Fun at the park!

 Lane had a few hours off yesterday afternoon, so we took advantage of the opportunity to get out of camp and head into Winter Park.  We discovered a really fun children's park which provided ample entertainment.  It is so much fun that Brennan is now at an age where she can really play and discover.  We had such a great time!

We sent her down this slide all by herself for the first time and she loved it.  She kept trying to climb back up to do it all over again.

She is a climber

Come on girl, ride that horsey! 

Adventures at Crooked Creek

also could be known as Daddy Daughter Day from all of the pics of the two of them.

Today was gorgeous weather and Lane had some time during the afternoon that allowed us to wander and explore.

Can I just say that I absolutely adore my daughter?  As in, ADORE.  It's fun seeing glimpses of her little personality now and guessing how that will continue to play out.

For example:
She is SOCIAL.  She LOVES people... any person.  She walks into a room going 'hiiiiii.'  'hiiiii'.  (imagine how the kids say hi to Brennan on facetime and that is how she has learned to say hi... hiiiii Brennan, hiiiii Brennan).  She is smiley, friendly, loves to laugh and make new friends, goes to new people easily, and tries SO hard to keep up with the big kids here.

She is STUBBORN.  She knows what she wants and is a feisty little thing and we have seen that streak in her since the early days.  She has started blowing raspberries at me if she doesn't get her way.

She is a TOUGH little chick.  She really loves to be adventurous, explore, get roughed up, then doesn't complain a bit when blood comes.  She fell on the cement sidewalk today when just wearing a onesie and got a decent case of scraped up knee, but didn't make a peep just jumped up and kept playing.  Later, a rock dropped on her toe and she kind of looked at me with wide eyes and I tried to pick her up but she brushed me away to keep playing.  It wasn't until later that I noticed the dried blood streaking across her gashed toes that I realized it was a legitimate injury.  She falls, she bonks her head, she bangs into things, and it doesn't even bother her.  She is way too into exploring and climbing to let a little ouchie make her whine.  I love it.  

This girl goes CRAZY over balls.  If she sees one, it's over; any plans you had now include and are limited to anything having to do with the ball.  

Why is this girl so happy?  Because her daddy just walked out the door.  SHE LOVES HER DADDY.  Oh my word, if I could count the number of times a day she says Dada.  The number of times she says momma?  2

It took us probably 20 minutes to make it up this sidewalk so that she could chase that ball.

This place was her paradise.  Volleyballs and basketballs galore!  Ball!  Ball!  Ball!

Chasing after a volleyball even though she just had one in her hand

Must.  Have.  That.  Ball.

Carrying around a basketball even though it was half her size

Just look at that grin.  She is that spitting image of her daddy.

This was probably time number 56 that they crossed this bridge

She was so excited to discover a little cave just her size

That rock definitely went to dinner with us.  It was just not worth the battle to pry it from her hands.  The raspberries were epic.

And there's pictures of our day!

Home Tour

This is our home.  Pretend that you are walking through it with me.  

Looking left from the front door

Further into that living room

Kitchen

Love of my life, my turquoise hutch

Whoever finds Brennan first wins a lollipop

Looking right from the front door into our dining room

Cutest little 14 month old I know

The top floor tour will be held in approximately 20 months when I finally finish those rooms

Snapshots of Mimi & Papa's

Finally, finally I have a baby who is old enough to play in and make memories in the same spaces that all of my memories have been made.  While Lane was off at YL Camp, Brennan and I took a trip down to Monument to get some cousin and grandparent time and it was a GREAT week!  

  

It was so fun watching Brennan discover the playroom for the first time.  When we first got in there, she did a few laps getting her bearings and every now and then would catch my eye as if to say Is all of this for ME?  

Some of the pictures are not the best quality because 

#1 the girl was moving at warp speeds playing with all the toys she could in a limited amount of time and 

#2 my camera is terrible.  If my husband is reading this, this is my shameless plug for a new camera at some point in our marriage.  Please.  

We spent Wednesday at the pool and with the cousins.  This was Brennan's first experience with the pool and it was super cute watching her explore and discover how fun it is!  

Tentatively checking out the pool...

