Basically Brooks

I love to send out personalized cards each year at Christmastime and this year there is no exception! This year, Shutterfly has given me 50 free cards because I am a blogger, and all I have to do is to tell you about all the great deals you can find on this awesome website, so here goes! I started using Shutterfly right after Ava was born. The pictures we had taken at the hospital gave us a gift card to use with Shutterfly, and when we ordered a second batch we got another gift card as well! On top of all that, we got a third gift card from registering at Target. Add it all up and that made $30 in gift cards! I used the gift cards to create and send out Ava’s birth announcements! You can do the same by clicking on this link: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/announcements/birth-announcements?c=60401 ! There are so many unique styles to choose from! Another purchase I have made from Shutterfly in the past year was a really BIG purchase. And when I say BIG, I don’t mean pricey….

I can not believe that it is almost Christmas! It's pretty crazy to me that the year is coming to an end! It has been a crazy, exciting, and busy year! One thing that Kyle and I are planning to do is to sit down and make a list of all the big things that have happened this year. I hope we get around to do it so that we can reflect on all those memories! Perhaps we will share our list on our blog so you can get a glimpse of our lives this year! One thing that our family has committed to doing this Christmas season is to sit down as a family each night and do our Advent Family Devotion. This is a special time each night where we get together and light candles in our "Advent Wreath," (which is just a plate with five votive candles on it, next year we will do something more extravagant!), anyway, we get together, light a candle, and read scripture, a devotion, pray, and then sing a Christmas hymn. We have been faithful to complete our devotion each night, and I believe

We are finally moved in to our new home! We are so happy and are loving every second so far. Except when you break the glass in a ginormous picture....and except when somehow your brand new white towels have mysterious pink splotches on them! But other than that, we are loving our new home! Monday morning we came and did the final walk through of the house and then we went and closed on it. Since then, we have been moving machines. My awesome dad helped us get all of our heavy furniture from our storage building and our super small group friends helped us get all the boxes from one house to the new house! We still have a garage full of boxes to unpack, but I think we are moving at a steady pace. In my mind I thought it could all get done in about a day, but reality hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm hoping we'll be all settled by next weekend. Ava loves her new house! She walks around from one room to another exploring. She especially loves our master bathroom and her

Last week, our photographer got Ava's one year pictures to us. I was amazed when I looked through the pictures because Ava was not feeling well at all and was really fussy! Once again, our photographer didn't let us down and got some wonderful shots of our precious baby! Take a look at some of our favorites! (Of course they did not upload in the order I wanted them to.)

For the past three days, Ava has been very sick. We stayed home all day Sunday and Monday and we are going to be here all day today with the exception of running to the doctor. She had had a pretty high fever and a bad cough and she's been cranky. Her cough started on Friday, we took he to the doctor and he thought it was just allergies. He gave us some medicine to clear it up. It wasn't any better on Saturday and was worse on Sunday. We called him an he gave her a prescription for amoxicillin. That afternoon she had a fever of 102.5. We started giving her Tylenol and motrin to keep it down. She hardly slept at all Sunday night and I checked her temperature again at about 1:00 am and it had reached 102.9. Terri texted the doctor and we were told to keep giving her Tylenol every four hours and motrin every six hours. Her temperature went down and stayed down all day. She was still a little fussy but seemed a bit more like herself. She was even acting a little mischievous and had

I like this because it shows the dress I made for her. I did it all except the monogramming! (Thanks to Granny for teaching me!) Mommy, Daddy, Ava, and the CAKE! Yummy! I love this picture because her reaction is priceless! Ava after opening just one gift! She was tired! The delicious cupcakes (someone had already helped themselves)! Smash Cake The Main Cake! (Isn't it adorable?) Our baby girl is now a one year old! The big day was last Friday, and I just can't believe how fast she has grown! One special thing about her birthday is that we will most likely always be off for Fall Break so that we can all celebrate all day (or week) long! We had a fantastic time on her actual birthday! We had a pancakes for breakfast, a picnic in the back yard, and went to the Paintin' Place to create a masterpiece using her handprints (the first handprints we have of her!). That night we opened presents. Mommy and Daddy got her a Radio Flyer wagon that she absolutely loves and sta

Saturday night, our family had a wonderful night out! Kyle's mom and her boyfriend invited us to go out to eat with them and we took them up on the offer! We went to You and Me restaurant downtown and had a delicious dinner outside. Ava loved spending time outside eating bread and watching the cars go by. She was in the best mood and waved at all the other diners. While we were eating, we saw a horse and carriage pass by. We decided that when were finished we'd see about taking Ava on a ride. We went to the square and there we found the horses. It was way after Ava's bedtime, but she was in the best mood so we ventured on over to the horses. She was so excited, she was laughing and squealing! I held her between the two horses for Kyle to snap a picture, but the horses kept trying to nudge me and it scared me quite a bit so I kept screaming and running away. Ava thought that was really funny, but we finally got a decent picture. Ava looks concerned about my behavi

