34 Months/7 Weeks Old

Happy Halloween! Life is settling down even more now that we are back at home and finally unpacked from living at my parents' house for about 2 weeks this month. I'm going to start back to work this next Thursday (I'm not really looking forward to it, but it's a necessary evil if I want to continue to pay my bills) and the girls will start daycare. We'll be taking them to the same lady that Kami's been going to for a while, but during my maternity leave, Kami only went to Denice's house about 3 or 4 times. We meant to have her go once a week during the entirety of my maternity leave, but that didn't happen, so we're hoping that things go smoothly when we drop her off on Thursday.

We had a ton of fun with Halloween this year. We went to my parents' house to go trick-or-treating. Kami dressed up as a Minnie Mouse princess (no idea where she came up with that one) and had been planning to do so for about 2 months, so we bought her a Minnie Mouse dress and ears and paired them with a tiara and wand. She did a great job telling people "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" and now has loads of candy in her Disney Princess bucket. She's really on a princess kick right now and has already decided that she wants a Barbie princess for her birthday. Not sure if mama and dada have decided on that yet...

Brooklyn continues to be a sweet girl. Anytime Kami talks to her, she quiets down and just stares at her big sister. She loves taking baths and has even started sleeping for about 6-7 hours at night. She even had a few 11:30 pm-9 am stretches which were fantastic! She's starting to give us a few smiles here and there and is beginning to coo at us. Her hair continues to stand straight up and the mohawk seems to be creeping forward, just like Kami's used to. We get stopped a lot in public for people to pet her. Someone at church asked if I thought she'd get tired of it, but she doesn't know that it's not normal yet, so I figure she thinks that's what people do to you when they see you, although it does mean I have to wash her hair more often so it doesn't get too greasy. What sweet girls we are blessed to have!

One day, Kami didn't take a nap during nap time, so around 6, she was upstairs watching a cartoon by herself and I realized it was really quiet, so I went upstairs and this is what I found.

Two sleepy girls.

Trying to see what Dada's doing.

Helping Dada make a Minnie Mouse.

Playing with clay.

Big, chocolatey grin.

Dressing up for Trunk-or-Treat at church.

I say "smile," and this is what she gives me. What a cheesy girl.

Brooklyn's sweet face. I think she's growing into her huge cheeks.

Kami's a big helper in the kitchen and loves to "stir, stir, stir!" She helped me make a fabulous "chock-it" cake for Grandpa and Aunt Patsy's birthday.

Being a silly girl in Dada's hat...

and falling asleep in it.

She loves her Batman "hack!" She says "k"s instead of "t"s at the end of words, so "hot" is "hock" and "hat" is "hack." And there's your lesson in how to speak "Kami." Also, "mee-moes" are mermaids and the "beemin" is the laptop. No idea how those two came about, but at least we know what she's saying.

Kami likes sitting in Brooklyn's Bumbo seat. I guess she can do that for now since Brooklyn doesn't use it yet. We'll see how things go when she does...and check out that hair!

Brooklyn's first Halloween as a skeleton baby.

Sweet sisters!

Dada and Kami in matching shoes.

Kami danced around for a while before going "sick-or-seeting." Another lesson in speaking Kami, she means "trick-or-treating."

33 1/2 Months/6 Weeks Old

Sorry for the delay of the post. This month has been crazy for our family. As most of you know, my mom passed away October 15th after battling ovarian cancer for the past 3 years. She went peacefully and surrounded by family, just as she wanted. Needless to say, the blog was moved to the back burner (is there a way-back burner?), so I'm finally updating it now.

Kami has adjusted to being a big sister with flying colors and loves her baby sister (that's what she calls her). She constantly talks to Brooklyn ("Don't cry baby sister. It's okay Book-in." "Baby sister hungy, make a bottle!" Yes, she leaves out the "r" in hungry.) and is helping me (throws away dirty diapers, puts clothes in the hamper, shakes the bottles). She's also very excited for Halloween (spoiler-she's going to be a Minnie Mouse Princess) and getting lots of candy.

Brooklyn is an easy baby. I have a feeling that she might be a more mellow child than Kami is (like that's so hard). She's our chunky monkey and still has tons of hair. She's a very sweet girl and we look forward to finding out what kind of personality she'll have.

We also added one more to our family. Po is an Australian shepherd, border collie mix (apparently those are called "Baussies"). We got him towards the beginning of October and he was 6-weeks old. He's a cute puppy who seems to be pretty smart. Kami loves having a dog again and I happy that he hasn't pooped in our house yet!

Brooklyn uses the swing much more than Kami ever did, so I'm finally getting my money's worth out of this thing.

A proud Uncle Nick and one of his favorite nieces.

Brooklyn on one of her many baby blankets.

Mmm...fingers are so good...

Sweet little face.

Kami and Po washing my windows. How nice of them...

