HALLOWEEN

Today was so much fun!! Since the movie Despicable Me came out, I've wanted to dress Brooklyn up as a little Minion. We looked for costumes but they didn't make any for infants and the ones that we could buy for older kids were not cute at all. So we decided that making one would be the best way to go. We looked all over Idaho Falls to find a pattern for the basic shape of the body. No one had anything that was even close so I decided that I would have to design her whole costume. It was a daunting task but we finally figured it out! I sewed all day Friday and finally got it done, after a very frustrating day of sewing. Trying to get a sewing machine to work, that wasn't mine, was making me want to pull my hair out.

But all of the frustration and time definately paid off! The outfit is adorable and everyone loved it. It kept her toasty warm during the evening of trunk or treating. She had a blast and even got used to her costume being on. She didn't like it at first, but after being in it for a while, she didn't seem to mind it. I can't wait to decide and make her costume for next year!

Here is a video of her walking, or should I say wadling, in her costume. It had all of us laughing!!

Cats

We got home from the store today and when Brooklyn saw the cats as we walked in the house she started talking up a storm. It almost sounded like she was scolding them. We went inside, the cats followed us up to the porch so I shut the glass door and let Brooklyn sit and talk to them for a few minutes. She seemed to really enjoy it!! The cats would come up to the door and rub their sides against the glass like they would against your pant leg. One of them would put his paw on the window whenever Brooklyn would put her hand or finger on the glass. It was really cute! 

Here's her conversation.

 

 

Playing with the cats!

Walking Better

Brooklyn is walking so much better. She is always on the go, getting into things and keeping us busy. She's enjoyed figuring out that she can move faster when she walks and she's getting more and more daring as she gets better. She'll try to run away when I chase her, but she hasn't quite got the balance for it so she usually doesn't make it far. Since she started walking, she's developed even more of her personality. She can be quite a tease. She'll act like she's walking to you and then at the last second, she turns and walks away. She can walk from one end of our house to the other and has even started standing up without having to use the furniture. She's a lot more playful with us, and we can get her to giggle a lot more. I love being able to stay at home with her!! It's the best job anyone could ask for!

Walking October 14, 2011

Walking October 20, 2011

Getting Ready For Winter!!

Yesterday we worked on the lawn as a family to get it ready for winter. We had to mow the lawn a couple times to get it short enough and there was a lot of cut grass so we decided to rake it up. I started on the front lawn while Tyson mowed the back. I didn't have a rake so I had to use a snow shovel to rake it all up, which was a lot more work to get all of the grass into a pile. Barkley got home and came over with a rake and told me it would probably work faster with it. The job definitely went a lot faster on the side lawn, and my back and shoulders hurt a lot less. After a few hours of mowing and raking the lawn, we were only halfway done. I can't believe how many clippings there are!!

We mowed the grass like this for the first pass around the back lawn and by the end my legs and back were killing me. It was fun having the three of us together while we got the lawn ready.  

Today, I strapped Brooklyn on my back so I could finish raking the grass clippings into a pile while Tyson cut hay. I was busily raking and when I stopped to give my arms a little break, I noticed Brooklyn's legs were hanging limply and she was really quiet. Tyson came up the road and I walked over to ask him if she was asleep. He laughed and told me she was out so we decided to turn her around so she was facing my back instead of away from me.

I finally finished it up about 2 hours after I started and now we have five piles of grass around the house, and no idea what to do with all of it.

After taking a ride in the tractor with Tyson, we came home and took pictures of Brooklyn in the big pile of grass out back. She looked so tiny surrounded by all of it. She took handfuls of it and clapped her hands, thoroughly enjoying herself. Her eyes were so blue surrounded by the grass and the red and white coat. I love those blue eyes, they're so pretty!!

 

Beautiful Blue Eyes!

HEAT!!

So we've been without heat so far this year and with the early snow, our house has been very cold! We have had a space heater in Brooklyn's room as well as ours which keeps those rooms comfortable. Brooklyn and I have been stuck in her room for almost 2 weeks and we both are getting cabin fever. There is only so much you can do when you are confined to one room. I have been able to get quite a bit of blogging and crocheting done. Which has been a lot of fun. I also got a few lessons done for my class, which feels fantastic.