Well, once again, I haven't been doing a good job at posting new blogs lately. We sold our house and now we're living with Kyle's mom while our new house is being built. We don't have internet for the next few months, but we're not missing it too bad! Ava is ten months old now! She still doesn't have any teeth, but she is crawling now! She started late last month and now she is so fast! She started going to daycare again and absolutely loves it! It's so hard to be away from her all day, but we know she is in good hands. Last month, Kyle, Ava, and I all went to Texas to spend some time with his sister, Karen, and her husband Scott. They are expecting twins and we had a lot of fun shopping for the babies and registering with Karen! It brought back lots of memories when we did all that last year! We had a blast in Texas and can't wait to go back again at the end of the year to see those babies! School started up again last week. It is really toug

Great news! We sold our house in less than a month! We are super excited about it and can't wait to dive right into packing up this place, living with Mom for a while, and starting the process of building our new home! Our official last day in this neighborhood is August 3, but since we think that is the first day of school, we'll most likely try to be done a few days before. Just had to share the good news!

Family Trip to Cincinnati Ava Watching the Fish Swimming in the Pool Meet Harold Well, it has been way too long since I updated our Blog. We've had a lot going on, so now it is time to catch you up. First of all, the reason why I finally have time to update you is because last night I finished my 2 classes for my masters. I never knew that a psychology and geography class could require so much of my time and energy, but it did. Every day I had several papers and quizzes and projects due. I finished my finals 2 days early and I am pretty sure I ended up with A's in both classes. A couple of weeks ago, we took a mini vacation to Cincinnati to take Ava to the aquarium and to go to IKEA . We had never been before and my sister presented us with an opportunity that was so inexpensive, we just couldn't pass it up. Ava loved the aquarium and absolutely adores penguins now. She got a stuffed penguin, which sh

Okay, lately I have just heard enough when it comes to parents talking about their children. On TV, in the community, everywhere! I just have to get on my soapbox for a moment and get some things out there in the open! The number one BEST thing that has happened to Kyle and I since we got married has been the birth of our daughter, Ava. This experience has been incredible. My love grows daily for the Lord and for my husband and daughter because of this terrific blessing! I am so tired of hearing parents all over the world complain about their children! Lack of sleep, lack of energy, go go go all the time, potty training, teething, etc., etc., etc.! I am surrounded by kids who have parents that seriously don't care enough to feed them, keep them clean, discipline them, meet their basic needs, and love them. It breaks my heart! And what breaks my heart even more is listening to parents who have perfectly healthy children, who are able to provide for their children, and have t

This was my first Mother's Day where I could hold our daughter and kiss her and hug her. Of course last year we celebrated, but I guess this was our first "official" one. And was it a special day! Not only was it Mother's Day, it was baby dedication day at church as well. With it being so busy the morning of Mother's Day, we forgot to take tons of pictures of Ava and I. I'm pretty bummed about it, but I know my memories won't fade away. Let me tell you about my first official Mother's Day! The morning started off with a hungry baby that needed to be fed. I fed Ava her milk and rice cereal and then we started the celebration. Kyle made me sit in the living room while he prepared the gifts. I heard him going from one room to the next, opening and shutting doors, and muttering to himself. Finally, he told me I could come in the kitchen where an adorable green flower pot waited for me. It wasn't just a flower pot, it was a flower pot with seeds and soi

Ava bouncing after all the hard work of putting this thing together! Yes, she's basically naked because she was soo hot! Ava bouncing at the store in the display bouncy gym! She loved it and begged us to buy it for her. We gave in! Actually, I was talking to someone and the next thing I knew Kyle had loaded it up in the cart and was wheeling it off to the register! I can't believe we were out of school today due to flooding. Well, actually I can....especially after seeing some of the streets even here in our own neighborhood. I seriously saw kids swimming in the street. Bathing suits and all! Kyle, Ava, and I had a great day! Let me share with you our adventures today! We started off our day with a trip to a childrens clothing store to find Ava the perfect dress for baby dedication. I know the dress doesn't make the day, but in my mind I had a sweet long white dress with smocking and I could not rest until I found it. It will make for some beautiful pictures! Then, we all

My cup runneth over.....that saying describes my life so well. I feel like my heart is just bursting with love for many people! My Lord first off, my husband, my daughter, family, friends, and church family. I am so excited and feel very blessed. I love our family weekends and they always remind me of the blessings God has given me. I have enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon with Kyle and Ava. We went to church this morning and it was so nice to fellowship and worship with our friends who are really more like family. I am sitting here typing up this short blog while listening to Ava squealing at her daddy in the living room while they play together. I love listening to them interact with eachother. Kyle is an exceptional daddy. I have been reminded this week over and over at how in love with him I am. I am so grateful to have him as a husband and Ava is so blessed to have a very "hands on" daddy. Like I said, this will be short so that I can be a part of the family time! I just w