This is one of their favorite games to play (Kami pulling his blanket all over the yard and Po chasing her).

Hmm...what's in here?

Dada, Kami, and Po enjoying a nice fall day.

Isn't he cute? We named him Po after "Kung Fu Panda" since he sort of looks like a panda bear.

"Follow me" says the girl with no pants. She was thrilled with the new puppy on the first day that we got him.

And then she started eating like a doggy...mama wasn't so thrilled about that...

Kami modeling her new tutu that her Aunt Jenn made for her.

Quite the getup for a girl running in the rain.

I drew a "bear-bear" on her magna-doodle and she said "I love my bear bear! I hug him!"

See how helpful Kami is? Garrett doesn't need to even do anything!

Kami's a budding artist. Check out her smiley face (in the brown) and the heart (in the green). I was pretty impressed!

Kami the Conqueror on top of Toilet Paper Mountain in Costco. What a ham.

Sweet girl with sweet braids.

Another impressive smiley face.

Kami's new Batman hat. She loves the "earrings" on the hat (the ties on the earflaps).

33 Months/3 Weeks Old

The end of September has been an eventful few weeks. We've all been adjusting to having a newborn in the house again and I think we're doing pretty well. Kami is always looking for a way to help, whether it's "helping" make a bottle or throwing away diapers. Brooklyn has fallen into a routine where Garrett does the late-night (11) and early morning (7) feeding and I do the middle-of-the-night (3 or so) feeding. I'm still enjoying my time off work and am not ready to go back yet, if ever, but I haven't won the lottery yet, so I'll be back at the bank next month sometime.

We're all looking forward to October since my brother and sister-in-law will be having their baby on October 12th. Patricia will be having a c-section since Jonah is breech, so we're hoping everything will go well and we're excited to meet him!

Kami was very excited about her presents that Brooklyn "got" her for being such a nice big sister. She even showed them off to our fabulous friends, Luke and Amy, who brought us some dinner.

Luke pushing Kami around in a doll stroller.

Kami's sad face. This picture seems to really accentuate how lanky she is.

Kami pretending to nap.

Uncle Nick held Brooklyn and didn't break her like he thought he would.

Brooklyn's so advanced, she's already holding her own bottle!

Kami's head-to-toe panda ensemble.

"Kami Batman" reading her baby sister a book.

Apparently reading a book to her baby sister was so exhausting, Kami Batman fell asleep on mama and dada's bed sideways with her shoes on.

Look, she's smiling!

Kami loves her baby sister!

Proud girl of her smiley face cupcake that she "helped" decorate.

Sisters sharing a bath. Not sure how much Brooklyn liked it, but Kami had a blast.

How can you resist that hair and those cheeks?

32.5 Months Old/1 Week Old

You might have noticed that the title of the blog has now changed to "our little ones" since we have added another addition to our family. Brooklyn Sharon Marie Price arrived on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:45 pm. She was 8 lbs 11 oz and 21 3/4" long, so almost a full pound a full inch bigger than her sister. We went to the hospital at 6:45 after my water broke and I was dilated to 6 cm. By the time we got to our room, I was 8. No one told me that I had missed the epidural window, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut that I would be on my own with this one. An hour later and after the worse pain in the world, I realized it was all worth it. I'm sure after you look at the pictures, you would think so too.

Kami has transitioned into a fabulous big sister by helping out with her baby sister. She takes dirty diapers to the trash, gets Brooklyn her pacifier and toys, and comes to let me know that her baby sister is crying and to fix it. She's had her moments when she wants to do or get what Brooklyn is doing or getting, but so far so good.

I'll still be doing bi-weekly blog posts, but there will now be pictures of both girls. Enjoy the longer posts and leave lots of comments!

One of Brooklyn's first pictures. It looks like she's smiling!

Big girl! After the doctor mentioned "lots of hair" while I was pushing, the second thing he said was "linebacker shoulders." I guess she takes after her mama...

Kami with her baby sister.

Grandma Price and Brooklyn.

Papa Price with his newest granddaughter.

The next day in the hospital.

Sweet girl with a sweet bow.

Grandma and Grandpa Dokken.

Looks like Brooklyn takes after her Uncle Nick with the similar haircuts.

A proud grandpa.

Brooklyn with her great-aunt Kathy from my mom's side.

This is the same shirt that her big sister wore home from the hospital.

Kami helping Dada feed her baby sister.

Burping Brooklyn is funny!

Brooklyn with Sharon Weare, who we got her middle name from.

Dada's three girls.

Sleepy girl resting on Dada.

Brooklyn found her finger!

I think she's passing gas here.

Brooklyn's first bath-not a happy camper.

A happy grandma.

Kami entertaining herself at church. What a dork.

Kami trying her hand at photography.

"Sook (look) mama! I a air-pane! See my arms? I fly to Hawaii home!"

