Bumbo Chair

We recently got a Bumbo chair (thank you, Mimi and Grandad!) for Brooklyn to help her with her head control. Its hard work to sit up and hold your head up!





She wasn't too sure about it at first...



But then decided it was pretty cool...



And her tiny-waisted sister liked it too. Haha.

Oh my.

Emma's Baby Brother

On Monday, Emma's mommy's water broke... her baby brother was arriving. He was slightly early, and their family was out of town! So, Emma came over to our house while her parents went to the hospital to welcome their sweet baby boy.

The girls played in the Dora tent...

And then we got out markers to color in coloring books... but the girls started to play peek-a-boo with me instead...

And they found it hilarious...

And then they took turns being the mommy and the baby...

They are the best of little friends. And after a long wait, I had to go see this precious baby brother.

Carter David Dickinson is adorable.

(even for a Cubs fan)

I gave Brooklyn permission to date him...

...when she is 30.

Welcome to the world, Carter! We can't wait to watch you grow into a godly young man!

Wordless Wednesday

Date Five.

For date five, we grilled steaks at home and enjoyed eating after the kiddos were in bed. Then, we played cards. I thought you'd enjoy these pictures of our poker faces.

It was a lot of fun, although I have to admit I'm more partial to going-out dates than at-home dates. :) Maybe I'm high maintenance? Haha.

And I promise to do better on pictures during our next date. I've been a slacker lately! ;)

Sweet Little Beauty

This weekend, we took a girls trip to let Savannah compete in Tiny Miss Virginia. It was her first time competing in all of the events with the older girls, and she did an outstanding job. I was very proud of her. She was poised, gorgeous, and had a great attitude.

She placed third runner up in the overall competition (even making top 5 for her first time competing against three year olds was awesome!), and was the Baby Miss Photogenic winner. But more importantly, she had a sweet spirit and was very happy for the little girl who was crowned queen. I couldn't be more thrilled to be the mother of this sweet beauty.

Here are some highlights from our weekend. I only got pictures of the gown competition and didn't get any of schoolwear or swimsuit, sorry!!!

Five Months Old.

This sweet girl is such a delight. I can't believe another month has passed. They grow up waaaay too fast!!!

This month, Brooklyn started solid foods. And the kid hasn't met a food she doesn't like! She is still sleeping very well, although not always through the night (I spoke entirely too soon on that one.) She sometimes sleeps through the night, and sometimes gets up once, but she is going to bed a little earlier (around 8), so that makes our lives in the evenings a whole lot easier!



Her head control is getting better and she is now able to sit in her sister's old highchair if it is leaning backwards a bit. That makes it much easier to feed her.



Excuse the food on her face in the above picture... I told you she loves to eat! :) She is just the best baby. If she fusses at all, she has a dirty diaper or it is time to go to sleep. She is so low maintainence (read: total opposite of her older sibling, ha ha!). A highlight of Brooklyn's month was that she got her ears pierced. She did not cry AT ALL, but just blinked and it was over. And now she looks super cute and girly... and no one has asked yet if she is a boy, thank goodness.

This girl is a delight and I'm honestly enjoying every minute of her. Her little smile can light up a room. So thankful for this adorable little blessing!

PS- I've recently been told a lot that Savannah resembles her Momma, and Brooklyn is taking after her Daddy. What do you think?!

Wordless Wednesday

Fingers for Snack

I think teeth must be getting close. Because we now think fingers are a favorite snack around here. And she is drooling buckets.

Stay tuned for the emerging of pearly whites!

Not Me Monday

This is not my child.

She was not unattended long enough to do this.

That is not a full basket of dirty laundry in the background.

And clothes are not hanging out of my husband's drawers.

The child in the picture is not up there trying to get hard candy out of the top drawer, that was purposely placed in the top drawer to be out of her reach. She is not a girl version of Dennis the Menace. She does not make me very, very tired.

Not me.

Date Four.

For date four, we went to Italy. Kinda.



We enjoyed a yummy Italian dinner at home... and watched "When in Rome."

Cheap and fun! I forgot to take pictures after the date actually started, though. But you get the idea. I'm looking forward to the next one already ... this challenge is so fun!

And the results are in...

... and this little queen sold $192.50 worth of lemonade to help kids with cancer! We are so proud of her! Here are some snapshots of her day...

And then she got hot and grumpy. And someone gave her a cookie.

But it sure was fun!

LemonAid

Are you thirsty?! Tomorrow, this little queen is completing her community service for her Young Miss Salem title by having a LemonAid stand and selling lemonade for $1. All of the proceeds will go to benefit cancer patients at the Carilion Clinic Children's Hospital. So, if you're thirsty (and I know you are!), leave a comment or email me and I will tell you the location of the stand (or check your local paper - she is currently featured in the Salem Times-Register, So Salem! and the Botetourt View). I mean who wouldn't want to buy lemonade from these two?! If nothing else, you could see Darren in this hat...

Wordless Wednesday

Update on Miss B

This morning, Brooklyn met with a development specialist at Early Intervention through the Infant and Toddler Connection. It is a government-funded service for families of children who have diagnosed developmental delays in any area. Pretty cool deal.

At Early Intervention, they assessed Brooklyn's areas of achievement. She did very well in social and communication skills, cooing and smiling at everyone. However, she did struggle with her gross motor and fine motor skills (things like holding her head up steady, grabbing toys, reaching for things, etc). So, she will begin physical therapy.

The specialist is hopeful that with a little physical therapy, Brooklyn can catch up to speed, and we are too! We sure do love that sweet little girl.

Date Three

It was Darren's turn to plan a date... and I admit... I had my doubts.
And when he informed me that his plan was an eight mile hike...ahem...

But... this turned out to be a fun date.
If you've never been to McAfee's Knob, you might feel like you are dying on the hike (or maybe I'm just really out of shape...), but when you get to the top, its worth it.



The 270 degree panoramic views were breathtaking.



And where I'm sitting is where we ate dinner.
He had a picnic from Firehouse Subs (yummy!) tucked in his backpack.
And he even packed me a cold Diet Dr. Pepper. He knows me well.

The weather was perfect. The wind was blowing, the sky was clear, and the temperature was just right. It was gorgeous.

And he even timed it just right where the sun was setting as we hiked down the mountain.

Date three = success.

Disclaimer: The author of this post reconsidered her raving reviews when she tried to get out of bed the next morning and couldn't move a muscle...