Halloween

Well, I'm happy to say that this year's costumes had nothing to do with super heroes!!  Initially, the boys wanted to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Luckily, I found some at Target that were reasonably prices and fit the requirements Nate set for me "find the cheapest costumes available."  Unfortunately, Target does not make costumes that fit my growing boys. I brought them home to try on and they were WAY too small. 

So, Nate got to experience shopping with his sons.  He took them to the costume shop and let them pick out their own costumes (interesting. . .dad's don't need to stick to a costume budget when they take kids shopping).  Two elated boys came home with exactly what they wanted!!  This year I got to cruise the neighborhood with Indiana Jones (a.k.a. Ryan Lowry) and a mighty Ninja (a.k.a. Brandon Lowry).

Halloween Day was super busy. . .I volunteered in the boys' classroom for their Halloween Party and then we had Nate's family over for our Annual Halloween Chili Dinner.  Everyone got to see the kids dressed up in their costumes and then we also had family to watch Brooklyn while Indiana Jones, Mighty Ninja, Nate, and I hit the pavement to find some trick-or-treats.

Brooklyn. . .2 Months

A glimpse of Brooklyn at 2 months:

• She's smiling and cooing. . .it's the best sound in the whole world.  She has the softest voice (compared to her brothers) and she's just so sweet. 
• Brooklyn has a really strong neck.  She's already lifting her head all the way up when she has tummy time.
• She might have a soft, sweet voice, but all her bodily noises are so VERY LOUD.  She is a loud eater, a loud pooper, and yes. . a loud tooter.  The boys find it hysterical!!
• She still loves to fall asleep in someone's arms.  It doesn't matter who the person is, she'll curl right up, find a warm spot, and just snooze away.  She particularly likes to snuggle up with her Auntie Jo.
• Brookie is a champion sleeper compared to her brothers.  She's waking up once during the night for a feeding.  She usually sleeps from 9:30-3:00, feeds, and then sleeps from 3:30-7:00.  Amazing!!  Is this really MY child?
• She has a tosis in her left eye.  Her eyelid muscle is a big weaker and so it doesn't open as far as it should.  The doctor said she should outgrow this.  For now, it looks like Brookie is winking in all her pictures.
• We all fight over who gets to get Brooklyn up from her naps.  Whoever unwraps her from her swaddle is rewarded with the biggest, most precious smile ever.  They become her hero!!
• She is in the 50th percentile for head circumference, height, and weight.  At her 2 month check-up she weighed 11 lb. 1 oz.

Flag Football

The Vikings

Ryan and Brandon were so excited to start flag football again this year.  Their team name. .  The Vikings (they are NOT happy about that).  Practices have been two nights a week and then they have games every Saturday.  Nate has been helping out with the practices so the boys have enjoyed having "guy nights" on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Brooklyn and I have enjoyed watching the games. . .maybe I should say I enjoy watching the games. . .Brooklyn seems to sleep through the whole game which disappoints the boys because they think she would REALLY like the game.  Oh, and I'm supposed to try to dress Brookie in purple so that she matches their team's jersey color. 

Anyway- the boys have improved a ton since last year.  Ryan enjoys playing quarterback.  Hmmmm. . imagine that. . .the boy who wants to be in control of all situations likes playing quarterback!  Brandon plays on defense and also loves to "hike the ball" to his brother.  

Hornet's Nest

So the boys discovered a HUGE hornet's nest in our tree in front of our house.  We showed it to Nate when he got home and I know that the minute he saw that thing he was freaking out.  A can of wasp killer was not going to do the job. . .greater measures were going to have to be taken to get rid of this thing.  Not an ideal situation when you're scared of bugs.  I know I shouldn't talk since I'm not the insect killer at this house, but funny nonetheless.

Nate came into the house and immediately started watching UTube videos with the boys about how to destroy a hornet's nest.  The boys particularly liked the video where the people clipped the nest into a garbage can, dumped in some gasoline, and started the whole thing on fire. 

Nate decided we would probably have to go the route of clipping the nest into the garbage can and then opening the lid a crack and spraying wasp spray into it.  Luckily, Nate's friend who had the tree limb clipper came over to help.  The boys got all suited up so they could help.  As soon as the hornet's started coming out of the nest, I had two little boys banging on the front door.  They finished watching from the front window, but declared Nate and his friend Ed. . .superheroes!!

These videos are funny. . .if you have time, watch them :)

Brooklyn at 1 Month

So, YES, I have been a total slacker and this is probably the picture that I have of Brooklyn around 1 Month old. I think I had a camera permanently glued to my hand when we had Ryan and Brandon, but with this baby I'm always wondering "Where's the camera?" and then I get busy with something and the moment escapes me.

It's funny because in my head I didn't think adding one more child to the family would have that much of an impact. . .I thought it would happen rather seamlessly, but I think because of the age gap between the boys and Brooklyn it's been a bit more difficult that I anticipated. We're thrown back into nap schedules, feedings, and a mommy who's been picking up all day after two messy boys while trying to do laundry and fix supper. 

We've had a lot of help and I'm so grateful for that. Our family has been extremely blessed by our amazing church family. They've helped me out tremendously with meals so that I have more time take care of Brooklyn. Nate's mom, grandma, and aunt have been coming over to help keep up with cleaning.

What's new with Brookie?

• She eats every three hours; day and night.
• She simply goes to sleep if there is too much action around her. Getting passed around too much or seeing too many faces results in a complete shutdown at this point. It's pretty fun for whoever is holding her though because she'll just cuddle up in your arms and sleep away.

Brooklyn's Baptism

Auntie Jo and Uncle Josh with Brooklyn

Grandma and Grandpa

Brooklyn was baptized at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church on September 28, 2011. A new life being given the gift of faith through the beautiful blessing of baptism. What a truly special day!! Knowing that your child is entrusted to God is such a joyous feeling.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

What did we do when Grandma and Grandpa came in September?

• Snuggled and cuddled with Brooklyn
• Took flag football pictures and played with Nerf guns in a dart zone
• Went for a motorcycle ride (Nate, Grandma, and Grandpa)
• Threw Grandma a birthday party
• Baptized Brooklyn
• Played Lego Creationary
• Took McDonald's to school and ate with Ryan and Brandon