Slowly making her way closer to the water as Makena comes over to assist her

I made it to the water, just not sure if I want to go in yet!

The cousins were very eager and willing to help Brennan in the pool.  

Back at Mimi & Papa's, we did lots of fun activities:

Lots and lots of swinging~

Lots of playing on the back deck

B had just discovered what she thought was the discovery of the century and carried it all around the back deck with such sounds of glee, I wish the picture captured the babbling and laughter going on right now

And what did she find?  A pine needle.  Such fun to be had at Mimi & Papa's!  What a great week! 

the babe.

In the absence of me posting pictures of the new house, I will at least post pictures of my baby.  

This is cute- she NEVER sits to drink her milk, she will nurse it and nurse it as she takes a walking tour around the house with her beverage of choice.  

The other day I couldn't find Brennan- I began to look in all of the usual spots: sorting through my makeup drawer, playing with her baby monitor, trying to eat Sophie's food... no on all counts.  So I turned the corner into our living room to find this: 

I had this table out because I've been painting it and Brennan conveniently discovered a fantastic hiding place.  She was very delighted with herself.

Just tell me what you notice about these next two pictures.  

Look at it.  Hah!  Look at that beautiful belly!  

um, hi.

well, apparently i don't blog if i don't have pictures to post.  which is unfortunate, because 2 main events have happened in the last month that i wish had an entire blog devoted to them, but this blurb will have to suffice.

firstly, charlotte.  oh, charlotte, you have my heart.  what a wonderful, fun fun week we had there with the lacina crew.  amy went above and beyond to make our stay cozy and oh-so-enjoyable and it was amazing to have such quality time with those girls.  i miss them desperately.

and last sunday i was able to celebrate my second mother's day.  last year i had just a little bundle of a 3 week old in my arms, and this year i was able to admire my little girl as she tottered through the park with mimi and as we laughed together on the crazy bouncy contraption with ford.  she is absolutely adorable.

to demonstrate how completely adorable she is, here are some pictures of her latest most adorable habit.  she crosses her legs any time she sits down.  within seconds of being put in her carseat, high chair, ground, my lap, etc... her legs are crossed.  it is positively charming.

april 22, 2012. ONE YEAR OLD.

brennan.  there are only a few hours left of your first birthday and i am willing them to go as slowly as they possibly can.  i'm not sure i want this day to be over as that will mark the official end of your first year.  and this first year has just been entirely too precious and significant to let today simply speed by without my awareness.  so beginning yesterday afternoon as i would watch the clock, continuing through today (because that is how hard we had to work to get you to us) i was imagining what we were doing this time last year.  we were walking, we were lunging, we were pushing.  and the clock reads the same time of day, and the date on the calendar reads the same date except the year has been moved one forward.  and you are one years old, sitting with your toys right in front of me, laughing as you pat your drums.  what a fun year we have had with you!   

wow.  how very much we love you.  

my birthday girl.

we had a fun fun day with friends and family here to help celebrate.

here is our dessert table.  homemake cupcakes with homemade frosting-YUM.  

simple.  punch & water.  goldfish, pretzels, & animal crackers.  lots of puffs.  

chronicle of her first year.  

month by month pictures

memories and milestones in each month of brennan's sweet life

brennan's main goal in life is to tear up whatever paper she can find.  hope her pretty windows last

trying to walk

momma/daughter birthday pic

kisses!

 she LOVED her cake.  her first moments were little licks of the frosting, but then she eventually figured out that she could pick the whole piece up and take giant bites out of it.  

i love chocolate!

still eating during our photo op

this is the only family picture that we got all day right before brennan is about to enter a sugar-induced coma.  i forgot to snap one before the party when we were all cute, sheesh!  

putting b to bed tonight was sad.  she is a big girl now!  she was SO TIRED from her busy busy day that she was asleep within about 2 seconds of me rocking her but i just couldn't lay her down to bed.  i rocked her and rocked her trying to soak in the moment.  

before she actually fell asleep, i tried to sneak in a few pics of us snuggling.  my girl who is normally so distracted by the shiny camera could barely even lift her head off of my chest to look at it.  sweet, exhausted, snuggly one-year-old girl.  

momma!  i am tired!  rock me to sleep already!