Welcoming December

We hope you are enjoying this wonderful Christmas season. We decorated the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was fun- especially seeing Isabelle having fun with it.

As for baby brother, he's still kickin' around in Mommy. At Monday's appointment, she was dialated to a 3. Instead of thinking he could come any minute (which, he could), we've resigned to think he could come... on his due date. It's a lot better than wondering and anticipating that "today could be the day." (Yeah, this week really dragged.)

Thanksgiving

Believe it or not, these are our only pictures from Thanksgiving! We'll have to have our friends e-mail us some of the actual dinner. We had the Institute building reserved and celebrated with three other families from our ward.


The other moms and all the kids. They were playing a game Isabelle wasn't interested in. (She was the youngest except for two babies.) She of course was interested in the babies. You can see her in the back giving Baby Naomi a kiss.

Isabelle hugging Naomi. It didn't take Mommy long to learn to lend VERY close supervision when Isabelle gives "love" to other children (this is not limited to babies.)

Bless the boys for doing the dishes!

Isabelle's First Hot Chocolate!

If this doesn't make you laugh, folks, I don't know what will.

The family fun never ends at the Brooksby abode.

Christmas Decorating

She was so entranced with this Nativity. She so meticulously placed and re-placed the pieces. She was especially taken with the baby.

Finally, here's a video of Isabelle. Sometimes she talks using her tongue a lot- you'll see. It is super cute and really funny.... She really likes pockets too.

Right now she's really into temples. We have some temple pictures on our wall; (that's what she's looking at in the video). Today she got out her Book of Mormon and started singing out of it, throwing in the word temple about three times. It was precious. The last couple times we did Family Home Evening and asked her what song we should sing, she said "Temple." We sang the second verse to Families Can Be Together Forever and she got a bit upset that "temples" didn't come up in the song for a few lines. (I Love to See the Temple is of course a favorite.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you each have a wonderful holiday complete with fun, relaxation, enjoyment of loved ones, food and, most importantly, full of thanksgiving. We are so blessed!

We are very excited about when the baby will come. Monday Amy had an OB appointment and we found out that his head is positioned down in the birth canal and she's already dialated to a two. (So isn't it a wonder her hospital bag is still only halfway packed?) The doctor said he could still come on his due date (three weeks away, the 19th), but could really come any minute... and to be ready. I'm really excited. It surprises me I'm not freaked out like I thought I'd be when we got this close.

Well, my back is achey, so it's time to end computer-time! I need to go wrap Christmas presents!

Lots of Love!

Magical 8 Mo. Prego

Hey'all! Upon request I'm posting some prego pics. We took them on Sunday the 16th. I am 8 months pregnant. We're noting that if I had him as early as Isabelle, I'd be going into labor right now. Yikes! I'm glad he's still apparently happily nestled in his little "bed-womb."

I have my hospital bag somewhat packed. I should try and finish my Christmas shopping before the baby comes. I just think of more and more things I should take care of! At least the house is clean. I wish we had a bigger freezer so I could make some meals ahead of time. I still haven't finished the first read-through on my novel. And I should take care of our Christmas cards... I also need to organize the freezer, coat closet and desk drawers. I recently reorganized the pantry and kitchen cupboards. Ha ha, talk about nesting instinct going on! Man, it's way too fun. Even filling out our new budget on the computer is fun. Ah, to be 8 months pregnant. I can't believe how much fun I have cleaning. I'm all kinds of excited about the new duster I bought- (Isabelle likes it too.) And I feel good about having cleaned our ceiling fans yesterday even though it's not noticeable to probably anyone but me; (but boy, they were so dirty nasty.)

Anyway, I'd better get to bed! (Speaking of and BTW, buying a comfortable bed is TOTALLY WORTH THE COST!!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY if you're going to be pregnant in it! I can't believe how well I still sleep even with my big belly. It is night and day difference to the sleep with Isabelle's pregnancy. Even the night in the hotel last weekend when we went to the temple was uncomfortable. So, I am a nice bed advocate!!)

Dig the do! (You wish you could pull off Isabelle's hair style, don't lie.)

Richard says he doesn't have anything to say. I don't think I was suppose to type that. He's shaking his head. Oops.

Fall Into Brownies

Here's a video (from a couple months ago) of Isabelle when we were house-sitting for a family in our ward. This kitchen drawer was one of her favorite activities in their house.

Well, Right now... Richard is studying at the school with his study group for tomorrow's test.

Isabelle went down at 7:15ish. Which brings me to a query... Why the heck do we still change our clocks back and forth for daylight savings time?!?!?!?! A mother certainly did NOT conjure it up. It's hard enough keeping a scheduled bedtime/naptime routine with just life itself to juggle -all the activities and whatnot that come up- without having to throw in an entire random hour change twice a year. Grrr. If I ruled, that is definitely one of the first things that would go. Arizona, who knew?, they have the right idea. Apparently no fall-forward/spring-back action going on there. Move to AZ? I just might.

Well, as for me, I am sitting here eating a BIG FATTTTT BROWNIE. And it's not a designated treat day!!!! That's what I get for not exercising today:dejection, loss of will power, and motivation. Last week I exercised every day but Wed. (and Sun.) and this week I was everyday until today, Thurs. It's so much more challenging when the weather isn't nice. Our warm spell has passed again (yesterday it was in the 70's!) and it has indeed turned chatteringly cold (it must have been in the 30's this evening). Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and frankly, I don't feel guilty.

I am almost three quarters done doing the first edit/ first read on my novel! I will be finishing next week. Last week when I realized I was over half done (I'd no idea!), it really was heartening to do more.

FYI, I'm going to try and add/update a little on the blog at least every other week. My set-aside time ("unoffically scheduled") is Thurs. So biscuits all around, this is TWO weeks in a row (isn't it?)

Here Isabelle is wearing her hip Halloween season attire. The shirt is from her Grandma Brooksby. And- lights up. (It was a real hit.) Later the same day of this pic, I put on Isabelle the socks from Great-grandma which just so happened to perfectly match the cat-print on her pants!

We loved having Grandma Brooksby, Great-grandma Palmer and Aunt Brittney come visit (on Great-grandma's way home from her mission in Alabama.) I wish I'd have taken pictures of them!! I just left picture taking up to them, but now I don't have any of them. (Maybe you could send me a couple?)

Will Gamble and Isabelle at the Ward Trunk or Treat. Isabelle talks about Will all the time. It's really fun hearing her say his name.

Will's family; Mike, Jill and Dixon. (Mike and Richard are in the same vet school class.)

Two tree-parents with a cat and monkey hanging-out; (Trunk or Treat.)

The first time Isabelle wore her Care Bear pajamas. So for the local library Halloween story time/trick or treat, she was a Care Bear instead of a cat.

This morning Isabelle was playing with her dollies. It was time to eat breakfast, so Richard put them sitting up on the floor to watch while we ate. Isabelle kept commenting on them during breakfast. Afer she was done eating and climbed down from her high chair, she immediately went over to her dolls- not to pick them up, but to take a seat next to them. It was really cute. (She did that at playgroup when family was visiting, remember?)

She liked holding them up to say "CHEESE" and include them in the picture.

Good night!