First Birthday!

Brooklyn turned one today!! I can't believe that my little girl is growing up so fast. We had the party at my parents house, since we were down there for the week and boy was it fun. Shawn, Julie and Emma had the day planned with Julie's family so Brooklyn got to open the gift from them first thing this morning. She got cups to play in the tub with and a book to help her learn her colors. Brooklyn was really excited to open it!

Coby had a baptism he was going to so he and Jenna had Brooklyn open her gifts from them before he left. She got a cute corduroy outfit and a beautiful coat with a hat and gloves. She had so much fun ripping the wrapping paper open!

We snapped this next picture and the look on her face reminds me of a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She looks like she's making sure it's okay to rip open her gifts. Too cute!!

Later, when everyone else got there, we had Brooklyn open the rest of her gifts. Nathan, Kristine and their boys came and brought Brooklyn a gift. Brooklyn enjoyed ripping into this gift too!! Who would have guessed, lol :)

Nathan said he was going to get a barn with animals, but the boys wanted to get her this Cabbage Patch Doll. I'd say Brooklyn liked the doll by the look on her face!

Brooklyn finished opening the gifts from Tyson and I and then it was on to the big one from Grandma and Grandpa Yates! When she opened this she couldn't wait for us to get it out of the package. She kept trying to take the whole thing from us. Dad ended up taking all of the batteries out of their big flashlights so she could turn it on and play with it. She had soooo much fun!

Then it was time for cake and ice cream!! I had been looking forward to this all night. We tried to get the free 1st birthday cake from WalMart but nothing was wanting to work out in that area so when we got back to my parents' house, we took a chocolate muffin (from Costco, they're huge) and put frosting on it as well as a crab bath toy. We put the candle in between its claws and lit the candle to sing Happy Birthday. I was helping record the video and I said that it would be funny if Brooklyn sneezed and blew out the candle. A few seconds later, SHE DID!! It was so funny. Her sneeze didn't blow out the candle becuase Tyson blew it out just a second before she sneezed but it made a very cute picture. After we gave the cake to her, I realized we didn't get a picture of just the cake :( I was a little frustrated with myself but decided nothing was going to spoil the moment!!

At first, Brooklyn wasn't sure what to do with the cake. We don't let her get messy much with her food at home so this was all new to her. But after she tasted the frosting she started to dig in. The muffin was dense so Tyson had to help her dig her fingers into it. After that, it was bite after bite for her!

We got some really cute pictures of the faces she pulled as she ate. There were some funny ones and some really serious ones. All in all, we had fun watching her eat the cake and two scoops of ice cream.

  

After she was done eating, Tyson and I took her upstairs to get her washed off and then everyone else sat and talked while they finished their ice cream. It was such a fun night. Brooklyn seemed to enjoy herself tonight which was GREAT!!

First Christmas!!

Today was such a wonderful day! We started the day off by getting ready for church and heading to my mom and dad's ward at 9:00. The Sacrament Meeting program was so wonderful. We had a few speakers who went through the Savior's life from birth until death with intermittent songs by the ward choir. It was an absolutely wonderful way to celebrate His birth and all He has done for us!

After Sacrament was over, we headed back to my parents' house for gift opening and snacking. I had so much fun watching Brooklyn open her gifts, and she enjoyed ripping them open. She was so excited that ripping paper today didn't get her in trouble. She got movies, clothes and toys. Shawn, Julie and Emma gave her an alphabet puzzle, which she was excited about too!

She also got a really soft stuffed cow and a blanket from Megan, which she loves to cuddle with. They are both really soft and as you can see from the pictures. The first thing she did after she unwrapped it was give the cow a hug. It was adorable!



As I spent the morning and afternoon with family, I couldn't help but notice that Brooklyn really helped me remember the spirit of Christmas. I know how special it is to bring a child into this world and how much they bless your life. I have been so blessed this past year to be a mother. It is the greatest calling a woman could ask for. There is no other joy in life that compares to the bond a mother has with a child. Brooklyn is so special and I love her no matter what! Oh what a wonderful Christmas, to get to celebrate it with a fantastic husband and daughter, and a wonderful family!!

I got my curlers I have been wanting forever!! (Santa brought me those in my stocking!!) I also got a sewing machine from my mom and dad, which I can't wait to get home and start on all my waiting projects. I also was surprised with a Cricket Expression from Shawn and Julie! Shawn got Julie the second edition and they gave me her other one!! I was so excited. I've been wanting one but it wasn't something I needed, so I never went further toward buying it
.

Tyson and I got an Acer tablet, which we conveniently left at home on our bed. I guess that was a blonde moment on my end. We got it all put away in the box (because we've been playing with it for a month) and it never made it to the car. Oh well, I guess we'll have to play with that one when we get home. Tyson got the Star Wars complete set from my mom and dad, which he has been wanting since it came out all together on DVD. He also got a board to hang on the wall at home with one of his favorite scriptures. Doctrine and Covenants 88:119. It took me two days, with the help of Angela Larsen and Heather Koster, to get all of the letters on the board. It was quite difficult but so worth it. I think he really liked it and he's been wanting that scripture hung in our house for a long time. We watched everyone else open their gifts and then had one more for my parents to open.

