Thanksgiving food

Cassie and Dan are going to make/bring the mashed potatoes and a cream cheese pie or a pie something like that. Great idea Cassie. I can't believe I forgot mashed potatoes. Thanks for helping out.

Thanksgiving...

First thing is first...we went to the dr. on Mon. for Brooklyn and she is now...drum roll...9 lb. 15 oz and 21 inches. She is an oinker! She is still eating 4.5 ounces and has given us a few nights of 6 hour increments, but usually 4 hours then wants to eat. She is such a good baby. She had her shots. That was rough...I don't know if it was for me or her. I hate to hear her in pain. She slept a good portion of the day and all through the night. They must have wiped her out. I'll post some more pics as soon as I can find the digital camera. I am 17 weeks. I have been feeling some flutters that I think are the baby. That is exciting.

Thanksgiving...Yeah! It looks like it is a go. We can't believe we will have almost everyone here!!! We ordered some beds and have everything to be scheduled to be complete in teh basement by the 20th of Nov. SO, there should be plenty of room. Tom and Uncle Keith are going to tile this weekend and then next weekend TOm and Miles are going to paint. We have the best family and friends! Ok, what I want to know is what you want the menu to be for Thanksgiving. I am planning on making the turkey/stuffing, orange rolls, squash, and red cabbage. Those are some of the dishes that are tradition to my side of the family. If you would like more food then please tell me what you will be in charge of. You can either email me or post a comment on what you would like to make/bring. Also, it is tradition for me to have some sort of ball game that morning. Is it a go? We are so excited to have everyone here. We are trying to find some fun things to do while here. We were thinking maybe a day in Park City or doing some dutch oven in the mountains. If you want to do something then let us know. Ok, I don't want to make this post too long so I will let you go.

Sleep is not overrated!

Last night we put Brooklyn to bed at 10 and she slept till 6! That was a great night's sleep. Not a whole lot going on right now. We bought a crib...it is white...and has 3 transition stages. WE love it. She still sleeps in her bouncer because she needs to be elevated a bit still. We also measured her yesterday with Tom's tape measure and we got 20.5 inches. We go in for her appointment on Monday to get the exact weight and height. I'll let you know. That's it for now.

Well, I was feeling pretty bad about leaving her in another room while I had to use the bathroom because she would SCREAM! So, yesterday I put her in the sink to see what she would do and she LOVED it! She looked in the mirror and at the lights. She didn't even cry. I just thought you might like to know that. Plus, I think the pics are way cute. Enjoy.

The happenings...

Well, this weekend was very productive and it isn't even over yet. Tom doesn't have to work because of Columbus Day. Thanks Columbus! Yesterday, Tom worked on the basement. He is working on the finish work like the baseboards, windowsills, shelving, and door frames. Very tedious. I wish I could help more, but Brooklyn requires some serious time. My sister Lou and her hubby came by and did laundry and we made some cards...or rather...she made cards and I held Brooklyn. She was very needy yesterday. I'm ok with that. Then around 6 we went to the home and garden show at the expo center. It took us 3 hours to cover all the booths. We had a lot of fun and got some great ideas for the basement. Our goal for the basement is to have it done by Thanksgiving. That is exciting. It will be an official year since we (Tom) started. Tom has pretty much done the whole thing himself. Not for not wanting to help, but just being a handy assistant when needed. So, now we will have room to house some people when you come to visit. So, today we took Brooklyn to church for the 1st time. She was an angel. She slept most of the time. I thought I had to teach in R.S., but we got a new presidency and they didn't know I would be ready. Communication would have been good, but at least I got to learn the lesson and learn from it's teachings. No complaints. CONGRATS MAARET! So, I guess all the females that can be pregnant...are. That is cool. It's almost like Audrey had a couple of kids because her family continues to grow too. :) Good luck with that. We admire you for making a difference in their lives. Oh ya, we find out what we are having on Nov. 10 at 3:30pm. Also, the tentative date for the blessing/sealing/court date are Feb. 28-court, March 2-Sealing at the Timp. Temple in American FOrk, UTah, March 3-baby blessing. I've looked online at some airfare and now is the time to buy. If you can make it here then just know you have a place to stay. A lot of people who have done adoptions have said that this is so special and something they will never forget. Well, I promise I am done. Have a great Sabbath.

Week 15

According to WEBMD.COM, here is what is happening.