We started out by ordering 250 gallons of diesel, thinking that was the problem. When that didn't work, we had someone come to service our furnace and found out that we had to have our chimney and furnace cleaned out because they were both filled with soot. The technician told me he wouldn't finish working on the furnace until it was cleaned because it could ignite and start a house fire. He also said that the furnace pilot light wasn't getting the oxygen flow that it needed and that was why the furnace kept shutting off.

Today we finally got a guy out here to clean everything up. His truck was very different but it got our furnace cleaned so we could get it running. The guy that cleaned it out was very dirty by the time he was done. I'm glad I don't have to wash his clothes!!

This afternoon the technician came back and fixed the furnace and we had HEAT!! It was so nice to have a warm house. Brooklyn and I were really getting tired of being confined to one or two rooms in the house. Granted, I got a lot of schoolwork done, but cabin fever definitely set in. I can't wait to get the rest of the house cleaned. After a week or so of being in Brooklyn's room, the rest of the house was neglected and it'll be nice to get it cleaned.

COWS!!

Today was a lot of fun! Tyson is taking the whole week off to help on the farm and go hunting. It's been nice to spend a little extra time with him. Today we put up fence and moved the cows out to the hay. I drove the pickup up and down the lands so Tyson and Gary could get the fence posts and knobs out of the back. Brooklyn sat on my lap and peaked out the window at Tyson as he counted steps for the next post. She would talk, laugh and giggle on my lap. When we were waiting to for them to fix a path for the cows, I read while Brooklyn explored the back of the pickup. I played Peek-a-Boo with Brooklyn and got her squealing and giggling. She's really been a lot of fun. What a great morning!!

Tyson and I went into town to get Tyson's hunting license and tags while Gary tried to get all of the cows and calves to go across the canal and onto the correct land. Three of the older calves didn't want to go across, but one of the younger calves just bolted across. I guess those four were chickens, you could say. When Tyson and I got home from town, we helped load them in the trailer and then Tyson picked up the new calf that was born yesterday and we headed down the road. Tyson sat in the back of the pickup holding the calf down so that it wouldn't get hurt and Brooklyn and I sat in the back seat so she could see the calf. She was so excited she was squealing and talking up a storm. She had a lot of fun!! When we got down to the other field, we unloaded the calves into the new shoot to hold them and separate them from the others. Then the guys separated all of the cows that needed to be and then we let the little calves out. Brooklyn enjoyed getting her picture taken with the littlest calf. All of that took too long so Tyson didn't end up getting to go hunting but it was nice to spend the day together.

I hope we can figure out a way to farm full time so Brooklyn and I can spend more time with Tyson. We've all enjoyed it!!

Jack Frost Did a Fantastic Job!!

Frost on the hood of the pickup this morning! Awesome pattern!!

Dancing Again!!

I just can't get enough of her cute dancing!! She has really started to dance more this last week and we've had so much fun with it. She dances in the tractor, car, and at home. The more upbeat songs she really gets into. I thought I would put a few videos on so we could remember these fun moments! These videos were taken just after Brooklyn and I got back from helping for the Relief Society activity we are having tonight. I turned the music on so I could make the rest of the drink I am bringing and Brooklyn was rocking out to the songs. These days, when she's learning to do new things, are so much fun and they are all coming and going so quickly!! I can't believe how big she is getting and all of the new stuff she figures out. She's a smart cookie and I am so blessed to be her mom. Watching her learn and grow is the highlight of my day, week, and month. I can't believe she'll be 1 at the end of December!! Where has the last year gone. I love my little angel and I look forward to watching her learn even more.

New Favorite Toy

Today we put a few toys in front of Brooklyn to see what she would like to play with. We put a doll, car and a tractor. Well, she is definitely a farm girl because the first toy she went for was the tractor. She drove it around on the ground and even made noises. It was so cute. I figured this was the toy she was going to grab, since her room is John Deere as well as many of her blankets. She also enjoys going for rides in the tractor and watching them drive, so there really wasn't a question about her going for it. It was just funny to watch. When Kaye picked up the doll for Brooklyn and held it out to her, the look on Brooklyn's face was one of confusion. She looked as though she had no idea what to do with it. It was priceless!!

