save my life, but I love flowers and the smell and just the look. I don't care if they die in a few days... its always been a sure fire way to pick me up and make me smile.

Sydney just had her 9 month checkup. She is 14 lbs and 14oz. Dr. says she's a bit of a lightweight but overall she is a healthy and very happy baby girl! She is pulling herself up now onto everything. She hasn't really tried to take any steps yet but it seems like in just one night she pulled herself up, so maybe she'll start moving sooner than later. We got the go ahead to start giving her more solids and so far we have tried scrambled eggs, pancakes and Yo Baby yogurt. Brooklyn used to love (and still does) Avocado, so we'll try that with her too. Brooklyn also now likes Carmel Machiatto's, which she pronounces "Camel Machiyoyos."

Brooklyn is now into stories and loves the 3 Little Pigs. We pretend that one of us is the big bad wolf and we chase each other around the house. She also likes to blow me off the bed (she puffs and she puffs) and giggles like crazy when I fall off the bed over and over. I have a special playlist on my ipod of Brooklyn's music and she knows every word. She sings randomly on her own and dances to almost anything. Just today she sang happy birthday out of nowhere. She likes pushing Sydney around in her play stroller and more often is just telling her "I love you." It is so darling. Her other big thing is brushing hair (mimi willl love that!) and wetting your hair with her own spray bottle. Every now and then I let her completely soak my head and shirt as she brushes my hair and tells me to put my head back. Then she says I have crazy hair and then she says I am so pretty. She is now pretty good about repeating all of our full names, including our middle names and every now and then she blurts out some Spanish word she learned from Dora and Diego.

This is my "get what I want" look

Behind this sweet little grin...is a sweet little girl!