Hey everyone! It's me, Rebecca! Once again, we've let too much time go by without updating our blog. I'm going to take a few minutes now to tell you what's been going on. Spring Break was just a couple of weeks ago. Kyle and I, Ava, and a couple of great friends loaded up the van for a fun trip to Savannah, Georgia. We thought it was something new and exciting...and it was! We spent a couple of days walking on the Riverstreet exploring shops and getting samples of delicious treats, and we spent another day at the beach. That had to be our favorite day! Ava loved putting her feet in the sand, but didn't care for when she got splashed by the cold water. Although the day we went to the beach was cooler than the rest of the days, it was peaceful and nice to bask in the sun for several hours. We were sad to leave the beautiful city of Savannah and sad to get back to the real world of work, work, work. While we were on our trip, Ava started saying Da Da and Ma Ma. She sai

Hey Blog World! It's Kyle. I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would take this opportunity. Both girls are asleep and so as I am not sleepy, I shall post. Ava is so amazing! She is almost 6 months old and we cant believe how fast time has gone. Everyday there seems to be something new that she does. I had thoughts of how this would be but never did I imagine that having a child would enrich our lives so much. Rebecca and I truly thank God for her everyday. She is a gift from God and we owe it all to Him. What an Everlasting God we serve. I am constantly thinking in my mind "Am I doing enough?" and Rebecca reminds me of how great of a father I am. That just is the best gift she could give. I literally can't wait each day for the 3:30 announcement at school saying that we are dismissed so that I can hurry home to see her. What an incredible blessing! Rebecca and I enjoy every second with her and realize that time is going so fast and we make sure to soak

Ava found her feet on March 1st. Here she is trying to eat it!

This post is dedicated to 2 firsts for Ava: daycare and ear infection. Last Monday, Ava went to daycare for the very first time. We had mixed feelings about her starting. We were sad because our awesome babysitter would no longer be coming to watch her each day. We were happy because we've been on this waiting list for over a year now. We were sad because we knew she would be prone to more illness, but we were happy that she would be around new kids and people. We were sad because we knew it would be a BIG adjustment for all three of us, but we were happy because there will now be more structure and more people to love her. I could go on and on about these pros and cons, but who has the time? Her first week was a success. The first day went well. Her teacher was out all last week so she had two different people filling in for her. Tuesday and Wednesday were rough because her schedule was misread and she was overfed which led to an upset belly and lots of spit up. Thursday and Frida

Ok , so everyone is updating their status on Facebook saying all about their special someone. I was getting ready to update mine and decided instead of writing it on my status for a day or two, I would post it on our blog. Most of you know our story but for those of you who don't, here goes... Kyle and I met a long, long time ago, when we were twelve years old in Mr. Reeder's science class. I think back to the day I met Kyle and it's funny to me how I had no idea this would be the man I would marry when I "grew" up. It makes me smile to think of how God placed this man in my life at such a young age and how he's been with me through so much throughout our lives. Travel back with me in time! My parents decided to divorce when I was in seventh grade. The day after they told us they were going their separate ways we stayed home from school because we were pretty upset. When I got back to school after a day off, I was still upset. Visibly upset. I could

Ava turned four months old this week. How did we celebrate? By going to the doctor for a well child checkup, of course! Ava weighed in at 13 pounds 14 ounces and measured 23 3/4 inches long! She's really growing like a weed! It's weird to think that she's almost 2 feet tall, 3 more feet and she'll be my height! Strange. The doctor said she looked perfect! Her weight was in the 50 th % ile and her height in the 30 th . He gave us the go ahead to start feeding her cereal once a day, and said that if she does well with that, we can start vegetable baby food. It brings a tear to my eye that she is growing up so fast, but I know that with each stage comes new and exciting things. We tried the cereal last night and she did not like it. So, as directed by the doctor, we're gonna wait a week and try again. I think she'll be more into it once we get the high chair set up-we just tried it in the Bumbo last night. So, last night was her first time using a s

Where has the time gone? I can not believe January is just about over. Things have been crazy busy in our home, but still great nonetheless. Ava's getting so big! She's rolling over from back to belly and belly to back, she's playing with toys (her favorite is a monkey we named Milo), she's laughing and "talking" all the time; her personality is really starting to shine through. I can't believe our baby is going to be 4 months old in about a week. CRAZY! Other updates on our girl.....she's sleeping through the night, we were blessed that she started doing that at 6 weeks ( Babywise really helped with this!) She's getting rice cereal in two bottles a day during the week and she's also taking Prevacid . Both of these are because of her horrible reflux. They seem to be helping quite a bit. She spends the weekdays with our wonderful babysitter here at home and they love each other! In March she'll start going to daycare. I am a little nervous

Sorry it's taken forever to update our blog. We have been super busy with things, but I've made a few minutes to update you on our happenings. I can not believe it is 2010! Kyle and I are still trying to figure out what to call it-do you call it o-ten, or twenty ten, or ten?!? This is a tough decision. I think I've decided to just call it two thousand ten and Kyle for some reason has named it aut ten. Why's that? I have no earthly idea. Our New Years Resolutions are kinda silly, but definitely do-able. For starters, we don't want to eat out as much. Cooking meals at home is much healthier and cheaper. We've gotten pretty bad about eating out since Ava was born, mainly because we were either too sleepy to cook or just didn't want to take time away from playing and taking care of Ava to fix something. Our second goal is to have a schedule for cleaning our house so that we won't have to clean on the weekend. We love our home to be clean, but ha