Ready for Snowmobiling!!

Showing off her new snow suit. We decided if it was going to be an early winter, we'd better get her something warmer. Now that she has a snow suit, we can take her snowmobiling!! There were only a few snow suits to choose from but we thought this one was the cutest out of them all.

We think she looks like the Michelin Man in it. The outfit is really big on her but by the end of winter it'll fit her just right. She can barely walk in it because the pants are a few inches too long, but she just looks so cute in it!

You've Got to Love Idaho

First Snowfall

Today was the first snowfall for this coming winter. I couldn't believe it when I looked outside this morning and saw it snowing and at the beginning of October!! The news tonight said that there was anywhere from 3-5 inches of snow in the Idaho Falls area. There were trees and branches down all over town and the power went out a couple of times. The snow was so wet that it snapped some of the power lines and branches causing a lot of the outages.

Tyson and I took Brooklyn outside when he got home from work to let her play in the snow. She wasn't too sure about it at first, but after a little while she started to play in it and eat it. We put her in a sleeper and then bundled her up in the only warm outfit we had. Then we put her John Deere boots, that are 2 sizes too big but fit well with her footed sleeper, on and went outside.

Here's a video of her outside in the snow. She had such a good time!! We enjoyed watching her experience the feel of snow and the taste. She didn't seem to mind at all. After playing in the snow outside, we went down to Gary and Kaye's house to let her play around in a warm house since our heater doesn't work right now. She had a lot of fun looking out the kitchen door at the snow. She's very inquisitive and intrigued by new things, so this was fun for her.

Hopefully it melts soon and warms up a little bit. I don't think I am quite ready for winter just yet. I would like a little more fall weather before having winter and snow here for good.

Conference Weekend

This morning Tyson took Brooklyn with him to change water. She's been sick and has two ear infections so we decided to really bundle her up. She had a blast with her daddy and grandpa. She even got to ride in the tractor on Grandpa Coles' lap.

"Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling.You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It's not something you do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for." Elder Neil L. Andersen (October 2011 General Conference) This was my favorite talk that I was able to listen to. The mother than put this on her blog is absolutely right and I love being a mother!

We were only able to listen to a little bit of Conference due to a crazy weekend. Yesterday we were out farming and fixing the tractor so we were able to listen to a little bit then. And around 1:30 am this morning, we took Brooklyn to the emergency room. She had been running a fever since Wednesday and we had given her some Motrin like the doctor told us to at 8:00 pm last night. Her fever went down, but it went too low. When we checked her at about 9:30 pm she was at 96.8 F. When she woke up around 11:30 pm she was at 96.4 F. We checked her about a half hour later and she was down to 96.2 F. We called Tyson's dad to come up and give her a priesthood blessing. We took her out of her wet clothes and put her in some dry ones and bundled her up again. Her body felt cold and clammy after snuggling with her for a half hour and her temperature hadn't gone back up so we headed to the ER to make sure that she was okay. When we got there her temperature had gone back up and was at 97.8 F so the doctor just blew us off and said that our thermometer was probably not working. Tyson and I were positive that it wasn't the thermometer. I checked my temperature when we got back home and it said I was 98.2 F. I was upset that the doctor wouldn't even really listen to us. Her body was cold when we left for the hospital so it wasn't the thermometer.

Here's Tyson and Brooklyn during conference, worn out from the night's activity.

I knew why her temperature had gone up. It was the priesthood blessing that she was given. I am so grateful to have a husband who holds the priesthood. It is such a blessing to be able to have my daughter and I get blessings whenever we need them and we know that they work!! I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to help when we are worried about our little Brooklyn. What an amazing experience, it strengthened my testimony of the priesthood and gave me an added peace of mind.

All in all, we had an interesting weekend but all went well and that's what matters most.