january with the littles

We had another visit from the Amorims, which was a really fun way to end 2016 and start 2017. Brooke was excited to see Gabriel and Lexie again, and was much friendlier to Gabey than last time they visited.  I loved watching Brooke interact with Lexie.  She made sure that she always had a toy, and gave her lots of hugs and squeezes. I hope that she is always kind to kids who may not walk and talk like she does. 

We took the kids on a Saturday bike ride to the development across the street from us. We had heard conflicting things about what was being built there, are we wanted to go check things out for ourselves.  Due to the lot size and lack of driveways, we think it is going to be townhouses.  Definitely not good for our property value, but I am really just crossing my fingers that they aren't apartments!

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to do some yard work. Kevin cleared all the leaves off the grass, and Brooke made a huge pile to jump in.  I think this was the first time she had ever done it, and she thought it was pretty great.

Probably the next week we had snow.  The weather here is seriously so weird.  I was actually hoping for more snow so we could play in it, but no such luck.

Since it was super cold for a few days, we got creative with our indoor activities.  I found an extra canvas upstairs, so let Brooke make a painting for Grandma and Papa.  It is currently hanging in their kitchen :)

Colby got creative with his climbing, haha.  Doing dishes is now super difficult because he just wansd to climb up there and pull stuff out of the dishwasher.

Brooke fell asleep while I was getting Colby to bed, and I had to document her stories, cow, and milk.

Brooke is normally awake before Colby, and she loves to be the first one that goes in his room.  She'll peer over the edge of the crib and say "Good Morning Bubby, did you have a good sleep."  It is pretty dang adorable.

Have I mentioned that this kid likes to eat?  He eats whatever we eat now, and is pretty consistent at signing "all done" when he's finished.

Matching Sunday pics with my girl.  These were potential family picture outfits, and while I'm glad with the color scheme we went with, I still love to match with my girl.

Whenever the piano is open, Colby will pull himself up to pound out a few notes.

On Martin Luther King day, we met Mel and her girls (and Bev), at a trampoline park in Grapevine.  We don't normally get together during the week, but since Kinley didn't have school, we took advantage of the opportunity.  This was our first time, and Brooke surprised me with her adventurous spirit.  She wasn't afraid to try new things, and was doing huge jumps into the foam pits.  I tried not to think of the germs in that pit, because she was having a blast. Colby loved it as well.

Colby's favorite toy in Brooke's room: her pretend make-up.  Kevin really hates that he loves it so much, but I told him not to stress about it.  He just likes all the containers, I think :)

We have been using this ghetto stair blocker for a few weeks now, and it gives me great peace of mind knowing that Colby can't climb up the stairs when i'm not watching.  He has no safely awareness, and goes down the stairs so quickly.  I just don't want him tumbling down a whole flight of stairs!

This particular morning, Brooke was being such a great big sister to Colby.  She was so attentive to his needs, and was playing so well with him!  Moments like that make me feel like I'm doing something right as a mom.

We worked on the experiments from the science kit Auntie Madi picked out for Brooke. She has a very inquisitive mind, and I love when she fills her time with something that is helping her grow.

I started exercising again after a motivational RS activity about "A New You".  I do 30 minute workouts each morning, and the kids have been great at entertaining themselves.  By the time I finish, the loft if usually a mess, but at least they've been content and I've been able to exercise.  This particular day, these two hooligans emptied the entire DVD cabinet into another storage bucket.

We made an impromptu stop at PetSmart after dance...

Mr. Cool :)

To celebrate Kinley's birthday, we had a princess birthday party and parade at the Peacocks.  Brooke even let Auntie Mel Mel curl her hair...

Colby was cracking us up with that play phone...

And we ended the month with a trip to the temple!  Whenever the month has 5 Tuesdays, the 5th one is a ward temple night.  Jerry and Bev came to babysit the kids, and it's nice to know that they are in good hands.