Copycat!

B loves to spit (well, and drool too)....yes, I know, she was bound to be "boyish" like her Momma. Anyhow, she copies you now when you do it to her.

Pool Princess

Brooklyn finally had an opportunity to get into Gamma and Gampa Hein's pool this weekend! She had a blast and loved "swimming" around. She went underwater, kicked around and even played basketball with her Dadda!


Waiting anxiously 20 minutes before getting into the pool (just ate, dah!).


Dadda and Brooklyn are testing the waters.


She likes her new floaty!


Kicking, kicking her feet like a little frog.


"Dunk it, Baby B!"

Mirror, Mirror, Near the Ground

Brooklyn has become more and more infatuated with seeing herself in the mirror. It looked like she was trying to kiss "bite" herself....even though, she does not know kisses yet. I especially enjoy the glob of spit she creates!

Allergies, Maybe??

Brooklyn has been congested for a week now (at least). Low grade fever at the worst and not even that most of the time. I kept feeling around for another tooth, but no signs. Aaron and I have exhausted the "home remedies" that we know to do. Vick's vaporizer, saline and sucking, even the elevated bed wasn't enough and she has been sleeping in her swing and bouncer.....no fun. I called the pediatrician and they have no other suggestions besides what we have been doing. "It is most likely allergies" the nurse says. "Babies don't have the itchy eyes and puffiness, just congestion. It may take a few weeks."

A few weeks....yuck :( So we are all out of whack around here. Momma and Dadda don't suffer from allergies, so lets hope it is not a lifelong thing for Cutie B.

A Runner's Stride

Footsteps; one after another on the pavement is like the beating of a heart in one's ear. Half asleep you leave the daily to-do list at your bedside and embark on a mindless, yet thoughtful escape.
I am a morning runner. (To even call myself a "runner" would have been unheard of just a year ago.) Watching the sun peak over the clouds, hoping it doesn't reveal itself too quickly and blister your momentum. The birds are singing, the trees are swaying in the slight breeze and every step you take is magnified through your body. I like it; no ipod, no gimmicks, just you and "the run." Thoughts are clear, ideas are flowing, arms pumping and no one to interrupt. Tasting the little remnants of toothpaste left in your mouth. Sweating out every sinful bit of the day before.

Mind over body. I think as you get older the old antics it took to get you going are no longer needed. No Slurpee's for goals scored, no ribbons for times set, it's just mind over matter....the will to show mental dominance. My hip flexers usually always get tired during longer runners, after all, they've got to work really hard to lift my fat legs over and over again. But it's when you feel the aches and would like to stop that you need to go 20 more minutes or sprint the last 100 yards or look past your turn and go the next street down.

The pursuit of health and happiness.....I'm in pursuit, fresh and early.

Giggles, Giggles and More Laughs (Part 2)

I thought I could upload more than one video onto a post....guess not.

Giggles, Giggles and More Laughs

Nothing is more entertaining than your child's giggles!

Feeling Guilty

Working out tonight made me feel so guilty. I am at work all day and when I come home it seems like there is little playtime with Brooklyn. She eats 30-45 minutes after I arrive home and then it's basically time to spend another 30-45 minutes cooking dinner and sitting down as a family (yes, all three of us) to eat. Then it's bedtime for B at 7:30-7:45. Where does the day go??

Anyhow, back to the guilty feeling....I feel awful being away from B ALL day and then pawning her off again at night to workout. On the other side of the spectrum, I feel guilty for not working out. My body is in dire need of maintenance. I felt awesome in the mist of training for the half marathon, tired, but healthy. And it seems like once that was over....mind over body....no goal to meet and I just shut down. It doesn't help when it is 90 degrees outside and your child is going to roast in the jogger while you try and get ready for swimsuit season. But to leave her with strangers seems just as bad.

I know I won't feel this way about dropping her off at the child center when school stops and I am with her throughout the day. It was just difficult pumping on the elliptical tonight with these thoughts running through my head.

Brooklyn's Breakfast in Bed

This morning, the entire family was super sleepy and woke up way too late. B slept in almost an hour and a half, enabling Momma and Dadda to get some much needed rest. Dadda got up and brought Brooklyn down to sit in bed with me. This turned into a meal in bed for her (which we never do with her). What a toot?!?


(Taken by my Blackberry)

She was hilarious because she kept reaching her feet up in the air while she was having her bottle. In her highchair, she keeps her feet up and locks her toes onto the under part of her tray. I am not sure why, but Momma and Dadda are both weird, we couldn't really expect differently from our child!!!

Volleyball Video

Hein sand volleyball is intense and extremely FUN!!
Here is a quick clip of some good saves on both sides of the court!! (Thank you Amanda Hein)

Teams: Aaron, Nick, Dan and Erin vs Nate, John, Jones, and Colleen

Mother's Day/Weekend

It was a busy and "sore" weekend for this Momma and Dadda!! Aaron had class on Saturday morning as usual, so I went to workout at the Y. Then Brooklyn and I had to run to Sam's, Walmart and Walgreens for the bi-weekly grocery and necessity shopping. Playtime and cleaning house would soon follow. Poor Aaron, he HATES cleaning, but he suffers through helping me because 1) he dislikes making me do all of it by myself and 2) he knows that it is a MUST on my to-do list.
I don't mind cleaning because it is the end result that I truly enjoy....kind of like working out; only crazy people really love getting up at 5AM and hopping on a treadmill, they do it for the results!

Saturday Night, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner of prime rib at Nana and Papa de Wolfe's house. Great conversation and relaxation. B was a riot with her faces and jabbering. And I got a beautiful charm necklace from my mom to have engraved with Brooklyn's initials and birth date from James Avery.





Sunday morning, Aaron went for a run and then we went to church and enjoyed the children's choir performing songs and skits. We headed to Dan and Amanda Hein's apartment in Los Colinas for good ole' Hein sand volleyball!! We had a absolute blast :) And the weather was great....overcast and 65....perfect for Brooklyn to chill in her stroller watching her sore Momma and Dadda dive around!





Happy Mother's Day to me: Aaron, Brooklyn and Chip bought me the most beautiful diamond earrings ever. I am truly blessed and spoiled by the loves of my life!

New Service with a Big Mistake

Aaron and I decided to try a new church this morning for various reasons, but one of which was because of timing; to better suit a time for Brooklyn, us getting going in the morning, and then her lunchtime. I had looked up their service times last week because we were going to attend last Sunday, but I was not feeling well.
Traditional Service at 9:30
Contemparary Service at 10:30
I had told Aaron that the 9:30 was best for Brooklyn, but it would not be our kind of "crowd" at the service. We decided to try it anyway.

On with our morning routine: Aaron got up and ran early, I got up later with Brooklyn, eat, shower, dress....and so forth. About 9:10, we load up and head to church. We walk in and service had already began (hmmmm?!?) We look around and there is no one under 60!!! We were used to going to the early service(traditional) at our regular church, but it was not nearly this OLD :)

Then, Brooklyn starts getting restless, so Aaron takes her into the lobby area and I stay inside. Yeah, service begins at 9:00 Aaron finds out and a lady was questioning him, "Are you sure you and your wife ment to come to the classic service?"
Not sure what I looked up, but apparently got the time wrong....oops!! Ha!

Anyways, Aaron had the opportunity to check things out, including the daycare area and we will try again next Sunday.