Baby Steps

Last Tuesday, (August 10th) Brooke started walking. She randomly took eight steps by herself until Kempton got in her way. She kicks her feet out in an over-exaggerated way as if she's looking for a place to step, it's pretty funny and entertaining to watch. She still crawls if she's in a hurry, but is getting better each day.
This week she can stand up on her own from a sitting position and has been taking more and more steps ever since. She'll probably have it down by her birthday in two weeks.

Brooke also has been teething like crazy. Her top two teeth have come in together, along with her other bottom tooth. And now she also has a third top tooth on its way. So a total of five teeth so far. She seems to get them all at once. It's been a real treat fun!

10 Months

10 months has been a fun time with this little sprite who is so full of spunk and is such a sweet and fun addition to our family.


*Brooke has one tooth on bottom and the two on top coming in together (yeah so fun)!
*She is a chatter bug and loves to talk it up.
*She can stand alone and can take that first step or two unassisted.
*When holding onto a walker or push toy, she can walk all over the house.
*Loves to wave and say Bye.
*Repeats things so well it sometimes sounds like she is repeating the word back to you (thank you)
*When playing or exploring, she has started to put things back in their place after moving them 
(putting toys back in their place, her hat on her head, drain plug back in the drain...) 
*She also likes to move things around, food from her tray to the cup and back and forth. 
*Loves this interactive dog, and dances around and hugs it tight whenever it starts singing. 
*She wants to be wherever Kempton is.
*She is obsessed with the dishwasher, and as soon as that door drops she is standing on it throwing silverware all over the kitchen. She thinks she's helping to unload the dishes, while I'm trying to load them. 
*Loves to wrestle with her daddy, and any alone time she gets when Kempton is asleep. She has really taken to Curt, and a few times now, he has been the one she wants to hold her or rock her to sleep. 
*Brooke thinks she is a puppy, and it's a nightmare trying to feed the dogs when she is in the room. She will come from the back of the house to get a handful of dog food. 
*When sitting on the floor (she's been doing this forever but wanted to remember it), she uses her legs or feet to turn herself around in circles. It's hilarious to watch especially when she goes around so many times she gets dizzy. 
*When it's bath time, she is itching to get in the water and will try so hard to hike her leg over the edge while it's filling up. Once in, she scoots her bottom causing herself to "slide" down to the deep end.
*She has a hard time teething and with her two top teeth coming in at the same time, Brooke has started to really chew and gnaw on her crib rail. She has "chewed" some areas down to the wood. So now her rail is wrapped with sheets, we'll see how long that lasts. 
*With the assistance of the dogs, she can climb onto the couch by herself when using them as a step stool. 
*She has her own method of getting off the couch and has gotten really quick at it too. 
*Brooke loves to eat and is willing to try all sorts of solids...yogurt, cheese sticks, cottage cheese, dried berries, waffles, strawberries, smoothies and toast are her favorites, and now she even enjoys eating steamed broccoli and carrots. She has pretty much gotten on the same snack menu as K.
*Hates pureed veggies now, such a mess and total waste of time.
*Brooke is a screamer, squealer, and one of the most high-pitched obnoxious babies I have ever known. My ears seriously want to bleed when she gets into her squawking mode. It's magnified (and I want to die) when Kempton won't listen to me about being too loud, cause according to him "she likes it" and joins in on the fun. I want to drive myself off the road when they play this awesome game in the car!


10 months has been a really fun stage, and her personality continues to come out each day. She is a sweetheart with a lot of sass and will be quite the little spitfire when she's older. She's demanding in a funny, grunting kind of way, but is quick to wet you down with her tongue kisses. She'll even tackle you to get in as many licks as she can. We love this little girl and all the energy and joy she brings to our family!!

July

July was a great month full of swimming, playing around, K's birthday, and a camping trip. We've been busy enjoying the last few months before school starts up again!

This ten month old cutie reached a few fun milestones this month (more details to come on that) and spent most of her time playing around and enjoying some exploratory rides in the Jeep with her brother.

We had a visit from friends, who have a little boy a few months younger than Brooke, but the same size if not bigger. They were so cute playing together, and with similar features, they looked like they could have been twins sitting there. 

We made a few trips to a water park in chandler that we all enjoy. There's basically a jungle gym in the middle of the pool for the little kids which Kempton loves, a splash pad for Brooke, and a few slides and a lazy river for all of us. It was a great place to spend some of those 115 degree days!

Kempton continues to be our little character and a ball of energy. Brooke loves following everyone around and likes to "help" out with the dishes whenever she can. They both have such fun and special personalities, they're always keeping us laughing. 

side note: In the picture of Kempton with the umbrella, he's sporting Brooke's yellow pants. Apparently he went to the bathroom, and instead of putting his shorts back on, found her pajama pants and decided they worked better. They were so small on him, but he was loving it. He is such a goofy kid sometimes!

The end of the month we went camping with my family. It was the perfect escape from the heat, and seriously the prettiest place I've ever been in Arizona. 

More on that trip to come.