Week 15
Your 13-week-old fetus now measures about 4.1 to 4.5 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 1.75 ounces. Its body is covered by an ultrafine hair, called lanugo, which is usually shed by birth. Eyebrows and hair on the top of the head are beginning to grow. He may even be sucking his thumb by now. Bones are getting harder.
Your uterus can probably be felt about 3 to 4 inches below your navel. Sometime in the next five weeks you'll be offered a quadruple marker screening test, which measures four chemicals in your blood -- alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), inhibin A, and estrogen produced by the placenta. The test is a more accurate predictor of Down syndrome than AFP testing alone. Amniocentesis, which tests a small sample of amniotic fluid withdrawn by an ultrasound-guided needle, is usually performed between now and 18 weeks. It may be recommended if you're 35 or older or if your AFP or quadruple marker screen test results were suspicious.
Tip for the Week:
Start learning to sleep on your left side because circulation is best that way. Lying on your back or stomach after about the fourth or fifth month can put extra pressure on your growing uterus and decrease circulation to your baby. You can try tucking pillows behind you and between your legs. Some manufacturers make a pregnancy pillow that supports your entire body.

Things we've been up to ...

This is ALL of ours favorite new purchase!



All clean!




Just takin' a bath. She LOVES the water!



We gave her a bath and she lost the top of her hair! I wonder how Tom lost some of his hair?



This is Mama Faye when she came to babysit for a week so that
I could teach. This is Brooklyn's sweet spot.




Lil' Brooklyn is so dramatic! She always has her feet straight up in the air when she eats and her arms rarely relax even when she's sleeping. This is a pic of her and her arms being dramatic!


When I went to Boise this last time my folks gave me a couple of boxes of apples from their apple tree. So, I made apple chips and fruit leather out of them. I love my dehydrator!

Things we've been up to

Happy 29th Birthday TOM!!! Oct. 4

This year for Tom's birthday Brooklyn and I helped him celebrate by making cupcakes at 2 am. Brooklyn was insistant on staying awake with Mom to help so we both made them. We made them so that he could take them to work with him to that they could help him celebrate. We wish we could have had him home, but know that he is needed elsewhere. So, that morning we sang him happy birthday (not at 2 am, but around 6am), and sent him on his way. Tom wanted to spend some time with Brooklyn in the morning so he got to feed her as well. He loves that time. After work we were going to go to Black Angus for dinner, but Tom was very tired because of the past week. He has been working really hard with some long hours...plus, little Brooklyn demands his time when he gets home and early in the morning. So, we ended up going to Sonic then to some stores. For his birthday, he wanted to get Brooklyn a swing. I think it is more a gift for me because she LOVES it and I am able to get some things done around the house. We wish it were more of an eventful year, but life is crazy. We both just feel so blessed right now that we don't need much more in life. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM! We love you!

Thanksgiving Invite

One more thing...

We wanted to invite everyone to our home for Thanksgiving. We will have the basement done by then (for sure) and we want everyone there! Let us know if you can come. Mary and Cassie have already said yes. It will be a party. Hopefully some of the ski resorts will be open. If not, we'll still have fun. There will be plenty of room for everyone. :) The more the merrier!

Week o fun

Hey everyone,

Well, this week has been good. I got to teach P.E. at East Hollywood. It was great to see my old students, but made me appreciate being home and just being a mommy. There is nothing greater. We are so blessed that Tom is a great supporter and that I can do that. I love being home with little Brooklyn. Is it hard...yes. I sometimes get my nights and days mixed up because I am so tired. But it is worth it. It was really nice for my mom to come and help while I taught. The first night she was here she told me, " Isn't it nice that you don't have to worry about the person taking care of Brooklyn sleeping, watching TV, and talking on the phone?" Then the next day after school I asked her what she did all day and she said, "watched TV, slept, and talked on the phone." We laughed. She did manage to help me do more organizing and cleaning which was very helpful. I bet she went home exhausted. Well, as soon as mom left on Sat. Dan and Cass showed up. We love all the visitors. Especially family. It was great to see them. I think Cass posted some pics on her blog. While they were here we talked, played games, watched a movie, and went on a walk. Cassie was very helpful with Brooklyn. She is a natural. Well, this Thursday, LDS family services asked Tom and I to talk at an adoption class about our experience with adoption. It is a class all prospective adoptive couples have to attend. We are a little nervous, but excited to share our experience. We'll let you know how it goes. Oh ya, this weekend we got to meet Mary's man. He has a sweet van! Well, right now I am going to get some pictures at Costco so that I can send some to you all. My thank you's are a bit slow, but coming. We just got the coolest little seat from Maaret. We'll send pics when she is big enough to sit in it. Thanks Maaret!!! Well, long enough post....I'll try and post some pics soon. We just have pics of Brooklyn. Have a great FHE!