Kami drawing her arm on some Grandparents' Day cards.

"I a strong girl! Sook at my muscles!" If you look closely, you'll notice her shoes are on the wrong feet and her pants are not only inside out, but on backwards too.

The three Prices before we became the four Prices.

Kami loves wearing Grandpa's headphones when watching cartoons. I love when she wears them so I don't have to listen to Dora.

Kami also loves wearing Grandpa's hat.

Kami concentrating very hard on her sprinkle placement.

Kami and Dada lounging on the couch.

Kami and Wendy riding horses. Garrett takes Kami out to Wendy's house every Friday to ride horses and Kami LOVES it!

Kami reading her bear-bear the Bible.

Kami missed her nap on this particular day, and we stopped to get ice cream cones on our way home. She just about fell asleep with ice cream up her nose...when she falls asleep with her mouth open, I know she's REALLY tired.

Who's underneath that blanket?

It's Kami!

Our Newest Little One!

Well, our newest addition is finally here! Brooklyn Sharon Marie Price entered the world at 7:45 pm, September 10, 2009 weighing in at 8 lbs 11 oz and 21 3/4 inches long.

We got to the hospital around 6:40 and I was dilated to 6 cm and by the time I got to my labor and delivery room 10 minutes later, I was at an 8, so no epidural for me. It was definitely not planned to have a natural birth, but after only about 4 contractions, Brooklyn was here!

I will get more pictures up soon, but I can tell you that her big sister already loves her, as do her parents.

32 Months

Not much going on during the last part of August. Kami has gotten more confident while swimming and sometimes takes her water ring off and swims with just the water wings in the deep end. We've been spending a lot of time inside and at the pool since it's been so hot around here. Kami seems to be excited about her baby sister coming soon (due September 23rd, but I'd be okay with her coming early!), but we'll see what she really thinks when the baby is actually here.

We're still working on potty training, but she's getting better about not pooping until she gets on the toilet (she'll usually say "I pooping!" and we'll run to the toilet). We've gotten pretty lucky lately, but still have accidents every once in a while. Luckily, no one's shoes have become poo casualties since her Aunt Patsy's.

Quite the thoughtful little girl.

She looks like she's up to something...she loves taking baths in mama and dada's bathtub. "Bigger bigger bigger!"

A group shot of the baby shower that Amy (on the right hand side) and Tara (left hand, standing) threw for me. Kami even got a few presents, which she was very pleased with!

Kami's standing on my cutting board shouting "I skateboarding!" No idea where she got that from. And she LOVES her "buh-er-fy" shirt that we had bought her in Hawaii, which she wants to move to. I wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure who's paying for it!

Cheeto face!

Dada and Kami pretending to sleep.

Kami enjoying an "ice keem cone" with Dada.

Silly face in her swimsuit.

Girls from work for another work shower. This picture is mostly to show people me in my state for those who have requested it. Ugh...

Another silly face in the pool.

This kid loves her "chocate milk!"

Note the chocolate milk on her forehead.

She just had to take a bath in the sink one day and thought it was hilarious...well, I suppose it was...

31.5 Months

Well, August has been pretty uneventful for the Prices. Garrett and I celebrated nine whole years of marriage by not doing anything (as usual), but I did get a new washer and dryer. Nothing says "I love you" like laundry...

Kami is still working on potty training. She actually went poo on the potty all by herself the other day and has been telling us she has to pee instead of us having to take her to the bathroom every 30 minutes, so maybe we're finally turning a corner. I'm ready for this whole thing to be done! Kami's also had a lot of opportunity to play with some friends and her cousin, which usually happens at the pool.

The summer is starting to wind down for us, which means Garrett will be gone less often for teen stuff, but more often for school stuff. We've got 5 weeks left until the baby is due (due date is September 23rd) and almost everything is ready. Garrett's mom is making some bedding for the crib out of the fabrics shown below. Kami is getting more and more excited about being a big sister (she's excited for now) and talks about how she'll teach her baby sister all sorts of things. I hope it's all good things...we'll see...

Baby quilt for Brooklyn. This one was much easier than Kami's!

Kami and dada being airplanes. She was reminiscing about going to Hawaii and wanted to fly on an airplane. Me too...

I'm pretty sure that's not where shoes go...

Kami playing her guitar.

"Sook (look) mama-lots of water!"

Kami likes to pretend she's Sophie, Grandma and Papa's (Price) dog.

Funny face!

Kami pretending to be asleep in Brooklyn's chair (by the way, that's going to be the baby's name-not sure if everyone knew that).

This is what happens when you let a 2-year old pick out her own clothes. And yes, she's got underwear on. I won't let her go commando since we're still potty-training. I can't trust her!

I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching her sleep...Garrett and I still go in after she's asleep to look at her every night.

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Here's a bit of an extension of Kami's funny face and what her and dada were doing.