We gave the envelope to Brooklyn so she could walk a present over to them and she threw a fit the whole way. We finally had to give it to them since she was not going to. Here is the video of what was in the envelope as well as their reaction to it!!



I was shocked by their reaction to their last gift. I didn't expect tears but I guess it brought a lot of happiness to them. I was so glad that we decided to give it to them!!

After presents were all opened, we all grabbed a little bit to eat and got ready to go to Grandma Yates' for dinner and hanging out with more family. During dinner, my mom gave Grandma the same envelope we gave them and told her to open it. She said she wanted to share the Christmas card we had given them. Everyone was so excited when they heard what my Grandma said. It was definitely a shock to some but they all seemed happy for us. The food was great and the gifts afterward were amazing. My Grandma gave us a Ninja blender set, which will be fun to use, as well as a few sentimental gifts. Each of us received a piece of the blanket that Grandpa used to keep him warm during his fight with cancer, and all of the guys received one of Grandpa's ties. Both were embroidered with Grandpa. It was such a wonderful gift, to have a piece to remember him by. We were all so touched. All of my grandparents' kids received a sculpture of my grandparents holding hands. It was such an emotional night. All of the gifts helped us remember the true reason for Christmas, and we were all so glad to have had Grandpa for past 74 years. He was truly a magnificent man and I look forward to when I get to see him again! We finished the night off and all headed home.

So this week my poor little Brooklyn has been sick. She woke up Sunday morning running a fever of 101.5 so we decided it would be best for her to stay home. As the new Elders Quorum Pesident, Tyson needed to be to church for meetings and to hand out next year's manuels. I stayed home and took care of Brooklyn and Tyson went to church. Broooklyn's temperature fluctuated all day and she snuggled with me from sun up to sun down. I love getting to watch her sleep but I felt bad when she would flinch and twitch due to not feeling well and the high fever. I hope she gets feeling better soon!! What a trooper for being so good every time she is sick.

I took her to the doctor on Monday and they told me that she has two really nasty ear infections. She's had so many that I hope it doesn't affect her hearing! I hope she gets feeling better soon so she can get down and have fun and be herself.

John Deere Santa Night!

Tonight was Santa night at Bonneville County Implement, where Tyson works. We took Brooklyn in to see Santa and she totally freaked out again. We finally got a picture of her but she had to be sitting on one of the tractors in order to get anywhere close to Santa. If he moved closer for the picture, she would start crying and grabbing Tyson's shirt. Throughout the night, Tyson and I handed the gifts to Santa so he could give them to the kids. Tyson's nickname was "Buddy the Elf." All in all, we had a really good time.

 

After most of the kids left, we let Brooklyn get on one of the tractors that would drive if you push on the peddle. She wanted hers to drive like the other kids' and was talking and yelling at them and Tyson. After a couple of times showing her how it would move if she pushed her foot down, she started taking off on her own. She drove a lot like Tyson, looking away from where she was driving. It reminded me of when Tyson watches out the window of the car to see if the crop rows are straight and who uses GPS on their tractors. She had so much fun, that when it was time to go, she screamed as we picked her up. She wanted to continue driving the tractor. We put her down to get her coat on and she ran away to get on the tractor. It took us a long time to get her coat on, but we finally did it and left before she saw them again.

The first video is her driving and almost running into the office door. The second video is of her talking to Tyson and the other kids to get her tractor moving. 

This video is of her taking her eyes off where she was headed so she could see what was going on around her. She takes driving lessons from daddy!



Eating by Herself!

Last week I was trying to feed Brooklyn and she wouldn't eat very well so I gave her the spoon and fork and helped her eat and then she ate everything on her plate! I was shocked. I guess she's decided she wants to be a big girl and eat by herself. We still have to help her a little bit but she's figuring it out. We definitely have messes to clean up afterward but it is fun to see her learn something new. Tyson let her share some of his homemade chocolate pudding tonight and she loved it!! She kept sticking her spoon out for him to put the bowl closer for her to reach it. It was so cute to see the two of them eating together.

She absolutely loves to spend time with Tyson, and she's still a momma's girl which is nice. I'm glad she still wants to come to me. I am usually the one she wants to put her down for bed at night and it makes me feel so loved! Oh how I love this little girl of mine. She is my little angel!

Pregnancy

This pregnancy has definitely been a lot harder than the last. My morning sickness lasts all day and seems to get worse as the day goes on. Brooklyn's poopy diapers make me gag every time, so I have had to come up with a creative way to change them without smelling it. It is definitely funny looking but it gets the job done without me losing everything I've eaten that day.

We went to the doctor for the first ultrasound on November 30th and found out that I am not as far along as we thought. The ultrasound tech had a really hard time finding the baby because I was barely 6 weeks along so it is really small. She had to look a few times and she finally found it. In the picture she printed out for us, the baby looks like a diamond ring.



I was really nervous during the ultrasound because she didn't say anything for a really long time and I was thinking maybe we had a false positive test. I was getting discouraged but she finally told us she had found the baby. My heart had a jump start and then things seemed to go okay. I am super excited that we are having another baby. Brooklyn will have so much fun with a new sibling and by the time the baby is born she will hopefully be old enough to hold it and help me out a little. She loves little kids so I'm sure she'll have plenty of fun with a new baby brother or sister!!