8 Months

Another month has come and gone.   I can't believe that in 4 months you will be 1.  I feel like time is flying by and I just want to push the pause button.  Sometimes I would even like to rewind.  I miss being pregnant, I miss holding you when you were tiny, I miss being up at 4:00 watching crazy early morning tv, I miss your no teeth smile, and I miss your tiny little feet.  Even though there are many things I miss, I also have many thing to look forward to.  Crawling, walking, talking, ok maybe not talking.  I am sure these feeling are all normal but you are just growing up WAY to fast.  In my head I have already starting thinking about when we can give you a brother or a sister.  Did I just write that?  Scary!  Don't worry though, I plan to let you celebrate your 2nd birthday before that happens.  Here are some exciting things you did this month:

• you weigh 16 1/2 pounds
• you still wear a size 2 diaper but we just started a 3 at night
• you are rolling everywhere and are so close to scooting
• you must have something in your hands when I change your diaper, if not, I am in for a wrestling match
• you nurse/take a bottle 4 times a day
• we have offially found your tickle spots
• You love to bury your head like you are hiding when I come to get you out of your crib
• you had your first BAD cold that lasted 3 weeks.  You made it through with no ear infection or antibiotics.  :) 
• after daddy gets you ready for bed you love to play horsey.  You get so excited and kick you feet like you are saying gitty up. 

• you cut your two top middle teeth on December 12 bringing your total to 4! 

• you love to have your left finger in your mouth

I'm gonna

ug...get

you...ugg

puppy!

Ah, got ya! 

Silly Faces!

Hi Mommy!

Visiting Daddy at work

Poppa and Nanny come to visit

Yeah, no pants

Happy 8 month bumpkin.  Love you to the moon and back! 

Brynlee's First Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I'm not spoiled...right?

Christmas #4

We finally got to travel to okc on New Year's Eve.  My parents went to the Thunder game on Thursday night so it was just Kevin, Sarah, and us.  We spent most of the night playing the wii.  On Friday we opened gifts and just enjoyed being together.  One night Kevin, Duane, and I stayed up playing Super Mario Wii.  If you were a super mario fan back in the day, you must buy this game.  You can play 4 players at one time on the same screen so it requires alot of teamwork.  We laughed the entire time we played the game.  Guarenteed hours of family fun.  I think it was almost 1 when we went to bed.  My parents got Brynlee a jump-a-roo for their house.  She loved it.  I can't wait to take her back so she can jump in it again.  She jumps in her exersaucer at home but the jump-a-roo has more spring to it.  Here are a few gifts Brynlee got. 

My cute and SINGLE brother!

The mound of trash

Poppa and Brynlee

Nanny and Brynlee already playing with her new toys

On Friday mom and I were able to sneak away and go shopping for a few hours.  Dillards was having a great sale....50% off sale items.  I got a $40 sweater for $15.  I love bargains.  I also found Brynlee a few cute things on clearance at Gymboree.  Look for the dress I bought on her 8 month post.  I love the Gymboree in Norman.  It is organized so you can look around really easy.  The Gymboree in Tulsa is so trashy I can't even stand to set foot in there.  They pack that store so full of clothes that you can't look around and everything seems to never be in the right place.  I hate clutter and hate shopping in stores that are like that.  We came home Saturday evening with our hearts full of family love and a car full of gifts!

And May All Your Christmas' Be White

We were all given a White Christmas this year.  Many people didn't like it but I enjoyed it.  I love the fact that I can tell Brynlee someday that her first Christmas was white.  This is one of my favorite pictures to date! 

This snow in front of our house was there for 3 weeks.  I wonder how many times that has happened in Oklahoma? 

Christmas Day

We had a fun yet uneventful Christmas this year.  It was a day of mixed feelings for me.  I really enjoyed being home to spend Christmas day but I missed my family.  I definatly didn't miss the Christmas morning rush to eat breakfast, open presents, getting ready, packing the car, and rush to Oklahoma City.  It was always stressful when it was just Duane and I so I knew it wouldn't be any easier with a baby.  We started the day by getting Brynlee up to say Merry Christmas. 

We ate breakfast.  Brynlee has oatmeal with applesauce (as usual) and we had cream cheese cherry danishes that I made a few days before.  This is a Dietrich Christmas morning tradition. 

Here are the danishes that I made.  They were awesome!  I only make these once a year so that makes them extra special. 

After breakfast we opened gifts.  Of course Brynlee had no idea what was going on but she loved trying to chew on the paper. 

Stop trying to get me to smile daddy, I just want to play with my new toys. 

I know some of you won't care about the next part but this year was a lot of firsts for us.  It was Brynlee's first Christmas, our first Christmas at home, and my first time to cook Christmas dinner.  I took pictures of what I cooked because I wanted to remember it.  It was probably one of the best dinners I have ever fixed. 

I make pork tenderloin, garlic cheese red skinned mashed potatoes, corn on the cob from the Dietrich garden, and HOMEMADE dinner rolls.  Here are some pics I took. 

Even though we were snowed in, the day turned out great!  I can't wait until Brynlee can really understand the reason we celebrate Christmas.  On Christmas day, Duane and I started talking about traditions and why we have them.  We discussed a tradition that we could start as a family since this was Brynlee's first Christmas.  This year we had the opportunity to adopt a child through Angel Tree.  It was a good feeling that day knowing that some little girl was waking up to a kitchen play set on Christmas morning.  So, we decided that each Christmas we would provide for a child in need.  We also talked about that as our kids get older and earn money, we should encourage them to also pick out a toy with their own money.  It doesn't at all compare to the gift that God gave us on this day, but we can only follow in his footsteps by giving to others and sharing his love for us.

We also started one other tradition this year.  We now have a Christmas Eve breakfast tradition.  We fix gingerbread muffins off and on through the year for breakfast.  When I saw this gingerbread man mold at Target I knew I had to have it.  We will now have a gingerbread man for breakfast on Christmas Eve.  He was delicious!

Be here tommorrow for Christmas #4.  :) 

Christmas #2

We spent the Christmas Eve Eve with Duane's family. For dinner Duane's mom made yummy chili and layered dip. It was awesome. I enjoyed the layered dip more than the chili...I was in the mood for chip and dip. Then again, when am I never in the mood for chip and dip? Um...don't answer that. We opened gifts and had our homemade danish rolls for dessert. Brynlee had so much fun with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. It was fun to see her watch them, wishing with all her heart she could run around with them.

Brynlee, Grammy, Kaleb, and Kyle

Pa Pa and Brynlee

Cousins! 

Kaleb and Brynlee

Kyle and  Brynlee

Mikiah and Brynlee